#sending her vibes through the universe to tell her how much she means to me | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

bradshawsbaby · 4 months

Text

Letters to My Love // Part X

Rosie the Riveter

Series Masterlist

JOIN THE TAGLIST!

Pairing: Bob Floyd x Female Reader

Summary: When you signed up to volunteer with the USO, you never anticipated that you would meet a man like Ensign Robert Floyd. Fate brings you together one balmy spring evening in Charleston—the night before Bob is set to ship off across the Atlantic. Pen and paper become your only means of sharing your heart with the naval aviator who’s captivated it, igniting a correspondence that spans the distance between you. Can love blossom even as war rages and thousands of miles keep you apart?

Word Count: 2.9k

Author’s Note: I'm so sorry for how long it's taken me to update this story! One of my goals for 2024 is to get this series completed. Although it's taken me so long to update, Bobby and Peach are never far from my mind and are always in my heart. I hope you enjoy this latest installment of their story!

Set the Mood: If you’re looking for some 1940s vibes, check out the playlist I made to pair with the story.

The title of this chapter is obviously a tribute to the iconic figure of Rosie the Riveter. But it was also inspired by the song of the same name by The Four Vagabonds, which you can listen to here!

Dedication: As always, this story is dedicated to my dear friend, Clara (@luminousnotmatter). She was the first person to listen to all my endless ramblings about this universe, and she has never stopped supporting me or believing that I can get it finished. Thank you, Clara!

Warnings: Alternating POV, references to casualties of war and grief, slight angst, lots and lots of fluff.

July 8, 1943

My Dearest Peach,

I want to start by saying that I’m terribly sorry it’s taken me so long to respond to your last letter. I think I’ve worn down the paper to nearly nothing with how many times I’ve read it, but it’s been hard to get a free moment to sit and write you the response you deserve. Things are really heating up over here, and we have to be ready to move at a moment’s notice. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sat down to start a new letter, only for us to be called up just as I set my pen to the paper.

To set your mind at ease, I want you to know that I’m alright. I’m not sure how much information they’re sharing with you all back home, but I know one of the fellas got a letter from his wife recently and she told him that three different families on their street got notified that their boys had been killed in action in just one week. It made her real scared that she was going to be the next one getting a knock on the door. I won’t lie to you, Peach, because I don’t think that’s fair—we’re losing a lot of men over here. It’s scary to think that any day now, it could be me they’re sending a flag home for.

I hate to start this letter off so morbidly, but there’s been something weighing on my mind lately, especially since my buddy got that letter from his wife. If anything happens to me over here, you won’t know. They’ll tell my family, sure, but not you. And I can’t stand the thought of you waiting for another letter that isn’t going to come. So I’ve spoken to Paul, Tommy Boy, and Benny about it. If anything happens to me over here, Peach, they’re going to write to you and let you know. It gives me some comfort to think that their words will be a little softer and kinder than the formality of Uncle Sam.

I hope this doesn’t make you sad, Peach, although I admit it makes me a bit sad to write. The truth is, I’m quite alright right now, like I said, and I don’t plan on letting anything happen to me over here. We have to take that drive to Folly Beach and get ice cream on the pier, after all. I tell you, that thought alone is enough to get me through even the hardest days over here.

Alright, enough of all this. Time to get back to your lovely letter. They’re calling us for dinner right now, but as soon as I’m finished, I’m coming right back to continue this letter. Nothing’s going to stop me from getting it to you.

I’m back, Peach. All the fellas were teasing me in the galley because of how quickly I scarfed down my dinner, but I didn’t care because I knew I was getting back to you and your sweet words, and that means a whole lot more than the crummy food they’re serving over here. Boy, I tell you, I sure do miss home-cooked meals. They even had—I’m not lying, I promise—they even had peach cobbler for dessert tonight. It made me think of you, but I’m sure it’s nowhere near as good as the cobbler your family makes, so I didn’t even bother giving it a taste.

Now I do have to say that you’re right, of course. I hate hearing you call yourself shy and mousey. If that’s the way you feel when I call myself boring, then I certainly promise I won’t ever do it again. It’s a deal—neither of us will talk about ourselves like that anymore.

Nothing you say could ever sound silly to me, Peach. Even though we only got to spend a few hours in each other’s company, your letters have made me feel like we’ve known each other for years and years. I’m honored that I’ve been able to make you feel seen. I do see you, Peach. You’re the most beautiful, interesting, intelligent girl I’ve ever known, and I hope you can see that in yourself. For what it’s worth, you’ve helped me to come out of my shell, too. Paul was just saying the other day that I look like a new man—that I’m standing taller and seem more confident than he’s ever seen in all the years he’s known me. I had just finished reading one of your letters when he said that. I don’t think that’s a coincidence. You’re turning me into a new man, Peach, and I like it. I like it a lot.

I’m glad that you passed along my well wishes to Emily. Even though part of me still thinks her fiancé is a dunce, I do wish them all the best. Has she heard from Eddie? I don’t know where he’s stationed, but if you’d like to find out and send the information to me, I can try to keep an ear out. How has the wedding planning been going? I’m still confident you’re going to make the prettiest bridesmaid.

I did pass along your invitation in my last letter home to my family, and my mother said she would certainly inquire after the Sheridan residence should she ever happen to find herself in Charleston. I think she’s happy that you and I are still writing to each other. She’s even happier about the thought of swapping recipes with you. Watch out—if the two of you ever do meet, I think she’ll hold you hostage in the kitchen all day.

Now I am very proud to hear about all the fine work you and Dottie have been doing with your Victory Garden. I’m sure there must have been a lot of progress since you last wrote to me! I eagerly await news about the beans, carrots, cucumbers, and tomatoes. I’m sure you’ve been able to make lots of hearty soups and healthy salads. My mouth is watering at the notion. Like I said, the food in the galley has been pretty crummy lately.

I’m sorry to hear there’s been some trouble back home. I’m sure it can’t be easy for anyone, with all the rationing and the fear and the worry. I promise that we’re doing our best over here to bring this war to an end quickly so that life can return to normal for all of you over there. For us, too. We really can’t wait to be home again.

Peach, I want you to know that it is our duty, our honor, and, quite frankly, our privilege to be fighting for you over here. I know the other fellas would agree with me saying so. So I don’t want you to feel like you have to do anything at home to “earn” us fighting for you. That said, I think it’s incredible that you want to contribute to the war effort in that way. I’m sure you haven’t been waiting for my response or my approval—which you shouldn’t, by the way—but I give a wholehearted yes to you applying for that position at the air station. We just recently saw Mr. Norman Rockwell’s illustration of Rosie the Riveter on the cover of the Post, and I have to say that I think you’d wear those coveralls a hundred times better.

I’m so proud of you, Peach. I want you to know that.

Speaking of the war effort, we have a couple big campaigns coming up very soon. I can’t say much more than that, but your well wishes and prayers for success would be very much appreciated. I’m always thankful for them.

Until next time, Peach! I’m already counting down the days until your next letter arrives.

Most Truly Yours,

Bobby

P.S. I almost forgot! I told Paul how much you loved the fact that he sends drawings home to Clara and Paul, Jr.—by the way, that reminds me, how is little Frankie doing?—and he was more than happy to create a few illustrations for you. He did a couple portraits—one of me and one of you, based off your beautiful photograph. He said to apologize that he’s too much of an amateur to capture all of your beauty. He did say that he thought he did a fine enough job capturing my likeness—I’m telling you, Peach, I think my friends officially like you better than they like me. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

July 31, 1943

My Dearest Bobby,

Please don’t ever feel like you need to apologize for how long it takes you to write back to me. I can only imagine how difficult it is to find the time to write with everything that must be happening over there, and yet you always find the time to pen the most thoughtful and wonderful letters. I cherish each and every one of them, and I promise that I’m more than content to read your old letters as I await the new ones.

I’m so sorry to hear about how many of our boys we’re losing. Just last week, our neighbors, the Pattersons—you remember I mentioned Mrs. Patterson had helped me and Dottie with our Victory Garden?—received news that their son, Clarence was killed in action in France. It was devastating. Dottie and I had just been coming home from the grocery store when we saw the officer standing on their front steps with a telegram in hand. We knew what that meant. Mrs. Patterson has been inconsolable since. Mr. Patterson is equally devastated, but I think he’s trying to be strong for her. Dottie and I have been taking turns cooking meals for them and spending some time over at their house. We just want them to know that they’re not alone.

I admit, Bobby, that every time I hear news of someone else being lost in this war, I immediately think of you. It feels selfish, but I’m always so relieved when the news is about someone else and not you. I don’t know how I would bear it. I pray every day that I never have to receive that letter from Paul or Tommy Boy or Benny, but I am touched that you’ve thought about how I could be notified. Oh, Bobby, I hope more than anything that your parents never have to experience what the Pattersons are going through.

But you’re right—you’re going to come home safely. We have too many plans for you to do otherwise!

I’m sorry to hear that the food aboard your carrier has been so crummy lately. I wish that I could whip up a home-cooked feast and send it in the mail with my letters. Every time I sit down to dinner now, I think of all of you, and I count my blessings. Things aren’t perfect on the homefront, but I know that we certainly have no room to complain with all you boys are going through. I promise to have a peach cobbler waiting for you when you come home—and a pumpkin pie, for good measure.

If I’m turning you into a new man, Bobby, then you simply must know that you’re turning me into a new woman as well. I hardly remember the girl that I was before I met you. Can you believe that it’s been over a year now since our paths first crossed? I feel like my life is totally different now. The way that I see myself, the way I interact with others, the way that I’m not so terrified to step out of my comfort zone anymore—so much of that is thanks to you, Bobby. I’m still me, of course. But I feel like I’m a stronger, braver version of myself now. I like it, too.

It’s so kind of you to offer to keep an ear out for Eddie’s infantry! Emily received a letter from him around the same time that I received my letter from you, and he seems to be doing well, same as you, thank goodness. Eddie is part of the 1st Infantry Division. Emily said that last she knew, he was stationed somewhere near the Rhineland. The wedding planning has been going very well. Pretty much everything is set now—all we need is the groom. Emily can’t wait for Eddie to come home for good. Once he does, they’ll be able to officially set the date. Us bridesmaids are going to be wearing lilac-colored dresses. Dottie says she already knows how she’s going to style my hair. I hope that you’re home, too, when the wedding finally happens. Emily said that I could invite you to be my date. Only if you’d like that, of course.

I would be very happy to be kept hostage in the kitchen with your mother! I’m sure there’s so much I could learn from her, and it sounds like a splendid way to spend the day. I look forward to meeting her one of these days!

Oh, the Victory Garden, Bobby! You wouldn’t believe how it’s grown! Trust me, no one is more shocked than me and Dottie. Well, maybe Paddy. He knows firsthand what brown thumbs my sister and I normally have. At first, we weren’t so sure what was going to happen—the cucumbers seemed a bit small and some of the tomatoes didn’t really take. But by the end of June, everything was thriving! It’s been such a joy to watch, and I have to admit, both Dottie and I are feeling extremely accomplished. Frankie loves to spend time in the garden with us, although he spends a bit more time digging in the dirt than helping us pick vegetables, I’m afraid. Now that we’re in the middle of summer, we’re experimenting with zucchini and eggplant. We might also try radishes and turnips. We’re turning into quite the farmers! If your mother has any recipes to share, we’d be more than grateful and happy to try them out!

Now I admit that I’ve saved the most exciting news for last. At the beginning of June, I decided to go for it and I applied for the position at the air station in Goose Creek, the one Paddy told me about. I’m sure being his sister-in-law gave me a bit of an advantage, but it only took a couple days for me to hear back from them. I got the job! I’ve officially been working on the assembly line since the middle of June. It’s hard work, and I’ve never been so tired in all my life, but I have to say that I’m really proud of the work we’re doing. It’s funny that you mention Rosie the Riveter—my job these past few weeks has actually been to fasten pieces of the planes we’re assembling with rivets! So I guess you could call me Peach the Riveter. Doesn’t have quite the same ring though, does it?

I know that the chances are small that anything I’m helping to build is going to reach you specifically, Bobby, but I can’t help but smile every time we finish a new part, or get a new plane put together. I imagine you and Paul, or Tommy Boy or Benny hopping inside and it brings me more pleasure and pride than I could possibly explain. I feel like I’m doing something important, something meaningful and special. If spending hours riveting until my fingers turn numb brings you home even a day faster, then it will all have been worth it. And it gives me a real sense of purpose, driving to work each day with Paddy. I feel proud of myself.

I’ve made some new friends at work, too! Florence and Virginia—we call them Florie and Ginny—are the loveliest, kindest girls. They had already been working on the assembly line for a few months before I got the job, so they’ve been showing me the ropes and teaching me everything they know. They’ve made me feel so welcome, so a part of things. I have to admit that I was terrified my first week or so, terrified that I was going to mess something up or make a fool of myself. But I’ve settled in quite well, thankfully.

It means a lot to me to know that I have your support, Bobby. Truly, it does. Thinking of you and all that you’re doing to protect us is what really motivated me to take this job, so thank you.

Of course I’m sending all my best wishes for the campaigns you have coming up! Wherever you are right now, I pray that you’re safe and that your missions are successful.

You’re so brave, Bobby. Have I told you that lately? Even if I have, you deserve to hear it again. I’m so, so proud of you. You’re my hero.

I hope this letter gets to you soon. I wish it could grow wings and fly to you. I know time is going to pass so slowly until I’m holding a new letter from you in my hands. But until then, Bobby, I’m thinking of you and holding you in my heart.

Most Truly and Affectionately Yours,

Peach

P.S. Paul is quite the artist!!! I now have his portraits hanging right beside the photographs you sent me. Please tell him how talented I think he is, and how much I love the drawings he made for me! I was especially touched by the little note he wrote me on the back of your portrait. I hope he’s doing well. Send my best to him and Tommy Boy and Benny!

TAGLIST: @teacupsandtopgun @saturnsbabe69 @gigisimsonmars @marchingicenotes7 @high-speed-r @cadencebeat2662 @up-thereinthesky @lostinthefandoms11 @strangerparks @sweetwhispersofchaos @callsign-magnolia @the-wayward-daughter @becks-things @jostyriggslover96 @solo-pitstop-vibes @wretchedmo @muddwheelz123 @ryebecca @lewmagoo @withahappyrefrain @rhettabbotts

#robert bob floyd #bob floyd #bob floyd x reader #x reader #x female reader #top gun #top gun: maverick #WWII AU #1940s AU #lewis pullman

145 notes · View notes

holymultiplefandomsbatman · 2 years

Text

For You I’ll Fight

Bruce Wayne x Reader (she/her)

Summary: You’ve been in love with your best friend Bruce for a while. When the two of you get kidnapped by Jeremiah, you realize that your feelings might be reciprocated after all.

Word count: 3.54k

Warnings: guns, kidnapping, death threats (it’s Jeremiah after all), blood mention, angst, angst with happy ending, cursing

Requested by: @eggsandhammers

Request: Hiii I’m new to requests so if I do anything wrong please tell me! Could I request a gotham!bruce x reader(civilian, so like not a superhero) where her and Bruce get kidnapped by Jeremiah? Angst with happy ending please!!!! Maybe he confesses his love for her once they are safe

I really hope you enjoy this fic! I’m sorry it took longer to write. Unfortunately, I had an IRL crisis to solve and that kinda made writing difficult.

I had lot of fun writing this fic and I kinda want to rewatch Gotham again because this brought back a lot of feels and so much nostalgia. I forgot how much I love not only Bruce but just the whole Gotham universe.

I hope you enjoy this fic and that it was worth the wait! The title is from the song “I’ll Fight” by Daughtry and I think it fits the whole vibe really well. Protective Bruce for the win lol.

If you have other ideas for requests, feel free to send me an ask or a message! 😊 You can check my pinned post to see when my requests are open.

Being friends with someone as famous as Bruce Wayne brought its issues. A horde of paparazzi usually followed the two of you whenever you went out together. A few days later, you’d see your picture plastered across the Gotham Gazette and people would speculate if you were his new lover or something like that.

It was truly obnoxious and just extremely uncomfortable. They’d always dig for any information they could find, sometimes exposing things from your past that were truly nobody’s business.

This time however, the issue wasn’t paparazzi.

To be fair, you wished that were the case. You’d be a lot less scared of paparazzi since you were already familiar with their antics.

This time, you’d been kidnapped.

You’d met up with Bruce earlier, sitting on a bench in the park together, just talking.

You still remembered laughing at one of his stupid jokes when someone had pressed a hand over your mouth and nose from behind. Next thing you knew, you’d awoken in some old building, tied to a chair.

You struggled against your restraints, but they wouldn’t budge. The rope dug into your arms, and the more you moved and wiggled, the further the restraints tightened around your body. It only increased your desperation.

“Bruce,” you called, your voice cracking from not having used it in a while. The word scratched in your throat. You tried to clear it but that didn’t help.

“Bruce! Bruce!”

A spotlight lit up to your left. It illuminated the shadowy silhouette of a person you didn’t recognize.

Until they spoke.

“Poor Y/n, looking for our dear Bruce… But where is he? Bruce! Bruce, where are you?”

Fear prickled down your spine. There was only one person who sounded like that.

Another spotlight turned on. The personification of your darkest nightmares was wearing a purple suit, grinning at you with so much cruelty in his smile that it made you sick.

Jeremiah Valeska.

For some reason, the lyrics to You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch flashed through your mind. It would’ve made you laugh if the situation had been different. Nevertheless, the lyrics suited Jeremiah.

You’re a vile one, Mr. Grinch. You got termites in your smile. You have all the sweetness of a seasick crocodile, Mr. Grinch.

A screen lit up to your right, across from the small stage Jeremiah was apparently standing on. The light blinded you and you couldn’t see anything. You squeezed your eyes shut, blinking against the bright sensation.

Slowly, very slowly, the picture became clearer.

Your stomach sank.

Bruce.

He was also tied to a chair, just like you, and his head had dropped forward onto his chest. He hadn’t woken up yet.

Jeremiah didn’t like that. You could see it in the way his smile dropped, how angrily he stared at the screen. As time ticked by and Bruce still didn’t move, Jeremiah’s sickly white face slowly contorted into a grotesque expression of rage.

“Bruce!” he screamed. His loud voice, amplified by the microphone, rang in your ears.

You wanted to cover them with your hands to block out the noise but due to the ropes tying you down that was impossible. You grimaced.

Bruce blinked, slowly waking up from whatever you’d been given to sedate you. His movements were sluggish, like time was moving slower for him. As if he was stuck in a movie scene.

Bruce’s head shot up and he looked straight into the camera. You didn’t know what he was seeing. He narrowed his eyes, anger overtaking his usually soft features.

“Where’s Y/n! What is this??”

Your eyes wandered to Jeremiah, who grinned his evil smirk with a dash of madness. Your stomach twisted.

You got termites in your smile…

“Oh Bruce, don’t worry. Your dear Y/n is right here, she’s unharmed.”

Jeremiah paused dramatically before adding, “For now.”

Bruce’s eyes widened. Recognition flashed over his handsome face, only to be replaced by a fury that made you want to hide.

You’d never seen Bruce like this before.

“Jeremiah, if you hurt her I swear you’ll regret it!”

Your mouth opened on its own, the desire to calm him down too strong to fight it. You just wanted to see the rage disappear from Bruce’s eyes. You couldn’t bear to see him like that.

“Bruce, I’m okay, don’t worry! I–“

You were staring down the barrel of a gun before you could even finish your sentence.

Jeremiah shot you a twisted smile filled with far too much joy. He jumped down from the stage and walked over to your chair, never lowering the gun. His movements were those of a predator, like a tiger on the prowl.

“Shut up.”

Jeremiah turned back towards the screen, still pointing the gun at you. “I recommend you hurry up and find us, or else your dear Y/n might end up bleeding out on the floor.”

He paused, and you could almost see the manic grin break out on his face, even though the back of his head was turned to you. When he spoke again his voice was lower, closer to a whisper but without losing its threatening tone.

“You remember what I did to Selina, don’t you?”

Bruce’s eyes widened. Actual fear spread over his face as he started thrashing against the ropes, desperately trying to get free.

Jeremiah made a noise.

You frowned, unable to figure out what it was.

He turned back towards you, a twisted kind of joy on his face, and it clicked. Jeremiah was giggling. He found Bruce’s and your pain funny.

“You sick asshole!” you spat.

The joyful look disappeared from Jeremiah’s face. He narrowed his eyes at you, his lips pressed tightly together into a thin line. He cocked his head just barely but it was still enough to know you’d crossed a line.

Jeremiah turned his back towards the screen and came even closer, pressing the barrel of the gun to your forehead.

The cold material sent a prickling sensation of pure fear down your spine. You balled your hands into fists, biting your lip to not let out any noise that could set Jeremiah off even more.

Jeremiah leaned down, his face right in front of yours.

“You know… Last time I caught Bruce on a date with his girlfriend, I shot her in the stomach. She almost bled out on the floor...”

He giggled again, removing the gun from your forehead and pressing your chin upwards with it to make you look at his face.

“She survived.” Jeremiah paused, the signature wide grin breaking out on his face that you were so familiar with by now. “This time, I’ll make sure to do it right.”

Your stomach twisted painfully. You struggled against the ropes again, unable to get out of them.

Even if you’d been able to get free, what would you have done? Jeremiah had a gun. You’d be dead before you could take a single step.

A loud crashing noise made your head twist towards the screen that showed Bruce. He wasn’t sitting on his chair anymore. Instead, he was laying on the floor, on the broken pieces that seemed to be the remains of his wooden chair.

