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nonclassyparty · 8 months

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man with the plan (j.wy) - prologue

Summary: "Don't forget Pretty, I'm serving life plus one. So if I get busted for attempted escape, I'll throw in a homicide in there as well with no problem, that’s like a parking ticket to me." When your brother ends up in jail for a murder he didn't commit, the only thing left for you to do is to find a way to break him out. But after a perfect plan is set in motion, you don't expect a romantic variable to get added into the equation.

Pairing: jung wooyoung x fem. reader, jeong yunho x reader (but if u squint)

Status: coming soon (i hope)

Taglist: if you'd like to be added just reply below! c:

A/N: this is very obviously inspired by prison break ( my favorite show on planet earth), y/n will be very much inspired by michael scofield and i (unfortunately) don't own nor the show nor michael scofield. anyways! wooyoung is the love interest (surprise surprise) but the rest of atz will be present. please let me know if this is something you'd be interested in reading. if i do continue writing it, i plan for it to be written in 3 parts each consisting of 7-9 chapters!

MY MAIN MASTERLIST! // AO3

(prologue)

The buzzing of the tattoo machine is the only thing interrupting the silence in the dark parlor as the needle continues prodding at the skin of your shoulder and makes you grip the chair you sit on.

It used to hurt. A lot. Now, the pain is reduced to a light sting as you suppose you've gotten used to it.

"Almost done. Just finishing touches now." Chao comforts from behind you, soft breath hitting your exposed skin as he wipes away the excess ink.

You only nod in response, never having much to say to him despite his best efforts.

"You know, you've been coming here for almost a year and barely said a word." He comments while he works. "Asking me to work after closing hours and everything, I would've expected to at least get to know you better."

You try to hold back an eye roll as you give him a bland look over your shoulder, eyes coasting over the tattoo of a dragon curling around his neck and disappearing behind his long hair.

"That's why I'm paying you almost double." Is your only response as you play with the sleeves of the button up pooling around your waist.

"So, you're telling me that after tonight, you'll just walk out of here and I'll never see you again?"

"Something like that." You murmur and he huffs behind you.

"I've never done a tattoo this big on a girl before." He continues, always keen on talking even if all he gets is quiet 'mhm's and 'ah's in response. "For a first-timer especially. Usually, it's a name of a boyfriend which they later regret or something artsy but shallow, like a butterfly or some shit."

A smirk tugs on your lips as you peek at him over your shoulder again, "Are you really trying to tell me I'm not like the other girls, right now?"

He grins and it makes his eyes crinkle at the corners. Chao was fairly attractive, handsome in that bad boy-ish type of way where you know he'll definitely put you through hell but you'd have fun with it.

It's unfortunate that you're not in the mood to think about anything like that anymore. You haven't been for the last eighteen months.

"You never even told me what the tatt was all about..." He trails off, bandaging your shoulder up and your eyes fall to the tiles below your feet. "I mean, look at all of this..."

You presume he means the tattoo starting from your lower back, curling around the shoulders and cascading down your arms, stopping at the wrists. The numbers laid over thin lines, intertwined with thicker ones, curling around letters like a snake and creating a piece that no-one can see.

No-one except for you.

It's about my brother's future, you think to yourself.

"It doesn't mean anything. Just thought it would look cool." You chuckle, sliding your hands through the sleeves of your shirt and working on buttoning yourself up, covering the tattoo from the artist who worked relentlessly to stitch it onto you. You turn to him, pulling your hair out from the collar of the shirt as you smile at him. "I guess I'm like all the other girls as well."

Chao stares at you in wonder before his eyes fall to the wad of cash you pull out from your bag and hold out to him.

"Thank you, Chao. You've done a great job."

He sighs again, "It would've been done a lot sooner if it wasn't for your constant nitpicking."

You grin at him while pulling on your jacket and slinging your bag over your shoulder. "What can I say, I'm a perfectionist."

Giving him one last wave, you disappear from the shop.

18 months ago;

The collar of your white button up feels like it's strangling you as the buzzer echoes through the stuffy room and two guards appear through the door, dragging him in and sitting him down in the chair opposite of you, making sure to cuff him to the table.

There is only glass separating you but it feels like he's miles away.

Jongho's eyes are dull when they meet your own, dark circles hanging below them and hair messy.

"Y/N..." You have to look the other way, to stop the ugly tears from falling as your heart constricts at his familiar voice.

You haven't seen him since the trial. Didn't have the courage to step anywhere near these walls.

A facility with maximum level security for the biggest scum that roamed your country and wretched chaos on innocent people, inflicted pain and sorrow, terrorized society in the worst of ways.

And now, your brother was one of them.

The person who raised you, took care of you when no-one else did, was serving a life sentence.

Finally gathering the guts to look at him, you clench your jaw and try to ignore the desperation in his eyes. The dark blue uniform engulfs him and is a deep contrast to his usually tanner skin that turned almost ghastly pale just after a week of being in there.

"Did you do it?" You whisper and Jongho looks at you like you just slapped him. His eyes water and he looks absolutely devastated but you have to know. You have to know.

"No." He answers firmly, voice cracking as he blinks away the tears, he never was much of a crier. "No. Of course not."

Of course not.

He says that like it's unimaginable for him.

It was unimaginable to you as well up until three weeks ago.

With a record of petty crimes and a bad temperament, he had a knack for getting himself into trouble that he always managed to get himself out of one way or another. Except this time.

You always knew Jongho was in some deep shit, hanging around people that were bad for him and barely being able to hold onto an honest job for more than a month.

But that's all he was. A petty criminal with offences that never went past bar fights and getting into discourses with police officers who stop his car for going over the speed limit, not a murderer.

You can't even stop the tear that slides down your cheek as you huff at an attempt to laugh, it comes out choked.

"What about all the evidence then?" Your voice is hoarse as you speak in a hushed tone, recalling the first time you've seen the tape in court.

"I...Y/N, I don't know...All I can think is that someone set me up because I didn't do it, I swear." Jongho stresses, palms laid against the table, desperate for you to believe him. "He was my boss, for fuck's sake."

"He fired you a month before that." You harshly interrupt and he sighs, eyes falling shut as you continue to sniffle with a crumbled face, "What were you doing at his house?"

"Someone told me to go there- I-I thought he was going to give me my job back..." Jongho stutters, his own tears threatening to fall as he presses his lips together. For his lack of excuse or proper explanation, he really does look sincere.

You both sit in silence for a moment, you can almost feel the time you have with him trickling away.

That's all you'll have with him from now on. One hour per week, for the rest of his life and that's only if your time here isn't shared with Yeosang, if he ever decides to muster up the balls to see him.

You're not sure if you're willing to settle for that.

"Swear to me." You finally say, staring at him dead in the eye as his brows furrow, "Swear to me that you didn't do it."

Without a beat, "I didn't do it." Jongho responds, not breaking eye contact. You keep your gaze planted on his face, observing it for any signs of dishonesty. But you fail to find any. "Y/N, I didn't do it. I swear to you."

You stare at him for a second longer before your gaze flies behind him, there are three guards in total in the room. One behind the counter, two by the door.

Your gaze returns to Jongho, who doesn't move a muscle, still looking at you in desperation and what you can only recognize as fear.

He looks a lot younger now, like the Jongho who used to shake every time you two would be on your way to a new foster family. The Jongho that you know was scared to the bones but never wanted to show it for your sake.

You can't lose your older brother.

"Okay."

You throw the keys into the bowl near the front door and with a tired sigh kick off your shoes before walking further into your apartment.

The shoulder Chao just worked on ached like hell but the pain almost felt good, served as a reminder that you can't afford to be tired right now.

So without further ado, you walk into your office that when you first moved into the luxurious skyscraper overlooking Han River, was used for working from home or more like, working after you came home from work.

Now, the office served a different purpose completely.

Your eyes sweep over the filled out wall and window, both covered in an array of information and yellow post-it notes; a product of your relentless work and research over the last eighteen months.

Your hands twitch, you don't want to get rid of it. What if you missed something? What if you made a mistake somewhere? What if something managed to sneak away unnoticed by you?

But having it here, in plain sight where anyone who walks in and is nosy enough to look can see it, can end up being more dangerous than something unforeseen happening. Heck, you already had Mrs. Kim try to enter despite it being locked a couple of times.

You needed to lose every trace or connection to that prison and the people inside of it, with the exception of Jongho, before Monday.

Besides, what would be the point of Chao and the reason you almost paid him thirty grand? If you don't get rid of this stuff, it would almost be as if you flushed the money down the toilet.

So you grab an empty garbage bag and with a shaky sigh, start ripping down paper after paper, photo after photo and filling out the plastic bag. Article after article flashes before your eyes as the sound of papers ripping fills the room.

'Chungju Detention Center: Level 1', 'Choi Jongho Final Appeal Denied', 'Choi Jongho Convicted To Serve Life For Murder of-', 'Body of Son Changkyu found in his home-', 'Governor's Son Wins Humanitarian Award', 'Life sentence for Kim Hongjoong', 'Park Ha-ru Myth Still Alive Despite Conviction', 'Killer of VP Brother to Serve a Life Sentence at Chungju-'

Once the window is clean and the wall is bare again, only tiny holes from the tacks left as evidence that anything was ever there in the first place and with three bags worth of garbage, you stuff it into the fireplace and throw a match in right after.

You watch the key to your brother's future turn to ashes.

The buzzer makes you look up from your hands and you smile a little bit once your eyes meet Jongho's through the glass but it quickly turns to a frown once you notice the enormous bruise running down his jaw.

"Hey." He greets with a stiff smile as the guard cuffs him to the table and turns to walk away.

"What happened?" You jump to question him immediately and Jongho rolls his eyes with a low groan.

"It's not a big deal."

"They beat you up."

"Hey, maybe I was the one who was beating someone else up." He defends trying to lighten up the situation but the frown on your face doesn't budge and he sighs. "I got in a fight with one of the guys in the yard, it's not a big deal, Y/N, shit like that happens here-"

"It can't happen, Jongho. From now on, it can't happen." Now it's Jongho's turn to frown and you sigh, "You'll get thrown into solitary if it gets any worse and then I won't be able to-"

You stop yourself, eyes fleeting to the guard behind the counter. There are no wires surrounding the visitors area due to the building being so old, you would know, you made sure it was the first thing to check once you got your hands on the blueprints. But you can never be too careful.

"I won't be able to see you if you're in solitary." You say, voice gentle and Jongho's eyes soften before he gives you a nod in response.

"Alright, no fighting back, I'll just let them beat me to a pulp then I guess." He shrugs and you roll your eyes. Typical.

"You know that's not what I meant but that smartass attitude is the thing that might be getting you in trouble in the yard in the first place." You quickly retort with a glare as he huffs.

"How's your cellmate?" You ask and Jongho, as he always does when you ask about his roommate, looks confused but today, it's something else as well.

"Oh, I'm actually getting a new one." You freeze at that, blinking rapidly a couple of times.

"What do you mean?"

"They're moving Jisung to the psych ward after he tried to off himself with his bedsheet." Jongho explains like he's talking about the weather and you gape at him, wondering just what goes on in there on the daily if a man trying to kill himself isn't anything out of the ordinary.

But then again, you're not all that worried about Jisung's mental health either but more for the fact that he's gone and now somebody else will take his place.

You can already see a small tiny piece of your tattoo being considered useless now.

But you can't let that bring you down. It's just a small hitch, nothing else.

"Well, do you know who's coming to take his place?" You ask, ignoring the way Jongho eyes you.

He shakes his head in response and your leg starts bouncing in anxiety.

"No, they're moving him in after lunch."

After lunch.

So, you won't know until...

One of the biggest pieces of the plan and it will be unsure until the said plan is set in motion.

Great.

You clear your throat, leaning closer and on instinct, Jongho copies you, "Listen, I won't be able to visit for awhile."

"Why?" Jongho questions, eyes boring into yours and you let out a small breath. "Are you going somewhere?"

"No." Your eyes stray to the two guards by the door, just a couple of feet away. "I just won't be able to visit you for awhile. Maybe. I'm working on preventing that but just in case I don't come next Friday, I wanted you to know."

Jongho eyes you suspiciously before he leans closer again, nose almost touching the glass. "Y/N, what the hell are you doing?"

You bite back a smile, amused that he just knows you, and that only makes Jongho more frustrated.

"Y/N, did you get yourself in some shit?" He hisses, looking over his shoulder to check if the guard is still by the door, "If you did, call Yeosang. He'll know what to do."

You scoff, "I'm not you to get myself in some shit. Relax, I got a new job."

"New job?" Jongho goes back to being confused, "Why can't you visit then? It's somewhere far away?"

You stare at him before nodding, "Something like that," You whisper.

"Oh, okay. I mean of course, your job is important." He nods and you feel your heart ache inside your chest at his slightly crestfallen face that he tries to cover up. "You're a structural engineer after all, they probably need you to design another fancy building, huh?"

You wish to tell him that you'll be there. You'll be closer to him than he thinks but you can't do any of that until you're properly inside those walls.

"Yeah." You nod, blinking away the tears. You clear your throat, glancing at the clock behind his head. "Hey, Jongho, remember how we used to talk to each other?"

He cocks his head in confusion.

"When we were kids, how we used to talk to each other. For example, when Soyoung was around and we didn't want her to understand."

Jongho's eyes gain some recognition but the confusion still remains on his face. Hesitantly, he bobs his head, "Yeah."

"Good," You nod, mouth perking up, "You might want to brush up on that."

Jongho opens his mouth to say something more but you're already waving over the guard.

You lean closer to him one more time, staring at his confused face through the glass to whisper;

"See you on Monday."

#wooyoung x reader #ateez imagine #ateez angst #ateez x reader #wooyoung imagine #wooyoung scenarios

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every-aj-needs-an-angel · 8 months

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Chapter 9!! I genuinely cannot believe I've actually kept up with this 😅 honestly I'm the worst ask every teacher who ever wanted coursework from me 😂 the love and support I've received from everyone who's enjoyed this has been mind-blowing and I'm so grateful to each and every one of you 💖

Betting It All On Love

Robin, surprisingly, took him shopping, which was only surprising because of how much she truly hated it. She hated the crowds and the trends the masses felt a weird compulsion for, and that was before she got on to the whole thing about consumerism. But she knew how much he loved it, knew how a new outfit could bolster his mood, how the hum of voices echoing through the space soothed something deep in his soul.

The one advantage to still having anything to do with his biological parents was that they still paid off the credit card they'd given him when he had gone on a class trip to the zoo in middle school, so on the rare occasion he felt the need to go wild in the aisles, he didn't feel like he had to feel too guilty about using it. Especially when that meant he could buy Robin the plaid coat she hadn't been able to take her eyes off of from the moment they'd walked into the mall.

Especially when she grinned like that at her every reflection as she wore it around the air-conditioned space, which was far too chilly for the tee and shorts combo she'd chosen for the day. Not that Steve was quite sure why there was a surf and ski clothing store in the middle of Nevada, but it didn't matter, he knew the coat would be perfect for when winter came to Indy. It hadn't been quite perfect in the moment, of course, and he was seriously considering giving in and just going into the nearest store to buy her yet another hoodie.

"Steve, I'm hot!" Robin whined as she wandered listlessly by his side.

"So take the coat off," Steve reasoned calmly, shifting the shopping bags in his hands to take some of the pressure off of his tattoo.

"But then I'll be cold!" she countered.

"Truly a cross to bear," Steve muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes to himself as he steered them back towards the souvenir stand; because no way we're they ever going to own another average hoodie, it was going to be the most disgustingly gaudy 'I heart Vegas' glaringly obviously touristy hoodie humanly possible.

Except as they continued to stroll along their new route, it took them right past the food court, Robin enthusiastically exclaiming "Ice cream!" That was how they ended up crammed into a booth, the amount of bags they'd acquired practically pushing them off their seats, a giant bowl of banana split sitting between them as they both picked their favourite parts out of the dessert.

"So, how's things going with Chris?" Steve asked as he shoved a spoonful of strawberry ice cream into his mouth.

Robin nodded, chewing thoughtfully on the caramel coated banana, "Good," she admitted, blushing deeply and ducking her head. "She's amazing, Steve, I've never met anyone like her. She's like a ray of fucking sunshine, you know? Like the kind cats curl up in. Just joy and warmth and, I don't know, magic, or something," she gushed, waving her hands and her empty spoon around as she talked, saying more about her feelings than what was actually coming out of her mouth.

She bit the inside of her cheek but couldn't keep the lovesick grin off of her face as she stared into the distance, gazing vaguely at the lime green vinyl of the booth seat just over Steve's shoulder, "I swear to God, at Charlie's last night, I was this close," she pinches her finger and thumb together so there's only the tiniest sliver of light between them, "to asking her to marry me! And not just drunken Vegas marrying, like full on, come home and meet my folks, months of planning and white dresses, marrying. That's insane, right?" she asked, finally looking at his face.

Steve wasn't entirely sure how he was supposed to respond, part of him was insulted that she thought his marriage was less than because of how it had happened. Part of him was just incredibly proud of her. It was crazy, and it also wasn't crazy at all. Sometimes when you know you just know and given how long they'd all actually spent together, it wasn't like she was just jumping in feet first. Robin had probably spent more hours with Chrissy than she had ever spent with Sammi and that relationship had felt like it was never ending.

Luckily, he was saved from actually answering when, after swallowing another mouthful of partially melted chocolate ice cream, she jabbed her spoon at him and exclaimed, "And oh my god, Steve! In bed! The best I've ever had!" And Robin might've continued to elaborate on that, but Steve had unceremoniously dropped his spoon to cover his ears and “la la la” loudly until her lips stopped moving.

It was a running joke between the two of them, the first guy he'd been on a date with after Billy had been phenomenal. Alex had blown Steve's tiny small-town mind, and even though they’d both agreed that their relationship would only ever be a casual hookup, it hadn’t stopped him from wandering around for three whole days like he was on an actual cloud. Robin had quickly become sick of his permanent grin and had asked him "what the fuck he had to be so happy about?" She hadn't liked the answer and ever since whenever either one of them went into specifics about their love life that was what the other one did.

She laughed, and he did too knowing full well she'd tell him, in intricate and unnecessary detail, all about Chrissy's skills in the bedroom as they finished their shopping spree; they still had to find Dustin’s book after all, and they both knew he would listen while she gushed about what an incredible lover she'd snagged, and he'd try desperately not to be green with envy that she'd found the love of her life and was actually going to get to keep her.

They didn't talk about Eddie, he could tell she wanted to, she kept opening her mouth to ask questions and then just snapping her jaw shut and carrying on, distracting him with pretty things and tasty foods. Part of him was glad. Part of him wanted to talk it through with her. Part of him just wanted to enjoy time spent with his best friend and live in the delusion that everything was fine. He had no doubt there'd be plenty of time to talk about it when they got home, even if Robin and Chrissy immediately moved in together, and he had to learn to talk to Chrissy the same way he talked to Robin (which he honestly didn't think would be that difficult) he had no doubt that they’d make space and time for him to mourn his loss, and maybe even mourn it with him.

At least with Chrissy across the hall, he'd finally have someone to watch sports with again. Chris' taste in sport had so far been Robin's only complaint. She'd been excited to finally find someone she was attracted to who actually liked sports but had been quickly disappointed to find out that Chris preferred watching basketball and the NFL like Steve, which meant that Robin still wouldn't have anyone to watch soccer with.

Even though Steve was always happy to watch it with her, he just didn't share her enthusiasm for it. That was the thing that apparently baffled Robin, because “how could any self-respecting bisexual not enjoy a field full of men in tiny shorts chasing a ball?” And honestly, it was the chasing the ball part that seemed to be the off-putting bit. It kinda felt more like watching golden retrievers in the dog park, and although the whole point of football and basketball was to get a ball in a goal, he was proud that neither were a game a dog could play.

