#I didn't even look for a summary but given the art I expected the guy to be some sort of supernatural being‚ but no‚ he's just a normal guy
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Awkward conversations and.. Fishes? (Steven Grant x GN!Reader)
Summary: Curiosity to learn more about a gorgeous store clerk of a pet shop leads Steven to buying his first pet ever.
Warnings: Fluff ?? and just embarrassingly long silences
Word count: 1.1k
A/N: Okay please imagine that Gus wasn't Steven's pet already 🙏 Might make a part 2 if I get ideas. Also first post woohoo!! Made this account solely so I could make my ideas a reality. I'm a little rusty at writing as of right now, so bare with me </3
Requests are open for stuff!! (please talk to me)
"And this little guy here, He's a feisty one, but he means no harm."
Lifting up a perched budgie on your finger, who seemed to have distrustful look on it's face, You smile widely at the latest client that had stumbled upon your small shop. You've always been a passionate soul when it came to animals; from the age 8 when you first wanted to be a veterinarian, which you quickly backed out from after slight consideration as you realized that you would have to constantly put down animals and see them in absolute pain.
The next choice was arts, which you did took a degree in, before landing on the final prospect of being a caretaker to injured animals. From there, you found yourself reverting back into your obsession, eventually starting a small shelter/pet-shop where you took in abandoned and wounded animals, healed them and put them back to find new owners.
It would be a lie if you said that you didn't miss any of the animals that were taken by other people, but it was also a joy to see them go to homes where they would be given full attention and loved. Therefore, you found yourself rambling about all your beloved pets to whoever stepped into your little abode with any interest— which is what was happening right now.
A guy, with almost perfect curly black hair and tan-kissed skin had walked in and began to mindlessly wander, often catching your eyes while he did so. You eventually walked up to him and offered your help, to which he seemed ever so grateful for, even though it was odd that he didn't know what animal he wanted to adopt.
This man was Steven Grant.
and only if you knew the panic the poor guy was going through. With Jake relentlessly pushing Steven to interact with the employee he's been eyeing through the glass doors of the pet-shop, Steven found himself awkwardly cruising through the different animals, who looked up at him with expectant eyes. Clearly, He needed a plan before walking into the shop, especially when you approached him with a confused look on your face.
"Uh.. I-I'm not particularly fond of birds, love." Steven gave you a weak smile, he seemed like he was scared of possibly disappointing you. "Maybe the fishes?"
'Or the cats.' Jake added from somewhere in the headspace, obviously enjoying the shit-show.
"Ah." You say allowing the bird back onto the bird perch, your eyes shifting towards a small section of the shop where you tucked away a rectangular aquarium with exactly one fish inhabiting it. "Well, The options are very limited with fishes."
Steven was digging himself a deeper hole each time he enquired about the animals like he was actually going to get one— but don't get him wrong, he was genuinely finding your rambles about every creature there interesting. So interesting in fact, that he couldn't possibly leave without getting something. So, the most laziest pet to have would be a fish, according to him at least.
You eventually lead him to the front of the tank, where you lightly bend (which Steven also mimicked) to meet eye-to-eye with a goldfish. But this wasn't any goldfish, it was a goldfish with exactly one fin.
"He's your only luck if you're looking for fishes."
"Does.. Does he have a name?" Steven asked, trying to keep the conversation going. How exactly was he going to take care of a goldfish anyways? Especially a goldfish that only had one fin? What if it dies? It'll ruin his entire day. Maybe his entire week.
You tilt your head to think about it, before giving a soft shrug in response— which Steven admittedly found quite endearing. "Not really, He just came in like this I guess, Never thought to give him a name."
'A fish, Seriously?'
"What about Gus?"
Steven asked, turning a deaf ear to Jake's mocking comment. The goldfish paused for a second looking at the two observing it for a moment, before it continued to pace around again. It was almost like the little aquatic creature had approved of the name, but he wasn't planning on sounding like a total nutjob by expressing that out loud.
"Hm, It surprisingly fits him." You say after a moment of silence. Though a second later, With a chuckle, You pick up conversation again. "You're pretty good at naming fishes, huh?"
"No! I just.. It came to me, I guess. Lil' fella looks like a Gus."
"I agree."
After another moment of uncomfortable silence, Steven desperately tried to revive the exchange.
"D'you know that Gus means Majestic? It fits 'cause it's quite amazing that he can swim with just a fin."
'Way to make them swoon, Steven. Buen trabajo.'
Steven was truly getting sick of the unnecessary commentary from Jake, but he couldn't quite tell the wanker to piss off just yet. You, on the other hand, seemed to be intrigued by this rather sudden splurge of knowledge. Honestly, You didn't mind this at all, actually finding some amusement in how he suddenly geeked out.
"Huh, I didn't know that." You said with a pleasant smile. "That's quite interesting now that you put it that way."
"Yeah..." Steven's voice was small; the fear that he might have come off as weird subsided with your smile, which he reciprocated almost immediately. "I'll take him then."
Your eyes lit up. For some odd reason, you didn't exactly expect him to actually get anything— Let alone a damn fish. Actually, Even Steven didn't know that he would end up being the owner of a fish, it just happened. He's technically already named the fish, it's only right that he takes it.
"Right, A moment." You nod, excusing yourself to go get the equipment needed to pack Gus away and off to settle in his new home.
You come back a moment later as Steven stepped by the counter, Gus in a small plastic baggy as you balanced a small tank to put the little guy in as well as some food for the strangers convenience. Handing it off to him carefully, you nodded as you glanced at the only goldfish your store has seen be taken away. Who would've guessed.
"I'll be off then, Thanks, love!"
"You're welcome, Take care Gus!" You cheerfully wave them off, watching as your customer for the night took off. You sigh contently, feeling unnaturally happy about the whole interaction. Strange.
—
'You bought a fish but you didn't ask for their name?'
Gods, He totally forgot amidst everything. Steven had made it back home, his lip curling into a subtle frown as Jake bought forth a very valid point. The male couldn't help but sigh out loud, gently face palming as he realized his error.
Maybe Steven didn't manage to catch their name or learn more about them but as he laid in his bed, he found himself recalling how beautiful that store clerk looked when they smiled.
And besides, he made a new friend— a companion he was starting to adore quite alot.
#steven grant x reader#steven grant x you#steven grant x y/n#steven grant x gender neutral reader#jake lockely x reader#marc spector x reader#moon knight x reader#oscar isaac x reader#oscar isaac x you#x reader#jake lockley x you#marc spector x you#marc spector x y/n#moonknight x reader#moon knight x you#moon knight x y/n#reader insert
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❧ REPEATED -- FORGET ME NOT
➻Summary ' after messing around with Satoru Gojo for a while, he was originally supposed to be nothing but someone meant for your enjoyment & entertainment. You were the one that established that with him, he was of course fine with the whole idea since he wasnt looking forward to a nagging girlfriend regardless. Until the end of whatever you two had was over, you gained feelings and began to treat you guys as messing with each other as something more than it truly was, which it wasn't, he noticed it too. Which was his cue to dip & leave, he more than likely got the last laugh & the last bit of enjoyment, it wasnt till after that you realized you were pregnant with a literal human copy of Satoru. Down to his very eyes.
______________ hoping to never meet him again especially because of how embarrassing of the way things ended, you practically became a whole different person without Satoru, it wasnt until 4 years ago that you stepped out of your shell once more. Until you had to go grab small things for your baby, his fourth birthday was coming up rather quickly than expected & you began to prepare for his small gathering party.
-The day of the party wasn't supposed to go the way it did, everyone knew the history you two had, so how and why was his smell lingering in the atmosphere, more importantly why was HE here?!
ALL CHARACTERS ARE ABOVE LEGAL AGE
-- SATORU lazily sat back into the cushion beneath him, nonchalantly blinking and staring at the woman in front of him whom he clearly had NO genuine feelings towards. Eventually he stopped paying attention to her going on and on about the same thing, it felt like an everyday argument that they had, but they had both known that they were nothing but barely a situation. It was quite obvious that Satoru didn't care at all about having a relationship with her & most definitely wanted nothing more to do with her, all she was good for and all he wanted was HER BODY.
Her curves & the way her hips swayed what was really intriguing to him, what he really wanted and desired of course he wouldn't tell her that directly, but he definitely said it indirectly only sparing her feelings here and there. He was so blunt about how he felt so there was no actual way that she was so fucking oblivious. The smell of the paints in the art room and the constant repetition of sentences that she kept spitting out drove Satoru to the final breaking point, it was all or never.
"Look I can't keep torturing myself like this, its stressing me out honestly lets just end it." Satoru blurted out unexpectedly, he clearly didn't mean to as he went stiff after saying that. Sooner than later he thanked himself, silently patting himself on the back, the weight of his chest lifted the second he finally told her how he felt.
The room went dead silent, a moment of realization hit her, the look on her face was truly priceless enough to make cold hearted Satoru let out a giggle.. maybe even a loud laugh. Anything that doesnt have to do with him he doesnt bother to even stress himself to care. He continued to relax & even get more comfortable as he sat on the soft cushion a smirk soon replaced his blank expression.
He began to tap his foot as he assumed their one-sided argument and situationship was officially over as soon as she began to tear up. She had nothing else to say to him, all she could do was simply stare, so deep into thought that she hadn't realized that he was leaving the room. Just stunned. The moment the door slid shut after Satoru left was when she snapped back into reality by the loud tap of the side of the door and the wall connecting.
After that, things were awkward.
_____ ONE WEEK AFTER .
"Don't bother inviting Y/N, shes liable to not even show like usual." Suguru commented on the list of people that were intially invited to a large graduation party that Satoru was hosting. The job of handling the invite list was given to Mei mei to control, she shrugged as she glided her eraser across the white sheet of paper a few times, which was completely covered with almost all of the names of students that attended the school.
Y/N didn't bother to make any associates after what had happened a week ago, she was quickly changed from someone who was loud and bubbly, never really sad to someone who became a background character. All she did was shrug, stare, and that was pretty much it. No one cared to talk to her nor did she care to ask for anyones number, she was a complete nobody.
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"Satoru can go to hellllll!!!" Nobara at least goes on about how dirty I was done by Satoru almost every week, its like a daily unnecessary reminder of how embarrassed I was. The first time I brought up what happened between me and him she was nothing but furious, but soon enough it turned into laughs and giggles by both of us.
"Mmm s-satoru can go to he-" Juno quickly tried to repeat what Nobara had said, thankfully I cut him off with a swift motion of my hand.
"LOOK AT YOU, influencing Juno to follow after your bad decisions!" I soon gripped my temple & sucked my teeth, as it felt like I was taking care of two different babies. Juno soon began to lick my hand as I jerked my hand bac Nobara quickly jumped to her own defense.
"Hes a mini me, you just popped him out of ya big pompom!!" I crossed my arms in disbelief as Juno was unfazed by Nobaras choice of words. "Stop with your disgusting choice of words, I cant have my precious baby being flooded with such nonsense!" I rolled my eyes as I scooped Juno up into my arms gently, Nobara clearly ignored what I said as she swung the freezer door open, soon grabbing a new tub of strawberry ice cream to munch on.
"We literally have to begin setting up immediately, this party has to go ACCORDING to plan, no mistakes." I quickly darted an eye at Nobara since shes used to making slight mistakes, although she always covers it up, we cannot afford any mistakes & HEAVY on cannot AFFORD.
"Le calls Yujo" Nobara continued to stuff her face with strawberry ice cream as I tried to make out what she was saying. She soon swallowed the left over ice cream as she shivered from the sudden cold sensation. I plastered a look of confusion on my face as I waited for her to adjust.
"Ugh don't act like you couldnt tell what I was saying, lets call YUJIII!!" She ran to her phone as if that wasnt odd enough she began to dance like a complete idiot. Juno started to push and pull as he tried to free himself from my grasp, I let him go and immediately he ran over to Nobara and they had their own dancing session.
Nobara laughed as Juno mimicked her every move, She found Yujis contact as she facetimed him & bent down to entertain Juno with her weird hand gestures that shes been teaching him since he was one. Yuji answered the phone after two tries since hes a dnd warrior, & surprisingly enough he was with Megumi, even though all of us assumed that Megumi would end up never leaving his house or daring to step out.
"YUJIIIIII!!!" Nobara happily grinned as Yuji showed Megumi and him walking around, then directed the camera back to himself. "NOBARAAAAAA" Yuji returned the same energy back as Meguim rolled his eyes in annoyance.
"Come over to help us decorate, hmm!!" the second that Nobara said that the doorbell started to ring frantically. "ill get it." I already knew it was Yuji by checking the ring camera outside. He likes to stick his eye all up in the camera while Megumi just stands on the side as usual. Gosh they're complete opposites.
Of course Juno had to run over to the door, as soon as I unlocked the door and let Yuji as well as Megumi in, Juno made his presence known by greeting them both with his beautiful singing. "Megumiiii you are my favorite, Yujiiii I dont hate youuuuu," his strange choice of words made the song even more cuter, as those were some of the words he'd been recently taught. Yuji being yuji, he felt obviously hurt by Junos words as he was not his favorite, Yujis acting skills were to the tea as he began to fake like he was genuinely hurt by Juno. Yuji made a mess along the floors as he stepped into the house dragging the snow and dirt beneath his shoes. Megumi did different, instead he swiped each foot back and forth on the front door mat.
"Juno how could you!!" Yuji said as he fell to his knees onto the soft grey rug that Juno awkwardly stood on, Juno then copied Yuji as he fell to his knees as well. Megumi simply greeted Juno back by ruffling his few strands of grey hairs & white short, wavy locks as Juno smiled and giggled. Juno repeated the action on to Yuji instead, as he ran his small chubby fingers through Yujis short, wavy bright pink hair. Genuinely fascinated by his hair Juno began to aggressively grab at it, as he examined the deep features. Yuji allowed him to do so as he too examined some of Junos features, first his bright ocean blue eyes then, his newest onesie that showcased blue and white stripes on it, with a small white hood, but if the hood was actually on Junos head, it would cover up his eyes almost completely.
"Juno don't be too rough." I lightly scolded him as Yuji shooed me away with a hand gesture signaling that it was okay, I made my way back into the kitchen where Nobara was almost finished with the strawberry ice cream.
"Don't get too comfortable, WE HAVE TO DECORATE!!!" Nobara shouted as she seemed more excited than anyone to decorate, I would understand why, she loves decorating especially since its something shes truly good at. Everyone loves when Nobara decorates.
A few moments passed & before we even noticed it, Nobara had already gotten to decorating. I turned on music & started to actually help Nobara cautiously making sure to not get in her way just so she didnt try to physically ATTACK me.
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The house was covered, almost everything had something laid on it, taped on it, or worse, glued on it.
Yuji sat back as he continued to drink more and more of the little bit of water bottles that I had left in the fridge, the most that he even accomplished was putting up the "Happy birthday Juno!" sign, & only that took every bit of strength and life he had left in him.
"We did pretty good" Megumi said as he placed his hands on his hips, admiring all of the work we'd done.
"You mean, I did pretty good." Nobara commenting on megumis previous statement as she had to take all of the praise or it wouldn't feel right, she wouldn't be okay with it. Megumi scoffed and rolled his eyes as Nobara continued to speak highly of her achievement.
"You two anger me sometimes," just then after saying that ONE thing I was shot two evil glares by both Megumi and Nobara at the same exact time.
"Whatever."
"Blame Megumi."
---------------------------- THE DAY OF.
December 8th, a day after Satoru Gojos birthday.
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I finished everything before the exact time that all of the guests arrived, yesterday it had snowed like it usually does, every year. I set small gift bags on some of the tables for the other kids that would be arriving anytime now, Nobara finally made her grand entrance as she made her way down the stairs with her short orange hair in a slick high bun, with little hairs peeking out onto her forehead.
She decided on wearing a dress to match my bodysuit, we both wore a tight black outfit. Both having snug tight long sleeves.
"You look GORGEOUS!" Nobara squealed as almost as if she was a fangirl, a fan of me.
"YOU TOO OMGG!!" I returned the same genuine energy back as we jumped up and down like two high schooler girls just seeing each other once again after a long break. Nobara treated me as if i was her girlfriend, thats probably why I never bothered to find another after Satoru.
"Wait everyone will be here soon!" Nobara excitedly clapped as I dreaded the thought slightly, I wasn't too fond of more than a few people at a time, i'll manage though since originally this is what Juno begged for, even shedded a few small tears for.
Seconds passed before we heard various versions of knocks, before we knew it the front door swung open with more people than I imagined once they had realized that the door was unlocked. Everyone was lined up with a gift after another, only few of them with a mini version of themselves to attend with them though.
The kids quickly made themselves comfortable in the living room as they awaited for Junos arrival, he'd been taking his precious time in his room upstairs.
"Nobara i'll be back, i'm going to go check on Juno!" I shouted to Nobara as she raised the volume of the music, the adults all gathered around the kitchen, beginning to laugh and make various conversations and comments. I took that time to make my way to Junos room, wondering what was truly going on.
I stood in front of Junos door for a little before twisting the doorknob and peeking in.
"Juno.?" I called out.
"Yes mommy." his small voice replied as I pushed my way in gently, I slowly pushed my weight onto the door as it shut closed, my attention darted to Junos small frame sitting on his bed as he fidgeted with his tiny fingers, kicking his legs back and forth slightly as they hit the bed frame here and there.
"Whats wrong, baby?" I asked with deep concern in my voice, I sat next to him as the bed dipped.
"Are you scared?" Juno quickly turned his head away signaling that I was right, I sighed with slight relief at least it wasn't too major.
"Are you scared of the people downstairs or is it something deeper?" I cupped his small face in my hand as I massaged his chubby cheek with my thumb.
"What if they don't like me." I almost chuckled, who wouldn't like Juno, not even like, love. Juno's fun, and truthfully a perfect kid.
"Im sure they'd love you, baby!" a smile replaced the half frown on Junos face as his eyes lit up with excitement instead of worry.
"Want me to carry you down?"
"Noo mommy" Juno happily said as I stood up, he soon slid off his bed, I lightly fixed his shirt after as I examined his outfit to make sure it was neat, his favorite character was Leonardo from 'Teenage mutant Ninja Turtles', which ironically was one of the closest characters to his father, which was also the theme of the party aswell as the entire theme of his outfit, down to his very shoes.
I heard my name being called by Nobara loudly, before I made my way out of Junos room I signaled him to follow.
"Lets head downstairs, aunt Nobara is calling," I then made my way out of Junos room, and I hardly paid attention to what she was calling me for as I was more so focused on Juno, once I made it to the last step on the stairs I noticed a familiar smell.
Only a smell that Satoru had, his own personal smell lingered in my house for the first time. I felt disgusted, I turned my head and I was met with the man I swore up and down that I would never meet again.
There he was, standing in front of me with a black t shirt on, black sweats, black socks, at this point black everything! even his damn nike slides. Nobara took this as a chance to grab Juno as she seen my expression, blank to anger, within seconds.
I felt my stomach churning, I wanted to bomit right then and there. He naturally smirked at me, like this was okay.? Juno was obviously confused, on the fact that a random man showed up looking exactly like him & not just that, also how his own mother knew the man.
Everyone was too busy to pay attention to the tension between me and the man that stood before me, without another thought I grabbed his hand and as aggravated as I was, I wasn't going to make a scene at my sons party. I unlocked the backdoor to the large grassy field behind the house, then slid the thick tinted door closed.
"Why are you here." I yanked my hand back from Satoru as he sighed & crossed his arms over his toned chest.
"To see my son, & his mother that claims to hate me so bad, although we both know you've missed me." I scoffed, was this man serious? like dead serious or is he playing me in my face?
"Are you being completely fucking serious or?"
"Im being so serious."
"I can't, I hate you so bad." It was clear that Satoru was barely paying attention to my words, not in as much as a bad way but not necessarily in a good way.
"Why'd you hide him so long?" Satoru asked as if he didn't just literally spit bs.
"I had no way of contacting you, thats for one, then two does it not process in your head that I quite literally despise your entire existence? I don't want my, I mean our child to turn out like his piece of shit father." I blurted out, regretting some of the things I said but they had to be said, especially since I had been holding this back since forever.
"I want to apologize, I started this entire conversation off wrong, even this entire thing of meeting you again. We left off on bad terms because of me." Satoru genuinely said, this time with no sarcasm or anything. Almost as if he actually meant what he was saying? his usual smirk was replaced with a small frown as his hand rested along the nape of his neck, he refused eye contact with me as he directed his attention to the long grass.
Something in me encouraged me to leap into his arms and forgive him immediately, another part of me wanted to laugh in his face, as if he would never get a "i forgive you" out of me, ever.
"Give me a hug." I lowly sighed as I felt almost, bad for him. Without hesitation Satoru hurried to my grasp, picking me up in an instant as my legs swung around his waist, this wasn't anything more than a hug. He wanted it to be, I wasn't ready for bigger things than just this, even though I wrapped my arms around his neck, his large, rough hands snaked around my thighs and down to cup my butt in both hands.
"I honestly missed you, i apologize for me being childish, I mean more childish than I am now." Satoru whispered into my ear but in all honesty I missed him as well, I didn't allow myself to get close with any other man in a way that was more than a friendship because of how scarred I was by Satoru, this felt like closure.
Something i've been wanting, no needing.
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#jjk gojo#jjk#jjk x reader#gojo x reader#gojo x y/n#megumi fushiguro#nobara kugisaki#jujutsu nobara#yuji itadori#geto suguru#gojo satoru#satorugojo
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Run BTS: 047 | Protect the BTS Village part 1
Original Air Date: 03 APR 2018
Episode Length: 29:49
Total Parts: 2
YouTube English Subtitles: No
Title Song: Blood Sweat & Tears
Synopsis: The iconic debute of the Blue Village saga. Think scavenger hunt meets a social deduction game (think werewolf/mafia for some, Among Us for others). I am completely biased by this concept. The best birthday party ever has was when my mom set up a scavenger hunt. When escape rooms became popular, i was so excited. so it's impossible for me to be objective with this episode. When I started watching Run BTS for the first time, i honestly didn't think there would be an episode that topped these.
Production: They do a great job with the location and getting coverage. the map graphic is a great piece of storytelling as well, it's a shame that it comes out a little stagnant with how little movement it's actually conveying so a more dynamic version would have helped with the pacing. The explanation screens are pretty excessive. i get that this concept is a little more complex and they are trying to avoid staff just rambling the setup, but this is definitely a crutch in these kind of eps. The art dep does a good job with what they need to do, but overall I'm not a fan. The one before the meeting is even more superfluous. I think we'd all rather have had more footage in the time consumed by that 'summary'. We just watched the scenes that it summarizes and we're about to listen to the members share it all with each other. The one after the meeting is quotes of what we just heard the members say...
Endearment: Call me crazy but I think these episodes have some of the best glimpses into authentic personality traits for the guys. They're honestly so bad at these types of elaborate setups that they have to spend the whole time focusing on that and less on being entertaining. so it feels a little more genuine.
Winner/Loser: see final part
Best Cheater: Jin, for that fake hint
Member Moments:
RM: Mechanic RM, doing such a good job trying to unravel the hints and figure out a meta of who is on his team.
JN: Bank President Jin, first instinct: make up a clue to point to Yoongi.
YG: Flower Shop Owner.... wait you can hear the intro to give it to me during his introduction?? i never noticed that before. Yoongi is so great in these kind of episodes, i don't know how to describe it, he's just the most chill version of dedication to the role playing and strategy
JH: Supermarket owner! I'm loving the irony of his description, "a social person with all the villager's info'... uh, with happens later with Jimin, Hobi clearly did not keep up with that trait! lol Hobi actually is pretty good at the searching aspect of these games, but you can tell he thrives in a team mentality. he knows how to point out what may be important and then brings it to someone else to get it to the finish line.
JM: Delivery man... i adore Jimin but you can tell that he struggled with the act. they clearly cut away from him every time something points to him being guilty. y'all i wasn't expecting to have any feels during this episode. the Jm/jk salute in the police station... i just wanted to watch a silly run ep, not be reminded of the ms.
V: Patisserie V! We didn't get much V coverage this episode, but we find out more about what he was up to in the next one.
JK: The least observant Police Officer in history. He literally picks up the hint and doesn't see it. Now it's obvious the guys were not given any direction regarding what they should be looking for, but the edit kindly points it out to the audience. bless poor JK's heart
Bonus Content: Much shorter than expected for this episode, and it's mostly the same scenes we had. does anyone know when the bonus content was released? it makes sense if it was before the final part, and they were trying to keep the reveal secret.
CQ Rank: 5
youtube
(CQ Eval Date: 04 FEB 2024)
Check out this post for my Masterlist of all episodes and descriptions of how I'm evaluating these.
Previous Episode: 046
Next Episode: 048
#run bts#ep.047#bangtan sonyeondan#bts#youtube#jeon jungkook#park jimin#jung hoseok#kim seokjin#kim taehyung#kim namjoon#min yoongi
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Mama Gumi is coming to town!
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Before uploading more with my current Arc, my best friend (@princessanieloid) recommended me to make a post-introduction about Gumi, so you guys could understand better how i represent her in this KML-verse! ^w^
(these are only headcanons about Megpoid Gumi, none of them are official)
SUMMARY
In this KML-verse, Megpoid Gumi is young adult lady (26 y.o.), who has siblings - Gakupo (half-brother) and Ryuto. She is happily married to Yuuma Roro and has a little boy - Baoro (who is the same age as Junko). She is a singer, but also, works as a daytime babysitter in VOCAL.Inc. (she babysits minors-singers or vocaloids' offsprings).
Biography
She was a middle child in Megpoid family (her half-brother Gakupo, is 3 years older than her, and her biological brother Ryuto is 11 years younger). She was diagnosed with childhood obesity (caused by slow metabolism), but her parents didn't seem to take it as something serious, and they kept letting her eat as much as she wanted (thinking that the problem will disappear with with age).
At early school age, she met Roro, who was a in parallel class, they easily found a lot in common (Gumi and Roro both loved origami, and used to went to an art club together). Because of her plumpiness, she was bullied from other youngsters and given those kinds of nicknames, such as seal, pig, cow and etc. Which would leave Gumi in a anxious state and low self-esteem, consoling herself with sweets, where only worsened her problem, but that is where Roro, her family begin to take action. Megpoid` parents regret what they negligent, who were with her warning for years, and can comfort Gumi by overprotecting and giving her careful diets. Her old brother and Roro tried their best to help her lose weight by exercising and eating fewer calories - it weakly work at her body, but moral support helped her to get through bullying,
When Gumi became a singer and member of VOCALOID at the age of 18, she was warmly welcomed (especially by member of CFM, whom she befriended with one of them). The result from family and Roro's support was also cemented by her friendship with Luka, who accepted her for who she was. Lady Tuna even found her appearance as really charming, and told Gumi to never doubt her body and accept herself.
Some facts!
Gumi is the same age as Luka (except that Megpoid is 6 months younger) while Roro is 2 years older than Gumi.
Gumi is sweet, tender, loves joking around with youngsters. She can't stand when something unfair happens to her family or friends.
She was pampered by her parents as long-expected child, but it doesn't made her selfish nor arrogant - parents' love inspired her to be a loving and wholesome to everyone.
In InternetCo group, there was a joke about Gumi "How to guess Gumi's favourite color? Pink! Why? Look at her environment". Many a true word is spoken in jest, because Gumi's closest people - Roro and Luka have pink-hair.
(Roro and Gumi): Roro was inconfident about confessing his feelings to, while Gumi was more opened with it; Roro will do his best for his beloved Gumi to make sure that she is safe and sound. They never got separated with each other. Gumi and Roro were childhood friends, and even got a nickname from their classmates "two peas, that looks like carrot and watermelon, in a pot".
When Roro found out that Gumi was expecting their first child, he was so happy that he literally cried (but that is a secret between two of them, because Roro wants to make an appearance of strong confident guy). And all throughout the pregnancy, he was always making sure that Gumi is okay - drank vitamin pills, eat enough, not cold nor heat and etc.
Funniest (sort of) coincidence was the thing, Gumi and her pink best friend Luka were both expecting in the same year (with only 2 months difference, because Baoro was born in July, and Junko - in September). Meiko even said once: "Have you two in cahoots to have a child at the same year?!", which is irony, because both of them kept asking Mei as the one, who had the experience in this. (even though Megpoid and Megurine read a lot of books about pregnancy, they felt come confident if they would talk to somebody, who went through this)
When Gumi and Roro`s baby was born, Roro wanted to call their son as Baoro (His name on Japanese 保ロ means "protective son"), because he wished that their son, when he will grew, will protect and support his beloved ones (especially his mom).
#askkaimeilu#vocaloid#megpoid gumi#gumi megpoid#vocaloid headcanons#internet co#body positivity#megpoid#rorogumi#askkaimeilu about
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Together in the Storm Chapter 6: Captain Destiny
Story Summary: Olimar is back home once again, ready to rest and recuperate from everything that had happened. Yet the universe keeps throwing unwanted surprises his way, making rest difficult. He just wants to make his (now rather large) family believe that he’ll be okay. Because he is, for he has to be.
Chapter Summary: Olimar's first time out on a delivery run! Surely nothing bad will happen.
