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hazel-light · 3 years

Text

Chapter Word Count: ~7,400

Total Fic Word Count: ~30,000

Genre: (Wedding) Fake Dating, Friends to Lovers, lots of bed sharing and every self indulgent fluffy trope possible.

Warnings: None? Lots of fluff? Occasional cussing? Some suggestive themes, moments, and jokes I guess. No smut or anything!

Disclaimer: I am not Daniel Sharman, and I do not pretend to know how he would act, speak, etc. This is fiction okay, there’s a lot of creative license, and potential to be OOC. Ricky isn’t mentioned because I started writing this before we knew he existed, so apologies for that. Also, if you’re DShar himself, please do us both a favor and don’t read this, okay???? Same if you know him 🙈

Title taken from the song Yellow Lights by Harry Hudson which suits this story quite a bit!

A/N: You thought I'd skip all the possibilities and tropes that come with the holidays?! Of course not. This is the final part to Yellow Lights. Thank you all for making my return to writing and posting so wonderful. I am so, so, grateful. I hope the ending lives up to your expectations. <3

The next month and a half passes by uneventfully. I try not to spend all of my time thinking about how great Rachel's wedding was, and equally try to ignore the wistful feeling Henry’s wedding left me with. Having Daniel be my fake boyfriend in front of my family showed me everything that I’d ever wanted; someone who fit in seamlessly, who loved me for me, with the perfect balance of romance and friendship. Whatever crush I had successfully buried when Daniel and I first met is now achingly hard to avoid. I curse my active imagination and optimism for letting me indulge in the moments of pretend, leaning too comfortably into our façade.

As a result, I don’t talk to Daniel much. He is busy finishing filming his project in London, and I try to focus on my life in LA. I’ve become paranoid that every text I send him is one too many, too annoying, or too bothersome. I figure I can reassess things when Daniel comes home from filming, and try to find my footing in our friendship again.

This seems like a solid plan until I’m on Zoom with my family for Thanksgiving. Since I’ve already flown back once this year for the wedding, and I’m planning to fly back again next month for Christmas, staying put for Thanksgiving was the economical choice. The call is mostly uneventful until the subject of Daniel comes up.

“Where’s that boy?” Aunt Judith crows from her spot at the dining table.

“Hmm?” I ask.

“She means Daniel.” Ryan rolls his eyes, bringing the iPad closer to her.

“Oh! Right.” I try to recover. “He’s still away filming his new project, actually, but I was able to fly out to see him at the end of September for another wedding, actually.”

Aunt Judith frowns. “That’s a long time to not see someone that handsome—” I start to laugh, “Are you sure he’s not cheating on you?”

Oh shit. It’s in this moment that I realize Daniel and I had never “broken up” as far as my family knows. I hear the rest of my family start sputtering in the background.

“Aunt Judith— you can’t just—”

“That’s awful, I—”

“It is kind of a long time, huh?—”

I try to keep a straight face. “Guys! It’s okay. He’s an actor, it comes with the territory. I expected this.”

“So you aren’t sure that he’s not cheating on you?” Ryan frowns.

“That isn’t what I meant, Ry. Daniel and I are fine. We’re really good, actually.”

“Well I certainly hope you’ll be bringing him home for Christmas then.” Aunt Judith huffs.

“It would be nice to see him,” Rachel speaks up for the first time, and her husband Nick nods. “I didn’t get to talk to him a whole lot at the wedding.”

I clear my throat, my mind racing. “You know, we haven’t actually talked about what we’re doing for Christmas yet; I’ll have to see what he’s doing— if he’s going to spend it with his family.”

“But you’re still coming home,” Ryan states.

“Yes, I am still coming home, no matter what.”

Ryan and Rachel’s mom, my auntie Kim speaks up. “I think it’s pretty common for a boyfriend to defer to his girlfriend’s family for the holidays. I mean, Ryan splits the day with Katharine of course, but Nick always came here with Rachel.”

“I hear you, Auntie Kim, but Daniel never gets to see his family so I’m not sure— all I’m saying is I’m not sure. He may very well come, and I will let you all know as soon as I know.” I smile tersely.

“Well hurry up, and find out,” Auntie Kim chastises. “Christmas is only a month away.”

When I hang up with them, it’s 7pm and I’m feeling antsy. How could I have forgotten that my entire family still thought Daniel and I were together? I’m not sure how to get out of this one. Tired of panicking alone in my head, I pick up my phone and dial Daniel before I can talk myself out of it. It rings and rings, and my anxiety that he won’t answer grows with each tone.

Eventually I hear rustling on the other line.

“Lauren?” Daniel’s voice crackles through the phone.

“Hi.”

“Are you alright?”

“What? Uh— yeah, I just needed to talk to you about something—” I glance at the time on my phone. “Oh god, no. What time is it there? I’m so sorry— I didn’t even stop to think about the time difference, I—”

I hear him suppress a yawn. “Lauren. It must be pretty important if you’re calling me AND rambling like this.”

“No, no, it can wait, I’m sorry— uh, go back to bed. I’m sorry I woke you up.”

“Lauren,” he stops me softly and firmly. “Stop apologizing. What’s going on?”

I sit quietly, feeling like an absolute idiot.

“Lauren, come on. You can tell me.”

“I— we… we never broke up?”

He laughs. “Sorry, what?”

“We never broke up.”

“Am I still asleep, is this a dream?”

“My family still thinks we’re together and they asked me if you’re coming home for Christmas.”

We’re both quiet for a moment.

“Oh.” is all he says.

“I talked to them for Thanksgiving, and they were asking about you. I realized too late that they thought we were still together— because I never told them we broke up. I didn’t think it through this far.”

“Right, I didn’t either.”

My phone starts ringing, telling me Daniel’s trying to FaceTime me.

I accept, and I’m faced with a dark screen.

“Why are we FaceTiming?”

I hear a lamp click on and suddenly Daniel’s face is illuminated as he lays in bed, lines from his pillow still on his face.

“Figured we should at least be able to see each other if you’re going to break up with me in the middle of the night,” he teases.

I shake my head. “Not funny, this is serious, D.”

“I know, I know.”

“If I break up with you, they’re going to yell at me and tell me I’m a stupid idiot.”

Daniel laughs.

“And if you break up with me they’re going to hate you, which means they’ll hate that we managed to ‘stay friends.’ And if it’s mutual…..” I shake my head, thinking. “They’ll think we were lying.”

“Which we were.”

I sigh, “Which we were.”

“So,” Daniel pulls his blanket up higher. “What are our options here?”

“I don’t know, that’s why I called you.”

I watch him stare off into space and reminisce about when I got to see this sleepy Daniel firsthand in Cape Cod.

“I could come for Christmas…” he trails off and I frown.

“That seems like asking a lot. You’ve already given up a lot of your free time this year for me.”

He shrugs into his pillow. “Do you not want me to come for Christmas?”

I pause. “I mean, that isn’t really the issue here. You have to be tired of being in love with me by now.”

He laughs loudly — a stark contrast to the quiet of his room. “Yes, being in love with you is very exhausting.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.”

“I’m kidding. Being in love with you is not exhausting. At all.”

I roll my eyes and say nothing. “I don’t think I can bear to break your family’s hearts at Christmas of all times.”

“Man of the year.” I drawl. “What are you supposed to be doing for Christmas? Going home?”

“No, usually I travel somewhere, but I hadn't decided yet.”

I hum in response.

“Kind of leaning towards traveling to Massachusetts now, if I’m honest.”

I look at him incredulously, only to see a playful grin on his face, but I know he’s serious.

“I’m not going to stop you if you really want to come. But I—” I swallow. “Eventually we’re going to need to plan for whatever happens after Christmas.”

He nods. “I know, we will. Let’s just enjoy Christmas together, first.”

I smile. “Okay. We can enjoy it. Together.”

He clears his throat. “I hope I’m not too rusty at this boyfriend performance, it’s been a few months.”

“Daniel Sharman has performance issues… I hope that doesn’t get out to the press.”

His eyes flash. “Bold, for you.”

I shrug. “You walked into that one, baby.”

“Well, you’re lucky you’re cute, darling.”

We look at each other for a moment, and I hope my eyes don’t give away how fond I am for this man who is willing to commit to fake-loving me, and putting up with my family, and who is setting the bar way too high for any actual real relationship I could hope for.

So much for reburying my feelings.

I break eye contact first. “I’ll let you get back to sleep. Sorry again for waking you up.”

“Do Not Disturb doesn’t apply to you, Lauren. Call any time.”

I smile softly. “Sweet dreams, I’ll text you tomorrow.”

“Goodnight.��

—-

I’m standing in the Boston Logan airport waiting for international arrivals; specifically Daniel’s flight from London. According to the board, his flight landed 15 minutes ago, so he should be coming to the lobby any time now. I bounce on my feet, simultaneously eager and nervous to see Daniel for the first time since parting ways after Henry and Claire’s wedding.

Eventually I see the hat and sunglasses I recognize from a selfie he sent me earlier, and I can feel my heart race. I begin walking towards him, and feel my pace quicken as I get closer. Eventually he sees me too and he’s grinning at me with his signature toothy smile that I missed so much.

When we come into contact I don’t know what the appropriate response is, so I simply grin up at him.

“Hi,” I breathe.

“Hi,” he smiles back, and before I know it he’s closer than he was before and he’s ducking down to kiss me.

It surprises me but I respond quickly, leaning up to meet him.

When it’s over he pulls back just enough to nuzzle his nose with mine.

“Missed you,” he says softly.

“Missed you most.” I smile.

He stands up straight, adjusting his backpack on his shoulder, threading his other hand through mine.

I can’t see his eyes, but I assume he must be looking around when he speaks.

“Oh, are you by yourself?”

The question catches me off guard.

“Yeah— well, Ryan’s in the car, circling so he wouldn’t have to pay for parking,” I roll my eyes.

He nods, “Sorry, then—“ he makes an inconclusive gesture. “Suppose I didn’t need to kiss you quite yet.”

My stomach drops and I smile tightly, “That’s okay— better safe than sorry. I get it.”

He tugs on my hand pulling me into a hug.

“I did miss you, though.”

“And I still missed you most.” I tease.

Daniel shakes his head, but doesn’t argue, pulling back from me and reaching for his suitcase with his freehand.

“Let’s get this show on the road.”

—-

I bring Daniel upstairs to show him around, and so he can put his suitcase in my room.

“Welcome to my childhood bedroom,” I announce, opening the door and leading Daniel inside.

“Wow, where little Lauren grew up,” Daniel teases looking around. When I first arrived home yesterday, I was quick to tidy up, and hide anything that was too embarrassing, but my room is more or less the exact same as I had left it when I was 18 and moving to college.

I nod. “Yes, many secrets to my backstory can be discovered in here.”

Daniel laughs.

Ryan appears in my doorway leaning against the doorframe.

“Just so you know, Daniel, my bedroom is on the other side of this wall,” he nods to his right. “I can hear everything that happens in here. The walls are thin.”

I frown, blushing, “Ew, Ryan.”

Daniel just laughs and smirks, “Got it, bro.”

I look at him incredulously, “Don’t encourage him.”

The two share a look and shrug, seemingly equally enjoying my discomfort.

“Dinner’s ready!” Auntie Kim calls up to us.

I use that as my cue, brushing past both of them to go downstairs, leaving their laughter behind me.

—-

After Christmas Eve dinner, Katharine stops by and the four of us decide to watch the classic, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I’m the last to arrive in the living room, and when I enter I immediately notice that Ryan is cuddled up with Katharine, and sprawled out over the entire couch, leaving Daniel sitting in the only other seat— the armchair.

I narrow my eyes at them, “Are you guys for real?”

Ryan looks at us and hums innocently, “What?”

“You took the entire couch.”

I see Katharine bite her lip in amusement, as Ryan shrugs.

“I assumed you guys would cuddle anyway. Can you not share the armchair?”

Daniel intervenes, “Of course we can. C’mon Laur.”

He pats his lap. I hesitate briefly before nestling into his lap, tucking my head into his neck.

“Am I crushing you?” I whisper.

“Not at all, you’re keeping me warm.”

I huff a laugh as he puts the blanket over us and Ryan starts the movie. The steady rise and fall of his chest brings me a sense of peace and I have to try not to fall asleep, especially when his fingers gently caress my arm and my leg where he’s holding me to him. I exhale, turning further into his neck and nuzzling into him.

“Tickles,” he breathes, just shy of a whisper.

“You smell good,” I tell him, letting my eyes close.

His chuckle reverberates through his body. “Thanks, darling.”

I feel my eyes shut and sleep take over. I start to come to when I hear the ending song come on, and it drifts into whatever dream I’m having.

“She asleep?” I hear Ryan ask.

“Think so,” Daniel answers.

“You need help waking her up?”

“No, I’ve got it, thanks though. Nice seeing you, Katharine.”

I hear footsteps retreat and feel a series of kisses pressed to my shoulder, as Daniel’s long fingers brush hair away from my face.

“Time to wake up, pretty girl. You can go back to sleep once we’re in your bed.”

I shake my head no, clinging to him tighter.

“Like this bed.” I murmur drowsily.

He laughs softly. “Promise we can cuddle there too.”

“Promise?” I ask, peeking one eye open.

“I promise,” he confirms, pressing one more kiss to my shoulder.

I lift my head to look at him, rubbing my eyes.

“There she is,” he smiles gently at me.

I smile back sleepily, the words coming out before I fully think them through.

“Wanna know a secret?”

“Tell me.”

I swallow, letting my gaze flicker down to his mouth for just a moment. “I like cuddling with you.”

“You do, huh?”

I nod.

“Well the feeling’s mutual. Let’s go upstairs and brush our teeth so we can cuddle more in your bed.”

“Okay,” I relent, getting off of him. He stands up after me and I instinctively lace my fingers with his, leading us back upstairs. When we’re brushed and changed, we settle ourselves in bed and I claim my spot tucked into his neck again.

“Sweet dreams,” he says, kissing the top of my head. I echo the sentiment and gently kiss the spot on his neck I’m closest to. His arms tighten around me and I’m falling asleep again.

—-

For once, I wake up before Daniel. He looks peaceful as he sleeps on his stomach, his arm across my waist, face half smushed into the pillow. I turn my head to look at the clock to see it’s about 9:30 and know the others will be waking up soon. I turn back to Daniel and card my fingers gently through his hair. Eventually his breathing changes and his eyes flutter open, still clouded with sleep.

“Merry Christmas,” I whisper, our faces just inches apart.

He pulls himself closer to me, nuzzling into my side and closing his eyes again. “Merry Christmas.”

It’s quiet for a moment before he speaks again, voice raspy with sleep. “Is everyone else awake?”

“No, I don’t think so. I haven’t heard anyone up and around… they might be soon. Usually we kind of wander downstairs around 10, and it’s just past 9:30.”

He hums in response.

“You can go back to sleep for a little while if you want,” I offer, still running my fingers through his hair. “I’ll wake you when it’s time to go downstairs.”

I start to think he’s drifted off to sleep again when he opens his eyes and looks at me. “No, I can get up. I want to give you your present.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “I told you not to get me anything; you coming here like this with me— twice— is more than enough.”

He rolls his eyes, detaching himself from me and rolling out of bed. “And look like the asshole who didn’t get his girlfriend anything for Christmas? Not a chance.”

I sit up. “We could’ve lied about it—”

“Lauren,” Daniel looks back at me exasperatedly, leaning over his suitcase. “It’s Christmas. Please just open your present.”

He pulls out a neatly wrapped, thin rectangle and places it in my lap, sitting next to me on the bed.

“Merry Christmas, Laur.”

I carefully unwrap the package to reveal a framed art print, with a circle of stars in the middle; underneath it says “The Night Everything Changed” with the coordinates of what I assume to be Los Angeles. I look up to him with soft eyes, and he gives a one shouldered shrug.

“Saw an ad for this online— where you can get the night sky documented of any night you want, anywhere you want. I thought it would be nice to commemorate this past year, for us…” he trails off, and I hug the frame to my chest.

“Daniel, I love it— Really, really love it. It’s so thoughtful.” I reach out and thread our fingers together. “I’m going to hang this in my room. I want it somewhere I see every day.”

He smiles and squeezes my hand. “I’m glad you like it. I actually wanted to talk to you about something— in relation to this. I—”

We’re interrupted by a light knocking on the door, and we both turn.

“Are you guys awake?” Ryan’s voice calls.

“Yeah, we’ll be out in a sec!” I answer.

I turn back to Daniel who squeezes my hand and moves to get up, but I pull him back.

“They can wait; this is special. I want to hear what you have to say.” I smile at him warmly, but he shakes his head, lifting the back of my hand to kiss it.

“It’s alright, I’d rather wait and tell you when we have more time to talk.”

I frown. “Promise me you won’t forget?”

He laughs. “Trust me, I won’t forget.”

He moves to stand, pulling me up with him to go downstairs, but I stop him, wrapping my arms around him tightly.

“Thank you, D. It means a lot to me.”

He returns my embrace, placing a kiss to the top of my head.

When we pull apart, I take his hand again. “Time for Christmas. Your present is under the tree, by the way.”

Daniel laughs. “A present double-standard.”

I shake my head and lead him out of the room.

—-

I think we’re done with presents when Ryan surprises me, coming over to Daniel and I on the loveseat.

“This is for both of you, kind of.” He hands me a thin, narrow gift.

Daniel looks up, surprised. “Thanks, man. That was thoughtful of you.”

He looks at me, silently asking, did you know about this?, and I shake my head no.

I unwrap the package to find a small frame, with a one hundred dollar bill matted in the middle. I look at Ryan and furrow my eyebrows.

“It's the hundred bucks I said I’d give you if you brought a real date to Rachel’s wedding. Seeing as the same guy is here for Christmas I figured you earned it. Thought I’d frame it— but you can take it out and spend it on a date or something, I don’t care.”

Auntie Kim squints. “Sorry, you told her what?”

I roll my eyes and try to avoid the way my stomach sinks at the reminder of how this all started.

I feel Daniel’s hand on my knee. “Clever, Ryan.”

I look over at him to see him flashing his polite interview smile, and I instantly know he knows exactly what I’m feeling.

Auntie Kim stands and stretches. “I don’t get it, but I’m going to go start breakfast. Your sister and Nick are picking up Judith soon and then they’re coming over. Katharine isn’t coming until dinner, right, Ryan?”

As Ryan confirms, she walks out of the room. Ryan turns back to us. “Mind if I shower first?”

I shake my head no, still lost in my thoughts, and I hear Daniel tell him to go ahead.

We’re left alone and I feel Daniel’s thumb brushing my knee.

“Thank you for my presents.”

“You’re welcome— I’m glad you like them; they don’t beat your present for me though.”

He rolls his eyes and we sit for a moment, the framed hundred dollar bill still in my hands.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

I look at him and shake my head. “I don’t know. Just an odd reminder of how this started, and that it’s going to have to end soon, I guess.”

Daniel frowns. “We haven’t really gotten to talk about that. Why don’t we table that for later— we still have a nice day ahead of us. Those are problems for tomorrow.”

I nod and smile at him, and he pulls me in to kiss my temple, and I hear the click of an iPhone camera. I look up to see Auntie Kim in the doorway.

“Sorry, I just wanted to tell you that the coffee’s on. It was too cute not to capture.”

Daniel stands up, offering me his hand. “Make sure you send me a copy. I’ll have to add it to my collection.”

I chuckle as I stand. “Let me guess; the album is called ‘Cute and Shit.’”

He grins. “How’d you know?”

—-

Christmas flies by. It’s filled with good food, wine, and everyone I love. It’s hours after dinner, and Auntie Kim has already driven Aunt Judith home before going to bed herself.

Ryan, Katharine, Daniel, and I are all still seated around the dining room table playing some kind of team card game, and everyone’s faces are red from laughter and wine.

I can’t help but watch Daniel, who is in some kind of hilarious argument with Ryan over some card he pulled. His eyes shine from the light of the chandelier, and his smile is big and bright, taking over his whole face.

It hits me in this moment that I’ve surpassed unlabeled romantic feelings; I am truly in love with this man. The realization consumes me until Katharine knocks her shoulder into mine giggling.

“Can you believe we love these idiots?”

“Sometimes it’s a hard pill to swallow,” I tease, giggling, catching Daniel’s eye mid-argument. He winks at me and I feel my already red cheeks flush even deeper.

“You two are so cute,” Katharine continues, watching our interaction. She lowers her voice, whispering to me behind her wine glass. “I was kind of worried that when you got a boyfriend he wouldn’t mesh well with our dynamic, ya know? But it kind of feels like Daniel’s always been here.”

Her words vocalize the thoughts that have been ringing in my head all day. “I know what you mean.”

Katharine dramatically clears her throat. “Are you two done? Is it our turn yet?”

—-

We part ways from Ryan and Katharine in the hallway, giggling and shushing each other in the wee hours of the morning. I shut my door behind me and waggle my eyebrows at Daniel.

“Uh oh, there’s trouble,” he teases. “Planning to seduce me?”

I shrug exaggeratedly and he laughs before looking around. “Fuck, where are my sweatpants?”

I giggle. “They’re literally right behind you on the chair.”

“Oh, thanks.” He grabs them before looking at me. “Can I change in here tonight?”

I flush. “Yeah, sure.”

After sharing a room together all this time, this is the first time we’ve changed in front of each other and the thought makes my skin tingle. I make my way over to my dresser, pulling out my own sleep shorts and t-shirt. I wiggle out of my pants and pull on my shorts, glancing over my shoulder to see Daniel, shirtless, adjusting his sweatpants on his hips. My throat runs dry, and I turn around to pull my own shirt over my head, reaching behind me to unclip my bra once it’s on. I bundle my discarded clothes in my hand, walking over to toss them in the hamper. I turn around to find Daniel already looking at me. He’s still shirtless and my eyes drift to his defined chest. He looks down as if noticing for the first time.

“It’s really, uh, hot in here.” He speaks again. “Would it bother you if I slept shirtless?”

I shake my head, mentally screaming. “No, it is warm,” I agree, reaching up to put my hair in a bun on top of my head.

He watches me intently, and I laugh self consciously. “What?”

“Nothing. Just thinking about how this was the best Christmas I’ve had in a while.”

My face lights up. “Really?”

“Yeah.” I see his grin quirk up, and know something else is coming. “I’d say it was almost perfect.”

“Oh?” I question, finishing my bun. “Go on.”

“We fit in a lot of classic traditions today, but we missed one that I’m quite fond of.”

I look at him, trying to think of what it could be, as he takes a step closer to me.

“There wasn’t any mistletoe.”

I swallow. “There wasn’t.” I pause, my mind racing. Before I can fully think it through I find myself offering, “But we could pretend?”

“Hmm?” He murmurs, taking a step closer to me so he’s right in front of me now. I know he’s giving me a chance to take it back, or make a joke; I’m nervous, but I don’t want to take it back. I just really want to kiss him.

“I’d really like it if you had a perfect Christmas.”

“And you?” He questions softly. “What would make it a perfect Christmas for you?”

Instead of answering him, I reach up on my tiptoes to kiss him for a moment, pulling back to look him in the eyes. His eyes meet mine in some unspoken understanding, and then he’s dipping down to kiss me again.

He kisses me softly, delicately, like all the kisses at the wedding. He pulls back briefly to look at me, as if he still expects me to change my mind. I kiss him again, wanting there to be no doubt in his mind, and he kisses me back with purpose and passion, and I’m caught off guard by the weight of it. I gasp, and Daniel uses this opportunity to deepen the kiss, pulling me closer. It reminds me of our very first kiss back on his couch. My arms move around his neck, pulling our bodies flush together.

Daniel pulls away first, but barely, breathing hard, kissing down from my jaw to my neck.

This is definitely new territory for us.

I move my hands to his hair, and he groans at the feeling. I can’t help myself as I sigh breathlessly, a shiver running down my back. He grins against my neck, his teeth scraping at my skin and I moan softly.

“Wait,” I say breathlessly, a thought somehow flitting through my mind. “Earlier, didn’t you say there was something else I should know about my present?”

“I can tell you tomorrow,” he murmurs into my neck between kisses. “It’s time for bed.” He tugs me down onto the bed so I’m underneath him, resuming his kisses on my neck.

“This doesn't seem like going to sleep to me,” I tease.

“It is, shhhh, you’re dreaming.”

“That I’d believe,” I laugh, and Daniel smirks, moving so we're eye to eye again.

“Dream about me often?”

“Shhh.” I pull him closer, turning his words back on him. “You’re dreaming, go back to bed.”

“Happily,” he murmurs, kissing me again.

I bring my hands down to his bare shoulders, feeling his warm, toned skin against my fingertips. I gently drag my nails down his chest to his stomach, and I feel his muscles clench at my touch. I can’t help but smirk to myself as he pulls away to rest his forehead on my shoulder, letting out a shuddering breath. I bring my nails around his back, tracing up his taut muscles and across his shoulder blades.

I feel one of his hands come down, pushing my shirt up, his mouth pressing hot kisses to my abdomen. His nose takes over pushing my shirt up, exploring every new inch revealed with his mouth, his hand now running over my thigh, fingers squeezing occasionally, slowly climbing higher. As his hand reaches the bottom of my shorts, he lightly tugs at the fabric. He pauses, his blue eyes tentatively peering up at me.

“Can I…?” He looks nervous, like I’ll reject him. As if I have ever rejected him, or could ever manage to deny him. I’m not even entirely sure what he’s asking but I find myself nodding quickly. As he goes to tug my shorts down we hear a bang on the wall we share with Ryan followed by a crash, a “Shhhh” and a “Shit.”

We both startle and look over toward the wall, before looking back at each other and laughing softly.

“Ugh, I don’t want to know,” I say, shaking my head.

“You probably, definitely don’t.” He smiles at me before pulling his hand off my shorts, and my shirt back down, letting his fingers trace along the waistband of my shorts before he clears his throat. “We should, uh, get some sleep.”

I blink at the abrupt change in mood before nodding awkwardly. “Okay, sure.”

He rolls off of me, and I reach over to shut the lamp off. I’m hesitant to cuddle up to him, unsure if what just happened changed something between us, but I’m relieved when I feel his arm wrap around me the way it always does. Neither of us say anything, and I try not to think about the last few minutes, the firmness of his body behind mine, or the way my body’s buzzing— closing my eyes to try and get some rest.

—-

The next two days with my family go pretty much the same way as Christmas did. Daniel gets on swimmingly with everyone, and my heart aches every time I realize that once the holidays are over, our charade is going to come to an end—a permanent end— this time. I try to ignore that thought and enjoy my time, basking in the coupley moments in front of my family, and leaning into every touch we share.