As he was ambling around the bookstore looking for the fantasy section, it occurred to him that it would probably be the last time he’d be asked to do anything like this for the kids. Not that you could really class a bunch of twenty-somethings as kids anymore, but it occured to him somewhat horrifyingly that all of them were about to start going out into the real world. They’d all soon be grown-ups and would soon have to deal with all the problems that came with being an adult that were coming for them thick and fast. Real relationships and jobs and rent, for most of them this summer would probably be their last one at home with their parents.

It might even be the last summer he had a chance to see some of them ever again. Max still wanted to go home to her dad and the chances of him getting an invitation to California were probably slimmer than he’d like to admit. As he picked up the copy of Earthshaker he’d been searching for, he vowed to himself to spend more than one weekend back home before they all headed back to college. Take his camera home, organise a big party, and tell them all how much he loved them. It’d be fine, the summer wasn’t over yet.

Robin interrupted his rapidly derailing train of thought when she came bounding around the bookshelf, a stack of books cradled to her chest like a newborn. He purposefully didn’t ask, especially when he could see that the one on the top of the stack read ‘Nuclear Medicine In Tropical And Infectious Diseases’. He just grinned knowingly and waved Dustin’s book in the direction of the register, mainly because they both knew full well that given the opportunity, Robin could and would happily spend the rest of their vacation immersed in the endless racks and shelves.

He did, however, self indulgently snag the latest Jackie Collins novel to add to his growing collection as he passed by the display. Sweet old Mrs Johnson had been the one to get him hooked. She used to read them when she would babysit, at first to herself, but then there’d been a bad storm one weekend when he was six and the electricity had gone out for hours. It was winter so although it had been early in the evening, it was dark and he was scared. But Mrs Johnson had just pulled him into her lap and let him curl into her while she read by candlelight.

He hadn’t really understand the story itself, but she had had a nice voice, and he had liked listening to her read. From then on it had been what they had done on rainy days. In fact, the weekend before she had died, it had been stormy, and they’d spent two whole days curled up in her favourite armchair in his living room while she read to him.

The books had made him mad for a while, after she’d left him, but then when he was older and trying to navigate high school he quickly realised he preferred the salacious crime novels to Shakespeare or Chaucer that were, as far as he was concerned, basically the same thing but written in another language. It hadn’t been until he was older still that he realised that some of the characters in those books had also been vital in helping him create the King Steve persona that kept him safe for four years.

Steve hadn’t realised how quickly the day had disappeared until they made it back to the hotel. Not that he minded, his stomach full from the tacos they’d been unable to resist, and he’d had a wonderful day with his best friend.

They’d bought so many things that even in the short walk from the lobby, his fingers had started to take on that distinctive claw shape as the handles had dug into his skin. Sighing heavily in relief as he finally released the bags onto his bed, and again in frustration as Robin cheerfully tried and failed to check their voicemails, nearly making a collect call by accident. He used his one still fully functioning finger to press the necessary buttons, flopping down next to his best friend on her bed.

Beep. “Hi. It’s me. Chrissy,” she paused giggling to herself, “I hope you two are free tonight! Meet by the creepy looking goat statue at six?” she sounded so happy and hopeful, Steve couldn’t keep the endeared smile off of his face. Robin almost cut the message off before Chris had had chance to finish, and he couldn’t help feeling like a bit of a hero when he stopped her movements just in time to hear “Okay, see you soon. I love you!” Beep.

Robin’s eyes immediately bugged out, if she wasn’t careful it was likely they’d fall out of her head altogether. She glanced franticly between Steve and the phone, her whole demeanour screaming “You heard that, right?” Steve grinned and jostled her playfully, enjoying the deep blush on her cheeks and her silent fluster as she processed what she’d heard.

Not that they really had time for an emotional crisis, “Come on, blushy! If we’re meeting at six, that only gives us half hour,” he reasoned, flipping himself off the bed and heading to his wardrobe to find his black pinstripe shirt and dark jeans. He had no idea what they would be doing, but it’d be a fine outfit for an evening in Vegas.

He was standing over the sink adding some serum to his hair when he heard her mumble from the doorway, “Isn’t it a bit early for ‘I love you’?” She sounded so small and hesitant, he dropped his hands immediately, stepping over to her and wrapping his arms around her shoulders, being extra careful not to get sticky fingers on her fancy blazer.

“Is it ever too early to say how you feel?” he asked, pressing his cheek against the top of her head.

“I don’t know” Robin muttered glumly, grabbing two fistfuls of the back of his shirt and scrunching it between her fingers anxiously. “There’s no way she meant “I love you” right? I mean, she can’t be in love with me, Evie. It doesn’t make any sense! We’ve known each other for what? A few days! There’s no way she could… She must’ve meant “love you” you know? Like in a friend way,” she rambled frenetically; whether she was trying to convince him or herself, he really couldn’t say.

Steve hummed thoughtfully, “Does it feel like love in a friend way?” he asked evenly.

She scoffed harshly like he expected her to, “No! But she wasn’t just talking to me, she was inviting both of us,” she pointed out.

It frustrated him how easily she could convince herself that people couldn’t possibly love her. He sighed heavily trying really hard not to roll his eyes, “She was talking to you,” he affirmed, because he had heard that message, and contrary to popular belief he wasn’t actually stupid, and he’d witnessed with his own eyes how crazy Chrissy was about her, how crazy she was about Chrissy.

Huffing loudly, she removed herself from his hold, so she could look him in the eye “But it’s been days!” she whined, still trying to convince someone that the facts weren’t the facts, probably because she was actually just kinda scared.

Steve just shrugged his shoulders, “Yeah, but how many hours has it been? How many hours did you spend with Mickey? You were in love with her. How is this different?” he asked, rather reasonably considering she was driving him up the wall because how could she not know by now how easy she was to love.

“Does sleep count?” she asked, wincing even as the words fell out of her mouth.

He laughed dryly, “No, Robbie, you can’t count hours you weren’t conscious for!” he deadpanned, tugging her back into his chest before she could start pacing like a caged tiger.

She made a pained sound in the back of her throat as she leaned heavily into him, gripping the sides of his shirt, moving her fingers around as she counted against his ribs. Eventually, after at least three recounts, she huffed the way she always did when he was right for a change.

“Do you think maybe you’re freaking out because you feel that way too?” he asked calmly.

“Maybe,” she muttered sighing heavily like she was holding the weight of the whole world. He knew he’d hit the nail on the head when she huffed a frustrated breath through her teeth and pushed him off, “How would you feel if Eddie said that to you!” she accused, pointing a finger at him.

Steve snorted derisively, too tired to be anything but honest, “Honestly, I’d be fucking delighted. I’m so fucking in love with him, it’s insane!” he admitted, trying desperately to ignore how whiney and pathetic he sounded.

All the fight dissipated out of her as he spoke, her eyebrows scrunching together in sympathy, “Really?” she asked softly, a pained look taking over her face when he nodded solemnly, “Have you told him that?”

Steve snorted a humourless laugh, “No! Jesus, Bobs, I’m not a complete fucking idiot!”

“But you just said--”

“Yeah! Because it’s obvious you feel the same way!” he yelled, not entirely sure why he was shouting. It wasn’t her fault he’d got himself all tangled up in infatuation again, “Sorry,” he muttered.

Robin wasn't fazed though just waved off his apology and raised a singular eyebrow at him, “And it’s not with Eddie?!” she asked condescendingly, folding her arms over her chest.

“No!” Steve exclaimed, because it was very unobvious, thank you very much! Robin didn’t argue with him, just threw her arms in the air like he was being the frustrating one, tutting and heading back into the bedroom to finish getting ready, leaving Steve to deal with the silence and his half serumed hair.

Chrissy, as it turned out, had procured tickets for a boxing match of all things. It wasn't something neither he nor Robin ever would've chosen, but apparently Chris' best friend from her cheerleading days, Beth, was now a ring girl, and she had pulled some strings and got them into a private box. They had their own bar and a balcony view over the proceedings, meaning they could see everything without getting coated in blood, it was different but once-in-a-lifetime experiences were kinda what Vegas was all about.

Robin was leaning with her back against the bar, Chrissy curled into her running her hands up and down the lapels of Robin's jacket, both of them giggling and whispering like schoolgirls. As much as he was glad Robin seemed to have overcome her earlier conflict, he was starting to find it all a bit sickening. It wasn’t their fault, and he wasn't really mad with them at all, he'd just been in a terrible mood since bickering with Robin and the dark cloud hanging over his head had only worsened when Eddie hadn't been waiting with Chrissy in the lobby like he had hoped.

He'd offered to go back to the room, part of him wanting to let them have a night to be together, the other part just wanting to be alone so he could sulk some more, but neither of them would let him. They’d giddily pulled him into their hold, linking their arms with his and practically frog marching him out the front door of the hotel and into the waiting taxi.

In the seclusion of the private space, however, and with two or three shots in each of them, both girls had dropped all their inhibitions and seemed to have forgotten all about him. Honestly, he’d never been a third wheel before, not even with Tommy and Carol but he was seriously starting to feel like he should go home and call Barb and apologise for every time he and Nancy had made her feel how he was feeling because maybe he was technically married, but he’d never felt more single or more alone.

He sighed heavily, snagging a beer from the bartender and heading out onto the balcony, leaning heavily against the railing surveying the crowd below him. The venue was packed, not a single empty seat to be seen anywhere, which struck him as odd because the match wasn't due to start for at least another twenty minutes, and he'd been to enough ball games in his life to know that normally there was a mad dash to grab your seats before the game actually kicked off; but apparently the ring girls were supposed to be their entertainment, like some sick warm-up act.

The last time he'd seen a crowd as rowdy was at the strip club when he'd been inexplicably invited to Mark's stag do. Mark was his dad's number two, the guy being lined up to take over the company when his old man finally bit the dust. The bloke had spent the whole night weirdly trying to rub it in Steve's face how close he and his dad were, only finally shutting his mouth when after four beers Steve had lost his temper and had casually asked: "So are you sucking his dick, or--?" Mark had blushed furiously, started stuttering and stammering and had quickly disappeared. Steve had just downed the rest of his beer and hailed a cab, heading home to Robin to bemoan a wasted Saturday night.

Robin had whined about how it hadn't been fair that he'd been invited, but she hadn't. Everyone at the company had assumed they were a couple and after their first few jobs together they'd learned to just stop correcting people. Mainly because if they didn't their coworkers wanted to know why there weren't dating and usually "because we're like siblings" wasn't a good enough answer and then they had to deal with months of constant badgering and peer pressure to hook up. Robin had been right, of course, she would have enjoyed the strip club far more than he had. Personally, he thought grown men drooling over a half-naked woman, especially ones young enough to be their daughter, was a little grim.

A petite brunette who he assumed was Beth when she'd bounced up and down waving excitedly to him as she had headed into the ring, and her friend, who were both dressed in nothing but a metallic bikini and high heels, seemed to be enjoying themselves, however, especially when Beth's friend caught the attention of a stag do sitting in the front row.

The groom-to-be was obviously a high school jock surrounded by his "bros" and by the looks of things, either his father or the father-in-law-to-be who was glancing anywhere but at the ring, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else. It made Steve shudder to think that if his life had gone a little differently, if he and Nancy had stayed together, if he'd stuck with Tommy and the team, would that be him now? Would that be his dad? Or worse, poor Ted?

Thankfully he didn't have more time to dwell on it when Robin appeared next to him bumping purposefully into his side, swapping his empty beer for a cold one with a gentle smile. Chrissy quickly joined them on the balcony carrying a beer and a tray of nachos to share, shouting over the noise of the crowd to explain the rules to Robin when she had asked how they'd know who won.

Steve knew Robin knew the rules of boxing. Mainly because her grandpa had been an Olympic boxer, but he wasn't about to call her out on it. Plus, he liked how patient Chris was with her, he thought it was sweet when he wasn’t busy being a grumpy bastard.

The ring girls left the ring, Beth waving enthusiastically, shooting Chrissy a few hand gestures that Steve didn't understand but made Chrissy belly laugh as she headed out of sight. Then it was time for the match to get started; two gigantic blokes followed by a team of helpers charging into the ring, bouncing on their toes next to the smallest ref Steve had ever seen.

There was a bit of chatter and then the bell dinged, the ref moved, and the giants started to dance around one another, sizing each other up and dodging a few hits before the real action started. One hit, two. The excitement of the crowd and the anticipation were getting Steve's adrenaline pumping.

That was why he jumped three feet in the air when he felt hands land on his waist (that's what he told himself anyway).

Eddie laughed brightly as Steve spun around, his hands raised placatingly, "It's only me!" he yelled, giggling adorably. He smiled, placing a careful hand on Steve's shoulder and squeezing some of the tension out of his shoulder blade with gentle fingers. Slipping Robin a placating smile as she no doubt glared at him over Steve's shoulder. He elbowed her absentmindedly, giving her a look that said "eyes on your own date!" before turning his full attention to Eddie.

Steve was honestly kind of dumbfounded by Eddie's presence, when Chrissy had been alone in the lobby, he'd just assumed that Eddie wouldn't be joining them at all any more. He wouldn't have been at all surprised to find out that Eddie had packed up and gone back to Indy with Dan, even if he had spent the past half an hour trying desperately not to think about the implications of that. Especially when Chris had deliberately not said anything when Robin had asked the only question that had been on Steve's mind, “Where’s Eddie?”

Even a foot away Steve could tell something was off, Eddie’s eyes were puffy and bloodshot, and he’d done a terrible job of trying to hide it behind a thick layer of eyeliner. There was a permanent red patch down the side of his nose, like he’d scratched or rubbed at it too many times, bursting the tiny blood vessels. His hair was overly oily at the roots like he’d spent the day running his fingers over his scalp and his fingernails were bitten down to the quick; the skin looked painful to even look at and Steve had no idea how he’d dealt with acetone and nail polish to repaint his nails.

It was the gasp of the crowd reacting to the first real punch landing that brought him back to himself. Steve glanced behind him in time to see blood pour from the slightly taller one's mouth, followed by cheers and screams as the smaller of the two landed a second punch.

Steve shook his head, immediately turning back to Eddie, "Hi," he mumbled in astonishment.

Eddie smiled cautiously, "Hi," he greeted, stepping closer and reaching up to tuck a loose strand behind Steve's ear, "I'm sorry I'm late," Eddie yelled over the roar of the crowd, "Can we talk? After the match?" he asked nervously.

Steve's brain very obviously and very quickly went to the worst case scenario, that Eddie was here to officially ask for a divorce, but his poker face must not be what it once was because Eddie cupped his cheek gently forcing Steve to meet his gaze, "No! Nothing bad, I promise. I just want to tell you about my day, maybe we could go for that dinner we talked about?" he asked hopefully, pulling Steve’s SuperEl shirt out from behind his back and offering it to him.

Steve blinked at the shirt for a second and felt the smile tugging at his cheeks threatening to split his face in two. Hope starting to bloom unchecked in his chest, making his heart skip out of beat. Eddie's hopeful little smile had been the most adorable thing he'd seen since he'd seen him drooling into his pillow that morning.

Eddie beaming back at him when Steve nodded bashfully, nervously tugging the collar of his shirt through his fingers, came in a close third. Eddie’s hand got dislodged from his face when his head automatically flicked back to the action when the crowd let out an elongated "ooh!" as one of the boxers went down hard.

Steve took the opportunity to take Eddie by the hand and lead him out onto the balcony, leaning against the railing to face the action, waiting for Eddie to mirror him and get absorbed in the match, then turning to watch Eddie react with the most adorable second-hand winces as the smaller boxer tried and failed to get up.

Steve quickly found himself wanting to watch Eddie more than the fight. He tried to stealthily turn his whole body so he was leaning sideways against the railing. The metal bar digging into his ribs a painful reminder that he was here and this was real. That Eddie was with him, and he wanted to go to dinner and talk. That he wanted to tell Steve about his day! Wanted to take him on a proper bonafide date! Because he’d brought Steve his shirt. Honestly, he’d forgotten that he’d even left it in Eddie’s room. The thought that he must’ve hung it up in the closet for him, so it wouldn’t get wrinkled was so sweet it was making his heart want to burst out through his chest.

He knew he must look like the worlds most lovesick fool stood staring at Eddie's profile like he was the most beautiful man on the planet (which he was) and like he was the luckiest man alive to even be in Eddie’s presence (which he was) but he just couldn't find it in himself to care, he was going to take this moment while he could and store it in his heart forever.

The bell dinged again and Eddie looked over, flicking his eyes down noticing Steve's posture and smirking to himself. Steve felt the blush creeping up his neck and turned back to the action, forcing himself to not push himself too far into Eddie's personal space, but he needn't have worried. As soon as Steve was settled against the railing again, Eddie threw his arm around his shoulders, jostling him lightly and smiling joyfully at him, pressing a gentle kiss into his shoulder.

As the match went on Eddie's arm slowly slipped down his side holding onto his waist, then slipped further down to his hip where Eddie gave up and just hooked his thumb through Steve's belt loop, tucking his chin over his shoulder and pressing the odd kiss to any bit he could reach but just staying as close as he could, curled tightly into Steve side for the rest of the night; until the bigger of the two boxers had been knocked down for the final time, and it was time for the masses to disperse.

-------------------------

Part 10

tag list my beloveds @estrellami-1 @gregre369 @adhdsummer @nerdfighteratheart @anaibis @dolphincliffs @hbyrde36 @marinarasarah @deadflowercollector @lunabookworm @a-couchpotato @wonderland-girl143-blog @ddharrington @abstractnaturaldisaster @lololol-1234 @bestwifehaver @steviejeebiez

#you know i proof read these things to death but tense changes and punctuation are my kryptonite!!#i'm just going to post this before i edit it again. sorry if there's any mistakes #steddie vegas au #steddie au #steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #robin buckley #chrissy cunningham #platonic stobin #platonic hellcheer #background buckingham #steve's pov #aj writes

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steddiecameraroll · 11 months

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Hi, hello, intro 👋

I'm R, she/he, queer, elder-millennial. Thanks for checking out my steddie-obsessed space. If you're here, then you are probably in the same boat. 💕

Ko-fi ☕️ for exclusive access to fanart WIPs and hi-res downloads of completed fanart

Links: ✦ AO3 ✦ Redbubble Shop ✦ Pinterest Steddie mood board ✦ Original Art blog ✦ TikTok

Tags: ✦ My posts ✦ Fanart ✦ Tumblr ficlets ✦ Steddie text posts

Send an ask or comment to be added to my permanent tag list.