I've decided to put the art within the text like I do on Ao3, instead of at the start. So there is art still!
Read on Ao3 here! Or keep reading down below!
To say Olimar was nervous would be a severe understatement.
The young man, in his early 20s, shook like a leaf as he pulled a spacesuit on. This was it. After months of training to be a mechanic, he was finally getting to go out on a cargo run himself. He was going into space. Space!!! Never in his wildest dreams did he actually think he'd ever get to do this! Hoped, sure, but to actually get to go...
Even if it was only for work, he was excited!
And completely terrified.
Not of space, no. Well, he had a reasonable amount of fear of the cosmos. A healthy amount, given that the sea of stars wasn't exactly perfectly predictable or safe.
What he was afraid of was people. He had no idea what his crew was going to be like. He didn't know too many co-workers or people in general. His wife, Rosie, was pretty much his only friend. His new in-laws were pleasant enough. His old mentor for learning mechanics tolerated him.
That was about it. He didn't know what to expect from these new guys.
Still, he somehow forced his body to move and get over to the ship yard, his small bag of things in tow. In front of a massive ship labeled as the C.S. Kaluga was a small group of other people he silently fell in line with; all of them were Hocotation men of various heights, fur tones, and body shapes. They hardly took any notice of him, simply looking for a second as they focused on their conversation. Olimar stood there awkwardly for several moments, wondering if he was actually where he was supposed to be, when someone else joined them. She was a taller and older woman, with dark brown fur and coily black hair swept to one side. Just below her vitals monitor on the front of her suit were three little golden triangles, denoting her status as the crew's captain.
Everyone else went quiet as they noticed her, turning towards her. She crossed her arms as she looked over the crew. After a few moments she began to speak. "I'm your assigned captain for this run; Captain Destiny. Our task is simple. We gotta stop by a few planets to pick up and drop off shipments. Shouldn't take even a month to do. Now, I respect your time and so won't keep you longer than I need to. You all know your jobs and expected behavior while on other planets. Get on board, choose your rooms, we'll be launching in an hour."
There were a few quiet "Yes ma'am"s before everyone began to board the ship. Olimar was still shaking, though not as badly as he climbed into the ship and looked around for an empty room to call his own. They were all small, having only the bare necessities, but they worked well enough. He eventually settled on one that was closest to where he'd be working most of the time, setting his bag down.
This is it, he thought. I'm finally on a crew.
===
Work was rather dull, actually.
Most of his time he spent in the maintenance crawl spaces, which were dark and cramped and he's cut himself on far more random bits and bobs than he cared to admit. Occasionally he'd be asked to fix some small machine in the upper levels, usually the coffee maker that one of his crew mates (named Daniel) had a habit of breaking somehow. Rarely, he'd be asked to help clean something, which he didn't mind too much.
For the most part, though, he kept to himself. He found it hard to talk to the other crew members; they would quickly ignore him after a few awkward pleasantries. That was fine enough. He's kept to himself before, he could do it again.
When they landed on the first planet, he was tasked to help unload things from the ship. They needed all the muscle they could get to do this as quickly as possible.
Occasionally Captain Destiny would check in on him. She was nice, and actually tried to hold a conversation with him, but she was usually too busy to be reliable. That was fine.
Thus he was, for the most part, a loner within the crew. He did his work quickly and diligently, sometimes even doing more than he needed out of sheer boredom, and no one out right complained about him. He was fine existing on the edge like this.
So he was rather surprised when, one day, Daniel invited him over to a conversation.
Olimar sat silently with a few other crew members, four others to be exact. He didn't remember their names, actually... He only knew Daniel due to how often he broke the coffee machine.
"We just needed your opinion on something, break a tie." Daniel explained. "What do ya think about the Captain?"
Ah, a tie breaker. Yeah, he could do that. "I think she's nice enough, though I also haven't gotten to talk to her much."
"... Okay, and what about Rachel?" He asked after a small pause.
"Ah, s-sorry, I don't know her...?"
"Manager's secretary." One of the other crew members explained. "Ginger, always wearing those tight skirts?"
That made Olimar pause for a few seconds, stomach twisting from anxiety. "H-Haven't spoken to her much, either. She's very polite though."
"Like hell she is, she can't take a compliment." Another one of the guys complained.
What the hell do you consider a "compliment", though? Olimar wondered, shifting around uncomfortably.
"But we're askin' if you think either is hot." Daniel turned to him.
Olimar shifted around more. "Oh, uh... I - I uh- d-don't want to answer."
"Aw, relax, we won't judge."
"Alex might. But Alex's opinions don't matter." One of the others spoke up, laughing as he did.
A third began to growl, presumably Alex. "Oh shut up, asshole."
Olimar stayed quiet for several moments before managing out "I-I'm married, s-so I'd rather not..."
"Oh please, this ain't cheating."
"Not that anyone would know about it out here. Man's gotta do what a man's gotta do."
Now Olimar felt really sick. "I -I said I won't!" He just about snapped, mostly from panic.
"Dude, calm down. Why can't you just let yourself enjoy a pretty lady, hm?"
Daniel just raised his hand slowly. "Now now, he's clearly gotten someone special. Why don't you tell us about her, hmm?"
Olimar stood there silent, stomach twisting. Eventually, he shook his head.
"... No?" Daniel asked, now smirking. "Possessive? We're all just trying to complement some girls is all."
"T-This isn't t-the right way!" Olimar snapped, finally finding his voice. "You're - you're just being creepy about it!"
At that Daniel rolled his eyes. "Oh please, don't be a hypocrite. There's no way in hell you've never wanted this."
Olimar just shook his head.
"Never wanted a woman. Not even your wife?"
Olimar found himself going quiet. "I - I love her very much. She's wonderful, kind and far too patient with me. And - and I'd like kids w-when we're ready."
"... That's it?"
Olimar nodded.
"A bit chaste, don't you think? Have you ever even been in bed with her - with anyone?"
Olimar didn't feel... Real. That was the best way he could put it. He felt horribly sick, yet detached from the world in a way he couldn't describe. "I - I need to go." It didn't sound to him like he was the one talking, but clearly he was.
"Is that why you wouldn't tell us about her? Afraid she'd find a real man-"
Olimar practically pushed him out of the way as he ran out of the room, hyperventilating. As he did, he heard a few not-so hushed whispers. Complaints of him being a kill joy, a prude and... Other comments that really made his stomach churn. He simply chose to walk faster, desperate to get away now.
Good job, idiot. Your one chance to make friends with them and you blew it. But they were creepy anyways. But they'll hate you now, instead of tolerating you. Is that how men are supposed to be? How I'm supposed to be? Gods I hope not but I may be wrong about that, maybe I'm supposed to hope to be right. You could have at least pretended to be interested. Snapping was the right thing to do. You wouldn't want someone talking about you like that either. But now I have enemies and no friends. I want to go home I want to fall into Rose's arms and fade out of existence I want-
Both he and another person yelped a bit as he walked right into them. Panicking hard now, Olimar managed out a quiet (and barely comprehendible) apology, only for his stomach to twist more as he saw who he ran into: Captain Destiny.
"Shit-" she grumbled, picking up the clipboard she had dropped in the process. "That's my bad, I was too focused on these-" she looked up at him then, ears now pinned back. "... You okay, Olimar?"
Olimar just shook, unable to speak. He nodded wearily, though he highly doubted he was convincing.
"It's alright, you can talk to me."
He was quiet for a few more moments before managing out "S-Some of the others are j-just being creepy."
Destiny looked angry now, but she still kept her voice soft. "Are you sure that's all?"
He shuffled awkwardly, uncertain of how much he should share.
"I'm the captain. I need to know what's up so I can stop them."
Oh fuck, they'd hate him even more if that happened. They deserved it, but they'd pin the blame on him for sure. "It's - It's just - a me thing. I j-just don't understand why - why they're like that." He chuckled nervously.
"'Cus they're entitled assholes."
Olimar was quiet for several more moments. Then, "I mean - I don't understand any of it. I've never... N-never found someone..." He groaned then, looking away he dug his nails into his skin. Gods, he didn't have to dump all of this on Destiny.
Yet, she hardly seemed to mind. If anything, she persisted with "You've never found someone attractive."
"... No." He finally admitted. "M-My wife, I adore her. So much. But I j-just... I'm not the way I'm supposed to be, and even trying to do - that - makes me feel sick and-" he dug his nails in deeper, willing himself to shut the fuck up. She didn't need for him to put any more stress on her or over whelm her or anything.
"Hey, you're going to hurt yourself." Destiny grabbed his wrists just long enough to pull them away and keep him from digging his nails in any further. "It's okay, Olimar." She assured him as she let go. "There's nothing wrong with you. I promise. You're just a little different, nothing more. Okay? Whoever tells you otherwise is a fucking dumbass. You're just as you're "supposed" to be."
Olimar wasn't sure what it was. If it was the concern for his safety or the gentle voice or the reassurance that he wasn't born wrong or just that he was fucking exhausted now. All he knew was that he began to shake harder as he broke down into tears.
Destiny gently rubbed his arm a bit. "Hey, go ahead and retire to your room. Okay? I'll clear your schedule. Clean up and get some rest. I'll take care of them."
Olimar nodded shakily, eager to hide and sleep for the rest of the day. He didn't get to take more than two steps before Destiny stopped him again.
"And just remember what I told you. You're not broken."
===
Destiny had a lot on her plate.
Firstly, she walked into the room Olimar had just come out of, thankfully while they were still in the middle of their conversation. Thus, she was able to sufficiently punish them without there being any question of if Olimar told her about them. She highly doubted that being put on the worst work available on board would really teach them much of anything, but it would keep them too separated and too tired to pull that little stunt again.
Then she had to double check inventory, make sure they had only used up the amount of fuel and food they were projected to use within a single day. Then back to the upper decks to check with the navigator and pilot team to ensure everything was still smooth going.
By the time she made it back to check on Olimar, the poor boy had fallen fast asleep.
She had honestly understood him more than she let on, focused more so on making sure he would be okay. She was the same as him - only difference was he also had no interest in marriage or romance.
She'd have to check in on him later, then, just to ensure he'd be alright. Destiny walked away, checking over her paperwork. She wasn't entirely sure why she was so worried about that one in particular, beyond the empathy and pity she felt at him bursting into tears. She supposed he reminded her of her sister, in a way, the two did act quite similarly as far as she could tell.
The thought made her stop walking, leaving her to just stare blankly at the papers in her hands.
So that's how it was going to be, huh?
No matter. She'd just make sure to keep an eye on him. The boy clearly needed support of some kind.
#pikmin#fan fiction#pikmin fan fiction#star touched au#pikmin star touched#captain olimar#borb draws#borb writes
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Okay, here's some really freaking LONG spoiler-filled thoughts on Mamoru Hosoda's Belle that nobody wanted or asked for but I have too many feelings about it and I have to get them off my chest or my head might explode
here we go
So I went into this movie completely blind - I'd never read a summary of the plot and I'd only seen the trailer exactly one(1) time a while back, but I thought it looked pretty. I also knew there was music, because one of the songs popped up as a recommended video on youtube to me once and I really enjoyed it. And that's literally the grand total of what I knew.
So I deduced by the title, by the imagery from the trailer, from the liTERAL BOX it came in (I'm a sucker for anything that has alternate art or exclusive on the box asdfghjkl)
that it was going to be basically Anime Beauty And The Beast and you know what, I was down for that. I was like, yeah, okay, I love the BatB story, I love a good romance, I already know it's got good visuals and songs - I'm here for it.
What I didn't expect, and what I got, was a movie that was trying to be two movies. I felt like it was trying desperately to be a deep, grounded piece about grief and healing from trauma and helping others because it's the right thing to do AND a fantastical movie about internet fame, online identities and idolising or cancelling strangers online.
(It did all of its themes dirty btw)
But the thing that gets me is that I didn't sign up for any of this! I was basically promised Anime Beauty And The Beast. And that isn't even remotely what I got. I suspect the "twist" of it being about platonic love all along was to try and pull the rug out from under the audience and be like AHA you were expecting this thing, but look, I have given you this other thing, aren't I clever by subverting your expectations like that. And honestly, I just wanted a good romance, some pining, some 'I'm a monster.' 'Not to me.' angst - I didn't need it to try and flip the concept on its head as a twist, because that's not why I was here in the first place.
When they revealed the Dragon was a little kid I nearly spit my coffee out. It was certainly a choice. Congratulations you made a tWiSt - good for you. But it came out of left field because up until that point they'd been really pushing the BatB imagery and themes and had even had a ROMANTIC BALLROOM DANCE SCENE. Like, why in the seven circles of shipping hell would you give them the romantic undertones associated with a movie that had these same characters end up in a romantic relationship and then go GOTCHA when they reveal the twist is that he's actually a little kid and it was PLATONIC ALL ALONG. Just cut out the romantic ballroom dance scene altogether, my god. Nobody said you even had to put any BatB references in this movie at all in the first place??? Just cut ties with it and make something entirely new. Then you can get rid of the messy associations that already pre-exist in our brains when you make your movie parallel something else.
And then this story's Gaston was a dude about as interesting as grated cheese. I can't even remember his name, but I do remember that he was so similar looking to All Might from BNHA that it kept distracting me and pulling me out the movie. He had 0 motivation beyond being a cop and it confused me - I can't even remember why they were hunting the Dragon down in the first place? Did they say? I think they said he'd been destroying opponents in the fighting arena? - but is that really a criminal offence? Could they not just ban him from the arena?? I probably got that bit entirely wrong, but that's on them for not making his motivations clear enough.
The Gaston-guy also had an app-breaking lion cannon on his arm that he could just use whenever he wanted to break people's avatars or whatever, and I don't think he ever explained how or why he'd got it?? (beyond the flimsy explanation of JUSTICE) His team of power rangers made me so angry too. So pointless!
If they wanted a Gaston parallel character why not make him a guy that's a Super Fan of Belle? Like, we've all been on the internet long enough to see celebrities get those kinds of fans that think they're friends with them or something, and are just Way Too Obsessed. If he's a superfan he could get mad in an exaggeratedly over the top way when the Dragon crashes Belle's concert. Maybe he starts a witch-hunt for that reason, rallying the masses against this dude that ruined 'his' Belle's performance and because he's a beast he doesn't think he deserves her attention. Mirroring Gaston from the original being delusional about her marrying him. It would make it more personal and keep up the themes of the dangers of internet fame and online identities - because the Gaston-guy knows nothing of the real Suzu.
Then you could have her connect with the Dragon more and the idea that the Gaston-guy is her biggest fan yet knows nothing real about her vs the Dragon seeing her grief that she has as 'Suzu' even as 'Belle' would be more poignant.
Talking of Suzu, it was hard to watch her make so many bad choices and bad decisions because she was grieving in such a self destructive way. But then she had so little personality outside of that one character trait that I'm struggling to think of anything else to say about her. And I KNOW that's the point, because her grief consumed her, but she's our main character - she's a window into this world, we're supposed to understand at least a little bit about her. And then when she was Belle she was even worse because she had 0 personality. I can't even remember if she had more than a couple of lines of spoken dialogue while she was Belle? She felt so disconnected from Suzu that she was basically a different character. And again, someone might say BUT THAT'S THE POiNt but I would disagree with that - I know that she's supposed to feel like her 'more authentic self' in U, but she was just so different. She spent most of her time on screen as Belle either singing or hovering in the air with a scared expression.
How did she feel about being an online celebrity? Aside from one tiny scene where she's flustered about people hating her and her friend explaining that any money they get goes straight to charity, it just never really comes up again. But how did she get the concerts in the first place? Did the owners of the app reach out to her? Do the outfits she wears come from them? Are they the ones that provide her with the whales???
I need to know these things - U is just such an underdeveloped world that absolutely none of it makes any sense. As far as we see people just float around it and gossip ? OZ in Summer Wars was set up so much more convincingly as an 'online world' that it surprises me that this is by the same guy honestly
That entire sequence where she's sneaking back from the Dragon's castle and she's flying through a completely empty bit of U - totally deserted - and then the cops catch her because she's literally the only person for miles inconspicuously flying around and I'm like, I'm sorry, but in what universe is there a VR online reality thing and there is that much empty space?? No way is anywhere on this app that deserted. It just didn't feel LIVED IN. It didn't ever feel like a convincing place millions of people spent most of their time on.
The topic of online identities vs real identities comes up multiple times, but they shy away from it at the last second and it never feels like it's actually addressed, so it comes across as kind of shallow. But I'd rather they didn't even tackle it at all if they weren't wanting to go anywhere with it - drop some themes from this movie please I'm begging it doesn't have to try and do a million things, just a few solid themes are fine I promise
It also feels like Belle never once acts like Suzu - even when she's with the Dragon. Here I expected her Performer persona would melt away and we'd see a blending of Suzu and Belle to be what she's REALLY like beneath the shy girl drowning in her grief and the confident singer.
But no not really
She meets the Dragon when he crashes her concert and she just Loves Him I Guess. It takes her a weirdly short amount of time to find his super secret hidden castle, and then the little AI's try to trick her back out and I was like, oh okay the AI's are like the furniture from the original BatB. But then I finished the movie and I couldn't think if they'd ever explained their presence. Why does the Dragon have these AI's??? How did he get a super secret hidden castle in the first place??? I expected him to be a hacker of some kind in the real world, but no. I thought his little brother was going to be an AI or something special or maybe it would turn out their dad worked for the U company or something, but again, no. His little brother just has a cute little angel avatar to show how innocent he is, and that's fine, but they kind of set him up to be a different to the other avatars in some way and never came back to that.
The Dragon and Belle have so few interactions that their bond never came across as particularly strong. As it turns out they're both dealing with trauma and both shouldering their burdens as best they can and it feels like something they could have bonded over more prior to the last few minutes of the film. They could have really set up the whole platonic support thing here, but they just kept on pushing the romantic imagery to make their twist more twisty and shocking.
Why even have her sing a love song to him either - I know it doesn't have to necessarily be a love song in the end, it's not like she said I love you in it or anything, but the mom's choir group set her up for it to BE a love song. So the context then becomes that she's singing it AS a love song.
BUT saying that, they somehow had more chemistry than Suzu and her childhood friend Shinobu.
Their 'romance' subplot hurt my soul - and it also comes out of left field, because I expected it to be a case of Suzu projecting romantic feelings onto him when there really were none from how cold he acted towards her. I figured it was going to be one-sided and that they were going to end up with different people at the end, or he was going to be the Dragon all along and they'd get closer online than they ever have in real life. And then it could be about how being real with the real people in your life is better for you and healing and whatnot
But he was about as distant as someone who barely knew her for the whole film and then at the very very end kind of ended up with her? His dialogue to her mostly just consisted of him saying her name in a very flat tone with 0 expression. OH THE ROMANCE.
I get that she wasn't in a place to be thinking about love beyond her grief, and that he wanted to give her space to work through her trauma, but that doesn't mean he can't be her FRIEND and offer her PLATONIC LOVE. That could have made it a tighter theme - platonic love being just as strong as romantic love. But he's distant to the point of being neglectful and mean and then BAM you're supposed to root for them as a couple at the end.
And then the one friend she does have in the movie always felt a bit off to me?? (I can't remember her name, but she had a great avatar design in U) Like, one second I'd think they have a nice friendship and then the next I'd be questioning whether she's actually friends with her or whether she's just enjoying the fame of Belle?? I don't think that was intentional, but that's how it came across in some scenes.
The popular girl suddenly becoming her friend out of nowhere was bizarre too. I think it would have been better if they'd been hinted at being friends before or something? Or maybe they'd been childhood friends too? Or maybe her mother also died when she was young? And then they'd have something in common linking them together? So that's why she's so sympathetic towards Suzu. If they'd have bonded over their shared loss of their mother's rather than Suzu helping to set her up over a boy we've heard like 2 lines of dialogue from, that would have been much more genuine. And removed the dead time spent on these two characters nobody cares about getting together.
I'm all about exploring different kinds of love, but it just never felt like they got it quite right to me
There's so much of this movie I feel like we have to infer from gap filling, but it's not using anything they've given us.
(Also why did their dog only have three paws?? Was there a significance to it ?????)
ANYWAY - yeah, I didn't like this movie. It felt rushed, it felt shallow, I didn't enjoy the twist because it set me up for one thing and then pointed and laughed at me by 180 reversing it
Nobody just had any kind of LIFE to them in this movie. Everything is so FLAT - the world, the characters, the relationships, the themes...
I don't HATE this film, I just don't like it and I'm sad that it could have been so much better
also this is all just my opinion and way of venting, please don't take it personally or yell at me for voicing my thoughts pls
#I have more thoughts but this is long enough as it is oh boy#izu says stuff#belle movie#long post#movie rant
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The Heroes Doesn't Succeed
Summary: (OUAT) Imagine.
What would it be if the heroes doesn't succeed on their mission to take Henry back?
Pairing: Peter Pan (OUAT)x fem!reader
Warnings: Language.
A/N: If it's any grammatical mistake, my bad, I'm still learning. Reblog this to support my works. Enjoy!
Before The Heroes (A The Heroes Doesn't Succeed Prequel)
MASTERLIST | MASTERLIST OF MY ART
The Jolly Roger landed on Neverland with all the crew for rescuing Henry, not knowing what to expect from here or what could Pan do, but they were positive about it. After the split of the team with Rumpelstinki gone, they were trusting in the knowledge of Hook about the island with no choice and about to look after Tinker Bell with hope. Hook, Emma, Mary Margaret, David, and Regina go to the spot where Tinker Bell hides from Pan, with a surprise on the way when all see a girl with brown hair and looking helpless.
"Who are you?" Emma steps up with her sword ready to fight if this was a trap.
"I-i'm Y/N, wh-who are you guys?" She says in a whisper looking at each other with fear in her eyes and hiding her body in the shadows of the trees.
"We're not from here, we were looking for my son, Henry, Pan kidnapped him, do you know where he is?" The girl denied slowly so shy to even look at the blonde in the eyes.
"Yo-you're here to defeat Pan?" She whispers so quietly that even the others have to get closer to even listen to what she says.
"If that brings Henry back, then yes, we're here to defeat Pan" Emma says with confidence looking at her family. "Can you help us to find my son?" She says softly extending a hand to the girl.
She looks at the hand and then at the blonde's eyes, she thinks about it but she nods taking her hand. "Only if you promise me that I can go back to my family, to my home." She looks at her with a few tears appearing in her eyes.
Emma nods with the rest of the crew to accept the condition. "Sure, we can take you to your home with your family, but you need to help us too, do you know anything that can help us to find Henry?"
The girl nods shyly looking to the ground. "I know where he wants to take your son, he's taken him to Skull's Cave" she whispers.
"Why did Pan wants to take Henry there?" Regina steps in with an incredulous look.
"Because if Pan kidnapped your son is because he has... The heart of the truest believer." Everybody looks at each other with a confused look not knowing what that means.
"You have a lot to explain on the way there, we have to find here fast..." Emma says and everyone starts to walk with the girl while she tells them her story of how she got here and why is hiding from Pan.
The shadow bring the girl by mistake and Pan didn't want a girl on his island, he said to the Lost Boys that they have to haunt you as they do with the pirates that came to the island, with a little luck you find some tree where you were far enough to the camp ant and from all of them that you can live a little bit calm since only Pan knows how to get out of here, but you have to hide when you want to look for food or even went out of your little home in your tree. Emma and the others listen to the girl and given her their support and confirming that she will be back home when everything is over.
(***)
Pan finally tricked Henry to give to him the heart of the truest believer, he was known as the most powerful of the island and the little kid was dying so slow. When all were back to the camp looking for Pan, Felix didn't want everyone to say anything about where they can find him, but the girl knows all the spots that Pan has on this island since she was running from them. She, Emma, Mary Margaret, and Regina went to a tree where Pan must be in the meantime. When they got there, the enchanted tree tied up all of them to the trunk of it, with Pan appearing besides it.
"Well, well, well... What do we have here?" He looks at every single woman in front of him with a smirk on his face. "Don't you even try to fight with me, this tree will protect me when I'm still taking all the power of Henry's heart".
"This damn tree will not prevent me from taking my son's heart from you!" Emma yells at him with anger.
"Oh, it will, you see... This tree it's enchanted, it's powering up from the repentance of all of you". He laughs at them looking at every single one of them. "The repentance of the mother who abandoned him eleven years ago, the mother that abandoned her daughter in a new land by her own, the girl that repented hearing the shadow and coming here on this island, and you..." He looks at Regina with a smirk that correspondence with confidence.
"I've tricked and killed people, I put a whole spell on all the land killing a lot of people, getting everyone to forget where they come from and I would do that again because that gets me, my son and that's the only reason I am here for." She let out the spell from the tree and everyone was free, she took a step closer enough to get Henry's heart from Pan's body, letting him fall to the ground dying slowly too. "Now, let's go safe Henry." She says with a smile on her face.
She took a step forward and a red aura make her fall unconscious on the ground letting go the heart from her hand, the girl quickly took the heart and look at the other two womens there.
"What are you doing?" Mary Margaret says with a shocked look.
"I'm sorry, but I can't let you guys take this heart..." The girl put the heart back in Pan's body with the fearless look of the womans.
Pan gets up with a smirk and caressed her cheek softly. "Thank you, love".
"But... I thought that Pan was looking for haunting you..." Emma says incredulously.
"It was all an emergency plan, just if the original plan doesn't go well". The girl said with a smirk on her face.
"You have magic..."
"Indeed, I have had magic since I was born, so my magic doesn't depend on Neverland".
"Then why do you do this?" The girl interrupted her. "Because I'm going to do everything I can do to save the love of my life... I know you can understand since you planned to stay on the island with your prince". She looks at Mary Margaret with a mischievous smile.
"You guys won't win, this is not over..."
"Oh, it is". Pan smiles happier than ever. "You see... If you two don't go from my island, I will kill you, and you can reunite with Henry in the other life".
Emma denied quickly with tears in her eyes. "No! You can't take my son from me!" She screams at the couple in front of her, with her mother letting go of the tears from her eyes.
"I'm so sorry but I already did". He smirks and the blonde tries to kill him with her sword, but before she can reach the boy a green smoke covered the place and everyone was gone when the smoke disappeared.
(***)
You hug him from behind and let a kiss on his back, while he turns around and takes your cheeks on his hands to place a kiss on your lips, a hungry kiss that you are happy to correspond.
"My beautiful queen, you're ready to dominate all the land and be the powerful queen you are?" He whispers on your lips with a smirk appearing on your lips too.
"Always my king". You respond to the whisper and both of you look at the view of Neverland ready for their king and queen to be the most powerful people on this and every land of the world.
Guess the heroes didn't succeed this time...
#peter pan once upon a time#peter pan imagine#art#oneshots#imagines#ouat peter pan#peter pan ouat#peter pan#ouat x reader#ouat imagine#ouat#robbie kay imagine#robbie kay#peter pan x y/n#peter pan x reader
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Delivered and You're Mine - KTH One Shot
a/n: this is somewhat a part 2 to Signed and Sealed - PJM One Shot so it'll make more sense to read that one first.
Summary: You signed as an exclusive server for a catering company that, on the side, caters to a certain rich guy's private parties. What you didn't sign up for is becoming his main course for the night, him and his childhood best friend.
Pairing: Kim Taehyung x you, Park Jimin x you, mentions of Kim Seokjin and a glimpse of Hoseok maybe
Word count: 16.3k
Tags: AU! 18+, student mc, yandere Taehyung (maybe), CEO Jimin, threesome, adult content (i dont want to specify things that might spoil the story)
The first time Kim Taehyung met Park Jimin was in first grade elementary school and that boy looked nothing like the hot CEO he is now; sour-faced, unfriendly and so rude, the only thing that never actually changed with him. And they never got along.
Taehyung, the middle child of three, had always been a little cheeky but he was everybody’s friend so when Jimin first moved there in the middle of the year Taehyung did what Taehyung usually does; tried to be friends. But after countless one-word answers, no eye contact and a final bark of “Stop following me, creep!” Taehyung gave up and never approached the boy again. A good thing as Jimin moved away by the end of the year. When they met again, it was in high school and for some reason, probably because they had both been the new kids in the second year, they formed quite a tight bond. They were joined at the hips, just the two of them against the school. Not that they got into any trouble, both had been perfect students.
That bond deepened when Jimin had been the only one who understood and supported his choice to go into photography instead of business as per his father’s expectation as the only male heir but Taehyung shirks off that responsibility so fast he has no intentions of going back. Two years of no contact with his family, outcast by his own parents until one day in his junior year when one of his photos for the department’s exposition caught the eye of a renown art connoisseur that landed him a mentorship with the country’s top art photographer. It opened doors for him but it especially opened his father’s eyes. Unfortunately for his little sister, though, his father’s attention shifted. You can say that their relationship is just cordial.
Taehyung doesn’t think that he had it hard. His name alone, even when he was cut off from his family for those two years, had been his lifeline to a lot of part time jobs and internships. Raised with a silver spoon in between his lips, he knows how lucky he is but that two years by himself helped ground him enough to make him the humble man that he is today. He takes the train to work even when he has a fancy fast car in the garage, prefers to cook rather than eat out at expensive restaurants and, though he lives in a fairly large apartment, he spends Saturdays making sure the place is always spick and span. For guests, of course, because another thing that Taehyung loves as much as photography is to host parties.