I never get a chance to ask about my Christmas present; the time never feels right, and Daniel doesn’t bring it up either. Nothing happens between us like Christmas night; when bedtime rolls around we change in the bathroom and go straight to bed. We cuddle, but there’s no after-dark kisses or wandering hands. I wonder if Daniel feels as self-conscious about that night as I do; if he does, he doesn’t show it.

—-

We’re in my room packing to go back to LA in an effort to try to beat the inevitable New Year’s rush at the airport.

“I need to find something to wrap this in so it doesn’t break in my luggage,” I frown, holding up Daniel’s present. “It’s my new prized possession— nothing can happen to it.”

Daniel looks over and laughs. “Want me to wrap it in my sweatpants? That's what I did on the way here.”

“Okay, thank you.” I pad across the floor and pass him the frame, our fingers brushing in the process.

“Of course.” His lips quirk up as he carefully arranges the frame in his suitcase.

A moment passes, and I wonder if now is a good time to ask about my present .

“Hey, I’ve been wanting to ask—“

“Oh, I’ve been meaning to ask you—“

We both stop mid-sentence and Daniel laughs, “Sorry what were you saying?”

I shake my head, courage gone. “No— sorry, go ahead.”

He looks at me curiously but continues, “Henry texted me; he and Claire invited us to their New Year’s Eve party. They’re having it in LA this year.”

I quirk an eyebrow. “Us? They want me to go?”

He shrugs. “Yeah, Claire apparently requested your presence specifically.”

“Oh, that’s nice of her. I usually stay in for New Year’s.”

“It could be fun— if you aren’t sick of me yet,” Daniel teases.

“Ha!" I laugh, "If you aren’t sick of me yet, more like.” I shake my head. “And don’t mind sharing your friends with me.”

“They’re basically your friends now, too,” he argues.

“I’m not sure one wedding constitutes that, but I appreciate the sentiment.”

“You should come.”

I stop and look at him.

“I’ll call a car and pick you up on the way.”

When I hesitate, he softens his voice. “Please come.”

I swallow, “Okay.”

I’m not a big party person, but I also know I don’t have it in my heart to deny him, especially after everything he’s done for me.

He grins. “Really?”

I nod. “Yeah, I’ll go.”

“Cool, I’ll, uh, let them know we’re coming.”

I bite my lip to suppress my smile and start planning my outfit in my head.

—-

When we arrive at Claire and Henry’s house on New Year’s Eve, I try not to gawk at the size. It’s massive and sits high on one of the tallest hills in LA, away from the noise of the city.

The first person to spot us as we walk in is, unfortunately, Eleanor. I’d hoped she was in London, and away from us, but alas.

“Daniel!” she squeals, throwing her arms around him. “I was so hoping you’d be here.”

“Hi, El,” he placates her with a strained smile. “You remember Lauren?” He gestures back to me.

“Laura?” she asks, disinterested.

“Lauren,” I correct, forcing myself to smile. “Nice to see you again.”

“Eleanor,” Daniel intervenes. “Could you point us in the direction of Henry and Claire, perhaps?”

She frowns, but quickly covers it up. “They were in the kitchen last I checked— we have just got to catch up later.”

“We will!” He agrees graciously. “Let us get a drink, and I’m sure we'll have plenty of time to talk later.”

Daniel puts a hand on my back, guiding me forward and into another room, which turns out to be the kitchen. He’s immediately drawn into a series of bro hugs and handshakes by Henry and some of his other friends.

“Lauren! I’m so glad you came!” I turn to find Claire by a table of beverages.

“Claire! So nice to see you, thank you for inviting me.”

“Thank you for coming,” she says, pulling me into a quick hug. “I told Daniel he just had to bring you.”

I laugh. “He told me you were quite persistent— I usually have a low key New Year’s at home, but this is a fun change of pace.”

“Can I get you a drink?” She asks, already reaching for a bottle of champagne.

“Sure, thank you.” I catch Daniel’s eye across the room; he’s being clapped on the back and led out of the kitchen. I smile reassuringly, hoping to communicate that I’m fine here. He seems to understand, as he smiles back and nods before turning back to his friends.

Claire giggles, bringing my attention back to her.

“You look at him with such heart eyes, it’s cute.”

I try to keep my face from panicking. “Sorry?” She laughs like my reaction is the funniest thing in the world. “Oh don’t worry, he looks at you just the same, so you’re fine.”

I chuckle nervously. “I think maybe you’ve got the wrong impression—”

She shrugs like we’re talking about something commonplace, like the weather.

“Maybe, it’s possible... but I don’t think so. Now come! There’s some other girls I’d love for you to meet.”

—-

I spend a good portion of the night talking with Claire and her friends. They’re all very kind to me, but eventually I excuse myself to get some air out on the balcony.

I’m looking up at the sky — it’s dark, dotted with faint stars and a distant passing plane — when I hear somebody come out and join me. As they settle next to me against the railing I immediately know who it is just by how comfortable I feel.

“Whatcha doin out here, LaurLaur? The New Year’s only a few minutes away.”

I grin at him. “Just getting some air and admiring the stars. From up here you can actually see them.”

He hums, looking up with me.

“It reminds me of a certain piece of art a certain someone got me for Christmas.”

He chuckles. “I’m glad you like it so much.”

“It was very thoughtful…. I wonder if any of the stars are in the same places as they were that night.”

“Which night?”

“The night everything changed. Your birthday.”

Daniel leans against the railing facing me, and looks like he’s about to say something before he changes his mind.

Eventually he speaks again. “Things are going to change again soon, right? You said you’re sure about the break up?”

I swallow, scoffing my shoe against the balcony floor.

“I mean, we still need to figure it out, but you can’t keep fake dating me forever. That isn’t fair to you.”

He smiles wistfully. “It’s not like there was anyone else I was trying to date.”

“I’m a lucky girl,” I lament, and Daniel blushes and shakes his head. “It’s a real shame we’re over, though," I jest, trying to lighten the mood. "I’ve never gotten to kiss anyone at midnight.”

His eyebrows raise in surprise. “Never?”

“Nope,” I pop the p and look down at my feet.

“Well.” He clears his throat conspiratorially. “We can agree not to bring our fake relationship into the New Year if you want, but if the kiss starts before midnight, I think we’d get by on a technicality...”

I laugh. “You really want Eleanor to hate me, don’t you?”

He grins cheekily and shakes his head. “Nah, I think I saw her latched onto some other poor bugger inside. We’re in the clear.”

I roll my eyes, looking back up at the sky. I feel his finger trace my arm, gently using my elbow to turn my attention back towards him.

His voice is softer now, “It’s up to you, but there’s no one else I’d rather kiss at midnight.”

I look into his eyes and realize he’s being sincere. My heart’s beating out of my chest. Yes, I want to kiss him, but I want it to mean something. I keep giving in because I know one day this is all going to go away, and I’ll be left with just my memories and heartache.

He must see some hesitance in my eyes, because he’s taking a step back.

“If you don’t want to, it’s fine. Really.” He shoves his hands in his pockets. “Not trying to pressure you into doing something you don’t want to do.”

I shake my head. “It’s not that I don’t want to, I just…” I trail off, looking over the balcony, trying to swallow my feelings, which have manifested as anxious tears in my eyes. I feel a tear escape, and I hastily reach up to wipe it away.

“Hey,” Daniel says gently. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“You didn’t.” I let out a watery laugh. “Sorry, I don’t know why I’m…”

I feel his steady stare, and I come to terms with the fact that I’ve really gotten myself into a mess that I can’t just smooth over. I’m going to have to tell him.

I take a minute to compose myself, and Daniel stays quiet giving me time to put my words together as I look anywhere but at him.

“I do want to kiss you, D,” I start slowly, trying to keep my voice steady, “but I can’t if it’s just another part of our fake relationship.”

He tugs me closer by hand, gently, so I have no choice but to look at him. I swallow the lump in my throat. “I… know this wasn’t supposed to be real. But it has been, for me.”

He shakes his head and squeezes my hand. “So then stop trying to break up with me.”

I blink at him, and he continues.

“The night everything changed— your star map— I wasn’t referencing the story we told your family about my birthday.” Daniel looks at me long and hard like I’m missing something totally obvious. “It’s actually the stars from a night a month or so later.”

A month or two— Oh. OH.

“The night Ryan FaceTimed me?” I whisper, afraid to be wrong.

He takes my other hand in his, lacing our fingers together. “Listen— Fuck. I’m in love with you, Lauren.” He looks at me so intensely and my head is spinning. “I love you, and I’m in love with you.”

“What?” I ask dumbly.

He licks his lips. “A wise woman once said to me, you don’t confess to ‘kind of like someone’ when you’ve already been friends as long as we have.”

I stare at him for a second, my cheeks burning. “Well your friend sounds pretty smart.” I swallow. “Because I love you, too.”

He laughs, relief flooding his features. He pulls me to his chest, crushing me and squeezing the air out of my lungs. Eventually he pulls back, hands cupping my face.

He grins and shakes his head. “She is smart, so, so smart, but I don’t want to be her friend anymore.”

“What do you mean?” My brows furrow in confusion, worried that somehow I’ve misread this whole interaction, my relief quickly being replaced by panic.

“Well.” He steps forward, keeping our faces incredibly close. “I’m hoping she agrees to be my very real girlfriend— that is, if she doesn’t break up with me first.”

I hear everyone inside start the countdown to midnight. I’m still looking into Daniel’s eyes in disbelief, my hands clinging to the front of his shirt.

When the countdown hits one, I’ve finally found the words I want to say.

“Happy New Year, boyfriend.”

He’s grinning as he kisses me, and I am too. It’s not our most elegant kiss, a mess of teeth and giggles, and whispered “I love you”s. We never stray too far from each other’s lips, kissing again and again like we can’t get enough— and maybe we can’t.

Eventually, we calm down a bit, and when we kiss this time it’s all-consuming, sucking the air out of my lungs. It feels like my love is fizzling to the top of my skin, and I feel it. ‘It’ being every indescribable emotion in our kisses this past year, but this time I know what it is: true, unadulterated, uninhibited love. I am in love with my best friend, who is now my boyfriend, and I don’t care who knows it— as long as he does.

His fingers press bruisingly into my hips before he pulls back just enough to look at me.

“Can we go home?” He whispers sheepishly, brushing some hair out of my face tenderly. “I’m kind of tired of sharing you with the public.”

I huff a laugh. “I know exactly what you mean.” I lean forward to kiss him one last time before pulling back to lace our fingers together, squeezing tightly. “Please— take me home, D.”

I don’t have to tell him twice.

---

tagged: @rogershoe @heyrowena @yunsh-17 @trenko-heart @dylxnshxrmxn

#THE END!!!!#can you believe it?!#daniel sharman fluff #daniel sharman x oc #daniel sharman fanfiction #daniel sharman fanfic #daniel sharman fic #daniel sharman imagine #yellow lights

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honey-dewey · 3 years

Text

Christmas Miracle

Marcus Moreno/Reader

Word Count: 2,107

Warnings: Mild descriptions of the magic of childbirth and all the wonderful things that come with it

4 AM on Christmas morning was not when you wanted to be going into labor. And yet here you are, at 4 in the morning, on Christmas day, about to have a baby. Of course, that would be a lot easier if your lovely husband actually believed you were in labor.

You groaned, rubbing your back and heading back to the bed you shared with your husband. Eight months pregnant and you were starting to regret having a kid. But you were a sucker for Marcus’s puppy eyes and Missy really wanted a sibling, so you’d caved.

Checking your phone, you sighed. Four AM on Christmas morning. Of course the baby had to sit practically on your bladder at the ass crack of dawn on Christmas morning.

Marcus was still dead asleep as you went to go crawl back into bed. For a superhero with incredible reflexes, you were shocked at how heavy of a sleeper he was.

Right as you put your hands on the edge of the bed, you felt warmth trickle down your legs. Looking down, you saw a growing puddle on the floor, illuminated only by the dim lamp you’d turned on.

“Fuck,” you grumbled, wondering how the hell you’d just had an accident right after using the bathroom, and then it hit you.

“Marcus,” you reached over the bed as best you could and nudged your husband. “Marcus!”

Marcus rolled over, sleepy eyes still half closed. “What?”

“My water just broke.”

Marcus didn’t answer. He checked the clock over your shoulder and let out a long sigh. “Babe, that isn’t funny. Go back to sleep.”

You raised your eyebrows. “Marcus Moreno!” You hissed quietly, desperate to keep Missy asleep despite her being all the way down the hall. “I am standing in a puddle of amniotic fluid, and you are absolutely right, this is not funny because it is not a goddamn joke!”

As soon as he realized you were serious, Marcus was awake. He rubbed his eyes and pulled a shirt on, looking at you, standing there in soaked pyjama bottoms and one of his old shirts. “But we don’t have a bag packed and we aren’t ready! I thought you weren’t due until the end of January!” He said, rushing around. “Should we call the doctor?”

“Yeah,” you said, trying to calm your rushing heart. “I’ll start cleaning this up, I guess.”

“No,” Marcus said, handing you the phone, which was already ringing. “You call, I’ll clean.”

So you waited on the phone while Marcus grabbed a towel from the hall closet. The receptionist picked up and transferred you to the doctor, who you explained the entire situation to.

“Well,” the doctor said, clearly as sleepy as you. “I guess you’re having a baby today. Come in ASAP, we really can’t wait if your water just broke.”

“I’m sorry, what?” You said, looking at Marcus’s worried face. “I’m not having the baby today.”

“Yes you are.”

“No, I’m not,” you insisted. “It’s Christmas.”

The doctor laughed slightly. “Yes it is,” she agreed. “And you’re having a baby today.”

Marcus took the phone before you could argue back. “We’ll be there soon,” he said, and you glared at him as he hung up.

“I’ve already called my mom, and she’s gonna take Missy while we’re at the hospital,” Marcus said, quickly packing a bag for you. “She’s awake and exhausted, but should be ready to go.”

While Marcus and Missy got ready, you did exactly what Marcus told you to do. Sit and wait in the car, clutching a stress ball for dear life.

“Ready?” Marcus asked you, climbing into the car after he’d secured Missy in the backseat.

“No.”

Marcus smiled, taking your hand and kissing it. “You’ll be fine,” he promised. “Now c’mon, we have to hurry.”

Missy gave you both a very sleepy goodbye when you dropped her off, and Anita smiled, telling you to keep a level head and crush Marcus’s fingers if you had to.

“Yeah, thanks mom.” Marcus rolled his eyes playfully, turning to you. “Here we go.”

You only grew more and more nervous as Marcus drove closer to the hospital. When he parked, you refused to drop your death grip on his hand, which was seemingly fine with him. He simply rubbed his thumb over your knuckles as you two headed into the hospital.

The doctor was waiting for you at the reception area, smiling and guiding you to a room. “It seems the baby wanted to make a very unforgettable entrance,” she said, gesturing to the bed in the room. “Go ahead and put the gown on and lie down. I’ll be right back.”

Marcus had to help you, considering the size of your stomach. Once you’d laid down, he took both your hands. “You’re gonna be okay,” he said softly. “Want me to tell you the story of how much of an absolute dumpster fire Missy’s birth was?”

You nodded, leaning into his touch. Marcus settled on the bed next to you, pushing sweaty hair off your forehead. “I was out on a mission,” he started. “And I got this call from Tech-no. And he said ‘hey your wife is in labor.’”

Marcus smiled, the memories flooding back. “I rushed back to headquarters, of course, because that’s where she was. I was just in time, but she didn’t get an epidural or anything because it all happened so fast. Hell, she almost had Missy in the hallway. I got into the room, and she screamed at me, asking me where I’d been. Now, Missy made a very fast entrance after that, and I’m talking like. Two or three minutes. So they let us hold her, cleaned her up, took her away and all that, and then Clara looked at me, and she was absolutely exhausted. She cussed me out, and then told me I was bleeding.”

You gasped softly. “No.”

“Yeah!” Marcus laughed. “I had this massive cut on my face! I needed stitches, and Clara was so worried. But when I got back from getting my stitches, she was dead asleep. And honestly, our little Christmas miracle cannot get any more exciting than Missy.”

You nodded, rubbing your stomach. “It hurts.”

Marcus bit his lip. “I hear you,” he said softly, kissing your forehead. “I hear you. It’ll be over before you know it, and then we can take our beautiful baby home, okay?”

At that moment, the doctor came back, tying her blonde hair up. “So!” She said cheerily. “The nurse told me you two refrained from seeing your baby’s gender. We have some news about that.”

You and Marcus both looked at each other, worried. “Why?” You asked. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong,” the doctor reassured. “Your baby is very healthy. Both of them, in fact.”

“Both?” You yelled, at the same time Marcus began to shake his head, eyes wide with shock. “What do you mean both?”

The doctor pulled her gloves on, resting a hand on your knee. “You’re having twins Mrs. Moreno.”

You turned to Marcus, who had gone white as a sheet. “I hate you.”

“Y’know,” Marcus said weakly. “I think I agree with that statement.”

The doctor laughed. “Don’t you worry,” she said, lifting the bottom of your gown and nodding to herself. “You’re all in position to have a natural birth, and we have plenty of time for that epidural.”

“Good,” you said, still glaring at Marcus.

The anesthesiologist came in and instructed you and Marcus to keep your eyes closed while he gave you your epidural. You did, gripping Marcus’s hands as tightly as you could, your face buried firmly in his shoulder. He shifted in front of you, resting his forehead against yours. “Breathe babe, you have to breathe.”

Once the epidural was done and over with, your pain went way down. You were slightly hungry, and still definitely hurting, but the pain had subsided enough for you to actually take a nap.

When you woke, it was nearer to noon, and the doctor came to check on your progress.

“Not yet,” she said, shaking her head. “Try taking a walk. I would usually recommend the gardens, because they’re close, but it’s winter.”

Which was how you and Marcus ended up slowly wandering down the halls of the hospital, you clutching his arm for balance.

“Still mad at you,” you grumbled at one point. “Fucking twins. We couldn’t even name one baby.”

Marcus chuckled. “Well. It seems Missy’s birth could be topped.”

You punched his arm, a ripple of pain hitting you and causing you to gasp. “Marcus,” you whined softly. “Back to the room, please.”

Despite the epidural, you were really starting to feel pain now, screwing your face up every few minutes. Marcus sat by your bed, reading a book out loud to you, but it did little to distract you.

By the time two pm had rolled around, you were pretty much in agony. Marcus had abandoned the book in favor of whispering soft comforts and smoothing sweat soaked hair off your face.

“Okay!” The doctor said. She’d taken some time to get everything ready and grab a few more nurses, so it was now two twenty. “Mrs. Moreno, I think it’s time to push.”

You took a deep breath. Marcus was right beside you, holding both your hands. You poked the power restraint bracelet he wore, huffing out a small laugh. “Really?”

“Most of the things here are metal,” Marcus explained with a grin. “And my powers tend to flare when I get stressed.”

The doctor smiled. “Ready?”

You nodded, preparing yourself for what was about to happen.

Even so, you were not ready.

Forty five minutes and much screaming later, both you and Marcus were exhausted, but there were two babies in the room.

“Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Moreno,” the doctor said softly, handing you the swaddled babies. “Two perfectly healthy little girls. Identical, we believe.”

You smiled wearily down at the babies. “Welcome,” you whispered, kissing both of their foreheads. “Clara and Vanessa Moreno.”

You heard a sniffle to your right and looked over, seeing Marcus crying. He delicately took Clara from you, a watery grin blooming across his face. “She looks just like my old Clara.”

Smiling, you leaned closer to Marcus. “If she’s even half the woman Clara was, I will be so immensely proud of her.”

“I’ll be proud of them no matter what.”

You looked down at Vanessa, who was, even as a newborn, so clearly a spitting image of her father. “Me too.”

Marcus handed a nearby nurse Clara and looked down at his hands, both of which were bright red. “Babe.”

“What?”

He held his hands up. His left index finger was at an odd angle, and both his palms had tiny crescent shaped cuts in them.

“Okay?” You argued playfully, handing another nurse Vanessa. “You put fucking twins in me!”

Marcus shrugged. “Y’know,” he said. “I feel like that’s fair.”

That night, after the girls had been fed and napped, and you had been too, Missy and Anita came to visit. You held Clara, knowing Marcus was in the bathroom with Vanessa.

“Missy,” you said to her, seeing her wide eyed expression. “This is your little sister Clara.”

Missy reached a hand out to her sister, slowly touching her little hat. “She looks like Dad.”

“Where is Marcus?” Anita asked, standing on your other side. “How many of his fingers did you break?”

You laughed. “Three.”

“Really?” Missy said.

“Nah.” You readjusted Clara a tiny bit. “I broke one and gave him a few cuts from my nails.”

Anita laughed. “That’s my daughter-in-law!”

“Are you talking about me out there?” Marcus’s voice echoed from the bathroom.

“Yes!” Anita called back. “Come here, I want to congratulate you for having a second beautiful little girl.”

Marcus opened the door. “Might wanna change that number Mama.”

Anita gasped, seeing tiny Vanessa in her father’s arms. “You did not!”

“I already told him I hated him,” you said jokingly, nudging a seemingly frozen Missy. “Honey, you have another sister.”

Missy blinked, looking at Vanessa. “But.”

“No one knew,” you said softly. “But we love her just as much.”

Anita smiled. “Well damn,” she said. “Marcus, I cannot believe it.”

“Oh I’m fairly certain she’s gonna hunt me for sport as soon as she can walk,” Marcus said, looking at you. “Missy, honey, why don’t you sit on the bed with Mom.”

Missy did, looking surprised when Marcus slowly lowered Vanessa into her lap.

“Just like that,” Marcus said, sitting cross legged across from Missy on the bed. “Cradle her head, there you go.”

You let Anita take Clara, watching her settle in a wayward chair. “Well Mr. Moreno,” you said sleepily, tugging Marcus closer to you. “Merry Christmas. I am never going to be able to get you a better gift.”

Marcus laughed. “Merry Christmas darling. And I very much agree.”

If you liked this, I do dialogue prompt requests as well! Go request something if you want!

#we can be heroes #marcus moreno #marcus moreno x reader #marcus moreno x you #pedro pascal #my writing

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doitjake · 3 years

Text

The music in us - P1

Jake kiszka x reader

warnings: none.

Requests: “two rockstars meeting in a festival, and both bands hanging out cause they are both friends with the struts, then jake starts falling in love w this person because of their personality, talent and charisma, they start to match in the second day of camping at the festival and then the bands have to play in the same day, jake tells his feeling and the reader doesn’t know how to react.”

A/N: this was an incredible request and I took a while to post it because I wanted it to be at least reasonable haha. this is the first part, i will probably post the second part on saturday or sunday. I hope you like it and if you want to see a specific scene in the second part comment here or you can send me a message / question!!

Requests here: https://forms.gle/6uMRSCzFvyR2FgZPA

Being in a band with your 2 best friends and your cousin is definitely awesome, until the first week.

"POPPY WHERE'S MY FUCKING HAIRBRUSH?" A super angry drummer was seen getting on the bus.

"Ana, can't you speak a sentence at a normal voice volume?" That was Lexa, our guitarist or our mother, whichever you prefer. She performs both functions very well.

"No, I can't." She walks over to Poppy and snatches her hairbrush out of her hand. "At least not when vocalists with superiority complexes steal my stuff." She walks to the small bathroom on the bus as Poppy showed her the middle finger.

Even inside the bus you could hear several bands doing sound checks and stages being finalized outside. We had arrived at the Summer Rock Festival a few hours ago, it would be three days of festival, we would perform on the second day, after our friends from The Struts and before the boys from Greta Van Fleet.

"Luke texted me, he and the boys are already heading to the bar." Lexa stands up fixing the bottom of her beautiful dress that looked like it was straight out of the 70's, "So if we don't want to be late our dear drummer had better get out of this fucking bathroom soon."

"Hey, no swearing, Mom." I walk past her grabbing my leather jacket from the seat. "Ana! Let's go!"

By the time Lexa and Poppy are outside I am trying to find my cell phone amidst a pile of clothes, Ana finally comes out of the bathroom.

"Cousins by chance, twins by choice." She pulls up the sleeves of her jacket, just like mine, smiling at me.

I find my cell phone and slip my arm over Ana's shoulders, leading us to the bus door.

"Did I mention I hate you?" I ask coming down the small staircase and find Poppy and Lexa waiting for us to go.

"Hm, I guess not today yet." She goes to Poppy's side and pats her chin. "Stop drooling, Poppy."

Lexa and I turn to where Poppy was looking and find the 4 boys from Greta taking their instruments off the bus, about 50 feet away from us.

"Fuck you, Ana," Poppy starts walking towards the exit of the festival, where there is an avenue full of bars, nightclubs, strip clubs and karaoke places.

In less than 10 minutes we had already arrived at the bar and before we even entered Jed already called us shouting. "Hey, girls! Over here!"

It was always really cool to hang out with the boys, we knew each other because of Jed and Adam being friends with Poppy's older brother. We joined them and other people from the crew and some other artists at the festival and less than 2 minutes later several bottles of beer were already on the tables.

I looked at my band mates, we spend so much time together that it is fun to analyze them socializing with other people besides ourselves.

Poppy was probably the most outgoing of us, everyone liked her, she was always nice and polite to everyone and it was amazing to see men with long beards and leather vests making fun of a girl singing rock and then Poppy shutting them up, either with her talent or her knowledge.

Lexa was so calm that it is still shocking to me to see her play and totally transform on stage. She had a 70's hippie style that matched perfectly with her long blond hair and delicate features.

And Ana, my band mate that I have known all my life, my younger cousin. Certainly the strongest personality among the four of us, her life revolved around music, and I loved that about her.

Oh, of course. There's me too, but I don't think it's worth describing myself too much. I'm probably too dull around them. I wasn't outgoing like Poppy, I wasn't charming like Lexa, and I definitely didn't have as much personality as Ana.

My God, what a depression. I need another drink, one stronger than beer.

"Hey, I'm going to go to the bar. I'll be right back." I speak to Lexa receiving a nod in response.

Reaching over I choose the only drink capable of cheering me up.

"A shot of Jack Daniels. No ice please" I speak loudly so the bartender can hear through the music of The Who playing at the bar.

