#wish my boss would interview the other lady already | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

intoanotherworld23 · 7 months

Text

Dirty Little Secret

Pairing: Reader x Joel Miller

Warnings: MATURE CONTENT AHEAD NSFW 18+, mention of sex toys, description of sex, female masturbation, consensual sex, unprotected sex, swear words, cheating

Word count: 2386 words

Summary: Joel Miller owns his own company and is your boss and you’re his personal assistant. He’s the most incredibly handsome man you’ve ever met but unfortunately he’s married. Then one night he unexpectedly comes knocking on your door

Check out my other works on my Hall Of Hunks

"He does what for a living?" Your friend exclaimed on the other side of the phone making you cringe at her voice.

"He designs sex toys." Repeating yourself but in a much lower tone as you laid down in bed. "He owns his own company."

"Fuckin a Y/N." She sighed loudly making you laugh at her reaction. "How in the hell did you get this job?"

"I saw an ad somewhere that he was looking for a personal assistant so I applied and got the job." Not really wanting to tell her the full story of what happened during the interview.

"Does he get to ya know.. test the toys on you?" You could hear the teasing tone in her voice making you shake your head.

"Absolutely not." Scoffing loudly although it would be kind of hot if he did. "I keep track of his schedules and just run his errands."

"The man has to be kinky as fuck." Surprisingly she wasn't asking a question it was more of a statement to herself.

"I would have no idea about that." Even though it wouldn't surprise you at all if he was.

The man probably had a whole room filled with all kinds of toys. He just screamed dominance and power. The type of guy to call you a good girl as you he bent you over his lap, and spanked you until your ass was on fire.

"Is he at least hot?" She went from shocked to interested very quickly.

"He is absolutely gorgeous." Humming to yourself picturing him in your head, and how good he looked in his dark gray suit. "I've never seen a man more handsome than him."

"Is he married?" A frown appeared on your face hating the fact he was married.

"Unfortunately yes he is married." Both of you groaning at the fact, and a sense of envy washed over you.

"She probably forced herself on him, and made him marry her." She replied making you burst out laughing. "Or she has huge tits."

"Well let's just say I know her boobs aren't small." Remembering the picture you saw on his desk of the two of them. "Or real."

"Well at least you get to stare at him all day." Her words reassuring but it didn't help your feelings at all.

"I guess yeah." Shrugging your shoulders as you bent your knees moving them side to side.

"Does this man come with a handsome name?" She asked you as you sat up and tried not to moan while saying it.

"His name is Joel Miller." Hearing her groaning on the other line as she mumbled something to herself.

"God I can imagine screaming that name out loud." She was more promiscuous than you ever were, and she had no filter.

"Jesus you haven't even met the guy and your more horny for him than I am." Joking as she laughed and you could picture her flipping you off.

"Holy mother of god I just googled him, and I about creamed my pants." Of course she was instantly looking him up wanting to know exactly what he looked like.

"Hope you have an extra pair of panties to spare." Raising your eyebrows as she laughed loudly.

"Well I know what I would be doing that you wouldn't." You knew exactly where she was going with this.

"And what's that?" Humoring her with a question even though you already knew the answer.

"That you would never grow some lady balls and fuck him." Her vulgar words had you rolling your eyes as you giggled. "I would be all over that in a heartbeat."

"I know you would." Agreeing with her instantly knowing her history. "Then you would get fired."

"At least I would get to fuck someone incredibly handsome."

A part of you became jealous hearing those words come out of her mouth wanting this man all to yourself. Constantly wishing and fantasizing that he wasn't married to his wife, but was married to you instead.

"I bet his cock is incredible and huge." If you had water in your mouth it would be all over you. "His wife probably needs crutches after him."

This time you weren't laughing or shaking your head at her. Your mind went to what he looked like below the belt. Picturing him standing there naked stroking himself to the sight of you.

Imagining what it would feel like if you wrapped your hands around it. Wondering what it would feel like when it would slip inside you, and just how much he could stretch you out. Imagining him taking you in every position, and never once letting up.

Feeling your panties getting a little wet at the thought. Your insides were clenching, and you felt your body become heated with desire. Your eyes glazing over as you squeezed your thighs together trying to relieve the pressure.

"Alright I'm gonna go masturbate." Her voice interrupted your perverted thoughts making you come back to reality. "Talk to you later byeeee."

Hanging up the phone before you could even respond. Tossing your phone to the side as you laid there with a hand on your lower stomach. Your mind on Joel unable to get him out of your head.

A part of you felt bad for not really telling her what was going on, and what really happened. For now it was something you wanted to keep to yourself, and hope and pray nobody else would find out about it.

Spreading your legs as you bit your lower lip your hand started to move down. Under your pants feeling a wet spot on your panties. Your fingers moving the thin material to the side as you rubbed your pussy in slow circles.

Increasing the speed of your fingers as you rubbed yourself in figure eights. Brushing your hips against your now throbbing clit making your tremble. Wanting nothing more than to feel Joel's skin touching yours in such a sensual and passionate way.

Closing your eyes as your juices coated your fingers before you stuck two of them inside of you. Gasping as you thrust them in and out imagining it was Joel who was the one fingering you.

Your other hand reached up to grab your breast massaging the mass in rhythm with your thrusting. Pinching your nipple till it was hard causing you to moan out loud. Your cheeks heating up at the possibility someone heard you.

Moving your hips around as you were grinding against your fingers hitting a deeper angle. Curling them upwards as you lifted your back off the bed, and tossed your head into the pillows.

The sounds of your moans, and the squishing sound from your wet pussy echoing around the room. The room was becoming so thick and heavy with your own lust you were so consumed in it.

Picturing Joel bending you over his desk, and drilling his cock so deep inside of you that you could feel him in your stomach. Kissing your neck and sucking on the flesh to be sure, and leave his mark.

Just as you felt your stomach tightening, and your release just right there a knock came from the door. Grunting as you pulled your fingers out wiping your juices on the cover.

Adjusting yourself before you got out of bed to go see who was interrupting you. Opening the door a huge grin appearing on your face at who was standing on the other side. His eyes looking your body up and down with a dark gleam.

"Was I interrupting something?"

His tone mocking knowing exactly what you were doing noticing your panting, and the sweat along your forehead. Feeling your heartbeat echoing in your ears knowing you got caught, and he wasn't stupid.

"Nope." Answering a little too quickly raising his suspicions.

Joel shut the door behind him his eyes never once leaving you. He was hungry for you and had been thinking about you all day. He recognized your scent and his senses went into overdrive. His inner animal was banging against the caged doors screaming to be released.

"I can smell that sweet cunt from here." Sniffing the air an audible gasp leaving your mouth at his choice of words.

"I couldn't wait any longer."

Whining as he backed you up into a wall growling when he pressed his body into yours. Feeling the warmth of his body heat radiating onto yours making the blood rise to your cheeks. It was like all the air was sucked out from your lungs as your true fantasy was about to come true.

Never did you expect something like this to happen. Thinking that he never took an interest in you, and you'd never get to live out one of your dreams.

"Mmm now I'm gonna have to decide what to do to you." Towering over your figure staring down at you like a predator ready to attack its prey.

——————————————

"Joel." Choking out a moan as your back arched off the bed.

The smirk on his face grew even larger hearing you moaning his name. If anything it encouraged him to keep pounding into you harder.

"Can feel you squeezin my cock sweetheart." He chuckled as he watched your face contort in pleasure. "Such a tight little pussy for me."

Feeling your orgasm building up again as you turned your head to the side, and gripped the sheets beneath you. Biting onto the pillow trying to muffle your screaming.

"Say my name again baby." He whispered into your ear as he sharply thrusted inside of you making you squeal.

"Oh god Joel." Your toes curling against the bed as he tightened his grip on your hips. "Joel."

"Fuck that's it sweetheart let everyone know whose fucking you so good." His thrusting was slowing down, but just as powerful.

"Such a good girl."

Rotating his hips at a certain angle had your legs trembling. Leaning forward so he could attach his lips to yours. His mouth swallowing all your moans his movements never once missing beat.

"Your pussy so sweet it won't let me go." His stated matter of factly as his fingers reached down to rub your clit.

"God the sounds you make for me sweetheart." His eyes trained down to where his cock was disappearing. Your juices coating his cock making him groan at the sight.

Closing your eyes for a brief moment as the pleasure was taking over your body. Feeling a hand grip your chin making you open your eyes to see those chocolatey brown eyes staring you down.

"Look at me when you cum around my cock." He growled as the veins in his neck popped out.

Leaning on his forearms so his hands were on either side of your face. It was such an intimate moment, but you found yourself entranced with his eyes. Like he was holding onto you and didn't want to let you go.

"Oh fuck right there." You screamed as he hit your sweet spot. The pleasure boiling to the top you felt you might explode.

"Harder Joel."

Opening your legs even further so he could thrust deeper. The muscles straining to the point it was painful, but feeling his condition inside you motivated you to keep them open.

"Such a cock hungry slut for me." Groaning against the skin of your neck before his lips moved downward towards your breasts.

Sucking on the nipples turning them raw and hard. One of your hands reaching out to grip his hair as your senses were overwhelmed. Feeling him smile against your flesh as to how he was making you feel.

"Can feel how fucking close you are sweetheart." His words making your legs shake. "Pussy is just begging for me."

The moans were just spilling from your lips you didn't care who heard you. Your body twitching and moving all around unable to control yourself anymore. The warmth was spreading through out your whole body.

"Cum for me baby." His voice straining as he was trying to control himself as well. "Cum around my cock."

"Be a good girl and squeeze that pussy for me."

He encouraged with his filthy words. Feeling that burning in the pit of your stomach as you were on the edge. Joel was loving the reactions you were having towards him, and if he could take a video of everything he would.

His movements stopped as his cock remained still inside of you as your pussy clenched hard around him. Both of your groaning as you looked each other in the eye.

Burying his head in the crook of your neck while he catches his breath. Rolling over so he's on his back as well. The room is silent and neither of you speak for the next few minutes. It was awkward or uncomfortable which you were thankful for.

When neither of you said anything you decided to get up and start getting dressed. Joel continued to lay there with a confused look on his face.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting dressed I figured you'd want to leave as soon as possible." Your tone harsh and cold mentally preparing yourself for rejection.

Plus you figured after this Joel would fire you since he wouldn't want to deal with the drama that would soon take place. A man like him didn't want some woman he slept with once to become obsessed with him and disrupt his life.

"Come here." He patted the bed indicating you to lay back down.

Crawling back into bed he pulled your body close to his, and you snuggled against him relishing in the warmth of his body. He could sense something was wrong, but you just didn't want him to see you get emotional so quickly.

"What's wrong?" He asked you with genuine concern in his voice.

"Am I fired?"

"Why would I fire you?"

"Cause we just had sex, and I thought you weren't allowed to sleep with your assistant?"

"I'm the boss sweetheart I can do whatever I want." Grabbing your face and planting his lips on yours for a sensual kiss.

Maybe you were completely wrong about him, and things you were worried about were just all in your head.

"So don't worry about getting fired." He reassured you. "Also I'm not done with you yet."

#joel miller #joel miller smut #joel miller imagines #joel miller x reader #joel miller fic #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller oneshot #Pedro pascal #Pedro pascal smut #Pedro pascal imagines #Pedro pascal x reader #Pedro pascal fic #Pedro pascal fanfiction #Pedro pascal oneshot

621 notes · View notes

wipethetape · 1 year

Text

your relationship with charlotte

Charlotte Field x Designer!Reader

A/N: headcanons for my president. might create rusty oneshots in the future. do i have a thing with successful women who can be my boss? definitely yes no

Charlotte is the first female president and you are the lucky first lady of the first female president.

You tied the knots when Charlotte won her presidency. But the press and public already know about your relationship because of the rumors going around before she announced her campaign for presidency. The rumors about a renowned designer that was seen hanging out with the press secretary for months.

This was fueled when Charlotte thanked you on national television during one of her interviews for the dress you exclusively designed for her at the event she attended together with the prime minister of Canada. Your faces were headlines of the news for weeks, gaining a mixed reaction from the press.

As opposed to what the media thinks, Charlotte was simply a muse for your design when the gossip sparked. Sure, the very reason you offered to design for her was because you admired her, but you knew nothing can go on beyond that. You believe that a woman like her would prefer males like the prime minister she was rumored to be with.

Oh how wrong you were to assume that. Charlotte approached you first, and she fell for you the moment your eyes met during one formal event. She knows who you are and she's a huge sucker for your designs. She even tried inputting the idea to the president before that he lets you tailor his suits so he would also get the press secretary a dress from you.

She made sure she led you to the idea of offering her to be your muse, which materialized when you asked her to come to your studio and check the designs you drew for her.

You became closer after the acknowledgement she had done on TV, and since the media already thinks you are together, then why not make it true?

You pursue her and tell her straightforwardly that you like her very much and that you are willing to wait for her to become the president (you already claimed it) before marrying her, that is if she wishes to be with you. She only laughed for a good one minute before saying "Just ruin this dress you made, fuck me from behind and choke me a little bit."

After the announcement of her candidacy, she ordered Maggie to also release the news of the both of you dating. Maggie was against it at first, but Charlotte said that it was better that the story came from her than from the president who was waiting for an opportunity to get back at her.

It seemed to be a bad idea because of the reaction it garnered, but when the poll results were released, Charlotte's ratings increased.

The engagement was crazy. The ratings continue to increase as Charlotte continues her environmental initiatives and participates in events that would be favorable for her candidacy.

The other engagement (the asking of hand in marriage) happened on the Pride Parade. You were so nervous about finding the perfect timing. Charlotte has no idea of what you were planning, just purely enjoying the moment with you not minding the cameras.

When you asked the billion-dollar question, everyone cheered and waved their flags for the both of you. You hated public proposals, but you were sure that Charlotte would say yes because weeks prior to the parade, she was teasing you about a marriage and a ring.

Charlotte was about to kiss you in the middle of receiving 'congratulations' everywhere when you put a finger on her lips, much to her dismay. You held her hand and pulled her in front of the homophobic protesters, then gave them a show they would never forget.

The parade was an entire bliss, everyone congratulated your new engagement, and you were both once again the talk of the country for the remarkable public display of affection, and your decision to hold a discount sale and giveaways of your designs as a token of appreciation for the people who supported your relationship with Charlotte.

#charlotte field #charlotte field x reader #long shot

114 notes · View notes

hockey-x-imagines · 2 years

Text

Meeting the Family || Tyler Seguin

A/N: Here’s a little something. I’m currently trying to get the next parts in each series done, but I’m a bit stumped and not liking how they sound right now. I have a few other shorts like this coming out soon after this, just to give you guys something to read. The family is based on mine.

Paring: Tyler x Reader.

Requests: Open

P.O.V: Reader

Word Count: 1517

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

“Just a heads up there’s a lot of us, and my siblings might go a little crazy.” You warned Tyler. “My older sister and her family aren’t here." Truth be told you didn’t tell her you were bring him home.

“Did something come up for them?” He seemed a bit confused.

“No, I uh didn’t tell her.” Tyler shot you a questioning glance. “I don’t want you uncomfortable when you meet my family. I’m sure there’s already a level of discomfort, she’ll just add more.” Your older sister has a tendency to flirt with any guy you or your little sisters have brought home.

“What do you mean?”

“Any guy that’s been brought home, she’s flirted with. She has absolutely no respect for any one’s boundaries. I find it extremely annoying, and I didn’t want either of us to deal with it tonight.” You shrugged.

“She can’t be that bad. Besides I want to meet everyone, you should tell her.” You knew it was a bad idea, but if your boyfriend wanted to meet her, you’d make it happen.

"Are you sure?" You really wish he would change his mind, but he doesn't. You send your older sister a text letting her know what's going on, after you park in your parent's driveway. "Ready?"

"Babe I'm fine. Are you ready?" Tyler chuckles. Taking a deep breath, you nod and lead the way to your parent's front door. Opening the door, you're greeted by Hope your 15 year old sister.

"It's about time you brought him home." She jokes as she pulls you in to a hug. Out of everyone in your family, she was the most supportive of you and Tyler. The rest of your family was somewhat supportive, but they were a bit more skeptical. The way your parents looked at your relationship was, you were a small town nobody and he was a big time hockey player.

"Oh, shup up. You and Grace have already met him." Once she lets you go, she hugs Ty. "Where's mom and dad?"

"Seguin!" Grace yells. Tyler snaps his head toward her. "Sorry Ty, I meant my sister." She laughs as she tackles you. He could never understand why Grace called you Seguin. You told him that was your nickname before you had even met. After watching several interviews and tik toks your two younger sisters had decided your bond was similar to that of Tyler, Jamie, and Alex. She dubbed herself Rads, Hope Benn, and you Seguin.

"Mom and dad are out with the horses." Your sister Taylor said walking through the door. "Hey Ty."

"Do you want to wait in here?" You ask.

"I'm good, let's go see the horses you constantly talk about." You didn't think you had talked about them that much. Right before you and Tyler officially got together, your parents had been gifted 2 mares that needed a ton of TLC. Initially you didn't plan on getting attached, but then you were out there feeding them at the ass crack of dawn and spending as much time as you could with them.

Walking back to the pasture, not only were your parents back there but so were both sets of your personal 'horse gurus.' They were just 2 sets of family friends that had horses and swore they knew everything there was to know about horses, you rolled your eyes. You knew they had nothing like your former boss's knowledge of horses.

"Stay out!" Wayne yelled with his back to you. Your mom and Lacey, Wayne's wife, looked up. Your mom's face lighting up when she saw you. She flicked her head motioning you in. You didn't plan on listening to Wayne, you spent more time around these ladies than he had. "I told you-" Wayne turns around cutting himself off. "Y/N!"

"Hey Wayne." You wave. Tyler had stopped at the gate. "Babe, you can come in." You chuckle turning to him. With unsure steps he joins you.

"And who is this?" Lacey asks eyeing the man standing behind you. As far as you knew, your family were the only people who knew of Tyler prior to the two of you dating. Lacey's question had everyone's heads snapping to look at you.

"This is my boyfriend, Tyler." You were a little unsure what to say next. Were you supposed to give him a better introduction? Or were you supposed to give your family and friends an introduction to Tyler?

"I'd give you a hug, but I'm sure I've got horse shit everywhere." Your mom walks over and kisses your cheek. "It's nice to finally meet the man that makes my daughter happy." Everyone aside of Wayne and Jason walk over.

"I'm glad you actually exist." Your dad chuckles taking a glove off to shake Tyler's hand. Leave it to your dad to make some sort of smart ass remark.

"I'm sorry it's taken this long to come out to meet you guys." Tyler addresses everyone. "I assure you sir I am real, and Y/N hasn't been making stories up." You smack his arm causing him to burst out laughing.

"What's going on with Iggy?" Jason just seemed to be holding her. "Also, I'm sure Josie will be here anytime." Your mom shot you a questioning glance. You had told her that Josie didn't know you were coming home. You'd tell her what happened when there were less ears.

"We're getting her shoed." Marissa answered. Much to your surprise Tyler jumped into help with keeping Iggy standing still. Both horses had shoes before Josie and her family showed up.

"What is a guy like you doing with someone like my sister?" Was the first thing to leave your sister's mouth. There was no 'Hey Y/N. How's life?' Lacey, Wayne, Marissa, and Jason's jaws hit the floor. Tyler seemed to be the one most shocked by her question.

"I, uh." He was at a loss for words, looking over at you for an indication of what to do or say. You just shook your head.

"Nice to see you to Josie." Sarcasm dripping from your words. This right here was the reason she wasn't told.

"I mean clearly you got the ugly sister." She snickers. "I suppose you wouldn't have known that unless she brought you home." The urge to throat punch your sister was extremely strong. Sadly, you weren't shocked that she said what she said. "I'm Josie, the hotter better option." Your brother-in-law Tyler didn't say anything, his head was stuck in his phone.

"Aren't you married?" Tyler snaps. "So far, you're the only ugly sister, and I'm not just talking your personality." It was your turn to look stunned. The look on Joise's face was priceless. No one had ever been so blunt with her. "Hell, you make Rads look hot." He added making you laugh.

"Y/N are you just going to stand there while your 'boyfriend' disrespects me?" She looks at you like you should put Tyler in his place. The air quotes she used around boyfriend irritates you a little more. You love your sister, you really do, but it's times like this you can't stand her.

"Nah, I'm good." You tried to keep your voice neutral. She looked to your parents then back to you. She was looking for some type of support. Much to her surprise no one was willing to offer her any.

"There's no disrespect here, just calling it like I see it." Tyler shrugs. Josie stomped her foot like a toddler.

"What are we doing for dinner?" You cut off Josie off before she was able to say anything.

"We were thinking the Hideout." Your dad suggests. If he hadn't suggested the Hideout you were going to. "Josie, you and the family are more than welcome to join, if you pay for your family." Your dad uses her favorite invite, on her.

"I thought it could be Tyler's treat." Of course she did. Josie was one greedy asshole. You love your sister.

"Nope, he's, our guest. It's on us, if you want to join you can help chip in." You mom shut down the argument. Both your parents and your boyfriend were beyond feed up with her.

"Fine, we'll figure something out on our own." She huffs before leaving the kitchen. "Tyler gets the kids we're leaving." She was pissed your parents didn't give into her. You knew she'd give you hell over this later.

"I see why you didn't invite her." Tyler whispered in your ear making you laugh. He places a kiss below your ear, and you lightly elbow him.

"Sorry about our oldest toddler." Your mom groans. "We keep hoping she'll grow up, but it's pretty clear she hasn't." Tyler laughs, you were positive he thought she was joking. "Is the Hideout, okay?"

Dinner was amazing, it totally rebounded the hour that was spent with your older sister. Your mom had explained Josie the best anyone could to Tyler. He couldn't understand why or how she could treat you the way she does. He would never act that way with his little sisters.

#one shot #tyler seguin #tyler seguin imagine #tyler seguin imagines #tyler seguin x reader #tyler seguin one shot #dallas stars #nhl imagine #hockey imagine

126 notes · View notes

lightsovermonaco · 3 years

Text

His Good Sweater: Chapter 13

Masterlist

Thanks to @acollectionofficsandshit for being my bestie and beta reading! This would have never happened without her ❤ Make sure you read Roman Profile, set in the same universe!

Word Count: 6.7k

Recommended song: "Cupid’s Chokehold/Breakfast in America” by Gym Class Heroes

"I have to go."

"Can't you stay five more minutes?"

"I wish."

"Come on, just a few more minutes to cuddle." Pierre flings back the fluffy duvet and holds out a hand. "Please?"

"I have an exam," you say with a sigh but bend to press a kiss to his upturned palm. "I can't skip."

Pierre groans and slings an arm over his eyes. "What am I supposed to do all day?"

"I don't have a sim but I have an old PlayStation you're more than welcome to use. I think I still have one or two games."

"That won't keep me busy."

"I'm sure you'll find something. Just stay out of trouble okay? I'd like to get my security deposit back when I finally move out of this hellhole."

"Okay," Pierre grumbles, sitting up to give you a quick kiss. "What time are you getting back?"

"Four. We can go out to dinner or something." You smooth a hand over his hair, smiling lightly. "Or we can go for a picnic and take a walk through Saint James Park."

"Sounds like a plan." He turns his head to kiss your palm. "I'll be counting down the minutes."

You roll your eyes but your smile contradicts the sass. "I'll be home before you know it. Love you, champion."

"I love you too, mon coeur."

He was endlessly grateful for how easily the two of you had fallen back into each other. When he had shown up at your doorstep he had expected there to be awkward pauses and minutes of tense silence, but there had been blissfully little of either. As the days bleed into each other, your relationship only gets steadier, closer and closer to what it used to be. Maybe it was because you had been the one to break the silence or maybe it was because he had thrown himself into his career into someone's bed- whatever the reason, it didn’t matter. He was simply grateful to be welcomed back into your life. He didn't plan on leaving any time soon.

Pierre allows himself a half hour of lounging in bed before forcing himself to get up and shower. Off weeks were hard; all he wanted to do was rest and recharge but he still had to follow his workout regimen and sleep schedule or he risked falling out of the habit, making it that much harder to get back in the groove come race week.

