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saythenametotheworld · 11 months

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You Will Find Me

Genre: strangers to lovers; destiny: smut

Pairing: Jung Jaehyun x Female Reader

Warnings: lying, mild stalker-y behavior, explicit sexual content (18+), this is not proofread ily

Notes: 20k words, song prompt was You Will Find Me by Alex and Sierra, loosely based on the movie Only You (1994)

Synopsis: Less than a month before your wedding, you answered a call from someone who introduced himself as Johnny Suh—the exact name of the man you believed to be your soulmate. In a spur of the moment decision, you embark on a trip to Italy to meet him, believing that it was fate's way of telling you to fulfill your destiny.

You were a corporate employee, working a 9 to 5 job as an accountant in a big magazine company in your city. You've lived a comfortable life; with a decent job, a nice home, great friendships, and a great boyfriend who popped the question a year into your relationship. Eunwoo is a nice guy—a good doctor, gentlemanly, kind, and well-mannered. Your family adored him and your friends admired him. You met through an acquaintance and after a month of talking, you decided to date. You were happy for the most part. He was everything a girl could ask for and he treated you right. But it felt too easy, redundant sometimes.

After the proposal, you confided in your bestfriend Jihyo that you felt like the whole thing was moving too fast. In a reluctant confession, you revealed that you aren't in love with him enough to imagine getting married and settling down.

"I don't want to jump into this only to end up getting divorced at one point," you had told your friend.

Jihyo told you to follow your heart but she also said Eunwoo was a great guy who loves you. You loved him too and you would have loved to get married but with him, it just felt wrong and it was weird because you have no idea why you felt that way. Jihyo told you to figure it out and talk to him before you make a mistake. But she strongly suggested you work it out with Eunwoo and let him know.

You couldn't bring it up to him, of course. But you were glad he hasn't gone around talking about your engagement yet. You haven't exactly accepted it. You just told him you would think about it. As you laid down on his bed, wrapped snugly in his embrace, you thought about spending the rest of your life with him. The idea seemed nice but a part of you was terrified that you may be making wrong decisions.

"You're awake," Eunwoo asks, nuzzling his nose on your neck.

"Yeah, I'm just thinking about us."

"I know it's so sudden. I'd understand if you're not ready yet."

Feeling guilty upon hearing the fall in his voice, you jolted and briskly said, "No, no. I'm fine. Let's do it."

He hummed. "Are you sure? I don't want you to be forced into something you don't want."

"There's no reason not to do it, Woo. And I'm not being forced."

"Really?"

"Sure. Let's get married."

The days have never passed as fast as they did. Suddenly, it was twenty days before your wedding. Most of the preparations were ready. From the venue to the guest list. All there's left to do is send out invitations and pick a dress. Your mother has insisted on a custom-made dress, but you opted for one that is RTW and won your case by insisting that you'll follow your personal preferences in your own personal wedding.

At the salon, Jihyo and your sister came with you to help you pick the dress. You went through arrays of dresses which all looked great. You liked dressing up and so did your friends so you enjoyed the whole thing. But the feeling in the pit of your stomach grew stronger the more clothes you tried on.

"Okay. The tenth dress. Come on out, my sweet. Let's see it," your older sister called out and you stepped out from behind the thick red curtains. Gasps filled the salon, not only from Jihyo and your sister but from the staff as well.

"What? Is it good?" you asked curiously, turning to the mirror to see for yourself. Sure enough, even you ended up gasping at the beautiful image reflected back to you. The dress was breathtaking, looking regal on its own while hugging your figure in the right places. This is it, the Dress.

"My baby sister is getting married!" your sister exclaimed, hugging you from behind as emotions overwhelmed her. "You look amazing, sweetheart."

"She's right, y/n. You're breathtaking! This is it! This is the dress!" Jihyo affirmed, also joining you in front of the mirror.

The compliments may have been great, but you felt your stomach turn the longer you stared at yourself in the mirror. Your breath hitched and you were sure you were about to hyperventilate so you gently pushed them away from you. "Excuse me."

You ran to the bathroom adjacent to the dressing room and started throwing up on the sink. Your girls followed you, as well as a staff who hurriedly offered tissue papers.

"What's wrong? Are you alright?" Jihyo asked.

Your sister followed up with another question that made you shake your head. "You're not pregnant, are you?"

"No. Heavens, no," you denied. Your birth control never once failed but you touched the part of your arm where the implant was just to make sure that it's still there. "No. No, I'm not."

"Oh, y/n," your sister sighed, holding you as you walked out of the restroom. "You must be so stressed."

She may be right. Stress gets through to you so badly that you'd throw up. But they didn't ask about it until you had left the dress shop and taken a break at a nearby coffee shop.

"You're still second-guessing?" Jihyo questioned while you weakly sipped on some citrusy drink that your sister said would alleviate your nausea.

"Wait, you're not sure about this wedding?"

You shook your head at her and she heaved a deep sigh. "Then why didn't you say so? You should have talked to Eunwoo about it. I'm sure he'll understand."

"I know but," you pushed your drink away and sighed. "I'm not sure if it's because I don't want it or if I'm just overthinking things."

"What's bothering you?"

"I feel like this isn't the right direction to take. I mean, I love Eunwoo but I never really thought this far ahead in our relationship. It seemed so soon and I don't think I'm ready."

Your sister nodded. "Being unprepared is normal. Marriage is a big deal. You can always cancel while it's still early. You're already engaged anyway. The wedding can wait."

You shook your head. "No. It's not the marriage I'm uncertain about. What I meant was that... I don't think I'm ready to marry Eunwoo."

"What?" Your sister gawked at you and then at Jihyo as if to ask if she knew about this.

Jihyo just shrugged and you went on to explain how you feel about the whole thing. You explained how you're not seeing yourself in a family with Eunwoo and how misplaced everything seems to be. "I don't think I even felt like we belonged in the first place. It's awful, I know, considering how we dated until now."

"Baby, I want you to be happy more than anything so whatever this is, talk to Eunwoo about it. I'm sure you'll figure things out. Don't throw it all away yet. If you need time, have some."

"I agree. And whatever happens, you do what makes you happy. Even if it does not include Eunwoo."

At the office the next day, you were in your boss's office to have him sign some paperwork when the secretary's phone started ringing. You left it to keep ringing, knowing you're not supposed to take the calls unless you're the secretary. But it rang again and again for the third time so you decided to pick it up in case it was important.

"Mr. Lee Taeyong's office. How can I help you?"

"Hi. Is Taeyong there right now? He's not picking up his cell and I need to talk to him urgently," replied a deep, manly voice.

You grabbed a pen and a pad of paper from the desk to write with. "He's out for lunch at the moment and he probably left his phone but I can let him know."

"I see. That's fine too. Thank you."

"No problem. Now if you could just give me your name please so I can let him know who called and what for?"

"Johnny Suh. I'm calling for a chat." Your mind went blank upon hearing his name. Suddenly, all your senses were heightened and you could feel goosebumps all over your body.

"I'm sorry. I didn't quite catch your name. Come again?"

"It's Johnny. Johnny Suh."

You swallowed so hard that your throat hurt. "Your name is Johnny Suh?"

"Yes. We were supposed to meet earlier today but I woke up late and now I have a plane to catch. You know what nice lady, just tell him my name and he'll know to call me back."

"Where are you?" you asked in a high-pitched voice of panic.

"I'm at the airport. Heading to Venice."

"Venice?!" you exclaimed, wondering how far that was from where you are right now.

You heard the man chuckle. "I know. It was unavoidable. But I hope Taeyong understands. Anyway, I got to go. Can I count on you?"

"Yeah! I mean, yes. Yes. I'll... I'll let him know."

"Cool. Thank you so much. Goodbye."

"No, wait wait wait..." but all that ever made it back to you was the beeping tone of the call being hung up.

You placed it carefully back on the desk and took a deep breath. Then you placed your folder of papers on the same desk before you sprinted out of the office back into your own.

You grabbed your phone first and called Jihyo. Luckily she picked up quickly. "I found him!"

"Found who?" she asked from the other line. "I'm sorry but I'm kind of in the middle of something."

"I found Johnny Suh!"

"Remind me how I know a Johnny Suh?"

"Johnny Suh! The guy from the Ouija board!"

"Oh that Johnny Suh! I'm sorry you said you found him?" she asked, now equally excited.

"Yes! He's friends with my boss and he's heading to Italy, right now!"

"Italy? Why Italy?"

"I don't know!" you screamed, the rush of emotions filling you to the brim. You let out a huge sigh and take a quick breathing exercise to calm down. More calmly, you told your friend, "I think this is it. The sign that I'm in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Y/n, no."

"Yes. I'm doing it."

"Y/n, this is madness!"

You hung up the phone and started looking through your office computer for plane tickets to Italy.

When you were 12, you were playing Ouija board with your sister and Jihyo during a blackout. You asked it about your soul mate and the board responded with the name Johnny. You thought it was bull at first because it happened to be one of the most common names on Earth. But then the board gave you its last name too, Suh. Johnny Suh. You knew how to narrow down your search and the bigger part of your teenage years was spent searching through the internet for someone named Johnny Suh. There were plenty of them and you were too shy to message them because what would you say? Some batshit tale about how you knew his name from an Ouija board?

Jihyo managed to convince you that if it was fate, you need not look for him because he would come to you at one point in your life.

"This is the point of my life that you were talking about. For years I forgot about the whole thing and now he came to me right when I was having doubts about getting married."

"Hon, this is madness. You know better than to chase after some complete stranger."

"I know. It's a shot in the dark but I'll take it anyway. I have a feeling that I would regret it if I didn't. So, I'm going to Venice."

"Okay, but I'm coming with you. I don't want something bad happening to you in Europe."

"Good! Great! Let's go there together!"

After a crazed meet-up with Jihyo, you went home to your shared apartment and found Eunwoo resting in front of the TV. He spotted you and invited you over to sit next to him, snuggling you close and kissing your temple.

"How was your day?" he asked.

"Crazy. How was yours?"

He shrugged. "Well, first I had to perform a seven-hour surgery with the head neurosurgeon, who lectured me the whole time about suturing the brain and whatnot. Second, I had a class with some third-year med students at the university, and guess what I lectured them about?"

You chuckled. "Suturing the brain?"

"Yes, but the topic was about renal failure during brain death."

You giggled, humored. "That's crazy."

"Not crazier than yours, I suppose," he chimed, moving his body to an angle where he could see your face. "What happened?"

You bit your lip nervously, but you knew you had to let him know and he deserved a proper explanation about the whole thing. So you sat up, turned off the TV, and looked at him seriously.

"Listen, I don't want to hurt you or anything. And I certainly don't think you deserved to be treated badly by someone, even if it's me but..." you paused, recognizing the hint of confusion on his face. "I don't think I can marry you, Eunwoo."

You had expected him to pry more, but he just reached for your cheek and gently stroked it. "I know."

"You know?"

"Yes," he nodded, pulling you back into his embrace. "I've known from the beginning."

"How?"

"Don't feel bad, baby. It's not just you. I've had this feeling for a while now too, the feeling that something is misplaced. I can't explain what it was, but it bugged me. At one point, I thought it was just me but I noticed the signs that you were uncertain too. Then I thought that maybe, despite how perfect our relationship seemed to be, everything is just... wrong."

"Eunwoo..."

"I love you. I know that for sure, but I feel unsure. It was weird. I asked you to marry me because I thought that if I did, the weird feeling would go away."

"Did it?" you questioned, feeling your heart break when you found out how you both felt the same way.

"It didn't. It got worse."

"I know. It was awful," you agreed, sighing as you wrapped your arms around his torso. "But I love you. I know I do."

"Just not enough to spend the rest of your life with me right?" he asked and you shyly nodded, not meeting his gaze. "Yeah, I feel the same way. I'm sorry."

"Don't be, silly," you chided, sitting up to hit his chest. He just laughed and stroked the part that you hit.

"I love you too, babe. Just not enough for marriage. I'm sorry I even asked you to. It would have been a disaster if you had wanted it while I didn't."

You reached for his cheek and kissed his lips. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lied and said I wanted it. I would have dragged you into an unhappy marriage."

He scowled and pursed his lips. "I don't think I would be unhappy with you. I think it has something to do with um, discontent?"

"Yeah, discontent."

He smiled, kissing your forehead. "So, what are we gonna do?"

You told him you were going to Italy with Jihyo for some soul-searching, leaving out the part where the soul you were looking for was your soulmate. He told you to have fun after you both decided to not call off the engagement yet and instead just cancel the wedding date. A part of you felt sad after the confessions between you, but the other part of you felt relieved to know you were right about being in the wrong place. So you held on to him through the night, whispering sweet nothings to each other until morning came.

The next day he drove you and Jihyo to the airport and promised not to bother you while you were gone. You said he didn't have to do that and you would love to have him check on you often.

"Nope, I'd love to give you your space and I kinda need my own space to think and figure things out too."

"Alright. Have fun getting lectured by your superior."

Eunwoo laughed heartily, hugging you tightly. "Call me if you need anything, alright?"

"I will. Thanks, babe."

"I love you."

The flight to Italy was long but you didn't feel tired at all. You were giddy, excited to start your search for your soulmate. Your boss thought your story was mental, but he gave you Johnny's Instagram anyway, warning you that Johnny mostly kept to himself and rarely used his electronics.

"Why do you think he likes Italy? Because of the old vintage feel. He goes there every year."

You thanked him for helping you out but he said it was fine because you get to have your very first vacation after you joined the company three years ago. You had asked him to send you a photo but he couldn't find one and Johnny only had Instagram which mostly had a bunch of photography in it. His hobby was being a photographer, as you have been told and he had been contributing to your magazine ever since its establishment.

"Shouldn't you have known if a Johnny Suh was a contributor in your magazine?"

"Jihyo, I'm an accountant. I have no idea about magazine production and stuff."

When you landed, you found that Johnny had posted his story about a certain hotel in Venice and hurried to show it to Jihyo. You both headed there in a rush, but there was no way to rush in the boats that were taking you to the hotel by the canal. So you both opted to take nice pictures of the place.

"Whatever happens in this search, you and I better go sightseeing around town. It's so beautiful I could literally pass out. Look at that gargoyle sculpture thing!"

You just giggled at her, finding it cute how she's easily impressed by everything. A few more minutes later, you arrived at the hotel and had the man at the port help you off the boat. He even carried your luggage for you, politely asking where you were headed.

When you got to the front desk of the hotel from Johnny's story, Jihyo immediately asked about Johnny Suh, which surprised you a little.

"Johnny Suh?" the male elderly receptionist asked. In heavily accented and broken English, he said he does not give out information about their guests.

"Look, sir. We came here for him so if you could just let us know if he's here, that would be nice. You don't have to tell us his room or where he is. Just tell us if he's here," Jihyo tried again, but the elder man just shook his head.

You tugged on her sleeves and shook your head to discourage her. "Let's just check in. I'm sure he'd still be around. The post was just an hour ago."

"Okay," she agreed but when she faced the receptionist, she went on about Johnny Suh again. "This woman is here is my best friend and she's looking for this man because he might be her soulmate. Could you please just tell us if he's here?"

"Jihyo!"

"Stop. The boatman said there are five branches of the same hotel. We need to know if this is the right one!" she chided softly and that's when a handsome Italian man came to intervene.

He had a respectable air to him but he also exuded quite the charisma. "Sorry, ladies. If I may, I'd like to help."

You both glanced back at him and Jihyo sighed in relief. "Yes. Thank goodness. If you could just tell this nice old man that my best friend's soulmate is Johnny Suh and she needs to know if he's here."

The Italian went on to translate what Jihyo said while the two of you stood there gawking cluelessly. If he was translating for real or talking crap about you in Italian, you wouldn't have known. You just trusted this stranger to do your work for you.

"Ladies," he turned to you after a while. "I'm afraid your friend Mr. Suh has left the building."

"Left? He was here just an hour ago," Jihyo questioned.

"Yes, he was indeed in this building but he left just a few minutes ago. I'm afraid you missed him."

The receptionist said something in Italian that your nice stranger translated. "He stayed the night but he left right after breakfast."

Then the elder showed a key with his room number in it and said something else. "He also said your friend is heading to Rome."

"Rome?"

"Yes, Rome," the receptionist confirmed before he turned to put the key back. You thanked them both and got ready to leave, pulling up your phone to see if Johnny had a new update.

"Ladies!"

You stopped to see the nice Italian following you out of the door. Jihyo beamed at him.

"I am under the impression that you require lodging for tonight."

"Thank you but we really need to look for this guy."

He looked around and opened his arms wide, "It's Venice. Wouldn't you hate to just leave without seeing its beauty?"

"He's right," Jihyo agreed, walking towards him. "We could use a tour and a nice guy to show us around."

The man beamed at her and you recognized the flirtatious looks they gave each other. You sighed and gave in. You wanted to do that too and you're pretty tired anyway.

The man who introduced himself as Andre, took you on a small motorboat all the way to a different hotel. The ride wasn't long. In no time, your stuff is being hauled out of the boat and brought into a fancy-looking hotel. You booked a single suite with a Queen-sized bed that you would share with Jihyo. She told you to go up first which you did, stepping inside the bathroom the moment you were alone. After a quick shower, you came out to Jihyo, giggling on her phone.

"Where's Andre?" you teased, assuming it was his texts that were making her giddy.

"Oh, he left. He says he needs to take care of some stuff at his store."

"He has a store?"

"Yes, a dress shop. And he must be well-off because he paid for this room."

"He did?" you questioned, confused. "Why would you let him do that?"

"It's fine because he likes me," she grinned. "A girl shouldn't buy her own drinks at the bar and a lady should never pay for her own room in Italy."

"Sounds like a pretty privilege to me," you snorted, pushing her foot away when she placed it on your lap.

"He said it, not me," she replied, sticking her tongue out at you.

You let your damp hair fall down as you walked towards the dresser where the hairdryer was. "Has Mr. Andre invited you to dinner yet?"

"No, but he said he'll be back later at 7pm tonight to take us to an opera house."

"An opera house? Sounds like a fancy night out."

Jihyo wiggled her eyebrows. "You bet."

You and Jihyo agreed to go sightseeing for the rest of the day, visiting landmarks and taking pictures. You also tried a variety of food that filled you to the point of almost bursting, all the whole happily walking around the nostalgic city. Came nightfall, Jihyo dressed in a pretty black bodycon dress for the opera. You clapped at her excellent choice and even snapped pictures for her Instagram.

"Are you sure you don't want to come? It might be fun! You'll never know!"

"I'm fine, Jihyo. I'm tired of all the walking earlier. And I'm sure Andre would love to have you all to himself too."

She giggled. "You're right. But I'd hate to leave you alone."

"Just go, hun. And make sure he's not a creep."

"If he was, would you come with me?"

You stood up from your position on the bed and headed to your luggage. "I'm gonna get ready. Can you wait?"

"No! No, you don't have to. I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."

You scoffed. "Looks like you want to be alone with him tonight too."

Jihyo giggled. "He's cute."

You shook your head, sitting back on the bed and wishing her a good night. You pulled up the hotel's TV to watch a movie and pass the time. It was a cheesy romcom but you enjoyed it anyway and made it halfway through. As you were feeling drowsy, you received a notification on your phone.

Johnny just posted a photo!

You sat up immediately, tossing the remote to the side to grab your phone. You opened it up to see a single photo with the caption: 'Two'. You wondered what it was for and examined the picture. It was an array of dresses in different shades of pastel. When you tapped the tagged location, you saw that it was a dress shop in Rome.

"He really is in Rome," you sighed, standing up to pack your stuff quickly. As soon as the day breaks, it's GO time for you and Jihyo.

What are the odds that the dress shop Johnny went to was owned by Andre? 0.10% unless he owns all the dress shops all over Italy. But he does own that specific dress shop so he is now driving you to Rome in his fancy convertible. You sat in the backseat while they were blatantly flirting right in front of you. You weren't paying attention though because you were scrolling through your phone for any updates.

"How long till we get there?" you asked. You had been sitting for two hours so you stopped by the road to rest. The road was long and barely any cars passed by. But the scenery around you leaves you in awe of its beauty.

"Just thirty more minutes, my lady," Andre replied and pointed at the crossroad up ahead. "If we take this route, we should arrive in lesser time."

Jihyo suddenly stood up from the grass. "How much lesser?"

"Say, twenty or fifteen minutes?"

"Good, we should go now," she declared. "Our mystery man is in this church."

Jihyo borrowed your phone to inspect Johnny's feed and found that he recently posted a photo of a church. You grabbed the phone to see it clearly.

"This is two minutes ago."

"It is! Let's go!"

You appreciated Jihyo's enthusiasm and also felt bad for dragging her all the way here. Sure she came willingly, but it's not a secret to say she came for you, to support you, and to make sure you'll be fine. Then again, she had always been there for you. She was there every step of the way from when you were kids until now. Even with your obsession over destiny and love, she listened intently despite having different ideas. When you took leaps, she was there to encourage you regardless of the outcomes. With Jihyo, you've come to know how love in friendships is powerful and strong.

"Is this it?" Jihyo asked Andre as the three of you stood in front of a majestic church.

"Yes. Basilica of St. Agnes, the exact one in the picture."

You compared the two and found that is indeed, the same one. You looked around and saw a few tourists, taking pictures and walking around.

"Quite strange," said Andre, making you look at him.

"What is?" asked Jihyo.

He pointed at the entrance of the church. "It's closed. No visitors are allowed in."

"Why do you think so?"

"I will go find out."

You sighed, eyes roving the surroundings for any signs of Johnny Suh. You don't even know what he looks like but you reckon you'd be able to narrow it down to Asian tourists. Weirdly enough, you can't seem to even guess if any of these were Johnny. Not even a wild guess.

"If it's closed, does that mean he wasn't able to go inside?" you asked Jihyo who was also looking around.

"For all we know he must have left a long time ago."

Andre came back to say that the church was under renovation. While you wished to take a rest, Jihyo said you should try to look around first. You did that, even going as far as asking random Asian men if their name was Johnny Suh, to no avail. It was lunchtime when you gave up your search and went to a restaurant for food. Pasta used to cheer you up, but you're starting to feel like coming here was a bad idea. A part of you is still giddy for the adventure but seeing Jihyo made you feel like you're bothering people for something ridiculous. Even Andre--who is a complete stranger was dragged into a blind chase motivated only by a childish belief.

You shook your head, trying to get the thoughts away. Instead of feeling bad, you told yourself to feel grateful instead. These people were willing to stick with you in the name of friendship, although you know Andre just liked hanging around Jihyo.

You ate quietly, scrolling through Johnny's feed again. His photographs were beautiful and you can see the expert part of it. You wonder if he was as beautiful as these photos, if he was as delicate as the subjects on his feed, and if he took these photos at random or if he took them for a reason. As your mind wandered in that direction, you noticed a photo taken in Italy from last year. You've scrolled so far that you reached the ones from last year.

So it's true he comes every year.

Then you saw the very first picture from that trip. It was the hotel in Venice, captioned '1'. After that, he was in a dress shop in Rome as '2'. Then the church from a while ago. Next, he's in a restaurant, still tagged in Rome. You scrolled past his feed two years before and saw the same pattern. Different pictures of the same places.

"He comes here and travels in a pattern," you blurted, making Jihyo and Andre stop flirting and look at you.

"Who?"

"Johnny. Look at this," you exclaimed and showed Jihyo your phone. You explained the pattern and she saw it instantly.

"So if you're right, he'll be at this restaurant next?" she asked and you nodded confidently. She took your phone and showed it to Andre. "Do you know this restaurant?"

Andre read the tagged location and nodded. "I do. It's a local favorite. It's in the downtown area. Thirty minutes from here."

It was already an hour after lunch and the restaurant was far so you all assumed Johnny would be there for dinner. Andre supported this by saying the restaurant opens at 3 in the afternoon so it's basically a dinner place. You checked into a hotel in the downtown area and stayed there to rest, except for you who decided to walk around and sightsee by yourself. Jihyo wanted to come but you told her to rest too. Seeing how she agreed easily, you understood that she wanted to hang out with Andre too.

The city was beautiful and busy, with streets full of people and vehicles. There are plenty of establishments and shops that you visited, mostly to look around but you also bought a few stuff. Andre was adamant that you visit his dress shop and told you its location. He said he'd call them to let them know you were coming. You were grateful enough for his help so you went there for a visit.

The lady that asked for your name immediately ordered a few staff to help you. It turns out Andre has told them to take care of you and let you pick a nice dress for tonight. It was daunting to accept something from someone you just met but you were grateful anyway. The staff had you pick your favorites and you tried all of them on, all the whole feeling giddy at the prospect of finally meeting Johnny Suh.

An hour of looking around had you going back to the hotel room with a box of a nice red dress. You were pouting as you entered your room, eyeing Andre and Jihyo who both look cozy on the second bed of your suite.

"I appreciate this so much Andre but why did you have me go through all that fashion show if you'd end up picking the dress for me anyway?" you complained shyly but Andre gave you an innocent look while pointing at Jihyo.

"It was me," she grinned. "To be fair, you still got the dress you chose."

"Yes but not the color. I almost freaked when they insisted that I take this one."

Jihyo rose from the bed and walked towards you to open the box—a red satin dress lay delicately over white feathers. It was a delicate dress that looked elegantly minimalistic in white, your original choice. But red made it bolder and vivid. Dinnertime soon came and Jihyo helped you dress up for the night. You felt daunted to wear the dress. It was beautiful but the delicateness of your makeup did not match the fierceness of the dress at all.

"What are you talking about? You look great!" Jihyo convinced you. "The goal is to get noticed, y/n. Red will give you the attention you need. So unless Johnny Suh is blind, you'll be a star wherever you go tonight."

You sat by the window of the restaurant, curiously looking around the quiet place. You are now convinced of Andre's influence, getting you a table easily even with the long queue outside. You wondered if Johnny was already here or if he was outside queueing. You know you can just try to message him and arrange to meet him. But the idea of messaging a stranger felt too scary for you. It was ridiculous to feel so because you literally traveled across the world to find him. But you already felt stupid doing that so you don't really want to go messaging him that, "Hey. I followed you all the way from Korea to Italy because I think you're my soul mate." That's just nuts. Right now, you are content with just a glimpse of him. And then from that, you will decide what to do. Surely you'll know if he was the one, right? You won't be able to explain it, but it should feel right.

"Now where are you, Mr. Suh..." you muttered as you refreshed his feed and found his most recent upload. It was of a table of food, the same table you are sitting on. He is here! At the corner of the picture, you could see what looked like a navy blue sleeve. You wondered if that was him or if he had company. You looked around, trying your best to be discreet about it, and found a few men with the same colored jacket. Then you looked at the picture again and wondered if instead of him, maybe it was whoever he was with at this moment. Maybe he wasn't alone.

You sighed. "I'm a creepy stalker," you muttered to yourself, shaking your head.

The waiter soon arrived with your orders and you took the initiative to ask him if a certain Johnny Suh is dining there tonight.

"Johnny Suh? Ah, Mr. Suh! Yes, he's here tonight."

"Are you sure it's him?"

The waiter chuckled confidently. "Madam, Mr. Johnny Suh always makes his reservations one year in advance. He is here tonight. Right there." You followed the direction he was pointing to and found two Asian men on a table halfway across the room. Both of them were in navy blue clothing, one in a suit and the other in a button-down shirt. How were you supposed to know which one was Johnny?

You turned to ask the waiter again, but he was already walking far away. You decided to just observe for the meantime, trying to eat in peace despite being giddy in your seat. You watched discreetly while they conversed through their food. You can faintly see their faces but you obviously can't hear them. The one in the sleek coat had jet-black and slicked-back medium-length hair that went neatly right down his nape. The other had shorter brown hair styled in a comma hairstyle that was popular in your country today. In physique, the black-haired man was larger but the other was considerably muscular too even under his button-down shirt. They stayed for a while and you stayed too, mostly because you don't know where to go and you were hoping they'd somehow glance your way and you'd take a better look at their faces. But since you only stole glances instead of flat-out staring at them the whole time, you wouldn't have known if either of them noticed you at all.

Slightly drunk due to having about five glasses of wine, you answered Jihyo's chats asking if you were all right. You asked for the bill as you typed in your reply: I'll take a picture of them.

When the bill arrived, you took out your card but the waiter said it had been paid for you by a certain Johnny Suh. Your head automatically spun to their table and saw that they had already left. You panicked and ran out to find them. How can he pay for your food and NOT even talk to you at all? It was ridiculous. You kept running, trying to make out someone with a navy-colored shirt but you couldn't quite tell under the night lights. When you saw the figure of the black-haired man, you called out to him but he was too far to hear you over the crowds of people.

As you struggled to chase him, one of your shoe's heels got stuck in the pavement and you struggled to get it off while the man continued walking further away.

"Fuck it," you grunted, taking off the shoe and leaving it there to continue chasing after him. But after a few minutes of running, you found no trace of him and realized you were in an unfamiliar place. You felt like breaking down, thinking everything you've done just to be here was pointless. Your feet were sore and you're missing the shoe your sister gifted you. And to top it all, you're heartbroken over someone you've never met before. Shoulders sagging in defeat, you called for Jihyo to pick you up.

You sat down at a fountain where Jihyo found you immediately. "We were close by. What happened? Where's your shoe?"

"He's gone."

"Johnny? Did you meet him?" she asked and you shook your head, staring into space, looking distraught.

That was when a man approached you, asking in Italian if you were alright. He was carrying your shoe and somewhere in his expertly enunciated Italian, you could make out that he just called you Cinderella.

"Oh, thank you, sir! Thank you!" Jihyo told the guy but you were still dazed.

"Oh, English! Finally, some friendly faces!" said the guy. He knelt down by your feet. "Allow me?"

"Thank you," you muttered, not sparing a glance at the nice gentleman. He took out a handkerchief to clean your foot with. You had been running barefooted so your foot was soiled.

"You look gorgeous, by the way. Mind giving me your name?" he asked but you ignored him and looked at Jihyo.

"Should I just DM him?"

"Honestly, I was wondering what's taking you so long to do just that," Jihyo smarted

"You're right. That would have saved us a lot of trouble," you sighed.

"Do it. It won't hurt you to just try," Jihyo encouraged, thanking your Prince Charming after he was done with your foot.

"What am I gonna say to him anyway?" you sighed taking your phone out and staring at it.

"What happened at the restaurant?"

"Well, he paid for my meal. That means he noticed me right? But if he paid for my meal, why didn't he talk to me? Was he there paying for everybody's meal tonight?"

"Hey, I don't mean to cut in, but may I ask how long you're staying in the city for?" Prince Charming asked but you were too focused on your phone. Jihyo ended up answering for you.

"Not long. We're here looking for someone."

"Would you tell me his name? Maybe I know him. The Asian community is small in places like this."

"I don't know. He's a tourist, not a resident as far as I know."

"Oh, I'm a tourist myself so–" he stopped when you suddenly stood up.

"I did it. Let's go. I can't wait for his reply while I'm here. I'd freak," you blurted, pulling Jihyo in the direction of Andre's car. "Oh, thanks again!"

"Hey, wait!" he followed you to the car, standing right at the door to stop you from getting in. "I didn't catch your name."

"I didn't say it," you retorted, trying to open the door but he held the handle.

"Well, I'd love to know it."

"Thanks, sir. But I really have to go. You're wasting my time."

"Who is it, then? The guy you're looking for? I'll take that if you can't tell me yours," he insisted so you sighed in frustration, staring straight at him. You gasped when you realized he was the brown-haired guy from the restaurant.

"It's you."

"You know me?"

"No but... at the restaurant. I saw you there."

He smiled, two dimples showing on his cheeks. "Yeah, I saw you there too."

You exhaled, feeling exhilarated. "I'm actually looking for Johnny Suh. Maybe you know him? He paid for my dinner."

His jaw dropped and gaped open for a bit before he closed it again. "That's funny because... I'm Johnny Suh."

Jaehyun panicked as you lost your balance due to weakened knees caused by shock. He caught you in his arms, eyes widening as he asked if you were alright. You got up, trying to calm down as you stared at him more closely.

"Yeah. It's just... I've been looking for you since I got here. Matter of fact, I've been searching for you way longer than that."

Jaehyun felt guilty for lying, but it was the only way you wouldn't get in that car and disappear from his life forever, so he decided to just ride with it. He can worry about telling you the truth later.

"Well, I guess you found me."

Rome at night was magnificent, as you're now finding out while you walked the cobblestone streets with Jaehyun who you now believe to be Johnny. You had no idea about his pretense, but you were on cloud nine, thinking you've found what you came here for and he's everything you dreamed he would be. Considering how it was he who found you while you were chasing a different person, you strongly believed fate was behind the whole thing.

"Accountant? That's great. I work for a fashion brand."

You hummed. "Let me guess, shoes?"

"Was it that obvious?" he asked, smiling shyly and showing more of his dimples that you can't get enough of.

You shrugged. "Not really but you were pretty delicate with my foot tonight and you even told me it wasn't the right fit. That was true, by the way. These are gifts that are a size too small."

"It looks beautiful on you either way," he chimed and you scowled even though you were smiling at the compliment. "And I'm a photographer for the brand. Not like a designer or something."

"Photographer. Yeah, I heard you were."

Jaehyun goes over a short fence where a neatly trimmed lawn is enclosed. Then he takes your hands to help you jump in.

"Please tell me you don't have this weird fixation on..." you paused, pursing your lips before saying, "feet."

Jaehyun threw his head back laughing. "No. God, no. I mean, some feet are pretty, but no. I'm not into that kind of thing."

"I see. Good to know," you replied, sitting on the lawn when he did it first.

He propped himself up with his hands, beckoning for you to lean in. You did so, leaning on his shoulder and staring into the night sky. The stars weren't visible but the moon shone brightly with sparse clouds painting the sky.

"That's pretty," you commented, staring at the waning moon.

"It is. But it's prettier in Positano. By the beach, with the stars and the sea breeze."

"You've been there?"

"Yes, once. It was a long time ago on a short break when I was in college. I've been here several times after that but I never really went back there. I was mostly just here for work."

"You don't live here?"

He chuckled, looking down at you so you met his gaze. "No. What made you think so?"

"You're Italian is good."

"Ah, well, I come here on the regular. One of our designers lives here in Rome. He holds a showcase every year and I always come to take the photos."

"So, you're busy?"

"Not anymore. The show was earlier today. I'm officially not working from today onwards."

You hummed, staring back at the sky and quietly thinking. Jaehyun relaxed right next to you, resting his cheek on your head.

"Take me to Positano," you asked, trying to be confident despite being shy.

"Sure," he hummed, sniffing your hair before nuzzling his cheek on it. "I'll take you tonight if you want me to."

You scoffed. "Tomorrow maybe?"

"Tomorrow then."

You smiled to yourself but then you remembered the restaurant so you sat up to face him properly. "Right. Earlier tonight at the restaurant..."

"Why?"

"You paid for my food. Does that mean you noticed me?'

"Yeah. I did notice you. Ever since you walked in, actually. You were so beautiful, I barely managed to keep my eyes off of you."

"Then why didn't you talk to me? I had been eyeing you all night."

He exhaled. "How was I to know? Besides, I was with a friend and I didn't want to leave him as much as I'd hate to disturb you."

"Very well then, we should be glad you picked up my shoe."

"I know. I was actually on my way back to the restaurant to talk to you, but I found you running around like Cinderella instead. It's a funny story."

You giggled. "One for the books, if I do say so myself."

He smiled, staring at you with his dreamy eyes. You stared right back, both self-conscious and feeling appreciated under his gaze. It was like he could stare at you forever and you felt so loved like that, so beautiful, and so delighted. "Do you believe in fate?" He asked so you snorted.

"Are you really asking me that? Me, who came all the way here because I believed in fate... maybe a little too much?" You had told him about the Ouija board, the search, and how you followed him just because you answered a call that wasn't for you.

"Hmm. Touche." His lips looked so full and plump and pink even under the moonshine. You stared at them for a while, wondering if they were as soft as they looked. "Would you like to try and see?"

"Hmmh?" you inquired, flushing on the cheeks by his indirect invitation for a kiss.

He tapped his bottom lip and you stared back at it, biting your own to mask your shyness but it only showed how unsure you were.

He took the initiative to lean forward, setting your lips as his goal. You can tell him 'no' or you can dodge and even make a move to refuse, but you didn't. Instead, you leaned forward too, meeting him halfway where your lips found each other. Soft, just like you imagined they'd be. Firm, especially when he started to move them, claiming yours in a long, passionate kiss. The sensation made you warm and euphoric, instinctively reaching for his neck and closing your eyes to take in more of him. When pulled away, you opened your eyes and were met with beautiful brown ones and a smile.

"Hi," you blurted out, unable to think of anything else to say. He just laughed, stealing a brief kiss before pulling you back in his arms.

It was past midnight when you parted, not even wanting to let go of each other's hands even while you were literally standing in front of your door. He kept telling you about tomorrow and you kept saying 'yes' to going to Positano. If it wasn't for Jihyo who scolded you for keeping the door wide open, you would spend the entire night staring into each other's eyes.

"See you in the morning," he said for the final time, kissing your forehead when you pressed it on his chin.

"See you in the morning, Johnny," you replied. You saw him do a double take but he just sighed and didn't say anything else, just a wave before leaving.

You closed the door and did a twirl as you walked further into the room. Jihyo chuckled teasingly. "You look obscenely happy."

"Thanks. I am," you replied proudly before stepping into the bathroom for a quick wash.

The morning was beautiful from your window, but sadly, you are set to leave Rome today for the beaches of Positano. You were excited to leave and it seems like Jihyo was too because she was the first to drag her stuff out of the room. A hotel attendant helped you with your luggage and brought them down to the parking area where two cars and two gorgeous men were waiting for you.

"Good morning," Jaehyun greeted as you ran towards him with open arms. "Are you ready to go?"

"Can't wait."

He chuckled and tapped your nose affectionately. Glancing over at the other car, Jaehyun asked if they were ready too. Andre raised a thumb in response.

"We'll follow right behind you," he told Jaehyun, who waved and beckoned for you to get into the car.

The ride was fun. Music filled your ears and the air blew your hair beautifully. Jaehyun's camera sat on the compartment between your seats and you asked if you could use it. He agreed and cited instructions on how to operate it. When you got the gist of it, you started snapping pictures of him driving. He noticed this and started posing for the camera, earning a giggle from you.

"You look great in these, John," you commented as you browsed through your snaps.

"I'll take pretty ones of you later," he promised, taking one of your hands and kissing it.

Positano was beautiful too, much greener and much more provincial than the first two cities you've visited. You could the sea beyond the cliffs and Jaehyun said you'll be staying in a hotel by the beach. A few more minutes of traveling and you finally reached the said hotel, its driveway was expertly lined with tall trees on each side, giving it a majestic entrance.

"Food! Great because I'm starving," Jihyo announced as soon as she spotted the hotel restaurant. She dragged you there, leaving the men to take care of the luggage and the check-in.

You ordered a feast and soon Andre and Jaehyun joined you without your bags.

"Y/n, dearie," Andre began, sitting next to Jihyo. "I hope you don't mind. I booked a room for me and Jihyo to share."

You cocked an eyebrow at Jihyo, who smiled sheepishly. "Ah, come on. You have Johnny. You won't be alone," she pouted.

You exchanged looks with Jaehyun who just nodded encouragingly. "If you want, I can get a different room."

"No. It's fine."

"Are you sure?" he asked, reaching for your hand that was on your thigh.

