#5 the past car + the engine

Congrats on your surgery! I'm 1 1/2 years post-op and was terrified too (had some very bad prev surgery experiences as well) but my surgery team was the loveliest and the whole experience was so so nice and comfy. They all told me how this is their favourite job cause they're making people's lives so much better. Also everyone was so happy and chipper cause they know they're making people happy. I had some complications after and they couldn't have been kinder about it! I also used to be a competitive swimmer in my teens and last week was the first time I dared to go swimming again in a public pool in ten years. It was incredible. I sat down afterwards and just sobbed, it felt so good. YOU GOT THIS!

THANK YOU :'DDD its really awesome to hear from yall. i got 9 hours im way too nervous to sleep so im just finishing out comms rn hahahaaaa hopefully things will be ok 🤞!!!! im so so so excited to be back in the water imso glad you got to too

Shotgun

A/N- This was a fic that i completely forgot i had back when i posted it 😅 this sat in my notes for so long because i was nervous it wasn’t gonna do very well but surprisingly a lot of people liked it!

Summary- You teach Eddie how to shotgun a joint

Genre- Fluff

Warnings- None :)

Tag List- @imagine-all-the-imagines @hellfirewh0re @paola-carter @whiplaaaaaaaaash @ladyapplejackdnd @thatlonelypieceoftoast @efvyqrs

Words- 3.3k

You were laid out on Eddie’s bed, your Hellfire shirt on from the last meeting and a pair of Eddie’s sweats. You could hear his loud music playing from the bathroom as he showered, giggling to yourself as you could hear him singing along to For Whom the Bell Tolls by Metallica.

Your fingers were cramping up a bit from rolling for the last half hour, a pile of joints laid next to your tray and as you finished the last one, you placed it between your lips and lit it.

Eddie wouldn’t mind it if you started without him right?

Almost every other week he would bring you in to watch over their D&D games. You had absolutely no idea how any of it worked but it was fun to see how intense they all got. Plus there were some nights where you would be the Princess they would have to rescue. Not to mention all of Eddie’s dorky friends would be giving you a majority of their attention and it was nice to have little minions every now and then.

It was surprising to all of them that you were the only girl that actually enjoyed being around Eddie all the time.

The two of you had met freshman year, he was actually the one who got you out of your shell a bit. He was always obnoxious and loud and didn’t really seem to care what anyone thought about him and you always admired that. You, on the other hand, we’re definitely the opposite. You two had the same taste in music, movies, almost everything, but personality wise it was hot and cold. He was more confrontational but you always stayed away from confrontation. He was more laid back and you were work, work, work. It was tough to see him held back the last two years, just waiting for him to step up and act like an adult, but you knew he was just scared of the real world.

As soon as you graduated you went to college the next year. Nothing too fancy, just a local community college so you could stay close to home but still get your degree. Plus you couldn’t just leave Eddie all by himself.

He’d be an absolute wreck if you had to leave.

He loved having you around all the time, not just cause you were best friends, but because you kept him in line most of the time. You helped him with school work so he could graduate, you helped him think of new campaigns for D&D when he was blanking, and you were always honest with him about everything wether it was good or bad.

You cleaned up your tray and put the joints you rolled into a little jar on his nightstand. As you took a long drag from the joint you saw he had something out of the ordinary for him laying next to his lamp.

Condoms.

You giggled to yourself as you grabbed the few of them and tried to think about why he would even have them just laying around.

“Hey,” Eddie knocked on the wall as he stood in the doorway to his bedroom, no shirt, sweats, and drying his hair with a towel, his tattoos almost glistening on his body as it was still a bit damp from his shower, “what’re you looking at?”

“Oh, nothing, just these,” You laughed a bit and tossed them at him, sitting back down on the edge of his bed, “what do you have them for anyways? Its not like you’re using them.”

He jumped a bit as they hit his chest, and he quickly tried to put them away into one of his drawers,

“How do you know that? You’re not with me every second of the day, for all you know im getting laid almost every night here.”

You raised your eyebrows as you took another drag, holding it out to him after,

“Because whenever a girl other than me even talks to you, you have no idea how to act. The girls you seem to like definitely don’t like you back, i hate to be the one to tell you sweetie.”

He rolled his eyes as he took the joint from you, placing it between his lips as he threw his towel into one of the piles of laundry on his floor,

“How do you know what kind of girls i like? Maybe my taste in women has changed over the years,” he came over and sat next to you, his hair still a bit damp as it grazed over your arm, “I’m a man now (y/n), i think i know what my type is.”

You laughed at the cocky grin he gave you and you snatched the joint from between his lips,

“You may be a ‘man’,” you said with air quotes, “but you’re a man who’s still in high school, so don’t get any ideas with those cheerleaders or i’m gonna be the one to kill you before their daddies get a chance to.”

He watched your lips as you took a long drag and glanced at your chest through your Hellfire shirt. He’d never admit it to you but if he had the choice between you and the entire cheerleading team at Hawkins High, he’d always choose you.

You were his dream girl. You liked all the same things, you hated all the same things, you were there for him through everything and no matter what you would stick by his side. Even if there were a few times he was in the wrong… But you made sure to keep him in check when he did do something wrong. If he was being honest, he thought it was really hot when you put him in his place.

“Oh well, we’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” you placed the joint back between your lips as you went to the cabinet under his TV, looking for something to watch, squatting yourself down on your knees. Eddie smiled to himself and leaned back onto his bed as his eyes were glued to your ass in his oversized sweatpants, “what do you wanna watch tonight?”

You looked through the stacks of horror VHS tapes in the cabinet, groaning as Eddie ignored you.

“Jaws? Texas chainsaw massacre? Scanners? Some feedback would be nice Eddie.”

He couldn’t even hear himself think, let alone you nearly yelling at him from 5 feet away. You were the only thing on his mind, and it was making it difficult for him to focus on anything.

He thought about your body, your smooth skin, your soft hair, your bright eyes, and it was painful for him not to be able to touch you.

“Eddie!”

You were standing in front of him, arms crossed with a tape in your hand,

“Since you decided to ignore me, i pick what we’re watching.” You tossed the tape to him, and surprisingly he caught it, sitting up to grab another joint from his nightstand.

“Weren’t you too scared to finish Evil Dead?”

“I’ll be fine,” you took the box back from him and slid the tape into the VCR, “i want to actually try and finish it this time.”

“You said that last time too.”

You sat down on his bed and passed him the lighter,

“Well this time i’m serious, i don’t know why i always get so scared,” you leaned back and got comfortable on his bed, putting one of his pillows behind you for some support, “i think it’s cause of that one scene, with the trees?”

He took a few hits before passing it to you again,

“Why? It’s not that bad, and i know you’ve definitely seen worse from the other stuff we watched,” he moved back, his shoulder touching yours and the ends of his hair tickling your arm, “is it… is it like a girl thing?”

The tape started, neither of you really paying attention to it and leaving it for background noise,

“I don’t know, maybe? I think having to watch something like that happen…” You got a little quiet, just imagining how terrifying a situation like that would be for anyone, “It’s just scary.”

He pulled the joint from your lips and moved his arm around your shoulder to squeeze you close to him,

“Well yeah it sounds scary, but this is just a movie,” he took a long drag and puffed his chest out to make him look stronger, “and you’ve got me here to keep you safe. You know i make sure no one messes with you when i’m around.”

You giggled at his attempt to make himself seem more tough, knowing he loved starting fights, but hated having to finish them.

“Oh yeah? And just what are you gonna do? I seem to remember the last time you made sure no one messed with me, you got your ass kicked because you thought it would be an amazing idea to key up Scott’s car after he called me a slut cause i wouldn’t go out with him.”

“Yeah but he stopped fucking with you after that, right?”

The two of you laughed, remembering how he came over to your place after Scott and his friends found Eddie scratching in profanities on the side of his car. He had a few bruises and a busted lip, but after you helped clean him up he was back to himself again. Even though he definitely wasn’t winning any fights any time soon, he would never let anyone talk about you the way that Scott did.

As the movie played on through the night, the two of you moved closer and closer to each other. It wasn’t anything out of the norm, if a movie was too scary you would be tangled in each other’s arms, hiding your faces from the screen, but this time he was just holding you. His arm still wrapped around your shoulder, your head laying on his chest, your legs laying to the side as one was draped over his.

It was almost finished, and though it was scary for you, Eddie kept his promise and made you feel safe.

Throughout most of the movie, the two of you were smoking joint after joking from the little stash you rolled. You sat up, eyes still on the TV screen, and felt around in the jar finding only one left.

“Last one. You want me to roll more?”

His eyes were glued to your soft lips as you lit the joint between them,

“Nah we’ll be fine for now. We can always make more later, let’s just do this one slowly,” he sat up facing you, arms propped up behind him, and you had to admit he looked pretty cute. Still no shirt, so you could see his happy trail, your eyes following it all the way to the waistband of his sweats, your mind wandering to places you would only think about alone in your bedroom, “try to make this one last longer than the other ones.”

You passed it to him, your eyes moving back up to his lips as he took a long drag, he tilted his head back as he exhaled, long hair flowing behind him.

As your mind wandered, your intimate thoughts gave you the perfect idea to try and make your joint last,

“I know how to make it last, but i don’t know if you’re up for it.” You could feel your cheeks start to warm up just thinking about it.

“If i can handle defeating dragons and shit i’m sure i can handle whatever it is.”

“You realize none of that stuff is real right?” You giggled to yourself as you crossed your legs on his bed, moving closer to him, “You ever shotgunned?” You said with a little smile, stealing the joint back from between his fingers.

“Shotgun? Like a beer?” He looked at you a bit confused, apparently the concept was foreign to him.

“No, not like a beer, that’s different.” you giggled to yourself, “When you shotgun a joint, one person hits it and they blow the smoke into the other persons mouth so they both get the hit.”

His brow furrowed as he tried to imagine it, making you giggle again, relighting the joint.

“Here, i’ll show you,” you took a hit and with your other hand you gently grabbed Eddie’s chin, moving yourself closer, your lips nearly touching as you exhaled and blew the smoke to his lips, smiling a bit as you pulled away, “like that.”

You couldn’t help but smile at the state he was in. Eyes closed, cheeks red, and his lips curled into a shy smile as he exhaled.

“Wow… Where’d you learn how to do that?”

“Some guy i used to hang around with,” you took a hit for yourself, “I used to make out with him for free weed but now i get it all from being around you.”

He laughed, sounding a bit nervous,

“Do uh…. Do you wanna do it again?” You could see his cheeks were still pink from before. It was weird to see him this nervous in front of you, but nonetheless it was cute.

You smiled as you nodded to him, taking another hit. His hand moving behind your neck to bring you closer as you blew the smoke to his lips again. The two of you stayed close for a few moments, the smoke going back to your lips as he exhaled, your eyes opening and staring into one another’s for what felt like forever. You could tell your cheeks were bright red as his eyes looked down to your lips.

Your nerves quickly made you turn away and look back at the TV screen, the credits started rolling.

“Movies over.” You tried to get the thought of Eddie’s lips out of your mind by changing the subject, moving his hand from the back of your neck, resting the joint on the ashtray on his nightstand to go and search for another movie. You kneeled down onto his floor, sitting on your legs, “Your turn to pick something.”

Once again, he couldn’t help himself from staring at your ass as you were kneeled down, looking through the stacks of tapes again. His heart picking up the pace as you leaned forward, your shirt lifting up a bit, exposing the lace of your panties above the waistband of the borrowed sweatpants. He stayed silent again, his cheeks getting redder as his thoughts wandered to what you looked like underneath the oversized clothes.

You groaned and rolled your eyes as he ignored you again, choosing a random tape and swapping it into the VCR.

“Fine, i guess i’ll just put on whatever this is…” you picked up the box, not paying attention to whichever one you grabbed before putting it on, and read the title, “Sleepaway Camp it is.”

You went back to his bed, tossing the box away and crawling to the spot you were laying in before. Eddie was still silent, watching the TV screen, lost in his own thoughts.

“You ok?” You leaned forward and gently placed your hand on his shoulder, “you’re acting really weird tonight.”

“Yeah…” He said back quietly, trying his absolute hardest to get his dirty thoughts of you out of his mind, snapping out of it for a moment, “yeah, i’m fine. Can i uh…” he trailed off again as he leaned forward to grab the joint resting on the ashtray and lit it again, “can i try doing that thing?”

Nodding and giving him a little smile, you moved forward to him, your legs laid out in front of you as you sat up close to him,

“Yeah try it, it’s fun.” You bit your lip as they were still curled into a smile.

You watched his lips as they wrapped around the joint, taking a deep hit before he placed it back onto the ashtray and moved closer to you, his hand going back behind your neck to bring you closer to him.

You leaned up towards him as he moved closer, his fingers tangled in your hair as he blew the smoke to your lips. You were closer than before, feeling your noses gently brush against each other as you exhaled.

Eddie stayed there, his hand still behind your neck, looking deeply into your eyes as he opened his, his cheeks bright red just from the feeling of your lips almost touching.

You bit your lip again, your arms slowly moving to wrap around his shoulders, his other hand trailing to your waist to carefully bring your body closer to his.

The two of you had never been this close before. Sure, he’d sometimes wrap his arms around you during a scary movie, or you’d wake up after staying the night with your head on his chest, but the feeling of your lips being so close made you shiver… The movie was still playing in the background but all you could hear was your heartbeat, going faster and faster as Eddie moved his thumb gently on your side where he held you. He broke the silence,

“Can i?”

You nodded and Eddie closed the space between you. His lips were soft and gentle, and the kiss was quick, but you couldn’t help yourselves from stopping.

His arm moving around your waist to bring you into his lap as your lips kept moving, getting more intense as he set you in his lap, gently sucking your bottom lip to ask for entrance. His tongue slowly slipped between your lips, tasting yours.

You weren’t sure how long the two of you had been making out on his bed for, but it just felt so right. When he was kissing you he was sweet, gentle, like you were made of glass and he was trying his best not to break you.

You slipped one of your hands down to his chest and gently pushed him back, needing a break to finally breathe after god knows how long the two of you were glued together.

As you sat in his lap catching your breath his lips were still on you, moving from your lips, to your cheek, and trailing softly down your neck to your shoulder. His hair tickling your neck made you giggle, and he sat up to look at you once more after placing one last soft kiss on your neck.

“Where did that come from?” You said with a chuckle, your thumb gently brushing his cheek.

He let out a deep break and his arms snaked around your back, hugging your waist closer to him, his chest touching yours,

“Oh god, you have no idea. I’ve been waiting for that since i met you…”

Your eyes looked deeply into his,

“How come you never said anything?”

“I don’t know…” His eyes seemed like they were completely lost in yours, “nerves i guess. I didn’t want to do anything to scare you away from me. I’m sure you can tell that not many girls are into me the way you are.”

You giggled and gave him a peck on the lips, “I guess i’m more into you than you thought.”

“Well why didn’t you say anything hm?” He laughed, arms holding you tightly to him, “Cause you were getting pretty frisky a minute ago.”

“I didn’t know if you felt the same…” Your cheeks burning, even after making out on his bed you were still so nervous to reveal your feelings, “same reason i suppose, i just didn’t want to make things weird between us. I didn’t want to risk losing my best friend AND the guy i had a huge crush on.”

He laid down on his bed, pulling you on top of him as he did, arms still around his neck and his hands moved behind your thighs as you straddled his waist.

“Trust me sweetheart, i’m not going anywhere.”

_______________________________________________

If you’d like to read more of my work, make sure to check out my masterlist 🥰

No can do! We are all here to celebrate (& help) you Shannon. There will not be a moment where you're wrong. And if you happen to miss something, clues will be given to you ;) You'll always win bestie :D

I'm so 🥺 that you took the time to listen to the songs I recommended. And it's totally normal and okay to not like certain songs. We all have our own taste in music ^^

Amélie is indeed one of my favourite movies of all time (so great guess!) but I was talking about azur & asmar (a french animated movie by michel ocelot : a masterpiece!) . As for the disney/pixar movie question, let me give you two little clues: BOO & a lot of doors!!! I think this will help you, or at least if I'm still good at giving clues hehe

Of course 🥺 If I make a promise, I try my hardest to complete it. In fact, you gave a few of my favorite elo songs in your answer. While waiting for your answer, I had the time to finish listening to his entire discography. Rose, angel, cupcake, lip service, falling dreams & can't be happy are my fave elo songs <3 We must really have the same taste in music if you had so many correct answers wow I'm impressed!

If I'm being honest, I'm not a sone </3 I know I know, this must come as a shock to a lot of people but I started my kpop experience with f(x) and I was so focused on them that I didn't dive into snsd's music :/ But you still got the correct answer because the other groups mentioned are a part of my fave 2nd gen ggs. Other answers I would've accepted are t-ara & 4minute :)

Well, ladies and gentlemen, tonight's the last show of the shannon game (disappointed oh's can be heard) but alas, there is an end to every good thing. But, worry not! it is for a good cause :D I will finally reveal myself to shannon! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH I'M SO NERVOUS!!!

Tonight, there will only be one question, but it is a very important one (drumrolls)

Question #10: How would you describe our friendship?

