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teshamerkel · 3 years

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Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Seekers of Soul

[Chapter 6] (10 Pages)

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Tobias needs to form a Seeker team, and he won’t take no for an answer. Even if that means disobeying his guild leader.

“Give me one good reason why I can’t form a solo team,” Tobias growls, trying to sound respectful even as embers flutter from his mouth with each breath.

August sighs, the rillaboom looking less like a majestic leader and more like an exasperated parent. “Tobias, you cannot be a solo team, as the word ‘team’ itself implies more than one member.”

Verene bites back a smile at the cheeky response, and Tobias sends the lurantis a glare.

“That’s not the point,” he grumbles.

“The point,” August says. “Is that Seekers work in teams of two or more as a matter of safety. If you were to enter a dangerous situation alone and be injured, there would be no Pokémon there to help you.”

“We have rescue badges!”

“That have the possibility of malfunctioning and can’t be activated at all if you’re unconscious,” August counters, red eyes sharp.

Tobias takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, blowing it out as a cloud of smoke through his nose. “I made it out of the forest dungeon just fine.”

“Nia was with you,” August points out.

“But she didn’t do anything! I did all the fighting and I didn’t even get hurt!”

“And what if next time you aren’t so lucky?” August asks. “I’m not trying to downplay your skills, Tobias, but escaping one low level dungeon does not make a Seeker.”

“Tobias,” Verene cuts in, tone carefully neutral. “What is this really about? You know we can’t grant you Seeker status on your own. Why not join an existing team? There are plenty of teams in the guild with only two or three members.”

Tobias doesn’t meet her eyes, feeling shame and anger bubble together in his stomach. There’s a moment of silence, and then August takes mercy on him, voice unbearably soft. “Why don’t you see if you can make amends with some of the Pokémon in the guild, Tobias? Maybe in time one of them will welcome you into their team.”

Tobias swallows back a sharp retort, feeling tears sting his eyes. He nods once, curtly. “Yes, sir.”

“Then you are dismissed,” Verene says, voice uncertain. Right, she’s only been here for about a year. She wouldn’t know quite how “troubled” he is yet. Well, he’s sure August will catch her up.

Feeling a thousand times worse than he had when he’d stepped into the guildmaster’s quarters, Tobias leaves and stalks down the hallway. He sniffs back tears, swiping angrily at his eyes.

Stupid rules. So what if he wants to risk his own safety on a solo team? He’s an adult. It’s his life, he can decide that for himself. It’s not like he’d be hurting anyone else. If he could just show them that he could take care of himself, that he doesn’t need a partner to accomplish a mission or navigate a dungeon—

Tobias stops in his tracks, eyes growing wide. Of course. He...he could prove that he could handle missions on his own. If he completes enough missions alone, unofficially, then there’s no way anyone could stop him from creating a Seeker team! Technically August could, but at least then Tobias would have an actual argument. The charmander’s heartrate picks up, and his walk speeds up too, then transitions into a run. He knows this is reckless, that he might just get into more trouble than before without even getting a pass. He probably will, in fact.

He doesn’t care. He’s desperate, and he knows it. Tobias needs to become a Seeker. He has no other option.

Tobias hops down the stairs, careful not to trip, and catalogues what he could take with him. He can’t risk going to the medical ward in case he bumps into Maggie, and since he’s not an official Seeker he can’t pick up items from the storage floor without someone getting suspicious…

Looks like he’s doing this without items. Or teammates. He’s going solo with just his own moves, and he has no rescue badge in case things go awry. Great. Fine. He’s got this. He’s not afraid—he’ll be fine—and he’s not imagining the fear on Maggie’s face if she discovers him gone first, if he doesn’t make it back—

“Stop it,” he growls to himself. “You were fine last time. You’ll be fine this time.”

He finally arrives at the bottom floor, and pauses at the stairwell entrance to peek inside the giant space of the departure floor. There are only a few Pokémon milling about, moving from board to board and talking amongst themselves about the missions posted there.

Tobias tries to look casual as he walks over to the E-rank board, scanning the available missions. Delivering items to Pokémon in the forest, helping elderly Pokémon clean up fallen branches, taking a bidoof on a tour of the guild...

None of these will make him look capable. Luca could handle these tasks! Tobias casts another wary glance around, then slips over to the D-rank board, fingers crossed that these listings will be a bit more respectable. Sparring practice, looking for a lost item—ah!

Tobias reaches out and snags the paper off the board, eagerly scanning through it. A roselia and their friend, a teddiursa, stumbled into the same mystery dungeon that Tobias and Nia got stuck in. The two Pokemon were separated, and while the roselia found their way out, the teddiursa has yet to return.

Perfect.

Tobias goes to fold up the paper and take it along, but hesitates. Usually, when Seekers take a job, they just input the code on the job listing into their badge to note that they’re taking the mission, and leave the posting up so other teams can also take the job in case of failure. He doesn’t doubt himself (he doesn’t), but he also doesn’t want to be the cause of an innocent Pokemon remaining trapped in a dangerous mystery dungeon.

The charmander crinkles the paper in thought, but then sighs and pins the page back up. He’ll just have to get the client’s name so they can vouch for his success when he’s done. He turns to go, feeling excitement begin to replace his nerves, but jumps back with a startled sound, slamming into the board.

Nia jumps too. “S-Sorry! Sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you!”

Tobias clutches his heart, glaring at the riolu. Then he registers that she’s here, and his gut turns to ice water. How long has she been here?

“What’re you doing down here?” He asks, wary.

“Oh! I, uh, wanted to talk to you, actually.”

Tobias’ eyes flick past the riolu, looking around to make sure no one’s paying them any attention. Did she see him looking at the message board? She does look nervous, but she always looks nervous, so that’s not saying much. Either way, he’s relieved that she didn’t catch him holding the job listing.

“Talk about what?” He asks.

“W-Well, uh...Can we go somewhere more private?”

“Why?”

Nia shifts uncomfortably. “I-I, um…I wanted to ask you something, b-but I think we need to talk first, and I’d rather there not be so many other people around, so...”

Okay, Tobias has no clue what Nia is looking to talk to him about that’s so weirdly secretive, but he doesn’t have time for it. He has a mission to accomplish.

“Look, I’m kind of busy, so it’ll have to wait.” He shoulders past the timid riolu, expecting her to just leave him be as he walks away. Instead, she hurries to catch up to him, and he sees her glancing between him and the board they just left.

“W-Where are you going?” She asks. Tobias can’t tell if he’s imagining the suspicion in her tone or not.

“I’m just gathering some herbs, okay? Alone.”

The riolu takes the hint and slows to a stop. Tobias thinks he can feel her eyes on his back as he takes the nearest tunnel into the forest, and he really hopes that she won’t mention him leaving to Maggie.

If he remembers correctly, this route doesn’t have a guard this time of day, thanks to how well the entrance is hidden, and he doesn’t need a ground type to guide him through solid earth either. It’s one of the better exits for sneaking away undetected. He travels quickly through the dimly lit underground, remembering Nia’s comment and grudgingly admitting that the crystals are rather pretty. It takes him maybe ten minutes to make the trek, and when he emerges in the forest, climbing out from a crack in a hollow tree, he takes a moment to recall which direction to take to the mystery dungeon. Then he sets off, eyes peeled for any useful berries or herbs he may find on the way.

The forest is peaceful today, with sunny warmth dappling the undergrowth and the distant calls of Pokémon giving the environment a quaint feeling. Still, Tobias feels himself slowly grow more and more on edge as he travels, knowing what he’s willingly walking into. Sure, he fought his way through the exact same dungeon not even a week ago, but he’s not so stupid as to underestimate the chaotic nature of mystery dungeons completely. He’s heard enough stories to know that the same dungeon can be a quaint stroll one day and a death trap the next. The tides can turn in an instant.

Sooner than he would like, and with only a single apple to his name, Tobias recognizes his arrival to the mystery dungeon. There’s no flashing sign or obvious entrance; the forest ahead of him looks nearly identical to the trees he’d just passed through. But he knows this is it. The air feels...thick. Heavy. Almost tingly on his skin. And every time he blinks, the path ahead of him seems to shift and change, ever so slightly. He thinks he can hear a wild snarl come from deeper within the brush.

Tobias takes a deep breath to steel his nerves, holds his apple closer, and steps into the mystery dungeon. Immediately, the environment feels...off. Just like last time, the plant life seems almost sentient, shifting and changing in subtle ways to box him into a maze of foliage, weaving itself into shapes like walls and rooms. He already hears Pokémon moving about through the undergrowth, and can’t deny the tension in his shoulders as he moves forward.

Focus, Tobias. Stairs, you’re looking for the stairs. According to the job posting, Teddiursa should be somewhere on the 5th floor, near the end of the dungeon, so he needs to focus on moving forward. He rounds a corner of dense tree trunks and foliage, and stops, surprised to see a familiar set of crumbling stone stairs. Well, that was fast. Tobias shakes his head and climbs the stairs, still unused to the way the world shifts around him and as he reaches the top step. Predictably, the second floor looks nearly identical to the first. Tobias only takes a moment to look around before quickly moving on down a hallway.

In the next room, a lithe purple Pokémon dives out of the undergrowth in front of him. A purrloin. The Pokémon swings around to watch him with crazed, blank white eyes, baring its teeth in a snarl. Tobias takes an uneasy step back. Even though he’d fought some Pokemon last time he was in the dungeon, seeing a feral up close is still more unsettling than he’d like to admit.

The purrloin hisses and launches at him with outstretched claws. Tobias makes a sloppy dodge to the side, then lunges and manages to scratch it with a metal claw attack. The purrloin brushes off the damage and darts forward to try and bite. Tobias stumbles back, feeling a jab of panic as he struggles to keep up with the speedy Pokemon and keep away from its attacks. He needs to distance it! Tobias takes a deep breath and spits a flurry of embers at its face. The purrloin shrieks and finally bounds away into the undergrowth.

Tobias stares at the spot it disappeared, fighting off a shiver of unease. He’s been practicing his fighting for years now, but it’s so different fighting actual Pokemon instead of cloth dummies. Last time he was in this dungeon he’d only had to fight three Pokemon, two of which were weak to fire type moves, but it’s only the second floor and already he has ran into a feral strong enough to need his flames. How many Pokemon can he fight off before he’s too tired to use his moves?

Tobias huffs a breath of smoke and shakes his head. He can’t turn back now, even if he wanted to.

Tobias forges on, managing to find the next set of stairs without another fight, but he doesn’t realize until it’s too late that he’d dropped his apple in the scuffle with the purrloin. As he carefully navigates the third floor, picking up an oran berry he finds on the way, he runs into two more feral Pokémon. The first is a wurmple who falls unconscious after an ember attack and a whack from Tobias’ tail. The second is a lotad who clips his arm with a bubble attack that leaves the skin stinging and singed. He manages to send the little grass and water type packing with a few swipes of his claws, but even he recognizes his exhaustion by time he reaches the stairs that lead to the fourth floor.

Tobias takes a moment to rest, sitting down and leaning against the side of the stone steps. He didn’t think this would be so...difficult. Last time had been tiring, but not this bad. So far he’s only been hit hard once, but some part of Tobias sneers that this was an incredibly stupid idea. Which he knew already, but still. He has...what? Two more floors until he even finds the teddiursa?

He looks down at the oran berry in his claws, rolling it around thoughtfully. The bubble wound on his arm stings, but...maybe he should save the berry in case he really needs it. He nods and stands back up. Onwards, then. He can’t stop here.

Tobias takes the steps and is warped to the next floor. Twisted, maze-like greenery and shifting sunlight sprawls in every direction. It would be beautiful if he didn’t feel the danger breathing down his neck like a houndoom.

He decides to head left, and immediately regrets it as a feral pidgey screeches and dives at his head, pecking gouges into his scales. Tobias snarls, trying to bat the feathery annoyance away, and finally resorts to shooting a cloud of embers straight up. They drift down like a fiery rain, and the pidgey flutters back to avoid getting burned. Tobias takes his chance to lock on to the bird and leap up, managing to snag it out of the air with his claws and slam it to the ground. Before it can fight back, Tobias spews another breath of embers directly onto it, stepping back when he’s sure it’s unconscious.

He stands up, panting, and winces as he prods at the cuts on his head and arms. Where did he put that oran berry? The charmander groans as he spots it, sitting in the grass and charred from his little ember move earlier. Great. He eats it anyways, but has a feeling it doesn’t heal him as much as it should. Still, his cuts seal up and stop bleeding, and his bubble burn dies down to an ache. Tobias moves on, trying to tell himself that the roar of blood in his ears is just from adrenaline and not fear. He’s fine, he’s doing fine. He’ll just try to avoid any more Pokémon if he can.

He makes it to the room with the staircase, nearly sprinting to the stone steps, when something snags his feet. He faceplants into the grass hard enough to knock the air from his lungs. What in the..? He looks down at his feet to see a sticky cord of white wrapped around his ankles. String shot?

The charmander looks up in time to see a weedle charging at him, stinger raised. Any other time, he would laugh at the idea of a weedle of all things challenging him to a battle. But here and now, he feels a jolt of panic. If he gets poisoned, he’s done for. He tries to stand, but the string shot is surprisingly strong, hardly even stretching as he tries to tear it away. The weedle lunges for him, and he rolls out of the way, immediately looking back to his bindings. Maybe his fire would work.

He blows a plume of embers onto the string, relief ballooning in his chest as they melt. Tobias springs to his feet just in time to punt the weedle away from him, watching it tumble into the undergrowth. The gooey remains of the string shot are still stuck to his feet, but he takes his chance, bolting for the stairs and racing up them.

There! This should be the fifth floor, right? He sure hopes so. The teddiursa should be around here somewhere. He can grab them, find the last staircase, and then head home! Tobias takes a moment to breathe, then wanders down a hallway to the right.

When he steps into the next room, he’s surprised to see something bright orange sitting in the middle of it. Some sort of item? The charmander looks around warily, then steps closer to investigate. Just as he crouches to pick the item up—a scarf?—something beneath his foot shifts and clicks. Tobias freezes as pink smoke hisses out of the grass. It quickly cuts off any visibility, before dissipating just as fast. When it does, Tobias’ heart drops to his toes.

Four or five Pokémon surround him, all feral. They immediately lunge at him with a terrifying jumble of cries. Tobias curses and rolls out of the way, still getting grazed on the side by something sharp before trying to make a run for the hallway.

Something wraps around his arms, yanking him backwards. He falls hard onto his back, struggling as two vines reel him back into the room across grass and dirt. He shoots a cloud of embers over his shoulder, and the vines hurry to release him. He scrambles to his feet and turns, and he has just a heartbeat to recognize the Pokémon he’s facing: an aipom, an electrike, a starly, a snivy and a wurmple. Then, the electrike and the starly are darting forward, the flying type flickering out of view and slamming into his chest with a quick attack.

Tobias cries out as he’s sent tumbling back. He hardly has time to catch his breath and squint an eye open before the electrike crashes into him with an electricity-charged spark. Tobias slams into the room’s wall, wheezing and struggling to push himself up onto his arms. He...he has to move, has to get up. Run. He can’t get knocked out here. No one knows where he is, no one even knows he’s gone, they’ll never find him in time!

He can’t die. Maggie would be heartbroken. He still has to catch the outlaw trio, and he...he has so much to do. The charmander feels his arms give out, and tears blur his vision.

He’s such an idiot. August was right.

The snivy hisses, and Tobias squeezes his eyes shut, trying one more time to move to his feet, with no luck. He hopes he blacks out quickly.