First order of business: clean the clutter you had shoved in closets and the spare room prior to his arrival the day before. Folding the three baskets of clean laundry took an hour, washing dishes another thirty minutes, and vacuuming the entire flat took twenty. Once the counters are spotless and there isn’t a stray sock to be found, he takes stock of your pantry and notes what staples you were running low on.

Two hours later he trudges back up the three flights of stairs to your apartment, arms laden with reusable bags packed to the gills with food. His legs burn and he's slightly winded from the excursion; at least that could count as his work out for the day.

He's just about to start slicing vegetables for dinner when his phone chimes with a text from his PR agent, Sylvie.

You're supposed to be in an interview now. Where are you?

"Oh shit." He scrambles for his laptop which of course was dead. He manages to plug it in at the dining room table and angle it so the background is mostly neutral, just a band poster framed behind him. He checks his hair before logging into the interview.

"There's the star," the interviewer says, far too chipper to be entirely genuine.

"Sorry, I was having connection issues." He queues up his signature sweetheart smile that gets him out of any squabbles. It works, the woman's irritation melting into a more easy expression.

"Let's just get right into it. Since we're low on time I'll jump right in, if you don't mind."

Pierre leans back. He had an inkling where this was headed. "By all means, please."

"We just saw news of your deal with Christian Horner- if you take seventh in this year's drivers championship, it looks like you're at Red Bull Racing next year. How does that feel after being publicly demoted mid-season in 2019?"

A smirk tugs at Pierre's lips. He had known this exact question was coming. He had debated how to answer it without starting waves and still remaining truthful. If there was one thing he prided himself on, it was his ability to be diplomatic when others may have let their egos get in the way.

"Obviously I'm grateful that Red Bull has recognized the hard work I've been putting in at Alpha Tauri," he starts. "I think I've been able to push the car as far as I can but I still have pace in me, personally. So moving into the Red Bull would let me loose, so to speak, and give me a chance to prove that Red Bull is where I belong."

"Right, you have had quite a spectacular season so far with a race win under your belt and a few podiums for good measure. What do you attribute that success to? Why is it so different now in an Alpha Tauri versus that coveted second Red Bull seat?"

Pierre purses his lips. The answer he was expected to give wasn't one he was willing to voice. Instead he opts for neutral. "I've been able to focus and hone my driving this season. I've found a groove that works for me and with it has come an insane amount of confidence, which is something I struggled with for awhile after going back to Torro Rosso. I think it's really just that I'm finally comfortable in the car and with my team and that makes a huge difference."

"Thank you for that," the journalist says and Pierre nods. "Shifting gears, I have a few questions about your personal life if you don't mind."

This was the part he always dreads. Questions were often prying and he had to subtly skirt around them in a way that offered a satisfying answer without giving away too much. It was an art he liked to think he had perfected over the years but still didn't enjoy.

"As long as you don't mind me staying silent if I don't want to answer."

The woman laughs, the sound sharp and grating. "Of course. Unless I can bribe you into giving me an exclusive."

"Likely not. But you ask the right questions and we'll see."

"You've been seen hanging around a certain London neighborhood lately- that wouldn't have anything to do with you and your lovely lady, would it?"

He had been waiting for that one, too. When the two of you had returned from Red Bull headquarters he had noticed the man taking pictures across the street. He hadn't said anything to you at the time because really, there was no point in getting you worked up when he had a plan to handle it.

The question played right into his hand, in fact.

Pierre sits forward, folding his hands in front of him. "Actually yes. We recently got back together and if you'll let me, I would like to make a request."

The woman leans back and checks her notes. "Well it's not quite what I had planned but please," she gives a flourish with a hand, "you have the floor."

"I know driver's personal lives are something that a lot of people are interested in and that's great. I don't mind sharing things with my fans or letting them get the inside scoop, but there's some things I would rather be left alone. My relationship is one of them. I know you all took note that she hasn't been around the past couple months and if I'm being honest, it's because of comments and press coverage that invaded her privacy. I think some people forgot she was more than just a name on a screen."

Pen poised to take notes, the interviewer prompts, "You said you had a request?"

He doesn’t stop to assess the damage he had already undoubtedly done. Sylvie was probably already on the phone doing damage control with every news outlet she could get her hands on, if her muted and black square at the bottom of the screen was an indication.

"All I'm asking is that you leave her alone. If you have questions or comments you have to make, just direct them at me. Don't follow her around asking about me. Don't comment on her posts unless you're capable of being a decent human. Just… let her live her life in peace."

Maybe he was a love sick fool, but honestly he didn't care if he lost some support from fans. If they had such strong opinions on his personal life, he would be better off without them anyway. And his team could cut him and even if he was unable to secure a seat in Formula 1 after next season, he would survive.

But if he lost you again, he would be broken. It had taken being apart from you for him to realize it and he'd be damned if he was ever disconnected from you like that again.

"That's quite the speech."

Pierre shrugs. "It was. She's the most important thing in my life, right up there with racing.” Now that he had started down the road of truth, he found it impossible to hold his tongue. “I lost her once because people couldn't be bothered to remember that their words have consequences. I won't let it happen again."

"So you see yourself with her for a long time then?" The woman's eyes glitter with the potential of getting an even juicer tidbit from him.

Pierre’s jaw sets, muscles feathering. "That's not something I'm prepared to discuss."

The woman purses her lips and tips her head to the side. There was clearly more she wanted to say. "Well, I have to thank you for what you've given me here. My boss is gonna love the exclusive. I won't push any further. Thanks for your comments, Pierre."

"Thanks for actually being respectful."

“We aren’t all monsters.” The woman shrugs. “I can’t say I haven’t had my moments but I try to be straightforward.”

“Right, yeah. I get that you have a job to do.”

“Anyway. I look forward to seeing what you can do the rest of this season. Good luck.”

He signs off and instantly anxiety washes over him. If she twisted his words he was screwed. Sylvie would be on the phone as soon as the article was printed, no doubt trying to soothe sponsors and investors. She'd give him an earful about being respectful and not poking the bear but he'd tune it out like he always did.

The sooner he got away from Red Bull, the better.

Instead of dwelling on it he busies himself with cooking. It was one of his guilty pleasures. He always requested a full kitchen when he was staying anywhere more than a few days so that if he had the chance to make a home-cooked meal, he had the option. For tonight he had selected his favorite recipe. Parmesan-Cesar chicken wasn't normally something you would ever touch with a ten foot pole but as long as he was making it, Pierre knew you'd at least give it a try.

Music blasting in the background, Pierre sings along quietly as he unpacks the rest of the ingredients and gets to work. He does a little spin between the island and the sink, rinsing the dishes and putting them right in the dishwasher as he uses them. A clean kitchen is the mark of a great chef, his mom had told him, drilling the phrase into him when he was young.

In the middle of cutting potatoes Pierre gets a call. He only has an hour until you're home so he doesn't bother stopping, just puts it on speaker and continues measuring spices.

"Hey Daniel."

"Heard you're in London," Daniel says, Australian accent thick. "And a little birdie told me you and your lady got back together."

"We did," Pierre says, a smile splitting his face. "Finally."

"Thank god, now I don't have to listen to your drunk woe-is-me rambling anymore."

Pierre laughs and sets aside the measuring spoons. "It's not that bad."

"Oh please." Pierre could practically hear the eyes rolling. "The number of times I had to send an uber to a bar after a grand prix is insane. Charles and I should be entitled to financial compensation with the amount of babysitting we've been doing."

"I can handle myself!"

"Not after a martini you can't."

He was right there. "Is there a point to this conversation?"

"Oh right- I'm actually in town today too, got some stuff to shoot for McLaren before we head to Austria for the race next week. You guys wanna come out with us tonight? We're heading to a bar or two."

"I actually had something planned-"

"She already said she's coming!" Dan's girlfriend shouts in the background.

“Well then why even ask me?”

“To be polite,” Daniel offers with a laugh. “We’re meeting at the rooftop bar at the Trafalgar hotel at seven. That give you enough time to do whatever you had planned that’s apparently more important than seeing your best mates?”

“We’ll be there,” Pierre says and hangs up. He finishes seasoning the potatoes and pops them in the oven, finally getting a chance to sit while they cook alongside the main course.

He's on his feet a few minutes later, decluttering the last bits of mess around your flat. It was clear it hadn't had a decent cleaning in quite awhile- hopefully you'd keep it tidy now that the effort had been made. The guys would tease him endlessly if they found out he was acting like a housewife.

You arrive home just as he’s setting the table. “God, it smells amazing in here.”

“Salut, mon amour.” Hands full with hot dishes, he settles for a kiss to your cheek. “I made dinner.”

“And you cleaned,” you observe. “You were a busy boy.”

“Pyry would kill me if he found out I was laying around all day. I had to do something.”

You hang your backpack on the hook behind the door and take a seat at the table. “Well remind me to thank him again when I see him. This looks delicious.”

Pierre grins over his shoulder at you. “Me or the food?”

You throw your head back and laugh, loud and unrestrained. “The food, you goof.”

Pierre quirks a brow. "Is that the honest answer?"

"Okay, maybe both."

The meal is filled with your ramblings about your exam and your new hobby- this month it was hiking. You went into detail about all the few trails in the city you’d been on as well as the more challenging ones that dotted the countryside. Pierre just nods along as you talk, already planning on staying up late to learn what he could about the topic so he could be a better conversation partner.

The pair of you work together to tidy the kitchen and put away any leftovers. “Did you bring something semi nice to wear tonight or do we have to make a quick trip to the store?”

“I’ve got some Tauri stuff I can wear. And not just team gear,” he adds when you groan. “You know that cream sweater you love? The one with the logo debossed on the front? I’ve got that.”

“Oh,” you say before biting your lip. Your eyes trail down his frame and back up like you’re imagining it on him. A tingle travels up his spine under your assessing gaze. If you kept that up, neither of you would make it out of the apartment tonight. “My favorite. Yeah, wear that. It’ll be on my floor by the end of the night.”

Pierre places his hands on your waist and grins. “Will it? And what will be on the floor from your closet, hm?”

“Your favorite dress.”

“The orange one?” He realizes half a second too late that you would never know how much he adored that dress from the gala. It had hugged your curves in all the right places and left your back exposed, which would leave him free to trace patterns on your soft skin whenever he pleased. He had missed out on worshipping you in it that night and he wouldn’t mind the opportunity to do so now.

You roll your eyes. “I can’t wear that to a bar.”

“Says who?” Pierre nuzzles his face against your neck, breathing you in. A light undercurrent of sweat from your walk home from classes mingles with the usual bright scent of you, only serving to rile him up further. Never in a million years would he have guessed that a simple scent could do him in, and yet here he was, completely wrapped up in yours.

“Says me.” You sigh, tipping your head to the side when Pierre’s nose grazes your skin.

His lips follow until he reaches your jaw before he pulls back. “What one are you wearing then?”

“Does it matter?” You cross your arms, the smirk playing on your kissable lips tempting him.

“I have to mentally prepare myself.” And if whatever you chose was too sexy, he would need to get his handsiness out of his system before the pair of you met up with Daniel and his girlfriend. The last thing he needed was to be on the front of some seedy gossip column when his plan was to ease back into it.

You smile up at him, broad and unrestrained as if knowing your answer would affect him greatly. “The cobalt blue one that makes you stutter.”

The dress in question was just as form fitting as the orange one, but shorter and decidedly more distracting. It fell mid thigh and the spaghetti straps left your shoulders exposed, which coupled with the low back displayed a downright sinful amount of skin. You had worn it at a Torro Rosso event a couple years back and he had scarcely been able to get a full sentence out around you all night.

“That one’s a close second.” He follows you to your room, leaving you to hunt through the closet while he digs through his suitcase, thankful that he had the foresight to check out of his hotel on the way back from Red Bull and bring his things here.

Because there was no way in hell he was missing a second of being by your side while he was in town. Every moment had to count when he had no idea when he would be able to sleep next to you again, not when the season was nearly over and there were two double headers between now and winter break. When so many variables stood between him and you, he had no problem prioritizing you over a routine workout or a full night’s rest.

Pierre changes into the sweater and a pair of dark skinny jeans well before you emerge from the bathroom. He doesn’t bother responding to Dan’s text that includes an address and reminds him to be on time, instead opting to scroll through his instagram feed. He likes a handful of posts from his fellow drivers, including one of Max actually smiling at something off camera.

“Well?”

Pierre’s head snaps up at the sound of your voice. The phone falls from his hand when he drags his eyes over your body, head to toe and back again.

Oh, he was so fucked.

Maybe it was selfish, but with your hair done like that, the barest brush of makeup lining your eyes and in that stunningly blue dress, he didn’t want any other man to have the privilege of laying their eyes on you.

No, you were all his.

The moment you’re within reach, Pierre places his hands on the back of your thighs, just beneath the curve of your barely covered ass. You chuckle and tap your fingers under his chin. “Close your mouth; you’ll catch flies.”

“Just so you know, if you wear that dress I can’t be held liable for my actions.” Up to and including scaring off anyone that wasn’t Daniel or his girlfriend. No one else deserved to be blessed with your radiance. Hell, he didn’t deserve it, and yet here you stood.

“We’ll see about that.”

**********

Daniel and his girlfriend had already made their way through a round of drinks by the time you arrive. It wasn’t Pierre’s fault he couldn’t keep his hands off you and wound up getting distracted on the drive over.

"Late as always," she greets, kissing your cheek. "Dan got us here fifteen minutes early because he wanted the table with the best view."

"Like our names wouldn't have gotten us the table if we asked," Pierre says, wrapping Daniel in a one-armed hug before kissing his girl’s cheek in a traditional French greeting. "The view is pretty great though."

You were already leaning on the glass partition, hands curled over the edge and undoubtedly leaving behind fingerprints on the pristine surface, completely unfazed by the fact that the other patrons were staring. You had eyes only for the London skyline and Trafalgar square lit up below. The bar with its white marble tabletops and strict dress code was absolutely not a place that you should be standing on your tiptoes for a better view, but there was no way he could condemn you when your face lit up like that.

Pierre just places a hand on the small of your back and shoots a look at the bartender currently glaring in your direction, daring the smartly dressed man to say anything. He only raises a brow and resumes filling drink orders.

"You guys know how to pick a place," you say, "I could stand here all night."

"Right," Daniel's girlfriend says, rolling her eyes at Pierre who shrugs as if to say what do you want me to do? He was powerless to deny you anything that brought you a semblance of joy; your smile was everything to him. “Love, why don’t you come tell us about uni? You’re the only one of us currently enrolled, and I’m sure the boys would love to hear about all the drama.”

You and Pierre share a secret grin. You shake your head but allow him to guide you back to the cocktail table. “Drama? I’m an engineering major. The closest thing we have to drama is someone grossly miscalculating a structural load.”

Dan shoots Pierre a mischievous grin. “I heard Stroll might be moving next year-”

Both you and Daniel’s girlfriend groan at the same time. “No racing talk when we’re around tonight,” she says. “I’ve heard enough lately.”

“What’s new in the publishing world?” You ask, leaning into Pierre when he wraps an arm around you. He only half listens to her explain the so-called “top secret” project she’s currently working on, instead opting to get drunk on you.

The light breeze filtering through the surrounding buildings ruffles your hair. You lift a hand absentmindedly to tuck it behind your ear in an attempt to keep it out of your face. Everything you do is amazing to him, snagging his attention even when he should be listening to whatever it was his friends were saying. Your gravity was simply too strong to bother resisting.

“Enough talk,” Daniel’s girlfriend says, waving a hand. “You need a drink, and I want to dance. Let’s go.” Before Pierre can protest, she’s dragging you away to the glass top bar. You throw an apologetic glance over your shoulder and Pierre just winks. He was fine watching you from afar for now.

Pierre’s gaze drops to your perky ass when you lean in to let the bartender know what you want, likely shouting to be heard over the music, your dress riding up a bit with the movement. For having such a strict dress code, this place sure did feel like an upper class club.

You hook your thumb over a shoulder, the bartender’s gaze darting to Pierre before the man nods. The only explanation you offer is a wink, followed by a note on a cocktail napkin and a beer delivered a few minutes later by a server.

This is supposed to be the best beer they have. Just try it.

Leave it to you to constantly push him outside his comfort zone. Pierre tentatively sniffs the foamy glass and shrugs before taking a sip. Not bad, but he still preferred his usual whiskey.

Setting the glass down, Pierre turns back to Daniel. “Congrats on extending your contract with McLaren by the way. Should give you a decent shot at keeping up with the big boys and landing some serious points.”

“Seems like most of us are moving around, doesn’t it? Sainz to Ferrari, Seb to Aston Martin... The only one with any sort of long term commitment is Max and now me I guess.”

“And Charles,” Pierre adds. “He’s stuck in that red monstrosity for the foreseeable future.”

Daniel laughs, taking a swig from his glass. “And you’re moving too, huh? Austria should be interesting,” Daniel remarks, watching the girls at the bar nursing their own drinks. “What with the news of your new contract breaking and all.”

“Potential contract,” Pierre corrects. “Not for sure yet.”

Daniel scoffs. “Come on mate. You won’t have any problem getting up to seventh by the end of the season. Perez is slipping and the news that his seat is in jeopardy will only help your cause.”

Pierre takes a sip of his amber beer and nods. “I’m sure Perez doesn’t appreciate it, but he’s always been a good sport.” You catch Pierre’s eye and lift your fresh flute of champagne in a mock salute. Dan’s girlfriend drags you out on the dancefloor and immediately spins you. Your laugh is nearly audible, the memory of it fresh in Pierre’s mind as he watches you.

“Mate, have you been listening to a word I’ve said?”

“I’m sorry, what?”

Daniel shakes his head and drains his drink. “I really don’t know how it took you two this long to come together. You’ve been dancing around each other for years but neither of you would admit it.”

“I could say the same about you two.”

Daniel shrugs. “Fair point. At least we got it all worked out in a weekend though.”

Pierre rolls his eyes and shoves his friend’s shoulder. “Whatever. Not all of us can have a perfect love story.”

The grin Daniel shoots Pierre is pure sunshine. “How long are you planning on waiting before you ask her to marry you?”

“What?” Pierre sputters, nearly choking on air. “Who said anything about marriage?”

“Oh come on,” Dan says, rolling his eyes. “We all know it’s coming eventually.”

Pierre would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about it. But he wasn’t sure if it was the time for a proposal, not when you had just gotten back together. The last thing he wanted to do was go through the pain of losing you again because he was too forward.

“One day at a time,” Pierre says finally, dragging himself back to earth. “I just got her back a few days ago. I don't want to scare her off by proposing just yet.”

“Right. Well you might want to get a ring on that hand sooner rather than later,” Daniel notes, gesturing to the two men who had approached the girls. “How long are we gonna let that go on before we step in?” Neither of you paid the men any attention, instead enjoying each other’s company, but the men’s eyes roaming over your body sets Pierre on edge.

“They can handle themselves,” Pierre remarks, shifting on his feet. The weak attempt at self assurance didn’t do much to negate the red tinting his vision. “They’re fine.”

“Her sharp tongue will hold them at bay,” Daniel says, winking at his girlfriend. “For a while at least.” Props to Daniel for possessing inhuman amounts of restraint, but Pierre’s muscles were coiled and ready to interject at the first sign of trouble.

He has to pause to remind himself he doesn't own you. You could make your own decisions about who you spoke with and who you entertained as long as he was the one to take you home. He didn't care if you wanted to flirt; he knew it meant nothing and if you got a free drink out if it then so be it. But those were the rules: flirting, no touching. He'd step in if need be if someone took it too far.

But that didn't mean he had to enjoy it.

Pierre watches tight lipped as you politely chat with the man, your body language closed off and dismissive. Pierre hates that you even speak a word to him. He knows it shouldn’t bother him because he trusts you, but the stranger is a wild card. Pierre watches like a hawk as the man inches ever closer, slowly interesting himself into your personal space. He waits for you to take a step back, to grant him that silent permission to come over and insert himself in the conversation and get his hands on you, this proving you weren't on the market.

One of the men shouts something at you over the music and you leer back at him, clearly disgusted at whatever he had said. Whirling on him, you open your mouth, likely to snap out a profanity lined retort, when his hand latches onto your arm.

"Oh, fuck no."

Half a second later, Pierre is stalking across the dance floor, no thoughts other than teaching the asshole a lesson. His hands are already curled into fists, ready to swing if the man hadn't moved by the time he arrived. Tolerating someone hitting on you was one thing, but blatantly ignoring the clear dismissals and laying a hand on you? No way in hell was he standing by and letting that happen.

The resounding crack of your open hand hitting the man’s face has pride swelling in Pierre’s chest. That’s my girl. You’d solved the problem before he’d even arrived. You jab a finger in the man’s face, Daniel’s girlfriend right there with you to back you up.

“Fuck off,” you were saying as Pierre approached, “or do you need to go back to kindergarten and learn to keep your hands to yourself? Maybe next time you’ll think twice before laying a hand on a taken woman- or any woman, for that matter.”

Driving your point home, Pierre slips an arm around your waist and pulls you in until your back is flush to his chest. You crane your neck up, the tense muscles beneath his fingertips and the fury contorting your features confirming just how rattled you are.

The lines creasing your brow are soothed away when you realize who holds you. You open your mouth to say something but Pierre places a hand on your throat, thumb and forefinger framing your jaw as he cuts you off with a kiss, his eyes locked on the guy still standing off to the side holding his cheek.

You taste like the champagne you’d been sipping all night. It’s the only thought in his head outside of the jealousy licking through his veins like wildfire as he claims you then and there in front of the crowd. Mine, his heart sings. He flexes his fingers, taking advantage of your surprised gasp to slide his tongue against yours. Mine, mine, mine.

Pierre lets you be the one to break away, lips curling in a smug, kiss-swollen smile as you address the men. “In case you still don’t get the picture, I’m not interested. And neither is she.” You jerk your chin, indicating your friend and Daniel, who had indeed followed Pierre and since mirrored his possessive stance, one arm wrapped tightly around his own girlfriend.

The two men reluctantly slink away after mumbling something unintelligible but undoubtedly indecent. It had been a week and a half since he had been on track and he had plenty of pent up aggression to get out. He didn’t normally opt for using someone’s face as a punching back as a stress reliever, but rulers were made to be broken. Your hand splayed on Pierre’s chest is all that stops him from following and asking them to repeat themselves.

“Just let me hit him,” Pierre says, voice far more level and put together than he had expected it to be. “Just one punch. That’s all I would need.” His knuckles smart like he had already connected them to the man’s face.

“And let you throw away your contract? I don’t think so. The last thing you need is a blurry photo of you knocking someone’s teeth in hitting the front page of every gossip mag in the country. I’m fine, so you can cut the bravado.”

“Yeah, I hear you.”

“I was wondering how long you were gonna leave us out here,” you say, trying to regain Pierre’s attention. When it doesn’t work, you grasp his stubbled chin and force him to look at you. “I didn’t expect to be stranded for so long.”

The eye contact is what finally calms his racing thoughts. Seeing the trust reflected in your face is enough to have his grip on your waist loosening to allow you to face him. “Someone convinced me you could fend for yourself. And while it seems that’s true, I couldn’t stand it anymore.”

Your satisfied hum is swallowed by the pounding bass but Pierre feels it rumble in his chest. “Sometimes even a queen needs saving.”

Though his point had long since been proven, Pierre’s hand slides down your back to rest on your ass nonetheless. “I knew you going out looking like this would cause trouble.”

You tip your head to the side, feigning innocence as you press your hips to his. You grin, noticing the hard on that had been bothering him all night. “Looking like what?”

“Drop dead fucking gorgeous,” he says, accentuating his point by sliding his hand up your thigh and under the hem of your dress. “You know I’m tearing this off you the second we get home, right?”

“Why do you think I wore it?”

The sound that escapes him is primal and possessive. The presence of bystanders does nothing to prevent him from palming your ass and kneading the flesh. He presses his lips to your neck and mumbles between kisses, “To torture me.”

You push lightly at his chest, laughing although your eyes dart around the space in search of cameras. Old habits were hard to break. “That may have been part of my motivation. But you’ll have to wait. I haven’t seen Dan in forever and I would actually like to have a conversation with him before we sneak off somewhere.”

