Tumgik
#Call of Duty: Bug AU
wrylu · 3 months
Text
FUCK!!! it's finally done. after a whole day
COD CHARACTERS, but they're B U G S
cw insects!! if you get hibbie jibbies from buggo art or just bugs in general, u can scroll💗
and for those who wanna see the art, it looks better if you click on it and zoom in on it or something :)
Tumblr media
the worms in my brain bothered me last night to draw cod characters but they're bugs and this morning i started IMMEDIATELY
at the cost of my fingers, wrists, and hands 🕊
the amount of tags on this one.
84 notes · View notes
miilkybnn · 8 months
Note
would genuinely like more cowboy ghost/soap/roach tbh 💜
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
cowboy/ranch life GhostRoachSoap brings me so much joy i genuinely could draw it all day (and I have)
1K notes · View notes
ghouljams · 5 days
Note
If I may,
For your regency AU, does Gaz get to meet and or hold bug before they get married? When does he learn that he has a baby? Does Birdie recognize him? ((What's her moms reaction when they learn that bugs his kid))
Please and thank you! I have so many questions!
Kyle treats you like he's known you for years, he talks about you like he knows everything about you and as of yet you've had no reason to stop him. It's hard to say you recognize him or don't, you spent so much of your time with him with your face buried against his neck, with his face obscured by your cunt, or with your eyes shut tight against the pleasure he sent coursing through you. The only real remnant of the man that took your virginity nearly two years ago is your child, and it's hard to say you recognize a baby's face in Kyle's.
But he gathers you in his arms and kisses you, and it feels like something you've forgotten. His warmth beckons you home, itches at a memory that's had you with your hand between your legs more nights than you care to admit. He's determined to marry you, and though you like him more than any of the other suitors that have tried to claim the same prize you value your freedom far more. You've been wracking your brain for reasons to reject his proposal and he's countered each and every one. You're running out of options. You decide to take a page out of your friend's book; if you can't convince a man with your words, you'll do it with your actions.
"I have a child." You tell Sergeant Garrick over tea. You mother nearly spits. Sergeant Garrick only pauses, his cup raised, his lips just grazing the edge of the china. He lowers the cup back to its saucer and takes a deep steadying breath.
"What she means-" your mother starts, already trying to spin your sin to something less wonderful than it is. She's cut off quickly.
"May I meet them?" Sergeant Garrick asks, his hands folded neatly in his lap. Your mother's neck nearly breaks with how quickly she turns to look at him. You blink in surprise. He raises a brow, holds your gaze, calls your bluff. "Unless they're not here."
You settle your cup down, watch the soft sway of tea against the floral pattern. You can feel your mother staring at you, daring you to make another move that will doom you to spinster-hood. "Of course," You smile, brushing your gloved hands against the front of your dress as you stand. Sergeant Garrick stands as well, and offers his hand to guide you around the table as your mother balks. He holds your fingers tight as you lead him to meet your baby.
Despite your mother's insistence, the town's supposed value on reputation, and whatever other forces may be, you love your baby. You'd wager they're the sweetest thing that's ever graced the earth. A little angel from heaven, all smiles and coos. You push the nursery door open and hold your finger to your lips to keep the good sergeant quiet. He looks as serious as death following after you, his brows drawn together as you lift your sleeping infant from their crib.
You kiss their sweet little head, and sweep the little curls from their forehead so Kyle can get a better look at their face. He steps closer, his hand sliding around your waist to rest against your back. The movement surprises you, he must sense as much the way his thumb rub soothingly against your skirt. He raises his other hand, brushes his fingers over the baby's cheek, as gentle as a spring breeze. Something softens in his expression, and he pulls his hand from your back to reach for the baby.
"May I?" He asks, his voice low. There's no insistence to it, no malice, only a soft imploring tone that makes you shift your grip so he can take them from you. Your baby settles easily in Kyle's arms, and he's quick to tuck their swaddle more tightly around them. "Beautiful," He whispers.
You suck in a breath, unaware you'd been holding it, and reach to take them back. Something nervous and fluttery in your stomach urging you to get your baby back where you know they're safe. Kyle catches your hand and tugs you sharply, catching you against his chest. You push against him and his grip tightens around your shoulders.
"Sergeant-"
"I should have married you when I had the chance," Kyle tells you, leaving no room for discussion in his tone, "I'm not going to make that mistake again."
219 notes · View notes
inkbybambi · 7 months
Text
ghost would be a dark-type trainer with a houndoom. no i will not accept any criticism.
11 notes · View notes
blackhairedjjun · 4 months
Text
white peonies
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
pairing: choi yeonjun x gender neutral reader [reader is called "beautiful" once] | genre / tropes: royalty au, fluff, comfort, yeonjun and reader are engaged | word count: 1.25k | warnings: pet names (darling, love), mentions of classism
summary: the night before your wedding, you - a humble gardener who has won the heart of the crown prince - feel some doubts. fortunately, your husband-to-be is there for you.
author's notes: this is a spin-off to my previous multichapter fic, flowers of every color (specifically it is an epilogue to the good ending). but this can also be read on its own as a standalone oneshot!
(support by reblogging banner by @cafekitsune)
Tumblr media
on the night before your wedding, the greenhouse is quiet. there’s no one else here but you, and you’re grateful for the solitude; the gardening staff hired to replace you have all gone to bed, and you can revel in your old life one more time. your fingers brush the petals of the newly bloomed white peonies on the greenhouse table and you smile. they’ve grown beautifully, their snow-white petals bursting out like fireworks, and they’ve been cut and arranged in vases and bouquets just in time to be put into position tomorrow. regret stings at you that you barely tended to them personally.
you’ve been told time and time again that you don’t need to do gardening work anymore now that you’re about to become the prince’s spouse and consort 一 and you’ve been too busy with new duties to do so anyway. still, you miss that old life, and the small garden plot assigned for “royal leisure” isn’t enough.
without even realizing it, you start checking each flower for signs of infestation or infection. you inspect the leaves, the petals, and the cut ends of the stems, searching for holes left by bug bites or parts that have gone mushy and brown. you examine the water inside their vases, making sure they’re clear and free of any debris. and when each cut flower is satisfactorily healthy to you, you move on to the next one; you walk slowly down the long table, examining vase after vase, caring for them as if they were your own. (they’re the flowers for your wedding; in a sense, they are your own.)
the task keeps you busy enough that the tumultous energy swirling in your stomach slows down just a bit. the solitude comforts you; it’s just you and the flowers, away from the prying eyes of the castle, of the royal council, of all the guests who will come flooding in tomorrow...
your inspection is interrupted by a creak in the door. as it opens, you jump back and start a response 一 i just want to look at them before i go, that’s all 一 until the dim greenhouse light illuminates the face of your groom.
your shoulders droop and relief washes over you.
“i thought i’d find you here.” yeonjun makes his way to you and wraps his arms around your waist from behind. he pulls you close and you relax in his hold, though your tumultous feelings haven’t been shaken off completely. he too can feel the hurried rhythm of your pulse.
“why is my darling still awake?” he whines, kissing the crown of your head. “you need to be well-rested for tomorrow...”
“i know, love.” you sigh and turn to face him. “i just needed to get my nerves out.”
“you always come here when you’re nervous. tell me, darling... you can tell me what’s on your mind.”
“i’ve already told you a hundred times, you don’t want to hear it.”
“but i do.” he pushes aside a stray lock of hair from your face and cups your cheek. even now the gesture makes your heart flutter. “i don’t care if you’ve told me a hundred times. if you’re worried, i want you to tell me.”
you’re quiet for a few moments. you turn away from yeonjun and glance at the peonies; even after admitting it to him so many times before, it never feels any less shameful.
“it’s tomorrow... all the dukes and counts and visiting royal families from other kingdoms... they’ll see me, and they...”
you trail off. yeonjun pulls you into a tight embrace, one hand coming up to run through your hair. he knows about this worry all too well after you’ve told him countless times throughout your engagement. he’s heard the gossip making its way through his circles of royalty and nobility. he’s even held several returned invitations from guests who have declined to come or even send a gift.
he’s a prince marrying a commoner 一 his family’s own gardener 一 and breaking tradition. many noble and royal families took the engagement as a personal slight that their own eligible offspring had been overlooked in favor of a common worker. others heard that the prince had turned down a powerful queen’s daughter for a love match and took the queen’s side, hoping to prove their allegiance. still others simply thought that he was being undignified.
but those whispers of disdain have little meaning for yeonjun. he holds you for as long you let him, slotting your face into the crook of his neck until your nerves have settled down.
“i know what you’re going to say,” you whisper into his neck. “you don’t care about any of that, they don’t see me the way you do...”
he chuckles and you can feel his breaths tickling your ear. “then you know that i mean all of it, right?”
“i know. but i still worry, i shouldn’t worry一”
“shhh.” he leaves another kiss on the crown of your head. “if you can’t stop worrying about these things, then at least let me carry the burden with you.”
“you don’t have to...”
“i want to.”
you nod and close your eyes, burying yourself in him; his hold on your waist grows firmer. you are reminded of how lucky you are to know yeonjun, to be in love with him, to be spending the rest of your life with him. the princely crown is a weight he carries with dignity, and the kingly crown he will wear one day is even heavier, yet he is more than willing to carry your own burdens alongside his. he proves it to you right here: instead of going to bed early like he should, he holds you close right before his own wedding — your own wedding — because you matter to him more than any duty.
what he knows is that he can carry his burdens only because you are by his side.
for a few moments you let him hold you, feeling your own heartbeat steady as it syncs with his. the tumult swirling within you doesn’t go away completely, but it does slow down enough that your mind feels clear again.
you give him a quick kiss on his neck right before you pull away. “thank you, jjunie.”
he smiles you see his ears turn red. even after all this time, you still have that effect on him.
yeonjun glances over at the white peonies lined up on the table, waiting to be positioned in the early hours of the morning. he purses his lips and tuts. “the ones you grow are prettier.”
“don’t say that! the new gardeners did a perfectly fine job. i looked at them and they’re all healthy.” your cheeks betray you anyway as they grow warm at his compliment.
“healthy, sure. but prettier? your flowers are almost as beautiful as you.”
now your face is a mess of red. “stop that! you’re making me一 i一”
“you know it’s true, darling.”
you shake your head but slip your hands into his. he gives you a teasing smile, but the redness in his ears hasn’t gone away.
“then will you convince the council to let me do more gardening once we’re married? or at least give me a real garden instead of that tiny plot?”
“oh, i’m already talking them into it.” he steps closer and brushes his nose against yours. “and if they don’t let you have it, then i’ll dig up one myself.”
Tumblr media
notes: hehe happy holidays everyone!! i wanna give a special thank you to @doumachi - mey's prince yeonjun thoughts and letting me scream in their inbox inspired me to revisit this old world again and write this. i love prince jjunie so 🥺
bringing back the original taglist: @seosalad @lilplilplilp @yeonboy @pyuae @hyuneyeon @strawbrinkofdeath @yushiu @mazeinthemoon @banggyu0308 @shytubatu @kyaneosprincess @agustdiv1ne @whippedforbeomgyu @justineasian @skywithf1 @wrongbathroom @choizzn @bangchansbae @huskyhunny @catsyoon @flowerbe0m
216 notes · View notes
Text
Tired dad!Lucifer AU - Part 1
(This was written before the Gamigin event, so there are OOC elements. Not proof read, fuck it we ball)
Lucifer never saw children before, so he just assumed that the small devils where just... like that. One of them was sleeping and the others were running away from the one with blonde hair and dark skin who was holding a massive centipede in his hands. Lucifer turned to his assistent/most trusted general while never taking his eyes away from the rascals.
Lucifer: Morax... what are these?
Morax: I'm not sure, your majesty... they look cute, though. Can we keep them?
Lucifer: I don't think we have much of a choice.
One of the children bumps into Lucifer and looks up at him with his blood red eyes.
Asmodeus: Daddy?
Lucifer looks with disgust at the almost naked child, blessing the loin cloth for preventing him from seing what he didn't want to see
Morax: Aww, he thinks you're his dad. No, little falla, his majesty Lucifer isn't your daddy. You're daddy is up in the sky and He's constantly watching everyone. But He's currently busy with the angel revolution, so He has no time to look after you.
Leviathan: Does he care about the angels more than us?
Morax: Not neccessarly, but they're very loud, so He has no choice but to listen.
Satan: AAAAAAAAAA
Instinctively, Lucifer kicked Satan in the stomach. Instead of groaning in pain, Satan came up to Lucifer again and started jumping.
Satan: Again! Kick me again!
Lucifer: What even are these creatures? Are you demons?
All the devils in unison: Yes!
Leviathan: You're angels, aren't you? Filthy angels...
Morax: Actually we're demons now as well.
Lucifer: You know Morax, sometimes I wish that it was your mouth and not your eye that was missing...
Morax: I apologise, your majesty.
Lucifer: If you ment it, you would have shut up a while ago. Anyway. Devils, I am Lucifer Morningstar and it is my God given duty to look after you. My job is to make sure that hell becomes as prosperus, if not more so, than Heaven itself. I have heroicly endured great tragedy to reach you and I- what are you doing, how did you climb on me. Take that repulsive organism away from my visage, do you have any idea how unsanitary it is to have a Biota Eukaryota Animalia Eumetazoa Protostomia Arthropoda Mandibulata near your mouth!
Beelzebub: I like your funny words, magic man.
Asmodeus: Shove it in his eye! That'd be hot!
Morax tryes to gently remove Beelzebub, who had climed on top of Lucifer trying to force the bug in one of his holes. The other children were laughing, even Leviathan slightly smirked at seing the former angel's struggle.
Lucifer: You, are the worst batch of brats I've ever seen. I am calling God and demanding to be taken back to Heaven! You filthy little idiots.
Morax: Ok, kids, today we learned an important lesson. Don't try to force centipedes in Lucifer's eyes or he'll be very sad. You don't want to make people sad. No no no. Sad is bad.
Lucifer was impatiantly calling God who wasn't answering. Unbeknownst to him, Gabriel changed God's sim card. Morax on the other hand was very condecending to the young devils, but it wasn't out of disrespect, that's just how he usually talks.
82 notes · View notes
anashins · 2 years
Text
The Other Brother
Tumblr media
Pairing: Taeyong x You (feat. Jaehyun)
Genre: fiancé’s younger brother au, runaway bride, mutual pining (they just don’t know it yet), hate to love, angst, romance, smut
Warnings: rough smut, choking, mc is two years older
Word Count: 15.8k
Summary: Your wedding day is supposed to be the happiest day of your life, but mere hours before the ceremony, you get cold feet and seek shelter with your fiancé's younger brother - the last place on earth where you want to be as you have never gotten along. But as the time of your wedding draws closer, you start to think that you might have ended up with the wrong brother after all.
Tumblr media
Six hours before the wedding
You and Taeyong have known each other for ten long years, starting from when you were seventeen and he fifteen. And for every single one of those years, you’ve ignored, offended, argued, mocked and generally rubbed each other up the wrong way. 
When you thought about your fiancé’s younger brother, you remembered how he threw sand on your food, called you a crybaby, shoved you into the pool, kicked a ball at you, hid bugs under your pillow, and many more worse things. 
Yes… Jaehyun’s younger brother was the total opposite of him. 
Where your fiancé was warm, kind and good-hearted, Taeyong was cruel, mean and ruthless - but not only to you. He hated everyone and everything, and it seemed the entire world hated him too. Though only you, he appeared to despise more than anyone else, and you had never quite understood why, having given up approaching him a long time ago. 
Throughout all those years, you had never been able to form a bond. Yet, he was the only person you considered calling when you ran away from your own wedding.
“Ca- can you please come pick me up?”
Your phone was shaking in your hand as you pressed it closer to your ear, barely being able to hear him at the other line due to the loud noise the rain made as it mercilessly pattered onto the asphalt. It was already soaking through your hair and bright white gown, not only wetting, but also dirtying the garment in which you were supposed to walk down the aisle in a few hours.
This downpour was the forerunner of autumn, and the next season was approaching early this year. The sudden drop in temperature made you shiver, but you hadn’t been able to grab a jacket before running out of the venue. Since it was still early in the morning, you had been all alone while trying on the gown and waiting for the others - the possible worst mistake you could have made on the day of your wedding. Suddenly, panic had taken over you and you felt like you couldn’t breathe anymore.
Taeyong didn’t ask questions over the phone, he only wanted to know, “Where are you now?”
“At-... at the wedding venue…”
“I’ll be there.”
You were waiting under a tree in the driveway, silently praying that none of the employees you had hired for your big day would start their shift so early except for the ones who had opened the venue for you. To them, you had said you needed some fresh air and dismissed all questions about why you ran out into the pouring rain in your wedding gown and with no umbrella for protection.
Tires squealed when a black car came to a halt in front of you. Either he had been incredibly fast or you had been too swept up in your thoughts while waiting. Nonetheless, you ruffled the long tulle skirt around your waist and sprinted through the rain right to the vehicle where the door already opened for you from the inside, collecting the meters and meters of fabric until every inch of the pompous dress fitted with you on the seat.
As soon as the door fell closed, you felt like a huge burden had been lifted off your shoulders, like you had finally gotten rid of a pesky chaser. But today was your wedding day, and no one was supposed to feel like this on their own wedding day.