Folks! That's it! That's the end of the Shannon game :( It was a pleasure being with you for this long and I'd like to thank Shannon for being such a good sport and taking the time to answer those questions. One more time, let's give a round of applause to Shannon (clap clap clap)

Ilu & please take care <3

from 🐘💌 anon

thank you for rigging the game so i can never lose i really appreciate it <3 it would be pretty bad to lose a game that was literally named after me

of course!! i always enjoy a good music rec and i had a lot of fun listening to them even if they weren't all my taste i still enjoyed it since i knew they were songs you liked 💞

oo okay yeah you’re right i have never heard of that!! but it sounds really interesting and it seems to be a pretty popular film and it won a lot of awards and stuff so maybe i will have to watch it sometime!! okay you are way too generous with your clues! you basically gave me the answer but i will accept it because i would have had no idea without that! (it would be funny if i was still wrong but i think i'm right) monsters inc is an excellent choice!! it’s such a cute movie 🥺 idk if i have a favourite disney/pixar movie but monsters inc is a really good one!

wow i can't believe i guessed so many of your favourites either but we really do have similar taste!! can't be happy is one of my favs as well his new album is really good!! i really appreciate you checking out his music and i'm glad you found some songs you really like <3

ohh i really thought you liked snsd because i’m sure i have seen you reblog some taeyeon posts before but are you more just a fan of her rather than snsd? but i’m glad i still got a couple answers right then i can’t be too disappointed <3

aww no im so sad the game is over :( but i’m very excited for the big reveal !! oh this is kind of hard because i’m not very good with words but i think our friendship is like when u meet up with an old friend and it’s like no time has passed and you just pick up where you left off and catch up! sometimes a few days or weeks may pass between our messages but it feels like no time at all… and we have a lot in common so it feels very familiar and comfortable but also we share lots of new things with each other too!!  genuinely your messages are a huge comfort and your warm and kind personality always comes through <3 they really do make my day! 💗💕

thank u so much it has been an honour !! i had so much fun playing <3 love u too bestie i will be looking forward to your big reveal !! 💓

Wind

☆ℜ𝔢𝔩𝔞𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫𝔰𝔥𝔦𝔭 : Venti x gn!Reader

☆𝔚𝔞𝔯𝔫𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔰 : near death experience, you’re confused asf about everything, bad writing cause i suck, spoilers for the we will be reunited quest!! And also for venti’s backstory, venti is serious for once (yes it’s a legitimate warning🤚)

☆𝔊𝔢𝔫𝔯𝔢 : Some angst, some fluff? Idk bye🤨

☆𝔖𝔲𝔪𝔪𝔞𝔯𝔶 : "It's okay, it's over now" he kneeled to be at your level, his arms still wrapped around you, and you didn't have the energy to fight your urge of nuzzling into him. "I'll always be here for you, wherever there is wind, remember I'm here too. You only need to ask." (2.8k words)

♪𝔑𝔬𝔱𝔢𝔰 : i’m an idiot simp, i did this in one sitting and half asleep, english isnt my first language BLA BLA IM SORRY FOR MY POOR WRITING BUT HAVE THIS

basically you don’t know if you can trust venti or not, head says no, heart screams yes

Also, I was listening to stormterror’s lair ost while writing it, just because its fucking amazing, you might wanna listen to it too

I’m nervous to post this?/&:! This is the second fic i’ve ever finished in my whole life

i love venti and he’s hot in his god outfit i don’t make the rules

KAY ENJOY <3

✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧

"Please, anybody... Just help me."

Saying you were exhausted would have been an understatement. After reuniting with your sibling, you had been frantically searching for clues about khaenri'ah and ways to Inazuma. With no luck, you couldn't find any traces of Dainsleif or of your twin. The ruins had been sealed and you had no idea what happened to the inverted statue or the corpse you had found there. Desperately, you clung into every little information you had, you would have turned every rock on this archon damned continent if you had to, which is what led you into those ruins near Guilli plains.

Walking along the destroyed buildings your eyes caught sight of a dandelion and you froze. You missed them so much, why couldn't they go back home with you? All you ever wanted was to be by their side why, why were they running away from you?

You remembered your travels, the moments you shared together, their protectiveness over you, the fondness in their eyes when you smiled at them. You remember the times you got hurt and healed one another with your now missing powers. You remember sleeping by their side and being grateful to the universe to let you keep your ray of sunshine everywhere with you. How ironic.

What had they meant 'once you reach the end of your journey' ? What does that even mean? Stupid twin, if they knew you were here the whole time, why hadn't they come to you? Why were they always leaving just when they were within your grasp? Why? Did they know how much you missed them and how much your heart broke when you finally saw them? Did they?

You only realized you were crying when a small gust of wind had your wet cheek react to the cold, breaking your train of thought. Wind.

The wind is everywhere, you think, free as a bird, always accompanying every citizen of this world, never truly alone. With this in mind, you resumed your exploring, slower this time.

A sigh escaped your mouth. You didn't want to admit it, but the wind did comfort you a little. Almost as if he was here. God of freedom and of the breeze, he was more a singer than a protector and you couldn't bear to think about him. Was it true? What Dain said... Did he destroy this nation? Was he the cause of the scenery that still haunted your nightmares up until 500 years later? Your brain simply couldn't accept that Venti, your Venti, you catch yourself thinking, could have made such an act of wrath. He was the epitome of freedom, why would he take the very thing he based all of his existence on from mere mortals? Barbatos simply couldn't be afraid of being overpowered, he didn't even care about power. All he wanted was freedom and happiness for his people. Surley this couldn't be right?

But then again, who were you to deny the wipe out of an entire nation? The gods did it. They were afraid that Celestia would be overthrown by the pride of humankind, the destruction of khaenri'ah by divine beings was a fact. There was no misunderstanding about this. That was the one thing you were sure of. So why did you feel like crying even more now?

The mere thought of a gentle soul such as Venti committing innocent people to an eternity of suffering didn't sit right with you. Even when his dearest friend Dvalin had turned against him, he didn't try to stop him, didn't even ask the dragon to save him. He healed and helped him, gave him a choice.

'What is freedom if demanded of you by a god?' was the same person that asked this question the same one who committed mass murder? Genocide?

Did the little wine-lover bard you had grown fond of destroy all hopes and light your kin had?

You remember that night when he freed Stanley from his burden, freed his and his friends' spirits. You had marveled at his action, in that instant he was a god, and he definitely hadn't struck you as a murderer. You remember that look of silent pain and grief in his eyes when he sang the tales of the nameless bard he had taken the appearance of. You knew he trusted you enough to share his story, something so personal, you could almost feel the war that took down the tyrant of Mond. Oh how much you cherished that evening, treating him to some well deserved dandelion wine afterwards, his favorite, and asking him to sing you more about the time where was nothing but the spirit of a breeze.

Your heart broke a little, remembering his rosy cheeks and drunk smile, you wish you could talk to him, ask him what happened. What did he do, was he really as dangerous as you had been told? If so, then why did you feel so good around him? Why did you feel like you could give hi-

You stopped walking upon seeing a ruin guard up ahead in the distance. You're so stupid, you think. Feeling this way is not gonna get you anywhere, especially with how the bard had been missing for a few weeks now. Ever since you had last seen your sibling.

Where was he, where was he wandering off to? You walk towards the disabled ruin guard, not really paying any mind to it, still thinking about the god you longed to meet with. If you could see him, what would you even say? Would he even answer your questions? Why did your stomach feel so light and funny when you thought about seeing him, why aren't you angrier?

You're almost at the killing machine's level now, so lost in your thought you don't notice the five other similar robots hidden behind a wall next to it. You notice them only when it's too late and you've already turned them on while thinking about examining them and collecting their serial numbers. When you hear the familiar tick of the mechanism turning on, you internally panic and think about running away only to calm down moments later and think to yourself that you can simply beat it and take what you came here for. Even if you are emotionally and physically tired, you can manage, you think.

That was before hearing five other consecutive ticks right after it, and all around you.

Turning around, your gaze falls upon the small army of field tillers. Fuck.

Paimon wasn't with you today, you had asked for some time alone which she hesitantly accepted, so you couldn't ask her to go fetch help. You would have been worried if you had all your capacities but with the state you were in, you were wondering how you were going to survive this fight. You were alone, none of your companions with you, and deeply weakened by the busy day you had and the few hours of sleep you had managed to steal away from the night. Was it today you would meet your doom, with all your questions and uncertainties unanswered?

You tried your best to fight with the strength you had left, but quickly grew desperate after what felt like hours of efforts to swing your blade and being able to only take one monster down out of the six. It didn't help that you got injured along the way, their blows becoming harder and harder to dodge. After being thrown on the grown for the third time, you understood you had at least two broken ribs and that your shaking legs would soon fail you as well.

Fear crept upon you, you would die here today, alone. Alone. You couldn't talk to your sibling after all, couldn't understand. You didn't even get to talk to him one last time. Him... You would die without the knowledge of the truth about your bard. You would die alone. You didn't want that, you couldn't look death straight in the eye.

"Please, anybody... Just help me."

-

In Mondstadt, there was a musician, a weird singer everyone had heard about at least once. He lived off of his songs and was mostly known for having a great story-telling and being an alcoholic.

The number of people who knew the true nature of his identity were few and he was perfectly content with that. He didn't wish to be a god anymore, his gnosis had been taken away anyway and it's not like he had any power over the city of wind nowadays. Even if his people still worshipped him as Barbatos, it didn't sit right with him to be called a god anymore. It actually never did, he thinks to himself with a smile, he never really took any responsibilities that came with the divine title which is why he was so weak today. But it didn't matter to him, his smile turns into a soft giggle.

Sitting on a mill that was once born from his steps he looks fondly over the city he founded. Even if they were godless, the citizens were still thriving and free. He cared oh so very deeply about the place even if he rarely, if not never, showed the affection within his heart. He remembers the day he grew strong enough to dispel the storms over his actual Mondstadt, and made the weather gentle enough so that there was no need for fireplaces. Nowadays, he loves watching birds nest into the chimney tops and seeing them found their own home. It gave him a sense of belonging like no other, not above his people, but walking among them and watching them nest into this cocoon he created. He was proud of what happened to his land and would do it all over again if he had to.

Especially since it led to him meeting you. This thought doesn't catch him off guard, you often roamed around in his mind after all, and it's not like he didn't write at least three songs about you and your feat, your smile, your courage...

Ah there he goes again, rambling about you in a whisper. He turns around to the statue of him his people erected in his honor, chuckling at how they never made the connection with his signature braids. His, but not really his, since he had stolen this form from someone who was much more deserving of this power than him. Seeing his friend being honored with the statues of the seven around the land made him happy, he hoped that it was a good enough thank you gift in return for everything that the bard whom he couldn't even remember the name of anymore did for him.

Upon gazing at the statue, he remembered telling you of his long gone friend. It was the first time he had talked about him to someone else, he didn't even mention it to Venessa, she who made him believe in himself again. He could ask himself why, but he simply knew that you had something different, more than meets the eye. Perhaps it was because you weren't from Teyvat, or perhaps it was just you being as simple as your natural self but he was simply and utterly captivated by your being. You inspired him to no end, at first he thought it was because he had never met someone like you and he loved new things! But as time grew and he got to know you, he understood quickly the meaning and depth of his passions. He thought of it with a light chuckle, content with your presence alone. He really did need and want you around.

So why did he purposely avoid you like the plague?

The wind had brought to his ears that you had met with Dainsleif.

And your twin.

His first reaction was to search for you, talk to you, he wanted to be here to know what happened! You had searched so long, he couldn't contain himself, still listening to what the wind told him, he started running with excitement but... But wait, Dainsleif was... He told you what?

Oh.

So you heard about Khaenri'ah. He had stopped dead in his tracks and turned back, only sending a warm current of wind your way, hugging you from afar.

He wasn't ready to talk about this yet, not ready to face you and absolutely not ready to answer your questions. He was a coward, he thought, running away like that but what else could he do, really. It was only natural for him to be as uncatchable as air.

A sorry excuse to avoid the fact that even if his past had marvelous story like the one of the nameless bard, it also had its share of darkness, something he wasn't ready to dive back into. Especially not now when your arrival has been shaking this world up like it hasn't been since at least 500 years.

But oh, how he longed to see your face or to hear your voice. So he asked a breeze to report to him what you were up to, and where you were. Just in case! he tells himself, what if you needed help ehe? But he knows you're competent and you won't need the help of a weakling coward like him anytime soon. Or so he thought.

Because when the breeze only gives him a few words back, his blood runs cold.

"Please, anybody... Just help me."

-

As you murmured these words in your desperate state, not really for anyone but yourself as a last resort, a prayer of some sort, you tried to stand by leaning yourself on your sword and failing miserably. You didn't dare look up as you heard the loud footsteps of the metal giants coming your way. It was over, and you barely managed to accept it.

As you rested your forehead against the cold handle of your sword, you closed your eyes, tears starting to make their ways out of your closed eyelids. All you could feel was remorse.

A soft breeze moved your hair slightly and your chest felt like a black hole had taken place where your heart used to be, regretting to not have been able to meet him under the tree at Windrise one last time.

The breeze quickly grew stronger, until it felt unnatural and you looked up from the ground, only to close your eyes again immediately when you realized the wind was too powerful for you to keep them open. If you had struggled to see though, you would have been blinded by the white light that soon illuminated the whole ruins. You didn't have enough time to register the situation when you felt a hand being laid atop your shoulder, snaking around your collarbones and pulling you back into... nothing? Another arm circled your weak form and a voice you immediately recognized said

"I've dealt with things worse than you, now crumble."

You realized that if you couldn't feel a chest behind you while still being embraced by his arms, it was because he was floating above you, and not standing behind you. A look in his direction confirmed your suspicions but what stunned you wasn't the fact that he was flying, but the attire he wore. Barely covering his body, a white set made of materials that seemed like clouds and liquid gold contrasted perfectly with his regular green clothes. His hair was glowing green and his eyes that were focused on the ruin guards up ahead had a marvelous shine that you had never seen before. He had that same aura he did the night he freed Stanley, but there was also something different about the way his hands gripped you a little too tightly or the way his voice sounded.

"Venti.." You muttered his name, relief and affection flooding you all at once, in his presence you felt as if nothing bad could happen to you. How foolish could you be, just a few hours ago you were speculating wether or not he had wiped out an entire civilisation and now here you were, being saved by him and feeling safer than you had in months.

"Close your eyes, I don't want give you a headache" he said, slowly floating legs first towards the ground. His unusually serious voice surprised you (and him) but you did as he told you. Letting go of your sword and leaning back into him, you let him deal with the monsters ahead of you.

"It's okay, it's over now" he kneeled to be at your level, his arms still wrapped around you, and you didn't have the energy to fight your urge of nuzzling into him. "I'll always be here for you, wherever there is wind, remember I'm here too. You only need to ask."

Being protected by a god really didn't feel that bad. Especially when you were in love with said god.

✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧

Thank you so much for reading whatever this is until the end :’)

Don’t hesitate to comment or reblog, tysm <3

Ps: venti loves u and so do i do pls take care of urself mwah

The Freedom of Expression Radio version - Ep 9, Nov 2015.

Kaoru begins by introducing the concept of the show, and then immediately introduces Joe. Kaoru says the show has become quite interesting for him, and he gets less nervous each time.

After reading out the shows contact info, he reads out a message which was sent in by a listner. The message asks how Kaoru feels about the fact that photography is allowed during shows overseas. Doesn't it bother him? He says at first, he wasn't used to it at all, especially the flashes going off from the audience. These days you can take a decent photo on a smartphone without necessarily having to use flash, so he doesn't see as much flash recently. But when they first started going overseas, the amount of flash from the audience was incredible, and he wasn't very fond of it. He doesn't mind it as much these days though. He thinks its ok if fans post images of live shows online because it spreads awareness of the band. On the otherhand, its not good if people see these photos and make a judgment about the band, because these photos do not catch the real feel you get when you actually go to a live. In the end, he thinks it can have pros and cons. Joe says it reminds him of a band he loves, Grateful Dead, who let fans tape their shows.  Fans would make bootleg copies of material and exchange it among themselves. Then after that, even if the band didn't have a new release, there would be people who knew them from bootlegs where-ever they went. But Joe doesn't think we should equate bootleg footage with going to an actual live. Kaoru says, this may be his own selfishness, but he at least wants people to wait until after the show is finished before they post photos online. The original question also asks if Kaoru wants photography to be banned in lives overseas, like it is in Japan. Kaoru says its mainly down to a culture difference, and he thinks its best to just follow the culture when they are overseas. ('When in Rome...' I guess).

He then moves to his next topic about a man named Neil Thomas Douglas who discovered his absolute doppelganger after getting on a flight heading to Galway, Ireland. Kaoru says this isn't related to Freedom of Expression, but he just finds it amazing, and asks Joe if he's ever had this experience. Joe says he was recently mistaken for the comedian Naoki Matayoshi, when he was in a cafe. The staff wouldn't take payment from him because they thought he was Matayoshi, and wanted him to have it for free. He says he's worried if he goes back and they ask for his signature. Joe then says there is an urban ledgend that everyone has three doppelgangers in the world. He finds it fascinating that as DNA is finite, there may at some point be a person out there with exactly  the same DNA arrangement as your own. It may or may not be at the same time you are alive, but he thinks it may be possible. He also thinks that De ja vu could be explained as, for example - if he went to Kyoto, had a great time and didn't want to go back to Tokyo, the part of him that wants to stay in Kyoto would stay there emotionally. And although these two parts of him shouldn't ever meet, whenever they do cross paths, thats what causes de ja vu. He says there must be more to it than just science. Kaoru (possible slightly sarcasticly) expresses his awe at such an idea.

After this they are joined by Dobashi from Tokyo Sports. They comment that the murder story from last week was a little creepy. Dobashi brings up the story that Osaka now has its own 'Lupin'. On the 22nd of October, an unemployed person had been arrested in Osaka, suspected of being responsible for a number of thefts and illegal entries. This was after a series of 14 different investigations by the prefectural police. He had been responsible for various sneaky thefts over a few months, and was eventually spotted in a shopping zone by the police, but ran for cover to a friend's house nearby. When they went to find him, he shouted, 'Im called "Naniwa Lupin!!" '. (*Naniwa is an area in Osaka*) They wonder why he wanted to be called in that way. Naniwa, and Osaka itself has a kind of tough image, especially compared to Kaoru's home prefecture, Hyogo. Hyogo does have its dark side, but no-one ever imagines that. They think about Kobe, or the theatre group Takarazuka, nice things like that.  Its nothing compared to the tough image Naniwa has. But when Kaoru, as someone born and raised in Hyogo, hears the phrase 'I'm Naniwa Lupin!', he thinks it sounds crazy. On the otherhand, it could just be the uniquness of people from Kansai showing. After all, the guy is exercising freedom of expression by saying it, which links the story right back to the theme of the show.

Then they move onto one more story. The story that the celebrity Takabe Ai had been arrested for cocain possesion and use. This news had been widely reported, and promted the question of whether there is a celebrity war on drugs taking place. Kaoru says he didn't really know much about Takabe. Joe asks Dobashi if Tokyo Sports have any juicy info regarding this issue. They do, apparently. Dobashi then hints at various famous persons he knows of whom the authorities suspect of drug use, without actually saying their names. Kaoru says he knows that someone who Dir appeared on a tv show with several years ago is also suspected. Dobashi then stresses that these are just people who are suspected. The police need solid proof before they can raid someone's home, because if they don't find anything in a raid, they will have to admit publicly that the suspect was innocent of drug use. Simply put, a famous person won't be raided unless the police know for sure that they have drugs, which is probably what happened to Takabe. Kaoru adds that an arrest will be possible if two people testify against a suspect. Dobashi then talks about how the singer Aska used to do drugs at his mistress' house, to keep it a secret. Joe says that from the day after Aska's arrest, his songs were no longer played on radio. Of course doing drugs is bad, but should that crime also extend to the artists work? Does it become a crime to even play the songs on radio after that? Joe says its very difficult to have any meaningful discussion in the Japanese media about a convicted artists' previous body of work. Kaoru says Dir en grey are the type who people often imagine would be doing drugs, as they often also go overseas too. He says whenever they get back to Japan from overseas, the drug detection dogs at the airport come straight over to them. He's kinda scared of them as they are so big.

