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writershapeholeonthedoor · 6 months

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Baby Driver

Pairing: Kara Danvers x Lena Luthor

Summary: Lena doesn't know how to drive and Kara offers to teach her so she can take her license, however, driving proves to be harder than Lena thought it would be.

Disclaimer: English is not my first language. I kind of stole someone's idea from a tag on a post, but they totally told me I could do it!

READ ON AO3 | MASTERPIECE

“Wait, you don’t know how to drive?”

Lena knew she had said too much when every head turned at her with equally surprised looks. It had been a silly comment about how she would have to wait for Sam to stop to drive her by every morning when they first started working together and forged their friendship. Her intention was to tell her friends about her rebellious times against the Luthor family and how she spent months refusing to take anything from them, which included their hired drivers, not to mention their money as well, that being the reason why Lena couldn’t take a cab and had to wait for Sam to walk to her apartment complex so they could take Lena’s second-hand car to work. It was supposed to be a funny thing where her friends would laugh at her stubbornness, maybe tease her for having Sam walk all the way to her apartment just so they could take Lena’s car for work. She was also partially waiting to engage in a conversation with J’onn about the very old car she managed to buy with the amount of money she was making at her very first job.

That’s not what happened, though.

Well, her friends did laugh at her story but, of course, Alex, being the secret agent she liked to think she was, picked up on the small detail in what Lena said that the youngest Luthor had thought no one would even notice.

With a groan, Lena threw her head back against the back of the couch, silently cursing herself for the slip-up. Sitting beside her on the comfortable couch was Kara, who placed a gentle hand on her forearm draped lazily across the couch between them, and Lena forced herself to look at their friends again. She had to make a conscious effort not to melt against Kara and forget about everything else, so, instead of letting her lovey-dovey eyes meet Kara, she chose to point a finger at Alex instead.

“You can’t mock me. I was too busy getting a double degree along with a doctorate.”

The redhead raised her hands in mock surrender from where she was sitting on the floor beside Kelly, with sweet little Esme in front of them while playing with some legos. “Hey, put your guns away, Luthor. I’m just curious. You can put a rocket together with your hands tied behind your back and blindfold while also wearing a kilt-”

“I shouldn’t have told you I’m Irish,” Lena wailed.

“-and you don’t know how to drive?” Alex finished the sentence as if Lena hadn’t said anything, although she quickly pointed a finger at the brunette to add: “I cherish that information, thank you very much.”

Lena rolled her eyes and was about to argue something back, but Brainy beat her to it. “It is actually not that surprising that Lena knows how to build a rocket but can’t drive a car. Those are different things.”

“I like you,” Lena declared with a smile towards her friend which prompted a laugh from everyone else. She waited until it died down before speaking again. “But really, I just never had the time to learn. I also never had a reason to. I mean, my rebellious time lasted just a few months until I went out of money to buy books. I always had a driver ready to take me everywhere and it hadn’t changed over the years, so yes. Not everyone thinks they are going to star in the next Fast and Furious movie, Danvers.”

“I resent that,” Alex commented with a smile that let Lena know she was just joking.

Coming to her aid, Kelly placed a hand on her wife’s shoulder to keep her from teasing Lena any further. “You have time now,” she gently reminded Lena. “Don’t you want to learn it?”

Lena was happy that Kelly very gracefully avoided saying that she also didn’t have a driver anymore. After defeating Lex - again - just a few weeks ago, Lena was still trying to put her life on track. She knew she would want to put L-Corp back on its feet again, but Lena was taking her precious time to do it this time around so she wouldn’t be overloaded with work again. Meanwhile, Lena was still sharing Kara’s apartment with her, studying for another doctorate - that she honestly didn’t need, but that was something nice to put her attention on - and spending her free time trying to come up with ways to improve Kara’s super suit, helping the rest of the team or coming to terms with her past.

It had been fun, to put it simply.

“Well, I suppose,” Lena ended up replying after considering the question for a few seconds. “It’s not something I miss, but it would be nice to know how to drive if I ever need it for some reason.”

That’s when Kara decided to jump into the conversation with her usual overly excited personality. “I can teach you.”

Before Lena could ever think about replying to that - and she would have to admit it would take a while to get her brain to function because she made the mistake of looking to the side and she met Kara’s blinding beautiful smile and bright blue eyes, and it was just too much to handle - Alex had her own input in the subject. “No way! You’re a terrible driver, Kara!”

“I’m not!” The blonde quickly argued as she glanced at her sister with her mouth hanging open in shock.

“You so are,” Alex scoffed.

“She’s not,” Nia said, coming to help her mentor in the stupid argument going on. “She used to drive around a lot with me when I first started working at CatCo.”

“Thank you, Nia!” Kara exclaimed happily. “See?” She then skillfully dodged the pillow that Alex threw her way.

“How much did you pay her to say that?”

“Nothing!” Very maturely, Kara stuck her tongue out to Alex.

While everyone else shared a laugh at the sister’s antics, Lena decided to place her hand on Kara’s thigh to show her some support - and also just because she could. “I appreciate the offer, but I don’t think you want to waste your time trying to teach me how to drive.”

“Of course I want!” Kara chirped in quickly, already turning herself on the couch so she could face Lena more easily. Their knees were almost brushing against it other now and it made Lena smile like a schoolgirl. “I always want to spend time with you!”

The chorus of “aww” that went around only made Lena blush a little, but she didn’t think twice before leaning over to kiss Kara’s lips - because she could do that now! She could kiss Kara now. She could just lean closer and kiss Kara’s lips, and, for the love of God, that was something Lena loved doing. Lena was almost sure that Kara had some addicting poison in her lips because she had been hooked since the first time she did that, but she honestly didn’t mind. She could kiss Kara now, and they were sharing an apartment, and they held hands while walking down the street to Noonan’s, and they drew each other silly things in the bathroom mirror just to make the other person smile when they took a shower next.

“It’s going to be fun,” Kara said after they pulled away from the chaste kiss. She didn’t go too far and her nose was still brushing against Lena’s, which made it a bit hard for the brunette to think while she looked at the bright blue eyes staring at her. “You can take your license then and we can have one of those cute dates at the parking lot theater outside town.”

Okay, Lena wanted that.

She found herself nodding before she even thought it through, though, but it was worth it when Kara yelped and pulled her in for a thigh hug. Lena laughed happily while she tried to find a comfortable position for the hug, deciding lastly to rest her cheek on Kara’s chest as her arm wrapped around the blonde’s waist. Nia and Kelly were clapping and playfully telling her words of encouragement, while J’onn was just smiling at them all and Brainy was trying to help Esme with her Lego tower, but Alex looked just a bit concerned as if she wasn’t entirely sure this was a good idea.

“Can’t you drive there?” She mumbled at Kara, but she backed away when her sister threw her a warning look. “Well, I’m sure Lena can figure out how to drive a car. She can drive a spaceship, so it won’t be a problem.”

“I will pretend I didn’t hear your sarcasm, Danvers,” Lena replied.

“And I will pretend you don’t shove your tongue down my sister’s throat, Luthor,” Alex shot back with one arched eyebrow.

Lena shrugged. “Not only there.”

The reactions she got to that were immediate and hilarious. Alex groaned and put her hands on her face, while her wife laughed loudly, falling back on the floor. Nia pretended to be shocked and covered Esme’s ears but she was also laughing when she had to lean over to explain to Brainy what Lena meant by that while J’onn announced that was his cue to go to the kitchen to grab another soda. Kara, on the other hand, blushed a deep shade of red and hugged Lena even harder so she could hide her face in the crook of Lena’s neck.

“Zhao,” the whispered the complaint against Lena’s skin, although she sounded a bit amused too.

The word of endearment, though, made Lena’s heart swell with love and pride. Kara had been more and more open about her heritage after they made amends, especially after they started that tentative relationship between them, and hearing Kara speaking her native language with her almost made Lena’s heart beat faster.

It made her raise her head, untangling herself from Kara’s arms, to peck her lips again and that had been it. The conversation ended there and they shortly decided to go back to their game of Scrabble, which Lena, of course, won. Alex, Kelly and Esme left not too long after that, with the kid already half asleep in her mom’s arms. Nia, Brainy and J’onn helped them clean up before the Martian offered the couple a ride home, and then there was only Kara and Lena left at the studio apartment.

Lena honestly thought the conversation would be forgotten soon. She knew she would eventually have to face Alex’s jokes about it every once in a while, but it was fine. Lena was a grown woman, she could handle it - and she could always make her sister-in-law shut up by making some not-so-innocent comments about Kara. She did think Kara’s offer to teach her how to drive wouldn’t be remembered, however.

So, imagine her surprise when Kara took her to a mostly empty parking lot on a Sunday afternoon when they were supposed to be home cuddling on the couch while watching a re-run of Desperate Housewives.

“Uh,” Lena said when she stopped walking. The parking lot wasn’t necessarily big since it was behind Noonan’s, and she could see two cars parked there, but she was confused because they had walked there from Kara’s apartment. “What are we doing here?”

“What do you think?” Kara asked excitedly. She had kept walking, now doing it backward so she could look at Lena, and her smile was large. “I’m teaching you how to drive!”

“What?”

“I told you I would do it, didn’t I?” Kara laughed, finally stopping in her tracks to open her arms. “So here we are!”

Lena looked around slowly. There was a large garbage bin pressed against the back of the restaurant, a few light poles spread around and, other than the two cars, there was nothing else. No trees, no bushes, no sidewalk, nothing. Even so, Lena started feeling sweat forming on her forehead because that was insane. She didn’t need to learn how to drive. She had managed to live that long without driving!

“Come on,” Kara called her while waving a hand for Lena to get closer. “It’s going to be fun!”

Lena really should learn how to say no to Kara.

That was starting to become a problem.

She sighed and started walking slowly towards the blonde, as if her slow pace could, somehow, make the other woman change her mind - or a meteor to fall from the sky right on top of her, although she was sure Kara would find a way to stop it before it happened. So, apparently, she was doomed to learn how to drive.

It wasn’t like she was afraid to do so or that she didn’t trust Kara to be a good teacher, but… Lena had never done it. She never sat behind the wheel. But it couldn’t be that hard, right? She had done harder things in her life, for sure.

“Is that Alex’s car?” Lena asked suddenly when she recognized the vehicle parked right behind Kara. The other car was all the way across the parking lot, very far away.

“Yes!” Kara answered her happily as she turned around to show it to Lena. It was a black car, beautiful she could say, and brand new.

Very new.

As in “Alex bought it two months ago” new.

Lena arched one eyebrow. “How did you convince her to let you use her car?” Alex hadn’t let anyone but herself and Kelly drive it, so Lena couldn’t even imagine how that conversation went.

“Oh, you know,” Kara waved a hand dismissively, which was enough indication that Lena wasn’t going to like her answer, “I told her I couldn’t take J’onn’s car because it’s so old and it’s very unlikely you will ever drive something like that.”

“And she just said yes?”

This time Kara hesitated. She refused to look back at Lena and her eyes kept staring at the back of the car for several seconds before she sighed. “I told her it might be nice to teach you how to drive so you could take your license in case something ever happens and you need to take Esme from school.”

The words were said in a rush, but Lena understood them clearly. She was too shocked to say anything at first, although a big smile slowly took over her face. “You bribed Alex with her own kid? Oh my, Kara Zor-El, you’re evil.”

Kara groaned, doing her best to glance at Lena with her innocent blue eyes. “I’m not even that sorry,” she admitted.

Lena laughed and approached Kara to kiss her cheek. “Come on, let’s get moving with it.”

A minute later, Lena was sitting behind the wheel for the first time in her life. Kara was sitting by her side with a grin and a very chill-out attitude, which was the complete opposite of how Lena was feeling. She had been afraid to touch anything until Kara told her she would need to adjust the review mirror and the seat, but she hadn’t moved since she did that and placed both of her hands on the wheel. Her knuckles were a bit white but they both pretended not to notice it.

“Okay, so there’s really no secret here. You’re going to start the car, change gears and put it into drive. Then you’re going to slowly step on the gas pedal while you remove your foot from the brake and you’re going to take off.”

“That’s it?” Lena asked in confirmation.

Kara chuckled. “That’s it, yes. I mean, it would’ve been harder if it was a stick-shift car, but this is automatic. You don’t have to do much, really. Just keep both hands on the steering wheel and don’t step too hard on the gas pedal.”

