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littleroaes · 7 months

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Boys In Cat's Clothing pt.2 (100 note special), l.jy pt.1

— how the season that comes to change, takes his life with it. Strangers that passed him by has now come to effect his own life, paint it in colors and forms outside his own framework. And when his new found friend at the bakery, and a strange girl during the setting sun, asks him about love. He desperately wants to name the sensation in his heart, and hope that Y/n will too.

PAIRING ➤ lee juyeon x fem!reader

GENRE ➤ FLUFF, cat shapeshifter!juyeon, mutual pining(as always), clingy juyeon, juyeon just want to be loved, soft angst?(fight for your love!), Eric feature, cute jealousy, happy ending

WARNINGS ➤ none, proofread once so probably missed something!

WORD COUNT ➤ 8.7 k

AUTHOR'S NOTE ➤ it is here! Part two of boys in cats clothing plus three extra scenes! (The bonus scenes doesn’t have a specific timeline in their relationship) As pt.1, it isn’t much of a complicated story, just fluffy feels! Boys in cat’s clothing was my first story as littleroaes, so I took to the opportunity to celebrate it! Shoutout to @blue-rainydays and @from-izzy for cheering me on lol. I really went through it a couple of times, enjoy!

TAGGING @blue-rainydays for you my blue!!

“YOU'RE NOT TOGETHER” THE DOUGH FALLS BETWEEN THE FINGER GAPS DOWN ONTO THE SILVER COUNTER.

"Together?" Juyeon asks while he watches its color reminiscent of vanilla, fall to the center and spread from its mit.

“Yeah?”

The sunlight reflected in a specific window and the pattern of tiles he steps onto everyday, has become all the more familiar. At the start of his time at the bakery, he refused to go alone. Y/n woke up about an hour earlier than what the time on her squares in row told her to. It was all, just to let Juyeon out of the four walls that, at some point, crossed the line of customary and took his mind and forced it in full circles. So when she stood with him before the pink painted walls and windows from floor to ceiling, Juyeon became determined to come home and tell her everyday about his passionate way of life.

When Juyeon for the first time in his life stepped onto the wooden floor and heard the bell chime from above. He fell another centimeter closer to Earth. Before him, centered without need of a net, a guy similar to himself(Y/n being his reference). At the time, he behind the counter reached out his arm and waved to him from across the room. Another chime goes off before Juyeon forced his arm up in a rigid manner, greeted him in a voice stale, similar to bread in the open air for two weeks.

Y/n stood beside him, with gentle force pushing his side with her elbow. Juyeon looked down at that moment, but refuted back to his habits of scratching his nape and desperately giving Y/n his eyes curved so that every bit of sunlight passed through them.

Though, now, Juyeon has lost focus of the cream-white dot on the desk. Instead he has found interest in the youngest shirt. The highest point where the lines of his arm and shoulder meet. Fabrics and hands covered in flour. Eric’s blue gloves that shine with snow like flour and crystal sugar, reach out for the silk ribbon tied to his neck, allusive to a spring girl in middle school, her name being First Love. Juyeon’s eyes follow Eric’s finger, to the point below his chin, and back to his face.

“No…we’re not.” Juyeon’s lips, luscious as the green sprouts converting to rose petals in spring. To bring to touch the mark on his life. Juyeon, without gradual rendition, let his hands, painted in sugar, fall away from the ribbon without as much of an allude to the others essence.

“Why?” He asks while Eric finds his voice and demeanor to be of the angel on the right side of his shoulder.

”Should we be?” Juyeon, whose back falls a bit curved over the counter, shrinks even lower. All words articulated by him in this moment yearns for the youngest perspective on the world and the correct answers for the obviously wavering nature of his question. Eric abruptly loses focus on the dough again, and right as it comes out of his grip, the edge between his two fingers tear off. And the bell chimes when another colleague comes through the door. Somehow, when the colleague fades behind the door and Eric lets him wander, the bridge between their eyes is fully horizontal, with no diagonals.

“No…?” Eric knits his eyebrows, “you two just looked like it.”

The single corner piece that teared off, melts together with the essence without seems, when Eric starts shaping it once more. To force the cream-white fragile fragment in sphere shape, and all at once let Earth take a bit of the curve when it falls onto the tray. And Juyeon’s vision suddenly changes direction and once again, lands on his own work space. His arms hover over the counter, hands gently shape a crater-mit to watch space fill it up, and his red apron hangs above his knees. Just as Eric's question runs through the secret corners of his mind.

The curtains work as a filter for their screen to the outerworld. And how the TV radiates mellow blue shades throughout the entire room. The screen, with colors he didn’t know existed before, spread its blueprint onto the objects closest to it.

In the beginning, Juyeon couldn’t work out the change in ambience when the curtains were down. But he knows now, the exact position of the not so bright room, and therefore the light would shine through their secluded corner, if it wasn’t for the flimsy fabric separating the two.

On the rectangular screen, it has captured a picture of their own world and built it up with every pixel. But still, the camera shifts over the highly saturated landscape without details. With loss of this reality, their world is built with grain spots and rigid edges. The couple in this saturated world on the TV sits on a dark bench. How the camera stands in a slight high-point to capture crowns of the city beneath their feet. The camera angles itself for the audience to kindly discern the top part of her dress, most of the dull fabric is covered by her brown locks. The single shot drags on without dialog, she simply stares out over the loud space before her. Juyeon takes up his legs on the sofa, he squints his eyes and feels how that world calls him. The horizon reflects the lead's eyes, but somehow, something else, other than the city pours over them.

Finally, the two on TV bring their hands together as the sunlight, through all hills, clouds and man made structures, illuminates them. How the Earth and Sun have fallen into position, makes the two, on the bench seem even more destined.

Juyeon looks over towards Y/n.

Her face has the artificial light cast up on itself. Dialog on the TV fades to whispers of weather on a windy day. The fabric of her shirt makes a stark contrast against the fabric of the couch, and her hands hold her lower legs. As the scenery on the TV passes, the entirety of his attention follows the single details of her pupils intensely dissecting the TV world.

“Y/n?” Juyeon’s voice reaches her ears like the morning sun on a rain-covered leaf. How the smell of petrichor radiate a sense of belonging, his call compel her own existence to get a fragment of his own.

“Hm?” She faces him.

The words tail end somewhere in his throat and tears at the edge of his lips. Passing conversations in his new life crowds his mind. It pulsates deeply and torments the pressing surfaces. Juyeon closes his eyes. How the world becomes non-existent and the thoughts become less vivid, outlined and with colors.

At the same time, Y/n lies her eyes on his fingers. One starts to bother the left and she shifts herself closer to the full moon outside their window. And another star falls when they intertwine hands. Juyeon watches the couch mit, where their hands touch from above it. At the same time, his heart falters and it becomes a rhythm reminiscent of the clock during midnight. Y/n looks at him with immense eyes, how everything outside the four walls carrying them seize to exist.

His eyes look at hers with a fluorescence sort of filter, complete with yearning, “Y/n, what does it mean to be ‘together’?”

When the words leave his lips, it opens her heart as a flower visualizing the world for the first time in spring. But as it does that, Y/n force the petals to compulse, seem itself from the world like it has never existed. His eyes with curiosity refuse to leave her own. And the effect arises as her eyes change direction of the room and legs fall to the floor to touch the rug beneath them.

While her vision casts itself in every direction, it lands on the TV screen, “It’s like them.” Y/n points at it. How the scene before them portrays them in a landscape so dull and devoid of color, but as one has their chin on their palm at the other mirror, the person over the table in their rectangular vision must be vivid of colors.

“Caring and comforting the other and receiving the same love back.” Y/n nods and looks back at Juyeon. To stare at a different world with a tilted head and let it be the answer to its questions. His eyes fall back to Y/n. In moments of understanding his new life, Juyeon wears this demeanor, similar to his true form.

“Like us?”

How his face sparkles in light. Another light that makes the natural shadows, highlights of the world and its fabricate stand as desolate. Juyeon’s essence is in this novel moment and her words, trapped in glass. Even when the spotlights are off and the sun has fallen under Earth, Juyeon still makes out the faint rosy pigments forming under her eyes. Just as she observes the rug beneath them and scratches her head, Juyeon’s back straightens and his arms in his lap become aligned, symmetrical to the other beside it.

Back when he took the first step into her house and he started asking questions that had Y/n inspecting things in her own home. Juyeon genuinely believed she fell in curiosity over the details of her life. That rosy stains, abrupt silence, and eyes diverting towards the corners of the room was a language of interest in daily life. But as one kept passing the other each morning sun and he gently started through the looking glass, into the people like her. Juyeon realized that the pattern in her behavior, that the out-of-world state wasn’t a deep concentration of understanding, rather, his own life’s effect on her.

The moment that euphoria came crashing right through him, his eyes fell and he moved closer to Y/n. Asked her with great eyes and slight forward posture if he keeps making her sick like this. If the rosyness on her face will spread to her inner self and contaminate every part of her body until she can’t breathe. Y/n got even redder by that at the time, and described with overlapping words and unclear hand motions. By somehow, Juyeon understood her colors are not a bad thing, not what they are, but it’s something positive, because of him.

Therefore, he smiles endearingly when she faces the flower vase on the table.

“No-I-not like us.”

His face drops in an instant, and Y/n purse her lips in and forces her eyes closed. It all sets as a desperate and pained expression in the dark complex of the night.

“We love each other a lot right?” She opens up her arms, “And there different types of love.” Y/n sighs before she continues, “All of them are good, and we describe them differently.“ ”‘Together’ is just not ours.”

The atmosphere from before has shifted. The moment Y/n put an end to her sentence, a wind came opening the two windows and a cold, winter season lies over the room. Y/n’s left hand starts scratching the edge of her right nails. The distance between them seems even further, though it’s just 50 centimeters. For a moment, Y/n looks up towards him, his face speaks of someone looking out into the fading distance when the Earth’s collapsing. She bites her lip and looks away. Them on the TV, talk about love and a single sentence runs between the silence in their apartment.

Could I be yours forever?

Y/n coughs before she stands up. The controller lies on the coffee table and reaches out for it.

“We should sleep right, you need to work well tomorrow too.”

Juyeon looks up from his spot on the couch beneath her. Her smile like it always is, making flowers grow in cold seasons or convert light when all the sources of the world withers. When she looks at him like that, all in this moment, an unfamiliar feeling runs through him. Sensations he can’t connect back to either his new or old life. Y/n comes closer and pet his head.

“Let’s go to sleep.”

Juyeon’s hand pushes his own weight off the couch, without words, he takes a step away from the warm spot. As won’t take his hand in hers, Y/n take one step closer and gently lace them. To walk towards the bed and wrap themself in fabrics.

“Good night, Juyeon.” Y/n whispers. The yearning for an answer coats her heart as one second fabricates onto another. And when she opens her mouth to whisper it again, Juyeon returns the sentence in a voice devoid of that serene tulip feeling she gets every time he speaks.

How the room falls in complete silence. Despite the sheet forcing warmth to cling to the abundant parts of her body, a coldness from the window pierce right through it. Y/n looks over towards Juyeon, to face nothing but his hair. As the moon motions over the sky, the right side of the matter becomes lighter. The fabric falls towards the mattress surface and he on the other side is now so small to fit on the pillow instead.

And when the rain starts falling on their windows, Y/n can only feel that it’s her heart making motions over Earth. But despite storms and endless puddles forming on the street corners. Y/n put a bandaid on her inside, meanwhile forcing tape onto her own mouth and tie ropes on her wrist. There is a thought. That has been folded into the deepest part of her consciousness. That Juyeon’s affection, despite the adrenaline it gives her, is compatible with an innocent child confessing to their teacher. It is a part of growing up.

And the sunset stands at the lower end of the sky and spreads its vivid colors over the horizon. Y/n turn away from the painting-like view and stare at Juyeon’s expression when the orange shade leaks from the horizon line and bleeds throughout the ocean. The scenery to their right as they walk past unknown conversations, and couples with knitted hands. In the other end of two directions, are painted signs, booths and hangers of clothes in shades reminiscent of the scene beside them.

“Should we get something to eat?” Y/n looks up at Juyeon who returns the same expression with, in contrast, a lowered head. To stand at the railing over the ocean edge as he nods. She smiles and releases his hand to walk towards the booth with a blue fabric sign and smoke escaping from the open points. Though, one step from his being, and his hands come back to her own. She looks behind her again and sees his immense eyes looking back at her as if watching disarray. Together with how his hand consoles her own like he misses it.

“I need to buy it.” Y/n smiles.

“Can’t I go with you.” He takes a step closer while still holding her hand.

Y/n look at his eyes and slight pout. How the wind braids itself with his hair and takes it, but miserably fails, so it settles before his eyes. Y/n thinks of the near past, and remembers all decisions. How at this time in this space, herself one month ago would have sighed and gripped his hand a bit tighter. To secure him that there is never an empty space beside him. But as another moth went by and the moon changed its patterns, she came to think of his fragile heart and first discovery of the world around him. To let his person grow beautifully, he too should stand before Earth with his own feet. Look at its sides and discover its beauty, not her.

Y/n shakes her head, “Stay here, I’ll be back soon.” She pats his head and runs away. This time, Juyeon lets her hand escape his own.

For a second, Juyeon looked in the opposite directions of his surroundings. Life as complex as his own passes him as if it all is nothing. The faces of the people become stranger and they all merge into one. The very real presence of others makes him shake his head and concentrate on the back of Y/n’s figure and how she stands in the queue. A bit less than a minute and the sun has fallen another centimeter towards the water, in contrast to Juyeon who has stayed in the same space she left him in.

“Hey?” He feels a touch to the shoulder of his shirt. A girl stands beside him at the railing, staring at him with rather dull eyes. Juyeon turns behind him, but none of the people on the forever long railing turn to face her.

“Hey?” She says again and Juyeon points at himself.

“Yeah, you.” She nods and his eyes widens.

“My friend thinks you’re cute.”

The girl five centimeters beneath him wears an expression contrasting to the sun's drowned path. Juyeon watches her, who shows no emotions, therefore he slowly brings his hands closer to his chest. To break eye contact with her, his eyes yearn for the person under the smoke and thin roof. But to his heart that flows continuously and hands that grasp whatever’s familiar, she stands with her back towards him.

“So?” Her voice overpowers the incoming wind and the waves crashing against the edge. How her body stands frozen as they’ve stared at each other, but suddenly she releases her crossed arms and motions her shoulders. His hands tightly knitted together come even closer to his chest under the sweater. When she sighs quietly, Juyeon feels a rush to bring him one meter below where his eyes fall now. To become out of reach towards human emotions and run under the nearest flower pot.

“Yes or no?” She asks again. Juyeon’s eyes grow larger and the ends fall into a sort of curved motion. At this point, a white question mark has drawn itself over his head.

“Are you going out? Taking her number?” She looks over her shoulder and tilts her head towards the friend again, “You think she’s cute too?”

His eyes insist on keeping themselves open. To switch between hers and the girl’s presence underneath one tree. The two scenes start fading into one, colors leak into the other’s surface and the forms of the world become curved. Juyeon finally closes his eyes and feels the water accumulate on its end.

“Forget it.” The girl sighs. Her white shoes hit the wood beneath them. How her hair follows the motions of her heels turning the other direction from his.

A tension suspended to his shoulders, falters as Juyeon watches how her silhouette will falter from his vision. A bicycle passes him to grab his attention, and as it leaves the framed world, his eyes fall back on Y/n who talks with the person in white cloth behind the cart. At that moment, Juyeon’s hands let go of the other one and he takes for the first time one step closer to the other person leaving his sight.

“Can you help me with something?” The girl turns back to Juyeon standing with one hand over his nape.

She stays quiet for a few seconds.

“Sure,” she sighs, “what do you want?”

To search the world for phrases and listen to the conversations behind him, “Is that a good way to ask someone to be your girlfriend?”

Her eyes dissect his life and his inner self. It uncomfortably tickles his shoulders and withers his height.

“I mean…” He scratches his nape again, “what your friend did.” he clarifies.

The silence that comes after his questions is rather painful. Despite constant talking and surrounding them, it can’t save the dying air between them. The sunset is right between tier two silhouettes, but is all but magical.

“Yeah…” she looks at him weirdly, “I guess.”

“Okay.” He smiles brightly, “Thank you.”

“No problem.” The girl walks away with furrowed eyebrows.

Juyeon, paints and sculpts the world in his mind when the friend under the tree eagerly walks towards the other one. He doesn’t see how she waves her hand before her friend’s face and turns her back onto the sea.

When the sun has moved another centimeter down the horizon, Juyeon stands watching it falling towards its death. He hears footsteps become all the clearer from behind, and while smiling, he turns his back on the scene in order to become a background, and fully faces Y/n. In both her hands she holds a rectangular cardboard piece. The plate with its fascinating textures and worldly colors.

“Sorry it took some time.” She hands him one of the plates and Juyeon receives it with both hands.

“Did it go well?”

She watches how his head lifts when he stops staring at the food in his palms. A wind comes right the moment he looks up and catches some of his hair strands. A part of her heart drowns in the sunset when he smiles after her question. Juyeon nods so that his fringe follows his motions and Y/n reach her hand out for it. She forces one strand to the left and Juyeon watches her face as she does. Thereafter, Y/n follows the patterns of his hair and comes to the highest point. Her hand gently brings the strands down to his scalp, and Juyeon closes his eyes and brings his head down to her height.

“Eric?”

The youngest at the table looks up from his phone to see Juyeon with his arms folded over the table. Those eyes, immersive and bright from the sunlight behind the store window. Juyeon is slightly leaned over the white table and Eric, naturally, forces his eyes wider to mirror Juyeon before him.

“I need your help,” He says with seriousness. How Juyeon’s posture lean on the rest of his chair, and his eyes on a single point as if everything else has faded from him. Eric lets go of his phone fully, resting with the screen down against the white painted surface.

“What is it?” To fully reciprocate his question, he too leans forward. Eric’s full attention lands on his friend, even when the bell from the front door chimes, he won’t look away.

“You need to make me Y/n’s boyfriend.”

Juyeon watches how Eric’s posture sinks in the single second those words leave his mouth. That expression, Juyeon thinks. It's all evocative to the girl from the sunset ocean.

“Okay…?” He leans back into the chair, knitted eyebrows and a confused look towards him on the other side of the table. “Why?” Though, the question leaves his lips and his eyes observes Juyeon’s, a view of himself in bird’s eye perspective takes him off the back rest. Instead Eric leans forward again.

“Or I guess that’s obvious,” Eric says as Juyeon looks at him with hands in his laps, “Why can’t you do it on your own?”

Juyeon’s eyes across the table, looking at Eric himself, turned his back on God. At some point, Eric tilts his head and lifts one eyebrow. To live in the same apartment should be enough to find confidence in one's own relationship, he thinks. But as Eric finds no sympathy in Juyeon’s condition, the one with a confused way of looking at the world, earnestly shakes his head. Those eyes alone and the stare that reaches across the table, is enough to make Eric lean back again.

“It’s not the right way.” Juyeon still shakes his head. The palm of his hands land on the plastic surface of the white table.

Eric, once again, knits his brows and brings his arm to cross one under.

“There’s a ‘right’ way to do it?!”

Juyeon nods.

Eric sighs, his head directs itself towards the ceiling. One square of the white patterns sits two centimeters off its white border. His vision falls back to where it was before, and Juyeon once again becomes the center of it. Eric lets his hands drop from the cross over his chest and he asks;

“Okay, tell me then, what should I do?”

His hands in his lap. How his fingers have started to fiddle with the other and Juyeon is enchanted by the motions and fabrics that follow it, “You tell her that your friend thinks she’s cute.”

Eric stares with wide eyes, lost its vigor during the ten steps the minute visor has moved on the wall behind him. Another coworker passes them by, asking them to walk over to the counter to take the next person who chimes the bell. Eric watches how, the second those words leave the person's mouth, Juyeon stands up from his seat to face him, the one that gave them order fully. How the fabric of their aprons lifts when he who has them orders turn back to the colorless door three meters away. Juyeon looks back at Eric who still hasn’t stood up. Juyeon’s arm reaches to his mid tight, and they hang awkwardly there like decorations when he asks;

“Can you do it?”

Eric wonders whether the older guy before him has a dating life more depressing than the rusted bench outside the window, as he sits there. Or hold some sort of romantic power, too strong and creative for his simple mind.

“Sure, I’ll do it.”

Two friends sit in the inner corner of the room, right by the pink letters on the window. How the r&b playlist paints time in this space and to Eric, who stands at the register without current purpose, each word becomes distinct despite its faint presence. Eric watches the clock on the right side of the room. How the second visor completes another round of teh silver frame, and the minute visor lands on a perfect number. Behind him is another one of their workers in white apron, but Juyeon is nowhere to be seen. And before Eric leaves the register, the clear chime of the golden bell goes off and casts itself over the bakery.

He turns away from the backroom and sees Y/n wave at him from the white frame. A bag decorates her left shoulder and her hair in turn falls over the fabric straps. It is a slightly colder season than before, so with time, her clothes have gotten all thicker to protect the skin from the cold. Y/n comes up to the counter and greets him, similar to the birds singing when the first flowers in spring grow. The hands on the counter fall to his sides and he greets her too.

Another second passes and the expression of spring converts into something differently. To look for the sprouts of life in mid-winter, there is nothing for her to find. Eric sees how her chin lifts to see the space behind him.

“Where’s Juyeon?” Her eyes speak of liquid moonlight.

“He’s getting something, outside.” Eric looks around, “He’s here soon.”

She nods. With only the barely one meter register between them, there is a silence created when two desperately try to solve a sentence in desperation to fill time.

“I need to ask you something.” Eric stammer. The counter surface covers the patterns drawn by his white shoes. Y/n opens her eyes a bit wider and grabs the single strap on her shoulder. Juyeon’s question runs circles in his mind. To keep reaching back towards the kitchen.

“My friend thinks you’re cute.” Eric finally says.

Her eyes widen while her arms become rigid.