“Thank you.”
“Where to?” Taeyong asked, the car already moving. 
He was not dressed according to his duty today as the best man, but casually as though he had quickly thrown some clothes together before driving here. He was a night owl, partying very often and very hard, and you only now noticed that at this time of the day, he probably only came home from a club. Or threw out a woman.
“Just… away, please.”
“There is a jacket in the backseat. Take it.”
“Thank you.” 
You turned around and reached for the leather jacket that was sprawled out behind the driver’s seat. At first, you were reluctant in case it was from one of his flings who had forgotten it here, but as you put it on, it hung way too loose around your upper body, indicating that this really was Taeyong’s after all. 
You shivered a bit less with the jacket on and your heart felt lighter as well the further you drove away from the venue, the view onto the building already blurred by the rain in the rear mirror. Good, just far away from it, anywhere was fine. You hadn’t chosen this venue yourself anyway, just like the dress. Everything was so big, too much, too pretentious. You hadn’t wanted this all.
The gown’s fabric felt wet and heavy in your hands and you tried to place it in a way that would make it easier for you to sit while Taeyong was driving silently, not uttering a word, not even throwing side glances at you. If it were Jaehyun sitting next to you, he would have already bombarded you with questions as to why you had run away from the venue at such short notice. 
But Taeyong didn’t inquire about anything. That was the reason why you had called for him in the first place and not for anyone else. You had never had some kind of relationship. He would not bother you, he would not try to sympathize with your situation.
Time passed, having enveloped you in silence until the car came to a halt right in front of a place you had only been to once when you had lost your keys and Jaehyun was out of town. Even back then, you had only spoken the bare minimum to each other as he had thrown the keys out of his window with you catching it on the street.
“I figured the last place anyone would ever search for you was at mine.”
He was right. Nobody would search for a runaway bride at the groom’s younger brother’s home she had never formed a bond with. 
The rainfall hadn’t stopped, and you found it ironic that after weeks of pure sunshine, it rained only on this day like it was some kind of bad omen. You left the car after Taeyong, the long tulle skirt more of a hindrance than you had expected, but he was by your side within seconds and held the door open so that you could get out without stumbling. 
With hurried steps, you then followed him inside the building, the smell of mold and old furniture instantly meeting your nose. Taeyong didn’t live in a modern penthouse like you and Jaehyun, but in a single apartment at the other side of the city where you would usually never step foot in. Yet, it was the most secure place for you right now.
Reaching the third floor by foot, your wedding gown now felt as heavy as though the fabric was made of bricks. You stood awkwardly by the door after entering while Taeyong walked further into his flat without waiting for you.
“You coming?” He asked, turning his head back to you, his gaze lazy. “What are you waiting for?”
The tips of his platinum blonde dyed hair were wet as well from helping you out of the car, and he already had a towel around his shoulders where the small droplets fell on. You had always been fascinated by this unconventional color and his courage to just go through with it. Only now, you admitted to yourself that he pulled it off quite well.
You set one foot after another, slipping out of your sneakers that you then neatly placed next to the door. Despite this place not being yours and having other rules or no rules at all, you stuck to your routines before following Taeyong into the living room. 
“Wait here,” he said and disappeared into the room behind the living room which you assumed was where he slept before coming out a minute later with a staple of clothes and a towel in his hands. “Here. I figured you would want to take a shower and change your clothes.”
He was right. “Thank you. And I’m sorry about ruining your leather jacket.”
“Don’t worry about that. The bathroom is over there.”
You took the new clothings and the towel into your arms and went to where he was pointing his finger at. Surprisingly, it was the cleanest bathroom you had ever been in, even challenging yours. You hadn’t pegged Taeyong to be the neat type like you. But then again, you didn’t know him at all, so you had no right to be taken aback when you were so judgemental.
You first took off Taeyong’s leather jacket and started shivering all over again. It smelled like Taeyong himself - of lemongrass and ginger. Very manly, very significant. You knew because his car had also smelled of that and he left a faint scent wherever he went for years.
“You need help?” Taeyong asked, peeking into the bathroom as you hadn’t closed the door yet.
“Can you help me unzip the gown, please?”
“Sure.”
You didn’t know how you had gotten into it yourself, but taking off a dress was sometimes much harder than getting into one, especially as this one was a custom. You had never quite liked the heart neckline without straps, how tight the corset hugged around your cleavage and the meters of tulle that spread out like a cupcake from your waist downwards. It was excessive and flamboyant. It just wasn’t you.
You turned your back to Taeyong, and his fingers felt warm against your skin when he took the zip into his hand and pulled it all down.
“Thank you.”
“It doesn’t suit you anyway,” he deadpanned on his way out. 
“... what?”
“The dress.”
“I don’t need an insult now, Taeyong,” you sighed. “It’s not the time.”
“It was not an insult,” he cleared up monotonously. “I was just indicating that a more classic wedding dress would have suited you much better.”
A classic wedding dress, hm. A dress made of rich silk in the color of ivory that hugged you at the right parts and flowed down in an a-line. That was what you had dreamed of as well. But Jaehyun and your families had always pictured something else for you.
“I think so too,” you admitted before you closed the door behind you.
____
Five hours before the wedding
You stepped out of the bathroom in a pair of gray sweats that hung loose around your waist and a white t-shirt that was way too big for you too as they all belonged to Taeyong. But at least you had been able to get rid of that dress you hated so much. 
You still dried your wet hair with a towel, smelling of lemongrass and ginger yourself now as you had used Taeyong’s shower gel. He was sitting in the kitchen preparing some rice and side dishes as you walked in.
“I don’t own a hair dryer, I’m sorry.” 
“It’s okay, I’ll be fine without one. What are you doing?”
“Breakfast. I don’t know whether you’ve eaten yet or if you’re hungry at all. But I am… and just in case you’re too… I’m trying my best with what I already have.”
Breakfast consisted of leftover rice, fried eggs and some pickled tomatoes, but you were still grateful for him to stand in the kitchen and make all these despite not having expected guests.
“Thank you.”
“Please stop thanking me,” Taeyong urged when he placed the rice on two different bowls and brought them over to the table. Then, the eggs and tomatoes on other ones. “I lost count on how many times you thanked me already within the past hour. More than in all those years combined.”
“You’ve never given me any reason to thank you in the first place.”
He glared at you.
“I’m sorry, that was inappropriate,” you apologized sincerely. “I should be grateful for your hospitality.”
He simply ignored it. “Eat up before it gets cold.”
You took a seat opposite of him and put some eggs and tomatoes on your rice. It was a simple dish, but only now you realized how hungry you actually were since you hadn’t been able to eat anything since last evening - out of excitement. Or fear. You weren’t quite able to distinguish these two yet.
Suddenly, Taeyong’s phone started vibrating. But instead of looking at it, he looked at you while chewing. “Where is your phone?”
Your eyes widened, and in reflex, you touched the pockets of your joggers. “I assume I lost it while running to your car, or in this thick dress, I don’t know. My family must already be at the venue for the preparations though, and I’m supposed to be there too by now. They must be worried.”
Taeyong’s eyes darted to his phone, then back to you. “It's your mother. I should buy you some time to figure out what to do next.”
“But why is she calling you?”
“I suppose she called everyone else already.”
Until now, the damage that you had done hadn’t dawned on you yet. But for your mother to call Taeyong, she must be worried sick. 
“You want to talk to her yourself?”
“No. I still need to collect… my thoughts.”
“Okay.” Taeyong picked up his phone and greeted your mother. “I also don’t know where she is, I’m sorry… Perhaps, she’s gone to the tailor to get something on her dress fixed… Yes I will call when I know. Bye.”
Now, you were the one who glared at him, chewing angrily. “That’s the best you could come up with? Doesn’t sound so plausible or something that could take hours.”
“You should thank me in case you decide to show back up there. We can go anytime you want and nobody needs to know about your… temporary breakout.”
“It’s not temporary. I won’t be showing up at all,” you confessed reluctantly and placed the fork back on the top of the bowl after only a few bites, suddenly not feeling hungry at all anymore. The following words took you much overcoming. “I’m just collecting my thoughts to put them into the right words and tell him, them all. I’m sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing again?” He carried on with eating as though you hadn’t just dropped a bombshell.
“Because I’m blowing up a wedding that’s been the highlight for so many people. The guests, the money, the-”
“Screw the money, it will all come back,” Taeyong interrupted. “And screw the people. It’s not their wedding, it doesn’t matter what anyone else feels. It’s your decision alone.” Taeyong’s voice was calm and he put another bite of side dishes on his rice, appearing totally unfazed even though it clearly involved his brother. It was his wedding too.
You didn’t dare to dig deeper, to question what he exactly meant with that, why he was so supportive and didn’t talk you out of it, dragging you down the aisle himself if he must. Did he think he dodged a bullet and was secretly happy to finally get rid of you? Then why had he driven you all the way here and didn’t kick you out into the pouring rain again?
The rest of the breakfast was taken in silence and you volunteered to do the dishes. You didn’t leave it at that though and proceeded to not only clean the table, but also the tiles around the stove, although everything was already very spic and span. You just needed something to do until you knew how to proceed with the day. By the time you were done, your hair was also dry.
“You know you’re a guest and not my cleaning lady, right? Besides, it’s already very clean here,” Taeyong dropped in passing, peeking into the kitchen.
“It helps me get occupied and think about what to do next.”
“Don’t forget the refrigerator if you’re already at it, I never come around to do it myself.”
You stuck out your tongue, but couldn’t help it and bit down a chuckle.
____
Four hours before the wedding
With wrinkled fingers, you stepped into the living room where Taeyong was seated on the couch, watching TV. Your dress had found its way from the bathroom to a hanger by the door, a bit cleaner, but not less wet than before. Taeyong must have brought it out while you were occupied in the kitchen.
“I assumed you would want to store it and let it dry until then.” He looked up to you. “That is… if you still want to keep it.” His look was wary, but full of expectation. 
“I want to burn it.” Taeyong, who had always been the reckless and the most unratable person you knew, was now the one getting startled. “I don’t want to wear it ever again. I don’t even want to look at it.”
He hesitated. “I’ll put it away, okay?”
Taeyong stood up and took the dress with the hanger from the door. He brought it over to his bedroom so that it was out of your sight. At the very same moment, his cell phone began to ring. Your mother again, as you saw on the display. Of course, the time of the ceremony was drawing closer and there was no sight of the bride herself.
“What should I say this time?” Taeyong wanted to know from you upon his return.
“That the wedding today won’t happen.”
While you were in the kitchen, you had had enough time to think this all through. Your wedding day was supposed to be the happiest day of your life, not the most miserable one. There were no right words to tell your mother that you weren’t getting married anymore though, so you should just go with it by heart. You agreed on Taeyong inventing something until you got your phone back and were able to call your mother.
“I also don’t know where she is now anymore, I just heard from a friend… No, I don’t remember which one,” were the words you heard Taeyong speak in the bedroom while you sat on the couch, staring at the TV that was still running, but not quite absorbing the flickering pictures. “I’m supposed to meet with Jaehyun in an hour at the venue. I’ll be there soon, then we can talk.”
When Taeyong returned, he was already fully dressed with his shoes on and then reached for the leather jacket that you had worn shortly before. The keys were dangling in his fingers. “I will look for your phone at the spot where I picked you up. And they haven’t told my brother yet that you’re still not there, so I have to hurry before they break it down to him in the most insensitive way possible.”
Brother… Of course. How could you have been so ignorant and made it all about you? Jaehyun was Taeyong’s brother. The sole fact that you were here and seeking shelter probably already put him into a conflict of interest. Now, you even demanded him to do the dirty job for you. He should stay with his brother, supporting him throughout this hard time. Instead, you had forced yourself onto him, the one responsible for this entire turmoil.
“I… I am the one who isn’t supposed to be here,” you murmured more to yourself than to him. “I shouldn’t have dragged you into this… I was so selfish. I should go back and explain it to everyone, I should just… I should… I’ll fix this myself now.”
Like in a trance, you put your feet from the couch back on the ground, preparing yourself to leave, but Taeyong held you back by your shoulder. His hand dropped down to your arm until they found your cold palm, his fingers enclosing around yours in a reassuring gesture.
“Do you feel like going there?” His gaze was impenetrable, a great contrast to his comforting touch. Both possible responses could be right and wrong. “Answer me honestly, do you feel like seeing my brother? And I’m not referring to today. Do you feel like spending your life my brother… at all?”
“No.”
This answer came quickly and honestly, and Taeyong decided to act on it before you could change your mind. He arose, but this time it was you who held him back by his hand, scared to let go of him. Your expression showed desperation, and a bit of hope. You didn’t want him to go. You didn’t want to be alone right now.
And as though he was able to read your thoughts, he said, in the most tender tone you had ever witnessed him use with his thumb gently brushing over the back of your hand, “I’ll be back shortly, I promise.”
____
Three hours before the wedding
Taeyong’s lifestyle was entirely different from yours, the life you lived with Jaehyun. You were minimalistic, modern and followed an industrial interior design. Taeyong’s was a chaotic mess, he didn’t follow any style at all. 
While his kitchen was kept unoccupied and clean just like his bathroom where you had even noticed every etiquette of a bottle facing in the same direction, his living room was blocked with cabinets, shelves and even showcases where he displayed a collection of shoes and different figurines, some you recognized as animes as well as lego from different series and franchises. 
Also in the living room, next to the big TV, he had set up his gaming corner with three different screens. On the other side, something you oddly only noticed now, he kept fishes in a big tank. You hadn’t been aware that he was taking care of animals - a trait you had always been assured of said a lot about people: that they treated others with respect, that they were caring and endearing. Basically everything you hadn’t pegged Taeyong to be.
Since you were already on your feet, you made your way to the bedroom. You assumed that since you’ve seen everything else, he wouldn’t mind that as well with your wedding dress hanging in there anyway. In contrast to his living room though, his bedroom was free of most nick nacks. The bed was huge and unmade, but the many blankets and pillows looked very inviting. There were dumb bells on a yoga mat next to the window and aside from that, a huge closet that spread across the wall, with tids and bits of fabric peeking through the doors that seemed to barely close anymore.
You sat down on the bed, the mattress giving in under you. On the nightstand, there was a small lamp and a book. Upon closer inspection and picking it up, you recognized it was a book to learn English, and it had sat upon a pack of condoms that was already opened.
You rolled your eyes and wondered if, shortly before he had made his way to you, a woman was lying in here, hoping for a lazy morning but got thrown out. You put the book back on the package and flopped onto the bed. While staring at the ceiling, you listened to the rain still pattering against the window. Today had been a bad day to get married outside anyway.
As you laid there and slowly drifted off to sleep, you wondered when you had stopped imagining a life with Jaehyun.
____
Two hours before the wedding
“Jaehyun is a fool, what’s new.”
You started from your sleep, suppressing a gasp at the last minute. The bedroom’s door was only slightly ajar when you sat up, but you clearly heard people coming into the apartment and only counted yourself lucky to not be in their view right now.
One voice belonged to Taeyong. The other, clearly to his father.
“Don’t talk about your brother like this,” the elderly man chided. “Jaehyun is still keeping his hopes up, you should support him. Lately, she does these kinds of things, he told me. Like going clubbing with her friends and coming home only early in the morning. He had to talk her out of it as she’s a grown woman already. She even considered requesting a sabbatical at work and traveling the world. Jaehyun had to tell her to keep her stable job during such times. Also, she wanted to pick new furniture for their home, but he had to prohibit her that as they just recently moved in. In the end, Jaehyun knows her better. He’s positive she will still show up. Eventually, she always comes to her senses, that’s what he told me. She always does.”
This entire conversation made you so angry, your blood was boiling. You had never looked at it from this perspective. Eventually, you would come to your senses? Perhaps, that was the problem. You shouldn’t come to your senses in the first place. You had thought you would do Jaehyun a favor by listening to him, but when have you ever done yourself a favor?
“Why did he insist on you coming with me then?” They had already reached the living room as Taeyong asked this. 
“He thinks she might be coming over here at some point if not to the venue first, so he remained there and wanted me to wait here.”
“Why would she come over to my place?” Taeyong’s voice oozed with suspicion. “And even if, I could bring her too, there was no need for you to follow me here.” Your heart pounded against your chest so hard, you feared they would hear it. 
“Jaehyun said that it’s because when she gets cold feet, she will flee to the one person who won’t judge her, but not to her best friend as everyone would suspect her being there. I’m here to make sure to talk to her in a way that you won’t be able to.”
Taeyong snorted. “As you implied, we never had any kind of relationship, she would never seek shelter with me in the first place.” He was kind of a good liar, you had to admit.
“You might not have some sort of relationship,” his father explained calmly, “but you have some kind of mutual understanding going on between you two. You laugh at the same things, you brood over the same things, you argue over the same things. So Jaehyun was afraid you might hold her back and support her decision to cancel the wedding.”
“We barely even speak. Why would he feel that way?” Taeyong responded with much confusion, and you felt the same. 
“This, he never told me directly, but I can see too.”
“I have no right to judge her decision and you don’t have one either. If she wants to cancel the wedding, then she has every right to do so.”
“See? That was why I was supposed to come here. In the end, Jaehyun knows better.”
Silence.
“Excuse me for a bit, I’ll go get changed into dry clothes, okay?”