You held his arm with your free hand and beamed at him. "Yes. I don't mind."

"Alright."

The food was great, as you had expected. Jihyo chose the restaurant's best-selling sets so the men ended up praising her choice, even encouraging you to try specific things. You were impressed at Jaehyun being well-versed in both the language and the food. It seems he really liked Italy despite saying he only ever comes here for work. Even when you went out for a walk by the beach, he kept telling you about the seashells you would pick up while taking random shots of you at the same time. You enjoyed his trivia so much that you purposely picked up different shells and rocks to ask him about.

"That one's different," he commented, taking the shell from your hand to get a better look at it. "This one is not usually found here, but it's still pretty. Probably washed over by the current."

"It looks like you," you quipped, taking it back and putting side by side his face to better compare it.

"How do you say so?" he grinned.

"See. Your hair is the same color, golden brownish. This shell is you, Johnny!"

Jaehyun laughed taking the shell again and chucking it in his pocket. "I'll keep it then. Souvenir from the best vacation of my life."

"You're a flirt, Mr. Suh."

"That's because you're pretty, Ms. Y/N," he retorted, pulling you flush on his side.

You giggled, wrapping your arm around his waist as you continued walking. At one point, you were able to take his camera and snap pictures of him. He looked regal on the camera but it was nothing compared to what you're seeing in real time. He's breathtaking, like the sea breeze and the view right before you. He's gorgeous and golden, like the sun that's setting down the horizon.

You leaned on Jaehyun's chest, staring at the sunset with dreamy eyes. None of you were talking, tired from goofing around all afternoon and just utterly speechless by the beauty before you. It felt right to be here, perfect even. But at the back of your head, there's a fear of this moment coming to an end. You don't want it to, and you wish you could stay there forever, flush in his embrace, engulfed in his warmth and staring into the beautiful sunset until time passes by so long that the sun begins to rise again.

"Would you be surprised to hear that I might be falling in love with you?" asked Jaehyun, unaware of the way he's willingly being vulnerable in front of you.

"Yes, but it would make me happy to know that too," you confessed, closing your eyes to focus on his heartbeat. "I like being here, right by your side. It feels right. It feels good. I don't think I'm gonna let anyone take this away."

You felt him kiss your head so you looked up, reaching up to kiss his lips. "Would you stay?" you asked.

He lifted your chin so your lips could touch properly. "I'll be wherever you are and wherever you want me to be."

With that, you kissed again, the sunset witnessing the birth of love that was meant to be. A kiss that was fated to happen. Two people meant to meet and be together.

Days with Jaehyun were filled with new experiences. You went boating, scuba diving, hiking, and cruising around in a small yacht owned by Andre. If you weren't taking each other's pictures, you were making out somewhere cozy. On the times when you were cooped up in your suite, you're both tangled limb by limb, content with sharing each other's warmth and getting to know more of each other's strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, and even hopes and dreams. You bonded over photography, him as the photographer and you as his subject. You talked about the future like you both belonged in each other's versions of it. Five days in Positano had you realizing you had never told so much about yourself to anyone until Jaehyun, who you still cluelessly believed to be Johnny.

Jaehyun on the other hand was getting anxious about the lie. The closer you got, the more he feared losing you once you found out that he lied. It shouldn't be a big deal, but he knows it was given how passionate you get when talking about destiny and fate and the universe putting you in the world to be with that one person. You still believed that that one person was Johnny Suh, but Jaehyun would rather believe that it was him. He wanted to believe that it was fate that brought you together, you were fated and he just happened to have a different name. It shouldn't matter, right?

"Where are we going?" you asked as you let Jaehyun guide you through the bushes.

"You'll see."

You started to hear faint orchestra music and make out bright lights beyond the tall bushes. When you finally reached a clearing, you saw a huge house in front of you, almost like an actual palace. The music grew louder and you could see people dressed beautifully walking around the garden while most of them were gathered inside.

"Please tell me we have an invitation for this thing," you pleaded, holding Jaehyun,'s hand tighter.

He glanced briefly at you and chuckled. "Of course we don't. We're not elite Italian socialites."

You gasped. "Are we gate crashing?"

He pressed a finger on his lips and shushed you. "We're foreigners who made a wrong turn while looking for the bathroom."

As you neared the entrance, you nervously bit your lip. "I have a feeling you've done this plenty of times."

He chuckled. "Well, for once, your assumption was wrong. I haven't. This is my first time."

"Are you kidding me? So you don't have an exit plan?"

"Have you heard about spontaneity? You should try some."

You scoffed mockingly. How dare he say that to you. You literally flew all the way to Italy on a whim.

He straightened up, patting his suit and tie. You did the same, thanking the fact that you were both out for a fancy dinner tonight and your nice clothes are helping you blend in easily with the crowd.

"Welcome to the Baron's ball, Madam," Jaehyun greeted with a bow then he offered his arm for you to hold on to. "Shall we?"

You giggled, hooking your hand on his arm. "Lead the way, Mr. Suh."

He grinned at you before he led you inside the venue. People are dressed in fancy-looking dresses and suits, most of them shimmering under the massive chandelier's light, giving you anxiety and fear of getting caught for being underdressed. An actual orchestra was playing the music and while some were chatting on the sides, others were at the center of the hall, dancing in pairs. Nerves started creeping up on you when Jaehyun guided you all the way to the dance floor.

"What are you doing?" you scolded in a whisper but he just shushed you gently, squeezing your hand in assurance.

"We can't pass up on a chance to dance at a swanky party," he whispered in your ear, kissing the side of your head right after and leaving you warm and nervous.

"Good evening," one man greeted and Jaehyun was quick to give him an acknowledging nod.

"Good evening," he replied. Now that you're noticing it, he had been making greetings all night, nodding and smiling at the people who happened to look your way. It makes you look less conspicuous and more like you actually knew people there.

You soon reached the dance floor and you let him pull you in a dancing stance similar to everyone else there, one hand pulling your waist gently and the other delicately holding your hand. You placed your hand on his shoulder, stroking his neck with your thumb as you both swayed to the music.

"Relax, love," he smiled, leaning closer to your ear. "You got me. We'll be fine."

You couldn't help smiling and relaxing into his voice—a baritone melody of your own. You close the gap between you, pressing your ear on his chest while you continue to dance. Your heart was at ease and just like how it had always been ever since you met him, you felt the fulfillment of belonging to something, to someone. You were glad you booked that flight and fate was amazing for letting you pick up that call. Finally, you feel like you found what you came here for. Everything might have gone too fast, but it didn't feel that way at all. Rather, it feels more like things have started falling into place, right where they're supposed to be. Including you who's supposed to be in his arms, just like right now.

"Is this destiny?" he asked and you smiled, lifting your head to peek at his face. He was smiling down at you too, eyes crinkling and dimples showing.

"It is. Because if it isn't then it shouldn't feel this right, John."

He had a sad smile that he quickly masked by kissing your forehead. "I'm just asking because I'm not big on destiny and soulmates and all that stuff. But a friend told me that everything you do, everywhere you go, everyone you meet, you meet them for a reason. The reason was destiny. Do you think so too?"

You nodded. "I've been a firm believer of destiny since I was little. I like to believe that destiny governs our lives, especially with meeting people. Every friend we unfriended, every enemy we hated, everyone we loved and stopped loving, even the passing older woman in the grocery store or the student looking down at his phone on the train. We met them because we were meant to meet them. To some we play a role in their lives, others we don't even care about, but it was all meant to be. And we begin in a random place, navigating through people and relationships and places until we find where we belong."

"That's beautiful."

You smiled at him, tiptoeing to peck on his lips. "It's even more beautiful now that I found you. This, I feel, is where I belong."

"I feel so too," he replied, leaning down low for a longer kiss. "I feel like after this, wherever you are or wherever I go, I will find you."

You gasped, grinning upon remembering something. "You know that song that goes, anytime, every time I get lost you will find me."

Jaehyun's eyebrows knitted. "No, but I like it already."

You rolled your eyes. "I'll have you listen to it later."

The music changed at that moment, into something more energetic and fun. People started cheering and heading for the dance floor, cramping the space. You held on to Jaehyun when you lost your balance and he held you right up until people stopped coming in and finished adjusting the spaces. You looked around anxiously and found that everybody was in coordinated places, except for the two of you.

"I have a bad feeling about this," you told Jaehyun, the music has halted and everyone in their pairs and places seemed to be waiting for it to play again. "Should we leave?"

"Just relax. It's a cotillion. Let's just blend in."

The music started playing and the dancers started dancing in eerily coordinated movements and uniform dance steps. Jaehyun was swaying you around, laughing at the ridiculousness of being at the center of this beautiful dance.

"Dance, love. Dance like this is your last night in Italy," he beamed at you and you started copying his silly dance moves, all the while laughing and giggling your embarrassment away. It wasn't long until other people started noticing you.

"The guy in the red suit, I think he's a guard or a butler or something," he told you. "When he comes this way, we run to that door, okay?"

"What?" The panic in your voice was loud, following the direction he was pointing to. "Wait, that wasn't where we came from!"

"Yes, but it would be easier to escape through there!"

"Oh, god no. Is that a guest list he's checking?" you questioned, observing the man going through a book? When he looked at you sternly, you held your breath and grabbed Jaehyun's hand before you started bolting for the door.

"Oi! Hey!" came the voice of some guy.

Jaehyun stopped you from running and knelt to take your shoes off of your feet. You kicked them hastily and as soon as he picked them up, you ran out of the main entrance right outside a long garden. Jaehyun spared no second and went for the huge gates. The man chasing after you started shouting in Italian but you were already past the gates with the clueless guards scowling at the unusual occurence.

You didn't stop running until you were far from the venue, laughing and giggling all the while until you both stopped to catch your breath by the seawall. Jaehyun sat on the ledge, tapping the space next to him to invite you over. You sat there panting, leaning on him for support.

"You good?" he questioned, wrapping an arm around you and massaging your shoulder.

"Yes. Are you?"

"Better than ever," he replied and you both laughed heartily, breathless and euphoric. You sat up after a while and stared at his face.

"You're a bad influence."

He grinned proudly. "I know. Can I kiss you?"

"I might if you don't," you replied bravely, looking at his lips. And he did, he kissed you long and sweet, until you were both breathless on that ledge, until you were both overcome by more than just the adrenaline from the recent run.

When you arrived at the hotel, the receptionist greeted him as Mr. Jung, which made you wonder. So when the elder man turned around, you asked, "Mr. Jung? I thought you were Mr. Suh?"

"He's probably another Asian guest. To these people, all Asians look the same."

You laughed because he was right. You've had similar experiences before. Besides, you were so drunk on his scent and his warmth that you forgot about everything else as you rushed to his suite. As soon as the doors closed, you jumped into one another, kissing and nipping your skins in a spur of lust. You knew where this was heading. You knew you would end up sleeping with him so you slipped away from his arm even as he chased after you.

"There's something you should know. It's gonna surprise you and might have you rethinking this whole thing," you said, looking into his half-lidded eyes. He smiled and rested his forehead on yours.

"I don't think anything you say can change how I feel about you."

The statement made your heart swell so you hugged him again, kissing him on the lips before he parted with you to nip on your jaw and neck. You tilted your head to the side to give him better access, letting out a faint moan as his lips brushed your skin. "The truth is..."

"Hmm?" He inquired, sending vibrations to your skin. He nibbled on your ear before adding, "What is it?"

"I'm actually..." you began, taking his face so you could see his eyes. "...engaged."

He makes a full stop, half-lidded eyes now wide open in shock. "You're what?"

"I'm engaged. I'm supposed to get married in like, a week or something."

He backed away just enough so your chest would stop touching. He was still holding your arm when he asked, "Then why are you a thousand miles from home looking for a soulmate in a complete stranger?"

"I... well, I happened to have answered your call for my boss, Taeyong Lee. And at the time I was very very conflicted about getting married and spending the rest of my life with someone I'm not sure about. And then you called and it happened to be me who answered. I..." you paused, reaching for his cheek and stroking it. "I had reason to believe it was fate telling me to find you."

He kissed you again, pulling you even closer this time then carrying you onto his bed. He climbed on top of you, kissing, sucking, and nipping at every exposed skin. "Well, I kinda have a little something to say too... It might be a big deal."

You sat up, unbuttoning his shirt as you shook your head. "It doesn't matter."

"Are you sure?"

You smiled, reaching in to touch his chest. "We found each other, didn't we? That's all that matters. I mean, what could be worse than me being an engaged woman?"

He smiled, revealing his dimples as he dived in to lay you down again. He showered your skin with kisses again while you led his hand to palm your breast. "I don't know... maybe the fact that my name is not Johnny Suh."

In a daze from the sensation of his kisses and his touches, you couldn't quite process what he just said. "You're not?"

"No."

Your brows knitted, eyes half-closed as you felt arousal clouding your head even darker under his hands. "Then, who are you?"

"I'm Jung Jaehyun."

Your eyes fluttered open, suddenly feeling wide awake. "What?!" you hollered, pushing him off of you but he was heavy so you were only able to move him a little.

He pouted, "You said none of it matters."

"Yes, except for that!" you bellowed, pushing him with your legs that sent him flying off the bed and onto the floor.

"Hey, it's just a name!"

You stood up angrily, picking up your purse, your shoes, and your coat from where they were scattered in the room. "You are a liar! You're a jerk and a horrible, horrible person!"

"Hey, calm down." He attempted to calm you, holding your flailing arms that were hitting his chest, but you yanked your arms away from his grasp.

"Don't touch me!"

Jaehyun raised his arms in surrender. "Okay. Okay. I lied. But only about my name. The rest of it was true. All of it. My dreams, my hopes, how I felt about you... all of it. I like books, I'm a photographer. I didn't lie about any of that!"

"Except the most important thing to me!"

Jaehyun sighed, shoulders sagging and head tilting in defeat. "Come on, love."

"Don't call me that."

"I thought you liked it?"

"I did when I thought you were Johnny."

Jaehyun exhaled sharply, getting frustrated as he followed you through the door to the hallway. "Hey, Johnny isn't even the kind of guy you think he is. Be real. He's a stranger. You don't know him."

"You would be very much a stranger to me too if you hadn't lied about being him. Honestly, that's a terrible thing to do. Have you no conscience?"

He called your name just as you had pressed the elevator button. "Please. Give me a chance. How would you even know he was the man you were looking for?"

"I will figure that out myself," you declared, getting into the lift and facing him. You shut the steel gate so he couldn't follow you inside. "Why did you even do that?"

"Because I'm in love with you!"

You rolled your eyes, scoffing. "You've outdone yourself."

You knock on Jihyo's room with your eyes full of tears, weeping as you pounded nonstop. When the door opened, you saw Jihyo looking like she had been disrupted from sleep. Andre was right behind her and you didn't even care to think they might have been doing something else entirely when you pushed through the door. You sat on the couch by the window and started crying uncontrollably. Jihyo rushed to you, stroking your back and shushing you.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

"Let's go home, Jihyo. You were right. This was madness. Coming here, chasing after some ghost. Believing in stupid fate. All of this. This is the worst trip of my life!" you ranted, covering your face with your hands.

Jihyo asked Andre to give you both the space and the latter was understanding enough to leave. She let you cry your heart out and offered you a glass of water as soon as you calmed down.

"What happened? Where's Johnny?"

"He's not Johnny, Jihyo. He lied about being Johnny. His name was Jung Jaehyun."

"What? Why would he?"

You scoffed and gave her an incredulous look. Standing up, you started ranting, "Because he's a horrible person, why else? He probably thought this whole thing was a joke and that he could get into my pants if he lied about who he was. Well, guess what? His honesty was five days too late! He has wasted my time and all the effort it took me to come here. I will never believe in fate or destiny or love or any of that crap ever again!"

Jihyo sighed, taking the glass from your hand. "Are you sure?"

"Yes!" you snapped.

"Really? You won't believe in fate or destiny? And love too?"

You recognized the worry in her voice and then realized everything you just said. You sat back down and buried your face in your hands. Your whole life, you believed in love and destinies. Everything good that happened to you, you thanked destiny. For everything bad, you believed destiny had something better in store. You believed in love because your parents never stopped loving each other. You believed in love because you grew up in a home where love was the main foundation. Now, just because a random tourist broke your heart, you're throwing everything you believed in out of the window? That doesn't sound like you at all.

"Y/n," Jihyo chanted, hugging your curled up figure. "Maybe this is destiny too. Getting hurt is part of everyone's growth. What he did was wrong and he was indeed a horrible person for doing that but don't let him be the reason you forget everything you believed in, okay?"

You nodded, sniffing the tears away. "Let's go home, Jihyo."

"Okay. We will. We'll go home."

Jihyo was alone in her hotel room, packing up both yours and her bag so you could go home the next day. She was the one who took all your stuff from the room you shared with Jaehyun and found no one there so she just took everything she believed was yours. You were out early to book tickets with Andre so Jihyo was left to clean up.

She was almost done when she heard knocks on the door. At first, she thought it was you or Andre but when she opened up, she was greeted by a huge bouquet of flowers. Jihyo sighed and swatted it away, knowing the tall guy behind it was none other than Jaehyun.

"What are you doing here, Mr. Not Johnny Suh?"

"Oh, Jihyo. Is she here?" he asked, peering inside.

"She's not."

Jaehyun took a sharp exhale. "Would you tell me where she is?"

Jihyo scoffed mockingly. "She's booking tickets for our flight back home."

"You're leaving already?"

"Yes. Early tomorrow. But if she finds a flight for tonight, I'm sure she'll take it. The sooner we leave, the faster she forgets about the jerk she met in Italy."

"Come on, Jihyo. Not you too," he begged. Jihyo just scoffed louder and attempted to close the door but Jaehyun was quick to stop her. "Okay, I know. I know I messed up but can you please hear me out?"

"You're not worth my time, Jaehyun."

"I understand," he sighed, pushing himself inside the room. "But I beg you to hear me out because she wouldn't."

Jihyo crossed her arms over her chest. "Okay. Three minutes."

"Great, well. The thing is," Jaehyun began, placing the bouquet on the table. "I am in love with her."

Jihyo laughed mockingly. "Are all guys the same? Willing to say just anything to get laid?"

"Hey, for the record, I have no problem getting laid."

"You're admitting that you go around sleeping? Gross."

"No. Wait, listen to me..." he took Jihyo to sit down on the chair and crouched on the floor to meet her height. "I never believed in fate as much as she did. I think it's crap."

"Is that why you fooled her? Because you think she believes in crap?"

"Wait. You're not letting me talk."

"Okay. Do it fast."

Jaehyun motioned for her to be quiet. "So, I never believed in that, right? But I wasn't supposed to be here. I wasn't supposed to be in Italy at all! I was supposed to be home taking care of my dog because, for the first time since I started working, I have earned a vacation leave. But what happened? The photographer who was supposed to come here canceled and I was called in to fly at the last minute. And so here I was, tired of always coming back here every year only to take pictures of that old grumpy Marchetti's shoes which are nice by the way but not nice enough for him to earn my respect."

"You're blabbering, Jaehyun."

"Sorry, okay." He paused, took a deep breath, and nodded his head. "So here I am in Italy, in Rome, happy that the show was over and I can finally go back home. But then I met my old friend, Johnny Suh. He invited me out to dinner and I accepted because I wanted to catch up with him. And then in comes this gorgeous gorgeous lady in a beautiful red dress. It's like the world was shifting out of focus and all I could see was... her, looking around curiously before sitting on a table by herself."

"She was there for Johnny."

"I know! I mean, no, I didn't at the time but I know now. I wanted to talk to her but I had a friend with me and I'd hate to leave him alone, so I didn't. I was under the impression that she was waiting for someone. I mean, she wouldn't be dressed up so gorgeously if she was alone, right? So I just stole glances and Johnny noticed and he told me to approach her. I said I'd pay for her food instead but he was adamant that I talk to her and then he paid for her bill too."

"I see, so that's what happened."

"Yes, and then my friend left and I was there watching her drink wine after her meal, waiting for a chance. But then I chickened out, so I left."

Jihyo cocked an eyebrow at him, telling him to continue. Jaehyun stood up and started pacing around.

"So I was walking the streets, thinking about her and then suddenly, this girl bumped into me. She was wearing the same dress and the same hairstyle and I knew it was her. I followed her because I'd regret it if I didn't but your friend is a fast runner, did you know that?"

"She did track and field in high school."

Jaehyun clicked his fingers. "I see, that's why. And so I found her shoe, stuck in the cobblestone. I picked it up and started looking for her. She was easy to find in that gorgeous red dress. And so we met and she was visibly upset and then suddenly, you guys were leaving. I knew I had to stop her, I knew I had to at least get her name because I'd regret it if I didn't. I'd regret it if she got into that car and disappeared forever. And then she said she saw me too and told me she was looking for Johnny. I thought it would be easy to make her stay if I said I was Johnny."

"Or you could have just said you know who Johnny Suh is."

"I know! But hey, I panicked, okay? I was... desperate. I guess. I have never felt this way before. Ever. My mum told me to hop on this plane. To go on this trip even when I had to work while I was here. She told me something great might happen to me here and honestly, I know this is it. Finding her was the 'something great' my mom told me about. I just know. I don't know how I knew, I just do. And now I messed it all up. I can't let her leave, Jihyo. Not when I just got to know her."

Jihyo sighed. "That's actually very romantic, but it was wrong from the get-go. This was a big deal for her, she left home to pursue this. She left her fiancée. You lied to her and she's mad at you right now and if you ask me, I would be too."

"Is there any way I can make it up to her?"

"Bring her to your friend, Jaehyun. She just needs a look, a confirmation that she won't be making the wrong decision."

"What? About her marriage?"

"Yes. It's not my place to tell, but she's conflicted."

"Yeah, she mentioned."

"You know about it? Then good. You also know how much this means to her."

The door suddenly opened, revealing Andre who looked surprised to see Jaehyun. "Buddy, you messed up."

"I know," Jaehyun sighed, standing up from the floor and grabbing the bouquet. To Jihyo, he said, "Thanks, Jihyo."

"Good luck, Jaehyun."

The tickets were already booked and you were set to leave in the morning. You checked your bags for a final inspection of your stuff. "We have to leave super early, Jihyo. The flight is early and we don't want to miss it."

"I know. Andre and I will just drive around and stuff. It won't take long."

"Just have fun, okay? You don't have to rush. We just need to be there on time. We have to leave before that jerk comes looking for me."

"You like him, don't you?" Jihyo teased while hooking an earring on her ear. "You're crazy for him."

"I am not. I may like him but it was because he made me believe he was someone else. I thought he was my soulmate."

Jihyo pursed her lips. "You liked him just because you thought he was your soulmate, now that you found out he was someone else, your feelings just disappeared? That doesn't really sound like fate to me."

You scoffed. "You don't believe in fate."

"I don't believe in chasing fate. I believe that it comes to you when it's time."

You sighed in exasperation. "Whose side are you on?"

"No one's," she replied. "So tell me, you're not in love with him?"

"I hate him," you said with utter disgust.

"Good, because that's what I told him when he came to drop flowers for you."

Your ears rang bells in your head along with the pounding of your chest. "He came here?"

"While you were out to book tickets."

"And you told him I hated him?"

Jihyo gave you a playful grin. "You don't?"

You paused and looked away, continuing to pack your things. "None of that changes the fact that he lied about who he is."

Jihyo smiled knowingly. "Good, then we can go home without regrets. I'll go sightseeing with Andre today and you can stay here and... I don't know, weep?"

"You're mean."

"Maybe," she giggled, heading for the door. "Call Eunwoo. Tell him to send out the invitations because you are totally ready to get married to him."

"Park Jihyo!"

"Bye," she chanted, slipping out of the door.

The night came and went. Soon, the birds were chirping outside your window. You didn't even sleep a wink and instead of feeling glad to be going home after over a week of being here, you feel rather heavy. Part of you doesn't want to leave but your mind just wants to get out of there fast.

"Ready?" Jihyo asked after you've buckled your seatbelt in the backseat of Andre's car.

"Ready," you exhaled, forcing out a smile.

Andre turned on the engine and was about to drive when a loud thud made all of you halt. You spotted Jaehyun in front of the car, his large hands pressed on the hood.

"Wait. Don't go yet," he breathed and it seemed to you that he had been running.

You got out of the car to confront him, thinking he was there to argue his case.

"What are you doing?"

Jaehyun inhaled deeply and held your shoulders. "Don't leave yet. Let me make it up to you."

"Nothing you do will ever change my mind, Jaehyun," you belted, putting a clear emphasis on his real name.

Jaehyun bit his lip, looking frustrated. "You're so beautiful."

You turned to go back to the car so Jaehyun stopped you. "No wait, please. I messed up, okay? I understand that you're mad, that's why I'm here now. I want to apologize and make it up to you."

"How? By sweet-talking me?"

Jaehyun shook his head. "No, Johnny. Johnny. I know where Johnny is."

You stopped trying to get in the car and turned to face him. "You're not lying?"

"No. I'm not. Uh, I know he comes here every year and I remembered in Rome he told me he'd be in Amalfi on the 5th. Today is the 5th. He will be there for a while."

"Amalfi? Isn't that just around here?" you asked, turning to Jihyo and Andre.

"It is, and it's worth a shot. Also," he fumbled in his pockets to fish out his phone. "Here, I have his hotel number. You can contact him through that."

"How did you get it?"

"I pulled some strings. But I'm sure that will work. That is if you really changed your mind about finding him."

You paused to think, glancing over at Jihyo for her opinion. She just nodded and you let out a sigh.

Looks like Destiny doesn't want you to leave just yet.

You changed your route from the airport to Amalfi. It wasn't a long trip, just less than an hour and you are already at the hotel Jaehyun mentioned. He followed you there too but you refused to ride with him and settled in the backseat of Andre's convertible. You feel a little stupid for pursuing this again after you went on about how this is all a sham. But you came all the way here, a glimpse of Johnny Suh should be enough. You're not even trying to see if he was your soulmate anymore. You just want to fulfill the goal that brought you here in the first place.

"Can I use your phone?" you asked the receptionist after you checked in. He showed you to the phone and left you there. Your friends went on their ways too. You were nervous to dial his room number and stared at the white telephone for a while.

"Gosh, you can't back out now," you told yourself but just as you were about to grab the receiver, your phone buzzed so you checked it first. Seeing the notification made your jaw drop.

By some miracle, one week since you sent him a message, user johnnyjsuh finally got back to you!

You successfully contacted Johnny through Instagram and he apologized for seeing your message so late. After a quick chat, you asked if you two could have dinner together and told him you were in the area. He accepted and set the time for it, promising to treat you to some great food.

You got ready for said dinner, picking out a demure white dress that you had in your luggage. Jihyo was excited for you too and she was going for a dinner date with Andre so she was getting ready with you. You were in the middle of getting dressed when Andre arrived, Jaehyun in tow with a box. You escaped into the bathroom since you were still half naked.

"I'm gonna go," Jihyo said holding on to Andre's arm. "See you later, okay?"

"See you!" you called out from inside the bathroom.

"See you later, Jaehyun," Jihyo told Jaehyun before closing the door.

Jaehyun knocked on the bathroom door. "I got something for you."

"Maybe later, Jae. I'm kind of naked right now," you chided and Jaehyun gulped at the idea of you naked in there.

"Just take it. I won't look. You're gonna need it."

You peeked through the door and Jaehyun handed the box to you. You took it and then found that it was a pair of white shoes. "Thanks! But how do you know my size?"

"Um, intuition?" he chuckled, looking around your room and spotting the dress hanging in the closet. He grabbed it and stood outside the bathroom door.

"Good guess. It fits perfectly," you called back out. Jaehyun flashed a proud smile. You opened the door slightly and poked your hand out. "Hey, Jaehyun, do you mind handing me my dress. It's the white one in the—"

You couldn't finish your sentence because he had already hung the hanger on your finger. You pulled it inside and thanked him. Jaehyun then went over to the dresser and picked up a set of earrings and a bracelet.

"Oh, and I also need my earrings—" you stopped when Jaehyun placed the pair in your hand the moment you pushed it out of the door. "And my silver bracelet—" Again, Jaehyun placed the jewellery on your palm.

Quite impressed, you popped your head out of the gap to see him. He was standing right outside and he smiled when he saw you. "What?"

You shook your head. "Nothing. Thanks."

After getting dressed, you opened the bathroom door and found him sitting on the couch with an Italian magazine. You shyly asked him to button your dress for you.

"Usually, I can do it myself but with zippers."

"Yeah, no problem," he lilted, touching you exposed shoulder and turning you so you were facing the mirror.

You could see him from the reflection, looking as handsome as when you first met him. The air of elegance, his beautiful skin, and plump lips. You remembered kissing him and found your hand touching your lower lip. When he couldn't button you up with one hand, the other hand left your shoulder to fiddle with the locks. His face contorted in concentration and you felt a rush in your veins when his fingers brushed the bare skin of your spine.

"Damn buttons," he muttered as soon as he buttoned you up. He met your gaze in the mirror and smiled at you. "You look great."

"Thank you," you breathed, still locked in his gaze. You saw his jaw clench and noticed how he tucked his hands in his back pocket.

"You should go. Johnny's probably waiting."

You sighed. "Thanks for taking me here, Jae."

His face darkened as he clenched his jaw again. "Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Don't call me Jae." He closed the gap between you until you can feel his warmth from behind you.

"But... isn't that your name?"

"Yes," he muttered, resting his head on your shoulder. "And it sounds so good when you say it. It was meant for your lips, for your voice..."

"Don't do this, Jaehyun..."

He let out a sigh that made you hold your breath. He just told you not to say his name but you did.

"Go to Johnny. Go see if he really is your soulmate."

You chuckled bitterly, turning to face him. "Are you mocking me?"

But the look on his face was anything but mockery. Instead, he looked frustrated and defeated. "I'm asking you to go. Maybe if he makes you happy, I'll move on."

You touched his face and he nuzzled on the warmth of your hand. When you were about to let go, he held your hand in place, the other finding your waist and pulling you close. You don't know what it was that was drawing you to Jaehyun. Is it because he was handsome? But you met countless handsome guys. Heck, your boyfriend was literally the most handsome man you laid eyes on. Is it his charm? Or the way he makes you feel like you're all he wants? Whatever it was, it was drawing you again, making you reach to hold onto his neck while he pulled you into a soft kiss.

"Don't go," he pleaded with eyes closed, pressing his forehead on yours after the kiss. "Stay."

"This is what I came here for, Jae," you insisted, watching his pained expression. "I must do this."

You let go of him and took your purse. Jaehyun turned his back, not giving you a look even as you bade him good night. The night was young and the breeze blew cold. Somehow, you regretted wearing this dress and not bringing a coat. You were being irresponsible. But as you descended down the lower floor where the restaurant sat, you felt warmer. The man at the entrance greeted you and you gave him the name on the reservation. He called for another man to escort you to your table.

Johnny was sitting at the table. Your intuition was right that night in Rome. You followed the dark-haired man at that time and he turned out to be the real Johnny Suh.

"Hi. You must be, y/n," he greeted, standing up to shake your hands. You accepted it and felt how small your palm was compared to his.

"Thanks for accepting my invitation," you began, sitting down after the waiter pulled out the chair for you.

"Thanks for asking me," he chimed.

You ordered food and chatted for a bit. He talks a lot while you observe him quietly. He was a bit different from what you thought he would be. You had based his being on the quality of his photography. They were taken with delicate care and attention, but the man before you seemed to be a little on the manlier side; macho, buff, and aloof. His build, his voice, and even his mannerisms. But then again, you know you shouldn't judge someone by their appearance.

"Thanks by the way. That night at the restaurant in Rome. You paid for my dinner."

He appeared to think but it didn't take him long. "Oh, the girl in the red dress? That was you?"

"Yes."

"I remember. I was with a friend, Jung Jaehyun. We met by chance in Rome so I told him I'd treat him dinner. Then he saw you there. You looked immaculate, by the way. That dress sure made heads turn. Mine included."

"Is that why you paid for my meal? You could have talked to me, then," you beamed.

"Well, not really. It was Jaehyun who liked you and he wanted to talk to you but he couldn't leave me so he decided to pay for you instead. I said I'd pay and that he should go talk to you."

"Oh, so that's what happened," you said, looking down at your food. You don't feel fulfilled or satisfied. In fact, you feel forced to be here, like you were complying with something even when this dinner was your idea in the first place.

"Did he?"

You were prompted from your thoughts. "What?"

"Did he talk to you at all?"

"Yeah. We talked. Actually, he brought me here. I really wanted to meet you."

"Really? I'm flattered. But what for?"

You didn't want to reveal more about the crazy soulmate thing to him so you cooked up an excuse. "I'm a fan of your work. I follow you on Instagram and I saw that you were here so I thought I'd meet you since I also happened to be around."

"Thanks, I really appreciate that. Although I mainly do photography as a hobby. My wife liked looking at pictures."

Your heart rate picked up pace. Weirdly though, you didn't feel any hint of sadness, rather, you were relieved to know he was unavailable. "You are married?"

"Were. She passed away a few years back." He saw your face turn pale. "Don't be sorry, I'm fine. I've moved on. However, I'm not in a position where I can entertain the possibility of a relationship. So, it might sound a bit obnoxious, but I hope you didn't find me for that."

"That's okay. I really just wanted to get to know you. My boss, Taeyong Lee, you know him right?"

"Right, Taeyong. Of course. You work for him?"

"Yes. I saw some of your pieces in our magazine. That's where I knew you from." You couldn't believe how you tormented Jaehyun for lying while here you are spouting lies to avoid embarrassing yourself. The situation may be minor on your part, but lying is still lying.

No, it was completely different. Johnny didn't need to know you obsess over his name through your teens. You needed to know if the person you almost hooked up with and threw your relationship with Eunwoo for was really Johnny. It was different and whatever Jaehyun's excuse was, he still did a terrible thing to you.

The dinner was nice. Despite the uncertainty you felt in the first part, he turned out to be fun to talk to. You agreed to take a walk by the beach, talking and laughing here and there while wrapped in his coat. He was mostly making jokes about crazy encounters overseas every year. He would ask about you too and you told him a few interesting things about you. He also discussed how he met his wife in Italy. Since then, they always visited the country. They both liked the sea at Amalfi and would always spend most of their vacation days here.

"Must be nice to be in love like that," you commented, just as you spotted the restaurant on your way back.

"It is. I was lucky to have experienced that kind of love."

"I know it's not my place to comment but I think you should try again. You know, maybe you'll find another woman who'd make you happy. Maybe you'll get to experience beautiful love again."

He chuckled. "You know sometimes I think she's up there saying the exact same thing."

"Really?"

"Yes. That's the kind of person she is. She wouldn't want me to be lonely because she's gone. That's why instead of grieving, I tried to live on. Now I am still reliving the times I spent with her, but, I'm doing it with a happy heart. If someone else comes to change my life forever the way she did, then, I'll welcome her with open arms."

You just smiled, nodding your head as you reached the stairs to the seawall. He offered his hand for you to hold on to and you gladly took it. When you reached the platform, you took off his coat and handed it back to him.

"I think we both know that someone is not me," you quipped and he tilted his head uncertainly.

"Well, you're a lovely woman and I would have fallen for you in no time but, nah. I don't think so," he said and you both laughed. "I'm big on soulmates and destiny. I like to believe that if she's the one, I would know. There has to be some sign or a feeling. I'm not sure, but I just know."

"You know that's funny because I actually came here to fulfill my destiny," you confessed, giggling at how ridiculous you sounded.

"You did?"

"Yeah, I was looking for my soulmate. I got his name when I was twelve and since then, I believed he's the one for me."

Johnny stops walking and stares at you. "Wait, don't tell me..."

You winced and gave him an embarrassed look. "Yeah. The Ouija board gave me your name."

His eyes widened and he covered his mouth with one hand, looking shocked but you knew he was just trying not to laugh.

"Don't laugh. I'm embarrassed enough."

He pursed his lips but you can still see the smile he was holding in. "I'm not judging."

You threw your head back to laugh. "It's ridiculous, isn't it? Now that I'm looking back on it, I think my friend or my sister might have been behind the whole thing."

"Hey, who knows? Maybe you were right to come here."

"No, Johnny. No offense, but I don't want to fill in for your great love."

Johnny laughed. "That's not what I was gonna say."

"Okay then sorry, go on."

"I'm saying, you came here looking for something. Now, it might have been me at first but the truth may be that you were chasing for your destiny. Maybe if you stuck around a bit longer, you'll find what you're looking for."

You caught a glimpse of Jaehyun on the restaurant's veranda, a glass of wine in his hand that he drank quickly when you caught him looking. He turned his back on you and pretended to talk to Andre and Jihyo. Not even a few seconds later, you caught him sneaking another peek and then looking away immediately.

"How do I say this, um... It was fate that brought you here, y/n. I'm sure she has big plans for you."

"Yes, I agree," you muttered, still watching Jaehyun from afar. You turned to Johnny. "Hey, listen."

"Hmmh?"

"Are you sure you're not just saying that to be a wingman for your friend?" you asked pointedly, a bit accusing but you were determined to know the truth.

"No. Which friend?" he asked. "I haven't met a friend who knows you."

"Jaehyun."

"Ah, Jaehyun? No. The last time I saw him was in Rome," he replied and then paused to think. "Didn't you say he was here too?"

"Yes."

Johnny perked up. "Great. We should meet for a drink."

"No need to call him. He's right there," you said, pointing at the restaurant. "Would you like to join us? We're here together with some friends."

"I would love to."

You climbed back up the restaurant to join your friends. You introduced Johnny to Jihyo and Andre, making sure to remind Jihyo not to act weird around him. You had drinks by the bar, chatting and laughing through the night. Jaehyun barely looked at you, his attention taken by Johnny and Andre who kept chatting him up about random things. All the while, you stood by, quietly joining in and laughing along while thinking hard about the Johnny Suh that you obsessed over, Jaehyun who you thought was Johnny, and the fate that brought the three of you here in the beautiful Amalfi.

"Are you okay?" Jihyo asked, noticing your silence.

"Yeah, I'm just tired," you replied. It wasn't even an excuse. You really were tired and hoped the night would end quickly.

"We can go back now if you want," Jihyo offered but you knew it was only because she was worried about you. While you appreciate that so much, you also don't want to ruin her night, especially after seeing how cozy she was with Andre.

"I'll be fine. I can go back by myself. Have fun though," you assured her and it took a bit of convincing before she agreed.

You slipped away quietly, not even bidding them goodbye and telling Jihyo to let them know instead. The stairs were winding and you felt dizzy as you walked up. You're not drunk yet, just a little tipsy from the wine. You huffed when you reached the second-floor landing. One more set of stairs and you'd reach your suite, so you inhaled and took another step. But you ended up losing balance on your heels and falling over. Your butt landed on the floor with a thud. It didn't hurt much though but you felt frustrated.

"Hey," came a voice from below, followed by rushed footsteps ascending the stairs. Jaehyun helped you up, looking worried. "What happened to you?"

"Your shoes are stupid," you grumbled, taking the shoes off and standing up with his help. "Why would you even give them to me?"

Jaehyun chuckled awkwardly. "I don't know. I saw them and thought you'd look great in them."

"Well, I did but they're crap," you huffed angrily.

Jaehyun just sighed as he walked up the stairs with you. "Was the date bad? You seem to be in a bad mood."

"No. The date was great. Johnny was a great guy. He's funny, he's nice, and he's honest," you ranted, emphasizing the honest part.

"I'm sorry, y/n. I really am. I brought you here to hopefully make it up with you. But seeing that you're still mad, I guess it didn't work."

