you are sick (and you’re married) byler / 5.1k

“Will, I love you very much,” Max starts, “but there’s no way your weird little coffee shop freak has a girlfriend.”

“His name is Mike,” Will says, because he would know, because he’s the one that’s been writing Mike :) in sharpie on his to-go cups for the last six months, “and he doesn’t have a girlfriend. He has a wife.”

Will’s favorite regular comes in with a girl. Clearly, they’re married.

Answer My Call Chapter 2 Part 2

Happy WIP Wednesday! So last week, we had a tie between Bring Me Home and Answer My Call. The tie breaker didn't come in until Monday after I'd already finished the entire Bring Me Home chapter and half the Answer My Call one.

So y'all will be getting two fic upates today then I'm going to sleep. I'm tired after a full day of work with a call out. XP

If you want a say in next week's update, vote in the poll!

Story Summary: Jazz, Sam, and Tucker manage to help Danny escape the GIW, but they can't follow him and are under too much surveillance to communicate with each other. Sam snuck Danny a phone as he ran and Jazz sends him a text every day, hoping to hear he is all right. But he's not the one getting the texts.

Jason was away for several months on a mission with the Outlaws. When he finally returns home, he is surprised to find dozens of messages from an unknown number begging a Danny to tell her he's okay. Looks like there's not going to be a break between missions this time around.

Chapter 1: AO3 (user locked), Tumblr

Chapter 2: Part 1

Word Count: 1.3k

-----

After the performances—an odd mix where the main band yielded the stage to a poet or an accordionist when they needed a break—Jazz and Todd continued to mingle.

Jazz waited until about fifteen minutes had passed before reaching into her bag to search for her phone. “Todd!” she cried.

“Jazz? What’s wrong?”

“I can’t find my phone! Shit, what time is it?”

Todd pulled out his. “Eleven fifty. Did you have it when we arrived?”

“I don’t know! I haven’t checked it. Where could it have gone?”

One of the other attendees broke into the conversation. “Lost your phone? What does it look like? We can help you look.” She was a woman in her forties or fifties. Next to her was another woman who nodded her agreement.

“Thank you, that’d be great.” It didn’t take much effort to bring tears to her eyes—all she had to do was remember that Danny was still missing. “It’s a Samsung in an unfortunately standard black case. The lock screen has picture of and my brother. My name’s Jazz, by the way. And this is Todd.”

“I’m Mel and this is my wife Jayden. I’m sure we’ll find your phone soon enough.” Then, in a voice loud enough to cut through the chatter, “Oi! Anyone see an unattended phone lying around? Jazz here misplaced hers?”

Even Mel, though, had to admit defeat after half an hour of searching through the entire apartment yielded nothing.

Jazz sat down on the floor and let herself cry. “And by now we’ve missed the last train. I’m sorry, Todd. What a disaster.”

“Hey, no. None of that, now. Tonight’s been a blast. This sucks for sure, but I can get us an uber or something—”

“How far are you kids going?” asked Jayden.

“Too far,” cried Jazz. “I live out of the city. Parked at Alewife and took the red line in.”

Jayden winced. “Well, we parked nearby. Is there somewhere close we can drive you?”

Jazz blinked up at them. “You’d do that?” She turned to Todd. “I just want to go to sleep. Is there a motel nearby we could stay at?”

Todd pulled out his phone and searched. “Looks like there’s a Holiday inn just down the street or a La Quinta that’s a little cheaper just a bit further out.” He smiled ruefully at the women who’d been helping them. “If you could get us to either place, we’d be more than grateful.”

One of the residents, an older man named Rob, took a seat next to them. “Hey, kiddo. What’s your email? We can contact you if anyone finds it.”

Jazz smiled at him gratefully and gave it. If it wasn’t so necessary, she’d feel bad for lying to and worrying all these people. But they were in so much danger. To the women, she said, “Would the La Quinta be too far out of the way? If I end up having to get a new phone, I’d like to save as much money as possible. Thank God I still have my wallet.”

“Sweetie, it’s totally fine,” assured Mel. “We’d take you all the way home if we didn’t live on the opposite side of the city.”

“Thank you, but that’s really okay. I just want to go to bed and worry about it tomorrow.”

“Come on, dear.” Mel reached out a hand to help Jazz up. “Let’s get you cleaned up then we’ll be on our way.”

Jazz thanked Rob for his help before Mel led her towards the bathroom with an arm around her shoulder.

Less than forty minutes later, Todd and Jazz were alone in a hotel room together. She pulled the blinds shut and finally let herself relax.

When she turned back to the room, Todd was looking at her with one eyebrow raised. “Want to explain to me what all of”—he threw out his hands—“that was about?”

Jazz glared back at him. “You didn’t tell me you died! Damn it, if I’d known in advance—!” she cut herself off and took a deep breath. “Never mind. What’s done is done.”

Todd was deadly still. “How do you know that?”

Jazz threw her hands in the air. “It’s obvious to anyone who knows how to tell. Including the Guys in White who I told you are dangerous to ghosts and liminals! I had plans for what I’d say when they found us, but those won’t work if you’re dead!”

“Wait.” Todd held up his hands. “You’re saying I can be persecuted under those Anti-Ecto acts?”

“Yes! You’re more ghostly than me, and I am watched every minute of every day.”

Todd narrowed his eyes and stared at her for a moment before asking, “Have you heard of Lazarus Water or had any dealings with the League of Assassins?”

“No! I have no idea what you’re talking about. Quit changing the subject. My brother is the only thing that matters and you and Red Robin promised to help me find him.”

“That’s what I’m trying to do!” Jason’s eyes flashed green, and Jazz glared right back at him. “The League of Assassins are the ones who brought me back to life with Lazarus Water. I need to know if you and your brother are mixed up with them because that would change our approach. If it’s a rogue government agency, that’s one thing. If it’s also the league, we’ve got a whole set of other problems.”

Jazz sat down heavily on one of the bed. “Oh. Sorry, I didn’t— It’s been a long few months. After a long few years.”

Todd sat down across from her and nodded for her to continue. “Tell me what happened.”

“It started three years ago. My parents, they’re ghost hunters. Been building weapons to detect and hunt ghosts since before I was born. But three years ago is when they finally finished their life’s work: the ghost portal. Only it didn’t work at first. Then my brother Danny and his friends decided to be stupid. They went to check it out. I wasn’t there and the three of them don’t talk about it, but something happened down there that day.

“My brother died and the portal was working. Only, he didn’t die all the way. He became half-ghost, half-human. And that would have been bad enough, but with the portal open, ghosts came through from the Infinite Realms, sometimes called the Ghost Zone by humans. Some were benign, but many of them came to cause problems or hurt people. Danny stopped them.”

Todd held up a hand to stop her. “Your brother became a supehero? How didn’t the Justice League hear about this? How old was he?”

Jazz shrugged. “I don’t know about the Justice League. It could be that no one ever contacted them. It could be they didn’t believe us. And it could be that no one cared. Danny felt responsible though, since it was his fault the portal turned on. And he was the only one with the ability to stop the ghosts, so…” She held up her hands in a what-can-you-do gesture.

Todd closed his eyes and let out a careful breath. “I can guarantee you the JL didn’t know about your town. A fourteen-year-old would never have been left alone to monitor an interdimensional portal if we had.”

Jazz had no idea what she thought of that. Danny had done it all alone. So finding out he could have had help? She shook her head. What-ifs were a waste of time. “Well, he did. But the government didn’t like that a ghost was the main defense against ghosts. So the Ghost Investigation Ward, more commonly called the Guys in White or GIW was formed. At first, they were as incompetent as any other ghost hunter. But they didn’t stay that way.”

“What happened to your brother, Jazz?” asked Todd.

-----

Next

Sorry to end it there. But it's the right length and I need to go to bed. XP

Hope you enjoy!

I no longer do tag lists, but please check out the Subscription Post if you want notifications when I update.

Not much to say about this one. When I went to the event at this location, my friend and I very nearly missed the last train. It was pulling into the station as we entered. If we'd been 2 or 3 minutes later, we would've been stranded so far from my car, I don't even want to know what that uber or cab would've cost.

Luckily Jazz and Jason had a few good Samaritans nearby.

Next up: We learn more about what happened to Danny!

Just Like Rain / chapter 2 of 2

fwb!jeno x fem!reader  - 6.8k

sum: your friends with benefits relationship is great, but as life would have it, you start to realise that there’s more to it than that. (ft meddling kids Ningning and Chenle)

warnings: swearing, mentions of guns (laser tag), slight angst, fluff, smut (MINORS DNI); fingering, unprotected sex (be safe!), penetrative sex

song recs: Distance - Christina Perri, Blame Me - Monsta X

A/N: a little softer than ch 1, i hope you enjoy, thanks for all the love on the fic so far!

Chapter 1

Taglist: @girlwithimaginarybiaslist

You fall back into your somewhat routine the next week. (Sunday, Jeno leaves after making you a cup of coffee just before one of your roommates wakes up.) On Monday you sit in class together, but actually pay attention to the lecture yet you’re still aware of the way his arm occasionally brushes against yours and stays there. Tuesday you’re at the library, Chenle sitting opposite you and narrowing his eyes at you when Jeno leans over and asks you about one of the assignments. You answer him, feeling Chenle’s inquisitorial glare laser beaming at you. Wednesday you don’t see Jeno and you notice that you feel something about it as you walk back to your place from campus.

(Was it disappointment?)

Thursday you let him pull you down to the basement stairs and you stay there for a while, making out and it makes your head empty, solely focused on the way his lips feel on yours and the way his hand snakes up under your shirt to hold your bare waist.

You sit at home, that Thursday, attempting to read a textbook on your laptop but finding your eyes make the lines on the page blur together. Mentally you were at that staircase, feeling the chilled greyness of the underground surrounding you like a tomb but letting Jeno set you on fire. Maybe you were overthinking. No, you definitely were overthinking but was it justified? Jeno hadn’t been acting differently after last weekend but you felt like something was different. Was it just you?

“Hey!” You hear from the hallway as your front door slams shut. One of your roommates, Ningning, waltzes into the living room, waving a to-go coffee cup in her hand like a wand. “YN, just the hermit I was looking for!” She smiles.

“Well hello to you too,” you say, bemused. She flounces around cutely like a little fairy to stand in front of your spot on the couch.

“You shall go to the ball, my dear.” She bonks the coffee cup on the top of your head gently. You raise your eyebrows. What is she talking about? She sees your confusion and giggles. “Have I got the offer for you!”

“Hon, I’m not sure you do.” You say sceptically. “What’s up?” You ask anyway.

“I got you a blind date and he is so your type!” She exclaims. She most certainly seems more excited about it then you feel. The words ‘blind date’ send a wave of nausea over you and you close your laptop, looking up at Ningning, who is anticipating your reaction eagerly.

“I have a type?” You ask, completely unaware of where her claim had originated from. Her face falls when you don’t start jumping up and down too.

“Aren’t you excited?”

She has no idea about your arrangement with Jeno, usually being out of the apartment when he’s in it. It’s quite uncanny how you managed to keep both of your roommates in the dark about him, surely they’ve noticed signs of him being there - an extra empty cup or plate at the sink or even the scent of his body spray or cologne?

“Listen, honey, I really appreciate you trying and thank you, it’s just that,” you sigh, looking for the right words. I may be in love with Jeno, you brain finishes for you. Shut up. “I’m not really in the mood to go on a date.”

“Are you sure? You didn’t even hear about him, he’s really fun, I’m sure you’d like him.” She pouts, trying to tug at your heartstrings. She’s giving you the puppy eyes and you’re about to break; you can’t say no to your friend, so you don’t.

“I’ll consider it,” you concede, the words uncomfortably leaving your mouth, and you realise it bothers you. Like the taste of Renjun’s mouldy cheese. Ningning grins, victorious.

“I’ll let him know you’re interested.” And with that she leaves you alone.

But you’re not interested, you’re horrified at what you just did. Granted you hadn’t actually agreed but you’d let yourself almost give in. In your mind you felt like it was wrong; you were sort of seeing Jeno, even though you had agreed to be open to breaking it off to see other people. But you didn’t want to break it off. Not in the slightest.

“Shit,” you whispered to yourself.

***

It’s Friday and you and Jeno are lying in your bed, still buzzed from round 2, chests heaving and hair slicked with sweat. You feel him shift so he’s lying on his side to look at you. A large hand comes to rest on your waist and you feel its weight, his skin on yours and it makes you a little warm. His fingers stroke patterns on your side, the gentleness of the gesture becoming a disparity with the sensation of his cum leaking out of you.

“Penny for your thoughts?” He asks quietly. You feel a little unnerved at how easily he reads you. You stay silent for a moment. “I can practically hear you thinking.” He squeezes your waist. “Do you want to talk about it?”

You turn to him and freeze at the expression on his face. You hadn’t seen that one before. It feels like he’s watching you but there’s something more to it; like he’s really seeing you for the first time. You mentally shrink back, feeling exposed. You play it off, thinking it’s just your imagination.

For a moment you think about spilling about Ningning’s offer but you don’t say it.

“Are you busy tomorrow?” You hear yourself ask. The question lingers unanswered for a few milliseconds. You think Jeno might be surprised to hear it. “You want to do something?”

Jeno’s ears perk up and a playful smirk appears on his face.

“Did I not fuck you well enough just now, or do you just want more?” He shuffles closer to watch your face. Your mind is blank as he stares at you, eyes focused and intense on yours. You recall the previous maybe hour you spent in various positions, doing various things and receiving various types of orgasms. You gulp at the suggestion of doing it all again.

“You did, I meant maybe hang out and do something else?” You say carefully. You see the realisation travel across his face and he nods.

“Do you know how to ride a bike?” He asks after some consideration.

“What kind of question is that? Of course I can.” You practically scoff. “Why?”

“Let’s go for a bike ride then, come to mine and we’ll go from there.”

*

You’d only been to Jeno’s apartment a few times, usually when Jaemin was visiting his parents or something just so you didn’t freak him out. You knocked on the door, around eleven in the morning, in some random semi sporty clothes because you’d ransacked your closet and realised that you’d neglected the genre of clothing described as ‘athleisure wear’.

To your surprise it’s Jaemin that opens the door and seems mildly amused to see you here.

“Morning, come in.”

“Thanks,” you walk in and it’s exactly as you’d seen it before. The living room was neat, the kitchen table was spick and span and there was a tinge of Febreze in the air. You hear the tap running and notice Jeno is at the sink, scrubbing at some pot or other. He greets you over his shoulder, still dressed in his pyjama top but otherwise ready.          

You had to convince yourself this was the same Jeno that smirked as he scissored you open, that bent you over your desk, that fucked you into oblivion several times a week. Here he was, fluffy hair, pink rubber gloves and glasses, washing the dishes diligently and humming to some song that was playing on the tiny speaker on the table.    

“So what are you guys going to do today?” Jaemin asks as he sips on some coffee, the mug in his hand resembling more a bucket than a cup.

“We’re going on a bike ride, can YN borrow your bike, Jaem? It’s been a while since it’s been used anyway, it deserves a day out.” Jeno throws a glance in Jaemin’s direction. Jaemin is still, lips hovering over the cup. He seems to live through something in his head in the span of several seconds.

“Sexy.” He says in approval, sipping in thought. He walks past you to get to his room, whispering a quiet “Godspeed.” As he passes. You stare after him, confused, but you shrug it off. Jaemin is Jaemin, you were used to it. He usually made no sense and too much sense depending on how you looked at it.

You waited for Jeno to change his shirt and set off to find the bikes in the basement. You were expecting some normal bikes, not the fancy ass industrial beasts you found waiting for you. You gulped, taking it in.

“Don’t look so scared, we won’t go far if you don’t want to.” Jeno chuckles at your expression.

Turns out not ‘far’ means four kilometres without a break. Jeno checked up on you as you trailed behind him, managing to work out the gears to minimise your effort but still huffing in effort as you pedalled to catch up. He’d asked you if you wanted to take a break several times but stubbornly you said you were fine and kept going.

It was around past noon now and you were getting tired. Jeno suggested you stop and take a break, pretty insisting when he saw your state as you stood on some park path. You let the bike rest and sat on the ground, suddenly unable to stand.

“Why didn’t you say you were tired, we could have gone back around and went home.” Jeno squats next to you, assessing your face under your helmet. You’re sure you’re sweaty and gross but it doesn’t stop the way he touches your cheek with concern.

“I wasn’t that tired, but now I am.” you admit. It had been a good distraction however, you’d let your mind empty, pedalling as if it was meditation.

“Let’s go, I’ll call Chenle and he can pick us up with the car, we can attach the bikes-”

“No, oh my god, it’s fine, don’t bother him, we can walk back.” You struggle to get up and Jeno catches your hand to steady you. You’re upright and determined not to get Chenle involved; you couldn’t bear his analysing stare, as if he was solving the mystery of your relationship.  

You drink some water from the water bottles you’d attached to the bike and set off. After a while, Jeno stops you outside a convenience store and tells you to wait for him. You sigh and do as he asked. He emerges bearing a couple of ice cream cones, one in each hand and he smiles as you look up at him.

“Here, thought it might motivate you to keep going.” He offers you the slightly fuller cone and you accept it, unable to help the smile that spreads over your face. He was so damn sweet sometimes that it was sickly. Sickly only because he pulled the sort of shit that boyfriends usually do, and he wasn’t your boyfriend.

“Thanks, Jen,” you say and take a tentative lick at the ice cream. It’s a mixture of vanilla and strawberry.