Kaoru finishes by promoting the Budokan shows and Chinese tour, and reminds listeners about the Arche cover design topic, and that some of designs are being posted on the show's blog. He tells listeners that as the next show will be the 10th episode, there may be a kind of special announcment to look forward to. He ends by saying he thinks the recent episodes have been going pretty well.

Songs - Dir en grey/Un duex, Mastadon/Divinations.

Enemies To Lovers Hyunjin ff pt 2

Pairing: Hyunjin x reader

Genre: Idk hate to love(?)

word count: idk

Note: Im sorry it took so long for me to write this, also yes i am copy and pasting this from my wattpad. so im sorry if theres any mistakes. but yea also last time. on the part 1. i noticed i forgot a part. so lemme explain. in that scene y/n’s friends which are blacpink approach her. (blackpink hates hyunjin too. not in real life, just in this fan fiction) and they talk and then they go to class. yea all that. and if i end up forgetting a part. ill say it in part 3 (if there will be one). okay yea thats all. enjoy this story! and i saw i got 12 notes on my skz reaction thank you so much! it means a lot to me♡

You walked out of the classroom, head hung low and disappointed at yourself for getting in trouble by Hyunjin again. Meanwhile in the classroom.

Hyunjin's pov: I was thinking of y/n and I started feeling kinda bad, I mean, she's in detention cause of me, and i always caused her trouble.

Hyunjin then raised his hand. As he was planning out what he was going to do when the teacher saw him. "Hey ugly!" He all of a sudden shouted, the whole class turning to look at him. The teacher also turned around, with a shocked and angry look on her face. "Hwang Hyunjin repeat that and you will get detention for 1 week straight!" The teacher shouted, her face was red as a tomato, but she wasn't blushing, she was mad af, Hyunjin smirked and once again said "I said hey ugly!" The teacher was now breathing heavily, "HWANG HYUNJIN, TO DETENTION, NOW!" Hyunjin was now glad he achieved what he was planning. Hyunjin got up proudly and started walking out of the classroom. Ready to see you in detention.

y/n's pov: I sat down in a chair, waiting for a teacher to come in. I then heard the door open. I thought it was a teacher until i turned around.

Hyunjin entered the empty classroom. The first thing that his eyes spotted was you, sitting down in a chair while drawing in your sketch pad.

You turned around. But instead you saw Hyunjin. Your face was showing visible confusion. "Don't ask, I just felt bad." (ˢᵖᵒⁱˡᵉʳ: ʰʸᵘⁿʲⁱⁿ ˡⁱᵏᵉᵈ ʸ/ⁿ ᵃⁿᵈ ʸ/ⁿ ˡⁱᵏᵉᵈ ʰʸᵘⁿʲⁱⁿ)

"Yea right." You said that while rolling your eyes. "you 'felt bad'." You glared at him. As he took a seat next to you.

You resumed working on the drawing on your desk. But you felt like someone was staring at you. You looked to your side to just see Hyunjin gazing at you. "W-what? Is there something on my face?" You stuttered saying that. His gaze was making you loose your mind.

"There's nothing on your face." Hyunjin responded. His lips curving into a smile. After he said that. Everything seemed awkward again. Until your stomach growled. You felt kinda embarrassed he had to hear it too. His soft chuckle filled the room. "Here, i brought a sandwich." He said. His hands digging in his school qbag until he found the sandwich he was talking about. But you were shocked. That was the first time Hwang Hyunjin a.k.a your enemy, has been nice to you.

"Here, i found it." He offered the piece of food. You stared at it. Wondering if you should accept it or no.

"Do you want it?" He asked.

You were about to say no. But you were too hungry. And gladly accepted it.

A smile once again appeared in Hyunjin's lips. Wondering why he has been mean to you, all of these years. Instead of becoming nice friends. He decided to be like this to you. He was staring at you once again. Not noticing for how much time his eyes were glued on to you. Until you finally noticed it again. “Why do you keep staring at me?” You asked, but he just said nothing. “Are you hungry too?” You asked him, offering his sandwich back, which was almost done. But he replied with a “nothing, wanna hear a joke?” (a magical 15 minute time skip.”  You and hyunjin were now laughing a lot with each other

Just talking about random stuff and funny moments that happened to one another

You actually never knew hyunjin could be like this

You always thought he was just some jerk. But now that your actually getting to know him,

You realized you were wrong.

He then stopped laughing and said your name.

“Hey y/n?” you looked at him, and just hummed in response.

“Can i confess something?” You once again a hummed a yes. Curious at what he was going to say. 

(Im not good at writing confessions. so you could make up your own, i will still write a short one.)

“Y/n, i like you, i mean, love you. i know you wont believe me since i have been awful to you all these years but the reason why i did that, is because i was afraid you wouldnt be friends with me. so thats why i started bothering you. its okay if you dont feel the same way i und-” 

you cut him off with a passionate kiss. (magical 30 seconds time skip)

he was the first one to pull away. He was blushing and you found it very cute. “S-so does this mean you like me too?” He asked, and he started looking like a tomato. 

“Of course silly!”

You smiled at him, and he returned it back with a warm smile, he was starting to lean in for another kiss but it got interrupted. 

“WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING ON THE FLOOR?!” You and Hyunjin quickly stood up, looking nervous as hell. “u-um, we were-” The teacher cut you off. “I DONT CARE YOU WILL STAY IN HERE FOR THE REST OF THE DAY, AND ON SATURDAY YOU ALSO HAVE DETENTION!” 

You and hyunjin both looked at each other, and shrugged. 

I mean at least he got to stay with you?

okay and then you and hyunjin started dating, your friends were shocked but soon they became friends with him too and yea okay The End. 

also there wont be no part 3, i finished the whole story in this part even tho there was gonna be more :(

and this is not proof read so sorry for any mistakes. also after this i might post another skz reacting to their s/o because the last one got like 22 notes i dont remember but yea i hope you enjoyed this story! 

mind your business

Matty calls for a new mission. They Enter into the war room and see that matty is not there. All exchanges concerned looks and a video call pops on the screen. It's Matty.

Bozer- matty where are you?

Matty- im at the CIA.

Riley-what are you doing there?

Matty- mind your business.

Riley- ok.. *Mac laughs*

Desi- so what did you called us for?

Matty- something surged in Atlanta i need you guys to go and bring back a laptop and a pen drive that was stolen to an agent of the CIA.

Mac- so that's why you're there.

Matty- nope. Go do your job blondie. Riley i will send you the details.

riley- ok 

They are in the jet and started speculating what's the reason matty was in the CIA.

Bozer- I think we're getting a new boss. Which desi replied She not leaving the phoenix. I don't think she would do that.

mac- yeah me neither boz. definitely it's not that but is something.

Riley- or is nothing and yall overreacting.

Atlanta Georgia.

they landed in atlanta and arrived to this fancy hotel. bozer went to make the reservation, as soon as he reached to the receptionist he asked are you Wilt Bozer? bozer answered nervous yes.. and yelled Mac! come here! 

mac- yeah? what's the problem?

bozer- he asked for who am i! he knows my name dude!! 

the receptionist- miss matilda reserved the presidential suite for you, enjoy your stay. *mac laughed grabbed the card key and said thank you and smiled *

they entered the room and were really excited. they got set up everyone picked a section of the suite.

riley-  i think i speak for everyone when i said that this is weird why matty reserved a suit for us?

bozer- i don't know but this is amazing.

desi- i think we are going to have some fun.

bozer-  hell yeaah

mac-  hey riles did matty send you the information yet? 

riley- let me check. * she opened her laptop and and grabbed her phone*  yes she just sent it. *she starts to go thru the files* 

desi- so where we going? 

riley- well whatever you guys were waiting for today's mission... isn't what you expected... 

mac- what you mean? 

Riley- *she turned around looking at them and started to explain the situation* the laptop and the pen drive were destroyed, matty send me the location of the hackers and apparently i have to fight from here i have to get into their system and get the info back without them knowing what i'm doing. 

bozer- but that nothing new for you. 

riley- yeah i know, it's not gonna be that easy, they really have a good system, but not that good. *she smiled and hinted that she could do this* 

boze- wait, so we came all the way to atlanta for this? 

riley - apparently that wasn't the plan, the things we were going to get back got destroyed when we were on our way, they didn't want to leave traces.

desi- but what about the hackers? we left them free? 

riley- matty said that they aren't important, the CIA know who they work for. they just need to get the archives back. 

desi- so we have to wait until you hack them? 

riley- * typing in her laptop* yup das it. 

desi-  i guess we aren't having fun today. 

mac-  definitely no.

its 3:00 pm riley is still working, while bozer is busy ordering room service and watching his favorite movies. desi and mac are on the other side of the room talking.

desi-  do you really think she can do it? i mean it seem that those hackers know what they are doing.

mac- riley is the best hacker i have ever know, she's the best at her work trust me, you have to trust her. 

desi - i get it but what is she don't? 

mac-  you don't know Riley.. she will.

but they didn't know that this mission was especially for Riley. it's 5:15pm and Riley is tired but hasn't stopped since they got there still working without a break. her hands hurt from pressing the keys for hours. then mac approached to her to see how she was doing.

mac- hey how you doing, you almost done?

riley- yeah almost.. this guys are really good, their system is like..

mac- hey come on, stunt these guys, they won't know who hit them. but please can you hurry up bozer want me to read a script he wrote about some aliens.    *she laughed* 

riley- i heard you two back there. she looked at him in the eyes.

mac- *looked at her nervous* hey don't get mad at her it's just shes new to the team.

riley- i don't care about that, but thanks for trusting me. 

mac-  i'm here if you need me.* he looked at her and make one of those mac’s smirks*

Riley-  i got it. 

mac- what really *he got closer to her to see the screen and gave her a little push on the shoulder as he saying you did it* 

Riley- damn it. 

mac- what, what's going on? 

Riley- they found out. i'm sending it to matty. * she send it and deleted it from her laptop* i gave them a fake location so we can gain a little time. 

mac- we have to go they found out. *he said to bozer and desi while he was rushing to the door* 

it's 7:30 they are outside the hotel on their way to the car and the hackers were walking in front of them and bozer started to run and the hackers immediately knew it was them so they started shooting.

bozer- Riley i thought you gave a fake location . *he said yelling and running to the car* 

riley- i did but it was a matter of time to they to found out.* they got in the car while desi and mac were fighting the bad guys* desi left three of them  unconscious and mac trow a the other 2 inside some garbage cans* they got in the car and leaved as fast as they could.

los Angeles.

They are at the phoenix, as soon as they entered the room matty was there waiting for them. she looked really anxious. 

matty- what quite of a mission was that uh? 

mac - hah yeah it was * he said while crossing his arms and looking at Riley, and she looked at him and  raise her eyebrows*

matty- so i didn't know if i should said this to Riley alone but i prefer to said it to all of you instead. 

mac- * looked at everyone in the room and said: its something wrong? *Riley looked scared and anxious but did not showed her emotions she kept herself calm*

bozer- matty what's going on?

matty-  this mission was specially for Riley... Riley the information you recovered was from a mission this agent of the CIA was getting from a undercover job, unfortunately he was removed of the job, we don't know why. 

desi-  but what does that have to do with riley? 

matty- this mission was a test, if you could get the information back you would go undercover to finish the job instead of the other agent.. 

mac and bozer jumped and said at the same time: woow... hold on.

mac- matty are you sure about this?

bozer- yes matty don't they have like a bunch of agents there. desi, bozer and mac just looked at Riley 

riley- stayed in silence. and just nodded. and asked: but why me, why did they choose me?

matty- they want someone with your abilities and this is an important mission, Riley youre ready for this next step and i'm not asking you have to do it, its your job. and the rest of you can leave. 

mac and bozer looked at her angry. desi looked at them calm and then they left  the room and everyone went home except for matty and Riley.

matty- sit down.*Riley sat in the arm of the couch. matty got closer to her*

matty- i know this is a though one. and it was harder for me to accept that this work was for you... Riley you're like a daughter to me, never doubt that you're a very important part on this team, you need to know that this is a next step in your work, IN your life, i believe that you can do this. *riley’s eyes got teary* jack will be proud of you.

Riley- Matty, thank u, and as you said this is my job i have to do it so i will. 

Matty- good, they want you to start tomorrow but i talked to them so they can have you in 2 weeks. *Riley smiled and Matty gave her a hug* and matty continued and gave her the last details.

      ............................................................... 

I hope you liked this one i know is loong and probably not that good but whatever i wanted to write a little about Desi just cause she is a badass woman and i like her:) maybe tomorrow (well it 4:38 am where i am lol ) or today will post the 2 part, if you guys liked this one.

credits to the photos: @smoakgenius​  (the story is more about riley i know but i couldn't  stop looking photos of lucas lol)

Yancy being totally flustered and ruined by Illinois calling him pet names is totally valid but you know what’s better? The first time Yance feels comfortable enough and happy enough to be like ‘Aww, Illi, ain’t you a doll?’ and Illinois stops dead because HE does the pet names and complimenting, HE does the charming. No one charms him. But his heart is Bang Bang Banging and Yancy has a 404 adventurer on his hands.

ain’t you a doll // yancy x illinois 

Pairing: Yancy x Illinois

Words: 1089

Rating: General Audiences

Read on Ao3

Tags: Fluff | Tooth-Rotting Fluff | Fluff and Humor | Domestic Fluff | Romantic Fluff | just a lot of fluff | Romance | Dating | Dates | Pet Names | POV Third Person | Touch-Starved

Notes (more notes at the end): finally got around to writing something for these two. i put the call out for prompts for yancy/illinois two and a half weeks ago and im finally writing about them. i jsut finally felt inspired and woo boy this got really soft i was dying writing them holding hands. 

@wexeatxthexrude thank you so much for the prompt

edit: fixed the formatting issue, damn you tumblr why do you like to warp my fics. thanks to those that let me know.

Another adventure successfully and mostly safely completed, and anotherpriceless artefact soundly and more than mostly safely delivered to the museum.

This wasn’t the first adventure Yancy had tagged along on, but this was thefirst time he’d come with Illinois to the museum to deliver what they’dretrieved and Illinois felt stupid for worrying about whether Yancy was goingto like it or not. Of course he was going to like it, I mean thisplace had the most complete triceratops skeleton in the world! Okay… that’sone of the reasons he liked it, didn’t mean Yancy would. Illinoisforgot a lot of the time that not everyone found old fossils and relics andremains as interesting or cool as he did.

Luckily, Yancy had been enthralled as Illinois walked him around theexhibits and gave him his own exclusive, honorary tour, that was packed withway more information, and much more accurate information, than the museum’sofficial tour guides could ever offer, and hey he also heard this exclusivetour had the best looking guide.

And also luckily Yancy hadn’t gotten bored or fed up of him rambling andgetting over-excited, he’d just listened to everything and smiled and been sosupportive Illinois hadn’t felt this… it felt too early to say ‘loved’…admired maybe… He hadn’t felt this ‘unnameable positive emotion that made hischest feel warm and tight’ in a long time.

“Hey you know, there’s a cafe next to the lobby in here, and when it’snice and hot like this they sell ice cream, you want to grab any? Mytreat?” He asked Yancy once he’d finally finished leading him around theexhibits.

“Aww, Illy, ain’t you a doll.”

Illinois froze.

What… just happened?

Did Yancy just… call him a pet name?

No, no, no, that was his job, he was meant to be the onefull of compliments and pet names. He charmed people, people didn’tcharm him.

People didn’t… When was the last time anyone had charmed him?Illinois tried to think back and sure he knew when people were looking at himlike they wanted to do something to him, or wanted him to do something to them,but no one really flirted with him unless the occasional confident soul shot afew lines back at him as he winked and smiled.

But no one called him pet names, people didn’t call him pet names, Yancyhadn’t ever called him by a pet name before. Yancy was cute and softer, whileIllinois was stoic and cocky and tough, not that Yancy wasn’t tough but… Theway Yancy had said that…

It was just a pet name, just one word, why the hell was he freaking out somuch? He felt the urge to put a hand on his chest to see if his heart reallywas having as much of a fit as he thought it was. His cheeks felt hot, had theyalways felt that hot? It was fairly warm in here but the museum did have airconditioning but it was the summer so-

Something flashed across his face.

There it was again.

It was Yancy’s hand.

“Ill? I didn’t break yous, did I?” Yancy was a lot closer than hehad been before, when did he move? Oh god Illinois prayed to whatever strangedeity might shine down on him that he hadn’t just been standing here for whoknows how long staring into space.

“No, no,” Illinois cringed and coughed as he heard his voice comeout almost squeaky. “Not at all darlin’ you just, uh, took me bysurprise with that is all.”

“With what?” Yancy tilted his head to the side.

Okay maybe he could get away with pretending this never happened. “Oh,nothing, don’t worry about it, but I was saying wasn’t I that I would-”

“It’s cause I called yous ‘doll’ ain’t it?” Yancy was grinning butthere was an insecurity there as if he was afraid of being embarrassed if hewas wrong.

“I, uh,” Illinois shook his head. “Alright, you caught me. Ijust… didn’t expect the pet name is all.”

“Yous seemed to short circuit on me for a second there. How not used toit are you?” Yancy laughed and Illinois dug thumbs under his belt andbalanced back on his heels as he ducked his head (something he was starting tolearn was a nervous tick of his, not that he got nervous of course). “Oh,real not used to it huh?” And Yancy knew what his body language meant andthat was something unusual but… sweet. Not many people had stuck around(whether by their own choice or… not their own choice) long enough to get toknow him this well.

“I suppose I’m used to being the charmer but not the charmee,”Illinois joked, or at least tried to, it must have not worked considering theserious expression on Yancy’s face. “Yance? That’s not… weird, right?How I reacted, I mean.”

Yancy’s eyes stayed serious but he smiled. “Oh not at all, doll.I'ms just thinking what I can dos with this information.” And he smirked,Illinois hadn’t even known Yancy knew how to smirk. “So, what was thatyous were saying about getting us ice cream, sweetheart?”

Oh no. This was bad. This was very, very bad. Yancy had too much power.

He his face heating up had nothing to do with the room temperature thistime. His hand found it’s way up and tugged at the collar of his shirt.

“Yeah,” He tried to shake the feelings off. “I’ll lead theway.”

Yancy, shyly but slyly leaned into him as they walked and brushed theirhands together. Illinois almost jumped, but pushed his hand back into Yancy andhe saw how Yancy’s face lit up from the corner of his eye. Something like thiswas a big step for both of them, both touch-starved from their time alone, butYancy was also so used to people touching him because they were hurting him.Illinois was making sure that never happened again, and was trying his best notto mess things up.