Yes, parties that come with invitations on sleek, black cards sealed with a pseudonym only invited guests would recognise in case they land in the wrong hands. Parties that have been going on since senior year college, attended by many of the elite sons and daughters. Parties that have an annual membership fee that could buy you an island or two. Parties that have a limited attendees of fifteen to twenty persons per session, sometimes less. Parties that JP Foods & Services is the sole management and caterer as per the agreement between the two best friends, not that they will ever go against each other but business is business.
Taehyung saw for himself how JP grew from a one-man show, how Jimin used to run around town getting supplies, haggling for the best prices and then lugging everything on the train and then later in the old Daewoo that his uncle had given him that had a tendency to break down at least once a month. Jimin started with friends’ birthdays then to frat parties and then the business grew from word of mouth. Thanks to Taehyung’s connections, he introduced the company to everybody he could and the next thing he knew an old family friend invested in JP and, well, the rest is history. No one could be prouder of Jimin than him, Kim Taehyung.
But that’s enough of their history. Taehyung just can’t help going down memory lane whenever he attends exclusive events like this one. The food is so amazing he made a mental note to compliment it to Jimin later, maybe even meet the chef in the back, too. He takes another bite of the lobster, savouring the taste on his tongue before swallowing. Fuck, he needs to see the chef. The lady across the table makes eye contact with him and he flashes her one of his dazzling smiles and she quickly blush, looking back down to her food. Taehyung loves that kind of reaction, gives him a good ego boost. Young and single, judging from her empty ring finger; demure and shy, a good candidate to be invited to one of his parties but invite the wrong person and there’ll be hell to pay.
Taehyung shakes his head. Nah, too innocent. That wouldn’t work. The stage suddenly lights up and a round jolly-looking man steps to the podium. The bidding is finally starting and Taehyung is actually looking forward to this part. He heard that they have a collection of limited paintings, one of which he’s been looking to get his hands on. But, as usual, they always start with the most boring items so Taehyung’s eyes roam the hall instead. The Great Gatsby theme for a fundraiser is so typical it’s almost tasteless and he had been close to laughing when he saw Jimin walk in earlier in an all-white suit. He himself is dressed in a light gold-coloured two piece suit but this isn’t new and he’s worn it once before at his older sister’s wedding but no one needs to know that.
He checks his watch, stifling a yawn to maintain politeness for his table. Since he came alone, he had been seated with a random group, most of whom are quite affluent. He had joined the small talk at the beginning, light jokes here and there to be friendly enough but then as they drifted into smaller groups, Taehyung remained by himself for the most part. Not a problem. It gives him the freedom to people-watch, scout some new faces. And that’s when his eyes land on you, from across the room.
Funny how a waitress who is supposed to blend in with the surroundings catches his attention but something about you piqued his interest. There’s pride in the way you hold your head, almost obstinate, but the downcast eyes give him the opposite impression. Taehyung runs a finger over his chin, a habit he has whenever he’s admiring an art piece. He watches as you move around the table next to Jimin’s and that’s when he notices how you keep glancing over at his friend sitting with the founder of a jewellery franchise everyone here is probably wearing a piece or two. A small smile creeps up his lips. Ah, so that’s her.
“I found our next girl,” Jimin had said to him just a few days ago. “The perfect one. No connections, no ties to our world.”
Taehyung doesn’t need much convincing. He trusts Jimin to do a thorough job but this is the first time he’s seen you. He chuckles to himself. They really do share the same taste, among other things. He’s about to look away when something happens.
The lady at the table you’re working on suddenly stands up and starts screaming, and judging from her voice carried over to his side, you must have spilled wine on her. Oof, not a good thing but Taehyung’s attention is affixed on you. Oh, how he loves watching you squirm and stutter, face going pale, the strong composure coming undone, wringing your hands together. It turns him on enough for him to shift his seating position.
Jimin was right. This is the perfect one. He wonders if you signed the contract yet. He picks up his own glass of wine, swirls it around a bit and takes a sip, eyes never leaving you even when Jimin comes to your rescue. He feels a slight jab in his heart as Jimin pulls you out of the hall towards the service hallway, a little irked that Jimin is having you all to himself.
“Are you alright, Mr Kim, sir?”
He looks up to see the lady across from him looking at him with concern in her eyes. Again, he gives her a charming smile, enough to knock the senses out of her for a moment, making her forget why she asked in the first place. “Oh, nothing,” he says airily. “Just got lost in thought.”
She blinks at him but nods. “Yes, of course.”
Taehyung watches as she goes back to picking on her food, the vegetables portion gone, the steak barely touched. She’s currently pushing a cut up piece of it around on her fork, looking a little dazed. He smirks behind the wine glass, eyes up front again to focus on the bidding. They’re finally moving on to more interesting pieces.
***
“She signed it.”
Taehyung would have punched the air had he not been in a meeting room with three other people discussing their next project. Instead, he schools his face, gets up from his seat, signals to them with one finger and walks over to the window overlooking the city while maintaining a hushed tone. “She did? Wow, that was easy.”
Jimin laughs easily on the other side. “I told you. When you know what they want, it’s a lot easier to bait them.”
“What did she want?” Taehyung asks, eyes roaming the skyline.
“What everyone wants,” Jimin says. “Money. She’s a student, looks like from a lower-middle class family, lives in student housing.”
Taehyung grins. “Means her family is far away.”
“Exactly,” replies Jimin. “She has a bit of zest in her. I think she’ll be interesting.”
“Oh? I can’t wait to see.”
“You’ll love her, Tae.” He hears Jimin let out a big satisfied sigh. “So, what’s your bet?”
Taehyung chuckles softly as he’s well aware at how much the amount of the bet is. It’s a game they’ve been playing for a long time. “That depends on you.”
Jimin hums for a bit, thinking. “She’ll bail out on the first day. Most of them do.”
A glare from a neighbouring building’s window pierce into Taehyung’s eyes and he squints, using his other hand as a shield. The memory of that stubborn face of yours crosses his mind and he smiles to himself. “Well, I’d say she’ll go in first just to prove a point but then bail halfway when she realises she can’t do it.”
“Oddly specific but okay,” says Jimin with a laugh. “Not that that hasn’t happened before. I’ll have her prepped for the next one. It's next weekend, right?”
“Yes, the second house,” he replies, walking back towards the meeting table. “Invites are going out this week. I’ll talk to you later.” He ends the call and places the phone on the table next to his work journal. He circles a date on the last Saturday of the month. He smiles apologetically to the others. “Sorry, work call. Now, where were we?”
Just then his phone pings. He casually checks the forwarded document from Jimin, smiling to himself as he reads your name written in surprisingly pretty loops. Y/n l/n, he mouths, testing out the syllables and vowels of your name on his tongue. He slides the screen to the next document and finds your resume, the one you submitted for JP Foods & Services. He reads through the details and stops at the address. Jimin said you live in student housing, an apartment just a few blocks away from the university. For some reason that Taehyung can’t recall at the moment, the address seems oddly familiar.
“Sir?”
He looks up, eyebrows raised. The three men, one of them Lukas, his schedule manager, are looking at him expectantly. Suddenly, he feels like he needs to leave. He turns to Lukas. “I’ve got to go. Something came up. I’ll leave the decision-making to you, yeah?”
Without waiting for a reply, he stands up, packs up his things and bows a quick goodbye before rushing out, leaving a flustered Lukas behind. As always, Taehyung takes the train this morning and as he power-walks to the station, he wishes he had driven instead, a thought that hadn’t occurred to him since god knows when. He gets to the station and jumps into the first train that pulls up heading for the university. Sitting down, he realises he doesn’t actually have any plans but thought he’d wing it.
At the university station, he steps out along with a group of young adults, all of whom are looking at him in both curiosity and awe as they follow behind him exiting the station. They walk towards the campus, turning their heads every few seconds to see where he’s going but he just stands there looking in the campus direction. He’s only been there once, the day his younger sister registered on the first day, had to go since both their parents were too busy. She had insisted on going alone but Taehyung thought it was the least he could do as his due diligence as a brother. That, and the fact that maybe they could fix their relationship now that she was the one taking over his responsibility in the family.
He takes off his dark suit jacket, leaving only the white crisp shirt and a vest and tie. He rolls up his sleeves and starts to walk in the opposite direction. It didn’t take long, just ten minutes of walking, leisure walking, too, and he’s now standing in front of a small apartment building, the paint so weathered he can’t tell if it used to be white or yellow. There’s nothing impressive about the place and he can only see cars that probably had multiple lifetimes parked in the parking lot. A Daewoo in the corner gives him flashbacks of his own studying days, memories of riding with Jimin to class or sometimes accompanying him on one of his supply runs. Simpler times, he thinks.
He checks the address again, feeling like a stalker but he promised himself he was just scouting, getting a feel of the girl Jimin hired for the next party. It’s not even noon so she must be in class. He bounces up the stairs and tries the front door, not at all surprised that it opens. It’s not a luxury condo where only residents are allowed into the lobby with a key card, anyway. The lobby is just a small landing with two phone booths set on one side of the wall. Bicycles are parked underneath the staircase and aside from the clutter, the place looks clean. Taehyung takes the stairs two at a time, ensuring his footsteps are light on the boards. He reaches your floor and walks down the hallway to your door.
Actually, he didn’t think this far. What was he going to do, knock on the door and introduce himself? That’s just weird. What was he even thinking, coming here? A thud and a loud cursing come from inside and it jolts him to start running back down the stairs like a teenager caught doing something he shouldn’t. Well, the second part is true, though. He reaches the lobby landing just as your door opens and you step out. He bolts through the door and runs across the parking lot. He stops there, panting and looking back towards the apartment. When he finally straightens up, he sees the front door open and you walk out.
As you cross the parking lot hefting your school bag and heading towards him, Taehyung immediately whips out his phone and pretends to be on a phone call. “Well, where are you? I don’t see you anywhere,” he says loud enough for you to hear as you walk by, your head low over the screen of your own phone. He sees you glance up briefly and he raises his voice. “We’ll meet another time. I’m leaving now. I have to get back to work.” He starts following you from behind, the phone in his hand. If you ask, he’ll just say he’s heading to the station.
But you don’t. You don’t even turn around once and as they reach the station, he watches you walk towards campus, eyes still glued to your phone. Taehyung sighs. “You should really be more aware of your surroundings,” he mutters. He brings up his own phone again and dials Jimin. When the other man picks up, he says, “I’m moving the party up to this weekend.”
He hears Jimin chuckles but sarcastically. “You went to her place, didn’t you?”
Taehyung doesn’t reply, his eyes still tailing you. “I’ll send out invites today.”
~~~
You meet up with Yuna for lunch down at our favourite restaurant, a place we could probably go twice a month because you can’t quite afford to eat out that often if it’s not fast food. Yuna always insists on paying but everybody knows you live with her and everybody knows who she is and a leech is what you’d hate people to label me so you always refuse.
“Why do you care what people think?” she had asked one day out of annoyance when you told her you couldn’t go with her and a bunch of her other friends to Lotte World early in your freshman year. She had gone without you, of course, and had sulked for a whole week, refusing to come out of her room or talk to you just because you wouldn’t let her buy you the ticket.
But that was a couple of years ago. As her father’s pressure bears down on her, as you get closer to graduating, Yuna’s lifestyle also shifts. When you asked, she said that she had to keep a clean nose and that means her outings are limited to only what would benefit her standings in the business world so that means only the excursions her family planned out in detail. Earlier this year, she had come back to the apartment red-faced and in tears and told you later that her family wanted her to move out of the student housing to maintain reputation but she flat out refused. This apartment was her only escape from the full brunt of her family, especially her father’s oppression, as she called it. You wondered why she never said no, the same way her older brother and sister did but it’s not something you have the right to meddle with so you kept quiet and let her rant.
But with the new job you got, a server with JP Foods & Services, that pays more than the usual rate per event, you’ve been the one to initiate going out. She’s been buried in books too much lately and a reminder that she’s still young is what she needs. “I want to go to that club everyone’s been talking about,” you say as you plop down into your seat.
Yuna arches an eyebrow. “The one in Gangnam?”
You nod, grinning. “I’ve always wanted to go and you’re coming with me.”
Yuna scoffs. “I got to study.”
“You’re always studying,” you say, rolling your eyes. “Live a little. We’re going. Tonight.”
“No way,” she says, shaking her head just as the food arrives. “I have an early class tomorrow. The weekend, maybe?”
You think about it. “Hm, a negotiation. Okay, I’ll think about it.”
You scroll through your phone and that’s when the email notification comes in. Your heart skips a beat when you see the name of the sender; your boss, Park Jimin. The email content is short:
VIP Party, classified
9PM, Saturday (2/19)
Location will be disclosed later
You look up at Yuna. “It has to be tonight,” you whine, holding up the email for her to see. “I have work this Saturday.”
She squints at it and her face turns sour. “Well, I’m not going on a weekday. No one goes to a club on weekdays anyway.” Through bites of food, you notice how she keeps glancing at you like she has something to say. You look directly at her. “What is it?”
She shrugs. “Nothing. Just wondering what classified means.”
“A secret? Cannot be named? Private information?” you offer, waving your fork around with every suggestion.
She doesn’t respond, her face impassive. “And VIP Party? Who’s the VIP?”
“All the information I have is the one that’s written on the email, which I just showed you,” you reply, annoyed. “I’m just a server. I work and get paid. I don’t care much about anything else.”
“But you work for Park Jimin which means…” she trails off.
“Means what?”
She shakes her head. “No, never mind. Forget it.”
You sigh. “Just because you don’t like the guy doesn’t mean he’s a bad guy. Hell, I think he’s rude as fuck but he pays me well so I’m not going to complain about the work.”
“Even when your work goes against your moral values?”
You shot your head up, frowning. “What does that mean?”
She regards you for a while but then shrugs again. “Just wondering.”
“What kind of events would go against my moral values?” you ask. “Like, an illegal fundraiser where they trafficked humans? Endangered animals?” You start to wonder about the NDA and contract agreement you received just last week from your boss, a contract that makes you an exclusive server for their more private and upscale events, as you were told. You wonder if any of those events are illegal, hence the NDA. Fuck, you think. What the fuck did you sign up for?
The food suddenly seems too hard to swallow and you push your plate away. You look at Yuna who is regarding you with eyes that read a cross between sympathy and annoyance. But all she says is, “You’re really naive if you think that’s the worst of it,” and then continues eating. She refuses to say anything more even when you push, clamping down hard as if she had accidentally spilt something she shouldn’t have and won’t speak anymore for fear of what she might let out.
It’s not like Yuna at all, this behaviour and she shuts herself in her room the whole night after you both came back from classes so there was no way to keep pressing her. You know she had only spoken to Park Jimin once, reluctantly at one of the parties her family goes to and had had a bad impression of him but to make you question the nature of the new job you got when you’re excited and happy with it is odd of her. When Jimin had sent you home that one time, she had been excited about it, having only good things to say about him from what her friends, mother and mother’s friends think about him. You decide it must be the VIP party thing that had triggered her, parties that she’s more accustomed to, too, due to her family’s involvement. Maybe she just hates them that badly.
You’re watching TV in your shared living room when your phone rings. It’s Jodie, a coworker you met from the first event you worked as a server.
“Hello?”
“Heyyy,” she answers from the other side almost in a shout. You can hear the loud thumping of music in the background and crowd noises. “Whatcha up to?”
You laugh. “Nothing. Just watching TV. Where are you?”
“Great! I’m in Gangnam, baby, where all the good stuff happens,” she says, giggling. “If you’re free, want to meet up? We’re all going to the Haven later. Like, in an hour? You should come!”
You glance at the clock above the TV. It’s close to ten and your first class is at eleven tomorrow. You look behind you towards Yuna’s closed door and wonder if she’s already asleep. “It’s kind of late. I think I’ll-”
“Uh uh! Nope!” she shouts back through the loud music. “I won’t hear it. You have to come! A little birdie tells me that you signed up for the exclusive membership for JP that means you should come because one of the VIPs we’ll be serving this weekend will be there.”
“Really? Who is it?” you ask, sitting up a little but still hesitant.
“Just get your ass to the Haven, bitch,” she replies through laughter. “I’ll meet you there. Oh, and don’t forget to bring your black card.”
“My what?” you ask, wondering if she knows you’re not a fancy rich person and except your national ID, the only other cards you own are the bank card, your student ID, and the library card.
“The black card,” she repeats impatiently. “The one you got after you signed up for JP membership.”
You laugh, remembering now what she’s talking about, but still a little confused as to why she keeps saying it’s a membership although you did receive it in the mail a day after you signed the contract agreement with JP. “You mean the employee ID? Right, sure.”
“Call it what you want just get there in an hour. See ya!”
The call ends, leaving you to rethink about going out again. True, you had wanted to go out tonight but with Yuna, knowing full well that she won’t let you two do anything too extreme for a weekday. You look at her bedroom door once more, wondering if you should invite her to come with you, for safety measures. You knock on her door, lightly, and call out to her but get no response. You try again, louder this time but still nothing. She’s probably asleep. You go back to your own room and sit on the bed, thinking if you should go or not.
Your phone pings and you see a text from Jodie. We’re on the way NOW. Heard that he’s already there! Come!
You sigh. It will take you thirty minutes by train to go into the city and you won’t have that much time to enjoy yourself before you have to catch the last train. You start to text back to let her know that you can’t when another text pops up. I’ll pay for your cab ride home. Just get here!
You groan inwardly but stand up to look through your wardrobe for something to wear. You find a tight black leather skirt and a strapless mesh top that looks like it has been sprinkled with gold glitter. It’s new and it’s perfect for a night out. By the time that you’re ready to head out, it’s 10.45PM and you creep silently to the front door. You pull on a pair of high-heeled boots and silently leave the apartment. You exit the front door of the building and a taxi is waiting up front. The driver, seeing you, rushes out of the car and approaches you.
“Are you Ms l/n?” he asks, looking at you from head to toe. You catch concern in his eyes but dismiss it.
“Yes?” you reply hesitantly.
“I’ve been sent to pick you up, miss,” he says, gesturing to the car. “Please, get in.”
You take a step back, one hand touching the front door handle. “By who?”
“Um, hold on,” he says, pulling out his phone. “Ms Arkania? Jodie Arkania? She said to bring you to Haven.”
“Oh.” You follow him towards the car and get inside. He closes the door behind you and gets back behind the wheel. He drives off and you send a text to Jodie to let her know you’re on the way.
The first thing you notice when the car pulls to a stop is how, on a weekend, there’s a line outside the club entrance, mostly girls in glamorous outfits and thick makeup, giggling and hopping on their feet with excitement. “Is there some sort of event going on?” you ask the driver but he shakes his head, unsure.
You step out and the second thing you see is Jodie standing and waving at the front of the line. You go to her, much to the annoyance and disgust of the people in line. “Did you bring the black card?”
“The employee ID?” you ask a little incredulously. You take it out of your purse. “Yeah.”
The bouncer glances at the card in between your fingers and steps aside to let you through. Jodie pulls at your hand as you’re still processing what just happened. Only when you’re inside where the lighting is dimmer does she finally let go. “He’s in one of those VVIP lounges and-” she pauses, looking at my face. “What’s wrong?”
“Why does my employee ID work to get us in?” you ask, confused, looking backward towards the entrance.
Jodie rolls her eyes, stamping her feet. “Does it matter? C’mon, Jimin wants us back there.”
She starts to pull you forward again but you dig in your heels. “Wait, Jimin is here? Why?” She groans loudly. “Why are you asking so many questions? Why does it matter?”
Slightly taken aback by her sudden animosity, you stutter to find words. This time, when she pulls, you don’t fight back, following past the concierge and towards this huge double door. You watch as she flashes her card at the lady behind the desk before pushing through the doors and immediately you’re blinded by the sudden change of lighting from dim club lights to a burst of pure whiteness. The hallway is brightly lit and the walls are all painted in the same bright white and compared to the music outside, this area is playing elevator music, soft and subtle in the background, slightly cherubic. You see a girl walking over from the opposite direction, a tray in hand and dressed from head to toe in what you assume to be an angel costume. She smiles sweetly at the both of you and you notice that she has this pair of pink contact lenses. A little odd but I guess that’s the theme here.
“Here it is,” you hear Jodie musing to herself, pulling you through another set of doors into a small, private room. The lighting is a lot warmer in here with two long circular seats set around an oak round table.The seats look like they came from some Victorian house, champagne-coloured with silk threads. What catches my attention the most is the lavish chandelier dripping down from the ceiling, the crystals sparkling as it catches the light.
“Well, what have we here?”
You turn your head to finally see Jimin sitting on one of the seats, laid back, one arm stretching across the back of the sofa, one ankle leaning against the other knee. His platinum blond hair slicked back as usual regarding you with such icy cold eyes. Jodie sashays over to him. “I invited her,” she explains, sitting on the other end of the sofa primly, tucking her feet beneath her. That’s when you notice the other man in the room, sitting across from Jimin in the same mirrored position, except his legs are spread like only a man does it. His wavy curls framing his face makes you believe that God really took his time creating some people.
He stands up but it looks like he didn’t even move and all you can think about is how freaking tall he is and how good his cologne smells and how close he actually is that the end of his suit jacket is brushing against your blouse. All you can do is gawk, speechless, your mind blank.
“I think we haven’t officially met,” he says, the baritone of his voice seems to be reverberating deep in your bones. He holds out a hand and you offer yours, startled at the electricity when your skin touches. “It’s Taehyung. Kim Taehyung.”
The name sounds familiar but your brain is too mushed up right now to think straight. But you feel you’ve seen him before, recently. Then, it hits you. “You were in front of the apartment today!” You step back but he hasn’t let go of your hand. “Wait, were you stalking me?”
You hear a snicker and whip your head towards Jimin who’s hiding his lips behind a finger. He raises his hands in defence. “Hey, don’t look at me.”
Before you can say anything to Jimin, Taehyung’s grip on your hand tightens and he tugs you lightly to get your attention. “I’m Jimin’s…business partner. All staff information comes to me, too.” He pulls you closer so that your fronts are almost touching. “Especially the exclusive ones.”
His eyes feel like pools of magnet, pulling you into their depths, sinking you in and making sure you never resurface again. They twinkle with nothing good, looking like they hide secrets you don’t ever want to know. Your gut is screaming at you to run as the corners of his lips twitch up in a small smile but your feet feel like lead. If Jimin is bad news, this Taehyung guy will be the death of you. In the back of your mind, a voice tells you that somehow Jodie plays a part in all this. She got you here, at least. She knew.
With sheer willpower, you pry your hand out of Taehyung’s and cross your arms over your chest, taking a few steps back so you can regard all three of them. You can’t help but feel ambushed. “What’s this about?” You put on your best no-nonsense face, hardening your stance and jutting out your chin.
Taehyung gestures to the seat. “I just want to get to know you, that’s all.”
“Why?” you shot back, eyeing him suspiciously.
“Because,” he says, sitting down. “It’s my party this weekend. And I’d like to meet all the exclusive servers beforehand. Get a feel of them.”
You give him an incredulous look. “Why?”
He regards me for a few seconds, his tongue pushing against the inside of his cheek as he mulls over the information he’s going to give you next. “Do you know what kind of party it is?”
You shrug, attempting to look defiant. “Does it matter? Work is work and that’s all I’m there for.”
“Ah, right,” he says, rubbing the bottom of his lip absentmindedly. “Money. Of course. You’ll be paid handsomely for events like these. But don’t you question it? Why are you being paid a hefty amount? Not curious at all?”
You grit your teeth. “No. I don’t. The less I know the better.”
Taehyung’s gaze on you is piercing. “Are you that desperate for money?”
You don’t answer him but the rage inside is bubbling. Your heart is pumping fast and your hands are balled into fists. Fuck this. You turn to Jimin, tears burning your eyes as you try to reel in your anger. “Fuck this. I’m out.”
You turn to leave but Jimin’s cool tone stops you in your tracks. “You signed an agreement. A contract of one year. But, of course, you can leave. I won’t force you to stay but can you pay the penalty for breaking the contract?”
Jodie stands up and puts a hand on your arm. “C’mon, y/n. Mr Kim didn’t mean to undermine you. It was just a question. I mean, I want money, too. Everyone does. Just…come, sit down first.” She pats the seat next to her but you don’t budge, planting your foot on the carpeted floor.
You glare at both Taehyung and Jimin. “Get to the point, then.”
Taehyung looks at Jimin and they exchange a silent message with each other, one only they can understand. Jimin nods to Jodie. “Leave. We like to talk to her privately.” Jodie looks affronted but she schools her face to smile agreeably. She gets up but hesitates by the door. She turns to Jimin again. “I promised her I’ll take her home.”
Jimin waves her away. “We can handle that, thanks.”
She looks at you for support but you don’t have anything to say. Huffing, she finally exits the room. You turn back to the two men suddenly feeling like a lamb standing in front of two hungry wolves. Taehyung leans forward on his knees, hands clasped together. “I’ll ask again, how much do you need the money from this job?”
You swallow hard. “Not much but it does give me the freedom that I never had. I don’t need a lot of money, just enough to survive.”
Jimin’s eyes darken just as Taehyung’s ones soften. Taehyung speaks first. “My parties are…different. They’re special, catered for certain groups of people who are looking for both a good time yet maintains anonymity to do what they desire. I create a safe space for them to do it, to be themselves, if I should say so myself.”
Your eyebrows furrowed. “I don’t follow.”
“Taehyung hosts debaucheries,” Jimin says, his voice impatient yet his tone is still the same cool and collected. Taehyung frowns at him. “They’re a lot more sophisticated than that.” He turns to you. “But, yes, I guess that’s one way to put it.”
You feel your mouth hang open and quickly collect yourself, putting on your best impassive expression. “So, what? If I have to serve at those kinds of parties then what? I signed an NDA so there’s that. I know how that works.”
Taehyung gives his friend a quizzical look. “You didn’t explain to her properly, did you?”
Jimin smirks but doesn’t respond. Taehyung sighs, looking back at you. “Yes, you will serve at those parties. But…”
“But what?”
He sighs again. “But you’ll be taking part as well.”
You stare at him. “What do you mean by taking part?”
“Meaning that if a guest is interested in you, you will have to participate,” Taehyung explains with a straight face.
Jimin clears his throat. “Of course, if you do, the pay will be tripled.”
“So you’re paying me to be a whore at your party?” you spit, fuming.
“Not exactly,” Taehyung hurries to say. “We don’t allow for penetration with our staff, that’s the rule. But serving is part of your job so to serve the guests includes that you be more open to-”
“No,” you snap. “No, I won’t do it.”
“Then pay the penalty.” Jimin replies smoothly.
“Fine. How much?”
Jimin laughs but takes out a paper from his breast pocket. He slides it over the table towards you. You pick it up and unfold it, your eyes going through the lines quickly until they widen at the figure. “This is insane. There’s no- fuck! This is ridiculous! Why didn’t you explain this to me?”
Jimin’s eyes flash dangerously. “It’s not my fault you didn’t read the agreement properly. I told you to sleep on it and think about it, didn’t I? Now you’re shifting the blame just because you’re scared.”
“I’m not scared,” you argued. “It’s just-”
“Are you a virgin, then?”
Glowering at Jimin, you growl, “I’m not.”
Jimin looks at Taehyung. “I think I must have gotten her wrong, man. Sorry, I didn’t think she was this innocent. She’s not fit for the job. We’ll have Jodie pick someone else.”
“Jodie does this, too?” you ask.
Jimin laughs again. “How do you think she affords the Porsche? Look, this job is obviously not for everybody, especially for someone as sheltered as you. You know what, I won’t even impose the penalty on you. You can leave.”
Something about the tone of Jimin’s voice irks you so much that something changed. You look at Taehyung. “Fine. I’ll do it.”
Taehyung dips his eyebrows. “Are you sure?”
Your chest constricts but you nod. “Yes. I’ll do it. You say no penetration, right? I can tell them no, right?”
Taehyung nods. “Yes, you can actually. Everything that happens in those parties has to be consensual, that’s one of the rules.”
You let out a breath of relief. “Okay, that sounds better.” You hold your head higher. “I’ll do it.” Jimin and Taehyung keep their eyes on you, both assessing your answer but differently.
Then Taehyung stands up, holding out a hand. “That settles then. I’ll see you on Saturday, princess.”
You take his hand, making sure your grip is tight, making Taehyung smirks at your attempt. “Don’t call me princess.” With one last glare at Jimin, you turn around and walk out of there.
Taehyung watches the door swings shut behind you, the smirk growing into a leering smile. He looks at Jimin from over his shoulder. “You found an interesting one.”
Jimin snorts. “Those are the ones that we always find trouble with, Tae.”
“But you don’t regret it, do you?” Taehyung sits back down, this time next to his friend. He puts a hand on Jimin’s thigh, massaging lightly, almost out of habit rather than anything else. “Don’t worry about it. We can handle her if it goes wrong. Just like we handled the rest of them before.”
Outside, on the street, you pace back and forth and you stare at your phone screen, waiting for the Uber application to find you a driver. It’s Gangnam for fuck’s sake! The searching bar has been going on for two minutes now. You look up, hoping to see any taxis that might be passing by. Nothing. It’s past midnight now, far too late for the last train. You’re almost about to call Yuna when a voice comes behind you, “I’ll take you home.”
