#that girl next to him in the second is the mc i would draw for 6s1m | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

losermuse · 3 months ago

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CW: non-mc!reader, high school au, angst, unrequited love, hurt/no comfort, insecurity, jealousy, self-hatred, written in first pov, ventfic, unreliable narrator, cliche plot WC: 4.0k

Average. Ordinary. Second best. The plain Jane.

That’s what I am, what I’ve always been. The person who blends into the background, who smiles when I should, laughs when it’s expected.

But never stands out.

So it’s the question of the century: how did I even end up being friends with her? She’s everything I’m not—charismatic, funny, effortlessly pretty, the kind of girl who walks into a room and immediately captures everyone’s attention. The apple of his eye.

I can still remember the first time I met her. It was in the third row, right next to the window. I was awkward, unsure of myself, quietly existing in the corners of the classroom, trying not to draw attention to the fact that I was just another face in the crowd. And then she sat next to me. She was my seatmate, so I guess it was inevitable.

At the time, I couldn’t help but wonder if she had been assigned to me out of pity. After all, who would choose someone like me to be their friend? But she didn’t need a reason. She just…liked me and that was enough.

Initially, I thought it was some kind of fluke. She smiled at me, made small talk, and suddenly, I wasn’t alone in that space. Slowly, I found myself pulling away from the walls I had built around me, allowing her to see parts of me I kept hidden.

It wasn’t pity in the end. She genuinely wanted to be friends. She didn’t have to choose me, but she did anyway.

Then he entered the picture. Caleb, he was just a name at first, the guy everyone in school seemed to talk about. Star player of the high school basketball team, a natural athlete with a reputation for being both skilled and effortlessly charming. I remember hearing about him long before I saw him. People always flocked to him like he was some kind of magnet.

But when I finally saw him for the first time, it felt like everything seemed to slow down. He wasn’t just a name anymore; he was real. You couldn’t miss him from the way his tall frame moved through the hallways with confidence and the easy smile that never seemed forced. He was the perfect definition of the boy next door. It was clear he wasn’t just someone special to the school, but to her too.

She practically glowed when he was around. I didn’t need to see the way they exchanged jokes or how he called her “pipsqueak” to know she’d known him longer than I had. She was comfortable with him more than I could ever be. And I…well, I was just the audience, watching them from the sidelines.

It wasn’t like Caleb ever really saw me, at least not in the way I wanted. But then again, he wasn’t the type to make anyone feel invisible. We were both part of her world, after all. So, every once in a while, he’d acknowledge me in passing—small, casual things like a wave in the hall or a brief nod when he saw me sitting next to her at lunch.

Nothing that stood out. Nothing that made my heart race. But it was enough to make me feel like, maybe, just maybe, I wasn’t entirely forgotten. Maybe he noticed me because he noticed her, and I was simply there, part of the package.

Yet in the end, that’s all it was. A fleeting acknowledgement that never lasted long. Two sides of a perfect coin. Best friend since childhood.

This is their story, not mine.

—

The school was decorated for Valentine’s Day, with the usual red hearts, streamers and cheesy banners hanging from every corner. It wasn’t anything extravagant, just enough to make the day feel special. It wasn’t a day I particularly looked forward to, but there was something about the way the entire school buzzed that made everything feel a little bit different.

Students milled around, exchanging cards, gifts, and the usual classroom chocolates. I couldn’t help but watch, half-detached as the holiday played out around me.

I wasn’t expecting anything. Not really. After all, it was just another Valentine’s Day. Nothing more, nothing less.

Then Caleb appeared.

When he finally approached, I saw that familiar smile already on his face. Even in the crowded hallway, he had a way of drawing attention. He reached her first, his grin widening as he handed her a box of chocolates.

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” he said, his tone warm, like this was second nature to him.

She laughed, taking the box without hesitation. “Thanks, Gege. You always know the best ones.”

And just like that, it was the same as always. A tradition between them, something unspoken yet expected, like a habit they had no reason to break.

As she tucked the box under her arm, I noticed her phone swinging gently in her hand. Dangling from the corner was a small green apple keychain, bright and shiny like something picked straight out of a cartoon—playful and fresh, just like her.

I might’ve looked away if Caleb hadn’t shifted slightly then, drawing my eyes to the large red apple charm clipped to his bag. Not the same, but unmistakably a pair. Her green and his red—like they were meant to match, opposite but complementary.

The kind of detail that didn’t just happen. The kind of charm you didn’t buy alone.

I looked at them, then back at the apples. Something sour began to rise in the back of my throat, and I swallowed hard, pretending it was nothing. Just keychains. Just a coincidence.

Before I could fade into the background, she turned to me with a playful grin.

“You forgot this.”

I blinked as she handed me a small box of chocolates. The same kind she had been giving out all day.

“I figured you’d want one too,” she continued, her eyes bright. “Even if you’re not into all this Valentine’s stuff.”

I took the box, a little unsure of how to feel. It wasn’t that I didn’t appreciate it—she was always thoughtful—but something about it felt hollow, like it could’ve meant for anyone. Just another gesture, wrapped up in politeness. Still, I smiled back and took them.

“Hey,” he said, his voice a bit warmer than usual. “I didn’t forget about you either.”

I froze, surprised. He reached into his bag and pulled out a small, familiar red box—the kind of chocolates I’d seen at the store and always picked up for myself but never expected anyone to remember.

“I remember you saying you liked these,” he continued, offering the box with a casual shrug. “So, here. Happy Valentine’s.”

I stared at the box for a second, unable to believe what was happening. Caleb, the one who never paid me much attention—had remembered this one small detail. The world around me seemed to shrink, and I couldn’t find the words to respond immediately.

“Thanks,” I finally managed to say, my voice quieter than usual. I quickly looked away, suddenly aware of the heat creeping up my neck, my pulse racing.

As I held the chocolates, still reeling from the fact that Caleb had seen me, I could feel the weight of her presence next to him. She had already caught his attention again, her laugh filling the space between us as she leaned into him, brushing her hand against his arm.

And just like that, I was back to being a background character in their routine, holding chocolates, a small token that didn’t change anything.

—

It has been a week, and the tension I had tried to push down only grew stronger.

There she was, her usual energy heightened, practically bouncing into the cafeteria the next morning. “Come on!” she said, dragging me by the arm before I could even get a bite of my lunch. “You have to come watch Caleb’s game with me! It’s his biggest match of the season, and he’s asked us to be there.”

I hesitated. I wasn’t exactly a sports fan, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was just a third wheel. They were practically inseparable, and the thought of watching Caleb, the one person who made my heart do flips without even trying, while she was there at his side… well, it made my stomach twist.

“You know I don’t really like watching sports,” I said weakly, trying to pull my arm back, but she wasn’t having it.

“Oh, come on, don’t be like that!” she insisted. “It’ll be fun! You’ll see. He really wants us to come!”

Before I knew it, we were heading to the gym together, my resistance fading with every step. I couldn’t escape it now.

As we found our seats in the crowded bleachers, the energy buzzed all around us. The game was intense, and the gym filled with the roar of excited fans. But despite all the noise, it felt oddly quiet for me.

There he was, in his element on the court, pulling off play after play, and the crowd was eating it up. I couldn’t help but watch him. He was so…perfect on that court. His confidence, his skills, the way he seemed to shine no matter where he was—it was undeniable.

And then I glanced over at her.

She was watching him too, her eyes glued to him as if no one else existed in the world. Her laughter echoed in the stands every time he scored. She cheered him on, high-fiving the people around her, her whole world revolving around him.

A sharp, unfamiliar sting twisted in my chest, something cold and suffocating, as if green tendrils had coiled around my heart, tightening with every passing second. It was jealousy. I knew it. I couldn’t deny it, no matter how hard I tried. But I didn’t have the right to feel it. They were friends—childhood friends.

When the game finally ended, Caleb walked off the court, a wide grin on his face. His team had won, and the crowd roared with excitement. She was already on her feet, clapping, her face lighting up as she made her way toward him.

I felt a wave of discomfort wash over me. I stayed seated, hesitating, unsure if I should follow her. I wasn’t sure I wanted to witness whatever came next. I knew it would be the same as always: her congratulating him, them laughing together, the same dynamic that had been in place for years.

And sure enough, as soon as Caleb reached her, they shared a moment that felt like it was pulled straight out of a rom-com movie. He grinned and with a playful nudge, lifted her into a quick hug, laughing.

“Great game!” she said, her voice bubbly as always.

“Thanks,” Caleb replied, his voice warm as he released her, his eyes meeting hers in that familiar way.

I stood there, watching them, the jealousy gnawing at me harder than I wanted to admit. It crept in slowly, the green tendrils seeping through the cracks of my heart, winding their way around it, squeezing until it felt like I couldn’t breathe. I tried to push it down, tried to ignore the way it twisted inside me, but it was impossible. The jealousy was there, growing more than ever.

And I couldn’t escape it.

At that moment, Caleb’s gaze shifted, landing on me where I stood off to the side. His expression softened as he began making his way over, leaving her behind in the crowd of well-wishers. I braced myself for what was coming—another small, casual acknowledgement, just like all the others.

“Hey,” Caleb greeted, his voice as easy as always. “You enjoying the game?��

“Yeah, it was great,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. I forced a smile, hoping he wouldn’t notice the tightness in my chest. “You played really well.”

“Thanks,” he said, casually leaning against the bleachers. “I’m glad you could make it.” He gave me a small, almost nonchalant grin, and I could feel the air between us growing thinner. “You should come to the next one too. The more the merrier.”

I nodded, but inside I felt like I was shattering. His smile didn’t mean what I wanted it to. He was just being nice, casual. Like we were… just friends. That’s all it was.

Just friends.

—

I hate this.

Jealousy and I have become acquaintances.

It wasn’t always like this. At first, it was just a passing stranger, brushing against my shoulder whenever I saw them together. A quiet, fleeting thing. But over time, it settled in, got comfortable. Now, it lingers beside me like a shadow, whispering in my ear every time he laughs at one of her jokes or drapes an arm around her.

I should be used to it by now. I tell myself I don’t mind being the extra in their story, the one who watches, who listens, who smiles at all the right moments. But jealousy knows better. It sees the way my heart twists when he looks at her like she’s the only one in the world. It feels like the ache that never quite goes away.

And the worst part? Caleb is kind. So when he turns to me with that easy warmth, when he asks if I’m okay or flashes a smile just because—I almost believe it. I almost let myself think I matter, not just because I’m standing next to someone who does.

But jealousy just laughs. Because we both know the truth.

He notices everyone.

And that’s exactly why he’ll never really see me.

I almost wish he were mean. That he’d ignore me completely, never sparing me a glance. Maybe then, it wouldn’t hurt as much. Maybe then, I could convince myself I never cared in the first place. But he isn’t. He’s warm, thoughtful, and good. And that’s what makes this so much worse.

Because how do you let go of something that was never yours to begin with?

—

The rain started without warning, a sudden downpour that sent students scattering in every direction. Laughter and shrieks echoed through the courtyard as people huddled under jackets, sprinted for buses, or shared umbrellas.

I stood beneath the awning outside the school doors, watching the water hit the pavement in relentless sheets. She had left earlier for practice, and I had no umbrella, no ride—just an excuse to linger a little longer.

“You always get caught in the rain, huh, Sunshine?”

My breath hitched at the familiar voice, low and amused.

I turned, already knowing who I’d see.

Caleb stood a few feet away, one hand tucked in his pocket, the other holding an umbrella at his side. Stray strands of damp hair clung to his forehead, his school blazer slightly wrinkled like he had just pulled it on without care.

I scoffed. “That’s a dumb nickname.”

He smirked. “Says the one who never remembers an umbrella.” Then, without waiting for permission, he took a step closer, tilting his umbrella just enough to cover me. “Come on, I’ll walk you.”

I hesitated. But the cold air bit at my skin, and it wasn’t like I had another choice.

So I stepped in.

It should’ve been fine. Normal. We had walked together plenty of times before, always because of her. The thought sat heavy in my chest, an unspoken truth I tried to ignore.

The space under the umbrella was small. Too small. The scent of his cologne mixed with the rain, something warm and clean that made my stomach twist in ways I didn’t want to acknowledge.

We walked in silence, the rhythmic patter of raindrops filling the gaps where words should have been. It wasn’t an awkward silence—he never seemed to struggle with those. To me, though, it was suffocating, heavy with everything I’d spent so long trying to ignore.

Caleb hummed thoughtfully. “You always overthink everything, Sunshine.”

I glanced at him. “And you don’t think enough.”

He grinned. “That’s why we balance each other out.”

I bit the inside of my cheek, willing my heart to settle. We didn’t balance anything. I was just—there. A background character in his life, a passing moment he’d forget by tomorrow.

Then, just as casually as everything else he did, he reached out.

“Hold still,” he murmured.

Before I could react, his fingers brushed against my forehead, tucking a damp strand of hair behind my ear.

The touch was light, but it sent a bolt of something sharp and electric through me. The world shrank down to just that moment, just that sensation.

I could say it. Right now.

The words were right there, lodged in my throat. Three small words waiting to slip out.

But I swallowed them down before they could ruin everything.

I wanted him to be indifferent so bad. To treat me like I was just another face in the crowd, someone easily forgotten. But he didn’t. He was Caleb. Kind, thoughtful, always saying just the right thing, doing just enough to keep me hoping.

By the time we reached my house, my clothes were still dry, but my heart was drowning.

He smiled, completely unaware of what he’d just done to me. “See you tomorrow.”

And then he was gone, walking back into the rain, while I stood there, watching, waiting, wishing—soaking in everything I could never have.

–

That moment under the umbrella should have meant nothing. Just a momentary act of kindness. A small thing.

To him, it probably was. A simple gesture, something he’d done countless times without thinking.

But for me, it was the moment I realized something ugly had settled inside me. Something that stretched beyond just longing or jealousy.

It was envy.

Because she had everything.

Everything I ever wanted.

Not just Caleb, though that stung more than I wanted to admit. It was the way she moved through life—effortlessly. She was always the centre of attention, always the first choice and always the one people gravitated toward. She didn’t have to fight for anyone’s affection. She didn’t have to wonder whether she was enough. She simply was.

She was loved without question. She was accepted, admired, and celebrated.

And me?

I was the girl who blended into the background. The one whose laugh was too quiet to be heard, whose smile was lost among the crowd. The one who always had to fight to be noticed, but when she was, it felt like an afterthought.

And it had always been like that. I had always been the second best—but now? Now, it was so much worse. Every time she smiled at him, every time they shared a joke or a look that I couldn’t understand, the resentment inside me only grew. I wanted to scream, to shake her, to force her to see that I existed too, that I mattered too. But I couldn’t. She was my best friend. And so, I kept my mouth shut.

It wasn’t just about Caleb anymore. It was about everything.

It was about the way she lived in a world where everything was handed to her, where she didn’t have to second-guess her place in anyone’s life. The way people respected her for being who she was, while I was left wondering what I was doing wrong. What made me less than her?

And I hated her for it.

I hated the way she made it look so easy. I hated how every compliment she got felt like a punch to the gut. I hated how she never questioned her worth.

I couldn’t even give myself the comfort of believing I was worthy of anything.

So, I pulled away.

Not because I was hurt or heartbroken. Not because I couldn’t stand seeing them together. But because I was angry. Angry at her, angry at him, and most of all, angry at myself for constantly standing by and letting them have everything I wanted.

I avoided her calls, stopped texting back right away, and made excuses when she asked if I wanted to hang out. I found myself making plans to be somewhere, anywhere, but with her. And when she did manage to drag me somewhere, I was quiet. I’d say as little as possible, smile only when necessary, and just... disappear into the background.

It was easier that way. Less painful.

I started isolating myself. Avoiding her meant avoiding Caleb. And avoiding Caleb meant less of the painful, gnawing feeling that clawed at my chest every time I saw them together.

The worst part was that she didn’t notice. She never did.

She was so used to being the centre of attention, so used to everyone loving her, that the subtle shift in our dynamic went completely unnoticed. She never realised that the space between us had grown wider, that my silence wasn’t just me being distant—it was me retreating from a world I no longer wanted to be part of.

It was suffocating.

I couldn’t let her see. I couldn’t let anyone see how much it hurt. Because if I did, they’d know the ugly truth. That I wasn’t just a background character in their story. I wasn’t just plain.

I was jealous. And envy had become my constant companion, my closest friend.

And I wasn’t sure how to let go of it.

–

Caleb’s graduation was the moment I had been dreading and expecting all at once. The school gymnasium was decorated with streamers and balloons, the air was filled with pride and excitement. The graduating class stood at the front, Caleb among them, ready to speak as the valedictorian. He had earned the title, of course—everyone expected it.

As he stood at the podium, his easy smile and effortless charm seemed to fill the room, the crowd hanging on every word he spoke. I watched from my seat in the crowd, alongside her, face beaming with pride. So much for distancing myself. She was proud of him, and so was I, in a way. After all, he was her best friend, the boy who had been part of her life for as long as I could remember.

Caleb’s speech was inspiring, warm, and heartfelt. He spoke about friendships, dreams, and the future, words that made everyone in the room feel like they were part of something bigger than themselves. When he finished, the crowd erupted in applause, and she was already up from her seat, rushing toward him.

My eyes followed her, knowing exactly what would happen next. She was always there for him, and he, in turn, was always there for her. The bond between them was undeniable, visible to everyone. They had been friends for years, but sometimes, it felt like more than just friendship. I couldn’t help but feel like an outsider, a silent witness to the connection they shared.

And then, it happened. She reached Caleb, her smile wide, and before anyone could say anything, she leaned up to kiss him on the cheek. The crowd cheered, and Caleb smiled in return, a look of fondness in his eyes. It wasn’t anything new. It wasn’t anything special—at least, not for them.

But for me, it was like a dagger in my chest.

I wasn’t jealous. I am not jealous.

I told myself it should’ve been fine. I had walked with them before, watched them interact, and laughed at their jokes, but this moment? This one was different. This one hit harder than I was prepared for. The way they looked at each other, the ease in their gestures—it was a reminder of something I’d never be a part of.

When Caleb pulled away from her, his eyes scanned the room. I could feel his gaze, and for a brief moment, our eyes met. But unlike the usual moments when he would smile, wave, or make some casual comment, this time, he simply looked away, his attention already drifting toward someone else.

No acknowledgement. No wave. Nothing.

I swallowed hard, fighting back the sudden wave of emotion. It should’ve been normal. He was just being Caleb. Kind, friendly, the same as always. But in that moment, the silence felt like a slap.

She was glowing from the attention she got from him and turned back toward me with a smile. I couldn’t bring myself to return it. I just looked at her, at the way she was so comfortable with him, and the heaviness in my chest made it harder to breathe.

I wasn’t part of their world. And deep down, I knew that was never going to change.

I stood up from my seat, moving slowly, hoping to blend into the crowd. My heart pounded in my chest, not from excitement, but from the sharp sting of realising that no matter how many times I told myself it didn’t matter, it did.

I had no place in their story. They didn’t need me. I was always going to be a side note in the narrative that was unfolding before me. The quiet, unnoticed figure in the back of the room while they moved on to bigger things.

And I would remain there, in the background, just like I always had.

Forever. Always. Unnoticed.

#꒰ა 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴 .ᐟ #caleb x reader #caleb x mc #lads caleb #lnds caleb #love and deepspace fic #lads x reader #lnds x reader #caleb angst #lads angst

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npookie0 · 8 months ago

Note

can you do kc x a silly reader?? like one that is overall very unhinged and out of pocket and filled to the brim with the silly :3

Sure :3

Silly reader x KC

Tw. Very silly and goofy reader ><

Ever since you joined the server, you proved yourself to be quite the silly goof. In voice calls you would drop some unhinged lines or ideas.