“Tobias!

He knows that voice, but he’s never heard it like that, so loud and sharp. Tobias blinks open his eyes, just in time to see a familiar blue and black shape step in front of him. Over her shoulder, worried ruby eyes glance down at him before moving back to the ferals. Tobias blinks, again and again, but she’s still there. Her fur is ruffled and scraped up, and even from his position on the ground he can see that she’s shaking, with fear or exhaustion or both. But she’s there.

“Nia?” He rasps.

#pmd #pokemon mystery dungeon #pokemon #charmander #pmd seekers of soul #tesha writes #tesha draws

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whyralltheusernamestaken · 3 years

Text

Aspectabund

I have no idea if this is a reoccuring theme yet but I am an absolute whore for secret dating au's so here's another self indulgent fic hehe T^T

Aspectabund; Bakugou x reader

expressive in face ADJ. expressive in face; exhibiting one's feelings through the eyes or face.

Warning : swearing

Words : 1.5k

Bakugou for the love of god could not remember why he even bothered. 'Young love' they said, his parents eagerly pushing him out of the door to find you a welcoming present for your transfer to his school.

"What do girls even like." he muttered, turning around the corner towards the busy highstreet. He could already sense the misery this day was going to bring, aimlessly wondering around shops until he stopped something, just anything, that you might like.

Maybe he'd cook for you too. After all it was a welcoming party back at the dorms, but he'd have to make sure none of the extras touched your food. That would be a nightmare.

His eyes ran up and down the rows of shops, groaning at the crowds of people that scuttled past. His budget wasn't massive, but he was recieving money from his internship and a bit of poket money from his parents, whom whole heartedly adored you.

You two had met at the hero liscening test, beginning to talk at the remedials. He was attending for the extra lessons to gain his liscence whilst you were simply helping one of your teachers who was working there. The first time you spoke, you had accidentally spilled your drink all over him, spluttering as you offered him tissues and apologies over and over again. He had scolded you for being careless but truthfully he hadn't been paying attention either.

The next day you had literally tried to give him money for the shirt. His top was much more than the amount you were offering, given his parents were fashion designers and such, but he did not have the heart to take your money. Sure he was an asshole sometimes, but he wasn't just going to steal cash off someone for something that was partially his mistake. He'd never admit it to you though.

"Bakugou?" a voice called, him turning around to see two of his classmates.

"Hey." he replied.

"Didn't knew you liked this type of music." Jirou joked, picking up the nearest album. "You like electropop?"

"God no." he replied instantly, rolling his eyes, before pausing. "It's for my, my fucking girlfriend or whatever." he muttered, rubbing his neck as he looked around before turning back to the two girls. "You dumbasses better not tell anyone or I swear-"

"Of course! No need to worry." Momo rushed to said, Jirou nodding in agreement. "We respect your privacy."

He nodded in thanks, before Jirou asked, "Would you like some help? You've been walking around aimlessly for the last ten minutes."

Bakugou paused for a moment before giving a small "yeah." The girls blinked at each other I'm shock, before excitedly dragging him away without another word.

"Will you buy an album for her?"

"If they have // band."

"Oh, I have connections with one of the bandmates. Want me to get a video of them?"

"What's the catch?"

"None Bakugou, we're friends." Jirou reassured.

He snorted in reponses before whispering a quick "Thanks."