“I-that’s flattering” Y/n stammer, “but…”

Her voice fades to silence as Eric tilts his head. Y/n continuously blinks as the side of his head desperately leans towards the left. To look at the erratic behavior, until she catches how a silhouette comes out from behind the metal. His hand on the silver side and the strands over lustrous eyes, it all that has carved itself a space in her heart. Y/n see it all, only for a second, but it is enough to understand Eric’s exact language and square demeanor.

“Oh.” Y/n smiles and looks at Eric. He, in contrast, furrows his eyebrows and leans towards her. Seek for another soul in the room to connect over his, what Eric thinks is, love-drowned behavior.

“Tell him to meet me outside then.” Y/n straightens her posture and walks outside. The bell goes off again and Eric is left staring at the empty spot without traces.

The second the chime from the edge reaches the far corner of the kitchen. Juyeon comes out from the metal covering his presence. That the skin of his hands cover a significant part of the outer edge of the metal machine. Eric’s back faces Juyeon and he fully frees himself from the cover and walks up to him.

“What did she say?” Juyeon asks, his eyes drowned in moonlight glitter.

Eric, at the register, finally stops staring at the point Y/n departed from.

“To meet you outside.” Eric says without any sort of surgarcoat lining between his words. As his face watches over Juyeon’s, the bright light from outside becomes uncovered by the clouds just as his lips beam.

How the two last digits on their phones count upwards as they bring the chairs over tables and take the mop to clean off the irregular pattern over the wooden floor. The bell chimes endlessly as the workers leave the room with windows from floor to ceiling. Juyeon and Eric are the last two out of the bakery, and Eric brings the keys to the door and a low sound comes from within the door when he turns his wrist.

Juyeon turns away from the frame and out over the city. As the buildings ascend above the square bakery and between the towers that pierce through the atmosphere, the setting sun beams its last warmth for the day. The two of them take their step down the stairs. Only four steps or two until they reach the sidewalk concrete and wave the other goodbye. And when Juyeon sees Eric’s back face him and his shadow paints itself over the street and reaches the cars on the other side, he turns behind him.

How the tiles of the sidewalk and sunlight lead him straight to the bench where she stands. The shadow beneath her feet follows the motion of her right hand as she waves to him. For a single moment, Juyeon stands on the tiles as if they’ve forced him down onto them. But in reality, that the earth round the sun in a forever circle seems unbearable. Because, when Y/n takes a step closer towards his existence, the entire solar system could circle around her.

“Did work go well?” Her voice is soft and familiar of daily life as she stands before him. When she looks at him attentively, he nods so that the loose fabrics around his body follow it. Soon after, Y/n take the end fabric of his sleeve and gently pull his body towards her own. Sounds of shoe surface scratching against the rough tiles reach his ears, and then, they’re letting the street guide them further down the city.

People become faceless as they enter the immense circle in the middle of the city. Juyeon grabs onto Y/n’s arm and she looks up to see his eyes follow the paths of strangers. How they cross red light and half way through, then color turns on its spectrum and the green light illuminates the concrete. The constant pitched sound pattern grabs onto his mind and torments a part of each senses. Y/n watches how his eyes closes. Without another second between the two cars and two groups of people before them, Y/n brings the left side of his body closer to her right. By nearly running, the two of them get to the end edge of the street.

Juyeon finally opens his eyes when a wind blows past his lids. The maze of skyscrapers, signs and music have opened up before them. And now they stand on the path dividing the capital into two. Once again, they stand by the side of the city river and soon walk where the railing paints the edge of the water. Like the couples, parents with children in neon blue padded jackets and high school friends on bicycles, they follow the railing up towards each bridge that decorates horizontally over the vertical river.

Conversations of people without faces crosses their life and fades before they get to comprehend it. They walk past one bridge, and how the pillars underneath it shows its true massiveness. Though, as they walk there, side by side in the illuminated city center, Juyeon continuously takes glances at her beside him.

To go through the scene in intricate detail. Count the seconds and paint the motions, Juyeon can’t find the strings attaching Eric’s help at the bakery to their moment by the river. Despite receiving his question and answering it, in what he guesses, is a positive manner, she once again is by his side without a mention of his action. Though, he thinks back on the scene during the sunset, when the girl said her friend thought he was cute. She never got beyond that. What is supposed to happen after that? he thinks. Has the universe now, with that acknowledgement at the bakery woven together their existences? Will a sensation from another world visit his dreams?

The thoughts rushes from his mind out towards his fingers and radiate to the deepest corners of his body. Juyeon once again looks at Y/n when they come to the next bridge where three benches stand in a pattern of two meters in between.

“Are we together now?” He asks suddenly.

His voice binds her heart to his own, therefore, her body, with just a small measure shifts closer to his own. Y/n looks up towards him with eyes mirroring the open river and chin a bit higher as if to compare each feature under his fringe. When they walk like this, Y/n waits for his lips to imitate the crescent moon that stands before them. But instead, a midnight streak in his eyes pulsates before her and his lips slightly apart.

“What?” She asks.

Juyeon stops one step before her in the midst of the river path and asks again “Are we together?”

Another wind comes between them when they stand one meter away from the other. How the couples and workers walk past them without lending a lens towards the two of them in the midst of the open path. Y/n’s vision covers when the wind takes one of hair strands, and without looking away from him before her, she forces it back between her ears.

“You need to tell me.” The words fall desperately as his fingers begin fiddling with the other. His eyebrows fall into a sort of outward motion. Another flash before the pupil pulls on her heart and forces her to breathe out.

“I-we’re not…” She stammers.

Juyeon’s shoulders falter even deeper. Tragic weather has taken on the single square where they stand. The continuous motions of her chest is the only part of her that can be seen from outside, as she watches how his eyes fall to her shoes.

“It hurts me, Y/n.” He breathes, “can’t you feel it too?”

Despite standing in the midst of the overcrowded city, a silence only at the edge of the world has fallen over it. Y/n opens her lips as if she’s about to answer him, but the silence draped over the buildings that circle them like walls, spreads like poison through her veins. To voice so much of a vowel, she’s afraid venom will falter.

“But it’s not like that, Juyeon.” She takes a step closer, “You don’t love me.”

The calmness of the sunset evening is gently wrapped between her fingers. And when her hand reaches out to his shoulder, it tears off in one motion and falls to the floor and withers. Juyeon backs away. The evershining in his eyes that she has come to adore, has melted off his pupils, becoming liquid starlight at the end of his eyes.

“What should I do for you to believe me?” He finally breathes, “that I love you.” The transparent wall suffocating them two, shatters in a single flicker as Juyeon walks out of it. Left before her is an empty space and a cold wind. She looks to the left to see his silhouette become smaller and fall in line with the bench. Her hand between sky and floor, desperately calls for someone to take it.

Y/n can feel something gripping at the parts of her lungs as Juyeon walks towards the bench. His silhouette is ever so small against the immense river. When her feet stand in the same position still, and another person brush shoulders against her own to get through. It too, takes onto her skin and forces a deep, cold, metal lining into her heart. Somehow, it turns to the left and Y/n can feel her own knees desperately standing still.

When her heart aches, Y/n looks back over the beautiful scene. How in every preservation, she would want to see him in the center. She sees him like this, and the sunset falls over him as if it is their only purpose. In the midst of her existence, he has become smaller. And when standing still at the edge of the world, Y/n realize this sudden fear. That he’ll walk along the path without her, and at the end another day, he will have faded like summer when it grace to autumn.

Y/n finally leaves the spot behind her without traces. She holds her eyes on his hair as if to make sure that every moment he’ll continue to exist.

Juyeon looks towards her when she takes the spot beside him.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to be together.” he looks down, “Just say no.” He says while looking out over the lights in colors to form a path at midnight for those who wander, “Because, I just…want you to know that I love you.”

When they sit by the river, his profile shows no sign of awareness of her own existence. Memories from before come back to her from every side and force itself into her heart. The scene up on the hill before the same river they’re beside now, plays behind her lens like a film from before. And when he breathes for a second time and the breeze from the water perfectly lies one strand behind the other. Y/n realizes how much he has grown. His emotions were gently wrapped in three sentences, ending in a yellow silk bow. A sort of sincerity in the golden lining threads her broken parts.

She finally smiles, when she looks at his hand that has reached out for hers. His smile that for the first time falters when he’s with her. At last, another conversation behind them fades and the world has fallen silent.

Y/n takes his hand in hers and leans towards him with lowered head. He looks up at her through the hair strands and waits for her words to torment the deepest parts within him.

“I love you too, Juyeon.”

For a second, the line between the two falls in complete silence. It is this pitched sound that vibrates in the ceiling of one's ear, and it lingers there as each second passes. Though, finally Juyeon lifts his chin even a bit higher. His eyes clear as the sky curved over their heads and how the edges of his lips have formed a rose pink cradle.

“You do?”

Y/n nods.

At this moment, Juyeon fully lifts his legs from the grass growing out between the tiles and crosses them over the bench. His front faces hers without a hidden feature and at last, he takes her other hand in his. And as they sit there under the falling sky, Y/n looks down onto her legs drawing circles on the gray concrete. How Juyeon sees his own life paints hers and he feels that sensation in the hidden corner of himself.

The same feeling he recalls from their daily life. A sensation intimate with his new life takes his breath from the lowest parts within him before letting out. And his chest seems to bring him life for an eternity.

“Can you feel it too?” Juyeon asks curiously and Y/n looks back up.

Her eyes fall wider when he, without signs, brings his hand onto her heart protected in layers. Where the sensation mirrors his own. And an empty field without wind, Y/n watch him without motions. She looks at his eyes that concentrate on the pulsating on his palm.

And he gasps with immense eyes, “You feel it too?”

Y/n nods now with a smile reminiscent of his own. How the melted starlight died. But in the corner of his eyes, she sees the small shine of a newborn star. So delicate but enough to reach her own.

And they sit there, legs over the ground and hands intertwined like the bridges beside them. Another pair of people walk past them, and Juyeon looks at her without words. Y/n tilts her head while knitting her eyebrows with her smile.

“What’s happening now?” He asks as he thinks of the movies playing hours on end by the TV screen. Her own mind fills in the blank spaces where two ears would perk up in union.

She smiles even wider and Juyeon can’t seem to understand why she does so. As he tilts his head even lower and eyes grow wider, she finally leans forward.

“This.”

Her knees force the rest of her body up a bit higher. And her hands hold him even tighter when her lips fall on his own. Or, she overestimates the height in between them, and instead kisses the upper part of his lip, right underneath his nose. Y/n comes back down with redness from his own lips. At first, he stares at her without words. Expression the same as before, all until his face lights up like the street lamps in every corner of their city.

“It’s so fun kissing you.” He gasps.

Y/n herself nearly falls onto the rest behind her, when Juyeon leans forward to press his lips against her own. She laughs and pushes him, the part of his chest right beneath the yellow ribbon. His eyes, like the city, shines up the passing darkness of the season, all while he pouts.

“Just once.” She holds up one finger, “Once.”

Cat gets jealous :(

Y/n sees how his eyes move on from her own down to the spot beside her feet. She too looks down, Juyeon is brushing his head over her ankles and walks in circles around her.

“This is Juyeon.” Y/n says.

Her neighbor kneels down and reaches out his hand. The hand becomes all the more larger the closer he gets to Juyeon. The smell of his skin and light in his eyes. Juyeon’s fur stands up, he takes a step forward as the sharp teeth behind the soft fur shows. Juyeon’s eyes are formed like sirens and stare deeply into the man before them.

“Juyeon.” Y/n quickly bends down and takes him in her arms. The stern tone fades into an awkward laugh before she looks down into her arms.

“Sorry.” The man before her has gone back to the door and holds own hand, “He’s not usually like that.” Y/n smiles and looks down in her arms cupped to hold his light fur. His paws curl up under his chin and his eyes close when Juyeon can tilt his head onto her shoulder.

“It’s okay.” He laughs, “Where is the leaking?”

His hoodie falls over his shoulders like a blanket. In securing warmth from the material, he stands against Y/n’s back, watching how she cuts strawberries. The oven glistens in warm tones and it spreads over the four walls. He calls the sweet aroma from sugar and berries.

“What is it, Juyeon?” Y/n turn her head back towards him for a second, then focus back towards the fruit. A familiar spark rushes through him when she talks to him with that high voice. He comes even closer and rests his head on her shoulder.

“Is it something special?” He asks her. Y/n, despite looking at the plastic board and can only hear his whisper-like voice, sees his ears fold up.

She smiles, “The plumber is coming over again.”

The space on her shoulder becomes cold and she barely feels the edges of his shirt brush against her own. As a divider has moved between the two, Y/n looks behind her again and puts down the knife. In oversized fashion, hair strands scattered over his eyes and a small pout, Juyeon watches her attentively. Despite his disheartened demeanor and distance(distance being in juyeon’s world), Y/n laughs.

“I need to thank him, Juyeon.”

His shoulders are still hanging low and the pout on his lips won’t go away. Y/n tilts her head and leans onto the counter.

Juyeon has circled her legs before, held her hand a bit tighter in public or strengthened his posture when someone else exchanged words with her. But when he stands before her right now, there are no walls or filters. With a yearning so transparent and a heart craving for her own, she can’t help but adore him even more. Y/n half a strawberry from behind her and walks up to his figure. Because of her motions, Juyeon’s eyes have formed from dissatisfied ones to asking questions. His own head tilts to the side and Y/n looks up at him before bringing the strawberry up to his lips.

“Don’t sulk, Juyeon.”

He bites down onto the strawberry and nods so that his fringe moves with it. Before bringing her attention back to the counter, Y/n reach her hand out towards the spot where his hair blossoms to all sides.

Cat wants a pet name >:(

How the white curtains lie like a filter over the city during sunday morning. There are no calling responsibilities until another hour has passed them by. Y/n because of that lies with closed eyes, still under the covers. A sort of relief and satisfaction washed over her thirty minutes earlier as she thought she was late for university. But before Y/n could even throw off the sheet, Y/n felt her arm being pulled towards the bed-mit. She fell onto the pillow again and her hair scattered over the fabrics. When she took a glance to her left, she saw Juyeon with closed eyes and his soft skin up against her own.

“It’s Sunday.” He whispered and shifted his head closer to hers, between her neck where Y/n felt him breathing deeply.

Because of his low voice and silk skin, she could close her eyes without thoughts of dilemma grabbing her neck. Though, now the morning sun has struck her once again, and she shifts her head one step closer to the pillow, as to make sure she’s alive. Aside from the sun, there is someone else to bring warmth in the room she is in. Y/n has her face immensely close to Juyeon’s. So much that his breathing appears to move her own strands of hair.

The clock continuously passes them by when time has stopped in the bed. Juyeon’s hair tickles her bare skin and she takes her hand to comb through his silk strands. His head falls backwards with eyes closed. In this angle, the sunlight strikes him perfectly, she thinks.

“Y/n?” He whispers and she hums.

To take notice how his skin shifts in pink and how his eyes open just to close as quickly.

“What is it?” Y/n asks.

He hesitates, “Why did you stop calling me kitten?”

“Why?” He looks through the strands of his fringe.

Y/n shifts away from his person, her face towards the white wall and the fabrics in a familiar shade folds over her. “It’s weird"...", she laughs.

Juyeon won’t say anything more, or make a sound. And she conceives the way his scent intertwines with her own, that he has gone back to dreaming. But as the white paint of her wall fades from sight and her lids closes, the sheets fall a decimeter lower. The mattress shifts in weight and a sort of coldness comes from the empty spot and makes her pull the covers closer to her essence. Soon, Y/n opens her eyes as the left side of her pillow shifts closer to the morning sun and another presence in the same room affects the poi8nt below her collarbone. As it strains her body, Y/n makes a pained expression before opening her eyes and looks up.

“Juyomi?”

He stays on her chest and takes one step after the other. To walk in circles on her upper body and sway his tail in her face. Y/n sneezes and takes her arms from under the covers and tangles within his fur.

“Juyo?” Y/n sighs. Though, her grip around his thin body loosens as he stops turning and takes a seat on her chest. As he sits there, she references all the moments they’ve spent in the same room staring into each otheräs eyes. Juyeon’s head won’t tilt to the left, but behind his small figure waves the tail from left to right in a slow rhythm.

“Juyo?” Y/n says again, this time, in a tone much more playful.

He walks even closer to her face and disappears beneath her vision. Instead, Y/n senses how his soft fur touches her neck. How Juyeon reaches his head between her chin and chest and lets the warmth of her self affect his own life. And when his face comes up to her ear, she hears faint breaths covered in white silk.

“Okay, Juyo,” she says, “I'm tired.”

Y/n wraps her arms around his fragile body and forces him down when she falls to the side. To look slightly down when her hair scatters over the pillow. She sees his eyes up towards hers, how the color spreads large over the white and sparks in the piercing sunlight. A second passes them by and Juyeon lets out a fragile sound before taking his head in her chest.

Y/n smiles how he falls blushy and gif eye contact with her in this state. Therefore, she hugs him a bit tighter before closing her eyes and falling asleep again on Sunday morning.

mischievous cat :)

Y/n sits on one of the chairs at the white table. Her chin hangs over the computer as she stares at the black cursor. Though she has fallen into the digital world and nothing seems to be able to force her out of it. All at once, her shoulder falls backwards and she lets out a pained sound as a weight with cold claws lands on her shoulders. Her hands let go of the keyboard and grab the silk fur of the one higher up.

“Juyeon, go off.” Y/n says, in which she only gets a meow for an answer.

“Juyeon, seriously, we’ve talked about this.”

Her words don't seem to reach him, or he doesn’t want to listen. His paws start to play with her hair and the collar of her shirt.

“I’ll give you attention later, I need to work.”

a/n: def not my best work. I promise to come back with something better! This took way to long than it should have🫠 thanks for reading💗

#deoboyznet #the boyz imagines #tbz imagines #the boyz scenarios #tbz scenarios #juyeon imagines #juyeon scenarios #Lee Juyeon #juyeon the boyz #the boyz #juyeon tbz #tbz #Lee Juyeon the boyz #Lee Juyeon tbz #the boyz fluff #tbz fluff #the boyz fanfic #tbz fanfic #juyeon fanfic

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maddies-chronicles · 2 months

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maman.

definitely the more lenient parent lol

despite most asian mom stereotypes she's a very understanding parent and tends to let us off the hook a lot more easily than our dad

the one thing she never let us skip over was self-defense (particularly marinette and i) because even though paris is (or, uh... was) a relatively safe place to live, she didn't want us to ever feel helpless on our own

she is responsible for the chinese-style desserts at the bakery (mooncakes, rice cakes {not the american kind}, steamed tapioca cake, fried milk, etc)

can you tell i'm using scripting as a way for my white-washed ass to connect with my own culture...

ANYWAYS she's a very sweet woman and i'm probably closer with her than i am with papa (even tho our whole family is pretty close i would say)

she maybe thinks i should stand up for myself a little more but other than that she supports my life choices because she raised responsible children

secretly doesn't like mateo though... she supports me but he gives her a bad vibe (MAMA'S ALWAYS RIGHT SMH)

like when i go out with friends she always offers everyone a ride home except him LMAO

love language is cut-up fruit (but still lets us know she loves us and is proud of us)

starting dating my dad when she was in lycee. will never let us forget that we may meet our soulmate in school

#shifting #reality shifting #shifting community #shifting realities #reality shift #shifting antis dni #shifters #desired reality #shift #shiftblr #shifting to mlb #shifting to miraculous #shifting to miraculous ladybug

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chosoniisan · 5 months

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my, what a big heart you have ↠ kamo choso

↠pairing: (wolf) kamo choso | (fox) reader

↠setting: (modern) hybrid au, but make it subtle-ish

↠genre: dark romance-esque

↠caution: yandere behavior (obsession, manipulation, stalking); minor injuries/blood; masochism; (my size/height kink strikes again)

↠summary: you think nothing of it when choso from your office floor invites you over to work on a department report (but perhaps that was your mistake)

↠authoress' notes: I'm so weak to hybrid au stuff and wanted to try my hand at it, particularly with a predator/predator dynamic (although foxes are notoriously skittish), so here we are //// I know this needs to be fleshed out a bit more, but I wanted to write something in-universe as a baseline for future revisiting purposes :')

“Choso, I want to go home.”

Lacing peachy temperance with a touch of diplomacy at the end.

“You just got here, though. . .”

In exchange for stifling a curled lip, portending the razor edge of a sneer, you’re overtaken by the stark dip in your brow and your slightly lifted chin, not so subtly flirting with unfounded authority. “Choso, I’m going home, now.” Despite pure unwavering rolling like thunder, threatening to splinter through his marrow from your pitch alone, he doesn’t flinch. It’s as if he’s utterly immune to the implications blistering in the air, but you’re not opposed to translating a suggestion into plain letters if it means he’ll relinquish his post in front of the door. “So, I would appreciate it if you could just let me leave before it gets too late.”

“But I don’t want you to go yet.” Said simply, too innocently for the deteriorating situation at hand, yet it’s his tilted head and rosy look that has you bristling in full. “I really enjoy your company.”

“That’s the problem.” Cyanide burns on your palate, enough to make you wince and wish in hindsight to take it back because thanks to him you’ve become every bit of the thorn starving to make an open wound out of him. If only he had kept his distance; if only you hadn’t toed the line of dangerous, harrowing, dawning calamity. “I don’t want to be anything other than coworkers. I don’t want to be acquaintances, or friends, or whatever you think we are.”

He blinks at you, genuinely perplexed and not at all reeling back from the pang of a knife driven to the core of him, right where he’s fleshy and oh so sensitive. (There is something horrifically wrong with him, beyond the obvious.) “Did I do something to upset you. . .?” You don’t know which is more audacious—the inkling of a warble in his voice or the absolute refusal to swallow the bitter pill of your rejection. The latter seems to be winning out in your head. . .that is, until he’s a handful of steps closer, encroaching into your orbit in earnest and before you can contemplate recoiling back. (Calm down, you’re not caught yet, there’s still time to weasel your way out of this.) “Was it the tea? I was sure I’d gotten the brand you usually drink at lunch—”

“—Choso, no, that’s not what I’m talking about—”

“—Or maybe I messed up getting pastries for a snack instead of something savory—”

“—Stop, Choso, I’m serious—”

“—But you’re always going to that bakery after work since you’ve got a sweet tooth, so I thought—”

Selectively tuning him out now that you’ve reached the point of no return where you’re primed to throw caution to the wind and make a break for it while he’s corded with untold mania. Unfortunately, the throes of delirium don’t negate the fact that his kind is big, nightmarishly mountainous, and he’s no exception, outsizing you as easily as he breathes. Of course you know that, have always known that in the back of your head, but try telling your thump, thump, thumping heart that when you’re squarely at the epicenter of him. And that’s before you even factor in the festering of his true colors like a contagion, none too surreptitiously admitting to his sins at the foot of your confessional. Which begs the question. . .if he’s willing to divulge his rotten habit of prying into your periphery while you’re none the wiser, then what is he actually keeping close to the chest?