List of WIP and completed fics with main tags under the cut

Ratings:

E - will have explicit smut

M - will have sexual content but no explicit smut

T - won't have any sexual content other than kissing

WIP:

Maybe You'll Start Slipping Slowly (and Find Me Again) - 7/9 chapters - part 2 of series - 70,861 words so far - Rating E - modern AU, angst, cheating, post-breakup, hurt/no comfort, 💔, unhealthy coping mechanisms, future fic, divorced Steve, DILF Steve (eventually), eventual happy ending, steddie end game

Two Roads Diverged in a Wood - 2/4 chapters - 16,310 words so far - Rating E - Eddie 1st person POV, flirting, road trip, sharing a motel room, getting together

Multichaptered:

Chopped S35E21 - 10,428 words - Rating T - Chefs AU, Chopped crossover, sweetness, getting together, happy ending

I'm Thinking of the Way it Was - 8/8 chapters - part 1 of series - 86,137 - Rating E - angst, miscommunication, unhealthy coping mechanisms, post-breakup, getting back together, happy ending

It Takes a Muscle to Fall In Love - 7,943 words - Rating E - miscommunication, happy ending, pining, smut

My whole existence is flawed (You get me closer to God) - 24,124 words - Rating M - Modern and No Upside Down AU, musician Steve, miscommunication, Eddie says he doesn't want a relationship (he's the dingus in this one), Happy Ending

This is Supposed to Be My Damn Year - 52,151 words - Rating E - Eddie 1st person POV, pre and post Upside Down, explicit Eddie thoughts during smut, epilogue that could be its own fic (you might cry from joy), Happy Ending

Coming Back from Too Far Gone - 40,451 words - Rating E - 20 years later, getting together at the Byler wedding, Steve's in a bad headspace, happy ending

(*my fav*) Must Have/Can't Stand Checklist - 65,012 words - Rating E - 3 years later, Steve moved to Chicago, getting together, fluff & gooey sweetness, cuddling, smuuuut

Sometimes a Little Burn Felt Good - 48,480 words - Rating M - depressed Steve, angst, codependency, getting together, avoidance, bad communication, happy ending

Goodbye, Eddie - 13,557 words - Rating T - Eddie doesn't live, Steve copes and realizes he was crushing, depression

Why Can't We Try? - 22,339 words - Rating M - pining, Steve is bad at feelings, flirting, slow burn, happy ending

Sound of Awakening - 36,558 words - Rating M - pining, truth or dare, flirting, gay panic, jealous Eddie, happy ending

What Happens In Our Dreams - 41,702 words - Rating E (for light smut) - Steddie having prophetic visions, Vecna possessing Eddie, boyfriends, action, happy ending

Oneshots:

Follow Your Heart - 2,275 words - Rating T - Strangers to Lovers, First Meetings, Eddie feels drawn to Steve

Ever notice a man's hands? - 2,862 words - Rating E - Finger sucking pt 1

Opposite - 1,659 words - Rating T - Steve pining, miscommunication, confessions

Two Years Too Long - 4,525 words - Rating T - Modern College AU, no UD AU, idiots to lovers, Steve is a dingus

You Can Never Know For Sure - 2,677 words - Rating T - Eddie's sexuality crisis, Robin meddles lovingly, cuteness

Your Silence Gives Me a Migraine - 4,051 words - Rating T - Tattoo Artist Steve, ADHD Eddie, Flirting, Idiots with crushes, happy ending

When it's time (I'll be there) - 807 words - Rating T - 5-1, Afterlife, Near Death Steve, very very sad but sweet ending

Steve's Fantasy Live and In-Person - 4,648 words - Rating M - Stripper Eddie, Byler bachelor party, flirting, happy ending

The Artist and The Hair - 6,900 words - Rating M - Artist Eddie, Steve and Robin attend a Paint & Sip event, flirting, dom/sub tones, crushing, happy ending

They Keep (Just) Missing - 13,760 - Rating M - 4-1, 4 times they should've kissed, angst, pining, crushes, happy ending

The Pursuit of Self - 8,784 words - Rating M - crushes, gay panic, self-discovery, happy ending

#steddiecameraroll posts

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m-jelly · 1 year

Text

Learning to blossom - Chapter 1

Stunning banner created by the wonderful @ladycheesington 💕

Pairing: Levi x Fem!Reader

Genre and tags: Romance, fluff, modern AU, Uni AU, confessions, tattooed Levi, drama, flustered Levi.

Fic concept: You and Levi fall in love after spending so much time together in lectures. As the two of you date, you experience a lot of firsts together such as this being Levi's first-ever relationship and you both are virgins. You face a lot of difficulties, such as a guy who won't leave you alone and spreads rumours about you. A few girls want to be Levi's girlfriend instead of you. A professor of yours seems to be a bit too handsy with you. You both go through different phases of your relationship during your three years at university such as getting a house with friends, graduation, what the future holds, and what you want in your relationship. You both grow together and throughout everything that happens, you love each other so deeply and stay strong.

Chapter: You meet Levi at a party and feelings spark away. You and Levi meet again in a lecture and hit it off. Levi saves you from unwanted advances again and takes you to lunch. You and Levi get closer to each other as sparks fly again. After a month of spending every day together due to doing the same subject as Levi, you both take the plunge and go with your feelings.

Notes: Due to my living in the UK, a lot of university life is inspired by the subjects I took and the life there for me and others. I will sprinkle a bit of USA university life in, but due to my knowledge and experience of that side being from movies and TV shows, I don't want to misrepresent it. Also, Levi plays a popular sport in the UK called rugby, I chose this because I know about it and know nothing about American football. Note for American readers, when I mention football I mean soccer for you. Hope all this helps! If you have questions place them in my comments.

AO3 link

Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 The end

You were not too sure about this all, but your hallmates were adamant that you had to go. So, you were trying your best to dress nicely and put on some makeup. You were just going to go, socialise a bit and then go home. You just really weren’t in the mood for it all, but you needed to make some friends.

You perked up when someone lightly knocked on your room door. You opened it to reveal your neighbour across from you. Athena was so tall compared to you and had muscles too. She had a cheeky smile, always had plasters on her from cuts and her hair was a beautiful orange with the left side shaven and the right side long. She was a beautiful woman and could break anyone easily.

Athena grinned at you and leaned in your doorway. “Sup little cupcake. Woah, you look hot as hell. You aiming to impress?”

You gasped. “Is it too much?”

“Nah, cupcake. You look sexy.” She winked at you. “You’re bell of the ball. Maybe I should run off with ya.”

You giggled. “That’d be fun. Knowing you we’d get up to no good.”

“You’re right.” She shoved her hands into her baggy trouser pockets. “You ready?”

You hummed and checked. “Yeah, I’m good.”

She pointed to your bag. “You ain’t gonna need that. All the drinks are there. Unless you need it?”

You released a long sigh. “Call it a safety blanket.”

“Ah” she tapped the side of her nose “I get ya.” She stepped out of the way as you locked up your room. “You wanna grab coffee tomorrow and explore?”

You nodded and hummed in response. “Please.” You turned to Athena and smiled. “Hey, thanks for being so nice to me and supportive. It means so much to me that you’ve been a friend.”

She slung her arm over your shoulders and smiled. “Don’t mention it. You’re the only interesting person on this floor. The rest of these people are idiots.” She smiled. “You’re cool. You play games and you’re studying criminology.”

You blushed a little and smiled a bit at the annoyed-looking girls living in your hall as you passed. Athena told it like it is and didn’t apologise for anything. You felt safe with her, so you were more than happy to go to a party with her. You knew you were going to have a good time and at least there was someone to talk to. A lot of the time you’d go out with people and they’d just abandon you and you’d get lonely.

You winced a little at the heavy base music getting louder as you approached the halls filled with guys. You saw people hanging around outside the bottom floor halls, along with others sitting in windows. You felt your nerves seeping in as you got closer to the party. The closer you got, the more you didn’t want to be there.

Athena gave you a wiggle. “Cheer up cupcake. We’ll have a few drinks and then leave.”

You released a long sigh. “Yeah.”

She pulled you inside and past the crowded halls until you slipped into the communal kitchen. “Drink?”

You hugged yourself and nodded. “Sure.”

You looked around the room and felt a few stares. You felt as if you were meat up for grabs. You hated it so much. You noticed a guy with arched primed eyebrows, neatly tamed hair, sly eyes with an amber colour, and a thin smirk. He was handsome to most people and likely rich by the looks of his clothes. He was tall and lean with muscle and kept talking to the women around him that he was playing for the university football team.

You wrinkled your nose up in response and only felt irritated by him. You didn’t really want anything to do with a guy like him. You knew the type. He’d sleep around with as many women as possible and didn’t give a shit about them. You hated his kind and just wanted to keep to yourself. Guys like him equalled drama and you just wanted to have a nice three years at uni.

Your blood ran cold when he kept glancing over at you. You were beginning to panic and you were trying your best not to lock eyes. You glared at Athena, but she was still waiting to get drinks. You were slowly leaning towards full panic mode. You fiddled with your clothes as you felt him moving closer to you. You closed your eyes tightly and prayed to whoever was listening to help you.

“Tch, oi?”

You opened your eyes and gazed up at a man in a tight white top, leather jacket and tight black jeans. Your cheeks burned at his slightly tamed messy thick raven hair that was long on his neck. He had little earrings in his ears and you saw a bit of tattoo showing under his jacket. His grey-blue eyes were piercing as they took you in. You shivered when you saw how muscular he was due to his white top stretching over his chest.

He reached up and rubbed the lovely raven locks on the back of his neck. “You wanna come over to the side with my friends?” His cheeks burned a little as he got nervous. “So you uh don’t feel alone.”

You nodded. “Please. I just don’t want to be jumped on by some weirdo.”

He walked with you to the corner of the room where two people were hanging out. “I’m guessing you’re referring to the guy who has a rod up his ass? He’s Reuben and he’s on the university football team. He likes everyone to know. Tch, guys got a personality of football and law.”

You stopped walking and hummed. “He seems like an asshole to me.”

“He is.” He offered his hand. “Levi.”

You shook his hand and gave him your name. “My friend over there is Athena. We won’t be here long because I’d rather be at home wrapped up in a blanket.”

“Sounds nice. I’d prefer that.”

The woman next to him smirked. “He’d prefer to join you!” She offered her hand as Levi shouted at her. “HI! I’m Hange.”

You laughed and shook her hand. “Nice to meet you.”

She winked at you. “You too.”

The big blonde offered his hand. “Mike. Our friend Erwin couldn’t make it tonight, but he’d love to meet you.”

You smiled softly. “Nice to meet all of you.”

Athena strolled over. “Fuck me that took forever. Here you are cupcake.”

You took your cup and smiled. “Appreciate it.” You sipped your drink as everyone introduced themselves. You smiled at your new tall friends chatting away. You felt a gaze on you and noticed Levi kept looking at you. You smiled at him making him blush and look away. You tugged on Athena’s shirt and smiled. “I’m going outside for five minutes.”

Athena winked at you. “Sure thing. Text me if you need me.”

You waved to her and moved through the massive crowds until you got outside. You released a sigh and shook off your anxieties as best as you could. You ruffled your hair and looked around you. You glanced to the side to see Reuben was outside too. You turned away and groaned in annoyance. You pulled your phone out and checked it. You pouted a moment but someone walking over to you made you stiffen up.

You turned and stared up at Reuben. You wrinkled your nose up at the strong cologne coming from him. “Can I help you?”

He lit a cigarette and blew the smoke to the side away from you. “You looked lonely.”

You wafted the air around you. “Just needed fresh air, but you’re kind of making it not.”

He sucked his teeth a little. “My bad. I can’t smoke inside so I have to do it out here.”

You hummed as you stared at the cigarette between his fingers. “Maybe you should quit? It’ll be better for you and you won’t be messing with people’s nice air.” You coughed a little. “Plus, I’m pretty sure you shouldn’t smoke if you’re a footballer.”

He smirked at you. “You know I’m a footballer?”

“Well, it’s hard to miss when you’ve been telling everyone at this party.”

He chuckled. “You’re a spunky little thing, aren’t you?”

You let out a long sigh. “I don’t want to sound rude, but I kind of want a moment to myself.”

He flicked his smoke making the ash tumble. “Am I that bad? Come on, I’m a handsome guy. Just talk to me a bit.”

“No thanks.”

He moved closer. “Come on, let’s talk.”

“No thank you.”

He reached for you. “Come on-. AH! Ow!”

Levi had grabbed Reuben’s hand and bent it backwards causing the cry of pain. “Tch, she said no.”

Reuben winced. “All right! Now let go of me you animal.”

Levi released Reuben and stood between him and you. “Back off and accept the no.”

He chuckled a little and flicked his cigarette at Levi. It bounced off Levi’s incredible chest and dropped to the floor. “Whatever man. You can have her for now.”

“She doesn’t belong to anyone. Fuck, you’re a dick.” Levi flipped him off as the rich pretty boy walked away. “Fuck him.” He turned to you. “You okay?”

You nodded shyly. “Yeah.”

He pulled his leather jacket off and put it around your shoulders and revealed his left arm had tattoos on it. “I’m glad. Try and stay away from him. I know we all started uni a few days ago, but we’re all aware of him.” He blushed. “Not that I’m telling you what to do…”

You reached over and held his soft warm hand with rough parts. “Thank you.”

Levi blushed hard at the sweet contact. “Y-You’re welcome.”

You squeezed his hand and held it for a moment before releasing it. “You’re a nice guy. Thank you for your kindness.”

“CUPCAKE!” Athena ran over to you. “You all right? Do I need to break a face?”

You shook your head. “Levi helped me.”

Athena smirked at the man. “I appreciate it. There should be more guys like you.”

Levi cleared his throat. “I just…I wanted to help.”

Athena pulled you against her body and held you with one arm. “Thank you. You know, we might head back.”

You wiggled out of your friend’s arms and pulled the jacket off. “Here Levi, thanks.”

Levi took his jacket back. “Any time. Do you want escorting back?”

Athena shook her head. “I got this.” She waved and walked with you. “See you soon!”

You waved shyly to Levi. “See you soon.”

Levi waved to you. “Yeah, see ya…” He sighed and mumbled. “Hope so…”

You gripped your bag strap and ran as fast as you could through the halls as you looked at the doors with the room numbers on. Your heart was racing and you were filled with panic at possibly being late for your first lecture. To be late on your first day was a nightmare for you. You could feel the lump in your throat forming ready for a cry.

You’d gotten up on time, but you had gotten distracted by some drama in your hall between some girls. You settled everyone down but realised you needed to get to the lecture fast. You hurried to lecture and realised you didn’t have your phone on you, so you stopped and thought if you should go back, but then you chose to keep going. Your lecture was more important than having your phone for the day.

You carefully pushed the door open and peeked inside the small lecture room that had only ten rows of seats. You blushed a bit when you saw people chatting and the lecture hadn’t even started yet. You hurried inside and walked up the stairs and down an empty row. You pulled your seat down and plopped yourself down as you sighed in relief.

“Tch, you’re late.”

You turned your head to see Levi was sat in the row behind you. “Oh, hello Levi.”

He leaned his chin on his hand and covered his mouth a little. “Surprised you’re here. You in the right place?”

You gulped hard. “Ethics?” You stared at Levi as his gaze bore into you. “Am I in the wrong place?”

Levi smirked behind his hand at how adorable you were. “You’re in the right place. This is ethics.”

You let out a long sigh. “Thank goodness. Jeez, you are a tease.”

“I like to joke around.”

You giggled. “You got me.”

He hummed as he studied you in your cute jumper. “What are you studying?”

“Uh, criminology.”

Levi blushed a little. “Same. Tch, means I’m stuck with you.”

You laughed. “I guess so.”

He frowned in thought. “Why were you close to being late?”

“There was some drama in my hall and I helped sort it out. However, it meant I was delayed and I forgot my phone.”

Levi hummed and felt a bit sorry for you. You were too nice for your own good, so he was thinking he needed to protect you as much as possible. He flicked his gaze around the room to see Reuben casually walking in and had his eyes on you. Levi needed to act. “Mind if I sit next to you?”

You shook your head. “No, I don’t mind.” You squeaked when Levi jumped over the seats and sat next to you. “Oh wow.”

He grabbed his bag and put it next to him. “Tch, thanks.”

You got what you needed out and smiled at Levi. “So, what are your plans?”

“For today or life?”

You blushed as you felt embarrassed. Levi was too hot for his own good, he was funny and rather kind. "I uh...I meant...well...”

He pulled his leather jacket off and sighed. “Well, for today I just have this lecture and then later I have training.”

You perked up at his words. “Training?”

He rubbed the back of his neck as he blushed. “I play rugby.”

You gasped in delight and shuffled closer to Levi. “You play rugby? That’s so cool! I enjoy watching it and played a bit in secondary school.” Your cheeks burned. “Oh, sorry I’m getting a bit…sorry…I’ll be quiet.”

Levi frowned at your response. “Why?”

You cleared your throat. “I was told once that I talk too much.”

He shook his head. “Tch, don’t listen to that piece of shit. You’re perfect.” He inhaled quickly and blushed hard. “I uh…what I mean is…”

You reached over and placed your hand on his. “Thank you.”

He gulped hard and squeezed your hand back. “You’re welcome.” He looked up to see Reuben moving over and taking a seat in front of you. “Tch, what do you want?”

Reuben smirked at Levi. “Simply taking a seat in front of my new friends.”

“You’re not my friend.”

Reuben narrowed his eyes at Levi before turning his head to you. “What about us? We’re friends, right?”

You clenched up a little. “I ah.”

Your professor entered the room and introduced himself. He asked all of you to refer to him by his first name from now on. He smiled and looked at everyone. “Now, I know the first weeks of university are a bit awkward. So, I want you to make friends. I want you to have a study and work buddy. The person next to you will be your partner for the rest of the semester.”

You looked over at Levi and felt bad. “Sorry, you’re stuck with me.”

Levi covered his mouth with his hand and hid his smile. “Don’t be sorry. I’m happy to work with you.”

“Really? I’m glad.”

Reuben raised his hand. “I think our class isn’t even. So, could I join a pair?”

The professor sighed. “I suppose. Pick anyone.”

He looked at you. “These two. I’ll work with them.”

“All right! Now we have our groups, let’s get to the lecture.”

You made notes as your professor chatted and informed you what the plans were for the semester. You sat there for a while and enjoyed yourself, you were looking forward to your three years at uni. You glanced over at Levi now and then and saw he was transfixed by the lecture as well. You’d both blush when you caught each other’s gazes.

Near the end of the lecture, you huffed a bit causing Levi to look over. “I’m hungry.”

Levi leaned over and whispered back. “Hungry?”

You nodded. “I was planning on bringing like a little bag of snacks with me, but I got so sidetracked with the girls that I just…” You hugged yourself. “I need food.”

“Did you have breakfast?”

You pouted a little. “No…you gonna tell me off?”

He shook his head. “No, why would I? I didn’t have breakfast either.” He blushed hard. “Do uh…”

Reuben turned to you as the lecture ended. “You, me and a lunch date.”

You strained a smile. “I ah…well…”

He looked your up and down and smirked. “You will be having the salad and water, of course, nothing else. What do you think?”

“I’m not hungry.”

“You’re not?” He tilted his head and eyed you again. “Really?”

You hugged yourself a little. “Y-Yeah.”

He hummed and pulled his phone out. “How about I get your number then?”

You packed your things. “I don’t have my phone on me.”

“Look, if you aren’t interested and don’t want to, just say. Don’t lie and beat around the fucking bush. God, you women can be frustrating.”

Levi growled. “She forgot her fucking phone. She was late to this lecture because she forgot it. I bet you were late because you were busy kicking out that girl you took back to your room last night!”

Reuben went white. “I…you…you’re a dick.”

You stood up with tears in your eyes. “I’m…bye.” You ran off away from both men. Levi was wonderful, but Reuben was so judgemental. You leaned against a wall and wiped your tears. “Fuck.” You heard someone getting closer to you. You sniffed back your tears and smiled at Levi. “Hey, Levi.”

Levi leaned his side against the wall and shielded you from others. “You hungry? I want to eat something massive. We can go for ramen, dim sum, tacos, sushi, burgers or pizza.” He frowned. “No fucking salads, okay? I don’t care much for them.”

You sniffed and laughed a little. “That sounds nice.”

“I’m going to be eating a lot, so I need an eating buddy.”

You cleared your throat. “I can do that.”

He pushed from the wall. “I’m letting you choose this time, but next it’s my choice.”

You walked with Levi through the halls and out of the building as you thought. “How about sushi?”

“Sounds great.” He put his hands in his pockets and walked with you across campus to the sushi place. “This will be my treat.”

You sat down next to the little conveyor with sushi on. “Treat? Oh, but I can pay.”

Levi grabbed some sushi off the belt and ordered some tea for two. “You’ve just had a shitty conversation that made you cry, so I want to cheer you up.” He blushed a little. “You don’t mind, do you?”

You shook your head. “No, I don’t mind. I’ll accept this nice offer.”

“Good.” He waited for the tea to be put down before pouring you a cup. “Go ahead, grab the sushi you want.”

You hummed as you looked at went past and grabbed a few things. “Thanks.”