"I always thought it was the guitar players who were more into whiskey" A husky voice came over the music right in my right ear. "I thought bass players were more into vodka"

And then the seat next to me was taken by Jake Kiszka, guitarist for Greta Van Fleet, well I definitely can't compare to Poppy on the subject of "GVF FANGIRL", but wow.

"What about the vocalists and drummers?" I asked as the bartender left the shot of Jack Daniels in front of me.

"Vocalists? Probably some weird drink and drummers for sure are the beer guys." He smiles and turns the stool around facing me "I'm Jake" He holds out his hand to you.

"Y/N" I hold his hand.

"The bass player who made my theory go down the drain." He laughs arching an eyebrow.

"Well, maybe I'm an exception.

"Yeah, maybe there was a glitch in the matrix." He turns to call the bartender. "May I imitate you?" He indicates my glass with his head.

"You're the guitar player here, I think I'm the one copying you." I smile at him and he reciprocates, and shit, why do I think I could stare at him smile forever? And then I feel an arm on my shoulders.

"So you mean my friends are friends, and I didn't know?" Luke leaned one arm on me and the other on Jake, clearly not sober anymore. "Come on over to the table, antisocial people, your bands are waiting."

Luke releases our shoulders and looks at us. "Or are you guys busy planning to pick each other up?"

I could feel all my blood rising to my cheeks in a second, and thank God I had already swallowed the whiskey, otherwise I probably would have spit it all out.

"Of course not Luke." I gave a nervous laugh praying that I could disguise my embarrassment. Which only increased when Jake tilted his head to the side looking at me and gave a weak laugh and then getting up to walk over to the table.

Now there were more people at the table, including the other three members of Greta, and I sat down between Adam and Ana. "Please dig a hole and stick me in" I whispered to my cousin.

"With pleasure." She winked and smiled at me, "But may I know why?"

With the music loud and our friends talking around us I had to lean 'round to whisper right into her ear. "I was talking to Jake Kiszka and then Luke came over and thought we were going to kiss and I looked like an idiot."

"You always look like an idiot, cousin." He whispered in response. "But you want to kiss him?" Ana smiled mischievously.

"Oh my god, I was just talking to him."

"Well, you should kiss him, he's handsome." She picks up her beer and offers me a bottle.

"You say that because you have a crush on his twin." I open my bottle as I watch Ana choke on her own beer and cast a quick glance at Josh. "Oh come on, you can't disguise yourself." I laugh slapping our bottles together before taking a long sip.

"I don't have a crush on him." Ana squirms in her chair uncomfortably. "He's the lead singer, he has several women after him, and he must have a superiority complex just like Poppy."

"He seems pretty cool!"

"Y/N! ANA!" Poppy's voice managed without louder than the music in the bar, causing us to turn around and find 10 pairs of eyes staring at us. "Are you guys deaf?"

As I run my gaze around the table I realize that all the boys' crew have left, now it's just us, the boys from The Struts and Greta Van Fleet.

"Hm, hey!" I reply before Ana has a chance to cuss Poppy out.

"We're going to karaoke, the bar closes early today." Gethin gets up from the table, being followed by his bandmates, Josh, Sam, Danny, Poppy and Lexa.

"I'm in!" Ana stands up.

"I'm going back to the bus, I don't have as much energy as you guys." I stand up grabbing my cell phone and wallet.

"Let's go together." Jake speaks and I realize that he was the only one who hadn't gotten up until now.

"Ok" I say trying to look calm and not knowing why I am nervous, like a teenage girl who likes the popular boy.

I say goodbye to everyone and when I pass by Ana she winks at me, in a not discreet way.

After we pay for our drinks, Jake and I head out onto the streets of Chicago to return to the festival.

"Excited for tomorrow?" Jake asks as we cross one of the avenue streets.

"For sure, tomorrow and our days will have the best shows!" I look at him. "I feel like I might faint just remembering that I'm going to see Steven Tyler live tomorrow." He throws his head back and laughs. "Now you think I'm some kind of crazy fangirl." I smile.

"Oh, of course not." Jake returns the smile by looking at me. "The chances of me passing out at the Stones concert are not small either."

"So, you're a 'fangirl' for Keith Richards?"

"Definitely." He laughs again shaking his head.

"Does that mean that for you 'team stones' is right?

"Well, it's certainly a tough contest, but yes 'team stones'." He turns to me with the corners of his lips raised. "Team Beatles?"

"And a George stan with pride." I smile and wink at him amused. "Okay, important question."

"Okay, speak." Jake runs his fingers through the strands of hair that fall down the side of his face.

"Pearl Jam or Nirvana?"

"Is there a right answer?" He asks and I arch an eyebrow at him. "Okay, hm, Nirvana."

"You had a right answer! And you got it wrong." I smile. "Come on, Eddie Veder is almost a God."

Jake laughs and brings his hands in front of his body in a sign of redemption. "I don't disagree!"

And then I realize that we arrived at the festival some time ago and are now facing my bus.

"Thank you so much, for walking me here." I say to him, climbing up the first step of the entrance stairs, almost standing the same height as Jake.

"You're welcome!" He gives me a smile and puts his hands in the pockets of his black skinny pants. "See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, sure."

You smile at him and Jake moves closer and deposits a kiss on your cheek.

"Bye!"

“Bye, Jake!”

#greta van fleet #greta van fleet fic #greta van fic #greta van fleet imagine #gvf #gvf imagine #jake kiszka gvf #jake gvf #jake kiszka #jake kiszka imagine #jake kiszka fic #jake kiszka x reader #fanfic #imagine #jake imagines #jake x reader #jacob kiszka

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avnkin · 4 years

Text

The Pogues - Prologue

Pairing: jj maybank x fem!reader

Warnings: toxic relationship, swearing

Word count: 2k

Summary: You were a kook, born and raised but when a messy breakup with your boyfriend takes place you find comfort in the people who you’d been taught to despise and keep away from your entire life, the Pogues.

(A/N): Soooo here it is the prologue to my upcoming series i’ve literally been working on this for the last couple of days and the first chapters are almost finished but I just wanted to post this as a kind of introduction to the story and the life around Y/N,, and pleaseee don’t be afraid to give me any feedback I love when y’all come in my inbox (not my gif creds to the owner)

series masterlist

You were seated out on your patio opposite your mom and dad enjoying the nice weather, your tanned skin practically glistening in the sun rays “so Y/N, is Rafe going to be escorting you to Midsummers?” Your father asked, you groaned at the idea of even having to go there mostly at the part about Rafe being your escort “do I have to go” you frowned playing with the salad blades that lay untouched on the plate before you “we’ve already talked about this Y/N you’re going” he replied sternly, annoyance evident in his tone. Most of the time you could talk your way out of almost every single one of these events but since Ward was your fathers best friend and the event was practically being held in his honor you had to go otherwise it would ‘reflect badly on your father’s image’.

You and Rafe had been an on and off thing for about a year now, maybe even longer since it was hard to keep count of all the breakups, currently you guys were on another off stage after you’d found him and another girl going at it in his bedroom when you had planned to surprise him on his birthday but instead ended up crying yourself to sleep in Sarah’s room who held you as you sobbed and being the loyal friend she is she ended barging into her brothers room to yell at him as soon as you fell asleep.

You and Sarah were the same age and had been best friends long before you and Rafe got together, considering your fathers were close friends you spent almost everyday over at the Camerons when you were younger and now you two were glued at the hip, you didn’t know what you’d do without her since you’d done everything and anything together since the age of 3.

“Yeah well I don’t think Rafe’s gonna be my escort, we broke up” you stated blatantly, crossing your arms over your chest as you looked back up at your displeased father “come on Y/N can’t you fix it just for that night and then you never talk to him again I don’t care but it’ll look really bad for me if my daughter ditches my best friends son at an event that’s being held in his honor” you looked over at your mom hoping she would back you up since there was no way you were going to get out of this without her help, but instead she just sat there pretending not to notice your lingering glare.

“Fine i’ll fix it” you mumbled knowing that there was no point in arguing with your father “thank you sweetie” he smiled “whatever” you rolled your eyes pushing the chair out from behind you and making your way back inside and up to your room. Closing the door behind you, you sat down at the edge of your bed dreading dialing Rafe’s phone number since you really didn’t want to be the one crawling back after he cheated, you had some respect for yourself.

It’s for dad you thought as you pressed call on his contact your back colliding with your mattress as you felt your heart sink more and more with every ring. Just as you were about to hang up he answered “hey baby” the nickname made you sick to your stomach, did he have no recollection of your break up “can we talk?” you asked getting annoyed as you heard nothing but silence on the other end of the phone.

“Yeah uh i’ll be home in like ten minutes want me to pick you up or something?” he asked, it was obvious in the way he spoke that he had no interest in going out of his way to come get you, you rolled your eyes “no Rafe i’m perfectly capable of getting myself to your house by myself thank you very much” you spoke before hanging up groaning as you went and got dressed pulling a black hoodie over the white crop top you’d been wearing and struggling to get into your converse attempting to squeeze your heel into them as you trudged down the spiral staircase in your house.

You grabbed the keys to one of your dad’s cars, opening the front door you slammed it shut behind you making your anger evident to your mom and dad.

Walking out into the cool summer air you quickly unlocked the car and pulled the handle, opening the door and placing your self down into the drivers seat. You turned the engine on dreading the soon to be conversation with your ex boyfriend as you slowly backed out of your driveway and out onto the main road.

As you stood outside of the Cameron house you contemplated driving away and never looking back but knowing you’d have to face the wrath of your father if you did that was enough to make your knuckle connect with the door and slowly but surely tap onto it, seconds later Rafe’s deranged figure stood before you moving out of the way allowing you to walk in, you put on a fake smile as you followed him up to his room.

It was silent between the two of you when he closed the door behind him neither one of you knowing what to say as you both stood facing each other “Y/N i’m really sorry for what happened the other day I-I was drunk” he stumbled over his words the lie evident as sweat started to form at the top of his forehead “I don’t care, I don’t want to get back together” he looked puzzled at your words “then why are you here?” he questioned sitting down onto the bed that was placed in the middle of the room.

“We’re going to go to Midsummers together and then we’re over and you’ll never hear from me again” he simply sat there not giving you any reaction whatsoever, so you turned to walk out but before your hand could reach the door handle he grabbed you and pulled you back to him “so we’re over just like that?” he practically barked down at you fingers tightening around your wrist clearly not pleased with your words “yes, my dad just wants me to go to this stupid thing with you and I know you want to impress your dad just as much as I do mine so it’s a win win for both of us” ripping your hand out of his grasp you tried to read his facial expression but it was blank the part about his dad clearly striking a nerve within him “whatever” he stated coldly turning away from you. You had to admit it hurt after almost a year of being with him that he didn’t even try to stop you or fight for you, but what were you expecting it’s Rafe.

You exited his room tears profusely falling from your eyes, you weren’t crying because you guys we’re no longer together but because you had just now realized how toxic the entire relationship had been and you were more then disappointed in yourself for letting anyone treat you that way for that long.

You made your way down the stairs towards the front door but before you could reach it an arm grabbed you stopping you from moving any further, thinking it was Rafe you turned around prepared to cuss him out but immediately calmed down once you noticed Sarah standing before you, it was obvious by her facial expression that she knew something was up with you and Rafe.

“What happened?” She frowned as she pulled you into a tight hug, you quietly cried into her shoulder as your arms rested weakly on her waist. “I don’t know what I ever saw in him” you sniffled pulling away from the hug so you could look back up at her “you know what I don’t either” she smiled wiping away the few tears that continued making their way down your cheeks.

“Come on lets go do something” she smiled intertwining her hands with yours dragging you out of the house behind her “like what?” you asked opening the passenger side door of her car and stepping into it not to worried about leaving yours behind, you’d come and get it later. Sarah got into the drivers seat shortly after you “first we go eat, can’t do anything on an empty stomach” she replied putting the key in the ignition and turning the car on “there’s this place that I absolutely love it’s called The Wreck” she spoke as she exited the driveway “isn’t that the restaurant that Kiara’s parents own?” you questioned raising an eyebrow at her since Sarah had told you about their previous feud multiple times. “Yeah but i’m pretty sure she’s not working right now and either way it doesn’t matter if she is i’m a customer so i’m sure we’ll both keep things strictly professional” she huffed causing you to chuckle your mind quickly forgetting all about Rafe and his stupid antics.

As Sarah parked in front of the wreck she involuntarily groaned noticing Kiara and the rest of her Pogue friends all sitting in front of the entrance enjoying their fries and hamburgers some you recognized, some you didn’t. “Shit” Sarah mumbled “strictly professional” you joked copying her words from before, she lightly hit you in the shoulder before grabbing her purse and getting out of the car you following behind shortly after.

As you walked past the Pogues and toward the entrance all you received were dirty looks and glares especially from Kiara, the only one who wasn’t glaring was JJ who not so subtly let his eyes wander up and down your body, Kiara clearly noticed as she hit him in the back of the head scolding him, “what the hell” you heard him mumble as he rubbed the back of his head causing you to let out a small chuckle.

The only reason you knew who JJ was, was because of the multiple fights you had to break up between him and Rafe, you could never understand how two people could hate each other that much.

Turning away from them you followed Sarah inside the restaurant and just your luck you were seated right next to the window that was facing them, “Oh god” Sarah groaned hiding her face behind the menu that had been placed in front of her “she’s still staring” you looked over your shoulder, and sure enough you got a perfect look of Kiara’s face and oh boy if looks could kill you’d both be dead by now.

“Is this all seriously because you didn’t invite her to your birthday party?” you questioned turning back around “yup” Sarah replied resting her chin in her palm “I kind of miss her though she was fun to hang out with, you’d like her” Sarah smiled causing you to look back one more time making direct eye contact with JJ who subtly winked at you, you felt heat rising to your cheeks and quickly turned away eyes diverting to the menu in front of you.

“So what do you wanna do when we finish eating?” you asked looking up at Sarah who only gave a shrug in response “you wanna go buy some dresses for Midsummers, I literally have nothing to wear?” she groaned taking a sip of her water giving you a hopeful look “sure” you chuckled looking out the window once more only to see the Pogues were no longer there, you felt slightly disappointed at the lost sight of the Maybank boy.

I’m gonna make a tag list for this series so let me know if you’d like to be tagged in future chapters!! xx

#jj maybank #jj x reader #jj maybank imagine #jj obx #jj #jj outer banks #outer banks #outer banks netflix #outer banks fanfiction #jj maybank x reader #outer banks imagine #kiara #john b #pope #rafe cameron #rafe cameron imagine

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hanniiesuckle17 · 4 years

Text

Home.

A/n: sometimes I wish what I write could come true... I really just wanted to write this for myself

Word Count: 1k

Warnings: maybe cussing idk, I wrote this off the top of my head

Genre: Angst, romance

❁

Tears fell onto my sheets. There was a pounding in my head that felt like a thunderstorm was passing through my brain. I scrolled through my contact list. They wouldn’t pick up. She was out of town. I could barely get small talk out of him let alone talk to him about this at midnight.

My mother had long gone to bed after our fight, but I was still awake. This was our tenth fight this week and it was only Wednesday. I laid back in bed and wiped the hot tears from my cheeks. It was a hopeless endeavor as they were replaced with new ones soon after.

Only one other person came to mind. Someone who might still be up. Willing, to give just about anything a shot at this point, I grabbed a jacket and umbrella and quietly snuck out into the hallway. I wanted to be anywhere, but home.

It wasn’t that far a walk, but the rain made the journey even more somber than it already was. When I got there I saw all the building's lights were off. Sighing, I leaned against the concrete fence watching the rain fall off my umbrella. Maybe I could call him? The phone rang twice before a deep voice answered.

“Y/n? What’s up, baby?”

I tried to keep my voice steady. I wasn’t about to just let him know I was crying. “Hi,” I said, sniffing from the cold. “Um...are you home by chance?” My hands were starting to shake from the cold and my nerves.

“No, not yet. Why? What’s up?”

“Oh. Uh-...Nothing. Nevermind. I’m fine. It’s stupid.”

“It doesn’t sound like something stupid,” He said over the phone. Hearing his voice was making me feel a little better. The tears had magically stopped falling as soon as he picked up the phone. “Where are you? I’ll come get you.”

I shook my head as if he was really there. “No! It’s fine. Don’t come get me,” I pushed myself off the wall and started walking back in the direction of my house. “I’m at home.”

“Really? Because it looks like you are standing outside my dorm.”

I looked up to see Jisung walking toward me, bundled up in a coat and a bucket hat, his phone pressed to his ear. He gave me a small smile and hung up the phone. There was no point in leaving now, so I stayed put, while Jisung ran through the rain to get under my umbrella.

“What’s wrong, baby?” He asked cupping my cheek. I shrugged and looked down at my feet. This really was stupid. I should have just stayed home. Jisung was probably way too exhausted to talk to me anyway. “Tell me what’s wrong.” Jisung wrapped and arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him.

“I just got in another fight with my mom that’s all. It’s fine. Nothing to whine about.”

“Oh, Y/n. I’m so sorry. You wanna talk about it?” He asked softly, brushing a piece of hair behind my ear.

“It’s just...not everything can be my fault you know,” I said, feeling tears well up. “It’s not all on me. I’m not the bad guy, right? I’m an adult, I can make my own choices. She can’t treat me like a child and then yell at me for not acting like an adult when that’s all I’m trying to do. I’m just tired, Jisung. I’m exhausted. I hate feeling this way. I hate feeling trapped. I hate feeling alone. I hate that I’m used to this. I hate that I expect it. But, most of all...I hate that I expect it and am too much a coward to do anything about it.”

Jisung pulled me into his chest and let me cry on his shoulder. We just stood there, on the sidewalk at almost one o’clock in the morning. “Y/n...I-”

“No, it’s fine. I’m really sorry. I know I sound like a whiny bitch.”

“Hey,” He said pulling my focus back to him. He had a stern but caring look in his eyes. “Fine is a dirty four-letter word that starts with ‘f’. Don’t use and don’t fucking settle for it. Ever.”

My lip trembled and I felt more tears fall down my face. His thumb gently swiped across my cheek, wiping the tears away. I nodded to him, letting him know I understood. “Thank you, Ji. Sorry, I know it’s-”

“Stop. Don’t ever apologize to me for something you can’t control.”

“Sorry. It’s a habit of mine.”

“Stop.”

“Sorr-...okay.”

I listened to his heartbeat, the sound calming me immensely. Jisung whispered how much he loved me as he held me in his arms, the rain still falling down over my umbrella. His fingers threaded through my hair and my breaths slowed until I was calm again.

“I don’t want to go back home,” I whispered, holding tightly onto his jacket.

“I know, baby.” He placed a long kiss to my forehead, before resting his head on top of mine. “Do you remember what I always say?” I nodded, wrapping my arms around his waist, feeling safe and happy with him.

“This too, shall pass.”

He nodded and stroked my hair, kissing the top of my head. I had never felt more at home than I did with Jisung. Even in the middle of the street. “I’ll let you borrow my mantra.”

“That’s very kind of you, Ji.”

“Okay. Let me walk you home, baby.”

I nodded, pulling away from him. Jisung took my hand and carried the umbrella for me, covering us both. He turned in the opposite direction of his dorm and walked me home, making sure I was okay before he sent me back.

“You call me first. I’ll come get you.” He called before I opened the door. I nodded and blew him a kiss before entering what I used to call ‘home’. Then I watched through the window as my home walked back through the rain.

❁

Masterlist

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tirednerd2012 · 3 years

Note

I have an idea if you want to write something REALLY angsty. Suppose Ian is taken by someone who has knowledge of potions? But their knowledge is on the extreme side, and they believe that because Ian is a wizard, his body has magical properties, so they want to experiment. It starts off small: a lock of hair, a sample of blood, a nail clipping, etc. But it gets worse, and their goal is to drain and dismember him so they can use his body parts for potions in the future.

Guys, this has some serious torture in it. Lots of mentions of blood and has some heavy parts. Please don't hate me because Ian goes through absolute hell in this. Read with caution if you must.

Ian felt like there was something off with his new math teacher. The guy was always studying him, asking him questions and making sure Ian knew every answer. Maybe he wouldn't think much of it if he did it with the other students, but his attention always seemed to be on Ian. It made him insanely uncomfortable.

He mentioned it to Barley and his brother said to be cautious about it, but as long as he didn't harm Ian, it should be okay. He didn't sound so confident about it, but Ian decided to let it go.

"Ian, can you see me after school? I need to talk to you about your test," Mr. Clarke told him.

"Uh, sure, is everything okay?" he asked.

"We'll talk about it after school. Have fun at lunch," Mr. Clarke sent him off.

Ian walked out of the classroom feeling sick. He thought about texting Barley, but decided against it. No need to worry him. He told him that he would be late because he had to meet with a teacher and Barley responded that was fine, he had to pick up some books at the library for his homework anyway.

He thought again, but knew Barley would try something and get them both into trouble. Besides, it would only be 10 minutes alone with the guy, what could go wrong?

Apparently a lot.

Ian went there after school and his teacher smiled at him.

"Ian! Good, don't worry, this won't take too long. You actually did incredible on your test," Mr. Clarke said. "It seems like your magic isn't the only thing special about you."

"Uh, thanks? So, why did you want me here?" Ian asked. He knew his friends had gotten hundreds on the test, so it wasn't like he was the only one who did well.

"Oh, I needed an excuse of course," Mr. Clarke responded.

"What do you- dude, what's your deal?" Ian snapped. He tried to make his way out, but Mr. Clarke grabbed his shoulder and slammed him against the wall. Ian fell and Clarke tied his arms together.

"Let-!" he tried to scream, but Clarke put a gag in his mouth.

"You see, Ian, a wizard's body has magical properties. Your blood is rare, but so is everything about you. And I can use it. I just have to get you back to my lab," he said. Ian tried to struggle, but Clarke was stronger than he looked. He picked up Ian's phone out of his pocket and dropped it on the ground. Then he brought something out of his pocket and brought it to Ian's face. "When you wake up, you'll be part of my greatest experiment."

Everything faded as his body felt limp.

When he woke up, he was strapped to a metal bed. Beside him was a table of sharp, steel tools. He was in his underwear and surrounded by IV bags and needles. He tried to get up, but the straps held him in place.

"Struggle all you want, kid, you're not going anywhere," Mr. Clarke's voice rang. Ian looked over and saw his math teacher beside him with a smile.

"Who the hell are you!?" he demanded. "Let me go!"

"I'm just... someone who knows a lot about potions. Been using them by entire life, actually. My father brewed them and taught me everything he knew," he explained as he got a needle ready. "There are powerful potions that can be made from a wizard, but they went extinct, until you, of course. Your father kept himself hidden, and you should have advised you to do the same."

"Look, man, my step dad is a cop and my mom and brother are crazy, they'll find me and make you sorry," Ian warned.

"There's not going to be anything left of you once I'm finished."

His voice was cold and taunting. He brought the needle up to Ian and despite how hard he struggled, he filled several tubes with his blood. He puts it on the table and then cuts some of Ian's hair. Then he took everything he collected and went to a table on the other side of the room.

Ian tried screaming bloody murder, but the man seemed unaffected.

"Ian, you are in a soundproof room hidden away in my basement. Scream and cry all you want. You're going to scream, but no one will hear you. No one is coming to save you."

"What are you going to do to me?" Ian asked. His throat tightened and he was shaking. He wasn't sure if it was from fear or the cold.

"I'm going to collect what I need until there's nothing left. The real treat awaits when I go for your heart, but we have plenty of time. It's going to be painful as hell for you. I would offer something to ease it, but I can't have anything in your system that could ruin the potions."

"You're going to go for my heart?" Ian asked, tears threatening to spill as he continued to struggle. He felt his wrists starting to rub raw under the thick, leather, but he didn't care.

"Yes, and unfortunately for you, I'm going to have to cut it out of you while you're alive. Keeps it fresh," he answered and sent Ian a smile that told him he wasn't really sorry about that detail.

"My family will find me. My brother knows I met with you after school and he's not going to stop until he finds me," Ian warned. "Barley may seem like a nice guy, but whatever you do to me is nothing compared to what he's going to do to you."

"Really? Well, I don't see him here," he said. Ian watched him pour his blood into the bowl and then think to himself for a moment. "Maybe I need something else."

He walked over and grabbed a pair of pliers and ripped one of Ian's fingernails off. The Lightfoot cried out and the man smiled, towering over him.

"I'm really going to enjoy our couple of weeks together," he said. He drew more blood, until Ian's left arm stopped giving him. "We have time, Ian, don't worry. I won't kill you yet."

Ian would rather have died than continued to go through this hell.

Three days. Ian had been missing for three days now. Barley was about to lose his salvation. He destroyed that entire school looking and cussed everyone out when there was no Mr. Clarke the creepy math teacher.

He never should have brushed it off. They found Ian's cellphone in the math room, but apparently Mr. Clarke didn't work for the school, even though multiple students and even some teachers say he had been there. He even broke into the security office and turned off all the cameras.

His mom cried with him. He held her and promised her they would find him. He wouldn't stop or give up. Even Corey was flying around searching. Colt had multiple search parties and warrants, but everything came up empty handed.

"Did you hear about Ian? Still missing," he heard someone at the gas station say. They hadn't seen him come in.

"Honestly, do they think he's still alive?" another girl asked, but then hushed as Barley walked past to the register. He filled up his van and went back driving. He drove until it was 3 in the morning, answering all of his mom's calls.

Colt pulled up beside him as he stopped the van and cried. Now it was 4 days.

"Barley, go home. You need rest."

"I can't sleep."

"I'll continue the search," his step father promised.

"Colt, you don't get it. I can't sleep without seeing him, alone and by himself," Barley snapped. "I can't find him anywhere. He's just gone and he needs me and he told me he got these weird feelings from this teacher and I ignored it. He warned me about this and I ignored it!"

"Barley, stop!" Colt snapped, opening the car door and Barley collapsed to the ground. He was exhausted. He couldn't keep doing this. He needed to find Ian. "This is not your fault, do you understand me?"

"But-."

"No buts! This is not on you. You can't burden yourself with that. You listen to me and you listen good, we are going to find him," Colt cut in. Barley had never heard him this serious before. "You're right. Ian does need you. But he needs you at your best, not when you're too tired to actually think and help find him. Go home and sleep. I will keep the search going and if I find out anything, you and your mother will be the first people I tell."

"I just want him back, Colt," Barley said, trying to stop his tears.

"I know and we're going to get him back. He'll be home soon."

Ian didn't know if he could keep going. Clarke cut the tip of his ear and then laughed at Ian's pain. He didn't even know how long he had been here. He tried to hold on to hope, but he didn't think it was going to help.