No, scratch that, you don’t want to find out, and you won’t find out if you can help it. The key is to catch him while his guard is down, to stance yourself on the balls of your feet, to measure the distance to the door in a few frantic bounds, to take a deep breath and worry less about the inevitable fallout from your escape. By the time the dust clears, you’ll be turning in your transfer request, and with any luck they’ll relocate you to the Sapporo office, sure, you’re not the arctic type, but you’ll take brutal winters over him brutalizing you—

Right then dizziness spells over you, and you don’t realize it’s too late until it is.

“. . .Are you okay?” Echoes with ripe sincerity, except when did Choso constellate himself this closely to you? Enough that you can feel the heat of him tiding over you to the point of drowning beneath the surface? Is your undoing thinking that you could foil him not with your stature but with a head start toward the door? Backed against the wall, desperate to turn tail and run for the hills (literally), you think so.

“Maybe it would be best if you sat down for a bit. I can get you some water, too, that should help you feel better, yeah?” Comes another attempt at cloying coercion, whisking straight through one ear and out the other, has no choice but to when your pitifully vulpine brain is fraying at the edges, cannibalizing itself up before he has a chance to dig his claws into your grey matter.

Claws and not fingers, because he is every bit vicious, unseamed, hungry for a taste with an open hand—

“Don’t touch me.”

Split blood and wolf’s flesh cake underneath your fingernails, nauseating an already faintly you.

See how quick you are to spurn him, ravage him right up until you’re faced with the spatter of your transgressions. You’re frozen like a sheet of ice, aren’t you, and you can’t even deign a look at the sticky dead weight abandoned at your side. Though out of sight, out of mind is wishful thinking on your part when he’s brandishing your self-infliction before his eyes, almost as if he’s committing those jagged fault lines to memory. Short-term memory, considering it’ll be the final remnants of you.

You think your demise begins with his full-mooned gazing and a flicker of pink across his lip. But. “I’m sorry, really sorry for making you mad—I didn’t mean to, I swear.” In the end, his tail is tucked between his legs, matched only by a desire to endear himself into your good graces in spite of reaping your consequences. While you’re very much out of your mind, losing your sense of self before the rest of you follows, you’ve cobbled enough scraps to appreciate the absurdity of the situation. Him, reveling in desecration like it’s a virtue. “You probably want to scratch and bite me some more, right? I don’t mind, no—” he presents the untouched sweep of his forearm: an offering for your consumption, “I want you to take your anger out on me, to punish me with pain, it’s what I deserve.”

Blanching not from his proximity (you need only part your lips for a mouthful of sinew), and neither from the madness of him in spades (tufts slanted forward amongst a ruby-rich flush), but because he thinks you to be untamed, a rabid thing in a delicate, softly shell.

And he’s right.

Laid bare before him, there’s a sharp prickling in the corners of your eyes, even more so when you’re keen to an itch that sparks from your synapses to the taper in your teeth. This is his fault, all of it: he’s the one eating away at you until you’re raw and deeply unstitched. So when you inevitably bare your fangs back, you, a girl of prey, he’s rightfully deserving of the blame.

At least that’s what reason dictates—and you are far removed from it. Enough that you fall into the embrace of collapse, or what ends up as the cradle of his arms, true to his word of taking your savagery as his own. But for now you know he’s beyond satiated with a misty-eyed you staining the front of his shirt: the cacophony of chest-deep drumming and incessant swish, swishing says so.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” he tries soothing you in a quieted mantra, petting along the back of your head and exploiting the receptive patch behind your folded flaps; that only draws an unwanted lilt along with a fresh wave of tears.

“You can hurt me as much as you want, as much as you need—I’ll still take care of you, I promise.”

(Perhaps residing in his stomach wouldn’t have been such a bad fate after all.)

#choso x reader #choso x you #jjk x reader #jjk x you #jjk x y/n #choso #choso kamo #jjk #jujutsu kaisen

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thecynthh · 4 months

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smart ass - M.S pt 5

synopsis - matt’s not doing to well with his schooling but is determined to get his degree and pass his classes. one essay which is a huge part of their grade haunts him with a bad mark, luckily y/n is willing to help him

notes - NOT PROOF READ, lowercase intention smut near the end, aftercare cus thats what matt specializes in, cuddles

a/n - uhm idk if yalls could tell, or if u knew but i’m a virgin and have never kissed anyone so 🫣

leave some suggestions for chris or matt fics for me to write pls as well :3

——————————————————————————

present day a few days after their second study session

y/n pov

matt s 🐼

hey message me when ur leaving ur house. 8:46

btw we r ordering food to the house cus i dont wanna get gas. 8:47

text me what u want from CFA. 8:47

you

what in the flying fuck is CFA? 8:49

matt s 🐼

uhm hello? kid, how do u not know what CFA is???? 8:49

you

abbreviations like this is what's wrong with our generation… 8:50

matt s 🐼

kay ur so weird omfg. 5:50

CFA clearly means chick-fil-a smartass 🙄. 8:51

you

oh well then 😋. nuggets and waffle fries please 🛐🛐. 8:52

and sunjoy btww. 8:52

matt s 🐼

ew u like sunjoy? 8:53

you

u like rootbear don’t talk to me ✋. 8:52

and let me in pls im already outside :). 8:52

read at 8:52

i sling my bag over my shoulder and leave my car, waiting outside the large house with thrilling anticipation as i wait for matt to open the door. I see the fluff of his brown locks and a sweater similar to the one i’ve seen him wear before at school. i dont know why i get giddy when i see him, i dont know how we went to only speaking when madi was around too greeting each other whenever we see each other in the halls or cafe or even in our shared classes.

matt and his brothers were some of my closest friends now, after madi introduced me to them at a party, both of us got insanely drunk and made me call off crazy drinking ever since. all i remember from that night was the way matt took care of me while i was in a very vulnerable state and didn’t take advantage of me. i haven’t told anyone but madi about what happened to me when i was younger, and i’m glad she’s still taken her promise to heart, the only thing that telling her about my past shit did was make her and i closer.

i see matt in full view after he opens the door, “hey!” i say with a cheery expression despite how late it was for me.

“heyyy, thanks for coming by the way, even though you had a shift earlier.” he says sheepishly, before i left for work he messaged me begging to have another study session because he had more questions about the essay part of the exam. “oh hey lemme put your stuff in my room, just chill on the couch before the food gets here.” i pass him my backpack and laptop as he begins to walk down a hallway to make it to his room.

i move through the small entryway and become more apparent in his brothers view, “heyy y/n” nick says moving up to me for a hug, i take in his embrace.

“hi nick!!” i say excitedly. other than matt, ive hung out with nick a lot too, madi always has him over at her apartment, and even the three of us have made it a plan to meet up at our favourite bakery and talk for however long we want too a couple times a week. out of the little over a month i’ve know the triplets, nick has made a huge impact on me, and i felt safe around him, as well as chris and matt.

he lets go of me while i walk over to a slumped over chris on the couch, when he realised i was here he sits up on the edge of the couch. “sup chris,” i dap him up doing a little bro half hug with him.

“always nice to see you y/n,” he says as our arms unfold from the middle of us. i take a seat next to him with a comfortable amount of distance between us. matt returns not too long after i greet everyone. He sits down between chris and i and nick returns from the kitchen with a pepsi, root beer, bottled water and a lemonade, passing out everyone's drink knowing what each of us would ask for. matt and i give nick a thank you as he nods his head after.

nick stationed himself on the elongated part of the couch settling in with his fluffy blanket, he puts on a stranger thing episode and we all sit watching the tv. it only takes another five minutes of the episode for the doorbell to ring through the house. nick gets up immediately scurrying to the door with his fluffy blanket wrapped around him as he talks to the delivery man, thanking him and making small steps to see the rest of us. he comes back with two large bags of food planting them on the coffee table in front of all of us, before grabbing a tray of drinks after going back to the entrance.

“thank you for paying matty,” chris says, rubbing up again his brother with his lips pursed and now shoulder to shoulder with his older brother. i giggle at the sight, copying chris.

“mmmmh thanks mattyyyy” i say resting my head on the peak of his shoulder, pursing my lips as well and copying chris’ weird voice.

“you’re a fucking weirdo chris,” matt says in a disgusted voice flicking the other head that was very close to his face. “and you're welcome y/n.”

i laugh at chris’ overly dramatic reaction to what matt did to him. still giggling a bit at the sight of matt completely ignoring his brothers reaction, I say “just tell me how much i own you.”

“eh, don’t worry about it, it’s on me, plus save up for that new laptop you were talking about. i know how much you want it,” i blush slightly.

“aww thank you then,” i wrap my arms around him and squeeze him, he hands me the food that i asked for and retract back onto the couch.

“by the way, what time are we planning to stay up till? i told madi that i’ll tell her when i was heading home.” i saw looking at matt.

“well its kinda late so if you wanna stay in the guest room, im fine with that.” matt says, moving his head towards me, then breaking eye contact with the tv screen.

“im ay okay with that if you wanna stay over! plus you know your way around the house,” nick says giving his approval to matts idea of staying over.

“mhm im chill with it,” chris simply says.

“uhh yeah then, i'm down, thanks!”

we eat then say goodnight to nick and chris before we go to matt's room for some studying.

i lay down onto his bed as he walks over to his bathroom to change into some comfier clothes. while hes in there i start to think about our first study session when i found out matt had a crush on me. i thought it was very cute, but it made matt awkward on our last study night. i’m glad that he's eased up now, i just acted like i didn’t know anything and didn’t want to push on how he was feeling because I knew it would make his anxiety worse.

i come back to my senses seeing matt reappear from the bathroom door. we stayed on track for studying for an hour and a half before we eventually put on brooklyn 99 on in the background and talked.

“so, the retake is in a couple days, you think you’re ready?” i was hopeful he would be good by then because tonight felt very productive. I quizzed him on a couple of important ideas while he was playing with a baseball, throwing it up and down in the air. i learnt that he understands stuff better when he is doing something with his hands, it keeps him focused.

“hm, i’m not too sure, maybe another study sesh the day after tomorrow so by friday i’ll have all the stuff we went over fresh in my mind.” the baseball still gets thrown up and falls down in front of his face, with his hand waiting to catch it before it smacks him right on his nose. “thanks again for this,” i hear him catch it one more time before he moves his hand away from his face and looks at me just to the right of him. i'm hovering over him slightly, his eyes glow the brightest in the slight illumination from the lamp we always use when we study.

“yeah of course matt, you're my friend anyways.” our faces mirror each other, his eyes roam my faces while his hand holds the side of my face.

i toss my hair to the side of my head to lean down to kiss matt, he immediately returns the kiss enveloping my bottom lip with his. i moan into his mouth feeling him push me down and dominate me. one of his hands rests on my hip keeping me down as i pull him down with my legs letting him top me. most of his body is pressed down to mine, i lift my hips to give myself some kind of sensation i desperately crave for.

“fuck, i’m sorry are you okay with this?” matt says when he disconnects us.

i cup his chin bringing him a little closer, “i really fucking like you matt, please don’t stop.”

a smirk grows onto his face, “i really fucking like you too, you’re lucky i do.” he becomes more unserious pecking little kisses amoungst my face making a very loud “mwah” sound with each of he presses into my skin.

“matttt” i say through my sour looking face while he shows his affection.

“okay, okay, i’m done. but uh, how about we kiss again, didn’t get a good feel of it the first time.” he says with a knowing smirk on his face. i use my hand to weave through his brunette hair pulling him towards me again, we share a more passionate kiss, with knowing and love rather than lust.

it doesn’t take us long till things got more serious, his lips attach to my neck instantly sucking multiple hickeys into visible spots on my neck, moving down to my collar bone and eventually to the full and plump part of my boob. this is where my dream stopped last week, ive been trying to ignore it for the longest time but being in the moment now after thinking about it in my head makes it feel even more surreal.

his hand sneaks to the bottom of my fresh love shirt that i took from matt’s drawers when i found out i was sleeping here his fingers feel the hem of it. “is it alright if i take your shirt off?” he says with a quiet voice, almost afraid of what i’ll say.

i quickly nod in reply but that doesn’t seem good enough for him.

“words smart ass, i need words.” he says with a little bit of a condescending tone to his love tainted words.

“yes matt, you can take my shirt off too.” i say with a small giggle following after it.

he lifts the fabric to uncover the same white lace bra i was wearing while i slept over at his house by accident. “mh, i’ve been dreaming about this for a while ever since i saw you in it that morning,” he kisses the lace that travels to the small connecting piece of fabric between the two cups of my bra.

“and i know you heard what chris said to me that morning, yet you still acted like nothing was wrong.” he moves his hand to my upper back placing his hand onto my bra strap, “hey, can i take this off?”

“mhm,” my lips sealed trying to conceal my response to the amazing feeling of his hands on my body, he undoes the clip on my back with skill and purpose. the touch of his fingertips grant goosebumps to my skin in a very arousing manner.

he pulls the dainty clothing article off my arms and throws it to the floor benign absolutely amazed by my tits, they weren’t much but it seemed like matt was under a spell, he latched his lips just above my nipple to give me more hickeys, he sucks and soothes repeating this multiple times before he eventually dips down to my nipple, i feel the rush of arousal arching slightly off the bed.

i moan in response to the new sensation, i’m not exactly a virgin, but i haven’t done anything like this in a while, let alone at all for god sake. he massages the other boob, playing with the nipple with his hand the opposite of the one his mouth is very focused on.

he finally comes up for air after a little bit teasing, my thighs rub together and sits up to rip his shirt off to match my level of revealing skin, off goes his sweats as well leaving him in just his boxers, “matt, oh my god” i'm out of breath and very needy.

he continues a trail of kisses down to my clothes pussy, he looks up at me while holding the stretchy waistband of my pants, i give him a vigorous nod knowing what he was asking for.

he slides them completely off leaving me in just my underwear. he plants another sweet kids over my clothed heat which milks another desperate moan from me. “matt wait-“ he immediately comes up from my bottom half and lays beside me listening to me.

“hey we don’t have too if you don’t want too, i’m down if you just wanna go to bed in the other room, or even if you just wanna stay here and cuddle for the rest of the night.” he says before i can go ahead with what i was thinking.

“no, no i really want too it’s just, i haven’t really… done this before.” i tell him, he seems almost fully unaffected by my words.

“that’s fine, i’m here to make you feel good,” he places his hand nearing my core again, he rubs my panties over my clit moving down to feel the very apparent wet spot. “wow i’ve barely touched you and your so worked up,” his voice was sultry with a hint of a condescending tone.

“m-matt please” i struggle to say feeling the pressure he's putting down onto my throbbing clit.

“i’m gonna take these off now, okay?” he says with his fingers wrapped around the thin string of my thong that’s barely covers anything.

he slips them off admiring the sight in front of him, i almost get self conscious wanting to cover myself up with his blankets. his head dips and his hands pant onto my hips and one on my inner thigh. his tongue makes very sudden contact with my clit, he sucks and swirls his tongue around it, feeling the very heavy pressure i arch my back slighting leaning forward into his face.

his finger creeps and teases my hole before he fully plunged it into me. i heavy moan escapes my lips, “quiet now princess, can’t let nick or chris hear you.”

he continues his movements stimulating both my clit and hole at the same time, “more, please” i say with a pleading tone. he removes his finger from inside of me and replaces it with his tongue and mouth. he absolutely devoured my pussy giving me as much pleasure as he could, his mouth moving back to my clip and he slid his finger back into me moving it at a moderate pace.

i don’t try very hard to conceal my very loud moans, as soon as matt enters a second finger into my dripping cunt, i release with a pornographic moan, squeezing his head between my legs. “holy shit matt,” he licks up all of my hot cum and comes back up to kiss me.

“mmh you did so well for me, you ready for me now?” i say a needy yes while he goes back to sit back on the his headboard. he removes his boxers with such haste letting his cock spring out with a bead of pre-cum leaking out. “i wanna watch you ride me, you control the pace and how deep you wanna go.” he whispers into my ear.

he lifts me on top of him, kissing him passionately while i grind down onto his twitching cock. he lets out a guttered groan “okay, let’s do this cause i could bust just from looking at you.”

he lines himself up and holds my hips while i sink down onto him. his so thick and long, i feel him in ever existing crevasse in my cunt. “fuck yes” i say letting out a heavy breath.

“holy shit you’re so tight-“ he says between his monas and hard breathes. i begin to move myself up and down slowly, whatever pain that came at first quickly moved to pleasure as i speed up my movements.

my tits bounce every time i move up or down, my movements are set at a constant pace, “matt, i think- i think i’m gonna cum.” i say, feeling his dick twitch in my pussy again.

“come for me baby, give it to me,” he says, taking me by my love handles and moving me up and down a little faster. i came hearing his words letting out a couple of breathy moans, he follows soon after me. i feel his thick long ropes of cum fill me up and come back down dripping onto his cock.

matt does a couple of slower pumps in and out of me to ride both of us through our highs. he picks me up as if i weigh nothing and puts me down beside him laying down onto the bed.

he goes into the bathroom to retrieve a small cloth and comes back to wipe me down. he does a couple of strips to pick up as much extra cum he could. i feel him hit my clit and i whimper loudly, “oh god, i’m sorry, i know your still sensitive.” once he’s finished he goes into the bathroom and cleans himself up.

fishing his boxers from the ground he slides them on and grabs my underwear and a large t-shirt from his closet. he hops onto the bed putting on my underwear and pulling me up to put on the shirt.

“mh thank you,” i say tired and groggy.

he plants a kiss onto my forehead “anything for you smart ass.”

he comes under the covers and wraps his arms around me, intertwining our legs. we sleep peacefully until the morning

taglist - @westwiing @comet235

#sturniolo triplets #syn speaks #matt sturniolo #matthew sturniolo #chris sturniolo #christopher sturniolo #nick sturniolo #nicolas sturniolo #sturniolo fanfic #sturniolo smut #sturniolo x reader #matt sturniolo smut #matthew bernard sturniolo #matt sturniolo fanfic #matt sturniolo x you #Spotify

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ninapi · 5 months

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┊┊┊✧ ⁺ ⁺╚══ The art of Beauty ╝

Premise: Tengen never thought possible to fall in love so bad that he'd want to give away his freedom and finally settle down. Who said a flamboyant life can't have a bit of loving~?

Word Count: 3472

Note: This is set up in the Kimetsu academy world, just so you know~ ☀️

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Life around the Kimetsu academy wasn’t always as fun as some may think it is.

Being a teacher in it, to be exact, can be a little bit of a pain in the ass. Especially if you like blowing things up.

Uzui Tengen wasn’t like the other teachers who went to refined universities, got a few degrees under their belt or came from important families with money.

He spent his youth doing things he wasn’t as proud of now as he was back then.

Leading a gang for example.

Though, they were an artistic one, or that’s what he likes to think. They rarely got into fights, and their only crime was to “vandalize property”, in other words, he liked to draw everywhere, to leave his mark in walls, benches, trash cans, you name it. And he was good at it at that, the old lady from the bakery even gave him free bread for a week for doing a lovely flower pattern on her door, it made her shop trend in social media as others came to take pictures of the door and her sales went over the roof. Even to this day she still sneaks an extra something in his bag.

His art was beautiful, very expressive, sorrowful even; he captured the image of a person very well and there was no better way to show his appreciation than by ruining one of their walls, or two.

When he started getting in real problems though, was when he started blowing things up. Art indeed explodes with this man, literally. But he never harmed anyone.

Coming from a past like this was unheard of for the prestigious Kimetsu academy, yet he was offered the art teacher position when the principal saw one of his beautiful murals. She wanted their kids to fully understand art, to see how it can actually move someone to tears, or even make someone contemplate their entire life. Art is something magestic, and having someone that understands it as well as Tengen wasn’t easy to come by. So, forgoing all the paperwork and all the problematic selection process, he was made their refined arts teacher.

But Tengen being who he is, wasn’t able to keep his profile low.

From the very beginning rumors about his past were heard in every corner of the school, how he was a ganster, a former one at least, how his big muscles were from going into big fights, some rumors even said he had killed three; none of this was true of course, but instead of making him a feared figure, it made him loved by many.

He was the only teacher who wasn’t as hooked by the rules as the others; rules were meant to be broken after all. So, as long as his students were willing to indulge him in whatever it was he wanted them to do that week, he rarely even spoke ill to any. He didn’t really care if they had their phones in their pocket, or if they arrived a few minutes late. Nobody had to ask for permission to go to the restroom, nor cared if they munched on a snack.

Not only that, but his classes were fun.

He had the craziest of ideas and made them all go out of their comfort zone constantly, wanting his students to experience different things as to him, that’s the only right way of growing up.

“Gansta-sensei, where are we going? We’ve walked for what? Fifteen minutes?” Zenitsu was clinging to Tanjiro’s arm, gasping for air as his friend was nearly carrying him at this point.

“We are painting clouds. You need to be closer to them to to fully understand them, duh…” he decided to take them on a hike today, combining Tomioka’s class with his own, a bit of exercise helps creativity flow, that’s why he’s so muscly, he combines them all the time.

“Can’t we just like, imagine a cloud? Or google it? Everyone knows what clouds look like…”

“No. You can’t. The hike is part of Tomioka’s lesson, not mine, go whine at him instead. That’s why you’re so pony, can’t even take a little stroll.”

“A LITTLE stroll??? Is that what this is to you, sensei? Because my lungs are burning like never before…I might actually be dying right now-? Oh my GOD?”