"What if someone were to mix glitter in spilled blood? Like imagine a massacred head and glitter spilling from it with blood and brain." You said suddenly after Ronin dropped his usual cocky remark towards Angel.

At first there was silence, something you experienced many times, the killers have to register your words before they can answer.

Next thing you know, Misaki is bursting out, laughing and trying to catch their breath. "Oh fuck, you're so stupid MC." They almost choked while they were laughing.

"Your ideas are certainly... Something ." V said and sighed. "Hitmeup please drink some water." He said to Misaki who was still coughing.

"Woah darlin', the more things you say the more interesting your ideas become. Maybe I should test it out for you?" Ronin chuckled darkly. "Or maybe you could do that Angel? Glitter is your thing after all."

"Oh, fuck off Ronin." Angel sighed and you could swear that she rolled her eyes even if you didn't see her. "That's a very creative idea MC, can't wait to hear more." She chuckled warmly, her voice as sweet as ever.

Sometimes the server members just wake up to a spam of memes in the media channel from you just because you felt like it.

One time you even sent a stick man drawing of Ronin as JD from Heathers the Musical. Everyone, excluding Ronin, was cracking up at the drawing.

<@Angelic>: OMG I love you @MC please this is perfect

<@goreboy>: do you Want Me to use my Crowbar on Ya @MC? you too Angel.

<@MC>: Ronin, accept it. You're him and he's you.

Another time you decided to start the "hear me out cake" with the killers... Your answers were something.

"What do you mean by 'the letter A' dude?!" Luca asked after you sent a picture of said letter under the picture of a random cake.

"What do you mean? It gives off hot vibes, like a hot popular girl, tell me you get it Misaki." You replied and moved the question to Misaki.

"I have zero fucking idea, but hey it's still better than what you sent in the previous round."

"What do you mean? The lizard guy from Star Butterfly was HOT!" You exclaimed. "You bunch have no taste."

The killers couldn't say that their time with you wasn't interesting. You were unhinged and blunt. You never thought about your words, you just said whatever you wanted even in the most inappropriate moments.

<@MC>: Guys I think that kids should be locked up like animals in zoo and experienced on, if they want to act like wild beasts.

<@_LUCA_IS_COOL_>: What the hell dude? We were talking about our plans for the holidays.

<@h1tneuppp>: Shhh, this is about to get interesting.

Ronin:

Your silly nature was interesting for him. You sometimes dropped random traumatic experiences from your life, or just said something very unhinged.

Ronin can't complain about being bored with you around. If he's not persuading you into killing, you will drag him around the town or take him for random expeditions because you can't sit in one place for longer than five seconds.

Sometimes Ronin will just stand next to you in silence while you're doing something crazy, examples:

"MC, darlin', what the fuck are you doing?" Ronin asked, his eyes showed just how confused he was. Well, who wouldn't be confused if they saw their partner chasing after leafs in a park.

"I'm trying to catch the prettiest one." You replied like it was the most normal and obvious answer. Ronin just nodded. He was in awe about how little care you showed whenever someone gave you the side eye.

Ronin left you alone in his house for twenty minutes, apparently there was a very special asshole going around town and Ronin just had to deal with him. When he returned home he knew that you would do something crazy (at least in your way), but he would never imagine walking in on you while you were trying to dress up his rat BlackJack in a mini version of his clothes.

"Baby, would you mind telling me, why the hell is my rat dressed like me?" Ronin leaned on the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Huh?" You turned around to look at him, the rat curled up in your hands. "Well, you're like a rat, and BlackJack is a smol version of Ronin." You giggled with a sinister glimmer in your eyes. Ronin shook his head and approached you, he placed a kiss to your forehead and took the animal from your hands. "You're so fuckin' adorable sometimes."

Whenever you actually killed someone, you sent a picture to the #killer_shit channel, your murders were especially peculiar. The bodies were mostly untouched, expect the corpse having either an extremely bloody wound so you could draw a hello kitty head around the body or some silly doodles curved into them.

<@goreboy>: Woah baby, your art skills are getting better.

You smiled at Ronin's response and then scoffed when he sent a picture of his new kill with a satanic symbol curved into it.

<@goreboy>: Not as good as mine tho.

Headcanons >w<

- Ronin loves listening to your ramblings, even if you're talking about the most stupid stuff ever. He usually plays with your hair and looking through his phone while you just yap his ear off.

- Sometimes when you two decide to do some romantic homicide, you're the most silly killer Ronin has ever seen, you're literally gluing sequins around the curvings that Ronin leaves on the body, once you ever did a whole glamour make up look on a guy who according to Ronin abused his trans daughter.

- You doodle Ronin as JD and yourself as Veronica Sawyer, you even told him that you two will cosplay them for the next Halloween and if he dares to disagree, he will wake up with a sea of glitter in his bed.

- "You're like a more hygienic raccoon babe." Ronin said after he caught you looking for a late night snack around his kitchen in the clothes you stole from him.

- "Ronin, let's kidnap a snake from the zoo." You said, it was the middle of the night, you and Ronin were relaxing after some intimate time. Ronin looked at you and laughed. "Wow babe, you really pick the best times for these things." His laugh deep and long, arm over his face as he brushed his hair back. "I fuckin' love it about you."

V was dumbfounded by every single unhinged idea you shared with him. He didn't know if having any expectations had a point anymore. Whenever he thought that your ideas couldn't get even more unique, you came up with an even more creative ideas.

"V." You called as you ran towards him and ran in circles around him. You almost tripped, but V managed to catch you. He sighed and helped you stand.

"My love, please be more careful. He pinched his nose bridge for which you only giggled.

"Aw, it's fine V! You'll always catch me. Anyway-" And for the next ten minutes you were rambling about a new idea, V couldn't even follow your voice. He was just too amazed by how many things your mind could think of at once.

Even if he couldn't wrap his mind around your way of thinking, V was happy knowing that your soul was pure, you wouldn't kill people ruthlessly, you didn't even think about that. But sometimes he tends to question your innocence, whenever he tells you about a new bastard he has to eliminate, you turn around with a wide smile and in the sweetest voice known to man you were giving him an idea of how he should get rid of that pest.

"My love, your ideas are positively terrifying. Maybe i should try it out for you on that rotten beast." He placed a kiss to your knuckles with a proud smile and a warm look in his eyes.

Headcanons X3

- V enjoys it when you're playing with his hair, putting it up or just twisting it around your fingers, while you're just talking about the silly ideas.

- "V, let's go and buy some cute outfits for your animals." You said while you were watching the bird V named after you. "Love, I want to remind you that most of my animals are dangerous and feed on humans." He replied with a slight hint of a smile. "But they also deserve something cute to wear." You exclaimed, it earned you a chuckle from him and a kiss on the lips. "Fine, fine. We can try finding something cute for them."

- V has to carry the first aid kit with himself whenever the two of you are outside. You have a tendency to run around carelessly, climb treat when you see something stuck on one. Most of these adventures end up with a scraped knee or a small injury that V has to clean up. "Please, be more careful." He says, knowing that you will do the same thing again.

- Sometimes when V wakes up and goes to the bathroom to get ready for the day, he sees how his hair magically happened to have a lot of colorful and cute hair-clips in them. And you just so happen to be right next to the bathroom door and trying your hardest to hold back the giggle. For V that start of a day is just perfect, with his partner in a good mood and right next to him.

Misaki:

Misaki fucks with your silly and unhinged nature. They adore it, and the way your eyes light up when you see jut how invested she is.

You take their hand and drag them around Tokio, you're totally lost and she just chooses to let you try and find your way. When you give up with a big sad pout on your face, they kiss you and take you for a piggyback.

"Don't worry pookie bear, I know my way around town." They say with a confident smirk and you just chuckle.

"Wow, you're my hero Misaki."

When Misaki spams your DMs with how panicked they are about the next assassination, you will send your selfie with you pointing on your lips.

<@MC>: Is this motivating enough?

<@h1tmeupp>: Babe omw to be done with this shit and kiss that stupidly sweet lips of yours.

<@MC>: Waiting ;p

Misaki loves it when you're stealing their clothes and return them with a small new added mark - a painted flower here, a sewed in patch of an anime character that you like there. They will wear that piece of clothing like it's something given by gods and will make sure to brag about you to the server and their parents.

Headcanons >:D

- You will call Misaki in the middle of the night because you just came up with a new theory about your favourite media and she just ha to listen to your yap session.

- Your nicknames for Misaki are just chef's kiss, some of their favourites: Cutie patootie, lil sniper mask, alpha sigma, babyperson.

- When Misaki doesn't reply because they're asleep or buy you will flood their dms with memes or sad cat pictures,

- You will join in on Misaki's weak tries to rizz up V, you know that it's a joke and you find it extremely funny.

- When you're about to return to your country from visiting Misaki, you will steal their clothes and find a perfume matching their scent, and she will take your clothes and your perfume.

Angel:

Angel is fascinated by you, and your ways of making fun of Ronin but still not sounding like a total asshole. You will always make sure to keep your remarks lighthearted and keep the relationship between you and Angel's ex boyfriend and currently closest friend chill.

"Can I open my eyes now?" Angel asks, you were standing in front of her and applying some make up on her.

"Nooo, I'm not done yet." You reply and move the lipstick on her lips. "Ta! Dah!" You said and held the mirror in front of her face. Angel opened her eyes and gasped, then she laughed and looked at you with a loving warmth in her gaze.

"You wanted to make me look like Jennifer?" She asked.

"Yeah! You called her hot, and I wanted to check if my skills are as good as think they are." You say with a proud smirk. Angel stands up and kissed you.

"I love it, but we do need to work on your skills cariño."

When Angel found a new manager, you and Ronin were ready to throw hands. Well you took action in your own hands and left them a small note in their bag "Hurt Maria and I will break your spine." It would be very threatening. if you didn't use a colorful pencil with glitter in it.

Headcanons <3

- Angel enjoys laying in bed with you, snuggled up to you as you discuss her new video or some of your interests. She feels so close to you, these moments are perfect.

- Whenever Angel has a taught day at work you will go and basically kidnap her, you carry her bridal style to the nearest cafe and keep her away from watching her phone. Sometimes she may seem irritated with it, but you will kiss her or hold her close and this irritation disappears.

- One day Angel found her pink gun in the living room with some doodles and sweet messages all over it. You came into the room and snatched the gun from her.

"I'm not done yet." You exclaimed and hid the gun behind your back.

"Awh, but I want to see it." She gave you a pout and you just gave in.

- For Halloween you dressed up as Ronin and gave Angel a full of one-person-show imitation of him. Angel can't hold back her laughter and holds her aching stomach.

"Oh, I love you." She wiped a tear away from her eye. "You're so amazing love."

#v killer chat #killer chat ronin #killer chat #fluff #gender neutral reader #misaki killer chat #ronin beaufort #ronin killer chat #killer chat angel #fanfic

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thinkingotherwise · 4 months ago

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Be My MC

prev, part 2, next

Written in 3rd POV; With fem! reader;

I took some liberties and used the time skip after the fight with Jangho and before Miss Lee came back to school for this and the next part

Hastily leaving the school, (Y/n) barely registered the small group that passed her by with bricks in hand. The only detail that stuck in her mind when she saw them was the flash of red hair on one of them. She walked with purpose, trying to get home as her nerves spiraled. Head filled with scenarios of what could happen to her if Gamin were to seek her out in the school, she felt a shiver run down her spine at the few unsettling scenarios. At the crossing close to her home, she stopped at a red light, pressing a hand over her heart. Even with the noise of traffic and chattering pedestrians, she could hear her own heartbeat.

That was one heck of a meeting and hopefully the last one of its kind. She had no interest in drawing attention to herself, and certainly not his attention. All she wanted was to lay off on studying and focus on her dream of creating a game. Yuseong Technical School, despite its reputation for problematic students, seemed perfect for that. She planned to keep a low profile, yet now, it seemed that the rising fighter from grade 10 might be interested in her, and it was the last thing she wanted.

Waking up the next morning, (Y/n) felt a lingering sense of unease. She crossed her fingers, muttering silent hopes that she wouldn’t run into any members of that strange study group. Her wishes quickly dwindled. As soon as she passed the gate, she noticed Gamin and the other boy from the group right in front of her. Without a second thought, she ducked behind one of the cigarette barrels and waited for a few minutes to make sure they went to their classroom before she did so herself. A few students gave her weird looks, but she just moved past them. She had other concerns than them.

Soon enough, the day became a candidate for the worst day ever. During lunch break, she spotted him again. Gamin was making his way down the hall, and when he saw (Y/n) turning away from him, he sped up to join her. "Hello." His calm voice made the girl jolt. Instinctively, her hands flew to her chest as if to steady her frantic heartbeat. "Umm, hi?" She replied, her eyes darting wildly down the hallway, trying to come up with an escape route. "I thought maybe you'd like to join the study group if I talked with you about it." Gamin said, his voice even with little excitement slipping. With his words, her mind reeled. She immediately started remembering scenarios of how he might force her into joining his strange group. "We could really use someone else as smart as Sehyun." He continued. "Not to mention, you explained the math problem quite well. I got it after trying it a few more times." "I really don't think I-" (Y/n) stopped herself when she caught his intense gaze. His stare was sharp and focused, like he was reading every thought and secret of her through her eyes. She squirmed in place, her grip on the bag tightening.

Gamin hummed, tilting his head slightly. He remembered that others had told him she might be scared of him. That the rumors, paired with the number of students he had already beaten up, probably weren’t helping his case. His smile faded as he looked away, deep in thought about what he could do to convince her. Seeing that his eyes moved to the right, (Y/n) stepped back once. Then twice. Then, just as she was about to slip into a nearby classroom, Gamin’s eyes snapped back to her. This time, with a wider grin. "Ah, we have really nice people in the group, so you don't need to be wary of us." He nodded his head as the words left him, thinking that they would reassure her. They did not.

Who in their right mind would hear that and suddenly trust him? No, not happening. Not right away, at least. That sounded exactly like something someone suspicious would say. "I need to go, actually. Something urgent came up, and I need to talk to the teacher." (Y/n) blurted, stepping back. When she noticed that Gamin was ready to follow her, she added. "You can tell me more about the study group some other time." Without waiting for a response, she spun on her heel and hurried away, her footsteps echoing down the corridor. She didn’t actually have anything important to do. She just needed to put some distance between them. Because no matter what Gamin said and how he behaved near her, she still half-believed the gossip.

It seemed like wherever (Y/n) was, the study group leader wasn't far behind. Was he following her? Or had she just never noticed him before? Maybe that was it, considering she didn’t know who he was until the previous day. "Today, we were working on some science problems." Gamin rambled, trailing closely beside her as they exited the school. "Jiwu actually got some right after Sehyun went through them with us." His mouth ran non-stop, which strangely provided her some relief. She wasn't really listening to what he was saying. Her head was full of thoughts regarding his behaviour and why he wasn't trying to beat her up. Her nerves remained on edge at first, waiting for the inevitable shift, the moment where his friendliness would turn into anger and he would be ready to fight. But as the minutes passed and nothing happened—no sudden aggression, no tension—her guard began to lower, just slightly, and (Y/n) started feeling more at ease. Her mind settled on a conclusion after the never-ending stream of thoughts. He seemed more stupid and dense than terrifying.

When they reached the crossing, just a street away from her home, she realized he was still walking with her. She glanced at him as he happily chatted, sharing more details of what they did during the study group meeting. When she asked about the study group, she didn't mean for him to give her a minute-by-minute breakdown of their entire session. "Alright, if I say that I'll think about joining, will you leave me alone for a few days?" Gamin's eyes lit up as (Y/n) spoke those words, his grin appearing with a childlike excitement. "Of course." He exclaimed, his voice cheerful and unbothered. "Take all the time you need."

They stopped walking for a moment. She nodded quickly, watching him with cautious skepticism. Her lips turned into a small smile, hoping it was convincing enough to shut down any further conversation for now. "Yeah, okay." She replied, already planning to quickly walk away from him. Gamin didn’t seem to notice, or if he did, he didn’t care. He got what he wanted, well almost. "Alright, goodbye." He gave her a thumbs-up, then turned around and started to walk back in the direction of his home.

As he moved away, (Y/n) sighed in relief, her shoulders relaxing for the first time since she entered school. She couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling. Something still didn’t sit right with her. Part of her wanted to believe that he was harmless, that maybe the rumors were exaggerated. But the way he was somehow following her the past day. She would need more time to figure out what to make of him.

Two days, that's how long (Y/n) didn't have to worry about the study group. No Gamin hovering near. She could actually focus on what she had planned throughout her free time. She could leave his proposal unanswered and didn't have to worry about it for a little longer. She told herself she’d think about it later, just not right away. Even if he didn't seem like the ruthless guy some made him out to be, she still didn't want to risk it. Besides, deep inside, she was curious how the study group of his worked and whether they were really just studying.

When the two girls first approached her, she didn't recognize them as part of the students from the library. Her memory was usually flawless, but somehow she pushed them out of her mind. "You're (Y/n), right?" The girl with shorter hair asked. Her voice was even, but her gaze sharp. (Y/n) looked at them, her brows furrowing. Then her mind cleared, and one of their names popped up. "Yes, and you're Jiwu?" She replied cautiously and then turned to the other girl with hesitance. "Sorry, I don't think I caught your name." The girl with longer hair smiled at her with this big, innocent smile and gave a small wave. "My name is Choi Heewon, and that's Lee Jiwu." (Y/n) nodded in greeting, though she was still perplexed as to why they were here. The three girls stood like that in the hallway, staring at each other.

Jiwu was the first to break the silence. "We saw Gamin following you. I wanted to deck him if he kept at it, but he said he stopped." She commented offhandedly, and her eyes met the wide ones of (Y/n). "Oh yeah, he promised to give me some time." She replied, receiving Jiwu's nod in approval. "You know, he’s an idiot, yeah, but he doesn’t actually start fights. Not unless someone really pushes him." Heewon nodded, her voice softer but just as certain. "He actually helped us before. He doesn’t look it, but he’s more protective than anything else."

(Y/n) blinked, processing their words. The image she had of Gamin being reckless, unpredictable - everything she heard from the rumours clashed with what they were saying. "Sooo-" (Y/n) started looking at the two with calculating eyes. "He's not like the rumours make him out to be? He protected you?" Jiwu smirked. "Ehh... I wouldn't go that far. I mean, he can pack a punch and beat up people, just… let’s say, if he thinks someone’s worth it, he won’t stand by and do nothing."

Maybe people exaggerated a few things about him. Okay, (Y/n) could believe that. Especially when others clarified that and she herself was having doubts. But still.. "Okay, and why are you telling me that?" She asked, a mix of curiosity and suspicion in her voice, trying to understand what the main goal was in making her believe he was good and wouldn't hurt her. "He usually goes after people who want to study, but I guess we need the smart people too. Seehyun can't be the only one to teach us all the time." The short-haired girl explained the group leader's behaviour. Her arms crossed as she shrugged. (Y/n)’s lips pressed into a thin line as she processed that information. So, Gamin targeted students who actually cared about their academics. "What Jiwu means is, it would be nice to have you in our group, and another girl at that. Please think about it." Heewon clarified as she noticed the other girl furrowing her eyebrows in thought. Then she linked her hand around Jiwu's arm and pulled her towards their next class while waving to (Y/n).

