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propertyofwicked · 1 year ago

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SCANDALOUS - OP

summary - in which oscar discovers what type of books his girlfriend is actually reading

warnings: 18+ allusions to smut, but mostly fluff

this is my first oscar piece and i am considering a part 2! lemme know what you think! <3 (also sorry for disappearing my life has been all over the place)

masterlist the playlist

as they arrived at the silverstone track, oscar and y/n could feel the palpable anticipation in the air. navigating through the crowds was something y/n could only compare to her idea of personal hell. people everywhere, sporting the bright colours of different teams, people approaching the two of them, holding out hats and phones for oscar to sign. if this was friday, y/n hated to think what the rest of the weekend would be like - hopefully she could arrive later than oscar and avoid the hustle and bustle.

"are you going to be okay here?" oscar asked softly, concern evident in his eyes, as he led the two of them into mclaren hospitality. he wasn’t blind, if anything he could read her emotions better than he could read his own - he knew she was overwhelmed, but not quite at breaking point.

"yeah, i've got my book and headphones,” y/n replied, patting her bag quickly, “i'll find a quiet spot,” she added with a nod, giving him a reassuring smile.

“i’ll see you in a bit, yeah?” he asked her again, holding her wrists softly in his hands.

“i’ll be here,” she replied, still smiling as she stepped up onto her tiptoes to press a quick kiss to his lips.

y/n watched as oscar left, before turning on her heel and trying to find a cosy corner, tucked away from the commotion where she could read her book in peace. and as she sat with her back to the wall, she couldn’t help but feel grateful that no one could walk behind her and glimpse at what she was reading. her flushed cheeks may slightly give it away to anyone who recognised the book, but as she flipped through the pages she was met with nothing but pure, indulgent smut. it was a guilty pleasure that she seldom admitted to enjoying, and whilst she was more than content with oscar, she was too shy to admit she’d want him to do more than half of the acts she reads about.

maybe next time, she should bring a murder mystery book with her, instead of reading 82 pages of unforgiving sex scenes that are described in such detail that she could almost imagine how oscar would recreate it beautifully - yeah, maybe not the right thing to be reading at your boyfriend’s place of work.

“hi,” a voice interrupted, causing y/n to jump quickly as she looked up to see one of the hospitality staff stood in front of her, “i was just wondering if we would be able to steal this chair? i can find you somewhere else to sit - it’s just a guest would like to sit here.”

“of course,” y/n replied, smiling up at the nervous girl before moving to shove everything back into her bag, “i probably should go on a walk anyways.”

“thank you so much, and sorry for making you move - the guest is a sponsor, so they expect us to move heaven and earth to accommodate them,” the employee added with a grin.

“i understand,” y/n replied, laughing lightly as she stood, “your hair is so beautiful by the way.”

“thank you,” the girl smiled, blushing at the compliment.

oscar had been engrossed with his team, discussing strategy and making adjustments for the practice session, when he realised it had been several hours since he’d seen his girlfriend. and once the practice session had finally ended, with a full team debrief, he made it his mission to find her.

"have you seen y/n around?" oscar inquired casually, glancing over at lando who had walked into hospitality with him.

"yeah, she was sitting in the corner over there," lando chuckled, gesturing towards the quieter section of the hospitality area, “….but she’s not there anymore,” he added, trailing off as he noticed the empty chair.

"thanks mate, glad you’ve still got those keen observational skills," oscar replied sarcastically, “don’t know what i’d do without you around.”

“hey! i was just telling you where i last saw her!” lando defended, holding his hands up, ”she’s probably in a quiet corner somewhere, reading that book. she’s probably the only person that didn’t notice i’d even walked in earlier ‘cos she was nose deep in it.”

“sounds about right,” oscar hummed, pulling his phone out to shoot her a quick where are you text.

sure enough, oscar found y/n in a quieter corner, still engrossed in her book. he approached her quietly and gently tapped her shoulder. y/n looked up, removing her headphones and quickly closing the pages before smiling warmly at him.

"hey there, lost track of time?" oscar asked, sitting down beside her, pulling his legs up to his chest as his back leant on the wall.

y/n nodded, "yeah, i guess i did. how was practice?"

"pretty good," oscar replied, "we made some solid improvements. what about you? what are you reading?"

y/n hesitated for a moment, a flicker of defensiveness crossing her expression. "oh, it's just a book. nothing special."

oscar raised an eyebrow, sensing her reluctance to share. "come on, it can't be that bad. is it some secret spy novel or something?"

y/n chuckled nervously. "no, nothing like that. just... personal. i'll tell you about it later, maybe."

"alright, fair enough," he replied, "ready to head back to the hotel?"

y/n sighed with relief. "yes please.”

“that bored, huh?” he asked as he stood, extending his arms to help pull her from the floor.

“not bored, just-”

“overwhelmed? hungry? eager to see me after a shower?”

“always.”

“good to know,” he added, draping his arm around her shoulders and pressing a kiss to her forehead, "you know, you're quite the mystery sometimes," he teased gently as they began to walk to the car.

"keeps things interesting, doesn't it?" y/n smirked, “no fun in being predictable.”

they arrived at the hotel room, and as they settled in, the atmosphere relaxed. y/n flopped down on the bed, and oscar joined her, laying his entire body on top of hers, her hands moving to stroke along his back softly.

"so, how's the book?" oscar asked again, with a playful glint in his eye.

y/n rolled her eyes playfully but couldn't suppress a smile. "it's good. maybe i'll let you read it someday."

"wow, such a privilege!" oscar feigned shock, “but how would i ever repay you for such an offer.”

"don't push your luck, piastri,” she replied, her arms grabbing his sides in attempt to push him off. he laughed, rolling to the side to lay next to her.

"alright, alright. i won't push. but seriously, thanks for coming with me today. it means a lot."

y/n's expression softened. "of course. i wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

oscar leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. "i'm lucky to have you, you know that?"

y/n's eyes sparkled with affection. "i think we're both pretty lucky."

“i’d be even luckier if you let me read that book of yours,” he grinned.

"you're ridiculous.”

"only for you," he replied with a grin, his arm reaching across her waist for his fingers to draw circles into the skin of her stomach. his head dipped, trailing kissed along her clothed shoulder, until he was resting on his arm, hovering over her slightly, his lips finding their way to the skin of her neck.

“please,” he whispered, kissing along her jaw.

“fine,” y/n replied with a loud huff, pushing herself up from the bed to retrieve the book from her bag. oscar remained on the bed, resting on his side and using his arm to hold his head up as his eyes followed her across the room.

she launched the book at him, watching as it landed just shy of his stomach.

“come and join me,” he beckoned, shuffling himself up the bed, book in hand.

“i’d rather stand here, actually.”

“ok weirdo.”

the room fell to a silence as oscar opened the book, choosing to open at a page in the middle.

“why is this all highlighte- oh. OH. oh wow,” he spoke aloud, grimacing slightly in between raising his eyebrows at the literature, “this is - is that even possible? how has he got her leg up there?”

“you can stop now,” y/n begged, climbing on the bed and stretching over in attempt to snatch the book from his hands.

“no, i don’t think i will,” he teased, raising the book above his head, though at an angle where he could still read it, “ ‘…..he said, grabbing my other leg and placing them both behind his head’ - this girl is flexible jesus.”

“oscar piastri you give me that book right now.”

“ok! ok!” he said defensively, “….on one condition.”

“…what?” y/n responded cautiously, noticing the way he smirked at her.

“you tell me, is this something you wanna try?” he asked, “the things in this book? is that what you want?”

“minus the kidnapping part….maybe?” she replied, fiddling with her fingers.

“maybe, huh?” he teased, placing the book to his side before grabbing her waist to pull her into him. y/n straddled his lap, though desperately tried to look anywhere but his face, desperate to hide the flush of her cheeks, only worsened by looking in his eyes.

“honestly, i just wanna know if im that flexible,” she replied with a laugh, still playing anxiously with her fingers whilst trying to fight against her own awkwardness.

“i know you can get at least one leg up there,” oscar joked, fingers tickling at her sides playfully, “although, you’re not very good at twister.”

“we have played twister ONCE. and i was drunk. you cannot hold that against me.”

“drunk or not, your foot was still dangerously close to going up my ass.”

“and yet no assholes were harmed.”

“speaking of.. does this book mention anyth-”

“if you think you are putting ANYTHING up there you are very much mistaken mr piastri,” y/n argued, holding his jaw in her hands to make her point clear.

“mr piastri? i prefer da-”

“NOPE! LA LA LA,” she interrupted, quickly covering her ears before he finished his sentence.

“im kidding, im kidding,” he laughed out breathlessly, holding on to her hips as his body shook with laughter, “so about this flexibility thing.”

“let me stretch first,” she told him, kissing his lips softly. y/n moved to climb off him, only half serious about stretching, but his hands stayed put on her waist, pulling her back into him. he kissed her again, a hand traveling up her body to rest on her jaw and he deepened the kiss, his tongue swiping her bottom lip briefly.

“no need, i know a good way to get you warmed up,” he told her cheekily, his lips returning to her neck once more, teeth nipping at the sensitive skin below her ear.

“oh really?” she replied, her eyebrows raising at the suggestion, “please, go on. tell me more.”

#oscar piastri #oscar piastri x reader #formula 1 #op81 #op81 x reader #op81 fluff #op81 smut #oscar piastri fluff #oscar piastri smut #mclaren #propertyofwicked #lando norris #oscar piastri imagine

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aninipanin1 · 4 months ago

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I am currently listening to classical music, and it reminded me of Your Lie In April, and I suddenly had a thought, so please bear with me:(

Violinist!Reader and Ex!Pianist!Sae who met you in the old music building he used to practice in when he was younger.

For some odd reason, he felt compelled to listen to your spry version of Beethoven's Spring Sonata. It was full of energy and passion, its colour reminiscent of a bright sunny day running through a field of flowers, with nothing but naive thoughts running through the persona's mind.

Personally, he is more of a classical player. Playing pieces from Mozart, Haydn, or even doing some early works of composers like Beethoven or Schubert. It fits his elegant and smart playing more than the passionate and dramatic Romantic era of music.

However, something about the way you translated the usual sonata was different. It felt like you were speaking to him with words, words filled with enthusiasm, joy and weirdly, peace.

It was like a person with a youthful personality, yet a soul and wisdom of an old lady. And simply, because the look in your eyes reminded him of his young self. His young self before he went to Spain to learn more about music and himself, but instead he lost himself, nowhere to be found anymore.

However, that all changed when you stopped playing, and you both started talking for a while. You were annoying, absolutely so. You were helpless, stubborn, and so irrevocably and disgustingly...sweet.

He doesn't like how every time you try to involve him in conversations, never forgetting that he was even there beside you (he had tons of friends do that before) or even making sure to listen to his one liners his heart would start to flutter uncontrollably.

It wasn't a surprise to him to find out you join a few local competitions. You were not bad at your craft and so you deserve to be on that stage of course. However, you do need an accompanist. So you asked him.

At first, he vehemently told you no. Like a huge, capitalized, and bold NO.

He VOWED to never touch that cursed instrument ever again. He had some things to focus on now, such as football. He won't let anything get in the way of that.

However, through a miracle (and a little stubborness from you and a lil alliance between you and Rin) he managed to say yes and went to the event to accompany you.

You were a lil diva with it too, choosing to pick a Mozart piece, knowing full well it was a part of his identity when he gained his fame as a child. Mozart E Minor Sonata No. 21. How long has it been since he even touched any music sheets or read a music note? Years.

He did have like three sessions with you to train the whole piece, but any professional know that that was not enough, especially to win a goddamn recital.

But you insisted, and the performance was a mess. His once calculative, elegant, and perfect playstyle was not even there. Instead it felt like a shrill cry from an infant, preventing everyone to even hear or find your part listenable because the accompaniment was so loud.

But, you did not waver. No, instead, you just smiled before playing even harder and better. Sae was internally panicking though, he has never gone to a recital without atleast practicing a piece a hundred times! What was he doing ruining his already shattered career in music?!

But for a while, at least, he let himself fall deep into the embrace of music once again. And this time, you also awaited him with open arms.

The moment the music ended, the people were still shocked at what they had just witnessed. It felt like a fight. But it wasn't the dog fight kind of sound, but more of a fencing fight between two pros with nothing but respect and admiration for the other.

Itoshi Sae sweated. He felt like he became a little more human in that performance. Like a butterfly coming out of its cocoon.

Has playing ever felt this liberating before?

Then he turned to you, who immediately hugged him in the back stage, thanking him for doing his best even if he was in a stump.

He was supposed to be in a stump. He couldn't write anything anymore, he couldn't even get himself to play atleast one note and whenever Rin would press atleast one note from the grand piano in their house, Sae would look at him with a glare, like a cat feeling threatened as it straighten its tail.

But now... maybe, just maybe. This stump, his period of passionless, dry, and fatal search for his talent and dreams in the wide dessert of life. He found an oasis, one that could bring him vitality and, hopefully, even a direction in life's dessert.

That was all he was thinking about as he kept his eyes on you, bowing and chatting amicably with the staff as the next performance happened.

Blue Lock is WRITTEN by Kaneshiro Muneyuki and ILLUSTRATED by Nomura Yusuke. All credits to the both of them.

#aninipanin1 #blue lock #bllk #bllk x reader #blue lock x reader #bluelockxreader #itoshi sae x reader #Blue lock au #sae x reader #itoshi sae.m

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angie-long-legs · 2 months ago

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hellaverse artwork!

hello! I am a hobby artist looking to raise some funds as I am once again in a tricky financial situation. here is a little explanation, but feel free to skip - includes discussion of pet illness/death, disability, and financial hardship.

vet bills and a reduction to my monthly benefits have left me without money until the 16th, as well as owing £90 to my partner just to be able to pay my rent. the pet in question unfortunately passed away this morning, so I am not in great shape emotionally, and the cut to my benefits is due to my partner getting a new job, which is wonderful but unfortunately means we are entitled to less. I am currently unable to work due to disabling mental health conditions, and although I am very keen to get a part-time job again, and without going into detail, a myriad of circumstances have made it impossible for me to make this a priority at this time. any money earned from art commissions would go towards paying back my girlfriend, buying food for myself, my partner, and our pets; paying for my therapy and the travel costs and upcoming bills.

to avoid this post becoming ridiculously long, my info, rules and prices are under the cut.

prices

$25 - half body sketch, no colour

$30 - full body sketch, no colour

$35 - half body line drawing, no colour

$40 - full body line drawing, no colour

$50 - half body line drawing with colour

$60 - full body line drawing with colour

$60 - a set of 5 roleplay icons fully lined and coloured with expressions entirely of your choosing (see: the three molly icons included in my examples)

these prices are regarding a drawing of one character, but I will do multiple characters in any of these specifications for an additional $5 without colour, or $10 with colour.

I can also take requests not within these specifications, and we can work out a price! especially if you would like to commission something under $25 - I would be more than happy to figure out a way to accommodate this.

rules and information

I draw primarily hellaverse characters (clearly angel is the one I have the most practice with!), but I would be happy to consider characters from other fandoms.

all ships are welcome as long as they don't involve kids or inc*st.

ocs are also welcome, but be prepared for me to ask for a lot of supporting information and references in order to do your character justice, as well as potentially taking a longer time to complete the project.

regarding nsfw content, I won't draw genitals or sex scenes. suggestive content (ie. the sketch of angel in bdsm gear included in my examples) is fine if you are over 18.

please allow me a few weeks to complete your commission, possibly longer for fully lined and coloured pieces. I work slowly! if you would like to see progress during this time, just give me a message, and I will be happy to show you where I'm at.

payment will be via paypal, and I ask for a $10 deposit upfront just to weed out any chancers. the rest of the payment will only be due once I have delivered your completed commission. if, for any reason, I am unable to complete your commission, your deposit will be refunded.

I will also require an email to send the finished pieces to.

I am within my rights to refuse any request for any reason.

I retain the copyright to the art you purchase. what this means is that you are buying is the digital product, which you may display with or without credit (though credit is always appreciated), but not the right to reproduce or distribute that product.

please feel free to dm me if you have any questions!

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maxinehufflepuffprincess · 2 months ago

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I Want Him

Arisu Ryohei x Reader x Chishiya Shuntaro

(If this goes well and people like it, then I'm hoping to turn it into a series/collection like the Love Line Collection and Life Line Collection.)

Taglist. Masterlist. Progress Update. Heart and Diamond Collection.

Summary: You and your boyfriend may have found the missing piece.

Chishiya's plan was slowly falling into play. He wanted to get far away from the beach and never come back. He, of course, wanted to take you, his beloved girlfriend, with him. And with Kuina being a part of the plan and your best friend, he had agreed to make sure Kuina could leave with the two of you. He had grown fond of her.

Chishiya had been keeping a close eye on Arisu. Someone whom the two of you had played tag with. Someone who held the key to possibly getting the cards. Arisu could easily be the perfect sacrifice. However, the more the two of you watched him, the more Kuina told you. The more you two thought that Arisu could hold the key to a different role in your lives.

-------

There you stood on the roof of the Beach. Looking out at the bright blue sky. Next to you was your boyfriend. Chishiya. Hands in his pockets. Kuina, your best friend, was across from you. However, in the middle was Arisu. Chishiya had noticed how Arisu and Usagi had been talking to the members of the beach.

"Arisu. You and Usagi seem to have collected a vast amount of information. What are you both planning?" He asked.

"Nothing much." Arisu shrugged as he looked between the three of you. His eyes landed on you. You gave him a sweet smile and a little wave. Arisu quickly looked down, his cheek starting to blush.