You had truely mellowed him.

~~~

You hauled your two suitcases out of the back of the taxi, thanking the driver once again before turning to who you assumed was your new classes' president.

"Class 2A president?"

"Yes I'm the class president Iida, it's nice to meet you Y/N."

"Likewise." you smiled, allowing him to take one of the suitcases before following behind him, listening as he explained roughly why they had a dorm system, the rules, and a breif introduction to the class. "If there's any questions or anyone bothering you, um Bakugou, then feel free to let me know."

You laughed at his attempt of throwing shade, before thanking him and following in through the main enterence of the dorm.

"Welcome Y/N!" several people shouted, a few bursts of confetti flying in the air as your jaw dropped open, a small blush running across your face.

"This... is for me? Thank you so much." you beamed, a large grin on your face as you and Iida set the suitcases to the side.

"I'll take them up to your room." a boy with a mutant quirk said, grabbing your things with two of his many arms before retreating to the stairs.

"Thank you." you called after him, before letting yourself be guided to sit on the couch.

"Some of us prepared gifts for you. I'm Midoriya."

"It’s nice to meet you Midoriya." you responded, "You guys shouldn't have, I think I should've brought something as well."

"No need!" a girl with pink skin rebutted. "You're one of us now so don't be shy and take them. I'm Ashido but Mina's all good."

You thanked her and everyone else before beginning to openi the presents, a small set of perfume and soaps from Uraraka, a UA key chain set from Midoriya, and many more.

"We've just added you to our class group chat." Midoriya said, pointing to his phone as you got yours out.

"I think I'll be spending the rest of the right just learning your names." you chuckled, scrolling down the list of people in the chat, a large smile once your eyes rested on Bakugou's name.

"Feel free to take your time." Kirishima responded, sitting on the end of the couch. You replied with a thanks before turning to look back at your phone as it vibrated with a notification. It was a video sent in by Bakugou. Clicking it open, the faces of your favourite band members popped up on the screen.

"Hiya Y/N! Congratulations on getting into UA, we're so proud of you!" It sounded before ending. You covered your gasp with your hand and hugged your phone to your chest.

"Thank you so so much!" you beamed at Bakugou, your face lighting up with pure happiness.

"Yeah whatever dumbass." he grumbled, a small smirk on his lips as the rest of his classmates stood in silence watching the exchange.

"Y/N's his girlfriend?" Momo whispered to Jirou. "Who would've thought. They're so cute together." to which Jirou nodded in agreement.

"Um Bakubro, this is so unlike you to get a present for some 'extra'." Kaminari commented, a look of utter surprise on his face. “Especially from celebrities. How did you even know what artists she liked?”

"Who said she's an extra you idiot." Bakugou said, choosing to ignore the other questions that were being thrown at him.

"Well what else would she be?"

You sat there and listened in amusement. You weren’t necessarily keeping your relationship a secret, but you wanted to make sure he was comfortable before you told anyone. Watching as Bakugou's ears tinted, any worries or doubts you previously had were cast away as you anticipated his next words. He cleared his throat before responding.

"She my girlfriend dunce face."

The entire room stood in silence, even the faintest of breathing was noticeable, before Mina cackled in laughter. "That's a good joke Bakugou, what's next?"

She watched as his face contorted in an angry frown, about to retort when you waved your arm in the air.

"Hey hey hey she's just teasing you." you laughed. “You know she wants you to get mad.”

"So it's a joke then right?" Kaminari spoke up. "God knows what I would do if Mr bombs for brains got a girlfriend before me."

"Oh no, he's telling the truth." you chuckled, watching as the entire room's jaw dropped.

"Y/N." Todoroki spoke up, ignoring the other's shock as he handed you a small present.

"Todo! You shouldn't have."

"No worries, it's the least I can do for your help last time."

"Wait you know each other?" Mirodiya asked.

“Help?” Kirishima added on.

"Mhmm. Me and Katsuki helped egg his dad’s house." you nodded in reply. "And I met them at the remidials because some dummies didn't past the first time."

"Y/F/N..." you heard Bakugou scowling, turning on the couch to give him a wink.

"But hey, I wouldn't have met you then, would I? My adorable, handsome, beautiful-"

"Gross." Bakugou coughed, cutting you off. "Don't go all sappy on my."

"He's a softie at heart." you rolled your eyes.

"I'm not too surprised actually." Tsuyu spoke up. "I knew something was up as soon as Bakugou stayed at this welcoming party. When we moved in he wouldn't even join us in the room tours and we had been classmates for over a month."

Bakugou snorted. "Well that's jsut because it was a lame ass idea."

"I'm sure it was a great idea." you rebutted, smiling at the girl as she grinned back.

"You're too nice Y/N."

"Not at all!"

Kaminari had finally regained his senses, deciding to once again butt into the conversation. "How on earth did you even get a angel like her, Bakugou?"

"Are you fucking hitting on my girl dunce face?"

You simply laughed at them, sitting up and hooking your arms around Bakugou's neck, pulling his towards you before he could threaten the other blonde with his quirk.

"Hey hey, it's his world, I'm just living in it."

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alittlewhump · 3 years

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Unbidden - Act 2, chapter 8

Masterlist | Previous | Next

Content warnings: None

Morgan followed the sound of voices through the archives. He'd taken a more familiar route this time, one that skirted closer to the markets than he'd liked. Blaise and Cain were discussing something, but Cain stopped mid-sentence when he spied Morgan.

"Morgan! It's good to see you again, friend, though I had not expected you so soon." Morgan allowed himself a small smile. He'd missed Cain and his stories, his easy friendliness.

Blaise spun around to face him. "What are you doing here? You-" She seemed to lose her train of thought briefly as her eyes lingered at the collar of his shirt. "You should be resting."

"I want to make up for the time I've lost," Morgan said, growing serious again. He didn't feel tired, exactly, and anyway there was no respite to be found in his shared room. "There are demons seeking the tomb of Tal Rasha as well. Time is of the essence. What is it you've found?"

He couldn't read Blaise's expression as he came around the table to look at the books laid out across it. It turned out that finding the tomb would only be half the problem. There was a specific artifact needed to open it, and it had been split into pieces. A staff, which Morgan recognized from a tour of the local museum, and an amulet, which Blaise had already managed to recover from the demons who had held it. But it was not as simple as just having the pieces; there was a strange device required to bind them together, and that was guarded in yet another tomb by magical traps set by an ancient order of mages known as the Horadrim. Cain was familiar with this order, luckily enough, and was certain that he would be able to use the device once they'd located it, and it looked like Blaise had already eliminated several options from a long list of possible locations for that tomb.

It was growing late in the day, though, and Blaise flatly refused to start a new expedition before the morning. "You might be fine," she groused, not sounding as though she believed that to be the case at all, "but I'm hungry and tired. I'm going back to the palace. You can come with me, if you want. You could probably use the rest."

Morgan didn't want to go back, not yet. He looked down at the map on the table in front of him. Most of the marked locations were far enough from the city to be troublesome, but within a reasonable distance of a waypoint. Potentially good ways to keep himself occupied, to make sure his skills hadn't suffered too badly from disuse. Unfortunately, he'd never accessed most of the waypoints. He would need help with that.

"I'll stay here for the night. I can catch up on research." He paused. Perhaps someone else could act as a guide, someone he wasn't already deeply indebted to. "Is there someone who could show me to these waypoints?"

"Yeah. Me. Tomorrow." No luck there, then. Blaise put one hand on her hip. "Are you really sure you want to stay here?"

"Yes." He'd fled his room for a reason. If he didn't have something useful to focus his attention on now, he was going to come apart at the seams. He just needed to occupy himself, and that was going to be much easier here.

"All right, fine. But I'm not going to take you anywhere tomorrow if you haven't gotten any rest."

Anger flared suddenly hot in Morgan's chest. She kept insisting he rest, as though he hadn't just lost - how much time exactly wasn't clear, but it was certainly at least a few days of precious time, while she apparently picked up the slack. Did she still think of him as a child, someone who needed to be taken care of? Just another responsibility to shoulder? He slammed his open hand down on the table, growling "I don't want-"

He caught himself there, squeezed his eyes shut. Took a deep breath. Control. She had every reason to see him as an inconvenience, and that wasn't important. How others perceived him was inconsequential, he reminded himself. The only thing that really mattered was the Balance. His most important task was to find and stop the demons intent on upsetting it, and he wasn't going to get any closer to that goal by antagonizing a person who could help him. What he needed was her cooperation, not her respect.

"I apologize for that outburst," he said, opening his eyes but keeping them deferentially cast down. "It was not called for. I have had my fill of sitting idle, but I will rest when I need to."

Blaise was silent for a moment. "That's... whatever. Fine. See you tomorrow." She left without further comment. Morgan smoothed down the paper he'd rumpled in his childish show of temper. Not counting the claw vipers, it had been a long while since the last time he'd let himself get agitated to the point of lashing out. He was still on edge, not feeling quite settled in his skin after all that had happened. How long was it going to take him to get back to normal? He would have to focus his meditation on regaining emotional control for a while. This type of behaviour was totally unacceptable.

Cain cleared his throat. "Shall we continue? I believe I have at least another half hour in me today." He smiled warmly and Morgan relaxed a little. He could count on the scholar to leave well enough alone, to focus on the task at hand as he so badly needed to do.

"Yes, please."

Cain dedicated the better part of the next hour to filling in details about the Horadrim and their role in imprisoning Baal. He had managed to put together a diagram of the runes he suspected would be holding the demon lord in place, which Morgan set aside carefully to memorize later. He also had a general idea of the area where the Horadric cube, the device required to reunite the staff, was located, and what manner of traps would be securing it. The trouble was that the desert landscape had shifted over the intervening years, so none of the nearby landmarks were there any more. It was in this general area that Blaise had been concentrating her efforts, having gotten clearance from her superiors to pursue the lead. She had made impressive progress. Hopefully she would still be willing to work with Morgan after he'd repaid her efforts with nothing but a short temper. She didn't tend to accept apologies well, though. He'd just have to work harder at making himself useful.

After Cain retired for the evening, Morgan settled into what felt like a reasonable pattern of alternating between study and meditation. He had to ease himself into it at first; the urge to focus all of his energy on the problem of finding the cube was very strong. But the longer he studied, the more he realized he did need to rest himself properly. Once he passed the initial hurdle of forcing himself to stop and meditate, it was actually a relief to do so. It was good to meditate with peaceful intent again. The familiar, uninterrupted mental exercises were calming in a way he'd sorely missed, and it felt like a luxury to be able to sit in a comfortable chair again. Of course, everything felt like a luxury, compared to... well. It was nice to have a fresh appreciation for the small things.

By the time the sun was coming up, Morgan was satisfied that his understanding was at least adequate. Blaise and Cain found him leaning over the table comparing two maps, trying to pick out notable landmarks from the older one that might still be recognizable in some way.

"Good morning," he greeted them, looking up from his comparison a few seconds later. Both appeared to be in reasonably good spirits.

"Morning. So, do you still want to go out today, or do you want to keep studying?" Blaise lingered at the threshold while Cain made his way around the large table.

"I'd like to join the search today. I've rested," Morgan added quickly at the expression that flickered across her face. "More than I expected. I can keep up."

"Right. Get your gear and some breakfast then, we should go before it gets too much hotter."

Morgan flinched as a hand came down on his own. He'd almost forgotten Cain's tendency towards this sort of casual contact. The old man patted his hand twice, smiling encouragingly.

"Do stay safe out there. Good luck."

"Thank you," Morgan said, sliding his hand away. "I'll meet you at the waypoint," he suggested as he headed past Blaise. She didn't agree or refuse, instead following him out of the archives wordlessly. She only broke her silence once they were outside.

"You know you don't have to do this," she said, uncharacteristically quiet. Morgan searched her face, but couldn't identify the expression on it.

"No, I do. I can't just stand by and do nothing as evil gathers its forces. As a follower of-" he caught himself, remembering they were out in public. "I am obligated to do everything in my power to ensure that Darkness does not triumph over the Light," he explained instead.

"After all you - I mean, don't you think you've done enough by now?" Her unreadable expression didn't budge. At least it wasn't anger, he decided. That was a positive.

"No. There is no 'enough' until the Balance is righted. And even then, there will always be more to do." It wasn't a single task to be completed, it was a duty that extended past the definition of 'lifelong' as most people knew it. Long after his body was dust, even long after his spirit faded, there would still be more to do. It just wouldn't be his to do any more. But since there was still life in him in this world, he had to keep working toward the larger goal.

Blaise seemed unsatisfied with his response, but they had reached the waypoint. "Well, I guess I'll scout ahead while you get yourself together. If I'm not here when you get back, just wait for me."

"Very well." He turned to head towards the palace. If he was fast enough, he could get equipped and still visit the marketplace before it got too busy. There was a vendor who sold nuts and cheeses, good nutrient-dense foods that would be suitable for eating while travelling. It would save time if he could avoid larger meals altogether.

Morgan was relieved to find his room empty when he reached it. It wasn't that he didn't want to see Jemali, exactly, but he wasn't looking forward to it either. Not before he managed to get a handle on his emotions. To dismiss the lingering ache of disappointment that he'd invited in by allowing himself to believe briefly, stupidly, that the kindness he'd received had been anything other than a transaction. Of course he knew better, but it had been a moment of weakness. Nothing to do for it but try to get stronger.

His equipment was still as he'd left it. Despite not wanting to keep Blaise waiting longer than necessary, he let himself fall into an easy rhythm of tightening and checking buckles, running his fingers along the edges of the straps to find any thinning or splitting spots. It was a pleasantly tactile exercise, and the familiarity was a comfort.

The small bag of trinkets had been placed back with the others. It was tempting to go through them, to satisfy his vague curiosity about the cost of Jemali's service, but he'd already spent more time than he intended here. It was time to move on to the marketplace, then the desert. Yes, it was good to have an itinerary again.

#my writing #story: unbidden

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dreamescapeswriting · 4 years

Text

BTS Reaction || You’re Really Smart

A/N: As someone who has a REALLY low IQ I decided to try and change it to you’re really smart, I hope that’s okay? If no one gets the lyric reference in Namjoon’s I might cry…

Seokjin:

Namjoon had the great idea of taking everyone to an escape room for the day and here you were paired up with Jin, Taehyung and Jimin who were all walking around aimlessly as they tried to figure out the room. Namjoon had told you to go with them while he went with Jungkook and Yoongi you figured it would be a breeze and for you it was. You'd already figured out the clues but kept your mouth shut cause the boys were too busy trying to come up with it.

"Guys?" You asked looking up from the floor to meet Jin who looked like he was ready to swear at his kids, Jimin who looked about ready to cry and Taehyung who was staying calm throughout.

"Why did we do a horror escape room, I hate this," Jin said to you, you smiled at him and then whispered in his ear the answer to getting out, at least into the next room.

"How long have you known this?" You shrugged your shoulders, to you it seemed simple but according to the boys it was almost impossible for them to even see how to put any of the clues together.

(X)

You all made it out of the horror escape room in record time and Jin was throwing his arms around you,

"And this is why she's the best girlfriend." He yelled kissing your cheeks and then laughing as you pushed him away, dramatically wiping your cheeks where he'd kissed you.

"You guys cheated, she has a high IQ," Yoongi mumbled you stared at him with an eyebrow raised,

"Namjoon has a high IQ though..." Namjoon stared at you and then over at the boys who were expecting an explanation.

"Just because someone has a high IQ doesn't mean their massively smart." You told them and then Namjoon agreed with you. Both of you going into a long rant about how IQ tests are measured in different ways and not everyone has a good IQ because their minds are stronger in other ways.

Yoongi:

"Yoongi can we go back to the hotel I'm tired." You yawned to Yoongi as you walked around the streets, he'd brought you along to Amsterdam with him on tour and was trying to get some sightseeing done but you'd been up all night researching for a paper.

"Maybe if you didn't stay up all night there wouldn't be a problem." He chuckled, tapping your cheeks in an attempt to wake you up. You both walked over to a small cafe and ordered a coffee, where you stood at a table and leant your head on your hands. Eyes closed as Yoongi flipped through a tour guide book trying to find his next spot.

"This will wake you up, explain string theory to me since that's what you were researching." You nodded and thought over how you were going to explain it to him,

"It's a theoretical framework in which the point-like particles of particle physics are then replaced by one-dimensional objects, strings. The theory describes how the strings propagate through space and interact with each other...String theory is a theory of quantum gravity." He stared at you from across the table, you hadn't even opened your eyes to explain it.

"That was as if it was just stored in the back of your mind...How did you do that?" You shrugged your shoulders and opened your eyes, Yoongi was starting to look uncomfortable.

"What?" You mumbled standing up straight as he pulled you back in the direction of the car he'd rented.

"Going back to the hotel."

"To sleep?!"

"No." He smirked grabbing your hand and pulling you faster through the crowds of people so he could get to the hotel as quickly as possible with you. He'd always loved how smart you were and hearing you talk about something like String theory as if it was common knowledge made him want you more.

Hoseok:

For as long as you could remember you'd had a fascination for true crime and all things like that, your brain seemed to store all of the facts about that and not much else.