The study group was really something else. Even after the girls left, the conversation lingered in (Y/n)'s mind. She replayed it, assessing if what they said was really true. Maybe she could give it a chance. A few hours a week wouldn't ruin her plans. If anything, it might even benefit her in the long run. She could actually use them later on as her testers. A little beta testing group for her game. Yeah, that wasn't the worst idea to join them. But on her terms. With a condition that would let her leave when she felt like they were too much. The condition had to be difficult to fulfill. She needed to figure out something before Gamin decided she had enough time to think.

#study group #study group x reader #yoon gamin #yoon gamin x reader #k drama x reader

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zordanna · 1 year ago

Text

𝓑𝓲𝓻𝓭𝓲𝓮

A fluffy fic inspired from this old drawing I did🍃

English is not my first language and I hate writing so don’t expect too much. It’s just a small scene where Sebastian realises he’s in love with my MC, you can imagine yours there too of course! I ain’t stopping you🫡 enjoy I guess?

Sebastian yawned softly as he kept silently reading his history of magic notes while sitting on the carpet and resting his back on the couch, Eleonora was next to him laying fully on it while reading the chapter trying really hard to not fall asleep.

“Ugh I swear I’m failing this time”

She mumbled while flipping pages. Sebastian rolled his eyes and spoke back with annoyance.

“You literally have the highest grades of all the students in our class, shut up-”

Eleonora huffed and gave him a soft nudge with her knee in response.

“Just because the competition prefers wandering in the restricted section more than studying actual subjects. You know- instead of forbidden ones”

Sebastian groaned and rested his head on the couch seat cushion to look at her better.

“You are a pain in the ass.” He breathed out glancing back at his notes pretending to ignore her.

“The feeling is mutual”

She ruffled his brown curls gaining a soft laugh from him , the boy rested one cheek on the cushion and gazed at her while his notes ended up spread around the intricated embodied carpet of Russel living room. Sebastian glanced at the book and got an idea.

“I can read it for you, if you want, so we both learn something at least”

His proposal sounded quite nice to Eleonora, she gave him the book and set herself comfortable as he cleared his throat. He started reading and he could almost feel her gaze caressing his skin, Sebastian didn’t know how he managed to say the words correctly without fumbling while having that lovely pair of blue eyes staring at him, the warmth of her presence, her sweet scent of lavender and soap pervading his nostrils…Merlin help him!

On the other side Eleonora’s eyes were looking at his freckles, she always thought they looked like a starry sky , sometimes she would find full constellations in them while stealing glances at her friend’s features. She glanced at his lashes, was it even legal to have them so long and soft? The way they fluttered while he was reading, the way the sun was making them shine with a warm orange shade. She was mesmerised. That’s for sure. The words sounded like a sweet lullaby rather than an actual lecture on how their ancestors channeled magic trough the years, her eyes felt heavy and her body a little too relaxed.

Maybe if she closed her eyes just for a second…yeah that should do it.

Sebastian was reading the last paragraph when he heard soft snoring coming from his right side ,he turned his head a little to check on Eleonora and a warm smile formed on his lips as he realised she had fallen asleep. He closed the book putting it away before adjusting himself leaning closer to the sleeping girl. He rested his elbow on the couch cushion careful to not disturb her rest, as usual Eleonora needed her afternoon nap.

Memories of their third year flashed in his mind, rainy afternoons spent napping all together on the same couch down in the undercroft between a mess of books and unfinished candies. Anne was still…well Anne. No curse, no pain just Anne, sleeping peacefully while her tiny head would rest on Ominis shoulder as he was nestled up almost like a cat. Eleonora’s long blonde hair would tickle his nose as he often found himself using her soft curls as a pillow. They always smelled so good it wasn’t his fault they felt so comfy.

Instinctively Sebastian brushed off some of her blonde strands that were framing her face, very carefully as if she was made of porcelain. Her long blonde curls that once were left wild and free were now tied up in that blue ribbon he gifted her almost two years ago.

“You keep wearing it all the time mh?”

He mumbled softly more to himself than to her. The soft blue satin fabric was a bit smudged near the knot after years of wearing it every day, that’s what happens with the things you love most isn’t it? They change.

Sebastian always questioned why she would refuse to buy another one, a prettier one maybe made from the most expensive silk with embodied details but she always said that one was just perfect. She loved it.

And he loved how beautiful she looked with it. He loved the way it always made her eyes stand out matching their colour, he loved how it swayed like a swallowtail when she would rush around the hallways late for classes trying to not trip on other students. Swallows are a sign of hope and freedom, he was certain that if she had to be an animal she would be one of them. She was always there trying to see the good side of everything, which in his darker days was both infuriating and yet comforting. It was reassuring having her slapping some sense in his thick skull sometimes, he couldn’t deny it.

He also loved that, her scolding tone, her stubbornness and resolution whenever he was acting like a complete ass. He loved the way she would ruffle his hair to annoy him, he loved how her soft hands were making him feel butterflies flying around his stomach every damn time…

Sebastian’s chocolate brown eyes were fixed on Eleonora’s delicate face as the sudden realisation hit him like a whole bombarda in his chest.

He was falling in love. No. He was in love. Utterly. Undeniably in love.

He didn’t realise his face was few centimetres away from hers till now, his lips dangerously close to hers. Before doing something stupid and reckless he pulled away slightly and took a moment to gain his composure, his eyes wandered around the luxurious living room of her family’s manor, the paintings of the Russels were almost staring at him, judging him with their cold gaze.

Who was he trying to fool? He was nobody compared to her family, an orphan living in a cottage with his grumpy uncle, it would never be fair to her. Knowing her parents Eleonora had probably her life planned since day one, as her older sister Ofelia once told him they lived in a golden cage with all comforts but still a cage. It was all doomed from the start so- for now it was better to suppress those feelings. To pretend they never had been there.

For now having her friendship was more than he could hope for, Sebastian looked at the big wood carved clock and checked the time, it was getting pretty late, he sighed and with a soft spoken tone called for her.

“Hey…Birdie”

The world would never want them together, that’s what he was telling himself, yet when he saw those blue eyes and that warm sleepy smile greeting him Sebastian thought that the world could burn or destroy itself in that exact moment.

The world would know Lady Eleonora Russel but Birdie. Birdie was just for him and that was all he needed.

“Birdie? What am I a chicken?”

Eleonora said with a snort while sitting up and stretching a bit letting a yawn escape her lips.

“No more like a goose.”

Sebastian retorted with a cheeky grin. She had no idea of what passed by his mind all the short time she was asleep.

“Ouch- did I snore loud?”

“Terribly. I mistaken you for a troll or something at some point.”

Eleonora laughed at the statement and crossed her arms in a proud stance.

“Was I annoying you?”

“Terribly.” Sebastian said faking an exasperated sigh.

“Good. I can consider my mission accomplished then”

She added with a chuckle while they both got up to walk towards the kitchen for stealing a snack or two. Luckily her parents wouldn’t be back till next early morning considering their habit to attend balls and ceremonies maintaining their high social status connections. That was a relief for the two of them but also for the servitude. The house elves were quite fond of Eleonora, a true ray of sunshine in that toxic household.

The afternoon passed by with their usual playful bantering like any other. It was better pretending nothing happened for Sebastian, it was for the best really.

Was it? Only time would tell. For now they were just fifteen, sitting on the kitchen counter munching a stolen slice of lemon tart while yapping about how they were both convinced Professor Garlick was hiding “special plants” somewhere in the greenhouse.

It was a normal spring afternoon during the end of the 19th century.

Flowers were blooming , birds were chirping and the air smelled like clean laundry and soap.

Winter was just a distant thought, none of them could ever imagine how everything would irreversibly change in few months.

Moments like these would be soon turned into distant faded happy memories but for now…it was all that mattered.

#hogwarts legacy #art #hogwarts legacy art #hogwarts legacy mc #illustrators on tumblr #my ocs #oc art #artwork #illustration #sebastian sallow #mc x sebastian sallow #sebastian sallow x mc #sebastian x mc #fluff #oc x canon #sebastian sallow x reader

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girlchillout · 4 months ago

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Original Sin: Prologue teaser I guess?

an: SO I have had this idea floating around in my head for a while and finally decided to type some of it out. BUT I haven't written anything for fun in like 10 years so I'm severely out of practice. ALSO NOT proofread and I write at like 5am on zero hours sleep so yeah prepare yourself.

-constructive criticism appreciated tbh

Summary: She had always known Caleb loved MC in a way he could never love her and it hurt. But it didn't hurt as much as the pain she knew she was causing both of them. All of them

After all, she is Patient 000. Professor Lucius' project and Ever's biggest secret. Zero's evol was a tool for control at their disposal. They didn't ask Zero when they needed her to wipe MC's memories. They didn't ask Zero when they needed her to do the same to Caleb's. But they punished her when she failed. And Caleb, well he punished her when he found out.

Warnings: self harm, depression, mental health, violence, blood

“STOP” he screamed hoarsely into the empty room.

The young boy wasn’t screaming at anyone in particular anymore, they had all left him alone now that they were done poking and prodding him. There was no one left for his small little fists to hit, there was no one to claw at, there was no one to hear him beg to stop hurting her. And so he clawed at his own face; he clawed away the endless stream of tears from his eyes leaving raw red marks in their place. He grabbed at his dark hair when the scratches he had been leaving on his face no longer hurt enough to numb the real pain he was feeling. And when that didn’t work either, he slammed his head into the stark white walls of the room enough times to draw blood.

This had become a routine for him now, each time he and the most important person in his life were forced into the facility they would always keep her longer than they kept him. The boy had no idea why they always took longer with her, but every second of not knowing what happened in that room was enough to drive him crazy. Knowing he couldn’t do anything to help her and knowing that she was there alone was enough for him to lose all reason. All he knew was that each time they finally released her, she would no longer remember his name.

“stop” a voice that wasn’t his whispered so quietly it could well have been his mind playing tricks on him. Perhaps he had finally banged his head against the wall too hard. He might have believed he imagined it had a hand not rested between his head and the wall.

The boy, in the midst of his hysteria whipped his body around to grab the shoulders of the person who had entered the room without him noticing. He knew it wouldn’t be her- it was too early for them to release her and yet he couldn’t help the way his hands fell to his sides with disappointment when his eyes didn’t meet the beautiful brown eyes of the girl he had loved his whole life.

Exhausted from the pain and no longer fuelled by the hope that she had returned, his body slid down the wall and slumped to the floor. He closed his eyes, dragging a hand over his face waiting for the person to speak first. Instead the room filled with silence, interrupted only by the person awkwardly shifting their body as if in hesitation before he felt them crouch down next to him. Neither of them spoke first as they sat next to each other pressed up against the wall. And when it seemed to the boy that he and this new person would be sitting in silence forever- or at least until the girl he loved was finally released, he felt a hand reach out and tap his arm softly. They boy’s eyes flickered open at the unexpected gentleness of the touch as he angled his body the face the one who had interrupted his descent into madness.

She was just a girl he realised as her small hand held out a green apple towards him.

“Who are you?” the boy asked taking the apple from the hand but not eating it. The girl didn’t look like she could do any harm but he didn’t trust a single soul in the facility.

The girl blinked up at him in response to his question, opening her mouth as if to say something and then slowly closing it. Eyes narrowed, he studied her closely. She looked around his age. The simple white pinafore and blue shirt she was dressed in meant she would have looked at home within the sterile walls of the room they were in, had it not been for the curls of her hair that had escaped the braid they had been forced into. His eyes finally landed on the silver nametag she had attached to her pinafore except where he should have found a name to answer his question- there was simply three zeros.

“Well I’m Caleb” the boy said after a pause. He had witnessed her internal battle and decided that the facility already knew more about him than he knew about himself so telling this random girl his name couldn’t hurt.

After another pause, Caleb slowly held out his hand for the girl to shake. A smile crept up onto her face at his action as she eagerly took his hand in hers, moving their clasped hands up and down vigorously.

And despite himself and everything else, Caleb couldn’t help but smile back.

#caleb x reader #love and deepspace #caleb love and deepspace #lads caleb #lnds #caleb lnds #caleb x mc #lnds caleb #lnd caleb #love and deepspace caleb #caleb #loveanddeepspace #loveanddeepspacefanfic #lnds fanfic #lads fanfic #lnds fandom #Caleb x nonmc #caleb x oc

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daytaker · 1 year ago

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Hi! I'd Like to request something for obey me. So MC is an Artist Like Semi realistic or so and then they draw the brothers and themself all together Like some Kind of Family Photo for maybe a sweet gesture to appriciat them, what would the reaction be?

First of all, that's adorable. Second of all, yes, absolutely.

Everyone

The immediate question on everyone's mind is where it should be put. The suggestions are fairly predictable. Beel wants it in the kitchen. Satan wants it in the library. Belphie wants it in the observatory. Asmo thinks it should go in his bathroom, and he acts amazed when his brothers disagree.

You'll probably be the one to suggest making some copies of it if they like it so much. That way they can all have one. The brothers all like this idea, so you head off to the Devildom equivalent of a FedEx store and make some quick copies for everybody.

Eventually, the original work will find pride of place above the fireplace, where everyone will get plenty of time to admire it, including guests. The brothers are all very proud to explain to them that they have a very close friend who's an artist, thank you, and they made that piece of artwork up there for them, for free, because they love them all so much. What do you mean it's too small for that big of a space? Clearly you don't understand art, they'll tell the guest. Satan smirks; Levi rolls his eyes; Asmo whispers something to Mammon and they both start snickering. Real mean girl energy.

Lucifer

It's proved to be more or less impossible to get a photograph with himself and all six of his brothers, so this is an immediate hit with him. Plus, you're in it, which makes it even more valuable. He wonders why he didn't commission a painted family portrait earlier. It just hadn't crossed his mind, he supposes.

He'll buy a very nice and expensive frame for the picture and have it professionally mounted on a backboard. Only a museum quality display will do.

He enjoys looking at the artwork now and then and mentally noting all the details he likes. You captured Mammon's smug smile perfectly, and somehow Levi looks happy, but still like himself. Of course, his favorite part of the picture (along with you, of course) is himself. He thinks he looks very dignified, and he appreciates that you placed him in the center; the true patriarch of the family. Besides that (though he wouldn't bring it up unprompted), he thinks you made him look very handsome, and he likes the idea that you see him that way.

Mammon

You put him next to you?! I mean, of course you did! He's your number one demon, right? Obviously he belongs right next to you! He'll point out his positioning in the picture to his brothers often enough that they've gotten past feeling annoyed about it and just tease him for simping so openly.

He thinks it looks a little bit like you're smiling at him in the picture. You're not. You're staring into the 'camera', just like everyone else. But he tells himself that. He has another copy of the picture made where he cropped out everyone besides the two of you. He keeps it in his sock drawer so he can pull it out when he's by himself and admire it. Lucifer has walked in on him lying on his back and holding it up, staring wistfully at the picture, often enough that he can tell by how quiet it is when Mammon is either sleeping or staring at that goddamn picture of his again.

Speaking of extra copies, he also made some more to try and sell at RAD, but, shockingly, cheap copies of a picture of someone else's family didn't sell well. Diavolo bought one though, as did Simeon. Yeah, maybe it wasn't exactly ethical to try and capitalize on your artwork, but, well, come on, he's in it, and you gave it to him, so that kind of makes him the owner of it, right...?

Leviathan

He's pretty sure he's not breathing right now. That's... That's how he looks? To you? He looks....amazing....!! Look at his smile! His jawline! His glossy hair! His cheeks, touched with color---!!! You must think he's... like....... Ugh, it's stupid, like, who even cares? Nobody, that's who. Nobody except him. He cares. And he wishes his stomach would settle down a little bit before lunch explodes onto the rug. So he'll just take his copy of the painting, clutch it to his chest, and giggle to himself as he slinks off to his room while everyone else stands admiring the painting on the mantlepiece.

Now, to really study this thing. He lies in his bathtub and squints at the painting. He realizes, to his dismay, that all his brothers look extra hot in this thing too. Hrmm... But, whatever! The important part is that he looks amazing! His eyes are shining, his skin looks healthy and smooth, and.... well.... he doesn't look like somebody it'd be weird for you to be into, maybe. Maybe? Possibly.

He's pretty shy around you for a few days after you give them all the picture. He's not really sure how he's supposed to react around someone who thinks he's... h....ha-ha....handsome...???? And not just that, but the look on his face! Does he make faces like that in real life? Does he make faces like that in front of you?

He spends a good chunk of time in front of the mirror trying to imitate the look from the painting, but he can't quite get it right. He always ends up crumbling into a pathetic, groaning, blushing little creep and fleeing the bathroom. He hates himself. But he can cheer himself up with the knowledge that you definitely don't hate him, right? How could you draw someone you hated looking like... like....?!?

Satan

Knowing Satan is someone who admires art in general, you were most nervous about him seeing it. He has a tendency to be fairly blunt and honest, and you really hoped he'd just appreciate the thought behind the picture without subjecting it to any kind of critical analysis.

But of course he did it anyway. He'd expressed his appreciation just like his brothers had when you first gave it to them, but you'd often see him standing in front of the fireplace staring up at the picture with a hand to his chin after that.

Satan's initial thought, after the excitement over the gift and how cute and nervous you looked giving it to them all, is that the composition of the piece, while not particularly original, has definite visual appeal. While he doesn't particularly enjoy Lucifer's position in the middle, he understands why you put him there, both artistically and psychologically. Lucifer dominates almost any group he's in with his annoyingly hefty self-confidence. His ego is smeared all over the picture, but that's not your fault. That's just Lucifer, being awful and ruining things, like he always does.

When he finally gives some attention to how he looks in the painting, he's pleasantly surprised. He looks refreshingly like himself, but also like he's meant to be there, with everybody else. He can also tell you spent some time on his eyes. They look lovely. If you ever want to paint them again, he'd be happy to model for you. What, shy all of a sudden?

Asmodeus

Well, obviously he's the real star of the artwork. It's as if he's glowing, washing out his brothers with his effervescent presence on the canvas! Clearly, you know your art. Never mind he's the only one who seems to quite see the picture in that way.

He has his copy of the painting framed and hung up in his bathroom, where he thought the original should have been put all along. Now he never feels like he's alone in the tub! Every once in a while, he'll talk to the artwork while he takes a bath. Just to amuse himself. But when you go back to the human world, 'every once in a while' becomes 'almost every day'.

He has a theory that if someone stares into the eyes of Painting Asmo too deeply for too long, they'll fall in love with him. The painting version of him, that is. He knows that's silly, so he keeps it to himself, but he can't stop himself from imagining you mesmerized by your own painting of him, bewitched by the very eyes you painted...

Beel

Honestly, Beel is just happy you made a picture including him, his brothers, and you. You put him right beside Belphie with an arm slung around his shoulders. He's smiling more in the picture than he normally does in real life, but that doesn't bother him at all. He wants to look happy in this kind of painting.

He taped his copy of the picture to the refrigerator door. Everyone appreciates this, not just Beel, though he definitely sees it the most often. After you go home, he says good morning to you every day when he first heads to the fridge. It's a nice way to feel like you're still around.

Belphie

Wow... He looks adorable here. And you didn't include him drooling like his brothers always do when they draw him. Though it really isn't fair to compare this to the "drawings" his brothers have made to make fun of each other. Idiots...

You put him right next to Beel. That makes him smile. And he looks...like he's happy to be there. Maybe not grinning like a doofus, but like this is his family, and he's pretty okay with it.

He keeps his copy of the picture taped to his bedpost so he can look at it whenever he feels lonely, especially after your year in the Devildom comes to an end.

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wintercrystal · 4 months ago

Text

The Sky and the Sea

AN: Happy Valentine's Day!