You slid from the bed and hid by the corner in the opposite direction of where he would enter. Taeyong spotted you right away and closed the door behind him. He put his index finger to his lips, gesturing you to stay silent and pulled something out of the pocket of his jeans. It was your phone.
You knew what you had to do. You had to call Jaehyun and tell him that there wouldn’t be a ceremony at this point, that he shouldn’t hold his hopes up anymore. This much, you owed him and everyone that was supposed to join the wedding today. But it was just so hard.
Tears burnt behind your eyes. Always, Jaehyun took care of the complicated things in your life such as doing taxes or asking for a refund. When it came down to these kinds of situations, you weren’t the strong, independent women you wanted to turn into anymore. You needed somebody’s help.
Taeyong withdrew the phone upon encountering your exasperated expression and went over to his closet where he pulled out some clothes to change into. You didn’t know why you hadn’t noticed before, but in the closet, next to your wedding dress, hung his suit that he was supposed to wear as a best man. But he didn’t touch that. 
Instead, Taeyong pulled his wide hoodie over his head along with the t-shirt that he wore underneath and revealed his muscular back to you upon changing. His muscles tensed and strained as he reached for a new shirt and dragged it over his torso. In only these few seconds, you had spotted a few tattoos you had never seen before. When had he gotten them and what were their meaning? You were curious and fascinated by a man who you had known for so long and still not at all.
When Taeyong turned around to you, he had typed an entire message into your phone and held it in front of you.
“I can’t marry you. I’m sorry.”
Short and painful. Just how you felt in reality. You nodded, and he sent the message. 
____
One hour before the wedding
Taeyong’s father left after only five more minutes. Jaehyun had called him, and judging by the way Taeyong now spoke heatedly into his phone as well, you assumed that the news about the bride canceling the wedding over a text had already reached all attendees while your own phone was turned off with everyone now supposing you were at your best friend’s house who luckily covered for you.
You knew Jaehyun deserved better as well as everyone involved. But you just weren’t there yet. When it came down to conflicts, you were never the confronting type and always let others fight these battles for you. Just like Taeyong at this moment. And he did it willingly and with much passion, you just didn’t know why. The Taeyong who ignored you, made snarky remarks and only turned his attention to you when there was something to laugh about or mock you with wouldn’t do all that. 
“Alright, alright. Yeah, I will call you should I receive news. Bye.” Drawing out a long breath, Taeyong flopped on the couch next to you. He was exhausted, his mouth dry from all the talking he had done in the past hour. 
You almost didn’t dare ask. “And…?”
“It’s all canceled.” He sounded annoyed. “They already dismantled the setting outside and sent everyone home.”
You hadn’t meant that. “I meant…”
“How Jaehyun is?” Taeyong almost snapped, and you flinched at his sudden change in demeanor. “I haven’t spoken to him. But you know my brother as well as me. He tries to keep his composure and help wherever he can, no matter how hard it’s been on him. That’s how he is, my brother, the golden child. Even not letting his feelings slip when he’s hurt to the core.”
He was mad, and despite him trying to keep his composure, you couldn’t hold it against him. He had every right to be angry at what you had done to his family and partially dragged him into it.
“I know I owe him an apology and an explanation,” you admitted.
He briefly added, “More than that.”
“What am I supposed to say to him? I don’t know yet. All I knew the moment I left the venue was that I didn’t want to get married to him and that it was the most painful and most selfish thing I have done.”
“What about the entire truth?”
“The entire truth reaches deeper than not wanting to get married today.” You fell back into silence, shifting awkwardly in your seating position. But you didn’t need to speak further. Again, Taeyong seemed to sense what was exactly going on inside of you.
“Ah,” he then declared with feigned festivity. “There it is. The girl who was practically forced into a relationship with the first nice guy she met and slowly discovers that there is more to the world than marrying your high school boyfriend and living a modest life in the suburbs, getting married and having kids.”
“There is no reason to be so nasty about it,” you hissed. 
“I bet you haven’t had sex in a year, am I right?” he continued mercilessly, and your stomach churned, making you suddenly feel so sick. “Or at least not in the way you want to. Always, you have only liked it reserved, in the conventional positions. I bet you haven’t tried it out from behind or with a grip around your neck. You don’t dare to speak it out to anyone, but that’s what you desire deep inside.”
How could you have possibly thought that coming here was a good idea? That for once, Taeyong was able to behave like a decent human being. He was as cruel and vile as ever.
His face then fell upon realizing the damage he had caused with his words. “Hey, I-”
But you were already out of the door, stomping down the stairs and back into the pouring rain. The wet droplets felt sharp in your face, like cold whips that also slung around your arms. You tried to protect your head from the rainfall with your hands that you spanned over your brows, but it had little to no effect.
You didn’t know for how long you had been walking when a black car halted next to you. By now, you were freezing, but you kept walking while he rolled down the window and matched the vehicle’s speed to your steps.
“Hey.”
Taeyong kept following you with the car, you walking on the pavement, him driving on the street next to you.
“Please stop.”
“No. You’re an asshole, Lee Taeyong.”
“I know,” he agreed. “But please get in the car. You’re catching a cold.”
You stilled, rain mercilessly coming down on you as though taking a second shower.
“Please…” he begged.
Muted, you turned over and opened the door. Just like mere hours before, you found yourself sitting in the passenger’s seat, soaked from head to toe, but this time not in your wedding gown anymore. After you had settled yourself, Taeyong didn’t restart the car though. You both kept staring at the window in front of you, barely seeing anything through the curtain of rain, but only listening to the sound of it.
After a while, Taeyong opened his mouth. “A year ago, my girlfriend left me.”
The confession took you by surprise. “I didn’t know you were in a relationship…”
“How would you? We barely know anything about each other’s life. I bet my brother also wouldn’t drop this news as he knew you wouldn’t be interested in hearing them.” His grip was still tight around the steering wheel, the knuckles of his fingers turning white, that was how tense he was. “But I was very much in love. I had even imagined myself marrying her. Can you imagine that? Me and marrying?”
Almost unnoticeably, you shook your head. “You were always… so free, independant, uncommitted. My total…”
“... opposite,” he ended your sentence. “Exactly. Yet, I met a girl that I loved so much, I imagined myself as a husband. But before I got the chance to propose, she broke it off with me.”
“... Why?”
“Because I wasn’t what she wanted. In the long run, it wouldn’t have worked out anyway, I realized. She only did what was best for us, even though it was painful and selfish at that moment, and I hated her very much for it. You can almost say a year ago, I was Jaehyun.”
“I put you in a conflict of interest, I know.” You dropped your head. “You can tell me to go, and I will go right now. I imposed myself on you like that. You have every right to send me away. I won’t be mad.”
“Don’t even think about it. Love makes you do crazy things. Sometimes, you have to do things that seem wrong from the outside but you know are right. I went through it already, I know both sides, that’s why I truly understand your feelings and empathize with them.”
“I still don’t understand why you’re with me and not Jaehyun if you were in his shoes back then. Basically, I’m like your ex now.”
“Because I know Jaehyun will be okay eventually. He always has everything under control.” The corner of his lip curled up, adding sorrow to his mien. “But do you?”
You had no answer to that. You knew it was the right decision, but continuing with your life all by yourself from now on was something you hadn’t put too much thought into. For ten years, you had someone by your side. How would it be now?
Taeyong continued nearly seamlessly, “I should have faced you with more understanding as I was already in such a situation, I’m honestly sorry for going off like that before. It just… reopened old sores.” 
Taeyong apologizing to you was something you had never expected to witness in this lifetime. “Thank you for telling me.”
“You thanking me again.” You looked at each other, and there was a smile displayed on his lips that was almost light-hearted this time. “That’s probably something that will never change about you.”
“Do you think I’m a goody two shoes?” You didn’t know what made you want to hear his opinion, but for the first time since you had known each other, you were having a decent, serious conversation. “Please be honest.”
“Are you kidding? Of course you are!” He laughed, and it was so high-pitched, it sounded like the windshields in the rain. You almost chuckled too. “That was why you matched so well with my brother as he is one too. You both have dreamed of the same things… marriage, a family, a house in the suburbs… children. But apparently, you’re not satisfied with all that anymore.”
You leaned back in your seat, slowly relaxing. “Was that also the case for you and your ex?”
“She wanted everything you wanted in the past. I’m not any of that. But with the past year, I figured that marriage has nothing to do with pursuing the same goals, you know.” He tried to provide you with another perspective on things. “If you love someone, you marry them. It takes nothing more. You only have to be sure that you want to spend the rest of your life with that person, no matter what is about to come. The rest will fall into place, you have to have faith.”
“And she didn’t feel the same way about you. Just like I don’t feel the same way about Jaehyun.” The scales fell from your eyes. “It has nothing to do with wanting different things in life. I just don’t want a life with Jaehyun anymore.”
“See. Don’t worry about what our father said. It’s okay if you want to try yourself out, venturing into different things. Nobody should hold you back on that. If you meet a person who’s willing to go through all of that with you, then you have nothing to worry about.”
A few silent beats passed before you directed a question at him out of curiosity. “What is it that you want in your life, Taeyong?”
“If only I would know, hm?” When had you ever encountered him being so blunt, so raw and so earnest? “Perhaps, I want to change jobs. Perhaps, I want to join a band. Perhaps, I want to travel to Italy. Perhaps, I want to work at a pet shop, because I love animals so much. I just don’t know.”
This time, it was you who laughed and he joined with that high-pitched tone again. You couldn’t imagine Taeyong working in a pet shop, cleaning hamster cages and playing with dogs. On the other hand, when you imagined a grumpy Taeyong surrounded by playful kittens who were crawling all over him, you had a vivid picture in your mind that brought a heartfelt smile forward within you.
“What about you?” he directed the question back.
“Me?” You pondered over it for a while as you had never been asked this. “I don’t know. I seriously don’t know. I only know that I don’t want to continue living this life anymore. I feel like… I’m in a cage, and if I imagine that every day I have to live like this, it’s suffocating me.”
“It’s okay to not have your whole life mapped out anymore, to not know what you want, what the next day will bring. Nobody expects it from you. Just take one day at a time, baby steps.”
“Jaehyun does. And my parents as well as yours.”
“Then you have to start living your life for yourself, not for others.”
Taeyong then started the car, and for the first time you got the impression that the rain was slowly simmering out and it got brighter outside. Your heart didn’t feel as heavy anymore.
“At home, you’re gonna change clothes again. And then we’re going to order food.”
“Wait… please drop me off at my… home first.” Taeyong didn’t let it slip, but from the corner of your eyes, you witnessed his brow raise. “I learned many things from our conversation. Among all things, the most important lesson was to be honest, to yourself and to others. I need to meet Jaehyun.”
“I second that.”
“Perhaps, this one is going to be more painful than what I did this morning.”
Taeyong swerved the curve and dropped nearly absent-mindedly, “I think canceling the wedding was not only the most painful and selfish thing that you have done. I also think it was the most courageous and liberating thing that you have done. Just like this one will be. Think about it.”
You took it as the compliment it was.
_____
Time of the wedding
“You want me to come with you?”
You shook your head. “I already am indebted to you so much for letting me stay a few more days. I’m just gonna pick up a few clothes and wait. I already wrote to him.”
“Alright. I’ll wait in the car.” You had your fingers closed around the handle already. “And please quickly change clothes, you’ll catch a cold.”
“I will.”
It was odd coming back to your own home when you knew your entire life was about to change as opposed to this morning when you had left and still believed you would come back as a married woman. Now, you didn’t even know who you were and where your home was. But it was certainly not here, you sensed it clearly.
Everything felt foreign and off, and as you let your eyes wander over the cream colored furniture and the walls in the same boring colors, you knew exactly why this didn’t feel like your home anymore. It was and had always been Jaehyun’s home solely.
Jaehyun had picked the district, the apartment, the colors, the furniture. Everything was so clean and neat, almost sterile, there were no personal touches to the interior, the only picture being one of you two set on a small dresser with a few candles and books of yours that you had been allowed to display, everything else was designer, getting taken care of by a cleaning lady that came twice a week. 
You wished back the chaotic cleanliness of Taeyong’s home, the noises of the aquarium, the different furniture, colors and patterns thrown together, and where every corner had his personal handwriting all over it. As well as the faint scent of lemongrass and ginger lingering in the air.
Suddenly, it felt like the monotonous cream colored walls were slowly drawing closer to you, leaving you little to no time until they would crush you entirely. Despite the minimalist style, you felt the invisible narrowness of the atmosphere, and if you didn’t hurry up, it would swallow you whole. But you had to remain here to cleanly put an end to your ten year long relationship.
You fled into the bedroom that was a bit more playful with light blue walls where you shook off Taeyong’s clothes and slipped into your own ones, a pair of leggings and a tight top over which you threw an oversized cardigan. In a mid-sized backpack, you stuffed in a few shirts, pants, underwear and your toiletries. You crammed Taeyong’s borrowed wet clothes into a plastic bag that you wanted to put into the backpack too, but dropped it immediately back on the bed when you heard the entry door open.
With your backpack over your shoulder, you slowly stepped back into the living room. Your heart was almost jumping out of your chest as you moved, but when Jaehyun rounded around the corner, his appearance set an end to the steady rhythm. The whole world went still, absorbing every motion, every sound except for the ones your voices were going to make.
Nobody prepared you for a breakup when you were the one to initiate it. There was no right way, there were only inappropriate ones, one of them including limiting the act to text messages only. If any of this hadn't happened, you would run into each other’s arms, hugging and probably even kissing. But now, you only stood in front of each other and stared at the other in silence.
Jaehyun was distressed and tired, but like always, he didn’t want to let it show. You knew him so well though, you looked right through his facade. “Where are you going?”
An eligible question that you didn’t want to answer in all honesty. “To my best friend’s house.”
“Okay.” He sucked in a rush of air. “You need anything else?”
You shook your head. “I got everything I need.”
This entire conversation was bizarre. Somehow, you had hoped for more, but somehow, you were thankful that there wasn’t more that he demanded from you. Perhaps, everything had already been said between you two. Perhaps, nothing had been said, but you both understood:
That you weren’t made and good for each other anymore. That you two deserved other people by your side and that you had only been together because it had been conventional and what your parents had expected from you. That it wouldn’t have worked out in the long run if you two had married despite all that.
“I’m sorry, Jaehyun.”
He smiled mildly, but probably only due to exhaustion. “Don’t be.”
As you had spoken those words out and listened to Jaehyun’s answer, you wondered if you actually were sorry. In fact, you didn’t feel anything at this moment.
“We both saw it coming, Jaehyun,” you tried to approach the situation. “We’ve been together since high school. We went to university and more school, and we didn’t have time to focus on dating anyone else. We stayed together because… we didn’t really see a reason why not. We were comfortable, we were happy enough. And things have been fine between us.”
He responded, “If you hadn’t canceled the wedding, if you had stood there today, saying ‘I do’, even with these sad eyes of yours, I would have accepted that with my entire heart. I would have gone on, pretending everything was okay as long as we could pretend to be happy as well. But I haven’t been for a long time already as well.” He paused, then confessed, “I’ve met someone else.”
“I see.” The words didn’t hurt you, and you didn’t hold it against him. Again, you felt nothing as he rested his gaze on your face, inspecting your reaction.
“I swear,” he defended himself, “that I never cheated on you. I dodged every conversation with her, I didn’t even look at her longer than I needed. I just… couldn’t do this to you. But just her presence…” He stopped speaking, but you felt what he felt.
Jaehyun was a reputable and respectful man. Of course he would have never cheated on you, you were always certain of that, even now. Whatever he had begun feeling for that woman, he was still keeping it locked inside of him, because he believed you two would work out. And partly also because he didn’t have the courage to end things once and for all. 
The worst thing was that sometimes, you were thinking that if you had met someone who you felt passionate about like him, you would have wanted to leave him earlier. You weren’t nearly as reputable and respectful as Jaehyun. 
“You were still in love with the seventeen year old girl from back then, but I’m not that girl anymore,” you slowly explained, almost too factual with no true emotions. “If you love someone, you marry them, and the rest will fall into place as long as you’re certain that you want to stay together for the rest of your lives. I couldn’t marry you today because I can’t imagine a life with you anymore.”
Jaehyun’s brow twitched and he opened his mouth as though he had so much to retort. But in the end, he gave it all up and said, “You can have this place. I’m just gonna stay at Taeyong’s in the meantime.”
You froze, but kept your composure. “I don’t want it. Your family bought it for us, so it should stay with you. And in all honesty… this place doesn’t feel like my home anymore anyway. Like I said, I’m gonna stay at my best friend’s until I find something for myself.”
Something seemed to bother him, but he didn’t let slip what exactly, and you were thankful he didn’t push the topic. “Okay, do as you wish.”
“I’ll let you know when I’ll come back to get all my belongings. Probably as soon as I’ve settled somewhere.”
Jaehyun nodded.
The straps of your backpack suddenly seemed to leave burn marks on your shoulders. You still felt the urge to continue with this conversation, and Jaehyun gave off the appearance of wanting to do the same, but you both seemingly withdrew as you didn’t know what you were supposed to add anymore.
Perhaps, you would someday have a long session where you poured out all your feelings. Perhaps, you would never talk to each other again. But this conversation ended here and now, at the exact time you were supposed to say “I do” to each other.