Yancy smiled and held his hand and squeezed it and just looked so darn cutethat Illinois turned his head to the side and slid his hand over his stubbleand over his mouth.

“Yous alright, Noisy?”

“I’m fine, Yancy.” Illinois sighed and dropped his hand, failingto fight the smile off his face.

“Alright,” Yancy cocked his head and grinned. “Doll.”

Tag list: @theshysepticeye @the-marvel-encyclopedia @gabby-doo @actrmrk @smol-gay-nerd184 @salmonisforthebagel (let me know if you’d like to be added to the tag list for my ahwm fics, also let me know if you want to be taken off the tag list)

More notes:

and if you guys could please help me out and and reblog this promo post for the heist charms, stickers and pins i’m making and selling that would mean the world! there’s also the link in there to my Etsy shop where you can buy them plugging that again because i need moneys

also if you want to see the heist art i keep drawing you can follow me on instagram and twitter

Basically a review of OP episode 503 ig

Currently rewatching post-war arc (in the dub so I don't have any screenshots for u guys sry) and theres a few things id like to point out.

During a conversation Dadan once had with Garp, they were talking about Roger. Garp said that even if they were facing powerful enemies, he would never run away because he wouldnt dare leaving his comrads behind; it wasnt an option for him. Obviously we see this in Ace. But ALSO, isnt this what he did with Katakuri? It was a little different cuz of the setting mostly, but he separated himself from his crew to fight off katakuri, and lied to them about being okay so they didn't worry (he was already getting his ass kicked by then, so he just made that stupid smile and told them not to worry (or smth like that, I can remember the exact line) (that smile was so gross and fake cuz he fucking sucks at lying). Also he said roger destroyed a buncha soldiers cuz they mouthed off his men. That's what Ace tried to do but instead he died. :(

"The pain he went through just made him hold on tighter to the ones he loved" -Garp, about Roger. "Despite his flaws and his bad reputation, his crew still trusted him completely." -also Garp, about Roger. These both sound a lot like Luffy AND Ace.

When Dogra got home and told everyone about Sabo's ship being shit down and him dying (which we all know didnt happen, thank fuck), (by the way the absolutely lost looks on Ace's and Luffy's faces with the sudden silence hurt like a bitch), Luffy started crying and said "WE SHOULDNT'A LET HIM GO, IT'S ALL OUR FAULT". Which fucking says something about him (thinking of episodes 913-915 when he goes fucking berserk, but before that he learns that Kaido probably killed Tama and he says "I should've escorted them..!" (*ugly cries*)). Ace also reacted pretty similarly-- "Sabo...why didn't we go back into town and bring him back here?! We're so stupid!" And he gets mad and asks where he could find the bastard that killed him (obviously not getting a good answer since it was a fucking celestial dragon ugh). That is what Luffy does, in present time. He results to anger first, not sadness. Not sure when he learned to do that but I'm 99 percent sure it was from Ace. Also the blaming himself thing? High chance thats ALSO from Ace. Who else would teach him that self hating behaviour?!

Dadan pins Ace down to stop him from going after the Celestial Dragon to calm him down, telling him he cant do anything, he's not big or strong enough to do anything and he'll be killed as soon as he tries anything, especially since it was the whole country -the whole WORLD- that killed Sabo. He can't do anything. And then they tied him to a tree outside to let him cool off. Oh yeah then he also told luffy to stop crying like a little girl or else he'll- (and he didn't finish the sentence). ...Ok maybe thats why luffy started being more angry than sad.

This is where things get a little more :( . Ace reads the letter Sabo sent them before he died. As he reads, he walks to the end of the forest, to a cliff overlooking the ocean. And starts fucking bawling (btw the voice actor who had Ace's childhood part did not do a very good job, no where near as in character and real as Coleen Clickenberg did with all of Luffy's crying scenes. She was spot on.) ...do you see where im going with that? He isolated himself before letting himself feel sad. It was all rage and then calm beforehand. Y-you see where im going with that. Dont make me say it.

"How's Luffy doing, is he any better?" "Well...he hasnt been eating much, but he still eats twice as much as we do". Oh look, That's what happened after Ace died too. There's a behavioral pattern that hasnt gone away. Not sure why it wouldve tho.

Luffy is mopeing, lying on the ground in a similar setting ace was at when he cried. Hes thinking about some of the things Sabo said, like how theyre gonna sail the seas together, and he clenches his hands into tight, shaking fists. After Ace shows up and hits him, and talking abt some other stuff I don't feel like relaying, Luffy tightens his grip on the straw hat and tells ace, whimpering, he wants to get stronger (and stronger, and stronger, and stronger and stronger and....) And he wants to be the strongest in the world. "And then, I'll protect everyone. I won't lose anyone I care about". He gets stronger mainly to protect the people he loves. And then he asks ace to promise he won't die. To which he hits Luffy again and tells him he should be more worried about himself dying first. And then the famous line that hurts like a bitch- "I'm NEVER going to DIE!" And then this hopeful music comes on (fucking damnit funimation, u gotta do this? Really??) Also he says he wont die as long as he has a wussy little brother to protect. ...FUCK. Ok, the fist clenching is a thing he does all the fucking time, usually when he gets mad. This was different because he wasnt mad, he was sad. He clenched his fist because thinking about it hurt. Which, huh, sounds a lot like his whole episode after waking up from his 2 week coma on the polar tang. To try and stop the mental pain of those horrendous memories, he resulted to physically pain. He hurt himself. So, He clenches his fists in times like these to fight off the mental pain and the urge to cause himself physical pain. Guys, our boy is bad at emotions, help him. ....ok this paragraph is longer than I anticipated so ill dumb down the rest of it ig. Next part, him asking ace to promise he wont die. The music, the body language, the over change in mood- this comforts him. He stopped hiding his face and silently sobbing after ace said this. OH YEAH! didn't he tell jinbe not to die when they parted ways in Totto Land? And then, hes missing still in Wano and we see Luffy is worried....but convinced Jinbe will show up. Again, this comforts him. Hes nervous cuz someone KOFF KOFF ACE broke that promise once. But jinbe is his crew mate so he trusts him, thank god.

"-But whoever did it, they must be opposed to freedom." The whole freedom thing? That runs through Luffy's blood and spirit.His brothers fought for it, his dad is the man who strives to give everyone freedom basically, and Luffy himself has seen enough of the OPPOSITE of freedom to be so, so much more than just against it. Hence why he of course was so eager to free the slaves in Sabaody, the kids in punk hazard, the toys in dressrosa, the country of Wano from Kaido's tyrany. The apple doesnt fall far from the tree huh.

I dont think Luffy would remember his promise with Shanks if it werent for his brothers putting feul to his dream. It was a stupid bet at first; he just wanted to beat Shanks, right then. But after meeting Sabo and Ace, he found the opposite of freedom and human rights. And then he wanted, REALLY wanted, to become the free-est man in the world; the pirate king.

Last one i promise ok? This one is less connected to whats going on in the episode at this point, but something I noticed (its so obvious everyone has seen this ok) was when luffy cries, his posture is always open. He doesn't curl in on himself like many people would do (I know I would, lol). He doesnt hug himself, protect himself. He's just, opened up to whoever is watching, literally. This has a little more to do with something I haven't talked about much in this post yet; his self-destruction issues. I said he tried to hurt himself when he felt mental pain, which is definitely similar. But he cries and doesnt try to protect or comfort himself, like he doesn't have that programmed into his mind. Reminder that he only wants to live because of his dream, and if he doesnt have his dream, he wants to die. (Whoa.). Ok, so no self preservation mechanism at all rlly. Hes basically ride or die. So, when things hurt so much that he cries, he has no hope left. He just kinda...dies inside. So this was mildly different after sabo died. Yes we saw him just standing there, sobbing. But the next day he's still crying, and instead he's laying on the ground. I saw that and the voice in the back of my head told me he wanted to be a part of that lifeless dirt beneath him. Then, Ace walked over. And his words made him feel the hope that I told you about earlier, and he sat up into a sitting position. And HUGGED HIS LEGS TO HIS CHEST. There's some self preservation! Some hope! Some will to exist, to live! Something we saw none of as he sat in front of his brothers corpse, shutting down. He sat there, open to his enemies, incapable of protecting himself. Practically anyone couldve killed him right then and there. I think he mightve liked that, at that moment. Like thank god he has that stupidly good luck cuz if he didn't I swear someone couldve thrown and axe or FUCKING ANYTHING AT THAT MOMENT and hed be dead becuase he never physically or mentally prepared himself. On purpose.

Our poor boy needs some fucking attention and therapists. (Insert my rant post about how jinbe is on the crew primarily for anger management and therapy, not just being a helmsman.) Ugh, smh ugly cries

Aaaaand thats about the end of the episode. Theres so many little tics and peesonality traits that you notive thru this episode, and I only noticed them cuz im rewatching this part of the show for like the third time. I don't react as much as the first time of course but some things are definitely sadder after knowing what's going on and what will happen later on.

Moral of the story (post)? I think luffy is almost equally as alike -if not, more similar to roger as ace is. Also, high key genuinely think Luffy met like NO ONE but Garp before he met Shanks and his crew. What the fuck was his first like 5 years of being alive like? (He wantd to be a pirate cuz Garp didnt want that. Rebellious baby asshole. And then shanks made things worse, in a good way for luffy. And then ace and sabo made that worse thing worse for a good reason. Luffy lives...for those influences. And that is fucking it. Why.

Oh thanks tumblr for moving my picture to the bottom of the post u fucking idiot

Meet you there

So here it is Im nervous as hell to post this cause its the first time I write anything at all but guess its one of the side effects of this quarantine heh .  I may add or change things I don’t know but felt encouraged yesterday to post it so here it is 

Added Cassandra from the Tangled series cause I love her lots and she doesn’t get enough love 

Something else to add , english is not my first language 

“How can you say something like that? of course she is your daughter ! “ at the distance Elsa was hearing the yelling and sounds of things breaking , it was something she had started to get used too , the little toddler hug her knees closer to her chest eyes closed trying to disappear but the sounds of her sister on the crib beside her caught her attention

Slowly she forced herself to crawl out of the bed and between the bars reach for her little sister “It’s ok Anna … ” she said with the softest voice not knowing the storm heading their way that would shake up her world

Iduna rush up the stairs shaking badly , the bruise adorning her face showing it was time to leave she was fighting a lost battle and wouldn’t risk her husband warth reach Elsa , quickly she grab a bag she had ready under the bed , put on her bravest face and went to his daughter’s room carrying Elsa and whispering to be quiet

That night was the last time Elsa saw her sister and father

———————

Elsa cheer at the top of her lungs watching the basketball game in front of her , she wasn’t the sports kind but she had promised Rapunzel and Cassandra she would be here . She smiled big at the sound of the whistle ending the game with the victory of their team

Cass look smug as she approach her friend making the ball spin on her finger “Don’t look so surprised Els “ She said being a little show off and Elsa just chuckled “Im just surprised you weren’t kicked out after the push you gave that poor girl” she said and then smiled at Raps walking over “Thanks for coming Elsa will you join us to celebrate ?”

Elsa was about to decline but then again she had finished most of her homework and lately with all the workload and a part time job she hadn’t spend much time with them “Sure lets go “

She couldn’t help the sigh of relief when their place of celebration was an Ice cream place and try not to look amused at Rapunzel antics ,they were on college yet she was the same free spirit she’d known as a child

They chat freely enjoying each other company , it was odd to see them apart on high school but now that they were on college and each choose different careers it was harder to have this moments so Elsa embraced them

“Sooo little nerd had you thought about what master degree you gonna apply “ Cass asked her and Elsa just raised an eyebrow “With all the dates you have to learn in your history classes you have no right to even call me nerd” she huffed drinking from her milkshake

Their banter was interrupted by their waitress coming over to tell them her shift was ending “Fear not ,you will be in the good hands of my partner here “ she said pointing to a beautiful redhead that took Elsa breath away , instantly caught on her gorgeous teal eyes before moving to the rest of her face catching each freckle adorning her cheeks and nose . She didn’t even hear the rest of what they were saying too absorbed in admiring the redhead till she felt Raps nudge her with her foot and she quickly look out the window to avoid any other embarrassing moment .

Thankfully Cassandra and Rapunzel didn’t say anything , perhaps they didn’t notice , but oh boy she spoke too soon “You at least left her a good tip after how much you were ogling her ?” Cass teased and Elsa groaned wanting the earth to open in that moment “Please don’t “

“Hey no judging she was cute , but maybe on the young side you Wolf “ she said grinning big while Rapunzel was trying not to laugh at her . Finally it was time to part ways and the dark haired girl gave them both a bear hug before climbing her bike

“Heh come on lets get you home” Rapunzel said in a gentle tone to the blonde who was red as a tomato “Wasn’t staring … on purpose” she grumbled on the car making her companion laugh “Elsa sometimes I wonder why you build a wall around yourself like that” she said in a gentle tone  “You are allowed to feel things you know”

The blonde was quiet and look out the window “I know “ she said calm but there was a reason she didn’t , not even her best friend knew it ,and honestly she wasn’t planing on let her know . Once they were parked outside her home she thanked her friend and got inside looking around her face softened finding her mom in the couch with a blanket “Hey mom sorry I took longer “ she said in a gentle tone kissing her forehead but Iduna just wave a hand at her “Its ok dear my nurse had just left don’t worry”

That was a imposible ask considering her mother health but she wasn’t going to argue instead she helped her get comfier and join her watching the tv , strange thing was that she couldn’t really focus on the screen instead her thoughts went back to the redhead wondering why she caught her attention so hard . She should had focused more and at least try to catch her name ‘ Don’t be ridiculous Elsa whats the use , you probably won’t see her ever again so whats the point ?’

—————

Destiny had a funny way to mess up with you through and the next day at school she found herself at the floor with said redhead on top of her papers flying around them “Oh my gosh Im sorry! Im so sorry ! I was in a rush , woke up late , then couldn’t catch the bus “ the redhead was talking so fast Elsa couldn’t even make out , plus she was very much distracted with her still on top of her “Can I get up?”  she managed to saw snapping the girl out of her hyper verbal moment

“Oh right!” she got up fast and help the blondie up “like I said Im really sorry you aren’t hurt right?” she asked and Elsa just shake her head helping her pick up the papers scattered around  to have something to do and not start staring again ‘Get a grip Elsa you acting like an hormonal teen ’ she told herself and gave the girl the papers  “Heh thank you “ the redhead murmured and was about to ask for the blonde name but as fast as she appeared she left “Nicely done Anna” she groaned feeling like a fool ,a quick look at her phone made her realize she was very late “And the day just gets better”

Anna storm into her classroom , in her mind she planned to sneak in quietly but when did things went according to plan ? sighing she found a spot beside Kristoff and sat down hiding behind a book trying to ignore Mr Weselton judging eyes , yup the day was off to a great start she thought bitterly

Once the class was done Kristoff look over “Hey you coming to the party this weekend ?” he asked with a big smile looking forward to it “…Party?” she asked blinking a few times “Oh right Fitzherbert’s birthday , ugh are you sure we won’t be out of place he is older and you got invited cause you both are on the football team “ she murmured feeling she made a fool of herself enough for this week but then Kristoff attacked with his secret weapon and gave her the biggest puppy eyes

“Fine , I’ll be there”

—————

Elsa face couldn’t help but soften at the sight of Rapunzel and Cassandra helping decorate the house . They had chosen to do it at Raps house since well the place was huge and they had a feeling Eugene went crazy inviting everyone

She play around the computer preparing the music playlist for it glad she could enjoy some time with just them before the place was flooded with people once done she put down her glasses not wanting to lose them later she couldn’t afford others , as the time for guest to arrive approach she play a little with her braid social gatherings put her nervous

When the guests arrived she couldn’t be more thankful of Cass helping her avoid any awkward moments with people she didn’t knew ,but also it was unfair for her so she convinced her to go and have a good time , she escaped to the yard that had less people , bless the cold air , she was prepared for it , she had a naby blue turtleneck sweater and a white scarf so the cold wasn’t really bothering her

A freckled face caught her attention through and she couldn’t help to smile ‘ oh well who knew’ she thought to herself as she saw her with a group of younger students . She stare wondering why this girl had her so fascinated , maybe it was the drink she had ,or maybe she had just gone crazy but something made her approach the girl the moment she was alone and do a leap of faith

“Im starting to think you are stalking me” she said with a calm voice making the girl jump and stain her shirt with the punch she was trying to serve herself “Oh my god Im so sorry I didn’t mean to” Elsa said fast feeling bad and was about to turn around and disappear but then the most adorable laugh caught her ears “Oh don’t worry this would had happen sooner or later with how clumsy I am” she said giving her a smile that melt her worries away

“And about what you said , I was at work the first time I saw you , the second time I was going to my class , now you approach me …. are we sure you aren’t the one stalking me?”Anna asked with a side smile making Elsa gap like a fish outside the water making Anna giggle

“Im Anna ” she said smiling big

“Elsa” the blonde replied happy to finally have a name , maybe this party wasn’t a bad idea at all

Hi! I will be posting this month as much as I can for this little Christmas challenge. I may not get every day finished but they will be just little drabbles. I am Christian so they may have a mention of religion in there for a few prompts but mostly it will just be holiday fun. The first week of the month I may miss a few due to stress in prep for finals. These will mostly be unedited but cute little scenarios enjoy :-)

Masterlist

Christmas otp masterlist

Day 13 - Christmas tree (Thor x reader)

He was coming back tonight and you were almost done getting ready. That was until, you trip while pulling your dress on and knock your chin on the corner of the night stand.

You yelped standing up straight, cursing to yourself in the empty apartment. Why can’t anything go right? The cookies you tried to make from scratch for once in your life were burned on the bottoms, because you were distracted with setting up the tree.

You panicked once you finally smelled the cookies wafting through the room, and ended up singeing your fingertips on the pan. That was only the beginning of a very bad night.

Once you started to uncover the ornaments to decorate the tree, you picked up your favorite one, only for the second half to remain at the bottom of the box. It was broken. You stared at the broken halves, holding back a frustrated noise bubbling in your throat.

Yesterday you had gotten your nails done, a pretty red for the christmas season, but one broke this morning, jamming it in a cabinet while putting away dishes. The pain was still there only muted some. Tried to braid your hair nice and pretty but restarted three times before giving up because the nails you were once so excited about, turned out to be too long and would snag on the strand, efficiently ruining the braid all together.

And makeup, ooooo. You already know eyeliner was not your sweet spot. The makeup wipe because your best friend and you opted to just not do it in the end.

You were trying too hard, and you knew it. But it was Thor’s first christmas, with you at least, and you wanted it to be special. You wanted it to be perfect for when he comes home.

