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baconcolacan · 1 year

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Lord do I need a sick fic between Tom and Tord, I just need one of them to ACTUALLY take car of the other,, even if they hate eachother or tease eachother they need to calm down

siiigghhhh

Stay AU, technically a sick fic lol but became more domestic Words: 5171

It’s hard to remember sometimes that his husband was always in some amount of physical pain.

Tord had always been good at hiding away what he felt, anything he deemed detrimental or unnecessary was always kept locked away in a little box he built in his head. After years of knowing him, Tom knew that it was all for his own safety, it was the only way his husband had ever learned to protect himself and people he loved. He had to be strong or else he got hurt, even worse if it was his loved ones, and to him that was essentially his fault for not being enough.

It was a lesson he learned too young, and something that Tom worked hard to dismantle when he could, lest his poor love work himself towards an early grave.

Tord’s proclivity of hiding his hurt became less of an issue as they got older. Sure his husband was once a stupid teen who always postured his machismo when they started dating, but the more they spent time together, thus leading to Tord trusting him bit by bit, the more Tord let him see his weaker moments well before it got any worse.

It took them a lot of yelling, fighting, tears, and heartbreak to get to where they were now, and Tom knew just how precious his husband’s trust was, how difficult it was for Tord to admit that he wasn’t as strong as he wanted to be.

So, he could never really fault him when he fell back into old habits. Especially during times when Tord felt genuinely afraid that his failure to live up to his own standards will endanger his family.

They were still working on it, and Tom was patient, he wished Tord would get his head out his arse sometimes, but at least his husband was making an effort.

It started when Tord came back from one of his tours abroad. During a late-night address to his troops, a failed assassination attempt had caused pieces of debris to fall on top of him, courtesy of a decrepit building that had been fixed to blow just as he had been setting up camp with his Company. Thankfully, Tord hadn’t been too scraped up, but there had been significant damage done to his leg- his bad leg- as a sizable chunk of the building had fallen on top of it, when he tried to avoid more perilous positions when the explosion rung out.

Though, to the eyes of the public and the RA, Tord was only mostly unscathed, thoroughly unbothered as he clawed his way out of the debris, still standing tall, as he demanded the heads of the would-be assassins, while a wave Red Sentries began flooding the area like the blood Tord’s enemies wished he had spilled.

Their public executions were swift and without trial, and Tord walked away from it spitting at their corpses.

But only Tom could see the way his husband’s steps had faltered. His eye twitched minutely, a flicker of pain, unseen by anyone else save for the man who loved him, watching closer than the entire world had done.

When Tord came home, back to their cabin in the woods- hidden away from prying eyes and loose tongues, their sequestered, treasured, moment in time, separated from all else- he had leant heavily against the door frame, with sheer misery on his face. His field operations uniform was scuffed, torn, and covered in dust. His skin had a deathly pallor to it, covered in the same grey ash his uniform had been in. His teeth were gritted, grinding so hard against each other Tom swore he could hear them creaking.

He wasted no time rushing to his husband’s side, his crutches held tight in his grip.

When Tord looked up at him, Tom could feel his heart breaking. Tord’s eye had a glassy sheen to it, unshed tears barely held back from escaping. His breaths sounded labored, but he tried his best to keep them quiet after he had seen the panicked look on Tom’s face.

Even still, his voice had betrayed him when he reached out to his husband with a shaking hand. “My love,” he said with a tremble as his face twisted into agony.

Tom nearly missed catching him when Tord collapsed forward, his right leg now unable to hold up his weight. He had to let go of the crutches in favor of supporting his husband himself. Small pained gasps escaped Tord, his hands curling tightly inwards as he held on to Tom’s shoulders, all his weight transferred over to his husband, but Tom didn’t mind it one bit as he gently helped him walk over to the couch.

“Fuck…it hurts….” Tord had gasped as he curled himself closer to Tom’s side. Seemingly trying to hide from the pain he was feeling.

“Shh shh, elskling, you’ll be alright. I already called Bing. I’m right here, okay?”

“It hurts so bad.”

Tom swallowed hard around the lump in his throat, his chest hurt at hearing Tord’s voice become so small, as he gently lowered him down into the couch, only hesitating when his husband let out a low whine and hard hiss as he stretched out his leg. Wordlessly, he offered him some painkillers and a glass of water, which Tord gratefully took.

“I know it hurts, love, but you’ll be okay, I promise.” He sat down next to his husband in an instant, holding him close as Tord buried his face in the juncture between his shoulder and his neck. Tom let out a shuddering breath as he felt a wet patch start to form on his shirt as Tord heaved in sobs. He offered his husband his hand to hold, which Tord had taken to squeezing tight every time the pain flared up too much for him to handle.

Tom could do nothing but offer him comfort as they waited for Bing.

Bing wasn’t exactly RA’s top medic, a title of which was reserved for Yanov, but he knew enough about biology to at least be decent enough to perform minor surgeries if needed. Larry of course was also quite adept at first aid, seeing as he had to be there to patch Bing up if ever he had a violent mishap at the labs. Plus, with him there, there was a less likely chance for Bing to muck up any medical procedures if his attention started to stray.

According to Bing, Tord had actually been pretty lucky. All in all, that chunk of building should have broken his leg beyond repair, but due to the presence of his modified leg brace- which Bing had said with a haughty amount of pride before Larry slapped him upside the head- most of the shock had been absorbed thus minimizing the damage that might have occurred.

Though, Larry suggested that Tord be put on bed rest for a while, or at least to not put as much strain on his right leg for the time being.

Tom promised that he’d keep Tord off his leg, even if his husband kept quiet during the whole exchange, only intermittently squeezing Tom’s hand when a spike of pain raced up his leg.

Bing and Larry bid them a good night.

Tom was prepared to get into petty squabbles with his husband for the next few days, as Tord vehemently refused to take any sick days even when he was feeling under the weather, more so if it involved his chronic pain. Usually, Tom would acquiesce somewhat as long as Tord wore his brace and took short breaks, or if Tord’s only intention was to sit and stay in his home office doing logistic work, but now that he had gotten into an accident, Tom knew he wasn’t going to compromise with his husband at all during his recovery time.

No matter what he did or said.

To his surprise though, the next morning after Bing and Larry’s visit, Tord was actually very cooperative.

…. Suspiciously cooperative…..

Tom had been hyping himself up when he first woke up that morning, ready to get into a row with his husband about needing to use his crutches the whole day at home instead of his leg brace, which Tord never really did even at home, preferring to only use the crutches at night when he had a day off to spend in the cabin.

It’s always been a petty little squabble of theirs, and he was sure Tord was never going to let it go.

Once he felt Tord shift beside him, along with the hand that snaked around his waist to pull him closer to the other man, he did all his mental preparations and arguments in a span of a second as Tord kissed him and greeted him with a sleepy: “Good morning, kjaere…”

“Morning, love.”

Tom greeted back as he fixed his position, so that he could hug Tord better while the other was still adjusting to the waking world. He ducked his head under Tord’s chin, breathing in his scent of pine trees and earth, a big improvement from the old smokey scent he had in his youth, after they both decided to cut down on their vices as they grew older (more so when AK came into their lives.)

He listened to his husband’s breathing for a moment, and the soft rumbling that came from his throat as he slowly woke up. He idly traced a scar on Tord’s back while the other moved his thumb up and down his hip as he yawned.

“Hey, remember what Larry said yesterday?” Tom said into the skin of Tord’s neck.

“Mmhm?”

“No leg brace today, or even the whole week, got that?”

“….”

At Tord’s silence, Tom readied himself for any of his complaints, but was surprised when Tord only sighed above him before he felt his lips press against the crown of his head in a whisper of a kiss.

“.....okay…..help me with my arm before we get up?”

Tom’s brows furrowed in slight confusion and worry, it wasn’t like his husband to kill the wind in his own sails like that, especially over something he didn’t like to do, but….he supposed he should see this as a good thing, at least it meant Tord was finally following a doctor’s (not really) order for once.

Still….he can’t help but worry, especially if this meant that Tord was in a lot more pain than he realized.

“Yeah…of course love, just give us a second alright?” Tom said as he moved back to lift his head up, he can’t really see anything at the moment without his home visor, but he knew for sure where Tord’s head should be, and anyway, his husband had brought his hand up to the side of his head to guide him, and he knew Tord was looking down at him at the moment.

Though, he really wished he could see the look on his husband’s face right now.

He heard Tord let out a small chuckle. “Don’t want to wake up yet?”

He offered him a smile he hoped was reassuring.

“I just…want to hold you right now, is that okay?”

He felt a thumb sweep across his cheek. Then lips over his own in a small sweet kiss.

“Always, my love.”

They spent half an hour in each other’s arms, with Tom just relishing the fact that, at least, even with the injuries, his husband could still come back home to him.

Once he was fully awake and had his home visor on- a thin little thing that looked more like one frame white glasses, something Tord teased him for, saying he looked like a tired old professor when he wore them- he happily assembled Tord’s robotic prosthetic while his husband hobbled off to the bathroom to go do his business.

Not without Tom fussing over him a little, even if he knew Tord could manage with just one arm and one crutch for now.

“You’re being silly, Thomas.”

“Shut up before I kick out the crutch from your hand, cripple.”

“Mean.”

“You married me.”

Once Tord came back around to the bed- which he fully collapsed into face first with a groan- Tom proceeded to help him attach his arm, doing most of the work while Tord just laid there with a dopey smile on his face.

“Remember when you dressed up for Halloween? That slutty nurs- OW!”

“Hmm? What was that, darling?”

Tom asked innocently when he connected his nerve endings with the arm’s wires. It was pretty quick, quicker than when Tord would do it on his own, so the pain was nothing more than a little shocking pinch, despite his husband whining and bitching about it on the bed.

Tom liked to bully him, but he didn’t like causing his husband any more unnecessary pain right now.

Besides, one little kiss, and his stupid Norwegian was done moaning about his horrible marriage to a horrible callous man, and back to asking him for just one more kiss Thomas! With the biggest puppy dog eyes he could muster.

He’s so lucky he’s a patient right now, because almost suffocating due to a clingy Norwegian was not the way Tom wanted to die.

Tord happily walked out of their bedroom, both of his crutches supporting him, with a happy hum while Tom tried to catch his breath on the bed, before angrily yelling “Tord Larsin!” after his husband, who only laughed as he made his way downstairs.

For a whole week, it was actually quite nice in the cabin. Tord let himself be treated without much of a fuss, not even fighting with Tom about the use of his crutches while he was on leave. In fact, he had actually gotten quite good at moving around with them, even playing ‘crutch tag’ with AK that had him zipping around the cabin after their squealing little boy.

Tom had laughed when he would hear “Im gonna get ya!” followed by violent, fast, tapping and AK’s excited little shrieks and hurried footsteps.

“Pappa’s too good at this game!” AK had complained to him one day while they were having tea by the patio. Tord’s leg had acted up somewhat that day, and so Tom relegated him to the couch with a cold compress, painkillers, his favorite snacks, and a re-run of Insane Zombie Pirates from Hell. Then he corralled their little monster away from his ailing father, because as much as Tord adored AK, he needed as much rest as he could get. Though that didn't stop him from shedding fake tears as his "cruel" husband took his little boy away from him. AK happily played along with sad little yowls as Tom dragged him out to the patio.

“Oh? How’s that, dove?”

“His stick feets are longer than my feets.” AK huffed with a pout that had Tom cooing at him with a pinch of his cheeks. His son whined and slapped at his hand before continuing, “He can tag me while I’m far! No fair!”

“Well, why not find a stick of your own so you can tag him back then run away again??”

AK’s face got a shine of realization as he took his father’s words in, before smiling up at him and hugging him tight, nearly causing Tom to spill his tea.

“Thank you, papa!”

“Ough! Ah, no problem dove.”

A day later, Tord had come into their bedroom- while Tom was enjoying a particularly good playlist on his visor- with a scowl and an accusatory glare.

“You betray me.”

“I hold no allegiances to you.”

“So you say,” He said as he put his crutches aside and crawled up to the bed, Tom could barely hold back his smile as Tord came closer, “But you forget, Thomas, that the ring you wear his proof enough of your promise to be devoted to me.” He made a grab for his ankles, which Tom let out a high squeak at before kicking off his hands, only for Tord to jump forward and hold them tight. “And you betray me for a child with a stick!” He pulled him down towards him, “Come here traitor!”

“Waugh! Noooo!” Tom squealed as he was unceremoniously dragged down from his position on the bed and towards his grinning husband. He thrashed and squirmed in his hold but was unable to get too far before Tord was looming over him, he let out a warbled squeak mixed with a laugh as Tord dug two fingers at his sides in a bid to tickle him.

Tom made to scramble out from under Tord but was immediately pulled back down and dragged on his stomach before he could get off the bed.

“GOTCHA!”

Tord fell on top of him, causing him to wheeze as the air was knocked from his lungs. He shrieked when he felt Tord’s lips on the back of his neck as his arms wrapped around him in a secure hold.

“TO-HAHAHAHAHA! TO-HORD! T-HAHAHA- STO- TORD!!”

Tom squirmed and wriggled in his husband’s hold as Tord assaulted his neck, goddamn him! He knew how ticklish his neck was!

“Pay for your crimes miscreant!” Tord said as one of his hands strayed downwards to tase Tom at his side, causing his husband to buck and shriek underneath him as he let out yowling laughter. “I lost to a child! Me! Red Leader!” He grinned at his husband as he managed to turn around in his arms, making another attempt to wiggle free, only for Tord to descend upon him again, pressing playful bites and fluttering kisses along his throat that made Tom squirm and yell.

“Suffer the consequences, traitor!”

“OH MY GO-HAHAHAHA STOOOOP!! TOOOOOORD!!”

Somehow, Tom was able to free his hands from Tord’s grasp. He pressed them up against his husband’s mouth and pushed him away from his neck, only for Tord to lick at them.

“Oh AUGH! TORD!”

Tom shoved him by the shoulder, which caused his husband to laugh, but the sudden jostle made Tord accidentally put too much weight on his right leg and he winced with a hiss.

Tom stilled below him, looking up at him in concern.

“…Okay, I think that’s enough rough housing for tonight.”

Tord squinted down at him, he smiled, though it was obvious he was fighting back from the pain he was feeling. “Aw? I don’t really classify that as ‘rough housing’ Thomas, if you know what I’m saying...” He stuck his tongue out with a grin.

“Perv.” Tom said with a roll of his eyes and a smile as he moved to sit up, only for Tord to collapse back down on top of him, causing him to huff out a breath as the bed jumped below them. “Tord.”

“Can’t move. Ouchie.” Came his husband’s muffled reply from where he had his head face down on the bed just above Tom’s shoulder.

Tom let out a sigh and carded his fingers through Tord’s hair, earning him an appreciative hum and a tightened embrace. “So am I just going to be stuck here?”

“Mhm…”

“Are you going to fall asleep on me?”

“Yuh…..”

“Arsehole.”

“You married me.”

Tom huffed out a laugh at that.

“…Guess you don’t want that massage then….”

Tord paused, his whole body going still.

Tom smiled up at the ceiling.

Tord lifted his head to look his husband in the eye.

“….Massage?”

Tom lifted his eyebrows at him.

“In the bath, I had it prepared.”

Tord’s eye bulged out.

“..In the…huh?”

“It’s all romantic and shit,” Tom continued nonchalantly, tracing circles on his husband’s cheek. “I put in petals and candles and all that crap, even got Matt to let me borrow his essential oils.” He shrugged and wrapped his arms around his husband’s neck, tugging him back down. “But ooooh well, you’re tired, and so so sleepy, what kind of husband would I be to deny you your rest? Certainly not a loving one.”

“Buh- But- huh wait- bath??? Massage?? Bath massage???” Tord refused to be brought down as he looked at his husband with a wide eye.

Tom gave him a flat look.

Tord pouted, wobbling his lower lip. “Thomas…” He whined.

Tom stayed silent.

Tord continued pouting.

“….my leg hurts…” He tried.

Tom snorted, unable to keep a straight face, as he moved out from under Tord. “Fiiine….”

“Hooray for emotional manipulation!!” Tord cheered as Tom let out a guffaw, even surprising him as he moved over to his side to scoop him up in his arms, the action caused Tord to squeak and latch on to his husband’s neck as he was carried towards their bathroom, though once the surprise wore off he laughed, giddy, as he curled himself towards his husband. “I love you, Thomas.” He singsonged.

Tom scoffed and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Yeah, whatever sap.” Though his face did tinge a bit pink as he said those words.

Tord chuckled and pressed a kiss to the side of his neck just as he closed the door. Which of course, caused Tom to yelp and nearly drop him.

“Tord!”

It was inevitable that there would at least be one bad day.

Tom had woken up as usual, a little bit groggy but slowly coming back to the conscious world. He sighed as he stretched out, taking all the stiffness out from his joints with a satisfied pop. He breathed in deep as he sat up from the bed, yawning slowly as he blinked unseeing eyes.

He paused when he heard ragged breathing at his side.

Tom put a hand out in concern, careful not to hit anything.

“Tord? Elskling is that you? Are you awake?”

A small whimper and a rushed exhale replied to his question, just before he felt his husband’s hand weakly grasp at his own. Tom, hurriedly moved closer to his side, both of his hands coming up to hold Tord’s. His frown deepened as he felt how clammy his husband’s skin felt, paired with his shallow breaths and small whimpers.

“H…hurts….too much…” Came Tord’s strained voice, audibly shaking as he let out a pained breath.

Panicked, Tom made a series of clicking and chirruping sounds before finding his voice. “Ho-Hold on. Let me find the painkillers.” He let go of his husband’s hand, quickly turning around to where he knew his nightstand was, his hands grasped around the surface, frustration building as he couldn’t feel where his home visor was.

Tord whimpered behind him.

Tom gritted his teeth.

“AK! Arthur! Arthur!!” His voice took on an otherworldly sounding tremor, accompanied by small clicks and rumbles. He hated bringing their son into this, but he didn’t know what else to do at the moment.

It wasn’t long before tiny footsteps came running towards their room.

Their bedroom door opened and shut fast as Tom registered AK’s heat signature approaching him.

“Papa?? What’s wrong?? Why..What’s wrong with daddy?”

Tom reached out to his boy, AK stepped into his hands and let his father hold the sides of his face. Tom felt his son’s hands wrap around his wrists. “Honey, listen to me okay? Your daddy…he’s hurting a little right now.” He reached up and smoothed away the tufts of hair he could feel on his son’s face. Part of him was relieved he was blind, so he didn’t have to see the look in AK’s eyes, but part of him wished he didn’t have to call their son for help. “I need you to help me find his medicine, okay? They’re in my nightstand, red and white, look in the first drawer, okay guppy?”

