#( VERSE. ) here we are in the future !

[xxplastic-cubexx]

thinkin bout magneto's lil list of aliases from that One Shot of his government file or w/e in 97 and how it lists the three main men who've played him (David Hemblen, Ian McKellen, Michael Fassbender) and kinda cackling at the idea 1.) if they included All his names 2.) having 'michael' on that list twice

[iwasbored777]

I really love Gwen's story in the end of ATSV cuz even if she and Miles never speak again she has real friends now, she's not all alone anymore. She has people who understand her the way others couldn't. And things aren't 100% perfect in her dimension but at least her father no longer thinks she's a murderer and even though everyone else will probably never change their mind about her in her world at least her father is here on her side. It's a huge improvement from how things were in the first movie and the majority of the second one. She spent the whole first movie realizing what it's like to be happy again, in the second movie she was afraid that she would lose everything because things were even worse than before, at one point she did lose everything, and after that she gained more than she thought she would.

Of course she was so negative about stuff, cuz when life is beating you down for too long you forget that good things can happen.

[vanlegion]

TUCKER IS -

Teal! He's Teal. Hands down. I have solved it. How you ask? I'm obsessed with a certain Maroon Nerd and on a filter in my art program I hit Difference and was like 'Huh... OH!' Also this:

HA! Which makes Caroline Cyan. And then I did this for Shits and Giggles:

Hehhahaha~ I love how the show joked about first Grifs colors then Tuckers colors. X3 Hehe. And then for some more fun Sarge Red FF0000 vs Caboose Blue 0000FF Maroons hex is 800000 and is seared into my brain now along with FFA500 which is "FUCKING ORANGE" (A very bright orange) Random - I always thought York was Gold.

[a0iakuma]

@infinityxcycle asks: The chance of freedom to wander this newly found world has arrived for the blue blur, and most everything seems... Normal. Perhaps not the normal he is used to, but there is a semblance of stability, where people have things figured out and are living their best life. Zones may be shuffled a bit, with some light changes compared to the world he knows, but it seems easy enough to get used to. However, amidst curiosity and wandering about, he had gained someone's attention. Chocolate brown eyes suddenly on him, staring as if they were seeing the dead. "... It's happening again." Words barely above a whisper rose, high-pitched yet obviously in a state of agony. "I-I'm hallucinating again." She spoke once more, just a bit louder than last time. Looking around, trying to figure out where the blue streak had run off to. But it was too late, she could feel her body shaking, hands gripping her arms far too tightly. It was... Just her imagination. It wasn't real. She had to remind herself that. But she still found herself collapsing where she stood, tears in the brown hedgehog's eyes as she curled. Perhaps not the best curl in the world, but a curl nonetheless. She just... Wanted the feeling of wind and movement to go away... It would go away... Right?

He hadn't noticed her at first, too busy taking it all in; the freedom, the breeze, the sea salt air near the beach. Oh, the palm trees! He ran to them as his strength was slowly coming back. He sped up just to run up the tree, perched on top. Amazing. It's like he never left, and yet they progressed without him. It's a bittersweet feeling, but nonetheless a proud one. He stood there, all tall, a hand side-ways, pressed to his forehead; a gesture of scouting.

He looks left then Sonic slowly looks right to see her. His eyes widened. Is she okay? Is she in pain? Sonic jumped off the palm tree and landed on his feet. Still got it! He thought to himself, knowing how cocky he sounded in his own head. Then he dashed off, running over to the collapsed woman.

Skidding to a stop, Sonic knelt down, a gloved hand gentle on her shoulder. Concern flooded through him, you can see it in his eyes — the way his eyebrows soon pinched together, worried for her well-being.

“ Hey! Whoa! Are you okay there, lady? Don't cry. Come on. I'm sure everything is fine... ” Sonic began, awkwardly trailing off. Sonic has no idea why she was sobbing? What was the reason for her pain and suffering?

“ Are you hurt? Are you in pain right now? ”

[abrthephantomq]

Write What You Know - A Dissertation

And why (is) this statement (is) the most bullshit statement and also the most CORRECT statement in terms of writing.

Is that the essay itself?

Yeah pretty much. I mean. Do I really need to elaborate? Do we really need additional details?

Okay - I assume it can be read both as a question and a statement.

Of course. Because you love to ramble and I just like hearing you talk while I work. I might not be understanding a word of what you're saying but your enthusiasm is fucking adorable.

"I -" Oh. Okay. We started telling stories as a kid because we wanted to write down the like, little adventures we went on as kids without our mother fucking being able to read it.

"I -" But I didn't like, think we actually needed to hide all that shit from her? because she typically would tease us for shit like ooooooh is that a journal, did you write about Stephen B in there -

Lmao, the amount that you were in love with him as a kid is RIDICULOUS.

I WAS NINE, OKAY? Nine to eleven years old. I loved that boy so much because he understood that I was not a girl. I didn't know what the fuck I was but I knew for damn sure I was not a girl. Boy didn't feel exactly right, either, but it was closer.

"Male Adjacent?"

"Fuck you I love you so much for that label. Like, yeah, we wrote it in our Parent!AU of the Shared 'Verse, but..."

"It was written as 'Female Adjacent,' - because the more accurate label would likely be not a girl, but not a boy, either, but I prefer girl's clothes and want to be recognized as a man. Boy? eh. Masculine. Like oh that's a dude in a dress but he looks so happy and proud in it that the confidence is qhat's adorable, not -"

"Steven Bartholomew!"

"My bad, ma!"

"Why do you call her that? She's not even your -"

"She is, though. She might as well be, anyway, I see her more than I do my own mom."

Oh so - that gelphie AU where Elphie is singing Defying Gravity AND is able to fly because of how deeply, deeply G(a)'Linda wanted her to succeed in flying because of how much she loved her."

Fuck YOU Steven jesus fucking Christ.

It's Stephen. With a PhDEEZNUTS -

why are you fucking LIKE THIS *cackling*

or, how I taught my kid not to give a fuck about any of the other kids and be as cringe as he fucking wants, because at least if he's cringe, he's free.

fucking hell a fic from azula's pov from the beginning of zuko's banishment? to canon? the little sister who was abandoned? the little sister who got left behind with this monster. You knew he was a monster. You knew it! And you - you let him -"

"I'm sorry, Azula?" yes. YES YES YES. I never read the actual comic books for ATLA that like - I know OF spoilers about Zuko's mom? And Azula's redemption arc? But like. I haven't read it. So I have no idea how any of it actually plays out but I could probably make it work if I started at the end of the series..."

....y'all we may be too happy / high for this right now and also we're hungry and should probably eat breakfast.

Also damn can you believe we broke our left ankle in 2013? I mean, I'm not surprised but like. Holy hell the way that ankle was NOT happy when we worked for eight hours straight off of fucking it up at Loveless.

That's a HELL of a name yes. Please. We only lived in that house for a year? Two? Somewhere around there?

Probably 18 months, then. we lived with dad 'til June of 2012, the separation began officially in 2013, we were out of that house shortly thereafter.

Also if y'all haven't seen Complexly's Ask Hank Anything with Rhett & Link - the part where Hank goes "that's adorable" is 100% Hank accidentally shipping Rhett and Link like all of us chaotic bisexuals who'd like to be in the middle of whatever sandwich.

Like, whether those two men know it or not, they want each other bad bad. And I'm leaning into at least one of them doesn't know. Because they're "straight" and they "have wives" etc and kids even that they both love and adore v v much --"

Uncle Miles! You're home! <3

okay but do we REALLY think that Miles fucking Edgeworth would let Phoenix and that little girl actually continue on in poverty like that?

Like, do we REALLY?

Phoenix would never ask for the level of help and Miles KNOWS that about him. He remembers that about him from when they were in school together. Phoenix will NEVER ask for help. Even when he can't get his words out because he's upset and scared to defend himself.

Miles Edgeworth is not a defense attorney but he is PHOENIX'S defense attorney. Always. He learned how to be a defense attorney because he saw Miles mimicking Greg. And he was willing to take on Iris's case AND get a fucking judge that wouldn't recognize him AND his sister, the two most prominent of Von Karma's prodigies? Like????

The man would have been like I HAVE A HOME IN LOS TOKYO CAN YOU PLEASE JUST LIVE IN THAT INSTEAD OF THAT CRAMPED, ONE BEDROOM APARTMENT I BEG. Lived in homes settle better, anyway, and if I don't come back from Germany -

You're coming back from Germany.

"I -- I don't believe you get to make that decision for me."

"You're coming back from Germany."

So - you want to rework the 7 year gap and what not? with an investigations #3 au?

yes we already established this and in fact I just wrote some dialogue for the next chapter so, =p.

why the fuck did you just LICK ME -

*cackling*

[ofstarsandskies]

Atsuro Hundred Line AU: A Future of Lies

A contributor on the Exodus Project thanks to his apprenticeship with the brilliant programmer Naoya. However, once it was time to return to the Artificial Satellite, he chose to stay behind thanks to a growing curiosity the Invaders' technology. But upon watching the shuttle fly away, Atsuro realized he hadn't thought this through at all. In fact, he just doomed himself to the most preventable death ever.

Wandering until his body gave out, he was found by a human-like Invader who immediately took him to his house. There awaited the Invader's older brother who attempted to talk to him, but it was a mess of sounds on both ends. Still, the Invaders never raised a hand to hurt him; in fact they stopped him when he tried to leave to not impose on them.

And so, Atsuro Kihara found a second family with these strange yet kind brothers.

Eventually those two learned to speak human, even adopting the human names Atsuro came up with: Ludger and Julius. Both derived from him noticing Julius would hum Ludger to sleep with a sound that sounded like "Lu". The brothers also became addicted to tomatoes after Atsuro remembered he'd kept seeds in his pocket. Life was looking up.

Alas, once the project he contributed to was in full swing, his happy days were literally numbered. And worse? Atsuro lacked the nerve to tell the family who loved and trusted him they'd soon be eliminated.

But at least he'd die with them.

Tag: aau;; A Future of Lies Ludger & Julius' Side Details: Here

AU Notes:

Atsuro is cryptoglobin-free. So if a Futuran attacked him, he knows it's over.

With a bit of scraping together bits, Atsuro does get a working comm to text Naoya. Oddly Naoya assures him those 100 days won't be his death, though he won't say why. But that's Naoya for you.

[muralmxse]

"So much has changed since the first arrivals? Kinda weird to think about when you reflect on things eh? Amazing too, but its just a lot."

Reflective Answer || Always Accepting

For @rxbelling-hxrald || Into The Future

Iris couldn't help but smile at the sentiment. Indeed things have changed since the war was finally over. There was peace between the overlanders and mobians. They settled their differences when a bigger adversary invaded.

There was some loss... but some reunions...

... but in the end, everyone united to fight for a better future.

And most of all, they won.

The mayor looked around as all their friends and family came together for a picnic at her mothers in the Emerald Forest. Her loved ones of earth... and of the Cosmo galaxy.

She let out a content sigh as she continued to gently caress her soulmate's hair. Fiona slept soundly under her lap while their child, Rosa, slept on her stomach peacefully.

They could never return to the place of birth, but called a new planet home.

       ❝ Yes it is, Dan... And I would say... it was worth it in the end. ❞

Yes... indeed it was worth it.

[pacexlikexaxghost]

Steven Tag Dump

[clemencetaught]

and we'll find some version of okay, one day ( ft. myungdae & hyuk || verse two )

a/n: did someone say hyurick? today is alex ( @jeoseungsaja )'s birthday SO HAPPY BIRTHDAY FRIENDO :DDDD thank you so much for the all the wonderful stories, muses, smiles, and laughs u've given me ( and all ur friends and ppl on dash ) over the years; i hope this trip around the sun will be a happy one for you!! care you lots <3 &lt;3 <3

Being in a relationship with Hyuk is surprisingly easy.

No, easy, isn’t the right word. ‘Easy’ implies a lack of effort to make what is between them now. ‘Easy’ implies what they have is intuitive when it is anything but. Hindsight is 20/20- it becomes more apparent to Myungdae that perhaps the last five years didn’t have to be as painful.

( He could have told Hyuk what was happening from the beginning. He could have revealed himself to Hyuk when he arrived in Seoul. He could have taken a moment and realized that perhaps keeping this undertaking to himself was only going to cause more grief for all parties involved. Maybe then, Hyuk wouldn’t have gotten fatally stabbed. Maybe Hyuk wouldn’t dissociate, wouldn’t be considered invalid in the eyes of the public, having ‘lost the plot’. The should-haves and could-haves echo in Myungdae’s ears like his ghosts and if Myungdae thinks too hard about it, they’ll start piling the guilt one on top of another, like the stack of essays he still hasn’t graded. And when that happens, the stacks will climb higher and higher like Icarus until it inevitably burns and falls- )

So being in a relationship with Hyuk is not easy.

But it is simple.

Their relationship reminds Myungdae of a heist, except not as nearly meticulously calculated. But the principle is ultimately the same- watch your back and watch your partner’s back. If your partner needs help, even if you can’t do anything, be there for them. Or in Myungdae’s case, in the aftermath.  Wounds are like cats- easy to see, harder to catch in the moment.

Of course, simply being there is a plan too vague for the Black Knight’s standards. It’s a concept with one too many external factors and one too many uncertainties to consider.

And yet somehow, their relationship works.. Actually, it might be even more painless than any heist. Sure, the obstacles come unexpectedly, but the solutions don’t require nearly as much finesse. As a matter of fact, the most effective solutions to their obstacles are much…simpler. Less thinking, more doing in the moment.

For example, Myungdae needs to bolt? Well he can do it, but Hyuk’s going to have to follow him or at the very least find his hiding spot once the smoke bomb has cleared up. Hyuk needs space after an episode of derealization? Catch Myungdae lingering just around the corner, waiting to be let in. Myungdae doesn’t mind the wait either.

He’s always been good at abiding for time- most times.

There’s still more to figure out about each other though. It’s not like they can go back five years. And no single conversation is going to give Myungdae everything he needs to know about his dear…friend? Partner?

( Myungdae decides he’s not going to think about that right now- he’s also not going to say anything about it to anyone. Nell and Alfred already have their suspicions, and god forbid if Quinn and Taiyang found out. Myungdae already wants to stab the latter two whenever they cross paths. And he doesn’t need one more tempting reason. Not that he thinks Hyuk would mind too much- okay, maybe Hyuk would. A quirk of being part of law enforcement, but no one’s perfect. )

Besides, Hyuk reveals himself in layers- like a book, one page at a time. It’s an incorrect metaphor, the open book one, Myungdae can’t help but think. An open book implies all the facts and details laid out, plain and easy to interpret. That’s no book. Or at least not a novel- to read a novel and understand it in its entirety takes more than one read-thru. It takes turning one page at a time, studying every scene and word to comprehend how it contributes to the whole, making careful annotations in the margins, and recalling the most vivid of phrases and moments to truly know a book.

And isn’t that what Myungdae and Hyuk have been doing all this time?

Granted, once more, that isn’t to say it’s been easy. Old habits are, well, the cliché could not be more accurate- old habits die hard. Like how Hyuk still zones out for hours on end without saying a word to anyone and how he’s given up on art in favor of reading and rereading files with yellowed papers on cases that have lost relevance years ago. Or how Myungdae refuses to show skin in front of anyone and how he barely reads and  reads only for necessity.

Or how they both still have nightmares. 

Sharpened teeth need to sink in somewhere. If not someone else, then themselves. Maybe those habits will never die. Maybe even if they have each other, they’ll never be okay, never be whole once more.

Nevertheless-

“Your hair’s getting long,” Myungdae murmurs, hand carding through Hyuk’s hair. It’s a Sunday at an hour too early to be awake and of course, they’re in Hyuk’s office. Myungdae didn’t sleep well the previous night and he suspects it’s the same for Hyuk, from the way he couldn’t stop moving. Or the way Myungdae heard him gasp in the middle of the night, only to curl a little tighter against him on the sofa bed.

( Of the new couch- the old one, that two seater with deflated green cushions and scratchy fabric that must have been repurposed from a potato sack, Hyuk had replaced not too long ago. Myungdae won’t admit that he likes the new one- a three seater with chenille fabric that can fold out into a bed- more now that he’s had time to get accustomed. )

Hyuk grumbles, head in Myungdae’s lap. “It already is.” His arm loosely draped around Myungdae’s waist, Hyuk peeks up at him. Myungdae can see the lines under sleep deprived eyes.  “Do you like actually being a pigeon? It’s too early, Dae-yah.” A warm hand finds purchase on Myungdae’s hip as Hyuk groans, groggy. “Lie down.” 

Next to me, Myungdae can hear from the breeze blowing in. The lilies of the valley on the window sill jingle, tinkling and singing.

“You should get it trimmed.” Myungdae says instead, fingers tangling themselves between the strands of hair. They’re smooth. Fresh-smelling too like his shampoo. “It’ll get in your way.”

Hyuk flips to his back and looks up at Myungdae. “Don’t need to.”

“It falls over your eyes when you’re reading.” An observation, on Myungdae’s part. Hyuk grumbles.

“Doesn’t matter.” Which is translation for ‘I’m fine’. But Myungdae knows this is Hyuk’s way of saying, ‘I don’t want to.’

‘I can’t.’ 

Myungdae tilts his head, thinking as his fingers knead down to the scalp. What would make Hyuk steer away from hairdressers? How does this connect to the full picture of his dear friend now?

There are still so many things he has to learn about Lee Hyuk.

“...What If I did it?”

Hyuk raises a brow and suddenly, the window where the lilies of the valley sit looks very tempting to jump through.  It would take him, say, eleven seconds to through the window if he doesn’t grab his jacket with the smoke bombs along the way. 

“Do you even know how to cut hair?” Hyuk asks. It’s not a ‘yes’ but it’s not a ‘no’ either. 

It’s a silly overreaction, Myungdae realizes he just had. Myungdae could ask Hyuk a question and Hyuk would give him the truth. This is the way it’s always been- they don’t, or rather they can’t lie to each other. Sooner or later, the truth comes out and that’s a lesson Myungdae has been learning the hard way. 

They probably need to have a conversation about that sooner or later.

But once again, it is a Sunday at an hour way too early to be awake. This time, they can take the detour. Hyuk might think there’s no time like the present these days, but Myungdae is more than content to take the roundabout way.

“If I can use a sword, a pair of scissors can’t be any worse.” Myungdae says. It’s a half-lie. Hyuk still looks at him skeptically. “I’ll cut straight- you won’t lose more than a few inches.”