You were just lighting a candle on the coffee table when he walked through the door, shrugging off his coat just in time to turn around and catch you in his arms. He was gone for too long. Any time gone is too long.

Your lips pressed to his eagerly, then letting go too soon.

“Wow,” his eyes wandered past you, marveling at the unfinished tree and the small festive decorations littered across the room.

“Do you like it?” You asked him truly. You had spent so much time trying to put this together for him.

“I do,” he answered, giving you a slight kiss before easing you to the floor and announcing that he was going to shower.

You watched him walk away and disappear into the bedroom, slightly bitter about his lack of response, but you tried to blow it off as he was tired. He had been away on a mission, he deserved to take a shower and relax in his own home.

You took a deep breath and moved back towards the christmas tree to finish it. It was calming to do, besides wandering thoughts if you had tried too hard weighing you down. You were just so frustrated with today and wanted it to be over.

He came out dressed in lounging clothes just as you finished with the last ornament.

“Okay im done!” you announced, reaching for the chord to plug it in while he watched.

Except… it didnt do anything.

You pulled it out and pushed it back again once more… nothing.

You stood, staring at it in disbelief before you felt tears rush to your eyes.

“Oh my god,” you muttered to yourself.

“What? What is it?” Thor questioned you. He watched confused as you tensed up and ignored him. “It looks beautiful, I like it.” He announces.

“No, it is supposed to light up!”

“With the plug?” He questioned, now understanding your distress.

You swallowed down a reply, not trusting yourself at the moment, opting for a nod in return.

“Well, actually,” he started, sudden;y sounding bashful. “I dont think that outlet works…”

“What?”

“Well, one day while you were at work, I was here with Steve just picking something up before we headed back out, and he started making jokes about electricity.”

“Thor…” you warned. You both had just moved into this brand new apartment only two months ago. If he already broke it…

“I just, I took the light bulb from that lamp and I lit it up with my finger, then instead of putting the light bulb back, I stuck one finger in the lamp and kept the light bulb in my other hand to see if the current would run through me and… he was curious”

“Thor!”

“Steve says a blew the fuse!” He spit out quickly finished the story. He sat nervous, hands figdeting a top his thighs. You, a young human, was who he feared sometimes. He didn’t want you to find out.

You moved your eyes from him, back to the maybe not-so-usless light cord in your hand.

His story sat for a second in your ears until you thought about it. A small snicker left your mouth and your anger of the christmas tree, then bubbled louder when you thought about how childish those two were together. The hysterical laughter followed when you though of how timid and scared he looked to tell you, of how bad you day had been, only for it to end with an iconic story being spilled out into the open.

“Are you not upset?” He watched you stalk towards him, body still racking with giggles. You answered him with a seat in his lap and a kiss on his lips.

“You are something else I tell you.” You mumbled, pulling away. “As long as my christmas tree has working lights, I’m all good. I was just frustrated all day because nothing was going right. But, im sure when i see the shiny tree il feel better.”

“Well go plug it into a different one!” He stood with you and helped move the tree carefully towards another outlet. You reached down nder the tree for the chord hanging down and shoved it into the outlet, standing up to admire your work. Only it was still not lit up.

You stared at it, while Thor looked back and forth between you and three like it was some kind of stare down.  

“Fuck it, I’m going to bed.” He watched you turn and walk out of the room and not look back. He furrowed his brows staring at the tree, then back at the outlet, figuring it wouldn’t hurt to try.

He pulled the chord out and examine the metal prongs before sticking his finger to it, a glow of blue light shocking the metal. The small spark cause the tree the strobe a moment before falling dark again.

It works. He thought to himself.

He reaches down and plugs it into the bottom outlet, then straightened to watch the tree light up in bright colors.

nevermind my absence today, but. a word y’all.

my semester starts back up on the 13th. aka...monday. my only day off isn’t until sunday. now, if you were following me within the last year, y’all know that the last time i was in school, i wound up getting a really bad concussion & just a shitstorm of health issues since then. so reasonably...ya girl is very nervous to be going back after a year.

while it’s just the one class i’m taking (aka, finishing what i passed out on basically cause bitch i ain’t no quitter), it’s at night. and depending on how they schedule me at my job (aka, restaurant service), i may not be All There enough to do back to back replies. frankly, i’m still coming up short on replies i’ve owed for weeks now, across tumblr & for the few threads i keep on discord. basically, what i’m trying to say is...pls give your girl a break. forgive me if i’m forgetful. not to mention i’m basically full time at my job whereas last year, i was part time at a job so my schedule is about to be flooded. but luckily, we’re all big adults here and don’t hold grudges against each other for not replying!!! (and i promise this isn’t shade...this is me being appreciative that nobody has done this even when my excuses are lame, KRGNRGR.)

basically, that’s it. but i’m sure all of our semesters are coming up, so this is just another post showing concern & understanding!!! and that’s it. i’m tired and gotta work in the morning, so i’ll be hiding in my IMs and in discord.

(also, i’m really scared to be diving back into the class i first experienced health concerns in. so if we are friends, expect me to be crying every now and then.)

Bed of Roses (Chapter 20)

Roger Taylor x Reader

BoRhap!Roger Taylor x Reader

Fic Summary: It's 1971. You just moved to London to study, and you find a band on a local pub after a bad date. The encounter doesn’t go the way you expect it, and neither does what follows this evening as you try to deal with loving Roger Taylor.

Fic Note: So I’ve had this story in my head for the last three weeks and finally decided to write it down. It’s completely planned. It will have 21 chapters and it’s divided in three acts: Dusk, Night and Dawn. It’s will be a bit angsty in the future, and it will most likely have some smut as well. I hope you guys enjoy it! Tell me what you think about it in the asks/comments/messages. PLEASE REMEMBER THIS IS NOT THE LAST CHAPTER OF THE STORY. If this is your first time stumbling upon Bed of Roses, thank you for stopping by! The rest of the story is in my masterlist, the link is in my bio - can't put the link here or else the post will disappear from the tags.

Chapter's notes: GUYS THIS TOOK SO LONG AND IM SORRY. im actually in another city at the moment and yeah, having free time has been a bit hard - i wrote this mostly on a plane and now im editing it on an uber on my way to class. BUT, theres only one more chapter to go!!! WTF!!!! its so close to the end???? i mean?????? but its been an amazing journey and mostly thanks to you all!! more thanks on the next chapter where im gonna be so cheesy thanking you all, just wait. anyway, nice fun sexy chapter to heal our hearts from the break up and stuff! hope you enjoy

Words: around 4k

Warnings: smut, alcohol, swearing probably. all in good fun tho. probably some errors cause its been a busy week

 ACT 3 - DAWN

"It's the moment night time seems weaker and everything seems easier to figure out"

Chapter 20

Paris

You hold Roger's hand as you wait in line for the immigration officer to check your passports. The activity in itself is something the both of you did many, many times before - you travelled a lot with the band.

But this was different. You were not only alone with Roger, but there was nothing concerning you - his mood, your job, nothing. You feel at ease.

Roger's idea to go somewhere where none of you knew very well was brilliant. Since you're outside of your comfort zone anyways, you were both more easy going, not overthinking anything, just spontaneous. You knew the time where you would talk about your relationship and how you want to deal with everything would come, but you weren't stressing about it. You would think about it once the time came - there was no reason to be concerned now.

Cause now you could only feel Roger's touch, hear him humming something - you couldn't believe he was humming La Vie En Rose, the most cliche Paris song of all times, but of course he was. His shoulders are relaxed, and he brushes his thumb against the skin on your hand. His smell is all around you.

You could really immerse in the presence each other, now. Ever since you left London, where almost everything between you happened, you didn't really knew anything else - the fields on the window, the french being spoken by the people on the cabin next to yours. So you just laid your head on his lap as he ran his fingers through your hair and told you about the little things you missed.

His eyesight has gotten worse, and now he can't really do anything without his contacts. He met David Bowie in an award show, and he thought of you - he knew how much you liked him. He still knew all of Fleetwood Mac's 1974 album songs by heart - he kept the album you left in the old flat.

And also stuff about the boys. John's kid was a cute, quiet boy, just like his dad, and he didn't enjoy any of Roger's songs when he went to rehearsals. Veronica was pregnant with another baby - Roger's pretty sure it's a girl. Brian was still thinking about finishing his PhD, but never got around doing it - his schedule is too crazy. Freddie was growing tired of the long hair and clean face, and kept thinking about changing his looks, but couldn't decide on what he would do. He told you that ever since Freddie and Mary broke up, he started seeing more guys - none of you thought much about it. It was just another aspect of Freddie's life.

Roger kept writing songs now, even when they were on tour or at home. He was getting annoyed at the "No Synths" rule in the band, and tried to convince them to drop it. But he was happy with the new album - he enjoyed how they simplified the process of writing it, and thought mostly about writing songs they can play live the same way they play it in studio. The last time they did it was in their first album.

You just kept looking up at him, his defined jaw glowing against the sun, his bright blue eyes looking down at you to watch your reaction, your grin once he told you he finally finished writing Sheer Heart Attack, a song he tried to get done and in an album ever since 1974.

And now the immigration officer called you, and you laughed as you watched Roger try to speak french to the guy before taking the matter into your own hands.

And when he asked you what was your relationship with him, you just smiled and said "mon copain".

-

You knew Roger chose the hotel as you packed in London, sitting between all the boxes so he could use your phone. You didn't pay attention to which hotel he picked, but once you got to the Champs-Élysées, you knew he spent too much money.

You got off the cab at the Four Seasons George V Hotel, a building that was basically a modern castle, and you stared at him, shocked. "Roger, you didn't do this", you told him, your eyes wide as you entered the spacious and luxurious lobby, your luggage already being taken to your room as the lady on front desk recognized Roger. "Did what?", he asked jokingly, raising his brow at you, even though he knew what you meant. "This hotel. It's too nice and probably a fortune", you told him, and he shrugged. "Hey, we deserve it. We always did. But now we can afford it", he winked, and then took the room keys from the front desk.

"C'mon, I want to see how you're going to react to the Penthouse Suite", he laughed, and you coughed. "Um, I'm sorry? The what now?", you asked, and he playfully pulled you into the elevator.

He kept looking at you the whole lift ride, excited and nervous - he wanted you to like it, to enjoy his efforts, to take him back into your life somehow.

When he opened the door and walked to the side, his old genuine smile was back on his lips, and you couldn't help but smile back, even before taking a glimpse into the room.

And what you saw surprised you - everything looked expensive, but still comfortable. You first entered a huge living room, and every couch looked comfortable enough to sleep in. Then you walked to the bedroom, and the huge bed caught your eye - it was big enough to fit comfortably at least five of you. The bathroom looked like a spa, a huge bathtub in the middle of it, a delicate statue of a woman under the window that overlooked the Champs-Élysées.

You walked to the balcony with Roger beside you, and he laughed when you gasped.

The Eiffel Tower looked back at you, glimmering at the sunset.

You looked at Roger.

"You're unbelievable, you know."

He smirked. "I'm just trying to get you in bed, though", he told you, and you laughed as you walked closer to him.

"You did that when you didn't have a penny, Rog. You don't have to get us a huge suite with artwork everywhere and a view of the Eiffel Tower", you said, bringing him closer to you by his collar as he snaked his arms around your waist.

"I never have to do anything. I do it because I want to. Because I love you", he whispered, his breath against your lips, teasing, feeling like the ghost of a touch.

"I love you, Roger", you told him, moving your hands to the back of his neck and pulling him in for a kiss.

-

You held his hand as the cool wind passed through your bodies. It was the next day, and you've decided to walk to the Louvre by the side of the Seine.

It would be faster if you got on a cab, but the view of the Seine, the sounds of the city and the smell of pastries and perfume made everything feel even more like a dream. You were still tired from last night, and the night before it - you and Roger were acting like a couple in honeymoon ever since you met again, stolen kisses and arms wrapped around each other, trying to make up for the lack of touch in the last couple years.

And once you were alone, you'd hug and touch and kiss and fuck passionately wherever - sloppy kisses and love bites all over each other, first in London and now here. It didn't feel like you were together again for only about 36 hours - so much has happened, yet time passed by so fast. It was like you lost touch with reality ever since you looked at his hands on the pub.

When you thought of being alone in New York, it felt like a past life. But the weird thing was how your first years with Roger also felt like another life - you wouldn't act the way you did again, ever. But you were grateful for both times of your life. You felt like you could never get here, to Paris and to Roger, if those things didn't happen.

You got to the Louvre and you were surprised at Roger's interest - he wasn't simply acting interested while trying to get you to leave somewhere else with him. He was genuinely interested in the art, commenting about each style and dropping trivia about artists.

"Someone has been spending some time with Freddie, I suppose", you noted, and he gave you a half smile. "Well, the person responsible for bringing culture into my days spend some time away. I had to look for substitutes", he said, and you jokingly nudged at him.

He still looked at you adoringly once you started talking to him about the excellent state of conservation the mummy was in, or once you started analysing "L’Européenne".

You both kept quiet as you watched the Mona Lisa, only holding hands as you tried to get closer to the painting, dozens of visitors separating you from it. It was a time for reflection, too. The Mona Lisa invited you to think about yourselves, her neutral expression making you wonder - seeing it was one of your life long goals, and now you're realizing it with Roger. Being with Roger was something else you struggled to achieve, ever since the first time you saw him. But now it was the time to realize dreams - hell, you'll start working at the British Museum in a few days.

But you got distracted as soon as you got to the Venus de Milo. Roger snaked his arms around your waist from behind you and pressed a slow kiss under your lobe before whispering "You look just like her".

You felt a goosebump on your neck, but you tried to laugh it off. "I can think of a few things we don't have in common, though", you said, and he rubbed his nose on the curve of your neck. "Like what?", he whispered.

"I'm gonna start the list with the basics: arms", you told him, and he laughed against your skin. "I can think of a few other things, too", he tells you, back at kissing your neck. "Yeah? Like what?", you asked, and he sucks on your skin for a few moments, hitching your breath. "Your skin is softer", he says, and then lightly bites you, running his tongue over it to sooth it. "And you taste amazing. Everywhere", he whispers again, and you bite your lips as you feel another goosebump on your neck, and it didn't go unnoticed by Roger. "And the way you react to me”, he whispered, wetting his lips. "God, it kills me", he said, running his fingers over the area where the goosebump was.

It was a public place, but it didn't cross your mind when you turned around and pulled him in for a kiss, making it deeper as your tongue massaged Roger’s. His fingers brushed over your exposed skin, and you could feel how strong his grip on your waist was, wrinkling the fabric of your summer dress - probably inappropriate. You pulled him even closer to you by his hair, already used to its new length after two nights. It was only when you broke apart to recover your breath that you noticed how you were making out in a public place, and only because Roger told you.

"I know we're in public and I'm trying to be more discrete now, but all this artwork just made you look even more beautiful, like you belong around them. I just couldn't hold myself any longer", he said.

-

The warm water ran through your fingers as you filled the bathtub, only in your robe, as Roger spoke with the concierge on the bedroom. He told you he was getting champagne, but you didn't see why the concierge would go to the bedroom for it. Anyways, you wanted a warm bath.

After the Venus, you and Roger had a hard time keeping your hands away from each other. So you didn’t argue when he suggested you take a cab to the hotel.

The cabbie was an older man with a very rosy skin, and he barely knew how to speak english, but he sure tried - specially with Roger. You were suspecting he knew who Roger is, and Roger apparently thought the same, an amused look on his face as the driver tried to continue the conversation with him.

He was looking amused for another reason, too. His hands took his time on your legs, his long fingers brushing over your inner thighs, making you press them together as you tried to control your breathing. Roger kept talking to the driver as he slowly moved his fingers closer to you again, and you bit your lips to hold a moan when he pressed two fingers against your core.

You were already wet from all the teasing, and it goes through the lace of your lingerie, wetting Roger’s digits. He took his fingers away from you, and you frown as he rubs his two fingers against his thumb, smirking at you.

Then the driver asks him something and he turns to answer, putting his hand on your knees and then quickly sliding them up, moving them to your core again, massaging your clit for a few seconds. He looks at you so he can see your reaction, and you can hear the driver’s voice as you grip on Roger’s arm so he keeps touching you, pressing your lips together to keep quiet.

He keeps smirking as the conversation with the driver goes on, and you decide you can tease him, too. You move your hand from his arm to his leg, and he moves his gaze back into yours as you move your hand slowly to his inner thigh. His eyes get wider once you run your finger over his length, his cock already getting hard and visible through his always tight pants. The driver called his name so he answers another question, and you wrap your hand around him through the fabric of his trousers.

His breathing audibly hitches and he tries to be discrete by making it into a cough. He answers the driver and then looks at you, but you’re looking forward, innocently. He smirks again and then pulls your lingerie to the side, and, without more teasing, puts his two fingers inside of you. You gasp, and the driver looks at you suspiciously as Roger starts pumping his fingers inside of you.

But then the car stops in front of the hotel.

You take your hand away from Roger and he does the same, feeling like two children who got caught with your hands inside the cookie jar. Roger pulls out his wallet from his pocket so he can pay the cabbie, his fingers still glistening as he holds the leather wallet.

You then walk to your room without saying anything until you close the door. “So, that guy was pretty close to figuring out our little teasing game, huh”, he said, unbuttoning his shirt. “I was pretty close, too”, you said, winking, and he smirked. “I guess you want to go back to where we were before getting interrupted?” he raised his brow.

But you wanted to tease him a bit more. So you nodded a no. “Actually, Rog, I think I want to take a warm bath”, you came closer to him, wrapping your fingers on the back of his neck. “That’s a really good idea, in fact”, he said, and started undoing his belt. But you held his hand in place. “But you won’t join me”, you said, and he pouted in protest. “Not until you get me some champagne. I thought you were gonna be romantic before luring me into bed, Taylor”, you said, and he laughed. You let go of him and turn around.

“Can you unzip me, please?”, you ask, and you can hear him scoff, annoyed at your teasing, but then you feel him slowly unzipping your summer dress, then moving his hands to your shoulders as he slides your dress down.

You're not wearing a bra, so you can feel the cold wind from the AC on your hard nipples, getting even harder as you felt his lips on your neck once again, his hands pulling your dress down at your hips before it falls to the ground.

Then you move away from Roger’s grasp as you walk to the bathroom, without looking back at him, and you can feel his eyes on you as he watches your hips sway as you walk, only in your burgundy lace panties, your hair cascading on your back.

And now you’re inside the bathtub already, feeling the smell of roses and cinnamon from the bath salts you used, waiting for Roger. You hear the door close, and the concierge is gone.

“Rog? I’m waiting for you”, you say out loud, waiting for his answers. “Actually, I think I’m not in the mood for a bath. But your champagne is here”, he says, and you can hear a fake tiredness in his voice.

