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write-it-good-imagines · 3 months

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Nothing More(M) - Three

~5k words, in this chapter we see how Mark and Sam navigate being apart from one another and how rain washes over the souls. Enjoy and don't hesitate to let me know what you think about it!

Don’t you want to try it? Are you scared to start? There’s no one you’ll find that’s quite like me.

Do you wanna take my broken heart?

Fame, music, concerts, freedom, artistry. In a fruitless attempt to sum up all that being an artist meant to Mark, the ability to walk up on the stage in front of as many as 60,000 people was exhilarating. It never stopped being meaningful. To inspire another person enough to have them watch and admire thyself was not only a privilege but also a responsibility.

Each concert began with the same mantra, it would be safe to assume for each of the seven members was the same. Each time they would walk on and make sure they enjoyed themselves to the maximum, as much as they made sure they would do their best. In the tumult of the shows, there was now something different.

All the love songs sounded a little different.

When the love song was hopeful, Mark performed happier. When the love song was desperate, Mark performed sadder. It all played a bigger part in the tapestry of each performance, but it would never go unnoticed by those closest to him. With each show, the emotion grew little by little. And as much as Mark tried to dismiss it to the back of his head, it sneaked right back in when the lights turned down.

It always came back when he wanted to forget.

When the lights turned down over Jakarta, the boys were still bowing to the audience. Under the ravenous applause and the avalanche of confetti, the platform on the stage brought the boys down under the concert set. Another night ended in complete success.

Mark was the last one to dispose of his ear set. He stretched his arms above his head and felt a cramp starting to settle at his nape.

“Mark?” Jackson traced behind the group to match his pace with the other. “You good?”

“Yeah,” sighed Mark, massaging the tense muscles in his neck. “Just a little tired I guess.”

“Huh, we still have one week and a half to go, if you’re tired now... “ Jackson joked and nudged Mark with his elbow. “Getting old?”

Mark threw an arm around Jackson’s shoulder in a friendly hug. “No chance.”

“Passionate out there I’d say.” Jackson began, fidgeting. “Each concert getting only more passionate.”

“Yeah? Thanks. Aren’t we supposed to be like that?”

Silence.

“No?”

“I mean, sure.”

Jackson shrugged his shoulders. That’s when it hit Mark.

“Should’ve asked me to my face, Jackson.”

Jackson sighed. “I’m not good at subtleties!” He cleared his throat. “But you haven’t told us nothing in… ever since we left.”

“There’s nothing to tell, Jackson.”

Jackson stopped dead in his tracks, looking at the other with a much softer expression than he would have liked.

“There really isn’t.” Mark concluded, walking ahead of Jackson. “I am the sex. She was the sex. That’s it.”

Mark grabbed a bottle of water from an adjacent table to drown out the words, and the apparent reality. Spelling out loud that they never spoke after he flied out left a burn to his throat.

A couple thousand miles away, Samantha was jerking her body to the other side of the bed. She extended her hand to grab a hold of her phone. 2:15 AM. With a light groan, she threw her feet into her bed slippers, rose from the bed, and hugged her body into her bathrobe. Murphy perked an ear up in response to the sudden movement, but he was not interested enough to follow Samantha from his nest.

Samantha opened the kitchen window to fill her lungs with a breath of fresh air. When she unlocked her phone, she realized that her latest google search was still pointing to Mark’s band’s latest concert.

Jakarta: more than 20,000 fans delirious after boyband’s successful stop.

Live pictures from the concert were quick to flood the internet. Samantha’s finger hovered over a very flattering picture of Mark, half-naked on stage, his chiseled abdomen contracting with whatever movement he was making. One arm was lifted in the air to hype the crowd, the other holding up his microphone. The tattoo reaching over his right set of ribs was vivid to the eye.

The kiss in the locker of the club flashed into Samantha’s memory.

Samantha locked her phone and slid it across the kitchen counter, leaning herself against the window frame, with one arm hugging her side. To the contrary, what should have come to mind should have been the dirtier times, all the times her fingernails drew over his tattoos, reshaping them into muscle memory.

She sighed, her eyes fixated on the shimmering full moon. If she called, would he pick up?

“Probably not. He has all those girls to keep him busy.” Samantha lied to herself, unable to resist the urge to pick up her phone. She hesitated, reading Mark’s name on the screen over and over again. Until she tapped on it.

Once, twice… “Mark?”

The call went to voicemail. Her voice deflated in disappointment.

“All those girls to keep him busy.”

The next dawn, Samantha was already ready to leave for the hospital. Sleep was light and uncertain, and she tried to mask it with concealer and foundation. In a haste to leave the house, she grabbed her motorcycle helmet, to catch a ride in hopes of easing her mind.

Sun was cracking out on the horizon, tangerine hues intertwined with tamed shades of red. Samantha took a longer route to the hospital to enjoy the scenery. Chestnuts strands tossed out of the helmet were gliding freely in the wind in an enduring antithesis with her thoughts.

‘You’re going to have to find a replacement for me.’

Unbeknownst to her, Samantha’s hand switched another gear.

‘I cannot make love to you and leave the next day like I am the worst scum to have ever walked this Earth. I am not that guy.’

The motorcycle revved once again.

‘You are irresistible, you know that?’

Samantha reached the hospital faster than she anticipated. She took off her helmet and shook her head to the sides, ruffling her long strands in the process. She locked the bike and put her helmet under her arm, a high-pitched whistle distracting her from her thoughts.

“Nice suit, cat-girl,” Jonathan smirked, locking his Yamaha super sport bike some paces away from Samantha. “We should ride out together next time.”

“I’ll think about it.” She stated simply, taking the lead towards the entrance of the hospital.

“That’s it? No smart reply, no anything? Wow, did I do anything to offend you?”

Samantha threw out a chuckle. “Not necessarily, just didn’t get that much sleep.”

Jonathan caught up with her, entering the hospital at the same time. “Oh? Mind me asking why?”

“Yes.”

“Touche. But I can take a wild guess.”

“Don’t take a wild guess.” Samantha offered a polite smile to the nurse’s station, grabbing the medical documents of a case.

“How’s Romeo doing? Wait, is that a—”

“Yes Jonathan, I’ll take a consult today.”

Jonathan put a hand over his mouth in a mocked attempt to hide his shock. “No fucking way, are you actually coming back?”

“Wait and see!” Samantha chirped, walking away to her office, the bounce in her hair leaving Jonathan with a smile imprinted on his face.

“And I told him he should have bought Rome! If he’d bought Rome, he would’ve won that trade on the airport with you, Jinyoung!”

A hearty laugh filled the room as Mark and Jinyoung entered Mark’s hotel room. The sun was well up in the blue of Jakarta sky, sending its shimmering beams across the universe. A sleepless night passed for the seven boys, fighting one another to the death to the Monopoly title. Their departure was set in a couple of hours to Kuala Lumpur that left them at liberty to let a night’s sleep go by.

“Bambam’s sweet tooth for money, what can I say.” Jinyoung threw his body on the bed, eyes glued to the ceiling to revisit his winning strategy. “Truth be told, he never had a chance to win.”

“You just led him on.” Mark chuckled and walked to the bathroom. “I am going to take a shower to wash off the defeat.”

“You bet.” Jinyoung rolled over on his chest, hand reaching out for the phone in his pocket. His movement on the bed caused Mark’s phone to light up. The water in the bathroom was not running yet.

“Hey, Mark,” Jinyoung shouted for the other. “You have a missed call.”

“Yeah?” Mark’s voice echoed. “Text Joey and let him know I’ll call back.”

There was a delay in Jinyoung’s response. “It wasn’t Joey. It’s Samantha.”

The next thing he heard was the faltering sound of the water running in the shower. Mark stepped under the rapid droplets, closing his eyes. It had been 11 days since they’d last spoken and she only left an unpicked call behind. It was not like Mark was expectant of something else entirely to happen, but he did not know how to feel. Happy that she had reached out? Bitter that she had not tried more?

Mark slapped his hands against the cold tiles to steady himself. As vehemently as he tried to distance himself from Samantha, something tugged him closer. Mark felt like he walked one step ahead, and two steps behind. He kept reciting to himself that it was not real, the feelings he rejected to feel. He couldn’t allow himself to miss her.

Still, I miss you.

The bathroom door opened, and Mark walked into the room with a towel ruffling his damp hair.

“So?” Jinyoung spoke, thumb scrolling lazily on his Instagram. “Are you going to call her back?”

“Probably,” reacted Mark, almost choking on his own spit. Would it be pitiful to acknowledge to the other that, in fact, he was not as nonchalant as he wanted to let on? “when we leave later for the airport.”

“Huh.” Snickered Jinyoung, jolting himself to his feet. “Here I thought I’d get to hear that conversation.” He pursed his lips, tapping at his chin with an index. “Maybe some sort of a clarification for why she had not reached out until now?”

Mark rolled his eyes with a small smile on his lips. It wavered when Jinyoung stopped in the doorframe. “But I guess fuck buddies don’t really get such clarifications, huh?”

