#Extend shelf life

[sorbchem-india-products]

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[gauricmi]

Retort Packaging: A Solution for Food Preservation

Retort packaging has emerged as a vital solution for food preservation, offering a combination of sterilization, sealing, and packaging techniques to extend the shelf life of a wide range of food products.

Understanding Retort Packaging:

Definition: Retort packaging is a specialized form of packaging that involves sealing food products in airtight containers and subjecting them to high temperatures in a retort sterilization process. This process helps eliminate harmful microorganisms, enzymes, and spoilage agents, ensuring the safety and preservation of packaged foods.

Sterilization Process: The retort sterilization process involves heating packaged foods to temperatures typically ranging from 240°F to 250°F (116°C to 121°C) for a specified period. The high temperatures and pressure inside the retort chamber effectively destroy bacteria, molds, and other pathogens, while the airtight seal prevents recontamination of the packaged contents.

Advantages of Retort Packaging:

Extended Shelf Life: One of the primary advantages of Retort Packaging is its ability to significantly extend the shelf life of packaged foods. By eliminating microbial contaminants and creating a hermetic seal, retort packaging helps preserve the freshness and quality of food products, allowing them to remain shelf-stable for extended periods without refrigeration.

Preservation of Nutritional Value: Retort packaging helps preserve the nutritional value of packaged foods by minimizing exposure to oxygen, light, and heat. The sealed environment created by retort packaging prevents oxidation and degradation of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients, ensuring that packaged foods retain their nutritional integrity over time.

Versatility: Retort packaging is versatile and suitable for a wide range of food products, including ready-to-eat meals, soups, sauces, meats, seafood, and vegetables. The flexibility of retort packaging allows manufacturers to package a variety of foods in different formats, including pouches, trays, and cans, to meet consumer preferences and market demands.

Get More Insights On This Topic: Retort Packaging

[nichromepackaging]

Taste the Difference: Elevating Ready-to-Eat Foods Packaging with Nichrome

In this fast-paced world, people require everything on the go. That’s why convenience is so important, especially when it comes to food. Ready-to-eat foods have become a staple for individuals and families, providing delicious and easy breakfast, lunch, and dinner options. At Nichrome, we understand the importance of not only providing convenient food options but also ensuring that the packaging…

[asexual-levia-tan]

someone convince me to not eat a half pack of bacon

[promolux]

Enhancing Freshness and Shelf Life of Seafood and Sushi with Promolux LED Lighting

Promolux LED lighting revolutionizes Seafood and Sushi Displays by preserving natural colors, reducing oxidation, and extending shelf life. Through its Safe Spectrum technology, Promolux LEDs address challenges such as photo and lipid oxidation, temperature control, and moisture retention in refrigerated display cases.

[oxygen-absorbers]

Improve the Shelf Life Of Wheat Flour-Rice-pulses-grains- How To Store Wheat Flour Long-Term?

[moonchild9350]

Beyond the Stars

summary: hyunjin: your protector, your celestial spirit. Hyunjin: your peace and serenity in this journey called life.

pairing: celestial spirit hyunjin x fab!reader

genre: zodiac/celestial au, fantasy au, fluff, smut-18+MDNI

wc: 19.6k

warnings: clit play, unprotected sex (don’t), creampie, masturbation, painting in the nude, nightmares, magic, other things that i do not want to spoil as it's essential for the plot

notes: this is my longest fic yet omg. i've poured my heart out into this over the last few weeks and i hope you enjoy it as much as i did writing it. i'd love to hear your feedback-don't be shy! happy reading :)

please do not copy, translate, modify, use, or repost my work elsewhere without my permission. ©️moonchild9350 (2025)

general masterlist

Ever since you were little you were tormented by your dreams, the intricacies and complexity of the darkness that plague the back of your mind, often leaving you to wake in a fright with tears streaming down your face. You’d clutch your stuffed owl close to your body for comfort and seek out your mother down the hall who was most likely sitting by the fire, chanting soft spells over her work.

You’d sit on the cushion she’d set out for you, the one with stars and the moon which you loved so much. One because it was beautiful and soft and you’d like to run your fingers through the fluff, the sensation akin to silk. But also you could watch and listen to your mother, your eyes widened in awe as her voice drifted dreamily throughout the room. It seemed almost magical as the air crackled with life and was almost tangible if you focused hard enough.

The fire in the hearth felt warm against your skin, the flames crackling and releasing sparks that floated into the air before disappearing. There was a soft glow in the otherwise dark house and tendrils of smoke from the incense that your mom burned every night rose to the ceiling, filing the air with the scent of jasmine. If you listened closely over the hum of your mother’s voice, you could hear the wind blowing against the wood of the house, blending in with the words that floated through the air.

You loved these moments as you felt safe in your mother’s presence, your nightmares briefly forgotten, that is until she notices you clutching your owl.

“More bad dreams my sweet?” She asks with a knowing glance, brushing off her nightgown and getting up to walk over to a shelf filled with books and trinkets.

“Yes mother.” Your voice softly rang out laced with sorrow and fear.

Your mother searched the shelves as she mumbles, speaking unintelligible words as she moves along. Her fingers glide softly over the textured wood as if they were dancing, the pad of one finger touching the blue book followed by the purple and onto the next. It continues until they pause at a particular box and she smiles as she takes the item in her hand.

It is an ornate box, decorated with veins that wrap around the corners sharply as if it is like a lock. Your mother strokes the lid as she gazes fondly at it. You watch as she walks over to you, extending the box out to you.

“This will help. It will offer protection whenever you sleep my sweet.”

She runs the palm of her hand over the top before prying open the lid and pulls out a beautiful necklace. The chain was littered with stones of aquamarine, amethyst, and black tourmaline that dazzled in the light from the fire in the hearth. She places the necklace around your neck and fastens the clasp, the metal and stones cold on your warm skin.

“This spirit will protect you as long as you wear it. Respect the power within and it will serve you well.”

You cocked your head at her words. “Spirit? But mother how is that possible?”

“We do not question the spirits, but accept their power and assistance in our daily lives. They can be great friends for us in this life. You’ll take care of it right my sweet?”

“Yes mother,” you murmured and touched the stones, enjoying how they felt rough against the pads of your fingers.

You thought you could feel the stones vibrate as if it were alive, asserting its presence now that it had a new owner. Grabbing your owl, you padded back to bed and slid under the covers. You thought sleep would not find you, but instead your eyes grew heavy and you slipped away in record time.

Since you were gifted the necklace, you were graced with peaceful dreams. Ones filled with fields of flowers and fairies and tea parties with your friends. As you grew, the dreams transitioned from ones of childhood to ones that are more fitting for the adult you now were.

You kept your promise to your mother and wore your necklace at all times and respected the power that resided within. You always felt like the spirit that was inside the stones was watching you, walking with you through life, their presence very much tangible through the necklace.

One day you questioned your mom about it, whether it’s normal to feel as if someone is watching you. She merely nodded and said it was the spirit merely there to protect you.

“One day you will be able to summon it.” She says this with a nonchalant face as she continues to peel potatoes for dinner. You found this precarious and you were a little confused as to how you would summon the spirt.

“Summon it? How?”

“Don’t worry my sweet, you will know when the time comes. The ways will make themself known at the appropriate time.”

You wondered what her words meant and how you would know what to do to summon your spirit; however, you trusted her words and let it go. You’d just have to wait until that time comes and meet the spirit who has been keeping you safe all of these years.

“What about this one Mrs. Lee?”

You looked at the old lady standing next to you who was eyeing one of the books you handed to her. She was reading the cover, thumbing through the pages, humming every couple of seconds or so as she considered if she wanted to buy the book or not. You knew to be patient as she was a regular customer at the bookshop, coming by often to see if you had any new books to share.

Lilly, your coworker and best friend passed by with a pile of books. She gave you a knowing look-one that screams ‘I’m sorry but you’re the best to handle this- and continued on her way, the skirt of her maxi dress brushing against the shelves of the shop.

“Well, I might as well get this one. It seems interesting.”

You hummed in agreement. “It is a very good choice. I think you’ll enjoy it very much Mrs. Lee. Shall I check you out?”

You walked behind the counter to ring up the book, adding the discount that you only do just for her. She hands you a couple of rod straight ten dollar bills and you take it with a smile. As you bag her book carefully, taking care not to dent the spine, she places a wrinkly hand on yours, stopping you in your tracks.

Her palm was clammy and you could somehow feel every wrinkle. The bright red nail polish she insisted on always wearing was neatly done, staring up at you with its glossy finish. Mrs. Lee was gazing at your necklace, her eyes intent on the crystals as they shine even though the lighting in the shop is dull.

“Mrs. Lee?” you question as you attempt to gently pull your hand away from hers but her grip only tightened as time went on.

You become uneasy as she continues to stare at your chest. You’re about to speak again but are stopped short as Mrs. Lee grasps your hand tighter and says, “He will appear soon.”

“What? Who?”

You’re not sure who the old lady is referring to and your confusion must have shown as Mrs. Lee shakes her head and let’s go of your arm. You immediately grasp the area she held onto and rubbed the skin, noticing how it was slightly turning red.

“Sorry dear, must have had one of my moments. Thank you so much for your help today.” She grabs the bag that’s on the counter and shuffles out of the shop, the door closing with finality.

You stare after her confused, frozen in place, watching as her tiny hunched over frame disappeared around the corner. You thumbed at your necklace and brushed a finger over it, feeling the slight vibration that has become a comfort to you over these years.

Pondering her words, you become even more confused. What did she mean he would appear soon? Was she talking about the spirit that resides in your necklace? But how did she even know that’s what your necklace is? She scared you for a moment and you’re not sure if she was really all there. Can you trust the words of an elderly lady?

“Y/n? You okay?”

You startled as Lilly placed a hand on your shoulder and looked at you with concern. You cleared your throat and dropped the hand that was clutching your necklace.

“Yeah I’m fine.” You gazed out of the shop again and noticed how dark it was getting even though it was still daylight.

A storm was coming which made you nervous, the turbulent atmosphere never agreeing well with your body. Twiddling your thumbs, you nervously looked around noticing the shop was empty. Maybe you’d be able to leave early and get home before it became worse out, so you could be in the safety of your home.

Lilly seemed to sense your unease. “You can go home if you want. Doubt we’ll have many people once it starts raining.”

“Are you sure?” You felt guilty for leaving her here alone just because of your foolishness.

“Of course. I understand how you feel when the weather gets like this. Get home and honker down.”

Nodding you said thank you, grateful for an understanding coworker and friend. Seconds later you were on the sidewalk, hurrying along toward your apartment, the dread you were feeling growing ever larger within. The wind had picked up some, so much so it wrapped around you, blowing your skirt around your ankles and your hair, in which you constantly were having to bat away from your face.

Your necklace vibrated urgently against your chest as if it were saying to hurry and get to safety. You were a block from home when the heavens opened and rain beat down on your body, soaking you immediately. Silently you cursed, disappointed that you wouldn’t be able to complete your ritual before the storm.

Your mother taught you at a young age that storms were not your friend and that portals to the spirit world were open on such occasions, allowing bad spirits to enter into the world. They flocked to women like you and your mother, latching on and tormenting you. In order to protect yourself and the household, she taught you a series of spells to cast, blanketing a barrier around the space and keeping the violent spirits away.

At first you didn’t believe her words, thinking that she was making up stories to frighten you; but you quickly changed your tune when one of those said spirits showed up in your room during a storm scaring you to the point that you had to huddle in the corner of your bedroom. You stayed there until your mother came home who seemed frazzled as she took in the spirit hovering over you. After that moment, you never doubted anything she told you again, even if it seemed extreme.

You arrived closer to your home as the rain picked up, fat drops hitting the pavement with ferocity. Once inside, you made sure every door and window was locked, shivering as you felt the forces outside try to force themselves within your sanctuary. You did not want to be tormented tonight in your dreams.

Since you didn’t make it home before the storm, you’d just have to make do with the locks around your place and the protection of your spirit that resides around your neck.

Once you were satisfied, you decided to take a warm shower to wash the day away. As the water cascaded down your body, your mind wondered to Mrs. Lee and how she warned you that someone would appear soon. It seemed an odd thing to say, especially out of the blue like that.

You quickly finished your shower and dressed in warm clothes before sliding into bed. Your blankets were warm and heavy, cradling your body just the way you liked. The rain pattered against the windows and lightening lit up your little room, casting shadows and tricking your mind into thinking something was lurking, ready to reach out and grab you. However, you shut your eyes tight and willed sleep to come.

The rain was soothing and you were warm and cozy, briefly forgetting about your predicament you were in. Slowly you slipped into unconsciousness, your brain entering that phase of sleep where your dreams dance around your mind. You come across a hall with doors each one shut tight giving you an ominous feeling. Something didn’t seem right as it was dark in the hallway with only little slithers of light peaking through the cracks.

Picking the first door to your right, you find yourself in an empty, dark room. Whether you were inside or out you couldn’t tell, as it was pitch black in every direction you looked. There wasn’t anything there, just emptiness as far as the eyes could see. Despite the still air, you felt a shiver run down your spine, the feeling familiar to how you felt as a child.

“Hello?” You quietly called out, searching for anyone in this black abyss.

Your words echoed and nobody made themselves known, that is until you saw a pair of red eyes in the distance. Large, beady eyes that stared at you hungrily, as if it were to devour you whole.

You attempted to run away but your feet were stuck to the ground, your body stopping short each time you moved. Looking up you saw a long, sharp claw reach for you slowly as if ready to strike. Gasping, you let out a little shriek and attempted to run again but let out a wail instead when you still couldn’t move.

Again and again, you twisted your body this way and that as the claw approached until it stretched out as if to grasp you and… — — Hyunjin found himself sitting in a chair, facing a bed that had a girl in it. He blinked his eyes a few times to focus better and realized it was you. The girl that he always saw through the lens in his home.

You appeared as you did when he first met you, small and scared of the unknown, of the place you ventured to every night. The only difference was now you were older, beautiful, like an angel yourself put on this place of purgatory called earth.

He pushed off from the chair he was sitting in and walked the short distance to where you lay, frowning as he watched you toss and turn, sweat beading on your brow and a frown on your face as you battled whatever was plaguing your psyche.

He reached down to push a strand of hair from your face, marveling at finally being able to feel the soft locks that he’s always admired within his fingers. His eyes noticed a tear forming in your eye that slowly traced a path down your cheek; that is until he reached out to gently wipe the tear away. He stared down at the pool of liquid on the pad of his finger, completely in awe of how wet it felt. Curious, he stuck the droplet on his tongue and grimaced at its salty taste.

Hyunjin wonders how he was able to get out of the spirit realm and into yours. The last thing he remembered he was fixing a flower arrangement in his kitchen, occasionally looking into the sphere that he uses to keep track of you. A friend of his was on the phone, yapping away about the new rules that were put in place.

He had just finished cutting the thorns off the roses when he appeared suddenly in your room, hands frozen mid-motion as if he were still pruning the flowers. Hyunjin glances outside as a rumble of thunder shook the house, your plates rattling in the cabinets. He glances back at you as you were still tossing and turning, trapped in your nightmare. He realizes why he was summoned, as if it were his job to protect you and protect you he must.

Taking a deep breath, Hyunjin placed a warm hand in the center of your chest over where his home the necklace lay. He felt a tingle run through his body, warm and slightly electric, a feeling he’s always liked. It traveled down into his arm, causing the appendage to take on a blue glow. The aura settled into your chest, glowing briefly before snuffing out, taking root deep within you.

Satisfied, Hyunjin withdrew his hand and stepped back, watching as your unsettled movements slowly ceased and your face smoothed out. Smiling, he felt a calm wash over him as you settled into your blankets, letting out a soft sigh that sounded like the sweetest chime to his ears. — — You thought you were a goner and about to be consumed by the creature. You closed your eyes and let out a yelp ready for the scratch of claws against your skin , the pain that would occur as they sunk into the muscle, and the wet sensation of blood dripping from your face.

Instead, you felt a warm sensation fill the space, its tendrils slowly creeping from the corners and spreading towards where you were standing. The darkness in the room began to fade away and a bright light replaced it instead.