Lena could do that.

That was way easier than putting a rocket back together or driving a spaceship.

She could do it.

With a deep breath, Lena put her hand on the keys and turned it to get the car started. She let it go after it made a loud noise, though.

“Too much,” Kara warned her with a gentle smile. “You don’t need to hold it for that long, but it worked, so now you change the gear. You’re going to put your hand here and press this button, then you’re going to move it to drive.” She waited until Lena did that before she clapped proudly. “Yes! Now you put the handbrake down. Okay, so your left foot is going to step on the brake and your right foot is for the gas pedal. Don’t mix them,” she joked, completely missing the gulp that made Lena’s throat bob. “Slowly press the gas pedal now.”

Lena could do it.

Really.

She could.

After another deep breath, Lena used the tip of her shoe to press on the gas pedal while she took her left foot from the brake.

Things happened way too fast after that.

The car jolted suddenly, making Lena hit her back hard against the seat, and it started to move forward with small jumps. A bit in panic, Lena ended up pressing the gas pedal again and the car went forward way faster than she ever wanted it to go, and her first reaction was to pull the handbrake up. Kara, luckily, saw what she was about to do and stopped her hand from touching it.

“No, no! We don’t pull the handbrake when we’re moving,” she said with a nervous laugh. They were going a bit faster than she would like for a first class, but the parking lot was larger than it seemed and there was nothing in front of them, so it was fine. Or that’s what she told herself while her other hand moved to the grab handle. “Just take your foot from the gas pedal and step on the brake.”

That’s what Lena did next, but, again, it was with much more intent than it should have been. The car came to a very sudden stop making Lena go forward and almost hit the wheel, before she stretched out her arms and pressed herself against the seat, eyes wide and heart racing. Kara hadn’t moved at all, although the blonde was looking through the windshield with her eyebrows raised and lips pursed. For a few seconds, no one said a thing, until Kara turned her head with an awkward smile.

“Well, we need to work on being more subtle,” she commented with a still gentle voice, though Lena could see her jaw twitch a bit.

“Jesus, Kara, this was a bad idea,” Lena said with a blush and sorrowful eyes. “I’m sorry, I-”

“No, no, no,” the other woman interrupted her quickly, trying to turn on her seat to take a better look at the brunette. “Don’t apologize. You’re learning! Did you always know how to mix chemicals or sold wires together or did you have to learn it?” She laughed. “It’s going to be fine, really. This time, just try to step more lightly on the gas pedal. If you want to brake, do it slowly, okay?”

Lena still looked unsure, but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she looked forward again, sighed, and decided to try again. The second time around was better than the first, but she started to panic because she thought she was about to hit a tree - that was several feet away from them - and she ended up braking way too hard again. It kept happening for a while. Lena would move a few inches and suddenly step on the brake, afraid she might hit something, to the point where they hadn’t even reached the end of the parking lot to start making their way back.

Kara could feel herself getting a bit frustrated because, no matter what she said, Lena would still freak out and stop the car instead of keep driving. And not a smooth stop either. However, Kara refrained from saying anything about it since she knew that was the first time Lena was ever driving a car and because she knew that losing her temper wouldn’t help anyone. Even if Lena was having trouble making the car drive in a straight line.

“Okay, we’re going to stop here and try to turn around,” Kara said after another particular hard stop. Lena had started sweating at some point and she looked at the blonde as if she had suggested they jump off a cliff after she said that. “Lena, you need to learn how to turn the wheel, come on. Besides, if we keep going straight, you won’t have enough space to turn later.”

“Maybe that’s enough lesson for today,” Lena suggested with a grimace.

But Kara just chuckled. “We’ve been here for half an hour.” She must have seen the panic in Lena’s eyes though, because she softened her features and placed a warm hand on the other woman’s thigh. “We will cover the basics today and return some other day, okay?”

“Okay,” Lena agreed quietly.

“Good.” Kara leaned to kiss Lena’s cheek before she returned to her seat - her hand had not left the grab handle since the first time Lena stepped on the pedal. “Now, you’re going to go forward and, once you drive past that like mark on the floor, you’re going to start turning the wheel. We need to make a curve so we will be facing the other way, so don’t stop turning it, but remember to do it slowly. Don’t do it too fast or too hard or we will be jerked to the side. Oh, and take care with the garbage bin.”

Lena wasn’t sure if her heart beating fast or her sweaty palms were the worst, but she had no idea that driving would make her feel a step away from a heart attack. However, she didn’t want to let Kara down. She wanted to prove to her girlfriend that she could do it, that she could learn how to drive, but she also wanted Kara to be happy that she was the one who taught Lena. And Lena couldn’t deny that she also wanted to take Kara on that date the blonde had mentioned.

“Hey,” Kara softly called her when Lena kept staring at something in the distance. She waited until the younger Luthor was looking at her again before smiling and reaching out to take one of her hands for the steering wheel. “What if I tell you something funny to help you relax?” Neither of them missed the way Lena nodded eagerly at that, but Kara chose not to mention it. “Okay, so, I’m actually a good driver. I can hear when cars are getting closer, I respect literally all traffic laws, and I had never got involved in an accident. However…” Kara’s tone became playful and, even if Lena didn’t know the end of the story yet, it already made her smile. “I like to tease Alex a little bit. So, whenever she lets me drive, I go just a bit faster and make the curves a bit too closely to the other cars, and I pretend I’m not going to stop at the red lights or that I’m not seeing people crossing the road.” Kara chuckled.

Lena also laughed, shaking her head in amusement. “That’s why she said you’re a terrible driver?”

“Yes.” The blonde glanced up and winked at her. “I just like to see her squirm in her seat and it’s quite funny when she starts turning green,” she admitted shamelessly.

“You’re terrible,” Lena laughed, not even noticing how tension left her body.

“I know, but it’s fun.” Kara shrugged. “It’s nearly impossible for me to ever hit a car I’m driving. Come on, I have super senses and perfect reflexes. I can stop from hitting someone or something, and I can hear if someone is about to hit me and get out of the way. I don’t think Alex ever realized that, though.” She paused to narrow her eyes at Lena. “And you’re not going to tell her.”

Lena shook her head quickly. “Never, but I kind of want to be in the car the next time you drive her somewhere.”

“Deal,” Kara conceded with an overly dramatic handshake before she leaned closer to kiss Lena’s lips. “Now, come on. We can go home after you make the turn, I think you had enough emotions for one day.”

Lena felt much better after Kara’s little anecdote, much more confident too because she had Supergirl in the car with her. It was unlikely that anything bad would happen. So, with a small smile, Lena decided to get going with it.

She took her foot from the brake and stepped on the gas pedal, and, for the first time that day, the car didn’t jerk suddenly. It actually moved really smoothly and Lena didn’t feel the need to stop. She kept it going slow, looking at the review mirrors even if she knew there was no one behind her, and reminding herself that the trees were far away from where they were. Lena drove past the mark that Kara pointed out before and slowly, very slowly, started to turn the wheel.

“Very nice!” Kara celebrated. “Just keep going.” Lena surprisingly made the turn almost perfectly, although she did pull the wheel a bit harder when she got closer to the garbage bin even if it was clear she wasn’t going to hit it. Upon seeing that, Kara yelled like Lena had just saved the world again. “Keep going! Don’t stop! You’re doing great, just keep driving until we’re back to where we were parked before.”

Lena could do it.

It wasn’t that hard, really.

She just needed to keep both hands on the wheel and remember not to put too much strength into things.

Oh, no, they had another garbage bin?!

“Oh,” Kara breathed out when Lena pivoted the steering wheel so quickly that not even the alien saw it coming. “Wait, Lena, turn it again.” Again, she did it way faster than she should’ve and Kara almost moved to grab the steering wheel from her, but she kept herself from doing that at the same time she bit her bottom lip to hold back a scream. “Just keep going straight, okay? There’s nothing in front of you, you’re not going to hit anything.”

If Lena wasn’t panicking at that moment, she would’ve noticed how on edge Kara sounded and how badly she was holding herself from being unnecessarily rude - though it would’ve been a reaction out of fear. But, since Lena was too busy thinking that the trees were getting closer and that the garbage bin was moving toward her, her only concern was to keep driving. Which, ironically, was the opposite reaction she was having before when she would brake every few seconds.

Kara grabbed the seat beneath her and straightened her back as she held her breath, trying to show Lena she trusted her at the same time her brain was telling her she shouldn’t be trusting Lena right now. She saw the brunette driving mostly in a straight line after the sudden pivot from before and tried to relax, which didn’t work when she saw Lena driving past the point where she was supposed to stop.

“Lena-” she tried to warn her but got too afraid to say something that would make the brunette do something wrong again. “Uh…”

Kara’s eyes kept moving around while she tried to make sure everything was fine, though her hand grabbed her seat a bit harder. There was nothing to the sides, just the trees very far away and the back of Noonan’s, which was also not that close. The only thing in front of them was the other car parked there - which she knew belonged to the Noonan’s manager - but it was still a bit far and she was sure Lena was seeing it. It was right in the way and Lena wasn’t blind. She also seemed very eager to press the brake before, so Kara was sure they weren’t going to hit it.

Almost sure.

Once they got closer, Kara moved in her seat. “Lena… The… Uh, the car. You need to…”

Lena moved the steering wheel to the side, allowing Kara to breathe again, and the blonde let out a nervous chuckle when she looked to the side at the other woman. Well, now she was just thinking Lena was messing with her the same way she used to do with Alex. And, okay, fine, maybe she should stop doing that with her sister because it was actually a bit scary.

When Kara looked forward again, though, she saw the other car way closer than it should be.

Kara didn’t think twice before stretching her arm across Lena’s chest to hold her in place and avoid her getting hurt, and, a second later, both cars hit with a loud noise.

And then there was silence.

Kara’s arm was still holding Lena in place and they were both looking outside with wide eyes - though the brunette was the clear image of someone panicking while Kara just held no emotion in her face. Luckily, the airbag hadn’t been triggered since the car wasn’t that fast, but Kara could see the dents in both cars even without moving. Incredulous, Kara glanced around to make sure she had seen things right before.

There was nothing else there. Nothing. Just a single car that Lena managed to hit when she had all the space in the world to drive around it.

Unbelievable.

“Oh, no,” Lena breathed out finally, which put Kara into action immediately.

“Are you okay? Did you get hurt?”

Blue eyes moved to study the woman beside her to make sure she had been able to prevent Lena from getting hurt, searching for a scratch or a bruise, anything. Lena, however, just turned her head to look at her with wide eyes and a bit maniac expression. “You said it was impossible to get into a car accident with you!”

“I wasn’t the one driving!” Kara quickly defended herself in the same loud tone Lena had used, although she couldn’t help but start seeing some humor in it.

Holy shoot. Lena hit the only thing around them with Alex’s car.

“Fuck!” Lena yelled before putting both hands on her face. “Alex is going to kill me!”

“I don’t think she will,” Kara said with a hint of humor. “I mean, it’s more likely that she will drop dead before she thinks about killing you.”

“Kara!” The brunette exclaimed when her girlfriend started laughing. “That’s not funny!”

“It kind of is!” Kara kept laughing. “Look around, Lena, you hit the only thing in front of you for miles!”

“Kara!”

Before Lena could say anything else, the back door of the restaurant opened and the manager, probably having heard the noise, stepped out to go check what was going on. Kara’s smile disappeared as soon as she spotted the old man.

“Uh-uh,” she whispered.

Lena apologized profusely to the kind man. He didn’t seem mad, but he was a bit sad about the damage to his car. It had dented his back door, although Alex’s car was in a worse condition. Still standing in front of the man, Lena made a bank transaction, sending him enough money to buy three cars like his even if the man kept telling her there was no need to give him that much money. It made Lena’s bank account go even worse than it already was since she stepped back from L-Corp, but that was the least she could do. She still had money from other investments she had made and the man literally had nothing to do with anything that happened, so, yes, he deserved the money.

After that problem was solved, Kara, who had been behind to let Lena deal with things, smiled at her and offered her an apology for not being able to stop her in time. Lena wasn’t mad at her - she could see it was her fault now that she wasn’t so nervous anymore - and they ended up hugging each other while looking at the damage to Alex’s car for a while.

“Promise me you won’t let your sister kill me,” Lena whispered after a couple of minutes.