Two and a something hours later, the boys were prepared to leave the hotel and embark for the next stop on their tour: New Delhi. The lobby of the hotel was swarming with staff, luggage, and security, preparing for the group’s very public departure. The journey to the airport was as chaotic as ever for the boys, in a joyful and brotherly atmosphere which always eased Mark’s mind and heart. He was always beyond thankful for the company and friendship of all the boys. Each held their own piece of Mark’s.

While waiting for the private transport from the gate to their plane, Mark stepped aside from the group to make the call he owed. It should have been around 4PM in Seoul. He took an anticipative breath in his lungs and tapped on Samantha’s phone number. There shouldn’t have been a singular reason why he felt so expectant.

‘You aren’t making love to me Mark. We are having sex, it is just sex.’

“Do you really think about us like that?” he whispered under his breath, a hand reaching up to cover his face better with the mask.

Mark did not receive his chance to hear the voice of the person whom he wished to hear the answer from because the call got interrupted to voicemail. “Fuck.” The breath in his lungs rushed out, leaving blooming traces of disappointment attached to his veins. All at once, the 10-hour flight became burdensome. Mark switched his phone to airplane mode to join the boys, a wee piece of his heart shattering from the expectations that failed to come alive.

In an empty common room, Samantha was flipping through her patient’s chart, examining and re-scanning what the laboratory results and the obvious common sense were reiterating. Because of an unforeseen and tragic natural complication, her patient would have to choose to lose her pregnancy to save her life.

“How do you tell someone this?” Samantha mumbled to herself, resting her face in the warmth of her palm. She flipped the chart and sighed, closing her eyes for a loose second. She had grown too soft in the big shoes of a surgeon. But it ultimately was what made her a better surgeon.

“Hey,” Leena stopped by, in a rush to reach somewhere else entirely. “Did something happen? I was in a hurry to prepare for surgery, but I couldn’t ignore you here all sappy by yourself.”

“Yeah. This patient I saw today… I have to tell her she has to give up the baby to save her life. This is why I sometimes am at peace with my decision to step back from being a surgeon.”

“And all the other times when you are not at peace?” Leena seated herself by Samantha.

“All the other times are when I miss going in the OR. Like last time I went in with Jonathan. It was the thrill crawling back, until it made my fingers tingle.” Another sigh. “Then I try to heal and come back, and I have to tell a mother to kill her child. Is this fair?”

“No, it’s not. It’s not. But you must remember how many lives you’ve saved and how many you can save, still. Young lives, who don’t even know they are about to live.”

Samantha tilted her head to look at Leena who had a softened look on her face. “Yeah.” She concluded as Leena rose from her seat.

“I gotta go now, Sam. Think about it. We miss having you around the OR. My girl power team lost all that power.” Leena gestured dramatically with her hands. “Maybe it’s a stretch but I think Mark would say the same to you, if he were here.”

“What?” Samantha exhaled. “Why are you thinking about Mark?”

Leena perked in the distance, as she was walking away “Because you won’t!”

And true she wasn’t. Samantha leaned back down in the chair, eyes obsessed with the ceiling of the office. It pained a little, both her ego and her wishes. Reason would say he couldn’t have picked up in the middle of the night, through the thousands of little things he had to attend to in the middle of a world tour, on top of probably the fatigue kicking in. Against reason, Samantha would tell herself anything to keep herself from hurting. Lies were always easier. Truth was always justifiable.

Truth was, Mark was everything she didn’t picture him to be.

Samantha gathered the scattered chart off the desk and mustered her courage to fill the big shoes of the surgeon she knew herself to be. Ever since Mark stumbled in the bar that night, to curl her hair through his fingers in a cheeky endeavor to rescue her from a vulgar stranger, with the smooth smile and the glimmer in his eye, Samantha’s life felt like it finally took a seat, on a vast green plain under the night sky. When pausing for oneself started to matter.

The rest of the day felt differently after Samantha decided to take charge. She went ahead and had the talk with the family whose happy hope vanished from their fingers. Then she offered to take lead of the surgery. The way she used to carry herself was slowly returning, with all the responsibility and the dignity. It was then she realized she did miss saving lives.

“So I guess it’s time to ask again about riding together? On the bikes, of course.” Jonathan laughed at his own joke, which brought a smile to Samantha’s own lips.

“You know what?” Samantha said, turning up the engine and securing herself atop of the seat. “I’m going to say pass for tonight, but let’s do it some time. It’s just been a full day today.”

“So I’ve heard,” Jonathan said, climbing in his seat and undoing his helmet. “You have no idea how happy that makes me.”

Samantha chuckled. “I know I don’t really take you at your word, most of the time. But I do appreciate you being in my life Jonathan.”

Jonathan threw his head away to veil his content expression. There were times like that one when Samantha wished she knew what was going on through his head. “Someone has to stick around, until prince charming rides back from his tour. Saw he got all naked and whatever up there. Not cool.”

“Mhm. Not cool for someone who asks prince charming how sex with me is.”

Jonathan almost dropped his helmet to the ground.

“Why would you ask him that?”

He raked his hair with his fingers, the previous content expression fading into a longing one. “Because it is part of why I made that bet with you when you were hopelessly drunk and so was I and I hoped we’d wake up and forget.”

It was almost puerile that they both remembered an inebriated bet to sleep with one another when they both had the desirous impulse of the body to do that on the spot. And, somehow, they did not go through with it.

“Jonathan—”

“You should have lied to me and told me you forgot. I would’ve made allowances for how your skin felt against my own. You didn’t even kiss me on the mouth you know?”

Jonathan kicked the jack of his motorcycle. “And trust me, I am actively working on giving up on you but it’s one hell of a job. So yes, that’s why I asked him how sex with you was, to get some closure. And Romeo proved to be almighty with it.” He threw one last look at the girl, and it caused Samantha’s breath to hitch in her throat. Under the alabaster streetlight, Jonathan looked so vulnerable. “Bear with me as I’m giving up on you.”

Keys rumbled against the glassy surface of the living room coffee table. The helmet bounced on the cushions of the sofa in a hasty attempt for Samantha to undress off her riding suit. Samantha plopped into the depth of the couch, skin getting goose bumps from the cold material. It was already the depth of the night when she finally managed to catch a stable breath. The roughness of the day found refuge in her nape, pressing unpleasantly in her muscles. Murphy came running towards her, jumping in an agile motion on the couch beside her. The contact of his fur against her skin eased the pressure in her body. Samantha twirled Murphy’s coat through her fingers, and the dog snuggled closer into her side. He perked up at her, always receptive of her mood.

With the other free hand, Samantha hastily searched for her mobile phone. The silence in her house echoed loudly, in sync with her accelerated thoughts. Jonathan’s confession ripped a band-aid which she did not believe she had. She felt guilty for the impulsive decisions she took a long time before, which still reflected into their present. Almost like a butterfly effect. Had she chosen Jonathan back then, would she have suffered the same heartbreak by his side? Would they have parted, or would they have thrived? Would she have avoided the public humiliation in the hospital?

Would she have met Mark?

The silvery radiance of the moon tiptoed into the living room through the crack of curtains, settling on the black screen of Samantha’s phone. It was repelled by the quick motion to turn the gadget on, an even quicker one to reach Mark’s phone number. A very late observation that he had called her back.

Would she have felt the same need to reach out to any other man, same as she did to Mark? A sliver of a breeze trembled through the thin material of the curtains, disturbing the lull of the house. In that natural equilibrium, the moonlight painted Samantha’s features in an artificial calm. Her heartbeat picked up in her chest.

Samantha drew her breath in sharply when the call connected.

“Mark? Hey, I know it must be late wherever you are, I wasn’t expecting you to pick up. How are you?”

She must have spoken fast, precipitated, in a much too evident surprise and much too little preparation for the feelings raging in her ribcage. All the stupid childish reasons of Mark being and keeping away took the reins.

“I’m sleeping, babe.”

Mark’s voice was low and coarse, at times breathy. Unbeknownst to him, Mark played with her heartstrings, with the ease with which he called her that affectionate name. He could not have meant that.

“Sure, no I’ll let you sleep, I’m sorry I disturbed you—”

“…don’t go. Missed your voice.”

Samantha took her phone away from her ear reflexively to double-check it was indeed Mark whom she was speaking to. On the other line, a faded puffing sound confirmed he was still there, as if he was adjusting his position.

“You there?”

“Yeah, I am, I just… you took me by surprise.”

“Mhm. You, too.”

A gust of wind played with the calescent air in Samantha’s living room. Through Mark’s groggy voice she couldn’t tell if he was upset, sad, or even remotely happy with her for contacting him.

“Just know I’m kinda drunk, so I might say shit.” Mark snickered, which caused Samantha to emit a giggle of her own. She had a palpable reason to blame Mark’s drunkenness for her heart’s quiver. “Drank our minds off with the boys. Middle of the evening.” Another snicker.