“Okay papa!”

He felt his son slip out of his hold accompanied by the dragging rumble of a drawer being thrown open, he heard the crinkle and clatter of AK moving things around the drawer before he gasped out an: “AH!” As something was pressed into Tom’s hands.

“I found it papa! Red and white! Like you said!”

Tom smiled and leaned forward, AK knew what he was trying to do and moved closer to let his father kiss his cheek. “Thank you dove.” Tom said with a purr, earning a happy little chitter from his son.

He turned back to where his husband was, worried about how fast Tord’s shallow breathing had gotten, “Tord? Love, take the painkillers, I’ll go and get my work visor to check on your vitals just in case, okay?”

He heard the sound of AK’s footsteps running off to the other side of the room, probably to go fetch Tom’s work visor after hearing that it was needed. He sent a silent thank you his son’s way while he felt Tord make a shaking grab for the painkillers in his hand.

After a minute, Tord’s breathing began to even out.

AK came back with his work visor not long after, which Tom thanked him for before trying to send him back to his room.

AK stood still.

“Daddy will be okay, right?”

Tom looked down at his son, the visuals of his work visor gradually coming into focus. He bit back a frown at the wide eyed, terrified, look on AK’s face.

His visor registered his son’s heartbeat, it was faster than normal.

Tom blinked the information away.

“Hey,”

They both turned at the sound of Tord’s voice. The Norwegian was partly sitting up, though more so leaning against the pillows behind him, a sheen of sweat covered his brow, and his eye was drooping from exhaustion, but he smiled at his son nevertheless, despite the way his chest rose and fell with a bit of heavy breathing. Tom's visor gave him a read out of his vitals, while there was some inflammation in his leg, Tord was overall fine (enough). Still....seeing his husband in so much pain, yet hiding it for the sake of their son, made his heart clench painfully in his chest.

“I’m fine skatten min, I promise.” Tord reached out a hand as AK circled the bed, the child nearly jumped towards him but stopped himself before slowly sinking into Tord’s side, hugging him tight. Tord wrapped his arm around his son, pressing a long kiss to his forehead as he rubbed his hand up and down his back. “I’m just a little, ah, sick, okay? It’s not as bad as it looks!” At AK’s sniffle, Tord frowned and lifted his head up by his chin. “Oy, whats those tears for? Don’t cry my little sailor!” Tord pinched his nose with a grin, causing AK to giggle and wipe at his eyes. “This little pain won’t stop your pappa! I’m the Red Leader remember?? As if this will drag me down!”

Tord patted the space in front of him, letting AK crawl up the bed and sit on his good leg, carefully avoiding his right as he did. Tord smiled down at his son as he wrapped an arm around him in half of a hug- or a full hug in terms of what he was capable of at the moment. “Come now my little puffin! Don’t you remember how strong your pappa is? Did you forget huh? Did you??” He poked at AK’s side, causing his son to squeal and giggle as he squirmed in his hold.

“Daddyyyyy! Stop! I didn’t forget!!” AK said in between giggles.

“Oooh that’s right, you better not forget! Or I will eat your nose!”

“Waaa!” AK covered his nose with both of his hands, “Daddy not my noooose!!”

Tom laughed as he moved closer to his family, he wrapped his arms around his husband who leaned into his hold, even as he continued to terrorize their little boy as he made biting motions at him, a few of which AK would respond to with nipping of his own. Sometimes, when AK would kick out his legs or move his arm too far, Tom would pretend to lunge at them with playful little bites and low chittering sounds.

When AK took notice, he shrieked and curled up tight like a little ball in Tord’s arm.

“Daaaaaadddyyy!! Papaaaaaa!!” He whined, his voice taking a more higher pitch akin to a pup just learning how to howl.

“What do you say, kjaere?” Tord grinned at his husband who smiled back at him. “Shall we eat this little bird?”

“Anything for you, dear husband.” Tom said as he turned to look at his son, “After all, I’m nothing if not devoted.”

“Nooooooooo!!” AK yelled as he giggled and squirmed.

The two parents descended upon the hapless little boy, attacking at all sides. AK found himself partly shifted somewhere along the line, while his papa scurried around the room trying to catch him. His daddy on the other hand, stayed stationary on the bed, watching them run around with glee, though he was also a threat, as his papa would corral him towards his daddy when he wasn’t paying attention, and his daddy was good at catching him. AK would be subjected to tickles until he was able to break free, and the hunt was on yet again.

A little while later, the family of three were back together on the bed, with AK nestled happily between them, in the embrace of both his fathers. It didn’t take him long to start dozing off to sleep again, surrounded by love and safety as he was.

Tom looked up at his husband from over AK’s head, he smiled softly as he watched Tord smooth out their son’s hair, the look in his eyes so soft, fond, so full of love. A definite improvement to his tired, pained look when they had first woken up.

He couldn’t help but get lost in the grey of his eye, a colour that now reminded him of warm nights inside by a fire, a hand to hold during tougher times, a home that was all their own, a secret kept hidden from a world too cruel.

His love.

“Are you going to keep staring at me like a creep, Thomas?”

Tord’s smile never faltered from his face, but he kept his voice low as he continued to comb through their son’s hair. His eye moved up to Tom’s face, still soft and warm as when he was looking at AK.

“Do I need an excuse to look at my husband?”

Tom whispered back as he tilted his head with a smile mirroring Tord’s own. Though his husband’s smile widened a bit as he chuckled.

“Careful Thomas, people will think you’re in love with me.”

Tom felt his chest warm at Tord’s teasing tone, he wasn’t entirely sure why that was, but it wasn’t a bad feeling. He carefully moved over his son, Tord quickly caught on to his intent and raised himself up just slightly, as he tilted his head to give his husband a long, sweet, kiss. One he hoped conveyed that funny little warm feeling he had in his chest at the moment.

He hoped Tord liked that feeling too.

When he pulled back, settling down carefully beside their son once more, Tom smiled as he murmured:

“Let them think…”

For most of the day, the family spent their time in bed. AK brought his lego set into the room, while Tom decided that today might be a good day to indulge in old hobbies, and so brought his old bass in to sing his family a few songs he knew how to play.

A good day, overall, even if it did start out a little bad.

At least Tord was smiling.

That’s all he wanted really.

#tomtord #tordtom #eddsworld #eddsworld fanfiction #ew Stay AU #ew Stay AU writings #Im eepy now good night have some food #asks #anonymous

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bloodycassian · 9 months

Text

Long walk home. Reader x bucky barnes ABO SMUT - 18+ DNI IFI YOU’RE NOT 18+

Living alone meant dining alone. And on the long days after work when you didn’t feel like cooking, that also meant finding the best takeout on your own.

Even if you were in heat. It wasn’t like anyone else would be able to get it for you. And you didn’t trust a random delivery person to not beat down your door once they smelled the pheromones that leaked from your door like a bakery.

So you stashed your knife in your front pocket and hurried your way though the streets as nonchalantly as you could. The friction of the seam in your pants was not helping your scent, but thankfully, among the crowd most of the betas couldn't’ tell exactly who the smell came from. Most gave curious glances around, only a few adjusted their positioning while they stood waiting for the crosswalk.

You dashed inside the cramped restaurant and grabbed your order, sitting atop the counter. When you turned, you nearly crushed it into the man waiting in line behind you. “Oh I’m-” You

His throat bobbed, his eyes dark when they met yours. “Do you ahh.. need help with anything?” He asked, as if unsure of his own words. His hair was recently cut, only the font showing the slight curl of the pattern. His boxy face and sweet eyes made your stomach flip, and as you opened your mouth you noticed his hand.

His very shiny hand, that led to a shiny forearm, then bicep. “Shit-” You breathed, unable to smell your food any longer. All your senses had been taken up by him. The way his soap melded with the very male, very alpha scent of him. It demanded your attention. By the immaculate way his body was shaped, how you’d witnessed him on TV and in documentaries a thousand times but never thought you’d ever meet him.

“I uh, I know you.” You said, unsure how to answer his question. What exactly was he offering to help you with? You could think of a thousand ways he could help, particularly the ways he could ease the throbbing in your cunt. “You’re James-”

“Bucky.” He corrected, and eyed the bag of food, his eyes dragging over your body in a way that made you want to melt through the floor. He leaned closer, lowered his voice and spoke so softly it gave you chills. “I can escort you, if you’d like.” He said, glancing over your shoulder to the patrons that stared at you from their seats. One man at the short bar area tossed a few dollars down, and left his half drink to approach you and Bucky.

“Yes, please.” You breathed, ducking your head and hurrying for the exit.

“You’re really an avenger now, aren’t you? Saving the citizens of New York, one at a time.” You poked fun at him, hoping to ease the thick tension in the elevator ride. The entire carriage filled with your scent mingling with his, and it was every bit as lovely as you’d imagined on the walk back.

“I’m calling it my good deed for the day.” He said, taking in the shortest breaths possible. If he let himself smell your heat, the wetness that he was sure was between your thighs, he couldn’t weigh the possibilities that he’d be able to stop himself. Even during the small walk over, it took all his effort to try to act as normally as possible when other men looked her way. When they stared at her, at the way her hips moved and the hungry look in their eyes.

Bucky had shared women before, hadn’t had a problem with it. But he’d never had a woman in heat before. He’d never wanted to test himself like that, unsure that he’d be able to stop himself from the urge to knock her up and be stuck with a kid on his payroll the rest of his unforgivingly long life.

He wished he hadn't offered this in the first place. His cock strained against his pants, though he’d already tucked himself three different times when you weren’t looking. He watched as the elevator numbers went up, and up and up… jesus, how tall could the building be?

He couldn’t look at you, couldn’t risk a glance in your direction. He’d nearly taken you into an alley on the way over when he’d stared too long at your ass as you led the way. And God, he could scent how badly you wanted. How much your body needed a male right now. Not a beta. The thought alone made his temper flare. No, you needed a good fucking from an Alpha, and he wanted to be the one to do it. He wanted to hear his name on your lips as he made you come undone on his cock, wanted to-

The door dinged, and he followed you out, taking a deep breath of the clean air. His mind cleared, but the desire didn’t. She started walking down the hall, towards one of the many unremarkable doors. “Are you coming?” She called, juggling the food while she pulled out a key.

He approached slowly, eyeing the distance from her room to the elevator, taking in every small detail of the hall in search for threats. He’d never leave his paranoia behind, and he accepted it. It’d saved his life more than once. It also worked to calm his hard-on, so he could think about actually helping you instead of being a deterrent for other males.

He took your takeout bag, looking to the welcome mat splattered with stains. It was a design he could hardly make out. A cartoonish AR-15, and worn text that said “If the dog doesn’t get you, this will.”

He scoffed a laugh.

“What?” You asked, taking your food from him once you jammed the door open. The thing was off it’s hinges slightly, and required a good hip check to open.

He gestured to the mat. “You don’t strike me as someone who can handle an AR.”

“It’s a deterrent. Works great when I put the boots out.” You said proudly, placing your food and keys on the table just beside the door.

“Boots?” He asked, stiffening when the scent of your apartment hit him. It was a goddamn wall of desire, raking over every one of his senses and assaulting his mind with need. His cock twitched.

“Yeah, mens boots. Keeps the creeps away.”

“Well where are they now?” He asked, concern coating his mind. Had she had so many run ins with weirdos that she’d had to resort to false threats? He prayed she actually had a gun.

“Maybe I’m not trying to keep people out, right now.” She said, leaning against the door and biting her lip. His heart ticked up a beat, blood rushed through his ears so loud he could hardly hear his own voice.

“Why would that be, sweetheart?”

She didn’t answer, but instead shrugged and turned away, leaving the door wide open as she peeled off her tank top and tossed it on the back of the couch.

Fuck. Fuck, fuck fuck. He closed his eyes and took a steadying breath, inhaling the very sweet, tantalizing scent of her. “If I come in, is a dog going to attack me?” He asked, already toeing off his boots. If he’d known he’d be getting laid when going out this evening, he would have at least dressed better.

“Another deterrent.” She called, turning on a soft lamp in the corner. Leaving his shoes outside the door, Bucky shut it with a loud creak of the hinges.

“Is the door one, too?” He asked with a smile, eyes roaming over her gilded frame where she stood at the end of the couch. His mouth watered at the sight of her perked nipples and soft skin.

“No, that’s just my landlord being an asshole.” She smiled.

She approached him slowly, easing off his jacket with his help. The motions were slow, like both of you wanted the other to know they could be done with this. That this didn’t have to happen if they didn’t want it. An unspoken hesitation that charged the air with challenge. Who would break their unspoken rule first? Who would touch the other first? It felt like a dam readying to break, cracking beneath the weight of desire.

His shirt went next, Bucky swearing to himself when it caught on one of the layers of metal on his arm. He fought to control his breathing, to keep it slow. He didn’t want to rush you, didn’t want to make it a fast fuck that he’d leave right after. No, he wanted to enjoy every moment of this. Especially with such a beautiful, funny omega. In his years he’d met men and women both that had wanted him for his body, for his title, or for his fame. This seemed different. She didn’t pursue him. She’d left that door open, completely up to him to decide if he wanted to be a part of this or not. And the more time he spent in your presence, the more he wanted to stay. Your hand coasted over his bare chest, raising goosebumps over his arms.

His mind raced with ideas to come back. He could offer to fix the door. He could offer his services if she were in heat again. Fuck, he’d cook her dinner if she thought she had to go out during her heat. A part of him roared in anger that she’d even risked going out in the first place. Another was thanking the universe for her craving that led you both to the same place.

“I can hear your stomach growling.” He said, voice low and gravelly. His mind was a tornado of thoughts. The urge to take care of you, the ideas to get to stay, how to make you his, and above the rest, looming over like a cloud, he needed to be inside you.

“I can hear your belt straining.” She countered. Quick. Witty. His cheeks were already warm, but now they flared. Of course she knew, who wouldn’t know. With her scent mixed with her being fucking topless before him, no shit he was hard.

“Is that a bad thing?”

“I guess the answer depends if you’re going to fuck me or not.” You said, tension and impatience lacing your tone.

Oh fuck. Oh, fuck this. His temper ignited. Her tone, her very presence caught him aflame with desire, need warring with a want he’d never had before. He wanted to punish you. He wanted to show you just how good he’d fuck you. Then you wouldn’t be asking again. He’d make sure you knew that if she asked, he’d give himself to her. That she’d only have to ask, first.

His lips met yours with a heated, quick energy that you responded with in kind. His lips crushed against yours with bruising force, teeth sinking into lips and skin and tongues lapping at areas you’d never thought of before. His ran from your neck to your collarbone in a flat, long lap before he was pulling your pants down, revealing your naked cunt. He knelt before you, took a deep breath in and looked up.

Your legs trembled at the sight of him there. Dark eyes and hair and immaculate body, his cheeks flushed. It was a sight you’d wished you could get a picture of.

His hands went to your thighs and pushed you back onto the couch, your lower half propped up against the arm while your back laid comfortably against the leather. His one hand, warm and soft, squeezed and massaged your thighs. The other, cool mechanical hand lifted your leg over his shoulder and wrapped around it, holding you in place. Warm, long kisses pressed against your inner thighs, his tongue leaving chill spots the entire way up.

His mouth grazed over your waiting pussy, he laid his tongue flat against your clit and watched as you jolted from the shock of it.

“Fuck-” You breathed. He hummed, the vibrations going through your body and causing a chill to break out over your skin.

He started slow, building and building his pace, his eyes occasionally darting up to watch you writhe in pleasure before him. His cock was aching, need filling the marrow of his bones. He wondered distantly if he would be able to last, once he was inside of you. His arm flexed when your thigh threatened to fall from his shoulder, and he lapped at your sex while bringing you higher up on the arm of the couch.

The taste was incredible, sending him further into a frenzy of determination. He wanted to make you come. He wanted to make sure you came until you physically couldn’t any longer. You were a delicacy that he needed more of.

He slid two fingers against your folds, collecting the wetness there before pushing inside you slowly. His hips rolled forward at the feeling. The warm, hot mess you were… he could feel the precome leaking from the tip of him inside his pants. Her legs flexed again, a loud moan making him groan along with you. He curled his fingers, spearing into the spot inside of you expertly. He pulled off your clit to watch his own fingers delving inside of you, working the moans from your mouth. “That’s right sweetheart-” He encouraged, thrusting his fingers in and out, drooling over the sight of you. “I’m gonna make you come. Can you do that for me?” He said, voice deep and needy.

You nodded, but the gesture was lost. His fingers stopped. His hand pinched your nipple, hard, drawing a strangled moan from you. “Say it.” He demanded.

“Yes- Yes!” You panted, bucking your hips to him, trying to get him to move as he had been.

“Yes what, sweetheart?” He kissed your thighs, and worked his fingers back into the rhythm slowly.

Fuck no. You wouldn’t be begging him to make you come. You could do that on your own. Stubbornness and spite fueled you. You pushed yourself up, brought yourself from his mouth and pushed him back with a foot. Caught off guard, he rocked back long enough for you to right yourself on the arm of the sofa and catch his lips with yours. You made quick work with his pants, and finally had his cock in your mouth within a few moments.

“Fuck-” He hissed. If he wasn’t sure about his longevity before, he was now. He was somewhat thankful that you were easing him of the ache, but even more grateful that he’d be able to fuck you without worrying about coming inside you. Your mouth was incredible. Perfect rhythm, perfect warmth and fuck- He squinted his eyes shut and to resist the urge to hold you in place with his cock down your throat.

Within a few minutes, he was surging, his balls so ready to release that he saw stars. “I’m going to-” You swiped your tongue over the tip of him and he was done. He came with a shuddering gasp that left your sex dripping for more of those sounds. He spilled inside your mouth and shook slightly when you brought yourself upright. His silver hand gripped the couch, exposing the white stuffing inside. You watched him a moment as he collected himself, his breathing heavy and labored turned into senseless curses mixed with promises of what exactly he was going to do to you.

His teeth sunk into your lip and with ease, he lifted you from the floor and bent you over the couch. “Gonna fucking give you exactly what you want-” He muttered, stroking himself a few times before rubbing the length of his cock against your waiting pussy. The heavy head of him tapped at your clit, and he rubbed it there a moment, enjoying the way your body reacted to everything he did.

You were on fire. The core of you was burning up, and if he didn’t completely fuck you soon, you’d be ash. Your thighs pressed together, rocking against your clit in desperation. He spread your legs back apart and pressed his fingers there, rubbing you slowly. Too slowly, your body needed him, needed his knot, all of him.