Content Warning: It's a slowburn start, Female Reader, Reader/mc is not really nice here?, Traveler Aether, Golden Boy what the reader/mc calls Aether as she doesn't know his name, shenanigans between Traveler, Paimon and Reader/mc happens.

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

You stare out into the vast blue sea. It was a nice day, sun out, not too warm. You, reluctantly, sat beside the blonde after much insistence (through patting the spot next to him until you gave in.)

It had been a few weeks since you met him, he was the quiet type but so nauseatingly nice through his gestures.

Granted, you were a quiet one too, but you thought that talking would be a hassle and you two were communicating just fine through body language and sand drawings.

Though his clothes did look...different, out of place, hmm.

You continued staring into the distance until you heard him tugging at something and looked over to see what it was. As he reeled it in, a white thing flew out of water connected to the end of the fishing line and crashed into you.

You groaned in pain from the impact, holding whatever the blonde fished up. You down at it, only to discover it was a little girl with white hair, unconscious but breathing. The blondie came over to you two, quickly removing the fishing line. You look at each other then back at her.

Soon enough, the girl woke up, coughing and taking deep breaths. Once she composed herself, she floated out of your arms, surprising both you and the blonde.

She looked at you both, “Thank you so much for saving Paimon! She would’ve drowned if it weren’t for you!

You two just stared at her in silence.

“...Can either of you understand what Paimon is saying?” she asked nervously.

“Yeah” was the answer you and the blonde gave at the same time.

‘Wait.’ Your shocked expression turned to meet his equally shocked face.

The white haired child looked in-between you two, growing more nervous by the second.

“YOU CAN TALK!?”

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

“Wait a minute! Let Paimon get this straight! You both didn’t talk the entire time you’ve known each other because… you thought you wouldn’t be able to understand each other,” Paimon exclaimed, after learning about the nature of your companionship and a bit of your situation.

“A little, I don't know much about this world’s… language or if she spoke it. So…” Golden Boy trailed off. Then Paimon’s attention switched to you.

You sighed, “I just thought he was shy, or something. His clothes give away that he’s not from here and I wasn’t about to have a one-sided conversation with a complete stranger.”

This time, Paimon sighed.

“You’re also an ‘outlander’?” Golden Boy said questioningly, eyeing your clothes.

You nodded with a smirk, “Perceptive, aren't you? I've been here long enough that I can switch between languages easily.”

The blonde's questioning expression morphed into a slightly worried look.

“Ugh, It’s relatively easy when you have a competent teacher, Golden Boy. We just need to find one for you…”

“Ooh, Paimon can do it!” She exclaimed, “Paimon knows a lot so she can help the Traveler learn and guide you to through Teyvat.”

“Hmm, at least don’t have to search far then. And got a guide to boot,” you hummed, but on the inside you’re just glad you don’t have to teach the Traveler.

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

Despite your inner doubts, the Traveler has picked up the language easily and quickly. He has applied and practiced his speaking skills… on you. It was uncomfortable to say the least, especially the first couple of tries.

Luckily that only lasted a week or so, but now, it's time

You told Paimon and the Traveler that you’re going to head to check the place out. But really, you wanted to give them room to discuss their plans while you thought over your own plans as you walked .

You stopped when you spotted Anemo crystalflies around the Anemo Statue, fluttering around. You slowly swam to the statue, you carefully reached out your hand to them. ‘Maybe if I…'

A crystalfly fluttered closer to you. Just as it was about to land on your hand, you heard someone calling your name, scaring not only the one you reached, but all of them.

You looked in the direction of the sound and deadpanned as you recognised the culprits. Paimon laughed nervously while Golden Boy looked away guiltily. You rolled your eyes at them as they caught up to you.

“Sorry about that…” Paimon said. You chuckled sardonically, “Don’t worry about it, I was planning to stay here if you took any longer,” You look at the Traveler, “So you’re ready?”

He nodded as walked up and touched the statue. The next couple of seconds could only be described as both expected and unexpected to you.

The orb(?) on the statue’s hands glowed as a teal orb with the Anemo symbol came out of it and approached the Traveler. It went into his chest and changed the black ornaments to a teal colour.

You stared at the statue then at the city in the distance, tuning out Paimon and the Traveler. ‘It’s peaceful today, wonder when it will be ruined?’

…

You broke out of your daze but didn’t turn to face your companions.

“...What are you thinking about?” Golden Boy asked.

“About… your goal,” You said. He stayed silent, signaling to continue, “Paimon and I said we would help with that, but I have a different approach to it. That requires us to split up for a while."

The Traveler’s eyes widened at the last sentence, with Paimon’s “What?! Why?!” following.

You sighed, “Finding your sister is far from an easy goal, almost hopeless, almost. I’ll attempt to track her down while you go to Mondstadt to ask around.”

You turn to face them, “This going be nigh-impossible, considering how long it could have been. If we split up, we'll have a better chance to find any traces of your sister. When I find something substantial, I’ll come find you, I promise."

“But…” Paimon started but couldn’t finish her sentence.

“It's okay. Believe it or not, I keep my promises,” you said with a confident smile. You began to leave but the blonde grasping your wrist gently.

“I promise to do our best as well. Just… be careful, We'll be waiting,” He said, eyes shining with sickening hopefulness.

You looked at him and gave an amused chuckle.

“Okay.”

And with that, you departed from your companions, inwardly wishing they don't do something stupid in Mondstadt, like becoming a wanted criminal or something.

After a while, you're engulf in the shadow of a giant dragon flying over you. Sensing unnecessary trouble ahead, you went in the other direction to continue your pursuit.

You will find the information this land has to offer, hidden or not.

After all, you made a promise and you are a woman of your word.

#aether x reader #C: Servatrix #genshin x reader #genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #House of Dominos

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dis0rderly-cl0wn-nerd · 5 months ago

Text

Blur The Lines

Ledger!Joker x Fem!Reader

Chapter 1 - Break-In

Work Summary: Y/n is a struggling artist living in Gotham and stuck in an office job that she absolutely hates. Her dull life gets a spark of excitement when the Joker breaks into her apartment. Over time his stay becomes more voluntary and Y/n develops a connection with the clown. In exchange for a place of safety, Joker agrees to give her some tips that will help boost her art career. But eventually, Y/n realizes she may be getting into more than she signed up for.

Chapter Summary: It's a typical boring day at the office for Y/n. She returns home once again to the frustrations of her failing dreams. As she tries to distract herself and make something of yet another unfinished drawing, a certain someone decides to break into her apartment.

Author's Note: So I'm starting a new fic! I'm really excited for this one. I've been thinking of doing a reader insert fic for several months now. My goal here is to write a more in-character or darker Joker than I usually do and a more developed MC instead of just another Mary Sue. She is heavily inspired by me as I'm kinda writing with myself in mind but anyone can read it and place themselves in the story. Idk if there will be any smut or implied smut in here. I'm still not entirely comfortable with writing that yet. So if there is any here's your warning. I'm done yapping now, enjoy the first chapter!

Taglist: @alittlesmartcookie @furisodespirit @lightsabergirl @gothic-aesthetic-gal

If you would like to be added to the taglist please let me know! <3

Next Chapter >

A cool autumn breeze ruffled your hair as you left the office building with a defeated sigh. You began the monotonous trek back home, holding a thick stack of paperwork and other work related crap. Your boss just threw it on you at the last second. The joke was him, you weren’t actually gonna do it.

Nope. He needed to realize you had a life outside of work. A simple one, but still a life. You only carried the stack out with you for appearances. Honestly you could care less if you were fired. It was only a matter of time before you quit anyway. This was not the life you wanted.

Every day it was the same thing. Wake up early, go to work in an office all day, waste hours of your time, go back home to a shitty apartment, yearn for a better life, go to bed, and repeat the next day. Much to your relief you were off on the weekends. You treasured those days and used them to destress and help yourself feel alive again. It was hard to believe how draining something as simple as an office job could be.

You often found yourself reminiscing on the old days when you were a little girl growing up in your small town. You lived in a modest house on a lively farm. Your father raised cows and chickens and grew numerous crops. Your mother was a local school teacher. They were loving parents for the most part. They had their evident flaws but what parents didn’t?

You did well in school and you rarely got into trouble. They were difficult to make, but you had a few friends. You adopted many stray cats and took care of them. Your dad let you keep so many because they were good for keeping mice out of the barn.

Life was plain and honestly quite boring. As a young girl you had big dreams. You longed to move away and start a new life somewhere else. Home would always be home but it would never satisfy you.

Your escape from it all was art. You had been drawing since you were old enough to pick up a crayon. As you grew older, art became more than just a hobby. When you picked up a pencil or a paintbrush, you felt free. Putting your deepest thoughts and opinions to page was so liberating, especially when a lot of times you couldn’t outwardly express those things.

Your high school art teacher said you could go places, and you believed him. An art career was something you always wanted. With his encouragement and a few others, you decided to go for it. So after graduating, you spent a few years figuring things out. As a backup plan you went to a community college for a 2 year degree and successfully obtained it. Then with enough money saved up, you moved to Gotham City when you were 21 in hopes of becoming a full time artist.

Your parents thought you were stupid. Your friends laughed at you. They all told you over and over it wouldn’t work out. Maybe they were right. You found out pretty quickly that Gotham’s art scene was super competitive. It was nearly impossible for a nobody from the middle of nowhere like you to get noticed. But you wouldn’t give up. Not yet.

Obviously you needed money to survive and fund your projects. Supplies weren’t always cheap. Hell, it cost money for you to even enter certain art galleries and contests. You also knew that your art career of course wouldn’t take off right away, so you were forced to look for work.

That’s when you stumbled across an office job in the Downtown area. It paid just enough for you to afford rent and groceries, along with a little extra to set aside for art related things. You mostly answered calls, filled out paperwork, and scheduled things for your boss. You were a receptionist or secretary of some sort. You hoped that you wouldn’t be doing this for very long and your art would gain some traction by now, but no such luck.

You came to Gotham 2 years ago and still nothing changed. You were still stuck in your cramped apartment and dead end job. It was hopeless, but something in you was driving you to keep trying, to prove everyone back home wrong.

Rounding the last corner, your apartment building came into view. You sighed as you pushed the double doors open and entered the lobby. You passed the front desk where your landlord was reading the paper and waved to him wearily. “Hey, Jimmy.”

“Hey, Y/n. Long day?”

“Yep.”

You dug your keys out of your pocket and unlocked your mail slot after scanning the rows. Nothing but junk mail. You threw it away in a nearby trash can and started towards the stairs with a tired sigh. It wasn’t too long of a walk, but trudging up four flights of stairs everyday was not something you looked forward to.

Soon you reached the fourth floor and walked down the hall until you reached apartment 405, your humble abode. You unlocked the door and entered with an exhale of relief, discarding the heavy stack of paperwork on the kitchen table. You wouldn’t think anything of it for the rest of the night and it would sit there until the next morning when you had to go back to work.

Flipping on the lights, you moved into your bedroom and changed out of your work clothes into something more comfortable. You picked out your usual sweatshirt and shorts combo and threw it on. Once dressed, you grabbed your sketchbook off of your dresser and returned to the living room. You set the sketchbook down on the couch before going to the kitchen and heating up some water to make Cup Noodles with. It wasn’t the healthiest meal, but it was cheap and good enough for you. If you ever got rich off of your art, you could start eating healthier then.

Cup Noodles in hand, you grabbed your sketching pencils from your art desk and plopped down on the couch to finish up your current ‘work in progress’. You slurped up the noodles as you examined what was already on the page and tried to figure out what to do with it. Something about it just wasn’t looking right.

You grabbed the remote and switched on the TV for background noise. The evening news was on. As you set to work on the drawing, you heard a little bit of what the reporters were saying. The cops were after someone on the run but you didn’t catch who or where. It didn’t surprise you. This was Gotham after all.

You erased what you originally had on the page with a frown. The proportions just looked so off. Maybe your second attempt would be better. You tried to remind yourself that everything in your sketchbook was just practice. Some of it might get put to canvas or inspire a future project and some of it might not. Still, every time something didn’t come together right away you felt like a failure. You’d start to think that maybe you really weren’t good enough and that was why this art career wasn’t working out.

At this point you screwed up the second attempt and moved on to your third. You were growing increasingly annoyed at both the drawing and yourself. Nothing you did was fixing it. With an exasperated sigh, you started erasing yet again.

You paused when you heard a faint tapping on your window. You looked up at the sound, but seeing nothing there, you paid it no mind and continued to erase furiously at the drawing. It ripped at how forceful you were and you nearly screamed in rage. You took a deep breath and crumpled up the paper. The original drawing just wasn’t working. It was best to start over on a new sheet of paper. Even if this was your fourth attempt.

Some more time passed as you got lost in the drawing process and then you heard the noise again. Louder this time. Something hit the window hard and then the glass started to crack. It dawned on you that someone was trying to break in.

You scoffed. Not on your watch.

You turned the TV off, stood up, and crept cautiously towards the window, baseball bat in hand. With the crime rate as high as it was in Gotham, you kept an arsenal of everyday things to defend yourself with and had a plan in mind just in case a situation like this should happen.

Intending to simply bash the intruder over the head and scare them away, you pried open the window just as a familiar painted face appeared right in front of you. You screamed and fell backwards.

There was no way. There was no fucking way.

The figure crawled through the opening and tumbled right into your apartment. Paralyzed with fear, you watched him sit upright in horror. This was no ordinary thug. This was the Joker. The Joker was in your apartment.

“Sorry, uh, for the scare, darlin'. I’m kinda in a bit of a pinch here.” He said as he stood up and approached you.

You noticed he had a small limp and his clothes were soaked with blood. His hair was sweaty and wild. Very faintly you could hear his erratic breathing.

“Wh-What do you want?” You asked, backing away from him.

He seemed to find your reaction amusing. “Just need a place to stay for a bit until I can get the pigs off my back. I’m not gonna hurt ya.”

You were stunned speechless. You could only muster a soft, “You’re injured.”

Joker shrugged. “Yeah. Happens every time. I couldn’t get very far with this leg.”

“So was this apartment building the closest thing to you or…?” You inquired, surprised at your own voice.

“Yep. Nice place ya got here.”

“I-I…I’m not sure how I feel about this.”

“I wasn’t asking you.”

You didn’t like his tone. You took a deep breath and lowered the bat, propping it against the wall.

“So you just want a place to hide? That’s it?”

“Yep. It’s too risky for me to travel across the city right now. I can’t get to my hideout until the heat dies down.”

“How long are we talking?”

“I don’t really know. At most two weeks.”

“Two weeks?! You can’t just-!” You exclaimed.

Joker threw his hands up. “I said at most.”

“No. You can kindly get the hell out. I won’t call the cops if you just go.”

Joker smirked and advanced towards you slowly, lifting his coat to reveal a hidden pistol. “Orrrr…you can kindly shut up and let me stay here because I’m the man with a gun.”

You froze at the sight of the gun and contemplated what to do, your mind running a mile a minute. Your shoulders slumped as you realized the position you were in. It was best to just go along with what he said.

You sighed, “I don’t really have a choice here, do I?”

When you looked back up, Joker wasn’t there. He lost interest in talking to you and wandered into the kitchen. You stared at the clown in disbelief. The fact that he was being so nonchalant and inviting himself into a stranger’s home baffled you. Man, the nerve of this guy.

You scampered after him and against your better judgement grabbed his arm to confront him. He whipped around to face you, his dark eyes boring into yours.

You gulped. “Shouldn’t we, uh, treat your wounds first?”

Joker lightened his expression. “Mhm. That would be helpful.”

You led him into your bathroom and gestured for him to sit on the toilet. He sat down without a word and stared up at you. You nervously grabbed a first aid kit from your cabinet.

“I don’t have much but I’ll make do with what I can. Where are you hurt?”

Joker rolled up his pants leg and pointed to a deep gash across his calf. It was swollen red and oozing blood. You had to turn your head for a second. When your stomach stopped lurching, you knelt down in front of him while still maintaining a safe distance.

“Anywhere else?”

Joker grinned and pointed towards his left arm. “Just a little graze on my shoulder. They missed me. We should probably focus on the bigger one right now.”

You nodded. “Okay, uh… I guess I should clean it first?”

Joker made no reply and just kept staring at you. You frowned.

“I don’t know what I’m doing, man. How do you usually do this?”

“You clean it first. That’s kinda obvious, darlin’.” Joker muttered.

“Oh I’m sorry. I don’t get into police shootouts on a regular basis.” You spat.

Joker snickered. “Feisty, aren’t ya?”

You rolled your eyes and got to work. You took an alcohol wipe and disinfected the wound, trying to be gentle because you knew it would probably sting. To your surprise Joker didn’t even flinch. Sensing he wasn’t going to mind, you continued on at a quicker pace and wiped away the blood, patting it dry with a nearby towel.

Next you grabbed some gauze from the kit and wrapped it around his calf to bandage the gash. You could practically feel Joker staring down at you as you worked. This was crazy. You were treating the Joker’s wounds and letting him stay in your apartment. He did force you, but still, he was an extremely dangerous man to have in your home. Was he going to kill you? Heh, you hated to say it but maybe that was a good thing. He’d put you out of your misery.

You shook off that thought. No, y/n, that isn’t a good thing. Once you’re dead it’s over. If you stay alive, at least you still have a chance. You didn’t come this far to give up. He’s not going to kill you. You’re going to make sure of it.

Joker’s gruff voice startled you out of your daze. “What’s your name?”

“Y/n.”

“Well y/n, you might not like these circumstances but it’s really helping me out. So, uh, thanks I guess.”

“I’m literally only doing this because you threatened me.” You huffed.

Joker chuckled. “Fair enough.”

“Stay still. I can’t bandage it right if you keep moving.”

You didn’t catch the fiery glimmer of anger flash across Joker’s eyes at being bossed around. Regardless he listened to you and kept his legs still as you cut off the remaining gauze and tied the bandage in place.

“There. Now let’s take care of your shoulder. Can you uh…?” You gestured to his suit.

Joker yanked off his purple coat with a sly smirk. “Tsk. You just met me, y/n. Want my clothes off already?”

You turned beet red. “No! Ugh, that’s not what I meant. Just take off your shirt enough that I can bandage up your shoulder.”

Joker wheezed. “Alright, alright. I’m kidding.”

You didn’t find him one bit funny. Some clown he was.

Joker finally got his shirt pulled down so you could treat the graze on his shoulder. You repeated the same process as you did for his calf and bandaged it accordingly. Joker fixed his shirt back and left his coat off, draping it over his shoulder.

You put the medical kit back where it belonged and started out the door towards the living room again. Joker stood up from the toilet and followed you, still limping a bit. He sat down on the couch and you sat down at your art desk across the room, unsure of what else to do but sit down.

Your heart skipped a beat when you realized you left your sketchbook on the couch and it was still open. You hated when someone looked through your sketchbook without asking. It was so embarrassing. Flashbacks to high school replayed in your head. You silently prayed Joker wouldn’t notice, but it was too late. He picked it up and flipped through the pages curiously. Did he not have any understanding of privacy?!

“What’s this?” He asked, examining a page.

“It’s my sketchbook. I’m an artist. Well, sort of…” You answered quietly.

Joker said nothing and continued flipping through the pages.

“Can you not? Please?” You tried not to sound desperate.

Joker stopped and looked up at you as if he sensed your distress. “Why? It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

You walked across the room and shut the book, taking it out of his hands. “I just don’t like people looking through my sketchbook. I don’t know. It’s just personal.”

“Alright then. I, uh, assume art is just a hobby. What do you do for work?”

“I have an office job. I don’t really know what my title is. Receptionist? Secretary? Assistant? Something like that.”

“Oh. Sounds boring.”