"I'll cut to the chase. How will you live in this world that's full of despair?" Chishiya tilted his head to the side, ever so slightly. His eyes looking Arisu over for a moment.

"How?" Arisu asked, a confused look on his face. He looked between the three of you again. The wind was blowing gently, though it was enough to make your blue and white bikini skirt dance. "I just want to know the answers to my questions. The ones behind this crazy game. And who killed Karube and Chota?"

There was silence. You had never met this Chota guy, but you had a brief encounter with Karube. He was charming and seemed nice enough. Tall and handsome. You knew what it was like losing people you were close with in these games. So you could understand Arisu's pain.

You and Chishiya locked eyes. He gave you a subtle nod as Arisu looked at Kuina. You stepped closer to Arisu and gently placed a hand on his arm, in a way to support him. Arisu looked down at you and smiled shyly, but appreciatively. He was blushing again.

Arisu took a breath. "I thought I'd be able to survive and return to the original world with everyone. If that's not possible, I want a least Usagi to return. This is the only reason why I'm still alive."

Chihsiya smiled and looked down before looking back at you and Arisu. You gently squeezed Arisu's arm. "What a tearjerker." Chishiya commented with a small chuckle.

"Darling, that's not very nice." You spoke softly. A small pout on your pink lipstick coloured lips.

Arisu turned to the blonde and frowned. "Your dream..." Chishiya walked forward. "It's nice, but it's not at all practical." He moved towards the edge of the roof, looking out at the view. His hands never once left his pockets.

That caused Kuina to let out a giggle. "You'll have to win all the games and become the next Number One, but that's impossible." She walked forward before turning to face Arisu.

"It has nothing to do with you guys." Arisu stated as you finally let go of his arm. Taking a few steps back.

"We think you have potential." Chishiya turned his head to look at Arisu.

"What?"

"That's why we came to meet you."

"What do you mean?"

Chishia raised an eyebrow at the dark-haired male and turned to face him. "What if I said there's a way to change the status quo all at once?" He asked. "Hatter is trying to keep the militants in check, but it's only a matter of time before they retaliate. If that happens, this place will be controlled by the militants. Who don't know how to use their brains. Then there'd be no point staying here."

"What are you planning?"

"I'm planning to steal all the playing cards and leave the beach." The air was quiet after Chishiya finally revealed what he wanted. Arisu once again looked between the three of you.

You stepped forward, smoothing out your bikini skirt. Arisu's eyes watched how your hands moved, not noticing the smirk on Chishiya's face as he watched Arisu snap his eyes to meet yours.

"We've thought this through. Carefully. We saw how you played during Tag. You were the only other person to figure out where the item was. You're smart, Arisu." You said as you stepped closer to him. There was that sweet smile again that made Arisu gulp.

"You were pretty good in the Light Bulb game, too. You figured it out even with all that pressure on your shoulders. We've seen how easily you've approached some of the people here at the Beach. You're special, Arisu." You reached up and gently took his chin between your thumb and forefinger. His big doe eyes looking into yours. Your faces were so close. "Hmm, you're adorable. Smart and cute. You have a lot of potential, Arisu. Hatter wants you to be an Executive. Chishiya and I want to help you unlock your potential. But only if you want us to." Your voice was dripping in honey.

Arisu thought his knees were going to buckle beneath him. He watched as Chishiya walked towards the two of you. He took his right hand out of his pocket and wrapped it around your waist, pulling you close to him. You looked up at your boyfriend and smiled brightly at him. Arisu couldn't help but watch the two of you for a moment. You were a beautiful couple. Smart and pretty. Both of you were a mystery that Arisu desperately wanted to unravel.

"We'll give you some time to think over if you'd like to take part in the plan. Talk it over with your...friend. When you've decided, come to us or find Kuina." Chishiya told him.

Arisu was quiet for a moment. He nodded his head. He looked over at Kuina before looking at you and Chishiya again. He sucked in a breath before walking away.

Kuina stepped forward. "I'll leave you two to it." And with that, she gave you a hug and then walked away.

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

Chishiya turned you to face him. "What do you think?" It was just the two of you on the roof now. You could free talk about exactly what you were thinking.

"I want him." You told him as you placed your hands on his chest, underneath his half-zipped jacket. "I think he's the perfect match for us."

"Hmm, I thought as much. He's pretty and clever. He's a bit of a hero." Chishiya knew that it probably wouldn't take long to have Arisu on his knees for you both. He did seem like the submissive kind.

"He has heart, too. He seems to understand people better than he realises. I want him to be ours." One of your hands moved up to play with Chishiya's hair.

Chishiya nodded his head in agreement. His eyes locked on yours the entire time. "I want him too." He gently rubbed circles on your bare skin. "He couldn't keep those pretty eyes off you."

That made you giggle up at him. "He did seem to like my skirt. It's a real crowd pleaser."

Chishiya smirked down at you. "Alright, baby. I told you I'd give you everything you want. Change of plan, I'll find a new sacrifice. Let's make Arisu ours." And the promise was sealed with a kiss.

If this becomes a series, this is the moldboard I'd probably use for it, unless I make something better.

-----

Everything Taglist: Thank you for supporting me.

@thecheshireprincess @potato-vagina @deliciousmagazinequeen @spanish-delulu-23

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thereoncewasagirlnamedjane · 4 months ago

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WHAT’S IN A NAME?

PAIRING — tangerine x f!reader

CONTENTS — drabble; blind dates; tan’s a bit of a dick here; but so’s our reader; blood and implied violence; coarse language; reader is horny, okay? and i’m not sorry; one (1) brief reference to hate sex.

SUMMARY — your blind date is a walking red flag (he’s literally covered in blood), but you’re going through a dry spell and god damn it if he’s not the prettiest thing you’ve ever seen.

WORD COUNT — 958

NOTES — please excuse me, i am just obsessed with aaron taylor-johnson lately and i am in such a mood this friday night 😩 also, idk if i’ll write more for this guy solely because his codename is so damn dumb lmao! but i guess never say never 🤭

✩ masterlist ✩ library blog

This is the last time you ever say yes to a blind date, even if it has been ages since you were properly and thoroughly laid. Where the hell did your friend even find this guy?

The man sitting across from you in this quiet little cafe is certainly handsome—and definitely overdressed in his expensive-looking three piece suit that compliments the colour of his eyes… well, what’s left of the thing anyway… his jacket looks almost to be in tatters—but he’s all cagey and jittery. His eyes keep darting around the place, and he hasn’t made full eye contact with you once.

He didn’t even introduce himself when he arrived (nearly half an hour late), just slid into the seat on the other side of the table, draping his checkered coat over the back of the chair.

“Wanna tell me why you’re covered in blood?” You ask, arms folded over your chest. The tea you’d ordered for him has gone cold long ago, but he still lifts the cup by the handle and takes a careful sip. He grimaces, but shakes his head.

“You don’t wanna know, luv,” he says, signalling the barista to make him a fresh cup. You want to bury your fingers in his dishevelled hair and yank. At the unimpressed look on your face, he tuts and practically barks, “What? I should say that I came here straight after killin’ some poor bloke, then?”

“Fucking hell, you killed a guy?” You scoff, taking in the blood splattered all over his shirt and smeared on his skin. Some of it is his, you note, but he doesn’t seem phased—nor does anyone else as the barista comes around with a new steaming hot cup of tea. She casually places it on the table before walking away without another glance at either of you.

“No, darling,” he snarks, so condescendingly sarcastic you want to splash that tea right into his pretty face. He gestures to his crimson-stained collar, which lies open enough to give you a good view of his smooth upper chest, “I’m tryin’ to start a new trend. You think the designers will go for it?”

“Figures. Out of all the men I could’ve been set up with, I get set up with a murderer.” But that doesn’t stop you from wondering how that moustache would tickle if you kissed him. Or if he kissed you… in more unorthodox places.

“And yet you’re still fuckin’ sitting here, sweetheart,” he rolls his eyes, sighing when he takes a sip of his warm beverage before mumbling, “Mm, that’s more like it.”

“What’s your name then?” You huff, lifting your latte to your mouth, needing to do something to stop you from actually biting your lip, to calm the fire raging inside you. A fire that can surely only be extinguished by sinking your teeth into his neck—

“Well,” he seems to hesitate a bit here, “people call me Tangerine.”

“Tangerine?” You sneer, slamming your coffee cup back down onto its saucer with a loud clank, your latte sloshing over the rim and spilling onto the table. “Okay, that’s fucking ridiculous. I’m not calling you that.”

“Aw, come on, luv,” he tuts again in disapproval, grabbing some napkins from a nearby dispenser and wiping up the spill, muttering sarcastically about your lack of table manners. The sight of those clunky rings on his long, thick fingers makes you shiver. “Also, that’s bloody rude. Are you actually surprised you’re single?”

That’s the final straw, you can practically hear the camel’s back snapping. You stand up abruptly, the legs of your chair screeching loudly against the linoleum.

The guy finally looks right at you, cocking an eyebrow.

“Giant waste of time. Not gonna sit here and make small talk when we both know this isn’t going to work out,” you practically growl, winding your scarf around your neck and grabbing your coat. “Where’d you grow up? How many siblings do you have? Ugh, barf. I’d rather you fucking kill me.”

“I have a brother,” he offers casually, leaning back in his chair.

“Oh, really?” You ask, not believing him for a second as you grab your purse and loop your arm through the strap. “And what’s his name, Clementine?”

His neatly trimmed moustache twitches, one side of his mouth quirking up into something resembling a smile.

“We call him Lemon, actually,” he smirks as he pulls out a vibrating phone from his pocket. “Speaking of—” he presses the phone to his ear, “Lemme call you back.” Pause. “Tsk, sod off! I’m on a fuckin’ date, bruv. The job’s done, I can do whatever I want with my free time.”

Shit. You curse mentally at that smirk, both taunting and delicious in the worst ways possible, wondering why you haven’t marched out of the cafe yet. On top of everything, the moustached fucker takes a phone call from his brother, who is named Lemon, in the middle of you telling him off?

“Eh, she’s got a bit of a temper, to be honest.” And as a matter of fact, you’re about to blow a god damn gasket, but then his eyes slide to yours. His smirk widens. “But Jesus, Lem—”

You shake your head. No, don’t do it, you bastard. His eyes are positively gleaming.

“—why do I find it hot as hell?”

Damn it.

Yep, you heave a mental sigh. You’re totally gonna fuck him.

And the son of a bitch gives it to you so damn good, you only feel partly silly for repeatedly calling out the name “Tangerine” in the throes of heated bliss.

You make a mental note to send Beetle a thank-you care package. Y’know, later. When you can feel your legs again.

fin.

© 2025 by thereoncewasagirlnamedjane. do not repost, translate, or copy to third party sites. no part of this work may be fed into any AI software or websites. minors are asked not to interact with my blog; you are responsible for your own media consumption. blank/ageless blogs will be blocked.

#tangerine x reader #tangerine x f!reader #tangerine x fem!reader #tangerine x you #tangerine x y/n #tangerine bullet train #bullet train fanfiction #tangerine x asian!reader

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darkficsyouneveraskedfor · 7 months ago

Text

Just One Reason: Charity Case

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

Character: Lloyd Hansen

masterlist - to be added

Summary: A chance encounter at the sandwich shop doesn’t end how you expect.

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging ❤️

You stand in the changing room, staring at the mirror, at yourself. Peppermint cloys on your tongue as you consider the dainty blue sweater. It isn’t your pick. Few of the clothing are. You can barely differentiate between the weaves and colours.

“Well?” Lloyd calls from the other side of the thin barrier between you.

You rarely used dressing rooms. You shop at the thrift shop, find whatever looks like it will fit, and go. Not that you even do that often. You’ve been wearing the same wardrobe of used pieces for years.

You shift and touch the little frill along the collar. It frames your neckline prettily but it’s just too much. A nice strong cableknit with sleeves you can tuck your hands into and some corduroys are much more practical.

“Come on, toots, I’m dying. You find anything you like?” He urges.

You face the door and slide back the lock. You step out. The walls are lined with mirrors. Behind him, behind you, beside you, everywhere. You pinch the frilly hem as you bite your lip.

“I don’t know...” you drawl.

“Wowza, that’s cute,” he smiles from the bench. His hands are full as he holds both your lattes over his lap. “I like the colour. Be nice with a skirt.”

“Skirt?” You mutter, “I don’t really...”

“I grabbed a few, why don’t you try one on?” He prompts.

You hesitate then shrug. You turn back and see yourself reflect on the door. You only notice then that the light weave clings to the outline of your bra. You quickly hide inside and shuffle through the many hangers.

You don’t realise how short the skirt is until you get it on. The lace lining sticks out the bottom and four little bows decorate the cream material. It’s sophisticated in a way you aren’t. You sift through and find a top you think matches.

You steel yourself before you emerge again. Lloyd’s impatience seeps through with a clearing of his throat. You step out and clutch your hands behind you, staring past him.

“Wow,” he breathes, “that’s nice, tootsie, we’re definitely getting that.”

“Oh, I don’t know about the white,” you sway, “it’ll get stained.”

“I can’t believe I’m the one saying it but don’t be so pessimistic,” he chortles.

“Sure, you’re right,” you agree quietly. “Well, still lots to go through.”

You shuffle back into the change room, shivering at the rush of air that floods beneath the short hem of the skirt. You continue the tedious task of going through each and every piece. You can’t focus on any of it. You’re indifferent to even the nicest garment, things that you may have coveted in a clearer state of mind.

Lloyd carries your haul to the counter after handing off the cups. His is empty and yours is cold. You put his in the bin near the desk as he pays. You look down, embarrassed.

“Lloyd, you don’t--”

“Sweetie, Merry Christmas,” he interrupts and smirks at the front desk lady. “Careful with that, don’t wrinkle it.”

He might be nice to you but there’s those moments where he’s so... demanding. You wish he’d be a bit kinder to the people doing things for him. You offer the associate a sheepish smile then hide behind the cup. You taste the cold espresso and hover.

Lloyd gathers up the bags and leads you back into the crowded mall. You drain half the cup and give up. You subtly toss it as you pass one of the many waste bins.

“Well, you still need some basics,” he declares and glances at you, nudging you with his elbow, “you know, under-roos.”

“Oh, uh, yeah...”

“There’s a Victoria’s Secret right there.”

“Victoria--” you gulp. “That’s fine, er, no, there’s probably somewhere else.”

“Hello,” a woman calls as Lloyd struts towards the marquee of the lingerie store. “We’re having a promotion. You can spin the wheel and get a coupon.”

You cringe and hide behind him. He spins and gets a coupon for thirty percent off. The woman is tall and her dark red hair is perfectly waved. She’s all in black that clings to her figure prettily.

“Come on, tootsie roll,” Lloyd ushers you inside. The boutique is far too nice for you.

You keep your arms crossed as Lloyd browses. He is unfazed by the crotchless lace and the sleek satin. You get to a table strewn with cotton thongs and thick-banded boyshorts.

“You get the pick of the litter,” he declares, “you need a bra? Maybe six?”

“Lloyd,” you murmur, “I don’t know...”

“What’s your size?” He peeks at your chest then his brows pop up and he chuckles. “Sorry, just trying to help.”

“Um, I wear... sport bras, so...”

“Hmm, let me find...” He turns and strides off before he can finish his thought.

You frown and look down. You see a nice pair of coral panties but when you turn them over, you find the have a narrow back. You just want your Walmart high-rise. You sniff and step out of the way of some other shoppers.

“There she is,” Lloyd appears out of the crush, “Toots, this is Lara, she’s going to get you fitted.”

“Fitted?” You utter.

“Yeah, she can help measure you for your bra size--”

“That’s okay--”

“It’s five minutes,” Lara insists, “in the back.”

“We want to get you something nice,” Lloyd argues, “don’t we? Get bang for our buck.”

You don’t have it in you to resists. It’s nice. You’ve never bothered with anything like that. Everything you have just does the job. It doesn’t matter if it really fits, just if you can get it on. And everything you have is gone. You suspect his present is more charity than holiday cheer.

Embarrassed, you nod and try to force a smile. Lara waves you toward the dressing room and Lloyd turns to peruse the table of panties. You cringe and drag your feet across the store.

As you’re shut in with Lara, she has you take off your shirt. You’re uncomfortable as she measures you through your sport bra. It’s almost like a medical exam.

“He’s really nice,” she says.

“Hm?” You sniff.

“Your boyfriend. Gonna be a really happy holiday,” she chimes.

“Oh, he’s not...” you drone but don’t finish.

“Husband?” She wonders.

You shrug. You don’t bother explaining. You just want to get out of this place. All these strangers are making you dizzy.

#lloyd hansen #dark lloyd hansen #dark!lloyd hansen #lloyd hansen x reader #series #drabble #just one reason #the gray man

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wileys-russo · 2 years ago

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Fic idea for Mary: You wear one of her favourite hoodies/jerseys whilst she's at practice, and accidentally ruin it. You feel guilty and get really emotional when she returns and you tell her what happened. She just laughs and comforts you because she loves you more than she could love a piece of clothing

material posessions II m.earps

you hummed along to yourself as music drifted around your kitchen, busying yourself cooking dinner so that it would be ready by the time your fiance returned from training, knowing that after a full day of commitments she'd be both hungry and exhausted.

however in hindsight to try and dance, sing and cook all simultaneously was really quite the ambitious task. and it wasn't long before of course, something went wrong.

you'd scooped up a large spoonful of pasta sauce to taste, and too busy bopping your head along to the beat you missed your mouth completely, spilling the bright red sauce all down the front of yourself.

now in any other situation this would be easily fixable, you'd just pop it in the wash and be done with it. however, the item of clothing which was now covered in pasta sauce did not belong to you, it belonged to your fiance.

and it just so happened to be one of her favourite items of clothing. it was old and it was faded and given the years of wear and tear from both you and her it was stretched out. but it was a jumper from her grass roots club, and you knew the incredibly sentimental connection mary had with it.

and of course, it had to be white.