He was devastatingly alluring.

Samantha’s voice eased to Mark’s, a lonely index tracing the naked skin of her abdomen. The moon shifted, as if following the movements of the hand in a trance. “You’re too coherent to be drunk. Any special reason for the celebration?”

“Guess we felt like. Don’t know about them but I had a reason.”

Samantha took the bait. “Oh? How so?”

A sharp breath echoed on Mark’s side of the line, closely followed by another sharp exhale. “Promise you won’t get upset with me?”

Samantha’s eyebrows rose with curiosity, yet the heart in her ribcage threatened to stop beating. “I won’t.”

“Okay, I’ll tell you.” But Mark stopped himself once again to prolong the anticipation Samantha prepared herself for. Maybe he would tear the scar open and confess he’d slept with others, that he went ahead and made good of their agreement, that he did not care. Or maybe that he was enough of a good guy to at least let her know he’d touched other women, that he’d heard other women scream his name in the intimacy of his sheets—

“I missed you.”

The sound of thunder reverberated in the infinity of the sky and a glim of lightning flashed in the darkness of the living room to put a halt to Samantha’s life. A strong current awoke goosebumps on Samantha’s skin, akin to Mark’s tender touch whenever he pulled her body to hide into his own.

Mark continued. “But I know you don’t miss me cause heck, you would’ve called a lot more than once, so cheers to me. You’ll say, ‘why are you an asshole cause you didn’t call either’, and you could be right.” A short pause. “I actually could be the asshole.”

What was Samantha supposed to say? How was she supposed to form coherent thoughts in her mind when Mark singlehandedly went and kicked away all rationality had to offer? In the tone of his voice, Samantha felt resentment. A resentment directed at himself for wishing he’d done better.

I should have done better, Mark.

“No, Mark, don’t say that about yourself. You could be anything but an asshole.”

I missed you too, Mark. And I didn’t want to.

“No, it’s fine. Absolutely fine. I’m just sex. You’re just sex. We’re just sex, nothing more, right?”

A sudden downpour started falling over the horizon, in a ghastly chase to envelop the night sky of Seoul. The sound of droplets played in a staccato rhythm, brushing against the tall glass windows of Samantha’s house. The restless curtains danced however the wind dictated, to cast shadows of the moon over her features, now rigid from the amalgam of emotions pirouetting through her being.

If she hadn’t met Mark, would she have wished to grant herself a second chance so easily?

Samantha rose lazily from the couch, leaving Murphy behind to meditate in his calmness. She carried herself to the windows, gripping the handle to open one of them, and ultimately seated herself on the windowpane. She extended one leg to feel the rain. “Do you hear that, Mark?” she spoke ultimately, tears gathering at her eyelids.

“Is that rain?” replied Mark, accompanied by a hissing sound. “It’s pouring in New Delhi, too.”

“It feels so cold on my skin.”

Another thunder trembled in the sky.

“I’m so jealous.”

“Jealous? Jealous on what?”

“All this rain is getting to touch you and I’m not.”

Samantha brought one knee to her chest to lean her cheek against it. If it was raining in New Delhi, it meant that maybe, just maybe, her and Mark could both look at the same sky.

It took a considerable amount of effort for Mark to push himself straight outside of bed. He couldn’t remember at what time the boys got back to the hotel, at what time he fell asleep, and he couldn’t remember why he recognized Samantha’s voice without even knowing it was her who called. With each reply exchanged between them, Mark was driving back to reality, a reality where both him and Samantha were looking at the same sky.

He walked over to the window of his hotel room, peeling it open to fully pick up the song of the rain. There was a tiny table adjacent to the window where he prompted his body, head leaning against the pane, and the free arm toying with the beads rushing down from the sky.

A reality where he was catching feelings for a woman who did not feel the same.

“It feels so cold on my skin too, beautiful.”

Maybe it was because of the same sky they both were watching but it felt like Samantha was smiling. “Why would you be jealous?”

“I should be, shouldn’t I? When something other than me is touching my fuck buddy.”

There was a pause on the other line. Rain was feeling tougher against Mark’s forearm.

“No one has touched me since you left, Mark. Don’t think anyone will.”

It was too good to be true. He did not believe her, could not believe her. Mark retreated his arm and raked his fingers through his hair. The coldness of summer rain made him flinch.

Mark was playing a game he knew he’d already lost.

“Do you think about us? Do you think about me, how I’m touching you?”

“Yeah, I do. I did today.”

Mark’s mind replayed their kiss in the club’s locker room.

Samantha’s mind replayed their kiss in the club’s locker room.

“Do you like the way I’m touching you?”

Mark’s mind replayed their hug in the club’s locker room.

Samantha’s mind replayed their hug in the club’s locker room.

“I do.”

“I guess you still want me to fuck you, then.”

Samantha’s lack of response gave Mark the opportunity to glue his eyes to an outward building which still kept its presence through the water veil. The buzz of the alcohol was still messing with his head, and with his emotions. He shouldn’t had gotten so attached to a game plan, he should had cared enough back in the club when Samantha stated she was not interested. There was just something about her that kept reeling him in, which only amplified with each touch they shared, doubled with each kiss, tripled with each moan she’d mewl, calling out his name.

At the end of the day, the heart wants what it wants. And the heart shuddered at the thought of her moaning any other name than his.

“Hey Sam, I gotta go. I’m supposed to be waking up in 3 hours to rehearse the setting for the concert.”

This time, it was Sam. Not ‘babe’, not ‘beautiful’, just ‘Sam’. Bleak, obscure, a name. Samantha feared a simple name that carried no meaning. It was supposed to carry a meaning.

“Are you frustrated with me, Mark?” she breathed out, the tears rolling down her cheeks at the thought.

“What? No, I’m not. I’m not. Promise.”

“How long will you be gone, still? I hope it’s not that long because I’m naked and I am sitting on the windowpane, hoping that this rain will make me recall how your hands felt against my skin, and it’s not you and I cannot recall how your hands felt against my skin, Mark.”

Clouds wrecked into one another to release a rambunctious roar.

Mark sighed, and it almost broke Samantha’s heart. Then he laughed, and suddenly, the world came alive.

“Okay, let me guide you to remember, hmm?”

“Guide me.”

“If you lay your hand to the side of your neck, cupping it, but not too tight, and a bit far back, you’ll remember it is my favorite spot to hold when we hug.”

In thorough obedience, Samantha did just as Mark instructed her to. She closed her eyes, picturing Mark’s silhouette right by her side.

“Now, if you lower your hand to your side, not too low on the hip, and drum your fingers against the flesh, you’ll remember it is my favorite spot to tickle you.”

The action made Samantha giggle loudly, almost the same as Mark used to. “I am ticklish there, yeah.”

Mark laughed, and Samantha couldn’t see, but he laughed heartily. “Yeah, I know. Now, if you go further and caress a trail from your lower belly all the way to your clit, you’ll remember it is my favorite spot to make you pant. Right before I slide a finger inside you.”

Samantha followed Mark’s voice until her middle finger caressed over her womanhood, a loud whine erupted from the back of her throat. “Oh no, no, don’t even think about doing it. The last part is left for me to do.”

She unexpectedly stopped, Mark’s charm still working strongly. “How did you know I wanted to do that?”

“I know what your body is telling me, angel. It’s just you I need to know more about. I’ll be back in a week and a half, can you hold out for me this long? I can always talk you through it if you think you can’t.”

Samantha scoffed jokingly, draping her hand around herself instead. A week and a half felt to her like an eternity. When Mark had her wrapped around his finger like a marionette, when he knew when to go back to calling her endearingly, when he so easily confessed it was hard on him, as much as it became hard on her, the time stopped dilating as fast. Another bolt of lightning pierced the night sky, casting a porcelain light over her body.

“When you come back to me, Mark, I’ll tell you about the more you want to know.”

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brokentoys · 5 months

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youtube

eddie says this but unironically.

#( 🧩 ✧ INFERIOR PUPPETEER ✧ | OOC )#// he is the crackhead to be called in this scenario #// the SOLUTION to all of gotham problems #// SDFJDFNJDFG #drugs #Youtube

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suffering-and-happy-about-it · 2 years

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Basking in the Moonlight (Love’s Wrecks, Part 7.)

Description: Heartbreak is one hell of a bitch. And one Edward Teach could tell you all about it. Yet thanks to Fate being a little trickster, there’s a person who enters his life to remind him of how nice it is of having someone he can confide in, someone he can care about, and someone he can trust. To remind him, what it means to have a friend for better or worse.

Part Summary: Buttons wasn’t your favorite member of the crew by any means, he was far from it, actually. But when the crew gets to know that he’s celebrating his 600th basking in the moonlight, you all decide to join this strange, exceptional ritual.

Word counter: 6.1 K

A/N: Yes. The name of this part is a clear reference to Dancing in the Moonlight by King Harvest. 😀 Also, I realize that the chapter is fucking long as shit and that 'The Wellerman' (a New Zealand shanty) was sung a century later (c. 1860-70), but I think that imagining the entire crew just standing there, singing it, that would be so fucking dope. Also, who the fuck cares about accuracy? The show itself ain't accurate, and Taika, Rhys, and David don't care in the slightest.