"You know, maybe that brother you talked so highly about is glad you're gone. Sounds like you cause him nothing but trouble."

Ian wanted to tell him that he was full of shit. He didn't want to believe it, but he did. Barley wasn't here. Was he looking? Ian wanted to say yes, but the pain was all he could focus on.

Clarke was giving him just enough to keep him alive. Everything he needed was in the IV.

"This one is going to hurt, Ian," he warned. He had a butcher knife in his hands and Ian still tried to struggle to no avail. He placed a towel down and then held Ian's wrist.

"What are you doing? Stop! Stop!" Ian begged, but he knew nothing would come of it. He heard a crunch and his hand felt like it was on fire. He screamed and Clarke stopped the bleeding. He looked up and saw his left thumb was gone.

Ian cried and he wanted Barley there. He felt like a small child crying out for his brother in the middle of the night again, but Barley wasn't coming this time. His brother had no idea where he was.

He was going to die.

After two more days and more searching, Barley slept, passed out from exhaustion to the point where he couldn't go on anymore, but he only saw a house. He was able to walk in it and he felt drawn to the basement. He followed his instincts and was led downstairs to a secret door. He opened it and saw Ian, strapped to a metal table. A lunatic was hovered over him with a butcher knife and cut his left thumb off.

Ian screamed in pain and Barley screamed in horror. The man wrapped Ian's hand and then walked over to the table and threw it into some kind of concoction. Barley went to Ian's side to see a sight he never wanted to. Ian, covered in cuts, with an IV in his hand. He had the tip of his right ear missing and he was sobbing in pain over his latest injury.

"I can't wait to cut your heart out, Ian. Once I complete that potion, I will be powerful. I will have your abilities, plus some strengths that you haven't had enough time to master," the man said. Barley would kill him. And the last few moments of his life would be hell.

"Barley," Ian cried.

"I'm here, Ian, I'm here," Barley said, but his little brother couldn't hear him.

"Keep crying for him, he's not coming, Ian," the man said. Ian continued to cry to himself, mumbling Barley's name until he passed out.

Barley was pulled out of the dream and woke with a jump. He looked around and grabbed his keys. He knew where Ian was. He ran out of his room and saw his mom asleep on the couch. Tears stained her cheeks.

"I'll be back, Mom," he promised, softly. "I'll be back with Ian."

He drove as fast as he could. The house from his dream was just a block over and Barley hated himself more. Ian was right there the whole time, but he had no idea. Barley stopped the car and busted the door open. He listened. Nothing.

He looked around the house, but no one was there. Then he remembered the basement. He held his sword in his hand as he made his way down. Sure enough, he found the door in the back. He busted it open and saw the man from his dreams and Ian on the table.

"Barley!" Ian cried out in relief. His brother looked worse than he did in Barley's nightmare. Barley could see his ribs. Ian was covered in bruises and cuts and so much more that Barley felt like he could be sick.

He looked at the man and six days of worry, anger, resentment, stress and heartbreak unleashed itself.

"I'm going to fucking kill you for this," Barley snapped. He didn't even recognize his own voice. The man seemed terrified, which he should have been. He tried to get away, but Barley gripped his sword and pierced the guy's chest. "Not so fucking tough when someone's strapped to a damn table, huh?"

"Barley," Ian called and they locked eyes. He took out his sword, now covered in blood, and walked over and undid all the straps. Before he could do anything else, Ian threw his arms around Barley's neck and sobbed.

"Ian, it's alright. I'm here now. You're safe. I'm here. You're safe. He can't hurt you," Barley promised, wrapping his arms around Ian as well. They both cried in each other's arms. Finally, Barley collected himself and pulled away from Ian, but kept one arm around him as he called Colt.

"Barley? I still don't-."

"I found him. He needs an ambulance. 165 Mushroom Street."

"But that's right-."

"Right down the black, I know. Long story. But, um, Colt, I think I killed the guy who took him," Barley said, looking over at the body of the bastard who hurt Ian. Ian still hadn't let go of him and Barley didn't complain. He wanted to rip that IV out of his arm, but he didn't want to make it worse. He needed the paramedics.

"It's alright, I'm on my way. You did it in defense. No one's going to blame you for that bastard's death," Colt said, trying to sooth him. But Barley was surprisingly calm. He was in a stranger's house. He just fucking killed a guy. But Ian was back. He was right in his arms. Barley could feel his heartbeat and the way Ian hung on to him.

"Get here soon. He has an IV in his arm and needs medical attention," he said, but they hung up the phone on each other. He held on to Ian like he was his lifeline.

"You found me," Ian said.

"Never stopped looking for you. I-I think you actually found me somehow," Barley said and explained his dream.

"I remember that. Barley that was days ago, but I wanted you at that moment maybe I did a magic thing. Did you really not sleep for two days?"

"Don't worry about that," Barley responded.

The paramedics arrive and soon enough they were on their way to the hospital. Ian was admitted. His mom ran in and hugged Barley while they waited.

"Barley! Oh my gosh, my boys!" she cried as she got to him.

"Mom, they're treating him now. He's going to be okay, though."

"How did you find him?" she asked and Barley explained the dream and then leaving immediately. She shook his head and cried again as she held onto him.

"He's going to be alright, that's all that matters," Barley responded.

A few hours later, they were able to see Ian. He had been bandaged up and connected to several tubes and IVs, but he was alive. He was there and alive. They spent several hours with him, but eventually their mom allowed Barley to stay the night with him.

"Barley, can you please get some sleep?" Ian asked. They were both exhausted, but Barley was afraid if he closed his eyes, he would wake up and Ian would be gone all over again.

"You need sleep," Barley responded.

"So do you," Ian said. He reached out and put his hand on Barley's arm. He looked at his older brother with dark circles under his eyes and he felt like he could cry all over again. "Come on, please. For me?"

"Are you seriously worried about me right now?"

"You haven't stopped shaking since you found me and you-we both saw what you did."

"I had to be sure he wouldn't hurt you again."

"And trust me, I get it. I would have done the same, but we have to keep ourselves together right now. There are going to be more threats. We need rest now."

He hated the idea of more threats coming after his little brother, but he knew that it was true. He nodded and adjusted in the chair right beside Ian. They both fell asleep, but apparently when their mom came to check on them in the morning, Barley had his arm out over Ian, as if to protect him from anything that came near his brother and Ian had his hand on the arm.

#barley onward #barley lightfoot #ian lightfoot #ian onward #onward #onward pixar #whih

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mistymazzello · 4 years

Text

Illicit Affairs | part one

Joe Mazzello x reader

summary- Y/N, a failing actress in New York City, is offered an internship as Joe Mazzello’s assistant on the set of a movie. Her seemingly small crush on her boss could get her into trouble, but what does she have to lose?

warnings- cussing

word count- 3.7

a/n- i’m sorry i promised this like 2 months ago and i’m just now posting it, but i’m so excited for you guys to read this!! please let me know what you think and if you’d like to be added to the tag list!

based on illicit affairs by taylor swift

You were finally starting to understand what people meant when they said “New York Minute”. It might seem like a silly phrase people use to describe when time is going fast, but now you’re sure that time is going faster than usual as you ran down the busy New York streets. You quickly wove through people as rain pounded on your hair and your brand new outfit, but you had no time to worry about your now drenched blouse. You were on the verge of tears as you ran down the steps to the subway, checking the time to see that you had 19 minutes.

You fished through your purse to retrieve your metrocard, shivering from the surprisingly freezing august rain. You swiped the card and the machine let out a loud beep at you. The card was declined. With only 18 minutes until your audition, tears finally began to well in your eyes.

“Please no. Please not now.” You groaned out loud, swiping the card again only to get the same result. “Please please please just work.” You whined.

“Havin’ some trouble there?” A man standing behind you observed.

You laughed sarcastically and tried the card again. “Yeah, seems like it. I think the universe just hates me today.”

“Maybe try swiping it the other way?” He wondered.

You tried. Nothing.

You groaned and put your face in your hands. “This isn’t happening.”

“Hey, sweetheart, calm down.” He reached forward and swiped his own card twice. “See? All good.”

The small gate opened and he gestured for you to walk through. Your eyes softened and you sighed lightly. “Thank you.” He nodded as you walked through. “You didn’t need to do that.” You said as he walked through to join you on the other side. You crossed your arms as your hair dripped onto your shoulders, causing you to shiver again.

“I think I did, you were holding up the line.” He joked with a smile on his face. “I’m Joe.”

You let out a small laugh as you turned towards him. “Y/N.” You stated.

“Well, Y/N, your fucking soaked.” He laughed.

You nodded and looked down at your clothes. “I’m gonna have to go into an audition looking like this.”

He looked your body up and down and then met your eyes again. You watched as he began to take his jacket off of his shoulders.

“You don’t have to do that, seriously.” You stated.

He pulled the jacket fully off of himself and held it out to you. “Well I’m going to. Here.”

You gave him a small smile and took it from his hands. Slowly putting the jacket on, you looked at him. “It’s weird meeting a nice New Yorker.”

“Rare, I know.” He laughed.

You pulled the jacket over your shoulders and wrapped it tightly around your waist.

“Better?” He asked.

“Mhm.” You hummed. “I’m like, never gonna see you again, are you sure you wanna give this to me?”

“Yes, I’m sure.”

Your train was announced over the loudspeaker and you screwed your eyes shut.

“Shit, I’m sorry I have to go!” You said, backing up quickly.

“Good luck!” He shouted back, watching you disappear into the distance, a small part of him wishing he was 10 years younger so he could ask you for your number without seeming like a creep.

The second you turned around, you wished you had just ditched the audition and taken the same train as him, giving yourself 15 extra minutes with him. New York is a big city, and you knew you’d never see him again, but you couldn’t help but hope that there was some kind of invisible string that will pull the two of you back together. A small smile rested on your lips as you boarded the train, trying to remember the exact details of his face. Taking a seat, you drew in a breath, subconsciously wrapping the jacket tighter around your waist. Usually, you would find it weird and uncomfortable if a random stranger paid for your train ride and gave you his jacket, but something about him made you feel comforted and safe.

You soon realized that skipping the audition to stay with him would have been a much better decision. The audition lasted maybe 90 seconds, ending with a blunt, “That’s all we need, thank you.” It wasn’t much different from any of your other auditions, nobody showing any real interest in you. There’s hundreds-maybe even thousands-of girls who are in your exact situation. An aspiring actress using money she doesn’t have to stay in New York, no real roles to your name, struggling to keep your head above water. After graduating from NYU the previous year, you thought that this would be your time, but it’s anything but that.

By the time you arrived back at your apartment it had stopped raining. You were relieved to be back to the comfort of your bed, ready to go straight back to sleep (maybe in Joe’s jacket) but the second you walked in the door, your phone began ringing. It was your dad. You didn’t even have to pick up the phone to know what he was going to say. “What are you doing today?” “Do you have a job yet?” “What are you gonna do with your life? I can’t pay for your apartment forever.”

You couldn’t even be mad, either. He paid for your share of the rent in your preppy uptown apartment. He also sent you money weekly, claiming it’s to help you until you’re able to “Get on your feet.” You didn’t think it’d be taking over a year long to get there. Despite being upset about your career choice, and the fact that he could get you a perfect, well paid job at his company in a few cities over, he wanted his little girl to be happy.

I mean, who else was gonna pay for you to live in the most expensive city in the country? Your failed auditions?

With an over-dramatic sigh, you answered the phone. “Hi dad.”

“Hello Y/N. Whatcha doing?” He said.

“I just got back from an audition.” You said, walking into the living room, the eyes of your roommates Cameron and Jessica immediately falling on you, perking up as you set your bag down on the table.

“How’d it go?” Jessica asked excitedly.

“Whose jacket is that?” Cameron shouted.

You furrowed your eyebrows and pointed to your phone, both of them sinking back down into their seats.

“And how was that?” He asked.

“It was… okay. Not exactly how I wanted it to go.”

“Seems like that’s how they’ve all been going.” He said. You just knew he had a disappointed frown on his face. It almost made you wince.

“I mean, I think I’m gonna get there, dad.” You stepped into your room and shut the door behind you.

There was a silence on the line. “I don’t know, Y/N. I hate to be the wet blanket on your big city dreams but I think you’re being unrealistic. You should come back home and I can get you a job here in 5 seconds. I just-”

“Dad, we’ve had this conversation. I’m staying here.” You said, stuffing your hands into the jacket pockets. You pulled out a gum wrapper and a few quarters. It almost made you giggle.

“On my dime?” He shot back.

Your shoulders slumped and you sighed. “Nobody’s forcing you to pay for me.”

“Oh yeah? Who’s gonna pay for you if I don’t? Certainly not yourself.”

Now you were embarrassed. “Dad… Can you please just trust me? I’ll get on my feet, I don’t know, soon, okay?”

He sighed. “6 more months.” He said.

“What?” You asked.

“I’ll pay for you for 6 more months. If you don’t have some source of income by then, you're coming home and working here.” He knew that paying for you to live in the city wasn’t a financial burden for him, he owned a company. But, he wanted you to learn how to do things yourself, and he knew if he kept spoon feeding you through life, that you would never get there.

A bit taken back, you registered that there were no other options. “Okay. That seems… fair.”

“It’s not what I want to do, honey, but I want you to be productive. To do something with yourself.”

That stung.

“Okay.” You closed your eyes.

“Alright. I’ve got a meeting, so I’ve got to go. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Okay, bye dad.”

You set your phone down on your bed and set your chin on your elbow. You had better think of a better plan than going to an audition every week if you wanted to stay here. “Shit.” You mumbled.

Cameron burst into your room and you looked up at her. “Whose jacket is that?” She asked again.

“Nice to see you too, Cam.” You raised your eyebrows.

Cameron was a bold person. You had met in college, and you immediately clinged to each other’s sides. You grounded her, and she pushed you out of your comfort zone. Cameron was also kind of scary. You had seen what she’d done to people she didn’t like, how she’ll step on people to get where she wants. You’re just glad she likes you.

“Sorry, how was the audition?” She said, pushing the door fully open and leaning on your door frame.

You sighed and set your forehead in your palm.

“Oh, well.” She said, getting the message.

She came and sat on the bed next to you. “So… Now can I ask about the jacket.” She asked softly.

“Some random guy on the subway. It was raining and I was cold, so he offered it to me.”

“Ew! What if it has a tracking device or something in it?” Jessica asked, walking in the room.

Jessica came into the picture Junior year of college. She fit in perfectly between the two of you, bringing some sort of responsibility to the group. She was the stereotypical mom friend, but you loved her for it.

“Was he hot?” Cam asked. The difference in reaction made you chuckle.

“It was just some nice guy. We talked for like 20 seconds.” You stated.

“Did you get his number?” Cam asked.

“No, Cam, he was way older than me.” You said.

“Why does that matter?”

You flopped back onto your bed and sighed, the other two girls exchanging looks as you covered your face with your arms.

“What’s wrong?” Jessica asked as she walked over to sit on the other side of you.

“Nothing, I just… My dad. He says I need a job or else he’s gonna cut me off.” You said, flopping your arms down by your sides.

“Yikes.” Cam said.

“What’re you gonna do?” Jess asked.

“Get a fucking job I guess. What other choice do I have?”

They were both silent as you checked the time on your phone. It was still way early in the morning. “Guys, I think I’m gonna go back to sleep.” You said.

“Alright, babe. I have an audition at 11, so I probably won’t be here when you wake up.” Cam patted your leg.

You nodded. Cameron had already established herself as an actress. She mostly does theatre, but she did do an episode of Law and Order and a few smaller parts in other tv shows. You tried not to be jealous, but in situations like this, you couldn’t really help it.

“I have work too. I’ll be back at 4 though.” Jessica said. She worked as a journalist for a magazine, making way more money than either of you, so it made sense to be jealous.

“Ivy’s here though, don't know if she’s leaving or not.” Cameron said. Ivy was the fourth roommate, who wasn’t friends with any of you when she moved in. She needed a place to live and you guys needed one more roommate.

She was really reserved, and she didn’t talk to any of you much. This bothered Cameron, since she’s a chatter-box, but there wasn’t much anyone could do. She was going to business school in the city, so she was a few years younger than the three of you, but she didn’t start problems, so nobody paid too much mind to her. Coming up on a year of living with her, and you didn’t really know much about her.

You nodded and climbed under your comforter, still in the jacket and your audition clothes. The two girls stood up and walked out, Jessica turned off the light before she blew you a kiss and left.

Within minutes, you passed out. You woke up a few hours later to your phone ringing. Groaning, you picked it up.

“Y/N!” Cam shouted.

“What?” You said, sitting up in bed, all at once realizing how uncomfortable your pants and blouse were. Why did you sleep in these again?

“Okay, so I was at this audition right, and they’re like, ‘You’re so great but you just don’t have the look we’re going for for this role.’” She said. You could hear cars, horns, and the general bustle of the city in the background, so you assumed she was on her way home.

You ignored her subtle brag as you got out of bed to change. You put the phone on speaker and set it on your night stand as you slowly began to undress.

“And so then they were like ‘but, we love you so much, would you be interested in a paid internship as a film director assistant?’ And I would have done it except the 2 of the 5 months that it lasts for, I’m working on that off broadway production, you know the one wit-”

“Yes, I know the one.” You said.

“Okay, well I told them that I know a girl who would want it.” She smiled.

“Are you serious?” You said as you hung the jacket on the back of your door.

“Yes I’m serious! They said you’d have to apply though, so I have the application with me, but I put in a really good word for you, and pretend I didn’t tell you this, they basically said you have it in the bag.”

You smiled as you picked your phone up again and took a deep breath. “Cameron, thank you.” you said.

“Don’t mention it.” She said smugly. “And guess who the director is?”

“I don’t know, who?” You asked.

“Joe Mazzello.” She smiled.

“Remind me who that is?” You asked.

She groaned. “He’s an actor, Y/N, like a big one. This is gonna be a big movie.”

You let out a breath of happiness. “Thank you so much Cam.”

“I’ll see you when I get home.” She said “I’m about to get on the subway.”

“Ok,” You agreed. “See you.” You smiled.

The second she hung up, you had the overwhelming urge to call your dad. But you didn’t. It felt like he wouldn’t care, or he wouldn’t think that this was serious or that he would think you’re stupid for being excited about an internship.

But it didn’t matter. You had your source of income.

No one could have prepared you for how nerve-wracking your first day would be. You’re stomach had been churning all day, from when you woke up, to when Cam wished you luck and told you to mention her to the director, right up until you were walking into the large glass building that hopefully held your future as an actress.

After a 32 floor elevator ride, one of the producers met you and another boy your age at the front desk. You gave him a weak smile, trying not to let your jaw chatter from nervousness. He looked away.

“So this is where business is done, basically. Everything that’s not done on the set is done in this building. You guys, of course, will be spending a lot of time on set and here. I’d suggest familiarizing yourself with the surroundings.” The producer explained. She was older than you by quite a bit, with silver hair that looked like it hadn’t been brushed in a few days and a kind smile that eased your nervousness. She led you down a hallway that looked like it never ended, never mentioning where she was taking you. “The set is about 45 minutes out of town, and unfortunately, we can’t offer you on set living, like the director and actors get, so you’ll have to travel back home every night.” She never looked back at the two of you as she walked, but it didn’t matter because neither of you said anything.

She stopped outside of a door, with a small plaque on the front that read “Director; Joseph Mazzello”. Her smile faded quickly as she turned around to look at you both. “This is a serious job. As directors assistants, you are to do whatever he tells you. He calls all of the shots. Hundreds of people applied for this position, and we chose you two. I could replace both of you in 5 seconds.” You gulped and glanced over at the boy, who seemed to stand a little taller when he heard how competitive this was. “He’s in here, he’s going to discuss expectations, and he’ll let you know what this job will consist of. Address him as Mr. Mazzello and whatever you do, don’t mess up.”

You nodded and she scanned both of your faces. “Alrighty then.” She smiled again, as if she hadn’t just made two 22 year olds question every decision they’ve ever made.

She knocked on the door and then opened it to poke her head in. “Joe? You assistants are here.” She opened the door to reveal the two of you, stiff as boards.

“Great! I’ve been so excited to meet the two of you!” He exclaimed, standing up from his desk. The second that he made eye contact with you, you realized who he was. Joe from the subway. You’re mouth nearly dropped open at the realization. A deep blush covered your face as you begged the universe to not let him remember you, you could hardly bear the thought of your new boss knowing that you have one of his jackets hanging in your closet right now.

He smiled as he walked around his desk to shake both of your hands. “I’m Joe.” He said as he took your hand. You smiled, keeping in mind that this wasn’t the first time he had introduced himself like this to you.

“Y/N.” He nodded, and as far as you could tell, he didn’t recognize you.

He moved on to the boy, who had neatly styled brown hair, light eyes, and broad shoulders. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Mr. Mazzello, I’m Beck.” He said hopefully, putting your mere ‘Y/N’ to shame.

Joe smiled. “You don’t have to call me Mr. Mazzello, seriously. That goes for both of you, call me Joe.” You promptly nodded as he looked between the two of you.

“Sit down, sit down.” He said.

The two of you sat down and he went back around behind his desk. “You look so nervous. I promise I’m not mean.” He pleaded with an awkward laugh.

He went on to tell you that you probably wouldn’t be doing much in the actual film production, which you were bummed to hear, but what did you expect? “So basically, directing is a big job, and I’ll need help with day to day things. Technical things, running stuff around for me, just random tasks that I don’t have time for.”

He explained more, and the whole time he spoke, you couldn’t help but think of meeting him on the subway. How sweet he’d been, how he had given his jacket to a complete stranger and paid for you to get on. You had let your mind wander to how handsome he was, how good his arms looked in his shirt that was rolled up to his elbows. Immediately, you scolded yourself. You weren’t going to mess up your first job by getting a stupid crush on your boss. Were you really that dumb?

“Mr. M-” He raised his eyebrows as you spoke “Joe. Sorry.” You laughed.

“Atta girl.” He chuckled. “What’s up, kid.”

“We haven’t gotten much information about scheduling, how is that gonna work?” You asked.

“Oh! Yeah, I guess you’ll need to know that. Do you guys have your phones with you?” He asked.

You both nodded and you pulled yours out of your purse.

“Ok, my number is 501 333, 7689.”

You were a bit taken back at the fact that he was giving you his phone number, he hardly knew the two of you and he’s a famous actor. But, you weren’t complaining.

“I’ll just text you where to be and when to be there, alright?” He asked.

“Ok.” You both agreed.

“Alright.” He clapped his hands together. “So, first, I need someone to take these to Alex in I.T. and-”

“I’ll do it.” Beck blurted out as he stood up.

“Oh, ok.” Joe said, just as startled as you were.

“Then I need you to tell him to email me a copy of the call sheet.” He said.

“Got it, Mr. Mazzello.” He said, starting towards the door.

“Come on, call me Joe.” He smiled.

“I prefer to keep things, you know, professional.” Beck sent you a nasty side glance as if to say you weren’t professional.

“Alright then, Mr. Beck.” Joe nodded.

Beck stepped out of his office and you turned back to Joe. “Who pissed in that kids cereal?” He said under his breath, sifting through a few papers on his desk

You giggled and Joe smiled, looking up at you to meet your eyes and then back down at his papers. “So you’re from New York?” He asked.

“Well, yeah. Rochester originally, but I went to college here and I plan on staying here.” He nodded.

“Do you wanna do film production or something else?” He questioned.

“Well, the goal is to become an actress.”

“So you’ve been auditioning for things then?” He looked up at you expectantly. You prayed that he wasn’t trying to figure out if you were the girl from the subway.

You were just opening your mouth to answer when Beck opened back up the door. You both turned to him.

“That was quick.” Joe said.

“What can I say.” He shrugged cockily.

Joe sent you a glance along with a small smile. You looked at your lap, trying to hide the grin that was threatening to show.

#joe mazzello #joe mazzello imagine #joe mazzello x reader #borhap boys x reader #joe mazzello headcanon #borhap boys imagine #joe mazzello fanfic #fan fiction #borhap cast #fan fic #illicit affairs #john deacon imagine #john deacon x reader #john deacon headcanon #bohemian rhapsody imagine #bohemian rhapsody boys

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saxophone-playa · 4 years

Text

A Bad Day

@thatonetranny

OK, I know this took a long time. sorry. I could explain why, but I don’t really want to.

Characters: Tony Stark, Peter Parker, Ned Leeds, Flash Thompson

Fandom: Marvel

Word Count: 1760

Summary: Peter has a meltdown after Flash becomes the tipping point for him on a Bad Day. Ned helps, and irondad comes to the rescue.

TW: Meltdown, literally one cuss word

Peter enjoyed being alone. Sure, he liked hanging out with Tony in the lab, watching a movie with May, or playing video games with Ned. But being alone gave him space, space that the world didn’t want to offer, especially on Bad Days. Days when sounds were too loud, lights were too bright and anytime he tried to talk to someone they would brush him off or just annoy him. After days like that, being alone in his room with no one but his phone for company sounds like the greatest thing in the world.

So, when Peter woke that morning with the sun shining too bright and his pajamas feeling as though they could strangle him, he knew today was going to be a Bad Day. Brushing his teeth was a pain and he could barely swallow half an apple (he was going to be starving later, stupid metabolism). He immediately put his headphones in right outside his apartment door and started his walk to the bus.

The bus was surprisingly not too bad, yeah the jerky movements could be annoying, but to Peter they were familiar. A nice calm before the storm he knew. He kept his headphones on as long as he could, but the bell rang and the class had started. Off went the headphones and in came sensory input. He tried his best to focus and take notes while the teacher droned on about something he probably already learned with Mr. Stark. He’ll have to ask Ned for the notes later.

He was dealing with his Bad Day pretty well so far, he’s had all of his classes, except for his last one, with almost zero trouble. Ned even gave him his leftover lunch to help with his lack of breakfast. Things were going well, that is until Flash decided to be extra Flash today. Peter was grabbing the books he needed for his last class, gingerly picking up and putting down each one to make sure not to accidentally tear them up. When Flash came in and slammed his locker door and all his books fell to the ground.

“What’s wrong penis? Are you still being weird? I thought you got rid of that.” He said with a smirk, thinking he did something cool.

Peter could feel his blood boiling and itching. He just had one more class. One more. And then he could be on his way to his ro- Mr. Stark. He had to go to the tower today and work in the lab with Mr. Stark. That kind of just ruined peter. Yeah, he loved going to the lab and helping Mr. Stark, he would do that any day. But today? On a Bad Day? Why?