Hyuk huffs, a loose strand still landing in front of his eyes. Myungdae tucks it behind his ear. “...I’ll think about it. But on one condition-” Myungdae yelps. Rolling off of his lap, Hyuk half-coaxes, half-wrestles him into the spot next to him. Alarm rolls in, only to recede once Hyuk’s hand presses against his back and Myungdae is once more face-to-face with his dear friend.

“We rest for longer.” Hyuk finally finishes, triumphant.

“We’ll have to get up soon.” Myungdae points out. “Nell is no good in the kitchen. Hiro’s going to complain.”

Hyuk huffs. “They can wait a few hours. Who gets up at six on a Sunday morning, huh? Huh?”

Myungdae snorts, a hand carding through Hyuk’s hair, his fingertips padding against his scalp. Hyuk leans into it and sighs in approval. “Okay. Just a few more hours then. We can get up later.” 

Yes, between the two of them, they still have a lot of problems and no actual solutions: ANACHRON is still at large, Hyuk’s caseload never dies down, and the Black Knight still has heists to execute. 

Hyuk still zones out and Myungdae still doesn’t relax for any occasion. But at the same time, Hyuk doodles more now and his derealization episodes come around less often. And Myungdae sometimes wears short-sleeved shirts and will even pick up a short story to read for leisure.

It’s not quite perfect, but it’s progress.

The lilies of the valley tinkle in the sunlight. Myungdae presses closer to Hyuk- maybe they’ll never go back to the way they were before, maybe they’ll never have something easy, but if they have each other, they can be something like okay, one day.

.

.

.

fin.

[outoftheirdifferences]

⊿ - Coming to visit them (For Connie!)

Symbol Meme - Affectionate/Nice Edition

"Oh, Black Star! I didn't expect..."

Of course she didn't. While Connie was involved in Gem Stuff on a fairly regular basis, if not so much as she had been when they had been at war with the Diamonds, it still wasn't exactly an everyday occurrence to find one of the gems at her front door. With the exception of Steven, of course, the girl rather thought that most of them just left her to her own thing when she wasn't actively involving herself in Crystal Gem business.

"I mean, sorry, come on in."

Getting over her surprise, she stepped aside to let the small gem into the house. Not a place she'd have seen before, Connie supposed (unless Mom had been having gems over for tea without telling her, but that sounded implausible).

"How are you all, anyway? I haven't heard much news from Little Homeworld recently..."

[kiigan]

ㅤ«I think we should decide for ourselves.» It was as simple and as complicated as that. «Very rarely two people will agree on exactly everything. From small matters, such as what is the most flavorful tea, to big matters, such as who should rule a village and why and how. Disagreeing, by itself, is not inherently bad - on the contrary, it's important to know how to listen to different perspectives rather than to remain in an echo chamber. Even if, in the end, we still disagree, we can coexist peacefully if we know how to respect the other. The problem is-»

ㅤA brief pause, to glance at Kakuzu and then back to the road ahead, «Most people don't know how to make an informed decision. Which, in turn, is often fueled by those in power - uneducated masses are much easier to manipulate and to control through means such as fear-mongering. If the people are unsure on what to decide, or how to decide, they are much more prone to allow others to decide for them and relieve them from the burden of responsibility. And another problem is that most people are often taught to do what is so-called right in order to avoid some form of punishment, not because they intrinsically relate to certain values. Think of stealing, for example. If I do not steal simply because I do not wish to be arrested, all this will result in is that I will refrain from stealing during times I know there is a high risk I'll be caught in the act, but nothing will prevent me from stealing when I feel at ease to do so. On the other hand, if I understand that I should not steal because that is unfair towards the person who worked hard to achieve whatever it is that I might steal, then I will not do it regardless of if I'm being monitored or not.»

ㅤAnd maybe this whole spiel could be shrunk into one single concept: empathy. Put yourself in somebody else's shoes, so to speak; take the time to consider what your actions and choices will cause to that person. And, from there, compassion. Be sensitive to another's suffering, and have the motivation to want to help them.

ㅤ«I also agree that respect should be given to all, by default. And then either continued or taken back, according to what that specific person offers you.» In a way, maybe this explained why Kakuzu, so infamous for having butchered several partners before and not having yet done the same to Hidan only because the zealot literally could not be killed, had yet to raise a finger towards Itachi? Because he'd been offered respect by default? It truly wasn't rocket science, at the end of the day. Speaking of Hidan-

ㅤThe large hand came to pat his head, fluffing down the strands of deep black, and it took the Uchiha every ounce of self-restrain to not just freeze on the spot and, instead, continue walking in the same tranquil cadence, like nothing at all was amiss. When was the last time somebody had patted his head...? Hell, when was the last time somebody at all had touched him [or attempted to; a certain red-haired puppet master came to mind] in a way that did not immediately warrant a defensive reaction? There was Kisame, yes, and occasional little playful shoulder bumps and careful touches when tending wounds and even sitting close together for warmth during cold nights in the open, but that didn't really count. Kisame was someone Itachi had no doubt at this point that he could trust. From someone who effectively was a stranger, though, like Kakuzu? It felt as unsettling as it did comforting, and he found himself missing the contact as soon as it was gone. Who would have guessed that even a genius was not exempt from touch starvation.

Alas, there was a mask to be kept on.

ㅤ«My reason was never a mystery. I wished to test the limits of my powers at the time, and there was no better standard than to overcome what used to be Konoha's most powerful clan.»

      Kakuzu could not help but to see the similarities and yet striking differences between his younger self and the young Uchiha that stood next to him. As a young man, he had been devout, perhaps more so than Hidan, a man of faith only lead away from it to serve his country and village, to which he was even more faithful to. Despite all that faith and trust into the authorities at the time, he could also see what was wrong with the system. The injustice done both by the deities he worshiped and the government that should stand for him. Still, his faith had blinded him, much in the way perhaps Itachi's strong ideals blurred his sight. For Kakuzu, it had all ended with him being brutalised by the Shodaime, the very man that created the village in which Itachi had grown up in.

      ❛  Indeed,  ❜ Kakuzu agreed, though it was hard to truly conceptualise what would classify as right, wasn't it? Who was to decide such thing? Kakuzu used to wonder quite often the intricacies of morality, of right and wrong, many times questioning the monks at the temple he frequented for surely they'd have the answer. They did not, or perhaps they simply did not wish to tell him.  ❛  Although, who do you think should get to decide which is which?  ❜ he asked, unaware that Itachi had similar thoughts.

      ❛  Many like to say there is no light without the dark, perhaps the very same can be said for things such as 'right' and 'wrong'.  ❜ The miser shrugged, much of it was all very subjective to one's experiences and desires. Someone as Itachi, who desired peace, would see any action that opposed to that as wrong and any in favor of it as right, but what of the countless people who had died between the wars to bring about the very age of seemingly peace they walked on. The little villages trampled by bigger ones in their avid search for peace. Would they see it their own dead and think it was a good thing?

      Now, that, Kakuzu could agree with wholeheartedly. Authority in their world, in general too, but specially in the shinobi world was done to benefit those who did not have the general well-being of all in mind. An allegory, a title more than a hard-earned honor.  ❛  Respect should be given to all, regardless of age or status, or so I was taught,  ❜ he began, green and red eyes once again staring at the younger man.  ❛  Authority, however, should only belong to those who strive to earn it, who have earned the trust and collective respect of those they seek to oversee.  ❜ Which, in a way, was why Kakuzu put his faith on money so strongly.

      People work hard to earn their money, they are less willing to betray or perhaps less willing to 'play' when money is at stake.

      Itachi's next words prompt a low chuckle of the older man, eyes glinting with amusement at the saying.  ❛  Hardly. The dead are dead. It seems more like peer pressure by the living who remember, and are using the dead and the grief they left behind as leverage over the living.  ❜

      Kakuzu caught the small joke, though he did not laugh at it. He was not one to assume, but sharing that particular conversation with Itachi showed him there was more to the young Uchiha than met the eyes, although he wouldn't call him out on it.  ❛  Perhaps, but family is hardly only made of those who share your blood,  ❜ he paused, and hesitantly approached the younger man, hand gently patting his head. Kakuzu was not one for physical contact, but Itachi was but a toddler compared to him, it felt like he might have needed it somehow.  ❛  Besides, I don't believe you killed your family without having a logical reason to. You don't strike me as someone to do so. You're not Hidan.  ❜

[svt-luna]

𝜗℘ SAY YES TO HEAVEN, SAY YES TO ME

❛ 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘪'𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵, 𝘪'𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘢𝘺. 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺— 𝘪’𝘷𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘦𝘺𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯, 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦. 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰, 𝘪'𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘪'𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦. 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘢 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘮, 𝘪 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳— '𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯, 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦. ❜

timeline: 2024

synopsis: Beneath the moonlit skies of Berlin, a moment years in the making sparks a whirlwind of love, laughter, and unspoken promises, with a diamond shining as bright as their future.

warnings: cursing, establish relationship, fluff, crying, JEONGNA DATE!, slightly suggestive moments, mentions of passing out, simp!Jeonghan, simp!Luna, teasing, Jeonghan the rizzler, FLIRTING!, pda… in public, JeongNa having no care in the world whatsoever, may result in the feeling of being single

WE HAVE FINALLY MADE IT, MY LOVES!!! after months of asking and requesting and teasing, we have finally made it! to this highly anticipated day… “drum roll please!” *drum roll* it’s officially proposal day! 🎉🥳 this has to be my absolute favorite work of mine so far and i hope you guys enjoy it as well! happy reading, my loves! 🤍

Luna’s instgarm post for this which i have posted months ago is here— 240910: Berlin

╰ ౨ৎ LUNA-VERSE MASTERLIST ╰ ౨ৎ writings masterlist

It started with a yes.

Not the one Jeonghan was hoping for, not yet, but a quiet, unassuming yes. A yes to a question so ordinary that it almost felt unfair how much weight the final one would carry.

Berlin was unfamiliar terrain, yet it hummed with a certain vibrancy that made SEVENTEEN’s first visit feel both electrifying and fleeting. The city sprawled before them, waiting to be explored in the rare sliver of free time before their upcoming performance at Lollapalooza in a few days. For once, schedules weren’t dictating their every move, and the members took full advantage of it.

Some of the members chose rest, their hotel rooms dark and silent, filled with the slow rise and fall of their steady breathing as they recharged for the days ahead.

Others had ventured out, drawn to Berlin’s streets, its towering landmarks, and the endless stretch of shops waiting to be perused. A few had split off in groups— Mingyu and Dokyeom had excitedly set out in search of the best local food, Hoshi and Dino had somehow convinced Wonwoo to join them on a sightseeing adventure, and Joshua, ever the connoisseur, had been eyeing record stores and coffee shops.

But Jeonghan had chosen neither.

Instead, he sat in the quiet of their hotel room, his long legs stretched out lazily on the couch, eyes trained on the woman sprawled across their bed. Luna lay on her stomach, propped up on her elbows, her face illuminated by the glow of her phone screen as she FaceTimed her cousin and her cousin’s baby.

He hadn’t meant to eavesdrop— not really.

But it was impossible to ignore her voice, the way it softened into something impossibly gentle, dipped in a warmth that Jeonghan swore made the room feel smaller, cozier.

“Who’s my little baby?” Luna cooed, her voice laced with adoration. She giggled as the baby on the other end let out a high-pitched squeal, his tiny hands flailing toward the screen. “Oh my goodness, you’re getting so big! Are you eating well? You better not be giving your mama a hard time.”

Jeonghan tilted his head, observing the way her entire face softened, her eyes crinkling as she cooed nonsense words at the baby, who was happily babbling back. There was something profoundly mesmerizing about the scene before him— Luna, in her natural state of warmth, love spilling from her in quiet, unguarded moments like this.

“Bubba,” she continued, addressing the baby with a nickname that made Jeonghan’s lips twitch in amusement. “Are you being good for Mommy? Are you? Or are you being a little troublemaker, huh?”

Jeonghan swore he felt something shift inside him, something deep and unspoken that had been resting just beneath the surface for years now. He’d carried the weight of a single question for so long, the ring tucked safely in his possession for what felt like a lifetime.

But suddenly, it felt heavier, as if urging him, nudging him toward the moment he had been waiting for.

Not yet, but soon.. very soon by the looks of it.

He had always known Luna was it for him.

The only question had been when.

And maybe— just maybe— that answer was forming itself now, right in front of him, in the way she smiled, in the way she spoke, in the way she so effortlessly made love something that felt like breathing.

He barely registered when the call ended, when Luna sighed in contentment, placing her phone down on the bedside table beside her before lying on her back. It was only then that Jeonghan found his voice again, though it came out unsteady, like his thoughts had barely caught up with his heart.

“Do you wanna go out for a walk and go sight—”

“Yes.”

Luna didn’t even let him finish.

If fate had a sound, it would be the way she said ‘yes’ without knowing she was sealing her own destiny.

Before she even knew what he was about to ask, she had already said yes.

Jeonghan took that as a good sign.

A slow smile curled on his lips as he stood from the couch, making his way towards her with an air of quiet amusement. He crawled onto the bed, shifting his weight until he was hovering over her, his elbows propped on either side of her as he gazed down at her, his long ash-blonde hair falling slightly into his eyes.

“You always say yes so easily,” Jeonghan teased, reaching down to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Do you even know what you’re agreeing to?”

Luna hummed, unfazed by his sudden proximity. Instead, she lazily lifted her hand, threading her fingers through his hair, playing with the strands that had grown long again.

“I don’t,” she admitted, her lips curling into a knowing smile. “But that’s us… we’re both only spontaneous when we’re together. I wanna go but only if you promise not to get us lost again.”

Jeonghan chuckled, but the sound was light, almost distracted.

She didn’t know. She had no idea just how much weight he was holding onto at this moment, how her words— spoken so casually— were sinking into him like a prophecy.

His fingers traced slow, absentminded patterns against her arm as he let himself linger in the moment, drinking her in. “You say that like getting lost with me isn’t one of the best parts of our trips, Nana-ya.”

Luna scoffed, poking his cheek playfully. “It is, but it also means I have to listen to you pretend like you did it on purpose. Like you meant for us to wander into that random alleyway in New York, or that time in Bangkok when we ended up at someone’s actual house instead of the temple.”

Jeonghan gasped in mock offense. “That was one time.”

Luna arched a brow. “It was three times.”

“Details.” He waved off her accusation, letting his weight settle more against her as he sighed in contentment. “You act like you don’t love it when I get us lost. If anything, it’s just another adventure. You should thank me.”

“Oh? Should I?” Luna challenged, tilting her head slightly, fingers still tangled in his hair.

“Mm.” Jeonghan grinned, eyes twinkling with mischief. “Maybe you’ll find something unexpected this time.”

Luna narrowed her eyes, sensing his teasing tone but unable to decipher what exactly he was hinting at. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He only hummed, feigning innocence, but there was something in the way he looked at her, something that made her heart stutter just for a moment.

“It means, we should go.” Jeonghan grinned at her.

Thankfully, she let it go, brushing a thumb against his temple before murmuring, “I know, I know. Let’s go.”

“Yeah?”

And then, without thinking, without realizing the sheer irony of it all, Luna said, “Yes.”

Jeonghan exhaled a quiet chuckle, shaking his head as if the universe itself had just given him its own silent approval.

Luna didn’t know yet.

Didn’t know that her day would begin with a yes so small it seemed insignificant, and end with a yes so life-altering it would rewrite the rest of their tomorrows.

And that’s how Jeonghan and Luna found themselves exploring the streets of Berlin.

They had barely any time in Berlin, but that didn’t stop them, hands intertwined, laughter spilling between them as they wandered through the streets like lovestruck teenagers with nowhere to be. The cool breeze carried the faint scent of roasted nuts and fresh bread from the bustling market nearby, and the distant sound of street musicians played a soft melody that somehow made everything feel even more surreal.

Jeonghan and Luna weren’t in a rush.

If anything, they wanted time to slow down, to stretch every moment they had in this city into something infinite. So, they did everything they could with the little time they had— walking through the cobblestone streets, peeking into boutiques without the intent to buy, taking pictures at random corners just because they liked the lighting. Their phones were filled with blurry selfies, stolen kisses, and the kind of photos only they would find beautiful.

Hand in hand, they strolled through an open-air market, where vendors called out in German, offering everything from handmade crafts to vintage trinkets. Luna dragged Jeonghan to a stand selling delicate flower crowns, placing one atop his head and giggling when he rolled his eyes but didn’t take it off. He, in turn, tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear before playfully placing a ridiculously large sunhat on her head, declaring, “This is it. This is your new fashion statement.”

With nowhere particular to be, they allowed the city to guide them. They stopped by street artists painting along the sidewalk, watched a mime perform with exaggerated expressions, and even debated over which ice cream flavor was superior— Jeonghan was adamant that pistachio was elite, while Luna stood firm in her love for strawberry.

Every step, every turn, every glance they shared was filled with a warmth that couldn’t be replicated— an unspoken promise that they were happy, here, together.

And then, naturally, they found themselves standing in front of a high-end jewelry store and started to act like they absurdly wealthy socialites choosing items they’ll ‘buy.’

Of course, it was Jeonghan’s idea.

“That will look good on you when you are cooking,” Jeonghan mused, pointing at an extravagant diamond necklace displayed under glass.

Luna, catching on immediately, tilted her head and pursed her lips in faux contemplation. “I think I’ll get that one. For my party in Monaco.”

Jeonghan nodded, completely serious. “A great choice, pretty. I’ll take the diamond-studded cufflinks. To wear… while gardening.”

Luna smirked. “Oh, and we shouldn’t forget our dog’s new diamond-studded collar.”

Jeonghan gasped dramatically. “Oh, of course! Fluffy deserves only the best.”

A store employee, who had been watching them with amused eyes, finally stepped forward and greeted them knowingly. “Would you like to see the collection up close?”

Without missing a beat, Jeonghan and Luna turned to her and, in perfect sync, said, “No, thanks.”

The employee smiled but didn’t retreat. Instead, she launched into a well-rehearsed explanation about the store’s exclusive deals and the quality of their latest collection.

“This season, we have introduced a new range of ethically sourced diamonds, featuring intricate designs inspired by classic European elegance,” she began, gesturing toward a display. “Many of our pieces are custom-made, and we offer personalized engravings at no additional charge—”

Luna, being Luna, felt guilty. She hadn’t meant for the employee to waste her breath on them, and with each passing second, the guilt weighed heavier.

