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illicitlimerence-writes · 2 years

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lost in japan | m. schumacher

pairing: mick schumacher x vettel!reader word count: 5.5k words request: yes by anon: “could you please write an imagine where mick and reader have a crush on each other but whenever they're together they always get shy or flustered and it's all cute and stuff?” & “may i please have some crumbs of vettel!reader and mick slowly catching feelings for one another and seb is in the front row eating popcorn watching as it unfolds” warnings: language, time jumps (i tried my best with the years and ages (reader and mick are the same age)). also! again! seb’s age makes no sense here!!!!!!!!!!! another thing, i know cherry blossom season is in march-may but let’s pretend it’s also in september-october okay byeeee. a/n: it is 4:30 am and i just finished this, kinda glad bc it confirms my theory that i work best during the night.

my masterlist

meeting him was the beginning of everything.

there was nothing special about their first meeting, but her life would change completely from that moment on.

she always wanted to go with her father to his races, she loved that her dad was so passionate about the sport, everytime he returned home he’d explain everything to her, she always had a million questions.

so, when she was eleven years old, in 2010, she joined her father, sebastian, for the first time. they traveled to monaco, a track that his father loved and could potentially give him the lead of the championship if he were to win it.

age 11, 2010.

she held her father’s hand and looked at everything surrounding her. everything was so big and shiny and new to her.

“woud you look at that?” a tall man said as they walked the paddock. he had a big smile on his face, she recognized him.

“dad, that’s your friend!” she said, pointing at the man.

“yes, darling, that’s my friend, michael,” seb looked down at her, smiling.

“hi, michael!” she waved her hand, the older german ruffled her hair in return.

“it’s great to finally meet you, and see you here. is this your first time here?”

“yeah! i’ve always wanted to see this in real life,” her smile was big as she looked at the teams’ motorhomes around her.

“and what’s your first impression?”

“i don’t think i want to leave,” she giggled, looking up at her father.

“well, i’ll let you get back to your tour. but when you have some free time make sure to stop by the mercedes garage, okay? i think my son could use a friend,”

“ah, you’ve brought mick with you?” sebastian asked, his friend nodded. “then he’ll have to come to the dark side, cause my kid is not going anywhere near that garage,” he shook his head, as both his friend and his daughter laughed.

“we’ll figure it out, these two need to meet, though.”

okay, maybe meeting him did have something special about it. a thought ran through her mind, maybe they’d grow to be as close as their fathers.

age 22, 2021.

“hey kid,” she froze, eyes widening as she turned around.

“dad!” she wrapped her arms around her father, closing her eyes as she hid her face in his chest. “what are you doing here?”

“good to see you’ve missed me, you haven’t called in so long i thought you’d forgotten about me.”

“it was only three days, dad. but i’m so sorry, it’s just… i’ve been busy here, and with the schedules and time difference, i-”

“it’s okay. i’m just happy to know you’re alright,” he smiled, ruffling her hair.

“i am. i am, it’s… kinda hard to believe that this is finally happening,”

“well after all these years and all your hard work, you deserve this, my love,” he threw an arm over his daughter’s shoulders, holding her close.

after endless classes, auditions, she was finally about to star her first movie as the lead actress. when she was about thirteen an idea got to her head, and it was impossible to get it out. she took as many acting classes as she could, even left her home when she was seventeen to fly overseas and hopefully get more opportunities to be in the spotlight.

it didn’t surprise sebastian, that his daughter would find her passion in acting. when she was little she used to always set up plays where she portrayed every role, most times recreating a disney movie she’d seen that day. he trusted her. he knew that a child’s dream had to be supported as much as possible, just like his own parents had done with his.

distance had been difficult at first, but once her first roles started coming, once she started to get so busy she barely had time to sleep, she knew it was all worth it. her first roles were small, but slowly, she caught people’s attention. casting directors, actors she’d worked with were asking to work with her again. it was simply out of this world.

“i- but dad… don’t you have a race this weekend?” she said, walking through the different sets of the studio until she reached her trailer. she was in the middle of shooting, but sebastian arrived just in time since she was about to take a break.

“yeah, that’s why i’m here. i’d like you to come with me,”

“dad,” she smiled. it had been years since she stepped foot in the f1 paddock, she remembered when her entire life revolved around that sport, when she wanted to know every detail there was to know about it… that’s not to say that that wasn’t the truth anymore, but her passion for the sport moved aside, leaving space for what would become her job, her favorite thing in her life. of course, she still followed the sport, tried to not miss any races, supporting her father, her favorite person and biggest inspiration.

“come on, i know you have the weekend off,”

“how did you-” she frowned

“your mother,” he answered. she sighed, but smiled after a second.

“okay. i’ll go”

a beautiful ‘before and after’ picture would be created later on the weekend, as she walked side by side with her father down the f1 paddock. just like she’d done when she was little. she was getting deja vu. she was happy she’d decided to join her dad, they didn’t spend as much time together as of lately, but this weekend she was determined to make the most of their time together.

as they walked, sebastian was catching her up on everything she’d missed since the last time she was there, which was about two years ago. she knew some things from speaking with him, and from the things she saw online, but there was nothing like seeing it all in real life.

they were stopped several times, by fans, journalists, and even people who knew her since she was just a kid. mechanics, engineers, and other team members from both red bull and ferrari.

then, someone caught up to them, embracing sebastian and smiling, her father patted the young man on the back, keeping a hand on his shoulder once they separated.

“all good?” sebastian asked, the younger blonde nodded, noticing her.

“(y/n)?” he asked, his eyes drifting back and forth between the father-daughter pair. sebastian smiled at the way mick’s eyes widened. he knew it.

she nodded, frowning as she couldn’t quite name the person infront of her.

“it’s been so long, how have you been?” he asked, smiling.

that was it.

she recognized that smile.

age 11, 2010.

contrary to the previous days, that saturday afternoon, she found herself watching the qualifying session with company. of course, the day before she hadn’t been completely alone, but she wasn’t with people she knew that well.

seb had meant his words, his daughter couldn’t leave the red bull motorhome, not because he didn’t allow it, but because he didn’t trust anyone to really take her through the paddock to the mercedes garage. so, corinna schumacher and her kids, mick and gina, went to find the young girl.

‘michael, his wife and kids, you can trust them.’ those had been her father’s words before introducing her to them.

she’d been quite shy at first, keeping to herself and just staring at the screens. she’d already had all of her questions answered during the first two practice sessions, but quali was different. she didn’t get it.

mick noticed her small frown, and he turned to his mother, who was busy staring at the screens showing michael’s data.

“mom,” he called, the woman turned to him, running her fingers through his hair, making a mental note to take him to get a haircut soon. “she’s upset,” he said. “why?”

“well, i don’t know. why don’t you ask her? maybe you can help her feel better.” mick turned his head back, pursing his lips, then nodded.

he walked to the young vettel girl, standing behind her. but he couldn’t figure out how to talk to her. then, he heard her talking to herself.

“why is it only eighteen minutes?” she huffed, her eyes glued to the moving cars.

“are-are you mad?” mick asked her, not thinking twice about his words, or how he could’ve startled her. she jumped, moving to the side and looking back at him.

“what?” she asked.

“are you… upset?” he tried again, raising his eyebrows, he didn’t know why he felt nervous talking to her.

“no. yes. i- i don’t know,” she said, looking back at the wall of screens in front of her. “dad said ‘see you in an hour’, but the clock says there’s only fifteen minutes left,” she pointed.

“oh!” he said, “that’s just the end of q1,” he continued, but she stared at him only with confusion in her face. “sorry, qualifying is divided in three, q1, q2, and q3,” he started, she nodded.

“i know that, but-”

“all qualifying sessions last different times, and when you add it all up it takes about an hour, a little longer sometimes,” he explained, “i know it can be confusing, but that’s why i’m here! and my mom and my sister. we’re here to take care of you. that’s what my dad said,”

“thanks, that’s… nice.”

“you’re welcome. and… i know that our dads are friends. so… maybe we’ll be like them when we grow up!” mick smiled, and her eyes drifted down to his lips, he had a nice smile. she could still see it in her head seconds after, that was a smile she’d never forget.

“i was thinking the same thing.”

–

age 22, 2021.

“mick?” she asked, eyes wide. “no way, you made it to f1?” she asked, eyeing his shirt and cap.

“finally,” he smiled, she chuckled, she remembered hearing him talk non-stop about one day being like his father. she was happy he’d finally reached that dream.

“congratulations! i- that’s amazing!” she smiled, “why didn’t you tell me? any of you?” she asked, looking from her old friend to her father.

“well, you’ve barely had time to pick up the phone and say hi, i didn’t even get a chance,” sebastian shrugged. she turned to mick, raising an eyebrow.

“well i… you know… we haven’t talked in a long time and… i didn’t think you’d care,”

“oh, come on! it’s me! i’ve known you… forever!” she was genuinely shocked that she’d missed this news, “you know you can tell me anything-”

“yeah, she’ll just answer three days later,” her father butted in.

“but i’ll answer,” she defended herself, “anyway, as i was saying before being rudely interrupted, doesn’t matter how much time passes, i’m here for you, yeah?” she smiled, trying to think when the last time they’d spoken was. too long ago.

“got it, and… same goes to you,” he grinned too, and she was immediately transported back to her teenage years. “i have to go, but it was great seeing you, you’re staying the whole weekend?” he raised his eyebrows, smiling as she nodded, “great, guess i’ll see you around,”

she nodded again, waving her hand at him, but he took a step closer to her, moving to wrap his arms around her, she was caught off guard, but slid her hands around his waist in return.

“good luck,” she told him, watching him walk away after he said goodbye to sebastian. she turned to her father, and frowned. “what?”

“anything i should know?”

“what?” she asked, seb raised his eyebrows.

“you’re… flustered,” he noticed, she rolled her eyes.

“i’m not,” she grunted, pushing him with her shoulder. seb chuckled, walking beside her, “everything used to be so big,”

“it’s all the same, you just grew up,” he smiled, a nostalgic smile.

“don’t get emotional,” she chuckled.

“you and mick…” seb started, “what… what happened between you two?”

“what do you mean?”

“well, one day you wre hanging out, the next it’s like you never knew each other.”

“i don’t know, i mean… i still consider him my friend, you know? like… he was a big part of my adolescence and i just… got busy. but, so did he. i’ve followed his career, well, i must’ve messed up somewhere along the way since i missed the news that he was in f1.”

“maybe this weekend you guys can work on that,” he suggested as they reached the aston martin hospitality. “i’m sure he’s missed you. he always asks me about you,”

“really?” she asked, taking one last look behind her shoulder, hoping to catch a glimpse of him, but he was nowhere in sight.

“every weekend.” seb nodded. “he’s a good kid. you two have my blessing, you know? in case you both ever want to… you know.”

“dad!”

age 23, 2022.

seoul had always been one of her favorite cities. the culture, the people, the different traditions compared to what she was used to from living in europe for so long. it was always special when she was there.

but that night, she wasn’t as ecstatic about being there.

not when he was so near yet so far at the same time.

it was pathetic, really, to be that infatuated with someone. she’d lived many years without him in her life, and it only took him one weekend to turn her life upside down.

mick and her father were in japan, it was the last time sebastian would race there, and her stomach hurt at the fact that they were really close, but she was stuck in south korea for the press junket of her first movie, a little over a year’s work was finally ready for the world to see.

to say that she was stuck would be an exaggeration, she’d arrived a few days before to get used to the time difference, she didn’t have to be there until wednesday, and it was currently monday. and all she wanted to do was get out of there.

she was being dramatic.

but she did wish she could be there with him.

her phone rang, and she ran to the bed, picking it up. she smiled as she picked up the call.

“hey,” she said, a smile appearing on her face before even hearing his voice, just reading his name in the contact was enough to turn her stomach upside down, to make her heart beat at high speed.

“hi, i didn’t know if you were busy, i-”

“no, i’m free,” she bit her lip, “how’s japan?”

“well, i actually haven’t had the chance to check it out, i’ve been sleeping all day,” he chuckled, she let herself fall on the hotel bed, looking up at the ceiling.

“tired?”

“not anymore,” he laughed, which made her chuckle, too. “and you? have you explored seoul yet?”

“ah, well that’s the plan. that’s why i got here a few days before necessary,” she explained.

“oh, that’s nice, i’m sure there’s a ton of things to do there,” mick said, his voice sounding lower than before.

“yeah,” she sighed, “tokyo sounds great right now, though.”

“so does seoul.”

“what a tragedy we are,” she chuckled, biting her lip. “if only… there was a way to solve this,”

“switch places?” mick joked, though there was nearly no humor in his voice.

“maybe… we could get lost in japan.”

“we?"

"you're two hours away," she whispered, standing up and walking to the window, the sun was starting to go down, the best of seoul's night life would be starting soon. "i'm only a couple hundred miles away,"

"do you want to get lost in japan?" he asked, and she could hear the smile on his face.

"let's get lost."

age 22, 2021.

she felt like a little kid again. she remembered the thrill and excitement the pre-race brought, but living it as an adult, after years and years being away from this world, it felt like living it for the first time.

watching her father get ready, she thought about how lucky she was to have him. he’d taught her to fight for her dreams and not give up until she achieved them, to love people with kindness and give back whenever she could.

there were cameras all over the place, something she’d gotten used to. her eyes shifted from her dad, who was talking to the mechanics, to the screens on the side of the garage.

after a few seconds, she saw herself. she smiled at her ‘reflection’, turning to the side until she spotted the camera, giving it a small wave before looking back to the screen. she saw herself doing that, then the broadcast changed from her, to mick. who was also smiling at the screen, and the delay allowed her to watch him smile at her.

she looked down, feeling her face getting flustered. she and mick had been rekindling their friendship that weekend, catching up when he had free time, remembering the days when the paddock was their playground. it was easy and she was happy that they’d had the chance to do it, she felt bad for losing touch with him years ago.

“it’s time,” her father said, walking to her. she smiled, hugging him.

“good luck and fight hard,” she said, watching his eyes light up as he recognized those words. the same words she told him the day of her first f1 race.

after watching her dad step in the car and wait until he drove away, she stood up and walked down the paddock, sneaking into a different garage.

mick was zipping up his suit, adjusting the velcro strap. her lips curled up as she watched his concentrated face, his eyebrows furrowed as he seemed to be in deep thought. a second later, he turned his head to his side, and he had to do a double take to make sure he was really seeing her there.

she smiled sheepishly now that she’d been caught, she took one careful step in, relaxing as he walked to her.

“hey,” she said, smiling wider. “just wanted to wish you good luck,”

“thank you,” he grinned, a light pink tint creeping on his cheeks, “i’m really gonna need it,” he exhaled deeply.

“you’re gonna do great,” she reassured him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “come here,” she pulled him closer, giving him what was supposed to be a quick hug, but he wrapped an arm around her back, keeping her there for longer than what was deemed appropriate. “i know this place brings back a lot of memories, but just enjoy it. it’s your first time here, racing in f1, your dream. you got this, mick.”

after the race she went to the pit lane, hugging her dad, but spotting another blonde german behind him.

“i’ll be right back, dad,” she told him, making her way to mick. “hey, that was so cool. congrats on finishing your first monaco race,” she hugged him, feeling his arms around her back.

“your dad is watching us. he’s smiling really weird, make him stop, please,” he pleaded, and she turned around to see her dad raise his eyebrows. she rolled her eyes, smiling sheepishly at mick.

“it sometimes feels as if he’s the kid. i should go. i’ll talk to you later,” she raised on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

age 23, 2022.

she’d landed in tokyo. the city was filled with lights, skyscrapers, and she never wanted to leave. she’d told her dad about her plans, and had arranged a dinner for the three of them. she was the first to arrive, and was waiting for the two drivers to get there. the place was packed, but of course they’d given priority to sebastian vettel and his daughter. her booth was away from the rest of the other tables, it felt closed off and she was glad the place was good for talking. it would be good for catching up with them.

it was night, and she was feeling quite tired after a hectic and busy day, but she had limited time before having to jump back to her own responsibilities. she wanted to make the most of her free time.

footsteps caught her attention, she looked up, a happy smile on her face.

“mick!” she jumped up from her seat, wrapping her arms around him in a tight embrace. it had been about a month since she last saw him, but she missed him as if it had been years. “how have you been?”

“i’m good, you?” he asked, pressing a kiss to her cheek as his way to say hi.

“same. i… on my way here i was thinking that maybe… i was overreacting, and that i could’ve just come here after the race and-”

“no, i- it’s fine. actually i- as soon as i landed i just knew that you’d love this place if you were here. so i guess i- i’m glad that you wanted to get lost-” they both smiled at his words, “with me.” the concept of ‘getting lost’ in a new place fascinated her, to be so mesmerized and hypnotized by the people and the little markets and stores, that you forget about time, responsibilities.

she smiled at him, nodding, she sat back in her place, with mick in front of her.

“oh, great, i thought i was late,” mick said, sitting in front of her, “your dad’s always pestering me about being on time, and look at him, or- well, you know, you can’t because he’s not here.” he continued, “shutting up now.” he raised his hands as she laughed.

just at that moment her phone rang.

“sorry,” she excused herself as she picked up her phone. “dad?”

“hey, kid, so… i won’t be able to make it tonight. some last minute thing with the team came up. but! you two enjoy a nice dinner, catch up, behave and use protection,” he rushed the last few words before hanging up.

she was left with wide eyes and heat creeping up her cheeks, she shyly looked over at mick, thinking about how to explain what her father just said.

“what did he say?” mick asked, still so confused about everything happening.

“um… dad’s not coming, um, he said we should have a nice time and catch up.”

“oh… well, that’s alright with me, if…” he started, raising his eyebrows as he waited for her answer.

“yeah, i- yeah, let’s do it, we’re already here.” she smiled, pushing aside her nerves, reminding herself who she’s with. it’s mick. sweet, kind, thoughtful mick. her friend mick.

mick, who was staring at her with those big, bright blue eyes that took her breath away.

they talked, ate, drank wine and felt as if they were the only people in the world. conversation flowed easily with him, and the best part was that he really seemed interested in watever she was saying, he asked questions, gave suggestions and advice. and when it was his turn to talk, it took everything in her not to swoon right then and there. he spoke with such confidence and eloquence, softly. and even used his hands to emphasize important points.

they had to be basically thrown out of the restaurant, since they’d stayed thirty minutes past their closing time already. but that ddn’t mean they had to go their separate ways. they walked the streets of tokyo, side by side, speaking lowly as to not disturb the people sleeping, even though it seemed that no one was in their homes, since there were lots of people enjoying the nightlife. but it never crossed either of their minds to do anything other than walk and talk, and laugh and smile. mick took his jacket off when he noticed her skin got goosebumps after a particularly strong gust of wind, draping it over her shoulders, his heart stopped at the soft sigh that left her throat as she felt the comforting warmth enveloping her.

shy smiles and hidden looks when the other was unaware seemed to be their favorite way of communication. their eyes spoke all the words neither of them was ready to speak, perhaps because they didn’t yet know what they were feeling, or couldn’t figure out a way to express it.

he walked her to the hotel, at some point during their walk his hand had found hers.

he’d pulled her close to him, hiding in an alley to avoid a group of drunk men approaching them. it was probably nothing, but mick had been quick to think of a way to avoid them. she’d pressed a hand against his chest, looking up at him as he pressed a finger to her lips, telling her to be quiet. once they passed, and after a few seconds of silence, in which they stared at each other, he leaned down to press a kiss to the side of her head, tugging at her hand to keep walking. she licked her lips, biting her bottom one to try and stop the tingling sensation she was feeling.

they hadn’t let go, not that either of them wanted to. but as she looked down to their joined hands, once they reached the door leading to his hotel room, she realized she never wanted to let him go.

he blushed under her stare, tapping his thumb against the back of her hand as he moved his hand back. since her decision to travel to japan had been a really sudden one, most hotels had been booked for the grand prix, and mick had insisted she stayed with him, claiming to have more than enough room for the two of them.

the next day, they woke up early. it was their only full day they had together in japan, and they were both more than ready to get lost in beautiful tokyo.

their first stop was an electronic store, where she bought an instant camera to capture their adventures of the day. after that they went to have breakfast at a famous cat cafe, which mick was dreading. it’s not like he hated cats, but he was a dog person, and the few times he’d interacted with cats they ended up scratching him, hissing at him or just ignoring him. not this time, a cat immediately crawled in his lap, claiming it as his seat for the day.

he smiled as she took a picture of him and the cat, and he noticed the way her lips curled up softly as she looked at the developed photograph.

that day would go down as one of her favorite days, an entire day with someone who made her feel special, who was almost as excited as she was about doing all the basic tourist stuff.

“i think we really are lost,” mick said, as he stopped in his tracks, making her stop as well. once again, her hand was in his. neither of them noticed when it happened, it just did. but they were both aware of how natural and right it felt.

“we just have to take a right turn,” she pointed.

“you’re sure?” he raised his eyebrows.

“that’s what the lady said,” she nodded, taking a few steps and dragging him behind her. “see? i told you we’d- whoa!” she whispered, looking at the huge park in front of her, filled with big cherry blossom trees. “mick, look at this,” she tugged on his hand running towards the park. she let go of him as she rushed deeper into the park.

“it’s beautiful,” he said, watching her wide eyes take everything in. she looked beautiful. a big smile on her face as she saw all the trees, the pink flowers.

“come here, i want to take a picture of you,” she said, making him pose in front of a tree. in the middle of the photograph stood mick, with his signature grin on, and everything behind him was pink.

“your turn,” he declared once the picture developed. he waited for her to decide how she wanted her picture, but she was simply so taken aback by the beauty of this place, that he decided to capture her like that. with her looking up at the trees, a smile on her face. she didn’t notice him until he was shaking the photograph, and she smiled wide at the gesture. that’s when he snapped a second picture.

“mick!” she laughed, taking the camera from him, he slid an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close as he shook the picture with his free hand.

“hold on,” he said, walking to a girl about their age, he asked her to take a picture of the two of them. once he returned to her side, his arm returned to its previous place, bringing her close to him as she slid an arm around his back. before the girl took the picture he looked at her, which caused her to look up at him. they both smiled at the same time, and that’s when the girl took the picture.

after an entire day out on the streets of tokyo, they went to a sushi restaurant, nothing fancy, just what looked to be like a family-owned business.

“thank you for spending this day with me,” she said, taking a sip from her water. her throat was dry, her feet ached and her makeup probably needed more than just a touch-up. “i loved every second of it.”

“hey, you don’t need to thank me. i- i really enjoyed this day as well, i felt… free,”

she nodded, sharing the same feeling.

“besides i- i don’t think there’s anyone that i’d rather get lost with, other than you,” he smiled, his hand reaching for hers. she let him intertwine their fingers together, she’d gotten used to the feeling of his hand on hers.

“i feel the same way,” she said shyly, and it was not her turn to watch him get flustered under her stare.

once they reached their hotel, with the moon and neon lights illuminating the city, they sat on the balcony to look at the pictures they’d taken throughout the day, with a sharpie in hand to write small notes underneath. they watched the cars passing by, head the sounds a big city like tokyo made. when she got cold, instead of getting her a blanket, mick offered to keep her warm, she sat between his legs, with his arms around her.

“this one is my favorite,” she said, smiling at the picture of the two of them standing in front of the cherry blossoms.

“mine too,” he tightened his arms around her. she leaned her back against his chest, looking up at him.

“what should we name it?” she asked.

“hmm, i’m not sure,” he replied, staring deeply into her eyes. “would ‘lost in japan’ be too obvious?” he asked.

“maybe,” she chuckled. “i know i’ve already said it but… i just wanted to thank you. i really- i can’t describe how much i loved getting lost with you.”

“and i already told you, i only want to get lost with you. and you know what the best part about getting lost is?”

“what?” she asked, leaning her head against his shoulder.

“being found. i- i want… i want to be the person you get lost with, and the one to find you. i want to explore the world by your side, and be consumed by the beauty of it, at the same time as i’m learning more about myself… and about you.”

“mick-”

“i’ve liked you, for so long. i think you were my first crush since back in the day. the years when you went away, when we lost touch, i’d convinced myself that i’d lost you forever, and would only have to know about you through your dad. but after last year… in monaco, when i saw you i just knew. i couldn’t let you go again. and i’ve loved every moment, every conversation we’ve shared since that weekend, i’ve loved getting to know you, and knowing that the kid i knew is still in here,” he tapped her chest, where her heart was, with one finger. “and getting lost with you these few days has been the best choice i’ve ever made. i not only got lost in this place… i also got lost in you. in your mind, your ideas and dreams. it’s like a paradise.”

she cut his words off by placing her lips on his. after years, they were both admitting that this thing between them was more than just a friendship, that the reason they couldn’t get the other out of their minds wasn’t just because they were good friends.

getting lost might have been the best decision they ever took. and having the right partner to get lost with. with the promise that they’d find each other during each adventure.

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raplinesmoon · 1 year

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Turn Back Time (KSJ x F!Reader)

pairing: baseball player!Seokjin x doctor!reader (based on the movie 13 Going On 30) genres/au/rating: fluff, humour, angst, smut, time travel au, 18+ summary: After total humiliation at his middle school baseball try outs, Kim Seokjin wants nothing more than for his awkward years to fade away until he’s thirty. Cue a magic baseball glove, and his wish is finally granted. Seokjin suddenly wakes up seventeen years later, now the star pitcher of the team he’d always dreamed of playing for. Confused and overwhelmed at the prospect of the new life waiting for him, he turns to the only person who seems to understand him — you. Will Seokjin learn what it truly means to be thirty, flirty, and thriving? Or will he find himself wishing he could turn back time?

warnings: bodyswap au (kind of), alternating pov, teenage insecurities, bullying, Seokjin is confused, mention of sports injury, thirst, mentions of hangover, sassy thirteen year olds, mentioned infidelity (not between main characters), cheating (like in sports), swearing, angsty confessions, smut warnings: nudity, Seokjin pops a semi at the wrong time, soft!dom Jin, making out, heavy petting, dry humping, nipple play, unprotected s*x (wrap it before you tap it)

word count: 13.3k a/n: a very happy early 30th bday to our WWH! This is my submission for the Catch of The Century collab hosted by myself, @joheunsaram, and @kithtaehyung! I was super excited writing the role reversal with Seokjin, and 13 Going On 30 is only one of my favorite movies ever (seriously, it never misses on every single rewatch). I also just miss Jin so much T_T I hope you all enjoy 💜 also ty to Mars for beta-reading this as well!

listen to the playlist here!