“I don’t usually get strawberry ‘cause Jaemin hates it,” he says offhandedly as he licks at his own ice cream. His expression is content, smiling cutely at the ice cream and you feel your heart seizing. You hear Ningning’s voice in your head; ‘blind date’ it echoes and you take a bite of your ice cream, letting the cold shake you and frost over your brain. You let out a squeal at the brain freeze, severely underestimating it. You and Jeno make eye contact and crack up instantly, laughing loudly.

You liked this, you realise. Liked being around Jeno, hanging out and doing other stuff. It did feel like a date, in your brain you knew it wasn’t and was probably not that great as far as dates went (it was a bike ride from hell) but you didn’t care. You just wanted to be with Jeno, that was enough.

*

You arrive home, exhausted, muscles aching (but then again usually if you could walk properly, Jeno felt like he hadn’t done his best) but smiling to yourself as you throw off your hoodie and sink onto the couch. As if on cue, your peace is interrupted by a door bursting open. You prepare yourself, intuitively.

Ningning jumps on the couch next to you and watches you, eyes narrowed.

“Where were you? I was looking for you.”

“Out.” You shrug. She gives you a nudge on the arm.

“On a Saturday? With who? C’mon, tell me!” She practically bounces in anticipation. Sometimes you wonder how she has this much energy. Maybe it was just your exhaustion sneering at you.

“With Jeno, we just went on a bike ride.” Ningning frowns as you don’t care to supply details. She’s quiet for a minute and you think she’s just about giving up.

“Jeno, as in the guy that you sneak in and out of our apartment and expect us to never know about it?”

You stare at her, deer in the headlights, unable to deny it. She looks at you pointedly, then inspects her nails. (They’re perfectly manicured with a shiny pink coat of polish and little add-on stars.)

“How did you-”

“I’m not stupid you know, I knew there was someone coming here, but I wasn’t sure who it was until last week when I bumped into him in the kitchen at 3am.”

“You what? Hang on-” you stop short, processing it all with your lagging brain. Jeno hadn’t mentioned to you that he’d been sighted, caught or whatever.

“Also, Chenle told me.” She adds sheepishly. Motherfucker, he had known something!

“What did he say?” You demand, suddenly alert.

“Um,” she hums tentatively, keeping you on edge for another agonising second. “He mentioned there was something going on between you two, asked if I’d seen anything sus.”

“And what? You had? I swear you were always out, I only brought him if I was sure you were out-”

“YN, why were you trying so hard to keep him a secret?” She asks gently, face softening as she looked you. She looked a little sad, you realise. Was she mad at you for not telling her?

“I just did, I don’t really know, it felt weird, ‘cause you sorta know him, and he’s not my boyfriend so what do I introduce him as?” You shake your head, deflating like one of those car wash tube men. Ningning snorts, eyebrows shooting up comically. You almost get offended by her reaction.

“It’s funny,” she says, pursing her lips. “‘Cause that’s exactly what he introduced himself as.”

The two ends of the wire meet in your brain and sparks fly as you realise what Ningning just told you. Jeno introduced himself as your boyfriend? He did that? You search for a rational explanation, considering possibilities - he could have just been flustered and said it without thinking, or maybe he knew that it would be the least awkward thing to do at 3am when he’d been found out by your roommate.

“Hey wait a minute-” you whip around to Ningning and she stiffens, as if she knows what you’re about to say. “If you knew I liked Jeno, then why did you suggest the blind date?”

“Aha! So you admit it, you like Jeno!” She grins, pointing a manicured finger at you.

“Don’t change the subject, madam.” You warn, feeling your face heat up.

“Okay, okay, it was a trick, there’s no blind date, we just wanted to see if you’d finally tell the truth.”

“‘We’?” you repeat. You had a feeling you knew who party number two was, but you wanted to hear it from Ningning.

“Chenle and I,” she mumbles. “It was his idea, I just wanted to talk to you about it but he thought it would be fun.” Suddenly she was abandoning ship, letting Chenle walk the plank alone. You weren’t mad, not actually, just annoyed. You wished that your friends hadn’t taken an interest in your business, wished you didn’t have to sneak around your friends awkwardly, but you mostly wished that you’d just dated Jeno normally from the start.

The thought makes you sigh too loudly. You’d been confident that you’d be cool, like last time, just having a good time with a friend, sure that it would only last a few months and then you’d be on your merry way. You thought you’d just be passing ships in each others’ lives.

But his smile permeated through your every day, his presence had burrowed itself in your heart and now you didn’t want to let go of it. You wanted to be around him, breathing the same air as he was, doing the cute things that friends didn’t. You felt like you were finally putting the pieces together, your great big dinosaur skeleton nearing completion and you could just about make out the shape of it…

***      

The neon lights were illuminating your path as you skirted around the various walls in place, keeping your stance low, footsteps almost completely silent. You were in one of the hot zones and it was only a matter of time until you had to open fire or someone opened fire on you.

It was Friday night again and you and Jeno’s usual plan had been substituted by your friends asking if you wanted to go to a group laser tag session. The answer had surprisingly been a unanimous yes. You were a tiny bit peeved that you weren’t busy getting your back blown out but were instead getting a totally different work out.

So far you’d hidden for a while, crouching under a makeshift hill under one of the catwalk tunnels above you. There were tunnels on the ground level and different sized walls and slabs of cement you could use as cover. You were playing a team game where the objective was not only to get as many of the opposite team ‘out’ but also to capture their flag, which was hidden somewhere around the warehouse’s terrain.

You were chosen as your team’s distraction; you had to take away the attention from your team mates and tank all the shots so you were effectively wandering around waiting to be caught out. Your team mates were thankfully good at hiding; you had Ningning, Sungchan, Mark and Renjun on your team, though you weren’t sure how Sungchan was managing to hide so well being that he was as tall as a baby giraffe. The opposite team was composed of Chenle, Jeno, Shotaro, Jisung and Haechan whilst Jaemin had opted to stay home and catch up on a soap opera. You didn’t blame him; getting to the laser tag place had been chaotic enough, you were sure he’d foreseen the potential of the chaos being uncontrollable and deciding to save himself.  

You’d been sure you’d been seen as you ducked behind a tall slab of concrete. You thought you’d caught a glimpse of Jisung trying to follow you through a tunnel after but had ran through to the other side alone. Now you were in almost darkness, a red neon light above your head being the only source of light in that particular crook of the maze-like building. You were about to move out but heard the unmistakeable sound of footsteps getting closer. You raised your laser gun, finger resting on the trigger.

A figure rounded the corner and you almost ‘tagged’ him but stopped at the last second. It was Jeno.

“Oh, it’s just you.” He had his guard up too but as soon as he saw you he relaxed, lowering his gun down.

“Yeah, it’s me but why didn’t you tag me?” You mirror his lowered weapon. He shrugs, small smile spreading across his face.

“That wouldn’t be very fun, would it?” He steps closer and backs you up against the wall. You watch him as the red neon light casts shadows across his face and the red colours him. You fight the urge to wrap your arms around his shoulders and pull him closer.

“Guess you’re not that competitive are you?” You call his bluff. Suddenly he’s closer than you originally thought and you feel his breath fanning across your lips as he leans into you.

“Not any more competitive than you are, angel.” He whispers before closing that single inch between you and you feel his mouth on yours.

Angel, the word echoes in your mind, that’s a new one. It thrums through your body and the warmth seeps into your bones as you kiss him back. You feel his empty hand at the back of your neck, holding you to him and you remember where you are right now. You push him away gently, your body out of synch as your lips chase his even as your hand makes contact with the plastic plate harness on his chest.

“You should go before I tag you.” You say to him. He’s still standing a little too close and you still, feeling stuck to your spot, knowing that you have to move but having no desire to follow through.

“You’re not going to tag me,” he says confidently, and you know deep down you weren’t. It was the look in his eyes that disarms you and you lean into him again and kiss him.

You feel his empty hand slide down your body and raise your jean skirt to hook a couple of fingers  on the waistband of your underwear. You feel a rush of heat running straight through you and landing in your core as you realise what he’s about to do. Jeno’s fingers start to pull the material down as his mouth moves against yours, and it shocks you how turned on you are, the anxiety of getting caught dissipating as your panties hit the ground.

Jeno breaks off the kiss to pick them up and puts them in your jacket pocket. Your skirt had fallen into place again but it was still fairly short and you felt a little exposed. The game was almost over though, so you didn’t care.  

“What was that for?” You murmur against him when he stands up straight again.

“They were in the way.” And you figure out what he means as he pushes you against the wall and hikes one of your legs up to rest against his hip, your tip toes barely reaching the ground. His body is covering yours so if anyone walked past they wouldn’t see anything. He kisses you again and swallows the light moan you release when his fingers make contact with your clit. You feel him spread the wetness around and you start to float away with the pleasure.

Jeno’s fingers make quick work of you, teasing you only minimally before dipping into your tight hole and pumping slowly, the squelch of your arousal making his ears perk up. He takes a break from having his tongue down your throat to tease you about it.

“You’re dripping, baby. Does it turn you on to know that anyone could walk in and see my fingers stretch you open?” His words make you whine quietly, your hips moving of their own accord, trying to fuck yourself on his fingers and it feels heavenly, like you were in the right place at the right time and nothing could ruin this. “Look at you humping my fingers like a little slut,” he whispers against your lips and it’s too much.

You feel Jeno still your hips and use his hand to attack your clit, knowing exactly how to make your body react in the fastest way. You bite your lip to stop the mewls escaping and hold on to his shoulder as he pushes you towards the edge. It’s embarrassing how fast you come, gushing onto his hand as your eyes roll to the back of your head.

He holds you upright as you come down, your chest heaving, and  he presses a soft kiss to your cheek. You think it’s over but he brings his sticky fingers up to his mouth, merely centimetres from your own and licks them clean, sucking with delight as if he was tasting water in a drought.

“So fucking sweet,” he presses a kiss to your lips and you taste yourself. And it all feels like a fever dream as the red light streams all around you. “I wish I could fuck your pretty little cunt, but that’s going to have to wait.” He mutters in afterthought.

A siren blasts from somewhere across the arena but it’s muffled from where you’re standing. (That and your head is swimming from how hard you came.) It’s the five minute warning until the game is over, which meant that this whole incident had only taken a grand total of about three minutes (again, embarrassingly quick).

You kiss him one last time then land your feet on the ground. Suddenly the magic is broken and reality hits you; there you are in the middle of a laser tag ground, thighs sticky with cum and only a short skirt covering your bare ass.

You scramble to get your panties from your jacket pocket as Jeno strokes your hair in amusement.

“Not helping.” You hiss, blush intensified by the red light above you as you hastily throw them on.  

“Sorry, love.” But you miss the word as you hear an explosion of yells and shouts just outside the crook of the room and you step around Jeno, ready to run away but he catches your wrist, then tangles his hand with yours and starts running with you.

The two of your are running away from them as the yells got closer and you have no idea where you’re going or why you’re holding hands with the enemy but you let the excitement thrill you as you go. You’re running and you look down at your entwined hands and decide on something.      

You wanted to love Jeno, for real.

*

The game ended with a twist; after you and Jeno had run away and headed into a tunnel, he’d directly led you past where his team was holding the flag and unconsciously let you win. You hadn’t been the one to take the flag but the first runner after you two; Renjun had seized the flag as soon as he had laid eyes on it then proceeded to yell about it.

You weren’t sure if anyone had seen you two actually running away together but it was over now, no need to worry about it. As soon as the siren signalled a winner, you ran straight to the bathroom before the harsh lights could illuminate your dishevelled state. Ningning had joined you after a minute, cocking an eyebrow at your reflection suspiciously but saying nothing. (The mirror was kind and you didn’t seem too bad; lips only slightly puffy and hair ever so slightly out of place, but you could blame it on the running.)  

Now you were separating, the group going their own ways outside the laser tag place. Chenle  and Renjun were going to take Mark, Haechan and Jisung home whilst Shotaro and Sungchan said they might take the bus to their place, which left you, Jeno and Ningning with them.

“We could share a cab instead.” Sungchan suggested to you and Ningning after the carpoolers had gone. “How about you, Jeno?”

“I’m going to the store, I need to buy some stuff, you guys go ahead.” He says.

“Oh, the store, YN! I totally forgot, can you go buy some stuff for me?” You stare at Ningning. What was she playing at? She didn’t miss a beat, she didn’t miss the slight pout, she didn’t miss the tiny, begging lilt in her voice. “I don’t feel so great after all that running around. Will you?” She smiles and looks you in the eye, silently affirming what you suspected.

You could hand her an Oscar right there on the street.

You’re aware of Sungchan and Shotaro, puppy like head tilts and wide eyes to your side, whilst Jeno’s eyebrows are raised in question. You force a smile and hum in agreement.

“Sure, hon, text me a list. Jeno, let’s go.” You say your goodbyes to the remaining three and take off in what you intuitively felt was the right direction. You walk ahead, waiting for Jeno to catch up with his quick step.

“Slow down,” he huffs. He’s next to you in seconds, not actually out of breath. You think he says it for your sake. “The store won’t close.”

“I know.” You say and walk. It’s already dark out, and you close your jacket around yourself a little, feeling the slight chill of the night. Jeno doesn’t press but walks next to you silently.

After a while you get to the store, amazed that you had gotten the direction right. You wonder if Ningning actually wanted something or she just wanted to make you hang out with Jeno a little longer, but you were pretty sure it was the latter; if the twinkle in her eye didn’t lie.

Your phone buzzes in your pocket and you open it. The text from Ningning leaves you speechless.

“Sike! I don’t need anything but if you want, buy some chocolate :3 And condoms. Then use them, I don’t want to see you home until tomorrow xoxo <3”

Your mouth hangs open and you realise that you’ve stopped in the middle of the parking lot and you feel Jeno’s eyes on you. You turn your head and he pretends he wasn’t looking. You make an inquisitorial face at him.

“I didn’t see anything, if you didn’t want me to.” He purses his lips.

“I don’t know why you’re surprised. She told me she saw you at our apartment. She’s onto us.”

“She told you about it?”

“Why? Was it a state secret? She just said she saw you, that’s all.” You lie, but it wasn’t entirely intentional. You just didn’t feel it was the right time to quiz him about introducing himself as your boyfriend in the middle of a parking lot.

“Well, if she doesn’t want to see you until tomorrow, I got a place you can crash. And maybe we can finish what we started…” He’s trying to be inconspicuous about it but you feel the slight hope in his voice. You tended not to sleep at each other’s places since it felt a little too intimate but there had been exceptions (read, your incredible alcohol intake attempt).

“Are you sure?” Your mind wanders to Jaemin and if it would disturb him too much. Jeno senses what you’re thinking.

“It’s totally okay.” He reassures you.

*

You buy the chocolate out of spite and can’t resist a pack of condoms to complete the list, despite you and Jeno having had agreed to get tested and were using your pills as birth control. He looks over at you, bemused, as you use the self-check out machine next to him. He doesn’t say anything but you find yourself thinking about the Mona Lisa smile playing on his lips.

You take the bus to his and Jaemin’s, sitting near the back, shoulders touching and looking through the window as it starts to rain. You watch a few drops patter quietly across the surface and slide down slowly and lump together all of a sudden, gravity taking its course. You thought it was like that; falling for Jeno - you were just a drop and gravity had helped you find your way to him, and suddenly you were too intertwined.

When you enter the apartment on the fourth floor for some reason you expect to see Jaemin watching TV on the couch but he’s not there. It’s semi late and you think he’s probably going to sleep soon. It feels odd when you help Jeno put away some of the few groceries he bought. Somewhere in the back of your mind you think, what if this could be you and him for real?

“I’m going to text him just to let him know you’re staying.” Jeno says after you’re headed to his room. You feel a little out of place as you take in his room; there’s a desk with a gaming chair and a big computer situated just under it and the monitor fitted on the desk nicely. You’d been there a while ago but he’d changed the placement of the desk to face the wall instead of the window adjacent to the bed.

Jeno lends you a big t-shirt to sleep in and you thank him, going to the bathroom. He gives you a new toothbrush and you feel a pang of happiness going straight to your gut. Here you were, invited into his world, equipped with your very own toothbrush whilst wearing his clothes. You see yourself smiling in the mirror and you silently thank Ningning, her big brain and her aptitude for mischief.  

*

You don’t know why it keeps going but you soon realise it’s inevitable. You were basically excavating fossils at this point with the amount of stuff that just kept happening. It was all so much; you were feeling so much.

The way you felt when Jeno adjusted the duvet over you both. The quiet ‘goodnight’ when he turned off the bedside lamp. The ten agonising minutes you spent in silence, trying to fall asleep only to turn to each other and forget sleeping. The way his lips roamed over your skin and didn’t hesitate to leave a mark on the soft skin of your neck. The way he thrust into you slowly, languidly, as if you had the entire night and it hits you that for the first time, you actually did.

The softness gives you whiplash because only hours ago you’d been getting your guts rearranged manually whilst you kissed Jeno hungrily, devouring him at the laser tag place. But here, in his room, it was different.  

You kiss him with so much want and you’re so aware of it, this vulnerability, but you don’t say anything, you let your actions speak for themselves. It feels like a breaking point and you’re worried about the sun breaking tomorrow, but you push the fear away.

Jeno slides a hand up to cup your cheek and he bites your lip, gentle but provocative as his cock hits a particularly deep spot that makes you gasp into his mouth. You’re grabbing at his shoulders, wishing he would go a little faster, a little harder, his bed seems sturdy and you reckon it won’t creek, or at least not that much, but he smiles into the kiss, keeping the slow, sensual roll of his hips against yours and drawing a quiet moan from you.

You’re not aware of exactly what comes out of your mouth but it’s a mixture of moans, pleases and a variety of expletives as you get closer and closer to your orgasm. The whole time you’d both been quiet, moving slowly under his covers, Jeno keeping his mouth on yours or groaning quietly in your ear, but you could barely remember to keep your voice down as the pleasure became too much.  