You stopped in front of your room's door and faced him with a stern expression. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you bring me here?"

"Like I said, I wanted to apologize."

You sighed. "By setting me up with your friend? I thought you're in love with me?"

"I am! But you're mad and it's because I messed up," he confessed, sighing in defeat. "So to apologize for wasting your time, here's Johnny Suh."

"But you're in love with me."

"That's true."

You sighed and dropped your purse to clutch his collar. Close to tears and frustrated, you asked, "Why would you set me up with him if you're in love with me?"

Jaehyun seemed taken aback as he held your elbows, confused by your actions and words. "Y/n, I..."

"You even bought me shoes," you spat. "What if we ended up liking each other? What if he really was my soulmate? Were you just gonna let me go?"

"Fuck, no! I'd fight him for you, y/n. I'd keep trying until you tell me to get lost. Hell, I'd even follow you back to Seoul and stop your wedding. If I lost you here, if I missed this chance, I would... I would..." he sighed, pulling you into a hug and burying his face in the crook of your neck. "I would never forgive myself."

You let him stay there, feeling the warmth from his body and his breath.

"I know how stupid it sounds to fall in love with someone so quickly, but I did. I fell in love with you the moment I saw you. I knew you were the one for me, I knew you're everything that was meant to be. And I'm sorry I lied but I did that because I was scared I'd lose you forever without even knowing your name. I'm sorry."

You pushed him away, gazing into his eyes and seeing sincerity there, mixed with emotion you couldn't fathom. You reached for his cheek, stepping closer to plant a kiss on his lips.

"Y/n..." he croaked but you silenced him by kissing him again. This time, when you were about to let go, he held your waist flush against him, making sure you didn't leave. He deepened the kiss, reeling you into a surge of sensations and emotions that clouded your head. When he pulled away for a brief moment to look into your eyes, you wanted to reach for him again, to feel him and be engulfed in his warmth again.

"Take me, Jaehyun," you pleaded and that made Jaehyun exhale sharply before holding your hand firmly and pulling you into his room.

Jaehyun basically kicked the door closed as soon as you were both inside, hands firm on your back and lips pressed onto yours. Your hands were busy unbuttoning his shirt, fumbling but succeeding when you had the entire shirt tossed on the floor. Jaehyun had struggled with the buttons on your back earlier and the sound of your dress being ripped made you pull away from him and gasp.

"Jaehyun!"

"Sorry, love. I'll get you a new one," he promised, pulling you back to his embrace to continue ravaging your lips. The back of his knees hit the bed so he sat down, pulling your leg up to make you straddle his lap. The kiss was intense, tongues clashing and teeth nipping on each other. His hand was firm on your back, unclasping your bra expertly and throwing it across the room. You then tilted your head when his kisses trailed down your neck until they reached your bosom. Moans escaped your lips as he suckled your breasts, playing with the other. The neediness started getting into your head so you bucked your hips on his erection, sending a surge of pleasure for the both of you. He let you do that for a moment while his mouth left bruises on your skin. You knew how it would look in the morning and you knew everyone would see it but you didn't mind. Your head started spinning at the mere thought of people finding out that Jaehyun had marked your body as his own.

With a swift movement, he pinned you on the bed, getting rid of your dress so you were naked underneath him. Then he muttered your name, stroking your cheek with the back of his hand. "You're so beautiful, it hurts."

You desperately took his hand and placed it on your bare breast. "Touch me, Jaehyun."

He palmed your breast, kneading firmly before diving in to suck your nipples. You moaned loudly, sending Jaehyun into a spiral that made him bite your bud. His hand then moved down from your boob, mouth still attached to it. He pulled your underwear down to touch your pussy, massaging the wetness that pooled there.

"Haven't we both been waiting for this?" he asked but you just whimpered under his touch. "Why did we even hold ourselves back?"

"Jaehyun!" you chided him for taking his time but it came out as a raspy moan, making his dick twitch in his boxers.

He cursed you as he reached for a pouch on his bedside table then pulled out a strip of condoms. You could hardly wait for him to tear open the packet so you sat up and pulled his boxers down, putting his dick in your mouth the moment it sprang free. Jaehyun let out a loud moan, surprised at your eagerness. He let you suck him for a while holding your head in place until you had your fill and stopped. He then pumped his cock a few times before encasing it in the condom.

"How are you so hot?"

"How are you still talking?" you retorted, falling back on the bed with a light bounce.

He prodded your entrance and slowly pushed inside. His length and girth made you moan as he adjusted in your clasp and you on his size. After a few slow movements to make sure he was positioned perfectly, he started thrusting at a steady pace, getting faster and faster as he went.

When you came here, you never imagined having sex with someone, not even the soulmate that you were desperately searching for. And Jaehyun, he's a stranger and even the way he makes you feel is new to you. You've always been the sensual kind, taking things slow and steady. Jaehyun was steady but strong. The force can be felt by your entire body and each thrust brings pain that is not doing anything to actually hurt you, instead, you crave more of it. You screamed for more of it, letting him break through you and use you to satiate his lust. The way he hits the tight spot drives you crazy and the way he's stretching you open feels elaborate and perfect.

"Oh my god, Jaehyun!" you screamed, feeling the familiar knot in your stomach. The clenching of your pussy made it known to him that you're close and your louder and more eager moaning is driving him to the edge too. His thrusts became harder and more erratic as he gripped your waist, chasing his orgasm until he bucked one hard thrust into you and kept it there. He groaned in satisfaction, arching his back with his eyes closed and mouth open.

"Fuck," he blurted, looking down at your fucked out expression and grinning. He leaned to kiss your forehead so you smiled.

"Hey," you said weakly, out of breath and out of energy.

You chased your breath some more as he thrust a few more times before he pulled out and collapsed next to you. The sound of panting filled the room as the air of lust dissipated. He glanced at you and you glanced back, laughing at each other, both drunk on orgasm.

Two years later, you were standing in front of a podium, facing the person who would be officiating your wedding. After simple vows thanking fate for bringing you together, you stamped your seals on a piece of paper and sealed it with a kiss. Both of your friends and family were present to share this beautiful day with you. Even Andre Marchetti, who turned out to be the son of the Italian shoemaker who was Jaehyun's nemesis. He and Jihyo ended their fling right before you left Italy two years ago but he still got invited for playing a huge part in your crazy love story. Cha Eunwoo was present too, with his wife and beautiful baby girl. You became good friends after the amicable breakup and he even got married before you. Everything is in its rightful place, as you like to put it. After everything, you still held on to the destiny that governed your life. Wherever or whenever you get lost, you believe you and Jaehyun will find each other, as destiny willed it.

"Oh, it's Johnny Suh. The soulmate she was raving about for years," said Jihyo, pointing at you across the hall, talking to Johnny. "Looks like he played a completely different role in her destiny."

"Johnny Suh? Why does that name sound familiar?" Your sister wondered, tapping her glass as she too stared at the guy greeting you and Jaehyun.

"The soulmate from the Ouija board? Remember?"

Your sister gasped. "Oh, yeah. The one I made up!" she snorted.

"What?" Jihyo questioned, confused.

"Johnny Suh. I made it up. I didn't even think hard about it, I just randomly came up with that name."

"No. You couldn't have. I was there too."

"Yeah and you were both dumb enough to freak out over moving glass so I kept messing with you all," she laughed, taking a sip from her glass.

"Do you have any idea how she held on to that name her whole life? She even looked up every single Johnny Suh on the internet believing he was her soulmate!"

"Of course I have! I've seen it and at the time, it was so funny. She stopped doing it though so I thought she was over all that."

Jihyo sighed in exasperation. "Eonnie, we literally flew to Italy for that. That's how she met Jaehyun."

"No, you did not!"

"We did. Now she believes that the Ouija board told her to meet Johnny so he could bring her to Jaehyun, her real soulmate."

"Oh my poor sister," she winced. "Who's gonna tell her?"

"Don't tell her," Jihyo chided, shaking her head. "She'd freak and she might hate you forever. I've seen something quite similar."

You may have been oblivious to this conversation between your sister and your bestfriend, but who's to say your sister's innocent little prank wasn't destiny's design as well?

[fin]

#nct x you #nct jaehyun #jaehyun x reader #jaehyun x you #nct au #nct smut #nct fluff #jaehyun smut #jaehyun fluff

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honeyandbloodpoetry · 1 year

Text

Catharsis - Resident Evil OC Snippets Part 2

Carlisle is a young transgender man that worked at RPD as a receptionist and was recovered from the rubble that fateful night in 1998 after being separated from the rookie cop that had rescued him. Saved by a scientist fleeing the city, the young man is offered the chance of a lifetime--to be involved with experimental rapid and completely transformative testosterone HRT. Carlisle gives himself a new name and accepts to be part of the study, falling in love with His Doctor (Spencer Stevens) along the way and watching as his dreams come true. Things are not always as they seem though, and it seems the good doctor did not have his patient's best interests at heart...and Carlisle soon discovers he is Umbrella's newest BOW experiment. This small snippet is an excerpt of Carlisle's journey after escaping Umbrella captivity and living in hiding with an old friend as they desperately hunt for a antivirus.

My hands cross over his, my nails like sharpened iron, skin rough and hopelessly dry beneath hair so thick it is almost like fur. He is fast asleep, bare chest and small breasts moving softly with each breath, the moon peeking through the blinds making his nipple rings glimmer. I like how he sparkles even when his eyes are closed.

I reach up and brush the hair from his forehead. It's warm. Still a little sick. It's likely from the stress. He told me he used to get them all the time as a kid, both when he was homeless and in his foster homes. He told me it didn't happen too often anymore until after what happened to him in Spain.

My feet hang off the ends of the bed, but I don't care. Gently, I pull him to me. He is well muscled, yet so impossibly soft. Irresistibly soft. He feels delicate in my arms, though I know he's not. I remember the way his eyes shined the night we met in Raccoon City. They don't shine like that anymore. The boy I met that night and the man I lay with are two different chapters. And yet, as my eyes fixate on the soft stubble of his chin, I know it is the same story, a book I am hopelessly lost in.

I'm changing. The doctor who did this to me... He said he wanted to help me. He promised me metamorphosis. I wanted to be a man, but as the days progress I turn more and more into a monster. I was happy with him once...but Leon helped me escape when the doctor became less of a lover and more of an owner. When I became less "future husband" and more lab rat. Leon has kept me safe and hidden in the two years since. Within the past few months, physical changes have begun to happen more rapidly. It makes me sick to my stomach. Leon tries to help me figure out how to cure it, he uses all his resources to try and seek an antivirus, he assures me we'll fix me before the mutation progresses too far, promises that we'll get me proper healthcare and not some "wackjob science experiment".

Leon understands me in a way no one else does. He is...like me. My doctor gave me the word, but Leon gave me the truth. Transgender.

And yet, I feel like it is already too late.

I'm crying without realizing it, fat rivers of tears coursing down my cheeks. I only realize my eyes are closed--imagining the man I could have been...and oh god, the nightmarish thought of living as a woman, of having repressed everything I am forever, but oh fuck, what am I turning into, what the fuck am I going to do--when Leon's hand cups my chin. His hands are tiny and kind against my jaw. He is strong and reassuring, his eyes dark with concern.

I blink against the stream of tears, ready to apologize, but he places a finger to my lips and then pulls me in close. He's so much smaller than me, and yet he feels like my whole world.

He's kept me so safe, and yet...we've never said it. The L word. It terrifies both of us. We sleep in the same bed. But we're not dating. Just saving space. Being economical. When we cuddle or fuck...boredom. Loneliness. Desperation?

Well. I'm desperate at least. Always have been.

I sob into him, let him run his fingers through my hair until I am weak, until I slump down and pull him into the crook of my chest, feeling him relax against the iron wall of my stomach. A thread of hunger pulses through me, and I grit my teeth, angry. I think of the dog from the other day...the thought of all that blood makes my stomach hurt. I try to not think about it at all. I try to focus on calming the predatory beat of my heart, on lowering my blood pressure.

He sighs softly, pressing his back into me, filling up every inch of space between us. "It's going to be okay." He says. He says more, comforting words and promises that ease me into sleep, gentle lullabies that bleed together and make a soft hum as I fade.

I believe him.

I believe him with all my heart, even as my skin starts to split and bloody pus drips onto the wooden floor. I believe even as disgusting red pustules form on my skin, breaking open into weepy new eyes, the sight from my true eyes beginning to leave, bright and painful as looking at the sun. Even as my spinal pain makes it difficult to stand upright. Even as my knuckles drag on the ground like some sort of beast. Even when I begin to lose my mind, when I forget words, when I keep getting bigger and need more and more meat.

Even when I'm losing everything that makes me me, I believe him. He smiles the same way he did that night in 1998. After everything... Even when the light in his eyes is dark, he still smiles. Always something to say. Just the right thing. How can I not believe him?

I believe him until I'm nothing.

I wonder if he still believes?

I don't think I'm waking up this time.

#trans leon #trans leon s kennedy #trans resident evil #resident evil #resident evil oc #resident evil x reader #resident evil fanfiction #resident evil 2 #leon s kennedy #spilled thoughts #spilled ink #lgbt #lgbtq #transmasc #trans #resident evil 4 #re4r

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witch-hazels-musings · 2 years

Note

heya hazel!! i love everything about the new event! i love the layout and the ideas behind it! you’re so talented and i’m so incredibly happy to be able to call you a friend!

now.. ahem.. enough buttering you up (for now!!) and onto my request!! 🥺

may i have a pull of justice, the emperor and the empress for kazuha please? i’m excited to see what you come up with!!

Justice (empathy), The Emperor (comfort), The Empress (domestic) :: kazuha x gn reader | neutral fate

warning: fluff, domestic comfort, cuddling, naps

Nothing compared the the feeling of him, the comfort of him, the smell of him as you let your cheek rest on his chest. His arm wrapped around you, fingers absentmindedly brushing against your back while you moved in closer. Your leg draped over his as if it were the most natural thing to do. Happily, you stretched against him, your body trembling at the pleasant feeling. When you started you settle, you reaffirmed there was no better feeling than cuddling with him.

A soft chuckle drew your attention as you slipped your feet around his ankle, holding him close. “Getting comfortable I see,” he hummed, palm flush against your back to keep you close even in your gleeful movement.

“Hehe, yes,” you explained with a smile, your palm moving to the warmth of his chest as you burrowed your face further into him. The steady sound of his heartbeat made you practically purr in contentment.

Gentle rain covered the earth, it collided with the roof in a relaxing melody while the wind slipped lazily in through the open shoji doors. You were thankful for the futon you’d rolled out earlier, grateful for the thick blankets that covered you but, even more than that, you cherished the man laying next to you as he placed a loving kiss against your brow.

Today was the perfect day to lazy about, and though you weren’t a sun-warmed rock, you were pleased Kazuha found comfort near you anyway.

“Though it saddens me to say,” Kazuha began with a deep breath through his nose, “I should return to th-”

“Nooo!” You wrapped your arm around him and pulled him closer, your legs turning into a trap to keep him still. He didn’t even need to finish his thought, you knew what he was going to say but you weren’t ready for him to say it.

“y/n -”

“Don’t go yet,” you pouted, face rubbing against him as you shook your head. The rain picked up, or maybe you were just hoping it did to offer him another excuse to stay. He was so comfortable and you were just thinking about how perfect it would be to rest beside him until the rain stopped. “Please.”

You waited with bated breath for his reply. Eyes closed, muscles tense as they hugged tighter, heart pounding to hear him speak. Of course, you’d be alright if he did end up leaving but you desperately hoped he wouldn’t. He was almost always on the road. Wandering here and there as if the wind dictated his movements more than his mind did. You loved that about him but you also missed him terribly and, not that you had him in your arms, you didn’t want to let him leave.

“The calling of midday rain provides a restless energy for action ...” Kazuha mused in his soothing voice. The sound caused you to still and lift your face to his. When he looked at you, the fluttering of your heart reminded you just how much you loved him, “but the arms of ones lover returns us to our center.” His hand moved to your arm as he wiggled further under the covers. “Let us rest ourselves a while.”

His decision made you so happy but you hardly had a chance to tell him because as soon as you finished hugging him, he was already half asleep.

Kazuha’s eyes closed, his lips lifted into a calm, peaceful smile, and his breathing eased into slow, relaxed breaths. You were surprised by how quickly he was able to do that! It unfair, really. If only you could fall asleep as fast as he was but, no matter how deep his slumber became, he never let you go.

You moved your head with an accepting sigh and listened to the sound of his beating heart pounded in your ear. It was relaxing to feel him this close, to hear him breathe and sway on his dreams. As carefully as you could, you pressed a kiss to his chest, a smile tugging at your lips as he hummed from the contact.

Soon, you settled and began to gaze across the garden beyond the doors. The wind seemed to slow but the rain continued to fall. It’s droplets landing on the lush, green plants peeking out from under the deck. The small pool filled with plump koi fish rippled endlessly against the drops of cool water.

The world just outside the room seemed to still until it’s calmness brought your heavy eyes to close and the warmth of Kazuha eased you into a relaxing, peaceful sleep.

Fate Made Event (May8-31) | Anthology | @yandere-romanticaa

#hazelsevents #fate made #genshin impact #genshin impact X reader #genshin impact musings #genshin impact fiction #kazuha genshin impact #kazuha #genshin kazuha #genshin impact kazuha #kazuha x reader #kazuha x gn reader

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nausikaaa · 1 year

Text

WIP Wednesday

thanks for all the tags the past few weeks @aroace-genderfluid-sheep @facewithoutheart @forabeatofadrum @martsonmars @confused-bi-queer @ivelovedhimthroughworse and @takitalks!

it would seem nanowrimo really wiped me out, because i’ve barely had the motivation to write almost anything since. but then our of nowhere i was struck with an idea for ANOTHER original story.

more info below the cut because as usual i ended up rambling

so, the new story is also about greek mythology, and my favourite Trojan twins Cassandra and Helenus, but it’s a short story told through letters from Helenus to Cassandra, going on past her death as he continues to write to her whenever something significant happens in his life. the Trojans technically didn’t have written language, but i am clearly taking liberties.

the story will span their childhood, the rift that develops between them when Cassandra spurns Apollo and is cursed while Helenus accepts his advances and is blessed, their lives during the war, Helenus’s capture and torture at the hands of the Greeks, and then his life after the war as he rises from a slave to a king and father of dynasties. seriously, Helenus is so overlooked, most people who aren’t that into the myths have never even heard of him, yet he’s over here outlasting everyone and marrying both Hector and Achilles’s widows! his grandson goes off and founds FRANCE.

so anyway, in a haze of inspiration when i was supposed to be trying to sleep, i grabbed my phone in the dark and wrote my idea for an epilogue, a single letter from Cassandra in reply, written from the Underworld. here’s it in full, it’s not too long:

Helenus,

You once told me you could see not only through time, but through space also. While we could both see the outcomes of the future, you could see the present across the sea, to far distant lands. A rare gift I am glad I did not possess. It would only tire me out.

Perhaps you can see the present in other realms as well. Perhaps you can see me now, through whatever veil or crust of earth separates the living from the dead. Don’t look at my face. Watch my hands. You wouldn’t believe the deals I had to make to get my hands on paper and ink down here.

For all I exaggerate, Asphodel is not so bad. There are no more visions to plague me, and the wound barely stings. Stop staring at it. I know you are. Pay attention.

It’s mostly just very grey down here. Mist hangs in the air, white flowers bloom underfoot, and shades chatter about you, but it’s easy enough to find a quiet spot and be left to your memories if you wish.

My memories... Brother, I saw your future whenever I looked at you. So much suffering, but so much joy, too. I got your letters. I watched you write them through your eyes, that last time we saw each other, before fate took me to my death and you to a new life.

It took some time to figure out the order they were written in, but time is what the dead have an abundance of. It passes differently here, thick as molasses yet fast as a sparrow, but don’t worry about that. Just take each day as it comes. You’ll look very regal as an old man, and your children will make you proud.

Speaking of your children, I’m flattered you chose to name your daughter after me. I don’t know why I was surprised, you always were sentimental.

I won’t keep you any longer. Give Andromache my love. I look forward to seeing you again.

Cassandra.

#wip wednesday #greek myths #trojan war #the iliad #helenus of troy #cassandra of troy

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spice-chan · 3 years

Text

Ethereal

Yan!Dragon King!Bakugou Katsuki x Water Nymph!f!reader

The water nymphs send an unusual peace offering this year...

Warnings: Reader sent as a peace offering so feelings of objectification are present. Yandere themes. Possessiveness. Yandere bakugou but only becomes outwardly yandere towards the end. Death (killing). Not too descriptive about wounds though, although they are mentioned (not inflicted on reader). Bakugou is a bit of a douchebag at the start.

wordcount: 4.5 k

tags: @angie-1306 (your ask got deleted but thank god you werent on anon) @axther @reddriot

A bundled-up body was dropped under his throne, the body writhing and trying to get muffled screams to be heard.

“My king, the water nymphs made a peace offering. She was dropped off in front of the castle entrance.”

Bakugou’s rich red eyes calculatedly glanced down, breath hitching for a second at the beauty of the roped female—a water nymph. An offering to him. His eyes made contact with yours, seeing the clear defiance and disdain in them, but he knows this look, behind made walls of resistance and will of steel is a petrified woman afraid of her fate. How unfortunate for you. Your eyes were wide and glassy, cute in their attempt at conveying anger, brows furrowed in a glare that merely made Bakugou smirk in amusement. Your mouth, even with the rope muffling every sound you made, clearly showcased a pair of sweet and kissable lips.

The nymphs who sacrificed you did you no favour as well, for they left you scantily dressed, leaving you exposed to the hungry eyes of dragons around you, irking Bakugou slightly that others are looking at his prize.

He left his throne, languidly walking up to you before crouching down to inspect you, to see what’s so special about you. The water nymphs never usually offered one of their own in their attempt at maintaining neutral peace. This ritual which they adopted since ancient times became nothing more than a nicety, they usually offered rare fish, nuts, never a full-fledged nymph, and an attractive one at that. Perhaps the fact that Bakugou, the most renowned dragon shifter finally claimed the throne made them feel unsettled. For his savage and bloodthirsty need to be the absolute best was second to none.

His calloused palms took a hold of your face, ignoring your attempts at deflecting his hold as his massive palm dwarfed your face and made it plenty clear he can easily crush you. He inspected your face from different angles, seeing nothing extraordinary. He took this opportunity to feel up your soft skin which had been tempting him ever since he noticed you laying helplessly on the floor. He then confirmed the validity of the rumours that claimed water nymphs had skin supple and silky as water. It felt like he was running his finger across the surface of a ripple, a mere dip of his finger could breach the surface.

Heh, you’re kinda pretty. So very different from draconian women, who had thick builds paired with excellent survival skills and shifting abilities, but you...he bets it was so easy to overpower you and wrap you up nicely for him to unpack his gift.

He lifts you, his muscles bulging and tensing, proving that carrying you was not a struggle to him in the slightest.

He ignores your useless thrashing, kicking and resisting like a wild bird held in a tyrant's hand. Its wings contained and nails not doing any damage, freedom seeming further and further away. He walks with you on his shoulders, his massive, hulking shoulders.

Soon enough, the rowdy chatter of the men becomes scarce, and their figures even more so, making you double your efforts in trying to escape the tyrant lumping you on his shoulders like a sack of potatoes.

“Tsk, keep bein’ a brat and I’ll have to tie your shitty hands.” He turned his head to look at you as he said this, cementing his statement with a fiery glare that only infuriated you further.

He ignored any protest you made after that, walking with you and entering a wing that looked to be heaven-sent from the sheer luxury, gold highlights emphasized in every corner, treasures and artefacts littered around the corridor in a painfully tidy and organised to the very centimetre, clearly they got shined twice a day. However, the further he ventured, the more the previous shine lost its glory, it appeared clean, however, the stark contrast to the speckless shine from before was clear.

Bakugou stopped in front of the grandest door, he twisted the golden doorknob, finally appreciating your quietness. You couldn’t help it, you weren’t particularly rich back home, so to see this reincarnation of decadence really has your eyes glassing, bright in some semblance of joy, you forgot your situation for a second.

You were rudely reminded when you were dumped down on a hard surface.

“OUCH, YOU ASSHOLE.”

When you looked down, however, every profanity disappeared from your tongue as it twisted in awe. You were thrown on a pile of fucking treasure. A huge, mountainous pile of glittering gold and brandished silver, rubies, and every single gem one could imagine.

Bakugou narrowed his eyes, scowling at how much he liked the view of you on top of his hoard. He smirked, feeling prideful and accomplished until he noticed that the walls of fury and fire you built up ever since he saw broke in the worst way possible. Your face was scrunched, it felt like your cheeks were lit aflame in humiliation as tears streaked down your adorable face.

Bakugou felt like the biggest douchebag to walk the earth.

You brought your knees closer and hid your face behind them, body shaking as you sobbed. Your tribe sent you as a peace offering, not caring for the slightest about your well being and fate, and now you're stuck here with a brute of a king who has no qualms with treating you like a glorified piece of jewellery. You didn’t want him to see this side of you this soon, you didn’t want him to see how petrified you are, how weak and defenceless you are compared to him. You wanted to rivers of anguish gushing from your eyes to stop, but they wouldn’t.

“Hey…” he tried to console you. It was a poor attempt from an unpractised dragon.

You tried to speak, navigate around that lump in your throat to shout at him, tell him to leave you alone, but your voice failed you just like everything tends to.

You felt him clumsily try to lift your head in a gesture that fell between a forceful demand and a soothing touch. What is up with him now?

You relented and showed him your puffy eyes, glistening eyes, looking at him with trembling lips.

“Tch, stop crying! You—you’ll get snot and tears all over my hoard.”

It was the wrong thing to say, because a fresh batch of tears came, staining the apples of your cheeks.

“Fuck—no. I didn’t mean that.” Your sniffling was reduced to mere hiccups, break down halting at the sight of the most feared man on the earth, the legendary dragon king bakugou, most hardened warrior and skilled shifter, attempting to apologise.

“Shit—I wouldn’t have to be so rough if I knew it bothered you this much.” He pouted, cheeks turning a shade of red that seems almost adorable, turning away from you to scowl at the floor.

Fuck, his mother taught him better, yet the sight of you made him forget any semblance of manners, eager to get his hands on you and away from the prying eyes of people to who you didn’t belong.

An innate sense of possessiveness engulfed him, one that can only be appeased with you sitting on the one place most intimate and guarded by him: his hoard.

But, he’ll tone it down until he gets you more pliant and accepting.

“Stay where you are.” He simply commanded before walking off.

You stayed there, mind urging you to run away, a foolish choice your pride keeps urging you to make. Runaway, in a castle heavily guarded, without having the slightest clue how to get to the exit.

Yeah, bad idea. You’re sure you aren’t welcome back ‘home’ anyway. The thought feels like a sharp dagger slicing your heart, taking its time carving the pain into you.

Soon enough, Bakugou is back, trying to tone down his intimidating aura, but to no avail, for he noticed you shrinking at the sight of his hulking figure. It stung him a little, making his frown a little tighter.

“Come with me,” he said curtly, then walked swiftly out, his cape swishing behind him, making you scramble to follow him, struggling to keep up with his fast steps, frustration slowly rising like bile up your throat and making it harder to stay silent and compliant.

He took you out of the castle, ignoring the curious looks to the best of his ability, but before he could step a foot outside the gate, he grits his teeth in anger and took off his cape. He bundled you in it and lifted you, once again, like a sack of potatoes. But you were too busy feeling like you were lit on fire as you realised that you were walking around in the outfit you were donned in or lack thereof. You buried your face in the fabric, unintentionally making a sound that’s caught between a groan and a whimper.

He walked behind the castle, climbing places with you on his back until he got to where he needed to be

When you arrived, however, you are almost glad you didn’t voice your woos. The sight before you was breathtaking, so much so that your previous plights evaporated even if for a minute.

The scenery was breathtaking, it was a cave, and in the corner, if it was a treasure pile, except merely saying it's a pile was an understatement as it was a mountain in its own right. The hoard you saw back at the castle was incomparable. But that’s not what truly captured you. As he led you further in, you realised the true purpose of this journey.

There was a medium-sized pool, wide enough to fit comfortably in the cave without hogging up all the space, but deep enough that even Bakugou with his stature could enjoy a swim in it. It was clear too, so clear you felt like you could dip your leg in it and see through your very own flesh, that it would make your skin translucent. It was a shade of blue one could only dream of seeing, and after doing so would live their life content.

Perhaps you were biased, seeing that it’s in your very nature as a water nymph to be needing close contact with water, and to be enamoured with it.

All rationale left you though, needing for the water to cleanse you of all your stress and pain, and so bakugou’s cape slipped off your shoulders and hit the floor, your figure leaving it behind as you approached the water and slipped inside. You felt a rush of dopamine override all the negativity inside of you, feeling the water hug you, surround you, shield you.

“So it's true, huh?”

You almost forgot he was here, but Bakugou didn’t forget about you, not even for a second. He was watching you, fascination swirling in his pupils as your expression melted to one of near happiness, heart lurching with every cute expression you made, that *he* caused.

“What is?” You replied, turning in the water to face him.

“That water nymphs live such carefree lives because they spend them inside ponds and lakes.”

You scrunch your nose at that, unable to fathom the exact meaning of his words but having an idea. “We don’t live carefree lives. Not all are given that luxury, at least not me.” You said, giving him a once over with a glare to signify that he’s the problem. He’s the root cause of your misery, Bakugou doesn’t know how to feel about that. It’s quite unfortunate really.

He shrugs his shoulders and reverts to his default face, feigning nonchalance.

“Well, it doesn’t seem like much goes on in your ditzy head.”

You felt your face warm, could very well hear the aggressive thrumming of your blood as you gritted your teeth in anger. And you were about to unleash the full force of your fury until you heard wings flapping outside.

You turned your head, trying to take a glance at the disturbance, but your view was shielded by Bakugou, who moved unnaturally fast for someone who made it clear how nothing phases him. And not fast enough for you to think it’s a real threat.

He came back moments later with an attire you regretfully recognized.

No, scratch that, he brought several. Pale, light flowy dresses that are often worn by your people. Light enough that they wouldn’t mind an occasional soak in water.

Your anger dissipated, melting into confusion, then quickly becoming embarrassment as you realised you were comfortably standing in front of him in your underwear.

You should feel happy, but bile rose up your throat, the taste of humiliation clear on your tongue as you realised with distaste that he was indeed right, you did live carefreely. You also realised you won’t be able to live like that ever again, and that very realisation brought tears to your eyes once again.

“Tch, just take one and wear it. I don’t need you crying again.”

Your face fell, and Bakugou felt his heart twinge a little when you responded with silence, looking at your sad face made him feel oddly protective. It’s probably because you were his treasure. Like his hoard right? He always needs his treasure to be kept in optimum conditions.

Having justified that to himself, he didn’t feel as weird now regarding what he was about to do.

While you changed into one of the outfits he got you, he dug through his hoard, knowing exactly what item he wanted to dig out. His fingers slithered through countless gold pieces, shining enough to cure a greedy man’s blindness. He finally found it, a delicate golden chain, but what demands attention is the ruby hanging from it. He brings a thumb to it, rubbing the rock appreciatively, liking the semblance of the colour to his eyes.

You coughed, signaling you you were done, snapping away his wondrous gaze from the necklace.

You looked really pretty in the dress, he’s got to thank Kiri for the speed run to the shops that he did. The light material hugs your skin, looking stretchy, yet form fitting that it hugged your body in a way that made Bakugou jealous.

You looked in your element now, but somehow the awkwardness still lingered in the air as you avoided his gaze.

Bakugo didn’t try to be subtle when checking you out, in his eyes, you were *his* whether or not that’s what he chose so he can at least check what he has right?

Bakugou didn’t pay heed to the slow spiral of his morals, of the things he worked so hard to uphold. His justifications were slowly manifesting into delusions.

He approached you, ignoring the way you tensed when he went behind you, turning around to question him, but he was quickly done. Your eyes caught the glistening red ruby hanging from your neck, the colour rich and deep like red wine. You didn’t hate it, but confusion swirled in your veins at his actions.

“Looks good on you.” The colour looks like my eyes, it reminds me that you’re mine.

Bakugo wasn’t sure why he held off on telling you what’s on his mind, he usually doesn’t hesitate once to tell the truth.

Your wide, glittery eyes stared up at him, trying but failing to hide their awe. The anger and resentment took a backseat to intrigue, so did he pick this out for you because he thought it would look nice on you? How strange of him.

He lifted a calloused finger up, face now cleared and relaxed that he looked pretty, not intimidating, not barbaric, but pretty. He caressed your cheek, smiling slightly when he felt how warm it was. It slipped off his face all too soon when he took the reins back. He squished your cheek, lips once again taking the shape of a sadistic smile.

“You look dumb”

Your features hardened, gaze narrowed in anger and hatred that it made Bakugou surprised. Surprised by how much he hated it, or by the sheer intensity? He didn’t have much time to dwell on his thoughts though, because a dainty hand flew his way and slapped his hand away.

“You-“ you nearly growled in anger, tears once again coating your eyes because of him. “You rude, barbaric, selfish, egoistical “jerk!” You shouted at him. Why were you this angry?

“Just when I think you might be a decent person.” You rub furiously at your eyes, shoulders slouched in disappointment as you disappeared deeper into the cave and out of his sight. You were always so naive and easy to fool.

Bakugou felt the full weight of your words weighing down on him, but he tried to shrug it off. He walked out, silently brooding with his thoughts until a servant came and delivered dinner.

He stood up, walking to you with tje food in his arms, hoping he could butter you up with it. He found you in the deepest part of the cave, face hidden behind your knees, unmoving.

You were sleeping.

He set the food down, bending down to try and confirm his observation, only for a remorse to hit him like a truckload after he saw the semi dried tear tracks. He didn’t have to be that mean to you. Maybe his dragon subjects can handle it because they have thicker skin, naturally, and they’re used to him. But you were just thrust into his life today and he’d been laying it thick on you. He’s coming to terms with his attraction to you and he doesn’t know how to deal with it.

He nudged your shoulder, not wanting to test his voice right now, afraid it might be too gentle.

You stirred awake, your face relaxed and serene as you blinked blearily.

“Hm?” You rubbed your eyes, looking at your surroundings with confusion. Your eyes were red.

He wondered how much you cried.

He mumbled something unintelligible, you turned your gaze to him, the sleepiness now almost all gone.

“What? I can’t hear you.” Your tone was sharp and cutting, and your gaze, now devoid of all confusion, was similarly icy.

“‘didn’t mean to make ya’ cry.” You nearly believed him, nearly.

“What’s this? Another act to make me lower my guard? Well you don’t need to, I’m at your mercy. You can skip the pleasantries and just laugh at how pathetic I am.”

He stared at the floor, well, *glared*.

“You’re not pathetic.” He simply said, glaring at you in a way that dared you to challenge him”-and I’m not going to laugh at you.”

He could speculate about his feelings all day, drown in this euphoria of infatuation, hate you for making him weak but one thing he knows for sure is that he doesn’t want you to hate him. He wants your eyes to look at him in wonder again, to admire him and fill him with endless pride, to maybe smile at him, he hasn’t seen you smile yet but he bets it’ll be gorgeous.

It’s only because he wants his treasure to be in optimum condition, nothing more, nothing less.

“Then why do you go out of your way to demean me?” You questioned accusingly.

“I don’t, that’s just how I am, you’re going to have to accept it because you’re not going anywhere.” Dread filled you, knowing your days would be filled with humiliation, mocking words echoing in your head like an endless loop.

You stayed silent, accepting your fate because what else could you do? At least you got your greatest companion to keep away the loneliness; water. He once again waited for a response that never came, and he stood up with a sigh, stretching his limbs.

“Just eat your food. I guarantee you’ll like it.”

He said, hanging his cape around him once again, reminding you just who he is, making it flutter behind him as he left you all alone.

He was back early the next day, he found you asleep inside the pool, your head resting on your folded hands on the ledge. The sight had his worry spike so much that a vein was visible on his forehead. He woke you up and scolded you.

And then he proceeds to lay food in front of you, climbing up to sit on top of his hoard to watch you while you eat, not minding the fact that his gaze was sealed on you for minutes, nor the fact that at some point you scolded him for making you uncomfortable.

You didn’t like the glint in his eyes.

In the afternoon he was back with blankets, pillows and other gifts, hoping to sooth the raging waves of your ire. Trying to convince you that he isn’t that bad.

After a while, his daily visits, gifts…reluctant kindness was all you knew. You were starting to let the memories of your home slip, you were accepting the fact that the previous bonds you forged were inevitably breaking. You were accepting the fact that you’re now stuck in a cave as glorified treasure.

And it showed, the sadness on your face would linger, numbness in your tone. Even the water was suffocating.

“CAN YOU STOP ACTING SOULLESS?” And Bakugou eventually couldn’t take it anymore.

You turned to him, no longer was there a fire raging in your eyes. He’s losing the girl he met in his throne room on a fateful day. He no longer cares whether he has to bare his raw feelings to you, the intimidate, gushy, soft, mushy feelings he feels every time he sees you. He wants to hold you everyday, not like you’re an exotic treasure, *but his* treasure. He wants you have his hatchlings with you, and he wants to see you smile at him.

“Why should I?” You replied with dullness, not particularly moved.

“Because…” he looked constipated, his lips clamped together while his cheeks were dusted a cherry red.

“Because?” You didn’t get it. You’re just like a piece of jewelry right? Why does it matter if you become quiet and compliant?

“Because I love you.” He said softly, too softly for someone who looks as rugged and rough as him. Now that broke your composure. Your eyes widened, surprise painting your features as the dragon king Bakugou Katsuki just confessed to you. The greatest soldier in the land, the most terrifying shifter.

He cupped your cheeks, softly stroking the skin, appreciating the soft texture against his scarred hand. His face was so red, even his ears but he was smiling. He was smiling so hard that you wondered whether this was the same person. “I love you, I want you to be happy.” He said, now louder, prouder and more confident in his honeyed words.

You slapped his hand away.

“I don’t believe you.” You cruelly stomped on his confession, making his smile fall.

“But why? Have I not treated you well? I’ve never cared about someone as much as you”

“Prove you love me.” You challenged, staring him in the eye before adding.

“I’m pretty sure you can’t though.”

You turned around and walked away from him, but he decided that wasn’t the end of the conversation and he grabbed your wrist.

“How?!” Frustration was evident in his voice, but so was desperation. He was genuine about wanting to prove his love to you, what would people think if they saw the great dragon king behaving like this over a woman?

You ripped yourself from his hold and spat “figure it out.”

He came back at the dead of night, grunting, laughing and calling your name. You stirred from slumber, eyes fluttering open and peaking out from the blanket you cocooned yourself in. Yoy felt a hand brushing the hair away from your face, lips pressing to your forehead before the fog cleared away to reveal a bloodied Bakugou.

You screamed, scrambling to move away from him, but he held you back, keeping your supine form in place. With his arms on either side of you, not only holding your arms in place but also supporting his weight above you as he stared down at you like some sort of predator.

He laughed heartily, and if he wasn’t drenched in blood you’d find it kind of cute.

“What? Ya’ scared of a little blood? That’s cute.” You swallowed the lump in your throat, asking shakily whose blood it is.

His eyebrows rose, humming at your question before a cocky smirk took over.

“You’ll see. This will show you for sure that I love your bratty ass.” He got off you, walking towards the entrance of the cave, dragging a lifeless figure with him before discarding it carelessly in front of you.