“Hello, Penis!” Flash started snapping his fingers in front of his face, and that was pretty much the straw that broke the camel's back.

Peter clamped his hands over his ears and screwed his eyes shut and sat down in the corner of the wall and his locker. Luckily Ned had forgotten to give him his notes and wouldn’t have seen him for the rest of the day and asked his teacher if he could give them to him quickly before class started. He honestly wasn’t expecting to see peter in a corner in a ball with flash standing there looking shocked and almost worried for the teenager.

“Shit, Peter? Are you okay?” Ned tried to keep his voice low and quiet to keep from distressing Peter more.

Peter just shook his head.

“Okay, I know what to do. You told me like a year ago.” Ned started to recall the list Peter gave him after a similar thing happened last year at their first Acadec meet.

“First, look for the cause, get rid of the cause.” He looks at Flash and glares like his mom does when he interrupts her during a phone call. It’s enough to make Flash runoff, deciding that he didn’t want to be a part of the situation anymore.

“Second, block sensory input.:” He dug around in his friend's bag to find his headphones and hat to block out the sound and light.

“Three, try, and communicate.” He looks at his friend's face and hopes his teacher won’t be mad for staying out of class for so long.

“Hey Peter, you doing better?” Still keeping his voice quiet he manages to get a nod out of his friend.

“Do you want to go to the nurse?” Knowing the nurse will help him way more than he could.

“No.” came his quiet timid response.

Ned bit his tongue in thought and tried to decide what was best for his friend.

“Do you want to go home? To May?”

His friend once again shook his head and simply said “Work.” in the same timid voice.

Ned didn’t know what to do. He was supposed to take him to the nurse so she could help him, but trying to force him there could lead to an even bigger meltdown. And Mays at work so he definitely doesn’t want him home alone right now.

“Well, what do you want peter?”

Now, Peter is smart, like really smart. All A’s kind of smart, memorized Pi in the fifth grade kind of smart. You get it, Peter is smart. But, in situations like these all that smart he has gone out the metaphorical window and he reverts into what Ned likes to call The Lizard Brain. There is no thought process or best decision for what variables there happen to be at that moment. There is only: DON’T DIE FROM THE SCARY WORLD. So when he gives his answer to Ned's simple questions, he doesn’t think.

“Tony.”

Tony was having a surprisingly good day. He ate breakfast, did his morning workout, talked with pepper on her lunch break, and was even productive in furthering their new stark phone they are planning on releasing soon. Overall, a Good Day. Plus, today was a lab day with Peter, even better. Peter was the highlight of his day, any day. He liked having the kid around, someone to match his level of intelligence. It was easy having him around, he said what he thought most of the time and would appreciate whatever Tony said back. Sure he had his days where communicating was hard, they just learned how to work with each other when that happened.

He was just about to remind Happy to pick up Peter when he got a call from the boy.

“Hey kid, I was just about to get Happy to-”

“OH my god, hi, sorry sir, to interrupt you, but we kinda have a situation.” Tony was a little startled, to say the least when he heard the voice of a different teenage boy than the one he was expecting.

“Who are you? And what situation?” to say Tony was concerned would be an understatement. There goes that Good Day.

“Um, I’m Ned, Peter's friend. And Peter is the situation right now.”

“Hi Ned’s Peter’s friend, you wanna tell me what’s wrong with the kid?” hearing that there was something up with his kid didn’t sit right with Tony.

“Yeah, uh, something happened between him and a classmate of ours” -Did Peter get into a fight? He doesn’t do that. And if he did, it would be the other kid in the ‘situation’, not Peter- “And he started having a meltdown, -Peter, does he know what a meltdown is? He does? Okay.- and I was able to calm him down, but he can’t really go back to class like this. And May’s at work. So we called you.”

By the time Fred- Ned? Ned had finished talking he already had his shoes on and was heading towards the elevator.

“Okay, thanks, Fred. Tell Peter I’ll be there to pick him up in about ten minutes and to go to the front office.” he hung up not even waiting for an answer. Getting in his car and he started down the road to go and get his kid.

When Peter heard Tony say that he was on his way he was able to calm down some, but not all the way. He could still feel the rumbling of the A/C below them and the hat he wore blocked out most of the light from the ceilings, but not the shiny floor of his school. When he stood up to leave the front office he swayed a bit on his feet, but with the help of Ned, he was able to get there without fail.

After a few minutes Peter guessed, Tony showed up with the heavy-duty headphones and sunglasses. Peter gratefully put them on and got up to leave. He waved at Ned hoping he wouldn’t get in trouble because of him and stepped outside.

The ride was quiet on the way to the tower but Peter liked it that way. Mr.Stark didn’t pressure him to talk when he didn't want to. The car had a more soothing rumble compared to the one in the school.

When they arrive at the tower Tony leads Peter to the couch, yes Peter remembers what he said about being alone, especially on Bad Days, but that doesn’t apply right now. He just wants to watch a movie with his father-figure, is that too much to ask for? Tony leaves to get Peter's favorite blanket he has in his room. “No, I’m not a dad, I swear” he whispers to the posters in Peter's room.

He sits down beside the spiderling and covers them both with the blanket. After a while when Peter is calmed down more he takes off the headphone and sunglasses and looks at Tony. He’s not looking at his eye but at his ear, eyebrow, nose, chin, and anywhere else except for the eyes, Tony doesn’t care, he just wants to know what his kids got to say so soon after a meltdown.

“Thank you.” he practically whispers.

“For what Underoos?” he matches his tone, afraid he’ll break something if he doesn’t.

“For helping me. For being there.” his speech is still a little broken up, but Tony doesn’t care.

“You don’t have to thank me for that bambino. I'll be there no matter what.” Just like Peter does sometimes, he reverted into The Lizard Brain and he dared a kiss to the top of his kid’s curls. He froze some afterward, but after hearing the contented sigh that came out of the kid, he knew it was the right thing to do.

#irondad #spiderson #autistic peter parker #actually autistic

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sparklingchan · 4 years

Text

Checkmate || Bang Chan (Stray Kids)

Pairing : Reader (fem.) X Bang Chan

Word count : 14k + ( oops-)

Warnings: A few cuss words , suggestive, mentions of death / murder / beheading and blood.NOT PROOF READ I’M SO SORRY.

Genre : Fluff, angst, romance ,strangers to lovers , Alice in Wonderland au, Royal au(a tiny bit) .

Description: Alice in Wonderland is just a story , or so you were made to believe.

A/N: This story is loosely based on the story of Alice in Wonderland. I always wanted to write Chan in a fictional universe and FINALLY I AM DONE WITH THIS STORY! I have twisted a few facts from the original story to fit my plot so not everything is the same.

Enjoy!

Weekends have had a special place in your heart ever since you were old enough to understand the importance of the last two days of the week in a normal human's life. For a long time , weekends meant going out with friends , partying, camping , eating , relaxing. Weekends meant your mom's scoldings in the morning , the sound of your dad's old radio, your brother's laughter. Weekends meant happiness.

But for sometime now, these definitions have changed. Drastically . Now weekends mean finishing presentations, cleaning your room , washing dirty dishes in the company of the empty corners of your solo apartment. Weekends now mean loneliness.

"Yes ,mom. I have been eating the herbal medicine you sent." You were never able to lie to your mom as a kid or even as a teenager. But the adult 'you' could easily do it. Lying to your mom was as easy as breathing now.

"Are you sure,y/n?" She asks in a stern voice.

You look at your small dining table , at the herbal medicine packet that lies there, as good new. And you let out a tired sigh , pressing your phone closer to your ear.

"Yes."

It had been an exceptionally tiring day at work today. And as you flop down on your couch with your mom still on call ,you wonder why you were feeling this sudden tiredness - all you did today at office was listen to your new boss boast about her achievements and your annoying colleagues kissing up to her as if she were some kind of Messiah.

"Aren't you coming home this weekend?" Your mom's tone now changes. She sounds worried, almost sad, "Dad and I miss you so much. Minho comes home often but we rarely get to see you."

Your eyes fall on the family picture hanging in the wall in front of the couch. It was the summer of your third birthday. Your mom and dad sat on the carpet while you and Minho stacked up legos to make a multi coloured house. The smile on your faces splash a wave of nostalgia towards you and you accept it wholeheartedly.

"I miss you guys too but I don't think I'll make it ,mom. I'm so sorry. " you say with a suppressed yawn, "But I will be going over to Minho's on Sunday so don't worry. We'll facetime you guys then." You feel your eyes get heavier but for the sake of your mom and your empty stomach ,you try your best to not fall asleep.

"Okay, okay. Sounds good. " your mom replies, "See you soon. Love you ,baby. "

You smile at her cheesy yet sweet words. Your mom has always been a fluff ball, just like your dad. But you and your elder brother didn't inherit that sweetness, sadly. "Love you too, mom." You reply.

And then the line goes silent.

You close your eyes, just to rest for a moment before having to cook dinner and working on your next week's presentation. But your eyelids feel like they suddenly weigh a lot more than they did a few minutes ago, like they were made of lead and you couldn't even lift them for a second more.

And before you know it, you've already drifted off into dreamland with your office clothes still on and your empty stomach growling.

For some reason , you'd always been a morning person. You've never had trouble waking up for school or college or work on time, where as your friends and colleagues were all heavy sleepers - they could sleep even through earthquakes.

You remember as kids ,all of your mom's friends would complain about how their kids wouldn't get their asses up for school in the morning and needed to be practically dragged out of bed while your mom just smiled and nodded in response. You probably adopted this habit from Minho ; he might be an annoying idiot most of the time but you have to give him credit where it's due.

And when your eyes open a few hours later, naturally , you expect it to be a bright , sunny morning.

But you're disappointed to see that it's still dark outside.

The lights of your living room are still on and the television is playing some stupid movie in the background , just the way it had been when you came back home from work and switched it on. Rubbing the sleep away from your eyes, you look at the clock on the wall. 3:45 AM, it reads.

"Goddamn it," you push yourself off the couch ,still groggy from your nap, your whole body aching . You grab your phone and office bag and waddle to your bedroom ,in hopes of finishing your much needed nap.

The hallways of your house are dark but familiar so it takes no time for you to find your room's door. Groaning , you close it behind you and walk towards your bed, a homely , comforting feeling enveloping you like a soft blanket. The lights of the room are switched off as usual , and the cold air of the room makes your skin tingle. You smell your signature perfume in the air and the room freshener you use, and surprisingly, a very strange, foreign smell that you are sure you had never smelt in your house before - the smell of grass and mud on a rainy day.

"What the-" you mutter to yourself as your mind finally starts functioning properly again , coming out of your post nap trance and all your senses suddenly switching to high alert mode.

It wasn't raining right now ,nor had it been raining in the evening when you came home so there's no way that this smell was carried in by you. You remember seeing droplets of rain run down the office windows during your lunch break, which means it had rained only a little bit during afternoon. Did someone enter your house in the afternoon?

Your heart starts hammering against your chest. Something feels wrong ,very wrong.

And you quickly realize you were right - because the moment you take a step away from your bed , your feet gets stuck onto something and you crash on the floor. Face down.

"Ow, shit - WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THAT?"

Turns out ,your feet didn't get stuck on a 'something ' , it was rather a ' someone '.

In all honesty, you had never seen a man as handsome as the one that lies on your bedroom floor right now, his hands and feet sprawled out as if he were sleeping on his own bed, his lips parted and hair damp. And if it weren't for his slow , steady breathing and the flush across his cheeks , you'd have almost thought he was dead.

You want to scream. And you do.

You should have called the police the moment you saw him, you think , but you didn't- more like you couldn't.

You are scared obviously, as you frantically check all your lockers and drawers to make sure he hadn't stolen anything. You check his pant pockets but find nothing. You even consider calling your brother but something was stopping you from doing so .

There is something about this man - maybe his extra silky looking clothes , maybe the weird pendant around his neck or maybe just the mere gut feeling that he might actually be the victim, not the criminal - that just wouldn't let you pick up the phone and call the authorities, even though you have their number on speed dial.

"Can I get another slice of bread ,please?" You snap out of your thoughts on hearing his husky, honey-like voice, call out to you, only to realize that you'd been staring at his face as if he were an alien.

Maybe he is an alien....

Embarrassed at being caught red handed, your cheeks flush as you nod your head and pass the man sitting on your dining table,right in front of you, his fifth slice of bread. Damn, he must have been starving.

"Thank you ,miss y/n." He replies with a polite smile, applying butter on the bread with the butter knife Minho had left at your place on your last birthday.

You want to return his smile ,you really do, but you can't find it in yourself to keep your curiosity suppressed anymore. You've never been so intrigued by a living,breathing human before, not to this extent at least.

A few hours ago, when he woke up after you dragged him off from the floor and laid him on your bed, you half expected him to attack you with a weapon or strangle you or threaten you for money but all he did was politely ask if you were the owner of this 'warm and cozy ' house and your name. He even called you ' a kind lady ' when you offered him breakfast and medicine for the slight fever he complained of , out of nothing but pure curiosity and intrigue.

"What was your name , again, sir?" You ask , putting down your chopsticks after deciding your breakfast wasn't that important anymore ,"and where do you come from?"

He sits up straight, the smile on his lips slowly dissolving into a frown. Did you say something wrong?

"I'm Bang Christopher Chan. But I usually go by Chan, " he answers the first part of your question and when he notices your anticipating eyes ,waiting for him to answer the next part , he looks down at his plate, as if embarrassed. "I wish I could tell you where I come from ,my lady ,but I can't and you wouldn't believe me either way. "

You furrow your eyebrows in confusion ; first of all ,this man - Chan - ends up in your room, passed out and sick , secondly he wears such expensive looking ,vintage clothes and lastly, the man speaks as if he were an actor in a Shakespearean play and now he refuses to tell you where he comes from.

He is feeding into your alien theory a little more than you expected.

"Well we won't know that unless you tell me." you reply with pleading eyes, curiosity getting the best of you. He shakes his head and presses his lips together in a firm smile, dragging his chair across the floor and standing up, "I'm afraid I can't do that."

You only watch in awe as he walks towards your main door in strange yet elegant steps. He turns around to look at you, "I express my heartfelt gratitude for everything you've done for me, my sweet lady. You gave me shelter and food and your magical herbs cured my sickness. I will never forget this favour of yours."

Magical herbs? Is he talking about your mom's herbal medicine?

You gulp, not knowing how to reply to his sudden expression of gratitude. With an INTP personality type, you've always found it hard to express yourself to people around you, even if your life depended on it and this time isn't any different either.

"W-well it was my pleasure." You stutter, "But where are you going now anyway?"

He runs his fingers through his silky , fluffy blonde hair and licks his dry lips. "I'm going to look for a friend. He might be able to help me."

"How will you find him? Do you have his phone number or address?" You ask. He shakes his head, "I'm afraid not. What's a phone number, by the way?"

Your eyes widen at his question, your mind running wild with possibilities of what might actually be going on with Chan. You've only ever seen things like this in movies and shows - a random person with no memory whatsoever meets the main character and they set out on an adventure together. And as curious as you were to find out whether Chan brings adventure with him too , you didn't want to get yourself involved in something so messy.

"It's a number via which you can contact people using this device." You say , showing him the led screen of your phone.

His mouth gapes at you , his eyes shaking with curiosity.

Oh this one is a gone case ,you think.

"I'll help you find your friend. What's his name?" You ask him again.

Still in fascination with your phone , he barely whispers his friend's name but thankfully you catch it,

"Lee Felix."

You hate driving . Period. Especially on weekends when the roads are full of impatient cars going off to picnics ,goods trucks trying to finish business as soon as possible , two wheelers which are the location of all the PDA in the world. You aren't used to seeing such happy traffic.

But here you are ,driving this mysterious yet charming man to his friend's place.

Lee Felix ,as the internet tells you , is an owner of a medicinal shop and is pretty well known among people for his homemade medicines and ointments. It only took one tap on your search engine to find out his location.

"So who exactly is this friend of yours?" The car has been quite ever since you left your apartment and you couldn't take it anymore - not when Chan just sits beside you , his fingers tapping on his leg with anxiousness.

He looks up at you , "He's more like a little brother to me , honestly. I grew up with his family - playing with his friends and his siblings. But he moved out of our hometown to do business. He still comes home sometimes but lives here most of the time. "

Now, that's the kind of information you'd been seeking for since the morning. He's slowly but surely warming upto you.

"So you're here to take him home or what?" you ask.

He shakes his head with a grim expression. "No, of course not. I wish I could but he is happy here , tells me he has a lover now and lots of friends. I'm happy for him. And anyway ," he pauses for second , "I'm here to hide. "

You find your heart race at the last word. He's hiding, but from what? From who? Is he a criminal that is trying to save himself from punishment? Or something worse?

Shit. This is not a good idea at all.

If your brother were here , he'd have flicked your forehead so hard it would have hurt for days. Maybe you even deserve it this time.

"From what?" You ask ,your voice only a whisper.

He sighs ,leaning against the window and looking out with thoughtful eyes.

"I really can't tell you, my lady." He replies.

Before you could question him further ,you see a house emerging in the distance and immediately recognize it as Lee Felix 's home plus workshop. Reluctantly, you pull over in front of the huge wooden house.

"How do I open the door ?" Chan asks with an innocent smile when you're about to get out. You let out a small chuckle and put your hand on your own door handle, "Press the black button here and push the door gently. " You demonstrate and he picks it up quickly, joining you as you stand on the porch of this Felix dude's house.

Chan knocks on the door with urgency, and for the first time today, he seems a little relaxed now. Like a weight from his shoulders had been lifted, and you don't have the heart to tell him that there's a doorbell directly on his right.

You hear quick shuffling behind the door and within a second ,the door opens to reveal a man - probably Felix - with bright orange hair and a big smile.

Brothers , you remember Chan's words.

They really do look like brothers as Felix jumps on Chan,embracing him like he had just saved his life. You don't miss the quiet sniffing from Chan and the tears that accumulate in Felix's eyes as they pat each other on the back , mumbling ' I missed you's to each other.

"I was so worried, Chan." Felix pulls away , grabbing Chan's shoulders, " I thought you'd gone to Marmoreal . Why didn't you tell me you were here?"

The name Marmoreal rings a bell in your head ,for sure. You'd heard that place before many times but as you search through your memories and try to find the exact context of that name , you fail to find it. It feels like you'd heard it almost in a dream.

"I just arrived here last night. Wasn't a very pleasant ride ,if you ask me. " Chan says , giggling.

Felix giggles too and then his eyes land on your confused face , as he let's go of Chan.

"And who might this fair lady be?" He asks with a pleasant smile.

Brilliant. Another actor from a Shakespearean play.

"Oh,right," Chan chuckles. " This is y/n, the kind lady who let me stay at her house for the night. "

No,he ended up in your room out of nowhere, you want to say ,but you swallow the words. You didn't want Chan to think of you as rude.

"Hello, Miss Y/n. " he smiles, " You've done us both such favour by housing him. We will not forget this. " Felix says, bowing his head to you.

Awkwardness is what you feel as you force a smile and nod in response,your palms sweating from the unexpected words , "You're welcome,I guess. "

Felix leads the two of you inside the house and you are greeted by a lovely young lady, who looks about your age - Felix's lover ,you assume.She walks in with a freshly baked cake in her gloved hands, her eyes shining the moment she sees the both of you.

"Oh,my dear." She runs to you , " Prince Chan! I have heard so much about you. Felix talks about you all the time. And oh,my, who's this lovely lady?"

Prince Chan .

Prince Chan.

Chan is a prince?

You look at him ,your eyes wide with confusion and doubt and he looks back at you with a nervous expression, like he didn't want the girl to address him as a prince.

"Yeah, " Felix clears his throat, raising his eyebrows at the girl in front of you , as if asking her to keep quiet. "This is Chan and the woman who provided him shelter last night- y/n."

"Oh my apologies," she replies with a smile, probably getting Felix's message, "Hello, Chan, Y/n, I'm Felix's girlfriend, Tracy. " She says as she clings on to Felix's arm and he stares adoringly at her like she is a rare ,precious diamond that no man could ever have but him.

You've seen that look before - in your parents eyes when they tease each other , in your brother's eyes when he talks about his boyfriend , in your ex boyfriend's eyes. You almost feel jealous.

"Hello ,Tracy." Both you and Chan say at the same time and then awkwardly stare at each other.

Tracy giggles.

"Anyway, Chan and I have important things to talk about. " Felix wiggles out of her grip and takes Chan by the arm ," Tracy, my love, would you please see to it that Miss Y/n here is not bored."

And Tracy surely did make sure you weren't bored for a single second.

She takes you into their medicine workshop, showing you the different herbs and fruits and vegetables they use to make the herbal medicine. She shows you the various jars full of these medicines and ointments. Her eyes shine with passion when she talks to you and it makes you realize how happy this makes her.

It is not an hour later,when she offers you a slice of cake and a cup of coffee that you find in yourself to ask Tracy about Chan and Felix and whatever happened back in their hometown.

"Ah,right. Their home." A sad expression falls on her ,as she stirs her coffee, " I wish I could tell you , I really do but unless Felix or Chan ask of me , I cannot do it."

The same response, again and again. "But I'm curious..... and scared." You mutter.

Tracy clicks her tongue on the roof of her mouth ,"Sweetie, I know you are and I don't blame you. But it is not my place to decide if I can reveal a secret or not....yet I can tell you this- Chan is not dangerous or anything of that sort. He's in fact the one in danger, in need of protection. "

Shocked, you stare at Tracy ,not being able to form proper words. Your prediction was right, Chan was in fact the victim.

You feel chills down your spine.

"Do you come from that place too?" You ask again.

"Oh no, I wish , sweetheart, I wish but no. I'm from this city itself. Born and raised. " she replies with a slight chuckle.

You want to ask her if Chan and Felix had come from a different planet but you stop yourself just in time when the boys arrive into the workshop.

"I'm afraid we'll have to bid them farewell now, miss y/n." Chan says with a sad smile and you wonder if he said that to console his own self.

"You've been so ,so kind to Chan. I would just ask you to do one last thing for him -" Felix starts, " Can you please drop him at the Levanter hotel ?"

Your forehead creases with confusion, "Why ? Will he not be staying with you?"

"No, I'm afraid not. He'll be easier to find in my house out of all the places. He won't be very safe here." Felix admits, embarrassed.

"Then he can stay at my place. He doesn't have to live all alone." Your mouth speaks out those words without giving a second thought to the idea of Chan actually living with you - you said you didn't want trouble but here you were ,being a big ass hypocrite.

"Well I don't see a problem with that, "Tracy chimes in , grinning, "and besides ,I like to believe that Chan would rather enjoy your company than be alone."

Your cheeks burn red as Tracy yet again puts you and Chan in an awkward place. His eyes are fixed on your face while yours are everywhere but him.

"Its settled then. " Felix says as the couple escorts you and Chan to your car. And just before you drive off, you hear Felix say to Chan, "I think we can trust the lady. Tell her about Underland. Tell her about home."

You love listening to stories. You remember your dad telling you and Minho stories ever night when you were kids and how you found it difficult to sleep without listening to his stories. Stories make you happy, they make your mind wonder about the infinite possibilities in this vast universe and how you happened to be where you were at the exact moment when the story was told.

Stories fascinate you .

With a voice as serious as your dad's, Chan starts, "I and Felix come from a far, far away place called Underland. You humans might know of it as Wonderland because of that one writer who stumbled upon our kingdom one day and decided to write a stupid book about it." He almost sounds angry when he speaks the last line.

"Anyway, I and Felix belong to Underland, which was ruled by the First Great White Queen's descendants for centuries. But everything changed when my grand father - The Last White King passed away. My father were to take the throne by blood right but then a blood descendant of the First Red Queen arrived and claimed Underland as hers. She killed all remaining members of the White Queen's family, my parents, my brothers and sisters," he pauses for a second ,blinking away tears. Your heart clenches with sadness , "But she couldn't kill me; I was just a baby. The youngest of them all. So she banished me to the Enchanted Forest forever ,to live with The Hatters which was Felix's family. In the forest , I grew up with his siblings - Sana, Momo , Me and Felix were inseparable. And we played with the Dormouse , the Cheshire Cat, the White Rabbit , March Hare all day. It was lovely, almost like a dream. Never once did I want to live a royal life or desire my rightful throne back - I was happy. But when I turned twenty , the Queen wanted me to marry her daughter so that she could tighten her claim over the throne. I couldn't do that , I couldn't marry a woman I did not know and did not love. So my friends used their magic and helped run away from the Queen and her Red Knights. And that's how I ended up in your house. "

You blink a few times as everything comes crashing to you at once - his sudden appearance in your room, his weird clothes ,his accent ,his strange walk ,his cluelessness about the modern world , and Tracy calling him a Prince - he is a Prince. A Prince of a place you didn't know actually existed, a descendant of A Queen you'd only heard about in books and movies.

Marmoreal is the name of the White Queen's home , now you remember.

Wonderland was real. As real as you and Chan and Felix and Minho and Tracy. It very much exists .

"Y/n, please do not fear me,I beg of you. You can ask me anything you want but I want you to know that I will not harm you. I am your friend. At least I want to be. " he says , putting a hand on yours as your mind snap backs to reality.

You straighten up.

"Questions , right." you say, still blinking more often than you needed to .

"So the Red queen and the White queen are real? Like they're not just that Writer's idea?" You ask.

"Oh ,they are, I assure you. They were sisters but enemies, which led to the evil Red Queen's banishment centuries ago. Their descendants never got along with each other."

You nod, gulping hard. So the scary Queen with the big head was real. Brilliant.

"And The Hatters , are they the family of the Once Mad Hatter?"

"Yes, they are."

"Aren't they all mad?"

He chuckles, leaning closer to your face, "Darling, they're only as mad as you and I."

Your heart beat gets stuck in your throat , stopping you from asking him anything anymore.

Taking it as the end of the conversation Chan bids you a quick goodnight and heads over to the guest room you had given him.

But he stops just before the door, leaning against the door with a grin ,"Oh, by the way, my lady ,you might not want to skip that herbal medicine on your table anymore."

You frown, "Why?"

"I wasn't lying when I said they were magical - Felix makes them after all."

Oh, what a small fucking world!

The next morning, Bang Christopher Chan claims that he makes very ,very good morning tea that will give you a boost that normal ' human ' tea could never.

"Take one sip and you will crave for more, " he tells you as you provide him with the basic ingredients and watch him from the opposite side of the counter , making this supposedly mind blowing tea.