“Just breath, Jesus…Tomioka, your student is about to pass out. I’m going to head up first to get things ready at the top.” with a short nod, Giyuu went to help Tanjiro carrying Zenitsu who currently had foam coming out of his mouth and was wailing like a child.

They chose the mountain closer to the school, it was a good 2km hike, nothing too bad, and it was a beautiful day, the sun shining down at them, a perfect day to paint some clouds. There weren’t many, but they all had fun shapes and the landscape of the mountains around framed them to perfection.

While he was setting up the supplies, however, a tiny playful corgi jumped out of a bush, aiming for his hood.

The attack was nothing but child’s play, but Tengen lost three lives at the moment.

The first one was when the dog jumped at him. He didn’t know it was there, it was completely silent all the time and made his moves quietly. A true ninja.

The second was when he saw the hood of his favorite sweater chewed on and wet with puppy drool. It wasn’t destroyed, thankfully, but still pretty disgusting.

But the third life was the worse, and that was when he saw the owner of said puppy dog.

“Tengen-kun? Is that you?”

“(Y/N)…?”

Back in high school, there was a girl who sat behind him during class. She was way shorter than him and could never see the board. This ended up forcing them into a weird friendship that managed to get Tengen to graduate from high school as he actually had to pay attention and take notes for you.

Yet, you had gotten a scholarship to go abroad and get your degree, you’d be out of the country for who know’s how long and the things just died out, naturally.

Something he failed to mention though, is how he’s always had a huge crush on you.

The way you’d always try to peek through the gaps of his biceps at the board, how the tip of your tongue came out of your mouth when you were copying his notes, how you’d share your snacks with him, laugh at his silly stories, you were the only girl who didn’t mind he was involved in some dubious activities outside of school, and he ended up falling for you in no time.

Saying it didn’t hurt to see you leave would be a lie. But he’s not someone that gets tied down by anyone. He’s a free man and nobody would change that.

“Yes! Look at you!! You look…wow I mean yes, you look good!” your slight mumbling and rosy cheeks were making the man go blank. He wasn’t ready for this, what was he supposed to say?

“When did you come back? I….I didn’t know…”

“Oh well, that’s because I got back the day before yesterday! I just got my dog out of its quarantine and its going a little crazy, I’m sorry…Is your hoodie ok?” so you weren’t avoiding him, you literally just got back…

“And you changed your number, you goofball! How was I supposed to let you know? I sent you a message in your insta but seems like you don’t check that often either…”

“Oh I get a bunch of spam so I turned my notifications off, I’m sorry.” you even tried to let him know…still think about him even…can this day get any better?

But he spoke too soon. While you were picking up your tiny dog who kept on chewing on his hood, his students finally reached the top, groaning in pain.

“Oh my god! Gansta-sensei! Is that one of your three wives?” you almost dropped your dog…

“What? No, and I told you I don’t have three wives, dammit! That’s just a rumor! I live in a shared house, they just happen to live there too!” his explanation was a bit unnecessary, it’s not like the kids needed to know all that, but he was panicking, how can this kid be this annoying? Seriously, could he even chose a worse moment to ruin?

Relief was visible on your beautiful face and for that Tengen was thankful.

“Go do your work kids, I want at least two different clouds and I don’t want just the sky and two white mushes, you heard me Inosuke? You have to take elements of nature into consideration, that’s all I’m gonna say, go be creative.” you were in awe, looking at him like if it was your first time meeting. He wasn’t just way bigger than he was before, but more handsome and responsible too, he actually looked like an adult, to a surprising degree.

“You’re a teacher?”

“Yeah, an art teacher…can you believe that? Me? A teacher?” his loud rambotious laugh was contagious, making you giggle, “Yes I believe it. You’ve always been fantastic at it. Remeber when you had to help me with your notes? You were always patient and helpful. Besides your murals were always breathtaking.” he was suddenly selfconssious at the fact that you remembered his art works, that you believed he could be a good teacher, nobody gives him credit for that, nobody believed in him, except the principal of the school of course. It made him feel warm and fuzzy inside, something he’s never felt before, even if he’s dated a bunch of girls in the past.

“Gimme your new number, I gotta get this little delinquent back home, but it’d be pretty cool if we could meet later…and hang out?” you were looking at him through your oh so pretty lashes, making his insides turn to mush in seconds.

“Yeah sure, of course! Here.” he handed you his phone and you saved yourself as contact, dialing your number right after to save his.

“I’ll text you later then! I have time tonight if that’s ok with you~”

“Hey Tanjiro…” Zenitsu was crouching down behind a tree, paying as close attention as he could to the scene unfolding. “Pssst…Tanjirooooo….”

“What is it Zenitsu? I’m trying to draw that dragon cloud over there but it looks more like a cat….”

“Stop talking about stupid clouds and come here! Look, sensei’s got a hot date!”

Even when they thought they were being as quiet as possible, you both heard them which made you chuckle and Tengen blush.

“These damn kids, I swear…”

“Well he isn’t wrong, isn’t he handsome~?” throwing him a playful wink, you went back down the mountain with your tiny dog; your little workout outfit pulling hearts out of Tengen’s eyes as he stared at your retrieving form. “Yeah, he’s definitely not wrong…hot damn (Y/N)…”

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Saying he spent all day texting you was an understatement, the man didn’t even eat his lunch, forget about the damn clouds, nothing was more pressing for him at that moment that to get back into your life.

True to his student’s statement that morning, he in fact lived with three women. He didn’t lie though, the rumor of them being all his wives was definitely not true, law would not allow such a thing.

But what he omitted was how he had indeed been with all of them. More than once.

While they were all beautiful, professional, and wonderful women, to him they were just always there. It was not fun, there was no thrill, they threw themselves at him since the very beginning and he just went with the flow.

You were different.

Even after knowing you for such a long time and sharing multiple tender moments and deep secrets with each other, you never went beyond resting your head on his shoulder and hugging his arm.

That to this day, is still his favorite memory of all times.

He’s been with many women during this time apart from you, but not even one, and I mean it, not even a single one of them made him smile.

Some made him smirk, that’s a fact. But a true smile, one from the heart? Nah, just you. And that’s something that always stood out to him, something he made up himself like an impossible goal, “I’ll never be serious with anyone that can’t even make me smile the way (Y/N) did”, an invincible first love, one of those that never lets you move on, always making you compare everyone to the one you once loved.

But that invincible first love was now back in his life and very much interested in eating dinner at his place, something he really wanted to avoid.

“My sweet pumpkin…can’t we go out? I know of a fine place, you still like pancakes right?” he was desperate at this point, bringing you to his place was not going to take this anywhere safe, of course he loves the girls they’re great, but you…it was just in a different level and he wasn’t willing to risk loosing you this soon.

“I do yeah, but I thought maybe we could watch a movie or something…stay for a little longer so we could, you know…catch up…” the nervousness of your tone of voice was driving him insane, were you trying too say what his brain was processing it as right now? Where you trying to stay for the night and “catch up”? No, never, you’ve never even kissed…is it because you’re adults now? No, no, no, his head was just in the gutter as usual.

“Can we try your place, sunshine? I just…I live in a shared house like I told you earlier, I don’t even have a tv in my room and its so loud…I wish to have some time alone with you, something more calm and relaxing, you know, to catch up…” he couldn’t avoid it, everything that came out of his mouth was as suggestive as his thoughts were, but your voice was so mellow..he just wanted to bury his face on your chest and cuddle you all night, was it possible? Probably not but hey, he’s gotta try at least.

“I haven’t finished unpacking, everything is a mess…but I mean sure, if you don’t mind…”

“Of course not, princess! I can even help you! Having a strong male around to do all the heavy lifting could be quite handy!” if it sounded forced you didn’t notice, you agreed right away and the date was set, he was to take some nice wine and fried chicken because, why not, that’s gangster enough, isn’t it..? It did make you chuckle but honestly nothing sounded better than catching up with your old crush/friend while eating some fatty foods and some good wine to finish it all with that super hyped movie everyone’s talking about and none of you have watched just yet.

It all sounded lovely, all planned out perfectly, that was until your dog knocked out the wine bottle to the floor shattering it to nothing but a red puddle on your brand new carpet.

While the wine wasn’t at all expensive, it did kill the mood somehow and you ended up indeed just catching up with life.

It was amazing to you how much he’s grown from the cute delinquent you used to love secretly, to this school teacher who’s been assigned to develop future talents.

You on the other hand struggled a lot while abroad and were a bit lost in your path, didn’t know if you wanted or not to continue with your choice of major and had just been hired in a company you didn’t like in the slightest. Overall, your life hasn’t been as great and seeing him after all this time was definitely lifting your spirits.

Your workplace was just a station away from his school and so you agreed to see each other again the next day. And the day after. And the one after that too.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“Why is it so hard for you guys to believe I wanna buy an apartment? Am I not allowed to be fully self-sufficient?? I even bought a fridge already!” Tengen was huffing while sitting on his cubicle, Tomioka and Rengoku enjoying some afternoon tea while Kanae kept on bugging him.

“You have a woman don’t you? Just spill it out! Don’t think you can deceive me! I’m a woman after all.” Kanae was pretty rounded at this point in life, her first pregnancy confirmed to be a boy now growing at the speed of light within her belly, causing her mood to be a little…unstable…

“You’re so nosy! What if I do? Is that illegal?” the three of them gasped in unison, so in sync that it was almost comical.

“I knew it!”

“So you’re settling down? I didn’t know you wanted something like that for your life…wasn’t the flamboyant life your path or some crap like that?” Giyuu and his sharp tongue-

“You can still be flamboyant and have a lovely family.”

“Rengoku…my man…you’re the only one who gets me in this world. Maybe I should marry you instead…” Tengen has been struggling with the process of moving on with the relationship. He didn’t like titles, he didn’t want to be someone’s husband. He believed in the freedom of the heart, on how creativity gets stuck when there’s something to tie you down. He kind of wanted to just live with you, because he couldn’t bare the thought of waking up and not having you in his arms…because he couldn’t even go to his place anymore and has been wearing the same shirt for three days in a row just because of his needy self, because he needed you to be his, but he didn’t fully understand what that meant.

“I’m taken bro, sorry.”

He let out a long sigh, sinking into his chair, “I don’t know if I want to get married…is that a bad thing? I mean I love her, I know that for sure, I also want her to be with me all the time, to a scary extent…I even made her go with me to the toilet and hold my hand because the burritos we ate last night were going rampage within me-“

“Oh my god just shut up Uzui, you disgust me…”

Laughter was filling the office once more, the heavy air around Tengen finally lifting. “It’s fine if you just want to live together, there’s many couples that never get married and still live happily together for a long time.” “Yeah exactly, just make sure to talk to her, that you’re both on the same page. Who knows? Maybe she wants the same!” it was as simple as that, wasn’t it? He was just scared of hurting your feelings, what if you wanted a huge wedding and five kids? He was not ready for that, and for all he knows, he might be ready eventually, if that’s something you want he’s willing to compromise, he just needs time, though can’t fathom living a second more without you by his side.

And it wasn’t bad at all, communication is the key to a good relationship, some say.

The happiness in your face when he told you he wanted you to go with him apartment hunting was beyond anything he had imagined before. You wanted to be with him as much as he wanted to be with you.

Marriage and having a family aren’t subjects everyone wish to discuss so early in life and while he sees himself by your side for as long as possible, he was a little behind his coworkers who built one of their own rather quickly.

For now he was happy knowing he’d get to spend every single minute of his free time in the same space as you, he loved the thought of you cooking dinner while he worked on his paintings, the thought of him letting you sleep a few minutes more by getting breakfast ready before waking you up. It was the perfect beginning to a future he never even dreamed of, a happy one, filled with love.

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Masterlist

Sanemi Version. Giyuu Version. Rengoku Version.

#kimetsu academy #kimetsu no yaiba fluff #kny #kimetsu no yaiba #kimetsu no yaiba fanfic #sound pillar #uzui tengen #uzui x y/n #uzui x you #tengen uzui #demon slayer uzui #kny uzui #uzui x reader #tengen fluff #tengen x reader #demon slayer tengen #kny tengen #fluff #part of a series

49 notes · View notes

ledalasombra · 10 months

Text

My not so normal little sister

Chapter 3: Regrets

Notes:

A little bit of context about what happened mixed with the present.

I hope all of you like it.

……………….........................

Tim stood there for a few minutes in front of the computer, still trying to believe what he was reading. "I have a sister... I have a little sister and she is sick…" he mumbled to himself and that was the only thought going through Tim Drake-Wayne's mind at that moment. He had a 22 year old sister who he didn't know about until 4 hours ago and she was going in for surgery. Tim leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes, staring at the screen in front of him with a half-lost gaze, coming to his senses when he heard voices entering the cave. He saved what was still open in his documents, watching Alfred bring Barbara closer to him.

The butler, who was much more of a grandfather than anything else, looked at him intensely, slightly raising his eyebrow, realizing that something was wrong. He didn't comment on the red eyes of the boy in front of him, just walking over and placing his hand on his shoulder.

" Maybe it's better that you don't go out today, Master Tim. I don't think you have the conditions to be part of the activities." Alfred paused briefly, looking again at the boy in front of him "I believe a good night's sleep will help, don't you think?"

"I... " Tim blinked several times, looking at him and sighing heavily. " I'll be in my room if anyone needs me." He didn't take long, getting up from his chair and heading towards the entrance that gave access to the mansion, bumping lightly into Damian as he entered the place.

"Tt. Watch where you walk Drake. This isn't that difficult if you keep your functionality to a minimum." He said as he saw him go up the stairs frowning " What happened to him? He's not in his normal sleep-deprived state…"

"I don't know Master Damian. Maybe he just needs some rest." Alfred says with concern "You should go change, the others will be here in little time."

…………………………

Tim knew what he needed to do. He went straight to his room, sitting on the bed and turning on the computer. He was going to arrange a flight to Paris the next day, but until then, he needed to find out everything he could about his sister as soon as possible. He took out his cell phone, typing her phone number and opened it to send a message.

Unknow number

I'm going to Paris as soon as possible.

Send me news when you can,

the sooner the better.

Be safe.

Tim

Paris – 7:40 am

Emilie got out of the car and headed straight for the bakery entrance. As soon as she walked in she could see Sabine at the counter finishing up with the customer. She smiled slightly at her friend, sitting at a table a little farther from the entrance, watching her friend from afar. She was happy to be able to have a good friendship with Sabine for the last 3 years, a bond that grew out of the relationship of their children. She still didn't understand why the two ended up, however both decided not to give details of the reason and just move on. The last 3 months were hard to see both of them walk away, even though they still felt something strong for each other. They were suffering, each in their own way and in their own corner.

Emilie watched her friend approach, standing up and hugging her tight as Sabine placed the tray on the table. Emilie could see Sabine's tired look, her worried eyes as the two of them sat in their respective seats. She held her hand, squeezing it lightly, but before she even asked what had happened, her friend started talking.

"I didn't know you had returned from London. How is your sister? I thought you would spend more time there…" Sabine said putting a cup next to Emilie and taking another for herself with some tea.

"Amelie is great and I ended up spending too much time there. Adrien was pretty wrapped up with college and with the two of them over, I thought I'd better return. He's been pretty reclusive for the last month."

"There's not much we can do, unfortunately. They're adults Em, they need to know what to do and if they need us we'll be there to help." She said after drinking some of her tea.

"I know it's just that… " she paused leaving her cup on the table "Am I the only one who sees that the two of them are getting hurt?"

Sabine took a deep breath before answering, but before she even started to speak she heard the bakery door slam, looking in the direction, seeing a young man her daughter's age come running towards her.

"Peter? Why are you here?" She said in surprise, arching her eyebrow.

"Aunt Sabine! Glad I found you here. I wasn't going to leave that stubborn one alone in the hospital and I came to stay with her. Only she refuses for two days to give me any information. I was going straight to the hospital but I thought it was better to stop by to ask your permission."

"Oh my darling." she said smiling " I'm so glad you came, even though I knew she didn't want anyone there…" she said getting up and hugging the boy who was much bigger than her.

"She's almost a sister... I wouldn't leave her alone now…" Peter replied, hugging her tight. In a way Sabine was very reminiscent of his aunt. Not that they were physically similar, but because of their posture and, sometimes, their way of acting and speaking.

"Hospital?" Emilie looked at Sabine without understanding what was happening, taking a deep breath before speaking.

"Marinette will have surgery in 3 hours. She's already in the hospital, Luka just texted me a warning. We were just finishing things around here and we're heading there. It was all very fast since we found out she was sick until they scheduled the surgery...."

"I was at the company yesterday and Adrien told me she was going on vacation?" Emilie looked at Sabine confused, trying to understand how this information didn't reach her. "As I understand it, everyone at the company thinks she’s on vacation…"

"She didn't want to tell anyone there and asked me to avoid telling other people" she said feeling Peter put his arm around the eldest shoulders, in a sign of support "She's in a difficult process, she said she doesn't want anyone worried anymore with her or for people to stop what they need to do to help her. She's closing down more and more... Peter and Luka are one of the few people she's been talking to." She sighed, lowering her head slightly. "I'm sorry for the lack of manners, Emilie…" she said, hugging the boy from the side "this is Peter Parker, a great friend of Mari, he lives in New York."

Peter extended his hand to greet the woman in front of him "It's a pleasure to meet you ma'am. Mars always speaks with great affection and admiration of you…"

" She told me about you... " Emilie smiled slightly at the boy, still showing a slight confusion and frustration in her face "How did she say... "if it wasn't for him I would be lost in New York until today”. " she smiled slightly at the memory, turning her attention to Sabine "What happened to her?

"Peter, why don't you keep your things in Mari's old room? Tom and I are leaving in a little while to go to the hospital and you're coming with us, okay?" He nodded quickly, heading towards the back of the bakery, greeting Tom quickly and heading towards the apartment at the top.

"She has a brain tumor, found out when she got back from New York a little over a month ago…" Sabine started talking as soon as she sat down again. "The doctors said that the surgery despite being very aggressive has a success rate of almost 100% but that the recovery is expected to be slow." Sabine took a deep breath, drinking a little more of the tea to calm down " it all happened so fast. One day she was fine and the next we were in the hospital after she had a bad headache and passed out. " Sabine started to cry as her friend held her hand to reassure her that she was there to help her. "She didn't want to tell anyone and with all the rush of exams that went on in the last month…"

"Hey, calm down Sabine... It's okay, it's going to be okay! She is a young woman, strong and it is obvious that she will be alright!" Emilie said, looking her friend in the eye "do you want me to go to the hospital with you?"

"No, you don't have to. She didn't want to tell anyone, if there are a lot of people there she'll get agitated" she sighed wiping her tears "I'll call you to let you know how the procedure went. All going well, the doctor said she should stay a little more than a week in the hospital." Sabine squeezes her friend's hand lightly, getting up and follows. "I need to go, she made me promise that we were going to leave the bakery open with Jonas taking care, because according to her, life can't stop because she's sick."

"Be well and send me news as soon as possible." She said hugging her friend "if you need me let me know! I'll come back later so we can talk better." They said goodbye briefly, with Emilie leaving the bakery and getting in the car heading straight for the company, while Sabine went to organize herself to leave as soon as possible to the hospital.

…………………

Emilie arrived at the company going straight to her son's room. Adrien was one of the directors and, despite not having finished college, he was doing very well at what he did. She glanced at the watch on her wrist and from the time she knew he still hadn't left for his late-morning classes. She knocked lightly on the door before entering, seeing him reading some documents on the computer.

"Adrien, my dear. I didn't see you when you left this morning…" she said as she entered and headed towards the table, sitting in a chair right in front of her son "I just met Sabine." She said putting her bag on the chair next to him, looking at him.

"I didn't know you were going there... How are they? I confess that I haven't been there since Mari and I broke up." - He finished the sentence with a low voice, sighing and turning his attention to her mother. "Did something happen? you usually come back excited from it."

"When was the last time you and Mari talked? Sabine told me she's in the hospital, checked in this morning... Did you know that Mari is sick?"

"What do you mean is Mari sick? What happened to her?" He got up from his chair, heading towards his mother, sitting next to her. He looked at her worriedly, trying to understand what she was talking about "mom, Mari was here in a meeting two days ago, I don't know what you're talking about."

"Marinette is going into surgery in two hours." She said, passing her hand on her son's face "Sabine didn't give me details, but from what I understand it's not very simple. She's going to have a tumor removed…"

Adrien leaned back in his chair, looking at the wall behind his mother not really knowing what to say and what was going on. "We haven't spoken directly in a month or so… she hinted that she didn't want to talk to me at the moment and had been avoiding me for the last few weeks. She didn't tell me anything." He spoke in a devastated voice, running a hand through his hair. "We had an argument when she got back from New York, I said I was sorry, that I wish we... I shouldn't and didn't want to break up with her…"

"Oh Adrien, I'm so sorry... but if you guys talked why…"

"She said you can't forget what was said and, honestly, you can't go back with the words I said. I said things to her when we broke up that she didn't deserve to hear, not after all she's done for me... When we spoke last time she made it very clear that she needed space and time for us to talk again…"

"Do you want to talk about it? We can try …" - She said hugging his son.

"No, I definitely don't want to talk about it." He took a deep breath moving away from Emilie "Do you have news of where and how she is?"

"No honey... Sabine promised me that she would let me know and give me news when the surgery was over. She asked no one to go there, she said her daughter didn't want anyone to know…" She said, rubbing her son's face, removing some tears that had fallen. "It's going to be okay and as soon as I have news I'll pass it on to you. Do you want me to stay here a little longer?"

"Thanks Mom." He took a deep breath "if you want to go, I'll be fine here. I don't think I'm going out today. I highly doubt I'll be able to do anything before I hear from her."

"Alright then I'll go to my office and take the opportunity to get you some tea... ok?"

Adrien just nodded, his eyes fixed on the wall in front of him. He sighed, remembering the day he'd realized the biggest mistake he'd ever made in his life.

Flashback

"MyLady, it's a pleasure as always to see you here…" He smiled in her direction "You've been missing for a long time since we've seen each other, were you still in training with the order?"

"Hello Chatton. My training ended a few months ago, but with the rush of everyday life I didn't have time for night outings" she laughed weakly "I was very immersed in work that was delayed precisely because of training."