"fuck fuck fuck fuck." you repeated over and over, looking around in panic trying to plan your next move, well aware that every second which ticked passed only further closed the small window of time you had to fix this before a. the stain became dried out and impossible to clean and b. your fiance returned home.

you quickly pulled it off and raced to the laundry, grabbing what you needed and scrubbing at the stain, the jumper covered in bubbles as you let out a shaky breath.

you moved to the sink, rinsing it as your eyes widened, seeing now the entire front was stained a pale red colour. "oh god please work." you whispered, dumping it into the washing machine and selecting the settings, clicking it on for a fifteen minute cycle.

"baby? i'm home!" your eyes widened hearing your fiance walk through the door, of course she would be early the one time you needed her late.

you hurried out of the laundry, quietly closing the door behind you and returning to the kitchen as you heard her take her shoes off by the front door. with wide eyes you watched the sauce bubble over and spill, quickly snatching it off the heat as your heart raced.

"hello beautiful how was-" marys words died in her mouth as her eyes landed on your bare back, spare for the tattoo which wound its way down your spine. "hi love, dinners almost done." you rambled out, trying to get your head straight again as you frantically scrambled to save the meal you'd spent the last hour labouring over.

"not that i'm complaining. but would you like to explain why you're in here cooking half naked babe?" marys taller form pressed to yours from behind, her hands snaking around you, gently caressing your abs as they slowly trailed upwards.

"um, i got hot?" you winced at the poor excuse, your breath hitching as her large hands teasingly squeezed your breasts and her lips began to kiss at your neck. "i'll go put a top on now!" you pushed back into her, sending her stumbling away as you almost sprinted off into your bedroom.

mary only smiled in amusement, shaking her head at her fiance and moving to continue where you'd left off, dumping the pasta in with the sauce and mixing it, humming appreciatively as she sucked a drop of sauce off her thumb.

you quickly returned, top half now clad in one of your own shirts, not wanting to risk a repeat of earlier if you had another slip up. "i'll do that baby! go sit down." you shooed her away from the food, pulling her down to sweetly peck her lips before turning back to the meal.

"are you alright love? you seem a bit...frazzled." mary asked softly, knowing you like the back of her hand as you hummed with a nod, flickering around the kitchen trying to keep your head above water, the chime of the washing machine sounding.

"i'll grab it, i've gotta put my gloves in they proper stink!" mary chuckled to herself, grabbing her kit bag off the ground and standing as your eyes widened. "no no! i'll get it. you've been on the go all day mary, sit down." you firmly pushed her back into her seat with a quick smile, darting off to the laundry.

"and leave the food i'll finish it in just a second!" you yelled over your shoulder, also knowing mary as well as she knew you as the blonde sat back down with a roll of her eyes. "shit!" you muttered to yourself as you opened the washer and pulled out her jumper, the stain not clearing and now the entire jumper stained blotchy red.

"why." your head thumped down on the washer with a small groan, stomach tied in knots with guilt. "baby is there something in the oven? i think its burning." mary called out as your eyes widened and you shot up, leaving the wet jumper on top of the washer and shooting back out, slamming the door after you making your fiance jump.

you scrambled to the oven, throwing it open to retrieve the garlic bread you'd made. however with your head spinning like a top you neglected to remember your hands were not heat resistant like the oven mits you should have donned.

"fuck!" you swore as you grabbed the red hot tray, snatching your hand away with a hiss as mary was by your side in an instant. she hurried you to the sink, holding your hand under the cool water as her other hand reached up into the cupboards above your head, grabbing out the first aid kit with ease.

she mumbles sweet nothings to you as she gently pats your hand dry, kissing you in between each step as she carefully applies the burn cream and wraps your hand up in a bandage, kissing it softly once she's finished.

leaving you for a moment to lick your wounds she zooms around the kitchen like your own personal superhero, salvaging what she could of dinner and once she was sure everything was off the heat and all danger minimized she returned right back to you.

"come here." the taller girl wrapped you in a tight hug as you buried your face in her shoulder, feeling her fingers tangle in your hair gently as her other hand rubbed comforting circles on your back.

you stood there in one anothers safe and warm embrace for a few moments, lavishing in the comfort she brought to you without even needing to say a single word.

"now. what's happened then baby? you're not yourself." mary pulled away, hands cupping your face and tilting your head to look up at her as her eyes shone with a soft but sincere concern for your well being.

"well I-i just-and then i-" you stuttered, huffing in frustration as tears pricked at the back of your eyes, marys face softening even further as she caught them welling up, grabbing your hand as you tried to hastily wipe them away.

"hey, my love talk to me." she ordered softly, wiping away the tears which pooled in your eyes tenderly with her thumbs. "wait here." you sighed, gently pulling her hands off your face as her eyebrows knit together with a confused frown but she waited patiently none the less as you stepped away.

when you returned it was obvious that you were hiding something behind your back, the crease in marys forehead growing as you stood back in front of her.

"i wasn't being careful and i spilled something on it. then i tried to clean it and well...it got worse." you hesitantly revealed her damp jumper, mary taking it carefully off of you and inspecting it, turning the material around in her hands.

"i'm so so sorry mary. i don't know quite how yet but i promise i'll try to make it up to you. god you must be so angry i know how much it means to you, i'm so sorry." the tears returned to your eyes as mary glanced up from her jumper.

"hey hey hey." she placed it quickly down on the counter, her hands again cupping your face, a smile curling onto her lips. "why are you laughing!" you hiccuped out among a sob, mary pulling you into a hug with a shake of her head, surprising you at the action.

"i'm laughing because it's ridiculous that you think i'd ever be upset with you over something like this baby. i love you far more than any silly old jumper, more than any material posession in fact." she assured you, stealing a kiss as her hands gripped your hips, pulling you up to sit on the bench as she moved between your legs.

"honestly you're so cute." mary smiled in amusement as you used your top to wipe your eyes. "shut up." you grumbled with a small sigh, glancing down to the ruined jumper beside you. "i am sorry though. i should have been more careful!" you sighed out as mary shook her head firmly.

"no, i love when you wear my clothes, especially my football kits. seeing my last name across your shoulder blades brings me more happiness than you'll ever know." mary promised, hand caressing your face softly and bringing your lips to hers in a sweet and loving kiss.

"soon it'll be my last name." you smiled, mary holding up your hand admiring the small rock on your finger, the thought of your impending wedding making her heart soar.

"very true. but i especially love when you're in here cooking me a meal and not wearing any shorts. then when your top rides up i can see your cute little bum." mary mumbled into the kiss with a lazy smirk meaning you pulled away and smacked her shoulder with a playful roll of your eyes.

"perv." you teased, pecking her lips a few more times and wrapping her in another hug, your chin resting on her shoulder as the taller girl hunched over slightly.

"i burnt our dinner." you sighed looking at the mess of the kitchen behind you. "yeah, yeah you did love." marys body vibrated with a quiet chuckle as she rubbed your back.

"get a takeaway?" "get a takeaway."

#mary earps x reader #woso x reader #woso fanfics #woso #mary earps #woso blurbs #woso imagine #engwnt

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quitesins · 7 months ago

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Prince!Shouto x Writer/Artist!Reader

Masterlist

Sfw, Female!Reader, Fantasy Au, random thought that I just wanted out of my head, mind the typos! Dialogue under the cut!

You’re a writer/artist, gaining quick popularity across the kingdom due to the satirical works you put out, particularly the ones where you satirise The King.

Your pieces are doing numbers. Sung in pubs, tacked to every board in town, even shoved into the arms of royal guards who can’t do anything but stand at their post and take it.

And you’re beaming, practically swimming in money and praise. You let a bit of it get to your head, suddenly dismissive of any consequences that come with mocking the royal family. Especially with your foreign pen name, feeling safe signing the end of each work while cozied up in your little house hidden away in the forest… that is until you get a knock on the door and… it’s The Prince.

[Or Shouto, crown prince, can barely hold in his laugh every time his father calls a meeting to discuss the crudely drawn pictures of him being pasted around the city. And god the first time he heard one of your poems? Being read aloud in the formal voice of one of the guards? It wasn’t just Shouto who had to excuse himself from the table, but his mother too, trailing behind him with a soft smile on her face.

He makes sure the guards keep any of the flyers that make their way into the castle, citing it as “evidence,” crucial to the investigations. Really he just takes them to his room, gleefully pinning them up. Even taking comfort in them on particularly cruel training nights.

He’s never been malicious, but when it comes to his father, he can be quite testy. Petulant for good reason. Your drawings of his father, the harsh scribbles accompanied by wretched songs, somehow he feels seen. Like the awful hate in his heart is warm and somewhere appreciated.

Shouto also thinks the way you draw his father as just a massive rectangle with two deeply furrowed brows is really funny.]

“You know…” Shouto speaks, unintentionally solemn. You prepare to be scolded on instinct. “You’ve coloured my hair on the wrong side.”

In his hand he raises the crumpled remains of one of your works. Even with the paper having seen better days, it’s undeniably yours— with it’s infamous juts of ink, harsh lines and messy splashes of colour thrown across the page. In your handwriting, there’s a vulgar poem captioning the drawing. Implying the prince to be a bastard, with a women killing smile and a surprisingly impish attitude.

Your signature printed in bright red ink probably doesn’t help your case either.

“The scar is accurate howe—”

“Give me that.” You snatch the flyer from him, crumpling it into your hand and tightening around it.

Shouto doesn’t protest, seemingly entertained by your sudden shyness. The words of [Pen Name] have been always been so crass, he had never expected you to hold such embarrassment. He doesn’t want you to, but he finds it amusing all the same.

“Look.” You don’t like his smile, it’s too soft, earnest. “If you’re here to execute me just do it!” There’s a wobble in your voice when you speak. Not from genuine fear of death, instead you sound like a sulking child. “I can’t imagine the king would send his son for any other reason..”

“Shouto,” He prompts. “I’d like it if you called me Shouto.” In the blink of an eye, in front of you is another flyer. “See.” He points to the picture of him, his name written in massive letters underneath.

“How many do you have,” You groan, snatching the paper from him again. His little disappointed pout feels like a win, it must have been his last. “Then why are you here?”

Shouto stares as if he doesn’t quite know himself. His eyes glaze over you, your cluttered room and to where you fists have finally softened in their grip. Then, like a spark alights behind his eyes, he smiles, responding with blunt determination.

“To be your friend.”

I wishhh I had the brain power to write full fics coz this au is so fun to think about… maybe if the fantasising gets too big to stay in my head I’ll write drabbles of random nonchronological scenarios, or not!

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kenah-sturniolo · 1 month ago

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GROW OLD WITH YOU

PART 1 > read me like a book ‹

A/N: hello! Thank you for reading this is my first ever au and I am very excited I hope you like it! (This is my work)

WARNINGS: swearing. Use of y/n. Mention of abuse.

Y/n POV:

Most days I wake up to the endless sounds of bickering between my parents, or the obnoxious agreement that it's my fault they don't love each other anymore. That they were better off just having my brother — not me as well.

Sometimes it's things being thrown around in anger. Other times it was them getting along and laughing together until dad goes too far, resulting in yet another argument. I never know what it's gonna be the next morning, honestly I don't want to. The arguing wasn't just in the mornings, it's at night too. All night every night, kinda like an I built routine that has to be done everyday.

I can't remember the last time I slept properly.. or didn't nearly fall asleep in school. Hell I don't even know if my parents ever helped me with my homework. They always prioritised Dylan. He was the 'golden child' after all. Everyone here in Somerville wanted their kids to be just like him. To be popular, well loved, good at sport. Or the captain of the team.

I didn't get any of that praise.. for as long as I can remember l've done everything myself. I thought myself how to read, write, even ride a bike. I never dared to ask for help - I never wanted to start another argument.

My body jolts awake to the sound of mom's voice approaching my room. "I swear to got y/n. If you don't get up, you'll miss the bus!" Her hoarse voice echoes right through the thin walls of the house. The Boston accent really thick and clear in every word she says. "I mean it. I don't want another one of those goddamn emails from the school asking why you're late again!" The windows shake as she bangs on the door to my room. An automatic groan slips from my lips. My cold clammy hands toss the covers off of my tired state. The cool air sending a shiver down my spine, as the cool air hits my exposed skin. I move my knotted hair out of my face, as my sock covered feet come in contact with the ground — physically and mentally preparing myself for the horrible day ahead.

————

The walk to the bus stop was annoyingly slow. Cool air dancing around me as I take each step. It was so cold that the sweater, and two jackets I am wearing aren't doing anything. Definitely does not help that theres a big snow storm on the way. Normally I'm happy to go to school — not anymore. As the arguing between my parents got more frequent the excitement of "getting away' from the noise and abuse had started to fade. Everything was starting to feel dull and numb.. not just emotionally, but all around me too. The trees lost their colour and the children in the neighbourhood stopped playing. Like time stilled and no one could go back and time and stop that from happening.

I could practically hear the craziness of the bus, once it finally came into view. Stepping onto the bus is no where near my favourite part of my day, but here I am doing it. Again. My body mindlessly steps onto the bus. As always, I see Dylan and his stupid friends from the lacrosse team, sitting at the back of the bus. The sudden feeling of nausea rushing through me at the sight of a couple girls swooning over my brother as if they're 6, and he's some piece of candy that they have to fight over.

Like every other day, the bus was full, yet my usual spot — front row — was still empty. The bus doors squeak shut making my ears ring. I quickly take my seat as the bus starts to move. Making its way to drop us off at school. The bus comes to an abrupt halt, flinging me forward in my seat "-fuck" I mumble in shock. The bus had literally stopped before it had even started.

The door squeaks open again and I scrunch my nose at the noise. Three boys step into the bus, breathing ragged as if they were just running. I blink in confusion. Am I hallucinating or are there three identical boys. All good looking, tall-ish with the same piercing blue eyes and fluffy brunette hair.

One of the boys' eyes land on me. His blue eyes are beautiful, they shine in the little light that the bus gives off and were slight covered by his hair that fell perfectly on his face, his middle part messy and untamed. He gives me a shy smile and I smile back just as shyly. The noise that was once consuming the bus and my eyes — now disappeared and i can't tear my gaze away from him. But of course that's soon interrupted when one of the other boys takes the few steps to the row of seats I was sitting in.

"Can we sit here?" He asks politely, still out of breath. My hands start to feel clammy again and I nod my head. Anxiety was always something I struggled with.. that and attachment issues. My brother spread a few bad rumours about me a couple years back and I haven't made a single friend since. It wasn't just from those stupid rumours though. I grew up being ignored my whole life, I got used to being alone. As if I was designed to be alone. By force.. never by choice. So I never wanted to get attached to someone. Over time it seemed normal having no friends, no matter how lonely it got.

I nod my head answering his question and they all sit down next to me. I want to say something, I really do but my brain won't form the words.

My eyes find their way back to the boy who smiled at me. He was wearing this cute green sweater with little dinosaurs embroidered all over it. "I'm nick by the way" the one who talked a few seconds before spoke. I smile nervously. I never really was the social kind - due to my anxiety and the stupid rumours that float around school still. Just something about the way he spoke and looked at me, so nicely and comfortingly made the whole interaction seem.. easy?

"I'm y/n" my voice is soft and quiet as I speak up.. of course, I can say my name, but I can't answer a simple question with words. I wipe my clammy hands against my Jean covered thighs. Nick notices how anxious I look but doesn't say anything.. until he does.. 'oh no he's gonna bring it up' I think to myself. "This is Chris" he points to Chris and he waves giving me a genuine smile, I smile back. "And that's Matt" | look at Matt 'Matt' I repeat his name in my head and smile at him, he just smiles shyly again.

God his smile — it's so warm yet so gentle and genuine at the same time.. Is that even possible?

"We're triplets" Chris finishes and I make an 'ah' sound as he just confirmed I wasn't hallucinating. "You new to the area?" Finally I say something! They all shake their heads in sync, making me smile. "No we've lived here our whole lives" nick says "but new to the school" he finishes and Chris nods in agreement. Matt keeps quiet.. but hey l'm not gonna judge.

Chris and nick keep the conversation going, constantly making me laugh with there stupid jokes. Matt still hasn't said anything but I can see him looking at me Everytime I say something. He looks at me again and I smile softly at him.

Something about Matt was endearing, in a good way — was it the way he blushed slightly Everytime I smiled at him, or how we hold eye contact each time I catch him looking at me. Though It looked like he was seeing right through me.. that no matter how many times I smiled he could tell I was alone and hurting. That I was miserable, how I lacked attention and love. Like I'm a book and he's just slowly turning the pages.. reading my life story but still doesn't know anything about me.

A/N: Hill. I hope you liked the first chapter.. I've already started writing the next chapter! Hehe thank you so much for reading :)

Mini tag list: @viviansturns @mattspillowprincess @ed1tssturnn @sturns-mermaid @nicks-bubbles @humpster35 @starrii-sturns @chrepsi @slvt4subchratt

#sturniolo triplets #Matt sturniolo #sturniolo X reader #sturniolo fanfic #the sturniolo triplets #Matt sturniolo au #Matt sturniolo fluff #Matt sturniolo imagine #Matthew sturniolo #matthew bernard sturniolo

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katelynnwrites · 1 year ago

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All The Things You Did, Just So You Could Call Her Yours | Sydney Lohmann x Child!Reader

warnings: ~

word count: 1802

summary: you and Momma do something for your Mama Syd

a/n: part of Sydney's Little Liebe

You don’t really get to sit on your red blanket and watch your Tantes and mothers practice anymore.