You opened your eyes just to squint against the sudden burst of light. The creature was gone and instead replaced with a bunch of butterflies that flew around your head, emitting a soft fragrance that filled your nostrils and calmed you down.

Now that the danger was past, you relaxed into a deep sleep, wrapped up in the pleasant dream that now danced across your mind.

Tap tap tap

You scrunch your nose at the annoying sound that’s disturbing you from your slumber. Trying not to focus on the noise, you attempt to fall back asleep thinking it will go away. However, not even a minute later the sound comes again.

Tap tap tap

Irritated you open your eyes and sit up, blinking against the bright sunlight that shines through your windows. The storm has passed and a beautiful spring day has replaced the dreary weather that occurred not only hours before.

Tap tap tap

There’s the noise again and turning your head toward your door, you freeze at the realization it’s coming from your kitchen. Frozen beneath your sheets, you remember that you live alone and there should definitely not be any noises coming from your kitchen. Your mind immediately goes to the worse case scenario: maybe there’s an intruder and you’re about to be kidnapped or robbed or even worse murdered.

Carefully, you swing out of bed, cursing as the floor creaks, loudly at that, with the first step. You grab the bat you keep by your bed and creep toward the kitchen, ready to attack the intruder.

As you approach the room, the sound gets louder and more incessant and there’s a deep voice murmuring something you can’t hear. You take a deep breath and prepare to attack.

You got this.

“Who are you?!” You shout at the man standing by your stove who has since frozen in place with a spatula in hand.

“Y/n! Wait! It’s okay!” The man pleads holding up the spatula as if that will protect him against your weapon of choice. He stared at you, his eyes wide and lips slightly parted.

“How do you know my name?” You were starting to freak out now learning that the intruder knew your name. Maybe you should have phoned the police before coming in to confront the intruder.

“I’m Hyunjin, your celestial spirit! I resided in your necklace.”

You lower the bat but only so, still weary of the stranger. Your celestial spirit? Reaching up to your chest, you grabbed ahold of the crystals in your necklace, feeling how cold and still they were in your grasp. That seemed odd to you as the necklace is always vibrating with positive energy.

This man says he’s your celestial spirit…but that would mean he is the spirit that resides in your necklace (which he mentioned), but that seems crazy. But then you remember what your mother told you when you were little, that a spirit protects you at all times and then you remembered Mrs. Lee’s warning.

Maybe this man called Hyunjin is telling the truth.

You take a moment to look him over as he returned a wary look, nervous that you would attack him with that bat. You won’t lie, the man in front of you was a sight for sore eyes. Hyunjin was tall and handsome, that much was clear. He was lanky but yet toned, which somehow complimented his look even more.

He was wearing a baby blue shirt with white pants and was decked out in jewels, his fingers covered in rings that seemed to pulse with energy. His black hair was long and slightly curly, the strands framing his face perfectly. It seemed so soft and radiant and you wanted to reach out and touch it, run your fingers through the silky strands.

Hyunjin’s face seemed to be one of a god: large, chocolate brown eyes peered at you and little moles littered the area under his bottom eyelid. His lips were slightly parted but seemed plush and velvety, that you wanted to reach out and touch them.

“Y/n?” Hyunjin murmured lowering his hand all the way down, “Are you okay? I scared you, didn’t I?”

Hyunjin’s voice was laced with concern and he slowly edged his way towards you as if to comfort you.

“I’m fine…just… confused is all.” You set down the bat and walked over to the coffee maker and began making your morning coffee as if the appearance of a strange man was just the normal for a sunny morning. “So if you’re my celestial spirit, why are you out here and not in the necklace?”

“I’m not sure…” Hyunjin said, his voice fading with the last word, “I think you summoned me.”

“Summoned you? How do you figure? I don’t know how to do that.”

Hyunjin merely shrugged and grabbed some plates as if he lived here and it was a normal occurrence and not strange that he just appeared one day.

“Not sure how it happened, but all I know is I was at home and then poof, I appeared here in your room while you were asleep.”

You watched as Hyunjin plated two pancakes for you, adding a dollop of whipped cream just like you liked and set it on the table where you usually sit. He grabbed his plate and sat down to dig in.

“You were having a nightmare, that much I know and I was able to calm you down and fix the dream you were having.”

Ah, so he’s the reason why that large creature went away and was replaced with pleasant things. You grabbed your mug of coffee and sat down next to the newcomer and eyed the plate he made. The pancakes seemed edible enough and your stomach growled as if to say feed me, so you picked up your fork and took a bite.

You groaned as the fluffy pancake melted in your mouth, never having had anything as tasty as this since you were little. “This is so good!”

“Thank you,” Hyunjin murmured and blushed as he directed his gaze downward.

Giggling, you took another bite thinking it was cute how he became flustered. You glanced at the clock and noticed the time, that you’d have to leave for work soon. Taking the last bite of your pancakes, you stood up and brought your dishes to the sink, setting them down gently.

“I have work today…I guess you can stay here until I get back?”

“Oh…” Hyunjin looked down at his empty plate, his face falling at the announcement. He’d hope he’d be able to spend more time with you, the girl he was destined to protect.

“I’m sorry,” you murmured, feeling awkward at how crestfallen Hyunjin seemed.

Deciding to let him deal with the fact he’d be alone for a few hours, you walked to your bedroom and began getting ready, falling into your usual routine. As you turned up the blanket, you noticed Hyunjin standing in the corner watching your every move. When you fluffed the pillows, you noticed he was trying to inch his way towards you, a look of uncertainty on his face.

As you put your makeup on, he was right there with you, watching as you applied mascara, blush, and then lipstick. He attempted to follow you to the closet where you changed, but you stopped him at the door, telling him to wait. His eyes were large and he seemed so innocent, waiting for you to direct him on what to do next. Your heart skipped a beat at the prospect and you wanted to ruffle his hair and coo at him, treat him like the delicate angel he seemed to be.

Hyunjin nodded at your request and stood at the door, watching as you closed it in his face. You chose a floral dress for today, picking one that hugged your bodice, but flowed like water down your thighs. Choosing a pair of sandals, you then walked out of the closet straight into Hyunjin.

“Oh my god y/n! Sorry! Are you okay?” Hyunjin panicked, reaching out to steady you on your feet.

You shivered at his touch, trying not to notice how his large hands gripped your shoulders and the warmth of his hands seeped into your skin as if it were searing you.

“It’s okay,” you mumbled, disentangling yourself from his grasp.

You made your way to the kitchen, grabbing your bag in the process. “I’ll be back around five. Make yourself at home okay?”

Hyunjin nodded and smiled, “Okay y/n, have a good day.”

“Thanks,” you said and turned to leave, eyeing Hyunjin as he watched you leave.

The whole commute to work your mind was on Hyunjin and how he appeared out of nowhere. How he said he was your celestial spirit, the one who has been with you since you were a child. You couldn’t believe he was there, summoned apparently by you, even though you have no clue how that was done.

The bookshop appeared in the distance and you put the weird occurrence aside, ready for another day surrounded by your favorite items, books.

“Hi Y/n!” Lilly shouted from the back of the shop as you entered. “Look what came in today, that series you love. Are you going to buy a copy?”

“Of course! I’ve been waiting for it since forever,” you chuckled.

You set your bag down and clocked in as Lilly set aside one of the books for you.

“Well, here’s to another day…” Lilly moaned, glancing at the clock as the store was officially opened.

You merely nodded and grabbed a cart filled with books, leaving to shelve them back to where they needed to be. It was easy to fall back into routine, getting lost within the shelves full of books, the smell of fresh paper wafting through your nostrils.

The spine of a book always made you feel a tingle and you thought you could hear a whisper of the words within, beckoning you to open its pages and discover the secrets it has to offer. Books were your comfort as they’d never wound you or betray your trust like humans can.

As you neared the bottom of the pile, Hyunjin crossed your mind. Was he okay by himself? Would he still be there by the time you clocked out from work? The necklace perched on your chest remained silent, as it hadn’t vibrated since Hyunjin appeared, not that you expected it to.

Your situation was peculiar and you were eager to see how it played out.

You willed your shift to fly by quickly and fly by it did. As you tidied up the shop as it got closer to closing, you listened to Lilly chatter about some date she was going on later tonight and how she hopes they weren’t a prick like the last one.

You agreed with her statement, wished her luck, and grabbing your bag, you hurried out of the shop. One foot in front of the other, you weaved your way through the throngs of people on their way home as well. Your heart quickened the closer you got to home as you were eager to see Hyunjin.

Your fingers trembled as you inserted your key into the lock and twisted the doorknob, slamming the door against the wall as you burst into your apartment.

“Hyunjin!” You shouted, holding your breath for a response.

Dropping your keys into the bin by the door, you hurried into the kitchen looking for your spirit.

“Hyunjin-“ you were about to scream his name again when he suddenly appeared in the doorway to your bedroom.

You let out the breath you were holding and smiled. “Hi, did you do okay by yourself?”

Hyunjin smiled at you and came closer to where you were standing. “Eh, I was bored without you, but I managed.”

“I’m sorry,” you murmured, suddenly feeling horrible about leaving him behind.

“It’s okay Y/n, you have to work. Maybe on your day off though, we can pick some things up that I can keep myself busy with while you’re away?”

“Sure, we can go tomorrow since I’m off.”

“Perfect,” Hyunjin grinned. “Now come eat, I made your favorite.”

Hyunjin grasped your hand not allowing you to mull over what he just said. He led you to the kitchen where you sat down to eat, your mouth salivating at the spread in front of you. The first bite was heaven, the chicken melting on your tongue as the flavors mixed on your tastebuds.

Hyunjin watched as you ate, happy that you were enjoying your meal. He found himself staring at you more often, even though he’s only been here for less than 24 hours. Your eyes told a story, one that he was all too familiar with since he watched you grow up. You were delicate, precious, like a bunch of roses.

You looked up and caught him staring, your eyes turning to curiosity. “Everything okay?”

“What?” Hyunjin was startled from his reverie, “Oh, yeah.”

You hummed in acknowledgement and continued to eat. Once you were both finished with your meals, Hyunjin gathered the dishes and placed them in the sink. The sun was setting and nighttime slowly seeped into your home, casting a honey glow into the space.

“I’m going to hop into the shower,” you said, already making your way to the bathroom.

Hyunjin merely hummed in acknowledgment and you retreated to your room, closing the door softly. The sound of water hitting the tub filled the room, steam filling up the small space within minutes. Under the stream, you contemplated your outing tomorrow with Hyunjin, excitement brewing inside at the prospect of going out with such a handsome man.

You weren’t going to deny it, Hyunjin is gorgeous, so much so he could be a model. You couldn’t help your mind drifting to his hands, long and nimble, decked out in his rings that glinted in the sunlight, to his plush lips that you’re sure feel like cotton.

A warmth spreads through your lower region, one that you know is not from the water that pounds your skin. Slowly you drift your fingers over your body, shivering despite the heat of the room. You circle your nipples, brushing over them before giving them a pinch, gasping at the sensation that wrecks your frame.

Lower and lower your fingers travel until they hover over your pussy and you let out a low moan at how your clit pulses, begging to be touched. You wait a second more before applying pressure to the bud, giving slow swipes until your toes are curling and you’re panting, lost in the pleasure.

You imagine it’s Hyunjin’s fingers that are playing with your clit, that brush over your nipples gently until they are hardened nubs. That it’s him pressing wet kisses against your neck instead of the stream of water that rains from above.

The pleasure builds quickly to your surprise and you chase after it, reaching for that pinnacle of ecstasy. Your hand speeds up and your muscles tense before you let go in a cacophony of moans and sighs as your body contracts and your sight becomes fuzzy.

Hyunjin’s name falls from your lips, perfect and delicate, as if it were meant to be spoken by you and only you. Your breathing is heavy as you come down and you felt as if you are floating, the sound of the water seeming far away.

Once recovered, you finish up your shower, putting aside your thoughts as if they never crossed your mind as it definitely was not something you wanted to deal with. — — The next morning, you feel something poking you over and over. At first you think you’re dreaming, but deduce that’s not the case as your dream was pleasant, filled with sweet things. Groaning, you turn over to the other side, thinking the incessant poking would stop.

However, to your dismay, you feel the sharp poke once more, this time against your back. Annoyed, you sit up and blink, your vision coming into focus to Hyunjin sitting next to you, a wide grin on his pretty face.

“Morning Y/n! Don’t forget about our outing today.”

You rub your eyes and yawn as you sit up and slowly wake up. The outing, that’s right. “Of course, how could I forget.”

Hyunjin merely smiles and runs a hand through his hair, the scent of strawberries drifting to your nose. The scent reminded you of your shampoo that you love to use.

Curious, you looked at Hyunjin, “Did you use my shampoo?”

Hyunjin’s smile slowly fades and instead he looked down at his hands. “I uh- yeah I did. I’m sorry, I should have asked first, but I thought you wouldn’t mind.”

You chuckled at how nervous he seemed. Somehow it made him seem more innocent and cute, causing you to want to smoother him with hugs and kisses. “It’s okay, I don’t mind. When did you use it though?”

“Oh! I don’t need to sleep, so I showered while you were sleeping. After making sure you were okay of course, I can’t slack on the job.”

His words shocked you. He doesn’t need to sleep? That is news to you. Suddenly, you feel awkward at the fact this man has most likely been prowling around while you were asleep.

“So if you don’t have to sleep, what do you do then?” You asked genuinely curious.

“Well, after I make sure you’re okay, I usually sit and watch you sleep…wait, that makes me sound like a creep. I mean I take watch, technically I’m working while you sleep.”

“Working? What do you mean?” You asked with a frown.

“Yes, I’m a dream weaver. I’m a Pisces and we are notorious for taking up a career in this field. I watch over you while you sleep and make sure the nightmares don’t take over your psyche.”

You pondered his words briefly before remembering how your mother gave you the necklace, claiming the spirit within would protect your dreams. “So you really are a celestial spirit, my mother was right all along.”

You said the latter more for your benefit, but Hyunjin hummed in agreement. “I’m all yours.”

At the last phrase, you felt a tingle pass through your body that was not unpleasant but quite the opposite. Hearing Hyunjin say he’s all yours made your heart flutter and your cheeks to heat up like you were a school girl.

Hyunjin seemed to notice your change in demeanor because he giggled and reached over to brush a stray lock of hair away from your face. “Okay, now that’s out of the way, get up so we can go. I’m really looking forward to where you’re taking me!”

“Okay, okay, I’m getting up,” you chuckled as you pushed the blankets off of you.

Hyunjin scooted out of the way to allow you to get up and watched as you moved around the room, getting ready for the day. He felt like he was in a trance as he peered at you, his heart rate spiking as you dragged your shirt over your head, just to replace it with a burgundy top, pairing it with a black skirt.

He felt in awe as you styled your hair, the brush gliding through the strands gracefully and the locks landing perfectly against your back. He breathed in deeply after you sprayed your perfume, admiring the scent of blackberries that permeated the room.

“How do I look?” You asked as you turned around for him to see.

“Absolutely beautiful,” Hyunjin murmured as his cheeks heated up. You really were the most beautiful girl in the world and he was proud to be your spirit.

“Well let’s go,” you said as you grabbed your bag and walked to the door, leaving a bewildered Hyunjin sitting on your bed.

Once outside, you walked with purpose, navigating Hyunjin through the busy streets. You yapped the whole way to the store, explaining the different buildings, and how you’d visit from time to time when you were a child. You explained that you lived in the country isolated from people, but occasionally your mother would take you here when she had errands to run.

You explained days filled with singing and skipping, carrying bags of herbs that your mother used for god knows what and ice cream cones that she’d buy for you two. You’d sit on the wall by the park, licking up the sweet treat until it was gone and watch the sun begin to set.

Hyunjin listened intently, enjoying the tales of your childhood. Even though he technically went with you all those years to the city, he couldn’t see what you were doing as his sight was only available at night when you were asleep.

You didn’t stop yapping until you got to a large department store, the windows filled with mannequins with trendy clothes. “Let’s get you a few outfits,” you said, grabbing Hyunjin’s hand and pulling him into the store.

It’s been a while since you’ve been in here, preferring online shopping to the crowds and bothersome workers, asking if you needed help every two seconds. The music always irks you as it seems so artificial and the smells of consumerism give you a headache. However, you are willing to sacrifice braving this huge store for Hyunjin.