Bruce must have let himself fall backwards to break it…

Jeremiah whipped his head around towards the screen. He let out a growl. You weren’t sure if he was happy that something was finally happening, or if he was angry that Bruce had managed to escape.

You stared at the screen anxiously, scared that Bruce had hurt himself. But he got up, shaking off the rope before he stormed out of the camera’s view.

You took a deep breath of relief. Bruce was on his way.

He’d come and find you, and then you’d get out of here.

The relieved feeling disappeared instantly as you caught sight of Jeremiah’s wide grin. He smiled at you, casually playing with his gun. He didn’t seem to care about the fact that Bruce had gotten free – quite the opposite: he was happy about it.

Jeremiah wanted to fight Bruce, for whatever reason.

You felt the urge to throw up, but the only thing that would’ve come up was the ice-cream Bruce had bought for you before you’d sat down in the park together.

Tears burned in your eyes as you remembered how much fun you’d been having. Bruce always managed to make you happy, no matter how bad you might feel about life in that moment. Even if everything sucked, he was always there to cheer you up.

Sometimes, he’d take you out to the park just to sit with you in silence if that was what you wanted. Or you’d go to a restaurant and have a nice evening, just the two of you talking about a teacher who’d pissed you off or something random that Alfred had done.

You’d realized a while ago that you were in love with Bruce. Today in the park, you were planning to finally tell him, no matter how fast your heart would be beating or how scared you’d be.

None of that had happened. Here you were now, stuck in the claws of Jeremiah Valeska, who could do whatever he wanted to you while you were waiting for Bruce to come and rescue you.

You’d always hated a lot of action movies for putting the (usually female) characters into the position of a damsel in distress. It was ridiculous and, quite frankly, it really pissed you off.

You’d never expected to get stuck in a situation like that yourself.

Rage burned in the pit of your stomach. You internally cursed whatever deity you could think of for making this happen – if you believed in that stuff or not. It was the only thing you had left to do, being angry at life.

Otherwise you’d end up losing your mind.

Screams of pain erupted outside, the sounds of people fighting. You craned your neck trying to see what was happening but the screen shielded the doorway from your eyes.

Jeremiah took a step towards the screen, his hands playing with the gun between his gloved fingers. The way he moved once again reminded you of a tiger on the prowl, slow and dangerous. Your hands clenched around the armrests of your chair.

The noise outside stopped.

You stared at the edge of the screen, hoping that you would see just a little bit of what was happening. Hoping against all odds that Bruce would just step out from behind the screen, wrap you up in his arms and carry you out of here – no matter how silly that was.

Unfortunately, you also knew Jeremiah would never let that happen.

The aforementioned Mr. Grinch took a few steps towards the screen, the gun ready in his hand. He was moving slowly, carefully, ready to attack at the slightest hint of danger.

Your nails dug into your palms as you clenched your hands into fists, anxiously staring at Jeremiah’s back. Unfortunately, you couldn’t see anything except the dark purple fabric of his suit. You’d never look at that color the same way again.

Something shifted behind you, nothing more than a brush of air against your neck. A second later, someone was gripping the ropes around your wrists, pulling at them.

You gasped, the sound far too loud for the silence of the room.

A hand shot up, covering your mouth, while a low voice hissed into your ear.

“Shhhh!”

You stopped struggling immediately. Your eyes grew wide but you didn’t dare turn your head or look down, too scared that Jeremiah might notice your movement.

Bruce.

He slowly removed his hand from your mouth, then went back to untying the ropes as quickly as he could.

You tried to keep your breathing even as you looked ahead for Jeremiah. He had disappeared behind the screen, still searching for Bruce.

The ropes were almost loose when Bruce froze, prompting you to crane your head in a desperate attempt to see what was happening.

“Well, would you look at that – Brucie really tried to save his poor Y/n… Too bad it didn’t work.”

Jeremiah pushed Bruce into your line of vision, pressing the gun against his temple. He wrapped his free arm around Bruce’s neck, pulling him closer until he was standing behind him, holding Bruce in a headlock.

You shrieked in fear.

Jeremiah grinned at you. He shifted his weight, running the gun over Bruce’s cheek almost lovingly.

You wanted to throw up.

“Look, Y/n. He's trying so hard to be your hero… Isn't that cute?"

Bruce struggled against Jeremiah’s grip, trying to get free but failing.

You gritted your teeth. The sound of Jeremiah’s voice alone was enough to send a shiver down your spine, making you want to hide and pray he wouldn't find you.

"Jeremiah, let her go! You want me, don't you? Well, you have me. Let her go!" Bruce's voice cracked with desperation.

Jeremiah just made a tsk sound, shaking his head. He tightened his grip around Bruce’s neck, slowly pointing the gun at you while he spoke.

The low rumble of his voice gave you goosebumps.

“Now, why would I do that? Why would I just hurt you when I can torture you… by hurting her?”

Jeremiah’s finger curled around the trigger.

You couldn’t look away. You stared at the gun, barely able to breathe while your heart hammered against your ribcage.

Any minute now, it would all be over…

Heavy footsteps steadily moved towards the door.

Jeremiah whipped his head in the direction of the sound. He frowned, his face contorting into a grimace.

A high pitched noise hit your ears and you cringed away from the sound.

“Jeremiah Valeska!”

Jim Gordon’s unmistakable voice echoed through the door, amplified by a megaphone.

“Stand down. Let the hostages go. You’re surrounded!”

Relief flooded through your body. The feeling was so intense that you grew light-headed.

You’d never been so happy to hear Jim’s voice.

Jeremiah looked back and forth between Bruce, the door and you. He growled angrily.

“This isn’t over, Brucie!”

Jeremiah pushed Bruce away from him with force, making him stumble. Then he ran away – right as GCPD officers stormed into the room.

Jim Gordon headed straight for you while the others scouted the area to make sure there were no other threats. He knelt before your chair, looking at you with worry in his eyes.

“Hey Y/n. Are you okay?”

A whimper escaped your lips when you tried to respond. Seeing Jim felt like a miracle. It was unreal.

Jim cut the ropes and carefully helped you stand up. He gripped your arms when you lost your balance, wrapping one arm around your waist to keep you steady.

Everything you’d been through crashed down on you as you felt the warmth of Jim’s body next to yours. The kidnapping, the fear.

“Bruce…”

Your voice was barely above a whisper.

Where was Bruce? Was he okay?

Did Jeremiah hurt him, did he–

You were trembling.

Bruce appeared in front of you, pulling you into his arms. He was breathing heavily and his hair was a mess, his clothes ripped.

But he was alive.

You threw your arms around him, clinging to him for dear life. Tears stung in your eyes as the realization slowly set in – you were safe. Everything was alright.

Bruce returned the hug, burying his face in the crook of your neck. His shaky breath hit your skin as he held you with just as much desperation. His shoulders slowly fell and he relaxed into the embrace, his breathing slowing down until he was just holding you, his arms wrapped tightly around you.

You buried your face in his shirt, trying your best to breathe slowly. Trying to remind yourself that it was over – Jeremiah was gone. He couldn’t hurt you anymore.

“It’s okay,” Bruce mumbled, “you’re safe.”

He slowly lifted his head, shifting his weight so he could raise a hand to your face. His fingers stroked over the skin of your cheek.

A shiver went down your spine.

You slowly looked up at Bruce. Your heart stumbled in your chest. He was staring at you with what you could only describe as awe and adoration, the slightest hint of a smile on his lips.

Now that you were looking at Bruce, you couldn’t stop. You took in every tiny feature of his beautiful face – the dark eyebrows, his soft brown eyes, the tiny scar next to his nose where you’d once hit him with a pan by accident when you’d tried cooking something for Alfred…

Eventually, your gaze settled on Bruce’s lips and remained there. The desire to kiss him hit you in the gut with an intensity you’d never felt before.

“Y/n?”

Bruce looked at you with a light frown on his face. His eyebrows furrowed as his eyes trailed over your face with a hint of worry.

“Are you okay?”

You managed a nod, absentmindedly chewing on your bottom lip. Before all of this insanity happened, you’d wanted to confess to him. Were you still brave enough to do it now?

Bruce must have mistaken your worries for fear. He lifted his other hand, cupping your face in his palms while he looked at you with soft but serious eyes. His brows furrowed together.

“You’re safe now. Jeremiah can’t get to you, don’t worry. I won’t ever let him touch you again, I swear.”

You smiled shakily, trying to suppress the shiver running up your spine. He just sounded so serious and protective… like he really meant it.

Bruce caressed your cheeks, his thumbs softly running over your skin. He just looked at you, the frown on his face disappearing and making space for what you could only describe as adoration.

The pure softness and – dare you say – love shining out of his warm brown eyes was overwhelming.

Bruce took a deep breath. His eyes wandered over your face, flickering to your lips for a second before he practically ripped his gaze away. He gulped, slowly opening his mouth.

“Y/n, I– There’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you for a while. I– I know this is a lot, especially after today but–“

You were listening with growing disbelief. Your heart hammered against your ribcage. Was he really saying what you thought he did?

Bruce lowered his head as if he was scared to look at you. “I love you.”

You couldn’t describe the chaotic emotions that battled in your chest. The confession rendered you speechless. You had to just stand in silence and breathe for a while.

“Really?” you finally managed to ask.

Bruce chuckled under his breath.

“Yes, really. I’ve been in love with you for years. And if you don’t feel the same, it’s okay–“

You cut him off, tugging him towards you by his sweater and pressing your lips to his.

Bruce froze.

He recovered quickly, wrapping his arms around you as he returned the kiss with a passion that took your breath away.

You heard Jim’s voice somewhere in the background but it was muffled, as if it were coming from far away.

One of your hands grabbed hold of Bruce’s black sweater, pulling him even closer to you. He tightened his arm around you in return, cupping the back of your head with his other hand.

Butterflies fluttered wildly in your stomach.

Bruce slowly broke the kiss. He didn’t pull away from you completely, just lingered, his lips inches from yours. Your shaky breaths mingled.

You just stared at him for a moment, still caught up in the feeling of Bruce’s lips on yours.

Jim loudly cleared his throat.

“This is so cute and I’m glad you’re finally together – but you should really go home. You need to process what happened.”

You forced yourself to look away from Bruce and nodded.

“Thank you.” you said softly, hoping it could express not only how grateful you were that Jim had come to rescue you, but also that he cared about you enough to want you to be safe.

Jim gave you a small smile before he walked back over to the GCPD officers to check in with them.

You reached for Bruce’s hand, smiling to yourself when he locked his fingers with yours.

“Do you need to call Alfred?”

Bruce nodded. He borrowed a phone from one of the officers and dialed Alfred’s number. He had to sit through a long lecture about safety and how he had endangered you as well, before Alfred finally hung up.

You grinned in amusement when Bruce gave back the phone and looked at you with exaggerated annoyance.

His face quickly softened as he lifted his free hand, swiping his thumb over your cheek.

“I meant what I said, you know,” he said in a low voice, “I love you and I will protect you, whatever happens.”

You leaned into his touch, smiling softly while you looked at Bruce.

“I love you too.”

Finally being able to say it out loud felt almost unreal.

A bright grin spread over Bruce’s face in response. He cupped your face in his hands, kissing you softly.

You buried your hands in his hair, closing your eyes as everything around you faded away. The only thing that mattered was Bruce.

If being with him felt like this, you couldn’t wait for what the future would bring.

More of my stuff

Fandoms I write for

#mywriting🧡#bruce wayne x reader #bruce wayne imagine #bruce wayne #gotham #gotham fox #gotham fanfiction #gotham imagine #jeremiah valeska #jim gordon #gotham rogues #gotham show #gotham series #gotham season 4 #gotham season 3

254 notes · View notes

lcstinfantasy · 6 months

Note

Who would you consider the closest friends you've met through RPC?

random anon

jokes aside, i do really consider everyone i write with or speak to ooc as a friend. but yes, i am closer to some more than others but that does not diminish the relationship i have with any of you! these people i just tend to talk to on a daily basis and the conversations go deeper that writing or surface level information.

@frxgmcnts, this one is a given. i have been writing and friends with nini for 5 years now. i could not imagine my life without her in it. she listens to me rant and rave all the time about life, plots, issues. just everything. we talk about everything. we vibe and click and i just that's the loml right there. she's stuck with me for eternity and a billion of them after.

@nanlanmo, hil knows how much i love her and how grateful i am for our friendship. we are even planning some trips coming up together and i'm super excited. we joke that we're the same person just different fonts. time lines, issues, life -- it all adds up. my life would be very dull without my theater geek

@gcldenmemories, did y'all not see that coming? sunshine is my love. i find it very hard to instantly click and not feel awkward but man, sunshine came busting into my life like the koolaid man through a wall and it's been amazing ever since. from our ships, to the tiktoks we send. *chefs kiss* we're gonna get married (at this point i've got like 3 wives lol) and live in the mountains and read books when it rains.

@ner0tic, new to list but not any less important, is my witchy sister. you want to talk about an instant click? possession and i can go on RANTS about spiritual shit. i'm pretty sure we had like a 2 hour phone conversation the other night on just some spiritual and universal shit.

@talesfromthevoiid, grandpa may be a pain in the ass but we love him in this house. there have been plenty of times that i've been down in the dumps and jay knows how to just make me laugh or take my mind off it. from tiktok spams (on and off tiktok cause man will spam me on all ways if i don't answer) to advice, i am lucky to call him a friend.

honorable mentions; @fatalframez, @havvkinsqueen, @vionlet, @dozenzofrozez, @atrickrtreat, @anthrcpophagi, @redemptivexheroics

let me reiterate this though, i love every single one of you. i care about every single one of you. i am just TRASH at communication. you can ask any of the people listed and they'd probably tell you i am so bad at it. but i do not half ass friendships, that's just not who i am. so if i tell you i care about you, that we're friends, or that i want to met you, i mean it! you are all special in your own way ❤️ please never doubt your place in the world/rpc, my love for you or just yourself. you matter, you're loved, you're meant to be here.

#𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊 tin answers

16 notes · View notes

skittlesmcgee · 1 month

Text

Today I made my wax lady cry. Not tear up. Full on cry. I didn't mean it and it was a good thing.

For the last eight months, this very nice lady, about my age, has been carefully taking the hair off my underarms and snatch every eight weeks. Today, she asked if I had seen her emails. I told her that I didn't think I got emails from here, just text messages. So told me that she's closing her business. She explained that there were some things she needed done but the landlord just wasn't doing them. She's looked around for other locations and just can't find anything in her price range. So she was thinking about closing the spa. Then her son explained that he was moving from Arizona to Dallas and she should come down to Dallas. She could live with him until she figured stuff out. And that's what she's doing. My response, "I am so happy for you! I am so glad you are doing what's right for you!"

First, I think a lot of her clients' first response is "Who's gonna do my <insert thing here>??" And I get it. I don't want to find another wax lady. (For the record, I already have an appointment scheduled. LOL) But this lady is starting over in a new city and she told me she was a little nervous about it. So I told her my story. I told her how I did exactly this two years ago. How it was the hardest, scariest, best thing I ever did. We spent the whole time that she's doing her thing talking about it. How she's never lived anywhere else (same). How she really hasn't traveled that much (same). How, even though she has her son, she's moving to a brand new place without an established support structure (same...not my son but my friends).

She talked about how she only really figured out the first step...move to Dallas. She hadn't figured anything else out. I told her that I had used that same move on my last two vacations. I had a short list of things that I wanted to see, but had plenty of time to find cool stuff along the way. You only need those one or two stops. The universe will show you the rest.

After I got dressed and went out to the lobby, she was sitting at her desk looking a little teary. She told me that she only has the first step figured out. I straight up told her, "You only need to figure out that first step. You've already tackled the biggest hurdle. You decided. Now you're gonna take the step. And if you aren't ready for the next one right away, it's okay. If it takes three hours or three days or three years before you're ready for the next step, it's okay. The universe or God or whatever, will sit with you while you figure it out." She was absolutely in tears. Then I said, "Imma hug you and I don't care what else happens today." And I held that woman while she sobbed. I told her I was proud of her and that I loved her.

When they say, "One day you will tell your story of how you overcame what you went through and it will become someone else's survival guide", they aren't necessarily talking about writing a book. They are talking about telling your story to the people you encounter in your life. Share your tale, because you aren't just an abstraction, a nameless faceless author that can be written off as heroic or epic. You are a person in their sphere. A real live, walking, talking human...in my case, a pair of underarms and a snatch. I'm going think about that lady for a long time. I'm gonna send good thoughts and vibes her direction as she starts live in a whole new place.

I made my wax lady cry today. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

6 notes · View notes

so-long-soldier28 · 4 months

Note

Who would you give the hottest milf and dilf award to in the tvd universe?

oh boy did i have fun answering this question...

okay so both these categories have soo many options, i'm gonna root through my options before awarding the hottest. 😅

also, we've got actual milf / dilfs to compare, plus children-less folks who have milf / dilf energy, but that's a separate category.

but if we're looking at genuine parents, i've already got my dilf picked out.

let's go...!

(tw: bit of kink mention smack in the middle; dirty thoughts)

(also this is my opinion and certainly doesn't reflect the entirety of the fandom so no one come for me plz)

milfs

alright.

i had three pop in my head immediately, as soon as i processed the question.

first, katherine. ofc. and she is technically a mom, even though i forgot about nadiya at first.

she's both a badass and super hot (my bisexual awakening at the age of 12, actually), so she definitely qualifies for this category.

second, bonnie. not a mom, although she would make an amazing mom, given the chance. i was just watching 8x9 and she looked so freaking gorgeous, i had to pause to catch my breath (literally, my jaw dropped).

and all respect to kat, but let's not forget 1x5, the car wash episode… she looked fking amazing in that bikini, like, i died.

also, the entirety of s7, she was both sassy and gorgeous. i was so happy she got a chance to shine (finally) & she killed it. long overdue but soooo worth the wait.

she's always gorgeous, always badass, and like i said, would make a wonderful mom.

third, elena, but specifically season 6. idk if it was the single life that brought out her confidence or what, but she was glowing in that season.

i wasn't a fan of her most of the time, but she had huge mommy / milf energy throughout s6. i can't explain it, it's just vibes.

now, since you said tvd universe, i must also add rebekah and hayley to the mix.

rebekah is totally a qualifier for many of the same reasons katherine is, minus the actual kid. i fucking love her, and given the chance, she'd be a great mom, too.

hayley… loved her in the first 1-2 ish seasons.. liked her less when it felt like she was leading on both elijah and werewolf boy / nathan parsons wtf was his name.. JACKSON, that was it.

wasn't a fan of that.

she was a great mom to hope, always defended her daughter, and was very protective towards the people she loved, but she's only a contender for my list.

before i move onto dilfs, i must also add a note about caroline. i just remembered she's a mom, too, but tbh, while i love her to death and she's a great mom, she seems too babygirl-ish to be a milf. this could be bc the whole alaric/caroline thing freaks me out, or maybe it's bc the gemini coven forced pregnancy on her, but i just don't feel milf energy from her.

she was absolutely glowing, and beautiful when she was pregnant, and i adore her to death, but she doesn't fit the vibe.

dilfs

now onto dilfs. i have less contenders.

first… elijah. huge dilf energy, like, insane.

always very protective of his family, of hayley and hope, of his morals and his home… whatever is important, he will defend it.

the suits only add to the dilfishness. that's it. that's the point.

certain scenes, especially throughout the originals are so dilf energy, it sends me to the moon.

the one where they're at the farm or whatever and he's rebuilding fence boards, every scene where he's drinking bourbon, whenever he rolls up his sleeves to deal with someone, or rips out a heart... you know what i mean?

second, you know i have to mention my boy kai…

that scene in 6x22 when he's in that suit… plz for the love of god put a baby in me. 🫣

he's so hot in that scene i can't actually handle it.

also something tells me he's got a breeding kink + he had 7 siblings & certainly knows at least somewhat how to raise kids.

as long as they're no threat, i think he could be a good dad (but i don't think he'd hurt his own kids).

not very dilfy pre-1903, but is very much so afterwards. (like caroline, he's got babygirl energy to me.)

oh! and while we're on the topic of dilf energy, i need to include marcel.

this man is spicy and kills me with his smile alone.

admittedly, there were times he pissed me off, but everyone pissed me off in the originals at some point, even elijah (loml).

i think he would be a great dad. he was so good with helping & being there for davina. he would defend hope despite the shit klaus & elijah put him through. he also kind of "adopted" josh as he did davina.

great leader, too. knew how to keep people in line (even if his system was majorly flawed).

and he's so fucking hot.

dilf energy. that's it.

now, for the actual dilf, i have one contender and one winner.

i really hate to admit it, because he's a terrible, awful person, but he's so fucking hot & obviously has great genes.

joshua parker.

fuck, something about this man does something to me that i can't explain.

i hate his guts.

but he's so hot.

all of his kids are hot, too. like i said, great genes.

definitely on the older side, but that just makes it so much better.

with him it would be like… "my wife died but now idk how to cope & i need to fuck out my sadness," and i would be like, "okay daddy. hey, i heard your eldest killed 4 of your kids, do you wanna make more?"

anyway…

he's on my list with john winchester, called, "fictional men who would be dilfs if they were not child abusers."

Now to crown the winners! ✨👑✨

hottest milf: katherine pierce

hottest dilf: joshua parker

hottest with milf energy: bonnie bennett (s6 elena is a close 2nd)

hottest with dilf energy: elijah mikaelson

#this post is so unorganized #i went a little crazy #the vampire diaries #tvd #asks

3 notes · View notes

katherineholmes · 1 year

Note

SEND ME A FANDOM (+ number) AND I WILL TELL YOU: 1, 2, 3, 15, 17 and 18 for TVDU fandom.