In the end, you only brought yourself to wish him well. “I… I hope it will work out for you.”
“I hope so for you as well.”
You raised a brow as his wording seemed off. You had never indicated that you were already meeting someone else. As always, he most likely only wanted to be polite.
As you walked down the hallway with heavy steps, away from the life possibly every woman could dream of, you still didn’t feel anything. No emotions, nothing. Was this the price you had to pay? Would you be numb to feeling anything ever again in your life?
____
Two hours after the wedding
“I’m gonna take a shower real quick as I didn’t have time this morning,” Taeyong announced. “When the delivery guy comes, can you open the door?”
“Sure thing.”
After Taeyong had disappeared in the bathroom, you remained on the couch, scrolling through your phone. It was blowing up, but you didn’t care as your best friend covered for you without asking a single question except for cocking a brow when you had admitted to her where you were currently residing.
“The brother you hate so much?” she had asked. “The one with the blonde hair, excessive taste in fashion, sexy piercings and godly tattoos?”
“Odd description. But yes, him.”
A long pause followed. Then, she giggled. “Keep me updated.” 
You weren’t sure what to make of this sentence. “Thank you for everything.”
“Sure thing! Your parents almost beat a path to my door, but I think I can still hold them back from coming over. Will I get the full story soon?”
“Of course.”
“Okay. And just between us… I think it was the right decision.”
You had then hung up on each other.
Another call from your mother followed, but you swiped this away as well, then decided to turn off your phone entirely. You wouldn’t need it anyway today and hoped that, except for your nagging family, everyone else would understand that you quite weren’t in a position to talk right now.
You heard the water running before turning your attention back to the TV. Shortly later, the food arrived by the door, and you thanked the delivery guy, tipped him, and brought the bag into the kitchen.
“Can we eat in front of the TV?” you yelled, waiting for an answer.
“I’d rather not to!” Taeyong yelled back from the bathroom.
You whispered to yourself while setting the table, “Okay, Mister super clean.”
“I heard that.”
Taeyong stood in front of you the next moment, only a pair of joggers hanging loosely around his waist and a towel draped around his shoulders to catch the droplets of his wet hair. You barely noticed your eyes gazing up and down his naked upper body, and by the time you did, Taeyong had noticed it too.
Before you could read his expression though, you swiftly turned around, hiding your flushed cheeks and brushing it off. “Get dressed, then we can eat.”
Luckily, he also pretended he hadn’t noticed. “Okay.” 
Dinner was eaten in silence after he came back dressed in a t-shirt, Taeyong purposely leaving you in peace after what had occured at your home. He supposedly assumed that you needed time to process your emotions. Except that there were still none.
“It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about what happened back there,” Taeyong then stated after you had nearly finished. “I just want to know whether you’re okay. Are you?”
You chewed on your last bite and then swallowed it all down. “I am. Somehow, strangely, I truly am fine. But I just don’t know whether it’s the shock or whether the emotions haven’t really set in yet that I feel so… numb. I… don’t feel anything. That’s why I’m feeling fine.”
“You’re not feeling fine then,” Taeyong objected. 
“I think it’s better than breaking down crying.”
“If you feel like that, you can do it here too.”
Something so excruciating and raw, you had only done in private. But somehow, you didn’t fear doing it in front of Taeyong either.
“I was in a good relationship with a good man, who wanted to marry and have kids and do all the things you’re supposed to do. People will think I am crazy for ending this all.” You stared at the pattern painted on the bowl in front of you, free from all the rice you had just picked out one by one. “I was always happy enough.”
Taeyong didn’t comment on that. He sat quietly at your opposite and listened.
“Sometimes, I hoped I could have something more than just fine. Someone who made me feel like I hung the moon. But I sort of stopped believing that existed. And I figured why not marry a man like Jaehyun? It had never been on my mind that there could be more. There was a hole in my heart I thought I could fix with doing all the things I missed out on. But it just wouldn’t shrink, no matter what I did. I knew that, if I married Jaehyun, the hole would swallow me whole. And then, Jaehyun told me he met someone else.”
Taeyong’s eyes widened just when you lifted your head and looked at him. He hadn’t known either.
“And now I am certain that there is someone who will place the moon in the sky for me. If Jaehyun can find someone like that, then I can too. I’m certain there is someone out there who can make me feel exactly like that, and it will be the love I’ve been looking for and last for a lifetime.”
“Someone you want to spend the rest of your life with, no matter how different you are, and the rest will fall into place if you have faith,” Taeyong referred to his statement from earlier that day.
You smiled. “Someone of whom I will know that I want to marry right away and not get cold feet.”
Taeyong cleared his throat and arose from his seat. “I’ll do the dishes. After that, I will prepare the bed for you to sleep in. And I accept no objections. For the time you’re here, you will sleep in my bed.”
You knew back talking had little to no effect. “Okay,” you then gave in, quietly thanking him for his generosity. “I can change the sheets myself later too, don’t worry about that.”
____
Four hours after the wedding
The rest of the evening, you spent sitting on the couch, on opposite ends, barely speaking to each other but just vibing. You felt very comfortable.
Taeyong fed his fishes and you asked whether they had names. They had. He had named every single one of them and was able to distinguish between them despite them looking all the same for you. 
You asked about his figurine collection and his eyes suddenly started to sparkle. He went on about them and their backstory as well as the different legos and how long he had taken for each set.
You were astonished to find out that the pictures that hung on the walls had been painted by Taeyong himself. You hadn’t pegged him to be the artsy type, but again, he had surprised you.
There were still so many things about Taeyong you only discovered one by one. 
For example, he was very caring as he brought you a blanket when he noticed how you shivered long after the sun had set. He was also very attentive as he unpacked your bag and put your clothes in a drawer that he had emptied for you. Taeyong was also very funny, knowing or unknowingly, and immensely passionate about the things he loved.
You thought that, if you ever got the chance to be someone else or change your life in the future, you would like to be more like him.
____
Five hours after the wedding
“I can change the sheets myself, don’t worry about that,” you told Taeyong when you felt tired enough to go to bed. Today had been hard on you too, and you couldn’t wait for a new morning to come, the sooner the better.
Stepping into Taeyong’s bedroom made you confront your wedding dress again that still hung exactly where he had put it. When you looked at it, you just felt so much anger - more emotions than on any other point of today. How come that when you put an end to your relationship, you didn’t feel anything, but a gown was able to summon so much hatred?
Quickly slipping out of your clothes, you put the dress back on. It reminded you of how little you had had to say about the wedding. How everyone had chosen the venue, the cake, the decorations, the dress and even the makeup and hairdo for your special day. The dress reminded you of how much of a human doormat you had been at this occasion and that ending your engagement also freed you from the cage you had been kept in.
You suddenly felt powerful, like you could take on the entire world. And it had only little to do with the dress you hated so much.
“Could you find the-”
Taeyong walked in on you standing in the middle of his bedroom in the still soaked wedding dress that he had picked you up in.
“I’ll give you a moment.”
“Wait!” You held him back. “This dress… embodies everything I hate about my former life. I have to break up with it too. I will take the hatred and forge it into something I envy you for, Taeyong.”
He raised his brows. “Which is?”
“Passion.” You smiled. “Will you help me?”
“I’ll get the scissors.”
You stopped him. “I want to do it with my bare hands.”
He snickered. “That’s fine for me too.”
The sound of fabric rustling and tearing filled the room, each one of you picking up one end of the dress’ skirt that consisted of meters and meters of tulle and just tore it all apart, tore on every edge that your fingers could grip on. And there were so, so many, your skin felt bruised when you took another and started ripping that one apart too until the skirt was nothing more than loose slips of fabrics that hung from your waist.
____
Six hours after the wedding
You both laid on Taeyong’s bed, side by side and exhausted from having treated such rich fabric with your bare hands. But he had been sitting with you through all of it, handling the process with just as much fervor and dedication.
“What do you feel?” Taeyong then asked you, staring at the ceiling that was now dipped into the semi-darkness of the night. The rain had stopped entirely, the bright light of the crescent moon that came through the dissolving clouds rendering the need for artificial light almost needless.
The torn gown rustled as you repositioned yourself, letting your naked legs slip through the curtain of strips that had once been the tulle skirt. “Like all steam is let out and there is nothing left anymore. And I’m scared.”
“Of what?”
“Of never being able to feel anything again except for this hate that surfaces every now and then.”
“When you’re alone, that’s when the emotions set in and when it will get really hard.”
“What am I supposed to feel then, Taeyong? Can you tell me as you experienced this before?” You got up and he followed your motions, you both now facing the other from a seating position, your knees almost touching.
Somehow, this moment was very intense for you, and also very raw. You hadn’t shared such a heart-to-heart with anyone in a long time, and the person you did it with again was, out of all people, your ex fiancé’s brother who you apparently had more of an understanding with than the person you had been engaged to. 
“Aside from hatred, perhaps sadness. Because despite you doing the right thing for yourself, you have let go of something that has once meant so much to you, so it’s okay to let yourself mourn for a while. But like I said, i-”
“I don’t feel sad,” you interrupted him, your voice on the brink of despair as you nearly cry-screamed “I just… don’t feel anything else except for hate! Why can’t I feel anything else?! I don’t want this, I don’t want to be full of hate, that’s not me! I need to feel something else! Make me feel something else! Taeyong, I-!”
The next thing you knew, you had a pair of lips pressed against yours and warm palms cupping your heated face. They were a very full and demanding pair of lips, a pair of lips that was not Jaehyun’s, but made your heart flutter in the same way your ex fiancé had once made, many years ago. 
And that was it with your thoughts about Jaehyun for tonight, you swore to yourself as you wrapped your hands around Taeyong’s neck and settled yourself on his lap without breaking the kiss between you two. You weren’t able to remember when someone had last kissed you like this, when you had even thought of getting kissed like this, so passionately and deeply, it felt like you were getting devoured with all your soul.
And finally, after hours of numbness and hatred, you felt something. It was entirely different from what you had expected to feel. Not sadness. It was hunger. And it wanted to be fed.
Taeyong pulled away from you, and despite the semi darkness, you clearly saw in his eyes that he felt exactly what you felt, and that you perhaps were not the only person in this room who was still looking for something or someone greater. 
“I’ll stop if you…”
His hands pressed into your sides, he didn’t ease his grip, but you knew he would do so in an instant when you told him to. But you didn’t. 
“Please…” You looked into his hopeful eyes. “Don’t stop…”
He didn’t need to be told that twice. Taeyong licked over his lips in a way that got you really wet between your legs and pulled you down to him to lock your lips with his again. 
You curled your fingers into the hem of his shirt and stripped it over his head in one swift motion. In the few moments that you were parted, you observed his tattoos in awe. You hadn’t really paid attention to them until now as you had never bothered with such details about him, but now you wanted to touch them all and know the backstory of each of them. But only later you would ask.
You sat up to give Taeyong access to his pants that he took off and then threw on the floor while you simultaneously got rid of your panties and dropped them next to his joggers. You also wanted to wiggle yourself out of your wedding dress with his help, but Taeyong stopped you with a look so sinister, it made you gulp and your mouth dry.
You didn’t need to ask what he wanted. He didn’t want you to take off the dress. If there was a best way to ruin a much hated wedding dress that you hadn’t even chosen yourself, then it was having sex in it with a person who wasn’t the groom.
And you were all on it for it as you straddled Taeyong, the ripped skirt of your dress draped all over the both of you. You rubbed yourself against him with your hands holding onto his shoulders while he placed tender kisses on the side of your neck, and you wondered how someone who was usually so mean to you could be so soft at the same time. Taeyong was still an enigma to you, but you wouldn’t mind taking it all apart tonight.
His full lips reached the raising of your breasts that were still hidden in the corset, but with several deft acts of his strong fingers, he had loosened the back so that he was now able to pull the neckline down. Throwing your head back, you let him lick over your nipples, wetting them with his tongue before he blew over them. It caused you to shudder, but before you were able to process what would happen next, he had already taken the sensitive spots into his mouth, sucking on them in turns and even occasionally biting into one, making you cry out loud.
“Such a pretty voice, why haven’t I heard it so determinedly more often?” Taeyong asked with his head buried in your cleavage.
You didn’t know the answer to that. But he probably also didn’t expect one as you realized the next moment that he had already eased two fingers into you. He was always taking you by surprise.
Your muscles in your thighs tensed, and you lifted yourself up a few inches as you thought you couldn’t take it anymore, that was how heavenly his fingers worked inside of you. You were dripping all over his hand, his palm stroking your clit and thus providing you with the double of stimulation that you had never experienced before.
“You wanna cum?” Taeyong whispered into your ear as you had your head rested on his shoulder, slightly biting into his flesh, and he endured it all.
You nodded, twisting and turning on his lap. “Y… yes, please.”
He made you cum with just the flick of a finger, and you screamed out loud, not only your entire body shaking, but also your whole world as your orgams ripped through you in an intensity you had never encountered before. And Taeyong gently held you in his arms all throughout it. Your chest heaved up and down like you had just run a marathon, and as you looked up, Taeyong swiped a few strands of your hair away from your face.
“You want to continue?” he asked you carefully.
You saw where he came from. He wouldn’t do anything without your consent. But there was nothing to ask for more permission here. You were here for all of it. Muted, you nodded again, too ashamed to speak out what was on your mind, what you really desired that wasn’t far from what Taeyong had thrown at your head only earlier that day. 
You had been so mad at him, because it was true. You wanted him to take you from behind, to have his beautiful, strong hands wrapped around your slim neck and make you cum over and over again.
“Tell me,” he then challenged you as though he knew exactly what occupied your mind. “What is it that you want?”
You gulped. If you spoke it out, then he would do it, no doubt about it. Why was it that you were hesitating still then? 
“Tell me,” Taeyong repeated, his index finger now lifting up your chin so that you could make eye contact. He saw what you felt, and he waited patiently.
“I… I want you to…” You paused. “... To do to me what you have teased about before.”
“Which is…?” He really enjoyed it too much. 
“I want you to… take me from behind. To have your hand around my neck and… make me cum again.”
Because Jaehyun had never done so, because you felt like you betrayed your past love if you did it with Taeyong now, that was why you were still holding back. But then again, you suddenly felt so desired, so free and so alive like never before. You felt heard, seen and appreciated in all aspects a woman could wish for it. Was it so wrong then?
“You’re sure?” Taeyong wanted to know.
“I am.”
He then turned aside to take something from his nightstand that you recognized as the pack of condoms you had seen before. He tore the wrapping off with his teeth and urged you to change your position so that he was able to roll it over his length.
You sucked in a rush of air as you then sank back onto his lap, taking him all in until he was all settled in your warmness. Only a few heartbeats passed before you started to ride him right away, you just couldn’t wait anymore. 
You slammed down on him, at first a bit messy as you couldn’t quite grasp the motions and only forcefully met with him in an attempt to act on your lust all at once, that was how overwhelming it was. But when Taeyong started to move with you, he determined the pace and movements, and rather than making you feel like you did something wrong, he quietly conveyed to you what would work better.
And by heavens, how better it worked. You rocked your hips with each other, and whenever you came down to him, you moaned silently as he hit spots within you you didn’t even know existed at all. You were holding onto Taeyong like a lifeline, moving with him and gyrating with him, and eventually you felt so close to cuming again.
First, you wanted to protest as you wanted to prolong this act and experience it from different positions, but there was nothing to protest against. You would let yourself cum, and if you wished for, this wouldn’t need to be the last time again either. 
“I’m going to-“ you whined against Taeyong’s shoulder, and his grip around you only tightened as you dug your nails into his back.
“Then cum. Cum as often as you want.”
And you did. You cried into the nape of his neck with your fingers buried deep into his arm muscles, and ended the wave of pleasure with a shudder that only Taeyong could set an end to.
But the worst part was that you still weren’t satisfied. You raised your head and faced him, begging him with your eyes. Taeyong didn’t need to be told twice. But before, you shared a kiss that you both initiated at the same time, deep and intimate, and that made you feel a connection you had missed out on all these years and set aflame only now.
You stared at each other with an expression that was a mix of surprise and also relief. Surprise because you hadn’t expected to feel something like that with this other person out of all people, and relief because you had finally found it after all.
Again, you kissed, to make sure, to validate what you had felt shortly before. This time, it was more passionate and romantic, and it made your heart flutter again, a feeling you had been missing out on for a long time despite believing you had found your soulmate already.
Taeyong then flipped the both of you around and placed you with your back onto the bed. Tugging on your dress and pushing the torn skirt apart, he let his fingertips run up your naked thighs, and you let out a low sigh, collecting new energy to prepare for what was about to come.
Bowing down to you, you then kissed again, and again. And truth to be told, you also wouldn’t have minded lying here all night, just kissing him. In the meantime, Taeyong had subtly slipped in between your legs, and you only noticed when he started to move again.
You were able to pay more attention to his face now. Taeyong didn’t look much like his older brother, but was definitely as equally attractive. His features were sharper though, making him come off as rude upon first glance with his additional piercings that adorned each ear if he didn’t smile, and he rarely did that, but they were also unique and attracted attention for how handsome it made him.
Jaehyun was the kind of man you looked at because he was so kind and conventionally handsome, you wanted to get to know him. Taeyong was the kind of man who should scare you off, but you also couldn’t tear your gaze from because of how extravagantly attractive he was. Especially now as he bit into his bottom lip, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He looked so angry and rude, it turned you on even more.