Levi ate in silence for a while before speaking to you. “Why did you lie to him?” He gulped when you locked your pretty eyes with his. “About being hungry. Most girls have been falling all over him.”

You shrugged. “I just got this vibe from him. When I first saw him I knew he was the type to sleep around, brag about it and spread rumours. I just want my time at uni to go well. I don’t want drama and he’s like drama central.”

He wiped his mouth and hummed. “I couldn’t agree more. A nice relaxing time at uni would be good.” His cheek burned as he went for it. “So, how is your boyfriend coping? You know with you being here?”

You laughed as you poured two new cups of tea. “I have no boyfriend, but it’s cute of you to think. I’m single and no, I’m not recently broken up either. It’s been like a year since my last relationship.” You downed some of your tea. “What about you?” You saw Levi’s cheeks burn bright red. “Levi? Have you never been in a relationship?”

He groaned and looked away from you. “Is that bad?”

You shook your head. “No! No, there’s nothing wrong with it.”

He released a long sigh. “I just…I have a single mother and we’ve never had much money, so I often worked part-time while studying at school. I was so focused on helping out that I never got the chance to date.”

“Well, you’re a handsome guy who is smart, kind, funny and caring. I know for sure you’ll find a lovely…” You stared at Levi for a while.

Levi flinched a bit. “Girls, I like girls.”

“Just checking.” You cleared your throat. “Anyway, you’re the total package. Any woman will be lucky to date you.”

He hummed and looked at his sushi. “Thanks. M-Maybe I’ll g-give dating a chance here.”

You blushed a little. “It’s getting a bit late and you have training. I’m taking too much of your time.”

“You’re not taking up my time, but yeah I do have training.” He stood up and paid for lunch.

You hurried next to Levi and walked with him. “Hey, so could you escort me back to my room?”

Levi blushed at the thought. “Sure.” He put his hands in his pockets and walked with you. “Are you warm enough?”

You nodded. “Yeah.”

He hummed a little. “Good.”

You smiled at Levi. “Why don’t you tell me a bit about yourself.”

Levi perked up and started talking about his mother, his two friends back at home, his friends that came to university with him, his past rugby teams with schools and the things he was into. You both discovered you had a lot in common and you made each other laugh. Your chat went so nicely that when you got to your room Levi walked in and you offered him a seat at your desk.

Levi looked over at your tv and gaming set-up. “A nerd, huh?”

You blushed. “A bit.”

He hummed and smiled a little. “I could never afford my own, but I would play on one at my friend’s place.”

You grabbed your phone that had been charging this whole time. “Well, if you ever want to play games again, you can come over and play something.” You blushed. “Th-That’s if you want to.”

Levi gave you a tiny smile. “That’d be cool.” He looked at the phone in your hand. “Can I have that?”

“Huh?”

He reached towards you. “Your phone.”

You looked at your phone. “What about it?”

He blushed. “I ah…I got this wrong. Let me word this better.” He cleared his throat. “C-Could I-I have your n-number?”

You smiled. “Yes. Oh, wait!” You unlocked your phone and changed your lock screen and background picture to not be a character you simped for. “Here.”

Levi took your phone and added his number. “Thanks.” He gave you his phone. “Only add your number if you want to.”

You tapped your number in and saved it to his phone. “There, you have my number.”

He took his phone and blushed hard. He waited a bit as he processed his feelings. He was nervous but relaxed. He was excited but calm. You made him feel so many things and he wasn’t sure what to do with himself. He looked up at you and blushed hard at how cute you were. He ruffled his messy hair as he tried to think of something to say to you. He frowned when his phone pinged to see you’d texted him. He opened the text and smiled at the little emoji you sent him.

Levi hummed a laugh. “Thanks.”

You blushed. “So, do you want me to walk you to your training?”

Levi stood up. “Ah, no I can walk there.”

You stood up and gazed into his wonderful steel-blue eyes. “I’ll walk you out then.”

“S-Sure.” He walked at your side as girls in your hall watched. Levi thought it was because of the stern look he had that people were staring at, but really it was because he was a muscular bad boy. He stopped by the outer door and turned to you. “I’ll see you in lectures tomorrow.” He gulped hard. “T-Text me?”

You nodded. “I will. When does training end?”

“In about two hours.”

“I’ll text you then.”

Levi waved to you and walked towards the locker rooms. He frowned when his phone pinged again. He looked down and smiled at your text saying good luck at training. Levi felt his heart flutter and worked extra hard during his practice because you gave him a spark. After he was done you texted him again asking if everything went well. He texted you right back with a gentle smile on his face.

Athena smirked as you sat on her bed smiling at your phone. She was happy that you’d been at university for a month and you were smiling happily at something. “You texting Levi?”

You dropped your phone and blushed hard. “N-No.”

She hummed a laugh. “I don’t know why you two haven’t been on a date yet. He takes you out to lunch after lectures.”

You released a long sigh. “He’s been busy with practice and training. So, all his free time is gone.”

“Oh and he spends all the time he does have with you! So romantic.”

You groaned a little. “It’s not like that…he’s just…he’s nice and we both do criminology. It’s just that.” You nibbled your lip as your bad thoughts seeped in. “Besides, he wouldn’t be interested in a girl like me.”

Athena turned her chair around and glared at you. “You really have no clue how cute you are, do you?”

You gulped hard. “I just…I don’t know…”

She stood up and smiled. “I think you need a drink. Why don’t you ask Levi if he’s free and we’ll all go for a drink?”

“But.”

She leaned down and looked you in the eyes. “I’ll be there. We’ll make it a group thing and it’ll mean you’re not alone and you can relax a little.”

You nodded and picked up your phone. “I’ll text him.”

“Nooo, you’ll call him.”

You gripped your phone tightly before selecting Levi’s name. “Okay, I’ll call.” You dialled Levi as your heart raced in your chest. “H-Hi Levi?” You winced at your voice catching. “Sorry, so umm…are you free?”

Levi walked around the locker room in just a towel as his friends laughed and shouted. He ruffled his hair and felt his heart race at your cute shy voice. “I’m free. I just finished practice. Are you okay?”

“I’m great.” You nibbled your nail. “I uh…how was practice?”

Athena smacked your arm a few times and angrily whispered. “Ask him damn it!”

Levi walked to a quiet spot. “It went well, thanks.”

You smacked Athena back. “Do you have any plans tonight?”

Levi’s cheeks burned red. “N-No. I-I don’t.”

You locked eyes with Athena as she mouthed to you what to ask. “Well, how about we go out for drinks? You know, all of us?”

Levi looked at his friends and winced a little at how annoying some of them might be, but he also really wanted to spend time with you outside of uni. “Sure. We’ll meet you at the university-run bar in about an hour.”

You gave Athena a thumbs up making her dance around her room and shake her bum in your face. “Great. We’ll see you in an hour.” You ended the call and flopped against the bed. “This is a disaster! I don’t know what to wear!”

Athena rubbed your back. “It’ll be okay cupcake.” She slapped your bum hard making you scream. “Come on sexy! Let me help you out.”

You sat up and huffed. “Fine, fine.”

She yanked you against her buff frame and grinned. “Let this stylish nerd dress you!”

You let your computer science nerdy friend drag you out of her room and into yours. You watched her rummage through your wardrobe until she grabbed the things she wanted. “I’m not sure about that dress.”

“What’s wrong with it?”

“It’s a bit revealing with the boobs.”

She walked up to you. “You have incredible boobs. So, flaunt them.”

You released a long sigh. “Okay. I’ll trust you.” You changed into the dress and you blushed a little. You picked thigh-high socks instead of tights and a nice little cardigan. “This okay?”

Athena purred at you. “Looking like a little cupcake I wanna eat.”

You blushed. “Athena…”

She hummed a laugh. “Trust me. If I wanna devour you then Levi totally will.”

You grabbed your bag and sighed. “Are you changing?”

“Nah, I’m good. You’re the one who should impress.”

You blushed and walked with your friend. “You think he’ll like this?”

She put her arm around you. “I think he will love it so much he’ll kiss you.”

“A-Ah no! I d-don’t think so.” You walked outside with her and towards the bar. “He’s probably not into me. I’m just a friend to him. We sit next to each other in every lecture. We get lunch every day.” You saw Athena grinning. “Friends do all that!”

“Uh-huh. Oh, and friends totally drop everything to text you back too even when they’re busy.”

You sighed as she opened the door. “I really think you’re reading too much into his actions.”

“So why is the grumpy guy smiling and waving?”

You blushed as Levi stood in a booth with a gentle smile as he waved to you. You waved back as your heart throbbed. “He’s cute.”

Athena pushed you along. “You two are cute together. Just go for it, okay?”

You nodded and moved over to Levi and his three friends. “Hey.” You smiled at another tall blonde. “You must be Erwin! Lovely to meet you finally.”

Erwin shook your hand. “You too. I’ve heard so much about you.”

Levi blushed hard. “Tch, oi eyebrows, stop.”

You giggled. “Well, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Can I get you a drink?”

You nibbled your lip. “I’ll get it.”

He put his arm around you. “Let me treat you.” He blushed and locked eyes with a grinning Athena. “Can I get you something?”

Athena held her hands up. “I’ll get mine. I just want to chat with your friends for a bit.”

Levi gulped hard as he took you all in. He thought the dress looked incredible on you. “You uh…you look cute.”

You smiled a little as your heart fluttered in your chest. “Thank you.”

Levi moved you to the bar. “What would you like?”

You blushed a little and looked at the menu. “I uh…a cocktail? I’ll have the pina colada.”

Levi nodded. “Can I get a pina colada and a black Russian?”

You smiled as the bartender made the drinks. “I like white Russians.”

Levi looked down at you. “They’re pretty good. So, you like cocktails then?”

“I do.” You frowned a little. “Didn’t think you were a cocktail drinker.”

“I am. That bad?”

You shook your head. “No, it just means I have someone to take with me to a cocktail bar.”

He smiled a little. “I’d be happy to go with you.”

“Awesome.” You gazed at Levi as he blushed. “You have a mark on your cheek.” You reached over and lightly touched his cheek. “Are you okay?”

He hummed in response. “I’m okay. I got knocked by someone’s elbow.”

You moved closer and gasped. “It must hurt. Have you put anything on it?”

Levi blushed at you worrying about him and tending to him. “I ah…yeah. I put some ointment on it.” He leaned his cheek against your hand. “Thank you for worrying about me.”

You smiled a little as your heart raced. “How can I not worry? You’re important to me.”

Levi’s eyes widened. “I am?”

The bartender put the drinks down. “You two are a cute couple! What a lovely thing to see!”

You grabbed your drink. “Th-thank you.”

Levi blushed at you not denying anything. “Y-Yeah, thanks.” He cleared his throat and paid before walking with you back to the booth. “After you.”

You slipped in first and pressed up against the wall. You blushed as Levi sat next to you. You fiddled with your glass as everyone chatted. You joined in a bit but all you could focus on was Levi’s warm body next to you and the wonderful lemon scent that was drifting from him. You looked over at him to see he kept looking down at you.

You moved your gaze to his lap to see his left hand resting on his thigh next to you was clenched and twitching, almost like he wanted to do something but stopped himself. You took in a deep breath and bit the bullet. You reached over with your right hand and placed your hand on Levi’s. You blushed when he flinched at your touch, so you pulled your hand away.

Levi had been desperate to hold your hand this whole time. Your smell was intoxicating and sweet. He was so flustered by you and wanted so badly to hold your hand. He flinched when he felt your feathery touch on his hand. He saw you looked embarrassed and sad at his reaction. He panicked at possibly losing his chance. He reached for you and grabbed your hand before you pulled away for good.

Levi blushed as he held your wrist tightly. He felt like a deer in headlights. He ran his hand down your palm and then entwined his fingers with yours. He gave you a side glance to see you were smiling with an adorable blush on your cheeks. He gave your hand a little squeeze before running his thumb over your skin. He felt soothed by your touch even his heart was racing just a little bit.

Erwin and Athena got the drinks for everyone due to being sat at the end of the booth. You passed your card down when needed. Levi paid mostly for your drinks, but you managed to twist his arm and let you pay. Eventually, you needed the toilet and Levi said he did too. He let go of your hand and walked with you to the toilets. When you left Levi was waiting for you and looked a little nervous.

You smiled as you approached him. “You okay Levi?”

He nodded and rubbed the back of his neck. “So uh…about the umm hand holding…”

You blushed as you played with your dress. “R-Right.” You looked up as Levi leaned closer to kiss you, but you both ended up banging your heads. “Ow.”

Levi rubbed his head. “Tch, shit s-sorry.”

You giggled. “It’s okay.”

“I was trying to kiss you and fucked up.”

You blushed. “You wanted to kiss me?”

He stopped rubbing his head and blushed. “Y-Yeah.” His eyes darted around as the nerves seeped in. “I uh…I like you. I like you more than a friend. I-I’ve never liked someone as much as this before, so this is all new to me. A-All I know is I want to be your boyfriend a-and spoil you, t-take care of you, h-have a lot of firsts with you a-and um…just be with you.” He held his hands up. “O-Only if y-you want to.”

You walked up to Levi and held his hands. You squeezed them tightly and smiled softly. “I like you more than a friend too. I would like to be your girlfriend if you’ll have me.”

“I would really like that.”

You giggled. “Well then, I guess we’re a couple.”

He hummed a laugh as he lightly smiled. “I want to do this better, so…may I kiss you?”

You nodded shyly and leaned up to him. Your lips softly grazed his causing a tingle to begin in your lips. You shivered at his warm breath against your sensitive skin. You hummed as he kissed you gently, as if he was a bit scared you might break or run. When Levi realised you wanted this, he pressed his lips against yours with more purpose.

He tilted his head to the side and released your hands. He slowly slid his hands along your back and tugged you against his muscular body. You ran your hands up his chest and clung to him a little bit. He felt his heart race in his chest at kissing you. He’d never really kissed anyone before except for when a random girl kissed him when he was a kid, but he’d never had a real kiss. You were truly his first in everything.

You felt so adored in this kiss. It seemed so innocent but with a hint of desire. You felt truly cared for by this sweet man. He might have looked like he was a beast of a man, but really he was a sweet stuttering sweetheart who’d barely had romance in his life. You felt so much love from this man. You felt special and you knew you were going to do everything in your power to treasure this adorable bad boy.

You pulled from Levi’s lips and blushed a little. “Wow.”

Levi sighed. “You can say that again. That was my first real kiss.” He gripped your waist. “W-was it okay?”

You nodded. “It was more than okay! It was perfect.” You nibbled your lip. “Do…do you still want me? I mean, a kiss can change things.”

“I really want you.” He tapped his forehead against yours. “I-I want to take you on a d-date. I-I was thinking this S-Saturday? I uh have n-no practice.”

You smiled. “I’d love that. Oh, um…could I come to practice sometimes? I would like to watch.”

Levi groaned as his heart was close to bursting in his chest at how adorable you were. “Y-Yes. You can come.”

“Thank you.” You hummed a laugh. “I can’t wait to watch. I will come to your matches as well.”

“You’ll be my lucky charm.”

You laughed a little. “I don’t know about that.”

He held your hand and walked with you back to that table. His friends and Athena noticed the hand-holding but never said a thing about it and let you be. You all joked and laughed together and had a few more drinks before you decided to make the five-minute walk back to the halls. Levi waved to his friends and took you to your room.

Athena leaned against her door opposite yours. “Night you two! Don’t do anything I wouldn’t doooo.”

You blushed a little as she fell into her room. “I’m sorry about that.”

Levi ruffled his hair. “My friends will rip into me when I get back.”

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be” he leaned against the door and smiled at you “they’re happy for me most likely, they’re just a joking bunch.” He blushed when you gave him a little peck on the lips. “Ah…uh…thank you.”

You blushed. “Kiss of courage.”

“I feel brave already.”

You hummed a little laugh. “Thank you for walking me back. You didn’t need to.”

He reached towards you and shifted your hair. “I wanted to.”

“I should walk you to the door.”

“Oh, but I walked you to your room door.”

You held his hand. “Maybe I want to spend more time with you.”

He led you to the door out of the hall and smiled. “I’m glad.” He stopped by the door. “Tch, this damn hallway should be longer.” He turned to you and kissed you. “I’ll text you.”

You nodded. “I’d like that. We uh, have lectures tomorrow, so I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He squeezed your hand before releasing it. “See you tomorrow.”

You waved to him. “Bye.” You hummed a laugh when he didn’t leave. “Levi.”

He leaned closer. “Sorry, one last kiss.” He kissed you and smiled. “Better. Okay, see you.”

You waved to him and watched him go down the stairs to the outside door. “Bye.”

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wolfpants · 9 months

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Terrible People, a Drarry Fic (Chapter Three: A Bit of a Predicament)

Terrible People | Chapter 3/9 | Rated E

Fic by @wolfpants art by @getawayfox 💘

Tags: EWE, minor Harry/Charlie, past Draco/Zacharias, background relationships, romance, romcom, meddling friends, beaches and beach holidays, cruise ships, clubbing, summer holidays (in september), truth or dare, adults playing games designed for teenagers, Harry is in a silly goofy mood, Draco has a dog called Hermes, Healer!Draco, Sports Media Mogul!Harry (but really he just sits around all day buying art from Sotheby's), Drarry in their (late) 30s, pining, FWB, FWB to lovers, smut tags in the work

What happens when Harry and Draco end up on the same Muggle gay cruise? They certainly didn't plan for it to happen (but their friends might have). They're stuck with each other for a week, they might as well make the most of it, right?

Featuring a holiday-long game of Truth or Dare, a very ill-judged FWB proposition, decades-long pining, lots of gin, and a small pair of green swimming trunks.

🍸🛳🩴☀️🕶

The dining room is huge. White-cloth covered tables are flanked by smart acacia chairs and set with sparkling glass and silverware. Most spots by the windows and out on the deck have already been snagged, but Draco spots a free seat in the shade with a great view of the ocean.

Just as he’s setting his plate down to be rearranged by a nearby waiter in a white apron, another man steps out in front of Draco to do the same: Bermuda shorts, band t-shirt, flip-flops. A head full of springy black curls and nut-brown, sinewy arms covered in doodle-y tattoos that look like they were put there by a child, and—

“It is you.”

Harry spins, squinting against the sun behind Draco’s head. He looks like he’s just rolled out of bed.

Or he’s still asleep and in some sort of waking nightmare, judging by the expression of pure shock on his face.

“What the fuck?” Harry offers eloquently.

Indeed. What the fuck.

“What are you doing here?” they both ask each other at the same time.

read chapter three: a bit of a predicament on ao3

#twice weekly updates now it is #terrible people #drarry #drarry fic #drarry smut #draco/harry #harry/draco #drarry fanfic #hp fanfic #draco x harry #harry x draco

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cal-daisies-and-briars · 8 months

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FIC UPDATE: Muscle Memory

Just in time to go get a 9-1-1 tattoo, I am here with another chapter of Muscle Memory. Here is Chapter Six!

Summary:

Eddie confronts Buck. Buck struggles to compartmentalize.

Snippet:

Eddie pushes past Buck and walks directly into the loft.

“Come on in,” Buck deadpans before closing the front door.

He watches Eddie look around. The kitchen. The couch, the TV. The patio. Up the stairs.

You’ve been here, Eddie, Buck thinks. I know you remember this place. I know you recognize your life.

“This is a horrible apartment,” Eddie says. “The stairs are stupid. Your couch is hideous.”

“Loving the mood,” Buck grumbles.

Buck is acutely aware of how stupid the stairs are. But the couch? He looks at the vintage-looking evergreen settee Natalia had suggested he buy. It’s not hideous. It’s… Well, it’s not very Buck, but it’s better than no couch, or a couch covered in afterbirth.