You beelined straight for the men’s section and began to browse the racks, pulling out articles of clothing and handing them to Hyunjin. He obediently accepted the items, his arms pilling higher with clothes. Once you were satisfied with what you picked out, you dragged him to the dressing room to try on the outfits.

Pushing Hyunjin into the tiny room, you pulled the curtains shut, chuckling at the uncertainty on Hyunjin’s face. There was a little chair across the way and you sat down to wait for him to come out with the first outfit.

Hyunjin tried on each piece of clothing, modeling for you as he came out, striking pose after pose. He really looked great in everything, so much so you couldn’t help but feel a little envious. After viewing each outfit, he’d give you a look, something akin to him knowing a secret that is too delicate for your ears. You felt dizzy and a little sweaty all of a sudden, the heat of the dressing room getting to you.

Standing up, you clapped your hands in delight as Hyunjin stepped out of the room, the clothes he tried on in hand. You both decided to buy all the outfits, as they all were perfect for your celestial friend. Hyunjin whined at you paying for everything, but you kept shushing him, telling him it was your treat. Eventually, he accepted your statement, begrudgingly grabbing the bags to carry them.

The next stop was at the craft store at Hyunjin’s request. You’d never seen anyone light up the way he did as he stopped foot over the threshold. You had to jog to keep up with him as he made his way towards the drawing and paint supplies.

He piled the cart high with various shades of paint, canvases, and paintbrushes, which you didn’t mind as it made him happy and if he was happy you were happy. You paid for all of the supplies as well and then both of you walked back home, your arms laden with heavy shopping bags.

Once back at your apartment, you plopped down on the couch, exhausted from your day out. You turned the tv on and picked a show, locking in immediately once you got comfortable.

Hyunjin set up shop next to you, too excited to get started sketching. He pulled out a sketch book and graphite pencils and as he began to draw, you couldn’t help but relax at the sound of the pencil on paper, the scratching soothing as the show played in the background.

You stole a glance at him and smiled, watching as he locked in, his tongue sticking between his plush lips and fingers wrapped tightly around the pencil. His hand glided over the page, his movements fluid instead of choppy as he created a scene in front of him.

What was just a few lines turned into a bunch of beautiful flowers, daises by the look of it. You watched as he shaded in the piece, focusing hard to ensure each stroke was perfect. Once he finished, Hyunjin set down the pencil and let out a satisfied sigh.

He glanced sideways at you and smirked, enjoying how your mouth was hanging open in awe. “Wanna see something really cool?”

You merely nodded, not able to find your voice in the moment. Hyunjin ghosted the palm of his hand over the page and then before you could blink, a bunch of daises were in his hands. You let out a shriek at the trick, glancing down at the now empty page.

“What the fuck just happened?” You shrieked, completely confused at the flowers in his hand.

Hyunjin chuckled, throwing his head back in glee at your confusion. “Another one of my quirks. I can animate and even make anything I create come to life. For you my lady,” he said as he handed you the flowers.

You took them from Hyunjin and brought them to your nose, inhaling the scent of the petals. A soft, earthy scent filled your nostrils and you were in awe at how it smelled just like a real flower. You gently touched the delicate petals, feeling the velvety texture beneath your fingertips.

These really were real flowers. “Wow, that is actually really cool,” you gushed. Hyunjin really could do it all.

Hyunjin blushed and tossed his hair. “Yeah, it’s a nice power to have.”

He went back to sketching, starting afresh to bring to life a new design. You fell into a trance watching him, feeling at ease as his hand continued to dance around the page.

You leaned over, careful not to crush the daises and tried to see what he was drawing but when you looked at the page, it was empty. However, you blinked and a shape appeared much to your chagrin.

He continued his task, humming out a song occasionally. Time passed and your eyes grew heavy as you felt content and safe with the man beside you. You must have completely dozed off because you felt a gentle hand on your shoulder and you were jolted awake, slightly startled.

“Can I take you to bed?”

“What?” You said, sitting up as you woke up a little more.

“Wait, that came out wrong. Not take you to bed but help you to…you know-“

Hyunjin’s words drifted off as he stuttered in embarrassment. The flustered look on his face made you laugh, his cute face becoming even cuter.

“I guess I should go to bed huh,” you replied and stood up, stretching your legs after sitting down for so long.

You placed the daises in a vase and filled it with water before padding to your bedroom. You quickly went through your night routine, more than ready to get in bed. However, when you came out of the bathroom, you stopped in your tracks as your heart skipped a beat. Hyunjin reclined against one of your pillows, his hoodie pulled over his head. At your entrance he broke out into a smile.

“Join me Y/n,” he said.

You hesitated for a moment, not sure if you really wanted to sit with him. Hyunjin noticed your hesitation and pouted, his lower quivering at your rejection of his proposal.

“Please? I’m just doing my job. Gotta keep you safe while you sleep. I’m the best watch dog.”

You chuckled at the latter as he was far from a watch dog but more of a harmless ferret. Deciding to appease him you slid under the covers, pulling the blankets up to your chin. Hyunjin smiled, satisfied that you accepted his request. He reached out and brushed his fingers through your hair, smiling as your eyes fluttered at his touch.

You gazed up at Hyunjin, your protector, your celestial spirit. Your heart raced, seeming to speed up so fast it would jump out of your chest. He matched your gaze and began to hum a song, the melody soft and sweet, soothing you to the point where you felt more relaxed than you’ve ever been.

Not even a minute passed and you were slipping into unconsciousness, Hyunjin’s song still floating throughout your tiny room and through your ears. Your eyelids fluttered as you thought you heard him mumble something, but you couldn’t focus, your body wanting to rest.

“That’s it, sleep deeply peach.” Hyunjin cards his fingers through your hair and tucks you in so you’re nice and warm.

Hyunjin feels a warmth in his chest, one of undying affection towards you. His heart races and he gasps silently as he rests his palm on his chest, feeling the rapid thump thump deep inside. You’re so beautiful to him, someone who he has had the pleasure of watching blossom into the wonderful person you are now.

He takes a deep breath and slowly lets it out before getting to work. Gently, he places his hand on your chest, feeling the flutter of your heart and watches the rise and fall as you breathe in and out softly.

“Let’s give you sweet dreams,” Hyunjin murmurs as he activates his power.

The familiar warmth spreads through his body and travels through his arm and then his hand, the glow lighting up the otherwise dark room. It doesn’t take long for the light to fade and right at the last second, Hyunjin makes a last minute decision and closes his eyes, willing himself to join you in your psyche.

He opens his eyes and blinks against the bright light, shading his eyes at the sun that sits high in the sky. Glancing around, he searches for you and smiles as he notices that you are on the far side of the field, your head tilted to the sky and your eyes closed. Hyunjin gazes longingly at you, taking in how the wind lightly tussles your hair, the strands floating through the air. Your dress billows outwards, revealing your slender legs.

You open your eyes and start to walk, trailing across the grass as if you’re floating. Before long you start to sing, a lovely melody that speaks of unrequited love. Hyunjin follows you, keeping a short distance between the two of you.

The grass is soft beneath his feet and warmth spreads through his toes. The air is crisp, filling his lungs deeply and clarifying his head. He reaches out a hand to you as if he wants to take you in his grasp, but you continue on, not even looking back at the visitor in your dream.

Once you approach the end of the field, Hyunjin decides it’s time to leave and so he does, opening his eyes suddenly to the darkness of your room. He glances down at you and smiles at how you sleep peacefully, your mouth slightly open as you breathe, your hair fanning out on your pillow and giving you an ethereal look.

“Continue dreaming,” Hyunjin whispers and settles deeper into bed, making sure to keep you close to his body.

A week has passed since Hyunjin has entered your life…well at least in human form. You both have fallen into a routine, one in which he does all the domestic chores while you’re at work. Your days off are spent roaming the city exploring, showing him all of your favorite spots, taking him to all of your favorite restaurants.

You feel great joy at watching his excitement as he tries new things, his eyes lighting up like a child’s on Christmas. He’s painted pictures, lots of them and now your walls are covered with them. There’s many scenes of landscapes and animals but many are of flowers, which are his favorite thing to paint.

The sun is high in the sky, its golden rays shining through your window, bathing the space with warm light. There’s soft music playing in the background, curtesy of Hyunjin. You’re finishing up your breakfast as Hyunjin sits on the floor, paintbrush in hand.

You watch as he moves about the canvas, painting delicate strokes, his eyes focused on the task at hand. He tucks a section of his lip between his teeth, pondering if the color selection is what he wants.

As he continues to paints, your eyes wander down his arms, taking in how they flex with each movement. The muscles bulge and you feel a flutter down below, which has you quickly looking away. Hyunjin seems to sense your unease as he looks up and smirks at you.

You seem like you’ve just seen a ghost or maybe you’re embarrassed as your cheeks are bright red and you’re fiddling with your fingers. If he focuses even more, he can make out your thighs clenching together which makes him silently gasp.

He sits back and stares, conflicted as to what he wants to say or do. The more he stares at you, the more flustered he gets and he twitches in his pants. He has a thought, one that’s fleeting but present. He wonders if you’ll humor him and allow him to fulfill a fantasy of his. Time passes as he ponders if he should ask you. Hyunjin swallows thickly and decides to go with it.

“Y/n?” He catches your eye at the mention of your name. “Can I paint you?”

You look at him in shock wondering where the question came from. He stares you down with a serious expression and you have no doubt he means it. Tossing back the remainder of the milk from your cereal you get up and walk to the sink.

Hyunjin’s eyes follow your every move, his lips parted and eyes sparkling as he awaits your answer. Your bowl makes a soft clink as it touches the bottom of the sink. Turning around you give Hyunjin your best smile, “Sure.”

Hyunjin smiles in turn and gets up. “Can I…”

He hesitates, nervous to ask you his next question. His mind immediately goes to the worse, thinking how you’ll say he’s a creep or a weirdo which is something he never wants to hear coming from your mouth…at least about him.

“What is it?” You’re standing in front of him now, staring up into his eyes. You look so innocent with big doe eyes and your lips, god he loves your lips. Hyunjin almost reaches out to touch them but stops himself.

“I was gonna ask if I can paint you…but um…you’d be nude…”

He bites his lip and rocks on his feet, looking everywhere but at you. That is until he feels your hand on his arm.

“Of course,” you simply say and smirk as you drop your hand.

“Okay…okay…yeah…um great. Um let’s go to the living room and uhh, get undressed,” his words trail off as he notices he’s too excited and you look amused, probably making fun of him in your head.

You saunter over to the living room and begin to pull your shirt over your head, tossing it away once it’s clear. You unhook your bra and toss that as well chuckling as you hear Hyunjin gasp behind you. You quickly remove your leggings pulling your panties with them.

Now you stand bare in front of your celestial spirit, your back to the man. You’ve always been confident in your body, falling in love at your plush curves and supple breasts. Standing here in the nude in front of Hyunjin doesn’t make you nervous, but instead sparks something inside you, almost akin to excitement.

Taking a breath you turn around to face him, smiling as he takes you in, his eyes wide. You’re sure he’s freaking out inside, as he hasn’t moved or said anything in the last few moments.

Hyunjin is speechless. Here you are standing in front of him, baring all for him to see. He’s in awe of your beauty, how perfect you are. He’s not sure how long he stares but you clear your throat and he snaps back to reality with a sheepish grin.

“Go ahead and lay down,” he instructs as he gathers some paints and brushes.

You obey and lay down, shivering slightly as the cold floor meets your back. You watch as Hyunjin scoots over to you, just to gaze at your body again. He inspects his canvas, the dips and curves. He maps out your body, taking in your lithe neck, a perfect spot to litter sweet kisses to, mark you as his. His eyes travel down to your breasts, licking his lips ever so slightly as he observes how your nipples pebble in the cold air, perfect for teasing until you’re writhing beneath him.

Down, down he looks until he reaches your core, that looks so soft and glistens as you’re steadily leaking with arousal, a sight that makes his breath hitch. He thinks he has it down and grabs a brush ready to create a masterpiece.

You watch as Hyunjin dips his brush in blue paint and brings it to your neck, placing the bristle on your skin and drags it around. You shiver at the feel of the cold substance and wiggle your fingers at the tingling sensation from his movements.

You try and lay still, but the bristle moves against your skin in a certain way that has you snorting. Hyunjin stops painting and merely looks at you with a shocked expression. You glance at him from the corner of your eye and hold your breath, wondering what he will say or do at your mishap.

However, his mouth only opens and then immediately closes as if he’s trying to say something and that spurs you on further until you burst out laughing. High and shrill, your laughter echos through the room and eventually mixes with Hyunjin’s whines.

Your side hurts and you clutch at your belly, your thoughts slowly transitioning from how ticklish it felt when he painted your skin to how you’re lying in the nude in the middle of your living room.

Tears fall down your face as you take deep breaths, trying to quell your laughing. Opening one eye, you see Hyunjin sitting there defeated with a pout. It is the most adorable sight you’ve ever seen and so you stop laughing and dry your face.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry. I’m ready.” You say with an apologetic look.

Hyunjin just stares at you, considering your surrender as if he’s searching for a lie. After a while however, he must deem your apology acceptable and gets back to work, dipping his paintbrush once more into the blue paint and begins to work. You tense up at the bristles again, but this time you breathe through it, determined not to mess up Hyunjin’s concentration.

What you were doing worked and after a while you find the brush strokes soothing as Hyunjin drags his wrist around your skin. You find yourself staring at his face, admiring his facial structure, feeling a little envious at how perfect it is. You get lost in his eyes as always, staring at how the chocolate brown seems to sparkle, how it mingles with streaks of black all meeting at the pupil, which is locked in, focused on your body.

Dragging your gaze down, you come to his lips, an asset you have always been in love with. They’re plush and seem soft like velvet, like little pillows that you’d love nothing more than to touch, feel the texture beneath your skin. Your eyes roam once more and catch the little moles that litter his face, small little black dots that accentuate his look so much so you want to place your lips upon them and kiss it, listen to how he’d probably tense up under your touch, whispering for more.

Hyunjin feels your heated gaze on him and his movements falter, but only for a moment. He clears his throat and murmurs, “What are you looking at?”

You look into his eyes again and heat rushes to your face after being caught in your folly. “Nothing…Just you,” you say after an afterthought.

“Yeah? What about me?” His voice is husky and laced with something you can’t place, almost like a mixture of curiosity and lust.

‘Oh, so it’s like that’, you think and the prospect excites you more than it probably should. “Just at how beautiful your eyes are, how beautiful you are. It’s not fair.”

Hyunjin chuckles and dips his brush into the water, cleaning off the current color on the bristles. “You alright? Getting tired?” He teases as he open another tube of paint, squeezing a dollop onto his pallet before dipping the brush into the vibrant color.

You are about to respond when the brush lands directly on your nipple, effectively shutting you up as he paints around your areola. Shivers run down your spine and your body tenses at the sensation, one that you may be a little more fond of than you’d care to admit. Hyunjin doesn’t notice your change in demeanor and if he does, he says nothing but continues to paint, focused on the masterpiece he’s creating.

He’s delicate around your breasts, taking care to paint every inch, filling it with details only he can see. Your nipples have pebbled from the stimulation and Hyunjin has to work hard to control himself not to tease you, touch you, drag out the pleasure he knows you’re feeling from his administrations.

A swipe across the swell of flesh and your breath hitches, your chest rising and falling rapidly as your eyes flutter closed before opening again. Another swipe and your thighs clench as you lick your lips. Hyunjin focuses on his painting, but also your body, how you react so well for him, laying still so he can make you into a masterpiece.

He finishes the area around your chest and moves down to your stomach, covering every inch he can. Delicate flowers appear by your bellybutton, the petals seeming to dance in the wind, an effect only Hyunjin can create. He adds hundreds of little blades of grass, protecting the flowers he loves so much, littering your pelvis just so.

You’re not sure how much time has passed with you lying on your back as Hyunjin paints. The silence drones on, accented by your occasional gasp and the swish of water as Hyunjin wets his brush. Your toes curl the lower he goes, warmth pooling in your gut as he brushes over your pubic mound, painting whatever he deems fit for his masterpiece.