The envelope crinkles as it’s handed to Seokjin, and his heart drops before he can even pause his iPod and yank his earbuds out, the Black Eyed Peas providing the soundtrack to his humiliation.

Sighing, he looks at his face twisted mid-expression, half-smile and half-grimace, the metal of his braces glinting against the camera flash, and wonders why the photographer had even bothered counting down if he wasn’t going to wait for him to smile for the photo anyway. Not to mention the packet had been inappropriately labeled “Suckjin”. His eomma would be so disappointed. Looking around, he pushes his glasses up onto his nose before shoving the damn thing into his backpack, where it hopefully wouldn’t see the light of day for a few more hours.

“Kim!”

Seokjin bites back a groan at the voice bellowing in the hallway, turning to see Jackson Wang and his posse of baseball boys strolling up to him. He and Jackson weren’t friends, at least not in the traditional sense of the word, but it wasn’t like they hated each other either. They had a mutual agreement - Seokjin would offer to do Jackson’s algebra homework for the semester, and Jackson promised him a try-out spot for the school’s baseball team.

To Seokjin, it was worth it. The baseball team was at the height of status in their janky middle school - everyone knew the players on the team were the coolest, sporting the finest threads walking through the hallways, and tipping their caps to make the girls scream. But it was more than that - for as long as he could remember, Seokjin had always been the lame kid. The one that faded into the background, hiding his acne-laden face under his mop of dark hair, constantly fiddling with his glasses. He hated that.

For once, he wanted to be the special one. The one who hit the winning home run at the game, the one who made all his fellow students and teachers scream with joy, who brought the school to victory. Then no one would ever forget him again. And now, with a try-out spot on the horizon, he finally got his chance.

“Did you hear about that new chick that moved here?” Jackson’s laugh interrupts Seokjin’s stream of intrusive thoughts, and he shoves his iPod into his book. “She’s supposed to be hot stuff.”

“Dude, you should totally hit her up,” DK, one of Jackson’s cronies, eggs him on with a guffaw. Jackson waves him away with an annoyed look, telling them he needs to talk to Seokjin for a second.

His tall, muscular figure looms over Seokjin’s scrawny one, the hard surface of the locker meeting his back.

“Sooo, I know try-outs were supposed to be tonight,” Jackson drawls, looking Seokjin over. “Big day, right?”

He’s unable to respond with anything but a gulp, knowing something was up. It always was with Jackson.

“Well, stupid Mr. Kang decided that we’d have a take-home assignment, and it’s due at the end of the week. I hate to cancel tryouts, I know how much you were looking forward to them, but we’ve gotta bust our asses for this, you know how it is.”

“I-, I could do the assignment for you,” Seokjin blurts out, finally summoning the bravery to speak. This was his once chance. He couldn’t screw it up now.

“Excellent,” Jackson’s eyes glint with mischief, his head turning to regard Seokjin with interest. He claps him on the back, the force of his palm causing Seokjin to sputter, before walking away with a wink.

“See ya later, Kim!”

The bell rings, and Seokjin immediately makes a beeline for the bathroom, changing out of the argyle patterned vest that his mother had put him in for picture day, and into his well-loved, too-large pair of Nike gym shorts that he’d found for $3 at Goodwill. Looking in the dusty mirror, he checks himself out, making sure he looked the exact part of a baseball player. His unruly hair sticks up everywhere. Sighing in frustration, Seokjin lets the water under the sink run, wetting his hands and combing it back until it lays off his face.

Great, now he looked like he hadn’t taken a shower in a week.

“Baseball try-outs?” a voice next to him squeaks, and he turns to see another kid right next to him, shorter by an inch or two, his heart-shaped smile looking up at him.

“You too?” he asks the kid, who erupts into giggles, his laughter bouncing off the walls.

“Nahhhh, it’s the dance team for me, I’m Hobi by the way,” he reaches out his hand for Seokjin to shake. Seokjin takes the hand with hesitation. Hobi seemed nice, if not a little weird. He reminded Seokjin of himself.

“Dance team? Isn’t that kind of lame though?”

“What do you mean?” Hobi asks him with curious eyes. “It’s not any more lame than following around Jackson Wang and his posse of meatheads. It’s more original.”

Hobi straightens up when he sees the clock, the time hitting both of them.

“Oop! I gotta go, I’ll see you later dude! Good luck with try-outs!” he waves Seokjin goodbye, rushing out the door.

Hobi’s words about being original weigh heavily on Seokjin, and he wonders if doing all this would be worth it in the end. After a few minutes of contemplation, Seokjin decides it is. He doesn’t want to be original, he thinks, he just wants to be cool.

“Seokjinnie! Show Eomma the pictures,” his mom pinches his cheeks, one hand on the steering wheel. Seokjin scowls, wishing she’d hurry up. They were going to be late for tryouts.

“Eomma, can you please just give it a break?” he grumbles, but she reaches into his bag anyway, peeking at the envelope with the preview.

“Oh, you look sooo handsome my boy!” she coos, beaming at the photo of him with his braces showing. Was she for real?

“Eomma, stop calling me that! I hate my life,” he whines, slumping into his seat. Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out his most treasured baseball card, Albert Pujols staring him back in the face. Why couldn’t he be more like his hero? Not the awkward, bumbling thirteen-year-old Seokjin that he was, but an all-star.

“I wish I was thirty,” he sighs, and he watches his Eomma purse her lips.

“Seokjinnie,” she says as she pulls into the parking lot of the baseball field. “Eomma loves you very much, you know that, right? Whether you’re thirteen or thirty.”

She presses a wet kiss to his cheek, her lipstick leaving a faint pink smudge on him.

“Eomma ewwww!” he groans but hugs her anyway with a smile. He knew he’d come home to a warm bowl full of kimchi jjigae tonight.

“Good luck!!” her voice fades off into the distance as Seokjin descends into the dugout where the locker rooms were, ready to give this his best shot.

. . .

The sun trickles through the small windows of the dugout, the grey specks of dust flitting through the air. It’s empty. Seokjin walks through, realizing there’s no one there. Did he come at the wrong time?

Pacing around the room, he looks for something, anything that would indicate the team had been here, a spare bat, or maybe a jersey somewhere. But his heart sinks when he realizes there was nothing. He’d been such a fool.

“Ohhhh Kimmmm,” a voice says from the shadows, and Seokjin feels his blood run cold. Turning around, he sees Jackson’s figure looming at the door, a devious smirk lighting up his face.

“Jackson, what’s going on, where’s everybody—” Seokjin begins, only to be cut off by Jackson howling in laughter.

“Poor guy,” he mutters, stalking towards Seokjin with a menacing gleam in his eyes. “Did you really think those tryouts were real? That we’d let a lame-o like you on the team? You’re more stupid than I thought.”

Seokjin feels like he’s being eaten alive on the inside, shame and humiliation coming over him in waves, his head slumping forward to stare at the ground while Jackson’s words ring loud and clear in the back of his mind.

“I don’t get it, I did the report for you, you said I–, I’d have a chance this year,” he stutters, Jackson backing him up against the lockers.

Jackson picks up a dusty baseball mitt off the ground, shoving it into Seokjin’s hands before pushing him into the locker, the door slamming shut and caging him in darkness.

“You never stood a chance, Kim. You’re just not cool enough.”

. . .

Seokjin doesn’t know how long he bangs against the door of the locker, knuckles raw and bleeding from being cut by the metal. His voice has gone hoarse from screaming for help, knowing that he’s out of luck for a few hours.

He hated everyone - Jackson, the team, all his classmates at school who made him feel like he was worth nothing. He couldn’t wait to grow up, to get out of here, and to finally be somebody he was proud of.

Bile rises up in his throat as he looks at the dilapidated baseball mitt in his hands. He wants to fling it off into oblivion, its presence only reminding him of how silly he’d been to believe that things would be different.

Still, it was all he had, and so he clutched it to his chest, blowing off the dust, rocking back and forth in order to comfort himself as the sun began to set outside.

“I just wanna be thirty,” he whispers into the darkness before his eyes shut and he finally falls asleep.

Seokjin snorts in the middle of his slumber, shifting around to make himself more comfortable, when all of a sudden, he feels himself land on a hard surface with a thud. Cursing, he rubs his shoulder, standing up but tripping on the edge of something soft.

His eyes open sleepily, but it’s still dark. Grumbling, he palms at his face, eventually finding the edge of something covering his eyes. A blindfold? How had that gotten there? Lifting it off, light floods his vision, and his heart stops.

The room around him was very unfamiliar - he catches sight of the rug he’d tripped on moments ago, his eyes traveling up to the sleek bed made out of dark wood with its rumpled sheets. This wasn’t his room. Where were all the baseball posters? And his GameCube in the corner? And his desk with his iMac?

There was only one answer for this - he’d been kidnapped. Panicking, Seokjin fumbles with the doorknob, stumbling into the hallway of the apartment, his eyes widening and heart racing at the even more unfamiliar surroundings.

“Eomma?” he calls out, padding down the hallway and taking in the sparse decorations. “Appa?”

He pauses when he sees a poster on the wall, a scantily clad woman in what can only be described as a provocative pose, and his cheeks flush with heat. He turns his eyes away quickly, feeling like he’s violating someone’s privacy.

The living room is even more strange, full of black furniture and far neater than Seokjin’s room had ever been. His eyes widen at the large flat-screen TV that sits in the corner, and he lets out a soft *wow* at the thought of being able to watch baseball games on there.

He turns to look around more, only to come face-to-face with a mirror. But the person staring back at him isn’t Seokjin. This person was not a thirteen-year-old with acne, a mouth full of braces, and dorky wire-rimmed glasses. He looked like one of those models on magazine covers, with hair pushed back from his face, skin clearer than the water at the beach, and a jawline that could cut glass.

He screams at the unfamiliar face, thinking there’s an intruder in the house with him. He staggers backward, tripping on the raised entrance to the living room, and falling flat on his back. Pain explodes across the back of his head, and he wants to cry.

From elsewhere in the apartment, he hears a door click, and he peers over at the mirror again. He freezes when he realizes there is no other intruder. The figure in the mirror moves the same way he does, copying his exact movement, and Seokjin brings a hand to his face, seeing it rest on the jawline of the attractive reflection.

That was him. He was the man. Was this some kind of dream? Or an alternate reality? He tests the waters, feeling around his face, tugging at the skin to see if it was some sort of costume. His hands fly to his chest, realizing that he’s shirtless, and he’s amazed by the muscles he finds underneath his palms.

“What is happening?” he hyperventilates, shocked at the deep voice that comes out, so unlike his own. “What is going on?”

His anxiety increases as he begins to pace around the apartment, coaxing himself to breathe and relax and take a seat. He’d find a way out of this.

Plopping onto the leather sofa, something on the coffee table catches his eye. It’s a letter, and he pales when he sees the name on the envelope.

It’s his. Kim Seokjin. But that’s not his address. Frantically, he sifts through the mail, growing even paler when he sees all the letters are addressed to him, and that they’re being sent to this same address. He lived here.

The sofa creaks as he rises up abruptly, searching anywhere he can for a phone. Finding it in the corner, he dials his parents’ number, silently praying they hadn’t changed it. His Appa’s voice greets him on the phone, saying that they were currently away in Korea, but they’d be back at the end of this month, and he lets out a heavy sigh. He was alone.

Seokjin thinks this is the weirdest dream he’s ever been in, but he’s interrupted by the sound of the sink turning on in what he can only assume is the bathroom in this place.

“Seokjin, babe?” a female voice calls out from behind the door, and he jumps back, terror seizing him. This must be the strange woman who kidnapped him! She was probably some kind of weirdo, why was she calling him babe?

Seokjin searches for something, anything he can use to protect himself, settling on an umbrella in the corner.

“I-, I know you’re there,” his voice wobbles as he yells out to the woman. “My parents are gonna be home soon!”

The door creaks open and out steps a woman. The first thing Seokjin can think of is legs. So much leg, peeking out at him from underneath a fluffy white towel. And then he screams again. Because she’s naked under there.

“Babe, where’s the conditioner?” she asks him, crossing her arms. Her chest is emphasized by this action, and Seokjin looks up at the ceiling. This was inappropriate. He had to get out of here now!

“Come join me!” her voice fades into the background as he runs, grabbing the first coat and the first pair of shoes he sees in the entryway. The stairs of the unfamiliar building wind around him as he descends, his head spinning, and before he knows it, he’s through a golden set of doors and out onto a busy city street.

A strange buzzing comes from his pocket and Seokjin yelps. Was he being attacked? Had the government bugged him?

“Excuse me, ma’am, do you hear that?” he says frantically, pointing to his pocket. “Do you hear the buzzing?”

The woman passes him by without a second glance.

“Kim!” a voice calls out to him. “Get your ass over here!”

Seokjin turns to the sound of the voice and stops in his tracks when he sees the person calling out to him.

It’s Jackson Wang, all suited up for practice. But he’s not the Jackson Seokjin remembers, his tall looming figure from their middle school only growing more intimidating with the amount of Jackson has built over the years. The man chatters away on the phone angrily, gesturing for Seokjin to get in the car. What kind of world had he found himself in?

“I-, I don’t get in the car with strangers,” Seokjin says confidently, turning away from Jackson’s grabby hands. The man scoffs.

“Can you please just get in bro? We don’t have time for this, we’re gonna be late.”

“BAAABEEE?” Seokjin hears the voice from the apartment again, looking up to see the woman from the apartment calling down to him, now wearing a bra. She blows him kisses and giggles. He definitely did not want to be stuck with her.

His head feels like it’s gonna explode, caught between two horrifying situations. But right now even though it was Jackson, the dude in front of him seemed less weird, and so, he falls over into the seat of the car, the door slamming shut behind him.

During the car ride, Seokjin peers through the windows of the car, taking in the bright lights and busy streets of the city around him. He’s in awe. He never imagined being somewhere like this before.

“Dude, I know I’m your best friend, but you’re acting a little weird, even for me,” Jackson says next to him, and Seokjin straightens up, looking over at him. His best friend? Maybe he had all the answers to what was going on.

“We’re really best friends?” he asks, and the man snickers in response. “Something really weird is happening to me.”

“Oh god,” Jackson groans. “Did you finally get a girl pregnant?”

Seokjin feels his blood run cold. Pregnant? He hadn’t even kissed a girl yet, how could he get someone pregnant?

“NO!” Seokjin blurts out. “No, no, no, it’s even weirder! I slept in an apartment I’ve never seen before, and there was a naked girl in my bathroom and I almost saw her boobs!”

He finishes with an exhale, but the car comes to a screeching halt at the exact same time, the other man not even saying a word before he gets out.

“W-wait,” Seokjin runs after him. “Please don’t leave me here, just listen to me, I’m thirteen years old–”

“If you’re gonna start lying about your age, Kim, I’d make sure it was something legal at least,” Jackson smirks, walking ahead of him on the street.

“I know it sounds weird, but strange things are happening to me, like, like that!!”

The buzzing in Seokjin’s pocket starts again, and he freaks out, spinning in a circle as he tries to locate the source.

“Would you stop it?” Jackson pulls something out of Seokjin’s pocket. It’s a shiny, flat, metallic object that continues to buzz in his hands. “It’s probably just Coach.”

“C-coach? Who Coach? What Coach?” He feels like his head is about to explode.

The phone is held to Seokjin’s ear.

“HEY BAABEEE!” A voice drawls on the other end, and Seokjin screams, throwing the phone to his companion.

“Get her away from me!” he yelps.

“Okay, listen to me!” Jackson roars, stopping Seokjin in his tracks. “You need to calm down. We have a team meeting in ten minutes. I’m going to tell you what to do, you just need to repeat after me.”

“Ok,” Seokjin says, taking a deep breath.

“I am Kim Seokjin, star batsman for the Eagles. I am a tough bastard, and I’m gonna walk into the stadium and not let anyone know I’m hungover.”

“I’m–” Seokjin prepares to repeat the words, but stops when he hears the rest of them. “I AM?”

But Jackson is already gone, disappearing behind the double doors that lead to a stadium Seokjin never thought he’d find himself going into. The Eagles. His dream team.

Seokjin follows Jackson through the stadium, oohing and ahhing at all the different banners and pieces of sports memorabilia that are on display. This has to be the wildest field trip he’s ever been on.

The man next to him scoffs.

“It’s not like you come here every day,” he chuckles, sarcasm seeping into his voice.

“I DO?” Seokjin can’t believe his ears.

The two of them walk through, scores of people greeting Seokjin and wishing him a good morning. He doesn’t know any of them, their faces all unfamiliar. But they knew him. They knew him and they loved him. He was a star.

“There he is, our star batsman!!” a voice bellows, and Seokjin is attacked by a man throwing him into the biggest bear hug.

“Coach,” Jackson whispers.

“Coach!” Seokjin repeats with a squeak, feeling the wind get knocked out of him. “You’re my coach!”

“That’s right kiddo, who’s your daddy?” the man chortles, and Seokjin responds with eagerness.

“His name is Kim— ow!” He’s cut off by a sharp jab to his chest.

He follows the two men into the dugout, surprised to see a room full of men wearing Eagles jerseys. The team. This was the team. He was on their team!

Seokjin buzzes with excitement, waving hello to all the players with a bounce in his step. They all look at him with concern etched in their features, and the guy he came with urges him to sit down in a cubby. The shiny letters of “4 Kim” greet him, etched on the plaque that adorns the space, and a weird feeling of pride bubbles in his chest. He’d made it.

“Team,” Coach clears his throat, and a hush falls over the room, the commotion dying down. “We need to get it together. The Hawks have consistently outplayed us in every game of the season this year, and they’ve been using our own plays against us. We need to move fast, beat them at their own game, hit them when they least expect it, especially if we have any chance of making it to the playoffs this year! Don’t you agree, Kim?”

It takes a second for Seokjin to realize the man is referring to him, and he sits up straight, anxiety kicking in because he hadn’t prepared a response to his impassioned speech.

He raises his hand. “Can I go to the bathroom?”

The team erupts into laughter, howls echoing off the walls of the dugout, before Coach blows his whistle, silencing them all at once.

“Get out there on the field boys, we don’t have time to mess around,” and Seokjin rises up, ready to throw the ball around for a bit, happy for the familiarity of baseball to make him feel grounded when it seemed like everything about his life was upside down.

“Not you, Kim,” Coach holds out a hand to stop him. “You’re injured, remember? Your physical therapy with the doctor is in five minutes. Don’t be late.” And with a nod, he leaves.

Seokjin was even more confused. Injured? But he didn’t remember getting into an accident of any kind.

He hoped whoever this doctor was, they could help give him some answers.

The clacking of heels signals your arrival moments later, Seokjin lifting his head up to asses the new entry to the dugout. When his eyes fall on you, he sucks in a sharp breath.

Wow. You had to be the prettiest girl he’d ever seen, pencil skirt hugging your figure perfectly, hips tapering out to an ass that he knew Irene Bae couldn’t have accomplished no matter how much she stuffed her cheerleading uniform with toilet paper. His eyes travel upwards, falling on your chest, and immediately he blushes, reminded of the woman in the apartment this morning. Your boobs are covered by a silky top, the fabric doing nothing to hide their shape, and Seokjin gulps. They look way nicer than hers, anyway. He wants to rest his face on them like a pillow.

Maybe he should ask you out on a date first, though.

“Hi Jin!” your soft voice greets him happily, a dazzling smile taking over your features, and Seokjin feels his heart speed up. He hadn’t felt this dizzy since he saw a poster of Beyonce in a bikini when he was shopping at Target with his mom. “How are you doing today?”

“F-fine,” Seokjin stammers, unable to look you in the eyes when you take a seat next to him. He tries to find interest in the specks that line the floor, but your smell overwhelms him, the sweet floral scent attacking his nose. You looked nice, sounded nice, and you even smelled nice. Not to mention you were actually nice.

And he was supposed to be alone with you? For longer than five minutes? Seokjin thinks he’ll pass out if you get any closer to him.

“How’s the leg?” you ask him, leaning over until your face is right next to his. Seokjin forces himself to look away with a blush, grumbling about how it’s okay. He wasn’t sure whether his leg or his chest ached more right now with the way you were staring at him.

“Let me take a look!” you say cheerfully, dropping to your knees, and reaching out to grab his calf, and Seokjin thinks he might throw up with the way he can see down your shirt, the soft white lace of your bra doing things to his head. He’d never seen someone more beautiful in his life. And you were taking care of him.

The next twenty minutes are pure torture, Seokjin holding his breath as you poke and prod all over his leg, stretching it in and out with curious eyes. At some point, he feels his pants start to become tight and freaks when he looks down and sees the beginning of a boner in his sweats.

He coughs loudly, causing you to jump in surprise dropping his leg, and he immediately finds the nearest mitt and puts it on his lap to hide his unfortunate surprise guest. You smile up at him, rising to your feet.

“Your leg is doing great,” you tell him. “It should be all healed up soon, just in time for the playoffs. And then you won’t need to see me anymore.”

“Wait,” Seokjin chokes. He just met you! He needed you to stick around. Maybe you knew something about him, about what was going on. “What do you mean, ar-are you gonna leave?”

You cock your head curiously at him, and Seokjin shrinks into his seat at your intense gaze. Was he being weird around you?

“I’m not going anywhere,” you say softly. “I’ll always be here when you need me, Jin.”

Seokjin’s heart pounds at your words, and he shyly rubs at the back of his neck.

“Thanks! See you again—” he blanks when he realizes he doesn’t know who you are.

“___,” you tell him, raising your eyebrows up at him, turning to leave. “Seokjin? Next time you come to physical therapy, try not to be hungover, okay?”

He watches you leave with a dazed smile on his face. ___. Meeting you had been the highlight of his day so far. Despite how strange everything had been, he knew he couldn’t wait to see you again.

Seokjin catches the ball with an oomph!, shocked at how fast these players could throw. It’d only been a day since he found himself in this new body, and he’d stumbled home confused after his session with you yesterday, eventually caving and trying desperately to hail a taxi to take him back to the apartment. He sobbed in relief when he saw the strange woman was nowhere to be found, slumping against the door and finally allowing himself to breathe for the first time all day. Tears tracked down his face as he thought of how often he’d wished for this, the life he’d wanted so desperately finally finding him in the end.

Even now, as he tosses the ball back and forth, he’s unable to believe it. Him, the star batsman for the team he’d idolized growing up? He wanted to call his Eomma and tell her, but paused when he realized she probably already knew.

“Something on your mind?” Jackson says to him with a laugh, throwing a curveball, and Seokjin feels his palm burn from the force of catching it.

Seokjin surveys the man who was the last person he remembered before everything changed, and wonders how they ever became friends. He wants to ask, but something feels uneasy about it – like Jackson would judge him for it. He would probably think Seokjin was clinically insane if he even tried to bring up how he fell asleep thirteen and woke up thirty one day.

He wishes there was someone he could talk to, someone who got it, and that’s when he sees you waving from across the field. You’re dressed more casually today, in slacks and a soft-looking sweater, and yet you still manage to be absolutely stunning.

Seokjin feels guilty for staring at you so much like he’s a stupid thirteen-year-old with a crush on his teacher, but he also genuinely enjoyed spending time with you yesterday. Despite your annoyance at his “hangover”, you hadn’t taken it out on him with words as the others had; you went about the session as normal and treated him with kindness the entire time through.

Seokjin waves goodbye to Jackson, sprinting in your direction. He misses the way Jackson’s eyes follow his back, trained on the way you greet him with a smile, the two of you heading back into the dugout.

“Soooo, you’re a doctor?” Seokjin can’t help himself from asking, immediately feeling stupid when he realizes that he’s meant to have known you for a while. He couldn’t help it - you felt like the only real thing he could latch onto in this world, his mind running a thousand miles a minute as he processed all the new changes that had occurred.

“Yup! I studied sports medicine in college, then went to med school,” you answer politely, your tone giving no indication that you found him weird at all.

“That’s cool, you must be super smart, 7th grade bio is hard enough for me,” Jin laments, immediately realizing his mistake with a soft gasp. “Was. It was hard for me, you know, back in seventh grade.”

“Are you sure you’re okay Seokjin?” you look up at him, eyes filled with concern.

Tears prick at Seokjin’s eyes, the earnest tone of your voice giving him the push he needed to be honest. No, he was not okay. He wasn’t okay, and he needed someone to talk to, and he thinks that you, of all people, might be able to understand. After all, your entire job involved empathy.

“Something really weird is happening,” he confesses, watching you listen carefully to his words. “I don’t know what’s been going on, but the last thing I remember, I was sitting in my closet, and it’s like I’m in a weird dream. I feel like I skipped half my life – I can’t remember the person I used to be, or what my life was like at all. It’s like I don’t even recognize myself.”

“I think I need help,” he continues. “I need help remembering who I was before. You’ve known me for a little bit, right ___? Do you think you could help?”

Seokjin thought he was onto something, but his heart drops to his stomach when he looks up and he sees you, face pale and lip trembling like you’re about to cry.

“I–, I don’t know if I’m the best person to help you with that Seokjin, maybe you should ask Jackson,” you respond, refusing to meet his eyes.

“Why?” he leans over to look into your eyes, shocked when they’re as misty as his own. “What happened, ___?”

Before he knows it, the vulnerable look in your eyes is gone, and you’re back to your normal, cheerful self.

“Hey,” you tell him. “Why don’t we pack it up for today? I’ll walk you back home to your apartment.”

“Okay,” Seokjin says, stomach still churning at the pained look you’d had moments before. “But can we get milkshakes?”

You smile at him, a look of fondness coming over you. You rise, beckoning him to follow you outside.

“I think we can manage that.”

The slurp of a straw interrupts your thoughts, and you look over to see Seokjin, eyes wide with delight as he drinks up the last of his milkshake, the whipped cream forming a mustache on his top lip.

You’re puzzled. The Seokjin you’d known before would have never agreed to hang out with you, let alone talk to you for an extended period of time. For as long as you’d known him, even in college, he’d been too arrogant for his own good, obsessed with letting everyone know the world revolved around him and him only. The man sitting in front of you is completely different, transformed in a way that didn’t even seem real.