At least you knew he wouldn’t be able to wait until you got home to get between your legs. “Fine,” he grumbles, hands settling on your hips. “Only because I love you.”

You beam up at him. “Love you too.”

Arm still slung around your waist, Pierre nods at Daniel and follows the other couple back to the table.

After two more drinks, you and Daniel's girlfriend are singing along to the music in lilting, off key voices, simply enjoying the night air. A stray breeze catches your hair just as you turn to look at Pierre and his heart damn near leaps out of his chest.

To his credit, Pierre’s cheeks are rosy from more than just the charged glances you throw at him as the night wears on. He was on his fourth beer, far more than he usually drank these days, and the buzzing in his head was becoming increasingly hard to ignore. When he has to squint to tell the time on his watch, he figured that was enough.

"I should probably get going mate," Pierre says, turning to Daniel. "Early flight."

Daniel laughs and beacons for the girls. He kisses his girlfriend's cheek when she returns with you in tow. "Are we leaving already?" You pout, and Pierre had half a mind to stay simply have your smile make an encore appearance.

"Car coming," he murmurs, dipping his head to give you a proper kiss. God, you were stunning in that dress- he might not be able to string together words coherently, but he knew that much.

"Fine." You cross your arms for a split second to convey your feelings on the matter before wrapping your friends in a hug and saying your goodbyes.

Pierre's hand is already on your ass before you're in the uber. Get a few drinks in the boy and he let his guard down. You laugh and pull out of his embrace to usher him into the sleek black suv. If he had been coherent, he probably would have chatted with the driver about the specs of the engine or maybe even racing if he was a fan. Instead the ride is filled with stolen touches and sloppy, wet kisses to your neck.

"I can't wait till we're home," he mumbles. "You're gorgeous. How did I snag you? You're so far out of my league. No way should you be with me."

"I have a thing for guys that go fast in circles on the weekends."

"Really?" Pierre frowns. "Should I be worried?"

"No. You're the only one I have eyes for." His head is fuzzier than when you left the bar but your laugh breaks through, his stomach flipping at the melody of it. "And we are home."

Pierre blinks, realizing he does indeed stand in your kitchen, with no recollection of climbing the three flights of stairs between the street and your flat. "Oh. When did that happen?"

"After I half dragged you up the stairs." You bend over to undo the straps of your heels, giving him the perfect view. He lets out a whistle that ends in a hiccup.

"Take me to bed, lover," he says in what he thinks is a husky voice. It should be impossible for you to resist.

You roll your eyes and wrap an arm around his middle. "That's the plan. I'll take you to bed, strip you out of that sweater, and you'll be asleep before your head hits the pillow."

"Nnnnnno," he protests, hand sliding down your exposed back to settle at the base of your spine. "I wanna make the most of tonight. I leave tomorrow."

"You don't leave until noon," you point out. "Plenty of time to nurse your hangover and have fun before then, after you drink some water and get some sleep."

"But baby-"

"No buts. Do as I say or I'll send you off tomorrow without a goodbye kiss."

Even in his half drunken state he knew it was a swiss cheese lie, spotted with holes and completely stale. You'd never let him leave without a kiss goodbye because neither of you knew if it would be the last time. He was a race car driver after all, and that came with risks.

But he sighs anyways and slips off the cream sweater, letting it fall to the floor. At least one of you kept their promises.

After confirming he was settled into bed, you retreat to the bathroom. His heart aches at the absence, even though you're mere feet away with nothing but a thin door separating the two of you. He registers the sound of the tap turning on and your soft, off key humming of the last song he remembered hearing before getting out of the uber.

"Mon amour," he croons when you re-emerge in a set of silk pajamas. He reaches out his hands for you and you slide under the covers, immediately slotting your body against his. A leg hitches over his hip, tugging him closer until your middles touch.

"Mmm," he mumbles, nuzzling into your neck. "Je t'aime. Tu es l'amour de ma vie et nous vivons d'amour et d'eau fraîche."

"I have no idea what you're saying," you whisper, running your fingers through his hair. "But I like it. Feel free to keep going."

"Tes baisers sont du feu et je fond à ton toucher." He presses his lips to your neck before resuming his mumbled French. "Je pense toujours à toi. Je veux être avec toi pour toujours. Tu as mon cœur et je ne voudrais pas qu'il en soit autrement."

"I like the sound of that." You press a soft, sweet kiss to his forehead. God, that tenderness was why he loved you. That, and your personality, and your eyes, and your… everything. "Dormir, my love. I'll be here to listen to your pretty words in the morning."

The single word of his mother tongue on your lips has him smiling. "Oui, tu le feras. Parce que tu es à moi et je suis à toi."

@seasidetom @flashcal @limp-wrist-max @sunshinesewis @lifeofzoemichael @ninuffi @perfectfantasies22 @lamboleglerg @ladyperceval @0forgottenparadise0 @evie-pr @avsensio @ninuffi @lu-morningstar @ggaslyp1 @swiftyhowlz

Let me know if you'd like to be tagged in future updates!

#pierre gasly #pierre gasly x reader #pierre gasly imagine #formula 1 #formula 1 imagine #f1 #formula 1 fanfiction #formula 1 fantasy #formula 1 fanfic #f1 imagine #my writing #formula 1 fic #f1 fanfic #f1 fanfiction #f1 fic #f1 fantasy #f1 rpf #formula 1 rpf

134 notes · View notes

diamondcitydarlin · 2 years

Text

Reasons why S*lki as a plot choice/pairing sucked that have nothing to do with morality issues against self/incest (this is not for people who like the pairing no matter what, this is not meant to shame people who like it. I have no personal problem with people who enjoy it, just the pairing itself and the way it was written and no I don't want to argue about or debate this because these are already my points):

- It was never necessary, to the point that anyone who wasn't already going to be sold on the idea that I've watched the show with or talked about the show with gets extremely confused when it happens. 'Wait...what...? When was this built up...?' Their dynamic around episode 3 seems to be setting up for a fun sibling or friend/frenemy dynamic that could have worked just as well (if not more successfully), so much so that when they start making eyes at each other at the end it feels like it came out of nowhere- and that's because it did. Because it was based on a male fantasy wish fulfillment subplot that was in the first script before any of these characters had anything to do with Marvel or Loki. That anyone other than Michael could find something redeeming in 'mediocre time travel guy who makes 13 year old boy jokes' / 'kickboxing lady with no other personality than gurl boss and pretending she's not attracted to the main character as she must be for the sake of the writer's wish fulfillment' is a miracle in and of itself.

- Ok I lied this is about self/incest but maybe not the way you think; I'm not going to outright say incest pairing = bad. any anyone who likes it is bad. I watched Game of Thrones and I remember the complex dialogues we had about Jamie and Cersei. I'm not inherently against the depiction of an incestuous relationship, I just think, like with Jamie and Cersei and as with any complex plot, the various complexities of entering into a situation like this need to be dealt with in some way. Where S*lki is concerned, nothing is dealt with. Despite the fact that we never really know where she comes from exactly (tho we definitely see her in Asgard as a child), that we have no answer as to who raised her, if Thor was also her adopted sibling, how much of her and Loki is similar (like twins), despite the fact that her last name does seem to be Laufeysdottir which would suggest she and Loki do in fact share DNA and a biological parent even if it's a different version of him, NONE of that is addressed by any character at any point (Mobius just makes it about how weird it is to fuck onesself, which is another more hypothetical conversation). For me, the ambiguity makes it weirder than if they had just been like "yea we're technically some form of siblings but oh well we love each other" because it just feels like the writers/powers that be wanted a m/f romance sO BAD they just avoided the issues this one inherently brings up. Which, to me, feels creepier. It's not helped by fans insisting that there is no relation of any kind when that's pure headcanon, there is no canon material that definitively says one way or other and interviews don't count because the author is dead and most people are going to be watching the show for clarification and not looking up every dumbass interview Michael has ever given.

-Which brings me to the next point: every justification for them sucks and is not supported by anything substantial in canon. 'Loki is a narcissist of course he would fall in love with himself' Multiple canon sources directly refute that Loki is anything other than self-loathing with a healthy dose of 'pretend I'm confident and endlessly narcissistic to gain an upperhand'. Also 'fall in love with yourself a la narcissus' sounds like a really great nasty, unhealthy, toxic story that I would 100% enjoy, but this is I presume meant to be healthy. And true love. Therein lies the problem.

- Sylvie should have been allowed to exist for a substantial amount of time without having a male love interest (that might be her/her twin/her technical relation) thrust at her for the sake of his man pain. That her story is practically tied in with Loki's issues until the very end is an unnecessary loss, particularly when their relationship and meaningfulness to each other could've easily existed without the underscore / promise of love/sex at the end of the rainbow. Female characters have a long history in media of becoming the fix-it glue for male characters' issues. That Sylvie's romance with Loki was written before even really know who she is says a lot about how things haven't changed much.

- No one has ever said bi men who date women aren't valid. No one has never said bi women who date men aren't valid (I am one lol). What we ARE saying that it's a bit sus when het male writers technically label a character as bisexual and THEN choose to immediately sideline them into a m/f relationship with no intention to explore their attraction to other people and characters. The difference is reality vs a conscious choice made by someone that has no interest in actually prioritizing queer representation in a meaningful way, but absolutely wants kudos for giving us scenes of two men talking intensely in close proximity and for having a character vaguely allude to sleeping with other men.

- Sylvie / B-15 is better. You know it is. I know it is. LOL THIS ONE'S SILLY BUT...also for real. Let's be real here lmao.

#antisylki #is this the right tag?#i really don't want to shit in people's tags im not like that -.-#i actually dont want to debate this i just want to rant with other likeminded people #you're not going to change my mind so please dni if you want to actually debate the issues #ive spoken at length with enough shippers to know this ain't it chief

16 notes · View notes

tomtenadia · 3 years

Text

A Little Braver - ch. 5

So, here is ch. 5 for you all.

We finally get to meet the mysterious man that Aelin was kissing.

Also, the firehouse gets a great news

Enjoy it!

Ten days had passed. Aelin had been discharged from the hospital and allowed to move around in crutches providing she took it easy, a concept totally alien to her. She had gone back to the station as soon as she could do it.

The deadline for the performance review was fast approaching and she had spent the last few days at the station. They only got a week extension so she had offered to help but all she could do was sit and direct the show. Also, working kept her mind off… things… and as in things she meant a certain arsehole who had gone completely awol. She had texted him and never got a reply. Lately every time she tried to phone him she was told that the phone was not available. So she had stopped. He clearly was offended by what she had said. She just wished he had spoken to her, explained why her confession had terrified him so much. Just as she had finally found the resolve to try again after losing Sam, he had gone and ruined everything.

A glove hit her face “planet Earth calls Aelin.”

She refocused for a second and noticed Ansel’s red mane of hair in front of her.

“Dorian is looking for you. He is in your office and Aedion is there already.”

Aelin groaned “can they come to the couch? I am so comfy here.”

“Apparently not.”

“Fine.” She dropped the documents she was revising and grabbed her crutches and pulled herself up.

At snail pace she made her way to her office and once she got there she saw Aedion standing in front of her desk while Dorian had his feet up on it and was sitting relaxed on her comfortable chair.

“I don’t care if you are the chief. First, feet off my desk, second, arse off my chair.”

Dorian moved away and let her sit down and grabbed her crutches.

“So, what is so important that I had to leave my spot on the couch?”

Dorian passed her the documents he was holding, with a grin. He was positive this was going to cheer her up.

“No fucking way. You did it.”

He smiled at her smugly “Not entirely my merit.” He confessed “As you remember, the community protested in front of the government in the aftermath of the embankment accident. They did it just before the budget review was due. The government could not ignore them and what you all did that night. And I guess that the statement from your cheerleader had helped a lot as well.”

“Who?”

“Someone I am not allowed to mention in your presence.”

Aelin stare darkened all of a sudden.

“We are getting a second engine, but that engine needs staff.” She pointed out, her excitement taking a hit “I was just getting to that” added Dorian quite quickly, “Thomas has offered to give you a few men to help staff the second engine. It will have a mixed crew of newbies and experienced staff for a while. Aedion and I thought it was the best way to go.”

Aelin nodded “I want to help interview the candidates. Aedion is busy with drills. I, on the other hand, I have plenty of time.”

“As if I can sideline you. You are the captain after all.” Added Dorian knowing full well that if Aelin had her mind set on a task it was almost impossible to dissuade her.

“I want a bigger female presence. I can’t believe that from all the candidates that graduate from the academy there are no good female firefighters.”

“I can spread the news at the academy and see who applies and go from there.”

“Good.” Aelin relaxed on the chair.

“We have also have been invited to a party thrown by the mayor.”

“You are joking.” Aelin hated that kind of party. She had been to a few and it had been a nightmare.

“There is no escaping it. We have all the be present and dress mess is required.”

“My leg is in a protective support, if I wear dress mess I need to wear the skirt which means heels and can you see where I am going with this?” Aelin protested.

“I guess we can do an exception for you. Wear your regular blue trousers, make sure your boots are shining and wear your uniform shirt with the tie, not the t-shirt. And don’t forget the hat.”

“I can live with that.”

“When is the dreadful event?” Asked Aedion who hated those ceremonies just as much as Aelin.

“This Saturday.”

“We are on night shift, you genius.”

Dorian smiled dangerously “Not anymore. Second team is taking the night shift. Let me remind you that attendance is compulsory and pass the info to the team.”

“Yes, Chief.” And Aelin was very tempted to flip him off, but he was still her boss.

“Lys and Elide are to come as well. They are part of the team.”

“Oh so, no one is immune to this horrible shenanigans. Lovely.” Aelin sat back, still annoyed at the invitation.

“No darling, if I have to suffer, you will all go down with me.” And with that Dorian disappeared behind the door.

“Come on Aedion, let’s go and ruin the team’s day.”

Slowly the two made their way back in the common area where the squad was relaxing. Aedion had put them through a gruelling session of drills in the morning and now they needed time to unwind. No one had taken nicely the fact that the review has been postponed only by a week, but at least they hadn’t asked Aelin to attend as well with a destroyed knee. She would be there of course but on the sidelines.

“Ok, people,” Aelin shouted as she slowly made her way to her team “Brullo, switch off the tv for a minute.”

“That doesn’t sound promising,” complained Ren.

“Where are Lys and Elide?”

“In the ambulance doing inventory.” Replied Nox.

“Ok, can you please go and get them?” She asked him.

He nodded and ran away and got back a few moments later with the two ladies in tow.

“Ladies, sit.”

“Uh oh.” Said Lysandra, sitting on Aedion’s lap.

“Now that everyone is here, I have an announcement.” She smiled wickedly and the team shivered. That was her scary smile “Our esteemed mayor has decided to throw a party this Saturday. Bad news is… we are all invited so that he can show us how he appreciates what we do for the community.”

“Fuck no,” shouted Ansel, while finishing the bowl of cereals she was eating.

“We are on night shift.” Added Brullo.

“No we are not. Dorian gave the shift to second team. We are all free.”

A chorus of very rude words erupted from the team. Yeah, everyone hated those parties.

“Oh and by the way… it has to be dress mess.”

The protests grew louder. Aelin let them vent for a moment before putting an end to it.

“Guys!” She shouted, and the room went quiet “I know none of us like those parties, but my hands are tied. Dorian made it pretty clear that this is mandatory. So, protest how you want but there is no getting out of it.”

The team went back to their protest when Aelin raised her voice again “Did I say I was done?”

The group went silent again.

“The second piece of information is hopefully a bit more welcome.” And she really hoped so “we are getting our second engine.”

The cheers that erupted from the team were of pure joy.

“How did you do it?”

“You have to thank Dorian. He is the one who pulled the trick.” And Rowan apparently. No, she was not going there.

“He really is better than his old man. We have been pleading the old bastard for ages and nothing. A few months in charge and Dorian gives us the second engine. If it wasn’t that I am I straight I’d kiss the guy.” Said Ren happily and everyone laughed.

Good, Aelin thought, they needed the good spirits.

“How will we do for crew?” Asked Ansel.

“Thomas is willing to give us some of his experienced men from one of his engines and take a few newbies. We’ll man the engine with a hybrid crew. Half experienced and half newbies. I need everyone to help with training. Aedion and I will do the main stuff but you guys are involved in this as well. I am out of commission for a while so I can only do classroom training.”

“We’ll help you, cap.” Chimed Nox happily.

Aelin turned to Ansel “I have asked to have a few more ladies in the team.”

“Thanks for that. Far too much testosterone in here.”

Aelin sat back down on the sofa, her knee started to get sore again “We are going to have other women hopefully, just don’t break their hearts.” She told Ansel.

Two of the guys sprayed what they were drinking, Aelin laughed “Oh come on, don’t tell me you had no idea Ansel was swinging on both sides.” Joked Aelin smiling at the woman.

“Both…” asked Brullo still quite shocked.

Ansel drank her coffee very calmly “Men, women, on a few occasion both at the same time.”

Aelin laughed at the expression of the guys.

“Ansel, I think you broke our boys.”

Aelin mobile went off and for a moment she hoped. But that hope had been short lived.

“Give me two minutes,” she said at the person at the phone. She stood and very slowly she made her way back to her office.

Once she got off the phone she stayed in her office to work. Then the dispatch siren went off and she heard the team depart and staying behind broke her heart.

She worked a bit longer but her mind could never fully concentrate. So she decided to do something stupid while the team was out on a call. She booked a taxi and not long after she was in front of the station waiting for her ride.

The driver got her at the airbase pretty quickly. She took out her pass and she hoped it worked even without him about. The man at the main gate let her through after checking her badge. So apparently he had told people she was allowed on the premises. That was a start. Painfully she reached the second check point and a guard approached her. Ok, her luck had already ran out.

“Can I help you, miss?”

“Yes, I am here to see captain Whitethorn.”

The man looked at her with curiosity for a second.

Did she got to the right airbase? As far as she knew there was only one and the first guy let her in.

“I am sorry miss but the captain and his team left a week ago.”

“Left?” Her voice trembled.

“Yes ma’am. They have been recalled and deployed a week ago.”

“Oh.” Was all Aelin managed “Th— thank you.” She turned and made her way back to the exit. Her heart slowly breaking. She sat down on a cement wall and let the sobs come. She took the phone and dialled his number and it went to voicemail “You could have told me. Instead you left. You just left me. Do you really hate me that much?” She sobbed and brushed her hand against her eyes “I hate you and I wish I never met you. Don’t ever bother look for me when you come back… I don’t want to see your face anywhere near my station. I am done with you, captain.” She hung up the phone and lowered her head and kept crying. She was done with men. She was done with pain and a broken heart. It was not worth it.

Eventually she pulled herself upright again and started walking. She had no idea to where, which she then realised that with crutches was a really bad idea. She had to stop a few times, exhaustion taking root. But the pain in her leg was keeping away the pain in her soul. It was much later when she realised she ended up in the west of Orynth and decided to go to west station, perhaps she could bribe the guys to give her a lift back to her firehouse.

Once outside the station, Thomas was the first one who noticed her. He ran to her and Aelin collapsed in his arm.

“Aelin, what are you doing here?’

“I need to sit” was all she managed. He lifted her in his arms and carried her to the section with all the bunk beds. He placed the crutches on the floor and sat on the bed at her side.

“What happened?” He asked when he noticed her puffy eyes “Why are you over here? On your own?”

“I was at the airbase.”

Thomas looked at her in shock “are you telling me that you walked in your condition from the airbase to here?”

Aelin nodded. “Can you give me a lift back?”

“Of course,” he patted her leg “let me go and tell the guys.”

He came back not long after, and lifted her in his arms “Let’s go.”

Once in the car Aelin relaxed and leaned her head against the window.

“Excited about the big night with the Mayor?”

Aelin groaned and Thomas laughed.

“Exactly the reaction my whole team had as well.”

She sighed “Dorian said it’s mandatory and I think for the very first time I have been this close to hit him. But he still is my superior.”

Thomas chuckled “If there is someone who can hit the chief without repercussions is you.”

Aelin turned and looked at him with a questioning stare.

“I mean because you are close. It’s not news that the man is madly in love with you. He might let you off if you beat him. Actually he might even like it.”

This time it was Aelin’s turn to laugh “Dorian and I… nothing ever happened. We are just really good friends. Not even a kiss.”

“So now the news is that you have your eyes set on a certain airforce captain.”

Aelin tensed at those words “You all are a bunch of crazy gossiper, you know that?”

Thomas shrugged “What did he do?”

“I don’t want to talk about him.” Her tone hard and the man at her side realised it was time to shut up. They were at her station anyway.

Aelin noticed the engine was back and she knew she was in trouble. They clearly had noticed her absence. When she decided to look at her phone again she saw a lot of message and missed phone calls from Aedion. Damn, she was screwed.

“Here you are, my lady.”

Aelin leaned over and kissed him on the cheek “thank you so much for the ride.”

“Anytime.” He opened his mouth as if to speak, then stopped and tried again “if you need to talk, I am here. I know you have your friends, but if you prefer to talk with someone who is not around you all day, I am here.”

“You are wonderful.”

He helped her get out of the car, they said goodbye and he drove away again.

Aedion came marching on as soon as he noticed she was back “where the hell have you been? Why don’t you answer your bloody phone? We came back and you were not here, where you were supposed to be.” She felt bad for making them all worry but she did not feel like explaining herself so she just moved past him and in silence she dragged herself to her office and slammed the door shut.

She sat down at her desk and plopped her leg on the spare chair the guys had placed at her side so she could stretch her injured leg, hoping for the pain to subside. She took a few minutes for herself, then texted Lysandra telling her she needed her and Elide.

The two women arrived a few minutes later. They sat on the chair in front of her desk and Aelin knew that Lys was just as mad as Aedion had been.

“Where were you? We came back and you were gone.”

“I went to the airbase.” She confessed, looking outside the window, the sky looked heavy grey and she was positive snow was coming.

“As in the airbase. His airbase.”

Aelin nodded “I needed answers. I needed to know why he left that way. I had to ask him why all this hate.”

“And?”

Aelin felt tears sting her eyes again “he was gone.” She paused “the whole team has been recalled and left for a mission a week ago. No goodbyes. Nothing. He just took off.”

Lysandra stood and ran to hug her friend “what an arsehole.”

Aelin started sobbing again “all I could do was leave him an angry voicemail telling to get away from me forever.”

“I am seriously going to kick his arse.”

Aelin pulled back from the hug “Not worth it remember?”

“We all go to that stupid party and we’ll find you a man there. Perhaps a hot wealthy man.”

Aelin chuckled “You know what, screw it. I’ll remain single all my life and if I want a good time I might ask Ansel.”

The two women laughed “she might take you up on that, you know, right?” Added Lysandra.

“Can we just stop talking about it? Fine he is hot but is he not a nice man. I want to forget that I even contemplated the fact that I had feelings for the bastard.”

“Copy that. I will pass the message along.”

“Have you considered that he might not be able to reply to you because of where he is? Perhaps he is on an aircraft carrier in the middle of the sea.”

Lysandra and Aelin stared at Elide.

“What?” She said shrugging “Lorcan gave me his number, he told me to text him. But he added as well that in the case he was going to leave for a mission not to worry if he did not reply because sometimes their phones don’t work.”

“So you knew they were away?”

“No,” replied the woman lifting her hands “I haven’t heard from him in a while. He is not the greatest of texter and I haven’t spoken to him in a while. I had no idea he was away until now when you told us.”

“Basically airforce boys do not know how to communicate. Got it.” Sarcasm dripping from Aelin’s voice.

Aelin shifted uncomfortably in her chair and Lysandra noticed that.

“Are you okay.”

“Just my leg, bothering me like hell today.”

“Sure, if you only just didn’t walk from the airbase to west station…”

Dispatch alarm went off and the two ladies ran out as the ambulance was needed.

Aelin tried going back to work but her brain was not there.

Out of boredom and curiosity and probably a deep desire for punishment she looked up the captain online. The search engine brought up a page about him. He was only two years older than her. Native of Wendlyn but moved to Terrasen when he was quite young for his father’s job. According to the article he climbed the ranks quite quickly and was thought to be one of the most promising captain in the TAF in a very long time.

“Nerd.” She joked.

Then she scrolled down to personal life and she got even more curious but froze when she read the paragraph.