#muscle memory fic #911 fic #911 fanfic #911 #buddie 911 #evan buckley #eddie diaz #eddie x buck #buddie fanfic #daisies and briars writes

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rowanaelinn · 2 years

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Illicit Affairs - Chapter Thirty-Nine

Masterlist

A/N: hey! if you have time after this chapter, maybe you could check another story I am writing with my incredible friend @morganofthewildfire? It’s called Tied Me To You, and if you love yourself some childhood friends to lovers and second chance romance… This fic is for you!

This was all written in less than a day, so please, be indulgent when it comes to my editing! I was just too excited to share this!

Warnings: Lots of language | Word Count: 6,000

Her head was pounding when she opened her eyes, enough to make her wince. The light was too bright for her eyes, she let out a quiet sob. She didn’t want to wake up, why did she have to? Someone let out a groan beside her, and it wasn’t hard to know it was Dorian.

“Close the lights,” he growled from where he laid on the floor.

“I can’t just turn off the sun,” she answered, her throat sore. She had done too much last night. Maybe doing too much was her mantra. She wasn’t exactly sure it was something to be proud of.

She fought against the throbbing pain in her head and opened her eyes. The living room was in a mess, which she supposed was the way a room should look after a party took place there.

When they started drinking yesterday, Lysandra and Chaol joined them, though they were much, much calmer than Dorian and Aelin. The both of them went to sleep early while Dorian and Aelin kept the party going.

Though she wasn’t sure she could exactly call that a party. She tatted on the table, looking for her phone. She held in another groan when she saw all the notifications on her home screen. She wiped them away; she wasn’t in the mood to be assaulted by texts at… eleven in the morning.

Her heart melted for a second at the sight of her home screen wallpaper. It was picture of Rowan, Aelin and Helia in vacation. They were laying on double sundecks, bathing into the sun.

It was the perfect picture to use, if only because neither Rowan nor Helia were recognizable. Rowan was laying on his side, back to the camera. His tattooed arm wasn’t visible, his silvery hair hidden by a hat. He was hugging her, his head nuzzled into her shoulder. Helia was laying on Aelin’s front, splayed out onto her and Aelin could almost hear her snoring. The only person awaken on this picture was Aelin. Her grin was bright on that picture, brighter than she had seen it in years. She loved that picture.

She opened her text app, only to find multiple texts Rowan had sent last night. And apparently, in her drunk daze, Aelin had texted him back a couple of times.

Rowan, 9:01pm: Tell me when you are home.

Rowan, 9:28pm: Aelin? Please, tell me if you’re home safe.

Rowan, 10:03pm: If you are mad, be mad. But don’t ignore me.

Aelin, 10:05pm: im safe buzzard

Rowan, 10:06pm: Come back, please. We can talk this out. I miss you.

Aelin, 10:13pm: can’t. im busy! ;)

She then sent a picture of her, Dorian and a bottle of tequila between their two smiling faces, their eyes red and smiles all wrong. They were so obviously drunk.

Rowan, 10:15pm: Are you drunk?

Rowan, 10:23pm: Please, be careful.

Rowan, 10:45pm: I miss you, Aelin. Things are going to work out, I promise.

Rowan, 11:52pm: Good night, Fireheart. Text me when you’re awake.

Oh, gods. He’d clearly voiced his concern for her last night, and she… ignored him. He didn’t seem angry in his texts, which she supposed was a good thing. It was hypocritical of her as she was the one who started a fight with him the day before, but she didn’t think she could handle it if Rowan was mad at her.

On the other hand, Aelin was allowed to have a night with her friends. He was the one who told her she cut everyone else off, so it wasn’t a bad thing if she did spend time with other people.

“My head is killing me,” Dorian’s voice was as broken as hers.

She chuckled, “Of course it does, pretty boy.”

He looked up from where he laid on the floor, raised on his elbows. “You think I’m pretty?”

She used her foot to push on his shoulder which made him crash face first. She laughed, hiding her face into her hands. It hurt to laugh but she didn’t stop, Dorian was so dramatic. She needed someone like that in her life.

She got up, still in yesterday’s clothes. “I’m making some coffee.”

Maybe she should call Rowan, though from what time it was, he was in class. Her class, the one she was supposed to attend. Fuck. Even if she jumped into fresh clothes now and that she drove to school she would still miss his class.

A note had been left onto the coffee machine.

Went to class, I will take notes for the two of you.

Rest, you deserve it! Take care,

Lys.

Great, as if she cares about the notes. All Aelin cared about was her professor, though she supposed Lysandra couldn’t know that. At least, Aelin’s tongue didn’t loosen up under the alcohol’s weight.

Dorian joined her into the kitchen, pouring them two glasses of water and placed one pain killer next to each glass. She thanked him and sat, waiting for the coffee to be ready. She drank the entire glass of water in one go, her throat and mouth feeling dry.

“Are you feeling better?”

She knew he didn’t ask that about her hangover. She shrugged, “I think I cried enough for three years last night.”

“That’s not an answer.”

Last night, after maybe her fifth shot, she burst into tears. She hadn’t stopped for hours. Her eyes still hurt, and she wasn’t keen into looking into a mirror right now. She needed ice. A lot of it.

Aelin shrugged, “I have no idea how I feel, if I’m being honest. It just… It doesn’t feel real.”

He nodded, standing to pour them two cups of burning coffee. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Aelin, but why did you come to us yesterday? When something is wrong, you usually go to your boyfriend. Has he done something?”

She shook her head, “No, no he is… the best. I was with him yesterday before I drove back here. But we… I picked a fight with him, I think I wanted him to be angry at me so I wouldn’t have to do it myself, you know?” He nodded. “But he didn’t, he didn’t insult me or yelled at me like I wanted him to.”

“What happened then?”

She took a deep breath, sipping on her coffee. “He has a daughter.”

“Oh.”

“She is… the light of my life. I love her so much, I don’t think words are enough to describe how much I love this little girl. But she… she picked up a habit of calling me mommy, it’s not all the time just… sometimes. She did yesterday, and I think it was too much. I realized I would never have someone to truly call me mommy, to consider me their mom. This girl, she is just… lost.”

“Where is her mom?”

“She passed in a car accident, she gave birth that same day. They never met.”

“It’s heartbreaking,” Dorian breathed, looking down at his smoking drink. “But… Maybe she isn’t lost, maybe she does see you as a mother. I mean, how old is she?”

“Going on four.”

“It’s young, and if she has no memory of her birth mother… What I’m trying to say is that you spend your days there, you love her very much too. I think you and I are the best to know that blood doesn’t mean anything, look at our families.”

“I cannot pretend to be her mother,” Aelin answered, pain in her voice. She wish she could, really she did. “I-Her father and I we are hiding from the entire world. She has known me only for a few months, Dorian. It would need years of trust being built for me to even pretend I could be a mother to her. Have you seen the mess I am? The first inconvenience and I run away to get drunk with friends.”

“Aelin,” he said. “Yesterday was not the first inconvenience. You learned something that truly hurt you and changed your entire future. Hell, you could have driven to a bar and gotten drunk alone, instead to sought help to a friend.”

“You’re trying to make me feel better.”

“Yes, but it doesn’t mean I’m lying.” He covered her wrist with his warm palm. “You are one of the best person I have ever met, Aelin. I have no idea how you just… survive everything life throws in your face.”

“I’m not that strong.”

He nodded, “You are. If I had a twin and I lost them the way you did… I wouldn’t be where you are, Aelin.”

She swallowed difficultly, her voice rough as she asked, “I told you about Celaena yesterday, didn’t I?”

He nodded again, “I have no idea how you just took everything in. But you did, and this is being strong. Yesterday you didn’t lash out at that girl, in a way you protected her by running away. Being a mother it’s not just taking everything in with no reactions, it doesn’t mean you are not human anymore.”

“But R-“ she stopped herself before she could say his name. “My boyfriend, her father, he is so good at it.”

“He has had almost four years to perfect it, and I… I assume he is older, isn’t he?”

She nodded. She didn’t want to say anything, didn’t want Dorian to find out. If it was just her, Aelin would tell him. But Helia… If it backfired, Helia would suffer from these consequences.

Helia and Rowan were the best thing to happen to Aelin, and no matter how much Rowan told her she could tell the people she trusted, she wouldn’t. Not if these was one tiny chance it would hurt them.

“You are still young, no matter how mature you are. Allow yourself time to grow, Ae.”

She sniffed and chuckled through the tears forming in her eyes, “When did you became so wise?”

He shrugged, a secret smile on his lips. “Being in a relationship changes you, doesn’t it?”

She nodded, “Yeah, it does.”

“Do you also sometimes feel as if you are taking too much from your partner? That you rely too much on them.”

She snorted, “All the damn time.”

“I’m not the only one, then,” he said, a hopeful look on his face.

“Thank you, Dorian. Thank you so much.”

—-

Aelin was patiently waiting in front of Rowan’s office door. She had forgotten her keys at his place last night, so she was cursed to wait for him to come. If he ever would. He didn’t always stopped by his university office, but it was worth a try.

If he didn’t come here, she would knock at his house’s door but… She didn’t want Helia to be exposed to their fight.

Should she text him? Tell him where she was, that she wanted to have a talk. But if he was busy… She could wait. His job should come first, he has always taken days off because of her appointments.

“Miss Galathynius?”

Her head snapped to the side, she awkwardly stood almost crashing onto the floor a few times. “Professor Whitethorn.” He looked her up and down, as if making sure she was okay. “Could we have a talk?”

He nodded, opening his office. “Of course.” He looked around, making sure no one was around. “Come in.”

She gave him a small, shy smile. She felt so, so guilty. She… she hadn’t asked him how he felt about it all. He closed the door behind them, and she barely had the time to open her mouth before he pulled her into a warm, tight hug.

“Oh,” she let out, surprised before she gripped him tightly. She pressed her head into his chest and breathed him in, it only hit her then how unhappy she felt if he wasn’t around. “This feels good.”

“It does,” he answered, squeezing her more. “I was worried for you, baby.”

“I’m sorry,” she said into his chest. She had no idea if he heard or understood her but he kissed her forehead.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” he breathed. “I’m not mad.”

She pulled back enough to look at his face, “How could you not? The way I acted…”

“Was because you were mad at yourself,” he finished for her. “Not at me, I know that. And I repeat, it’s okay.”

Her bottom lip wobbled, tears burning her eyes. It was only when she saw him, saw the vulnerability in his own eyes that she breathed, “It’s not fair. It’s not fair, Rowan.”

He nodded, silver lining in his green eyes. “I know, I know it’s not.”

Tears were steaming down her face now. Apparently, she hadn’t cried enough yesterday. She shook her head, “It was just a stupid party to annoy our parents. It was just that,” she tried to push on his shoulders, trying to get him away from her. He didn’t let go, he kept her flushed with his body. “But I keep losing things because of that stupid night.”

“Aelin…”

“I lost Celaena, then my parents became so cold and distant and now… And now that stupid night is taking away my future. Why? Tell me why,” she demanded, her voice rising. She was mad, she was mad at the entire world. She was mad at herself. Life would have been so different if she had just said no, if she hadn’t wanted to get back at her parents for yet another lonely night.

They weren’t paying the full price. She was.

“I can’t,” he breathed. “I can’t tell you why, because I don’t know. But I know I’m here,” he said, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. “Whatever life throws at you; it throws it at both of us.”

She shook her head, “It’s not fair. I don’t deserve that; I don’t deserve all this pain.”

“You are right, you don’t,” he nodded, cupping her cheeks and kissed her. “I love you. Things are going to be alright; we have solutions if we want them. This is hard, but it’s going to be okay as long as we have each other, alright?”

“How do you feel about that?” She asked, because she needed to know. It was her body but… he wanted his life with her. In the long run, it would affect him.

“I am…” He stopped for a second, breathing in. “Not doing too well, but I’m more focused on you now.”

“I’m so—”

He shut her up with a kiss, a hand covering the nape of her neck. “Don’t you apologize, alright?”

She nodded, rising on her tiptoes to steal a kiss out of him. He kept their mouth pressed together for a few more seconds, as if he would never get enough of her.

“Was Helia mad at me?”

He shook his head, “I don’t think she could be mad at you even if she wanted. She was just confused, but I told her it was nothing to worry about.”

“Thank you, and I’m sorry for freaking out when she called me mommy, it was just…”

“Too much,” he finished for her, and she nodded. Yes. It was too much. “I understand, Aelin. Stop apologizing for everything, none of it is your fault.”

“Thank you,” she whispered.

His forehead fell against hers, the two of them breathing the same air. “How’s your head?”

She groaned, letting out a half-fake, half-real sob. “It’s killing me, don’t remind me.”

He chuckled, “You looked cozy with that Tequila.”

“Make me promise to never drink again.”

He narrowed his eyes at her, “I think I already made you promise such a thing twice now. You broke that promise that same amount of time.”

“Ugh,” she closed her eyes, enjoying his proximity. “You’re so not funny.”

He shook his head and grinned, “Sit, I’ll get us some coffee, alright?”

She nodded, kissing him in thanks. She laid on the couch, because she was even too tired to sit. The material was stiff under her, Rowan really needed to change that couch. If only for her back’s sake.

A phone pinged, and it wasn’t hers. She looked around the room to find Rowan’s phone screen lit up on his desk. She grabbed it, only to find the strangest message there.

You will pay.

What the… She typed in his passcode, only for it to be wrong. Strange, his password had always been Helia’s birthday. Maybe she typed it wrong, but when she typed it again… It still didn’t work.

Her brows were furrowed, alright. That was very, very strange. She tried her own birthday but it didn’t work either.

Rowan came back with two steaming plastic cup of coffee, “A latte with extra sugar for you.”

She sat and grabbed the cup, but he couldn’t muster a smile. “You got a text.”

He stopped in his tracks, seating next to her. “And?”

She showed the phone screen to Rowan, “Why would someone send that to you?”

More than a thousand scenarios ran through her head, some more realistic than others. But her concern grew every second Rowan took to answer. He grabbed the phone and read it, the muscles in his jaw tensing. “Ro?”

“It’s okay,” he said, a hand on her thigh after he placed his phone on couch. “It’s nothing.”

“Nothing?” she hissed. “Someone wants to make you pay about something and you say it’s nothing?”

“Because it’s true,” he answered. “It’s just a student who is mad about his grade, alright? It happens from time to time.”

Her lips parted, “You’re joking right? A student?”

“It’s the truth.”

“And how would you know that? It came from a blocked ID.”

“I know because it happened before, it’s been delt with, alright? They are more talk than action, they always are.”

“So… All those texts you’ve reacted badly to it was them? Even when we were away?”

He sighed, his head falling back. “Yes. Yes, it was that.”

She cocked her head to the side, “Why didn’t you tell me? I worried, Rowan. You weren’t talking to me, and I know you don’t like to be pushed to talk but… I worried.”

“I’m sorry, alright?” he said, his voice coming up short. “I didn’t want to worry you. There were so many things on your mind already and as I said, this is harmless. It wasn’t worth worrying you.”

“So, I have to talk but you can keep things to yourself?”

He sighed, grabbing her hand, “I was trying to protect you. I would have told you once it was over, Aelin.”

“I just feel useless,” she admitted. “I feel useless in our relationship. You never tell me anything.”

“I know, I’m sorry,” he said, almost too easily.

“Do you promise you’ll be alright?”

He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and hugged her. “I protect you. Always. I promise.”

She nodded. That was good enough for now, she didn’t have the energy for another fight. He played with a strand of her hair, “You should pick up something to eat and go back home. Pour yourself a hot bathtub and relax, you deserve a few days off.”

She raised an eyebrow, “You allow me to skip classes?”

“I don’t care about school, I only care for your health.”

“I love you,” she breathed into his neck.

He kissed the crown of her head before whispering, “I love you, too.”

---

A week later, Aelin was still soaking daily into a hot bath. Rowan did know how to help her relax. Sometimes, he’d come back from work to find her in his bathtub, and he would join her, other times he would help her relax in other ways while she was still surrounded by water.

But today, she was alone. She had also taken another habit other than the bathtubs; she stopped going to a few classes. Not enough to stop school completely, but enough to take a step back.

Between Rowan, Helia, her infertility and the lies she kept feeding people… Aelin had needed a small, tiny break. Classes for the year were over soon, she could have waited for vacations to start and yet… She didn’t have the energy.

She took care of herself first, she was sure Yrene would be proud of that.

Helia was at her grandparents today and Rowan was a very, very busy surgeon. It was easy to forget, he was good at making time for her and Helia, but there were some days where she was painfully aware of it. And by that, she meant that she usually woke up alone and fell asleep alone. Rowan trusted her to care for Helia in those days, an honor Aelin tried to live up to.

But these days also meant that Aelin had alone time at his house, so she started spending time on herself. It wasn’t too bad, she supposed.

She was texting her friends when her father’s name appeared on her screen and her phone started ringing. “Hi, dad.”

“Aelin,” his voice seemed short. The hospital was very busy lately, and it did not only affect her boyfriend. Her father barely had time to text or call her in the last week or so. “How are you doing, darling?”

“Fine,” she said, her hand playing with pink foam over the water. “Very busy lately.” She hoped it didn’t sound as wrong as it felt. “You?”

“Mostly the same,” he answered. “Wait, aren’t you supposed to be in class at that time?”

She was, he was right. It only took her less than a second to think of a lie. She was becoming awfully good at that. “I’m at the library with Lys and Dorian. We sacrifice a few hours of classes to work a little more on the ones we struggle with the most.”

“Uh, yeah,” her father replied. “I remember doing that a few times, too. Just don’t make it a habit, alright, darling?”

She smiled, “Sure, dad.”

“Alright, listen. Would you come over tonight for dinner?”

“Tonight? That’s a little short notice.”

He chuckled, “I didn’t know a med student’s planning was so full she couldn’t see her parents anymore.”

She winced, “Yeah, sure. I’ll be there. When should I come over?”

“Around seven?”

“That’s good, see you tonight.”

They hung up and Aelin sighed, her head falling back onto the edge of the tub. Rowan had planned on cooking lasagna tonight; she really loved his lasagnas. Maybe she could tell him to leave her some leftovers.

She checked the time and sighed when she noticed she had to be at her parents in less than two hours. Shit. She stood into the bath, but it wasn’t considering how slippery a bathtub full of soap was.

Aelin lost her balance, she gripped the first thing she could hand her hands on, but it made her let her phone fall into the hot water. “Fuck!” she almost yelled, bending to retrieve her phone. She grabbed it a few seconds later, she got out of the tub and wrapped a towel around her chest. She sat on the border of the tub, pressing against the button of her phones but no matter what she did, it didn’t turn on.

“Shit! Fuck!” She hid her face in her hands, taking a few minutes to evacuate her frustration. It was alright, she had her old phone at her apartment. This PIN was dead, but she could buy a new one tomorrow.

But all of her pictures with Rowan and Helia… They were gone. For good. She shook her head, trying to put some sense into that damn mind of hers. She dressed quickly, deciding that she would get a dress her mother would accept at her apartment and took off. She still left a note in the kitchen for her boyfriend to find, and she thanked the gods she wasn’t the one planned on picking Helia up.

She still hadn’t met Lyria’s parents, and if she was honest, Aelin wasn’t in the mood to.

Going to my parents for the evening,

Save some Lasagna for me? I’ll thank you properly ;)

Love you lots! Kiss Lia goodnight for me, please. <3

Aelin.

No one was at her apartment when she opened the door. Good, she wasn’t really in the mood to talk. She’d cancel on her parents if she had any way to do just that. She put her old phone to charge as she picked up a long, black dress. Not very flattering but it wasn’t Aelin-ish enough for her mother to disapprove.

She only brushed her hair and straightened them, applying only a small amount of mascara on her eyes and blush on her cheeks. She hadn’t had a restful night, so she looked pale.

She smiled at herself in the mirror. Her old self, the one she had said goodbye to the moment she met Rowan. But this part of her… Aelin didn’t want it gone. Not entirely. This was the last bit she owned that also belonged to Celaena.