It was the chief of water nymphs. Her old and withered frame looked pale and lifeless, yet brutal gashes littered her body.

“She was the one who sent you here, right?”

You wordlessly nodded, eyes glued to the corpse in front of you.

“I couldn’t set you free, ‘cuz I loved you, I won’t stand to have you around. But she hurt you a lot didn’t she? If she didn’t send you here as simply a peace offering, I would have found my way to you eventually and fell in love with you anyway. I don’t keep you because you’re another treasure on my hoard.” Despite the flaw in his justifications, his manic ramblings and his lovesick eyes, you weren’t repulsed, you weren’t mourning the death of the monster who sent you as a peace offering for objecting to her new rules.

No. Maybe you’re as fucked up as he is, but in a moment of pettiness, you turned to him and smiled.

You weren’t sure whether the redness on his cheeks were blood or a blush. But his eyes were looking at you like you were a miracle, a shining star, it’s like he had heart for eyes but who can blame him? Who can blame the wild thumping of his heart, that’s hammering against his ribcage like a woodpecker does to a tree? He finally got to see you smile.

“Do you believe me now?” He said, leaning closer to you, his eyes looking misty, glistening like the ruby on your neck.

“I do, Katsuki.” You replied, letting your eyes hold his own as you also moved closer to him, cupping his cheek, hand tangling in his surprisingly soft hair.

He was mesmerised, breath lost at your soft touch. The only physical contact he’s had before was when he was out in the field slaughtering enemies, hurting, grabbing. Not being caressed, because that’s soft and he’s never done soft until he met you.

You pecked him softly, lovingly. But you soon moved towards his ear, whispering carelessly.

“You know this could cause war with the forest creatures, right? You broke a centuries long treaty.”

He growled, giving you a bloodied grin. “Whatever those shitty extras throw at me, I can handle it. They wouldn’t pick a fight with me if they are smart.”

You squeezed his bicep, marvelling at how hard it was, he’s not infamous for nothing.

Is that all it takes to win you over?

You looked down at the chief, or ex-chief. You could still remember her cold, cruel grin as she saddled you up, to make an example out of you. No one questions her rule, no one has the right to, even if she endangers them, even if she takes the land that they always freely enjoyed.

Yeah, maybe that’s enough, you believed him. Or maybe you’re picking your own poison.

#bnha #bnha scenarios #bakugou katsuki #bakugo #bakugou x reader #yandere bakugou katsuki x reader #bakugou x you #bakugou #bakugou katsuki x reader #katsuki bakugou x reader #yandere bakugou #yandere katsuki #yandere bakugou katsuki #yandere bnha #bnha bakugou #mha bakugou #bnha fanfiction

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texanredrose · 3 years

Text

Prep and Goth

Day 1: Enemies to Lovers/Secret Library Time

---

Weiss stared at the clock, mentally urging the second hand to move faster. The transition between this period and the next always took the longest- or at least it felt like time slowed down around this point in the day. She hated how the end of the period never caught her off guard; she was always keenly aware of the clock, with her work done and backpack already packed and ready for her to leave the classroom. She was usually the first one out the door.

“Hey, if I give you five lien, could you get me a redbull?”

“No, Ruby; for the last time, I don’t have a release period next, I’m a library aide.”

“Oh, come on, everyone knows you just show up, sign in, and disappear!” Her fellow senior slumped in her seat. “It’s not like you’re going to get in trouble! Ms. Goodwitch knows you ditch and she doesn’t say anything!”

How she’d become friends- perhaps even best friends- with the school’s most energetic track star was beyond her; it involved an ill fated chemistry lab and the fire department but, honestly, she couldn’t remember specific details beyond that. While Weiss would love to say she merely put up with and tolerated Ruby, the truth was that she still hadn’t entirely adjusted to the concept of having someone who would be with her through thick and thin. She was being… persuaded to open up to the young woman but she still kept more secrets than she probably should from her best friend.

“I swear, Ruby Rose, if you keep spreading such slander about my character, I’ll be forced to take drastic action!” She tore her gaze away from the clock to glare at the woman. “I do not skip class!”

Rolling her silver eyes, Ruby rested her head on her desk and groaned. “Just because you’re the Valedictorian doesn’t mean you have to be perfect, Weiss. No one’s going to care if you ditch one period.”

“I care!” The bell rang a moment later and she forgot about the argument entirely as she quickly grabbed her pack and fast walked to the door.

The walk from her class to the library was a blessedly short one, made slightly longer by classmates and underclassmen getting in her way as other students emerged into the hallway for the passing period. A cold glare managed to persuade some of them to move but not all of them- those blessedly ignorant few she stepped around or nearly barreled through if she could get away with it. It probably contributed to her reputation of being a vicious, cut throat type of person like her sister but her patience had worn too thin and she needed to get to the library.

A few steps from her goal, a hand suddenly landed on her shoulder and spun her around, and only two people in the whole school would dare put their hands on her like that, and only one of them for no good reason. “YANG-”

“Calm down, Princess, this’ll be quick, promise!” With hands on Weiss’ shoulders, she guided them away from the throng of students to a small alcove next to the library doors. “Just got something I need to say real quick.”

“What could you possibly have to say to me?” Weiss scowled at the blonde, annoyed that she seemed to get taller every time they talked, and crossed her arms over her chest. “Last I checked, I didn’t have anything to do with the girls’ basketball team. Or the weightlifting team. Or the boxing team. Or-”

Yang clapped her hands together in front of Weiss’ face, smiling that do-you-really-think-they’ll-expel-me smile of hers. “Hey, do me a favor? Drop the frigid bitch act for, like, five minutes, okay? Because I really don’t have the time for it; if you wanna go toe-to-toe in the bitch-out-lypmics, we can schedule that another time, but right now, I need to have a serious talk with you. It’s about Blake.”

At the namedrop, her blood ran cold and her heart lodged in her throat, eyes growing wide as a genuine tendril of fear began taking root in her chest. “Is she okay?”

“Well, that depends,” Yang replied, looking around at their classmates walking past without paying them any mind. “Look. I don’t get it, okay, the whole secret girlfriends thing, I don’t even know how you two got together… but what I do know is that Blake deserves better than someone who’s ashamed of her-”

“Don’t you dare put words in my mouth,” she hissed, worry turning to fury in the blink of an eye. “I’m not ashamed to be dating Blake. If it was safe, everyone would know!”

“Yeah, can you define ‘safe’ for me in this context? Because I’m having a real hard time convincing Blake you’re being sincere when you don’t want anyone knowing the two of you are dating.”

“You know we’re dating!”

“Because I refuse to let things go and I knew she was acting weird!” Yang growled in frustration, fingers flexing as if she was seriously debating throttling Weiss. “Listen, I figured it out and I bullied her into telling me weeks ago, but not even Ruby knows beyond that. Not a fan of keeping secrets but I’ll do it for a friend. Now, answer my question, please, because with the rest of the school convinced you two hate each other, this whole ‘don’t tell anyone we’re dating thing’ is clear as mud, and it’s really starting to get to her.”

Weiss’ shoulders fell as she looked away, her anger abating in the face of the situation presented to her. “It’s… complicated.”

“Then uncomplicate it for me.” Yang made a gesture with one hand. “Just give me a straight answer!”

“I can’t!” She stamped her foot, speaking before she could think about her word choice. “I can only give you a gay answer!”

Yang stared at her for a long moment. “So, that’s what Blake meant when she said you have the worst sense of humor.”

“I’m done with this conversation-”

Yang grabbed her arm and stopped her, expression turning serious. “Listen, you don’t wanna talk to me? Fine. But talk to Blake. If you really care about her, she deserves to hear that.”

As the blonde stepped away, the bell rang, making both of them late- not that it would matter. Ms. Goodwitch wouldn’t count her late and even if she did, a single tardy wouldn’t be much of a blemish on her record. There was a time when it would’ve bothered her but she’d grown past that a few years ago; perfection was, in some sense, in the eye of the beholder. Blake would notice, though, and she hurried to the library to keep her ‘secret girlfriend’ from worrying.

When she got to the library, she dropped her bag behind the counter and signed in, highly aware that Blake was somewhere among the rows reshelving books.

The librarian gave her a small nod. “I presume you have good reason for being late but don’t make a habit of it.”

“Of course, Ms. Goodwitch.” With that, she grabbed a few leftover books that needed reshelving and went into the stacks to reshelve them. As soon as she was far enough away from the front desk, she spoke in a soft voice that Blake would be able to hear regardless. “Blake? I’m sorry I’m late.”

“Is everything alright?” She’d long ago grown accustomed to the faunus’ silent steps, which really shouldn’t be possible given the amount of glistening chains and bits of metal hung from her ensemble but it was one of those things Weiss had accepted about Blake at first and had grown to admire. “It’s not like you to be late.”

“I… got pulled into a conversation.” She debated, briefly, if she should mention who the conversation was with but ultimately decided against it. Yang would likely bring it up herself at some point but she didn’t want the distraction at present. “Blake… you know I care about you, right?”

“Yes, Weiss, and I care about you, too,” she replied, her voice holding that special lilt that Weiss used to think was snideness. Now, she recognized it as a gentle sort of teasing and, sometimes, a deflection. “What brought this on?”

“I’ve been thinking about some things… and I find myself curious about some… other things.”

“Truly, you have a way with words.”

“I’m trying to be serious!” Weiss whined, putting a hand to her head as she tried to think of a way to word what she wanted to say. In the next moment, Blake stepped up and wrapped her arms around her waist, resting her chin on Weiss’ shoulder in a silent show of support. This was, partly, where they differed, because even when words escaped Blake, the faunus could somehow find a way to convey what she needed; Weiss, in contrast, simply clammed up entirely if she didn’t begin insulting whoever was nearest. “You know the only reason we’re not dating publicly is because of my family, right? That, the moment I turn eighteen and gain access to my funds, I’ll shout it from the rooftops… right?”

Blake took a step back but one hand lingered on Weiss’ hip, a soft assurance that she wasn’t leaving but that they should probably have a conversation like this face-to-face. When she turned around, she searched shining amber eyes and found a touch of disbelief hiding there. “I’ll admit, I didn’t think it was the only reason.”

“It really is…” Weiss sighed, running a hand through her bangs in frustration. “I… I don’t know how to prove it, I don’t know if there’s anything I could say or do that would, but… I don’t want you thinking that I’m ashamed of dating you… that’s… that’s the furthest from the truth.”

Feline ears flicked towards one end of the row and both of them quickly focused on shelving the few books that remained as a group of students went back to one of the study rooms. Once the coast was clear, Blake sighed heavily. “I told Yang to drop it.”

“She’s trying to help.” Begrudgingly, she continued. “Ruby’s the same way. They meddle when they can but they have the best of intentions.”

“Still… she wasn’t too… forceful, was she?”

“She only threatened to throttle me, so no, she wasn’t too forceful.” Weiss tilted her head. “And, arguably, she has a salient point. I… I perhaps took it for granted that you would… that I made my feelings about you clear to you.”

Blake ducked her head, her ears flicking back briefly to blending into midnight black hair. As per her usual, the faunus was bedecked in all black save for the silver of the chains hanging from her pants and the snake bite piercings on her bottom lip. Whenever they were making out, Weiss found that flicking either of the piercings with her tongue would always result in a soft groan from Blake.

“So… when you turn eighteen…basically, when we graduate?” Blake took a step forward. “That’s… a long time to be a secret from everyone.”

“Well… not from everyone. Yang knows.”

“Uh huh.”

“And Ruby will know… when I tell her…”

“Right.” Blake came a bit closer. “I guess that means we won’t be going to prom together.”

Weiss raised a brow, then caught onto what her girlfriend was doing, a smile tugging at her lips. “You? Go to prom?” A soft chuckle. “I thought you said you wouldn’t be caught dead at… what was it you called it? A useless party for empty headed idiots?”

“And a waste of money. I said that, too.” Blake stopped just a hair’s breadth away and very nonchalantly shelved a book just behind Weiss’ shoulder. “But you’ve got a crown to win, right? Prom Queen to go with your other honors?”

“There’s only one crown that I care to claim,” she replied, reaching up to bury her hand in midnight locks between the faunus’ ears and pulling her down into a kiss. Normally, they didn’t indulge in such outside of Ms. Goodwitch’s office, which the librarian granted them access to once they’d reshelved all the books. If she suspected what they did in there, she remained silent, probably because while reshelving the books they would also fix what other aides did incorrectly and she appreciated the help more than she cared to curtail PDAs.

The kiss didn’t last too long- just long enough to drive her point home- but the look in amber eyes almost made her too weak to move.

Weiss gathered her courage. “I do love you, Blake.”

Not ‘care about’, not ‘fond of’, not any other arrangement of words she’d used over the past year to describe how she felt. Fear that caring too much would make her careless had prevented her from saying the words before. Now, though, she couldn’t go another moment without Blake understanding exactly how much she cared.

After the shock passed, Blake smiled softly, ears canting forward. “I love you too, Weiss.”

It took a moment for them to part but they returned to the counter and finished reshelving the books.

“Blake?”

“Yes?”

“Do you think I’d look good in black?”

---

Hi, yes, please join me in picturing Blake as a late 90′s/early 00′s goth girl.

#Monochrome #Monochrome Week 2021 #checkmatingweek2021

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gojology · 3 years

Text

Job Benefits. (Part One)

new beginnings ‧₊˚✩彡. - chapter one.

you can find part two here : part two : undesirable

pairing : ceo! gojo x female reader

warnings : cursing

wordcount : 1960

a/n : something that i’ve been working on for a while now. this is self indulgent as all hell and i’m starting a new series n idk when it’ll end necessarily but ceo gojo is all i need in my life. also i have like 300 million requests to go through but i PROMISE i’ll get them done! i just need to finish my valentines event thingy and i’ll be open!

it has come to my attention that gojo is his surname and i’m too lazy to fix anything other then the first name basis part im so sorry LOl

It’s no secret that you like working the office. Even as a child you enjoyed the formal atmosphere when you walked into your parent’s workplace, and even better, you enjoyed organizing stuff. Growing up, your favorite pass time was cleaning and organizing which caused you to excel in school, coupled with your natural smarts. Your peers would constantly tease you, telling you that you were a boring kid- but hey, you’d be making lots of money, and what better job would there be for you, aside from being someone’s secretary? Those were the first words that came across your mind as soon as you stepped into the prestigious building, heels rhythmically hitting the stainless floor, suitcase in hand. It was also the first lie that you’d tell yourself in there. You had known about this company even as a child. One that sold just about everything, the most notable being luxurious clothing, but something the company was also well known for? How attractive the family was. Sure it was a bit weird, but in defense of the general public their appearances were rare, only once in a while you’d see the family on TV. Waving in their limousine, blowing kisses and doing things rich people do, or maybe ignoring the cheering crowd of journalists and news reporters, hell like you knew. Catching glimpses of the wildly white haired family was something every paparazzi threw themselves at, and picking up a magazine or going to search something on the internet would be sure to be chock full of pictures of the esteemed family. The highlight of the family being the son, just because of how handsome he was, and also happened to be the most publicly known and fawned over family member- Gojo fucking Satoru. Luckily for you, he was your boss, so you could probably reveal the tiniest of secrets and make major bank. Unluckily for you, he was childish as all hell, not to mention you found childish people incredibly annoying. The worst thing? You were his secretary. That could only spell out doom for a man like him, and a woman like you, who only wanted to get business done and nothing else. You two truly did not mix. Two months prior, you had gotten the job and was finally excited to have stable income after graduating. Your hirers didn’t tell you anything about having to babysit a manchild though. And so, that’s how you found yourself sitting in the comfortable plush leather office chair, fumbling under the piles of paperwork and fan letters, cursing your boss’s name under your breath for being so unconcerned with work. Scheduling appointments, interviews, sending e-mails of unacceptance to eager authors asking to write an auto-biography, that was your life. You’d be content with it if your boss was normal. As soon as the thought crosses your mind, it’s like he heard you think. “(Y/N)-chan~!” you hear a familiar sing-songy voice down the rather short hallway. Your office resided right next to his, and it would only take him 30 seconds or so to walk down to your door, presumably to annoy the hell out of you. You grunt, blowing a stray hair out of your face. This also meant that you could hear him sing from his office, even through the thick walls. Choosing to ignore it, you instead furiously typed to another business executive’s secretary who had just emailed you about a meeting between Gojo and- well you weren’t quite sure who. “(Y/N)-chan~ I know you hear me, don’t you know it’s disrespectful to not listen to your seniors?” his playful, deep voice was growing closer, and you straighten your back, sighing. You didn’t sign up to be a daycare worker, yet this was what you found yourself doing most of the time. “I’m sorry, Satoru-sama, please instill me with your great knowledge, oh wise one.” rolling your eyes and rubbing your temples, you glance up from your laptop, bracing yourself for whatever would happen next. Gojo leaned on the frame of your door, head ducking slightly. He was way too tall to walk under it without any issue. He was unnecessarily calm though, normally he’d be jumping around your office, making a mess of things, but his body language told otherwise. He was slacking off from his duties, obviously, so you weren’t too sure why he’d be acting so... Chill. With his arms crossed, he gave you a mischievous side eye. Growing impatient, you stand up, your knuckles grinding against the tabletop. Your brow knitted together as he peered down on you, almost tauntingly, and you hated it. “Listen, boss. I have a lot to do today, for you, might I add as I am your secretary- and if you’re going to sit around I don’t think I’ll get to these emails and phone calls and everything fast enough. May I kindly assist you with anything? If not I’ll have to ask you to go back to... Whatever you were doing.” Gojo looked at you, wide-eyed and unblinking, like he didn’t expect such a sassy remark. “Oh my, sweetie. Someone has a naughty mouth... To your boss of all people? How mean! I don’t think I remember putting, ‘allowed to be rude to the Satoru clan’ down on the job benefits.. What’s with the formal tone as well? So unnecessary, just be yourself when you’re talking to me.” He sauntered closer to your desk, and your breath hitched, this was one of the first times you’d seen him up close like this, and you swore that you could hear your heart beating rapidly inside of your chest. You don’t know what that could mean; but what you did know was that you wanted to slap him or punch a hole into the glass window right behind you and throw him off the 15 floor building. Leaning in close to your ear, he whispered: “Or, if you wanna stick with the business voice- call me sir. Got that?” You nod before looking down at your desk, feeling your body heat up for seemingly no particular reason. Did this guy have any knowledge of a private bubble? Whatever, this was your superior. If it was any boss you’d probably be fired by now. You were lucky to be forgiven. “Yes, sir. May I comment on something... Er, sir?” “I’m all ears.” standing back up from leaning over your incredibly messy desk, you looked up at him, he looked down at you in response, with beady little “innocent” eyes through his circular shades. “I didn’t mean to be sassy, I only wish for this relationship to be professional and nothing else.... I, um, truly do apologize and I ask for your forgiveness.” you studied the wall as you say this, fidgeting with your hands and the hem of your pencil skirt. It was a bit awkward to talk to him as if he wasn’t a kid, but it did feel certainly refreshing. “Is that so?” you turn your head to look back at him as a sign of respect, an eyebrow of his is raised, and a smug smirk is playing at his lips. He talked with such an aura of arrogance around him, you instantly regret being respectful. Yet, you restrain yourself from slapping that stupid smirk off his stupidly handsome face. Why did all the handsome ones have to be so annoying? Fuck, no, that wasn’t meant to be a compliment. Even though it was only in your mind, you felt so embarrassed, and had no idea why. It wasn’t like he could read your thoughts, and it was just a mindless compliment, nothing flirtatious about it. Finally, he spoke. “Aw. (Y/N), I knew we picked well when we hired you. So respectful and professional! What more can I ask for out of a secretary? I humbly accept your apology- but first please do something for me.” he whistled in the other direction as he picked up one of your cute stationary pens, hastily sliding it into his blazer’s pockets. “Yes, sir?” you brace yourself for impact yet again. Not noticing that he stole one of your favorite pens. “Slack off a little. None of my secretaries ever worked this hard. I’ll slide in an extra hour for lunch, you can go watch a movie or something-” “No. Satoru. Contrary to your other secretaries, I actually enjoy work.” standing up now, you stomp over to Gojo, who was now giggling like a 7 year old girl. You hadn’t realized that you had called him by his first name, but honorifics wasn’t on your mind right now. Your chest stuck out as you shoved him out of your office with your bare hands, maybe as a way of looking more threatening, as if that’d ever work against him. “Get out of my office!” You hope your eyes are staring daggers, if he ever looked back at you. Gojo looked at you like he was shocked, tipping his shades down just slightly as you were pushing him out into the hallway. As if he didn’t believe what he was seeing, so he had to see it with his actual eyes- but eventually laughed before accepting his eventual fate. “On a first name basis now, aren’t we? You’re straightforward! I like straightforward girls though, it works out in your favor.” “Shut it.” He made sure to stiffen once in a while just to piss you off so that you couldn’t push him as easily, and before long he was back to his office. “Cya (Y/N)!” giving you a wave and a wink, he grinned. “I’ll be sure to visit you again, your office is fun!” That was just one of the unusual interactions that Gojo Satoru had with you, but you knew now that it certainly wouldn’t be the last. ‧₊˚✩彡. It didn’t take you long before you realized your favorite pen was gone. Almost immediately, you figured out who the thief was. It was evident by now that your relationship between you and your boss wasn’t normal, to say the least. You just couldn’t quite wrap your head around why he stole a cute carrot pen, it certainly wasn’t his style. Well, you weren’t quite sure honestly, but the way the magazine front covers posed him was... Sexual. Maybe the hot guy liked cute carrot pens and was too scared to buy them by himself, but, it was 2021. Toxic masculinity was basically extinct. This wasn’t on his mind when he stole your pen, though. Gojo Satoru was smart when he wanted to be. To be quite honest, he just wanted to annoy you more. It made him curious, how could one enjoy work? And be cute at the same time? The logic made no sense to him. Attending meetings, doing interviews- this was all very boring work to Satoru, and he couldn’t wrap his head around that you enjoyed that. He hadn’t asked to inherit the company, but yet here he was now. Shit, maybe he’d ask you if you wanted the company. He yawned before drinking his coffee, just how he liked it before taking a sip he straightened his tie, just to make sure he looked extra clean and fresh when you busted down the door, ruffling his fluffy white hair as he did so. Gojo hated the work environment, just to be straightforward. One thing he did enjoy was the complementary luxury coffee machine, alongside several sugar packets. Placing his impossibly long stick-like legs onto the table, he sighed happily. Cute girl being his secretary, drinking yummy coffee, the sun rays warming up the back of his head, he was truly living the life. And then he heard it. Loud steps against the tile floor. And then, his door flung open.

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princehrry-writings · 3 years

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Moon Over The Meadow

this is my very first harry fic!!! i want to write more for them so if you would be interested in that please let me know!!

word count: 3234

warnings: mentions of death, i don't think anything else though.

It was here that Y/n learned to live off the beaten path she had always known, in the midst of the forest green that was her lover's eyes.

Harry is the prince and Y/n is a peasant.

There wasn’t much to do in the light of day. Not a single shadow to hide in, every corner of the kingdom touched by a ray of sunshine. People would see them. See him. And that just wouldn’t do.

Harry couldn’t be seen by anyone, no. They would ask too many questions, alert the guards, something would go wrong. He couldn’t put her in that kind of danger. So they agreed. Tonight, when the moon peeks over the trees in the meadow, they will flee.

They will find their freedom.

Y/n had never been one to stray too far from the beaten path. Her mother would never allow her to. Is your life really worth something as silly as this, child? She would gripe, fingers bruising the plushy flesh of her upper arm. One could say she was beaten into submission, although her mother never did much in the physical realm or harming her. It was always a look, a tug, and her words. God her words cut deeper than any knife ever could, she was sure of it.

But then she met Harry. By some magical happenstance, one day tending to the gardenia bushes in the garden furthest away from the castle, she stumbled upon the prince. He rested on a bench with a journal laid upon his lap, tears lightly raining down his flushed skin, a soft frown etched across his pink lips. She quietly sat down next to him, with no intention of saying anything, just letting him know he wasn’t alone in his pain. Whatever kind it may be.

She had known of him her whole life, having worked in the palace with her mother since she was just a child, but hadn’t seen him in what felt like an eternity. She remembers afternoons drenched in a golden haze, running around these very grounds with the likes of him and whatever children were amongst the castle, until she was ripped away by her mother just the same as she always was when she strayed too far from the sidewalk. Somewhere deep in her mind, Y/n knew why her mother acted the way she did. Kept her locked away like she had done her whole life.

It was to protect her. The King could be very cruel to anything and anyone that stepped too far out of line. Her mother was terrified that one day her daughter's wild imagination and wanderlust tendencies would get her into the wrong situation at the wrong time, with the wrong people. All she wanted was to protect her precious Y/n. This was the only way she knew how.

Harry, as angelic as he had been as a child, she recalls, slowly slid closer to her, remembering the days they would sneak away and play together until his keeper would come yelling for him. Any and all communication had been hastily cut off with her as soon as his keeper realized where he was and what he was doing. Thankfully for both of the children, it was never discovered who he was with. But nonetheless, Harry was kept under tight lock and key. His keeper would lose her head if the king found out that his son was galavanting around his castle with the help.

But on this day, in the garden amongst the Gardenias, their souls re-intertwined themselves as if they were still those young little kids, playing damsel in distress in the warm afternoon sunlight, as if they had lost no time at all. The only difference now being that they talked instead of played, kissed instead of screamed, and fell into a real love instead of one carelessly crafted from a children's game.

This went on for weeks, months it seemed. Meeting under the disguise of Y/n working in the farthest garden and Harry wandering off to a quiet corner for his studies. It was here, cushioned by soft grass under their bare bodies, that Y/n learned to live off the beaten path she had always known, in the midst of the forest green that was her lover's eyes.

“Petal, we can't stay here,” He sighed one summer afternoon. A mimicked sigh fell from his Love’s lips. She knew they couldn’t. This thought had plagued her mind, keeping her from sleep most nights. In their world, the prince doesn’t get to fall in love with the peasant girl and live happily ever after. A fairytale ending had never been an option on the table.

The only way they’d get to be happy was if they fled the only life they had ever known.

“I know, H. What are we to do though? Where do we go?” It was hard to imagine being anywhere but the castle grounds. But she knew that no matter where she went, as long as Harry was with her, she would be safe.

“We can find a clearing, far away from here, deep in the woods. Somewhere they won’t ever look, and I can build us a cottage, and we can have a garden just like this one. We won’t have to worry about doing the wrong thing in the King’s eyes, or saying the wrong words. We won’t have to hide ourselves.” He said, a dreamy glaze over his eyes.

“You’ll build us a cottage? How? We won’t have anything Harry!” The girl exclaimed. Sure, she knew they had to leave, that they couldn’t stay. But the reality that they truly had nowhere to go was setting in like a thick heavy fog, distracting her from anything else.

“M’love, look at this,” He whispered, taking her hand in his. His free hand came up in front of him, palm out, facing the grass below them. A flower sprouted right before their eyes, out of nowhere. Y/n gasped. Harry had never told anyone this secret. Nobody but his mother knew, and she had passed away three years prior during childbirth complications. Now the only person that knew of his secret was his Love.

It wasn’t a surprise that the Queen had never told the King of her affliction. He would have lost his head, and in turn- she would have lost hers. So she kept it from him, and when her only child began to show the signs that he too possessed such essence, she knew she had to protect him from the likes of his father. She never loved that man, she only ever wished for him to suddenly fall ill so as to free her and her son from his fury, but alas it has been her that faced such a fate.

Harry knew what he would face if anyone other than his Love were to know. It was why he hadn’t told her until now.

“This is how I’ll build our home. You’ll not want for anything, m’love. Whatever it is you desire, just tell me and I’ll make it so,” He had dreamed since he was a child to be able to spoil the girl sitting next to him. Y/n’s effervescent eyes grew wide. She felt a new warmth spread through her at this discovery, now she knew for a fact that as long as she had him, she was safe. For he had just proved to her that he was more than capable.

“Why have you never told me? Did you thinkI would judge you?” Panic grew in the girl's chest. How could her lover think she would ever judge him.

“No, no, no Pet, I didn’t tell you for your own safety! My father is a very cruel man and he would stop at nothing to have my head if he knew about this. I couldn’t bear to live if he went after you because of me so I kept to myself.” Her eyes softened at this and the warmth grew even stronger. She truly did love this boy, he was the only one who’d ever looked at her and seen a person. Not just a peasant girl or a daughter whose only job is to cook and clean and tend to the garden. Harry saw much more for his Love. He saw greatness for her, and he would stop at nothing to give her just that.

So now here they are, standing at the edge of the trees, moon over the meadow, ready to leave behind the only thing they’d ever known. Harry could feel his Love’s pulse racing, he knew she was scared. She had assured him many times that it was only because she was afraid of what lay ahead, not because she didn’t want to go. They both knew that Harry wouldn’t let anything happen to her.

The girl had left a letter to her mother on the pillow she used to rest her head upon. Part of her felt bad for leaving the woman behind, but she had no choice. Her mother wouldn't approve of this and she certainly wouldn’t come. She would scold her daughter for running away. Your problems don’t leave just because you do, child. You must face them or they will haunt you forever. Y/n felt she wasn’t running away from her problems though, because this was the only solution. There was no way to make the King accept their love. So they could either leave or dare to sit and watch what would become of their life. Harry would end up married off or dead, Y/n would, well- she’d be dead either way. She couldn’t breathe without Harry by her side.

In the shadow of the moonlight, Harry led them through the forest. The guards had been alerted that the prince was not in his chambers so they didn’t have much time. They needed to move fast. He went where his intuition led him, moving obstacles out of the way with a small flick of his hand as they went. In the distance, he could hear the cries of men searching for him and the loud cracks of whips used to keep their horses moving.

His Love hummed a tune to distract herself from the loud noises and fear she felt heavy in her chest, Harry’s hand clutched in hers so he didn’t lose her. It was dark but they never stumbled and they never felt danger get too close. Y/n assumed Harry had something to do with that. Every so often they would pause and rest, Y/n’s head laid upon his chest, his back against a tree. His heartbeat kept her own steady as she matched her breathing to his. He had always been able to calm her down by just being near her. His presence was all she needed to feel at peace.

Harry laid his lips on the top of her head, his hand lightly stroking her hair.

“What will we do in the morning light when people can see us?” They had been traveling most of the night now, but she didn’t quite know how far they had made it. She just knew they had lost the guards. Their breaks didn’t last more than 5-10 minutes so as not to waste time, but they were traveling by foot so they couldn’t have made it too terribly far.

“We’re quite close m’love, so I assume we will be arriving just as the sun is ascending. I’ll have you rest while I place a protection barrier around the perimeter of the clearing and then I’ll get started on the cottage so you won’t need to worry about a thing.” He said, dusting his thumb across her cheekbone.

“Will people be able to see our home from outside the clearing?” She was worried about wandering strangers stumbling upon them and causing trouble. Harry beamed at the girl before him.

“I’ll make it so that people can’t find us Petal. We will be safe, I promise you.” This put his Love at ease and they got up to return to their journey when there was a rustling noise next to them. Y/n froze and slowly turned to see a bush being disturbed and clung to Harry in fear that something was about to jump and attack them. To her surprise, it was a small cat.

“What are you doing out here all by yourself little one?” Y/n sunk to her knees as the animal walked over. Harry’s heart almost burst right out of his chest at the precious sight in front of him. His Love had always had a soft spot for animals. When they were little she used to pretend she could talk to them and understand what they were saying. He used to think maybe she really could because, hey- he could make things appear out of nowhere- but it turns out she was just a very imaginative little girl. He loved her nonetheless so he would happily take care of animal communication if need be.

But just because his Love couldn’t understand what the animals were saying doesn’t mean she didn’t love to talk to them.

The little cat, who was small enough to warrant calling her a kitten, nuzzled right up the Y/n. She practically had hearts for eyes when looking at the little furball. She was a beautiful black kitten with starry blue eyes that could be seen even in the darkness, as they reflected the light of the moon.

“You are just the cutest thing I think I’ve ever seen,” she beamed, “Harry we can’t just leave her!” He knew this was coming. He also knew she’d always wanted a cat of her own but the King was allergic, so cat’s were not allowed on castle grounds. That man would have killed her and the cat.

Harry never was able to resist the puppy dog eyes his Love was so good at giving him. Not that she had to do much begging to get him to do anything. He would do whatever she wanted, because when she was happy so was he.

“What should we name her?” He asked and a smile as bright as the sun and stars combined spread across her face. He would do anything to see that smile everyday.

“We can think of names on the way! Come little one, we’re your family now!” Y/n scooped the kitten into her arms as a motor-like pur erupted from her little chest. The kitten rolled over in her arms and nuzzled against her chest, falling asleep immediately. It was like a match made in the stars.

They kept walking, Harry still waving away obstacles to keep his Love from stumbling, and eventually they arrived at a clearing, surrounded by trees at the base of a mountain with a small river flowing through and flowers blooming all around. It was a place Y/n could have only mustered up in a dream, and now she was going to live there. It was more than she could have ever wished for.

Harry led her to a soft spot in the grass and she laid down. He could tell she was about to fall asleep on her feet. As soon as she laid her head down, she was out like a light with the kitten snuggled up to her. Harry cast his hand, warming the ground to keep them comfortable and got to work casting the protection charm. He made it so that people wouldn’t be able to see them or penetrate the barrier, but animals could roam freely.

As he worked the morning sun began to peak over the trees. The whistles of the flowing river served as calming background noise and the singing birds aided the ethereal glow that was cast all around the meadow that Harry and his Love now called home. He could see them living a long beautiful life there. One free of judgment and fear.

Harry hoped to raise a family here. He wanted to raise children who knew what it was like to have their fathers unconditional love, to see what it was like for a father to love a mother, something he hadn’t been privy to growing up.

Y/n woke up to Harry whistling a tune as he went about gathering little things like flowers and twigs. A small flower had been tucked into her hair, on top of her ear, she couldn’t help but smile. As she sat up, she stretched her body, letting out little groans of relief that alerted Harry his Love had awoken.

He strolled over to her and sat down, pulling the girl into his lap. His heart swelled as she buried her face into his neck, running her hand across his chest.

With a kiss to the top of her head, he whispered, “Good morning my sweet girl.”

“Good morning my love,” She sleepily replied, voice still raspy. She still felt tired but not enough to stay asleep and the sun was now too bright for her to rest peacefully.

“I’ve finished the perimeter, I’m going to work on the cottage now. Is there a particular way you’d like it to look?” He asked, stroking her hair lightly. She hummed in contentness before giving him an answer.

“Whatever you create, I will love. As long as there is a roof over our heads to keep us safe from the rain, I will be happy!” He felt her smile against his neck. Running his fingertips along her back, he sighed in adoration of the sleepy girl in his arms. If he could spend every day like this, he would be just fine.

“Alright Petal, can you grab my hand please and focus on taking deep breaths for me.” He asked her, holding his palm out. She took it without question and cleared her head of all thoughts. Harry’s other hand dug lightly into the ground beside him. Y/n felt a small buzzing where she was connected with the boy, and she opened her eyes to see his were closed. A dim golden glow surrounded their hands, surprising her.

Harry had never cast any spells that used this much energy so he knew that he would need the help of his Love. Y/n figured it would be best if she closed her eyes again so she did and waited for Harry to let her know when he was finished. It didn’t take but a few minutes for him to stroke her hair and ask her to look up. When she did, she saw a beautiful cottage. Long vines of Ivy twisted up the beautiful white brick walls, A wrap around covered porch with flower boxes sat atop the railing, and a bay window where Y/n could picture herself reading on sunny afternoons just like this one. It was perfect.

“Harry,” She gasped. This was more than she could have ever imagined. She absolutely loved it.

“Is it ok?” He asked tentatively.

“Love, it’s more than ok! It’s amazing, it’s perfect. Thank you thank you thank you!!!” She cried, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face.

“I did good?” He smirked, rubbing her side before wrapping her tightly in his embrace.

“You did wonderful! I love it and I love you!” She gazed into his eyes before leaning up and pressing her lips to his in a kiss full of passion and gratitude.

Harry doesn’t think he could ever get tired of kissing his Love.

#harry styles #harry styles x reader #prince!harry x reader #prince!harry styles #prince!harry #witch!harry #witch!harry styles #reader insert #harry #harry styles fanfic #cottage core #harry x reader #harry x you #y/n #one direction #harry styles imagine #motm series #motm

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alreadyblondenow · 3 years

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Melt with you | Lee Taeyong

✦ Lee Taeyong x reader ✦ Fluff, Smut, Smut, Smut, Angst, Jack Frost AU ✦ 2/5 for HOLIDAY SERIES: Once Upon A December

Summary: After being the guardian of winter, Taeyong finds himself falling in love with you while he takes care of your daughter secretly. “I’ll see you in your next life,” he says, and so he did. He waited for your next life and make you fall in love with him, until Taeyong can’t cheat on fate anymore and decided to give you to your real soulmate.

Word count: 8,550k

Warnings: A lot of smut, unprotected sex and protected sex, mentions of sex, mentions of oral sex, and oral sex (female receiving), swearing, mentions of other idols, fingering, accidental period sex, trying to have a baby but can’t, virginity loss, virgin taeyong, experienced reader, poor taeyog (no money), mentions of dying, almost dying Taeyong, pregnancy test and getting a negative result always, mentions of rough sex, mature themes, established relationship, divorce.

A/N: PURE FICTION. Inspired by the movie Jack Frost, Rise of the Guardians, Marriage Story, 500 days of summer.... Personally I wanted this to be my own version of Jack Frost and focused a lot with Taeyong and so much about the reader sorry :( but I think I did a pretty bad job about that. Jaehyun is a cupid here, and Doyoung is the easter bunny. Dont forget that hehehe. hope you enjoy.

The snow was pretty thick today and according to the news, there will be a snowstorm that will hit the town by late afternoon. Running like the wind and flying fast, the spirit of winter that makes the town cold and ready for the Holiday season came out to enjoy the said storm. As the spirit of winter, Taeyong did not just go out today so he could have a great time, but he has to make sure that the town will be safe once the storm arrives.

“Can we go out and skate? I promise I’ll be back before the storm arrives” your nine year old daughter whines to you and your husband, Taeil. You look at Taeil while he chews his pancakes, and shook his head. “No. It’s too dangerous” he says.

“But-“

“No buts, baby. You can play indoors and you can skate all you want after the storm” he reasons out. She pouts and crossed her arms, giving her father a look, and did not finish her breakfast. Even though Taeil said no, his daughter is so stubborn that she sneaked out to meet her friend from behind their house to go skating.

The storm is fast approaching and the wind is getting stronger and it is slowly becoming a blizzard. When the little girl soon realizes that she made the wrong decision because she sees that it’s obviously dangerous, it was too late because they seem to have lost their way back home. “I can’t see a thing! Don’t let go of my hand!” she shouts at her friend, squeezing her hand so tight so she won’t lose her. The wind was so strong that they can’t move their bodies, not to mention it was so cold and it’s getting really hard to try and move.

“Didn’t your parents told you not to go out! There’s a storm coming- here give me your hand” Taeyong came out of nowhere and helped the girls through the storm and guide their way back home like the guardian that he is. He made sure that the girls will go home safely so he turned into his human form and brought them home safely. Your daughter hugged you so tight and quickly apologized for being stubborn and promised she won’t do it again.