SEND ME A SHIP (+ number) AND I WILL TELL YOU: 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 14 for Elejah and Klena.

SEND ME A CHARACTER (+ number) AND I WILL TELL YOU: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 10 for Elena, Klaus and Elijah.

Thank you so much for this question, I don’t think I’ve ever felt so flattered before. It means a lot to me that you want my opinion/answer on so many questions!

Since these are long, I’m going to answer this in three parts!

Fandom

The moment in the story that I started shipping my OTP from this world?

Well, my OTP is definitely Klena, and I think I started shipping them in episode 11 of season 2. Elena goes to Slater’s apartment to send that message to Klaus - the doppelgänger is alive and ready to surrender. And 14 year old me was immediately like 😍🤭👀. After that, Klaus asking Elena to save a dance for him and all was just….loaded.

Like, even before they met, there were these vibes and I was just in love with them. The way he holds her at the sacrifice, their chemistry during the prank night episode, it definitely got to me. They’ve been waxing and waning in my mind since then.

My three favorite characters and why I love them so much.

The first is, of course, Elena. That very first scene in the cemetery where she’s writing in her diary had me hooked. I was so intrigued by her loneliness and her depression, someone I could identify with, who was so internalised. I’d always felt weird about being an introvert, and Elena was one of the first characters that I identified with. Now, after a decade, I can also identify with her grief, and it’s just that much more personal to me.

The second is Klaus. When he first came on the show, I wasn’t sure what to make of him. I def found him attractive 😅 but I thought there was more to him that I needed to see. I thought, multiple times “what an asshole”, but I could also recognise his loneliness and his fear of being abandoned, and they just resonated with me. By s4 of TVD, I was already in love with him, and followed him onto TO. (That was for Elijah too 🤭)

And third, I think, is Cami. I loved Cami, I saw her as this girl trapped in darkness, and trying to find her way out, until eventually she didn’t want to find a way out anymore. It was nice to see someone who was somewhat ordinary getting trapped between these vampires. The beginning of her relationship with Klaus is so fascinating to me, like she obviously sees him as a tortured soul, while he is actively hurting her through his mind control. But she fights back, and she’s tenacious, she’s probably one of the few people who fights against Klaus’ compulsion and then gets out of it. Refuses to play by his games but also plays him sometimes to get what she wants. Her struggle with vampirism was so, so real, and both her deaths were the saddest I’ve seen in that universe.

Which scene I would like to erase from the universe and why.

Ugh, the entire torture episode. Where Damon and Stefan (the saviours 🙄) both torture Elena to turn her humanity back on. Get Katherine to help too, just disgusting. That episode shows just how much internalised misogyny some of the show runners themselves held.

Which character I would choose for the chopping block if I knew the writers wanted to kill someone?

Probably Matt. Like, I like him well enough, but after a certain point, what does he even bring to the table?

The world-building aspect of the story I have the greatest admiration for.

The Originals for sure! I absolutely love s3 of TVD but s2 is so fucking good. The build up is amazing, first we’re introduced to Isobel, then that Katherine entry (like damn), just when we think she’s the baddest, Elijah shows up and scares the fuck out of Katherine.

And then, this intense build up to Klaus and sun and moon curse, only for us to learn that it was all fake, and to know about the real curse. It’s just…. Brilliant storytelling. Like yes, there are loopholes, and it’s the CW, but it’s just so well paced. I’ll be honest though, once the originals show up, it feels like we go into a different level. So much of the credit for that goes to Daniel and then Joseph, they were both brilliant, and they brought something unique to their roles that made us want to see them more. They elevated every scene they were in and Paul, Nina and Kat were the only ones who could keep up imo, at least in terms of screen presence.

The perfect number of books/seasons/movies needed to tell this story properly.

I think 4-5 seasons were more than enough. I’m not a fan post s4 (and s4 hangs on by a thread).

#the vampire diaries #anon ask #fandom asks #elena gilbert #klaus mikaelson #the originals

6 notes · View notes

c-schroed · 6 months

Text

With season eight of Within the Wires fresh on the air for the next nine weeks (I guess), I though it would be nice for me to write another podcast review. But as much as I love Within the Wires in its entirety, I have the strong feeling I would not give it justice if I just made a review of its so far seven seasons as a whole. Because (a) they are very different from one another; with every season having new voices and a new tone and atmosphere and (b) the seasons need not to be heard in the order they were produced, one can skip seasons or listen to more interesting ones first.

I mean, I'm not perfectly sure about this, because I have listened to the show in its original order. But I think that at least after season three one can really choose freely. Season one sets the mood, and seasons two and three tell you most you need to know about the alternate history of this universe. But we'll talk about this in a few weeks. Because I've decided to review one season at a time, always around sunday. Plus the book which premiered during season six, You Feel it Just Below the Ribs, then I should be done with my little project when the finale of the current eighth season is close.

So, without more ado, let's begin with

Podcasts I Adore - Within the Wires, Season One: Relaxation Tapes

"Are you breathing. It's important you remember to breathe."

Season one starts with a blast. With an image I never was able to forget again, one that would forever change my view of damselflies in particular and harming insects in general. And it started a motif that we'll encounter and reencounter in every installment of this series so far. And that was just in episode one, back when I still thought it was just some mockery of relaxation cassettes.

But episode two already told me there is more to get. That I will witness the unfolding of an escape plan, told entirely through smuggled in relaxation lessons. This is congenial on so many levels!

What I mainly love about this is that the authors, Jeffrey Cranor (of "Welcome to Night Vale" fame) and Janina Matthewson (who also worked on the BBC audio dramas "The Cipher" and "Murmurs"), are perfectly aware of the backgrounds of the narrator as well as her recipient. And it becomes clear very quickly that what we hear in season one is not made for our ears, but for a certain person in some weird kind of medical prison, with cameras and security nurses everywhere (I really love the word "security nurse" for all its ambiguity!). This whole found audio vibe is just perfect for podcasts, because it works with a high level of intimacy in a medium that's perfect for transporting this kind of closeness.

It is also a great way to put an audience directly into the action. Between narrator and recipient, explanations and expositions are not necessary at the beginning, thus the plot unfolds quite directly (for them as well as for us listeners) and with a unique kind of suspense, because the narrator knows that she must be very careful with how she smuggles in the information to the person she wants to help. She can't just plainly tell her plan. What she sends to her client must still at least on the surface seem like a normal relaxation lesson.

Plus, our dear narrator often cannot know exactly how her client will react, and if the plan will unfold as plotted, or if something will go wrong. And we listeners also have to wait until the beginning of the next episode to find out if all went well, or if there has been a setback. And what to do then. To me, "Within the Wires" is a show characterized by high variety of its seasons, and each season excels in another aspect than the other seasons. And for season one, this aspect clearly is how it transports suspense. No other season is as thrilling as season one (although season three sometimes came pretty close, for similar reasons).

The production of season one is flawless. The narration is done by one of the authors, Janina Matthewson, and the music that's added is diegetical, supporting the surface appearance of a relaxation audio cassette.

One does not learn too much about the world of "Within the Wires" yet, but season one still is a perfect introduction, because it demonstrates perfectly what this unique podcast is capable of. Which gives season one a head start of 8 out of 10 points.

My review of season two >

#within the wires #wtw #within the wires season 1 #podcast #podcast review #podcast recommendation #science fiction #drama #schroed's thoughts

3 notes · View notes

butterflydm · 2 years

Text

wot reread: the fires of heaven (chap 51)

spoilers through the fires of heaven; vague references to the future and to one of the themes that is explored in the series but I try to keep it spoilers-lite

1. lol, back to the constant pipe-smoking. From Rand again, this time. Pipes sound so uncomfortable, always being clenched in the teeth like that. I suppose you get used to it? Sounds uncomfortable though. We also learn that ten days have passed since our last Rand & Mat chapter.

2. Selende (I think she’s a random Cairhienin noblewoman) is snuggling super-close to Rand and, for whatever reason, he doesn’t seem to feel like he can tell her to back off the way that he was willing to do with Berelain back in Tear? Not sure why, because he’s definitely still uncomfortable.

3. They’re really hammering in how unseasonably hot that it is right now. Ugh, I feel my doom approaching. Go away, hot weather. I disapprove of what you mean in this narrative.

4. Ah, he finally scares her away by talking about how saidin is gonna make him go crazy. Here he thinks about why he’s not just asking them to leave -- it only works very briefly and then they chase after him again. He’s also thinking about how he wants to build up his forces in Tear and then go after Sammael when and how he chooses, rather than rushing off in a temper.

5. Rand’s PoV of the information diet that he’s been put on: “Egwene gave him hints of things, but she saw matters from the White Tower, wherever she stood. The Aes Sedai point of view was not his.”

6. Berelain is marching north from Tear with a small army to help him. Her letter to him asked after Perrin, which baffles Rand somewhat and makes me sigh in resignation. Rand thinks it might be a good idea to put Berelain as the person in temporary charge of Cairhien, since he’s reserving the throne for a person he has not yet named on page.

7. We learn that Andor/Morgase (actually Rahvin, though no one here knows it) has claimed “half our lands west of the Alguenya” in the name of Andor. We also learn that apparently Rand was tempted by the first of the ladies that Colavaere sent to try to cozen him, until he realized who was sending them. The Maidens sent those who tried to sneak into his chambers away because they think he’s with Aviendha and Aviendha (harshly/violently) chased away the one that she found because she believes Elayne owns him. Jordan’s weird-ass gender relations strikes again. I really do dislike the whole “this person is claimed as my sexual/romantic property, regardless of their own feelings or whether or not I treat them well, so everyone else must stay away” vibe that happens a lot and that Jordan seemed really into. I cannot tell him this for obvious reasons but: hey, Jordan, your kinks were not Universal Truths about the Human Condition!

I certainly have my own share of Things I Like to Write/Read about, but I do my best not to make it sound as if that’s just How All People Are. Though I suppose I’m not the best judge on whether or not I’m successful, lol.

I do understand, from a hormonal standpoint, why Rand would have been tempted by the Cairhienin ladies at first, because his engine is literally getting revved every night by Aviendha undressing in front of him (apparently with great satisfaction these days? honestly, I wish I could get a glimpse of Aviendha PoV to know WTF she’s thinking in these moments; her motivations don’t make sense to me!) and he probably doesn’t even feel like he can take care of it himself because he’s pretty much never alone. He’s smart enough not to actually do anything, but I get why he’s tempted.

8. Ugh, I do dislike that the Maidens don’t respect Rand’s privacy when it comes to Moiraine, Egwene, & Aviendha wanting to talk to him? They don’t even give him a courtesy warning when it’s one of those three coming in, they’re just let inside his chambers. And this from Egwene is exactly what I mean when I say that I understand why Rand is frustrated: “You know what you need to know. And I will not tell you what you do not need to know.” That’s so condescending and frustrating beyond belief.

And it’s hard to try to untangle how Rand’s mental state is... which parts of his mental state is affected by the taint vs the clear trauma vs his frustration with how other people are constantly trying to keep him on an information leash. Those three things all combine together to cause him even more mental stress, I would expect. Anyway, it’s been six days since Egwene talked to Rand. And just... Rand’s frustration with how little he’d being told is so obvious and he gets absolutely nothing back from Egwene and Moiraine except a frustrating brick wall of calmness.

9. Anyway, he has received two letters from Tar Valon, one from Elaida and one from Alviarin. Elaida’s letter is short: she’s sending Aes Sedai to Cairhien to ‘escort’ him to Tar Valon with honor and respect. Alviarin’s is longer: very fawning, lots of compliments, and says she wants to serve him. He suspects Moiraine may have already read the letters as she barely looks at them. In the two letters, Rand can see the split in the White Tower and the presence of White Tower spies in the city. Moiraine actually gives him a compliment here: “You learn quickly. You will do well.”

10. Yeah, Rand has been heavily affected by his recent bout with the taint, I think. He’s now deliberately using Moiraine, Egwene, and Aviendha’s presence to throw Mat off balance and frighten him. Shadow Rising!Rand would be disappointed in him. Even early Fires of Heaven!Rand would be disappointed. Anyway, Rand sent for Mat four hours ago (as soon as he learned Mat was in the city) and now Mat is arriving.

And, again, we have random people calling Mat ‘Matrim’, pls just let people have nicknames. How did the Aiel even find out that his given name was Matrim, anyway? When he asks to go to Rhuidean in book four, he is specifically asked what name he calls himself and he says “Mat. Mat Cauthon”. Is it just That Well Known Even To Aiel that Mat is short for Matrim? Did Moiraine or Egwene tell them?

11. Actually... huh. Rand losing his protectiveness over Mat (which has come across as a normal level of protectiveness that isn’t at all controlling) coincides fairly closely with Rand’s increasing OVERprotectiveness over literally every woman who exists in the world, even his enemies who want to kill him (and this overprotectiveness of his IS frequently controlling; just ask the Maidens). That’s... interesting.

I’d chalk it up to Jordan changing characters’ backstories and relationships between books, as he has done before (ex. Rand and Egwene’s constantly changing backstory), except that it’s definitely been happening over the course of The Fires of Heaven (because Rand was protective over Mat when it came both to the Darkhound attack and to Moiraine’s interest in Mat’s medallion at the start of the book).

Three possible factors spring to mind, though I’m sure there are more:

Rand’s exposure to saidin/the taint itself is what is causing his weird overprotectiveness towards women, and his lessened care towards the lives of men. This theory has textual evidence but it’s mostly coincidental -- that it seems like Rand’s changes are tied to when he uses a lot of saidin.

This also may be related to Jordan’s thing about how queerness is for adolescence/single-sex environments and heterosexuality is for grownups. Because the other big event that happens in this book is Rand losing his virginity to Aviendha. And Jordan DOES have a weird thing about being queer as something you ‘grow out of’ and then go be a ‘happy heterosexual’ (the primary example being Siuan/Moiraine to Siuan/Gareth & Moiraine/Thom, but pillowfriends in general tend to follow this idea). Once Rand sleeps with a woman, his protective feelings for his male friend are now considered a hindrance to his life rather than an important part of his emotional landscape and must be tossed away. (this would likely be subconscious/unintentional on Jordan’s part tho) - and this is not a hang-up that is solely Jordan’s, to be sure. There was a huge thing a few years back where Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey fans got very frustrated with the game-makers for forcing a m/f relationship on the main character in one of the DLCs (when you had previously been allowed in-game to play the character as 100% gay if you chose, as all the romance was in the player’s hands). The ‘achievement’ for doing the DLC and having a kid with the forced m/f love interest was even called ‘growing up’, iirc.

Does Lews Therin actually know how to have friends? Legit question. At least, does he know how to have friends who are men? Because thinking back about what we know about his relationships with men during the AoL, I don’t think he has ever thought back to a strong friendship like Rand and Mat had growing up. We know he had people under his command and we know that a LOT of men were jealous of him but... did he have any friends? So it could be that LTT’s lack of understanding of How Friends Work could be contributing to Rand’s actions as LTT’s personality gets more space and time in the driver’s seat, especially when Rand doesn’t notice.

12. I will continue to evaluate as I go on. But I do note that Perrin was removed from the friend group the next book after he was paired off with Faile (he decided he couldn’t live without her at the end of TDR and then was off to his own storyline in the start of TSR); and now that Rand has officially lost his virginity, we have the upcoming separation of Rand and Mat as friends who actually get to hang out in the next book. It’s just... a potentially interesting pattern.

And one of the hallmarks of toxic masculinity is the notion that men are supposed to be stoic and aren’t allowed to share feelings with each other, only with their romantic/sexual partner, who is supposed to take on all the emotional load of the relationship (*cough* Min *cough*). And Rand is very much an exploration of the dangers of toxic masculinity, so I wonder if this is actually an intentional part of that or if this is just one of those things that Jordan thought was Just The Way The World Is.

13. Rand would like to inform us that he can see Mat’s sweaty chest because of his half unlaced shirt. Thx for the info, Rand. Mat is also wearing a silk scarf to cover up his scar from being hanged by the Eelfinn. Mat finds some security out of touching his medallion while he’s in the room with Moiraine. We learn about the Band of the Red Hand here! People (well, sigh, ‘young men’) are lining up to join. Moiraine tells us the Old Tongue name: Shen an Calhar and that they were the last to fall when Manetheren died, guarding Aemon himself.

I feel so cheated out of a ‘Mat raises Manetheren’ plotline tbh. It would have been so much more thematically appropriate than Perrin doing it. Perrin is simply not attached to the Manetheren history that way that Mat has been from the very beginning. Perrin should have been given his own narratively-relevant plotline, not taken the one that seems tailor-made for Mat!

14. Ah, the reason that Mat has only just gotten back to Cairhien is that he went to scout what was going on with the Andorans to the south/west. “Andoran supply wagons burned, outposts destroyed. And three battles. Three battles, and three victories. With small loss to your own men, though outnumbered.”

15. And Rand has a glimmer of realization about how hard he has gotten when it comes to using men, including his friends, but it’s quickly gone from his mind. Ah, MAT is the one who brings the news that Morgase is ‘dead’ (from his scouting mission). Also, Mat saying that he’s glad Elayne isn’t here to hear about her mom being dead. Aw. Also: ha, love that Rand’s plan to try to ‘soften’ Mat failed and Mat’s back just goes up. Weirdly, I also wonder if some part of Rand isn’t trying to sabotage his own plans? Because Rand SHOULD KNOW that it would just put Mat’s back up to corner him like this? It always did in the past, and it did for Rand too. It’s a Two Rivers thing. And that really does make me wonder if this is LTT’s influence, because RAND should know what Two Rivers people are like, but LTT wouldn’t.

16. Gaebril has declared himself King of Andor and of Cairhien. Okay, it also sounds like no one has officially declared Morgase dead; the official word is the Morgase is the one who made Gaebril king, but everyone is talking about how no one has seen Morgase for weeks. And Mat already knows that Gaebril was the one who wanted to have Elayne killed off back in TDR.

17. Rand’s first thought is that Elayne will ‘never forgive him’ for letting Morgase die as Rahvin’s prisoner. It makes him “quiver with fury” thinking about it. His temper is also getting worse, I think. Again, dead heat between whether this is the taint or the ptsd; though the taint is also used as a metaphor for ptsd sometimes. He is immediately too angry to go through with his plans to go after Sammael methodically and wants to go take revenge for Elayne’s sake RIGHT NOW. And he blames himself for Morgase’s death as if ‘his own hand had been on the knife’. Moiraine does convince him to hold off until ‘tomorrow’ instead of going right now to kill Rahvin.

18. Rand kicks Asmodean out when he starts playing a song called “The Fool Who Thought He Was King” and then tells Moiraine, Egwene, and Aviendha to leave so that he can talk to Mat alone. Egwene and Aviendha want to come help him with Rahvin (and Rand is still boiling over with anger inside) but he tries to tell them it’s too dangerous. And here, they call him out on being controlling & overprotective, like I just talked about above! It’s so much more extreme than he used to be at the start of this book. He did still try to protect the Maidens but he wasn’t hyper-focused on preventing Every Woman’s Death in the World like he kinda is now (he wonders here, when Moiraine mentions Lanfear, what he’ll do if she’s there with Rahvin). Rand DOES finally give in and say that they can come the next day with him to kill Rahvin. And then just as fiercely as he was trying to AVOID putting Egwene & Aviendha in danger, he tells Mat that he MUST go into danger, no choice involved. Very very changed from the start of the book!

19. Moiraine talks to Egwene and Aviendha and tells Egwene that she thinks that she handles Rand’s temper well (lol I doubt this somewhat; I guess it’s not the WORST she could have done but she could have done better too) and that Rand needs people with him who won’t be driven away by his rages (true but also... like, maybe we could TRY therapy? just a little?).

Ugh, after Moiraine leaves, Aviendha asks about whether or not the Aes Sedai in Salidar really will help Rand and Egwene warns her not to say that name in front of Rand, because he needs to be ~prepared~ first and, yes, the taint is definitely causing an increase in Rand’s temper and his paranoia, but the compete lack of trust he gets from everyone around him who claims to care about him doesn’t help, especially when they all trust each other so much more than they trust him! Egwene does think that she’s doing this for Rand’s own good, to protect him from the Aes Sedai, but she doesn’t at all consider giving Rand this information so that he can make an informed decision. And Egwene justifies this based on how Rand is behaving now but they were doing this to him BEFORE he overdosed on the taint as well. Rand has been getting the runaround from Aes Sedai since before he even knew/believed that he was the Dragon Reborn.

Egwene’s ‘protecting Rand for his own good’ thing here does very much mirror what Rand is attempting to do with them tho. They continue to be very much paralleled in their actions/behaviors.

20. Mat gets special chambers as the “young hero of the battle against the Shaido”. The argument with Rand lasted for hours, it sounds like. But Mat has noticed that he can’t seem to AVOID battles right now. The sound of the dice pretty much always means another battle over the rise, these days. He wonders if maybe he can take a ship to escape things, but figures he would manage to find a battle there, too. Anyway, what Rand wants Mat to do is take command of his Tairen army (as they move on Illian, I think?).

21. Melindhra is there in his chambers. When he tells her that he’s going to be going away for a while, ‘for Rand’ (though he’s still pondering the idea of escape), she’s annoyed. She tells him that he needs to leave behind Rand’s shadow. As soon as he mentions Caemlyn in relation to Rand, she attacks without warning. I do note that Mat’s initial thought of where to ‘escape’ to is Tear (even as he realizes that would definitely NOT remove him from Rand’s influence). When he sees her pull a knife, he instinctively throws one of his own -- a killing blow that he immediately regrets. Even as she’s dying (and tells him she always liked his ‘pretty eyes’), she tries to bring up the dagger for one last attempt to kill him, but it hits the foxhead medallion instead. He realizes that she was a Darkfriend because she says he has “the Great Lord’s own luck” when her attack fails.