The Seokjin that sat with you now seemed infinitely more unsure of himself, shy and hesitant in the way that only a child would be. You wonder what could have changed so suddenly. Coach hadn’t given you any reports about him undergoing head trauma in addition to his leg injury.

“Thank you for the milkshake,’’ Seokjin grins, wiping the cream off his lips, and you hate the way your heart skips a beat at that. You curse yourself for the moment of weakness, even after all this time.

“We went to college together,” you blurt out, not knowing why you chose to reveal this piece of information, given that he likely already knew it. “Me, you, and Jackson.”

Seokjin’s mouth gapes open, a shocked gasp escaping his open mouth.

“Really?” he says leaning in closer to you. “Were we friends?”

You furrow your brow in confusion. Had he really forgotten college? I mean it had been nearly a decade ago, and it wasn’t like life had drawn you back together until recently.

“Not really, you moved in a different crowd,” you chuckle. “Like not the nerdy, study in the library kind. More like the frat rager kind.”

“WHOAAAA,” Seokjin marvels in wonder, his voice filled with childlike glee. “That sounds awesome.”

“What if this isn’t just a dream? What if what I wished for actually happened?” he continues, softer this time, but you still pick up on it.

Reaching a hand towards him, you pull away at the last moment, unsure why you were acting so wildly out of character with him. It was like the energy between you two had completely changed.

“Well, you got everything you ever wanted, then, might as well enjoy it,” you smile at him, heart fluttering when he gives you a sincere smile back, his cheeks puffing out with happiness.

“I have to run,” you get up abruptly, throwing your bag over your shoulder. “But I’ll see you at the gala tonight?”

“What gala?” he asks, eyes looking up at your curiously. Your stomach turns in disbelief. Did he actually not remember? Maybe his schedule was so busy he’d forgotten.

“The charity gala that I organized for the team tonight,” you tell him. “The one to raise money for medical care for athletes who’ve suffered a career-ending injury?”

“Oh! I’ll be there,” Seokjin says confidently, beaming at you. You give him a weak smile back, knowing you have to leave before you did something stupid and made the same mistake twice.

“Arrivederci, ___!” he waves, turning to walk in the other direction before he disappears around the corner.

“Au revoir,” you whisper back softly.

Your life was completely different now, and there was no place for him in it.

Seokjin straightens his tie before stepping into his closet, perusing the many suit options he had. He wanted to pick his best outfit to impress you with tonight, but he was feeling overwhelmed with the size of the space, missing the days when his Eomma would drag him to Goodwill and they’d find the cheapest one that fit.

He settles on a navy blue one, throwing the jacket over his shoulders, and pushing his hair up off his face, before taking a step back to look at himself in the mirror.

Whoa. Seokjin still couldn’t get used to the way his body had changed, remembering the ugly duckling phase he’d been in the middle of before being transported here. He wonders if he was able to talk to a lot of girls now that he was more confident. Maybe he’d even had a past girlfriend that he didn’t know about. Maybe they’d even had sex.

Seokjin’s cheeks burn when he thinks about it, your face in the back of his mind. He imagines what it’d be like to kiss you, thinking about how soft your lips would feel. Why had the two of you never dated? Maybe because you worked together? Whatever it was, he hoped he could change your mind about it.

Stepping out of his apartment, he skips down the hallway to the elevator, giddy to be going to his first grown-up party. Well, not technically his first, but more like the first, he could remember. The elevator dings and Seokjin makes his way inside, a little boy his only other companion.

“Hi,” Seokjin says, but the boy just ignores him, looking at his phone.

“I’m Seokjin,” he says, extending a hand that catches the boy’s attention.

“Jungwoo,” the boy says, looking hesitant as he accepts the handshake. “Why are you talking to me?”

“Why not?” Seokjin says, feeling confused. “We’re neighbours, right?”

“Yeah,” Jungwoo responds despondently. “But you usually ignore me most of the time.”

The way he says it makes Seokjin feel horrible inside. He would never purposefully ignore someone like that, not after knowing what it felt like as a kid. He wonders what the 30-year-old version of him had been like to warrant such a reaction.

“How old are you, Jungwoo?”

“I’m thirteen,” Jungwoo responds, and all of a sudden, the elevator comes to a stop, signaling their arrival at the ground floor. Jungwoo walks out without another word, Seokjin running after him.

“Wait!” he says sharply, watching Jungwoo turn to look at him in shock. “You should come over and hang out sometime, we can watch some baseball together.”

“Really?” Jungwoo says hopefully.

“Yeah,” Seokjin smiles, patting him on the back. “I gotta go, but I’ll see you later!”

And Seokjin runs out the door, excited not only to have made a new friend but at the fact that it felt like this strange life of his was finally clicking into place.

The room spins around you, and you can’t tell whether it’s because the arm around you feels too tight tonight or because the music is boring as heck. You want nothing more than to sit down, knowing all the attention would be on you in a matter of moments, and the thought made you sick.

What made you even more nauseous was your partner’s maroon tux. Maroon. To match your navy blue. When you’d asked why he hadn’t worn the same color, his only response was:

“Babe, this little thing isn’t that serious, right? It’s about the money.”

You excuse yourself, wanting to find some investors to talk to about how to contribute their generous wealth towards your aspiring fund, only to catch sight of Kim Seokjin in a corner, knocking back drinks with a giddy smile.

“____!” he waves you over happily when he sees you, taking your hand to pull you in close to him. “I can’t believe it’s 10:00 pm on a school night and I’m at a party, drinking pina coladas that aren’t virgin!”

Your jaw drops open when you see what he’s wearing. Navy blue - a smart-looking suit to match your gown perfectly, and you feel the back of your neck grow hot with thoughts you shouldn’t be having.

“Glad to see you’re doing better now,” you giggle, and his smirk turns lopsided with glee at your kind words, its unintended effect being to cause butterflies to bubble in your chest.

“I’d be even better if they turned off this boring music,” he slurs contentedly, taking another drink from the server. “Why don’t they play some throwback tunes in here?”

“I’m not sure that fits with the sophisticated vibes needed to gain a corporate sponsorship for my cause, I’m afraid.”

“I’d donate money to you,” he says softly, his warm eyes twinkling from the numerous fairy lights as they meet yours. “Heck, I’d give you my entire paycheck.”

Setting the glass down, all signs of his previous tipsiness disappear as he regards you with a serious stare. You watch his cheeks flush, his gaze dropping to the low neckline as he sharply inhales, bringing his eyes back up to your face.

“Wanna go for a spin?”

You’re mesmerized by him, transfixed as you take his hand, the two of you retreating into a private corner of the ballroom, right by the open-air balcony. The cool breeze creates shivers down your spine as Seokjin pulls you close, his warm breath fanning against your face, and despite your best efforts to look past him and out onto the city lights, you find you can’t take your eyes off him.

It all feels too short, barely a minute of you swaying in Seokjin’s arms before the beat changes abruptly, Usher blasting through the speakers. You feel achingly empty when Seokjin’s hand leaves yours, but the smile returns to your face when a moment later, he begins head-banging and gyrating goofily to the new song.

“Now this is more like it,” he hollers, and you can’t help but join him the two of you twisting and turning until you’re laughing, out of breath and delirious with joy.

The joy is cut short when another shadow looms over your meeting, pulling you into his arms.

“___, babe there you are! What are you and Kim doing hiding away in this corner?” Jackson pulls you into his side, and your stomach drops when you watch Seokjin’s eyes go wide with a mix of shock, and what you can only assume is pain.

“Sorry Kim, I know you get her for the PT during practice, but she’s mine for the PT after hours if you know what I mean,” Jackson grins, pressing a kiss to your hair.

Seokjin’s mouth remains agape, and you watch his eyes glimmer with realization as he pans to the thin band that adorns your left ring finger, finally noticing its presence for the first time.

A sharp squeal interrupts the tense moment between you, and you notice a woman in the tightest dress you’ve ever seen run over to Seokjin, nearly knocking him over as she wraps her arms around him. His entire body tenses up, and you want nothing more than to smooth over the hair that has fallen into his face.

“Baaabe, you’ve been ignoring me,” the woman whines, her nasal voice grating your ears. Of course. It’s Jennie Kim, model extraordinaire. Of course, she would be Seokjin’s date now – a match worthy of his striking looks and personality.

“Who are they?” she says vapidly, taking in you and Jackson’s entwined figures.

“I, uh, these are, this is ___, and Jackson, coworkers, and friends from college,” he stutters, trying to unravel himself from her death grip. “And this is, uh, uhm…’

“Jennie Kim!” Jackson immediately lets you go to take her hand, shaking it furiously. “So nice to meet you!”

“Babe, we should get going,” Jennie tugs on Seokjin’s shoulder. “Don’t you remember we kind of had other plans for the night?”

“W-we did?” Seokjin stammers, and you decide you need to walk away, lightly tugging Jackson’s arm to follow you across the ballroom. Of course, he’d go home with her - she was beautiful, successful, and perfect. And you were just you.

“___,” you hear Seokjin’s voice behind you, yet you don’t want to hear anything he has to say. Jackson has left your side once again, going back to talk animatedly to Jennie, and you’re alone together once again.

“Should I go home with her? Jennie? Is it a good idea?” he asks, and you turn, meeting his gaze, which seems so earnest, so genuinely filled with concern for what you thought. Or at least that’s what your overthinking mind told you, kicking back into gear after eight years of wiping all thoughts of Seokjin from your memory.

“Yeah, you should,” you tell him honestly, trying to keep your voice as level as possible. “She’s your girlfriend, after all.”

Seokjin yawns, Jungwoo’s animated voice yapping away in his ear as the two of them walk down to the lobby together. His night had gone later than he expected - too much of it spent lost in the city streets as he’d run out of Jennie’s apartment, not expecting her naked boobs to be in his face the moment they’d come in. Her hands had been all over him, ignoring his suggestions of quitting to watch a movie or maybe even play a game of Monopoly.

“Girls are sooo stupid,” Jungwoo sighs. “Why don’t the ones you like ever like you? Why do they give all these weird signals?”

“Tell me about it,” Seokjin sighs, your face immediately coming to his mind, thinking about how you’d felt in his arms at the gala. Obviously, you’d looked beautiful, but underneath the dim lights, you shone in a way that he didn’t think was possible, one that made him feel very strange on the inside.

“Love is a battlefield, my friend,” Seokjin ruffles the kid’s hair before getting into his waiting taxi and waving goodbye. “Have fun with fractions! Remember, always divide by the number on the bottom!”

. . .

Coach was furious. The team was failing, their chances of making the playoffs dismal, and he made that clear with how he ripped into them with the speech.

“You better shape up now, or this franchise as we know it will be over!”

“Maybe that’s what we need,” Seokjin blurts out, watching the entire team turn to him. “Maybe we need to get our asses handed to us. Maybe we need to actually experience loss to realize how much is at stake. Because winning is great and all, but don’t we learn more from our failures?”

The locker room is abuzz with chatter, Coach clapping Seokjin on the back.

“I knew you wouldn’t let the hate get to you, kid,” he says, and Seokjin looks at him blankly, wondering what he could be referring to.

“ESPN?” Coach says. “That article they ran a few months ago about you being a slimy, unprofessional cheat just because you “injured” that player for the Cardinals? I knew it was all BS. I mean look at you, how could you hurt somebody when you’re injured yourself?”

Seokjin’s stomach sinks. He’d hurt another player? That was something he’d never dreamed of doing. He loved baseball, and everyone deserved to experience the joy of the sport, whether it was through winning or losing. That was what made a good player, not sabotaging others.

One by one, the players get ready for practice, Seokjin finally suiting up to go bat for the first time in a while. His sessions with you had tapered down as he recovered, and he couldn’t help but feel a bit sad. The more and more he thought about the life he’d always wanted, one as a star baseball player, the more awful it seemed. Being a grown-up wasn’t as fun as he thought - people were liars, cheaters, and just plain old mean. But you weren’t like that.

The bat slams against the ball with a satisfying crack, soaring out towards the far end of the field, and Seokjin prepares to run. But two voices behind him make him stop in his tracks.

“Can’t believe Coach is trusting Kim and his new weird-ass stunt,” Jackson seethes. “Like he’s really gonna help rebrand the team? All he cares about is himself.”

“Yup, the prick was the entire reason our last shortstop got traded,” Jaehyun, one of the left fielders, hisses. “Can’t believe Kim had an affair with the guy’s wife.”

Seokjin drops the bat with a clank, the entire team turning to look at him. But he doesn’t care, storming off into the dugout. Was this really who he was? A bully and a cheater? Being thirty no longer seemed like a dream, it was steadily turning into a nightmare.

Storming through the dugout, he finally finds the door to your office, sighing heavily as he raps against it.

You open it within seconds, shocked to see his dejected figure standing in front of you.

“Wanna go for a walk, ___?”

“I can’t believe you and Jackson are getting married,” Seokjin remarks as the two of you walk, bringing up the proverbial elephant he’d wanted to ask you about ever since the night of the gala.

“Only a couple of weeks now,” you respond, wrapping your arms around you to fight off the chill, and Seokjin wishes he’d brought a jacket to keep you warm.

“Are you guys soulmates?” he asks, genuinely curious to know the answer. ‘Do you get butterflies when you’re around him?”

He knows that his question is loaded, that underneath it hides the depth of the feelings he’s managed to keep concealed for all this time, but he asks anyway, knowing the answer may hurt him.

“Nahh, I don’t really believe in that anymore. The last time I was crazy like that for a guy was in college,” you tell him, shrugging your shoulders.

“Why weren’t we ever friends back then?” he asks you again, feeling you come to a stop next to him, your heavy sigh permeating the tense air between you.

“Listen,” you tell him, and your voice sounds thick with what he thinks are tears, “Can we just please forget about it? It was a long time ago.”

“I’m sorry if I hurt you,” Seokjin knows he may not have any reason to apologize but he still wants to anyway. It seemed like he’d left a trail of destruction behind him wherever you went.

“Seokjin, no, please, you don’t have to apologize,” you grab his hand and give him a weak smile, trying vainly to reassure him, but his rapidly racing thoughts get in the way.

“I want to though,” he says back, his own voice cracking. “I mean, do you even know the kind of person I am, ___? I don’t have friends, I just use people, I slept with a teammate's wife, and I never talk to my parents. I’m not a nice person. And the thing is, I’m not thirteen anymore. I need to stop living in the past.”

And with that, he lets you go, ignoring your cries of protest as he runs away, his mistakes following him until he gets home. Closing the door behind him, he slumps to the floor, sobbing while he dials his parents' number.

It was time for him to make things right.

Seokjin stares down at the facade of the house he’d grown up with, the chipped paint and wide windows instantly soothing his heart. The train ride over had been brutal, his empty eyes watching the scenery drift by aimlessly, ignoring the giggles of the group of teenagers that sat next to him.

He wished he could tell them to stay happy and young forever, to continue living without a care in the world. Being a grown-up wasn’t worth it. Instead of bringing him the happiness and the belonging he’d craved, it only made him feel more alone, more empty inside than he’d ever felt as an awkward teen.

Stepping onto the porch, he reaches under the doormat, relieved to see his parents left a spare key there. It was like they’d been waiting for him to come home this entire time.

As he walks through the door, a chilling realization sets in. The house was empty. His parents weren’t here, they were probably in Korea. And all at once, Seokjin’s hope for coming back came crashing down.

Stepping out of his shoes, he leaves them at the door, sprinting up the stairs to his room. The door creaks open, and Seokjin lets out a breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding.

The bed is gone, replaced with a treadmill. The walls had been repainted, the floors redone. The lone thing that remained of his was the desk in the corner, all his belongings still on it. It serves only to remind him that his parents had always waited for him to come home, but eventually, they too must have grown tired of him.

A sob escapes him, and he realized he’d disappeared completely from their lives, not even bothering to keep up with the only people who’d loved him unconditionally his entire life. All of a sudden he feels nauseous, his stomach turning as he realized the fate the threads of time had woven him - a life of loneliness. One where he spent so much time garnering attention, only to be a forgotten soul anyway.

He rushes into the basement, the garish yellow walls exactly as they’d been seventeen years ago, and locks himself in the utility closet. Tears stain his face as he hiccups, slamming his head back against the wall.

“I wish I was thirteen again, I wish I was thirteen again.” But his pleading words fail to work this time around.

He doesn’t know how long he remains crumpled up in the closet, but he doesn’t hear the front door open. He doesn’t hear his parents pad down the basement stairs, umbrellas in hand until the closet door opens, light seeps in, and he’s met with their concerned faces.

Seokjin leaps to his feet, throwing his arms around them.

“Eomma, Appa, I missed you. I missed you both so much.”

. . .

The rain patters against the window, and Seokjin turns over on the couch, watching it gently fall. After a bowl of his Eomma’s kimchi jjigae, he’d felt the most like himself he had in a long time, the two of them fretting over how thin he’d gotten.

But now, alone in the living room, Seokjin felt like an intruder again. His parents were more used to living without him than with him.

Suddenly, his throat feels dry, the number of tears he’d shed today leaving him parched. He gets up, padding over to the kitchen, keeping his footsteps soft so he doesn’t disturb his parents. Flicking the light on, he walks over to the fridge, opening it to get the water jug out.

“Seokjinnie?” his Eomma’s soft voice comes from behind him. “What are you doing awake at this time?”

Seokjin should have known better than to get up in the middle of the night. His Eomma’s sixth sense had always been knowing when her child needed something. Within five minutes, she’s boiling some frozen dumplings and chopping up vegetables to make him food.

He’s grateful for her attention, but his stomach churns with nausea. She may be the only other person he can talk to about this. Other than you.

“Eomma,” he interrupts her quiet concentration, and she looks over at him from the stove, her eyebrows etched with concern. “If you were given a chance, do you ever wish you could go back? Like to a different time?”

“I’d love to go back and take care of some of these wrinkles,” she chuckles, and Seokjin smiles along with her. Her face hasn’t changed at all since he was thirteen, still as youthful as ever.

“Yeah, but if you were given a do-over, let’s say, what would you change? Like if you made a big mistake,” Seokjin asks, wondering if having regrets was just part of growing older and whether there was still hope.

“Well, I don’t regret making any mistakes in my life, because if I hadn’t made them, I wouldn’t have known how to make them right,” she responds, a knowing twinkle in her eye when she sees Seokjin staring down at the food, failing to meet her eyes.

“I’m sorry I haven’t come home in a while,” he says, his voice heavy with regret. His Eomma reaches across the table, taking his hand in her smaller one, and squeezing it gently.

“You’re here now. That’s all that matters.”

“This doesn’t make sense, I’m not even good at baseball,” you tell Seokjin. “Why do you want to practice with me?”

Seokjin looks at you, strolling through the park with him in a cosy-looking hoodie and jeans. While your outfit may not have been ideal for baseball practice, the way he looked at you still sent your heart aflutter, and you wondered what it’d be like to wear one of his oversized sweatshirts.

“That’s exactly the point, ____, I’ve gotten too comfortable practicing with the team. I know their every move, but we need to step it up for the playoffs. That’s why I need someone different. Someone who can keep me on my toes. Someone like you.”

You cover your face with your hands shyly, palms out towards him, and that’s when he decides to launch a curveball.

“OW!” you yelp. “Hey, I wasn’t ready for that!”

“Like I said,” Seokjin smirks. “I need you to keep me on my toes. Looks like you need me to do the same.”

The two of you toss around the ball for a while, your throws being much more unpredictable and much less powerful than Seokjin’s. Your ego inflated exponentially when you saw him miss a few, a smug expression on your face. When you look up at the sky, you realize it’s gotten dark, the sun beginning to set behind the trees.

“Hahaha, looks like the team might need a replacement pitcher soon,” you taunt him.

“In your dreams, ___, stick to helping people instead,” he laughs, immediately running towards you with a devious grin.

You squeal, running away from him, the two of you chasing each other through the park, your laughter echoing through the trees the entire way.

Eventually, your legs tire, and you slow down, hiding behind a tree out of his sight. It’s all for nothing when you hear his footsteps thud on the running path behind you, his arms coming to wrap around you, sending the two of you toppling into the grass.

“Ahhh, shit, that hurt more than it should have,” you groan, shifting onto your back. “We’re getting old.”

When you look up at him, your heart stops. Your heavy breathing slows as you look up at him, the stars from the night sky reflected in his eyes when he stares down at you, something hidden in their depths that makes your chest come alive with excitement.

“Wanna know a secret, ____?” he laughs, stroking your wrist gently with his thumb, and you look over to see your hands intertwined. You hadn’t even noticed you were holding his.

“You’re the sweetest girl I’ve ever known.”

Seokjin’s plush lips descend towards yours, your breaths mingling for a brief moment before panic sets in, and you turn the other way, his kiss ending up on your cheek instead. You feel dizzy with emotion, immediately regretting the decision, knowing all you wanted to know was if his lips felt as soft as they looked. You’d been fooling yourself for so long, thinking your feelings for him had gone away.

You sit up, silence heavy in between you both, but you don’t leave, instead wrapping your arms around him and leaning onto his shoulder. He sighs contentedly, nuzzling against you, and the two of you remain there, watching the city lights twinkle in the distance.

“Ew, what do you mean you guys didn’t kiss properly,” Jungwoo looks at Seokjin from across his bed, five other pairs of young, curious eyes looking over at him. “Did she have cooties or something?”

“Stop it!” Soobin punches Jungwoo in the shoulder, earning a glare from the other boy. “You’re ruining the romance. Are you gonna ask her out, Jin?”

The baseball game in the background remains forgotten as the boys erupt with chatter, arguing amongst themselves about how to ask out a girl.

“I don’t know, guys,” Seokjin says dejectedly, wondering if the reason you’d only let him kiss you on the cheek was because you were engaged to Jackson. “It’s complicated with like, grownup stuff.”

“At least you have someone who likes you,” Felix groans. “Girls don’t exactly want to jump your bones when you’re a metal mouth.”

Seokjin jumps up at that, shushing Felix for even saying such a ludicrous thing.

“None of that, okay! We are young, and we are thriving. Love may be a battlefield, but we’re the Earth’s finest soldiers. So let’s get out there, yeah?”

. . .

It’s finally here. The game that will make or break the Eagles’ season. And it’s also Seokjin’s first game back. The locker room is abuzz with tension and anxiousness, the players tripping around each other as they get ready.

In his cubby, Seokjin sits, and thinks. This was the moment he’d waited his entire life for. To be a star player, and to win a championship. Yet, in the grand scheme of things that had occurred, it was just another thing he had to do. He no longer faced the same anxiety he had during the day of the tryouts, wondering if he was good enough. He knew now that he was. That all of them were.

“Kim!” Coach slaps him across the back. “Speech please!”

Seokjin rises up and looks at his fellow men and teammates. He feels silly, giving a speech to them when he’s probably the lamest out of all of them, with thirteen-year-olds for friends and a hopeless crush on a girl. But then he remembers the words of that kid in the bathroom right before everything had changed. Hobi.

And he’d rather be original than cool anyway.

“I think,” he begins. “Over the course of the season, we’ve all forgotten that we have a reason for this. Baseball is our sport, and it’s our career, yeah, but there’s more to us than that. We have families, friends, and people we love and care about. We’re doing this for them just as much as we’re doing it for us. Because when we go out there on that field, and we put the love we feel for ourselves, and for everyone around us, into the sport that we play, we’ll be at our best. We need to remember what used to be good, and harness that.”

The whole dugout is silent for a few terrifying moments before there’s a clap from the back of the room. It’s joined by another one until the whole room is thundering in applause, and Coach is hugging Seokjin with tears in his eyes.

“Looks like that time off did you real good, kid.”

. . .

Seokjin is the last one to leave after the victory, of course. He strips off his shirt, hitting the showers until all the sweat has dripped off his body, and now he pulls his workout gear over his head. The sound of a voice clearing behind him interrupts him, and he turns in surprise, seeing Jackson in the middle of the dugout.

“Hey,” Seokjin says. “Aren’t you supposed to go home? Isn’t ___ waiting for you?”

“Shut the fuck up, Kim,” Jackson replies, ice in his tone. “I know your entire little stunt, and I’m here to tell you it’s not gonna work this time.”

“What do you mean?” Seokjin feels his heart race at Jackson’s seething accusation.

“The moment this week ends, I’ll be married to ___, and I’m gonna ask Coach to trade me. You can’t have her this time, Kim. Do you think you can just bat your eyelashes and giggle and you’ll win the team over and get the girl? Nuh-uh. You’re still just a lame excuse of a person.”

Seokjin wants to protest, but he remains frozen, Jackson’s words causing his entire world to come crashing down around him. His lip begins to tremble, and when the first tear falls, he hears Jackson scoff, turning on his heels to leave.

“You never stood a chance, Kim. Deep down, you’re still just that scared, uncool thirteen-year-old. Nothing’s changed, and nothing ever will.”

The week before the playoffs passes in agony, Seokjin knowing that Jackson knew about his feelings for you, and the fact that he’d be traded, and you’d go with him. He spends all his time in his apartment, talking with Jungwoo about what to do, he and the younger boy go through many pints of ice cream.

In the end, he calls the one he knows he needs to hear from the most.

“Eomma?” he asks over the phone. It feels good to tell her everything finally. She’d squealed in delight when he told her about you, telling him that Jackson was just being a quote, “butthurt dipshit.” “What should I do?”

“Oh Seokjinnie, only you know that. Just stay true to yourself, and all the answers will come your way, my boy.”

When he hangs up the phone, a notification pings on it, and he gasps at the headline.

“Jackson Wang traded from Eagles.”

In all his misery, he’d forgotten what day it was. He was almost out of time.

. . .

The Internet was truly capable of modern miracles in this day and age, Jungwoo working his magic to help Seokjin find out the location of your wedding venue. Seokjin doesn’t even change out of his ratty sweats, throwing on his coat and running as fast as he can down the city streets, his phone overheating at how many times he ignored the maps function and changed direction.

Eventually, he comes to a stop outside the swanky hotel, strolling through the revolving doors and stumbling into the lobby. The finely dressed guests pay him no notice, and he manages to steal a bouquet of flowers, covering his face as he runs up the stairs two at a time, until he eventually finds your room number.