You turn around face to face with Taehyung once again and you take a step back, shaking your head. “No, I’m fine. I’ll call a friend.”
“It’s too late to bother a friend now, isn’t it?” he says, taking out his car keys. “Come. I’ll take you home.” You open your mouth to argue but Taehyung’s eyes flash angrily that it shuts you up. You quietly follow him to his car.
The drive home is a quiet one, the hum of the engine being the only sound. Taehyung drives with one hand on the wheel, the other relaxing on the middle console. He doesn’t ask questions, not even when he keyed in your address into the car’s GPS. You’re starting to feel that by now you’re a property belonging to Park Jimin and Kim Taehyung, both powerful men in the business world, a package transported back and forth by the two of them. You feel like a bug caught in a spiderweb and the pathetic thing about it is that you crawled yourself there. Stupid, stupid, stupid!
When the apartment building comes up, Taehyung stops the car on the side of the road instead of in the parking lot. You watch him look up to the building, the space between his brows creasing. Without turning to you, he asks, “You have a roommate?”
“Yes,” you answer, undoing your seatbelt cautiously. He doesn’t respond so you put your hand on the door handle, ready to bolt. Just as you open the door, you feel his hand on yours. When you turn to look, his gaze is still out the window. He finally turns, his facial expression soft, his eyes kind, something you weren’t expecting that it startled you. He lets go. “Have a good night, y/n.”
You nod instead, not replying in words and exit the car. You walk up to the apartment without a backward glance, positive that you can feel his eyes following you. You enter the front door and he gives you one last look before driving off. You close the door and breathe a sigh of relief. It’s past one in the morning now so you tiptoe back into your apartment. The place is still quiet. You go into your room, get undressed and sit under the cover, processing the night’s event. Instead of the excitement you had been feeling all day, your stomach drops at the thought of Saturday.
***
“What time does your work start?”
You look up to see Yuna standing in your bedroom doorway all dressed up in a pastel yellow long dress and her hair pinned up. She’s putting in a pair of diamond drop earrings and from the tight face, you know she’s going to one of those obligatory events her family is making her go to.
“Starts at nine but I got to be there an hour early,” you answer, sitting at your desk and trying your hardest to focus on the homework at hand.
“It’s almost six now,” Yuna comments, glancing at her watch. “Shouldn’t you be getting ready? Aren’t you taking the bus?”
You check your own watch, not actually looking forward to going to work. “Yeah, I should.” Yuna stares at you still unmoving.
She approaches you. “Where’s the event? I can drop you off if it’s on the way.”
You smile at her. “Nah, it’s okay. You should be leaving soon, shouldn’t you?”
She pulls a face, sitting on the edge of your bed. “I wish I didn't have to.” She lets out a heavy sigh, pulling on a stray thread of your bed cover.
“Why do you do it?” You ask, turning to face her fully. “Why do you do all of it when you hate it?”
She shrugs, laughing sarcastically. “It’s not that easy to say no.”
“Both your brother and sister did.”
“My sister got married to one of the future board members so she’s secured,” she replies bitterly. “And my brother made his own name, outside the business, yes, but still he made it.”
You frown. “And you think you won’t? Without either?”
She looks at me. “It’s complicated. I love the business, I have a knack for it.”
“But?”
She sighs again then something changes in her stance. “But nothing.” She gets up, straightens out her dress. “Are you sure you don’t need a ride?”
You shake your head but stand up. “You should go now. I’m going to get ready, too. I’ll let you know all about the juicy details later.”
She rolls her eyes. “If I survive my ordeal, that is. The last thing I want to hear after being with rich entitled people is more about rich entitled people. Have fun at work. Let me know if you need me to pick you up. Give me an excuse to fuck out of there early, at least.”
By 7.15PM, you arrive by train at the station you were instructed to go, looking around the place until you see a black car pull up with the plate number that matches the one in the email. It all feels so mysterious, like you’re in some spy movie but the driver had been a friendly guy, talking your ear out the whole ten-minute ride. The condominium he pulls up to is one you’re very familiar with, having seen it everytime you pass by it on the highway when you’re out with Yuna in her car. It’s rumoured that only celebrities and models live here, which makes you wonder why because you’re sure the only thing they see out the window is the old strip mall across the road, a sore-eye if you compare it to the lavish condo complex.
The guard lets the car in easily and you are dropped off at the lobby of one of the massive buildings. You ride the elevator up to the thirty-first floor, your ears popping as the elevator man presses on a button to keep the door open for you to exit. The hallway is quiet, the plush carpet beneath your sneakers muffling your footsteps as you find the right door: 3160. You hesitate between knocking and ringing the bell before settling to press on the doorbell button, once and only lightly. You are about to knock when the door swings open and Jodie stands there in what looks like an elaborate set of lingerie.
“Oh, you’re here early,” she greets, a huge smile on her face. “Good. Come on in!”
The apartment is surprisingly normal, nothing out of the ordinary and looking like more homely than where people host sex parties in. Jodie sees you looking. “The party’s next door. This apartment is for the staff and preparation.”
You nod, letting her guide you towards a bedroom as she closes the door behind her. She gestures towards a metal rack in one corner. “You’re the first to arrive so you can take your pick.”
You walk towards the rack and your mouth is dry, looking at the array of choices of lingeries that you can’t even fathom on how to wear them judging from the many straps and strings. You turn to Jodie who is looking at you expectantly. “This is what we have to wear tonight?”
“Uh huh!” She chirps happily. She comes forward and ruffles through the choices. She pulls out one. “How about this one? I think it’ll suit your body perfectly!”
You look at the flimsy thing in her hand, your mind considering fight or flight, backing away a step. The bedroom door opens and Taehyung is standing there, eyeing you as if waiting for your reaction. When you don’t say anything, he walks over and hands you a bag. “This is the one I want you to wear tonight.”
When you don’t take it, he hands it over to Jodie instead. “Make sure she wears these.”
“Yes, sir,” Jodie quips, taking the bag and peering inside.
Taehyung leans in closer to you. “Remember, you agreed. Verbally and contractually.” He tucks a hair behind your ear and turns on his heels to leave. At the door, he pauses and says to Jodie, “And do her makeup, too, will you? I can’t have my staff looking like that the whole night.”
“Yes, sir. Of course, sir,” replies Jodie almost automatically as Taehyung leaves. She then starts pulling you into a chair in front of a vanity mirror. You study your own face; pale and distraught, but you sit up straighter and train your face to be impassive as Jodie starts her task. She places the bag from Taehyung on the table in front of you and you peek inside, your hands shaking a little. Gingerly, you take the content out.
Jodie glances at the pieces almost sourly. “I think they’ve found a new favourite.”
You don’t ask what she means, don’t need to as you gawk at the less-than-outfit that you’ll be wearing tonight. That, and the other small item in the bag.
~~~
Kim Taehyung sits in the middle of the dimly lit room, where he always sits during one of these parties. The Exile Prince’s throne, they call it, a nickname that started way back when. Though, of course, everyone knows he’s no longer an exile but a prince, he’s somewhat still is.
One by one, or in pairs, the guests arrived in clothings that represented themselves best, a showcase of their darkest desires and twisted fantasies on display so it may attract a compatible partner, or partners, for the night. Taehyung’s throne is situated where he can see the front door in full view as well as the side door for the staff. Just like everyone else, his mask covers half his face but his sensual lips give him away easily if he wasn’t sitting at his place. But no one dares approach him. The Prince is part of the hardbound rules: untouchable, unless touched first. That rarely happens, of course.
Silently, he watches the guests mingle. Thirty minutes in, the party is yet to warm up. People mill about the room talking in hushed tones, light flirting and banters, enjoying the champagnes or wines and light sweet snacks or raw oysters offered by staff easily recognised by the leather collars around their necks. He has two of them sitting on either side of his seat, Jodie on his right, and Yeonjun, a favourite among the guests, on his left. Their collars are both attached to the leashes in his hand he is holding slack. His eyes are glued to the staff doorway, patiently waiting. He catches Jimin in one dark corner, face hidden by the same half-mask but he knows that he’s watching the same place, too.
The staff doorway opens just enough for you to step out, finally, as Taehyung breathes in relief. But his breathing catches again as he takes in the one piece lingerie that you’re wearing, a small smile playing on his lip, satisfied with himself at the choice he made. The colour suits you, he thinks appreciatively, and just as expected, the guests all stare, but none approached. Taehyung watches Jimin tenses at the sight of you and that leads to a bigger smile on his face. Just in time, Jimin turns to him, his eyes blazing even in the dark and Taehyung raises his wine glass. Jimin only glares back, crossing his arms over his chest and going back to looking at you. Taehyung swears he can hear him huffing across the room but his attention is back on you.
How he loves that stubborn look on your face, the pride in your eyes even when your outfit leaves almost nothing to the imagination. The lace and faux fur give you a dainty image, a helpless prey put prettily in the lion’s cage. In contrast to the other staff’s black colour code, your whiteness creates a starkness no one can ignore as you walk around the room, a tray of champagne well-balanced on one palm. Most people take the drink silently, others look away in both fear and lust, but all of them know perfectly well what you are: the Prince’s little white bunny, his chosen consort for the night’s play. The bunny is another hardbound rule that everyone is well aware of. Everyone except you.
~~~
The room is warm and dim yet the moment you step through the door that connects the first apartment to its neighbouring unit, it feels like a cold blast of air has hit you square in the face and you’re standing in a spotlight, dressed in nothing more than a bit of lace covering your body and light pink fur around the swell of your breasts.
You’re more than aware that everyone is looking at you, staring at you. They don’t say anything to you but to each other behind their hands or in hushed tones. The glasses on your tray rattle a little as you shiver but you quickly regain your composure, tilting your head up and steeling your gaze. The feathered mask on your face helps a little, confident no one will actually know you the same way that you have no clue who these other people are. But with every step you take in your stilettos, you feel eyes on you, and not the ones from the gawking guests, but heavier and more intense, burning a hole in your back.
The white leather collar around your neck is getting uncomfortable but you barely give it much attention when the small purple egg-shaped item is in place as instructed. You know the controller is in the hands of someone in this room but you silently pray that they won’t switch it on. To be honest, you did down a few of those champagne glasses yourselves earlier, something to harden your nerves before stepping out. No one can blame you for that, not even that smug Kim Taehyung or that arrogant Park Jimin because fuck them. You want to scream in their faces but for now you settle by murdering them in your heads multiple times over.
When you finally see Taehyung, you freeze in place, the tray on your hand swaying dangerously before you find your balance again. You stare at the man in the silver suit, face half hidden behind the matching-coloured mask, sitting on what looks to be a throne by the size of the chair. In his hand, you see two leashes that end with Jodie sitting on the bottom right of the chair and another young man on the right.
Taehyung regards you coolly, resting his cheek lazily on the fist of the free hand. The corner of his lips turned up just slightly, a mock smile and you grit your teeth. You turn around to walk away and that’s when someone flips the switch on and the little vibrator makes you gasp, startled in your footsteps. You turn back around, ready to lash out at Taehyung when you notice the person in the corner of the room, behind Taehyung. You watch as Park Jimin casually holds up something that suspiciously looks like a remote in his hand before slipping it into his breast pocket. He smiles and walks off.
Following your line of sight, Taehyung catches Jimin slipping off into the next room and he almost gets up to chase after him. Judging from your expression, Jimin had added something in the bag for you to wear that he didn’t approve of, mainly because he wanted you all to himself. He shifts his gaze back to you, biting on your lower lip, fighting to keep your knees apart, all the while the guests are moving around finding spots. The party is about to go into full swing. But not without his officiating first and Jimin had taken that away from him.
Nevertheless, he knows exactly how to get back at Jimin, anyway. Time for a little revenge. He calls for you, hand outstretched. Trying to mask how much your body is shaking from the sensation between your legs, you do your best to step up to Taehyung dignitantly, arranging your footsteps carefully. He pulls you into his lap and the crowd draws in their breaths. They watch as The Prince manipulates you on his lap so that you sit facing forward, the leashes wrapped around one fist. They watch in anticipation as he whispers something in your ear, one hand caressing your breast over the thin lace where they can see how perky your nipples are. They watch as his hand slides down your stomach and then to your thighs.
“Taehyung, stop,” you whine in a low voice.
“Shh, just do as I say and it’ll all be fine,” he replies, murmuring low in your ear.
His hand slips in between your legs, feeling the wire that is attached to the vibrator. He can even hear the low hum of the vibration and how you’re squirming in your seat but most of all, his fingers can feel how wet you have become. “Jimin thinks he can play with you but tonight,” he whispers, his lips touching the curve of your ear, “tonight, you’re mine.”
He turns to the crowd. “Let the play begin.”
There is no answer but the guests bow down low on their knees before spreading out around the huge apartment. Music with low rhythmic base starts in the background and not ten minutes later, after you’ve been released by Taehyung and walking around again with the champagne glasses, the music is drowned out by other human sounds. Taehyung had told you to bear the vibrator for another half an hour and if you succeed, he’ll reward you. For now, your body is slowly getting used to the low hum, being able to walk a little more normally now that less and less people are interested in drinks and snacks and more with each other’s bodies.
Clothes are torn aside and forgotten. Every surface and corners are occupied by a couple or a group. The temperature of the apartment seems to be rising along with the amount of naked bodies against naked bodies and it feels hard to breathe. There’s a sweet scent in the air and makes you feel a little lightheaded and you wonder what it is as you try your hardest to ignore the things happening around you. With the state of the crowd, you even feel modest in your lingerie set.
You find a place to put down the tray, now seemingly pointless to be carrying it around. You even see some of the staff joining in the…activities and others just standing around watching. The bathroom door next to you opens up and a man steps out, fixing his mask. He’s shirtless, just as everyone else but his bottom half is still clasped in a dark pair of jeans. He’s barefoot and breathing a little heavily.
“You okay?” you ask, concern.
He looks a little surprised that you’re talking to him but nods anyway. “Yeah, I’m good. Just new.”
You nod, understanding. You’re about to let him know that you’re new too but a woman who looks older than him approaches. She wraps one arm around his waist. “There you are, Hoseokie. I was looking for you.” She turns to you and eyes you up and down. To the man, she continues, “You know you’re not supposed to talk to the Prince’s pet. Come on.” She pulls him away. “You know, Namjoon would never go to this kind of thing,” you hear her say as they round the corner into another room.
You lean your back against the wall, dying to take the vibrator out. You look left and right and see no signs of either Jimin or Taehyung. You carefully reach in between your legs and have the wire in between your fingers when the power is turned up. You gasp, doubling over and the sensitiveness, a moan escaping your lips. You look up to find Jimin in the doorway you came from, his face expressionless.
He walks over, the heels of his loafers making a light thud thud thud noise coming towards you. He tilts your chin up with one finger. “Does that feel good, princess? Or should I call you little bunny?” He smirks.
The vibrator hums ceaselessly and you watch as Jimin increases the power once more. Your knees buckle beneath you and you’re panting hard. The vibrator’s wire end connects to another smaller bulb that is taped to your anus and the vibration is travelling up to it. Jimin crouches down next to you, one hand cupping your face. “What do you think? Did I position them perfectly?” He snickers then, one strand of his hair falling over his eyes. You’re reminded of the humiliation earlier of having to bend over and spread open for him, at his insistence, of course, after threatening you with your salary cut again.
“Please,” you breathe out. “Please, stop.”
Jimin pouts. “No. Taehyung thinks he can play with you alone when I was the one who found you first.” With one hand, he reaches in between your legs to jiggle the wire. “But your pussy’s mine tonight.”
“Says who?”
You both look up to see a back-lit Taehyung in the doorway. Jimin stands up to his full height, hands shoved in his pockets. “Says me,” he retorts, almost childlike.
“She’s mine,” Taehyung growls. “I paid you.”
“It’s not even near enough,” Jimin spits back.
“We had an agreement, Jimin,” says Taehyung dangerously.
“You’ve broken countless ones before,” replies Jimin. “What’s the difference this time?”
“Both of you stop!”
You’re panting, fighting back the noise clawing up your throat that comes from the pit of your belly. Your body is feeling hot and the slick is sticking on the insides of your thighs and you can feel your clit pulsing. You’re sitting on the floor now, chest heaving, the white stockings ruined from your leaking cunt. You’ve kicked your heels off, your toes digging into the carpet of the floor, your knees quivering and in this position both Taehyung and Jimin have a clear view of your wet pink pussy.
Taehyung drops down and immediately rips out the vibrator, both ends, making you let out a delicious moan that makes both of them shiver in excitement. You breathe hard, the build up of the orgasm fading away and you look up at Taehyung through your lashes. It must have been the exhaustion, or the naked people all around, or the moans and groans and whimpers, or the sweet lingering smell wafting through every room; it must have been the vibrator being stuck up your pussy for so long, or the way Jimin looks at you like he wants to rip whatever flimsy clothes you have on now, or Taehyung’s burning touch, or even the stupid music playing. It must have been the champagne. But whatever it is, you can’t quite explain why you said what you said: “I want to come. Please, Taehyung. I want to come.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Taehyung picks you up with ease in both arms and carries you to a room closed off to the other guests. He throws you onto the bed, the soft cover fluffing up on either side of your face. Behind him, you see that Jimin had followed you both in, closing the door behind him and locking it. Taehyung rounds on his friend. “I didn’t say you can come.”
Jimin steps up to him, their chests almost touching. In the haze of your lightheadedness, you’re not sure what you’re seeing but it seems that Jimin has his arms resting on the lapel of Taehyung’s suit jacket. He whispers something that you can’t hear and Taehyung relaxes into his touch, relenting at whatever the CEO is telling him. You don’t care. You have needs, you think as you mewl to the room to get their attention.
“Fine,” Taehyung says, slinking one arm around Jimin’s waist, gripping him tight and against himself. “But you’ll be the replacement.”
“I’ll make sure we all have fun, Taetae,” Jimin purrs, pushing him aside and approaching the bed. He climbs up, undressing himself as he does, leaving only a dark tank top and his pants and socks. He crawls over the cover to you and he immediately starts by taking your toe in his mouth. You take a sharp inhale of breath at the coolness of his tongue. You’ve never had this done to you before, feeling how his tongue swirls over the pad of your toe as he sucks on it before giving kisses up your leg. When he gets to your thigh, he easily rips the stockings, creating a hole that runs up to your crotch. The one-piece is held together in a clasp at the base of the spine that looks like a bunny tail but Jimin doesn’t bother with it. With one finger, he slides the lace cloth aside to uncover you.
The vibrator left a gaping hole fluttering every time you clenched onto nothing and all Jimin wants is to feel you clenching on him. He doesn’t wait long. “Oh, baby, look at you,” he croons as he inserts one finger in. You moan along with him as you feel his finger curl upward and he enjoys your soft inner walls. Behind him, he hears Taehyung getting undressed, too and his stomach does a somersault. He’s been waiting for this a long while now. He turns to look at Taehyung from over his shoulder. You crane your neck, too.
Taehyung is fully naked, his member standing up straight in all his glory. Taehyung’s body is as beautiful as his face, smooth and lean and hard in places that matter. His erect cock is red and swollen and Jimin grins at the sight. He climbs onto the bed, too, from the side, kneeling on his knees so his erection is in your face. You don’t need to be told or asked as you open up like a good girl and take him in your mouth. As your mouth is full with Taehyung, you moan against him as Jimin’s lips latch on your clitoris.
As Jimin works on you, as you work on Taehyung, you watch through hooded eyes how Taehyung lovingly runs his fingers through Jimin’s hair, slightly tugging this way and that, manipulating how Jimin’s tongue and teeth run over you. With every tug, both you and Jimin let out a hum and every hum, his cock twitches in your mouth. You’ve never been in a threesome before and have never thought about doing it but with these two men, you think you have an exception now. God, the way Taehyung is looking at you feels like you might burst into flames. He touches your cheek then, the same gentle touch he has on Jimin currently. “Good girl. That’s right. Keep taking it all in like that, baby girl.”
Jimin finally resurfaces, his nose and chin glistening wet. Taehyung turns to him, hand still on Jimin’s face. “Let me taste her,” he says, pulling in his friend. You watch, dazed, as the two connect their tongue together, sharing your juice. When they pull away, Taehyung’s eyes are back on you, dark and lust-filled. “Fuck, you taste so good, baby girl.”
He pulls out of your mouth and switches position with Jimin, kneeling in between your legs and putting his face close to your core. He takes a deep breath. “Smells so fucking good,” he growls before burying his face in your folds, his tongue lapping at the wetness like he’s the thirstiest man on earth. Jimin undo his pants, stripping down to reveal his bulging manhood, swollen and red and definitely thicker than Taehyung. He tugs at himself a couple of times. You can’t wait to taste him, craning your neck to lick at the tip peeking through the foreskin. Jimin hisses but he takes the cue, pushing himself between your lips and letting you fondle his balls. He then watches Taehyung nibbling on your clit, suckling on the little nub like it’s a little gem candy, pushing down on your thighs to stop you from closing your legs.
In between eating you out and fingering you, Taehyung looks up at Jimin, his eyes twinkling mischievously. “She’s clenching down so hard on my fingers. I wonder how it’ll feel when my cock is inside her.”
“Don’t you fucking dare,” growls Jimin, spit flying. “You traitor.”
Taehyung chuckles. He then starts to push your butt up, your bottom half sticking up in the air as Taehyung gets to his knees. You are pushed against your shoulders as your own cunt gets into view, Taehyung spreading your folds wide and sticking his tongue in. Jimin pulls out from your mouth and vies for space, tilting his head to the side so he can kitten lick your clit. You’re a mess, moaning out both of their names, saliva drooling down your cheeks due to your position.
Taehyung leans back, switching back to using his finger. “Shall we rock paper scissors to see who goes first?”
Jimin glares at him. “We already agreed earlier.”
“She feels so warm and soft I want to feel her around me, Jiminie,” Taehyung whines sarcastically. He leans closer to Jimin. “Do you feel the same?”
Jimin grits his teeth. Angrily, he backs away and reaches over to the side table, rummaging through the drawer and pulling out a bottle of lube. Taehyung grins, easily catching the bottle as Jimin tosses it. He nods, saying, “Come over here.”
Jimin goes back to you as Taehyung lowers you back gently. You’re panting and heaving, dripping a collection of slick and saliva that drips down to the mattress. You watch Jimin settle in between your legs, running his hands down your thighs. He leans forward to give some attention to your nipples, flicking one side with his fingers and his tongue on the other. He makes sure to stick his butt up so that his cock doesn’t touch your wet pussy, something he does on purpose to egg you. It’s not long until he feels the coolness of the lube dripping down his crack, jolting forward in surprise.
“Stay still,” Taehyung says, quickly using his finger to gather the liquid around Jimin’s puckered hole. He gently massages it, easing Jimin to open up nice and wide. It doesn’t take long; Jimin’s well-trained and Taehyung’s a long-time trainer. “That’s it. Open up wide for me, Jimin-ah. Let me see your inside so I can stuff you full.”
Jimin lets out a low growl but he relaxes far enough for Taehyung to slip a third finger in, clenching around his friend and getting impatient. He says over his shoulder, “It’s fine. Just put it in already.”
Taehyung doesn’t need to be told twice. He pours a copious amount of lube onto his palm and lathers it onto his cock for good measure. He aligns himself and pushes in, grimacing at the tightness as Jimin moans in both pain and pleasure. Once Taehyung is down to the hilt, he stops, letting Jimin adjust. He helps Jimin manoeuvre into position at your entrance. He leans forward and pumps Jimin’s cock once, twice and then a third time before guiding it to your soaking cunt. He rubs Jimin’s cock around your entrance first, slicking it, before Jimin pushes in. You moan, arching your back and then realise that as Jimin is fucking you, Taehyung is fucking him from behind. It turns you on even more, making you flutter around Jimin’s girth.
“Fuck, you’re so tight,” Jimin hisses, breathing in shallow breaths to control himself from coming early.
Taehyung giggles. “You can say the same about yourself, too.”
Jimin whines. “Shit, I feel so full, Taetae. It’s too much.”
“Shh,” Taehyung soothes, one hand massaging his sides. “I’ll move for us.”
Slowly, he eases himself out, the lube squelching as he does and Jimin shivers. Then in one swift push, he buries himself back inside, rocking Jimin against you, making his cock hit deep inside, just at the right spot. Taehyung repeats the same motion, hitting back deeper and more forcefully, eliciting moans from both you and Jimin. Then, he starts on a steady rhythm. Fapfapfap, coming from behind Jimin and Taehyung thinks how he’s fucking two people at once. You can feel Jimin twitch inside you but your growing hunger for release is starting to make the slight nudging not enough anymore. You want him to move, too. Need him to!
You grind up against Jimin a few times before he takes the hint. When he finally starts to move properly, Taehyung changes his rhythm so that when Jimin sinks into your pussy, he pulls out, and when Jimin eases up, he thrusts in. He doesn’t need to make any big moves, letting Jimin do most of the work; fucking you and then letting himself be fucked. It’s working well enough for Taehyung to peek over Jimin’s shoulder at the writhing, panting mess of you under the both of them. When Jimin picks up the pace, Taehyung only has to position himself correctly so Jimin can use him like a stationary dildo to get off.
“Fuck,” Jimin spat. “Fuck, Tae. I’m coming. Fuck. Shit. Fuck, your cock is so good.”
He pulls out of you in time to spill hot white cum all over your belly, Taehyung’s dick deep inside his ass. Jimin falls sideways, breathing heavily, eyes closed. Taehyung grins, tugging at his own member a few times, still hard as a rock. He nudges Jimin aside and looks at you. “Your turn, baby girl.”
Maybe it was the impatience, maybe it was the lust or maybe it was watching a naked beautiful man, his cock full on display and looking at you like you’re his first meal of the day, but whatever it was, it makes you scramble up and straddle Taehyung, attaching your lips against his. If he was surprised, he doesn’t show it, instead, putting a hand behind your head to push you closer and the other arm circling your waist to keep you in place, your throbbing pussy resting warmly against his cock.
You rub against him, whining into his mouth. Taehyung kneads on your breast, pushing down the outfit more so that your bunny lingerie is now more like a tube around your middle. Taehyung’s eyes sweep over you, taking in how erotic you look, with your outfit like that, the little pink fur around your wrists, the ruined stockings, and you so needy and desperate for him. His eyes zone in on the collar around your neck and his lips turn up into a smile. He hooks a finger through the ring in the collar that’s supposed to attach to a leash and pulls you roughly. “Come.”
He guides you over to the head of the bed where a sort of a strap or rope is attached to the wall. He uses that to connect to your collar, leashing you in place on all fours. “Be a good little kitten for me now and stay still.”
“People don’t leash cats,” Jimin mumbles with humour in his voice. He is still laying in the same spot, watching how your breasts dangle down. If he had the energy, he would have crawled over and suckled on those perky nipples, maybe even let you suck him off again. But now, he’ll enjoy the view as he watches Taehyung situates himself behind you, caressing your smooth ass with one hand. He smacks one side, open-palmed, once. “Higher,” he orders.
With his knees, he pushes your right leg wider and with his fingers, he rubs through your folds. He doesn’t need to prep you this time, aligning himself to your entrance before pushing in to the hilt in one swift motion. He builds up steady strokes, both hands hot on your waist. From the side, Jimin watches in wonder how fast and smooth Taehyung moves in and out of you. He can also see how your face is scrunched up, fists balling the sheets beneath you, your lips letting out different sounds every time. It’s turning him on again, enough to make him pull himself to sit against the headboard, playing with himself as he gets a front view of his friend fucking his favourite employee.
You squint your eyes open again to watch Jimin stroking himself as he watches you in turn. You can feel how deep Taehyung reaches, stretching you open with each hip thrust. You lower yourself onto your elbows, your ass sticking up for Taehyung as you lick a strip up Jimin’s length. He removes his hand and lets you do as you please, taking him into your mouth once again and he hums, closing his eyes as he enjoys your blowjob to the best of your ability, your movement slightly restricted by the leash.
Taehyung smirks. “Look at our little bitch, taking us in from both ends.”
Jimin runs a finger through your hair. “She’s doing so well.”
“I guess we both lost the bet, then,” Taehyung says, speeding up, feeling you get tighter and tighter to the point that he knows he’s close, too. “Fuck, baby girl. Your pussy is going to squeeze me dry.”
You don’t answer, can’t answer with your mouth full but you feel it, the low tightening in the pit of your stomach, your core throbbing. You want to come so bad that you use one hand to play with your clitoris. Taehyung notices but he can feel his own build up. “You’re playing with yourself? You’re fingering your little clit? That’s right, baby girl. I’m getting so close, too. I want you to come all over my cock like a good girl.”
Your finger works faster as you bob your head on Jimin’s member, flicking your tongue as you go to get him off a second time. He’s breathing hard, eyes closed, nose flared, twitching and leaking in your mouth that you know it won’t be long now just as the burning sensation twofold in between your legs. You moan against Jimin, a signal Taehyung understands by the slight wriggling of your butt, your pussy pulsating around him. It’s almost time.