“It is. I hate it. I’d rather be more of a professional artist but nobody takes me seriously.”

“Why?”

“Beats me. I guess those rich pricks would rather see a few slathers of paint on a canvas instead of actual art. But hey, I won’t judge the abstract. Some of it is actually meaningful.”

Joker laughed. “Yeah. One time I tried to rob a featured gallery in an art museum and ended up leaving with nothing because everything was just so tasteless. It was said to be worth thousands of dollars but I didn’t waste my time on it. Most of today’s modern ‘art’ is just crap.”

“I mean, it’s not all bad. It’s just so hard to get noticed. The reason that kind of art is so valued is because it’s made by influential rich people who get bored one day and decide to make a painting.”

“Well put.”

You blinked for a second and processed the story he just told you. He described robbing a museum as if it was the most normal thing in the world, like grocery shopping. It brought you back to reality and reminded you who you were in the room with. You held back a shiver.

“Uh, why exactly were you running from the cops?” You asked.

“Well, I just broke out of Arkham last week so I guess they were on high alert. My dumb ass decided to stage another heist because I needed some funds instead of waiting a little longer. Somebody tipped them off that we were going to be there and they showed up right as we tried to leave. Then the chase ensued and that’s when I ended up here.”

You shook your head. This was actually happening. A psycho killer clown was sitting in your living room and telling you about his failed bank heist. Why did it have to be you and not the annoying neighbor who lived right beside you? “I still don’t understand something. Out of the rows of windows, why did you pick mine?”

“It looked like there were no lights on. I thought no one was home.”

“Okay, but why the 4th floor?”

“I dunno. I needed to get up high to see what was going on around me and then I decided the best thing to do right then was to hide in one of the apartments so I just picked a random one.”

You rubbed your temples and took a deep breath. You really had the worst luck ever.

“As much as I’d love to sit and chat, I’ve had a really long day and I need to catch some sleep. So I’ll be in my room.” You announced and started towards your bedroom door.

“Fine by me. You do what you gotta do.”

“I really can’t offer you anywhere to sleep besides the couch.”

“That’s alright. I can sleep pretty much anywhere.”

“Oh. Well, I’m going to bed now. So goodnight, um, what should I call you?”

“J is fine.”

“Goodnight, J.”

“Night, Y/n.”

You entered your room and shut the door, leaning against it once inside. You let out a long shaky breath. This night was just so unbelievable. The Joker was in your living room! And you were still alive! And he saw your sketchbook! You cringed, wanting to simply pass away at that thought. In the scheme of things you guessed it didn’t matter that much but it was still embarrassing.

You went to the bathroom inside your room where you treated Joker’s injuries earlier and brushed your teeth. You put up your hair and turned the light off before walking over to your bed and collapsing onto it.

You were exhausted but for the first hour you found it so difficult to fall asleep. You were completely paranoid. And who wouldn’t be? All you could think about was the madman on the other side of your door who could kill you with his bare hands.

Would he do it while you slept? And how would he do it? You shuddered at the possibilities.

All the worrying and speculation only tired you out further. You stayed awake as long as could until your body finally crashed. You dozed off, all thoughts of Joker fleeting as you entered the comforting embrace of sleep. You could deal with him in the morning. Hopefully.

#ledger joker #ledger joker x reader #ledger joker x fem!reader #heath ledger joker x reader #heath ledger #the dark knight #reader insert #cross posted on ao3 #my writing

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itsdrawingmen · 4 months ago

Note

I already looked it up in the game and yes, you are right. Zen says that if Yoonsung were a WOMAN she would be his type of girl

Sigh

I don't think you really read what I write, you see what you want to see, but I like to make consistent arguments and analysis, so I'll answer this for my own enjoyment.

Let's do it from the top.

Yeah, sure, Zen says 'if he was a woman'. Take that as you will. What IS hilarious, however, is that you decided to say they love each other as brothers in the same breath. Which is never ONCE canonically stated. Who does call Yoosung a 'little brother' is MC, and the 'if he was a woman' line comes specifically from an interaction when she does. And I will remind you, when she does, Zen answers with this:

Not only does he NOT call him a brother, his mind immediately turns to romance. This is a normal and hinged thing to say about someone you like as a 'brother', according to you. I should go ask my brother how he'd feel if I said shit like this about him. I don't think he'd like it.

But, again, interactions can be read in different ways. And I think we already overanalysed this one. We won't come to an agreement about it. The facts are the following:

Zen and Yoosung never refer to each other canonically as brothers;

Zen and Yoosung are not related, by blood or legally.

If you wanna be pedantic about it, Zen joined the RFA when he was 20, and Yoosung 17. They don't seem to have interacted much right off the bat, Zen wasn't really a willing participant in the RFA, and he wasn't extremely friendly, per se, as evidenced by the Christmas DLC. They likely first met in person at the second RFA party, when Yoosung was 18 and Zen 21, and picked things up starting around there. Somewhere after that, as mentioned by Yoosung, they got so close that they would just call each other to yap on the phone about everything and nothing. For all intents and purposes, they indeed are two unrelated adults who care for each other very much. Or, friends. There is such a format of relationship, besides romantic and familial. And friendship sometimes blooms on its own, and sometimes it does bloom into romance. Believe it or not, like it or not.

On that note, who Zen does explicitly say reminds him of his brother is Jumin. Out of curiosity, do you go after juzen shippers?

Your next question is 'would I ship V with the twins'. What if a mouse drove a Honda Civic, amirite? V/Chois is not a good choice to exercise your whataboutism, because it has literally zero in common with yoozen, but I will entertain you. I don't think I'd ship it. In part, it's because V, a rich young adult, met the twins when they were fifteen and poor, and was quite heavily present in at least Saeyoung's life starting from there, but also because he had immense power over them, financial, connectional, and informational. However, that is not, and was never, the case with Yoosung and Zen. So I don't see how not shipping V with the Chois while shipping Yoosung with Zen would be hypocritical of me.

Besides, that ship just lacks substance to me because I don't see the dynamic necessary.

Also, V is barely a 'father'. At best, he's a shitty irresponsible guardian, but that's a question for a different discussion.

Up next: I don't write Saeyoung smoking or drinking alcohol, I don't know why you felt the need to ask me that. Everything I write or draw about the mysme characters, I like to keep canon-compatible. Saeyoung doesn't smoke or drink, his self-destruction takes on other forms.

And finally, my favourite thing that you saved for last, and I did, too. Never have I once tried to 'force' you to be like me. I literally explicitly said 'you do your thing, I'll do mine', yet here you are, sending me anon rants about how wrong I am. I told you, I've been doing my character analysis, and I don't think I'm misinterpreting any of them. I just stick by my opinion and my reading, is that a wrong thing to do in your books?

I'm not in power over anyone in this fandom, and I don't act like I am. You could probably say I'm normalising shipping Zensung. Which, well, maybe I am. But with that, what I think I am normalising is sweet friends-to-lovers dynamics, where both parties genuinely love and care about each other, engage in sexual and non-sexual intimacy with kindness and mutual admiration, learn from each other and are in active exchange. They have their own flaws and hangups, and sometimes they take it out on each other, but at the end of the day, they're able to tackle problems as a team. I want to see such relationships, and I write them. You can do the same with what you want.

And also, seeing as the Block button is free but you decided to choose violence:

#'yoosung and zen would never date' are you so so sure???#Yoosung 'he's so sexy' Kim and Zen 'he's so cute' Ryu would like a word #anon having a normal one again...#very mented and ranged takes being thrown around #the incest fallacy my favourite #fellas is it incest #they aren't wrong for not shipping it or reading them as straight to be clear #they're wrong for deciding to tell me I should do the same #yoozen #zensung #zen mysme #mysme zen #hyun ryu #ryu hyun #kim yoosung #yoosung kim #mystic messenger zen #mysme yoosung

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slowdripsunrise · 2 months ago

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hey yall its book review time. just went back and looked on my hashtag blog and apparently i havent reviewed anything since your blood my bones which is CRIMINAL. anyways this one might be a long one or it might not i might get bored but well. spoilers under the cut!

hoo boy we're going all the way back to... god i could have SWORN i reviewed this already but whatever. maybe i'm going crazy but Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé !!!!!!!!! I read this back in.... JANUARY ??? okay time isn't real but so it's been a while so I don't remember a Ton about this book. I am 100% certain i enjoyed it and i had fun tho. the anxiety about being one of the few Outsiders of this super fancy preppy school while also having to solve this mystery about ur roommate disappearing?? oh i was on the edge of my seat. 4 stars !!!!! the only reason it's not 5 is because it didn't stick with me as much as i thought it would..... although i really want to read ace of spades also by this author.

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine!!!!!! a space opera epic to a t... huge fan i do want to read the second one but i think a re-read of the first would be necessary beforehand and that's why i haven't gotten to it yet bc thats a lot of book. Twists and turns galore, normally with books where the MC has really no idea whats going on at all times (in this case its bc she's operating on faulty/outdated information and is going through some major culture shock lol) turns me away, but this mc isn't stupid about it !!!!!!! she knows how to navigate terrible situations because she's smart even though she doesn't know whats going on and has to navigate all these foreign politics in a hostile environment and ohhhhh its so fun. its soooooo fun. 5 stars

In a Garden Burning Gold by Rory Power! honestly read this because i thought the cover + the title were cool. didn't affect me really in any way and i've heard the second one isn't as good i think on storygraph i rated it 4 stars, but it's really more of a 3.25 imo. hardly remember anything, though i do kinda love the concept of how the seasons change in the story !!!!

The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo !!!!!! istg i did review this. istg. whatever i fucking hate tumblrs broken ass search system. unless i just didnt tag it correctly. these next reviews are gonna be short bc i think i did review them at some point but whatever. LOVED this, super cute and sweet i've already continued the next few books. not gonna group them together bc they're each individual little stories to me but love love love the MC and their little bird friend. love the folklore/storytelling aspects and vibes. 5 stars no notes

The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins !! on storygraph i rated this 4.5 thats a lie. this book got hyped up so much for me and it was just not the vibes i was expecting or wanted. hated the ending. only kinda fun parts where the DoD guy and his commentary and maybe the guy that was like turning into an animal. i liked him i think his name was michael. otherwise did not gaf about what was happening. bleh

Don't Let the Forest in by C.G. Drews! vibes vibes vibes vibes vibes. drawings coming to life and trying to kill you !!! yup. haunted by a dead twin !!!! yup. ough. yeah i liked this one. 4.5 stars

When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain by Nghi Vo!!!! same as the first in the series. 5/5 !!!! she did it again

The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson !! this one was fun read it because supposedly the plot twist was CRAZY and like yeah it kinda was i just was kinda confused the Whole time about which guy was which so like. it wasn't really that shocking to me when it turned out to be one over the other yaknow? undecided on whether or not i'm gonna finish the series

The Daughter of Smoke and Bone series by Laini Taylor !!!!!!!!! this was a reread and like. it was a necessary reread. if i had reviewed this back when i did the reread i would have more to say now but lemme try and get everything down. i first wanted to reread this series because I had just rewatched two of my favorite youtube videos of all time, caricanread's plot summary of the last(?). hang on i have no idea what this book is even called. okay the 2nd and 3rd crescent city books house of sky and breath and house of flame and shadow. genuinely videos of all time. and i was thinking like godddd crossover episodes are so fun in like fanfic i can see that she was trying to have fun here and bring back fan fave characters but like she just sucks at writing so it sucks. and my favorite. FAVORITE type of story is the kind of story where you tell me what happens. and then you tell me what happened before the story. the story that makes this story inevitable. how everything was predestined and unavoidable. how this story is just a tiny little part of a multitude of massive shifting pieces. like i love multiverses and parallel universes and such. and well sjm does not hit at all. so i reread daughter of smoke and bone to scratch the itch and you know what. it fucking scratched the itch. 5/5 idc if the fallen angel ya phase was cringe i'm still here for it.

then, i reread Strange the Dreamer so i could then read Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor !!! a fun good time loved it. don't remember much but i know that it affected me deeply. trust me

Legend of the White Snake by Sher Lee !!!! don't remember much at all but the vibes were fun and i had a good time.

This Fatal Kiss by Alicia Jasinska !!! favorite thing about this 100% was the setting and the vibes. 10/10. the FMC was kinda annoying but it was fine. quick read love the cover i would 100% read more of this authors work!!!

then i reread Silver Under Nightfall so i could then read Court of Wanderers by Rin Chupeco!!!! not a huge fan of the ending of the series but otherwise i had a good time and the vibes were there. I am always always down for some guy to be a pet for two baddass hot vampires. 10/10 when will it be my turn

okay done for now ty for reading all this if you did <3

#thoughts.txt #book review #where sleeping girls lie #a memory called empire #in a garden burning gold #the empress of salt and fortune #the library at mount char #don't let the forest in #when the tiger came down the mountain #the kiss of deception #daughter of smoke and bone #strange the dreamer #muse of nightmares #legend of the white snake #this fatal kiss #silver under nightfall #court of wanderers

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ln-stories · 2 years ago

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Mammon's mc!

This is the second drawing and headcannons of my mini series with the obey charachers with their custom sheep mcs. Previously i done simeon's mc, after alot of consideration i decided to do Mammon next with his own custom sheep mc!. If you wanna check previous stuff check my page and thank you for reading and im accepting requests for the next obey me characher!

(Apologies for any grammar mistakes)

Second Mammon's MC

Warnings: spoiler alert for the series lessons

Headcanons:

This mc (she/they)

Personality: confident, skillful (plus knows karate), a dumbass sometimes like Mammon, small anger issues, chaotic good vibes.

1) This mc is the exact opposite of simeon's mc since she is the largest one in this series. Height is around 5'3 on two legs

2) She is very fluffy and glittery giving magical girl vibes on her looks

3) When The mc arrived at the devildom, she was shocked but was feeling like she could take the demons in a fight if they didn't return her back. (spoiler alert: those karate classes she took back in the human world didn't work much on The demon prince Lucifer XDDDD)

4)Later on she was assigned to Mammon to guard her and guide her through the devildom. Let me tell you reader this didn't go as planned as you saw in the earliest chapters of the story. This mc is much more fiesty as well so this didn't help much the situation either.

5) Slowly mc is trying her best to adapt her new lifestyle while also go ham on Mammon everytime that he tried to steal something from her room to sell it off.

6)Mammon was forced to make the pact the mc after the "Goldie incident". He is now listening to her more. Thought they still don't trust eachother at all.

7)After the TLC showdown event, Mammon was never felt such frustration for not being there to save mc on time to the point he started regretting all the time he has been completly scammy and ditching them on random occasions.

8) Both of them made peace with eachother and started to actually putting effort to their friendship. (Occasionally ofc Mammon would be a tsudere as per usual XD)

9)They started hang out more and more, slowly lowering the iQ of the Mc as Mammon was pulling them into pranks, and other dumb situations. MC didn't mind it one bit though. Sometimes it's ok to be a little silly.

10) Mc teaches Mammon karate whitch is probably hilarious cuz Mammon would show the brothers what he learn just to not mess with him and embarrassed himself everytime he either falls down the stairs or he trying to punch metal and instantly regret it.

11) obviously Mc is Mammon's "first" as mammon call it. They are absolutely jealous when other people try to get close to them, especially the purgatory squad that just want to get to know her better. It's a big no to him. (closest friendships: Mammon, Levi, maybe Beel too?)

12)At this point Mammon and mc are besties. Mammon is not the best when it comes to sharing or gifting but for the mc he will even use Goldie whitch is a really rare occasion.

13)Movie nights and hellsauce noodles are regular thing when they hang out. It's like a comfort for both of them. (both cheap and fun!)

14) At the lesson 16 Mammon felt like he lost some centuries of his life just by mc not moving in his arms. He didn't felt like he lost just a friend. He felt like he lost the first person who actually gets him in a deep level. (oop mc is alive and so is Mammon's sanity!)

15) After a while Mammon felt like he became mc's right hand man, doing pranks, hanging out everyday, sitting down together at lunch and prank lucifer from time to time for good measure. (bad idea)

16)Lucifer himself sometimes tried to seperate you two because they were lowering the IQ of the whole house of lamentation as the other brothers joined in the dumbassery for fun.

17) Mammon is getting better at karate? Ye! He even humiliated a lower demons for trying to harm mc. Mc found was crying with tears of joy because she teached him well.

18) The mc showed the human realm to Mammon and the brothers. Let's say Mammon loved all the new flavor cheap noodles packets that got from the human Realm.

19) The mc loves to wear earrings so the final gift that Mammon gave her before RAD ended was an earring with his symbol to always remember that he will always be next to her whenever he needed her. The mc treasured it for life.

20) After RAD ended Mammon and mc were visiting their realms back and forth whenever they could, mostly Mc visited devildom thought. Mc made had mostly befriended all the brothers but the purgatory hall squad aren't as close as she wanted to admit.

Thank you for reading! request are open for next obey me characher and custom mc!

#obey me mammon #om! mammon #mammon x mc #obm #obey me nightbringer #leviathan #obey me headcanons #obey me #obey me main character #obey me female mc #mammon avatar of greed #mammon headcanon #obey me shall we date

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luv-beam · 6 months ago

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HI TARA!!! my thoughts while reading are under the cut :'))) but i gotta say that i fall in love w ur writing every time i read something from u:

• i would like to start off w the fact that u set the scene so incredibly well, like im in awe and envy at this beautiful scene ur painting for us 😭 not to mention that it all flows really well too; just a strong opening paragraph

• awwwh PLS THE BIG BROTHER LITTLE SISTER DYNAMIC!!! when the little sis thinks the absolute world of her big bro :'))) and when she's even more mad than he is LMAO the TOAD LINE??? damn seokmin i was not aware of ur game

• lowkey i would have folded that fast too if duke lee seokmin of lancaster played along and kissed my hand

• this starting line ^ crazy good... like i'd like to sear this into my mind so i never forget it?? the social szn unfolds like a delicate fan??? adding another layer to the tapestry of ur life??? lee seokmin????

• HE HAS AN UNCANNY ABILITY TO ELEVATE THE ORDINARY UGHHHHH WHAAAAT A LINE i love that so, so much and it's so true as well

• awwwh yn and seokhao's goodbyes are so sweet :'')))) im so glad they all hold so much affection for one another

• "your penchant for wool is far more than my eyes could bear" im cryingksnfkdnjf seokmin sulking over the wool while he's away,, sometimes i like to imagine him as a damsel draping himself out of the window sill of a tower

• i love how yn describes herself feeling empty while hes away like heh... i know something u dont... heh :))))) and crocheting? me too!!! so cute that she made him smth

• TARA U R A MASTER AT IMAGERY!! the opening lines of age 15 are mwah chefs kiss like if i could draw/paint, i would literally turn this fic into a graphic novel for u

• tulip... brb while i burst into tears

• started grinning like an idiot while reading this ^ i can see his playful melodrama and the smile on his face,,, im so down bad like i would fold like a lawn chair if we played around like this irl (i say as a grown ass woman)

• oh how i do love the classic brushing of the limbs that gets the mcs blushing like hell... also love what u did there w the planting seeds in ur mind to decode later while they're literally planting flowers... i see u tara u genius

• oh wow the total 180 w the reveal of the duke's death (also seokmin addressing her as my dearest tulip TT) — thinking of seokmin entering the social szn as a recently-made duke and all the girls hounding after him in his fresh grief......