He knocks on the door, relieved to find it’s open, and that you’re alone. It must almost be time. You don’t notice him come in, too busy fixing your veil. A soft gasp escapes when you see him behind you in the mirror, disheveled and dripping with sweat, and you turn.

Seokjin thinks his heart might explode at how beautiful you look, your dress hugging every part of your body perfectly. But it’s more than that. Everything about you is radiant, glowing from the inside out. It’s like you’re the sun, and he’s the moon, your bright light complimenting his dim glow perfectly.

“Hey,” he manages to breathe out.

“Hi,” you whisper back, voice heavy with disbelief that he’s actually here.

“____, I know I’m not the greatest person, but I’m trying to be better,” he reaches for you, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear, and your hand comes up to join his, eyes glimmering with tears. “And I’d like to think if you also believed that about me, maybe you wouldn’t be marrying Jackson right now. That maybe things could be different.”

You whimper, trying hard to hold back the tears, and Seokjin doesn’t want you to ruin your makeup, so he wipes them for you.

“I can’t lie to myself anymore,” you tell him. “I felt things for you over these past few weeks that I haven’t felt for eight years. But I’ve also realized over the past few days that you can’t just turn back time.”

“Why not?” Seokjin asks earnestly. He wants to believe, has to believe that there might be a way for it to work.

“Because you made your choice, eight years ago in college, when I told you I liked you,” you respond, barely a whisper. “And you rejected me. I moved on and so did you. We’ve been going down different paths for so long, making different choices. And I chose Jackson.”

Seokjin feels dizzy, like the floor is about to collapse from underneath him. You’d liked him back then. And he’d been too caught up in his delusions to be honest with himself, to give you the chance that you deserved. And now it was too late. He knew growing up was about making mistakes, and learning how to deal with them, but somehow this mistake hurt more than anything he could have imagined.

“Don’t cry,” you say sadly, seeing his eyes fill with tears, mirroring your own.

“I’ll be fine,” he says with a weak smile, backing away. “I promise. I’m crying because I’m happy. I want you to be so, so happy.”

You reach around your neck, fumbling with the clasp of your necklace until it finally comes undone, putting it in his palm gently.

He looks down and chokes on a sob. It’s a tiny gold baseball glove. He’d never noticed it before. You close his palm around it, and he takes a step back, finding himself underneath the door.

“I love you, ___.”

He has to say it before he goes, he has to let you know how he feels.

“I love you too, Seokjin. I always have.”

And with that, he leaves.

. . . .

Seokjin stumbles down the steps of the hotel, hyperventilating as he finds himself back on the street, the tiny gold necklace still clutched in the palm of his hand.

He stumbles down the busy road, bumping into strangers, but not caring. All he could think about was the fact that you loved him back, and yet life was still so unfair. Seokjin felt stupid for even dreaming of this in the first place, realizing that dreams were nothing but a delusion. Things never turned out the way you wanted them to, the black and white of them always complicated by different shades of grey.

He finds an empty bench and sits down, clutching his knees to his chest like a child. Running his thumb over the delicate gold charm, he closes his eyes, wishing that none of this had ever happened to him, that he had just stayed thirteen this entire time.

He knew it was all for nothing, but that didn’t stop him from hoping one last time.

Seokjin jolts awake with a gasp, air burning his lungs and light hurting his eyes as the door to the locker is thrown open. His vision is blurry for a few seconds before it adjusts, and he looks up at his rescuer.

It’s a young girl, with a concerned look on her face.

“I heard you screaming, I live right next to the field. Are you okay?” she asks, and something about her seems familiar, but Seokjin can’t quite put his nose on it.

Looking down, he sees the dusty baseball mitt crushed in the palm of his hand, and running his tongue across his teeth, feels the metal of his braces, and his heart swells with joy. It worked! He was thirteen again. And now, he could finally start over.

“I’ll be fine,” he smiles at her, putting his glasses on. They rest crooked on the tip of his nose, but he doesn’t care. “Thanks for saving me.”

“No problem!” the girl reaches her hand out for him to shake. “I’m ___, by the way. I just moved here.”

Seokjin feels his heart stop, looking into your eyes, finding them to be the same ones he’d said goodbye to moments ago. Was this really true? Was the universe giving him another chance?

Taking his hand in hers, he shakes it, beaming down at her. “Nice to meet you, ___, I’m Jin. D-do, do you maybe want to go grab a milkshake and hang out?”

Your dazzling smile hasn’t changed at all, as you nod your head and laugh, the two of you walking out of the dugout and into the warm afternoon sun.

“I think we’re gonna be best friends, Jin.”

Epilogue

Seokjin pants, breath coming out in gasps as he carries the heavy box up the porch steps. He slams it onto the ground with a thud, putting his hands on his knees and letting out a loud groan, the muscles of his back aching. When he looks down, his mouth parts in surprise, the box’s tape having split open, revealing the myriad of photo frames that would soon decorate your new home.

From just a brief glance, Seokjin can already see a few pictures that make his heart swell, a dazed smile on his face. There was the one of you two at prom, when he’d almost confessed after seeing how stunning you looked in your dress but chickened out at the last minute. There was another from your college graduation, the two of you with bright eyes and wide smiles, ready to take on the future together. Another one from a date night at a game where he remembers the two of you getting caught on the jumbotron and making out in front of the crowd. His halmeoni blushed when she saw the video on tv the next day. On top of them all, though, sits Seokjin’s most prized possession: the framed photo of your wedding, Seokjin in a navy blue suit, and you in your dress, surrounded by your friends and family.

Growing up, Seokjin had a lot of dreams. A lot of them revolved around being cool, becoming someone worthy of your love. It was strange, but he’d fallen for you instantly the moment you’d rescued him from the locker, but it had taken years of your friendship for him to make a move. He’d always been so scared that his nerdy thirteen year old self would follow him through the years, and that he’d remain someone you never saw as a life partner. But he was wrong. Because you’d fallen for him too, spending years hiding your feelings in the same silly way. The day he married you was the day he’d realized all his dreams had finally come true.

Your soft footsteps come up behind him on the porch, and he turns to see you looking at him with a curious smile on your face. The sun shines behind you, bathing your face in its soft rays, and Seokjin can’t resist, lifting you up as you squeal, kicking your feet and the two of you stumble over the threshold together.

“That was a lot more romantic in my head,” he chuckles, offering you a hand up.

“Jinnie,” you poke his cheek. “Who’s gonna get the boxes from outside now, huh?”

Taking your hand in his, he pulls you further inside with him, wanting to cherish these precious moments with you. The boxes could wait a little longer. For now, he was excited to begin the rest of your life together.

“God, it’s fucking freezing,” you chatter your teeth, feeling Jin pull the blanket tighter around your shivering bodies on the floor. “Why did the heater have to break right before we moved in?”

His warm figure pulls you closer into him until your bodies are smushed together, limbs entangled in a mess.

“Nothing wrong with a little body heat,” he whispers, and even though you can’t see his face, you know he’s smirking.

You turn towards him, ignoring his soft ow! when you punch him in the chest, before burying your face in the crook of his neck. Your eyelids flutter, heavy from the fatigue of moving in all day, but the draft in the house causes you to shiver again in Seokjin’s arms. Looking up at your husband, you find his deep brown eyes focused on yours, his warm, gentle breath fanning against your face.

Seokjin’s fingers reach up to slowly brush a stray hair from your cheek, and despite the cold, you feel your body flush with warmth, bumping your nose against his accidentally before your lips meet Seokjin’s pillowy ones.

You’ve done this a thousand times, but every time feels like the first, Seokjin’s tongue tracing the seam of your lips before he bites at them, drawing a sharp gasp from you.

“Touch me,” you whisper against his mouth, and you feel Seokjin’s grip on your waist get tighter, his hands running up and down your sides until you’re shivering, but not from the cold.

He guides your hips over his, his right hand pushing you down against him until his hungry lips meet yours once again before they drop to mouth at your neck, sucking deep purple bruises into the flesh there, and you bite back a moan.

Seokjin detaches himself from your neck, eyes dark with arousal as he looks at the splotches and faint sheen of saliva on your neck, and you feel a wave of longing rush down towards your core, grabbing his hand that rests on your back and moving it underneath your shirt, cupping your breast in his hands before he squeezes.

From there, the two of you are frantic, fumbling with buttons and kicking your limbs until your clothes fly off, and you giggle at Seokjin’s pyjamas in the corner, the cartoon characters on them resembling miniature versions of your husband. Your laughter is cut off by a sharp groan when Seokjin’s teeth graze your collarbone, biting down lightly.

“You’re perfect,” he rasps, laving at the mark with his tongue. “Can’t believe you’re all mine.”

His fingers trace up your stomach, thumbs brushing against the underside of your breasts before he tugs at your nipples, and you whine, grinding down into his lap. You feel him harden underneath you, and you roll your hips on top of him again, nails scratching down the broad planes of his back.

Seokjin flips you around, caging your body underneath him, his knee pushing up right where you need him, his tongue flattening against your stiff nipple, sucking and teasing the bud until it’s red and aching.

“Need you inside,” you bed him, your hips bucking against his knee while his hand slips between your legs, rubbing slow circles on your clit.

You feel the pressure in your stomach build, your movements stuttering against Seokjin’s fingers. It’s amazing, but it’s not enough, it’s never enough. You need to feel him.

“Look at me,” Seokjin whispers before he pushes himself inside of you, his eyes never leaving yours. You feel so unbelievably full, like you’re going to explode, body scorched with heat and nerves tingling in excitement.

He starts off slow, gently rocking into you, silently asking you if this is okay. His gentleness makes your heart feel like it’s going to explode, the moonlight shining on his skin and bathing him in the softest glow. You feel lucky that he’s yours forever.

You meet his thrusts with circles of your own hips, your back arching up off the blanket as you moan for him to go faster.

“This okay, babe?” His thrusts speed up, snapping into yours, and you’re unable to do anything but slur yes, your voice ringing in your own ears, your moans mingling with his soft groans as the two of you move in tandem, lost in the feeling of each other.

You grip his shoulders tightly, a string of curses exploding from your lips as the pleasure washes over you, your vision going white.

“Come for me ___,” Seokjin’s deep growl has you hurtling over the edge, trembling as you fall apart underneath him. You whine in oversensitivity when he continues moving inside of you, squeezing his hand until he collapses on top of you, his warm cum spilling into your wet heat.

“Fuck,” Seokjin groans, burying his face into your neck. “My back is gonna be so sore when we wake up.”

“Can you believe we’re here?” you ask him, looking into his eyes. “Married, with our own house? We’re so old now.”

You mean it as a joke, but Seokjin presses a kiss to your forehead, his sweaty arms wrapping you up in a tight hug.

“There’s no one I’d rather grow old with,” he smiles, before his expression turns mischievous. “Now, since we can’t sleep anyway, what do you say to getting some milkshakes, Mrs. Kim?”

“That sounds like a great idea, Mr. Kim.”

A/N pt 2: As always, any feedback or comments are much appreciated, but I appreciate you all anyway. Lots of love, Isi 💜

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hebuiltfive · 7 months

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Thundertober Day Sixteen: Asteroid

We're in the part of Thundertober where I lost a little steam, and so some of the next few pieces might not make sense or be a bit... meh. Hopefully this one is okay. The idea came from a news report I saw the other week and had me thinking about aliens.

AO3 here

Days: One ~ Two ~ Three ~ Four ~ Five ~ Six ~ Seven ~ Eight ~ Nine ~ Ten ~ Eleven ~ Twelve ~ Thirteen ~ Fourteen ~ Fifteen

Warnings for: None! Human curiosity and exploration is a wonderful thing. It's a shame it can also turn deadly. Tagging: @thunder-tober@skymaiden32@idontknowreallywhy@mrmustachious

“For thousands of years, man has looked up at the stars, dreaming of what it would be like to travel amongst them, of what it would be like to hold such cosmic greatness in one’s hand.

Hundreds of years ago, man began developing technologies that broke barrier after barrier, creating colossal achievements in his wake. These developments consumed their thoughts. What more can we do? Then, the collective imaginations of all the people began to wonder the same.”

The speaker stood proud at his little wooden podium. Bright spotlights were shining brightly onto him and highlighted certain attributes; his receding hairline and his profusely sweaty forehead, the rosiness of his cheeks and the almost amber quality to the man’s eyes.

John had taken note of all the details the minute Professor Yarrow stepped onto the stage. He was an academic he’d been keeping an eye on recently, what with Yarrow’s current collaboration with the International Space Agency. The project the man had been discussing as a potentially fundamental experiment was now being conducted in the vast vacuum of space.

Asteroids had long been marvelled at by scientists. The answers that a ball of ice could hold could be the key to uncovering the answers to our little blue marble. If nothing else, that was worth the years of extensive research and experiments.

Many attempts had been made before. Some had yielded fascinating results. John had studied most attempts when he was a student, and in the years since, but Yarrow’s work was undoubtedly going to end up besides all the previous attempts, perhaps even outdoing them all.

Yarrow’s work, so the professor claimed, had found something priceless. Today’s speech was supposed to be an unveiling.

John, being John, was beyond intrigued to hear the latest, hence his appearance at the lecture.

He’d opted for something incognito. He didn’t go as far as the baseball cap and the sunglasses that his older brothers favoured, but rather an oversized hoodie and joggers. The lecture was taking place in an old hall at Oxford; John figured the student look still suited him. He had hoped it would anyhow. The last thing he wanted was to be noticed. Thankfully, with all his stints in space, he was probably the least recognisable Tracy, and he definitely preferred it that way.

So far, his disguise had been working. No-one had said a word to him and, with the exception of a polite smile exchange with the friendly blonde beside him when he took his seat — thank God he didn’t bring Scott along — John was extremely thankful for the lack of interaction. He was here for one thing and one thing only. He didn’t need or want the social part to ruin it for him.

“Friends, I have come here today to share some exciting revelations.” Yarrow continued, his voice echoing around the old lecture hall courtesy of the microphone on the stand.

“Isn’t it exciting!”

John tried not to roll his eyes as the blonde beside him leant over and whispered her exclamation. Trying to remain polite, John offered her a quick flash of a smile and a nod before returning his attention to Yarrow on stage. He could only hope she would do the same.

So much for wishful thinking.

“I was in two minds to attend the lecture today but I’m so glad I came.”

This time, John ignored her, trying (and failing, thanks to her constant whispering) to focus on Yarrow’s unveiling. John wasn’t the biggest fan of presentations, but he was beginning to wish Yarrow had opted for at least a visual aid for this talk. Hearing his words was becoming increasingly more difficult as he became increasingly more distracted.

“… Emery told me to skip it. She said that it wasn’t necessary, that already know what’s going to transpire and that will be that, but boy am I going to wipe that smug smile off her face once we—”

John gave up. He shifted in his seat, painfully taking his eyes off Yarrow at the front of the hall, and levelled with the blonde. “I don’t care about Emery or about your dilemma, I only care about—”

The blonde blinked as John took his pause, as though she were waiting for him to catch up with her hushed ramblings.

“What do you mean by you ‘already know what’s about to transpire’?”

The words were chilling. John felt uncomfortable even saying them out-loud. Of course, there was a high chance he’d misheard the rambling woman, but from the look in her eyes, he’d understood her perfectly well.

“You’re John Tracy, aren’t you?”

That’s the last time he’ll be using a hoodie as a disguise. Maybe Scott and Virgil were right when they claimed the old-fashioned baseball cap was the best accessory.

At first, John debated declining the fact and pretending to be someone else. He couldn’t pinpoint what it was exactly, but there was something about the woman beside him that unnerved him in a… peculiar way.

In the end, he decided to just come clean. “I am. Why?”

“Yarrow was a great man. He was vastly intelligent and he impressed many of our own scientists. When he first established contact, we believed it was a chance to reach out, but there were some in our governments who disagreed.” The blonde woman cast a glance around the auditorium with a sorrowful look. “Yarrow has no idea what is about to befall this hall.”

John, for all his wisdom and ability to read people, had no idea what the woman beside him was talking about. For the first time in a long time, he felt lost. It wasn’t a feeling he was particularly wanting to remain acquainted with. “What are you talking about?”

Her eyes returned to John. “The minute Yarrow unveils what he thinks is harmless space rock from under that covering… This was a mistake. I have to leave..”

“What are you talking about?” He repeated, but he never received his answer.

The blonde woman grabbed her coat from the back of her seat, apologised for the interruption to the two students sitting behind them, and then bolted for the door at the top of the auditorium.

There was never a question about it. John followed her immediately.

The woman had already made it halfway down the corridor and, once he was confident in the door behind him being closed, John yelled out to her. “Hey! Wait!”

Whilst John may have spent most of his recent years up in orbit, he still possessed speed. It was a fortunate side-effect of his long legs. If Gordon were there, he’d have expected a joke. Given the turn of events, John wasn’t sure if he was happy or lonesome without a brother’s presence.

Within a few seconds, John had caught up with the woman, holding her gently in place as he tried to gauge the situation.

“I had hoped it wouldn’t have come to this.” She was distraught. Years of working as the operator for International Rescue had taught him the signs. The woman continued, “I had hoped he’d have seen sense.”

“Come to what? Who would have seen sense?” John tried again with his questions but the blonde woman was having none of it.

With incredibly strength, she pushed past him and continued her journey towards the exit. “I’m sorry, but I have to go. Maybe you can… Though there’ll be no point.”

John chased after her again until he was blocking her path once more. He refused to allow her to just leave without giving him some sort of answer, so he tried a new tactic. He folded his arms and pretended to look unimpressed, hoping the fear that was still very much real and bubbling away beneath the surface wouldn’t show.

“I know what this is,” he began as casually as he could. “Some sort of student protest, is it?”

“What?” The woman stared at him blankly, clearly thrown off kilter by his accusation.

“Or maybe you’re trying to get a rise out of me, or something? What is it? Attention? God forbid, it isn’t money, is it?”

“What are you talking about?” She repeated his earlier question, though John was certain she hadn’t realised the irony. “This isn’t a student protest, or an attempt to grab money or—this is serious. Those people in there are going to die!”

John’s little game to retrieve information faded away the minute he got what he wanted, or at least kind of what he wanted. “That’s a very serious accusation. What makes you say that?”

“The asteroid Yarrow investigated… He got it wrong, John. He—”

Nothing ever prepares a human being to the pure agonising sound of someone being attacked, of someone dying in the most brutal of ways. The screams that echoed through the heavy duty doors to the lecture hall he’d just left would stay with John forever. Harrowing and painful. His face paled. He forgot all about the woman as he went to dash off, to try and help with whatever the hell just happened, until he felt her arm pull him back.

“We have to go and help those people! Did you not hear?”

“There is nothing you can do for them now but pray their souls find eternal peace.”

He knew she was right. It was the reason he ignored his initial instinct to run into the action to help people and turned his attention fully to the mysterious woman who had… warned him? Saved him?

“What’s your name?”

“There is not a word in any of your earthly languages that would encompass my name. Whilst I am here, I go by Genesis.”

If it wasn’t for the sheer anger he felt at a room full of people allegedly dying, John might have questioned that first part of her reply more. As it was, he didn’t.

“You knew what was going to happen. You knew, and yet you didn’t do anything!” He presented his conclusions as statements rather than questions.

Genesis bowed her head, though he wasn’t sure whether it was entirely out of shame.

“Why?” He followed up, ignoring his sudden urge to leave the place and reconvene with his brothers. “Why warn me? You know who I am.”

“That is precisely why I warned you.” Genesis retorted. She shook her head. “We shouldn’t speak here. Come, I have a more secure place where we can—”

John’s scoff and subsequent laugh was one full of scorn. “You’re mad if you think I’m going anywhere with you after all of that.”

“John, please. You must if you do not wish for this to happen again.”

His brows arched in curiosity.

Genesis noticed and took it as a cue to continue. “Yarrow is no longer a concern, but the government, my government… they will be looking to strike again. Yarrow foolishly had many pieces of what he had thought was an asteroid brought back to this planet and now… Please, we must hurry. You must trust me.”

None of the events made any sense to John. He worked on logical facts, not superstitions or conspiracy theories, but, if his gut was telling him that logical facts had no place currently. His gut was positively for the idea of accompanying Genesis to God knew where.

Facts were his safety net but, in a tight spot, John trusted his gut.

“Okay. I need to make a couple of calls first, but okay. For now, I’ll trust you.”

He just hoped he wasn’t wrong.

#thundertober 2023 #thunderbirds fanfiction #five fics #john tracy #thunderbirds are go

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wraithwars · 23 days

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remake of my first post using @arisenreborn's wonderful arisen & pawn questionnaire. both characters changed enough that i felt like i had to redo this & will possibly be posting a more detailed character sheet for them in the future. <3

♛ THE ARISEN:

NAME: Valkyrie AGE: 22 RACE: Human PRONOUNS: She/Her/Hers PREFERRED VOCATION: Warfarer FAVORED GIFTS: Anything handcrafted, practical items & books FAMILY: Likely Deceased Parents, Sid (Adoptive Father)

POSITIVE TRAITS: Loyal, Determined, Curious, Willful NEGATIVE TRAITS: Reckless, Impulsive, Nosy LIKES: Exploration, Sunny Days, Learning new things DISLIKES: Uncontrolled Fires, Rich People (the self-serving, greedy kind), Goblins

1. What was their life like before becoming Arisen?

At ten years old, Valkyrie was found hiding in the recently razed village of Great Oak by a traveling merchant named Sid. She doesn't quite recall her life before, flashes of it sometimes reaching her, but whether she was repressing the memories or simply couldn't process them, she finds herself unable to stay fixated in the past. With Sid's help, she soon leaves it behind entirely and begins to forge a new path.

Perhaps it was because people knew of the tragedy that befell Sid before meeting Valkyrie, how goblins had taken the lives of his wife and son, but no one questioned the girl's arrival and welcomed her to the village with open arms. There she was raised by the community. She learned to cook, to hunt, and even to run Sid's shop while he was away. And as she grew older she developed a penchant for magic and even herbology.

By the time she was thirteen, she felt fully acclimated to her new life and even began to refer to Sid as her father. Though she still startled at the sight of flames and suffered from the occasional nightmare, she now felt safe. And for Sid, he made peace with the losses he suffered, knowing they were guiding him every step of the way as he raised this girl.

As she got older, Sid's health began to decline. Apothecaries and doctors were baffled, unable to find a cause or a cure, and as time went on Valkyrie found herself filling more of his roles within the village. By seventeen, she was running his shop full-time by day and at night, taking care of him. Were it not for the community of people helping her, they surely would have lost the shop and fallen into poverty.

At age eighteen, she finds Sid had passed in his sleep.

She shortly after relinquishes ownership of the shop to a trusted friend and leaves the village behind, unable to handle the reminder every nook and cranny held. Instead, she decides to travel like she always dreamed of and learn more of the world, hopefully finding purpose along the way.

Four years later, she finds herself in Melve enveloped in flame and a stillness in her chest.

2. How do they handle being Arisen, and the responsibilities that come with it? A gnawing preemptive guilt follows Valkyrie on her journey, no matter the amount of days that pass by. She's afraid she won't be able to save everyone, that her adventure will be packed with perilous missions and insurmountable obstacles. Despite this, she's still determined to try, unwilling to fail as Arisens before her had.

3. What are their thoughts on Pawns in general? Valkyrie only met a few pawns in her lifetime, but Sid always described them as a helpful people. Even when she loses her memories, she still holds them with the same respect she would anyone else and never treats them as less then. She even becomes a bit overprotective of them after learning how they are sometimes treated by others. Also, the scholar in her is just generally fascinated in their existence and ability to travel to other worlds.

4. What's their relationship like with their main Pawn? Valkyrie is a bit awkward with Nolan at first. She had never been a leader nor felt the inclination to be one, so when she was suddenly forced into the role it felt out of place. There wasn't much confidence in her decisions, and she felt rather guilty that he was stuck by her side.

As her confidence and abilities grow, she sees Nolan as her rock and her perfect counterpart, in fighting style and personality. He keeps her grounded, and she gives him purpose. Soon she finds herself unable and unwilling to be without him.

5. Do they have any interest in being Sovran? What are their opinions on the politics of the world in general? The idea of being Sovran makes Valkyrie throw up in her mouth, but when she sees how shady those in charge are, she's willing to fill the role if it means protecting the people. But she secretly hopes Sven takes up the mantle. Politics had never been her favorite.

6. Who are their love interest(s) and/or closest friends? Ulrika is the first friend Valkyrie had made after leaving her home, and though she no longer holds any memories of her prior to the fell curse, she still finds herself feeling calm in her presence. In the beginning, a lot of her will to move forward was powered by Ulrika's own dedication to protecting the people of Melve and her aid in nursing Valkyrie back to health.

Occasionally, Valkyrie stops by Melve solely to visit Ulrika and they often talk for hours. Ulrika is by far her biggest supporter, and their bond is only strength when she takes up the mantle of Arisen.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

Valkyrie didn't really think of Sven when she first met him, the newfound role of Arisen dominating her thoughts, but after she discovers he's the regentkin she grows rather curious of his intentions. At first she's skeptical, assuming the worst and that Sven was simply there to lay out another trap for her. But as he shows himself to be genuine, she slowly lets down her guard and opens up to the prospect of being allies.

He inadvertently becomes one of her advisors, offering support and any aid he's able to provide without drawing his mother's attention. And sometimes a shoulder to cry on when she feels overwhelmed and not up for the task set before her. On occasion, she also takes the time to tell him tales of her adventures and frequently gifts him little bits and baubles she acquired along the way.

She feels very grateful to consider him a friend.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

Valkyrie would be bit embarrassed to admit that she was enchanted by Srail at first sight. Initially, he had rescued her from a rampaging minotaur that had taken out her entire party. She attempted to flee and right before the strike of the club, she was yanked through a thin crevice between the crags and led to the village to recover. Though he was still posing as a traveling merchant, his untimely rescue had her flustered, something she chalked up to nerves.

The second time she meets him, she knows it isn't just nerves. While she felt like a fool for not seeing through his act, she couldn't help but see him a positive light. For one, he had believed she was the true Arisen with little convincing (the driving force behind his rescue), and then he aided her once again with information on Darragh. His helpful nature only served to amplify her captivation.

Perhaps, it was due to everyone demanding her help, yet for the first time someone had been helping her. And even when Srail later appears in Vernworth requesting her aid with a heist, she doesn't hesitate to agree, eager to repay a debt. After this event, they remain in contact, and she truly values his company.