"We should enter a quiz." Jungkook said as you walked into the pub in Malta, you looked up from your phone and nodded in agreement, turning to look at Hoseok who was nodding as well,

"It'll be fun." You giggled pulling Hoseok over to a table and getting the team name ready.

"It's all based on common knowledge by the looks of it," Jungkook said as you and Hoseok giggled from across the table. You'd been dating for three years and you were still just as happy as the day he asked you out.

(X)

It was the last round and so far you were doing well for points but the last round was on true crime, Hoseok looked at you and nodded. He was the only one out of all of the boys that knew about your extensive knowledge of serial killers.

"Who knows this?" Jungkook asked in confusion, you took the paper from his hand.

"Types of a killer? Easy, organised, disorganised, and mixed." Jungkook stared at you,

"How many people did Harold Shipman kill?" Jungkook read out the next question while Hoseok watched as you answered it without blinking.

"200 but that's only ones that have been confirmed, there are a lot around him that are labelled suspicious."

You won the quiz but on the way back to the hotel Hoseok had his arm linked around your waist and Jungkook asked for facts about other serial killers,

"Ted Bundy had a collie called Lassie." You yawned as the door to your hotel was pushed open, Jungkook was wide awake and wanted to know more though. Asking question after question while Hoseok walked you into the bedroom,

"Talk about it in the morning Kookie, I'm sleepy." You whined dropping onto the bed, Hoseok following you and smiling at how brilliant his girlfriend was

Namjoon:

Namjoon had fallen in love the moment you opened your mouth to talk to him. You were both walking around a museum together, your brother had Jimin decided to bring you along and now you were alone with Namjoon, both walking in uncomfortable silence until you both got excited over the same painting. You began listing of facts about the painting and artist and Namjoon just stared as you spoke about it, and then watched as you did the same with the next painting. Now, whenever you went out on dates he found himself learning more from you than he did from the small plaques on the walls beside the paintings.

"Where do you store it all?" Taehyung asked one day while you were out with Namjoon, hands locked together as you strolled through the Natural History Museum. It turned out your facts didn't stop with art, it included History and other subjects.

"I don't know, I think my brain is like a sponge and it just soaks it all up." You giggled, Namjoon smirked and span you around under his arm,

"I don't care where it comes from, your sexy mind is my favourite." He whispered in your ear, kissing your cheek as you giggled trying to push him away. When he first met you he'd never seen the need for public displays of affection but there was just something about you, something that made him want to show everyone that you were his and he was proud of you.

"I love you." He whispered to you as Taehyung wandered off, you'd only been dating for two months but he knew it was real.

"I love you too." You whispered back to him with a smile on your face, rushing off to find Tae.

Jimin:

Much like Namjoon when he first started out in the industry, you and your group were featured on a lot of different quiz shows because you were smart.

"Next we have Jimin and Namjoon from BTS and Y/N and Lucia from H.E.A.R.T." The producer said into the camera and all of you went to introduce yourself to each other and to the cameras.

(X)

The show had gone amazingly and the whole time Jimin couldn't keep his eyes off you, he found himself watching the way you worked. How whenever there was a question partially hard you would push your glasses further onto your nose, or throw your hair into a ponytail. He was teased by the host and Namjoon for staring of course, and it only made you blush whenever you felt his eyes on you and you looked up to see him staring at you.

"Where did you learn to memorise all this stuff?" He asked when you were all standing in a changing room together,

"I don't know, I guess I've just always stored it away." You laughed looking over at Namjoon who was with your band member, talking about songs you should all work on together.

"It's so hot." Your breath hitched in your throat from how outspoken he was and you blushed a bright red colour,

"I think you're hot too." You giggled, looking at the floor as you bit down on your lip trying not to come across as too eager for him but he was now blushing.

"We should hang out sometime...Without all the quizzes, maybe get some food? Or if you're too busy maybe just a drink." You tried to hold back the small laugh and nodded, touching the top of his arm to stop him from ranting.

"I'd love that Jimin, call me sometime." You told him, writing down your number on his hand and then walking out of the changing room with your band member.

Taehyung:

Taehyung knew about your extensive knowledge of Shakespeare and used it whenever he could, right now you were sitting in the dorms with him and the rest of the boys talking about old English, Tae was in a debate with Jungkook over Charles Dickens and Shakespeare.

"Look all I'm saying is Y/n can tell you different Sonnets by heart and then the meaning behind it." You looked up from your noodles and stared at Jungkook who was staring at you, Namjoon looking up from his book to hear the argument between you all.

"Sonnet 130?" Namjoon said, closing his book. Taehyung turned to look at you and you swallowed the noodles that were half hanging out of your mouth.

"My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; Coral is far more red than her lips' red; If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;

If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head. I have seen roses damasked, red and white, But no such roses see I in her cheeks;

And in some perfumes is there more delight Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. I love to hear her speak, yet well I know

That music hath a far more pleasing sound; I grant I never saw a goddess go; My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground. And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rar. As any she belied with false compare." Namjoon blinked at you and Tae had a giant smile across his face.

"Meaning?" Yoongi questioned finding himself more invested in the conversation now you'd said a Sonnet without blinking or looking it up.

"Okay so for the shortened version it's offering the readers a different look at female beauty and what it's like to love someone with all their shortcomings and for what they don't like." You explained, going back to your food and turning to look at the TV while Tae was sitting there with a smile on his face, arm wrapped around your shoulder.

Jungkook:

You were standing in the kitchen making yourself a cup of tea when you heard Jungkook scream, you thought he'd just died in a game at first but then you heard him rushing around the living room,

"Kookie?" You questioned walking into the room to see him on his phone, you looked at the desk and his computer screen was black,

"I was in the middle of a game!" He yelled, clearly stressed out over the fact that his computer was potentially broken, he began taking it apart to see what was going on with it and then stressed even more because he couldn't figure out what was going on.

"Let me." You said throwing away the apple core and walking over, you put your glasses on and bent down on the floor.

"Wait here," You walked off upstairs and he waited for you as he looked for a new PC online but you knew he didn't need to do that, you searched through the boxes until you found it and then came bounding down the stairs carrying the power supply, taking his out and replacing it, connecting everything up to the correct holes and making sure the motherboard was linked up properly. Booting up the PC and watching as Jungkook's mouth fell open as he watched you doing it.

"What?" You questioned putting the side back onto his PC and putting it back on the desk and brushing off your hands.

"How did you know to do that?" You shrugged your shoulders and walked back into the kitchen with Jungkook asking you question after question.

tagline:

@babymochichimmy @ficdump101 @yoongisdumplingcheeks @snowy-meowl @lynnthevirgo @yourguessisasgoodasminemate @kpopfanfictionhoes @lyoongx @rjsmochii @mitzwinchester @callingmyangel

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zackcollins · 4 years

Text

watching airplanes || nolan patrick

masterlist

Author's Note: I really should be writing that Pierre-Luc Dubois thing. I just don’t have any idea what I want to do with chapter 5 at the moment, so... have this instead. I wanted to write something so I went looking for writing prompts on here. I found this idea and kinda rolled with it. This is my first time writing for Patty, so please be gentle. Sorry for being so slow with the Pierre-Luc Dubois thing. I’m doing my best but inspiration for the fic has kinda hit a wall right now. I’ll try to find inspiration again soon. Promise!! GIF credit to fly-guys!!

Warnings: There’s a few mentions of anxiety, so I’ll include that here. I don’t think anything is too graphic, but I just want to be safe rather than sorry. If you see anything else, feel free to tell me and I’ll include it for you.

Word Count: 2k+

Title: Watching Airplanes by Gary Allan

Additional: The reader is gender-neutral! I’m kinda on a gender-neutral reader kick right now. If you guys would like a gender specific reader, feel free to request one. I’m more than happy to oblige. Also. This is my longest one-shot fic in a long time. I hope I did a good job with it. Let me know if there’s any mistakes or anything that needs fixing. I’ll do my best to fix it!

Additional 2: The locations I used, save for maybe the skate park, are actual locations in Winnipeg. I was so invested in this that I Googled places in Winnipeg that the reader could visit. I also used the petname “small fry” for the reader because I set their hometown as Charlottetown, PEI and PEI is known for potato farming. Hope all of that makes sense! Hope you enjoy this as well!

Looking out the window of the plane, you saw the skyline of Winnipeg coming into view. You grinned because you knew what that meant. It meant that you were close to pulling off the surprise meeting you had planned with your boyfriend, Nolan.

As the plane flew closer and closer to Winnipeg, you felt anxiety well deep in your gut. To compensate for it, you started bouncing your legs in what little room you had in between your seat and the one in front of you. You ran your hands across your things a couple of times to try to quell some of the nervous energy but all that succeeded in doing was creasing some of the wrinkles in your shorts. The person in the seat in front of you glared at you as he took out one of his earbuds.

“Do you mind not jostling the back of the seat,” he asked, pointing to your legs. “I have a bad back and sitting in these seats is bad enough already.”

You held you hands up in surrender as you quickly stopped moving your legs. “Yeah, sorry.”

The man smiled faintly as he stuck his earbud back in and turned his attention forward.

You sighed and ran your hands across your thighs in an attempt to keep your legs from moving. It worked but they ended up twitching a couple of times with anxious energy.

A few minutes later when the plane was announced to be in descent, you felt a little bit of your anxiety ease. You were one step closer to your end goal and that made you feel excited because you were closer to seeing Nolan.

When the plane landed, you felt some more anxiety wash away. You were now safely on the ground and wouldn’t have to worry about a crash getting in the way of you seeing Nolan. You had watched one too many episodes of Mayday the night before you flew. Seeing all of those crashes and catastrophic failures had psyched you out to the point you were convinced something was going to happen to your plane. You weren’t proud of the fact that you had done that but you had told yourself that you were preparing for the worst case scenario, however unlikely it may be.

You let the thoughts of plane crashes and catastrophic failures push themselves to the back of your mind as you collected your carry-on bag. You didn’t want to keep thinking about that while you were in an airport. You would likely drive yourself to some form of panic response if you continued to think about the worst case scenario while surrounded by a bunch of planes.

As you made your way off the plane, you walked calmly to the baggage claim. Watching the carousel spin was soothing what little anxiety you had left. There was something about the repetitive, circular motion that evened out your breathing and heartbeat.

It was a few minutes later when the baggage started to appear on the carousel. You approached it in hopes of finding your baggage among the first few options. You were surprised when you found it, seeing as the flight had been sold out and would’ve had a plethora of baggage. You quickly grabbed your baggage and made your way out of the airport.

When you were standing in the parking lot, you pulled out your phone and ordered an Uber to your hotel. As you waited for it to arrive, you decided it would be a good idea to text Nolan. He had no idea you had come to visit him. You were hoping by receiving this text he would be as excited to see you as you were to see him. As soon as you sent the text, you slipped your phone back into you pocket because your Uber pulled up to greet you. After stuffing your bags in the trunk of the car, you confirmed the address and were on your way to the hotel.

Once you were in your hotel room, you checked your phone again. You noticed that Nolan had texted you back. Excited to see what his response was, you quickly opened the text. You nearly dropped the phone when you read what it had to say.

To: Small Fry

From: Patty Cakes

You’re in Winnipeg??? I’m in Charlottetown! I came to surprise you!

You sat on the bed and ran a hand through your hair. Sighing, you placed your phone face up on the nightstand. You needed to let it sit for a minute while you processed what was happening. You had flown all this way to surprise Nolan and he had had the same idea because he had flown all the way to your hometown to surprise you. It was beyond you how the two of you could’ve possibly had the exact same idea on the exact same day... yet, here you were. You thought that if you both could concoct the same scheme and execute it on the same day, maybe you really were meant for each other.

As you sat there, contemplating what to do next, your phone vibrated against the nightstand. When you looked at it, there was another text from Nolan. You ran a hand through your hair as you picked your phone up to open the text thread.

To: Small Fry

From: Patty Cakes

How about you tell me some places I can visit while I’m here?

A soft smile spread across your face at the prospect of that. The fact that Nolan wanted to make the best of this weird situation by exploring your hometown made you feel really great.

To: Patty Cakes

From: Small Fry

Yeah! I can do that! Will you tell me some places to visit here in return?

Nolan’s reply came almost immediately.

To: Small Fry

From: Patty Cakes

Of course, small fry.

The first place Nolan sent you was his favourite skate park. When you got there, there were a few kids skating around and a few other people swinging on some swings in a little playground to the left of the skate park. You smiled as you watched the kids playing and having fun. When one of the swings became available, you quickly bolted for it to swing for yourself. You had always enjoyed swinging when you were younger. It was calming to you and helped relieve stress. There was something about the constant back and forth motion that you found soothing and relaxing. Swinging today was helping relieve the anxiousness of being in a strange city without Nolan. When you were satisfied that you felt better, you stepped off the swing and made your way to the next location Nolan had suggested.

This location was the botanical garden. Nolan had said walking through the flowers was soothing and seeing them in full bloom was always a wonderful sight. As you walked through the garden, you decided that you agreed with him. The wide array of colours was breathtaking and the aromas and peacefulness of everything was incredibly calming on your psyche. You could drift into many a dream land here if you had the time. After taking a plethora of pictures of the flowers, you moved onto the next location on Nolan’s suggested list.

The next location was the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. You found the tour guide to be incredibly knowledgeable and helpful with every question that was asked of her. You left with none of your questions unanswered and much more knowledgeable than you were when you entered. If you had the chance, you would go back and you could guarantee you would learn new things the next time you went than you did this time.

The final location Nolan suggested was something called The Forks. He explained it as something similar to a mall but not quite a mall at the same time. You found the description incredibly confusing but it made a little more sense when you actually got to there. It was complex of shopping outlets and dining establishments that looked like they were housed in historical buildings. Nolan told you to go wild and go to whichever shopping outlets and dining establishments that looked interesting to you. You took that to heart and by the time you were done shopping and eating you had accumulated a brand new outfit and three pairs of shoes. You had also eaten a hamburger and ice cream from a diner-type establishment in the back corner of the complex. All in all, you had a blast and would totally come here again—hopefully with Nolan next time.

When you got back to the hotel, you text Nolan to let him know that you had a blast going to all of the locations he had suggested. It took a few minutes but Nolan did text you back.

To: Small Fry

From: Patty Cakes

I’m glad, small fry! I had fun at the locations you suggested too.

You went to reply but Nolan texted you again.

To: Small Fry

From: Patty Cakes

Can I suggest one more location though? It’ll be quick because I know you’re probably exhausted and just want to relax.

To: Patty Cakes

From: Small Fry

Sure. One more is fine, Patty. Where am I headed?

To: Small Fry

From: Patty Cakes

FortWhyte Alive. It’s a wildlife area. My sister, Aimee, is gonna meet you there.

You sent a quick confirmation text before trudging out of your hotel room and down to wait for an Uber.

When you arrived at FortWhyte, you noticed a young woman standing by the park entrance. She was holding a sign and what appeared to be an iPad. When she saw you get out of the Uber, she waved you over. You walked hesitantly over to her. You eased a little bit when you noticed that she looked strikingly like Nolan.

“You must be Aimee,” you said, smiling.

“Yes,” she smiled back, placing the iPad on a nearby picnic table and propping it up with a kickstand. “You must be (Y/N), Nolan’s partner.”

“That would be me.”

“Perfect,” Aimee said, pressing a few times on the iPad.

You blinked when Nolan’s face popped up on the screen.

“Hi, small fry,” Nolan said, waving at you. “How’re you?”

“Fine,” you replied, waving back. “It just sucks that we aren’t here together.”

Nolan hummed, pointing to the sign Aimee was holding. You had failed to notice if anything was written on it, having been too focused on the iPad. When you did read it, you felt your mouth go dry as your eyes flicked between the sign and Nolan on the iPad screen.

“Nolan...” you trailed off, running a hand through your hair.

“What does it say, small fry?” Nolan coaxed, biting his lip.

You bit your own lip, heaving a shaky sigh. Aimee looked at you encouragingly, a small smile on her face.

“’Will you marry me, (Y/N)?’” You said, feeling tears prickling the corners of your eyes.

“Well? What do you say?”

You nodded, looking at Nolan as the tears fell down your cheeks. “Yes. God, yes.”

Aimee put the sign on the picnic table and reached into her pocket. When her hand came out, she was holding a ring box. She handed it to you and squeezed your shoulder. You smiled at her as you opened the box. You gasped as you looked between the ring and Nolan. It was nothing special but it was exactly the ring you had been looking at the last time you had been in a jewellery store. You felt the tears fall harder as you slipped the ring on your finger. You handed Aimee the ring box as you showed Nolan the ring on your finger.

“It’s gorgeous, Nolan,” you said, wiping the tears away with your other hand.