One last thing: I know using the term 'sea shanty' isn't accurate, but it's just catchier and fun to use.

Tagging: @le--petit--croissant @missdictatorme @soliyra-the-sunbringer

Series master list: h e r e | Series play list: h e r e

A month passed by just like that. A whole month of plundering, adventures, and all sorts of exciting daily activities. It was pretty usual to stop by in a harbor time you met on your way to replenish all the supplies you might need; whether it was a barrel full of oranges, food, or gunpowder. Each time you stopped there, Izzy was trying to sell you with all the desperation he had inside of himself; and yet, to Izzy’s bad luck, there was no slave-holder who’d buy your, and you quote, “fucking annoying ass”. Harbor days were your favorites when it came to breaking the blissful routine you and the crew often came across throughout your traveling; on a Harbor day, everyone was allowed to enjoy their time as they found appropriate before spending the afternoon finishing tasks.

As usual, you decided to join Olu and Jim on their endeavors through yet another strange town since it was often beneficial to have Jim by your side when the locals started to haggle with you in Spanish. Where did you take the money to even haggle in the first place? Oh, that was pretty easy - you sold off some of the jewelry the boys were bringing you from various raids. Usually, all your Harbor days looked pretty much the same - first off, Izzy was dragging you along with your wrists loosely tied together and tried to talk down anyone, literally anyone, to buy you. After his attempts came in wain, the three of you wandered around the town; sometimes, you decided for a beach trip to soak your feet in the old ocean waves and when the noon hit, you decided it’s time to pick yourself up to find you some food and, in Jim’s case, alcohol source. But this Harbor day was way different than the rest - this time, the entire crew decided to pay a visit to the local pub, ordering food and drinks left and right. Thankfully, Frenchie offered to pay for your dinner, which you accepted immediately since you had no money on you.

“I was talking to Buttons earlier this morning.” - Pete said loudly enough for all of you to shut up and pay him attention; John stopped himself from nibbling on his piece of chicken, sitting there with his mouth wide open and with his eyes piercing through Pete’s profile. Such a view made both you and Jim giggle, but upon seeing Pete’s serious expression, you both shut up and straightened up. “And you know how he sometimes gets, talking about his mumbo jumbo that no one understands, right?” - The man asked and everyone hummed back in agreement, muttering sentences like 'that’s so Buttons' or 'yea, that sounds exactly like him'. - “But then he said a big number and so, I started to pay attention and asked him about what he’s talking about… And today’s a full moon, correct?”

“Oh, no.” - You moaned in despair, furrowing upon this realization. Jim patted your shoulder with an apologetic grin, and the rest of the men sighed; each member of the crew knew that seeing Buttons running around naked was a bit too much for your taste. The worst part was that this was happening monthly. To your bad luck, Buttons was also the most talkative during this period of time, so he was capable of coming up to you multiple times a day, telling you all sorts of information you didn’t even want to know. - “Is it really that time of the month again? Oh, dear, help me, Jesus.”

“We all know it’s a small problem for you, Y/N…” - “A problem? A small problem!? It’s a violation of my personal space! But whatever… You heard a big number and…” - You said quickly, prompting Pete to continue. “He said it’s his 600th basking in the moonlight. And I thought to myself: Woah, that’s a lot of basking. That guy might be a weirdo, but he’s our weirdo and I think we should, you know, show support and come there to share it with him.” - After he was finished with this speech, all of you simply stared at him, not finding the right words to say. In your mind, you started counting; if a year had twelve months, that meant… Six hundred divided by twelve… “Oh fuck!” - You squealed suddenly, looking at everyone sitting around the table; none of them seemed to connect the two dots, but again, you were the only one who could actually count. - “That means Buttons just had his 50th birthday, guys. Did any of you wish him?”

"Since when do you wish someone for having their birthday?" - Frenchie asked a bit pragmatically, offering you his palm with all the French antics he learned while he worked as a servant. - "I wish you the best for living long enough to become fifty years old." - Then, the man stopped himself and furrowed, lowering his palm and shaking his head. - "That's an awfully big number. Imagine living that long. Doesn't most people die when they're like... 30?" "Doesn't most people die on small pocks, scurvy, plague, or starvation?" - The Swede chimed in. At that moment, you simply shook your head and already regretted the debate you started simply because you wanted to be nice to Buttons. - "... Or a bullet to the chest, to the head, hanging, blowing up... Or a very ugly ax hit, I've seen that before." - Wee John continued, nodding as he finally nibbed on the piece of cold chicken in his fingers. Buttons, moon basking, and birthdays were quickly forgotten as the entire crew started to argue about the most common mortality. So far, of course, the pirate ways to go were strangely the most popular ones. - "... And that was when his finger fell off his foot. I don't know what he had, but it was the most disgusting stuff I've seen so far..."

"Can you all just... Stop?" - You exclaimed and sprang to your feet, looking at everyone. You could feel your stomach turning upside down, and the food in front of you suddenly appeared to be disgusting. You fucking hated when the boys simultaneously started talking about such disgusting shit without being prompted to do so, talking about it until the very evening. "I think Pete's idea's great. We should celebrate Buttons' 600th basking in the moonlight. Does any of you know what he likes? So we could give him a proper gift, perhaps?" - At this question, the men stared at you as if this was the first time ever saw you. How would they know what Buttons likes? This guy wasn’t exactly the one to share his hobbies or interests with the crew if you hadn’t noticed yet.

“Birds!” - Pete exclaimed after five minutes of utter, dead silence. - “I’m pretty sure he likes birds.” “That’s certainly… An observation. A good start, though. Come on, guys, you’re a part of one crew for a pretty long time. There must be something you learned about him, no?” “Mermaids, sea devils, and weird spells. He cursed Calico Jack and that guy just… Vanished. I think he’s a sea witch.” - Frenchie chimed in with another random, unfounded observation. At this observation, you nodded with visible disappointment, but you still brought yourself to pat Frenchie’s shoulder.

“He’s a very wise dude.” - Jim proclaimed out of nowhere, catching your full attention. This piece of information sounded very intriguing, especially coming from Jim. But with each new word they said after, the sparks disappeared from your eyes. - “He might not be able to read… To write… Or to count, but he has so much pirate knowledge. Maybe it’s not as bad that he’s this old because he can teach us a trick or two.” “Now that I think about it, he was helping Captain Stede with piracy in the begging a lot. Is that helpful?” - Olu asked seriously, making you stiffen for a few minutes there. “Sure!” - You exclaimed with the fakest smile on the planet; it didn’t seem that any of them noticed. None of that was helpful; what kind of a gift would he appreciate? A picture book filled with drawings of various sea demons and creatures? A parrot? A dead fucking mermaid dragged onto the deck? Huffing, you still kept the smile on your lips.

Truth be told, you’ve seen birthday celebrations rather rarely and knew a small amount of information about them. It was a pretty recent trend, to host a ball for someone’s birthday. And as usual, the ones inventing it were French. Your mistress threw a few parties as well, once or twice; she explained to you, all of her servants, that these small parties are more of a declaration of respect and honor than an actual birthday celebration. It wasn’t anything the French would be throwing to say it simply. So, you wanted something subtle and nice, to spend some quality time with all the crew members, and have a space to simply breathe.

"You know what? I think we should just bake a cake, cook some good dinner and buy a bottle of wine for the toast." - With a sigh, you looked down on Jim and motioned for them to stand up. They looked back at you, visibly annoyed, and motioned towards the two remaining pieces of chicken on their plate. - "Stop being so dramatic, you said you don't like the taste anyway." "That was five minutes ago, I thought that puta spotted on my plate." "Language!" - You squealed and shook your head, looking into the small leather bag hanging long your belt. You weren't poor just yet, but you will surely need to haggle. Jim bounced their leg around a few times before sighing, putting their hat on their head, and pulling the coat off of the hanger. - "Roach, pick your ass up, you're coming along."

Just like Jim before, the man gave you a dramatic stare, throwing his palms around in a vague gesture. - "Olu didn't make me a shopping list, you see? I have zero ideas what's in the larder and what do we need to buy for the cake and the dinner." It didn't take you long to pay and to walk into the local market - if it even could be called a market, that is. It was more of a clamp of three separate stalls pushed together. That didn't mean that the vendors wouldn't be offering good quality goods, quite the opposite, to be honest. Just when you inspected the fresh shrimps, Roach leaned in, sticking his head right beside yours; naturally, it made you look him in his damn face. "You said you want to cook good food tonight, eh?" - He mumbled in a strange, suffocated tone, making you frown. - "Does that mean that I usually don't cook well enough for your standards, or..."