22. Mat thinks about how he’s never killed a woman (...I assume he means in this life and not the past memories because I absolutely DO NOT believe that every single one of those past battles was genuinely a man-only affair). He thinks about how all he ever wants from his time with women is “a smile, a dance, a kiss, and to be remembered fondly”. He realizes that the dagger hilt she used had golden bees on it, the sign of Illian/Sammael. He thinks that she attacked because she connected him going down to Tear with him leading an army against Sammael, but the readers have additional info!

The intent of the Lanfear-Rahvin-Sammael-Graedal plan was to aim Rand at SAMMAEL, not at Rahvin, so once Mat showed that Rand was about to go off course and head to Caemlyn instead, she was the person planted to kill Mat so that Rand would get angry enough to continue to chase Sammael, who is expecting him, and not Rahvin, who is NOT expecting him.

But that is the end of Melindhra. As far as Mat’s ‘evil girlfriends’ are concerned, she is definitely my favorite, so I am kinda sad to see her go here. Goodbye, Melindhra. Also, in totally depressing news, he straight-up just sits there with her dead body for hours. Oh, bb.

#wot #wheel of time #wot reread #the fires of heaven #wot book spoilers #wot spoilers

14 notes · View notes

trailmixtime · 2 years

Note

gallifrey or benny for 001

i choose gallifrey since i've listened to all of that and only smatterings of benny :)

001 | Send me a fandom and I will tell you my:

Favorite character: k9, closely followed by leela

Least Favorite character: darkel

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): leela/romana (romantic), leelabrax (platonic), leela/narvin (r/p), leela/veega (r), romana/brax (??)

Character I find most attractive: leela (specifically interrogator general!leela she is v sexy)

Character I would marry: laughs in aro

Character I would be best friends with: either k9 or leela. probably k9 bc leela would probably think i am a bit strange but k9 would just vibe with me slfkjkf

a random thought: the actors obviously speak in english, but i wonder what the canon reason for that is. are they all speaking gallifreyan and leela and the aliens who learn at the academy just fluent in it? or do the tardis translation circuits extend all the way up through the capitol or panoptican or whatever you call it? if it's the latter, how do time lords learn other languages? are languages even taught at the academy? i have so many questions!!!

An unpopular opinion: not sure how unpopular it is, but i think the gallifrey: time war stuff shouldn't have been branded as only gallifrey. this is is a complicated opinion so here me out. what i think the gallifrey: time war stuff (particularly boxset 2 and 3) should have been branded as is more allong the lines of gallifrey time war: romana, gallifrey time war: narvin, gallifrey time war: leela, etc. and given each a boxset each of them to explore their individual reactions to the time war, which would have given more allowance for plot things without taking away from the dynamics which is ultimately what disappointed so many of us i think. and then time war 4 should have been those plots converging and sort of zooming out on the close focus of those characters to see the core team and how their stories and individual characters fit so well with each other. idk if all that would even be doable or if it's more of a fanfic writer task, but i do think it would have been so much more emotionally satisfying than what we got.

(but also if it is a fanfic writer ask, any fanfic writers are more than welcome to steal the idea and write a beautiful multichap ksldfjsf)

My Canon OTP: leela/veega. they were So Good

My Non-canon OTP: leela/romana. screams.

Most Badass Character: again, leela. can you see a pattern here? :p

Most Epic Villain: torn between pandora and interrogator general leela, so i am going to choose both

Pairing I am not a fan of: romantic romana/narvin. i mean. it's okay, but out of all the romantic pairings you can make, that's definitely my last/least favourite option. i think the devotion narvin has toward romana remaining platonic and/or undefined makes it mean that much more meaningful u know?

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): ik the common answer is probably brax, and they're right, but you know what? i'm going to go with leela again. particularly time 4 war leela because they DIDN'T DO HER GOOD!! they didn't give us any indication that her heart broke over the death of one of her only friends beyond a quiet "oh", AND THEN THEY DIDN'T EVEN HAVE HER ATTEMPT TO FIGHT BACK WHEN RASSILON SHOVED ROMANA INTO THE POCKET UNIVERSE JUST MINUTES AFTER SHE'S LOST NARVIN???? LIES, LIES, AND MORE LIES. i didn't expect her to break down wailing there in the tardis, obviously, but this is leela we're talking about, she's not just going to be like "lol ok guess i'll not be sad and just let my other best friend be taken away from me too". she's at least going to give some indication that she'll cry later, and then she would at least try to stop romana from being taken away, or, at the very least argue with romana when romana told her not to do anything. she would be angry and hurt and the fact that we didn't get that-

i'll be fine. i just need to go do some breathing exercises sldkfjsf

Favourite Friendship: LEELABRAX

Character I most identify with: take a wild guess :p

(in case you can't guess, it's leela)

Character I wish I could be: none, honestly. being one of the characters would mean being put through hell by the writers and i choose no <3

ask game

#answers #lungbarrow-of-heartshaven #gallifrey audios #thanks for the ask :)#had fun answering this one even if i did get riled slkdfjsdf

2 notes · View notes

miekasa · 3 years

Text

random armin/mikasa/jean headcanons (college au)

↯ pairing: armin x (fem) reader, mikasa x (fem) reader, jean x (fem) reader

↯ genres and warnings: college au, fluff, lets see how many times i can mention eren in writing that has absolutely nothing to do with him

↯ notes: this.... probably won’t be a regular thing, i don’t know that i can consistently continue writing for them, but this sure was fun and reminded me that i actually have feelings for someone other than levi :// didn’t ask for that, but here we are

ARMIN ARLERT

Would most likely get pretty good grades, but he can definitely be lazy about it and hear me out.

If it’s a class that he likes and is genuinely interested in (which is the majority of them), he’s going to put in the work—sometimes too much work—to make sure he’s doing well. He usually studies very meticulously, and stays on top of his game throughout the semester.

But if it’s one of those bs classes the university makes you take, or some kind of stupid elective that was the only course that could fit into his schedule? Well, Armin is smart enough to bullshit his way through anything, so he’s not going to exert himself for a class he doesn’t even care about.

Oh, and he’s very vocal about complaining to you about said bullshit courses. (Completely justified, go off king).

“I swear sometimes the TA just lowers marks randomly to ‘keep the class average.’ Granted, I didn’t really study for the quiz, so I wasn’t expecting a stellar grade or anything, but I know they do that sometimes.” “Well, babe, why didn’t you study.” “Because I hate it, (Y/N).”

Like I said, takes school seriously and tries his best; but even he knows he doesn’t have to be at 100% all the time. It’s also kind of a flex how smart he is and how much he can get by on doing the absolute bare minimum.

Poor Connie is studying his ass off for their shared elective and Armin barely looked at the first page of the textbook, and he’ll probably get a 90 anyways.

Imagine he’s so caught up with his other classes, he actually forgets about a midterm for his stupid elective, and at first he’s freaking out, so you kind of have to remind him of who tf he is. You finally get him to relax and he blinks at you, “Oh right, I didn’t study because I didn’t have to haha nice.”

Helps you prepare for presentations by letting you practice them in front of him. Actually gives good feedback, but sometimes he’s just watching you and not really listening.

Sometimes, you have to be the one to remind him to take a step back and take care of himself, before his schoolwork. He doesn’t like to worry you, and likely feels guilty when he sees you walking up to him in the library at 2am; so he won’t fight you on it, and just lets you help him pack up all his stuff and head home for the day.

Likes head massages. Maybe sometimes has faked a little bit of a headache to get you to massage his head and play with his hair. He’ll never tell.

If you rub his cheek while he’s laying on top of you, he will knock out like a baby. Almost immediately. It’s a surefire way to get him to go to sleep.

Schedules dates with you, and plans them out meticulously. Sometimes gets playful and sends you a whole ass e-vite.

“Armin, why do I have an email invitation for our date to the library?” “So that you don’t forget, of course.” “How could I forget, it’s later today, and you’re literally helping me study for my midterm.” “With popcorn!”

Probably the type to get a job on campus. You and your friends come to visit him when he’s on shift and annoy him. He secretly likes it.

Oh, he’s kind of shady. Scratch that, can be very shady. He complains about school to you, but also just complains to you in general; he doesn’t outwardly do that a lot, but you’re his confidant.

Sometimes you get surprised and call him out on it and you’re like “Oh my god, Armin, the poor girl didn’t mean to mess up the project,” and he’s like “Well. Sometimes people are idiots and it has to be said.”

Has a bad habit of rolling his eyes and he doesn’t even realize he’s doing it. “Did you just roll your eyes at me.” “I don’t know, did I?” Bye.

His hands are always covered in some kind of ink/markings. Accidental brushes of his pens, streaks from his highlighters or markers, a little bit of lead from his pencil along the side of his palm.

Speaking of which, he strikes me as the kind of guy to keep a bullet journal. Not necessarily decked out and fancy with Polaroids and extravagant fonts; but definitely neat, and decorated to some extent, depending on how he’s feeling. It makes him feel organized.

He would pencil in important dates and markers of your relationship into said journal. “Friday night: museum date—remember to buy the tickets in advance.”

If anyone is going to buy, wash, peel, and cut up fruit for you, it’s going to be Armin.

Lowkey tutoring all of his friends, and might be the sole reason that Connie hasn’t dropped out yet. He likes tutoring you the most, though.

Get this, sometimes he asks you to tutor him, even if he knows damn well he doesn’t need it. Maybe he’ll even sign up for a stupid elective if it’s a class you’ve taken before, just to have an excuse to get you to teach him something.

Likes trying new things with you. He might not always like the new things that you try, but he’s open to trying them at least once. Well… most things anyways. Just don’t ask him to get up at dawn and go jogging with you.

I genuinely cannot tell if he would be a morning person or not. Maybe mid-morning. Probably not a rise-and-shine at 6am kind of guy, but is up by at least 10:00am every day. Very cute when he’s groggy though, and stumbles around a bit like a baby deer when he first gets up, especially if he’s hungry.

He likes to bike. And really likes when you go on bike rides with him. As long as you both are on your own bikes, you learned the hard way that tandem biking isn’t cut out for you.

Knows that all-nighters aren’t good for you, but sometimes you have to pull them anyways. If you both have a lot to get done, he’ll stay up with you and make sure you both take breaks and drink water.

Can twirl his pens in that really fast and fancy way, and can do the thing where he rolls it between all his fingers too. I’ll let you think bout the implications of that for yourself.

He likes watching cartoons, and reels you into all his favorites. Definitely likes to stay in on weekends watching cartoons with you and just chilling.

Will go to a party with you if you ask, or if his friends are hosting, but nothing beyond that. You didn’t hear this from me, but he’d probably like to smoke more than drink.

Sometimes you think he needs a break and you commission Eren to take him out for the night, but Armin still comes back looking more composed than him. A little sleepy and maybe a bit out of it, but not sloshed, much to your disappointment. “Eren, you really couldn’t have tried to be more a bad influence?? I was counting on you!!”

Eren’s confused, like, “Did you want me to get him white boy wasted??” “Yeah, kinda!! It’s what he deserves every once in a while. Ugh, next time I’m calling in Sasha, she knows how to drink.”

By the way, if you’re dating Armin, you’re kind of dating (or at least babysitting) Eren too. Or vice versa. Either way, they will also go on dates without you. (“Hanging out. We’re hanging out, and I’m tutoring him so he doesn’t fail Biology, (Y/N).” “Likely story, ocean eyes.”)

Can be touchy in a very absentminded way. He’ll reach out to play with your ears/earrings, habitually rub at your shoulders if you’re standing in front of him, mindlessly toy with the ends of your clothing. Half the time he doesn’t even realize he’s doing it, he’s so cute.

Plays one sport—is on the soccer team. It keeps him busy, and forces him to focus on something that isn’t academics once in a while. He’s pretty good at it, too; he and Eren make a good team when they play together.

You and Eren tried to get him to join the baseball team too. Eren, because he likes playing with Armin. You, because, well… the uniforms. He would look so good in the uniform.

MIKASA ACKERMAN

Makes her classes look like a breeze, even though it’s at least 300 pages of reading and writing per week.

Kind of gives me Elle Woods “What, like it’s hard?” kind of vibes when it comes to schoolwork. You’re in awe of how she just did 75 pages of reading with a tiny ass font in one sitting, and she just blinks at you like “Was it supposed to be difficult?”

Speaking of which, she likes to read in general; for leisure, outside of her school work. She’ll recommend you books, too. If you don’t like to read, she’ll still try and rope you in with shorter stories, or just read them aloud to you herself.

Sits at a table across from you while you both do your schoolwork independently. It doesn’t sound like much, but it’s a quiet, almost implicit sense of intimacy that she really likes.

Bundles you up when it’s cold, and won’t take no for an answer. You will wear a hat, whether you like it or not.

Always prepared—and by that I mean, she carries things on her that she realizes you might need. Tissues, extra pens, an extra pair of mittens. She strikes me as the kind of person to pay attention to details like those.

Likes to walk you to class, even if her class is very far away from your building. She doesn’t mind.

On that note, she knows your schedule pretty well, where it pertains to classes and personal interests.

If you’re the type of person who can slack off or even just get caught up in other things when it comes to school work, she’ll be there to keep you on track and hold you accountable. Usually through setting aside times to study with you, but can even be through small things like asking you how your assignment is going.

(Nevermind that you completely forgot about the assignment, and hadn’t even started it—but that’s the point; she knew that).

Hear me out: holding pinkies. Maybe not when you’re walking, but when you’re seated next to each other. The longer you’re together, the more likely she is to initiate it, too.

Would rather study at home/in her apartment than in the library, but if you like to study there, she can compromise a few days out of the week.

Makes you playlists, and they’re usually really good, because she knows you so well. Sometimes she gets cute and customizes the cover art to a picture of the both of you.

She’s your ride or die, so if you complain to her about a prof you don’t like or a TA you don’t think is fair she’s 100% on your side. She might not always be able to do anything about it, but she’ll definitely let you complain to her.

Texts you throughout the day to check up on you, but usually disguised through other questions. Asks what you want/had for lunch when she’s really checking to make sure you ate. Asks you what time your lectures end, just to make sure you didn’t skip it (again). Asks you what time you’re going to be done studying to make sure you don’t stay up all night cramming again.

Takes a genuine interest in your courses, and absolutely loves to listen to you talk about them.

If your classes are vastly different, she’ll still try and help you however she can, even if it’s only in small ways, like proofreading something for you.

Doesn’t use emojis alot, so your contact doesn’t have a bunch of hearts next your name on anything. But she does put your last name in as Ackerman.

Has social media, but mostly uses it to keep up with her friends, and you. You’re in most of the few pictures that she does post, and she might not say it, but she really likes it when you post photos of/with her.

Not sure why, but I think she’d be a pretty decent artist if she tried. That trend of doing glass paintings on TikTok? I think she’d be into that, and would plan out the whole thing as a date with you.

Keeps up with all your favorite shows to talk about or watch them with you. Sometimes she’ll purposely miss a few episodes so that she can spend the night and marathon them with you.

Likes to stay in and drink cheap wine and just watch or talk about whatever with you. You could watch a terrible show just to laugh and comment on it the entire time and she would be so happy.

Doesn’t like to sit down on public transportation, and honestly would rather you didn’t either, but she’s not going to stop you from taking a seat. If you’re sitting, she’ll stand in front of/over you, and always keeps wire headphones long enough for you to share music that way.

The most insufferable human when she’s sick and she knows it. She hates being sick. And she knows you shouldn’t be around her or else you might get sick but she also just wants you to hold her. (You do).

Likes to sleepover at your place. Talks with you about your day while you lay down. Always smells good. Very cuddly when sleepy. 10/10.

Hates the act of doing her laundry, but likes doing it with you. Lowkey starts buying and using the same detergent and fabric softener as you because it makes her smell like you.

Gets very embarrassed if you kiss her in public. Very red in the cheeks, it’s kind of cute, so I wouldn’t blame you if you did it on purpose.

JEAN KIRSTEIN

Jean is… quite smart, if you ask me. Or, at the very least, analytical, which can be applied to a variety of academic settings.

The only thing is, he’s incredibly lazy about it. He wants to do well in school, and can definitely pull himself together for a midterm or an exam; but is horrible at keeping pace with all his other work and assignments on a regular basis.

He also can’t sit still, which is why even though he is very kind and chivalrous and brings many snacks to your study sessions, he is also competing for number one worst study partner. Right next to Eren and Sasha.

Gets pouty when you tell him you don’t want to study with him. “But… but… but I brought snacks! And bubble tea!” “Yes, but you also have the attention span of a rabbit, Jean.”

At the end of the day he understands… that doesn’t mean he’s not going to be bitter about it LOLOL. It’s fine, you can make it up to him by hanging out with him afterwards.

Is, like, classically trained in at least two instruments because his mom put him in lessons as a child. He used to hate it growing up, and he doesn’t practice much now, so he never talks about it.

One day you happen to mention something about comparing two songs, telling him they remind you of each other but you don’t know exactly why or why, and very nonchalantly he’s like, “They sound similar because they share the same major chord in the chorus, and they’re in the same key.”

And you just kind of blink at him like, “Okay, Beethoven. How. How did you know that.”

Once you realize he can, like, actually play the piano and violin really well you’re always begging him to play for you. It doesn’t happen often—it’s not like he owns a violin anymore and he certainly doesn’t have a grand piano in his shitty college apartment—but sometimes you sneak into the music room when it’s empty and he’ll play something for you.

He’s a romantic at heart, so he doesn’t mind, and if anything kind of enjoys you watching him play. It’s much better than playing for random parents in a recital. You’re dead if you ever mention it to any of his friends though.

Also not a frat boy, but definitely likes to party. Everything with reason. If he crushed a midterm on Thursday, he deserves to throw back a few beers on Friday night, you know?

Touchy when he’s drunk. Well, touchier than normal; he’d be the most affectionate out of every one on a regular basis. But he’s touchy and messy when he’s drunk, so he’s all over you.

Messy, but happy. All smiles and giggles and red cheeks, with his arm around your shoulder, boasting you anybody who will listen about his super hot girlfriend.

He and Eren throw the best parties when they team up together. (Only slightly related, but those two, when drunk together, could probably pass as a couple; they’re so uncharacteristically happy, and affectionate. You may or may not be keeping some photo and video evidence of Eren and Jean drunk cuddling).

Sends you videos when you’re in the middle of class. And only then. He plans it to be annoying. Because he is annoying.

Also always sending you those in-messsage games while you’re in the middle of lecture or studying. “PLEASE play virtual pool with me!! I’ll even let you win one round!!” “I AM TRYING TO LEARN!!” “LEARN LATER 😡😡😡”

A fucking fiend in your Instagram comments. It’s a miracle none of them have been removed or reported for inappropriate content. Replies to OTHER people’s comments complimenting YOU!! He’s so much

@sashabraus: aww you look so cute @youruser!! that color looks so good on you 💕 @jeannotjean: omg omg tysm @sashabraus 😊 i picked it myself @youruser: SHE WAS TALKING TO ME @jeannotjean!!! ME!!! @jeannotjean: @youruser you have no proof 🙄 @youruser: SHE USED MY @!!!! GET OUT OF MY COMMENTS!!! @jeannotjean: you’re so hot when you yell at me via insta comments 🥵🥵🥵 would it be better if i slid into your dm’s instead 😫😫😉 @youruser: @jeannotjean BLOCKED!! EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY!!

You try explaining your coursework to him and he’s just looking at you with puppy dog eyes like, “I haven’t a clue what you’re talking about, babe, but you look hot while doing it, so, please, continue.”

He’s another cocky annoying bastard (endearing). Always tilting you head up to look at him and smirk at you. Pisses you off just to put his arm around your shoulder and be like, “It’s okay, I know you love me anyways.” Winks at you in public just to embarrass you. He’s the worst. The worst.

King of picking you up and throwing you over his shoulder for absolutely no reason at all.

He lowkey wants to get an ear piercing and uses you to talk him into it. “Don’t you think I’d look hot with a piercing? I think I would.” “You would look good regardless, Jean. So, do it if you want to.” “Right. But, like.... do you think I would look hot.”

For as annoying and cocky as he can be, the second you actually genuinely tell him you think he’s attractive or talented or whatever, he gets kind of shy. It’s very cute.

Likes trying new restaurants with you, even though he really should stop spending all his money on food. Sometimes trying new restaurants means ordering from a new place, but it’s whatever, you know.

Honestly… the two of you would probably have a ridiculously high Uber Eats bill. You really should go outside and, like, be people every once in a while LOLOL

Okay, but it’s mostly Jean’s fault. For as much as he likes to party, and doesn’t mind hosting a party, he doesn’t do much beyond that. He hangs out with his/your friends, and with you, obviously, but he’s not the kind of guy to have his weekend booked up all the time.

He would much rather stay in with you, and talk trash about his stupid group project partners, and lay on your stomach and try to teach you how to play his favorite video games.

Spoiler: he fucking lies and/or leaves out key parts of the gameplay!! Just so he can crush you and laugh about it!! Annoying, but you’re the one keeping him around, so, who can you really blame but yourself.