"Did something happen? Any specific reason to call me?" He looked at her from afar. She was depressed, lacking the smile that always accompanied and lit up her face. Something must have happened. He watched the woman he loved so much sit on the only sofa in the empty living room, in front of a large window that overlooked a park with the Eiffel Tower in the background. It was the highest floor of the building and the view from the place was beautiful.

"I brought you here to talk to you about something important. A few months ago, Bunnix took me to the future to solve a problem. Not to mention things that could interfere in the future and to give a brief summary, an ancient secret organization called the League of Assassins managed to get hold of some miraculous and it can be said that things got out of control very quickly." she paused looking at him seriously "I need you to avoid going out like Chat Noir as much as possible. I know how important this is to you, but unless we have more information, it's best to keep the Miraculous as hidden as possible."

Chat's eyes widened in surprise at her comment, processing what was said. "Do you think there's any chance they're after us? I remember you commenting on them some time ago…"

"I don't know... But I'm trying to see the options we have. If they go after the Miraculous, the first place they'll look is…"

"Paris!" He completed her sentence sitting on the sofa next to her" especially after the news had become international. "He paused thinking about the matter" As the identities of the other wilders were not disclosed they will have no problems...

"I don't think so either... At the moment only Fluff, Tikki and Plagg are active, I don't think that's a problem." She paused, trying to direct the conversation as best she could. "Adrien, I brought you here because with the training of the order I was able to magically create something similar to the dimension that exists for the Kwamis and I want to try to give you access to it. You will be able to put anything in there, however you will only be able to take it out if it was something you put in. Just like you won't be able to take anyone inside... If you realize you're at risk, you'll be able to access the room from anywhere."

Ladybug stood up walking into the apartment, stopping in front of a door and reciting brief words with her hand on the door handle. When she was done, she opened the door, revealing a place resembling a small library, with books, a small sofa, table, and a chair. She took Chat Noir's hand, placing it over the invisible wall that restricted his passage in the room. After she spoke a few more words, which he couldn't quite make out, his hand went through the invisible barrier, allowing him through the door.

"Uow MyLady .... This is very ... " he looked at the place and was impressed, turning to her "I really appreciate you trusting me like that."

"I trust you for almost everything Adrien… " he turned around quickly "I call this place pocket dimension. The entire apartment is protected with some spells to prevent the place from having any kind of unwanted visitors. The magic placed here was made precisely so that those who are outside see mundane things even though it is discreet and difficult to track…"

Chat Noir looked at her somehow, a little hurt by the words, but he would come back to that question later "Whose apartment is it? How long have you been organizing all this?" He looked at her, seeing her turn towards him.

"I started to think about it when I was finishing my training in order. The apartment is in my name... there's something else I need to talk to you about before we leave. I'm going away on a trip and I don't know when I'll be back. Probably a month from now, or a little longer I think…"

"LB, what happened? You're down…" He said, looking at her intently. Ladybug was always a very energetic person and despite her insecurity when they were younger she always knew what to do and seeing her the way she was made him feel devastated.

She sat in the closest chair, still looking straight ahead "Some personal issues that came up…" Ladybug looked at him pointing to the spot next to her "My boyfriend and I ended our relationship after three years and things are a little complicated. Can you say that I'm still adapting?"

"Relationships are difficult. I know you liked him a lot from the few times we talked, but maybe it was for the better?" he said, sighing "It seems that these last few days have not been very good for either of us. My girlfriend and I broke up too. But if you want to talk, I'm all ears…" He said sitting next to her.

"There's not much to say, we can't change what people feel" she smiled weakly making a brief pause "But why did you break up?"

"Marinette is a wonderful person and I like her a lot, don't get me wrong, it was probably the hardest decision I made. But it didn't make sense to be with her thinking about someone else" he finished the sentence looking directly at her, the hint of his words being perceptible.

Ladybug closed her eyes lightly, letting a tear fall, wiping it away in the same instant he felt it. After a few moments she took a deep breath opening her eyes so she felt calmer. "When I told you that you wouldn't love the person under that mask you never really believed it... You always said you'd recognize me anywhere." he looked at her without understanding, seeing her get up and go towards the door, stopping without even turning to him "eight days ago you broke up with me because I wasn't the person with this mask. I'm sorry I was a little skeptical and emotional about what you just said, but it's a little hard to believe you at the moment.” She spoke without a hint of anger or resentment.

Adrien stood looking at her, not understanding what she was saying, when he finally registered what she had said. He sees all the glamour of the suit fall, the presence of the person in front of him being clear. His expression changed from confusion to desperation in seconds.

No... It couldn't be. He blinked a few times quickly, when he finally managed to react "Mari… ? No…"

"When you want to get out of here, just put your hand on the doorknob and think about where you want to go. When you open the door, you will be in the exact place you thought, as long as it is empty." she said putting her hand on the doorknob, taking a deep breath without looking at him" See you another time Adrien …" she opened the door and he could see her room just before she closed the door behind her.

#mlb x dc x marvel #dc x mlb #maribat #mlb x dc #damimari #marinette x damian #damianette #maridami #damian x marinette #daminette #damienette

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daegudrama · 2 months

Text

Title: Route 613

Pairing: Reader/Namjoon, Reader/Yoongi, Reader/Vmin

Summary: Reader wants to be the very best Pokémon trainer there ever was. Her first stop in that journey is Paldea University home to a myriad of higher education. Still working to get over her ex boyfriend, Yoongi, reader forms new connections while making a few questionable decisions along the way. Each battle bringing her closer to the glory she's always dreamed of. Will she succeed in becoming champion or will outside forces stop her from achieving her goal?

Word Count: 10.6k

Disclaimer: Real life ages mean nothing in this fic. Refer here for ages and my shitty graphics

cross posted to ao3 here

1 2 3 4

Chapter 5

Lea insists that Hiyyih’s friends ride in an air taxi to travel to Montenevera. Most people would use a pokemon or travel on foot. This is a luxury you’ve rarely used. In the back seat you are squished into the middle seat between Jimin and Namjoon. You don’t let your mind wander thinking only about all the new things you are about to see and not the men whose thighs are pressed up against your own.

Things have been calm following the chaos of Halloween. No one has brought up what happened and you are happy things are back to normal. You think Namjoon has noticed something minorly different in how you interact with Jimin and Taehyung. He hasn’t said anything about it, though.

Instead he’s been joining you for study sessions in the library. Spending time with him is easy. He’s happy to sit beside you studying without saying anything for hours. Other times he’ll talk about the latest thing he’s learned in his grass type anatomy class until you are afraid he’s going to run out of breath. You never stop him. Somehow it’s not annoying when he’s the one doing it.

“If you look to the left you will see the mountains where Kai once almost lost a toe to frostbite.” Hiyyih says in her best tour guide voice from the front seat. “Thankfully, Lea had her Flareon and we were able to warm Kai up before he lost any toes.”

“How did that even happen? Shouldn’t he have known what to wear having lived in the snow his whole life?” Namjoon asks, looking through the tinted window next to him.

“He was going through a rebellious phase and thought he would be fine.” Hiyyih laughs and you can see her eyes light up as she looks at you in the back seat.

A few minutes later the car drops you at the edge of town and Hiyyih leads the way towards her childhood home. The house, which is more like an apartment really, is situated right above the bakery Lea owns and operates with the help of a few part timers. Montenevera is quite small so it doesn’t take long to reach the tall building. You are grateful it’s a short journey because it’s freezing. It’s much colder here than anywhere else you’ve ever been. The scenery is beautiful though. A pristine blanket of snow covers the ground, creating a winter wonderland around you. Behind you the laughter of children echoes through the air as the children add rocks for eyes on their snowman.

Ascending the narrow staircase above the bakery, you find yourself at the entrance of the Huening apartment. A gentle warmth welcomes you as you step inside, leaving the wintry chill behind. The aroma of freshly baked goods from below lingers in the air, adding a comforting touch to your surroundings. Hiyyih removes her shoes and you follow suit making room for Jimin and Namjoon to step inside.

“Lea!” Hiyyih calls out, pointing to the living room and instructing you to set your bags down there. The boys set their bags down and you follow suit. “I’m home!”

“Hiyyih, I’m in the kitchen.” You hear a soft voice call.

Jimin, Namjoon and you follow Hiyyih into the modern kitchen. The scent of freshly baked muffins wafts through the air creating an irresistible atmosphere. There is a marble island counter with tall chairs surrounding it. Hiyyih hugs her sister before she takes a seat and you take the seat beside her. Lea looks incredibly similar to Hiyyih, and it’s somehow more striking in person than from seeing photos.

“Hi, I’m Namjoon. I’m a big fan of your content. It’s so nice to meet you.” Namjoon sounds just the slightest bit nervous as he speaks.

You look over your shoulder to see a faint blush coating his cheeks. Does he know Hiyyih, jokingly, called him a fanboy? It's cute that this little interaction with Lea has him reacting this way. This is someone he has looked up to for quite some time.

“Nice to meet you.” Lea says placing muffins onto a plate before sliding it in front of you. “You must be YN and Jimin, right?”

Lea points as she says your names and you nod. Hiyyih choses a muffin and takes a big bite waving her hand to encourage the rest of your group to do the same. The muffins are even more delicious fresh than the packaged ones near school.

Hiyyih tells Lea about what Namjoon and Jimin are studying. Soon your two friends relax and animatedly talk with Lea. As Namjoon and Jimin engage in conversation with Lea, you admire the easy camaraderie between them. Everyone is at ease, cozy in Hiyyih’s childhood home. Laughter soon fills the kitchen as they exchange stories.

Quietly, you enjoy the delicious muffin, savoring the flavors as you listen to the conversations around you. Unlike some other adults of Lea’s status you’ve met, she is genuinely interested in hearing about Namjoon and Jimin’s experiences and what they have been learning about in school thus far. The boys feel welcomed and valued in this space, and you can see a spark of excitement glinting in their eyes as they share their passions.

The boys decide to go outside for a walk leaving just the girls in the kitchen still enjoying Lea’s muffins.

“So, YN,” Lea says shifting in her seat. “I heard from Hiyyih that you’re quite the Pokemon trainer. Have you beat her yet?”

You chuckle at Lea’s question, resisting the urge to side eye Hiyyih. Instead you look over to Hiyyih with a playful grin. “Not yet she’s been refusing to battle me, but I’m hoping she’ll let me take her on soon. What I’ve seen of her skills are legendary.”

Hiyyih smiles, a competitive glint shining in her eyes. “Stop flattering me. You’ll get a chance before we go back to school.”

“Finally!” You say rubbing your hands together like a super villain.

The topic easily shifts to battling strategies. Despite how good a rival she is going to be for you she is still your best friend. You eagerly discuss tactics with Hiyyih and Lea. They both tell you about their most memorable battles. Lea has much more interesting stories than you and Hiyyih. You think you could talk to her for days and she would still have stories of the adventures she’s been on.

Hiyyih leaves you alone with her sister and you feel awkward for a moment before Lea speaks up.

“Hiyyih has lost a lot of friends because she’s a better trainer than them. Some people can’t handle being friends with their competitors.” Lea’s face is very serious as she speaks. “She hasn’t battled you because she’s afraid it’ll happen again. I don’t think that’s going to be an issue here, but please be careful with her.”

“I think she’d be more insulted if I went easy on her.”

“Oh, that’s not what I meant.” Lea breaks into a smile. “Fight as hard as you can. You can kick her ass and still be her best friend.”

“I get it,” You say softly, nodding your head. “I’ll make sure to come with respect and consideration for her feelings. Hiyyih is really important to me.”

“Thank you.” Lea says, reaching out to touch your forearm that is resting on the counter. “You are really important to her too and I wouldn’t want both of your competitive natures to get in the way. It’s important to have other trainers with you on your journey.”

Before you can say another word you hear a shriek from outside, followed by the sound of laughter and playful shouts. Curious, you and Lea share a puzzled glance before hurrying to the window. You are greeted by the sight of Hiyyih, Namjoon and Jimin engaging in a spirited snowball fight. Through the crack of the opened window you can hear their laughter filling the air as they duck behind snowbanks. Trying to dodge snowballs while still throwing them at each other.

Lea chuckles at the scene with a fond smile lighting up her face. “They didn’t grow up near snow did they?”

“I don’t think it usually snows quite this much in Saffron City or Cherrygrove City.”

Lea nods, studying how they are playing for a moment.

“It looks like they are having a blast.” Lea remarks, turning to look at you with a playful twinkle lighting her eyes. “Care to join them?”

“Absolutely!” You grin, feeling a surge of excitement at the prospect of joining the fun.

It doesn’t snow in Cabo Poco. The only time you’ve seen real snow is when you were traveling with your parents. There wasn’t really anyone for you to play with like this.

After properly dressing yourself Lea laughs and pulls you outside. It’s truly like a winter wonderland and you are ready to embrace the joy and magic of this snowy adventure.

“YN, prepare to taste defeat!” Jimin calls winding up his arm to throw the lumpy white ball in his hand.

“Oh, it’s on, Jimin! Don’t underestimate my power.” You yell back hiding behind a wall of snow right outside of Cafe Huening.

“You might be a good trainer but I have years of experience!” Hiyyih yells hitting you squarely in the chest despite your position.

“Let’s show them what we’re made of!” Lea says from beside you already holding several snowballs.

She hands you one and you aim for Namjoon narrowly missing his ear. Namjoon opens his mouth in shock then lets out a loud laugh that fills you with joy. You sneak out of your sanctuary with snowball ammo in hand wanting to hear his laugh again. This time you get much closer and hit his back with expert precision. He turns around and before you can escape he grabs your wrist pulling you close with a wicked smile on his face.

Namjoon’s nose, as well as his cheeks, are flushed red from the cold. His deep dimples are visible as he can’t hold back a smile. He takes the snowball in his hand and smashes it against your head. A shriek loud enough for the whole street to hear leaves your mouth before you burst into giggles. You look into his eyes and his face softens. Namjoon’s heart feels like it might burst out of his chest. In his moment of distraction Lea hits him between the shoulder blades and you make your escape, throwing more snowballs in Jimin’s direction.

Twenty minutes later you are tired and in need of something warm. Lea suggests a ramen place just up the street and with rosy cheeks each of you follows her. The inside is warm and inviting after playing in the snow. You are greeted by the comforting aroma of simmering broth and savory noodles.

The hostess leads you to a booth where you scoot all the way to the wall. Namjoon sits next to you and Jimin next to him. Lea and Hiyyih take the other side looking over the menu as if they haven’t been here hundreds of times over the year. Each of them have different suggestions of what the best thing to order is. You take Lea’s suggestion as it sounds really good. The boys on the other hand make their own concoction with extra toppings.

As the group waits for their meals Lea asks about what you and your friends did in your hometowns growing up. Each of your hometowns is quite different from the town you are in now.

“My grandparents are from Cerulean City but when I was young my father moved us to Saffron City because he got a better job there. I spent a lot of summers with my grandparents tending to their garden and exploring the beautiful landscapes. In Saffron City though there was also something going on. My friends and I did lots of exploring and got into all kinds of trouble.”

Namjoon has never seemed like someone who belongs in Saffron City. His connection with nature never quite fit in your head, but it all makes sense now.

“It must be fun growing up somewhere where everyone doesn’t know your whole family history.” Hiyyih remarks then takes a sip of her water.

Instead of answering, Namjoon turns to look at you. Is he hoping you’ll also answer the question?

“Cabo Poco is really small. I liked spending long days playing on the sandy beaches and exploring the lush forests nearby. Yoongi and I used to go fishing and have picnics by the sea.”

Each of your friends tries to mask a lot of pity when you say your ex's name. None of them are quite successful, but thankfully Lea saves you from having to say anything else. Will you ever be able to talk about him without it feeling weird?

“It must be so nice having the ocean just down the road from you. I can just imagine the sounds of the waves and the scent of the ocean breeze.”

An ache lingers in your chest with a bit of homesickness. Perhaps you need to take a weekend trip home soon.

“What about you, Jimin? What’s Cherrygrove City really like?” Hiyyih asks, pulling the attention away from you.

“Kind of boring sometimes. I explored the forests a lot with my pokemon because there wasn’t much else to do. A lot of the time I would hang out at the pokemon center until Nurse Joy would let me help whatever poor pokemon she was treating. She became like a mentor and that really helped me learn the basics of what I’m studying now.”

“My pokemon centers would never let me do something like that.” Namjoon muses, crossing his arms over his chest.

The conversation shifts to lighter topics as the ramen bowls arrive, steaming and deliciously fragrant. The broth warms your insides adding to the overall cozy atmosphere. Hearing about their childhoods makes you feel that much closer to them. Namjoon rarely mentions his family so it’s interesting to hear how much he obviously adores his grandparents. Jimin launches into more interesting stories from his adventures in the forest while you begin eating your ramen.

When you make it back to the Huening apartment each of you heads to designated rooms to get ready for bed. Hiyyih and you are in Hiyyih’s room, Lea is in her own room and the boys are staying in Hiyyih’s father’s room. Mr. Huening is rarely home these days, always on another adventure in another region. He won’t mind Jimin and Namjoon using his room for a few days.

Once both you and Hiyyih have showered she joins you on her twin sized mattress. The walls of her bedroom are lined with pictures of different pokemon and medals she won from rookie pokemon battles. On her desk there is a picture of the three Huening siblings on the beach enjoying the sunshine.

“Your room at school looks nothing like this.” You comment looking over at her from your position sitting with your back against the wall.

“This is eighteen years of decoration. My home sanctuary that would be hard to duplicate at school.”

You tilt your head back without replying. Thoughts of today fill your mind and you are just so thankful you finally found a group of friends. What would you be doing right now if you hadn’t stumbled upon Hiyyih in the woods?

“I’m really glad we all met,” You confess, breaking the silence. “It feels like we’ve known each other for so much longer.”

Hiyyih nods in agreement, “It’s funny how life brings us together. I never thought I’d find genuine friends this easily after Kai became champion.”

With that you decide to go to sleep knowing Hiyyih has a packed day tomorrow. It's just cold enough in her room that it feels ten times more comfortable under her warm blankets.

In the morning you get out of bed first as Hiyyih looks through the notifications on her phone. Needing to use the restroom you walk out of Hiyyih’s room and run straight into someone. You look up and your heart races when you see the Pokemon League Champion trying to help you steady yourself. It’s easy to tell that he’s Hiyyih and Lea’s sibling. They all look similar but still unique in their own ways. Just like Lea, Kai is even more attractive in person. Instead of saying something like a normal person you run back into Hiyyih’s room after mumbling an apology.

“What happened?” Hiyyih asks, raising an eyebrow as she looks up from her phone.

You take a deep breath cursing yourself for getting so worked up over accidentally running into Hiyyih’s brother. He’s not a big pokemon champion in this house. This is his home and you shouldn’t make him feel uncomfortable in any way.

“I bumped into Kai.” You say quietly hiding your blushing face behind your hands.

“YN he’s literally just some guy!” Hiyyih exclaims loud enough for anyone in the hallway to hear.

She must think that Kai is still standing in front of the door.

“I heard that Hiyyih!” Kai shouts back.

After a moment, you muster the courage to step back into the hallway and properly introduce yourself to Kai. Like Hiyyih said at the end of the day he’s just some guy. Even if he is some guy that currently holds the title you are vying for. The one you’ve been dreaming of your whole life.

“Sorry about that. I didn’t think anyone else was awake yet. I wasn’t watching where I was walking.” A kind smile lights up his face and he shoves his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants. “I’m Kai. Nice to meet you.”

“Hi I’m YN. Nice to meet you too.”

Hiyyih appears next to you with her blonde hair in a messy bun at the top of her head.

“Now that we’ve got that out of the way let's make breakfast.”

The three of you head into the kitchen, the morning sunlight is casting a warm glow over the snowy landscape outside. Kai and Hiyyih insist that you don’t need to help them prepare breakfast since you are a guest. Instead you watch them for a few minutes before you walk into the room Namjoon and Jimin are using to wake them up. You knock three times before you enter. The two men are cuddled together in the middle of the bed. Jimin’s leg is slung over Namjoon’s hip and you feel like you are walking into something you shouldn’t see.

Loudly you clear your throat and that is enough to cause Namjoon and Jimin to stir from their embrace. Namjoon opens his eyes and quickly pulls himself away from Jimin when he sees you. Jimin opens his eyes and a confused look takes over, obviously disorientated by the sudden movement.

“Morning.” You say in a sing-song voice.

“Hey.” Namjoon mumbles, his voice husky with sleep.

“Is breakfast ready?” Jimin asks, stretching his arms upwards and revealing an inch of his toned stomach.

Don’t. You aren’t going to think about Halloween. This trip is supposed to be cleansing and not in that way.

“It will be soon. Come to the kitchen.” Before you duck out of the room you add. “Kai is here.”

You laugh at the way their eyes widen at the mention of the champion’s name, but you are sure they appreciate the heads up. Before they can say anything else you leave the room wondering if their cuddling was more than friendly. Since Halloween there isn’t a lot you would put past Jimin. Not that you would ever shame him. Everything he does just makes him all the more interesting to you.

When you return to the kitchen Kai asks you questions about where you are from and how you met Hiyyih. One pointed glance at you from Hiyyih tells you that she doesn’t want you to tell him how you actually met.

“We met in Battle Strategy class.” You quickly reply, seeing it as the most feasible lie.

“Does that mean you are going to take on the gym leaders?” Kai asks with a twinkle of excitement in his eyes.

“Yeah, I’m going to battle them this spring.” You say not letting an ounce of negativity get into your mind. “And you.”

Yes, there are a lot of variables until you get to where you can battle the first gym leader, but nothing is going to stop you. This is all you’ve wanted, all your life. It's the biggest and most important goal in your life.

“Can’t wait.” Kai says, seeming slightly shocked by your confidence.

Kai begins telling you about some of the different gym leaders and who wasn’t there when he was on his first go around. He continues making pancakes even while telling you detailed stories of when he was your age.

“YN likes fire types.” Namjoon says walking into the kitchen several minutes later.

Kai is talking about his own preferences and had just asked you if there was any one type that stood out to you. If it was anyone else answering for you it might piss you off.