She shook her head, getting rid of the thoughts that were sure to bring tears in her eyes and she jumped into her car, driving to her parents. It would be good to spend some time with them, or at least with her father.

She drove with some mindless music in the background she sang along to, which made the drive feel a lot quicker than it was. When she parked in front of the house where she used to live it was already dark outside.

She opened the door and entered the living room, only to find her uncle Gavriel sitting on the thousand dollars couch, a glass of whiskey in his hand and his perfectly tailored suit covering his body. “Uncle,” she said, a little wary. “I thought tonight was just me and my parents.”

He stood and opened his arms for her, a kind smile lifting up his lips. “Sorry for intruding.”

She rolled her eyes and took him in her arms, “Nonsense, I love spending time with my old relatives.”

He chuckled, “You are always so nice, Niece.”

She cocked her head to the side and smiled, “I know, thank you!”

She looked around the room for her parents, but they weren’t there yet. She was glad they had invited her; it was the perfect occasion for her to do something she hadn’t yet dared to do. “I’m sorry,” she said too quickly. “For the last time we saw each other.”

He shook his head, “None of that. Things got heated on all parts, including mine. This was your fight with Aedion, I shouldn’t have taken part in it. But if I can say something; he misses you. Give him a call when you are ready.”

“Is he here?” She hoped he was. She missed him too, but pride was a tricky thing.

He shook his head and smiled sadly, “I’m afraid he is spending the night with Lysandra.”

“It’s okay,” she said. “Are they… Finally together?”

Her uncle took a deep breath, “I actually have no idea. Knowing my son, I suppose it means they aren’t.”

She snorted, “He’d be the type to brag about it everywhere.”

“I think he could call the mayor and ask him to do an announcement to the entire city,” her uncle joked along.

She laughed when the doorbell rang, “Are we expecting a new member of the family I didn’t know?”

He rolled his eyes, “Open that door, I’ll go look for your dad. I’m afraid he locked himself in his office again.”

She winked at him and went for the door, her heels clicking onto the floor. She opened the door, her breath escaping her lungs. “What are you doing here?” She hissed, closing the door behind her after she looked, making sure no one had seen.

Rowan stood in front of her, looking as tired as he was handsome. He couldn’t be here, shouldn’t be here. Her parents were right in the damn house. “I tried to call you at least twenty times,” he said, careful of the level of his voice. “I kept sending me to voicemail.”

“My phone’s dead,” she answered, almost whispering. “But what the fuck are you doing here?”

“Your father asked me to,” he hissed back. Scared. Her boyfriend looked scared. It took her by the guts, he was so levelheaded usually.

“Why?”

“You think I asked?”

“Well,” She looked around, breathing in deep to not let any fear rise in her. “Why the hell didn’t you? It’s probably the first thing I would have done.”

“If the father of my secret girlfriend who also happens to be my boss asks me to do something, I don’t ask questions. I do everything he said.” He snapped, not raising his voice. Obviously, he was anxious.

“Fuck.” She breathed, passing a hand through her hair and pulling out a few strands.

“Aelin, what is happening.” He demanded.

“Just… Just give me one second, alright.” She was going to have a panic attack. It didn’t make sense, none of what had happened in the last two hours made sense. Why wouldn’t her father tell her he invited Rowan?

“If you didn’t notice it’s kind of a pressing matter.”

She glared at him. As if she didn’t notice. She took a deep breath and said “He doesn’t know.”

“How do you know that?”

“Your face isn’t bloody, that’s what tells me that.”

“You think he would punch me?” Rowan sounded scared, as if he would run away.

“Where do you think I picked my temper from?”

“Oh, fucking Gods,” he breathed, barely loud enough for her to hear.

“Where is Lia?” Oh, Gods. What if he brought her here?

“She is having a sleepover with her grandparents. Aelin, I need you to tell me if I’m about to get punched.” Oh, so she really scared him.

“I-I don’t think you will, alright?”

“You don’t think?” He hissed.

“I’m ninety-two percent sure.” She snapped back. That was what she did under pressure, always snapping.

“Fuck.”

“My father seemed worried about how I handle my time. Maybe this is a committee to say, ‘You’re fucking up again, Aelin!’ or something along those lines. It would be very fitting of my family.” He looked at her, eyes softening. But before he could, the door behind her opened.

“Aelin?”

“Uncle Gavriel,” she breathed, trying to give him her best smile. “This is my professor, Doctor Whitethorn. Doctor, this my uncle.”

“Nice to meet you, sir.” Rowan extended a hand to her uncle who shook it and gave Rowan a nod.

“I wonder why that dear niece of mine didn’t offer you to come in, she is not usually this rude.” He joked.

“Uncle…” Was he serious?

“Please, come in, Doctor Whitethorn. My sister and brother-in-law are on their way, they are on the phone.” Gavriel opened the door wide enough for Rowan to enter the house. He’d already been there. It was where they met, after all. “We’ve seen each other already, didn’t we?”

“At a dinner, a few weeks ago,” Rowan confirmed. “But we didn’t have the occasion of being introduced to one another.”

“Right,” her uncle said. “Can I offer you anything to drink?”

“Sure,” Rowan breathed, “Whatever you’re having.”

She glared at him, trying to communicate everything she couldn’t say in words. Mainly, she just wanted him to find an excuse and get the hell out of here. It was probably the first time she didn’t throw herself on the occasion to spend time with her boyfriend. “So, Doctor, what is your specialty?”

“Neurosurgery,” Rowan didn’t lack his usual pride as he answered. “I used to be one of Doctor Galathynius’ students.”

“And one of the best,” a deep voice interrupted them from behind. Aelin turned around to find her father and mother walking into the room. She hugged her father first, then her mother. She looked her up and down, “You look pretty, darling.”

She smiled, “Thank you, mom.”

“I see you already started drinking,” her father chuckled, “I will gladly join you.”

All of them fell into a conversation, Rowan quieter than her parents and uncle but he still spoke a few times. Aelin, on the other hand, felt like a true outcast.

Only Rowan seemed to see it, throwing her glances every few seconds. She sent him secrets, barely-there smiles. Even in a room full of people who had known her for her entire life, Rowan still was the only person to truly see her.

The real her.

“Shall we eat?” Her mother asked.

“Gods,” she groaned. “I’m starving.”

“Aelin,” she hissed. “It’s not proper.”

She swallowed, “Sorry.”

Evalin shook her head and led her guests to the dining room. Her spine straightened when she felt the brushing touch of a hand down her back.

Her father was at the head of the table, with her mother on his left and uncle on his right. Aelin sat beside Gavriel, and she happened to be in front of Rowan. The first course was served, and Aelin focused on eating it like a proper lady while the adults were talking. She was feeling like a child, only here for decoration.

“Doctor Whitethorn,” her mother asked. “What do you think of Aelin’s progress in classes?”

She stopped dead at that question, and so did Rowan. She nudged him under the table with her foot. He coughed and took a sip of his water. “I think Miss Ashryver Galathynius,” thank gods he remembered to use her mother’s last name too. “Is a brilliant student. Me and her other professors only notice improvement in her knowledge, as well as curiosity to always look for more when she is taught about something.”

Her mother’s smile was proud at these words. She looked at her and send a nod this way, her own way to congratulate her, Aelin supposed.

“It’s good to hear that.” Her father answered. “Some of her professors took contact with us to voice their concern. Apparently, Aelin has been skipping quite a lot of classes lately.”

What.

The.

Fuck.

“Is it something you noticed, as well?” Her father asked, without ever looking at her way. What was he playing?

Was this entire night to humiliate her? Because she was slightly drifting away from the path that had been chosen for her?

Rowan looked at her only once, barely more than a second, before he answered, “I do not think it’s such an unusual behavior. A lot of students, by that time of the year, choose which course they need to put the most of their energy for the finals. I don’t think Miss Ashryver Galathynius’ grades have been dropping in other courses, I know they only improve in mine. So, this is not something I would spend too much time wondering about.”

She wanted to kiss him right now. If she could, she would lean over the table and press their lips together. Hell to properness.

“Thank you for your honesty, Doctor Whitethorn,” her mother answered in her diplomatic voice.

“Dad…” Aelin breathed. “I told you; I pick the courses that need my full attention. My mind is only on succeeding, ask any of my friends they would tell you.”

They would lie for her, at least. She was sure of it.

“I hear you, Aelin. It is my job as a father to worry,” he answered. “One last thing, Doctor Whitethorn.”

“Anything, chief,” Rowan answered. He looked oh-so-relaxed, even if she could hear the tension in his voice.

Rowan was as good a liar as she was. They truly were a match. She pressed her lips together to avoid smiling at the thought, her timing was all wrong.

“What I’m wondering now,” her father said, finishing his one last sip of whiskey, “Is why, in Mala’s name, you thought it was a good idea to screw my daughter?”

••••••

Listen, it HAD to happen at one point…. Right?

Sorry for the hell that is about to hit us all.

••••••

@sheharahu // @morganofthewildfire // @thestoriesyoutell // @fromthelibraryofemilyj // @swankii-art-teacher // @itsforeverinnocent-blog // @becarefuloflove // @imnotsogoodatthis // @rowaelinismyotp // @a-court-of-milkandhoney // @feysand-loml // @elentiyawhitethorn // @live-the-fangirl-life // @story-scribbler // @loves-books // @fangirlprincess09 // @theysayitscrazy // @danibutterr // @endlessdaydream // @thegreyj // @gracie-rosee // @acreativelydifferentlove // @cretaceous-therapod // @louphantomdragon // @mis-lil-red // @backtobl4ck // @whoever-you-choose-to-love // @lemonade-coolattas // @mad-madeline-ace // @the-introverted-bibliophile // @leiawritesstories // @emilyoftheshadows // @anniesbookshelf // @rainbowcheetah512 // @astra-ad-mare // @story-scribbler // @superspiritfestival // @wordsafterhours // @rowaelinrambling // @black-daisy-water // @fireheart-violet // @livsdriverslicense // @charlizeed // @ladykreads // @mariamuses // @autumnbabylon // @justreadertings

#rowaelin #rowan whitethorn #rowaelin fanfiction #rowan x aelin #throne of glass fanfiction #aelin galathynius #illicit affairs

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matchagator · 1 month

Text

Sheltered: Chapter 9

Tensions are high in the household, making Lily desperate for answers and a boost in morale. However, things only become worse after an incident at the diner.

It's Spring Break for us writers, so stay tuned for a week of updates to make up for the delay or visit here for the complete story.

{Main Pairings:} Jeon Jungkook/Original Female Character, Choi Soobin/Original Female Character, Kim Taehyung/Original Female Character(s)

{Rating:} 18+

{Genre:} Alternate Universe - Hybrids

{Summary:} Realization finally dawned on Lily, knowing she now had the responsibility of three hybrids rather than three dogs. Her eyes grew wide while her eyebrows rose up in wonder before she turned her attention to her sister. The shocked expression of Rose had her smile sheepishly. “Well, at least we don’t have to name them.”

{Warnings:} Mature Language, Mild Angst, Rutting Behaviors, Tattoos, Sexual Harassment

{Taglist:} @chimsworldsstuff

The next day had been interesting, to say the least, Lily managed to steer clear of Soobin's intensity as she focused on the moody doberman, who huffed around the house as if everything was an inconvenience. She knew his mood was related to the bickering between him and her sister, but wasn’t sure how to make amends if they bit at each other every chance they got. She tried to cater to him throughout the day, which only caused Soobin to act out from her lack of attention.

He would growl and move between them to create distance, but Lily would just circle back around him to get to Jungkook. It wasn’t until they were watching television and began watching a show about tattoo artists that she noticed the stony features of Jungkook begin to melt as he became enamored by the designs across the human canvases. Despite the reminder of Rose’s reaction when she took them to get their piercings, Lily decided to offer him the opportunity.

Soobin didn’t like the idea of them going alone together and whined to go as well even though he had no interest in getting a mark on his skin. At the shop, Jungkook admired the art of the tattooist and couldn’t decide on any particular design. After a lengthy consultation, he received a small variety along his arm that would make it easy to have more things added later. While he had his tattoo worked on, Lily fell in love with the line work of another artist and decided on a design of swirls and tiger lilies that would curl over her shoulder.

When the artist went to place the stencil against her skin, Soobin argued that it didn’t look good over her shoulder. He didn’t mind that she was getting the tattoo and the placement was actually very nice, but all he could see was her covering the area where he would one day leave his mate mark. He didn’t want it to heal over with a distracting display of beautiful flowers to take away from his claim on her. He wanted his mark to be the only thing brandishing her shoulders. Lily didn’t ask much about his reasoning and had the artist readjust it to sit on the back of her shoulder so that it ran from her spine to her arm.

The appointments were long with the size and details of each tattoo, but they were finished as the sun began to hide behind the horizon. The dull ache didn’t take long to settle in Lily’s bones from the artist pressing into her back with the needle gun, so she decided to pick up Taehyun, who stayed home and napped, then drove everyone to the local diner. She knew Rose would be less inclined to make a scene about the tattoos at work and possibly act civil with Jungkook.

“I smell Rose! Is she eating with us?” Taehyun asked as he slid into the booth first when Lily guided them to the table she usually occupied when the dinner rush was bustling. Jungkook slid in on the opposite side of the booth and Lily scooted in next to him, causing Soobin to make a disapproving groan in his throat as he sat across from her. His long legs bumped against hers under the table, easing his possessive instinct to feel her touch even in the slightest. His rut was becoming stronger as his need to claim Lily grew with the threat of her being taken by one of the other two males.

Lily reached over Jungkook to grab some menus and handed them out to the hybrids, hoping they would pick something based on the pictures. As she browsed the pamphlet of food options, their waitress arrived, looking down at her notepad ready to grab their drink orders. Lily looked up, surprised to find Rose would be their waitress. “Hello, my name is Rose. What would you like to drink?” She finally glanced away from her notepad and faltered as she noticed her dysfunctional family sitting in her booth. “What are you doing here?”

Lily regularly came to the diner, but Rose never imagined that she would bring the hybrids with her. Her sister smiled sheepishly, “Yeah, I didn’t want to make dinner so…here we are.”

Rose rolled her eyes in response to her sister’s excuse as Taehyun leaned up on the table, “Are you joining us?” His eyes were large and filled with hope.

Rose tilted her head with a small pout, “Sorry, Tae. I can’t, I’m working.” She pointed back towards the kitchen with the cap of her pen and Taehyun slumped back into the booth with disappointment.

“Can we just get water?” Lily asked, noticing Jungkook recede back into his foul mood from earlier with the presence of Rose. Her sister placed her notepad away without jotting anything down before turning to retrieve the four glasses. As she walked away, Lily brushed her hand through Jungkook’s hair, feeling how tense he was.

Soobin pushed his leg back into hers as he glared at the affection she gave Jungkook, who moved away from her touch. His breathing became heavy as his nose scrunched from the low snarl escaping his lips. Jungkook was rigid from the sound coming from his brother and snapped back with a noise acutely similar to a bark. Taehyun yelped as his brothers stared each other down, leaning across the table towards each other with their teeth bared from the curl in their lips.

Lily panicked, realizing that they were making a scene in the middle of a full restaurant. She tapped the table, trying to break them from the trance of animosity. “Both of you stop it!” She whispered harshly, her eyes flickering around the other booths to see people were watching them.

Soobin broke eye contact with Jungkook at the sound of her voice in mild distress. He sensed her nerves rattling within her, wanting nothing more than to comfort her, but sitting back to calm himself down. Rose arrived as the two older males settled back down, feeling a shift in the air as she placed the waters on the table. She reached across to put a glass in front of Jungkook when she noticed the plastic wrapped around his newly decorated forearm.

Her mouth dropped in disbelief as her wide eyes found Lily, “You took him to get tattoos?” Again, the plural status of her statement outweighs the severity of her sister’s actions. It wasn’t so bad that he got a tattoo, but nearly an arm full of tattoos was pushing her sanity off the ledge of rationality.

Lily bit her lip, hands still shaking from the previous interaction between Jungkook and Soobin. She laughed nervously, feeling overwhelmed by the consequences of her actions. “Yeah, he was having a bad day.” She tried to justify.

Rose just shook her head, not believing that her sister thought any of this was acceptable in the slightest. “We’ll talk about this later. What do you guys want?” She focused on the lines of her notepad, trying to bury the aggravation that wanted to bubble over.

“Just bring burgers and fries for all of us. As soon as possible.” Lily added as an afterthought, hoping that fast service would keep the boys distracted with their meal until they left to go home.

“Should I bring JK’s cooked or would he rather just have a raw patty?” She shot him a knowing stare, her eyes narrowed when he looked up at her.

Lily was thrown off by the question, “Uh, cooked…” She glanced over to her side to see if Jungkook argued otherwise before turning back towards Rose. “Yeah, cooked is fine.” Lily waited until Rose left the table before addressing the men, “If we get through dinner without any trouble, I’ll give you guys a treat.”

The hybrids brightened up at the mention of a treat, wondering what it could possibly be. “What kind of treat?” Taehyun asked, his expression eager as he leaned up on the booth again.

Lily merely waved him down to sit and vaguely answered his question to keep them guessing. The table became quiet as Taehyun settled down, only perking up whenever he caught sight of Rose moving around from table to table. Jungkook simply leaned against the corner of the booth, keeping to himself as he ignored the familiar scent of vanilla florals gently sweeping in to remind him that the infuriating brunette was there.

Soobin stared at Lily as she pulled out her phone and seemed to intently be in search of something on the small device. He nudged his leg against hers, capturing her attention away from her phone. She sent him a reassuring smile, but he could sense her uneasiness as he tried to figure out what could be bothering her. She nudged her leg back and Soobin felt warm with need from the reciprocated contact. His rut was proving to be a challenge the more time he was around her, but he would do his best not to pressure her despite his instinct.

Lily was relieved to see the hybrids nestling into the comforts of the restaurant, joyous that whatever mood swing she just encountered would not rear its head. She broke eye contact with Soobin as she glanced back down at her phone, looking through her search engine for answers on his recent behavior. Most of the results showed a preview stating that huskies were friendly, so why did he seem so aggressive lately? He seems like he’s been socialized enough not to be territorial, he couldn’t be fighting for dominance since Jungkook clearly fit that role; so what could it be?

She wasn’t allowed much time to ponder it when Rose came back with a large serving plate to dispense the food onto the table. She put her phone away deciding she would try and get some more information from Katharine when she goes to work the next day. “Thanks, sis.” She smiled up at Rose as she grabbed a fry to put in her mouth.

“You’re-” Jungkook began devouring the burger, shoving the filled patties into his mouth as much as he was capable of before aggressively chewing. Rose blanched in disgust as ketchup smeared over his face and loose pieces of the burger fell from the corner of his mouth. “...welcome.” Soobin and Taehyun followed Jungkook’s example, shoving the large burgers in their mouth for large bites. Rose fixed Lily with wide eyes and a forced smile. “You have fun with that.”

Lily watched as she briskly walked away and caught sight of an elderly couple looking over towards their booth. She smiled sheepishly at the pair before snapping her attention back to the boys at her table. The aggressive scarfing created loud noises that reminded her of a slew of pigs eating their daily slop. “You don’t need to inhale your food. It’s not going anywhere.” She reminded them, relieved when they began to slow down their pace.

With a sigh, Lily dove into her fries meticulously eating them one-by-one before tackling the burger. They all ate silently and before long Jungkook was finished, staring at Lily with intent. “I finished. Where’s my treat?”

She paused mid-chew on her burger, glancing over to see his plate was completely cleaned off with the other two not far behind. “Um…” She searched for her sister to try and get her attention. She was currently helping another customer but noticed Lily waving her over from the corner of her eye. She continued to write down the customer’s order before sighing as she approached the chaos table.