You had never looked closer at Taeyong because of that. But as his hands wrapped around your neck while he thrusted into you, you caught yourself thinking that you wished you would have spared the younger brother another, longer look ten years ago.
“Give me a sign if you need me to stop.”
Your eyes rolled to the ceiling as you started to run short on breath. You hadn’t expected yourself to like this kind of thing, but here you were, having Taeyong’s slender fingers around your neck, slightly choking you, and you found much pleasure in it. What else was there that you enjoyed but weren’t aware of yet? And was one night too short to discover it all?
You inhaled deeply and audibly when he then let go of you, and almost apologetically, he pecked your lips. He didn’t want to go further so as to not hurt you accidentally, you understood. You still had to figure out your boundaries, what you were able to take.
You let out a surprised “Oh!” the next moment when Taeyong slipped out of you and rolled you onto your stomach. A fresh breeze brushed over your naked bum when he flipped over your tulle skirt and it went flying all over your head so that you needed to dig a hole through the fabric to free your face.
Taeyong giggled, but when you wanted to chide him, he slapped your asscheek. It was loud and painful, and it brought you so much pleasure, you wanted him to do that again. And he did. His hand came down on your cheeks in alternation four times, each with a cry from your side louder than the one prior, before he sat you up on all fours and grabbed you by your hips.
You didn’t know what came first, his length sheathed back inside of you or your gasp of surprise as you realized what was about to happen. As you had never had sex in this position before, you had expected to feel disconnected and this act to turn rather animalistic, but Taeyong didn’t make you feel like that at all.
In a steady rhythm, you got pushed forward, his dick drawing out until you painfully thought you would lose him all, just to slam back into you the next moment so forcefully, it nearly knocked the air out of your lungs. And so it continued until you couldn’t hold yourself up on your hands anymore, but sank down on your elbows, offering Taeyong an angle that made it even more intense for you.
You were begging, crying and moaning all simultaneously, not knowing where up and down was anymore. In all those years, you had been satisfied with only what you had considered traditional sex. That there was something more that would take you to heaven and back, you had never imagined yourself to experience.
Now, that hunger from before was only growing, even when you came for the third time that day within the span of only half an hour, so hard and so earth shattering, you thought you would cry because of how you finally felt something else aside from hatred and hunger again: happiness.
You then laid on your stomach, collecting your breathing and your thoughts when Taeyong finished himself off inside you with a little help of rhythmic motions from your hips, and his low growl, with which he announced his peak, turned you horny once more.
And so you did it again. This time from the side. You then went down on him, followed by you doing it from a standing position. Afterwards, he pleasured you with his mouth too, and you finished him off riding it all out. You came again and again, until daybreak announced itself and you slept in, with your head resting on Taeyong’s chest and his arms wrapped around you.
Somewhere along the way, as the night processed, you had gotten rid of the wedding dress entirely. It hadn’t been all about hatred and vengeance anymore, but something way more than that that somehow blossomed between you two.
The next morning, the sun shone bright. There was no sign of rain anymore.
____
Eighteen hours after the wedding
Taeyong stood in the kitchen, frying eggs and wishing you a good morning when you walked in. But when he placed the plate with the scrambled eggs and toast in front of you, you weren’t feeling hungry anymore.
“I’m going to stay with my best friend,” you declared to him. “I gave it a thought, and I think it’s bet-”
“It’s okay,” he chimed in. “You don’t have to explain yourself. I saw it coming, I understand.”
Even though you didn’t regret last night, you knew that you couldn’t do it again yet and that it would certainly happen if you stayed. So you fled. The only thing you were good at.
“I’m a failure,” you admitted. “I’ve failed my relationship, my marriage… why would I even want to try again?”
“If you stay with someone for a certain amount of time and you were happy, but then decide that you don’t want to stay together anymore, why would that make you a failure? If you decide to move on and find happiness with someone or something else, why would anyone want to take this from you?”
“And if it won’t work out with the next person too?” you voiced your fears.
“Then this doesn’t mean you’re a failure either. That’s how life is. You don’t have to stay with one person for the rest of your life if you don’t feel like it. But if you do, if your feelings align and remain steady, what more can you ask of the world?”
A single tear escaped from the corner of your eye and you wiped it away quickly. “But your family hates me now.”
Taeyong shrugged. “Who cares. They’ll eventually come around.”
“I thought you hated me too.”
“I never hated you.” He smiled mildly. “If anything, I hated your attitude, always so honest, fair and good. Secretly, I always wanted to be more like you and Jaehyun. I’ve never been this kind of person, and it’s been clear from the beginning that I wouldn’t fit into this role. You were everything I couldn’t be, everything I couldn’t have.”
“And now?” You looked at him with an uncertain expression, your brows furrowed. “Now that I’m not any of that anymore, do you still want someone like me?”
Taeyong reached out his hand and touched your cheek. “Now, I admire you even more. It takes much courage to tear down your entire life and start anew.” 
“... Really?”
He nodded and you nudged against his palm, sharing his warmth. “I’m not going to be your rebound though. I think what we can build together can be something amazing, but you’re not ready.”
Only yesterday, you had run away from your own wedding and broken up with the man you had been with for the past ten years. You were far from ready. Last night had not only been eye-opening, but also shattering. Your whole world wouldn’t be like before, and you could only rebuild it bit by bit.
“Look for your own apartment, design it the way you want,” Taeyong suggested and withdrew his hand. “Then go out and meet people, date around and see what the world has to offer to you. You have ten years of catching up to do, don’t let a single minute pass.”
You gulped, withholding your tears in the same breath. “Okay.”
“And if you decide to explore what could be between us, if you decide you have seen everything and dated around enough, that, after all, I’m still the only one you want to be with eventually…” He smirked cockily. “... then I’ll be here.”
A life with Taeyong didn’t sound so daunting anymore. But with him came also his family, the family that had been with you before as well.
Quietly, you averted your eyes to the breakfast in front of you. “Last night was also one the bravest and most liberating things I’ve ever done. But-” You stopped.
Taeyong then took the words out of your mouth, “You cleanly ended your relationship before you slept with me. You don’t owe him anything anymore. The rest is between us brothers. Now eat up, then I’ll drive you to your friend.”
The breakfast had long gone cold before you were able to take a bite.
____
One month after the wedding 
You hadn’t been able to light a candle in the apartment, because Jaehyun didn’t like the smell of candles. Funny, how you thought of it now.
The movers carried the last box out of your former shared home with Jaehyun, and now you were facing him again for the first time since the day of your wedding. You had specifically told him a time of which you had thought you would be gone already, but now you had accidentally run into each other again still.
“Hi,” he greeted you.
“Hi,” you said back.
“I’m sorry, I’m a bit early.”
“It’s okay, we’re done now anyway.”
He hung up his jacket and scanned the living room. Everything was still in place as you had only taken your clothes, books, a few kitchen utensils, a chair and nick nacks with you - like the candles. You couldn’t wait. Everything else, you had left for him to keep and would buy new for yourself. 
“You don’t want anything else?” Jaehyun questioned with raised brows. “Just take whatever you want.”
“No, it’s okay, I’ll be fine.” In your hand, you were carrying another small box yourself, in fact, the one with the candles. You had always secretly lit them when Jaehyun had gone out as you didn’t care, and of course he always smelled it when he came back, picking up a quarrel with you. You couldn’t wait to light them whenever, wherever and for how long you wanted now.
“Okay.” He paused. “How is your new flat?”
“It’s very small compared to this place, and also old, but it’s cozy and I love it.”
He smiled. “That’s great. I’m happy for you.”
“What about the girl you met?” you chatted. That wasn’t the ideal topic for a conversation starter, but you didn’t come up with another one at such short notice. Besides, you were really interested in it. “Did you move forward and could finally talk to her? I would be delighted!”
Jaehyun was initially reluctant about his response. But as he finally came clear with you, the truth was so shocking, it nearly pulled the rug from under you. “There was no one I was talking to. I made it all up.”
“... what?” you breathed. You were totally confused.
“If I hadn’t told you about meeting someone else, wouldn’t that have made it harder for you?”
You couldn’t give him an honest answer. It certainly wouldn’t have made it easier, that was clear. “Did you… did you not want to break up?”
His slight smile now turned sorrowful and insincere, your heart ached badly. “I would have tried over and over again. Anything that would make you happy as your love life should bring you happiness. But if ours hasn’t brought you this happiness anymore, if you tried hard too and didn’t feel it anymore, then what more can I ask of you?”
“Jaehyun…” Your vision got blurry from the tears that now gathered above the rim of your eyes. “You should have told me.”
“And what then? Lock you up in this relationship you hadn’t been so happy in for so long anymore? The best was just to let you go, even if it meant driving you into the arms of my brother.”
Your breath caught. “I-... It’s… it’s not-”
“You don’t have to explain yourself, I’ve known long before Taeyong confessed to me that you stayed with him that day… and night. I’ve seen his car parked in front of the house before I even got upstairs to look for you. And…” It was hard for him to talk about it all, that was pretty clear. 
You didn’t dare to ask, but you were certain that by that moment, Jaehyun had still been full of hope that everything would work out fine. Until the moment he had spotted Taeyong’s car and figured it out all by himself. 
He continued with a cracky voice, “You smelled just like him that day. I met that familiar scent the moment I walked in. Lemongrass and ginger. He never changed his shower gel ever since school.” 
You had showered at Taeyong’s place that morning and used this exact shower gel. If you were able to smell it on Taeyong, then why wouldn’t anyone else be able to smell it on you too? You had been so naive.
And then, you nearly let out an audible gasp as it suddenly crossed your mind that you had also never taken Taeyong’s wet clothes with you when you had left this apartment that day, so Jaehyun had seen them too. But he didn’t mention them which made it even more painful for you. 
If he also knew that you had slept with each other that night, you didn’t dare to ask. Perhaps, you also didn’t need to at all. You saw it all in his eyes, that he knew how you felt, truth or no truth.
“The funny thing is that always, I have thought that you two had a mutual understanding I couldn’t quite grasp despite never talking to each other.”
“We’re… we’re not in any kind of relationship,” you tried to save the situation. “I haven’t had contact with him since that day. I was only seeking shelter with the one person of whom I was certain wouldn’t blow me off, because...”
“... because he understood you,” Jaehyun ended your sentence. “See?”
“Jaehyun…” The tears now streamed down your face. Taeyong was right. After numbness and hatred came sadness. Your heart was filled with sorrow. “I’m so sorry for everything that happened. That I haven’t always been honest, fair and good. That I failed our relationship, and that I failed you.”
“Don’t be.” Under normal circumstances, you would have wanted to be held by him and he would have provided you with that. But now you only stood awkwardly in front of each other. “You tried, right? All that matters is that you tried. If you can assure me that, then I have nothing to regret, because, on my end, I tried hard, every single day.”
“I did,” you blurted directly. “I woke up every single day, trying and full of hope. Until I just couldn’t anymore.”
“Okay.” Jaehyun nodded. “Then I can live with it.”
“Please be mad at me all you want, hate me all you want,” you begged him. “Just don’t project this all on Taeyong, please.”
His shoulders shook, you just couldn’t tell whether it was because he started crying too or because he started laughing over the absurdity of your request. “Even now, you think of him. Shouldn’t that tell you something?”
It certainly did. 
But as Taeyong himself had said, you weren’t ready yet. At least not for him.
____
One year after the wedding
Your wedding dress was in the color of ivory, classically cut with straps and falling over your hips in an a-line, ending right above your knees - just like the wedding dress you had always dreamed of wearing on your special day, and this one you had selected entirely yourself. In your hands, the bouquet of flowers smelled lovely, the arrangement consisting of peonies and baby’s breath. No other bride in the registry office had brought flowers, but you had insisted on it.
“I do.”
You locked eyes with your groom who had just spoken out these words.
You hadn’t invited anyone in your family to attend the quick, official ceremony. In fact, you hadn’t even told them that you were getting married today in case anyone wanted to meddle again and make the entire wedding about them. This was only for you two, about you two, and this was how you wanted it. You didn’t need to make a show out of your love anymore. If only you two knew about it, then it was enough for you.
It was odd, and you chuckled to yourself as this silly thought crossed your mind just now as the registrar read from his book. It was odd how Taeyong didn’t like the smell of candles either. With time, you had figured that he wasn’t so different from his brother like he had always claimed.
But there was one thing that made the difference for you: If Taeyong didn’t like the smell of candles, you wouldn’t light them, not even when he was away. You wouldn’t light them at all, because keeping him happy was more important to you than the goddamn candles. You weren’t handcuffed to him, you only wanted to be with him rather than lighting the candles. 
You could live without the candles, but you couldn’t live without Taeyong. If he was gone, the candles would only be a silver lining.
In the following months after you had run away from your wedding, you had seen another country, went partying in the coolest clubs and were able to furnish the new apartment according to your own taste. You had also dated around, meeting different men and trying to bond with them while parallelly rebuilding your life. It hadn’t been easy, but it also hadn’t been overly hard. It had been challenging to say the least. You hadn’t kept in touch with Jaehyun or Taeyong for all these months, following the latter’s suggestion and just living your life like never before.
But after half a year, you had started to realize that this wasn’t the kind of life for you. You had tried, and you had failed. And if you decided to move on with something or someone else, what more could the world ask of you?
Taeyong had picked up his phone on an early spring day, his voice filled with happiness. “I’ve been waiting for you,” were the first words he had directed at you, and it almost made your heart burst.
Gradually getting to know each other turned out to be more of a task than a walk in the park as not everything could be reduced to great sex. You were still very different people as there were certain aspects of your character you couldn’t shake off and Taeyong refused to change about himself too. But you came to terms with everything that made your daily life hard. And in the end, you still wanted to be with each other.
All that mattered in this life was that you tried. All that mattered was that you opened your heart, gave everything you had, and tried. And when Taeyong had suggested marriage a few months into your relationship, you didn’t hesitate. You had jumped into his arms, saying “yes” more times than you were able to count.
“If you love a person, you just marry them.”
Was it really as simple as that? Certainly. 
You had been certain at the moment he proposed, and you were even certain now, when you stood in front of your groom with many other couples waiting outside, who were as certain as you to take this step.
Of course you had often asked yourself what if you would fail this relationship, this entire marriage, too. But as you looked into Taeyong’s clear and sincere eyes while he smiled at you so lovingly, awaiting your answer as the registrar had finished, you weren’t worried about anything in the entire world anymore.
“I do,” you assured him of and sealed your wedding vows with a chaste kiss.
You only wanted to spend the rest of your life with him. 
You didn’t ask more of the world.