“I’m glad you like it,” Nolan said, smiling widely.

Aimee squeezed your shoulder. “Congratulations, you two.”

You smiled at her before looking back at Nolan and seeing the giant grin on his face. You felt butterflies swooping in your stomach and your heartbeat quickening. You had never felt so loved in your entire life.

“I love you, Nolan,” you blurted.

“I love you, too,” Nolan replied without missing a beat.

Today had been the weirdest day of your life but Nolan had proved that weird didn’t always mean bad. What you had thought to yourself earlier in the day definitely rang true now.

You two were meant for each other.

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sohin-ace · 3 years

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Rohan - A Day In Paris

Happy birthday to my lovely Giovanna @gio-is-writing . I love you with all my heart. Thank you for barging into my life and stealing my gangster's heart. This one's for you.

You huffed and dropped your heavy luggage in the hotel room you were staying at for your short vacation. You briefly glanced out your window, The Iron Lady greeting you from afar.

No time to spare, you had a busy day ahead of you, and your friend would not let you off the hook if you spent your short rare days in Paris lounging around doing nothing.

You took out your phone and called her, struggling to change from your heels to more comfortable shoes.

"Y/N, hello! How was your trip?" Your friend picked up, instantly greeting you with her unmistakable accent and you swore you could hear her sadism.

"Please let me rest, I beg of yo-"

"Nuh huh, sweetie. I have a big program for you and you will make the most out of your trip. You'll thank me later, trust me." She cut you off and you groaned, sleepy and jet-lagged.

Yes. You had to travel to the marvelous city of Paris for a conference meeting, but of course, you could only expect your best and only local friend to make you tour the entire city in a record-breaking time.

She had planned out for you a extended list of activities, museums, restaurants and places to visit during your voyage. Knowing her, you were impressed and almost suspicious that she didn't try to drag you out with her and forced you to meet 'your future husband' through many blind dates.

Losing yourself through confusing subway stations and vintage architectured streets, you eventually found yourself in your most desired destination.

Obviously, whoever thought of Paris thought about the iconic Pyramid of glass. That was the one place you always dreamt of seeing.

"So... That's the Louvre, huh?" You breathed out, almost in disbelief.

You couldn't possibly pass the occasion of visiting one of the most reknown art gallery in the world.

Looking around the vast plaza, you had expected much more people to crowd the area, but you were pleasantly surprised to only see a few strangers here and there. Good, that was much less anxiety inducing.

Not wanting to wait any longer and too eager to finally discover this magical place, you guided yourself in. The contrast between the loud sunny exterior and the dull and quiet ambiance inside forced you to relax.

Hours had passed by without you even feeling them. You were having much more fun that you'd have ever anticipated, even though visiting a museum all alone was a thought repulsive to most people. You loved every bit of it, walking through the finely decorated corridors, immersing yourself in the eery yet pleasant quietness of the place, learning through the masterpiece's description, imagining the sculptures come to life.

You smiled. You were happy from this simple yet incredible experience. It was crazy how a change of scenery and how art could so easily move you, transporting you into new worlds, new horizons, and make you travel through times and spaces.

"It's like magic, isn't it?"

You gasped and instantly jumped at the sudden deep voice right next to your ear. You looked behind you to glare and maybe insult who ever had just almost given you the biggest heart attack you'd ever have.

"O-Oh my god!" You yelped, already too loud for the place you were in, prompting a few heads to turn your direction. You shamefully toned down, "Y-you scared the shit out of me-..."

"...I apologize, miss," The male's daggered expression looking down at your small frame did not match his polite words and soft tone. "I didn't mean to startle you, but you looked so deep in thoughts and you were blocking the view."

He pointed at the painting behind you and you decided to ignore his left-handed comment, moving a bit to the side and away from the painting. When your breathing finally slowed down to a healthier pace, you took the time to observe his features a little more.

He stood tall in front of you, his frame slim yet sturdy. You were striked by his eyes of emerald and his androgynous facial traits that seemed to soothe you even without contact. His dark green hair was meticulously styled to the side with an intriguing headband adorning his forehead.

You decided to not stare down his body in fear that his expensive-looking clothes revealing his toned abs and lean waist were actually not an illusion from your peripheral vision but his actual look.

Dang it, you thought, he was too hot for you to stay mad at him.

You looked to the side, and mumbled "... Apologies accepted."

"Wow. Took you a long while of staring at me to accept my apologies. Like what you see, maybe?" He quirked an eyebrow, his tone now condescending, which completely contrasted with his earlier princely behavior.

You gasped and clicked your tongue at him, "You-... Are you famous or something? Why are you acting so bratty all of a sudden?" You knew it, your friend had warned you about this type of guy. The type to act all high and stuck up, roaming art galleries and belittling others. More often than not, handsome and wearing sketchbook-filled satchels. "French artists, I swear..."

You saw him lick his lip before scoffing, as if you had offended him. Unbeknownst to you, the man was actually quite amused by you and did not expect this comeback. He had already long forgotten about the painting behind you.

"Oh you're funny. How did you know?" He smirked obnoxiously, stepping up slowly and looming even taller over you. "You should consider yourself privileged to even be looked at by the Great Rohan Kishibe."

You squinted your eyes at his bold ego, but also at the sound of his name. "Rohan Kishibe...? That sounds like a Japanese name. So you're not a snobby French city boy? Disappointing."

He let out a 'tch' of annoyance. How dared you slander his persona? 'Snobby city boy'? 'Disappointing'?

...'French'?!

Rohan huffed and closed his eyes. Oh no, he couldn't let you get to him so easily and give you the satisfaction.

"That's correct, you dense child." He buried his hands in his pants pockets, dismissing the look you gave to his shamelessly visible underwear waistband.

"Oh shut up, you can't be barely older than me." You huffed and blushed, avoiding eye contact with this man getting so deliciously on your nerves.

You wouldn't admit it, but you were quite enjoying this excentric man's company. His manneurisms and the small smirks he showed at your defiance stirred a little something inside you that just made you want to keep him here a little longer and waste his time. He did look like the busy type, after all. Perfect for bothering and messing with.

Oh but you certainly did not expect him to be thinking just the same as you. In any other circumstances, Rohan would have probably lost patience long ago and snapped, not wanting to spend another minute with the likes of you. But for some obscure reason, he wanted to get to you just as much as you did him. Push all your buttons and drive you absolutely wild.

Maybe it was the little grimaces you made at him that he hated to find cute, maybe it was how your small hands mindlessly held the velvet railings protecting the artworks. Perhaps it was your overall form so gracefully holding yourself up, a delicate sight for such a fierce lady. Or maybe it was that little lipsticked wide smile that he wanted to wipe off your face and kiss absolutely senseless.

"Whatever you say... Uh... 'Your Name'."

You swore you felt a vein pop on your flushed forehead. "It's Y/N. Y/N L/N. Get it right next time."

You rolled your eyes at him and whipped your hair out of your face with exaggerated and unnecessary sass. You wanted to giggle but held it back as he stepped forward and uncomfortably close to you.

You thought he wanted to strike you for a moment and froze as he leaned down and poked his index finger to your chest accusatively.

"Listen here, L/N, "He spat your name through gritted teeth and your mind was hazy with the heady scent of his cologne. "Keep that little attitude of yours and I'll pin you to one of these fucking walls next to these paintings. That'll teach you a lesson."

Your face warmed up and your breath hitched shakily at his bold 'threats'.

"Ooh~ woah there, partner. At least take me to dinner first..." You chuckled and pushed gently on his toned chest, trying to conceal how insanely flustered he had made you feel.

"... Fine then. Tonight 8 P.M. Right here, at the entrance of the pyramid."

Rohan straightened up and stepped away from you. The sudden cool air hit your red face and you widened your eyes, only then registering the fact that he had just flirted back.

"Wait... What?!"

"Don't be late."

"Hold on-"

And just like that, the 'Great Rohan Kishibe', as he had comically introduced himself, disappeared from your sight, continuing on his visit as if he hadn't just shamelessly stolen your heart, leaving you both a blushing and a confused mess.

What a smooth bastard. He was actually taking you to dinner.

It would be a fun trip to Paris.

Bonus:

"Girl I can't come with you tonight, I'm sorry." You told your friend on the phone. "I just met a super cute asian boy at the Louvre!"

She gasped and wanted to whine at you. You were leaving her for a cute asian boy? But soon her tone changed to a more suspicious one.

"Wait... A cute asian boy...? At the Louvre...? Does he, perhaps, by all means, coincidentally, maybe, look like a thot, with green eyes and stupid hair?"

"Yeah? How did you know?" You replied without hesitation.

"Oh that's Rohan! Can't believe you found him haha!" She chuckled, barely caring about trashing the poor man left and right, "Tell him I said Hi. Also, have fun, and use protection cause his dumbass won't-"

"Shut up! SHUT UP!"

#jojo's bizarre adventure #writing #jojo #x reader #reader insert #jjba #jojo no kimyou na bouken #jojo part 4 #part 4 #diamond is unbreakable #rohan x reader #rohan kishibe #rohan kishibe x reader #rohan

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moon-goddess-posts · 3 years

Text

Hello everyone! This is my first fanfiction and I decided to write kaeya first because I just love him sm 😭😭😭😭 anyway hope you guys enjoy! Zhongli is up next. I'm also new to Tumblr so idk how this works LMFAO

Kaeya x Gn reader

Fluff, kaeya is weird but its ok cause he warms up to you, didn't proof read this cause it was 1am

You were walking around the streets of mondstadt, you always loved the night and decided to come out for some fresh air. Lost in thought, you were reflecting on your first moments here and how the handsome calvary captain gave you a tour of the city. You were an adventurer from Fontaine seeking to do research on all the 7 regions. Mondstadt was the first region on your list. You've heard most of it from stories on barbatos and how he saved mondstadt, but you'd love to meet the people and all the certain flowers that were around. You finally arrived at the front gate and the guards gave you a warm welcome. The city air was fresh and everything had a carefree warm feel to it. "This truly is the city of freedom" you thought to yourself and smiled. Having everything written down on your notebook, you decided to try out the foods that were common here. "What can I get for you today?" The women spoke as you came up to the counter. You took out your notebook and chose a dish. "I'll take one chicken mushroom skewer please, ah would I also ask for your name if you don't mind?" You gave a friendly smile. "My name is Sara, worker at Good Hunter! Your food will be right up. I see you arent around here." "Nice to meet you Sara, im actually traveling the 7 regions for my art pieces and mondstadt just happened to be my first one. I would love to know some tourist attractions around here, would you happen to know a guide?" It was nice to see a conversation going well especially since you were never really the best at conversations. But you wanted to hurry up because your social battery was draining fast. "Id love to be your guide" and unfamiliar voice came to the right and you shot your head to that direction. His appearance was definitely different from the rest of the citizens but looked really attractive either way. He was leaning against the booth almost giving off an intimidating nature underneath the layers of charming. "Really? That would be great, thank you so much! And uhm your name is...?" Depsite the oddness you got from him, you did your best to continue the conversation as normally as possible. "Kaeya, Knights of Favionus, happy to be your guide dear" his sudden pet name made you flitch but you pushed it off "So where are we going first dear calvary captain" you gave him a teasing remark as you smirked. He chuckled "well obviously I wouldn't be a good tour guide if I didn't show you the Barbatos statute first." "Ah of course haha" you gave him a nervous chuckle. "Is there any other reason you decided to come here other than to just "explore"" You thought he ease dropped on your conversation, and even so he still didn't find you that trust worthy. "Well I'm a pretty well known artist where I'm from, but besides just coming here to make art I also decided to write a few poems for each region. If you'd want I can show you my works" you smiled happily and his cold attitude started to fade just a bit. "You can show me once we get to the next place, feel free to draw me then too ♡" it wasn't the best first impression but at least he didn't feel as hostile anymore. You and Kaeya finally made it to the statue and it was more beautiful in person than your thoughts could ever imagine. Ideas started to flow through your brain on how to paint it. "Wow its so...." you were at a lost for words. "Breathtaking isn't it?" Kaeya finished your sentence and you flahsed him a small smile and nod. "Yeah it is, ill be sure to mark it down as the first place to paint. Maybe if you'd like, you can give it to the Acting Grandmaster as a token of my thanks for having me here" "Such a kind hearted soul arent you? I'll be sure to inform her." Kaeya patted your head and walked off, assuming he was leading you to the second destination, you started to follow him. "You should stop by the tavern Cats Tail sometime tonight, I can tell you more about this place and if you'd like, more about me," You saw this as an opportunity for more research on the area, and maybe get to know Kaeya a bit more, he truly was an interesting person, so you

accepted. "I'll be sure to make it around 18:00 or 19:00!" The next destination included a beautiful tree, lake, and another small statue of barbatos. You thought it was truly magnificent, especially how the sun hit the leaves all so perfectly giving it a warm glow. "This place is Windrise. Its often associated with love and is one of the most well know spot for dates." He winked at you and you looked away, not really sure what to do. "Is that so? I can see why. Its very beautiful." You did your best not to stutter from how flirty he was being. "This statue here is for offerings. You find anemoculous and you offer them to the statues. In return, you get a gift from the God." "Oh! We have on of those where I'm from as well, but its a different person." You weren't really sure why you wouldn't tell him where you were from, maybe it was because he was super analytical, or the whole predator with its prey vibe he got going on. "There are 7 types of statues that represent the 7 archons, would it be ok if you'd tell me where you're from? I'm just so interested in you." He gave a flirty smirk and you couldn't help but blush a little bit. "Uhm I'm from Fontaine, if you couldn't tell by the clothes. Its quite similar to Mondstadt, but I find it here to be more peaceful and calming than there." "Fontaine huh? I've heard people live the luxury over there. Very formal." He laughed a bit, part of him was right but it wasn't all that good as he was making it sound. "Hmm I guess you could say that, my parents were pretty well off but I can't say much about the rest." Your gaze drifted off to the forming sunset and you wondered if you should head back soon. "Ill head back, ill tell you more about the attractions tomorrow. Don't forget our date tonight deary..." He waved goodbye and walked off. "Deary.." you said to yourself, he flattered you very much but all of it seemed off in a way. You didn't think to much about it and decided to head back too. Your memories of your first interaction with Kaeya was over once you heard someone call your name. A familiar voice that was. "Y/n!" Kaeya called out. Automatically knowing who it was, you turned around to be greeted by a fine tall man dressed in blue tones "Hi Kaeya!" "I dont think its a good idea for a pretty lady like you to be walking out so late at night." He sounded amused but you were over it. "Oh cut it out captain, I know you were just swooning some girls a couple minutes ago." "Haha so what, you jealous?" "Dont flatter yourself, why would I be jealous anyway? Feelings like those are just a waste of time" you hated to admit that you were just a tiny bit jealous. You weren't sure how your crush on the calvary captain formed but it did and it didn't seem to be going away any time soon. Part of you thought maybe he already knew and he was just toying with you. Or maybe he was oblivious to it, thinking no one could love such a person like him. Either way, you still kept these feelings inside. "There's no shame in bearing emotion, love, its just our nature. And for a while I think you've been feeling pretty intense emotions about a certain someone..." His hand tilted your chin so you could face up to him. Shoot did he know? How was that possible? Was I that obvious? You thought to yourself, you weren't sure how you were going to get out of this situation. "I...I-its nothing that concerns of you" you broke eye contact but you knew kaeya wasn't letting up. "A lie to a lier is no stranger, but if you wish to keep your secrets then who am I to cross such a boundary." He back off from you and you started to breathe again. You wanted to tell him so bad. How much you loved and cared for him, how much you so desperately wanted to be there for him no matter what situation. You were willing to take risks for him if it meant that one day you would forever be together. But maybe you thought the image you had of him was wrong. You knew well enough his flirty nature was never sincere, and how he was hiding something much darker then you ever wanted to imagine. Even so, you still wanted your

thoughts of him to become right. So before he walked off again you mustered up the courage. "Kaeya wait! I, I do actually want to tell you something." He looked surprised now but intrigued. "Ever since we met, there was always something different about you. It always left me wanting to know more and over the years I did learn more about you. But then I started feeling these weird emotions and having thse weird thoughts like thinking maybe one day we could be together...or knowing the real you even. I know you say less than you lead on but I felt like I'd be willing to take extreme risks to know who you actually are. I feel so safe around you and I always smile at those good memories we have. I dont know if this is called love, I dont know fully what love is but you're special enough for me to be having these feelings." Thats it, you let everything out. Awaiting for rejection, you began to panic when the silence held for what seemed like an eternity, until you heard him walking toward you. He held your chin again and gave you a look you've never seen before. A mix of admiration, and happiness. He swiped his thumb over your bottom lip and you tensed up. "Kaeya...." Before you could say anything else, he pulled you into a kiss. A new feeling started to arise and your whole body began to feel hot. Euphoria was coursing through your veins and you felt like you were going to fall without Kaeyas support. He was so warm, so intoxicating. You couldn't even feel where you were or he was, it all just became a bundle of sensations and happiness. You couldn't tell how long you both had kissed for but you were the first one to pull away as your breath began to shorten. "As much as a flirt as I am, I dont do well communicating my actual emotions. So id prefer to show them through my actions. I cant say it right now, but I hope that helped you realize what my answer is." He pulled you into a hug and you buried his face into his fur jacket. Already knowing his answer, you breathed a sigh of relief