Taehyung leans forward for purchase, ramming into you wildly as he chases his own high, eyes shut, grunting with every move. Your orgasm starts first, speaking around Jimin’s cock to let them know. Taehyung takes the cue, a few more thrusts and he unravels, too. At the sight of both you and Taehyung coming, it sparks Jimin’s release, filling your mouth and throat with hot, thick liquid the same way Taehyung spills inside you as you clench around him, riding your climax until your energy is spent, falling to the side to rest on Jimin’s thigh.
Your eyes slowly droop, falling asleep almost instantly.
***
You wake up slowly, eyes opening in fractions as you take in your surroundings, only subtly aware how sore your body is.
You don’t recognise the room and from the lights coming through the drawn curtains, you’re sure it’s morning. You stir, moving slightly to the left and freeze, noticing a lump under the blanket next to you. Fuck, you think, trying to recall last night. The blood drains from your face as you remember, gulping hard. That’s when you feel the presence on your other side and you turn to see another lump, turned towards you, head bent low so that you only see a mop of curly dark hair.
Scooting slightly to the other side, you manage to push down the blanket past your chest and that’s when you realise that you’re wearing a man’s T-shirt and your legs are bare. Wriggling quietly and as slowly as you can, you manage to get out of the blanket without disturbing the two friends. Jimin only stirs once before settling back to sleep, his hair relaxing into his eyes now that half of the hair wax from last night has been smeared all over the pillow. You’re a little surprised by how much younger he looks now in this vulnerable state. You tiptoe out of the room, peeking once to make sure the place is empty.
The apartment that was used for last night’s party still holds remnants of it happening. It’s not messy, surprisingly, but chairs and tables and champagne glasses are strewn all over. The food table is only half-empty and you even picked up a piece of cake and transferred it into your mouth. You walk past the throne Taehyung sat on last night, the black velvet of the seat looks stained with something you’re not sure if it’s champagne or bodily fluid. You find the door that connects to the next door apartment and go in to find your things and change back to your last night’s clothes.
Dressed and with your hair pulled back into a ponytail, you make your way to the front door and almost have a heart attack to find Taehyung sitting on the sofa, barefeet in a T-shirt and his pants from last night. “You scared me,” you say, your hand at your heart.
“Leaving so soon?”
You stare at him, wondering if he really wanted you to answer that. “My shift ended hours ago.”
He nods. “Right, of course.”
You wait for him to say something more but he’s quiet for a long time that you contemplate going on your way. Then, he speaks again. “You should resign. I’ll let Jimin know.”
You knit your eyebrows together. “Why?”
He regards you for a long time, eyes boring deep into you before shrugging. “Just do it. This job is not suitable for you.”
“I can decide that myself,” you reply, feeling annoyed.
“Look, just fucking quit, will you?” he stands up as he says it and you shrink back, taken aback by his suddenness. “Or I’ll tell Jimin to fire you instead.”
“You can’t do that!” you shout back, angry now. “What the hell is your problem? We don’t even know each other.”
He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I can’t work with you, okay?”
“I don’t work for you,” you retort. “And I don’t have to work for your stupid parties again. But I won’t quit.”
“Fucking hell, you’re so stubborn!” he roars and you take a step back as he marches over to you. “Don’t you get it? You can’t work with JP anymore because I don’t want to have to see you working with him again!”
You stay silent, not truly understanding his motive but so hurt, mostly by his tone and not much by what he’s saying. There’s something about being shouted down that just makes your whole body freeze and your brain goes haywire. You feel your face crumpling but you fight back the tears. “I need the job,” you say through the strain in your throat. “I need the money. I’ll-” you sniffle, the tears pouring now, “I’ll tell Jimin I can’t do exclusive jobs anymore if that’s better.”
He doesn’t say a word but glares at you. You push past him before he can say anything else, running to the door and leaving, slamming the door behind you. You hurry to the elevator, punching the call button in quick succession. You catch a glimpse of yourself through the reflective surface and quickly look away, unable to face how pathetic you look right now with tears and snot staining your face.
The elevator dings and the door opens, revealing the actor, Kim Seokjin, with a coffee cup in one hand and a paper bag in the other. You run into the elevator just as he comes out, staring at you with concern in his eyes. You press the button to close the doors, not minding his presence at all until he puts a hand in between the closing doors. “You okay there?”
“No,” you snap. “Please, I need to go.” You press on the G button again but Seokjin doesn’t yield. He gives you a funny look before recognition lights up his eyes. “Wait, I know you. You’re that waitress at the wedding.” He looks around as if looking for something, then leans it to whisper, “Were you here at Taehyung’s party last night?”
You look at him and then register the casual wear he’s wearing; pink sweatpants and matching sweatshirt with socks and sandals. He lives here, you think. As if reading your mind, he says, “I live here, just on the other side.” He points to the opposite hallway to Taehyung's place. He raises the paper bag. “Want breakfast?”
“Get your hands off my girl, Seokjin.”
You both turn around to see Taehyung walking up in big strides, past a surprised Seokjin and into the elevator with you. He pries the other man’s hand off the door and presses the G button. Seokjin just laughs and waves as the door closes.
The ride down is a long one and you spend it pressing up against the opposite wall, away from Taehyung, facing forward, watching the numbers of the floors go down. Neither of you says anything until the elevator dings again and opens to the ground floor where the morning concierge looks up and smiles. “Good morning, Mr Kim.”
Taehyung nods at her, taking your hand and pulling you along with him. You try to resist but he has a death grip on you. You think about calling for help from the concierge but thought better of it, not wanting to humiliate yourself further. You follow him down to the basement and to his car. He opens the passenger side and literally throws you in. He gets in the driver side and locks the door, starting up the engine and driving off.
“Where are you taking me?” you ask, your voice timid, not wanting to rile him up more. He doesn’t answer, focused on driving. He drives on for a while, not saying a word until you recognise the neighbourhood of your residency. He pulls in the parking lot of your apartment this time but doesn’t unlock the door.
“Either you resign from the job or I will tell Jimin to fire you,” he says quietly, not looking at you but straight ahead. It’s seven on a Sunday morning so the place is still quiet, not a soul to be seen.
You try to reason with him. “I need the money.”
“Find another job, then.”
You turn towards him, teary-eyed. “But why? I don’t understand it. What did I do wrong? If it’s about last night then I won’t tell anyone. I signed the stupid-”
“The NDA doesn’t matter anymore,” he says. He finally turns to look at you and instead of the fury you saw earlier, his eyes are softer. “And you did nothing wrong. You just can’t work for him anymore.”
“But why?” you pleaded, your voice breaking.
He sighs again, looking down into his lap. “We only hire those not connected to our world. People who are out of the loop, no high connection whatsoever.”
You shake your head. “I don’t get it. I’m not from your world. I’m not fucking rich, my family is from a small town from here they barely have the money to come see me.”
You watch him take a deep breath, hands gripping the wheel so tight his knuckles turned white. “End of discussion, baby girl. Resign or be fired. You choose.”
“Don’t call me that,” you retort through gritted teeth, anger surging in. He wouldn’t reason with you, wouldn’t even explain anything but ordering you around.
He looks up at you, a devilish twinkle in his eyes. His hand shoots out so fast you barely had time to avoid him from cupping your face roughly. “Stop talking back to me and do as I say.” He let’s go and unlocks the car. “Get out. Go.”
You scramble to open the door, not wanting to be in his presence any longer and rushing to exit, running towards the front door of your apartment and entering, slamming the door without another look back. When you enter your apartment, you find Yuna sitting by the window, a piece of toast in his hand, looking down towards the parking lot at something. She doesn’t budge when she hears you come in and only turns to look when your bedroom door closes behind you.
She hears the crying but she doesn’t approach like she usually does. She looks back out the window, at the familiar car driving off, disgust on her face. Just then, her phone rings and she answers it in a voice that tells the caller clearly what mood she’s in. “I didn’t see you at all last night, Park. You better start explaining.”
***
It's Monday when you received the email informing you that, with a heavy heart, the company has received and approved of your resignation, a resignation you did not submit. Back pay will be transferred by the end of the week.
The next couple of weeks go by in a flash. Your last salary was a big sum of close to half a million, three quarters of it from the “exclusive event”, as they labelled it, but you haven’t touched a penny. The bank did call you to ask regarding the amount but one look at the payslip, they never asked any further questions, just a thank you and have a good day. It makes you wonder how far the reaches of your ex-employer go but you don’t bother to delve in deeper anymore, an incline telling you Kim Taehyung is also involved. Somehow, his contact has been erased from your phone and even Jodie doesn’t check in.
Yuna notices something is wrong with you but she skirts around the topic whenever you guys hang out, never questioning anything, not even when you tell her you are job-hunting again. The fact that she didn’t ask also makes you wonder if she knew but you dismiss the idea. How would she? When you got the job at the bookstore, Yuna just nodded but what she said somehow seems to worm under your skin: “That sounds much better.”
You’ve been working at the bookstore for close to four weeks now. The pay is meagre but the owner is a pleasant man who lives right above the place with his wife who sometimes cooks lunch for you. It’s a family-owned store but doing well enough as they sell and even rent books that are not easily attained in the area. You love it, actually enjoy being among the books and are sometimes put in charge when the man has errands to run. It feels good to be relied on.
It’s one of those days when you’re left alone at the store and since it’s midday, the place is also empty of any patrons. You’re stacking books onto the front display, arranging them neatly when you hear the doorbell rings to signal a customer. “Welcome to Nineteen-”
You stop mid sentence, staring at the man who just entered. “What are you doing here?”
Kim Taehyung removes his sunglasses, looking around the place. His hair is shorter now, swept back with a side part. His eyes land on you and he steps closer, his shoes loud on the linoleum floor. “I see you’re doing much better.”
You don’t answer. “What are you doing here?”
He stops just short of reaching you, taking out a folded piece of paper from the inside of his jacket pocket. He hands it over. “Here. For you.”
You take it and unfold it and begin to read quickly. You look up at him, frowning. “Is this some kind of a joke?”
He puts his hands into his pockets. “No. It’s not.”
You read again, your irritation building at the offer letter. “You’re offering me the same job that you told me to quit?”
“If you read carefully, it’s not the same,” he replies coolly.
“How is it not?” you ask, your voice raising a notch.
He sighs irritably. “Your last job is a server to whatever event you signed up for, you serve people there. This job is for you to work for me and only me.”
“To serve exclusively you?” you sputter. “At what event?”
He smiles lazily, looking like a snake that has cornered its prey. “You know I host a variety of events myself.”
You shake your head, thrusting the paper back to him. “No, thanks. I don’t want to be involved with you people anymore.”
He looks at the paper almost angrily before glancing back up at you. He takes one step forward and then another and another until he is close enough for you to feel his breath on your cheeks. “I don’t take no for an answer, baby girl. I want what I want and I always get it.” He tugs you forward by the waist, his hand gripping your side painfully hard.
“I thought you said you don’t work with people like me,” you say under your breath, keeping your voice steady and trying not to show any fear.
He rolls his eyes. “Fuck, still so stubborn.” He wrenches the paper back from your hand and crumples it, throwing it behind him. “Fine then. Don’t work for me.”
You stare at him, confused. You try to wriggle free. “Then let go of me.”
He doesn’t but pulls you closer so that your fronts press against each other. “Why would I? You’re mine.”
“Since when?!”
“Since that night,” he answers, his voice dropping low and deep that you pause, feeling the baritone shudder through your bones. You don’t dare meet his eyes. “What do you mean?”
He lightly tucks a hair behind your ear. “You know, Jimin is like my twin. We share everything together, even girls. But you,” he traces your jaw with one long finger. “I don’t want to share you. So I told you to quit because you’re mine,” he tilts your face up, “and mine alone.” His voice is taut, hardened with dominance. “So, I’ll make you an offer. Marry me and you don’t have to work a single day again, or…”
“Or what?” you hiss.
“Or you won’t ever have peace again,” he finishes simply. “I’ll make sure you won’t have a job, no one else will hire you, and who knows, maybe not even graduate. I can pull some strings.” Then his eyes soften and his tone changes. “But I don't want to have to go that far.” He lets go, stepping back and walking backwards back towards the door. He pushes open the door with his back, gesturing with his hands open wide. “The choice is yours, princess.”
He steps out, one hand still holding the door so he can let you hear his voice. “One week. Meet me at Seoul of Korea, that restaurant up on the hill, in one week. If you decide not to come, well, I’ve warned you. I always get what I want.”
You watch him leave, walking away whistling a tune to himself, bowing in acknowledgement as you see the owner walks past by him and greets, “Mr Kim? Long time no see!” You watch them talk a little, Taehyung glancing at you from over the owner’s shoulder as if to cement his earlier threats of making you lose your job. When they finish, he waves the older man goodbye and goes on his way.
The owner enters the bookstore, greeting you enthusiastically, going on to talk about his day. You’re still standing at the glass door, looking down the street as Taehyung becomes smaller and smaller. You’re only half-listening. “...very good with kids, too, that lad. My daughter is always talking about his nephew and-”
“He has a nephew?” you turn around to ask.
“Yeah, my daughter works at the kindergarten his nephew goes to,” he replies, busy behind the cash register. “Cute kid. Seems very close to Mr Kim, probably because his own dad is a busy man.”
You tune out the rest of his words, looking back out the door but Taehyung is no longer in view. You go back to your work, your mind whirring with the things he said earlier. The owner comes over. “So what did he buy?”
“Huh?”
“Mr Kim?” he repeats. “What did he buy?”
“Oh, no. Nothing,” you say. “He didn’t get anything.”
The owner nods. “Oh, okay. He’ll probably come back. I have the photography books he ordered from last month. We’ll see him again soon.”
You stay quiet, stacking the books one by one. Yeah, you think, you probably will.
:MASTERLIST:
#bts#bts v#bts taehyung#kim taehyung#taehyung x you#bts scenarios#bts fanfic#taehyung fanfic#fanfiction#bts smut#taehyung smut#kth#taehyung one shot#bts jimin#jimin x you#bts pjm#bts v smut
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wild tweets |
pairing: Harry Styles x Actress!Reader
summary: as newlyweds, you and harry read thirsty comments for buzzfeed.
warning: it's thirsty tweets, so below there is adult humor 😳
"It's a bright, sunny morning in Los Angeles, and there's nothing I want more than to be on BuzzFeed and read wild tweets alongside my husband."
"Thirsty tweets, babe." Harry corrected, laughing out loud with the producers behind the cameras.
"Thirsty Tweets." You said quickly, putting your hand over your mouth to stifle a giggle. "I'm terrible at that, I'm sorry. Can we start over?"
"Let's take a break for one to two minutes. You've given us a great introduction, Y/N."
You shook your head, smiling shyly before turning to Harry, who was already watching you with that easy smile at the corner of his lips. You liked how his hand remained firmly on yours, making those circular movements with the thumb that always served as a natural medice for your anxiety.
"You look so fucking beautiful."
The pleated dress with flounce sleeves fit you like a glove. You had made peace with the various shades of white since the wedding and knew that Harry liked to see you in that color too.
"Thank you, you're not too bad either, Styles."
You intimately suspected that Harry would always seem far beyond that "not bad" that came out as a euphemism from your mouth. He wore nothing but a pair of bell-bottom pants in a strong shade of blue and a soft vest printed with fluffy little sheep on a striped American collared shirt - in your opinion, no one could look better in farm animal clothing than Harry Styles and Princess Diana with her red "Black Sheep" sweater in the 1980s. In contrast, you knew your husband well enough to know that he was arrogant and knew exactly how hot he looked - you also made your thoughts clear enough when you kept him backstage beyond ten minutes in a rather heated kissing session.
"Are you anxious?" you asked curiously, remaining with downcast eyes fixed on the strokes that remained assiduous on your warm skin. "To read about how the whole internet dreams of fucking my wife?! Of course." Harry joked, leaning over to leave a small one on your cheek. "We agree on that, don't we? Although I'm a little nervous, I'm really interested to know all the crazy things they say about you. Everyone knows you're mine at the end of the day, that's enough."
At the end of the break, you and Harry made a silent agreement that you should be the first to pick up one of the scattered papers in the red pot. There were quite a significant amount of tweets, and as much as you were used to reading rather sordid things about your husband on the Internet, the excitement was there as if you were wading into uncharted territory.
"I would be a good girl all year round if Santa guaranteed me a threesome with Harry and Y/N Styles on Christmas Eve." You laughed, Harry staring at the camera with an expression close to the meme of the surprised Pikachu. "You guys are incredibly nasty, I love it."
"If that was the first one, I'm really worried about the next ones." Harry commented with a little corner smile, picking the next tweet out of the bucket. "I have an entire folder on Pinterest dedicated to Harry Styles' hands, and let me tell you why: those hands are art, and art needs to be recognized."
"What- Guys, you promised you wouldn't post my anonymous tweets here." You quipped with false reproach, laughing at your own stupid joke while everyone else in the studio did the same. "But I can't blame her, honestly." Shaking your shoulders, you opened another piece of paper. "Harry Styles finally confessed that he wrote Watermelon Sugar for Y/N!!!! Are you guys imagining the same thing as me?!!!!!! 🥵🍆💦"
"Exhausted emoji, eggplant emoji, and water emoji?" Harry frowned, staring at the tweet you held up. "I imagine you're in need of a vacation somewhere refreshing and you're craving a fruit that everyone eats like it's really a vegetable."
"That reminded me of that story-" You laughed, hiding your face on the table as Harry continued to offer a poker face to the camera, struggling not to keep up with you laughter. "I'm sorry, lovie, I have to share this with the rest of the world." You stated, wiping a few tears from the corner of your eyes. "Harry always wears those fancy suits to concerts, right?! Right! Turns out he looks really hot in some, like his ass molds perfectly into those tight pants and everything. I was home that night because I wasn't feeling well enough to face the big crowds, but I was still following everything on twitter. It was a concert in London, not so far from where we lived at the time, so it was obvious that he would come home after it was over. I follow some portals that do really fast updates of pictures, videos, etc; everything that happened at Harry's concert was on my timeline in a matter of seconds. When one of these profiles uploaded a picture of him with his back to the camera in a heavily accentuated black and white suit, I quickly sent him the image along with a peach emoji and then wrote "looks good tonight". He didn't reply to me until a few hours later, of course, but I obviously didn't expect a "ready for a Fifth Avenue peach salad for dinner?" and numerous cutlery emojis."
Harry rolled his eyes comically, indulging in laughter as did everyone else who occupied the backstage area.
"I'm against the eroticization of emojis." He said between uncompensated breaths, shaking his head negatively. "Let's go to the next ones, please, I'm already feeling exposed enough here."
"I like your old-fashioned spirit, baby." You assured him with a smile, laying on the sturdy shoulder hidden under the fluffy fabric.
Harry chuckled low, leaving a little kiss on the top of your head before selecting the next paper. The fans would die when that video aired, everyone was sure. You two easily forgot the cameras when you were side by side, and the public display of affection had never been a problem.
"My life mission is to look at someone the way Harry looks at Y/N and be reciprocated the way Y/N looks at Harry, then I could die happy." Harry read. "That was very good and healthy, thank you!" He smiled. "But don't settle for death in that case, please. Just make sure to keep that person around forever."
"Awn, we got so sweet now." You made a pout. "Thank you for sending us something so cute! I really hope you find the right person soon." Sending a kiss to the camera, you moved on to the next tweet. "I wouldn't want to get a golden ticket to visit Willy Wonka's factory, I would like to get a golden ticket to actively participate in Y/N and Harry Styles' Honeymoon.
"That was creative, so I will disregard the fact that you removed my last name from my wife's name." Harry joked.
"I will always be an Y/L/N." You flashed the tongue. "We had a great Honeymoon, but I know you guys already know all about it because there are pictures all over the internet of outings that I don't even remember existed."
"Even though we chose a rather reserved city, many paparazzi still managed to photograph some of our nights there." Harry agreed. "There was one particular day when we opted to have dinner at a restaurant near the beach. Y/N had found it even before the trip, it was pretty laid back and we could spend the evening at karaoke. I don't really remember what happened, but we woke up the next day with a terrible hangover, still wearing the clothes from the dinner and with several headlines saying that I was cheating on my wife in the middle of our Honeymoon with a blue-haired italian girl."
"That wig made me sexy, man." You blinked, laughing as you remembered the situation. "It's a shame the paparazzi only got low quality images, but I swear I looked really amazing that night. Italy, I miss you."
"We're coming to the end and I haven't had to ask production for a glass of water yet, thank you to whoever selected these tweets." Harry raised his thumb to the camera, smiling before turning his gaze back to the small paper he had chosen. "Y/N could literally punch me in the face and I would just bow down and thank them for it." He laughed. "She has heavy hands, so I would rethink that choice."
"It takes strong hands to be a superheroine." You blinked gracefully, referring to your works as a Marvel actress. "I move around a lot during the night, so I'll take this lovely opportunity to say that twitter can dismiss all the malicious theories about Harry always show up with a new bruise all over his body."
"Please stop making indecent assumptions while Y/N is aggressive with me at night only unconsciously, her father has access to social media."
You laughed, clearing your throat before reading the next obscenity aloud.
"I would sell all my possessions to have Y/N sitting on my lap for ten seconds."
"Oh my God." Harry laughed out loud, throwing his head back. "I should have said that in our wedding vows."
You shook your head, laughing low as you set the tweet aside.
"That was pretty funny and cheeky, I approve."
"Okay, looks like we finally got to the last one." Harry announced, waving the paper in the air dramatically before opening it. "Harry could literally crush me with those boots while fuc- I need that glass of water." He said dumbfounded, hiding his face between his hands after throwing the tweet over his shoulder. You laughed out loud next to the organizers, and meanwhile Harry leaned his head on your bust, staring at you still with wide eyes. "Please promise that we will be careful with our future children on the internet."
#harry styles imagine#imagine1d#imagine harry styles#harry x reader#harry styles x reader#harry imagine
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Slice of Life
Pairing: Josh Kiszka x (mostly)GN!reader
Wc: 1.1 k
Cw(s): Arseholish ex-boyfriend, not just dialogue (tell me if it sucks and should go back to not posting)
Summary: Josh helps you discover how beautiful your slice of life is.
Masterlist
Previously, you had thought you had been in love before. You thought it was true, that it would last forever and ever - but nothing like that, out of a storybook, could ever have the legs to last forever. After all, forever is a long, long time.
You thought love was him pulling out your chair for you at dinner, then tucking you into the table. You thought it was the rich bouquet of flowers after fights. You thought it was letting you sleep in on weekends. But you were wrong, and that mistake lead to one of the lowest points of your life.
Then again, it lead to Josh.
After a few days of crying, you needed something other than work and your flat. So you took the beautiful Saturday to yourself. After wandering the chilly streets of the city, you stumbled upon an art gallery. You entered, forgetting your previous lover had been an artist - remembering only once you came across a massive canvas of the two of you in embrace.
You sat on one of the benches that littered the room. Your eyes refused to betray the canvas, but tears began to flood your eyes. How the fuck could he still enter that portrait, after he was caught red-handed? Thrown out of the flat you shared, which was under your name.
"I was hoping you'd come here," David whispered, his voice low and relieved. You didn't look at him as he sat beside you, putting his arm over your bent back. "It was meant to be an anniversary surprise, now it's just an apology."
"Well, that'd be a grand gesture if an apology actually came out of your lips," you sighed. You were embarrassed by the other patrons, looking at the two of you on the bench, then the two of you on the wall. You were tired and sad and this certainly was not helping. Standing up, you looked at David. "You really fucked up, David."
"You never call me David." His voice broke a little. Leave it to him to try and make it seem like you were the monster, breaking up with him, even after he fucked his best friend's girl, in your bed.
"What a shame for you," you replied in an irate tone. Taking a deep breath, you patted his shoulder. "I hope you're doing well and I hope I never see you again."
Before he could say anything else, you left. Tears no longer remained in your eyes. There was a certain amount of closure you got that day, that would be enough for you to finally get back on with your life. It had been so long since you'd been without David, it was refreshing.
You were content with being single.
Until you laid eyes on that curly brunet.
Months after David, you found yourself in a clothing store. It was a sort-of boho vibe in the store - lots of cotton, wicker, tweed and denim. And there he was. Perusing the women's trousers while you looked over the men's shirts. Both of you kept throwing looks to the other, just narrowly missing each look.
It didn't take long for him to come over and talk to you.
"Shopping for your boyfriend? Is it his birthday or something?" He asked you from over a rack. You chuckled, shaking your head.
"No, I just like clothes that fit me like ocean liners," you responded. The beautiful man smiled to you. "And you? Getting your girlfriend some jeans?"
"Far from it - I just needed some jeans that don't give me a cardboard box illusion." You laughed at his joke. His eyes sparkled under the dark LED lights above. "How about a drink sometime? Show each other the outfits we've bought?"
To say it caught you off-guard was an overstatement. You were just a bit...shocked. This guy was bold, he was beautiful, he was funny. And he went for you. The dots didn't connect in your mind, but you gladly accepted the invitation and Josh gave you his number and name.
You had to thank David. Without the bittersweet goodbye at the gallery, you wouldn't have wanted to still dress the same as you had. You wouldn't have been in the store.
The pub was just the first date of many. The second was a garden gallery, given it had just turned April and the flowers were coming out. Your third was to the cinema.
You had thought, surely, the honeymoon period would end after a few months. Josh would lose his allure, get annoying, become more of a liability than a partner. You were expecting it, you were ready for it.
It never came.
Months flew by and you realized that the honeymoon period had never ended. But all the signs were there. Josh was annoying and loud, but it had never pissed you off. Josh was a ball of energy, but it never rubbed you the wrong way. And, someway, somehow, he had managed to not even make an off-handed comment.
Josh asked you to move in with him, you agreed, but you had thought, surely, you would get sick of living with him within the first two months. Josh wouldn't clean up after himself, he'd bring people over all the time, he would forget his share of rent but always come home with new clothes. You were, once again, ready for it.
And, once again, it never came.
Instead, you came to the realization that Josh loved you. In a way you'd never expected, in a way that made your soul ache.
He didn't cook and clean by himself, but the two of you would equally split up household duties. If you cooked, Josh would do up the dishes, and vice versa. If Josh swept, you mopped. Josh, your beautiful boy, never expect you to be perfect, just that he would always have you in his arms as you two slept through the nights that were far too short.
When the two of you got into fights (it was unavoidable, but very rare), Josh made sure it was resolved by the time the two of you went to sleep. The two of you would talk it out (only once did you ever raise your voice, and you knew it was a mistake as soon as it happened, then it never happened again). Then a plan would be drawn on how to avoid the problem, how to fix it, so on and so forth. But Josh always followed through.
The love you and Josh shared, the life you shared, wasn't out of a crumby old storybook written by the Grimm Brothers. It was real. It was real life and the best possible version of it there had ever been. Onlookers envied you, your friends and siblings cheered you on.
Josh helped you realize the beauty of life, among other things. You realized true love is balance. You realized that love isn't a constant race, it's a comfortable marathon. You realized how much you loved your own slice of life, with your beau by your side. And you couldn't ask for anything more.
#josh kiszka#josh gvf#josh kiszka x reader#josh kiszka imagine#josh kiszka fic#josh kiszka fanfiction#one shot#oneshot#josh kiszka oneshot#x reader#joshua gvf#joshua kiszka
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Coin Stealer
Trafalgar Law x psychic!Reader
word count: 3.3k
summary: Law does not believe that you can see dead people, so you crochet him the strange-looking beanie of the strange-looking man that walks around the Polar Tang.
highlight: ¨I´ll give a chance to the uniform, and I´ll only address you as Captain when you behave as Captain.¨
warning: You are entering Trafalgar´s room.
notes: Bello, ma people! This is the 3/3 part of a lovely anon request in which the s/o makes them a thing with crochet! This time is Dr. Heart Stealer edition!! I really enjoyed writing this, and it got a little long, but I did not want to cut off important things. Anyway, I hope you like it!
𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬, 𝐫𝐞𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞!
¨Hey, Bepo! Have you seen Law?¨
¨Y/N! I don´t know where he is... I´m sorry.¨
¨Oh, it´s ok!¨ you patted the mink´s shoulder, giving him a warm smile.
You were never a big fan of his constant apologetic personality, but you couldn´t deny that you missed it during your time apart from the crew.
The Heart Pirates had parted ways a long time ago when your Captain decided that the time to put his life-long plan in action had finally come. The crew split into three parts, and each one followed a different path.
After the sudden disappearance of the Strawhats, the Paramount War, the Rocky Port Incident, and Law obtaining his title as a Warlord of the Sea, you were the first to depart, remaining in Sabaody Archipelago, waiting for the owners of the Thousand Sunny to return. You fought alongside a fishman called Hacchin, a weird guy that reminded you of Black Leg and other allies to protect the ship.
Next to leave was Law, who sailed to Punk Hazard, where he formed a partnership with a crazy scientist bastard. Then the rest of the crew went on their own towards the island where you would meet once the plan was concluded.
The trajectory was not smooth by any means, but you did it, all of you. And now you feasted along with the Strawhats, celebrating whatever it was that you did not understand. Maybe they were like that, or maybe they didn't understand the risks you would take from now on.
Anyway, the crew seemed to be in need of some music and fun, and you were too busy looking for your Captain to care about that.