Although she had good people in her corner, he was one of the few that didn't judge her for thoughts that often wracked her with guilt. Thoughts of abandoning her quest, letting someone else assume the mantle (they both knew she wouldn't let that happen), her developing distaste for always being the one at the rescue. He understood, sympathizing with her plight, and occasionally, he would simply offer comfort.

Valkyrie winds up developing fairly potent feelings for the thief, but fearing what's to come prevents her from taking the first step. She does let the truth slip after rescuing him from the dragon though.

(Has other important friends/bonds such as Brant and Glyndwr but that may have to be a separate post.)

7. What drew them to their preferred vocation? Do they have history with it? Valkyrie was already an eager student, so learning bits and pieces from different vocations simply came natural to her. Jack-of-all-trades, master of none.

8. Do they have any hobbies? Any way of relaxing between all that monster-slaying and traveling? Aside from reading, Valkyrie is an avid lover of music and sometimes will visit the pub simply to listen. She also enjoys writing, often detailing her adventures within journals and even wrote, and continues to write, a comprehensive guide on survival and fighting beasts.

♟︎ THE PAWN:

NAME: Nolan AGE: ???? RACE: Humanoid Pawn PRONOUNS: He/Him/His PREFERRED VOCATION: Fighter FAVORED GIFTS: In love with almost anything gifted to him due to never receiving any, but has a special fondness for baked goods and new armor/clothes INCLINATION: Kindhearted

POSITIVE TRAITS: Alert, Kind, Dedicated, Compassionate NEGATIVE TRAITS: Naive, Socially Awkward (often comes off as intimidating despite being a teddy bear), Self-destructive LIKES: Animals, Sculptures/Statues, Victories in Difficult Battles DISLIKES: The Cold, Sleeping in Beds, Bandits

1. What was their life like prior to being summoned by their Arisen? If he had access to the emotional range he gained after the fact, he'd say his life prior was bleak. Wandering aimlessly until an Arisen had need of him was a given. He would often travel along main roads, engaging in battles he'd happen upon with a near-unusual vigor. But otherwise, he felt positively neutral about his day-to-day.

But then he happened upon bandits. It was so strange to him how, despite it happening so long ago, it came back to haunt him just as he was slowly developing emotions. He remembered being captured and toyed with for amusement, the bandits possessing a clear distaste for pawns. And whenever he would get back up they would strike him down just as hard. If he could have felt anything back then, he thinks he would have felt fear and rage. Both at knowing there was nothing he could do stop them.

2. What is their opinion on the Arisen? How do they view their relationship? Valkyrie was the first to ever to provide him comfort, to speak to him so kindly, and support his ambitions even as they became different from her own. She was the first to drape a blanket over his shoulders, to call out his name in a worried panic and fret over his wounds while tending to them.

So it doesn't take long into their journey for Nolan to find himself entirely devoted to her. And while true in more fate-bound a sense, he feels as if she is his other half. Similar to her, the idea of being separated is not a pleasant one and she often finds herself with an imposing shadow at her heels.

The original intention of their dynamic was meant to be master and their pawn. However, Nolan feels as more of an equal to her and is treated as such. But he still feels a beaming pride at being her chosen.

3. Is there anything about the Arisen they find troublesome? Be it a small quirk or bad habit? (Or are they obviously flawless?) While Valkyrie is smart, she's not much of a planner so as battle-driven as he can be he finds himself in them before he even realizes it. He often chastises her recklessness and frequently finds himself reigning her in before she gets into trouble.

He also notices she doesn't have the best view of herself. Knowing it's something she can only truly fix herself, he still offers daily encouragements and compliments. Even if they leave her flustered.

4. What is their specialization and is there any story behind how they cultivated that skill set? Surprisingly, Nolan takes to learning Elvish rather easily. Outside of Valkyrie, his first non-fate guided friendship was with Glyndwr. The elf is one of the few that can handle his constant barrage of questions and is often met with inquiries in return. He already knew a bit of the language but practices it more intently in order to converse with his friend in their mothertongue.

5. Do they have any thoughts on the politics of the world and their place in it as a Pawn - or how Pawns are treated? Politics generally confuse and hold little interest to him, but as he gains access to a wider arrange of emotions, he does develop certain views on how pawns are treated. He mirrors his Arisen's disgust at the mistreatment in areas such as Bakbattahl and generally finds himself confounded as to where the hatred stemmed from.

He often thinks about that day with the bandits and during the coronation of the false Arisen, and he would not wish that on any pawn, no matter the morality of their master.

6. Does their journey with the Arisen change them in any significant way and how? Nolan was virtually mute before meeting her. He had no reason to speak, so he simply didn't. She helps him find his voice. There's no pressure to do so, but she often gives him little reasons, such as asking his opinion on something or simply engaging in small talk. Soon, he finds himself speaking without needing a reason, and that oddly provides him comfort.

7. Is there a reason they chose their preferred vocation? Nolan is very battle-driven and finds his biggest thrills come from downing imposing foes. And to inflicting as much damage as possible. Though a warrior may be better suited, he likes the ability to protect. (So he protecc and he attacc.) His favorite combination. Also, sliding down hills is easier with a shield.

8. Do they have any hobbies or preferred past-times? Nolan will try every hobby at least once while on his path to self-discovery, but he finds whittling to particularly relaxing and a source of pride for him as his skill increases. He often gifts little whittled creatures to friends he makes along the way. Were they to have the resources, he dreams of making a sculpture. For now though, he's content with smaller projects.

He also finds himself taking in the sights when they stop in major settlements, struck by the beauty of it. Really, he's an artist in a fighter's body. Aside from that, slowly transitioning into the more social one, he enjoys meeting and befriending new people--especially if he had no help from the Arisen in doing so.

#immediately after i did this the first time i started to rewrite val #i have a problem #dragon's dogma #dd2 #dd2 arisen #dragon's dogma oc #forgive me for the oc spam tonight #the brain fog is real and this is only thing that's stood out today lol

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myfavouritelunatic · 1 year

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The Blacksmith

Trying to get back to more regular updates! Let’s see if that lasts! 🤞

Thank you all for reading! ❤️

Pairing: Halbrand/Sauron x Female Reader

Word Count: 2.7k

Warnings: None

Links to Chapter One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty, Twenty-One, Twenty-Two, Twenty-Three, Twenty-Four, Twenty-Five, and Twenty-Six!

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Wandering the streets of the small city, it felt like you had stepped into a memory, back into the scenes that Sauron had shown you. It was an eerie sensation, one which you found difficult to shake. Hopefully with time, your unsettled nature would fade, and you could focus on being free, happy, and most importantly, queen of the southlands. A smile crept onto your face then, as you thought about the title you would soon officially wear. You were to be married. This was something that you had never considered, for you could live just fine without a wedding to Halbrand. You weren't ever one for pomp and circumstance, lavish ceremonies, or celebrations of any kind for yourself. A humble upbringing will have that effect on a person. Besides, you knew you loved Halbrand, and knew he loved you all the same. No event needed to prove that. You were doing this for him, and for your people. Although it was incredibly romantic, the way he proposed, in the packed healing house. He loved you like he had never loved anything. It was beautiful, you didn't think you'd ever stop smiling.

"Hello!" Târikun had called out your name, snapping you out of your dreamlike state. "Where did you go, silly sister?" "Oh leave her be, Târikun! When have you ever seen her this happy?" spoke Azrahin, telling off his younger brother. "Yes, can't you just let me have this one thing?” Your smile became a scowl. “You both have your wives, your jobs. For the first time in my life... I have a future." "I wouldn't be playing my part right as your brother if I didn't make you suffer just a little bit." snickered Târikun. You had missed him, but not his mischievous behaviour. Even as a grown man it was something he wouldn't let go of. Part of you admired it actually, his unfailing ability to find humour in the darkest of places. Otherwise, the past that plagues him would consume him completely. "No... I suppose you wouldn't." you said, giving him a slight elbow to the gut, making him groan. Sighting the inn in the distance, you decided to have some fun at Târikun's expense. "Race you! Last one there buys supper!" you called out as you immediately sprinted off ahead.

"Oi!" your larrikin brother yelled, and soon you heard his hurried footsteps behind you. The smile returned to your face as you ran, relishing the adrenaline surging through your veins. The path you had to travel was filled with obstacles. People were crossing the road in all directions, carrying bowls, cartons, small wagons, and even leading horses. Luckily you were agile on your feet and able to dodge what blocked your way. The extra challenge made you giggle, not only because you were enjoying it, but because you were aware that Târikun likely would not have the same quick steps as yourself. He'd always been about stomping with his flat feet as he walked, and that did not change when he ran.

Avoiding calamity, you reached the entrance of the inn, your breath beginning to run out. It was then you heard a crash, and turned to see the sight you had expected. Târikun was laid out on the road, covered in milk, having collided with a now very irate merchant. The laughter that escaped you was boisterous and unstoppable. Compelled by the slight guilt you felt, you walked over to assist him, though you would offer him no apologies. This was very satisfying. Târikun took your hand as the merchant stormed off with his now empty cartons, cursing your brother under his breath. "Don't say anything." muttered your brother through gritted teeth.

"I wasn't planning to." you said, stifling a snicker, helping the drenched man to his feet. "I see nothing has changed, sister." Azrahin had caught up with you, glad as always to have avoided the drama. "Good thing you have a change of clothes upstairs, Târikun." He patted his sibling's back, causing drops of milk to spray into the air. "I'm going to have a bath. Here," Târikun handed you his pouch of coins. "Save me some food." "Of course," you replied, "Thank you for being gracious in defeat. As always." Târikun rolled his eyes at your words, before wandering off ahead and through the entrance of the inn, with you and Azrahin laughing behind him.

Following your oldest brother to the bar, he ordered your meals and drinks, with you pulling out the necessary coins from Târikun's pouch. He then lead you to a nearby table which was tucked away next to a fireplace that was struggling to stay alight. The room was practically empty, save for the staff and a few travellers here and there. The scent of ale was strong. Azrahin held aloft his pint, his face glowing. "To my sister, may her marriage and her reign be eternal." Smiling broadly, you clinked his drink, the two of you taking big gulps.

"Mmm... is this Númenórean ale?" you asked, recognising the taste. "Oh yes. Why do you think Târikun and I chose to lodge here?" spoke Azrahin with a laugh that shrank in size as he took in the change in your visage. "What troubles you?" "You should know. I don't understand how you can be okay staying here." "She's been dead for a long time now." "You're missing the point." "No, I'm not. I'm sorry you still mourn her. A part of me does too. But I refuse to live in my grief. This inn is not her grave, sister." You sighed, holding back tears. Azrahin continued, "If this is how you still feel... why did you come to Pelargir?" "I... I didn't expect to feel this way upon my arrival. There's a difference between thought and experience." "You are right." Azrahin took another gulp of his ale, wiping his lips with his sleeve. He sighed deeply, before a smirk suddenly appeared upon him. "Now. Tell me. Halbrand. I must know everything about this no doubt incredible adventure you've had!"

Everything? you thought, no, not yet. "Maybe we should wait for Târikun? I'd only be repeating myself, and I'd rather him hear it from me than from you secondhand!" You emphasised the final word to hopefully remind your oldest brother about the time he got you into trouble with father for repeating the wrong information. "You're not going to let me forget that are you?" he spoke bashfully. "Not a chance. The bruise didn't fade for two weeks, Azrahin! And you got off scot-free!" "And I made it up to you remember? I introduced you to that boy you liked, what was his name... Keren? Keven?" "Kemen!" you corrected him, laughing against your will. "Yes, that's it, Kemen. Oh the ways you used to gush over him..." Azrahin joined in your laughter. "Well, we all make mistakes in our youth." "Oi go easy on the man, he's not that dreadful." "But he is the son of Chancellor Pharazôn. Not exactly a man I'd be keen to call my father-in-law." "What do you mean by that?" Azrahin's tone changed, suddenly the bemusement he was displaying was nowhere to be found. "Chancellor Pharazôn is a good man." "I do not share his beliefs. Do not tell me you do?" "He has done wonders for Númenor, and I have no doubt he will continue to do so."

You couldn't believe the words that were falling from his lips. How could Azrahin's ideals have changed? You knew how he loathed your father. Surely he had not cast aside the things that your father had done, the dark paths he exposed you to, all due to his hatred of elves. You thought he had come around like you now know you did after your mother passed. Though it seems that father still held a firm grip upon him, even in death. Had it really been that long since you had spoken with Azrahin?

Before you could question him further on the matter, a barmaid arrived at your table with your plates of supper. Thanking her, you watched as she turned around, almost taking out Târikun as she did so. Fumbling an apology, she made her way back to the bar quickly, her embarrassment clear. Târikun strolled over to your table, taking a seat, his shoulder length dark hair dripping profusely.

"Well that was good timing!" "Didn't have time to dry off?" you asked, hoping to mask the irritation you were now feeling. "I told you, I was starving! Hey! Where's my ale?" he questioned you, almost offended. Throwing him back his pouch you simply said, "Get it yourself." "I suppose I shall. Silly sister." Then you watched him move over to the bar, grabbing the attention of the poor barmaid, her cheeks still red. You were trying to avoid the intense gaze coming from Azrahin. He spoke your name low, almost under his breath. Continuing to ignore him, you witnessed Târikun openly flirting with the barmaid now, her cheeks reddening for a different reason. "I thought Târikun was happy in his marriage." "He is. He's just... playful." "It seems he is debaucherous more like." you stated, just as Târikun began to run his fingers along the poor woman's arm. She was enjoying the attention. "What happened to you two?" That was the only question you could fathom to ask, and thankfully Târikun missed it as he sat back down.

"So, silly sister, I am desperate to know about this Halbrand fellow. Please regale us with your tale!" he entreated dramatically, completely oblivious to the darkened mood at the table. Azrahin sighed, his expression loosening. "Yes, I want to know what my sister has been up to." "Alright. But then you are both telling me what you've been doing since I saw you last."

Between mouthfuls of delicious meat and vegetables, you revealed all you thought necessary to your brothers: How you and Halbrand met; Galadriel; your conversations with Miriel; Halbrand's near death and your time in Eregion. Although, you decided to be a lot less forthcoming with the events along your journey to Pelargir. There was not much more they needed to know beyond Halbrand having to return to his people. You couldn't help but notice the way their faces changed when you mentioned Galadriel and Eregion. Târikun was mostly shocked, but Azrahin had a harder time hiding his disdain.

You spoke nothing of the darkness within.

"My little sister... I honestly can't believe any of this. You've never done anything of the like." Târikun could not shirk his astonishment. "She's never been in love." chimed Azrahin. "Not like this, anyway." Your eyes darted to him, searching his for understanding, and finally finding it. He smiled, "I'm truly happy for you. But I'm also very glad you're still alive, being so close to that kind of peril." "Thank you, Azrahin. But I wasn't the one who nearly died." "That would be me." Halbrand had rejoined you at last, a sight for sore eyes. Greeting the men, he wandered around to the fireplace, throwing on some kindling and grabbed the nearby poker, stoking it back to life. The memory of said tool wedged through his flesh tried to surface then, but you pushed it away as Halbrand took the empty chair between you and Azrahin, the fire at his back. He kissed the top of your head as he did so.

"What have I missed?" "I had actually just finished telling my brothers about you, and the exploits we've had these past weeks." "I hope you didn't bore them with the fine details, my love." Halbrand looked at you knowingly, concerned you might have said something you shouldn't have. You only smiled at him and said, "Of course not. They don't need to know everything. So is there a plan for the ceremony? What did Bronwyn have to say?" you asked, swiftly changing the subject. "We wed tomorrow afternoon." he announced to the three of you, beaming. "There is a hall not far from here actually that will suit. We can stay here tonight." "I'd rather not, Halbrand, if that's alright?" you spoke, giving him a serious look that matched your tone. "Shouldn't we be figuring out where we are going to live? Our 'palace'? Our home?" "Bronwyn did make mention that there was housing arranged for us in case we ever made it down here. If you would prefer-" "Yes. I would."

Halbrand knew better than to question your motivations. If this was what you wanted, there was a reason for it. He would know it would have something to do with your mother. Sensing the tension at the table, your love arose. "Next round's on me." "I'll help you with that." Azrahin spoke up, joining Halbrand as he made his way to the bar. Târikun turned to you. "What is going on?" He was still clueless. "Oh Târi... why don't you go flirt with that maid some more." you sniped, finishing your ale, ready for the next one, which you sorely needed.

Rather than telling you what they had been up to, your brothers decided to get to know Halbrand better. Listening to him be vague, giving nothing away, it reminded you of the time before you learned the truth about him and who he really was. How he had to dance around the facts, speak in riddles and double meanings. You did want to tell your brothers everything, and you would. But just as Halbrand had taken his time, you were to do the same, finally understanding why he waited as long as he did, feeling the weight of your secret upon you.

More drinks kept coming as now it was Halbrand's turn to learn of your brothers, and by that of course, it meant you also. And the higher amount of ale in their stomachs meant the looser their tongues were about certain embarrassing stories you did not wish your love to know. Soon you were at a point where you were downing the ale to numb the humiliation. Halbrand was loving it though, laughing with your brothers, asking them many questions. It was as if he had found a part of you he did not know, the final piece of a puzzle he had long been assembling. He was fascinated.

"That's it!" you blurted out, swallowing the remainder of your sixth ale. "No more! You!" you pointed at your brothers. "You've sssaid too much! Allllready!" The words slurring past your lips. Standing up suddenly, your head started to spin, and you began to register just how much you had drunk. "Take meeee to our home! Halllllbrand!" You brothers were laughing at you, but they were also quite drunk themselves, Târikun almost lost his balance in his seat as it threatened to tip over. "Ohhh boy..." the spinning was not subsiding. Your eyes struggled to focus on Halbrand, who was now up next to you, keeping you from toppling over. Looking at him and laughing you said, "Nowwww there really are twooooo of you!" Azrahin eyed you curiously, though still chuckling heartily.

"I don't think we'll be going home tonight, my love. There's going to be a perfectly good room upstairs, right here. Azrahin, could you please do me a favour and fetch some water? And get a room for us?" "Certainly, your majesty!" he acknowledged, still chuckling as he stumbled off. Halbrand put an arm around you, walking you slowly towards the stairs. "Târikun, our bags are with our horse outside, if you wouldn't mind-" "Of course, my lorrrrrd!" He wasn't fairing much better than you it seemed. "It's the black steed, about twenty paces from the door!" Halbrand called out to him, just to be certain you wouldn't end up with the belongings of strangers.

As you reached the stairs, Azrahin joined you, a jug of water in one hand, a key in the other. "It's for the room across the hall from us. I'm glad we're not sharing a wall, brother-in-law." You saw him glare drunkenly at Halbrand with all four of his eyes. Your biggest brother made his way up the stairs with you going slowly behind him. Târikun brought up the rear, now with your bags procured. As you reached the doors to your rooms, you quickly bid goodnight to your brothers and Halbrand thanked them before he closed the door. The moment your head connected with the soft pillow, you were unconscious.

Tagging: @starlady66 @denzit @heronamedhawks @coraleethroughthelookingglass @restless-tides @pursuitseternal @hikarielizabethbloom @vaguelyvibin @michon-ne @gil-galadhwen @imjustsuperweird

#halbrand x reader #sauron x reader #halbrand/sauron x reader #halbrand #sauron #charlie vickers #the rings of power #trop #trop fanfic #trop fanfiction #lord of the rings #lotr

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umbrellatte · 2 years

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Ah Shit | F.Hargreeves

pairings: five hargreeves x speedster!fem!reader

synopsis: After finally leaving Dallas, Texas 1963, you and the Hargreeves come back to another seemingly disastrous problem.

notes: five did time travel, he did see the apocalypse, but was able to return as soon as he saw the date, therefore making him the same age as everyone else, including yourself. and he doesn't look like he's thirteen, he's just genuinely shorter than the rest of the academy, like he's tall, just not enough to be 'tall' tall.

disclaimer: five is above 18 in all my fics unless stated otherwise

You all landed in what seemed to be the Academy's living room. You all saw a Ben look alike walked into the room, and six other people, well five people and a cube, on the second floor balcony. “Dad? Who the hell are these assholes?”

“Shit” the Umbrellas said at the same time as you said “Ah shit.” You all look at each other, few words here and there and now you were fighting. Being the speedster of the group, you obviously had a high advantage on speed. Well, assuming you were the only one with speed advantages.

“Then we'll have to settle this the old-fashioned way.” the buff dark skinned man said. “Look, we just fought a literal army. Okay? This doesn't need to get ugly. Let's all just calm down and let's talk.”

Klaus then proceeded to talk, you didn't really pay attention to it. Mainly because Five's grip on your waist seemed to tell you that you should be wary and prop up your speed. So your focus was mainly on the random scarlet dressed people. Sooner or later, there was a fight. You and Luther took stance as the Marcus guy attacked. You sped around him and started to form a vaccum made of air, which theoretically, if he was as strong as Luther, he couldn't punch through.

“Luther, help the others! I'll get this one!” you yelled, speeding around him until you took your scarf and tied him to someone else. “Hopefully, he'll be too scared to break out cause he'll hurt whoever the hell this blonde bitch i tied him to anyways.” you thought. Ben then decides to attack you, from behind. Coward position, but smart anyways. Before he could, Five jumps to your rescue. “Tentacles off her, asshole!” he yells, jumping behind him to strangle him. “[Name], darling watch your fucking back! I swear to god!” Five scolds you. You speed here and there fighting the bird lady, yelling “I don't have eyes in the back of my head, honey! But clearly this blind bird bitch does!”

“[Name], Diego needs help! He's floating with the cube thing!” Allison called out. You reached Diego and thought on how to save him. You figured maybe if you ran fast enough, you could run up the walls, turn and jump to him grabbing him in the process. “Who's your daddy? I'm your daddy! Who's—” he lands a punch, “your—” another punch, “daddy!—” and another.

“It's now or never.” you successfully did your rescue trick and soon find Five with Ben, and head straight with him, running to Allison, seeing Klaus in the air, wrapped around tentacles, Diego throwing knives at the cube, and Vanya with paintings. You would have helped them, but at the moment, Allison was in a vulnerable position. Five jumps in, takes Allison and you sped the dude to a pillar, grabbing anything to tie him and tied him to it.

“Thanks.”

“No problem.” Five said. “Hey, short stack. What's up?” the black haired woman greeted. “Allison, you go ahead and help the others. We got this.” you said. “What are you two? Their mascots?” you scoff. “Aha, no. I'm not. More of just an extra addition, thanks for thinking so highly of me, though!” you sarcastically said, smiling your condescending smile. Five jumps behind her and lands a hard punch on her face. “Depends on who you're talking to. I'm more of their ringer.”

You quickly notice her get up, shoot her gross mouth liquid, and ran Five out of the way, and then proceeded to speed around her, making her dizzy. “None of that, alright? That's gross and not needed on Five's gorgeous face.” you warned. “What in the actual fuc-”

Not even five minutes later, you all were running down to halls to the exits. But Five doesn't leave until he gets the briefcase, to no avail. Only finding a few of the so called sparrows, on to Vanya. As soon as Vanya went all Vanya-bomb, Five soacial jumped away to you. Before you could leave, you held the finger to the black haired liquid lady. “Asshole!”

You all find your way to a few benches, sat down and started to talk. Everyone spoke with each other, but you were silent, head on Five's shoulder. Again you paid no attention to the conversation. Atleast not until Five said something. “Okay, the next person to say dickhead is getting a punch to the throat.”

All of them, even you, knew he wouldn't. So to mess with him, you all said 'dickhead' and just laughed as Five kissed your temple, slightly smiling even if he was worried on what's going on with this version of 2019.

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theworldisabrokenbonebutitishome · 1 year

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My fill for my @guardianbingo prompt of 'spaceship'.

Look, give me a show with aliens and special powers and time travel and heartbreak and watch me make it relevant to Doctor Who. If there's one thing I can do, it's make everything about Who. I've thought way too much about this so I'm gonna make it everyone's problem. (behind a read more though because wow I ramble)

I hear spaceship and I think TARDIS, because it's been almost twenty years and I am not getting over DW ever at this point. So my brain decided hey what if Zhao Yunlan got thrown back in time in a more comfortable and stylish way? And thus this image came to mind.

But my mind is not one for shutting up, so while this came to be I had a lot of thoughts about if anyone in the show would pull off being the Doctor particularly well.

The obvious choice is of course Zhao Yunlan; canonically time travels, regeneration could be a sci-fi equivalent to reincarnation, general chaos gremlin vibes, likes sticking things in his mouth yes I'm imagining 13 eating soil rn, quick thinking and loves a puzzle. Kunlun could be his version of 'Doctor' and Zhao Yunlan his version of 'John Smith' when he tries to go undercover.

However, I then got to thinking about Shen Wei. His wardrobe is definitely a much better match for the Doctor but he's not so obviously chaotic. But he is an alien, he's at least 10000 years old, his Dixing power is learning which is perfect, he's literally a professor (like the Doctor) and enjoys teaching (twelve comes to mind), he's into science and has accumulated random detailed knowledge about other things (eg. Bears) whilst remaining somewhat awkward socially, doesn't necessarily entirely vibe with others of his kind, has lots of secrets and is not always very good at lying. Likes to suffer in silence and not fcking tell anyone. He may not be full of chaos like thirteen but he has the vibes of nine or twelve where there's something not entirely human about him.

Another thing I found very interesting though is the potential for Ye Zun to be the Master to Shen Wei's Doctor. Because I like pain. The relationship between them two in DW canon is fascinating, just imagine if they were actually siblings.* The intense 'I want to kill you' vs 'I want to be you' vs 'I want you to like me' desire that's constantly warring away inside the Master. The Master loves the Doctor but feels like they've been abandoned by them, is that not Ye Zun? The desire for power and mayhem but also maybe just wanting attention from a certain person.

Also, if Shen Wei is the Doctor then Zhao Yunlan gets to be the companion and depending which level of angst I can cope with on the day, I've decided on two options.