#genshin impact kaeya #kaeya x reader #kaeya fluff #i love kaeya #kaeya x gn reader #kaeya genshin impact #kaey

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fantastic-bby · 4 years

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Bubbles

Pairing: (F)Reader x Jackson

Word count: 7.4k

Genre: Romance, Fluff, Soulmate AU, it’s a bit of crack esp in the end (I wanted to make this a bit more lighthearted compared to the others)

Summary: Everyone is born with a bottle of bubbles that will help you see your soulmate’s life through their eyes. Jackson’s search for his soulmate intensifies when one of the bubbles shows them breaking down, causing him to try and find whatever he can to connect with his soulmate. Unknowingly, the thing that brings them together is not just the bubbles...

Soulmate series: Jaebeom - Strings || Mark - Inked || Jinyoung - Masked || Youngjae - Drawings || BamBam - Footprints || Yugyeom - Pieces

Masterlist

“Mama! Look!” Jackson tugged on the dress his mother was wearing, holding up his bottle of bubbles. “When I blow bubbles, I can see things!” He excitedly announced when she crouched down to look at him.

He opened the bottle and pulled out the wand, letting out an excited giggle when the bubbles came out, showing what looked like the view of someone else's life.

“Jackson, don’t waste your bubbles.” His mother gently scolded him. “These bubbles are special. They show you the life your soulmate is living.” She explained simply, not wanting the eight year old to be too confused.

“My soulmate?” The young boy asked - still confused as a child would be - when the last bubble had popped, an echo of giggly laughter filling the air.

“You can see your soulmate’s life through these bubbles. So don’t waste them.” She nodded and guided his hands in closing the cap. “You can never get a new bottle, so use this to find your soulmate.” She smiled when he nodded obediently.

“Okay, mama.” He hummed out as he eyed the bottle.

»»————-　　————-««

Jackson laid in bed, his eyes to the ceiling while he let his mind wander. He wasn’t thinking of anything stressful, he was just thinking about the day he had just had. The post-concert buzz was still in his system, his adrenaline was only now starting to wear off as he rested in his hotel room.

Mark was still up as well, the sound of gunshots and the voices of other gamers filling his ears through his earphones as the soft low-fi music emitted from Jackson’s speakers. A pair of bubble bottles sat on the desk that Mark was sitting at, both left with slightly less than half of the soap mixture.

“Hey, hyung.” Jackson called as he rolled over to his side so that he could face the older man. Mark let out a hum in response, too focused on PUBG to actually think of words to respond. “Have we made it?” Jackson questioned.

“Huh?” Mark questioned without taking his eyes off of the screen. The question - at first - just swooped past him before he actually took the time to think about it. “I think we have.” He nodded. “Why are you asking me? You were the one who sang ‘We Made It’.” He joked. Jackson made a face as he sat up on his arms.

“Hey hyung.” He called once again. Mark let out another hum in response. “How’s your soulmate’s life like?” He asked.

“Uhh…” Mark trailed off as he tried to think about it while also trying to reach the top ten. “Last I checked, they’re a she and she’s a florist.” He stated. Jackson stood up from the bed and moved over to the desk to pick up the bottle labeled ‘Wang Gae’, screwing the cap open and looking into the bottle. “I don’t have much left, but I know where her shop is. It’s in London, so I’m glad that our tour stops there soon.” He muttered out, a curse following when he died ranking eleven out of a hundred players.

Mark pulled his earphones out and turned to Jackson only to see him blowing bubbles. To both of their surprise, the bubbles played visions of what looked like a dancing studio. A trainee? Jackson thought. Or an already debuted idol? The bubbles wouldn’t play visions of what was currently happening, it would only play what had already happened. It was like looking at the memories of another person.

“Are they an idol?” Mark questioned as he looked closer at the last bubble that looked like a concert. Jackson followed the last bubble all the way to the ground where he crouched to see if he could see anything he could read in hopes of trying to locate his soulmate, but the bubble popped as it hit the carpeted floor.

“They could be a performer.” Jackson muttered out as he scratched the top of his head. “I’m almost out of bubbles and I know nothing about them.” He sighed out as he stood up once again, gripping the bottle in his hand.

“You never get to see what their group name is or where their dance studio is?” Mark questioned as he watched Jackson move back to his respective bed and plop himself onto the soft mattress.

“I’ve never been able to catch any kind of place or name.” He let out another sigh as he stared at the ceiling.

“Well, then maybe it’s not time for you guys to meet yet.” He shrugged as he turned back to his laptop screen.

“I’m fine with waiting, I’m just a bit frustrated that I don’t get to know more about them other than that they’re probably a performer.” Jackson replied with a pout on his face as he turned to his friend.

“Give it time, Jacks. You’ll find them soon.” Mark reassured him as he plugged his ears once again. Jackson continued to pout at him before rolling over onto his back once again, letting his mind wander as he thought about who his soulmate is. What were they doing right now? Were they resting as he was?

Maybe they were performing somewhere across the globe, letting the hype of the crowd fuel their adrenaline. Were they thinking about him? That thought made Jackson’s heart flutter. Were they wondering where he was? Could they see his life through their own bubbles? He could feel his heart starting to fill with giddiness the more he thought about it.

“Hyung, do you think my soulmate’s someone famous?” Jackson asked as he rolled over to look at the back of Mark’s chair.

“They could be.” Mark muttered out in response.

“What if I’ve seen them somewhere before?” He questioned further, but it was more to himself as he rolled onto his back once again.

“Anything could happen, and we saw the bubble. It looked like they were performing, right?” He finally tore his attention away from the game for a split second to glance over at Jackson.

“Should I blow another one to see if I should find out more?” Jackson asked as he sat up.

“It’s really up to you.” Mark shrugged. Jackson thought about it for a moment before getting off of his bed and moving to the desk once again to pick up his bubble bottle. He opened the cap and lifted the wand to his face, watching as the soap dripped off of the wand and back into the bottle before he drew in a breath and blew.

Three bubbles flew out, quickly filling the room with more cheers of a crowd. Jackson watched, trying his best to see as much as he could from each bubble. He looked into the bubbles with awe, a smile on his face when he saw the memories of a performer. He saw the way the crowd cheered for his soulmate and he couldn’t help but feel proud.

His pride and joy were short lived when he saw the last bubble. The sight of knees, blurred vision and soft whimpers made his eyes widen and his lips part as he realised what he was seeing. Jackson felt his heart starting to ache, sharing the pain his soulmate felt. His hand moved to clutch his chest as all he could do was watch.

“Hyung,” Jackson reached behind him and patted Mark’s arm aggressively. “Look.” Mark pulled his earphones out and looked at the bubble, realisation striking him as well.

“Oh shit.” He muttered out as he leaned closer to see what the bubble was showing them.

“These bubbles need to give a timeline!” Jackson complained when it reached the ground and popped. “I need to know if they’re still sad!” He turned to Mark with so much frustration, his face looked like it was going to pop.

“Calm down, these bubbles only play memories, right?” Mark raised his hands up in front of Jackson to try and calm him down, “Then this most likely happened a really long time ago.” He reassured him. Jackson’s shoulder slumped forward and his lips pursed as he wondered about whether his soulmate was still sad. Was it recent? Are they okay now? More questions started to fill his mind.

A groan left Jackson’s lips as he plopped himself onto his bed, Mark watching as he did. He turned back to his laptop for a moment, not surprised when it said he had already died, and turned it off. He moved over to sit at the side of his bed that was facing Jackson,

“Jackson, I can’t tell you for sure that the memory wasn’t recent.” He sighed out, causing Jackson to turn to him. “The only thing I can do is hope that it was an old memory."

Jackson stared at Mark, his eyes shifting back to the bubbles before he let out a groan,

"I hope they're okay." Mark placed a hand on Jackson's bicep.

"Also, I saw something interesting." He pointed out as he pulled his laptop from his desk and onto his lap. Jackson scooted himself closer to Mark's bed to get a closer look at his laptop, his arms dangling off the side of the bed. He opened up the browser, his fingers clicking on the keys. "This." faced the laptop to Jackson.

"A logo?" Jackson's brows furrowed as he eyed the logo.

"I think I’ve seen this logo once before, it’s an entertainment company." He turned the laptop back to himself and continued to type away, clicking on links and pictures. “Ahah,” Mark turned the laptop around once again, his screen showing the website to a small entertainment company. Jackson slid himself onto the carpeted floor and sat up straighter to read the website.

“Bubbles Entertainment?” He read out loud, “Cute name.” He chuckled as he continued to look into what artists were under the company.

“They don’t have that many artists.” Mark pointed out as he moved to sit beside Jackson, the two of them looking into the company. “Maybe it’ll be easier to look for your soulmate.” He hummed as they scrolled through the short list of artists.

“Hopefully.” Jackson mutters.

“Any of them make you feel weird or… I don’t know - special?” He questioned.

“I don’t think we can feel that way about our soulmates through pictures.” He turned to Mark with a weird look on his face. “But, what I can do is try and track them down.” Jackson muttered out as he turned back to the laptop and went through all the artists.

“Do you remember whether you’ve ever heard their voice?” Mark asked. Jackson stopped scrolling and thought about it. He had heard their voice multiple times, but it was only whenever they were laughing. He had never heard their voice when they were talking because the bubbles only showed happy or sad memories.

But he could conclude that they were a girl. Jackson had heard her laughter a million times. He loved her laugh. Every time a bubble would show him a memory of her laughing, his heart would either skip a beat or it would beat ten times faster, and he would end up laughing as well. He wondered whether she felt the same way whenever she heard his laugh.

“I’ve heard her laugh.” Jackson nodded.

“There’s only a handful of debuted artists, so maybe we’ll be able to find videos of them on YouTube.” Mark hummed out as he took over scrolling through the page.

“Maybe. Let’s start with her.”

»»————-　　————-««

“None of them sound familiar.” Jackson let out a whine as he rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. It was well past midnight and the two had been looking for videos of the artists for almost two hours.

“Let’s continue tomorrow. Maybe you’re too tired to tell.” Mark mumbled out tiredly. He was pretty much asleep already, laying on his bed and going in and out of sleep as he tried his best to stay awake to help Jackson. Jackson let out a tired sigh as he turned off Mark’s overheating laptop and made his way over to the desk to put it away in Mark’s laptop bag. “Don’t worry, Jacks. You’ll find them soon.” He added with a yawn leaving his lips as he moved around under the covers.

Jackson let out a chuckle as he gently patted Mark’s shoulder,

“Just go to sleep, hyung.” He urged softly. Mark responded with a tired hum before snores started to erupt from his throat. Jackson glanced over at his bubble bottle, refraining himself from blowing more and wasting the rest of his bubbles.

Jackson didn’t sleep that night. He spent most of his time awake just staring at the ceiling. The initial feeling of worry started to disappear as he thought about the crowd that he saw through the bubble. He wondered whether she loved the rush of being on stage as much as he did. The exhilarating feeling of performing, the chants of the crowd, the warm feeling that filled his heart whenever he performed - he wondered whether she could feel it as well.

He spent more time on his phone, scrolling through Twitter to see if he could find any videos of the artists he and Mark found on the entertainment company’s page. To his dismay, he couldn’t find any videos of their voices or laughter that sounded similar to his soulmate’s.

Jackson let out a quiet sigh, not wanting to wake up Mark as he gently placed his phone onto the bedside table. His tired eyes caught the sight of sunlight slivers streaming through the gaps from the curtains. He sat up and turned to the clock on the bedside table. 7:44. Shit.

Mark’s phone alarm started to ring, Jackson wincing from the sound of the alarm ringing throughout his tired brain. He raised his hand to his face and rubbed his entire face with his fingers, the sound of Mark moving around in his bed before hearing the alarm turn off.

“Did you not sleep?” Mark sat up with a yawn, his tired eyes taking notice of Jackson’s face moved his hands away from his face. His state was obvious from the puffiness of his eyes and the tired look he gave his older friend.

“I couldn’t.” Jackson muttered out as he groggily pulled himself out of bed and made his way over to the windows, pulling back the curtain to let the sunlight wake him up a bit more and revealing the balcony with the view of the city. “I’ll just drink some coffee before the photoshoot.” He squinted his eyes when he saw the sun.

“Were you thinking about your soulmate the entire night?” Mark asked as he pulled himself out of bed and moved to his luggage bag.

“Yeah. Do you think she gets the rush that we get when we perform?” He questioned as he turned away from the sliding door.

“Well, maybe she does, maybe she doesn’t. Everyone feels things differently and I assume that even that rush feels different to everyone else.” He shrugged as he stood up with his towel in his hands, “Don’t worry too much about it, Jacks. It’ll start messing with your brain.” He sent a reassuring glance to Jackson before he made his way into the bathroom.

Jackson kept his eyes on the bathroom door before turning around and opening the sliding door, taking a step out onto the balcony. He leaned over the railing, resting his forearms onto the metal rail and looked out at the view of the city. He continued to wonder what his soulmate was doing right now.

Was she asleep? Was she performing? He felt a strong sense of loneliness wash over him as he let out a sigh. Jackson looked out to the city, wondering how much longer it would be before he could meet his soulmate.

»»————-　　————-««

“(Y/n) eonnie!” The voice snapped you out of your thoughts. You turned around from your laptop and let out a questioning hum when you saw Aisha barging into you and Eunha’s shared bedroom. She practically shoved a pair of concert tickets into your face and you had to back up to prevent her hand from hitting you in the face.

“Stray Kids?” You asked when you read the concert tickets. She nodded her head frantically,

“Haneul eonnie’s too lazy to come with me, so she told me to ask you to accompany me.” Aisha gave you pleading eyes, knowing that it was difficult for you to say no to the maknae. Especially when she had the ability to make her brown eyes shine like they were now.

“Sure. It’d be nice to watch them perform.” You shrugged as you turned back to your laptop, finishing up the song you were putting together. “Where’d you get the tickets?” You asked as she sat herself on your bed.

“I met Jeongin oppa the other day while I was visiting Yuna.” She hummed out.

“Do JYP artists get free tickets?” You turned around when she didn’t say anything and instead she answered with a shrug. “Did he buy you those tickets?” You asked in shock, your eyes widening.

“He didn’t say where he got the tickets. The day we met, we started talking on KakaoTalk and he sent me the tickets...” She trailed off as she thought about it. You squint your eyes at her accusingly and she read your mind. “We’re not interested in dating!” Aisha raised her hands up in front of herself. “He still has a dating ban and we debuted eight months ago. Even if we were interested in each other, it would complicate things.” She sighed out.

“Aisha, you’re only 17. You have a lot of time left.” You reassured her, putting your hand on her shoulder. “I’ll accompany you to the concert and if you have time, we can stay back and talk to him. How’s that sound?” You flash her a smile and her face lit up. She threw her arms around you in a tight hug,

“Thank you, eonnie!” She squealed. You let out a surprised yelp when she hugged you but a chuckle left your lips as you hugged her back. She pulled away and dashed out of your room. “Haneul eonnie! (Y/n) eonnie’s coming to the concert with me!” You heard her announce excitedly to the other members of your group.

You turned back to your laptop with a smile on your face, intending to get back to work when you heard a knock on your door. You turned your head to the door to see Haneul and Eunha poking their heads in at you.

“Yes?” You questioned, turning back to the monitor.

“You know you’re the best leader, right?” Eunha started as the two stepped further into the room.

“What did you guys do this time?” You turned your entire body to them slowly, your eyes squinted. Haneul put her hand behind Eunha and pushed her closer towards you,

“Eunha over here decided it would be a good idea to tell Jisung about Aisha’s crush on Jeongin.” She crossed her arms over her chest as she turned to glare at Eunha.

“You what?” You shot up from your chair and stared at her with your jaw dropped.

“That’s how Jeongin got the tickets for Aisha.” Eunha muttered out as she avoided eye contact with you. You stared at her for a moment before letting out a groan when you remembered your conversation with Bang Chan a few days prior.

“That’s why Chan oppa was asking me about our schedule for this week.” You brought your finger to your lips as you thought about it.

“I’m sorry, (Y/n) eonnie. I thought it would be nice since Aisha doesn’t have a soulmate anymore.” She muttered as she lowered her face, letting her blonde dyed hair fall over her face. You felt your chest tighten for a moment before letting out a sigh and you opened your arms. Haneul’s eyes widened when Eunha hugged you.

“Next time, if anything like this happens again, talk to us about it, okay?” You soothed her, your hand brushing her hair. She nodded with her face resting on your shoulder. “Now go. Don’t mention this to Aisha, she will kill you.” You pulled away and ushered her out of your room.

“You’re too forgiving.” Haneul grumbled once Eunha was out of your room.

“Give her a break, she doesn’t need anymore stress.” You roll your eyes playfully and plop yourself back onto your chair. “Now, I need to finish this song. So, shoo shoo,” You wave your hands at her. She scrunched her nose up before moving over to stand beside you and took a peek at your laptop screen.

“You’ve been working really hard, (Y/n) eonnie.” She smiled and turned to you. Her hands flew to your face and she squished your cheeks together, “I’m so proud of you! You’re the best leader ever!” She cooed while you tried to move away from her.

“Haneul, ffffit it,” You whined out, your words struggling to come out properly from how hard she was squishing your cheeks. You managed to pull her hands off of you and you rubbed your cheeks to soothe the ache left by her hands.

“I’ll leave you to get your work done. Hit me up if you need anything.” She ruffled your hair before leaving your room. You continued your work, your eyes leading astray as they landed on your almost finished bottle of bubbles.

You knew your soulmate was also an idol, but you’ve never been able to figure out which idol. The bubbles you would blow would usually show crowds and crowds of fans, holding up unidentifiable lightsticks and blurry name banners.