#aot x reader #snk x reader #armin x reader #jean x reader #mikasa x reader #aot imagines #snk imagines #armin smut #armin fluff #aot jean #eren x reader

1K notes · View notes

uwuyangin · 3 years

Text

a promise well broken (minho x reader)

✩ 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: if anyone was certain of one thing, it would be the fact that both you and minho were a two in one deal. never would somebody see one and not the other. since the beginning of your friendship, you promised each other that no matter what, you would never lie. pinky promises were forever right? that is until you meet hana, the one person that had the potential to tear you and minho apart.

✩ 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐫 + 𝐚/𝐧: this is a request! bff to lovers! plot ahead. cussing as well so be warned. song rec: i hate u, i love u by olivia o’brien & gnash. thank you for requesting this, lovely!

—

the autumn of twenty-eighteen was the worst year of your life.

why? because that was the start of your first year being a freshman in college. nobody had warned you about the university life, and it always looked so easy. then came week two where you learned the hard way that the readings actually were important. or that you should never leave your laundry in the laundromat without supervision. again, these were things you had to learn as an adult and it sucked.

but, you’ll never forget the day you met him; lee minho.

you had accidentally spilled coffee all over his white shirt in that over-crowded starbucks down the street from your apartment. he had joked you owe him a new shirt, however he then laughed at his silly remark. hearing that laugh made your heart melt in a way you couldn’t describe. nonetheless, you offered to buy him his drink of choice, to which he denied. instead, he asked for your time and the rest was history.

you two were inseparable ever since. even when you needed to study, minho would drop by and annoy the hell out of you. it had become such a routine that you would be surprised if he didn’t accompany you to anything. in a way, you were dependent on him as he was to you. some would say this was unhealthy, but you admitted to yourself a long time ago that a life without lee minho was not a life wanted.

however, because life was never perfect, you couldn’t expect your relationship with him to be. because you were utterly in love with someone you never thought you could have. so much so that your heart swelled at just the idea of him and that damn smile. his tsundere personality attracted you the most because that only made the intimate moments more meaningful. like when he would hold your hand in public if you were anxious, or the way he complimented your work ethic. those small, simple gestures filled your stomach with butterflies. as much as you loved him showing you affection, it also broke your heart because it always stirred up false hope. and nothing hurt more than that.

you wished you could confront him on this. you hated hiding anything from minho. it was your number one rule between each other; no secrets, no lies. he always had a deep-rooted insecurity of being lied to, and you promised him that you would never do that no matter what. you’ll never forget the way he looked at you then; full of trust and happiness. each night when you lay awake in your bed, your chest clenches at the thought of telling him you’ve been surpressing these feelings. would he rejoice or be disappointed? it was a risk that you weren’t willing to take.

that promise meant everything to you. apparently minho thought otherwise.

it had been exactly one month since you met park hana. minho introduced the two of you after walking out of his calculus class. he had made a new friend, which didn’t surprise you because who wouldn’t want to be friends with him? however, at the sight of her, your stomach dropped. she had locks of honey brown, obviously artificial but beautiful nonetheless. her eyes always shone with a light you never thought you’d see. she was outgoing, intelligent, and funny. god, she was so funny that she made minho roll over in laughter at a study session that was supposed to be explicitly between you and him. you envied her. you wanted to love yourself the way she did, but everytime you looked in the mirror, you would only see flaws. what would minho see in you that he wouldn’t see in her?

you tried to be her friend, you really did. on multiple occasions, you invited hana to coffee or to the movies, and she always declined. if you brought it up to minho, he would only shrug it off that it wasn’t serious. this didn’t cease your uneasiness towards her, though. it could just be your jealousy speaking but you knew yourself better than that.

you were going to try again, though. if she meant something to minho, then she meant something to you as well.

you lay on your bed with a small smile, scrolling through your phone to find minho’s number. a simple face time would be fun as you didn’t feel like texting. you also really wanted to see his face. after finding his number, you tapped on it and felt excitement rising in your system. it was only a video call but this is what minho did to you. as the phone rang, you were met with disappointment as you noticed that he wasn’t going to pick up. that wasn’t like him as he typically picked up within the first three rings.

“what the heck? ugh,” you grunted to yourself, heading over to text message.

you were tempted to text him alone about your idea of hanging out, but you knew that if you were going to make an effort for hana, you would need to text the group chat. you began to text out your plans, sending it with a large grin.

you: heyyyyyyyyy bishes! i’m thinking of heading to the mall later today, and i’d love to hang with y’all. what do you say?? maybe we can get dinner as well. i finally don’t have homework lmaoo

soongiedoongiedori: aw can’t today :( hanging out with sungie

hana: same, i’m busy! maybe next week?

you: ok :’) </3

releasing a sigh, you felt your excitement deterioriate. you weren’t expecting them to turn you down so quickly, especially minho. you knew it was wrong to be upset at them for being busy but you couldn’t help how you were feeling. hana did suggest next week . . . that would have to do for now.

as you sighed once again, you heard your door swinging open. you snapped your head up, hoping it was minho pranking you, but you were only met with your roommate, yeri.

“whoa, calm down. i’m not gonna kill you,” she joked. “i was just checking to see if you’ve eaten today and if i should buy takeout.”

groaning, you shook her head and hung an arm over your head. this made it clear to yeri that you were upset, making her concerned. you two were close since the beginning of the school year. normally you were a cheerful person. if you were acting like this, then something was definitely up.

“what’s wrong?” she asked, sitting beside you on your bed.

you peeked out from behind your arm only to drop it and sigh for the third time. that’s all you could really do at this point.

“well, it’s going to sound dumb-”

“no it’s not. stop doubting yourself, now tell me what’s up.” yeri interrupted.

you rolled your eyes but smiled a small smile. “i texted minho and hana to see if they wanted to hang out today but both of them are busy. it just really sucks because i feel like every time i make an effort for hana, she doesn’t make an effort for me. i’ve tried telling lino this but he thinks i’m being dramatic. am i being dramatic?”

yeri hummed at your response, furrowing her eyebrows. you watched in silence as she pondered about the scenario in her mind. this put you on edge because she didn’t immediately reassure you it was nothing. she must’ve seen something fishy as well or else she wouldn’t be thinking about it. or you were assuming the worst.

“they’re both busy?” she checked.

you nodded, making her shrug. “i wouldn’t think much of it, (y/n). what’s the rule between you and him again? no secrets, no lies or something like that? i don’t think he would lie to you.”

that was true; nobody took that rule more seriously than minho. for a moment there, you felt guilt because you knew it was wrong to immediately doubt his intentions like that. hana as well. yeri inspected you for a moment as she took in your composure. surely her advice should’ve been enough to warrant ease, however, you were still stiff.

“i’ll go to the mall with you,” she offered. “i was thinking of stopping in sephora or something. i’ve been meaning to go for awhile but never had the excuse.”

you snapped your head her way and bit back a smile, trying not to be too enthusiastic. “really? you’re not just saying that, are you?”

yeri nudged you playfully before standing. “of course not. now get up and ready, or i’ll regret my decision.”

“did you really have to buy all three palettes? they look the exact same!”

yeri rolled her eyes as the both of you exited the store with you holding one bag, and her with two. you had only been there for twenty minutes and you already spent more than you would’ve liked. then again, you didn’t really care because you were looking forward to this for awhile. friends that enable each other stay together, right?

“well, that’s where you’re wrong. this one is peachy nudes, then there’s the golden nudes, and this one is neutral nudes. seriously, (y/n), don’t underestimate the power of nudes.”

the both of you let out a laugh, leaning into each other for support. yeri had made this experience way more fun than you thought it could be. not one thought of minho or hana had entered your mind. the mood was lifted tremendously as you strolled through the mall, window shopping at a few stores until you found the one you wanted to shop in. however, as you were going to enter a store, your stomach did a little growl.

“whoa, calm down tiger.” joked yeri as she patted your stomach.

“i guess i forgot to eat today . . . do you wanna stop by the food court before we continue shopping?” you suggested.

she nodded, realizing that she was hungry as well. “i think it’s this way.”

nearing the corner, you continued on towards the food court with excitement. mall food always had a different vibe to it and you were very much looking forward to devouring some lo mein noodles. as the food court came into view, your walk began to speed up. the excitement that was building up inside of you halted as yeri stopped in her tracks, causing you to run directly into her back.

“hey-” you started but yeri whipped around, shushing you. her hands grabbed onto your arms and dragged you to the side where you were no longer out in the open.

“what are you doing?” your voice was not loud however it still wasn’t at yeri’s liking as she shushed you again.

“(y/n), look over by mcdonald’s. isn’t that minho . . . and hana?”

your heart stopped as you heard those words, immediately looking where yeri had instructed you. there sat minho and hana, laughing obnoxiously while sharing a meal. you watched the way she fed him a fry, with him then returning the favor. your heart tugged at the sight because that was something you guys always do to each other. it would then follow with you offering him a bite of your mcflurry and then booping him on the nose with the spoon. the tension grew as you saw him reaching for the spoon of his mcflurry, raising it out towards hana.

“please, please, please. do not pat it on her nose,” you whispered to yourself.

tears welled up in your eyes as you watched the way she took a bite, then giggling as he gently patted her nose with the spoon. that was the icing on the cake and it’s all it took before you turned your body around, rushing to the exit.

yeri called out to you but you weren’t listening. the scene that played before rewound itself in your mind like a vhs tape. and you would pause at the way he looked at her, like she was so special. those glances were always reserved for you. was he tired of you? did he know how much he meant to you? he broke your one rule, the one thing that meant everything. your friendship was based on this and yet it was now abandoned. your breathing became labored as you tried calming down, staring at the ground with wide eyes and endless tears. never did you think minho would betray you. maybe it was naive to think like that.

“(y/n), wait up!” puffed out yeri as she met up with your figure at the exit. her chest heaved from the run she had to do to catch up.

neither of you spoke as yeri tried to find the words. “i’m sorry.” her voice was soft, almost afraid of breaking you any further.

nearly a week had passed since the incident at the mall. and you would be lying if you said you were alright.

every night you were reminded of what minho did to you as he sent you texts relentlessly. the spamming began after day one with him asking if you wanted to come over. when you didn’t respond, he continued to blow up your phone to see if you were okay. all the missed calls and texts drove you insane because you wanted so badly to reply. but you weren’t going to give in so easily. he hurt you in ways you couldn’t describe. it didn’t help that you were helplessly in love with him. seeing him give affection towards another female was inevitable, but you never thought it would hurt like this.

you weren’t surprised when you didn’t get any notifications from hana. you wanted to believe so badly that she was a good person but something felt off. you didn’t want it to be your jealousy speaking but you also didn’t want to be in denial either. this felt wrong because you and minho had never been so separated. but with each passing second, you felt yourself growing further part from him. you continued to drown in your depressed thoughts until a knock on your door interrupted.

“yes?”

“oh, you don’t sound so excited to see me.” joked a familiar voice as they stepped in, closing the door behind them.

you grinned, immediately sitting up and opening your arms for your friend, han jisung. the boy wasn’t shy in returning the hug, laughing at your brightened expression.

“sungie! what are you doing here? you didn’t even think to call me?” your voice was nothing but playful, nudging his arm in the process.

jisung took a seat beside you on the bed and chuckled. as he made himself comfortable, he spoke up. “i felt like being spontaneous.”

the air was always light when it came to jisung. he was able to make everyone feel welcomed despite his social anxiety. the contradiction always made you love him more, as a friend of course. you admired him for a moment, feeling somewhat calmer. it was obvious to jisung that something was wrong, though. minho might’ve told him to check up on you because if you were ignoring him, then he knew you wouldn’t let him into your home. but jisung could also tell from your face that you weren’t okay.

“hey, what’s going on? you can tell me.”

his sudden change from bubbly to concerned shocked you, making you freeze in your spot. you hadn’t even noticed the smallest of tears that were forming in your eyes, finally being able to unleash any form of disappointment that you were holding in. jisung was not prepared to see you falter so quickly as he reached forward, holding your hands in his lap as he let you cry for a moment in silence. as soon as you were ready to catch your breath, you laid the truth on him.

“minho lied to me. and to make matters worse . . . he lied to me with hana.”

jisung was taken aback at those words because minho? lied to you? there’s no way. he snorted, shaking his head as he was in disbelief. however, as he studied your expression again, he noticed that you were still crying. the boy clenched his jaw as he was now visibly angry. he knew how much that rule meant to you and minho, as it meant something to jisung as well. he was there when minho got his heart broken, when he was the one who was lied to. and now minho had completely ignored that because of someone he barely knew. you didn’t deserve this, no one did.

“(y/n), i’m so sorry.” much like yeri, that’s all he could say.

because he knew how much this hurt you, and there was nothing that he could say that would change how you were coping. he wanted to ask what happened, but he also didn’t want to push you.

“why are you sorry? it’s him that should be sorry.” you replied bitterly as you wiped at your eyes.

you thought you looked pathetic, but jisung thought the opposite. he couldn’t even imagine what you were going through, and he always knew how close you two were. deep down he also knew how you felt about minho. this was more than just your best friend lying to you, no.

ring ring ring

the sound of your phone ringing made you snap out of it, immediately searching for it so that you could read the caller id. once you had it in your hands, your eyes widened in shock.

“it’s hana . . . should i answer it?” you whispered.

“sure, but i don’t know why you’re whispering.” you reached over and swatted his arm at his sass.

without thinking much of it, you swiped right and pressed the phone to your ear. jisung didn’t think that you would actually do it, considering you had neglected minho’s calls. although he did believe it would be easier to speak with hana as you weren’t as close with her. after holding in your breath for a long second or two, you released out a greeting.

“hello?”

“mhm, (y/n)-ah. i’m glad you picked up. i’ve been meaning to talk to you.”

something about the way she spoke didn’t sound genuine, and jisung could notice it from a mile away. you furrowed your eyebrows as he pointed at your phone, mouthing the words ‘speaker phone’ to you. you decided to risk it as jisung would be your witness for whatever would go down. you switched it to speaker.

“oh, hi hana. what did you want to speak with me about?” you said straightforwardly.

there was a chuckle on the other end that sent chills down your spine. “i’m not stupid, (y/n). i know you saw minho and me at the mall together. i don’t blame you for acting the way you are, i would probably do the same.”

both you and jisung looked at each with wide eyes. you didn’t expect her to be so blunt with her thoughts, however you were expecting something bitchy. biting on the inside of your cheek, you listened to her continue.

“i mean, you should be jealous. minho asked me on a date, and he told me he loves me. we are now dating, and we are very happy. he’s very happy. and now that we are together, i’m telling you to stay away from him.”

you could feel the fresh wave of tears pooling in your eyes as you heard her read out your worst nightmare. minho was in love with someone else, and to make matters worse, it was with hana. everything inside of you clenched painfully as you felt your heart sink to your stomach. this was way worse than having minho lie to you. you prayed to any god or deity that the situation couldn’t get any worse than it already was but they refused to listen to you. the universe was against your idea of sharing love with minho as it did everything in its way to tear you two apart. you should’ve kept count of the time you had left with him until he was taken.

but hearing her say that you needed to stay away from him wasn’t an option in your head. you can handle him lying, and being in love with someone else. it hurt, god it hurt so badly, but you could handle it if it meant he was happy. you would rather have minho happy instead of not having him at all. you were passionate in that belief, and you weren’t going to let hana tell you otherwise.

“no.”

“i wasn’t asking, (y/n).” her tone was more intimidating than before, yet you held your ground.

“i said no. i’m not budging on this, hana. i’m not letting him go.” you protested.

there was another pause in between the conversation, and you thought you had won for a second. but hana was always a step ahead of you, planning her attack head-on like she had rehearsed every possible outcome in her head.

“why are you still holding onto him? you’re just a burden, don’t you see that? he’s only pitying you. now that he has me, he doesn’t need to keep having you around. you should learn to take a hint.”

she spat her words at you, shooting her venom in your most sensitive spots. for a moment, you had entirely forgotten that jisung was still in the room. you tried not to let her words get to you, but they did. hearing that he was only pitying you sent you over the edge as you hung up the phone, throwing it at the floor angrily. your hands formed into fists as you closed your eyes, trying to catch your breath. but with each inhale, you felt as if you were suffocating. you wanted to wake up from this terror but you knew it was just a twisted reality. you didn’t even notice how your form was shaking from overwhelming emotions until jisung had reached over, pulling you closer into a side hug. he was just as speechless as you, if not more.

he shushed your cries, knowing it was the only thing you could do.

a few hours had passed at this point, and you didn’t even notice how you fell asleep with jisung. normally you two would split between the floor or the bed, but it was clear that you were exhausted. the afternoon had turned into nightfall, your open curtains inviting the moon. if you weren’t so out of it, you would’ve admired it’s beauty. you peered over as jisung was curled up beside you under the sheets, one arm wrapped loosely around your shoulders and the other over his face. he was such a good friend that you didn’t know how to thank him. he did not need to stay here by your side yet he did. he would never admit it, but he was incredibly selfless. as you tried adjusting your sight, you realized your eyes were puffy from crying, and it honestly hurt to try and focus in the dark. you laid your body back down, snuggling deeper into your comforter before trying to head back to rest. without warning, your door swung up to reveal a worried minho.

“what the fuck is this?”

his voice boomed through the room, causing you and jisung to bolt upright out of bed. your attention turned to a frantic looking minho clutching his phone in his hands. there was a vein popping out on the side of his neck from how stressed out he was, and his hair was disheveled from constantly running his hands through it. anyone would be able to see how fucked up he was over this. not to mention minho was worried sick because you still were not answering your phone, and now jisung wasn’t. when he called yeri to check up on you, she revealed that jisung had slept over. minho was furious, but for what?

“why haven’t you been answering your phone? do you know how worried i’ve been about you, i thought you died!” he started, then pointing his finger at jisung. “and you, what the hell do you think you’re doing in (y/n)’s bed?”

jisung gulped in fear as he avoided eye contact, trying to find the words to reply. never had the older male raised his voice like that at anyone, much less jisung. minho could be scary when mad, but you weren’t going to let behave like this. you believed he didn’t have a right to be so upset. because you weren’t going to let him do this to you, act like he was the victim and that you hurt him. he hurt you first, didn’t he see that? or was he really that blind?

“first off, i don’t need your permission to have anyone stay the night so don’t talk to him like that. two, i don’t need to answer to you or anyone else but myself.”

minho chewed at the inside of his cheek, a death stare focused on you. “excuse me?”

“i said that i don’t need to answer to you. shouldn’t you be with your girlfriend anyway? it’s obvious you care more about her than you do about your friends. go, we don’t want you here.” you sneered at him, placing your hands on your hips firmly.

“what are you talking about, (y/n)? i don’t have a girlfriend. you’re not making any sense-”

“do not lie to me a second time!” you yelled.

both jisung and minho froze as they heard you raise your voice. minho knew what you could be like when you were furious like this, but he never thought you would be like that with him. it hurt a little as you stared at him like so sternly, so unwelcoming. for once in your friendship, he felt like he was trespassing. that shouldn’t be an issue between you two. minho tried to process his thoughts until he caught your words again, repeating it over and over in his head. guilt began to settle within him as he pursed his lips, thinking of saying something. however, nothing came out. all he could do was stare at the ground with shame digging itself into his skin. you deserved better than this. minho promised you so many things, and he had broken every single one. it was ironic, really, for someone who feared a broken heart.

“(y/n),” he started hesitantly. “it’s not what it seems. let me explain.”

you snorted while rolling your eyes. “really? because from what i remember, you promised me. you promised me you would never lie to me, or keep secrets from me. you lied to me!”

your throat became thick as you tried swallowing any sobs that were bound to come up. you had pent up all of your frustration that this was finally the time you let minho have a piece of your mind. you wanted to scream at him, fight him, and hurt him. but all you could do was unleash the pain you had been holding in.

“i never thought you would do this to me, minho. i never thought- i never thought you could just give up this friendship to someone who barely knows you! i always pictured you’d be with someone kind and full of love but she is a monster, don’t you see that minho? she is a bitch and-”

“wait, wait, wait. are you talking about hana? why are you saying these things about her? i know you’re upset with me, but don’t pull her into this.” he defended her, folding his arms across his chest.

your heart sank a little further as he didn’t immediately deny the fact that they were dating. instead, he defended her actions, and her role as his girlfriend. you were devastated; so it was true. you should’ve seen it coming, but you never thought it would be this soon.

“hyung, (y/n) is telling the truth.” jisung tried to interfere, nevertheless, minho glared daggers at him.

“i’m not speaking to you right now. quiet.” he demanded.

his voice was eerily calm, making jisung cower in fear. you were not going to do that, though. you were going to stick up for yourself and the hell that hana had unleashed onto you. there is no way that minho could be so dull to not see the true colors of this girl. or maybe you were far too used to overestimating him.

“why is it that when it’s her word versus mine, you automatically defend her? am i not your best friend? i feel like i mean nothing to you anymore.”

minho scoffed. “you’re being overdramatic. hana means a lot to me as well-”

“no, it’s obvious she means more to you. do you know what she did to me today, by the way? she told me to stay away from you, to never see you again or else. does that sound like someone you want in your life, lino?”

you waited to hear reassuring words from your best friend, but instead, all you heard was the love of your life pushing you out of the way. his nostrils flared slightly in anger as he clenched his jaw, and his instinctively formed fists. never had he thought to raise his voice at you, but that was pushed away when the words left his mouth without control.

“you listen to me, and you listen carefully, (y/n). i don’t want you to ever speak of her like that ever again,” he pause to take a deep breath.