Novel vibes: Zhao Yunlan as Donna Noble, something happens during their travels together that results in Shen Wei having to remove all of Zhao Yunlan's memories of him and their adventures together and Shen Wei has to stay away and never return or run the risk of Zhao Yunlan's brain permanently breaking. An even more extreme version of Shen Wei having to stay away from Kunlun's reincarnations because there's no chance of Zhao Yunlan coming back in this world. I'm not being entirely evil though because the 60th anniversary clips we've seen imply there is hopefully a way to fix this problem so there could still be a happy ending!

Show vibes: instead of sacrificing his soul to a lantern how about Zhao Yunlan does a Rose and stares into the TARDIS and only almost dies. If there's a way to somehow combine this with Rose using the power to bring Jack back to life and accidentally making him immortal then ta da! a never dying Zhao Yunlan to go with Shen Wei the time lord! Winners all around!

Final point i promise:

The TARDIS is called the ghost monument at one point, is that not a fitting name for a ghost king's spaceship?

#guardian #fan art #hand embroidery #kunlun #shen wei #TARDIS #guardianbingofest #zhenhun #i went for a specific Style. I'm not saying I pulled it off but we're here now.#Zhao Yunlan my love and his chaotic sitting was headache inducing #i promised some fills i did not promise they would be high quality or not incredibly niche #look the target audience for this is me and me alone #if you read the read more and decide to write a dw crossover/au pls hmu with the link #mutterings into the void #*feel like i need to add a disclaimer that i Do Not ship the master and doctor so I am not going for those vibes here #basically i peaked with the first two fills it's just downhill from there now #twabbbiih made a thing

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queerestqueertoeverqueer · 2 years

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every quote used in the bbcdoctorwho countdown

i don't know why i felt the need to make this when they started the countdown, but i did and it's been sat in my drafts for a month, so here :,) i cannot believe this is actually coming to an end <33

S11E1 - "I'm just a traveller. Sometimes I see things need fixing, I do what I can" (Thirteen -> Yaz)

S11E2 - "Oh, you've redecorated... I really like it!" (Thirteen -> The TARDIS)

S11E3 - "She changed the world. In fact, she changed the universe" (Thirteen -> The Fam)

S11E4 - "Something's happening with the spiders in the city... They're out of control!" (Jade -> Thirteen)

S11E5 - "A doctor of medicine?" "Well, medicine, science, engineering, candyfloss, Lego, philosophy, music, problems, people, hope. Mostly hope" (Mabli -> Thirteen, Thirteen -> Mabli)

S11E6 - "Love, in all its forms, is the most powerful weapon we have - because love is a form of hope, and like hope, love abides in the face of everything" ❤❤ (Thirteen -> Prem & Umbreen)

S11E7 - "Welcome to another rewarding shift at Kerblam!, fulfilling orders from the human colony of Kandoka!"📦 (The System -> The Fam)

S11E8 - "It's a very flat team structure"🧙‍♀️ (Thirteen -> Willa / Graham -> King James)

S11E9 - "You want the same thing you've always wanted - to be with us! So you've built a world you thought we'd like, and taken forms we won't reject" (Thirteen -> The Solitract)

S11E10 - "None of us know for sure what's out there. That's why we keep looking. Keep your faith. Travel hopefully. The universe will surprise you... constantly!"💥 (Thirteen -> Paltraki, Depth, Andinio)

S11E11 - "This is the DNA of the most dangerous creature in the universe..."🧬 (Thirteen -> The Fam) S12E1 - "Everything that you think you know... is a lie!"🤯 (The Master -> Thirteen)

S12E2 - "When did you last go home? You should really take a look..."🪐 (The Master -> Thirteen)

S12E3 - "People can save planets, or wreck them. That's the choice. Be the best of humanity"🌍 (Thirteen -> The Fam)

S12E4 - "Let them talk, the present is theirs. I work for the future. And the future is mine" 💡 (Nikola -> Thirteen & Yaz)

S12E5 - "Let me take it from the top - Hello, I'm the Doctor" 👯‍♀️ (Ruth -> Thirteen)

S12E6 - "Ryan Sinclair picks up a dead bird in Peru, and might just have saved the world!"🌊 (Thirteen -> Ryan)

S12E7 - "We immortals need our games, Doctor. Eternity is long, and we are cursed to see it all"🖐 (Zellin -> Thirteen)

S12E8 - "Sometimes this team structure isn't flat. It's mountainous, with me at the summit, in the stratosphere alone, left to choose"🤖 (Thirteen -> The Fam)

S12E9 - "Be afraid, Doctor. Because everything is about to change... forever"👀 (The Master -> Thirteen)

S12E10 - "No time to be tired. Still work to do out there. Lives at stake. Armies being born. People need the Doctor"🪐 (Ruth -> Thirteen)

S12E11 - "Two hearts. One happy, one sad" ❤💔(Thirteen -> The Fam) S13E1 - "I can feel it all. I can feel the universe breaking..."💥 (Thirteen -> Yaz)

S13E2 - "I accept your offer of a massacre!" 🥔 (Skaak -> The General)

S13E3 - “You have put yourself at risk in here, Doctor. Time is playing games with you all...” ⏳ (Mouri - Thirteen)

S13E4 - "You are recalled... to Division" (Claire -> Thirteen)

S13E5 - "You, me, and the end of the universe - it's personal now. And I'm gonna win!"💥 (Thirteen -> Swarm)

S13E6 - "Nothing is forever. No regeneration... no life" ⏱ (Time -> Thirteen)

S13E7 - "Come on you brilliant humans! We go again, and we win"🎆 (Thirteen -> Yaz, Dan, Sarah, Nick)

S13E8 - "I wish this would go on forever..." 🏴‍☠️ (Thirteen -> Yaz)

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herzgeist-writes · 10 months

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17) Sister Of The Sun

Pairing: Law x fem!reader | Word count: 3.5k | Warnings: Cussing, a bit suggestive at times

Dividers by cafekitsune

„Where is this cursed little thing?", you groan as you rummage through the drawer of your desk. All sorts of rubbish scatters in there, it's really necessary to clean out your belongings. With a victorious cheer you reach out to the object you seek. The rose gold necklace with the moonstone pendant the old lady from Antra gave you. If you can recall correctly, she wished you safe travels over Faemunlin's guidance. That was the name you heard in your dreamy experience.

Taking a close look at the stone, you feel yourself strangely drawn to it and hold the pendant between your thumb and index finger. What you didn't expect was for it to suddenly burn your skin, earning a shocked low yelp: „Ow, what the fuck?" Blowing some air on the irritation, you pout confused.

Loud knocking on the door startles you and you open the heavy metal. „(Y/n) honey, wanna go for a little swim on lunch break?", the cheerful brunette beams at you with a gleeful bounce in her step. Out of it you agree without any second thoughts, but you come to realise you don't own a complete bikini set, and the top you wore a few days ago is in the laundry. As if she read your mind, she throws something at you: „Here, you can borrow mine! I figured you don't have any swimming garments. See you at twelve!" - „E-eh?"

Did she drink too much coffee this morning? You can't remember seeing her this hyper for a while. Peering down at the bikini she threw at you, your eyes widen in embarrassment, the top seems a bit too small for your bust size. Welp, let's try it on, hopefully it fits.

The heat is driving you mad, faning your hand at your face to ease the suffering, for nought. The sun crashes upon you and there's no breeze giving you the slightest bit of relief. It was a bad idea to take walk in the desert like sun. You only wanted some time for yourself, but that apparently wasn't possible. Bepo sees you in the distance, waving at you happily.

„Greetings, Vice Commander. How can I help you?" - „Hiya! I thought I'd give you some company. Are you struggling with the hot weather as well?", you agree to his question with a loud sigh, still faning yourself with your sweat soaked palms. The bear chuckles and appears to be having a hard time just as you, given the fact he has a thick fur coat, designed for arctic temparatures.

You two stroll along the sands and talk about nothing important in particular, until a concern pops up in your mind: „Bepo, do you know anything about the northern mink culture?" Astounded he turns to you with his mouth agape, letting you see his pointy canines. „To be fair, I only remember being set off into the wild by some strange looking men. Not long after, Law, Shachi and Penguin found me."

In thought you reach into your pant pocket and fish out the moonstone necklace, showing it to the polar bear. Upon seeing the accessory in your hand, he suddenly reacts like a beast, growling furiously and flashing his teeth at it. Taken aback you shove it back into the pocket. „Woah, sorry! What is it Bepo?" - „A-Apologies...I don't know...what just came over me. What was that necklace you just held?"

Explaining to him where you got it from, you add all the suspisions and related topics you are aware of. In the past, you heard from Faemunlin and the moonstone before, but you weren't deliberating about it all too much, since you were only thirteen years old that time. The Vice Commander ponders over your knowledge about the northern mink culture, questioning why you are so concerned.

„Back when I was living on the streets as a refugee kid, I had a very good friend. She told me stories of her people, the beliefs, the wonders, the sorrows. Why my home was turned to ruins. She tried her best to keep me safe, though at first I acknowledged her as an enemy, but...I learned to cherish her." - „She sounds wonderful. We have to visit her sometime!", it takes you back, telling Bepo about your past. Gulping down the lump in your throat you shake your head subtly, looking up at the cheery mink: „I'm afraid that won't be possible anymore..."

A gasp escapes the bear, rumbling a low ‚oh', realising what you implied with your last statement. Humbly he apologizes and his ears droop in sadness. You reassure him with a meak smile and concentrate on your steps ahead.

You continue to ramble while you struggle to keep your composure: „I remember her telling me, whoever finds that certain fragment of the stone, will be bestowed with great powers." - „Oh, that sounds scary..."

After you arrived back at the beach of the harbour close to the submarine, you see Ikkaku waving in the distance: „Oi! Let's go (Y/n)!" Shaking your head in amusement you excuse yourself from Bepo and jog over to her, panting heavily from the straining heat. The curly haired woman is already up and about, enjoying the cold waters in her cute peach coloured swimming suit. She exclaims playfully outraged: „You're not in uniform!" - „Hold your horses, just let me take off my clothes, I'm wearing the bikini underneath. chill!"

She laughs, waiting impatiently by jumping up and down through the small waves crossing her legs. Finally you set aside your attire, wearing the red thin laced bikini and induldge in the cold wet, a relieved moan leaving your lips. In the distance the bear yells enviously: „Why wasn't I invited?!", Ikkaku chortles as she props her hands to her hips, „It was meant to be a ladies date, but if you insist, then you can bring the others as well!" And there goes the big white fluff ball, cheering and waddling over to the Polar Tang.

„Is that really a good idea?", you ask coyly with an uncertain tone in your voice. The brunette just wiggles her eyebrows at you sassily: „Though he can't swim, maybe the Captain will join us too? You can admire eachother from afar." With all your might you splash a big lot of water into her face. This feels so awkward, though you already enjoyed a few beach days with your crew, today it just doesn't feel right, for your bikini is dangerously close to exposing your fullness.

It's a battle to the death, you give your best to dodge her water attacks and counter them as fast as you can. She even brought a ball to play with. „Are we seven years old, Ikakku?" - „Oh come on, it's fun!", you scoff at her as you hold the white and red coloured water toy in your hands. So you give in to her sillyness and tag along, enjoying the cool the sea delivers.

„Hey girls! Don't start without us!", you hear someone calling behind you. Turning around you see Shachi, Penguin and Bepo, all ready for a swim. At least he isn't here. This could've ended pretty unpleasantly. The boys come running, wading through the water with ease.

Just as you were about to swing the ball back to childlike Ikkaku, you hear the red head coughing hysterically. „Look at those boo- ow!", he screams, while holding his hand seemingly infront of his nose, but Penguin slaps his back head, interrupting his exclamation. „Booze bottles, I meant to say booze bottles!", he adds, for he actually holds up two bottles of sake in his hands, grinning cockily at his colleague. He is beyond compare and repair. Of course he had to bring something to drink on his day off.

Bepo lets himself float in the waves, his big fluffy belly peeking out the water: „Ah, at last some cold!" - „You can say that again!" It makes you laugh, seeing the group all worn out by the heat, letting themselves go and thrive on a beautiful summer day.

The five of you decided to play some water ball with eachother, the one who couldn't catch it has to take a sip from the sake bottle. Back and forth it goes. Once it was Ikkaku's turn, then Penguin's and even Bepo's, but you let him sit this one out, for he reacts with a disgruntled snout twitching when sniffing the alcohol. You as well had to take a sip.

As the bear throws the ball at you, you ready yourself to catch it, not wanting to let that bitter sake flow down your throat again. „Catch!", he muses and the toy comes flying at you with full speed. But before you know it, it suddenly changes it's shape midair, looking like a balloon filled with water, threatening to splash onto your face. And so it does.

Ice cold water hits your skin and you shiver, frozen in place. Your crew mates let out a surprised gasp, standing there with confuddled faces. Bepo looks to the left and immediately points at a person, lounging on a beach chair over at the coast. Apparently this is the crook who sabotaged the game. And there you thought you'd have some peaceful time with your mates.

Wading over to land, you fume and let out unheard of curses as you bore holes into him, while grunting furiously: „Trafalgar...". The hot sand tickles your soles and you tower over the man, reading a book under the parasol. „If it isn't my favorite doctor. May I please have the ball back?", you bark at him while clenching your teeth. He musters at you through the corners of his eyes and smirks: „What ball?" - „The one you oh so nicely replaced with the ice filled water balloon?"

Putting his book aside he gets off his chair, now hovering over your tiny, compared to his tall frame. „Oh, you mean this one?", the ball appears in his hand as he narrows at you playfully and you hastily hold out to it. Shit, it's gone again. Confused you glare at your Captain, who only mutters a haughty: „Oops." Did he really just port it away again? The toy lands onto Shachi's red head in the distance, him holding the aching spot in shock, exclaiming a short ‚hey!'. Sometimes this aloof boy drives you insane with his overbearing arrogance. This means war. You jump as high as you can to snatch off his hat and place it on your head: „Tit for tat, Captain!"

Oh you didn't just do that, you fell right for his trap, for he already had seen this coming. He only looks you up and down and holds another water balloon in his hand, flashing you an overconfident grin. Is it just you, or did the temperature rise again? You haven't yet noticed, but the man infront of you is actually wearing dark blue swim trunks, no vest or anything of that kind, which he usual keeps around his shoulders. The tattoos being the only thing he wears on his upper body.

It's not the first time you see his chest presented like this, but gods be damned it sets something ablaze within you when you see every detail on him. Not to mention the bottoms are hanging lazily from his hips, giving you a full picture of that V line you almost drool upon. (Y/n) wake up! This is not a drill!

„(Y/n)-ya, is that Ikkaku's swim suit by any chance?" - „Yes, but it's a bit too small for my taste. Why do you ask?", he sneers at you, for he has you right where he wants you, unknowing and innocent. Without warning, another splash of ice crashes over you, for the doctor exchanged the balloon with his hat on your head. Humming in delight his steel coloured eyes sparkle at you: „I wasn't complaining about the size."

You only stand there with your eyes closed, shrugging it off and just accepting your fate: „How delightful, Captain. Very refreshing." Suddenly it dawns on you what he just commented on the suit you're wearing, a dust of red spreading over your cheeks as you speak: „O-oh, are you implying you like what you see?" It almost takes a specialist to see the faintest change in his expression, it's clear to you that your question just hit the target. Nervosity making itself vacant in his eyes.

This is beginning to be fun. On full purpose you push your breasts together, leaning down to present your barely covered chest. Law curses you and your womanly charms for which he fell, to his demise. He musters a scoff at you and mumbles arrogantly: „You're making a fool of yourself, (Y/n)-ya." - „Look who's talking! Aren't you the one who's complaining about the paper towers in his office?"

Visibly he flips you off with a cold stare of his storm grey eyes, making his way over to his chair and begins to read where he left of. You decide to take a seat on the neighbouring deckchair, planting yourself onto your stomach. Letting the sea water trickle down your skin. Suddenly you recall the questions concluding Law, that are overloading your thoughts. Propping yourself up on your elbows you turn to the Captain. „I need to ask you something." - „Shoot.", you raise an eyebrow at him and he permits you to speak your mind without losing his focus from his book.

„Since when have you been able to dance and speak foreign languages?", that is something he expected the least, but it suprises him positively. A meak smile crosses his lips as he explains to you: „When studying difficult topics like medicine and anatomy, it's important to keep your body as sharp as your mind. And learning foreign languages is only a beneficial bonus. I caught a few things back as a kid, wasn't too hard."

It appears he's not going into further detail, which saddens you to a certain point, but you don't want to pressure him. You're intimidated by his intelligence and let out an amazed ‚wow'. Then you feel his steel eyes plastered upon you, looking you up and down, fixated at your thighs for a short second. It tickles you, watching him checking you out. „How about you? Since when have you been able to sing so beautifully?", nearly jumping out of your seat you stare at him blankly.

„D-Did you hear me?" - „Well, I must confess I listened to your siren like sounds the night before I brought the kitten Corazon outside. Apologies.", this is beyond embarrassing. Where is the next cliff you can jump off? Wanting to dig a hole and bury yourself in it, your Captain emphasises your talent, telling you to keep on using your lovely voice. This doesn't make things any easier, obviously.

„But what made me wonder the most was the song itself. The meaning, what is it about? I thought I heard it somewhere before.", he tilts his head at you questioningly. To be expected from a man with high capacity. It tears on your heartstrings, thinking about it's symbolisms. The aching words flashing pictures of your past infront of you. It's not as easy as you thought it would be, telling him about your true self.

Reading you like a book, he waves it off: „You don't have to tell me, if it's too much of a sensitive topi-" - „It's a song about the north blue. The high north if you will. How my people have suffered from slavery and betrayal. How minks were the accused enemies, but in truth, our family at heart."

Unbelievable. Hearing this coming from you astounds the doctor more than he seems to look like on the outside. Once more, he sets the book aside and turns to face you, listening attentively. „You know the arctic mink tribe?" - „I do. I befriended one of their leaders. She was the most kindest person I've known.", he doesn't like how you use the past tense, signalising him that something must have happend to that friend of yours. His curiousity only grows.

„I've been thinking alot since the nightmare occured. The moonstone I received...the deity Faemunlin.", you ramble clearly to yourself, but Law snaps you out of it: „If you don't mind me asking, what was the dream about?" To explain all the acts that played ,turns out to be harder than anticipated, especially the part where you shared an intimate moment with the man sitting beside you, which you obviously left out. In hopes he doesn't notice your secrecy. You know all too well that he despises it, when things are kept from him.

Thus you come to the point, where you spotted Faemunlin's wolf appearance. „It felt like...that was me. The beast in the reflection...it was me who killed you.", you struggle to hold in your tears. The Captain heaves himself out of his chair and comes closer to you, kneeling down beside you and laying his warm palm on your shoulder blade: „Hey, calm down. It's okay."

Guardian of the gods. That burns into Law's brain and leaves a sour after taste on his mind. He heard from the guardians before, but only fleeting. If he's remembering correctly, guardians are initially mortal beings to be chosen by the spirit of the moon, the sister of the sun. Upon receiving the powers, the guardians are told to be born demi-gods. All mysteries and sayings he heard from townsfolk in Flevance when he was younger.

This is definitly something he'll research further, for he needs to know if you are involved into gods' affairs. If so, it might be reasonable, since you possess conqueror's haki. Powerful beings are naturally common targets.

Suddenly you hear Ikkaku and the others calling out to you, asking what you two love birds are up to. Awkward. Shachi is going full on out again. What a burden. Law is appalled just as much as you, though he cannot speak against the term ‚love birds', not completely at least. He decides to ignore him and reassures you softly: „Let's continue this conversation another time. For today I believe it's enough for your current mental state." This kindess radiating from him warms your heart. You turn to sit properly and face him, to thank his consideration.

Still kneeling down beside you he places his DEATH adorned hand on top of yours, nodding subtly. He catches himself staring at your tattoos and shakes his head hysterically while closing his eyes, so he straightens himself before you. About to take his leave he once more looks over his shoulder to you: „If it's not too much to ask, will you sing for us at an evening event sometime?" - „Since you asked so nicely, I'd love to."

The energy you beam lets his heart skip a beat and he reciprocates your smile, heading off without further ado by using his ability. So you sit there, kicking your feet in pure happiness. Though it all started with an unnecessary banter, the calm and deep conversation you held was filling your tummy with butterflies. The fleeting glances he threw at you, the accidental slips down your body.

The tension between you gets more fidgety to handle, but you can't seem to keep yourself to stay away from him. This man has been on your mind for a long amount of time now and you come to sense that he's also interested in you. Wether it's only lust or beyond that, you crave him. Yet no matter what blooms inside you, he is your Captain. It feels wrong.

„Men, prepare yourselves to submerge! It's time we set out for Punk Hazard, this won't be a short trip!" - „Aye Captain!", you heard Law rallying the crew as he steps on deck. The last day on this city island, you are quite relieved, though you wish you could've finished your tattoo here at the ‚Black Rose' shop, but this isn't of your highest concern.

Taking off into the belly of the Polar Tang, you make sure every object in the compartments, storages and stations are secured. Thinking back to when one of the turbines went down, you'd rather give a double check on those ropes and seals. You don't want the Captain pinning you down again, even though you would have nothing against it secretly.

So the journey begins, the submarine dives into the deep blue and leaves you astounded once more. Each time you look out the porthole at the front, you are amazed by the glistening light beaming through the water. The further down it goes, the darker and more mysterious it gets. All kinds of creatures swim along the Polar Tangs walls, colourful and flashy challenging the submarine to a race.

Penguin calls out to you from the corridors: „Hey (Y/n), could you check this out for me?" - „Sure, on my way!" It feels good to be on a cruise again. You can't wait what lies ahead.

#one piece #one piece law #trafalgar one piece #law x female reader #law x fem!reader #x reader #law x y/n #fanfic fluff #fanfiction #beautiful mind #+18 conent #slightly suggestive

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silentprincessandsweethibiscus · 1 year

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Four Minus one: Fours got more secrets than most, and they’re not too keen to give them up to just anyone. Nothing about the smallest member of the Links is as it seems, but if the right person asks, at just the right time, they may just unravel a little bit more of the puzzle.

Chapter one- Come Back With a Warrant: Despite being warned that all was not what it seemed with the hero of this era the Links are still in for more surprises than they bargained for. Convincing them to join will prove to be a whole side quest, and the surprises will not stop there. im finally posting it! chapter two is mostly done, will be ready by next saturday, and the chapter im posting the saturday after that is done, so i think its safe to say that i can have an, at least mostly, consistent schedule for the time being!

Time was concerned that they had gotten the wrong house, and judging by the shuffling of some of his companions he wasn't the only one. The windows were dark despite it being early evening, the garden was starting to become overtaken by weeds and overgrowth, and there was a sign on the door to the forge saying that the owners were out of the country for business. Had the Princess Zelda of this era not sent them here herself, he would assume they had been sent here on a wild cucco chase. However, as it stood, the Princess's warning of "All is not as it seems," was making more sense by the second. Whatever the reason for their newest companion to leave his house in such a state, it was not because it was vacant. No noise could be heard from in the house as the group approached, but Wild perked their ears, telling Time that there must be something inside. The unspoken leader of the group finished the walk up the slightly overgrown path and knocked on the door, waiting a few moments before knocking again, slightly louder.

A few moments later movement could be heard from inside, and a slightly raspy voice called out, “Coming! Coming,” A pause as the door swung open and a young boy, looking no older than twelve or thirteen opened the door, “Whatever the Princess sent you for had better be important, I have a lot of work to do.” He looked up and Time was able to see the boy's face clearly. He had eye bags that could rival the vets, his hair was in a messy braid, and he was very pale. Hell, if the older Link didn’t know any better, between the boy’s appearance and the state his home was in, Time would swear this boy was a ghost. “You lot don’t look like knights? Did Do- er, Princess Zelda send you? Or are you here for the forge? It's closed at the moment I'm afraid.”

Time wasn’t sure who exactly this boy was, he looked younger than Wind, and though Time knew age was no determining factor on how capable a hero was, he hoped for his sake that this boy was not Link. A relative perhaps. Younger brother, or son, hopefully. He cleared his throat and went into business mode regardless. “We are not knights, we are traveling heroes, looking for the hero of this land, to ask him for assistance in defeating a great evil. Her Royal Highness, Princess Zelda, was kind enough to give us directions here. If Link is here we would greatly appreciate an audience with him, to discuss the matter at hand.”

The pleasant, but all business smile Time gave the boy was met with a scowl, and the older hero watched as several emotions ranging from anger, to sadness, to regret, and finally determination settled on the boy's face. “I am very sorry, but you have been misled, Link is dead.” And leaving no room for further discussion on the matter he shut the door in Times face.

There were a few moments of awkward silence before Legend coughed out a laugh, and spoke up. “Well then, I’d say that went well. Damn I really wish I had thought of that one when you lot came to pick me up.”

Hyrule raised an eyebrow at her, as they turned. "What do you mean by that?"

“Well, that was definitely Link, yea?” Sky pondered in response.

Time sighed, leading the group back the direction they came, towards the castle. “I’d say so, yes. He looked young, and tired, I don’t blame him for turning us away.”

“What’s the plan now then? Go talk to Princess Zelda again?” Twilight was practically dragging Wild away as he spoke, the younger not wanting to give up so easily.

"Well, she did warn us that this might be a difficult task,” Warriors matched stride with Time at the front “Maybe we have to find a way to convince him ourselves.”

Hyrule hummed in thought. "What if he really is dead? What if he's a ghost?"

"Then I vote we leave the poor kid alone. Hylia knows that when it's all over for me I have no intention of doing more work. Let me, or in this case, him, rest."

Wind shook his head at Rulie and Legend. "No, he wasn't a ghost. Although I think I can second that notion."

"Agreed." Twilight gave his mentor a pained look as Time spoke up. "The only thing that should come for the dead is rest."

“Excuse me! Young men!” The group's heads turned towards the voice, and they were met with a castle guard, looking to be in his early forties, on a horse that looked suspiciously like Epona. He slowed his stead to a stop alongside Time and Warriors. “Ah good. Hello! The Princess informed me there was a group of young Heroes looking for Link.”

“Yes, that would be us. Time.” Time moved to take the stranger's outstretched hand to shake.

“Are you him? We were led to believe we would be unsuccessful in finding him.”

The man chuckled, a fond smile gracing his lips. “I’d bet you where. But no, I am not Link. I am their father, Jol. Her Majesty's Head Guard. I do wonder what excuse my child gave this time. They are very busy with something, and would rather not step away if it’s not official business.”