• this section (seok and hao just got back after the death reveal) is short but so bittersweet. like when u give seok the swords from the flower bed and he just kind of chuckles like yes... days gone by huh... UGH

• it breaks my heart to know that seokhao now have their dead fathers as something in common 😭😭😭 its sweet tho to know they're all looking out for each other. im w yn tho, i hope hers and haos relationship isnt negatively affected by this :'))

• THE RETURN OF THE TAPESTRY METAPHOR

• okay i have to confess something... this is my second time reading thru... and so im reading the part where minghao and yn talk in the garden and he's warning her of the whispers springing up abt her and seok and im like... freaking out bc i KNOW WHAT HAPPENS 😭 IM GNAWING MY FIST LIKE IK THAT HAO'D CONCERN IS SINCERE AND IM JUST SJFNKENFKFJF THIS SCENE HOLDS SO MUCH MORE WEIGHT DURING A REREAD (why i love comparing my thoughts btwn a first and second read tho, like u see things /differently/)

• i love the teasing and sweet assurances in the letters 😭 like they're so genuine and cute (rip minghao)

• AHHHHH THE SMOKING SCENE FROM SZN ONEEEE i like this change of dynamic tho instead of being btwn siblings, it's now btwn two love interests friends

• WE CANT ALWAYS HAVE WHAT OUR HEARTS DESIRE???? WHILE LOOKING AT US LIKE THAT LEE SEOKMIN????????? HHEHDJDJFJFJKFKFK

• sure sure fencing BUT YEARNING TO FIND LOVE?? BUT MY DEAR SIR?? YOUR GRACE, YOUR LOVE IS RIGHT NEXT TO U

• THE LONGING AND ASPECT OF THE FORBIDDEN MAKES THE SMALL DISTANCE BTWN U YAWN LIKE A CHASM AHHHH THIS PASSAGE!!!! like oof... i love angst and yearning like this, where im screaming at my phone screen to just kiss her already (knowing the... perilous journey ahead... heh...)

• friend.... FRIEND???? brb gonna go waltz into oncoming traffic

• oh the way this ends 😭😭😭 like my heart is being squeezed,,, the way he whispers tulip and the roots of ur love for him take hold UGGGHH!!! I CANT DO THIS

i will have to endure for another day tho and i will return for chapter two tmrw! i loved this even more than the first time i read it (and i loved it a lot then too)!! i was really able to sit w ur words this time, and i do have to say tara that u have such a talent for imagery, like omg this was so beautiful TT but thank u for writing this!! hope ur having a lovely day/night and i'll be back o7 💖

The Somerset Affair | Chapter 1: Whispers in the Garden

pairing: lsk x fem!reader genre: Bridgerton AU, friends to (?????) to eventual lovers, brother’s best friend, SLOWWWW BURNNN chapter wc: 8.2k warnings: alcohol consumption, societal expectations, eventual smut, more to be added a/n: CHAPTER 1 IS FINALLY HEREEEE // as always, ENORMOUS thanks to indi @wongyuseokie for this GORGEOUSSSS banner // and to my lovely betas shu @welcometomyoasis lou @tusswrites haneul @chanranghaeys this could not have happened without you // 2nd chapter will be up soon!!!

summary: lee seokmin is a scoundrel for having beaten your brother at fencing. or... is he?

comment to be tagged when chapters are posted, or join the fic taglist here!

Age 8

Mayfair is alive today. The Somerset estate hums with energy, a ripple of excitement passing through the gathered crowd, their eyes all fixed on the fencing match taking place in the wide, manicured garden. The afternoon sun casts a golden haze over the scene, warming the air and wrapping everything in a soft, honeyed glow. Laughter and chatter float like music across the grounds, underscored by the occasional ring of steel clashing against steel. The sweet fragrance of roses drifts on the light breeze, mingling with the fresh scent of cut grass. You sit near the front, your small hands gripping the edge of your chair, bouncing with excitement as you watch your older brother, Minghao, spar against a boy you've never seen before.

This new boy stands tall, his dark hair tousled in the breeze, and a sharp determination shines in his eyes. The way he moves—it’s confident, with an energy that seems far beyond his years. Your brother, usually so self-assured, falters as the boy steps onto the mat. A flicker of unease passes through you, twisting in your stomach. You can feel the tension, see it in the way Minghao adjusts his grip on his sword. The match begins, and every time the swords collide, the sound reverberates through your chest. Your heart sinks a little more with each point your brother loses, and soon, the inevitable happens—the newcomer disarms Minghao with a flourish so smooth it draws gasps and murmurs from the audience.

"Such skill!" someone whispers, while others erupt in applause, their cheers filling the air. But you remain still, arms crossed tightly over your chest, brows drawn into a deep frown. How dare this boy defeat your brother? And so effortlessly! You want to scowl, to hold on to your anger, but the sound of the crowd’s cheers washes over you, making your resentment grow.

Seokmin—that’s his name, you overhear—steps forward, offering Minghao a hand, his smile wide and bright like the afternoon sun. "A splendid match, my lord," he says, his voice rich and full of youthful pride. "I must confess, I didn’t expect to come away unscathed!"

You narrow your eyes, watching as your brother, ever gracious, accepts the handshake. There's a mixture of admiration and annoyance in his expression, a good-natured acknowledgment of defeat. They exchange lighthearted jests, their laughter mixing with the lingering applause. But you? You're fuming. This boy, with his easy smile and seemingly endless charm, had just bested your brother, and you feel a burning need to dislike him for it.

Then, as if sensing your discontent, Seokmin turns to you, his eyes glinting with mischief. “Ah, you must be Lord Minghao’s sister?” he says, his grin widening into something playful, teasing. “Goodness, you make him look like a toad by comparison!”

Your mouth drops open in shock, a wave of indignation rushing through you. How dare he say such a thing? And worse—how could your brother laugh? "I beg your pardon?" you snap, standing as tall as your small frame will allow, arms crossing even tighter across your chest.

"Oh, I mean no offense, miss," Seokmin chuckles, clapping Minghao on the shoulder. "I jest, of course! Merely saying that you’re far lovelier than your brother—though, admittedly, it’s not a particularly high bar."

Despite yourself, your scowl begins to soften. There’s something about the way his eyes crinkle at the corners, the lightness in his voice. It’s hard to stay angry when he looks at you like that, as if daring you to join in on the joke.

“Mama says men who try to charm without revealing their titles aren’t to be trusted,” you counter, lifting your chin with defiant pride. The quip comes out sharper than intended, but you’re determined not to let him get the better of you.

Minghao gasps, hands raised in mock horror. “Sister, truly, must you always speak so boldly?” He turns to Seokmin with an exaggerated sigh. “Please Seokmin, do forgive her. I assure you, turning eight has done little to improve her temperament.”

“You’re only two years older than me, brother!” you huff, your voice a touch more indignant. Before you can continue, though, Seokmin drops into a low, dramatic bow, the movement exaggerated and theatrical.

“The fault is entirely mine, my lady,” he says in mock seriousness, rising and extending his hand toward you. “Lord Lee Seokmin, future Duke of Lancaster. At your service.”

Two years of etiquette lessons flood your mind, and with a sudden burst of excitement, you place your small hand in his. Seokmin bows once more, this time dropping a playful kiss on your knuckles as you curtsy. You can hear Minghao’s exasperated sigh as he rolls his eyes, but you ignore him, a smile tugging at the corner of your lips.

Maybe Seokmin isn't such a scoundrel after all.

As the day wears on, you find yourself watching Seokmin from the corner of your eye. Despite your earlier indignation, there’s something undeniably captivating about him. You notice the way he treats everyone with kindness, far beyond what’s expected from someone his age. When a younger child stumbles near the fencing ring, it’s Seokmin who rushes to their side, kneeling in the dirt, his voice gentle as he asks, "Are you alright?" He helps the child up, brushing off their clothes with such care, you can’t help but be touched. "Fear not," he says, a smile returning to his face, "you’re not a toad—you’re a knight in training!"

The sight makes your heart soften further. How could someone so infuriating also be so kind? The lines of irritation you had drawn between you and Seokmin begin to blur, shifting into something more like curiosity.

As the sun sinks low, casting a warm amber glow over the estate, you find yourself gravitating closer to where Seokmin and Minghao stand, their voices rising and falling in animated conversation about fencing techniques. Seokmin’s laughter, bright and carefree, fills the air like music, and before you know it, you’re smiling too; there’s something undeniably magnetic about him.

Despite your best efforts, you can no longer deny the strange fluttering in your chest—a curiosity, perhaps even fascination, that you hadn’t expected. Maybe, just maybe, Seokmin isn’t such a scoundrel after all.

The days of the social season unfold like a delicate fan, each gathering adding another layer to the tapestry of your life, and with every event, Seokmin becomes a constant presence. He is no longer just an occasional guest—he’s a breath of fresh air, his laughter ringing through the halls of your family’s estate, turning even the dullest moments into something lively and bright.

The lively soirées your parents host become a stage for his effortless charm. Ladies in the latest fashions exchange flirtatious glances in his direction, while gentlemen engage in animated debates about politics and sport, the buzz of conversation always punctuated by Seokmin’s easy laughter. His presence transforms these gatherings, turning what once felt like routine social maneuvering into vibrant affairs filled with warmth and genuine joy.

Whether he’s lending a hand to your mother in the garden, his sleeves rolled up and face relaxed in concentration, or sparring with your brother in a friendly match, Seokmin has this uncanny ability to elevate the ordinary. What might be a simple afternoon stroll or an idle conversation becomes a moment of significance when he’s around. Sun-drenched afternoons spent wandering the estate take on a new glow, each moment painted with the sound of his voice, the infectious energy he brings.

Age 14

The day Minghao and Seokmin leave for Eton is etched in your mind with vivid clarity, every detail sharp and impossible to forget. The morning is cool, yet the sun spills across the courtyard in golden rays, casting long shadows from the trees that sway gently in the breeze. The scent of dew-laden grass mixes with the faint perfume of your mother’s rose garden, but even the beauty of the estate feels muted by the melancholy lingering in the air.

Minghao, ever composed, stands with the straight posture expected of him, his hands clasped behind his back, looking every inch the young man ready to step into his responsibilities. His face, though calm, carries the weight of leaving home, but he hides it well, his eyes betraying only a flicker of the emotions swirling beneath the surface.

Seokmin, on the other hand, struggles more visibly with the impending farewell. His usual cheerful grin falters, the lightness of his presence dimmed as he glances between you and Minghao. He tries to keep up his usual charm, cracking jokes that feel just a little too forced, his laughter not ringing as true as it normally does. There’s a vulnerability in his eyes, a softness you haven’t seen before, as if he’s trying to hide his own sadness behind that well-worn mask of joviality.

As they load their trunks into the carriage, a heavy knot forms in your chest. You know you’ll miss your brother, but it’s Seokmin’s departure that stings deeper. He’s been more than a friend these past years—he’s been a constant, a steady warmth you’ve come to rely on. His laughter, his easy charm, the way he could turn even the most mundane day into something special. The thought of him being gone, of not seeing him wander the estate with his boundless energy, makes your heart ache in a way you didn’t anticipate.

You step forward, your fingers trembling as you reach for Seokmin’s hand, your grip tighter than intended. “Promise me you’ll write?” you ask, your voice barely more than a whisper, each word trembling with the effort to hold back tears.

Seokmin’s eyes soften as he looks down at you, his usual grin giving way to something gentler. "Of course," he says, his voice steady but quieter than usual. He squeezes your hand, his thumb brushing over your knuckles in a gesture meant to comfort. “I’ll make sure you get the best letters—no boring stories, only adventures, I swear.” His grin returns, albeit a little weaker. "Besides, my lady, your brother and I will be back to torment you again come springtime!"

Minghao coughs politely. “No tearful goodbye for me, sister?” he asks, his voice teasing, but there’s an undercurrent of affection in his words. His eyes flicker between you and Seokmin, amusement tugging at the corners of his lips, though his posture remains upright and composed as ever.

You tear your gaze from Seokmin and offer your brother a watery smile. “Do not fret, dear brother,” you say, a bit of your usual wit returning. “I’ll save the tears for later, when the house is quiet without the two of you causing chaos.”

My Dearest Y/N,

I trust this letter finds you in fine spirits, though I daresay it is far more likely that you are wrapped in the cozy embrace of your favorite blanket, lost in a book, while the world outside continues on its merry way. I cannot help but smile at the thought, for you have always possessed the rare gift of finding joy in the mundane.

Eton is quite a spectacle, I must confess. The architecture is enough to make one feel as though they have stepped into a storybook. However, I must admit my fellow classmates lack the charm and wit of my beloved friend.

Oh, how I miss our little chats! It is a curious sensation to feel so far from home, yet I am bolstered by the knowledge that you are there, keeping our little world intact. Do tell me that you have not yet taken up knitting—your penchant for wool is far more than my eyes can bear.

Yours most fondly,Seokmin

My Dearest Seokmin,

Eton sounds positively enchanting.I must admit, the thought of you amidst all that grandeur brings me no small measure of joy—though I do hope you have not yet been swept away by the grandeur of it all! I find it impossible to imagine anyone there being quite as dashing as you.

Life here, as you suspected, is a touch quieter without your vivacious presence. I feel compelled to admit that I found myself rather melancholic the day you left. It was a curious sadness, one that clung to me like a shadow. The house feels a touch emptier, and while I do find solace in my books, nothing compares to the ease of our conversations. The warmth of your laughter is a melody I find myself longing for, especially on the coldest evenings.

Do keep writing, dear friend. Your tales from Eton are the very lifeblood of my days, and I shall regale you with the ongoing drama of our little realm. Until then, consider me your most devoted fan, ever eager for your next missive.

With all my affection,Y/N

P.S. You will take great pleasure in knowing that I have, in fact, taken up crocheting. A lovely cap, perfect for early springtime chill, awaits you at the estate.

Age 15:

Seokmin’s return each spring is as reliable as the first crocus peeking through the thawing earth, marking the true end of winter. His arrival is never just an event—it’s a burst of life that sweeps away the dullness left by the cold months. Every year, your excitement bubbles over as you anticipate that familiar moment when the world feels a little brighter with his return. The sunlight bathes the garden in warmth, a golden hue spreading like liquid over the well-trodden path he walks down, Minghao beside him. Their laughter floats through the air, a melody that harmonizes with the soft rustle of blooming flowers and the hum of spring.

When they finally come into view, your heart quickens, as if drawn into the rhythm of their steps. With Minghao’s ever-amiable grin and Seokmin’s radiant energy, they are a pair that seems to make the world tilt just a little toward joy. Every spring, it's the same—they stride toward you as if no time has passed, as if the long months apart were nothing but a brief blink in the grander scheme of your lives. And each time, the three of you fall into the same routines as though nothing has changed.

It usually begins with some mischief. They never fail to poke fun at you until you’re red-faced with exasperation. Seokmin, with that teasing glint in his eyes, will say something absurd or playfully condescending, and Minghao, ever the instigator, will back him up with a sly smirk. It’s only a matter of time before you lose your patience, yell, and stomp your foot, your protests ringing louder than you’d intended.

Your raised voice inevitably draws the attention of your mother, who reprimands you from the kitchen window with her usual fond disapproval. "Now, now," she’ll chide, a soft laugh hidden in her voice. "There’s no need to shout, dear. They’re only playing."

Of course, that’s the cue for Seokmin and Minghao to burst into laughter, doubling over in amusement at how easily they’ve ruffled your feathers. You scowl at them, but it’s hard to keep a frown on your face when they’re both so gleeful, their joy infectious, lighting up the entire garden.

One afternoon, not long after their return, Seokmin and Minghao find their old practice fencing swords—long forgotten and buried deep in the flowerbeds, peeking out from beneath the tulips. You watch as they unearth the swords with a mixture of surprise and amusement, both of them laughing as if uncovering a treasure trove of memories. Their faces are bright with nostalgia as they pull the dirt-encrusted weapons free, brushing off the petals clinging to the blades.

It's then that Seokmin starts to call you "Tulip," a private little nickname he utters only when it's just the two of you. The first time he says it, there’s a lightness to his tone, his lips curling into that mischievous smile of his. “You know,” he says, leaning in closer as you both watch Minghao attempt a ridiculous fencing stance in the distance, “it only makes sense. After all, you’ve been hiding our swords with the tulips. I think ‘Tulip’ suits you.”

At first, you roll your eyes, feigning annoyance, but there’s a warmth in your chest at how easily he’s assigned you such a tender nickname.

One particularly warm afternoon, your mother summons you to help her with the flowerbeds, a chore you reluctantly take on. The sun beats down, the heat pressing into your skin and the earth beneath your fingers, while the scent of soil and fresh blossoms hangs thick in the air. You sigh, resigning yourself to the tedious task when, suddenly, a familiar voice cuts through the stillness.

“Ah, the fair lady in her noble endeavor!” Seokmin’s voice rings out, full of his usual playful grandeur. He strides through the garden gate, sweeping an imaginary cape behind him with exaggerated flair. His smile is as bright as the sun itself, lighting up the whole space. “Fear not, for I shall be your loyal squire in this quest for botanical beauty!”

Despite your earlier annoyance, a reluctant smile tugs at the corners of your mouth. Seokmin has a way of making even the most mundane tasks feel like an adventure. You watch as he bounds toward you, his movements light and full of energy. With an exaggerated show of determination, he rolls up his sleeves, pretending to prepare for battle. The weight of the day feels lighter already.

Together, the two of you dig your hands into the soil, your fingers dirty and the air filled with the soft rustling of the leaves around you. Laughter bubbles up between the two of you, mingling with the breeze as Seokmin’s animated voice brings life to the still afternoon. As you plant flower after flower, he regales you with tales of his fencing matches at Eton, his voice lively, arms waving dramatically to mimic the grand duels he’s fought.

“You wouldn’t believe it,” he says with mock gravity, “this boy was at least twice my size, and I won the match with nothing but clever footwork and a flick of the wrist!” He pantomimes the move, his arm cutting through the air like a sword.

You laugh, shaking your head at his theatrical retelling, the tension of the task dissolving with every story. It’s impossible not to get caught up in his enthusiasm. “Is that so?” you tease, barely holding back a grin.

“I daresay, footwork in fencing is quite the advantageous skill,” Seokmin says, dropping to his knees beside you with faux-seriousness, inspecting the flowerbed as though it holds the secrets to the universe. “If one can move with the grace of a dancer, one can—”

Just as he gestures again, his elbow brushes against your arm, and suddenly, time seems to slow. The lighthearted atmosphere is pierced by a spark, a ripple of warmth that travels through you. Both of you freeze, his eyes widening in surprise. His cheeks flush a light pink as he quickly pulls back, his confidence faltering for a brief second.

“My sincerest apologies,” he stammers, the usual brightness in his voice now tinged with uncharacteristic bashfulness. He resumes his work, his fingers trembling slightly as they sift through the soil. The warmth of the sun suddenly pales in comparison to the heat between you.

“It’s quite all right,” you reply, your voice shaky, your heartbeat far more rapid than you’d like. “Just... gardening, after all.” You try for casualness, but the words sound ridiculous even to your own ears, given the charged air lingering between you.

Moments later, you stand to stretch, hoping to shake off the strange energy that has settled over the both of you. Seokmin leans in to grab a nearby tool, and his shoulder brushes against yours again—this time, the contact lingers for just a second too long. The heat of it sends another jolt through you, making your heart stutter.

You gasp, startled by the unfamiliar sensation, your breath hitching. The warmth spreads from your chest down to your fingertips, a strange, foreign feeling you can’t quite name.

“Goodness! I beg your pardon again,” Seokmin says quickly, his sheepish smile returning, though this time it’s softer, more hesitant. His eyes flicker with something you can’t quite place. “It seems I have a propensity for unintentional collisions today.”