Jeonghan, on the other hand, found it hilarious. His eyes danced with amusement as he watched Luna nod as she shifted on her feet, her conscience warring with her common sense. He leaned in close, his breath warm against her ear. “You do realize this is how you get scammed, right?”

Luna waved him off, much too soft-hearted to just walk away now. “I’ll just get something small.”

Jeonghan chuckled under his breath as she stepped inside, already scanning the jewelry cases. “This is why I can’t take you anywhere,” he muttered, following behind her.

The employee, thrilled by the change in pace, immediately directed Luna toward the diamond tennis bracelets.

“These are some of our finest pieces,” she explained. “Crafted with high-quality diamonds set in either white gold or platinum. The design is both timeless and elegant, perfect for everyday wear or special occasions.”

Luna ran her fingers along the glass, eyes twinkling. “They’re beautiful,” she murmured.

Jeonghan, standing behind her, wrapped his arms loosely around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. “Just so we’re clear, you walked in here out of guilt, and now you’re actually considering buying one?”

Luna ignored him. “Do you have these in a matching set?”

“Yes, of course,” the employee nodded eagerly. “Would you like to see how they fit?”

Before Jeonghan could protest, Luna was already slipping the bracelet onto her wrist. She turned to him with a triumphant grin. “Let’s get matching ones.”

Jeonghan smirked. “I don’t recall agreeing to this.”

Luna batted her lashes at him. “You love me.”

Jeonghan sighed dramatically. “That I do.”

Satisfied, Luna reached for her black card— only for Jeonghan to gently smack it out of her hand, replacing it with his own.

Luna gasped, playfully glaring at him. “Excuse me?”

“I pay,” Jeonghan said smoothly.

“Oh, no you don’t.” Luna snatched his card and swapped it with hers again.

Jeonghan raised a brow, taking hers and replacing it once more. “I do.”

Luna, narrowing her eyes, did the same. “You don’t.”

This went on for a full minute, back and forth, exchanging cards with increasing speed, until finally, they both had the same idea.

“Let’s play our game,” Luna declared, already shuffling both their black cards together.

Jeonghan grinned. “I love this game.”

The employee watched, bewildered, as they held up both identical black cards and gestured for her to pick.

Hesitant, she reached forward and selected one, flipping it over.

It was Luna’s.

She beamed, turning to Jeonghan with a victorious smirk before sticking her tongue out at him.

Jeonghan rolled his eyes but leaned in, pressing a soft peck to her lips. “Fine. I’ll let you have this one.”

With that, Luna happily paid, and they left the store hand in hand, both of them now wearing matching diamond tennis bracelets.

A few hours later, they found themselves in a quaint little restaurant tucked away in a quiet alley, the kind of place that wasn’t flashy or tourist-ridden but radiated warmth and authenticity.

The restaurant was the kind of place you wouldn’t notice unless you were looking for it— small, tucked into a quiet street, with wooden tables that bore the scratches of time and soft yellow lights that cast a golden glow over everything. It was warm inside, the scent of fresh bread and simmering sauces filling the air, a stark contrast to the crisp autumn chill outside. It felt homey, lived-in, like a secret only a few were lucky enough to stumble upon.

Jeonghan and Luna sat across from each other at a small, candlelit table by the window, the flickering light casting shadows over their intertwined fingers. They hadn’t let go since they walked in, their hands naturally gravitating toward each other as if they belonged nowhere else.

The server had greeted them in German, to which Luna, always interested in languages, responded effortlessly with a simple hello in German. Jeonghan, ever the observer, had only smirked as she ordered for them, watching the way she so easily charmed the waiter without even trying.

“Impressive,” he murmured as the server walked away, leaning his cheek against his palm.

Luna raised a brow. “You say that as if I spoke entirely in German. I could only say hello, Han.”

“Still impressive,” he admitted, tilting his head. “Plus… it’s different hearing you speak in a foreign language. You sounded kind of…” He paused, eyes twinkling.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Kind of what?”

Jeonghan took a slow sip of his water, letting the anticipation build. “Hot.”

Luna blinked, then let out a small laugh, shaking her head. “God, you’re ridiculous.”

��Am I wrong, though?”

She bit her lip to suppress a smile. “Maybe not.”

Their food arrived shortly after— a spread of freshly baked bread, a bowl of creamy soup, a plate of pasta that smelled like heaven, and a charcuterie board filled with cheeses and meats they could leisurely pick at. It was simple, unpretentious, yet everything about it felt indulgent in the way that only slow meals shared between lovers could.

Jeonghan, of course, wasted no time in stealing from Luna’s plate.

She caught his wrist mid-motion, giving him a pointed look. “Jeongie.”

He blinked innocently. “Yes, my love?”

She sighed, loosening her grip just enough for him to snatch a piece of bread from her plate. He took a triumphant bite, chewing happily as if he had won a battle.

Luna shook her head, but there was no real annoyance in her eyes— only affection. “You have your own food.”

“Yes, but yours tastes better.”

She scoffed, picking up her fork. “You haven’t even tried yours yet.”

He shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. Yours is still better, Nana-ya.”

Luna rolled her eyes but let him get away with it, nudging his foot under the table in silent retaliation.

They ate at a leisurely pace, talking about nothing and everything, the kind of conversation that didn’t need direction because it flowed so easily.

At one point, Jeonghan took a sip of soup and hummed in approval. “Mm, this is good.”

Luna, already mid-bite of pasta, gave him a knowing look. “You’re going to steal mine next, aren’t you?”

Jeonghan gasped, feigning offense. “I would never.”

Luna gave him a deadpan stare. “Yoon Jeonhan.”

“…Okay, but just one bite.”

She sighed but held out her spoon for him anyway. He leaned forward, taking the spoon into his mouth in a way that was far too slow, eyes locked on hers as he pulled away.

Luna felt warmth creep up her neck. “You’re doing that on purpose.”

He smirked. “Doing what, love of my life?”

She huffed, stabbing a piece of pasta with her fork. “Being insufferable.”

“You love it.”

Luna didn’t dignify that with a response, but the way she hid her smile behind her glass of water gave her away.

Jeonghan just watched her, the rest of the world fading into a quiet blur.

She looked effortlessly beautiful like this— soft, relaxed, glowing in the candlelight. Strands of her hair fell loosely around her face, framing her features in a way that made his heart clench.

He had always thought she was stunning, had always known it, but something about seeing her like this, in the simplest of moments, made him feel like he was discovering her beauty all over again.

And then, the thought crept in.

I could just ask her right now. Jeonghan thought.

The realization hit him so suddenly that it almost startled him.

He could do it— right here, right now.

He had the ring.

He always had the ring with him ever since he got it… two years ago.

He had everything he needed.

And God, wasn’t this enough?

Wasn’t she enough?

She was sitting right in front of him, laughing, stealing bites of his food now in retaliation, her eyes crinkling at the corners in that way he loved. She was warmth and light and the only person he had ever wanted to spend forever with.

His fingers twitched against the fabric of his pocket, where the small velvet box had rested for two years now, waiting.

He had carried it with him more times than he could count, always thinking, Maybe this is the moment.

But it never was.

And now, as he sat across from her, watching her twirl pasta around her fork with a quiet hum, he realized that this wasn’t the moment either.

It was too… ordinary.

Not that he minded ordinary— not when it came to her, not when it came to them. He didn’t need anything grand or fancy. He didn’t need anything crazy or out of this world. Jeonghan was a simple man and so was Luna. But if he was going to ask the question, it couldn’t be here. It couldn’t be in a restaurant, no matter how charming or intimate.

It couldn’t be in a place where they were still careful, where their love was something they had to keep hidden.

They were public figures in a very public space, their relationship a carefully guarded secret for the past five years.

He couldn’t do it like this here.

It wasn’t perfect enough for him.

And Jeonghan had waited too long— loved her too much— to settle for anything less than perfect.

So he didn’t ask.

Not yet at least.

Instead, he reached across the table, brushing a stray crumb off the corner of her lips with his thumb, letting it linger there just a second too long.

Luna blinked up at him, surprised by the sudden touch, then softened. “What?”

Jeonghan only smiled. “Nothing.”

She narrowed her eyes slightly, studying him. “You’re looking at me weird.”

He shrugged, leaning back lazily in his chair. “Can’t a man admire the mother of my future children?”

Luna choked on her drink, coughing as she reached for her napkin. “Yoon Jeonghan—”

He grinned, watching her fluster. “What? You’re going to be the mother of my kids one day, aren’t you?”

She huffed, shaking her head as she regained composure. “Not if you keep making me choke on my water.”

Jeonghan’s smirk only widened. “I make you breathless, huh?”

She groaned, tossing a piece of bread at him, which he caught effortlessly. “You’re unbearable.”

“And yet, you’re still here,” he said, popping the bread into his mouth.

Luna sighed, but the corners of her lips betrayed her. “Unfortunately.”

He reached for her hand again, intertwining their fingers effortlessly. “Fortunately,” he corrected, voice softer now.

And when she looked at him then— really looked at him— Jeonghan knew he was right.

He would ask.

Just not yet.

After eating they ended up walking to a park. The park stretched before them, bathed in the soft golden hues of the late afternoon sun. The crisp autumn air carried the scent of fallen leaves and distant roasted chestnuts from a street vendor somewhere nearby. The path beneath their feet was lined with towering trees, their branches swaying gently as if whispering secrets to the wind.

Luna tightened her grip around Jeonghan’s hand, her fingers lacing between his effortlessly, as though they had been molded to fit together. His touch was warm, grounding, steady— like the very presence of him always was.

A fluffy Samoyed trotted past them, its thick white fur catching the sunlight like a halo. The poor owner at the other end of the leash struggled to hold on as the excitable dog bounded after a stray autumn leaf that had dared to escape the confines of the path.

Luna gasped, her entire face lighting up in an instant as she tugged on Jeonghan’s arm. “Hannie,” she breathed, her voice barely above a whisper but brimming with excitement. “Isn’t that the cutest thing you’ve ever seen?”

Jeonghan followed her gaze, unimpressed, hands buried deeper into his coat pockets. He tilted his head slightly as if analyzing the situation before making a rather nonchalant observation.

“It’s cute, sure,” he said, nodding. “But imagine something smaller. More portable. I’m more of a ‘tiny dog in a handbag’ kind of guy. Like a Pomeranian I can carry in my bag.”

Luna came to an abrupt stop, turning to stare at him, scandalized. The sheer betrayal in her expression was almost theatrical. “You’re joking.”

Jeonghan smirked, ever the picture of mischief. “Nope. Picture it— me, in sunglasses, walking through the airport with a tiny Pomeranian peeking out of my designer tote. Full celebrity mode.”

Luna groaned loudly, throwing her head back in exasperation. “You would carry it around like an accessory.”

“Exactly,” Jeonghan said, nodding in satisfaction. “Imagine the power move. Paparazzi photos of me casually sipping coffee, little dog in tow. We’d be iconic.”

Luna gave him a deadpan stare. “You’re the actual drama.”

Jeonghan squeezed her hand, feigning deep contemplation. “So, compromise,” he mused. “What if we get two? One fluffy Samoyed for you, and one high-fashion, pint-sized diva for me?”

Luna pursed her lips, pretending to consider it before shrugging. “Fine.”

“Good,” Jeonghan said, as if it had been a crucial negotiation. “You can handle the big one. I’ll be busy styling mine.”

Luna rolled her eyes, but her laughter betrayed her amusement.

They resumed their walk, deeper into the park, their hands still intertwined. The chatter of people slowly faded into the background, replaced by the distant chirping of birds and the soft rustle of leaves beneath their feet. The golden glow of the setting sun peeked through the tree branches, casting elongated shadows across the path. The park was quieter here, the world slowing down to match their unhurried pace.

Jeonghan, ever observant, caught a flicker of movement from the corner of his eye. A few people, phones discreetly raised, stood at a distance, filming them.

Fans.

Luna noticed too, but neither of them reacted much. Their fans knew how close they were— had known for years. Holding hands wasn’t out of the ordinary for them. They had spent half a decade in each other’s orbit, and while the world didn’t know the true depth of their relationship, moments like these weren’t unusual in the eyes of those who followed them.

Still, Jeonghan couldn’t resist stirring the pot. He leaned in, voice low and teasing. “Do you think if I dip you like a ballroom dancer, they’ll start clapping?”

Luna, laughing but pulling him back, shook her head. “Don’t you dare. You’re already this close to making me trip over my own feet.”

Jeonghan grinned, unbothered. “If you fall, I fall. That’s romance, baby.”

Luna deadpanned, her expression utterly unimpressed. “That’s gravity, baby.”

He snorted, squeezing her hand tighter as they continued walking. The fans remained at a distance, respecting their space, and after a while, they seemed to fade away, as if realizing this moment wasn’t meant to be interrupted.

With the sun dipping lower into the horizon, the park grew even quieter. The warm hues of daylight melted into the cool shades of dusk, the air carrying a sharper chill now. Jeonghan instinctively shifted closer to Luna, his coat brushing against hers. She, in turn, burrowed against his side slightly, as if drawn to his warmth.

“Do you think we’ll ever get caught?” she asked, voice softer now, more pensive.

Jeonghan hummed. “If we do, I hope it’s when we look really good,” he said. “Like, I want the lighting to be perfect. Angles immaculate. None of that ‘caught off guard’ nonsense.”

Luna laughed. “Of course you’d think about that.”

“Obviously.” He smirked. “If we’re going down, we’re going down looking fucking expensive.”

She shook her head, amusement dancing in her eyes. “You know what’s funny? We’ve spent five years sneaking around, and yet, one of the main reasons why we’re not fully outed is because people think we’re too obvious to be real.”

Jeonghan chuckled. “Right? That’s the best part. We hold hands, wear matching outfits, disappear at the same time, and somehow, we’re still ‘just besties.’”

Luna nudged him playfully. “Maybe we should start acting less suspicious.”

Jeonghan feigned shock. “And deny the people their favorite mystery? What would they do without their detective work? We’re providing entertainment.”

She rolled her eyes but leaned into him regardless, their fingers still tangled together as they walked deeper into the park, where the world felt smaller, quieter, just the two of them against the backdrop of the fading sun.

They wandered deeper into the park, hand in hand, the air crisp with the scent of autumn and earth. The path before them was dappled with golden light filtering through the thinning canopy of trees, and a gentle breeze carried the soft rustling of leaves across the open space.

The further they walked, the more secluded it became— fewer people, fewer distractions, just them and the steady rhythm of their footsteps against the leaf-strewn ground.

Luna, still holding Jeonghan’s hand, let her gaze wander over the scenery, taking in the tranquil beauty of it all. And then—

She gasped, her fingers slipping from his as she suddenly bolted forward, her laughter trailing behind her like the lingering scent of something sweet.

Jeonghan barely had time to process before she was crouched before a massive pile of fallen leaves, her eyes wide with excitement, her entire face alight with a childlike joy that made his heart stutter.

“What— Jiyeonie—” He blinked, watching her run her fingers through the pile as if searching for something. “Uh. Are we… searching for treasure?”

“No,” Luna said, completely serious as she scooped up a handful of leaves and began carefully arranging them on the ground. “I’m about to make art.”

Jeonghan exhaled a small chuckle, stepping closer with amusement tugging at the corners of his lips. “Art?”

Luna nodded, already focused, her fingers meticulously sorting through the leaves with practiced ease. “I used to do this all the time when I was little. Every autumn, when the leaves started falling, I’d go outside and make designs with them. Animals, flowers, little faces— sometimes even whole landscapes if I had the time.”

She glanced up at him briefly, her expression soft with nostalgia. “Back in London, my mum and I would go for walks in the park near our house, and I’d stop every few minutes to gather the prettiest leaves I could find. Then I’d sit on the grass and arrange them into shapes while she read on a bench nearby. She used to say I had the patience of a sculptor.”

Jeonghan’s gaze softened as he crouched beside her, watching the way she worked with quiet reverence.

There was something so inherently Luna about this— so meticulous yet playful, so creative and endearing. He could almost picture it: a younger version of her, bundled up in a coat and scarf, sitting cross-legged on a damp patch of grass, completely absorbed in her art.

He smiled. “So this is a lifelong passion.”

“Obviously,” Luna said, lips pursed in concentration as she placed a particularly vibrant red leaf in what appeared to be an ear. “You’re witnessing greatness in real-time.”

Jeonghan chuckled, leaning back on his palms as he observed. “What’s today’s masterpiece?”

“You— My Melody,” she answered matter-of-factly, gesturing at the loose but recognizable shape forming before them.

He hummed in approval, crossing his arms as he admired her work. And then, with the air of someone about to contribute something truly groundbreaking, he plucked two small twigs from the ground and carefully set them atop My Melody’s head.

Luna gasped in absolute horror. “You just turned her into an alien!”

Jeonghan leaned back, nodding with satisfaction. “Innovation, my moon.”

Luna dramatically clutched her heart. “How dare you ruin her?”

“Ruined? No, no.” Jeonghan shook his head, grinning. “Enhanced.” He pointed at the altered creation, his expression one of smug accomplishment. “You see, this is My Melody’s long-lost cousin from space. Intergalactic My Melody.”

Luna gawked at him, then scoffed as she grabbed the twigs and threw them at him with an exaggerated flick of her wrist. “Get out of my artistic vision!”

Jeonghan dodged effortlessly, laughing. “You’re just mad because I’m a visionary.”

She gave him a long, unimpressed stare before sighing and turning back to her creation. With careful hands, she fixed the design, her lips pursed in concentration before she finally pulled out her phone to snap a picture.

Jeonghan, however, wasn’t quite done watching her. There was something about the way she looked right now— completely absorbed, wholly unguarded—that made him pause. And then, softer, he murmured, “You know… I like watching you like this.”

Luna glanced up, tilting her head. “Like what?”

Jeonghan tilted his own head in thought before offering her a small, genuine smile. “Happy. Unbothered. Just… you.”

Luna blinked at him, warmth blooming in her chest, slow and golden like the autumn light around them. Slowly, a smile tugged at her lips. “Well, of course I’m happy,” she said, reaching for his hand without hesitation. “I’m with you.”

Jeonghan squeezed her fingers in return, his thumb tracing slow, absentminded patterns against her skin. Somewhere in the distance, the wind rustled through the trees, carrying the sound of quiet laughter between them as they continued venturing deeper into the park.