In the midst of the evening breeze, the crackling of the fire, and the barrels of beer crashing in celebration, you saw the answer you were looking for.
Of course.
¨If I didn´t love you...¨ you growled as you made your way out of the island to reach the Polar Tang. And let´s face it, that was a detour.
You went straight to your room, where Law would probably be sipping coffee, napping, or just running from the crowds. And just like you, it has been months since he stepped on his own ship and slept in his own bed.
So maybe you could cut him some slack.
However, as you approached the room, there was no smell of coffee. No smell of coffee and no light snoring. Just a stillness carried with heavy emotions and your boyfriend, sitting in the dim light holding tight the crochet piece you gave him years ago. You swayed in place, expecting that thing you made to provoke him to be at the sea bottom.
¨Wondering why I kept this?¨ he asked.
¨Not really.¨ you replied. ¨But I am surprised. Am I disturbing?¨
¨You never do.¨
You jumped on the bed, sitting beside him and resting your head on his shoulder.
¨YN-ya... do you know how he...¨ the question struggled to come out.
¨Peaceful.¨
¨Hm.¨ he nodded.
¨I don´t like when he smiles, though. It creeps me out.¨ His body bounced slightly as he joined you in a chuckle.
¨Remember when you gave me this?¨
¨Of course, you almost kicked me out of the ship!¨ you giggled with the memory.
¨You were really annoying back then.¨
¨Hey! Objection!¨
¨Objection rebuffed.¨ he smirked and moved on the bed, pulling you to lay down on his chest.
You told him to shut up before cuddling in, not falling asleep immediately. None of you said much. Instead, you enjoyed the calming and comfortable silence of each other´s company.
It has been a while since you had that.
You remember every moment of your early days as a Heart Pirate. You and Law hadn´t started on the best terms, but he needed you - well, your skills - and you were given a good deal.
The pivot of your history together began on a chain of coincidences. The first one being both of you docking on the same island. The second one was him finding a rare coin for his collection, the same one you would later slip into your pocket.
You wandered around towns using the beautiful art of distraction to get anything you wanted from anyone. Watches, necklaces, wallets, and, well, coins? It was all he had in his pocket, and since it was a cute one, you decided to keep it.
Some called you a thief. Some called you a burglar, and some may even have called you a big son of a bitch. But the thing they all had in common was that none of them knew exactly who they were calling those names.
The thing is, you messed up the first rule and made eye contact with him. Well, it was more of you not being able to take your eyes off of him. He stood out in the crowd, and you had gotten cocky. So when he later found out about the missing coin, it did not take him long to connect you to it.
A lot of things went through his mind. He felt frustrated because his Haki failed him, annoyed for the trouble he would have going after you, and intrigued by the touch so light he did not feel at all.
Or that is what he kept telling himself.
Yes, he was interested in someone with skills like yours, but maybe there was something else he would not admit. The way you looked at him as if you had deciphered his entire life and found the missing pieces of his puzzle. Even the ones he tried to hide.
That night he went out for your head. Or better, your heart, literally.
You were enjoying the comfort of your hotel room, eating some snacks, and playing with your new commemorative coin when he materialized himself by the bed. You instantly knew something was about to go down.
Oh, fuck.
That situation got pretty tense pretty quickly, both ends asking things, and no one willing to offer any answers. The stakes were high, glares cutting the air like blades. It did not help to ease the mood when in the sway of his hand your heart popped out of your chest.
Long story short, his plan was never to drag you to the Polar Tang. Law wanted you to go willingly, joining his crew in exchange for your heart. However, the unfortunate variable he did not consider in the equation was that you would not go down without a fight. So by the time he reached the ship, he noticed the gentle fresh breeze ruffling his hair.
You know, since his hair was usually covered by the hat.
...
THE FREAKING HAT!
The next morning when he returned, you were waiting for him with a satisfied smirk bending your lips, the hat on your head, and the coin dancing between your fingers.
At some point, you had stolen it, and once again, it passed unnoticed by him. That was not a good night for the Heart Pirates. And that was also the night Trafalgar Law realized a couple of things. The first, he needed you on his crew. And the second, you were going to be the death of him. Or maybe the aneurysm of him, he would not give you such credit.
¨You´re late.¨ you said, amused, and his grip tightened around the sword.
¨What´s your name?¨ he repeated the question you dodged several times during your last encounter.
¨What´s with the dog?¨ you pointed at the tall, white polar bear wearing a uniform. Law pursued his lips, breathing heavily through the nose.
¨I am B-¨
¨Bepo-ya don´t talk to he-¨
¨Your name is Bepoya?¨ you ignored the man, bumping into his shoulder as you walked towards the mink ¨Hi, I´m Y/N! Nice meeting you.¨
The polar bear looked back and forth at you and his Captain, not knowing how to behave in this situation, so he apologized and stepped farther back.
¨Alrighty, now that we are all introduced, shall we go?¨
¨What?¨
¨Come on, Law, focus.¨ you snapped your fingers multiple times, teasing him. ¨You came here to pick me up, right?¨
¨No. I want my hat back.¨ He tried to grab it, but you ducked in time, holding the hat on your head with both hands. It was so soft.
¨How about a trade? The coin for the hat.¨
¨How about my hat for your heart? Do this, and I won´t...¨ his words died in his mouth as he clutched his pockets.
¨Looking for this?¨ You held your heart, wrapped in a cold and gelatinous box that you retrieved when you bumped into him minutes earlier.
How could you fool him again? He kept seeking answers that explained why it was so easy for you to outwit him, and his expression showed.
¨You´re getting close, Law. Put your little trash can to work.¨ you tapped your temple, smiling mischievously at him.
¨YN-ya, you know I can kill you, right?¨
¨Yeah, but you won´t.¨
¨How do you know?¨
¨I got a sixth sense for these things.¨
The rest of the conversation did not take long to come to an end. Amid sarcastic comments and threats to each other's lives, what should have been the pinnacle of the moment became a random passage in the Heart Pirates´ logbook.
¨So, YN-ya, do you want to join us? You´re gonna have to wear a uniform and address me as Captain.¨
¨I´ll give a chance to the uniform, and I´ll only address you as Captain when you behave as Captain.¨
Law sighed, giving himself a carotid massage ¨Ok. Let´s go.¨
He walked a few steps ahead of you and Bepo, wondering why he spent so much effort on an arrogant thief that wouldn't even call him Captain.
You quickly became friends with the polar bear, even apologizing for calling him a dog. He strangely apologized for your apologies, culminating in what would almost make the notorious Surgeon of Death suffer a stroke.
¨What the hell is that?!¨ you shouted when the Polar Tang entered your field of vision ¨That´s not a ship!¨
What if I am claustrophobic?
The ya thing is a schtick?
Death? That´s a little borderline controversial for a doctor.
Trafalgar more like Trafraude!
On occasions like that, Law wondered how peaceful and quiet would be the sixth level of Impel Down. From a current perspective, your initial interaction served as a vaccine, creating the necessary antibodies Law would need to deal with future pirate alliances.
The crew got attached to you very quickly. Your adventurous spirit, your stunts, and street trades fascinated them. Losing bets against you seemed acceptable, your card tricks and the thing of guessing the numbers they thought was like fuel for a good day at work.
Law didn't seem to mind that much. After all, you wouldn't get him on his nerves if you were busy with them. However, one day, you let slip something that caught his attention.
¨YEAH! That´s exactly what she looked like! How did you do this?!¨
Law heard Shachi´s roar, followed by a wave of surprised ´ooh´s coming from the kitchen, where the majority of the crew hunched around the dinner table.
The doctor leaned against the door, silently observing what could possibly be more important than keeping the ship working. He had been drowning in files all night, and now he decided to have a coffee break. That mess early in the morning did not make him happy.
No one seemed to be too intimidated when he cleared his throat, announcing his presence. Everyone greeted him with smiling 'good mornings' and turned their attention back to you.
¨What is going on here?¨
¨Captain did you know Y/N can see dead people?!¨
The coffee left a bitter aftertaste on his mouth.
¨What?¨
¨Yeah, Captain!¨ Shachi yelled on Law´s face, earning a death glare ¨She just described my mom!¨
¨Really, Y/N-ya? Now you´re a magician and a psychic?¨ he asked, taking the seat across from you.
¨The perks of being me.¨ you shrugged.
¨Do you see more dead people here?¨
Yes
¨No. But you sound a little skeptical, Law.¨
It was way too early for that discussion, but your biological clock didn't seem to care. Whenever Law came with his teasing, you would be ready to strike back.
He gave everyone a lecture about empathic accuracy and how good you were reading cues communicated by words, emotions, and body language. Or some crap like that.
¨Ok, let me see if I got this right.¨ You shifted in the chair, hands moving in the air ¨You can pull organs out of people´s bodies, cut them in pieces without killing, switch their souls, but you do not believe that I can see dead people?¨
He tilted his head, but not giving you an exact answer.
¨Do you wanna know what I think?¨
¨No.¨
¨I´ll tell you anyway. I think you have something you don´t want people to know, like a soft spot or a tragic past.¨ you sought the answer in his eyes ¨I´m guessing a loved one who died?¨
Overall, he was not wrong. You were a master in reading people´s body language, but you were not a jackass. So when the slight twitch of his mouth cleared up your doubts, it was time to stop.
You knew how it felt, soft spots, tragic pasts, or late loved ones. There was no need to go further and throw more salt on his wounds. Hopefully, that taught him a lesson.
An awkward silence ensued while everyone watched the scene, uncertain how to act, fearful that an extra spark would make everything explode into massive destruction.
¨Whatever.¨ he sighed ¨Show´s over. We´ll be reaching land in a few days, and we should be preparing to dock.¨
When everyone left the kitchen to go about their businesses, you remained alone with the figure that constantly wandered the submarine. He didn't do it in a creepy way. Despite his extravagant makeup and the intimidating aura, he was not a bother.
And it wasn't like he was there all the time, definitely more than anyone else. His passages were guaranteed on the days when Law was more sensitive. For bad or for good. He would look after him from the distance like a parenting figure.
¨Who are you?¨ you murmured under your breath.
For the next few days, Law made sure you were too busy to foster discussions about dead people or paranormal abilities.
When your services stealing rare supplies or getting answers to your Captain's questions you weren't required, you would help him with mountains of paperwork.
Only this time, he had outdone himself.
He managed to assemble the annual check-up of the crew, the inventory packing list, and the update of the logbook at once. This last one could easily wait until after you docked. But that freaking workaholic sadistic surgeon would not let this opportunity slip. So you pulled several all-nighters writing, signing, and stamping, all without exchanging a single word.
When you emerged, a few miles from land, you barely enjoyed the fresh breeze and sunlight. The crew hopped around, getting ready to put their feet on the continent as you sat in the kitchen profusely grouchy.
Your brain was fried, burnt, carbonized.
¨You´re not coming?¨ Penguin asked, and you shook your head. ¨It´s been a while, Y/N, you should come.¨ you shook your head again. ¨I guess you´re not buying anything for the Captain´s birthday as well.¨
An incohesive question came out of your exhausted being. Penguin couldn´t help but feel sorry for you. ¨By the time his birthday comes up, we will be underwater, so everyone is preparing.¨
¨Do I have to?¨
¨No!¨ he chuckled ¨He doesn´t really like it, but we still buy him something.¨
¨Why?¨
¨´Cause he is a good Captain!¨ he said and sprunt out by the voice of someone calling him, waving goodbye at you.
It wasn't that you didn´t think Law was a good Captain. It was just an inherent nature of yours to clash every time you looked at each other.
But on such occasion, you could combine the useful with the pleasant. After all, you were grateful because he gave you friends. Of course, he was the unfortunate by-product that came with them, but you could handle him.
So fighting against your will to stay and sleep, you forced your way out to the solid ground, hoping to find the most random store someone could wish for, a haberdasher.
Much to your delight, you did it. You picked a burgundy color wool and the first hook you put your eyes on and returned to your soft bed.
The chances of you having scared your crewmates by staring at the blank for hours were high. In reality, you wanted to memorize and come up with a pattern for the strange-looking beanie that man wore.
It had no pompom at the top like Penguin´s. Instead, two long pieces of fabric ran down from each side with heart-like things hanging.
When the sixth day of the tenth month arrived, Law´s desk was cluttered with presents. You had decided to wait until you were done with work and heading to bed to give it to him.
After conquering that task, you locked yourself in your room, where you stayed until you had it finished. For some reason, you bothered to buy a box to put it in. Whatever.
On the sixth day of the tenth month, Trafalgar Law could not focus on work. Every slight movement of yours, every bathroom break got him jittery, rehearsing words that wouldn´t make you hate him more.
Not that you ever hated him, but you didn´t talk, so he didn´t know. After some time starting small talks and being ignored, you just gave up trying.
By the end of that night, he had given up too. So when you placed the golden-yellow box on his desk, he couldn´t vocalize his feelings. It became just another silent night.
Chests tight and hearts clogged with unspoken words.
Law did not work for the next couple of days, and if he left his room, no one saw. The gifts on his desk were not even opened. Everything was left the way it was.
Maybe you had crossed a line.
As you marched up to the room at the end of the hall, several paths popped into your mind. You could act like you didn´t care, so what if you left? You had been alone for so long, it wouldn't make any difference! Still, something was begging you to apologize. To ask to stay, because being there was good, everything you never knew you wanted.
You were ready to pack your bags and have your title as a Heart Pirate retracted when you woke up one morning, finding a note on your desk telling you to meet him in his room. Your nails dug into your sweaty palms. Where did this tightness in your chest come from?
When you set foot in the room, your eyes hovered around. It was the first time you saw Law's room. It was exactly how you thought it would be.
Keeping your gaze locked on his was more difficult. He was sitting in an armchair near the foot of the bed. From afar, his appearance remained neat, as always, but as you approached you saw the circles under his eyes even darker. A thing you didn't think was possible.
For the first time, you didn't know how to read his expression. And seeing him vulnerable like that made your stomach drop. So you prepared yourself for the worst. However, to your surprise, all he did was ask you questions.
No snarky remarks. You just talked.
That day something changed. And from that day on, Law had found someone to help him carry the unbearable weight he had on his shoulders, and you found a place to call home.
...
¨Y/N-ya.¨ he called you, who was a cuddle away from sleeping.
¨Hm?¨
¨Before you left, in Sabaody...¨
¨Uhm.¨
¨You stole the coin again, didn´t you?¨
You giggled and pulled the commemorative coin from your back pocket, snuggling closer to his body and feeling the vibration of his chest as he chuckled.
Extra notes: I hope you had enjoyed it! It came out a little too long, but I have been feeling like I´m limiting myself when it comes to the number of words... I don´t know, I´m confused.
Anyway, is that pink and red that I see on the horizon?
#one piece#one piece x y/n#trafalgar law#trafalgar d law x reader#law x reader#law#surgeon of death#heart pirates#bepo#penguin#shachi#worst generation#corasan#polar tang check-up#sabaody archipelago#warlords of the sea
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Gimme Shelter - 3
Chapter 3 anyone? Well...here it comes. I hope you enjoy it. If so, please leave me a comment, like or replog. 💜
Previous part -> Nashi’s Masterlist
Pairing: Henry Cavill x OFC (Kat Spencer)
Words: ~3.1k
Summary: Henry has to deal with a personal crisis and he finds shelter with his old rugby mate Sam and his sister Kat. She used to be Henry’s best friend a very long time ago. Will they be able to become friends again or maybe even more? Chapter 3: Henry tries to get closer to Kat but there are various obstacles.
Warnings: RPF, mention of mental health issues and panic attacks, language
No beta! All mistakes are mine. English is not my mother tongue so expect bad grammar and wrong spelling.
Disclaimer: I don’t know the real Henry Cavill, this is pure fiction and nothing more
Credits: Pics for the moodboard from Pinterest. Face claims: Kat = Jennifer Connelly, Eli = Stephen James
Taglist (please let me know if you want to be added or removed)
@lunedelorient @inlovewithhisblueeyes @willkatfanfromasia @hell1129-blog @mis-lil-red @agniavateira @kebabgirl67 @omgkatinka @legendarywizarddetective @summersong69 @taebfada @xxxkatxo @madbaddic7ed @artandotherdelights @sweetlybigdragonn @notabronte @littlefreya @luclittlepond @eldarwen333 @meowpurrbooks @marantha @rn7rocks
~~~~~~~~
3
I should've known better than to cheat a friend
And waste the chance that I'd been given
So I'm never gonna dance again
The way I danced with you, ohh
Never without your love
From Careless Whisper written by Andrew J. Ridgeley / George Michael
Henry was wrong thinking their conversation was the end of Kat's distant behaviour. Sure, it got better but she was still acting aloof and it was clear as day that she still couldn't see him as a friend. She treated him like a guest. Always polite and friendly but keeping her distance and neutrality. And that was the reason why he was really looking forward to tonight. It was Saturday and they were going to visit the city festival that took place every summer and that was a big event in the little town of St. Ives. Henry, Kat and Sam with his girlfriend Lydia, who was a delicate and very pretty black woman with an astonishing amount of energy, always in a good mood and wearing her heart on her sleeve. Henry immediately got why Kat liked her so much, when he met her for the first time a day after he moved in. She was funny and very smart, a real tough cookie but caring and warm-hearted, too. So it was going to be just the four of them and of course he was hoping for a chance to come a little closer to Kat in the relaxed atmosphere of the public party with some music and drinks. Maybe she was able to loosen up around him there.
When they arrived the festival was in full swing. The city was crowded with tourists and locals, smiling faces everywhere and the friends were in a good mood, too. Sam and Lydia were standing arm in arm and Kat was sure her brother had finally found his perfect match. She'd never seen him so in love before and she was genuinely happy for him. Henry went to a stall and came back with four glasses of beer, after he had taken a few selfies with some fangirls. Kat was wondering how he felt about this. About the fact that he got recognized although he was in St. Ives to escape all the media hype and all the pressure that it had put on him in the last years but he didn't seem to care. Maybe he's so used to it that it doesn't bother him, Kat thought, or he's just not showing it. "Cheers." Henry said, smiling at them, holding Kat's gaze a little longer than usual which made her nervous. "Cheers." They answered in unison and Kat started to look around. There were various stalls selling all kinds of stuff, from kitsch to unique art and she even spotted some carousels. The band that had been playing was just leaving the stage right in front of the harbour.
"Isn't that Elijah?" Sam nudged her and nodded at a stall a few meters away.
"Who?" Lydia craned her neck to take a look. "The inked guy?"
"Shit. Yes, that's him." Kat made a face and Henry turned around. There was only one inked guy. He was tall and buff, tattooed from head to toe - literally. He was young, 24 or 25 maybe, and very handsome, Henry had to admit that. Piercing blue eyes, a sharp jawline and high cheekbones, his black hair worn in a stylish undercut, dressed in ripped jeans and a simple white T-shirt.
"This is your fuck boy?" Lydia blurted out. Kat shushed her with an awkward grin. "He was my fuck boy. Past tense."
Henry felt his stomach twist in a strange mix of jealousy, anger and protectiveness.
"Damn, girl. You never mentioned he is that hot. I see why you didn't say no to him."
"Excuse me?" Sam looked at his girlfriend with a frown. "You don't even like tattoos?" Lydia laughed out loud and kissed him. "You're right, baby, he's gross."
"There he comes." Henry said looking at Kat who rolled her eyes.
"Heaven help." She muttered under her breath.
"Kat, good to see you." Ink guy hugged her before he eyed her up and down. "You look great."
"Hi. Thanks. You look good too." She smiled at him and there was an awkward pause until she cleared her throat to introduce him.
"Um, yeah, you know my brother Sam and this is his girlfriend Lydia." She pointed at them. "And here we have our new housemate Henry." She nodded at him and Henry flinched. Housemate. Not friend, just housemate.
"Guys, this is Elijah. We used to do Yoga together."
Elijah glanced at her before he put on a lewd smirk. "Yeah, let's call it Yoga." He raised his eyebrows and gave Kat a sexy wink.
"Speaking of which. I really miss our long and intense...Yoga exercises." He grinned. "I think about you a lot to get into the right mood, whenever I do Yoga...all alone. On my own. Almost every night."
Kat raised an eyebrow and returned his flirtatious smile. "I'm sure you don't have problems finding a new Yoga partner."
"No, I don't. I've tried it with a few. But it's hard to find someone as good as you. As flexible and experienced and passionate...about Yoga."
Kat was speechless for a moment and Elijah stepped closer and whispered loud enough for everyone to hear. "Maybe we can do a session tonight."
Kat looked him in the eyes, biting her bottom lip. "Yeah. Maybe. If I'm in the mood for Yoga later."
He grinned. "See you on the dance floor? The DJ's gonna start his show in a few."
"Sure." Kat nodded.
"Great. See ya, guys." He waved at them and strolled away with a swagger that annoyed Henry.
When he was out of earshot Sam laughed out loud.
"Fuck, sis. Did the guy just tell you, you're his wank-rag?"
Kat knitted her brows with an embarrassed grin. "Shut up, okay? I don't wanna hear anything about this. This conversation never happened." She blushed furiously and Henry would have loved to ask her about the story behind all this but he kept his mouth shut. It was none of his business. He was just the housemate.
*****
It took Henry another four glasses of beer to find the courage to ask her about Mr. Ink anyway.
"So what's going on with you and...Elijah?" Henry faked nonchalance by giving her just a quick glance and a tiny smile.
"Nothing." Kat didn't even look at him. Instead she watched the dancing crowd in front of the stage.
"I see." Henry tried to shrug it off and took another sip of his beer. He knew he shouldn't drink so much but it helped him to loosen up.
"Do you really think it's good for you to drink so much when you're still on your meds?"
Henry wasn't surprised by her question. She had always taken care of him. She had always been his voice of reason.
"No. Actually I know it's a very bad idea."
"But you do it anyway. Some things never change." Kat turned to him, took his glass out of his hands and replaced it with her glass of coke. He accepted it with a lopsided grin and the look they shared when their hands touched for a second made his heart flutter.
"I had a fling with him last year." Kat finally explained. "We went to the same Yoga class and we started to...well...have sex. It only lasted a two months."
"Why did it end?"
"It got a little out of hand. Eli wanted more than booty calls but I didn't. I just wanted casual fucks…"
Henry looked at her with a frown. Of course she misinterpreted his expression.
"Don't you dare judge me, Cavill…" Her voice was tense.
"I don't judge you, Kat. Casual sex can be great, I know that. I'm just surprised. I mean, you used to be the romantic type…"
"Romance is dead, Henry." She tried to temper her words with a smile but he knew that look that crossed her eyes. A mixture of defiance and sadness, that indicated a topic that worried her though she wouldn't want to talk about it. "Kat…." He touched her arm and she flinched as if his hand was burning her. Kat gave Henry an apologetic smile. Shaking her head she took his hand and gave it a quick squeeze. "I'm fine." The way he looked at her -his head cocked, his gaze intense- made her skin tingle and so she quickly averted her eyes.
She constantly had to remind herself of their conversation a few days ago. She was willing to give it a try, to be friends with him again but she just wasn't able to shake off the past. And the mixed emotions she had just thinking about him weren't helpful as well. She was attracted to him more than she wanted to be and at the same time she couldn't stand being too close to him. Henry opened his mouth to say something but before he was able to do so Lydia took Kat by the hand and dragged her away. "Come on, Kat. Let's dance. I love this song."
Elijah found Kat on the dance floor after just five minutes. She seemed to be hesitant at first about dancing with him but after another five minutes she had given in and now Henry was watching them getting closer with every song, moving to the rhythm, Elijah was holding her very close, rubbing his body against hers and it looked pretty hot.
"The guy's got moves, huh?" Sam nudged Henry with a grin.
"Yeah." He couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"If you're so annoyed by him, why don't you do something about it?"
Henry looked at him with a frown. "What do you mean?"
"I mean you can go on watching them dry humping on the dancefloor with hungry eyes or you can go dance with Kat yourself."
Henry let out a snort.
"I don't think your sister wants to dance with me."
"You'll never know if you don't try."
Henry just grunted and tried to shrug it off but Sam didn't want to let him off the hook.
"Just go and dance with her."
"I don't know."
"Oh come on, Cavill. Don't be such a sissy."
"Where's the point, Sam. She hates me."
Sam shook his head. "She doesn't hate you."
"But she doesn't like me either." Henry wasn't convinced.
"She likes you more than she dislikes you." Sam replied cryptically. "Now, come on. Go and put this prick in his place." Sam took Henry's glass and gave him a little shove. "Go." Henry stumbled forward. "Go." Sam repeated. Henry rolled his eyes. "Fine. She thinks I'm an idiot anyway. Not a problem if I make a fool of myself."
Henry made his way through the dancing crowd and when he finally stood right beside them Kat noticed him with a surprised smile. She stopped moving and Elijah gave him an angry glance. "Sorry, but I have to cut in."
"You do?" Kat asked sarcastically. "I do. Sorry, mate." He took Kat's hand and pulled her away from Elijah.
"Fancy a dance?" He indicated a bow and gave her a wink.
Kat grinned and gave Eli an apologetic shrug before turning to Henry again.
"Why not. Show me your moves."
And so they danced. Not as sexy and close as she had danced with Mr. Ink but still. She seemed to be happy and enjoying his company and that was all Henry was asking for. He wasn't the best dancer but it felt okay after the first awkward moments and Kat even touched him from time to time. After the third uptempo song the DJ played a slow track and he pulled Kat closer. She hesitated for a brief moment but then she wrapped her arms around his neck and he held her by her waist. They swayed to the slow music, their bodies not touching but their eyes met and Henry was wondering if Kat's heart was racing as fast as his.
Kat's heart was indeed racing. So many years ago this had been all she'd ever wished for. To dance with him to a romantic song. To feel his hands on her body. To be close to him. But those teenage dreams belonged to the past. She didn't believe in the idea of everlasting love anymore. She had given up on waiting for 'the one' a long time ago. And even if she had this tiny spark of hope for finding true love remaining in the darkest corners of her mind, it couldn't be Henry, could it? Her heart and mind screamed no. No, woman, he broke your heart. Don't get too close to him. You're going to burn your fingers. Again. He's not the one for you. But her body said yes. Go for it, woman. You're attracted to him. You've yearned for him 22 years, now get what you're craving.
Kat started to panic when Henry's gaze got more and more intense. She felt like drowning in his ocean blue eyes and burning up in his body heat at the same time. She knew that warm, fluttery feeling in her belly that was caused by his smile and his touch too well and she wouldn't let this happen again. He might have tricked her once but she wouldn't let him trick her twice. No fucking way.
Kat let go of his neck and took a step back and he knew their dance was over. Elijah gladly took over again and all Henry could do was to quit the field.
****
When Kat came home the next morning she found Sam in the kitchen making scrambled eggs and bacon.
"Morning. That smells heavenly."
"Morning. Will be done in a minute if you want some."
"I'd love to. I'm starving."
Sam turned around with a smirk.
"Really? No morning-after-breakfast at Elijah's?"
Kat rolled her eyes. "I didn't want to stay any longer, it just makes things awkward."
"I see. Is this going to be a regular thing again? You and your toyboy?"
"No." Kat shook her head. "Definitely not. Where are Lydia and Henry?"
"Lydia has a bad hangover and Henry….well, I guess he's still asleep. He didn't feel well last night." Sam turned around and gave his sister a plate filled with eggs, bacon and a bagel. Kat looked at him with a frown. "How's that? He was fine when I left. Did he drink too much?"
"No, no, he just had water after you scolded him for drinking." Sam winked at her with a grin. Getting serious he sat down and looked at her. "He had some kind of panic attack. Just freaked out…"
"God, Sam. That's awful. What happened?" Kat looked at her brother with a stunned expression on her face.
"I don't really know. It began with some people that recognized him. He took photos with them, it didn't seem to be a problem but then more and more fans came and surrounded him and he did his best to be nice and fulfill all their requests, he signed shirts and took selfies, one girl wanted his signature on her bra, it was crazy and soon got out of hand. I could see the panic in his eyes although he did his best to hide it. He was so polite and kind although a drunk guy, I guess the boyfriend of one of his fans, started to insult him. But at some point his face turned so pale and his hands started to shake, I was afraid he was about to pass out."
"Oh my god." Kat was really worried, Sam could easily tell by the deep frown and the knitted brows. "What did you do?"
"I got him out of there. Lydia calmed down the remaining fans and told them he had the flu or something and we went home."
"What did Henry say? Was it his first panic attack?"
"He didn't say much, didn't really want to talk about it. He went straight to bed. It was horrible, Kat."
"Shit."
"Yeah. I thought I'd bring him breakfast later. Or maybe you want to do it?"
Sam looked at Kat while he was eating a piece of bacon.
"I don't know, Sam."
"He trusts you, Kat."
"You are his friend."
"I'm his mate, that's a difference."
"No, it's quibble. You and him are closer than me and him. Whatever you call it." Kat arched an eyebrow and gave her brother an annoyed glance.
"Oh, come on,you know how it is, Kat. Guys don't talk about emotional stuff like this…"
"Maybe I don't want to talk about emotional stuff with him either."
Sam gave her a knowing look. "Are you afraid you're gonna fall for him again?"
Kat blinked repeatedly, speechless for a moment.