And Kara had laughed, kissed the top of her head, and told her that Alex wouldn’t kill her. She knew her sister wouldn’t be happy, but she wouldn’t kill Lena - what she didn’t say was that she wasn’t sure Alex wouldn’t try to do it, but Lena would be fine.

Kara drove the car back to their shared apartment even after Lena said she should be there to tell Alex she hit her car, but the blonde only kissed her goodbye and went to drop off the car to her sister alone. The silence that went on for minutes after Alex stepped outside her building and saw the state of her car spoke volumes, although Kara was glad that Kelly was there to make sure her sister wasn’t going to freak out too much.

“Please, don’t be mad at her,” Kara asked her softly. “She was nervous and I should’ve taken a closer look. Lena’s feeling pretty bad already.”

Alex kept quiet for another minute before she took a shaky breath in while putting her hands on her hips. “My car,” was all she said with a trembling voice.

Standing outside, Kara was still talking with her sister about two hours later - well, she was actually letting Alex scold her for being reckless, really - when a cab stopped across the street and Lena got out of it. The blonde glanced at her sister to be sure Alex wouldn’t flip a table at her girlfriend, but her sister had dutifully snapped her mouth shut to keep herself from saying anything.

“I got you a new car,” Lena said before anyone could say something. “Exactly like this one.”

Kara saw the way her sister’s jaw moved like she was grinding her teeth, but that seemed to be enough to Alex because the redhead sighed and nodded. “You could’ve just paid for the repair, you know?”

Lena waved a hand. “It would lose market value,” she declared once she stopped beside Kara. Her girlfriend put one arm across her sounders and Lena instinctively wrapped her arm around the blonde’s waist like it was second nature already. “I also bought you another something to make it up for you.”

“Really, Lena, maybe it’s a bit too much. I mean, yes, it looks bad, but you could’ve just paid for-Holy crap!” Alex's sudden outburst occurred when she saw a truck turning around the corner. Not any truck. “You bought me a Harley-Davidson?!”

“I hate you, Luthor!” They heard Kelly yelling from the window of their shared apartment, where she had gone to take care of Esme after making sure her wife would live another day.

Lena glanced up to see her friend leaning to look down. “I got you a new coffee machine!”

After a pause, Kelly yelled back: “I love you, Lena!” and disappeared inside the apartment.

Kara laughed while she thought her sister’s neighbors must have them, but her attention quickly shifted back to the truck parked in front of the building. She saw her sister running towards it like a kid on Christmas morning and smiled when Alex started talking with the driver as soon as he stepped out of the vehicle. She had no idea how Lena managed to do that so fast, but she was sure Alex would never complain about anything else for the rest of her life.

“Why don’t I get a motorcycle?” Kara asked with a chuckle.

Lena frowned and tilted her head to the side. “You know how to drive one?”

“Of course,” the blonde shrugged.

If she noticed the way Lena’s green eyes went darker, she didn’t say anything. “Good to know,” the brunette mumbled with a smile as she looked back at her sister-in-law.

“Maybe Alex can lend me hers,” Kara joked loudly enough for her sister to hear.

“Not a change in hell,” came Alex’s immediate reply, although the woman hadn’t been able to remove the smile from her face as she said it.

They didn’t get rid of Alex’s damaged car until Lena was done with her classes - just in case, since they didn’t want any more damaged cars. It took Lena some time, but she actually became a good driver once the initial fear was gone, although it took Alex months before she agreed to enter a car that Lena was driving. And she only did that because she had to teach Lena how to parallel park.

Kara didn’t know how.

J’onn was too busy with something.

Nia and Brainy didn’t know how to drive.

And Alex wasn’t about to let her wife - the love of her life - enter a car to risk her life.

Surprisingly, Lena managed to park perfectly on her first try. She was just great with the math behind it.

When Lena took her test, all of her friends and her girlfriend were waiting outside for her, and they all celebrated without caring if anyone was watching. They took their little celebration to Noonan’s later that night and Lena felt loved as she never had before. A week later, she took Kara on that silly date, but they spent most of the time making out inside the car rather than actually watching the movie, but that was okay because they weren’t using Alex’s car that time around.

Months later, they reacted the same way when Lena got her new degree, and Lena couldn’t help but think it was great to have people cheering for her like that.

And if she asked Kara for a little gift to celebrate her degree, well, that was no one’s business. She did wrap her arms securely around Kara when her girlfriend drove them off on the new motorcycle, though.

Thank you, @supercorp-superclown, for allowing me to do this and for also giving me ideas!

#supergirl #supercorp #kara danvers #lena luthor #kara x lena #alex danvers #funny #fic #one shot #fanfic #creative writing #my writing #ao3

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northliights · 2 years

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𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑹𝑨𝑪𝑻𝑬𝑹 𝑺𝑯𝑬𝑬𝑻. repost, don’t reblog

basics ! FULL NAME. Aurora May Phillips NICKNAME. Rora GENDER. female. HEIGHT. 5′3 AGE. 28 (but also verse dependent) ZODIAC. aquarius (february 3rd) LANGUAGES. English, Irish HAIR COLOR. auburn EYE COLOR. blue SKIN TONE. fair BODY TYPE. mesomorph is the closest fit. ACCENT. British with an Irish lilt every once in a while, especially when she is excited or angry. VOICE. soft spoken but steel. She has the slightest hint of a lisp when she says her s’. It’s not high pitched or deep, fairly average. When she speaks, you listen, no matter how quiet or loud her voice is. She has a very commanding presence when she talks. DOMINANT HAND. Right hand. POSTURE. Very straight. Never slouches. When she is tired, rather than slouching, she tends to lean more towards one side or the other. When she’s angry her shoulders are squared as she does her best to make herself look bigger than she is. Think puffer fish ;) SCARS. A few. The noticeable ones are: She has a scar from the removal of her appendix. She’s got a scar on her upper left arm from an accident when she was a kid - she fell out of a tree. She also has a scar from the polio vaccine on her upper right bicep. TATTOOS. There is a small pink rose on her left hip. Though she does know a guy whos really into tattoos so ... watch this space BIRTHMARKS. she has a small dark mole right on the upper part of her left breast, right in front of her arm MOST NOTICEABLE FEATURE(S). Her blue eyes.They are very bright and they sparkle, which really annoys her when she’s angry and accidentally throwing out mischievous fun eyes.

childhood ! PLACE OF BIRTH. She was born in County Cork in Ireland. Specifically, the village of Crosshaven. HOMETOWN. Crosshaven briefly until she was sent by her father to a boarding school in london. BIRTH WEIGHT. 6lbs 9oz BIRTH HEIGHT. Literally no idea. FIRST WORDS. mum and kitty. SIBLINGS. She is an only child PARENTS. She was born to Fiona and Stephen Phillips. Fiona was 25 and Stephen was 32. They got married when Fiona discovered she was pregnant. PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT. Her mother was very influential in her early childhood. Aurora was definitely a momma’s girl. She barely knew her father, he wasn’t around much due to work as an up and coming politician. Her parents divorced when she was 9 years old and her mum moved back to Ireland. Aurora was in boarding school in London and was not allowed to leave ( by her father). He later sent her to university where he paid for her to earn a degree in political sciences. Aurora was fine with this because it allowed her the chance to get into journalism and undo everything he has done/did

adult life ! OCCUPATION. freelance journalist. CURRENT RESIDENCE. London, England. More specifically, Brentford. CLOSE FRIENDS. She doesn’t have many close friends, mostly just business acquaintances. She is always busy and on the go and works odd hours ..combine that with the fact that she can’t often talk about what she does and it makes maintaining both conversation and relationships difficult. RELATIONSHIP STATUS. She is in a committed relationship with @spynorth’s Lucas North FINANCIAL STATUS. She’s comfortable. She saves a little bit of money and despite the fact that her father always wants to pay for her flat or buy her things .. she can’t be bought. She does everything on her own and she makes a good living. She is perfectly capable of taking care of herself and refuses any assistance from her father. DRIVER’S LICENSE. She has one, yes. CRIMINAL RECORD. She was arrested once for a political protest while she was in university. Her father offered to have it expunged from her record and she refused. SEXUAL ORIENTATION. Bisexual. ROMANTIC ORIENTATION. Bi-romantic PREFERRED EMOTIONAL ROLE. submissive | dominant | switch PREFERRED SEXUAL ROLE. submissive | dominant | switch LIBIDO. While she doesn’t need it to ‘function’, she does enjoy a healthy sex life. She considers herself a very sexual being and is very comfortable in her skin. She will not hesitate to initiate when the mood strikes. Definitely not a passive player. TURN ON’S. partners who aren’t afraid to be vulnerable. Intelligence is a huge one - I’d say she is 100% sapiosexual. Good sense of humor. Clever. Someone who doesn’t take themselves too seriously. TURN OFF’S. Being a Lannister. Poor hygiene. Ego. People who can’t take no for an answer. Intentional ignorance. LOVE LANGUAGE. quality time together RELATIONSHIP TENDENCIES. Aurora tends to very possessive in relationships. If you’re hers, you are hers only. She doesn’t like to share her toys. She can be bossy but it’s usually done in an affectionate manner. When in a relationship, she will check in throughout the day (text, phone call as time permits, etc.) as long as she knows her partner is comfortable with her doing so. In a relationship with Aurora, you always know you’re never far from her mind. She secretly is a huge cuddle bug but if called on it - she’ll stab you before she admits it.

miscellaneous ! CHARACTER’S THEME SONG. We Will Rock You by In This Moment. HOBBIES TO PASS TIME. She loves to read. And read some more. She’ll stop a second to pet the cat.. and then read some more ... She also loves old movies (think cheesy horror films. the cult classics). MENTAL ILLNESSES. a little ptsd PHYSICAL ILLNESSES. she had scoliosis as a child. LEFT OR RIGHT BRAINED. If you go off by the classic stereotype she would be right brained. FEARS. Open water because she is not a strong swimmer. Heights, she is very low to the ground and likes to stay that way. But other than that .. not much scares her. She tends to be pretty unflappable. SELF CONFIDENCE LEVEL. Very high. VULNERABILITIES. She tends to be lonely. She grew up lonely and whenever she finds herself feeling that way once more, it brings back a lot of those hurts from childhood.

#~ headcanon ~#THIS WAS SO LONG !

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inprometheanfire · 2 years

Text

CHARACTER SHEET

BASICS

NAME: Elva Hess

NICKNAME: n / a

ALIAS(S): n / a

GENDER: female

SIZE: 5′5″

AGE: 20s

ZODIAC: she doesn’t have a birthday but i’m gonna say big sagittarius vibes

SPOKEN LANGUAGES: Gaelic, English, whatever seals speak lol

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

HAIR COLOR: blonde

EYE COLOR: blue

SKIN TONE: fair & freckled

BODY TYPE: average

VOICE: musical; Irish accent

DOMINANT HAND: right

POSTURE:

SCARS: none

TATTOOS: none

CHILDHOOD

PLACE OF BIRTH: somewhere in the Irish sea

HOMETOWN: Isle of Man

SIBLINGS: several seal brothers & sisters

PARENTS: a seal mama & a seal papa

ADULT LIFE

OCCUPATION: farmer, sheepherder

CURRENT RESIDENCE(S): a cottage in a rural area

CLOSE FRIENDS: none because all her seal friends are in the sea

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: single

FINANCIAL STATUS: lower - middle class; enough money to get by

DRIVER’S LICENSE: no

CRIMINAL RECORD: no

VICES: laziness? lying, sometimes stealing

SEX AND ROMANCE

SEXUAL ORIENTATION: het because she love those human men

PREFERRED EMOTIONAL ROLE: indifferent, receiver ; is unsure of her own emotions bc, you know, seal?? but she’s willing to learn about human emotions to better understand them

PREFERRED SEXUAL ROLE: adaptable, receiver ; very slowly but surely learning about these experiences

TURN ONS: kindness, confidence, takes initiative, aggressive, maintains appearance

TURN OFFS: codependent, submissive, selfish, poor hygiene, impatient

LOVE LANGUAGE: physical touch, receiving / giving gifts

RELATIONSHIP TENDENCIES: constant mood changes, bouts of wistful sadness, over exaggerates her own worth, willing to lie and/or deceive to get her way // helpful, empathetic, loves to buy things to prove her love, considerate & sensitive