The air felt cooler now, but neither of them seemed to mind. If anything, Luna pressed closer to Jeonghan, and he, in turn, wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her against his side with a contented hum.

“You really used to do that all the time as a kid?” he asked, circling back to their earlier conversation.

Luna nodded, leaning into his warmth. “Every year. Without fail.”

Jeonghan grinned, amused. “I can’t imagine little you sitting still long enough to make a whole art piece.”

“Oh, I didn’t sit still. I’d dart around the park gathering leaves for the perfect colors,” she said, waving a hand dramatically. “It was a process, you see. I had standards.”

Jeonghan chuckled. “Of course you did.”

Luna sighed wistfully. “It was always my favorite part of autumn. That, and jumping into leaf piles.”

Jeonghan arched a brow, glancing down at her. “Are you about to tell me you want to do that right now?”

Luna smirked. “What, scared you’ll mess up your hair?”

He scoffed. “I’ll have you know, my hair is built for resilience.”

She hummed. “We’ll see about that.”

Before he could react, Luna suddenly spun out of his hold, taking off toward another large pile of leaves a few steps away. With absolutely no hesitation, she threw herself into it, landing with a laugh as the leaves crunched beneath her.

Jeonghan stared. “Bae Jiyeon— be careful— you’re ridiculous.”

“You love it,” Luna sing-songed, peeking up at him from the scattered mess.

Jeonghan exhaled through his nose, shaking his head fondly before stepping forward. He crouched beside her, elbows resting on his knees as he studied her with an amused tilt of his head. “Having fun down there?”

Luna grinned. “Loads.”

He sighed, giving her a long, considering look before finally muttering, “You’re lucky you’re cute.” And then, much to her delight (and his own inevitable regret), he flopped down beside her, sending another flurry of leaves into the air.

Luna gasped, eyes wide. “You did it.”

Jeonghan groaned, but there was no bite to his words. “This better be worth it.”

Luna beamed, leaning over to press a kiss to his cheek. “It totally is.”

And just like that, Jeonghan found he couldn’t argue.

Afterwards, Jeonghan let Luna tug him along by the hand, their fingers intertwined, their pace unhurried. There was a softness in the air, the kind that only came with autumn evenings, where the crisp breeze nipped at their cheeks, but the warmth of each other’s presence was enough to chase away the cold.

Luna was still giddy from her leaf art, occasionally glancing at her phone to admire the picture she had taken, and Jeonghan, ever the opportunist, took the moment to tease.

“Are you going to frame that?” he mused, peering over her shoulder.

Luna scoffed, locking her phone and giving him a playful shove. “Obviously. This is a masterpiece. It deserves to be remembered.”

Jeonghan hummed, tilting his head as if deep in thought. “Should we submit it to a museum? Maybe the Louvre? ‘Intergalactic My Melody’— it could be the next Mona Lisa.”

Luna groaned dramatically, throwing her head back. “Why do you have to ruin everything, Jeongie?”

“I don’t ruin things. I make them better,” Jeonghan corrected, bumping his shoulder against hers.

Luna shook her head, but there was a fond smile playing on her lips. “You’re impossible.”

Jeonghan grinned. “And yet, you love me.”

She rolled her eyes, but the way her fingers tightened around his gave her away. “Unfortunately.”

He gasped, clutching his chest as if wounded. “The betrayal! After everything I’ve done for you!”

“Oh, yes, because ruining my leaf art is such an act of devotion,” she shot back, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

Jeonghan chuckled, pulling her closer so he could drape an arm over her shoulders. “I’ll have you know, my dear, that my presence alone is a gift.”

Luna snorted, leaning into his warmth. “A curse, more like.”

“You wound me,” he said dramatically, resting his head against hers.

She sighed, but it was laced with amusement. “And yet, you’re still here.”

Jeonghan smirked. “That’s because you’re obsessed with me.”

Luna hummed, as if contemplating. “Hmm… obsessed might be a strong word.”

Jeonghan stopped walking, placing a hand over his heart. “Nana-ya,” he said in an exaggeratedly pained voice, “after years, this is how you treat me?”

Luna turned to face him, eyes twinkling with mischief. “I’m just keeping you humble, love.”

Jeonghan narrowed his eyes playfully. “Oh, so that’s your game?”

She grinned, standing on her toes to press a quick kiss to the tip of his nose. “Mm-hmm.”

His grip on her waist tightened as he pulled her in closer. “Then I guess I’ll have to remind you just how obsessed you are,” he murmured, voice dropping just enough to send a shiver down her spine.

Luna, to her credit, kept her cool. “Oh? And how do you plan on doing that?”

Jeonghan leaned in, his lips brushing against her ear as he whispered, “By making you say my name in that lovesick voice you always use when you’re being needy or when you think I’m not listening.”

Luna’s breath hitched, her cheeks warming despite the chilly air. “I do not—”

“You do,” Jeonghan interrupted smugly. “It’s cute. Adorable, really.”

Luna huffed, poking his chest. “You’re insufferable.”

“And yet, here you are, still holding my hand, still hopelessly in love with me,” he teased.

She exhaled through her nose, feigning exasperation, but the smile tugging at her lips betrayed her. “Fine. You win.”

Jeonghan gasped dramatically. “Say it again. I want to record it for proof.”

Luna groaned, but she was laughing, and Jeonghan knew— knew without a doubt— that he would never get tired of this. Of her. Of the way she looked at him like he was her entire world, even when she pretended to be annoyed.

And as the last sliver of sunlight dipped behind the horizon, casting them in the golden afterglow of autumn, he realized something— he had already won.

As the evening deepened, the soft hues of twilight stretched across the sky, casting a gentle glow over the secluded part of the park they had wandered into.

The air was cooler now, the crisp scent of the lake blending with the earthy fragrance of the grass beneath their feet. Towering above them was a majestic willow tree, its long, delicate branches swaying with the evening breeze, cascading down like a curtain shielding them from the rest of the world. Beneath the tree, the lake shimmered under the fading light, its surface rippling gently. It was quiet, save for the occasional rustling of leaves and the distant chirping of crickets.

Luna’s eyes widened as she spotted movement in the lake. “Oh,” she breathed, her voice barely above a whisper.

Two swans glided across the water, their pristine white feathers illuminated by the moon’s emerging glow.

Luna gasped, her face lighting up with childlike wonder before she instinctively stepped closer, her movements slow and careful so as not to startle them. The swans, however, remained unbothered, merely continuing their serene journey across the lake as if they had deemed her presence non-threatening.

Jeonghan, who had been trailing behind her, let out a quiet sigh before following. He watched as she crouched near the lake’s edge, her eyes locked onto the birds, mesmerized. The glow of the moon danced across her face, highlighting the softness of her features.

“Be careful,” he warned gently, stopping just a step behind her. “Swans still bite, you know.”

Luna turned her head slightly, flashing him a small, amused smile. “I’ll be fine.”

He exhaled, giving her a knowing look. “You say that, but you almost fell in trying to get closer just now.”

Luna waved him off with a dismissive flick of her wrist, her attention already back on the swans as she cooed at them softly. “Oh, hush. They’re so graceful… look at them, Hannie,” she murmured, completely enchanted.

Jeonghan didn’t respond— not because he didn’t agree, but because, for the past few minutes, he hadn’t been looking at the swans.

He had been looking at her.

The way her eyes reflected the water’s surface, gleaming with quiet joy. The way the corners of her lips lifted ever so slightly, a small, wistful smile forming as she admired the birds. The way her hair cascaded down her shoulders, strands occasionally catching the wind and brushing against her face.

These were all things he had noticed before— things that had drawn him to her in the first place.

But then, there were the little things, the ones he hadn’t fully realized until now.

The way her nose scrunched slightly whenever she focused intently on something. The way her fingers curled over her knees as she crouched, as if anchoring herself to the moment. The way she occasionally hummed under her breath without even realizing it, a quiet melody of contentment.

He felt something deep within his chest tighten, warmth spreading through him like a gentle tide.

He knew he would fall in love with more things about her.

He knew, with absolute certainty, that this was the moment.

The moment to do it.

It was the moment to finally ask her.

The swans eventually drifted away, disappearing into the distance, and Luna, satisfied with her little encounter, pushed herself back up to her feet, stretching her arms above her head.

Jeonghan bent down, picking up a smooth stone from the ground, testing its weight in his palm before effortlessly flicking it across the lake’s surface.

It skipped three times before sinking.

Luna watched, tilting her head. “I’ve never been good at that,” she admitted.

Jeonghan smirked, tossing another stone up and catching it. “Want me to teach you?”

Luna pursed her lips in thought before picking up her own stone. She mimicked his movement, flicking her wrist— only for the stone to plop unceremoniously into the water without a single skip. She blinked, then slowly turned to Jeonghan with an exaggerated pout.

His laughter came immediately, warm and amused, before he reached over and affectionately flicked her nose. “Cute,” he murmured.

Luna scrunched her nose at the action but smiled nonetheless.

Jeonghan then grabbed another stone before stepping behind her, his chest pressing lightly against her back as he wrapped his arms around hers. His fingers ghosted over hers as he adjusted her grip, his voice low and patient.

“Loosen your wrist a little. You’re flicking it too stiffly.”

She nodded, feeling his warmth surround her, and let him guide her hand.

“Now, angle it slightly. You want the stone to touch the water at just the right tilt so it doesn’t sink immediately.”

His chin nearly rested on her shoulder as he spoke, his breath tickling her ear. Luna swallowed, focusing on his words rather than the way he was practically enveloping her.

“Got it?”

“Mhm.”

“Alright, now flick— gently.”

She did as instructed, following the movement of his arms. The stone left her fingers, skipping once, twice, three times before disappearing beneath the surface.

Luna gasped, twisting in his hold to face him. “Did you see that?!” she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling.

Jeonghan chuckled, watching her burst with excitement. “I saw, I saw.”

She turned back, still beaming. “I did it!”

He smiled, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Told you. Just needed my expert guidance.”

Luna playfully rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. Let’s see if I can do it myself.”

She bent down again, picking up another stone with renewed determination. Jeonghan stepped back, crossing his arms as he watched her prepare.

She inhaled, flicked her wrist— and this time, the stone skipped twice before sinking.

Luna let out a delighted squeal, immediately turning back to him. “Did you see that?! I did it again!”

Jeonghan chuckled, reaching out to ruffle her hair. “You’re a natural now.”

Luna huffed, swatting his hand away, but her smile remained wide. “I should go pro.”

Jeonghan raised a brow. “Pro at skipping rocks?”

“Yes.” She tossed another, this one failing miserably. She blinked, before laughing at herself. “Okay, maybe not.”

Jeonghan shook his head fondly. “Don’t quit your day job just yet.”

She stuck her tongue out at him before picking up another stone, determined to try again.

And as he watched her, her laughter echoing softly in the quiet night, Jeonghan’s heart swelled.

He really, truly, couldn’t wait to spend forever with her.

He’s about to.

The rhythmic plopping of stones against the water filled the quiet night air as Luna, standing at the water’s edge, let out a triumphant laugh. She had finally gotten the hang of skipping rocks, and the way the small stones bounced across the surface sent a rush of exhilaration through her.

“Did you see that?” she called over her shoulder, breathless with excitement. “That one went four times!”

Jeonghan, crouched a few feet behind her, hummed in amusement, his lips tugging into a smirk as he absentmindedly picked up another smooth stone from the ground. “Not bad,” he mused, running his thumb over the cool surface before handing it over. “But I think you can do five.”

Without looking back, Luna reached her hand behind her, her fingers blindly grasping for the next rock, and Jeonghan slipped it into her palm effortlessly. She adjusted her stance, took a deep breath, and flicked her wrist. The stone danced across the water— one, two, three, four… five.

“Yes!” she cheered, spinning slightly on her heel before looking back at him with wide, sparkling eyes. “Did you see that?! Five skips, Jeongie!”

He chuckled, nodding, already fishing another stone from the ground. “I saw, good job. I knew you could do it,” he assured her, handing her another. “But now you’ve got to go for six.”

Luna grinned, her competitive streak flaring. “Oh, I can do six,” she declared confidently, turning back around as she lined up her next throw.

Jeonghan remained behind her, watching with quiet adoration as she lost herself in the simple joy of the game. There was something almost childlike in the way she celebrated each successful skip, in the way her body practically hummed with excitement. He kept supplying her with stones, handing them over whenever she reached back without thinking, their movements fluid and synchronized like a well-rehearsed dance.

“Okay, six skips,” she muttered to herself, bracing her stance before throwing another. The stone soared across the water— one, two, three, four… and then it sank.

“Damn,” she sighed dramatically, placing a hand on her hip. “I got too cocky.”

Jeonghan laughed, already placing another rock in her waiting hand. “It happens to the best of us, my moon.”

Luna huffed, but there was no real frustration in her voice, only determination. “Alright, next one. I feel it. This is the one.”

She threw again. Five skips.

“Ahh, so close!” she groaned.

Jeonghan smirked, his fingers already brushing the ground for another rock— but then he hesitated. His hand hovered over the pebbles for a moment before his eyes flickered to the small box tucked securely in his pocket.

An idea struck him like lightning.

The corners of his lips curled, a slow, knowing smile creeping onto his face as he reached into his pocket instead, fingers wrapping around the box as he exhaled softly. His heart pounded, steady but strong, like it had been waiting for this moment all along.

Luna, oblivious, held her hand out behind her again, fingers wiggling impatiently. “Come on, Hannie. Another one, please.”

Jeonghan’s smirk deepened as he carefully flipped the small box open, revealing the delicate oval diamond ring nestled inside. His breath was steady, his movements sure as he lowered himself onto one knee, the cool pavement pressing against his knee as he positioned himself directly behind her.

Luna, still blissfully unaware, waited for the familiar feeling of a rock against her palm. But instead, something entirely different met her touch.

Smooth. Cold.

Not the rough texture of a stone— but something else.

Her fingers brushed over the unexpected object, and she froze. Mid-sentence, mid-motion, her entire body halted as a small frown crossed her face.

“What is—”

Her voice trailed off, her breath catching in her throat as she turned around— slow, hesitant, almost afraid to confirm the thought forming in her mind.

And then she saw him.

Yoon Jeonghan.

On one knee.

A small black velvet box in his hand.

An oval diamond ring gleaming under the soft glow of the moonlight.

Luna’s breath left her in a sharp, staggering exhale.

Jeonghan’s grin was easy, mischievous, and entirely confident as he tilted his head slightly, his eyes twinkling with something almost playful.

“What do you think?” he mused, voice smooth as silk. “Wanna keep this rock instead?”

Luna’s heart stopped.

Literally stopped.

Her body swayed slightly, her legs locking up as if the ground beneath her had disappeared entirely. Her mind was blank— completely blank— her thoughts refusing to catch up to what she was seeing.

Her chest tightened, her breath coming in short, rapid bursts as her hands began to tremble uncontrollably.

“Han— what is—”

The words barely made it past her lips, her voice nothing more than a breathless whisper.

Jeonghan’s smirk deepened as he raised an eyebrow at her, his confidence never wavering. “You know exactly what it is, Nana-ya,” he said smoothly. “All you have to do is just say yes.”

Luna’s breath hitched. Her eyes, wide and glassy, burned with the sting of overwhelming emotion. Her hands trembled at her sides, her fingers twitching as though unsure whether to reach for him or to hold herself together.

“What?” she breathed out, her voice barely above a whisper, her breath shaky, her hands shakier.

She needed to hear him say it— for her sanity, for her heart, for the sheer disbelief consuming her entire being.

And he did.

“Marry me, baby,” Jeonghan murmured, his voice unwavering, his gaze locked onto hers with a certainty that stole the air straight from her lungs.

The moment the words left his lips, the dam broke.

A sharp, choked sob tore from Luna’s throat as the tears she had been holding back poured out, fast and relentless. Her knees buckled, the weight of the moment too much, and before she could stop herself, she collapsed onto the pavement, falling from her kneeling position onto her bottom, her hands flying up to cover her face as her sobs wracked through her body.

Jeonghan’s smile softened, his heart swelling at the sight of her completely overwhelmed, completely undone, completely his.

For a moment, he just watched her, his chest tightening in the best way possible, before he leaned forward slightly, his voice low, teasing, full of the love he couldn’t contain any longer, he needed to say it again.

“Marry me, Bae Jiyeon.”

Jeonghan exhaled softly, his heart aching at the sight of Luna so overwhelmed, tears spilling down her cheeks faster than she could wipe them away.

Without hesitation, he moved closer, his arms slipping around her as he scooped her up with ease, shifting her into his lap. The cold pavement pressed beneath them, but neither of them cared— nothing else existed in that moment but the two of them. His hands ran up and down her back in slow, soothing strokes, and he rocked her ever so slightly, the gentle motion coaxing her out of the sobs that shook her small frame.

Luna clung to him instinctively, her fingers curling into the fabric of his sweater as she buried her face into his shoulder. Jeonghan pressed a kiss to the top of her head, murmuring soft reassurances as she let her emotions pour out.

“You wanna marry me?” she whispered against his shoulder, her voice so small, so fragile, it sent a shiver down Jeonghan’s spine.

God, she had no idea what those words did to him. His arms tightened around her as he let out a breathy chuckle, tilting his head down to press another kiss against her hair before responding.

“Luna, baby,” he cooed, his voice dipping into something soft, something so full of love it was almost tangible. “Of course, I do. I wanna marry you so badly it’s been driving me insane.”

She sniffled, her breath shaky as she slightly pulled away to look up at him, her eyes glassy and red-rimmed. Jeonghan reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear before cradling her face between his palms, his thumbs catching stray tears as he gazed at her like she was the only thing that mattered.

Because to him, she was.

“Being your teammate makes me feel invincible,” he began, his voice steady, sure. “Like no matter what, we can take on the world together, side by side. Being your best friend makes me feel safe, like I have someone who knows me, sees me, understands me in a way no one else does.”

Luna hiccupped, her lips parting as her tears fell harder, but Jeonghan continued, his tone unwavering.

“Dating you, though?” He smiled, brushing his thumb over her cheek. “That makes me feel alive. It’s exhilarating, it’s terrifying, it’s the best damn thing that’s ever happened to me. But the thought of marrying you—” He let out a breath, his fingers tightening ever so slightly against her skin. “The thought of spending the rest of my life as your husband? That makes me feel like I’ve finally found where I belong.”