“They told us, and I quote, ‘Link is dead’ and then shut the door in the old man's face.” Legend bumped her shoulder against Times arm as she spoke.

“Ah, a classic I see. They’ve tried using it on a few of the other guards,” Jol sighed, “As if those men didn’t all either help me raise them, or grew up with them themselves.” He looked over the whole group. “Interesting party you’ve got going on here though. Tell me, what exactly do you need Link for? Hylia knows they don’t need my permission to save Hyrule, again, but they won’t leave their current project without some kind of official order, so you might as well get it from me.”

Warriors spoke up this time, nudging Legend back out of the way as he did. “This may seem a bit strange.”

“I have seen Link do plenty of strange things at this point, I doubt you could truly shock me.”

“My name is Link, but all the heroes behind me call me Warriors. We are all heroes, from different eras, pulled together through time itself to stop a great threat to Hyrule.” Warriors paused to gauge Jol’s reaction, and to his credit the man seemed to be taking it well, save for a raised eyebrow. “We hope for the extra assistance your Link could lend us, but if they truly do not wish to come there is nothing we could, or would be willing to do, to make them. It is solely their choice.”

Jol sighed, and nodded his head back towards the house they had come from before encouraging his stead back into a walk. “Choices and orders be damned, they are a hero through and through. Once they actually hear you out they will be packing their bags before I can even get my two rupees into the conversation. Tell me honestly though, is this to do with Vaati?”

Wind tilted his head to the side. “Who’s Vaati?”

It was Legend who responded however. “Your child is the Hero of the Four Sword then? Fought Vaati three times before they finally managed to kill the mage. You must be early in Hyrule’s history.”

Jol’s answering smile didn’t quite reach his eyes, but he nodded nonetheless. “Yes. I am glad to hear this doesn’t seem to have anything to do with him. Link lost something very dear to them during their last fight, and I’d hate to know they’d have to face him again knowing it's still gone.”

Arriving back at the house Jol tied his horse to the fence before leading his guests into his kids house. There was light in the living room now, the fireplace and a few lanterns having been lit. They could hear shuffling in the kitchen and the young boy called out as soon as the door closed behind them. “Welcome back. Since father has deemed you trustworthy, feel free to sit anywhere. How many of you are there?”

Time herded his rascals into the sitting area as he responded. “Including your father, there are nine of us. I hope we aren't overcrowding you.”

“Nine? Hylia, there are eight of you.” The last part was mumbled out and hard to hear over the sound of pottery clinking together, as the newest Link stepped out with a tea tray with enough cups to accommodate everyone. “Might as well have invited all of Hyrule town. Again.”

Jol cleared a spot on the coffee table for Link to set down the tea.“Please, help yourselves. Now,” He turned back to his child, “I know you are busy, but would you at least hear these nice young heroes out?”

Link sat down on the armchair nearest the exit, carefully moving the large book that had prevented any of the others from sitting there. “No, because if I hear them out then I have to go with them. You know this.”

There was a hearty chuckle from Jol, and this time his smile did reach his eyes. “The floor is all yours.”

Time nodded in thanks, and set down his tea. “As I stated the last time we spoke, We are traveling heroes, looking for the hero of this land for their assistance in defeating a great evil. What we did not have time to explain is who we are. I am Link, the Hero of Time. The others call me Time, or Old Man, to keep things from being confusing, as we are all named Link. Something is pulling us together from different points in Hyrule’s history. We do not know fully what threat we are up against yet, but it appears someone has decided we are all needed to stop this.”

There was silence as Link seemed to study Time, trying to decide if he was telling the truth or not. Finally, with a nod and large sigh, they stood. “Well that certainly explains why that one seems to be wearing a sailcloth similar to our founder's prized garment. I’m guessing that’s not a replica.” When Sky nodded in affirmation they spoke again, “And is it safe to assume your problem has something to do with these portals that have been plaguing our neighbors?”

“The very same. One of them brought us here as well.” Warriors agreed with the young hero. With all the confirmation they needed, Link turned around and headed for the stairs.

There were a few murmurs of confusion, mostly from Wind, Wild, and Hyrule, but Jol quickly put them at ease with a smile. “Well, that went well. Give them a few moments to pack the things they don't keep ready to go.”

Hyrule caught Wind's teacup as the sailor doubled over in laughter. “Man! I thought you guys were kidding about how fast they would change their mind!” Several other Links joined in his laughter, excited to get to know their newest companion.

It really hadn't taken long for their newest companion to pack their things, and with them ready to go they quickly made introductions, Link quickly and easily accepted the nickname Four, taken from the hero title Legend had identified them with earlier. They wished their father farewell, asking him to deliver the news of what they were off to do to Princess Zelda and some other friends of theirs while cleaning up the tea set. After leading the others out and locking up the house they took stride next to Time, easily keeping up with the other despite their much smaller stature.

“So,” Twilight took place right behind them, with Warriors to his left, “Where we off to kid?”

“I guarantee you I am not as young as you think.” Time was the only one who could see Four glaring ahead of him at the comment, but they continued on regardless. “And as for your question, you lot said this is something to do with those portals, so we are heading to where the largest concentration of them have been. We’ve even seen a few strange monsters come out of the ones in this area.”

Warriors clapped Twilight on the shoulder as a few of the others snickered at the rancher getting told off behind them. “A wise decision, it will be good for us to see what kind of force our enemies are showing here. How much they are willing to spread to each era they invade will give us a good idea of how much they have in total, since they are clearly not just sticking to the monsters that belong in the given era.”

“Plus, now that we’ve found the hero, it’s time to get to the next portal again.” Wind wove his way up from the middle to be standing in the very front, so he could walk backwards, hands on the back of his head, looking right at Four as he spoke. “The portals don’t usually let us stick around too long after we’ve found the hero.”

Four grinned and raised an eyebrow. “So what you’re telling me is I should warn you before you trip backwards into one.”

Wind practically tripped over himself as he darted forward to avoid walking backwards into a portal, turning around as his companions all started to laugh, to see there was no portal behind him. “Hey! What the fuck man!” Wind imagined the glare he tried to send Four was lessened by the laugh in his own voice, but when he realized their newest companion was silent laughing with tears welled up from the force of it he let it slide. This time. But only because it was cool to see the newest Link fitting in so well already. Especially considering how worn out and miserable they had looked when they had first shown up.

“Sorry, sorry.” Four composed themself a little, and wiped a tear from their eye. ”That stance just reminded me of a… friend of mine. I Couldn’t resist.”

“One of the out of the country friends your father is going to notify?” Time inquired, a small grin still on his own face.

Four nodded with a chuckle. "Yes. He's part of the Royal Guard, out with a few others on official business. I've been keeping the group informed on the portal situation, in case it becomes more dire and we need them back. You lot talked to Princess Zelda, so you saw the state the castle is in. It's been just over a year and we're still rebuilding from Gannon and Vatti's last attack, another attack would call for all hands on deck."

“And now you’re leaving.” Warriors noted. “So you asked your father to notify them so they can come back?”

Four shook his head. “By the sounds of the last letter I got from them they should already be on their way back. It sounded like they were close to resolving the problem. I just didn’t want them to be surprised when they came home and found me gone again.”

“Do they live with you?” Wind was back to walking backwards, confident that his team would let him know if there really was a portal behind him.

Four’s steps stuttered for just a moment. “How’d-”

“Well the sign, on the forge, says the owner is out of the country for business.” Wind tilted his head in a shrug.

“Oh.” Four paused for a moment. “No, that's because I was meant to go with the group. Heroes duties and all that. But then the portals started showing up, and the Princess decided someone should stay behind to watch after them, so here I still am. I never took the sign down because I am far too busy, and I am technically out a lot checking on them, so I saw no point in changing the phrasing.”

Warriors nodded in understanding. “No one would come bother you but for official business with the sign up?”

“That was the plan at least,” Four sighed, “Though plenty of people still tried.”

Wind laughed, it was unsurprising that even busy and supposedly out of the country people still wanted the hero for something. “Like us?”

“By my understanding this is official business.” Four smirked, They were already far too invested in this to turn back now. “Or should I turn back now and head home?”

“I think it may be just a little too late to turn back now, friend.” Time nodded to a portal that had opened up right in their path. It was new, and they would have to get off the road to avoid it, so it was pretty obviously meant for them to go through. Four frowned and walked towards it. “Hold on now.”

“Trust me, I’m being careful. But this one is different from the others.” They circled it, and hesitantly poked it. Satisfied with whatever they felt from it they pulled their hand back and rested it against their chin, mumbling something inaudible as they became deep in thought. There were a few odd looks from the group before Four’s head snapped up to look at them. “Are

the ones you use to travel through all like this?”

Most of the group continued to look confused, nothing seemed to be different from these ones and the others, but Twilight and Hyrule both nodded, and Rulie spoke. “I’ve noticed that too. The ones meant for us seem to have light magic clinging around the edges.”

“Even though the portals themselves are made with dark magic. Fascinating.” Four had pulled a journal off their side and started writing as they spoke. “Whoever is calling us all together is of light magic, they have just hijacked the portals whoever is causing this made. Likely because it was quicker or easier than trying to replicate it with light magic.”

Warriors quirked an eyebrow. “How can you guys tell?”

Four looked shocked, like they had not realized the others could hear them, but Twilight and Hyrule both spoke at once. “Quest thing.”

Four was relieved when the others all took that as an acceptable answer and nodded in agreement. “It is indeed a quest thing.”

“Oh! That’s right.” Hyrule turned now to Four. “We all have our traumas and secrets, unless it is one that may put the team at risk we will never push for an answer. I can’t promise that some of us won’t snoop.” Fae turned to look pointedly from Wind to Wild and then to, surprisingly, Legend. “But if you ever don’t wish to talk about something that happened before meeting us you can explain that it's a quest thing. We won't push. At least in the moment.”

There were nods of agreement as Sky spoke up. “We had a few disagreements back when it was just a couple of us before we came up with that rule.”

Legend snickered. “If by disagreements you mean full blown arguments. Some of us are more willing to discuss their travels than others.”

“Count me amongst the second group then.” Four hummed in thought. “You all seem nice enough, but we would be here a while if I was willing to discuss all three of my adventures with you. Hylia, the last one alone would take at least a week to explain.”

Four knew their new companions all thought they were younger then they actually are, so the shocked reactions were not unexpected, though Time not being surprised was a bit shocking. “If you don’t mind me asking, how old were you when you started? Some of the others were teenages, but a few of us were pretty young ourselves.”

Four thought about it for a moment, but Time seemed to be implying that he was one of the younger ones, so they felt that at least they wouldn't get judgment for it from the eldest Link. “Seven. But there was a bit of a break before my next one, at ten.” They paused to gadge reactions. “And the last one lasted a year, so it started a little over two years ago.”

Time nodded, still seeming to be the only one relatively unphased by this. “Well, at three adventures you’re in the running with me for catching up to Legend for most, but she’s still got us both beat at five. You do, however, have me beat for age. I had just turned nine on my first.”

Warriors, Four guessed one of the older ones during his quest, shook his head. “No. No way we are just brushing past them saying they where fucking seven on their first quest!”

“I think we are.” Four shrugged. They had definitely had enough time to come to terms with it over the years, and besides, only one so young could have worked with the Minish as they had.

Sky stepped forward, trying to disperse the tension, and motioned towards the portal that had been sat waiting for them all this time. “Well then, it seems it’s time for us to be off once again. Not that there is anything that can be done now, but are you ready Four?”

Four’s eyes were shining with a curiosity that seemed to be completely overriding whatever had them upset when the group had gotten to their house, and they nodded as they restashed their book in its holster. “I am ready.”

“That’s the spirit!” Twilight clapped Four on the back as he and Wild made their way to the portal.

“The hero's spirit.” Time chuckled. “We normally buddy up, Knowing Wind he wants to go with you now.”

“Aw man!” Wind did walk over and take Four’s hand. “Time you’re taking all the fun outta calling dibs!”

Four looked shocked at how direct Wind was, but chuckled as Time began to speak again. “Right. So I will be accompanying you two. Twilight has Wild. Legend, I know you’ll be going with Hyrule. Warriors and Sky, is that alright?”

The two nodded and Warriors’ “Perfectly fine” mixed with Sky’s “Sounds perfect, thank you.”

Four Smiled as their new friends lined up to enter the portal. They were by no means a well-oiled machine, but they had fallen into a rhythm that clearly worked for them, and had this been a few years ago Four would feel out of place in it. Indignant of it even. Upset that fate was forcing them to play the part of a single part of a larger team. Now, however? Today they smiled, Time on one side and Wind on the other as they entered a portal. They were doing this with a team by their side. Fellow heroes. Friends. Family, perhaps. They were home.

#linked universe #four #time #legend #wind #wild #twilight #warriors #sky #hyrule #fic #one verse #hibiscus speaks #my work

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bisexual-buck · 11 months

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Oversharing on the Internet

tagged by @honestlydarkprincess, @mellaithwen, and @princessfbi 🤍

ONE: Are you named after anyone?

My mom chose my birth name because she wanted to name me after a person she meant once upon a time and thought "that's the kind of person I hope my child can be someday" in combination with thinking it it was a nice name. So essentially: all vibes and "thats pretty"

TWO: When was the last time you cried?

Probably this weekend because someone close to me was an asshole.

THREE: Do you have kids?

NAUR

FOUR: Do you use sarcasm a lot?

Here and there. I'm bad with tone through the internet and a lot of my friends are as well, so I've cut down.

FIVE: What sports have you played/do you play?

When I was a wee child I was in cheerleading, but my main focuses were volleyball and track & field in my teen/young adult years. Fun Fact: I was one of the team captains of my college t&f team.

SIX: What's the first thing you notice about people?

Not to act like I'm a main character or something, but their energy. If I'm verbally or physically interacting with someone, I catch vibes quick. Via text/online is harder and I don't notice it the same way.

SEVEN: What's your eye colour?

Brown

EIGHT: Scary movies or happy endings?

Happy endings pave the way for hope.

NINE: Any special talents?

Depends on what classifies as a talent. I guess bursh lettering is one.

TEN: Where were you born?

In the hills.

ELEVEN: What are your hobbies?

Reading, Gaming, Writing, and hopefully travelling someday

TWELVE: Do you have any pets?

I used to. 🥹

THIRTEEN: How tall are you?

5' 10"

FOURTEEN: Favourite subject in school?

As a kid, math. Then science as a young teen and English when I was in my final two years of school.

FIFTEEN: Dream job?

I'm so lost I don't even know anymore.

tagging: @nonbinarybuckley @bigfootsmom @maygrantgf @homerforsure

#tag game #sunsays.txt

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techtalksfics · 1 year

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The E-11 Blaster - Tech x F!OC (Part 1)

I haven’t written anything in a decade, so please forgive me if this is awful.

Word Count: 1,267

Warnings: None

Tech was perched, body flat, on the dry Earth. He was hidden, high above the target, scouting for potential complications to the plan forming in his mind. Kelsa, the woman paying the Bad Batch for an extraction, had dropped down beside him. Her body extremely close to his. She could feel his cold armour pressed against her arm. “There are ten civilians, thirteen assailants, all clone troopers, between us and the main entryway. That means there are thirteen standard -”

“Standard issue E-11 blaster rifles between us and the front door. Yes, I know. I can see that.” Kelsa looked at Tech as if to say ‘do I look like an idiot to you?’ Kelsa had asked Clone Force 99 to help her, against her better judgement. She was out of options and they were out of credits. She knew that the crew were often sloppy, loud, no plan of theirs seemed to go quite according to plan and recently, they’d been travelling with a Kaminoan child. None of this seemed to suggest that this would be an easy or straightforward mission.

But... it was her best friend and despite all their shortcomings, they had survived a war, bounty hunters and even podracing in recent weeks. Their success rate was somehow 100%. However unlikely this seemed to Kelsa.

“How did you -” before Tech could even finish his sentence, Kelsa interrupted with a roll of her eyes. Best to save him from rolling off an unnecessary question.

“Know? It’s the Empire. They are clone troopers. Of course they have standard issue E-11 Blaster Rifles. Only snipers or commanders would be able to deviate from that.” Tech adjusted his goggles and found his focus drifting from the sight below.

He looked at Kelsa before asking, “how would you know that?” Kelsa cleared her throat.

“Beatiza and I did some work for Commander Cody and General Kenobi when the war was raging. We picked up some intel along the way and have been able to keep track of military supplies and equipment ever since. I read up on whatever intel we have, whenever I can.” Tech admired her for a moment, not her appearance but that despite his slight irritation with her attitude, she was like him. Clearly not as smart but she understands the importance of information.

“There are variants to the ‘standard clone trooper’ as you would put it. Clone Force 99, for example, is a key example of this.”

“You were designed to be heightened defective clones. Again, of course you would differ.” She had rolled onto her side and placed her head on her hand as she observed him. “But I am aware that you use DC-17 hand blasters, as does Hunter, along with his knife. Echo is new to your crew but since joining he also utilises the DC-17. Wrecker uses a DC-17m Interchangeable Weapons System... but likes a hands on approach to violence.” She rambled off her extensive knowledge at him. Hopefully he will stop treating me like a damsel in distress now, Kelsa thought.

This conversation had deviated a long way from their mission directive. They had clearly forgotten or, at least put aside, what they had been sent to do. Tech was indignant about the notion that his team could be so obviously analysed.

“How could you even possibly know all of that?” He queried, not meaning to sound so agitated.

“Commander Cody partly. He had a story to tell about you boys.” She chuckled, readjusting her head on her hand, “but, I forgot to mention this to you boys, I am a weapons specialist. Beatiza is a sort-of bodyguard and weapons tester, in case you wanted to know.” Tech searched her eyes for any evidence of a lie, there was none. He did also notice the large hazel eyes staring back at him, confused. “I do have a question, though. If you’ll allow it.”

They were so very, very far off topic now, Kelsa thought. So she didn’t seem the harm in asking the question that had been bothering her since she had first encountered 99. He nodded gently at her.

“Where is Crosshair? I was looking forward to meeting such a skilled sniper.” Would’ve been useful in this mission, she thought.

“He was,” Tech pushed backwards suddenly, his hands pressing his body backwards allowing him to lean on the boulder to his left. “He was left on Kamino when we deserted. His, uh, ideology seemed to differ to ours by that point. Though that could be the inhibitor chip, it is difficult to say for certain.”

Kelsa’s casual position no longer felt acceptable. So she sat upright, crossing her legs and looking at him sadly. His expression was crestfallen, gaze facing the floor. She shouldn’t have asked, she realised that now.

With a cough, Tech informed that “none of this conversation is relevant to the task at hand.” He forced his gaze back up to her face, “we should remain focused.”

She nodded and slid back down towards the view of the bridge and entryway. Immediately, she felt a presence at her side, Tech had rejoined her and had lowered his visor to inspect the environment. “Right so...” she lifted her binoculars to her eyes, “thirteen guards, several civilians. No heavy artillery. There will be something powering that door though. That will be a challenge.”

“Not for me.” He said with such confidence that Kelsa couldn’t tell if it came from battle experience or simply from his enhanced genetics. “As long as Hunter and the others can get me close enough and provide me with sufficient cover, as they always do, I will be able to lower that door.”

“Then we rescue Beatiza.”

“Precisely.”

“Simple.” She laughed, shaking her head. Her curls moving across her back and around her face.

“Well, it has the potential to be simple. We are operating under the impression that they are not keeping your friend somewhere deeper inside the fortress. We should consider the possibility that she is being kept somewhere further out of reach. Keeping her in the main hall seems unlikely.”

“Despite the strange presence of the Empire and their clones, the people on this planet are fairly primitive. Surely there isn’t a cage they can keep her locked in that the wonderous Bad Batch can’t rescue her from?” Her mouth twitched into what could only be interpreted as a smirk. Was she mocking us? Tech pushed that thought from his mind. It was illogical, she had only been polite and forthcoming towards his team so far. He couldn’t decipher her true meaning and again, he found himself irritated.

“You would be correct in your summation.” He announced. “We will free your comrade, do not worry.” With that final remark, Tech slid further down the rough terrain and sat himself back up against the boulder. He removed his helmet and turned his attention fully on Kelsa, once again. She remained flat staring down at the task at hand.

Her auburn hair bristled in the slight breeze but it still cascaded around her shoulders. Her legs, slightly parted, were covered by tight cargo pants. She needed the pockets for her tools as a weapons specialist, he thought. She wore a baggy shirt over her torso and had an E-10 rifle strapped around her back, though it appeared to be modified.

If Tech were any other man, an ordinary man even, he would have described the woman before him as beautiful. Yet, there was a mission to complete. So with a nervous cough, in an attempt to get her attention, Tech announced “we should return to the others.”

#tech bad batch #tech bad batch x reader #the bad batch #no spoilers #fanfic #ao3 fic

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imjustheretoseetheprivateblogs · 2 years

Text

Smutember 2022 Week 3:🍋 Friends With Benefits

I missed the deadline for last week’s prompt and I’ll try to finish it soon @floraone but I hope this one makes up for it.

The sound of a knock on her door roused Makoto from the doze she'd fallen into while watching the movies Minako had loaned her. Well, less of a knock and more of a heavy fisted banging. On screen, a mechanical bird and a gumball machine farced an old American game show or something.

Either way, Makoto hit stop and held the blanket she'd wrapped around her shoulders as she headed for the door. Another three heavy bangs against the door.

"Take it easy!" Makoto said, "I'm here."

Some people just couldn't wait, could they?

Unlocking the door, Makoto swung it open expecting to see Minako or Usagi, one intent on getting her movies back early or the other having a case of the midnight munchies. Instead, what she got was... unexpected.

"Nat?"

She'd first met him as Nephrite, General of the Dark Kingdom. Now he was just Nat, Mamoru's friend from overseas and currently the object of at least thirteen of her fantasies (two of which ranked among her top five) and her "Friend with benefits".

But none of those fantasies included him showing up at her apartment in the dead of night, leaning against her doorway in a Grateful Dead T-shirt and half a sixpack of beer. Nat looked up at her, eyes glassy and sent a heart-stopping smile her way.

"Hello, baby," he said. He stuck his head through the doorway, breathed in and coughed.

"Your place smells nice as always."

"And you smell like a liquor cabinet," Makoto replied.

Nat frowned and lifted his arm to scent himself.

"No, I smell like sweat."

"Just get in here!"

Makoto grabbed him by the shirt and yanked him through the door. Hopefully, no-one had seen him.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, pushing him down on the couch and going to the sink to get him a glass of water. When she returned, he had chosen to lie in repose with his shirt riding up on his stomach.

Rather appealingly, Makoto thought.

"Can't I just visit a beautiful woman for the hell of it?"

His eyes drifted to the TV screen.

"You like Mystery Science Theater 3000?" he asked.

"Hush and drink this," Makoto said, handing him his glass of water. Nat shrugged, bringing the cup to his lips. In spite of herself, Makoto watched the bobbing of his Adam's apple and before she knew it, her eyes were traveling down to study how the shirt he wore accentuated his chest, down to the pair of jeans he wore only to realize...

"Your fly is undone," she said.

Nat stopped drinking, pulling the cup away so fast, water fell on his shirt. He didn't seem to notice, looking down at his crotch. The undone zipper in his pants teased a slip of white cotton between it's teeth.

"It is? Shit, I thought I'd taken care of that."

Makoto would have told him it wasn't a big deal, that he didn't have anything she hadn't seen before, that they were friends and needn't stand on ceremony.

She would have, except that he rose and pulled down his pants, giving Makoto a full showing of cotton tighty whities and muscular thighs that seemed to say 'Makoto, you know you want it. Give into the dark side.'

And Nat was just standing there, scratching his stomach. Just.. just focus, she told herself. Don't think about how fine he is... no!

"Why are you here?" Makoto asked.

"Wha--," Nat looked over at her, unfortunately showcasing the imagery that put the words "and that's flaccid" into her mind in that order. Suddenly, his face lit up.

"Oh, right. So, I was hanging out with Zee and he asked how you were doing and I started talking about how awesome you are. I guess I went on too long, so he just dropped me off here, with my beer..."

He held up his hand, only to realize he'd dropped his six pack by the door.

"And that's why I'm here," he said, before looking down.

"God, this shirt's too wet."

Don't take it off. Don't take it off. If he took it off, Makoto would be powerless to stop herself from climbing him like a bonobo ape.

Sure enough, Nat's hands went to the bottom of his shirt and he pulled up. Mako threw her hands over her eyes, but not before getting an eyefull of the six abdominals. The best number of abdominals there was.

"Mako?"

Makoto peeked through her fingers, hopefully avoiding any libido-enhancing visions. Instead, she got a confused, half-drunk face that could just twist her heart.

"Mako, are you okay?"

The question sat with her about a minute. And soon she felt silly.

"Yeah," she said, lowering her hands, "I'm okay."

"You want me to leave?" he asked, "I can leave."

Makoto shook her head.

"No, I just wasn't planning on... entertaining tonight."

Nat's lopsided grin, the kind that sent her stomach flip flopped, graced his features.

"Well, I wasn't sure what I was gonna do here anyway. What time is it?"

"Eleven-Forty."

"Eleven-Forty? Might as well hit the hay then."

"Well..."

Makoto leaned forward, positioning herself so that what she and her friends affectionately referred to as her "talent" was accentuated. Nat's reaction was immediate, a new form of alertness entering his eyes. Considering she was just wearing the same old green pajamas she's worn for years now, Makoto considered that a win.

"We could always stay up late?"

"Damn... Makoto..."

Makoto giggled.

"So," she said, climbing over the couch to him, "Why did you really come over to my place?"

Nat swallowed and Mako felt a trill run up her spine when his hand landed on the small of her back, between the waistband of her shorts and where her shirt ended.

"I wanted..." he murmered.

"Yes?" she asked, doing her best 'come hither' voice.

"I wanted... to see you... you're so... God I can't say it."

Makoto pressed up against his chest, her hand going to the bulge in his underwear that felt noticeably larger.

"You said plenty at the Hotel last month," she said, "remember? You said you wanted to stick your tongue in my pussy and never bring it out. So, go on. Tell me."

Makoto smirked as he turned a shade of red to rival a stop sign.

"I... wanted to... to suck on those magnificent breasts... just... fuck, just thinking about them..."