There is kindergarten that you go to instead.

On the weekend practices though, you still do it. You get to bring your snacks and toys down to the training pitch, to watch all your favourite people.

Usually you, Momma and Mama Syd go home or out for dinner afterwards but today it is just you and Momma.

Mama has to stay back for an extra session with the physio to make sure she is able to keep being super careful and injury free.

You and Momma each give her a big kiss goodbye and you get to choose where you go for dinner.

‘Ice cream!’ You decide immediately.

Momma laughs, ‘Ice cream isn’t enough for dinner but we can get ice cream and waffles?’

You nod eagerly and tug excitedly on your Momma’s hand, to lead her to the car.

Your Momma is smiling as she lets you, even as she buckles you into your car seat.

It’s not a long drive to your favourite ice cream place and you are practically vibrating with anticipation as Momma helps you get out of the car.

‘Ice cream! Ice cream!’ You cheer, clapping your hands together.

The bell above the door tinkles when you push it open with your Momma’s help. It makes you giggle and you skip over to the counter to press your face up against the glass display.

You need to tiptoe to see properly but you manage.

There are so many different colours of ice cream and you always have to think real hard which flavour you want.

Tante Laura is always saying hazelnut is the best flavour but you don’t really like it.

Mama Syd gets chocolate all the time she often lets you steal a bite or two from hers but you are not really feeling it today.

Staring at the ice creams for another long moment, you eventually decide on the pretty yellow one.

‘Zitrone please.’ You tell your Momma.

Momma smiles at you before ordering, ‘One scoop of lemon with a waffle and then another scoop of strawberry with a waffle please.’

‘Uppies.’ You insist, stretching your hands upwards in hopes that she will pick you up.

Your Momma obliges you with a chuckle, lifting you up and settling you on her hip.

You have grown a lot in the last few years so you don’t get carried like this a lot anymore but you want to see them scoop your ice cream and make your waffle.

It looks so yummy and you simply cannot wait for it to be done.

Momma keeps letting you watch and when it’s done, she sets you back down so she can pay and collect it.

There are a lot of empty tables and you pick the nearest one.

Your Momma follows you, putting the food down and watching you carefully as you climb into your chair.

When you are safely sitting in it, Momma sits down too and helps you cut your waffle up.

You like waffles because they have little squares to put the ice cream in.

Mama says that you’re a funny one because you absolutely love sour things. Sometimes you eat lemon slices instead of just letting them flavour your water.

After filling the squares with ice cream, you put a piece in your mouth and chew on it.

‘Good Momma.’ You mumble, with your mouth full of food.

Your Momma laughs, taking a napkin and wiping some ice cream off your mouth.

She lets you eat, helping you from time to time until you are almost finished.

It is then that she asks you, ‘Little Liebe? Do you know what Mama’s last name is?’

You stare at her funny, like she thinks you are silly.

With a little bit of a know it all tone, you state, ‘It’s Lohmann. It starts with a big capital L. She wears it on the back of her jerseys.’

Momma chuckles, ‘Yes, you’re right. Good job Little Liebe.’

‘Well do you know what happens when people get married or adopted?’

You like knowing things and are proud when you answer, ‘They become a family!’

Your Momma laughs again, ‘Good job Little Liebe. That is very right. But do you want to know what else happens?’

Nodding eagerly, you wait rather impatiently for her to elaborate.

Very carefully, Momma continues, ‘It means that we can share the same last name. Now you don’t have to. You can keep the last name that you have got but I feel like I want to do something for your Mama and change my last name so that I can share it with her. It’ll sort of be my wedding present to her.’

You don’t even need a moment to think, ‘Want to share too. Mama Syd likes presents, I want to give her a present too.’

‘Are you very sure Little Liebe?’ Momma checks.

Using your fork to poke another piece of cut up waffle, you stuff it into your mouth and mumble around it, ‘Uh huh.’

The smile you show your Momma is all the assurance she needs.

******

Momma fills in the deed poll documents as soon as the both of you get home.

She has opted to hyphenate her last name with your Mama’s. It is a lot of spelling for you to do and while you can identify your letters now, you’re not able to spell your new last name on your own for a while.

The documents need to be sent to a lawyer so it is going to take some time and money but Momma thinks it is worth it.

Your Mama has been a part of your life since the very beginning and in the past few years, has played an even bigger role.

You don’t have a father, you have never had one. It is Mama Syd that had gone with you to your kindergarten’s father daughter dance, Mama that had let you sit in her lap as she put your big girl bed from Ikea together.

Mama was Tante Syd for a long time so initially you kind of mixed the two together and ended up with Mama Syd.

It makes your Momma and Mama smile so you stick with it.

Momma thinks it’s been a long time coming because she knows how much you mean to Mama Syd.

******

The approved deed polls come in right on time and you get to excitedly present the envelope they’re in to your Mama, the night of her wedding.

‘For you Mama Syd!’

Mama has not stopped smiling all day, just like your Momma.

You have smiled the entire day too and you continue to do so as Mama Syd takes the envelope from you.

‘What have you got there Little Liebe?’

‘A wedding present. Cause you got married to my Momma.’

Your explanation is accompanied by a happy dance and your Mama can’t help but giggle.

‘I did Little Liebe. Today’s been one of the best days of my life.’

‘Open it! Open it!’

Momma has come into the bedroom now, watching from the doorway with a soft smile on her face.

‘Open it my love.’ She adds gently.

That is something your Momma calls Mama Syd now and from the way Mama looks at her every time, you think it makes her very very happy.

Mama carefully opens the envelope and takes out the papers inside.

She unfolds it and you can see her eyes growing shinier the more she reads.

When she finishes reading, she looks up at Momma.

Her voice trembles as she breathes, ‘Thank you. Thank you so much.’

Then she turns to you, opening her arms, ‘Come here Little Liebe.’

You bounce over to her and she lifts you up onto her lap.

‘Mama hi.’

‘Hi baby.’

Mama Syd holds you close, tucking your head under her chin.

‘Not a baby Mama.’ You remind her.

Your Mama Syd laughs wetly.

‘I know but you’re always going to be my baby.’

Wrinkling your nose in distaste, you go limp in her arms and let her cuddle you.

She says funny things sometimes, just like your Momma.

‘Ich liebe dich. I love having you as my daughter. I love being your Mama.’ She promises you seriously.

You look up at her, softly answering, ‘Love you too Mama.’

Being in your Mama’s arms is warm and safe. She smells so comfy and you have had a long day so it’s really no surprise that your eyes begin to slip shut.

Mama Syd has loved you from the very second your Momma told her about you, adored you from the first moment she met you.

Now that she has adopted you and you share a last name, it makes her feel like you’re really hers. You have always been considered family but now you are genuinely family. You are her child.

She thinks about the day she first met you and how much things have changed since. You’ve grown a lot and Mama knows that she won’t be able to cradle you like this for much longer.

Your Mama soaks in the short time she has left, holding you close until you completely fall asleep in her embrace.

Her fingers trace over your cheek delicately before she carefully shifts to lay you in the middle of the big bed.

Mama Syd takes the bolsters and puts them on either side of you in case you roll over in your sleep.

‘Sweet dreams meine Little Liebe.’ She whispers, gently pressing a goodnight kiss onto your forehead.

It is only then that she crosses the room, pulling your Momma into a deep kiss.

‘I love you. So much. I can’t believe you did this for me, now I’ll have to change my last name to match.’

Momma shrugs simply, ‘You deserve it because you complete our family. I love you too.’

They are a simple four words but Mama treasures them every single time.

She went a long time thinking she would never hear them from your Momma’s mouth and sometimes she thinks it is still unreal that Momma loves her back.

She smiles at your Mama.

‘I dreamt of my wedding night a lot as I was growing up and this never once crossed my mind.’

Her gaze drifts to your sleeping form and you let out a loud snore. Mama giggles and her smile grows infinitely softer, ‘This is a million times better though.’

Your Momma’s voice is incredibly affectionate, ‘Yeah?’

‘Yeah.’ Mama murmurs.

She tears up a bit, taking your Momma’s hand in hers and asking, ‘Wanna go cuddle with our daughter now?’

Momma doesn’t even have to think twice.

‘There is nothing I would like more.’

German Translations:

tante - aunty

meine Little Liebe - my Little Love

zitrone - lemon

ich liebe dich - i love you

#a repost cause i forgot to add tags the first time...#sydney lohmann #sydney lohmann x reader #sydney lohmann imagine #woso #woso x reader #woso oneshot #woso fanfics #woso imagine #katelynnwrites #fcb frauen #fc bayern frauen #woso community #gerwnt #dfb frauen

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silver-hwaberry · 4 months ago

Text

⭑I Can See You⭑

TWO: cosmic rush

Warnings: angst, arguing, fighting (one physical push between 2 members), name calling, swearing Word count: 8.5k

⭑2016⭑

“Hello stranger!” Yunho greets her as Yeonghwa walks into the classroom

“Hey Yunho!” she laughs taking off her backpack

Yeonghwa hadn’t been at school for the past 3 days as she was in Japan working with Moonlight. They had a performance there plus were filming the MV for their new song ‘Cosmic Rush’.

“How was Japan?” he asks as she sits down

“Busy!” she simply answers. “How was school?”

“Boring! Mr Nams satellite ears weren’t as funny without you here!” he replies. He looks at her as she sets up her school stuff on the desk, “There is something different about you!” he says, not sure what it is

“Probably my hair!” she says not batting an eyelid

“Did you get a hair cut?” he asks looking at it more closely

“Not quite.” she laughs looking at him, “I am wearing a wig, Yunho!”

"A wig?" Yunho's eyes widen comically as he leans closer to inspect her hair. "No way! It looks so real!"

"Well yeah, that's kinda the point," Yeonghwa snorts, swatting his hand away as he reaches out to touch it. "And don't pull on it, I spent forever getting it to sit right this morning."

"But why are you wearing a wig?"

“New hair for the comeback, I have to hide. So wigs are a must when I am at school.” she sighs, “Personally I hate them as they are itchy and make my head sweat but it is strictly forbidden to reveal new hair styles and colours beforehand.”

“Am I allowed to know?” he grins playfully

“Absolutely not!” she laughs swatting his hand away again

“Oh come on, where are my best friend perks?!” he pouts

Yeonghwa freezes slightly at him saying ‘best friend’ and he notices her reaction. Since Yunho started at SOPA 3 weeks before they had gotten more friendly with one another, spending their time exchanging notes, talking during breaks and Yeonghwa was enjoying having a friend at school now but she hadn’t realised he saw her that way. She decides not to say anything about it but Yunho can see she is a little weirded out as she brushes it off.

"Well..." she drags out the word, pretending to think hard about it. "I guess since you did help me with that chemistry homework last week..."

"Yes? Yes?" Yunho leans forward in his chair, practically bouncing.

"It's white with these really pretty pastel pink and lilac streaks," she finally whispers into his ear covering her mouth so only he could hear. The sensation of her breath on his ear and the low tone of her voice makes his stomach flip a little. "But if you tell anyone, I swear-" she leans back

"My lips are sealed!" he mimes zipping his mouth shut. "But that sounds sick actually. Can't wait to see the big reveal."

“You will see it on comeback day if you watch the music video or our comeback stage.” she says, “I won’t be in school for a few days again.” she adds with a small sigh

“Of course I’ll be watching both and all performances afterwards! Just you try and stop me!!” he smiles, “When are the teasers dropping?” he asks

“First one is in 2 days so you’ll see my hair in its full glory then!” she answers, “And I can take this fucking wig off!”

“And don’t worry about schoolwork. I made you a copy of all our work this week and I will do the same next week too.” he says handing her a semi-thick folder

“Wow!” she gasps looking at it, “You really didn’t need to do all this! Thanks you Yunho!” she is grateful for his help in keeping up with her studies.

Previously, when she missed classes because of her schedule, no students gave her notes; she only received a small packet of assignments from the school to complete during her absence.

“It was nothing!” he shrugs nonchalantly

As Yeonghwa flips through the folder with a grateful smile, she notices a small piece of paper tucked inside. Curious, she pulls it out and unfolds it to reveal a simple doodle of a hamster which was her animal representative in the band with a phone number underneath it and faded heart at the end. It looks like he had drawn it and then erased it but the paper was still showing it faintly. It made her smile a little.

Yunho rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, "I know it's cheesy, but I wanted to give you my number so if you had any questions about school work you had a way of contacting me," he says with a shy grin.

Yeonghwa glances up from the drawing, her cheeks turning a bit pink at Yunho's gesture. "Are you sure this isn't just a trick to get my number?" she teases.

"What? No, definitely not! You don't have to give it to me if you don't want to!" he replies, flustered.

"Yun! I'm just kidding!" she laughs, "That's really thoughtful of you," she adds, placing the paper securely into her folder with a gentle smile.

“Oh!” he sighs in relief as he scratches his head awkwardly, a bashful grin on his face. "I just want to make sure you're all set for your comeback without falling behind in schoolwork," he says earnestly.

Yeonghwa nods appreciatively. "I really appreciate it, Yunho. It means a lot to me," she says softly. “But you may end up regretting it as I could end up blowing up your phone when I am on schedules!”

"Feel free to send me as many messages as you want!" he laughs. "Oh, and keep it a secret that I have a phone. We're not supposed to have them until after debut, but we all secretly do. Hongjoong would be so annoyed if he found out, but I'm pretty sure he has one too!"

"A secret phone? How scandalous!" Yeonghwa teases, lowering her voice dramatically. "And here I thought you were such a good boy."

"Hey, sometimes you just have to do what you have to do," Yunho says, puffing up his chest before breaking into a smile.

They sit in a comfortable silence for a moment before Yunho clears his throat. "So, um, are you up for a ninja picnic lunch today? My treat, I’ll buy you whatever you want!" he offers with a hopeful expression. “I’m not going to see Mingi today as he has a dental appointment.”

"I can't today," she explains. "My manager reserved one of the private halls for me to rehearse. We're filming the dance practice video for the song tonight, so I need to get ready."

"Oh, that's cool!" he responds with a nod, but she notices the disappointment in his expression.

"But I'll be alone, so i-if you'd like, you could join me," she stammers nervously, her fingers playing with the bottom of her skirt. "As long as you promise to keep the song a secret!"

"Really?" he responds, brightening.

“Of course!!” she breaks into a wide smile “Maybe I can finally see some of these awesome dance skills you say you have too!”

“My dancing is totally awesome!” he grins

"Oh yeah? Prove it then!" Yeonghwa challenges, raising an eyebrow. "Show me what you've got during practice!"

"Challenge accepted!" Yunho announces with a theatrical puff of his chest. "Just don't hold it against me if my awesome moves leave you feeling jealous."

"Pfft, please," she rolls her eyes, trying not to laugh. "I've been dancing since I was like, 4 years old."

"Well, I've been dancing since I was in the womb," he replies with a cheeky grin.

"That's not even possible, you goof," she laughs, giving him a playful shove. "If that were true, I really pity your mom for dealing with that while you were in her belly—and considering you're a giant too!"

"I'll have you know, I was just as small as you when I was born! I only shot up in height over the past two years!" he says with a grin.

“I find that hard believe!” she laughs, “Scary part is you are still growing too! I stopped when I was 13 years old!”

Yunho looks at her fondly. He had missed her presence in school the past 3 days. Although he did get more work done in class as he wasn’t messing around with Yeonghwa, it wasn’t as fun and he missed her.

As the rest of their fellow classmates begin to fill the classroom and the teacher walks in, they got themselves prepared for the day ahead. They spent break time together as usual, going over the folder of notes Yunho had made for her, telling her what assignments had been set etc and before they knew it lunch time had arrived.

“You get yourself something to eat and come to room 107 when you are ready.” Yeonghwa says as they make their way down the stairs

“Do you want me to get you anything?” he asks, hoping she’ll be eating something but she shakes her head.

“I’ve got a protein shake and a banana with me today.” she answers, “Misty handed it to me as I was leaving this morning. Said she’d hit me over the head with the banana if I don’t have them!” she giggles

“Good! I’m glad someone is taking care of you!” he smiles at hearing she is actually going to be consuming something for lunch. “Want a bottle of water?”

“Yeah I do actually!” she says pulling her purse from her pocket to give him money

“Oh hell no, put that away! This is my treat!” he smiles, “and after your promotions are over I will take you out for a lovely meal to celebrate!”

“I highly doubt my company would allow me to do that, they control every aspect of my life,” she responds. Yunho feels a pang in his chest at her words, not because she said she couldn't do it, but because her company has so much control over her. It doesn't seem fair. "But I wouldn't say no to having a ninja lunch with you after everything is done," she adds with a mischievous smile.

“Really?” he breaks into a smile

“Absolutely! If it is okay with Mingi, that is!” she replies

“I am positive he would. He is pretty cool. I think you two would really get along!” Yunho replies

“Its a deal then! Once my promotions are over, we do the great escape!” Yeonghwa nods with a happy grin on her face.

As they reach the bottom of the stairs, Yeonghwa make her way to the private dance hall, her footsteps echoing in the empty corridor. The familiar scent of polished wood and sweat greets her as she pushes open the heavy door. Sunlight streams through the high windows, casting long shadows across the gleaming floor causing her to smile. She loved being in practice rooms, it was her place of sanctuary, somewhere she can be free. She sets down her bag and pulls out her protein shake and banana, placing them carefully on a nearby bench.

Meanwhile, Yunho navigates the bustling cafeteria, the cacophony of voices and clattering trays filling the air. He quickly selects a sandwich and an apple, his mind already racing ahead to the dance hall. As he paid for his food, he grabs two bottles of ice cold water, one for himself and one for Yeonghwa.