You don’t dare voice it in your mind but you think that this is what people talk about when they wistfully refer to ‘making love’ instead of fucking and to think you used to scoff at those people and think they’re just saying things and being weird to create a distinction (because people do just say anything). But perhaps, they might have been talking about a real thing…

*

It’s when you wake up next to him, in his arms, that the floodgates really open. You’ve barely opened your eyes but you’re hyperaware of your surroundings. Jeno’s still asleep, an arm around you as you lie against his chest, and you can hear his heartbeat, steady as he dreams on. You’re warm and cozy and you never want to leave and it’s overwhelming. The thought makes a tight knot appear in your chest and you feel the tears pooling in your eyes. You sniffle and gently bury yourself closer to him, using his shoulder as a pillow.

You feel the arm around you move, his hand coming to rest on your shoulder and you know he’s awake. You shift ever so slightly to hide your face a little more as one stray tear makes its way down your cheek without your approval.  

“Morning.” His voice is still laced with sleep and the deep vibrations from his chest resonate into your head.

“Hi.” You don’t trust yourself to breathe out more than one syllable. Jeno, the ever observant mind reader, notices you’re a little weird.

“Are you okay? Did you sleep alright?” He asks, a little more life in his voice. You nod slightly. You feel yourself moving and you realise he’s trying to manoeuvre you to lie next to him on the pillow. You realise there’s no way to hide it and move on your own accord. He sees your face and his eyes widen in panic. “What’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?” A hand comes up to your cheek and Jeno caresses the tear line away with his thumb. The gesture is so soft and it breaks your heart a little.

“Why did you tell Ningning you were my boyfriend?” You say the first thing that comes into your mind, like word vomit and you don’t even realise how strange it must be for Jeno. Here he is, waking up next to his friend that he fucks on occasion and she wakes up crying and asks him a random question about something that he didn’t even think she knew about.

He thinks for a moment, contemplating answers no doubt, hand still resting on your face. He hums slightly before answering.

“It felt like the right thing to do, at the time.” He says carefully.

“But it was a lie. We’re just friends.” You can’t help the quiet disappointment in your voice as you say it. You were so close to saying something else, something more, it was on the tip of your tongue, your completed dinosaur waiting to be exhibited at a museum.

But instead it’s Jeno who unveils the specimen.

“We’re not just friends and you know it.”

And you see it through blurry eyes; it’s beautiful, it stands several feet tall, a full skeleton propped up with bars, bolts and wires and Jeno is there in front of you, looking at you, holding a name plaque and you squint hard trying to make out what it says.

It surfaces with crystal clear clarity.

Love.

“We aren’t, you’re right. I love you too much to only call you a friend.” You pause, processing the revelation. He must have felt it too. You look at him and he’s smiling.

“So then is it okay to say I love you, even if you can hear me?” You feel Jeno shift closer to you, watching your reaction. You look into his eyes and suddenly remember something; it’s buried in the deepest, darkest depths of your mind, where memories go into hibernation, usually due to alcohol consumption, and you hear his voice echoing, the sound faraway as a car engine murmurs in the background. “Maybe you did hear me, then.” He smiles at the recognition on your face.

“Why didn’t you say something?” You ask.

“Why didn’t you say something?” He counters. You can’t help the slight chuckle that bubble up in your chest.

“Guess we’re both a little silly, huh.”

“Yeah, but I feel like our trajectory would have eventually landed us here anyway. Even if we are cowards. Safe for no blind dates…” he trails off and you can tell he’s biting back a laugh. You scrunch your eyes closed, cringing at the memory.

“You heard about that?”

“Chenle let it slip at the party. You know the way Doofenschmirtz wants to proudly tell Perry what his plan is? I told Chenle to knock it off.”

“Well, Ningning still asked me and all I could think about was how much I wanted to stay with you.” You shuffle a little closer. He moves to meet you halfway and you realise you’re nose to nose.

“So stay with me.” Jeno mumbles and pulls you into a kiss. You get impossibly closer and it feels incredibly right; unsure of where you end and he begins, just like the rain from yesterday.  

***

*copyright 2021 © momobani

WIP Wednesday - 04/20

A late WIP Weds because I'm crying my eyes out as I'm writing this so I need to inflict it upon others. From a NHS/JC/QinSu fic I'm writing of them months after they've successfully taken down JGY.

~~

“Neither of you should be here,” Nie Huaisang muttered again. “You have sects to manage, just... leave me be.”

Jiang Cheng looked like he wanted to hit something, and Qin Su gave him credit for the restraint he exhibited by holding his hands at his sides. “Our sects can live without us for a few days,” she offered. “I think you need us more than they do right now.”

“Why are you so miserable,” Jiang Cheng ground out, “after everything we did? We won.”

Qin Su worried the words might make Nie Huaisang retreat, but they did the opposite. His eyes filled with anger and tears. “I thought we had... but I don't think I won after all.” The hand in hers began to tremble, but she refused to let go. “Parts of Da-ge's body are still out there and I'm never going to find them. His spirit is still torn apart, and he's never going to be reborn. And worst of all-” Nie Huaisang's voice broke with a sob that shook his entire body.

She wiped at his tears even as more fell. Jiang Cheng remained in place – he'd never been good at dealing with emotions, not his own and especially not others', but he never left their side. “What's worst of all, A-Sang?” she asked, knowing that whatever it was, it was something he needed to say aloud if he was to heal.

Nie Huaisang's eyes looked into hers as if begging for forgiveness. “Worst of all... I miss him.”

“Of course you miss Nie Mingjue,” Jiang Cheng said. “You'll always miss him-”

“No.” Qin Su didn't want to interrupt him, but Nie Huaisang's words had pierced into her soul. She knew he hadn't meant Nie Mingjue – she knew because in the darkest night, she felt the same way he did. “He means A-Yao.” She could feel Jiang Cheng still at her side in shock, but Nie Huaisang let out a sigh of relief. “I know because... sometimes I miss him too.”

“I know it's wrong,” Nie Huaisang began with a shaky breath. “After everything he did, after what we did, I have no right to miss him, but...”

“But we still loved him,” she finished. “And despite everything... I think he loved us too.”

Here’s a little excerpt for WIP Wednesday from my fairly soon to be finished Newmann fic “One Night Only.” WIP it. WIP it good:

“Wait, I thought you were doing a work thing tomorrow,” the bassist says, giving Newt a little shove.

“Am I?” Newt asks, perplexed.

“Yeah, you’re meeting up with your colleague, no? That guy you’ve been writing letters to for ages.”

“God, Mac, you're so dense,” the drummer cuts in, shaking her head at her bandmate. “It's not some work thing. He's going on a date.”

“Nooooo,” Newt says way too quickly. “Not a date. Deeeeefinitely not a date,” he lets his shoulders sag a little, “maybe sorta kinda wish it was a date, but probably the exact opposite of a date.”

The gang all shoot him an incredulous collective look of seriously bro?

“For real,” Newt protests. “No idea if he’s into guys, less idea if he’s into me and just… I can’t even go there. I don’t wanna set myself up for disappointment. It would seriously destroy me if it all went to shit. He’s like… basically my best friend. Present company excluded, of course.”

Mac opens his mouth to respond (probably something sarcastic… then again, could be something weirdly sweet… you just never knew which it was gonna be with him) when the venue manager pops his head into the backstage area.

"Black Velvet Rabbits? You're on in ten."

Here is my one shot for Writer Wednesday, set in the storyline of the current fic spawning from last Wednesdays prompt 😅 @autumnleaves1991-blog @clydesducktape

General Hux x Female Reader

Prompt: “I’m in love with you.”

Warnings: None except a shit ton of angst.

Word count: 4216

Read here on AO3.

Your hand brushed down the soft fabric of your dress as it cascaded down your body. The top was midnight black which blended into a deep red colour all the way to the floor. It was stunning, the emblem of the First Order sat proudly around your neck, the silver glinting in the light as the delicate chain rippled against your skin. Your hair was up exposing the column of your neck and the soft line of your shoulders, you had put on some makeup but not a lot, just preferring to accentuate your eyes and lips. Your hand paused over your stomach trying to settle the nerves that fluttered there but nothing could stop them.

You were in a hotel in Canto Bight, the First Order High Command were gathering here to celebrate the victory over the Resistance on Crait. Things had gone wrong, and some members had slipped away but to the rest of the Galaxy the First Order right now had no opposition and they were going to flaunt that as much as they could. This was a show of power and you were all for it. You hadn’t seen Hux the last couple of days and your hands trembled slightly at finally being able to see your husband looking like this. A soft knock sounded on your door.

“Come in!” It opened to reveal Lieutenant Mitaka, his eyes widened slightly at the sight of you and it made you smile. Just a fraction of a reaction like that from Hux would make your heart soar. Your smile dipped slightly in the absence of Phasma, you missed your silver shadow.

“I have been sent to escort you, My Lady.”

“Will I do Dopheld?” You asked, giving a quick spin, the material of your dress rustling slightly and he nodded vigorously while trying to hold his posture. “Will my husband approve?” You didn’t miss the quick flinch from his brow at the mention of Hux, the nervous flicker of his eyes as he swallowed.

“Y-Yes, I think so,” he managed to stutter out. You tried to ignore the heaviness that threatened to drag you down, you were still in the dark about what had happened on the Supremacy before the Raddus had blasted through it and destroyed half of the fleet. You had been on the Finalizer, all you knew was Hux had survived and Kylo Ren was now Supreme Leader.

“Is he here?” You breathed looking back at your reflection, frowning when Dopheld refused to give you an answer. “Lieutenant. Who sent for me?” He jumped as you snapped his title at him.

“T-the Supreme Leader.” Your eyes widened, so Ren was here but no one knew where Hux was. You straightened your back and pulled on the black lace gloves that covered your forearms, which were also dotted with the emblem of the First Order leaving no one in any doubt of your affiliation.

“Best not keep him waiting,” you murmured, turning and heading to the door. You slipped your arm into Dopheld’s and you both fell into an easy stride down the hallway, the ride in the lift was silent and you tried not fidget, watching the lights count down until the doors opened before you, revealing the area you were to spend your evening. The first thing you noticed was the sheer size of the room and the height of the ceilings. You were used to grand surroundings but nothing on Arkanis could even come close to the splendour that filled your vision. You stepped out of the lift and moved to look over the banister, you were on a type of landing that led to two branches of sweeping staircases, finally merging into one grand staircase. You looked up at the intricate marble work, feeling overwhelming awe at the carve of the stone, the detail and skill not to mention the time it must have taken almost blew your mind. Your lace gloved hand rested lightly on the marble banister as Mitaka waited patiently for you. Your eyes were drawn to the golden chandeliers that hung from the vast ceiling, the lights in them flickered trying to create a warm glow, the branches dripping in shiny clear gems all glinting and reflecting, throwing beams of fractured light around the enormous room. Your gaze was drawn down the crowd below, their echoey chatter punctuated by music from the band on the stage over the far side. You could see the Officers and Generals all in their finest uniforms, and you experienced a little tremor as you realised Hux would also be in all his splendour this evening. You felt someone staring and you leaned over the banister slightly to capture the eyes of the one and only Kylo Ren. His amber gaze was piercing and you couldn’t look away as he began to make his way through the crowd, people moving respectfully out of his way as he swept his way up the stairs, his black cape flowing behind him and he took the stairs two at a time in giant strides. His raven dark hair falling over his brow, the scar the Jedi girl had given him reached across his face marring the handsome features but not ruining them. He paused a few steps away from you, his gaze drinking you in, ignoring the nervous Lieutenant who stood between you.

“I shall escort her, Mitaka.” His voice was deeper than you remembered, but still just as devastating on your ears.

“Where is my husband?” You asked pointedly, hopefully getting across you were in no mood for games this evening.

“He is just finishing up some tasks for me. He will be along soon.” He took a step towards you and offered his arm. You eyed it distrustfully remembering the first time you had taken his arm on the Finalizer and the way he had tried to make you cower with his show of strength. But right now you had no choice, he had clearly detained Hux on purpose and this was the Supreme Leader. You couldn't refuse him without offering insult. Holding back an irritated sigh you pushed away from the banister, sliding your arm into the crook of Kylo’s and he rested it gently into his body. He guided you down the stairs, his eyes surveying the room and you noticed people were staring. You were coming down the stairs on the arm of the Supreme Leader, the most powerful man in the Galaxy and people were noticing you with looks of admiration and awe. It was intoxicating, and you basked in it. When you reached the bottom of the stairs you saw the Generals casting sideways glances as Kylo’s large form cut a clear path through the crowd.

“Would you like a drink?” He rumbled and you nodded in reply. Your nerves were accelerating at an alarming rate, each second ticked closer to you finally catching a glimpse of your husband and you couldn’t wait. Taking the delicate glass full of a pale bubbly liquid from Kylo with a murmured thanks as you looked at the doors studying the people coming in. But to your disappointment none of them had the bright red hair you were looking out for. You both sipped your drinks, your mind tripping over questions you had for Kylo but not knowing where to start. Your gaze darted up to look at him, finding his eyes were already settled on you. “What do you wish to know?” He asked, leaning down slightly to talk into your ear, his warm breath tickled your bare shoulders and you felt the little hairs rise all over your body.

“I don’t really know where to start. All I know is Armitage survived. Was he injured? Is he alright? What happened to Leader Snoke? I’ve been very much kept in the dark and I am not happy about it. Supreme Leader.” You attempted to finish on a respectable note, and tried not to think how this man could snap your neck with just a click of his fingers. He had certainly killed people for less.

“He is alright,” he replied, feeding your own words back to you. “He’s not happy as the Jedi, Rey killed Snoke before he could bestow the promotion that he wanted.”

“But you could?” You pointed out. “You could give him the promotion he deserves.” Kylo’s gaze scanned the room before meeting your questioning gaze and you swore you could see the hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“His accomplishment with Starkiller was negated the moment the Resistance destroyed it.” Your hand tightened around your glass, annoyance flushed your body and you clamped your teeth together as you reminded yourself with who you were conversing. “He needs to find another way to prove himself worthy of such a title.” You could feel the flush creeping under your skin, the heat of it prickled and you tried to ignore the feel of it. “Would you care to dance?” You looked up sharply to catch the slight wistful look on the taller man’s face as he watched the couples moving gracefully on the dance floor.

“Do you know how?” You asked before realising how you sounded, but his reaction surprised you even more. A smile cracked his face, revealing dimples you’d never seen before giving him a much younger look.

“I am the son of some regality, of course I can dance,” he divulged. You’d never thought of who his parents were, he’d just entered your life as a creature of anger and hatred, you never once assumed he had parents, or regal breeding. He took the glass from your hand and put them down on the table next to you before stretching out his leather gloved hand ready for you to take. You hesitated, looking up at him seeing the earnest look in his eye as he patiently waited. Your hand shook slightly, your fingers flexing as his much larger one clasped around yours dwarfing it considerably. He led you to the middle, your eyes never leaving his face as he politely placed his hand on your body, settling it just above the curve of your waist on your back, his other hand open letting yours rest lightly in his palm. You placed your hand on his shoulder, letting him take the lead, your feet moving from memory alone as he proved he was just as graceful on the dance floor as he was on the battlefield. He twirled you away from him and you couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up from your chest, it had been such a long time since you had any fun like this. And you finally began to enjoy yourself, you offered your dance partner a smile and he dipped his head down to your level.

“You don’t smile enough.”

“I shall try to smile more,” you breathed your eyes seeing over his shoulder only to lock with the intense gaze of your husband. Your smile faltered at the glare he gave you from under the visor of his hat, like a blaster shot it blazed through your body sending an icy sensation down your legs and you stumbled only for Kylo to tense his arm around you so you didn’t fall. You pulled away looking fearfully up at Kylo as his hands dropped away from you. “Forgive me, I should see my husband.” He stepped to the side and you brushed past him but Hux was gone.

“Drink,” Hux all but snarled at the serving droid behind the bar. He watched the amber liquid fall into the glass as he leaned heavily on the bar, his coat covering his body, the visor of his hat low over his brow as he attempted to shut the gathering out from around him. He tried not to think anything of it but seeing you smiling in the arms of a man he utterly despised made his insides twist and knot over and over again. He had been so looking forward to seeing you, hoping those smiles you gave out would be just for him. He had daydreamed of the delicate touch from your fingers and his mind travelled frequently to the moment in the corridor when all barriers had crumbled between you both and he gave more of himself to you than he’d ever done before. But the illusions he had of some sort of reunion were now in tatters, because you’d been in the arms of Kylo Ren. The man who Hux was pretty sure had killed the Supreme Leader himself and just shifted the blame to that girl.

His hand subconsciously rose to rub his neck as he remembered the way he had ceased breathing when he questioned Ren, the pressure of the force stopping his body from functioning. The loss of the Resistance on Crait had been Ren’s fault but no one would believe Hux anyway, not now he was cementing his position of Leader of the First Order, a position that Hux should be in. Not some turbulent man child with barely any real life experience.

“Armitage,” the sound of his name coming from your lips shot straight to his heart making it stutter in his chest but he didn’t turn. You came up beside him, your hands resting on the bar next to him as you tried to find some words but knowing there was nothing you could say. He looked at you in the mirror behind the bar and he couldn’t help but admire how beautiful you looked. The dress was stunning, the colours perfect and it made you stand out magnificently. He saw you were wearing the necklace he gave you with the emblem on and it matched the black lace pattern on your gloves. The effort that went into your outfit was impeccable but was it for him as a General or was it to grab the attention of someone more prominent? He downed the drink, his neck tensing at the burn as it pooled warmly in his belly and gestured for another.