While Taeyong on the other hand, watches you and your daughter reunite, he felt the world slow down and feel every snowflake fall oh so slowly when he saw your face. You’re so beautiful he thought. It took one look for him to completely fall in love with you, his heart melts at how you hold your daughter with such care and full of love. Being a mother suits you. But then he saw your husband Taeil coming towards you and your daughter to hug her tightly. Of course, you’re married already, Taeyong murmurs. “Thank you for saving our daughter and her friend” Taeil thanks Taeyong sincerely for what he has done.

“Don’t mention it. I’ll get going” Taeyong smiled and looked at your beauty one last time before he leaves, I’ll see you in your next life.

From there on, Taeyong became your daughter’s secret guardian until the winter season is finally over just so he can see you. But whenever you’re with your husband, he stops himself to respect your marriage and remind himself that it’s not yet his time to love you. He figured his time will come and he will have the chance to grow old with you too, all he has to do is wait so there's no need to get jealous. It was a long wait for Taeyong, but he endured it while fulfilling his duty as the spirit of winter.

Every winter season, Taeyong comes back to your house and see how you’ve been while he was gone. Too bad he can’t be with you every second because he couldn't come over during the summer. But every winter, the spirit followed you like a shadow and admire your beauty with every chance he got.

After years and years of waiting, Taeyong’s suffering is finally over now that you’re gone and ready to be born again. Although he has to wait for a couple of years before he can approach you, introduce himself and make you fall in love with him, Taeyong was really excited and happy.

The spirit of winter waited for you during the spring, summer, fall, and winter for years and years. Watching you grow up, watching you go to school until you finish college, even watch you have your first heartbreak. Love is patient and Taeyong can and will stretch his patience for you until the right time comes.

“So she’s the one? Is this really worth it?” Jaehyun the cupid whines. Some of the guardians are with him and here to watch him leave and pursue love. They were all against it because Taeyong could lose his powers and die eventually, but he will not change his mind now.

“Being a human is hard, you know that right?” the easter bunny reminds his best friend, trying so hard to stop him.

“In five minutes, her car will break down in that street” Taeyong breathes in deeply, feeling excited but somehow sad because his friends aren’t supporting him and have been trying to change his mind until the last minute. “I’ve been taking care of kids that I don’t know, I’ve been doing my duty… now let me take care of her”

Soon his friends gave up and gave him a tight hug before he transforms and become a human. They will miss him of course, not to mention they don’t know how long will Taeyong be away. Just as he predicted, your car broke down on the side of the street and he has never been so excited. As we walk towards where your car broke down, his hair is slowly turning brown from silver white, the halo in his eyes is gone, and now that he’s human he can feel cold now.

“Here goes nothing” he murmurs and walked under the snowstorm, cold and freezing. He walked past your car, which got stranded in the middle of the road because of the storm, you see him and bought his acting and did not have second thoughts to call him out.

“Hey!” you got out of the car, struggling to go call him but Taeyong heard you well. He slowly turned towards you and walked weakly, Doyoung is right being a human is hard. “You must be freezing. Come inside my car we can wait for this storm to pass, please” you begged. Of course, he accepted your offer and went back inside your car with you. The moment you two were settled inside safely, he felt bad for making you come after him under the storm but he didn’t have a choice.

He wanted to look at your face like how he normally does but now is different because you can see him already. “I’m Taeyong. Thank you for helping me” he started, putting his hands towards the heater. It was a sweet moment for him and you have no idea. You have no idea how long he has waited for this moment to happen, you have no idea how many times he imagined this scenario in his head.

“I’m Y/n. Why are you walking under this storm? Did your car broke down and you went out to get some help?”

Taeyong was once again turned into stone because he can’t believe that you can talk to him now, he shook his head and answered your question. “Y-yes. My car broke down and my heater stopped working” lies. Taeyong stopped talking so he could stop lying to you. He admired your face while you enjoy the limited heat, you looked much younger than the first time he met you but you’re still beautiful. Even more beautiful actually.

Your cursing brought him back to reality again and started getting worried because you’re frowning. “Oh- shit, this isn’t happening” you whine and looked at him, “gosh I’m sorry. The heater stopped, it must be because of my car’s battery. Shit we are going to freeze here,” you said your sorry so many times to the guy sitting beside you because you’re the one who offered helped but now that your heater stopped working you feel ashamed for dragging him.

“No no. Don’t be” you watch him remove his jack and let him wrapped it around you. “There, I’m returning the favor. Were even now. Seriously, I’m fine and I’m thankful for you” His smile warms your heart and suddenly your worries banished the moment he said he’s thankful to you.

Hours have already passed and Taeyong wanted to go out and look for help now because you’re freezing and soon you’ll be sick. He has an idea but he’s scared you won’t like it and you’ll think of him as a pervert, but he nicely explained his plan and cleared his intentions so he won’t scare you. “If we don’t share body heat… you can end up getting sick and that’s the last thing we want right now. We can… c-cuddle until help finds us” he was getting shy too but you think that he’s sweet for thinking about your health even though you just met a few hours ago.

You accepted his offer and soon you and Taeyong cuddle at the back of your car, sharing body heat to survive this cold. Even though Taeyong is the spirit of winter, he can be warm whenever he’s in his human form. “You know that sharing body heat is effective when two parties are naked, right?” you tease him and make him blush. He smiled handsomely and let out an awkward laugh. “Tell me something about yourself,” you asked and try to turn this awkward moment around.

“I don’t know. There’s nothing much about me and nothing interested, how about you?” his voice was enough to make you melt while you hug him and enjoy his warmth. You like how he didn’t try to impress you but instead, he gave you an honest answer about himself.

“Well, since you’re honest, I’ll be honest too. I’m on my way to meet a guy, I have a date tonight but…” you breathe in and out before you continue and contemplate whether it’s right to say this to him or not.

“But?” he tightens his embrace to you as he waits for you to continue your sentence.

“But I’m glad I got stranded and met you”

You feel his heart beat so fast because your bodies are incredibly close, you watch him blush and smile so big making your body warm again. After a few more hours of talking, help finally came and brought you to a safe place where it’s warm. Taeyong did not foresee this, he felt like he’s losing you already and he didn’t know what to do. Clearly, he didn’t plan everything out smoothly before he chose to be human for you, he’s not sure when he’s going to meet you again. He remembers his suffering from your first life and he didn’t want to let you go now and meet Taeil before he could even have his chance.

“Listen” he calls you before you get inside the cab and go home, “I’m poor. I have nothing to offer, I don’t have a car and I purposely walked past your car to grab your attention. But, see me again. Give me a few months to earn some money so I can buy you a decent dinner. I promise I will never lie to you again”

His eyes tell you everything. Obviously, he’s sincere with his words and he spoke nothing but the truth because there were no other broken cars found other than yours. It was Taeyong’s honesty that moved you and made you say yes to the dinner date that he offered. Before you two go on separate ways, you gave him a piece of paper that has your number in it and you can only hope that he will not lose it so you can meet soon.

Taeyong was more than happy for accepting his honesty in exchange for your trust. He doesn’t have any clue to what he’s doing but he’s sure about one thing, if he’s going to make you fall in love with him he wanted to do it right and will all honesty. That’s what you deserve. It might take him a while to find a job, and earn some money but everything will be worth it in time. With that motivation, Taeyong looked for a job that he likes, earn enough money to buy a small place for him to stay, and save up for the date that he promised you.

After a few months, you received a call from an anonymous number and did not hesitate to answer because it could be Taeyong. When you finally heard his voice again, you smiled so big because not only that this man is honest but he knew how to keep his promise.

“I’m still not rich but I have enough money to make us dinner. Uhm… If you still want to have dinner with me, I’ll text you the address and we can have dinner tonight” he bit his lower lip, hoping that his offer is enough to allow him to see you again.

“I don’t need a rich man Taeyong. Send me the address then, I’ll see you tonight” The fact that he will make dinner for the two of you is enough reason for you to say yes.

When the time for the most awaited dinner date has arrived, you two had a great time in his small apartment with a dinner table full of good and delicious food that he made. The date went well, he talked all night telling you how he’s holding up with his new life, he told you he loved working on the daycare that accepted him because he loves taking care of the children and every story that comes out from his mouth is too good to be true but you believe every word he says because you know that he’s honest. Taeyong felt happy seeing you smile because of him and not another man. The waiting he did for you is worth it even though being an independent human is not easy, as always, he’s ready to endure everything for you.

“How about you? What’s your work?” he asks after he overshared his experience from the daycare.

“I work for my parents. At their company” you looked sad the moment you mentioned it and he wondered why. “Let’s just say that, because I’m their daughter they expect too much from me. But I end up disappointing them- I was having a bad day Taeyong, but you called and now everything is fine” you gave him a small smile and continue eating. Knowing that he can make you happy even with the smallest things makes him really happy. It looks like he started on the right foot and hope that this can continue.

“Will I see you again?” he asks before you get a cab.

“Let’s see each other every day, do you like that?” you bit your lower lip and hope that your flirting will work. It was a bold move but Taeyong is a kind man that made your beat. Little did you know that what you just said made Taeyong really happy that he could cry in front of you but he would rather not. He kissed you on your forehead to answer your question, smiled so sweetly at you, and told you, “Text me the address of your work, I’ll pick you up tomorrow. Get home safe, okay?”

After a few dinner dates, and countless phone calls, and texting, you and Taeyong made everything official between the two of you and sealed it with a kiss under the first snow in the middle of an empty street. But that’s only the start of your relationship. As you continue to see each other day by day or every other day, Taeyong is becoming like the nice warm feeling when the morning sun hits your skin the moment you step out of the house. This happens all the time when he picks you up at work and meets you outside the building and there he is, standing and waiting for you. Not a single word from him but he already, turned your day around.

“Had a rough day?” he asks, swinging his arms around you keeping you close as you two walk with the sea of people.

“Yeah. I did a lot today” you let out a sigh to further express your exhaustion.

“Don’t worry. I’m here now” one smile from him and everything is okay.

Taeyong is not perfect. But you don’t need someone perfect, you need someone who tries. You don’t know where he came from and he may seem ignorant sometimes but he’s not afraid to ask you about something like that one time he wanted to go to the movies with you but he doesn’t know how so he asked you and ruined the surprise. And whenever you ask him about his family background he simply says the truth.

“I don’t have any or maybe I don’t remember much but I do have friends, you can meet them someday. I’m sorry I lack about a lot of things,” you saw the worry in his eyes and disappointment in himself.

“No baby, it’s fine. I just asked. No need to worry about it” from there on you never asked anything about him so he won’t overthink, what you see is what you get and you let yourself accept what he can only give to you.

It’s been almost half a year since you and Taeyong started dating. He may be very different from the guys you dated before him, but it’s okay because that makes him more special. Almost a year together and you and Taeyong haven’t moved your relationship to the next level and by the next level you meant he hasn’t touched you yet, haven’t shared a lustful kiss, and haven’t had sex. It’s like high school all over again.

“Did you know that you’re my first kiss?” he whispered beside your ear. It’s a weekend so you’re staying over in his cozy apartment, enjoying his cold body against you as you sit comfortably in between his legs on his very small couch.

“I’m your first love, Tae that’s given already” you giggle and intertwine your fingers with his. “If I’m your first kiss then you must be a virgin,” you added.

“I am” he giggles and tightens his embrace, “any plans about that?”

“Woah there. Is that an invitation?” you turned your head to meet his eyes and he gave you a wink. Your heart jumped out of excitement when you saw him getting shy, smiling oh so handsomely. So it’s a yes then.

“My knowledge about sex is very limited don’t get too excited,” he says while watching you sit on his lap, legs on both sides. This is new, Taeyong thought. “you’re going to tease me from now on, I get it. But you do look sexy now on top of me” he giggles and pulls you closer for a heated kiss. He never kissed you like this, his hands on your waist gripping it tightly and his tongue… oh his tongue. You never thought he’s capable of such skill.

“Okay let’s not rush and not jump right into having sex,” you said in between kissing. You don’t stop, he doesn’t stop either but he’s listening. “Put your hands inside my shirt” you instruct him and he shyly followed you. You felt his cold hands against your skin, slowly going up to knead your clothed boobs, you feel him harden beneath you and for the first time, you see your boyfriend became horny. You unclasp your bra while you continue kissing each other with want, tongue sucking, lip biting while you enjoy the way he touches you for the first time.

He stopped for a second when you removed your bra in front of him, letting your hard nipples ghost on your thin shirt. He remembered how he used to look away whenever you and Taeil get too intimate, but now you’re his. Slowly he played with the hem of your shirt and lift it over your head to see his girlfriend’s body for the first time. He smiled and kissed you again, touching your boobs gently, brushing his thumb on your nipples, and making you moan softly.

After that night, Taeyong became confident when it comes to touching you and kissing you with full of lust that sometimes it’s all too much because he’s doing a great job. His kisses alone can make you moan and weak, while the way he fingers you slowly can make you moan his name that his landlord sometimes shush you two. The first time you introduced him to oral sex, was a wild moment for the two of you because he loved it so much and he did a pretty good job for a first timer.

When the time finally comes and you’re both ready to have sex, he didn’t even know how to put on a condom, so you taught him how and you think he’s cute. He told you he wanted to make you happy even in bed, so you let him. “I’ll do my best,” he says, kissing your neck and making you smile before he proceeds to foreplay. His lips travel down from your lips, all the way down to your neck and the valley between your boobs, giving your nipples a soft pinch before he proceeds and licks you for a few seconds. He kisses your lower abdomen, caressing your thighs as he blows cold air on your wet folds, and proceeds to lick your cunt. You feel his cold tongue glide oh so smoothly like there's a piece of ice rubbing on your cunt right now, but it’s Taeyong’s tongue. “Enough teasing Tae. We’ve had enough of that” you moan and pulled him up to face you. It’s true though, you and Taeyong have been giving each other oral for the past few weeks because he’s not yet ready to have sex with you.

“Okay okay. I understand” he says and attacked lips with hungry kisses and starts grinding on top of your body while you surround his small room with sounds of wet kisses. Kissing Taeyong always feels because his lips are always cold and it feels good against your skin. As you admire his lips and the way he kisses you, you feel the tip of his cock on your entrance and feel him push in slowly catching every sharp gasp you let out with his mouth. You cup his face with both of your hands and close your eyes as you enjoy being fucked by the man you love. “You said you don’t know what you’re doing- Taeyong you feel good!” you were basically moaning the whole time you were telling him what you feel. He asks you to spread your legs even more so he can thrust deeper and so you followed gladly, and after a few thrusts, he hits your good spot perfectly.

“And I told you I’ll do my best right?” he smirks and continues to fuck you good, keeping your legs apart and sucking your boobs as he thrusts. He feels your walls warm walls around his cock then you asked him to put his thumb on your clit and the moment his cold fingers made contact on your clit, you tried to push him away because it made you sensitive and moan his name louder than before. You breathed heavily and accept every deep thrust Taeyong give you, every cold kiss, every sweet word that makes your heart swell. It was all overwhelming and all you can do is let go and cum.

Soon he released his cum in the condom and removed it immediately before he lay beside you in his small bed. You feel him kiss your forehead while he covers your sweaty and shivering bodies with his blanket and helped you come down from your high.

The next day, the sunlight from Taeyong’s window wakes him up and quickly blocked the sun with his hand so it won't hit your eyes too. You were sleeping soundly beside him, embracing his tiny waist unconsciously. “Good morning “ he whispered to you, covering your naked body with his blanket. “You have work” he reminded you sweetly and pulled you in a tight embrace.

“Let’s stay in bed, Taeyongie. Let’s skip work and make love the whole day” you kissed him good morning and closed your eyes again. You hear him giggle and feel his strong arms cage you and cradle you.

“As much as I want to do that, we can’t. Come on, I’ll cook breakfast, let’s start our day together”

“Are you getting rid of me?”

“No, quite opposite actually. Let’s start this day early, so we could go to work and meet afterward. I’m excited to see you again” You smile a gave him a tight embrace, allowing yourself to be thankful just for a minute for this beautiful morning, and for the naked man beneath you who loves you so much.

Beautiful nights that involved making love with Taeyong or having rough sex, eventually, happened again and again and again until he’s confident in bed just as much as you are. You go to work sore and tired but your heart is happy all because of Taeyong. He may not be as innocent as before but the humble and loving Taeyong that you fell in love with is still here. It was a relationship that involved a lot of sexual activities but you and Taeyong loved each other dearly and prove it to each other every day.

“I hate going home” you whined and gave him a glass of water. Tonight is one of those nights where you and Taeyong enjoy the meal he cooks after a long day at work and you have dinner together in his small apartment.

“Then don’t, stay here with me it’s late,” he says as he drinks the water that you gave.

“Hmm. That’s not what I meant, ask me to live with you already”

“I cant my place is too small, I’ll marry you and I’ll buy us a nice home”

“Were not getting young” you teased him, “I’m perfectly fine with this place. You know I love it here, I sleep well whenever I stay over”

“That’s because of me not because of this place” he was talking about the sex and smirked.

“Okay fine- But seriously you don’t have to buy me a big house you’re enough” he pulled you closer to him and looked at your eyes. He remembers the big house that you and Taeil owned in your past life and he was planning to give you something like that and not this shoebox. But he sees that you’re happy so he finally lets you win.

“Okay. If this place makes you happy, fine. Welcome home” he kissed your knuckles softly but you attacked him with sweet kisses and ended up making out with your boyfriend on his cold floor with a happy heart.

Living with Taeyong was a huge transition in your life but it was all for the better. You used to eat fast food every night but now you have Taeyong to cook you good food every day. Living together also made you know him more and know some things for yourself, like his love for sweet potatoes and that he can sing. He is incredibly affectionate when it comes to animals, may it be a stray cat or a dog it doesn’t matter he will take care of it. Living with Taeyong made your life easier and beautiful even though it’s all about the simplest things with him.

After you moved in with Taeyong, he found a job as a grade school art teacher which he loved doing so much and also pays good money. With that money, he saved a lot and bought you a house that’s big enough for the two of you. You let him shower you with love because that’s what he wants, in return you love him unconditionally. Soon, you introduced him to your family during the holidays, and Taeyong cooked for everyone which made him win their hearts especially your mom.

Seasons changed and so are the years, now you’re swaying under the soft music from the background on your sister’s wedding. Your arms are wrapped around his neck while his arms are wrapped around your waist as he whispers how beautiful you are tonight for the nth time but you never get tired of it. It’s not your wedding but you feel like it is because Taeyong can easily turn a second into a special moment.

Your sister’s wedding is a series of mixed emotions, one minute you’re crying because she’s not a baby anymore and by the next few hours you’re happy because she dropped the news that she’s pregnant already. “I saw your eyes when your sister told everyone she’s pregnant, how many kids do you want in the future?” he asks, continuously swaying your bodies while he waits for your answer.

“Ask me to marry you first” you boop his sharp nose and rest your head on his chest, “but let's have two kids,” you sighed and smiled at your wish and you hear your boyfriend hum in approval.

The night ended beautifully and you’re happy to see that your sister is happily married now. You kissed and waved goodbye to your family and Taeyong did the same too. Oh, how you wish you and Taeyong will have a happy ending soon too.

But you know what they say, be careful what you wish for.

A week after your sister’s wedding Taeyong proposed to you and made you the happiest girl in the world. It was nothing glamorous like the ones you see in movies, no big crowds, and no big signs that says ‘Marry Me?’. No. It was just the two of you. In your car, where you two first met. It was snowing too which made it even more special and romantic. When he was putting the ring on your finger, he was shaking so bad like he was cold but he’s not he’s just nervous. It was a simple ring and it represents your relationship with him, the diamond was small but the ring itself is a promise of never ending happiness because you get to spend the rest of your life with this handsome man.

Suddenly life is full of dreams and promises to keep for your marriage, no morning or night has passed that you didn’t admire your engagement ring. Just like now while Taeyong is in the shower and you’re waiting for him to come to bed. “You smell good” you didn’t notice him slide under the covers and felt him sniff your exposed shoulders. You turned your head to him and see him shirtless while he leans on the bed frame. You rolled on your side and rest your head on his abs, while you admire his handsome features.

“I want kids with your nose, my eyes, and your good heart,” you said, looking directly in his eyes. “You can teach them how to draw or cook pancakes, we can read stories to them, sing a song, and dance around our living room?”

He felt his body warm in instant. With just your words he felt like he’s melting. “Your love melts me you know,” he reaches for your lips and kissed you good night. “We can do all that and more, I promise” he whispers.

Time passed by so fast after getting married to Taeyong. Life is even sweeter and worth living for. Even though married life is never easy, you and Taeyong managed to be happy every day. More seasons change and you and Taeyong have become busier with work that you only spend time with each other during mornings and before you go to bed. But of course, the baby making is a never ending try until that damn pregnancy test will come out positive. Trying to have a baby was harder than you thought. There are times that you’re losing hope but your husband makes everything better.

“Good morning Mrs. Lee”

After being married for two beautiful years now, some things have never changed like how Taeyong wakes you up early in the morning for work with his cold lips and handsome face. You stretch your body looked at your handsome husband, who’s shirtless and only wearing a pajama underneath this thick blanket. You couldn’t stop yourself to kiss him and position him on top of you. “I have kids to teach” he giggled but he kisses your chest just the way you like it.

“Want to try to make our own kid? We haven’t tried ever since the last result. This isn’t us” you teased him but you both know it’s because of your jobs and you understand each other.

“You know I can’t say no to that” he smirked and lifts your sleepwear, exposing your boobs to your husband. Sucking your nipples immediately and felt his cold tongue swirl around it while his hands were quick to remove your pajamas and underwear. He kneels in between your legs and lowered his sweatpants before he releases his hard cock from his boxer briefs. With his middle finger, he checked if your slit is wet and ready, “you’re always wet for me” he says and kissed you deeply as he thrusts inside you with one quick move that dragged your body on the mattress. It hurt a little because you weren’t prepped enough, but once Taeyong rolls his hips and starts kissing your neck you lose your mind and all you can do is focus on the pleasure that he’s giving.

His thrusts were quick, you figured he was horny and his grip on your waist will sure leave marks. “Ah-fuck” you moan out when his thumb started drawing circles on your clit to make sure you will cum because there’s no way you will leave your house without cumming this morning. “I’m cumming-“ he says and sucks your nipples while he thrust harshly and putting pressure on your clit.

Your husband gave you a piercing thrust as he shoots his cum inside you, making you yelp and almost hit the headboard but you don’t care because you’re in the middle of your own orgasm.

“Wow- our baby making is getting intense,” you said with heavy breaths and sharp gaps. You put your shoulder above your forehead and catch your breath for a minute before you go on and take a shower.

You don’t know but your husband wanted to tell you something but he doesn’t want to ruin the morning. He helps you wear your panties again and kiss your sensitive body while listening to your giggles that’s music to his ear. He loves you so much that he wanted so bad to give you a baby soon because he’s tired of seeing you disappointed whenever the pregnancy test is negative.

Every day you and Taeyong spend your mornings peaceful and quiet. You wrap your arms around him while he prepares you breakfast, enjoy the quietness of your house and the peaceful life that he has given to you. “Have I told you that I love you Tae? So much?” you smelled his still wet hair and tighten your embrace.

“Yes. Every day, I think I don’t say it as much as you do but, I love you too” He kissed your forehead and gave your lips a peck. And mornings like this happens every day and no one is complaining because you never get sick of it.

“What if we adopt instead of trying to make one?”

It’s not that he didn’t like the idea of adopting, but it hurt him because you must really want a baby by this time and he can’t give you one for unexplainable reasons. “Don’t you want to see your nose in our little one? Or my eyes?” he stopped doing what he’s doing for a second and turned around to meet your gaze. He swings his arms around your waist, leaned on the kitchen counter, and pressed you against his body. “Where did that idea come from- I’m not against it but-,”

“But you don’t want to do it either?”

“I wish I could answer all of our questions on why you can’t get pregnant. Let’s try a few more times, then if nothing happens let’s do it. I’m sorry-“

“No, you’re not doing anything wrong. I think I’m just stressed with work,” you were just about to kiss your husband and end the conversation when the doorbell rang and you both wonder who might that be. Neither of you is expecting any visitor this early, that’s why it is a complete shock for Taeyong that Jaehyun visited him.

This must be important.

Since Taeyong needed to talk to his friend, you had to drive alone to work and drown with the things that you told your husband. I shouldn’t have said that, I completely hurt his feelings. Stupid. You said those things to yourself as you drive and arrive at your office safely. Then…

“Oh gosh. I’m sorry” a stranger bumped you so hard while you were walking towards your office. Completely bringing you back from reality. He was quick to apologize and his beautiful smile was hard to not notice. “I’m very sorry Miss. I’m Moon Taeil. I was reading some guidelines, I’m very new here and I can’t seem to find Mrs. Y/n Lee” he read it from the paper he was holding.

“You found me” you smiled and invited him to your office to talk about the work he has to finish.

While you were busy orienting Moon Taeil in your office Taeyong and Jaehyun had a serious conversation in your living room which made Taeyong very angry and frustrated. Turns ourtJaehyun is here to tell him that you and your soulmate will finally cross paths.

“That’s the thing when it comes to this soulmate thing hyung, we can’t stop it. Even me. It’s beyond what I’m capable of. I’m sorry, you just have to work harder and keep her away from him. Try and stop destiny” Jaehyun says, frustrated like his hyung too. Taeyong was quiet but he was thankful to Jaehyun for telling him.

“I’m starting to melt” Taeyong admitted to his friend. "I think I could last two more years"

“Make up your mind. Would you rather be selfish or let her be happy for the rest of her life?” Taeyong watched his friend leave after dropping a very hard question to answer. He can indeed feel his heart is slowly melting and the only way to save himself is to go back to being a spirit again.

It was a very disturbing day for both of you. He was worried about you and Taeil meeting, you were worried about the things you said to him this morning. To make it up with your husband, you decided to surprise him and pick him up from the school he's teaching. You see parents hugging their children and hear them asking about their day and you can’t help but tear up a little because you want the same things too.

You wipe your tears when you see your handsome husband walking towards you and greet you with a kiss. “Adults go here to fetch their kids, but here you are fetching me” you both let out a giggle before going inside your car. Before you start apologizing, you gulped the lump on your throat and keep your eyes on the road.

“I’m sorry about this morning. I know I hurt you” you finally said.

“Hurt me a thousand more times, I’m still going to love you deeply. Everything is fine, I understand you’re desperate because I’m desperate too. But we both have different solutions to this problem that's why. Let’s talk about it at home,” he says, reaching your free hand and kissed your wedding ring. You love how he’s always right when it comes to things like this. He always knew what to do.

As usual, you and Taeyong fixed this baby situation and decided to try and try until you get pregnant. You have nothing against it but you don’t know how long you can hold on anymore. Nonetheless, you try and understand Taeyong’s feelings too and you don’t want to hurt him again. After having that conversation with your husband, he tried so hard to get you pregnant and initiate having sex almost every day. Exhausting but at the same time fun, you just let love and lust drive you and your husband to bed over and over again.

Like right now, you were so weak and you can’t feel your legs anymore, you don’t even have the energy to roll on your side and reach for your husband but he does it for you. “You okay?” he kisses your neck and caress your sensitive body softly, naked and still sweaty from sex.

“Can we go back to the time where you don’t know anything about sex?” it was a joke which both of you find funny. You return his embrace and let out a shiver when you felt his skin so cold like ice and he was sweating so hard… like he was melting, “are you sick? baby you’re so cold like ice” you were worried but your husband is smiling weakly at you with lustful eyes, clearly, he wanted another round. But little did you know Taeyong is not feeling well.

“Come here so you could keep me warm then,” he kissed you deeply on the lips and felt him spreading your legs again. Oh boy, you thought. You tried to push him but you’re too late, he made you horny too, and just like that you gave in already.

You and Taeyong continue to try to have a baby and have sex whenever you can. Until one day when you were busy cleaning the house, and you saw your pads on the drawers and realized that you’re late. Your period is finally late.

“I’m home. Y/n?” Taeyong shouts as he enters your house, putting his shoes on the side. You greet him with a warm hug and a smile so big, inviting him to bed this instance. What better way to celebrate your pregnancy right?

You kiss him until you reach your shared bed and remove your clothes in front of him, intertwining your fingers with his and guiding him to touch your body. He doesn’t know what’s happening but he was enjoying it even though he doesn’t feel good. Taeyong quickly switched positions and removed his clothes from work before he goes in between your legs and kisses your body.

First, he licked your pussy good. Making your head turn and make you moan his name a little louder. You hear wet sounds as Taeyong licks you up and down and kiss your pussy like it’s your mouth. You were so wet that it turns you on even more and can’t wait for Taeyong to finally fuck you. When he felt your excitement, he quickly pumped his cock and slide it on your very wet folds just to watch you lose your mind beneath him.

He came in slowly, fucking you deep and careful because he was too weak right now but he can’t show you. After a few moments of heavy breathes and taking Taeyong's deep thrust, Taeyong fed his lust and looked how your cunt take all of him slowly and got excited to see blood coating his cock because loves period sex so much.

“I love fucking you when you’re on your period-ah” he was moaning so good and fucking you at a quick pace now, nipping your earlobes and kneading your boobs. After a few dirty talks, he heard you sob and felt tears falling on your cheeks. He thought you were crying because of overstimulation so he smirked and gave your ass a light slap. When he pulls away from your neck to kiss you on the lips, he sees you crying while covering your mouth with your own hand.

Your husband stopped.

“Am I hurting you, what’s wrong?” you didn’t answer him.

He quickly pulled out and went to the bathroom to get a damped towel to clean the blood on your thighs and put a tampon inside you while you were crying. He kissed your shoulders and begged you to talk to him because he is clueless.

“I was excited because I thought my period is late just a few minutes before you get home. Then it fucking came” it was a very harsh move for fate to give you false hope and hurt your feelings like that. Taeyong didn’t know what to do when you asked him to leave you alone for tonight.

He needed you too because he’s sick right now but he can’t tell you.

And that is where your marriage failed.

Taeyong was desperate to keep you while you were desperate to have a child. You two started to fight, and you can see that things are slowly changing now. You were cold towards him because you don’t know what else to do to have a kid. You have sex, take a test, negative, have sex again, take the test again, and have the same results over and over again.

You hope that it’s easier than ‘you don’t love him anymore’ but it’s not, you love each other so much but this baby problem is ruining your marriage and you can’t fix it because you don’t know what’s wrong, even the doctors said you’re both fine and you just have to try and try but its getting tiring already.

“I don’t know what else to do” Taeyong admits after you take another test just a few minutes ago and he sees you crying. He can’t take it. He never saw you cry when you were married to Taeil.

“Do you want to give up? Because I’m getting tired, baby” you hug him so tight and cried on his shoulders, “we fight, we don’t sleep peacefully now, and we're not happy. This is not us” you cry out and tighten your embrace to your husband. You forgot how his presence comforts a lot.

“Okay, let's stop. I’m sorry. I really am”

“I’m sorry too”

Taeyong realized what he was doing all this time. If he didn’t steal you from Taeil you wouldn’t suffer like this because he is not the right man for you. Love is cruel, Taeyong thought. No matter how much you love each other, no matter how much he loves you, fate won’t consider it and will find a way to ruin your chance of being happy.

He puts you to sleep and went out to meet his friends and tell them that he’s slowly dying. You were so focused on yourself and didn’t notice that Taeyong is getting thin and his hair is slowly turning white. You thought it’s just him being stressed with everything that’s happening right now but it’s more than that.

“Well, you can’t die. It’s simple as that. You’re more than Taeyong, you have an obligation in this world as the spirit of winter” Doyoung was beyond pissed upon hearing the news. "We told you from the very start that this is not a good idea" he added.

“We have no choice but to let her and Taeil have their happy ending. But how she loves you so much” Jaehyun says with worried eyes because they know that Taeyong is going through so much.

“I’ll Divorce her, with all the strength I have left ” Taeyong says weakly, tears in his eyes started to ball.

“All for the better hyung, you can save your life and she can be happy” Doyoung pat his back and told him to do it immediately because he doesn’t have much time.

After a week, Jaehyun helped Taeyong with the process of divorce and will make everything official once you sign the papers.

And just as you thought that life couldn’t get any more brutal, your husband is handing you the divorce papers before you start your car and drive you both home. You never thought that this damn car will witness everything. How you and Taeyong met for the first time, the night he asked you to marry him, and now that he’s completely giving up on your marriage. Taeyong watched you cry while you’re driving quietly and wonder what’s on your mind. Do you hate me? He remained silent the whole time until you reach home.

You look at the envelope in front of you while Taeyong is on the other side of the kitchen with you, waiting for your thoughts. “If this is about me wanting to have a baby- Taeyong I don’t want it anymore just please” you were begging him in the middle of your kitchen, tears started falling and you can’t believe that this is happening. He came closer to you, cupped your cheeks, and kissed your forehead because he can’t see you like this, “We’ve been through so much Tae, you can’t do this to me”

“But I can’t make you happy anymore, someone will fill in my shoes” he kept you close and savor the feeling of your hug that will last for a lifetime.

“To hell with happiness- I’m sorry I was selfish, I was only thinking of myself” you cry some more and stain his dress shirt with your tears.

“I was the one who became selfish in the first place, not you,” you don’t know what he was saying but you don’t care anymore, all you want to do is never let him go.

But he was the one who let you go and you couldn’t get a hold of him no matter how much you beg. It was more than heartbreaking. When Taeyong left you, the house he bought you was never home without him, he didn’t even take anything with him, not even his clothes. The only thing he got for himself is his wedding ring which he will wear forever.

“Welcome back,” Doyoung says but neither of them is happy about the divorce. Taeyong felt strong and healthy now that he’s a spirit again but his heart is dead, he doesn’t feel alive anymore. It’s been weeks since he left you, and since it’s not winter, he’s not allowed to be around. Perfect, he thought. He needed the time to move on and heal alone.

Who knows? Maybe he'll try again in your next life.

To whoever read this, i hope you live a happy life a simple life and you’re happy genuinely.

#nct smut #nct-writers #neowritingsnet #cznnet #kpopscape #neosmutcollective #taeyong smut #lee taeyong smut #nct taeyong smut #nct x reader #taeyong x reader #taeyong fluff #taeyong angst #nct au #nct fantasy au

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ohheyitsokay · 3 years

Text

steal

part 7 of the ‘hey batter batter’ series

pairing: Francisco Morales (Frankie, Catfish) x reader

wordcount: 2.5k

warnings: strong language, mentions of previous substance abuse and mediocre family relationships, a happy, happy ending

summary: it’s a Triple Frontier Baseball AU! Trust me, you don’t need to know anything about baseball.

in baseball, to ‘steal’ is for someone already on base to to the next base when the ball is live, but before his time.

In this chapter, Frankie takes you out to dinner, and in telling you about himself, accidently goes way too hard, way too fast.

Frankie called and asked you to an early dinner.

Early, so the restaurant wouldn’t be crowded. Early, so he wouldn’t have the chance to overthink. Early, so the boys wouldn’t catch word and cause chaos.

Early, so he’d have all the time in the world with you, if you wanted.

When he picked you up, neither of you had the time to worry about your clothes or hair or fuss with it, and it was a relief. Someday, you hoped to get the chance to dress up for each other, but for now, casual seemed most fitting. He opened the door of his truck for you, holding your hand as you stepped into it. It wasn’t that you needed the extra help, he just seemed like he wanted to.

You didn’t see, but his hand flexed, tingling as he walked around to climb in the driver’s side.

The talk came easy - Francisco forwent superfluous pleasantries and when he asked you questions there was no doubt in your mind that he actually wanted to hear your answers. You found yourself spilling about your job, flushing when you caught him watching you talk closer than the road, something soft in his eyes.

It was a stereotype, that a baseball player would like diner food, and you were pleasantly surprised when his truck slid into the tiny parking lot of a mom ‘n pop Hispanic restaurant. It was cute, watching him run around to open your door again, and he asked “Is this okay?” as he helped you down.

In response, you shifted your hand in his until his large fingers were laced with yours, and said yes, of course a little breathlessly. There was a lovely lady both serving and hosting who acted like she knew Francisco, giving him a broad wink and rapid fire teasing in what you could only assume was Spanish. In truth, you were too distracted by the way his thumb was running over the back of your hand, and the smells of corn and peppers and homemade tortillas.

Seated, she asked if you would be alright with anything, and your date looked eager and hopeful, so you would be a monster not to agree.

“So you come here often,” you said when she left. Not a direct question, although you were sure you wanted to hear the story. Francisco grinned.

“Are you flirting with me?” His eyebrows dipped in the middles, betraying a little more hope than he intended.

“Yes?” It was easier to tease as the waitress put plate after steaming plate between you, and a container full of warm tortillas. You spread your napkin over your lap as you thanked her, ignoring the growl in your stomach. As much as you liked that he let you talk, you wanted to know more about him, wanted to give him the chance to say whatever he left out the other night. There was certainly more to the solid catcher than met the eye, learning him felt as natural as your hunger.

“I’m serious though, what should I try first?” You pointed at various things with your fork, and Francisco almost wiggled he looked so happy. It was a dream, having you tucked into the little booth across from him, trust in your eyes.

“The green chili, Anita makes it from scratch regularly and it’s fantastic,” he pointed, eyes watching with joy as you dug into the smothered burrito. Your moan shot through him, warming his whole body more than the food he swallowed in a hurry. “Good, yeah?”

“Amazing,” you didn’t ask again, how he knew, just began filling your stomach. He told you about various dishes, sharing them with you like it was the most natural thing in the world. Eventually, the story came out naturally.

“I used to come here a lot when I first moved to town,” he shrugged. “It’s halfway between the stadium and where my family is right now.”

It was easy to meet his eyes and you didn’t pry. Twirling a long string of molten cheese on his fork, it poured out of him, telling more than you felt like you deserved to know and watching you carefully.

He started at the beginning, how it felt like home, this little restaurant, but safer. His mother and sister lived in a small town nearby. It was messy, his youth, full of shit a kid shouldn’t have to deal with. Baseball had been his way out, his chance at a life he couldn’t have. To be good at something, to have a team to belong to. Clean uniforms and clean money, from prizes, that put meat on his bones and filled out his sister’s cheeks.

He became Frankie, pouring his heart into it until he excelled, working like he needed it to survive.

When the scholarships rolled in, he picked the one farthest away, sending checks from his nightshift part-time home more often than he called. He thought his life was good, that running away was working. Being drafted was a dream come true – and a nightmare. It came with and confirmed nasty truths, about the industry and people who wanted his success for all the wrong reasons. Those first few years were full of parties and bad decisions, chasing highs and losing track of himself in the thick of it all. One night, Santi dragged him back, reminded him why he did all of it, reminded him who they had dreamed of being. Showed him they could still be those people.

“I didn’t really know him then, we played on different teams. But we hit rock bottom around the same time and ended up leaving early from the same party.” Frankie pushed the final few grains of rice around his plate, and you wondered if that was the party Tom had gotten busted at. If they really had rescued each other, more than they realized.

God or fate gave him a second chance, and they got traded to the same team the next season, close to his home. He started visiting, supplying himself instead of just money, still playing the game - but allowing himself to enjoy it, be a human.

A tray of sopapillas came as he was telling you animatedly how bad his mother was at gardening, and how silly he felt trying to help her. It made him glow, his pride at how far he had come and you wanted to hug him. Frankie stared at the soft, puffed pastry, as if realizing for the first time he had no idea how long he’d been talking. Then he pushed his card into Anita's hand and shot you a nervous look. You shrugged, but it wasn’t about the payment, at least not entirely.