Now, to be very frank ,you weren't much of a tea person - you've only had boba a few times and the proper ,traditional tea only on the few times that your dad makes some. You were more into coffee. But you didn't tell him that.

You see Chan lean over the boiling pot of water on the gas , adding tea leaves and a little bit of cinnamon and then half a spoon of ground ginger. You observe him , your curiosity bubbling like the boiling water.

"Are you going to add ...magic too? " you couldn't help but ask the question as Chan stirs the mixture in front of him.

He chuckles , a warm , hearty laugh that lights up the lonely and cold corners of your small apartment. His eyes turn into crescent moons and his deep ocean dimples as he walks towards you and softly boops your nose , "Yes, of course! How would it be different from your normal tea otherwise?"

You see him walk back to the pot and then rub his forefinger and thumb together above the mouth of the pot , "Watch this ,my lady." You stare at him with shock as a sparkly , golden dust snows down due to the friction of his thumb and forefinger and gets mixed with the boiling tea.

And when the first sip of the freshly brewed,warm tea touches your lips and travels inside your mouth, you feel an explosion in your brain that you'd never felt before. You feel like there are literal fireworks in your head ,burning and cracking and fueling your energy levels. You want to run out on the roads and scream on top on your lungs for no goddamn reason.

"Chan, I didn't think I'd say this ,but this is the most delicious beverage I've ever tasted." You say , booping his nose like he did before, " Thank You."

In the evening , you take him out for shopping after calling Minho to cancel your plans with him. You told him that an old friend of yours was visiting from Australia and that he would be crashing at yours for the next few days. Minho didn't care much , as usual ,and all he said was, "Don't get pregnant." You remember rolling your eyes at his annoying remark.

So now here you are, scrolling through your phone while Chan tries on different clothes in the trial room.

"I do not like the shirt that shows my arms!" He yells from inside as the employees of the store giggle.

You sigh, " It's called a tank top,Chan. And I'm buying it whether you like it or not, it's summer for God's sake!"

You hear him mumble something under his breath and then the door of the dressing room creaks open to reveal a very different Chan. You can't help up but gawk at his perfectly toned arms and the very evident biceps that you did not expect to be there. You gulp hard. With his tousled hair and perfect smile and gorgeous eyes , he looks like a Disney Prince, the ones you used to obsess over as a child.

He is a prince, you dummy, you remind yourself again. Prince of Wonderland . (Underland, whatever)

He awkwardly hugs his arms around his body as the cool air from the AC grazes his bare arms ,his cheeks turning red from embarrassment.

" Hey, chin up !" You grin , and walk toward him.

He presses his lips in a line and mutters ,"I look ugly."

"No, you do not look ugly ,Christopher. You look anything but ugly ," you glare at him, "You look amazing. Just like... Park Chanyeol. "

His forehead creases and you see a ghost of jealousy in his eyes, " Who is that? Your lover?"

You laugh out loud, patting his cheek softly. " No, he is a...famous person. In our world. Just like you are of your kingdom."

You decide to take out Chinese food for dinner and even though you want to ask Chan if he was okay with that , you don't. Because he probably doesn't know what China even is .

"Do you want me to carry that bag for you?" Chan asks ,pointing at the take out bag on your lap as the both of you settle down in the backseat of the cab you had called. You wince as you realize how badly your feet hurt from all the shopping and snacking.

"No , thank you. Plus you have enough things to carry yourself." You reply, eyeing the tons of bags he carries, containing clothes and shoes and whatnot.

The drive to your house is long , owing to the fact that the city becomes more livelier at night - a scene you rarely get to see with your own eyes anymore, thanks to your stupid job. The cab driver plays a slow, romantic song and you automatically find your eyes scan Chan's face, looking for something that could help you relate to the song booming through the speakers.

But all you see is worry.

"Chan, are you alright?" You ask him, placing a hand on his arm.

He looks over at you , his eyes shining like the city lights that you hadn't seen in so long, " You're a very kind person ,my lady. I do not know how I will ever repay you for this; any of this! "

You feel a warm feeling spread from your chest, coursing through your veins and under your scalp and your ears.

"You can repay me by making that tea for me everyday. " you reply with a soft smile.

Chan scoots over closer to you ,then puts his head on your shoulders, " Well then I'm sure you wouldn't mind if I take a short nap - I owe you this one too."

You blush and look away from his captivating gaze ," Fine, whatever. Just make the tea for me. "

You know you want to add something but you swallow those words and repeat them only in the company of your own thoughts.

Thank you ,Chan , you think as you look out the car window ,cherishing the beautiful streetlights and the tall buildings and the neon signs of shops and the gentle pressure of Chan's head on your shoulder , Thank you for making my weekend less lonely.

Chan is a man of his word, you can guarantee that - An honorable , honest man who almost seems too good to be real sometimes.

As promised , he'd make you tea every morning for the next two months before you go to office while he spends most of his time in your house, trying out different things to keep him occupied while you were at work - learning how to use your spare laptop , cooking tutorials on YouTube , videocalling with Felix , practicing magic on your plushies, online window shopping because he apparently loved the way people in your world dressed.

He'd wait for you every evening with another interesting thing he had learnt and wanted to share with you , and a plate of freshly cut fruits that he prepared beforehand. Then you'd both make dinner together and spend the rest of the evening talking and laughing and gossiping .He would tell you about Underland and it's castles and magic and you would tell him about your world and how a stupid picture on the internet could go viral in a split second.

On weekends, you'd make a hearty breakfast for the both of you and then clean the house together,which Chan never once complained about. By the time evening comes, you would have already chosen what movie to show him while the popcorn cooks in the microwave. Or sometimes you'd spend the day at Felix's or sometimes drive down for a small picnic at a park.

Slowly but definitely, Chan becomes a part of your everyday life , your source of comfort, your escape . And he ,in turn , finds a caring friend in you , a teacher , a person he could lean on . Knowingly or unknowingly , you become his escape too.

It is on one such Friday night that Minho calls you during your movie session and you excuse yourself from a weeping Chan ( the movie you chose was Titanic) ,walking towards your own room.

" What's up?" You say into the phone as you jump on your bed .

"Are you seriously asking me that? Y/n , it's been weeks since mom or dad or I saw you. You keep cancelling plans for your Australian friend. Do you think I'm stupid?" He yells at you and you move your ear away from the speaker. Gosh ,talk about being so loud and annoying.

"He's coming home after years, Min. I can't just leave him here."

He sighs, "What kind of a friend stays over for two fucking months. " then adds ,with all seriousness, " is this some Christian Grey shit going on?"

You laugh - you have to ,even though you know your brother is pissed off ," Dude, do you even hear yourself ? I earn ten times more than that Anastasia bitch did. I don't need a sugar daddy."

"Then what's going on with this guy ? Tell me the truth ,y/n . You know I'll believe you." His voice now softens.

You sigh, rubbing the crease between your eyebrows.

Not this time ,you wouldn't believe me, you want to tell Minho.

But then decide that if you can't tell him the truth ,you could at least tell him half the truth.

"Look, Minho...my friend is not here for a vacation. He's here to hide. He's in possible danger. " you whisper to him.

"What kind of danger? Y/n,what if he's running from the police? What if he's in trouble with the government?" He asks,his voice filled with concern.

You hated the fact that he was so similar to you . And he had the audacity to call you adopted for so many years. Asshole.

"No, silly. Not that kind of trouble. He ran away from his engagement. The bride's mother is a bitch apparently ,trying to force him for his money and fame. "

You hear Minho heave a sigh of relief from the other side and naturally, you relax too.

"Well then if you can't leave him alone ,bring him along to our house. I'd love to meet this Australian guy in person."

And that was the end of the conversation.

When you live with someone , you find new things about them everyday - today is the day you find out that Chan looks exceptionally attractive in a tight black polo t-shirt and simple jeans. His blonde hair is pushed back a little, his forehead glowing under the bright Sunday sun and he wears a watch that Tracy and Felix had gifted him last week. Handsome as a Greek God.

"How do I look ?" He asks you as he scratches the back of his neck, smiling at his reflection in the mirror.

He's gained confidence .

"Like a Prince." You say, standing beside him.

Your eyes are focused on your reflections in the mirror,the close proximity of your bodies and the way you both look like any other couple in the world, makes you feel overwhelmed. You see the few millimetre gap between his hand and yours and if you reach out a little bit, you could easily lace your fingers with him.

"And how do I look?" You ask him with a small smirk.

He scans your image ; you wear a simple floral summer dress with short sleeves ,along with a pretty wrist bracelet and a simple pendant around your neck. You catch him blushing.

"Like a Princess. " he replies.

You badly want to hold his hand in yours. But you don't.

The drive to your Brother's place is filled with questions and replies and a few careless teasings thrown here and there.

"I hope your brother doesn't hate me for keeping you occupied all the time. " Chan comments when you turn to Minho's apartment street.

You shake your head, " No,no. Of course not. Minho is not like that."

Your brother has lived with his boyfriend, Jisung for about five years now . You want them to get married soon but they always make weird excuses about it. So you just assumed they enjoy this live in relationship without the pressure of marriage and children.

"Hey , y/n, oh my god! Long time ,huh?" Jisung hugs you tightly the moment you enter their living room ,his big toothy smile permanently plastered on his face. Minho stands behind Jisung ,his arms crossed over his chest and his critical eyes focused on Chan. You smile and jog up to your brother, wrapping your arms around him. His familiar scent makes you miss home and your parents and your old room. "Stop being so stuck up,Min." You whisper to him as Chan and Jisung introduce each other and Minho eyes them suspiciously.

He chuckles and hugs you tighter ,pressing a small kiss to your head. You grin as he pulls away.

"Chan,meet my brother Minho, " you bring Chan to stand in front of Minho , "And Minho ,this is Chan." Minho observes the way Chan walks - elegant and smooth and the way Chan talks , like he were a dude from the Victorian Era yet he wears modern clothes and uses a phone and air pods. Everything about this man is mysterious yet Minho couldn't find anything to hold against him. Perhaps he is being too hard on the poor man. He also notices how lovingly Chan gazes at you , looks out for you in the smallest possible ways and you look at him with the same adoration and concern. Were you two dating? You didn't say anything about that though.

So he asks you after dinner ," Do you like Chan?" The question comes out as natural as any other question Minho has ever asked you. You look down from his balcony at the streets and cars and people below then your eyes fall on your brother and the wine glass in his hands and on Jisung and Chan who chat inside the living room over dessert, having found a common interest in music making and lyrics writing.

Your blood turns cold - not because Minho had asked you that question but because this is the first time you're actually considering the possibility of that being true. It scares you.

You think about a similar incident that had happened almost ten years ago - when you were in middle school and Minho was in high school. You had a crush on your cute classmate but he chose your friend over you. Even at that tender age,you were heartbroken. No one at home noticed your sadness or disinterest in everything those days but Minho did - he always does.

"I don't know ." You lean against the railing of the balcony , "I don't want to think about it."

"Why?"

"Beacuse we do not belong together. We're from different worlds. " you whisper , "And I'm not sure if he feels anything like for me."

Minho frowns at you then flicks your forehead so hard that it stings.

"You keep suppressing your feelings all the time, y/n. You wouldn't know if he likes you or if you belong together if you don't tell him." He says.

You do know that you do not belong together. You do know that he may never like you back. But you don't mention it to Minho.

That night , as you are driving back home and Chan is sleepily looking out the window,you ask him , "Chan, there's something I have to ask you."

Chan sits up straight ,his attentive eyes focused on your nervous ones. He could sense your turmoil since you stepped out of Minho's house. He nods ," Go on."

"Um...actually, Jisung's cousin is getting married on Wednesday. Would you like to be my plus one for the ceremony?"

You'd never seen Chan smile so wide before, his eyes practically disappearing in the process. His cheeks tinted red and his hands tapping on his thigh .

"Do you want me to?" He asks. He hopes more than anything that you say yes.

" Hell yeah,dude! " You reply, chuckling.

He has never hugged you till now , you realize, as Chan jumps and wraps you in a warm embrace ,even as you are driving. Your heart hammers against your chest and your cheeks turn brighter than his own.

His smell fills you with a comforting ,homely feeling and you just hope he never lets go of the hug.

Remember when you said that Chan looked really good in a polo t-shirt and you thought it couldn't get any better? Well you take your words back now.

Your hands go limp by your sides when you see Chan walk out of his room , as you stare at him from the small crack of the door of your room. He looks ethereal. He wears a black suit with a pink, silky shirt inside paired with his locket and his watch. Nothing too fancy and yet you feel your knees growing weak below you.

You suck in a deep breath,looking at yourself in the mirror and trying to gather enough confidence to walk and face him. You wear a pink net shirt with black palazzo pants, accessorized with silver earrings and a rose gold ring on your thumb.

"Okay, come on ,y/n." you encourage yourself, your heart beating fast.

You had not really expected him to drop his jaw on the floor the moment he sees you but he did and it makes your heart flutter and cheeks red.

He offers you his hand, "You look gorgeous ,my lady."

And you slip your hand in his ," So do you ,your majesty."

The wedding venue is not really far from your apartment so it takes only about 30 minutes for you to reach there.

And rest assured, you both had turned all the heads in the wedding that night. Wide eyes and gaping mouths and silent whispers of jealousy, you noticed them all. You felt a little bad for stealing the spotlight from the bride and groom but you secretly wanted to show Chan off too.

"Attention grabbers." Minho had teased you during the wedding ceremony as the bride and groom took their vows , earning a pinch from you in reply.

The rest of the evening goes by smoothly and before you even realize it, Jisung pulls you and Chan to the dance floor when a slow,romantic song comes up.

"Uh. I don't know how to dance." You admit shyly as Chan offers you his hand.

He chuckles and you notice how deep his dimples really are this up close.

"I can so don't worry about it. Just trust me. " he says, his eyes scanning your face

Smiling, you take his hand and put your other hand on his shoulder while he drapes an arm around your waist and pulls you closer. He indeed is a good dancer because soon you find yourself gliding around the dance floor effortlessly, flowing with the music and drowning in Chan's intoxicating eyes.

"This isn't so bad though." You comment when the lights are turned low and you see all the couples around you in their own bubble,doing their own thing, just grooving to the soft music ," I could get used to it."

Chan pulls both your arms and wraps them around his neck ,his hands finding a comfortable place around your waist.

"You should come to Underland some day. We could dance there all night. No one would disturb us." he whispers back,moving your bodies gently to the music.

Your smile fades , " I wish I could,Chan. I desperately do. "

He looks into your eyes and leans in closer, making your heart thump fast. Faster than it ever has.

"You can. You can come and go whenever you want, I promise you. " he says.

You nod at his efforts of making you feel better but you know that when he finally goes back to Underland, your heartache would be inevitable. You are so deeply ,madly and truly in love with the man in front of you that you will not be able stand a day without his warm presence in your otherwise dark and cold house. His absence would absolutely destroy you so you simply bury your face in the crook of his neck , breathing in his smell , enjoying his hands on you and sketching this moment in your mind forever.

"I'm going to miss you when you leave." you mutter in a silent voice as he runs his fingers through your hair , "Don't go,Chan."

You don't know why you're suddenly getting so emotional about him leaving when you always knew it would happen some day.

"Then come with me ,y/n." He whispers into your ears.

You pull away just enough to look into his eyes and then shift your gaze to his oh-so kissable , plump lips that you'd spent so many nights dreaming about.

Is this the right thing to do?

You no longer care.

He leans in first ,pulling your body towards him and softly yet hastily pressing his lips against yours.

Oh the bliss of having to kiss the man you've longed for since forever.

You're not even surprised when his lips fit perfectly in between yours as your whole body turns warm under his touch , like it had been waiting for him for a long time. And when you hold his cheek to control the pace of the kiss , you realise how much this means to him. How much you mean to him.

"I love you, Chan." You whisper after he pulls away, resting his forehead on yours.

He grins," I love you ,too."

The wedding ends shortly after but you guys stay back to wait for Minho and Jisung while they bid farewell to all of Jisung 's family and relatives.

"Be quick. " you tell Chan when he rushes into the boys washroom while you wait outside, your mind still replaying the intimate moment you had on the dance floor ( and Minho and Jisung teasing you about it later on). You shake your head ,smiling like an idiot.

Your beautiful thoughts are interrupted when someone- a tall ,muscular man wearing a peculiar red tuxedo - walks past you, bumping his arm harshly onto yours.

"Ow,dude,what the fuck?" You wince ,rubbing your arm as the arrogant asshole walks into the bathroom, "Piece of shit." You say when he doesn't even bother looking back at you.

You are about to go back to reminiscing your kiss with Chan but you hear a Chan yelling from the bathroom, his voice is as crisp and clear as the air in the mountains.

Your whole body goes cold.

"Get away from me !" You hear him yell and before you could stop yourself ,you feel your feet running into bathroom , pushing past the main door that clearly reads 'Male'.

"Chan? What's wrong?" You ask, your voice laced with urgency and adrenaline pumping through your blood.

What you see inside is something you'd never expected to see before but you were in love with a man who came from a place you didn't even know existed so this doesn't come as a big surprise to you. If Chan weren't in immediate danger, you might as well have been fascinated by it.

You see - Chan crouching on the floor , blood running from his nose and his hands covering his eyes , as if he's hiding. You see - the red tall asshole leaning against the wall, staring at Chan. You see - three very peculiar creatures surrounding Chan , shaped like the rummy cards with spades, diamonds and whatnot drawn on them and holding spears in what you assume to be their arms.

You almost regret coming in when all of them look at you with wide ,surprised eyes.

"Y/n! What are you doing here?" Chan gets up and walks toward you ,his lips quivering with fear.

The card creatures walk toward you,their spears pointed toward you as they growl something under their breath. You back away slowly.

"Hey! Stop it! She has nothing to do with it. Don't attack her." Chan yells at those things and thankfully ,they listen. They turn around and stand beside the asshole in the red suit.

Chan runs over you , tears starting to form in his eyes, "You shouldn't be here , y/n. Go back,now!"

You look into his eyes , your heart breaking at the sight of seeing him so in pain ,so vulnerable. It's like you're hurt ,too.

"D-did they do t-this to you?" You ask,pointing at his nose.

He blinks for a second then nods with a sigh ," That's why I'm telling you to leave ,okay? Y/n, sweetheart, please leave.Now." His voice is basically begging you and all you can do is stare at him and the others with horror.

"They found you. The Red Queen found you." You mutter to him,as he holds you by your shoulders.

"I'm so sorry ,y/n. I really thought...we had time. I really did. " his voice cracks as more tears stream down his face.

"We don't have all day long , Chan. Your future wife and her mother have been waiting for a long time." The man in red says sarcastically, "You've kept them waiting long enough."

You glare at the man then turn to Chan, who's a sobbing mess by now.

"They're going to get you married?"

The man in red scoffs, " He should be lucky if that's all they do. And knowing the Queen , she is very angry with him. He will not have it easy."

"Will they...execute him?" You ask ,running your hands over his face ,rubbing the mixture of blood and tears. Your heart shatters.

"No, the young princess is very fond of him actually. They will get married after he serves his punishment."

You see Chan wince in your arms as you pull him up in a crushing embrace. Probably the last one ever.

"I can call Minho and Jisung. They could easily take care of these bastards." You whisper into his hair, blinking tears away.

He clutches into you as if you were the only thing keeping him completely losing his mind.

He shakes his head, " No, don't, please. I cannot let more people get involved with me."

You pull away from the hug, just like you had on the dance floor, but it's different this time - more painful .

"Is there anything I can do...to stop this." You ask again ,desperate to not part from the man you've grown to love so bad.

He kisses your forehead,then holds your face in his hands. "I do not want any harm befalling you ,or your brother and Jisung or Felix or anyone of my friends in Underland, which is why I have to go and face my faith. I'm so sorry ,my love."

You let the tears flow.

Why was the Universe so unfair to people who deserved to be happy together? Why did the universe always favour those who mean ill to others?

"I love you ,Chan , remember that. " you say , " I always will."

He smiles through his tears, "and so will I. Always. I don't care if I am married or you are married or whatever, you're my princess till the end of Earth and till the end of Underland."

The asshole in red clears his throat, glaring at the two of you. Chan pulls away from the embrace and walks back to where he was originally when you came in.

You see all of them taking turns to drink from a vial with a purple liquid in it.

"Farewell,my lady." Chan whispers as a tear drop rolls down his face and falls on the floor with a soft splat. And in the blink of an , he is gone ,leaving behind nothing but a puff of golden smoke and his tear drop on the floor.

That's when you realise how real all of this is. And realise why exactly you didn't like the story of Alice in Wonderland as a child - its because the story is not a typical fairytale where the prince ends up marrying the princess, and because some day or the other, Alice had to leave everyone behind and come back to her real world.

You feel like it's been an eternity since you have been walking through the crowd of people in the wedding , people looking at you with disgust and fear, while you look for your brother or Jisung.

You enter the main hall and scan the room , sniffing away your tears and rubbing your bloody hands on your shirt.

You are a mess.

Finally ,you spot Minho in the far corner of the room ,speaking with a few guests with Jisung by his side. You sigh in relief but your body responds in the form of sobs.

You rush towards him and pull him by the end of his shirt, "M-Minho."

Jisung and Minho turn around ,their eyes widen at your crying, shivering , bloody sight .

Jisung immediately wraps his coat around you.

"Hey,what happened?" Minho demands as he pulls you in a hug ,and you sob into his neck, " Where's Chan?"

You feel Jisung rub your back soothingly.

"T-they got him ,Min. They took him and they punched his nose and it was all bloody and horrible and he was crying. Those things were so scary and ..." you say in between sobs, "..they'll punish him for running away and then marry him off, Min. I couldn't protect him."

"Who is them, y/n ?" Minho ask, rubbing your tears with his thumb.

"The Red Knights."

Jisung and Minho share a look of confusion with each other but they don't push you to explain your words.

"Okay,let's go home. We can talk there okay? Nothing will happen to Chan. We'll save him."Jisung says .

You shake your head , "No, we can't go home. We have to go to Felix. He's the only one who knows what to do. You guys can't save Chan without magic."

They want to believe you and whatever you say and they're worried about Chan too ,afterall both of them were so fond of him but they find your words rather hard to digest.

Nevertheless, your brother drives you to Felix's house.

His house once made you feel happy and complete but now it makes you feel horrible, like the freezing cold sensation you experience when you play out in the snow for too long.

And as you sit around his dining table , telling him about the incident and then him further explaining the whole story of you and Chan to Your brother and Jisung , you feel horribly empty.

"I'm so sorry ,Felix. I should have done something. I should have called out for help but I was so...scared. " you say , Tracy rubbing your back in comfort.

"Its not you fault, Y/n. Those knights are scary and the red man you talked about, he is the Queen's personal guard." Felix says ,"You're lucky he didn't do anything bad to you."

Jisung stares him blankly.

Minho paces up and down the room , his face twisted in confusion, " So you're telling me that the stupid story of 'Alice in Wonderland ' is true and Chan is from that place and you too?"

Felix hums in response.

"Bloody hell ", Jisung murmurs under his breath then adds , " so how do we go to that place and find him? I mean how do things work there?"

"Oh uh,no, we are not going anywhere. I will go . You are staying at home ,safe and secure!" Minho says to Jisung.

You frown in confusion.

"Wait, you believe it? You don't think we're all mad?" You ask.

They shake their heads.

"I trust you , y/n. You may be a pain in the ass and a crybaby but you aren't stupid or mad,as a matter of fact. We believe you ,of course." Minho shrugs.

You don't know if he's poking fun at you or if he actually believes you, but knowing Minho ,he rarely ever jokes around in situations like this.

"But how can we save Chan from there? Do we challenge the Queen and her claim on the throne or what? " you ask Felix.

Felix sighs , " It's not going to be easy . At all. That woman is dangerous...crazy even. She killed off Chan 's entire family , you think it'd be that easy to save him from her?"

There is genuine hatred and disgust in his voice when he speaks of the Queen. You'd only ever seen the portrayal of the First Red Queen in the movies and that woman was enough to piss you off . You couldn't imagine how someone from the same family tree could possibly get any worse.

"What are our options?" You ask ,tapping your fingers against your leg, a habit you'd picked up from Chan. You didn't realise it until just now.

"We cannot defeat her with physical power so dueling challenges and other such things are cut out. So that leaves us with either breaking him out from prison or being witty enough to fool the Stupid Red Head into letting him go " , He says . " and mind you, the Queen is very easy to fool because she's very ,very dumb but her daughter aren't. So we need a full plan to get him out."

You nod in agreement.

"Might I suggest something," Minho chimes in after giving much thought on whether he should speak up or not.

"Yes,please, of course." Felix replies.

"I think that the more important thing right now is to go to Wonderland - I mean, Underland- and as you mentioned earlier, talk to your friends and family. We can make a plan after we reach but first we need to know the severity of the situation there. "

Minho has always been smart but you don't want to admit it out loud - not in the presence of other people at least .

"Fine , yes. We must leave soon," Felix turns to Tracy , "Tracy, sweetheart, you will have to stay here and look over the shop . Jisung ,as Minho said,will stay back too. We don't know how long it will take but I promise I will be back."

And with that , you leave the two couples alone to bid their goodbyes and walk out to the porch, breathing in the cool night air.

"I promise I'll find you , Chan. I will find you and save you." you mutter into the air.

Funny things love makes one do.

The vial with the purple liquid feels cold in your hands as you uncork it .

"Do I pour it all in?" You ask nervously.

Felix stands on your left while Minho on your right, both of them holding the same vial in their hands.

"It doesn't matter. Just a drop does the work too." Felix shrugs.

You see him pour all the contents of the vial into his throat and then squint his eyes at the taste.

Minho and you share a look before doing the same.

And then your vision is fogged with a golden puff of smoke as you feel your body falling down a long, neverending , bottomless hole.

You've only ever heard about Underland from Chan and Felix ,and only ever seen this place through their eyes ,but now that you're actually here , it feels surreal, if you put it subtly.

The crisp and fresh air in the Enchanted forest runs chill down your spine and you hop over wood logs and thorny bushes with continuously moving leaves. Minho stays close to you, his hand never leaving your arm while his eyes try to absorb his surroundings.

Felix walks in front of you two , not wavered by the scene in front of him. And why would he be anyway,this was his home ,his domain.

"W-where are we,Felix?" You ask in a soft voice .

"We're in The Tulgey Wood . We're going to my house." He replies with a slight nostalgic tone.