“You look handsome,” you finally offered.

“Surprised you noticed.” He shot at you, perturbing himself at his venomous candor. He’d never looked at himself as handsome, he’d never needed to, never wanted to and always just assumed no one would ever look at him like that. So when you said it, you who was so beautiful it stole the breath from his lungs he just couldn’t process it and it felt much better to just palm the compliment off.

“Of course I noticed, I—I have missed you.” The glass paused on it’s way to his mouth at the soft sound in your voice. It tugged on parts of him that he didn’t know even existed but all he could see in his mind was that man’s hands on your body and you smiling for him. “I had no idea what happened, I’ve literally been in limbo for days with just the news that you were alive and Phasma…” your voice broke and he felt the echo of it in his very soul. Yes, Phasma. The one person who he trusted with his life, the person he relied on the most was gone. He downed the liquid in his glass, draining the very dregs and asking silently for another. “Don’t you think you should slow down?” You whispered, your hand creeping across the bar to his arm.

“No.” He stated firmly, your hand stopped and curled into a fist at his abrupt tone. “Haven’t you got socialising to do?” He dared to look at you, seeing the hint of tears in your eyes, or was that just a trick of the light? Right now he didn’t care. His anger was shimmering at the back of his mind like a caged animal and he didn’t want to unleash it on you so it was best if you left him alone. You turned your back to him before striding off and he expelled a silent sigh as another glass was placed before him. He already missed you beside him, but it was for the best. He downed this glass in one go, checking his hat was straight in the mirror before falling behind that blank barrier that carried him through these situations and he strode off to make himself known.

He stood in the group of High Command Generals, Admiral Griss was recounting some story of a prisoner pulling raucous laughter from the others, General Engell chiming in with comments and more laughter burst from them all. General Parnadee sidled up next to Hux and he eyed her out of the corner of eye.

“You’re very stoic this evening General Hux, surely you should be celebrating?” She turned slightly. “Maybe with that gorgeous wife of yours?” She stated pointing over his shoulder. That grabbed the attention of the group and his whole body tensed, he knew he had to tread carefully here.

“I’m sure she’s having a lovely time,” he commented looking down into his glass.

“Hux, are you serious? The woman is gorgeous and you’re just going to let her socialise, alone?” Asked General Domaric Quinn incredulously. He did not want to talk about you. He was well aware of how attractive you were, he didn’t need reminding.

“It was an arranged marriage, was it not?” Asked Parnadee, a sly look glinting from her gaze.

“It was,” Hux confirmed stiffly. She smirked and spoke a little louder.

“So it would be safe to say you have no feelings towards the woman at all?” He sighed.

“No, none. I married her to stop her family falling into ruin, if I had my way she’d be back on Arkanis where she belongs.” A hush fell over the group and Hux noticed them all looking over his shoulder, he turned only to lock eyes with you and his body froze. Your head was held high, a heated steely look emitted from your gaze, he could see the slight flex of your jaw as you processed his words. His brain ceased to function, he hadn’t meant the words that fell from him, he didn’t want them to know how he really felt about you because if they did, you could be used as leverage. Your life could be threatened, he wouldn’t put it past any of these people standing with him not to kill you or hold you hostage. His position was right next to the Supreme Leader, if they knew you were his everything it wouldn’t take much to topple him from that position. It’s better this way… but was it? The look on your face told him it wasn’t but all he could do was turn back to face the group, listening as your shoes clicked smartly on the floor carrying you away from him. Yes, it’s better this way.

The conversation restarted, quickly picking up pace but it left Hux behind, floundering in his thoughts. It was happening again, the sensation of his chest tightening and he knew he couldn’t have an attack here, so excused himself. Ignoring the knowing looks and smirks that were tossed his way as he shoved his way through the crowd. He took the stairs two at a time, urgency making his movements jerky as he struggled to keep himself together, thankfully his hat hid most of his face but the nausea was swirling around inside him as he replayed the hurt look on your face again and again. It pierced him like a blade, slicing its way through his body ripping a wound so deep he wasn’t sure if he’d ever recover from such damage. He finally found himself alone and he closed his eyes, falling into the familiar pit of panic, his heart fluttering erratically, his lungs refused to expand and his head felt feather light on his neck, like someone had detached it from his body entirely. He turned away at the sound of footsteps and he tried to lean against the wall and look like he wasn’t dying of an intense pain that catapulted him into the stratosphere. He didn’t want to be here, he had tried to do something that benefited you, that helped you stay safe and all he could see was the beginnings of hatred in your eyes. It was then, in this moment, when he was faced with the threat of not having you anymore he realised.

He loved you.

The footsteps stopped just behind him and he knew it was you, your scent curled comfortingly around him and he felt himself begin to relax.

“Did you mean it?” The emotion clogging your voice made his eyes fly open. “You feel nothing for me?” He wanted to reply, he wanted to tell you but his body refused to respond. The realisation of how he actually felt had made all cognitive function abandon him completely. You stepped in front of him, streaks of makeup marked your face and still the only thought he could muster was how amazing you looked. “You’ve been holding a return to Arkanis over me for so long, I guess you should just execute it now. Why do you keep me around Armitage? Am I really just something for you to dip into when you feel like? I’m not a toy. I’m not a prize. I am a person with feelings!” Your hands rose and splayed across your chest as if you were trying to contain the emotion inside you and failing. Fresh tears leaked with every blink, soaking your lashes and he still found he was frozen, unable to move or react in any way. “I thought I loved you, Armitage. But I guess I was wrong.” Finally he moved, your eyes refusing to look at him as he straightened to his full height before you. He could feel it, the subtle crumble of all his internal barriers, the words you had said spun round and round in his mind repetitive and devastating to him. You had never hurt him, you had never laid a rough hand on him, you had stood by him, praised him, admired him, congratulated him, accepted him. Why had it taken him so long to realise just how perfect you were? And here he was breaking your heart, he didn’t know if he could fix this. He had no idea if you were forever done with him, but he’d never forgive himself if he didn’t try.

He inhaled, his throat was dry and at first he didn’t think he’d be able to utter anything at all. Your face screwed up and you nodded in resignation as you mistook his hesitancy for dismissal. You turned, your shoulders pulling inwards at the hurt that exploded from your chest. You were leaving. Hux internally screamed, he knew if you left now this was it, he’d never get another chance like this and finally his body moved. One big stride took him close to you, close enough to grab your hand and forcefully whip you round to face him. He held onto your upper arms, sure his grip would bruise you but he needed to feel you. He needed to experience a physical connection with you. You winced as his fingers dug into your flesh, a slight gasp escaping you as your chest heaved with a sob. You looked up at him, hope shining in your eyes and he fought with himself to ultimately let go.

“I…” his voice choked. Panic suddenly rendered him speechless but he refused to give up. His lips moved but no sound came out and you inhaled slightly. “I—I love you!” He finally spat. His brain stuttered to a complete halt but his entire body relaxed. He’d said it. A breath expelled from him and his chest stopped aching, the beat of his heart began to rocket in his chest and his eyes frantically searched yours. “I’m in love with you.” It was easier this time, flowing from him like he’d been able to say it this whole time. You swallowed, the feather of your throat caught his attention and he felt the overwhelming urge to pull you in for a kiss but he wasn’t sure you wanted him to.

“Armitage…” You whispered. “This—this is where you kiss me, like you mean it.” He didn’t hesitate, his lips crashed into yours almost painfully as he dragged you towards him, his hands moved round to your back pressing you into him as hard as possible. He got lost in the feel of you, the scent of your skin, the softness of your lips, the heat of your tongue as it slid into his mouth. You were everything to him, and now he had admitted it to himself, he had no barriers left. You were inside him, encroaching on his damaged soul, repairing him from the inside out. You were a breath of fresh air, an ocean under the moon, the light of the stars all collided into one place. You breathed new life into him, showed him things no other person had ever done before and that made you precious to him. You were the most valuable thing Armitage Hux had in his life and he would obliterate anyone who threatened to take you from him.

could you do another fic where mari has too many overprotective relatives (batfam, jason in particular, adrien, luka, kagami, chloe, jagged, bruce, penny, clara, tony stark and the avengers maybe lol) and all the boys who want to date her are scared away by them until she starts seeing damian or someone else i love your writing and thanks! ♡♡

I loved this prompt immediately and I really hope I did it justice! Hope you like it!

The Never-Ending Cycle of First Dates

“No! Wait! He’s just kidding!” Marinette ran out of the building trying to grab the boy's hand before he could escape, but she was too late. Her hand slapped her forehead in defeat as yet another man hurried off before they could even order drinks. Turning her attention to where her target stood, she couldn’t help the bubbling anger directed at his smirk.

“Why must you ruin every date? It’s like you guys have a pool of names and you just reach in and see who's in luck to scare off the next guy that tries to date me!” She threw her hands into the air, only earning a chuckle.

“C’mon Princess, if the man can’t handle a little threat then how is he gonna stick around for the long term? Hmm?”

Marinette wanted to argue, but she knew it was pointless. Jason and the others were firm in their beliefs; Marinette must be protected from heartbreak at all costs. She tried arguing with them that if she never got hurt in the first place then she could never learn, but alas, her words seemed to fall on deaf ears.

“How did you even find us?”

Jason’s smirk widened which only fueled her rage.

“What? You thought meeting at the restaurant would actually change anything? I can find you anywhere and everywhere. Plus Adrien totally snitched.”

Marinette made a mental note to lay into Adrien later after she found the poor kid that Jason scared of.

“One day I’m going to find someone who isn’t scared by you lot and he’s gonna make it through the first date.”

She turned her back on Jason’s boisterous laughter. She was determined to prove her point. After all, there had to be one man in Gotham City that wasn’t afraid of her, right? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The rest of her week had gone as smoothly as Monday had to say the least.

Tuesday’s date was crashed by Kagami’s foil. One look at her slicing the bread and he didn’t even make it to the table.

Wednesday’s date was a double date with Luka and Chloe. Marinette begged Tikki to lend her a little luck, but the small God would do no such thing. At least this guy made it past drinks. Marinette almost cheered until Luka donned his infamous stare. She watched as her date squirmed uncomfortably before excusing himself for the bathroom, never returning.

Thursday’s date ended with the man strung up by his ankles, none other than Nightwing and Red Robin dropping in to apologize, claiming they thought he was trying to mug her.

By Friday, she was ready to cancel her date before it even began.

“Adrien, you guys are making it impossible to even think about dating.” She collapsed on the couch, letting out a small whine.

“I think that’s kind of the point Mari, besides, you’re a working woman now, shouldn’t you be focusing on your career-”

Adrien paused as his eyes narrowed in on Marinette’s hand mocking his lecture. Her hand paused as she noticed his now silent voice. Meeting his eyes, she simply shrugged.

“You sound like my mom. She’s worried that I’m too worried about dating but guess what? I kind of missed out on that experience in high school pining after a guy who wasn’t even interested!”

They both chuckled as they remembered the awkward dance they both did from the time they were 13.

“So what are you going to do about the date tonight?”

Marinette shrugged once more as she pulled at a piece of her hair, twirling it around her finger.

“Who is on date duty tonight?”

“First of all, it’s not called date duty,” he waved off the pointed look Marinette gave him before continuing, “and it was supposed to be Jagged and Penny but in case they fail, Tony is on backup duty and Jason is on backup, backup duty.”

“Not date duty my ass.”

Marinette sighed longingly as she pulled herself into a sitting position.

“I’m giving this one more chance before I swear off dating forever.”

Adrien chuckled before offering his hand to pull her into a standing position.

“Well, guess you better prepare to look good. After all, they always say if you’re gonna go out, at least do it in style.”

Marinette rolled her eyes as she pushed Adrien to the couch, ignoring his protests. If this was going to be her last date, then maybe he had a point of going out in style.

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

Marinette pulled at her dress nervously as a black limo approached her outside of her apartment. She had checked the perimeter once as Marinette and once more as Ladybug; there was no sign of Jagged or Penny. Somehow though, that didn’t calm her nerves.

As the limo pulled to a stop, a man stepped out of the back seat causing her breath to hitch in her throat. As if him being drop-dead gorgeous wasn’t enough, her worst fears stepped out from behind him, wide grins on their faces.

“Oi, there she is Penny! Marinette, we tried calling you but you sent us straight to voicemail, that wasn’t very rock n’ roll of you. Luckily, this nice man right here was there to give us a ride, right Penny?”

Penny nodded sweetly as if the two of them were innocent victims of Marinette’s forgetfulness. She wanted to turn right back into her apartment and never leave again, but a small hand grasped hers, pulling it up to their lips, as soft and gentle as his movements.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I have heard many stories of you from my brothers and father. You seem to have impressed many powerful people such as the two strays I picked up off the streets earlier.”

His smile was playful as it coaxed a small laugh from her. It helped even more to see Jagged panicking in the background at the sight of the small gesture. This man, no, his name was Damian. Damian had already broken through the first wall without even knowing it. Marinette let herself feel a spark of hope at the thought of finally making it through a first date.

“Anywho, now that we have arrived, I must apologize for leaving you two here, how does the saying go? ‘High and dry?’ but I do have a date to continue.” He nodded to Penny and Jagged leaving them both with their jaws almost touching the ground.

If she had a moment, Marinette might’ve taken a photo, but she instead quickly grabbed Damian’s arm, shutting the limo door before either could protest. She didn’t bother to release the breath she had been holding until the apartments were gone from the rearview mirror.

“I am so sorry about them, they-” she tried to let the apology spill out of her mouth but Damian simply shook his head, that same playful smile monopolizing his face.

“I am fully aware of the so-called ‘date duty’ your friends have. After all, my brother is in charge of the scheduling.”

It was Marinette’s turn for her jaw to drop. This was Jason’s brother? The literal spawn of satan as Jason had put it. There was no way. He was so nice, and such a gentleman, there was no way they could be the same person.

“How come nobody ever told me you were in town? Last time Jason introduced me to the family, he made sure to wait for when you left on a business trip. I’ve only ever been invited over when you’re not there!”

Damian chuckled as if this was a normal occurrence.

“They knew I had a crush on you ever since I watched your alter ego take down an akuma three times your size. It was only a matter of time until I asked you out, but with Jason observing your every date, he made it quite difficult.”

Marinette felt her face flush as his words washed over her. A man that was actually interested in her and was willing to take on the trouble a date with her could mean? She lightly pinched herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.

“You know it’s only going to get worse from here right? Like, Jagged and Penny were only the first round worse.”

Damian leaned in, placing his hand overtop hers, that smile of his killing her slowly.

“Can I tell you a secret?”

Marinette nodded as she leaned closer, nearly closing the gap between them, her heart racing from the distance.

“I borrowed his rotation schedule and have prepared for every incident that could occur tonight.”

Marinette couldn’t help the words that slipped out of her mouth.

“I think I might love you.” Immediately she slapped her hand over her mouth letting out a string of apologies as she scooched away from the red-faced man. He cleared his throat, trying to overcome his shock as his smile pulled into a small smirk.

“Don’t apologize, just tell me again if you feel the same after we’ve finished the date.”

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

Somehow, they managed to make it through dinner without a single hiccup. It was suspicious, but she was having too good of a time to care. She fell in love immediately with his animals as he showed off his many photos, commenting on whichever one seemed to make her melt the most.

They talked about where they had gone to college, where they were working now and what they were hoping for their futures. Marinette felt her heart swell with excitement for how compatible they were, it almost made tonight ending that much more painful.

As they stepped out of the restaurant, Marinette heard a familiar voice that made her blood run cold.

“Do you know who I am? I could buy this whole place and then you’d have to let me in! I’m the damn Ironman, doesn’t that count for something?”

The poor hostess was shaking her head, trying to apologize to the other guests for the wait he was causing. Marinette let out a defeated sigh as she took a step forward to intervene, but Damian’s hand intertwined with hers pulling her in the opposite direction.

“There aren’t too many places in Gotham City that Tony Stark isn’t banned from. However, you can thank my father for that. He agreed for me to host my dinner at his restaurant to nullify backup number 2, Tony Stark.”

Marinette almost wanted to laugh at the irony of a billionaire being banned from a small Italian restaurant in Gotham.

“There’s not much that Uncle Tony can’t fix by throwing money at it, but I suppose that’s pointless when it’s another billionaire causing the said problem.”

Damian sent her a wink that warmed her to her core. They decided to ditch the limo in favor of walking home, spending more time with each other coincidentally. Marinette felt her mind racing like she was in middle school once again planning her imaginary wedding and their future hamster.

He was everything she had hoped to find in a man and so much more. She honestly regretted not meeting him sooner, it would’ve saved her so much trouble over the years.

She opened her mouth, only to close it immediately as her eyes narrowed in on a figure leaning against her apartment building.

“Jason, what are you doing here? There’s no date to ruin now and I finally found a guy who can’t be scared off by your stupid date duty.”

She crossed her arms in defiance but Jason paid her no mind.

“Damian, I didn’t know you were home so soon. I would’ve locked you up in the Batcave to make sure this would’ve never happened.”

Damian scoffed beside her as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

“As if you could.”

The two men were locked in a staredown, leaving Marinette to wilt in the tension that had formed. She moved towards her apartment, only to be stopped by Damian’s hand for the third time tonight.

Turning her back to Jason, she watched as he brought her hand to his lips, his kiss still as gentle and soft as the first when he had given her hours earlier. She ignored Jason’s protest as she pulled his hand forward placing a quick peck on his lips.

The man’s face matched her own in shades of red.

“Does this mean you would be interested in a second date?”

Marinette nodded furiously before waving him goodnight, darting past Jason’s brooding figure.

“This is not the end of it Marinette!”

Jason’s threats felt empty compared to the excitement racing in her heart. She had finally broken the cycle of never-ending first dates and boy, did it feel good.