“Would you want to take these to go?”

“Go where?”

“I was thinking maybe… to meet them?” There was a silent beat, as your hands almost dropped the plates you’d been stacking.

“Wait, shit, sorry I just –” Frankie had never felt so stupid in his life. He blew it, he definitely fucked this up. He had just told you his entire life story and decided now, your very first date? Yeah, that would be a good time for you to meet his family. Thus far you’d listened and reacted like a dream, as kind and considerate as you’d ever been, but this was too much.

Your laugh cut off his spiral.

“Okay,”

“What?”

“Okay, let’s do it.” You were shaking your head in disbelief, but god was your smile beautiful. Bright and genuine, it made him wonder again if you felt like he did. Like this wasn’t really your first date.

Like you were as deep as he was, already.

On the drive he told you the rest of it. His sister was running from herself like he had, except in sucky, deadbeat men. About how when they had conversation that carried them in circles and he wanted to lock her up and force her into therapy, or when the world of baseball became too much, how he went to that restaurant. How he would eat home cooking all on his own, and breathe until he found the right words for himself or for her.

When you offered him your hand, over the middle console, he took it without hesitation. It was soft and fit into his like it was meant to be, and he was reminded again how in awe he was of you. This was by no means what you had agreed to, not normal under any circumstances, but you were trusting him, rolling with it like he was worth it.

He wanted to be, wanted all of this so bad he could hardly breathe.

The rest of his story left almost no time for him to prep you, but when the door to the little mobile home opened, his mama greeted you like she knew you were coming.

You were lovely stepping into his truck with your hand in his, and you were lovely across from him with green chili sliding down your chin as you flushed, but this... was something else. It hit him full force, that you had listened and learned and stayed. With Tom hitting on you, with the mess at the party they shouldn’t have been at, with all of the shit in their pasts, and even this. You were really here, at his mother’s home, kissing her cheek and letting her call you his novia and accepting all of his life, all of him.

His madre only hugged him after you, and her beam brightened as she watched you follow him, in slipping off your shoes. Every time he saw her, he thought she looked a little smaller - you’re just growing, mi frijol - but she looked small next to you, too. Her voice was extra high as she cooed, ushering you into the cluttered mobile home, and he could help but smile as he followed, too in love with the moment to be embarrassed of her questions.

You had listened closely, sympathetic but surprisingly determined not to be pushed away. This felt like simply an extension of that awkward and beautiful dinner, the way his mother welcomed you with open arms and rapid fire questions about yourself. She mercifully left out pushy questions about your relationship as you settled into the paisley couch, and Frankie was as warm and solid against your side as he had ever been.

There were little wrinkles around his eyes as he watched you and her, and as you began asking her questions about herself, he was more sure about you than he had ever been. It wasn’t gone completely, the feeling that this was ridiculous and he’d ruined whatever you had by going unreasonably fast with you, but he did his best to ignore it. Instead he focused on you, something he was learning was good luck.

His heart ached when you fit into his side, practically in his lap as you used him to ground yourself. It felt natural, in an intoxicating way, and he wanted you. Just like this.

When his madre thought she heard a knock and went to check, he found himself rubbing the top of your head with his jaw, his cheek, his nose. The whole night felt like it wasn’t real.

“Thank you for rolling with this,” he whispered into your hair. Your shoulder moved up and down again on his chest – a shrug.

“You’ve already met James, it’s almost the same,” you shifted to smile at him, nad he shook his head before noticing your eyes flit behind him.

At the door was a woman, dark stains under her eyes, belly stretching out the thin fabric of her shirt, and eyebrows drawn together.

His sister.

Then his mother came in pushing glasses of tea into your hands, almost as cool as the introduction, and you settled back against Frankie. Your life had become so strange these past few weeks, but you had known for what felt like a long time now. Together, it would be okay.

The drive home was dark, and silent for a long moment as you collected yourself, and Frankie was glad the evening started early.

“So this was a long date,” Frankie said, a question and an apology. You huffed in laughter and he offered his hand to you, saying your name with adoration, imploring you to talk to him.

“It was a lot,” you said, honestly, but you took his hand, thankful for the openness.

“Yeah,” his voice cracked, and you could see him struggling not to watch you anxiously. “I didn't plan on taking you home and all that happening, plus my mom calling you my- ”

“I know, Francisco,”

“Fuck. Do you… do you have any questions? Or…” he was beginning to panic, the undercurrent of anxiety finally uncontrollable.

His sister had been short with you, as much as she’d been with him these past few months. It was a lot, so much more than you deserved.

“Do you regret it?” It was an honest question.

Frankie’s mouth opened a little bit, his eyes suddenly steady on the road, really thinking. Then he shook his head, and a knot you didn’t know you had undid itself in your chest. He used his hand to draw yours to his mouth, ghost kisses over your knuckles, mustache only tickling a little bit. “I want you to be a part of my life, querida.”

The truck hit a bump, and you felt pressure, and then like you were floating. You nodded, trying to find the words to tell him you wanted that, too.

Finally, you said, “Thank you for letting me,” and he laughed. It was rich and deep and full of relief, almost giddy as it broke the tension, and you laughed too. He let your hands drop back between you, but didn’t let go, squeezing gently.

The words unsaid didn’t really seem to matter, as he cruised five under the speed limit towards your home.

When you asked, “Why do you still go to those parties?” it was the last thing he has been expecting. The rush of wind by the widows felt loud as he thought.

“I guess… sometimes it feels like I’ve got nothing better to do.” It sounded lame, even to him. That wasn’t all of it, it was more complicated than that, but you understood. After this whole time, you’d stuck around, of course you did.

“What about next time, instead…” The stars were twinkling, winking at you, “You go on another date with me?”

“You still want to?” Frankie had hoped, really hoped, but hearing you offer was something different. Fire in his chest, hot and bright and powerful. When he looked over, you were nodding, smiling at him with a certainty on your face that matched his own.

“There’s a game tomorrow,” he was half joking.

You laughed.

“Okay.”

He pulled over under a streetlight to kiss you.

translations:

madre - mother

novia - girlfriend

mi frijol - my bean

taglist:

@fangirl-316 @scribbledghost @writeforfandoms @beautyagegoodnesssize @princess76179 @mrsbentallmadge

hey batter batter taglist:

@icanbeyourjedi @studyofawearymind @hnt-escape @athalien @the-witty-pen-name @daffodin @sarahjkl82-blog @pintsizemama @anaaaispunk @pjkimrn @dobbyjen

#francisco morales #francisco morales x reader #francisco morales x you #frankie x you #frankie x reader #catfish x you #triple frontier baseball au #hey batter batter #maybe i don't know people

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wiypt-writes · 3 years

Text

Leave No One Behind

Ch 14- Well, fuckin’ Shalom.

Co written with @icanfeelastormbrewing

Summary: After another dangerous encounter with Ahmed’s troops, Ari is back into a corner and comes out fighting.

Warnings: Bad Language words. Smut (NSFW, 18+) Violence, angst and death.

Pairings: Ari Levinson x OFC Hannah Horowitz

A/N: It’s Hannah’s birthday today so Happy Birthday, Firefly!

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Fliss Gallagher and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

Leave No One Behind Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Chapter 13

Ari pushed a grumbling Simon off his face and sat up, trying not to move too much. Once out of bed, he stretched before sorting himself out in the bathroom and dressing as quickly and as quietly as possible so as not to wake Hannah who was, thankfully, fast asleep.

After the events of the previous day, when Rachel had gotten him and Sammy out of jail and they had driven back to the resort only to find Ethan was shutting them down, Ari had had a rough night, memories of the ordeal making his already light sleep almost impossible at times. He had spent a few hours wide awake in the dark, lying still to avoid disturbing Hannah, simply staring at the ceiling of their hut as his restless mind continued to deny him a peaceful sleep.

He had been, and somehow still was, physically and emotionally exhausted. The mere thought that Hannah had intended on ending what they had just a few hours ago still made him shudder. Following their heartfelt conversation on the dock they’d stumbled into the hut, and he’d loved her softly, slowly and intimately in the shower before they’d collapsed into bed. All of that combined with the whispered sweet nothings they had shared in the still of their hut might tell a different story, but Ari was well aware he had fucked up and almost lost her a second time.

And it made him sick to his stomach.

Ari shook his head, a reflex action, almost as if it would shake the thoughts from his mind and he sighed gently into the quiet of the hut as he finished buckling the laces on his trainers, turning from where he was sat at the edge of their bed to look at his Firefly sleeping with Simon who had curled up by her side. He smiled softly at the scene as he leaned in to place a loving kiss on her head before leaving the hut.

A few minutes later, Ari emerged in the breakfast area after a short stroll down the beach. The bruises and cuts on his face and over his left cheekbone were beginning to heal but the dull sting of his skin was a clear reminder of what had gone down in that prison cell in Khartoum and the depth of Sammy’s anger towards him. Still, as arranged the previous night, Sammy showed up along with Jake and Max early so no one else was around. As he brewed a pot of coffee, Ari went over his plan to set off to find Kabede and explained his last-minute decision to only take Max and Sammy with him, leaving Jake in charge of the resort and the girls. He wasn’t willing to take any risks after the events of their last mission only a couple of days before.

“Don’t lose sight of them, Jake. However feisty they get, especially Hannah.”

“Sure thing, boss.” Jake agreed as he took the mug Ari was handing him and Max snorted.

“You know she’s gonna give him a hard time, right?”

“I don’t much care.” Ari snapped at Max with a stern voice, causing the man to raise his hands in mock surrender. At that Jake sighed so Ari turned to look at him, his voice softer. “If she’s getting an attitude, tell her to take it up with me when I’m back. There’s a reason why her and Rachel don’t know where we’re going. And they won’t need to either until it’s done.”

As he finished instructing Jake on how to act upon a more than probable tantrum on Hannah’s part, Ari could clearly see Sammy rolling his eyes.

“More lies, huh.”

“Will you stop with your comments, Sammy?” Ari groaned. He’d had enough of the man’s accusatory looks and snarky comments to last him a lifetime. “I get it, you hate me, you already made your point.” And to make his, Ari gestured to the bruising around his face.

Sammy didn’t answer, but simply maintained giving his so-called best friend a cold stare until Max’s groan put an end to the war of deadly stares.

“Come on guys. This is it, we’ll be out of here in a few days. Let’s go find Kabede, give him the news and-” he sighed, “-wrap it up and get out of this fucking sandpit.”

Ari looked at Max at he spoke and then back at Sammy who scoffed and, without so much as a word, started walking to the jeep as he lit a cigarette.

Ari looked down and sighed, hands on his hips before his head tipped up to the sky. He then turned to Max, who simply shrugged and stuffed a piece of toast in his mouth as he followed Sammy.

***

When Hannah woke later that morning, she instinctively turned and reached for Ari, missing his touch. She was used to waking up him either holding her from behind, sometimes peppering kisses on the back of her neck or, as the case usually was, hearing him groaning and cursing as he pushed Simon off the mutt’s preferred sleeping pillow, his face. But that morning there was nothing, because Ari wasn’t there. Blinking she laid still, listening for any sound that gave his whereabouts away, but she could hear nothing at all, no sounds of the taps running, or the water from the shower splashing down into the tray. Frowning, she stretched her arm and her hand felt Ari’s side of the bed to find it was cold, well, as cold as it could be in a beach hut in Sudan with no air-con.

As she sat up, Hannah thought to herself that the most likely explanation was that Ari had just gotten up and gone for a run after he had been unable to sleep following the events of the previous thirty-six hours or so. He’d been restless all night, and no matter what she had tried to do to help, and she had to admit she had tried a lot of things to help him relax so to speak, Ari couldn’t settle completely.

Hannah sighed, remembering her attempts to soothe her Lobo’s uneasiness as her eyes roamed the hut and when her eyes landed on Ari’s bedside table she noticed his watch wasn’t on it. He never wore his watch when he went running as it irritated him but, strangely enough, his running trainers were gone too so she was at an utter loss.

“Where’s your daddy, huh?” She asked softly as she looked at Simon who moved his tail and gave a little yawn and a huff in response making her chuckle, scratching his ear. “You couldn’t care less, huh?”

Pondering, Hannah got up and, after washing and dressing, she went outside. The sun was particularly scorching that morning and she had to pull her shades down as she greeted some of the guests who were already milling about. But as hard as she tried to spot Ari, there was no sign of him on the beach. She made her way to the main building, Simon hot on her tracks, and found Jake and Rachel serving breakfast.

“You slept in.” Rachel said as she greeted her with a warm smile.

“Yeah sorry, must have been tired after everything. Guy was tossing and turning all night.” She apologised in her thick, Spanish accent, as she looked around at the various tables sporting the guests. “Where is everyone else?”

“Luca says the guys went to the market.” Rachel deadpanned, but Hannah could read the disbelief behind her words so she frowned at the blonde woman.

“To the market? Ari?” She scoffed, dropping her voice. “And with my brother?” Hannah then turned to look at Jake who had approached them but he only shrugged as she arched her brow. “You’re full of shit.”

“Hey, that’s what they told me, Red.” He repeated as he started walking into the kitchen area to fetch another tray of toast.

“Where are they really?” Hannah inquired, following him.

“Told you. Market.” Jake answered as he left the tray on the serving counter by the kitchen.

Hannah noticed he was avoiding her stare and when their eyes met for a split second she took advantage of it and glared at him. “I know you’re lying.” She hissed.

But Jake wasn’t going to give in that easily. Whilst he feared Hannah’s rant, he also feared Ari’s should he blow their cover, so he was determined to play the part he had been asked to till the very end. Thus, he had no choice but to shrug again, the expression on his face unreadable, and keep on with his breakfast duty- to bring a pot of coffee to a guest table.

Hannah huffed in frustration and turned to Rachel. “Do you believe him?”

“Not a single word.” Rachel smiled

“Then where the hell...” she began to ask, more to herself than to her friend and team mate. And the frown on her face softened as her eyes opened wide when it suddenly dawned on her what was really happening and she groaned.

“Kabede.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.” Rachel nodded with a little sigh.

“What the fuck... why didn’t they tell us?” Hannah scoffed, her hands laying on her hips. And Rachel thought she couldn’t look more like Ari when she did that even if she tried.

“I’m betting on Ari’s stupid sense of protection.” Rachel shrugged.

“Yeah well, he’s gonna be the one needing protection when he comes home. Fucking asshole.” Hannah growled as she grabbed a piece of toast and chewed it, angrily.

****

When Ari, Max and Sammy reached the shanty town, it was instantly apparent something was wrong. They found Kabede slumped against a wall, a stab wound to his chest that Sammy suspected had resulted in a punctured lung. But his injury was completely forgotten by the man when Ari informed him that Mossad had pulled the plug on the mission.

“Mission? This is not a mission for me. This is my life. My family. You go.”

Ari was torn. Kabede was right, this was more than a mission. It had been his life for two years and on top of that, he wasn’t sure he could go back to Israel knowing that they were leaving over three hundred innocent lives behind to their fate at the hands of a tyrannical regime which, most likely, would torture and kill them once they were found.

Ari swallowed and looked at Max and Sammy, jerking his head and the three of them headed out of the hut into the heat of the sun.

“You wanna pull off one last rescue, don’t you?” Max asked once they were outside.

Ari looked at him and it was all the answer he needed to give as Sammy groaned at his silence.

“I can't force you guys to do this one. This is up to you. You know the risks.” Ari spoke calm but determined, his mind made up.

“I'm in.” Max deadpanned as he nodded.

Ari then turned to Sammy who rolled his eyes. He looked back at Max and asked him to give Sammy and him some alone time and Max obliged, heading away without a glance back.

“Whatever you want to do, I'll back you up.” Ari told Sammy once he found the words to convey the most honest message he could give his friend. It was not the time for absurd displays of testosterone and he knew it.

Sammy scoffed and blurted out a “Fuck you.” before bringing the cigarette to his lips.

Ari stood there, his arms folded but didn’t protest at his friend’s jab. He lifted his head to look at him instead and spoke softly. “You're right. I'm an asshole. I let my ego get in the way. I get an idea, and I go with it. I don't listen. I take risks. Sometimes it works, sometimes people get hurt. I'm sorry. And if you wanna go home, I'll back you up.”

“I'm not going home without Hannah, Ari. How can I? How can I leave her here with you?” Sammy snarled though he knew better than to raise his voice where they were.

“I’d never do anything to...” Ari began to defend himself but was cut off.

“To what? Put her in danger? You already did! By simply bringing her here, her neck has been on the block, in fact all our necks have.” Sammy hissed gesturing at him with his hand before throwing his cigarette down and stamping on it, looking up at Ari before shrugging and dropping his head again.

“Here we go again, huh?” Sammy spoke after a few seconds, his eyes piercing Ari’s before he shook his head as he walked off.

****

When they arrived back at the resort, Ari was on edge for a number of reasons and his anxiety was compounded when Hannah railed at him for leaving without telling her where he was going. After a very heated exchange, he finally managed to calm her down enough to get her to listen along with Rachel and Jake as he filled them in on what he, Max and Sammy had found. When Ari explained that he needed either her or Rachel to go with them to pick up the refugees, Hannah nodded and said she would go, much to Sammy’s annoyance. But as usual, she paid her brother absolutely no attention whatsoever.

The problem Ari had, was that he was back to operating with no plan. His priority was getting the refugees out of harm’s way but after that, he was flying blind and banking on managing to talk Ethan around. But, as usual, he was in act now, think later mode. And for the most, it was working. The collection went without a hitch, and a few hours later, just as darkness had fallen, they were pulling back up to the resort.

And then they spotted the military jeeps.

Ari exchanged a look with Hannah who let out a curse and an exhale as she too spotted their unwelcome visitors. Ari hopped out of the truck, and motioned to Max and Sammy, indicating the jeeps. They both nodded to show they’d understood, and then he took Hannah’s hand.

“Follow my lead, okay?” He looked at her, squeezing his fingers around hers and she nodded as they headed inside. Ari began to laugh and Hannah, picking up on his signal, grinned at him as he closed the lattice door behind them, his hand still round hers, the other running through his hair. He gave a little false surprised start as he looked at the man in front of him, his best acting skills on show as he gave the man a smile and a puzzled look.

“Colonel. To what do we owe this pleasure?”

“I was just treating my men to some of Abu Aziz's famous cooking.” The man drawled back.

“Great,” Ari let go of Hannah's hand and planted his palm on the base of her back, guiding her forward, “let's not keep him waiting.”

They both walked past him, smiling at a few other guests, but Ahmed didn’t follow. “Stop.” He spoke loudly and Ari did as he was told, glancing at Hannah before the pair of them turned to look at him. “I just want to see what is in the back of your truck.”

“What for?” Ari shot back, a frown on his face, his stomach in nervous knots.

“It will please me.” Ahmed gave a huge grin displaying his bright white teeth before he barked something in Arabic to a soldier who obediently ran off.

Ari looked at Hannah, then to Rachel, fake puzzlement on his face as the two women both gave an exaggerated shrug, feigning nonchalance. There was a lot of shouting, as they all waited with bated breath, but eventually Ahmed’s smug grin slipped and Ari felt a huge wave of relief wash over him.

But, his relief didn’t last long. As they sat for dinner, the soldiers continued to patrol around the resort and the tension in the air was palpable, not merely across the team but also the guests. Ari was getting more and more frustrated and nervous as the seconds passed not least because he actually had no idea where Max and Sammy had hidden the refugees. He cleared his throat a little, his right arm leaning on the back of his chair, almost facing Hannah who was sat next to him, her body language tense. His left hand dropped to her back, gently rubbing circles over her T-shirt which was tacky with sweat as they both watched a soldier who walked amongst the tables, with his rifle held in his arms.

“Is there something I can help them find?” Ari turned to Ahmed.

“They are just doing their jobs.” The man shrugged before he looked at Nathifa who had come to clear away their starter plates, and began speaking once more in Arabic. Ari, Hannah, Jake and Rachel all exchanged a look. Whilst they had no idea what was being said, they could hazard a pretty good guess the man was digging for information. As he watched, in the corner of his eyes, Ari saw Rachel glance around, before she turned to him, taking a deep breath.

“I'll be right back,” she stood up. Hannah’s eyes followed her before she glanced at Jake who met her puzzled expression with one of his own. Giving a little cough, she reached for her glass of water at the same time Ari shifted in his seat, his hand dropping to Hannah’s thigh as he spoke to Nathifa who was now visibly distressed.

“Nathifa, go help Aziz with the food.”

Taking her leave, she did just that and a few minutes later their main course arrived. But, unlike normal, the entire resort was pretty much silent bar the chatter of the soldiers who were raucous around the table. Ari really wasn’t hungry, none of them were, they were too nervous as it wasn’t just their safety that was on the line but the hundreds of refugees hidden around the place, not to mention the guests who were all equally as tense at the armed guards. Taking Ari’s lead, Hannah forced herself to eat, keeping up appearances, and after what felt like a lifetime Ahmed placed his knife and fork down, letting out an appreciative noise.

“This was delicious.” He waved his arms over the table. “Maybe I'll bring Abu Aziz to come cook for me, hey?” He let out a chuckle as Nathifa made to move away with the plates, but in a flash he reached up and grabbed her arm, once more speaking in Arabic. And none of them needed to be able to understand the language to know the man was being forceful, and the young girl was scared.

Ari took a deep breath through his nose as Hannah’s hand dropped to his thigh and he steadied himself, quelling the anger that was simmering in his mind at the assholes treatment of the girl he had hold of. When he spoke, his voice was calm but stern, a far cry from how he felt inside. “Don't do that,” he shook his head, his gaze locked on Ahmed, who simply stared back at him, that arrogant, smug nature he exuded was almost suffocating. The man tossed his head at Ari, goading him further as he made a simple noise of questioning whilst he continued to feel up the young woman, his hand round her waist, rubbing up and down her thigh.

Ari clenched his teeth together, Hannah’s nails now digging painfully into his leg through his denims and he was aware of the deathly silence that had filled the room, all eyes now on him and Ahmed waiting to see how the clash of the two alphas was going to play out.

“Do you know why I love Hadandawa women?” Ahmed snorted as his hand slid round to Nathifa’s ass. “Because they are absolutely wild in the sack.” With a laugh he pulled her onto his lap as the soldiers around laughed as she let out a sob of protest.

“Hey!” A voice shouted from the rear of the room and Hannah turned her head slightly to see Rachel had returned and was stood a little behind them, her eyes fixed on the scene as it played out, her face set in anger. And then, in the corner of her eye, Hannah saw Ari slipping the steak knife off the table, his hand clenched around the wooden handle. His entire body was coiled like a snake, ready to attack, and Hannah knew he’d reached the point where if he was pushed anymore he wouldn’t think once, let alone twice.

Ahmed ignored Rachel completely, and continued his disgusting little monologue. “Because they don't feel anything down there.”

Hannah glanced at Jake, who shook his head slightly as he too had noticed Ari take the knife, and Hannah realised then she had to diffuse the situation before someone got killed. Ari might be fast, and strong, and in normal circumstances she’d bet on him to win, but these soldiers had guns. And he wouldn’t stand a chance, none of them would.

“Their fathers cut them when they are very young, so...” Ahmed chuckled, his hand straying across Nathifa’s thighs travelling slowly upwards. “You have to be very rough for them to feel anything at all.”

Hannah felt Ari besides her, moving as if he was going to get up, but before he got the chance, she reached over and deliberately knocked the water jug across the table. There was a sudden flurry of activity, as the liquid spread across the table, some of the soldiers jumping out of its way, and Ahmed made a clicking noise and pushed Nathifa up off his lap as the pool of water spread towards him. The sudden movement caused the girl to stumble to the floor and before Ari could stop her, Hannah jumped up to help.

“Do you have to be rough with your girl, Mr Thomas?” Ahmed asked, and Ari’s eyes flicked to his, his palm gripping at the knife even more as the man’s eyes moved to Hannah, a grin on his face. “Does she like it? Maybe I should try and see.”

And that was it, Ari was done. No one threatened his girl, no one.

Ahmed’s hand moved towards Hannah as she helped Nathifa to her feet, but his fingers had barely brushed her arm before Ari was out of his chair and right in front of the asshole.

“Don’t you lay a finger on her,” he hissed, the blade of the knife pressed into the man’s neck, fury radiating from every inch of his body as he glared at the man who dared to threaten his girl. Around him, soldiers were all raising their guns as everyone else stood stock still, the sound of his own breathing was all that Ari heard for a moment before Ahmed smirked.

“Or what? Huh? What is it that you are planning on doing with that knife, Mr. Thomas?”

“Hopefully just eat my dinner.” Ari’s voice was low but threatening, because consequences be damned, he wouldn’t think twice about slitting the man open, ear to ear. The two men faced off, neither backing down, the tension simmering until Ahmed eventually gestured for the soldiers to lower their guns. As they did so, Ari let out a deep breath, the hand holding the knife dropping slowly, his eyes not leaving Ahmed for a second.

Which was a mistake, as he missed the soldier approaching him from behind. The first he knew about it was a scream from Hannah at the same time he registered a searing pain as he was clubbed on the back of the head by the butt of a rifle. With a grunt, Ari fell to his knees, hands clutched to the back of his head as stars exploded in front of his eyes. His hands clutched to the back of his head in an attempt to alleviate some of the pain as he slumped back against the leg of the table, his head spinning. He blinked as Hannah dropped to her knees in front of him, her hands reaching to cup his face as he struggled to focus. He was aware that a few people were talking, and then there was a flurry of movement, and he blinked again, the room fading back into view as Hannah looked at him, her eyes full of tears.

“Lobo? Hey, let me see.” She whispered and he shook his head, swallowing as he brought his hand back in front of his face to check for blood. There was none.

“I’m okay.” He nodded to her, and she looked at him for a second before she stood and offered him her hand. He took it and rose to his feet, the other hand still pressed to the back of his head as he watched the remaining soldiers leave the room. The last one had barely left before he moved and pulled Hannah to him, his arms wrapping around her as he grimaced against the throbbing in his skull. Taking a deep breath he held Hannah’s trembling frame tightly, pressing a kiss to her head.

“Did he hurt you?” he asked, cupping her face and she shook her head.

“He barely touched me, Ari. I’m more worried about you.”

“He shouldn’t have even done that.” Ari ignored her concern as he shook his head, swallowing. He turned his head to glance around at the guests who were all watching with trepidation. With a nod, he gestured to the kitchen just as Max and Sammy both appeared and the team headed away from prying eyes.

Ari immediately headed to the lattice screens over the windows, his hand wrapped around Hannah’s as the pair of them watched the jeeps driving off.

“They're gonna be back soon. With numbers.” Ari said, as he turned to look at his team over his shoulder as he felt that horrible, shitty cold feeling of dread flood his system. Their timescales had just shrunk, dramatically.

“Especially when they figure out they're one man short.” Max sighed.

“What do you mean?” Hannah frowned. “What did you do?”

At that, Max shot a pointed look at Rachel as Sammy looped an arm round her shoulder, giving her a squeeze. Ari blinked as Rachel looked up at him, swallowing, and he gave a groan as he realised what was going on.

“Where is he?”

Less than a minute later the group of them were looking at exactly where he was. Dead on the floor of a hut. As they all stared down at the deceased soldier, none of them sure what the next steps were, Ari was frantically wracking his brain for a solution. This was his responsibility as leader after all.

But, it was Sammy that broke the silence to state the obvious. “We need a plan, Ari, and fast.”

Painfully aware that Sammy was right, Ari rubbed his face with his hand before he took a deep breath. He had been hoping to back Ethan into a corner and force him to backtrack and effectively mount one last rescue op before they all bailed, but that had completely gone out of the window. There’s no way they could even attempt it, not now that Ahmed was into them and one of his soldiers lay dead by his feet.

This was a fucking mess, and Ari suddenly found himself wishing there was one of Bowen’s dammed cargo planes coming for them…

Oh. Oh...

“Okay.” Ari gave a nod as the bones of a plan formed in his mind, letting out a deep exhale as he turned to Rachel and Jake. “Buy me a day, make sure they're taken care of but completely invisible. Don't let the staff in here.” Rachel nodded as he looked round at the guys in turn as he spoke. “Max, Sammy, take the truck, get the rest of the group.” He then looked at Hannah, squeezing her hand. “You and I gotta call Ethan.”

And you’re not leaving my side till we’re out of this fucking country…

Hannah looked at him, frowning a little and Ari knew why. Given that Ethan had warned him not to go near the remaining refugees he knew he was in for it. But he didn’t give a shit. Ethan could yell at him all he wanted, Ari’s priority now was his team and the hundreds of frightened people they had hid at the resort.

Quietly they all left the hut, peeling off in different directions. Rachel and Jake strode back up to the main part of the resort to see to the remaining guests that were still milling around following dinner, whilst Max and Sammy headed off to the trucks. Ari led Hannah back towards the resort a little behind Jake and Rachel, running through his plan in his head. It was such a long shot, but the only one they had.

“What are you gonna do, Ari?” Hannah’s voice was soft and he paused, turning to look at her.

“I’m gonna tell Ethan we need imminent extraction.”

“What? He can’t. There’s no exfil plan!” Her eyes widened as she shook her head. “And even if he could, now we have like three hundreds refugees after he told you not to get them!”

Ari dropped his head, hands on hips. “I know, sweetheart, which is why we’re gonna have to play the Bowen card.” His eyes met Hannah’s as she hesitated, and then frowned, opening her mouth to no doubt protest but Ari cut her off. “He knows who we are and what we’re doing, Han. He even mentioned your father’s name.”

“Yes, but what the fuck makes you think he can help when our own government can’t?” She shook her head. “Ari, this…”

“He talked about cargo planes, didn’t he?” Ari pressed. “Coming to evacuate them all?”

“Yeah, but... “

“We just have to convince him to get us one.” Ari shrugged, as if it was an easy and obvious solution, but he wasn’t fooling Hannah. She scoffed and snorted.

“Why would the US give a shit about-“

“You got a better idea?” Ari snapped, “because if you have, now is the time to share it.”

Hanna’s mouth pressed tightly into a thin line and she folded her arms across her chest, looking away. Ari gave a sigh, and when he spoke his voice was softer, contrite almost, but still carried an unmissable tone of frustration.

“Just hear me out!” Ari implored as Hannah continued to stare into the distance. “Because it’s the only thing I got. And last time I checked I was still in charge.”

Hannah raised her eyebrows at that, and after what felt like an age, she turned to face him, her face stony and Ari took a deep breath as she looked at him.

“Go on then.” She instructed as Ari raked his fingers through his hair, the way he always did when he was stressed or thinking.

“We reach out to Bowen tomorrow, come clean,” he licked his lips, the salty taste of his sweat mixed with the sea air stung his tongue as he took a deep breath. “If we can get Ethan on side he might be able to pull some strings, get our people to call his.”

Hannah blinked, before she shook her head, letting out a deep breath from her nose. “If you say so.”

Her tone was flat and Ari’s shoulders sagged a little as he glanced out over the dark surface of the ocean. She didn’t think it was going to work, and even he had to admit he wasn’t sure it would either. But right now, he could see no option. They were past being discreet, this wasn’t merely dangerous, it was now a straight out battle between life and death, and he wasn’t going to sit around and simply wait for the inevitable to happen.

“Hannah, I know it’s a long shot…” He turned back to look at her as she gave a derisive snort as she met his eyes.

“Long? That’s an understatement-“

“-but right now it’s the only shot we have!” His voice rose once more as he threw his arms out to his side, his palms slapping against the outside of this thighs as the snapped back down. “So I’m gonna take it, with or without your help.”

Hannah’s tongue poked the inside of her cheek and Ari could tell she was biting back another response, undoubtedly a smart quip about this being no change from normal, that he came up with these off-the-cuff ideas and ran with them, because he was a reckless asshole. But this time was different, he was in a corner and there was no alternative but to come out fighting. And, unlike normal, he was unable to find it in him to assure her it was all gonna be okay because he didn’t know it would be, not for certain. And he couldn’t lie to her.

Instead he waited, impatiently, simply watching as she stared back at him, an expression on her face so like Sammy’s when he too thought Ari was being a dick, as she shook her head, her tongue making a clicking noise against her teeth. “Fine.” She popped her shoulder. “Let’s call Ethan.”

*****

As predicted, Ethan blew his absolute fucking shit. He railed at Ari and Hannah over the radio, firing Ari, again. Both of them knew better than to interrupt his mad rant so they let him continue his angry diatribe until he finally finished and Ari picked up the conversation calmly and quietly. As he spoke and explained the spark of idea, Ethan’s logic kicked in and he agreed to do what he could at his end, but reminded them what they were already painfully aware of, essentially they were on their own. This whole operation had been illegal and off radar of the main Israeli government, so whilst Ethan was certainly able to provide them with a glimmer of an idea as to where they could exit the country, it was completely up to them to sort the when and how.

They spent the rest of the evening going over how they were going to approach Bowen and pull this off, Ari growing increasingly frustrated at the fact he didn't have the answers to Jake and Rachel’s questions. Eventually, Max and Sammy arrived back, and their attention then diverted to getting the remaining refugees quickly and quietly into the huts, providing medical treatment where needed and then some food. By the time that was done and the group reconvened in the kitchen area, it was almost half past three in the morning. To Ari's surprise, when he explained his plan to go to Khartoum and that he wanted Hannah to go with him, Sammy raised no objections, most likely because he was as keen to put as much distance between her and the potential returning soldiers as possible. And, whilst they were effectively about to officially blow their cover to the CIA, the US Embassy was the safest place for any of them to be.

They both took a quick shower and changed, Hannah dressing in a pair of faded jeans which grazed her ankles along with a pair of sneakers, whilst Ari pulled on a denim shirt and a pair of dark jeans before he sat on the edge of the bed to push his feet into his trusty boots as Hannah tied her hair back with a scrunchy. They then took Simon down to Max knowing the dog would try and follow the jeep unless he was occupied, and made a swift and quiet exit.

Ari could have driven the long journey to Khartoum with his eyes closed, it felt he'd done it that often over the past two years, but he was glad his eyes were firmly open as they both got to see the stunning sun rise over the desert horizon. It was a slight reprieve in an otherwise tense journey, both of them caught up in thoughts about what they had to do. At one point, however, Hannah fell silent mid discussion and Ari turned to see she'd fallen asleep. With a soft smile, he turned his attention back to the road happy to leave her to it. She might be exhausted but she was safe.

They arrived at the US Embassy at just gone Nine-Thirty, and a flash of Ari's 'Guy' Passport saw them through the guarded gate.

“Can I help you?” The receptionist looked up and Ari flashed her his most charming smile.

“We’re here to see Walton Bowen.”

“Do you have an appointment?” The woman beamed back, batting her eyelids at Ari, but before he could try and win her over with any more of his charm, Hannah rolled her eyes and cut in.

“We don’t need one.” She gave the woman a curt smile. “Tell him Guy Thomas and Rosa Gomez are here. He’ll see us.”

The receptionist blinked and Ari looked away, fighting the smirk that was threatening to spread across his face at Hannah’s tone. She kept her eyes on the receptionist, her mannerism not faltering for a second and the woman behind the desk gave a little cough as she reached for the phone. After a short conversation she replaced the receiver and looked up.

“He’s going to send someone down to collect you, in the mean time I’ll need you to sign in as Visitors.”

“Thank you.” Hannah replied sweetly as the woman slid over the register she needed them to fill in before she moved to a filing cabinet at the back. “What?” Hannah raised an eyebrow at Ari who simply shook his head.

“Nothing, Firefly.”

Less than five minutes later they were being led into the office upstairs, Bowen greeting them both in the main part before he led them through to a smaller room at the back which was clearly his office. They both politely declined his offer of something to drink, taking a seat opposite where Bowen himself sat at his desk. Ari’s hands clasped together in his lap as he took a deep breath, his eyes on Bowen,

“So, are you going to finally tell me who you really are?”

Frustration filled Ari’s system at how deliberately obtuse the guy was being. “You know who we are.” Ari’s voice was calm but authoritative, indicating that he wasn’t in the mood for whatever stupid horseplay Bowen was trying to tease them into. “I wish we had time to play games, but we don't.”

“Right.” Bowen was completely unfazed by Ari’s tone as he leant back in his chair, gesturing to them both “But I'd really like to hear it. From you.”

At that Hannah stiffened and took a deep breath, she was pissed off too. Ari gently laid a hand on her arm, as he turned to Bowen.

“Hypothetically?” Ari spoke, his eyes fixed on the man. “I'm the Israeli government.”

“Well fuckin' shalom.” Bowen’s voiced was laced with sarcasm as his eyebrow raised, a smirk on his face. Ari took a deep breath as he narrowed his eyes, Hannah making an angry noise through her nose as she shook her head, glancing around the room, teeth worrying at her bottom lip in a nervous, yet irritated manner.

“Let's assume for a second that we know something about these disappearing refugees.” Ari broke the tense silence. “And, we theoretically need your help getting about four hundred of them out of the country, immediately.”

“Oh?” Bowen questioned, although both Ari and Hannah could tell he wasn’t in the least surprised. “How would I do that?”

“You mentioned planes.” Hannah looked at him as she crossed her left leg over her right. “Here on the ground in Khartoum, cargo planes.”

“Uh-huh.” Bowen replied, taking a deep breath before he shook his head. “Even if I could help you, Ari and Hannah.” He paused, levelling Ari with a look as Ari stiffened at the use of their real names whereas besides him Hannah merely blinked. “I don't have that kind of pull.”

“Okay, look,” Hannah uncrossed her legs and leaned forward, hands resting on her knees, “my dad didn’t found Mossad for you to come in riding shit shot over everything we’ve done or are trying to do.” She paused as Bowen took a deep breath, not an inch of surprise on his features confirming Hannah’s suspicions that he knew a dammed site more than just their names. “These are our people. They’re hungry, sick and being persecuted in a way you couldn’t possibly imagine. So much so that they’re willing to risk their lives to escape. Now, if we don’t find a way to get them out of here, then you’re gonna have a massacre not only on your hands but your conscience. So, I’ll ask again, are you gonna fucking help us or not?”

Her voice as steely, and as Ari looked at her, she was radiating a deathly, silent fury, fire burning in her eyes and for the first time since they’d started their meeting, Bowen’s cocky demeanour faltered a little as he shifted uncomfortably under her glare.

Despite everything, Ari couldn’t help but smile at how quickly Hannah had turned this round on Bowen by calling him out and he was reminded exactly why he had wanted her on the mission in the first place. Sure, her skills lay in the medical field but in situations like this she was fearless, quick thinking and had an authority about her when she was in this mood that could make the bravest of men quake in their boots. Right there and then, he didn’t think he could love her any more if he tried.

And he was also highly inappropriately turned on.

Bowen sighed and shook his head, an apologetic look on his face, his body language now shifting from cautious to open. “Honestly, the best I can do is talk to my bosses.”

“Well then,” Hannah nodded to the two phones on his desk, her arms folding back over her chest, chin jutting upwards in a display of defiance, “get talking.”

Bowen looked at her before he took a deep sigh and picked up the phone. From then on in it was a flurry of calls, back and forth it went as Ari explained in detail his idea and what he had agreed with Ethan.

For hours the wrangling went on until Bowen made the final call and informed them there was nothing more he could do formally. Ari, frustrated by the amount of red tape the man seemed to be caught up in had started pacing up and down, hand running through his beard. Hannah remained nervously in her seat, her foot tapping the leg of Bowen’s desk as the man gave her a small smile.