"What are you talking about?" She crossed her arms in front of her chest. Sam leaned back in his chair. "Look, Kat, I know I was busy with my own love life at school but I wasn't completely blind. I know you were in love with Henry. You always denied it but it was obvious to me. I knew you were lying when you said he's just a friend to you and I know that your friendship ended out of the blue when Hen and Poppy became a thing. So it's not so hard to draw the conclusion that he broke your heart and that you're afraid that history is going to repeat itself."
Kat chewed on her bottom lip but she didn't say a word. She just shrugged and pulled off pieces of her bagel absent minded.
"I think he needs you, Kat. He needs what the two of you had at school. That deep, unconditional kind of friendship. I can't give him that, we're not close enough, but you can."
She looked at Sam with a frown.
"I'm not so sure. It's not that easy. What we had back then is gone."
"I'm sure it's not. It's just buried under your past. You can dig it out."
Kat closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose with a deep sigh. "I'm not a therapist."
"Good, because he has a therapist. What he doesn't have is someone who knows him like you do. Someone he can trust."
"Alright. I'll do it. I'm gonna bring him his breakfast and see if he wants to talk but I'm going to blame you if this ends in disaster."
~~~~~~
tbc
#rpf#henry cavill rpf#henry cavill#cavillry#henry cavill fanfic#henry cavill fandom#henry cavill x ofc#friends to lovers#slow burn#Spotify
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Kismet
Summary: Evie prepares a meal for the stranger who helped her and finds herself more than a little smitten.
Previous Part: Hope
Word Count: 5707
Warnings: Language
Tag List: @ramilicious, @txmel, @edteche2, @gloriousdarkangelsworld, @diasimar, @xmxisxforxmaybe
(Let me know if I missed you, or if you would like to be added to the tag list)
A/N: Okay, I almost didn't get this up today because I was up most of the night sewing kilts for Highland Weekend at the Ohio Renfiare. BUT I stayed awake and did my final read-through, so this should be mostly okay. I skipped a couple steps in my editing to get this up on time but I think, for the most part, it's okay. If you see a grammatical booboo, just ignore it, I'll get in here sometime this week with my other two editing steps and find it, then repost this. Capisce? Okay, cool...now. I hope you enjoy it, I also hope my trying to phonetically write Mer's accent doesn't get too annoying. I know you really shouldn't write accents, but I think it helps add to the characters. And I do try to keep it to a minimum so it doesn't get annoying. Thanks for the love the first part received last month! I know waiting so long between updates is a bit sad after weekly updates with LtR. But life is busy right now and once a month is all can guarantee.
Jonny did not know how to keep a house.
In fact, Jonny did not know how to do much more than drink, argue, and get into fights. He was nothing but a thorn in Evie's side—never mind how much she needed him for a place to lay her head. A necessary thorn was still a thorn. Given the opportunity, she would rip it out as soon as she could and dress the wound promptly so she was finally able to heal better. She stayed only because she had no other choice. And every time Jonny raised his voice or stumbled in reeking of alcohol and red-faced, Evie could hear her best friend's warning in her head. Cynthia had begged her not to go with him, but she hadn't listened.
Oh, how she wished she had.
Luckily, Jonny wasn't the kind of man who liked to stay home which eased the ache of the ever-present thorn in her side. Whatever money he did have, he spent out on the town—the town being New Orleans. Like Evie, Jonny had been born and raised in the Big Apple, the noise and the chaos was part of him. As such, he hadn't taken to the quiet suburban life Bridge City offered as well as Evie. She liked the quiet, easy flow of the sleepy town. Her housemate loathed his new home. He thrived in disarray, thus, he found a group of like-minded young men to run amok with in the neighboring metropolis every chance he got.
If Jonny had been any sort of amicable company, the notion of him leaving most every night to wreak havoc several miles away would have been upsetting. Thankfully, his penchant for city life meant a good portion of Evie's days were spent out from under Jonny's tyranny. The hours he was gone were blissful and calm, and she relished in them. Whether she was creating art or tending to chores around the old house, Evie didn't care as long as Jonny wasn't there—never mind how lonely the routine often was.
Evie had never gotten the chance to meet Jonny's maternal grandmother, though she suspected she would have liked to. Unlike her grandson, she seemed like any other sweet elderly woman judging by the furnishings she'd left behind. There were dozens of lace doilies, and table cloths with soft patterns, decretive china even, but it was the plethora of photos the old woman kept that told Evie she'd carried a kindly heart. All of them were kept in pristine albums or intricate frames; they were the only barbles that seemed to have been cleaned or dusted with any regularity which spoke of how much she must have treasured them. Evie loved those tiny trinkets and black and white memories. It didn't matter that they were not her legacy of family heirlooms to keep, she adored them anyway.
She couldn't count the number of times she'd replaced a broken frame that had fallen victim to Jonny's drunken belligerence or scrubbed tirelessly at a stain he'd left on the patterned tablecloths. It proved to be a hefty undertaking, but dwelling in the fantasies of someone else's history let her forget the grief of her own. She was willing to sacrifice a little elbow grease if it allowed her mind to roam away from the shadow that never really seemed to vanish.
For all the effort Evie put in on the interior, the cottage held little in the way of curb appeal. The porch was sunken in the middle, the paint was peeling off in chunks, and the yard was mostly weeds. Worst, however, was the screen door which squeaked so loudly, every dog in the neighborhood howled in protest every time someone crossed the threshold. The outside needed love that Evie simply didn't have the energy to lend. Despite the grit, however, the foundations were sturdy enough that she didn't worry. The cottage proved to be stronger than she looked—a feat Evie felt she had in common with the old house. And while it was a swell enough place to rest her head, it never truly felt like home. Home was somewhere safe, and as long as Jonny lived under that roof she wasn't safe. Not really.
Fortunately, Jonny wasn't home when Evie returned after her run-in with Mr. Shelton—Mer, she corrected herself with a hint of a giddy smile. Without her housemate there, her evening promised to be hopeful instead of lonely, and she wasted no time in figuring out what to make for dinner.
With her red pumps replaced by her worn-in slippers and her blue checkered apron secured around her waist, she set a pot of water to boil and dialed the phone conveniently located in the kitchen. Every evening she called her sister-in-law to pass the time and keep up on unimportant gossip back home; this time, however, Evie was excited to finally have some good news to share.
"You got the job, didn't you?" Cynthia Clarke asked on the other end, sounding hopeful. "I knew you would."
Evie grinned, still amazed how the sound of Cyn's voice always seemed to settle some of the ever-present anxieties buzzing in her head. She missed her friend so much.
"I didn't even say yes."
"Did you or did you not get the job?" Cynthia pressed.
"I did," Evie confirmed and her smile grew hearing her friend cheer on the other end of the phone.
"See! I knew it." Cynthia said. "My gut feeling is always right."
Evie rolled her eyes and shook her head fondly.
"I think I'm gonna like working there too, so that's good." she mused as she stood at the stove, eyeing the pot of water she’d set to boil.
"That's so great, Ev. I'm so proud of you." Cynthia paused before continuing. "So, what are you up to tonight? Avoiding Jonny?"
"Sorta," Evie nodded even though she knew her friend wouldn't see.
As she continued to watch her cooking pot of water she told Cynthia all about her trouble with Jonny's car and the man who'd been so kind to help her.
"Wait. You invited the stranger over who fixed the car?" Concern was heavy in Cyn's voice, and Evie half expected a lecture to follow.
Despite knowing each other since childhood, Cynthia had taken on the role of her protector since Evie's family was no longer in the picture. The war had claimed Evie's father, and brother—although they'd never found her brother, Jimmy after he disappeared behind enemy lines. Evie never lost hope that Jimmy would one day be found, Cynthia though, was certain her husband was never coming home. After Cyn’s brother, Charlie, died at Normandy Cynthia had difficulty believing anyone was going to make it home. As for Evie's mother, losing a child and her husband to the war was too much for her tender heart and she passed not long after. Ever since, Cynthia was overcome with the need to act as Evie's guardian.
"He wouldn't let me pay him," Evie explained. "So I'm making him dinner—it seemed like the least I could do."
"I suppose…." Cynthia didn't sound convinced, if anything she sounded slightly irritated there was no quick way for her to argue the logic. "Just be careful, Evie. You don't know this guy—he could be another Jonny Doyle. Or worse."
"He's not," Evie said quickly. She wanted nothing more than to tell her friend all about how benevolent Mer was, but she decided against it. Cynthia would only argue that point somehow.
A long pause followed, and Evie wedged the receiver between her ear and shoulder so her hands were free to work on the meal.
"So, what are you cooking?" This time, there was a hint of jest in her friend's tone when she spoke.
The art of cooking was one creative outlet that Evie struggled with, second only to music. In her youth, her mother did all the cooking—it was a passion of her mother's—thus Evie had done little more than watch in wonder as her mother whipped up meal after meal effortlessly. Breakfast she the meal she was probably best at, apple pies too, but anything beyond that Evie required a step by step guide to prepare. And even then she lacked confidence. Thankfully, when she'd fled south, she remembered to grab her mother's cookbook. It was a cumbersome tome with yellowed pages and notes scribbled into the margins: a piece of art itself cultivated over years of collecting recipe after recipe starting the moment her mother stepped off the boat that brought her from Ireland. And like a witch and her spellbook, Evie depended on it.
"Spaghetti with garlic bread," Evie admitted feeling as though the meal lacked a certain something.
Pasta was something she knew held a low degree of difficulty when it came to preparing. Surely she couldn't mess up pasta.
“Mmm, I can almost smell it,” Cynthia said.
“Shut up.”
“No, seriously,” Cyn replied. “You’re mom’s spaghetti recipe was always my favorite.”
A doleful smile pulled at the corners of her lips, thinking back to her mother happily cooking in the kitchen as she sang a Celtic tune. It seemed strange that those moments would never again play out, instead they’d become bittersweet memories Evie could only relive in her mind.
“Mine too,” she murmured, suddenly missing her family.
Neither of them said anything for a moment, and Evie’s mind roamed the dregs of her grief before blinking back into reality and the hope of something happy to come.
“I need to go, Cyn,” Evie told her friend with a sigh. “I don’t want to burn the garlic bread.”
Cynthia chuckled and said her goodbye, only after making Evie promise to call her in the morning to let her know how everything went.
With her second hand restored after hanging up, Evelyn reached for her mother’s cookbook to give the steps another look over to ensure she had done everything and added every herb and ingredient she was supposed to. She’d followed everything perfectly, even factoring in the little notes scribbled into the margins left there by her mother—those she smiled at fondly and traced the fading ink with her fingers. Everything was as it should be. Even so, without a taste, Evie knew the sauce she had prepared would never be as savory as what her mother made so effortlessly.
“You were the artist in the kitchen, Ma,” she said with a shrug. “I’ll stick to paper and canvas.”
For the smallest of a moment Evie thought she would hear the warmth of her mother’s laugh, and when it never came she sighed again, trying not to dwell on the shadows behind her. What mattered was the light ahead.
Despite her lack of confidence, the meal came together without any severe hiccups. The noodles were not overcooked, the sauce was a complementing mix of savory and sweet (though, as she had guessed after a tiny taste, was not nearly as good as her mother's) and the garlic bread was nicely golden. A small tingle of pride manifested in the form of a surprised, but satisfied, smile as she surveyed the dinner before her.
“Not bad, Ev,” she told herself, knowing her mother would have been delighted.
With the cooking done, Evie threw a glance over her shoulder to the clock mounted on the wall, triggering a surge of anxiety to bubble in her gut. Stranger, perhaps, was the amount of excitement coursing through her veins. It was as though all of her happiness was riding on whether or not she would see Merriell again. None of it made sense; the man was little more than a stranger. The coupling of nerves and delight was not a feeling that put her ill at ease, however. She trusted it. And it was that peculiar sensation that seemed to fuel her movements.
With a few minutes to spare, Evie wandered into the small bathroom to freshen up. She made sure her hair was still pinned the way she liked—up and pretty. Her make-up was holding up nicely despite the heat; all she needed was a fresh layer of lipstick to complete the illusion of a put-together young lady. It wasn't often she wore a dress with heels and a face of cosmetics—she liked to when the opportunity arose, but she was just as comfortable in a pair of old overalls and smudges of charcoal on her face.
Just as she wiggled back into her red pumps—discarding her worn-in house slippers with a couple of calculated kicks—a knock on the door signaled Merriells arrival. Immediately a grin curled onto Evie's lips and her heart began to pound an anxious-excited rhythm. A blush threatened to color her cheeks to give away the torrid muscle beating in her chest—her ever yearning heart already making leaps and bounds for a man she had known for mere hours.
Don't be ridiculous—she warned herself taking in a deep breath to curb the eagerness coursing in her veins. Untying her apron, she tossed it along with her discarded slippers and went to answer the door, taking one last deep breath to steady the fervor in her heart.
Merriell had changed and showered. The sweet bouquet of his shampoo coupled invitingly with the musk of the aftershave he'd chosen, making it difficult for Evie to keep from soaking in the scent he carried. His curls were still somewhat damp—too much moisture in the air to keep the heat from drying them on his way over—though they fought to spring back into their previous fluff. The grease-covered, jeans he'd been wearing had been replaced by a nice pair of tan slacks, and the buttoned shirt he wore was a soft shade of green that made his eyes glitter a deeper emerald as he stood under the glow of the porch light. All Evie could do was stare—utterly beguiled—every rational thought in her head lost to her.
Mer smirked, amused by her ogling. "Hiya."
Evie blinked, coming back to reality, suddenly feeling foolish, and uttered a nervous "hi" before swinging her arm to invite him inside.
"Come in."
Merriell's smile grew as he crossed the threshold, inhaling deeply. "Mm, smells tasty in here."
He gently forced a bottle into her hands as he passed on his way to investigate the savory smells in the kitchen.
"I wasn' sho what ya was makin', but I figured wine usually goes with anythin'."
"Oh, thank you." Evie glanced at the label, unable to read the French words printed there. "You didn't have to bring anything."
"I know," Mer shrugged, placing his hands in his pockets. "I just wanted to make a good impression."
There was something almost boyish when he smiled then—cheeks coloring pink ever-so-slightly—that made him even more of a mystery. One Evie was eager to solve.
"Well," she said placing the bottle on the kitchen table. "It should go perfectly with dinner."
His expression lost a hint of its boyish charm as it grew into a look of delight.
"Make yourself at home," Evie gestured vaguely between the table and the sofa in the living room as she ventured to the cabinet where the stemware was kept.
She placed two crystal glasses on the table along with the wine and retraced her steps to fetch some of the nicer china Jonny's grandmother had kept. Mer watched her, his gaze, gentle and attentive, and a little bit yearning as she methodically sat the table.
"Need help with anythin'?" he asked finally.
"Nope," She replied with a smile. "Everything is almost ready."
The hearty red sauce on the stove was beginning to boil again which told her it was hot enough to serve, and Evie eyed the pot with scrutiny, praying silently her attempt at cooking would go over well.
"I'll pour us a glass then," Mer announced.
"Great, lemme…" Evie spun to fish for the corkscrew in the drawer of misfit utensils, finding it, only to turn to see Merriell holding his lighter against the neck of the dark bottle just below the cork.
Before she could ask, a loud pop sounded, causing her to jump as the cork went flying.
"Oh my goodness!" she laughed, a little surprised, a little impressed. "Where did you learn to do that?"
Mer shrugged, a sly expression on his features, and left her question unanswered.
"How much ya want?" He held the open bottle over the top of her glass, waiting patiently.
"Enough," she said, tossing him a coy smirk without really meaning to.
He bit his lower lip as he smiled, chuckling under his breath when he poured a generous glass of red wine for each of them. She thanked him as he took his seat and grabbed his plate to dish out their dinner.
"How much pasta would you like?"
Mer's face lit with charm and mischief as he turned to face her.
"Enough," he grinned.
The expression on his face was playful, his smirk devious and amused by his own response and his cheekiness settled warmly in Evie's stomach. Not only did she revel in it, but she also played into his whimsy and scooped as much spaghetti into his plate as she could before coupling it with the savory sauce and a slice of bread.
Despite being only strangers, the atmosphere that bloomed that evening was not marked by any hint of bashfulness, instead, it was relaxed and amiable. Warmth that Evie had longed to dwell in again—that unrefutable kindness she'd lost with the passing of her family—flowed uninhibited from the man sitting adjacent to her. His conversation was cautious but still jovial and genuine. It was the first time since running south Evie could recall what life felt like without grief and fear weighing upon her. Merriell was a stranger, but she felt safe with him. Jonny had never made her feel that way.
"So," Evie spoke as she twirled the last bit of pasta with her fork. "What is it you do, Mr. Shelton?"
Mer cast her a look of disapproval—no doubt in retaliation to being addressed so formally—before his features softened back into a neutral, yet somehow still amused side smirk.
"Nothin' too excitin'," he stated vaguely. "The odd jobs are what I like ta do the most—like fixin' ya car this aftah noon."
Without really meaning to, Evie leaned forward, resting her elbow and chin on the table, utterly enchanted by the beautiful stranger at her table.
"You like to get your hands dirty, huh? Fixing things?" she was entirely too intrigued with the thought of what he could do with his hands.
He shrugged, suddenly modest after a foray of playfully arrogant smirks and glances. It made him abruptly twice as charming.
"I've always had a knack for it, I guess." Merriell finished the food on his plate with the help of his remaining garlic bread to mop up the sauce still left on his dish.
"What about you?" he asked after chewing. "Ya workin' anywhere?"
All at once, a proud smile lit up Evie's face. After all the excitement of seeing Merriell again, she'd almost forgotten about her good news.
"Actually, I just got a job today—the general store downtown, Southern Comfort."
Mer's face lit up too, "Birdie's place?"
"Yeah, you know it?" Of course, he knows it! She thought, Bridge City's population was slightly less than the number of people who lived in a single district back home in New York. Everyone knew everyone else.
"Sho do—I was practically raised there…ole Birdie's like a second mothah to me."
"Really?" Evie found a great deal of comfort in that notion. In fact the more she thought on it, the more she realized how similar the old woman and Mer were; they radiated the same magnetism and sincerity.
"Mmhm," he nodded, his eyes focusing elsewhere as the veil of memories danced across the contours of his features. "My mama used ta work there…once upon a time…"
"Does she still work there?"
Merriell's face lost a hit of its levity and he swallowed as though to fight off the onslaught of sudden emotion threatening to cast a shadow onto his expression.
"No…" he said softly. "She—uh—she died, about a year ago."
Shit!
Abruptly, sick knots twisted into Evie's stomach, feeling callous, but understanding of the quiet misery he hid under layers of charm and arrogance.
"Merriell, I'm…I'm sorry—I didn't mean…"
He met her eyes and cast her a quick smile—doleful, but enough to ease the awful feeling in the pit of her stomach.
"It's okay," he reassured her, reaching for his glass of wine and taking a good gulp before changing the subject. "Birdie's great—you'll enjoy workin' for her."
"I hope so…" Evie said softly, still too embarrassed to meet Mer's glance longer than a second or two.
For the first time all night the atmosphere they shared felt cumbersome—perhaps more melancholy—than she'd wanted it to get. Evie sat, worrying her bottom lip, her fingers toying with a loose thread in the table cloth as she stole quick glances through her lashes in Mer's direction.
He was nursing the alcohol in his glass with the same sadness she'd caught plaguing him as he sat at the bar hours ago. And while Evie was eager to know if his grief stemmed only from the loss of his mother, or perhaps more, Merriell was still too much of a stranger to warrant such questions. It didn't matter how easy it was to be near him, she had not earned the right to know his narrative.
A soft sigh broke past her lips as she fought to find a way to properly allay the gloom that was quickly ruining an otherwise wonderful evening. It wasn't until her eyes found their desert sitting on the counter, waiting to save the day, that she perked up.
"Got any room for apple pie?" Evie asked with a hesitant smile. She hoped he wanted to stay long enough to have a slice, though she would not have blamed him for wanting to leave.
Immediately Mer perked up too, the shadows on his features retreating with the promise of something sweet.
"I was countin' on it—seems as how you promised a slice earlier," he said with a boyish grin.
When she stood, he did too, helping clear away their dinner plates, and letting them soak in the sink to be washed later. Evie cut them each a slice of apple pie and the delight on Mer’s face made her smile too seeing him lick his lips as his grin continued to grow. Catching that flash of his tongue was like a bolt of hot lightning striking her without warning; a blush rose so quickly on her cheeks Evie had to look away to keep the blunder a secret. Thankfully, the pie was more than enough to hold Merriell’s attention away from her.
“Mmmm… Almost looks too good to eat,” he said ogling the desert in front of him.
When Evie chanced a look his way, the expression on his face caused her to chuckle, “‘oughta be, I made one for my pa every year for his birthday since I was nine. It’s probably the only thing I have any confidence in making in the kitchen.”
“Coulda fooled me,” Mer quipped as he loaded his fork with as much pie as he could.
The moment he took a bite, his brows creased, and eyes closed as he chewed painfully slow. Those few seconds were like agony. Evie’s heart was pounding in her chest with so much anticipation she feared she might faint as she watched him sample the only thing she could actually make that was worth a damn.
“Fuck me, if that ain’t the best apple pie I’ve evah had the pleasure of tasting.”
A somewhat nervous, but relieved chuckle sounded in the back of Evelyn’s throat as she watched Merriell shovel a larger bite of pie into his mouth.
“Mmm… Yep. God damn delightful.”
“Stop,” Evie said sheepishly, suddenly afraid he was overselling his reaction to keep from hurting her feelings.
“No,” he wiped his mouth and leaned across the table to meet her gaze with a sincere expression that stole away all the doubt writhing in her stomach.
“I mean it. If I wasn’t so full of pasta, I’d eat that whole damn pie right now.”
“Well,” Evie grinned softly, trying not to let her blush color her cheeks too obviously. “Thank you. And you’re welcome to take the rest of it when you go.”
Excitement took form on his face with a smirk that was sweet but roguish all at once—a sort of debonair charm that amplified his magnetism—as if his bright eyes dark curls and razor-sharp jaw did not make him alluring enough already. Again she had to look away knowing the pink in her cheeks would be too strong to combat.
“Imma have ta take ya up on that offah. An’ I’ll be thinkin’ ‘bout you every time I cut me a slice.”
That blush was unstoppable; her heart was suddenly so smitten, it felt as though butterflies were fluttering merrily in her stomach. She felt weightless with warmth and hope swelling in her bosom, fearing any slight breeze would carry her off. It was ridiculous how at ease Evie felt sitting there eating pie with a complete stranger. The conversation had been easy all night; even when it had delved into less savory topics he still made her feel comfortable. Evelyn had forgotten what it was like to be in the company of a man who wasn’t easy to anger, who was genuine and kind and wanted only to live in the moment.
For a time the whimsy of the atmosphere faded as the warmth in her heart ached, suddenly missing her brother James and Cynthia's brother Charlie. Both of them were good men, kind and genuine—like Merriell—but they had been swallowed by the rages of war. Brave young men were lost forever, while a man like Jonny Doyle was still alive How was that fair?
No matter how pleasant her thoughts could be, they always fell back to the grief that plagued her. She sighed, deeply, pushing those intrusive memories back into the depths of her mind so she could find joy once more in the moment with a kind stranger.
When Merrill finished his plate he made a beeline for the sink full of soaking dishes.
“Oh, no,” she said jumping to her feet. “I can do those.”
Merriell, however, shook his head. “Uh-uh, you did the cookin’, I can do the cleanin’.”
When Evie tried to argue, Mer simply shook his head, his grin amused but determined as he kept scrubbing the dirty dishes.
“Let me help at least,” she suggested. “I’ll dry and put them away.”
Before he could protest, she snatched the freshly rinsed dish from his hand and began wiping away the droplets of water clinging to the porcelain surface, throwing him a smug smirk that made him chuckle.
“Alright,“ he smirked.
She watched him for a moment not really paying attention to her task as he scrubbed the old plates clean, overcome with a blissful vision of peaceful domesticity. It made her stomach fill to the brim with whimsy and her heart was fluttering again; had this stranger bewitched her already? Or did what she feel bubbling lightly in her gut like a seltzer stem from an end to her loneliness—even if it was only for a few hours? Evelyn didn’t know. Nevertheless, she was intrigued with a profound feeling and she wanted to dwell in it for as long as she could.
Occasionally as he would hand a freshly washed dish her way, his calloused fingertips would brush against her skin, igniting a spark she didn’t know how to react to. It was more than an amicable tingle racing from the tips of her fingers right to her heart. And each time they touched, Merriell would cast her a gentle smile that held nothing more than his inherent charm and magnetism. She wondered if he felt it too, or if her need for companionship was playing a dirty trick on her.
When the dishes were all back in their usual places—the night drawing to a close—Evelyn realized she was not ready to say farewell to her Beautiful Stranger. She longed to stay up all night just chatting with him, she did not care about what, Evelyn only wanted to stay encompassed a while longer in the blissful warmth he brought into her life. Once he was gone, all she would be able to do was stay up and ponder the significance of those little touches and the sparks they brought.
Thankfully, Merriell lingered on the old rickety porch, one hand in his pocket, the other holding onto his plate of leftover pie, seeming to stall their inevitable departure.
“Well,” he said with a grin. “Thank you for invitin’ a stranger ovah for dinna.” He paused, glancing at the leftover pie in his hand. “Can’t recall ever having a better plate of pasta, an’ nothin’ evah gonna beat this pie.”
Evie quickly looked at her feet to hide another blush.
“It was the least I could do,” she told him before looking back to meet his eyes. “You have no idea how much of a savior you were this afternoon…”
A glint of concern flashed in his eye, his brows beginning to crease as his unspoken question lingered between them.
She thought about telling him—telling him how Jonny was nothing more than a throne in her side, and how much she cherished Merriells company—but Mer was still a stranger. It wasn’t right to unload so much onto someone she’d only known for a few hours.
Before Mer could offer any reply, the sound of screeching tires stole all their focus as an old wagon pulled along the curb—narrowly missing a collision with the mailbox. The rowdy passengers were laughing and shouting loud enough even before the door opened to let Jonny stumble out. He staggered on drunk feet and screamed a handful of profanities to his buddies in the car which made them all roar with laughter.
It was only after the wagon full of hooligans pulled away that Jonny began to stagger towards the house, and it was exactly then that Evie’s fluttering heart became consumed with panic.
She and Mer watched him cross the yard, unseen, both frozen: Evie in fear and Merriell in confusion. Jonny’s intoxication level inhibited him from taking notice of them until he was at the base of the steps leading onto the porch. Immediately, his eyes narrowed and he frowned.
“Who the hell are you?”
“Jonny, this is Mr. Merriell Shelton,” Evie said quickly, willing her voice not to shake.
The Doyle’s were not known for their hospitality, nor were they known to trust most people. Especially strangers.
“He helped me this afternoon with a bit of trouble I was having,” she explained vaguely, hoping to thwart any more suspicion. “I made him dinner to say thank you—he’s just about to leave.”
Jonny eyed Merriell, seizing him up as best he could through drunken lenses. Mer stood his ground, eyeing him back with a subtle intensity that never so much as cracked under Jonny’s scrutiny.
Finally, being the better man, Mer held out his hand in a friendly manner, “nice ta meet ya.”
Jonny cast a prolonged glare at Merriell's open hand, his brows furrowed and part of his lip hiked up in a sort of snarl. Instead of returning the kind gesture, Jonny made a show of spitting at his feet before tossing his heavy leer at Evelyn.
"Evie, do not invite any more strangers into my house. I don't care if they are dying." He shoved past them both, purposely bumping Mer's shoulder (most likely in hopes to start something) muttering as he went: "I don't trust any of these filthy southerners."
Shock sent Evie's jaw slack; this time the redness in her cheeks was a symptom of embarrassment instead of infatuation. She should have known Jonny would say something rude and uncouth. Without another thought, she grabbed Mer by his sleeve and pulled him across the lawn until they stood next to his truck parked along the curb.
"I am so sorry about him," she said, crossing her arms and glaring at Jonny's house, ashamed and angry.
Mer shrugged as he placed his partially eaten pie in the passenger seat through the open window before fixing his hands in his front pockets.
"Ya boyfriend's a bit of an asshole."
"He is not my boyfriend," Evie corrected vehemently. "I don't think he knows that though. I'm just staying here until I can figure some things out."
Merriell was quiet a moment, nodding silently. It seemed as though he was taking his time processing the whole situation. There was compassion on his face and behind his eyes, but it was guarded somehow. Evie caught it though and she was grateful when he didn't ask the questions plainly forming in his mind.
"Well," he said finally, his tone light as one corner of his mouth quirked into a grin. "Since he ain't ya othah half, I feel more inclined ta leave ya with this…"
Gently, Merriell caressed her upper arm as he leaned forward to plant a tender kiss on her cheek. He let his lips linger slightly longer than was common for such an act, that all at once wove a new hopefulness into her heart.
"Dinna was swell," he added as he pulled away, his smile somehow more charming than it had been all night. "Hope I see ya again, Evie."
"Me too," she murmured.
Evie watched as he got in his truck to leave, her hand held to the cheek he'd graced with his kiss. And when he drove away, it took everything inside of her to keep from running after him.