Back in the dance hall, Yeonghwa has changed into her practice clothes - a loose tank top and form-fitting leggings with a pair of sneakers. The choreo she was about to perform would be impossible in her stiff and restrictive school uniform. She stands before the wall of mirrors, taking deep breaths as she centres herself. With practised movements, she begins to stretch, her lithe body bending and twisting to get rid of the stiffness from sitting at her desk for so long.

Yunho arrives just as Yeonghwa was finishing her warm-up routine. He slips inside quietly, not wanting to disturb her concentration. Knowing himself how important it is to get into the zone before dancing. He finds a spot against the far wall and he settles down to watch, his lunch momentarily forgotten.

He notices that her black wig has been tossed aside and her freshly dyed white hair, which is now shorter and falls a few inches below her shoulders, hangs in loose natural waves with pastel streaks that are barely noticeable from afar.

Yeonghwa pulls out her phone and set it on a small speaker. She sets up her ipad infront of the mirror, ready to play the group rehearsal video if she needed any reminders. A moment later, the opening notes of Moonlight's new song filled the room. The beat was infectious, a pulsing rhythm that seemed to vibrate through the floorboards. Yunho can’t help but nod to his head to beat as his eyes focus on her.

Yeonghwa begin to move. Her body becomes a living instrument, every gesture precise and purposeful. She flows across the floor, her feet barely seeming to touch the ground. Her arms carved graceful arcs through the air, fingers splayed in delicate formations.

As the song reaches its climax, Yeonghwa launches into a breathtaking series of spins, her body a blur of motion. She ends with a dramatic pose, chest heaving, one hand on her hip. For a moment, the room was silent save for her ragged breathing.

Then, catching sight of Yunho in the mirror's reflection, Yeonghwa's serious expression melted into a wide grin. She turned to face him, wiping sweat from her brow with the back of her hand.

"So," she pants, eyes sparkling with mischief, "what did you think?"

Yunho sits there, mouth agape, still processing the incredible performance he'd just witnessed. He struggles to find words that could adequately express his admiration.

"That was... wow," he finally manages, shaking his head in disbelief. "I knew you were good, but that was... incredible. Seriously, Yeonghwa, you're amazing."

“I know it looks strange dancing solo to a group performance but trust me it looks a lot better when we do it together, I promise!” she laughs as he hands the bottle of water to her

“Not at all! I practice alone too so I get it. I can’t wait to see the comeback stage!” he smiles

"Time to show me those moves you were bragging about earlier," Yeonghwa says, taking a long drink from her water bottle. "Unless you were all talk?"

"Oh, I'll show you my moves alright," Yunho grins, shrugging off his blazer, rolling up the sleeves of his white shirt and untucking it from his trousers to give him more freedom. "Just don't get jealous when I outshine you."

"I'm shaking in my sneakers," she deadpans, but can't help smiling as she watches him do some exaggerated stretches while she sits infront of the mirror to look at him head on.

"Okay, play that track again. I've got this," he says confidently, moving to the centre of the room.

Yeonghwa hits play and watches with growing amusement as Yunho starts to dance. Her amused smile is soon replaced with wonderment as he hits the majority of the moves - his movements are sharp and he has picked up the steps from that one performance she did. But when it comes to one particularly complex sequence that Yeonghwa does in the dance break which includes a backwards handstand and a landing into the splits, he gets his legs tangled and nearly face-plants.

"Shit!" he yelps, stumbling sideways. "How the hell do you make that look so easy?"

"Years of practice and one very scary choreographer," she laughs, walking over to help him. "Here, it's more like this-" She demonstrates the move slowly.

"My legs don't bend that way!" he protests, trying to copy her. "I think you might actually be made of rubber."

"Says the guy who's basically a human giraffe," she teases, adjusting his arm position. "Less flailing, more control."

"I am graceful as fuck, I'll have you know," he declares, promptly tripping over his own feet again.

“It is a hard move so don’t over do it, I don’t want you to hurt yourself. I fear your leader may hunt me down if I get one of his fellow trainees injured!” she says

“I can do it!” he nods

They spend the next few minutes going through the steps very slowly, Yunho's determination to get it right making Yeonghwa smile. Despite his jokes, she can tell he's actually trying hard to learn the complex move properly.

“Okay, you are getting it!” she claps when he nails the backwards handstand and nearly does a full splits

"That's not a move guys are supposed to attempt!" he chuckles as he stands, trying to resist the urge to massage his sore groin in her presence.

"You did great," she says with a smile. "But can you do it in sync with the music?" she adds with a playful grin.

“Is that a challenge?” he quips as she nods, “From the top!” he adds as she begins the track from the beginning

They both stand side by side facing the mirror as the music begins over the speaker, the bass vibrating through the floor they begin to dance in complete sync with one another. Yunho nailing every single move. Yeonghwas eyes are on him in the mirror as she dances beside him and she is seriously impressed.

As the dance break begins, Yunho smashes the quick movements, the backwards handstand and even the splits before getting up quickly to finish the routine off. As the music ends they are both breathing heavily standing in the ending pose.

“Holy shit!” Yunho groans flopping to the floor exhausted as Yeonghwa holds onto her hips and squats down beside him laughing.

“Yunho, that was awesome!” she says as she looks at him sprawled on the floor

“They didn’t give me the main dancer position for nothing you know!” he replies opening some of the buttons of his shirt to get some air, maybe a bit too many as the top part of his chest is on show.

Yeonghwa awkwardly looks away as she sees the skin of his chest before standing up and going over to her bag to get the banana. As Yunho sits upright he sees in the mirror how much of his chest he just exposed accidentally, quickly covering himself again.

"So uh, that was fun!" Yeonghwa says a bit too quickly, focusing intently on peeling her banana.

"Yeah!" Yunho agrees, still slightly out of breath as he fumbles with his shirt buttons.

An awkward silence falls between them as Yeonghwa takes small bites of her banana, very deliberately staring at the wall. Yunho clears his throat. "I think I’ve pulled muscles I didn't even know I had."

"You'll definitely feel it tomorrow," she snorts, still not quite looking at him. "Maybe I should've warned you about that part."

"Nah, totally worth it," he groans, rolling his shoulders. "Even if I have to crawl to dance practice tonight."

“Oh shit, you should have said you had dance practice! I would have gone easier on you!!” she says with wide eyes

"Please, I could do this choreo in my sleep," Yunho scoffs, though the way he's wincing as he stretches tells a different story.

"Oh yeah? Is that why you're moving like my grandpa right now?" Yeonghwa takes another bite of her banana, finally able to fully look at him now that he's buttoned up.

"Your grandpa probably has better flexibility than me right now," he groans, attempting to stand. "Shit, I think my legs are actually broken."

"Drama queen," she rolls her eyes, but offers him a hand up anyway.

Yunho eagerly accepts, forgetting her small stature as he pulls a bit too forcefully, almost causing her to topple over. He quickly steadies her by placing his hands on her hips as she clutches his shoulders for support. Even though he was seated on the floor, his height and her petite 153cm frame meant their faces were closer now than when standing. It was the first time she truly observed his facial features, and her stomach fluttered at how handsome he was, especially with the gentle way he gazed at her while her fingers softly held onto his shirt.

The moment stretches between them, neither moving. Yeonghwa can feel the warmth of his hands through her practice clothes, and she's suddenly very aware of how sweaty she probably is from dancing.

A loud bang from somewhere in the hallway makes them both jump. Yeonghwa stumbles backward, nearly tripping over her own feet this time.

"Shit, sorry!" Yunho says, hands hovering awkwardly in the air where her waist had been. His ears are turning pink. "I didn't mean to, uh..."

"No, it's fine! I mean, You did save me from face-planting so… thanks!" Yeonghwa says quickly

They both move at the same time to gather their things, nearly bumping into each other again. Yunho takes an exaggerated step back, almost tripping over his own feet.

"So uh, when exactly is the comeback?" he asks, trying to break the weird tension. "You know, so I can mark my calendar and everything."

"Thursday," she answers, grateful for the change in subject.

“You must be really exhausted with the preparations and school on top.” he says

“I think my body's running purely on energy drinks and bananas at this point." she laughs

“I wonder what Misty would say if she knew!” he smirks

"What Misty doesn't know won't hurt her," Yeonghwa says with a guilty grin. "Though she has this weird sixth sense about these things. Last time she caught me with a Red Bull she literally appeared out of nowhere like some kind of health-conscious ninja with shoving one of her disgusting kale smoothies into my hand."

"That's terrifying," Yunho laughs as he stretches his legs. "Fuck, I think my legs are actually dead."

"Aww poor baby," Yeonghwa teases. "And here I thought you said you were graceful as fuck?"

"I am! I'm just... gracefully sore."

“Well get used to it with being your groups main dancer! You’ll be pushed past your limits a lot… but it gets easier.” she says as they sit on the wooden bench beside the wall, “Hows things with your group anyway?”

“The same. Late night practices for all of us after school. Monthly reviews.”

“Ah I don’t miss those!” she nods taking a sip of her water, “They scared me every time!”

"I heard you were the top trainee every month, though!" Yunho remarks.

“Oh I was because I worked my ass off but also feared for my life too.” Yeonghwa confesses, as Yunho listens intently. "The company constantly threatened to terminate our contracts and give us bus tickets home if we didn't meet certain targets. I didn't want to go back to Yeosu! Don't get me wrong, I love my little hometown on the south coast, but I wanted this opportunity too much.”

Yunho nods, absorbing everything she's sharing, catching a rare glimpse of the real young woman behind the image of 'Korea's princess' that most people see.

“So hows your companies trainee search going? Last I heard there was someone you’s were trying to steal from another company!” she says

"We're meeting him next week, so fingers crossed he chooses us! We do have a new person who started this week, and you'll never guess his name!" Yunho responds excitedly.

“What is it?!” she giggles

"His name, Yeonghwa, is..." he pauses for a dramatic effect, emphasising her name, "Seonghwa!"

"Yeonghwa and Seonghwa!" she exclaims, eyes wide. "You have no excuse for forgetting my name now, mister!"

"As if I ever could!" he replies. "He seems nice though, older than the rest of us, and he's also from the south coast. I think he and San will have a lot to talk about."

"Where is San from?" Yeonghwa asks as she tosses her banana peel into a small trash bag.

“Namhae.” he answers

"That's right next to Yeosu! My family and I went to Namhae for vacation a few times. It’s really beautiful! My aunt actually moved there because she loved it so much." she says, her eyes lighting up. “And Seonghwa?"

“Just below Jinju, I don’t know exactly where but I heard him say he lived by the ocean so must be at the coast.” he answers, “Good news is the company will be giving us a dorm soon! Living together will help us bond more I think.”

“That is so cool! Dorm life can interesting but mostly fun! Do you know how many members your company is looking to have in your group yet?” she asks pulling her legs up to sit crossed legged

“At the moment they’ve said 7.” he replies, “Though the CEO just can’t make up his mind. Last week he wanted 5 members, the week before we said 11! Next week he’ll probably want 25!”

"God, can you imagine?" Yeonghwa snorts. "Just an entire army of idols on stage. The poor stylists would have a mental breakdown."

"The choreographer would quit on the spot," Yunho grins. "Though at least the fanchants would be epic. Might take fans three hours just to get through all the names."

"Your lightstick would need its own battery pack," she giggles, then grimaces as she shifts position. "Ugh, I think my legs are starting to cramp up too."

"I swear that backwards handstand into splits thing is actually torture disguised as choreography." Yunho groans

They both laugh, and Yeonghwa checks the time on her phone. "Shit, we should probably head back soon. Mr. Nam will have an aneurysm if we're late."

"His satellite ears might actually explode," Yunho agrees, attempting to stand up and immediately regretting it. "Fuck, I think I'm stuck. You might have to wheel me to class in a desk chair."

"Some main dancer you are," Yeonghwa teases, getting up with a similar feeling to Yunho. "Need me to carry you?"

"On your back?" he asks hopefully.

"In your dreams, giraffe boy." she says

“It was worth a shot!” he shrugs, “I’ll take our rubbish to the bins and wait for you outside as you get changed.” he adds

Yunho heads to the bins outside, clutching a bag of trash. After tossing it in, he leans against the wall, savoring a quiet moment alone. A smile spreads across his face as he reflects on spending his lunch break with Yeonghwa, watching her dance and learning from her. He had admired her dancing for a long time.

Yeonghwa emerges from the dance room, her wig slightly askew and her uniform slightly rumpled from changing quickly. She fidgets with her blazer as she spots Yunho waiting, her mind unhelpfully flashing back to the accidental chest reveal and the feeling his hands on her waist, the way he looked at her.

"Ready?" Yunho asks, pushing off from the wall.

"Yeah," she mumbles, looking down at her feet as they start walking.

They walk in awkward silence for a few steps before Yunho trips going up the stairs.

"Need me to call you an ambulance?" she teases, walking backwards up the steps to face him. "Or maybe a crane to lift you?"

"You're evil," he declares, dragging himself up dramatically. "Pure evil disguised as a tiny person."

She's about to retort when she notices her wig slipping slightly. She quickly adjusts it, glancing around to make sure no one saw.

"Your disguise is slipping, Spiderman," Yunho whispers conspiratorially.

“I hate this thing!” she grumbles “The quicker this comeback happens so I can stop hiding my hair the better.”

“Well if it makes you feel any better, I think your new hair looks really good.” he smiles as they reach the top of the stairs. “And the new song is amazing too. You ladies are going to smash the comeback.”

“Thanks Yun!” she says feeling a bit flustered at his compliments

Yunho notices her flushed cheeks and shy smile, and in all honestly it makes him feel good seeing her react to him like that. However he knows the reality of their situation. They are friends only.

⭑2020⭑

Yunho sees that same flushed cheeks and shy smile on her face now all these years later. It still gives him butterflies. As much as he wished it wouldn’t. Seeing her again after so long during the award season had been difficult for him. A mixture of emotions he hadn’t realised he’d been keeping inside were coming out now.

Their last conversation had replayed in his head over and over again despite not thinking of it in over a year. The hurt in his heart resurfacing once more. The words she said. It had come out of nowhere as well and he couldn’t wrap his head around why. He had just came home from a month long training trip to LA with the other members, they had spoken every single day on the phone in secret when camera, managers and Hongjoong wasn’t around. Nothing had changed until they met up, Hongjoong allowing her to visit the dorm for a bit since Yunho hadn’t seen her in so long, and as far as he knew barely spoken to her while away. Yunho had been so excited to see her, he cleaned up the entire dorm himself, set up his shared room with San with blankets and pillows to watch a movie (the door was to be left wide open at all times Hongjoong demanded), bought her favourite flowers and had presents from LA for her. He had been so excited to see her again, hold her close in his arms once more.

But the moment she stepped into the dorm, he sensed that something was amiss. After some time, Yunho broke Hongjoong's rule about keeping the bedroom door open, closing it when Yeonghwa repeatedly pulled away from his attempts to hug her or hold her hand—something she hadn't done since they'd become more than friends. That's when she uttered the words he never imagined he'd hear: ‘I don’t love you.’

She walked out and disappeared from his life, until award season arrived two years later. By then, Ateez had debuted and, though still considered 'rookies,' they were gaining popularity, meaning Yunho and Yeonghwa were bound to cross paths again.

His band members had silently rallied around him during each award show that Moonlight was in attendance at, trying to be subtle about keeping an eye on him but he could see through them. He truly appreciated their care but he didn’t want a fuss.

He takes one more glance at her and feels his heart skip a beat as she smiles at the fans in the audience waving to her. Her new hair colour - cherry red catching the lights perfectly. As a member of staff approaches the band, her focus turns to them and they all stand up. Clearly it’s time for them to get ready for their performance and it would be a lie if he said he wasn’t looking forward to it.

As the five women hurriedly passed by the group, Yunho attempted to focus ahead, but his gaze lingered on Yeonghwa as her subtle perfume enveloped him. He caught Mingi's eyes on him, and Yunho understood exactly what Mingi was thinking. Yunho had been open about his feelings for Yeonghwa since she ended things with him two years ago. Mingi detested her and was never shy about expressing it.

"For fuck's sake, stop staring," Mingi mutters under his breath, barely moving his lips as he maintains his camera-ready smile.

"I wasn't," Yunho whispers back, though they both know it's a lie.

"Stop making moon eyes at the person who-" Mingi cuts himself off as a staff member approaches with fresh bottles of water for them all, his expression shifting seamlessly into his usual cheerful demeanour. "Thanks noona!" he says brightly, before immediately dropping his voice again. "Who literally broke your fucking heart."

"I know, okay?" Yunho mutters, grabbing a bottle. "Trust me I was there, I know."

“And so were all of us!” Mingi grumbles, “Don’t let her suck you back in! She’s like siren - pretty and luring but evil inside!”

"I'm not getting dragged back into this," Yunho says, rolling his eyes, though Mingi's words tug at his heart. "And she's not evil! You never truly understood her."

"I know enough!" Mingi retorts, turning sharply to face Yunho.

"We're on camera, so both of you need to stop!" Hongjoong warns with a tense smile. "You can talk about this later when we're in private!"

Yunho takes a deep breath, trying to shake off the tension that had built up between him and Mingi. He knew his friend meant well, but sometimes his protective nature could be a bit overwhelming.

As Moonlights opening VT plays on the screen in preparation of their performance, Mingi leans in close to Yunho, lowering his voice. "I just don't want to see you hurt again, man. You deserve so much better than what she put you through."

Yunho nods, grateful for Mingi's concern. "I appreciate it, really. But I've come to terms with everything. It's water under the bridge now."