“That’s true.” You say looking over at Namjoon with a smile as he sits beside you. “When I’m battling, though, I like to have a more diverse team. You never know what you might come across.”

The topic shifts as Kai asks the boys where they are from. Hiyyih serves the pancakes while Jimin is talking about his hometown. Even though he said it was boring yesterday, he has so many stories. Kai listens diligently asking questions when they are finished speaking. Being a champion has made him travel a lot. He knows exactly which restaurants Namjoon is talking about and has been to Jimin’s hometown a few times.

Lea walks in when you are helping clean up the dishes. It looks like she has already been in the bakery this morning. She informs her siblings that she’s going to take a shower then they can leave. They nod in agreement.

Everyone minus Lea gathers in the living room and the Huening siblings stand in front of you and start going over some ground rules for the photoshoot.

“Just behave yourselves.” Hiyyih says, drawing her eyebrows together in mock anger. “Jimin, don’t flirt with anyone.”

Kai looks at Hiyyih with a questioning gaze. He is definitely wondering a lot of things about Jimin. A lot of things that he should not be wondering about his little sister’s friend. He does seem to welcome these questions but Kai doesn’t think it’s right to ask when he barely knows Jimin.

“Please, just stay on the side.” Kai interjects before Hiyyih can continue. “Sometimes these photographers can be very stuffy. You should be able to watch from the sidelines and as long as you don’t cause a distraction.”

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When you arrive at the photoshoot location the three Huenings are quickly whisked away to hair and makeup chairs. Hiyyih pulls you along while Kai claims Jimin and Lea waves Namjoon over. It’s almost fascinating watching the way Hiyyih flips to professional mode as the makeup artist begins working on her. Apparently, Kai hires the same team to do their hair and makeup each time so Hiyyih knows her and is catching up.

Once the makeup artist is done telling Hiyyih about her kids, your best friend realizes maybe she should introduce you.

“This is Jieun. She’s been doing our makeup for about three years now. This is YN.”

After that you join into their conversation more. Jieun was surprised by the change in Hiyyih’s appearance since the last time she saw her. She tells her several times how much she likes it. It takes nearly an hour for the siblings to get through hair and makeup. Every once in a while you glance over to the other boys to make sure they are doing okay. Jimin, ever the social butterfly, is having no trouble finding things to talk about with Kai. Namjoon and Lea have been talking about grass for at least thirty minutes. Hiyyih really brought the perfect trio of people to make this day more fun.

The siblings head off into separate rooms to change and come out firstly in cute Christmas sweaters. An assistant leads you, Jimin, and Namjoon towards the set where the shoot is happening. As Hiyyih and Kai requested, you stand to the side out of the way. There is a cozy living room set in front of you.

Namjoon points to three chairs pushed against the wall.

“He just told me to sit over there.” Namjoon relays the message while pointing at a man with a headset and clipboard.

For the next several hours you watch the Huening siblings pose like it’s the easiest thing they’ve ever done. The three of them together look so powerful and beautiful. Even when they start bickering as siblings do they quickly get themselves back on track. You are immensely impressed that this girl you spend every day with could be a model if she wanted to. They take a few breaks where they jump back into conversations with you. Kai is kind and thoughtful, always worrying about whether or not you are comfortable. He knows this kind of environment can be stressful even if you aren’t in front of the camera.

“You’re so cool.” You say as Hiyyih leads the way back to the car. “I feel like I just saw a whole new side of you.”

“One that you won’t see again until next year.” Hiyyih says over her shoulder.

“But you have to do a photoshoot when you win champion.” Kai says from somewhere behind you. “Aren’t you going to challenge me this year?”

A loud sigh leaves Hiyyih’s mouth and she stops in her tracks wheeling around to look at her older brother. She is seconds away from stabbing her finger into his chest.

“You promised not to mention that until after the winter tournament!” Hiyyih says in a low tone embarrassed by her lack of confidence. “We don’t know if I’ll have the chance.”

This is the first time you have heard a lack of confidence about her future as a champion. She has made you think she’s convinced it will be you and her in the top two.

“So you don’t think you are going to win?” Kai asks with a teasing tone.

Hiyyih jumps, successfully getting her arm around the back of Kai’s neck. Her older brother bends down letting his head be captured under her arm. They continue squabbling for a few minutes before Lea steps in and pulls them apart.

“Get in the car.”

The younger Huening siblings follow Lea’s instruction ducking into the car.

═════════∘◦❀◦∘══════════

It’s dark outside by the time you return. The living room is bathed in warm light from the fireplace, and adorned with picture after picture of the Huening siblings growing up. Plush cushions and throw blankets litter the surface of the sectional giving it an even cozier feel. Someone transformed the room into a movie night haven while you were away. After taking a few moments to freshen up you head back to the living room.

“I really wanted Hiyyih’s friends to have a good time while they are here so I had a friend come in and do this for us.” Kai says looking around the room with a pleased expression.

The long wooden coffee table directly in front of the couch is covered with snacks. They prepared salty and savory popcorn along with a charcuterie board. They baked an assortment of cookies. There’s even gummy candies and chocolates each shaped like different pokemon. Lastly, you see a platter holding mojitos which you saw Namjoon and Jimin making just a minute ago.

You take a seat in one corner of the sectional. Namjoon sits beside you handing you a mojito with a proud smile pulling at his lips.

“Alright, what’s on the agenda tonight?” Hiyyih asks, with your favorite genuine smile of hers gracing her face, letting the sleeves of her oversized sweater cover her hands.

“Romantic comedy all the way.” Lea says and you nod enthusiastically. She is already clicking around with the remote to find what she’s looking for.

“Because nothing says fun movie night like watching people awkwardly fall in love.” Kai remarks sarcastically.

“Hey, it’s a classic formula for a reason!” You protest giving him a playful look of disapproval. He giggles into his hands like he doesn’t want you to see. “Not everything needs to be serious.”

“I’m on board.” Namjoon says, nodding his head. “Bring on the meet-cutes and cheesy one liners.”

Jimin raises his glass as all eyes turn to him. He has a sweet smile that adds nicely to his cozy look. It's no wonder he constantly has people fawning over him. Jimin constantly looks like a dream even in the most ordinary circumstances.

“To love and laughter!” He says and clinks his glass against Hiyyih’s, who happens to be closest to him.

Namjoon clinks his glass against yours then both of you take a sip. It’s actually really good. They made the perfect mixture so no one flavor is too overwhelming. Kai continues to sarcastically talk shit until the movie is queued up and ready to roll. You don’t believe he means a word that is coming out of his mouth after spending the day around him. Kai is quite the softie when he’s not battling. He settles back into the couch with a handful of gummy candies as the opening plays.

“Are most real life confessions as dramatic as they are in movies?” Hiyyih asks much later when the movie is coming to its climax. She is raising an eyebrow at the scene playing out on the screen. The male lead has had many failed attempts to confess his feelings and nothing was going his way. In the end he settles for giving her a bouquet of irises, her favorite flower, in front of the restaurant they first met at. “I can barely get people to say the words.”

“In my experience, yes. Besides, who wouldn't want a grand gesture?” Jimin grins, tossing a piece of popcorn into his mouth.

“Two out of four of my boyfriends.” Kai speaks casually as if the champion of the pokemon league isn’t dropping a huge bomb of personal information.

You, Namjoon and Jimin, who were all taking a sip of your mojitos, choke at the same time and the siblings erupt in laughter. Jimin sputters trying to form a sentence but is unsuccessful. Kai is cackling looking around the room.

“You didn’t tell them?” Kai asks, turning his head to look at his younger sister.

“Why would I tell them?! It’s not public information.” Hiyyih says, gesturing wildly with her hands.

“Oh, I guess that makes sense.” Kai says before turning to look at his sister’s friends. “So you know the elite four? We’ve been dating each other for a few years now. It’s not something that a lot of people would understand so we haven’t made it a big thing.”

Your mind spins with this new information as the group quiets down to continue watching the movie. Five of the most powerful people in Paldea are dating each other. You can’t help but wonder how they spend time with each other when each of them have so many jobs to do. Even more you wonder how this all came about.

Namjoon slings his arm over the back of the couch behind your head. Jimin moves, placing himself on the other side of Namjoon. Jimin cuddles into Namjoon’s side and the taller man shifts. Namjoon wraps his arms around Jimin letting him rest his head against his chest. Jimin really can get anyone he wants.

You don’t comment on their position but Hiyyih does give you a subtle side eye. There is no doubt she will talk to you about this later behind the closed door of her bedroom. It is a little strange seeing as up to this point Namjoon hasn’t been the most physically affectionate person.

Sipping your drink, you focus on the movie thinking it might be time to go to sleep when this is over. When the credits roll Lea stretches and is the first to bid the group goodnight and head off to her room. The rest of the group follows heading off to their designated rooms until you are left alone with Kai.

“You and Hiyyih are going to battle tomorrow.” He says softly. “Don’t go easy on her because she won’t be going easy on you.”

“I fight every battle with my full effort.” You reply feeling pride when a pleased look finds its way to Kai’s face. “Hiyyih would be insulted if I didn’t try my best.”

“I’m glad you two met each other.” Kai remarks, standing up. “I’ll see you in the morning. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Kai.”

For several minutes you sit with your thoughts planning what tactics to use against your best friend tomorrow. You two have been watching each other battle for months now. Hiyyih knows your battle style from an outside perspective, but she’s never actually battled against it. That is a big difference in your mind. You can know how a person battles but actually being on the receiving end is not always what you think it will be.

“Pretty crazy watching Hiyyih be a model, huh?” Namjoon says reentering the room and taking a seat beside you.

“It was fascinating seeing the girl I followed on social media before I met her instead of my best friend who is constantly just rolling out of bed before going to class.” You say leaning back against the couch with a sideways glance at the man sitting next to you.

He’s wearing a thin white shirt with baggy sweatpants. Namjoon’s hair has grown out longer than you’ve seen it before and you like it. There’s something soft about the messiness of it. A smile creeps onto his face.

“That’ll be you next year.” He says with unwavering confidence.

“Hopefully our trip to Kanto will give me even more of an edge on my competitors.” You reply noticing the way his face falls slightly when you mention his home region. Since you are alone in this cozy room and slightly tipsy you ask the question you’ve wanted to know the answer to for weeks. “When was the last time you went home?”

He stays silent for a moment threading his fingers together in contemplation. Namjoon looks into your eyes when he finally responds.

“I haven’t gone back to Kanto since I started here. But I don’t really think that’s what you want to know.” Namjoon raises an eyebrow and you stay quiet seeing if he will continue. “The spring before my last year of high school I was dating my first boyfriend. I thought things were going great, but for some reason he thought I was cheating on him. Which I wasn’t at all, I was very deeply infatuated with him, actually. I hadn’t come out to my parents yet but he was threatening to show them pictures of us together. So, I told them and they kicked me out.”

“Oh, Namjoon. I’m so sorry.” You say squeezing his forearm before gently pulling your hand away.

“I’m in a better place now, but the thought of going back still makes me…” He pauses making a face and not finishing that sentence before he continues. “I stayed at a friend’s place for a while until I could rent something for myself and while I was there I met my ex. Which didn’t end on the best of terms. So, there’s a few reasons why I'm nervous to go back. Especially because we are staying in my hometown.”

You consider your words for a moment. The last thing you want to do is say the wrong thing during this sensitive moment.

“That sounds incredibly tough, Namjoon,” You say, empathizing with his situation. “It’s understandable that you’re nervous, but remember you’ve grown so much since you left. You’re smarter and stronger.”

Namjoon nods a small smile appearing on his face again. “Yeah, you’re right. I shouldn’t let the past hold me back.”

“Exactly,” You reply, reaching over to squeeze his arm again. His smile grows wider at your reassuring gesture. “And you won’t be alone. Jimin and I will be there to support you.”

“I’m glad I have you with me.” Gratitude is evident in his eyes. He reaches over and pats your head with one of his big hands. You scrunch your nose in distaste whining when really the gesture warms your heart. Namjoon stands up stretching his arms above his head. “Okay, I’m going to sleep. Lea is getting us up super early. Sleep well, YN.”

“You too, Joon.”

You don’t miss the flicker of light in his eyes before he turns away walking back to the room. Did he like that you used a nickname? Another thing for you to think about more than you should. For several more minutes you sit there before getting up and turning off the lights.

Hiyyih is already asleep when you quietly enter the room. You slip under the blankets with her and fall into a peaceful sleep. Your dreams are filled with ocean and water pokemon you want to learn everything about.

Lea is the first one awake in the morning. She takes Namjoon and Jimin down to the cafe to give them a crash course on some of her most popular items. By the time you, Hiyyih and Kai wake up they are already downstairs working away.

“Where are we battling?” Hiyyih asks as you eat breakfast in the kitchen.

“Hoseok isn’t battling any trainers today so he’s allowing us to use the gym’s court.” Kai replies, peeling the tangerine in his hand.

Hoseok Jung is the leader of the Ghost Gym. He is highly skilled and not many trainers make it past his gym. He has a large social media following and streams nearly every battle he takes on. Watching his streams has taught you a lot over the years. It’s an honor that he’s allowing you to use his space. You wonder if these are the kind of perks that have always been a normal part of Hiyyih’s life since Kai became champion.

“Oh, wow. That’s so nice of him.” You say looking over to Kai in wonder.

Kai shrugs his shoulders, because this is definitely a normal part of his life. Hiyyih changes the topic asking Kai about a trip he went on recently. When Kai starts talking about fire pokemon you focus more on what he is saying.

Once you are finished with breakfast Hiyyih drags you back to her room to get ready. The battle court is located outside just to the side of the actual gym building so you layer up knowing you aren’t built for the cold.

“There might be a few people watching this battle.” Hiyyih says, pulling a gray beanie onto her head. “Anytime people know Kai is home they will gather outside the gym to see if he will battle Hoseok. He might be watching as well. I’m not sure though Kai wouldn’t tell me.”

The thought of the current champion and a gym leader watching you battle does make you just a little bit nervous. This is just one battle and as much you want the people watching to be impressed that is not the most important part. Growing your skills and having fun is what you want to focus on.

“We better put on a good show then.” You say with a playful smile.

When you are properly dressed the two of you meet Kai outside. He leads the way to the Ghost gym which is right up the road from their home. It’s a path Hiyyih and Kai have walked many times, but you study the beautiful buildings covered in snow.

The battle court is covered ensuring no snow will cover the floor. As Hiyyih said there are a few people milling around the court waiting for any sign of action. A rumble passes through the crowd when they recognize the champion approaching, but they are respectful. The small crowd steps away from the battle court leaving a clear path for you and Hiyyih to enter. The air is filled with excitement as the two of you take opposite sides.

Kai joins the crowd on the side nodding to you and Hiyyih that it's okay to begin. Your eyes sweep the crowd then up the tall building adjacent to the court. On the balcony you recognize the Ghost gym leader wearing his signature black jester hat. In just a few months he will be on the other side of this court facing off with you.

You take a deep breath and step up to the center circle. Hiyyih joins you with a confident smile and you shake her hand squeezing just a little harder than necessary. She laughs before her face drops back to her focused face.

“Good luck.” You say in unison with Hiyyih.

Both of you step back to opposite ends of the court waiting for the first move to be made. When she stands there with a calculated look on her face you decide to take the lead.

“Sriracha, go!” You call throwing your pokeball forward.

Your fiery Charmander roars to the best of their ability standing proudly. Their tail flickering with a powerful flame. To the side you hear a murmur in the crowd. It's possible many of them have never seen a Charmander in real life.

“Kepi, I choose you!” Hiyyih says, planting her feet as her pokemon appears.

Her Pachirisu is energetic, as always, with a determined look in his eyes. The small crowd ooo’s at Hiyyih’s prized pokemon. Your heart races with adrenaline. You are finally battling your best friend and you couldn’t be more excited.

“Sriracha, show them your hottest Flamethrower!” You command, pointing dramatically at Kepi.

“You’ll need more than flames to scorch my baby.” Hiyyih smirks but quickly calls, “Dodge and hit back with Spark.”

Sriracha unleashes a powerful stream of flames, but Kepi manages to dodge most of the attack darting away from the flames. Hiyyih’s Pachirisu only takes minor damage. It would be a lie if you said you aren’t a little irritated. Her pokemon dodged most of the attack so easily.

Kepi retaliates, crackling with electricity. Sriracha tries to evade, but is too slow and gets hit. They shake it off and prepare for the next move.

“It’s okay, Sriracha. We can do this!” You call to your pokemon. Thinking quickly you shout another move. “Ready? Fire up, use Ember!”

Sriracha blows fire towards Kepi and hits him in a way that almost consumes him. The Pachirisu is still standing when the ember burns off and you see an opportunity. As Hiyyih commands her pokemon to use spark again you call back Sriracha and her attack misses.

“Spark, your turn!” Your Luxio leaps confidently onto the battle court with a growl, awaiting your call and you know just the move to finish off the first round. “Let’s give them a shocking welcome with Thunder Fang!”

Ordinarily, an electric type move on an electric type pokemon is not very effective, but Spark is stronger than Kepi. Spark pounces, his fur crackling with electricity, and catches the Pachirisu. When the electric bite pulls away Kepi falls to the floor.

For the first time you look into Hiyyih’s eyes and can see frustration. She takes a deep breath recalling her fainted pokemon. If you didn’t know her so well you don’t think you would be able to see the subtle shift in her demeanor as she plays confident again. Her eyes flick to the side in search of her brother before she speaks.

“Looks like you’ve got some bite, Spark. But let’s see how you handle Riot.” Hiyyih’s jewel eyed Sableye takes the court looking devious as ever. “Shadow Claw, now!”

Riot lunges forward, slashing Spark with her claws before he can dive out of the way. Spark winces, a sound you never like to hear, but quickly retaliates with Crunch at your command. Your Luxio sinks his teeth into Hiyyih’s Sableye and you can see just how shaken the other pokemon is when Spark returns to your side. Much more shaken than she should be from just a bite. How much stronger is Spark than Hiyyih’s team?

Hiyyih calls for Shadow Claw once again, as you thought she would, but Spark is ready to dodge this time. Riot almost looks confused when her claws don’t land. You use this to your advantage not wanting to waste a second.

“Good job, Spark! Now let’s finish her off.” You watch the way Hiyyih is scanning the court desperately trying to find a way to catch the upper hand. “Thunder wave.”

Riot faints as soon as the electric wave hits her and a frustrated sigh leaves Hiyyih’s lips. You want to look at the crowd, and more specifically her brother, but you keep your focus forward. Even the smallest distraction could mean the difference between winning and losing this battle.

“You really downplay yourself don’t you, Y/N?” Hiyyih questions, before calling out her final pokemon. Her Piloswine graces the battle court looking entirely not menacing. “Nicolas, let’s chill things out with an icy attack.”

“Ice, huh?” You say with a chuckle, preparing an attack thinking Spark can take more.

“Nicolas, freeze Luxio with Ice Beam!” Hiyyih calls with a cocky grin gracing her face.

Somehow that mammoth of a creature moves quicker than Spark beaming ice straight into your pokemon. The damage is too intense for Spark to handle and your heart drops as you watch him faint on the cold floor of the battle court. Suddenly, you are wondering why you didn’t call Sriracha out the moment you saw an ice pokemon.

“Sriracha, time to shine again!” Your Charmander takes their place in front of you and you have the confidence that this could be the last move. “We are almost done. Put all your power in and use Flamethrower!”

Sriracha builds the flame inside themself for a moment before pouring flames across the battle court. You can feel the heat radiating off the fire as it engulfs Hiyyih’s Piloswine and a smile creeps onto your face. Hiyyih was too late to call the dodge and when Sriracha lets up her pokemon barely moves.

“Use Ice Beam!” Hiyyih commands with anger seeping into her voice.

She waits watching as Nicolas tries to do as she asked, but she is too weak. She faints and Hiyyih rushes to her side touching her smoldering fur. The crowd cheers and you look over to see even more people have gathered since the battle began. Namjoon, Jimin, and Lea are standing beside Kai with proud smiles on their faces.

When Sriracha cools down you scoop them up kissing their head as you walk to the other side of the court. Hiyyih has recalled her pokemon and is smiling up at you as she watches you walk over. You set Sriracha down a few feet from Hiyyih.

“Guess I need to train a little harder.” Hiyyih murmurs sheepishly.

You hold out a hand, which she takes, and help her get on her feet. Her cheeks are flushed from the cold air but there is a sparkle in her eye. No matter if she’s upset that she lost, she still had fun. This is what she loves doing even when it’s hard.

“Hiyyih, that was a great battle!” You say releasing her hand and patting her back. “Your pokemon are tough.”

“You too!” Hiyyih replies, walking with you to the edge of the battle court. “Spark is a lot stronger than I expected. Let’s train together when we go back to school.”

“You bet! I’m so glad you are ready to train with me now.” You are sure there is a competitive glean shining in your eyes. It can’t be helped, this battle is making you hungry for more battles. If this wasn’t supposed to be a get away you’d walk into the forest right now and battle every trainer you come across.

“Let’s get you two to the pokemon center.” Kai says, stepping up onto the battle court. “Nurse Joy will be able to help us.”

═════════∘◦❀◦∘══════════

Thankfully, the injuries sustained during your battle are nothing major. You and Hiyyih leave your pokemon there after the battle before exploring her hometown more. The rest of your friends follow along listening to Kai and Hiyyih tell stories of their childhood.

“I always assumed you were good,” Namjoon says when everyone else is quite a few steps ahead of you. “But I was really impressed watching you battle. You have a real talent for understanding your pokemon. Keep trusting your instincts and your bond with your pokemon. I think it’ll get you far.”

“Thank you, Namjoon.” You smile, feeling a warm sense of pride. “It means a lot coming from someone as knowledgeable as you.”

Namjoon comes closer letting his hot breath fan over your ear. Though you can’t see it you know there is a smirk gracing his plump lips as your heart stupidly reacts to his proximity.

“Don’t tell Hiyyih but I think Kai was secretly rooting for you. He looked a little too excited when you took down her Sableye.”

When he pulls away and you laugh because there is no way the champion would be rooting for you over his own sister.

“Sure, whatever you say, Joon.” You roll your eyes playfully and Namjoon smiles back at you.