“You’re bad aren’t you?” He asked, sucking marks into your back as he coated his cock with your wetness. “Don’t take orders from no one, do you?” You couldn't help but smile at that. You didn’t expect him to like that about you, not when his title as the winter soldier went against that very idea.

“Not if it gets me a better fucking-” You hissed as his cock slid inside you, stretching and claiming you.

“That’s what you need, a good fucking, right?” He said, pulling out nearly all the way before slamming back in. You whimpered, arms shaking as you held yourself up on the couch. Coolness pressed into your back, easing you down. Your ass raised higher in the air, his other hand slapped and gripped your cheek, shaking it slightly.

“I think I can give you that.” He snapped his hips forward and your hands gripped for anything to hold you in place. Instead, his hands went to your hips, one of his feet to hooked over the arm of the couch, and he held you steady while fucking into you. You were moaning something, you weren’t sure but he liked it. The need of your orgasm was climbing rapidly, your walls clenching around him with every thrust. The knot at the base of his cock was beginning to swell, catching on the inside of you with every few thrusts.

It was loud. Your skin slapping against his as he took you was enough, but mixed with both your moans, you wouldn’t be surprised if you had a complaint letter in the mail in the next few days.

“Please-” You didn’t know what you wanted more of, but you needed it. You were so close, so nearly there that-

He pushed down, shifting you up slightly and pressed you into the couch. He rocked into you harder, forcing your clit to grind against the material. Your insides spasmed, and seemed to take him even deeper as your climax peaked and you fell into bliss.

Oversensitivity was apparently non-existent with him, and within a few more of his thrusts you were coming again, legs shaking violently. He breathed some kind of encouragement, his knot expanded quickly at the sensation of you around him, his own arousal peaking again while your cunt milked him. The fullness of him pressed inside your entrance caused another wave of pleasure to overtake you, and you cried out as the slightest motion against the couch sent you over the edge again.

It felt endless. A downpour of pleasure that had you melting beneath him, shuddering and panting and drooling against the cushions. He leaned against you, but didn’t put his full weight on you. You could feel his heartbeat through you bodies, and your eyes felt suddenly heavy. Two sleepless nights pleasuring yourself in a attempt to keep the heat at bay had made you exhausted.

Within moments you’d come three times, each of them hard enough that they left you exhausted, sated for at least a little while.

You woke hours later, while it was still dark out with Bucky at your side in your bed. You felt suddenly self conscious about the state of it, but realized he’d probably seen much worse than a few piles of clothes lying around. You took stock of him, each scar that dotted his face and the ruffled hair that stood out at odd angles. His face was so relaxed, so peaceful like this. Even with his soft snoring, he was more than just handsome, he was rugged. Intimidating, if giving the right look. No wonder no other men had approached you on the walk home.

Your eyes roamed over the rest of him, how he’d pulled a spare blanket over himself instead of going beneath the quilt with you. Had it been for your comfort or for him to slip out more easily in the morning? Was it a limitation he set for himself? If it was, why hadn’t he left already?

You watched his breathing, making sure he was deep asleep before running a finger over the cold metal of his arm. Intricate layers of metal, locked together so tightly and thoroughly that it felt like a continuous piece of metal.

Idly, You wondered how he ever took a plane anywhere. Your hand drifted to his, where you found half a fortune cookie. He’d helped himself to your dinner, apparently. Your laugh shook the bed, but he didn’t wake. You got up, used the bathroom and went to the kitchen to heat your meal back up.

He’d placed your takeout in the fridge, along with a note with his number. So he had planned to leave in the morning. But he’d wanted to see you again.

You warmed up the food and when done, found the shirt he’d taken off. You pulled it around you, reveling in the scent of him on it. When you returned to the bed, he wrapped you in his arms almost immediately, pulling you close to his chest and tucking his forehead against your neck.

“Gonna fix that door.” He muttered groggily.

#BUCKY X READER #READER X BUCKY #BUCKY BARNES FIC #ABO FIC #ABO #MCU FIC

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therealteddybear-sry · 2 years

Note

hi sry if this is a little weird but if you need a break from write Be mine or you finish could you write a fic about bakugo turning into a dog (because a villain attacked him w/ an animal quirk) and the reader has to take care of him?

the more I think about this the weirder it seems so u do have to write it if you don’t want to

Don't worry it's not weird at all! thanks for giving me something to foucuse on other than my series and i was quite shocked that you knew about it. Thx for the request <3

Cuddle puppy <3

Bakugo x Fem! reader | fluff, slight angst idrk | this is my first time writing a fanfic so if it sucks be quiet | Basically Bakugo gets hit with a quirk that turns him into a puppy making him ditch your plans.

“Is this your place?” asked Mina pointing to the tall apartment building ahead. It wasn't unusual for Mina to walk with you as you live in the same area, though on this trip to your house your other friend Jiro came along.

“Awww look it’s a puppy” you and Mina cried in unison speed-walking towards it, Jiro following close behind.

“Ya know you can’t just pick up a stray and bring it home,” stated Jiro as Mina tried to pick up the feisty, baby golden Shepard.

“Uuuugh I know” whined mina “...but know someone who could keep it… here y/n!”

“What?” you stared dumbfoundedly as mina handed the puppy currently biting her uniform’s sleeve over to your arms. Bolting before you could refuse.

“See ya on Monday!” hollered Mina as she ran towards her house leaving you and Jiro in front of your apartment.

“Sorry but there's no way I'm keeping that,” said Jiro as she wandered off to the radio shop nearby -her primary intent of the trip here-

“I guess it’s just me and you little guy,” you sighed carrying the slightly less pissed small dog to your apartment.

Just a few steps away, a bright red sign attached to the building caught your eye ‘NO PETS’ astonished that you had never noticed it before. But before you could properly form a half-decent plan a thin, wrinkled, old, staff member waltzed out of the building. You had talked to this woman a few times before and you knew she despised animals, especially dogs, claiming they were “too loud”. Not wanting to get kicked out you hid behind a nearby bush, brain scattered you did the unthinkable. You shoved the poor dog down your shirt. and when the old hag had turned her back you bolted through the entrance and into an elevator. Fate had left you lucky enough to get into an empty elevator, though not wanting to take any risks you quietly apologized to the seemingly silent dog. Thankfully still feeling it breathing and occasionally adjusting itself reassured you that you hadn't crushed it. After what felt like an eternity of awkwardly slightly getting your chest nipped and praying no one else gets on, you finally landed on your floor dashing through the hallway you stopped at 307, your apartment, and yours only. Your parents died in a villain accident many years ago so you are used to living alone, though the thought of finally having something living that can feel and display love made you feel happier. Gently shutting and locking the door behind you, taking off your red tie you scoop into your white button-down and pull out the puppy now realizing how messy it had gotten you. Dragging yourself and the dirt-engulfed raging fur ball to the bathroom to get cleaned up. Once you got the bath water to a decent temperature and amount of bubbles to not wreck your uniform further you started getting undressed. Even if it is just a dog you were not indecent enough to get naked instead you just left for a second to change into a swimsuit. Clearly not impressed with previously being suffocated between your bust, when you returned in your f/c bikini the deviant of a dog pounced into the full bathtub leaving you covered in water and suds. This along with the earlier actions displaying this puppies personality you decided on what to name him, “ya’ know you remind me of my friend Bakugo” you huffed “but since it’d be weird to give you his actual name I’ll call you Katsu instead!” you’ve had a crush on Bakugo since day one and the closest you two ever gotten was being accepted into the bakusquad where he just barley tolerated you. You continued to muter to yourself not realizing how tranquil the dog had gotten after being given his name. Once the seemingly now calmed dog was washed and dried the ash-blonde dog sat there cozied up in your lap as you watched f/s when an ad popped up for pet supplies. That’s when it dawned on you, how could you keep a dog if you didn't have any food or, really anything on the matter. I mean you used dish soap to wash the poor thing! Thankfully, after rummaging around your apartment's room you had found a purse big enough for the dog to fit comfortably, as you slid through the building and out the front doors without being caught. Finally reaching the pet store you got just a few cheaper necessities being short on cash at the moment, food (you could use bowls at home), collar, leash, a small baggie of treats, and you thought maybe a toy or two would be nice. While you were deciding on either a rubber bone or one of those tugging rope thingies when a man tapped you on the shoulder. Sightly startled, you turn around instantly absorbed into his golden yellow eyes

“uh, excuse me,” he said smiling, one hand grasping the back of his neck “but what is your name?”

“Oh! It’s y/n!” you cheerfully stated.

“What a beautiful name,” you couldn't help but blush “though could I call you mine instead?” This comment leaving you visibly flustered making him smile as you tried to find a way to say you were not interested without coming across as rude, you then realized you didn't have to as Katsu already hopped from your bag bitting the hemming of the left leg of his pants, too small to really do anything.

“Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry” you frantically apologized as you picked up the wriggling dog still trying to attack the stranger.

“Tch whatever maybe try to learn how to control your pets.” the man bluntly stated. Embarrassed you checked everything out and walked back to the apartment muttering under your breath. Back at the apartment you couldn't help but get rather annoyed at the puppy and it seemed he looked almost guilty. Dinner consisted of instant ramen and binging f/s while katsu sat there unsure of what to do. Should he give you space to snuggle next to you? You noticed how the dog was just standing there unsure yourself of what to do, you pat the cushion next to you inviting him to sit there. Katsu gladly obliged and lied his fluffy head on your thigh, ecstatic you weren't still mad at him. After hours of telling yourself one more episode, you finally checked the time. It was 2 am. Regret seeping into your tired body you carefully picked up the sleeping dog and walked to your bedroom. Where you gently placed him facing your back as you lay beside him unaware the quirk only lasts twelve hours. You felt the dog sift a bit as you were seconds away from drifting into your own slumber too, tired to notice the dog had wrapped his arms around you resting his head in the crook of your neck. Spooning you and whispering faint mumbles of I love you y/n. Mindlessly you whispered back I love you too Bakugo, thinking this was just a dream. Bakugo contently hummed to himself imagining how your face would look seeing him in your bed in the morning and how glad he was that this happened. I mean he got to see you half naked and have you all to himself for an afternoon.

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clumsiestgiantess · 9 months

Text

The seventh chapter of the Other-world Universe; Alexis tries her best to make amends.

all chapters linked here

[Progress is progress, I guess]

You don’t know how hard I tried to stay away, but the small world in the basement was just too fascinating to leave for long. It was like fate, or maybe just my brother wanting to play, was drawing me back. Despite this, I never set foot near anywhere I thought Erica might be. I wanted to stay true to my word, after all.

Every once and a while, when I was bored, I would go off and explore, though. Constantly, I would wander through the mountains where I found the climber, wondering if he’d left or if I just kept missing him. While walking through the area where I’d first arrived, I came across a beautiful lake, cut off from the rest of the world by the jagged mountains surrounding it. Another time, after hiking for three days, I finally found a beach. It wasn’t an ocean beach, like I wanted, but rather a large lake; from my tall height, I could faintly see the other side. Still, it was a beach, and I didn’t want to hike further than that anyways. To get all the way out there I’d packed a bag full of food, water, and a sleeping bag, invisibly camping anywhere that was large enough for me. Thankfully I only needed to walk the way there. To get back, all I had to do was return to my world, think about the open field, and I'd be there.

During those three days, as I carefully trekked through forests and fields away from civilization, I was blinded by a flash of light from above. After shielding my eyes from the initial glare, I fought to look up. I only managed to catch the tail end of the strange phenomenon. What looked like a bolt of empty black lightning split the air, but instead of fading away like normal lightning, it hovered in the sky for a long moment. Then, the jagged streak vanished as quickly as it came. I had no idea what the strange lightning-esque flash had been, but I didn’t give it too much thought. It could’ve been any number of things. The dark zigzag could’ve been a blank spot in my vision after the strange bright light. For all I know, the other-world might actually have a weird type of black lightning. I ignored it and carried on.

I had a lot more free time to spend in the other-world now that I wasn’t looking after Erica 24-7, so I used the extra hours not only for adventuring, but to map out the city and everything around it. Eventually, I hoped to have a map of all the buildings that shared a twin in my world, as well as how far the limits of the playtable actually reached.

See, the buildings on the table in my world weren’t a perfect match to the ones there; the other-world had almost twice as many thanks to all the residential areas that were basically nonexistent in my own world. All the twin buildings I'd come across so far were always somewhat important places, and I'd slowly been jotting all of them down. My brother and I hadn't aimed to make a perfect little city, after all. It made sense that a few of the lesser important details were omitted from our building project.

At first, Liam had wanted to make the playtable a complete mishmash of dinosaurs and cool superhero fortresses, but thankfully I'd managed to talk him out of it. I wonder how differently my first day would've gone if I'd let Liam stick with his original plan. How much of the other-world inhabitants' lives would we have altered without even knowing it? What if we took everything off the table and started over right now with a completely new theme, like an alien planet or a giant amusement park? Would everyone here just vanish like the city had never existed, or would they be forced to live completely new lives in whatever we'd created? If they did, would they even remember their old ones?

That train of thought was getting a little too existential for my liking. I shook myself off, forcing my brain to backtrack to what I was doing prior to the rabbit hole I'd briefly fallen down. I scanned the paper in my hands for a moment. Right, I was looking for twin buildings in the city. My need for a list of similar buildings first came with the slightly obvious realization that the three-pronged skyline in the other-world — which I assumed was the same as the four-pronged one in my world from a weird angle — actually only had three prongs. I’d walked around the other-world long enough to see the city from numerous angles, and all of them had three tall needles that stuck out from the tops of skyscrapers, not four. Immediately, I needed a new reason to believe the cities were the same. They have to be the same. Why else would I be here?

The twin buildings became my new proof. Though the cities didn’t look exactly alike, they each had the same grid layout, and facilities like a town hall, an aquarium, a museum, banks and gas stations, those sorts of things. It was a lot easier said than done, getting to everything. I couldn’t even get close to the more populated areas unless I was attached to someone.

Ever since the fight with Erica, I'd sworn off controlling people. However, I did still use them for intangibility; I just didn’t force them to do anything while I was latched on. It felt like I was making excuses to continue messing with them, but I didn’t have much of a choice. I could either continue using the other-world people for intangibility, or go back to accidentally crushing almost everything in my path. Obviously, I chose the former.

I'd already gotten a decent number of buildings jotted down with the help of a few oblivious puppets, when I felt something tugging at me. I don't know how else to explain it. I imagine the feeling's similar to the force between two magnets passing by, skating just close enough to feel the pull of the other half without actually touching it. Stopping in the middle of writing down another contender for my list, I followed the absurd feeling toward a congested street corner. I stood there for almost ten minutes looking for the source of my odd state.

Finally, I caught sight of someone below me looking confusedly around in the exact way I did. I really should've expected my 'other half' to be Erica. I’d felt this feeling a few times before while searching for her. It seemed to be a side effect of her being under my control for far too long. For a brief moment, I reached out to latch onto her before recoiling away as she spun around with a furious glare that made me think twice. Oh, she can sense I'm here too.

I could tell Erica readily wanted to berate me by the infuriated way she was glaring at the empty alleyway I stood in. However, she would look like she'd lost her mind if she started cursing out an empty side street, so she kept quiet. Erica stood in thought for a moment before inconspicuously gesturing to the park down the street on the opposite side of the road. I understood; she was still intent on talking to me, just in a more out-of-the-way place. Begrudgingly, I stepped over to the park in three long strides and waited patiently for Erica to walk the two blocks over there.

When she finally arrived, Erica sat on a bench to the side of an empty field and caught her breath. I chuckled despite every ounce of common sense I had. She jogged over here for six minutes just to catch up with the three steps I'd taken. "Is something funny to you?" Erica asked annoyedly. "Sorry," I whispered. I needed to keep my voice as quiet as possible so no one else would hear me and wonder why they were hearing voices in the air. "It's nothing. How have you been?" I tried to change the subject, but Erica saw right through me. Literally. "Oh, I'm doing much better now that I'm not a puppet anymore," she quipped sarcastically, "I sure hope you weren't about to do something incredibly stupid to change that." I sighed, "I wouldn't've actually made you do anything. I meant it as.. a tap on the shoulder. To say hi." Erica huffed out a half-laugh that somehow radiated the opposite of laughter.

"You told me you were leaving," she said pointedly, "Why bother lying to me? Can't you just make me forget about you?" "I didn't lie! I said I'd leave you alone from now on. I never said I'd leave your world.” "So running into me was a coincidence, was it?" "Yes." "Liar." "No, I swear it is! I've never even seen you in this part of the city. Why would I come here to control you if I know where you live?" Do I even know where she lives? I thought to myself. Last I saw of her she was packing up her things to leave.

Erica sat silently for a moment, "Then, why are you over here?" "I could ask you the same thing." "You first." It was fascinating, really. For someone so small, Erica had somehow managed to back me into a corner. I wasn't lying to her, I honestly hadn't intended to find Erica there, but at the same time I couldn't tell her the truth about what I was doing, either. If I did, I'd have to reveal the unnerving truth about her world being fake. That moment in the middle of the city probably wasn't the best time to explain everything. I could see it in her; the way she hid her fear behind a mask of anger and sarcasm. Erica knew all too well that I could puppeteer her again right then and there if I wanted, and she couldn't do anything to stop me. I could only imagine what might happen if I told her the whole truth of everything I could mess with. Not just her.

So, instead of tearing down her view of the entire world, I lied in the truest way possible. "I'm here because I was mapping out the city. With all my new free time, I've been wandering around searching for neat places and marking them down." Erica stared into the open space where I sat, still unconvinced. "Prove it." I hesitated for a second, then slid the unfinished map out my pocket and unfolded it on the ground.

Once I was sure no one was nearby, I let the paper go and it slowly faded into view. I could hear the breath hitch in Erica's throat as a map the size of her old apartment appeared from thin air. She stepped off the bench and onto the grass to examine my evidence. "What do these X's mean?" she asked, pointing to a few buildings that had been sketched with two slashes over them. "Those are the places I want to revisit once I finish the map." Obviously I wasn't going to tell her they were really marking the twin buildings. I quickly folded the piece of paper back up, causing it to vanish again. I didn't want her looking it over for too long, just in case I'd jotted something down that had to do with her world.

Finally convinced I wasn't out there just to stalk her, Erica gave me a satisfied nod and returned to the park bench to collect her things. "Hold on," I whispered before she could leave, "It's your turn to tell me what you're doing over here." "I.." Erica hesitated, slowly turning back to me. She suddenly looked a lot more tired than she had a minute ago; her angry facade had dropped. "I'm lost. I went to a new hairstylist that opened in this side of the city, and now I have no clue where I parked the car. I know it was across the street from the aquarium, but I've only been there, like, once besides today." The aquarium was definitely on my map. In fact, it was one of the buildings that had a twin. "I know where it is," I ventured, "I could take you there if you like."