MISCELLANEOUS

CHARACTER’S THEME SONG: Fire by Barns Courtney

MENTAL ILLNESSES: none, though she’s often sad and can’t understand why

PHOBIAS: n / a

SELF CONFIDENCE LEVEL: indifferent

#oc . elva hess

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devonlarrat · 5 days

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notesfromthecactuspatch-blog · 11 months

Photo

Time To Hand A Few Things Off. As I approach age 74, realizations come to me at the oddest moments. Most are in dreams, but sometimes during meals, showering, plant pruning, or enjoying a sip of Irish Whiskey on my patio. My bum right foot won’t cooperate, thanks to botched back surgery, and sometimes it trips me up, which instantly reminds me that I need to use my walking stick and that at my age, any fall could be fatal or at least require a hospital visit, and that would bring relatives with grocery store flowers in hand to pay their condolences, and need my wife to sit by my bedside for days, or until I expire with tubes and machines hooked up to my bodily unit. It’s an unpleasant thought. Age tells you there are things you used to do that are not doable now.I used to drive a trusty 2008 Honda CRV that has been a dependable ride since we purchased it new. But, back to the foot thing, I can’t drive a car now, even though I tell my wife MoMo that I can work the accelerator with my cane and break with my left foot. Nope, she won’t buy it, and I did try to drive a few weeks ago, and it was a disaster, so I have embraced her nurse-trained logic. It ain’t happening, dearhearts. So what to do with my small white buddy that’s been sitting in our driveway since last August of 2022?My granddaughter, Maddie, lives in Tulsa and got her driver’s license this morning. So yesterday, MoMo drove our other Honda car, and my neighbor John and me ( John drove, of course) piloted the 2008 Honda to DFW airport to meet up with Maddy and her older sister Lillian and her wee-one at American Airlines Terminal D, so I could hand Maddy the keys and title to my Honda, which is now her Honda. Sometimes it’s hard to accept, but old folks must do the right thing and hand the keys to the car and the future to the young ones.

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ndlslicences · 2 months

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legaldocumentsltd4 · 3 years

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haletwinsstan · 3 years

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what are some other things about americans that you find weird? im american and i love to hear about things we do that we think are normal but apparently arent 💀

I mean don’t get me started here’s just a short selection

The way you guys measure things????? How much is an inch???? A foot?????? A Fahrenheit????????????

NO public transport unless you’re in like a big city (unless that city is LA apparently but I’ve never been there) like how do you get around I don’t have a drivers license

You don’t use WhatsApp apparently which I discovered during a summer school when the Americans couldn’t be added to the groupchat which is WILD to me cause like do you still……. Text?????????? Not everyone has an iPhone so iMessage wouldn’t always work?????????

Your country is so big I’m shaking how is that one country it’s quicker to get from one side of Europe to the other than one side of the US to the other

Americans are real intense about their European heritage for reasons that are unclear to me??? “Yeah I’m 1/32 Italian 1/16 Irish and 1/107 German!” Bro what how do you know that

I’ve seen several Americans make tea by heating water up in the microwave……. HERESY buy a kettle you heathens

The whole thing in twilight when she’s complaining there’s only one bathroom???? I’ve only lived in houses with one bathroom????? Is having an en-suite normal over there?

#thanks for the ask lmao this was fun #shut up judith

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i-am-baechu · 2 years

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Title: The Way To Me | ♞ | | ♚ | | ♛ |

Paring: Kim Taehyung x reader (Part two)

Genre: Journalist Au, strangers to lovers au, office love au, secret notes au, and Dash and Lily au

Summary: Y/N hates Christmas. Every year it’s the same thing, everyone is too happy or too drunk to have a conversation with or your parents act fake in front of everyone. She finds out her ex is in town and she wants to celebrate Christmas with her but she doesn’t feel the same way and she knows she’ll never voice it to her. Working at Dream Weekly, Y/N has to make Christmas issues and as she does so, she drinks her Irish coffee to get through her day. It’s not until someone starts to leave notes on her desk every morning and she starts to get curious on who it is. Will this mysterious person give her cheer this Christmas or just make her even more annoyed at the holidays?

Warnings: Death of a parent

Part one Final part

Author’s note: Taehyung birthday special! The two theme songs of the story is The Way To Me by Joy and Underneath The Tree by Kelly Clarkson. There’s also hints within this story to my upcoming one shots!

“I’m late.”

Taehyung ran out of his apartment as he put his arm through his jacket and tried not to fall down on the icy sidewalk. It was December first which means the start of Christmas throughout the streets and the Christmas market was open starting today. It was his favorite time of year, everyone was happy and was buying gifts for their loved ones. How could anyone hate it? He entered the bus and gave the driver a wide grin as he went to his usual spot. He put on his headphones and let the Christmas music flow through him.

Today was the day that the local church choir was singing at the opening of the market, like they do every year. This year, Taehyung promised he would bring them mittens and scarves because this year was colder than last year. He was supposed to get a ride from his roommates, Park Jimin and Jeon Jungkook but something came up at their work and they had to leave or at least that's what they told him. Even though Taehyung had his driver's license and his own car, it was rare to see him driving by himself. Actually, it was rare to see him by himself in general. Ever since he was child, he always made sure he was surrounded by people regardless of where he was or what he was doing.

Being on the bus was lonesome for him but he knew in twenty minutes he would be surrounded by people so he pushed that thought aside. He looked outside and saw the many lamps on the sidewalks decorated with lights and garland making a smile appear on his face. The stores all around him had small paintings of Santa Claus or Christmas trees making the kids clap their hands at them. When he got off the bus, he saw his friend's bookstore with the door wide open and a constant flow of people coming in and out.

He walked through the door and saw Kim Seokjin putting some books away unaware of his friend's presence. It wasn’t until Taehyung shook his shoulders to scare him, making him almost drop the books, “YAH! You're lucky I didn’t drop these books or I would’ve made you pay for the damage!”

“Damage? They're just books?”

Jin glared at him and put the two books away as he let out a sigh, “Why are you here?”

“Oh, I just wanted to visit you before I watch the church sing at the opening.”

“I forgot about that. Are you alone? I thought Jimin and Jungkook were supposed to come with you.”

“They were but something came out at work.”

“Ah, so you're by yourself. How was the bus ride?”

Taehyung shrugged his shoulders and leaned against the bookcase, “It was okay...same as always. I’ll come by when the singing is done.”

“Alright have fun!”

Taehyung waved goodbye and walked outside the store in a rush when he saw the time on his phone. He rushed through the crowds of people and entered the Christmas market with wide eyes at the decoration. Last year the booths were just booths with nothing on them but this year it seemed like they went all out. Each booth had garland and lights all around it even the food booths had decorations on them. He shook his head and started rushing towards the tree until he accidentally knocked someone on the ground, making him drop all the scarves and mittens in his bag.

“Hey, what the-”

“I’m so sorry.”

He quickly picked up the scarves and mittens and rushed away from the scene. Not noticing the eyes on them nor the small voices. He saw the choir make their way in front of the tree and when they saw Taehyung they gave him a small smile.

“Ah, Taehyung...I was worried that you would come.”

Taehyung bowed and took out a purple scarf, “I wouldn’t miss it in the world, Mrs. Spencer.”

She gave him a small smile as Taehyung carefully wrapped the fabric around her neck. He stopped when he felt eyes on his back and turned around to see that no one was there. He raised his eyebrow at this and shook his head. He continued to pass out the scarves and mitts until all the choir had them.

He stepped back and gave them a wide grin as he watched them get into formation. The soft voices echoed through the markert and he looked around to see everyone smiling. Five songs later, Taehyung felt like it was the right time to leave and go back to Jin. He gave them one final bow and walked away in the cold.

He took off his jacket when he entered the book store and his smile only got wider when he saw all his friends at one of the tables at the corner, “You said you had work!!”

“Sorry hyung, I got a notification from the security system that someone broke into the tattoo parlor but it was just a false alarm.”

“Ah, that's good.”

Taehyung smiled at him and pulled out a chair to sit next to Namjoon who was reading a book and Yoongi who was on his phone with his eyebrows furrowed. He tilted his head at this and poked his head, “Is everything alright?”

Yoongi sighed and put his phone in his pocket and crossed his arms over his chest, “Naomi is being difficult again.”

“Isn’t that normal?”

Yoongi rolled his eyes at Hoseok and took a sip of his coffee, “I should be used to her but I guess she always surprises me.”

“What did she do this time?”

“We had a date tonight but her friend needed her or something. I didn’t really finish the text, I stopped when it said ``oh sorry.”

Jimin bit his lip and gave him a worried look, “Are you okay?”

Yoongi let out a puff of air as he gripped his coffee tighter, “I should’ve expected this, it's the third time she's done this. If its not for sex then it doesn’t matter to her.”

“Hyung, I’m sure there's a reason...”

“Yeah, whatever...How was the singing, Taehyung?”

Taehyung's eyes widened at the sudden attention and he let out a small cough, “Oh, It was good, Mrs. Spencer was there.”

“Really? I thought she had hip surgery?”

“That’s what I thought but she was there.”

The group continued their conversation and even had Jin jump in but it changed when Hoseok looked at Taehyung with a small smirk, “Have you talked to your crush yet?”

Taehyung choked on his spit as Jimin gave him a mischievous look, “Oh, that's right you were supposed to do that today. Did you?”

“All because I said I want to talk to her doesn’t mean I will...I just want to...shut up and leave me alone.”

“Oh, have you figured out your Christmas game thing yet?”

Taehyung shook his head and pouted, “I’ve done it to every floor already. I don’t think I’m going to do it this year.”

Hoseok's eyes widened and a mischievous glint appeared but the only one that saw it was Jimin causing his eyebrow to raise, “You haven’t done it to the second in command.”

“EHH!? Are you crazy!? Why would I do that to them? I want my job!”

Hoseok rolled his eyes at him and crossed his arms, “She’s not bad, just an alcoholic...but she's perfect for you though. She hates Christmas.”

Taehyung looked at him with a suspicious look, “You know her, there’s a catch.”

“No, catch. You should try to make her like Christmas again is all...”

“Fine...for Christmas. What's her room number?”

“80114, since it's the start of December she’s probably going to be late.”

“Why is that?”

Hoseok took a sip of his water and let out a small laugh, “She’s probably going to have a hangover. I told you she hates Christmas.”

Taehyung woke up early the next day and walked down the stairs to see Jungkook cooking in the kitchen and Jimin watching tv in the living room. He let out a yawn and sat next to Jimin on the couch, “Why are you watching Double Trouble?”

“I need to know if he ever finds her and what happens when he does.”

“You're kinda attached to this show, is that a good thing for you?”

“I just feel a connection to the main guy, I don’t know. Anyways, Jungkook is making breakfast.”

Taehyung nodded his head and patted his shoulder as he headed to the kitchen. He leaned against the cabinets as he watched Jungkook place the rice down on the last plate, “Do you need help?”

“Nah, I’m almost done. Aren’t you up early? You usually leave when we’re gone and go to Namjoon-hyung’s apartment, what's the difference today?”

Taehyung took a small bite of food and let out a puff of air as the food was still hot, “I’m going to put the note on the door and I don’t want to get caught.”

“Oh yeah. Are you excited?”

“Yeah but at the same time, Hoseok said she hates Christmas. That’s such a sad thought.”

“She probably has her reasons just like how you have your reasons to like Christmas. Breakfast is done!”

Taehyung took his bowl of rice and headed towards the living room to see Jimin still invested in the drama. He rolled his eyes and smacked his shoulder lightly, “Go get food before you die from starvation.”

“Shut up.”

The roommates ate their breakfast together in the living room discussing what they were doing that day. Taehyung explains that since it's Christmas, he's going to be extra busy with taking pictures for the new issues coming out that month. Taehyung has been working at Dream Weekly for almost two years now and so far he's enjoyed his time there. Thanks to Hoseok and Namjoon, Taehyung was able to get the job faster. They both decided it would be best if he worked in the photography department and he's been there since.

The Christmas game was a game that his mother made when she was younger. She would leave notes around her hometown for anyone to do. She started doing it when she noticed the lack of Christmas spirit one year and ever since she did it until she moved away with his father. That’s actually how she met his father by playing the game. His mother told him about the game and when she passed away, he decided to keep the game alive. He also hoped that he would meet his partner through the game but so far, nothing.

After breakfast, Taehyung changed into his work clothes and headed to work with them. The car ride was filled with laughter and random conversations. He waved them goodbye as he walked in with a wide smile on his face.