“it’s really low of you to be this jealous that you have to tear down the people that matter to me. i thought you were better than that.” he clicked his tongue, giving you a stare of disappointment.

you couldn’t decide what hurt more, the fact that minho defended her or that he didn’t believe you. jisung wished to speak up and to let his friend know the truth, but he didn’t want to be scolded once more. the silence in the room was chilling, leaving goosebumps to arise on your arms. this had to be fake; this wasn’t the minho you knew and loved. tears had fallen past your eyes and onto your scorched cheeks. that sinking feeling returned to the pit of your stomach as it swallowed you whole. minho stared back with just as much intensity, knowing he hated seeing you cry especially when he was the cause. but he refused to back down from his word. instead he shook his head, turning around to walk out the door. you could hear the slam of the front door from your room, making you jump in fear. you were still unable to move from your spot as shock filled your system. did that really just happen?

you hadn’t even noticed the way jisung chased after his hyung. he pushed his short legs to run faster until he was now out of your apartment and near the parking lot. minho was walking rather fast with his stance intimidating but the younger boy didn’t care. he needed him to know the truth, and to know that you weren’t exaggerating.

minho felt a shove at the lower end of his back, causing him to trip a bit in front of him. when he whipped around to view who it was, a growl slipped his lips.

“yah, do you have a death wish?” jisung was not surprised to hear that.

“no, but do you? do you know what (y/n) has been going through ever since this hana girl entered your life? hm? do you? she’s telling the truth, i was here with her when that call took place.”

minho chuckled bitterly. “i can’t believe you’re on her side here. i thought you were my friend.”

jisung’s eyes softened, showing just how upset he was over this. minho was not prepared for what came next, however, as the dongsaeng questioned every motive he had.

“i am. and do you know what i value most in our friendship? no secrets, no lies. isn’t that the same promise you were supposed to keep with (y/n)? and here you are, breaking that promise. trying to validate what you did is inexcusable, man. why would she lie?”

the older of the two was at a loss of words as the guilt he faced earlier returned. it swirled around his body like an uninvited wind, reminding him how cold he felt in the situation. there was no reason for you to lie, so why was it that you would make something up like this? that’s the thing; you would never make this up. the realization was beginning to settle in him as minho came face to face with reality. he had hurt you, and made it out to be your fault. he took the side of someone he barely knew over you. over his best friend. over the love of his life.

“shit,” he muttered while throwing a hand to over his face.

this made jisung smile sadly, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “maybe you should fix this. just maybe.”

letting out a groan, minho cursed at himself. he had fucked up so badly. jisung was quick, though, to ask a question that was still clearly in his head. “are you really dating hana by the way?”

minho shook his head and scoffed. “no.”

minho glanced up from his solemn expression and nodded.normally he would come back with another scary remark but he didn’t have the energy to do it. he made his way back to your apartment with each step being heavier than the previous one. owning up to his mistakes wasn’t something he was used to. never had he hurt this badly before, so he was bound to face something completely new. taking all the courage he could, minho opened your door to see a vacant front room. yeri must’ve been somewhere else, which he wasn’t complaining about. no doubt she would’ve chewed his ass out. minho continued on until he was right outside your door. as his hand went to turn the golden knob, he heard a heartwrenching sound.

you held a hand over your mouth as you sobbed in your bed, your body curled up to offer any form of comfort it could. the words of your best friend replayed over and over until you could no longer bare it anymore. you were broken into pieces, scattering yourself so that they would be hard to find. but minho had the power to put you back together, despite how long it would take.

you felt a body weigh down beside you on the bed, immediately reaching its arms around you. as your eyes fluttered open, the sight of him was made aware, making you sob harder. minho shushed you, combing back your hair from your eyes as he held you in place. you didn’t fight him, you didn’t scream at him, no. you let him hold you so that he could mend your broken pieces back together. this was his damage he had caused, it only seemed right to take care of it.

“i’m sorry. i’m so sorry.”

you shook your head almost instantly. “you’re just saying that. don’t lie to me-”

“i’m not. hey, look at me,” he whispered.

your eyes met his again, making you shiver. it had been so long since you were this close to him. it felt familiar, like home. because that’s what he was to you. nothing could ever change that, even if he had crossed you.

“i will never lie to you again. you mean so much to me.”

unlike his tsundere personality, his voice was soft as it wavered in the air. those words alone made your heart begin to beat again with a sense of excitement you thought you lost. that excitement began to build as he grew closer, his face fearlessly nearing yours. his eyes never left yours, and you felt the overwhelming urge to close the gap between you. and so you did.

your lips molded against each other in a way you couldn’t describe. you were exploring new found territory, having experience something you never deemed possible. it was gentle, but powerful. his hands caressed your lower back as he held you closer to himself, chests up against each other. fireworks were an understatement. it felt like the universe was finally aligning again to ensure your happiness. it was a comforting hug that let you knew everything was going to be alright. it was minho showing you that you were more than hana would ever be.

as he drew back, he pressed his forehead against yours. he couldn’t help but to say the words he had been holding back on ever since the day you met.

“i love you, (y/n).”

your eyes bulged as you looked at him in disbelief. these were words you were wanting to hear for so long. but were they genuine? or to make you feel better? you grew defensive before letting your heart speak any truth.

“i don’t need you to patronize me, minho. if you’re just saying that . . . “

“i’m not. i sincerely love you, (y/n).”

“what about hana?” your insecurities were back at it again, and doubting anything that minho had said to you. you heard him chuckle as he responded coolly. “i was never with hana. i love you.”

a smile broke out on your lips. “no secrets, no lies?”

“no secrets, no lies.”

soooooo this is really shitty and im really sorry :/ I’ve been writing this for so many weeks and this is all i got out of it lmao <333 might make a part two with smut HA let me know if y’all want that thanks for the request @minholuvs

#kpop #stray kids #fanfiction #kpop angst #angst #stray kids scenarios #stray kids angst #changbin #hyunjin #scenarios #minhoxreader #skz minho #minho angst #best friends to lovers #bangchan #felix #jeongin #skz seungmin #skz jisung

530 notes · View notes

skittlesmcgee · 1 year

Text

I have been a drift for about a year without something to focus on. I know that quilting/sewing is not currently the answer and may not be again. Those are some bygone days for a lot of reasons.

I've had several instances recently where I had a feeling to reach out to someone or some people. When I've done that, I've had one or two people come back with "That was just what I needed to hear today" or "I was just thinking of you as well." I've decided that I need to do some work with understanding my intuition. It's something I've been aware of for years, but it's so random and fairly rare, I figured it wasn't really worth studying. Now that my life is much quieter, I have more and more of these intuitive moments. Perhaps it wasn't that they were rare or random. Perhaps my life was too filled with other noise that prevented these messages from getting through. Also, I probably wasn't bothering to listen.

I've been fascinated with tarot for several years now. Not because I think it's going to specifically tell me my future. That's not how this works. But just as the universe says, "Send that meme to that person," the universe can remind you of truths about yourself via pictures on paper.

There is a woman that I follow on TikTok who reads daily. Is every message for me. Nope. Are some messages for me. Maybe. But I like her vibe, her energy. Her recommendation was to start by learning the cards and their meaning. The student in me thinks that's probably okay. Her suggestion was to draw a card every morning and read the meaning. Then, each evening, reflect on your day and the times and circumstances that resonated with the meaning of the card. I got nothing else to do with two and a half months. So, I bought a very traditional tarot deck for this sole purpose. (I have two other decks that i love for the art.) That way, there are cues in the artwork to help reinforce the meaning. So, I will be journaling my reflections here. If you don't care to read, I don't mind. As with all things about my posts, they are for me to corral my wild, often errant thoughts. Also, against my normal methodology for starting at the beginning and moving numerically through the cards, I'm going to let the deck choose the card of the day. If nothing flies during the shuffle, I'll pick something. If something flies, there must be a reason.

Today's card was the Queen of Cups. I find it interesting that a cups card is my first card. According to what I read, the cups suit represents the emotional aspects of your life, an area that I am working very hard at understanding and healing.

Specifically, the queen represents someone who is empathic, compassionate, and nurturing. She also represents some who trusts her intuition. What a fantastic card to start off this journey. It's as if the universe is saying, "Yep. You're on a good journey. Nice first step. Trust yourself."

Trusting myself is not something I'm very good at. Outwardly, I'm all proud of the steps I've taken and the changes I've made. Inwardly, and shared with only a tiny circle, do I admit that it's most bravado and bullshit. It's nice to have...not proof, not confirmation... more like a smile and a nod from the universe. Yep, this journey is more than learning the cards. This is also a specific way to get reacquainted with myself. This new me. The one living this segment of my life.

0 notes

capricorn-stark · 3 years

Text

Othello Pt 2

pairing: jason todd x reader, reader is a psych major because i think the concept of psych majors in Gotham is funny lmao

warning: i wrote this at 1 am again, kinda long, swearing

a/n: i mention Dana Harlowe and Annie B’s diner, they’re both from RHATO’s final two issues lol. still dedicated to @tadpole-san even though she hate crimed me

part 1

“I thought you said you wanted to get coffee,” you started when you noticed Jason veering away from where your regular coffee shop should’ve been, choosing to cut through the street and venture to a different path entirely. “Because you just-”

“Yeah, I know, I’m hungry,” he declared, slipping his hands into his pockets and tilting his head towards another row of stores illuminated with neon-lights and flickering street lamps. “This place has better stuff than overpriced coffee, promise.” You let out an exaggerated gasp of shock at that notion and he laughed, nudging your shoulder with his.

It was always strange to be walking around Gotham during the night, but with Jason by your side, it was far less worrying than it usually was. On your own, you couldn’t even imagine traveling around the dark streets littered with muggers, petty thieves, and the occasional evil clown prince or two - one minute, you’d be speed-walking down the streets, the next minute you could end up as the lucky winner of Scarecrow’s fear-gas testing special.

You actually knew someone who had been in that very situation. They were in Arkham now.

With Jason, it was almost ridiculous how much safer you felt. It didn’t take a whole lot of observational skills to notice how the men who usually leered at you and your friends when you passed shrank and slipped into the shadows when a man over 6 feet in height and built like a tank walked past them. Jason himself was in a good mood tonight, his shoulders relaxed and a slight smile playing at his lips while he told you about the local theatrical-adaptation of Othello that was currently under production near Gotham University.

You were getting used to seeing him like this - not so moody, smiling, present - but you had also noticed the expressions he had when no one was looking, when he wasn’t thinking about anything in particular, when his gaze had a certain intensity to them that you hadn’t ever quite seen before. He didn’t really like talking about himself or his life, preferring to keep conversations centered around school or you. The few times you had tried asking about his family and work had all led to him clamming up and quickly dropping the subject, his body language rigid and completely closed-off, the crease by his brows deepening as his expression transformed into a scowl. It was the first time you realized that Jason Todd could actually be genuinely scary - and the first time you realized there was a much, much darker side of him that you weren’t sure if you wanted to see.

You knew it wasn’t your place to pry, and you had never brought it up since - but you couldn’t help but wonder just what had happened to make someone like him so angry.

“...and I figured we could - did you just zone out on me?”

You snapped back into attention at his rather dramatic tone, flinching out of your character analysis to pay actual mind to the man in question himself.

“No, I just-”

“Yeah? What did I just say?” Jason challenged, grasping your arm to pull you away from the traffic lane you had nearly walked right into. His disbelieving expression made your face burn red - but much to your relief (and embarrassment), he was laughing.

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t completely zoned out-”

“After you literally walked into traffic? Yeah, I can tell,” he deadpanned, tugging you towards him right as the cars slowed to a halt, the pedestrian signal blinking above you. The sudden action and the sudden closeness made your face heat up - something he apparently noticed when his bright green eyes flickered across your features and caused a smirk to tug at his lips. Instead of the teasing you had braced yourself for, you watched as he tilted his head towards the diner across the street, letting go of your arm. “It’s right over there, c’mon.”

He was already moving towards the crosswalk when you shook yourself out of your stupor, quickly moving to catch up with him and glancing up at the diner. The big glowing red letters on the sign beside it read “Annie B’s”.

“They got good food,” he explained at your questioning look, leaning forwards to swing the door open for you. “I used to hang around here a lot when I was a kid.”

“I don’t think I’ve actually seen this place before,” you commented, entering and hearing Jason close the door behind him, taking a quick glance around before you took a seat in one of the cherry-red and white leather booths. “Kinda wish I had.”

The entire diner had a vintage touch to it, from the luminescent pink and blue lights lining the ceilings to the multicolored tile floors, the cherry-red barstools, and even the jukebox in the corner cranking out old-timey tunes. There were only a few other people sitting at the bar and chilling in a booth a few down from your own, all too absorbed in their own worlds to pay much mind to the two of you. You could hear the sizzling of the food being made back in the kitchen, emitting a heavenly aroma that made your stomach growl not-so subtly. Jason laughed as he slid down across from you, sliding one delicate paper menu over as he scanned over the other.

“Pretty cool, huh? And like I said, they got great food.” He nodded at your stomach and you rolled your eyes, eliciting another laugh from him. “Knock yourself out, ‘cus dinner’s on me.” Before you could open your mouth to object, the kitchen doors flew open and a woman stepped out holding a heaping tray of food.

“One chicken fried steak with a side of mashed potatoes and rings,” she announced as she set down the trays in front of a man sitting a few booths down, already moving to refill his glass with a pitcher of water. “Enjoy your dinner, Phil.”

“Thanks, Dana,” the man told her as he picked up his fork and gave her a crooked-toothed grin, already digging into his food. “Always do.”

“I sure hope so,” the lady agreed, moving to walk back towards the kitchen before catching sight of them. She broke into a grin at the sight of Jason sending her a playful salute, changing course to head towards their booth instead. “Well, look who it is!” she exclaimed, securing her curly black hair out of her face with an orange-and-green bandana as she stopped in front of them. “Jason Todd decided to drop by for a little visit, did he? And he brought a friend.”

The sight of her beaming at you was too contagious for you to not smile back up at her in return.

“Hi, Dana,” Jason grinned, nodding at you as she looked between the two of you. “This is Y/N. Y/N, Dana Harlowe. Her dad runs this place.”

“It’s so nice to meet you,” Dana told you with another grin, leaning forwards to shake your hand in greeting. “When I decided to help out at the diner tonight, I wasn’t expecting a miracle. I definitely didn’t think this boy would ever walk in here with a date of all things-”

“Oh as if,” Jason scoffed loudly as the two of you laughed, face reddening beneath the bright colored lights. “Have you seen me? I was born a lady-killer.” He shot you a wink and you sent him another playful eye roll.

“Yeah, you sure killed me alright.” Dana burst out laughing again as Jason immediately let out a protest of betrayal at your words.

“I like you,” she decided when she finally managed to straighten, taking out her notepad and pen with another brilliant smile. “Did y’all decide what you wanted yet, or do you need another minute?” Jason glanced over at you and you nodded back up at her.

“Sure, I’m ready.”

Dana headed back into the kitchen for your food after you ordered, leaving the two of you to sit in a comfortable, familiar silence, the sound of forks scraping against porcelain plates and vintage beats being the only disruptors.

“I used to hear these songs on Gotham City Radio all the time,” Jason finally began after taking a sip of his water, fixating his gaze back on you as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the leather seat. “Growing up, I mean. I still do, sometimes.”

“Classic jazz?” You grinned, taking a small sip of your own water in turn. “You? I didn’t get that vibe from you.” He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck with a slight shrug.

“At my old place, I had, uh, a butler. He wasn’t really a butler, honestly, he was more like a dad than anything. Or, like, a really cool grandpa. He had a whole rack of guns and shit he kept polished in this big cabinet thing-” You raised a brow, attempting to hide your amusement by taking another sip of water. You were a little surprised that he had actually started talking about his family at all - you weren’t about to ruin it, and boy, did you want to know more about the guy. “And he used to play that station all the time at home, GC Radio Classics. I guess I kinda missed hearing it.”

“He does sound pretty cool,” you admitted with a smile, setting the glass back down. “Do you still visit him?” Jason hesitated a few moments before attempting a nonchalant shrug. You noticed the tightness in his body language again, the same sort of tightness you saw when he was closing up around you.

“Not much anymore,” he finally said, letting his shoulders drop a little bit. “It’s been...a while. Just got some shit going on.” You watched him take another drink before you spoke again.

“If you ever want to talk about it with me - or talk about anything, really - you can, Jason.” It wasn’t just the products of your psych major showing through you - you meant your words, and the slight smile playing at his lips seemed to signal that he had understood that as well.

“Don’t worry about it, seriously. But thanks.” You nodded, looking up again when the kitchen doors flew open once again, Dana heading out towards your table with another two trays heaped with mouth-watering food.

“And here you go,” she smiled as she set your respective meals down before you, taking your glasses to refill them as well. “Enjoy your food, you two. Call me over if there’s anything else you need, yeah?” You both thanked Dana as she sashayed away again, letting the doors swing shut behind her once again after checking up on the rest of her customers.

Neither of you wasted any time digging into the food as soon as it appeared, finishing most of it in mere minutes like the starving university students you were, breaking the silence with the occasional offer at trying something the other had gotten. The aroma had been no false-alarm - it tasted even better than you had anticipated, and that was certainly saying something. Savory fries, buttery biscuits, and smoky burgers were better than anything else you had in a while.

“How did I not find this place sooner?” you sighed as you pressed a napkin to your lips, leaning back against your seat as you tried to process just how full you really felt. At this rate, you would have to roll your way out of the place. “I know you said it was gonna be good, but I didn’t expect it to be this good.”

“I told you,” Jason grinned as he finished up the last of his burger and fries, crumpling up his own napkins and setting them into the tray to throw away. “I know good food places! I grew up around these streets.”

“So did I!” you protested as he laughed and stood up to throw all the trash away, setting the trays back where they were supposed to go and pulling out his wallet just as Dana appeared by the kitchen’s window with two milkshakes.

“You can count these on the house,” she told him as she slid them over, ignoring his protests and sending you a wink as you stood up from the booth as well. “Enjoy your night - and it was real nice meeting you, Y/N. Todd, I better be seeing you around more often.”

“Yes ma’am,” he deadpanned, his smile warm as she waved them out anyways. “Thanks, Dana.”

You called out a thanks to her as well, tightening your jacket around you as you left the warmth of the diner and felt the chill of Gotham’s dreary night hit you once more. Jason handed you your milkshake, bringing his own straw to his lips and taking a sip.

“You guys seem close,” you noted with a smile as you took a sip yourself, relishing the cold, sweet taste of the shake in delight. Jason chuckled at that, shrugging as you walked along the illuminated sidewalks in no particular direction.

“She’s like an annoying sister to me. I’ve known her since I was a puny kid.” You watched as the corners of his mouth curled into a slight smile as he took another sip. “Dana, her sister, and her dad were good to me growing up. They’re great people.”

That, you had been able to tell just from meeting the woman herself.

“I liked meeting her. She was pretty cool.” He chuckled again and spared you another glance. “And thanks, by the way, for dinner tonight. It really was really good. And way better than just coffee.”

“I told you,” he grinned, flickering those brilliant green eyes across your face again. “I know where the good spots around Gotham are. We don’t have a lot of them, but when we do have them, they’re pretty damn good.” That elicited a laugh from you and Jason stopped beneath one of the streetlamps lining the sidewalk.

“You did better than I expected, Todd.” He made a big show of popping his collar and scoffing at your comment.

“What, you expected me to not impress you? Do you think that low of me?”

“That theatre minor of yours is really starting to make an entrance, you can put it away now-”

“Hey!” You burst out laughing and he couldn’t help but join. You felt pretty sure that he looked the happiest right then and there than you had ever really seen him - whatever that might’ve meant. Pretty soon, your laughter was residing and he had taken a slight step forwards, a cheeky grin still plastered on his face. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.”

You looked back up at him with a nonchalant shrug despite fighting back another smile yourself.

“Yeah, it was a pretty good night.” His gaze flickered towards your lips before settling back on your face.

“Yeah?” The sounds of honking cars and the murmurs of people walking past all around you felt like they were being drowned out somehow when you felt him get a little bit closer. The smile tugged at the corner of your mouth again.

“Yeah.” Another moment passed before Jason finally closed the distance between you, meeting your lips in a surprisingly gentle kiss for a man who looked like he could snap a baseball bat with his bare hands. You wrapped your arms around his neck after yet another moment, feeling him draw you even closer to him at the action.

Literally and figuratively, it was a sweet kiss. The milkshake truly had done wonders.

You were a little breathless when he finally pulled away, and you hoped the shitty streetlight would keep him from seeing just how red your face had gone. Jason was grinning at your reaction, rubbing the back of his neck.

“C’mon, that was better than pretty good.”

“Shut up,” you told him immediately, swatting his arm and moving to continue your walk again as he laughed and easily moved to catch up to you, slinging an arm around your shoulders.

“It was! You gotta admit it, that was pretty great-”

“Shut up, Jason.”

Just like that, once again, you had Othello of all things to thank for your night. Maybe, just maybe, it hadn’t been such a terrible book after all.

150 notes · View notes

softyoongiionly · 3 years

Text

Fear and Dumplings: Chapter Seventeen

Confronting your fears for a final grade sounds unappealing but, with Yoongi as your partner, things might not be so bad.

Summary: You’re in your final semester at University when your Abnormal Psychology professor assigns you a partnered project surrounding your greatest fears. Lucky for you, your partner just so happens to be a cute boy named Min Yoongi.