Fuck.

The man had been married. His pregnant wife had died in a car accident over a year and a half before. She opened the link to the newspaper article about the accident and noticed the picture of the accident site. Her eyes fell on one detail of the image and swore.

She stood and wobbling she went to the file cabinet where she kept the reports for the old cases. She found the one she needed and sat back down. Lyria Whitethorn, that was the name of the woman. She had a look through the case file. She did remember it. It had snowed heavily and the road and had been icy and pretty bad in some areas of town. That accident had been horrendous and it had involved quite a few cars. Lyria’s car had been stuck under a lorry. According to the police it seemed like it had lost control and smashed under the lorry that had crashed against the barriers at the side of the road. She died on impact. It had been an horrendous night. They spent hours working under the snow and only one person had come out alive from that disaster.

She leaned back and felt tears running down her face. They had one big thing in common. They both had lost someone they loved. And all of a sudden it hit her. His reaction. His fear. And for a moment contemplated that he was just as scared as her to get involved again. She closed the file and grabbed her head in her hands. How badly had she fucked up?

She took her phone and dialled his number. The number was not available and she left him a voicemail message again “Hey it’s me again. I know you are away and probably can’t get this message. If you listen to the old one as well, just ignore it. I was mad. I did not mean it. I… just… let’s just talk when you get back. Please. Be safe, okay?”

She leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes and cried for both of them, for what they had lost and for the fear of committing again.

Saturday eventually arrived and Aelin was at home getting ready for the party. Lysandra and Elide had joined her since Lys was going to drive them all.

Aelin had been in a bad mood since her discovery about Rowan but had not told anyone about it. To do so would mean reveal his secret and she could not to do that. It was far too personal.

“You’d think that being barely able to walk would excuse me from such horrible events.” She growled while tying her tie.

“You have been in a funk for a few days. Are you okay?” Lysandra had noticed her bad mood.

“Fine.” She snapped. “I am sorry…”

“Just don’t piss off any politicians, okay? We need them.”

Aelin sighed “I will behave.”

They arrived at the venue not long after and they noticed the already high number of cars present.

“Are we too late to bail?” Asked Elide who had been uncomfortable as well at the idea.

“Unless you want Dorian to rip you a new one, I would leave aside that plan for now.”

The three women made their way to the main entrance where someone checked their names against a list. Aelin for a moment hoped that someone had messed up and forgot to add them.

But that hope died quickly when the man greeted them a bit too happily.

“Ok, are we ready?” Said Aelin gathering the courage she needed to face such a horrible night.

They entered the venue and the notes of classical music hit them.

“At least they have great taste in music.” Commented Aelin staring at the great hall.

Dorian spotted them from the distance and walked to them with a brisk pace “Ladies, you made it. wonderful. Go, mingle, have fun. There’s plenty of food.” He grabbed Aelin’s hand “You come with me. The mayor wants to meet you.”

“What?” Blurted Aelin, sweating cold all of a sudden.

“The mayor would like to speak with you. He met Thomas already. Now it’s your turn.”

“I am not speaking to the mayor.”

“Aelin… this is an order from your superior.”

The woman growled back “Oh, so pulling rank, now?”

“Come,” he repeated.

Aelin turned to Lysandra and Elide “if I don’t come back soon, please come and get me. I love you both.”

Dorian rolled his eyes and he started walking and Aelin followed behind.

Eventually they arrived where the mayor was entertaining some guest and Aelin wanted to turn away, but Dorian sensed her intentions and placed a hand on her lower back in warning.

“Ah, Dorian, I see you have captain Galathynius with you. Wonderful.”

Aelin leaned on one crutch and extended her hand to the man “please to meet you sir.”

“The honour is mine captain. And thank you for coming even in your conditions.”

As if I had a choice and she looked at Dorian glaring at him.

“I just wanted to offer my thank you in person for what you do in the community and what you did the night of the embankment accident.”

“The community comes first.” She commented and Dorian gently nudged her sides at her comment.

“You are absolutely correct, captain. I am aware that you will be getting a second engine at east station, I hope this is a welcomed news.”

Aelin smiled “Very much sir. It has been a long time coming and we are very excited.”

“This is my email,” he gave her a business card “email me. Any idea, concerns or anything else related to your job. I will do my best to make it happen.”

Aelin took the card and was speechless.

“Now unfortunately being the host forces me to go around and be pleasant with all these strangers. I don’t think there is alcohol enough to survive such an evening.”

He gave her a huge grin, waved at Dorian and walked away.

“Are we sure that was the mayor?”

Dorian nodded dumbfounded.

“Do you think he was drunk?”

Dorian shrugged, just as confused as her “Just don’t loose that card.” The man then left her and she had a moment alone to look around and enjoy the music. She hadn’t been at a classical concert in a lifetime and missed it. Or at the opera. She wanted to go to the opera again.

She had her eyes closed when she perceived a figure at her side. She opened her eyes again and noticed it was Thomas, looking at her in a curious way “Hey you.”

She looked at him and froze. The man in front of her was gorgeous. She was used to see him in his everyday uniform or the fire gear, and his hair tied and under an helmet. She almost did not recognise him. He had his dress mess uniform on, and his hair was free and she discovered it reached his shoulders.

“I almost did not recognise you there.”

He grinned “I know, without soot and dirt on me it must be a challenge.”

She smiled back at him.

“How is your night going?” He asked, moving closer to her.

“Counting the minutes until Dorian tells me it’s okay to go home.”

She shuffled in her position and he placed a hand on her back “you should sit down.”

“Does this place have a balcony?”

Thomas grinned “Follow me, m’lady.”

“Did you meet the mayor?” She asked as they started walking.

“I did.”

“And?”

“He gave me his business card and told me to tell me if there was anything we needed.” He made his way through the crowd.

“Me too. I am going to email him and ask a bucket load of expensive equipment.”

“I have my wish-list ready.” Thomas commented smiling wickedly.

They arrived at the balcony and once there Aelin leaned heavily against the wall.

“Are you okay?” Suddenly Aelin noticed their proximity. Thomas was right in front of her.

“I am fine.”

“Want something to drink?”

“Please. Wine if they have it.”

He smiled and she noticed his dimples appear “I’ll be right back.” And she felt her face flush hot.

What was happening to her? Why all of a sudden she was attracted to him?

She saw Lys walking by and waved at her.

“What are doing here?”

“Hiding.” She said hurriedly “I have a problem.”

“What did you do?”

“I want to do something stupid.”

“As in?”

“Thomas.” She explained.

Lysandra looked at her friend with a puzzled face.

“As in he is the one one I want to … do”

“Holy fuck,” she exclaimed almost spilling all her wine on her uniform.

“How?”

Aelin looked up “I don’t know. He was here, he was nice, he smiled and I just… have you seen him tonight?”

“No I was with Aedion and the guys.”

“I don’t know what to do.”

“Don’t do… anything.” Then she moved away “he is coming back.”

Thomas came back with the drinks and placed them on the ledge beside them.

She had known and worked with the other captain for a very long time. They had gone through the academy together. And never, not once she had ever felt a smidge of attraction for him.

He leaned against the wall just beside her, shoulders brushing gently “is your team ready for the performance review?”

Aelin nodded “Yes, Aedion and I are going through as many different scenarios as possible. They are ready. But I hate that I will have to stare from the sidelines.” She told him “How did yours go?”

Thomas drank some wine “We had a few bad moments. My newbie fucked up a couple of things and threw the whole team off track for a moment but they did recover splendidly. Manon was the best in our individual challenge.”

“Ohh I like her. Can I please get her and Asterin for my new engine?”

“We’ll see.” The man gave her a wide smile that made his dimples come back.

She pinched his side and he grabbed her hands to block her. She stopped and stared at him for a moment and then they both moved at the same time. Their lips met and he pushed her against the wall and she left her crutches fall on the ground. His hand behind her back to hold her up. The kiss deepened and Aelin opened for him and a small moan escaped her.

“Oh shit.” Said a voice at her side and Aelin recognised Lysandra and Aedion at her side.

She and Thomas broke apart quickly. Thomas coughed embarrassed, looked at Aelin and excused himself.

“What the fuck was that?”

Aelin’s hand went to her mouth, her lips still swollen by the kiss.

Aedion kneeled to pick up her crutches and passed them to her.

In that instant the rest of the team arrived.

“Why is everyone out here? It’s cold.”

“Aedion and I just discovered Aelin making out with Thomas.”

“Do you mean captain Hamilton?” Asked Brullo.

“I thought you liked the silver haired fox.” Added Ansel.

“Are you and Thomas a thing now?” This time it was Ren.

“I don’t know okay?” Aelin shouted, frustration rising “It happened.”

“You… happened to trip on his lips?” Nox gave her a smug smile and Aelin would have stormed out if she hadn’t been on crutches.

Aelin placed the glass back on the ledge and started to walk away. Lysandra caught up with her “I am sorry. It just came out.”

“Lys, I don’t care.”

The woman grabbed her arm “Aelin, please…”

“What? I don’t know what I was doing okay? We kissed. And I don’t understand my feelings anymore.” She leaned against the wall, her knee throbbing with pain “I haven’t known my feelings since Sam died.” She sniffled “I work. I throw myself into work because that it’s when I do not think that he is gone from my life.” She closed her eyes and tried to put all her pain back “it just felt nice for a moment to have that again. And I know I am sounding like a pathetic mess… I don’t know why I did it.” Aelin sobbed “I am so tired of hurting.” A tear appeared at the corner of her eyes “you have Aedion. I don’t have anyone.”

Lysandra hugged her friend “I am so sorry.”

Aelin leaned into her friend “we are fine.” She pulled back “but I am going home. I am in a ton of pain and I really want to lie down.”

“I’ll tell Dorian if he starts looking for you.”

“We are off tomorrow. Fancy a girls day? We can invite Elide and Ansel.”

“Yeah. Yeah, please.”

“Good,” Lys patted her shoulder “now go home and relax.”

She was outside ready to call a taxi when she heard a voice calling her. She turned and saw Thomas running to her.

“Aelin,” he stopped in front of her “I am sorry. I have no idea what got into me. I was there and all of a sudden I wanted to kiss you.”

She turned to him and moved closer enough to kiss him. His hand slipped to her waist and pulled her closer. She melted in his arms and felt his hand caressing her back.

“I was going home.” She said against his lips.

“I can’t let you piss off Havilliard on your own.”

She kissed him again and then detached so he could call a taxi.

Their ride home arrived not long after and the journey to Aelin’s flat was not too long.

They made it to her flat and he lifted her in his arms and walked to the bedroom. He dropped her on the bed and leaned on top of her and kissed her deeply, his hands trailing on the sides of her body and Aelin leaned into the touch. Her hand trailed up to his face and then fisted into his golden hair and pulled him down for another kiss. Maybe it was a mistake but she could not care.

Slowly he started to unbutton her shirt and Aelin did the same for him and not long after they were both naked and Aelin stared at his body and realised the man was so incredibly well built.

“You will have to lead the dances, captain.” He lowered himself again over her and kissed her in a way that made her forget all the pain and hurt.

It was later, after their adventure in bed.

Aelin smiled at him satisfied. The man had skills and for a while he made her forget the real reason why that night she had searched for comfort in him.

They were now sitting in bed, their back against the headboard and the blanket covering them up.

“Did we just mess up our friendship?” He asked turning to her “I am not complaining I just…”

She sighed at his side “I think we did it for the wrong reasons.”

He agreed “Epically awesome rebound sex?”

Aelin nodded and Thomas turned to her “you are stunning though, and if the captain can’t see it, well, it’s his loss.”

“You are a sweet man” and she caressed his face “and your ex is a bitch.” She grabbed his arm and pulled him down, “fancy watching stupid movies? We can also order in. There’s a place round the corner that stays open till late. I had no food at that stupid party.”

“I’ll get the beers.” He said getting off the bed and putting his briefs back on.

Aelin grabbed a discarded t-shirt “I’ll order the food.”

He came back with the beers and offered one to her “to our own party.”

They clinked the bottles and went to camp on the sofa.

TAGs:

@rowaelinismyotp

@swankii-art-teacher

@courtofjurdan

#rowaelin #rowan whitethorn #aelin galythinius #rowan x aelin #aedion x lysandra #fanfic #Throne of Glass series

74 notes · View notes

p-artsypants · 3 years

Text

The Ghost of Smokey Joe (6)

St. James Infirmary

Adrien Agreste was acting bizarre. Before she can get the truth out of him, Marinette finds herself as the sole heir to the Gabriel brand and the mansion, following the murder-suicide of both Adrien and Gabriel Agreste. The mystery continues as Tikki explains that Adrien was Chat Noir...but if Adrien is six feet under, why is Chat Noir still running around?

Relationships:

Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug

Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe

Characters:

Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Alya Césaire, Nino Lahiffe, Nathalie Sancoeur, Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth

Additional Tags:

Temporary Character Death, Murder Mystery, off screen murder, Ghosts, Supernatural - Freeform, Haunting, Horror, Psychological Thriller, Eventual Happy Ending, I promise, Song fic, Halloween Flavored, Identity Reveal, Aged Up, Canon Universe, Mabel Voice: He's Resting, SPOOOKKKYYYYYY

Ao3 | FF.net

The night of the visitation, it rained. Like a kick to the gut, a painful reminder of what it was like to fall in love…now was only a soothing presence to losing love.

The old umbrella in her hand didn’t help either. It was his. Adrien’s. The very same he gave her that day over ten years ago.

Marinette had agonized over what to wear for too long. It was a wake, so black, right? She had this outfit picked out and everything. A sharp blazer over her little black cocktail dress, with black pumps. Even though it was a wake, it was a wake for her boss, one of the most influential fashion moguls in the world, and she would be taking his place. She had to look her best.

But then, she changed her mind. It was a social event, yes, and she would be in the public eye and representing the brand, true!

But it felt gross.

The cocktail dress was too sexy for a wake, and wearing that much black made her look goth.

It just wasn’t right.

Then she saw the dress. A rose pink, knee length dress that flared out as it went down. It had little black polka dots on it.

And it was Adrien’s favorite. He said so every time she wore it.

Too peppy for a wake. Too casual, too fun and flirty. But a black cardigan over it, and she felt perfect.

She could almost hear his voice as she posed in the mirror.

“I love that dress on you. You look so cute, Marinette.”

It made tears spring to her eyes.

So no makeup then. Because she knew she would be crying a lot more tonight.

“Don’t forget to pack tissues,” Tikki reminded, helpfully.

“Right, thank you, Tikki.” She tucked the little package in her purse.

With one last pass of the brush through her hair, she was ready.

So now she stood outside of the manor, the gate open.

Well folks, I'm goin' down to St. James Infirmary

See my little baby there

She's stretched out on a long, white table

Well she looks so good, so cold, so fair

The paparazzi stood nearby with their cameras, ready to swoop in like vultures.

She must have paused for too long, because they descended on her quickly, shoving mics in her face and asking questions.

Didn’t they know why she was here? Didn’t they know what she was going through?

An arm reached around her shoulders and started leading her forward. “Alright everyone, that’s enough! Can’t you see she’s not in the mood?” Her rescuer shouted.

The reporters didn’t pass through the gate, as that would have been trespassing. So thankfully, the crowd was left behind as they moved forward.

“Thank you,” she said to the unfamiliar man.

“Of course, Miss Dupain-Cheng.” He nodded.

“You know me?”

“I know of you. Head intern to Gabriel Agreste himself, if I’m not mistaken. I’m from Harper’s Bazaar.”

“Oh...a reporter.”

“Yes, but I really was just here as a guest to pay my respects. I’ve interviewed both Gabriel and Adrien a few times.”

“I see.”

He led her into the house.

Let her go, let her go, God bless her,

Wherever she may be,

She will search this wide world over,

But she'll never find another sweet man like me.

She was early, as Nathalie had instructed. No other guests were here. Just funeral staff, some family, and two steel caskets.

Two steel closed caskets.

Might make retrieving Adrien’s ring a bit of a problem, but not seeing his face…cold, motionless, and waxy would keep her somewhat sane.

The man walked with her right up to the casket, the one with Adrien’s picture next to it.

“It’s a shame. That much skill, the absolute genius spread between the two of them. The world as a whole will never be the same.”

“Yeah.”

“Any idea what’s going to happen next? Not that this is an interview, I’m just curious.”

She shrugged, “well, I’ve been offered the position, and everyone wants me to take it...but it’s so…”

“Overwhelming?”

“Yes.” She rested her hand on the casket. “I wish I could have a moment alone with him.”

“Let me see what I can do.” He smiled, then he called louder, to the room. “The lady would like a few minutes alone, if possible.”

“Is she family?” A staff member asked.

“This is Madam Dupain-Cheng, she’s the successor to Gabriel’s empire. She’s practically family!”

There was no arguing with that, and the group of staff members filed out into the adjacent dining room.

“Thank you,” Marinette called to the man, still not getting his name.

“Don’t worry about it darling.” And he followed them out.

Marinette glanced around the room, just to make sure she was alone. “Tikki?”

“I’m here!”

“I need you to keep watch.” The casket had two doors, one on top that would have been open if this was a regular visitation, and one over the legs. She slid the flower arrangement on top over to the bottom section and ran her hand over the edge. She pulled up slightly, and as she feared, it was sealed.

“It’s locked,” she lamented.

“Let me try!” Tikki zipped around the casket, and a moment later, it clicked and the cap opened ever so slightly.

Marinette took a deep breath as her fingers curled under the lip.

“What are you waiting for?”

“Just…I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to see what he looks like. I don’t want to…” but she put her reservations on hold, and pushed the lid up.

She choked out a startled gasp. “Oh no…”

Now, when I die, bury me in my straight-leg britches,

Put on a box-back coat and a stetson hat,

Put a twenty-dollar gold piece on my watch chain,

So you can let all the boys know I died standing pat.

Instead of the mangled body of her true love, there was only a pile of sandbags.

Tikki, also horrified, went over to Gabriel’s casket and phased inside. Then she popped out, “this one is the same!”

Marinette closed the lid and moved the flowers back into place, her mind moving at a mile a minute. Vaguely, she heard the click of the casket as Tikki put it to rights.

Marinette was panicking, but quickly calmed herself down. This didn’t mean anything malicious, not yet. Maybe they were cremated and the family wanted to keep it a secret. Or because there’s no graveside service, their bodies had already been buried.

Who was she kidding, something was definitely going on.

A mystery that was just aching to be solved, but her first priority was to retrieve Adrien’s ring.

“--A moment alone!” A voice shouted from the dining room.

Marinette whirled around in time to see Felix storming towards her. Did he know? Was she caught?

He brushed past her, “move.” And went directly to the casket, grabbing the lip like she had.

“Please sir! You’ll damage the casket!” One of the funeral home staff rushed and grasped Felix by the shoulder. “It’s shut and locked, it can’t be opened again.”

“I didn’t get to say goodbye!” Felix snarled. “Look at him!” He pointed at the photo on display next to the casket. “He has my face! I deserve to see him one last time!”

“Sir...he doesn’t look like that anymore. It would be very disturbing to see his remains.”

Disturbing indeed, considering Adrien wasn’t in there at all.

Amelie was quick to join the group and she consoled her son. “We talked about this. You knew it was going to be a closed casket.”

“They said the family had time alone. I just...wanted to say goodbye, face to face.” He shook his head and scowled. “He deserved that, at least.”

Marinette made herself small, feeling like an intruder in this family crisis. But Amelie still saw her and brought her in for a hug.

“How are you holding up, dear?” She asked, pulling away slightly.

“I’m…I’ve been better.”

“Of course, I’m so sorry for your loss.”

Marinette had met Amelie and Felix more than a few times working at Gabriel. As the years went on, they came to visit more and more often. Amelie was always insistent that she call her ‘Aunt Amelie’ like Adrien. It felt weird to break the habit now.

“Isn’t pink a little too festive for the occasion?” Felix bit. The red from anger in his cheeks had faded. Now he just sounded bitter.

It was Adrien’s voice…but not. It was a shame Felix sounded so much like him.

He looked just like him too, minus the slicked back hair and glasses.

“Adrien really loved this dress,” Marinette whispered. “I know it’s not—I just—“

His face softened slightly, relieved that she had Adrien in mind, and not fashion. “Sounds fine to me.”

Even after the disastrous first encounter they had, Felix and Marinette never became friends. He and Adrien certainly got along, or at least appeared to, but Felix and Marinette were only ever cordial.

It was a wake, after all. He should be nice. He gave her a small smile, one that looked eerily similar to Adrien’s.

Before she could stop herself, she was hugging him.

He didn’t smell like Adrien at all. He smelled like clean cat litter and laundry detergent, not spicy cologne and the smallest hint of cheese. Belatedly, she realized the cheese smell was probably Plagg’s doing.

“Uh…” He said awkwardly, before sighing and patting her on the back.

“I’m sorry,” she pulled away. “Even though…” she trailed off with a blush, embarrassed with what she had done. “You just look like him.”

“I know,” he shrugged. “I worried about coming. I’m prepared for people to see me and burst into tears. Or hug me, like you did. I get it. As much as I would like otherwise, I’m willing to tolerate it for today.”

“That’s kind of you.”

His face softened further. “You loved him, didn’t you?”

Amelie gasped. “Felix! You can’t just ask things like that!”

“It’s okay,” Marinette assured, hugging herself. “You’re right. I was—am. I still love him, even though he’s gone.”

“And…you know what happened?”

She nodded. “It sucks. And I really wish I could allow one terrible action to wipe everything away…but I knew him. These last two weeks he wasn’t himself. He was cruel to me in a way I had never seen. It just…it wasn’t Adrien.”

Felix gave her a critical look. “I always assumed my cousin couldn’t hurt a fly. It’s…bizarre, what happened.”

“It’s not public knowledge,” Amelie reminded. “And it should stay that way.”

“Who are we protecting by lying about it? The ‘Brand’? The family? Adrien himself?”

“What are they saying, anyway?” Asked Marinette.

“They’re saying both Adrien and Gabriel died from an in-home accident.”

“Vague,” said Felix. “Suspicious.”

“But better than ‘unknown causes’ at least,” said Marinette. “Maybe it’s selfish, but I want Adrien to be remembered for all the good he did…” As Chat Noir, her brain added, “and not the demons he faced in the end.”

“Still, I can’t help but wonder what made him snap,” he mused, looking at Marinette. “Do you have any idea what may have caused it?”

Her mind went back to two weeks, when he had asked her to dinner. He was nervous, and told her he had something to tell her.

And then that phone call a few nights ago. What had he said? Something about the basement?

“I’m…not sure. I’d have to think about it.”

“Perhaps you two could consider this mystery another day? Not during the visitation?” Amelie urged.

“Sorry mom, you’re right.” He glanced back at Marinette. “If you have anything on this, I’d love to hear it. I care deeply for Adrien, and honestly, I’m highly suspicious of these circumstances.”

Amelie huffed. “Darling, you heard Nathalie, what she saw, what the police found, it’s pretty cut and dry…”

“People don’t just murder their father’s for no reason! Especially with supposedly flawless mental health!”

The room grew quiet, as Felix’s outburst was louder than intended. Thankfully, guests had yet to arrive.

“Sorry. This whole thing…I’ve had enough of death in this lifetime.” He cleared his throat. “I need some water.”

When he left, Amelie squeezed her shoulder. “Don’t let Felix get to you. It’s just hard for him. He has so much in common with Adrien, it’s a little scary for him.”

Oh. That made sense. Fear he’d snap too?

“It was sudden for everyone. We’re all going through it.”

“They said you were having a moment alone with Adrien. I'll let you get back to it.” She squeezed her shoulder and left her in peace.

So now Marinette was left to wonder what she could possibly do. Where to even start? She didn’t need anymore time with an empty casket.

An' give me six crap shooting pall bearers,

Let a chorus girl sing me a song.

Put a red hot jazz band at the top of my head

So we can raise Hallelujah as we go along.

There were a few more guests now, but it was still a little early. She saw a man in a suit arranging flowers. He had a name tag on his lapel.

As casual as she could, she snuck over to him. “Excuse me, are you the funeral director by chance?”

“Oh? Yes I am. Bill Hunkerson, at your service. How can I help?”