Deciding to give it another go, you picked up the bottle and unscrewed the cap, pulling out the wand. The bubbles that came out showed another crowd. One of the bubbles showed the view of a city from what seemed like a balcony. You looked closer, your heart suddenly feeling lonely.

You watched the last bubble pop and sat back in your chair in confusion. Could you suddenly feel your soulmate’s emotions? Or were you letting the whole soulmate issue get to your head? You made sure to close the bottle before leaving your room and stepping into the living room of the dorm to see Haneul sitting on the couch and playing with her dog - the dog she insisted on keeping months before you guys even debuted.

Your group - Solaris - had only debuted a few months prior. You were the leader because you had been training the longest out of all of them and were the eldest, Eunha being the first trainee that was supposed to debut with you. Aisha came in after she did and Haneul was the last trainee that was put into your group.

Despite Haneul being the last, she was the closest with you. You two just clicked when you first met and she was easy to get along with; you just had to get past her dry humour and sometimes offensive jokes. Another idol you had actually gotten close to was Bang Chan. The both of you had the ‘foreign’ aspect and it was easy flowing between the two of you, especially when you shared most of your conversations in English.

“Hey, Haneul.” You sat down beside her and she responded with a hum, too busy with her Rottweiler, Cinnamon. “Can you feel your soulmate’s emotions through the bubbles?” You asked.

“Sometimes. But only when it’s really intense.” She nodded, still playing with her dog. “Why?” She turned her attention away for a split second to look at you.

“I blew some bubbles and one of them had a view of a city. You know, from a balcony. I think he’s lonely.” You mentioned as you extended your hand when Cinnamon came over to you. You ran your hand over her head.

“He must feel really lonely then. The last time I felt my soulmate’s emotions, they were so sad I just started crying when I saw the bubble.” Haneul looked between you and Cinnamon. “Have you found anything that could help you find them?” She asked.

“Not really. I just know that they’re an idol, too, but I already told you that. The bubbles showed another crowd, but I couldn’t see any of the name banners or the lightsticks clearly.” You let out a sigh that was quickly cut off when Cinnamon pounced onto you and started licking your face. “Ack! Cinnamon!” You giggled.

“What colour were the lightsticks?” She questioned as she pulled Cinnamon off of you. The action still managed to surprise you with how big Cinnamon was starting to get but Haneul picked her up like she weighed nothing.

“Green.” You hum out as you watched her set Cinnaon onto the ground and toss a ball in her direction.

“I don’t think that many groups have green lightsticks. Maybe we can try and figure out which groups have green lightsticks, then start from there.” She suggested as she picked her phone up from the coffee table. You rested your head on her shoulder as she started searching up green lightsticks.

“Okay so there’s BAP, NCT, WayV, Mamamoo and Got7. They’re official colours are green.” She held up her phone in an angle that you could see. “Are you sure it wasn’t Bluetooth?” She questioned, glancing at you but you shook your head.

“I’m sure it was the actual colour.” You clarified. "Oh, and it can't be Mamamoo because I've heard him laugh before." You added as the echoed sound of his laughter filled your mind.

"Okay, crossing out Mamamoo. Have you ever seen the stage? How many members did you see?" She questioned and turned to you.

"It's probably not NCT because last time I managed to see the stage, there were only about five to six other guys." You mentioned.

"NCT has like… a hundred members." She joked with a snort. You slapped her shoulder and gave her a weird look.

"They're our seniors, don't say that." You chuckled. She let out a laugh before continuing her search.

“It’s only three groups left. Maybe you’ll be able to recognise the ocean.” She hummed out as she started searching for videos of lightstick oceans. The two of you actually spent quite a while watching videos and looking at pictures in hopes of you being able to identify your soulmate’s group, but to both of your dismay, you couldn’t.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to find him like this.” You sighed out, sinking further into the couch.

“We’ll be able to track him down, trust me.” Haneul turned to you and gave you a reassuring smile. “Did you see any logos?” She questioned, but you shook your head.

“I’ve yet to see any logos related to him. It’s always just crowds or his friends - whose faces are always blurred out. If I saw logos, I probably would’ve found him by now.” You let out another sigh.

“You’re 22, eonnie. You have a long way to go.” She reassured you.

“Most people meet their soulmate by the time they’re 23!” You whined out, your hands moving to cover your face with your hands.

“You’re overreacting.” She rolled her eyes, “I’m 21 and I haven’t met my soulmate yet.” She pointed out. “Eunha’s 19 and she hasn’t met her soulmate yet.”

“You guys are younger than me, it’s different.” You moved your hands off of your face and pouted at her.

“We’ll find him, (Y/n) eonnie, don’t worry about it.” She hummed out just as Cinnamon jumped back onto the couch and sat in her lap. You placed your hand onto the dog’s head and started petting her,

“I’m just worried he’s feeling lonely. That sense of loneliness was really strong through the bubble.” You sighed sadly. Haneul placed her hand on your back comfortingly.

“We can only hope that memory was old.”

»»————-　　————-««

“Hey, Jackson hyung.” BamBam knocked on the door of his bedroom, causing Jackson to turn around just as he was about to put on his shirt. “Stray Kids is having a concert tomorrow. You wanna go?” The leader questioned.

“Sure.” Jackson nodded, throwing his shirt on. “I feel like we haven’t seen them in a while. I even have their lightstick.” He pointed to the white box that was sitting on the bedside table. BamBam let out a chuckle as he moved over to Jackson’s bed and sat down, reaching over to pick up the box.

“Doesn’t it spin?” He questioned as he opened it and pulled out the lightstick. Jackson responded with a nod and a hum, watching as BamBam started to wave the lightstick around. He let out a laugh when he watched the way his younger member started waving it more aggressively to see the star spin.

“Be careful with it, Bang Chan gave it to me a while ago. I can’t remember whether I asked him for it, but I do remember being a little drunk when I found it on my bed with a sticky note on it.” He chuckled.

“It spins.” BamBam muttered out as he completely ignored Jackson’s words and continued to wave the lightstick around violently. The lightstick flew out of his hand and hit the wall, falling to the ground with a thud.

BamBam stared at the wall with wide eyes and his jaw slack. Jackson’s jaw dropped as well, his eyes looking as though they were about to pop out of his skull. BamBam stood up and slowly made his way over to the lightstick, picking it up and carefully placing it on the bed before dashing out of the room.

Jackson took a deep breath before stepping out of his room.

“BAMBAM!”

»»————-　　————-««

“Eonnie! Hurry up! We’re going to be late!” Aisha called out from the living room. You looked at yourself through the mirror, checking your outfit one last time. Black tank top, denim jacket and black leggings.

“The concert doesn’t even start for another four hours. Calm down!” You call back as you pick up your drawstring bag and step out of your room to see Aisha pacing around in the living room impatiently.

“That’s not the thing! Jeongin oppa said he wants to talk to me before the concert starts.” She whined as she picked up her stuff and grabbed onto your wrist.

“Woah! Woah! Ouch!” You cry out. This girl was small, but damn was she strong. She continued to drag you out of the dorms - practically against your own will - and into the car. “You’re lucky I’m driving.” You grumbled as you ignited the engine.

The drive to the venue was mostly filled with Aisha’s occasional giggles while she was talking to Jeongin. You glanced over every once in a while and every time you did, she wore the biggest smile on her face.

“You’re really into him, huh?” You questioned, glancing over at her. She froze, her smile wearing off of her face immediately. She slowly turned her head towards you and when you glanced over, her face was red. “If you really want to date him, you know we’ll support you.” You added.

“I know.” She nodded. “I just… if we try dating in secret and we get caught, I’m more worried that something bad will happen to him.” She sighed out. “He still has a dating ban. If we get caught, he’ll have to handle the punishments.”

“I can talk to Chan. He’s literally everyone’s number one fan, especially when it comes to relationships.” You let out a snort. Aisha giggles at that. “Just be careful if you do. Maybe if you’re dating long enough until his dating ban ends, you can go public. I know his fans would support you guys and I also know that our fans find you too precious to not support.” You glance over at her to give her a smile.

“Thanks, (Y/n) eonnie.” She returned the smile. It didn’t take much longer before you reached the venue and Aisha reached into the glove compartment to hand you a mask. “Do we have to wear caps too?” She questions as she rummages through her backpack.

“It’s safer that we do. Our fans already know I’m close with Chan, if they see us backstage and you’re seen with Jeongin, it might cause a few rumours to sprout.” You nod and put on your own cap. “We can take them off during the show.”

The two of you step out of the car, walking past the Stays that were lined up outside of the venue and make a quick beeline towards the entrance. Approaching the guard, Aisha held up the tickets as well as her conversation between her and Jeongin, the two of you pulling your masks down briefly for them to confirm your identity. One of the guards nodded and brought you in, leading you backstage where the group was warming themselves up.

“Chan oppa!” You called out when you saw the blond hair sticking out among the backstage crew and security guards. Bang Chan turned around when he heard your voice and a smile broke onto his face as he made his way over to you.

“(Y/n)! You made it!” He pulled you into a platonic hug, his hand patting your back before pulling away. “Where’s Aisha?” He asked when he took notice of the missing girl. Your eyes widened and you looked around, only then realising that she was not beside you where she was before.

“I swear she was right here.” You muttered out with your brows furrowed in confusion. Chan looks around as well, trying to see if he could spot her anywhere.

“Oh, there she is.” He pointed out. Your eyes followed where he was pointing to see the young brunette talking to Jeongin at the other side of the room. “You know that he likes her too, right?” He stated. You purse your lips as you turn back to him.

“She’s having this crisis over wanting to date him or not because of your dating ban.” You let out a sigh as the two of you watch the maknaes from afar.

“He is seriously into her, he would not shut up about how excited he was when she said she could come today.” The leader chuckled, his hands resting on his hips. “Oh, speaking of idols coming today, our sunbaenims are coming too.” He turned to you. You give him a questioning look. “BamBam said he’s coming and he’s bringing Jackson hyung with him.”

“Oh?” You hummed, your heart suddenly feeling weird at the mention of Jackson.

“Yeah, they should be here any minute.” Chan said as he looked around, hoping that maybe he could spot his sunbaenims anywhere. To his dismay, they actually hadn’t arrived yet as BamBam was spending too much time choosing a jacket to wear.

“BamBam, we’re going to be late.” Jackson groaned as he walked into BamBam’s dorm room to see him browsing through his wardrobe.

“I need to find the right jacket, hyung. Give me a second.” He casually said as he pulled out another jacket and put it on, moving to check it in the mirror. Jackson stared at the younger male with squinted eyes.

“It’s a concert, Bam. We’re not going to a fashion show.” He joked but left the room when he got no response. Jackson stepped into his own room, seeing Mark laying on his bed and scrolling through his phone.

“You should be used to BamBam taking forever when getting ready.” Mark teased as he looked up from his phone when he heard Jackson enter the room. Jackson let out a huff in response and was about to plop himself down onto the bed when he caught a glimpse of his bubble bottle sitting on his bedside table.

Jackson picked up the bottle and opened it to take a peek inside. He felt his heart starting to ache when he saw there was only enough liquid left for at least two or three more uses. He picked up the wand, second guessing whether he should use some of the last few bubbles.

He decided to just blow anyway, watching the bubbles blow out of the wand and into the air. Mark glanced over when he heard the sound of a crowd chanting as well as talking fill the room and scooted himself closer to see the bubbles.

“Still nothing, huh?” Mark muttered out when he looked into one of the bubbles to see what looked like Jackson’s soulmate scolding one of her band members. Jackson watched silently with wide eyes as he watched one of the bubbles. His hand reached behind him and to try and pat Mark, grabbing his attention.

“Isn’t that Bang Chan?” Jackson asked softly. Mark moved closer and his own eyes widened when he saw the familiar blond leader talking with Jackson’s soulmate.

“It is.” He nodded slowly as they watched what looked like them hugging and talking.

“Do you think she’s at the concert?” He shot up with realisation, his eyes so wide it looked as though they would fall out of his skull. Mark was startled at how quickly he stood up and looked between the bubble and his bandmate before shrugging.

“There’s a possibility she is. If she’s talking to Bang Chan now, then that means she’s probably already there.” Jackson didn’t waste anytime. He scrambled out of the room and barged into BamBam’s room, startling both BamBam and Yugyeom at his sudden intrusion.

“BamBam, we have to go NOW!” BamBam watched with his jaw dropped, unable to find a way to respond to Jackson’s frantic state and resorted to grabbing a random denim jacket and following Jackson out of the dorms.

They reached the venue quickly - unfortunately with Jackson driving like a mad man and BamBam screaming in the passenger seat out of fear when Jackson nearly crashed the damn car. When they reached the venue, Jackson was way ahead of BamBam and practically running into the stadium, the guards moving immediately when they saw who the pair were.

“Hyung, why are we moving so fast?” BamBam questioned. Jackson turned to him, only then realising he had never explained what was causing his frenzy.

“I think my soulmate is here and I’ll answer more questions later, I just need to know if she’s here or not.” He answered quickly, leaving poor BamBam barely any time to actually process what was going on. Jackson rushed to the backstage, stopping at the changing rooms and ran towards Bang Chan - almost tackling the poor boy to the ground.

“Jackson hyung?” Chan turned to him with confusion when he saw how panicked Jackson was.

“Were you hugging someone?” Jackson grabbed onto Chan’s biceps and was just about ready to shake the young leader. Chan stared at him in utter shock, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to make sense of what was going on. “Who were you hugging? Where is she?” He actually shook him back and forth, and with his strength, he pretty much lifted Chan off of his feet.

“Hyung! HYUNG! PUT ME DOWN!” Chan cried out as he tried to pull himself out of Jackson’s grip, grabbing the attention of everyone in the changing room. He finally put him down and Chan stared at him.

“Chan, you have to tell me who you were hugging and if she was here.�� Jackson demanded. Bang Chan.

“I was hugging a friend of mine!” He threw his arms up in front of him and took a defensive step back, afraid Jackson would try and lift him up again. “Her name’s (Y/n). Jeongin invited one of her group mates so she came with her.”

“Where is she? Is she still here?” His eyes held so much desperation that Chan couldn’t even question why he wanted to know where you were.

“Y-Yeah. She’s somewhere around here, probably talking to Felix or looking for Aisha and Jeongin.” He shrugged, genuinely unsure of where you had gone to after you chased down Aisha when both she and Jeongin disappeared from the room.

“Thanks, Chan, I love you!” Jackson dashed away from him, BamBam approaching Bang Chan.

“What’s up with him?” Chan asked BamBam.

“He said his soulmate might be here.” He shrugged.

Jackson scoured the changing room, letting out a frustrated groan before leaving to search the rest of backstage. He opened and looked into every changing room before stopping at one of the storage rooms, pressing his ear against the door when he heard voices. His heartbeat picked up - weird how it could get higher than it already was - before he threw the door open.

Jackson almost had a heart attack at the sight of Jeongin and Aisha kissing in the dark. He let out a scream and the two also let out a scream when he did.

“What are you doing?!” Jackson questioned with his arms out in front of him. “Jeongin, you’re a baby! You,” He gestured to Aisha, “You look like a baby! Don’t kiss! Stop that!” He scolded them. They stared at him, both faces completely red out of embarrassment.

A pair of footsteps quickly approached Jackson and he was too in shock to turn to see who it was. You pushed past him and your eyes widened when you saw Aisha standing in the dark room, her eyes widening even further when she saw you.

“Eon-”

“Lee Aisha, what are you doing?!” You exclaimed, your mind feeling like it was about to explode from the sight before you. You turned to Jeongin, his eyes avoiding eye contact with you and staring at the ground. “Oh no, no, no, no. You’re coming with me.” You pushed past Jackson, but out a yelp and jumped back when your skin jolted. Jackson did the same, his hand flying to rub the spot that stung from the jolt.

He was about to say something but stopped when the world stopped moving around him. You stared at him, your mind growing fuzzier the more you looked at him. You stepped closer to Jackson, your head tilted as your brain tried to make sense of what was going on. You reached your hand out and took his hand, your skin tingling against his.

“Oh,” You gasped in realisation and looked down at his hand before turning back up to him. His lips formed an ‘O’ when he realised it as well.

“You’re my soulmate.” He muttered out as he interlocked his fingers with yours. His lips curled up in a smile as he processed the realisation. “You’re my soulmate.” He beamed, taking your other hand. “Oh!” He pulled you into a hug which you returned happily. “I’ve been watching you through your bubbles and I’ve been trying to track you down since forever!”

You relished in the feeling of his strong arms wrapped around you, but you were surprised when he lifted you off of the ground and spun you around as though you weighed nothing. He put you back onto your feet and his hands moved to gently cup your face, his brown eyes taking in your features like an excited puppy. You enjoyed the feeling.

“I-I’m (Y/n).” You giggled out when his hands moved down to hold your hands, his hands feeling perfect holding yours.

“I saw you through your bubble, you were hugging Chan, so I came here as fast as I could.” He explained, biting his lip to try and hold back his excitement and happiness. “I’m pretty sure I scared the entirety of Stray Kids and Yugyeom and BamBam, but it was worth it. I finally found you. You have no idea how hard I’ve been trying to find you.” He babbled. You let out another giggle.

“I’ve been trying to hunt you down as well, but your bubbles only started showing your concerts only recently.” You explained softly, your eyes moving down to watch the way his thumbs were gently running over your knuckles. “I saw the lightsticks in the crowd, but I couldn’t find what I was looking for. Nothing seemed to match.” You looked back up with the biggest smile on your face as you looked at him.

“That was the same for me. Mark hyung managed to identify the logo for your entertainment company, so we tried tracking you down. But none of the videos of any of the artists felt familiar and none of them sounded like you.” He explained. “So, when we saw Bang Chan, I just couldn’t hold anything back.” His grip on your hands tightened slightly, “I’m so glad I finally found you.”