The Enchanted Forest is so breathtakingly beautiful that it almost feels unreal to be walking right through it. The purple sky above you ,the rustling leaves around you , the trees that seem to follow your every movement and flowers that seem to have actual eyes, everything welcomes you rather warmly although you have a feeling you are yet to see the crazy side of this place.

"Well , I had expected you a little earlier, Felix." A sharp voice says from somewhere within the bushes, startling you and Minho and he jumps in front of you ,as if to protect you.

"What's that?" Minho asks,unable to mask his own fearful eyes.

Felix chuckles , " Don't be scared. This is my friend ,the White Rabbit. "

You hear shuffling sounds from the bushes and out comes the most cuddly looking rabbit you've seen in your whole life, hopping on his back limbs and wearing a waistcoat and carrying a stopwatch.

A waistcoat and a stopwatch....

Minho stares at the creature with awe while you bend over to take a closer look at it.

"Hey ,young lady ,back off!" The rabbit threatens you , squinting his eyes at you. And you immediately step back, blinking your eyes nervously.

"It's alright, she's our friend. Chan knows her too. " Felix says, crouching down to pat him , "This is y/n and her brother ,Minho. They're here to help."

At the mention of Chan's name , The Rabbit's eyes widen and he slumps down into Felix's arms and starts sobbing.

"Oh,my dear Felix , I'm afraid of what has become of The Prince. When we heard that the Knights brought him back , we were all so ...lost." he says as Felix cuddles him in his arms, "Dormouse and Cheshire have sneaked out from their duties of the Queen and gone to visit him . They say he looks scared to death. The Queen out him in a prison. With murderers and thieves and whatnot."

Your whole body goes limp at his words, your annoyingly vivid imagination creating those pictures in your head. You blink your tears away.

"How can we save him?" You ask in croaked voice.

The rabbit looks at you sadly , " Let's go to the girls first. They can help you."

"Who is he talking about?" Minho asks.

"My sisters," Felix replies , leading the way deeper into forest , "Come on, we're almost home."

The Hatters' live on a clear patch of land in Tulgey Wood , surrounded by trees for as long as the eyes could reach , in a huge house beautifully built like a Victorian top hat.

You were breath taken. And so was Minho because you could literally feel him hold his breath as you guys enter the house.

"Oh ,my gods , is that you Felix?" A high pitched female voice thunders from above you ,while you stand in what looks like the Study of the house. Your hands brush over a brown diary kept on the desk and the pot of ink sitting beside it. ' Medicinal Documentation ' the diary reads.

"Yes, it seems so. " Felix replies with a grin.

Your eyes fall on the steep spiral stairs in front of you that go up to the other floors of the house and you see two girls jogging down the stairs, big smiles plastered on their faces yet the sadness in their eyes cannot be hidden.

They are a tad bit shorter than you are , and they must not age more than Minho and as they jump on Felix ,squealing with excitement, one can almost immediately see the resemblance in the siblings' appearance ; bright orange hair , toothy smiles, and big ,sparkly eyes .

"And who might these lovely people be?" The shorter of the two girls asks ,as the white rabbit clings onto her long skirt.

"Oh,this is y/n and her brother Minho. They know Chan and want to help him." Felix introduces, " Y/n , Minho meet my sisters - Sana and Momo."

"Of course..miss y/n. We've heard about you." Sana ,the taller one ,walks up to you and bows her head lightly, "We're so grateful for what you're doing for the Prince, sweet one, we really are."

If Felix, Momo , Sana , Chan and the annoying ( but cute) rabbit were put in a Shakespearean play together , it would be a massive hit. Their accents are so good and elegant and graceful that you wish you could learn it too.

You smile at the compliment , "Please don't thank me. I haven't saved him yet. "

"Oh, enough of these formal courtesies, " the shorter girl, Momo , holds your arm and leads you up the stairs, "How about we talk over tea?"

The group reaches the top most floor of the house ,overlooking the beautiful forest through the window as you are made to sit around a long table .

Sana and Mina serve you a cup of tea while the White Rabbit passes you some freshly baked cookies.

"Wow,this...this tea is wonderful." Minho compliments when he takes a sip from his China cup , "Is this what Chan used to make for you ,y/n?"

You nod, as those memories dance around behind your eyes , " He was very good with it."

"Oh he always has been good at everything, I tell you ," Momo starts , " Sword fights ,archery, horse riding ,poetry , cooking, too bad a prince like him had to live with mere Hatters like ourselves."

"Hey,we weren't always this poor. " Sana adds, "This is all the Second Red Queen's doing, gods curse her!"

You scowl , " What do you mean? I thought she only harmed Chan's family . "

Sana let's out a woeful sigh while Momo and Felix look at each other with sorry eyes.

"I wish she'd only done that ,truth be told." Sana says.

"Yes, but instead she ruined everyone's lives who ever crossed paths with her." Momo says, "Our father was the Royal Hatter for Chan's family - the White Queen's descendants. And our mother was the Royal Physician . We lived a happy life , living in a big house near the palace in Marmoreal . "

"Marmoreal was the Summer Palace for the Royal family ,not very far from the capital town of Witzend. One such summer , when Prince Chan was only a year and a half old ,the banished heir of the Evil First Red Queen arrived in Marmoreal and her Knights butchered the royal family and killed every living creature in sight. Her dragons set fire to our house and the palace and the nearby villages. It was...horrible , to say the least. Only a few people survived , which included our family and the Young Prince. The Queen commanded us to take the infant away and never show up in front of her again and so we did - for a long time." Momo then looks over at Sana ,signalling her to continue telling the story.

"But that was until the Queen's only daughter - Princess Scarlet's 18th birthday celebration. We had gone to the parade fair in Witzend, just near the Queen's castle. No one knew us properly or Chan so we were safe. But the Princess saw Chan and fell in love with him...madly. She pursued him every chance she got and when she couldn't succeed , she used her mother's powers to force an alliance. Her mother was hesitant at first, given her history with Chan's family but then she too decided to force him into this alliance for her political good. And initially , Chan had to comply. But on the day of their wedding announcement, he escaped into your world."

"Through my rabbit hole,if I may add." The White Rabbit mumbles. You purse your lips, letting the story in slowly , word by word ,letter by letter. And when the realization sinks in,you purse your lips to stop yourself from crying.

"And I couldn't protect him. I am responsible for what happens to him." You whisper.

Everyone looks at you with disbelief.

"Hey, no! That is not true!" Felix says,almost angry ," You're the reason he was safe and happy for all those months. If not , if he were with me or worse,alone, he wouldn't last a week out there. You saved him, y/n."

"It's true, y/n. Our friends work in the Queen's royal kitchen and they've met Chan a few times in the prison - he only ever asks about a woman named y/n." Sana says.

Your heart drops into the deepest pits of your stomach. You didn't know what love really meant until you met him and although a stranger, in an unknown place , he still trusted you, believed you , cared for you , loved you.

You have to save him.

"Okay , anyone has any plans? Any ideas?" You ask ,after composing yourself.

"I don't have one but I really want to suggest we move this meeting to the medicinal garden in the backyard. That place helps me think. " The White Rabbit offers,scratching his fluffy ears.

As if something in your brain suddenly clicks , like a gear falling into place in a machine; Your eyes widen as you slam your hand on the table.

Everyone jumps up , startled.

"What's wrong ?"

You look over at the Rabbit and pat his head , "You are a genius."

"Huh?"

"You said your friends work for the Queen ,right?"

"Yes?"

You drag your chair away from the table, jumping to your feet ," I have a brilliant idea."

When the next morning arrives , you find yourself walking to the town of Witzend with The White Rabbit , Minho , Felix and his sisters by your side.

"Here,y/n, take this," Momo gives you something just before you enter the castle of the Red Queen. "You'll need it."

You gaze carefully at the shining vial in your palm.

"You know when to use it." She says.

You nod.

The Red Queen that you remember from the movies and the few excerpts from the original book of Alice in Wonderland that you'd only ever read once, you had expected her descendant to look a certain way too - big ,swollen head , scary eyes , loud voice.

But the woman sitting on the throne directly in front of you is definitely not what you had expected. At all. The Queen is a small woman ; and by small you don't mean skinny and short - she's literally small. She must not be more than three feet in height , you assume , but her features and face is that of a fully grown adult in her 40s. A human being who'd suddenly shrunk ( proportionally) like a raisin.

You wonder how someone so small could hold so much evil in themselves.

"Your majesty, " you bow down to her and so do the people standing beside you , scared yet worried for Chan. "It's nice to finally see you again."

You see a familiar gaze behind the throne, and you immediately recognize him - the Queen's personal guard - the asshole who had punched Chan bloody.

He smirks at you.

You curl your hands into fists.

"Yes? And what is it that you want from me?" The Queen asks, not really caring about the matter at hand. She picks at her cuticles while chewing her bottom lip.

Hesitant, you look at Felix asking for help.

Behind you , you could hear murmurs from the people waiting in line for their turn to put forward their complaint in front of the Queen.

"Your majesty, this is Miss y/n. She's come a long way from home to see you." Felix says ,his voice as gentle as the wind on a winter morning.

The Queen rolls her eyes, running her small hand through her red hair , " What can I do for you?"

That's the fakest thing you'd heard all day.

You clear your throat and pick up all your courage to speak, "I want your help to look for the man I love, your majesty. He's ...missing and possibly hurt I believe. "

" Why are you here instead of asking the Police to help you?" The Queen demands.

"Oh,because I'm afraid you're the one who has him."

The Queen stops picking at her cuticles, and raises her head to stare at you with her small , googly yet intimidating eyes. You realise now why the people were so afraid of her - the Evil curve of her lips and her deadly stare are enough to make you want to drop everything and run back home.

"What do you mean ,young lady?" The Queen asks, her interest now focused on your words.

A collective gasp runs through the throne room , starting from the citizens, then passing on to the Queen's staff and her card shaped Knights. They seem surprised at the Queen actually showing an interest in something for the first time.

"I'm talking about Prince Chan, your majesty." You say.

The Queen's eyes widen as you hear the room fill with murmurs and gasps and silent cries. How long had it been since a person dared to even mention Chan in front of the Queen?

"Mother,what is this woman talking about?!" You hear a loud shriek from somewhere beside the Queen .

And only when you squint your eyes hard enough can you actually see her ; the Princess of Underland who was hilariously so small (even smaller than her mother ) that you almost wanted to giggle. Now don't get me wrong, you weren't body shaming her or anything , but you'd never seen a person so terribly small in your entire life until now. You could only imagine what it would look like if Chan happens to marry her for real one day.

"Don't worry daughter , " the Queen gets up from her seat and walks up toward you, her guard close behind her , " Chan is only yours. No one else's."

Just when you're about to respond , you see two huge fishes - almost as tall as you - twirl up to the Queen and offer her a cup.

You'd never expected to see actual, living fishes out of water or wear clothes or hold trays and bowls or walk on their tails, but here you are .

"Wrong timing ,idiots!" The Queen screams her face red with anger yet she snatches the cup from the tray and gulps down all it's contents at one go.

What a peculiar woman.

"Go away now." The red asshole growls at the poor fish as they rush away from the scene.

You smile at the Queen as she stands in front of you , not even reaching your knees properly .

"You,girl, what do you want?" She demands.

You feel Minho wrap a reassuring arm around you , eyeing the woman in front of you with a hatred filled gaze. Felix stands close by your side.

"I want Chan to be released from prison , and be given his rightful throne back . That's all." You say.

The Queen scoffs , "His weak and worthless dynasty ruled over this excuse of a country and the useless people for years. I am only trying to make things better."

You can feel the disapproval of the citizens around you at being called useless.

"And? Do your people think you're doing a good job?" Felix asks.

You see numerous heads shake in a negative response,and you can slowly feel the tension in the room rising.

The Queen points her left forefinger at you while the other hand is on her waist , " You want the truth , peasant girl? So here it is - I do not care about anyone . I care nothing of this country and its citizens and its creatures. None of my ancestors ever had. We just like to sit on that extremely uncomfortable throne and enjoy the money and power we get from controlling these worthless citizens. Oh and I wish I could relive the screams of The White Royal family as I killed them. One by one."

The Queen gasps in realization of what she'd just said while the room falls completely silent for a second before the princess yelps , "Mother ,what is the matter with you?!"

The princess looks horrified as she runs up to her equally horrified mother.

You smirk - the plan of pouring in the truth potion in the Queen's tea had taken so less effort , thanks to the sweet Dormouse and benevolent Cheshire Cat and Felix's mother's medicine diary.

"Oh I hope you burn in hell . A whiny, good for nothing girl. You can't even fight your own fights without dragging me in. And as far as Chan is concerned , I don't care about you marrying him. I only wanted to secure my claim over the throne by forming an alliance with a person with actual rights to this kingdom." The Queen clamps a hand over her mouth, stumbling back from the shock.

The princess let's go off her mother,betrayal clear in his eyes.

"So you admit to your crimes?"

"Yes." The truth comes out as natural as those lies she'd fed the citizens and the princess and her servants and the Knights for years.

From the corner of your eyes , you see The Princess trying to sneak past everyone and run out of the throne room , guilty of her own wrong doings but Felix stops her with a firm grip on her tiny hand , "Where do you think you're going, little one? Didn't you threaten to kill my whole family if we didn't hand Chan over to you?"

The Red Knights close in to capture the Queen and her personal guard in their unbreakable grasp , giving up their oaths of protecting the Queen - their duty is only to serve Chan from now on.

Sana steps in now , turning to address the people who are witnessing this unusual incident, "My fellow lovely countrymen, as you can see right before your eyes and hear through your own ears , your Queen has intended nothing but to harm you and our kingdom for all these years. She means no good and never will - the true heir to the throne now lies injured and chained in her dungeons. What do you suggest we do?"

"Behead her!" "Free the Prince!" "Finish off the Reds!" "Be done with her guard too ." "Crown Prince Chan."

The room thunders with all sorts of suggestions and you make an eye contact with the White Rabbit ,who nods at you and you nod back ,smiling from ear to ear.

You've done it , he wants to say , you've freed The Prince.

The rooms in the castle were beautifully designed, but were in a terrible condition since most of the rooms were never used really and the Queen didn't feel it was important to get them cleaned regularly.

You had asked the White Rabbit to find some servants to get one of the rooms quickly prepped as the Red Knights carried Chan from the prison and into the castle - his birth home. Sana and Momo cleaned his wounds the moment he was laid down on the soft bed, changing his clothes and then softly pulling the covers over his body to keep him warm while he rests.

The White Rabbit brings you an apple but you don't eat it - you just sit by Chan's side ,praying desperately that he wakes up soon. You wouldn't be able to swallow a single grain of food until then.

You run your fingers softly over his arm ,drawing random patterns and spelling out your names on it.

"Please wake up ,Chan." You say in a whisper , scanning his calm yet beautiful facial features. "I found you ,Chan. I am here."

Your fingers find their way to his and naturally as ever ,wrap themselves around them.

Suddenly, Chan stirs in his position , a low groan leaving his parted lips. You stare wide eyed at him as he slowly opens his eyes, your hands still tightly intertwined.

"C-chan?"

He turns his head toward you , a lazy smile dancing on his lips and his eyes focusing on your face , which he'd yearned to see every second he spent in that horribly dark dungeon.

"Are you really here, y/n? Or am I finally going mad?" He asks you.

You lean in closer ,brushing a few strands of hair from his face.

"You're only as mad as the rest of us." You reply, "Welcome home ,your majesty."

Groggy and weak ,Chan pushes himself up in a seating position. "How did you deal with the Queen? Where is she? " He takes your face in his hands , "Did she hurt you?"

"She couldn't lay a single finger on me. And now she's locked up in the same dungeon as you were. She'll be given to the slave trader soon ,along with her daughter." You say. "Who knew a simple medicine and a few good friends could be enough to defeat a tyrant ?"

He giggles , pressing his forehead on yours. "Did you meet everyone else ? Momo? Sana? My friends?"

You nod with a grin. You'd come to adore his friends and family so deeply in a single day. You would hate to part from them.

"Thank you, y/n. I owe you everything. " he sighs, his breath fanning your face , "I love you so much I think it's going to drive me crazy!"

You chuckle at his cheesy words , "You're welcome. But I need compensation for all of this. An ' I love you ' is not enough."

You were joking ; hearing him confess his sincere love for you is more than enough but you liked playing with him. He looks very cute when flustered.

"Then what would the pretty lady desire?"

"You."

He shakes his head , leaning down to capture your lips in his plump ones.

This kiss was even better than the first one that you guys shared on the dance floor , mostly because you know now that even if he's taken away from you or you are taken away from him , you'll always find each other , in every world , in every universe. He pulls you up on his lap despite him being injured , and you let him.

You put your hand around his neck, pulling him closer and closer and closer . At one point ,you could no longer tell who he is or who you were. The only thing that mattered was that you loved him so much , you could deal with a hundred Red Queens for him. And you know he'd do the same for you.

"I have one last favour to ask of you ,my love." He whispers against your lips ,pulling away from the kiss. His red cheeks and sparkly eyes are a sight to behold ," I want you to stay here with me. Please."

You grin , knowing he'd say this and you were well prepared for it. Convincing Minho to let you stay was so much easier than you had expected really. All he did was shrug with a smirk and say, " Just don't get pregnant." In reality, all Minho really wanted was for you to be happy and healthy and he knew living here with Chan would make you the happiest.

"On three conditions." You reply to Chan ,who is staring at you like he'd seen a human like you for the first time.

"Okay. What are those?" He brushes your cheeks with his thumb.

"I can visit home whenever I want."

"Agreed, obviously. You're not a prisoner, y /n."

"Then I also want to put up a small shop of my own in the main market square. I will not be wasting my time on stupid politics- that's your job."

"Agreed. I will help you with it whenever I can. What's the last condition?"

You smirk and lean your face closer to his. "Kiss me one more time."

And he does.

You smile into the kiss , wondering now that ' Alice in Wonderland ' might not have been that bad after all. She had a choice to stay or go back and she chose the latter. You had the same choices too , but you chose to stay. It wasn't about a happy or a sad ending ,after all. It was about the choices.

And as Chan holds your waist firmly, deepening the kiss , you know you've made the right choice too.

122 notes · View notes

leerongrong · 4 years

Text

of broken arms and annoying neighbors.

Pairing: Lee Donghyuck x Reader

Word Count: 1.9k

Summary: In which your summer isn’t filled with adventures and laughter but more of annoying neighbors and falling from windows.

Requested: yess from this drabble game. feel free to send a request! // babysitter!au + enemies to lovers +prompt 37 with hyuck or jaemin,, i cant really decide,, thank you and i love your blog uwu xoxo

Summer started just over a month ago, prompting all school kids to lay back and enjoy the sun, ditching school work and forgetting homework. Sunshine shone from above, shinning on your uncovered head while you’re walking to the house address on your phone.

While your friends had all went away to vacation; some going to Bali for a summer tan, others going to their grandparents’ house in the suburbs, you had decided to stay put in your house, prompting to get a job and gather up money for a brand new speaker you’ve been eyeing since last week. The gadget had been just a bit expensive, your money lacking and your parents won’t give you any of theirs, telling you to work for it instead.

The neighborhood you’re walking through is one of the high end ones; flashy marble white buildings owned by the likes of business men, and women. The first time you walked through, you’d felt a little awestruck at their infrastructures, even at their too big swing set just by the park. You guessed this was what people meant when they said that grass is always greener on the other side.

You, yourself came from a humble back ground. Your dad a small office worker with 8 to 9 hours of work, while your mom’s a stay at home wife who cooks and sells some of her paintings as a hobby and now to add to the addition, you’re a babysitter who works for a well off family with 2 adorably well mannered kids. You had started working just over two weeks ago, along with taking care of kids, you had to do a little house work but all and all you love the job that you have.

Although the one thing you can’t stand about the job is one little thing, or should you say person. He goes by the name Lee Donghyuck.

The neighbor next door who made it hell even on your first day of work, breaking one of the house owner’s window, as a welcome gift. Your first encounter hadn’t been good to start with, more so when you threatened to call the police on him. Ever since then he’d always get on your nerves, pressing on the house’s doorbell multiple times and fleeing when you came to open the door.

You hadn’t been innocent yourself, you had purposely baked a chilly and pepper pie that smelled like strawberry and jam, pretending to put it out on the window to cool it down. You had the best laugh of your life when you saw him eat it and cough his guts out.

The steady pace you put on proved to be a hassle. You’re sweating buckets by the time you reached the Smith’s front door, the sun’s still beating down on you while you’re twisting the door knob, eyebrows furrowing when the door won’t open. “Sam? Lynn? Guys it’s me, open the door!”

“Nope!” Two heads pop out of the kitchen window, both kids laughing and smiling at you. Sam’s the 7-year-old brunette with his two front teeth missing, while Lynn’s the 6-year-old blonde with pigtails. The two kids have been a wonder for you to babysit, both of them following your every rule and staying out of trouble. That is until today.

“Guys, c’mon,” You groan, “The ice cream I bought is going to melt if you don’t let me in.”

You’re suppressing a smirk when both kids pop up at the sound of ice cream, the two having a secret little meeting while they go on to discus about their multiple favorite flavors. “What flavor did you bring?”

“Rockyroad.” The sweat sliding down your neck has you desperate to get out of the sun, desperate enough to send the kids your best puppy dog eyes. Little Lynn’s eyes waver for a small moment that has you hopeful, only for that hope to be crushed when Sammy shakes his head and locks the window from the inside.

You’re scoffing at your fate while Donghyuck’s having the time of his live, hand propped up to hold his phone onto his ear while his eyes take in the way you’re jumping and trying to climb your way up to the second story window. The line on his phone finally connects and he’s spewing comments the moment Jaemin’s voice breaks through.

“Bro, she’s climbing up a window!”

“What do you mean you don’t believe me?”

“Come over here and see it yourself, then!”

“Are you a burglar or something?” His eyes are scanning your form, taking in the way you’re climbing up swiftly as if it isn’t your first time. He’s taking in the way your shirt and shorts ride up every time your hands reach up to grab at a ledge. “You’re hot tho.”

“What’d you say, Hyuck?” Donghyuck almost flings his phone out the window when he hears Jaemin’s voice on the line, only remembering too late that he hasn’t pressed the end call button just yet, finally realizing that Jaemin probably heard him calling you hot.

The multiple excuses on the tip of his tongue are pulled to a stop when he hears your scream from outside his window, and it takes everything in Donghyuck not to scream too because an arm shouldn’t be bent that way.

He’s sprinting to your side in seconds, and Hyuck crouches down slowly when he sees you’re still looking at your arm in a daze. “Hey, are you okay?” He’s refraining from slapping himself because you’re most definitely not okay.

Your eyes are focused on him for a minute, head bopping down to look at your hand. The adrenaline in your system is slowly wearing off, a sluggish feeling seeping into your bones and pain shooting up your arm. The scream that escapes you not only make Donghyuck jump but also make Jaemin come running from three house down.

“Oh My God.” The three words come pouring from your lips like a prayer, repeating it again and again while your eyes are still focused on your arm and the way it’s bent, some places slowly turning a smudge blue and purple. The tears start falling down in a quick pace and the way you’re looking at Donghyuck, makes him want to cry too.

“Don’t touch your arm!” Donghyuck all but screeches when he sees you reaching down to your weirdly angled arm, “Are you stupid!?”

“There’s a spare key under the bench,” He screams, “How did you not know that? Even I knew about it!”

You aren’t sure who calls the ambulance, your vision blurring until all you can see is black. Your ears only comprehend Donghyuck’s screams and the sound of sirens invading your senses. “Don’t you dare die, you hear me?! People are going to think I’m the one who killed you!”

“Get a summer job they said,” You grumble, “It’ll be fun they said.”

“Well they didn’t say anything about falling out a window and breaking an arm!”

The next few weeks are spent in your bedroom, based on doctor’s orders. You thought your summer would be filled with adventures, laughter, and maybe a hint of love and you’re still bitter that yours has been filled broken arms and annoying neighbors so far. Although you can’t complain about the later, since the incident, Donghyuck’s been visiting you in his spare time along with Jaemin and the two of you could now be classified as best friends, although you’re not sure what you and Donghyuck are.

The lingering touches and affectionate teasing are too much for you to think of.

Three knocks are heard and your door opens to reveal your mom with a batch of cookies in her hands, a smile spreading on your lips when another head pops into view. “You have a visitor, sweetie.”

The first few moments with Donghyuck alone in your room is awkward, both of you shuffling around while no one utters a word. The sun’s still bright outside, some of its rays shinning in through your opened window and into your room. Donghyuck shuffles closer to you when the sun’s rays hit him on his face and you’re snorting at the view.

“Are you Dracula or something?”

“That’s rich of you to say that,” He snorts back, “As if you don’t look like a mummy right now.”

The awkwardness bursts when you both start laughing, Donghyuck even going a degree of falling off your bed. The air is calm for a while, Donghyuck helping himself to a few of your mom’s cookies while he also passes you some. It’s only then do you see the sight of a black marker in his pocket.

“What’s that for?” Donghyuck’s half way to taking a bite from his cookie when he stops for a moment. A sight of red covering a bit of his cheeks, and you’re squinting to see if he’s blushing or if you also hit your head when you fell.

”Ya know- I haven’t written anything on your cast.”

“Hyuck,” You groan, “It’s being removed soon.”

He’s shrugging his shoulders and you’re trying to see his hidden intentions when he twirls the marker between his fingers, the motion capturing your attention instead. “Still want to sign it.”

“Fine, But if it’s something bad I will literally throw you out my window.”

His body covers your cast from view, completely blocking you from seeing what he’s scribbling on your hand. You’ve only seen Donghyuck serious a handful of times, and you didn’t think he would look this serious if he’s only signing your cast. “Why’re you taking so long?”

“You remember that time you fell really hard and broke your arm?”

Of course it’s like him to answer a question with another question, one of his traits you’ve seen countless of times back when you two were still enemies trying to spite each other. You know he’s been trying to do it less since you cussed him out for it but you know that old habits die hard.

“Of course,” You roll your eyes, “How could I forget?”

“Well I kind of fell that hard for you too.”

Your head shoots up the second the words leave his lips, and your eyes bug out when it registers in your mind that Lee Donghyuck just used a pick up line on you, it just registered in your mind that Lee Donghyuck, your previously annoying enemy, may have a crush on you, just like you him.

And it only registers in your mind the words he wrote on your cast may be the sweetest thing he’s ever asked to you.

“Do you wanna go on a date with me?”