Pairing: Min Yoongi x Reader

Genre: Underground Rapper! Yoongi, Soft!!! Yoongi, Fluff!!!, College! Yoongi, Sub! Yoongi

Word Count: 9.1k

A/N: Hi friends! Here is a new chapter for you. I know it’s been a super duper long time since I’ve updated this series but, I plan on wrapping up the current timeline (wink wink) within the first half of the year! Special shoutout to my amazing friend @bulletproofbirdy who I love so so much. Without her big genius brain, I would literally not be able to get through any of my wip. Another huge shoutout to @gldnrecs @kithtaehyung @yoonia and @randombtsprincessa for being my lil hype team. I love you! Also, thank you to everyone over at @bangtansorciere. I am so grateful to have met so many lovely new friends this year! okiii bye. I hope you like it!

NOTE: all bolded words indicate when characters are speaking Korean

Warnings for this Chapter: ok here we go…(TRIGGER WARNING)

moderate angst, drug use (marijuana), mentions of anxiety, brief allusions to physical abuse, very brief allusions to drug addiction, alcohol

Chapter Seventeen: Daegu and Dirty Laundry

No thoughts, head empty (and in Yoongi’s lap)

The two of you are in his living room, bags packed by the front door, awaiting the cab to take you to the airport.

In a few short hours, you were leaving on a plane to Daegu to visit Yoongi’s older brother and, you can tell by the way he’s shuffled around all morning that he’s anxious.

Thankfully, Hoseok and Namjoon woke up with him, knowing that emotions would be high and well- offered to get him high.

“This is a really good indica strain hyung,” Hoseok assures him as he hands over a zip-lock bag, “I rolled a joint with this last night and passed out in like 30 minutes.”

Yoongi, dressed in an all-black sweat outfit, accepts the bag into the palm of his hand, before grabbing the pipe that’s resting on the couch cushion beside him.

“Did you get it from that same guy?” Yoongi asks, his voice heavy beneath the obvious tension he’s feeling.

Despite his attempts to remain casual, you know him well enough to feel how nervous he is. He’s practically vibrating beneath you but, you know that pointing this out will only make it worse so instead, you merely rub the outside of his thigh whilst he packs his pipe.

“Yeah, Jin’s friend-” Hoseok responds before nodding to Namjoon, “He’s honestly killing it right now. Jin told me he’s made like 5 grand already.”

Namjoon raises his brows, “Really? Damn, that’s impressive, I’ve never heard of anyone taking off that fast.”

“Jin has a lot of contacts-” Yoongi offers, adjusting the bud once more before grabbing his lighter, “it probably helped him get started. Plus, I think a lot of people around here have been looking for a good plug. Whatever he’s doing is working though, the high from last night was pretty good.”

At Yoongi’s comment, Hoseok’s lip melt into a salacious smirk as he raises his brows and jerks his chin towards you, “Are you sure it had nothing to do with that one over there?” He teases, “Yah, what are you so quiet for? You haven’t given me shit all morning...”

His comment makes you giggle but Yoongi cuts in before you’re able to respond.

“She’s tired, leave her alone.” He scolds but his lips twitch at the sound of your laughter.

Hoseok snickers as you finally decide to sit up. You can feel Yoongi’s eyes on you even as he lifts the pipe to his mouth. Tucking yourself into the side of the couch, you finally decide to add to the conversation.

“Is the guy you pick up named Yugyeom by chance?” The sleepiness in your tone is more obvious than you were expecting and, it makes Yoongi smile to himself whilst he lights his pipe.

Namjoon nods, “Yeah, it is. Do you know him?”

Yoongi’s attention is on you even as he inhales his first hit, the nerves in his body standing at attention, waiting to be soothed.

“He was in my human sexuality class.” You remember, with a grin on your lips, “That’s actually where I met Jin too. I just had a feeling that it was him because, he literally always came to class high. Plus, him and Jin were like inseparable.”

Namjoon winces, “Of all the people to get stuck learning about sex with. I’m sorry...”

This makes you laugh, as your mind journey’s back to all the days you spent trying not to make a scene as Jin made sexual puns in the middle of a serious lecture.

“It definitely kept things interesting...” You offer, “I’m glad to hear that Yugyeom is thriving on his own. He mentioned his dad wanted him to join the family business but, I could never picture that man in a suit.”

Hoseok chuckles before his face tightens with intrigue, “Oof that makes one of us. He would look fine as hell in a suit.”

Namjoon grins, nudging Hoseok with his foot, “You got a thing for him?”

For the first time, you see a hint of shyness overcoming Hoseok’s demeanor but he shrugs it off, trying to appear casual, “I mean- I don’t know about all that. I’m just saying that he would look good in a suit.”

“You’d both look good in suits- together...” You offer, grinning at him, “Maybe in a private venue somewhere...”

Hoseok rolls his eyes but the smile creeping onto his lips is unmistakable, “Shut up- you guys are fucking wild. All I said is that he was hot...”

Giggling, you shrug your shoulders before nodding over to Yoongi, “Yeah well that’s how it starts-” You warn, “Then the next thing you know, you’re sitting on the subway, simping over a selfie he sends you.”

Yoongi’s soft lips immediately turn up in a small smile, the shy boy in him peeking out. At first, he says nothing as he merely passes the pipe to Namjoon, who mirrors a similar expression.

Hoseok is back to his normal mischief, feeling relieved that the heat is off him for the time being.

“Are you saying you’d marry Yoongi then?”

He expects you to be flustered by this question but, the answer is simple.

“This man?” You raise your brows as you point to Yoongi, “You’re asking me if I would marry this man right here? Hoseok- I would wife this man up so quickly, it would give you whiplash.”

Your comment causes the three of them to laugh and, to add to the shifting vibe of the room, you feel Yoongi wrap his arm around you in an effort to pull you into his side.

“You can’t say shit like that right in front of them, they don’t need to see me soft...” He mumbles shyly in your ear before kissing your cheek, his heart singing with validation.

“Hyung, you act like we don’t already know who whipped you are for this girl.” Hoseok laughs, eagerly accepting the pipe from a coughing Namjoon.

Yoongi ignores him with his arm still around you, checking his phone with the other hand, “The cab should be here soon, do you need anything before we go?”

“Hyung, you’re gonna leave your piece here right? Cause we kinda need it-”

Namjoon eyes him suspiciously, “What happened to your bong?”

Hoseok cringes, “I may have accidentally dropped it off the rooftop...”

Namjoon’s eyes blow wide open, “What the fuck were you doing on the rooftop to begin with?”

“I wanted to vibe! The bud was good and, I wanted to listen to the J. Cole album and get in my feelings hyung, get off my dick-” He laughs, playfully defensive.

“Hey that’s J Cole song-” You point out giggling at the double meaning, the exhaustion from earlier finding you once again.

“Exactly, I’m glad you caught that-” Hoseok winks at you before Yoongi finally responds.

“I’m not going to take my pipe through international security. Pot isn’t legal in Korea so, I wouldn’t be smoking while we were there anyway.”

“Oh shit that’s right-” Namjoon remembers, “I really need to keep up with what’s been going on back home, I heard they were opening the discussion about it recently but, I haven’t kept up with it.”

Hoseok interjects, “What about your brother? He probably has connections.”

Yoongi shrugs, “He might but, I'm not going to worry about it.” He glances at his phone again before turning it towards you, “Our car is here, you ready to go?”

You offer him a small smile as you nod, your cheek tingling still as he places another kiss to it.

He stands up first before holding his hand out to you. Eagerly, you lace your fingers with his and, hoist yourself off the couch.

“Alright you two-” Namjoon stands too, brushing his hands over the front of his hoodie, “Try and send us updates when you can yeah?” He shoots a look towards Yoongi that is filled with an emotion that breaches casual concern.

Yoongi understands perfectly, offering Namjoon a solemn nod in return as he pats his shoulder, “Yeah I will. I’ll text you when we land...”

Moments later, the two of you are in the back of the cab. Yoongi takes the middle seat so he can be close to you, his fingers are interlaced tightly with your own despite the fact that his hand is already sweating.

He’s anxious.

You can feel it and, you’re faced with two options.

Address it

Distract him

It’s not an easy choice but, you figure this weekend will already be filled with heightened emotions so, you’re not sure if you should breach this topic so early. At the same time though, you don’t want to act like nothing’s wrong and dismiss what he’s clearly feeling.

So, you land somewhere in the middle.

Yoongi’s jaw is loaded with tension as you reach over and turn his face towards yours. He doesn’t register what you’re doing at first but he is in tune with your touch as always so, he doesn’t question it.

Leaning in, you tuck your lips between his own, whilst your free hand comes up to encase the side of his face. You feel him relax beneath your kiss, a sigh leaving his nose as he kisses you back slowly.

You pull away, pecking at his lips a few times, your thumb rubbing over his cheek.

“It’s going to be ok.” You murmur softly for the sake of his privacy, “We’re going to get through this.”

Yoongi’s eyes open just enough to show you the sheer amount of trust present in them.

He believes everything that comes out of your mouth and, despite the anxiety that’s raging inside of him, he knows you’re right.

Pressing his cheek against your hand, a soft smirk graces his lips as he resists the urge to pour his heart out to you for the millionth time.

“I wish it was socially acceptable for you to kiss me like that every time I feel like this...”

You giggle, pecking his lips again for good measure, “It would make our psych presentation really interesting that’s for sure.”

He chuckles, his face adorably smushed against your hand, “I keep forgetting that we have to do that. I don’t even remember the last time we worked on it...”

“Me neither.” You say at first before your eyes light up with realization, “Oh my god wait- the last time was when we watched that horrible spider movie at my apartment! Ugh no wonder I couldn’t remember, I’m pretty sure I've blocked those images from my mind as a coping mechanism.”

Yoongi’s face lights up along with you, “Oh shit, that’s right-” He laughs, “Did we even finish our lists?”

The two of you share another round of laughter, caught up in the ridiculous realization that you had lowkey abandoned your final project.

You lean over to pull your phone out of your purse, “Here let me check-” Scrolling through your notes app, you find the project tab before allowing your eyes to wander over it, “It looks like I still have deep water and you technically still have night clubs and horror movies. But I mean- you did perform in a night club recently so I feel like that should count.”

He nods thoughtfully before his face lights up with realization once more, “Oh yeah, I already wrote about that in the research journal, I forget to tell you. That was definitely more of a direct confrontation than I was planning.” He chuckles, “We did sit on the beach and read terrifying facts about the depth of the ocean for mine, would that be enough for you to write about?”

The two of you have maneuvered so that you’re tucked into Yoongi’s side again, his arm draping comfortably around your shoulders.

“You still have horror movies left though so, I feel like I should maybe confront one more directly too. Besides, I have a feeling that I’ll be able to distract myself in the water if you’re there-” You mumble suggestively, which causes him to smirk as he leans his head back against the seat.

“Oh yeah?” He jerks his head towards you “How so?”

Resting your face on his chest, you smile to yourself and think of a response that’s appropriate for a perfect stranger aka your cab driver, to hear.

“Cause if something touches my feet in the water, I could simply latch myself to your back for safety purposes.” You explain matter of factly.

“If something touched your foot while we were in the water, I’d swim away so fucking fast- I don’t think you’d have time to latch on.” He explains through his laughter

Scoffing, you smack your hand against his chest as you sit up fully, wiggling out of his grip, “So you’d just leave me to die???” You accuse, “Also, last time I checked- you weren’t an Olympic swimmer, what makes you think you’d just zoom out of there???”

Yoongi’s cackling at this point, his hand on his stomach, his previously tense features now smoothed out beneath his amusement, “I’m not saying I would leave you necessarily-”

“Necessarily!” You point out, laughter erupting from your lips as you pinch his side, “After everything we’ve been through, you’re really just gonna let a sea monster eat me!?”

His eyes widen, as his laughter increases, “A sea monster?! Who said anything about a sea monster? Where did they come in????”

“I said something touched my foot???? Obviously that means there is a sea monster, lurking in the depths, trying to eat me and you-” You poke his sternum, “You just said you would leave me to die!”

Yoongi’s face is reddened with the force of his own laughter, his hand subconsciously coming up to cover your own. With his eyes tearing up and his mouth parted to make way for his giggling, you can’t help but admire how beautiful he is.

Especially when he’s laughing...

He wipes his eyes with his free hand, still chuckling lightly to himself even as he brings your hand to his mouth, “Alright, alright- let's be clear- I would never leave you to die.” He promises, still smirking as he kisses the back of your hand, “Realistically, I’d probably panic and jump on YOUR back.”

With narrowed eyes, you wiggle the fingers he has pressed to his lips, “Well I don’t know how that would work out because, I’d probably you know- swim away so fucking fast that I don’t know if you’d have time to latch on...”

Yoongi snickers as you imitate his voice but, rather than retaliate he simply tugs you by the hand his currently holding and, kisses you.

It’s soft and sweet- lasting only for a few seconds until he’s pulling away.

“Thank you for coming with me.” He says suddenly, the volume of his voice decreasing significantly.

And as usual, you know that he wants to say way more than he does. But you’re perfectly fine with that.

Yoongi’s subtly is a specific brand and, you’ve grown to love how the little things he does allows him to pack so much emotion into a simple phrase.

You feel lucky to love such a special person.

“Of course.” You return his simplicity, pecking his lips once more before settling back in your original position.

The airport was a blur.

You’re thankful it passes quickly because, the process of getting through security makes you anxious.

Yoongi ushers you into your seat before taking both of your bags and, storing them in the overhead compartment. You can’t help but smile as he turns to help an older woman with her luggage as well.

He smiles ( :] ) at her, bowing his head slightly as she thanks him. Yoongi offers her a tiny wave and takes his seat beside you, not noticing the way you smile fondly at him.

When he takes his seat beside you, the two of you settle into a comfortable silence. Once the flight crew permits it, Yoongi takes his laptop out and begins toying around with one of his songs. You pull your headphones out as well and find one of your favorite playlists. Leaning back against the seat, your eyes eventually begin to droop until you can no longer keep them open.

The next thing you know, you’re being woken up by someone gently patting your thigh.

“Sleepy girl...” Yoongi croons in Korean, the sound of his voice alone making you smile, “We’re landing soon.”

Slightly disoriented, you blink your eyes a few times before you’re finally able to focus on your boyfriend’s face.

You slump against him, rubbing your cheek against the material of his hoodie. He chuckles softly, his arm sliding out from underneath you in order to drape across your shoulders.

“I’m sorry I fell asleep.” You mumble

He chuckles again, nodding with a false sense of consideration, “Ah yes, you missed so much. Two hours ago, the flight attendant came by and asked if we wanted anything to drink. It was a wild ride...”

Giggling sleepily, you shake your head at his sarcasm before pointing at his laptop.

“Were you working on your composition project?”

He bites his bottom lip and shakes his head, a bashful expression on his face “No, it was just a song I’ve been working on for a while now.”

He leaves it at that and, due to the signal from the flight crew, Yoongi begins putting his stuff away as the rest of the cabin prepares for landing.

“Are we taking the train?” You mumble, still fighting off the remnants of your nap.

Yoongi purses his lips, his eyes narrowed in concentration whilst he scrolls through his phone.

“No, I have a cab waiting for us.” He responds, “It says it’s already here. So, when you get out of customs, just meet me right outside. It should just be a straight shot from immigration.”

You nod and rest your head back against his shoulder, “Okay.”

He puts his phone away, allowing his hand to find yours. Intertwining your fingers, he takes a deep breath- his mind clearly elsewhere. You squeeze his hand to acknowledge this but, the two of you don’t comment on it.

There is no need.

With the tightening of your grip, so much has already been said.

Less than a half hour later, the two of you are once again seated in the back of the cab.

“It’s probably going to rain a lot while we’re here.” Yoongi explains, his voice low and slow, “This is Daegu’s rainy season. I’ve been checking the weather periodically and it looks like there might be a storm coming but, it doesn’t look too severe.”

You look at the window after his comment, noticing that the sky is overflowing with heavy clouds, swollen and gray with the promise of rain.

“We’re approaching monsoon season, we call it uh- jangma.” He tells you and his explanation makes you smile.

Despite the circumstances, you’re very honored and excited to be in Yoongi’s hometown. You know the memories he associates with this place are complex but, there is a shift in his tone now and, he sounds eager to teach you about this place: the place he called home for so long.

And you’d gladly listen for hours.

“Jangma-” You repeat, trying to get the pronunciation right, causing him to refocus his attention back on you. He smiles softly and nods,

“Good job.”

Your heart skips a beat at his approval as you return his smile, “Is there gonna be thunder?”

Yoongi chuckles, “Do you want there to be thunder?”

You nod eagerly, “I love storms. When I was little, I would just sit at the window and watch them go by. I’m pretty sure our neighbors thought I was crazy. But I don’t know- I've always had a thing for bad weather...”

He smirks, glancing out the window and then back at you, “That explains a lot.”

Giggling, you cock your head, “What do you mean?”

Yoongi gestures to himself, his now playful gaze looking at you expectantly. You laugh at his insinuation,

“I see the resemblance.” You concede, gently patting his cheek, “You’re not nearly as gloomy as you think you are though.”

“To you-” He retorts, “You always forget that...”

“Pleaaaase.” You disagree, “You’re soft for other people too, don’t lie. I’ve seen the way you deal with Namjoon and Hobi...”

He shakes his head, “Yeah but things are still different with you, I don’t think you realize that.”

You nudge yourself underneath his arm once more, cuddling up with him as best as you can in the back of a cab.

“I know you’re especially-” You emphasize the word, “soft for me. I’m just saying that you come across more approachable than you think you do.”

Yoongi smirks to himself, seemingly understanding something that you don’t.

“Soft is an understatement.” He retorts, turning to kiss the top of your head.

“Whateverrrr.” You tease him, your eyes trailing down to focus on his hands, “I’m still right.”

He chuckles, his figure shaking lightly beneath you, “You usually are.”

The cab pulls off of the highway, and it’s then that you begin to notice the way the scenery around you shifts from a middle class/ metropolitan vibe to something much much...fancier.

Through the winding streets, the cab begins taking the two of you up a pretty steep hill before turning onto a street full of ridiculously nice houses.

White marble, giant glass windows, and driveways filled to the brim with luxury vehicles zip by as the car turns down another street. Similar in theme but greater in size, the new street had much larger houses on more sizeable plots of land- likely designed to give the owners privacy amongst their neighbors.

You can feel Yoongi’s eyes on you then and, you know very well that he’s observing your reaction.

He knows that even though he told you his brother was wealthy that, that phrase alone wouldn’t be enough to properly convey what that entailed.

“This neighborhood is really beautiful,” You observe softly, eyes still glued to the window, “The architecture is so different than anything I’ve ever seen.”

And of course, this makes Yoongi smile.

Because of course, you aren’t making a fuss about the degree of luxury before you. You’re finding the beauty in what otherwise is a very stressful situation.

Finally, the cab pulls into a driveway right behind a black Tesla before putting the car in park.

He and Yoongi exchange a few words in Korean as Yoongi hands him a small wad of money.

“Thank you.” You murmur to the cab driver with a slight bow of your head to which he responds with a tight smile and a similar bow.

You and Yoongi unload your bags from the trunk and as he is reaching for your hand, the front door of the house swings open.

A man a few inches taller than Yoongi steps out. His black hair is neatly arranged in a middle part and he’s dressed in a beige turtleneck and white slacks. As he comes closer, the resemblance between the two of them is staggering.

“Hello!” He calls with a warm smile, his voice bright, “Welcome! Come on in, the rain is supposed to pick back up soon.”

His expression only glows as he spots his younger brother. He looks excited to see him but, his movements are apprehensive.

The unspoken tension is already present and, you can feel Yoongi almost freeze up as he draws near. Subtly, you coax him along offering his brother a warm smile as the two of you approach the landing just in front of his door.

Normally, you don’t get nervous when meeting new people but, this situation is laced with so much complexity- you aren’t sure how to act.

Thankfully Yoongi finally speaks, “Good to see you hyung. Thank you for having us on such short notice.” His tone is almost unrecognizable as he gestures to you, “This is my girlfriend Y/N. Y/N-” He gestures back to his brother, “This is my older brother Geum-jae hyung.”

Bowing your head slightly, you smile once more, “It’s very nice to meet you, thank you for having me.”

Geum-jae nods, eyeing you softly as his lips press into a tight line, “It’s so nice to meet you Y/N. I promise you, the pleasure is all mine.”

Yoongi motions for you to step in front of him so, you follow his lead and trail behind his brother through the doorway.

Geum-jae's home resembles a marble statue. It’s clean, beautiful and, elegant- but lifeless. Geum-jae has artwork of various styles all over his walls, crisp white couches, sleek granite countertops and, stainless-steel appliances however, there is not one bit of evidence that anyone even lives here. The house feels empty despite the amount of effort put into its appearance.

It makes you sad.

“You have a beautiful home.”

Your voice echoes off the dead weight of the walls, the paintings themselves seeming to arch a brow at your comment. Geum-jae however, smiles and nods graciously,

“Thank you. I just moved in not too long ago so, there is a lot I want to do. I definitely could have used this one’s expertise-” He nods to Yoongi, “He was always really good at that kind of stuff...”

Your boyfriend smirks, his eyes taking in his surroundings but failing to really focus on anything; he was too wound up, “You could have. I would have charged you though...”

Geum-jae chuckles and you see him glance at Yoongi fondly for a split second before he quickly reverts to his casual demeanor.

“I put you guys on the second floor facing the skyline-” He gestures to the ivory staircase, “I’m sure you want some time to freshen up and relax so, please take all the time you need. I’m having BBQ brought over tonight but, if you’re hungry- feel free to help yourself to whatever is in the kitchen.”