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THE SLEEPOVER FIC | Part 1 The Meeting

Notes: James Acaster, Ed Gamble (Platonic), and other characters to be added.

Pairing: James Acaster x Reader 

Genre: Fluff with eventual smut, Slow Burn fic

Words: 1,951

Summary: You and James have put yourselves into trouble, but you think maybe it’s hotter that way. 

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9

It was a boring, cottage cheese Wednesday if anyone had bothered to ask you. The sky held a greyish tinge and the London air tasted like exhaust fumes as you made your way back home from the studio. It was 5:50 and you were more than ready to curl into bed, put on a podcast, and stare at your ceiling until you slept.

You’d been tied up in a project lately that stripped every brain cell out of you whenever you tried to think about it. 

This wasn’t because you didn’t like it! Don’t get me wrong, you adored the concept you were trying to convey through your piece. It was just missing something. Hence, Wednesdays the past month had started to feel a little groundhog esque. You knew the fog would part soon. 

Pulling your clattering keys from inside your coat pocket you unlocked the door to your flat. Upon entering you noted the new letters. A missed parcel, various pizza menus and an enclosed envelope from Ticketmaster. Grinning, you opened it up. 

Ed Gamble, McDonalds Apple Pie, November 15th 2021. Sounded delicious, you pulled out your phone, texting Ed. 

Hey! Just got your tickets through. Where are you rehearsing? Let me know when it starts and we can plan something :) 

It had been a while since you and Ed had hung out. You lived on opposite ends of the city and for the most part you were usually busy when he was free ,or vise versa. That the trouble of being friends with theatre people, no matter how hard you try, the schedules don’t gel. However, Ed usually rehearsed his shows in the venue below your flat, luckily this time was no exception.

I start Friday, usual place. We can go for drinks after I finish at 7 if you like?

Yes :))))) would love that!! Can we say 7:15 though as I’ll have to get back from the studio and change 

Yeah that’s fine, I’ll invite some people if that’s okay. We can meet you at the pub first? 

Sounds perfect, see you then. Send Claire love! 

Will do :) 

You put the kettle on and made yourself a pot noodle. Getting ready to sleep before another day of making. Excited at least, with the knowledge that on Friday night, you were getting shitfaced with your mates. 

And so Friday arrived. You started the day off right with a banana and a coffee to go on your way down to the youth centre. Fridays and Tuesdays were your favourite days of the week currently. On these days you worked with other women exploring the ideas of femininity within society. For many years it had been a passion project of yours, creating dialogues with women who’d gone through difficult times in their lives to convey their struggles through art. 

Today you were hosting a dance workshop with a group you had been working with for a while. They had all been making tremendous progress over the past few months you wanted to hold a class in celebration.

“Good morning Y/N” a familiar face beamed from across the hallway. 

“Good morning Olive!” Olivia was a petite lady, somewhere close to her mid forties. She had dyed fire colour hair that she always wore up in a headscarf. She was dance ready, wearing an outrageous and gaudy pair of printed leggings. 

Olive had grown so much as a woman since the first time you had met her, in one of your first ever workshops. The two of you had become thick as honey ever since. She even occasionally helped you plan and run some workshops out of studio now. It gave you joy to know you helped her grow into her full potential in one way or another. 

“How have you been?” 

“Oh same old. Trying not to lose myself in projects. How about you?” 

“Brilliant! Officially divorced on Monday. Sorry I couldn’t make it on Tuesday I was feeling the effect after a few too many champagnes” she laughed, her smile was contagious. Olive had been going through a complicated divorce for a good few years now, some of the reasons she started the project stemmed from such a relationship.

She was such a resilient woman, managing to smile through whatever life had put her through. You loved her distinct lack of care for what people thought of her being a single woman in her forties. 

It made you really put your life into perspective when you had met her. Even encouraging you to drop ties with your ex partner four years ago, who simply, didn’t care for you as a person but rather as an stability object. You hadn’t been in anything serious since. Not that you didn’t want it, being single had it’s perks too. You simply hadn’t been searching. A “bold move” in your late 20’s.

“Congratulations, I’m so happy for you! I’ll have a few for you tonight darling”

“Out on the town are you?”

“Yeah I’m meeting an old friend and hopefully some new people too”

“Well don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” she said with a wink. 

“I’ll try my best” 

It was 7:05 and you were definitely going to be late. You’d just set off from the studio, pushing your way through the crowds on the busy streets near your flat. It had been an intense day in the end, most of you and your class had gotten carried away with your choreography. Immersed in the music and memory you wanted to portray. In the end you had all learnt one another’s routines and combined them all to a jazz beat. 

You were still in your sports bra, leggings and oversized shirt with the duffel bag over your shoulder when you reached the outside door to your apartment complex. You heard a voice boom at you from behind. 

“Y/Nickname” you turned around, instantly knowing who it was by the stupid name. 

“Ed!” 

He was coming up from the basement venue staircase, there was another man loitering casually behind him. In an instant you recognised him from the telly. It was the one and only James Acaster, dressed in a deep green suit, white shirt and purple Oxfords. He had a peppering of stubble across his face that you hadn’t seen him sport on tv before. You noted it looked good on him. You made your way over to your friend and embraced him into the first hug you’d had in a long time. 

“Sorry I just got back, I might be a little late. I need to have a shower. Very sweaty” 

“Yes. Thanks for the hug” he said, making you chuckle. “We can wait around for you if you like. No one else is coming until later anyways. Oh! This is James by the way” James have a polite wave of a hello and smile at you then.

You didn’t quite know the etiquette of meeting people you’d seen on Dave for years. A simple, “Hi I’m Y/N” you decided was the most normal option. “You can come up if you like. I won’t be too long” 

“Sure” 

And so the trio of you braced the stairs and made it into your apartment. You moved rubbish around as you all entered. Slightly ashamed of how messy it was, moving open books into one corner of the living room to make space on the coffee table for some drinks. If they were waiting for you you’d at least fix them a little something as a thank you. 

“What would you like? I’ve got vodka, gin or tequila. Lemonade orange juice and pineapple juice for mixer” 

“Ooh vodka and pineapple sounds delicious Y/N” Ed said with some excitement, taking a comfortable seat on the sofa. James hung nervously by the door, as though he wasn’t sure of the etiquette this time. 

“Same here” he agreed

“Please have a seat, make yourself at home.” You said with a smile, watching as he looked around the room. You became slightly anxious that his glaze was clouded with judgement until he spoke as he went to take a seat next to Ed. 

“Nice place, where’d you get the paintings?” He asked genuinely as you began pouring three glasses of juice. 

“I made them myself” 

“Oh you’re an artist?” 

“Sort of, I work in lots of art forms, mostly theatre and community projects. Not painting though, it’s just hobby and plus, home décor is expensive”

He chuckled a little at that as you brought the two of them their drinks over. “I’ll put some music on while you shower is that okay?” Ed said, taking his phone out after taking a swig of his drink. “That’s strong” 

“Sorry might have given you mine” you said jokingly “let me disconnect my Bluetooth then” you said getting out your own and switching to Spotify. You played the music for a second or two just until you had it disconnected. It was the song you’d been working with all day at the studio with the jazz beat and hypnotic drumming.

“Is that Jon Bap?”

“Yeah, I was using it today at work” His eyes gleamed, visibly excited by the idea of it. 

“I love ‘What Now’,” he took a drink and shaking his head to himself “Such good drums on that album” 

“Yeah, you like the drums?”

“Was a drummer for years in my 20’s” 

You were slightly shocked by his comment on his age, always assuming he was younger than 30. Although it made sense for him and Ed to be in the same age bracket.

“Hey, that's cool, I never made it further than level two recorder. Guess I just don't have musical genes, anyways I’ll hop in the shower. Won’t be long” 

You made your way to the bathroom. Listening as the two men struck up a conversation. Giddy from the knowledge of their being pleasant conversation and good company tonight. You’d always admired James, never really considering the fact you may possibly meet him. You hoped that wouldn't mess up the possibility of a future friendship, by making a reference to something that he’d said on the telly before. Shaking the idea you stripped off, turning on the faucet and climbing inside. 

After you’d felt refreshed you did a little, awkward,  jig to your bedroom in your towel. You hadn’t considered the fact that from where James sat on the couch you could see all the way down the corridor. Your bathroom being on the right, and your room right on the very end. Embarrassment aside you dried off your hair and did your makeup quickly yet efficiently. Slowing down only to put on a red lip with care. You then got dressed. Choosing to opt for something a little fancy tonight as the other two had clearly made an effort. Even if you did end up somewhere at 4am, it still felt good to dress up for the walk of ‘platonic’ shame. 

You chose a silky skirt with a slip down the leg in a champagne iridescent colour. Paired with a tight long sleeved polo in white. You slipped on a pair of socks with ruffles over the top of your rhinestone tights. You emerged from your room feeling a little more confident and ready for a boogie. 

James smiled brightly at you when he noticed you’d come out. Something else was flashing across his face that you couldn’t quite pinpoint however. You brushed it off, blaming the triple vodka pineapple you’d been sipping through your ready-ing routine. 

“7:28, not bad” Ed said looking at his watch when you fully entered your living room. Pulling on your white leather converse. You told him to shut up in response and book an Uber.

1976 Guitar (200 follower celebration)

Summary: An Australian runaway walks into a London pub... and finds herself having a drink with the one and only Roger Taylor.

A/N: As promised, my little celebration piece. I actually started this after I hit 150 followers, but I put it aside because I wanted to work on other things, and then decided to keep it for my next follower milestone. Which ended up taking a lot longer than I was anticipating, but hey, we got here in the end. 

Just fyi for clarity, the reader here is Australian, but living in London after finishing journalism training. Yes, even in the 70s London was full of runaway Aussies. But it must have seemed a lot further away in the days before instant messaging and video chat and free phone calls over the internet.

Title is from a Skyhooks song, recorded well after the 70s, incidentally. The bits in italics are lyrics from the song. This isn’t a song fic, and I honestly can’t remember why this is set in 1976 (I think it just sort of popped into my head like that) but those particular lyrics seemed quite fitting.

Warnings: Drinking, light swearing

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...one night I met a girl at the Sebel bar

And she taught me how to play that 1976 guitar

London, 1976

You decided you liked English pubs soon after you moved to London. They were cosier than the airy places you were used to back home, and the clientele were a lot less rough. Most of the time.

Your favourite pub was your local, just around the corner from your poky little second-floor flat. Decent food, good drinks, and interesting people. The bands playing on Saturday nights were always worth a listen too. Tonight, though, was a weeknight, which meant you were there for a stiff drink and maybe a nice greasy pub meal.

You hardly looked at the bartender as you flopped onto a stool. He floated over almost instantly anyway. "What can I get yer?" "Whiskey please" you ordered, attempting to be polite but mostly sounding tired. The barman smiled. "Coming up." It was fairly empty in the pub, so he returned with your drink almost immediately. You smiled gratefully and wasted no time taking your first sip. But you'd barely swallowed it, still dealing with the afterburn, when you heard a huff of surprise from a neighbouring stool.

You turned in the direction of the noise to discover the source: a youngish bloke with shaggy, pale blonde hair and big blue eyes. He looked strangely familiar, but you couldn't think where you recognised him from. If you weren't so annoyed you would've been taken aback by how attractive he was. Instead you glared at him. "What's your problem, mate?" He flashed you an annoyingly pretty smile. "Nothing. Just don't see many girls drinking whiskey like that." "Like what?" you shot back. "Like they do it all the time. Suits you, though." He flashed the smile again, and you felt your anger ebbing away.

Seeing the smile again seemed to jolt your memory. "Fucking hell," you gasped, "you're Roger-" "Don't say it" Roger hissed, cutting off your exclamation. "You'll tell the whole pub and then I won't get a moment's peace all night." You immediately looked downcast. "Sorry." Roger smiled reassuringly. "It's alright."

You eyed Roger curiously. "So tell me, what's the drummer from Queen doing in a place like this?" He broke into a cheeky grin. "I could ask you the same question" he said flirtatiously. "I've had a very long day and I live around the corner" you told him. "What about you?" "We used to play here, in the early days" he explained. "I always liked the atmosphere, and the people are always… interesting."

Suddenly you noticed him eyeing you up with curiosity. "I like your accent but I don't recognise it. Where're you from?" he asked casually. "Australia" you told him cheerfully. You noticed his expression fall slightly. "Not from Sunbury, I hope" he joked. You grinned cheekily. "Melbourne, actually. But I don’t blame you for not liking Sunbury." Roger was shocked. "You know about that?" You nodded. "I was there. It was a great day, actually, for me at least." Suddenly you smiled. "Anyway, whoever thought booking Queen to play at Sunbury was a good idea clearly knew nothing about bloody Sunbury. Or Australians, frankly." Roger smiled grimly at the memory. "God that was a shit gig. Might be the worst reception we've ever had." "If it makes you feel any better I enjoyed your set" you told him softly. "Queen's just a bit too sophisticated for most Aussies, I think." "But not you?" he asked, smiling. "But not me" you agreed.

"So what brought you to London anyway?" Roger asked. "I got sick of Australia" you told him. "It's so… behind, culturally. Anyone who's a serious artist or writer or whatever buggers off to London or somewhere first chance they get. So when you're still there you feel so far away from everything, it really feels like you're at the arse-end of the world sometimes." Roger grinned. "Arse-end of the world. I like that" he mused. "But I don't think you've come to the other side of the world just because you thought Australia was boring." You stared at him crossly. "Oh yeah? Why d'you reckon I'm here then?" you asked, challenging him with a look. "I think you ran away from something" Roger declared softly. "As far away as it was possible to get, just about."

You stared at him in shock. Now you thought about it, he wasn't exactly wrong. Suddenly your expression darkened. "Well, I suppose I'm running away from my mother and her bloody expectations of how I should live my own bloody life" you grumbled. He quirked an eyebrow. "Expectations?" "She wants me to be like her" you explained. "Find a nice bloke with a ‘suitable’ job, get married, buy a house, pop out a few kids, be a bloody housewife for the rest of my days." 

"And you don't want that" Roger said quietly. He understood how it felt to choose a life different from the one your parents wanted for you. "No, I bloody well don't" you agreed. "I want to achieve things with my life, have a proper career." Your mother had told you several times that there was no point trying to advance in your job since you were just going to quit when you got married anyway. The recent feminist revolutions seemed to have entirely passed her by, but then Australian society in general did have a tendency to run a bit behind on things like that.

Roger's gravelly voice pulled you out of your thoughts. "And what might that career be?" You smiled. "I'm a music journalist. Well, I'm a researcher right now, but I'm trying to freelance a bit on the side." Roger nearly laughed. "Y'know, most music writers seem not to like us for some reason" he observed wryly. "But I get the impression you might be an exception." You grinned. “Wouldn’t you like to know.” "Maybe I would" Roger quipped.

You both drank quietly for a while, Roger gazing at you curiously. "Y'know, you never did tell me what's driven you to drink on a Wednesday night" he commented, casually as could be. "You really want to know?" you asked incredulously. Roger nodded. "Wouldn't ask if I didn't, love." You sighed. "Well, I was supposed to have a date last night, but he stood me up, which was just a delightful way to spend an evening" you said, your voice dripping with sarcasm. "Then this morning my boss was even more of an arsehole than usual, and I found out my article that was supposed to be published next week got pulled from the issue, so god knows if it'll ever see the light of day now. And then when I got home the disappearing date had the nerve to ring with a pathetic excuse that I'm almost certain he made up, and apparently he was blind to the possibility I wouldn’t want to reschedule the date he missed until I spelled it out to him."

Roger winced in sympathy. "Christ, that is a shitty day." “Well, it seems to have improved since I got here” you observed, flashing a sly smile. Suddenly he grinned, not bothering to be subtle about eyeing you up again, almost appraisingly this time. “You know, I could make it even better, if you’re interested” he said smoothly. You cocked an eyebrow in interest. “Oh, really? And how exactly would you do that?” “Have dinner with you” he replied, not missing a beat.

You blinked, shocked. “You want to-to what, take me out to dinner? Why?” “You seem interesting” Roger said, shrugging. “Besides, I like having company when I’m out, being alone’s not as fun.” You had to agree with him there. “So is it a date, then?” you asked, still a little uncertain about the turn your evening was taking. Roger smiled cheekily. “If you want it to be” he said. He seemed nonchalant, but you thought you detected a flicker of uncertainty under the rock-star swagger. You grinned. “You know what, bugger it. Take me on a dinner date, Roger.”

******

There were some decisions in your life you would live to regret, but going on that first impulsive date with Roger wasn’t one of them. One date very quickly became many, and before you knew it Roger was a fixture in your life. Well, as much as a touring rock star could be, anyway. You found it oddly satisfying writing a postcard telling your mother you were going out with a shaggy-haired rock’n’roll drummer, knowing he was almost the complete opposite of the sort of person she wanted you to pair up with. You’d also finally managed to get an article published in the paper, but, predictably, your mother’s response to your postcard entirely neglected that achievement in favour of detailing every reason she thought you should leave Roger and return home immediately. None of them really held much weight, and the suggestion your actions would damage your reputation back home was in your view rather forcefully disproven by the enormous quantity of messages you received from both friends and relatives congratulating you on both the article and your choice of boyfriend.

You did eventually find the things your mother wanted for you with Roger, in a way. Technically you never actually got legally married, but you were deeply committed to each other. And you did end up with the big house and the family of your own, alongside a flourishing career in rock journalism. It wasn’t always easy, juggling everything and getting people to take you seriously as a journalist, but you wouldn’t have it any other way. Sometimes, just sometimes, you were just a tiny bit grateful for that shitty day in 1976.