“Good morning Chaeryeong! Did you get your white chocolate mocha?”

Chaeryeong rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, “I had gingerbread mocha this time. Taehyung, you didn’t call auntie and she's mad.”

Taehyung bit his lip and gave his cousin a cheeky smile, “I forgot, sorry. I’ll do it tonight.”

“You better, she was upset not hearing from you.”

“I’ll make it up, don't worry.”

“Taehyung! Don’t forget about dinner tonight or I’ll push you down the stairs!”

“I’ll keep that in mind!”

He waved her goodbye and entered the elevator smiling at the Christmas decoration. He sat on the floor level and listened to the soft melody playing. He walked through the door and smiled at the people walking past him. He looked at the door with a nervous look and took a deep breath as he put the note on the door. He tilted his head and shook his head at the placement. He picked up the note and put the note lower. He nodded his head and put his hands in his pocket as he walked away.

His phone started ringing and he picked it up without a care, didn’t even bother to look at the caller ID, “Hello?”

“Did you put the note on the door?”

Taehyung entered the elevator again as he pushed the phone up with his shoulder as he put his floor number, “Yeah, I did. There’s not a lot of people on that level, are there?”

“Only a couple. I know Namjoon goes up there for meetings but other than that I don’t know who works up there with her.”

“You keep saying her, who is she?”

“I need you to edit these pictures for the new issues, I need one of them by the end of the day but the rest by the end of the week. Thank you~♡!

Before Taehyung could say anything the line went dead causing him to stare at his phone with an annoyed look but he quickly wiped it away. He put his phone back in his pocket as the elevator door opened to his floor. He walked and saw Hoseok leaning against the wall with his coffee in his hand. He took a sip and waved at him with a wide grin, “Did you really hang up because you knew I was coming?”

“Yeah, I thought that was obvious.”

Taehyung rolled his eyes and walked past him as Hoseok followed him, “Did you see your crush?”

Taehyung stopped in his tracks letting Hoseok walk past him with a smirk when he saw how flustered he was, “Why would yo-you ask that!?”

Hoseok shrugged his shoulders and turned around to walk, “I just wanted to know...” So that means she is late...

“You can’t keep teasing me!”

“I can because I’m your boss ~♡”

Taehyung's eye twitched at Hoseok’s cute smile and walked past him to go to his office, “Make sure you get that photo done please! Minho needs it.”

“Yeah...”

He opened his office and looked around the small space that had plants and random art pieces within it. He looked at the picture where everyone in the office took a group picture for his first day, his eyes landed on a certain person and let a smile appear on his face. He shook his head and headed to his desk to do some work and not get distracted by her smile.

Hoseok watched Taehyung enter his office and rolled his eyes. He took his phone out and dialed someone’s number.

“Yo, did he figure out who it is?”

“Of course he didn’t. He doesn’t pay attention to the obvious details but I knew she would be late today. You would think he would know his crush's office or her name.”

“It's Taehyung, he’s either outgoing or shy. Plus it's his crush, give him a break.”

“I mean it's just Y/N...”

After the busy day, Taehyung and Hoseok drove to Jin’s bookstore to hang out with everyone again. Even though Yoongi wouldn’t admit it, he needed the hangouts just as much as Taehyung needed them. Entering the bookstore to see everyone at the usual table made Taehyung smile at everyone. He sat next to Yoongi slumped in his chair and saw bags under his eyes with two energy drinks around him.

“Are you okay?”

Yoongi sighed and sat up in his chair, “Naomi came over to talk and now I’m just tired from the emotions.”

“Was it a good talk?”

He shrugged his shoulders and siped his drink, “It was good, I guess. We fucked and she actually stayed this time. She wants to try a relationship but she's scared.”

“That’s good. You wanted a relationship with her for a long time, I’m happy for you.”

Yoongi smiled at this as he leaned back in his chair, “I’m happy but we’ll see what happens.”

Taehyung nodded his head and turned towards Jin who had his eyes closed leaning back in his own chair, “Hyung, how was your day?”

Jin let out an annoyed scoff as he opened his eyes, “I had a customer today that knocked down some vintage books and broke some things.”

“Oh, no. What did you do?”

“I told her she's going to work until it's paid off. Those poor books were ruined and the antiques I had...”

“I’m sure everything will be fine.”

Jin nodded his head and took a sip of his tea, “Did you put your note on the door?”

Before Taehyung could answer Hoseok let out a loud laugh, “Of course he did. He’s curious about the person because I know them.”

Taehyung rolled his eyes and leaned in his chair looking away from their teasing gazes, “I-I just want to know...Nothing more.”

“Don’t worry, she's pretty.”

“I don’t care about looks, I just want to know her because you keep talking about her. How do you know her?”

“Emails and meetings, Namjoon knows her too.”

Taehyung's eyes widened and pointed at Hoseok with an angry look, “You guys set me up!”

Hoseok gave him a teasing smile and winked at him, “I wouldn’t say'' set up” but started an excited game for you. Now you just have to finish it. Don’t worry, you’ll like the ending to it.”

“What does that mean?”

“Just shut up and play the game.”

“What do you mean you don’t like the filter?”

Hoseok rolled his eyes at Taehyung’s whining but Taehyung was annoyed that he wasn’t told why the filter wasn’t good for the picture. It's been a week since the first assignment and now he was on the second but Minho or Hoseok wanted to change the color scheme of the pages causing Taehyung to redo everything he had done. He didn’t have a problem but what he did have a problem with was not knowing why it didn’t look right after redoing it.

“Minho wanted it to be brighter instead. He said it's Christmas so the pictures should be brighter and happier.”

“That doesn’t help me...but alright.”

Hoseok patted his shoulders and gave him a sad look, “You always figure it out, I know you. Don’t get discouraged!”

Taehyung nodded his head and pouted as he stomped his foot, “Don’t be so nice to me...I’m supposed to be mad.”

“Just make sure you email me before you send it to Minho, okay.”

“Fine...”

Taehyung walked away and went to his office when he saw the time. It was lunch time, which means he gets to find the note in the break room. He set the flash drive on his desk and headed towards the break room. He had his hands in his pocket as he bowed to the many workers that walked past him and some blushed at his appearance but he didn’t notice. He walked into the room and looked around to see no one there. In excitement, he walked straight to the red microwave in the corner. He gently lifted the machine and saw the note. His smile widened and he gently removed the note from the machine and unfolded it with excitement.

Shimmery lights should give a person warmth and wonder. The same goes with music but during this month the warmth and wonder I should have is gone. I wish the smiles I see everyday can be on mine, I envy those who are happy during this cold month.

I dare you...to go to the Han river and sit with complete silence at 18:00. No shimmery lights and no music, just your thoughts and you can’t listen to your own music. After twenty minutes, there’s going to be a person sitting at the bench with a bright red jacket that has stripes. Go to her and say blue lemonade on a Sunday. She will give you another note where you have to figure out the next drop zone. Since it seems you work at Dream Weekly, let's keep all the drop zones there to make things easier.

Sometimes silence is the loudest when you're by yourself.

I’m so high up but so hidden too

I can see the city and green all around me

It's cold but at times it can be warm

The many plants around me give me sanctuary

But the small tables give me rest

I wonder what I am?

If you figure it out, please tell me what your thoughts were when you were alone. Thoughts that come when you're alone are the thoughts that you can’t say with others around you. Make sure you write down your dare.

He furrowed his eyebrows at the riddle but the one thing that he noticed was the dislike of the Christmas lights. He knew the person hated Christmas but who would hate Christmas lights? The Christmas market was beautiful with the lights shining and all the kids running around. He frowned at this but he re-read the dare with anxiety in the back of his head. Being alone was something he hated. Ever since his mother passed away, driving alone or just being alone was out of the question for him. At least the Han river was pretty for pictures.

He put the note in pocket as he walked back to his office, confused. The riddle didn’t make sense to him. Where the hell did this place have plants, small tables, and the view of the city? The only break room was on the third floor but maybe there was another one that he didn’t know. To be fair, he's only been here for two years (that's his excuse for not knowing). He decided to visit Namjoon and ask him about this break room since he knows the building better than Hoseok. Namjoon was on the same floor as him but his job was different from his. Namjoon was one of the higher ups and one of the main editors for the magazine, which means he was barely hanging out with them.

He walked down the long hall and knocked on the last door in the hall. He heard a soft come in and he opened the door to see Namjoon sitting at his messy desk. Papers were everywhere and he saw the amount of energy drinks in his trash making him worry for his health. Namjoon pushed up his glasses and looked up to see Taehyung.

“Taehyung? Is everything okay?”

He gently closed the door and nodded his head, “Yeah but I need help with something. It has to do with the Christmas game.”

Namjoon raised his eyebrow and nodded his head, “Okay? I’ll try my best. What do you need help with?”

He took the note out and handed it to him, “The riddle, I have no idea where this is.”

Namjoon took the note and with his eyebrows furrowed as he nodded his head, “Ah, I know where this is.”

“See I knew you would know. Can you tell me where it is?”

“It’s on the top floor behind the wall. A Lot of people don’t know it's there so, don’t feel bad for not knowing.”

He nodded his head and took the note as Namjoon gave him a small smile, “Hoseok told me you think we set you up.”

Taehyung pouted and nodded his head, “He said you know her too...Can you give me any hints?”

Namjoon smirked and nodded his head, “Sure. You know her but you don’t really know her.”

“What the fuck does that mean?”

“Figure it out.”

It was cold. Taehyung loves winter but he hates the cold the month brings. He told Jungkook and Jimin that he had to go to the Han river alone and they were surprised that he was actually going to do it. He even took it the extra mile telling them to watch Yeontan. He was bundled up and he kept looking over his shoulder paranoid because he was by himself and he wasn’t used to it. He put his hands in his pocket as he watched an old couple cuddle by the river making him smile. Even though the note said Sunday, he had to go to dinner with his father and he had to miss it. Now being Monday, he hoped to see the person there but if he didn’t then the game would be over. Something he doesn’t want to happen.

He walked towards a secluded area and sat on the bench looking outwards to the water. The moon shined against the water and the sky had no clouds making the moon look bigger. He has to sit alone with his thoughts for twenty minutes, how can anyone do that? He focused on the small ripples in the water and let a small smile appear on his face. He remembered when he was younger, his mother used to bring him to the small rivers around his childhood home. His mother tried to teach him how to skip rocks but he never figured it out. The more time he stared at the water, the more he thought of his late mother. He took out a notebook and started writing the next note,

If I’m being honest, this was the first time I was alone. This whole week I’ve been busy with my work, so I'm sorry that this note was late. I even left my dog home with my roommates to be alone. It sounds like you don’t like Christmas and that's a shame because I love Christmas. My mother loved the holiday and after she passed away it became my favorite.

Taehyung let out a small laugh when he remembered his mother making Christmas cookies with him and she burned the batch. He remembered the laugh she did and how she smeared frosting on his nose. It was a cherished memory that made Christmas seem more beautiful to him, which is why it's important to show everyone the beauty of Christmas.

The weather is cold and all I could do is think about my mother. Whenever it was cold she would wrap me up in her hand knitted blankets and we sat by the fire. She would read me books or we would watch tv shows. You’re right silence is loud and I see that now. I’m going to assume you like being alone too then, maybe I can change that for you.

I dare you to go to the Christmas market at five on the ninth. Walk around the market and look at the handmade ornaments, each ornament has a story. Pick your favorite and buy it. On that ornament, write or make a wish and place it on the tree in the center. Do all this before six because there's something special I want you to see. Stand in the front and when the countdown happens, I want you to look around you and write down what you see but also how you feel. Because what I see is pure happiness. I’ll see you there!

On the second floor, there's a tall plant near the bathrooms. Place the note under it for me and I can’t wait to see your dare!! (I can’t think of a riddle sorry :P)

He smiled at the note and folded the small piece of paper as he continued to stare at the river. He took out his phone and took a picture of the moonlight against the river, he sent the picture to the group chat with his friends and stood up stretching. He started walking down the path when he saw a person sitting with a bright red striped trench coat sitting on the bench looking at the river. He raised his eyebrow and he walked towards her with caution before muttering the words, “Blue lemonade?”

The person looked up and it was revealed to be a woman with dark red lipstick, “Fucking finally. I’ve been coming to the river for a week and haven't seen your ass.”