"I've never said that your food is bad." - Now, you were both standing straight, looking each other in the face. - "What I meant by 'good food' is 'special dinner, you dumbass. I was thinking of shrimp with a lemon-garlic sauce or something like that, something with a LOT of vitamins. Mostly because Swede mentioned scurvy recently and I don't wanna watch him pulling out his teeth, okay? That's what you do to celebrate a birthday - you have a fun time and some special food." "So, you think my food is good?" - Roach asked indecisively, making you sigh as you closed your eyes. You only decided to celebrate Buttons' birthday half an hour ago and all of it was already causing you high levels of stress. But even though all the thoughts you had, you made yourself smile and nod. - "Of course. I love your food. Now, for the love of God, help me with picking everything we need."

Jim's trading spirit came in handy eventually. You and Roach stood behind them, watching them and the vendor spitting various Spanish hisses at each other; it almost looked like there was an argument in the air, but then the vendor smiled and started laughing. Jim, clearly taken aback by that, pointed at him and looked your way, making all of you laugh uncomfortably as well (even if you and Roach had zero ideas what was it about). He gave you everything you needed for a very low price, which was something you were endlessly grateful for. As Roach and Jim picked up the goods packed into two sackcloth bags, you handed the vendor the promised tiara; it was quite big, made out of silver, decorated with big pieces of some very valuable green stone.

All three of you made it back to the ship significantly earlier than the rest of the crew, making Izzy just watch you with a respectful furrow. As soon as you were off the radar, you walked into the kitchen and started preparing the cake as well as the dinner. Looking at the sun, you had about 3 hours to finish all the chores if you wanted any chance of actually celebrating Buttons' birthday. Even before the other got back, you already started with cleaning the deck from various bird droppings spread all over it. Roach was almost furiously cooking 2 dishes at once, baking bread and cake, and even Jim themselves joined the efforts; they were cleaning up the upper deck. Izzy was watching all three of you suddenly working furiously, but he didn't find any reason to scold any of you (which was weird, since he always found at least one vile remark that he spat right into your face).

Later that afternoon, when everyone got back and started finding their chores, you found yourself on the deck, folding the rigging. Pete was just polishing the cannons (and he didn't miss a single spot) and Frenchie was more or less just... Hanging around, holding his old and broken lute. "Oi." - Pete exclaimed suddenly, looking at Frenchie. - "Sing us something and we'll join." - He asked, shooting a gaze your way. Naturally, you didn't protest against it, you simply nodded; by this point, it was normal for you to sing while doing your chores since it always seemed to flow much quicker that way. Sometimes, when you were all bored out of your minds, you just laid around and Frenchie sang you random snippets from all the songs and shanties he knew, making you either continue from where he stopped or guess the name of it.

As Pete asked, Frenchie did. First, he was just playing random chores, watching as you stopped yourself in your tracks, listening into it. When he stopped for a moment, you simply smiled and shook your head. - "Eliza Lee. You are making it easier and easier on me, Frenchie. Give me a challenge, come on." "Maybe it's just because you know all the songs by heart now, eh?" - The man answered with a snicker, making you grin as he sang the first words of the song. Both you and Pete soon joined him while finding your tasks; you tapped your foot in the rhythm of the song while Pete clapped his thigh.

Since you were so preoccupied with singing and tapping your foot, you didn't even notice Buttons creeping up behind you, watching all three of you. When you finished Eliza Lee and Frenchie started to play other chords, you straightened your back and muffled a scream into your forearm; Buttons was right behind you with his eyes wide open and head tilted in the most Buttons way possible. Putting your palm on your chest, you closed your eyes and turned away, breathing the shock away. The man always did this to you; you couldn't understand how someone could be as quiet and sneaky as Buttons was, but he crept on you each and every fucking time, giving you a heart attack.

"You need to stop doing that, Jesus fucking Christ." - You muttered, still breathing through the scare. You were sure that Buttons is making you freak just for the fun of it at this point; there wasn’t no way around it, he was just doing it for his own pleasure. This time, though, he was watching you without blinking for so long that you figured out he has something on his mind. - “What’s on your mind? Did I fold the rigging wrong or something?”

“Naye.” - Buttons said decisively, making you alerted. Sure, you two never got along that much, but he usually came after you to show you how to do all that ‘sailor’ stuff right; it was him who showed you some of the basic tricks just so the crew would avert Izzy’s two-hour-long monologue about how lazy and useless all of you are. It was rather rare to have Buttons just come to… Have a chat. Or anything like that. “Olivia just wanted me to tell ye she likes ye singin’ shanties. All of ye. And she ain’t wrong in this kind of stuff, I like it too. It reminds me of the good ol’ days when I was young.” - With a hum, you nodded and mumbled a quiet ‘Fair’, looking away. So at least he acknowledged he isn’t the youngest as well, good to know. But then, out of nowhere, you opened up your lips and looked Buttons in the eyes, gasping as if you’d just discovered the Lost Arc.

“You like it when we sing?” - You asked in disbelief, staring at him with aggression. “Aye.” - Buttons nodded, opening his mouth. He knew you weren’t a sailor and that you had a lot of shit to learn, but he never noticed that you were also partially deaf. - “That’s what I just told ye.” “You like it when we sing.” - You repeated frantically, catching his forearm in your palm and squealing into the sky above you happily. This erased all your problems with not knowing what to give him; the crew could sing a song of his choice, appropriate to the dramatic tint of the moon backing. - “Hallelujah. Thank you, Buttons. Thank you.” - And after you pecked his cheek quickly, you ran off to the kitchen, telling Roach the good news. Buttons didn’t bring himself to move though; this behavior of yours was rather suspicious when he compared it to the way you usually behaved. Usually, you’d end the conversation as soon as it started and you wouldn’t touch him in no way. So he looked at Frenchie, motioning his head in your direction.

“Did someone jinxed her?” - The man hissed in a quiet, sinister tone, his eyes popping out of his skull even more now. - “I’ve seen it before. That’s how ye behave when ye jinxed… Or worse… Cursed.” “Y/N isn’t cursed, don’t worry.” - Pete defended you, almost laughing at the accusation. He did his best not to start howling, and so did Frenchie, who barely contained his grin as he leaned into the wooden railing innoncently, humming another melody. - “She’s just very excited. That gal is glad someone finally acknowledged how well she sings, isn’t she?” - He called out to Frenchie while putting another piece of wax onto the heated-up cannon. “Oh, yes.” - Frenchie nodded with a matching sense of drama; it wasn’t that far off. You knew the words now and your voice was much higher than theirs; naturally, it sounded very nice when you sang with them. - “She loves praises. Especially from a wise man like yourself.”

And as Buttons walked away, he eyed Olivia with raising suspicion - he didn’t remember any of them being so nice to him in a long, long time. Something was about to go down and because it was Buttons, he didn’t like being in the dark.

Later that night, you delivered the usual batch of tea to Edward; he seemed to be in a good mood that night. As usual, the cabin was nicely tidied up and he himself was also well taken care of. He groomed his stubble, combed his hair, and wore a nice, easy smile on his lips. As soon as he noticed your jolly mood, he knew that something must’ve happened to get you this thrilled. You were humming a song as you put the tray down, sitting in the enormous plush chair opposite him.

“It was Harbor day today, wasn’t it?” - The man asked with a huff of laughter and you nodded happily, sipping on the hot tea as you gently tap your foot accordingly to the rhythm playing inside your head. “It’s now 13 to me and 0 to Izzy, not that I’m counting.” - At that, both of you chuckled. Edward knew precisely what you were talking about; Izzy’s never-ending endeavors and efforts to sell you off. Now, Edward wasn’t as keen on selling you as he was a few weeks ago, but he still didn’t have the talk with Izzy. He was putting off the argument as long as he humanly could, as usual for him. - “And the entire crew had lunch in a local pub. That was also pretty fun. Not the part when all of them debated about the most common mortality, but the rest was lovely.”

“Sounds like a great fucking Harbor day. Would you give me a hand here?” - Edward asked and pushed one of his maps towards you, showing you a trading route located not too far from where you were at the moment. With a hum, you picked the map up, trying to read in it. - “It’s a Dutch trading route, an old one. Which could mean that they’ll be less vigilant since they sailed there millions of times and nothing happened… Yet. The Dutch are usually harmless and even more stupid than my men, so it should raise the spirits. Waddaya say?"

You continued to stare at the paper for quite a bit, almost making Edward believe that you were really thinking about the question he asked you. As time passed, the more trust you gained from him, the more he trusted you with sharing his future plans. Now, you probably knew more than Izzy himself, which was pretty hard to believe; Edward couldn't quite believe himself, to be honest. He already went this route and where did it get him? His heart was broken in shambles, his spirits salvaged to bits, and into a deep depression and letargy. And yet, here he was again.

His reasoning behind all of this was pretty simple as well - he was worried sick about losing your company if you'd find him too boring. It was already a surprise that you still managed to find topics to talk about and stories to share. In Ed's mind, entrusting you with his plans, was a way not to only show you respect and trust, but to also keep you occupied while spending time with him. But that night, something was different. You quite literally stared through the old, ragged map, and yet, it could be seen that you barely remembered a single piece of information as you mumbled. - "Pete and Roach will be thrilled. You know how they get all giddied up and excited about torturing people. John would love to blow something up, he hadn't got his fingers on gunpowder in weeks."