As you lay there, you become dizzy from all of the touching and teasing that occurs. The ceiling spins and your arousal drips, coating your folds to the point that Hyunjin most definitely will notice. He pauses momentarily, eyeing your pussy and the slick that coats it, in awe at how wet you are just from him touching you with a paintbrush.

He won’t lie, his cock is hard in the confines of his pants and he wishes he could free it, soothe the ache that has been steadily building. He would love to be between your legs, burying his length in your heat, relieving himself and you as well, taking you to heights only he can bring you.

However, he snaps out of his reverie to continue his work, moving onto your thighs. He’s almost done, his piece near completion and he couldn’t be more than happy. You look stunning, even more so with what he’s created, making you a living piece of art.

You close your eyes and lose yourself in his work, as he paints large strokes across your thighs, humming as he does so. It feels warm, in contrast to the rest of your body which feels cold at this point, but you don’t mind as it doesn’t take long for your body to heat again from Hyunjin’s gentle touches.

You feel as he gets closer to your feet and he seems to be working faster as he reaches the finish line. You wonder what he has created on your body, what he has turned you into. Your eyes flutter once more as you feel his touch, the warmth of his hand briefly touching your leg. You want him to touch you more, feel you, tease you…

“Done. I’m done.”

Your eyes snap open and you look at Hyunjin who is sitting on his haunches, breathing deeply as he sets his paintbrush down. His eyes roam your body, starting at your face and he slowly moves down. His gaze is intense, eyes lingering on your breasts, his tongue briefly darting out to lick his lips. You watch as he moves onto your belly and then to your core, his breath catching as he eyes it.

You don’t dare to move as he looks at your legs, his mouth turning up into a smile as he nods in satisfaction, proud of his work.

“Lay there while I clean up my paints okay? It needs to finish drying and then I’ll help you to the mirror so you can look.”

You nod in agreement and he begins to gather the supplies to bring them to the kitchen. The water splashes in the sink as he washes the brushes and a song rings out as he begins to sing. His voice is ethereal and you lay still listening as the paint on your body dries.

A few minutes later Hyunjin is standing next to you looking down. He smiles and offers his hand, “ready peach?”

You nod and take his hand, making sure you are careful not to disturb his painting as you stand on your feet. It takes a moment for you to get your bearings after lying still for so long and your ears ring as the blood rushes throughout your body. After a minute, Hyunjin guides you to your room and to your full length mirror.

“Close your eyes,” he murmurs before you arrive, his eyebrow arching as he waits for you to comply.

Your eyes close and you take a deep breath just to let it out. Hyunjin squeezes your hand and then positions you how he wants you. You can feel the heat of his body behind you and his breath against your ear.

“Open your eyes.”

Light floods your vision as you open your eyes and it takes a second for your sight to adjust. However, once it does, you look straight in the mirror and gasp at your reflection. Your body is covered from neck to toes, decked out in delicate designs that have been carefully curated by Hyunjin.

There’s an expanse of black and blue that covers your neck to your breasts, mimicking the night sky that you love so much. The planets accent the area, the rich reds of Mars next to the bright yellow of Venus. The rings of Saturn circle delicately around your left breast, the planet itself taking over the expanse of your areola and nipple.

Your eyes continue down to your belly that gives way to a field filled with flowers, every type present in vibrant colors of spring. Little fireflies litter the area above the flowers, their colors seeming to glow in contrast to your body. Your pelvis and legs give way to the area below the ground leading to the core of the earth.

Violent swirls of orange, red, and yellows mix haphazardly, forming the core of the planet. Your whole body is a contrast between gentle and turbulent, depicting the story of the universe.

“It’s stunning,” you murmur as you continue to stare in the mirror. Hyunjin smiles and murmurs a thank you.

“There’s more,” he says behind you and you cock your head in curiosity.

Hyunjin murmurs something under his breath and gently touches your shoulder, a zap of energy traveling from his fingertips into your body. Before your eyes, his creations begin to move, the story coming to life.

The planets rotate as they do in space and the stars twinkle. The area where the sun is seems to warm your chest just like the sun warms your body everyday. The flowers sway as if there’s a gentle wind and the fireflies fly to and fro. The lava swirls and splashes against the edges of your legs, the feeling warm as it should be.

Your whole body has become animated.

“Holy shit,” you murmur in awe. You are literally a living masterpiece.

“My muse. I’m so happy you let me do this,” Hyunjin says, voiced laced with gratitude.

You are perfect and he’s painted how he sees you, the universe, his universe. His hands lightly grip your arms and slowly slides down until he reaches your waist. His palms find the skin there and he steps closer, his head lowering until his lips are able to graze the flesh of your neck.

You both stand there quietly and you feel his lips brush against you. Goosebumps rise on your arms and you let out a low moan, closing your eyes and surrendering to the man behind you. Slowly, gently, his lips press against you, again and again until he reaches that spot behind your ear. His tongue darts out just to lick a stripe against the flesh followed by a wet kiss.

Hyunjin’s hands ghost across your belly, down to your core, the pad of his finger pressing against your clit causing you to arch into his chest and rest your head against his shoulder. He circles the bud, savoring how wet you are, how you open yourself up to him. You’re pulled flush against him, so much so you can feel his length against you.

Your breathing increases as he continues to play with your clit, slowly at first and then speeding up, alternating speeds to keep you on your toes. It doesn’t take long until you’ve reached the precipice, the climax that you’ve been craving for the last few hours after being edged over and over. However, right as you’re about to give in and tip over the edge, Hyunjin removes his fingers and you groan, disappointed at your fading orgasm.

He chuckles and brings his fingers to your lips, pushing them into your mouth prompting you to suck. Your tongue swirls over the digits, allowing you to taste yourself, the tangy but sweet taste causing your eyes to roll to the back of your head.

“Sweet peach, can I have you?” Hyunjin says, his voice deep and husky in your ear.

“Yes, I’m yours,” you merely answer, needing him and fast.

Hyunjin grunts as he fumbles with his pants, shucking them down enough to free his cock. You feel the tip at your entrance and your breath hitches as he breaches your hole, slowly but surely until he’s flush to your ass. He draws back, his cock dragging deliciously against your walls just to push back in, picking up a steady pace.

You stare at your reflection, taking in how the paintings continue to move, to swirl around as he fucks you. Your breasts jiggle with every thrust and his hands grip your waist hard as he loses himself in you, speeding up with each thrust. Hyunjin fills you perfectly and the pleasure spreads, causing more slick to coat his cock as he drives it into you.

“This pussy, fuck!” Hyunjin groans as he sinks his teeth into your shoulder, the pain causing you to yelp. He quickly soothes the area with his tongue and presses a kiss to the marks he’s made.

His hand finds its way to your clit again and he begins to rub, needing you to come with him. He’s close as your wet walls swallow him whole, as they wrap around his cock nice and snug. Your moans spur him on as they are music to his ears.

Hyunjin looks into the mirror to watch you fall apart, all because of his cock. His eyes stay on yours and he thrusts into you harder, faster as he chases his high. You let out a string of loud moans as you reach your climax, letting out a groan as you finally tip over the edge. His fingers don’t stop but instead continue to rub your clit as he fucks you through your high.

The sight is more than Hyunjin can bear and he releases inside you, spurts of warm cum flooding your pussy, coating your walls and cervix. He slows his thrusts as you milk every last drop until he’s empty and collapses his head onto your shoulder. He lavishes the skin with sweet kisses, murmuring how sweet you are, his peach, his precious sweet peach.

He steps away and his cock slides from your pussy, the feeling of his cum following suit. It’s an odd sensation, but one you welcome. Hyunjin watches his release drip down your thighs and proceeds to swipe it up and push it back in, wanting you to keep it safe.

Satisfied, he leads you to the bathroom and he begins the process of washing your body, taking great care to be gentle as he reaches your sore core. He sings a melody that soothes your body and mind and you let his hands once more drag across your body, to lace it with soft lavender and tender honey. Once he’s done, he dries your skin, running a fluffy towel over you, taking care to press a kiss to your lips every now and then.

He carefully dresses you and then pulls you into bed, snuggling you close to his body, a position you find yourself in every night since his arrival. Clean, warm, and safe, you drift off to sleep, cradled in the embrace of your spirit.

“What are you doing?” You coo as your fingers cascade through Hyunjin’s soft locks. He’s lounging across your lap, playing with the hem of your shirt. You two have become much closer, needing to be next to each other every second of the day. Hyunjin practically howls when you have to leave for work, wishing he could come with you.

“Hmm I’m bored peach,” Hyunjin says with a pout, his lips poking out and his gaze shifting to yours.

“Aww, well maybe we could go out? My mother has been wanting me to stop by…we could go visit?” You pause for a moment considering your question. You’d be bringing Hyunjin to meet your mother, a fact that scares you a little. What would she think of this man and what he means to you? “That is if you want,” you add as an afterthought.

Hyunjin sits up and chuckles, “I’d love to meet your mother peach. I’m sure she’s amazing just like you.” He boops the end of your nose and you blush, smitten with your spirit.

“Well then let’s get ready.”

Hyunjin merely nods and gets up, scampering off to your bedroom to get dressed. You follow right behind him and pick out an outfit, perfect for visiting your mother. It’s been a while since you’ve seen her and she’s been curious as to why you haven’t stopped by. She’ll definitely be shocked but pleased once she understands the reason why.

You’re fixing your hair when Hyunjin wraps his arms around you, immediately nuzzling his face in your hair. “So beautiful, my peach.”

You chuckle and turn around in his grasp, placing your palm on his cheek. “You’re more beautiful.”

Hyunjin tsks and turns to leave, “Not in a million years. Let’s go!”

The journey to your mother’s is a long one, two hours by train. She lives in the countryside, where she can be close to nature, where she feels at home. Not much has changed since you were little, your childhood home in pristine condition as it was when you left shortly after finishing high school.

Once you’re off the train, it’s a short walk to your home. Hyunjin looks around happily, taking a moment to stop every now and then and smell the flowers that line to walkway to your home. He glances at you occasionally with a wide grin and before you approach the front door, he reaches down to interlock his fingers with yours.

There are tendrils of vines interweaving the sides of the door and fresh herbs that reside in various pots, the fragrance pleasant in the cool air. A welcome sign hangs from the wood and you knock loudly as you give Hyunjin an encouraging smile. You can hear your mother move about the house as she sing-songs ‘Coming!’ Loudly.

A moment later, the door swings open and your mother appears, looking refreshed and elated at your appearance.

“Y/n! What a surprise!” She looks you over and nods in approval before her eyes wonder to Hyunjin standing next to you. Her brows raise in amusement and she places her hands on her hips. “Ahh so it has occurred. Come in, come in.”

She turns her back to you two and wanders into the house, her skirt brushing around in a dramatic fashion. You lead Hyunjin into your home and immediately you feel at peace. The scent of jasmine that you remember wraps around you, cradling you, almost as if it’s welcoming you home. The fire is blazing in the hearth and normally it would be stifling from the heat but the opposite occurs, the air cool against your skin.

Everything is as it should be, not a piece of furniture or random object out of place. Your mother bustles around, searching through her pots that litter the floor. Finding what she is searching for, she wordlessly hands you a sprig of peppermint. You accept the herb in confusion, but nonetheless lift it to your nose, the strong mint scent quelling the unease you’ve been feeling in your stomach since this morning.

You wonder how she knew you weren’t feeling well, but it’s your mother after all, her knowledge is quite extensive, especially about her daughter.

“How was the journey my sweet? Pleasant?”

“Yes mother, no issues.”

She hums and busies herself around the room. “Well sit down, lunch will be ready shortly. Then you can tell me all about your spirit there.”

You and Hyunjin share a look of surprise and sit on the couch. You two watch her waltz around the room, preparing lunch and also tidy up…well as much tidying as she can do. Her chaos is comforting and you realize how much you miss it.

“I made a chicken stew today. Something told me to make an ornate meal and so here we are. Mrs. Hubble from town provided the chicken so it’s fresh. I’m so happy you’ve stopped by my sweet! I’ve missed you so much!”

She hands you and Hyunjin a bowl and grabs one for herself before sitting in a chair near the couch occupied by you two. “So, how did you summon him?”

Your mother has always been blunt with her words, thinking that beating around the bush is a waste of time.

“I’m not quite sure mother. A horrible storm came through and I wasn’t able to do the protective spells as you taught me and when I woke up Hyunjin was there.”

“Ahh, then the storm summoned him. Wonderful, I always knew you’d be able to. He’s so handsome,” she gushed, giving you a knowing look.

You blush at her words and bow your head, “Mother, don’t.”

She chuckles and waves your nerves away. “You two have a story yet. Just you wait and see.”

You look up curiously at her words, trying to decipher the riddle. You know better than to ask however as the meaning always presents itself when you least expect it. As you all finish up lunch, she ushers you two up, prompting you to show Hyunjin around which you find an excellent idea.

You start by showing him your childhood room that’s set up exactly the same as it was back then. Hyunjin looks around curiously, lightly touching your stuffies that are propped up on your bed. He glances through your bookshelf, pulling out book after book and thumbing through the pages.

He makes his way over to your cork board that is filled with photographs of you and your friends, all of you smiling at the camera with childhood innocence. “I love your room,” he says as he turns to you, quickly closing the gap in the small room to wrap his arms around you.

You let out a sigh and rest your cheek on his chest, listening to the hardy thumps of his heart. You close your eyes and ground yourself in him, taking deep breath in through your nose and out through your mouth, the scent of honeysuckle filling your nostrils.

In Hyunjin’s arms you feel a little better, your stomach not nearly upset as it has been for a few weeks now. Hyunjin has noticed a difference in your demeanor, especially when you first wake up and he’s taken measures to make sure you feel better, whether that’s making herb tea for you or just holding you close.

After some time you pull away and gaze up into his eyes. His fingers push back a strand of hair that has fallen out of your ponytail and you all but purr at his touch. “Wanna go outside?”

Hyunjin nods and follows you out to the backyard in which he stares at the little oasis with open mouth. Your mother worked hard to make sure the area was a sanctuary, somewhere you two could get lost in and escape the outside world. There’s flowers everywhere, from primrose to chrysanthemums, daisies to roses. Vibrant colors litter the walkway, inviting magic in and serenity.

There’s a tiny pond in the center of the yard and birds bathe in the waters, skittering and splashing in the cool water. In the very back is where your mother keeps her garden, filled with vegetables, herbs, whatever she deems necessary. It truly is an oasis, a place you’d frequently escape to especially after having a bad night filled with nightmares.

“It’s beautiful out here isn’t it?” Your mother asks, looking right at Hyunjin.

“It is, I love it,” he murmurs in awe.

Your mother makes a pleased sound and then crosses her arms as she stares out at the yard. “By the looks of how you’re dressed and the crystals on my daughter’s necklace, I’d assume you’re a Pisces celestial spirit?”

Hyunjin nods impressed at her knowledge.

“Oh don’t give me that look. I know about the spirits my dear, more than anyone in our family. I’m glad Y/n has you though, I knew when I gave her the necklace you two would hit it off well.”

“Why don’t you go inside Hyunjin? We’ll be right behind you in a moment.” Hyunjin simply nods and obeys. You look at your mother curiously, wondering what she has to say that she can’t divulge in Hyunjin’s presence.

She stares long and hard at you, furrowing her brows as her eyes land on your belly. She takes your hands in hers and gives them a squeeze. “Oh my sweet, you’ve grown so much. This next chapter in your life will be difficult, difficult yes but oh so rewarding.”

“Mother what are you talking about?” You are confused, her riddles getting the best of you.

“You’ll understand in time,” she replies with a smile. “In the meantime, I will send those peppermint leaves with you to have. I think they worked quite well for you earlier.”

At that she dropped your hands and head inside, leaving you standing there more confused than ever. You made your way back in the house and went to Hyunjin’s side as your mother put together a little care package. Once she was done, she handed it to Hyunjin and took you in her arms, giving you a big hug.

“Take care my sweet.”

You wrapped your arms around your mother and held her close. After giving you a squeeze, she stepped away and ushered you to the door. “Travel safely!”

You and Hyunjin began the journey back to the train station hand and hand, elated after the visit you just had. Hyunjin made sure to keep you close and once on the train, gave you the window seat so you could rest comfortably. He watched carefully over you as you drifted off to sleep, the outing causing you to feel more exhausted than usual.