In '74 we got tight, in '75 we starred

Then we learned to play that 1976 guitar

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A/N: I don’t think there’s too many Australianisms in here, but feel free to ask if you’re confused!

Taglist: (as always let me know if you want to be added/removed/think you should be on here but aren’t - it’s been so long some tags have changed since I added them) @wandering-at-midnight @royal-avengers @trumanjo @ohmygoditsanthonyedwardstark @itsametaphorbriansblog @wineandwanderings @simplyvictoria-93 @kotoamor @j1224 @florenceivy @jennyggggrrr @mercurycrowley

Zone | Changbin

Scenario; possible mini series Pairing: Changbin x reader; 3racha fic Summary: Your assignment is due in a week, and you and your assigned partner can’t seem to agree on anything. Or can you? Warning: Soft dom!Changbin, arm kink, subtle power kink, fingering, marking, hinted voyeurism - Smut 16+ Words: 3,222

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Tonight was not your typical Wednesday night. Usually, you'd be spending time in your dorm, curled up on the couch with a quick-to-make dinner, maybe watching tv or talking with a friend or two. However, it was getting close to exam season, meaning all your assignments were due at the same time. Luckily, you only had one left and it was due next week. That's why you were at the boys' dorm.

You had been paired with Changbin, which you didn't mind at all. You had spent most of the semester sitting at the same group table in your class. You wouldn't say you were that close, but you would say that he was a friend from class that you saw occasionally. Changbin was funny. He had a great sense of humour. He was on the stoic side at times and took to sarcastic humour for a bit of fun, but you'd caught him a few times being cutesy and embarrassing himself in front of his close friends. He didn't know that, though.

You were locked up in the boy's room, since his other housemates were in the main living area when you arrived. Changbin had clearly anticipated this, with the desk space already set up for the two of you upon your arrival.

You hadn't really started on anything. You had both chosen the topic together with ease, but the disagreements started when the conversation turned to how you were going to approach the essay. You believed the question was asking for both an analysis and opinion. Changbin was adamant that there was no opinion needed.

"It says it clearly right HERE! 'Discuss how you would be affected by the causes of-"

"No," he groaned out of pure frustration, "it's 'you' as in 'people', as in 'humans' in general. Not what you personally-"

"YOU DIDN'T EVEN LET ME FINISH READING THE QUESTION!"

"I DIDN'T HAVE TO! NOW KEEP YOUR VOICE DOWN OR SOMEONE WILL COME IN-"

"NO! YOU'RE BEING UNREASONABLE-"

"Me?! Unreasonable?! Your the one jumping at an answer when you haven't even gotten a reply from the tutor yet!" He lowered his voice but the venom was clear.

You were so exasperated, you were going to scream. You opted for whisper yelling so you wouldn't irritate his dumbass even more. "Well, why don't we explore both options and then continue with the CORRECT one once we get a reply?!"

"We can't afford to! We have so little time that we're both free. Can't you just accept your misreading the question."

"I AM NOT."

"SHUT your mouth before someone comes in here." He growled.

If you were being honest, you loved when he was riled up. You remember the last time you heard him like this. You guys were walking to your cars after class. You turned to walk down the next corridor when you found two students in a very heated, very public argument. You could tell from the body language, the unrest in the clenching of their jaws, both of their arms crossed and staggered breathing, that it was going to go down hill fast. You hadn't realised that one of the guys was Changbin's roommates.

You didn't know the full story at the time. The guy had been harassing their younger roommate, Jeongin. It seemed like this guy never shook the jock mentality from high school, and Minho had finally had enough. He stepped in to protect Jeongin. The more the asshole talked, the harder it got for Minho  to not snap.

"Shit," Changbin swore under his breath. Wordlessly, he left your side. You thought he was crazy for getting involved. He immediately stood between Minho and the guy, facing the unfamiliar boy with his arms out patiently in front of his chest and bag still slung over his shoulder.

"Look, you both need to cool down," his head swung towards Minho, dressing him down as well. You were hopeful that this move made it clear to the aggressor opposite him that he wasn't taking sides. "let's move this somewhere else." He went to usher them into the secluded courtyard nearby, still being the only thing separating the two involved. Changbin eyed them both constantly, making sure nothing happened would while their guards were supposed to be down, and you followed behind them cautiously.

You kept a little distance, watching a younger boy, Jeongin, follow your lead. You heard footsteps and voices fading away. If it weren't for classes commencing at this time, you were sure the crowd would've followed. There was something about people gravitating towards drama that no one understood. It seemed a little part of everyone enjoyed spectating.

Changbin had dropped his bag near were you stood, leading the main culprits to the centre of the courtyard, and began to mediate. Well, at least he tried.

It was clear that the guy no one knew had a short temper. Every time Changbin uttered a word against him that made perfect sense, his nostrils would flare, and you could imagine his vision turned a bit more read. When Changbin did the same against the other, Minho, the boy would smirk with some sick sense of satisfaction. Minho kept a straight face throughout the whole exchange. This first perception of him being the mature one was quickly shattered once you met him properly.

Out of nowhere, the antagonist shoved Changbin when he wasn't focused on him. He barely stumbled and his eyes quickly became trained on the slightly taller guy. His tone was menacing. "Don't you dare. touch me. or my friends. again." He growled, "Now get the fuck out of here before I show you what i just saved you from." The guy's face when pale. Just like you, he noticed the unintentional and subtle flex of Changbin's toned arms when he seethed with anger. He near bolted out of there, Changbin's gaze following his every move, before they locked onto you. That turned you on way more than you liked to admit.

Ever since, whenever you played 'Short Kings Anthem', you thought of him.

You took a second to recover, and a victorious smirk spread across his lips. Whether it was the fact he thought he'd one or he noticed that you faltered, you didn't know, but the annoyance was right back at the forefront of your mind now. "Fine." you managed through gritted teeth. "See? You know i'm right. You're just too stubborn to admit it." "Bite me." You muttered, turning back to the desk. "Where?" "What?!" He cackled seeing how flustered you were at the unexpected response. Your eyes were boring into the desk. "I'd say 'fuck you' but you'd take the wrong way, too." "What if I take it the right way?" He whispered in your ear. His voice was low again but didn't harbour the same angst as before. The effect was still the same. You squeezed your thighs together and tried not to fall into whatever trap he was setting. Then you felt his hands. His left arm was situated on the back of your chair, but his right hand took purchase on your thigh. His hand gentle rubbed at the clothed flesh, getting higher and higher, teasingly. You released a shaky sigh. His right hand coming to pull back your hair that was obstructing the side of your face. You knew he liked it. He liked seeing you flustered. The control he had over you. How your cheeks were dusted pink and the rest of your complection paled. That you had to control your breathing, biting your lip to stop anything from slipping past them. He enjoyed how you could meet his eyes. You could feel his breath tickling over the flesh of your neck. His hand was still making it' way up your thigh, closer and closer to your heat. His other was playing with your hair. His hand finally reached your covered heat. You closer your eyes and willed yourself not to give in. His lips ghosted over your ear. "Stop biting your lip." His tone hit you again, a moan rolling out as you let the plum flesh go. You could feel is smirk when he pressed his own lips to your neck, ever so gently, barely touching the skin. You gasped softly. He did it again, this time with more veracity. You responded instantly, more notes being pulled out of you with every touch. "Those are the moans I love to hear." You could feel how wet he was making you. Every touch made your skin burn, a sense of lust taking over you. You had leaned back against the chair, relaxing into his control. His fingers kept playing with you over your clothes and kisses being peppered up and down your neck. You let your eyes flutter open, his arm perfectly in your line of vision, as your neck was craned away from the man beside you to allow him more access to your neck. You watched his muscles flex as he continued his movements. His veins lightly visible from the prolonged attack on your core. You moaned at the sight, slightly bucking up into his hand. He chuckled between kisses, slowly drawing back to see what sparked the reaction. He caught on quickly. He rubbed your clit with his thumb, testing his theory, and was satisfied when you bit your lip. Your eyes were glued to his arm. "Arm kink, huh?" You whimpered as he purposely flexed for you. You gasped, allowing your right hand to latch onto his thigh. You saw him swallow nothing. That didn't help you in your current situation. Your eyes moved to his face, narrowing in on his lips. As if he read your mind, he leaned in. The first kiss was gentle and warm, the ones that followed were heated and passionate. You moaned against him when he increased the pressure on your clit. You broke free of his lips, resting your head beside his own on his shoulder and your left hand came up to tangle in his hair. He continued his movements from before, kissing your neck and rubbing at your core, as you whimpered and gasped and every touch. You didn't notice the other set of eyes on you. Your right hand moved up his leg and began palming his hardened length through his jeans. He let out a groan, "That feels good, princess." and your breath hitched. You continued like this, both of you slightly picking up speed, until Changbin noticed how your breathing became more ragged. You could feel yourself slowly shifting from a simple sense of pleasure into how you felt when your orgasm began to build. Your eyes were shut and mouth agape when Changbin slowed his movements and pulled away from you. You almost whined until he reattached his lips on yours, allowing his tongue access when he wordlessly begged for it. He stood you both up without ending the kiss, arms moving to feel up the rest of your body. You found yourself exploring every inch of him, too. He kissed along your jaw, and your fingers tangled in his hair once again. "Do you want to keeping going, princess? Do you want more?" You whined out your consent as he gently pushed you back towards his bed. He rid you of the clothes on your bottom of half, stripping himself quickly as you tore off your other layers. You lazily let them fall to the side of the bed and onto the ground. You didn't notice the slight movement through the gape in the door. You lay back as Changbin climbed on top of you. He kneaded your breasts and left marks on your decolletage, never ceasing his movements as you wrapped your legs around his and tangled your fingers in his hair. You moaned a little louder than before. You bit your lip again, lifting your free hand above you to grip onto the sheets. Changbin looked up at you, taking your chin in his palm so you would look into his eyes. He removed his and, never breaking eye contact and moved it to your heat. The sight only making you wetter, whimpering when two fingers entered inside you. He moved them slowly at first, eyes never leaving yours, biting his lip at how much of a mess you were becoming. His pace increased. So did your moans. The drowned out the soft sounds coming from the doorway. Your orgasm was starting to build again. It was written all over your face. However, as much as Changbin wanted to please you, he had something else in mind. He pulled his fingers away from you and two his lips, smirking as he saw you already and your eyes on him. He reached into the draw of his nightstand as you whined protests from the loss of contact. "Binnie, please. I need you." He groaned at how need you were. A similar sound came from the hallway. Once he finished, he returned to you, stroking his protected length as he lined himself up. He leaned over you, "Remember, not too loud, princess." You nodded as his face came close to yours. "Ready?" he smiled warmly. His action contradicting how sweet his tone was, as he slammed into you before you could reply. Simultaneously, his mouth swallowed the cry escaping your lips. His grind started of slow enough, your face contorting in pleasure. You both tried to stifle your sounds with messy kisses and bitten lips. Changbin reinitiated his assault on your torso with his lips. Your hands scratched and clawed at whatever parts of his body you could get at. "More." You sung. He obliged, picking up the pace, but it wasn't enough for either of you. He sat up, pulling you with ease onto his lap. He gave a few shallow thrusts, focusing on the sensation of your lips on one another's. He went back to your neck. You arched your back. You through your head back, revelling in how it made you feel. You didn't feel his stare. Changbin's patience was waning. He picked your whole body up, still decorating you with kisses, especially on your face. Still inside of you, he pinned you to the wall, holding you up effortlessly. Your fingers traced his biceps and vienes. You clenched. He hissed yet smirked at your actions, enjoying you taking full advantage of his supply to your kink. "This might hurt a bit, baby." He hushed, moving a hand behind your hand. Then he slammed into you. The new angle did wonders, exploring every place within you. You couldn't stop the moans and cries leaving your lips with every thrust. He went harder and faster, your audible pleasure spurring him on. He started groaning and growling in time with your whimpers and sighs. You felt the pressure building, your eyes blurring, trying to focus on the shadow by the ajar door. You couldn't focus, not with how good Changbin was making you feel. You choked out a warning, trying to prevent yourself from being so loud. You pined for relief. For him. For the feeling that he would allow to wash all over you. You finally reached your high, in synchronicity with him. He rode out the feeling for both of you. Once both of you were satisfied, he returned and laid you down on his bed. You both basked in the afterglow, limbs wrapped in each other. Bated breath. Tingling sensations hitting you like waves on a shore. After a few beats, you dared to sneak a look at your counterpart. His eyes were already on you. You shared a tired, knowing smile, alone in the room. He leaned in and kissed you. You returned it without question. He smiled at you again, brighter this time. He then moved, still on the bed, grabbing some tissues. He returned to your side. "When I invited you over, I was only 70% sure this would be the end result." he said nonchalantly, being gentle to touch you, understanding how sensitive you were. The tissues in his hands used to clean you were tossed into the bin soon enough. You scoffed, "70%? Really? You're that confident." "I remember how you looked at me that day i threatened that asshole for going after Minho and Jeongin. I saw you. I saw how turned on you were. You pressed your legs together, then walked away like it was nothing." You were taken aback, almost chocking on air. "I-- fuck you, Seo Changbin." "Round two, already?" He teased. You hit him playfully, watching as he pretended to wince in pain from the blow you just struck. "Go freshen up in the bathroom. I'll check if the tutor replied yet." Ahh, yes. Even as amazing as that was, your hot sex couldn't fuck away the assignment lumming over your heads. You dressed yourself, accepting the oversized shirt and sweatpant Changbin gave you to change into. He told you there was a spare towel in the cupboard. You stepped into the hallway, mind left you reeling from what just happened and how good you felt. Though, at the same time, you couldn't help but fear the embarrassment that would come from being called out by one of Changbin's roommates. With that thought in mind, you were quick to collect yourself and almost sprinted to the bathroom closes to Changbin's room. You made a sharp turn, colliding into some. Great. You looked up to see Jisung. He seemed nervous, or maybe that was you. "H-hi Noona, um.. sor-sorry I'm in a rush. I'll see you later." You chalked the stutter up to him freaking out over being late to wherever he was going. You prayed to a higher power that he hadn't heard you. You weren't exactly close with Changbin's roommates. You knew them all, but were only really close to Chan and Minho, Changbin aside. Speak of the devil. Chan announced his arrival with a slight cough, eyes meeting yours in the mirror as he leaned on the doorframe. "Hey Channie~" You sung, hoping to sound like your usual self. You retrieved the spare towel and tried to just casually but the spare clothes from Changbin to the side of the sink. "Don't act so innocent, I heard you" You winced. Who were you kidding. The neighbour probably heard you, so of course Chan did. That's when it sunk in. Fuck, hopefully Jeongin wasn't poisoned by the filth of what happened behind Changbin's bedroom door. You let out a shake groan of self-reproach before looking back to Chan's smirking reflection. Sometimes you hated how much he teased you. Then again, you made it easier for him. Especially with the events from the same evening. Your next words came out a bit pained. You didn't really want an answer to them after all, did you? "Did the others-" "Lucky for you," He pushed himself off the frame, arms crossed, "most of them went out awhile before it all started." A sigh of relief. You felt a bit better that it seemed to be just Chan who cottoned on. "Well, I hope you enjoyed it." You deadpanned, watching as he decided to leave you be and tossing his last words over his shoulder. "Oh, well I know someone did." -----------------------------------------------

A/N: This was my first smut and I plan to write more since it wasn’t as awkward as i thought~  Credit to the owners of the few prompts I used and I’d love it if people have requests to please submit! I’m having a mental block with Question atm so I wrote this to hopefully stir up some creativity. If you like this please check out @skzsmutnetwork​ for more!

latest | Zone II (Teaser)

Stay With Me

masterlist

Request: hi!! i really loved your first fic!!😙 i was wondering if you could write one where the reader is a slytherin, and she’s like pretty good friends with draco. she gets an owl one day with some bad news about her family (you can decide what lmao) and she acts like she’s ok at first but she leaves the great hall rly early while draco watches and he goes to help. you can choose how it ends hehe

Pairing: Draco Malfoy x Slytherin!Reader

Summary: Y/N and Draco are the best of friends. When Y/N hears news that will change her life, it’s up to him to help save her from her grief.

Word Count: 1.9k

Warnings: Mentions of death (nothing graphic though).

a/n — Thank you for requesting! I hope I did justice to this prompt lol.

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For a moment, everything was nice.

It was late in the evening, and the Slytherin common room would be deserted if it wasn’t for you and Draco occupying the space. He sat lazily on the mossy coloured couch while you sat next to him horizontally with your legs draped over his lap, your back leaned against the armrest. The closeness between you two was almost second nature, being too overdone for it to be given another thought.

It was comfortable, that’s all. Just normal behaviour between friends.

Or at least, that’s what you say to yourself.

“And that damn bludger almost knocked my head off near the end! It was a miracle I managed to duck on time,” Draco beamed, using hand gestures as he spoke to walk you through the events. Earlier that day, Slytherin won a Quidditch match against Ravenclaw, and Draco couldn’t be more ecstatic. You nodded your head in agreement as you kept your head low, focusing on the essay on your lap which needed to be completed.

With a boastful smile stretched across his face, he continued, “It was an amazing catch! The Ravenclaw seeker got close to the snitch, but I was clearly faster.”

It was silent for a moment as Draco waited for a response. You were too engrossed in the Transfiguration assignment in front of you that you almost forgot he was there, but a hand waved in front of your face brought you back to reality. Putting away the parchment with a sheepish grin, you turned your attention towards him.

“Sorry, I was finishing up my paragraph. But yes, you were amazing out there. I watched the whole thing, remember?”

His face reddened slightly at your praise, but you failed to notice under the dim candlelit lighting. Suddenly, a realization hit you; Christmas break would be approaching very soon. The mere thought warmed you like a nearby fire, and you found yourself getting giddy at the thought.