Mingi gives him a sceptical look, but doesn't press further as they all focus on the stage.

The lights dim, and a hush falls over the audience as Moonlight appear on a raised platform in the middle of the stage. They had changed into colourful sequin outfits that suited each of their styles. An ominous song plays as the camera does close ups of each of the members faces on the screen with the crowd cheering loudly and as Yeonghwa appears the noise appears the double in volume.

The opening notes of their latest song fill the arena, and the group burst into flawless synchronisation, their dance moves sharp and crisp. Yeonghwa was a blur of silver sequins and flowing red hair, her body twisting and leaping with astonishing grace.

As the song shifts into ‘Cosmic Rush’, Yunho's heart skips a beat. Moonlight launch into the energetic choreography for it - the same one Yeonghwa taught him years ago, back when they were just two innocent kids in school. Happy memories flood back to him - Yeonghwa giggling as he stumbled through the routine for the first time, her patient encouragement as he slowly got it right. The way she clapped, cheered and encouraged him when he nailed the complex moves.

As the song reaches its climax, Yeonghwa delivers the fast paced dance break moves with ease, her body seeming to hang suspended in mid-air for a breathless moment before crashing back to earth in a perfect landing. The crowd erupts into cheers, but Yunho barely registers them. His eyes are still locked on Yeonghwa, his heart pounding in time with the driving beat of the music.

“Aria is amazing!” Yunho hears Wooyoung say to San

San nods in agreement. “She always delivers every time! That’s why she is one of the best dancers in the business!”

“Shame about her personality!” Mingi says causing Yunho to glare at him

Hongjoong swiftly rises and guides Yunho to move to his seat, asking San to switch seats with Mingi positioning himself and San between Yunho and Mingi. Sensing that the situation was escalating, Hongjoong realised he needed to take action now.

On stage, Yeonghwa dances with dizzying speed and precision. Yunho can't help but grin - she was always destined for greatness on that stage. Watching her continuing to soar fills him with joy, even as a twinge of wistfulness tugs at his heartstrings. If only things could have been different between them...

As the final notes fade away and Moonlight take their bows to thunderous applause, Yunho feels a strange sense of peace wash over him. No matter what had happened between them in the past, he knew that Yeonghwa would always be an important part of his life.

As Moonlight make their way back to their seats, all their fellow idols standing to bow at them including Ateez, Yunho becomes intensely fascinated with his water bottle label, picking at it with his thumbnail while trying desperately not to look in their direction.

The award show drags on for what feels like eternities, with Yunho's leg bouncing so much that Hongjoong eventually places a hand on his knee to stop it. As the final award is announced and the closing ceremony begins, Yunho feels an overwhelming urge to find Yeonghwa backstage. He needs to talk to her, even if he has no idea what he'll actually say.

"Don't even think about it," Mingi hisses as they file off stage, clearly reading Yunho's mind. "I swear to god, I will literally sit on you."

"You're not my mom," Yunho responds, scanning the crowded backstage area.

"No, but I am your voice of reason, and right now your reason is telling you to get your ass to our waiting room before you make a big mistake."

"Mingi, I swear-" Yunho starts, but freezes as he spots a familiar figure in a silver sequin dress with long red hair disappearing around a corner. Without thinking, he yanks his arm free and darts away, ignoring Mingi's colourful cursing behind him.

Yunho weaves through the crowded backstage area, dodging staff members and other idols with his long legs while trying not to knock anyone over. He spots Yeonghwa again, this time talking to one of her members near the vending machines.

He hesitates for a moment, suddenly realising he has absolutely no plan. What the fuck is he even going to say? 'Hey, remember that time you completely shattered my heart? Good times!'

Before he can chicken out, Yeonghwa turns and spots him. Her eyes widen slightly, and for a moment they just stare at each other like a pair of deer caught in headlights.

"Uh, hi," he manages eloquently, internally cringing at himself.

"Hi," she responds, equally awkward. Her member Areum glances between them before making some excuse about needing to get her make up touched up. Yeonghwa nods grateful at her for giving her and Yunho space to speak.

"So..." Yunho starts, then trails off. Fuck, he really should have planned this better.

"So..." Yeonghwa echoes, fiddling with the sequins on her dress. "Your performance was amazing. As always!"

"Thanks. Yours too. That, uh, that backwards handstand gave me war flashbacks!"

She lets out a surprised laugh. "You remember that?"

"Kind of hard to forget when my groin still twinges every time it rains," he says without thinking, then immediately wants to die of embarrassment.

Yeonghwa snorts, covering her mouth quickly. "Still as graceful as fuck, I see?"

"You know me," he grins, relaxing slightly.

Yeonghwa can feel her heart racing in her chest at Yunho standing infront of her, actually talking to her! She never thought this would ever happen after she hurt him so much.

"Anyway, you are one to talk! Your moves are pretty insane!" Yeonghwa says, tucking some of her cherry red hair behind her ear. "The one where you practically fold yourself in half backwards. That looked painful as shit."

"Oh god, don't even remind me," Yunho groans. "My spine basically files for divorce every time we perform it. Pretty sure our choreographer is secretly a contortionist who enjoys watching us suffer."

"At least you're tall enough that when you do it, it looks cool. When I try anything like that I look like a garden gnome having a tantrum!"

Yunho snorts at her garden gnome comment. "Hey, at least you can do aegyo without looking like a sleep paralysis demon. I try to be cute and fans think I'm having a stroke."

"Oh god, remember that time you tried aegyo in the hallway during break and scared that poor freshman?" Yeonghwa laughs loudly, the memory hitting her suddenly. "Pretty sure she transferred schools after that."

"Listen, I was trying my best back then!" Yunho protests, though he's grinning. "And she only screamed a little bit."

"A little bit? The entire hallway thought someone was being murdered! Mr Nam came flying out the teachers lounge with a bat ready to attack someone!"

"Yeah well, not all of us can be naturally tiny and adorable," he says, gesturing vaguely at her whole... everything. "Some of us are cursed with being basically a tree."

"Please, you love being tall," she rolls her eyes. "How many times did you make me get stuff from the top shelf in the library or at the store just so you could watch me struggle?"

"It was quality entertainment!" he defends. "Like watching a very determined hamster trying to climb Mount Everest."

Yeonghwa gasps in mock offence. "I will climb you like a tree and fight you right now!"

"What, and risk messing up your fancy dress?" Yunho grins, nodding at her sparkly outfit. "Also I'm pretty sure if you tried to climb me in those heels, we'd both die."

"Worth it though," she smirks.

They both laugh, and for a moment it feels just like old times. Her laughter causing a flutter of butterflies to erupt in his stomach at hearing it once more. He has missed her a lot more than he realised. Then they hear Mingi's voice calling for Yunho from somewhere nearby, and reality crashes back in. "Ah shit."

"Still getting into trouble?" she asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Some things never change," he shrugs. "I should probably-"

"Go," Yeonghwa finishes for him, a small smile playing at her lips.

"Yeah," he says, but doesn't move. "It was... it was good to see you, Yeonghwa."

"You too, Yun," she says softly, and something in his chest tightens at the old nickname. He swallows hard, suddenly feeling like there's a whole fucking field of landmines between them.

"Are you... would you be interested in meeting up at some point? Maybe we could grab a coffee or something." The words come out in a rush before he can second guess himself. "Just as friends though! No pressure!"

Yeonghwa blinks at him in surprise, processing his sudden invitation. A part of her screams yes immediately, desperate to spend more time with him, but another part hesitates.

"That sounds nice," she says slowly, carefully weighing her words. "But I don't know if that's such a good idea."

"Oh," Yunho nods quickly, trying not to let his disappointment show on his face. "Right, no worries! Totally understand."

"It's not that I don't want to-" Yeonghwa starts hurriedly, but stops herself. What is she doing? She can't do this to him again.

"It's fine," Yunho says again, forcing a small smile he doesn't feel. "We're both busy people with hectic schedules anyway. It was a dumb idea."

"No it wasn't-" Yeonghwa reaches for him instinctively grabbing his hand.

The sudden physical contact between causes both their hearts to leap. Without thinking Yunhos free hand cups her cheek as she nuzzles into it, finding comfort in his touch.

The moment stretches between them, charged with unspoken words and memories. Yunho's thumb brushes gently across her cheek as he leans down, drawn to her like a magnet. Their faces inches apart, he stops himself just before their lips meet, instead resting his forehead against hers. They stay like that for a heartbeat, sharing the same air.

"One coffee," Yeonghwa whispers, barely audible.

Yunho lets out a shaky breath of relief. "One coffee," he repeats softly.

"But if Mingi tries to murder me, I'm using you as a human shield," she adds with a weak attempt at humour.

"He'd have to catch you first," Yunho murmurs, still not moving away. "And you're basically pocket-sized, so you could probably just hide behind a plant pot."

"I will literally bite your kneecaps," she threatens without heat.

"See? Tiny but vicious. Like an angry chihuahua."

"Keep talking like that and that coffee's gonna end up in your lap," she warns, but her fingers tighten slightly in his hand as Yunho lets out a breathy laugh

"YUNHO!" Mingi's voice echoes closer, making them both jump apart like startled cats.

"Quick, go before he has an aneurysm," Yeonghwa says, taking a step back. "I'll text you about the coffee."

"You don't have my number anymore," he points out.

“I can easily get it,” She grins at him, tightening her fingers once more “I have my connections!”

Just then, Mingi rounds the corner looking annoyed, his long legs eating up the distance between them quickly. His eyes narrow when he spots Yeonghwa before he sees them holding hands. Yeonghwa immediately drops it and takes a step back, nervously fiddling with the ends of her long hair.

"There you are!" he exclaims, grabbing Yunho's arm. "We need to go. Now."

"Mingi-" Yunho starts, but Mingi's already dragging him away.

"Nice seeing you again, Aria!" Mingi calls over his shoulder, his voice dripping with fake sweetness with extra emphasis on her stage name, which Mingi also knew she hated being called. "Love what you've done with your hair. Really brings out the snake-"

"For fuck's sake," Yunho mutters, yanking his arm free. He shoots an apologetic look at Yeonghwa, who's watching the scene unfold with wide eyes. “I was just being polite!” he looks back at Mingi

"Just being polite? Are you fucking kidding me? You are standing there holding her hand like teenagers!!" Mingi's voice rises an octave. "What happened to 'I'm not getting dragged back into this' and ‘water under the bridge’?"

"We were literally just talking about dancing!" Yunho protests, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"Oh sure, because that's how it starts! First it's 'oh hey, nice backwards handstand' and next thing you know you're sneaking out to hotels with her then crying into your pillow when she throws you to the side again."

Yunho catches Yeonghwa shifting uncomfortably in his peripheral vision, her eyes fixed on the floor. The awkwardness is practically radiating off her in waves.

"Can we not do this here?" Yunho hisses, although the corridor is practically empty now, anyone could hear Mingis loud voice.

"Oh, I'm sorry, is this inconvenient for you?" Mingi's voice drips with sarcasm. "You know what else was inconvenient? Having to watch you mope around like a kicked puppy for months!"

"For fuck's sake, that was two years ago-"

"Yeah, and I'm not watching you go through round two of the Great Depression because you can't keep your distance from that bitch!" he points towards a startled looking Yeonghwa as Yunho pushes him. Mingis entire body language changes as he straightens up, somehow looking taller than Yunho.

"Song Mingi!" Hongjoong's sharp voice cuts through their bickering like a knife. Their leader stands at the end of the hallway, arms crossed, looking thoroughly unimpressed. "Both of you, waiting room. Now."

"But hyung-" Mingi starts.

"Did I fucking stutter?" Hongjoong says making his way towards the three of them

Mingi throws his hands up in frustration. "Fine. Fucking fine." He shoots one last venomous look at Yeonghwa before storming off, muttering under his breath.

"I'm so sorry, Yeong!" Yunho says moving back to Yeonghwa, who's hugging herself and looking like she wants the ground to swallow her whole. "He had no right to-"

"Yunho," Hongjoong cuts in firmly. "Say goodbye."

Yunho's jaw clenches, clearly wanting to say more, but one look at Hongjoong's expression tells him it's not up for debate. He turns back to Yeonghwa, his eyes softening. "I'll see you soon."

She manages a small nod, still looking shaken. Yunho hesitates for a moment before following the path Mingi took, his shoulders tense with barely contained anger.

Once Yunho's out of earshot, Hongjoong turns to Yeonghwa. His expression isn't unkind, but there's steel in his voice, there was no denying his intentions with his words. "You need to stay away from him. You once told him to leave you alone - do the same!"

"I didn't- he came to talk to me," Yeonghwa protests

"Yeah, because he's Yunho and he can't help himself," Hongjoong sighs, running a hand through his hair. "Look, you know how he is. He sees the best in everyone, even when they've hurt him."

"I never meant to-"

"Doesn't matter what you meant to do," Hongjoong cuts her off. "What matters is what happened and what you did to him! And it nearly broke him." He takes a step closer, lowering his voice. "I know that you genuinely once cared for him… so I'm asking you, for his sake and mental wellbeing - keep your distance."

Yeonghwa swallows hard, nodding slightly. She opens her mouth to respond but is cut off by her manager calling her name from down the hall.

"Good," Hongjoong says simply, already turning away. "See you around, Aria sunbaenim." he adds with a respectful bow but his tone of his voice was anything but.

Hearing her stage name feels like a sharp blow. The message is unmistakable. She observes Hongjoong walking away, then turns to face her manager, who is watching from a distance. Taking a deep breath, she heads back to her dressing room.

"Are you alright?" she inquires, wrapping a comforting arm around Yeonghwa's waist as she joins her.

Yeonghwa can only nod as they walk back to Moonlights waiting room.

As Hongjoong returns to his own waiting room, the air is heavy and silent. Mingi and Yunho are sitting on opposite sides of the room, the space between them crackling with unspoken words. Mingi’s arms are crossed, his jaw clenched so hard it looked like it might shatter at any moment. Yunho, on the other hand, is slouched in a chair, his eyes fixed on the floor.

The rest of the group is scattered around the room, their usual chatter replaced by an uncomfortable silence. Seonghwa is leaning against the counter between Yunho and Mingi as if waiting to play referee, his brow furrowed in concern

“Hey,” Seonghwa says softly, pushing off from the counter and walking over to Hongjoong. “What happened? Mingi stormed in not saying a word and Yunho came in a few minutes afterwards and.. I’ve never seen him look this way before!”

Hongjoong sighs, running a hand through his hair as he shut the door behind him. “They were… ” he says quietly, tipping his head toward the two. “I don’t even know how to describe it. They looked like they were about to go at each other’s throats.”

Seonghwa’s eyes widen. “What? What happened?”

Hongjoong shook his head. “I don’t know the whole story, but I walked in on the tail end of it. Yunho was talking to Yeonghwa, and… I don’t know what they were discussing, but Mingi clearly didn’t like it. When I found them, they were standing in the hallway, it was like a ticking time bomb waiting to go off.”

“Damn,” Seonghwa mutters, crossing his arms over his chest. “And then what?”

Hongjoong hesitates, replaying the scene in his mind. “Yunho… he pushed Mingi. Actually pushed him. I’ve never seen him like that before. He’s always the calm one, the peacemaker. But… he just snapped.”

“Yunho p-pushed him?!” Seonghwa asks shocked

“Mingi called Yeonghwa a bitch.”

Seonghwa’s expression turns grim. “Yeah well, that is like a red flag to a bull. We all know by now not to badmouth her infront of Yunho.”

“Yeah, well this was not only infront of Yunho but Yeonghwa too! And in a corridor!” Hongjoong sighs, “We are just lucky the corridor had cleared out by this point and no one saw or heard any of this!”

“Ah shit!” Seonghwa rubs his head, “This is bad. Really bad. We need to nip this in the bud, now!”

“I know,” Hongjoong sighs, his voice laced with worry.

"You know how Yunho becomes when it involves Yeonghwa. His judgment gets clouded, and Mingi... Mingi's just trying to look out for him, but he's handling it the wrong way!"

Mingi suddenly stands up causing everyone except Yunho who is still staring at the floor, to look at him. “Yunho… you are my oldest friend,” he says taking a step forward, “And I’m sorry that I upset you but… I can’t stand by and watch her hurt you again.”

Yunho lifts his gaze from the floor, his face reflecting both surprise and defiance. "Mingi, I get it," he starts, his voice unsteady, "and I know why you all have issues with her," he glances around at everyone else, "but you've only ever seen one side of my relationship with Yeonghwa, and unfortunately, it was the worst moment. None of you witnessed us when we were alone, those times when her guard down, and she wasn't Aria from Moonlight, but just Yeonghwa from Yeosu! You never saw her!"

"No one's saying those moments weren't real," Seonghwa cuts in gently. "But-"

"But what?" Yunho says. "She's evil? A snake? A heartless bitch? I’ve heard it all and worse, from each of you! You may not have said it to my face, but I could always hear you badmouthing her when you thought I couldn’t."

"Dude, she literally told you she never loved you while wearing your fucking hoodie," Yeosang points out. "Like, who does that?"

Yunho’s jaw tightens as he processes Yeosangs words. His fists clench at his sides, his eyes flickering with a mixture of hurt and anger. “I know what she said,” he grits out through clenched teeth. “But you don’t understand everything. You weren’t there for the whole story.”

Mingi steps closer, his expression softening. “Yunho, we just don’t want to see you get hurt again.”

Seonghwa nods in agreement, his gaze sympathetic. “It’s not about doubting your feelings, Yunho. It’s about looking out for you because we care about you.”