1K notes · View notes
8-rae-rae-8 · 3 months
Text
My MasterList
I will do requests for HCs, Drabbles, edits, and fics. I will not do reader/self inserts
I write for DBH, CoD MW, and TEW
Requests are always open
Call of Duty Fanfiction:
To Save A Life - Graves/Roach | Ghost's Blackmail - Poly 141 | Yes, General. - Graves/Shepherd | An American Christmas - Graves/Roach with Roach & Price | Go Slow With Me - Capt. Mactavish/Ghost/Roach | Spring Training - No Ship - Gaz’s POV | Coffee, Tea, And Cigarettes. - Poly!141 |
CoD Edits:
Selkie!Soap Stimboard | Ghost MoodBoard - TW: Blood, Roba, dog metaphors | Ghost Revenge MoodBoard - CW: Assault, Abuse, muzzles | Childhood Ghost - MoodBoard - CW: Abuse | Graves Dog MoodBoard - CW: Abuse | Ghost angst Post-MWIII - MoodBoard | Ghoap Natural Disaster MoodBoard | Ghoap Phantom to my Ghost MoodBoard CW: MCD | Capt. Mactavish MoodBoard | Ghost's Mom MoodBoard | Gaz Otter MoodBoard | Poly!141 MoodBoard | Ghost's Parents MoodBoard | Kill To Live - Ghost MoodBoard | Missing: Ghost MoodBoard | Ghost's Blackmail MoodBoard | Mourning (MCD) Ghoap MoodBoard | Mourning (MCD) Ghoap MoodBoard | Religious Guilt (Ghoap) MoodBoard | Their Meeting. (09x23 Soap) MoodBoard | GhostRoach MoodBoard |
CoD HCs:
Graves/Roach HCs | Graves/Roach HCs #2 | Graves/Roach HCs #3 | 141 Crying HCs | Ghost Anger HC | Who's most careful with their fighters? - Fighting ring AU |
CoD Agere/Petre Fanfiction:
Running, Running, Captured, Safe.- Poly 141 undertones w/ Graves | Sleepy Bug - Roach/Gaz | Little Commander - Graves/Roach | Sleep, Pup. - Alex/Farah | Let Him Sleep - Ghost/Soap | Sometimes It's Home - Ghost & Price | Come Back For Me - Ghost/Soap with Price & Roach | Comfy Boys - Price & Gaz & Soap & Ghost | It'll Work Out - 2009 Soap/Ghost | It's too cold - Graves Angst | Tiny Day - Price & Gaz & Soap & Ghost | A Little Love Goes A Long Way - Price/Ghost | Smallest Tall Man - Price & Ghost | Classified Crash - 2009 Soap/Ghost | Giving Up The Ghost - Soap/Ghost | Taken From The Flame. - AleRudy | Repression. - Platonic 141 | Repression. - Platonic 141 | Help Simon - Price & Ghost |
CoD Agere/Petre Boards:
Part One Agere Boards | Part Two Agere Boards | CoD Characters With Pacis | Rudy Stim Board | Phillip Graves Stim Board | Gaz Stim Board | Alex Keller StimBoard | Bravo 7-1 MoodBoard (Soap) | Mudi Roach Puppy StimBoard  | Puppy Ghost StimBoard | Ghost Paci MoodBoard | Phillip Graves Paci MoodBoard | Siren (CoD OC) MoodBoard (Not my OC) | Rudy Parra PupRe MoodBoard | AgeRe!Alejandro MoodBoard | Forest Bub (Gaz) MoodBoard | Soap Paci MoodBoard |
CoD Agere/Petre HCs:
Ghost Agere HCs | Gaz Agere HCs | Gaz and Soap Agere HCs | Gaz Agere HCs By 🧪 Anon | Roach Agere HCs | Capt. Price Agere HCs | Phillip Graves Agere HCs | Phillip Graves Agere HCs with CG HCs | What shows do the boys like? Graves+141 | How Little!Gaz is "punished" |
AUs:
CoD Baseball AU (Updated) | CoD X TEW AU | CoD Fighting Ring AU - Fighters/Handlers | Dog Fighting AU (CoD) - Graves' Part |
[.+:。☆.+:。]
CoD Drabbles
Detroit: Become Human Masterlist
My AgeRe And PetRe StimBoards/MoodBoards
The Evil Within (1/2) Masterlist
Fic Recommendations (All Fandoms)
Tags I use and anon emojis are in the tags
I'm sixteen
67 notes · View notes
munsonmuses · 5 months
Text
Noise Complaint
Modern day AU
College Boy Eddie Munson x RA Reader
Inspiration credit to my dear friend Bug, who listens to my ramblings about being an RA at my teeny little university. And dropped the idea of Eddie being a resident. Thank you @munson-blurbs
Warnings: Shameless smut with light buildup, definitively just a bunch of hate fucking, p in v, oral (reader receiving) reader has female anatomy but isn’t referred to directly as a woman, light choking, creampies, light amateur bondage, Eddie is a shithead and kind of a bully (and kind of a kinky mf)
Word Count: 2.6k
This is mostly to tide y’all over until the next chapter of Spiritual Reserves
——
You carefully walked your weekly Thursday night rounds of the building, each floor more boring than the last. A menial task between desk shifts, programs, door decs, duty phone calls and staff meetings. Lightly drumming your hands along your hips as you listened to your music through your earbuds. Humming along to Moonwalker as you finished your rounds on the fifth floor. Keying into your room and flipping down on your bed, going to close your eyes.
Until violently interrupted by the incessant ringing of your duty phone, picking up and frowning deeply to yourself. “Thank you for calling the Creel Hall Duty Phone, what seems to be the problem?” You spoke in a customer service voice, carefully waiting before hearing a familiar sigh as you quirked a brow. “Nancy?”
Your coworker, Nancy Wheeler worked the front desk while you did rounds, and called you every Thursday around midnight. Each time it was the same thing.
“Hey um, Jason Carver called again, about being unable to stay in his dorm room, as his roommate is playing music too loudly, as always…” she spoke softly as you pushed yourself to sit up, sighing in frustration.
“Room three forty nine right? Down the west wing…it’s Eddie Munson? Again?” You asked, earning a confirming hum as you wished her goodbye and pushed to your feet. Slipping on your house shoes and making the trek down to the third floor.
As you descended the stairs, the loud screeching of an electric guitar through a well abused amp grew louder. Causing your brain to rattle as you grit your teeth. Pushing down the hall and stopping at the door. There was a white board stuck to the front, with a messily scrawled poll on it, something that changed each week. Likely Munson’s doing. Although a bit of a social reject, he took attention in any way he could get it. Much to your chagrin as you pounded on the door.
And again…
And again.
By the third knock, the playing stopped as the door flew open, Eddie Munson stood with a shit eating grin. Currently chewing on spearmint gum that wafted on his breath as you crinkled your nose. Wearing nothing more than black sweats wearing the schools logo, his rings, and his hair in a low bun. Tattoos littering his arms and chest, a tattoo of gnashing fangs on his ribs as you rolled your eyes.
“To what do I owe the pleasure? Did someone narc again, or do you just wanna see me that bad, trying to sneak a free concert mmm?” He asked with a grin as you cleared your throat.
“You do this every goddamn Thursday. If it’s not loudly playing music? It’s you and your idiot friends racing the halls. Or you holding the main lobby hostage, or losing your id and getting locked out. It’s only ever on Thursdays. If anyone wants to see anyone bad, it’s you wanting to see me-“ you hissed as you jutted your chin towards the inside of his room. Signaling you wanted to be let in as he gallantly threw his arm out, gesturing for you to enter as he bowed lightly. Earning a sneer from you as he relished in your contempt. He drew a sort of joy from your anger in him, the attention was invigorating. In being refused love so much by his peers in high school, he’d learned to adore the hate that was sent his way.
Hate festers, it meant he was always in the minds who despised him, like a catchy commercial jingle from the early 2000’s.
He watched as you poked around his half of the room. Littered with posters, lewd art, and piles of clean and dirty clothes. The light smell of sweat, spearmint and pine coming with him as you scoffed lightly at him.
His amp was in the center of the floor right by the foot of his bed, something you clearly missed as you fell, landing flat on your stomach and chin on the cold tile with a sturdy thud. Groaning in pain as Eddie’s smile faltered and he immediately walked over, offering a hand to help you up.
“Holy shit I am so sorry, are you okay?” He asked as he held his hand out to you, watching as you took his forearm in your hand, before yanking him down as he met the same fate. Harshly hitting the floor as you laughed at him harshly. Snorting at him as he held his mouth, his two front teeth having lightly punctured his lip. Not enough to split it, but enough to draw blood.
“You are the only resident I have problems with…” you started as you glared at him harshly. “You’re loud, messy, pushy, you torment the hall-“ you continued as he glowered at you while sitting up.
Licking the blood from his bottom lip, he looked at you bitterly as he quietly listened, cutting you off.
“You’re a prissy, shrill, overly sensitive brat-“ he hissed, big eyes dark as he looked you over as you hummed.
“I’m doing my job Munson, I get paid to do this-“ you hissed as you looked at his lips. Full, pouty, with the crimson stain of fresh blood.
“You need to get fucking laid, maybe then you’ll pull the stick out of your ass-“ he snapped as he leaned in closer. “Stuck up bitch.”
“Idiot.” You hissed back, getting closer as you bumped the tip of your nose with his own, earning a growl from Eddie.
Your skin was prickling with heat as you stared him down. Trying not to fold as you felt his breath fanning across your lips.
Before you could fully process, he pushed his lips against yours. Harsh and feverish as you groaned into his mouth. The light taste of iron mingling with the spearmint in his mouth as you shuddered lightly. Letting him pull you in tight by your sweatshirt as you ran a hand up the back of his neck. Undoing his bun as you tangled your fingers into the base of his scalp, brown trellises of hair tangling around your fingers.
“I fucking hate you,” you hissed as you pulled back for air, glaring at him as he rolled his eyes. Discarding his gum and pulling you to stand with him.
Backing you up, he pushed you up against the metal and wood bed frame that held his shambles of bedding. Continuing his kissing at you as he pawed at your sweatshirt, getting it off and over your head as you shuddered. His hands so warm opposed to the cold trapped within the room.
“For a total bitch? You have great tits…” he murmured as he lightly took hold of them. Large and calloused hands groping and squeezing, earning soft whines and heavy breaths from you as he laughed. His thumb and forefinger taking hold of your stiffening nipples, lightly pinching and twisting as you whined out his name, clearly worked up as he laughed lightly to himself.
“You’re a lot nicer to listen too when you’re not bitching at me…” he mumbled in your ear, lightly nipping at the lobe as you shuddered harshly.
Trailing your hands down his chest, you worked your fingers down, stopping over the stiff outline of his cock as you lightly ran your hand over him and earned a light but deep groan from him. Working your other hand into his waistband as you went to work his sweats off. Earning a harsh pinch on your left nipple as you looked at him.
“We’re doing this my way. I’m in charge now.” He insisted harshly. “Now, up on the bed.” He pat your hip to motivate you, watching as you used the step stool to get up and sit on the mattress. Watching as he rooted around in his closet quietly.
He apparently found what he was searching for, coming over with a well worn black belt in hand. Quietly climbing into the bed alongside you as he hummed.
In silence, he took your wrists, wrapping the belt around them firmly, and around the wooden bar at his headboard. Pulling tight as he checked to make sure they weren’t so tight he’d cut off circulation. Once sure, he hummed in approval and lightly pat your cheek. “Good, you look so pretty like this…” he cooed down at you, watching as you chewed on your lower lip and nodded lightly. The confidence in you dwindling.
“You’re a lot prettier when you’re not making everyone’s ears bleed you cu-“ you were cut off by a harsh kiss, his hand lightly making its way up your stomach and chest. A gentle pressure applied to the sides of your throat. A gentle choking sensation applied as you moaned lightly into his mouth. Feeling his cock twitching against your thigh as you gave into the kiss.
Eddie pulled back for air, lightly patting your cheek as he released his light hold on your throat. Sliding his way back down to the edge of the bed.
His hands took hold of your waistband, working off your shorts and underwear agonizingly slow. Eyes trained on yours as you whined lightly.
“Hurry the fuck up-“ you hissed out as Eddie smacked your inner thighs lightly. Glaring at you as he rolled his eyes. “You’re so fucking impatient…” he muttered before working his hand further in, humming as he lightly cupped you in his hand. Running his middle finger up your slit. Stopping at your clit as he worked in small, circular motions. Watching your face as your lashes fluttered and your mouth formed a soft ‘o’ shape. “There we go, see? I can do a lot more with these hands besides playing guitar like a fucking god…” he hummed out softly as he continued. Drawing soft moans from you as he nodded.
Applying a bit more pressure to the sensitive bundle of nerves, he laughed lightly as he gently worked on getting you relaxed. He was a dick, but he was considerate. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt you.
“You look so fucking gorgeous like this…all pink in the face, mouth open…let’s give them some real noise to complain about,” you could see him cringe a bit at his statement, cocky and a bit cheesy.
He pulled your legs apart slowly, bowing his head down as he placed soft and deep kisses along your inner thighs and trailing inwards. His lips stopping at your clit as he pressed a slow and deep kiss to it, humming lightly as he tentatively listened for your reaction. Wanting to make sure you weren’t uncomfortable or unhappy with his actions.
“Eddie don’t tease…fucking hell.” You hissed as he laughed lightly. Taking it a step further as he lightly sucked on your clit, circling it slowly with his tongue and applying tentative amounts of pressure. Earning a full moan from you as he carefully worked on his middle finger. Pressing in slowly as he curled and flexed his finger. Getting you to cum first was his goal.
He kept his ministrations going, refusing to let up unless asked as he laughed lightly. Sending vibrations through you as you arched your back lightly, pressing further into his face. “Fuck! Eddie keep going-“ you demanded as he eased in a second finger. Beginning the slow thrusting and curling. Flexing his fingers apart as he increased the pressure on your clit. Feeling your walls flutter around his fingers as he sped up. Getting a bit overeager as your thighs clamped around his head and squeezed.
Your eyes rolled back as you cried out desperately, babbling. Eddie was right, you did need to get laid. The stress of the job was melting off your shoulders as the knot in your lower abdomen came undone. Earning a desperate cry from you as you came, soaking his mouth and chin as he hummed. Pulling his fingers out as he worked in his tongue slowly, humming as he made his way back up and eventually pulled away entirely. Sitting up as he looked at you.
“So fucking good…” he eased both fingers into your mouth, urging you to taste yourself as he hummed. “See sweetheart,” he crooned, laughing lightly to himself as he pulled his digits from your obedient mouth. Patting your cheek lightly and getting to work on removing his own bottoms.
His cock was undeniably hard, unable to be ignored as he hummed and slowly stroked himself. His other hand grabbing your chin and tilting your head down to get a look at him.
“Watch me. Don’t take your eyes off of me, I want you to watch me fuck you…” he ordered as you nodded your head lightly, watching as he lined himself up, and got to work.
Pushing into you, he groaned lightly. Watching as your mouth fell slack and lashes fluttered. Grinning in pride as he eased in inch by inch. Panting and rambling praise as he bottomed out within you. Holding your hips firmly in his hands as he lightly rolled his hips.
“So fucking gorgeous, you take my cock so well honey…” he took hold of your calves. Bending your legs up and back before pulling them upwards over his shoulders. Pressing light kisses to your ankles and calves, before biting down lightly as he took a deep and long thrust.
Your head fell back, eyes rolling back as you moaned desperately. Unable to fight the pleasure that washed over you in overwhelming waves. Moaning desperately as you clenched your fists and whined desperately. “Don’t fucking stop, good god-“ you growled out as you took each bruising thrust. Eddie was filled with lust and stamina, his hips knocking into the backs of your thighs as you grinned. “So good-“ you whined lightly.
Eddie laughed to himself as he listened, his thrusts deep and overdrawn as he rocked into you. Each thrust felt deeper than the last, the pressure building up was addicting. His necklace thumping with each thrust against his chest. Your breasts lightly bouncing as he drank in the sight of you. You were gorgeous underneath him. Fucked out and pliant as he pat your cheek.
“Don’t stop looking at me sweetheart. Look at what you do to me…look at how good you make me feel.” He ordered as he felt himself getting worked up, losing a bit of control as he grinned to himself:
He leaned forward, pressing your legs into your chest as he angled your hips upwards. Causing him to reach deeper inside you, grinning. “You’re squeezing me real good, see, you can be real nice to have around…nicer to look at from this angle at least~” he cooed in a patronizing manner as he grinned.
The cacophony of moans, thrusts, panting, and the creaking of the mattress felt ridiculously loud. Flooding your brain and making your brain feel like putty as the pressure in your abdomen grew. Stomach growing tight as you whined.
“Eddie? I’m gonna cum-“ you whined as he laughed lightly.
“Not yet honey, not till I say…” he insisted as he kept his thrusts going. Making sure to hold you firmly in place beneath him. He was drunk on you.
“I’m getting close sweetheart, so what you’re gonna do is cum with me…okay? Can you do that?” He punctuated each question with a harsh thrust as you nodded your head obediently. “Good-“ he hummed as he carefully sped up, leaning down ad he pressed impossibly deeper.
Nose to nose with you, he hummed. His breaths growing ragged as he held onto your chin. “Now-“ he pushed.
You let go, whining as a searing white wave of pleasure rolled over you. Your orgasm rocking you as you whined. Coming back from your delirium as you felt the heat of his own orgasm filling you. His light rutting causing some to spill over as you whined and groaned.
Pressing a light kiss to your lips, Eddie hummed. “Same time next Thursday?”
——
Taglist: Open
@munson-blurbs
60 notes · View notes
theartisticpixelbit · 14 days
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Equestria's most autistic world leader is up next!
════ •✧• ════ MIDDLE NAMES WORK THE SAME AS LAST NAMES IN MY AU, MOST CHILDREN TAKE THE LAST NAME OF WHICHEVER PARENT THEY WANT ════ •✧• ════
~Bio~ Name: Thorax Atena Nicknames: King of the Changelings Gender: Genderfluid (Pan) Race: Changeling Parents: Queen Chrysalis Siblings: Pharynx Partner: N/A Children: N/A Other Relatives: All Other Changelings, Ocellus
~Headcanons~ 🐛 Thorax and Pharynx are Royal Changelings. Unlike the standard Drones, they have gems on their chest. Gems are reserved for Changelings of the royal court. 🐛 Thorax has an anxious habit of rubbing his legs together when nervous and it makes cricket noises. 🐛 During the first few weeks after his reformation he often banged his antlers on stuff since he wasn't used to them or his new height yet. 🐛 Rarity and Thorax do fashion shows and Rarity has a collection based around the reformed changelings to spread awareness that they aren't bad anymore 🐛 In the first week or so, Thorax kept forgetting he was the new leader of the changelings and had to be reminded as a result 🐛 Spike tried to introduce him to Ogres and Ouellettes, but it didn't go well at first because Thorax kept trying to make friends with literally every encounter. 🐛 Hes still not quite used to being a leader so he gets really embarrassed/flustered when people call him ”your highness” or anything of that sort 🐛 He now has the duty of fathering the next generation if the hive, much like Chrysalis before him mothered his generation 🐛 Thorax sees himself in Ocellus and has taken her on as his personal student, and when he couldn't teach her anymore since she knew everything he taught her, he enrolls her in Twilight's School of Friendship 🐛He doesn't enjoy politics, finding such diplomacy either boring or stressful. Even so, he is very well read up on these matters, to ensure he can represent his people well.