When you opened your eyes, you noticed you were back in the city and Hyunjin led the way back home, eager to get you in bed so you could rest. He could tell the trip, although nice, had taken a lot out of you and you looked a little worse for wear.

He pampered you once at home, running your bath and bathing you before dressing you in soft pajamas. You slid into bed and assumed your position next to him, resting in his warm embrace. You succumbed to sleep immediately, letting your exhaustion take over.

“Let me come to work with you! Please?”

Hyunjin is on his knees, his arms wrapped around your legs so he can rest his head on your pelvis. He’s looking at you with the cutest expression, his bottom lip jutted out and his eyes wide and shining.

You are about to leave for work and Hyunjin is not happy about it, wanting to join you at the shop. Your fingers drift through his silky locks as you glance down at him. His cheek rests on your belly but only for moment as something makes him lean back and frown.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, it’s nothing.” Hyunjin brushes off your question and continues to plead with you, promising not to get in your way.

“Alright alright, you can come,” you give in with a chuckle and grab your keys. “You have two seconds to get ready!”

Hyunjin scurries away and you hear a commotion in your bedroom before he’s rushing back out to meet you. You nod satisfied and walk out the door, Hyunjin following close behind. He’s silent the whole commute to the shop, that is until you arrive. Lilly is at the register and she looks up with curiosity at your guest.

“And who is this?” Lilly asks, eyeing Hyunjin up and down. She fiddles with her shirt, pulling it down so a little bit of cleavage shows.

Hyunjin ignores her quip but sticks close to you. “This is Hyunjin my…my boyfriend…yeah.”

“Oh?” Lilly says with raised eyebrows. “I didn’t know you were dating again.”

“It’s pretty recent…new couple and all.” You look anywhere but at her face, nervous about your answer. You could hardly tell her that he is a celestial spirit, one that watches over and manipulates your dreams. Lilly would laugh at you and say you’re insane.

“Well Hyunjin, nice to meet you.” Lilly coos. She points to a chair behind the register, “you can sit there.”

Hyunjin nods and says thank you. He looks up at you expectedly, a look of longing on his face. You walk over to him and move a strand of hair out of his face. He smiles and nuzzles into your hand. “Work hard my peach.”

“Of course,” you chuckle and turn your back to him.

The day passes neither slow nor quick and Hyunjin watches all of it. His eyes follow you as you move around the shop, while you ring up customers or even chat with Lilly. You seem at peace as you work, enjoying what you do, surrounded by the pages that tell stories of old and new.

As he observes, he remembers this morning, the flutter within your belly that rippled against his cheek. It startled him in the moment and he wonders what it was from. Maybe you were just hungry since it was morning and you didn’t eat much at breakfast, claiming you felt sick to your stomach. That’s been a complaint of yours recently and he wishes he could take away your discomfort and make it his own.

You’ve been tossing and turning more in your sleep as well and he tries to quell your discomfort, but it seems to not work as well as it has in the past. He’s not sure why, his mind wandering to the potential cause day in and day out. Hyunjin doesn’t voice this to you however as he doesn’t want to worry you.

He’s still in deep thought when you step in front of him, letting him know it’s time to go. Hyunjin takes your hand, relaxing in the comfort of your hold…that is until he notices the change in your aura. He blinks his eyes and does a double take but the change is gone and your normal aura is back. An uneasy feeling settles in his stomach and he pulls you along towards the door.

“Hyunjin wait!” You call out as you’re dragged along out of the shop. There seems to be a slight change in Hyunjin, as if he saw a ghost or something. You wonder what could have spooked him enough to hurry you out of the shop.

You’re not able to ponder the situation for long as Hyunjin begins to yap, talking about going to some festival next month that he’s been eager to go to. His demeanor is completely different than how it was earlier and you quickly forget his odd behavior.

Before you know it you’re back home and Hyunjin is pulling you to the couch. He beckons you to sit down which you do and he starts to pull off your shoes, followed by tucking you in under a blanket.

“How are you feeling?” Hyunjin asks as he fusses around you ensuring that you’re comfortable after being on your feet all day.

“Okay, not feeling ill at least.” You actually felt okay for once, the unsettled feeling in your belly gone. You actually felt like you could eat something other than crackers, your belly growling not a moment later at the thought.

“Hungry?” Hyunjin chuckles after hearing the cry for help from your stomach.

“A little…” you grin, placing a hand on the blanket as if you’re telling your belly to stop being dramatic.

“Say less peach!”

Hyunjin jumps up from the couch and you hear him in the kitchen, banging pots and pans around. Before you know it, the smell of something rich feels your apartment and your mouth begins to water at the prospect of eating whatever delicious dish Hyunjin was making. You don’t have to wait long for him to finish up and he rounds the corner with a plate piled high with your favorite dish-lasagna.

“I made your favorite!” Hyunjin gushes as he carefully sets the dish on your lap.

You smile gratefully and dig in, groaning at how delicious it tastes. At first you thought you weren’t that hungry, but your body said otherwise as you cleaned your plate, licking your lips in satisfaction once it’s clear. Hyunjin chuckles and smirks, probably thinking about how his cooking skills are so good.

He takes the plate away and sets it on the table. “Let’s watch a movie,” he suggests and you readily agree at the calm activity. Hyunjin busies himself with finding an option and turning down the lights, creating an intimate atmosphere that has your pulse quickening and your cheeks reddening. He slides under the end of the blanket that’s wrapped around you and places your feet over his lap.

The movie begins and you both pay attention to the screen, watching as some heroine decides she doesn’t need anybody in her life to excel. It was a cheesy plot and your attention kept diverting unlike Hyunjin whose eyes were glued to the screen. You couldn’t help but stare at him, wondering how you could have ended up with such a great spirit.

As the night went on, you found yourself thinking of the celestial realm and Hyunjin’s home. What was it like? Is it similar to earth? Are there other celestial spirits? You were far away, deep in your thoughts that you missed Hyunjin’s question.

“Y/n? Do you not like the movie?” Hyunjin asks you with a pout, worried that you were bored with the movie he picked.

You chuckled and reached for his hand, “No, I was just thinking about your realm. Like what is it like?”

Hyunjin regarded you for a moment, trying to decide if you were serious or not. You seemed conflicted, both present in the moment but also far away. He could show you his world, there is a loop hole he could explore to get you there.

“Do you really want to see what it’s like?” He asks, staring at you with conviction that has you squirming in your seat.

“I do, I really do.”

“Okay, I can take you there….well, the backway. You can’t go there consciously, but I can take you there via a dream. You know…cause I can manipulate dreams.”

You are silent as he speaks, shocked that he would take you to where he’s from. Did he really mean it?

“I’ll have you fall asleep and right before you enter deep unconsciousness, I will transport you there.”

“Okay,” you whisper, confused on how he really will pull it off. He needed you to fall asleep, which seemed easy enough as you were always exhausted these days. Even now, you could feel sleep pulling at you, begging you to succumb to it and drift off to dream world.

You kept your eyes on Hyunjin, his hand still in yours. He gave you a reassuring smile as you felt your eyes slowly close. The last thing you remember is him whispering something, although you’re not sure his exact words as your brain was slowly shutting down.

Hyunjin waited as you fell asleep, waiting for the exact moment you crossed over into dreamland. He didn’t have to wait long and before he missed the opportunity, he placed his hand on your chest and focused on the celestial realm. A second later he was back at home, well kind of and you were there next to him, blinking the bright light from the sun from your eyes.

“We’re here Y/n,” Hyunjin murmured as he faced his house, a sight he hasn’t had the pleasure of seeing for a few months now.

You were speechless. It worked, Hyunjin’s plan actually worked. You were in the celestial realm, where Hyunjin lived until you summoned him. There was a house in front of you, decked out with flowers galore. Bees flew from flower to flower, doing what they do best. The fragrance was nice and soothing and you took a deep breath in to take it all in.

“Well, this is my home. Wanna go in?”

You nodded and followed Hyunjin inside, a little nervous as you didn’t know what to expect. It was dark inside and you watched as he scurried around to light the room. His home was so…Hyunjin, filled with craft supplies and more flowers. The counters were cluttered, stuffed with items he created in various stages of completion. There was a little bed in the corner of the room, the only other furniture in the small space besides the kitchen appliances.

“It’s not much, but it’s my little sanctuary.”

“It’s perfect,” you gushed and gave him a huge smile. You loved this little space that screamed Hyunjin and all of his little creations that added to the charm of the space.

You walked a little deeper into the room to explore when there was a loud knock on the door.

“Hyunjin! Open up!”

You looked at Hyunjin, alarmed at the threatening voice on the other side of the door. Hyunjin merely chuckled which left you confused. He opened the door with bravo and a man walked in while chattering a mile a minute.

“Where have you been? It’s been ages Hyun. You think you can just up and leave without a word. Everyone has been-“ but his words were cut off by Hyunjin himself.

“Minho, calm down,” Hyunjin said with a chuckle, “I’m here now aren’t I?”

Minho regarded him, a skeptical look on his face. “You’re not really back though, not really. This is a dream isn’t it? What’s going on?”

Minho looked behind Hyunjin and noticed you, cowering in the corner and looking uncertain. The look he gave you could have killed, as he glared at your form, his lips peeling back to reveal bunny like teeth. “Ahh, there’s the reason you disappeared. It was finally time huh?”

He regarded you some more, his eyes roaming your form and looking at your belly longer than he should have. Suddenly, he burst into a huge grin, his eyebrows raising in amusement.

“Been quite busy have we Hyunjin,” Minho teased the ferret. “When is the new addition gonna be here?”

Both you and Hyunjin stared at Minho flabbergasted, not sure what to say to his question. New addition? New…new… your hand immediately flew to your belly, feeling for what this man immediately saw. You couldn’t be pregnant…could you? You thought about how exhausted you’ve been for the last month and how sick you’ve felt throughout the day. You’ve felt slightly more emotional than usual too.

“Oh my god! You’re pregnant!” Hyunjin gushed as he rounded on you. “Peach! That’s so amazing! I’m going to be a dad!”

Hyunjin seemed to accept Minho’s statement, while you were still in shock. Minho walked over to you and extended his hand, “I’m Minho, your Scorpio celestial spirit.”

You timidly took his hand before dropping it, unsure of what to say. Minho smirked at your reaction and turned back to Hyunjin. “So how long will you stay?”

“Not sure, but let’s make the most of it while I’m here.”

Minho nodded and walked over to Hyunjin’s stove and grabbed the kettle that was there. You watched the man move around the kitchen, following the steps to make tea. Hyunjin made room on a chair that was hidden under a bunch of paintings and had you sit, plopping down right next to you.

“So what’s been going on while I’ve been away?”

“Oh nothing exciting. Jisung was summoned which I guess was a big deal as you know who his person is. He was anticipating it for a while now.” Minho grabbed three cups from the cabinet and began to pout the tea. “Let’s see…Felix almost burnt down his house making cookies, the whole village had to help put the flames out. He’s banned from baking for the next month or so.”

Minho handed you a cup which you accepted gratefully. You sniffed the liquid and was surprised your stomach didn’t turn at the smell. Minho gave you a knowing look and sipped his own tea before refocusing back on Hyunjin.

“I told everyone you’d been summoned and they were all elated. They know you’ve been waiting for over twenty five years.”

You blushed at the last part, feeling as if it was your fault why he wasn’t summoned sooner. Hyunjin and Minho began to catch up and you tried to follow the conversation, but soon it became complicated as they were discussing the celestial realm.

You took in Minho’s appearance deeming him handsome as well which threw you for a loop. Are all celestial spirits gorgeous? You couldn’t help but wonder what his power was being a celestial spirit and all. It’s almost as if he could read your mind because his focus switched to you.

“My power is telekinesis and I can also manipulate time,” Minho said as he kept eye contact with you.

You were shocked at first but quickly recovered realizing he could read your mind. Hyunjin giggled at your confusion and reached for your hand. “It is freaky if you’ve never encountered it before. I get it peach.”

Minho chuckled at the latter, “Peach huh? Even have a little pet name. How cute.”

“She’s my little peach,” Hyunjin cood as he brushed the side of your face.

You could feel the heat rising under both his attention and Minho’s. You took in the love-struck face on Hyunjin and feeling your heart flutter at the fact that he was yours. Your protector, your sanctuary, the father of your child. He smiled at you, his lips turning upward and you returned the gesture, that is until his lips continued to curl higher and higher until it reached his eyes.

You stared in horror as his face began to twist in a spiral and you let out a scream, terrified at what he was becoming. Pushing him away, you stumbled to the door and was about to throw it open when a pair of arms wrapped around you holding you back. You scratched and screamed, begging to be let go but the person kept a tight hold on you.

“Y/n! Shh, it’s okay! It’s me Minho, Y/n!”

You could hear your name along with the name Minho. At that you began to calm down, realizing he was the one who had stopped you from bolting outside. Once he saw you had stopped fighting, his hold weakened and he let out a huff. Your breath was choppy and your heart pounding as you were scared who’d you see when you turned around.

Slowly, you did so and were shocked to see Hyunjin, the real Hyunjin, standing in shock where you left him. His face was back to normal and not distorted as it was moments before. Were you hallucinating? You could have sworn his face was different…after all, you saw what you saw.

“Your face…it’s back to normal…”

“Back to normal? Y/n, what are you talking about?” Hyunjin asked confused.

Minho completely let go of you and you walked over to your spirit. Gently, you reached out to touch his face, following the outline of his lips which was how it should be, all the way up to his eyes. You stared in disbelief at how normal everything looked, a far cry from how it was earlier. Were you going crazy?

Hyunjin stood absolutely still as you examined him, not daring to move a muscle. He was terrified and a little confused as to what happened. You claimed his face changed, but how is that possible. He didn’t feel anything. He’s never seen that look on your face…well, maybe a few other times, but that was only when you were dreaming.

Minho caught his eye and stared at him, as if he was trying to tell him something. Hyunjin caught on quickly, looking towards the door. An almost invisible wisp of black smoke was making its way underneath the crack, rising high into the air before disappearing completely. Could this be what disturbed you?

Hyunjin had a bad feeling about this…he probably should get you back to the mortal world, where you belonged. You had already been here too long as time went by quickly here compared to earth. Grasping your shoulders, he interrupted your examination and said, “It’s time to go back peach. Okay?”

You nodded and let him take your hand in his. “Thanks for stopping by Minho, I’ll see you later yeah?”

“Sure, you both get back…Y/n, it was nice to finally meet you.”

Hyunjin hurried you out of the door and led you to the middle of the road, he was about to chant the words needed to return to the earth realm when he felt tendrils wrap around his wrist, trying to separate your hand from his.

He swatted at the substance, attempting to keep it from taking you, but the more he struggled, the tighter it wrapped around your hand. Mumbled voices filled the air, the words not easily made out. You stared at Hyunjin with a terrified expression and you reached for him, reached for safety.

“Minho!” Hyunjin yelled, hoping his friend could hear his cries.

Minho burst out of the house with a shocked expression. Quickly recovering, he raced over to help detangle the substance from you two. “What the fuck is this? This is bad Hyun.”

“I know! Just help us get free and we’ll be out of here!”

Minho and Hyunjin fought against the substance and after some time, a moment appeared that your hands were freed.

“Now!” Minho shouted and he stepped back, watching as Hyunjin took you away back to your home.

You clutched onto Hyunjin and closed your eyes feeling a hard wind beat against your body until it was silent. Opening your eyes, you noticed you were back in your apartment, with Hyunjin sitting next to you, his hand still on your chest. You breathed out a sigh of relief and scrambled into his arms as you sobbed loudly into his chest.

Hyunjin rocked you back and forth, carding his hands through your hair attempting to soothe you. He’s glad you were able to make it out and hope whatever that was will stay away. He’s not sure how long he held you, listened to you cry; but soon you drifted off to sleep, your body going limp in his hold.

He carefully stood up and carried you to bed, sliding in to lay next to you. Hyunjin watches you slumber, at peace at last after that harrowing experience. He had a bad feeling about today’s events…and if what he is thinking of is correct, he’d be devastated.