“And we are sorry you heard us speaking badly about her.” Wooyoung says

Yunho appreciates the support from his friends, feeling a weight lift off his shoulders. He nods gratefully, the sincerity in his eyes reflecting his gratitude. "Thank you, guys. I know you all mean well, and I'm grateful to have you looking out for me." He takes a deep breath, “But if you really do care about me, I need you all to back off when it comes to her.”

“What do you mean ‘back off’?” Jongho asks

Yunho looks around at his friends, his expression firm yet pleading. "I mean back off from talking about her, from trying to intervene with Yeonghwa. I need to figure things out on my own without all the negativity and interference. She’s agreed to meet me for a coffee… just the one!" he adds quickly as San groans.

Hongjoong frowns, concern etched on his face. "But Yunho, we just want what's best for you. We don't want to see you get hurt again."

"I know," he starts, his voice filled with gratitude. "But I need to handle this in my own way. I don’t know what is going to happen, we might never speak again after the coffee or we could slowly become friends once more…"

Mingi lets out a silent sigh at this that Yunho thankfully does not hear.

“But I can’t bear to have any of you disparage her anymore, regardless of what happens.” Yunho finishes. “You all say you don’t want me to be hurt, but hearing you speak that way about the girl I lov… once loved - THAT hurts me too!”

Seonghwa places a comforting hand on Yunho's shoulder. "We hear you, Yunho. We'll respect your wishes and try our best to support you in the way you need," he reassures him, his gaze filled with understanding.

Mingi, who had been listening quietly, finally speaks up. "Yunho, we've got your back. Just remember that we care about you and want the best for you," he says with a reassuring smile, his eyes reflecting his sincerity.

“That is all I am asking for.” Yunho replies

Wooyoung chimes in, his tone serious. "Yeah, we'll respect your boundaries. Just know that we're here for you no matter what."

Jongho nods in agreement. "We just want you to be happy, Yunho. We'll trust that you know what's best for yourself."

San can’t help but hug Yunho. "Just remember, we're here for you through whatever comes next."

“Don’t shut us out either!” Yeosang says

Mingi smiles at Yunho. "And I promise to keep my opinions about her to myself from now on. I didn’t realise I was hurting you whenever I spoke of her. Your happiness is what matters most to me.. to us."

With a collective nod, the group stands in solidarity with Yunho as he prepares to face the uncertainties of his meeting with Yeonghwa, knowing that they will be there for him every step of the way.

<m.list> ⋆ <next>

#ateez #jeong yunho #idol!oc #idol!yunho x idol!femoc #ateez romance #ateez smut #ateez fluff #ateez angst #kim hongjoong #park seonghwa #kang yeosang #choi san #song mingi #jung wooyoung #choi jongho

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dragonsarecool · 5 months ago

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Febwhump Day 12 - Used as Practice

A/N: Not everyone is satisfied with Julian being allowed to keep his registration, despite being genetically engineered. Set after 'Doctor Bashir, I Presume'.

Julian dreaded leaving the infirmary these days. Although his medical staff had given him their full support, he couldn't shake the feeling that they didn't truly mean it. They assisted him when needed and never asked any unnecessary questions, but stepping outside of his safe haven meant having to face the rest of the station without any defence.

Everywhere he went, he could feel their eyes on him.

Judging him. Inspecting him. Scrutinising him.

The man who had lied to everybody, who had done more than enough to earn a prison sentence, and yet was allowed to keep his commission.

So when the hand clamped itself over his mouth after he left the infirmary for the night, he realised he should've anticipated this. He offered no resistance as a thick piece of adhesive was forced over his mouth and his hands were tightly restrained behind him. A hand appeared under each arm and he was pulled along through the barren corridors, the majority of the station having fallen asleep hours ago.

He could feel the end of a phaser poking in the back of his spine, but he didn't need the motivation to comply. Part of him was slightly relieved.

Maybe they can finish the job so I don't have to.

He barely had time to register what section of the habitat ring they were in before they disappeared inside an empty set of quarters, the doors being manually locked behind him. One of his captors guided him to the living area before pushing him roughly into the couch, snatching his collar to stop him from completely falling over.

Two human males stood before him, the majority of their features masked with dark-coloured scarves. The taller of the two stepped forward, clasping his hands proudly. Even from this distance, Julian could make out a decent-sized scar running through his left eyebrow, the corresponding eye cloudy and unseeing.

"Doctor Bashir," His eyes crinkled, his smile hidden beneath the fabric. "What a pleasure to finally meet you."

"We've heard so much about you," The second man added. "Granted, none of it was good."

"But any publicity is good publicity, right?"

Julian gave no response. He sagged into the couch and blinked tiredly. Finish your monologue and get on with it.

Ignoring Julian's flat demeanour, Scarface looked at his partner. "Definitely the quietest one we've met."

"Most of the time they're screaming," Shortie commented. "We hate the screaming. Makes the job more unpleasant."

"Hence the gag."

"Can't have our concentration disturbed while finishing our task."

"Otherwise we'd never get anything done."

Are you guys assassins? Bounty hunters? I'm so confused…

"But you're a unique case for us, doctor," Scarface folded his arms across his chest. "It's not every day that we do a job out of the goodness of our hearts."

"Goodness might be stretching it," Shortie snorted.

"True, true. Let me rephrase it: we don't do jobs on our own accord very often."

"I'm a bit out of practice too, so this is a bonus."

"We love bonuses."

"You realise that you are just the beginning? Soon people'll start asking questions," Scarface slowly walked towards Julian, leaning over him intimidatingly. "They'll revisit the laws and rules that we've had in place for over two hundred years. People will say we should give it a second chance."

"'We're smarter now. Our technology has advanced. A second Khan won't be possible,'" Shortie mimicked sarcastically. "They'll see you as an excuse to start practising again. To start messing with nature despite there being plenty of reasons why it was outlawed in the first place."

"And we can't let that happen. Not again."

Scarface reached behind the couch, producing a standard Starfleet medical kit. His pleasant demeanour was dampened when he saw Julian's emotionless face. "My God, he really is a placid one after all. Where's the muffled screaming and desperate struggles?"

"It's almost as if he's waiting for us to kill him."

"How disappointing. I was hoping for a more dramatic performance. Anyway, it doesn't matter," Scarface opened the kit, nonchalantly looking through its contents, "because we're still going to kill you."

"In more ways than one." Shortie spoke dramatically, cocking his eyebrows.

"Now before you start panicking, we're not just gonna slit your throat and leave. That's not our style," Scarface rambled casually.

"It's too messy as well, believe us."

"My partner and I here believe in poetic justice. Khan escaped justice through death, you escaped through Starfleet; therefore death is not a fitting punishment for you. Can't have two genetic freaks sharing the same fate, especially considering you didn't kill anyone," Scarface retrieved what resembled a laser scalpel from the kit, fiddling with the settings. "But despite having clearly broken the laws around genetic engineering, Starfleet decides to let you keep everything. Your rank, your medical license, your position on this station, your freedom. All of it, and without so much as a slap on the wrist."

"And we don't agree with their decision," Shortie took a seat next to Julian, leaning in close enough to whisper in his ear. "No one should have that kind of immunity."

For the first time since he'd been grabbed, Julian finally felt a sense of panic. He tried desperately to regain control over his increased work of breathing, but knew it was failing miserably. There's no need for any torture, gentlemen! I've suffered enough as it is.

"You'll serve as a perfect example to Starfleet of how the people feel about this," Scarface's proud voice was sending chills down Julian's spine. "The doctor with spliced and manipulated genetics gets to experience it all over again. His flesh torn and his body twisted beyond recognition, so that no one knows what nature originally intended it to look like."

"And if he dies, that's a bonus as well," Shortie remarked, patting Julian on the shoulder, "for he will have truly lost everything."

Now accepting of the fact that he was fully panicking, Julian tried to push himself upright, only for his torso to be forced back into the couch with an elbow to the stomach. Shortie took the opportunity to climb on top of him, his legs and surprisingly-heavy weight effectively pinning Julian to the furniture.

"Hold his head back." Scarface instructed.

A squeak of protest escaped Julian as Shortie yanked on his hair, his throat pointing almost directly into the air. Scarface filled his entire field of view, which rapidly closed as his captor drew closer.

The familiar buzz of the laser scalpel made him nauseous.

His eyes were watering.

Please…Make it quick…

****

He'd lost feeling in his limbs hours ago. Blood flow was probably compromised too, but his head was too fuzzy to calculate exactly.

Something sharp was sticking into his chest. He realised they'd left his combadge attached.

Mutilated, bloodied and bruised, Julian lay his head down and allowed the fatigue to win. Might as well get some sleep before people come looking for me.

Something wet and warm trickled down his face. Part of wondered if his tear ducts were still working.

Maybe I'll die before they do.

#star trek #star trek ds9 #star trek deep space nine #fanfiction #whump #star trek deep space 9 #febwhump #febwhump25 #febwhump2025 #febwhumpday12

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zeroeightzeroone · 1 year ago

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serenade - lee felix

genre: fluff/soft, boy next door felix vibes

pairings: gender neutral reader x nonidol!felix

warnings: none

wc ~2.8k | moodboard

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ ｡｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:

'god, they make me so nervous.'

felix gulps and quickly glances down at his lap, where he's fiddling with his fingers nervously as he tries his best to act normal.

emphasis on the word tries.

his heart is constantly beating out of his chest while his hands clam up–all because you're seated across from him. with each passing glance from you in his direction, felix's composure falters, and his heart wants to run into your arms.

when you look in felix's direction, with those breathtaking eyes of yours that felix finds himself lost in, time and time again. your eyes that mesmerize him, he finds himself analyzing the waves of colour in your iris, tangled up in you as he swims in the depths of your beautiful eyes; he wouldn't mind drowning in them if it meant your eyes were on him and only him for the rest of his life.

under your gaze, felix can only muster a slight smile that you return, but he wants to smack himself. he could feel just how stiff his smile was; no doubt it looked awkward. he can't seem to relax his lips around you–he can't relax, period.

felix is always scared to mess up around you, to stumble over his words, and for you to perceive him as an idiot.

felix likes you, no–felix is in love with you.

but he doesn't quite know how to go about it, how to confess or how to serenade you so you fall into his waiting arms.

no matter how many times chan tries to tell his younger friend to be himself around you, to act natural, and you'll become putty in his arms, as chan argues, who won't? with someone as bright as felix, anyone would fall for his cute freckled face and charming personality. felix just can't; he's not on the same page.

he's too busy overthinking his next moves and how you may perceive them, even simple questions such as;

"hi, the weather's nice. do you wanna take a walk?"

felix is too scared to ask; he's worried you'll say no. he doesn't think his heart can take it if you say no.

the possibilities of admiring you from afar suggest both pros and cons. secretly admiring you with no clue regarding your feelings for him leads to two possibilities: you reciprocate felix's romantic feelings, or you see him as just a friend. if the latter turns out to be true when rejecting his offer to take a walk, his hopes will be crushed. but if the former is true, then felix is over the moon.

the glaring possibility of you not reciprocating his romantic feelings and holding mere platonic feelings for felix holds him back from confessing. he doesn't know if he's ready for that possible rude awakening.

one could say that ignorance is bliss.

the ones who aren't ignorant are your shared group of friends, felix's feelings for you are glaringly obvious in their eyes. every little thing flies under the radar of those in your friend group with hawk-like eyes.

the boys are well aware of felix's crush: he never stops talking about you, and the boys also never stop talking about felix's confession, interested in the how, what, when's and where's of the big moment.

a variety of questions felix has yet to find an answer to as the thought of confessing scares him to pieces.

on the other hand, the girls didn't even need to be explicitly told about felix's feelings for you. the freckled boy always has heart eyes when he's around you, or his eyes light up with joy at the mere mention of you, that in itself made the crush strikingly apparent and practically confirmed every suspicion they had.

heck, the whole neighbourhood probably knows how heart-eyes felix is for you.

…

when sunday came around, it was a miracle that some of you had a day off on such a beautiful day.

the sun shone brightly, the trees up and down the streets were beautifully full and green, and other trees had pink and white sakura petals blowing in the wind. the floral scent of the sakura and flowers blooming danced along with the smell of freshly baked pastries and coffee beans. since most of you had a free day, you all met up at a local cafe to spend a lazy sunday morning together.

the group spread out at the different tables of the cafe's outdoor seating as they basked in the spring atmosphere. once seated, you all conversed with one another as you patiently waited for the drinks and pastries you ordered. depending on where everyone decided to sit and whom they were sitting with, the topics of conversation varied.

felix sat with seungmin and jeongin as they discussed the upcoming release of a role-playing video game they had been looking forward to for quite some time now. while you sat at the table next to them closer to the cafe window, yeji and ryujin sitting across from you.

in the midst of the conversations, the barista came out to serve the orders to the respective person. most of the group ordered their usual beverage alongside a small pastry, while the others picked some things off the best-seller list to try something new for once. felix noticed that they were offering limited seasonal drinks, so he opted to try that alongside a triple chocolate brownie.

when felix's drink was served, everyone's eyes were drawn to the layered, gradient detail, which made his drink more appealing and exciting than everyone else's; the matcha green, white, and pink layering was definitely eye-catching. however, what caught felix's eye was how your eyes sparkled in awe as he sipped on the drink.

it took him a couple of minutes to build up the courage to ask you, but eventually, he did. felix took one last sip and turned to you with a shy smile, "did you want to try?"

your eyes widened a bit at the fact that you'd been caught staring at felix and his drink, not noticing the redness on the tips of his ears. you shake your head with a smile, but felix hasn't spent the past couple of minutes building up his courage to say no.

"c'mon."

you shake your head again, "it's okay, i have a drink."

"sip for a sip?" felix suggests. you cock your head in confusion, "you take a sip of mine, and i take one from yours; that way, it'll be even."

jeongin and seungmin have amused smiles on their faces, watching this exchange go down, much like everyone else does. ryujin and yeji are holding back their giggles while jisung and changbin are holding back from teasing the shit out of felix for being able to get a few sentences out when speaking to you. instead of teasing felix to his face and embarrassing him in front of you at that moment, they're whipping out their phones and sending messages to chan, minho and hyunjin.

they're all trying to act like they aren't glancing over and listening to you two.

after a brief pause, you're biting back a sheepish smile and shrugging, "why not."

when you and felix exchange cups, your fingers accidentally brush against him. it's a gesture you don't notice, but felix sure as hell does. it's pathetic, but he thinks he might just faint.

you’re quick to take a sip first, which is a testament to just how excited and curious you were when you first laid eyes on felix's drink. your eyes only light up further when the drink hits your tongue, and felix goes ahead and takes a sip of your drink. you go to take another sip, but you're quick to stop yourself, realizing it wasn't part of the agreement.

"if you want, we can just switch," felix offers when you turn towards him. you blink. " you seem to like my drink more than i do," he chuckles, and you feel your cheeks heat up.

"are you sure? what if you didn't like mine?"

"i like yours better," he's lying through his teeth.

in all honesty, felix preferred the drink he ordered to yours, but if he could see that look in your eyes when you took a sip and offered to exchange drinks, that was enough to convince him that he preferred your drink over his. felix would lie and persuade himself he liked things he didn't if it meant he'd get to see that sparkle in your eyes—anything to make you happy.

felix is absolutely whipped for you. absolutely down bad.

especially seeing how it's now almost three thirty in the morning; he's laying in bed gazing up at the ceiling and replaying how your eyes lit up at his offer to first take a sip and then offer you the whole drink. felix also feels like a grade-schooler when his mind tells him drinking from the same straw as you did was an indirect kiss. just the thought of kissing you makes felix giddy.

his phone buzzing from its spot next to him on the mattress snaps him out of his trance. felix's mind now wanders to who would text him at three thirty in the morning, when everyone either had work or school the next day. regardless, he picks up his phone and nearly drops it on his face when he sees they're from you.

y/n :) : thank you again for earlier i should've gotten it for myself in the first place so i didn't have to steal yours

felix: i gave it to you voluntarily, no stealing there no need to thank me at all

y/n :) : whatever you say lix

'lix'.

god he feels like he's going to go into cardiac arrest.

you've never called him that; it's always been felix or yongbok. this has him wondering if this is just a one-off occurrence or if you'll start addressing him like that now. he hopes for the latter, even though the latter will have him practically melting whenever you call him as if he doesn't already.

'are you free on friday? we can go back to the cafe together so you can get the seasonal drink this time.'

'i was just wondering if you were free on friday.'