[Image Description: A digital art reference sheet of a redesigned King Thorax from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. He has a lime green chitin coat, sharp fangs, and orange bug-like mandibles, a pair of transparent light green insectoid wings, his legs are also segmented with spaces of orange in between the segments, no visible cutie-mark at all, and his hooves are separated into two segments like short pinchers. His is very tall and also has dark magenta eyes with black pupils, a twig-like unicorn horn, two orange moose-like antlers, a wavy light green fin mimicking a mane on his head, and a light green wavy fin on his tail, a plum-colored saddle, and a yellowish-green rib plate, the plating also is segmented up his neck. His eyes have a double pupil: a normal black one within a normal round one. His antlers are also displayed casting a brilliant blue colored magic. The image also includes a watermark reading 'TheArtisticPixelBit'. End ID]
38 notes · View notes
wrylu · 1 month
Text
shhhh they're eeping
Tumblr media
52 notes · View notes
miilkybnn · 11 months
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
while drawing the pirate/mermaid ghostroach, friend suggested selkie roach and it hasn't left my brain since so enjoy these miniscule selkie roach thoughts + some cute ghostroach that i just HAD to include !!
I'll probably draw selkie roach a bit more than mermaid roach mostly because I'm having so much fun with the selkie coat idea so much so that I already have some cute ghostroach ideas planned tehehehe
479 notes · View notes
sunyandmony · 1 month
Text
New au time😭
I can't come up with a better name so just slide along with it;-;
It was a God of its own little world, the life that surrounded it was truly unnatural yet.. Breathtaking. To think that it created all of it under the circumstances of the universe. Sure, time was broken before, but it managed to fix it. Somehow... And got life back on the surface of what he called 'paradise', its second chance to be better at the job it was given.
And yet, the creation it made was not perfect as meant to be... You, the first living being of this universe... You were definitely special, but you were also dangerous. It could not rid of you now, could not turn back.. It made a huge mistake, but couldn't take it back now- not when you stood in front of it with such admiration and devotion for a being that only brought darkness and dismay along its path. Despite your devotion, which it accepted, it wasn't like it'd let you go live on your own, whatever life had been growing by itself was dangerous, and so, you were kept just at eye range.
Your God was always strong, always wise and always one step ahead of you.. You knew this was the right choice, your God is always right. And you never doubted it.
That all changed when new life appeared, and your God pushed you aside to care more for the others. You were still faithful nonetheless, and every bit of attention, every glance, was taken in consideration by your human eyes. But... On that day, the last glance your God gave you before vanishing was... Not right... Not a way a God would look at the most faithful of followers..... And since than, you have been left under the care of a 'false' God, who was just under the Original' right arm always, now ranked up to take the said place. You doubted the disappearance of your God, and continued praying. You did not believe in the new God shown right in your face, or the fact your own God could've been the true fake... You weren't planning on changing your mind any time soon. You believed in your God more than yourself. And that was just a simple fact, there was far more than what was shown on the outside. A simple day in your life always consisted of first thing praying for exactly 3 hours before moving on to eating and than to your duties, which weren't even that many.
Everybody took you as the 'non-faithful' type towards the actual God, but you didn't care. Even your friends thought so, and that was painful at once. But you had to do it for their sake, they were drifting away from the truth unlike you. There is NO other God than THE Original, and that was it for you. Nothing more or less.
You are still the same person on the inside though, careful, gentle and curious as a human would be. The earth and the living beings you weren't allowed to see before were truly beautiful, from small bugs to flying birds and to freely roaming foxes.. Truly something to admire.. You assumed your God just didn't know they were harmless as the reason it didn't let you go far. Definitely, even a God makes mistakes!
....
...
..
.
That's about it y'all- Motivation gone💔
20 notes · View notes
Text
haha so prison of plastic, right?
Tumblr media
I made an au for it. Its a swap au, but I swap both people and epithets! In this au, Molly has the Epithet Augment. She uses the Dream Bubbles/Illusions to make her own little worlds in an attempt to cope, when something doesn't go her way, she throws a fit about it, as any spoiled child would. Using her tears in order to get what she wants, it often works because her Mom doesn't want to hear her scream. Here's a small, improved excerpt from the au:
The archer positioned her bow, ready to fire the arrow into the large Hydra's echoing heart, her attack echoed throughout the land.
"PIERCIIIIIING URRRRSAAAA!"
...ly..
"NOOO!" The hydra's three heads wailed
"That is the attack of the ancient one!" Said one
"It will surely kill us!" Said another
...olly!...
The archer smirked like how they did in those cool cartoons. "THIS! IS FOR ALL THE VILLAGES YOU'VE FLOODED! AND FOR THE FAMILY YOU'VE TORN APART!!! THE ONE WATTERLOGGED BECAUSE OF YOU!!!
"Molly!"
An echo punched through the funtime fantasy world
"Ughh! Not now not now! I was just about to beat him!!"
She whined, impaitently tapping on the ground quickly with the tips of her toes.
The fantasy rippled, swirled and soon seperated, nothing but a fog now. Lorelai Blyndeff sticking her head through it all.
"Molly! You were on dish duty! You can't just bail like that!"
Molly turns her whole body to face her sister, who's head was poking through her Dream Bubble.
"LOOOOOORIIIIII!!! Go away! I was just about to slay the Honeyed Hydra!!!!"
She hissed, nearly screaming as she swatted her away like a disgusting bug on the windowsill. Causing her archery outfit, bow and magic attack to disappear into a fun dip like powder.
Molly Blyndeff, Lorelai's brat of a little sister. She's spent half their life after their Dad's death crying and whining to get whatever she wanted, and if she didn't get it, she'd make more of a fuss than she was brewing. Lorelai could see through her obvious manipulation of the people's heartstrings and has tried to call her out on in on SEVERAL occasions. But she can't win the fight against Molly's puppy eyes, she'd often grin at Lori before calling for their mother and claiming that she was being mean to her when she really was trying to shape her away from being a spoiled brat. Alas, their mother is too swayed by the puppy eyes and crying to take Lorelai's side.
"You've been playing for THREE HOURS, Molly. C'mon, Mom said its your turn!"
Molly grumbled, she can't use her tricks on Lorelai, since she can see right through her. Nor can she seek the help of her Mother, knowing that there's a chance he could take Lorelai's side. She crossed her long sleeves over each other,
"You're so mean to me, Lori! I can never have fun! All you do is ruin everything!"
Ah, the perfect tactic, guilt tripping. If she can't get any help, she'll pin the blame on the person 'ruining everything'.
"Nice try, Bear Cub, I'm not doing the dishes for you this time, I've got things to do too"
"UGHHHHHH!!!!" Molly grinned, falling to the floor dramatically the entire time she did.
Lorelai stared in disbelief at the little girl Molly was growing up to be, she stepped fully into the Dream Bubble, the scenery fogging away wherever she stepped. She lightly kicked Molly to get her to snap out of her rage fueled funk.
"Get up, no matter how much you pout, you still have dishes to do."
"NO!!!! No no no no no!"
Molly screamed back in rage, snapping her head up and kicking her legs. She stopped briefly only for the bear to be unleashed again,
"JUST GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT!!! YOURE RUINING MY LIFE!!!!"
Lori wasn't going to let some brat kid boss her around, she was going to say something, though she couldn't get it out before a screaming and crying Molly was pushing her out of her customized safe space. Then, out the door Lorelai was, hearing a click behind her. She knew what that meant, so she turned around and pounded on the door.
"HEY!!!"
BANG BANG BANG
"MOLLY!!!!"
...
Tumblr media
Now for Lorelai! Now she has the Epithet "Dumb", like Molly in the actual show/book. You know what it is, now for another excerpt!
"Uhhhhhh... guys?" Lorelai called
"What? You find somethin?" Giovanni called back
"Yeeeeahhhh..."
Giovanni and Rick trotted over, with Giovanni shoving Rick out of the way in order to see what Lorelai had found.
Lori found a dead body.
Or, at least that's what it appeared to be, the most notable thing about the body, aside from it appearing dead was the jingling bells decorating her hair. Most of the jelly fish had wriggled their way into the bells on the bottom, the rest all laying beside her in the sand, ready to sting her at any second.
"Is she... truly dead?!?!?!" Rick shivered, not even able to comprehend the thought.
"Not sure" Lorelai replied back, looking at him, and then to the dead looking girl.
"AHHH!!!" He squeaked, unable to handle this situations severity. But to be fair, who would be? "No-one can know about this" Finishing his words with a disturbingly grim tone, he starts rushing toward the body in a cartoonish run. He bends over to pick it up before Giovanni stops him.
"Wait wait wait wait!"
"WHAT?!?"
Rick shouted back, still halfway bent down to drag the body back into the ocean.
"We should see if she has anything valuable! It's like a video game! Ya gotta loot every dead guy, gal, or nonbinary pal ya find!"
"HAH!" Rick barked, already sweating buckets, as he faces Giovanni "If you'd like to get arrested, perhaps!" He turns back to the body, going to grab for it "Your finger prints will get all over it that way!" in a twist of irony, he latches his arms onto the body.
Giovanni snrks, "Y'know you'll get your prints on it if you grab it too, yeah?'
Rick gasps, dropping the body's lifeless arm, looking at his hands as if he HIMSELF had committed the murder.
"You're right!"
Rick falls down onto the sand like an anime character, burrowing his fists harshly so that they make two fist sized craters in the sand. He begins to cry big dumb tears
"I'm going to the penthouse!" Rick wails, letting out a squeak at a pitch only dogs can hear. "Please, dear friends! Bail me out!"
"Psssh, Rick, you're such a weenie."
Giovanni grabs a stray stick from the beach and pokes the body with it as to not get his hand prints on the body like Rick did. She was surrounded by jelly fish as if it were rocks on around the pond.
"Huh! Well wouldja look at that!"
He chirped, eye brows a good distance away from his eyes.
"Looks like you win Lori!" He says, tossing the Apple Cider flavored lip balm over to Lorelai. Suddenly the body sprouted to laugh, coughing up a jelly fish that had crawled its way down her esophagous
"Haugh-ha-ga-ha- w- win!?"
Rick perked his head up and The trio instinctively screamed
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!"
The body screamed right back
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"
"ZOMBIE!!!!" Rick shrieked, backing away in fear, picking up the stick that Giovanni had tossed away once he saw the body sprout back like a plant someone thought was going to die.
"Zombie?!" The body replied, twirling her head around rapidly, jelly fish being flung from her hair at intense speeds. The trio quickly ducked to avoid the potential of being stung. "Where?!?!"
She quickly got up and started throwing her hand swiftly as if she were throwing several baseballs, Lorelai took notice of what came out of the small girls hand as she jingled through each attack. "Hm!" she remarked, staring at her hand. "Well, that's quite troubling! Perhaps this is a surface interference, from the surface world! That would make the most sense!"
Giovanni got up from his crouching position, getting hit in the face with a jelly fish. Thankfully, it was long dead and didn't sting him. He slid it off his face.
"Hey, wait a sec, this chick ain't a zombie! Way too much skin! Look, I get zombies CAN have skin and all but that's only if they're fresh, and I'm guessing that she's been there for a while. So my conclusion is THIS!!!"
Giovanni did an over the top point to accentuate his reveal.
"SHE IS CLEARLY.... A GHOST! A... magic- GHOST! YEAH! Or- or the reincarnation of a Sheep Jellyfish hybrid! A SHELLYFISH!!! HAHA!!!! I know your secret now LADY!"
The lady put a hand to her mouth, chuckling inaudibly into her hand. "You're quite a funny one, Mister bright hair!" She twirls around towards them, putting her hands together with a bright smile. "I am no Shellyfish zombie-ghost! I..... am a magical girl!" She did a Sailor Moon esc pose, the trio stared at her in disbelief.
No-one thought she was serious.
The girl panicked "Uh- uh- uh- HERE! Let me show you!" She twisted her whole body back and flung forward an invisible force like a boomerang. When she saw that nothing had happened, she tried again. Lorelai did notice a small string of black energy coming out in a faded boomerang position, before poofing away pathetically. She didn't say anything, knowing the kid probably just wanted to impress a bunch of people older than she was.
The newly revived little girl was around 12 years old, which, when around a group of 17 year old's was practically the same as being a baby. The "magical girl" was pale, with eyes bluer than the ocean itself. Her blonde hair decorated in little bells, accompanied by a tattered pink dress with now dirtied white fluff in other areas. She nervously chuckled
"Ahahaha! C'moooon magiiiiiic! Work! Work o pretty please work! A bunch of adults are watching!"
She mumbled to herself in desperation, but alas, her magic did not cooperate. She wailed in shock,
"WAHHHH-HAH-HAAA?!? What?!? But- It usually WORKS!!!! What is going ON today?! Are my friends not friending?! I NEED ANSWERS!!!"
The little girl stomped over in the most non threatening way possible.
"Excuse me, kind older folk! Would any of you care to be my friends?" She batted her eyes innocently. Giovanni immediately shut her down
"Nuh uh kid, no way"
"Awwww... why not?!"
"Because you're like, a baby, and we're like, way older than you? And it'd be really weird for a bunch of 17 year old's to hang around a kid???"
"Haha! Wow! Owie! Ow! Owchie!" The girl forced out a chuckle, putting her hands on her hips to distract herself from the fact she felt like crying big stupid tears. "I- I'll have you know I am VERY mature for someone who is 12 years of age!"
Rick stepped out from his friends, "Hold on, you, you said you're magic, correct?"
"Yes! Indeed! I am a Magical Girl, after all!"
"Perfect! How fortunate! HAHAH!" Rick echoed a belly laugh, grinning somewhat creepily at her, making her kind of regret ever meeting him. Lorelai tapped Rick on the shoulder.
"Rick, you're doing the thing again."
"Haha! Oops! Sorry!"
Rick now smiled in a more normal looking way, "My name is Rick Shades, the XV of the Shades clan! I assume you've heard of us?"
"Nope!" Exclaimed the magical girl with innocent pride, Giovanni snickered again which made Lori elbow him. Rick felt like he could turn to stone at any moment, but continued with his tale.
"The people in my family are MOST powerful witches and wizards! Every five years, the oldest heir is destined to do BATTLE with the UNHOOOOOOLY PUPPETEER!!! And if we do not... we must prepare for the ENDDDD!!! The adventurer must pick up a faithful knight!"
Rick gestures to Lorelai, "A skilled alchemist" he gestured to Giovanni. "As well as a Tanky sort of fellow, to take the hits for us, as well as a skilled, wise mentor!" Rick put his hands on his shoulders, bending down to the girl's height.
"Would you perhaps be interested?"
The girl pondered the thought, humming. Lorelai had quickly picked up on the 'Rick is being a weirdo' signs, dragging him and Giovanni away. She never blamed Rick for his lack of social skills, ability to pick up on social cues or discomforts with large crowds. She knew he never got out much when he was young, but sometimes she has to put her foot down when he's doing something the public could perceive as weird, such as trying to build a friendship with a 12 year old when you're way older.
"Oh... oh no... sorry to put a stop to this but- we gotta go! Oh- oh nooooo...We- we got a class! And... we REALLY don't wanna miss it... oh nooooo"
"W- wait! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIT!!!!!!!" The little girl shrieked, quickly running up to them, skidding with a halt. "Shouldn't you keep me in your fun fun friendship magic circle? Y- you know?? In case you need me to- to mentor you?????"
"Hmmmm..." Rick thought about it, squinting through his dorky looking shades. "Well, that make sense!"
"RICK!" Lorelai protested, but it was too late.
"Very well! My name is Phoenica Fleecity! Shall we be..." She extended her hand. "Friends?"
"Indeed we shall!" Rick held her palm with the awareness of a dog about to eat a brownie, Lorelai and Giovanni had both tried to stop him, and ultimately failed. The sky tore asunder, several amounts of black shadow sheep extended in tidal waves, circling the two with loud jingles.
JINGLE
JINGLE
BAAAA
The sheep fell onto each other, the two sets forming into arrows, one piercing Rick's chest, and the other piercing Phoenica's.
"The pact... has been sealed! Hehehee..." Phoenica chuckled into her hand, face contorting into mischief, the mischief erupting into madness and lightning crowded around the group. "Heheheeh....hahaha...AHAHAHHAH!!!" The last laugh came out in a squeak, then her hands came behind her back, pushing herself to and fro in a sway, stopping with her toes off the ground, tilting her head with a smile. "Pleasure to meet you!"
Baaa
The world was as it had been previously, not a person in sight on the beach. It was only those four,
"Wait.... did that actually just happen?" Lorelai thought aloud to herself.
"Now now now!" Phoenica removed her hand from Rick's grasp, raising it daintily like a private school girl. "Would anyone else like to shake the hand of friendship?" She asked, waving her hand robotically.
Giovanni and Lori quickly stepped back, trying to maintain a safe distance from Rick in case Phoenica had cursed him.
"R...rick?" Lori uttered in discomforted fear. "You uh... you okay there, buddy?"
"I... feel... AMAZING!!!" Rick jumped up, running around, kicking and squealing like a kid who had just gotten the latest gaming console, stopping dead in his tracks beside Phoeinca.
"After all, I had gained a new friend! Phoenica Fleecity!"
Phoenica nodded to confirm that they were indeed friends "Indeed! We are the friendy-ist of friends! Bound by the soul! Soul-MATES, if you will!"
"HA!" Rick barked, throwing his head back with his hands on his waist, tilting his head back down. "Friendshaped AND hilarious! Its a two in one deal!"