She had to phrase this very carefully, to not be suspicious. “I’m a very close friend of Adrien’s. He was wearing a silver ring when he died. It doesn’t actually belong to him, and I was wondering if I could have it back.”

The man turned pale, but plastered on a smile. “Well, he’s probably wearing it now. Unfortunately, after we close the casket, we can’t open it again.”

She knew that was a big fat lie. And Marinette hated liars.

She lowered her voice. “Well, since his body isn’t actually in the casket, it shouldn’t be that hard, should it?”

The man stared at her, wide eyed, no longer smiling. “How did you—“ He frowned. “Look miss, I’m just doing what I’m paid for. I don’t know anything. That ring is probably gone forever, and I’d stop this search now.” He straightened his tie and bowed his head slightly. “If you’ll excuse me.”

Marinette opened her purse when she was alone. “I don’t know about you, Tikki, but I’ve got a bunch of red flags and alarm bells going off inside my head.”

“This isn’t good! We need to get that ring!”

“We need to find out what happened to Adrien’s body!”

“Yes, of course, that too!”

Marinette gnawed at the inside of her cheek. “Hey, no offense to Plagg, but wouldn’t he know to bring the ring back to me? If he can’t remove it, then wouldn’t he come tell me about it?”

Tikki’s eyes widened. “You’re right! If he died under normal circumstances, yes…but if he was transformed when he died…”

“Then what?”

“Plagg probably would be forced back into the ring. That’s probably why he didn’t come!”

“Now I’m even more worried and confused.” Marinette crossed her arms. “What if Adrien isn’t actually dead?”

“What do you mean?”

“What if…he ran away? And Gabriel made it out like he died? What if Gabriel’s still alive too?”

“It’s a theory, but I don’t know how well it will hold water.”

She studied the room again, trying not to draw attention to herself. She was supposed to be grieving after all.

Felix sat in the chairs over by the stairs, his back to the growing crowd.

Even if they didn’t really get along, two skeptics working together would be better than each on their own.

“Do you mind if I join you?” She asked.

“I suppose not.” He sighed.

Marinette sat in the chair next to him, and sat quietly for a moment, trying to decide how to proceed. She didn’t want to reveal her whole hand, but maybe playing a few cards would be to her advantage.

Felix beat her to it. He let out a weak chuckle. “I hate this family.”

What an awful thing to say at wake. “Why’s that?” She asked calmly.

“They die too quickly. It sounds so awful, I know. But it’s just my mother and I now. Grandparents are long gone, then my Aunt Emilie, then my father, and now them. It sucks and I’m sick of stupid funerals.”

“It must be hard. I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, well...I’m a pro at it now.” He was resting his cheek on his hand, and was staring at the corner of a wall, just pointedly avoiding eye contact. Still, she could see he had red in his eyes. Though she chose to ignore it. Felix seemed to be the type to hide his tears.

“You know...the last time I talked to Adrien, he told me to check the basement.”

This piqued Felix’s curiosity enough for him to look at her. “Basement? What basement?”

“I suppose here, but I haven’t had the chance to, since you know…all this going on.”

“That doesn’t make any sense. I used to come to this house all the time. It doesn’t have a basement.”

“So…maybe at the company?”

“Could be. I wouldn’t know.”

“Okay, I just wondered...since you were family…”

He growled. “Yeah, some family.”

“Do you...want to talk about it?” She offered, really hoping he would take the bait.

He chuckled again, no humor in his tone. “Might as well, no one around left to hide things from.” He leaned back in the chair. “Gabriel is...was a very private person. I tried to love him, since he was my uncle, but he did a very good job at keeping us at a distance. Adrien was the opposite. We talked often, even when his mom and my dad died and things got rough. Sometimes, it didn’t feel like we were welcomed here. But Adrien so wanted a connection. I could feel it in his hugs when we visited. He was starving, Marinette.”

Marinette willed herself not to start crying.

“Mom and I were told by Nathalie that Adrien and Gabriel were caught in a murder-suicide, as enacted by Adrien, early in the morning on the 23rd.”

“Did she tell you where the murder-suicide happened?”

“Nope, just that it happened in this house. As the only living relatives, she asked if we could come and help with the funeral arrangements.”

“Were you involved in all of it?”

“I thought mom and I did all of it together, but there was one thing that Nathalie insisted on and wouldn’t budge.”

“What’s that?”

“Gabriel is going to be interred in the Agreste family mausoleum, but Adrien…” he sighed with disgust. “As punishment, he’s getting an unmarked grave.”

“What!?”

“That was the compromise. The truth about the murder-suicide, which I am believing less and less, would be withheld from the public as long as Adrien was…effectively erased from the family line.”

She couldn’t help the tears that burst forth. “But that’s not fair! He didn’t do anything wrong! He couldn’t’ve!”

“Yeah kid, I know. I agree.” He scowled. “It makes me sick. I hate it. Adrien was suffering in life, and now he’s going to suffer in death.”

“You don’t think he did it?”

“Do you?”

She shook her head. “I can’t. I know what’s been said, and what people saw...but it just can’t be true.” And she had evidence to prove it, in the form of that empty casket.

“You won’t mention I said any of this to my mom, right? She’s also having a hard time, but she tells me I’m in denial.”

“I won’t say a word.”

Folks, now that you have heard my story,

Say, boy, hand me another shot of that booze;

If anyone should ask you,

Tell 'em I've got those St. James Infirmary blues.

I’m not sure about next week’s update. I’m going camping and I don't know what the wifi will be like. Fingers crossed!

#ml #miraculous ladybug #the ghost of Smokey Joe #fanfiction #adrienette #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste

17 notes · View notes

jinmindeulle · 3 years

Text

hot chocolate | jyh (1)

part 1/3

𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 jeong yunho x reader, yang hongseok x reader

𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕 2.4 k

𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆 angst, fluff / enemies to lovers au, tv news au, newsanchor!yunho x newsanchor!reader

𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 mentions of sex and cursing

main masterlist | ateez masterlist

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ 　˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚　 ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚

“Taeki is retiring”

Y/n snapped her head towards her co-worker, choking a little with the last bite of her lunch “Are you serious?”

“Yep” Minsoo nodded “They are even throwing him a surprise farewell party or something like that. Hyunsung is sending everyone a message, so you’ll probably receive one”

Just as she finished her sentence, y/n’s phone vibrated in her pocket, signalling she had indeed received one “You’re right” she responded, staring at the invitation like it was a lottery winning ticket “And who is replacing him?”

“No idea, but I guess we’ll know in a few hours” she shrugged, and finished her sandwich “Ready to go back?”

Standing up from her seat, y/n followed Minsoo out of the restaurant, continuing their conversation about how insufferable their boss had been the last month because of that new forecast lady who was still adapting to the Seoul Morning News. But her mind was elsewhere now.

She had always dreamt about being a news anchor. Ever since she was little, she admired those people on the T.V. who knew a lot about what was going on, and was fascinated with how fast they talked and never messed up. She had always enjoyed watching the same beautiful lady sitting on her fancy desk, wearing trendy clothing and styling her hair accordingly. Her make up was always on point and the smile that she wore on her face made little y/n feel as happy as she (supposedly) was.

So hearing that there was a vacant for the job of her dreams was something to be excited for. It was not like she didn’t like her current job, of course not. Developing the stories that Taeki presented every morning was a big deal. She liked to do her research and bring the public different views about diverse topics, stories that could make them reflect on their own lives, or just to make them aware of crucial matters like climate change, her latest report. But that didn’t change the fact that she was made to be in front of the camera. Her bright smile and outgoing personality made it clear from the start, and every co-worker of hers knew that sooner or later, she would end up being the morning news’ anchor.

“As you may have already heard, our news anchor Taeki is about to retire”

Every Friday, Mr. Jung held a meeting in the conference room with every department. Even though the Seoul Morning News had always worked well and rarely gone through rating issues, Mr. Jung believed that with no unity, the programme would rapidly fall from grace. These recurrent reunions were basically to inform everyone about what was going on in their own department and what was about to happen the following week in terms of interviews, reports and mini-documentaries.

“Next week is his last one here, so naturally we are looking for a replacement”

Y/n felt how Minsoo’s elbow pocked her side with enthusiasm, and she looked at the woman with wide eyes to make her stop.

“Sorry” she whispered “It’s just that Jaehyun is looking at you again. I think he fell in love” Minsoo giggled.

Y/n wished he just stopped for once and for all. Yeah, it had been a fantastic experience. Nothing would make her forget how good she had felt under his gorgeous body, under his hot touch and sweet scent. But it had been just that, a one-night-thing only. And she didn’t do one-night-things more than once with the same man, except for Hongseok. She would never get tired of him. But Jaehyun was another matter, and apparently he didn’t understand it, or maybe he didn’t want to understand it.

“…that’s why I have decided to propose the job to some of you whom I believe would be the best replacement. Of course you will have some tasks to develop, as well as some interviews and you’ll be tried”

Y/n quickly forgot about the burning look that Jaehyun was giving her upon hearing her boss’ announcement. Her heart started pounding on her ears, and her hands felt sweaty in a matter of seconds.

“Every director of each department have proposed candidates for the job and two names were always included in those lists. I know you all, and I am aware of who has potential for this job. That’s why I have decided to give the opportunity to both of them”

Her heart sunk. Her chance of being one of those two candidates was too slim. The number of people working for the Seoul Morning News was abominable, and off the top of her head she could name at least twenty people who would fit the job perfectly.

“I don’t want to waste more time. Jeong Yunho, from the Sports Department. Lee Y/n, from the Daily Reports Department. You are our candidates. May the best win” Mr. Jung grinned.

The girl’s eyes watered as soon as she heard her name leave her boss’ lips. Her surroundings felt like being on slow-motion. Some of her friends in other departments cheered for her from afar, clapping with passion and waving at her. Those who were around her congratulated her with smiles, some of them with envious eyes. It was too much for her to process. But that was not the whole issue.

She was competing against Jeong Yunho. The it boy from Sports, the man that every one loved and admired because of his intelligence, his fresh, easy-going personality, his perfect, bright smile and beautiful eyes. Jeong Yunho, her eternal enemy, who was looking at her from his seat with a lopsided grin and mocking eyes.

“So that’s why you were so eager to see me, huh?”

“I needed to celebrate” she giggled, making herself comfortable against Hongseok’s warm, naked chest.

“I always knew you were going to be the next Seoul Morning News’ anchor” he responded with a hoarse mumble, bringing her closer to his body and letting her tangle her legs with his.

“I’m not it yet” she sighed, drawing circles on Hongseok’s pectoral with her index finger.

“But you will be” he kissed her temple.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about it, Hong. You know Jeong Yunho. He’s going to try to destroy me if that gets him the job. He was always like that on college, especially when we were competing”

Hongseok stayed silent for a while, and if he hadn’t kept caressing her exposed lower back she would have thought he had fallen asleep “But you are as good as he is, if not better. I know him, yes, but I also know you. You are the perfect person for that job and your boss knows it. So don’t doubt yourself, okay, Y/n? Just trust the process and you’ll see”

“Can I kiss you for that?” she lifted her head from his chest and smirked at Hongseok, who quickly brought her head closer with his arm and sealed their lips together.

“I will never understand how you go about your life like that knowing that you can have Hongseok as more than just a hook-up but you don’t do anything about it” Minsoo murmured to y/n right after waving Hongseok goodbye.

Y/n shrugged, fixing her already messy bangs “I guess I am not used to commitment. I mean, we see each other more than I see my family really. But you know that I don’t just do sex with him, right?”

“What? Do you go on dates and kiss each other goodnight with your friend-with-benefits?” Minsoo chuckled, stopping by the elevator and waiting for it to come.

“I wouldn’t call them dates, but we do kiss” y/n mumbled, playing with the end of her red dress.

“You kiss Ho-?!” her friend screamed, and y/n had to put her hand over Minsoo’s mouth to shush her before he could hear them from her apartment “Friends with benefits don’t do that, y/n!” now inside the elevator and all alone, she could yell all she wanted.

“We do” y/n giggled, and turned around to fix her lipstick “And it’s not weird, you know. He sleeps with other people and I also do. It’s just that I like the way he makes me feel. It’s like having a boyfriend that doesn’t care about whether you fuck other guys or not”

“Is that an open relationship, then?”

“Maybe. I dunno. But I like how it is now and I wouldn’t change what I have with him for any other man”

Twenty minutes or so later, y/n and Minsoo walked out of the taxi right into the party hall. Most of their co-workers were there already, drinking and conversing with one another. Taeki hadn’t arrived yet, so for their luck, they were on time.

“Wow, look at you, doll”

“And that’s my cue to leave you alone now” Minsoo smirked, waving at Hyunsung, the party host, and running away from the scene as fast as she could.

“Fuck me” y/n mumbled, closing her eyes shut. She plastered a fake smile on her face and turned around, meeting Jaehyun’s stunning face. “Hi there”

“I didn’t know you were coming. I would have given you a ride” he smiled, shoving his hands inside his pockets.

“Yeah, Hyunsung was kind enough to invite me. And it’s alright, my friend brought me and Minsoo” y/n lied, trying to bring Hongseok up as her only way to get away from his offers.

“Oh, you mean the guy that you are seeing?” Jaehyun cocked his head, suddenly interested in y/n’s love life, like he always was.

“Yeah, that guy” she enthusiastically nodded “He’s picking me up later as well” she mentally slapped herself, because she knew that Jaehyun would be around the whole night, and of course he would see how she called a taxi when she decided to leave. Besides, Hongseok was covering a co-worker of his and had to be on the Night Show’s building until 2 a.m. at least.

“Well, if that is not the case you know I can always take you home” he smirked, licking his lips.

“Thank you, Jaehyun, I re-”

“Excuse me! Hi, I’m Jeong Yunho from the Sports Department, how are you doing? Can I take her from you just a little bit? Okay, thank you!”

The tall boy didn’t even bother to hear an answer from Jaehyun and simply took her by her arm, brining her to the other side of the room.

“What the hell was that?!” she asked him, looking at his hand that was still holding her arm hostage.

“Oh, sorry” Yunho released her from his strong grip and crossed his arms over his chest “I just wanted to congratulate you. It’s a big thing what you are doing” he grinned. But y/n knew that grin, and it didn’t entail pure intentions.

“Oh, yeah? Are you, Jeong Yunho, congratulating me, out of all people?” she scrunched up her face, demonstrating how suspicious he was appearing to her.

“Why not?” he scowled.

“C’mon, Yunho. You’ve always disliked me. Since when do you talk to me? I don’t recall a single civil conversation with you, even in college” she imitated his pose, folding her arms “And back then, we just talked when professors paired us up to work on assignments”

“Because you would always be around Yang Hongseok, and I never liked that guy” disgust was evident on this face, a rare sight to see. None of the people around them had seen Yunho like y/n had in all those years of sharing not only every single class, but also the same workplace for almost two years. He was not the angel he pretended to be.

“Then you wouldn’t want to know that I still hang out with him”

Yunho stayed silent, just looking at her with an unreadable expression. Y/n quickly realized that the boy was trying to mess up with her right from the beginning, playing all friendly and stuff so that he could get the position in the blink of an eye.

“I know what you are tying to do here, Jeong. You have always wanted that spot but you are not the only one. So I’m sorry to crush your dreams, but I’m fighting for it too. Just don’t play dirty. You deserve to be the next news’ anchor? Then show it”

“I’ll play fair. Just remember that I always won back then” he smirked, his eyes shining with greediness.

“Get over college, Yunho” she grinned, tiptoeing so she could whisper in his ear “And never underestimate me”

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ 　˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚　 ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚

46 notes · View notes

supermarvelgirl15 · 3 years

Text

Delicate Type of Beauty- Chapter 6: Walker

Summary: You and Bucky learn the news of John Walker becoming the new Captain America. You both also learn about the Flag Smashers.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes × f!oc-insert

Word Count: 3,305

Warnings: None I think

A/N: Here's the first chapter of part two! I loved writing this chapter! Let me know if you pick up my references to other movies hehe. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did!

Series Masterlist // Main Masterlist

××××××

“Of all the people they could’ve picked, they picked him?”

“They needed another ‘golden boy.’ He’s the best at acting like he’s one.”

Your grip tightened around your phone as you closed your eyes. “Do they know how he got those Medals of Honor?” You asked through gritted teeth, your free hand curling into a fist at your side.

“Probably not. Even if they did, they wouldn’t care,” your friend Dylan responded. You didn’t want to admit it, but you knew that he was right.

Letting out a defeated sigh, you ran your hand through your hair. “Dylan, you were our Captain, couldn’t you say something? Tell them that he can’t be Captain America?” You already knew the answer, but at this point, you were desperate.

Walker could not be Captain America. Anyone but him. He just didn’t think through things like he should. Whether he had the right idea or not, he never executed his plans properly.

Dylan sighed into the phone and you could tell exactly what was going through his mind. “I don’t have that authority anymore, Kris. We were all forced into retirement, remember,” he told you, the bitterness evident in his tone. You could hear him suck in a breath before he continued. “Well, I got to go. Carrie wanted to take the kids out for breakfast and she’s been giving me the look for the last five minutes,” he said, the bitterness in his voice replaced with amusement at the mention of his wife.

A small smile played on your lips at the thought of your Captain finally being able to do activities with his family, how domesticated it sounded. Maybe the early retirement was a good thing for him. “I wouldn’t want you to get in trouble with the boss lady. Have a good time, Dylan,” you ended before hanging up the phone.

You ran your hand over your face, taking a deep breath. You had no idea of what you were going to do now. You couldn’t look for Colton, you couldn’t even do anything about the whole Captain America situation, which was, in a way, kind of ironic. The last time there was a Captain America situation, your team was sent to find him and his allies. But when that circular spaceship came down from the sky, your team decided that the world needed Rogers and his team, despite what Ross said.

Looking at your watch, you saw that Bucky would also be up at this time, if he even went to bed the night prior. Grabbing your jacket, you made your way out of your apartment to go knock on his door. You knew Bucky wasn’t happy about the new Captain America deal either, but his unhappiness was for a different reason, which was completely understandable.

Bucky opened his door a moment later, not saying a word to you as he returned back into his apartment. You took his silence as a sign that he was pissed as you quietly followed him inside, watching him as he sat down on the floor in front of his television, his expression never changing. You carefully sat beside him, your eyes following his gaze to the screen in front of you.

“-know Steve Rogers?”

“I was two years out of West Point when Steve came back on the scene. I followed his career very closely as an Avenger. I like to think that I modeled my work after his,” John Walker answered the interviewer, making you scoff.

“So, you've always wanted to be a hero,” the interviewer then questioned him.

“I liked that what I was doing would make people feel safe. Steve Rogers was the kind of guy who could do that, he gave me hope. Even though I never met him, he feels like a brother.”

Your eyes immediately darted over to look at Bucky, seeing his jaw clench and his eyes narrow at the television screen. You had no idea what was running through his mind right now or what he was currently feeling. Honestly, you’re not sure if you wanted to know.

You pushed yourself off the ground, reaching over Bucky to grab the remote, turning the program off. Watching Walker just talk made your blood boil, you couldn’t even imagine what it did to Bucky. You looked down at Bucky, only for his eyes to still be trained on the now black screen.

Shrugging your jacket off, you threw it over one of his very few chairs. “You know, if you need help finding furniture, you could just ask. Unless you like the floor, which is fine, I guess.” You tried to lighten the tension that filled the room, but judging by Bucky’s nonreaction, that wasn’t going to happen at the moment.

Bucky stayed silent, still refusing to even look at you. You desperately wanted to say something that would help him feel even just slightly better, but your mind was just blank. To be fair though, you weren’t exactly the best at comforting people in the first place. You could only go by what you would want to hear if you were in that situation.

“He doesn’t deserve that shield, Kris.”

He finally looked at you then and you secretly wished that he didn’t. You could see every emotion that he was feeling flash through his eyes. Hurt. Anger. Sadness. At that moment, you swore to yourself to never be the cause of that look in his eyes ever again. It made you sick.

Biting your lip, you sat back down beside him on the floor. “I know,” you replied quietly, looking down at your hands in your lap. You wanted to reach over and grab his hand and tell him that everything would work itself out in the end, but how are you supposed to tell someone that when you don’t even believe it yourself?

Bucky let out a shaky breath, his eyes scanning over his vibranium arm, flexing his hand out in front of him. “Do… Do you know him? Walker?” He finally spoke again, dropping his hand down as he turned to face you.

Yeah, we worked together closely on a few missions back in the day. Maybe a little bit too close because I trusted him with my life when I definitely should not have. Maybe that’s where my trust issues started. Huh, I guess I didn’t need a therapist for that.

“I used to, a long time ago. I haven’t spoken to him in years,” you answered out loud. This wasn’t the place nor time to unpack all of that. “When we last saw each other, it wasn’t exactly on good terms,” you added, hoping that Bucky wouldn’t ask what happened. You couldn’t even talk about it to your brother, so you knew you couldn’t with him, even if you tried.

Bucky just nodded, his nose twitching slightly as he looked away from you. Hesitantly, you reach over and grab his hand, giving it what you hoped was a comforting squeeze. You felt Bucky squeeze yours in return, the both of you just sitting on his floor in the comfortable silence.

For a while, neither of you spoke a word. You just held each other’s hand, finding comfort in just being in the presence of the other on the floor of Bucky’s apartment. You still weren’t sure what was going on between the two of you. Sure, you knew you were at least friends, and it was a normal thing for friends to find peace with each other and to hold hands platonically. It was normal for friends to quiet the other’s demons too, right? At least, Bucky seemed to quiet yours, you just hoped you did the same for him. He needed that more than you ever did.

It startled you when Bucky suddenly stood up, letting go of your hand. You watched silently as he slipped on his jacket and pulled his gloves over his hands. “Where are you going?” You finally questioned, pushing yourself off the ground to meet him.

“To talk to Sam.” His answer was short and to the point. You knew he wasn’t purposefully trying to be that way towards you, even if you still deserved it after what you did to him. He was just still upset about the Walker matter. Although, you were still confused about how quickly Bucky seemed to forgive you, it seemed uncharacteristic.

Your eyebrows furrowed together in confusion as you crossed your arms over your chest. “Sam? Sam Wilson? Like the Falcon?” You even flapped your hands like a bird to emphasize your question, which seemed to get a short, breathy chuckle out of Bucky.

It did make sense for him to go to Sam, since he was the one that put Rogers’ shield in the museum- which didn’t make sense to you- but surely he never intended for them to give it to Walker. “Steve gave it to Sam for a reason. And he gave it away.” You could pick up Bucky’s bitterness in his tone. It was the first time he even uttered Steve’s name in front of you, so you knew how upset he was.

You nodded and then reached for your jacket to put it on as well. “I’m going with you,” you told him, which immediately caused Bucky to protest.

“No, you’re not. I need to talk to him alone,” Bucky stated firmly, his head shaking to emphasize his point. You gave him a look and Bucky knew that if he let you get a word in that you could easily convince him to let you go, and that wasn’t going to happen.

He grabbed your shoulders then, making you stop from opening your mouth. “Kris, this is something I need to do on my own. When I get back, I promise I will help you find your brother.” He watched as your features softened, a small sigh leaving your lips in defeat. Bucky caught himself staring at your lips again for a brief moment, but he knew better. You deserved better. Instead, he gave you the best smile he could manage and settled for a kiss on your forehead, your skin feeling soft against his lips. “I’ll be back soon,” he murmured against your skin and forced himself to let go. He tried not to look into your eyes as he slipped out the door.

★

“A word of advice, then. Stay the hell out of my way.”

God, Bucky wanted to bust Walker’s skull wide open. He’s wanted to do that ever since he first laid eyes on him. The man was nothing like Steve and he would never be. No one would. The world was just so desperate for another Captain America to idolize. It just didn’t make sense to Bucky.

Now, there was a new group of super soldiers that he had to deal with. On top of that, he had to work with Sam to get to them before Walker and Battlestar did. There was no telling what they would do if they got a hold of them; a group of people with all that power.

He knew what he had to do next. Did he want to do it? Of course not. But he didn’t exactly have another choice either. It was the only way they could get ahead of Walker. Maybe Sam would understand that and not put up much of a fight.

Then again, there was also you.