She leaned on one foot, cocking her hip to the side. “Yes?” Her hands pressed against her waist, hoping that her sister was ready for the check.

“Can we get three hot chocolates for the guys? I’m sure they would love that.” Lily knew the men had an appetite for sweets and wanted to fulfill their promise since they were mostly behaved during dinner other than the transparent etiquette flaws.

Rose narrowed her eyes. “That one…” She pointed at Jungkook, “..doesn’t need anything, but I’ll bring some for the other two.” She countered. The doberman already got an arm full of tattoos, why did Lily always feel the need to spoil him? She could see her sister trying to defend Jungkook but stopped her before she could speak. “He’s a good boy.” She pointed at Soobin. “He’s a good boy.” She pointed at Taehyun and went back full circle to Jungkook. “He’s a bitch.”

Lily reached up and covered Jungkook’s ears as he growled at the demeaning name that left Rose’s lips. “That was uncalled for. He’s just misunderstood.” Lily defended as she glared back at her sister, mildly surprised that she cursed at work.

Rose crossed her arms over her chest with an eye roll. “Whatever.” She stomped off back to the kitchens to fulfill the order, annoyance etched throughout her body. She hated that her sister let him do anything he wanted and made excuses for him. She knew Lily felt like she needed to provide them with a good home, but she shouldn’t be encouraging his behavior as a menace to society.

Lily pulled her hands away, looking towards the human doberman. “Sorry about that.” Jungkook could only huff as he hunched over the table, the muscles on his back firm from the tension building within them. He didn’t know how to feel about Rose anymore. He spent the most time with her out of the others, but she’s cold towards him. Yet, his brothers attached themselves more to Lily and she goes out of her way for him. Things seemed backwards and he understood he had some issues with trust and obedience, but that still didn’t excuse Rose’s attitude towards him.

As Jungkook was lost in thought, Rose returned with her serving tray and placed the three mugs of hot chocolate with whipped cream in front of each hybrid. “Enjoy!” Her smile didn’t reach her eyes as she looked at Soobin and Taehyun.

A pit of guilt punched Lily in the stomach as she noticed Jungkook simply staring at the mug of sweet liquid. She pushed the cup closer to him, “Go ahead. You’ll like it. Just be careful, it’s hot.”

He blankly stared at the whipped cream, lost in thought as he tried to process how he would manage to live in this house with Rose. Distant memories of his first owners were haunting him as he remembered being abandoned and given to the shelter. He felt stuck because he enjoyed the safety and comforts of their new home, but he was scared that if Rose couldn’t accept him then he would lose all of that. It was a constant battle between them and Jungkook wasn’t sure if he was willing to let his guard down in the event she did return them back to their legal owners.

Lily softly smiled at Taehyun as he stared at the drink, sniffing around the swirl of whipped cream. He slowly brought the mug up to his lips and took a sip. His mouth was met with the warm flow of chocolate with the contrasting feeling of cool solidified cream melting over his tongue. He raised the cup higher, gathering a larger gulp before placing the cup back down on the tabletop. Lily laughed when she noticed his nose was covered in white cream and chocolate ran along the curve of his top lip.

He dragged his tongue over his lip to collect the remnants, trying to curl it over the tip of his nose to wipe off the whipped cream there. Soobin took a sip as well, laughing as he also got cream on his nose. Lily leaned on her palm and admired the two hybrids sitting across from her, capturing the wholesome moment as a memory she wished to keep for those days that might seem hard. Their happiness was a reminder that bringing them into her home changed her life for the better.

She peered at Jungkook from the corner of her eye, gesturing with the tilt of her head towards the mug for him to join in on the fun. She nearly cried with joy when he finally took his sip and a small chuckle escaped his lips. Her heart swelled with love for the new additions to her unconventional family and no one could take that away from her. “I love hot chocolate!” Taehyun projected enthusiastically, taking more sips from the mug in his hands.

Rose heard him from a few tables away, notepad in her hand as she prepared to take the order of another customer. The man she was currently serving sat by himself with a simple cup of coffee. She allowed him a few moments to look at the menu and noticed him place it down before she made her next move. “What can I get you?”

Rose was so focused on her notepad that she didn’t notice the way his eyes ran over her figure, his lids heavy with ill intent. “Are you on the menu?” He asked, lecherously. Rose faltered as his question registered in her head. She was familiar with flirtatious comments and recognized this particular line from a handful of customers before him, but his demeanor made her uncomfortable. He wasn’t being funny or light-hearted like most people were, he was a sleazy creep.

She steeled herself, ignoring his comment. “No, so what can I get you instead?” She pursed her lips together as her anxiety spiked the pounding of her heart. The faster she could get his order and him out of her hair, the better.

Jungkook sensed a wave of distress in the restaurant as he gulped down the rest of his hot chocolate. Soobin and Taehyun were still savoring their drinks as Lily continued to nibble on her burger since she was a slow eater. Jungkook looked over his shoulder, catching a glimpse of Rose talking to a man, the distress pounding through her chest and beating through Jungkook’s ear drums. His eyes narrowed as he tried to focus on their conversation, but the sound was washed out by the loud ambiance of the diner.

“JK?” Lily asked, noticing that he was practically turned around in his seat. She peered behind her to see him glaring at Rose and she only hoped he didn’t try to pick a fight with her just before they were supposed to leave.

She tugged the sleeve of his shirt, but he ignored her as his pupils shrunk in on the man. Rose seemed to pace back and forth between leaning on her left or right leg as she tried to get away from the customer without being rude. He kept flirting with her and making her uncomfortable, refusing to tell her what he wanted besides coffee. She noticed the mug was empty, “Let me get you a refill and let you think about your order for a moment.”

She went to turn away as fast as possible, but she was stopped abruptly when the man reached out and grabbed her apron. “I wasn’t done talking to you.” His gruff voice was commanding and degrading all on its own.

Jungkook bared his teeth with a growl as he watched the man grab Rose against her will and pull her back towards him. Her fear spiked and Jungkook jumped into action, lifting up from his seat and stepping over the table. The dishes clattered as he moved across them, startling Lily as she yelled after him. The scolding tone in her voice didn’t stop him as he took large strides through the diner, his destination being the only thing he could see.

Rose could barely blink in response to the man grabbing her before his grip was ripped from her and all she could see was Jungkook’s back hiding her view of the man. When he approached the pair, Jungkook grabbed the man’s outstretched wrist firmly and yanked it away from her as he stood between them. He stood menacingly over the man with his doberman features shining through, asserting his dominance against the human. “Keep your hands to yourself.” He growled.

“JK, it’s okay.” Rose tried to de-escalate the situation and placed her hand on Jungkook’s shoulder, unsure how to approach him in this state. She never witnessed him be so aggressive, where did this come from and why was he protecting her?

The man’s face hardened up at the younger male, moving to stand up defensively, but cringed as Jungkook tightened his grip and twisted his wrist downward, creating pain in the man’s arm. “Don’t fucking touch her again, understand?” He hissed as Lily and Soobin finally made an appearance, pulling him away from the offender.

“JK, stop! Let’s go!” Lily placed her hold on his wrist, pulling his hand away from the man as Soobin pulled him away by pushing against his shoulder. Rose gaped as he responded to the pair, following their guidance towards the door. “Tae, time to go!” Lily hollered at the booth, blocking Jungkook’s fierce glare from piercing through Rose’s customer.

Rose noticed a messy pile of crumpled bills left on their table as her mind tried to process what just happened. The man cradled his wrist as he rose from his seat and hastily left the diner, avoiding the direction of the others as he walked to his car. “Rose, clean up your tables!” Another waitress demanded when she only seemed to stand in place.

She snapped back to reality, realizing that coffee spilled across the table after Jungkook collided into them before she noticed the mess left behind from her sister’s booth. People were watching her like she was free entertainment and she felt heat rise to her cheeks from embarrassment. Her family made her look crazy and left her to clean up their mess. She was so mad, but yet as she wiped away the spilled coffee, her mind refused to think about anything other than the way Jungkook stood up for her.

Despite their differences and constant fighting, he still protected her from the creep. His approach was very impulsive, but that bothered her the most. He did it so effortlessly, without any incentive; be damned the consequences to himself or her. She was beyond confused, but couldn’t fight the feeling that maybe Jungkook cared about her more than she originally believed. After cleaning the coffee, she moved to the other booth and groaned when she noticed some of the dishes were broken. Tonight was a complete disaster, but she couldn’t wait to get home.

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#bts hybrid au #bts hybrid smut #jeon jungkook #choi soobin #kang taehyun #bts fanfic #txt fanfic

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littlegodzilla · 1 year

Text

Hello!! It's me again!!

This time I come with Russell Welch from Triple 9. If you saw the movie you know that he doesn't end pretty well... that's why I love fanfictions, like a good friend said "we can change horrible endings and movies and make it better" So this is what I did here. Or at least I tried.

Hope you like!!

Enjoy!!

≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈

Protect you.

Chapter 1: Hit.

Russell Welch x Reader.

Warnings: Abuses. Fighting. Angst. Non-Con.

Words: 5000.

Summary: Russell moves after leaving the police force, a nice single-family home awaits him just outside L.A. plus a new job with a security firm.

Taglist: @phoenixblack89 @browneyes528 @lilythemadqueen @darylsgarden @thefemininemystiquee @green-eyedladywrites @hail-yourselves @ruinedbythehobbit @xxtinasxxblog @ravenwings73 @spenciepoo338 @b-tchymoon @minervadashwood @darylssluttt @let-love-bleeds-red @ravendixon @livingdeadblondequeen @bringinsexybackk69

≈≈≈≈≈≈≈

Chapter 1: Hit.

🛡

Russell's van pulls up in front of the driveway of his new house, brakes screeching for a second, his eyes squinting from the sun beating down hard that day, his fingers drumming on the steering wheel as he gets a few taps on the window.

"You going out or not, man?" He says, Gabe, with an amused grin.

Russell rolls his eyes, stops the engine and climbs out of the van, giving his brother a gentle thump on the chest.

"Some house you got yourself." He comments nodding his head in approval.

"They didn't give me much choice." He shrugs looking in the back of the van for a travel bag with most of his belongings.

"Sure, it's going to suck living here." He jokes rolling his eyes.

Russell snorts through his nose ruffling his hair in disgust and between the two of them start pulling out all the boxes they've brought from the eldest Welch's old apartment. Russell has been suspended from the police force after a mission that got complicated with the mob, after he was about to lose his life, they decided to put him aside, retire him early so he could get his life back to normal. Russell has never thought his life was normal, but he accepted the decision of his superiors. Still his duty is not over, he has now landed a job with a security company thanks to recommendations from the police force.

His brother helped him pick up everything from his downtown apartment when he finally found a place to start over. Gabe doesn't think it's fair that his brother has been removed from the force, but Russell doesn't want to go into details either - after months in rehab, there are still things he has trouble dealing with when he's left alone, but he won't say it out loud.

"Well, if I have new neighbors." They then hear a voice next to them. The two brothers turn at the same time.

From the house next door, a man appears, similar in age to Russell, with shaved hair, intense honey-colored eyes, a square jaw and a dimple in his chin. He smiles broadly though Russell senses he doesn't mean it. He's wearing a plaid shirt and baggy jeans. Gabe smiles raising his hand in greeting, his older brother remains quiet.

"He's actually just my brother." The younger one speaks and extends his hand toward the other man. "I'm Gabriel Welch and this is my brother, Russell."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Matt." He shakes Gabe's hand and extends it towards, him, Russell hesitates, but finally squeezes it shaking his head. "A bear, huh." He says as he sees the tattoo on his new neighbor's hand. "I like them too, strong, alpha males, dominant, always up for a good fight, right?"

"They're loners too." He replies curtly, Matt purses his lips as he is rudely interrupted.

"Ma'am." Gabe tries to lighten the mood, his brother and Matt look up following the blond's greeting.

"Ignore her, she's just my wife." Snaps Matt, downplaying it.

Russell narrows his eyes as he frowns. She's just my wife, he's said, as if she's an object, something insignificant. He can't get a good look at you, leaning against the porch beam of the house, arms crossed, you're wearing your hair down, t-shirt and long pants, even though the weather is quite warm. He chews his lip several times and lower his gaze.

"Gabe." He calls out to his brother who is engaged in an intense conversation with Matt. "Let's go inside, I still have to tidy everything up." He urges him.

"I can give you guys a hand, I'll grab some beers from my place and..."

"Thanks, but that's not necessary." He's cut off again by Russell and carrying the last box into the house.

"Not a bad guy." Gabe tells him. "It's just that he's going through a tough time."

"Sure, no problem, anything, I'm next door." He nods but his jaw is still clenched, Gabe smiles in acceptance and walks into the house behind his brother.

Matt stands there for a few more minutes, then turns around and heads straight for home. You instinctively move out of his way, he doesn't even look at you, slamming the door with all his might.

"What was that for?" Gabe asks, watching his brother set things up in his new living room.

"What was that for, what?" he replies with another question, not looking at him.

"That shit, man, about "they're loners too." He mimics his brother's voice lousily. "Matt be a good guy, besides if you make friends you'll soon find yourself more at home here."

"You think I'm four years old?" he looks at him incredulously. "Besides, Matt." He uses his name with boredom. "He's not a nice guy."

"Why?"

"I don't know, but I don't like him. He's got a big mouth." He shrugs.

"Well you already have something in common."

"Gabe."

"Well okay, fine, do whatever the hell you want, I'm going to order something to eat, I'm dying."

🛡

He is finally alone, not that he hates his brother, but sometimes he prefers the company of solitude to his own. He has been a great help for the move, he didn't have too much stuff considering that most of the heavy furniture was already in the house, but still being able to bring it all in one trip and have it practically ready, saves him a lot of time.

He sets up a washing machine with some of the laundry he had scattered all over the apartment and as he washes, he goes out to the backyard and sits on the porch, lighting up a cigarette. Her backyard connects to yours and your husband, Matt's, only separated by a nice brown wooden fence. Russell notices that the lawn is well groomed and manicured, next to two large trees there are some swings and not far from these a sandbox with several toys scattered on top. That detail catches his attention, because he hasn't seen any children, when you went out on the porch you were alone, normally children are curious, but nothing, he doesn't hear voices inside the house either.

He shakes his head and takes another long drag on his cigarette. It's not his problem. His phone then rings distracting his mind from anything that might occupy it. He tosses the cigarette to the ground and goes back inside the house in search of it. It's an unknown number, but he's already been warned that he'd be getting a call from his new job that week, so he picks up.

"Russell." He says by way of greeting.

"Good morning!" He listens on the other end and sits down on the kitchen stool. "My name is Monica, I hope I didn't disturb you."

"Not at all, Monica..."

"Well, I'm calling from Stay Out, the security company you'll be starting work for in a few days."

"Stay Out?" He can't help the irony in his voice and she sighs.

"Don't judge me, I didn't name it." She defends herself and Russell can't help but laugh.

"Okay, sorry."

"I just wanted to know if you've settled into your new house yet, if everything went well."

"I finished moving all my stuff in today." He nods even though he knows she can't see him.

"Perfect, in that case I need you to give me your address details; we want to get your equipment to you as soon as possible."

"The equipment?"

"Yes, you'll be working with it in the office as well, but it's good to get familiar with it, plus there will be days when you can work from home."

He falls silent, an office job, that certainly wasn't what he had in mind when he was told he was going to be placed in a security company, he thought he would be trading guards with some mall guard, some zoo, even a doorman in some wealthy family's house, but not this. He rubs his forehead hard mentally cursing himself, regretting it even before he had started.

"Russell? Are you still there?" he hears the concerned voice of his new companion and sighs.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry, you were saying?"

"I need your address to send you the material."

"Sure, do you have paper?" He asks and searches through his own papers for the address of his new home.

⚔💔⚔

Matt had woken up in a good mood that morning, after a couple of days off work, Matt is relaxed, he sleeps well, you make sure he has his food on time and can drink without getting up too much from his couch. You move around the house without making too much noise, on the days he is home you leave the housework, you know any loud noise can disturb him.

Matt and you have been a couple since high school, he had always been an attentive boy, but with a difficult character, even so you never gave him importance, he had a lot to prove to a family that didn't believe in him too much, so you understood that sometimes he had those mood swings.

You went to the same university, you were always together, it was nice, you liked to feel protected by him, safe. He was your best friend as you never really made great friends there. After finishing your studies, Matt asked you to marry him and you didn't hesitate to accept, you knew you would be happy with him, that your life would be wonderful together.

How wrong you were.

Matt wasn't a bad person, you were convinced of that every morning when you woke up, you just had to understand him, sometimes he was angry and it was better to leave him alone for a few hours, other times he was affectionate, passionate, a great lover. You were in love with him and....

You are. You are in love with him.

You shake your head wiping away several tears that have escaped your eyes without your permission. You pick up the remains of that morning's breakfast and clean the dishes. Outside you hear some ruckus, right next door, Matt stirs in his seat and reaches for the beer at the foot of his seat taking a swig. You swallow and look out the window, there's a van parked at the curb, two men unloading boxes of all sorts while talking animatedly. You have new neighbors. Now that's a novelty.

"What's going on?" You hear your husband's voice behind you and gasp in surprise.

"Th-There are new neighbors." You answer quickly. "They bought the house next door."

"Really?" He looks surprised and lifts the living room blind to see the newcomers. "What neighbors we are, we should go say hello." He takes a long swig of his beer and hands it to you. "Don't leave the house." He tells you in an authoritative voice and leaves you alone in the living room.

You don't want to leave, you know you shouldn't, you're fine there, you can see Matt approach the two men. Immediately, one of them greets you with a good face, but the other remains silent, keeping his distance. You can't hear the conversation, but you can read your husband's body and you know that whatever it is they're talking about, he's getting angry. Your heart flutters, it's not the first time he's had a bar fight, but you don't want to attract the attention of all the neighbors or have the new people hate you without really knowing you. You leave the beer on the table and walk out, ready to call him with any excuse and smooth things over, but the newcomers spot you before you can say anything.

"Ma'am." You're greeted by one of them, the one who's been nicer to Matt, the other just looks at you, his face a strained grimace and you know it's Matt's fault.

"Ignore her, she's just my wife."

Well feeling their gazes on you for a few seconds, you know they are examining you and it makes you nervous, crossing your arms you walk back inside the house, forgetting why you had left in the first place. It doesn't take you long to remember when Matt enters the house in a rage and hits you on the cheek. A whimper escapes you and you touch the injured area, but you don't move.

"I said stay inside." He mumbles.

"I-I'm sorry, I just needed to..."

"I don't care about your excuses!" He cuts you off, making you jump. "You made me look like an asshole in front of my new friends."

"Matt, I don't think that..." But you shut up as you feel him tug hard on your hair. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." You rush to say, feel his nose brush against your cheek and shiver.

"Of course you're going to be sorry, bitch, you know I hate having to repeat things to you." He roars and throws you down on the couch and starts unbuttoning his pants. "Turn around." He orders you.

He doesn't care if you refuse, he doesn't care if your eyes fill with tears or he hurts you when he loses himself inside you. He doesn't care if you ask him to stop, your voice irritates him and all you achieve is to make him rougher. You've learned to be quiet and obey, to settle your body and relax your mind until it all passes. You know it never takes too long, but it's always torture.

⚔💔⚔

When you regain consciousness, Matt has already left, you shrink into yourself, hug your legs and feel a small stinging in your core. Slowly you sit up on the couch feeling your whole body protesting, your muscles aching. The hot water of the shower relaxes your tension, washes away the fluids coursing through your body and your mind clears completely. You rub a towel over your body, the mist in the mirror dissipates and you see in your reflection your reddened and slightly swollen cheek. You sigh, rubbing your hair and try to calm down a bit.