Taehyung raised his eyebrow at her and wasn't sure how to respond, “Oh-oh, I’m sorry...”

She looked him up and down and smirked, “Wow you're hot, what a lucky lady my friend is.”

“You know her?”

“Wouldn’t it be weird if I didn’t know, My name is Naomi.”

Taehyung's eyes widened and pointed at the girl with his mouth wide open, “Your Yoongi’s girl!”

Naomi stood up with her arms crossed with shock as she stared at him, “You know my Yoongi?”

“Aww, you called him your Yoongi. I'll tell him you said that.”

She glared at him and turned her back towards him, clearly flustered at the thought of Yoongi hearing her say “Don’t...Anyways do you have your note?”

“Oh yeah, it's in my pocket. Here you go.”

She turned around and took the note from him with a small smile on her face, “You know...I haven’t seen her like this before. She's actually looking forward to the notes or whatever you guys are doing. Thank you.”

“I heard she hated Christmas...”

“Yeah, she hates Christmas but maybe with the help of you she can start liking it again.”

He let a smile appear on his face as he scratched the back of his neck in a nervous manner, “I’m not doing anything...Do you want to get tea or hot cocoa?”

“Oh, that sounds good. I also have questions about Yoongi.”

“I meant have answers?”

The two walked towards a random cafe and sat near the back as they waited for their drinks. Naomi took her phone out and placed it on the table as she gave him a nervous glance, “Does Yoongi talk about me?”

“Yeah, he talks about you all the time. All good things, by the way.”

She nodded her head and let out a sigh, “I feel like an asshole now.”

Taehyung tilted his head with confusion in his eyes, “Why?”

“This whole time I thought he was interested in me like that. That’s why I kept pushing him away until a week ago when he admitted he liked me. I wanted to say the same thing but I just couldn’t push myself to do it because how could he like me?”

“The way he talks about you Naomi is pure love. He talks about your hair cuts you get, the Menudo you always have at your place and other small details. Yoongi is really hard to read but when he loves you or cares for you, he tries his best to show it. With small touches or random check-ins to make sure you're okay. I’m sure he's done that with you.”

Naomi rolled her eyes and nodded her head, “He does it all the time...I guess I was just pushing him away because of my own fears.”

“Don’t feel bad, it's just the lack of communication on both ends. Now you have to communicate those feelings or problems with him.”

“Wow, you're a good listener. She’s so lucky...”

“Can you tell me her name?”

“No. You can figure it out, I’m sure you're smart enough. I hope”

Taehyung furrowed his eyebrows as he stared at the woman in front of him with her arms crossed and a smirk on her lips, “Are you insulting or complimenting me?”

“Yes.”

The Christmas market was Taehyung’s favorite place to go during this season, especially with his friends. His mother used to make ornaments for the tree every year, it didn’t matter if the tree was already covered with ornaments already, she always wanted more. In the span of the week, Taehyung helped some of the booths to make some of the ornaments. His favorite ornament that he made was a simple angel that was holding a glass red heart and it was surrounded around the glass blob. When he was making it, he thought of his mother as the angel, the red heart was himself and the blob was his father. He would’ve kept it but Jimin yelled at him saying they have enough Christmas decorations in their house. He begged all his friends to go to the market with him, especially with the chance of seeing his mystery lady.

He entered the market with Jimin and Yoongi by his side and the rest behind him. He wrapped his arm around Jimin as he let out an excited sigh, “Isn’t it great?”

“Taehyung, it snowed an hour ago and it's going to snow again soon. It's cold, we should be inside Jin’s bookstore or even at home.”

“It’s Christmas, we need to experience the lighting of the tree and all the ornaments!! We do it every year.”

Yoongi rolled his eyes and put his hands in his pocket, “We could’ve done it next week when it's warmer.”

“But the Christmas tree with snow, it's a winter story!”

“Ya! Stop yelling in my ears.”

“Taehyung, after this we are going to the bookstore. It’s too cold.”

He nodded his head at Jin as he removed himself from Jimin as he ran off towards the booth at the end as his friends watched him leave. Taehyung smiled at the cashier who returned the smile, “Hello Taehyung.”

“Hello, Karina. Any sales on the ornaments yet?”

“Oppa, we just opened. You should know the hours, you're the one that set it up with my mom.”

Taehyung gave her a dumbfounded look and scratched the back of his head, “I forgot...”

“You did it yesterday.”

“Yesterday was in the past. It’s hard remembering anything these days.”

“You're just old.”

He rolled his eyes and waved goodbye as he saw his friends by the heat lamp that was next to the food stands. He saw Jungkook taking a corn dog from the stand and he knew what he had to do. He ran next to Jungkook and took the corn dog out of his hand to bite. Jungkook glared at him and turned towards Jin with a frown, “Hyung, he took my corn dog!”

“Buy another one then.”

Jungkook pouted and he started hitting Jin’s shoulder as the rest ignored them, knowing Jin would give in to him. Taehyung looked down at his watch and left the group again to get closer to the tree. He stood on the lamp post with excitement when he saw more people moving towards the tree. The countdown started to happen and he watched all the kids jump with excitement as their parents looked down at them lovingly. The whole area had the feeling of home for Taehyung.

He watched the soft white light appear on the tree and he saw the star shine the brightest. He looked back down at the crowd and his eyes landed on a woman in the front who was looking at the tree like it was the first time she's ever seen one. He couldn’t get a good look of her face but he watched her take out a small notebook and his eyes widened. He jumped down from the lamp and ran towards his friends in a rush. He started tapping Yoongi’s shoulder causing him to look at him with an annoyed look, “What?”

“I saw her in the front! Just like I told her! Shes here-”

“Tae, chill. You're talking too fast, now what?”

Taehyung took a deep breath and turned around to look back at the tree, “Shes here.”

“How do you know it's her?”

“She had a notebook towards the front. That’s what I told her to do, what do I do?”

Yoongi grabbed his shoulder to stop him from running towards the tree again or doing anything stupid, “Go get some water and then come back with a plan. A logical plan.”

Taehyung nodded his head and went back to the food stands to pour himself a glass of water. He had two cups of water and when he felt calm enough, he walked away with his hands in his pocket thinking of the girl in the front. It wasn’t until someone bumped into him causing him to lose his footing for a moment, “Oh, i’m so sorry.”

He looked down and his eyes widened at the person in front of him. Except it wasn’t just any stranger in front of him, it was his office crush. Even though he’s had a crush on her since that day, he still didn't know her name and none of his friends wanted to tell him her name. He quickly snapped out of his daydream to give her a smile, “It’s alright. Be careful, the floors are icy tonight.”

He watched her give him a shy smile and he heard his heart beat faster from the small action,“I’ll keep that in mind...Oh, be careful it's going to be cold tonight.”

He gave her a smile and walked away trying to regain his breathing. He walked back with Hoseok giving him a raised eyebrow, “Are you alright?”

“Oh-oh I’m fine don’t worry.”

He looked back at her and their eyes met again making a smile appear on his face again. He watched her get embarrassed and bowed at him causing him to let out a small chuckle. He watched her walking away with her friend but before she could exit the market, she looked back at him again. Before either of them could smile, she looked up to see the snow falling slowly and she tried catching some. His eyes softened at the action but then he felt a hit on his shoulder. He turned to see it was Jimin with an annoyed look, “Did you hear anything we just said?”

“No, sorry, what did you say?”

“We were saying we should go to Jin’s place and play games to end the night.”

“Oh that sounds fun, Hoseok I have a question and I need you to be honest.”

Hoseok looked at him with a shocked look at the serious tone but nodded his head, “Yeah?”

“Is the second in command, is that my crush?”

Hoseok clapped his hands and nodded his head, “Wow, good job! It only took you two years to figure it out but now you have to figure out her name.”

Taehyung stopped listening when he started to remember the first day he met her and how she stole his heart from that moment.

It was Taehyung's first day at Dream Weekly and he was already running late. Hoseok gave him the address but he never gave him the floor for the photography depermanet. He was running around each level to see if it was the level he was searching for. On one of the levels he rushed out as soon as the door opened and he accidentally knocked into the person who was waiting for the elevator.

“Oh shit, I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. Oh, let me help you pick these up.”

She started picking up the papers he had for the meeting he had with Hoseok but he ignored the papers and his eyes looked at her. She was pretty, no pretty was an understatement. She gave him a soft smile and went to grab the paper out of her hands and his finger accidentally touched hers. He stared at her as he felt his face turn red and he bowed his head at her, “Thank you for helping.”

She let out a small laugh as she stood up. She put her hand out for him and he looked up at her, “No, problem. I like helping. Be careful next time, bye, bye.”

“I can’t believe we're at the Flamingo. You promised that we would watch Double Trouble.”

Taehyung rolled his eyes and stood in line with his black trench coat wrapped around him tightly on this cold night. It was a week after the Christmas Market and he finally learned the mystery lady’s name. Y/N. He liked the name, it was really pretty to him. In the note it said,

I dare you to go to this drag show that my best friend is doing at the Flamingo on Saturday, the 18th. I want you to experience something that sets me free, warning it does get loud. You’ll see the girl at the park there because she works there too! Bring your friends or go by yourself, I just want you to see what makes me so happy just like how I saw the lights and I thought of you...

Taehyung had to beg Jimin to come with him to the club that night because all he wanted to do was watch his drama. Taehyung didn’t feel comfortable going to a club by himself, especially one he's never been to. He was excited because this was his first drag show and he didn’t know what to expect. They slowly made their way through the line until they were inside.

The inside looked like a regular bar but the only difference was the bright pink neon lights around the bar. They both headed towards the bar to order their drinks when he saw a familiar face.

“Naomi?”

Naomi turned around and smirked behind the bar counter, “Ah, lover boy. Y/N told me to keep an eye out for you and who's your friend?”

“Oh, Jimin, this is Naomi.”

Jimin looked her up and down and then back at Taehyung, “Naomi? Like Yoongi’s Naomi?”

“Si, you know I’m right here and you can ask me that question.”

He gave her an apologetic look and nodded his head, “Sorry...”

She rolled her eyes and shrugged her shoulders, “Anyways, what do you want to drink?”

Taehyung shook his head at her as Jimin grabbed the drink menu, “Oh, I don’t drink.”

“Really? You're in a club though.”

“Can I just get water?”

She nodded her head and looked at Jimin waiting for his answer, “I want a beer. That's it.”

“Alright, thanks for making my job easy.”

She walked away and Jimin watched her leave. He turned back at Taehyung with his eyes widened, “I can’t believe that's Naomi.”

“Why?”

“She's hot. I didn’t think Yoongi would be with someone that hot.”

“I’m going to tell him you said that.”

Jimin rolled his eyes and looked at the stage with curiosity, “So, what's happening tonight?”

“Y/N said it was a drag show tonight and her best friend is in it.”

“Ohhh, that's cool.”

Taehyung nodded his head and he turned around to see Naomi dropping his water off. He said his small thanks to her and took a sip of water out of nervousness. He doesn’t like loud settings like this; it always made him feel like his brain was on hyper drive. He watched the lights dim down and jumped when a loud voice went through the club, “LADIES, GENTLEMEN, AND ALL NON BINARY WELCOME! TODAY WE HAVE BOB GIVING WHAT THE CHILDREN ASKED FOR!”

The stage was lit with lights and all of sudden the curtains moved to the side and he saw a tall drag queen on the stage. They had brown dreads that went all the way to their butt and a red dress that was made to look like Santa's outfit. They looked at the audience and clapped their hands and a remix version of Last Christmas started playing. He watched with wide eyes as the queen was dancing across the stage and doing high kicks. A big smile escaped when he watched them take off the wig to reveal a black bob and tore the dress off of him revealing a dark red lingerie set.

When the song ended, Taehyung stood up from the bar and started clapping for the performance that brought him joy in that moment. From behind him, Naomi smiled and leaned forward, “That’s Christopher by the way.”

“Really!? He's so cool!”

Naomi rolled her eyes as she handed another glass of water towards him, “Don’t say that to him please, his ego is already breaking the roof.”

Taehyung let out a small chuckle, “That was so cool and exciting. Is that how drag shows are?”

“Not all of them but most of them are like that.”

“Naomi! Give me water.”

Taehyung turned around at the sudden voice and saw Christopher with his hands on his waist waiting for the glass. Naomi rolled her eyes and leaned forward, “A please would be nice.”