“Are you sure you’re gonna leave me here, alone, in this bathtub? I’m gonna have to do something to let the time pass, you know. And you’re gonna hear me do it without doing anything about it?”, you asked with an affected voice. You haven’t teased him in so long, you forgot how fun it was, especially cause he always teased you back.

“As tempting as your bathroom plans sound, I’m also alone here, you know. And your champagne is here. Can’t believe you’re gonna waste it after I got it just for you”, he said, and you laughed. You got up from the bathtub and barely dried yourself on a towel before putting your robe back on and walking to the bedroom.

Roger was sitting against the bed’s headrest, completely naked and rock hard. You moved your hand to your lips and you let out a sigh at the vision. He looked like a greek god - Apollo, maybe, with his golden locks shining against the afternoon sun, his skin glowing under the golden hour lights coming through the window. The bed was filled with red rose petals under him, the smell filling your lungs.

He opened his eyes when he heard your sigh, and he smirked at you. “Get the champagne and come here already”, he said, pointing his head at the table where a Dom Pérignon bottle sat on an ice bucket, and you did so. You climbed on top of the bed and started moving towards him. “Are you suggesting we play with food, Mr Taylor?”, you asked, and he nodded. “Give it to me and I’ll show you”, he told you, and you gave it to him as you sat on his thighs.

He popped the bottle open and some of the liquid poured over the edges. He licked it, looking at you, before undoing your robe with his free hand. He pulled it to the sides, looking at you with admiration as if he was unwrapping a Christmas gift.

You took the robe off and threw it to the side, and his free hand moved to the back of your neck and pulled you in for a kiss. It was a slow, delicate kiss, where Roger tried showing you love, admiration, respect. Not only how much he wants you, but how much he cares about you.

But you pulled him closer to you, moving closer to him, and your bare breasts touched his naked torso, making the two of you moan.

That gave a new sense of urgency to the kiss, and after a few seconds, Roger broke it apart. “Tell me if you want me to stop”, he told you, and you nodded. He poured a bit of champagne above your collarbone, the cold liquid making you shiver, and then Roger’s tongue licked it, warm and wet.

He looked up at you to make sure you liked it, and you gave him a quick nod. He smirked, then poured champagne on your other collar bone, and licked it off again.

As you seemed to like it, he poured champagne between your breasts, licking it off right after and waiting a few seconds to see if you’d protest. He then finally poured a bit of champagne on one of your breasts, right above the nipple, licking you and the drink.

He kept doing it for a while, sucking on your skin that tasted like champagne and cinnamon, the smell of roses intoxicating him.

You broke away from his touch, and he looked at you, confused. “Can I try it?”, you asked, and he nodded, passing you the champagne bottle.

You started above his collarbone, and you could feel him moving under you. You wondered how much he would be able to wait before fucking you, considering he was already hard before you licked champagne off of him.

Once you poured champagne over his chest, you didn’t lick fast enough, and a drop of champagne rolled down on his torso. You leaned in to lick it right before it fell to his pelvis, mere inches away from his cock.

The feeling of your tongue close to his length did it for him - he had to have you, right now. He gripped your hips and motioned them up, and you understood what he wanted, so you got on your knees and stood right above him as he positioned himself on your entrance.

You slowly moved down, feeling him filling you, and you let your head move back as you moan in pleasure, your moan intensifying as you heard Roger’s voice whispering your name.

You started riding him slowly, small moans leaving your lips every time you felt him bottoming out inside of you, but you wanted him to go deeper.

So you got off of him, and he grunted, frowning at you as he saw you on your knees in bed. But once you leaned forward, putting your weight on your elbows, he smirked. “I want to feel you deeper”, you told him.

He moved to your back, spreading your legs a little more so he had better access to you, and you both cursed under your breath as he got inside you again slowly, so you could get used to his size on this new position, his grip on your ass getting stronger once he was completely inside you again.

You moaned his name, and he moved his hands to your waist so he could move inside of you with more control.

He developed a rhythm after a few moments, and all you could hear was the sound of your skin on his and the moaning (and cursing) coming from his lips and yours, too. You could feel yourself closer to your orgasm.

It wasn’t long before you reached your high, crying his name as you pulled the duvet into your fists.

Roger kept thrusting through your high, but once he noticed you were done, he pulled out. "Can you turn?", he asked, and without much thought, you turned over and layed down, wrapping your legs around his hips.

He gave you a tired smile and then got inside you again, thrusting. "I like to look at you", he told you, closing his eyes, focusing on his movements. He was like that for a few seconds, and you could see the beads of sweat forming on his face, his blonde locks glueing themselves to his forehead.

As his movements got more intense, you could see he was close. "Y/N? Can I pull out?", he asked, and you nodded a yes. He liked to do that sometimes, when you could get messy, but it has been so long you nearly forgot.

So he pulled out and his cum fell on your torso, covering your breasts and stomach. He fell to your side and stayed there for a few moments, before opening his eyes and looking at your torso. "Sorry for the mess", he said, getting up and going to the bathroom. You smiled when you heard the sink open, and your smile got wider as Roger appeared with a warm cloth on your hands.

"I guess this helps", he shrugged, wiping his cum from your torso carefully. Once he cleaned most of it, he giggled. "Maybe a bath is not a bad idea, after all. Will you join me?", he asked, offering you a hand.

---

Chapter 21

Masterlist

Taglist:

@taylorroger-s @sarai-ibn-la-ahad @its-nessi @anamcg317 @frenchieswiftie @queen-danielle-dani-dan @minihemo @shutup-sorry @theyrealllegends @killerqueenisthebest @ashagracelove @hardy-s @fuckinghurricanesoul @secretsweetscollectionblog @mrswinterhater @11mb0 @tamtam-go92 @derptatosaur @brianandthemays @phantom-fangirl-stuff @the-hysterical-queen @rogerofmylife @notevenlxvely @discodeakyy @x1975sos @16wiishes @jennycidesstuff @partydulce @melros-e @onevisionliz

Outlier | the end

poly!au: park jimin x reader x kim jennie while your lovers said they needed you, you wondered if they knew how much you needed them. word count: 3988 genre: angst warnings: explicit language

[an]: nothing is medically accurate lmao im so sorry i researched like 70 percent and then i implied everything else so dont trust me idk what im talking abt. but a BIG thank you to everyone who sent me so so so much support and feedback for this entire series bc i wouldn’t have had the motivation to finish. getting those messages after posting a chapter made me giddy for my own story and i know what happens. I truly love interacting with my readers and going into plot/character analysis, i just love hearing everyone’s thoughts and thinking processes bc we all interpret things differently, again, thank you everyone who enjoyed reading this story (: 

prologue . 01 . 02 . 03 . 04 . 05 . 06 . 07 . 08 . the end 

After confirmation of the surgery, it became prepping sessions. Your doctor slowly took you off the chemo and gave you medication to ease any discomfort. You were given less visiting hours because you needed to rest. 

But your troubles stirred when you were alone. The moment replayed in your mind when Jennie told you that they were broken up. There was nothing you could say, nothing for you to fix. Jennie and Jimin were respectfully dating you, aware of your decision for still wanting to be with the both of them. It didn’t feel the same though, it didn’t feel secure or safe.

There was no way you could date them separately. Jimin lacked what Jennie brought to the relationship and vise versa. It wasn’t complete without the both of them. Your nurses didn’t let you worry about that, brushing away Jimin and Jennie during your resting hours. 

Jungkook visited you once after you added him back onto your list. He also brought you a vase of your favorite flowers. There was part of you where you didn’t want to make things awkward, but the other part didn’t allow for that. Instead, you blurted out that you knew about his crush on you. Then, he left quickly after you rejected his offer to be with him.

Hoseok respected your time and didn’t visit when he wasn’t allowed to. You were aware of how he had other important events in his life, but you really wished he tried to see you more. You’d hate to admit it, but Hoseok seemed to be the only person you could turn to for any non-biased advice. Since he stopped coming around often, you had to turn to your nurses.

The two weeks were absolutely the dullest moment in your life. You thought that living in your small town with your mom was bad, this was worse. You were stuck in a huge hospital with no friends majority of your stay. Your nurses were only with you for max ten minutes before they needed to go. You had the television, sleep, and your own nervousness.

Surgery was a big decision, so big that you even called your mom about it. You didn’t have the best relationship with your mom, so calling her was a surprise to even her. She totally didn’t bother to follow up on your life, so she never called first. But, you couldn’t go into surgery with the possibility of death and not tell her about it.

She offered to fly over and you insisted that she didn’t. So when she arrived to see you, you didn’t hesitate to give her a piece of your mind.

“What are you doing here? I told you that you didn’t need to come. Where did you find which hospital I was staying at?” You groaned into your pillow.

Your mom set her things down and crossed her legs while she took a seat across from you. “I asked the school. I’m your mother, for fucks sakes.” 

“Yeah, well you didn’t think that when I was growing up, so now that I’m dying, you decide you should start caring.” You rolled your eyes at her gasp.

“How dare you say that to me? I raised you when your dad walked out on us.”

“If you think being drunk and picking me up from my after school programs means raising me, then yeah. You did great mom.” Your sarcasm came out in train wrecks when it came to your mom; she drew the worse out of you.

“(Y/N), you have cancer and you decide to let me know when you’ve already decided for surgery is not exactly the most responsible daughter thing you pride yourself to be.” She shot back.

Your nurse came in to cue that she only had 15 minutes left before she needed to leave. “It honestly didn’t cross my mind that I needed to tell you since you’ve never cared enough to call me these past years except to invite me to your stupid wedding. Might I also add that you didn’t tell me about until the day before, so that makes two of us.”

“I didn’t raise you for you to treat me like this.”

“You didn’t raise me at all, what are you saying? But how about we talk about something else, since that’s all we ever talk about. News flash, mom, I have fucking pancreatic cancer and I’m going into surgery tomorrow. I’ve been going to chemo these past three months and I have almost to no hair. My body is bruised from being poked by needles. I am dying! Thanks for even having the audacity to come see me before my maybe death tomorrow. Don’t let the door hit you in the face.” You shouted as loud as your lungs let you go.

Your door opened and you both stopped your argument to see Jennie and Jimin standing under the frame. They looked stunned and confused to see the lady who you resembled. “Did we come at a bad time?” Jimin asked.

“No, since this is your visiting time.” You crossed your arms, glaring at your mom.

“Who are you two?” She asked, rudely.

“Mom, that’s my boyfriend, Jimin and that’s my girlfriend, Jennie. Welcome to the modern society of polyamorous relationships where I love two people at once.” Jennie and Jimin have never heard such sarcasm run out of your mouth. You were always just subtle, but this side of you was new.

“Hi, it’s nice to finally meet you.” Jennie stepped forward and your mom got up.

“Well, I can see that you have a whole double life I know nothing about. I guess you don’t need me anymore. Good luck on your surgery and whatever you call a relationship.” She grabbed her things and walked past Jennie and Jimin.

“She was pleasant.” Jimin said sarcastically and you rolled over on your side.

“This is why I never brought you home with me for the holidays.”  Jennie hurried to cuddle up to your side. 

“At least we avoided an awkward argument over Christmas dinner.” She chuckled and kissed your ear.

Jimin sat on your opposite side. “Are you ready for tomorrow?” 

Sitting up in Jennie’s arms, you buried your face in your hands. “No. I’m so scared.” 

“You’re going to be fine. Jennie, Hoseok and I are going to be right outside of your door. We’re going to be with you when you’re recovering. We’re with you every step of the way, we already packed our go-bags.” Jimin tried to comfort you, but you sobbed into your hands. You couldn’t help but cry so much nowadays. Staying strong was hard when you were so vulnerable. 

“And if something happens? Will you be there with me?” It was a rhetorical question that caused them to both fall silent.

“Nothing will happen. They’re highly trained professionals and I made sure you had the best surgeon in this hospital.” Jennie bragged proudly and Jimin laughed.

“Yeah, seeing her demand it was very terrifying. But, she did it. You’re in good hands, baby.” Jimin smiled and kissed the top of your head.

“Can you two just lay with me for the last couple of minutes before my nurse comes and kicks you out?” You sniffed and moved over for Jimin to join the sandwich fest.

“(Y/N), I love you so much.” Jennie and Jimin said in unison, and the unsettling feeling set back into your system.

A group of nurses and surgeons rolled you into a double door room. It was dim, except for the big spotlight that shined above you. Squinting, you saw the surgical masks that blinked back at you.

“Ready?” Your doctor was smiling behind her mask.

“No.” Your voice trembled from your nerves; your palms slick with sweat. “I want to be okay.”

“And you will be, (Y/N). We’re going to start with the anesthetics and we’ll get everything going. Relax, I’m right here.” She held onto your shaking hand and you stared back up at the bright light.

You felt the drugs enter your system, slowly stripping away your consciousness. You’ve already cried out all night your worries and said a few important goodbyes before the day arrived. The jittery feeling caused your body to shake uncontrollably and you were so terrified. This could mean recovery or death.

And while you hoped for survival, you knew the chances were split between the two options. Death was unavoidable, but to die so early shook your bones. Your dreams have just been memories of past events in your life, reminding you of the life you lived. The life you might soon leave. It was harder to ignore death than it was to wish for recovery.

Once your eyelids fell over your eyes, you’ve never felt more alone in your entire life.

“Would you stop pacing? You’ve been walking back and forth for the past two hours.” Jennie complained.

Jimin stopped in his tracks and narrowed his eyes at her, “I’m nervous.” 

“What happened to ‘it’s going to be fine’ and ‘you don’t need to worry’?” Jennie laughed and Jimin rolled his eyes.

“I can’t help that my body reacts the way it does when I’m the slightest worried. How are you so calm about this? They’re literally cutting her open in that room.” Jimin gestured to the closed doors.

“By not thinking about it like that. I’m thinking about the lovely time I get to spend with my girlfriend when she’s done.” Jennie muttered.

Jimin walked up to her and pointed to his chest, “you mean my girlfriend?”

Hoseok pushed the two apart. “She’s both of your’s. Are you two done making a scene in a hospital?” 

Jimin went over to sit next to Hoseok’s other side, making him stuck in the middle of a not-so-friendly feud. Even though they showed up together for visits, they were incredibly hostile to one another when they were alone. 

They slept in separate beds, Jimin taking over your room and Jennie in her’s. They ate dinner with their own friends and didn’t bother to tell each other about their whereabouts. They mostly spoke to each other in scoffs or groans.

Suddenly, the hallway doors were slammed open and nurses were rushing in a big machine --- a defibrillator.

The three of them stood up, seeing how rushed and hurried the nurses looked. The surgery door opened and a surgeon walked out with sweat dripping down the side of his head. The sound of a flat line heartbeat caught the attention of Jennie.

“Her heart isn’t beating, is it?” She was afraid to hear the answer to her question, her chest rising and falling violently.

Your doctor held the door open for the other nurses and defibrillator. “Her pulse went out, but we’re doing our best. But prepare for the worse.” 

Jennie collapsed onto the floor, bawling. “Holy fuck, we’re going to lose her!” She shouted with heavy tears running down her face. It was like her words pulled Jennie’s heart down to the pit of her stomach. Her whole mind and body were shutting down at the news.

“You have to stay calm, Jen.. we’re in a hospital.” Jimin tried to get her up, but she kept slipping his grasp.

“I don’t care! That’s our girl in there and her heart isn’t beating!” She exclaimed and Hoseok helped with holding her up.

Jimin’s head was in shambles, utterly speechless at what was happening. Hoseok was numb to the news, unaware to how to react. They wanted to stay optimistic, that the defibrillator will work. It had to work. 

“Why don’t you two go outside and get some air? I’ll stay here for any further news. Please... it’s not a suggestion. Go.” Hoseok needed to clear them out before they both stressed him out more than he already was.

Jimin walked Jennie outside. The light breeze clearing their heavy, crazy minds. Jennie was choked up by her tears, constantly wiping at her wet cheeks. Jimin stared at the ground, listening to her sorrows. His heart too heavy to express.

“Aft-er -- everything.. --Jimin --- I’m.. really, truly sorry...--” Jennie had trouble speaking with the endless waterfalls from her eyes.

“--Jen..” Jimin barely got out.

“No.. listen to me first. I’ve felt really guilty about all the rumors. We should’ve never gotten together in the first place, especially with someone like me. I’m known as the campus hoe, right? I can’t hold onto a stable relationship even if I wanted to and now my --- girlfriend --- is-- she’s -- dying.” Jennie cried harder, holding her face in her hands as she slid against the wall and onto the ground.

“I didn’t do anything with Jisoo ever. I don’t know how many more times I need to tell you, but I would never hurt you or (Y/N) like that, especially coming from a place where that has happened to me multiple times. Maybe you’ve always secretly doubted our relationship, considering how we got together through an accidental one night stand.” 

“Through our three months together, I fell head over heels for you, Jimin. I’ll admit it. I liked (Y/N) first, but you had a piece of me I didn’t think I could give to anyone after Taehyung. You’re so open, so understanding, so kind. I’ve never fully gotten the chance to explain myself because you keep shutting me down and every time, I believed that my explanation doesn’t matter. I’ve been devalued my entire life by my partners and sadly, I made myself feel that way with you when you ignored my pleads. But I think now is the best opportunity to tell you because we honestly don’t have anyone else who understands us the way we do. We’re both suffering because our girlfriend is in there not breathing. Our girlfriend, Jimin. I love you and through everything, you’re the one of the only people in this world who knows my struggles.” Jennie held him by the shoulders, so he could look her in the eyes as she gripped onto the only hope left in her life.

Jimin invited her into his arms, holding her tight. He had forgotten why he was upset before. He just wanted to be with his girls. He wished, hoped, prayed that things were back to how they were before the misfortune. 

“I’m sorry for making you feel invalid. I’m sorry for hurting you the way I did.” He admitted and Jennie sobbed harder into his chest.

“It’s okay... -- we’ll --- be...”

“--- Okay?” Jimin finished off and she nodded. 

You couldn’t breathe or move. Your lungs collapsed into your chest and you struggled to supply oxygen to your body. You screamed, but no noise came out and your arms were glued to your side. It was like you were trapped in a motionless body.

Everything was turning fuzzy and a white light blurred your vision. This was it. You were dying. You weren’t sure what realization hit you. Maybe it was the lost of breath and your heart rate slowly declining. Maybe it was the blinding light that caught your attention ahead.

Your memories started flashing before you. Jennie and Jimin flooding your mind. Your eyes scanned for anyone else, but them. However, you were left with scenes of your once perfect relationship.