That smile—it makes your chest tighten. His presence, usually a source of comfort, now awakens something new within you, something unsettling yet undeniable. Gardening, once nothing but a mundane chore, has transformed into something far more intimate with Seokmin by your side. The flowerbeds seem to flourish under his laughter, vibrant blooms swaying as if they, too, revel in the joy of the moment.

But that foreign sensation? You tuck it deep into your mind, burying it along with the seeds you’ve planted, afraid to decode what it could mean. After all, this is Seokmin—your friend, your constant. And yet, the warmth of his touch lingers on your skin longer than it should, as if it’s quietly asking you to look closer.

My Dearest Seokmin,

I hope this letter finds you in moments of solace amidst the tumult of your recent loss. It is with a heavy heart that I pen these words, having heard of your father’s passing. The news struck me with such a weight, as though the very air around me had grown thick with sorrow. I cannot begin to fathom the grief you must be experiencing, yet please know that my thoughts and prayers are ever with you during this difficult time.

Your father was a remarkable man, a beacon of kindness and integrity, and his absence will undoubtedly leave a profound void in the hearts of all who had the privilege of knowing him. I remember fondly the stories you shared, of his wisdom and warmth, which have clearly shaped the exceptional person you have become. His legacy, I have no doubt, will endure through you.

With his passing, I know you now bear the title of Duke. While this new responsibility may feel daunting, I have every confidence you will honor his legacy with the same grace and strength he embodied. I want you to remember that you are not alone. I am here, dear friend, steadfast and unwavering, ready to support you as you navigate this uncharted territory.

I eagerly await the day when I can see your smile again, and we can talk about the flowers in the garden, just as we always have.

With all my love and deepest sympathies,Y/N

My Dearest Tulip,

Your letter brought me a flicker of light amidst the shadows that have enveloped me since my father’s passing. It is a solace to know that you, too, share in my grief, and your words resonate deeply within me, reminding me that I am not alone in this turbulent sea of sorrow.

Thank you for your kind remembrance of my father. He often spoke of you with such fondness, and knowing how he impacted your life brings me a measure of comfort. His lessons of kindness and integrity remain etched in my heart, and I strive to honor his legacy in every decision I make as Duke. It is a weight I carry with both pride and trepidation, yet the knowledge of your unwavering support gives me strength.

Though this season feels uncharted and daunting, your friendship is a cherished constant. I, too, long for the day when we can stroll through the gardens, exchanging thoughts about the flowers and sharing laughter, just as we once did. Until then, I will hold onto the warmth of your words and the memories we’ve created.

With heartfelt gratitude and affection,Seokmin

Age 16:

When Seokmin and Minghao return home the next spring, it’s clear that Seokmin carries more than just the usual joy and liveliness he always brings with him. A new weight settles over him, one you haven’t seen before. The responsibility of the Dukedom starts to bear down on him, heavy as the cloak he will one day wear. His laugh remains bright, his smile still warm, but there’s something different now—an unspoken awareness that the carefree boy of the past is slowly giving way to the man he is becoming.

He has grown taller, his limbs long and strong, and the way he carries himself now commands attention. The once-boyish face is now defined, the angle of his jaw sharper, while his arms, corded with muscles, show the signs of hard work and training. It’s as if each inch he’s gained has come with a newfound strength, and when he meets your gaze, his eyes hold a certain seriousness, as if he is seeing everything with a fresh perspective.

The easy rhythm of your old routines stays intact—Minghao teasing you until you yell, Seokmin’s booming laughter echoing across the fields, and the reprimands from your mother when your playful shouts interrupt her afternoon peace. It all feels the same, yet beneath it all, you know things are changing.

On one such afternoon, you discover their practice swords—once lost and forgotten—buried haphazardly in the flowerbed among your mother’s beloved tulips. You pull them free with a gasp, the soil still clinging to the metal, and when you bring them to Seokmin, he chuckles, the sound a little sadder than you remember.

“Well,” he says, wiping the dirt from the hilt, “seems like even the tulips want to keep us from growing up too fast, eh, Tulip?”

Despite the weight of responsibility that now shadows him, he still calls you “Tulip.” The name slips easily from his lips, playful and tender, a thread that ties your past to the present. The quiet nickname carries the bittersweet truth: your days of carefree adventures and playful banter are slowly fading, giving way to the responsibilities of adulthood. And while the world around you shifts, that name—whispered in secret—feels like a promise that some part of him, some part of both of you, will always stay the same.

My dearest Tulip,

It is with a heart full of sorrow that I write to you, upon receiving the most distressing news regarding your father’s passing. The world seems dimmer without him, and my thoughts are consumed with the weight of your grief. I wish I could be there, to hold your hand and share in the memories of a man who undoubtedly brought so much light into your life.

When the silence envelops you, when the days stretch long and heavy with unshed tears, know that I am here for you. You need not wear a mask of strength; I shall not expect it. Life has a way of changing in an instant, and though we are thrust into roles we may not be prepared for, there remains solace in companionship.

Please remember, my dear friend, you are not alone in this journey. I stand with you, ready to lend my support and share in whatever you need.

With the utmost affection,Seokmin

My dearest Seokmin,

Your letter reached me at a time when silence has settled heavily over the estate, wrapping around us like a shroud. It feels as though the laughter that once danced through these halls has been swallowed by a void, leaving behind a hushed emptiness. My mother, once so vibrant, now moves about with an air of resignation, her spirit dimmed as if she carries the weight of the world upon her shoulders. The joy that once bloomed within her seems to have withered, and even the flowers in the garden appear to droop, their colors muted in sympathy for our grief.

I often find myself worrying for Minghao. The new title of duke weighs upon him like a heavy cloak, and I fear that the responsibilities thrust upon him will change him in ways I cannot yet understand. I can only imagine the burden he feels, trying to uphold our father's legacy while grappling with the uncertainties of leadership. It frightens me to think of how this shift may alter our relationship, how he might feel compelled to step into a role that distances him from the brother I’ve always known. I fear I may lose him just as I have lost my father.

Yet, amid this uncertainty, your words bring me a flicker of comfort. The knowledge that you stand with me during this turbulent time is a balm for my spirit. I long for your return, for the laughter and warmth that you bring.

Until then, I hold your friendship close to my heart, a gentle reminder that even in the darkest of times, I am not alone.

With all my affection,Y/N

Age 17:

At the onset of spring, when Minghao and Seokmin return to the estate, the world feels subtly transformed. The air is perfumed with the scent of blooming flowers, yet there’s an unmistakable weight in the atmosphere, a quiet acknowledgment of the changes that accompany their new titles. As dukes, both acquire an aura of responsibility that overshadows the playful ease they once share.

The lighthearted teasing that characterizes your interactions is now less frequent, often replaced by a more thoughtful camaraderie. It’s as though their titles impose a certain decorum upon them, one that even the most mischievous of spirits cannot easily shake off. Their laughter, while still present, bears the faintest echo of seriousness that wasn’t there before.

Yet, despite this change, you find immense joy in their company, particularly when they engage in spirited sparring sessions in the training yard. As wooden swords clash and echo, it’s impossible not to feel a thrill at the sight of them—two young gentlemen, once boys, now embodying a gravity that demands respect even in their play.

The matches become a spectacle, each clash of wooden swords accompanied by shouts and laughter that echo through the estate. You perch on the sidelines, an amused spectator, as Seokmin and Minghao banter playfully between bouts. “You call that a strike?” Seokmin teases, deftly dodging your brother’s advance with a lightness that seems almost effortless. “I’ve seen more ferocity from a kitten!”

Minghao rolls his eyes, the corners of his mouth betraying a grin despite his best efforts to maintain an air of dignity. “One day, Seokmin, you shall learn that mocking your opponent is a perilous game.”

You perch on the sidelines, unable to stifle the laughter bubbling forth at their antics. Each exchange between them is a delightful dance, weaving a tapestry of shared history and unspoken affection. Yet, as you watch, you cannot help but feel a twinge of wistfulness; the exuberance of their banter now seems to emerge from a place tinged with nostalgia.

The sun dips low in the sky, casting a warm, golden glow over the training yard; both young gentlemen wield their wooden swords with a fervor that sends a thrill through the onlookers. You remain at a distance, your heart pounding in rhythm with each clash of wood, an exhilaration mingled with unease coursing through you.

Seokmin, with his characteristic bravado, flashes a teasing grin as he engages your brother. “Come now, my lord! Surely you can do better than that!” The laughter in his voice rings like a bell, though you can’t help but feel a knot of apprehension tighten in your chest.

As the match continues, you find yourself transfixed by Seokmin’s agile movements, the way he dances about the training yard with a carefree spirit. However, just as you begin to relax, a delicate butterfly flits past, capturing Seokmin’s attention momentarily. It is in this fleeting distraction that your brother seizes his opportunity, lunging forward with surprising speed.

“Seokmin!” you cry out, the word escaping your lips before you can restrain it. Time seems to elongate as you watch, breathless, as Seokmin turns just in time to evade the wooden sword’s path. He stumbles slightly, regaining his balance as he casts a quick glance your way, surprise etched upon his handsome features.

With your heart racing, you dash to his side, adrenaline coursing through your veins. “Are you quite well?” The urgency in your voice is unmistakable, for the thought of his injury sends a chill through you.

“Indeed, I am unharmed,” he replies, though the forced joviality of his laugh belies the tension of the moment. “Merely caught off guard, I assure you.”

Yet your heart refuses to calm. “You cannot be so reckless! What if you had been injured?” The fervor of your concern envelops you, and you see a flicker of something unspoken in his eyes as he steps closer, the air between you thick with a burgeoning intimacy. That same foreign sensation – the one from years ago when he had brushed against you in the gardens – ignites within you, one you had tucked away and kept hidden, rearing its head in this moment of vulnerability.

“Thank you, Tulip, for your ever-present concern for my well-being,” he murmurs, his voice lowered as he meets your gaze, the world around you fading into an indistinct haze. Just then, Minghao loudly clears his throat, and Seokmin drops his eyes, a bashful blush appearing on the apples of his cheeks.

You step away, embarrassed, your heart pounding against your ribcage.

Minghao corners you in the gardens that night, the cool summer breeze brushing against your skin as you take a walk, seeking solace from the tempest of thoughts swirling in your mind. The encounter with Seokmin lingers like a gentle whisper, an unsettling mixture of warmth and confusion that dances at the edges of your consciousness, teasing you with emotions you struggle to understand.

“Sister,” he begins, his voice so soft that you nearly startle. In an instant, he presses a hand against your mouth, his finger raised in a quiet plea for silence. “It’s only me, Y/N. I fear you’ll wake the entire estate.”

“It’s your fault for skulking about the gardens like a common thief!” you whisper back, fiercely. “What on earth could possibly require such urgent discussion that you couldn’t grant me one night of peace?”

His expression grows serious, the playful glint in his eyes replaced by an intensity that sends a shiver down your spine. “You must be careful, sister,” he admonishes, and in that moment, he seems less like your brother and more like the Duke of Somerset—tall, proud, and formidable. “There are whispers… about you and Seokmin.”

“Whispers? Whatever do you mean?” You search his face for clarification, anxiety bubbling within you.

Minghao shakes his head as if dismissing the very idea of this conversation. A wave of indignation washes over you, eager to burst forth. He may be only two years your elder, yet he still insists on treating you like a child. “Your debut into society draws near,” he continues, his voice measured and resolute. “You mustn’t jeopardize it.”

“But Minghao—” you begin, but he raises a hand, silencing you with a mere gesture.

“Listen. You know how these things unfold. A mere hint of impropriety could tarnish your reputation. I don’t want you to suffer from the kind of gossip that twists the truth.” His tone softens, revealing a hint of genuine concern that pierces through your indignation. “I only want what’s best for you.”

You meet his gaze, the weight of his words pressing down on you. “I am not a child anymore,” you protest, the tremor in your voice betraying a mixture of frustration and uncertainty. “I am capable of making my own choices.”

“Perhaps,” he replies, his eyes steady and unwavering. “But I have a responsibility to protect you, Y/N. I don’t wish to stifle your spirit, but you must grasp the implications of your actions.”

The night air grows thick with unspoken sentiments, and as the stars twinkle overhead like mischievous spectators, you grapple with the tumult in your heart. There’s something about Seokmin that sends ripples of confusion coursing through you, a fluttering sensation that stirs your chest whenever his name crosses your mind. You do not fully comprehend what it is, but it’s undeniably present—a flicker of something more, leaving you teetering on the precipice of feelings you are not yet ready to confront.

My dearest Seokmin,

As I sit here with this pen in hand, I find myself quite at a loss. The arrival of my debut looms on the horizon, and while I am certainly filled with anticipation, I must confess that trepidation dances in my chest, quite uninvited. The notion of standing before an audience of peers—well-bred and well-mannered—fills me with an unease I cannot quite articulate. Will my words tumble forth in a jumbled mess? Or worse, will they fall on deaf ears?

I cannot shake the dreadful thought that I may never find a match. What if I enter that grand ballroom, adorned in my finest gown, and am met with indifference? Will the charming suitors twirl past me, whisking away others while I stand, forgotten, on the periphery? The idea sends a shiver down my spine, as I fear I may spend the evening watching the festivities unfold without me.

As I consider the expectations that accompany my debut, I can’t help but reflect on how you and Minghao have gracefully embraced your new roles as dukes. You carry the weight of your responsibilities with such elegance, while I find myself yearning to flourish in a world that feels daunting. Will I, too, be able to navigate this landscape of expectation and propriety, or will I falter under its weight?

Forgive my ramblings, dear friend. I suppose I am merely hoping for reassurance, a kind word from you. Perhaps if I know you will be there—your presence a familiar balm—I might muster the courage to dance and revel in the splendor of the evening.

With warmest regards and hopeful heart,Your Tulip

My Dearest Tulip,

Your recent letter has landed in my hands like a most delightful spring breeze, though I must confess it carries with it a hint of unease that quite unnerves me. How is it that my steadfast friend, who has faced the world with such spirited determination, now frets over the prospects of the ballroom?

First and foremost, allow me to put your mind at ease. The mere thought of you standing in that grand ballroom, adorned in the finest gown, is enough to illuminate the dimmest of corners. Your charm will be as radiant as the most exquisite of chandeliers, drawing the gaze of all who are fortunate enough to cross your path. I assure you, the gentlemen will hardly be able to focus on anything—or anyone—else.

Now, I cannot let this opportunity pass without a bit of teasing – regarding your step upon my toes during our lessons – I daresay I must bring up a rather amusing memory. I cannot help but recall how you sent both Minghao and me reeling across the room, much like a pair of wayward marionettes! One can only hope that with age comes grace—or at the very least, a better sense of foot placement! If not, I shall be prepared to don the most resilient shoes in all of England.

Worry not, dear Tulip. I shall be by your side the entire season, if you shall have me (although, I am not entirely certain your dear brother will be entirely pleased by this idea).

Your most loyal servant,Seokmin

Dearest Sister,

As I sit at my desk, I cannot help but feel a mixture of pride and exasperation as I pen this letter. Our infrequent exchanges have become quite the tradition, have they not? I find it amusing that as your brother, I am often left to await your words while Seokmin is constantly regaled by your stories.

With your debut looming closer, I feel it is my solemn duty as both your brother and your Duke to remind you of the delicate nature of polite society. Your debut is not merely an occasion to don a gown and curtsy to the queen; it is a rite filled with expectations and decorum. I implore you to be mindful of the company you keep and the propriety that is expected of you as a young lady and the sister of the Duke. I have taken it upon myself to speak to Seokmin, warning him of the same – he has a habit of forgetting his own station in moments of levity.

While I know you must find these constraints stifling, know that the eyes of the ton will soon be upon you, not only assessing your beauty but also your character. You are the jewel of our family, and I trust you will shine brightly, even amidst these expectations.

Write to me when you can, dear sister, even if it is infrequent. Your musings are treasures to your dear elder brother, and I await them constantly.

With all my love, Minghao

Dearest Brother,

I say this with the utmost love and devotion:

Damn you.

(Please forgive my language, and please, do not show this letter to Mama. I fear her admonishments may never end if she hears of my vernacular)

I am acutely aware of the expectations that accompany my debut – how could I forget when both you and Mama loom over me like a pair of hawks? While I recognize your intentions, your words do little to alleviate my anxiety.

Your warning regarding Seokmin only serves to make me laugh. It is amusing, truly, to envision the Duke of Lancaster being chided by my brother on the virtues of propriety. I promise to keep my wits about me and to present myself with all the elegance expected of a young lady of my station (the sister of a Duke, no less!).

I will do my utmost to avoid a scandal – or at the very least, I shall ensure that you do not hear of it. I shall write again soon, if only to unleash more of my exasperation upon you.

Yours, in (implied) rebellion, Y/N (Sister of the Duke of Somerset)

Age 18:

On the eve of your debut, you find yourself seated on the swing in the garden of the Somerset townhome, the night cloaked in an almost palpable tension. The sounds of Mayfair filter through the stillness—a symphony of distant laughter, the soft clatter of carriages, and the occasional rustle of silk skirts—as the ton settles into slumber. The air feels electric, crackling with anticipation, as if the entire world is holding its breath, waiting for the events of the morrow to unfold.

You take a deep drag from the cigarette you swiped from Minghao’s rooms, the smoke spiraling into the night like a fleeting thought. With each inhale, you hope to drown out the anxious fluttering of your heart, a dissonant rhythm that accelerates at the mere thought of tomorrow’s debut.

“Why, Lady Xu Y/N, are you smoking?” The voice breaks through your reverie, causing you to sputter and cough, hastily attempting to conceal the cigarette behind your back. You turn to see Seokmin, leaning casually against the sturdy oak tree that secures the swing, his figure silhouetted against the moonlight.

His presence is both familiar and disarming, the boyish charm of his smile juxtaposed against the weight of his title. “No, Seokmin, I—” you stammer, flustered.

“Shove over,” he commands lightly, and before you can protest, he plucks the cigarette from your frozen grip, taking a deep, leisurely drag. The sight of him—so confident, so carefree—sets your heart racing in a way that both delights and terrifies you.

“What on earth are you doing here?” you ask incredulously, half-exasperated, half-amused.

“I was with your brother at White’s,” he replies, amusement dancing in his eyes. “It was my mistake to forget how little he can imbibe before devolving into an utter fool. I was merely making sure he returned home safely.” His tone shifts, curiosity sparkling in his gaze. “Are you excited for tomorrow?”

“Excited? Hardly,” you grumble, kicking at the scattered rocks beneath your feet. “What my heart truly desires is to run away—pack my things, flee to Paris, and open a quaint little bookstore. Perhaps live out my days as a spinster, surrounded by novels and solitude.”

Seokmin’s expression shifts, a shadow of understanding passing across his features. “We cannot always have what our hearts desire,” he says, his voice tinged with a hint of sorrow as he exhales a plume of smoke. “Sometimes, we must accept that we can find happiness in what we have, not in what could have been.”

You watch the smoke dance and dissipate into the night sky, thoughts swirling as restlessly as the tendrils of fog around you.

“And you?” you ask quietly, the question escaping before you can catch it. “What does your heart desire?”

“Desired,” he corrects, taking another deep drag. “I once dreamed of being a fencer, of dueling beneath the sun. But above all, I yearned to find love.”

Your heart stutters at his admission. His thigh brushes against yours, an electric touch that feels so scandalously intimate you can hardly breathe. You suddenly become acutely aware of the nightgown you wear, the thin fabric doing little to shield you from the heat radiating from his body. If Minghao were to catch you in this moment, you are certain he would demand that Seokmin either marry you on the spot or duel him for your honor.