“Please bitch.”

Jimin let out a chuckle and took a sip of his beer, “That was a good high kick.”

“You should see me with both legs up then.”

Jimin’s face turned red as he started choking on his beer and Taehyung patted his back, “Christopher that was so cool!”

“Not my government name. Naomi, water!”

“Coming up you shit.”

Christopher took the glass of water and chugged it down as he looked at Taehyung with a raised eyebrow, “How do you know my name? Did this bitch tell you?”

“Oh, no...Y/N told me to watch your performance.”

Christopher’s eyes widened at this and wrapped his arm around his shoulder and brought him in, “Ah, you're the note boy. Naomi was right, you are hot.”

“Thank you?”

“No, I should be saying thank you. One, I get to look at you and two you made Y/N happy this month. That's all I ever wanted for her.”

Christopher let him go and patted his back as he turned around to walk away but before he could Taehyung grabbed his arm, “At first I just wanted to spread Christmas spirit but the more she put in the notes the more I wanted to know her. I want to know Y/N...”

Christopher let a soft smile appear and nodded his head, “I guess she made the right decision to play the game then. Anyways, I have to be hoe on stage and I'll be back later. Bye, bye.”

Taehyung watched him leave with a smile on his face as he turned back to see Naomi staring at him, “Is that true?”

“Yeah...was that too sudden to say?”

“No, it's cute. Awww, this is like a story.”

Jimin rolled his eyes and put his empty beer bottle on the counter, “Cheesy and all...”

Taehyung took out a notebook and started writing away,

I looked like an idiot because I had a journal in the club but ignoring that, it was fun. Naomi recognized me and called me the hot mystery boy. I laughed at what she said and then I saw the drag queens coming to the stage. I’m going to be honest, it was the first time I saw drag queens this close. Seeing them dance on the stage made me smile because they looked like they were having so much fun. Naomi showed me your friend Christopher, he was so nice and even bought me a drink. I wasn’t expecting that.

I’m sorry to hear about your father and his actions. Maybe you should forgive him to set yourself free. Don’t let a person have so much control in your life because you deserve happiness and control on your own accord. Christmas is almost here and I was wondering if on Christmas eve, we meet at the Christmas market in front of the tree, I mean if you want...

Speaking of the Christmas Market, I saw you there and I kinda figured it was you because you were the only person in the front with a notebook. When you said your name, I immediately went to Hoseok to confirm if it was truly you. At the market, he said he was surprised to see you there and he said your name. That's where I connected the dots.

Yes, I work in the same company as you but I’m just a stranger to you. I remember when I first saw you last year, I know you won’t remember but I do. I had stacks of papers in my hands and I accidentally dropped them. You ran up to help me and bandaged my paper cut that day. After that day, I saw you around but I never knew your name and I’m glad I know it now.

It took me forever to find this greenhouse, your riddle saying everything was green didn’t help especially with the grass and bushes.

I can’t wait to see you next weekend...

- Taehyung

Taehyung looked at himself in the mirror and nodded his head at his outfit. It's Christmas eve and it was the day that he finally got to see Y/N. Face to face and he felt nervous but at the same time he’s excited to see her. He walked out in the living room to see Jimin and Jungkook playing Mario Kart, he let out a small cough and they both looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah?”

Taehyung sighed and looked down at his outfit, “Do I look okay?”

“You always dress well, why are you asking now hyung?”

Jimin let out a small chuckle and stood up from the couch, “It’s because he's going on a date.”

“IT’S NOT A DATE!”

“Yell at me like that again and you can walk there.”

Taehyung pouted and shook his head, “Fine...I’m sorry. Do I look good though?”

“Yes, now let's go. I heard there’s traffic today which isn’t a shocker but it's still annoying.”

“Sir yes sir.”

They both waved goodbye to Jungkook and headed off to the Christmas market. Jimin was right, there was traffic everywhere. Taehyung looked down at the time and he let his leg bounce out of nerves. Jimin glanced at him and turned down the music in the car, “Are you alright?”

“I gave her time and I’m scared that if I don’t get there fast enough, she's going to leave.”

“I’m sure she won’t leave. Well then again, it depends how late.”

Taehyung sighed and slumped in the chair, “Why would you say that? Now I’m more nervous that I won't make it.”

“Have some faith in me. I’ll try my best, lover boy.”

Taehyung rolled his eyes and turned his head towards the window. So far, the car barely moved and he only had a few minutes before he's late. He turned towards Jimin and took out some money, “Buy some gas, I’ll see you at home.”

“What? WAIT TAEHYUNG!”

Taehyung opened the car door and let the small breeze slapped his face. He ran towards the sidewalk where he knew it was safe and started running as fast as he could. Any normal person would walk slowly because of the icy sidewalks but it didn’t matter to him. He ran and ran until he saw the entrance of the market in the distance. He looked down at his watch to see he was ten minutes late and he was scared to see no one there. He ran into the market and saw a figure in front of the tree looking around, hoping it was her.

“Y/N?”

Just then the figure turned around and there stood his crush staring at him with wide eyes in the nice green velvet dress that took his breath away, “Taehyung?”

#bts namjoon #bts jungkook #bts seokjin #bts taehyung #bts yoongi #bts jimin #bts reactions #bts scenarios #bts x reader #bts imagines #bts hosoek #Bts #taehyung fluff #taehyung imagine #bts taehyung x reader #bts fanfic

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comic-book-jawns · 3 years

Text

Closure

“Dani? Dani, what’s wrong?”

Jamie cups her cheek. Dani wants to be able to explain, wants to assuage the concern etched all over Jamie’s face. But her mind feels simultaneously like it’s racing and not working at all. All she can do is hyperventilate, which isn’t even her doing, just her body’s automatic response to what she just saw — or more specifically, who she just saw.

She can’t even get a word out, but Jamie seems to understand. She feels Jamie take her hand and squeeze it.

“You’re okay, Dani. You’re with me. Hold on to me, yeah?”

Dani manages to wrap her other hand around Jamie’s upper arm and lean in closer.

“Good, baby. Good job.”

She hears Jamie whisper it as she stares down at the floor, not wanting to see the eyes inevitably turning toward them. It’s pathetic really that she should be a focal point amidst an array of world-renowned paintings, but she gets it. It’s human nature. But that doesn’t make her feel any less uncomfortable.

“You okay to walk?”

Dani jerks her head and then feels Jamie gently pull her along. She keeps her eyes down, trying to focus on Jamie — her warmth, her scent, the callouses on her hand.

When’d they first gotten together, on that fateful night a decade ago now, Jamie had been embarrassed of them, felt the need to apologize.

“I like them.”

Jamie had almost laughed as she’d lain on her back next to Dani, who’d lain on her side facing Jamie, propping her head up with one hand and holding Jamie’s hand on top of the covers with her other.

“Dani - ”

“No, I’m serious. They’re like - ”

“Sandpaper?”

Dani had rolled her eyes.

“They’re like you... They’re... ” She’d sighed. “Grounding.”

In the dark, Dani hadn’t been able to see her blushing, but she’d heard it in her voice.

“Oh.”

*****

“Did ya see her?”

Dani whips her head up. How could Jamie possibly know that? She didn’t even know what... oh, that her.

Jamie had sat her down on the closest stairway she could find. It wasn’t secluded, exactly. But the people passing by aren’t really paying them any mind. And Jamie’s crouched down in front of her, partially blocking her from view and holding her hands.

Dani shakes her head.

“Eddie- ” She sees Jamie’s eyes go wide. “Eddie’s mom. She’s here.”

Jamie opens her mouth but doesn’t seem to know what to say. She nods.

“Okay.” She nods again, processing. “Okay, we’ll leave when ya feel up to it.”

“Jamie... ”

They had a limited amount of time on this vacation in Philadelphia, and today had been specifically designated for the Museum of Art. If they leave now, they won’t be coming back.

“Poppins, what d’ya think I care more about: you or some bloody art?”

Dani laughs, despite herself. It was hard not to when she put it like that. It was hard not to laugh around Jamie, period. And she feels even lighter when she hears Jamie chuckle after a moment.

“Danielle?”

Just like that she feels all of the tension come flooding back to her body. That voice — older, but just as gentle, just as kind. Before she can react further, she feels Jamie squeeze her hands, then watches her stand and turn around.

“She’s okay. Just a little lightheaded. Needs to eat.”

It’s not entirely a lie. They had been planning to take a lunch break sooner than later.

“Oh, here... ”

Dani hears Judy step closer and leans over just enough to see her take something out of her purse. It’s a bag of pretzels, Dani’s favorite childhood snack. It’s coincidental, of course, has to be. But Dani can feel her eyes water ever so slightly. She ducks back behind Jamie as the woman who practically raised her looks back up.

“I know we’re not really supposed to bring food, but — well, everything is just getting so expensive these days.”

She laughs as if she’s making small talk, Dani thinks — as if she’s not trying to feed her former almost daughter-in-law, whom she hasn’t seen since she abruptly disappeared from her life without a word. Dani hears Jamie take the bag.

“Thank you. That’s very kind ah ya.”

“You’re not from around here.”

It’s not said with judgment, Dani notices, more an air of curiosity.

“What gave me away?” Dani smiles as she hears Judy laugh again. Jamie is charming — she, of all people, should know. But she also knows Jamie is fairly shy, especially around strangers. She usually leaves the talking to Dani, but here she is stepping up for her sake. “I’m from England, originally.”

“Oh, how lovely. I am, too, actually.” Dani furrows her eyebrow, unbeknownst to Judy, but Jamie must be wearing a similar expression. “My family, I mean.” She hears Judy chuckle. “I try not to talk about it too much because my husband was Irish.”

“Was?”

The words are out of her mouth before Dani even processes what she’s doing. Jamie turns back to look at her, inadvertently putting her in full view of Judy.

“Danielle?”

She says it more softly this time. Realizing her mistake, Jamie moves in, but Dani puts a hand out. Jamie takes it, helping her up, and she finally comes face-to-face with Judy. Her hair is still brown, clearly dyed; and her face is wrinkled.

But her eyes are unchanged, warm as ever — though Dani had noticed them widen for a moment. But she’s grown accustomed to it. Even people who haven’t know her since childhood don’t expect her to have different colored eyes.

Dani swallows.

“Mr. O’Mara... ”

Judy smiles sadly.

“A few years ago.”

“I’m so sorry.”

Dani hadn’t been as close to him, but he’d always been welcoming. In fact, he’d helped teach her how to drive, readily loaned his car for practice, so she wouldn’t have to wait for the one reserved for her Driver’s Ed class to be free.

Eddie had pushed back, insisting that he was the one who would be driving them around, so what was the point. But Mr. O’Mara had also pushed back, with a laugh. “I will be buying the car, and I want it to remain in one piece, so I think Danielle will be doing the driving.”

Eddie had barely spoken to her for a week after that, so Dani had not been entirely grateful for the support — always worried about keeping Eddie comfortable at her own expense. And she had also been aware that Eddie’s insecurities partially stemmed from his father being hard on him, on all his sons, in a way that he wasn’t on Dani — not that it was an excuse for Eddie’s behavior.

In the end, it was Eddie who drove them around, but Mr. O’Mara had made Dani follow through with the class; and, upon her getting her license, he'd told her she was welcome to drive the car whenever she wanted, even by herself.

Judy’s smile brightened.

“Oh, it’s all right. Thank you, sweetie.”

She goes to reach out, but then hesitates. For a moment, Dani just continues looking at her, taking the moment in, and then she takes a breath and reaches out herself.

And suddenly, it’s as though no time has passed. She’s nine years old again, and Judy is walking her home from ballet class.

Her mother was supposed to pick her up, but she hadn’t showed. Dani had called and an intoxicated Karen had insisted Dani must have told her the wrong day. Crying, Dani had tried to explain that she hadn’t. She’d been attending the weekly class for two months now, and it had always been on Wednesday nights.

Karen had refused to accept that Dani was right or even apologize. She’d told her to walk, which was what Dani usually resorted to. She’d only called because it was raining, and she didn’t have an umbrella or even a jacket. But, out of options, tears still streaming down her face, she’d set off.

Halfway home, hugging herself as she shivered, she’d heard it.

“Danielle?”

She’d looked up to find Judy a little farther down the sidewalk, wearing a jacket and holding an umbrella.