You didn’t speak of what happened, scared that it would occur again. Hyunjin was more clingy, not letting you out of his sight, insisting that he comes to work with you whenever you were scheduled. You didn’t mind as his presence was comforting, albeit not as much as before.

You had your pregnancy confirmed by going to the doctor, who gladly shared you were almost done with the first trimester, a fact that had you speechless as the whole ordeal still was a shock to you. Hyunjin was over the moon, cooing and talking to your belly everyday. You had a tiny bump, one you could still hide when you went to work or visited your mother, but something told you the latter knew all along from the first time you took Hyunjin to meet her.

Hyunjin felt as if he was loosing control, his power seeming to not work as well as it used to. Oh he could animate his creations easily, that was no problem, but when it came to protecting you in your dreams, he couldn’t quite exert his full strength to do so. He paced the floor one night, waiting for you to fall asleep so he could get to work. It didn’t take long as usual and he crawled next to you, eager to try out a new technique.

Shortly after entering deep sleep, he placed his hand on your chest willing his power to flow through him into you. However, his arm barely glowed and instead was more lackluster which was alarming. He desperately tried again and again, panicking as he noticed you starting to whimper, whatever you were dreaming about starting to turn into a nightmare.

“Work, work dammit,” he grunted as he focused with all his might but to no avail. He felt despair as he watched you struggle, his heart breaking in two at your pain. -- -- “No! Don’t come any closer!”

You screamed at the figure that was hiding in the shadows. It seemed familiar and once it stepped forward allowing the little light that was in the room to illuminate its eyes, you realized why. It was the creature that you would frequently dream about before you summoned Hyunjin.

It crept closer and closer towards you, slowly revealing its body. To your horror, it was long and spindly, with claws as sharp as needles. Its eyes were big and yellow, piercing straight through your skull. It made no sound but instead moved closer to you yet again, raising its claws as if to strike.

The creature eyed your belly and you instinctively wrapped your arms around it as if to protect the little life growing inside you. You crouched over as it continued to raise its claw, higher and higher.

Hyunjin will protect me, don’t worry.

You could feel its breath on your face and you were scared to look up and see its beady eyes.

He has to protect me, he’s my celestial spirit.

You could feel a sharp prick against your skin, its claws finally making contact.

Hyunjin! Please! Help!

You clutched your belly tighter and with a last ditch effort screamed Hyunjin’s name. Suddenly, it was quiet and you could smell fresh honeysuckle, your body relaxing instantly at the thought of being safe. You looked up and noticed the creature was gone and in its place was a field, the same one you’d dream of in the early days.

Hyunjin protected you, just like you knew he would. He protected you and his child. You smiled and whispered thank you and walked through the field, looking for a way out of this nightmare. — — Hyunjin struggled to remain calm. He was sweating bullets the whole time as he tried to increase his power, to manipulate your dream into something pleasant. He felt his heart sink as he watched the creature almost obliterate you and the baby. He doesn’t know what he would have done if he couldn’t save you in time.

He watched you sleep, now peacefully, his mind racing as to why this was occurring. He pulls you close and breathes in the scent of your hair, a scent that calms him immediately. You’re safe. The baby’s safe.

Looking up, he notices a calendar tacked onto the wall. You’ve marked a slash through each day, keeping track of the month as it flew by. He realizes he’s been here with you for almost half a year, a fact that he finds surprising. Has it really been that long? It doesn’t seem like it as everyday is a dream with you. But, the calendar doesn’t lie.

Suddenly, a thought comes to his mind. He’s been here for six months. Here in the earth realm. He’s a celestial spirit, no wonder his power has decreased. He hasn’t been home to replenish his mana in half a year.

This is bad…really bad.

He needs to go home, replenish his power. But if he goes home, he won’t be able to be with you…be with his child. Does he really have to go? That’s a silly question he thinks, of course he has to go. He needs to keep you safe.

You will be devastated, especially with a baby on the way…his baby. He stares at your sleeping face and memorizes your features once again, engraving it into his brain. He’ll breach the topic tomorrow once you’ve slept some and can listen to the heartbreaking tale his has to share.

You wake to the smell of bacon and you immediately hop out of bed, rushing to the kitchen to see Hyunjin bent over the stove slaving away. Sneaking up to him, you wrap your arms around his middle and bury your head in his shirt breathing him in.

“Morning peach.”

“Morning,” you reply, your voice muffled.

“Go sit, breakfast is almost ready.”

You don’t need to be told twice and you rush to your chair, plopping down to wait for your plate. Hyunjin brings it over and places it in front of you. Immediately you begin to scarf it down, your belly rumbling in satisfaction at being filled.

Hyunjin watches you, always impressed at your appetite, something he will miss once he’s gone. He sighs and sits back in his chair, an action you notice right away.

“What’s wrong?” You ask, wondering if he’s disgusted with how you’re eating.

“Y/n, there’s something I need to tell you. You know how you’ve had more nightmares and odd experiences?”

You shake your head yes, your curiosity peaked as to where he’s going with this.

“Well, I know why it’s happening…it’s because I’ve been out of the celestial realm for a long time…six months to be exact.”

“Oh,” you murmured. That would make sense, that his power would slowly diminish the longer he’s away from his home. “Well can’t you go back to reset?”

Hyunjin nods but doesn’t say anything else. “Great! Then go back and I’ll be here waiting for you!”

He bows his head. He can’t look at you, not when he’s about to break the bad news. “I can go back…but I can’t come back to you. I can only be summoned once.”

You’re silent as you take in his words. He won’t be able to come back. But what about you? What about the baby? Your little family can’t be broken up just like that. No, you won’t allow it.

“I can come with you!”

Hyunjin shakes his head no, “You can’t. Humans aren’t compatible for the celestial world.” He’s distraught, watching as tears begin to form in your eyes. You drop your hand to your belly and caress it, something you’ve been doing more frequently these days.

“But…we need you,” you wail, the tears falling freely now. You can’t go through this alone, you don’t want to be alone. You need him. You need Hyunjin.

“I know I know peach. But I have to keep you safe so our child can continue to grow. I’ll still be with you, don’t worry.”

You think of the necklace that’s been around your neck since given to you by your mother. Your fingers find the crystals, the familiar habit soothing you slightly. What choice did you have? He’s your celestial spirit after all, assigned to you to keep your dreams safe and nightmare free.

“Okay,” you say with finality, accepting his words.

Hyunjin stands up and stops in front of you. Grasping your face gently, he gazes into your eyes, memorizing how they stare back at him, how they sparkle whenever he’s the one you’re looking at. Leaning down he presses a soft kiss to your lips, lingering a little longer than he should. He doesn’t care however. He needs this last moment, needs to remember it for a lifetime. Finally he withdraws and kneels to come face to face with your belly. He presses a kiss and whispers his goodbyes to his son or daughter.

He hates he can’t be here when they are born, listen to the take their first cry, or meet their eyes as they are welcomed into the world. He knows you’re going to be a wonderful mother.

Hyunjin stands up and gives you a sad smile. “Goodbye peach.”

“Bye,” you whisper and watch him fade, on his way back to celestial realm.

One second he’s there and the next he’s gone. Tears fall freely and your body shakes as you sob. You’re crying so hard you miss the initial vibration, a sensation you haven’t felt in ages. However, you feel it once it increases in intensity and your fingers fly to the crystals, feeling Hyunjin’s presence.

You chuckle and wipe your tears, he’s here…not physically but here. You stand up and go about your day, resolving to stand strong not only for yourself, but your baby, and for Hyunjin.

Your protector, your other half, the love of your life.

“Grandma look!”

Your daughter Camellia shows your mother a butterfly, one she has caught with her own hands. You smile as she smiles and carefully cradles it, careful not to crush its wings.

“It’s beautiful,” your mother says as she gazes down at your daughter’s prize.

Camellia, a beauty with a kind heart. Nature loves her and you love her. You know he would love her as well. She has his mannerisms and smile, those dimples you can’t help but coo over, that make you gush in cuteness aggression.

She has shown promises of magic, just like her father which makes you beam with pride. You’ve moved back in with your mother, deeming the countryside a better place to raise your child, after all you were raised here. She was ecstatic at the idea, happy to be close to you once more and her grandchild.

Your necklace vibrates enthusiastically all the time, especially when Camellia’s voice rings out, almost as if Hyunjin is there, gushing over his daughter that is so much like him. Your dreams have been pleasant and you hoped your daughter would not be plagued by nightmares like you were. You were elated when you found out the trait was not passed on, allowing you to sleep better at night knowing she was safe in her psyche.

You and your mother decided to do some more research to see if any other half human, half celestial spirit children were born in this world and the results were promising. Today was the day you would try out a spell, one that would allow Camellia to travel to the celestial realm, albeit briefly.

She was excited, more than ready to meet her father that you have told her all about. Every night she’ll ask you questions and you would answer them, sharing your experiences of the love of your life. Camellia would listen in awe, bouncing in excitement in maybe meeting him one day.

Camellia bounds over to you, fixing her bag over her shoulder. “Ready mother!”

You give her a smile and pull her into a hug. “You’re going to love it there I just know it. Your father has been waiting to meet you for a long time.”

“I can’t wait to meet him,” she says looking up into your eyes.

“Okay, okay, let’s not delay any longer! “ your mother says as she comes to stand next to you.

You nod and grasp your mother’s hand and together you both focus on the celestial realm, both having been there. You begin to chant a spell, one you can’t say too loud as you don’t want to mess it up. You feel a rush of wind and then it’s gone.

Camellia is gone and hopefully in the celestial realm. You’ll find out soon and you can’t wait to hear her tales.

Hyunjin waits at his door, peering out into the wilderness. He’s nervous, incredibly so. He’s heard her voice but that’s about it. Will you like him? What will you look like: a little him or a little you?

He here’s a branch break and he squints, hoping to see if she’s arrived, but she hasn’t…it must have been an animal. He glances at his watch, she should be here by now. Did the spell not work? Did something happen in the middle of transport?

No, he must think positive thoughts. She will be here in a moment.

Suddenly, he smells strawberries and he’s immediately transported to a time when he used to bury his face in your hair, breath in the scent of the strawberry shampoo you loved so much. He looks up eagerly and sees a figure immerse from the forest.

A tiny girl appears, dressed in a dress that remind him of you. Little ringlet curls frames her face and she’s clutching her bag as if unsure of what to do next. Hyunjin is taken aback at the sight, his heart overwhelmed with love. He’s so happy you chose such a fitting name for a child that was made from love and represented the flowers he worked with so often.

Slowly he takes a step forward and the girl notices, stopping briefly in her tracks. He breaks out in a smile, one that reaches his eyes and with joy speaks the name of his daughter.

Camellia

divider by @sweetmelodygraphics

taglist: @jehhskz @jeonginsleftcheek @armystay89 @palindrome969 @slut4hee @ivydoesit23 @amarecerasus @kaysungshine @fun-fanfics @baby-stay92 @velvetmoonlght @possum-playground @katsukis1wife @my-neurodivergent-world @hanniebaeee @hwanghyunjinismybae @channiesrightasscheek @skzdreamer13 @lezleeferguson-120 @hyunjincanraptoo

[joelsrose]

A/N I'm so glad yall enjoyed part 1 ! made me so happy seeing all the comments, hope you enjoy this part x

༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•༶

You adored Tommy and Maria. That was no secret. Their house felt like a second home—the door always open, the hearth always warm, baby Benji always giggling in your arms like he knew something the rest of the world had forgotten.

You were there often enough that your teacup had a place on the shelf, your name was a murmur in bedtime lullabies, and your laughter belonged to the walls.

But Joel? Joel was different.

Despite your closeness with his brother and Maria, you and Joel had never been anything more than… polite shadows crossing paths. A nod at the gates. A quiet "morning" when your boots passed on the trail. He never stayed long enough for more.

Everyone in Jackson knew it—felt it. He carried himself like a man built from silence and steel, like someone forged in grief and never fully cooled. Where Tommy was sunlight, Joel was shadow. And not the soft kind, either. The kind you noticed in your peripheral vision—unavoidable, unmoving.

You didn’t need to know his story to recognize the shape of it. You saw it in the way he moved: cautious, careful, like the earth beneath him might give way if he stepped wrong.

You saw it in the tension that never left his shoulders, the way he never lingered, never asked questions he didn’t need answered. His eyes held the look of someone who had loved and lost so deeply he’d buried the whole concept beside whatever grave he no longer visited.

And he was, quite plainly, the last man in Jackson you’d ever try to matchmake.

Not because he didn’t deserve love—but because he didn’t want it.

Your methods weren’t scientific, but you had instincts. You always asked yourself the same quiet questions before setting anyone up:

What are they seeking?

What do they need?

And are they open to love, truly open?

Joel Miller failed the last question before it could even be asked.

He didn’t strike you as someone waiting for anything.

He struck you as the kind of man who’d wake up before dawn just to be alone with his coffee and the sound of his own breath. The kind who preferred the ache of his joints to the vulnerability of comfort. The kind of man who built his world out of habit, routine, and distance—and kept it that way because it hurt less.

He didn’t smile at people. Didn’t linger in town square to chat. Didn’t extend kindness unless necessity forced it from him. He wasn’t polite. He wasn’t soft. He was older, rough-edged, and entirely uninterested in being understood.

That was the truth of it.

So when Tommy leaned back in his chair that day, voice teasing but eyes glinting with something deeper, and said, “Find Joel someone,”—you knew exactly what he was doing.

He wasn’t asking. He was testing you. He had picked the one man in Jackson who didn’t want to be chosen.

And maybe… maybe he thought you’d fail.

But something about that challenge stuck in your ribs.

Because while Joel wasn’t looking for love—while he’d built his life so carefully around the absence of it—you couldn’t help but wonder:

What if he used to believe in it? What if he still did, quietly, deep down, in a place too bruised to admit it out loud?

And worse—what if the only reason he didn’t believe anymore was because no one had looked at him like he was worth choosing?

Not until now.

༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•༶

The first time you tried to bring it up, he was in Tommy and Maria’s kitchen, sleeves rolled to his elbows, stirring something that smelled like heaven and looked like effort.

The scent hit you before you saw him—garlic, thyme, maybe something smoked. It wrapped itself around the room like a warm quilt, rich and unexpected. Joel stood over the stove, jaw tight in concentration, a hand towel slung over one shoulder like it belonged there. His brow was furrowed, focused, almost peaceful in that gruff, guarded way of his.

You hovered in the doorway, heart thudding traitorously in your chest.

You were used to being approached by people who wanted your help—who smiled too wide, who leaned in eagerly, who whispered, “Do you think there’s someone out there for me?” Not… this.

Not trying to coax someone toward the idea of love like it was medicine he’d refuse to take.

He didn’t look up when you entered. Or if he noticed, he didn’t acknowledge you.

You lingered by the counter, clutching the edge like it might give you courage. The silence felt loud. You hated that it made you feel twelve years old.

He finally glanced over, barely. “You need somethin’?” His voice was flat, more gruff than unkind, but still edged like a warning. You were an interruption.

“Oh. No,” you said quickly, shaking your head. “Just—this smells amazing.”

He grunted. Actually grunted. Like a bear in a flannel.

You resisted the urge to roll your eyes and instead muttered something under your breath—something like “charming” or maybe just “Jesus Christ.”

You cleared your throat. “So… do you like cooking?”

He turned his head a fraction, enough to eye you sideways. “It’s food.”

You blinked. “That wasn’t really an answer.”

He shrugged one shoulder. “I cook. So I can eat.”

You gave him a flat look, but he was already turning back to the pot, stirring like you hadn’t said anything at all.

༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•༶

Dinner at Tommy and Maria’s was always warm—familiar, comforting, threaded with laughter and the scent of something slow-cooked—but tonight, it buzzed with a quiet, unbearable tension.

Joel’s food was, of course, incredible.

Rich and rustic, seasoned to perfection, made with the kind of care he’d never admit out loud. But he ate like it was nothing. Like he hadn’t spent hours making it. He was already halfway through his plate by the time you’d taken your second bite, chewing in near silence, shoulders hunched like he was bracing for a storm no one else could feel.

You sat across from him, napkin folded delicately in your lap, heart tapping anxiously against your ribs.