"You're not entirely here tonight, are you, Y/N?" - Edward asked silently, rolling the map and putting it aside. With a sweet smile, you had to shake your shoulders while leaning closer to him. "I learned that tonight is Buttons' 600th basking in the moonlight." - With that, you wiggled your eyebrows as if that was supposed to mean anything meaningful to Edward. He tried to at least act interested before taking in a long breath.

"That's... That's a lot of basking in the moonlight?" - He tried to guess. "It also means that it's his 50th birthday!" - You exclaimed. - "So, we decided to throw him a little party, to celebrate with him." "Why would anyone celebrate fucking birthday? Shouldn't he be already, yannow?" - With that, Edward pretended to have a noose around his neck, hanging on it. - "Fifty years old! Heh. That's an awful age, I'll tell you that much. Don't people die in their thirties nowadays?" "Yea, they die at the of thirty because of plague, cholera, starvation, or leprosy - I've heard it all today, Edward, I don't need to hear it again. The point is..." - You stopped him before he could go on an extended rant about how old Buttons was. - "The point is that Buttons is your bird guy, a deserving sailor, and a wise pirate on top of that. I think the celebration will be good not only for him but also for the crew. It will... Bring us together. I think this would be the ideal day..." - You leaned in, setting the cup of tea aside, looking him in the eyes as you caught his palm in yours. - "Ideal day to finally leave the cabin and join us. They will be so happy to see you, mainly Buttons and Pete."

By the look on his face, you could say that you just hit a nerve, so you tightened the grip a bit. The look of a small, terrified boy was back in an instant; you have seen it so rarely nowadays that you almost forgot what it looks like. Edward's breathing got shallow and quick while his eyes looked into yours. His palm was trembling and the color of his face and cheeks vanished. "Just think about it, okay?" - Now, you were whispering, putting your other palm on top of his as well. - "Truth is... I... I would love to see you there." - You barely noticed the change in his gaze as you picked yourself up, leaving the room. Just before closing the room, you gave him one last encouraging smile as you then proceeded to make your way into the kitchen.

You would love to have him around for the celebration? This gave everything a new, fresh air - now he had something to fight his anxiety with, this might've been his exit strategy. Edward had a reason to leave the cabin, to spend time with his crew, and to bond just like they did before... When Stede was still aboard. With confusion, he turned around and looked at the painting of the lighthouse. You, on the other hand, were busy finishing the preparations - the cake was ready and it was looking even better than you'd imagine. Since you didn't have any candle on board, you carefully stuck a piece of cannon fuse on top, choosing Wee John to be the one who lights it up if he promises not to destroy the cake. The dinner was also prepared and it was exactly like you and Roach envisioned it. The shrimp with the sauce and rice looked fucking delicious, you had to say.

Most of the crew was now hiding in the subdeck, trying to warm up their vocal cords - Frenchie was choosing random songs, making you sing all the notes and words perfectly. Jim was fucking annoyed to sit through this and even had a murderous gaze on their face; but they couldn't make themselves walk out upon seeing your, Pete, and Roach's enthusiasm. When the sky got finally dark enough, you moved to the kitchen; Swede and Olu grabbed the tray with old mugs and a bottle of good wine you haggled while you and Pete picked the cake up, letting John hold the fuse in the air. Walking on the deck, you were all giggling like little kids doing something naughty. That was also where Izzy stopped all of you, making everyone stare at him.

"What the fuck you think you're doing?" - The man asked and pointed his arms at you. The blood froze in your veins; you worked so hard for this... If this fucking asshole destroys it... - "That old moron is running around naked as a newborn, the dinner wasn't served yet, I doubt that you finished your duties, you fucking twats, and what's this?" -The men stepped closer, looking at the cake unbelievably. - "A cake? A fucking cake. So this is what you were doing all fucking day? As soon as the captain gets to know, hooo-hooo..." - The man started cackling devilishly, pulling the sleeves of his black shirt up. You were in deep shit, weren't you? All of that for nothing, heh? "You shouldn't be so hasty, Izzy." - A tired, ironic voice came from above you, from where the rudder was. Hearing it, you closed your eyes and started laughing quietly, thanking all the Gods. Edward was leaning into the railing nonchalantly, smirking down at his entire crew. - "They asked me beforehand. Let them be." - "But captain..." - Izzy objected, having Ed frown in a very nasty way. He was fucking scary.

In the end, Izzy moved out of the way. Quickly, you and Edward exchanged quick glances accompanied by a warm smile, before you moved on. You found Buttons and Livy near the rudder, as usual; he was already half-naked, chanting, and his board was attached to the railing. Edward was soon to follow you, passing Izzy as he mumbled 'these fucking morons will lead me to fucking madness'. As you all waited for Buttons to exit the trance as he chanted, Jim walked to the captain, bowing a bit. - "Will you be celebrating with us?" "No, I came to stare at his naked ass." - Edward answered with irony, making Jim raise their eyebrows. With a burst of quiet laughter, he patted their shoulder. - "That's why I'm fucking here. Y/N invited me to come." "I'll go for one more mug for toast then, captain." - They were giving him a calm, warm and big smile; the crew was still appreciating that he joined, even if they didn't tell it right away. - "Should I ask your right hand if he wants to join us?" "Negative." - He dismissed immediately; Izzy was upset at that moment, like a little kid who had his favorite toy confiscated by their mother because they were too naughty. - "He'll sulk for a bit but he'll join as soon as he feels like it."

If Frenchie hadn't sneezed, Buttons would probably never noticed you. As he stared at the entire crew just standing there, his gaze was getting more and more intense. "Waddaya want?" "You told me it's your 600th moonlight basking today. And Y/N calculated that it means it was your 50th birthday as well." - Pete explained, motioning towards the cake in your arms. - "We also wanted to be a part of your special basking." "Aye." - Buttons nodded, watching you all in horror. - "Why would I care about me birthday, eh? I should be dead by now, people die in their thirties nowadays." - The man continued; but then he noticed your expression getting sadder and sadder with each second. That was why you all acted so weird that day? Because you planned him a surprise and were all excited about it? That's what the damn kiss meant? Damn it, he couldn't just tell you to fuck off now, could he? - "That's nice of ye. All of ye." - With that, Livy landed on his shoulder. - "What am I supposed to do now?"

And just like that, the jolly mood was back on again; first, Buttons blew the fuse while John was holding it, having you all laugh and clap as a party of little children. Then, each of the members toasted to Buttons, having Izzy joined as well. Edward was delighted to be outside of his cabin. The night air was a bit cold with a hint of salt and it felt so fucking... Refreshing. The sea was calm, the sky was clear... On top of that, it was so nice to watch all of you interact and chit chat, and laugh at one another's toasts and jokes. Yet then, everyone got quiet as you stepped forward with a shy smile, looking at Buttons.

"And, as a gift, we'd love you to choose a song that we'll sing for you since we didn't come up with anything else." "So that was the awful screeching coming from the subdeck." - Izzy whispered in Edward's direction, quickly putting the cup in front of his lips so wouldn't see him talking. - "Your angels were singing. Wouldn't you look at that?" - "Excuse me? Do you want us to sing about whales? Are you sure?" - You said at the same time, making both the man pay you full attention once more. - "You heard the man, gentlemen, and Jim." - You sighed, walking back to your crew to join them. Frenchie stepped in front of all of you as your conductor, tapping his foot, and having you all repeat after him. - "What are they signing?" - "No idea."

But soon, Frenchie sang the first words of the first verse, having you all join him during the chorus. - "Soon may the wellerman come, to bring us sugar and tea and rum. One day, when the tonguing is done, we'll take our leave and go." - And to both of their surprise, the harmony sounded really good, just as well as the rhythm. Your, Swede's, and Jim's voices were very high and velvety compared to the voice of Wee John and Pete, for example. You and Jim even stomped from foot to foot, swinging your hips. Just when Buttons got completely naked, just as you expected, you turned away to look at Edward with excitement, stomping on your way to him, mumbling the verse Frenchie was singing. As you offered him your palms, another verse came. The captain quickly looked at his crew before he reluctantly caught your palms back, having led him next to the ruddle while still singing the song. Just as the last chorus came, Edward noticed you were leading him to Buttons' board and while singing the words, you leaned in and whispered. - "Live a little. Happy backing in the moonlight, captain." - And with that, you stepped off the board, making Edward fall down into the warm, salty water as well. At first, he was irritated and almost angry with you; he was looking at you with confusion and fury in his eyes, his lips were sealed and he was ready to snap as soon as you look at him. Yet when you laughed, looking at him with sparks in your eyes and splashed water his way playfully, all the anger just... Defused inside of him.