Luna let out a strangled little sound, her hands clumsily gripping at his wrists, her eyes pleading, overwhelmed. “Jeonghan—”

“Shh, baby, I’m not done.” He kissed the tip of her nose, smiling when she whined.

“I love the way you hum when you’re doing something you enjoy. I love the way you organize things but somehow still manage to lose your phone every five minutes. I love the way you get way too invested in drama shows and yell at the screen like they can hear you.” He chuckled, and Luna let out a shaky breath, gripping at his sleeves. “I love how you always pretend like you’re fine even when you’re not, but I see through it every single time. I love how you love so deeply, so completely, like it’s the easiest thing in the world. I love how even after all these years, you still look at me like I hung the moon.”

Luna squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head as she hiccupped again, the weight of his words making her dizzy. “You— you need to stop,” she whined, her voice muffled as she pressed her hands over her face. “You’re too much— I feel like— I feel like I’m gonna pass out—”

Jeonghan let out a soft laugh, prying her hands away from her face as he cupped her cheeks once more. “You’re not gonna pass out, baby,” he murmured, kissing away the tears that had gathered at the corners of her eyes. “You’re just feeling everything all at once.” Another kiss to her forehead. “And that’s okay.” A kiss to her temple. “I’ve got you.” A kiss to her nose. “I always will.” A final kiss, this time lingering at the corner of her lips.

Luna sniffled, her body trembling slightly in his arms, but her breathing had evened out, her sobs quieting into soft hiccups. She blinked up at him, her doe eyes still wet with tears, her lips parted as if she was searching for the right words.

“You love me that much?” she finally asked, her voice so quiet, so full of wonder, it nearly broke him.

Jeonghan’s expression softened, his smile warm as he rested his forehead against hers. “I love you more than that,” he murmured. “More than words, more than anything. You’re it for me, Luna. Always have been.”

Jeonghan stared at her— this woman who had somehow become the center of his universe without him even realizing it. But he needed her to realize it. Needed her to understand, without a shadow of a doubt, just how deeply, irrevocably, impossibly he loved her.

“Jiyeon-ah,” he started, his voice softer now, but no less intense. His fingers skimmed over her cheek, tracing the shape of her face as if memorizing it all over again. “If there was a word greater than love, if there was an emotion that surpassed it, if there was a way to quantify just how much I need you, then that’s what this is.”

Luna let out a trembling breath, her lashes still damp, her fingers curling into the fabric of his sweater as if holding onto him would keep her grounded.

“I love you in ways I don’t think the world has words for,” he continued, his gaze never wavering. “It’s not just love— it’s devotion, it’s adoration, it’s this ridiculous, overwhelming, all-consuming need to make sure you’re happy, safe, and beside me for the rest of my life. It’s wanting to be the reason you smile first thing in the morning and the last thing you see before you fall asleep. It’s the way my heart physically hurts when you’re sad and feels like it’s about to explode when you’re happy. It’s every damn thing, Bae Jiyeon.”

Luna shook her head weakly, as if she couldn’t handle the weight of his words, as if they were too much.

But Jeonghan wasn’t done.

“You don’t get it, my pretty moon,” he whispered, leaning in so their noses brushed, his breath warm against her lips. “You’re my home. You’re my best friend and my greatest love. If I could rewrite the dictionary, if I could invent a new language, it still wouldn’t be enough to explain how much I love you.”

Luna let out a soft, broken whimper before she suddenly dropped her forehead to his shoulder, her body pressing fully against him. She inhaled shakily against his skin before whispering, “You need to stop. I’m serious— I’m gonna black out.”

Jeonghan let out a breathy laugh, his palm immediately coming up to the back of her neck, warm and steady as he gently lifted her head. His fingers curled slightly, tilting her face up so their eyes met once again. His gaze softened as he took her in— the flushed curve of her cheeks, the glossy sheen in her eyes, the way her lips parted just slightly as if she was still trying to catch her breath.

His eyes flickered across her face, tracing every detail before his gaze dropped to her lips.

And then, without another word, he leaned in.

The moment their lips met, it was soft. Delicate. A mere brush, a gentle press, as if he was still savoring the moment. But then Luna made a tiny sound— a breathy little sigh against his lips— and something in Jeonghan snapped.

His hand tightened at the nape of her neck, pulling her closer as he deepened the kiss, his other arm coiling around her waist like he was afraid she’d disappear if he let go. Luna melted into him, her fingers twisting into his sweater as her lips moved against his, matching his urgency, his desperation.

The kiss shifted, slow and sweet one second, then fierce and demanding the next. Jeonghan angled his head, his lips parting as he took her deeper, tasting the remnants of her earlier tears, the warmth of her breath mingling with his own. Luna gasped softly into his mouth, and that only made him kiss her harder, his lips molding perfectly against hers, as if this was what they had been made for.

His teeth caught her lower lip for a fleeting second before soothing the sting with his tongue, his hands roaming, pressing, holding.

It wasn’t just a kiss— it was a confession, an exhale, an entire vow wrapped into one singular moment.

By the time they finally pulled away, their breaths were ragged, their foreheads still pressed together as they tried to steady themselves.

Jeonghan was the first to break the silence, his lips curling into a mischievous smirk as he murmured, “By the way, if you don’t answer soon, I might start skipping this ring across the lake.”

Luna let out a choked laugh, her head tilting back slightly as she looked at him with watery eyes and the softest smile.

And then, with a nod, she whispered, “Yes.”

Jeonghan exhaled, his breath shaky yet filled with something indescribable— something so raw, so profound, that it felt like the entire world had just tilted on its axis. His fingers trembled slightly as he held onto her, his heart hammering against his ribs, but his voice was steady when he whispered, “Yeah?”

Luna nodded again, a watery smile playing on her lips as she whispered back, “Yes.”

But Jeonghan wasn’t satisfied with that. He needed more. Needed to hear it fully, clearly, explicitly, just so it would settle into his bones as an irreversible truth. His hand remained at the back of her neck, keeping her gaze locked onto his as he murmured, “Say it.”

Luna let out a soft chuckle, the sound breathless yet full of warmth, before she gave him exactly what he wanted. “Yes, I will marry you, Yoon Jeonghan.”

A slow, genuine smile spread across Jeonghan’s face— the kind of smile that was purely, undeniably him. A mixture of smugness and affection, mischief and sincerity, all wrapped up in that signature expression of his. “Lucky you.”

Luna huffed out a laugh before gently smacking his chest. “Oh my god, can you be normal for one second?”

“This is me being normal,” Jeonghan grinned, entirely unrepentant.

Still laughing, Luna shook her head, but her eyes softened when Jeonghan reached for the ring. The massive diamond glistened under the moonlight, catching every tiny flicker of light as he held it between his fingers.

For a second, he just stared at it, as if the weight of this moment was truly sinking in. And then, with a deliberate slowness, he slipped it onto Luna’s left ring finger.

It was a perfect fit.

Luna stared at it, her lips parting slightly in awe. The way it sat on her hand felt… right. Like it had always belonged there, waiting for this very moment. “It’s perfect,” she whispered, turning her hand slightly to admire how it gleamed.

Jeonghan smirked, tilting his head. “It better be perfect,” he said before giving her a knowing look. “Took me long enough to get your size right.”

Luna glanced at him, curiosity flickering in her eyes. “What do you mean?”

Jeonghan let out a pleased sigh, shaking his head in amusement. “You’re a heavy sleeper, baby. Measured your finger while you were knocked out.”

Luna gasped before bursting into laughter, her head tilting back as she playfully shoved his shoulder. “You what?! You could’ve just taken one of my rings for reference!”

Jeonghan raised a brow, looking thoroughly entertained. “What’s the fun in that?”

She gave him a look of pure exasperation, but there was no real annoyance behind it— just a deep, overwhelming fondness.

They both fell into a comfortable silence for a moment, just staring at each other, just being. And then, after a few seconds, Luna spoke again, her voice soft yet filled with so much emotion.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

Jeonghan’s gaze softened instantly. He lifted a hand, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear before letting his fingers trail gently down her jaw. “I love you,” he murmured.

Luna’s lips curled up into a small, tender smile. “I love you too— so much.”

And then, she leaned in, capturing his lips in another kiss.

This time, the kiss was different. It wasn’t urgent or desperate like before. It was slow, steady, and overflowing with emotion. Luna’s hands slid up to cradle Jeonghan’s face, her fingers pressing gently into his jaw as she melted against him. Jeonghan sighed into her mouth, his arms wrapping tightly around her waist, holding her close— closer than ever before.

Their lips moved in perfect sync, a gentle dance of love and promise. Jeonghan’s thumb brushed against her cheek as he tilted his head, deepening the kiss just slightly, savoring every single second. It was warm and sweet, delicate yet unyielding, like the most silent yet profound declaration of love.

By the time they pulled away, their breaths were mingling, their noses brushing as they remained impossibly close. Luna blinked up at him, dazed, before she let out a soft laugh. “I could never top your speech earlier,” she admitted, shaking her head.

Jeonghan smirked, clearly pleased with himself. “Well, that’s because I’m always the best.”

Luna rolled her eyes but couldn’t stop the amused smile on her lips. “You always want to be the best at everything,” she teased.

Jeonghan shrugged, the corners of his mouth tugging up mischievously. “Of course. But you know what’s gonna make me the absolute bestest?”

Luna raised a brow, humoring him. “What?”

Jeonghan grinned, leaning in just slightly, his voice dropping to a casual, almost teasing whisper. “I’ve had that ring for two years now.”

Luna froze.

And then, her eyes widened, her mouth falling open in shock as tears instantly welled up again. “What the fuck?!” she choked out, smacking his arm.

Jeonghan threw his head back, laughing— really laughing, the kind that made his shoulders shake, his entire body leaning into hers as if he couldn’t contain the joy bubbling up inside him.

Still grinning, he pulled her back in, pressing a lingering kiss to the top of her head.

Jeonghan pulled back just enough to look at her, his eyes glinting with mischief as he tilted his head slightly. “What do you say we head back and tell the guys?” he asked, his grin stretching wider, playful and smug all at once.

Luna caught onto his energy instantly, her own lips curling into a matching smirk. This was going to be fun. “Let’s.”

With that, they pushed themselves up from the ground, brushing off the bits of grass and dirt from their clothes. Jeonghan, ever the perfectionist when it came to appearances, ran a hand through his hair, adjusting the strands with a practiced ease before reaching out to Luna, lacing his fingers through hers like it was second nature. She squeezed his hand once, their matching grins never fading as they made their way back to the hotel.

The air between them crackled with a quiet excitement, their steps falling in sync as they navigated the familiar hallways of their temporary home. The elevator ride was silent, but the weight of what they were about to do was tangible in the way Jeonghan lightly swung their joined hands between them, a silent rhythm of anticipation.

And soon enough, they were standing in front of the door to the main suite, where all the other members—except for Jun, who was still in China for his acting project— were already gathered for dinner.

The chatter from inside was unmistakable, a blend of laughter, overlapping voices, and the occasional clatter of dishes as they settled into their usual chaotic routine.

Jeonghan didn’t bother knocking. Instead, he simply turned the handle and stepped in with Luna beside him, both of them still holding hands, still wearing those telltale grins.

The second they walked in, their presence was acknowledged immediately. A wave of greetings crashed over them as their arrival was met with the warm familiarity of their members’ voices.

“You’re finally here!” Seungkwan announced first, setting down his drink as he leaned back against the couch.

“Now we’re complete,” Joshua added, smiling up at them from his spot near the table.

“Take a seat,” Seungcheol offered casually, nodding toward the empty spaces that had clearly been left for them.

“Food’s arriving soon,” Hoshi informed them, rubbing his hands together in anticipation, as if he’d been thinking about it all day.

But it was Wonwoo, ever the observant one, who tilted his head and asked, “Where have you two been?”

Before either of them could respond, another voice cut through the room— one that wasn’t physically present, but still familiar to all of them.

“You guys finally made it, huh?” Jun’s voice rang from the phone screen, which Minghao was holding up, his face filling the frame of the FaceTime call.

Jeonghan and Luna both paused at the sight, exchanging brief glances.

It was as if the universe had conspired to ensure every single member was here for this moment, even the one who was miles away.

Luna let go of Jeonghan’s hand just long enough to wave at the screen, her expression softening as she greeted the missing member. “Junnie! I miss you.”

Jun’s lips curled into a grin. “Miss you too. You guys took your time getting here. What, were you out on some top-secret mission?”

Jeonghan chuckled, his free hand slipping into his pocket while his other stayed comfortably around Luna’s. “Something like that.”

There was an ease to the way they all spoke, a natural flow to their banter that came from years of knowing each other inside and out. The room buzzed with their usual energy, the kind that could only come from a group as close as them. Seungkwan was already side-eyeing them suspiciously, while Vernon leaned back in his chair, observing with mild interest.

Meanwhile, Luna subtly kept her left hand tucked beneath the table, out of sight, as she and Jeonghan settled into their seats next to each other. Their matching smirks remained firmly in place.

Something told them this was going to be fun.

The moment Jeonghan and Luna settled into their seats, their hands still intertwined beneath the table, Jeonghan gave her a knowing look.

It was a silent exchange, one they had mastered over the years— a smirk that said, Go on, have your fun.

Jeonghan, ever the picture of nonchalance, reached for the wine bottle in front of him and leisurely poured himself a glass, completely unbothered as he swirled the deep red liquid in his glass.

Meanwhile, Luna, fully relishing in the moment, reached for the fork in front of her. With a practiced flick of her wrist, she tapped it against the rim of her wine glass a couple of times, the delicate ting, ting, ting slicing through the casual chatter like a bell demanding attention.

The room quieted almost instantly.

Thirteen pairs of eyes turned toward her, some mid-bite, others mid-conversation, all now fully focused on whatever she had to say.

“Okay, since we’re all here together—” Luna began, drawing out her words just a little, watching as curiosity flickered across their faces. “I’m going to make this quick because I am hungry.”

There were a few snorts of laughter at that, because of course she was. But they still listened.

“I need your opinion on something.”

The shift in her tone, from playful to serious, made the members exchange wary glances. Even Seungcheol, who had been comfortably leaning against the couch, straightened a little at her words.

“What is it?” Joshua asked first, tilting his head.

“Is this a trick question?” Vernon muttered, glancing at Jeonghan, who had yet to say a word but was now smirking behind his wine glass.

“Should we be nervous?” Dokyeom added, already glancing at Hoshi, who was nodding like he agreed.

Regardless of their suspicions, they all nodded, signaling for her to continue.

Luna let the silence stretch for just a beat longer, making sure she had all their attention before she finally moved.

“What do you guys think of this?”

She lifted her right hand, wrist tilted just so, allowing the light to catch on the diamond tennis bracelet adorning it.

For a moment, no one said anything.

Their eyes darted from her face to the bracelet, then back to her, as if waiting for the punchline.

Then,

“Are you serious?” Woozi voice came lazily, but the mirth in it was unmistakable.

“Jiyeon-ah.” Seungcheol sighed, exasperated, before shaking his head.

“I thought you were about to tell us something crazy.” Mingyu placed a hand on his chest, as if steadying his heartbeat.

“Noona, you scared me!” Seungkwan scolded, throwing his hands up dramatically.

“I mean, it’s nice—” Dino chimed in, leaning in for a better look. “—but why did you make it sound so serious?”

“It is serious.” Luna countered smoothly, her lips twitching.

“It’s pretty.” Wonwoo nodded in approval, before suddenly pausing, eyes narrowing as his sharp gaze flickered between Luna and Jeonghan. “Wait a second… Jeonghannie has the same one.”

All heads turned to Jeonghan, whose wrist now rested lazily against the armrest of his chair, the identical bracelet peeking from beneath his sleeve.

Jeonghan merely smirked. “Matching, aren’t they?”

“Okay, that’s cute.” Joshua admitted, nodding in approval.

“Of course you guys have matching jewelry.” Minghao muttered, unimpressed but not at all surprised.

“It’s giving ‘power couple.’” Seungkwan commented dryly, but there was amusement in his voice.

“You two are so extra.” Seungcheol groaned, though he was grinning.

“I still feel like you’re messing with us.” Dino squinted at them both, pointing an accusatory finger. “There’s something else, isn’t there?”

Luna, still enjoying every second of this, simply held up a hand, effectively silencing them. “Guys, last one.”

The members eyed her with suspicion this time.

After the first stunt, they were expecting another bracelet. A pair of earrings. Maybe a necklace. Perhaps she’d even lift her foot up onto the table to show off a new pair of shoes.

But no.

Slowly, deliberately, Luna lifted her left hand.

The diamond ring on her ring finger glistened under the warm glow of the suite’s lighting.

Unmistakable.

“What do you guys think of this?” she asked, her voice sweet, matching the grin on Jeonghan’s face as he took a slow sip of his wine.

And then—

Chaos.

Absolute, unfiltered pandemonium.

“WHAT THE FUCK!!??”

“WHAT?!”

“NO. NO. WAIT.”

“YOU’RE LYING.”

“OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD!”

“YOON JEONGHAN, YOU DID NOT—”

“FUCKING FINALLY!!!”

Screams erupted from every corner of the room. Chairs scraped against the floor as members shot up from their seats, some tripping over themselves in their rush toward the newly engaged couple.

Dokyeom was jumping up and down, practically vibrating with excitement.

Seungkwan had his hands over his mouth, eyes already welling with tears as he took a shaky breath. “No. No way. Oh my god—”

Joshua had stood up, one hand on his hip, the other running through his hair as he let out a disbelieving laugh. “Finally.”

Mingyu was pointing at them, looking between Jeonghan and Luna as if trying to process reality. “You guys— this isn’t a joke?”

“Nope.” Jeonghan answered, popping the ‘p’ casually.

Minghao, who had been relatively calm until now, exhaled sharply before breaking into a slow, knowing smile. “I can’t believe it.”

Meanwhile, Dino had his hands on his head, pacing back and forth. “Hyung, you proposed?!”

“Of course, I did.” Jeonghan answered smoothly, finally setting his wine down.

Before either he or Luna could react, a wave of bodies crashed into them. The younger members rushed to Luna first, engulfing her in a series of tight hugs, their words overlapping—

“Noona, congratulations!”

“You’re engaged?! Don’t leave us.”

“So cool.”

Meanwhile, Jeonghan was being aggressively patted on the back by Seungcheol, Woozi, and Wonwoo, their congratulations a mix of excitement and “you little shit, you actually did it.”