“I am too.” You chuckled. You caught Aisha and Jeongin trying to slip out of the room from the corner of your eye and both you and Jackson reached out, grabbing the shoulders of the maknaes to stop them from leaving. “And I can’t believe it was because we caught a pair of kids trying to play 7 minutes in heaven.”

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teenslib · 3 years

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IT’S FINALLY DONE! Every year, the Rainbow Book List Committee has more books to review, because literature is slowing getting queerer, and children’s and YA lit are at the forefront of that change. This year, our committee of 13 people had to review nearly 500 eligible titles, and 130 (well, 129) were good enough and queer enough to make the list. There were so many terrific books that we got a special dispensation to create TWO Top Ten lists--the first time the committee has done so! The Top Tens are below, and please visit the link above for the full list.

I’m proud of our committee’s focus on diversity--along lines of race, ethnicity, queer identity, and even genre. At least half of the Top Ten Books for Young Readers and seven of the Top Ten for Teen Readers are about characters of color, and most of those were written by authors of color. We also tried to feature as many different letters of the alphabet soup as possible. I’ve noted the racial and LGBTQIA+ rep for the books that I’ve read.

Here are the Top Ten Books for Young Readers:

Ana on the Edge by Sass, A.J. Ages 8 to 12. Sports Fiction/Figure Skating. MC is nonbinary and Jewish-Chinese-American. Ana is a champion figure-skater. She hates her new princess-themed program, but how can she tell her mother that, when it cost so much money? And why does it bother her so much, anyway? When she finds the word ‘nonbinary,’ she realizes why the program doesn’t fit, but she still has a lot of work to do repairing relationships that have suffered in the meantime.

The Deep & Dark Blue by Smith, Niki. Ages 8 to 12. Fantasy. One of 2 MCs is a trans girl, all characters appear to be Southeast Asian. A pair of twins flee after a political coup that puts their lives at risk. They decide to disguise themselves as Hanna and Grayce, two girls living in the Communion of the Blue, an order of weaving women who spin magic like wool. What one twin doesn’t know is that, for the other, being Grayce isn’t a disguise. This is a beautiful story about self-discovery, acceptance, and affirmation.

Drawing on Walls: A Story of Keith Haring by Burgess, Matthew and Josh Cochran (Illustrator). Ages 6 to 14. Biography. MC is a white gay man. This colorful picture-book biography traces the life and art of Keith Haring.

The Every Body Book: LGBTQ+ Inclusive Guide for Kids about Sex, Gender, Bodies, and Families by Simon, Rachel E. and Noah Grigni (Illustrator). Ages 8 to 12. Nonfiction/Health. Various identities and races included. Filled with self-affirming information, The Every Body Book uses inclusive language, illustrations, and facts to cover a number of important topics for young people including consent, relationships, gender, sex, puberty, and hormones.

King and the Dragonflies by Callender, Kacen. Ages 8 to 12. Realistic Fiction. MC is a gay black boy, his best friend is a gay white boy. King’s family–especially his father–have strong opinions about what it means to be a Black man, and they don’t allow for being gay. But King admires his friend Sandy for escaping an abusive home and living his truth no matter what. If King comes out, too, can his father learn to change?

Magic Fish by Nguyen, Trung Le. Ages 12 and up. Realistic Fiction/Fantasy. MC is a gay Vietnamese-American boy. A young Vietnamese-American boy literally can’t find the words to tell his parents that he’s gay, but cross-cultural fairytales help bridge the language barrier in this beautifully-illustrated graphic novel.

My Maddy by Pitman, Gayle E. and Violet Tobacco (Illustrator). Ages 4-8. Realistic Fiction. MC’s parent is nonbinary, MC and her parent are white. My Maddy is a heartwarming story about a young girl and her parent. Readers learn that not all parents are boys or girls; some parents are just themselves. In this young girl’s case, that parent is her Maddy, a loving, caring parent who lives outside the gender binary.

My Rainbow by Neal, DeShanna, Trinity Neal, and Art Twink (Illustrator). Ages 4-8. Realistic Fiction. MC is an autistic black trans girl. Autistic trans girl Trinity wants to have long hair, but growing it out is too itchy! None of the wigs in the store are quite right, so Mom makes Trinity a special rainbow wig.

Our Subway Baby by Mercurio, Peter and Leo Espinosa (Illustrator). Ages 4 to 8. Adoption Non-fiction. MCs are white gay men, the baby they adopt is Black. Loving illustrations help tell the story of how an infant abandoned in a NYC subway station was adopted by the man who found him and his partner.

Snapdragon by Leyh, Kat. Snapdragon. Ages 10 to 14. Fantasy. Haven’t read this one yet, so I can’t comment on its representation. Snap gets to know the town witch and discovers that she may in fact have real magic and a secret connection to Snap’s family’s past.

And here are the Top Ten Books for Teen Readers:

All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by Johnson, George M. Ages 14 to 18. Memoir. Author/MC is a gay Black man. “Memoir-manifesto” is a well-chosen label for this book, which relates stories from the author’s childhood and young adulthood and contextualizes them within a queer Black experience. Although the author’s family is loving and supportive, pervasive heteronormativity, queerphobia, and anti-Black racism threaten his mental, emotional, and physical safety.

Camp by Rosen, L.C. Ages 14 and up. Realistic Fiction. MC and his love interest are gay Jewish boys. For Randy, going away to Camp Outland is a breath of fresh air, a time to be exactly who Randy can’t always be at school. But this year will be different. This year, Randy won’t be the flamboyant theater kid, this year Randy will be exactly the type of bro Hudson would want to date. Changing a thing or too will be necessary for Randy to succeed, even if that means leaving some friends behind.

Cemetery Boys by Thomas, Aiden. Ages 13 and up. Paranormal/Romance. MC is a trans Latino, his love interest is a gay Latino. Yadriel accidentally summons the wrong ghost in an attempt to prove himself a real brujo to his family who struggle to accept his gender identity. Though he thinks he is summoning the ghost of his cousin, he actually summons the ghost of Julian Diaz, and finds himself with not one, but two, mysterious deaths to investigate.

Circus Rose by Cornwell, Betsy. Ages 12 and up. Fantasy. One MC is white and one is mixed-race, one is a lesbian and one is questioning. Ivory and Rosie are twins and half-sisters, born to a bearded woman who refused to choose between her lovers, and raised in their mother’s circus. After a long foreign tour, they come home to find themselves under attack by religious zealots. As tragedy follows tragedy, will Ivory be able to save her circus family?

Elatsoe by Little Badger, Darcie and Rovina Cai (Illustrator). Ages 12 and up. Mystery. MC is an aro/ace Lipan Apache girl. In this OwnVoices novel, Elatsoe is on a mission to discover who killed her beloved cousin, and why. If not for her cousin, then she is doing this for her people, the Indigenous Lipan Apache tribe. Elatsoe has the ability to raise ghosts from the dead, a tradition that has been passed down through generations. On this journey it will take vulnerability, wit, and the legends of her people for Elatsoe to understand all that is hidden in the small town of Willowbee.

I’ll Be the One by Lee, Lyla. Ages 13 and up. Realistic Fiction. MC is a bi Korean-American girl, her love interest is a bi Korean boy. Skye Shin dreams of becoming the world’s first plus-sized K-pop star, and a reality TV competition may just be her chance. To win, she’ll have to deal with fatphobic beauty standards, fierce competition, and intense media scrutiny–as well as unexpected attraction to one of her competitors.

Miss Meteor by Mejia, Tehlor Kay and Anna-Marie McLemore. Ages 14 and up. Magical Realism. (I haven’t read this one, but I think both MCs are WLW Latinas.) Lita is a star – literally. After falling to earth several years ago, she’s now living life as a teenage girl. When the annual Miss Meteor pageant rolls around, Lita decides to enter – but will her ex-best friend Chicky be willing to help her? Will the pageant help her forget about the past and imagine a new future? Lita learns that winning isn’t about being perfect, it’s about showing your true self to the world – even the parts that no one else understands.

You Should See Me in a Crown by Johnson, Leah. Ages 12 and up. Realistic Fiction. MC is a black WLW (woman-loving-woman). In this affectionate rom-com, Liz Lighty finds herself an unlikely candidate for prom queen at her affluent suburban school. Shy, awkward, Black, and low-income, Liz has never felt like she belonged, and she can’t wait to leave for her dream college. But when her scholarship falls through, it seems her last resort is to win prom queen, and the scholarship money that comes with it. Liz’s plan is complicated when new girl Mack decides to run for prom queen also…and ends up running away with Liz’s heart.

War Girls by Onyebuchi, Tochi. Ages 12 and up. Science Fiction/Afro-Futurism. Both MCs are Nigerian, one is a WLW. In a not-so-distant future, climate change and nuclear disasters have made much of the earth unlivable. In the midst of war in Nigeria, two sisters, Onyii and Ify, are torn apart and face two very different futures. As their lives progress through years of untold violence and political unrest, battles with deadly mechs and cyborg soldiers outfitted with artificial limbs and organs, they are brought together again and again and must come to terms with how the war has impacted their lives.

When We Were Magic by Gailey, Sarah. Ages 14 and up. Contemporary Fantasy. MC is a white bi/questioning girl with gay dads, her friends are racially, ethnically, and queerily diverse. This firecracker of a novel follows a group of friends who attempt to correct the accidental murder of a classmate. When We Were Magic combines magic, friendship, and awkward moments to create a captivating story. Each character brings their own uniqueness to the strong group of friends, but despite their differences, their loyalty remains. Author Sarah Gailey has written another page turning novel, with the quirky strange content to boot.

#Rainbow Book List #LGBT literature #queer books #queer YA #queer children's books #Book Recommendations #we need diverse books

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moonb-eam · 4 years

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how was my babies' honeymoon? where did they go? how many innocent people did they make sick with their lovey doveyness? my misn missing heart needs the details 🥺🥺🥺

asdffjdkf oh my goodness you KNOW they were so disgustingly romantic that they traumatized some poor tourists who were just looking to take some nice photos to send to their grandparents 😔

but this had me Thinking, so here’s a little ficlet below the cut, of what elu got up to on their 🍯🌙

It took them a long time to decide on a place to go, and then it only took seconds.

There was much debate leading up to the wedding: what would be too expensive, what would be too crowded, what would be too busy or too boring.

They throw out city names like they’re throwing darts at a map: Berlin, Vienna, Nice, Oslo, Madrid, Cairo, Edinburgh, Tokyo, Kathmandu.

It’s a question that floats, untethered and translucent, until one night when they’re sitting on the sofa together, legs tangled, with Chelou curled in Eliott’s lap and Lucas’ computer open on his. Eliott has his head titled back towards the ceiling, lips pursed together, thinking.

Then, suddenly, Lucas says, “Eli. Look at this Air BnB.”

He turns his laptop towards Eliott, adjusts the brightness so he can see a small, idyllic cottage at the base of a mountain, surrounded by wildflowers.

“It’s in our price range.”

Eliott gasps, leaning forward reach for the laptop, ignoring the annoyed grunt from Chelou as she’s dislodged from his lap.

“Where?” He asks a little breathlessly, eyes narrowing in on the information listed beside the photo. When he glances back up at Lucas, he’s smiling, bright as sunshine. “Switzerland?”

“Switzerland.”

So, in the end, it really only takes seconds. Seconds for them to book the cabin for the week following their wedding, for them to receive a pending email, and for them to burst into a round of excited laughter, falling into each other on the sofa.

Their friends are decidedly underwhelmed by their decision, woefully lamenting that they’re passing up an opportunity to venture out into great wide world, but it doesn’t bother Lucas and Eliott so much, knowing that they can only spend so much money, knowing that it’s a place that neither of them have been before, knowing that what they really both want, more than anything, is time: time where they can be together somewhere, really together, without any distractions, without deadlines or expectations or commitments.

Eliott reminds Lucas of this while they’re on the train, lifting their linked hands from his lap and pressing a soft kiss to Lucas’ knuckles, nuzzling into his hand.

“I’m excited,” Eliott says lowly, and Lucas nods, glancing down at the tourist guide that sits open over his thigh.

“I hope so. You’re the one who booked the tour.” He hums. “Those baby giraffe legs of yours will be useful when you need to carry me up the mountain.”

Eliott laughs, his breath warm against Lucas’ skin. “Sure, I’ll carry you,” he says easily. “But it never mattered to me where we went. You know that, right?” He gently pries open Lucas’ palm, presses a kiss to his heart line. “I just want to be with you.” A delicate pause. “Preferably in a bed.”

Lucas snorts, pushing Eliott’s face away with his open palm. “We get it, Demaury.” He says dryly. “We get it.”

Eliott winks at him, at least, it could be a wink, and it’s so embarrassing and endearing that Lucas can’t help but lean in towards him, smoothing his fingers through Eliott’s hair, dancing along his cheekbone.

“I know,” he says softly. He tucks a strand of Eliott’s hair behind his ear. “I feel the same way.”

The cabin is exactly as advertised: small, cozy, rustic, romantic in a way that has Lucas, despite his teasing towards Eliott earlier, reaching for his shirt the second that the door closes behind them, dragging him towards the double bed covered in layers of wool blankets. There, they create a tiny world of love all over again, the same world they build around themselves everywhere they land, turning the light golden and the air sweet.

They don’t surface until the next morning, when Lucas grudgingly agrees to leave the cabin for the guided hike through the mountains Eliott booked a space on weeks ago, coaxed out of the cabin with the promise of food and the sight of Eliott in a pair of denim shorts and hiking boots.

They’re nearly late because Eliott won’t stop taking pictures of the mountains, and Lucas won’t stop taking pictures of Eliott, but when they arrive at the meeting point, out of breath and already sweating at their temples, their tour guide just grins knowingly at them.

“Honeymoon, eh?” She asks. She’s older, with long grey hair tied into two thick braids, and when she smiles, her eyes crinkle at the corners like well-loved pages. She thumbs over her shoulder at another couple, two girls sitting on a rock together, trading slow kisses between bites of a shared granola bar. “You’re not the only ones.”

The group is small, comprised of Eliott and Lucas, the guide, the other couple, and five university students from Ireland, who all take turns shaking Eliott and Lucas’ hands excitedly after they introduce themselves.

The sun is high when they start hiking, the wind warm and pleasant. Their guide takes them through what she calls a “beginner’s trail,” but it still manages to exhaust every one of them. By the time they take their first break, Lucas is sweating through his shirt and complaining that his legs are so sore Eliott might actually have to carry him down.

But when they reach the end of their climb, a lookout point halfway up to a peak, there is only silence. Silence and awe as they all take in the gold and green valley below them, the singing wind in their ears, the thin, fresh air in their lungs.

Eliott has the guide take a picture of them there, pressed together at the edge of the lookout, dishevelled and tired and smiling so widely the guide feels the corners of her own mouth turning up in response.

“You’re beautiful together,” she tells them softly, seriously, making the both of them blush.

The view is spectacular, the type of view that begs to be ingested in real-time, not captured and carried away in a case, and they stay there as long as they possibly can, feeling every minute slip over their skin as it passes, until the guide tells them they need to get going if they want to make it back to the valley by sunset.

No one is expecting going down to be more difficult than going up, but it is. They have to watch out for sliding heels and buckling knees now, bracing themselves on rocks and trees, fingers scraping against bark, catching on sharp ridges. Eliott loses his balance at one point, long arms flailing out, and Lucas just manages to catch him in time, gripping tightly onto his hands and his shirt, cackling as Eliott swears breathlessly, eyes as wide and startled as a fawn’s.

They return to the valley with long shadows, just as the sun kisses the highest peak of the mountains. They tip the guide, thanking her profusely for the day she gave them, and wave to the rest of the group before beginning the slow, aching trip back to their cabin.

They stop at a small store for food, filling a basket with bread, cheese, soup, fruit, porridge, and wine, Lucas winks at the cashier when her eyes slyly drift between him, Eliott, and the bottle of deep red.

“It’s like we’re radiating honeymoon energy,” Lucas says with a laugh when they’re outside again, huddling against the cold creeping in with the sun’s descent. “Everyone just knows.”

Eliott smiles, tucking Lucas’ hand into his hoodie pocket, their fingers linked together. “I don’t doubt it.”

Lucas wrinkles his nose. “Eliott, are we gross? Are we that couple?”

Eliott ducks his head to press to fleeting kiss to Lucas’ forehead. “I think we are, baby.” He says solemnly.

“Well.” Lucas hides a grin in Eliott’s shoulder, leaning into his side, their feet weaving a lazy, curving path along the quiet road. “I think I like that.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Lucas tilts his head up to glance at him, eyes dark in the dimming light. “Because I feel it all the time, you know. How much I love you. It’s like a...like a spark beneath my skin. I like the idea that other people can feel it too.”

Eliott’s gaze travels up to the expansive sky. He feels as though he could touch the very edges of it. “I like it too.” He takes his hand out of his warm pocket, wraps his arm around Lucas’ shoulders to tug him more firmly into his side. “I like you.” He had meant it to be sweet, teasing, but once the words are out of his mouth, they don’t feel like enough, not nearly enough for the perfect way Lucas folds into his side, for the way the curve of his smile makes Eliott’s heart race. So he tilts his head down, and it’s an awkward angle, but he manages a kiss, soft and lingering, and he whispers right into Lucas’ lips, “I love you.”

Lucas lets out a sigh, arching up into Eliott. “I love you too.” He kisses him again, teasing, and gently bites down on Eliott’s bottom lip. “Hey. Did you know that we’re married?”

Eliott frowns. “Are we?”

“Think so. We signed a document and everything.”

“Huh.” Eliott pulls away, ignoring Lucas’ pouting lips and tugging him off of the main road, back towards their cabin. “I completely forgot about that.”

“That’s okay.” Lucas’ grin is moonlight and want, bare and bright. “I’ll just have to keep reminding you.”

Eliott squeezes him in closer, and he feels the rapturous history of every moment they’ve ever spent together when he says, “Promise?”

Lucas kisses him again, and it feels like breathless edge of every moment that’s still to come when says, “Promise.”

#asks #anon #misn #i don't know whose pov this is from???#let's just call it ~free indirect discourse #thank you love! this was fun hehe #although i won't lie it took me a long time to decide on a destination #but i really think they could have gone anywhere and nowhere #and felt just the same #fic tag

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