"You want to help me?" Erica asked coldly, "Gee, that sounds like a great idea. I'll just blindly accept your help like I did last time. Who knows, if I'm lucky I might end up as your little puppet by the end of the day." She hadn't even said all that much, but her words still stung regardless. I backed away guiltily and shifted onto my knees, ready to leave. "I'm sorry," I mumbled, "Shouldn't have asked." Erica sighed and I froze, partially standing. She looked up at me from beneath the leafy green trees that shaded the park. Though she couldn’t see me, she could still tell fairly well where I was. Slowly, I knelt back down as her expression clouded with confliction. Erica’s mouth opened and closed silently for a few minutes. I expected her to give me some speech about how it was wrong to do what I'd done to her, which I completely understood, but she surprised me. "Can I see that map one more time, please?"

If she had asked me to bring her the moon or the stars instead, I would've gladly done it. Anything to stop the gut wrenching guilt that whispered you're a monster over and over in my head. I'd been avoiding Erica for this reason as well. Whenever I saw her, or even thought about her, I felt the need to compensate for everything I'd done. Apparently, she felt as if I were trying to deceive her again, but that was far from the truth. I only wanted to prove that I could be better; for Erica, obviously, but for myself too. The image of her hanging terrified between my fingers over the cliffside refused to leave my head. Then there was that time I’d caught her in bed, crying.. presumably because of what I’d done to her.

I gladly spread the map out on the grass for Erica to examine. She mutely traced the path between the park we stood in and the aquarium without a single glance at me.

After an excruciatingly dead silence, she spoke. "Thank you, for helping me. I.. I think you're just trying to gain my trust, but- I'll trust you in my own time, you know?" I let out a breath I hadn't even realized I'd been holding. "Alright." Another heavy silence. "Can I take the map now?" Erica nodded and I stashed it away. "If it's alright with you," she interjected before I could leave, "You can get places a lot faster than I can. Would you mind waiting by my car until I get there? Just so I don't get lost again? We have this weird connection of some sort; I was thinking of using it like a compass." I was so shocked by her offer I forgot to reply. "It's fine if you don't want to. I mean, I did just rudely deny your help a moment ago." "No, I.. I'll meet you there."

Erica was right; it took me very little time to find the aquarium. I sat beside it, intangibly peering in at the sea lion show that was taking place when I'd arrived. Eventually, I could feel the magnet-esque tug that told me Erica was nearby. She glanced across the busy street at the space she assumed I was sitting in and mouthed thank you before driving off. I tried to shake away the gloomy guilt and instead thought through the positives. Miraculously, Erica was making an effort to be nice to me, despite my mistakes. Honestly, her talking to me at all was an improvement, so long as she wasn't hurting me with bitter words.

Over the course of the next few weeks, I bumped into Erica several times — all purely unintentionally. We both had things to do in similar places. Erica had errands to run and her job, and I wanted to map out the city where all those things were located. We never said much to each other. In fact, we couldn’t have a conversation of any kind without drawing attention to ourselves. However, Erica no longer suspected anything horrible of me. She’d nod knowingly in my direction, and we’d both continue on with our lives.

We’d only come close to talking once — when I happened to walk by as Erica was getting a parking ticket. The moment she sensed my presence, she began gesturing for me to deal with the officer every time their back was turned. I hesitated, wondering if it was a test to see if I would control them. Honestly, I think that was what she wanted, but I decided to deal with things differently. Returning to my world for a split second, I grabbed a single plastic bill and willed it to become 100 dollars as I stepped back through.

Thankfully, there was an empty lot on the other side of the road where I could appear without destroying anything. Erica looked beyond relieved when she sensed me re-appear. Cautiously, I reached out over her car and waited until the officer turned to their vehicle for something. The moment they did, I nudged her arm very lightly with one finger, opening my hand to reveal the fresh bill.

Just as I’d suspected, Erica seemed confused by my offer. She had wanted me to control them — likely to avoid being given a ticket at all. A moment later, she nodded at me, realizing that I was only trying to avoid what had made her so angry with me in the first place. I latched on to intangibility and stepped away, figuring that giving her the money she needed was enough interaction with her for the day. It was how I’d ended up in that situation in the first place, after all. I certainly didn’t want to repeat any of my mistakes.

Three weeks after the incident with the map, I officially heard from Erica again. By that time, I'd completely mapped out the city and had moved on to measuring how far the table in my world extended in this one. The scale was more than a little bit off, which both confused and frustrated me. I was passing by Erica's house, trying to determine how far the mountains were from the city with a distance tracker, when I noticed an arrow made from fallen branches in her yard. The arrow pointed to a large flat rectangle lying on the lawn. I slowed to examine it. Erica's car wasn't in the driveway, so I couldn't ask what the thing was, but it had 'to the giant' scrawled on it so I assumed it was for me. I picked up the rectangle of what seemed to be poster board and turned it over curiously.

It was a note, written out in large letters so I could read them without straining my eyes.

I don't know if you're ever coming back here, but if you find this I want you to know that-

The rest of the letter was written in slightly different penmanship, as though she'd stopped writing for a while before continuing with the rest.

I'm ready for us to meet up again. Just to be clear, this is NOT me forgiving you. I want to move on from what happened, and I hope you do too. After all, you were only trying to help me, albeit in a very backwards way. If you can find sometime for us to talk, I’m willing to.

It looked like Erica had tried to fit more onto the poster board, but ran out of room writing in a font big enough for me to read. My heart leapt faster in my chest as I re-read what she'd written. It had been a while since we'd talked, and even then, we'd never actually had a normal conversation. Maybe things weren’t as hopeless as I thought! Remember, I thought to myself, trying to calm down, she hasn't forgiven you, so take it easy. One step at a time. You're overwhelming enough as it is. However small a step the note may be, progress is progress, and I was grateful for it.

#what was that weird lightning tho?#other-world universe #g/t #giant tiny

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thatoneweebsworld · 1 year

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ITWOM here we go boys

I literally did not have a better idea for a title. There is a discord server waiting for this to drop I’m pretty sure. Original credits to @vore-toast and their lovely lovely fuckin MASTERPIECE of a long haul OC fic. please go check them out. Note: this features Mimi my OC and Christopher from Amanda’s lovely lovely fuckin MASTERPIECE of a long haul OC fic. Christopher is a fantastically complex character and I apologize in advance for the inevitable inaccuracies.

Warnings because I’ve been forgetting to put them on my work uh oh: g/t but its not your normal g/t its literally regular human vs around 100ft tall, soft vore, teasing pred willing prey, writer not taking herself seriously enough, writer self projecting as a coping mechanism

“This... should be the right place, if I followed this map correctly...” Mimi mumbles solely to herself. “Red Tree. Humans shouldn’t go here if they want to come out alive... and a dealer hub.” The small young woman, no more than 22, no taller than 4′11″, and wearing her more playful pastel best, glances back up at the buildings before her. She had been travelling for over a week from the countryside, hoping to find herself somewhere to start her new business plan. Staying hidden away in a civilization jarringly anti-giant with no room and even backlash for curiosity was simply too much. Mimi didn’t want to hide. She wanted to live among those most of her kind feared. Its not like she had anything to lose.

As soon as she reaches what she presumes to be a more lively area of this Red Tree place, Mimi stows away her map and begins searching. Compared to where she came from, everything was huge. She knew giants were big, the one who directed her was simply massive, but suddenly entering a world not catered to her was far more unsettling. Instead of casually sauntering down the main drag of town as she had originally hoped, Mimi opts to follow along the very outskirts with the sparsest population. She eyes the huge structures in awe, seeing multiple at once is far more intimidating. With a hint of sudden vindication Mimi decides to keep a little closer to the buildings. She watches a few shadows with some element of fear but instead of fleeing takes a deep breath. “If you can’t beat them, join them,” she states with forced confidence before truly entering the town with a bit more spring in her step. This is what she wanted after all.

It isn’t long before Mimi manages to reach the ‘hub’ of the small town, thankfully not having ran into anyone along the way. Now in search of something to eat, perhaps crumbs of some sort or scraps she could steal, maybe grab a growth serum and antidote pair just in case. She spots what appears to be some sort of eating establishment and emerges from the shadows to enter. Just before she can start to tackle the problem of opening the door, Mimi feels the back of her shirt hitch and pull her up into the air.

“And just where do you think you’re going, doll? Do you have any idea just how much danger you’d be in walking into this pub?” Mimi’s knees instinctively curl up towards her chest seeing as it’s the only way she can really move. She attempts to make herself appear unphased by the fact that she is at least 100 feet up off the ground, let alone her entire life is in the hands of the first giant she meets after her travels. “No, why would a pub be dangerous?” The giant inspects Mimi with a hint of a smirk. “You’re not from around here are you? She gives a sheepish smile. While the absolutely massive face in front of her is just that, they are rather attractive. “Well, I am not from around here if you must know. And you can call me Mimi.” She tries to pull herself more into the hand dangling her. “You have quite a strong smell, Mimi. If you don’t get away from here, Cyrus will certainly put you on the market.” Mimi cocks her head quizzically. “Market... oh that’s right giants use humans like drugs. Well, I guess I could let you swallow me for kicks. Never been inside a giant before.” Mimi shrugs somewhat nonchalantly. The giant dangling her then spins her a little by the neck of her shirt, inspecting her. A hint of surprise slips into their expression, but Mimi opts to not bring it up. “And what if you didn’t want to be swallowed, doll? If I were to drop you from here it’d be over for you. Even if you survived the fall, You wouldn’t be safe inside.” The giant, still holding Mimi up by the collar, walks into a back alley with her and finally sets her in his hands. “Lemme take you to my place. That way I can taste you in peace.”

Mimi allows herself to, after a minute, relax into the giant’s hand closed around her. “Say, um… I never did catch your name… I’m Mimi.” The grip around her tightens a little in response. “Keep it quiet or someone besides me might hear you. The name is Christopher. If you’ve heard of me, you probably already hate me. If you haven’t, lucky.” He opens a door indicated to Mimi by a creak. Christopher sets her down on a coffee table, small to him yet huge to his guest. Mimi seats herself legs crossed on the table. “So. What do you think you’re doing out in the open, let alone casually allowing some strange giant to swallow you?”

“Curiosity. Where I came from there was one giant and everybody was scared of her. All the humans were so anti-giant even bringing them up was taboo.” She shrugs. “I got sick of it, figured I’d take my chances, and see what all I could see. I learned that some humans seek out giants for protection and enjoy the sensation of being swallowed… so I asked the only giant I knew about it and she said this town would be the best place.” Christopher’s eyes widen a significant bit as he puts the pieces together mentally. “No wonder that giant led you here.” Mimi cocks her head slightly in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Never mind. Now, onto what you said earlier…” Mimi’s eyes widen a tad. “If you’re looking to be swallowed for the first time, you’ve come to the right place.” She leans forward eagerly. “Really? You… you won’t… hurt me… right?” The apprehension apparent in her own voice is more than enough for Mimi to shake her head and clear it. “No, I trust you. You wouldn’t do that. You already were kind enough to keep me out of whatever danger that pub is…” The somewhat surprised look on Christopher’s face morphs into a sneer. "Well, doll, turns out you have come to the right giant." He picks Mimi up by the shirt again, this time bringing her far closer to his face. His warm breath and sudden change of tone startles Mimi a decent bit, but her face says exhilaration more than anything. "Christopher-" she gasps as his tongue teases her neck.

Unable to move or hide her own enjoyment, Mimi giggles at her new acquaintance's advancements. "That tickles a little... and feels rather good as well." The tongue teasing her pulls her in. As soon as Christopher has Mimi fully in his mouth, he gawks just a little at her taste. He pushes her up against the roof of his mouth. "You taste sweet. Unbearably sweet." Mimi's breathing hastens in pure thrill. As she tries to orient herself, a comparably loud and overly satisfied purr bubbles up in the throat awaiting her. With absolutely no warning, Christopher guides his prey into the back of his throat, all the way down just before deeply swallowing. About half of Mimi's body sinks into the gullet of the giant now completely around her. Another strong, practiced gulp takes the rest of her in. Peristalsis does its job from there, guiding the human down, down, down through the tight, wet, warm highway to the stomach. Mimi would have sworn she felt a finger trace her down, increasing the pressure. She wriggles just a little to better feel her surroundings and the musculature around her. That sensation does not last long as she soon enters the far more open stomach. She tumbles into a heap at the bottom and instantly curls her knees to her chest. The space around her seems to hug her upon noticing her presence. "It's been a while since I've actually had a human in me," Christopher's voice mumbles from up above. Outside it would have barely been audible, but tucked safely away in his stomach it rings loud and clear. "This... this is cozy." Mimi slowly stands up in her new confines, walks a circle curiously, then reaches out and touches the muscular tissue. Up above an undeniable purring begins to rumble. "I've never gotten my meals to rub me back..." She continues to caress the flesh in front of her. It isn't long before the giant encapsulating her lies back in bliss, blushing. The relaxed heartbeat up above accompanied by the now soft, contented gurgles of her current home is more than enough to make Mimi melt. She curls herself up into the folds. Next thing Christopher gets from Mimi are soft little snores. His hand wanders to his stomach, and rubs over where she is curled up. "First time in a stomach and you fall asleep... silly human." A small shift in the weight in his middle reminds Christopher just how wonderful the sensation of fullness is. "You might just be staying here for a while."

#itwom #extreme cuddling #willing vore #sfw vore #itwom fanfiction #cow writes things

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dame-nervy · 7 months

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Gladers are WCKD - Chapter 14

Vince used to say I had a smart mouth that would only cause trouble, Mary said I was clever enough to talk my way through anything, and when I met Jorge, well he told me I should work on my aim. Though I don't think any of them would expect my escape to have something to do with chewing.

It had been a long 24 hours - I'm guessing, I don't have a clock - of nothing since Jeff had threaten and fed me. Apparently, I wasn't interesting enough for anyone other than Clint and Jeff to come and check on, both saying a lot less than yesterday. Though, with all that time I was able to estimate that I was far away from most people, barely any foot traffic coming past my door. So, while being fed my one meal a day - though I'm not sure you can classify the grease trap grit I received as food - I had managed to spit some in my hand when the Medjacks weren't looking. After they'd left, I was able to use it to finally slip my hand free, though it was not without pain and the wonder of if it will lead to an infection later. Putting that out of my head I redressed myself, collected my weapons and waited by the door until I was pretty sure that no one was around. I opened the door only as far as I needed, quickly getting out and shutting it again before finding a dark hallway to hide in. The silence was deafening, but reassuring. I was alone.

It was only now that I discovered that I was in a building that was barely standing, lots of patch work and boarded up windows. Peeking through the boards I was momentarily blinded before seeing what was home base for the Gladers.

It was a large clearing of green land, men meandering around crop fields, sheds, pens with animals grazing, and buildings that were either new or very well taken care of. I couldn't believe my eyes at how they were living, I'd never even seen green grass before, not in real life. but then there was the 30 metre tall walls that reminding me of the wall around the last city and of what Sonya, Harriet, and Aris had said about where wicked had kept them. Must be Wicked's favourite architectural trait. And then I notice the gaps in the walls... my way out.

Even though I knew my odds would be better to wait for nightfall, there's no telling when someone would next come to check on me. Now might be my only chance. I found a boarded-up window on the side towards the back, peaking out of that one you could easily tell it was closer to the wall and not too visible to the main area, I could also see another hole in the wall, closer but easily exposed. I pulled the boards off, which was made easy by the fact that they were rotted out, thankfully since my busted hands ached after a few moments of pressure. I peaked out a little to see if I'd been noticed luckily finding no one around at all, the closest person being around 50 metres away.

The was no cover. there was no waiting around for a better opportunity. It was now or go and get comfortable in my seat. I climbed out the window, took a deep breath, steadied my nerves and ran.

"HEY!"

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<Previous

[Masterlist]

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#the maze runner #the maze runner x reader #Gladers #WCKD #AU #Writblr #Writing #X reader #Right arm #Wicked

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recaptchaai · 2 years

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The Second Sun

Prompt: write about how an issue we're grappling with today will have changed our daily lives 50+ years from now

Word Count: 1124 words

Content Warning: Some strong language

---

4:00.

Four A fucking M.

I wish I could smash that goddamn clock. All it tells is lies, lies, and more goddamn lies!

Even with the blackout curtains taped against the wall, a halo of light still escapes. Mostly out the top and bottom. Why did I have to get the bedroom with the fucking window?

I pinch the bridge of my nose as I rub my eyelids. Just accept it, I tell myself. You’re not gonna be able to get any sleep tonight. Hell, it’s never really night, is it?

I stand up from my desk, stretching. My phone’s notification area is blown up from my sleep app begging me to sleep and to lower the brightness of the room. Totally would if I could.

But I can’t.

So I go for a walk. Or try to, at least. I haven’t even stepped across the goddamn threshold of the front door before I’m bombarded with fucking holo-ads.

Try the new melatonin! 85% more likely to improve your night’s sleep!

Check out the latest and greatest phones! Think yours is fine and don’t need an upgrade? Too bad! It’s obsolete now!

Hover car AI is improving!

Tired of being called a loser? Get the new Mel 896, the #1 personal robot!

Coffee! Soda! Energy drinks! Caffeine! Caffeine! Caffeine!

Pushing past them into the fresh air, I set off to who knows where and try to take in the quieter scenery of the early morning while I’m at it. Maybe if I try really hard, I won’t notice the holo-ads. I scoff. Yeah, right.

I look up at the bright neon-colored sky. “Might be a cloudy day, huh?” I mutter to the ads. They all shutter and now they’re all weather reports, buy rain gear, and other unrelated things. I sigh as I look down at the concrete sidewalk.

I must’ve gone into a slight daze because by the time I look up, I’m at the local marine science center. Thankfully, as I open the tall wooden fence gate that leads to the back entrance, the holo-ads finally decide to leave me alone. The metal door makes a loud CLINK-CLANK that echoes through the empty building as I push it open. The blue light from the tanks is relaxing and several of the inhabitants come to the glass to greet me as I pass. Some of them do a little spin, which I mimic back with a carefree laugh while others just press against the glass. I eventually run into a very caffeinated, very sandy looking Dr. Honu, her graying hair more frazzled than normal.

“Ah, Lucky!” she says, a little startled. “Couldn’t sleep either, huh?”

“I lost track of time working on an assignment,” I weakly laugh, rubbing the back of my head. “What about you?”