Yoongi allows you to step in front of him whilst taking the suitcase from your hands. The two men follow behind you as Geum-jae continues laying out the plans for the evening,

“I have a few virtual meetings to attend that I wasn’t able to move around but, I will be free as of 7 this evening. Until then, please make yourselves at home. I am really-” He seems to take a deep breath for emphasis, “really happy to have you here.”

“Thank you hyung.” Yoongi smiles slightly once the three of you reach the outside of the guest room, “Good luck with your meetings. Let me know if you need help with dinner.”

Geum-jae responds with a tight nod, “Will do. I’ll be in my office so, feel free to explore.” As he pushes open the door for you, he allows his own pained expression to meet yours, “I’m honored to meet you Y/N. Thank you for coming all this way with my brother.”

“Well-” You squeeze Yoongi’s hand gently, “He’s lucky I like him so much...”

Cheeks flushed, Yoongi rolls his eyes and shakes his head, but his lips are practically puckered against the smile he’s trying to stifle.

“That’s fair.” Geum-jae chuckles, “Let me know if you two need anything. I’ll just be downstairs...”

With that, Yoongi pushes open the door and allows you to step inside before following behind you.

“Wow.” You whisper to yourself as you take in the scene before you.

The walls are painted a soft gray and surrounding only three sides of the bedroom. The fourth wall is made entirely of glass and given that the house rests upon a hill, you’re able to make out the skyline of the inner city. A giant four poster bed sits in the middle of the room, covered completely in a white duvet and three rows of pillows. Dark gray curtains sit on either side of the massive window as various muted colors accent the room in the form of a dresser, two nightstands and, a set of couches at the end of the bed.

Yoongi is silent behind you as he sets the bags down at the entrance of the room. He pushes the door shut and allows his eyes to move over the space for a moment.

It's nice, he thinks, but he can’t find himself to be very impressed.

He knows where this money comes from and, even though his brother is out of the crime sector now, it still feels strange to acknowledge his wealth.

Noticing his silence, you turn towards him, eyes tracing over the features of his face to assess his mood.

With a slight and subconscious pout, he looks at you, his body seemingly full of a breath he wants to take.

“Do you want to lay down for a bit? I know you didn’t sleep on the plane.”

At your offer, he seems to deflate slightly, lips turning up at the corners, “I think I want to shower first...”

Immediately, you nod with an encouraging smile, “Yeah go shower babe, I’ll just-”

He interrupts you, sticking his hand out and flexing his fingers in a grabbing motion, “Come with me.”

His offer makes you giggle, “You want me to shower with you?”

Yoongi closes the distance between you, using his grabby hands to lock onto your hips, “No, I meant like come with me as in come watch me...yes I want you to shower with me.”

Your laughter heightens as you pinch his side, causing him to recoil before chuckling.

“You’re such a punk today...” You scold.

Yoongi simply chuckles warmly as he kisses the side of your head, the tone of his voice lowering significantly, “That usually means something to you doesn’t it?”

It does.

It usually means he’s having trouble vocalizing his needs and, he’s in need of attention. And the type of attention is usually a specific brand.

And it usually comes with a little bit of pain.

However, you don’t think it’s a good idea to indulge that side of Yoongi’s desires at the moment because, his emotions aren’t fully organized. You know the talk with his brother is causing him a lot of stress and, as much as you liked to wreck his body right now- you know it’s best to wait until later.

That doesn’t mean you can’t take care of him though...

“Come on-” You urge him, grabbing his hand and practically running towards the bathroom, “Let's get you clean, king.”

He laughs, stumbling into the bathroom which is just as nice and similarly colored as the room.

“I’m a king now?”

His question goes over your head as you notice the ridiculously oversized bathtub in the center of the room. Biting your lip, you turn towards him and point at it.

“Do you want to take a bath instead? The shower looks amazing and all but- this thing literally looks like a jacuzzi.”

Yoongi eyes it curiously, his teeth finding his bottom lip, looking a little apprehensive, “How would you want to sit in it though? I kinda uh- I kinda thought maybe we could stand under the water for a bit together, like last time...”

He wants you to hold him.

He’s not going to say it but, he needs it.

Like really bad.

You can see his nerves creeping into his posture so, you decide to act quickly before he somehow convinces himself that he’s being too needy.

Looking around the room, you spot a few things that could aid in his relaxation: candles, bubble bath, a neatly folded pile of fluffy gray towels...

“I’ll show you.” You assure him, “Close your eyes really quick- no peeking. I have a plan...”

Yoongi looks at you, suspicious all over his face, “I’m scared.”

Giggling, you raise your brows for emphasize, “Oh you should be-”

He can’t help but smirk at your tone despite the anticipation swimming in his gut. He trusts you though so, instead of arguing- he shuts his eyes.

Shuffling around the bathroom, you set things up in record time, turning the water on, pouring the rose scented bubble bath beneath the stream, and lighting a few candles along the ivory counter. Yoongi maintains his smirk the entire time, folding his arms across his chest, stifling his desire to make a snarky comment.

“Alright,” You sigh, dusting your hands off, “Ta daaaaa.”

Yoongi opens his eyes, blinking a few times before taking in the scene in front of him. It changes his smirk into a grin really quickly as his cat-like eyes flit over to you.

“Are you planning on sacrificing me?” He quips, nodding to the candles.

Snorting, you roll your eyes, “If you keep talking shit, I just might-” You threaten, laughter forming on the tail end of your sentence, “Get naked...”

Yoongi snickers, his face full of satisfaction as his finger tuck beneath his hoodie to tug it over his head. The two of you undress in a small bout of silence and attempt to sneak glances at one another’s naked form.

“I’m going to get in first and then you’re going to sit in front of me, between my legs...” You explain, trying not to shiver as the cool air of the bathroom begins to grow uncomfortable.

His brows raise, “Between your legs?” He confirms, “Say no more...”

Once again, your eyes are rolling but this time, there is a smile on your lips as you move to take your spot beneath the warmth of the water. Yoongi has to take a deep breath as he watches you, his emotions brewing dangerously beneath the surface at the sight of the woman he loves.

He still doesn’t fully understand it.

He is still meet with endless confusion when he starts to think about why you’ve chosen to be with him but, he knows better now than to question it.

You have your reasons, he thinks, and he has a million of his own.

Looking up from beneath the mountain of bubbles, you pat the top of them, looking at him expectantly, “Come here.”

He grabs the hand that you extend towards him, balancing himself on it whilst he steps into the tub. Modestly, he turns his body away from you for a second so he’s able to bend down before pivoting beneath the water and settling against your chest. The bathtub is big enough for the water to go past his shoulders and, he feels his entire body relax once he feels your body against his.

“Comfy?” You check, draping your arms across his chest.

Yoongi nods, his head leaning back and resting against your left shoulder. Once it lands there, you turn and kiss his temple which then prompts one of his hands to reach up rest on yours. Silently, you place a few more kisses against his hairline, allowing him to decompress however he wants to, not wanting to pressure him into talking about anything.

And he doesn’t, at least not for a while.

The only sounds between the two of you are the dribbling of water from the faucet and the low whisper of breathing. Every so often, you kiss his temple, just so he knows that he isn’t alone.

“Seeing my brother is really difficult.” He mumbles, eyes still closed, hand still on top of yours, “Even just seeing his face- it brings back a lot of memories.”

You nod, “I can imagine- especially since it’s been so long.”

Yoongi sighs, his eyes fluttering open and honing in on the ceiling, “I haven’t seen him since I was 18. He came to Sejin’s place just before I moved in with Namjoon. He tried to talk to me to let me know that he was leaving the business but, I barely said anything. I was too angry at him.”

Using your free hand, you rub softly at his chest under the water, silently encouraging him to continue.

“He never helped me when my father would-” He takes a deep breath through his nose, his throat bobbing as he swallows on the exhale, “the time I told you about, when my father hit me...that wasn’t the only time. It happened often towards the end.”

Your eyes shut momentarily, the pain of Yoongi being harmed stinging your heart like a shot.

“I’m so sorry.” You whisper, kissing his temple again.

Yoongi’s face turns slightly into your lips, his hand squeezing over yours, “Don’t be. It was a long time ago. I held onto my disappointment in him for a while until I realized something: the only reason my father every laid his hands on me and not Geum-jae hyung was because, I stood up to him.”

“Geum-jae hyung never did and, I think he still carries that regret to this day. I can see it all over his face...” His voice is so low now that it barely makes it above a whisper, his eyes seemingly elsewhere. “Is it wrong that I feel like- like I didn’t just come here to save Sejin’s studio?”

You shake your head, “Not at all...”

He swallows again and takes another deep breath through his nose, “It’s hard you know- during winter break especially; everyone would leave campus and go home for the holidays...and I never knew where to go. For the first two years at school, I spent Christmas alone until Namjoon’s mom finally called me and told me that if I didn’t come back with him, that she was going to make him sleep outside.” He chuckles, smirking slightly at the memory.

Your heart fills with despair then. You didn’t piece it together that Yoongi would have stayed behind during the holiday season. There was so much to unpack from the tragedy that he’s endured; it didn’t even cross your mind.

“Namjoon’s mom was right to threaten you-” You affirm but then you shake your head, “I don’t think there could be a wrong reason to come here. You deserve to have whatever kind of closure or healing that you need.”

“I wish I knew what I needed...” He admits, licking his lips before turning towards you, his brown eyes holding all the emotions he can’t vocalize, “I wish everything was as easy as this.”

Following suit, you turn your head so that you’re facing him, “So do I. But I’ll always be here through all the not-so-easy stuff.”

Yoongi smiles then, soft and sweet, delivering a kiss to match. He relaxes into you, brushing his tongue along the inside of your lip just for a moment before pulling away.

“I love you Y/N.”

“I love you too Yoongi.”

Eventually, you both got out of the bathtub and into the shower so, that you were able to get clean properly. After a few hours of catching up on missed calls/texts and relaxing, Yoongi gets a text from his brother saying that dinner would be ready in 15 minutes.

Geum-jae had the finest BBQ in the city delivered and prepared right in his dining room. Banchan lined the center of the table, slabs of meat were grilled one right after the other until the three of you tapped out.

It passed easier than you thought it would. Yoongi and Geum-jae relaxed in the face of a meal, the conversation flowing effortlessly between them as if no time had passed. It was a touching sight to see and, you hoped that it meant their discussion would come out easier.

You take your leave after you help clean up, thanking Geum-jae for the incredible food and, letting Yoongi know that you’d be up in the room checking on something for school if he needed anything.

Which was a total lie but, you needed an excuse to leave them alone for a bit.

Yoongi feels his heartbeat pick up a bit as he watches you leave the room, the realization of what was coming finally hitting him.

“Hyung-” He wants to rip the band aid off. “Is it alright if we talk for a moment?”

Geum-jae raises his brows at the switch in languages and nods immediately, gesturing to the table, “Of course. Can we sit here? Or would you rather talk in the living room?”

Yoongi shakes his head, “Here is fine.” He sits back down in his original seat and, rubs his palms against his jeans.

Geum-jae takes a seat across from him, gazing expectantly at his younger brother, “What did you want to talk about?”

Despite Yoongi’s anxiety, he understands that being to the point would be the most effective way to communicate. He wasn’t sure if any past issues would come up but, right now his concern was on Sejin.

“I know that I told you I needed your help with something but-” Yoongi begins, “It isn’t me who needs your help exactly...it’s Sejin.”

Geum-jae purses his lips, his hands coming out to clasp rest on the table, “Is he alright?”

“The landlord for the studio he runs is increasing his rent again and, he doesn’t have the money to keep it open...” Yoongi’s explanation gets a little rushed as he gets more and more nervous, “I have some money in savings to help out with rent for the next few months but, it’s not enough to keep it open long term and-”

Geum-jae cuts him off, “Tell Sejin to call me. I will send a team to his location to sort everything out. It wouldn’t be a bad building to purchase but if Sejin is willing- then maybe he can look at other properties and I’ll have the money wired over to him.”

Yoongi can’t hide the shock on his face, “Wait- are you serious?”

“Of course. Sejin is one of my dearest friends. I owe him a lot for what he’s done over the years.”

In this moment, regret washes over Geum-jae's face, his eyes reaching out to Yoongi’s in hopes that he understands what he’s alluding to.

And obviously, he does.

“Why didn’t you just call me?” Geum-jae continues, tilting his head to get a better look at Yoongi’s expression, trying to read him, “I’ve always told you that if you ever needed anything-”

“I haven’t talked to you in 8 years hyung, I wasn’t just going to call and ask you for a favor.”

Geum-jae nods, his face tightening with solemnity, “I understand.” A brief moment of silence passes between the two of them before a sigh comes from Geum-jae, “There is so much I want to say to you Yoongi, I don’t even know where to begin...”

Yoongi stays quiet.

He doesn’t know either.

He just knows that the only way to get rid of the heaviness in his chest is to talk about it.

“I suppose I could start with an apology.” Geum-jae concludes, shaking his head as a light scoff leaves his lips, “I could never find the words to express how much regret and shame I feel inside. I could never explain how sorry I am for not protecting you, for not being a better example, for not having a backbone, for being selfish...I was blinded by greed. I couldn’t see what was in front of me.”

Yoongi swallows back his emotion, dreading the way his eyes begin to sting.

Geum-jae continues, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment, “I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness. I just want to apologize and tell you that, even though I played no part in the man you’ve become, I am incredibly honored to call you my brother.”

It isn’t easy but, Yoongi manages to contain the tears that desperately want to fall from his eyes. His chest tightens as he hears his brother’s words. He wades through all the bitterness he feels towards him, allowing himself to feel the full force of his approval.

“I forgave you a long time ago.” Yoongi swallows, avoiding direct eye contact with him, “I just wish I understood your actions. You were my hyung, I thought you would have protected me and-” Yoongi blinks away the tears as quickly as he can, “and I still haven’t been able to accept the fact that you didn’t...”

Geum-jae shakes his head, “I wanted to protect you. I just didn’t know how- I was scared of him too. You had more courage than I did. It doesn’t excuse my actions but, it’s the truth.”

Suddenly, he reaches out and places his hand overtop of Yoongi’s, a pleading expression on his face, “That’s why you got out. That’s why you have a life. You have friends, you’re about to graduate university and, you have Y/N...” Geum-jae's voice breaks at the end, “Because of your strength, you finally found happiness.”

Yoongi looks at his hand, observing the evidence of his life present on his skin. Scars, burns, callouses, needle marks...

“Are you saying that you haven’t?” He asks, still not meeting his brother’s eyes.

“I’m not even close.”

Finally, the two meet each other's gaze. For a moment, they just stare, glistening eyes to glistening eyes. Overcome with years of repressed emotions, fueled by the desperate need to try and break the cycle, they wordlessly convey an unspoken emptiness.

They have missed each other so much.

“I am here now.” Geum-jae promises, the first tear dangerously close to falling, “Hyung is here if you’ll have him. I want to be in your life but, I understand if you want nothing to do with me.”

Yoongi blinks now, and the tears land upon his cheeks, “You’re my hyung...” And it really is a desperate proclamation, “...you’ll always be my hyung...”

The chair screeches against the tile, causing Yoongi to jump in his seat until he realizes what his brother is doing. Rounding the table, stands to the side of Yoongi with open arms and his own tears atop his cheeks.

He eyes him for only a few seconds before standing up suddenly and accepting Geum-jae into his arms. The two of them seem to collapse against one another. Yoongi breaks down and sobs in the arms of his older brother.

Just as he would have when they were young.

When times were hard and he could take shelter behind the one person who made him feel safe, the first person who ever showed him love.

“I’m so sorry Yoongi-ah.”

His words cause Yoongi to squeeze his eyes shut as he nods against the expensive fabric of his brother’s dress shirt, “I know.” He sniffles and pats his back, “I know you are.”

Meanwhile...

You’ve been upstairs, straightening up the bedroom and trying to pass the time without worrying excessively about your boyfriend’s well-being.

Which turns out to be impossible...

Cleaning around the room/bathroom only takes you about 20 minutes before your flopping onto the massive bed and, pulling out your phone. Scrolling through Tik Tok, you hope for a substantial distraction and, lucky for you- one arrives.

But, it isn’t on Tik Tok...

Jungkook: So you know Jimin right...

The text from Jungkook confuses you as you’re pretty sure it's like the middle of the night back home and, it’s not like him to text you outside of the group chat.

You: I have heard of him yes

You: Isn’t he like your boyfriend or something?

Jungkook: ha ha

Jungkook: about that

Jungkook: what if he wasn’t my boyfriend anymore?

Your eyes widen and, you immediately sit up in bed and hover anxiously over your phone.

You: !!! WHAT DO YOU MEAN

Jungkook: shhhhhh don’t yell

Jungkook: my future fiance is sleeping...

You’re about ready to get on a flight back home to kick his ass before your vision focuses on the word he’s just sent.

You: excuse me

You: YOU’RE WHAT ???????????

Jungkook: …

Jungkook: What did I just tell you smh

You: *whispers* WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT JUNGKOOK

Jungkook: -____-

Jungkook: can I call

You: ?????? Obviously!!!!

Seconds later, Jungkook’s name illuminates your screen.

“Good evening,” He begins calmly, “I’m having a panic attack...”

You giggle, “What’s going on????”

“Well you see- I am in love with Park Jimin and I fear it may be terminal.”

“Terminal huh? Is that how you describe a lifelong partnership with your one true love?”

“...yes.”

“Jungkook,” You urge him through your laughter, “What is going on?”

You hear him sigh, “I think I’m going to ask Jimin to marry me.”

Squealing, you jump up on your knees, “Wait seriously?! Jungkook!”

“Yah! Don’t yell at me! This is all your fault!”

“My fault??? How is this my fault?”

“Well technically I guess- it's Yoongi’s fault because, he’s the one that convinced me to get in touch with my feelings or whatever- either way, I am STILL the victim. And now I want to be with him forever and it’s disgusting...”

You flop back against the pillows and laugh again, “If Jimin knew this was how you were telling people you were proposing, he would kill you.”

He doesn’t hesitate, “He’s going to kill me either way Y/N...it’s bad- the other day, he sent me a selfie and, I had heart palpitations for like 15 minutes.”

“If your man doesn’t give you heart palpitations then, that isn’t your man.” You conclude.

“Y/N...” Jungkook whines now, sounding very much like the boy you met back in middle school.

“Jungkook...” You whine back causing him to finally chuckle on the other end of the line.

“I’m scared...”

“I know but, you and Jimin are so perfect for each other, there is no way that this wouldn’t work out.”

“More perfect than you and Yoongi?” He teases, reverting back to being a little shit.

And his question makes you scoff, “Oh sweetheart- obviously not. But second place isn’t bad!”

He laughs now and it’s the full bellied sound that you love hearing.

“You really think we’re perfect together?”

Despite his inability to see you, you smile at his need for validation,

“Duh. You two are literally soulmates.”

Jungkook is quiet on the other line but when he speaks again, you can hear the giddiness in his voice, “Ok so...will you help me then???”

Back downstairs, Yoongi and Geum-jae are sat at the bar in front of the window that faces his backyard. As he predicted, the rain came back in full force and is now propelling itself against the clean glass. After their emotional encounter in the dining room, Geum-jae suggested that they have a drink together and relax for a moment.

He had poured each of them a glass of wine, ensuring not to fill his glass up too much.

“Your girlfriend is a wonderful woman; you made a good choice.”

At the mention of you, Yoongi’s lips twitch, his eyes watching the droplets of water chaotically race down the window, “Thank you. But, it was her who chose me, I’m still working out exactly why.”

Geum-jae chuckles, “I see you’re still selling yourself short ah? Did you two meet at school?”

Yoongi smirks, “Yeah, we met 6 months ago in my psychology class. She was my partner on our final project.”

“Ah.” He nods, “Things blossomed that way then?”

Yoongi’s heart throbs a bit as his brain begins its recollection of his time with you.

So much has happened during your relationship, he forgets that he hasn’t known you all his life.

It certainly feels like he has.

“Yeah.”

Geum-jae chuckles, “You’re so reserved about her.”

Yoongi knows what he means. In the Min family, you always say things as they are. You don’t sugarcoat your sentiments and you definitely don’t play coy.

“I can’t help it-” He admits, and he can feel the heat on his cheeks now, “I find it difficult to talk about her...”

His brother bites his bottom lip, unable to help how endeared he is, “Can I ask why?”

Yoongi leans his cheek against the palm of his hand, still focusing on the rain, “It’s overwhelming.”

Geum-jae seems to understand but he chuckles anyway, “Do you plan on marrying her?”

His question hangs in the air for a moment. Yoongi’s brain once again travels elsewhere, and he is bombarded with images of you walking down the aisle. He has to take a deep breath as he forces the thoughts out of his head; he’s cried enough this evening.

“I would marry her tomorrow.”

Geum-jae's laughter increases now but now it bubbles over his lips in an excited fashion.

“Yahhhh! Look at that eh?” He congratulates him, “It’s safe to say you’re off the market for good then? Because I have a few of my friends who have been asking about you.”

This finally makes Yoongi laugh as he turns towards him, “That’s flattering.” He means it too but, he speaks the next set of words with all of the conviction he can muster, “There is no one else for me though.”

Geum-jae grins proudly and with a raise to his brows, he lifts his glass, “Well, let’s drink to that then.”

The clinking of crystal signifies so much. For now though, Yoongi allows it to represent the future and, all of the possibilities it may bring.

#ficswithluv #yoongi #yoongi fluff #yoongi angst #yoongi fics #yoongi fanfics #yoongi fic recs #yoongi fanfiction #bts yoongi #min yoongi #suga #min suga #agust d #agust d fics #yoongi x reader #boyfriend! yoongi #yoongi cute #yoongi hot

318 notes · View notes