Maybe you would know something about how Karli Morgenthau got ahold of the serum. It was a long shot for sure, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask. Maybe he and Sam can stop by before they go to Germany, that is, if he can convince Sam to go. There was only one way to find out.

★

Before you even got to your door, you knew that it was Bucky on the other side. Though, there wasn’t really anyone else that it could be. You opened the door without looking through the peephole first, so you were surprised to find not only Bucky standing there, but also Sam Wilson. Your eyebrows knitted together in confusion as you shot Bucky a look, only to see Sam giving him the same look as well.

“We need your help,” Bucky spoke up, giving you an apologetic look. With a small nod, you invited them both inside your apartment, checking the halls to see if anyone saw them before closing the door.

You quickly cleaned off the files on your coffee table, not missing the way Sam was looking at you. You knew it made you look suspicious, but you didn’t care. If anything, you thought that it was sort of funny. Who would’ve guessed that two of your old targets would be standing in your living room asking for your help?

“Do you know anything about any super soldier activities?” Bucky was straight to the chase, not wanting to waste any time. You could tell that they were both in a hurry. You also wondered what the hell super soldiers had to do with anything. To your knowledge, the only super soldiers that ever existed were Rogers, Bucky, some Russian guy, and a black man from the fifties. You knew that there were multiple experiments that tried to recreate it. For example, the one that Banner was tricked into making that turned him into the Hulk and made that Blonsky guy into an abomination.

“Not recently, no. But I can go check the records for any recent activities,” you answered, throwing your thumb over your shoulder towards your bedroom, where you kept your laptop. You met Sam’s gaze, taking in his raised eyebrow as he looked you over. “Um, if you want a drink or anything, Buck can show you the kitchen,” you told him before leaving to retrieve your laptop. You could hear Sam’s oh, so she can call you Buck before you were out of earshot.

When you finally came back into the room with your laptop in hand, you had interrupted an argument between the two men. You could’ve sworn that you heard your name being tossed around. However, that wasn’t important at the moment.

Bucky stopped talking as soon as he realized that you were back, turning to give you his full attention. You saw Sam glance between the two of you before he turned to face you as well. Clearing your throat, you pulled up some redacted files. “Okay, so apparently the CIA pulled some doctor from Hydra after it fell to work on a super soldier serum. However, his work was abandoned after he was turned to dust. It doesn’t say if he ever completed it or not. It also never says a name.” You looked up when you were finished, biting your lip.

Both Sam and Bucky shared a look, silently communicating with one another. Sam looked back at you with a friendly smile and thanked you for your help before he went to wait outside for Bucky. At least he didn’t seem suspicious of you anymore.

When Sam shut the door behind him, Bucky finally started to fill you in on what the hell was going on. He told you about Karli Morgenthau and the Flag Smashers and how they were super soldiers. He told you about how they were stealing supplies and how Walker interrupted him and Sam during their fight. Your face fell when Bucky started talking about Walker and you could feel the anger that Bucky felt inside him about the new Captain America. You wished that you were there, just so you could punch Walker right in his jaw.

“So now, Sam and I are on our way to see Zemo,” Bucky finished, chewing on his bottom lip. Your eyes widened at that, but you kept your mouth shut. Even you knew that was the only way, no matter how much you hated that Bucky had to see him again. You took a deep breath and nodded. You understood what they had to do.

But then you realized that they would have to go to Germany. Which is on the other side of the world. Where your brother was.

“I'm going with you.”

Bucky squinted his eyes at you and stood there silently for a brief moment. “Oh, no, you're not. I don't want you anywhere near Zemo or those super soldiers. I know what they can do and what they're capable of.” He knew that if you went along, that his focus would be on keeping you safe rather than taking care of the Flag Smashers, and he couldn't afford that.

You rolled your eyes as you went back to your bedroom without saying a word to him. When you came back out with your go bag over shoulder, Bucky started shaking his head profusely.

“Bucky, I've dealt with people that could manipulate fire. I'm pretty sure I can handle some juiced up soldiers.” Sure, you had a whole team with you, but you could still handle your own.

“Kris, this is different. You don't have a squad and you don't have access to any kind of armory other than what we already have. Super soldiers are no joke and you know that. They're dangerous. I can't protect you from them and if something happened to you, it would be on me. And… And I can't handle that.” When Bucky's voice got quieter at the end, it almost made you want to reconsider going.

Almost.

With a sigh, you reached out and grabbed Bucky's hand. You watched for a moment as his still gloved thumb brushed over the back of your hand in a soothing manner, and the thought about normal friend things came back to your mind. You knew what you needed to do, whether he liked it or not.

You gave his hand a squeeze, using your other hand to gently grab his chin to make him meet your eye. When you met his ocean blues, you felt like you could swim in them. “I know you don't want me to. But, Buck, I've done this my whole life. You have to trust me to take care of myself.” You kept your voice soft as you spoke, never letting go of his chin even as his facial hair pricked your skin. “This is also my only way of getting closer to finding Colt. They won't let me leave the country. Going with you and Sam is the only way. Helping you stop the Flag Smashers is just a bonus,” you ended, hoping your attempt at a joke would ease the tension.

Bucky stepped away from your hold on him, running his hand through his hair. He couldn't focus with you holding him like that. Like he was the most delicate thing in the world, especially when he was the one that broke delicate things. He wasn't sure what was going on inside him. He knew he cared about you, but damn did it cloud his judgement.

He also knew that you would find a way over there with or without him. And if you happened to run into any of those super soldiers by yourself, without him there to help you, he would never forgive himself.

You watched as Bucky let out a defeated sigh and you couldn't help the small smile that graced your lips. He looked back up at you, biting the inside of his cheek. “I did promise you I'd help you find him,” he finally said, placing his hands on his hips.

Excitement rushed through you at the thought of being closer to finding Colton. Sure, Asia was a huge continent, but for once, you tried to look at it glass half full instead of half empty.

However, you had to take care of the Flag Smashers first.

××××××

@bucky-bunnie @learisa @magconfangurl1 @lylthy @rosiahills22 @denimbex1986 @twd-rocks-blog (If you would like to be removed/added please let me know!)

#DToB #marvel #marvel imagines #bucky barnes × reader #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes #winter soldier #tfatws #the falcon and the winter soldier #sebastian stan #kay writes

18 notes · View notes

chocolatetakoyakis · 4 years

Text

🚬 MAFIA DELUXE EDITION / 2 GAMES HEADCANON 🚬

⚫️ Seeing Their Cute Waitress/ Waiter Crush being in trouble ⚫️

Tommy :

please ladies and gentlemen let me introduce you Mr the Knight with a shining armor who’s immediately entering the fight when he saw a drunk idiot messing with you. He came a Few time at the bar and noticed your kindness and beautiful hair. you’re not always serving him but he always notices you.

He didn’t think about anything and rushed toward you without a plan under the eyes of Paulie and Sam who were lost like “ Where ta fuck is this man going ?” ( they were eating together and Tom was the only one who’s head was in your direction )

He expected you to be scared and defenseless against your ennemy however he stopped his race when he saw you brutally grabbing the tie / suspenders of the man to put him at your level. You looked PISSED and you were ! you said something to the guy’s ear which made him look toward Tommy and ran away

Our beloved Taximan walked to you curiously while your face expression relaxed a bit. collecting ALL HIS COURAGE he approached you shyly. “ It’s a very strong grip you got here Miss / Man, but I don’t think that’s what scared him right ?” You couldn’t help but smile at the man in front of you. Putting your hair behind you ear ( which literally killed Tom inside ) you answered : “ Thank you Sir, I just told him to not touch me unless he wants to be bitten up by the handsome gentleman who just get up of his seat to save me” You said that with humour which made Tom chuckle a little before asking you if you were ok. You thanked him by offering coffees to his table and you guys started to sympathize.

Paulie :

Have you ever seen Chaos ? Like pure Chaos ? Well Let le introduce you Paulie. This man made you his dream girl / boy the moment he first saw you at the bar. He is always so awkward and clumsy when you take his order which made you notice him because he is so cute under his Mafias’capo appearance. So Fucking with you next to him is a BIG BIG BAD IDEA !

Will not even let you take care of it. Without a warning, he just gave a HUGE headbutt to the man and made him fall unconscious. Feeling anger toward him, Paulie wanted to slap him until he wake up and APOLOGIZE to you but it didn’t work

When he noticed you were watching him, Paulie freaked out and started to stutter incomprehensible things. You only took his hands and thanked him for helping you. THE ACTION MADE HIS DAY and baby boy was already seeing you marrying him

« Thank you so much sir... but what are we gonna do now ? » Paulie didn’t understand « For what ? » you laughed and answered : « Well I can’t welcome customers with an unconscious man on the floor right ? Can you help me moving him to the back alley ? » « Oh..Y..Yeah sure » you took his hands while Paulie took his legs and you dragged the man behind the bar under Sam and Tommy’s eyes who were thinking you two were hopeless but funny together ( btw you two accidentally bumped the man into all the doors of the bar lol )

Sam :

Sam noticed you the first time he came with Paulie and Tommy. Now he likes coming in the bar only to see you and only ordering a coffee or something to eat while eyeing you from his seat. However he never talked to you. One night you were doing your service and he noticed a customer who was very very very insistent about spending the night with the you

Your kind answers surprised him because any woman he knows ( mostly strippers and Sarah but anyway ) would have already slap this man in the face. He kinda liked your calm and distinguished way of saying you were not interested ( it reassured him in a way, just in case one day he ask you for a date or something )

The man finally stopped talking to you and let you do your work. But he still had a smirk on his face which immediately alarmed Sam. Later in the evening you were gone in the street to take out the trash and the customers smirked even more and followed you to harm you. of course you defended yourself by kicking him between his legs. You ran toward the bar to feel safe but he got the time to took your arm and was bringing you to an abandoned street.

That’s when Sam appeared and took the man’s arm and said : “ When a woman /man says No it’s fucking No you Fucker !” You’re not sure but by hearing the customers screams, Sam may have broke his hands in the moment. He made him apologize to you on his kneels for making you uncomfortable and let him leave. “ Thank you Sir... That’s really Nice...” “ If you see this idiot near the bar again, just tell me ok ?” He said that while taking your cheek in his hands while escorting you back to the bar. You finally introduced yourself and he did the same. One week later he asked you for a date. ( if that happened when he was with Paulie and Tommy, he would have found the Man again to Beat him to death for messing with you and weak persons in general...I mean that’s what he did even if he was alone aha...Kinda Yandere type lol )

Vito :

Vito is nice, Vito is cool, Vito is handsome. So he noticed you of course the first time he went to the bar BUT honestly YOU were the first one who “fell” for him. It amused him, that you were always the one serving him no matter how many waitress / waiters were in the bar. He understood you were attracted to him pretty fast and he was proud. So expect Smirks and winks from him each time you’re welcoming him.

To be honest you were the cutest girl / boy of the bar and every customers would agree. Some of them quickly became jealous of Scaletta for always having you for his coffee and the amazing smiles you gave him. one day a fight started ( yup girl / man because of you )

a drunk man forced you to sit on his laps and it angered Vito who took your arm and moved you to his torso while OF COURSE putting a gun toward the Man. ( Vito is also a Savage )

“ I was not in the mood, Don’t mess with my favorite Waitress / waiter ok Dickhead ?” The customers didn’t expect Vito to have a Damn weapon on him and leaved the bar. “ Hum...Thank you Mr. Scaletta...But please put your Gun down you could harm yourself...” realizing you were still in his arms, he chuckled a bit and kissed you forehead before coming back to his seat “ Cute girl / boy”. Trust me he came even more often after this

Joe :

Humm Well. Joe thinks everything is HIS and unfortunately you are a part of this. Same as the others, your beauty almost killed him the first day he came to the bar. After some time he got frustrated you didn’t noticed him and always ended up being drunk at the counter with an exasperated Vito next to him. He basically get drunk for you to notice him....Right... However he never EVER talked to you, too ashamed of his loser attitude.

One night he was here with Vito again drinking when he heard someone yelling at you because of the price of the beer in the bar. The man was making a Big deal about nothing ( and damn you can’t chance the price lol ) which really angered Joe. Our boy jumped on the customers and told him to shut the fuck up while punching him in the face.

“ don’t you fucking yell at this beautiful waitress / Cute waiter you heard me Son of Bitch” you blushed hard and also looked at Vito like “ man, control your friend, he is gonna kill him” anyway the man and his friends leave the bar and you ended up nursing Joe who received some punches as well

He will probably fall asleep on you and Vito will take him home with a little sorry as apologize for the mess. You still Thanked them and wish Vito good Luck with Joe. Days later, they came back and you teased Joe about that night and eventually became friend with them. Joe did it ! Being drunk and saving you made you notice him and now he was happy !

Henry :

Let’s start with basics : Henry is the owner of the place. You didn’t know because you got the job by being interviewed by one of his man. That’s why he was surprised when he came to get a coffee and saw a cute new waitress / waiter he never saw before. He found you hella Cuuuute even if you’re probably younger than him. He never told you he was your boss and let you serving him each time he was here.

One day, in the morning a man came in drunk as fuck ( probably from a party ) and started messing with you while talking nonsense. Henry was here, staring at the scene and the man noticed him too. As the drunk ass was coming to annoy Henry, you quickly stepped between them asking the man not to mess with customers. He hardly pushed you in the floor and was about to slap you. “ don’t you dare tell me what to do you Bitch”

Henry’s eyes were red of anger. He stopped the guy by giving him his best kick. Still on the floor, he offered you his hand to help you. “ thank you so much Sir, I am so sorry that happened !” Seeing pure kindness in your eyes, he smiled and patted your head. With a simple mouvement of eyes, he asked his men you guessed to take care of the drunk man on the floor. They put him in a car and were waiting for Henry.

You sighed “ My boss will probably kill me for the mess” he looked surprised and answered “ don’t worry your pretty little head about this, Francisco will not tell you anything cutie, I’ll explain it to him” you were surprised he knew the name of your “ boss” however you only let him go without a word. “ see you next week cute girl / Boy” was the only thing he said before getting in his car and leave. When your “ Boss” came back he explained to you that Henry was the Big Boss and you immediately felt ashamed about everything happened. Now when he comes, Henry always teases you for not knowing who’s your real Boss.

#mafia 2 #mafiaheadcanon #mafia deluxe edition #mafia #mafia1 #mafia remake #tommy angelo #thomas angelo #Paulie #sam trapani #vito scaletta #joe barbaro #henry tomasino #mafiagames

110 notes · View notes

btsslowburnfic · 3 years

Text

The Arrangement Chapter 2

Series Summary: Desperately in need of money, you answered the questionable add. AKA-Arranged marriage AU featuring Y/N and Yoongi.

Chapter Summary: Let’s meet our unwilling groom, Min Yoongi

Chapter 1 found here

Namjoon walked into the BigHit building that morning ready for a fight. He had reviewed applications first thing in the morning and was mildly surprised to see that the moody bartender had actually submitted an application. He wasn’t entirely shocked though. She had given off the vibe that for her, bartending wasn’t a career, but rather a means to make money. And this job paid very well. Theoretically. He sighed as he got off the elevator and passed his secretary, Park Jimin. “Jimin, have Yoongi meet me in my office in half an hour.”

“Yes, sir.” the younger man replied. He quickly pulled up Yoongi’s schedule to check for any conflicts. Jimin pouted when he saw the three hours blocked out for studio recording time. He knew Yoongi would be in a shitty mood if he got interrupted. Oh well, he thought, Yoongi’s not my boss. He took a sip of water and mentally fortified himself and then proceeded to call down to Yoongi’s studio. He didn’t get an answer the first time. Or the second time. But the third time, a gruff voice answered the phone.

“You know not to call me when I’m recording. It’s specifically blocked off in my schedule for a reason. Can’t you read?”

Jimin rolled his eyes. “Yes, and I can also follow directions. Which is why when Namjoon asked me to call you I picked up the phone and did my job. Half an hour. Namjoon’s office.” Jimin hung up, denying Yoongi the satisfaction of arguing with him. He took out a nail file and texted his friends Jungkook and Taehyung.

Jimin: Some shit’s about to go down up on the 22nd floor. Namjoon and Yoongi. How long before one of them storms out?

JK: 5 minutes. Wait. What are we betting?

Taehyung: Ooo do you know anything else?

Jimin: Namjoon was very short this morning sooooooo. Lunch and beer.

Taehyung: 2 minutes.

Jimin: I’ll go with: Yoongi doesn’t show up and Namjoon has to go and get him and they argue within seconds.

JK: kekekeke what an idiot.

Taehyung: I wish he’d just accept his fate. It makes everything easier. For all of us.

Jimin put his phone and nail file back in his desk drawer. He resolved to not look at it for 25 minutes while waiting for the show to go down.

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

40 minutes later, Namjoon stomped out of his office. “Did you call Yoongi?”

“Yes. I called him when you asked me to and told him and a few minutes ago I called to remind him but he didn’t answer.”

Namjoon pinched the bridge of his nose. Why? Why was he in charge of these unappreciative children? “Ok. Mark me out of the office for an hour.”

Jimin watched as Namjoon returned to his office and then came back out carrying several files. He walked over to the elevator and pushed the down button.

Jimin: You guys owe me lunch and a beer.

---------

Namjoon rode down to the 12th floor. He wasn’t surprised that Yoongi didn’t come. And really he should have checked the schedule himself before asking Jimin to call down. There was no reason this couldn’t wait until the afternoon. But, it was too late now. He strode through the corridor of the less busy floor and made his way over to the studio areas.

“Yoongi. Open up.” He lightly knocked on the door. No response. Namjoon rolled his eyes and continued to bang louder and louder and louder and…

“Jesus. Fine.” Yoongi said as he pulled the door open abruptly. “I was wearing my headphones. Calm down before you break my damn door.”

“That’s the point. If you don’t come to the meeting, I come down here. If you don’t answer the door, I break it down. If you don’t do what you’re told your ass goes back to the streets of Daegu sleeping under a bridge. You got it?”

Yoongi puffed out his cheeks. He was angry but he wasn’t going to push it right now. He’d worked so hard to get where he was and one wrong move, one word to Hitman Bang, and he was out of there. He knew when to not push back too hard. That was one of the few benefits to being raised on the streets; you got good at reading people. “Yeah yeah, I had my headphones on and spaced out. Calm down. My time is blocked off in the schedule. Just like you asked me to do.”

Namjoon stood there with his hands on his hips. As much as he hated all of this, the whole song and dance they went through for Hitman Bang, he had to do it. It would just be easier if Yoongi went along with it like the other guys. Namjoon cleared his throat. “As we discussed a few weeks ago, there will be some changes to your schedule next quarter. These are for the benefit of the public face of the company and you will be expected to comply. Do you understand?”

Yoongi rubbed the back of his neck. He vaguely remembered this conversation but hadn’t thought much about it. He was BigHit’s bitch and he’d come to terms with that a while ago. Whatever they wanted, they got. As long as he could keep making music he didn’t really care about the other details. He rolled his eyes, “Yeah. Sure. What? Dress up like a maid again? Do the family song while wearing bunny ears? Aegyo all the time? What?”

“These are several resumes for young ladies. Hitman Bang wants you to have a romance. Girlfriend, wife, character arc type thing. He thinks it will soften your image.”

Yoongi stood there for a second, processing. “Like in a music video?”

“No. Like in real life.”

Yoongi scoffed. “You can’t be serious. You can’t just hire someone to be my girlfriend. It’s weird and no. No.” Yoongi began to eye the doorway and the fact that a much larger Namjoon was between him and his exit.

“Wife. I’m told this story has to have a happy ending. And this is happening. I personally selected some of the candidates, based on knowing you.” Namjoon moved over and sat down on the couch, spreading the folders out on the coffee table. “The interviews are next week at the coffeeshop down the street. If you could just go through these now we could probably eliminate some of them and then we won’t have to interview as many.”

Yoongi turned and looked at Namjoon, his cheeks grew red with anger. “I always do what you people ask. But this is too much. This is involving another person into this stupid pretend bullshit we do every day. Also, if I wanted to be in a relationship, I’d be in a relationship. Have Jungkook or Jin do it.” He became increasingly agitated.

“Jungkook has to stay single. That’s what the company wants. Jin is out of the country and besides, he doesn’t cause as many issues as you do. This decision is from the top. The girl will be well compensated. It's not like they don’t know what they’re getting into.” Namjoon busied himself with organizing the files.

“Oh yeah? You tell them that they are going to get paid to get fucked around by BH and have me have nothing to do with them? What? Are these girls so desperate for money or a fake wedding or the thought of trying to trick me into falling for them? This whole idea is disgusting. Even for you people,” Yoongi yelled.

Namjoon loosened his tie, a nervous habit. “If you want to attend the interviews, the time and address are already entered into your calendar. I encourage you to look through these files and make some decisions ahead of time.” Namjoon stood up. “I’ll be seeing you Yoongi.” He let himself out.

Yoongi stood there, his body shaking with rage. He walked over and shredded the files and papers, not bothering to look through any of them. He threw them across the room. How the fuck was he going to get out of this? NEXT CHAPTER @lidda

#bts fanfic #bts fanfction #bts yoongi x reader #yoongi x reader #bts suga x you #suga x reader #suga x you #bts scenarios #yoongi scenarios #bts au fanfic #yoongi x you

91 notes · View notes

aoyama-division · 3 years

Text

Jet Set Trio Drama Track 1 - Another Day, Another Dollar

Pt. 2

-- Chōten Residence --

[Evening had long since set it by the time the Matriarch of the family, Okawa Chōten, had made her way through the front door of the family mansion. One could take one look at the middle-aged woman and easily see the fatigue that was on her face. And they would not be wrong. It would not be an understatement to say that the woman was exhausted. She was used to long days at her place of work, used to being assigned unfair and demanding missions that she was expected to complete, and used to the amount of hate mail that she and the rest of the Party of Words often received from anonymous emailers who had less than kind things to say about the government, and the way they were running things.]

[But if given the choice, she would gladly have taken all of those options combined over what the Prime Minister had assigned her to do, as she stood in the entranceway carrying a large gray metal suitcase. She struggled as she held it up to keep it from sliding out of her right hand, which was slowly becoming perspired. Truthfully, the suitcase, itself, wasn't heavy. But what was inside of it seemed to add extra weight to the bulky luggage.]

Hino: *standing by the entrance, bowing* Good evening, Lady Chōten.

Okawa: *Nods to Hino* Good evening, Hino-san. *Looks up at the staircase* Has my son arrived home yet?

Hino: *Shakes his head 'no' as he takes the Matriarch's overcoat* I'm afraid he is still attending the soirée at the Aoyama Park Tower, milady.

Okawa: I see. *sighs, before looking back at Hino* When he returns, please tell him to come to see me. I need to speak with him urgently.

Hino: *Bows* As you wish, milady. *Raises back up and frowns as he sees the fatigue and nervousness in his Lady's features* Forgive me for speaking out of turn, but are you alright, Madam?

Okawa: *Sighs, once more* I'm fine, Hino. Just a long day. ...Much longer than usual.

Hino: Shall I prepare a cup of hot tea, Madam?

Okawa: Yes please, Hino. Bring it to my bedroom when it is done.

Hino: *Bows once more* Yes ma'am.

[As the head butler of the family left towards the kitchen, the Matriarch headed for her and her husband's bedroom on the first floor. Upon entering the room, she saw that it was empty, though it was obvious that the room had been cleaned as there was not a speck of dust anywhere to be seen. Sitting down on her bed, she placed the heavy gray suitcase down on the floor and looked at it, remembering her discussion with the Prime Minister many hours ago. Just thinking about it was enough to make her gnash her teeth together...]

-- Earlier, Prime Minister's Office, Chuohku Ward --

[To say that Okawa was surprised that the Prime Minister had ordered her to her office would be an understatement. She was shocked and scared, more like. She had only been into the Prime Minister's office once in her life, and that was just for an interview for her to become a spokesperson for the Party of Words. After that meeting, the middle-aged woman tried her hardest to avoid ever returning to that room again, and for good reason. Being told to report to your boss's office was rarely a good thing. Many people in the Party of Words did their best to avoid being recognized by the people in charge. If they spotted you or recognized your face, it usually meant that you were on their radar, or line of sight.]