In a few hours you will have to leave this snowy escape and go back to school. Back to studying for the finals that are looming over your head. Back to wondering exactly how this trip to Kanto is going to play out. Today’s battle gave you the confidence that you won’t be a complete fuck up.

Your friends in front of you stop and you look up to see we have made it back to Hiyyih’s home. They lead you inside the cafe and Namjoon spills the details of their morning baking with Lea. He was much better at knowing what might work together than the actual baking part. Jimin was good at that part, according to Namjoon.

Hiyyih grabs Namjoon’s attention behind the counter and he excuses himself to see what she wants, leaving you alone at a table. Jimin joins you and you throw caution to the wind and ask him what was on your mind last night.

“Anything going on with Namjoon? You two have been awfully cuddly.” You keep a not chalant expression despite your deep wanting to know.

“Why, YN, are you jealous?” Jimin teases and when he doesn’t get the reaction he wants he continues. “It’s not like that. I like being held and he was there and willing to hold me. He did talk about you though. He talked about–”

Jimin cuts himself off when he sees Namjoon returning to your table with pastries. He giggles knowing you want to know what he has to say. Jimin instead tells you everything he talked with Lea about this morning and how they barely made it in time to watch you battle.

“Namjoon insisted that we needed to watch you battle even when we were in the middle of learning about fire supplements from Lea.” Jimin says with a mischievous smile like he knows he is exposing something Namjoon wouldn’t have told you himself.

A faint blush covers Namjoon’s cheeks as he sputters a response about how Jimin is exaggerating. Of course, you want to believe what Jimin is saying. It’s a confidence boost that a guy like Namjoon would go out of his way to watch you battle your best friend.

Hiyyih and Lea appear with gift baskets full of goodies in their hands. Lea is adamant you can’t leave empty handed. Kai pulls up a chair enjoying pastries with the group before you have to go back to school. For a few hours you sit in the bakery enjoying the sweet scents and warm conversations.

“I’m looking forward to battling you this spring.” Kai says when Hiyyih is out of earshot. Handing you a folded up piece of paper. “Take Lea’s number, she's a lot easier to reach than me. When you come back you are welcome to stay here.”

“I will train my hardest so I can give you a good battle.”

With that you step away from Kai and out into the cold behind your friends. Hiyyih leads the way to the pokemon center and you feel a bit of sadness creeping in. Exploring this new place and creating memories here has been a lot of fun.

═════════∘◦❀◦∘══════════

It's dark by the time you make it back to school and go your separate ways. Instead of resting you begin studying for your impending finals. Going into winter break you don’t want there to be any room for regret. So you will do everything in your power to make sure you are prepared for whatever they throw your way. The next few days consist of a strict schedule of class, eating, studying and two hours of pokemon training. Your friends try to pull you away for some fun but you don’t let them. It isn’t until Friday that someone manages to pull you out of your routine and it is not someone you expect.

“Hey, YN.” Jungkook says jogging to catch up with you. “Do you want to go to Los Platos with me?

It's early afternoon and you have already finished your classes for the day. You were taking a walk before Jungkook came up to you. It could be good for you to take a break and explore a new area. Who knows what you might find? You’ve been thinking about what pokemon you want on your team lately and there are some different types in that area.

“Yeah, let's go!” You say excitedly watching as he releases an Aerodactyl. Your eyes widen, fascinated by this pokemon you’ve never seen in person before. You had heard of people having them, but you almost thought it was a myth. “Where did you catch that?”

“Hop on!” He says mounting the pokemon’s back. Cautiously you follow him onto the back of his pokemon. Jungkook commands the Aerodactyl to fly to Los Platos and the pokemon gently lifts off the ground. “Ian is an Aerodactyl so I didn’t really catch him per se. I was traveling through the mountains of Kanto two years ago and happened across some old amber. I took it into the Pewter Museum of Science and a very nice scientist was able to regenerate him for me. It took a few weeks but eventually he accepted me and I was able to bring him home.”

You grasp at the fabric of Jungkook’s hoodie as Ian climbs higher and higher in the sky. He looks back concerned but you take a deep breath to calm yourself. The view from up here is absolutely beautiful.

“Sorry, it’s been a long time since I’ve flown on a pokemon.” You yell over the loud wind. “I need to hear more about your adventures in Kanto!”

The rest of the trip to Los Platos Jungkook tells you about the summer trip he took two years ago. He met a large variety of people and pokemon. People opened their homes and let him stay as he traveled around the region thirsting for knowledge. Jungkook thinks that trip is a big part of why he is such a strong trainer now.

Los Platos is nearly the perfect middle between your hometown and Mesagoza. Just like your hometown there is not much to see or many people. That’s okay, though. You are here for what lies outside of town. Before heading out of town you check your bag making sure you have enough antidote and potions. In your research you found there are many poison types in this area. A poison or ground type would be a great addition to your team.

“What was it like meeting Kai Huening?” Jungkook asks as you make your way out of town towards a nearby lake where you think you might find a Wooper.

A smile creeps onto your face and you let Pixie out of her ball before you answer. She happily follows along occasionally stopping to study plants.

“I was really nervous at first, but at the end of the day he’s just some guy.” You say and hurriedly continue when you see the confused look on Jungkook’s face. “He’s just like you and me. Kai just happens to have the coolest job. He is really kind and thoughtful. I truly don’t think we could have a better champion.”

“Do you think someone is going to dethrone him this year?” Jungkook asks, releasing a tiny Cutiefly that rests on his shoulder as you continue on.

“I do.” You say and he raises an eyebrow at you. With a joking tone you continue. “Obviously, it’s going to be me.”

For sometime after that each of you goes quite looking for the right moment to capture or battle any wild pokemon. Jungkook battles a few times showing off his skills with an ease that doesn't come natural to most people.

Your eyes scan the area as you approach the muddy banks of the lake. In the distance you can see water types hovering just under the surface. The slightest movement from under the mud draws your eye and you quickly retrieve a pokeball from your backpack.

With a steady hand you grip the pokeball waiting for another sign of movement. It takes a few seconds, but soon you are able to lock in and aim for the unknowing pokemon. The pokeball lands in the mud capturing the pokemon. You hold your breath waiting for the ball to be still before you pick it up. You’ve captured exactly what you wanted according to your pokedex, a Paldean Wooper.

The brown creature has purple bone-like appendages on each side of their head. Woopers in Paldea are different from those in other regions. In ancient times, Wooper lived underwater in the Paldea region. After what seemed like a losing struggle for territory, they began living in bogs on land. To keep from drying out while living on land, the Woopers began to cover their bodies with a poisonous film.

Jungkook turns around from where he was chasing after his pokemon with an impressed look. Luck must be on your side for you to have caught that pokemon so easily. Wooper’s can be hard to catch sometimes especially for someone like you. In your time as a trainer you have only caught a handful of pokemon.

“Did you just sneak attack a Wooper?” Jungkook asks, practically jumping in his excitement.

A rush of adrenaline hits you and you break out into a huge smile. You did just sneak attack a Wooper and successfully caught it! Your team is growing and your cool classmate is excited with you.

“I guess I did.” You laugh no longer holding back the excitement coursing through you.

Not wanting to let this energy go to waste you run away and battle the first pokemon that jumps out at you. Jungkook and you spend a few hours battling wild pokemon and laughing together. It’s the first fun thing you’ve done all week and it feels so good. Productive fun in a new environment with a cool new friend.

As the sun begins to set, you check the area around the lake and find a quiet spot with no wild pokemon lurking nearby. You and Jungkook release all your pokemon, letting them roam around and play while you enjoy the view. The sky is slowly transitioning from blue to a canvas of beautiful oranges, pinks and purples as the stars begin to appear.

The two of you lay beside the lake in comfortable silence, taking in the sights and sounds of the evening. The gentle lapping of the lake against the shore, the chirping of crickets, and the occasional call of pokemon in the distance fill the air.

“I’m glad we came here.” You say, breaking the silence. “It’s been a minute since I’ve really relaxed.”

“Me too,” Jungkook replies, turning his head to look at you. “It’s hard to relax when I’m constantly wishing I was better. It’s nice to get away for a moment and just have fun doing what we love.”

You smile at him, feeling grateful for his friendship even if it's fresh. As the night sky fills with stars you and Jungkook talk about everything and nothing, enjoying each other’s company and the peacefulness of the moment. Eventually, the cool night air starts to settle in, and you both decide it’s best to head back to school.

Jungkook calls for his Aerodactyl, and you both climb onto its back, ready for the journey home. With a powerful flap of its wings, the Aerodactyl takes off into the night sky, carrying you both back to school. As you fly through the night, you can't help but feel grateful for the experiences of the day and the friendship you've found in Jungkook.

═════════∘◦❀◦∘══════════

Only once your last final is turned in the following Friday do you allow yourself to hang out with all your friends. Hiyyih bursts through your door as soon as you open in demanding that you spend time with her. Of course, you oblige because you really need a night to let loose after the stress you’ve put yourself under to finish this term strong.

“You don’t have to beg. Let’s go to Taehyung’s early birthday party then tomorrow you can help me pack for Kanto.” You say, already looking for what to wear.

“Good, I’ve been worried you were going to die of stress.” Hiyyih replies, lounging across your couch.

“I thought so too for a minute. Then Jungkook randomly asked me to go to Los Platos with him.”

Hiyyih looks very confused, which makes sense as you’ve barely talked to anyone in your drive to get the best scores possible. You recount the night you had together and Hiyyih seems to relax even further knowing you were in good hands.

The two of you eat a light dinner and spend a good few hours getting ready together. It’s a good time to catch up on what everyone else has been doing.

She helps you decide on a simple outfit then you are off to Mesagoza. Taehyung has rented a club out for his early birthday celebration. You think he must’ve invited everyone he knows when you step into the packed club. Quickly, you spot the birthday boy standing near the DJ with Jimin on his arm and Namjoon standing close beside him.

You pull Hiyyih along with you as you weave through the crowd of dancing people. Namjoon spots you first and waves with a big smile. His black shirt is clinging to the contours of his pecs and his short sleeves show off just how massive his biceps are.

Taehyung and Jimin sandwich hug you and from there you get lost in the festivities. Tonight you will be free and have fun without making any bad decisions. You dance with lots of people and have lots of drinks. Giving extra attention to your friends who you’ve been neglecting all week. Nights like this make all the stress and effort worth it. At the end of the day you have a truly great group of people who care about you.

#fanfiction #bts fanfiction #bts fanfic #Kim namjoon #min yoongi #bts smut #yoongi x reader #namjoon x reader #bts #route 613 #huening bahiyyih #huening kai #huening hiyyih #hiyyih #huening lea #park jimin #raes fics

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smkkbert · 4 months

Text

Time for a story - You have saved this city

Starling City was celebrating in a way that Oliver had never seen before. There was music coming from everywhere. People of different age, different ethnicity and different neighborhoods were standing together or even dancing together. The owner of a beverage trade had brought a truck full of cooled beverages. A bakery and a pizzeria had opened and given out food. Other people that had come to join the celebration had brought more foods and drinks. Everyone was sharing what they had. Everyone was celebrating together.

After President Harrison had acknowledged the team’s service for the city and pardoned all crimes done in that service, she had soon left. Apparently, her work had been done after she had said what she had said. It had certainly been a good thing though because everyone had visibly relaxed once she and her military officers had left.

He still felt like he was caught in a dream, a good one for once even. All or at least most of the problems and worries that he had had hours ago had vanished. He had always hoped that the team was one day officially accepted by the city in some way. Now they weren’t just accepted. They were so much more and that allowed him to leave here and just go back home to his children and be a free man.

Oliver looked around the hundreds of people that were celebrating. He felt pride for everything they had achieved. When he thought about how all of this had started – his one-man mission that he hadn’t wanted to let anyone in on – and what it had grown into now, it was unfathomable. And it certainly was a reason to celebrate.

But as much as he wanted to celebrate with the people of the city here, there was one thing that he definitely wanted more. He wanted to see his children, hold them in his arms and tell them that everything would be okay. He knew how much he had suffered the past days without them, so he knew that it must have been worse for them. They weren’t even old enough to really understand what was going on. They had just lost their baby sister, their dad and their home in the blink of an eye.

Turning to Felicity, he found her eyes already on his. He didn’t need to ask her to leave. She knew that he wanted to go, and she was sure that she felt the same way. She took his hand and nodded her head. Oliver pulled her close and kissed her forehead.

With Felicity’s head resting on his shoulder, they shared another long gaze. Oliver realized that there was something else that he wanted more than to celebrate here. He wanted to connect with Felicity. He wanted to know how she was feeling. He wanted to comfort her over the losses that she too had experienced. He wanted to tell her how turned on he had been by everything she had done tonight. He wanted to hold her and make her forget that she had been forced into a situation like this.

Oliver could almost hear his blood rushing in his ears at how much he wanted Felicity right now. The kids came first though. Once they were peacefully asleep in bed, he’d be able to take that idea up again.

When he lifted his head, he took a quick look around. As soon as he found John, Roy and Laurel standing together, he beckoned for them to come closer. Tommy, Curtis, Lyla, Nick and Bruce followed from different directions.

“I know I don’t have to thank you,” he said to them, “because all of this is a part of you as it is a part of me, but I still feel very grateful that you all were here tonight. I know how much you risked and I know how hard that decision must have been for you, but it was worth it.”

Since he had started being the mayor, Oliver had become used to giving speeches. You couldn’t be a mayor and not get used to it. With his team that was more than just a team but friends and family even, he knew he didn’t have to say much though. They knew what he was feelings, and they didn’t expect him to spell it out for them.

“We need to see what changes there will be for our work with the new law and how we as a team adapt to that.” He smiled softly. “But not tonight.”

“I guess you are going to see your children?” John asked.

Oliver nodded his head. “Nothing could stop me from seeing them now.”

“Then go and celebrate with them,” Nick suggested, putting a hand on his shoulder, “you deserve it.”

“And you celebrate a little longer. You deserve that too.”

The team obviously didn’t need to be told twice. The last days had been hard on everyone, so they all felt the need to catch their breaths. They all deserved that.

While most of the team mingled with the rest of the partying people again, Bruce moved away a couple of feet but stayed for himself. Oliver didn’t miss that.

“Hey, can you make sure we get back to the kids as soon as possible?” Oliver asked, turning to Felicity. “I’d be there in a second.”

Felicity frowned briefly, but she shrugged her shoulders and nodded her head. “Sure. The van is still over there in that alley. The fight didn’t leave any marks on it. Curtis checked. We can take it to the hotel.”

Oliver nodded. “Just give me a minute. I’m right behind you.”

“Okay.” Felicity shot him a smile and straightened up on her toes to peck his lips. “I’ll be waiting.”

Oliver squeezed Felicity’s hand before he let her go. He watched her moving through the crowd and disappearing into an alley. Only then he turned around and strolled to where Bruce was standing, still in his full gear and with his mask on.

“I thought you wanted to go.”

Bruce didn’t look at him when he said that. He continued to let his gaze search through the crowd instead. Oliver knew what that meant and how that felt. Bruce was still highly alerted. He couldn’t yet see when an immediate danger was indeed over. It hadn’t been too long since Oliver had felt the same way.

“I will, but I wanted to thank you first.”

That made Bruce turn his eyes away from the crowd after all. Even under the mask, Oliver could see that he was almost smirking.

“Didn’t you say a minute ago that you knew you didn’t have to thank us?”

Oliver chuckled and nodded his head. Bruce was right. He had said that, and he had meant it. Although Bruce wasn’t at home here, Oliver knew that Bruce would always come here and help if he had the chance.

“I did, but I thought you deserved a thank you nonetheless. You came here all the way from Gotham City. You fought here tonight despite the crime in your own city. You took care of my family.”

Bruce didn’t say anything for a long moment. He just looked at his boots. When he lifted his gaze eventually, there was an expression in his eyes that Oliver knew all too well. He couldn’t say that he was surprised to find that expression there although he might have hoped that the feelings that were expressed that way had ceased by now.

“You know why I am here. Why I had to come.” Bruce looked into the direction of the alley where Felicity had disappeared. He then turned to look at Oliver again. “Did you think it was different?”

“I guess not,” Oliver replied honestly, “but I might have hoped so for you.”

Bruce sighed and nodded his head. Oliver knew that Bruce himself was certainly hoping for his feelings to change. For a time, he had closed himself from the idea of getting to know someone and risking falling in love. Lately, Oliver felt that Bruce had closed himself to that idea again.

“Felicity told me that you were thinking about dating someone.”

“I did. Didn’t work out.”

Oliver was about to say something more, but Bruce put a hand to his shoulder and looked at him intently.

“You should come over to Gotham one day soon and we drink a nice glass of whiskey. When we do so, we can talk all you want about whatever you want.” Bruce squeezed his shoulder. “But now you should go and reunite with your family.”

Bruce was right, so Oliver nodded his head.

“If you ever need help or someone to talk to whatever, you know I will be there. We all will be.”

“I know.” Bruce nodded his head. “And I might come back to that offer one day soon. For now, you will go home to your family, and I will go back to Gotham tomorrow morning too.”

Oliver nodded his head. Since there was nothing more he could say, he turned around and left. He felt sorry for Bruce because, having been where Bruce was now, Oliver knew that he needed someone that he could trust and someone he could lean on. Oliver didn’t know where he’d be now if it hadn’t been for Felicity.

Probably still hidden in the foundry, killing people from a list, he thought to himself and quickly shook his head. That was definitely not the right thing to think about now. What he should think about now was that Felicity had become a part of his life, and had turned his mission into what it had become and they had built a beautiful family together. That was where he wanted and needed to go now. So he did.

→ → → → →

While the elevator rode up to the penthouse, Felicity rested her head on Oliver’s shoulder and closed her eyes for a moment. Adrenaline had been rushing through her veins these last hours. Now that the fight was over and she had found some rest, the tiredness threatened to crush over her.

“I’m gonna sleep like a baby tonight.”

“I hope better than Tommy when he was a baby,” Oliver whispered, “because he refused to sleep.”

“Only until I was home.” Felicity chuckled and angled her head back to look at Oliver. “He’s always been a mama’s boy.”

Scrunching up his nose, Oliver touched his forehead with hers. “True. Lucky me, we have four daddy’s girls though.”

“Three,” Felicity whispered, “we have three daddy’s girls as it is.”

The pain of losing Mia returned with a force that robbed Felicity her breath for a moment. It had been inside of her since the moment Mia had been taken from them, but her worry about Oliver’s arrest and the attack on their home had pushed her grief for Mia further into the background. It had still been there, but she had tried to comfort herself, knowing that Mia was in a safe and loving home.

When the doors of the elevator opened with a quiet pling!, Felicity remembered why she wasn’t allowed to wallow in self-pity. She had lost a child, and she doubted that she could ever be consoled about it. At the same time, she still had five perfectly healthy children with them and that was something she had to be eternally grateful for. Just seeing these five children made her realize how lucky they really had been.

There was silence for the beat of a second. Then everything went incredibly fast.

“Daddy!” Tommy screamed out.

Emmy, Tommy, Millie and Addie ran into Oliver’s arms. He took a step out of the elevator, spread his arms and caught them. His arms wrapped around all four of them, and he hugged them tightly. They seemed to be hugging him back just as tightly. Felicity felt tears pricking in her eyes at the sight. Hours ago, she hadn’t been sure when she would see her kids again or when they would see their father again.

“Thank God you’re alright.” William, who had approached her, said and pulled Felicity into a tight hug. “I was so worried.”

Felicity hugged William back. “What are you doing here? How did you even get here?”

When she had talked to William earlier today, she thought that she had convinced him not to come here. Since Oliver had turned himself in, he had suggested that he should come back to Starling again and again. Felicity, though, had told him again and again that he was safer in Boston, far away from all of this here and with some of Bruce’s men looking out for him. Apparently, he had decided to not be convinced tonight.

“After we hung up, I called Bruce. I told him that I needed to be here with my siblings. If things had gone differently tonight, they would have needed me. And I needed them.”

Hearing the pain in his voice, Felicity cocked her head and pulled William into another big hug. Because he was so much older than his siblings, she sometimes forgot that at least a part of him was just a scared, little boy too.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered to him, “I didn’t want to keep you away from them or us. I just thought-“

“It was safer,” William ended her sentence. “I know, and I understand, but I just needed to be here.”

Felicity nodded her head, took his hand and squeezed it. “I am very glad that you are here. You would have indeed been missed tonight even after our success.”

“Once the news proved that everything was alright, I told Thea that it wouldn’t be long until you showed up. She took Sara, Connor, Robbie and Louis to the loft. Getting eight kids to sleep had been only impossible. With only four of them, it might get easier.”

“I wouldn’t be sure that anyone is getting any sleep tonight,” Oliver said. He had let go of the four kids, who were now occupying themselves with Hawk, and approached them. He immediately pulled William into a big hug. “I am very glad that you are here.”

“Not half as glad as I am that you are here,” William replied, “this family isn’t the same without you.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Felicity whispered.

Her gaze locked with Oliver’s while he was still hugging William. She didn’t need any ability to read minds to know what he was thinking. His eyes were telling her that he felt the same way about her. They felt the same way about everyone in this family. This family was only whole when it was together.

This was as together as they would ever be again, Felicity thought with another stitch of missing Mia. She doubted that she could think about her family without thinking about Mia anytime soon. Or ever.

Oliver, who hadn’t missed the change in her facial expression, loosened himself from the hug with William and clapped in his hands. “Okay, this calls for celebrating, so who is in for a midnight snack?”

“Me!” Millie and Tommy exclaimed in chorus, raising their hands.

“What midnight snack?” Emmy asked.

“I was thinking about crêpes?”

“With Nutella?” she asked.

“Of course.”

“I want mine with lemon jam,” Addie exclaimed.

“You can have your crêpes with anything that’s in the fridge,” Oliver announced. “Who’s gonna help me?”

The kids all raised their hands at once and even Hawk lifted a paw. Emmy had taught him to lift his paw like that on the command Who’s gonna? because she had been sure that it would lead to some funny moments. She had been right.

“Alright,” Oliver nodded his head, “then you go to the kitchen already. I will follow you in a minute as soon as I have changed into something… more casual.”