“You sneaky bastard.” Seungcheol muttered, shaking his head but unable to hide his proud grin.

“I’m so happy for you, man.” Woozi clapped a hand on his shoulder.

“Damn, after two years of you hesitating,” Wonwoo whistled.

And then, as if finally comprehending reality, Hoshi burst into tears. “OUR JEONGHANNIE HYUNG AND JIYEONIE ARE GETTING MARRIED!”

That set off another round of chaos— Dokyeom pretending to cry along with him, Seungkwan dramatically falling to his knees, Vernon recording the entire thing, Minghao shaking his head fondly, and Jun, still on FaceTime, yelling from the phone, “JIYEON, YOU BITCH! I AM FLYING MY ASS THERE TO CELEBRATE! THE FUCK!”

Through all the noise, Jeonghan turned to Luna, their eyes meeting amidst the joyful mayhem. His smirk softened into something warmer, something undeniably fond.

Luna, still laughing as Dino and Seungkwan clung to her, tilted her head at her fiancé, her own gaze filled with nothing but love.

This was only the beginning.

Because it started with a yes.

A simple, quiet yes whispered against the Berlin night, sealed with a kiss beneath the moonlight.

And now, it echoed in the laughter filling the room, in the joyful chaos of their friends, in the way Jeonghan’s hand instinctively sought Luna’s beneath the table, fingers lacing together like they always had.

It started with a yes, and now it was here— loud, undeniable, unshakable.

A forever, a love written in stolen glances, matching bracelets, and many promises, in the weight of a diamond ring and the warmth of a knowing smile.

It started with a yes.

And it would never end.

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[imaginespazzi]

Our Merry Eternity

And she swears that every Christmas season, it feels like they fall deeper and deeper in love with each other.

(In which a writer would like to argue that a day after Christmas, is a perfectly reasonable time to release a Christmas fic)

Pairing: Paige Bueckers X Azzi Fudd

Themes: Fluff, fluff, fluff with some hurt/comfort and angst if you squint

Words: 9.4K (if I could write things shorter maybe y'all would get things faster but alas)

TW: Implied sexual content/suggestive content, mentions of divorce, mentions of injuries, swearing

A/N: MERRY (one day after) CHRISTMAS MY LOVIES <3 It seems like everyone wanted domestic fluff and who am I to deny the people what they want (even if it is a little later than I intended it to be) and I didn't realize how much I missed eternity-verse till I wrote this. I'mma keep this short and sweet and go through the basics. Such as the fact that I did not edit. I eventually will but for now, feel free to let me know about any grammar/spelling/formatting issues. And even though I haven't had the time to go through my inbox in a hot second, I promise I will soon so as always, let me know what you liked, what you didn't and what you'd like to see in the future. Have a lovely rest of your holidays my angels <3

It’s beginning (to look a lot like Christmas) 

Paige isn’t the biggest fan of Christmas; she doesn’t dislike it by any means but she’s never understood the fascination everyone else seems to have with it. Perhaps it’s because when she was younger, Christmas had been her parents’ favorite holiday to try and one-up each other. They’d competed in everything, from how big the tree was to how evenly spread the icing on the cookies were. Eventually the excitement of getting a big expensive present from one parent that would only be rivaled by an even bigger, more expensive present from the other wore off and all that was left was this hollow feeling of being torn in two. Her parents have matured now -no longer in a constant battle for her approval now that they had other kids to focus on as well- but the magic of Christmas had long worn off and Paige hadn’t bothered trying to rediscover it. 

Until now. 

Because right now, watching -through a facetime call that’s been running for almost four hours now- Azzi run around Walmart, searching for decorations and presents with her exasperated family in tow, almost feels a little magical. The way the younger girl’s eyes twinkle when she finds the perfect gift, the way her dimples deepen when she triumphantly wins an argument against her mother for an ornament her tree needs, makes Paige think that it would be so easy to fall in love with Christmas, if she got to spend it with Azzi. 

And it’s like Azzi’s reading her mind because suddenly the younger girl’s face is filling all of Paige’s screen as she holds the phone close to her face, lips pouting in a way that has the blonde feelings decidedly unfriendly feelings toward a girl she’s barely known for six months, but feels like a best friend she’s known all her life. 

“I wish we could spend Christmas together,” Azzi says with a slight whine, “and then you could help me with all of this. They’re absolutely no help-” her last sentence is cut off by her family and Paige laughs as the Fudds break out into a series of indignant protests. 

“Oh so you just want me for manual labor or something huh?” Paige teases, leaning back against her bed and folding her arms across her chest, “and here I thought it’s cause you missed me.”

“I do miss you,” Azzi says matter-of-factly.

“Nah,” Paige shakes her head, “sounds like you just need another person to slave around for you.”

Azzi's mouth falls open at the accusation as the Fudds break into laughter behind her, the sound of it making something impossibly warm bloom in Paige’s chest. 

“I do not make people slave around for me.”

“Yeah you do. You’re the princess. You order us around and we do as we’re told.”

“Here, here-ow!” Jon’s noise of agreement is cut off by his sister elbowing him in the stomach, “do all that work and get rewarded by violence too.”

“I tell you I miss you and this is how you repay me?” Azzi asks, her voice tinged with drama. 

“Nah I still don’t believe you miss me,” it’s a lie; Paige is fully aware Azzi misses her -thinks that the younger girl has to feel at least a semblance of the emptiness she feels herself at the distance between them- but she likes making Azzi repeat it; likes the constant confirmation that Azzi misses her too. 

“Of course I miss you P, after all,” Azzi’s eyes glint with mischief, “we’re engaged aren’t we? A girl’s gotta miss her fiancé.”

The cavalier use of the tone of endearment makes Paige freeze. It’s a joke; a callback to the fact that Paige had practically threatened Azzi that she’d have to marry her if the younger girl won their little pop-a-shot competition last summer at the Minnesota State fair. Paige hadn’t been thinking, it had just slipped out but then Azzi had won the game and then there were rings being exchanged and somehow the whole thing had become one big running joke between the two of them. Except, the idea of forever with Azzi doesn’t feel much like a joke to Paige. It feels like a wish, a hope, a want, a need  something she’s not quite ready to admit to herself yet. 

“I miss you too Az,” Paige says softly as they grin at each other through the phone, “can’t wait to see my best friend soon.”

Thirteen days to be exact -they’d planned to spend the last half of winter break together- but it’s not like Paige is crossing the days off of her calendar or anything. 

“Fiancé,” Azzi corrects and Paige’s heart flutters despite her brain trying to remind her that this is just a bit they’re playing at. 

“Right, so fiancé,” the word tastes like sugar cookies and marshmallows on the tip of her tongue, “you get my present yet?”

“You know I have and before you ask,” Azzi gives her a knowing look when Paige excitedly opens her mouth, “no I won’t give you a hint about what it is.”

“But Azziiiiiii-”

“Absolutely not Paige,” Azzi says firmly, “presents are meant to be surprises.”

“Aren’t fiancés meant to tell each other everything?” Paige scrunches her nose. 

“Not this. Christmas presents are a sacred secret,” the younger girl replies gravely. 

“And who made you an expert on all things Christmas presents?”

“Santa did,” Azzi retorts haughtily. 

Paige snorts, “well Santa doesn’t ex-”

“PAIGE MADISON BUECKERS,” Azzi yells and the blonde can tell by the way she winces immediately that the younger girl’s little outburst had gotten her more than a couple of wary looks, “Paige Madison Bueckers,” she hisses again, her voice much quieter this time, “you take that back right now!”

“Az-”

“Take it back!”

“Bro you’re fifteen years old,” Paige argues. 

“Believing has no age,” Azzi hums airily, “now take it back.”

“Nope!”

“Take it back or I’ll end our engagement,” Azzi threatens and Paige blanches at ultimatum. 

“You wouldn’t,” she gasps. 

“Try me.”

Paige is sixteen and she’s only really just started to learn what love is, but she thinks, as she sits on her bed bickering on facetime over the most ridiculous of topics with a girl who makes her feel things she’s never felt before, that maybe love is just something as simple and crazy as pretending admitting Santa is real so she can prevent her fake engagement, that’s almost beginning to feel a little much like a real promise, from being called off.

2. With you (under the mistletoe)

The truth is that neither of them quite remember what started the fight or even really why it had continued after. All they know is that one minute everything had been fine and then the next minute, they were fuming at each other and their plane ride back to the DMV for Christmas had passed in uncharacteristic silence. They'd parted ways at the airport -glumly sauntering over to their waiting families while decidedly avoiding looking over in each other’s directions- with a dreadful mixture of regret, guilt and the feeling of missing each other. But despite the fact that they were both clearly miserable, Paige and Azzi were both too stubborn and too eager to prove which one of them could be more stubborn. This was their first true fight after they’d gotten together earlier this year, and they were both adamant that the other one would apologize first. 

But Azzi can feel the urge to cave in grow stronger and stronger by the minute as she feels Paige’s body against her own as the blonde reaches over the younger girl to grab something from the shelf. The contact is unnecessary and she knows Paige is doing it on purpose, trying to get a reaction and it takes every inch of self-control Azzi has to not shiver as the older girl presses herself against her back, acting like whatever she’s grabbing isn’t right at the front of the shelf. Azzi tries to focus on the cookies she’s icing, tries to keep her hands still as she traces the outline of a star in royal icing, tries to do anything but focus on the way Paige’s warm breath is tickling against the back of her neck. 

It’s two days till Christmas and the Fudd family and friends have gathered to do their annual cookie baking and decorating tradition. And Katie had been clear that no matter what issues Paige and Azzi were having, they wouldn’t interfere with the open invitation that Paige had always had -since she’d moved to the DMV but even before that really- to join them throughout the Christmas festivities. Azzi had pretended to be a little miffed by it but secretly she’d been hoping that her girlfriend -god she still got such a thrill out of being able to call her that- would show up. They’d only really been apart for a day, but since they’d met, Paige and Azzi hadn’t gone often without talking to each other -whether it was in person or through text or on the phone- and so 24 hours had felt a little bit like 24 years and Azzi had spent every second missing the girl who’d long since become a part of her soul. And even though Paige had grunted about only being here for Drew’s sake, Azzi knows -by the way the blonde’s eyes had drunk in the sight of her when she’d let her into the house, by the way her stiff shoulders had relaxed just by being near her again- that Paige had missed her just as much. 

But neither of them are quite ready to admit it yet, and so, as they bustle around the confined space of the Fudd’s kitchen, Paige continues to find ways to light Azzi’s skin on fire and Azzi continues to pretend it isn’t making her burn with want. 

“Noooooooo,” a drawled out whine from the kitchen table has Azzi and Paige jumping away from each other as they both turn to look at Drew. 

Azzi’s eyes widen and Paige bursts into laughter as they take in the scene in front of them. Clearly the little boy had overestimated his strength and the piping bag had burst and now Drew stands by the table, his lips slightly parted in shock, as the red icing -originally intended for the Santa hat cookies- drips down the front of his shirt. Jon and José are doubled down in their chairs, tears practically streaming down their faces as the sound of their laughter echoes through the walls. 

“Oh my god,” Paige manages to get out between her giggles, “what did you do Drewskie.”

“Nothing,” her little brother immediately defends himself, “it literally burst out of nowhere.”

“Sure it did little Hulk, sure it did,” José teases as he swipes his finger over Drew’s ruined shirt and then licks the icing off of it, the casualness of it causing Jon and Paige to burst into another round of laughter while Azzi tries as hard as she can to keep her own giggles contained but a smile slips through the cracks. 

“It’s not funny,” Drew stomps his feet petulantly, “I’m all sticky and icky and gross. Azzi,” he looks at the brunette with imploring eyes, “tell them to stop- OH MY GOD ARE YOU LAUGHING AT ME TOO.”

Azzi's eyes widen as she tries to protest, “no of course not. C’mon let’s get you a new-”

But before she can put her plan into action, clearly Drew has a different idea and before Azzi can stop it from happening, the little boy is grabbing another piping bag -this one with green icing- and aiming it straight at Jose. There’s a split second of silence as the green icing arcs through the air, almost in slow motion, before landing with a splat on Jose’s newly bought t-shirt. And then the room bursts into chaos as Drew immediately dives behind Azzi’s legs, Paige and Jon continue to lose their minds laughing and José lets out a loud scream. 

“WHAT THE FU-”

“José language,” both Paige and Azzi reprimand immediately and José glares at them but corrects himself anyways. 

“What the fudge dude,” José scowls at Drew, “this is a brand new shirt.”

For his part, the little boy shrugs, “I thought you liked eating icing off of shirts. I figured I’d make it easier and let you eat it off of your own shirt. 

If it’s possible this somehow makes Jon and Paige laugh harder and instead of focusing his wrath on Drew who’s still nestled behind Azzi’s legs, José turns on the two of them instead. 

“You guys think this is SO funny don’t you,” he says menacingly, grabbing for two more piping bags. 

“José no,” Paige is the first one to recover as she tries to turn away from the mess but it’s too late, and just as she’s trying to bolt out the door, she’s stopped by a glob of pink icing landing with a splat on the back of her plain white shirt. 

“Oh you’re so dead,” Paige whispers angrily as she turns around, grabbing another bag of icing and aiming it directly at José’s face. 

And then there’s no stopping anyone as Azzi watches as all the beautiful icing she’d painstakingly made and dyed into different colors begins to be thrown all over the kitchen, a rainbow painting itself all over the walls and floors. Drew darts out from behind her legs, joining into the mayhem as he starts to pelt Jon with all sorts of colors. 

Seeing them all distracted and knowing it’s only a matter of time before she gets sucked into all of it, Azzi slowly tiptoes backwards, wanting nothing to do with the mess, and she’s just about to turn around and run up the stairs when a low voice echoes behind her. 

“And where do you think you’re going,” because of course Paige had noticed her trying to escape; Paige always noticed when it came to Azzi. 

“Paige,” Azzi warns slowly, trying to move away from the other girl, her eyes fixated on the purple icing in the blonde’s hands, “please.”

Paige smirks as she takes another step towards Azzi, “this is a little unfair isn’t it?”

“Hey I didn’t start any of this,” Azzi puts her hands up in surrender, choosing to back away from the stairs and towards the living room instead, “go fight the people who did.”

Paige shakes her head as she takes another step, “I already got ‘em all. Amateurs,” she says cockily, “they think they can beat me in a food fight.”

Azzi rolls her eyes, “is there anything you’re not arrogant about?”

“Can’t help that I’m good at everything,” Paige shrugs and Azzi’s about to come up with a snarky retort when the blonde’s eyes soften, “except I guess- I guess I’m not too great at apologizing.”

Gone is the air of overconfidence that had surrounded the older girl just a second before and in her place is that soft, vulnerable Paige that Azzi is so desperately in love with and she can’t help but take a step towards the blonde. 

“We should both probably apologize huh,” she says quietly, “think we both said some petty shit we didn’t mean.” 

It’s true; they’d known each other so long and so deeply that they knew exactly how to push each other’s buttons, how to say the exact wrong thing to rile each other up when they were frustrated. The fight had been inevitable; an explosion of all the angst that existed between two athletes who were both fighting injuries and watching their team struggle without them. It had started with something little that Azzi can’t quite remember but then they were yelling about other things -Paige’s grievances about how Azzi had an irritating habit of hovering and Azzi’s issues with Paige’s tendency to close herself off- and it had ended with both of them near tears as they’d frustratedly stomped into their rooms. 

“I’m sorry,” Paige says it first, as she loops her arm around Azzi’s waist, bringing the younger girl as close to her as she can, “I love you. I miss you.”

Azzi smiles, her hands finding their rightful place around Paige’s neck, not caring that the other girl is still covered in sticky icing,  “don’t gotta miss me baby. I’m right here,” she says softly, resting her forehead against the blonde’s, “I’m sorry too. I love you so much.”

“Look up,” Paige says softly, as she strokes Azzi’s cheek and the younger girl does as she’s told, laughing when she notices the mistletoe hanging above them. 

“Kissing under the mistletoe? You’re so cliché Bueckers.”

“Clichés are clichés for a reason Az,” Paige hums faintly before she’s pulling Azzi into a searing kiss, holding her as tightly as she physically can. 

And yet Azzi still finds a way to tug her closer, trying to find a way to meld their bodies into one as she presses herself as close to Paige as possible. She’s just about to suggest they take this upstairs -because god has she missed being with Paige- when instead she feels the older girl pull away and before she can even react, she’s being hit in the face with a stream of bright purple icing. 

“PAIGE WHAT THE FUCK,”

“Sorry baby. Just couldn’t help myself,” Paige grins as she steps back into Azzi’s space, gently attaching her lips to Azzi’s cheeks as her tongue languidly licks away at the icing and this time the younger girl doesn’t even try to hide the way her body reacts to it, “I promise I’ll clean you up though.”

3. I’ll be home (for Christmas)

“I’m good I swear,” Azzi’s voice is raw and hoarse like it often gets when she’s been crying and despite the younger girl’s best efforts to put on a brave front, Paige can hear right through it. 

She cocks an eyebrow, shifting from her back onto her elbows and placing her phone -with the facetime call- against the headboard, “then why won’t you let me see your face?”

“It’s not me. Something’s up with my camera. I don’t know what,” and if it was anyone else, even someone else who also knew that Azzi had literally just gotten a new phone, maybe the attempted sincerity in the brunette’s voice would be enough to convince them that she was telling the truth. 

But Paige has every line of the Azzi Fudd façade memorized, knows exactly how to discern the little cadences in her girlfriend’s voice and read between the lines. She knows Azzi’s purposely refusing to show her face; knows that it’s probably because it would take Paige one glance at said beautiful, gorgeous, stunning face to know that there had been tears running down it just a little bit ago. 

The blonde sighs, choosing to let the lie go and instead focus on the precious few minutes she’s got to speak to her girlfriend in peace. This is the first time Paige and Azzi have truly been apart for an extended amount of time since the latter had gotten to UConn and somehow the past few weeks have felt worse than when they’d spent months and months apart. With Paige trying to lead an injury-riddled team and Azzi rehabbing another torn ACL, the opportunities to indulge in a proper facetimes call had been few and far between. And when they did finally find the team, it wasn’t just that they were physically tired; they were both emotionally drained too. It was hard recharging when their batteries -each other- were so far away and every call felt hollow; like something was missing. 