More so, he could feel himself freezing on the spot as he heard the crew clapping and laughing, watching both of you covered in the moonlight. It didn't take long enough for Pete to jump after all of you, laughing and screaming while doing so; Jim seemed to have the most fun with it, though. They rolled up their sleeves, dramatically approached the board, and reached out for Olu's palm while 'fainting', laughing as they hit the water. But Edward wasn't able to look away from you. How beautiful you really were? And why didn't he see it all before? Would he even notice it if he wouldn't come out of the cabin to oversee Buttons' celebration?

The man could feel his heart warm up a bit, he felt the corners of his mouth twitching as he almost started to smile at you. This would be the most genuine, felt-through smile he had given to anyone after months of solitude, but it would surely expose everything on his mind. Therefore, he just nudged your shoulder, making you cackle devilishly. "I'm dying of hunger. Want to see all the special delicacies that we cooked today?"

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s-blast92 · 1 year

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i need an excuse to talk about my ocs

#Agent 4 is typically seen as the crackhead of the group right. Aero is the opposite of that #hes quite reserved and exceeded in school just like canon but he is cautious and likes thinking about his next move #Idk what peoples thoughts are on N3 but Tri is pretty chaotic and does stir up trouble for his own entertainment #zach is a very sociable squid but in the stoner type way (he is completely sober all the time)#onyx is quiet but isn't afraid of people #onyx's personality is complicated. hes a loner but he isnt at the same time? he also isnt the must be protected trope #that man can stand up for himself in any scenario #to add on more things he's very soft when hanging out with aero #halfrim musings

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minaakirarikou · 1 year

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When a shadow monster Also have Crackhead and humor to

(Lil' fact, she's a Secret Young idol)

(Idk who is the dancer) @liviavanrouge

(pick whoever you want in this)

Arian: okay let's dance and maybe a proper way, okay?

Livia: Right!

Jiǎohuà: (Dance properly who?)

Also jiǎohuà:

Livia: *Dying of laughter*

#twisted wonderland #crackhead scenario #oc

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jeonride · 10 months

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mingi reading list / fic recs !

don't forget to like + reblog fics that you like to support the authors <3

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FICS ! ✧*

Counting Stars (smut, also so fucking fluffy & soft you'll get butterflies) by @min-gis

My Way (fluff, angst, suggestive, bodyguard!mingi) by @sorryimananti-romantic

We Fell in Love in August (fluff, smut, brother's bestfriend!mingi) by @mingigoo

The Library Illusion: The Temple Guardian (smut, fantasy, naga!mingi) by @kwanisms

Inked Up (tattoo artist au, smut) by @huihuiheart

Nothing Compares To You (smut, fluff, established relationship) by @noramoons

Slow Down (smut, established relationship) by @strawberryya

Thique (smut, fluff) by @gojosnympho

Numb My Pain (smut, friends to lovers) by @yeonjuns-beanie

Bound In Blood (smut, angst, fated lovers au, vampire!mingi) by @nateezfics

Grant Me The Light (smut, angst, a lil' fluff, dystopian au) by @mingiswow

Skinny Dipping (smut, fluff, gentle dom!mingi) by @byuntrash101

For Me (smut, fluff, angst, sugar daddy au) by @hwanchaesong

Late Night (smut, fluff) @binniesbobastay

Sexual Feeling (smut) by @robyn-core

Jealous (2/2) (smut) by @cyberpxnk

Such A Tease (smut) by @call-me-bha

See Me After Class (angst, smut) by @ateezreactionsandscenarios

Use Me (smut, angst) by @hwaightme

Punishment + Dacryphilia (smut) by @hongism

Sour (smut, angst. with continual parts and different endings) by @itsbeeble

Kinkuary 21 (smut) by @kwanisms

DRABBLES / SCENARIOS ! ✧*

written by @min-gis :

i've never felt alone with you (smut but also so fucking fluffy & soft i got butterflies)

12.27 am (smut, fluff!)

written by @mimgi :

and you're here (smut but also so fluffy i'm cryin) by

pretty please (smut, fluffy!)

wedding buddies (smut, fluff, fake dating au) by @idyllic-ghost

rainy morning (smut, established relationship, soft dom! mingi) @nateezfics

7.36 (smut, fluff) by @riboism

make up sex (smut, fluff) by @nateezfics

somnophilia (smut, lil' fluff?? ig) by @hanjisungs-bigtittyg0thgf

written by @ateezreactionsandscenarios :

thigh riding (smut, soft dom!mingi i'm cryin bc of how soft he speaks)

orgasm control (smut)

fingering (smut)

you're blushing (fluff) by @biaswreckingfics

written by @danihow :

fix you (fluff, simping, reader is mingis's spouse)

24 to 25 (fluff, dad!mingi)

face time (smut) by @byuntrash101

sleep habits (smut) by @cas-skz

the night doesn't belong to god (smut) by @straykids-97

obsession (perv!mingi) by @cybrsan

00.12 (smut, in which mingi wanted fem!reader to sit on his face) by @kwanisms

ungodly hour (smut) by @nabis-dreamscape-world

hard thoughts (smut) by @ateez-melody

22.36 (smut, fluff) by @star1117-archives

the star (smut, professor!mingi) by @flowerboykun

good morning (smut, fluff) by @mingisval

sixty-nine (smut) by @ocean-ai

written by @last-words-ofashootingstar :

sweet dreams (smut, sub!mingi)

don't make me beg (smut, sub!mingi)

use it (smut) by @a-soft-hornytiny

written by @ateezscupid :

random thoughts (smut, soft dom!mingi)

seductive (fluff, smut, crackhead energy)

hard hours : mingi eating you out (smut) by @soobberries

hard thoughts : kiss me thru the phone (smut, fluff) by @kpopscruggles

cold coffee (smut) by @cyberpunkhwx

stop staring (fluff) by @blu-joons

dom!mingi x innocent!reader (suggestive) @/sluttywonwoo

choco ice cream (fluff) by @/woosluv

caramel popcorn (fluff, bestfriends to lovers) by @/leejungchans

model student (fluff, tutored!mingi) by @/itgetsquiet

"don't read that, the lyrics aren't ready yet" (fluff) by @/imaginidol

sick (fluff) by @/lovelyjaem

thoughts on mingi : fucking you for the first time (nsfw, fluffy) by @/minranghae

1K notes · View notes

whoslibby · 4 months

Text

you worked in some meaningless office job in the middle of london, you took the bus to work every morning just due to how much simpler it was than having a car. it was like any other public transport; the school kids thinking they were better than everyone else, the old crackhead no one dared to speak to, and the few ‘normal’ ones.

the bus was pretty hectic, and by the time you’d get on in the morning you’d have to sit by this man. you never spoke to him but you had an arrangement. he’d see you get on in the morning and move his bag to let you sit down.

you had to admit he looked pretty terrifying, he had a skull balaclava and was easily 6”4 or maybe 6”5. man of very little words but that suited you fine. it was a twenty minute bus ride not a date.

this was your routine for months, one morning he wasn’t there. for a week he didn’t get on the bus and you felt a little sense of sadness, missing him. he was your unofficial bus buddy.

but after that annoying week of trying to figure out what happened he was back on the bus. you couldn’t help but ask him, ‘where were you?’ you say in a mutter to not seem too interested.

‘work trip, love,’ he let out in a gruff barely taking notice of you. that made sense, well it’s not like he would lie to you but still felt embarrassed. it was such a plausible scenario that you were concerned on how you didn’t think he was on a work trip.

maybe it was his demeanour that intrigued you so you began saying morning to him, he’d say the same and the two of you would sit in silence until he’d mutter a bye when you left.

you learned that his name was to be ghost or simon. choosing him to call him simon as ghost sounded a little ridiculous. he found out your name and thought it was the most adorable thing (he kept that bit to himself though).

after a while he did become one of the reasons you went to work just to see him on the bus ride every morning. wasn’t long until you got his number just to text casually. odd way to meet on a bus but it was cute nonetheless.

#jj talks #simon ghost x reader #ghost x reader #simon ghost riley #ghost mw2 #ghost cod #ghost #cod x reader #cod mwii #cod mw3 #cod #cod mw2 #cod modern warfare #x reader

710 notes · View notes

liaarxse · 9 months

Note

tr boys when y/n has issues accepting that they actually do love her

Yesterday, today and tomorrow

Characters: Nahoya Kawata, Manjiro Sano, Kazutora Hanemiya

Warnings: Fluff, a bit of angst in Kazutoras part

A/n: Literally pulled out the biggest smile when I saw this request. Also, yes, Nahoya again. I just love writing for him. idk why (cuz he a crackhead)

P.s: Remember, it was said multiple times that Toman doesn't hurt women, sunshines. Don't think they'd break your precious hearts. They'd be just a bit hard to deal with <3

—NAHOYA KAWATA

Okay, we've all seen that one best/worst boyfriend chart our friend Ken Wakui made.

Personally, I threw a fit when I saw who were the worst.

Then I thought about Nahoya. He seemed a bit like a fuck boy, you get what I mean? Yeah, no.