Bonus Scene:

“It’s totally clear you didn’t come up with that pick up line all alone.” The two of you are laying on your bed, Donghyuck’s head on top of your lap while your, now free, hand tangles themselves in his hair, softly tugging at the roots and giggling when he groans from your actions. “It totally reeks of Na Jaemin.”

“Well, didn’t you want to know how i feel?” He’s propping himself up on his elbows, pouting exaggeratedly in a mock cute fashion. “Besides, I said it. Me. And you liked it. Does it even matter?”

The slight red on his cheeks make you squeal and you’re flopping on top of him. Donghyuck lets out an oof when you wrap all your limbs around his, his mouth curling up into a smile when you press a sweet kiss onto the edge of his lips.

203 notes · View notes

aestheticseungmean · 4 years

Note

changbin angst where hes getting married to someone but on the wedding day he sees ex girlfriend reader w their 3yo daughter (he left before they knew she was pregnant) and the rest is up to you:(??

Aurora-Changbin

Synopsis- Changbin left you for a new love but what happens when you interrupt his wedding with a surprise.

Angst and fluff... I got carried away

5.3k words

Warning: cussing that’s it.

This was requested. Thank you to the person who requested, I tried to make it angsty towards the end

Unedited

——————————————————————————

Some things were not meant to be. It was clear to you, to Changbin, and to everyone around you that you two were not meant to be. Never was. You both tried so hard in the relationship to make it work but he fell in love with another girl. Someone from his work. “Changbin, can we talk?” He ignored you, too busy smiling at his texts. “I have to tell you something important.” He said as he looked up at you. You sat down ready to listen, waiting patiently to talk to him about your relationship. “I’m in love with someone else…” Despite knowing that you two didn’t harbor feelings for each other, you still couldn’t help the tears that stung your eyes. “Oh…” That was the only thing you could manage out. You felt sick to your stomach and your news was long gone by now.

“I’m leaving tomorrow.” Changbin sighed out as he hugged you. It was just a friendly hug. The tears spilling from your eyes now, wet the shoulder of his shirt. “I wish you well.” You truly did. You wished Changbin well with his newfound love and all things in the future. He spent the rest of the night comforting you and packing. While you sat on the bed watching him, he was packing quickly, happy that you were being so understanding. “I’m setting this by the front door so I don’t wake you when I leave.” “So you are leaving before I get up?” Changbin nodded and you sighed. Might as well say your goodbyes now. “Changbin, this has been an interesting relationship and I’ve had fun. I hope that she loves you too because you are a great guy. I wanted to say my goodbye to you now so...goodbye.” Changbin smiled and wished you goodbye as well before laying down to sleep.

The morning sun peeked through the curtains and you looked longingly at the empty spot next to you. You had been up for an hour now, not being able to go back to sleep. The bed seemed comforting despite being cold without Changbin’s warm body next to you. In reality, you didn’t want to get up and see the empty half of the closet and the random producing gear not there. It was normal for you to have someone living with you. A sigh left your lips as you sat up. The hunger for food forced you to the kitchen to make some noodles. “I have to get used to being alone, Ziggy.” You said, talking to your brother’s cat who was meowing for you to feed him. “See, if Minho would stop taking in random cats then he might have room for you.” A small laugh slipped from your lips as she dove head first into the food. You grabbed your own food and took a bite only to rush to the bathroom to throw it back up.

You weren’t sick. There was no way. You hadn’t left the house in the past month due to getting laid off and Changbin didn’t get sick. That’s when it hit you. A few weeks ago, Changbin was feeling extra stress and you opted to help him relieve his tension. It led to a long steamy night that was platonic. You rushed to slip on your coat and your shoes, running out the door not bothering to lock it. Your neighbor was a mean woman who had a reputation of hitting people, no one dared to commit a crime in your area. The shop was open and you looked at the choices of pregnancy tests. “I’d recommend grabbing one of at least three different brands dear.” You looked to find a woman in her early thirties who seemed to have been through this process before. “I’ve been in that same position. It’ll be scary at first but you’ll love it later.” Grabbing three tests, you thanked her and checked out.

Back at home, it was a waiting game. You slumped to the floor when all three came back positive. It was definite. You were pregnant. Changbin didn’t pick up when you called, in fact, the phone didn’t even ring. Minho texted asking if everything was alright, something about sibling telepathy.You found out, Changbin had blocked your number and blocked all mutuals. Now you were stuck to grow and raise a child on your own. “Minho. I need you here.” Your voice was shaky and urgent. “I’m on my way.” He didn’t bother knocking knowing that you wouldn’t answer. Instead he rushed straight to your bedroom to find you huddled up in a ball. “Are you okay? I’ll go punch him for blocking you.” “I’m pregnant.” That was all you could say and Minho fumbled for his phone to call Changbin. “Don’t. He doesn’t want me in his life anymore.” “He should still know. It’s his kid too.” Minho dropped it after you shook your head again. “He made his decision.”

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The following weeks were spent over the toilet in the morning and searching for a temporary job through the day. Somehow, some way, you had to find a way to make some money to support your kid. Eventually, you stepped into a small tattoo parlour, the smell of gel deodorant overwhelming your senses. Surprisingly, you didn’t get nauseous at the smell unlike the coffee shop. “Hello, may I help you?” A familiar woman in her mid twenties came to the front. You recognised her immediately. “Lisa!” “Wow, _____! I didn’t recognise you for a minute.” You laughed and agreed that you have changed quite a bit. “How is Changbin?” “He’s gone now. Found a new love.” Lisa offered you a kind, sympathetic smile. “Well, I hope you are doing well. Let’s sit down and talk, it’s lunch anyways.”

The two of you caught up, gossiping about everything that’s happened since High School. “So he left you pregnant?” Her face was contorted in disgust conveying her annoyance. “I didn’t find out until he left.” “I swear, I’m going to hit him really hard. The nerve he has to block you after that.” Your laugh echoed through the parlour at your friend’s support for you. “So you never told me why you were here.” “Oh, yeah. Do you think you could get me a job here? I just need something that I can do to make money. Even if it is cleaning toilets or something like that.” Lisa beamed wide at you. “I’m not putting you at the toilets. That’s disgusting. We have been short staffed in the tattoo section since our front desk person quit and I was forced to the front.” You could work at the front desk. “When do I start?” “Tomorrow.”

The day went by fast and you found yourself laying in bed for the night feeling giddy that you found a job. Minho of course was the first one to know about it and he congratulated you. “I’ve been wanting a tattoo. Where did you say you work again?” “The tattoo parlour down by the candy shop.” You could hear the distant sounds of scribbling on paper over the phone. “I’ll be there tomorrow.” Before you could protest, Minho had already hung up. “Why is he like this?” Ziggy meowed and curled up next to you, falling asleep. You sighed and plugged in your phone soon doing the same. Maybe you can do this by yourself. Yeah, you can. There’s no maybe about it. With Lisa and Minho by your side, you had this in the bag.

Your morning went by smoothly, aside from the cat knocking you down. Lisa smiled at you as you entered the store. “Hey, babes. Ready for today?” “As ready as I can get.” She showed you the ropes and introduced you to the two other tattooists. “This is San. He’s the best at colored tattoos. And this is Jongho who’s the best at the chromatic tattoos. I am the best at lining I guess.” Lisa shrugged and you kept the information in your mind. You still had an hour before the store opened so you decided to talk to the others and get to know them before setting up your area. At eight o’clock sharp the bell rang and you looked up. You laughed a little as you watched the figure walk up to the desk. “Don’t you know it’s mean to laugh at potential customers.” “Sorry, Minho. What brings you here today?” Your brother smiled at you before explaining the type of tattoo he wanted. “Okay, I’ll get one of our tattooists to draw it out and get you inked up.”

His face dropped when he saw you bring Lisa out. “Lisa?“ “Minho!” You laughed as they talked while she drew a small cat for him. “Let’s go to the back.” The shop was quiet as you waited for customers to enter. “You look bored.” You jumped as Jongho came up beside you to sit down. He smiled and took out a sketchbook. “The mornings are usually quiet like this. Everyone is at work.” “It makes for good drawing time, too. We can create new tattoos or inspire other designs.” San added while grabbing another chair to sit on the other side. “You guys drew all these by yourselves?” You asked in amazement as you looked at the drawings that were scattered and framed around the room. “Most of them. Some came from our mentors.” Each drawing was carefully sketched and lined with love for the work. Your gallery view ended when Minho came out with tears in his eyes.

“Why’d you let me do that? It hurt.” The boys snickered while you sighed. “As I recall, you were the one that wanted it.” “No remorse for your older brother. I gave you my love and siblingship and you give me no respect.” Minho was always dramatic when he was in pain. You swore up and down that Shakespeare would be jealous. “Suck it up, buttercup!” “Ugh.” You rang him out and laughed as he mumbled about something random on his way out. “Your brother is funny.” “He’s dramatic, San. I can’t with him sometimes.” The clock ticked by slowly and the boys kept you company while they drew. The bell rang announcing a new customer. “Hi, I need a tattoo.” You smiled at the customer who was a girl that couldn’t be older than nineteen. The bell rang again, an older woman entered behind her. “Did you already talk to the lady for a tattoo.” “Yes, mom. I was trying to.”

After looking around, the girl decided she wanted a flower tattoo on her hip. “Can you do it?” She asked you. “It’s nothing against you guys but I’d feel more comfortable with a girl.” “I don’t do tattoos but my friend Lisa can.” Soon, the others became busy as more customers came in. The buzzing sound of the tattoo guns soothed you. The door opened revealing a taller man, about 5’10. Instantaneously, you were mesmerised. “Excuse me?” He waved his hand in your face. “I’m sorry.” “Is San busy?” You blinked, trying to remember if he was. “Yes, he is. Do you need a tattoo?” “Yes, I do. I guess I am early for my appointment.” Your finger scanned down the appointment book until you found the 5 o'clock slot. “Seonghwa?” He nodded. “San should be done soon.”

You were correct. San finished up his client quickly and took in Seonghwa while the other customer paid. Jongho finished quickly after and joined you. “Looks like Seonghwa is here?” You nodded surprised that he knew the customer. “You know him?” “He’s been getting tattoos for a year now.” Seonghwa didn’t seem like he was the type to get tattoos. “Really? He looks like this was his first time.” “Nope.” Jongho told you more about Seonghwa. “He really has a sleeve tattoo?” Now that you think about it, he was wearing a coat when he came in. “Yep. He’s working on the other arm now so he comes in at least once a month.” It was silent for a few minutes until Jongho spoke up. “Do you have any tattoos?” You shook your head. “No but I want one.” “What kind?” He tilted his head, curiously looking at you like a puppy would.

“A sunflower. It reminds me of the little girl I used to be.” Jongho smiled and nodded. “That’s a cute idea. It suits you.” “Do you have tattoos?” The boy nodded and unbuttoned some of his shirt to show the tattoo that cascaded over his chest. You looked in awe at his tattoos, almost reaching out to touch them but stopping yourself from embarrassment. “They’re so pretty!” “San-hyung did them.” The detail was immaculate. “Are you stripping down for her or something?” The two of you turned to see San and Seonghwa walk out. The tattoo that was freshly done, was covered up and you frowned. However, you did notice it was down towards the front of the forearm. Jongho looked anything but embarrassed about the ordeal. “She asked if I had tattoos.” “Does she have any?” You shook your head no before he could answer. “She’s a tattoo virgin! If you get a tattoo, you have to let me do it.” San pleaded while the rest laughed.

It was well into the night when the parlour closed. You cursed yourself for not bringing a coat and walking here. The air nipped at your skin as soon as you stepped outside. “Hey! Don’t think you aren’t going anywhere without protection.” You squinted into the dark to see Lisa emerging with Jongho. “I’m fine.” “You’re pregnant. You’re not fine.” That’s how you found yourself walking home with Jongho. When you stepped in front of your apartment door, you could hear the neighbour screeching. “I don’t think it’s safe here. That right there sounds scary.” “She’s just a little, old, mean lady.” His face scrunched up. “Those are the worst.” “I hope it isn’t that far to your home from here.” Sighing slightly and shook his head. “It’s only a few blocks opposite of the parlour.” “Jongho. Why don’t you come in for dinner. As a thank you and so you can warm up, your nose is red.”

He smiled and you worked on dinner. Jongho found himself playing with your cat while looking at the plethora of pictures on the wall. A few of you and Minho, a few of you and Changbin, a few of you, and a few of Minho. A laugh escaped his lips as he looked at a picture of you where you shaved your eyebrows off. “What are you laughing at in here?” When you saw where his gaze was directed, you yelled and pulled it off the wall. “I already saw it.” “It stops from further embarrassment.” A little bit later you served dinner. “Mmm. You know who would like this even more than me?” “Who?” He took another bite, relishing all the flavors. “San and Seonghwa.” “Do you think either of them will take leftovers?” Yes, he nodded. “Is Seonghwa even going to be there tomorrow?” Once again, Jongho nodded. “He’s getting a tattoo cover up on his other arm?” “What is he? Rich?” Jongho laughed. Tattoos were pricey, even small ones were. “I don’t know.”

Jongho left your apartment full and happy. Somehow, he squirmed his way into doing the dishes for you. “It’s the least I can do since you made me food.” He had argued with you for ten minutes until you gave in to him. The small tupperwares were filled with the food and ready to go tomorrow. You decided that you wanted to freshen yourself up. A nice long shower warmed you up and prepared you for sleep. It had been a long day at the tattoo shop and you enjoyed it but it left you sore. Ziggy curled up on your chest and purred. “That tickles.” You giggled out making the cat meow at you for moving. “Okay, okay. Sorry.” With the cat on top of you, you slowly drifted to sleep. Somehow, you didn’t move all night while sleeping and neither did the cat so when you woke up you winced in pain.

When you looked in the mirror to check out your outfit, you noticed your stomach protruding a bit more than usual. “I need to set up an appointment to go to the doctor. Just to make sure you are healthy.” You decided on a simple loose sweater today, not wanting to make the same mistake as yesterday. The shop was warm when you walked in, a sign that someone had been there for a while. “Hey, sunflower!” “Who-oh hey, San.” His sleeves were rolled up while he cleaned and you could see the tattoos residing on his arm. “You seemed to be fascinated by tattoos there, sunflower.” “They are so cool. The amount of work that goes in it is impeccable.” San smiled and helped you put your lunch in the fridge. You decided to stand today instead of sit by the cash register. “You look tense.” “I’m sore.” San grabbed a painkiller and gave it to you. “Here. You need it. People are going to be scared if you are squaring up to them.”

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Months passed by and you fell in love with the parlour. San, Jongho, Lisa, and even Seonghwa have begun to feel like a family to you. Seonghwa even came in early just to talk to you. Sometimes he’d come in on days he didn’t get tattoos just to hang out. This day wasn't any different. The door opened showing Seonghwa walking in. You went to greet him when you stopped and stared. He wasn’t in his normal leather jacket with a random rock band t-shirt, rather now, he was in a plain white sleeveless shirt. Finally, you could see the tattoo collection he’s been working on. “You’re staring, Sunflower.” You jumped as San came up behind you to greet Seonghwa. In return, Seonghwa smirked at you getting called out. “I’ll be right back, hyung.” He nodded and watched as San made his way to his area to disinfect.

“You looked lost, princess.” Heat rose to your cheeks at the simple nickname. “I-I like your tattoos.” “Thanks.” While San took his sweet time, Seonghwa teased you endlessly. “So I heard you went to the doctor yesterday. How’s the baby doing?” “How’d you find out I was pregnant?” Seonghwa smiled and pointed back at Jongho’s area. “He keeps telling me, he’s going to be an uncle.” You made a mental note to hit Jongho for not talking to you first. Either way, he is right, he will be an unrelated uncle as will San too. “Yeah, I found out that Lisa knows the gender and plans on throwing me a gender reveal party tomorrow.” “Am I invited?” You smiled. “Of course, Hwa! You are family.” Seonghwa opened his mouth to respond but San chose that time to call him back. Watching him walk away, you sighed. The words he was going to speak were lost scattered in the air like dust particles.

Lisa told you to dress nicely so you put on a dress that revealed the baby bump that was now growing bigger and bigger. You didn’t bother with make-up because you knew you were going to cry today whether it was from joy or the hormones. The shop was eerily quiet when you entered, but then again, it was a party and Lisa loved being extra. “You know, you guys are going to scare out the baby if you pop out of nowhere.” “You ruined our surprise.” You laughed at Lisa coming out from behind the counter. The other four spilled out into the room as well. Minho, Seonghwa, San, Lisa, and Jongho were there to celebrate you and your baby. “I can’t wait so are you ready for the reveal?” You nodded. “Then pull the plastic off of Jongho’s arm.” There was the signature black plastic they used to cover up tattoos.

“You did not get a tattoo for my gender reveal.” Jongho nodded. You stepped forward and carefully peeled the plastic from his arm to reveal a Sunflower colored in with yellows and pinks. “It’s a girl!” Minho screamed as he saw the colors and you hugged the nearest person to you and cried. “She’s going to be beautiful just like you, princess.” The chest you were crying into vibrated with the hum of the voice. You looked up to see Seonghwa smiling down at you. “Did you just call me beautiful?” “Yes.” Your hug became tighter and the others went back to get some cake. “How about you let me take you on a date.” “You aren’t going to leave me because I’m having a kid are you?” Almost offended, Seonghwa backed up. “Of course not. If this goes well, I’m not going to care if you have a kid or sixteen of them.”

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The date went extremely well and you started to see Seonghwa more often. He went with you to your doctor appointments, stayed up with you in the middle of the night when you were craving random things, and he helped you with chores. Sometimes, he came into the parlour to bring you a random thing you didn’t know you were craving. You two were peacefully sleeping when you woke up in seething pain. A wet feeling soaked through your night dress. Another sharp pain. “H-Hwa?” You stuttered out, trying not to scream. Seonghwa woke up and rubbed his eyes. “Yeah.” “She’s coming.” He bolted up and helped you change your dress because you complained about the feeling. The entire way there, Seonghwa sped with his blinkers on and constantly checked on you. “Are you alright?” “FOR GOODNESS SAKE. I LOVE YOU, HWA BUT IF YOU ASK ME THAT ONE MORE TIME, I’M GOING TO SHOVE MY FOOT UP YOUR ASS.”

The doctors took you into the hospital room and prepped you for the latent phase of labor. While you waited for the dilation to increase, Seonghwa called the others and it seemed like they raced there because within minutes, the entire group was surrounding your bed. “I’m going to be an uncle.” “We all know I’m the real uncle.” “Shut up, Minho.” The boys bickered back and forth while you felt another contraction. Hours of pain and pushing later, your baby lay in your arms. “What’s her name?” The doctor asked you, wanting a name for the birth certificate “Aurora…” Jongho was the first one to hold the baby aside from you. Seonghwa pouted but still let him hold the child. “Hi, Aurora. I’m your favorite uncle. I’m uncle Jongho.” “Seriously. I’m the uncle. I’m the favorite.” Minho whined as Jongho passed along the baby.

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It’s been three years since Aurora was born. Three years since you fell in love with Seonghwa who has been a father figure to your kid and a great boyfriend. He stayed at home while you went to work to support the family. Every once in a while, he brought the little girl into the parlour to bring you food and she visits the others when they aren’t busy. The customers absolutely love her. “Hey, mama! I brought some...umm...food.” “You did?” Aurora nodded while you swept her bangs out of her face. “I think we need to cut your bangs again.” “Cut...my...bangs?” You pointed to her hair. “Is that my favorite little niece?” “UNCLE JONGHO!” She squealed and ran into his arms while you were left to check out the customer. Seonghwa laughed as San came out as well. “We all know I’m her favorite.” Aurora played with Jongho’s hair while he went on break.

“Hey, this came for you today.” Seonghwa remembered while pulling out a fancy letter. You took it and opened it to pull out a letter. “You have been invited to Hwa-Young and Changbin’s wedding in two days. We hope to see you there.” “Isn’t that your ex?” San asked and you nodded. “Seonghwa, will you go with me?” “Of course, princess.” He kissed your cheek before calling for Aurora. “Aww, can uncle Jongho come over tonight?” “They all can. I’ll make dinner for them.” She cheered and hugged everybody goodbye before grabbing his hand. “Did I miss Aurora?” “Yes, Lisa, you did.” Lisa grumbled and pouted before going to clean her equipment. “YOU’RE INVITED TONIGHT FOR DINNER!” You yelled towards the back and she yelled out an okay.

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You and Seonghwa dressed up in your best outfits. Your daughter was dressed up in a pretty pink dress and had her hair braided courtesy of Lisa. The trip was short as the wedding venue was only a few miles away. “Oh, hello! You must be Changbin’s friend!” A pretty woman made her way up to you. “Hi-“ “Can you help me get ready, please?” You looked at Seonghwa, a bit overwhelmed but still going to help and he nodded taking Aurora to find a seat. “Sure.” The woman grabbed your hand and dragged you to a dressing room. “I’m Hwa-Young! Changbin’s fiancée. I invited you because I saw photos of you together and decided you two were great friends.” “Actually, I hope you don’t mind but I’m his ex. Don’t worry though, I have someone else and I’m here to show my support.”

Hwa-Young pursed her lips and smiled. “It’s okay. You seem really nice anyways.” She stepped into a magnificent wedding gown and asked you to help her tie the back. It was a struggle but you managed to lace it up and tie it tight like she asked. “You have a pretty little girl.” “Thank you.” She’s Changbin’s too, you wanted to say but you kept it quiet, not wanting to ruin the event. Hwa-Young thanked you and rushed to get to the doors. You slipped inside before the band started and found your seat. “She’s really nice.” You whispered. “Mommy, shhh.” Aurora hushed you and pointed at band playing. Gasps sounded through the crowd as Hwa-Young walked down the aisle. The ceremony was beautiful and well executed. After the I do’s and vows, it was time for the party. You mingled with Changbin’s siblings when they realized you were there. They played with your daughter as well.

Then, he noticed you. He was confused why you were there because he didn’t invite you. “What are you doing here?” Could’ve been a better way to phrase that. “Congratulations, Changbin. I’m here to celebrate your big day.” “Look, if this is because you managed to find feelings for me-“ Seonghwa walked up to you, handing you a drink. “Is everything okay, princess?” Changbin shut up immediately. “Oh there you are, Binnie! I see you found your ex slash friend I invited. She’s really nice. Have you seen her daughter?” “Daughter?” As if on cue, your daughter ran up to you. “Mama!” You lifted her up and Changbin’s eyes widened. “Binnie? Is it just me or does she kind of look like you?” He noticed the similar features. “How old is she?” “Three.” His face dropped. “When’d you find out?” “The day after you left.” Aurora smiled at the faces that Seonghwa was making to distract her. You’ve definitely noticed that she had Changbin’s smile.

You asked Aurora to introduce herself. “My name is Aurora.” Changbin looked in awe at his daughter that he never even once wanted to know about. “I want daddy to hold me!” She reached for Seonghwa and Changbin felt his heart drop. It should be him she’s calling dad. Seonghwa took Aurora and led her to go see the other kids. “I want to talk to you about her.” “I never knew.” Of course he didn’t, he blocked you. “You were the one who left me and blocked me. I tried to reach out to you but you never answered me. I was left all alone to raise a child. If I didn’t have Seonghwa and my friends to help me-” You hissed out stopping for a breath, annoyed at his pathetic excuse. You’re starting to regret coming to the wedding. “I didn’t want to think about you. I wanted to focus on my new life. I didn’t think you’d get pregnant.” “I came here on good terms and was willing to let you visit your daughter but now, I don’t know if I want to.”

You turned away to grab Seonghwa and Aurora to leave but Changbin stopped you. “You said she was my daughter so I have a right to see her and visit.” Now, this was ridiculous. Luckily, Hwa-Young turned up the music and distracted the people from the argument going on in the corner. “You have NO right to see her. You didn’t even bother to let me tell you. Hell, with the way you are acting, you don’t deserve to see her until she’s old enough to make her own damn decisions. Congratu-fucking-lations. You ruined your own damn life.” At this point his wedding was forgotten. With anger in his eyes he spoke up. “LISTEN. SHE IS MY DAUGHTER. I WANT TO SPEND TIME WITH HER. SHE SHOULD BE CALLING ME DAD, NOT SOME RANDOM DUDE!” The music was forgotten as people looked towards the drama.

“I CAME HERE IN PEACE WANTING TO CELEBRATE YOUR DAY BUT SINCE YOU WANT TO BE DRAMATIC LET’S BE DRAMATIC. THAT RANDOM ‘DUDE’ IS MORE OF A DAD TO HER THAN YOU WILL EVER BE. THAT RANDOM ‘DUDE’ WAS THE ONE THAT TOOK ME TO THE HOSPITAL AND HELPED ME RAISE HER. THAT RANDOM ‘DUDE’ IS THE FUCKING LOVE OF MY LIFE SO FUCK OFF CHANGBIN.” Changbin reached for you one last time but you slapped his hand away. In your way out with your daughter and boyfriend, you apologized to the crowd and wished Hwa-Young well. With tears forming in his eyes, he watched you walk away. The rest of the party went on but he was only half there. When it came to gift time, he opened a small gift that was from you and Aurora.

It was an 8x10 photo frame of Aurora smiling. A card was put to the side explaining that it was his daughter. He realized that you had in fact planned to keep quiet and tell him about his daughter through this gift. Now he screwed up what was supposed to be the best day of his life by being a selfish prick. You on the other hand were defending your daughter and he couldn’t blame you. He couldn’t blame you for yelling at him and refusing him to see his daughter. He couldn’t blame you for calling him out. Changbin set the photo to the side and finished opening the rest of the presents. None had any meaning to him. They were stupid housewarming gifts like a blender and a mixer. At the end of the party though, his sister slapped him and called him out for being an ass.

You felt no remorse for Changbin. Jongho and San were at the house when you got back home. “I’m going to take a shower. Have uncle Jongho change you while daddy gets changed.” Aurora nodded and ran to jump on uncle Jongho to tell him what you said. You washed all the bad thoughts off of you and changed into a simple set of pj’s. When you went out to the living room, you found Seonghwa, Jongho, and Aurora playing hide-and-seek. Your daughter giggled in delight when Seonghwa found her. “I gottcha. Come here you little munchkin.” She ran away from him and you laughed as Seonghwa chased her around the living room. “Ah you’re too fast for this old man!” He slumped to the floor and she walked over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Catch me daddy!” Seonghwa got up and ran after her again, this time catching her and smothering her with kisses.

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