Your first date night. It was the day you officially joined your partners. Jennie hurried you down to meet Jimin. He was cleaned up nicely, standing all cool against his sleek car. He peered up to see Jennie with the biggest smile on her small face, hand holding yours. 

She told Jimin the news and he was overjoyed, ready to hold you in his arms. He rushed you into the car and it didn’t feel much different than it was when all three of you hung out. The only difference was that you’ve never been more intimate with your best friends. 

Your first kiss. You anxiously sat next to Jimin on the couch during a lazy movie fest you were having with them. He had his arm wrapped around you, twirling the ends of your fingers with his. Your heart beating so fast, being not use to the touching from either of them.

He picked up your chin, knowing that you were distracted. It was an instant spark once your eyes connected and soon, your lips did as well.

Your first ‘I love you’. This moment was one of your favorites. It was Jennie’s birthday and you three were excited for the day ahead. However, a huge storm was rolling in and you were almost home. Jimin insisted in stopping to buy more snacks before rushing back. 

Once you all stepped out from the convenience store, it was showering, pouring heavy amounts of rain. Jennie, you and Jimin were drenched within seconds of going outside. Your plastic bags filled up an inch with collected water. Jimin’s leather seats in his car pooled with rain. All three of you laughed with glee as you marveled the escape from the wet mess.

And you suddenly stopped to admire the way Jimin’s eyes disappeared cutely and how Jennie’s nose scrunched up, her adorable snort catching your attention. In the midst of their happiness, you blurted out, “I love you two.”

The news of your mother’s wedding. An invitation was addressed to you. It had pretty cursive handwriting and a beautiful design. It was a wedding for your mom and her boyfriend, inviting you to join them for an evening of unity. You weren’t aware of them even being engaged, let alone a marriage. 

Jennie and Jimin never mentioned your mom, knowing you didn’t like pressing on too much about her. Their initial reaction was for you to go, until you explained that you didn’t even know she was getting married. You had crumpled up the invitation and threw it away in the trash.

Jennie consoled you, reassuring you that it was perfectly fine that you don’t attend. While you sulked in the living room, they approached you with the idea of still giving your mom a gift to congratulate her. It showed that you were the bigger person and that you acknowledge her efforts. They made you a better you.

Throughout every flashback, and every memory, your heart was searching for something beyond them, an image that wasn’t them. You laid there, dying, and all you saw was your girlfriend and your boyfriend. There had to be more than that and your heart was looking, waiting, for any other memories to surface. 

But nothing. It was only them and you couldn’t help, but feel a little disappointed. For the last few years of your life, you’ve revolved your entire world around these two people. You’re alone, not because you’re not social, but because you chose to focus all of your efforts into your relationship. And as you slowly lost sense of your consciousness, you became regretful about how you lived.

You heard distant voices, “1, 2, 3!” and you slowly opened your eyes. There was a rush of air that filled your lungs. Your vision adjusted to the bright spotlight and the many surgical masks above you. 

“She’s awake! We got her pulse!” They cheered and one of the nurses pulled down his mask.

“You’re going to be okay, Ms. (Y/N). The surgery was a success.” He smiled and you nodded, reaching for his hand to hold to make sure it was your reality. 

“We’re going to move you to your recovery room now, but you did really well.” The young nurse cheered with so much excitement, there were tears in his eyes. He was a complete stranger that just saved your life, yet he was even crying for you.

“T-Than-k yo-u.” You barely made out and he patted your shoulder. You shut your eyes again and felt the bed move and the voice of Hoseok calling after you as natural light hit your eyelids.

Several hours after the surgery and going over the post-surgery care, you carefully sat up in bed. Hoseok had to leave, but the two stayed. Jennie held onto you tighly, and Jimin blinked at you with stars in his eyes. But the thought you had while you were close to death never left your mind. 

“There is something I need to talk to you about.” You began, and Jimin and Jennie shared glances. “There was a lot to think about when I went under, my heart stopped for a few minutes and I was so close to my death. All I saw were our memories. I saw you two, but... something inside of me longed for something else, something more.” 

“If it’s not the three of us, then I don’t want to be in an individual relationship with either of you. That would mean making me choose and I don’t love one more than the other. It’s either both of you or neither. I will always love you two with all that my heart has to offer, but my life is so valuable and I need someone who is going to recognize that. I realized that the best for us is that there simply is no us. I love you both so much, I really do, but right now is not the right time. I’ll never forget us. ”

“Jennie, you were the first girl I love. Jimin, you were the first boy I love. But throughout it all, I won’t try to remember us. Maybe we’ll realize each other’s worth once we’re ready for it and we’ll be new people when we meet again.”

Jennie didn’t let go of your hand, instead, she nodded to every single word that you poured from your heart. “If that’s what you think is the best option for us, then I’ll accept your decision.” She agreed and no longer shed any more tears. She knew it was for the better, even if it did break her heart.

With a turn of events, Jimin was actually the one crying this time. Jimin’s tears spilled down his plump, supple cheeks. It was difficult for him to talk.. it was difficult for him to express how he felt in general. “I felt so regretful because I thought I was going to lose you forever when I was ready to trade my life for your’s. I’m just happy you’re alive and breathing. I respect your decision and I think that you’ll always know what’s best for us three.” 

Your heart was healing, bit by bit. The shock of almost death woke you up and you no longer wanted to be trapped in something that didn’t seem to work out well anymore. It was time for an end. It was time for change and you were more than thankful to have Jennie and Jimin, who loved you so much, they were willing to let you go and live life with no more regrets. 

Jennie smiled before gently kissing your hand, “I’m unsure how long me and Jimin would’ve lasted without you, but we were two people who fell out of love for each other, but back in love through you. I want you to know that even though you felt like you didn’t belong in our relationship, you were actually the connection between us. You were the reason there was an us.”

It was an epiphany ---- you were not the outlier in the relationship. You were the core center. Jennie and Jimin were more than thankful to have you in their lives, who loved them so much, that you were willing to look past their differences and to fight through every trial. 

“You were the reason there was an us.” That single line replayed in your thoughts, in a constant loop. And you smiled at Jimin and Jennie, the monitor beeping being the only noise in the room.

“I love you both, don’t you ever forget that.” 

7 minutes in heaven {pt.2}

PART 1

♡ pairing; jungkook x reader | taehyung x reader ♡ genre; angst,romance ♡ word count; 6.8k ♡ warnings; mild/strong language

[x cr] A/N; sorry that it has taken me MONTHS to post this second part, i was really struggling with the story line here :( i hope you are able to enjoy it nonetheless, pls like and reblog as it helps me out a lot <3

Jungkook still hasn’t slept a wink the entire night, the fatigue having already plagued his body hours ago and no matter how hard he tries, he can’t keep his mind off of you. Lying on his back in one of Namjoon’s spare beds, he stares blankly up into the dark ceiling that hasn’t yet been lit by the day’s sun, and repeatedly replays the kiss in his head. Feelings of yearning, intense passion and guilt begin to get mixed up in his mind, and he squeezes his eyes shut with the frustration that is starting to feel overwhelming. Why does this situation have to feel so complicated? The moment he stepped back into the cluttered living room that past evening, he felt the heat of various pairs of questioning eyes watching his every move and he didn’t dare look back into any of them. Although what had just happened was something he could’ve only dreamt about for months now, Jungkook couldn’t help but feel the horrible feeling of regret building up inside of him. He knew that you were practically in love with Taehyung at this point, so what strange energy possessed him to kiss you like that? He had accidentally met the burning gaze of Tae’s eyes, not being able to hold it for more than a couple of seconds. Suddenly, Taehyung bounced off the couch like it was made of hot coals, and darted determinedly for the door, causing a cool breeze to whip past Jungkook. “So, did anything happen with Y/N?” Jimin pressed, leaning forward with curiosity. With a lazy shrug of his shoulders, Jungkook pulled out his phone and slumped deep into the sofa, hoping that it would open up and swallow him whole. Would Y/N tell Taehyung that he came onto her? Will she cover up her tracks and make him look like the bad guy? Surely not… These were the thoughts that completely blocked out any possible sleep Jungkook might’ve gotten otherwise. But he has given up at this point, sitting himself up in the bed to grip tightly onto the covers for some reassurance. He can’t stop thinking about the way Taehyung had abruptly left straight after Y/N, looking at him with a slight touch of disappointment before opening the door to escape the unspoken awkwardness. Getting up to open the heavy curtains, a pool of radiant light spills into the room and Jungkook stands in it for a few seconds, feeling the early morning heat hit his body. A couple of groggy footsteps drag across the carpet outside his door, and he turns around to check the time on the wall. 9:15 AM Deciding that it was finally time to go and eat some breakfast, Jungkook slowly gravitates towards the door and opens it with a lazy grasp. “Hey, man,” Namjoon greets as he closes the bathroom door behind him, the puffiness in his face having been caused by sleep and alcohol, “Sleep well?” Jungkook cocks his head sarcastically, and by the light purple colour already taking place under his eyes, Namjoon guesses that his friend hasn’t actually slept yet. “Don’t worry; I’ll fix you up with a decently cooked breakfast and a cup coffee!” Namjoon says, reaching over to slap a sympathetic hand down on Jungkook’s shoulder. After a very long thirty minutes, Namjoon places down a plate of scrambled eggs on toast next to a mug of piping hot coffee, a smile of relief and gratification spreading across his face. “Bon appetit,” he announces before Jungkook tucks in gratefully. Although the toast was slightly burnt and the eggs took at least three tries to get right, Jungkook finishes everything on his plate quickly and leans back to let the satisfyingly full feeling take over. He’s glad that he can finally focus on something else that isn’t to do with you. “So…” Namjoon starts up after a couple of minutes, finishing the last drop of coffee swimming in the bottom of his stained cup. “What happened last night?” Jungkook’s breath begins to falter at the question, and without knowing what to say he just simply shrugs his shoulders, acting as if he doesn’t understand. Flashes of those intense seven minutes begin to rush through his mind as Namjoon’s suspicious expression grows in front of him. “You didn’t say one word to us for the rest of the night and blamed it on the sudden ‘tiredness’ you felt,” he continues steadily, not taking his eyes off of the nervous Jungkook.   Namjoon is someone he could confide in without having to worry about the others finding out. He holds many of Jungkook’s secrets and has watched him go through tough times, so why was it proving too hard to tell him the truth now? Looking down at his clammy hands, he tries to focus on the irregular breaths coming out of his lungs, each one starting to come to a slow stutter. “I don’t get what you’re talking about, nothing happened?” Jungkook replies with confidence, shrugging his shoulders yet again. With a deep sigh, Namjoon accepts his response with a brisk nod of his head. “Some of us were just a little confused, we expected you to come down looking smug, but all we got was a room full of tension.” “Sorry I couldn’t fulfil the game’s objective,” Jungkook laughs breathily, getting up to push the stool back from him, “I’m going to head back upstairs to sort out my things - I have somewhere to be in a bit.” Before getting to see another confirming nod from Namjoon, Jungkook swiftly leaves the kitchen and hops up the stairs. Once he finally makes his way down the long hallway and into the spacious guest room, he grabs his phone and vacantly stares at the screen. As much as he wants to text you, he remembers he doesn’t have your number for his own personal use. He can’t ask Namjoon for it now, that would look too obvious… Looking back at the door, Jungkook sees a sleepy Hoseok stumble across the carpet, trying to find his way down the hall through the hazy like state he’s in. Once he hears the bathroom door slowly shut, Jungkook dashes out of his room and into Hoseok’s. Surely he would have your number, right? Stumbling around the room to find his phone, he sets eyes on the device and punches in the four-digit code that he had learnt through the years of being Hoseok’s best friend. Jungkook repeatedly checks behind his back, nervously scrolling through the contacts as he does so until he finally comes across your name. The letters stand out dramatically, and his stomach fills with butterflies. It only takes a couple of seconds for the determined Jungkook to secure your number into his phone, saving it with pride. Before anyone finds out what he has just done, he sneaks back out of the room, and starts to gather the rest of his things. _____________ Waking up from your deep slumber, you let yourself sink into the pillowy cushions and covers, allowing them to slowly devour your body. You hear the birds twittering outside in the bright sunshine, and a feeling of calm washes over you. The serene atmosphere of the morning soon diminishes though as you remember all that happened last night. Looking across the bed at Tiffany, a horrible feeling starts to emerge from the pit of your stomach and you fight back any tears that begin to threaten your eyes. Why did Jungkook kiss you last night? Was it because that was the whole point of the game, or was there a deeper reason to it? You contemplate the reasoning behind the boy’s actions as you reach over to grab your phone, remembering that you received a text late into the night. Cautiously, you press down on the home button to see Taehyung’s name shining on your screen. [Taehyung]: did you get home okay? - 1:15AM [Taehyung]: or just don’t text back?? – 1:25AM You roll your eyes in response to his simple messages, and although you shouldn’t, you suddenly feel bad for not responding back as soon as you got them. With shaking hands, you begin to type out a message. Multiple messages actually. But before you decide to send any of them, you stop yourself to back space on the letters, ending up with a blank box repeatedly. Finally, you muster up one reply. [You]: sorry I was asleep, I got home fine thanks – 9:30AM No more than two minutes pass before your phone vibrates, letting you know that you’ve received a message. [Taehyung]: im sorry about last night i was tipsy, are you mad? – 9:32AM Before you can think of another reply, your phone buzzes again. [Taehyung]: do you want to meet for lunch or coffee today? – 9:33AM Those anxious butterflies start to build up in your stomach, a feeling you’re all too familiar with. You contemplate what to do for a couple of seconds, your mind going through all the possible reasons for and against going. If this happened a couple a weeks ago, it wouldn’t have even taken you a second to enthusiastically agree to meeting up with your high school heart ache. Would he just interrogate you the whole time, trying hard to find out exactly what happened last night? But, you knew you wouldn’t be able to tell him. Even though you knew Taehyung was now seeing someone, you didn’t want to jeopardise your chance with him by telling him you kissed one of his best friends… You know that was a ridiculous thing to hope for, though. Before you even realise what you’ve done, you sent a text back to Taehyung. [You]: yeah sure, 11am at the book café? – 9:35AM After a couple of seconds, Taehyung agrees to your request and you slide off the bed in order to start getting ready. As you push aside the curtains to let in the early October sunlight, Tiffany irritably wriggles over in the bed, pulling the covers over her head. “No, I need more sleep…” she mumbles under her sleepy breath. “Carry on sleeping, I’ll bring us up some food in a minute,” you reassure her, trying your best to be a good friend. The guilt hasn’t stopped eating away at you since all those hours ago, and you pray that it goes away soon. You don’t have the right level of concentration to start using pots and pans to make breakfast -the ending result would only be a mess. Knowing that Tiffany wouldn’t be opposed to have pop tarts at this time in the morning, you shove some of the strawberry flavoured ones haphazardly into the toaster and wait for them to eagerly jump out at you. As the minutes tick by, you fall into a deep trance of emotional thoughts and memories. No matter how hard you try, you can’t stop thinking about Jungkook. You had never thought about him in a romantic way before, and you didn’t think he had ever either. But the more you think about his soft lips upon yours, you can’t shake the feeling of wanting to see him again… POP! The sound of the pop tarts leaping out of the red hot toaster makes you fall back in shock, and a small laugh arises from your throat. Quickly, you pull out the tarts and throw them onto a plate, trying hard not to burn the tips of your fingers on the pastry. At this point, you are determined to enjoy your breakfast with your best friend. Grabbing two cups of fresh juice to join your food, you warily balance everything on the plate, and begin your journey back to your room. “Finally, I’m starving up here!” Tiffany jokingly moans as she looks longingly over to the plate you’re trying so hard not to drop. “I’m going to have to be getting ready to head out in a bit, so watch this,” you announce loudly, taking an overly large bite into the unknowingly piping hot pop tart. The jam in the middle is like molten lava against your tongue, and you yelp in pain, almost throwing the food straight across the room. “Where are you going?” Tiff manages to get out after laughing at your foolishness. A look of suspicion creeps onto her face as you prepare your answer. “I-uh…Taehyung texted earlier, wants to get a coffee.” Tiffany raises a concerning eyebrow, obviously confused as to why you would want to be meeting up with him now after finding out about Belle. Honestly, you don’t really know why either. “You sure that’s a good idea? You need to get over him, Y/N!” she exclaims impatiently, “He’s messing with your head, I don’t want to see you get hurt…” Rapidly shaking your head, you down your glass of juice and begin to rummage for something suitable to wear. You don’t want to look like a mess, but you also don’t want to look like you’ve dressed up for him either… “It’s fine, Tiff,” you convince your cautious friend, “He wants to meet up with me as friends – anyway, I’d feel bad for turning him down.” With an audible sigh coming from Tiffany, she shrugs her shoulders and continues to finish off her breakfast. You pull on a pair of light-wash mom jeans that have white and blue paint splotches on them, and the only reason as to why you haven’t thrown them out yet is because Taehyung said that they make you look “artsy.” Continuing to scramble around through the mountain of clothes on your floor, you yank out your favourite mustard coloured sweater and proceed to put the woollen material over your body. The next forty minutes is spent with you applying a full face of makeup, whilst contemplating showing up at the cafe or not. A huge part of you is more than excited to see Taehyung, there’s nothing else you want right now. But after your mini argument last night, and the general tension that was left floating around in Namjoon’s house, it made the idea seem a little less appetising. You swing your keys around your finger as you slump down on the bottom step of your staircase. You’d have to leave in five minutes if you wanted to get there on time, but the anxiety was starting to take a hold of your legs, ceasing them to move. Taehyung did want to see you after all. He went out of his way to ask you for a coffee, taking the time out of his day for you… “Are you going or not?” Tiffany says from the top of the stairs, hand placed firmly on her hip. She hops down the stairs to sit a step above you, her mousey coloured hair bouncing around her like a cloud. “I should, shouldn’t I?” you slowly question, not giving her time to reply, “I should just go and see what he wants, maybe I’ll get a solid apology…” “Exactly, make him apologise for confusing you like this!” Tiffany cheers as she pushes you forward up off the step. “You’ve got to text me everything that goes down though, okay?” You sniff a little laugh and agree to Tiffany’s request, steadying yourself up off the wooden step. “I’ll tell you everything afterwards – my parents are back at 12pm, so please make sure the house is tidy before they get back,” you say in a hopeful voice, but knowing Tiffany, she’ll have the place looking brand new by the time they get home. _________ By the time you reach the café its 10:55AM, and your nerves are starting to heavily kick in. As well as kicking, they’re punching and head butting. As you stand outside, you look up at the rustic sign saying ‘The Little Book Café’, just to make sure you’ve come to the right place. Even though you knew there weren’t any other cafes around the area specifically tied to books… As you push against the hefty glass door, the smell of fresh chocolate cake, pastries and coffee hits your nose, filling you with instant delight. This is one of your favourite places to go to with Taehyung after school. The two of you would spread your art books out onto the hidden table upstairs, leaving every couple of minutes to go and pick out artist biographies and other helpful books to share with one another. No matter how tense you feel right now, you can’t help but let a small smile bite its way into the corner of your mouth at the thought of the endless hours you’ve spent here with him. The middle-aged woman who normally serves you is behind the counter, sending out friendly smiles to every eye she can catch. As soon as she sees you, immediate warmth radiates off of her, and you politely smile back. “Hello dear, I wouldn’t of expected to see you today!” she says with a pleasant surprise, “Would you like your regular hot chocolate and croissant?” You quickly take a gander at the mouth-watering cakes that have been carefully placed on individual stands behind the glass in front of you, biting your lip as you think about your choice. Today there’s: carrot cake and buttercream icing, chocolate fudge cake, blueberry muffins and caramel slices. The enticing smell coming off the food is making your stomach rumble, and you have to make a decision. “I’d love a hot chocolate with a slice of carrot cake please!” you eagerly say, the thought of one of your favourite cakes making you feel extremely excited. “I’ll have the same please,” a deep voice says behind you, and you turn around to reveal that it’s Taehyung. He’s wrapped up in a cream and red checked scarf, his mouth just peeping over the top to reveal his nose, which is tinted a pretty rose colour. The black puffer jacket he’s wearing makes him look so incredibly huggable, but you try your best to keep your arms pinned to your sides. There is also slight puffiness around his eyes, probably due to the lack of sleep. Nevertheless, he still looks as strikingly gorgeous as ever. “Of course, my dear,” the lady directs at Tae, sending him one of her comforting smiles, “Are you paying for both?” “No, I’m paying for mine separately!” you quickly intervene. “Are you sure, Y/N?” Taehyung says, raising an eyebrow at you. You don’t want it to look like you can’t pay for things yourself, like he has to always be there for you. As much as you would like to accept his offer, you bite your tongue and hand over the payment in full. “Upstairs, where we usually sit?” you question Taehyung as you take your metal tray balancing your cake and drink in preparation to go sit down, remembering quickly to thank the lady behind the counter. As you head towards the stairs, you try and collect your breath evenly into your lungs. This really isn’t the time to start panicking, not now. Determined to get to your usual spot, you speed up the pace a little, weaving in and out of tables, chairs, and book stands. ‘Your’ spot was placed directly next to one of the windows in perfect view of the street outside. Around spring time, the two of you would watch as the blossom petals drifted around aimlessly, twisting and turning in a way that was ever so slightly hypnotic. Winter was wonderful as well. The light snowflakes would delicately fall from the sky, making the warmth of your hot chocolate taste even better. The two of you would sit there in silence. Not the type of silence that was uncomfortably awkward, but more the type that was soothing and reassuring, like nothing and everything was being said all at the same time. Pulling out your chair to sit down, you look up to see an alert looking Taehyung studying his tray carefully, focusing on not dropping it this time. His floppy hair falls softly into his eyes, the sharp sun from the window bouncing off of it. “You don’t even like carrot cake,” you accuse him, laughing lightly. “I thought I’d be adventurous and get something different,” he shrugs after letting out a deep sigh of relief as his tray hits the table. Not waiting for him, you delve into your cake, watching as the metal of your fork makes a smooth cut through the sponge and buttercream. Once it hits your mouth, your taste buds are overwhelmed by the sweet taste of the delectable cake. You hear Taehyung giggle at your reaction. “That good, huh?” he asks before taking the first bite of his as well. The two of you sit in quiet for a few seconds, nodding along to the chews and swallows of the delicious cake. Opening your eyes at the same time, you both share a genuine laugh with each other, and a familiar feeling of contentment flows through you. Taehyung’s brown eyes shine back into yours, and the creases around them make you feel like you’re right where you should be. The sun beaming in through the window highlights the melanin in his skin, the colour glowing flawlessly. Although he was not yours, you felt a very strong tie to him, and there was no way you could willingly let him go anytime soon. You spend a long time filling the minutes with random chatter about school, artists and books, managing to avoid the main issue at hand. Although the two of you are sharing laughs, you can’t help but feel the gnawing of your questions in the corner of your brain. “So, how are you?” he asks suddenly, sitting back with his hot chocolate. “I’m fine, how are you?” you reply back simply. You reach out to grab a hold of your mug, clasping your fingers around the handle. The strong, thick smell of pure chocolate rises into your nose, causing you to feel a momentary bliss. “I’m okay,” Taehyung says bluntly after taking a sip, “Although, I’m worried you’re mad at me…” His stare falls down into his mug, and he scoots up in his seat a little. You subconsciously do the same, looking down into your cup at the melting cream mixing with the pure colour of the chocolate. The swirling white contrasting against the brown has such an effortless allure to it that it captures you completely. “I’m not mad at you Tae – just confused,” you utter quietly still examining the merging colours in your cup, and honestly you don’t know if you’re telling the truth or not. “You’re confused?” he questions you slowly, knowing why you would feel this way, but wanting to hear you say it. “With the way you’ve been acting…” you mumble before a confident Tae speaks over you slightly. “I didn’t go home with her last night,” Taehyung strongly says, still keeping his eyes stuck to his mug, “I didn’t go back with Belle last night.” You suddenly look up as your eyebrows pucker at his confession, wondering why on Earth this information was relevant. “Why, did you have an argument?” you ask curiously, watching his hunched posture. “I just wanted to be away from everyone I guess,” he shrugs half-heartedly, and any joy that was there before leaves his body slowly. “You’ve ignored me for a straight week, Tae,” you try to say casually over his last comment, “Why couldn’t of you of just told me, what was stopping you?” You watch as his shoulders tense inside his coat, closing up around his neck. The shuffling of his body begins to make you feel uneasy as you take another sip of your creamy chocolate drink, letting the warmth coat your taste buds. The bitter sweetness runs down your throat, and he looks up at you with his hazel eyes that make you feel a million different emotions. Except those eyes appear to be utterly lost right now, and you can’t quite figure out what is going on in his mind… BUZZ! The two of you instantly look down at your phone vibrating against the polished wood of the table, and you tilt your head in slight confusion at the unknown number on your screen. As you slowly lean in, you begin to read the surprising text underneath the numbers. [?]: hey y/n its jungkook please can u reply when u get this? i hope its okay that ive texted u – 11:20AM Your eyes begin to widen as the uncomfortable tense feeling in your stomach expands, and you snatch your phone off the table in the hopes that Taehyung didn’t get the chance to read it. Holding the phone in your fumbling hands, you re-read the text over and over again, thinking about how he got your number and why he would be texting you now. The thought of a timorous Jungkook sitting slumped on a bed or sofa staring longingly into his phone sends a pang of sadness through you, and you fight the urge to text back immediately. “Who was that?” Taehyung calmly, but firmly questions. “I-I don’t know, I think it was a wrong number,” you stammer as you shove your phone deep into your coat pocket, hoping he wouldn’t pry anymore. Both of you exchange disconcerting looks, and you try not to give away too much information with your eyes. Taehyung studies your face carefully, watching each and every crevice with intent. He’s usually quick to tell how you’re feeling just by observing your movements and tone in voice, so you put in the extra effort to cover up any suspicious notions. The taut looking boy opposite you breaths in deeply, swishing his head to gaze out of the window. You follow his direction and watch the delicate ginger leaves fall to the ground one after the other, twisting and turning until they get there. He knocks back the last of his drink, wincing as the surprising heat of the liquid hits the back of his throat. The uncertainty of the situation feels salty on your tongue and you want to know why, but it feels like the time to ask those sorts of questions is up. Your eyes lazily fall half shut, the tiresome events catching up to you. “Do you want to head out?” Taehyung softly asks, almost whispering. You’ve been daydreaming into his unfinished carrot cake, the buttercream icing having been smeared on the metallic fork with flecks of rust coloured crumbs speckled on top. The wispy thoughts haven’t been able to leave you alone quite yet, and an annoyance bubbles inside of you. Without answering, you stand up and stretch out your arms. Taehyung takes this as his queue to prepare to leave as well as he re-wraps his comfy scarf around his attractive neck. “Let’s go,” you simply say, taking one last bite off of your fork and a sip of the luke-warm chocolate drink. The two of you silently walk out of the atmospheric café, the books around you speaking to each other about all of the wondrous things they know. As you push open the door, the crisp air bites softly at the tip of your nose and whips around your head. You look over to Taehyung, who seems to be engrossed in the way the leaves are falling mesmerizingly around him. The boy doesn’t need to do much to appear effortlessly beautiful.