[Okawa, despite being proud to work for the government as one of their many spokespersons didn't exactly have a real liking for them. She didn't dislike them, of course, but she didn't care for them either. Really, she only worked for them because of their money. Half the crap that she said during her speeches was mostly a lie that someone had written for her to say. She had always tried to appear professional and cheerful for the cameras, less someone takes it the wrong way and figure out her true feelings.]

[She let loose the air she was unknowingly holding as the elevator she was riding on finally arrived at the top floor where the Prime Minister's office was. Taking a brief second to make sure she looked presentable, she approached the door to the office and looked as they automatically opened in front of her. The woman's eyes took in everything she saw; most importantly, the figures of the two of the most powerful women in Japan.]

Okawa: *Bows her head in respect to Otome and Ichijiku* You summoned me, Prime Minister?

[Truthfully, Okawa hated bowing her head to someone else. She was of the upper class. People were meant to bow their heads in respect to her, not the other way around.]

Otome: Yes. Come in and have a seat. We have much to talk about.

[Obeying, the middle-aged woman walked further into the Prime Minister's office as the door to the room slowly slid shut behind her. Taking a seat in the lone chair in front of the Otome's desk, Okawa patiently waited for the Prime Minister to begin explaining the reason for her summoning.]

Otome: *Puts her hands together and stares at Okawa* Tell me, Chōten-san, off the top of your head, can you recall exactly what divisions are taking part in the Division Rap Battle that will take place in just a few short weeks?

[Startled by the sudden question, the spokeswoman, nonetheless, closed her eyes and tried her hardest to remember exactly which divisions had been sent invites and microphones, cementing their participation into the D.R.B. After about 10 seconds of thinking, the spokeswoman opened her eyes and looked back at her boss.]

Okawa: If I'm not mistaken, they are: Kyoto, Harajuku, Ueno, Shinagawa, Saitama, Ahikabara, Chiyoda, as well as several others. And that is not including the divisions of: Ikebukuro, Yokohama, Shibuya, and Shinjuku.

Otome: Hmm. *The Prime Minister smiled and closed her eyes, before nodding* Exactly. As expected from one of the most hardworking people the Party of Words has working for them.

Okawa: *Her eyes grow wide and large, before bowing her head* T-thank you, Prime Minister! I-I'm not worthy of such kind words.

[Though she was truly thankful for the compliment, Okawa had to fight the urge to roll her eyes.]

Okawa: Yeah right. I bet you say that to all of your workers. Just spare me the false kindness and get to the point already.

Otome: *Opens her eyes again, frowning* However...

Okawa: *Raises her head in a hurry* I-is there a problem, Prime Minister?

Otome: …It is not enough.

Okawa: *confused* Not enough, Prime Minister?

Otome: *Leans backs in her seat, putting her hands together on her lap* The number of divisions is still not enough. To expand the influence of the PoW, we need more divisions to take part in the D.R.B.

Okawa: I... see. *Mentally* Okay, so why are you telling me this? Just do what you always do- send some mics to a bunch of people, and force them to join.

Otome: To that end, we are considering adding Aoyama Division to the D.R.B.

[To say that Okawa was shocked would be putting it lightly, as her eyes grew big and wide after processing what it was the Prime Minister had just said.]

Okawa: A-Aoyama Division, ma'am?!

Otome: That is correct. I feel that adding one of the richest divisions in Japan would make for an interesting tournament.

Okawa: I-I see. *Clears her throat* …And you asked me here because you wanted my opinion on who we should have Aoyama represent?

[Okawa looked as the Prime Minister shook her head, 'no', a sly grin on her face.]

Otome: We actually already have someone in mind for the tournament. We simply need you to deliver their letter of introduction, as well as their Hypnosis Microphones.

Okawa: *Nods* Of course. And who will I be delivering them to?

Otome: To your son, Tomi Chōten.

-- Present Time --

[The Matriarch of the family sighed once more as she took another look at the briefcase where the three Hypnosis Microphones were placed. When Otome had informed her that her son would be entering the tournament, it took all her willpower not to scream. She had tried to dissuade the PoW leader, as there were plenty of other people in Aoyama who could take her son's place. Okawa even volunteered to search for someone else. However, the Prime Minister would not be deterred.]

Okawa: *Mentally* Damn you, Prime Minister. I bet you're feeling really good about this.

[She took another look at the gray, metal briefcase temporarily housing three powerful weapons. One of them would obviously be for her son, though she knew not who the other two would belong to. She hoped he'd get home soon we could get this out of the way. She knew he was not going to be happy about this. And she wouldn't blame him. There was nothing to gain by joining the Division Rap Battles.]

Okawa: *Mentally* I swear, one day, you will pay for this, Otome.

Hino: Lady Chōten?

[Surprised, Okawa looked as standing in the doorway was the head butler, holding onto a white plate, which a white cup of hot tea was placed on.]

Okawa: Sorry, Hino-san.

Hino: *Nods* No apologies are necessary, milady.

[The family butler walks into the Matriarch's room, placing the cup of hot tea on her nightstand. Picking it up, Okawa softly blows on it before taking a small sip, the liquid instantly warming her insides.]

Okawa: *Nods to Hino* Nicely done as always, Hino-san.

Hino: *Bows in respect* My pleasure, milady. *He raises back up and looks at her once more* Is there anything else you require, Lady Chōten?

Okawa: *Shakes her head 'no'* No thank you, but please don't forget to tell Tino to come see me once he arrives back home.

Hino: *Bows once more* Yes milady. I believe he is due to arrive home very soon. I shall inform him as soon as he arrives.

Okawa: *Nods* Good. Thank you, Hino.

[The head butler nods his head once more before departing the room, returning to his normal duties around the mansion, leaving the middle-aged woman alone with her thoughts, which were already heavy; perhaps even more so than the suitcase that was still sitting on the floor a few feet away...]

-- An hour later, Chōten Mansion --

[Pulling up into his mansion's garage, the socialite, Tomi Chōten, parked one of many of his family's vehicles in the various spaces in the large open space. Getting out and locking the car, he walked out of the garage, which automatically closed on its own, and up the the steps of the front porch to the entrance.]

Tomi: *Mentally* What a boring event. Hardly anyone important was there, and those beverages they served couldn't even give off a proper buzz.

[Sighing, the socialite unlocked the front door and stepped inside the mansion. Despite it still being late, there was still activity going on as various maids and butlers went to and fro, doing their various duties. Not paying them any mind, Tomi made his way towards the stairs prepared to retire for the night.]

Hino: *Coming from another room and spots Tomi* Ah, Master Tomi. Glad to see you have returned home safely.

Tomi: *Turns around to Hino* Thanks, Hino-san.

Hino: *Nods his head* And how was the soirée?

Tomi: *Rolls eyes* Let's just say, I think I would have been better off spending the evening doing something else.

Hino: *Laughs* Wasn't to your liking, Young Master?

Tomi: *Rolls his eyes again* Understatement of the Year. *Turns back around* If you don't mind, I think I'm going to head off to bed now.

Hino: Just a moment, Young Master. *Tomi turns back around, facing the butler* Your mother stated that she wished to speak with you when you returned home, sir.

Tomi: *Surprised* My mom? Usually she's fast asleep at this time.

Hino: Yes, but she seemed rather anxious upon returning from work, sir. I think something happened today at Chuohku that put her on edge.

Tomi: Chuohku? *Scoffs* Well, when she has to deal with all those uptight government officials all day long, who can blame her? I'm more surprised she isn't anxious every day.

[Walking back down the stairs, the socialite headed for his parents' room on the far end of the house. Knocking on the door, he waited for confirmation before opening it. He looked as his mother was seated on the bed in her long, gray nightgown, typing something on her slim, gray laptop on her lap.]

Tomi: Mother?

Okawa: Tomi-kun.

[Closing her laptop, the woman sat it to the side and swung her legs around to speak with her son, who sat in a large green lounge chair close to the bed.]

Tomi: How are you? Hino-san said that you were anxious upon coming from work.

Okawa: *Sighs* He wasn't wrong. But we'll get to that in a bit. First off, how was your party?

Tomi: *Sighs and rolls his eyes* I'll tell you like I told our dear, old butler: my evening would have been put to better use doing something else.

Okawa: *Frowns* Tomi-kun.

Tomi: What? It's true. There was no one important there, the food and drinks were of piss-poor quality, and everyone there was just interested in trying to strike a deal with me in one form or another.

Okawa: I know you don't care for these events, Tomi. I don't blame you, neither do I. But you have to remember, they...

Tomi: …serve their purpose. *Rolls his eyes as he finishes his mother's statement* I know.

Tomi: But what's the point? Everyone in Aoyama already knows us. If we're not the richest family in Japan, then we are, at least, in one of the top five spots. What good does it do to try to communicate with people who are only after us for our wealth and status?

Okawa: There will always be people who want something from us, Tomi-kun. That is, unfortunately, our ordeal us upper-class. And that is perfectly fine.

Tomi: *confused* Why?

Okawa: Because my child, having people turn to us shows that we are above them. Remember, they need you, not the other way around. If their goal is to strike a deal with you, then by all means, let them. But let them know that because they have relied on you, their lives are now in your hands.

Tomi: *Smiles, understanding* Of course, mother.

Okawa: *Smiles* Good. *Then frowns* Now then, on to the reason why I called you here.

Tomi: *Turns serious* What is it?

[Tomi looked as his mother sighed and pulled something from the top drawer of her nightstand. He looked as it was a white envelope, but what really drew his attention to it was the fact that there was a Party of Words seal on the back, keeping the envelope intact.]

Okawa: Before I hand this to you, I want you to promise me that you won't overact or do anything drastic.

Tomi: *Looks at his mother, suspicious* What do you mean?

Okawa: *Sighs as she struggles to say the next few words* Chuohku... is forcing Aoyama to join the D.R.B.

Tomi: *Eyes grow wide* What?!

Okawa: And... they want you to represent it.

The next day...

-- Chōten Mansion --

[Sitting in one of the dens on the first floor of the mansion, the young socialite, Tomi Chōten, was struggling to keep his emotions in check. After the sudden announcement last night that he was being forced into joining the D.R.B., it took Hino-san and his mother's begging to stop him from driving up to Chuohku and giving them all a piece of his mind.]

[The next morning, he ordered Hino to contact Karada and Luis to meet him at his mansion, immediately. Now he was currently waiting for them both to show up, whilst he tried to calm himself down with a nice cold glass of whiskey on the rocks. Bringing the alcoholic beverage to his lips, he sighed as it wasn't doing a very good job, though it did taste damn good. Taking another drink, he looked as the door to the den opened, revealing Hino.]

Hino: *Nods his head* Masters Kessaku and Kōkyū have both arrived, sir.

Tomi: *Waves his hand towards him* Send them in.

Hino: *Nods his head, again* At once, sir.

[Leaving the room, Tomi waited till his friends arrived, pouring himself more whiskey from the nearby bottle into his cup. Taking another drink, he looked as the door to the room opened, revealing Hino holding the door open for his friends. He looked as his friends looked rather irritated; Luis, especially.]

Luis: *Taking a seat in one of the empty chairs in the room* Okay, so can you explain what was so damn important you had to call us here before noon? Some of us still have a restaurant to open up.

Karada: Yeah, and I had to cancel an appointment with one of my clients. What the heck, Tomi?

[The young socialite ignored his friends' petty griping, and instead reached the left pocket of his pants and took out something, slamming it on the table, shocking the two other young men. After calming down, the two looked as it was a white envelope.]

Karada: What is that?

Tomi: A letter. *Takes a drink of his whiskey*

Luis: *Frowns* Obviously. We're more interested in who it's from, smartass.

Tomi: *Sighs* It's from Chuohku.

[At this, both other young men looked up from the letter at their friend, shocked.]

Karada: Chuohku?

Tomi: *Sighs again* Yes.

Karada: *Still shocked* As in the 'government Chuohku'?

Tomi: Yes.

Karada: As in the same Chuohku where your mom works?

Tomi: *Irritated* Yes.

Karada: As in...

Tomi: Yes, Karada! The same Chuohku that controls all of Japan. That Chuohku!

Karada: *Still shocked* Oh shit...

Luis: What the hell would they be sending you a letter for?

[Remembering the reason for why they sent the letter, Tomi found himself becoming upset as he subconsciously began clenching the glass he was holding in his fist.]

Karada: *Notices what Tomi's doing* Dude!

[Noticing what he was doing, Tomi released his grip on the glass. Sighing, he took one last look at the drink before downing the rest of the liquid in his glass, slamming the glass down on the table, which somehow still remained intact.]

Tomi: *Breathes in a bit of air before exhaling* Sorry.

Karada: *Still a bit scared* I-it's cool.

Tomi: *Sighs, leaning back into his chair* Those bitches are forcing me to join the Division Rap Battle.

[Again, Karada and Luis looked at their friend, shocked.]

Tomi: Just read the letter. *Points to the envelope, still on the table*

[Picking the envelope up, the two men could see that there was a Party of Words seal on it earlier before it had been ripped open. Opening it, Luis pulled the letter on and began reading alongside Karada.]

Luis: Dear Mr. Chōten, as you probably are aware, in just a few short weeks, the upcoming Division Rap Battle Tournament will commence. To ensure that the tournament will be an entertaining one, I've decided to include Aoyama Division in the tournament and have chosen you to be the one to represent it. Your current opponent(s) is unknown at this time, but information regarding them, as well as the other teams, will be sent out to you in the upcoming weeks.

Luis: As stated, you and two other members of your choice will be representing Aoyama in the tournament. Therefore, you have up to a week from now to find two members for your team. After you've done so, you will register your team so that they can be added to the roster. Along with this letter are three Hypnosis Microphones for you and your team to use.

Karada: *Looks up from the letter at Tomi* Wait, they actually sent you the microphones?

Tomi: Just keep reading.

Luis: The decision to add you to this tournament came from your mother's recommendations of you. She speaks highly of your intellect, charisma, and your way of getting things done. You are widely known throughout Aoyama. So it should not be difficult for you to locate two members to assist you. I am looking forward to a good tournament. Do not disappoint me. Sincerely, Otome Tohoten, the Prime Minister of Japan.

Luis: P.S. As your mother probably already told you, refusing to participate in this tournament is not an option. Failure to register in time for the tournament, or failure to show up will be seen as insubordination, and you, your family, and your Division will be punished accordingly. And just as a reminder, your family includes everyone, even those who may or may not be living with you. Do keep that in mind.

Karada: *After Luis finishes reading* Oh shit...

Luis: *Is shocked* Fuck...

Tomi: *Sighs* Took the words right out of my mouth.

Karada: T-they can't do that! They can't do that! *Looks to his friends for confirmation* …Can they?

Luis: They're the fucking government, Karada. They can do pretty much anything they want.

Karada: But they can't threaten someone into joining their tournament!

Luis: Well obviously they can since that's what they did to Tomi here.

Tomi: *Sighs* Unfortunately...

Karada: Oh man, Tomi. I'm so sorry, dude.

Tomi: *Waves him off* It's not your fault.

Karada: I know, but... what are you gonna do?

Luis: More importantly, why did you call us?

[Sighing, Tomi reached from behind his chair and pulled out a familiar large, gray suitcase. Opening it, the other two men looked as inside laid three plain-looking microphones.]

Karada: *Looking at them* …Are those...?

Tomi: *Nods* Yes.

Luis: *Confused* Okay, why show them to us? *Looks at Tomi before realization sinks in*

Luis: Wait, you're not thinking...?

Tomi: *Smiles* Yes.

Karada: *Confused* What?

Tomi: You two are my partners for the D.R.B.

*To be continued*

#hypnosis mic #hypnosis microphone #hypmic #hypnosis mic oc #hypmic oc #drama track #tomi chōten #karada kessaku #luis kōkyū #jet set trio #another day

7 notes · View notes

every1studio · 4 years

Text

REQUESTED: “ateez x greek gods” [ateez]

genre: misc. + GREEK GOD ! AU (reincarnation version) + fem reader

ficstyle: bulletpoints + reactions

requested by @svteencarat : “ Hi! I was wondering if you still take request? If you are still doing requests, then could I ask for a greek god! ateez and a human! fem reader angst (Of course i'd like it if you can make me cry, UwU) nd that if the oneshot could have a fluff ending? Thanks! This isi my first request ever so i don't really know how to since I'm kinda new to tumblr?? (I'm literary requested this from alot of kpop au writers out there because I never see any Greek god aus, and I JUST. NEED. MORE. GREEK GOD AUS!!) “

note: I’m kinda depressed about my WayV fic so I’m shifting my attention back to ATEEZ before I get any motivation to continue that series ): + I didn’t have a lot of ideas for angst because I didn’t want them to be too long but I hope this is good?? + information from: Meet the Greek Gods & Greek Gods and Goddesses

HONGJOONG X APOLLO

reincarnation of: APOLLO (god of music, poetry, prophecy, and medicine; later known as the god of sun)

in every lifetime, there is a reincarnation of APOLLO in the Kim family

Hongjoong was the present-day god of sun; there was a lot of pressure that was placed on his shoulders because of it

but even through all the stress, he still couldn’t ignore the passion he had for music or for poetry

or the unquenchable desire for more knowledge

or the love he has for the sun rays peeping through the day clouds

he’s known to be the “doctor” of his friend group because no matter what problem they have medically, emotionally or physically, he’s able to help them and succeed

Hongjoong still has the lyre that was passed down to him from his ancestors

it’s an unusual instrument to play nowadays but that’s probably what made him stand out at the arts and music festival that held place at the college square

the guy’s performance was a self-composed piece and he somehow altered the lyre to make it an electric instrument; a stryre

you were working as the sounds person; so you had the honors of listening to his whole performance with no disturbance

and it didn’t help that he was so handsome

if you didn’t know any better, you thought he was a Greek god

little did you know

you didn’t think anything of it after his performance until you felt a tap on your shoulders

“hey can you tell me what kind of amps you use for the show today? they were really compatible with my stryre!”

your eyes were met with his

“oh yeah.. um.. I used my own amps for the show today, which is why everyone who had to perform had to sign a waiver.. but they’re Goldmund Telos 5000.. my uncle offered them to me for a lower price...”

the boy grabbed both your hands in excitement, “oh you know about music? are you a music major too? what’s your major?

the way he radiated, it was like you were in the presence of the sun

how could someone emit such energy?

“nothing fancy.. I’m in music technology-”

“you’re the T.A. for Dr. Trumbridge!”

“you know me?” you were surprised that he knew you, then again you are the only T.A. for the most strict professor in the university

“yeah.. you graded my paper for composition of electric instruments... you gave me a lot of feedback and I really appreciate it..”

Hongjoong had to take that class because it was a requirement for his major in music composition

but he began to like it

why?

because you were there

at first he thought you were quiet yet snobby T.A. for a strict teacher

then he received the first paper you graded for him

there was so much care and incredible feedback; it was like he could see the true you through your grading

after that paper, he couldn’t help but notice every little thing about you

he slowly began to fall for you; his own version of Aphrodite

his voice was so soothing, you forgot where you were and what you were doing for a moment

“of course.. hey, um.. I have to get back to work, the next performance is in 5 minutes...”

you let your hands slip away from his grasp when you realized how long you two were there, just holding hands

“oh yeah sorry...I’ll let you get to that then...”

you nodded before turning away

“Y/N!”

you turned to hear him call your name, “are you free after the performances? I know the food courts are gonna be open until 1AM...so you wanna.. grab a bite?”

how could you say no to that sunny smile, “yeah sure.. uh here’s my phone number.. send me a text or something.. I’ll see you later..umm..”

“I’m Hongjoong.. go on, I’ll see you later!” he repeats

when you had time, you checked your phone for any messages

there was only a voicemail; you held it up to your ear

“hey Y/N, it’s Hongjoong.. I don’t know what you like to eat.. but I hope you like Greek food?”

SEONGHWA X EROS

reincarnation of: EROS (god of love)

Seonghwa always help this friends with their love life

but it had it’s drawbacks

being as good looking as him; the girls would be more interested in him than his friends

which caused riffs in his friendships

in the end, he didn’t have any friends

as the reincarnation of the epitome of love himself, he couldn’t help but excrete pheromones and he used that to his advantage

he began to have an addiction with fake love; one night stands, hookups, leading girls on,

any sorts of a short-term romance

anything for to not feel lonely anymore

but that wasn’t enough

the void in his heart grew larger and larger, to the point where anything he tried to fill it with just fell through into an abyss

Seonghwa was just leaving the cafe; dripping wet because he didn’t want to meet up with one of his hookups anymore and she tossed water in his face

which made him even more hot BUT ANYWAYS

you were in an irritated mood

you just quit your job because your stupid boss won’t advocate for fair pay for the hardworking females in your workplace

so you stormed into the cafe and tried to calm yourself down

there was a commotion in the cafe but you were too busy getting your order of iced latte

something about no one will ever be good enough to satisfy someone, followed by the sound of splashing water; then something about being rich and handsome will only get him so far

on your way out, you bump your whole order onto a man that already seemed like he was soaked with water

at first glance, he seemed like a puppy someone left in the rain

but the more you looked at him, the more entranced you were by his visuals

you didn’t let your thoughts diverge you from dumping your whole cup of latte on him

“sir? are you okay? excuse me, can I get some napkins?” you took some napkins from the worker and dabbed where ever you could and where ever wouldn’t get you arrested

the guy looked at you with his empty eyes

why are you helping him?

a hopeless guy like him?

a sick-minded disappointment of the god of love?

“it’s okay.. I deserve it..” he gently pushed your helping hands away

you furrowed your brows at him and sternly told him, “look, mister.. I don’t know what you did for you to “deserve” this but I’m just apologizing for the coffee okay?”

he was kind of taken back by the sudden sassiness and let you continue to wipe it off

“what’d you do to get in this mess anyways, handsome?” you murmured as you offered him napkins to dry his hair

“a girl I was fwb with wanted to take it further but I told her that’s not for me... plus I have some other fwbs I don’t want to let go off...”

he seemed kind of embarrassed afterwards, it sounded better in his head

“oookay.. maybe you did deserve it..” you rolled your eyes in a joking manner and wiped your hands clean

you seemed different than all the other girls; sassy and quirky, independent and was probably not the type to fall in love at first sight

“now that my business is over, I’m gonna order another latte-”

“let me!” Seonghwa said kind of loud, which caused you and some of the other people in the cafe to whip their heads towards him, “let me.. get it for you.. I mean it’s my fault you have to get another cup anyways..”

“so I can be another fwb? no thanks.. that’s not my type of relationship..”

you took his silence for feeling shameful and felt bad, “that offer was really sweet but I’m sure I can get a free cup since everyone saw what happen..”

you grabbed the readied cup of latte and smiled at him, “I’m sure you’re not a bad person... but maybe you should think twice about being in a relationship.. any relationship. it takes two to tango.. remember that, ciao~”

and with that you left the cafe

leaving Seonghwa collecting puddles and thoughts about the new side of love he’s never seen or experienced before

the next day, you got a job interview with one of the most well-known companies in the whole world

you couldn’t afford to mess it up

you entered the elevator and hit the button of the highest level of the building

people came and left the elevator but someone REALLY caught your eyes

it was the sad “puppy left in the rain” fuckboy; in a suit

“what a coincidence, boy wonder. you work here?”

he was fixing his tie, he gave you a small smile, “you could say that..”

you nudged him in the side; which caught him off-guard because he was ticklish

“you’re working for one of the best companies with some of the best working condition, you should be more proud of your position!”

your floor dings and you adjust your lanyard, “how do I look?”

your question flustered Seonghwa, “g-great.. go-good.. beautiful..”

that last part was mumbled but you heard it

“oh.. thank you.. well gonna go to ace my interview, maybe we’ll be cube buddies or something.. wish me luck~”

you trotted down the hall towards the room the interview was held in; you sat for your turn, you couldn’t stop fidgeting from adrenaline

“Ms. Y/N? we’re ready for you~” an older lady shot you a reassuring smile

you took one last deep breath before walking in the room

you thought you were prepared for this interview..