#Beautiful Stranger Series#Merriell Shelton x Original Character#Merriell Shelton#Snafu Shelton#HBO War#The Pacific#The Pacific Fanfiction#Rami Malek Fanfiction
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“Small thing” - Alfie Solomons x reader
A/n: So, I failed to post this on saturday but here it is! Thanks again for requesting @fifty-shadesof-tommyshelby! I changed a few things however I hope you’ll like this!
Summary: Alfie can’t help but step in when he sees that the man you were talking to was about to hit you. Then, one thing leads to another and eventually it’s your shared love for animals that’s what brings you together.
Word count: 2.2K (roughly)
TW: violence on animal, abusive behavior but fluff overall
Tag list: @mollybegger-blog, @evelynshelby, @br0ck-eddie, @of-love-and-of-the-sea, @shadow-of-wonder, @fandom--0verdose, @innerpaperexpertcloud, @sopxhiea, @fuseburner, @ashesbelle (let me know if you wanna be added or removed)
(this beautiful piece of art was made by @fortunetellingnonesense. she has other amazing art so go check her out!)
“Hey, stop! What the hell are you doing?!" Your voice resounded in the streets, its echo jumping through the buildings amplified. You weren't one to shout, nor did you get into fights easily. But if there was one thing you hated, it was bullying. Especially when those pieces of shit always picked on people half their size or age. It wasn't fair and showed how insignificant they were. However true that might be, the cuts and bruises that their kicks and fists would leave on them weren't insignificant. Especially compared to a smaller body such as the one of this little kitty that piece of shit on the other side of the road had decided to kick.
Unfortunately, it had taken the small kitten cries for you to notice what was happening. But now that you had, you couldn't turn a blind eye to it. Not even if you weren't a strong muscular person and there was no one in the streets could give you a hand. Given the hour, the street was deserted.
"This little shit has decided to pee all over my doorstep. That’ll show him." Not happy with the kick that had probably broken the kitten's ribs, the bloke spat on its trembling body and was about to keep going.
"Don't you see that it's a little kitten? They don't even know what a doorstep is." You pointed out incredulously but wasn't it obvious?
"You almost killed him", you added to show that it was totally unnecessary and simply a dick move.
"I don't fucking care. He peed on my doorstep and I taught him a lesson." His voice became even harsher as he bragged what he thought was a grand gesture. But really, he only proved your point further.
"You're a piece of shit." Simply put.
"Oi, lady, I don't know who the hell you think you are but ain't no one gonna talk to me like that." You could see that he trying to make himself look bigger and threatening but you didn’t expect anything less from him and were set on not let him win.
"If only you cared about yourself just half as much as you cared for others than I wouldn't have to point out the obvious." Dismissing him, you turned towards the poor kitten that was pathetically laying on the floor. Their breath was uneven and you could tell they were having trouble doing so.
Your words must have confused the man, who apparently wasn't accustomed to a more complex way of speaking. You hadn't apologized but he wasn't sure that you had offended him either. By your tone though, he figured out that it must have been the second. And of course, his ego was bruised.
"Right, you sl*t, it seems that you need to be taught a lesson too." Too busy cooing over the small thing, his words didn't even register. It was probably going to be too late once they did but luckily for you, a guardian angel interceded for you.
"It ain't very manly to hit a woman, mate, right." A loud husky voice spoke behind you and you looked up, cradling the kitten to your chest, ready to make a run for it if it came to it. A tall figure of a man leaning on his cane with a big hat that cast a shadow over his face was the newcomer. You had never seen this man before but one look at him was all it took to understand that you did not mess with him. If you didn't want to end up bloodied and broken, that is.
The bully was about to shoot a retort but the burly man spoke again before he could, "Just like hitting small animals. What fucking beast would do that, hm." And then he spoke no more, only stared at the guy. You found amusing how big and mighty the guy was trying to be just a moment early when it had been only you, and how scared and spineless he was being now, under the stranger's unwavering stare.
It only took a minute, maybe even less, for him to lower his head and retreat.
"That's right, no more lesson teaching for you, bastard." You snickered, mocking him. When the man in question turned to send a death stare your way, you shivered and moved behind the stranger's back, just to be sure.
"Keep on going, mate." The stranger said fully ridding you of that menace finally.
"Asshole", you muttered under your breath as the man disappeared into his house. You must have been louder than you thought because that prompted the stranger to look at you.
"What are you doing, lass, getting head to head with a guy bigger than you, eh. Got a death wish?" As you were standing close to him now, you were able to see his face clearly since he was looking down at you for the height difference. What a lovely face. A guardian angel had sent him for sure because there was no way that such a handsome and kind man would stumble into your life by coincidence.
"Look, he almost killed this kitten and was definitely going to if I hadn't stopped him." You didn’t move to put some space between you. His eyes were too mesmerizing to look anywhere but at them and the way his lips trembled before forming a small smirk, was too endearing to miss.
The stranger’s name turned out to be Alfie, but that wasn't the only thing you ended up knowing about him. He was a fellow animal lover and the human of a sweet bullmastiff. He had a trusted vet and offered to take you to him. On the way, you got to know each other. Albeit, he did all the talking, only stopping to let you answer the many questions he asked you, it wasn't annoying as it may sound. His rumbling was… comforting, in a way. It gave your mind no room to think back about what happened or worry about what could have happened if Alfie hadn't shown up. It only allowed you to lightly caress the kitten's fur and hum now and then to what he was saying.
———————————————————————————
And after months of knowing him, you could vouch that it was.
He was an interesting fellow, this Alfie. Such a scaring looking guy, all burly and dishevelled. His cane angrily stomped the ground, his boisterous voice and confident stride successful kept away any wandering eye and unwanted attention despite how difficult it was to not notice them walking down the street. Of course, since you had just met him, you couldn't know that this happened mainly because of his reputation. And you would have never guessed either because despite his rough exterior, there was an underlying tenderness in the way Alfie looked at the small thing in your arms and how quickly and unprompted he had offered to help. It was the recipe for a sweetheart, wasn't it?
"Right, I reckon we should get him some help, don't we?" Alfie couldn’t help but find you amusing and was more than willing to spend a little more of his time with you. His day had been uneventful up until now. Besides, the small thing in your arms did need help.
After the kitten was entrusted to the vet's care and eventually saved, Alfie, moved by your love for animals, had asked you to take care of his boy, Cyril. Of course, you happily took the job. Yes, the money was good and certainly helped but you mainly agreed because of him. As naive as it sounds, Alfie had made a really good impression on you that day and always had been the portrait of the perfect gentleman around you.
He would welcome you in and offer a cup of tea when you’d get to his home in the morning and another one when he'd come home in the afternoon before you'd leave. And whenever he needed to stay at the bakery until late at night, he'd phone and tell you either offering to have someone walk you home or when you'd refused to leave Cyril alone - that was your job after all- he had given you one of the spare rooms for you to crash in and get some sleep, always with the promise of a raise for the inconvenience.
You were titubant at first, yes Alfie had always been nice to you but was it enough to trust him? Eventually, you caved and stayed the night. The door of your room locked and a route for a quick escape already in mind. You'd soon find out that you wouldn't need it though. Alfie had come home a little past midnight and despite the late hour, he didn't go to bed straight away. Instead, you heard some noises coming from the living room.
Curiosity got the best of you and you ventured downstairs. You had cooked a small dinner and left some for him in the oven. Alfie however, hadn't even noticed. The concept of a cooked meal was new and far away from him, his nightly routine mainly consisted of whiskey and the papers he'd brought from the office.
Coming home to someone was also something out of the ordinary for Alfie, so when your silhouette appeared in the doorway he thought he was hallucinating. The whiskey made him a little slow but his mind still worked quickly enough that you didn't notice his moment of disorientation.
That night turned out to be an interesting one for both of you. Looking back to it, it was also a kind of turning point in your relationship. Whiskey proved to be something that made Alfie even more prone to speaking and since the night is young, you two talked a lot, and you inevitably ended up feeling closer to him.
After that night, Alfie made sure to come home a bit earlier so that you could talk a bit before you had to head home. And you ended up spending more nights at Alfie's too.
Today was one of those days when Alfie said he would come home in time for tea. So, as usual, you had got everything ready, the cookies you had just taken out of the oven were nicely arranged on a plate beside the two steaming cups of tea.
———————————————————————————
"We are restless today, aren't we? But we just came back from our afternoon walk, so what can I do for you, eh?" You were sure you sounded utterly ridiculous, using a baby voice with him but you loved doing so whenever you talked to him. And you’d swear that he could understand you.
"A-ha, these are not for you sweet boy," you tutted at Cyril when he tried to help himself to the food.
It felt like a crescendo, your relationship getting out of the acquaintances’ stage and entering something blurry that you still couldn't figure out. All you knew was that it was warm and it felt a lot like home.
"Alright, alright, I'll give you some cuddles." Yeah, maybe you were a little soft on him but how could anyone be anything but when he looked so cute laying on his back with his little paws in the air?
Exactly.
The sound of the door closing caught your attention and you got up from the ground and walked in the hallway to meet Alfie who was taking his hat off.
"Welcome back, Alfie. How was your day?" Walking to him, you helped him take his coat off. After hanging it on the coat rack, you turn back around to listen to his answer. You expected him to have moved away instead you found your faces extremely close after you had turned around.
A gasp left your lips when your noses brushed whereas Alfie appeared unaffected. His eyes flickered between yours, his moustache tickled your upper lip as he spoke, "it's about to get a lot better, it seems pet. What do ya think?" He whispered on your mouth, referring to your previous question.
The kiss was slow at first, your lips were cautious of each other, tentative and shy. Then Alfie’s hand reached the back of your head and it was like a flip had been switched. Only a brief pause to get some air, your forehead touching, before your lips reconnected. This time with far more hunger, like you had been waiting for this moment. And in fact, you had been.
"Look who's decided to join, cheeky bastard", Alfie commented, amused at his dog who was now panting on his leg. Cyril barked as if he had understood his human and you couldn't help but laugh. This dog was something else.
Your hands trailed on his shoulders up to his neck while the kiss grew more desperate and Alfie pushed you to the wall behind the coat hanger. His hands began wandering trailing down on your body and his mouth was about to follow when something humid and wet interrupted them.
Your eyes bore into his then flickered to his mouth, so close to yours, before you answered him. "I wholeheartedly agree." And that was all he needed to hear before his mouth was on yours. A shot of electricity ran through you when he did.
"I'm sorry mate, but this is a dance for two," Alfie gave him a loving pat on his head, "now where were we?" he turned back to you before connecting your mouths again.
#alfie solomons#tom hardy#tom hardy imagines#tom hardy x reader#tom hardy imagine#alfie solomons fic#alfie solomons imagine#alfie solomons imagines#alfie solomons x reader#alfie solomons one shot#alfie x reader#alfie solomons fluff#peaky blinders#peaky blinders x reader#peaky blinder imagine
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Hi!
Sorry for troubling you with this but I wanted to clarify something for myself. In those posts where you were answering people's questions about, whether Cas's got himself a soul or was saved by Jack, and were saying that it all was in the script, which leaked a long time ago, and all over your meta. But how can people, who didn't read the script and your posts, work it out? Like was there something on the show which said how souls are created through feelings? Because it seems a bit of a stretch that the authors made, for example, so much obvious that Cas's confession was love confession but failed to deliver some at least visual evidence that he got to heaven (with some spec of light in the Empty or something). They had to give some verbal or noticeable visual evidence of the process of creating a soul or Cas going to heaven.
Or we were supposed to get this from the fact that souls don't go to the Empty?
Everyone explained it with Jack because they have seen him an episode before calling desperately for Cas because he missed him and then getting the abilities to bring him back.
Figuring out the soul option from only TV episodes requires analysis if it is even possible, which i don't think, the authors thought the audience would do.
So what do you think about it?
Sorry for the length. And thank you.
So here’s the deal: do I imagine somewhere, in the depths of official business notes even beyond script drafts, there may even be a “yeah sure whatever jack brought him back” to answer any questions to the same suits that can’t tell what the fucking Roadhouse is much less more nuanced story beats? Sure.
But here’s the beats.
Check my #Shadow and #Cosmogenesis tags to begin--but in summary: the shadow is both a protogenic and personal psychological concept of the unformed or unaddressed self, and As-Above-So-Below, of the unformed and unperceived world. That is to say-- everyone and everything has a shadow. If you check out Jung, he explains essentially that the shadow is everything we repress about ourselves or fear addressing.
Now, look at the Occultum, where Jack reclaimed his soul; as Cas put it: “Loosely translated: In order to be in the occultum, the occultum must be in you.” -- but also remember the same episode highlighted “Occultum” is just Latin for “hidden.” -- They made an entire funny trade-off about that.
See, with the alchemy theme on the year, the original cipher reads, in Latin: “Visita Interiora Terrae Rectificando Invenies Occultum Lapidem,” or in English, “Visit the interior of the earth and rectifying you will find the hidden stone.”
The motto originated in L’Azoth des Philosophes by the 15th Century alchemist Basilius Valentinus. But in alchemy, the shorthand is that the earth is symbolic of the body, and the hidden stone is the perfect soul.
Naming it the Occultum in Latin, and highlighting the latin, then randomly transcribing it in Enochian for Castiel to be the one to get that line spoken was incredibly poignant: they streamlined the symbolism with his “roughly translated” commentary, but the sentiment remained. Given, the gnostic dweebs in our server, when we realized Jack literally ATE IT:
Either way, Jack disappears into the occultum within him to unlock his hidden soul, where the serpent asks one of the prime questions of the journey of the self: “Who Are You?” -- in rectifying what is found there, Jack rediscovers his soul and is reborn.
But the Occultum isn’t only JUST this literal place. It’s a place, it’s a thing, whatever it is, it’s powerful. That was the core key to come in contact with it, but the moral of the story is simple: the kingdom of heaven is within you all along.
But first we have issues to rectify.
The stages are simple. The Shadow asks, “Who are they?” in its dawning state, lacking self identity. On a cosmogenic level, this is where for example Chuck and Amara come to be. On a personal level, this is when we look both outward at other people for identity and even almost disassociated from ourselves.
“I know what you hate, I know who you love, what you fear, there is nothing for you back there.” - Castiel’s shadow on an individual level reflected this in a detached third person sort of way, even if the reflection itself is incredibly personal. The speech is “I speak in order to affirm we are the same.” -- I’m you, you’re me. But if the shadow is rejected, we do not address it.
The Animus, or basic ego, asks “Who am I?” it’s the first stage of wondering. The speech phase is marked “I don’t speak as I don’t dare.” By the next phase (Anima, the superego or dawning soul), it’s “Who are you?” and the speech phase is “I speak as I don’t dare to remain silent.”
On Castiel’s journey, this comes through things like the prayer group where he talks about rediscovering who he was. In the raw initial text, it was coming to realize that he became a father and found a family. But later, 15.18 -- as we approach a stage called Rubedo or the Magician -- has the question “Who art thou”. The speech stage is “I speak in order to hear what I have to say.”
Now, Dean for example had his share of this journey even if it was less about gaining a soul as SPN gives him one as a human birthright but more in repairing the damages on it and also learning when to let go. The four phases are also associated with birthing phases. And death phases. Rubedo is death and birth at the same time.
Notice closely Castiel’s dialogue with Dean; in Purgatory, in a stage reflective of the shadow called Nigredo, where their relationship had rotten and putrefied, he took a knee into Albedo, connected to Animus. I don’t know why I get so angry. It’s always been there. And I can’t stop it. You’re my best friend and I just let you go. No matter how hard I try, I just can’t stop it. I’m sorry it took me so long to say it. Cas, there’s something I have to tell you.
But I don’t speak as I don’t dare/you don’t have to say it.
Castiel turned around in his own awakening and answered this prayer. He addressed why Dean has these self worth and anger issues and how worthy he is of love.
This, just like several other visuals on the year (15.09, 13) are symbolic of something called the Marriage of the Minds. If Grace/Mind is embodied in Castiel, which also mirrors the divine feminine (hence calling the light Rowena parallel in both his death and what he does post-rebirth), and well--Soul and humanity has always been Dean, which is also the solar emblem. Their union gives life to the World, which they just kept kicking us in the teeth with both the phrase of over the year and the visuals in 19. Cue, planetary zoomout, for reasons.
But this also falls into the shadow’s “threat” to Castiel: When you let the sun shine on your face, that’s when I’ll come.
Castiel poured out his heart and, well... soul, basically, about Dean. He changed because of Dean. He carried his torch of right and wrong and what it meant to love because of Dean. Dean changed him. And the moon and mind was full of light reflected in the soul, because of what they did and learned for the Whole World. For love.
A phrase from the corpus hermeticum is, “The cause of Death is Love, but Love is All,” and All itself is another macro/microcosm: the All is the Shadow when perceived, the universal soul, it is essentially--in SPN terms--heaven, unadulterated by the whims of the demiurge that was Chuck. It is the place where souls are born -- as the occultum, the garden, led to Eden, which DSOTM also tells us some see as god’s throne. It’s that we all have a throne inside of ourselves.
Castiel in subsuming Death in an act of love addressed his every fear and repressed issue of himself, and came to learn that Happiness wasn’t in the having, it was in the Being, it was in the Just Speaking It. The just tweeting it out.
But if you track back to those cosmogenics tags, Being comes from the Prima Materia, and the Prima Materia once perceived is the light of the world that is the soul. Souls are real, everything else is perception. People, families, we are.
The Empty is both a cosmogenic paradox and a place within ourselves of our own hollowness -- those things we won’t let ourselves have or feel, but without it, we will never be complete. The idea embodied in the occultum is opposite of that, but also within all of us. It’s nowhere-everywhere-in-us. It’s a matter of asking: Who are you? Who am I?
“You think that’s what you are/That is not who you are.” Castiel addressed, but instead told him of love, and the world, and being the most loving man he would ever meet. “That is who you are.”
In this moment Castiel addressed both himself, and even Dean’s issues. Castiel answered who he was and, at the same time, helped Dean come to peace with who *he* is. And that sacrifice and moment would not be in vain. So it was time to stop the anger, and the desperation, and to live on as intended, and eventually let go in peace come his time.
Sam’s path on this was always leading opposite and always leading him towards earth. Not in a bad way either. It’s fine to do that. Sam had his own chance at individuality told in the future-story.
But it’s about the Shadow integration, about the difference in Being or Absence and knowing what is Good, in about the peace we can find in all of ourselves to be complete.
I do feel a bit sad that the plot end had to be diverted; they generally addressed the idea of Dean needing to speak at the end of the road. But the original point he “had to tell you” and got shut down on never manifest, to the expectable disappointment of all. But I guess that’s what eternity-ever-after is for.
“Castiel is At Peace.” -- At Peace. Heaven tag. Not the Empty. “Mary Winchester is At Peace”, remember that? And teaching the guys to let go and move on because she was at peace?
Even souls can burn out--that’s what demons even are after all. The fact that Dean’s story long walked parallel to the threat of wandering into the Empty isn’t a fluke either. Because of his own issues the concept reflects. But he didn’t. He went to heaven. And probably has 15.09 and 15.18 to thank for that in the subtext.
Integrating with the shadow to become a complete persona (Jung) or soul (general alchemy) aka gold (also general alchemy) doesn’t leave regrets to even sit there and dream about. In fact, the entire heaven structure and division--even that’s perceptual. Check out the Axis Mundi meta on that. Chuck protected his Thought Box against the shadow and it needed summoned, but anybody notice it’s fine on rolling through heaven? It’s up to the rules in each chamber there. It’s just the flipside of the garden/throne/heaven-- it’s not being At Peace. It’s not being full. It’s not being your complete self. It’s just Absence (14.18, the soul.)
The Shadow haunted Castiel as his fears, and when Castiel lacked self worth and to some extent invited death and suffering, it reflected those desires. But in addressing the reasons for having them, it turns into another form of Being entirely.
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These are actually the stats for my main @kessielrg (and I have no option to change what blog it goes to) but it's still interesting to know all the same!
I posted 641 times in 2021
95 posts created (15%)
546 posts reblogged (85%)
For every post I created, I reblogged 5.7 posts.
I added 1,201 tags in 2021
#reblog - 260 posts
#kingdom hearts - 179 posts
#writing - 163 posts
#writing stuff - 162 posts
#reference - 97 posts
#fanart - 70 posts
#fan art - 70 posts
#writing prompt - 69 posts
#gif - 67 posts
#fanfiction - 64 posts
Longest Tag: 85 characters
#even after someone pointed out that oswald was likely correcting pete's pronunciation
My Top Posts in 2021
#5
[Kingdom Hearts] Old Habits, New Reasons
Summary: Three times in which Namine shies away from social functions just to draw, and the one time someone joined her. [oneshot][character study][NamiXi if you really wanna squint][also Namiku if you squint a little less]
Rating: K
Word Count: 3,469 words
If you liked this story, please reblog!
---
Their question had thrown Namine off slightly. She sheepishly looked down at her small sketchbook as if it could answer the question for her. The white page stared back at her in silence.
A part of Namine knew this would happen eventually. There was always that fear that someone would follow her, ask her what she was doing, and then tell her to rejoin the others. But that wasn't what they were asking, was it? They wanted to know why she was drawing. It was a simple question, and it was a bit odd that someone would have lugged a caboodle of art supplies with them to a banquet.
"Well?" the other girl asked. "Is there someone who would get mad you're drawing, even if you did it around your friends?"
"I don't think so." Namine decided, slowly. "But sometimes... it's just easier to draw without other people around you. And sometimes, when people find out that you're good at something, they make you do that something for them. It's not very fun."
"Do you always leave to draw, though?"
At first, Namine wanted to disagree with all her heart. But in introspection, it was more of a vice than she cared to admit. She loved drawing, but didn't like others watching her as she did it. When did that happen, she wondered. That didn't used to be the case...
"Sometimes." Namine finally said. She held her sketchbook a bit tighter before adding, "But only on certain occasions."
"Like?"
Namine looked over at the other girl with curiosity. She was greeted with a look just as inquisitive as her own. Maybe even more so. There was a genuine interest; that much was certain. Maybe there was a budding artist in their midst?
"Well..." she carefully said, moving her sketchbook a bit to flip through the earlier pages, "There was this one time..."
. . .
It was a small comfort that, while she wasn't a Keyblade wielder herself, the others considered her when they all got together. She still made sure that her presence didn't disturb anyone. Being quiet and observant was Namine's most reliable vice. That, and drawing. There wasn't much else she knew how to do. Her time as a Nobody barely ranged a year, and after that she was placed safely inside Kairi's heart until recently. Being a Somebody was... confusing, to say the least.
Being asked to join in on a slumber party with Kairi and Xion had been a surprise- perhaps even more so because Master Aqua herself gave her the invitation. Namine certainly didn't expect it to take place in the Land of Departure either. The world seemed far too grand to her -far too important in the history of Keyblade wielders- that it could be used for anything beyond a training arena. She was proven wrong after entering the Great Hall with Kairi. Aqua had given them a spot in front of the thrones, already decorated with sleeping bags for all four of them and a small assortment of snacks.
"I've never got to have a proper slumber party before, since it was me and Terra for most of our childhoods." Aqua admitted at some point. "Feels weird having one with you guys now. I feel like a mom."
It was Xion who, without skipping a beat, cheerfully declared, "And you're the best one I'll never have!"
"Xion!" both Aqua and Kairi declared, each with their own level of bewilderment. Namine only offered a stifled laugh. So proud at their reactions, Xion gave them all a smile so big, it almost rivaled Sora's.
After that, they started to talk about various things since they all met together. Apparently everyone's training was going rather well. Kairi was beginning to get a handle of second tier elemental magic, while Xion was working on personal techniques on and off for the past week. It was around this time that Namine politely excused herself from the others. They had been so caught up in their conversation that they didn't even notice.
Namine went to where she and Kairi had placed their personal things to find her caboodle. The caboodle was a neat little box with drawers that opened the same time she opened the lid. She was able to put all her art supplies in it. Most of them, anyway- her normal sketchbook was too large to fit. Instead, she used a smaller pad that was placed where the mirror in the caboodle was. Once Namine made sure she had everything, she carefully found a spot far enough away from the others so she could draw them. It honestly wasn't very far, but it was still far enough away that the other three didn't really notice her. That was fine. If anything, it was perfect.
The sounds of the others almost masked the sound of her pencil against paper. Spending most of her life locked away with nothing but drawing to distract her gave Namine a slight skill in speed drawing. However, she took her time when she started to work on her friends. She wanted as much detail as she could.
But she didn't bother to sketch her own sleeping bag. She tried to tell herself that it was because it ruined the composition. But deep down she knew it was because she didn't fit with the others, and so it didn't need to be included.
Namine finished her drawing without the others ever knowing she was gone. She placed everything back in her caboodle, then went back as Kairi went into a long story about Tidus and Wakka back on the islands. It was nice; the sounds of friendship. Namine had been the first to go to sleep that night.
. . .
At first, the only response she got was a quiet, "Oh..."
"It was a really fun time!" Namine quickly insisted. "And it really was a treat to be included."
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20 notes • Posted 2021-06-08 17:36:10 GMT
#4
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20 notes • Posted 2021-09-09 00:37:08 GMT
#3
Beneath those statues live the Seven Sisters, spirits who watch over the citizens of Wasteland.
24 notes • Posted 2021-10-07 18:44:42 GMT
#2
[Kingdom Hearts] Misplaced
Summary: In which Xehanort finds the source of his misplaced memories… and expunges them.
Rating: K+
Word Count: 1,240
If you liked this story, please reblog!
---
To be fair, he didn’t exactly expect to be alive right now. This extraction could have damaged the both of them in ways unforeseen. He was awake now, no worse for wear at the moment, but she was still in a deep sleep. Xehanort had to force himself not to wake her up. Hearts were such a strange thing- so easily manipulated and pulled in every direction. Sleep was like a natural recovery, it seemed. So he waited.
Their air around them was thick with heat and red dust. This area was nothing more than a graveyard; no one would find them here. He had to do it here too, in the badlands of some forgotten realm. It was where he had met an enigmatic man who told of the Keyblade War and its legacy. That man had been one of the first steps toward Xehanort’s searching. This girl, who still laid unconscious, was the other.
When she finally started to stir, Xehanort’s heart jumped into his throat. He was quick to get to her side. As she hazily came to, he helped her to her feet. Not a word was said between them as he helped. However, Xehanort was not blind to how her body tensed while her senses returned- almost as if she could sense a great danger near them. It found it all dreadfully interesting.
“How do you feel?” the man asked as he let go of her body, certain that she had enough balance to stand on her own now.
The girl hesitated. She blinked once, then twice, before looking at Xehanort proper. He had expected some amount of shock, but he hadn’t really foreseen her nearly scrambling away from him. The girl even made an action as if she tried to summon her Keyblade, but nothing came of it. Xehanort simply let her do whatever she needed; not for once considering it was him causing this reaction. He simply waited for that moment of recognition- their hearts were connected for so long, after all. It would be an anomaly if there wasn’t.
Sure enough, just as he expected, he could see her eyes go from apprehensive to something a bit softer as she studied him. It happened a lot slower than what he would have liked.
“My name is Xehanort, friend.” he said to her, thinking it was time for proper introductions. “Please relax a bit more- I also wish to get to know you better.”
Again, the girl simply blinked at him. Her emerald green eyes looking over him, and a hand absently brushed against her strawberry pink hair in some effort to calm herself. She looked… confused, more than anything. Such an innocence made it hard to believe that this was the source for all his misplaced memories.
“So you’re the one.” Xehanort faintly noted, looking the girl over. “You’re not... quite what I’ve imagined.”
An embarrassed blush crossed the girl’s face. It seemed so faint against her tanned skin. This was a survivor of the Keyblade War, in line with the same generation Eraqus’s grandfather came from? He was staring at a wallflower. Then again, all he had learned so far was that appearances couldn’t be trusted. He could be wrong about her.
He hoped he was wrong about her.
“I have many questions for you.” Xehanort then said to her. “The first of which being the most obvious; what is your name?”
The wielder fidgeted slightly. “Anora.” she finally said in a soft, earthy voice.
“Anora.” Xehanort repeated, as if he were testing the word on his tongue. “You were a wielder from the Age of Fairytales. One that decided to meld into a new heart than go into sleep.”
There was a small nod- almost bashful. Or maybe timid.
“Why?”
“To… protect my friends,” she slowly admitted.
“How very noble of you.”
There was a nod, and then silence. Xehanort believed it to be because of pain. He knew of the sacrifice she had to take in order to protect those friends.
“What are we going to do now?” she questioned. “Now that our hearts are no longer together...”
“Haven’t thought that far yet.” Xehanort snorted. “Kinda working on my contingency plans, you see.”
This didn’t assure Anora in the slightest. He couldn’t help but let out another chortle at her expression. How could one so fearless in the face of uncertainty still shy away from it? Quite frankly, it was absurd.
“Your heart is going to be more susceptible to darkness with part of it missing now,” Anora pointed out, her face fully illustrating her concern, “Aren’t you worried?”
“How does it matter?” Xehanort countered. “You’re free now, as am I of your influence. We can be individuals for the first time.”
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30 notes • Posted 2021-07-09 14:39:46 GMT
#1
88 notes • Posted 2021-01-21 04:18:43 GMT
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