“I miss you,” Paige says finally, feet digging into her bed as she musters up a soft smile, wishing that she could see Azzi return it with one of her own instead of staring at a black screen with only her own face in the corner. 

“Tell me something I don’t know,” the younger girl says lightly and something uncomfortable churns in Paige’s stomach. 

“You uh- you haven’t said it back in a while,” she says slowly, trying to keep her voice casual. 

“Said what?”

Paige gulps, “that you miss me,” she gives Azzi a second to respond before her nerves have her speaking a mile per minute, “I mean not that you- not that you have to say it back or anything it’s just- you usually do- or like you always did and you just- you just haven’t said it back. And I mean I don’t say I miss you just so you’ll say it back or anything. I mean I do- you know- miss you and so that why I say it- because- because I miss you- I miss you so fucking much baby and I just- I just want you to know that but you haven’t- you haven’t said it back in a little bit and I just- Azzi,” her voice cracks as she tries not to let the tears slip through, “you do miss me don’t you?”

The other girl is quiet for so long that Paige thinks maybe she’s said too much; her mind rushes to the worst possibilities because what if Azzi really doesn’t miss her? What if her insecurities are right and the time apart has made Azzi realize that she wants something other than Paige?

“Of course I miss you Paige,” Azzi’s voice is thick with tears and all of Paige’s previous fears are replaced with worry instead, “god baby I miss you so fucking much. I miss you all the time and I’m sorry, fuck Paige, I’m sorry if I ever made you think I didn’t but baby- I-,” she’s heaving through her tears and Paige wishes she was with her; wishes she could wipe away her tears and hold her forever. 

“Azzi-”

“I haven’t been saying it back because- because-” Azzi pushes on, still struggling to speak but determined to say her piece, “I can’t okay? I can’t keep saying it Paige- I can’t keep telling you I miss you and hearing that you miss me when we can’t do anything about it. And I get it- okay- I get it. I get that you have to be with the team and I have to be here and do my rehab and we can’t- we can’t be together right but fuck- I hate it. I hate it so much.”

“Azzi,” Paige says again helplessly. 

She hates it too; hates that it’s so close to Christmas, so close to Azzi’s favorite holiday and her girlfriend is sobbing. 

“Shit. I’m being a terrible girlfriend aren’t I? You have a game in a couple of hours and here I am being a fucking selfish wet wipe instead of wishing you luck. Fucking hell,” Azzi curses and Paige can picture her frantically pulling herself together as she tries to change her tone. 

“You could never be a terrible girlfriend,” Paige reassures softly. 

Azzi ignores her, “besides, we’ll see each other soon right? You’re gonna fly home from Toronto to Connecticut tomorrow and then come home to me after right? Just a couple more days,” and it sounds like she’s saying it more to herself than Paige, “just a few more days- few more hours really. We can do this.”

“Yeah,” Paige agrees but she can’t help but feel like even that’s too long and there’s a plan starting to form in her mind; a good use of all that NIL money she’s been earning. 

“I love you P,” Azzi says softly, and despite the heaviness from before, Paige can hear the smile in her voice, “see you soon baby.”

“I love you too Az. I’ll be home soon,” Paige replies, a large grin settling onto her face as she gets ready to bring her idea to fruition; knowing that for now, their soons don’t quite mean the same thing. 

***

Azzi thinks her parents and brother must have the patience of a saint. She’s acutely aware that she’s been a miserable grinch to be around; either ignoring them or answering them with tight one-word sentences. Since she’d come down to Virginia for her rehab, she’s kept herself holed down in her room, only coming out when absolutely necessary. The worst part of it, is that it’s her favorite time of the year and Azzi’s barely participated in all the little Christmas traditions -half of which had really been created by her- that she’d normally be excited to indulge in. 

She sighs, burrowing herself further into her pillows to block out the chatter of her family upstairs. In a couple of minutes, she’s sure one of them will come rushing downstairs, pleading for her to come join them as they make Christmas themed pancakes. And she’ll refuse -just as she has with every other fun little activity- and all though whoever’s been tasked with getting her out of her cave will persist a little longer, eventually they’ll give up, that awful look, tinged in both disappointment and pity, on their face as they go back upstairs with a promise to bring her a plate in a little bit. It’s a terrible routine that’s been on rinse and repeat and Azzi thinks she’d really like to break herself out of it, but it feels like she’s drowning in it instead, and there’s not a lifeboat in sight to pull her out of her misery. 

Turning on her side, Azzi reaches for her phone, flipping to Paige’s contact and her heart aches from their last conversation last night. God she’d been so selfish, venting like that knowing her girlfriend had a game in a couple of hours; knowing how stressful each game -no matter how easy the opponent- was with an injury-riddled team. But Paige had sounded so miserable when asking if Azzi still missed her that in a way it had been infectious and suddenly Azzi found herself letting her own hurt waterfall out of her lips. 

She scrunches her nose, eyebrows crinkling in confusion when she realizes that the last text she’d sent Paige before going to sleep  -a simple you did really good today baby, i’m proud of you right after the game- had gone unanswered. Azzi frowns, looking down at her phone as if her staring harder at it might just conjure up a message from her girlfriend. She’d fallen asleep almost right after sending it and it was unlike Paige to not have answered her by the time she woke up. Azzi rattles her brain, trying to remember if the blonde had mentioned any other plans -beyond a dinner with Aaliyah’s parents that wouldn’t have kept her from her phone- but she can’t remember anything. Briefly glancing at the time and knowing that Paige’s flight to Connectcut wasn’t supposed to leave for at least another three hours, Azzi hastily texts her girlfriend again, crossing her fingers behind her back in anticipation of a quick reply. 

Good morning Paigey <3 

She gives it exactly three minutes, stomach churning when she doesn’t get a reply. 

I miss you baby. 

Another four minutes and still no reply and Azzi starts to feel her head getting heavy with that familiar weight of over thinking. What if she’d overstepped last night? What if it was too much? What if Paige had decided that she couldn’t deal with Azzi and her crap anymore?

She can hear someone starting to hurry down the steps, the quickness making her think it’s probably one of her brother’s who’s been tasked with getting her out of her room this time. But Azzi keeps her focus on her phone, ready to reject whatever offer is about to be made. The door creaks open and she doesn’t look up, typing another message instead. 

I love you Paige. 

“I love you too Azzi.”

Azzi freezes at the sound of the oh so familiar voice, her gaze moving from her phone to the doorway in slow-motion. She blinks in disbelief, mouth falling open as she stares at the figure in her doorway, taking in the sight of a disheveled blonde ponytail, the custom UConn sweats draped on a body that’s radiating exhaustion but more than anything her eyes fixates on that smile, the one that’s always been just for her. 

“Paige,” she breathes out slowly, almost as if she’s scared that saying it will make the girl in front of her disappear like a dream. 

“Hi baby,” Paige says softly, casually pointing to her phone, “I got your message.”

“You’re here,” Azzi chokes out and then, louder, “you’re here oh my god, you’re really here,” she repeats, rushing to get out of bed, desperate to wrap her arms around Paige, to hold her and be held in return. 

“Hey, hey, hey wait baby careful,” Paige chides, her focus immediately on Azzi’s knee, “stay where you are-”

“What? Why?” Azzi pouts and that elicits a little laugh from Paige as she walks over to the brunette. 

“Because,” the older girl says quietly, as she crawls onto the bed and pulls Azzi onto her lap so the younger girl is straddling Paige’s hips, “I’m here.”

Azzi looks at her in awe, hand tracing the curves of Paige’s face like she still can’t quite believe this is real, “yeah,” she whispers, “you’re here.”

And then she’s kissing every inch of Paige’s skin that she can, memorizing the way it feels soft and smooth under her lips, trying to make up for all the lost time of the past few weeks and perhaps even for when she knows they’ll inevitably have to be separated again. Paige’s grip on her waist is tight, fingers gripping her like they’re scared to let go as she shivers under Azzi’s featherlight touch. 

“I’m here,” Paige repeats again before she guides Azzi’s lips onto her own into a feverish kiss that has both of them letting out a long-kept sigh of relief. 

It starts off innocent enough, the two of them savoring the moment, savoring the feeling of finally being in each other’s arms. But then Paige’s tongue is licking into Azzi’s mouth and the younger girl is grinding her hips in the way she knows will drive the blonde a little insane as Paige’s own hands find themselves roaming underneath Azzi’s pajama shirt, rubbing circles dangerously close to the edge of her sleep shorts. 

“Missed you- missed you so fucking much,” Azzi babbles as Paige’s mouth moves away from her lips to trail a series of kisses down her jaw, to her neck before nipping at her collarbone. 

“Me too- me fucking too,” Paige mutters between kisses as she soothes her tongue over the mark she’d just tattooed into Azzi’s skin with her teeth, eyes glazing over when it elicits a barely-concealed moan from the brunette’s lips. 

“Missed this,” Azzi groans, continuing to roll her body against Paige’s, and she thinks she could fall off the edge just like this, untouched and fully clothed. 

“I know, baby. I know,” Paige pants as she continues her assault on the young girl’s skin, “gonna take care of you. I swear. Gonna make up for everything tonight-”

“No now,” Azzi whines, hands tangling in Paige’s hair and pulling in a way that has the older girl groaning into the crook of her neck, “I need you now. I’ll be quiet, I swear. Paige please.”

“Fuck baby don’t say that. You know I can’t say no to you.”

“Then don’t say no to me,” Azzi responds with a smirk, one hand trailing down to gently flick against Paige’s nipples causing the blonde to let out a conflicted noise somewhere between pure arousal and reluctant protest. 

“I can’t,” she says finally, resting her head against Azzi’s shoulder as she purposefully grips the younger girl’s waist to keep her still. 

Azzi pouts, “why not?”

When Paige finally looks up at her, there’s a sheepish look on her face, “I made a bet with your brothers.”

“What?” 

“They said they hadn’t been able to get you out of your room and I said I could do it in ten minutes and they said it would take me a lot longer,” Paige says, hands moving animatedly and Azzi can’t help the fond smile that flitters onto her face. 

“So let me get this straight,” she says slowly, “we haven’t seen each other in weeks, haven’t fucked,” she purposefully grinds her hips down onto the other girl, “in weeks and you wanna delay it longer because you wanna win a bet against my brothers?”

Paige has the decency to look at least a little ashamed as she nods before giving Azzi a goofy grin, “yes? I love you?”

Azzi rolls her eyes as she slips off of Paige’s lap, already missing the warmth of being on top of the other girl, “can’t believe you’d rather win a bet than fuck me.”

“Nah,” Paige smirks as she stands up, her hands immediately inching themselves around Azzi’s waist, “I’d rather win a bet, use that money to get us a hotel tonight and then fuck you.”

“You’ve really thought this through haven’t you?” Azzi shakes her head, trying to hide her excitement at the idea of being in a hotel room -being alone, just the two of them- with Paige tonight. 

“Ten steps ahead always baby,” Paige grins as she presses her lips against Azzi’s, ending it quicker than either of them would like, “now hurry up so I can win this bet.”

But Azzi doesn’t move, instead she pulls Paige back into her, resting their foreheads together as she breathes in the scent of her girlfriend. 

“I’m really glad you’re home P,” she whispers and Paige smiles, gently rubbing her back, “didn’t feel like Christmas season without you.”

4. You’re all I need (underneath the tree) 

Azzi’s just putting on the finishing touches to her outfit -dangly gold hoops that Paige had gotten her just because- when she feels a pair of arms wrap around her middle, a warm body being pressed against her chest. She smiles, letting herself melt into her wife’s -God she loves being able to say that- touch, leaning her head back against Paige’s shoulder. 

“You look so pretty in that dress,” the older woman whispers into her ear as she runs her hands up and down the velvety red material covering Azzi’s body, “but you sure we have to go to your parents’ right now? Cause I think you’d look even better out of it.”

Azzi giggles; they’ve been together for almost nine years -known each other for even longer-  and yet every time Paige gives her a compliment, she feels her insides swooning, cheeks going red like she’s still a teenager whose crush is flirting with her. And she thinks this feeling will never go away, that the halo-like glow Paige’s mere presence casts around her will never fade because this love -this all-consuming sense of you’re it for me between them- is going to last forever. She’s sure of it. 

“Do you ever think of anything but sex?” Azzi rolls her eyes as she turns around in Paige’s arms, fingers immediately reaching up to fix the collar of Paige’s matching red shirt. 

Paige grins, “nah cause I’m always thinking about you and so by default I’m always thinking about sex.”

“You’re insatiable,” Azzi shakes her head. 

“Can you blame me when my wife looks like that?” Paige makes a show of looking up and down Azzi’s body, letting out a low appreciative whistle at the way the dress hugs her figure, the neckline dipping just low enough to stay respectable yet sexy. 

“You look pretty good yourself Bueckers,” Azzi hums as she grazes her teeth lightly against Paige’s neck, making the older woman shudder. 

“Careful Az,” Paige warns, the sultry lilt in her voice saying the exact opposite, “I might start getting the wrong idea.”

Azzi shrugs cheekily, “and what idea would that be?”

Paige smirks, gently tugging at Azzi’s dress to expose a shoulder before she’s attaching her lips to the newly uncovered patch of skin, “that maybe you want us to be late. Or better yet, maybe you don’t want us to go at all.”

Keening under the softness of Paige’s touch, Azzi reluctantly pushes the older woman away, and that might be worse because now she can see her eyes and the lust swimming in them makes her want to give into temptation. But they’re already running late and she has no desire to give their brother’s any teasing material, so she settles on stealing another kiss from Paige’s lips. 

“Go warm up the car,” she mutters against the blonde’s lips, gently squeezing her waist before she detaches from Paige and starts to fix her dress, “I’mma just do a quick double check and then be out.”

“Yes your highness,” Paige teases with a slight roll of her eyes before she’s grabbing both her and Azzi’s packed overnight bags and heading towards the car.  

Azzi smiles as she watches her go. As much as they joked about not going at all, both of them loved spending Christmas with their families, especially considering how the Fudds, Bueckers and everything in between had melded into one big one. Despite the fact that living in the DMV now meant that they saw at least someone in their family once a week, the idea of having everyone under the same roof was still thrilling nonetheless. 

Life had a funny way of working out. The plan had been set in motion since Azzi had been drafted to DC and although Paige had been tempted to stay in Minnesota -after all being the hometown hero picked with the no.1 pick had served her and the. team well for her first four rookie years, considering she’d helped them return to their former championship glory- they had ultimately decided that with most of their family in the DMV area, it made more sense for Paige to ask for a trade to DC than it did for Azzi to move to Minnesota. It hadn’t been the smoothest transition -they’d had their fair share of fights while making the decision and then adjusting to it- but they’d figure it out. They always did. Because as good as Paige and Azzi were at fighting with each other, they were even better at fighting for each other. 

Quickly going through the to-do-list in her brain, Azzi nods to herself as she silently checks off everything. She does a quick glance of her room, making sure that they’re not leaving anything they’d need, before reaching to grab her phone, just to text her parents that they were on their own way. Instead her eyes catch on an email notification, her heart beating erratically when she reads the name of the sender. 

Fingers fidgeting with the heart necklace Paige had gotten her years ago, Azzi slowly clicks on the notification as anticipation burns throughout her whole body. She tries to steady her breathing as she scans through it, reading each line carefully and she almost drops her phone, large hot tears dripping down her cheeks as she reaches the end of it. Her chest feels heavy with an unknown feeling and she knows she needs to get to Paige, but her feet are rooted to their spot. 

“Baby,” she hears her wife call out, followed by the sound of Paige’s footsteps climbing up the stairs, “you ready yet? The car’s already- oh my god baby what’s wrong?”

Azzi looks up from her phone to find Paige standing in the doorway. Concern floods the older woman’s sharp features as she rushes over to her, hands running all over Azzi’s body as she tries to figure out what’s wrong. 

“Az? Baby? What’s going on? What happened,” Paige asks urgently, “baby please you’re scaring me. What’s wrong,” her eyes drop to the phone in Azzi’s hands as her voice gets desperate, “did someone say something? Do I need to go kill somebody? Fuck baby please don’t cry. Tell me what’s wrong? I swear I’ll fix it but you gotta tell me baby. Please.”

Wordlessly, Azzi hands over her phone. Paige’s expression is confused and apprehensive -maybe even a little preemptively angry- as she takes the device from her wife’s hand. Azzi watches as recognition dawn of the blonde’s face when she spots the familiar e-mail address; watches as her wife goes through the same emotions she had reading through the email. When Paige finally looks back at her, her own eyes are brimming with tears. 

“Baby,” she says breathlessly, “this- I- we-,” she chokes back a sob, her voice so quiet in comparison to the loud enigma that is Paige Bueckers-Fudd, “we’re gonna be Moms?”

Azzi nods, tears continuing to spill down her cheeks as she finally manages to open her mouth, “yeah- yeah we are. Paige, we’re gonna have a baby. No two,” she corrects herself, remembering the exact words of the e-mail, “we’re gonna have two babies. Twins.”

And it’s unclear who moves first -it doesn’t really matter- but then they’re in each other’s arms, trying to hold each other as tightly as physically possible as their tears and smiles begin to blend into one. It had been a couple of months since they’d started the adoption process and they’d gone through every stage, slightly scared that something would go wrong. But they’d passed every background and family and personality check rather easily and it was this last part, the wait to hear about a child -well children- that needed them that had been the hardest of it. And now here it was, the last brushstroke that would complete the picture they’d started painting when they were fifteen. Two babies that would complete them. 

“You’re gonna be such a good Mom,” Paige mutters against Azzi’s hair, “god Azzi, baby I can’t wait to see you with our babies -fuck- our babies. Fuck baby I don’t know what you got me but I’m afraid it’s gonna have to be second best Christmas present I’m getting this year. 

Azzi laughs breathlessly, her face still buried in Paige’s neck, “think it’s gonna be the best Christmas present ever,” she slowly lifts her head so she can brush away the tears from under her wife’s eyes, “I love you. I wouldn’t wanna do this with anyone but you.”

Paige presses her lips against Azzi’s forehead, “me too baby. I love you so fucking much. You, me and our babies. It’s all I’m ever gonna want, all I’m ever gonna need.”