He gestured down his body. Since he was still wearing his suit, he was indeed not really dressed for cooking a midnight snack.

“No,” Addie said, grabbing his arm and lifted her feet from the floor, so Oliver was carrying her entire weight on just his forearm, “leave it please.”

“Yes, leave it,” Tommy agreed, “it’s cool.”

Although Oliver didn’t seem to fond of the idea to keep on the leathers, he had also always been very bad at denying the kids any wishes. He pulled down the zipper of his jacket and tossed it on the armchair in the corner.

“In that case I am ready.”

Millie already grabbed Felicity’s hand to pull her into the kitchen with her, but Felicity stopped her.

“Go ahead. I really have to get changed,” she said, “because I am so sweaty that I am sure nobody will enjoy their crêpes when they smell me.”

“Ugh.” Addie scrunched up her nose. “Crêpe with smelly arms.”

Oliver wrapped his free arm around Addie and lifted her higher against him. He whispered something into her ear that made her giggle. She then turned in his arms, wrapped both of her arms around his neck and snuggled her head against his shoulder.

“We will go ahead and make the crêpe. I guess you want one with a scoop of mint chocolate-chip ice cream?”

“This is a hotel, Oliver. This might be a fully equipped kitchen,” Felicity told him, cocking her head, “but why would you think that we have something like that here?”

“Because I know that it’s your comfort food,” Oliver replied very matter-of-factly.

Although he didn’t say it, an addition to the sentence filled the silence nonetheless. They had her comfort food here because she had certainly needed a lot of comfort in the last days. He wasn’t wrong with that.

“So go ahead,” Felicity agreed, “and I’ll follow in a minute.”

While Oliver and the kids went towards the kitchen, Felicity headed towards the bedroom. She took of Oliver’s old leather jacket and just dropped it to the floor. She let her pants follow and just kicked them onto the same pale as the jacket.

She had already turned towards the bathroom door when she realized how seductive the bed looked. She hadn’t had much sleep these last nights and days. If she maybe just lay down for a couple of minutes and caught some rest, she’d be ready to spend the rest of the night with her family, celebrating their success.

She crawled into bed, lay down on her stomach and hugged her pillow under her head. With a sigh, she closed her eyes. She knew immediately that she had made a terrible mistake. There was no way that she would just lie here for a couple of minutes. She was almost passed out before her eyes were even fully closed.

→ → → → →

She woke up from a wonderful smell that she couldn’t quite match to its source. She cautiously opened an eye to check how much light could possibly blind her. When she found that the room had been left in some dimmed half-light that wasn’t too unpleasant for her tired eyes, she opened her second eye too.

Oliver was sitting on the edge of the mattress, holding a plate of crêpe with mint chocolate-chip ice cream and a cup of what Felicity realized had to be hot chocolate out for her. He blew the steam in her direction. When he found her eyes on him, he smiled.

“I thought you could need a little refreshment before you go back to sleep.”

Felicity rubbed her hands over her face and sat up. Scooting back until she could lean against the headboard of the bed, she took the plate and the mug from him. Although her nose was already filled with the wonderful smell, she lifted both to her nose to take it even more.

She had already begun pitching into this midnight snack when she frowned and lifted her gaze to Oliver.

“The kids?”

“Passed out on the couch.” He chuckled. “They barely made it until they were done with their crêpes. William is with them in case they wake up.”

Felicity nodded her head and took another fork of the crêpe. It had been a while since she had eaten a lot, never mind enjoyed any of it. She only realized now how hungry she had really been. The events of the night and everything that had happened before that had cost a lot more of her energy than she had realized before. She probably needed a lot of food and sleep these next days.

Oliver moved further onto the bed until he sat next to Felicity. He waited a moment before he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple. Felicity forgot about her hunger almost instantly. She put the mug and the plate to the nightstand and snuggled up to Oliver instead. She turned onto her side, wrapped both of her arms around his middle and pushed her face against the crook of his neck.

A long moment of silence passed as they just took each other in. Oliver’s hands moved up and down Felicity’s back and thigh, while her hand rested on his chest and felt his heartbeat. She pressed her nose against his skin and breathed him in. She had missed this smell of home and safety. She couldn’t imagine what it had felt like if she had been without that smell forever.

“How have you been?”

The question came from both of them simultaneously. Felicity angled her head back, so she could look at Oliver and they both chuckled. Of course each other’s wellbeing had been on their minds the entire time.

“You start,” Felicity asked in a whisper, her head resting against Oliver’s shoulder again, but her gaze was still on his face, “please.”

Oliver sighed, tightening his hold on her. He looked at the ceiling for a moment. Felicity realized how tired he had to be too. She lifted a hand to his cheek and stroked her fingertips through his short stubble. He sighed once more, snuggling his face into her touch as he always did.

Felicity realized that she didn’t need an answer. She had needed to ask him because that was who they were. They communicated, especially when they had been through bad times and even more so when they had been apart for a while. By now they knew each other so well though that they didn’t need to talk about how they felt they knew it.

In his face, Felicity could see that Oliver was tired from everything that had happened the last days, and he was worried about how that would affect their family’s future. When he had been in prison, he had told himself a thousand times that he had had no choice but to turn himself in. Too many innocent lives would have been taken if hadn’t. At the same time he had feared what would happen for his family. He had felt helpless at the fact that he had been locked away while they had lost their anonymity, then Mia and finally their home.

She also knew that Oliver understood exactly how she had felt. She had worried about their family falling apart with Oliver being away. She had worried for the safety of their children, especially since Mia and William had not been with them where she could personally do everything possible. She had been heartbroken about losing Mia and losing their home. She was overwhelmed by everything that had happened these last days, and she would need days to truly process everything that had happened and weeks to recover from it.

They both would.

With their eyes still locked, they agreed that now wasn’t the time to wallow in self-pity. Now was the time to reconnect.

Felicity moved on top of Oliver, straddling him. With her hands still on his cheeks, she leaned down and captured his lips in a gentle kiss. For the break of a second when their lips just touched, she wondered if kissing Oliver would feel different now. They certainly were different people since they had kissed the last time. You didn’t go through what they had gone through and come out of it unchanged.

In their hearts, Felicity realized there was one thing that hadn’t changed though. They still felt the same kind of strong love as they had felt before. They felt this love for their jobs, for this city and its people, their friends. They felt this love for their family, and they felt it for each other.

As their lips opened up to each other and their tongues met in a familiar slow dance, Oliver put his hands to Felicity’s hips and pulled her closer to him. At the same time, he sat up, so his chest was pressed against hers too.

This was how she had always felt safest. Wrapped in Oliver’s arms and with their children somewhere nearby where she knew they were safe too, she felt as safe as she ever had. Nothing could happen to her or the people she loved and every pain she knew was only half as hurtful as long as it was like this.

Oliver moved his hands up and down her back slowly like he wanted to explore her body for the first time. He grabbed the hem of the shirt she was wearing and pulled it over her head. Their lips met again immediately, just like his hands resumed exploring her back. They stroked up and down her skin like he was searching for any changes. The traumatic experiences they had been through had rarely left physical marks on her though. His body was covered with those, but not hers.

Felicity sighed. She didn’t want to think about that now. All she wanted to think about was them in this very moment.

Frowning slightly, Oliver pulled back. “Everything okay?”

“Yes.” Felicity moved her hands up and down his chest. “Why?”

“You were shaking your head.” He cocked his head, rubbing his hands over her back slowly once more. “We don’t have to-“

Felicity broke him off with a kiss. She took hold of the hem of his shirt, pulled it over his head and tossed it into some corner of the room. Putting her hands on his chest, she looked him straight in the eyes.

“It’s just… thoughts.” She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. “But I don’t want to think right now.”

Oliver looked at her intently for a moment. He seemed to weigh whether she was saying the truth or if there was some deeper truth that he needed to bury for first. Since he knew her better than anyone else, he found his answer rather quickly.

“Oh, I can make you forget all thoughts, my dear.”

With those words falling from his lips, he turned them effortlessly. Felicity’s back pushed into the mattress, and Oliver let his lips travel from her lips to her cheek and further down her neck. Felicity closed her eyes, leaned back and just enjoyed. He would certainly make her forget everything else that wasn’t them in this moment.

Peppering a trail of kisses over her collarbone, Oliver pushed his hands under her back and unclasped her bra. He took it off and dropped it to the floor. His lips never left her body as he did so. They continued their way down her body now, leaving more kisses on her right breast before they first kissed her nipple and then wrapped around it. A long moan escaped Felicity, and her back arched off the bed, bringing her body closer to Oliver’s lips.

Oliver had been right. He did make her forget all the other thoughts that occupied her mind minutes ago. All she could think about now was how good his lips felt on her skin. The tip of his tongue flicking over her nipple made goosebumps spread all over her skin. His body pressed against hers just made her feel like her skin was on fire in the best way.

When Oliver’s lips continued their way down her body, Felicity’s fingers found their way into his hair. She scratched her fingernails over his scalp lightly and enjoyed the way his hair tickled the skin between her fingers.

While his lips and tongue explored her belly button like he had just discovered for the first time that it was there, his fingers hooked into the waistband of her panties. Felicity lifted her hips off the mattress and wriggled out of it. Oliver left no time now though. He finished the path down and settled between her thighs, hooking her legs over his shoulder to give him better access.

Felicity, although already lost in the pleasure of her fantasy of what it would feel like to have his lips cover her center, opened her eyes. She lifted her head off the mattress, so she could look at Oliver. His eyes were wide opened and darkened from pleasure. The sight alone threatened to make a moan fall from Felicity’s lips. Oliver grinned. He knew the effect he had on her, and he enjoyed it. Felicity kicked his shoulder lightly, but Oliver only caught her foot at the ankle, kissed it lightly and placed it back on his back.

“Lean back,” he whispered, “and try not to think.”

Without any further warning, Oliver dove in. He licked a long path from her center to her clit, starting and stopping right before the most sensitive parts. He was a tease like that. Still, that touch of his tongue alone made her back arch off the mattress and a moan fall from her lips. Her thighs tightened around his head. She couldn’t have stopped it if she had wanted to. Oliver simply put his hands on her knees and gently pushed her legs a bit further apart again.

There had been countless times and occasions when Oliver had teased her like that for what had felt like an eternity. He had heightened her pleasure without taking her high enough to make her fall over the edge again and again. It had been maddening in the best way possible. Tonight she was sure that she wouldn’t be able to take it.

Luckily, Oliver seemed to feel the same way. He didn’t seem willing or able to deny her or himself the pleasure that they both needed so much right now. When his tongue touched her sensitive skin the next time, it thrust into her core.

“Oh God!” Felicity moved out her hand to hold onto anything that would anchor her to this time and place because she felt like she was falling out of it. Her hand found the sheet, holding onto it tightly. “Oliver.”

His name falling from her lips in a whispered plea, spurned Oliver on even more. He thrust his tongue into her in a slow rhythm, while his thumb closed over her clit. He stroked it gently, bringing her small waves of pleasure that ran over her smoothly like the ocean water when she was lying at the beach and the flood was coming closer.

Her nerve endings felt like they had been set on fire. Everything was prickling and tickling and felt so incredibly good. Oliver’s tongue and thumb were so very gentle. He knew how quickly he could take her how high without overstimulating her. His stubble scratched the inside of her thighs, certainly leaving nice little marks there.

When Felicity’s breathing quickened, the one of Oliver’s hands that wasn’t occupied between her legs made its way up her body over her stomach to the valley between her breasts. Felicity caught it there, laced her fingers through his and held onto him.

Oliver’s movements quickened. His tongue switched between circling her entrance and thrusting in now. His thumb flicked over her clit in a quick rhythm that took her higher and higher with each and every movement. Her fingers tightened around Oliver’s, and her back arched off the bed even more. The familiar tightening in her stomach announced that she was close.

“Oliver,” she whispered his name once more, saying it like a prayer, “yes. Oh!”

A long moan escaped her when the pleasure reached its peak. Waves of trembles ran through her body, making her blood boil with desire for more. It was crazy. She was on a peak of pleasure, her head filled with nothing but all the good ways Oliver made her feel right now. Still, she wanted more. When it came to Oliver, she would always want more.

As the waves of pleasure ebbed away, Felicity lifted her head off the mattress slightly, so she could look at Oliver. She wasn’t surprised to find his eyes on hers already. He was resting his cheek on the inside of her thigh and just looked at her. He looked content, at peace. Underneath that, Felicity could see his hunger for more though. He felt it just as intensely as she did.

Even in moments like this, moments of intense desire and pleasure, he managed to look at her like that. It was an expression of love, one that proved that she was her home. Felicity reached out her hand and touched his cheek. He snuggled his face into her touch like he always did.

“I love you,” Felicity whispered.

Oliver grinned. “You only say that because of the good sex.”

“Possible.” Felicity matched his grin. “And I feel my love cease. Maybe you should… put more wood on the fire, preferably after you have taken off your clothes.”

She stroked his back with his foot suggestively. Oliver dipped his head down and placed a terribly innocent kiss on her clit. It made a shiver run through Felicity, but she giggled at that. It was so typical of Oliver to tease her just a tiny bit more after she had teased him.

Pushing an arm under her head, Felicity watched him wriggling out of bed and coming to stand at the foot of it. He didn’t make much of a show of it, but Felicity liked to watch anyway. Everything Oliver did was worth watching. That man could advertise toothbrushes, and it would look sexy. When he was unbuttoning his pants and pulling them as well as his boxer briefs down, it was one of the sexiest things Felicity had ever seen. His abs flexed slightly. His cock bobbed free, already ready to put more wood into the fire.

Oliver just stood there for a moment, letting Felicity watch him. He enjoyed that as much as she did. When she lifted her hand and beckoned him to come closer with a movement of her forefinger. He didn’t hesitate. He crawled onto the bed until he hovered right over her, his knees next to knees, his hands next to her shoulders, her face over hers.

Felicity reached out her hands and framed it with her hands. Slowly she pulled him down to her. Oliver bent his arms until his nose touched hers. He lowered his body onto hers, careful not to crush her. He stroked the tip of his nose over the back of hers before he lowered his lips onto hers.

With a sigh, Felicity opened her lips to the touch of Oliver’s tongue. He deepened the kiss instantly and shifted his hips until his cock rested against her still sensitive sex. A moan escaped Felicity, and Oliver swallowed it eagerly. Pushing his arms under her arching back, he turned them around and sat up, so Felicity was sitting in his lap.

Pulling away slightly and moving a hand through his hair, Felicity looked at Oliver’s face intently. She had already taken in the changes the last days had launched on him. This time she just took him in without anything that had been or hadn’t been these past days. She just looked at the face of the man that she had fallen in love with so long ago and that she had built this wonderful life with that she never wanted to give up.

Felicity got up on her knees and reached behind her. She took hold of his cock and couldn’t stop herself from grinning when Oliver took in a sharp breath at her touch. She considered teasing him, but now was just not the time for that. With that thought in mind, she placed the tip of his erection at her entrance and slowly sank down on him.

Her forehead dropped against Oliver while she was taking him in inch-by-inch. He stretched her in that perfectly arousing way. It made goosebumps run over her skin. Her lips fell open in a silent pant. Her fingernails dug into the skin of his shoulders slightly.

When he was fully inside of her, Felicity moved her fingers down Oliver’s back slowly before she lifted them again. Oliver angled his head back and straightened up as much as he could, trying to steal a kiss from Felicity’s lips, but she kept them right out of his reach. They breathed the same air. She could feel his breath on her chest whenever he breathed out too, but she didn’t let him kiss her. Not yet. She wanted to watch him like he had been watching her before.

Felicity shifted her hips cautiously, just enough to cause some friction. Oliver’s lips fell open and he left out a little moan. The sound made Felicity’s stomach prickle with arousal. She loved to know that she could make him release those sounds. She could offer him just as much pleasure as he could offer her.

Slowly Felicity lifted herself onto her knees, held her position for a moment and then lowered herself just as slowly. Oliver’s body was trembling, his hands digging into her hips hard. His breath was strangled.

“You are driving me crazy,” he said between gritted teeth, “I hope you know that.”

Felicity chuckled slightly. “Oh, I know.”

When Oliver tried to kiss her this time, she only avoided his kiss for a moment. Oliver was about to release a grumble when she gave in. She lowered her lips onto his and kissed him hungrily. Her fingers moved into his hands and grabbed some strands. Using her hold on him, she pulled his head back gently, offering her even easier access to his warm mouth.

They settled into a slow and even rhythm. They moved together in perfect synch, letting their bodies meet in a way that offered them both the pleasure they had been missing out on for days. While their hips were meeting again and again, their hands roamed over each other’s body, and their lips met in gentle and intimate kisses.

Felicity wished it could stay like this forever. The intimacy and closeness of this moment was something she didn’t want to let go easily. She wanted to keep just as close to Oliver as she was now for as long as possible. The burden of these last days didn’t allow Felicity to hold onto her self-control as much as she would like to, and she could see that it was the same for Oliver.

“Oliver.”

It was all she needed to do. She whispered his name, and Oliver knew immediately that she needed more. He tightened his arms around her waist and thrusted up harder and more quickly. Felicity matched his rhythm.

She was so close, but something was missing. She couldn’t say what it was, but something was keeping her from falling over the edge. Her entire body was filled with tension, her skin feeling like it was poked into with sharp needles again and again. She knew that her orgasm was close. Just a little something she couldn’t put her finger on, and she’d just fall over the edge and bathe in pleasure, but her body wasn’t entirely ready. Not yet.

Oliver moved his lips to the side of her neck and sucked at her pulse point. And that was enough to send Felicity over the edge. Her body trembled when the tension left her muscles and nerves. She moaned and let her head fall back, just letting the pleasure wash over her and take her to a blissful height.

When she noticed that Oliver’s movements lost their rhythm, she locked her eyes on his. The expression in his was hazy and cloudy. She knew that all he could see was her, and just like she had troubled before, he troubled to fall over the edge now.

Putting a hand on his cheek, she whispered, “I’m right here, Oliver.”

That was all he needed. He thrusted into her twice more before he came. She felt him stilling inside of her, his cock twitching between her soft walls. Made a warm shiver run down her back. Her name fell from his lips in a passionate whisper.

Still moving slowly through the last sensations of their pleasures, they held onto each other tightly. Sex had always been an important way for them to communicate. Only now they really knew that they both were really whole and okay.

With their foreheads still touched, they continued sitting there for a while, enjoying the continued intimacy. Once again it had been taken from them by separating them from each other, but they had fought back until they had been reunited. They had always done so, and they would always do so again.

→ → → → →

For a split second while waking up, Oliver wondered why he was feeling so peaceful. These last nights had been filled with tension. If he had found any sleep, he had woken up repeatedly and not caught much rest. When he woke up this morning, he felt well-rested and didn’t feel even a spark of panic.

He opened his eyes, frowned at sat up. The unfamiliar room made his head spin for another split second. Then the memories of the last night came back to him, and he allowed himself to fall back into the pillows and just smile for a moment.

A lot of the worries that had bothered him these last days and nights had gone away. He wouldn’t be charged with any crimes. His work was officially acknowledged. He was back with his family. He could look into a brighter future.

Looking around the room once more, he puckered his lips. One problem was left. They didn’t have a home. Their beautiful home had been burnt down and from what Oliver had heard and seen on photos, there was nothing left to repair. They could either rebuild the entire house from scratch or think about something else. Given the changed circumstances with their identities uncovered, Oliver knew there was a lot to think about.

But not now, he decided and rolled out of bed. He looked around briefly and found that Felicity had put some clothes – boxer briefs, sweatpants and a T-shirt – for him on one of the armchairs. He put them on, wondering how Felicity had managed to sneak out of bed without him noticing. He must have been passed out.

He left the bedroom and headed towards the kitchen, thinking he would find his family there, but only Raisa was there. She smiled when she saw him.

“Good morning,” she said with happy voice, “coffee is just ready. Ms. Fe- I mean Felicity would certainly like to have a mug.”

“Not just her. Thank you.” Oliver brushed a kiss to Raisa’s cheek as he walked past her. He then poured two mugs of coffee, turning his head back over his shoulder towards Raisa. “Where is everyone by the way?”

“In the living room, watching TV.”

Oliver perked up his eyebrows. “TV for breakfast? When did that start?”

“Today. You… will see why.”

With that mysterious hint left, Raisa left the kitchen. Oliver took the two mugs and followed the noises he could hear, assuming that had to be the direction where the living room was. Indeed, he found a door that had been left ajar and when he pushed it open, he found everyone gathered in front of the TV.

Without paying any attention to what they were watching, Oliver sneaked his way to Felicity, who was sitting on the backrest of the couch. He wrapped an arm around her, offering her one of the mugs of coffee. His lips found their way to her pulse point and placed a gentle kiss where he had left a nice little red mark.

“Oliver,” Felicity whispered and flinched as she hadn’t heard him coming.

He was about to whisper something in her ear, but the sound of his name seemed to make chaos erupt. The kids jumped from their seats, ran towards him and talked insistently to him all at the same time. Oliver wasn’t sure if it was the stress of the last days or the excitement of the kids, but he couldn’t follow what they were saying.

“Okay,” he said, lifting his hands, “how about you choose who talks first, so I can understand anything you say?”

“William,” Emmy suggested, and her siblings nodded.

Oliver looked at William, perking up his eyebrows. William hadn’t been as over the top as the others, but even he looked excited.

“The elections take place today,” he said, “I mean the mayoral elections.”

Sipping from his coffee, Oliver frowned. “Who would they vote?”

“Well, since one mayoral candidate was taken out,” William replied, gesturing towards the TV, “there is only one left. You.”

“Me?”

“You never dropped out of the race,” Felicity reminded him, “and even if you had, after last night a lot of people wouldn’t care.”

“The elections have already started, and apparently voter turnout is quite high,” William continued, “and first counts prove that people haven’t come to spoil their ballot. They came to support you.”

Oliver looked at the TV and found this information confirmed there. People had come to vote, and they were voting him. They didn’t have much choice since there was no other candidate, but they had still decided to come and vote him.

Maybe, after everything they had done and everything they had been put through, they had really saved this city. In more than one way.

* * *

Only eight chapters left!

#arrow #olicity #olicity fic #olicity fanfic #time for a story

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