And then the red phone rang.

All three of them looked at it, Hannah rising to her feet as Bowen took a deep breath before he reached to pick it up, but Ari stopped him, hurrying over from his spot in the doorway, panic flooding his system as he suddenly realised there was a pretty big chance this wasn’t gonna go the way they wanted.

“Wait, wait, wait!” His large hand curled on the receiver to prevent Bowen answering as it continued to ring shrilly. “I don't know what this person's gonna tell you. They may tell you to throw me out of the building or the country, but I promise you, what you do right now will be your legacy.” He paused as Bowen looked at him. “When you look back on this moment, it will either fill you with great pride, or great shame.”

Bowen looked at him, before Ari moved back and he picked up the phone. “This is Walton.”

Ari and Hannah exchanged looks, her hand slipping into his giving it a squeeze as Bowen spoke. Eventually, he put the phone down and took a deep breath.

“They told me to throw you out.” He shrugged and Hannah felt her heart sink.

“Fuck!” Ari slammed his hand on the desk before he stood up, both hands flying through his hair.

“But lucky for you, we’re cut from the same cloth Ari, I don’t much care for stupid decisions from up the chain either.” Ari blinked, his hands dropping to his side as he stared at Bowen, who shrugged a little. “You’re right, I don’t want four hundred deaths on my conscience so I’ll get you a plane, but I can only get you one.”

Ari let’s out a sigh of relief, his mouth dry as he thanked every single one of his damned lucky stars. He turned to Hannah who was looking up at the ceiling, swallowing and blinking back tears, letting out the breath she had been holding pretty much since the phone rang.

“We got a thirty minute window tonight.” Bowen continued, as he turned and walked to a filing cabinet, pulling out a scroll “I can’t buy any more time.” With a flourish he unrolled the paper out onto his desk and Hannah instantly spotted it was a map as he pinned it down with a stapler at one side and a book at the other. He glanced up at Ari then Hannah, pointing to it. “You mentioned an air field?”

****

By the time they had fleshed out their plan, which involved numerous calls on secure lines back to Mossad HQ, it was almost two in the afternoon, and Ari was conscious that they needed to go if they were to stand any chance of meeting the schedule. After bidding Bowen a hasty good bye, they made their way swiftly to the jeep, hopped in and Ari sped away from the embassy back down the main road that would lead them out of Khartoum for what Ari was hoping would be the last time.

They felt like it was taking forever, and this time it was the setting sun that filled their eyes as Ari navigated the jeep down the deserted dirt track through the desert, once more avoiding the main road. They made small talk, a mix tape playing over the speakers as they went, Hannah mostly concentrating on going over their plan so they had it down to the last detail. But after a few hours, Ari had fallen silent and had taken to huffing impatiently, the foot which wasn’t pressed on the accelerator was jiggling nervously and his jaw was clenching in that tell-tale way. After half an hour or so of watching this silently, Hannah instructed him to pull over and take a moment before they had an accident, something he was extremely reticent to do but obliged anyway because she knew she was right. He needed to stretch his legs and clear his mind as much as he could. He would be no use to anyone if he arrived home in this state. He needed to be calm, focussed and together.

Ari left the ignition running, in case they needed to make a quick get-away and climbed out of the vehicle where he had pulled off the dirt track slightly and parked in the shelter of two sand dunes. He cracked his neck, ran his hand through his hair and began pacing a little, his toes scuffing at a few loose rocks as he took a deep breath, while Hannah watched from her spot against the rear fender of the jeep where she leaned back against the warm metal, her eyes tracking his every movement.

Ari bit his lip as he paced, running anxious hands through his hair, wringing them together, murmuring to himself. He thought back to his conversation with Sammy the day before and the incident in the dining room which until now, he had managed to compartmentalise. He was so desperate and determined to get this escape out properly without further damage to any of them, not least make sure Hannah was safe, that he had focussed all his energy and mental capacity on plotting and organising their route out. But now, the realisation of how close he had come to risking everything getting blown in a split second crashed over him, and it felt like a knife in the gut that was being slowly twisted, compounded by a constant hammer on the head, reminding him of exactly how dire the situation was.

Abruptly, he quit pacing and stalked over to Hannah, his hands cupped her face and crashed his lips to hers in a kiss that was bruising and possessive, but ever so careful as well, a combination Ari managed effortlessly when it came to his Firefly. “I love you. I love you so much...” he mumbled against her mouth.

She made no protest, bar a huff of surprise, but she welcomed him, almost like she needed the release as much as he did. Their kisses became more heated, and before he knew what he was doing, Ari's hand was fumbling for the door. Then effort was clumsy at best, teeth clashing together as he blindly pried the door open and pushed her inside till she was lying on the backseat.

Hannah grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him down to her, furiously kissing him, teeth clashing, beard scratching as she emptied every single emotion she was feeling into his mouth as he pressed her into the well-worn, creaky back bench of the jeep, groaning as he ground his hips down against hers. It wasn’t comfortable, trying to contort his large frame across the rear of the car but, right at that moment, comfort was the last thing on his mind as her hands tangled into his hair, nails scraping his scalp as she keened underneath him.

Ari pulled away if only for a second but Hannah's eyes told him everything he wanted to hear.

"Make me yours, Lobo," she whispered against his ear as his lips nipped and licked at her neck.

"You're already mine, Firefly," he all but growled, moving so that he had one leg bent on the bench, the other extended into the rear foot-well. The clanging of buckles, zipping of trousers and the rustling of fabric filled the car as, with a swift, hurried movement, Ari undone his belt and jeans, shoving them and his boxers down over his hips, just enough to allow his erection to spring free.

With a feral movement, he swatted Hannah’s hands away from where they were fumbling with the flies at the top of her own faded blue denims and quickly pulled them and her panties down over one of her legs, leaving her to kick them off the other, or not, he didn’t give a shit as long as they weren’t in the way. He shoved her legs apart as best he could, the tight position of the back seat giving them little room as she braced herself against the door arms above her head palms flat against the door.

Ari wasn’t wasting any time, because they simply didn’t have any to waste. Not only were they up against the clock due to their schedule, if they got caught as they were, out in the open, well, there was a jail cell waiting for both of them, and all things considered, had he been thinking straight he wouldn’t have instigated any of this. But he wasn’t, he never was as far as this woman was concerned.

Laying back over her, with a long, deep rut forward he thrust up into her, making her groan loudly as he nipped roughly at her neck whilst he retracted his hips and thrust back into her, harder still. A few thrusts later, his hips were set in a rhythm, snapping back and forth with a pace and a vigour that was merciless as he pistoned in and out of her again and again. His hands firmly gripping her hips as his lips met hers in a hard, deep kiss which was furious, tongues lashing against one another, obscene noises filling the vehicle, the inside of which was already hot and sweaty thanks to the heat of the day still being present, and was growing muggier by the second thanks to the heavy, exertive activities taking place on the back seat.

After a particularly deep thrust, an animalistic growl burst from his throat as one of her hands snaked into his long hair and gave a tug. As he glanced down at her, he could see the pupils of her eyes were blown wide with a desire he would never tire of seeing. She titled her hips up against him, causing him to drive deeper and she let out an almost primal cry he had never, in all their times of being intimate together, heard her make before. It simply revved him up even more, his rapid movements growing even more urgent.

“Fuck, Lobo,” she moaned, her head falling back, smacking against the metal of the car door as Ari thrust into her harder over and over again and it wasn’t long before he felt the tell-tale flutter of her clamping around him, a sign she was close and her hands flew from where they’d been braced against the door to his back.

“Firefly,” his hand reached up, grasping her chin between his finger and thumb, forcing her face round to his and his lips claimed hers once more. “Come on, baby,” he panted against her mouth, his thrusting pausing for a moment as he ground up against her, causing her to cry out. “Cum for me, Hannah.”

Another rotation of his hips saw her mouth drop open in as she chanted his name, again and again, her tight heat gripping him like a vice as she came, her back arching, hands clawing at his skin over his denim shirt. The bite of pain from her nails overwhelmed him and he felt his own stomach tighten.

“Shit, Hannah, I’m gonna…” His words tumbled into her hair as his movements became desperate before his hips stuttered as he came with a surge that made the world around him go silent, almost like someone was squeezing the air out of him inch by inch.

They lay there in a tangle of clothing and limbs, chests heaving, sweat glistening on every part of their bodies that was exposed, clothes sticking to the parts that weren’t. Ari held his girl to him, panting and shaking, and he was desperate not to let her go, but he was also painfully aware that their stolen time together today was coming to an end. As he managed to gain enough control push himself up on his arms, Hannah looked up at him, gently brushing the tendrils of hair that had fallen over his face back, raised her head, her lips pressing gently to his in a soft, tender kiss, a stark contrast to the violent ones they had shared moments before.

“Marry me.” He said softly, his eyes only on hers, awaiting her answer.

Hannah blinked as the two simple words resonated in her brain and those gorgeous eyes that Ari could stare into all day long grew wide in surprise. “What?” Her question was nothing more than a breathy whisper and Ari took a deep breath, before he spoke again, his voice clearer than it had been moments ago.

“Marry me, Hannah.”

As he watched her process his request, her eyes began to water and a single tear trickled down her cheek. Ari reached up to wipe it away, his hand shaking a little with nervous apprehension. Had he overstepped? It really wasn’t how he’d ever seen himself asking her, in a million years, but he wanted her to know just how much he did love and need her, especially as they were about to embark on the most dangerous part of their mission yet. And if it did go wrong, then at least she would know what she meant to him truly.

“Han?” He managed to croak her name out as she laid there, simply looking at him. And after what felt like an age, she gave a sniff and then the faintest nod.

But a nod nonetheless.

“Yeah?” Ari inhaled, hardly daring to believe it but then her face cracked into a huge smile and she nodded once more.

“Yes! A million times yes! It’s always been you, Ari Levinson.”

He spluttered a happy chuckle as her words sunk in and the sheer joy flooded his system at her answer, the love he felt for her warm in his chest like a talisman as she beamed at him. Grinning like the Cheshire cat, he closed the small space between them, sealing their engagement with a kiss. As much as he wanted to slowly make love to her until the sun crested the dunes and the stars started to shine, they were on a time crunch and this little detour would have already set them back some. But it was all fucking worth it, it would be. He had to believe it, or no one else would.

They made themselves presentable and began the rest of their journey back to the resort, time no longer on their side. And as Ari drove, Hannah's left hand nestled lovingly and snuggly in his right, he pressed his lips to her knuckles.

“I didn't mean for this.” Ari sighed as he glanced at her and then back to the dirt road ahead. “Well, I did in a way but not for it to end like this. I don’t know how I would have made it through any of this without you.”

“Ari.....” Hannah gave a little tsk. “You’ve pulled a lot of missions without me in the picture.”

“Maybe but,” Ari shook his head, “this is different.”

Hannah sighed now herself and leaned over to kiss his cheek, “the Red Sea Diving Resort will always have a place in our hearts, huh? If we make it, that is.”

“Don’t...” Ari shook his head. “Don’t say that. It’s gonna be fine.”

“I really wanna believe you.” She whispered, looking down at their entwined hands, taking a deep breath. “In an ideal world, then yeah, but I don’t know, Ari. I’m scared.”

He felt defeat in that moment, for he wanted nothing more than for Hannah to feel safe and secure. His body slumped a little in his seat and for a little while he didn't utter a word, his mind reeling and when he spoke his voice was a sad, barely there whisper. “I’m sorry, Firefly. I’m so sorry I dragged you into this. Fuck...Sammy’s right, I’m an asshole, I...”

“Hey!” Hannah cut him off sternly, “You listen to me right now, I wouldn’t change this, any of it for the world. It brought you back to me and even now I’d go back and do it all over, just to make sure we had these last two years.” She trailed off with a little swallow and a shrug as Ari took a deep breath.

“We’ll have more, Han. We didn’t go through all this to fail now. We’re gonna make it. We have to.” It was a plea more than a statement, his eyes searching hers as she held his gaze, pleading with her to give him this, assure him he was right, because for once in his life, Ari Levinson wanted his gut feeling to be wrong.

And she did. “Okay. If you’re telling me that then I trust you.”

Despite the tension of the day, Ari felt himself relax a little, both from the touch of her hand against his and by her words. He pressed a soft kiss again to the topside of her hand.

He couldn't admit it, maybe later once this was all over he would, but he was scared too.

**** Chapter 15

#leave no one behind #Ari Levinson #ari levinson x ofc #ari levinson x original female character #red sea diving resort #red sea diving resort fan fic #chris evans #chris evans characters

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imaginationjunkie · 3 years

Text

Say the word

Jason Todd x Reader

It’s kinda heartwarming

I tried to control my fast breaths, lifting my head from the crook of Jason’s neck to give him a lazy kiss. Deliriousness coursed through our veins, minds hazy from the aftermath bliss of an intimate climax.

Being apart for weeks for his mission and my conference clearly had one gigantic perk- the mad intense I-missed-you-so-fucking-much sex.

It doesn’t matter if it was the first or the thousandth time, the feeling of his body against mine never failed to weaken my limbs to mush and warm my heart, like it’s soup being heated up on a stove.

A smile split my lips as I tried lifting my naked body up from his chest, and failing. The thick, muscular arms that were tightly wrapped around my waist stopped me from doing so. It made me smile wider and lean down to put my lips on Jason’s.

“You know you’re gonna have to stop doing that right?” I murmured, running my fingers through his dark raven locks. A chaste kiss was placed on my cheek by his smirking lips.

“Hmm? Doing what?”

I leaned down so that our bare chests pressed against each other, lips hovering over his. My whisper was naughty as I answered him.

“Why should I? We both seem to like it so very much,” Jason nuzzled his nose against mine with a mischievous smirk.

“Because if by any chance I get preggers before marriage, my parents will chase you to the ends of the earth and decapitate the crap out of you,” I whispered jokingly, but meant every word. “And then after they’re done with you, they’ll feed me to the demons.”

My ever-so-daring boyfriend’s reply was to lowly chuckle and simply kiss my shoulder.

Affection came naturally to us now, especially since Jason had been touch starved practically since birth. The first few months of our relationship, I had to have a mental debate every time before touching him; how far I should go with the cuddling, to hold his hand or not, put my legs on his body while cuddling or not...

Unlike his brother Dick, who much to Jason’s irritation loved pulling me into a tight hug every time we met, Jason just wasn’t the affectionate type.

After a few months, I understood how badly he needed to be touched- to be loved, to be comforted. When he got the message that it’s okay to hold me as much as he wants, that there’s finally someone he can lose himself in, someone he can love, he found a way to touch me every spare moment we spent together. Kissing my neck, nuzzling his nose, holding my hips, putting his large hand on the small of my back or around my waist, constantly lifting me onto his lap- the list’s never ending.

“I’m serious, a child out of wedlock is beyond just a sinful taboo in my family,” I booped his nose, leaning my forearms on his chest to hold my upper body up.

Jason pretended to be lost in thought for a while before suddenly rolling our bodies over to our sides, the ridges and sinewy muscles of his defined chest flush against my back. He tucked the messy portion of my hair out of the way before kissing from my neck up to the back of my ear.

“Well since marriage is out of the question, I’ve no option than to not make my pull out game weak,” his tongue darted out to lick my ear teasingly.

Ignoring the pang that hit my heart at his statement about marriage, I turned to swat his chest teasingly. My lips were unable to hold back a grin at his reference to WAP .

“What? You’re the one who keeps dancing to it every morning,” Jason grinned back at me.

“It’s 4 am, we should sleep,” I shook my head at him, turning to face forward again. Jason and my shared bedroom turned dark as he flicked the dim bedside lamp off, making the glow of moonlight our only source of light.

The warmth from having his arms encased around me brought a serene feeling, making me think about how impossible it’d be to live without Jason Todd.

“I love you,” he murmured against my neck.

My eyes closed shut, senses overwhelmed with the depth of my feelings.

“I love you,” I whispered back.

I had an amazing life- loving and supporting, albeit sometimes overbearing, parents, a great job, a pretty apartment, and a man I’m certain I’d love and be loved by for the rest of my life. For the entirety of my existence, I’ve had the one thing Jason never did- stability.

But when it’s meant to be, it’ll always be.

God, fate or whatever higher force is up there looking over us made sure to let our souls find each other. Cherish each other.

I knew Jason’s views on marriage and children. It was hard enough for him to indulge himself with something as normal as a committed relationship, that too for two and a half years; but it’d actually be impossible for him to be a husband, a father. He didn’t have a basic job in the least, and thus didn’t think tying the knot and being a family man would be suitable for him.

Ever since I was a little girl, one of the things I’ve wanted greatly was to be married to the man I loved someday. But for Jason I could give it up. I could give up the hopes of having a ring on my finger and a baby on my belly, because he means more to me than anything ever will.

¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

*2 months later, New Year’s eve night at the Wayne Manor backyard*

“Damian, those aren’t fireworks, they’re explosives!”

At my alarmed exclaim, Dick quickly snatched the big box from his younger brother’s hands, waddling his finger as if to say ‘no no’.

“They’re fireworks,” Jason assured from behind. “The kid and I labelled it explosives so Dick doesn’t steal it,”

Dick’s face scrunched up in confusion, “”Why would I steal your fireworks? I’ve better things to do for fu-”

“Miss, the barbecue is ready. Would you like to add the last bit of sauce on top?” The always-polite and everyone’s favorite Alfred smartly interrupted Dick from saying the curse word.

Every time I practically forced my boyfriend, his brothers and father into having a family night, Alfred let me help with the food; and since I suck beyond words at cooking, he always gave me the easy tasks to do.

Now if you’re thinking that prevented me from considering myself as the world’s second Martha Stewart, you’re wrong.

I clapped my hands together in delight, “I’d love to!”

“No she wouldn’t,” Jason, Dick and Tim said at the same time.

I turned to them, perplexed at their concurrent interference.

Taking note of the unusual shiftiness in the boys’ stances, I raised a brow- “And why is that?”

Out of the three suspicious-looking brothers, Dick replied- “Because there’s only 20 minutes till midnight and you have to help us set the fireworks off!”

Now both my eyebrows rose, and I crossed my arms against my chest.

“So you’re telling me,” I said in slow amusement, dragging the words sarcastically. “That three of the strongest night vigilantes of Gotham, one being a violent nutcase once,” a look was thrown in Jason’s direction, “Needs an ordinary girl to set off fireworks?”

This time Tim responded, “Well you see, we’ve never set them off. None of us has ever had the chance to have a normal new years with fireworks and a countdown,”

“Really?” I deadpanned, voice turning into a shrill by the end of the question, “So have I been planning and working my ass off every new year’s for the past three years to make robots happy?”

Tim realized his mistake, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head before trying to redeem himself. “But we’ve never had a family new years, y’know, with the barbecue and fireworks,”

“Also, you’re nowhere near ordinary,” Jason added in a low voice as he came to stand behind me and kissed my temple. I rolled my eyes at the cheesiness, wrapping an arm around the middle of both the boys’ backs.

Right then Damian piped in, surprising everyone. “Plus you’re not a girl, you’re a woman,” he emphasized on the last word, making Jason scoff with a smirk and everyone else laugh.

It didn’t take long for me to grow on Damian, making him accept and like me. From what I heard from his brothers and Alfred, he didn’t like most people and never went easy on newcomers. I was especially concerned about getting Jason’s family to like me, since he didn’t have much of a good relationship with them and I wanted to change that. In the end everyone ended up accepting me; and gradually even treating me as one of their own. Dick and I were practically best friends.

Despite what he used to say, I knew Jason loved them all like they were his own blood; so I knew that it meant a great deal to him to rekindle his relationships with them.

Bruce Wayne’s voice spoke for the first time that evening, “Good evening, my apologies for the delay,”

An awkward silence took over our so-far cozy night. All of the boys looked other directions, not acknowledging their dad who never bothered to show up to any family days on time. I tried my best to knit the boys together, help them get close and create a bond; and saying that I succeeded wouldn’t be a lie. But the fact that Bruce couldn’t even take one day off from his billionaire/ vigilante duties sort of upset me every time.

Jason scoffed, his mouth opening to say something undoubtedly snarky to his father. But before he had the chance to I stepped on his shoe and gripped his hand tightly, silencing him.

“It’s okay Bruce, at least you made it,” I smiled.

The excruciatingly tense atmosphere was cracked by Dick, “I still need help with the fireworks, anyone up for it?”

“I’ll come!” I was quick to squeak and walk towards him.

“Me too,” Damian grumbled, following me.

Tim was the last one. “Yeah, me as well.”

“Great, so you guys do the fireworks and Jaybird and I will be right back!” Dick clapped his hands together in perky delight, pushing Jason’s back forward as they walked into the manor. From the distance, I saw Jason shrug Dick’s hand off before glaring at him. Again, confusion filled me at their strange behavior tonight.

“What was that about?” I asked Tim.

He smiled, “Nothing, probably just vigilante stuff.”

As the minutes passed by, the new year came nearer and nearer. The three of us successfully managed to set off the first batch of fireworks, looking up at the sky and laughing freely. Even Bruce had a small smile as he took a sip of his drink, looking up and the lit up sky with a hand in his pocket.

When it was about 10 minutes to the clock ticking 12:00 am, worry started to cloud the excitement I was feeling; but Tim and Damian were quick to distract it.

“Now can we do the grand purple one?” Damian gave me a rare pleading look.

“Yeah we can, but where’re Jason and Dick? They’re gonna miss new year’s,” I voiced my concern.

Right then, my phone started ringing.

Incoming video call from mom.

I answered, knowing that my parents were calling to say Happy New Year like they did every year. What rendered me surprised after receiving the call was that almost my entire family was on the frame of my mom’ video- two of my aunts, uncles and all the cousins I’m close to. Which are a lot.

I’m a family person, if you couldn’t tell already.

“Hi baby!” My mom grinned.

I grinned back, glee taking over the initial confusion.“Hey y’all! Are you having a New Years party without me?”

One of my younger cousins replied, “Sort of, now show us!”

My brows furrowed, “Show you what?”

A string of ‘oh shit’s sounded from mom’s side, further increasing my confusion.

Out of the blue, Dick intervened from behind me, “The fireworks of course!”

A sudden bang! took us all by surprise, and I looked up to see the huge purple fireworks lighting the dark canvas of the sky up. A wide grin split my lips, along with all the other boys as they whooped at the different shades of purple. It happened to be my favorite color.

I felt the familiar warmth of Jason’s body against my back before hearing or seeing him. The digital clock on the top corner of my phone read 11:55 pm. Not being able to contain my excitement, I subconsciously shoved my phone to Tim, who was beside me, while my family was still on video. I raised a hand to point at the sky.

“Jay look, it’s all so purple!”

And then something happened. Something I wouldn’t even dream of imagining.

Jason’s larger hand rose to the level of mine, which was still pointing up at the sky. He spread my fingers out so that my hand was displayed open. I turned to look at my boyfriend, not quite understanding his intentions.

His eyes were trained on mine, a golden and purple reflection from the fireworks and balcony lights visible on the glossy blue orbs.

Our eyes stayed on each other’s as I felt something cold graze the top of my ring finger.

In the background I heard Dick harshly whisper, “Tim, the song!”

I wasn’t dumb. I knew what my boyfriend was holding on top of that finger.

Jason’s lips were an inch away from my ear as he spoke clearly, not a hint of hesitation in his voice, “Just say the word, and I’ll put a ring on you.”

I couldn’t even look at it as I tried to get over the giant bucket of emotions that was thrown over me. Shock, flabbergast, sheer happiness, disbelief, excitement, a rush of adrenaline. My heart threatened to beat the crap out of my chest.

“Jason,” I whispered, my eyes fluttering shut as he put his chin on my shoulder, inches from mine. “What. Are. You. Doing??”

He bit his lip, smiling before cryptically answering. “I love you.”

“I thought you didn’t want to get married?” I questioned again. “Do you think I’m pregnant? Are you doing this cause-?” my voice was breathy.

Jason smirked, his unoccupied arm going round me from behind to rest on the other side of my waist. “No baby, I don’t. The twenty something negative pregnancy sticks on the bathroom trash sort of made it clear that you aren’t pregnant.”

I couldn’t hold back my own grin from his teasing. For the first time, I turned my head to look at our hands. The sky was phenomenal in the background of them, a swirl of blue, red and purple as Damian and Dick continued setting the fireworks off. Tim was holding my phone up to where Jason and I were standing, undoubtedly showing the scene to my family. Now I knew why they were all gathered together to call me.

“You asked my parents?”

Jay rubbed his nose on my cheek, his smart-assery coming to action as he quoted my words from that night two months ago- “Of course, wouldn’t wanna be chased to the end of the earth and be decapitated the crap out of now, would I?”

The boys all had blinding bright and hopeful grins on their faces; even Damian! Alfred’s expression could only be described with one adjective- delight, and Bruce had an odd smile as he saw the straight-out-of-a-movie scene unfold.

I turned my head to the side to look at Jason again, grin faltering to a small smile.

This time nervousness coated his expression and words as he asked once again, “Will you marry me?“

I heard my mom speak through the phone, “Oh come on, stop torturing the poor boy! Answer already!“

Taking a deep breath, I leaned my head even closer to Jason’s. His blue eyes pierced into mine with their intensity, and my lips touched his as I said the word softly.

“Yes.”

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anyoneseenadam · 3 years

Text

Home: Chapter Six

azriel x reader (acotar)

summary: (y/n) is a daughter of Persephone, still recovering from the trauma of her fall into Tartarus and doesn’t have time for a stupid, handsome, annoying, stunning, injured man. But now they’re stuck together in the middle of nowhere and there only chance of getting home is if she can heal him, and fast.

warnings: big spoilers for mark of Athena and house of Hades, also for the acotar series, eventual smut, blood, PTSD, graphic descriptions of violence, injuries and torture, enemies to lovers so az is a bit of a dick to start, swearing, THIS PART HAS SMUT YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED but it is very soft

word count: 3.2k

dress featured: x

a/n: this part was gonna be super fluffy and lovely but of course i cant do that so it’s quite angsty lol sorry. BUt Percabeth make an appearance and we love them so I think that evens it out :) I also apologise if there are any mistakes I wanted to get this out ASAP because I have exams coming up :( pls comment it genuinely makes my day i get so happy when people comment, anyway enjoy!

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Azriel wasn’t entirely sure he would ever get over ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’, or any other Marvel movies for that matter, having cried when Bucky was revealed, or when Pietro died making you practically piss yourself with laughter as you muttered something along the lines of “Just wait.”

When the sun began to rise you had turned the laptop off, pulling him in tightly as you pulled the thick duvet over you and proceeded to snore softly with your head pressed over his heart and your other hand reaching out and clutching your favourite soft toy. He thinks he maybe got three hours of sleep, but he laid with you the whole morning, addicted to the heat emitting from you and the way the whole room seemed to be resting as you slept, the breeze swaying the curtains matching that of your gentle breaths and the plants drooping as they too relaxed.

When you did wake, Azriel found his way between your legs, determined to wake you up properly. Your soft cries were like music to his ears, and he made you cum three times before you were pushing his shoulders away, shaking from over-stimulation, and climbing on top of him, sinking down slowly, letting yourself feel every inch. As he sat back, his hands resting on your waist to guide you when you became breathless, holding tightly and occasionally thrusting up into you when the pace became to slow for his taste. You reached a hand to his wings as his thumb found your clit, and you kissed sloppily as you searched for release.

Soon, you fell on top of him as he grunted, hips stalling as you whined into his open mouth. He slowly pulled out and wrapped his arms tightly around your middle, the two of you laying silently simply enjoying the others presence. You soon looked up at him and gave him a breathless smile, pecking his jaw, before swinging your legs over the side of the bed and grabbing a robe of the floor. You made your way to the record player and filled the room with the sound of the Bee Gee’s, Azriel closing his eyes and letting the foreign sounds consume him. You sat down at your vanity and started putting on your jewellery, all the movements practiced, and he cracked open an eye watching you string necklaces with crystals hanging from them around your neck. He laughed as you sang along to the song, flirty eyes catching his as you swayed from side to side.

“More than a woman…” you sang softly as you pulled lacy panties up your legs and rubbed fruity lotion into your legs and hands, waving your hands to dry them before pushing of numerous rings. He sat up in bed, watching you intently as you moved to your wardrobe and pulled out a pretty off-the-shoulder, white dress with frills and faint flowers decorating it. You dropped your robe and pulled on the dress, shaking your hair out and turning to walk over to him. The golden light from the window coated you and you look like you belonged in the Day Court as your skin was cast in the glow, it seemed to weave around you alike a halo and he was struck by how angelic you looked.

“I’m gonna go wash my face,” you said, pressing quick kiss to his lips and giggling sweetly when he tried to chase your mouth for more, pulling away and leaving the room, blowing a kiss in his direction.

He stood, a love-drunk smile on his face as he went about finding his boxers from the night before and pulling them on, grimacing at the tight fit, before he wandered to the drawer you had pulled them from, laughing when he found men’s joggers as well and pulling them on. When he turned to find a top he was instead greeted by a middle-aged man in running gear. He reached for truth-teller, moving into a fighting stance, his shadows swarming around him menacingly and silently begged that you would stay in the bathroom to avoid seeing any blood.

“At ease Azriel, I won’t hurt you.” The strange man said, not actually looking at him and instead typing furiously on his phone.

“How did you get in here?” Azriel asked gruffly, assessing the man to see if he had weapons.

The man waved a hand through the air dismissively, “You are not supposed to be here you know.”

“What do you mean?” He was still uncomfortable at the fact the man knew his name, and now he was insinuating that he knew that Azriel wasn’t from this world.

“Stupid Aphrodite and her hopeless ideals messing up the routes so you could meet (y/n). The fates won’t be happy if you don’t return soon, and even worse Persephone will lose it if she thinks her daughter has been dragged into any messy situations like this, so you boy, are going home, come on.” He beckoned to Azriel, but he didn’t budge.

“Who are you?” He demanded as the man rolled his eyes.

“Hermes, messenger God, now come on I don’t have all day.”

“What did you mean by the fates?”

Hermes sighed deeply, muttering something about a pay raise under his breath before he finally looked up at Azriel. “Some soulmates simply just aren’t meant to meet I’m afraid, why do you think we wrote so many tragedies. If a Greek is born lucky enough to have a soulmate they will likely be from another world, and that means they cannot be together. I know you think she is your mate, but she must stay here, she’s not even immortal it would be cruel. I told Aphrodite to not let you two meet and that it would just end in heart-break, but she didn’t listen, felt bad for the girl or something, but either way you need to leave now.”

Azriel opened his mouth to reply but couldn’t find the words, you really were his, his mate, but now he was being told that he couldn’t be with you. He tried to reply again but before he could you were floating back into the room, smiling widely when you saw Hermes.

“Hermes, long time no see. What calls you to my humble abode?” you asked, moving to Azriel’s side and laughing when he still didn’t put down his dagger, “It’s okay Az, Hermes is actually one of the nicer ones.”

Hermes laughed at the compliment, but sadness shone in his eyes as he looked upon you.

“You look happy,” he said, a regretful look suddenly over-coming his features, yet Azriel couldn’t feel any sympathy for the man that was going to hurt his mate.

“I am.” You said, gazing up at Azriel with soft eyes, and Hermes placed his buzzing phone in his back pocket.

“My child, it’s time for Azriel to leave,” he said softly, your head whipping around to look at him.

“What?” The sharpness of your tone surprised Azriel. He had grown used to your soft side that spoke to flowers and baked homemade bread, but now he was remembering the broken part of you that was part God and build walls up in seconds. He placed a hand on your lower back as the room suddenly shuddered under your power, all plants awakening.

“You two were never meant to meet, Aphrodite just wanted you to meet him after your fall, but she forgot that he would have to return, I’m so sorry.” Your eyes filled with tears as you tried to make sense of what was happening, snarling at the God.

“No but this has nothing to do with the Gods, it- he got here on his own, we met by chance,” You were shaking as you tried to explain, sadness and confusion battling anger, and Azriel thought he could hear his heart break.

“I’m sorry child, I have to take him back. He only got here because of Aphrodite.” You were shaking your head, tears flowing freely now, gripping his arm and Hermes approached.

“NO, no there must be another way, please don’t take him from me! I need him, I love him, please don’t do this!” Hermes, shockingly, also appeared to be close to tears as he rested his hand on Azriel’s shoulder, his body going numb as he was pulled from you, unable to fight back.

“(y/n), baby, I’m sorry, I’ll figure this out okay I promise. I’m not leaving you here.” He didn’t think he would ever feel this much pain again as he watched the woman he loved sob, trying desperately to hold onto him as he was pulled from her world, the image of her collapsing to her knees as he was wrenched from her grip becoming imprinted in his mind.

He was gone. He was gone and you were alone again.

The scuffed wooden floor below you was cool as you pressed your forehead against it, sobs racking your body. You pushed yourself up and sat against the wall, checking the time on the clock. 15 minutes. You would cry for 15 minutes and then you would get him back. To many times you have just accepted your fate, but you couldn’t this time, you and Azriel met for a reason there had to be something. You wouldn’t let the anger and fear swallow you again.

When 15 minutes had past you forced your self to stand, wiping your eyes with your hand before searching for tissues. When you had blown your nose, you found an old notebook and grabbed your pen. A list, a list would organise your thoughts, you could find a loophole something had to work. You wrote down every theory you had, every book you would have to look in and every person you had to ask, sniffling, and rubbing the tears from your eyes. When you were done you found the backup burner phone you kept for emergencies and found Annabeth’s number. She picked up on the third ring and you took in a shaking breath.

“I think I need your help.”

Hermes left Azriel on the outskirts of Velaris, strangely back in his Illyrian leathers, he had apologised again, true sadness shining in his eyes, but Azriel just growled as feeling returned to his limbs. Hermes looked as if he wanted to say something but decided not to and with that left.

As Azriel shot off the ground he was struck with a sharp pain in his chest, as if being apart from her was physically paining him. He flew over his home, the city he had grown to love but even the feeling of coming home couldn’t distract from the cold that was seeping into his bones. He would destroy the Gods themselves before he let them take you from him and he fought a snarl as he pictured the hell he would make them pay for making you cry.

He landed outside the town house but before he could even open the door the wind was knocked out of him as Cassian barrelled into him in what was either a really rough hug or a tackle, it was hard to tell with Cassian sometimes.

“WHERE THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN IT’S BEEN WEEKS?!” he winced as Cassian yelled right in his ear, shoving him off him as the rest of his family, minus Amren, surrounded him. Feyre was next to hug him and he returned his High Lady’s embrace, when she pulled away he met Rhysand’s eyes, and he saw the sadness in Azriel’s, shocked as Azriel rarely let any emotion show on his face.

“C’mon lets go inside,” Rhys said, outstretching an arm for his wife. Mor, holding Nyx, followed them in and Cassian who was still glaring at Azriel grabbed his arm and tugged him in, grumbling under his breath about how Azriel hadn’t even sent a letter.

When they were all sat, including Amren who apparently just couldn’t be bothered to come greet him as she knew he was coming her way anyway, Feyre asked him what happened. His eyes instinctively found Elain where she sat huddled in the corner of an armchair, and as he took in her spectacular beauty, all he could think of was how no one compared to you. No one compared to your callused hands that had seen many fights and handled many weapons, or your scarred back that only proved how strong you truly were. No amount of beauty could ever compare to you when you had completely stolen his heart, it didn’t help that you were also the most beautiful woman he had ever met.

He paused, a small part of him wanting to keep you a secret as he feared Cassian’s flirting and the prospect of losing the woman he loved again, but as he looked upon where Cassian sat with nothing but worry for his brother in his eyes, Nesta perched next to him, back straight as usual but a hand in his brother’s, he realised he was being ridiculous. He rubbed his temples and took a deep breath, fiddling with his hands as he told his family everything.

Percy had forgotten how much he loved (y/n)’s cottage. It always smelt of cinnamon in winter and roses in summer and it usually had the second-best homemade goods her had ever eaten, their only flaw being the lack of blue food colouring. But he didn’t have time to dwell on how he had missed the house too much as Annabeth pulled him through the door and into (y/n)’s kitchen where she sat staring with the blank look on her face that Percy knew meant something had gone horribly wrong. She looked up when they entered and stood, practically falling into Annabeth’s arms, hugging her tightly before Percy tugged her into his own, a hand resting protectively on her head. She had always been like a little sister to him even though she was only a few months younger than him, and consistently beat him in training exercises. The first few months after they escaped Tartarus, he had brought her meals and held her when she sobbed and threw up due to nightmares, helping her through the trauma and trying not to throw up himself when Annabeth applied the ointment Will had given you to her back. When she told him of the fraught relationship she had with her father he decided that she needed someone who would be like family and had practically adopted her after they defeated Kronos, the seven, Nico and Will becoming the loving family she had always wanted.

When she pulled away, he nudged her to sit down as Annabeth started preparing chamomile tea for her in the hopes of relaxing her.

“What happened kiddo?” he asked softly, and she huffed a laugh at the nickname. He smiled when he remembered her reaction when he first said it.

“We’re literally the same age!” She threw her hands up as he laughed at her reaction.

“Doesn’t matter you’re technically younger than me.” He argued as she glared at him playfully before waving her hand, laughing when he was strung upside down by a thick vine encircling his ankle.

“Right that’s just unfair!” he laughed before adding “kiddo,” at the end, flipping her off when she rolled her eyes and let him fall and land in a heap, sitting up and rubbing his elbow.

“Rude.” He muttered but she just laughed, picking up the swords she was training with and moved to continue with her training.

They sat and listened as she explained what had happened, taking small sips of her hot tea as she went. When she finished Percy let out a soft curse.

“So Hermes just took him?” Annabeth asked, her eyebrows furrowed in a way Percy knew meant her mind was going a million miles an hour.

She nodded sadly, “there has to be something I can do right? I was finally making progress; I watched all three Iron Man movies with him.”

“That’s a lot of red,” Percy noted, and she bit her lip, nodding sadly.

“What if I never see him again?” She asked, the way her voice broke hit something inside him as he remembered how much it sucked being separated from Annabeth.

“You will.” Annabeth said with such certainty, Percy expected this faerie boyfriend to appear in the seat next to him. Annabeth lifted her bag and started pilling the books she had brought with her and (y/n) stood and moved around her living room, grabbing ones of her own.

“I figured old myths of my mum might help, y’know forbidden love and all,” she said the joke not quite reaching her eyes, but Annabeth nodded.

“I thought the same, but I also figured maybe something to do with Eurydice and Orpheus given he went to the underworld to get her back when they were separated.”

“Didn’t they both die at the end?” Percy asked and (y/n) laughed sadly.

“Shush,” Annabeth said, passing him a book and highlighter. He groaned.

“Why did I agree to this?” He asked but no one answered, and he looked up to see the two women already reading, determination covering their features, so he instead cracked his neck and picked up his own book.

Almost 10 hours later you slammed your book down in frustration, wiping your eyes roughly.

“Nothing, there isn’t one thing here. Either I do something stupid and we both die, or I need to find a way to be allowed to live in his world half the year and this one the other half.” Your shoulders slumped, “And that’s presuming I ever get to see him again, and then! Even then, I have what 70 years with him if I’m lucky. That’s nothing to him, he’s fucking five hundred years old.”

Annabeth looked up sympathetically, one hand woven in Percy’s hair as he slept with his head in her lap.

“I’m sorry, I just don’t think this has ever happened before. We might have to start looking elsewhere.”