5. All I want (for Christmas is you) 

There’s a lot going on in her house right now -the chatter of family and friends mingling with the sounds of Christmas Carols blaring from the speakers, the mixed aroma of a well-cooked meal and freshly baked desserts, the twinkly lights strung all around the house blinking in different colors- but Paige’s entire attention is across the room where both of her two children are hanging off of her wife like baubles on a Christmas tree. Miles is situated on her lap, his head buried in his favorite place, between Azzi’s neck and shoulder. Sienna, always slightly more independent, has one hand wrapped around her mother’s ankle while she sits on the floor, her focus squarely on a princess coloring book. It’s a sight that will never stop making Paige’s heart swell with pride and happiness, her wife with their kids. 

Slowly excusing herself from the conversation she’d been having with a relative, Paige makes her way over to her family -to her whole world- with a soft smile on her face. She sits down next to her wife, placing a kiss to her temple that makes Azzi smile, before pressing one to her son’s forehead over the younger woman’s shoulder, before finally picking her daughter off the floor onto her lap and giving Sienna a kiss on her cheek. 

“Hi family,” she whispers and she thinks that if she could choose to have one picture ingrained in her mind forever, it would be a picture of the three smiles she gets in return. Miles’s is sleepy yet so sincere, Sienna’s is toothy and wide and Azzi’s- we’ll Azzi’s is exactly like it’s been since they were fifteen. It’s her Paige smile, one that is bright and beautiful and magnificent and filled with the promise of i’ll love you forever. 

“Mama look,” Sienna coos, shoving her picture in front of Paige’s face, “I color a p-incess.”

“It’s beautiful Si-Si,” Paige says warmly, “I think it should probably go on the fridge once everybody’s gone home yeah?”

Azzi snorts, her voice dropping so only her wife can hear, “baby, I don’t think there’s any more space left on the fridge considering you’ve been putting up every single thing they’ve ever colored or made.”

“I’ll make space,” Paige says haughtily, “everything they make is fridge-worthy.”

Azzi shakes her head fondly but Paige knows that despite her words, she’ll be right there by her side tonight to help her make space on their rather cluttered fridge so that they could hang Sienna’s new masterpiece somewhere on it. 

“Mi’s close to falling asleep,” Azzi gestures to the little boy in her arms who’s clearly struggling to keep his eyes open, “I think we should probably let them open their Christmas Eve presents now.”

Despite Azzi trying to keep her tone to a whisper, Sienna’s ears perk up at the word “present” and she turns on Paige’s lap to face her Moms with large, hopeful eyes, “it’s pwesent time?”

“Yeah sweetheart. It's present time, but only one okay?” Paige taps Sienna’s nose gently, laughing when the little girl nods diligently and then squeals with excitement, rushing off of her mother’s lap so she can tell anyone within earshot that it’s time to open presents. 

“I was gonna tell you to get everybody but I think she’s got it. She’s got your vocal chords for sure,” Azzi nudges Paige’s shoulder teasingly before coaxing Miles’ head out her neck, “you ready to open a present Mi?”

Miles yawns and Paige can’t help but coo at how cute he looks as he stretches in his mother’s arms. It fascinates her, how despite being twins, Miles and Sienna sometimes feel like they’re years apart. And she knows they're only 3 years old, and she knows that they’ll both change over time but Paige thinks that the difference in their personalities makes them fit together even more beautifully. Sienna had a protective streak, always ready to shield her demure brother and Miles had a knack from calming Sienna down, always ready to comfort his boisterous sister. 

“MI,” Sienna yells as she tugs on her twin brother’s arm, having somehow already gathered their family into the living room, “wake up Mi. Time to open a Ch-istmas Eve pwesent.”

“I coming Si-Si,” Miles says softly as he finally waddles off of Azzi’s lap, tiredly rubbing his eyes as he follows his sister towards the barrage of Christmas presents underneath the tree. Their mothers scooch off of the couch to stand closer to the tree, Paige wrapping her arms around Azzi from behind as she hooks her chin over her wife’s shoulder. 

“Alright Si-Si,” Tim says, his eyes twinkling as he looks down at his granddaughter, “remember, you should always pick the biggest present to open on Christmas Eve!”

Sienna’s eyes widen as she takes in her grandfather’s words before her gaze drifts towards the presents, scouting for the biggest one of them all. Paige drinks in the joy on her daughter’s face when she finally spots a large box that might just be taller than she is. 

“That one!” Sienna says gleefully as she practically climbs over the rest of the gifts to get to her chosen one. 

“Careful sweetheart,” Azzi calls out, her voice laced with hints of worry as she watches her daughter try to pick up the present that’s clearly heavier than she is. 

“Uncle Drew,” Sienna croaks out, turning to Paige’s brother as she realizes just how big the present she’d chosen is, “help me pease!”

Drew laughs, wading through the sea of presents to get to his niece as he sedulously sits down to help her unwrap the gift. Paige tightens her grip around Azzi in anticipation as she watches for her daughter’s reaction. The twins are old enough this year to really understand their gifts and even though Paige is sure she knows them well enough -they’re her babies for fuck’s sake- to have gotten them present they’d love, she’s still a little scared they wouldn’t.

“Relax baby,” Azzi leans her head back to whisper into the blonde’s ear, having noticed the way Paige is fidgeting with the sleeve of the brunette’s sweater, “she’s gonna love it. She’s our daughter. We know her.”

Paige presses a delicate kiss against the back of her wife’s neck, “you always say the right thing.”

“Because I know you,” Azzi says softly, eyes crinkling in the corner as she smiles at Paige.

They’re broken out of their reverie by their daughter screaming in excitement as she finally uncovers her present -a barbie basketball court-, and just like Azzi had predicted she would, she says, “I love it, I love it, I love it. Thank you Mama, thank you Mommy!”

Paige and Azzi laugh, opening their arms in tandem for Sienna to rush into, “we’re glad you like it Si-Si.”

“I love it,” Sienna corrects as she gives each of them a sloppy kiss on the cheek. 

“My turn now?” a meek voice cuts in and everyone's eyes fall onto Miles, who cowers slightly at having everyone’s attention. 

“Yeah it is,” Paige grins at her son, tickling him lightly in the stomach before pushing him towards the presents, “pick whichever one you want to open Mi.”

Miles chews at his bottom lip, cautiously observing the huge pile of presents before turning to his Mothers’ with a way expression and Paige has to hide her grin, knowing exactly what he’s about to ask. 

“Too many,” Miles says, bouncing nervously on his tiny little feet, “you help me pick pease Mama.”

Paige laughs as she gathers the little boy in her arms but not before she’s whispering in Azzi’s ear, “think he might be more indecisive than you baby,” which earns her a slight elbow to the stomach before she nods at her son, “of course I’ll help you pick sweetheart.”

She pretends to make a big show of searching for the right present, observing her son’s facial expression before she sees his eyes light up a little when she grabs a medium-sized blue one. 

“Aha!” Paige yells triumphantly, causing all the adults in the room to snicker at her antiques, “think you should open this one Mi.”

Miles grins as he makes grabby hands towards the present in his mother’s hand. It takes him approximately four and a half seconds to rip off all the wrapping paper and his eyes marvel at the gift in his hands. 

“Teddy,” Miles says in awe as he clutches the cuddly stuffed toy to his chest. 

“Yeah it is baby,” Azzi nods as she kneels down next to the little boy, “here,” she points towards the blue heart on his chest, “how about you squeeze it?”

Miles does as he is told, squeezing the teddy-bear’s heart as tightly as he can and it starts to glow. Paige and Azzi’s voices ring out through the room, singing -slightly off-key- Miles’s favorite lullaby. The little boy’s eyes widen when he realizes the sound isn’t coming from his Mothers', both of whom have their mouths closed, but from the teddy-bear’s heart. 

“Now, whenever you’re scared at night in your big boy bed, you can just squeeze teddy and it’ll be like Mommy and Mama are already there with you,” Azzi says softly as she brushes her hands through her son’s hair, “you like it Mi?”

“I’m gonna call it MoMa,” Miles says in lieu of an answer as he beams up at Paige and Azzi, “like Mommy and Mama but MoMa.”

Paige laughs, her eyes suddenly starting to feel a little wet, as she wraps an arm around Azzi’s waist, watching her children fawn over the presents they’d just opened. There’s plenty more left and she’s excited to watch their reaction to opening the others but the first ones are always just a little more special. And whether it was giving Sienna a basketball court, or giving Miles a version of their voices, through these gifts they’d tried to give their children a part of themselves. 

“Hey,” Azzi snaps Paige out of her trance, her hand reaching down to intertwine with Paige’s as she begins to pull her away from their family, “come with me for a second.”

“Azzi Fudd,” Paige puts a dramatic hand to her chest, smirking as she follows her wife upstairs, “are you sneaking me into our bedroom to have a quickie? While our family and our children are right downstairs?”

Azzi  turns to her with a cheeky grin as they enter their bedroom, tracing a finger down Paige’s arm, “would you object if I was?”

“Abso-fucking-lutely not. Let’s do it,” Paige waggles her eyebrows, pulling Azzi into her chest but the younger woman immediately shrugs herself out of it as she goes into their closet instead, “oh okay then, leave me high and dry on fucking Christmas Eve.”

“Shut up,” Azzi chides, still rummaging through drawers before she finally emerges from the mahogany doors with a small silver box, walking back to Paige with a small smile on her face, “I figured you should get to open a present tonight too.”

“Well the present I was hoping to unwrap was you-” her joke is cut off by Azzi laughing. 

“Baby please, you are way too old to be saying that shit.”

“Hey,” Paige says with mock offense, “first of all, I’m not that old and second of all, you’re never too old to be flirting with your wife.”

“First of all, it’s okay that you’re old baby, I like them a little older,” Azzi smirks, “and second of all, you are if the flirting's that corny and third of all,” she gives Paige a pointed look when the other woman open her mouth to counter, “shut up and open your present.”

“Still so bossy aren’t you princess?” Paige shakes her head but she does as she told, delicately removing the lid from the box and gasping when she sees the necklace inside, “baby, it’s beautiful.”

The necklace is similar to the engagement ring she’d gotten for Azzi, not the one from the fair all those years ago, but the real one. It’s a simple enough chain with a heart shaped diamond-encrusted locket, except on either side of the heart, the chain is looped into two infinity symbols. 

“Open it,” Azzi says softly. 

“What?” Paige asks, still staring dazedly at the dainty jewelry in her hands. 

“The heart,” Azzi points to the locket, “it opens.”

Paige does as she’s told, delicately using her nails to pull apart the locket and a fresh set of tears brim in her eyes when she sees what’s inside. On one side of the heart is a picture of Miles and Sienna, the twins grinning at the camera and Paige remembers the exact moment she’d taken it. On the other side, is a picture of Paige and Azzi; specifically a picture of their kiss at their wedding. 

“Baby,” Paige says again, uncannily lost for words. 

“You’re really fucking hard to shop for you know that?” Azzi says slowly, her own eyes glistening with moisture  “like what do you even get someone who basically has everything because you know- like you always say- we’re your everything -all you could ever want is me, Miles and Sienna- and we’re already yours, just like you’re already ours. And so I figured I’d just give you a reminder of it, something you can always keep with you so you always know.” 

“It’s perfect,” Paige breathes out as she holds the locker out towards Azzi, “put it on me?”

Azzi grins as Paige turns around and the blonde watches through the mirror as the chain is placed carefully around her neck and her wife firmly clasps it together before placing a soft kiss to the back of her neck. 

“I love you,” Azzi whispers when Paige turns back around, “for eternity.”

“I love you,” Paige whispers back, pulling her wife flush against her chest, the locket with her world hanging between them, “to eternity and beyond.”

[scourgeofmyownbrain]

Only one guy on here has two eyes, and even then, they're fake eyes. It's big-tits-McGee, Mr. logic man extraordinaire, Geneva Suggestion Believer himself: Shockwave! Yep, all 12 of him, a reasonable amount of alternates to have, unlike some people... Shockwave Height Chart, everyone, fuckin wee.

Edit: I didn't like the old scaling I had so I changed it. The old chart is at the end of this post.

Quick Disclaimer, if any of the images look weird, it's because I had to stitch a few separate images together to create a full body shot of the character.

Here are links to my Bumblebee Chart, my Optimus Chart, my Megatron Chart, and my Soundwave Chart. !!NEW!! -> Ratchet & Ironhide. Please go gawk at how many Optimus designs there are, sweet fuck, there are so many. For future reference, all these charts will be filed under my "Transformers Height Charts" tag and my "aka the adventures of a..." tag.

Master Post

Explanations and Sources below the cut.

Unicron Trilogy Energon - ~14 feet 3 inches (No actual source, and Energon doesn't have any listed heights anywhere. For the uneducated, the Unicron Trilogy has given each of its 3 seasons separate names and 3 separate art styles. This is the design used in Energon (S2) though he only shows up in Energon. I was able to compare him to Optimus, and using Cybertron's listed heights, I got this number. I am in physical pain, it does not get better from here. Hilarious side note, his Japanese name is Laserwave, which contains the missing "wave" of Shockwave in this iteration's name.)

Earth Spark - ~15 feet (No actual source for ES, but using a barn door to get Bumblebee's height, then Optimus's, then Megatron's height, I was able to make a guess at Shockwave's. Shockwave comes up to about Megatron's chin; I lost the screenshot I used. It's so convoluted, I know, but it's all I have, also, tiny universe, everyone is so small)

TFA Longarm/V1 - 15 feet 2 inches (Animated has no actual numbers, but the lovely @phoenix-inanis has provided a frankly astounding resource with their own calculations for the heights of all the TFA characters. Go look at it, it's wonderful -> https://phoenix-inanis.notion.site/TFA-Height-Chart-f6ad2960ca8c4c5b859ee4958723aaa4?pvs=4)

Gen 1 - ~18 feet (TFWiki, uuuuh I've got nothing to add)

Netflix Cybertron Trilogy - ~18 feet (I have no source for this, other than assuming that because this design is identical to Gen 1, they are the same height. That's it, really)

Knight/Capel-Verse - ~18 feet (No source, and he never stands next to anyone I can measure him against, but because the TFOne director has said that this movie is both canon to the LA movies and its own separate canon, I am assuming the height I figured out for TFOne applies to this universe as well. Until proven otherwise. Capel directed the ROTB movie if you're wondering why his name is there)

One - ~18 feet (No source, I got this number by comparing him to Optimus. Now, I am aware of the TFO heights listed on the wiki, but I reject those numbers on principal. A: Those numbers are sourced from the Walmart Promotional AR Experience that came out before the movie. B: There are three decimal points, and that number does not convert into a whole number in meters (which is originally what I thought was weird about it). C: The director has said that this movie is both canon to the LA movies and its own separate canon, so I have elected to use the few given heights we have from KCV and worked from there. My Optimus post has slightly more context if you want it)

Cyberverse - 20 feet (This comes from a screenshot of this video which has the Cyberverse height chart everyone uses, though the quality of the screenshot is iffy.)

Aligned Cont. WF/FOC/TFP - 26 feet 2 inches (This number comes from Fandom and I completely believe it, even if they don't list their source, because the entirety of this universe is freakishly tall. Go look at my other charts, all the ALC designs are monstrous compared to the others)

TFA V2 - 29 feet 11 inches (Once again, phoenix-inanis did a fuck ton of work, go look at it, it's wonderful -> https://phoenix-inanis.notion.site/TFA-Height-Chart-f6ad2960ca8c4c5b859ee4958723aaa4?pvs=4)

Bayverse - ~30 feet (Ok, so I don't have a source for this one. There used to be one, BV Shockwave used to be listed as 40 feet tall bc of an article done to promote the movie, but that is no longer listed for reasons not known to me, and making some comparisons to Optimus, I have found them to be kinda close in height. It's very hard to actually validate any of this. Shockwave never stands normally next to anything I can use as a ruler at any point in the movie. He's always at a dramatic angle or partially covered by something in the shot. It's so violently frustrating. I am confident he is around this height though, I just can't figure out how much taller than Optimus he is)

And that's it. I didn't have to leave any designs out, all of them are included here (hopefully). It was so nice to work with a character where I wasn't drowning in 20+ designs across every goddamn universe.

Edit: Here are the different layers separated.

vvv Old scale vvv

[aftapati]

❛ While you have shown sufficient understanding, your perception is still lacking. It would seem that the people that you have, and still are, fighting to protect have yet to inform you about some fundamentals regarding this place. ❜

Spoken meticulously, with utmost greatest mastery of wordism wielded in possession like a loaded weapon, in preparedness to pull the trigger and unleash the bullets in equivalence of seeds planted firmly on the soil, having his influence assisting in their growth. Albeit the undecodedness presented upon half - binded mien, internally there was an oblique convexity facing upwards created by subtle lips, ready for its divulgement to take place. Alas, restraint and patience were necessities he had in possession, haltlessly prompting in their usage.

Even so, in defiance to all aforementioned, he allowed a faint chuckle to resonate within the atmosphere, indirectly beckoning forthcoming words to be professed in an orchestrated manner, with him in the role of a maestro oscillating the baton gracefully, and Kurosaki Ichigo in the role of the crowd. With constructive sentences acting as the lyrics of resultant subjugation, and his voice as the melody of presumed acceptance.

❛ It would seem that I have been making too many inquiries, as if you are bestowed with a questionaire. However, it is impossible to act otherwise when I am presented with a situation like this. So, humour my curiosity again, Kurosaki Ichigo. ❜

❛ Do you even know the kind of place and people that you have been protecting this whole time? ❜

Then perhaps Aizen believed wrongly of him. Ichigo simply wanted to protect all of the worlds at stake. The living world, hueco mundo, the soul society. All of it hung now in the balance thanks to someone like Yhwach. It was all threatened by the greater scheme of his plans and conquests. Ichigo knew that even though he had trained extensively with squad zero and gained new abilities---would they be enough? Would it ever truly be enough? He wasn't sure and that's why he was down here now.

What was there to perceive? Yhwach was a bad guy, more than bad really. He was dead set on bringing abut a world that would bring about the end of all of the worlds as they knew it. The living world and the soul society and Hueco Mundo. There would be nothing left in that man's wake. That much Ichigo and the others understood. The desperation and loss bringing them to someone like Aizen.

He takes a second to consider his ending question however. "I assumed it was to restore the reputation of the Quincy. At first, I will admit." Ichigo began humoring the enemy before him. "But so far It mightiest well go beyond that. I think---a lot like you wanted to, he wants to become something more than what he is. The quincy's claim that he's their king right? Clearly he wants to become more than a king. He wants to genocide everyone else in his wake and become almost like God."

[rosesrotofficial]

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