Giovanni scrunched his face. "Kid, work on your phrasing"
Phoenica tilted her head sideways like a puppy who you had just told was bad, but didn't understand why. "Huh?" she gasped. "Ohhhh! No! no no no no! Nothing at ALL Like what you're thinking! He's like, fourty anyways!" She waved off whatever thoughts we were thinking, Rick felt as though he actually got stabbed with the shadow arrows this time, falling to his knees again, pressing his hands into the sand.
She clasps her hands, gleefully turning to Rick "Well then, I suppose since we *are* friends, I can tell you my secret!" She turned back to face the others "My Epithet is... Soulmates! Meaning, I keep all my mates, or, friends, as is most commonly said riiiiiiiiiight here!"
She points to the right side of her chest, the wrong one. Giovanni raised an eyebrow.
"Your chest?"
"Oh no no no!" Phoenica shook her head "My heart!"
"Your hearts on the other side"
"Oh!" Phoenica looked down, realizing her mistake before quickly fixing it. "They're kept right here!"
"So, what? Is Rick like...in a friendship cage or something?"
"Nnnnnnope! Just means that I can do, what HE can do! Observe!"
She skipped eagerly over to Rick, bending towards him. "Mister Rick Shades, what can you do?"
Rick pondered over it before Lorelai dragged him back towards herself and Giovanni quickly before he could stupidly get himself caught in a situation nobody wanted to deal with.
"Rick, don't. Y'know all those Ztreet Zmartz for Kidz videos they showed us? I think NOW is as good a time as any to start puttin' em to use"
"What is a Ztreet Zmartz?" Rick batted his eyes
Lori groaned, oh right, Rick was homeschooled half his life. "Basically safety PSAS warning us about strangers."
"Ohhh!" Rick's eyes widened at the realization, falling closed in laughter as he shook his head, opening them back up. "But Phoenica is no stranger! She is my new friend!"
"YES INDEED I AM A FRIEND!!!!" Phoenica screamed. "YOU CAN TRUST ME!!!! I AM INCREDIBLY TRUSTWORTHY!!!!!!!"
"Don't worry! I believe you!" Rick shouted back, worming his way out of Lorelai's hands, Lori couldn't help but face palm at his stupidity as he paced around, trying to discover what he was best at.
"I'm quite good at school work! The best, even! Dispite being homeschooled for so long! I'm great at it!"
Phoenica laughed along with Rick's claims, she had no idea what schoolwork was, but she didn't want her newest buddy chum chum pal friend buddy chum chum chum pal to think she was uncool. Rick shimmied his bookbag off of himself, grabbing out last nights homework, holding it up dramatically like Macbeth would a skull. "BEHOLD!!!! THE DREADED ALGEBRA II!!!" he bellowed, passing it to Phoenica. He had also handed her a pencil, "Here! You try!"
Phoenica nodded, scribbling a few nonsense numbers as if she were on auto pilot, giggling the whole time like a gremlin being fed after midnight. She soon finished, passing it back to Rick with a smile. "Done!"
Rick took the paper, and Phoenica began her monolouge.
"Now you see! That challenge for Hi....skewl...ers.... would've proven too much! But, with the power of Soulmates, friendship, and MAGIC! I got it done in a matter of seconds!" She clapped "Thank you Rick for bestowing your mathly knowledge onto me!"
Rick gasped dramatically, gripping the paper. "You- you used my knowledge to do this! Thats- thats CHEATING!" he stood up, pointing a finger. "You're a cheater cheater pumpkin eater! I cannot be friends with a girl who PUMPKIN EATS!"
Phoenica gasped, a tear starting to fall. The sky tore open again as the arrows reversed out of their hearts, reverting back into sheep that scuttled back into the sky. "NOOOOOOO!!!!" Phoenica wailed, burying her shameful cheating cheating pumpkin eating face into her hands. "MY KNOWLEDGE!!!! WAHHHHHH!!!"
A kitchen timer went off in Giovanni's head, causing him to laugh "Wait? Your- Your weakness is people- NOT being friends with you?! Hah... huh ha... huh HAHAHAHAHAHA!! OH MY GOD THATS RICH!!! HAHAHAH!!! WHAT A DORK!!! HAH!"
Lorelai harshly jabbed his arm with her elbow, making him yell out an "OWWWW!!". Lorelai couldn't help but roll her eyes, Phoenica whimpered as she stared at her now wet hands.
"Is this why all my previous friends had stopped friending?! Is it because I am a... pumpkin eater?! Why didnt anyone TELL me! I would've stopped eating pumpkins right away!! Now everyone's ignoring me!!!" She sobbed heavily, falling to her knees.
Rick couldn't help but feel bad, coming to her side and wrapping an arm around her, he was crying to.
"Oh, Phoenica! I am SO terribly sorry! It just..." He sniffled "I HATE cheaters, you know? They grind my gears so hard that I can't think! But... if you vow to never use your knowledge for cheating... I would be honored to call you friend!"
Phoenica gasped, wrapping both arms around Rick and squeezing him as tight as she could. "Rick!!!!! My dearest surface friend! I pinky winky promise to never EVER cheat again! If I break this promise then..." she whiped her eyes, looking into his with complete sincerity. "You have all the right to break my pinky!"
Rick looked touched, starting to regain his smile "Phoenica..." he fully accepted her hug. "That is all my heart ever wanted to hear!"
The sky ripped apart like paper, the sheeps returning, forming one big arrow that pierced through them both. Phoenica shot up, deciding that her crying time was over!
"Nooooow! Have you two changed your minds???? Would you still like to be friends?!?!?!? Please??? Pretty please???"
"Uhhh.. yeah no I'm good." Giovanni steps back
Lorelai also steps back, "Me too, sorry kid."
Phoenica looked absolutely heartbroken, before shaking her head. "Uhh... well... what about the winny thingy?
"Winny thingy?" Giovanni asked
"Win! Winner! Wining! Something something something you win! That's what you guys were saying when I woke up! What is the game? What is there to win? CAN I even win? Oh, I bet I could win anything and everything ever! Please please please let me win something! Then we can all be friends and skip along with the sheep in the clouds!" Phoenica begged desperately, clasping her hands together.
Lorelai raised a brow. "You sound kinda desperate."
"I AM!!! Thank you for noticing!"
"That... isn't a complement..."
"Oh! Then UN-Thank you for noticing!"
Gears shifted in Giovanni's head as she tried to figure out what this silly little bell ridden girl was talking about, then it hit him, like a homerun at a big league baseball game.
"Ohhhh! You mean the prizes!" Giovanni snapped a finger, grinning excitedly "We were taking a buncha these jelly fish an' throwin' em back in the sea! Whoever finds the most, throws em back in the ocean without gettin' stung wins! Oh! An' if you find a cool thing WITHOUT a metal detector, you get extra points! Whoever's got the most points gets a little treat!"
Not even a moment after the words escaped Giovanni's lips, Phoenica was running around the beach. She tossed jellyfish after jellyfish back into the sea, occasionally getting stung. She would sometimes find a trinket only SHE thought was cool and stuff it into the pockets of her worn out dress. She soon came back to the trio, huffing wildly like a runner who had just crossed the finish line last in a marathon.
"I've tossed 164 jelly fish back, got stung 35 times and found 52 cool trinkets!"
Phoenica took what was in her pockets out of them, what she collected was mostly shells, seaweed, and coins. She put them back in her pockets with puppy eyes.
"Does that mean I get a treat now? I'm afraid I haven't eaten in days!"
"DAYS?!?!?!" The trio shouted with concern, all starting to scrounge through their stuff, except for Rick who was running around and screaming in a panic.
To no avail, all Giovanni had was an old empty thermos of Soup. It was stained from the time he tried to mix a bunch of Soups together with smoothie logic. Spoiler, it didn't taste good and he threw up afterwards.
Lorelai took out the lip balm she had recieved, Phoenica's eyes locked on it.
"Whats that? Is that the treat? Can I have it? Can I? Can I?"
"Uhhhh...." Lorelai looked down at the lip balm, extending it out. "This is a lip balm..."
"Haha! Wowie! Never mind then! Don't want to explode! Haha! Ha! Ha!" Phoenica was sweating again.
Lorelai shook her head, "No no no no" she unscrewed the cap to show her, speaking slowly like you would an alien in a movie. "Baaaaalm.... Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalm, with an LLLLLLL. Its like, lip stuff you put on your lips"
"Wow! Smells yummy! Thank you!" Phoenica knelt down, chomping down on the balm. Regret set in for her immediately as she coughed, it shot down her throat in seconds. "MMMM!!!! BADDDDD!!!!" she cried.
"NO NO NO NO NO DO NOT SWALLOW THAT!!!" Giovanni butted in, grabbing Phoenica by the shoulders, tears streamed down her face quickly. "Too late!!!! ITS ALREADY IN MY TUMMY!!!!"
"NOOOOOO!!!!" Rick dramatically fainted like a goat, clutching the sand like a blanket. "My friend is going to die..."
"IM GOING TO DIE?!?!" Phoenica gasped.
"No! No! Nobody is going to DIE!" Lorelai tried to reassure, but it was hard with a child and someone who was nearly an adult crying in unison. Giovanni started to panic and rummage through Rick's backpack for literally ANYTHING to drink. All he found was an old potion he had given him.
"Is... is that a drink?" Phoenica asked meekly "I haven't drunken anything in days! Well... besides Salt Water! Oh goodness! I believe it *is* the end!"
"DO NOT SAY SUCH DRIVEL, PHOENICA!" Rick shouted.
"Rick, others, we are friends...correct?" Phoenica strained sadly, like a sick kid on a TV show.
"Uhhh... pretty sure?" Lorelai hesitated
"Please.... do not let me die."
Phoenica ragdolled onto the sand, panic began setting in for the trio as they scrambled like headless chickens trying not to squawk in fear.
...
Hope you enjoy!!! :D
39 notes · View notes
flightfoot · 2 months
Note
Not sure if you've been asked this before, but can you recommend some good Kwami swap fics?
Sure! I dunno whether you just mean Adrien and Marinette sapping kwamis, so I'll list anyone using kwamis that are different from their normal canon ones.
---
Auspicious by The_Rabbit42
Entry #6 for AU April 2023: Reverse-Crush Kwami-Swap Adrien is quiet and reserved whenever he’s not consumed by stress. And between extracurriculars and modeling and his responsibilities as Mister Bug, he’s often stressed. He appreciates his kitten, but he loves his bright and outgoing classmate. Not that she knows that. Marinette’s parents have always allowed her a good deal of independence, but she’s felt her confidence skyrocket since getting Plagg. Simply being Lady Noire allows her to be more flirty and free. She likes her friends, but she loves her stoic and heroic partner. Not that he knows that.
This is just a lovely fic that’s exactly what it says on the tin. I like how Rabbit goes into what Lady Noire’s and Mister Bug’s dynamic is like here especially.
---
Thanks, But No by @pauliestorylover
For every miraculous that Fu cupped in his palms, an image of the same blue-eyed girl flashed through his mind. Marinette Dupain-Cheng was born to hold the miraculous—she resonated with every single one of them far better than even the late Celestial Guardian, and it was Fu’s duty as the last Guardian not to allow such talent to slip through his hands.
Too bad Marinette wasn’t on the same page.
Or; au where Master Fu keeps throwing miraculous at Marinette hoping one will stick, Marinette goes around handing out miraculous like candy, and Wayzz has never seen anything so ridiculous in his millennia-long lifespan.
This one’s fun. Everyone except for Adrien ends up with a different Miraculous than in canon, and it’s really interesting to see how they all adapt. Marinette’s thorough noping out is pretty funny too, and there’s some sweet bits of Adrino and Alyanette in here!
---
Crepes and Petals by @fruitdragon1a
Alya and Marinette have been friends ever since that fateful first day in collège. Scarabella and Lady Noire have been friends ever since they started fighting crime together at the age of fourteen. Alya and Lady Noire? Their friendship is newer-- and Alya wishes it were more.
---
instant familiarity by @fragileizy
“We must’ve told each other everything,” Adrien whispers. “I couldn’t imagine being able to take photos with you like this and not fall in love with you.” Marinette’s face goes red again. “You know? In some really weird way, I’m really glad that the two of us lost our memories together. It’s not so bad falling in love with someone you care about for a second time.”
---
theory bored by @14muffinz
You’re not supposed to theorise about who your partner is, Tikki had scolded, glaring at Luka as he continued to map out his entire theory, abbreviating as many miraculous-related names as he could feasibly remember. To be fair, it’s a lot, so it’s not like this would be much if anyone were to get their hands on it. He’d sighed, capped his marker, and turned around as though he was going to clean up the board. And then, because Tikki unfortunately taught him just how stubborn he could get if he really wanted to, he calls for his transformation while facing the other way. [OR: Ladybug Luka, Black Cat Juleka, and a reveal.]
---
The Unluckiest Cat In Paris by @aidanchaser
Mister Bug has always been a hero, and his partner Lady Noire has always stood by his side--until he has to face a future where he betrayed Paris and his partner is trying to kill him. Kwami Swap AU - Chatte Blanche
---
Down on Her Luck by Proper_Prose
Exhausted from her most recent Akuma (which she most definitely did not cause), Chloe has a heart to heart moment with her kwami. Hopefully it goes better than the other times.
---
The Cat’s Out of the Purse by The_Rabbit42
Adrien just took the ring off to be safe. Plagg just got bored and wanted to annoy Tikki. Rose just opened her purse and SURPRISE! Ladybug just wants to get the ring back to her partner.
This was a fun fic, never seen Rose and Plagg interact like this before! It’s a treat getting more Rose and Plagg focus in general of course, but I really like their relationship here. Plagg’s really good with his wielders in general, and I love how he emphasizes that while he needs to get back to Chat Noir, while Rose is transformed with him, she’s as much her own wielder as he is. It reminds me of how he acted with Zoe, Plagg’s just a treasure XD
---
as luck would have it by @silver-hibiscus
It’s Adrien’s birthday, and there’s an akuma attack. Luckily, Ladybug and Chat Noir are there to save the day! Even if they’re not the heroes that we’re familiar with… Not so much a kwami swap as an another au entirely.
Same title as one of my own fics, funnily enough! Though entirely different premise. This is a Gabenath fic, with Gabriel as Chat Noir and Nathalie as Ladybug, complete with a lovesquare and some unspecified other person as Hawk Moth. In this version, Gabriel and Emilie had some terrible fights and were separated, with Gabriel realizing along the way that he’d been a distant father and working to rectify that, he’s a pretty decent person here. I could actually kind of see this being a feasible path Gabriel could have gone down, if he wasn’t so desperate to revive Emilie and hadn’t gone so far to try to distance himself from who he was and where he came from back before he met Emilie and started changing to fit in with the upper class.
---
Fortississimo by @azuriteartist
Juleka and Luka are the Ladybug and Black Cat holders, but a fearful akuma requires them to ask for help from a new source.
---
Scarlet Fever by @chronicallylatetotheparty
Papillon Écarlate has managed the impossible. He's akumatized Marinette. Now with an army of supervillains and no Ladybug to stop him victory seems inevitable. Unless Adrien can stop him. But will he be enough when his own mentor doubts him?
22 notes · View notes
silentstep · 2 years
Text
a thing that really really bugs me in modern AUs is when they have Wei Wuxian still put everything on the line for the Wens, and leave his family over it/get kicked out of his support system for it, and Jiang Cheng refuses to help or support him, and it’s fraught and angsty, but there’s no equivalent given for the Jiang Clan that Jiang Cheng is protecting by doing so
Jiang Cheng isn’t refusing to help because it ~looks bad~ or because he ~hates the Wens~ or whatever, he’s refusing because they a.) murdered his entire family and b.) it would cost the lives of the family he’s built since.  If there aren’t any stakes on his side of course he’s helping Wei Wuxian.  Of course he’s helping Wen Qing.  He’s not just a bad person who does bad things for fun and profit, he too is protecting people.  He, too, is protecting the weak and innocent.  He and Wei Wuxian don’t have that disparate of moral senses, it’s just that Jiang Cheng has to keep in mind the people who are already depending on him, and Wei Wuxian doesn’t consider himself beholden to them as long as Jiang Cheng is still there doing it for him.
Jiang Cheng doesn’t, and wouldn’t, abandon Wei Wuxian for anything less than the highest calling of his duty.
and even in a modern AU where the stakes are far lower than the life-or-death ones of canon, the motivations still exist.  They should both still be protecting people that are important to them.
..........furthermore, in canon Wei Wuxian very clearly presents his case to Jiang Cheng with a heaping background of “I’m not happy in Lotus Pier, and I want to leave.  Please don’t keep me against my will” and Jiang Cheng acquiesces to that wish, because he has seen all his life what happens when you try to keep someone you love by your side against their will, and he would never.  He would never.  It’s not Wei Wuxian saying “I need your help” and Jiang Cheng saying “I’m sorry but I can’t,” it’s Jiang Cheng saying “please come home and let me help you” and Wei Wuxian saying “I don’t want you in my life, please let me go.”  Like!  Wei Wuxian is lying in order to get what he wants with a minimum of fuss!  That’s important too!  He’s saying exactly what he needs to say to get Jiang Cheng out of the line of fire!  It’s not true!  He just knows what to say that Jiang Cheng will accept and believe, no matter how much it hurts!  BUT JIANG CHENG DOESN’T KNOW THAT ok I’m good.  and also sad.  again.  fuck they love each other so much and they hurt each other so badly
743 notes · View notes