Makoto smiled and placed a kiss on his lips before rising.

"In that case," she said, grabbing the hem of her t-shirt, "I'll leave it to you."

He'd seen her naked before. He'd seen her in a swimsuit, in a short skirt, he'd seen her in her PJs now. But the way his eyes widened at the sight of her lifting her shirt up and over her head. She felt her face flush when something wrapped in cloth hardened against her thigh.

"Oh, Makoto..."

Makoto's blush deepened at his reverential tone. And when he reached up and took her breasts in her hands...

She moved, grinding her center against him.

"Did you come here for a booty call?" she asked.

Nat made a choking sound, but started to move his hands, massaging her.

"You know we're friends with benefits right?"

Nat nodded.

"So... could I have some benefits now?"

Nat leaned up and took one of her nipples into his mouth and Makoto moaned, burying her hand into his hair as she tried to keep him in place as he continued to make her mind swim with pleasure.

Her other hand snaked down to his underwear, dipping into them and pulling his cock out from their confines.

"How far do you want to go?" he whispered against her skin, kissing and nipping at as much of it he could reach.

"All the way," Makoto replied and gave him a pump.

He seemed energized by her words (or maybe it was her giving him a hand job), his hands grabbing her shorts and yanking them down as far as he could reach (about down to her knees, thanks to those amazing arms of his). She'd only worn a pair of plain pink cotton panties for sleeping tonight, but the moment Nat cupped her through them, they might as well have been the finest silk lingerie anyone could buy.

"God, you're so slick right now," he muttered, "I just... Fuck, Makoto..."

That was the idea. Holding him steady, Makoto mounted him and felt the familiar sensation of him filling her. Whenever they made love, it was like being caught in a storm, flashes and sounds that rattled the room with white noise in the background, all while starring down at his face as it contorted with utter joy at the sensation of being inside her.

Makoto could only switch between muttering tongues and shouting his name as she rode him, her nails digging into his chest until at last, she felt herself tighten around him and she threw her head back as she came before the energy drained out of her.

Nat soon followed when she pulled out and gave him a few pumps and a squeeze, his hand grasping her shoulder as ringlets coated her wrist.

"Shit, I'm sorry," he said, looking down, "let me just..."

Makoto leaned up and kissed him.

"Don't worry. It'll wash off."

She took his hand and (in spite of her legs feeling like jelly) led him to her bedroom.

"Tuck yourself in," she said, heading for the bathroom, "I'll be right back."

A quick rinse in the sink and she returned to the bed, only for Nat to grab her and pull her into his grip beneath her blue comforter.

"Again?" She cried. That orgasm shot nearly every neuron in her brain? How could he have the witherall to keep going?

"No sex this time," he said, burying a kiss into her hair once he'd pulled out her pony tail, "I just want to hold you."

Warmth blossomed in Makoto's chest and she snuggled in closer to her lover, who held her tightly to him.

"Are you really drunk?" she asked.

"I think I'm more tipsy," he said, giving another kiss. This time to the crown of her head.

"So, you can make sound decisions?"

"I'll walk along a chalkline if you asked."

"So, if I asked you to not be my friend with benefits and just be my plain old boyfriend, how would that sound?"

For a moment he stilled, when suddenly, Makoto felt him take the side of her head and guide it to his lips for a kiss.

"I would love that," he said when they broke away.

Makoto felt her eyelids droop and the last thing she saw before sleep claimed her might have been her new boyfriend's face.

New boyfriend.

Thinking the very words made her giddy.

#my writing #sailor moon #smutember2022 #sailor moon Smutember #makoto kino #nephrite #It's Lemon Scented #Makoneph

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briamichellewrites · 2 years

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2000. Brad allowed Jayde to get her septum pierced. He went with her, since she had to have parental permission. It was just a piercing. If she decided she didn’t like it later in life, she could take it out. He had tattoos that she was interested in. She had to be eighteen before getting that. That gave her plenty of time to think about what she wanted. She had her ears pierced, so she was thrilled as she sat on the tattoo artist’s table. He had to sign a waiver before the artist could pierce her nose.

When it was finished, it looked so cool! He examined her nose. Did it hurt? Not really. It was like piercing her ears. It felt like a pinch. Thirteen was an age of new beginnings. Jayde decided she didn’t want to use her name anymore because her mother had given it to her. What name did she want to use? Elliot, even though it was a boy’s name. She just liked it a lot.

“It can be a girl’s name, too. It’s unique. What about a middle name?”

“Ryan? Elliot Ryan Pitt but my legal name is still going to be Jayde Lucy. I just don’t like that name anymore.”

“I like that name. I will remember that. You might have to help me sometimes. I’m old.”

She laughed. “Older than me!”

“I’m your dad. I’m supposed to be older than you.”

It was just the two of them. After he and Jennifer broke up, she moved out leaving Elliot devastated. She didn’t understand why she had left, just that she felt abandoned. He did everything he could to make up for her being gone but he couldn’t fill the void in her heart. She needed a positive female role model like Anna and a mother. He wanted it to be Jennifer but she had other priorities that didn’t involve children.

Hopefully someday she would have a mother. He was almost forty, which was still young enough to fall in love again. Until then, he was content with his travel companion of a daughter. She was a great kid, even with her mental health issues. After his breakup, she went back to hurting herself. He was saddened and heartbroken to see her hitting herself. All he could do was take her hands into his to get her to stop. Tears welled up in her eyes and went down her face.

During an emergency visit with her therapist, he was instructed to have her hospitalized for 72 hours. That was the hardest thing he ever had to do. He felt like a failure as a father. After having her admitted, he visited Mike and Anna to get their perspective. Self-harm was a way she handled the fear of abandonment, it seemed. How long after Jennifer left did she start hurting herself? He noticed it the morning after.

She had become upset because she had forgotten that they were going to the doctor. He witnessed her slap herself across the face. After that, any time she was upset, even if it was something small, she would hit herself.

“She would use whatever she could get her hands on. I took her hands into mine and just held them tight to get her to stop.”

“You did what you thought was the right thing to do. The only person who is angry with you is you. We learned that self-harm is about getting control back. She couldn’t tell you she was upset or afraid and she felt overwhelmed and out of control. Hurting herself was something she could control. Kind of like when people with eating disorders restrict food. That becomes something they can control”, Anna explained.

That made a lot of sense. He thanked them for helping him understand. Mike recommended he also talked to a professional who could help him learn how to help Elliot. He would do that. During her therapy sessions, she learned how to identify what she was feeling, instead of hurting herself. Her therapist gave her a chart showing different faces for different emotions. When she couldn’t find the words, she could point on the chart what she was feeling.

The chart was placed on the wall in her room. It made a big difference because she not only could identify what she was feeling, but she also felt heard and understood. She could be angry or frustrated or upset, she just had to find ways to express them in a healthy way.

“Rapunzel is locked in a very tall tower by a witch. I think she’s a witch but anyway. She has her locked in a tower and she threw away the key. The only way she can go up to see her is by climbing her magic hair. It’s like super long. The witch loves her hair because it has magic powers and it keeps her young because she’s very old. One day, they get into a fight and Rapunzel uses a sword and cuts off her hair. The witch falls from the tower and dies because she turns into ash. There’s also a prince, who climbs her hair to see her but he’s not important.”

Brad laughed as she repeated the story of Rapunzel to him in her interpretation of the story. It was a very well-known story that a lot of children and adults loved. She still had her Barbie and she still found comfort in playing with them. They came with her everywhere she went. His co-stars were delighted to hear her stories. He had done a film, Snatch with Guy Ritchie. They were getting ready to fly to Mexico. He had her get a passport, so she could travel with him.

It had finally come in the mail. He was filming a dark comedy and adventure movie with Julia Roberts, along with other big names. She had never been to Mexico, so she was eager to go. After he was done filming, they had a small break before flying to Morocco. He had done research into what was the appropriate dress for her, so they didn’t offend anyone.

She had to be covered, though it was her choice to cover her body with veils. He had a little more freedom. She picked out dresses that she liked because it was hot there. Yeah, it was. They could cross that bridge when they got there. She found a piece of fabric and wrapped it around her doll’s face, leaving only the eyes visible. He noticed what she had done and confirmed that was how a lot of local women dressed in Morocco.

“Where is Morocco?”

“It’s in Western Africa. Not the part with the lions. That’s called the Savana.”

“Oh, I know a little about Africa. I read a book about it with Mike and Anna because I was interested in it after watching the Lion King. Egypt is in Africa. It’s so big, that’s why there are so many countries there.”

“Yeah, there are. There are Morocco, Egypt, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Ethiopia, and Uganda. Unfortunately, not all of the countries get along and there are a lot of fighting and wars.”

“People don’t get along. Tsk tsk.”

He laughed. “Yeah.”

Morocco was going to be a culture shock for her. It was a country and culture very different than hers. He wanted her to be exposed to different cultures and people, so she could learn that they were just human underneath. If he could, he would adopt from all over the world. He was thinking about adopting but he was concerned about how that would affect her, especially with her mental health. That was something he would ask her therapist about.

He was grateful that he had a travel companion because going all over the world was lonely. Thirteen years old. She was doing great with her schoolwork and was almost caught up with other kids her age. If he had put her in public school, he had a feeling she would have fallen further behind. Being homeschooled helped her catch up. She was a good student, who needed help sometimes.

She loved reading, writing, history and was learning how to love geography. It wasn’t just maps, but also learning about different cultures.

He thought the lessons stuck more because she had real world experiences to go along with what she was learning. When it was time for dinner, she moved her Barbie stuff out of the way, so she didn’t step on anything before following him downstairs.

@zoeykaytesmom @feelingsofaithless @jovichic-bonjovi4ever @borhap-au @beneathashadytree @duffs-shot-glass @geo-winchester @lokolokong-manunulat

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azucarian · 3 years

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NEFELIBATA (Chapter Two)

Check the masterlist for the trigger and content warnings!

| Prologue | → | Chapter One | → | Chapter Two | → | Chapter Three | → | Chapter Four | → | Chapter Five |

Sun risen high in the sky, the summer heat enveloped the high school. It was almost... too hot. (Name) huffed, pulling on her hoodies drawstrings to hide her face from the incessant stares and chatter from the boys in front of her. She had decided, without confronting her past selfs usual group of friends, that she was going to show up to the 'fight club' - unlike what she had actually done twelve years ago. But man... she felt uncomfortable. Were middle-schoolers really that desperate to try and gain a girls attention? She shook her head, feeling the straining feeling of the hoodies fabric against her hair, and sighed - it was a stupid question, really. All middle schoolers, regardless of gender, were in a desperate attempt to prove themselves as 'mature' by getting a boyfriend or girlfriend.

(Name) paused, pursing her lips in thought 'But... I've been single all this time.' She deflated at the thought. Although her singleness was very much a choice she had made by herself, the concept of having been single since childbirth was really sad. Almost all kids had been in one of those stupid 'relationships' in nursery, but, based on what her mother told her, she hated everyone and started fights with anyone who had the audacity to speak to her. It was actually quite funny to think about - her chubby little toddler self jumping onto other toddlers and just smacking them with her fat little hands was probably a sight to behold. The nursery workers could thank her later.

Cheers filled the empty rounders field as Takuya shakily stood before his opponent - someone much larger, and definitely much more experienced in fighting than the blonde was. Takuya had always been significantly weaker - he was soft spoken and kind, he only fought for his friends (which, admittedly, she couldn't fault him for). (Name) chewed on her bottom lip at the sight, fingers twitching in anticipation.

Her back-up would hopefully arrive in time. She felt oddly weak for needing someone else's help; but she also knew it was likely the smartest choice. (Name) was confident in her own fighting abilities - but that was future her, not the fourteen year old she was now. She couldn't gamble on muscle memory, this weak body wasn't likely going to do any damage to anyone, and she knew she'd have to find a time to genuinely test out her abilities (the bare minimum she could do, and the extent of what her middle school self could do).

Her phone buzzed in her skirt pocket, bringing her from her intense train of thought. She grasped it between two fingers and pulled it from the pocket, before flipping it open. (Name) felt her entire body relax, previous tension slipping away.

KEN

We're on our way now. Stay safe.

She could only assume they were hanging at the normal restaurant - which was only about fifteen minutes away. Her eyes travelled to the continually growing crowd, and she grew a little more nervous. Kiyomasa wouldn't start the fight until enough bets had been placed (which meant another twelve or thirteen people would have to place meaningful bets), so Takuya was safe for at least another seven minutes - and she could see where Atsushi was, as well as Makoto and Kazushi. She paused, and scanned the crowd - wasn't Takemichi supposed to be here as well? She couldn't see him; it wasn't usually hard to spot a bleach blonde teenager with such a frivolous pompadour.

(Name), deep in her gut, could feel that something wasn't right.

"Hello, gentlemen." Another delinquent shouted over the crowd, and, if (Name) remembered correctly, his name was Red and he was the closest thing to Kiyomasa's 'right hand man' "The competitors are just as it said in the email!" He yelled, lapping up the overhyped testosterone filled cheers around him. Her calculations were off, it looked like Kiyomasa didn't care anymore - and just wanted the fight to start (definitely a smart choice; the police were more likely to be called the longer everyone hung around). This was bad.

"We have Sakura Middle's... Kojima!" Red pointed to his right at a blonde with a buzzcut who was just drawling out 'yeah' as his 'battle cry' - doing the 'shaka' hand gesture (which earned several jeers from, what (Name could assume to be, the people who had placed bets on him winning).

"You're gettin' carried away, ain'tcha, fuckface!?" Someone shouted at Kojima from the crowd "If you lose, I'll make you dance in your underwear!" (Name) deadpanned at the statement, in a mix of disbelief and self-restraint. Why do men?-

Red ignored the shouting and pointed to his left, towards a cautiously approaching Takuya "... and Mizo Middle's Yamamoto!" Another round of boisterous cheers filled the makeshift 'arena'.

"Kill him, you long-haired bastard!"

"He's fucking terrified!"

"The odds are four to six slightly in Kojima's favour!" Red announced, and (Name) could feel the pent up anger rising in her body. She didn't doubt that Takuya could probably kick some ass if he really wanted to; but he was as pacifistic as they came.

"GIve it all ya got, Yamamoto!"

"I bet 500 yen on ya! If ya lose, I'll be bankrupt!"

'You're middle schoolers, you're not going to go bankrupt at fourteen.' (Name) wanted to blurt the words out, but opted for saying quiet. She was told to stay safe, and bringing unnecessary attention to herself was the stupidest thing to do under those orders.

Takuya was visibly jittery, his whole body shaking and sweat decorating his forehead. Kojima turned to face the long-haired blonde "Alright, come on!" He demanded with a stupid, over-confident grin "I'mma chop you into three pieces!" The threat filled the now silent space.

Kiyomasa brought his cigarette to his lips, a sadistic smile on his face "Begin." This wasn't supposed to happen. Shouts of teenagers filled the street, urging the duo into beating the crap out of each other. (Name) looked around frantically for her own blonde friends, but they were nowhere in sight. So much for reliability, but she couldn't blame them; it was a super last minute favour. She dragged her hoodie from her head and got ready to head down the stairs. If she had to get beat up to defend Takuya, and protect Atsushi's future, she was going to do it without so much as an ounce of hesitation.

"WAIT!" The familiar voice boomed over all the cheers, stunning everyone into silence and turning towards the noise. Even (Name) stopped, eyes wide, turning her head to face the owner of the voice.

"Takemichi..." She whispered, almost as if the utterance of her name would make him disappear - rid of all the bad attention on his already beaten face.

"The fuck you doing, shit-licker!?"

"Get the hell outta here, you're ruining the fun!"

Protesting shouts aimed themselves at the blonde, who just grinned stupidly - throwing his hands behind his head as she began descending the stairs to the 'arena' "Oh man," He began confidently (although, (Name) could tell it was all fake - he was definitely scared beyond belief) "ain't it really boring having the same type of fights every single time?" Takemichi continued to walk, unfaltering "Don'tcha wanna watch something more interesting?"

Mumbles of agreement soon replaced the protests as each of the punks began talking to each other.

"He's pretty smart for a second year punk!"

"Who is this dude?"

"Hah? A second year?"

Kiyomasa simply glared as he side-eyed Takemichi. (Name) scanned the crowd again and spotted Akkun, who also visibly looked terrified "Something more interesting?" The brute questioned in an accusatory tone.

Takemichi just shakily grinned, and (Name) has never felt so desperate to shut his stupid mouth "How about..." She started speed walking towards him "the King versus the Slave." The words had been said, and although (Name) didn't have much faith in Kiyomasa's intelligence - she knew he would take this as a threat to his position.

"Hah?"

"The fuck that mean?"

"Oi oi oi, a badass dude came out!"

"The fuck is he talking out?"

"Huh, huh!?"

"Kiyomasa-senpai," Takemichi's voice cut through the crowd, silencing everyone who listened in anticipation. (Name) cursed at the boys who weren't moving out of her way "let's have a one-on-one fight." Everyone watched as Kiyomasa stood up, approaching the significantly smaller teenager.

"Hah?" He stopped in front of the blonde, bringing his cigarette to his lips, maintaining eye-contact with the determined boy. Several other boys grabbed at Takemichi, dragging him down to the 'arena' - therefore forcing Takuya and the other weird delinquent to join the crowd, Kiyomasa following shortly after.

(Name) desperately grabbed her phone from her pocket, scrolling through her contacts before pressing the call button over 'Ken', biting her thumb harshly as the phone rang.

"Don't regret this later," And with those final words, Kiyomasa plunged his fist into Takemichi's stomach - sending the younger flying to the floor in agony.

"What's the matter, Hanagaki!?"

"You only gonna be high spirits at the start!?"

"You got one hit KO'd again, didn't ya?!"

The beaten ensued, and (Name) nearly missed the almost silent click of the phone being picked up. The voice sounded from the other side, and the girl breathed out.

"Please hurry," She pleaded, eyes staying glued to the fight "it's getting bad. Kiyomasa, he's in Pa-chin's division, is beating a middle schooler up." (Name) rambled desperately, shivering with pent up rage. Without waiting for a reply, she hung up, and ran down the steps - trying to get through the crowd.

"Takemichi!" That was easily identifiable as Takuya, the pain in his voice at watching his friend being beaten.

"That's enough, Takemichi!" That was Akkun - of course, he's trying.

Although their shouts were loud, they didn't compare to the mocking jeers from everyone else.

"Kill his ass, Kiyomasa-kun!"

"Finish him! Finish him!"

"That guy... has got massive balls... Haha..."

"Y-Yeah..."

"Why would he go this far against a guy that's obviously stronger than him."

With every punch delivered to his body, the crowd grew more and more silent - empathy soon seeping into the cracks of their cold, dead hearts. This wasn't just a 'fight club' anymore - if Kiyomasa continued, Takemichi was going to die. From the corner of her eye, she could see Takuya tearing up.

Atsushi and Takuya continued screaming at him to just stay down, to give up - that the fight was over. It was, but even (Name) knew that the look on his face was one of someone who wasn't going to back down. He was too determined to even consider the idea of just kneeling down and admitting defeat.

It clicked in (Name)'s brain in that silent second; Takemichi never fought Kiyomasa, never stepped in to save Takuya, and never prevented Akkun from stabbing the muscle-pig. So how did it end up like this? In that moment, only one thing made any logical sense as to how the past so rapidly changed when her presence alone shouldn't and couldn't have altered anything major. Was is possible that Takemichi also jumped from the future to the past?

"I AIN'T GIVING UP!" The blonde's voice boomed with so much authority, that it truly felt like no one could deny his wishes in that moment "I HAVE A REASON TO NOT GIVE UP!" He looked up, locking gazes with the self-absorbed 'leader' of the fight club "Kiyomasa..." The name fell from his lips with spite "the only way you'll win is by KILLING ME." Takemichi's eyes were watery, his lip was bloodied, and his face was blue and black with newly formed bruises "I absolutely... ain't gonna lose!"

At the sight of Kiyomasa's face, (Name) shoved past the crowd "Bring me my bat!" The gangster demanded.

"Bring it on." Takemichi challenged in response, hands on his knees, trying to regain his breath.

"(Name)!?"

"Hey get away from there it's dangerous!"

"What's a girl doin' here?"

The (hair color) haired girl stopped in front of her blonde friend, arms outstretched - grinding her teeth together anxiously. Now really wasn't a good time for her to test her ability to fight - but she also couldn't trust her back up to make it on time (she didn't blame them though) "That's enough." She stated, in a matter-of-fact tone. She slowly backed up, one hand going to grasp at Takemichi's bloodied shirt to stabilise him.

"What did you say to me, you bitch?" Kiyomasa's tone was laced with venom; and the way his eyes glinted spoke volumes "I'll kill you both," It wasn't a possibility, the way he said it was offered as a promise. He began shouting at everyone for his bat, and murmurs filled the crowd.

"Bat he says."

"I thought this was meant to be a one-on-one fight?"

"Bringing a bat ain't fair, blondies fighting without one."

(Name) noticed movement behind the brute, and visibly relaxed, turning around to be face-to-face with Takemichi. His eyes were tired, lip was busted, nose was probably broken, and his skin was filthy from being thrown to the floor.

"Oi, Kiyomasa." The voice brought so much euphoria to the girls body she couldn't quite explain it; deep in her mind she knew it'd been twelve long ass years since she had heard it. In all honesty, she wanted to drop to her knees and cry - not caring who was watching, who was listening, who was talking. But she composed herself, taking Takemichi's face into her hands gently.

"Good job, Take-chan." (Name) praised quietly, earning a heart-warming (yet tired) grin from him. She was, without a doubt, proud of her numbskull best friend - he did what she failed to do from the beginning, stand up for what he cared about.

"You've drawn quite the crowd," Ken whistled and his words quickly attracted Takemichi's attention too (not like she's surprised, the guy always did have a domineering presence) "You're quite worked up, aren'tcha?" He mocked "Even though you're the host."

She heard Akkun let out a quite noise of disbelief from behind her "A blonde braid... And a dragon tattoo on his temple..." Atsushi began (Makoto piping up with his own disbelieving phrase, 'no fucking way!?') "That's the vice-president of the Tokyo Manji Gang! Ryuuguugi Ken, also known as 'Draken'!"

If Draken didn't already have the attention of everyone, he sure did after Akkun revealed who he was. That silly 'gang' name almost made her laugh - it'd been a while since she had heard it, admittedly, and she had never got tired of mocking him for it in their younger years. (Name) also noticed the smaller figure behind Ken, and waved towards him; best pleased when he eagerly waved back.

"Hey, hey? Kenchin?" He bugged, heavily amused when Draken made a noise of disapproval for using the 'stupid nickname' (although, she knew adored it) in public "All my dorayaki is gone!" He whined, doing jazz hands.

"Now, now, Mikey-chan," (Name) started, quickly gaining the attention of everyone around her "don't you think you can wait for your dorayaki?" She could, without a doubt, admit his smile was awfully contagious "I'll buy you some more later."

"Thank you, (Name)-chan!"

"The hell is up with that guy?"

"He can't read the atmosphere of this place at all."

Everyone collectively bowed and shouted "President, good work!" And shock quickly overcame the features of her five friends, and she couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her lips. Takemichi looked at her with eyes bulging, and mouth agape. Oh that was an accusatory look if ever she's seen one; she basically just let slip that she was well acquainted with the infamous Mikey and, in turn, probably with his right-hand man, Draken.

"It's the unrivalled 'Mikey', the leader of Toman!" Atsushi was definitely doing good at running a live commentary, and he seemed to shut up in seconds when (Name) sent him the 'stop-stating-the-obvious' look.

Red stepped towards Mikey, moving from his bowing position, sweating "M... Mi... Sano-kun!" He stammered out, unsure of how to address him "I'm... with the 3rd special attack unit. I'm Akaishi." The long-haired blonde paid him no attention and continued walking (typical Mikey fashion).

Draken looked down at the wannabe delinquent with a scrutinizing gaze "You're in the way," He stated, Red flinching in response "MIkey doesn't talk to guys he ain't interested in." (Name) would've felt bad for the dejected look on Red's face, had he not been one of her friends harassers.

"Oh... I-I'm sorry." Red stepped back into line, and bowed deeply.

Mikey approached Kiyomasa, hands in his pockets, and the black haired man bowed shallowly "Good work." He congratulated, only to be kicked painfully in the stomach by a disgruntled Draken.

"Kiyomasa, when did you become so important?" The blonde braided man mocked "You're seriously going to greet the president with that shallow bow?" Kiyomasa coughed, desperately gasping for air as he left out a breathless apology.

(Name) stood from her semi-crouching position, standing tall as Mikey was quickly approaching her and the heavily injured Takemichi. She loved those two (and she'd be sure to thank them a million times later) but she also knew that, if the person wasn't of interest, they were just a target for a hit or two for not bowing. Case and point, Trashy-masa.

Mikey quickly got in Takemichi's face, and (Name) barely had time to grasp his biceps to cushion the harsh landing on the floor (although, she was proud that she managed, at least) as he stumbled backwards from the shock. The long haired-blonde just looked down at him "What's your name?"

(Name) knew it. Consider Mikey's curiosity, piqued.

"H... Hanagaki Takemichi."

"I see... Takemitchy."

'Not quite there, Mikey-kun.' (Name) snorted, turning away from the betrayed look on Takemichi's face.

Draken stepped forward "That's what Mikey said, so that's what it is, right Takemitchy?" (Name) comfortingly rubbed circles onto his back, a mild warning to not say anything that'd get him a first class ticket to heaven but also comfort as to 'you're not alone, don't worry'.

Mikey leaned down, grasping the back of Takemichi's head and brought his face closer to his "Are you really a middle schooler?" Not only did the blonde second year pause, but so did (Name). She squinted, that was far too ambiguous of a question to mean anything but... the tone of which he said it had an accusatory feel to it. Shaking off what he had just said, Mikey grinned brightly and let go of his head "Takemitchy, from today onward, you're my bitch! Okay?" How he could say something so intimidatingly silly without laughing would always remain a mystery to (Name).

"Huh?"

Yeah... she couldn't even blame him for that noise.

#tokyo manji gang #tokyorev x reader #tokyo revengers #mikey #sano manjiro #ken ryuuguji #takemichi hanagaki #tokyo revengers x reader

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