Then I thought about it again

I examined the post a bit more after I found it in English and read what Takemichi said. If Mikey and Kazutora would be the top worst because they're reckless, Nahoya would obviously be even tamer

So personally, I believe Nahoya is in the top three just because he has a carefree type of living way. Like, he isn't scared of fighting, killing, and all. I mean, he probably IS scared to kill but doesn't show it.

How's he a red flag again? I don't believe them.

But for one, he'd never cheat on you. He'll be loyal as hell. Maybe if he wasn't in a relationship in one of the time skips where it showed the top members he'd fuck around with chicks (straight hair grown up Nahoya gives me fuckboy energy), but since the change and he's now working with his brother In their ramen shop? Get that thing out of your head.

Because for him to get in a relationship, he must dearly love and respect you.

Keep in mind that he also has to trust you since, in one way, if you're not to be trusted and/or are somewhat dangerous, he's putting his brother in danger as well.

But that's besides the point.

He loves you.

It's painfully obvious

He protects you, he trusts you, he spoils you in his own ways

He loves you

Maybe it's past relationship trauma that causes you to think it's all a facade

Which brings us to today's scenario

You're in Nahoya's room since his brother is out all day and you didn't bother to fix yours

You were looking around his room while he was testing the new straightener you got him since his broke

Examining the objects around you, your eyes land on a frame right above his toman uniform. It was of you two

You wondered why he would frame such a picture on the wall over his gang uniform. You mostly didn't like it because you hated the way you came out in the picture

Getting off his bed, you walked over to the opposite wall and stared at the picture for a good minute

Nahoya noticed that from the reflection on the mirror in front of him, but his smile just grew a tad bit more and returned to straightening his hair

You pursed your lips together in thought and reached to grab it

"Oi!" He exclaimed with a giggle. "Hands off."

You flinched when he suddenly spoke and turned to him with a raised brow

"What? Why?"

"Because," He turned around to face you. "I know you'll throw the pic away."

You weren't going to lie. If you stared at it for a bit more, you would've made the paper rip itself. You hated how you came out!

"But I look horrible!"

"I know." He laughed, but it quickly died down to a chuckle when he saw you glaring at him. "I'm kidding, babe. You look hella cute!"

You quickly turned around to hide the blush that appeared on your face. Crossing your arms, you were still staring at the picture

Being too caught in the act, you didn't realize when Nahoya finally finished straightening his hair and came up to you. He loosely wrapped his arms around your waist and rested his chin on your shoulder, mockingly copying your slightly frustrated face

You noticed that and rolled your eyes with a soft groan, which earned you some snickering from him. He pressed a kiss to your cheek before nuzzling his own to yours

"Why did you frame this?"

"Because it's special."

"How is it special?" Your voice grew confused. It's just a picture, nothing much

"Reminds me of the main reason I never give up."

Your blood went cold. What?

"What do you mean by that?"

"You're my main priority, babe. You, your safety, your smile." He chuckled at how cheesy he sounded. "That's why I framed us right over my gang uniform. Every time I have to change for a brawl or even just a meeting, I'm reminded of the smile that will greet me in the end and will always be there."

That didn't sound like Nahoya. For a moment, you even thought if that wasn't just some doppelganger

Until he smacked your ass

Yeah that's him

He loves you, and without realizing it, he just made all your problems fade away

Looking at the picture now, maybe, just maybe, it isn't as bad as you thought it was.

+ Your little twin girls found the picture in some box while playing and made fun of how you both looked. It was never to be seen again. It was under your mattress

— KAZUTORA HANEMIYA

So. Second worst boyfriend on the list.

Let's be honest, if your love language is quality time this won't work

Not that he won't want to spend time with you, but Juvenile? Sorry baby, they stole him from you

Kazutora loves you so much. He'd kill for you, and he'll die for you. No questions asked. He once even tried to break out from Juvenile because he couldn't take being far away from you anymore.

You visit him every day for as long as you can, bringing him gifts, telling stories, saying how much you miss him

But sometimes you wondered, does he love you?

"Baby!" A happy Kazutora exclaimed when you finally entered the meeting room and waited for you with a happy smile to sit down, on the opposite side of him, thick glass keeping you both separate.

"Hey, baby." You chuckled, adjusting in your seat.

It wasn't a lie how excited he was every day to see you. Sometimes, like today, he'd make you small diy gifts and show them off to you, explaining every minor detail from the inspiration, materials, hidden message, time taken, everything

And you kept them all on a special separate shelf in your room

"So that's my gift for you today! Do you like it?"

"I love it, 'Tora."

It was a small origami rose, which was actually very well made, considering he had to use his imagination

You both talk for a few moments before the chattering died down. You knew what that meant and quickly wiped the already falling tears

You hated this

You hated how close yet how far he was from you

You just wanted to break the damn glass and embrace him, never letting go

And he damn well knows he wants it too

But he can't, and neither can you

He was recently taken in, 3 years ago

Which means he'll be out in 7 years

Which felt like a lifetime for both of you

His biggest fear was you'd find someone new and leave him

Which he wouldn't even be mad about, considering he just ruined both your lives

But you stay consistent, you visit every single day, and even if you don't manage to, you always send him gifts and make up for it when you see each other.

But people's patience runs out at some point, and that point is today

You never meant to say this

You never meant to question his love for you because you both knew it was there and growing every passing day

So why did you ask? Was it the loneliness you felt every time you stepped out of the room and he wasn't there by your side? Was it the thrust to just be able to hold his hand? Was it the pain you felt every night where, instead of saying goodnight to him, you turned to a frame with a photo of him and said it to it?

You didn't know. He didn't know

The only thing you remember after that was the sound of glass shattering, alarms going off, and Kazutora hugging onto you as if it was your last minute on Earth.

You just cling to him, never wanting to let go again

You felt the tears fall when he kissed you, feeling all his love attack you in that one moment before the guards arrived and took him away

Your little moment lasted around 10 seconds, probably even less, but it felt like eternity to both of you

Visits were banned for a week until they changed the glass into an even more thick and unbreakable one

You dashed to the building the second they opened visiting hours again

And to be fair, even if that cost him 4 more months in juvenile, it was worth it when you finally managed to continue with your lives after his sentence

+ Your younger son thought it was funny while your older daughter cried her eyes out. I think you have 3 kids instead of two.

— MANJIRO SANO

Ah, yes. Our favorite dark impulse.

Listen, Mikey has to have FULL trust in you to even think about dating you. We're talking about Draken type of trust, if possible even more.

If Mikey falls for you, he will hit like fucking bedrock

If you don't reciprocate his feelings, he'd be hurt, but if you do, you're stuck for life

Mikey loves hard, and it's been proven so many times

It's the same as Kazutora. He'd kill for you.

Don't make him prove it. Just don't. You know, he knows, and everybody knows Mikey will do anything for you

So why ever question it?

You loved Manjiro, and he loved you. It was way too obvious to the point Emma already planned your whole future together

You knew that, but you always had this 'what it' thought in the back of your head, messing with you and you hated it

It was a normal afternoon. You were out with Mikey, just roaming around the city, eating at restaurants where they don't have flags so you brought your home-made ones, and spending way too much money on things you don't need

It was fun and all, just spending time together until he got a message from Draken which quickly brought him to his senses

He didn't want to leave you, but he had, so with a quick kiss on the lips he was off

You waved him goodbye with a smile and called up Emma and the girl just magically teleported to you in 10 minutes

She just loves you too much

Probably fought with Mikey for your hand at some point

You were having a blast with her until you both finally settled down at a café and talked about, just, anything and everything

You decided to share your thought with Emma and she quickly jumped, reassuring you that Mikey loved you with all his hesrt

She started showing you messages he's sent her about how he felt, what to get you and all sorts of things

But our beautiful Emma had her own 'what if' thought and when Mikey got home she instantly jumped on him

It was like, 1am when you heard his bike's engine roaring from outside your window. You got up and were met with a smiling Mikey and no more sleep for tonight

"Wake up, sleepy head. We need to talk."

The moment you got down to him, you were already zooming through the streets of Tokyo, but not in a racer-fast manner, just enought so you aren't like slugs on the roads

"Emma told me that—"

"I'm sorry, Mikey... I didn't mean to—"

"Please let me finish."

He talked for like, a whole ass hour. About everything that includes you both.

He brought you to tears ngl

His words just hit so deep that the thought immediately disappeared

Maybe it was he words of affirmation he used, the quality time he spend riding all night with you to ease your worries, the gift he gave you when you watched the sunrise and the fact you woke up in your bed later on with a small letter from him and a chibi drawing of both of you at the corner that kept a smile on your face till the end of you days

And you damn well know you lived one long ass life with Manjiro

And I'm kinda surprised to be honest

Not because you could've died while he was in Toman or anything, but because your kid is 3 times worse than Mikey.

+ Your son found his old gang uniform and wore it to school. The next teacher-parent conference was one hell of a trip.