“Oh, I went to go check on the turtle nests again. Was just popping back real quick to grab my sandwich.” She held up the small, hard tackle box that she used for both her lunch and the most obscure things that probably didn’t belong next to a sandwich. “Forgot to grab it earlier. Silly me! Now, come! I’m pretty sure the little guys are fightin’ their way out by now!”

She rushes away, her sand-crusted lab coat flowing behind her. “Wait, they’re hatching already?” I ask as I catch up to her. For a woman in her 60’s, she sure was fast. “I thought you said they wouldn’t hatch until next Tuesday.”

“Well!” Dr. Honu shouts a little too loud over the CLINK-CLANK of another metal door leading to the path to the beach, a slight craze in her eye. “They decided they wanted to brave the world a little early!”

Before we even set foot on the sand, we come across a lost hatchling. “Oh no, you silly goose,” Dr. Honu tells the baby turtle as she scoops them up. “The ocean is that way.”

We reach the nest, and after setting the little one back in the sand facing the ocean, Dr. Honu kneels down with a sigh, scanning for either more turtles or her things. I take out my phone and open the weather app.

Night Sky Brightness for Today: 9

As I look up with a sigh, the doctor is frantically trying to turn the poor turtles towards the sea and shoo the holo-ads away. “No, no, no! You don’t want to go that way! It’s all icky and not the ocean. Oh come on now! Just! Just work with me here! Go away, you, you stupid ad! I don’t need a new fridge! Go on! Shoo!”

After what feels like an eternity, the turtles stop coming. We both collapse onto the sand and Dr. Honu is finally able to take a bite of her sandwich. I look up at an increasingly naturally colored sky. “How did it get like this?” I quietly ask. It was rhetorical, but the doctor answered anyway.

“Because people don’t care. Yeah, it’s harder to sleep and all, but, like, you just buy blackout curtains.” She shoves away a brighter than normal holo-ad for said curtains and I ignore the one trying to blind me and sell duct tape. “Nobody cares about how they’re impacting the ecosystem. Nobody cares about seeing the stars. They’ll complain about rising energy prices, but they’ll never care enough to do anything about it.”

“Yeah,” I trailed off. We sat in silence for a moment before continuing. “My professor was talking to us the other day that a nine on the Bortle means basically nothing anymore. It’s been the most common class on the scale for several years now.”

“Yeah,” the Doc laughs. “It’s been a ‘nine’ here for two decades, at least.”

I look back. Holo-ads, big and small, float around the twisting neon vines of a fluorescent concrete jungle blanketed in a thick haze of smog and unnatural noise. It’s not even a big city, and we’re even on the outskirts, but it’s brighter than the sun rising in front of us. I grew up in a place very similar to here, with at least one sun constantly on the horizon and an eight was unheard of. It’s a miracle I even learned of astronomy, given that there is an entire generation who have only seen one star in their entire lifetimes.

I glance down at my phone. 6:28. We would’ve been watching the sunrise right now, but when the sky is perpetually light, it’s just another bright sun on the horizon. Nothing spectacular like the colors Dr. Honu has told me of. To think, at one point, nature was venerated for her beauty. I would hope to see the stars one day, but nobody cares. Nobody cares to do anything.

#writing #short story #light pollution #sci fi #turtles #astronomy #this was for my sci fi english class #I really like how it turned out #I got to take out my frustration on how light pollution is basically ignored #and I got to make ads even more intrusive >:3 #lucky is canonically non binary with she/they pronouns btw #also dr. honu's name means turtle #I might do more with this idk #gonna put them down as ocs just in case #lucky #dr. honu #my oc #my writing #October 2022

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msookyspooky · 2 years

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Diwali is known as the festival of lights, and lamps or as we like to call them 'Diya' in plural form 'Diye' tells that every home, even though don't have money for any electricity (yeah, we are a pretty poor country and this happens alot..) but there is light everywhere in Diwali, a week before people will start putting light strings all around there houses, everywhere there are lights it's a beautiful sight, there are carnivals. Schools do special and fun even where Everyone customizes there diya.plus we get to buy new clothes and wear things like

It's a beautiful thing.. How is Halloween traditionally made? Do you guys go trick or treating?

It really is beautiful with a beautiful meaning as well 🖤🖤🖤 And the outfits you get to wear are so pretty!!

Halloween has really gotten away from the traditional pagan way it was celebrated so now its mainly celebrated almost exactly how you see on Tv.

Originally, Hallows Eve / Samhain had carved turnips and gourds out with candles to scare away evil spirits, Irish decent would hold dumb suppers for your ancestors where you would lay out a plate of food as an offering for them and eat in silence to honor them, candles were lit especially at crossroads to help the dead in limbo find their way. Now we took some of those traditions and twisted them a bit with modernization. However, a lot of pagan witches still celebrate it the way it was intended from honoring your ancestors to always keeping a candle lit until midnight to even contacting the dead. Building fires as well for the same reason as the camdles.

We definitely go trick r treating. Usually children under 12 are the ones that go and it's 'frowned upon' if anyone 13 and up goes BUT it's become more lenient in recent years. I got glares being 5'8 tall and trick r treating at 13 but my 4'11 34 year old cousin with me got zero glares 12 years ago bc obviously they thought she was a kid and I was an adult 😐. I was shocked when I dressed up again at 22 right before covid hit and walked around handing out candy to kids and had other adults insisting on giving ME candy 😅 (I took it kept some but most got distributed to kids)

We carve pumpkins, we dress up, adults go to bars and adult parties dressed up (I don't bc I don't drink) kids and young teens go trick r treating, adults and older kids passout candy, we decorate houses with lights and anything from cute pumpkins to gross zombies and fake blood depending on what the person decorating likes, we can go pumpkin picking in a field or go through a corn maze or haunted house but it's definitely not a must.

Halloween is a super carefree holiday here in the US. Some people go all out with decorations and Halloween parties and others don't. It depends on where you live too!! I live in rural area so obviously not much Halloween here but thankfully I live 30 minutes from a campgrounds that has a HUGE Halloween bash! Like Hocus Pocus? That's what we have thank god! And we have a Pumkpin Festival in a nearby town that has pumpkin flavored everything and parades. But I've heard from many ppl that if you go to warmer weather states (I live in Appalachian area it's cold) while us colder states do? I think because we have such drastic change that puts us in the mood for it with changing leaves and cool air.

And if you want to just stay home, not decorate and eat candy while watching horror movies or cute Halloween shows; you can.

If you watch Hocus Pocus, that's how most cooler states are in general and Salem Massachusetts definitely goes all out. Honestly most Halloween movies are pretty accurate on how it's celebrated here.

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sonicjournal · 1 year

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Early May Moorland Field Trip [Dryburn Moor Night sounds]

Trip notes / Early May 2022 Dryburn Moor, Allendale, Northumberland

🔊 For the audio podcast of this blog Listen Here (Apple Podcasts), or below (on Spotify)

Day one / Mon 2nd It's early May 2022 and i'm heading due north from the midlands for a few days of recording in and around the North Pennine moors.

I arrive at my location at 2330 after leaving home at 1800ish with one stop at Tebay services for a coffee and some food. The last leg of the journey was from Penrith across and over the North Pennines towards Allendale, and unsurprisingly it was very dark, windy and ascending; although quite spectacular in its increasing remoteness. After setting up kit and prepping the back of van for sleep and food and living in it for a few days it was later than i'd hoped, meaning not a lot of sleep was to be had, but it's often difficult to sleep after focussing on driving for 5 hours, especially with the anticipation of a new location and soundscape to be recorded!

The plan recording wise was to capture wild soundscapes from a binaural dummy head perspective using a pair of DPA 6060 miniature mics. I also had an alternative backup Rycote blimp with a spaced pair of DPA 4060s and a black stealthy wind jammer, to use if the wind picks up... (Which is likely!)

Day Two / Tues 3rd Mornings of recording sessions are like a kind of military routine - I was up at 0300h/3am and on the Moor by half past. Of course, having thoroughly thought through the pattern of tasks required so that I would be fully prepared and ready to record with minimum fuss!

When I arrived just a few hours earlier under darkness with my only knowledge of the area coming from the study of aerial maps, at ground level it was very much new territory and being a bog moorland and very dark I would have to be careful with my footing. Following a solid track, I make my way down a hill from the small road, gradually banking back up until I see the vague silhouette of what I assumed was one of the two old (and tall) lime chimneys. On approach I realised I was correct, thankfully. Although not knowing exactly where to set up my microphones I see the top of the other chimney so carefully and quietly continue on.

The Quiet

Its incredibly quiet, but there is sound starting to build already: the odd gurgle of red grouse and distant descending calls of curlew, was that a Snipe... I know I can't hang about here deliberating, I need to set and go as soon as possible! This is difficult but with what little information on I have gathered on my surroundings in this dark place, I position the mic stand and go hunker down. My presence did not go unnoticed, with the start of curlew alarming... but this thankfully calmed back down quite quickly; back to the sparse quiet of the nighttime moor.

It's difficult to describe the level of quiet that these moorland areas possess. Hours can pass with no human derived sounds being heard, so no engines or signs of nearby life. There are people living around here, but there's a lot of wild space. This, in theory makes it ideal for wildlife soundscape recording. I say in theory because the moorland terrain is extremely exposed, there are no trees and so nothing to block the winds and often brutal weather systems bellowing over the Pennines. All I can do is hope the wind doesn't pick up too much during my short visit...

After sitting and listening for a few hours the dark of night surrenders to the early morning light allowing for an incredible clear sunrise. And while the recording conditions may not have been perfect, moments like this are special.

#northumberland #field recording #soundscape #Night #Sonic Journal #binaural #Spotify

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ieatsurveys · 1 year

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75.

Do you know what the most common bird is in your area? Blue jay.

What last made you feel ecstatic? Hm, it's been a bit.

What would make you feel happiest right now? Hm.

How many teeth have you had extracted? Just my wisdom teeth.

Do you ever read magazines? I do not.

What is something you've been reflecting on? My routine's and goals.

What's something you like and dislike about the town you live in? I like that it's around everything and dislike that it's not the SAFEST. Thankfully, I'm on somewhat safe side of my road.

What's a Halloween movie that you enjoy? Halloween.

Would you say you're more confident now than you were 5 years ago? No. I was extremely confident five years ago. I'm still confident now, but I was way more back then. Working on it :)

Have you ever or would you try carrot bacon? I don't know what that is and probably not.

What's the last thing you purchased that was frozen? Chicken.

Would you ever walk a runway if given the opportunity? No. I can't walk in heels :)

When did you last do something that scared you? Hmmmm, I don't remember.

What is something that you're curious about? I'm curious about a lot of things.

What time do you usually eat breakfast? 9:30/10 or I skip it.

What is something you done as a child that you would never do now? I'd rather not say.

What's been your favorite memory of 2022? 2022 sucked ass. Got in my car crash and totaled my car, lost my job due to calling in because of those injuries, got diagnosed with some illnesses. Ugh, just crazy. 2023 is looking better.

When were you last inside a tall building? It's been a minute.

Is it currently quiet in the room you're in? No, my fan is on.

Is there someone you can honestly say you hate or have hated? Yes.

What's currently on your mind? Hm. Again, I'd rather not say.

Would you consider yourself to be a messy person? No.

Would those closest to you say you talk too much or not much at all? They’d probably tell you I’m right in the middle. I get self-conscious once I feel like I’ve been blabbering and will usually stop from there.--> yup. I consider myself as a listener above all, but if someone asks me questions, I tend to talk a little bit more.

Do you have a song you cannot listen to anymore due to a bad memory? Yes.

Have you ever had a candlelit dinner? Yes.

What was the last shot you've taken? Covid booster.

Do you need to apologize for something or are you waiting on an apology? Yes, I do. What's something you strongly believe in? Black lives matter <3 <3

Do you have a dream that is close to being accomplished? Somewhat.

Would you say you're in a good place mentally? Very much so. When did you first start feeling more grown up? Years ago.

What kind of chapstick do you use? I don’t use chapstick.

How many pillows do you prefer to sleep with? Two. I hug one pillow and put my head on the other.

What is something you've kept bottled up for a long time that you now have released? Pent up anger towards my Mom.

Have you ever broken a cell phone charger? Look, cell phone chargers break on ME, not the other way around.

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biigtravel · 2 years

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CHAMPHONE LOOP - EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

Sometimes the best things are found where you least expect them. Savannakhet is the most populous province in Laos, yet also one of the least explored, as tourists seldom stray from the pleasant and scenic downtown area of the city. On a recent visit, I was advised to get out and see the real Savannakhet on the Champhone Circuit. To find out what I was missing, I acquired some transport and headed out of town.

THINGS TO DO AND SEE

Champhone District is quite flat and agrarian. It is marked by the Xe Champhone River which flows from mountains in the north down into the Xe Bang Hiang and onward into the Mekong.

Soui Lake

My first stop along this route was to admire the wide Soui Reservoir, jokingly called “the ocean of Savannakhet” which contains water for use in the area. It is a charming lake and popular spot on weekends for local people who flock to restaurants on the lakeside and enjoy fresh catches of fish and shellfish.

Monkey forest / Dong Ling

Driving on a few kilometers, the driver stops. “Monkeys!” he exclaims. We have arrived in Dong Ling – “Monkey Forest”. These rare animals live in a forest believed to be sacred by local people, so they are given free rein. Local shops must protect themselves with metal grating, or the cheeky monkeys will steal things and disappear into the forest. I bought a few bunches of bananas and tried to make friends. They were shy at first, but as more and more monkeys approached, I became uneasy and tossed the bunch at them, before jumping back into the van.

Ho Taypidok – The first library in Laos

Crossing the Xe Champhone River and on to the next village, we came across a real marvel of Lao architecture, Wat Ban Lam Chan. This ancient temple in Lam Chan Village is quite famous for its incredibly tall stilted Ho Tay Pidok library. Traditionally temple manuscripts were etched into palm leaves and bound together into books. As insects love to eat these leaves, libraries were often built on stilts in ponds, so they would be protected from pests. Sadly, many of these grand wooden structures have been lost and this is one of the few remaining. The manuscripts stored here are of such good quality that they are still regularly studied by academics.

Turtle Lake

Our next stop was another fascinating natural attraction in Don Daeng Village, a lake with sacred softshell turtles! The villagers nearby believe that anyone who disturbs these animals will mysteriously fall sick or die. Visitors often bring traditional Lao snacks to feed the turtles and avoid any bad luck. Local children nearby have a special way of calling the turtles to the surface to get a snack and are happy to help bring them up. A few children followed me and one of them called out in Lao. A turtle appeared, grabbed the food I offered, and then disappeared back into the murky depths. There is also a small Buddhist shrine built in the middle of the lake, but due to local beliefs, only men are allowed inside.

Taleo Old Temple

Just a few kilometers north is a striking piece of Lao-Indochinese architecture stained by modern history and one of my favorite stops on this route. In Taleo Village stand the remnants of an old, abandoned temple, Wat Taleo Kao. Built about a century ago, the temple was the target of American bombs in 1969 and many of the structures in the temple grounds did not survive. Thankfully, one building remains and houses a trove of folk-art paintings on its walls, telling local legends and stories of the Buddha’s life. Temples are not made like this anymore, as Lao people prefer more modern styles of art on their walls, so seeing this one in its original state was quite a treat, if it were not for the sad reason it was abandoned.

Wat Phoukor

This singular forest temple has been designed without wall so people can stay in touch with nature while praying Buddha. While walking in the beautiful surrounding forest, you can observe many statues depicting Buddhist hell and famous Lao tales

That Kou

That Kou is the ruin of one of the many pre-Angkorian constructions from the ancient Khmer Empire in Laos. This sanctuary was built at early second millennium with impressive lava stones and used to be a Hindu shrine.

The Champhone Circuit really opened up this section of Laos and showed me a great diversity of fascinating historical and natural places. Visitors to the area should look beyond the city center – get out and see the real charms of Savannakhet!

GETTING THERE

Champhone District is located about 45 kilometers southeast of Savannakhet’s downtown area and road conditions can be quite rugged and dusty, so transport with high clearance is recommended.

Lao Airlines has regular flights to Savannakhet from Pakse, Bangkok, and Vientiane.

BEST TIME TO VISIT

So, what is the best time to visit Champhone Loop?

In general, you can visit Champhone Loop throughout the year though it will be a little muddy during rainy season from May until late August.

The best time to visit the area is during dry season from mid-October until late April. If possible, you can manage to visit Champhone Loop around January when you can join the Taleo Temple Festival. Check with us for the detailed date if you are interested.

TOUR PACKAGES

We are so excited to invite our travelers all around the world to come and visit the Champhone Loop so that we have already created 3 packages that include the loop so that you know how we can combine the area with the other parts of Laos.

Below is the brief itinerary of the 3 packages, please contact us for further details on itinerary and price.