'you know, since it's a limited-time seasonal drink, did you wanna go back on friday?'

he doesn't send any of those potential messages, psyching himself out of asking you to hang out just the two of you on friday. he just types them up and carefully deletes them, hoping he doesn't accidentally send them; he'd probably double over in embarrassment if he sent a half-deleted message asking you out.

yes, he built up enough courage to ask if you wanted some of his drink earlier and eventually switched his with yours, but asking you to hang out with just the two of you is a whole separate thing. you've only ever hung out with each other in a group setting.

at least in a group, he can sit silently while he's freaking out internally and not have to worry about filling the air with conversation. he'd probably find himself stumbling over his words if it was just the both of you; he'd look like a loser and then have no chance.

instead, felix opts for a:

how was the rest of your day today?

with his phone resting on his chest and his screen facing the ceiling, he waits for your reply. his heart almost jumps out of his ribcage when his phone buzzes.

y/n :) : it was good! but the highlight was definitely the seasonal drink at the cafe haha it was so good!

your little 'haha' at the end of the second message brings a smile to felix's face; he can hear your little giggles in his head when he reads the message. his heart flutters at the thought.

felix: i'm happy to hear you liked it so much it became the highlight of your day haha you went to watch a friend's basketball game in the evening right?

y/n :) : yeah i did!

felix: how was that? did your friends team win?

y/n :) : that was also fun, they didn't win, but it was a close call the other team was down by two but got a three-pointer at the buzzer the crowd went wild at that

felix: oh wow, it really was a close call did you go wild too lol

y/n :) : i mean it was hard not to haha my friend, even tho he lost, was raving about it afterwards even his team was amazed by the chances

felix: are they playing against another team or was it their last game

y/n :) : they have another game on friday

well, there goes felix's plan of asking you out on friday, a plan he repeatedly talked himself out of due to his fear of rejection.

nonetheless, the plan was still up in the air and within reach if he decided he had the guts over the week. felix texts back, wishing your friend's team luck and hoping they win their upcoming game. feeling a bit dejected that you are, in fact busy, on friday, he hopes his dejection isn't evident through the pop-up on your side of the screen.

laying his phone back down on his chest, face up, he ponders, making up strategies in his head on potential ways he'll confess in the future, only to hit the conclusion that he needs to consult the boys; anything he thinks of on his own leads to him talking himself out of it.

whenever felix thinks of confessing, he has two potential outcomes in mind: you reject him, effectively breaking his heart and forcing him to move on, or you reciprocate his feelings; felix will be in disbelief that the girl of his dreams likes him back, and you both live happily ever after. the latter only manifests late at night, in the depths of his unconsciousness, when he's going through sleep cycles. where he wakes up happy until he registers he's been dreaming.

felix's phone buzzes on his chest multiple times, signalling he's getting more than one notification, prompting him to grab ahold of the device out of curiosity and silence it; it's almost four in the morning, and the vibration of his phone is louder than it seems in the middle of the afternoon.

y/n :) : i've been meaning to ask actually did you want to come to the game with me this friday? it'll be just us two, and we could go to the cafe either before or after if you're free that is if you aren't that's okay too

felix has the heels of his hands on his eyes, rubbing vigorously before he's looking at his phone screen again, making sure that he's reading correctly and not seeing things. he also pinches himself to ensure he isn't imagining anything, that he isn't dreaming of you asking him on a date–well, is it a date?

it could just be a friendly, platonic hangout alone.

regardless, it's the two of you alone, and he thinks he will explode. this is even more so when his eye rubbing and pinching only solidifies that he is indeed seeing what he's seeing.

it isn't a dream; it's reality, and they're staring at him through words on a screen.

felix wants to take a breath to calm his heart but at the same time he needs to reply as soon as possible before you take back your offer if he seems uninterested.

felix: i'm free on friday! i'd love to go to the game and revisit the cafe with you

'was love too much? do i sound too excited?'

felix reads his message over and over again, his heart leaping when the grey bubbles pop up and indicate you typing on the other side. god, he hopes this isn't some cruel joke; his heart is too fragile to take that. if he reads into this wrong and you snap him into reality, then he will feel like his dawn has been ruined.

when his phone buzzes with another incoming message from you, he feels like he's dreaming, still not believing his eyes even as he repeatedly reads over your messages.

if felix felt like a grade schooler earlier, he feels it tenfold now. the giddiness and excitement bubbling up within him and threatening to overflow are reminiscent of your grade school crush telling you they liked your shirt or thought your pencil was cool. or when you're playing a game of truth or dare, and your friends tease you by daring your crush to hug you, the giddiness that comes from that hug.

he practically feels like he's over the moon, on cloud nine, giggling and kicking his feet as he repeatedly reads the grey bubbles on his screen. his heart soaring and tummy flipping after each read.

y/n :) : it's a date :) i'll see you this friday lix <3

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bookstantrash · 1 year ago

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A/N: okay so it’s been a good while since I’ve posted anything here on tumblr but the last year has been kinda insane as I’m nearing graduation, and my new internship is keeping me very busy.

I have two more one shots written and one half written, but after that I don’t know how long till I’m able to write again and post. Either way, I hope you enjoy this one shot!

But this love is brave and wild

Nesta had not intended to snoop through Cassian’s papers. He was — if she was honest with herself — the most organised out of them. Nesta Archeron being a messy person was something that had come as a surprise to Cassian and he teased her endlessly about it.

“I can find everything I need with no problem,” she had argued once when they were laying in bed, “therefore I am not messy. My organisation method is just different from yours General ‘I Colour Code My Folders’ Archeron”

“Whatever you say Nes,” Cassian had laughed, tightening his arms around her. Her mate, she had discovered, was an incorrigible cuddler “I still love you even if you don’t believe in the practicality of keeping things in one place”

She was always leaving books and hairpins all over the House, discarding her boots after training somewhere and forgetting to take them to their room, her notes about the Valkyries, military and Mind Stilling techniques forgotten and scattered in any surface available. The House was constantly gathering and leaving them on her desk, but it usually took her two to three days until she got the courage to sort and put them away properly. Cassian’s tidy and neatly arranged papers — sorted by importance and filled with carefully written notes — made his desk a stark contrast to her mountain of spread out ones in her side of the room they had transformed into their study room.

They had learned early on that they would never be capable of doing any actual work in their own room when their bed was only a few steps away.

Not that they had not fucked in each and every surface of the House, their study included. It just made the temptation of being all over each other slightly smaller.

Nesta had entered the study and was tidying her desk after the House had made the bathtub water cold and dumped on top of her towel the papers she had forgotten at the dining table.

“I was going to get them later,” Nesta had said, and in turn the military book Cassian had lent her had fallen on the little floating table she used when she wanted to read in the bathtub. She had been meaning to return it to him for over a week, the book forgotten amid her pile of romance books on her bedside table.

“Fine,” she had added, “I got the memo, I will put them in the study.”

So Nesta had gotten dressed in a bathrobe — she had every intention of going back to a bubble bath as a reward for tidying up her things — reordered her romance book stack, and set off for the study, grabbing any paper she had forgotten along the way. She was putting his book on the shelf when she noticed that Cassian had a few papers outside his drawer, something unusual to him.

“I better at least put the paperweight on top of them,” she thought to herself. She did not want to mess up her mate’s drawers and folders in her attempt to clean his desk.

Cassian had left in a hurry after lunch to Illyria — Emerie, Balthazar and him were trying to transform an old property into an orphanage and residence for those who had no place to go. For now the plans were to see how things would go in Windhaven, and then replicate the same in other camps. Apparently some problems had arisen concerning the renovations and he had left to sort things out. That explained why his space was uncharacteristically ‘messy’ for his standards.

Nesta lined his pens and was stacking the papers in a pile when one in particular caught her eye. Most of them were reports regarding Illyria or the Valkyries training plans, but the small piece of paper full of bullet points and notes scribbled in a hurry was neither.

“Is this a checklist of some sorts?” she mumbled to herself, reading it. If it was, Nesta could not make sense of it, for there were sometimes only a page number and an acronym in the same bullet point — “pg. 43, UTOT” — or phrases and even single words thrown around that made no sense — “ smell of rain”, “traditional dances”, “unicorns”, “pudding”, “peppermint”, “braids” and so on.

The list intrigued Nesta. Maybe Cassian was playing scattergories or some other game with Azriel or Gwyn again and had forgotten to throw it away. Nesta and Emerie had since long ago given up on playing with them — their competitive streak when combined was insufferable, and both girls had decided they would rather discuss their latest read than go through a discussion if “ice” could be considered a colour or not — but Cassian kept playing. According to him their bickering was amusing to watch despite the chances of him winning being rare.

Nesta wondered if Cassian had other lists somewhere, if together they could help her make sense of what they were exactly. She would have to ask him when he came back — which she hoped happened soon. It was almost time for dinner, and they always had their meals together. When they had an assignment that did not require them to stay more than a day away — Nesta had accepted the position of emissary, although she chose which places she wanted to go and with who she wanted to work with, not to say that it gave her a chance to travel for free — they always tried to come back in time to share meals together. And Cassian had also promised to bake a cake for her, nevermind they lived in a magical house who could do it itself.

So Nesta returned to her bubble bath, the hot water making her sigh with pleasure. A book appeared on her floating table moments later.

“Is this your way of saying ‘good job’ for organising my things?” she asked the House, which made a peppermint tea appear too.

“Thank you,” she said with a smile, and the faelight near the sink glowed brighter, as if it was saying ‘you’re welcome’.

Nesta ended up staying in the bath until her fingers resembled an old lady’s and she had finished her book. It was now late afternoon and no sight of Cassian. She debated starting another book, but she knew it would make her miss her mate even more. She always pictured him as the love interest in her novels.

“Pull yourself together,” Nesta said to herself “it has been less than a day. It is not like we have to be attached to each other all the time”

Truth to be told, Nesta had become rather clingy when it came to Cassian — not as much as him, she doubted there existed someone as affectionate and tender as her mate — but after their mate and wedding ceremony she found herself more comfortable expressing her feelings. She enjoyed having lazy days where she and Cassian would stay near the fireplace — either reading or just talking — or when Cassian would try and teach her how to cook — she now managed to not burn bread but that was it. He was always touching her — a hand on the small of her back, a brush of his hand against hers when he was passing her food, intertwining their legs when they were laying down, flicking her nose when she got annoyed at him… it seemed impossible for him to keep his hands to himself. And that did not bother Nesta at all. In fact, she loved it, and she had realised that she had denied herself of love and made herself so touch starved for so long that now that she could bask in it she was becoming greedy.

For her utter annoyance, Cassian did not return in time for dinner. Nesta ended up going to Feyre’s house to have dinner, and the sight of Nyx — who had just begun to walk — cheered her up a little, as did the chocolate cookies Elain had baked, although she could not help but think about the chocolate cake she had been promised.

Cassian ended up arriving at the House very late into the night, finding Nesta on their bed buried beneath furs, even with the fire lowly crackling in the hearth.

“Hello Nes,” Cassian greeted his mate the second he stepped inside their room, leaving a kiss on top of her head to not interrupt her reading.

“You are late,” was all she said, turning a page. She had ended up choosing one of his war texts to keep herself busy, but his scrawled notes on the margins of the pages did not help her longing.

“I am sorry sweetheart,” he kneeled on the floor beside their bed, taking her free hand on his and playing with her wedding band “Things at Windhaven took longer to resolve than I had intended and Emerie and Balthazar wanted to go over some new plans”

“What can I do to make you forgive me?” Cassian kissed her fingers, giving her his best puppy eyes.

“For starters you can take a bath,” Nesta wrinkled her nose at the dried mud on his boots “And dry your hair properly, I would rather not have you winning about feeling sick later”

“As you wish, Lady Death. Even if the idea of being bedridden and having you take care of me is very tempting” he said with a wink “I will leave you to your book in the meantime.”

Cassian came back less than ten minutes later, leathers gone in favour of soft cotton pants and no shirt, drying his hair with a towel.

“Bath taken and dirty boots have been put away,” he declared, placing the towel on a chair — the House vanishing it moments later — and grabbing a comb.

He sat beside Nesta on the bed, not having to say anything, only extending the brush in her direction. It had become natural to care for each other’s hair. Nesta still remembered the day she had asked her mate for help with the pins keeping her braid in place, Cassian almost falling in his rush to get to her. He had tenderly taken each one out, massaging her scalp later and carefully brushing her hair.

And the next time they had taken a bath together he had grabbed the shampoo to wash her hair before she could even move. Nesta had almost fallen asleep in the tub with the way he gently shampooed and rinsed her hair. Cassian had confessed to her one day that he had an unhealthy obsession with her hair.

“Oh I know,” she had said with a small secretive smile “I see how you look at me when I am braiding it”.

She also remembered the first time he had ever seen her with her hair down and had called it beautiful, making her blush furiously. And since he began taking care of it Nesta could swear that it had gotten stronger and shinier.

Considering how silky and shiny his hair was, it did not surprise her at all.

Nesta, it turned out, also had an unhealthy obsession with her mate’s hair.

She enjoyed washing and combing it, be it after a bath or after he had come back from a flight from somewhere. She enjoyed learning new braids to braid his hair, especially now that Emerie was teaching her traditional Illyrian hairstyles. She had gotten interested after she saw his hair for their wedding-mate ceremony.

“The Illyrans take great pride in their rituals,” Emerie had told her during the party after the ceremony “Back when we were constantly at war, many years ago during Enalius time, the wives of the warriors would braid tokens of good luck and protection for their husbands. Those with long hair also asked them to apply that pattern to their hairstyle, and we integrated in our culture the costume of different braid patterns depending on the occasion: wars, festivals and ceremonies such as burials and weddings”

“The hairstyle Cassian has now is the common braid style used at wedding ceremonies at Windhaven” Emerie had given her a soft smile “Cassian has no living female relatives, so he asked me to do it for him. I’ve never seen him sit so still for so long”

“Could you teach me?” Nesta had asked, feeling shy all of a sudden “I would like to learn them all so I can braid his hair… and our children’s when the time comes.”

“Of course,” her friend had said, and now whenever they had time Emerie would teach her.

Nesta slowly unknotted Cassian’s hair, and by the way he sighed she knew it would not take long for him to fall asleep.

“All done,” she declared, placing the comb near her book on the bedside table.

“Thank you, Nes” he said, slipping under the furs. He intertwined their legs, hugging her close to himself and burying his face on her neck.

Nesta sighed, instantly feeling warmer. Cassian was like a walking furnace, and even without a shirt he was way warmer than her.

“Am I forgiven now, xe nhia?” he asked, nuzzling her neck “I have bathed, dried my hair and am now fulfilling my duties as your personal Illyrian heater.”

“Perhaps.” she ran her fingers over his arm wrapped around her “You do own me a cake, which I was looking very forward to”

“What if I also made you pudding,” he began trailing kisses over her shoulder “would you like that xe r-endy?”

The terms of endearment in Illyrian made her feel so warm and giddy that Nesta almost let slide one word Cassian had said: pudding.

It was one of the words written on that piece of paper, and now she had the perfect opportunity to ask about it.

“Funny of you to ask me about pudding,” she began nonchalantly “I read something about it today”

“You did?” she could hear the surprise in his voice “Please tell me you were not attempting to cook, we all know how it went last time”

“I set fire to the kitchen one time and you never let it go,” she ruffed with annoyance “No, I did not attempt to cook. But I did find a rather interesting and confusing list with the word pudding on it.”

“What,” Cassian raised his head from her shoulder, and Nesta turned around on his arms to look at him.

“I was tidying up my things when I noticed your desk was uncharacteristically messy. I had only planned to put a paper weight on your papers to hold them down but I ended up reading your list,”

“I am sorry if I did not respect your privacy,” Nesta added in a rush, afraid Cassian might get angry “I did not mean to pry but my curiosity got the better of me and I ended up reading it.”

“I am not mad xe nhia,” Cassian said with a soft smile, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear “You are free to read any and all papers I have. I have nothing to hide, especially from my mate.”

“I am just embarrassed. That is all” he added, and she could see a faint blush dusting his light brown skin.

“Why would you be embarrassed?” she asked, furrowing her brows.

“Because,” he took a deep breath “that was one of the lists I made of topics I wanted to talk with you about. Ever since I met you back when you were human and I used to collect the queen’s letters from you, ever since then I would think of fake conversations and scenarios, building entire conversations inside my head so I could impress you with my comebacks.”

“So that time you stayed circling the house for ten minutes…” she inquired.

“I was compiling a list of chosen insults to throw your way, responses to an invented argument” he groaned, hiding his face on her shoulder “Like a complete fool.”

“You did this back when I was human?” Nesta asked, her love for her big kind hearted mate growing impossibly bigger.

“I never stopped, which might make me even a bigger fool than I was back then,” he admitted, face still hidden “Even after that, when you were Made and I used the excuse of exercising my wings to come and see you, and being together with you felt both so close yet so far given the circumstances”

“Cassian…”

“And even later, when we started living at the House and you were going through so much, trying to get better… I kept coming up with them. Topics I wanted to discuss with you, when we were together but not together. When it was just sex, and I was willing to take whatever you gave me because a little of your time, a little of you, was infinitely better than nothing at all.”

“Conversations we could have had, that I wanted us to have. Issues that I wanted to get your opinion on, if only I was not such a coward. It was always so difficult— I was so scared of ruining whatever I had managed to build with you, of losing you forever” he sighed, finally raising his head “I kept all of them. All of the lists. And I keep finding new things I want to talk with you about and since we got together it seems the list never stops growing. As if I am making up for the time lost, because now we do have that time”

Nesta did not know what to say in answer to that. Sometimes, when she had a bad day and felt like the old bitter and angry Nesta — the one who drowned her problems in alcohol and refused to let herself feel anything good at all — she had to remind herself that she was deserving of the love she had now. That she was deserving of her sisters — the old and the new ones — and of her friends and family.

That she was deserving of such a good male like Cassian. Her mate, her husband, her friend and her family.

“You can laugh if you want,” Cassian said, sounding a bit nervous about her reaction “Cauldron knows I must sound like a madman creating make believe arguments”

“Why would I laugh when my mate loves me so much that he cannot help but think of me literally every single moment?” Nesta arched an eyebrow, letting all of her love and adoration for him shine through their bond.

“What you just said is book love interest level, Cassian” she kissed him, burying her hands in his hair “I would be a fool to laugh.”

Nesta could see the relief in his eyes and she smiled. “You can ask me anything you want to know, anytime. Especially if it means you will cook more sweets for me, xe porang termireco”

Cassian groaned, rolling them so his weight pressed her down deliciously.

“You will be the death of me, Lady Death” he whispered, nipping at her ear.

“I thought you were tired from your flight” she breathed as he started kissing her neck.

“You know what you speaking Illyrian does to me,” he argued, “especially when you call me your handsome husband ”

And Nesta made sure to call him plenty of things in Illyrian in the next hours, both of them falling asleep only when the sun was rising.

•

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