UNTIL YOU SAW BOY WONDER, MR. HANDSOME FACE AKA THE SAD “PUPPY LEFT OUT IN THE RAIN” FUCKBOY

SITTING IN FRONT OF THE PLAQUE THAT SAYS CEO

oh what a time to be alive

“so, Ms. Y/N, shall we beginning?” Seonghwa smirked as he opened your portfolio

YUNHO X TYCHE

reincarnation of: TYCHE (goddess of chance, fate and fortune)

Yunho was bored with his life; he was bored with his riches

this was the consequence of his luck

sure; he always won all the games at the casino, got the winning ticket to the lottery, anything that had zero to no chance of winning? he won them

he won them all

it was always like this; ever since he was little

it made him kind of depressed

he would get himself in every life-threatening situations but by a stroke of miracle, he would be saved by the bell

people only wanted to be around him because he would bring luck to everyone around him

so he holed himself up in his house; his very big and very empty house

because he was sick of being used, sick of winning, sick of being lucky

the doorbell rung; he checked his door security camera

it was probably his food he ordered

surprised to see someone still waiting there with his food

he scurried downstairs and swung the door open

there you were, frowning at him, “Mr. Yunho? I don’t mean to be rude or out of line, but you’ve been ordering nothing but the unhealthiest options from our place.. I’m worried about your health, SO I included some healthy options.. it’s not included in your payment... HAVE A GOOD DAY!”

you hoped that he wouldn’t think too much about your kind offer

but Yunho places his big, firm hand on your shoulder, slightly tugging you back

“why are you worried about my health? what do you want from me??”

you turned to him meekly, “I’m NOT stalking you! it’s just that... you’re always ordering from us, at least 4 days out of 7.. and you always order the MOST unhealthiest options.. I’m assigned to this area of town and there’s not a day or time where I don’t deliver food to your house..so I suspected that you don’t leave your house often..”

you looked to him for any social cue that he was uncomfortable by you

but he just looked sad, “no one’s... ever cared for me like that before.. people are always asking things of me, they never do things for me..”

in that moment, he caught your eyes

they were glassy and filled with worry

“thank you..” he says softly with a smile

you smiled back, “I gotta get back to work.. have a nice day, Mr. Yunho..”

“Yunho!” he calls out

“call me Yunho..”

“you can call me Y/N!”

now that Yunho knew that you were assigned to this area, maybe it wouldn’t be weird to order more often than he already does

to you know.. make a friend? or did you do that because you like him? but you never even seen his face until now....

you know? maybe this was just an act of kindness, right? is what he thought

which was true, at first

but when you saw heard what he said about how no one has ever done anything for him, you wanted to change that

you went to his place the next day on your day off

you could hear the thumping sounds of his footsteps, “Y/N? I didn’t order anything.. yet... you’re not wearing your uniform..”

Yunho ears turned pink at the sight of you so dolled up; periwinkle form-fitting dress with a light denim cropped jacket and white platformed sneakers; your hair was thrown up in a messy ponytail

“wh-what’s the occasion?”

you smiled at him, “I’m kidnapping you for a day.. you’re cooped in your big house 24/7, you’re too pale! let’s go get some sunshine and some food!”

you dragged him out of the house, “my wallet-”

“I’m paying! I don’t care what you say about “guys always paying for girls,” I’m different!”

Yunho didn’t know that his heart could feel so full, “that you are..”

maybe his luck wasn’t just catered towards riches and fortune

maybe you were his lucky charm

YEOSANG X HERMES

reincarnation of: HERMES (god of travelers and trade, the trickster, the messenger of the gods)

everyone would think that Yeosang is such an angel; how could he ever do anything wrong?

that’s where everyone is wrong

he is the king of tricksters; the devil on your left shoulder

but he would never face the consequences for his actions because before anyone realizes what he’s done, he’s gone in a snap

that was the life he was used to

that was until he came across you

you had just moved into a new townhouse complex; a nice area

you thought it was nice until you met the troublemaker of a neighbor

you caught him spray painting the side of your house

there was a walkway in between your house and his house, so the side of your house was completely bare

sure it was beautiful BUT you weren’t going to live there long so you didn’t want to go through the trouble of cleaning it yourself when you knew who the culprit was

little did he know, you were outside watering your plants

you sprayed him with water

“young lady! what are you doing to that poor young man!” the elderly lady who lived a couple of houses down was scolding you

“ma’am he was vandalizing my house!”

“well all I see is that he’s helping you clean it, isn’t that right Yeosang?”

you turned to see his mischievous smirk turn into an angelic one

“of course ma’am, I saw some kids spraying up the place and I wanted to help out our new neighbor~”

“she probably thought you were those kids, though I know you would NEVER do something so terrible.. what a sweet, sweet boy.. you two have a good day now~”

and with that she left

you caught the guy before he had the chance to run away and grabbed him by the collar

“I don’t know who you think you are, sweetheart.. but I hope you keep your promise and clean YOUR mess..you’re not fooling me..”

Yeosang sulks as he’s scrubbing your walls

you sprayed him with water, “whoops, I was trying to spray the wall.. must’ve slipped..”

“I’m gonna get you back...”

you sneaked right behind him

“probably wasn’t a good idea to say what your planning.. I’ll be ready.. you better count on it. now get to cleaning, sweetheart~” you said in the same tone as the elderly lady

since then, you and Yeosang have been in childish fights to get back at one another

everything on the lines of ding-dong ditching to stealing things from your property small things

this went on for days, weeks, almost over 3 months!

you don’t HATE him but you definitely don’t like his alter personality or his real one whatever it is

it was golden hour when you saw him lurking in your front lawn, you swung the door open

“WHAT do are YOU stealing this time, Yeosang?”

he grabs your wrist

“I’m stealing your time”

you rolled your eyes at him, “and what’s that gonna do?”

“hopefully succeed in stealing your heart”

SAN X HADES

reincarnation of: HADES (god of the underworld)

San lives and has lived a sad life; with each reincarnation, his life goes through the cycle of the whole story of Hades and Persephone

only to be in a “forced” relationship that runs in clockwork

he’s done everything to try to get away from this cursed life

he’s chained, shackled to lifestyle of his predecessor

but he wants to switch Hade’s selfishness into his own selflessness

he lives in black

he lives in chaos

he lives like how Hades would

like his life, you are also stuck in a loop; the only thing is, you are unaware of it

you are the reincarnation of Persephone; youthful even if you age, beautiful without any effort and brighter than any star in the sky

if he was the darkest twilight, you were the sun at it’s highest peak

San could always find you, even if he didn’t tried

it was destiny, no matter how he to evade it

he locked himself inside his dark home; having 3 black shibas as his companions

played chess by himself

cook meals to eat at his large and empty table

roasted his own coffee beans and drank black coffee to past time

didn’t even watch TV

only leaving at night when the stars are brighter than the streetlights and shadows are enveloping everything in sight

he wanted you to live every life with purpose and however you wanted

you deserve that at the very least

he didn’t want you to be apart of his terrible life

but there’s no way to dodge destiny, you were like a magnet

San was walking his dogs, his usual routine; same thing and everything

until you ran into him at the corner

there was no time for an exchange of words before his dogs all trampled on you with kisses

“Cy! Bear! Russ! get off of her!!” he tugs them off and he knew he was in trouble

even through reincarnations, you still looked the same; the same beautiful you

“I’m so sorry.. here..” he offers a hand to help you up but were you still playing with the dogs

“it’s all good, it’s my fault for going not paying attention on a jog! look at your little fluffy, woofy faces~” that’s when you finally look up at him and the reflection of the streetlights flickered in your eyes

“do I.. do I know you? you look familiar?”

you took his hand, bewitched by his striking features, as he helped you up, “you’re probably mistaking me for someone else...”

he looks around, it’s a sketchy area for you to be jogging so late in the night

“why are you jogging so late in such a dangerous area.. there no cameras, streetlights are dim and there’s little to no one awake right now?”

you truly didn’t know who he was, but you felt same with him

you felt like you probably knew him in another life; it made you feel sentimental

“I just got a new job and my new work schedule doesn’t allow me to have the time for my daily jog-”

“so you jog at night where it’s most dangerous?!” San slightly raised his voice at you

which startled you, “I-I’m sorry...”

San took out his phone, “what area to do you live in? I’m gonna call a cab to take you home..”

“you don’t have to! I live close by...”

you waited for him to offer walking you home but the silence just prolonged longer than you expected

“you could walk me home?” you asked

how could San ever say no to you; it was like he was programmed not to

“sure...” you led the way and he followed you as closely as he could without letting your hands brush against each other

“I’m Y/N”

“San..”

“do you live around here too?”

“yeah”

you tried to make small talk with him but he kept his answers short

“this is me..” you showed him the gate to your place

“stay safe, Y/N..don’t run out so late..” he said before leaving

but you held him back, “you know.. maybe I could walk your dogs or something... so that I can feel safer.. or maybe we can go on nightly walks?”

San turns to walk back to where you were; Cy, Bear and Russ followed him after

“if fate allows us, we’ll meet again... please take care and be safe, Y/N.. goodnight..”

maybe destiny is inevitable

maybe he’s miserable because he doesn’t want to force this destiny onto you and make you miserable

but maybe you aren’t actually miserable when you’re with him

but he can’t take those chances

and he won’t

MINGI X POSEIDON

reincarnation of: POSEIDON (god of the sea)

Mingi was your childhood friend; a complete moody, edgy son of a gun

his personality wavered like water itself

he can be calm as a pond on a silent night or he can be as violent as a roaring hurricane

you learned how to deal with all of his mood swings

you thought you knew all about him

you basically knew all about him

except for the fact that he’s actually the reincarnation of the god of moody waves himself, Poseidon

because of his mood swings, he always had a hard time with dating

if the girls thought their mood swings were bad, they had no idea what they signed up for when they were dating him

they all ended badly

you felt bad for Mingi

you knew him the most

you knew how he was

you knew the kinks in his gears

today was another day, another break up for Mingi

so the real question is, why didn’t you and Mingi ever dated each other?

you pushed feelings and thoughts to the side because, you knew that dating would be different

he’s seen you through all your hard times and much as you have been there for him

what if you lose him and any relationship you have with him?

so you locked those feelings away and pretended like everything was fine

except everything wasn’t fine

you began to cough petals of blue hydrangeas; the more you suppressed your feelings the worst it got

and every time Mingi was involved in another relationship, you could feel the branches curling around your lungs

you didn’t want to go through with the surgery to get the flowers out because if you did, you would forget about the feelings you ever had for Mingi

your whole relationship with Mingi relied on those feelings; you couldn’t toss those away

so you hid all of this from him

well, you thought you did

“what happened this time?” you asked as you tossed him a hoodie you borrowed from him

“she didn’t like you.. so I broke up with her..”

that reeled in some of those locked away feelings but you kept them in the back of your head and out of your heart

“it seemed like she was good for you.. I could just back away-”

“NO!”

Mingi tossed the hoodie and slammed you up into the wall

you were so startled; he never resulted into hurting you before so it made you scared

he was never the physically violent type; especially towards people

but this was different, he was acting different

scared to the point where tears welted up in your eyes

it made everything blurry but the sight of Mingi in front of you was still clear

in that moment, Mingi realized what he did and remorse washed over

“I-I’m sorry don’t cry..” he wiped your tears away; you were so overwhelmed you didn’t realized that he turned your tears into aerosolized mist

he held your head as he caged into a hug

your favorite hugs

“I can’t live without you.. I don’t know what I’d do without you... even when I’m with other girls, I can stop thinking about you..”

those locked feelings that you had for him were trickling into your heart

it got a little bit easier to breathe

you cupped his face, “Mingi..what are you trying to say?”

you needed to hear him say it with his own mouth

“I love you, Y/N... I can’t be with you..”

your eyes wavered and your hands trembled

“why? is it something that I did or something that I said? am I... am I not good enough for you?”

Mingi shook his head furiously, “no. no.. Y/N, you are perfect. you are everything I want.. everything that I need... but I can’t let you be apart of the life that I live.. deal with the family that I have...”

you didn’t know about Mingi’s family but Mingi never seemed to want to talk about

“this is why I have to do this.. I hope.. I hope you understand..”

he kissed your forehead and then everything became black

when you woke up, you were in the hospital and you had no recollection of where you were and how you lived you life up until now

Mingi was moving out of his house next to your; he had been crying because he knew about your condition

he distracted himself with other girls because he couldn’t get you involved with his family

those girls were short-term relationships to distract him from his long-term crush on you

which worked then but it probably won’t work now

because you will never remember him

you will never love him again

and now he’s coughing up blue hydrangeas; but in your memory, he’ll keep it until the day he dies

WOOYOUNG X DIONYSUS

reincarnation of: DIONYSUS (god of wine)

the sun was peeking through the window; stirring you awake

when you opened your eyes, it hit you

you weren’t in your bed

or your room

or even your clothes

you looked to your right and put 2 and 2 together

you were in the same bed as the “sweetheart” of a frat boy, Wooyoung

you couldn’t help but scream

which caused Wooyoung to scream and fall out of bed

“WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?!”

“WHAT? NOTHING! NOTHING!”

Wooyoung was sleeping with a black tank top and grey sweatpants

you were in his shirt and boxers for shorts

Wooyoung stares at you as you stare back at him

“can I sit on the bed and tell you what happened?”

“only if you don’t touch me-”

“I’m not going to touch you, not without consent anyw-”

“OKAY WHAT HAPPENED?”

Wooyoung pointed to the living room which was visible from where you and Wooyoung were

“we were studying because we’re in the same literature class..” he dragged out his sentence

“uh-huh~” you motioned your hands to move along

“you wanted a break and I brought out some wine...”

“uh-huh”

“and then you talked about your love life and you started getting out of hand..”

“WHAT?! I DON’T REMEMBER THAT PART!”

Wooyoung rolled his eyes, “you CHUG 2 glasses without even talking to me and then you started to talk about Lucas-”

“OK OK OK!” you could feel your face getting red and your head started to feel tight

he noticed your discomfort and got up from the bed

“where’re you going” you slurred

“getting your dumdum head some water and advil”

when he came back, you were still laying in bed but you had tossed your hair up in a messy bun

“you started to get hysterical; saying that you’re a great gal and why don’t you have a boyfriend and spilled wine on yourself. I told you to go take a shower and gave you some of my clothes to borrow..” he handed you the water and bottle of advil

you nodded and took them from him; still embarrassed

“you called for me in the bathroom. you showered and changed but you didn’t want to walk. complained that you were sleepy.. so I carried you to the bed..”

“you carried my fat-ass?!” you were conscious about your weight

“like a princess..” he smiled at you

“I was going to sleep on the couch but you BEGGED me not to leave you, so I slept NEXT to you and there was a nice amount of space between us..okay? NOTHING happened..”

“okay..” you murmured

you weren’t confident in your looks and always worried about your appearance but Wooyoung didn’t care about any of that

“Y/N.. are you okay? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable..”

“you don’t make me uncomfortable..” you pulled the blanket up to cover your body, “I don’t want to you to be uncomfortable..by me..”

Wooyoung held your hand, “you don’t.. I hope you know that..”

you were about to slide your hand away but Wooyoung held on

“I know what the others say about me, but that’s not me... I’m not some frat guy who goes around sleeping with other girls..or a guy who’s known for going to the bars and clubs every other night... I’m just a guy who’s too wimp to actually tell the girl he actually likes that he wants to be with her and make her feel loved and make her love herself..so...”

you felt him lift your chin up to meet him eye to eye

“will you let me get the chance to do that?”

JONGHO X HERACLES

reincarnation of: HERACLES (son of Zeus)

Jongho was just minding his business

he JUST had to go to the store to get some more protein shake powder before going to the gym

he was JUST taking off his helmet that went with his motorcycle when he heard you yelling someone to back off

he turns to you across the street in an alley cornered by a moderately fit guys

sure he was always saving the damsel in distress but this time was different

“ma’am are you in any trouble?” he shouts out to you and it catches the attention of the other guy

“a girl can take care of her own and take care of this fool myself..” you tried to wave him off but the guy grabbed your arm quite forcefully

“take care of this fool? Y/N.. aren’t you such a doll?”

no words were able to leave your lips when Jongho rips the guy’s hand from you and slams his fist into his face

it takes more than a couple seconds for the guy to get up from the ground

he glares at Jongho with terrified eyes

“this isn’t the last you’ll see from me!” the moment the guy is up on his feet he’s running

“wow.. if he was a dog, he’d be running with his tail between his legs..”

you looked at the guy who just saved you, he had on a leather jacket and his black hair was slicked back like he was in Grease

“what are you some type of modern-day Hercules, biker boy?” you joked

Jongho gave an awkward cough, “you could say.. but.. are you okay?”

you nodded as you rubbed your arm

“a little shaken up but I’ll live..” you started to look around; you were slightly paranoid at this point

“you wanna go for a ride? we can go anywhere you wanna go” he asked as he pointed to his bike

“in that?!” you’ve never rode anything of that sort

he took your hand and handed you his extra helmet, “it’s a little scary at first but she drives like a dream”

weary but you trusted him, “what’s your name?”

“I’m Jongho”

“well, Jongho..” you started to adjust the helmet on your head, “I’m gonna take your word for it..” you held your hand out for him to take

he takes it, you didn’t expect him to kiss it but he does

“what a gentleman..” you tried to hide the trembling of your voice

you hated rollercoaster or any rides of that kind

anything that involved a rush of adrenaline scared you

but when Jongho wrapped your arms around his waist, you felt safe and you weren’t as scared

“where to, princess?” he asks as he turns to shoot you the most adorable smile

“know any good food carts?”

“buckle up, because I know just the place”

[ masterlist + guidelines ]

62 notes · View notes

neednothavehappenedtobetrue · 3 years

Text

under the cut, a long update on Today When A Dude From Work Yelled At Me

tl;dr my boss is being even more spineless than usual, has explicitly told his two disabled female direct reports that if we experience more ableist nonsense from some guy who has already yelled at us he will not intervene or back us up because “conflict is healthy”

however, the director of another team was also there and at least she is not spineless!

also I fully hate my job and have resigned from interviewing applicants for staff positions here, because I’m worried that the next time someone asks what it’s like to work here I will tell them.

(I do know that “previously never having been yelled at in your workplace” is a big privilege few people have and I know I sound here a bit like my boss does every time he goes “wow I didn’t realize there was so much ableism,”)

(also yeah, he has repeatedly this week been like “I’m so surprised that ableism is so entrenched and people are so unwilling to talk about it,” and it’s like, buddy, you are surprised all by yourself here)

anyway, this meeting’s key players:

-my boss

-me

-my favorite coworker, who does a similar job to mine

-the woman who does my boss’s job, but in Canada

-the woman who does my job, but in Canada

-the jackass who yelled at us

-two women from his team, neither of whom said much, although one of them did decide, at a point well after her team member literally yelled at us, that the conversation was “over time, we’ve gotta go” and ended the call abruptly.

(I would pay money to see any backchannel conversations those team members were having during this call, like, do they totally agree that we’re being Extreme and Adversarial or are they like “uh, buddy, maybe we could back this up a step?” do the two women have a chat thread the asshole’s not in and what does it say?

but also I don’t need them to see the backchannel my team had that started out with “this is a lot of jargon, what does this mean?” and finished with, like, it’s a work software and if they wanted to IT could see it so there’s a line to be mindful of, but there was mild snark all around, and a few instances of me using the word “buddy” in the way where I would use “asshole” on a non-work chat software.

(Cool Colleague and I did at one point start a text message thread on our personal phones that’s just completely impolitic and 50% full-on swearing)

I would not be delighted if other people saw our Teams backchannel, but I would be willing to defend all of it, if I had to.

we haven’t fired one lady for “bullying other team members so bad that two of them quit explicitly because of her bullying and said so on the record,” so I feel like “being sarcastic on the work chat” is not a firing offense here.

also, like, they’d have to fire at least 2/3 of my department, which would be… kind of hilarious, actually? no one of us is individually irreplaceable, but if our whole department collapsed it would be a Bad Time For Everyone.

Cool Coworker is for SURE quitting as soon as she can line something up, so probably she’ll be replaced before I quit, but also, do you know how funny it would be if we quit simultaneously and the whole office was like “oh fuck, we needed those two people pretty bad, actually, maybe we should have done something the fifth or sixth time they said they were feeling undervalued and demoralized? whoops!”

anyway, as I said earlier, this meeting consisted of our three person team, the two-person team who does our job in Canada, and the team of which Yelling Man is the director

(today I learned that Yelling Man actively wants to quit working here, but can’t because “the CEO won’t let him,” is that a thing? how does that work? I’m sorry you hate it here, buddy, but you still can’t yell at me)

anyway, Canada’s department head had to leave the meeting early (by which I mean like 30 minutes after it was supposed to end, it continued after that) so I think she missed the yelling (now I wish she hadn’t, I feel like she was the person most likely to say “guy, you’re yelling at us, what if you didn’t?)

so the meeting ended, we debriefed.

I asked my boss to interrupt this guy if he raises his voice in future meetings. my boss said no, because conflict is healthy

I asked my boss if he would back me up/cover for me if I need to leave a meeting for 90 seconds to calm down because a dude is yelling at me. no, he will not do that either, because conflict is healthy.

there will be at least one additional meeting on this subject with a dude who yelled at us for calling out ableism and my boss has informed his two junior female disabled staff members that if this guy yells ableist nonsense at us a second time, he will do literally nothing to intervene or help us and he won’t try to call out this guy on how he behaved today, either.

I do genuinely appreciate the vast amount of off-the-record paid sick time I’ve gotten, but also, I am maybe ready to stop saying “my boss is so great, but sometimes…”

like, my boss is a spineless asshole, but sometimes he does nice things.

anyway! you know who is <not> a spineless asshole? the head of the department from Canada! she missed the yelling, but noticed how needlessly hostile and also incredibly ableist this dude was being, so she got the other Canadian to fill her in on the part she missed.

she is horrified and using words like “harassment”

she wants the folks on my team to meet with her individually to discuss and document how inappropriate this guy was, so she can do something about it.

I don’t know what our options are. despite being an org with somewhere in the neighborhood of 250 staff, I’m not sure we have an HR department?

we have the Talent people, who oversee our definitely garbage probably illegal hiring process (with interview questions like “what is your relationship with your mother like?” and “oh, but aren’t most disabled advocates just so mean all the time?”) so my hope is we can get Almost Anyone Else, but I don’t think there’s anyone else, it’s probably them.

-the Integrity team might be good, but as far as I know the three members of that team either just quit, are secretly quitting very soon, or are on sabbatical, and also I think they deal more with legal issues than just “some asshole yelling at work”

-and there’s Yelling Man’s boss, our CEO, who is not… famous for being a reasonable guy with a good understanding of workplace norms, acceptable behavior, nuance, etc. he’s also the guy who refuses to let Yelling Man quit, so I don’t know if he would be at all helpful here

but at least somebody is trying!

also, for a while I was interviewing candidates for jobs here, and I thought I could do a little bit of harm reduction. I would skip the wildly inappropriate interview questions, and I would be as honest as possible with people who asked what it was like to work here.

a woman I interviewed in January is quitting as soon as she can because it sucks so much here. her job is to tell people when we’re breaking the law, usually in ways related to privacy laws, but also I think some equity stuff.

I knew when I interviewed her that her job in particular would suck, I watched how people treated the other people who did it, ignoring them at best, belittling them sometimes. fuck rules, we’re innovators!

I definitely told her we had some strong personalities and it wouldn’t be an easy job.

in the meeting where everyone who interviewed her met to make a decision a dude tried to stop us hiring her because, essentially, fuck rules, we’re innovators, why do we need someone who cares about complying?

-the boss of her team, who has since quit, was like “we probably should try not to break the law, though”

so she got hired and now both of them are quitting because it sucks here and I feel complicit in getting her here.

- so I’m resigning from doing interviews with job candidates, theoretically because of “limited capacity” but actually because if someone asks me what it’s like to work here, I will not be able to hedge, I will absolutely be like “it sucks so much to work here. we do occasionally manage to do good work, but the process of making that happen in this incredibly dysfunctional environment grinds down staff. it is bad to work here, I am quitting the second I can, go somewhere else”

and, like, if I got lucky I could get away with that once, and also it would be a fun way to get fired, but instead of that I’m just not helping bring on staff anymore, because it makes me feel complicit when this place grinds them down”

2 notes · View notes