“Draco! Christmas break is in one more week. Can you believe it?” you asked, eyes wide in excitement like a child receiving candy. He nodded vaguely, unable to show much happiness at the matter.

You found immense joy at the idea of Christmas. While your half-blood and pureblood parents are comparable to a nasty old Grinch, your muggle grandmother makes the holidays entirely bearable. She frequently bakes with you, blasts old Christmas tunes whenever your parents are away, and puts on heartwarming films to enjoy together every night and morning.

These little traditions are practically the only reason you enjoy coming home. Your parents are strong upholders of the snotty rich family stereotype most Slytherins seem to bear, but having someone at your house who loves you for you and not your possible potential makes you extremely grateful.

Unfortunately, your best friend didn’t have that same luck. Draco’s parents are to a similar degree of cruelty as yours, but the lack of comforting adult figures at his house makes him loathe coming home for the break more so than you would.

It was only the prospect of seeing you after it what made him survive throughout the holiday season.

Frowning at his sudden quietness, you grabbed his hand and gave it a small squeeze. Your lips stretched into a comforting smile, not knowing what else to say to ease his mind.

He gave you a reassuring glance in response, and all was quiet for a moment. Merely the delicate crackle coming from the fireplace was heard as you unknowingly kept his hand in yours. After a minute’s time, you pulled your arm back and swung your legs off his lap.

“Come on, let’s go to bed,” you said, dragging him up by his arm. He chuckled at your slight manhandling of him as you picked up your essay and waved goodbye to him. You then headed to the girls dormitory, while he went the opposite way.