PACKAGE 1: CENTRAL LAOS ADVENTURE (12D11N)

Code: LAET-CL12

1 ARRIVAL IN VIENTIANE

2 VIENTIANE EXPLORATION – BUDDHA PARK

3 PHOU KHAO KHUAY ORCHID TREK – PAKSAN

4 PAKSAN – KONGLOR CAVE – BAN NATANE (HOMESTAY)

5 BAN NATANE – PHAGNA MEANGWAN CAVE – TAD SAO E WATERFALL

6 BAN NATANE – KONGLOR CAVE – NAM SANAM WATERFALL – SAINAMHAI LODGE

7 NAMSANAM – BIRD WATCHING – BAN THALANG

8 BAN THALANG – THAKHEK

9 THAKHEK – SAVANNAKHET

10 SAVANNAKHET – CHAMPHONE LOOP – HOMESTAY

11 CHAMPHONE LOOP – BACK TO SAVANNAKHET

12 SAVANNAKHET – DEPARTURE

****

PACKAGES 2: UNCOVER THE HIDDEN CHARMS OF LAOS (16D15N)

Code: LAEU-HC16

1 ARRIVAL IN LUANG PRABANG

2 ANCIENT CITY & HIDDEN CORNER OF LUANG PRABANG

3 MORNING ALMS GIVING – BUFFALO DAIRY FARM – KUANG SI WATERFALL

4 MEKONG RIVER BOAT TRIP – PAK OU CAVES – TAEC

5 TRANSFER TO XIENG KHUANG

6 PLAIN OF JARS & MUANG KHOUNE

7 TRANSFER TO VANG VIENG

8 VANG VIENG EXPLORATION – VIENTIANE

9 VIENTIANE EXPLORATION – BUDDHA PARK

10 FLIGHT TO SAVANNAKHET – CHAMPHONE LOOP

11 CHAMPHONE LOOP – BACK TO SAVANNAKHET

12 SAVANNAKHET – BOLAVEN PLATEAU – FANDEE ISLAND

13 BOLAVEN PLATEAU – CHAMPASAK

14 WAT PHOU – KHONG ISLAND – KHONE ISLAND

15 4000 ISLANDS – KHONE PHAPHAENG WATERFALL – PAKSE

16 PAKSE – UBON RATCHATHANI – DEPARTURE

****

PACKAGE 3: ON THE ROAD ADVENTURE (26D25N)

Code: LAEU-RA26

1 ARRIVAL IN LUANG PRABANG

2 ANCIENT CITIES – MEKONG RIVER – PAK OU CAVES

3 BAN LONG LAO – KUANG SI WATERFALL

4 MORNING ALMS GIVING – NAHM DONG PARK

5 LUANG PRABANG – XIENG KHUANG

6 PLAIN OF JARS & MUANG KHOUNE

7 XIENG KHUANG – VANG VIENG

8 VANG VIENG EXPLORATION – BAN THAHEUA

9 CYCLING BAN THAHEUA – VIENTIANE

10 VIENTIANE EXPLORATION – BUDDHA PARK

11 VIENTIANE – ORCHID TREK – PAKSAN

12 PAKSAN – KONG LOR CAVE

13 KONGLOR CAVE – NAMSANAM WATERFALL

14 NAMSANAM – BIRD WATCHING – BAN THALANG

15 BAN THALANG – THAKHEK

16 THAKHEK – SAVANNAKHET – VIVANOUK HOMESTAY

17 CHAMPHONE DISTRICT EXPERIENCE

18 SAVANNAKHET – BOLAVEN PLATEAU – FANDEE ISLAND

19 JEEP TOUR EXPLORATION HIDDEN COFFEE TRAIL

20 TRANSFER TO PAKSONG

21 PAKSONG – WAT PHOU – CHAMPASAK – DONE DAENG

22 DONE DAENG – PHOU ASA TREKKING – DONE KHONG

23 DONE KHONG – 4000 ISLANDS – DONG KHONE

24 DONE KHONE – KHONE PHAPHAENG WATERFALLS – PAKSE – NKM HOMESTAY

25 HIDDEN PAKSE EXPERIENCE

26 PAKSE – UBON RATCHATHANI – DEPARTURE

#xe champhone loop

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silasbug · 2 years

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dream log Nr. 004

25/07/2022

Type: fuzzy and dreamlike | Flow: long & continuous | Amount: 1

this one was actually very dream-like for once! in the way it looked and felt, it was almost like being coated by a thick warm fog. lots of pastel colours, soft textures, very pretty light effects. towards the latter part, it became more like an autumn aesthetic- warm and cozy, even if the emotions during it weren’t great per se. while everything felt unreal, any sensation that i felt on my body during it felt extremely real (like my sensitive feet getting scuffed by the rough asphalt when i started walking barefoot).

it all felt like one long, continuous dream, despite 3 distincly different settings.

the dream started as what felt like a top-down view game in a style similar to Animal Crossing: New Horizons. i remember it looking like an island, chest strewn about that i could go and open. there were themes of personal poverty, salvageing garbage, but i don’t remember much of this part unfortunately. i do remember yellow cherries.

it eventually transitioned into being a lot more realistic when i suddenly found myself in what was supposed to be my mother’s house in this dream. i never saw the actual building, just the gardens outside. the yellow cherries came from these gardens. i was visiting her for reasons i don’t remember. the gardens were set up in a strange way where you had a white cobbled path, then to the left there would be a small set of stairs that led into a rectangular area of the same cobbled stone. there were very tall white fences, and beyond that nothing. it was as if you were high up somewhere, all you could see beyond the fences were clouds ( the areas can be described as: Alinor Crest Townhouse Courtyard. it looked literally the same.)

there were multiple of these little areas with different vegetation in each of them. there were fruit trees, berry bushes, vegetable crops, it was beautiful and vibrant. the fruits were so ripe they looked to be bursting with juice. in one of these areas, i picked a peach off of a vine (pretty sure peaches dont grow on vines..) and it basically already exploded under my touch, splitting open with peach-juice flowing over my hand. i thought it might already be over-ripe and therefore bad, but when i took a bite it was the best tasting peach i’d ever had.

while we were walking through these gardens, she was telling me that she hadn’t been feeling well and i got strong vibes from her that she was suicidal. she was talking about an online love-scam that she had been targeted by recently (but thankfully she did not become an actual victim of it.. at least not financially, it still clearly hurts her. this actually happened IRL.) and how she was tired of being let down by men, how it hurt, and how she was tired of it. i kept trying to reassure her, trying to bring her mind to other things. i remember feeling a little annoyed because she was letting some scumbag get her down like this & he wasn’t worth her feeling this bad about him. but feelings are never easy.

in once of these gardens, i spied a few branches that had clearly been cut, with no corresponding tree. i asked my mom where she’d found the Gingko branches and she got super excited, “these are Gingko?!” but i quickly corrected myself because they were actually Tulip Tree branches. i wasn’t even sure why i’d mixed them up because they look NOTHING alike. she was a little bit disappointed but i reassured her that if she wanted to find some Gingko branches that i knew where she could easily find one (i’d seen one on my way to her house). this seemed to at least cheer her up and when she felt stable enough for me to leave (because i had somewhere else to be apparently), i left.

when i left i found myself in a city (BS) i used to live in during my last few lears of school. at an entrance to an abandoned store, i decided to take off my shoes and socks to leave them there and get them again when i would be going home (for whatever reason??). i continued walking barefoot.

i went to a tiny cafe i used to work at for a year (run by a couple from new zealand) and decided to have some food there. i remember feeling rather down because i’d never felt really accepted there and it was just a little awkward because they also didn’t remember me. the store was absolutely packed. i ordered some vegan grilled chicken with vegetables. when my food came, the table in front of me was the size of a stool so the plate fell down to the side. when nobody was looking, i just picked it back up with my hands and continued eating. once i was done, i went to pay. suddenly they seemed to remember me, and it was akward.

i went to retrieve my shoes, but they were gone. there was now a mismatched pair of boots that i assumed someone had taken off to take mine instead. i was a bit miffed because they had been Doc. Martens, but at the same time i realized i could only blame myself for leaving my shoes at some corner on a public street, and i guess the person who took them must’ve needed them more if they had been wearing two different sized boots before.

i continued to walk barefoot to the bus- and tram-station. it was getting late. i wasn’t entirely sure which bus would take me to where i needed to go. i hopped into Line 13 (the city doesn’t have a line 13), asked if they would stop where i needed and once i got affirmed, i sat. i felt the gentle sway of the bus as it started driving away.

then i woke up.

#dream log #i was tossing and turning so much for some reason #i flipped my pillow like 20 times lmao #im surprised i dreamt at all because it felt like i didnt even sleep

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jolienjoyswriting · 2 years

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A Cat is Fine (ft. “Pink Cotton”), Ch. I

Chapter 1 of "A Cat is Fine," an Uno Usaya fan fiction story. Co-written by AI Dungeon (Gryphon AI)

Snowy weather and a blind date. What could possibly go wrong?

Word count: 3,181 – Character count: 18,459 Drafted: November 24th, 2020 Revised: March 28th, 2021 –

As often happens, someone designed a character I fell in love with at first sight. This time, it was one Uno Usaya, drawer of delightful furry art featuring cute (and sexy) girls of all kinds! This time, it was a grumpy, pink cat girl wearing winter clothes, as well as casual clothes. Eight days later, I headed into the AI Dungeon and me and Griff wrote up a fun little story.

It's worth noting that Usaya never officially named this character – or really, any of the ones they cook up. Consider "Pink Cotton" an online handle, or maybe just my "fan-canon" name for the girl~ I'm also not sure Uno even knows I wrote this story. I'll have to bring it to their attention after it's posted. (They're natively Japanese, but I think Google Translate can help if they have problems…?)

Small note: Uno Usaya is much more active on Twitter than Tumblr. Check 'em out!

"Pink Cotton" and related characters and concepts created by and © Uno Usaya

[ ← Prev. Chapter | Next Chapter → ]

It was a cold, winter's day that ominously loomed over the city. In a quiet suburban area of a major city, the people therein were out-and-about, doing their daily rituals. Some were braving the weather because their work required it. Some were facing the elements because they had errands to run. Others, still, were outside because they enjoyed the brisk weather. No matter who they were, though, every single person was dressed in at least two layers of clothing over some area of their body. One such man was standing outside of a café was a man wearing a cozy, black jacket with a hood and a pair of green slacks. He was out there waiting for something to happen. What, specifically? Well… he was waiting for his blind date to arrive.

This was not the best venue for a blind date, he thought, standing there with his hands in his pockets. His body shivered from a mix of cold and nerves. I shouldn't have come early… He looked up at the dark and gloomy sky and frowned from beneath his scarf. It's too cold to be waiting around for someone… The man began to walk away… only to stop as he bumped into a taller figure. "Hey, what're you doin'?!" the figure angrily snapped in a cold, feminine growl. The man blinked and stared, his ears falling back under his hood. Glaring back at him was a pair of cool, teal eyes surrounded by pink fur. He could easily see that the tall figure is annoyed with him. "H… h-hey, I'm sorry," he stammered in a fluster. The figure narrowed her eyes… then she quietly rolled them and shrugged.

Things became awkward as the man and the woman stood there in silence. She didn't seem terribly interested in him, but he was interested in her, a little. It wasn't every day that he bumped into a pink lady wearing a knit, blue stocking cap and cream-colored, woolen dress-coat. He kind of liked her blue scarf, too.

"Are you 'Joseph?'"

The girl suddenly spoke up, getting his attention. She still wasn't looking right at him, though. Despite that, the man nodded. He was, indeed, Joseph. "You don't look like much," she continued with a snort. When she went quiet, again, Joseph spoke up. "Are you… 'Pink Cotton,' by chance?" He noticed the girl visibly twitch. "Just Cotton'll do," she corrected in a low voice. "So, wait." Joseph tilted his head. "You're my blind date?" "Can we go inside?" Cotton suddenly cut in. "It's friggin' cold out here…" "Oh, uh… y-yeah, of course!" With that, the two went inside the café.

The inside of the establishment was much more lively – and thankfully, much warmer – than the outside. Many people were already seated at tables all over the small building, chatting away and sipping their drinks. Some even had electronic devices – laptops, tablets, and the like – and their fingers were furiously typing away. When Joseph and Cotton sat across from each other at a table, he noticed her take a phone out of her knit jacket and begin typing on it, herself. He got the impression she wasn't terribly interested in him…

"So, how about it?" The man perked. He was in the middle of unzipping his jacket when Cotton got his attention, again. "Er… 'how about' what?" he repeated with interest. "This place is boring," she told him without looking up. "I wanna go to your place." The fox blushed. That came outta nowhere! "I… uh… why?" he nervously stammered. "Why not?" she answered, still engrossed in her phone's screen. "Well, this is supposed to be a 'date,' isn't it?" he tried to say as a counterpoint. "I thought–" "Just 'cause the guys at the site told us to meet here," she immediately countered, "doesn't mean we have to stay put. 'sides, I don't like crowds." She looked up, her teal eyes focused right on his gold ones. "I like private get-togethers, more." Joseph blushed a little harder… but he nodded and zipped his jacket back up. Just as he got ready to stand, however… "Hi, there!" A friendly waiter came over with a notepad in hand and a smile on their face.

"Welcome to The Jolly Java! My name is Beatrix!" the servicewoman said, her face brightening. "What can I get you, today?" "A cinnamon coffee – iced," Cotton told the lady as she went back to her phone. "And a pack of biscottis." Joseph frowned. His date wasn't being rude, exactly… but she could at least try and be more friendly, he thought. "And, for you, sir?" The fox hummed. "A mint iced coffee with whipped cream, please." "Splendid!" she replied as she put her pad away. "That's one of my favorites!" Beatrix left the area, saying she'd be back in a couple of minutes. That left Joseph to spend more time with his… inattentive date.

"So…" the fox began, desperate to start a conversation, "do you like whipped cream?" Cotton finally looked his way, impatiently tilting her head. "I like it on pie." She said that so quickly and so matter-of-factly that he had trouble believing her. "You… like pie?" he asked, awkwardly following up on her response. She nodded as she went back to her phone. "What kind of pie do you like?" he continued, finding himself genuinely curious. "Black Forest," she answered, quick-as-a-whip. "They make Black Forest pie?" he asked, surprised. The girl paused. "Uh… I mean… never mind! Whatever!" It was his turn to roll his eyes, then. "You're not even paying attention to this conversation, are you?" he asked. Cotton simply shrugged. If she was flustered, she wasn't showing it. This is getting me nowhere… he thought with a frown. Maybe she'll open up once we're out of here… I still can't believe she wants to go to my place, of all places…

About a minute more passed. Beatrix came by with their drinks, and Joseph paid for them and a pack of biscottis. Right after, the two headed back outside… and found themselves in the middle of some rather ugly weather. "Crap," Joseph sighed, "it wasn't snowing this badly when we went in…" He looked to his date for a response. She simply shrugged, and they started to walk faster. However, this only seemed to make snowfall faster as, before long, they found themselves having difficulty navigating. "Do you know where we are?" Joseph asked Cotton. "You have a Smartphone, right?" "Yeah," she mumbled, not looking up from her phone for a response. "Can you… uh, turn on the GPS?" Cotton rolled her eyes, again, then brought the phone to her face. "GPS," she called in an annoyed tone, "where are we?" She waited for a response. When she got one, her ears flicked from under her cap. "We're, uh, outside of an Italian restaurant on Providence Road," she said, reading the phone's screen. "Is that anywhere near your place?" "Actually… my apartment is on this road!" The fox laughed. "Which direction are we facing?" She held up two fingers in the direction of the street, then did the same for the restaurants. "North." "Alright," he said with a nod. "It's to the North. C'mon." Joseph started to walk quickly in that direction. "You ever been to that place?" He looked back toward Cotton for a second. She'd spoken with genuine curiosity. "The restaurant? Strangely… no," he admitted. "Hey, maybe you and I should–" "I'm not hungry," the girl cut in, sounding annoyed. "Let's just find your place, okay?" The fox frowned, but he nodded. With that, the two continued onward.

The pair moved at a quick pace, only slowing when the wind whipped at them. It took them about thirty minutes to get to Joseph's apartment building due to all of the snow piling up everywhere. To make things worse, the fox fumbled his keys and dropped them in a snowbank shortly after they arrived. It took him a good minute of searching before he recovered them, then a few more seconds before he could open the protective gate of his building. Once all of that was settled, though, they were able to make it inside the entryway of his apartment building and shake off the snow.

"Geez, it got ugly out there!" Joseph said as he led Cotton to his building's elevator. "The weather didn't say anything about that!" "Let's just get inside your place," she flatly replied. He nodded. Shortly after, the elevator arrived, and they stepped inside. It wasn't much longer before they arrived at Joseph's apartment door.

"I, uh, I hope you're not expecting a palace," he joked as he unlocked the door. "My studio apartment is pretty–" "It's fine!" she interrupted, pushing him aside and walking inside. He became a little flustered at her pushiness, but he kept quiet. Once inside, Cotton looked around for a moment as if committing the place to memory, then smiled. "Well… this is cozy," she said. "Where's your bed?" The fox became flustered. Why did she want to know that? Regardless, he walked over to a small fold-out couch that he used as a spare bed and pulled back the covers. "I have a bed in my bedroom, too," he casually told her, "but if you just wanna take a nap or something…" When he looked back over… he felt his face warm. Cotton hadn't waited long to strip off her cold, wet Winter gear. She was hiding a pretty cute body beneath all that!

Underneath the woolen garments, Cotton wore a comfy, long-sleeved, blue-green sweater and pale-yellow short-shorts. He also got a better look at her legs, which were long and lovely, and covered with black stockings. And, of course, without her hat and scarf covering her head and face, he could finally see the cute tufts of fur on her cheeks and how expressive her kitty-cat ears were. He also noticed… just how legitimately unimpressed she looked. He got a sinking feeling from that…

"W-well," he stammered as she slid out of her powder-blue high-top sneakers, "you're, uh, you're welcome to make yourself at home? I know it's not much, but…" "It's fine," she said, waving him off. He continued to watch with a blush as she started roaming the apartment. She didn't seem to have a plan or anything – she was just wandering around… looking at all his stuff. While she did that, he decided to slide out of his own winter gear. He wasn't wearing much under his coat, though. Just a plain, black T-shirt that matched his green jeans.

As he sat on the pull-out bed to remove his shoes, he noticed her randomly wander over and sit next to him. His face warmed when he noticed how close she was to him… Her shoulder light brushed against his and she had a look of curiosity about her. He wasn't exactly sure what she wanted or how to react… "V… video games?" he suddenly offered. "O-or, we could… do… something…" He trailed off as she rolled her eyes. Then… "Wha'…?!" Joseph's face brightened as, out-of-nowhere, she leaned in and brushed her cheek against his with a purr. "Where's your game console?" she asked as she pulled back. He was a little too staggered by her random cheek-rub to answer, right away. She'd done it so suddenly… Plus, she didn't even seem to realize she had done it! M-maybe she just comes from a family with z-zero spacial awareness… That thought calmed him down, a little… "It's, uh, it's over there," he told her as he pointed toward the television against the wall. When she offered an impatient look, Joseph quietly stared back. It took him a minute, but he eventually realized she was waiting on him to set the game up for her. When that thought occurred, he quickly stood up and headed over to his TV.

"Do you have a favorite kind of game, Cotton?" he asked as he booted up his system. When he looked back over, he noticed that she was sitting on his fold-out bed, legs crossed at the knee and eyes glued to her phone. She looked frustrated about something… "Your place has crap reception," she sighed as she poked at her Smartphone. "What's your Wi-Fi password?" He frowned, but he told her. She nodded and punched it in, then… "Your connection is pretty slow." She poked at her phone, again, doing something. "What are you–" The fox's ears perked as her phone started playing some music he recognized. "Uh… Cotton?" She was right back to browsing sites on her phone after turning on the music, completely oblivious to him. And that… was starting to get on his nerves.

"Your favorite type of game," he asked again, sounding irritated. "Do you have one?" She looked up at him. It was pretty clear she was annoyed. He just didn't know why. "What's your favorite game?" she snapped, trying to sound as nice as she could through her irritation. He thought about saying he asked her, first… but after another second, he just turned on a puzzle game, grabbed two wireless controllers, and walked back over to the couch-bed. "You any good at puzzle games?" he asked, handing her one controller. "I don't know," she calmly said with a shrug. "Probably not as good as you." He sat, holding the other controller in both hands and turning to the television screen. Without a word more, he went ahead and started a two-player game for them.