Your surroundings feel comfortably silent, and the light sound of the wind rushing around you fills your ears. “Well, I guess I’ll be going back home…” you manage to catch Taehyung’s attention, and he seems to deflate slowly like a balloon that was once full of helium. He quickly moves towards you, wrapping his sturdy arms around your body tightly. You freeze up at the sudden connection, confused as to why he would do this, but then allow yourself to sink securely into place. The sweetness of Tae’s scent makes you feel hazy, and you can’t think straight, your mind only focusing on the love you regrettably feel for this boy. “I’ll see you soon,” he breaths over your ear, nuzzling his head into your shoulder slightly which sends a shiver to zap down your spine. He then parts briskly with a soft smile, and turns to stroll down the concrete street. You wobble on your feet a little, still feeling the warmth that emitted from him moments ago, and you’re not too sure about how to feel. Watching for a few seconds as he disappears around the corner, you turn away and decide to carry yourself back home. The air feels floaty and light, and the cold continues to nip at your exposed face. Taehyung is never obvious about his feelings and always keeps it to himself, no matter how many times you let him know that his thoughts are safe with you. So after this mini meeting, it’s no wonder that you feel utterly lost with the minimal information he’s provided you with. Why are you this way, Taehyung? You delve into the pocket of your coat to find your tangled earphones, and after spending a couple of seconds trying your best to unravel the mess of the wire, you finally manage to get them free and you proceed to plug them haphazardly into your phone. Not before long, you finally reach your house. The walk back was quick, and you had tried not to notice the many couples strolling past you, holding hands and whispering their sweet love to each other. You couldn’t help but feel the all too familiar feeling of jealousy fizz up inside you at the sight of them. Walking inside, you sniff a laugh at the amazing job Tiffany managed to do to your house. The cleanliness feels refreshing, and it helps to clarify your mind a little. “Hello?” you say boldly into the silence of your abode. You look over to the ticking of a clock on a nearby wall, and see the arms signalling that it’s 12 o’ clock. Your parents should be back from work soon, so you take yourself to your room and flop down onto the pillowy material of your bed. Taking a few moments to stare blankly into the vast ceiling above your head, you reach over to where you have placed your phone on your bed-side table and pick it up to send a text. Your hands are shaking a little bit, but you try hard to concentrate on steadying them. [you]: Hey Jungkook, it’s nice to hear from you but I don’t know if texting each other right now would be the best idea after last night – 12:13 PM As much as you like Jungkook, the situation feels too confusing to even try and think about right now. Shutting him down early just seems like the best thing to do. But, you can’t ignore the excitement that has been bubbling in your body for the past twelve hours or so. As much as you try to deny it, you have had a longing for a simple kiss like the one the both of you shared last night.

[jungkook]: maybe its not the best idea but i feel like we need to talk about it instead of ignoring it – 12:17 PM

You guess he’s right. As per usual, you would prefer to ignore the whole circumstance and pretend like nothing ever happened. However, walking around with that feeling just wouldn’t feel settling at all. The hours that have passed by already have been uncomfortable enough, and you don’t want to have these unspoken words floating around your mind forever.

But, what could you do? Surely it would be a slight act of betrayal to meet up with Jungkook seeing as Tiffany has such a large crush on him. You don’t like him as anything more than a friend, though. If you were to see him, it would just be a casual and mutual meeting…

Maybe you could find him around school sometime soon and just clear up anything that needs to be said. You can guess the two of you have quite a few straggled thoughts you’d like to let loose.

For now, you’d have to wait until Monday morning came around, presenting a fresh week for you. You aren’t too sure if you want to have to confront the awkwardness that is obviously there, but you have to. Just then, your phone starts buzzing and a cheesy song rings through the silent room. Panicking, you swivel your eyes over to the screen, expecting to see the name you really didn’t want to see. But to your relief it’s only Tiffany, and you let your shoulders relax at your sides. As soon as you pick up the phone, you start explaining the confusing café meeting with Taehyung to your curious best friend. ______________

Once the bell begins to screech signalling to everyone that fourth period has ended, you leave your English literature class, feeling your hands beginning to get clammy over the thought of bumping into Jungkook. Why on Earth is this making you so nervous? You’ve been cautiously roaming through the school the entire day, scurrying over to your next lesson whilst trying not to make eye contact with any of the students around you.

There’s no reason for me to be this anxious for Christ’s sake!

Stopping to breath for a millisecond, you close your eyes lazily and let your body relax. You’ve let the entire situation get to you way too much now. Feeling your stomach rumbling under your sweater, you decide to head to the cafeteria.

Picking up your usual cheese ciabatta, juice box and fruit pack, you make your way over to pay. As you wait, you let your eyes scatter around the faces filling the room. You shake your head a little, scolding yourself for worrying again.

As you’re wandering back to the study room for the upper students, you bump into a fairly broad and strong body just like in a cliché high school movie. Before you even look up, the strong smell of the sweet cologne jogs your memory, helping you guess who is standing in front of you.

“Hey…Y/N,” a wary voice greets you, and straight away you manage to match the sound to the strikingly cute face of Jungkook. You look up to see his shiny glass eyes staring back into yours, and he clears his throat after a few seconds, blinking profusely whilst trying to find somewhere else to hold his gaze.

“Sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going,” you lightly laugh and shrug your shoulders, receiving a soft smile from the boy. You begin to push past him to escape the tightness of the situation, but manage to snatch that thought up quickly before going through with it, taking a few steps back.

Jungkook’s eyes circuit your face, clearly waiting for you to say something. You wrack your brain for a simple sentence to shoot at him until you finally do. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you, which I guess doesn’t make sense as I haven’t replied to your text…” you rush out rather messily, and a small smile etches into the corner of Jungkook’s soft lips.

“It’s fine honestly, I guess it’s better to talk in person really,” he says lightly, “Shall we walk back together?”

You begin to walk back slowly, managing to keep a comfortable space between the two of you. Although the words that need to be said are circling around on your tongue, none of them are succeeding in coming out. Up until now, you hadn’t realised that Jungkook has been taking you the longer route back round. You glance at him in your peripheral vision to see him looking rather confident, shoulders broad and chin up, not something you’re used to seeing from him.

Turning into a fairly empty corridor, Jungkook slows down his pace which, in turn, slows down yours too. You turn back to see him looking down at his dawdling feet.

“Look Y/N, I’m really sorry for what happened the other night…” Oh no, is he going to confess to something?

“I really didn’t know what I was thinking, but I’ve been meaning to tell you that I-”

Before he can finish his sentence, you awkwardly rush to place your arms around his strong body, trying to hug away the sentence he was going to spill. As much as you want to regret this feeling, you can’t help but feel ever so slightly comfortable in his arms, like you meld perfectly into him.

The two of you freeze for a couple of seconds before he brings you in tighter. Now you feel like you can’t back out. By trying to fix the situation, you’ve only gone and made it so much more complicated.

“It’s all fine, honestly,” you murmur as you push yourself out of his hold, “Just a little… confusing, that’s all.”

A pair of high heels clip-clop down one of the hallways nearby, making you decide it’s time to head back and fast. Without giving him a warning, you carry on your endeavour down the corridor to the student room, hearing his sneakers squeak on the flooring behind you to catch up.

The two of you are welcomed back into the room by loud male voices and a snide look coming from Bella’s pointy face. You screw your eyebrows together lightly, not knowing whether to smile in response. Namjoon and Hoseok whizz their way up to Jungkook and greet him with a slap on the back before noticing you standing by his side. “Oh hey Y/N, how’re you doing?” Namjoon calmly asks, swivelling his eyes carefully between you and Jungkook.

From over Namjoon’s shoulder, you notice Taehyung perk up a little at the sound of your name. He had been sitting with his back to the door when you entered, with Bella chattering away to his face, clearly trying too hard to impress him. You watch as he turns his head around, his stare melting immediately into your eyes. It has only been a few days since you’d seen him, but his beauty feels just as refreshing as ever.

Taehyung’s eyes quickly darken as he notices Jungkook’s sturdy body standing closely by you, and he runs a nervous hand through his soft, shiny locks. For some reason, you find yourself hoping that somewhere in his mind, a green surge of jealousy is digging away.

Bella swings her head from side to side, her bright hair flowing around her face majestically. Her pointy eyebrow arches like a dagger and you quickly divert your eyes from hers. A couple of seconds pass by with no one saying a word, so you decide to take it upon yourself to fix the situation. “Come on then, let’s go join the rest of them!” you say proudly, putting your arms around Hoseok and Jungkook to pull them both forward to the group sitting in the corner.

Taehyung abruptly turns his back to face you again, and you feel slightly taken aback by the harshness of his movement. The atmosphere in the room feels off to you, the dryness in your throat starting to itch. But with some forced energy, you try to ignore it.

“Hey, everyone!” you announce, managing to somehow catch the attention of the well-dressed guys who are mindlessly spinning around on chairs. Each one of them has a unique sense of style, something that is so aesthetically pleasing to you. Next to Jimin, you notice a pretty face surrounded by a mass of mousey brown curly hair staring at you in awe. It’s Tiffany. You have been so distracted by Taehyung that you hadn’t even noticed your best friend hiding away in the corner.

She has her hands clasped to her phone and is looking up at you with a sort of scepticism. A thin layer of cold sweat breaks out on your back, and you hold your breath for a couple of seconds. You guess that she has been watching the entire time.

“Hi, Y/N,” Bella replies through her teeth, “And hello, Kookie.”

Your body cringes at the nickname. Taehyung has told you multiple times that Jungkook is rarely called that, the name only staying safe within their tight friendship group. You look out of the corner of your eye to witness Jungkook’s shoulders tensing slightly, watching as a little puff that resembles a laugh slip through his lips.

Before he can even reply, Bella carries on talking. “So, how are you two? Is this a thing now?” She raises both of her hands to exaggerate her point, causing the rest of the group to look like they’re watching a tennis game, turning their heads carefully to look at the two opposing sides.

You look at her for a couple of seconds, trying to make sense of what she means. Tiffany looks at you with an added awareness of the situation and you shake yourself out of your thoughts.

“What do you-”

“It’s just that I saw the two of you looking rather cosy in the hallway back there,” Bella callously interrupts again, looking straight through you with painfully innocent eyes.