“Hi... Mrs. O’Mara.” She’d said through chattering teeth.

She’d seen her a couple hours ago, having gone home with Eddie after school. She’d offered to drop her off, but Dani had explained that she needed to go home first anyway to get changed and that her mom would be picking her up.

She’d then walked to the rec center from her house, having reminded her mother where she was going when she’d walked out the door. Her mother had responsed with an “uh-huh” that had told Dani she wasn’t really listening, but she’d still held out hope.

Judy had run to her and wrapped her in her jacket, hugging her and rubbing her back and arms to try to warm her up. Then, she’d taken her hand, and they’d set off together. Judy had invited her to come back to her house, but Dani, having not called her to pick her up out of embarrassment, had declined. She’d even told her that she had told her mom the wrong day, that it was her fault.

Dani had been able to tell, even then, that Judy didn’t buy it, but Judy hadn’t pushed back. She’d simply said that if it happened again, she wanted Dani to call her, and she would come get her. Dani had tried to decline, graciously, but Judy had held her ground.

So Dani had promised to do so, smiling shyly, and Judy had offered to at least make her some hot chocolate — Eddie would want it, too, anyway — before walking her to her own home. Dani had agreed. The next week she’d called Judy after her mother was a no-show yet again; and the week after that, Judy had been waiting for her outside when class had let out.

And that was their Wednesday night routine for years, through middle school, anyway. Sometimes Eddie would be with her, and she’d take them out for pizza or ice cream. Sometimes it would just be them, and she would take Dani to go get their nails done; or she would just walk her home, and they would talk. And Dani would smile and laugh and relax, in a way she never could around her own mother.

And even with everything that had happened, all the pain that had come later, Dani feels herself slipping back into it now, just a bit, into that comfort that she’d felt in presence for so long. She doesn’t even realize she’s crying until she feels Judy, still smiling, gently brush her cheeks with her free hand, then lower it back to her side.

Dani turns to Jamie, who’s still holding her other hand. Jamie smiles at her, and even looks rather misty-eyed herself, if a bit in shock too. Dani has a question to ask her, but there’s no subtle way to do it. She’s about to ask Judy if she can talk to Jamie alone for a moment, but then she feels Jamie squeeze her hand. Dani raises her eyebrows, then feels Jamie squeeze her hand again.

Dani smiles herself now. She wants to kiss Jamie so badly, but she settles for squeezing her hand back.

“Oh, this is beautiful.”

Dani turns back to her, and her eyes go wide. She hadn’t thought of which hand she was giving Judy when she’d reached out. But it’s too late now — Judy is lifting her hand to examine the Claddagh ring up close. And then her panic is replaced by anger, at herself. She loves Jamie, and how dare she feel uncomfortable about it.

But that wasn’t it. She’d wanted to tell Judy, but not like this. If she’d just -

“It’s Irish, too, you know.”

Well, the name was rather a dead giveaway. But Dani holds her tongue. She knows Judy is just making conversation. Surely, this was awkward for her to. She did almost marry her...

“Who’s the lucky man?”

Dani feels her heart break as she feels Jamie shift her hand in hers so Jamie’s own ring is facing away from Judy’s. But Dani understands. Jamie isn’t ashamed, either. She hasn’t let go. She’s just giving Dani exactly what she wanted — control over the situation.

Dani takes a deep breath and proceeds her original plan.

“Mrs. - uh, Judy.” Dani clears her throat. “Would you want to join us for lunch?”

*****

“So you go by Dani now?”

“What?” Dani has been so preoccupied planning out how she wants to tell her, her comment doesn’t register at first. “Oh, uh, yes.”

Judy smiles.

“I like it.”

Dani feels herself blush slightly, then feels rather pathetic for Judy’s acceptance of her name meaning that much to her, but...

“And I like her.”

She watches Judy glance over toward the bathroom. Jamie had gotten up a few moments ago as part of the plan Dani had come up with, which she’d relayed to Jamie before they’d left the museum, having asked Judy to go on ahead. They would meet her outside in a moment. She just wanted to freshen up in the bathroom.

She had, in fact, done so while explaining to Jamie that she wanted to tell Judy alone, if that was alright. Nodding, Jamie had suggested she come back to the table in two minutes, either way. Dani had nodded and then started crying as Jamie slid off her ring.

“Jamie!” She hadn’t fully realized what she was asking of her. They’d literally just celebrated their 10-year anniversary a few months ago. “I - ”

Jamie had put the ring in her front jean pocket, then looked up and cupped her face.

“S’alright, Dani. Doesn’t change anythin’. We know, yeah?”

Jamie had smiled softly, then leaned up and kissed her forehead.

Dani is smiling now as Judy turns back to her. This would either makes things easier or even more painful, if she immediately changed her mind once Dani told her. Dani takes a deep breath.

“How long have you two been together?”

She should be relieved, but instead Dani feels all the air being sucked out of her lungs. Of all the scenarios she’d played out in her head over the past half hour, none of them had involved Judy figuring it out on her own.

“I - ”

She feels Judy lay a hand on top of both of hers, which she’d been wringing incessantly for the past thirty seconds.

“I’m sorry about before... for assuming.” Judy laughs awkwardly. “It hadn’t even occurred to me, considering you and - ”

There it was. The person neither of them had yet acknowledged. Dani feels herself starting to get lightheaded again.

“I’m sorry! I - I shouldn’t’ve... ” Judy sighs, closes her eyes briefly, then looks down. “This is like Carson all over again." Dani furrows her brow, not sure what Eddie's younger brother has to do with her and Eddie. But before she can ask, Judy looks back up and presses on. "What I’m trying to say is... I love you, Dan-Dani... and I’m very happy for you... Jamie is a very... a very lucky, uh... woman.”

For a moment, Dani says nothing as she feels her eyes watering once more. And then she completely breaks down.

*****

“Can I ask - ” Judy nods encouragingly. “How - how did you, umm - ”

Judy smiles warmly.

“I’ve never seen you look at anyone the way you think at her.”

“That so?”

Jamie is back with them now, sitting beside Dani in their corner circular booth. Jamie’s arm is wrapped around her shoulders, and Dani is leaning against her, breathing her in. Sitting even just a few inches away from her before had been torture. Dani turns her head to catch Jamie’s smirk.

“And I noticed the tan line on Jamie’s finger.”

“Ah, fuck me!”

Jamie’s left hand has been resting on top of Dani’s on the table. Her ring is back on, so the line is no longer visible, but instinctively, she starts to lift her hand for a closer look. And then she freezes, blushing. She puts her hand back down and clears her throat.

“Sorry.”

Even with her grey hairs — which Dani finds incredibly attractive, as she’d told Jamie when they’d started coming in and Jamie had grown self-conscious — Jamie looks adorably like a schoolchild who’s just been scolded for using a bad word. Dani can’t help but giggle. Jamie looks back at her and smiles sheepishly, blushing even harder.

“Edmund would be happy for you, too.”

Dani feels herself tense up again. Jamie must too because Dani feels her squeeze her shoulder. But this was why she’d wanted to talk to Judy alone. It wasn’t fair to Jamie.

She knew Jamie didn’t feel that way, would never feel that way, but that only made Dani feel more strongly that it was. She needed to protect Jamie from her own selfless — Jamie, who was already trying to ease her nerves. Knowing Jamie wouldn’t leave now, even if she asked her to, Dani turned back to Judy, sighing.

She could go along with it, pretend. But they were past that now. If this undid everything, so be it.

“I’m not sure that’s true.”

“Honey - ”

“You don’t - ” Dani swallows. “You don’t know everything that happened... that night.”

That stops Judy. A bit wide-eyed, she waits for Dani to elaborate. Dani takes a shaky breath and feels Jamie squeeze her shoulder again.

“I wasn’t his fiancée... when he... at the time of his death.”

She feel Jamie massage her shoulder as she watches Judy, who opens and closes her mouth several times, before landing on a response.

“I see.”

Dani doesn’t elaborate further. Jamie, of course, had helped her come to terms with it years ago, not that she hadn’t her moments here and there — on his birthday or even when she’d see a young boy and a young girl playing together — but she’d still known that Jamie was right: it wasn’t her fault, never had been.

Judy is silent for almost a minute, and Dani feels the time has come. She’d accomplished what she’d set out to do, said all she’d needed to say, right? She’d known it might end like this.

But just as she sits up more, preparing to stand, Judy take her free hand.

“Well, that... that doesn’t change anything... You’ve always been like a daughter to me... Dani. And you always will be.”

For what seems like the millionth time that day, Dani feels tears springing to eyes.

“Thank - ” She chokes on the word and clears her throat as she feels a few tears break free. “Thank you.”

She feels both Judy and Jamie squeeze her hands and then sees Judy look over her shoulder.

“And Jamie, too. Welcome to the family.”

Dani feels Jamie tense up and turns to find her gaping at Judy. Then, Jamie looks at her, and Dani sees the corners of her mouth twitch upward, but she’s still wide-eyed and rather pale.

“I’m sorry if I... I didn’t mean to overstep.”

Dani sees panic now creeping onto Jamie’s face. Dani flips their left hands so that hers is on top and squeezes Jamie’s. Then, she turns back to Judy, smiling as she lifts the same hand to wipe her face.

“You didn’t. Jamie is very grateful.” She feels Jamie nod behind her as she places her hand back on top of hers. “As am I.”

Judy smiles, relaxing. For a few moments, they sit in companionable silence, almost silence. Dani is still sniffling a bit.

“Oh, honey. Here.”

Judy grabs a napkin and reaches over. Dani feels Jamie’s hand slip out from under hers.

“I’m sorry.”

Dani hears Jamie’s voice crack as she takes the napkin, and she turns around in alarm, kicking herself as she sees Jamie’s face crumple. She’d miscalculated, assuming Jamie would cry once when they were alone. Jamie rarely let herself get emotional in public. She slips her hand out of Judy’s, takes the napkin out of Jamie’s and turns around more fully.

“It’s okay, Jay.”

Cupping Jamie’s cheek, she lifts the napkin, but then thinks better of it. This is about making Jamie comfortable, not Judy. She puts it back on the table, cups Jamie’s other cheek and closes her eyes as she leans in until their foreheads are touching.

“It’s okay.”

She hears Jamie’s stifle a whimper and feels Jamie bring her right arm, that had been draped across her shoulders, in closer until Jamie’s hand is rubbing the back of her neck. After a few moments, she hears Jamie starting to breath more evenly, then she feels her pull back.

Dani opens her eyes. Jamie looks better but embarrassed. She can feel the heat as she brushes her thumbs across Jamie’s cheeks to wipe away the remaining tears. But it’s Judy who speaks.

“I’m sorry.”

Dani glances back. Judy looks a bit uncomfortable but more out of concern, it seems.

“You didn’t do anything wrong.” Dani turns back to Jamie. “My wife doesn’t take compliments well.”

Dani grins as Jamie laughs. It morphs into a cough, and Jamie pulls away, bringing her elbow up to cover her mouth. But when she turns back, letting her arm drop back onto the table, she’s smiling. It’s her crooked smile, and it’s then that Dani decides she can’t wait any longer.

Cupping face again, she kisses her, softly and quickly. Even around someone other than Judy, she wouldn’t really feel comfortable doing more than that, and she knows Jamie wouldn’t either. That’s not their style, and they are still in public.

When she pulls back, she looks Jamie over. She appears to be mostly recovered, and as if reading her mind, Jamie nods, still smiling. Dani smiles back, then turns back to Judy, who, as it turns out, is smiling herself.

Dani feels her smile widen, though she’s not quite sure what to say, what there is left to say. But Judy, apparently, has something in mind.

“Jamie, now that you’re a part of this family, I think I owe you some Dani stories.”

“If that’s all right with Dani.”

Jamie’s arm is back around her shoulders. Dani leans against her once more, squeezes Jamie’s left hand and nods to Judy.

“Has Dani told you about the first grade pageant?”

For a moment even Dani draws a blank, then she feels her cheeks start to burn as she laughs.

“Oh, god.”

“Ya know, I don’t believe she has, Judy.”

Dani hears the smirk in her voice and feels Jamie nestle in closer.

As Judy begins the story of her six-year-old self going completely off book after her class had spent a month learning a choreographed dance, Dani squeezes Jamie’s hand three times. She hears Jamie’s breath catch for a moment, then hears her sigh and feels her squeeze back three times.

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