For the first few minutes, all they did was focus on the game, not a word shared between them. Cotton didn't really like the game, and the tiny controller was somewhat awkward for her to use, but she got the hang of it pretty quickly. Meanwhile, Joseph was doing far worse than she was, to the point in which he was getting frustrated… but he kept it to himself. About ten minutes later… she beat his high score for the game.

"This game is boring," Cotton said as she set the controller in her lap. "What else ya got?" Joseph's ears fell and he grimaced. However, instead of speaking his mind… he just changed the game over to something else. "You any good at fighting games?" he asked as he set the new game up. "Yeah, I'm pretty good," she said as she picked the controller back up. "Well, I'm setting this one on hard," he said. "I'm pretty good at this game." She just looked at him, her ears flicking and eyes intense. She didn't have anything to say to that. Shortly after, the two started playing the new game.

During the thirty minutes or so that followed, Joseph went through his entire game catalog, trying to keep his date entertained… but miserably failing. It seemed like Cotton's limit was either one "match" or about five minutes of gameplay. The fox didn't want to say anything, but he was definitely thinking how typical it was for a cat to get so bored so easily. What a bigoted way of thinking… he internally scolded as Cotton stretched out on his fold-out bed and yawned. Still… stereotypes have to come from somewhere…

"So…" he finally said, "you, uh, wanna do something else, now?" "I'm good," she said with another little yawn. He tilted his head as she curled up on his bed and rested her eyes. He hadn't seen her look so relaxed since the date started. It was kind of cute… "Well… I'm gonna turn off the game console, then," he said. "Okay." He got up and turned it off, then walked back over, sitting close to where she was laying. After another, much bigger yawn, she opened her eyes and stared up at him. "Having fun?" she sleepily asked as she noticed him watching her. "More-or-less," the fox half-lied as he walked back over. "I feel like we're getting… more… comf…" He slowed to a stop, blushing, as Cotton reached her arm out to touch his cheek. "We both know what you want, Joe," she said, trying to guess what was on his mind. "Kiss me, already." The girl finally grinned at him… only to tilt her head. Joseph had looked down to his feet and fidgeted. "I can't," he said. "Why not?" she asked. He inhaled, then exhaled, before deciding to tell her the truth.

"Cotton," he began as he looked right at her, "you're a very attractive girl. I love your pink fur and I kinda wanna nibble on all that soft 'cotton candy' hair of yours." "It's not cotton candy," she countered, seeming to take him seriously. "But," he continued, "honestly? I feel like… like you're not interested in this date… or in me." He paused, rubbing his hands. "I really do feel like nothing I've tried, today, has been good enough for you… It's almost like you just aren't interested in anything I have to offer. I mean, I can understand getting bored easily, but… but if I bore you that much…" He tilted his head to look her way. "Why… why have you kept hanging around?" Cotton let out a long sigh, causing her bangs to flop into her eyes. She closed them, shaking her head, then looked back up at the sad-sack-of-a-fox. "Thought we could have fun together," she simply explained. "Guess not." When she extended her hand his way, Joseph took it as a hint and helped her to her feet. "So, the date's over?" he asked with a faint whimper. "Yep," she said. The fox looked down to his feet, again. "Cotton?" he asked before looking back up. "Did you… really want me to kiss you? Or, were you just playing around?" She tilted her head. "Dunno. Thought you would, at some point," she admitted. He hesitated… then he leaned in and gave her nose a little lick. She didn't budge or do much of anything, in response. "And that was…?" she impatiently asked. "For a while," he said with an unsure smile. "Good night?" Cotton stared at him for the longest while, finally wearing an emotion other than boredom on her face. As she stood there and watched him avoid her gaze, she found herself becoming kind of… intrigued.

"Ah!" Joseph blushed and stared in surprise. Without warning, Cotton yanked his arms around her slender form. His blush brightened as she purred and drew closer, roughly brushing her body against his. Was she smiling…? "C… Cotton?" the confused and flustered fox asked. She didn't answer. Instead, with her date still caught off guard, she placed her head just below his ear and licked a trail to his neck. He wasn't expecting that… "C… Cotton…" he whispered, letting a faint groan escape his lips. "That feels…" He closed his eyes and shakily breathed, his body shivering. The cat's rough tongue was drawing a path through his plush fox fur and brushing against the skin underneath. Honestly, it felt pretty amazing. It was like nothing he'd felt, before. He just wondered why she was doing it.

#fan fiction #A Cat is Fine #original characters #UnoUsaya #Pink Cotton #josephinelithius #Joseph Lithius #slice of life

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hamsterclaw · 2 years

Text

Run

Namjoon's not sure why he noticed you, but now that he has, he wants to know more about you.

Pairing: Namjoon x F! reader

Rating: 18+

Genre: Non-idol police AU, angst, smut

Word count: 6.6k

Warnings: Sexually explicit scenes, explicit language, stalking

Tagging: @sahmfanficbts

Dear reader, this is part of the Rage series (Rage, Duplicity, Soft and The Strip) because I knew there was a Namjoon in that AU somewhere, even if I couldn't see him yet when I wrote the initial trilogy. This story is from the reader POV, unlike the rest of Rage, only because I didn't think I could do the story justice otherwise.

You swipe your brand-new ID badge in the reader. To your relief, the light flashes green and you hear the click of the door unlocking. You swing it open and head up the stairs to the fifth floor.

It’s your first shift in your new cleaning job. You’d applied for various jobs once you’d moved into the area, and thankfully you’d been offered this one. The pay’s adequate, and although you’re working at night, you’d liked the location. It’s close to your rented studio and more importantly, working in the state police headquarters makes you feel safe.

You load up your cart and get to work. It’s a huge, sprawling building, and you’re responsible for two floors of it. There are six bathrooms on this floor alone, and what seems like a gazillion individual waste bins.

The floor is mostly dark but the light in the corner office is still on. Probably someone working late. You’ll leave that office for the end, you don’t want to disturb them.

You’ve finished the bathrooms, restocked the toilet rolls and soap dispensers, wiped down umpteen sinks and cleaned the communal areas. You’ve emptied every bin on this floor apart from the one in the corner office.

You knock on the door and push it open hesitantly when you hear the uttered ‘come in.’

You glance at the man sitting behind the desk. He’s younger than you expected. You get the impression of warmth, probably a combination of the yellow glow of his desk lamp and his tawny skin.

‘May I empty your bin?’ you ask.

‘Thank you,’ he says, nodding to the bin in the corner of the room.

You do your work and retreat. You’re waiting for the lift down when a sudden movement to your left startles you.

‘Sorry.’

It’s the man from the office, now in a coat, carrying his bag. Christ. He’s quiet, you hadn’t even heard him approach.

He’s also bigger than you expected, tall, broad-shouldered.

You can sense him looking you over, probably curious at your disproportionately jittery reaction to him.

The lift arrives, and you push your cart in. You look down at your cart and clipboard like they're the most interesting things you’ve ever seen. You push the button for your floor so you don’t have to talk to or look at him.

You’re grateful when he stands at the opposite corner of the lift, giving you plenty of space. You’re even more grateful when it’s your floor. You can’t get out of the lift fast enough.

***

The man in the corner office stays late on Wednesdays, sometimes Thursdays. Sometimes he has dinner at his desk. He likes sushi, which is fine, and ramen, which can occasionally get a little messy.

Like tonight.

You’d tapped on the door to empty the bin and he’d gestured to it like you wouldn’t know where it was. Unfortunately, his arm had knocked his bowl clean off his desk. In his haste to save it he’d also knocked over his desk lamp and the tiny cactus that usually lives next to it.

He’d cursed, pulled his keyboard out of the way and you hadn’t been able to stop the smile from spreading across your face at his chagrined expression.

Luckily he’d seen the funny side too.

Now you’re scrubbing broth out of the threadbare carpet and hoping it doesn’t fall apart as you scrub. He’s hovering over you, and you wish he wouldn’t do that.

You hate being watched.

Finally you say, ‘If you need to go, you can. I’ll take care of it.’

You don’t look at him as you say it.

‘I’m sorry about the mess,’ he says. He sounds genuinely upset about it, and you find yourself glancing up at him.

‘Hazards of eating ramen.’

Your stomach rumbles. You’d had a peanut butter sandwich for dinner before you came to work, but the smell of the spicy broth is making you hungry again.

You hope he hasn’t heard it.

‘I’ll come back once I’ve done my other floor and make sure it’s all clean for the morning,’ you say.

By the time you get back to check on his office, he’s thankfully gone. The cactus is back in position, his desk lamp is now upright, and actually, there’s no sign anything ever happened.

You leave his window slightly ajar. The brass name plate on his desk catches your attention as you leave, as always.

Kim Namjoon.

You like his name. It’s solid, respectable.

You shake yourself. You’re in danger of over-thinking things because he’s the only person you’ve seen regularly since you moved to this city. You’re starved for human connection. You remind yourself it’s for the best, for now.

***

You make yourself a cup of tea in the staff kitchen as you wait for the dishwasher to finish its cycle. You aren’t expecting anyone else to still be in, so when Kim Namjoon enters the staff kitchen you spin around and hot tea splashes over your hand.

‘Shit,’ you say. ‘Sorry.’ You set your tea down and run your hand under the cold tap.

‘I’m sorry. I keep startling you,’ he says. He smiles at you, and for the first time you notice the dimples in his cheeks. They make him seem less intimidating.

‘Is your hand ok?’

Your hand is scalded but you think it’s probably ok. You figure he probably wants to use the sink.

‘It’s fine,’ you say.

‘No, wait,’ he says. ‘Keep it under the water for longer. They say twenty minutes if you can stand it.’

You don’t have twenty minutes to spare. You like to leave work while it’s still dark, it feels safer.

‘It’s fine,’ you repeat. You wash out your mug and open the dishwasher to unload it.

‘Hey, I have spare food, I ordered too much,’ he tells you, holding out a bento tray.

You stare at the beautifully prepared sushi rolls. You haven’t had sushi in so long, and you miss it. ‘Oh, I’m ok thank you,’ you say, reflexively.

‘Are you sure? It’ll go to waste otherwise. I’m so full,’ he tells you. He rubs a hand over his flat belly so exaggeratedly you smile.

What’s the harm?

You take the tray he’s holding out. ‘Thank you,’ you say. You don’t want to encourage him too much but you appreciate his thoughtfulness.

This definitely beats the apple you have in your bag. You can probably get two meals out of it, if you bring it home.

He nods at you, and you put it in the fridge carefully for later.

***

You hurry down the street to work in the rain, holding your umbrella at an angle so it doesn’t turn inside out.

You swipe your card and unexpectedly, the door swings open as you’re reaching for it.

You step back quickly, and a hand reaches out for your arm to steady you.

‘Sorry,’ comes a now familiar voice.

You peer up at Kim Namjoon.

‘It’s ok,’ you say breathlessly.

He holds the door open for you, and you step in out of the rain.

He looks like he’s leaving for the day, in his coat with his bag over his arm.

‘It’s very rainy,’ you tell him, as though he wouldn’t have noticed when he let you in. ‘Do you want to borrow my umbrella?’

‘Don’t you need it?’ he asks.

‘I’m in now,’ you point out. ‘You can leave it in your office for me tomorrow.’

‘I’ll be ok, but thank you,’ he says. ‘I’m parked very close.’

You’re walking towards the stairwell when he calls out. ‘What’s your name?’

‘Y/N,’ you reply.

‘Y/N,’ he says. ‘I’m Namjoon.’

***

You’re settling into a routine in this new city. You’ve got a place to get your groceries, there’s a park near your tiny studio where you go for runs sometimes, and you’ve honed your journey into work into an artform.

You’re lonely, though. You miss your sister, your niece, your parents. You miss your best friends. You don’t know how long this is going to go on for. The running, moving from city to city, not knowing when he’ll track you down again.

You’re being hunted, and it’s ruining your life. The only thing that keeps you going is knowing you’re keeping your niece safe by running. He’d sent you a picture of your niece outside her school, and you’d fled to the opposite end of the country. Which is how you ended up here.

You know your sister and her husband will keep Bea safe. You have to do your part.

You’re walking into work. You’ve got a new phone, a shitty little secondhand model which was all you could afford at the time. Moving five times in a year really does a number on your savings, you reflect bitterly.

There are days when you really think you could kill him. You can’t see an end to this otherwise.

You glance around before you swipe your card. There’s movement to your right, and you freeze. A man is walking towards you, fast. You want to scream, you’re about to, when your eyes focus in properly on the man coming towards you.

It’s not him. Thank God, it’s not him. Your mouth clamps shut.

You’re still trying to calm your pounding heart when you enter the stairwell.

You nearly collide with Kim Namjoon as you come out. He looks like he’s in a hurry.

‘Sorry,’ you say, getting the fuck out of the way.

To your surprise, he stops. ‘Are you ok?’ he asks.

His eyes are on your face, he’s looking at you. He’s an observant man, he’s a fucking police detective, a good one, judging by his corner office.

You don’t want to be seen. Not by him, not by anyone. Especially not by the man who’s stalking you.

You drop your eyes. ‘I’m ok,’ you reply. You turn quickly, heading for the store cupboard.

You wonder if he’s going to be a problem. You’ve already developed more of an acquaintanceship than you intended. He’d remember you if anyone asked.

Your ex is clever, cunning. You’ve found this out to your cost over the last year and a half. You haven’t outsmarted him yet.

You jump when you hear your name.

Namjoon’s standing at the door of the store cupboard. He’s holding a flyer out to you.

‘I teach self-defense classes on a Sunday evening at the Elmtree community centre. They’re free, and open to all abilities.’

His eyes don’t leave yours. ‘If you’re interested in learning that sort of thing, you should come along.’

You reach for the flyer he’s holding out. ‘Thanks,’ you say.

You stare at him, wary. Why would he give you this?

You fold the flyer into the front pocket of your jeans and get to work.

***

You don’t know what you’re doing here. It’s pointless.

You can’t imagine physically hurting your ex. It’s just a fantasy. He’s bigger than you, stronger. He has a gun. Fuck, he has a gun, and you know he knows how to use it.

You can’t fight him. You need to disappear.

You just need to save up enough money to relocate to another country until he loses interest in you.

And yet, here you are, on Sunday evening, in Elmtree community centre, in a small group of people waiting for Kim Namjoon to start his self-defense class.

Namjoon walks up to the front. You look at him, curious. You’ve never seen him out of a suit before. Today he’s wearing black sweats, a black hoodie.

For the first time, you realise how handsome he is. His skin is beautiful, his smile gorgeous, and his body, fuck. Those thighs. Those arms.

You realise he’s looking back at you, and you feel your face getting warm. You hope he’s too far away to see your face clearly.

Despite the fact that you’re surrounded by strangers, you don’t feel particularly anxious as Namjoon demonstrates moves at the front of the class. You think maybe it’s his voice. He’s not loud, but he’s authoritative, reassuring. He must be really good at his job.

You’re heading out the main entrance of the community centre after the class when he catches up to you.

‘Hey,’ he says. ‘I’m glad you came. How’d you find it?’

‘It was great,’ you say, sincerely. You smile at him, tentatively, and then more convincingly as he smiles back.

God, he’s handsome.

‘Thanks,’ you say. You look around to orientate yourself as you come out the entrance.

‘Hey, do you need a lift anywhere?’ he asks.

‘Oh, no, I walked here, I can walk back,’ you say.

He frowns. ‘No, seriously, I can drop you off, wherever you need to go. The estate near here is notorious for muggings.’

There isn’t a way out of this conversation without being terribly rude. You’re not above being rude, but you figure, what’s the harm in him giving you a lift? You can always stop him a few blocks from where you actually live.

‘Are you sure?’ you ask.

‘Yes,’ he says, and that’s that.

You like Namjoon’s taste in music. You like his car, nondescript on the outside and clean on the inside.

You look out the window.

‘Where do you live?’ Namjoon asks.

You look at him warily. You don’t want to offend him, but you barely know him.

‘Can you drop me off at work?’ you ask. ‘I live not far from there.’

Namjoon nods. ‘Sure,’ he says easily, and you breathe a sigh of relief. He doesn’t look offended.

He seems content to drive in silence.

He pulls up outside the building, and you turn to him before you get out. ‘Thank you,’ you say. There’s more emotion in your voice than you’d intended, you’re thanking him for more than the lift. You’re thanking him for being your only human contact in this city, for his kindness.

Namjoon looks at you, and again you get the sense his eyes see more than you want him to see.

‘If you need any help with anything, let me know,’ he tells you.

You’re not going to ask him for help, but you appreciate his offer all the same.

‘Thank you,’ you say. You look at him a moment longer, then get out and head in the direction of home. You don’t look back.

***

It’s another Sunday, and you find yourself in the community centre again, waiting for Namjoon to show you more self-defence manoeuvres.

This time, he stops by you on his way to the front of the room.

‘Wait for me after, I’ll give you a lift,’ he tells you.

He waits for you to nod before he carries on.

After the class, he smiles at you. ‘Come on, let’s go.’

You look up at him. ‘You don’t have to – ‘

‘I’m aware I don’t have to,’ he says, and he smiles at you so charmingly you can’t help but smile back.

In his car, Namjoon asks, ‘Would you like to grab something to eat? I’m starving, and I don’t want to eat alone.’

You consider it. He’s not really given you any reason to be wary of him.

You’ve been paid this month, and there’s some money in your account. Not much, but then neither of you are dressed for anywhere fancy.

You realise he’s been waiting for an answer whilst you’ve been mulling it over.

‘You don’t have to –‘ he begins.

‘Sure,’ you say. You smile at him.

His dimple appears in the cheek you can see. ‘Great. I know a place. You like sushi, don’t you?’

***

Namjoon and you are seated in front of the conveyor belt of the tiny sushi joint he’s taken you to. You’ve got the wall on one side, Namjoon on your other side, and a good view of the entrance.

You feel safe, and you aren’t sure if it’s because it’s a small restaurant or because you’ve got Namjoon’s solid warmth beside you.

You watch the domed plates glide past, trying to decide what you want first.

You realise Namjoon’s looking at you, and smiling. ‘Sashimi?’ he offers.

You sigh with pleasure. ‘Yes, please.’

He lifts a plate of sashimi and places it in front of you.

‘Are you new to the city?’ he asks.

‘I just moved here,’ you tell him. ‘Have you always lived here?’

‘Yes, pretty much,’ he replies.

You need to deflect before he asks you too many personal questions, but the sashimi is delicious, and you’re hungry.

‘You’re the only person that stays late on your floor,’ you say. It’s more of an observation than a question.