The very thought sends a shiver down your spine—an improper thought that both terrifies and thrills you. You are a young lady, poised to make your debut, and here you are, perched so closely to an eligible duke, the expectations of the ton looming like a dark cloud. What would society say if they were to discover you in this clandestine moment? The whispers would be deafening, your reputation in tatters, and yet… the thrill of it, the danger, pulls at you like a siren's song.

“And you believe you shall never find it?” you ask, your voice barely above a whisper.

“I am a Duke, Y/N,” he murmurs, his voice so soft it barely pierces the night air. “Duty must come first. If there is any part of me left, which there rarely is, only then can I pursue love.”

The distance between you feels both impossibly vast and achingly close, the weight of his words pressing against you like an invisible force. You can see the vulnerability in his eyes, the unspoken longing that mirrors your own.

You hum, encouraging him to continue, yet the weight of his words presses down on your chest.

“But how fortunate am I,” he continues, his gaze piercing through the night like a beacon, “to have found such a remarkable friend who stands by me even as duty threatens to drown me where I stand.”

A friend. The word lingers between you, heavy and loaded. Is that truly all he sees you as? The realization sends your mind reeling, your heart racing in an entirely different way.

No, the trees whisper, urging you to reconsider.

Could it be…love?

That foreign sensation, long buried beneath layers of propriety and friendship, now unfurls within you, roots taking hold. You realize with a start that you have loved Seokmin, perhaps from that very first kiss on your hand all those years ago, long before you could articulate the feelings swirling in your heart.

Panic courses through you, and you leap up from the swing as if it has burned you. “It is late, Lord Lee. I must take my leave now,” you stammer, unable to meet his gaze. “I hope you find your way home safely.”

He reaches out, his hand brushing against your wrist, and your breath hitches at the contact. “Wait,” he says, his voice low, almost laced with concern. “Are you alright? You seem... distant.”

His eyes search yours, and you feel the weight of his gaze, an anchor that both comforts and terrifies you. Your pulse quickens, a frantic rhythm echoing in your ears. What would it mean to linger here a moment longer, to let the night wrap around you like a cocoon?

But all the books you’ve read offer no preparation for the heartache that comes with knowing he regards you as merely a friend. A friend, just like your brother. You are his friend, and the shattering realization settles in: he will never love you back.

“Tulip?” he adds softly, the word a whisper that brushes against your skin like the wind.

You swallow hard, every part of you aching to give in, to lean into the connection pulsing between you. But the truth looms like a storm cloud overhead, dark and inevitable.

You love Lord Lee Seokmin, Duke of Lancaster, but he will never love you.

And with that heavy knowledge weighing on your heart, you turn to leave, every step toward your room feeling like a betrayal to the emotions simmering just beneath the surface.

You don’t sleep at all, thoughts consumed by a boy you had once known and the man you now love.

Tagging: @kibs-and-bits @moondustmemories @shinwonderful @ivehypnosis @gwend0lyne @thestoryofana13

#seventeen fic recs #lee seokmin x reader

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aliceindoodleland · 6 years ago

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doodled these human inks AGES ago and figured now was as good a time as any to post them

#human!ink #ink sans #ink #undertale au #aliceart #back when i drew these i drew him from memory of what id seen from tumblrs interpretation of him #you could say i drew these #SANS references #ssjdfjfsksfh #i knOw he looks super anime don't @ me #just #i LOVE ink and his design in general AGH #had to draw him as a human #that girl next to him in the second is the mc i would draw for 6s1m #back when rsq had that whole maid oc hype thing going on in her blog i named this mc minty #and made her background that she travels with ink to different universes/aus #he calls her minnie :’)#and in this one they ended up in a human au #excuses excuses ik

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sataniquepanique · 3 years ago

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Almost (Sweet Music)

Inspired by the song Almost (Sweet Music) by Hozier, the lyrics used are taken directly from it. If you haven't heard it, do yourself a favor and listen to it.

Summary: You're back in Hawkins with your band for The Hideout's 25th anniversary event, and Corroded Coffin is also on the bill. You haven't seen your ex Eddie in a year, and debut a new song written about him.

Genre: angst, fluff

Warnings: None?

A/N: This is my first attempt at writing a multi-POV story <3

Y/N’s POV

You watch him from the side of the stage cloaked in darkness, arms crossed and eyes fixated on his face.

He looks happy. He looks good.

He doesn’t know you’re here, back in Hawkins after a few years away, at the Hideout of all places. What once felt like a second home, now feels like an alien planet, like you don’t belong here. Everything about the Hideout brought back memories. It hurt to be back. Hurt to see the man you loved parade around on stage in front of you, playing the guitar you had bought him for Christmas years ago. “Baby” as she was aptly named, was a gift after Corroded Coffin put out their first EP, and she was his pride and joy. You had always joked that he loved her more than you, to which his reply would always be a passionate kiss followed by “I could never love anything as much as I love you.” The two of you had always supported each others music careers, never missing a show, whether it was at the Hideout or regional tour. It’s ironic really, that your careers were the reason things had ended.

“Hey—“ your friend and bandmate Rachel appears on your left, holding a beer out.

“—figured you’d want this.” She lets out a nervous chuckle as you take the bottle from her grasp. Smiling sheepishly at her, you take a long swig, turning your attention back to the stage, back to him. Your best friend in the world, Rachel knew this night would be difficult even before you pulled into the venue. She had even advised against playing the show, saying it wasn’t worth your mental state. Being the great actress you are, she was eventually convinced you would be completely fine, and reluctantly agreed to perform tonight.

“We’re on in 20, wanna come warm up?” She motions towards the backroom.

“Uh, yeah. I’ll be right there.” You mumble, watching as Corroded Coffin ends their set to thunderous applause. They exit the stage opposite you, with Eddie lingering behind to tease some girls up front. You watch carefully as he throws his guitar pick into the crowd, caught by an overly enthusiastic groupie. He hops off stage and wraps his arms around a pretty blonde woman, placing a kiss on her forehead.

You suddenly forget how to breathe. It feels like a knife was stabbed through your stomach, twisting as you try to take shallow breaths.

You broke up with him. You have no right to be upset, he deserves to be happy.

“Y/n…you okay?” Rachel appears behind you again, placing a hand on your arm.

Shaking your head out of a daze, you turn to look at her, trying your best to put on a normal act. “Yeah! I’m great. Let’s do this.”

“Thank you all for coming out again for our 25th anniversary show!” Ray, the owner of The Hideout was the MC for the night, introducing all of the bands he had invited to play this special One-Night-Only event. The Hideout normally brings in a lackluster crowd every other night, but tonight it was sold out. Musicians from all over the area came out, flocking to pay tribute to the place where they got started, yourself included.

“Next up, we have a young lady and her band of misfits from the big city, even though she got her start right here in little ol’ Hawkins. I’ve known this girl since she was a pre-teen ankle biter, begging me to let her play acoustic sets in exchange for free labor.” He looks over at you and grins, garnering a toothy smile from you beside the stage. He yells your name, drawing out the last syllable as he introduces your band with a little bow off to the side. You swing your guitar over your shoulder and strut out, followed by Rachel and the rest of the four piece ensemble. Usually when you’re on stage, you become a different person. You transcend reality and your stage persona takes over, able to leave all of the bullshit at the door. Tonight was different. Tonight, you couldn’t stop thinking about him.

“Thanks Ray…it’s good to be back.” You purr into the microphone as you take your place up front, shooting the crowd a wink as you start into your first song.

———

Eddie’s POV

Being back at the Hideout feels great. Seeing old friends, scoring free drinks courtesy of Ray, you can’t beat it. There’s a small twinge of sadness eating away at you though, a piece is missing. You can’t stop the memories from flooding back as you walk off stage with the rest of Corroded Coffin. How many times had you jumped off this same stage and into her arms? How many nights was she the only one in the crowd, cheering like they were playing Madison Square Garden? It had been a year since you moved back to Hawkins after the two of you broke things off, leaving her back in Indianapolis. As much as you hated this town, it was still filled with familiar faces that welcomed you back with open arms during a time when you needed it most.

There’s always an adrenaline high that courses through your body after a show. It feels positively electric. Jumping off the side of the stage, Mel’s face is the first you see. She smiles as you pulls her close and kiss her forehead. You’ve been together a few months, having met through mutual friends. Jeff had thought you needed a distraction after the breakup, and introduced you to Melody in an attempt to bring you out of the deep depression you’d been living in for weeks. It worked for the most part, on the surface anyway. You still feel empty on the inside, something you would never admit to anyone. Melody was great, very sweet and supportive. She was a waitress at the Hawkins Diner, and always went out of her way to switch shifts when Corroded Coffin had a show in the area. She wasn’t Y/n, but she kept you from spiraling.

The rest of Corroded Coffin swing around the stage and gather at a table by the bar, grabbing some beers as they say hello to old friends in the crowd. “Next up, we have a young lady and her band of misfits from the big city—“ Your head snaps toward the stage when you hear Ray’s introduction.

No. It can’t be.

You knew it was a possibility, of her showing up tonight. You just didn’t think she would travel all the way to Hawkins for one show, especially when she knew Corroded Coffin would be there. You watch, mouth agape, as Ray slowly backs offstage and she walks out to grab the microphone.

She looks great. She looks happy.

“—Thanks Ray…it’s good to be back.” You could’ve sworn she winked directly at you.

———-

Y/N’s POV

Your set is going great. The crowd is full of energy and can’t get enough. You give each song your all, knowing that he’s watching. You need to prove that you’re doing okay, that all of it was worth it, even though you know you’re just kidding yourself.

You’ve been with other people since the breakup, nothing serious, just something to pass the time or let out some pent up aggression. No one came close to him, and you always found an excuse to not pursue another relationship.

A few songs in, you give your band a rest, taking up your acoustic guitar for a slower song that you had written a few weeks ago, after a one-night-stand back in the city.

“This is a new song I wanted to debut tonight, I hope ya’ll like it.” You strum the first notes, not daring to look out into the crowd as you start to sing the lyrics.

All of your pent up emotions start to resurface. Images of the night you broke things off with Eddie come flooding back, making you tear up. You had been together for years, and moved away to the city together in the hopes of pursuing your respective music careers. A year after moving into the new apartment, Corroded Coffin had been offered an opening spot on a cross country tour and Eddie was ecstatic. The opportunity ate at you. You saw him and the band moving up and getting bigger, and you were seeing each other less and less. Eddie tried his best, tried to move shit around to spend time with you, but it always left you feeling so guilty. A month before the tour was set to begin, you ended things with him, explaining that you didn’t want to hold him back and wanted him to be able to live his dreams to the fullest. He didn’t take it well, and behind closed doors neither did you. You had been so cold towards him, knowing that he would try to stay if he saw how much this was killing you. After he moved his things out of the apartment, you never heard from him again, nor did you try to make contact.

Tears burned your eyes as you hit the chorus:

"The same kind of music haunts his bedroom

I'm almost me again, he's almost you.

I wouldn't know where to start,

Sweet music playing in the dark,

Be still my foolish heart,

Don't ruin this on me—“

You look over at Rachel, who is sitting behind her drum set. She can see the pain in your eyes, and she sends an encouraging nod your way.

“—I got some color back, he thinks so, too

I laugh like me again, he laughs like you.”

————

Eddie’s POV

You’re transfixed on her, so much that you don’t feel how hard Melody is gripping your arm.

“Eddie? Eddie! EDDIE!” She yells into your ear, breaking you from the trance.

“Wh—what? What’s up?” You stutter, pulling your eyes away.

“Do you want to go? You seem tired…” she says as she strokes your arm.

“Oh, uh, no I actually want to watch the rest of the lineup. There’s some really good bands on the list tonight.” You turn your attention back to the stage as Melody taps in time to the rhythm against your arm.

“She’s really good. I like her voice a lot.” She yells over the music.

You nod in agreement. “Yeah she’s always been super talented…”

“Do you know her?” Melody perks up, searching your face for an answer.

“I did, yeah. We haven’t spoken in a while though.” You try to not think of that night a year ago, how you had begged her not to end it. How you promised to follow her to the ends of the earth, even if it meant giving up music altogether. You replay her cold voice, telling you that she would never let you put your career on hold for her. How she showed no emotion as you packed up your things, you refusing to look at her as she offered to help.

“This is a new song I wanted to debut tonight!—“ Y/n’s voice brings you back to reality. So far you had known all the songs she had played, having helped write most of them late at night in your shared apartment, ending those writing sessions in a tangle of limbs and sheets. You notice her confident demeanor changes as she starts to play this new song, her eyes close as she strums the guitar and her voice echos sadly through the rafters.

“—I’m almost me again, he's almost you—“

Jesus Christ. You didn’t want to picture her with anyone else, but you know that’s not fair. You had Melody, so you can’t in good conscious hold it against her for seeing someone else, even if it feels like your heart has been ripped from your chest. Her lyrics cut straight to the bone, color draining from your face as you listen to her haunting lullaby.

“—The very thought of you and am I blue?

A love supreme seems far removed

I get along without you very well some other nights—“

The admission makes your throat constrict. You thought she was happy. After all, this is what she wanted. She had seemed so adamant about breaking up, her attitude about the entire thing so frozen and neutral, and you had gone a year thinking she was fine without you. You swallow dryly as you pull from Melody’s grasp and move closer into the crowd.

———

Y/N’s POV

You haven’t opened your eyes since the beginning of the song, too afraid to see him. You can feel your bandmates behind you, getting their gear together to play a final song after you finish your ballad. At the final chorus, you muster every bit of courage you can to look out into the sea of people, and you’re met with Eddie’s large brown eyes starting up at you. You don’t break contact with him as a solitary tear escapes and you sing the final piece:

“—He’ll turn to me awake and ask, "Is everything alright?"

And, Lord

I wouldn't know where to start

Sweet music playing in the dark

Be still, my foolish heart

Don’t ruin this on me.”

The crowd erupts into thunderous applause and you return a weak smile, turning around to replace your acoustic guitar with your electric, quickly wiping a stray tear from your cheek.

“Thank you so much. This is our last song. It’s been real Hawkins, until next time!” A loud chord blasts through your amp as you start the final song, smiling at Rachel as she pounds away at her drums.

After the set you lug your guitar to the van, helping Rachel and the other two load their gear into the small white trailer attached to the back. Once the last cymbal was shoved inside, you sigh and put your hands on your hips, looking between all of their faces. “So…drinks anyone?”

The four of your make your way to the bar, traversing your way through the tide of well wishers clapping you on the shoulder and shaking your hand. You didn’t see Eddie, and part of you was a little disappointed. Rachel orders a round of beers, specifically grabbing you a sour draft knowing they’re your favorite. You take a sip and close your eyes in tart, raspberry bliss.

“You still drink that shit?”

You try your best not to choke when you hear his voice. Taking a deep breath you turn around and are immediately hit with his familiar scent: cigarettes, woodsy cologne, and a hint of weed. “Hi, Eddie…” is all you manage out, white knuckling the pint glass so tight it might break in your hands.

“You were amazing…really.” He gives a slight smile, and you’re caught off guard by the softness of his eyes.

“Thanks, uh, so were you. You guys always are.” You motion towards Jeff and Gareth a few feet away. An uncomfortable pause forms between you two, neither knowing what to say.

“So…how’ve you been?” He starts, shuffling his feet nervously.

“Fine, the usual, touring a bit and trying to keep busy.” You nod over towards the table behind him where his band was sitting with the blonde woman from earlier. “You seem to be doing great.” It came out meaner than you meant to.

Eddie felt it, wincing a little at your aggression. “You left me. You remember that, right?” He’s defensive as he lights a cigarette, and you remember how his oral fixation always got worse when he was nervous.

“I remember, Eddie…” It comes out as a sigh. “…I remember I didn’t want you to drop your dreams for me, I didn't want to be the reason that you didn’t pursue everything you had ever wanted, everything you deserve—” It was too late to turn back now, the words were already flowing and could not be reigned in. You reach into the cigarette pack in his hand and pull one out, knowing he wouldn’t say no to you. Putting it between your lips, he instinctively reaches forward and lights it for you.

“—and look where you are now! You guys are doing so great! I heard about your new album—“

“—How did you hear about that? We didn’t even put it out yet.” He interrupts, holding a hand up in defense.

“I still talk to Gareth sometimes. I told him not to tell you.” You take a drag as you look over at Corroded Coffin’s table. Your heart was bleeding. You love those boys, not just Eddie, but the entire band. They were your friends in high school, making those four years of your life more bearable. When you and Eddie broke up, you knew the relationship between you and the other members of the band would change too, their loyalties were always with him. Gareth still checked in with you from time to time, asking about your life and talking about Corroded Coffin’s new ventures. He never brought up Eddie, not unless you asked, which you never did.

Shaking your head as you look at the floor, you push past Eddie. “I’m sorry Eds, I can’t do this. Enjoy the rest of your night.” You make a beeline out the back door, managing to avoid the rest of your band who were gathered around laughing with some other patrons.

———

Eddie’s POV

Your heart was beating out of your chest as she pushed past you. You try to grab her wrist as she turns, but she’s already gone, leaving behind a whisper of the warm perfume you loved so much. Making your way back over to the table, Jeff gives you a knowing look.

“How is she?” He asks in a low voice, Gareth smiling sympathetically.

“How’s who?” Melody asks, oblivious to the entire history between you and Y/n. You had never spoken about her to Mel, trying your best to forget and move on.

“She’s…uh…I need to go. I need to talk to her. I can’t lose her again.” You stumble over your confession, not caring that Melody was sitting in front of you. Her face drops and you look at her with a deep sadness pooling in your eyes. “I’m sorry…there’s a lot I haven’t told you.”

“…you love her, don’t you…” she whispers.

You nod slowly as you move towards the back door, leaving Jeff and Gareth to fill her in.

———

Y/N’s POV

Sitting on the bumper of the equipment trailer, your body shakes with sobs. You clasp your hand over your mouth, trying to muffle the sound as you cry in the dark parking lot alone. Rachel has the keys to the van, and you don’t feel like talking to anyone right now, so you’ve opted to just wait it out until they were done mingling.

The back door swings open, and you see Eddie’s tall silhouette in the doorway. You try your best to stop crying, not even making an effort to move away as he walks up and stands in front of you.

“What are you doing, Eddie…” you whisper, playing with your hands as silent tears keep falling down your face.

“Talking to the love of my life.” He states flatly.

You look up at him and fall apart at the sight of his deep brown eyes, unable to stop the cries wracking through you again. Eddie gently lifts you, pulling you up into him as you grab fistfuls of his jacket.

“I’m sorry—“ You sob into his chest. “—I thought I was helping. I thought it would make it easier for you.”

He kisses the top of your head, running a hand down your hair. “It wasn’t easier, it was torture. I’ve thought of you every single day, as much as I tried not to. I left my heart back in Indianapolis, and I haven’t been the same since.”

You look up at him, resting your chin on his chest. “What about your girlfriend?”

He shakes his head. “She’s not my girlfriend. She’s just…someone that I hang out with.”

“Someone you fuck, you mean.” Once again, you didn’t mean to sound like such a bitch.

“Ouch—” He feigns offense and smirks. “—but yes. We just fool around. She’s a good girl, she’s been there for me the past few months.”

You nod, feeling a pang of jealously shock through your body. “I’m sorry Eddie…” you repeat.

“I’ve missed you…more than you know.”

He lifts your chin up towards his face. “I think I have a good idea…” He places the softest kiss on your lips, and your arms find their rightful place around his shoulders.

#eddie munson x reader #stranger things fanfic #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson fic #eddie munson fix it fic #eddie munson smut #eddie my beloved #eddie my love #eddie munson angst #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson oneshot #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson x you

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