“I just miss him. I know it’s not even been a day, but he was my soulmate, Hermes said so, he thinks I didn’t hear, but I did and now my chest actually hurts now that he’s gone. He’s gone and I don’t think he’s coming back.” You didn’t know how you had any tears left but they were flowing down your cheeks, hot against your cold hands as you wiped your face.

“You will, I promise we’ll figure something out, even if we have to go to the Gods themselves.” Annabeth smiled at you.

“WAIT!” Percy jumped up suddenly, surprising you both, given he appeared to be sleeping. “The Gods, (y/n) you never got your reward.”

“What?”

“After the battle and the fall, you were offered a reward, but you said no because you sensed you would need it in the future. This is the future you need it now you can be with him!” Percy was practically running circles around your living room, gesturing widely as his arms flailed but Annabeth had gone wholly still, doing the math in her head.

“He’s right, that could work.” You felt hope rise in your chest as Annabeth spoke, “But you would have to be specific, if we’ve pissed off Zeus he’ll try trick you, he’s kinda like a genie.” You let out a genuine laugh.

“I think I need to visit my mum,” you said, eyes bright with hope.

“But it’s September.” Percy said, and you gave him a pained smile, grimacing as you realised where you were going.

“I think Nico and I are overdue for a family dinner.”

#acotar #acowar #acofs #acomaf #acofas #Azriel #azriel x reader #percy jackson #Heroes of Olympus

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chaolie · 3 years

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Fundywastaken Week, Day 1 - A Winter's Ball

Here I go again, writing for another one of @fundyfiles' events!! Was this inspired by the song from Hamilton?? Is it just a ball?? Who knows! (Tho honestly, it just has a little reference to the song and not much more). Also, this is kind of written from Dream's POV because I figured that would be interesting to do! As always, you can go read this on my Ao3, too!

Characters: Fundy, Dream, Others mentioned/implied

Words: ~2.5k

The ballroom was… a change for sure. It was big and spacy, its walls weren’t made of stone, but instead of wood, and rather than being dark, torches and lanterns made everything inside seem brighter. It was nothing like battle fortifications, it was cozy and friendly, it allowed people to reconnect. With its soft music and the sweet foods available to all, it assured them that the war was over. And while sure, most attendees preferred sticking to their long-time allies than their previous enemies, a few people dared to engage in conversation with the ones from the opposing side.

Dream kept leaning against the wall and enjoyed the chill breeze that reached him through the cracks. The wood was thick, so it wasn’t as cold as the air usually got when it was snowing, but it was refreshing enough. Every once in a while, he took a moment to look for his friends, and each time his gaze reached them, they seemed to be having fun. Good, that’s what they were there for, after all. And while he did promise to them that he’d do the same, he never said that his definition of fun wasn’t simply supporting a wall.

A tap on his shoulder almost caught him off-guard, he could’ve even flinched if it wasn’t the 5th time he felt it during the same night. With a quiet sigh, he turned his head and looked at Sapnap, the one responsible for tapping him. His friend was almost breathless, which wasn’t too surprising. From what Dream saw so far, when he wasn’t busy bothering him, he was dancing with anyone willing. And the two men who just recently arrived at this part of the land seemed more willing to dance the night away with him.

“Still no one?” Sapnap asked, still catching his breath. Dream nodded.

“No one seems too interested in me,” he admitted, briefly gesturing to all the people in the building.

“Or they’re too scared to ask you for a dance,” the man suggested. “So why don’t you do that?” he asked, and Dream could only shrug. Why didn’t he? “What, you don’t know who to ask?”

“...Do you have any suggestions?” he muttered eventually. Sapnap stifled a laugh and looked around the ballroom.

“Hm, well, I mean, I won’t mind you stealing one of those guys for a dance,” he suggested, glancing towards the two men he was spending his night with.

“I wouldn’t do that to you,” Dream shook his head.

Before Sapnap could throw out another suggestion, there came a loud crash. They both turned their heads towards one of the tables with food and saw a fox hybrid wearing a pastel-coloured L’Manburg suit standing over a broken plate. Just seconds later, Wilbur was next to him, the two exchanging some words too quietly for Dream or Sapnap to hear. Eventually, the fox turned and left, walking over to an empty bench and sitting down only to glare at his country’s leader.

“...Do you know who’s that?” Dream asked, turning to look at Sapnap again. The other man almost managed to stop himself from laughing quietly.

“Yeah. If I’m not wrong, Fundy? But look out, if you decide to ask him for a dance you might start a second war. It would be funny, though,” he joked. When Dream didn’t quite react, he sighed. “He’s Wilbur’s son,” he clarified. The masked man nodded briefly. “So?”

“Don’t you have people to get back to?” Dream asked, motioning to the two men Sapnap’s been dancing with. His friend sighed.

“Sure. Good luck with finding someone,” he wished. After Dream answered with another nod, he turned and left.

The man closed his eyes and leaned against the wall again. He admired how fast Sapnap seemed to move on from the war and how easily he found himself in this ball, but that was not something they had in common. With the chilly breeze keeping him company, he let out a deep sigh and got to relax for a whole minute until someone tapped him on his arm again. Expecting it to be Sapnap, he opened his eyes and turned towards him.

“Back already-” he started, but quickly noticed that the person next to him was not his friend. Instead, he was now face to face with the fox hybrid they noticed before. “Oh. Can I help you?” he asked, puzzled.

“Probably,” the fox, Fundy, shrugged. This only baffled the masked man further.

“...What do you need, then?”

“Well, you see… I kind of overheard you a moment ago?” he started, and Dream was very grateful for his mask covering his expression. Before he could figure out how to answer, Fundy went on. “And, as you could’ve noticed,” he gestured briefly to the broken plate still on the ground, “I’m kind of looking for ways to annoy my father? So, uh… Do you maybe want to... I don't know, hang out or something?”

Dream barely stifled a laugh of relief, this was quite a good outcome of an “I heard you talking about me” situation. And if he agreed, Sapnap would stop worrying about him and focus on enjoying the ball for himself. And annoying General Soot in a harmless way seemed like a great way to pass the night. And, well, Fundy certainly seemed like an interesting guy too. All things considered, he nodded.

“You know what? Sure. Do you have anything in mind?” he asked. After a short pause of surprise, Fundy’s face lit up with the brightest smile Dream ever got to see.

“I don’t know, I didn’t think you’d- uh- Do you dance?” he suggested finally. After giving it a second of thought, Dream fully pushed himself off the wall.

“I certainly try,” he answered. Somehow, Fundy’s smile grew wider as he held out his hand.

“Let’s try together, then,” he grinned. Taking the fox hybrid’s hand felt like sealing his fate for the night… but there wasn’t anything Dream wanted to do more.

They walked further from the wall and closer to the jukeboxes. The music left much to be desired, not one song played until the end ever since Tommy and Tubbo got their hands on the discs prepared for the ball and played them in a way only they truly understood. But it wasn’t too tragic, it was still good enough for a dance or two. Or three. Or four. Or- which dance was it, again?

The time they spent holding hands and swirling to the music was not what they expected it to be. Dream, who originally accepted the offer as more of a “why not” felt himself get almost giddy, and each time a song stopped, he found himself quietly praying that the next one would come on before his partner would decide that they spent enough time together. Luckily for him, Fundy didn’t even consider letting go first, and while his original intention was enjoying the shocked and annoyed looks Wilbur shot at the two, he barely acknowledged anything or anyone that wasn’t the masked man swaying with him or the music anymore. Only when their legs were barely able to hold them up and their hands were starting to ache each time they dared to raise them, they slowed down and stumbled over to a pillar, next to which they could catch their breaths.

“...Do you want to get some food?” Dream suggested once he decided he recovered enough. Once again, he got to see Fundy’s face light up at the offer.

“Yeah, sure,” he nodded with a grin before pushing himself off the pillar. “Let’s go.”

Without truly acknowledging it, Fundy grabbed Dream’s hand and led him to one of the tables. While he could blame it on being tired, it still took the masked man an embarrassing amount of time to realize how he was following so close behind. When he did finally notice the fox hybrid’s hand over his own, leading him through the ballroom, the idea of pulling away didn’t even cross his mind. They soon reached the table, where they took some of the more interesting-looking foods, neither of them sure if they ever got to try those before.

They sat on one of the benches against the wall and tried all the snacks they managed to carry with them. Some were sweet, some were bitter, and some were so terrible they’d never touch them again. Even so, Dream found it strangely endearing to watch Fundy’s expression change each time he tried something bad. He didn’t even mind the risk of tasting something absolutely disgusting each time Fundy passed him a piece of food without a word, it only made the few actually tasty foods much sweeter.

Just as they were running out of snacks and were more focused on sharing a conversation filled with quiet laughs and silly jokes, someone approached them. The man standing at their side cleared his throat, and they both fell silent. They looked up and saw Wilbur, and while his arms were crossed, his face indicated defeat. Even so, Dream noticed Fundy’s grip on the bench they were sitting on tightening.

“Fundy, do you have a moment to speak with me?” he asked finally. The fox hybrid hummed quietly.

“Well, uhh…” he muttered. Figuring he was looking for an excuse, Dream decided to jump in.

“Can we step outside before that? This music really isn’t helping my headache,” he asked, directing the question at Fundy.

“Yeah, sure!” he nodded quickly before looking back at Wilbur. “Uh. Maybe when I’m back?” he suggested with a nervous smile. His father sighed, but nodded.

“Don’t catch a cold in the snow,” he said before turning around and leaving. Once he was gone, Fundy audibly let out a sigh of relief.

“Do you actually want to go outside?” he asked finally. Dream wondered for a second before nodding.

“Fresh air is always good,” he pointed out, getting to his feet. Fundy did the same before looking around the ballroom.

“There’s an exit right there,” he noticed, taking the first couple of steps towards it.

This time Dream had to admit to doing it consciously, but as he followed the fox hybrid, he found himself reaching out to grab his hand. The second he did, Fundy paused and turned to look at him. For a moment, everything seemed to stop, and Dream already prepared for his hand to be shaken off and pushed away. Instead, he got to once again see that endearing, bright smile appear on Fundy's face as he continued on his way. Behind his mask, Dream smiled back, and while his grin was just as genuine, Fundy wouldn’t know.

They made their way outside and into the makeshift, snow-covered garden. While the main building for the ball was built with attention to detail and the most skilled builders were working on it for a little short of a month, the garden was a last-minute addition and lacked the same care. It didn’t matter too much, though, it was much more quiet and the small snowflakes falling from the sky made it look almost magical, even if it was slightly asymmetrical. The two stopped by the frozen fountain and leaned against the cool, smooth stone at its side. Their hands were still connected, but neither of them seemed to pay too much attention to it anymore.

“So, do you have any idea what he wanted to talk about?” Dream asked after sitting in silence for quite some time. Fundy shrugged.

“He probably wanted to tell me he won’t make me attend any other balls and that I can stop hanging out with you. Doesn’t matter, I’m having fun anyway,” he answered.

“Did he make you come to this one?”

“Basically. He said it’s too important to miss and all that. Did someone make you attend this too?” Fundy asked. Dream shrugged.

“Uh… not really. I mean…” he hesitated. How should he even put this into words? Absent-mindedly, he reached to the back of his head and undid his mask. Maybe some snow actually falling onto his face would help him? “My friends made me promise to come here and ‘have fun’, and I didn’t want to go back on that.”

“U-uh-huh,” Fundy hummed after overcoming the surprise that stopped him from speaking at first. Dream turned to look at him, and found him glancing between the man and his hands. Or rather, his mask in his hands. Oh.

“O-oh, sorry, I- uh-” Dream stuttered, slapping the item back onto his face. It was there for a reason, and- why did he take it off again? He wasn’t usually this comfortable around strangers. Around anyone, actually, so why-

“Oh no, it’s- it’s fine, you can keep it off if you want!” Fundy assured him quickly. “I-if you want, I don’t-” he tried to elaborate, but he was at a loss of words, and Dream was already lowering it again. More cautiously this time.

“...Are you sure?” he asked. People… didn’t usually like what they found under it. Fundy’s awkward expression was once again brightened by his smile as he nodded.

“Yeah! It’s cool,” he confirmed.

With a soft smile on his own face, Dream put the mask on the edge of the fountain and allowed the snow to touch his skin for the first time in forever. The silence he and Fundy fell into was strangely comfortable, and neither of them seemed to really mind it. Sure, the man could feel the fox hybrid’s gaze on himself every once in a while, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t guilty of doing the same, of glancing at his companion and… He was never so grateful for snow. It was a good enough explanation of the red shade tinting his face.

“Hey, uh, Dream…” Fundy started, finally breaking the silence.

“Yeah?” the man answered immediately. Perhaps a bit too fast? It certainly took Fundy off-guard, but he managed to collect himself.

“So… I know this was all meant to just annoy my dad and such, but…. Do you want to meet again sometime?” he offered. The surprise on Dream’s face must’ve been obvious, and it certainly took away the fox hybrid’s confidence. His ears flattened against his head and he was just about to stutter out some excuse for asking, but the man managed to regain his voice just in time.

“Yeah! I’d love to!” he nodded, and couldn’t help a small smile crossing his lips. Fundy visibly relaxed upon hearing that. Then, there came excitement.

“Really?! That’s- Yes! Okay, so, uh- when?” he stuttered out, barely keeping himself in one place. And yet again, that bright smile on his face… Dream would do anything to see it every day.

“Whenever you want to,” he answered. Suddenly, he felt just as giddy, and he really hoped that Fundy would pick a date that would come soon. He couldn’t wait-

“Uh- Tomorrow?”

“...Sounds perfect.”

#Help why is this so long #fwtweek2021 #fundywastaken #fundy #dream #c!fundy #c!dream #my writing #fwt #mcyt #dream smp #I cant tell if the link to ao3 is broken and im about to lose it /lh

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philliamwrites · 3 years

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The Dawn Will Come [Chpt.5]

Fandom: Fire Emblem Three Houses

Pairing: Dimitri x Reader, Claude x Reader, Edelgard x Reader, Yuri x Reader, Edelgard x Byleth, lots of minor pairings

Tags: #gn reader, # platonic love byleth & reader, #reader is a tactical unit, #angst, #slow burn, #subplots, #unreliable narrator, #pining, #remporary amnesia, #reluctant herp, #canon divergence, #lost twin au, #many chapters, #original content

Words: 5.4k

Summary: Waking up in a forest without any knowledge of your past and who you are, you join the house leaders of the Officers Academy to search for a way to return your memories. Unfortunately, the church has different plans for you, and Fate places you in the centre of a cruel game with deadly stakes. It certainly doesn’t help to fall in love with a house leader who is doomed to be your demise.

Notes: Chapter 4 | Chapter 6

Chapter 05: Born to Trouble

Man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward.

[Hiob 5:7]

A breeze picks up loose leaves and carries them over a steep hill. The sun, directly above your heads, emits no blazing head and still, wearing light armour and carrying weapons leaves a layer of perspiration on your forehead. Every minute marching towards where the Eagle House students and their astute professor are waiting builds worry and the desire to turn around and put as much distance as possible between you and them but the rope tying you to the task called obligation makes it impossible to sate it.

A slight pull makes you pause and scratch the thin skin under your eye, the feeling so strange as if someone is tugging your mind in the complete opposite direction. Now that is a new sensation, and you’re careful to remember that when answering the onslaught of questions Hanneman will surely prepare once he’s back. Feeling no pain, you write it off as exhaustion for now, already looking forward to relax in the sauna later and wind down.

“Is something the matter, Herald?” Dimitri asks. Save for a few scratches and a smudged cheek, he looks fine and appears to be in great spirits. You want to lick your thumb and wipe off the dirt but smearing spit on the heir of a kingdom might not be a great idea in front of his future subjects.

“Everything is fine,” you, the Liar, say with as much conviction as your conscience allows, which is surprisingly easy. Maybe you were a performer before your amnesia, acting on a stage for an audience that celebrated you switching roles with an ease like changing clothes. Dimitri as well trusts your words, though he could as well be playing the role just to lessen your worry.

The last possibility to stall the unavoidable confrontation vanishes. They are waiting for you near the stronghold just beyond the forest from which you emerge after another painful, tense march. The remaining Black Eagle students are positioned in a triangle around Byleth. At its tip stands Edelgard, strong and tall, her axe ready to strike whoever stands between her and victory. Flanking her are ever-brooding Hubert and—

“Linhardt?” you gasp, freezing on the spot which makes everyone sticking to your heels walk right into you. Sylvain only saves himself from falling because he quickly holds onto Dedue who tolerates it like a friendly bear allowing a little bird to sit on his back.

“Is he doing something?” he asks, tiptoeing to get a better look. “What’s going on?”

You point a finger at the Black Eagle student. “No one told me it was allowed to bring students back from the sidelines.”

“Because it isn’t,” Dimitri says, patiently pulling a twig out of his hair. “Those who have lost cannot re-enter the mock battle.”

You stare at everyone separately, hoping it carries enough weight for them to understand your problem—rather why is no one questioning the obvious? They consider you with as much confusion though, at least something you have in common.

“Then why is Linhardt participating again?”

They share worried glances.

“Herald, what are you talking about?” asks Dimitri with a crease between his eyebrows.

It is enough to make your next protest come out more desperate. “An hour ago, Felix and I dealt with Ferdinand and Linhardt. I told you!”

“But—” Sylvain’s face goes blank with surprise. “Didn’t you say you guys got Ferdinand and Dorothea?”

“Dorothea?” You didn’t even know she participated. “No, I swear, we— Why would I claim something different?” They lack the answer to that just as you and any minute pondering it longer is stolen by a vicious MiasmaΔ that splits a tree behind you in two.

“Hey!” Sylvain shakes a fist at Hubert. “Use magic only in moderation!”

His answer is another MiasmaΔ that nearly knocks Sylvain off his feet. Before you can form words, Edelgard takes a swing at you. The hit would have undoubtedly leave you with a concussion were it not for Dimitri’s quick intervention. He deflects her blow though his lance gives a worrying crack.

“Dimitri.” Edelgard’s smile doesn’t reach her eyes. “It’s time. We can finally settle the question of who’s stronger.”

“Very well.” Dimitri’s stance doesn’t falter even as sweat gathers at his temples. “I accept your challenge. With you as my opponent, I won’t hold anything back.”

Edelgard’s mouth twitches. Dimitri demands with a sharp jut of his chin for you to get out of the way. You don’t argue. Not with the rest from the Eagle house approaching. Dedue, reading your mind, or rather the frantic look in your eyes, charges towards Byleth, leaving Linhardt and Hubert to Sylvain and you.

You focus on Linhardt, mouth burning to question, “What spell did you use to switch places with Dorothea?”

He is so baffled by that, you move without thinking—a swift strike, the sword turned midway so the blunt end smashes into his nose. He stumbles back with a sharp cry, a hand flying up to stop the blood running in rivers down his uniform. There is no time feeling bad for catching him off guard like that. A picture flashes before your eyes. You throw yourself to the ground and feel the lance swipe over your head not a second too soon. You roll back up on your feet, glaring at Hubert. He simply raises a brow in challenge. Sure, you accept, fully aware there is only one way to win against him.

“Edelgard!” you gasp in horror. Hubert’s head twitches but he doesn’t fall for your scheme.

“Really, Herald? I know Her Highness can take care of herself. You need a better trick than that.”

“Really? Then how about this trick?”

This time, Hubert whirls around and is greeted by Sylvain’s fist to his jaw. Combined with your MiasmaΔ, he doesn’t stand a chance. That victory is only short lived though. Out of nowhere, Byleth appears and knocks Sylvain out, not batting an eyelash. She towers like a vengeful spirit, arriving to seek retribution. Trying to move around her, you don’t leave her out of sight for once, your mouth dry and your heart beating so fast your ribcage hurts. The tension is thick enough your swords could cut right through it. It is so tense, in fact, you only manage a dry, “Hey.”

Byleth raises her sword. “Hello.”

“Great day to … you know.” You mirror her movement. “Clobber each other with wooden swords.”

“Less talking, more fighting.” Byleth charges.

You turn and run away.

She immediately pursues like a wolf chasing after a deer. If you weren’t so focused on moving your legs as if your life depended on it and not tripping over something, you could swear someone from the sidelines is cheering for you. Someone sounding like Claude.

“Herald, try a surprise attack! She’ll never expect you to stop and swing your sword at her!”

No, no, no, he can come down here himself if he has a death wish. But another chance emerges before you, one waiting in the lush thicket that you disappear into in hope to lose her. That hope is quickly vanquished when twigs and dry leaves break right behind you shortly after you breach the edge of the forest. In your panic, you grab onto a branch and pull it with you until you’re sure the blow will at least make Byleth stagger to catch her breath. When you let go, she already knows what you’re up to. With a vicious blow, she breaks the branch and throws her sword at you when you try to run past her back to the field. The pain is unlike anything you’ve felt during training. It brings you to your knees, the stronghold in sight and yet so far away from the forest’s borders. The impact knocks all breath out of your lungs, making you unable to call out for help.

Byleth stands before you, her sword back in her hand and risen to deliver righteous punishment—until it isn’t Byleth, it is a man, but you can’t see his face, his features hidden by dark shadows.

Don’t, you think but your mouth forms “You don’t have it in you” instead and before you know it, you speak those words out loud. The picture disappears in a flash so bright, a paper bursting into flames, pain explodes in your head before everything zooms back into painfully sharp focus.

Something changes in Byleth’s eyes, her hesitation a surprise immediately costing her gravely for Dimitri appears by your side, facing her and a desperate sound of relief escapes you because that means Edelgard is out of the game. It is only a battle of stamina at this point, the battle blurring as you stumble to your feet and help Dimitri to overpower Byleth even though your back is a medley of pain. Judging from how her reacting slower, you get a picture of who from the Black Eagles was fighting the most up until this point.

Everything happens too fast. It takes one turn, one swipe of Dimitri’s lance, incredible luck that Byleth starts to get exhausted, and a second later, her knee gives in and she’s on the ground, a wooden edge to her throat. The silence is only disturbed by the second roar of trumpets signalling the end of the mock battle.

You gasp.

Dimitri gasps.

Byleth blows a strand of hair out of her face, her face a blank slate.

Screams and shouts erupt from where everyone else is waiting for you, drowning Jeralt declaring the Blue Lion’s win.

“Herald.” Dimitri’s smile dazzles you more than the sun’s light, radiant and handsome. “We did it. We did it thanks to you.”

“No, it was you—” A wave of fatigue washes over you from overusing your power. Exhaustion smothers you, so suddenly that your vision blurs around the edges. Your limbs are leaden; you feel as though you are sinking into mud. Before you hit the ground, Dimitri catches your arm and steadies you.

It is the unpredictable comedic sort of timing were the cosmos decides it is the right timing for the rest of the students to catch up.

Sylvain lets out a loud, suggestive whistle, appearing way too chipper for someone just brought back to consciousness thanks to white magic. “Who knew His Highness would decide to court someone wide out in the open like that? Did you invite our dear Herald to dinner first?”

Ingrid pushes him hard. “His Highness isn’t like you,” she says at the same time Dimitri asks, “But I do plan to invite our Herald to dinner.” All eyes are on him. It is suddenly really hot even though his gauntlets around your arm are cold. “We all are invited to celebrate our victory with a feast in the dining hall.”

“Aww, goddess help him,” Sylvain sighs, looking like he’s about to facepalm his hand through his forehead.

Any response on your part is delayed by Rhea and Seteth reaching your group after congratulating each student who participated on their work.

“Congratulations on winning the mock battle, Herald,” Rhea says, looking incredibly pleased. From the very beginning she’s probably expected nothing less and you wonder if her smile were as content had you failed. “You showed great leadership and trust in your students, who all did exceptionally well.” She’s smiling at every one of them like a proud mother. It leaves a warm, fuzzy feeling inside your chest, her contentment a beacon that banishes the last shadows of doubt in your heart. You could get addicted to this feeling.

“Now, please return to the monastery,” Seteth advises the students. “We have a few matters to discuss with the faculty members.”

As the students disperse, Dimitri quickly ducks his head in your direction. “We will speak more later.” He trails after his friends, falling into step with Dedue.

“Look at them, being so excited. How adorable.” Manuela smiles, not showing any signs of anger about losing the fight or exhaustion flicking the students back together. “Good job leading them, Herald.”

“And yet, I must advise you to participate more actively in the battle itself next time.” Seteth crosses his arms in front of his broad chest, not sharing Rhea’s idea on how a good job looks. “Professor Byleth showed great assistance and fighting spirit. You would do well to learn from her.”

Byleth gives a little shrug when you glance at her. She doesn’t seem to care much for that.

“Don’t be so stern, Seteth,” Rhea chastises him fondly. “There is still so much room to grow for all of them, our dear Herald, Professor Byleth and the students. For now, let us return and allow them a moment of respite. Their first real mission awaits them at the end of next month.”

Seteth pulls a face as if he bit into a lemon but doesn’t object.

“I have one concern myself,” you quickly throw in before tracking back, wondering how no one else mentions it. “When Linhardt and Dorothea—”

“I would like a word,” Byleth suddenly says, grasping your wrist lightly in such an easy, familiar way you immediately shut up. They leave you two to it as you follow them a couple hundred feet behind, both silent though the voice in your mind doesn’t shut up about the dozen of questions bouncing back and forth. After what feels like hours, Byleth finally says, “You noticed it, didn’t you?”

You stare at the road, a yawning void in your head where just a second ago a cacophony of questions caused a headache, unable to put two and two together. When it finally clicks, you wipe your head so fast in her direction it pops in your neck. “It was you? How did you do it?”

Byleth doesn’t answer immediately. Her gaze drifts over the treetops, calmly swaying from left to right. The battle has concluded half an hour ago, but it already feels like a lifetime has passed and the peace and quiet of nature around you is like a completely different world. The land surrounding the monastery is exceptionally beautiful, luscious and overgrown with flora that covers the ground in a colourful patchwork rug. How the rest of Fódlan must look like…

“When we first met, you asked how I could trust you. It will sound strange but you and I, we are connected.” She’s still looking up ahead, now at the towering spires of the monastery piercing the sky.

Your mouth is dry. “Connected how?”

She stops now. When she turns and looks at you, again the thread that ties you two together strums in an ancient tune. You stop breathing for that second.

“You control the flow of the future, and I control the flow of the past.”

You still don’t understand. Byleth reads as much from your lack of response. “What I mean to say is, I rewind time. When you defeated Linhardt, I turned back time’s hands to have Dorothea walk his path instead to keep my healer. I just never expected anyone would notice. And no one did. Except you.”

It’s like those words don’t reach you. They recoil from a waterfall that rushes through your ears, distorting the words. When your brain finally finishes freaking out about it, only one thing appears of importance. “You cheated!”

Byleth wears an expression that clearly states, That’s rich coming from you.

“I— That—” How can she remain so calm? This information tilts your world, turning every hour you spent lying awake at night in your chambers wondering if you’re the only one with a power like that into a painful memory. “Does that mean you have a Crest as well? If our powers are alike, surely there must be an answer to why we have it. If we talk to Hanneman about it—”

“You won’t,” Byleth cuts you off, her tone as sharp as her sword. “You will share no word with anyone about what I just revealed, or I will strike you down.”

The wind picks up, flickering your robes left and right and rocking trees that bow in humility to a force much greater than them—a feeling you can relate to. Cold sweat runs down the back of your neck. This isn’t a threat. It’s a promise.

“You spend too much time with Hubert,” you manage with a trembling smile only held together when the tension dissipates from Byleth’s face.

“Professor Hanneman is still studying my Crest,” she says, a tinge of sorrow in her voice that strikes you harder than any danger or threat, “but I can assure you my abilities are not tied to it. I’m sorry.”

She must have felt what you so desperately wished for: a connection. The assurance that you are not alone in this world with this strange power.

It makes the way back to the monastery like a march through mud, laden limbs walking towards a goal you don’t know will be worth all the exertion. When the silence becomes too unbearable, you build up the courage to ask, “What are we, Byleth?”

She drops her gaze to the ground. It is the very first time you see uncertainty hover like a shadow over her face. “I wish I could tell you, but I don’t know.”

The sky turns an orange canvas when you finally return to the monastery. The last villagers from the small town downhill start returning home, their tools laid to rest inside their carriages. You can’t wait to sink into a nice hot bath, washing away the dried sweat and grime from the battle and change into loose, comfortable evening robes. You don’t come further than past the entrance hall. Leaning against a high pillar, Dimitri is adjusting the loops on his gauntlets, blond strands falling into his face like golden strips of sunshine. Before you reach him, Byleth says with a light touch to your elbow, “Please see Professor Manuela about your wound, okay? You did great today.” You promise her you will and watch her until she disappears through a hall leading to her personal quarters.

With your attention on him, Dimitri looks up and stands straighter. He grins at you, his smile sudden and jarring like a thunderclap.

“I have been waiting for you, Herald,” he says and takes you by the wrist. The cold of his gauntlets bites at your skin, making you hiss. His hand immediately drops, and he turns around in panic. “Oh, apologies. It is difficult to control my strength sometimes and—”

“No, no, that’s not it. I was just a little surprised.”

He sighs in relief. “Still, I am sorry. I will try to refrain from doing that in the future.”

“Dimitri.” You graze his clothed underarm with a finger, unsure if that was a wise decision when his eyes widen in surprise. How is it you only notice now how long his eyelashes are? “I think we have seen today I am not that fragile.”

His eyes jump away, avoiding contact, the blush creeping up his neck clearly standing out against his pale skin. He clears his throat. “I just wanted to make sure you will join us for dinner. I was not joking earlier when I said we should all celebrate our victory.”

“Are you guys sure? I’m not your teacher and in the end, I didn’t do all too much.”

Dimitri shakes his head. “Nonsense. You fought with us and led us to victory. We would love to celebrate with you, and while you won’t be with us all the time, I’d love nothing more than to share our happiness with you. Joy can be so fleeting, after all, and I’m sure the rest of the class feels the very same.”

“If it really is okay with you all…” You glimpse over at him. Why not. Why not enjoy some leisure time with the students. You could surely use it to get to know them better and distract your thoughts from Byleth’s revelation. “Just give me some time to get ready. I’ll see you in the dining hall.”

“Actually, please come to our classroom,” Dimitri says. “I don’t know how Sylvain managed it, but the kitchen’s head lady allowed us to dine in the classroom.”

Your brows fly to your hairline. Dimitri answers with a little, low chuckle. You both have a pretty good idea how he managed to pull that stunt.

Back in your quarters, you wash away the dirt and pick a simple robe the colour of freshly pressed parchment. The water’s heat renders today’s injuries to a dull pain save for the scrapes on your knees that still burn but are clean now. Hunger quickly catches up as well, dispersing your last doubts of intruding the class’ celebration. After leaving your room, you stop by the infirmary where Manuela makes quick work of your remaining wounds with her magic, turning purple bruises into faded yellow spots you immediately forget once you step out and head to your destination.

The tables are already laid, arranged into a formation that resembles a circle allowing conversations to flow easily. You expected them to be already stuffing their faces but when you step into the Blue Lion’s classroom, the only source of light is a dim candle flickering in the middle of some students huddled together. Only Mercedes’ soft voice is audible, not counting the little whimpers from Annette or Ashe shuffling as he tries to hide behind Dimitri who appears to be the only one invested in her story.

“… no one knows how deep the tunnels underneath the monastery run. But once they reach where walls are built from skulls and bones, they turn and go back … or try to do so, for who knows what horror lurks behind every corner.”

“Nooooooo,” Annette cries, clutching to Dimitri’s sleeve. “Why would anyone go somewhere like that?”

“A-and who built it in the first place? Tunnels lined with bones…” Ashe shudders, still looking smaller than Dimitri even though he is the one sitting.

“A fascinating idea.” Dimitri’s excitement, bright as a spark, doesn’t bounce over to his friends. “To imagine there could be a whole civilisation living right in plain sight like that.”

“I can’t imagine we wouldn’t notice,” Ashe reasons. His conviction would be more credible, would he not still cling to a white tail of Dimitri’s shirt. Before you can join and see if you would fare better listening to stories about haunted and forgotten places, Sylvain steals past you, his voice making you jump. “Shouldn’t you guys be finished by now?”

Seeing your sour expression, he simply winks and hurries inside, carrying a big steaming pot. Followed by the rest of the Lions, they carry plates with dried meat, slices of bread, vegetables and cheese, and place them on the tables for everyone to just pick whatever they want. With a flick of your wrist flames flicker to life inside both fireplaces and the candles on top of the chandelier above your heads. Everyone hurries to find a seat. The students have all changed out of their battle garments into the academy’s summer uniform, its fabric much lighter than the heavy embroidered regular uniform they wore upon your first meeting.

“My dear friends.” Dimitri raises a cup, holding the thin stem between slender fingers. It would look more elegant were its contents not simply orange juice. “To our victory today and many more to follow.”

They raise their cups to toast except for Felix who knocks his drink back as if it were strong liquor he desperately needed to sit through this evening gathering. He doesn’t look as pale as before. A quick check up by Manuela after the battle affirmed that he was alright and simply fatigued from countless sleepless nights spent at the Training Grounds.

The other participants don’t look too bad either. Bruises that vividly blossomed hours ago have faded, swollen purple eyes already start to heal—all certainly thanks to Manuela’s quick work. Sylvain surely won’t be as successful chasing girls with a shiner that makes the prettiest violet jealous of his colour and Dimitri tries to hide it but you don’t miss him tensing from time to time or moving his hand towards his side; probably a bruised rib he doesn’t want anyone to know. He catches your stare and offers a slight, boyish grin under half-closed eyes that only whispers of a shared secret only meant for you two. It does a funny thing to your stomach, a flip or drop, a light twist like missing a step and the fear of falling only to meet solid ground a split second later. You quickly look away and focus on spreading curd on a loaf of bread, not trying to think too much about how the muscles strained under his clothes wielding his lance or the fierce determination colouring his eyes a shade brighter when victory is in palpable proximity.

You feel a piercing gaze, hot like a solid touch on your skin. Quickly whipping your head around, you catch Felix’s glare from across the room, completely ignoring whatever Sylvain is telling him. It leaves you completely tense for the rest of the dinner, wondering what his problem is and why he is so hostile towards Dimitri specifically. You’ve heard from some students who have walked into an argument those two had, something about a massacre two years ago but details, as is their nature, grow hazy over time and distort until they evolve into something completely different and unrecognisable.

Felix holds your gaze for a long second, and it is only later after you all clean the classroom from your festivities and decide to retire to bed that you catch him by himself. The monastery at night is a desolate, lonely place save for a couple stray souls wandering about, either on their way to their chamber or out for a quick, last evening prayer inside the chapel. Felix’s destination is none of those as he strides towards the Training Grounds and you call out to him. He slows but doesn’t stop his step until you catch up. “You’re on your way to training, right? Shouldn’t you call it a day? Especially after what happened—”

“I’ve got no time sitting around and making smalltalk,” Felix snaps, and a month ago you would have thought he aimed his anger towards you but recently you’ve discovered he’s towards the whole world—always glaring, always hissing like a cornered, wounded animal. “There are more important matters like growing stronger—”

“And suffering from overexertion, I suppose.”

Felix pulls a grimace. “It was a mistake I don’t intend to repeat. You saw Professor Byleth’s strength. It took two of you to win, and even then, it was mostly luck. I just want to try out some moves Professor Byleth exerted today so I can surpass her strength next time I challenger her.”

“Why is it that you seek to fight so much?” you ask, deciding forwardness to be a better approach than idle chatter with a person like Felix. He doesn’t give immediate response, not because he ignores you, as is your first assumption, but because he gives it some thought.

“Why, hm… I learnt to thrust a sword before I learnt to write my name. This is how it is for all children in my country, the perfect environment where I could live free of stodgy values and virtues. Grow strong so you may live, and live to grow stronger. That’s what I was taught.”

It is no secret Faerghus is the land of knights and chivalry, and still it is hard to imagine a small version of Felix wielding a sword even before he learnt how to use a quill, scraped knees instead of black inked fingertips. What a strange world.

“As long as you don’t forget to take a break should it get too much. Everyone was worried today.”

“Everyone should mind their own business. I’m not their problem, and they aren’t mine.”

You’re too tired to argue relationships don’t work like that, any minute longer on your feet and they’ll simply give out. Wishing Felix a goodnight, you turn towards the chapel but don’t get very far.

“Herald.” Felix is halfway through the door. “Let me give you one advice.”

“That is?”

“Don’t get too close to that damn boar.”

You’re about to ask what he’s talking about, but he continues, “Beneath all that princely polish, he’s an animal, nothing more. He’s strong and skilled, sure. But don’t place your trust in him as a human being. Take care he doesn’t chew you up and spit you out.”

Not waiting for a response, Felix moves on, leaving you with more questions than answers. Every creature with two eyes can see hostility between Dimitri and Felix crackling like lightning about to strike the ground and burn down forests and villages. But to go this far and say these words about his future king … Words that couldn’t be more contrary to the impression he’s left on you.

Whatever Felix wanted to accomplish, his words succeed to remain in your head the whole night, driving off any sleep you direly needed after that day. But even without that, your mind is occupied with questions. It is like stumbling into a spider web, sticky tangles everywhere with no way out.

Who is that man you remembered? It was such a brief, yet striking memory, of what moment you cannot recall. His hostility was evident in his stance, sharp sword high up to drive down with enough force to cut your head from your shoulders. And yet here you are.

And your words, You don’t have it in you. If you were familiar enough with that person to know this, who was he to you, and what had stopped him? Did he have a change of heart and instead used the blunt end, giving you a concussion and amnesia instead? Where is he now? And would he return to finish his work?

Since that day, you look out for anyone fitting that built: tall and lean, visible even through robes with a design completely different from anything you’ve seen around the monastery. Asking Rhea or Seteth could be an option, but strangely enough, you don’t want to reveal it to anyone yet, not until you’ve found an answer yourself first.

That is how your first moon at the monastery passes. Now there are more questions than before, more secrets to carry with no clear goal in sight. Lessons continue, you attend seminars and life unfolds in Garreg Mach, surprising you how easy it is growing accustomed and familiar with the place and its people—some more so than others.

Byleth still invites you to her obligatory weekend-tea time sessions, rarely accepting no for an answer even though tea isn’t really what you consume to wind down. She’s acting like your talk after the mock battle has never happened and you do your best to mimic her even though you’d love nothing more than to see her power in battle. That opportunity shows at the end of the following month when Byleth and her class are tasked to deal with bandits the knights cornered in Zanado, the Red Canyon, but Rhea has different plans and instead sends you with the Golden Deer House to the village at the foot of the mountain to help clear debris a flooding left on one of the main roads leading to Alliance territory. It takes two days until the stench from the muddy riverbank is completely washed out of your hair.

There is still no sight of the man from your memory, even though word about the Herald’s return has reached every corner of Fódlan by now. It makes you wonder if it’s less a matter of if and rather when he sets food inside the monastery. No additional memory has resurfaced, no sudden epiphany provides explanation and you doubt that will change even though Seteth drags you inside the chapel to pray for the goddess’ help whenever his time allows. Mostly, you use those occasions to ask her to make Raphael and Ingrid leave some Nirvana Cake for you.

Then there is your other little secret of course. After another month of waking to an indistinguishable voice calling out to you every once in a while, you’ve grown used to it, finding a strange comfort in someone or something looking over you. Maybe it is the goddess. Maybe she is trying to reach out to tell you something important, to give divine insight and reach out to her followers. You just hope once she comes through to you, her words won’t proclaim hardships and sorrow.

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