You sip your green tea.

Namjoon laughs. ‘I like being prepared for the next day,’ he tells you. He puts another plate in front of you.

‘What do you do outside of work?’ you ask.

‘I like movies, music. I like art galleries, reading.’

The movement of his arm tips his cup of green tea alarmingly, and you save it before it falls over.

His expression makes you laugh.

‘I’m clumsy sometimes,’ he says, sheepishly.

‘Me too,’ you say, trying to make him feel better.

He snorts. ‘You’re not.’

‘Not as clumsy as you,’ you admit, and it’s his turn to laugh.

You finish off your sashimi.

‘More?’ he asks.

‘I’m good,’ you tell him. You’re not full, but at least you’re not hungry anymore, and you’re a bit worried about how much this meal is going to cost. You’re trying to save to get out of the country, after all.

Your traitorous stomach rumbles.

Namjoon raises an eyebrow. ‘You sure?’

‘Yeah,’ you say. You smile at him.

Namjoon nods. ‘Well, if you’re done, we can get out of here.’

He nods to the waiter. ‘Add it to my tab?’

‘Sure thing, Joon,’ the waiter replies.

‘I come here a lot,’ Namjoon explains to you as you walk out to his car. ‘My friend Jin owns the place.’

‘How much do I owe you?’ you ask.

‘You barely ate anything,’ Namjoon says. ‘Don’t worry about it.’

‘Oh no, I can’t, let me pay you back,’ you insist.

Namjoon puts a hand on your arm. ‘Consider it thanks for cleaning my office so well after ramen-gate,’ he says.

‘Which time?’ you ask, and he laughs.

‘It’s only been twice,’ he says. ‘If it bothers you I’ll get something less soupy to eat.’

‘It’s ok, Namjoon,’ you say. ‘If you let me know when you next feel like ramen I’ll put some plastic sheets down on your floor.’

‘Like a toddler?’ he asks, pretending to be offended.

You tilt your head, looking at him. ‘Maybe you’d like a bib too?’

Namjoon laughs.

He stops outside the office.

‘It was nice to see you today,’ he says. ‘Thanks for coming with me to dinner.’

‘I had a good time,’ you tell him. You mean it. It’s the first nice meal you’ve had since coming to this city. Namjoon’s easy to talk to, and you'd really enjoyed having company for once.

‘See you around, Namjoon,’ you say, getting out of the car before he can say anything else.

***

You’d been together with your ex for six months, and he hadn’t taken the breakup well.

The first inkling you’d had that there might be a problem was the phone calls. They were incessant, at all times of the day. Every time you’d answered, he’d breathed down the phone then hung up on you.

It got so you couldn’t use your phone because he was constantly calling you.

You’d changed your number, and the phone calls had stopped, for a while.

Then there were the messages on your social media, name-calling, posted publicly on your page.

You’d tightened your privacy controls and restricted contact to your family and close friends.

Then came the video.

Christ, the video. You hadn’t known the bastard had been filming you in the bedroom.

You’d been at your company for five years, but you’d had to resign. There was no way you could look your boss in the eye after the video of you was leaked. You worked for a social media company, and your wide network of contacts, so useful for your job, worked against you.

The humiliation was nothing compared to what happened next.

Furious, but with no real idea of how bad it could really get, you’d gone to his apartment to confront him.

He hadn’t let you in the door.

Then you’d woken up to him standing in the corner of your bedroom in the darkness. Staring at you. Watching you.

You’d gone to the police then, made your first report. The detective had been sympathetic, kind, but had essentially told you that you needed more evidence. To keep a record.

You’d changed the locks in your apartment, but you hadn’t felt safe, so you’d moved, close to your sister.

You’d brought the danger to her, and you still haven’t forgiven yourself.

Your sister, her husband and their daughter Bea all became targets in the end, incessant phone calls, messages. You’d gone to the police again, and were told the same thing. You needed more evidence.

It got so no one felt safe letting 8 year old Bea walk to school on her own. You’re saddened you let it get that far.

So now here you are, as far as possible from Bea and your sister.

You’ve moved so many times that physical possessions mean nothing to you now. The only thing you take with you is the battered notebook where you’ve been dutifully logging all the ways your ex has made your life a living hell.

Until he physically threatens you, the record of all the phone calls, the compromising video, that’s all you have.

You almost wish he would come for you.

The weather’s getting colder now, you’ve been in the city for a couple of months.

You haven’t gone to one of Namjoon’s classes since your dinner, and you’ve started doing the other floor first so by the time you get to his floor the light in the corner office is off.

You can’t get distracted now.

***

It’s Christmas eve. You’d called your sister and Bea before coming in for your shift. They were ecstatic to hear from you, and it’d warmed your heart. They seem to be doing well.

Your sister had urged you to go to the police again, but nothing has really happened since the last time you went, so you aren’t sure what that will change.

Namjoon’s light is off, and although you know it’s the right thing, you can’t help but feel a pang as you walk up to empty his bin. The tiny package on his desk catches your eye.

It’s pretty, a small square wrapped in jolly red wrapping, a shiny bow. There’s a gift tag on it, turned up, and written on it is your name.

It’s your name.

You blink at it, trying to tamp down the fluttering in your chest.

On the back of the tag, instead of a design, is a line of writing, neat, blocky script.

Y/N, I hope you’re well. Happy holidays, Namjoon.

You’re so touched you could cry.

Between the phone call with your sister and Namjoon’s gift, you’ve got enough to get through this Christmas alone.

***

At first, you don’t know if you’re imagining things. It’s silly things, like the hair bobble you always put in the same place by your sink disappearing.

Like one of your favourite pairs of earrings disappearing.

Then, it’s odd things. Like your pillow smelling of the cologne he always used to use.

You realise he’s found you when you come home one day to see your panties on top of your bed. They’re a frilly, impractical pink silk. They’d gone missing months ago, and you’re sure as hell that you hadn’t packed them with you for this move.

You turn around, march out of your apartment and head straight for the nearest police station.

You start to have second thoughts when you’re waiting to speak to the uniformed officer at the front desk.

You’re directed to a room and told to wait for a detective to come and take your statement. Your attention is drawn to the door when you hear two men speaking outside.

It’s a smartly dressed blond man and another man in a dark suit. They seem to be arguing.

The man in the dark suit opens the door. ‘I’ve got this, Park. Why don’t you go get your hair done?’

The sneering tone barely seems to affect the blond man. He looks at you for a moment, sighs then walks away.

‘I’m Detective Kim,’ the man says. ‘Are you Y/N L/N?’

‘Yes,’ you say.

‘I’ve been told you’d like to report a stalking,’ he says. He doesn’t make eye contact, seemingly more interested in looking outside the door, through the glass.

You pull your notebook out of your bag. ‘I’ve reported this a few times before. I’ve been told to take notes.’

He doesn’t touch your notebook.

‘Can you tell me what’s prompted you to come in today?’ he asks.

‘He’s broken into my apartment and moved my things. I’m worried he’s going to escalate,’ you say.

‘I’m going to need specifics,’ Detective Kim says. He looks at you then, for the first time.

‘Underwear. He put my underwear on the bed.’

‘He put your underwear on the bed,’ Detective Kim repeats, flatly.

You’re starting to get a bad feeling about this.

‘Was your apartment door unlocked? Any sign of forced entry?’ he asks.

‘No,’ you say, hopelessly. ‘I locked it and it was locked when I came back.’

‘Given your key to anyone else?’ he asks.

‘No!’ you say. ‘It’s not the first time he’s broken in to somewhere where I live.’

You push the notebook towards him. ‘I’ve been writing it down, all the things he’s done. I’ve reported it to the police previously.’

He doesn’t touch your notebook.

‘Look, I’ll log that you came in to report this, but to be honest, I don’t think I can do much with this. Call us if he does anything more.’

He pushes a card towards you.

Kim Sung Ho, it says, in neat script. There’s a phone number underneath it.

You take it. This is just like all the other times. You feel stupid, so stupid, for thinking this time would be different.

You’re on the street outside the police station, trying to remember how to get back home, when you hear your name called.

It’s Namjoon, exactly who you didn’t want to see. He’s walking with another man with intense eyes.

You can barely see him through the sheen of tears in your eyes.

‘What’s wrong?’ Namjoon asks.

You blink, and the tears fall. You’re not crying, not yet, but you’re worried you’ll cry if Namjoon’s nice to you.

Namjoon’s even closer now. ‘Y/N,’ he says. His deep voice is so concerned more tears fall. You can’t even pretend you’re not crying now.

‘Y/N,’ Namjoon says. He cups your elbow gently. ‘Yoongi, can we use your office?’

‘I don’t want to go back in there,’ you say. You swipe a hand over your eyes, angrily.

‘Ok, ok,’ Namjoon says. ‘Come with me.’

***

Namjoon takes you to his apartment. He sits you on his couch and gets you a glass of water.

‘Tell me,’ he says quietly.

You look over at him, at his beautiful face, the obvious strength in his arms, his hand that’s resting next to your thigh.

Can you tell him?

You reach over and put your hand on his forearm. He puts his hand over yours.

You just want to be held, but you haven’t got the words to say that, so you kiss him instead.

His lips are soft, gentle, like he’s always been with you. He pulls away.

‘Wait,’ he says, ‘talk to me.’

‘I can’t,’ you tell him.

You try to kiss him again, but he pulls away.

‘Let me help,’ he pleads.

‘You can’t help, Namjoon,’ you tell him. You try to get up, but he stops you.

‘Please,’ he says. His eyes are so warm. He looks like he genuinely cares.

You look at him. God, you’re a fool.

‘I’ve got to go,’ you say.

You lift your arm, and his hand falls away.

***

You’re in a holding pattern. You have some money saved up, you have enough to move out of this city.

You’ve been thinking about Kim Namjoon all day and then, because you don’t know what else to do, you go to work.

Thankfully his light is off.

You empty his bin, and a printout in his in-tray catches your eye. His in-tray is always empty at the end of the day.

The sick feeling in your stomach you’ve had all day intensifies. You look closer, and to your horror, realise it’s a picture of you. You’re wearing the pink panties that were on your bed, but your top half is naked, your face partially obscured by a man’s naked thigh.

You snatch up the printout and crumple it in your hand.

You nearly scream when you hear the voice behind you.

You whirl around. It’s Namjoon.

He’s talking to you, but you don’t hear any of it.

All you can think is, Namjoon’s a police detective. If anyone saw naked pictures on his desk, on his computer, he could get in real trouble.

All because of you.

You’ve done it again. You’ve brought the threat to his door.

You look up at him, and your body is moving, trying to get past him.

For the first time since you met, he uses his strength against you.

‘Stop, please,’ he says. ‘Please. I’m begging you. Please talk to me.’

‘Namjoon, I can’t,’ you say. You look up at him, trying to make him understand. ‘I don’t want you involved in this.’

‘You need help,’ he says, and you realise he’s pressed you against a wall.

You wriggle free, and for just a second his hand tightens on your arm. Then he lets go.

It’s time for you to run. Again.

***

Namjoon’s a damn good police detective. He was the first in his cohort to get promoted, first to earn his office. He’s earned more honours than anyone else, although privately he thinks that Min Yoongi deserves to be decorated more than him.

It takes him less than a day to track you down.

He knocks, and your door opens.

Your eyes are expressive, and he doesn’t miss the flicker of emotion in them as you take him in.

The room behind you is bare. There’s a backpack on the floor.

You look up at him. Your expression is unreadable now. ‘Want a drink?’ you ask.

‘Sure,’ Namjoon says.

He steps into the tiny studio apartment.

You hand him a glass of water.

‘I’m being stalked,’ you tell him. Now that you’ve decided to talk, the words won’t come out fast enough.

‘I’ve moved cities five times in the last year and a half, but he keeps finding me. Threatening the people I care about.’

‘He threatened you, Namjoon.’

Namjoon listens as you tell him about how it began. He listens as you tell him about the phone calls, the sex tape, the messages on your social media, Bea. He listens as you tell him about your underwear, the cologne on your pillow, the naked picture in his in-tray.

He looks through your book as you tell him everything.

You’re exhausted by the end of it. You can barely look him in the eye.

‘That’s it, Namjoon. That’s the whole story. I’ll be out of here tonight.’

He’s quiet for so long you finally get up the courage to look at him.

There’s a muscle ticking in his cheek. There’s no sign of the dimples you like so much.

Finally, he says, ‘You’re not going anywhere. You hear me? You’re not going anywhere.’

He makes two phone calls in front of you. The first is to someone called Hobi, who you later find out is state prosecutor Jung Hoseok. The second is to Min Yoongi, the man who was with him at the police station the other day.

Then he shoulders your backpack. ‘Come on. I’ve got an extra room. You’re coming with me.’

He takes you to his apartment and orders you food. When you’ve finished eating, he passes you one of his hoodies.

‘Put that on. You’re coming down to the station with me,’ he tells you.

In the car, he says, ‘You’re going to file a report with one of Yoongi’s detectives. Tell him everything you’ve told me.’

At the station, you’re met by the blond man you saw the other day. His eyes are kind.

‘I’m Detective Park Jimin,’ he says to you. ‘I’d like you to tell me everything, in your own words. There are other people listening in behind that screen, but in the room, it’s just you and me.’

The second time you tell your story, the words come even easier.

Park Jimin touches your arm gently as you turn to leave. ‘I’m sorry about the other day.’

At first you don’t know what he’s talking about.

‘I should never have left you with Detective Kim,’ he says. For a moment, anger simmers in his eyes.

‘I can’t promise you a conviction, but I can tell you there’s more than enough here to proceed. You’ve done the right thing coming to us.’ He looks at you until you nod.

Namjoon’s waiting for you outside.

‘Time to get some rest,’ he says.

Namjoon sets you up in his spare bedroom. ‘Come and get me if you need anything,’ he tells you.

‘Wait,’ you say. You curl your hand around his neck. ‘Can you kiss me?’

Namjoon stares at you. His eyes are so dark they’re almost black. ‘Is this what you want?’ he asks. His voice is so low you shiver.

‘Yes,’ you tell him.

Namjoon tilts his head down to kiss you then. You wind your arms around his solid frame, his big shoulders, pressing your body to his.

‘You’re so sweet,’ Namjoon tells you. His voice in your ear makes you shiver again. His large hand smooths over your hip, pulling you to him.

He kisses a path down your neck, lapping at the hollow between your collarbones.

‘Namjoon,’ you say, kissing him with all the longing you’ve felt over the last few months. You pull his hoodie over your head, and he tosses it to one side.

Namjoon’s a big man, but when he touches you, he’s so gentle. He flicks his thumbs over your nipples, leaning his head down to suck and lick until you’re writhing beneath him.

By the time his fingers stroke over your clit, you’re soaking wet, moaning at the feel of him. His fingers slip into you, and the pleasure is almost unbearable.

He groans as you cum around his fingers. ‘So sweet,’ he tells you.

He kisses you until your breathing slows.

You’re lying in his arms. You can feel his hardness pressing against your hip.

‘Joon,’ you murmur, kissing his neck. ‘Don’t you want me?’

‘I want you,’ he tells you. He’s looking at you intently. ‘I want you so badly.’

‘Then –‘

‘I’m not like that scumbag,’ he begins.

You press your fingertips to his lips. ‘You’re not him. You’re the furthest thing from him. Please, Namjoon. I want you.’

You help Namjoon pull his jeans down.

He enters you with a long slow exhale, a sigh. You wrap your legs around his hips as he starts to move.

It’s perfect. He’s perfect.

Afterward, Namjoon pulls you into his arms. He’s strong, warm, secure. You almost think he’s fallen asleep when he says, ‘thank you for telling me.’

‘You’re a hard man to resist, Kim Namjoon,’ you say, wryly.

He laughs.

‘You believed me, but I spoke to four detectives before you who didn’t,’ you say, soberly. ‘I don't think I'm the only person who’s had this experience.’

Namjoon turns you to face him. ‘I know,’ he sighs, and you can tell this has already occurred to him.

‘It needs to be better,’ you tell him.

Namjoon nods. You press your face to his chest and let his steady heartbeat lull you to sleep.

***

You wake up to Namjoon kissing you, gently, on the cheek. You turn your head so your lips meet.

‘Is this a dream?’ you ask.

Namjoon looks so good leaning over you, his short hair fluffed on one side, dimples flashing.

‘You look really pretty when you’re sleeping,’ he tells you.

You’re smiling up at him, shifting your leg to encourage him to climb on top of you, when your stomach lets out an almighty rumble.

‘God,’ Namjoon complains. ‘Why are you so hungry all the time?’

You laugh. ‘I’m short on savings, Namjoon. Moving around the country in a hurry will do that to you.’

Namjoon stiffens, and you look up just in time to see the expression on his face.

‘God. I didn’t mean – ‘ you start.

‘I could kill that prick. I could kill him for what he’s been doing to you,’ Namjoon tells you.

It’s the first thing he’s said about what you told him that shows how he feels. Everything else up until now has been about what he’s been doing to help you.

You reach up and cup his cheek until he looks at you.

‘You believed me. That’s enough,’ you tell him.

You get up and get ready, because the way you feel is threatening to overwhelm you.

You don’t know where you go from here.

***

Your ex is arrested.

Jung Hoseok, the state prosecutor with beautiful eyes and the brightest smile you’ve ever seen, tells you he’ll represent you.

It feels like a tide has turned. Every time someone listens to you, tells you they’ll support you, you feel part of the last two years wash away. The incessant phone calls, the derogatory messages, the sex tape. The fear, the worry, the anger and the helplessness.

And there’s Namjoon through it all. He’s there after you give your testimony. He’s there when Hoseok tells you your ex has been given a years-long sentence.

You have years of respite to look forward to.

You bid Namjoon goodbye at the airport. You’re going to see your sister, and her husband, and Bea for the first time in nearly a year.

It’s as wonderful a reunion as you could have wished for.

And yet, now here you are, back in an office building that you used to clean, standing outside a corner office with the light still on even though everyone else has left.

You knock, and Namjoon says, ‘come in.’

His smile when he sees you makes you feel warm inside.

‘The bin’s that way,’ he says, dimpling at you.

‘I thought I’d look into being an advocate,’ you tell him. ‘For people like me. I think I’d be good at it.’

Namjoon looks at you intently. ‘I think you’d be great at it.’

He’s getting up from behind his desk.

‘Where would you like to work?’ he asks.

He stops in front of you, so close you have to look up to see his face.

‘I thought here. This city seems a good place to start.’

You’ve got more to say, but Namjoon’s kissing you, holding you, and you don’t want him to stop.

#bts smut #namjoon x reader #namjoon smut #rage au

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