That night, memories of candy canes, gingerbread houses, and the Home Alone series occupied your thoughts, leaving you in a blissful dreamland for the remainder of the night.

~~~

The next morning, you found yourself being awoken by the loud shuffling of feet outside your door. Judging by the streams of light pouring through your drapes, you knew it was time to get up.

Your morning routine didn’t take longer than 15 minutes. Once you deemed yourself ready for the day, you headed to the common room, only to see Draco leaning boredly against the portrait hole. Upon seeing you, amusement flickered briefly in his eyes.

“Race you to the Great Hall,” he spoke quickly, breaking out into a sprint before you could even respond. With a small groan and a grin threatening to spread across your mouth, you ran after the platinum haired boy.

Typical Draco, you thought. When will I ever catch a break.

Although his long legs and early exit gave him a lengthy advantage, you managed to catch up to him considerably fast, and you two crashed into the Slytherin table at nearly same time. An airy chuckle escaped his lips as you panted heavily, taking a seat as well as a large gulp of water. The pair quickly received eyes on them for their abrupt entry, but all stares were disregarded upon the sight of food in front of you.

You licked your lips in delight and swiftly reached for the French toast, ignoring the loud entrance of owls delivering the morning mail. You almost didn’t notice one approach your table, and certainly not when it swooped next to your head, but a small tap on your shoulder redirected your attention to the letter laid in front of you.

Curiously enough, you weren’t even expecting any mail.

“Who’s it from?” asked Draco nonchalantly as he scarfed down his scrambled eggs. You shrugged your shoulders and picked up the letter, impatiently unwrapping it without paying mind to front cover.

Dear Y/N L/N,

I hope you’re currently studying for exams or completing your coursework. Remember, I expect nothing less than Outstandings in every class.

Of course. Typical of mom to start off a letter addressing grades. No ‘Hello my daughter’ or anything.

I’m sending this letter to tell you that your grandmother has passed away. It was inevitable, really. She was getting quite old. But the burial was last Wednesday, so that’s done and over with. Our annual Christmas and New Year’s parties will resume as normal, so don’t you worry. Anyways, resume your studying.

Yours Truly,

Mrs L/N

Grandma… is dead?

Your knuckles gripped tightly onto the paper, your eyes skimming through it again and again to confirm you read it accurately. Eventually, the tears developing prevented you from seeing it clearly, and you simply crumpled up the letter and shoved it in your robe’s pocket.

You were alone now. All alone.

It took a minute for you to digest the information. You sat silently, making no effort to pick up your fork or look up from your lap. You couldn’t believe she was really gone from your life. It seemed like it was almost yesterday when you two were belting out Jingle Bells while icing sugar cookies.

And now, she was gone, just like that.

Standing up from your spot, you looked up to the ceiling to quickly diminish the water in your eyes. Once relatively dried, you faced Draco, who stared up at you with concern lacing his features. He was no longer focused on the meal in front of him, nor the conversations going on around him.

Forcing a small smile on your face, you croaked, “I’m feeling a little full. Just going to get some fresh air.” Without letting him reply, you rushed out of the Great Hall. Your jaw was clenched to prevent you from sobbing immediately as you ran out the doors and towards the Black Lake.

Soon, you found the spot under a tree which you had always claimed to be your own. It had the perfect view of the lake in front, so you often came here to de-stress, study, or simply hang out with Draco. Today, however, it was used as your crying corner, away from the eyes of your peers and noise of people chatting nearby. It was secluded.

And perhaps, that level of isolation was exactly what you needed to break down.

So, you cried. And cried. You sobbed louder than a newborn baby, and produced more tears within a minute than you have done within a year. You were grieving for the only adult figure in your life you ever found solace in.

What felt like hours of misery turned out to be mere minutes, which was soon interrupted by a figure dropping down next to you and pulling you to their chest. Although the puffiness of your eyelids and tears pooling above it blocked your vision, the smell of cedar wood and vanilla made you well aware of Draco’s presence. He cradled your upper body as you cried into his chest, gripping onto his shirt in tight fists.

“Draco, s-she — my grandma, she’s g-gone,” you hiccuped between your words. He didn’t respond, simply brushing the hair from your face and rubbing your back while trying to hush your cries.

It took a long while, but eventually, the tears had ceased and the whimpers were quiet and minimal. You simply took in Draco’s scent as he protectively held you. Upon noticing your silence, he finally broke the silence.

“I’m sorry, Y/N. You don’t deserve this.”

You released a pathetic chuckle, eyes looking empty as you dismiss the last part. “But it still happened. And now, I’m all alone.”

Immediately, Draco pulled you from his chest, keeping you in his arms but now facing him. He stared into your eyes with an unreadable expression and carefully remarked, “You are not alone. I’m here for you. Always.”

His response left you with a small grin tugging on your lips. You felt grateful to have a friend like him in your life, putting up with you no matter the circumstance. But as quickly as the thought came, it was replaced with the looming reality of what’s to come next week. You would have to come home for Christmas and endure constant neglect and judgement from your parents. Fear washed over your face in an instant as your eyebrows furrowed in worry.

Noticing the change of expression, he moved his hand to your jaw to hold the side of your face. “Hey, hey, what’s the matter now love?”

“I’m gonna have to come home for Christmas,” you spoke with quivering lips and a shaky tone. Tears threatened to spill from your eyes once more, but Draco caught each one and wiped them from your cheek with delicate strokes of his finger.

“No, Y/N, you won’t. Not this year, at least. You can come with me to my house, or I can stay with you at Hogwarts. Either way, I am not leaving you alone.”

“Y-you’ll stay with me?” you asked tentatively. You and him both knew how much you needed him at a time like this, but his understanding without your spoken words left you feeling a certain type of admiration for the boy.

Just as you did yesterday, Draco squeezed your hand in a reassuring manner before mumbling, “Of course I will.”

He then left a gentle kiss on your forehead, spreading warmth to every corner of your body. “I promise, Y/N. I won’t leave you. Not now, not later, not ever. I will always stick by your side.”

——————————

a/n — I had lots of fun writing this, despite it currently being an ungodly hour. Thank you again for requesting and let me know what you think!

Don’t Touch That!

Pairing: pinning!Jungkook along with platonic!NamJin

Genre: Hogwarts!AU, crack

Prompt: Don’t touch that!

Word Count: 2.5k words

Prompt: Don’t touch that!

Summary: This is a story in which everyone, including the author, is whipped for Jungkook. Just kidding (not really). Jungkook finds himself in dire need of extra help to study for an upcoming Potions mid-term. The solution to his problem involves him sacrificing his pride, but Namjoon sweeps in to save the day for five seconds. 

Author’s Note: I never cared about a person’s teeth until I saw Jungkook smile. With that being said, I have crawled out of my hole and this scenario is the first of many that will come as a result of my participation in BTS Ghostie Writer’s Net Bingo Bash. This scenario falls under the “Don’t touch that!” prompt. Also, on a completely random note, I have missed writing in third person. I don’t own anything from the world of Harry Potter, but with that being said, this fic can not be modified, re-posted or translated without my permission. Credit for the image belongs to BigHit.

“I don’t think that I’m going to be able to play in next week’s match,” Jungkook said as he laid on a bed and stared up at the ceiling of the Room of Requirements. His heart clenched as the ceiling reminded him of the ceiling of the attic at his home. 

“What do you mean?” Namjoon asked as he approached the bed that Jungkook was lying down and sat down by his feet. “The Ravenclaw team isn’t going to play without their seeker.”

“The mid-term for Potions is next Monday and then the match is Wednesday. If I fail this mid-term then I won’t have the grades that I need to play,” Jungkook explained. Namjoon looked back and watched as Jungkook sat up on the bed. His dark wavy hair was disheveled from lying down, but Namjoon was sure that all of the female students, and a considerable amount of male students, at Hogwarts would still find Jungkook attractive. 

“I thought you were doing really good in Potions,” Namjoon said. 

Jungkook fidgeted. “Well I’m doing good, but I’m not doing good enough. I need at least a 90% to be able to play on Wednesday and I know that Snape is going to make this mid-term extra difficult, since we’re playing against Slytherin.” 

Namjoon blinked and tilted his head to the side. He didn’t know that the standard for playing Quidditch was that high. “I’d offer to help, but...” Namjoon said trailing off at the end of his sentence. Jungkook threw his head back and laughed. He knew exactly what Namjoon was talking about. The elder was an absolute liability in Potions and it was a wonder that Namjoon was still allowed to take Potions. 

“Yeah. I’m pretty sure Snape already hates me enough as it is,” Jungkook said after his laughter died down. “I don’t need to give him another reason to like me even less by taking Potions lessons from you, no offense.” Jungkook extended his hand and laid it on Namjoon’s shoulder.

“None taken,” Namjoon replied. He pursed his lips for a moment and pondered over Jungkook’s dilemma. “Why don’t you ask Yoongi to tutor you?” 

“I already asked. He can’t help me because he’s juggling taking the practice exam for NEWTs and duties from being Head Boy,” Jungkook said with a sigh. 

“What about Jimin?” Namjoon asked. “Or Taehyung?”

“Both of them are taking the practice exam for OWLs,” Jungkook said. “And Hobi got an Acceptable in Potions for his OWLs. I need someone who knows what they are doing.” 

“Jin did better than Hobi, he got an Exceeds Expectations. It’s because of him that I managed to barely scrape by in Potions section of the OWLs with an Acceptable. You should ask him,” Namjoon suggested. 

Jungkook’s shoulders sagged and he shook his head. “I can’t ask him.” 

“Why not?” 

“I just can’t.” Namjoon gave Jungkook his infamous that’s-not-a-good-enough-reason look and Jungkook scooted forward on the bed to sit next to Namjoon. “I can’t ask him. Asking Jin for help gives him too much power over me. It’ll give him too much leverage. I can already see what will happen if I ask him.” 

“What do you think is going to happen?”

Jungkook stood up, his Ravenclaw uniform slightly crinkly from lying down, and ran his fingers through his hair. “Ugh. I can see him going like ‘It’s about time you came around asking for my help, kid!’” Jungkook began to say as he placed his hands on hips and mimicked Jin’s ‘old man’ gestures. Namjoon laughed at Jungkook a-little-too-spot-on impression of Jin. “‘It looks like our little golden boy still needs help from time to time. HE HE HE HE.’” Tears fell down Namjoon’s cheeks upon hearing Jungkook’s imitation of Jin’s laughter. Jungkook couldn’t help but smile with his adorable teeth showing as he watched his elder laugh. 

“That was too good, Kookie,” Namjoon said as he wiped away his tears. Jungkook’s smile softened and he looked down at his feet in defeat when reality returned to creep over him. 

“He’s never going to let me live it down if I ask him for help.” 

Namjoon stood up from the bed and smoothed his Gryffindor tie and dress shirt before placing a comforting hand on Jungkook’s shoulder. 

“How about I ask him to help me out with Potions?” Namjoon said. Jungkook looked up, confusion clouding his brown eyes. “I’ll ask Jin if he can tutor me and then you can tag along.” 

“What if he says no?” Jungkook asked with doubt laced in his voice. 

“Don’t worry. He won’t say no.”

“How are you doing to get him to agree to tutor you?”

“Well... How about this? I’ll tell him that since I got an Acceptable in Potions for my OWLs that I’m going to help you out and tutor you in Potions.” 

Jungkook blinked and understood immediately what Namjoon was trying to get at. There was no way that Jin was going to let Namjoon do anything that involved the words ‘help’ and ‘Potions.’

“Jin’s busy with classes today and tomorrow is Friday, right?” Namjoon asked. 

Jungkook took a moment to make sure that the following day was indeed Friday. “Yeah, it is.” 

“Good. I’ll tell him tomorrow and after Jin finishes with his scolding, we can start studying Friday afternoon.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Friday afternoon arrived within a blink of an eye for Jungkook. Namjoon had told him right after breakfast that Jin would tutor the both of them at the library after their last classes of the day. According to Jin, “There was no time to waste for the school’s walking disaster and the school’s golden boy.” Jungkook, begrudgingly, couldn't agree more. 

Jungkook’s school bag bounced against his hip as he walked to the library. The giggles from a group of Hufflepuffs girls passing by Jungkook as he entered the library went through one ear and out the other. He had one thing in mind and no one person or thing was going to get in his way from achieving success. 

“JUNGKOOK!” Jin whisper-shouted from a bookshelf near the entrance of the library, which earned him a nasty glare from the librarian. Off to a great start, Jungkook thought to himself as he forced a smile towards the librarian in hopes to ease her anger. The elderly lady was immune to his charms and her scowl deepened. Jungkook quickly scurried to the bookshelf that Jin was standing by.  

“Hey, Jin,” Jungkook awkwardly whispered. Jin grinned and patted Jungkook on the shoulder a little too enthusiastically. 

“Come on, kid. Namjoon got us a table in a more intimate part of the library. We don’t need students distracted by my infamous looks while I help you and Namjoon with Potions,” Jin proclaimed. Jungkook suppressed the urge to facepalm, since the act would give Jin the you-are-not-as-handsome-as-you-think vibe, and Jungkook did not want to get another lecture from Jin about “respecting his elders.” 

“Thanks for helping out. I know that you’re busy,” Jungkook said as he and Jin approached the table that Namjoon occupied. 

“I’d much rather help than see the fallout from Namjoon attempting to help you with Potions,” Jin said as he pulled out a chair and sat next to Namjoon. Jungkook sat on the opposite side of the table, in front of Jin. Namjoon laughed at Jin’s remark and along with Jungkook, he pulled out his notebook that was primarily for his Potions class. “So what do you need help with, Jungkook?”

“What about me?!?” Namjoon asked with indignation. Jin glared at Namjoon and turned to face Jungkook.

“Jungkook’s problems with Potions are the easiest to address first,” Jin began to explain as he pulled out an all-too-familiar textbook. “Your issues with Potions require you to start with reading over the basics, again. I need to see how much you’re retained.” 

Namjoon nodded his head and adjusted his glasses. “I’ll just start reading that,” Namjoon awkwardly said, looking at the first year Potions textbook. 

“Start with reviewing how to cure boils,” Jin said as he pulled out his Potions notebook from his fourth year at Hogwarts. It was common knowledge that Jin liked to keep notebooks that contained notes from all of the classes that he had taken at Hogwarts. Those notebooks, and Jin, were among the most coveted things by the students at Hogwarts. “Here we go, antidotes to Potions. This is the core of what you are learning about in Potions, right?” 

“Right,” Jungkook said. 

“Are there any Potions that you’re struggling with?” Jin asked. He skimmed through his notebook to refresh his memory of the Potions that he had learned about. 

“The Ageing Potion,” Jungkook replied. 

“Oh! I know that one!” Namjoon exclaimed. Jin rolled his eyes and playfully smacked Namjoon’s hand. 

“You don’t know anything,” Jin said. “You can’t even brew a Pepperup Potion to cure the common cold.” 

Jungkook’s eyes widened in surprise. He knew that Namjoon struggled with Potions, but he didn’t realize that his struggle led him to not even be able to brew such an essential potion. 

“I almost did last time! I just forgot to add the Mandrake root!” Namjoon said in reply. Jin huffed and stared pointedly at Namjoon. 

“Speaking of which, although it’s good that you’re trying to do better with Potions, shouldn’t you be studying for the upcoming Transfiguration mid-term that you have next Thursday?” Jin said. 

“How do you know I have a mid-term next Thursday?” Namjoon asked. 

“Hobi was complaining about it since it’s right after the big match between Ravenclaw and Slytherin. He wants to watch the match, but McGonagall is testing you guys on human transfiguration.” 

Namjoon gulped and nervously adjusted his glasses. He looked down at the Potions book and contemplated the current use of his time. 

“Hobi said that he was going to be in the Room of Requirements to practice, if you want to join him,” Jin suggested with a shift in his tone. Gone was playful Jin-- he was now replaced with wise Jin. Namjoon looked at Jungkook and grimaced. Jungkook felt bad for the elder. Snape’s tests were notoriously hard, but McGonagall managed to make her tests even harder. Jungkook had heard many sixth years complain about the Transfiguration class and how they were struggling to even understand what McGonagall wanted them to do.  

“You should go study with Hobi,” Jungkook encouraged. He swallowed his pride and sighed before admitting what he wanted to avoid saying in front of Jin. “I’m the one who needs help.” 

Namjoon nodded his head and immediately stood up from his seat. “I’ll go meet up with Hobi. Sorry about this,” Namjoon said as he gestured to the barely read Potions textbook. 

Jin shrugged, unbothered by Namjoon’s sudden need to leave. “No worries. You’ve got more important things to worry about.” Namjoon sighed in relief and hung his school bag on his shoulder. “I’ll save you a seat at dinner.” 

“Thanks!” He said in reply. “I’ll see you guys later.” 

Once Namjoon was no longer within earshot, Jin closed his eyes for a moment and sighed. “I know I can give him flack, but Namjoon’s the smartest among us. I’m sure he’ll do just fine on McGonagall’s test.” 

“Yeah. I’m sure he’ll do good too,” Jungkook said as he looked down at his barely legible notes from Potions class. He figured a good place to start with understanding the Ageing Potion better would be to compare his notes with Jin’s old notes and make a detailed guide to understanding and brewing the potion. 

“Why did you ask for help to study for this mid-term, kid?” Jin suddenly asked as Jungkook was furiously writing important notes that either he had neglected to get down or Snape had neglected to talk about in class. Snape had a habit of expecting students to do a lot of learning outside of class, so it was most likely the latter. 

Jungkook looked up from his scribblings, his doe eyes wide in surprise. Jin’s body was leaning against the table, his eyes studying the younger boy. 

“What do you mean?” He asked. 

“Jungkook, you’re a smart kid,” Jin started to say. Jungkook was in awe. He never thought he’d ever hear those words come out so easily from Jin’s mouth. “Not as smart as me, but still smart.” Jungkook rolled his eyes. “But you’re doing well-enough in Potions. You don’t need my help to score high enough to play in the match against Slytherin on Wednesday.” 

“I don’t want to do ‘well-enough,’ I want to do better,” Jungkook said. Jin moved back to let his back rest against the chair as he pondered over Jungkook’s desires and intentions. As he was lost in thought, Jungkook pulled out a folder from his school bag and papers started falling out. 

“Don’t touch that!” Jungkook exclaimed in panic as he saw Jin grab a worn out folded piece of paper that fell out of his messy folder of papers.

“What is this?” Jin asked with a hint of teasing in his tone. 

“Nothing!”

“It doesn’t seem like nothing,” Jin pointedly said as he opened the worn out folded piece of paper. He could tell from the crinkles that this paper had been open and folded countless times. 

A deafening silence hung in the air as Jungkook awaited Jin’s reaction to the contents of the piece of paper. 

“So that’s why you’re studying so hard. It isn’t just so you can play the game,” Jin stated after reading the first few lines of the note. Jungkook expected his tone to be mocking, but instead it was soft. “You like someone.”

A blush crept on Jungkook’s neck and he hung his head low. “It doesn’t matter,” he mumbled in hopes that Jin would drop the subject. He didn’t want to be humiliated by the elder for having a crush and going to such great lengths to impress someone. 

“It matters if you wrote out your feelings in a note and are going out of your way to study a subject that you already excel in,” Jin said as he folded up the note and gave it back to Jungkook. He looked up at Jin in surprise. Was he really not going to tease him? 

“I--”

“You don’t have to say anything, kid,” Jin said. “And if you don’t want me to, I won’t tell anyone, especially the person that this note is meant for.” 

Jungkook’s tensed shoulders sagged in relief as he stared at his older friend in disbelief. 

“I’m confused.” 

Jin kindly smiled at Jungkook and patted him on the head. Jin understood what Jungkook was trying to do. Getting a high grade on the mid-term wasn’t just for the match, it was to impress the person that Jungkook was crushing on. 

“Don’t worry, kid. I’ll give you a hard time about it later, but for now we’re gonna continue going over these concepts,” Jin said, gesturing at the notes that Jungkook had been taking. “And I’m gonna make sure that you ace the Potions mid-term.” 

Jungkook wanted to ask about Jin’s intentions, but he didn’t want to push away Jin’s help. He would ask Jin about what he was talking about later, after he catches the snitch and wins the match against Slytherin on Wednesday. He wasn’t going to do good, he was going to do great.

Jewel Sequel: Chapter Two.

There’s been a change of plan. I was originally gonna get this out on the weekend (so it had a similar system to what Jewel had) but then I finished it and edited it today so the post day will either be late Wednesday/early Thursday and hopefully I’ll be able to stick to that schedule. Hi, hello, if you’re new to this. This can arguably be classed as a ‘Titanic au’ still cause it exists within that universe. This is a sequel to that and it is highly recommended to read A Jewel Beneath The Moonlight first, it’s not long, it’s thirteen chapters and if you’ve read my stuff before you’ll know my chapters/one shots are never long. You won’t regret reading it either. It’s been a while since I’ve been in this universe but most wanted me to continue with it so here you go. I do really hope you enjoy this as much as you did Jewel. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them :)

Tagging: @baronessblixen @suitablyaggrieved @purrykat @today-in-fic. As usual, let me know if you want to be tagged in future chapters. 

Link to Chapter One.

Scully sighs in frustration as she turns the pages of the newspaper. It was the third one she had picked up so far and nothing; nobody advertising for any job, nobody looking for extra help.

She places the newspaper back on the rack, her hand hovering over the next before…

“We’re not a library. If you’re going to look through it, you better pay for it.”

Scully looks up to see an old man peering down at her from his stall.

Reluctantly, she leaves the fourth paper where it is and saunters over to the counter.

“Yes?” the man asks, warily.

“I was wondering if there had any job requests,” Scully answers, her elbows coming up to lean on the counter.

The man eyes her cautiously. “What kind of job?”

“Nanny, housekeeper, that sort of thing,” she shrugs.

With one last careful glance towards her, Scully watches with apprehension as he pulls a piece of paper off the wall and hands it to her.

“The Burkes came in a few weeks ago saying they were looking for a new housekeeper. They never came back to tell me they found someone so you can always check there.”

Scully looks at the yellowing paper. The address was not of a place she had heard of but it sounded upper class enough for them to have money so it was good enough for her.

“Thank you,” Scully says, exiting the shop. Too busy still reading the paper, she misses the sign If you read, you buy the man tapes onto the newspaper rack.

   Three knocks and she’s stepping back, praying that her appearance is presentable enough for this family to consider her.

Physical appearance had been everything with the other family; hair up, clothes tucked in, and not a single curl out of place. Scully’s curls always fell out of place, regardless.

She hears barking from the other side of the door and smiles. They have a dog.

Out the way, Bruce, she also hears before the door is opening and a boy no older than herself stands before her.

“Uh…can I help you?” the boy asks.

Smiling (just as she had been taught) Scully begins,

“Hi, uh…there was a housekeeper request made and I was wondering if it was still open?” She extends the note towards the boy and he looks down at it, looking as if he’s unsure as to what it is or what to do with it for a second before he’s taking it from her.

“Uh, yeah…just, hold on a minute.”

Scully nods, still smiling, as the door is placed on the latch and waits for him to return.

To say she was disappointed to being back in this position again perhaps wasn’t right. She knew even four months ago that there would have to be an adjustment period, and while her future turned out differently than she imagined before stepping onto the ship, career-wise, it wasn’t entirely off target.

The four months she had been here was really about allowing Mulder to settle. She knows how much of a drastic change this is for him, how important it was for her to be there when he came home every evening- she was his only familiarity anymore, after all- but Scully couldn’t shake away the feeling that maybe she had pushed her dreams too far back, all just to accommodate Mulder.

Had she still been here with Charlie, they would have found the swing of things fairly early on; him at some construction site, her in some upper-class house. And she wouldn’t have to try and get the weekend off.

Charlie…

It still stung to think of her brother.

The door reopens to an older woman, late 30s Scully assumes, holding the note Scully gave to the boy.

The woman looks her up and down. “You’re the help?” she asks, distastefully.

“Aye, ma’am,” Scully nods.

The woman sighs defeatedly. “I suppose you’re better than nothing.” She opens the door the little wider to allow Scully entrance. “Well, come on, then.”

Scully enters and immediately the dog bounding towards her, curious as to who this intruder is. She laughs as the gold Labrador slobbers all over her skirt, not minding at all as she pets the top of his head.

“Edward!” Mrs Burke shouts towards the rooms leading off. The boy who answered the door exits out of the nearest doorway. “Take the dog somewhere else.”

Edward moves towards the dog, gripping it by the collar and tugging it away from Scully. “Sorry,” he says sheepishly.

“You won’t need to worry about the dog,” Mrs Burke says, shutting the front door. “That’s Edward’s job. What did you say your name was?”

“Ingrid Brevik,” Scully answered.

The woman smiles slightly, a smile that tells Scully the woman knows she’s lying.

“You’re real name.”

Scully hesitates for a moment. They had been using their fake names since they got here, every new person they met they introduced themselves as Leif and Ingrid and nothing was said on the matter. Even when they had got to Ellis Island, they had been allowed to pass through immigration fairly easily.

“If will remain within this household if you’re scared,” Mrs Burke reassures.

And maybe Scully was scared. What if they knew the Mulders had been her first thought, was always her thought when meeting anybody. Scully knew first-hand what vultures these people were.

But what if not all of them were? Mulder certainly wasn’t.

“Dana Scully,” Scully finally answers.

Mrs Burke nods, “That sounds more like it. Come on, I’ll show you around.”

Scully gets a tour of the house. It’s easy enough to navigate, give her two days and she’ll be able to walk around with her eyes closed.

She’s finally led to where she’ll be staying. A room in the basement. Minimum furniture; a single bed, a set of drawers yet the added bonus is the small bathroom attached. The last house hadn’t had a bathroom and Scully had been forced to use the one they had outside.

“You’ll work from six to nine every day. Dinner is usually served at seven. Any meals you have are to be had after we’ve eaten. Yes?”

Scully nods.

“Any questions?”

Scully fumbles with her fingers, unsure of how to proceed.

“Um…I have one request, actually.” The woman looks at her, waiting. “Can I have Saturday to Sunday off?”

  An agreement was made. Monday to Friday she would work, for half the wage.

Scully hadn’t tried to bargain with Mrs Burke. She hadn’t been too impressed with Scully’s request but had granted it anyway once Scully explained Mulder. She may not have been truthfully honest, Mulder was far from inept and she had no doubt he could take care of himself if it really came down to it but needs must.

Now she had the task of actually telling Mulder, something she had been dreading since this idea first came to mind. Five days a week Mulder would have to learn to live without her which meant he had a few new skills to learn.

Scully braces herself at the sound of the door unlocking. It opens to reveal Mulder, worn out and dropping his sketchbook onto the floor. He looks over to her, smiling tiredly, taking off his shoes.

“Long day?” she asks.

Mulder smiles in agreement, placing the money jar on the table. Scully’s eyes fall to it and widen when she realises what sits inside.

A dark green dollar bill.

She brings the jar towards her, twisting off the cap.

Mulder is full smiles now, pulling out the opposite chair and sitting down.

“Took a bit of convincing, but I managed to con them into giving that over.”

She looks up at him disapprovingly. “Mulder! We agreed you weren’t gonna use any deceitful tactics.”

“Look, I only did it the once, and look what it got us,” he points to the bill she holds in her hand. “I promise I won’t do it often.”

Scully sighs, placing the note back into the jar and pushing it out of the way. “You won’t have to. I got a job.”

Mulder stares at her in surprise. “Really? Where?”

She slides the note she got from the newspaper stall over to him.

“It’s just a housekeeper. I work Monday to Friday but I get to be home for the weekend.” She smiles, hoping it’ll lift his spirits.

Mulder stares glumly at the note. “You won’t be here for five days.”

She reaches her hand out, grasping his. “But I get to be home every weekend, that’s something right?”

Mulder shrugs, his fingers playing with hers. “When do you start?”

Scully looks down at their entwined hands. “Monday.”

“Monday?” Mulder exclaims. “But what’s in two days.”

“Well, it’s better than starting tomorrow, isn’t it?”

Mulder looks glumly down at their hands. “I guess,” he mumbles. “Scully, how am I meant to survive five days without you here?”

Scully smiles, “I’ll teach you how to cook. That should keep you alive.” Another thought passes through her mind then, one she hadn’t thought about before this moment.

“Mulder, will you be okay at night? You know, with the nightmares and that?”

She watches him think for a moment, a flash of panic crossing his face. Often their nightmares consisted of something happening to the other, or just a memory of what happened that night, and when they would wake up, the other’s presence would soothe them, allow them to go back to sleep knowing the other was safe and alive next to them. With them both being separated, there was a worry that that safety, that comfort wouldn’t be there anymore.

“I’ll be fine,” he says, trying to sound like he was convincing them both. “What about you? I know you have them, too.”

Scully tried to be less vocal about hers. Sometimes, Mulder’s dreams would have her waking up- usually because Mulder’s woke her up- sometimes it was the only way he could really go back to sleep if he knew she was really alive. Scully would just cuddle closer to Mulder, listen to his breathing and fall asleep that way.

She grasps his hand tighter. “I’ll be okay. I promise.”

It was going to be strange, being away from each other for so long. They had been in each other’s company since the day they met. They have never gone a day since that day without seeing each other at some point during the same day. Scully just prayed Mulder would be able to manage without her.

Fic Prompts: Star Wars Wednesday

(Ok, not so much a prompt as a ficlet)

In Over His Head, Part 1

The reconnaissance team had cleared the planet before the alarms had sounded, meaning the Alliance now had a short list of sectors the Empire suspected of holding Rebel bases. So that was good.

All but two members of Luke's Squadron made it off the planet ahead of the Imperials, so that was pretty good too.

Luke was one of the ones who ran out of time before the clearing was surrounded, so that was...not as good.

The giant lizard-like things that had almost eaten them all had retreated for now, which made things slightly better, but they were definitely still out there so that was also less than good.

And then Darth Vader had showed up in a shuttle and that wasn't any kind of good at all.

[[MORE]]

"Set up a perimeter and transport the prisoners directly to the Executor," Vader commanded, striding into the clearing.

The three technicians and the other pilot who had been left behind were quickly rounded up and herded towards a shuttle. Two troopers took hold of Luke's arms, ready to drag him away as well, but Vader took a rather menacing step forward and held up a hand.

"No. Leave that one to me."

Out of the frying pan and into the fire Luke thought with a grimace. His eyes darted to the left for a split second, catching the gleam of the fading light on the hilt of his saber. It still lay where it had fallen when one of the massive reptiles had knocked it from his grip while making an industrious effort to eat him.

Luke was lucky the major had managed to shoot it in one of its weak spots, or there wouldn't have been much left of the Jedi in training.

For just a moment, Luke held out hope that Vader wouldn't notice the lightsaber. That way, if Luke could somehow miraculously calm himself enough to use the Force, he had a chance to arm himself, at least.

He'd barely finished the thought when the Sith's helmet swiveled down and the lightsaber flew up and into his gloved hand.

Well, so much for that, then.

Luke gritted his teeth and wondered whether getting killed with a lightsaber was quick.

"Skywalker," the giant rumbled, and before Luke could react there was a hand as strong as durasteel clamped around his shoulder. "Is this your lightsaber?"

It was obviously a rhetorical question. He'd gotten a good look at it on Cymoon: they both knew it was Luke's. Luke swallowed hard and mustered up a last surge of defiance.

"It's my father's," he spat, hands clenching into fists.

"Then what, pray tell, was it doing on the opposite side of the clearing, where the bodies were?" Vader demanded.

Wait. What? Whatever Luke had been expecting, it wasn't that. Against his better judgment, he opened his mouth to defend himself, but the hand on his shoulder tightened and Vader cut him off.

"This weapon is your life," Vader hissed, waving the hilt at Luke for all the world like a scolding parent.

"Well I wasn't trying to lose it!" Luke protested before he could stop himself. The irony of his "life", as the Sith had put it, being firmly grasped in Vader's hand was not lost on him.

The warbling call of the predators the Rebels had been fighting -- deceptively like birdsong -- echoed from the trees, no more than a mile off, and Luke jumped reflexively. Or, he would have, but Vader's grip didn't really allow for much vertical or horizontal movement. What it did allow was for Vader to pull him closer for a moment -- much much closer than he'd ever wanted to be to the Sith -- as his helmet tilted this way and that, listening.

"We call 'em chompers," Luke said helpfully. "They can eat a guy in two bites."

Darth Vader made an unintelligible rumbling sound that could've been a groan or grumbling that the vocoder didn't pick up. There was no way the boy hadn't observed these "chompers" in action. No doubt it was why his lightsaber was so far from him and he and the other rebels had been covered in dirt and blood. Which meant that, given the opportunity, the "chompers" would indeed prey on humans.

Which meant that his strike team was probably going to lose some men. That was annoying.

"Come," he said curtly. "We are not staying to further observe these creatures."

And here I thought the Empire's prime directive was to boldly seek out new life and new civilizations! Luke thought sarcastically.

It occurred to him a moment later that he might not have been shielding his thoughts, considering that Vader appeared to be trying to burn a hole through him with his eyes.

Somewhat impressive, that, considering he was wearing a mask and all.

Fear was already beginning to break through his last shreds of bravado as he was pushed towards a shuttle. Luke swallowed hard and tried to look like he didn't know he was going to his death.

"I'm not going to talk," he warned in a low voice. It only trembled a little.

"That," answered Vader, "is your decision. But you will listen, regardless."

Listen? To what?

Luke found out within the next hour, and it threatened to undo everything he knew.

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(Part 2 to follow, this afternoon)