You go back down to the living room to clean up the mess, pick up the empty beer cans, your clothes and the ones Matt left there, put on a new washing machine and go out to the backyard to pick up the clothes you had laid out that morning. Your gaze then detects your neighbor's movement in his own yard, you glance sideways, he's sitting in the porch chair, smoking absentmindedly while rattling away on his cell phone. You swallow when he raises his head, his blue eyes focus on you, you smile in greeting and he shakes his head, responding.

You don't need to be very smart to realize he's not a very talkative man, he seems really busy on his phone. You pick up all your clothes and go into the house again ready to get on with your chores, however you stop when you open the fridge and discover there a meatloaf you made the night before, it's untouched, Matt didn't want dinner and you weren't hungry either. You smile and take it out of the fridge returning to the backyard, your new neighbor has pulled out his own clothes and is checking to see if the ropes that run along the porch are okay.

"Maybe you should change them." You tell him and smile as you see him fidget, not expecting you to speak to him. "This house has been empty for a while now and although the sun is nice, it's possibly rotted them out..." You comment with a shrug.

"Yes, I thought so..."

Suddenly you feel your cheeks redden, the man's voice is deep and raspy, with a small annoyed huff at the end of the sentence, as if it bothers him to talk. You look down, maybe that's it, maybe he's not interested in making friends or having a good relationship with his neighbors. You swallow and move a little closer to the fence, lifting the container of food in your hands.

"I-it's a meatloaf." You tell him. "I-I guess you don't have anything in the fridge, i-if you both just got here..."

"My brother doesn't live with me." He comments, again with that growl in his voice that gives you goose bumps. Russell has to stop right there, he's being disrespectful, he knows it, you're not to blame for his new direction in life. "But you're right, I have nothing to cook." He walks over to you and picks up the bowl. "Thank you..." He looks at you tilting his head slightly.

"Oh sure." You smile again and introduce yourself. "It's a pleasure..."

"Russell, Russell Welch."

"Nice to meet you, Russell." You say sincerely, he nods again, but doesn't add anything, his eyes are fixed on the food now in his hands, there's enough for a couple of servings so he can avoid going shopping until tomorrow. "I think Matt has some rope in the garage." You tell him then. "If you give me a minute you could change yours and hang up the clothes."

"Thanks." He repeats, but doesn't move, leaving you to walk over to the small structure on the side of the house and you go inside to get the rope.

Russell shifts his body weight from one foot to the other, uncomfortable. It's not like he's a loner, he has quite a few friends and has always been a sociable guy, always on his toes, work related, but sociable nonetheless. However, there's something holding him back towards you and your husband, the way Matt has approached them this morning tells him he's not an easy guy, despite his good intentions, Russell knows there's something more to it, an attempt to prove something, which Welch finds pathetic, he's old enough to be messing around with kids.

"Here you go." You tell him again, snapping him out of his thoughts, you hold out an unused coil of rope and he takes it, nodding again.

"I'll take off the damaged one and give it back to you." He promises you, but you shake your head.

"There's no rush, Matt replaced the rope in our house a couple of months ago, so at the moment we don't need any more, you can take your time." You assure him.

"Great. Thanks again, for the meatloaf."

This time you shake your head and walk away from the fence to go back inside the house. There's a small smile on your mouth, it's nice to be able to talk to someone even if it's about a stupid rope. You go back to your chores feeling more cheerful.

🛡

Russell sets the bowl of food down on the kitchen counter, the rope still in his hand. He has seen that two of the four strings on the porch are quite deteriorated, closer to the sun, more exposed, which has caused them to rot sooner. He leaves the house and measures the size to make two new strips exactly the same and removes the old ones, the ones that are still good he reinforces them with two more strips and tightens them so that they are taut again, he does not want to put something heavier and longer and end up rubbing the ground. Just as he finishes he is winding up the leftover rope when he hears a knock at the door.

"Maybe it's my equipment." He speaks to himself going back inside the house.

"Hi, Russell!" He is greeted as soon as he opens the door, a woman with long brown hair, and big eyes greets him with a smile.

"Monica, I presume."

"Exactly, nice to finally meet you."

"Sure, uhm come in, sorry about the mess, I'm still picking everything up."

"No worries, remember you're still on your moving days." She smiles downplaying it and walks into the house. "Where will you be working?" She asks him curiously.

"In the living room for now, I have to get everything organized first."

"Of course, luckily it's not heavy equipment, so you'll be able to move it wherever you want without any problems." She encourages him by sitting down on the couch, takes off her backpack and from it pulls out a laptop.

It's small and light, but Russell assumes it has enough capacity to do the job. He sits down on the couch next to Monica and watches as she pulls out various cables and devices, laying them all out on the table. Some are long-range devices, ports to extend the network, a couple of books, and a webcam.

"Well, all of this is your basic equipment, simply to motor customers who live nearby or to contact those who sign up with our company."

"I'm going to be a tech service guy?"

"Pretty much..." She looks at him apologetically. "We don't have a security team, no bodyguards looking after famous people, sorry..."

"No, I guess... it's okay, I just thought I'd be more..."

"On the battlefield?" She jokes and denies again. "Our main function is to take care of our clients remotely, activate the cameras when there's an alarm signal, make sure of the problem, call the police if necessary or even activate a distraction protocol."

"Distraction protocol?"

"Some of our equipment comes equipped with some substances that when activated create a smoke in the room, confuses the person who has entered the house and gives more time for the police to show up." She informs him and seems really proud of it.

"Wow, that's interesting." He's surprised, he's not going to deny it, maybe the countryside seen from a chair isn't as boring as he thinks it is. "What if it's a false alarm? If it's triggered by mistake..."

"Before activating the cameras we give an error time, thirty seconds approximately, then we activate the cameras, if after that time and we activate, we see that it was a mistake, we simply disconnect again and warn the client with a call. It's very simple."

"Okay, I'll tell you when I start using it." He jokes and she laughs in amusement.

"Let me set all this up for you."

Russell lets her get to work as he gets up to go to the kitchen, the meatloaf catches his eye again, he finishes with the laundry and searches through the boxes for a couple of plates and some forks, when he returns, Monica has almost finished setting everything up.

"Are you hungry?" He asks her, setting the plate down on the head table.

"Wow, did you make that?" she asks curiously and gets up from the couch to walk over to him.

"It's a welcome gift." He admits and she smiles.

"Then I wouldn't want to disrespect anyone."

"I asked you, I don't think I'd eat it all, so... plus you had to come all this way, what less than inviting you."

"...That's fine." She smiles. "Accept."

Russell breaks the cake into two pieces and places each on a plate, then the two sit back down on the couch.

As they eat, Monica explains to him how each thing she has installed for him works, the main program and all its functions. Russell listens quietly, trying to absorb as much information as possible. Finally, maybe, his new job won't be as bad as he thought.

The door opens before Gabe can even knock, a brown haired woman greets him and quickly walks away down the street, Russell appears behind her, shortly after.

"Really, dude? You just moved in."

"Shut up, she's a co-worker." He commands him to shut up. "What are you doing here?"

"The guys called me, they're going to the usual bar tonight for a few beers, you in?"

His brother looks at him hesitantly, he still has things to do, boxes to empty, find his sheets to prepare the room, but he won't deny that he feels like seeing the guys, after a while away from the body he wants to know how everything is going without him around.

"Sure, give me a moment." He says going back inside to grab the rope he hasn't used and the plate where you had given him the meatloaf, already washed.

"What's that?" asks Gabe following him into the neighbors house.

"Some stuff Matt's wife left me." He answers without giving it any thought.

"Good thing you didn't trust him." He scolds him.

"I said his wife, not him." He rolls his eyes and knocks on the door.

It takes a few seconds to open, Matt is the one on the other side, he looks calm, but his breathing is heavy. The two brothers take a step back, tensing their shoulders, instinctively. Matt smiles, though it's not a kind gesture.

"Guys, how nice to see you, do you need anything?"

"No, I was just coming to return this to you." Russell says holding out the plate and string to him. "Thanks, I could use it to repair the ropes on the porch."

"Why? it's nothing, neighbor, like I said, whatever you need." He smiles again, something deadly flashes in his eyes.

"Is everything all right, Matt?" Gabe dares to ask.

"Yes, of course, forgive me guys, but my wife isn't feeling well, I have to tend to her." He apologizes tersely and closes the door almost with a bang.

"I guess we didn't catch them at the best time." His little brother comments, but Russell doesn't answer.

The two of them slowly walk away down the street, looking for their brother's car to go to the bar. Russell can't stop turning his head, you are sick Matt has said, but he has talked to you before and you were fine, you didn't seem feverish or in pain, what had happened in an hour since he came into the house with Monica? Maybe you were a person of fragile health, he knew people like that, who woke up fine in the mornings and as the hours went by their spirits were declining.

"So, that girl at your house..." His brother's words wake him up, losing his train of thought.

"Monica."

"Wow, but if she has a name, Monica, I like it, is hot... and so is she." He jokes, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"You know, I think it's about time you got a girlfriend, bro. It seems to me that your hand has become obsolete."

Joking and laughing the two brothers continue on their way to where Gabe has left the car and off they go to see the rest of their old crew.

⚔💔⚔

"Who knocked on the door?" you ask curiously as Matt enters the kitchen.

"I don't know, maybe you were expecting him." He answers and sets the plate down so hard on the table that it breaks in half, you jump in place.

"Oh God, Matt! You could have cut yourself!" You say in fright, running to him, holding his hand.

"Why did the neighbor have this in his house!" he jerks away from you and grabs your arms.

"Russell?" You ask in confusion.

"Russell... Do you know his name?"

"I-I... I was hanging out the laundry and his ropes were messed up..." Your grip gets tighter. "I just lent him the one you were using from the garage! We didn't need it, so I thought..."

"Don't think! You don't need to think anything!" He lets go of you abruptly and you stumble over your own feet, still shaking.

"Don't ever go near him again, or speak to him."

"But Matt..." You shush as his hand hits your cheek, again.

"What did I say to you before about repeat myself?"

"I-I'm sorry..." You whisper, lowering your head.

"Good, and now pick up this mess... you've got the house like a pigsty. Bitch." He growls and leaves you alone again in the kitchen.

When you feel the panic attack finally go away, you take a deep breath in through your nose as you pick up the pieces of the plate Matt has broken, throw it into a bag and take it straight out to the garbage can for the truck to take away that night. You pick up the rope heading back to the garage, you see that Russell has already been able to put his clothes away and you smile a little before going back inside and cleaning up, the house is clean, but you don't want to argue with Matt again.

The next day the alarm clock rings announcing your time to go to work. Matt is gone, he left for work early in the morning, he had an important meeting, he might spend the rest of the day away from home. You get out of bed, take a shower and look in the mirror, your reflection doesn't show anything out of the ordinary, your face is a little puffy, but it's something that can go unnoticed, you smile at your reflection, put on some makeup, adjust your hair and finish getting dressed. While you prepare your food for the day and pour your coffee in the thermos, you see that your neighbor has already dawned too, he has picked up the clothes outside and you see that there is light in the living room, from time to time you see his big shadow go from one side to the other.

The pot catches your attention, you finish preparing your pasta dish and put some in your lunch box and the rest you take with you, you grab all your things and leave the house going next door. Nervously you knock on the door and wait.

The door opens a little abruptly and behind it Russell appears on the other side. There is confusion on his face. You understand, it's too early.

"What are you doing here?" you'll never admit it but a shiver runs through you when your name comes out of his mouth.

"G-good morning, I brought you something to eat..." You swallow and raise your pot. "I-it's pasta, spaghetti." You look at him and smile nervously. "I guess you haven't gone shopping yet and well... I've overdone it..."

"I don't need your charity..." He growls and your smile falters.

"I-it's not that, it's just... I forgot that Matt isn't home and..."

"Nor your leftovers..." He repeats and you drop your arms.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I just..." You stammer and feel stupid, you don't know each other at all, why should he agree to let you bring him food, why are you bringing him food in the first place? You'd better get on your way to your job and take care of your husband only. "Sorry, have a nice day." You say goodbye to him quickly.

You return home to leave the pot on the stove and take your car on your way to work.

🛡⚔💔

To be continued...

I'm so nervous!!

Hope you liked it!!

See you in the next stories!

❤❤❤

#my stuff #norman reedus #normanreedus #fanfiction #russell #russell welch #triple 9 #triple 9 movie #russell x reader #russell welch x reader #russell welch x femreader #russell fanfic #mini series #drama #angst #toxic relationship #fluff #smut

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myheadsgonenumb · 10 months

Text

50 Random Character Asks: Sirius Edition

This is meant to be one of those things where people send random questions into your DMs and you answer them. But dammit, I want to answer them all - for wolfstar. So...

Sirius Black:

1. Canon I outright reject

That he died - don't waste my time on lies

2. A canon or headcanon hill I will die on

He was not a total Casanova. Girls fancied him because he was so handsome but he did not return the feelings. He was mostly Remus-sexual (an obscure orientation but nevertheless a valid one).

3. Obscure headcanon

He supported the Wimbourne Wasps Quidditch team until Slytherin snot Ludo Bagman started to play for them. Once Bagman started playing for England, Sirius started cheering for Bermuda. Why Bermuda? Why not?

4. Favorite line

"The world is not split into good people and death eaters... I know she's a nasty piece of work, though - you should hear Remus talk about her" (I love the thought of the wolfstar bitching fests going on off page in ootp)

5. Best personality trait

His intense loyalty and desire to help those he loves.

6. Worst personality trait

having empathy which is only limited to those he cares about, a shaky sense of right and wrong and a terrible temper means he lashes out and hurts people (often physically and seriously) and no matter how sorry he is afterwards, he never learns.

7. Age/height/weight headcanon

current age: 63, height: 6' 2", weight: about 12 stone (168lbs/ 76kg)

8. Unpopular opinion about them

Current fanon means my unpopular opinion is that he's tall. But that's actually a fact not an opinion. He doesn't have any tattoos. Also - hanging out in a cave in Hogsmeade and eating rats was a kinda stupid idea that ultimately achieved nothing. Sirius just loves the drama of a noble sacrifice- even a pointless one.

9. Scene that first made me love (or hate) the character

The whole shrieking shack bit - the best few chapters of the whole books series.

10. Best moment on screen (or in the book)

The shrieking shack scenes

11. Faceclaim for the role

I don't like face claims

12. Crack headcanon

once (when he was in bad temper - natch) he turned the whole black lake into custard. It took three days for Hagrid to pump creme anglaise out of the lungs of the mer people.

13. Dumbest thing they’ve ever done

Other than the custard thing? Telling Snape how to get into the Whomping Willow

14. Most heroic moment

Canon Sirius - probably his last moments in the Ministry. But I don't accept he died so: he once jumped in front of Remus to protect him from being hit by a spell which would permanently transform into the wolf. It would have killed Sirius horribly, and he knew that, but by sheer dumb luck he was able to deflect the curse and save the day.

15. Worst thing they’ve ever done

He would say: letting James die.

16. Deepest darkest secret they won’t even admit to themselves

That he is more like Walburga than most people realise, they have the same temperament and the same empathy - limited to those they care about. Sirius just happens to love better people and value more important things. Their focus is different, but their behaviours are the same.

17. Quotes, songs, poems, etc. that I associate with them

I don't really.

18. What they’d go to see a therapist about

He's a British Boomer. He doesn't go to therapy

19. Vices/bad habits

He drinks when he is in a bad mood. When he was a boy - pushing suits of armour on people who annoyed him.

20. Scars

No - even after twelve years in Azkaban his skin is flawless alabaster. It drives Remus wild - both with irritation and lust.

21. Drink of choice (not just alcoholic)

Tea (the English breakfast variety - hot with milk) even on the hottest day of the year. He likes red wine with his evening meal and drinks firewhisky when he's in a bad temper.

22. Best physical feature

All of him is ridiculously gorgeous. He looks like a demi-god, and one feature cannot be chosen above the others.

23. If they were a scented candle, what would they smell like?

Probably sandalwood. I don't know what that smells like, but it sounds manly. And 'wet dog' isn't a candle scent.

24. Most annoying habit

Taking things apart to see how they work - it would be fine but he spreads all the parts out all over the floor, threatens to thump anyone who moves anything, and insists it's so much fun it should be a group activity.

25. 3 things they’d want to take with them if they were dropped off in the middle of nowhere

Remus, Crookshanks and Buckbeak... and maybe some teabags.

26. What they would do if stuck in an elevator with [insert character of your choice from the same fandom] Snape - hex him, obvs.

27. Their guilty pleasure

Remus

28. How they feel about [insert character of your choice from the same fandom] Professor Flitwick ... he quite likes him.

29. Eating habits

Perfectly normal - not ridiculously fastidious, overly refined or disgustingly messy. He's just a person with a knife and fork. He had never tried pasta before he went to Azkaban, though, and he does struggle to eat spaghetti.

30. Sleeping habits

Since Akaban he is a very cuddly sleeper. He enjoys a lie in - but once he is awake he wants everyone else to be awake as well.

31. If the had a tumblr what would it look like?

Probably just pictures of motorbikes.

32. Something guaranteed to make them smile/laugh

memories/ photos of him and James.

33. Something guaranteed to make them cry

He's pretty stoic.

34. How they react when they are feeling X emotion (sad, angry, excited, scared, etc.—can specify as many as you like)

Most negative emotions come out as anger - whether he's sad or scared he lashes out. And his anger is explosive - lots of swearing, and name calling and occasionally violence. But when he is happy he is like distilled sunshine.

35. Their idea of a perfect day

Wake up - not too early - next to Remus, a leisurely breakfast and then outside to see to Buckbeak. Spending the morning tinkering with something he is taking apart and enchanting (while Remus watches and makes wry comments - which Sirius knows is only hiding how impressed Remus is by him), a couple of tea breaks, lunch, a flight on his bike to the seaside, a walk along the beach, transforming into padfoot and chasing seagulls, fish and chips and an ice cream and then home just in time for the crossword and cocoa and then bed.

36. Their favorite season

summer

37. What they really think about themselves

he thinks he's pretty awesome, all things considered.

38. Favorite holiday

Christmas

39. Favorite game

Gobstones

40. Favorite book

He's not much of a reader - though he does enjoy an instruction manual.

41. If they could have lunch with anyone in the world (living or dead, from any fictional universe or the real world), who would it be?

James

42. 3 comfort items

Remus, crookshanks and Buckbeak... and maybe some teabags.

43. 3 favorite foods and 3 they despise

favourite: roast beef, sticky toffee pudding and Remus's homecooked lasagna despise: spotted dick (he thinks the name says it all) limes and oysters (he had them at Narcissa's wedding - v. slimy)

44. Their happiest memory

sledging down the hill at Hogwarts with James and Remus, snowball fights, Mr. Potter giving him his first pet, full moons in the forest and just anything that happened while he was at school. His most complicated happy memory is him washing up on the shore after he escaped prison - and seeing colours and feeling joy for the first time in 12 years.

45. Their favorite celebrity

He is notorious mass murderer, Sirius Black. He is his own favourite celebrity.

46. The person they most admire

James

47. Their dream job

A hippogriffboy - which is a cowboy but for hippogriffs. He fantasises about herding them through the skies on his motorbike.

48. Scariest moment of their life

The flight from Peter's house to James' on Halloween 1981 - knowing something was wrong and praying he wasn't too late.

49. Favorite toy as a child

He stole Walburga's finest tea set and hid it in his room and used it to have tea parties with him and Mr. Pillow and the-man-made-from-socks and the-only-gobstone-he-hadn't-managed-to-lose-yet and Madam Stick from-the-garden. (Walburga didn't really think to buy her children toys, and so Sirius had to improvise).

50. A memory they’ve blocked out

The time Walburga locked him in his room for a week and didn't let him out even to go to the bathroom... and all the times Professor McGonagall caught him and his friends with their todgers out when they tried to see who could wee the highest up the wall. And Azkaban.

#sirius black #sirius headcanons #wolfstar

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