Tommy was loving this. His smirk was nearly unbearable—eyes flicking from your face to Joel’s with all the subtlety of a man watching live theatre. He knew exactly what you were trying to do. He could see the way you kept glancing down, folding and refolding your napkin, trying to find the perfect opening to ask a question you weren’t even sure Joel would let you finish.

You took a breath, then another.

Wiped your mouth—gently.

“This is delicious, Joel,” you said, hoping your voice didn’t betray how hard your palms were sweating. “Really. It’s… so good.”

He nodded once, without looking up. “Mm.”

That was all.

Tommy bit back a grin and reached for the bread.

You looked at him helplessly, and he looked about ready to combust from holding in his laughter.

You pressed your fingers to your water glass, steadying yourself. And then—“So,” you said, voice a little too bright, a little too casual, “do you cook often for other people? Or… someone in particular?”

Joel’s fork paused. Slowly, he looked up.

His brow furrowed, deep and unmistakable. That classic Joel Miller expression that hovered somewhere between mild confusion and why are you still talking to me?

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

You tried to smile, but it landed halfway between charm and panic. “Nothing. Just… this kind of meal seems like something you’d make for someone special.”

He blinked at you. Once. Twice.

Then, “This a dinner or a damn interview?”

The words landed sharp. Not cruel, but cutting in that quiet, measured way only Joel could manage. Dry. Dismissive. Final.

It shut you up.

༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•༶

After that night, after the dinner table rejection that hummed in your chest like an ache you didn’t know how to name, you decided there was no use in subtlety.

You had tried soft. You had tried polite. You had tried slipping things in like compliments folded into napkins, but Joel Miller was not the kind of man who read between the lines.

So the next time you saw him—three days later, tightening fencing wire behind the stables, sleeves rolled and brows furrowed in that eternal expression of someone perpetually unimpressed—you walked right up, leaned against the gatepost, and said, “Hypothetically… if someone asked you out, would you even go?”

He didn’t stop working. Didn’t glance at you. Just muttered, “Not interested in hypotheticals.”

You huffed, pushed off the post, and walked away.

Two days after that, you caught him hauling firewood into the school kitchen, face flushed from the cold, jaw tight. You handed him a cloth to wipe his hands and asked, “Would it kill you to let someone care about you?”

He blinked at you, deadpan. “You tryna get yourself assigned latrine duty with all these damn questions?”

You rolled your eyes and let the door shut behind you.

It became a pattern—awkward, pointed, persistent.

You asked him at the tool shed while he was oiling his shotgun, the scent of steel and turpentine between you, your voice feather-light but your eyes fixed carefully on his profile.

“What’s your type, anyway? If you had to pick?”

He didn’t even glance up. “People who mind their business.”

You tried again during patrol prep, the morning still damp with frost, his belt heavy with knives and yours with hope.

“You ever get lonely, Joel?”

He grunted without missing a beat. “You ever stop talkin’?”

After that, you told yourself you’d stop.

That maybe Tommy was right, maybe Joel Miller was the one locked door even your heart couldn’t open. You weren’t built to beg, and love shouldn’t have to be pried loose from someone like a tooth. So you promised yourself: no more questions, no more attempts. He didn’t want to be known.

But the promise frayed faster than you'd expected.

It had been a soft evening—one of those rare Jackson nights where the world felt quiet and intact, where the sun dipped low and golden behind the trees and the sky blushed lilac at the edges, and everything smelled faintly of woodsmoke and the promise of spring.

He was sitting on the porch steps outside the meeting hall, arms resting on his knees, posture taut like he was keeping the world at bay even while it softened around him.

You hadn’t meant to approach—not really—but something about the hush in the air and the loneliness curling at your ankles pushed you forward before you could stop yourself.

“Joel?” you asked gently, your voice low and full of something raw you didn’t try to hide this time.

He didn’t look at you, but he didn’t walk away either.

You sat down a few steps above him, enough distance between you to feel it. Enough hope left to try again.

“You really don’t think there’s anyone out there for you?” you asked softly, the words slipping from your lips like petals dropped into water, barely a ripple, as if saying it gently enough might keep it from shattering between you.

The air had cooled into dusk, the kind of quiet evening that made the world feel suspended—trees swaying in slow rhythm, the scent of smoke clinging to your clothes, light from the porch lantern casting golden shadows that didn’t quite reach him.

Joel didn’t answer right away.

He exhaled, slow and sharp, and the sound of it felt like something snapping—not loudly, not dramatically, just the quiet, unmistakable give of something that had been holding too much weight for too long.

And then, with his eyes fixed somewhere over your shoulder, his voice came low and flat and brutal.

“What I think,” he said, “is that you don’t know how to mind your own damn business.”

You blinked, lips parting just slightly, but he wasn’t finished. His gaze never touched yours, his jaw tight with the kind of bitterness that had lived in him too long to name.

“You wanna feel needed?” he continued, each word cut clean and cruel. “Go find someone who gives a damn. It ain’t me.”

And then—he looked away.

Not in shame. Not in regret. Just turned his head with the finality of someone who had decided you no longer existed.

Your breath caught in your throat, small and sharp like the echo of a sob that hadn’t made it out. You stood slowly, hands stiff at your sides, your body moving before your mind caught up, every inch of you suddenly aware of how foolish you must have looked—how fragile your hope had been.

“I’m sorry,” you said quietly, but the words felt like they belonged to someone else. You didn’t even know what you were apologizing for—existing, maybe. Caring.

He didn’t look up.

You turned, your steps uncertain at first—just the gentle scrape of boots on wood—but soon they quickened, like maybe if you moved fast enough you could outrun the heat rising behind your eyes or the way your throat had gone tight and narrow, like your heart was trying to climb out of it. Your shoulders curled inward as you walked, a soft, instinctive folding—as if you could shrink yourself into something smaller, something less noticeable, something easier to leave behind.

By the time you reached the path, the sky had deepened to a bruised indigo, the sun swallowed whole behind the trees, and the wind that had once carried the scent of pine and firewood now felt sharp and cold against your skin, like it knew it had overstayed its welcome.

And Joel?

Joel just sat there.

Still. Silent. Staring at nothing like the world around him had gone quiet too.

He didn’t flinch when Ellie approached—her footsteps uneven, heavy with the kind of angry purpose only a teenager could carry—but he didn’t greet her either. Just kept his eyes on the dark horizon like it might tell him what he’d just done.

Ellie stopped at the bottom of the porch steps, hands shoved deep into her jacket pockets, her brows drawn so tight they nearly met.

“That was mean,” she said flatly, her voice cutting through the air like the crack of a branch underfoot.

Joel blinked, slow and deliberate, then rubbed a hand over his jaw, the scrape of his calloused palm loud in the silence.

“Ellie,” he muttered, low and tired, “how many times do I gotta tell you—it’s rude to eavesdrop.”

She rolled her eyes so hard you could hear it in her exhale.

“Yeah?” she shot back. “You know what else is rude? Being a complete asshole to someone who’s literally just tryin’ to care about you.”

He didn’t answer, just shifted slightly in his seat, his shoulders tight and his mouth pressed into a hard, straight line, like he was holding something back but wasn’t sure if it was words or regret.

“She wasn’t asking to annoy you,” Ellie went on, climbing the first step now, her voice lower but no less sharp. “She was asking ’cause she sees somethin’ in you. Which, frankly, is a goddamn miracle.”

Joel turned to look at her then—just barely, just enough—and the soft light caught the edge of his face, carved in angles and shadows, every line telling the story of a man who had carried too much for too long, who had forgotten softness because it had stopped surviving in his hands.

Ellie’s voice came quieter now, stripped of its usual armor, her hands still buried in her jacket but her posture more uncertain than defiant.

“You know I never met my mom,” she said suddenly, her eyes fixed somewhere beyond him, like the words were too fragile to look directly at.

Joel blinked, the shift in conversation jarring, his brow tightening in the center like something had caught him off guard and he didn’t quite know how to hold it.

Ellie shrugged, quick and small, like she regretted saying it the second it left her mouth. “I don’t know,” she added, voice softer now. “I guess I wouldn’t mind you… y’know. Finding someone.”

She said it like it was no big deal, like it hadn’t just cracked the air in two.

But Joel was still staring at her, still unmoving, still caught on that sentence—not the words themselves, but the space between them, the unspoken ache in her tone, the confession she hadn’t made outright but had wrapped in something lighter so it wouldn’t break the both of them.

“I mean,” she went on, her voice wobbling only slightly, “someone who’s good. Who could maybe… I don’t know. Be around. Help. Talk to me sometimes. If you weren’t. Not that I need it.” She swallowed. “Just… wouldn’t hate it, is all.”

The wind shifted again, cool and clean, brushing past them like it too was afraid to speak.

Joel looked at her like he hadn’t known—hadn’t let himself know—that there was a piece of her still searching for something she’d never had. Not just safety. Not just shelter. But softness. Guidance. A presence that could fill in the shape of something maternal, something gentle, something lasting.

Something like love.

And maybe, for the first time in a long while, Joel didn’t feel defensive. Didn’t feel the need to retreat behind some cold remark or hard silence.

He just sat there, staring at this kid—his kid—and realized with a slow, dawning ache that in all his effort to protect her from the world, he hadn’t stopped to think she might want more than just protection.

She might want family.

༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•༶

Tag List: (for future i think i will tag #cupidofwyoming for each chapter instead of a tag list because a lot of the time the tags dont work for some reason?! that way you guys can still find the chapters on my blog xx)

@joelmillerswife9 @meanderingcaptainswanmusings @mrfitzdarcyslover @noeeeeeeel @lostinthestreamofconsciousness

@fitzwlliamdarcy @mystickittytaco @millerdjarinn @missladym1981

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@cinderblock24 @astroid-wanderer @ashleyfilm @lizzie-cakes

@sagexsenorita

[strawberrystepmom]

dante x f!reader. established...something. reader is a magic anthropologist and they're both in their thirties. this is full of cringe banter and innuendo i'm so sawryyyyyyy | wc 1.6k, reading time: 7 minutes.

“What are you doing here?”

You’ve been aware of Dante’s slow creep down the aisle of the largest archive of metaphysical knowledge this godforsaken place has to offer for some time. You finally call out to him across messy stacks of books.

Foolishly, you hoped he wouldn’t make a game out of this. He strides up to you confidently, clearly thrilled to finally have forced you to be the first to break. This is familiar territory for you and him both, where all of your “career” related activities are conducted and where he comes to find you when he’s looked everywhere else without a trace.

Leaning against the shelf, he folds his arms over his chest and tilts his head to the side.

“I’m researching obviously.”

You look up from the shelf in front of you with a raised brow only to be met with a pair of familiar eyes trained directly at the curve of your chest and whatever peak of skin is pushed up over your neckline. 

“Yeah, researching how far you can look down my shirt from that grand height you stand at.”

Caught, the gunslinger’s eyes drift toward your face without an ounce of shame in them. 

“And what about it?”

Your stance shifts from flat footed to standing on your tiptoes, arm extended high above your head with your thumb and forefinger reaching toward the tip of his nose to flick it. As sharply reflexed as he has ever been, he dodges the attack and captures your hand in his, spreading your fingers and pressing the heel of your hand against his lips.

Allowing him a moment to sniff your wrist and shoot his best half lidded glance downward, you end it quickly by snatching your arm from his grasp and placing it down at your side. A flaming face that belongs to you turns back toward the shelves to hide your thrill at his public flirtation, insisting upon keeping things polite while you’re working billable hours.

“What do you need, Dante?”

He wishes he could press another kiss at the delicate bend of your wrist.

“A break. A drink. Lots and lots and lots of money. Right now though? Information.”

Sighing, he leans against the bookshelf and holds out his forearms for you to place the ever growing stack you’re working with upon. Wrinkling your nose, you look between him and the books and he holds out his arms and shakes his head leaving you optionless. 

“What about?” You stack a book and then another, looking up at him to find him already staring down at you. “God don’t look at me like that, just tell me what you want.”

Chuckling, he shakes his head.

“Well, you, of course.” 

It takes all of your strength not to turn and walk away if only to be left alone from his tormenting. You’re good at holding your own, especially against the gruff figures who come to you in search of knowledge of demonology or the magical arts you’ve so raptly committed your life to seeking and holding yet it’s different with Dante.

The two of you have been very good friends since the spring of your early twenties. You’ve, at the very least, slept together for almost that entire time too - entering your thirties in each other’s arms. Constantly picking each other’s brains, running from each other when things got rough and back toward each other when they’ve improved or the lonely nights wouldn’t abate on their own. He’s almost sort of a…companion despite your distaste for defining characteristics.

A boyfriend who lives a life too dangerous for attachment, his very clear one to you cast aside. A man you think about when you wake and sleep both, hoping he’ll visit your dreams on the off chance he isn’t by your side. 

Enough of that. You clear your throat to feign impatience and force him to answer.

“I need to borrow that brain and how good you are at figuring out where to find shit in here.”

Laughing, you raise both of your brows.

“It’s alphabetical. Did you forget your letters or what?”

He leans downward, a larger frame closing in and you sidestep him slightly, pretending preoccupation with the books on the portion of the shelf in front of you.

“I forget everything when you’re around.”

Scoffing, you yank a book off of the shelf. “Okay now you’re laying it on a little too thick.”

Looking around the library, you know it’s futile to refuse him. There hasn’t been a moment in the past ten years you’ve told him no in any meaningful way and surely you won’t start today.

“I’m working—” he raises his eyebrows and gasps at the words, feigning shock and you shake your head to dissuade him from continuing with his show. Working is all you’ve seemed to be doing these days, spending days and nights alike with books spread across the small expanse of your apartment leaving little time for extracurricular fun. “But I can make time to help out if you promise you’ll let me handle the research I’m being paid for first.”

“I could pay you too, y’know. My methods may be a little unconventional compared to whatever this mysterious patron is paying you with,” he raises a brow and you roll your eyes. “You’d be rewarded very, very well if you’d only put the books down for one night.”

The innuendo is dripping from his every word. If you knew less about how much he meant what he’s saying perhaps you could play it off better yet your cheeks flame. You know how his rough hands feel at the base of your spine and the dip of your waist, swearing you can feel them drag across you. 

“Oh by the way, what’s the name of that demon you needed me to research?”

Attempting to gain a little bit of control over yourself and the situation, you change the subject and pretend you can’t taste him as clear as day in your mouth, memories doing more than you need them to right now.

“It’s, uh, H…” he trails off, giving up the effort of continuing his tall tale. Another sigh, another beat passes and he furrows his brows. 

You always manage to expertly cut him down to size, a curse and a blessing all at the same time. 

“I’ve been trying to see you for weeks, honey.”

You shake your head. “Days. It has been days since the last time we saw each other and you spent the night despite saying you were leaving before I passed out.”

No chance of wiggling out of this one.

“In my defense, they’ve felt like weeks. Months.”

Shoulders sagging, you lean forward and press yourself against the bookshelf and a pitiful excuse for a frown, the upturned corners of your mouth you can’t seem to put down any time he’s around giving you away. “Sorry for neglecting you. Unfortunately, a girl’s gotta eat and pay rent.”

Of course, there’s no offer made to assist you with either of those things considering he has to work pretty hard for both of them himself. 

“And while we’re discussing it, you don’t have to pay me with that.” 

If you weren’t in public you’d say what you mean - fucking - but it’s easier to simply allude to the late nights spent taking out your mutual grief and frustration with physical release when company you don’t know may be lurking around. Shaking your head, you turn your attention back to the shelves and stack another book atop the rest. 

“In fact, if we both had more of it to spare, just spending time with you would be payment enough.”

If he’s taken aback he does his best to hide it, shifting slightly and covering his face partially by turning it in the direction of the darkened other end of the aisle. 

“See, all this time I thought you only liked me for my body,” he lets slip.

Softly giggling, you pause all other movement besides the rise and fall of your chest and the focus of your gaze upon the man beside you though his gaze remains averted.

“Nah, I hate to say it but I enjoy your company most of all.”

Now he’s drawn back, looking at you with a bit of doubt clouding those steel blue eyes to which you notice and shrug at. “We have the best conversations. You make me laugh; you never make me feel like it’s inconvenient to liste–”

Your words are swallowed by Dante’s mouth before you can get them out. Those quick reflexes worked to bring him close to you before you could even notice, soft lips pressed against a slightly drier, rougher pair. 

“Well when you put it that way,” he mutters against your lips. You laugh against his mouth, lips curving perfectly into his. 

It’s all almost too sweet to bear. Strangely boyfriend-y for a man you’re so apprehensive to refer to as such. 

A stranger breezes past the two of you in the aisle and pretends not to gawk. Despite the hairs standing up on the back of your neck, you let the natural scrap of shame you have remaining go the way everything else does when Dante’s around.

It disappears, evaporates. Leaves only the two of you behind. 

“You can stick around if you don’t have anything better to do,” you tell him, finally breaking away.

Groaning, he redistributes the weight of the books across his arms and stands up so he’s no longer slouching.

“Can’t we take them back to your place?”

Shaking your head, you rap your knuckles against the heaviest metal spine bound book at the bottom of the pile.

“Nope, the rules dictate that this one stays here and I need it the most.”

Smirking, he leans in closer to you. “Then we’ll just have to have some fun here.”

Tossing another book atop the now chin height stack he’s carrying, you shoot him a look that says everything he needs to know. The private booth in the back the two of you occupied the last time he decided to bother you at work is available today.

[cupidologys]

⸻ imprint.

pairing: grimmjow x reader

word count: 2.4k

synopsis: life becomes increasingly complicated after a seemingly one-night stand with grimmjow extends way past the one-night mark.

as it turns out, arrancars become very clingy, very fast.

Opening your eyes to an arrancar laid next to you in your bed was not your idea of a happy wake-up call. He was still asleep; his gentle snores break the silence as you spring up, scrambling to retrace last night’s memories. A soft groan leaves you as it all comes flooding back.

The break up. The violent sobbing. The tissues and excessive consumption of bottom shelf tequila. The violent puking. The rebound that was currently still in your bed.

Oh, you are so thoroughly, completely fucked.

You curse yourself. How could you be so stupid as to drunkenly hook up with—

Your thoughts stutter as your brain fully catches up to last night’s memories. You remember the screaming and anger when you found out about your ex’s infidelity, which led to a night of reckless abandonment at a nearby bar, which further led to your very worried friends picking you up and bringing you home. Grimmjow was there for reasons you can’t remember. What you can recall, definitively, is that you did not sleep with him. He had carried you up to your apartment, settled you in bed, and was about to leave when you dragged him into the sheets for cuddles, refusing to let go until he conceded.

Embarrassing? Yes. As bad as hooking up with him? Not by a long shot.

A shift in movement beside you jolts you out of your thoughts. Grimmjow mutters something, voice still groggy with sleep. You freeze and ignore him, pretending not to hear. You pray that he goes back to sleep. Your prayers go unheard.

“[Y/N]?”

Silence.

He blinks one strikingly blue eye open and settles it on you. With a roll of his neck, he stretches out—lazy and languid. You stare straight at your bedroom door, hoping to avoid eye contact—and his incredibly sculpted muscles.

Why the hell is he shirtless?!

“Good morning,” you say with as much casualness as you can muster. It isn’t a lot. Your words come out more strangled than you intended. You want to weep.

Grimmjow doesn’t seem to notice—or care. “Morning. You want coffee?”

“I…” you swallow, unsure of how to navigate this situation. You decide to blurt out the first thing that comes to mind. “I think you should go.”

Grimmjow opens his mouth to say something, but something in your expression stops him. He just gives you a slightly perplexed look before nodding slowly.

“You gonna be okay?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Are you serious?” He scoffs, unbelieving. “You realize the entire reason why I barely slept a wink last night was because you kept tossing, turning, and crying so hard I thought you’d shrivel up from dehydration?”

You feel your cheeks flame.

“You didn’t have to stay!”

Grimmjow moves closer to you, angling himself to face you directly. The proximity makes you dizzy among such tension.

“What was I supposed to do, sweetheart? Leave you to drown in your own tears? I’m not that cruel.”

You repeat yourself, quieter this time. “You still didn’t have to stay.”

“I chose to.”

He moves away, leaving you speechless and confused.

“Get dressed.”

“What?” You reply, still reeling from his words. “Why?”

“I’m taking you to breakfast.”

Dumbfounded, you can only manage another: “What?”

“Breakfast. To replenish all those fluids you lost.” Grimmjow swings his coat over his shoulders before tossing a hoodie on your head. “And to fuel up before killing that ex boyfriend of yours.”

He leaves the room before you can process his words. Once you do, you jump up from the bed with a wince—the hangover still piercing—and scramble after him in alarm.

“Grim! Don’t you fucking dare! Get back here, you overgrown lab rat!”

୨୧ · · ♡ · · ୨୧

“I need help.”

Ichigo barely looks up from the eggs benedict he’s scarfing down. If you didn’t know him any better, you’d be scared he’d choke.

“Wow. You must be desperate if you’re coming to me for relationship advice.”

“First of all, it's not a relationship. Second of all, I know enough embarrassing things about you to ruin the rest of your very long life if you ever decided to speak of this to someone else.”

He shoots you a sideways look. “Noted.”

You anxiously drum your fingers on the table. “It’s about Grimmjow.”

Ichigo wrinkles his nose. “What about him?”

“He’s been acting weird.”

The shinigami bites into a piece of bacon. You already regret bringing him to brunch to sort this out. Sadly, it was the only way to get him to bail on his college club meeting.

“Weird how?” He asks between chews.

You sigh. “I don’t even know. Ever since that night, something’s been different. He’s weirdly clingy—the other day, I was running errands and ended up with a six-foot-one tag-along for every single one. It made my bank visit and hair appointment interesting, to say the least. Does he have a crush on me now or something?”

“Oh that’s not new.”

You look at Ichigo in puzzlement. “What are you talking about?”

“The crush? That’s not new. Whatever this thing is, it’s worse,” he answers nonchalantly.

The news makes your head spin. Grimmjow has a crush on you? Why? How? Since when? Was it when he moved to the human world?

Ichigo’s voice pulls you from your spiral. “Have you watched any vampire or werewolf movies?”

You balk at the insinuation. “Are you saying he imprinted on me? Like some kind of giant freak baby duck?!”

“More like he’s simply gotten attached to you… maybe it’s some weird arrancar mating thing?” Ichigo offers.

You deflate. “That is so not better.”

He shrugs. “You’re the one that decided to get into bed with an arrancar.”

“We didn’t do anything!”

“...Would you want to?”

You open your mouth for a firm rejection, but for some reason the words lodge in your throat. Grimmjow is rough around the edges, without question. He’s stubborn, reckless, and a pain in your ass. Regardless, you’ve been privy to his genuinity firsthand. You can’t recall a single time he hadn’t been there for you when you needed him.

“I don’t know,” you sigh.

“You should figure that out then. It seems you both have some complicated feelings to sort out.”

୨୧ · · ♡ · · ୨୧

Your phone hasn’t stopped buzzing for the last twenty minutes. Your ex has found another number already—the last one was blocked only two days ago. You have half a mind to throw your phone into the pond in front of you. The koi fish probably wouldn’t be too happy about that, though—and neither would their owner. Out of respect for the wildlife—and Rukia—you settle for shutting the device off entirely. A temporary fix, yes, but at least you’ll have some peace and quiet for the rest of the night.

The party inside is in full swing—crowds of people mill around the house with drinks in hand and inhibitions loose. The music is so loud the bass shakes the foundations of the building; four stories of flashing lights, hazy vapours, and drunken stupors thrum a few hundred feet behind you. Rukia’s place is huge—perfect for a summer send off for a bunch of rowdy college students. You only hope Byakuya doesn’t find out about this one. The last time that happened… you cringe at the memory.

The garden is far enough from the main part of the house—mansion, more appropriately—that you only hear muffled beats of the blaring stereos and screaming students. A good thing too as you feel a headache coming on from the events of the night. You sit on a soft patch of grass a few metres from the edge of the water, watching as shining fish circle each other in colourful rhythms. The solo cup in your hand has long run dry. You prefer to stay sober from now on; you don’t need a repeat of what happened two months ago.

The moon is high against the dark canvas of the sky. It should be half past one by now. From your experience, the partygoers won’t filter out until hours later.

The sound of footsteps makes you turn. Grimmjow saunters towards you, a beer in hand. You aren’t sure how to act around him. You haven’t ever since you found out about his crush on you. You aren’t even sure you believe it to be true; it’s Grimmjow, for heaven’s sake. A crush? Romantic feelings? Such concepts don’t even exist in the lives of people like him.

Regardless, it’s been an awkward couple of weeks—for you, at least. It’s not easy trying to ignore an arrancar hellbent on pestering you every second of the day.

You’d be lying if you say you haven’t missed him though.

“Drink?” He holds out his bottle to you in offering.

You wince. “Better not. I have plans tomorrow morning.”

He takes a seat next to you in the grass. You shuffle over slightly, still wary of his closeness. The movement makes him frown, but surprisingly, he doesn’t comment on it.

“What plans?”

“I…” You hesitate. For reasons you don’t want to understand, it feels uncomfortable to tell him. “I have a date.”

Grimmjow’s beer bottle shatters in his hand, spraying him with alcohol. You jump up in alarm, panicking at the mess of glass and foaming liquid.

“Holy shit! Are you okay?! What the hell was that?!”

“I’m fine,” he grits out between clenched teeth.

You stare at him in bewilderment. The liquid drips down his forearm, pooling at his feet. Glass shards litter the grass around him as he wipes his hand on the front of his jeans.

“Let me see your hand.”

He pulls away from you as you try to take his hand in yours. “I said I’m fine.”

“Your hand, Grimmjow. Give it,” you insist.

He grumbles in annoyance but eventually relents. He was right—there’s no cut in sight. His skin is unbroken and… really, really warm. You yank your hand away, flustered at the heated contact.

“A date? Seriously?”

“Huh?” You look up, embarrassment forgotten. He’s looking straight ahead towards the pond and garden fixtures, avoiding direct eye contact with you.

He’s beautiful.

You startle yourself with that sudden thought. When did you start noticing the little things? Like the curve of his lips and the vibrance of his eyes. When did you start viewing him… differently? You ignore these dangerous thoughts—pushing them aside to maintain a semblance of control.

“What’s wrong with a date?”

He grunts in answer. He still hasn’t looked at you.

“It’s just this blind date thing I promised a friend I would try. It’s not like it’ll go anywhere,” you ramble. You’re not quite sure why you feel the need to explain yourself but you do it regardless. “Anyway, I’m still dealing with the break-up so it’s not like I have time or the mental capacity to actually date.”

“You still haven’t moved on?” He asks, disgust lacing his tone.

You shrug. From your asshole ex? Absolutely. From the emotional turmoil of the relationship’s aftermath? Not so much.

“I’m dealing with it.”

Grimmjow does not like that answer. “For fucks sake, [Y/N], how are you still hung up on him? How is he worth this? Any of this? That bastard hasn’t deserved you since the day he got you!”

Your jaw drops at his outburst.

“Why are you getting so worked up about this?”

“Because you’re being fucking stupid!” Grimmjow stands up and starts pacing. The unexpected argument sends you spiralling into a fit of anger matching his own.

“Excuse me?” You stand up too and narrow your eyes at the arrancar.

He whips around to you, all six-foot-one of him towering over your frame. The heat emanating off of him is palpable in the chilly night air. His gaze is sharp—cutting into your own with intense emotion.

“You’re stupid because you don’t realize you deserve better.”

“And what? Who the hell is better? You?” You’re pushing him for a reaction.

He gives it to you.

“Yes!”

The word makes you both freeze. Grimmjow looks shocked at his own response; his eyes are so wide you can see your own surprise reflected in their icy blue.

“So you do have feelings for me,” you whisper.

Grimmjow’s head drops, his gaze now boring into the ground. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think he was embarrassed.

“Was that not fucking obvious?” He grumbles.

“Apparently not to me.”

He rubs his neck and lets out a long breath. “Well…” His eyes focus on you. “Now you know.”

Your heart is beating so fast it feels like it’ll burst out of your chest.

“Are you gonna say anything?” Grimmjow asks uneasily. He fidgets with his hair, anxiously waiting for your reply.

“You’re one of my closest friends, Grim. I don’t like change. I’m not very good at it,” you note.

“But what if the change is good?”

You cough out a dry laugh. “Are you saying you’re good? You? Mr. Almighty Espada?”

“Depends who you ask.”

You pretend to think. “Hmm… how about Ichigo?”

“Who cares what that moron thinks.”

“Well, considering he’s my best friend—”

Grimmjow scowls. “Still not thrilled about that, by the way.”

You smile at his indignation.

“I’m not cancelling my date.”

“What?” Grimmjow’s face falls and you try not to giggle at how easily he resembles a kicked puppy.

“Tomorrow. 5pm. Pick me up then?”

It takes a second for him to register what you mean, but when he does, he smirks and throws an arm around you, pulling you in for a side-hug that nearly suffocates you. You don’t mind at all.

“Or we can just start the date now.”

You laugh. “Slow done, cowboy. I have to change my number first thing tomorrow morning. He hasn’t stopped blowing up my phone.”

Grimmjow growls. “You know, you shouldn’t have stopped me from killing him last time.”

“Sometimes, I don’t know if you’re joking.” You tilt your head in concern. “It’s worrying.”

He shoots you an irritated look. “Why would I be joking?”

You merely shake your head, looking at him in amusement. For the first time in a long while, you have a feeling that everything will work out just fine.

[nichromepackaging]

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Webs of a Wing

Chapter 2

I wanted to post once a month and had this chapter ready to go when I posted the first. Then I suddenly decided to add a bunch more a few days along and almost didn't post on time... It's 12:10 but, close enough. Also, I fought for my life trying to figure out how to tag people for some reason..

Anyway! Founding your family time with the slay girls. My knowledge in the MCU is as vast as in DCU so, quite small.

I hope you like it!

Reader ages 10 - 12

───── ⋆⋅ 🕸 ⋅⋆ ─────

It starts to feel less disappointing to see that they never show up. Of course, Alfred always tries to make the time; he's your number one support.

You didn't ask for everyone's attention, you didn't want it, only theirs. Not looked up to on a pedestal, watched over from afar, like A doll on the shelf. All you asked for is a connection, real and human.

Yet, you could never achieve it, so you stopped trying. You stopped reaching out to hands that were never extended to you. If you're not wanted, then you won't bother. You won't waste your time. You had Alfred when you could, another observer in their lives. In this, you find your own kind of family, away from the manor, forming connections and bonds that follow you through your school years. One girl in particular was a catalyst for accepting others into your life.

“Hey! Can you give your opinion on the after-school club uniforms?” You're halted in the halls by a redhead gripping your shoulders.

You blink at her owlishly, “Uh, wha-?”

Noting your confusion, she introduces herself, “Ah, name’s Mary, Mary Jane Watson. You can call me MJ.” Her arm slips around your shoulder as she guides you along.

“Um, hi, Mj.” You relax ever so slightly when you give her your first name and she doesn't immediately pounce on you for a surname.

Wiping out a notepad, she finally explains, “So, I write the school paper’s fashion articles and I've noticed you join, like, a lot.”

“Oh. Yeah..” Tilting your head at her, you’re still very lost as to why you were the one singled out.

But she just smiles, “Come with me. I need to know about everything they make you wear.” She says as if she plans to drag you away.

She wanted you to show her every blazer, letterman, vest, and so forth. Not ready to bring a stranger to the mansion she compromises. Choosing to meet after your clubs. It's nice to have someone waiting for you, other than Alfred. You don't wish to be her model, to her disappointment. Instead, opting to go behind the camera. Mj squeals in delight as you give her free range on the available gear. Styling and posing a hundred times for each uniform.

You've come to know her as a kind-hearted, fairly popular, carefree girl. One who often weaponized these traits to her advantage, especially when it comes to getting a good story. After her article on club fashion is released, a big hit around school, she doesn't let you go. Insisting she needs someone to help her with photos for her real passion, modeling. That's how you found yourself snapping shots of MJ throughout the school day and between clubs. You would feel like a creeper if it wasn't for the fact that she practically demands it.

On occasion, this has left you at odds with those who thought themselves better company for your friend to keep. She wouldn’t put up with such nonsense, not that you minded it all that much. You didn't have anyone, throwing themselves at your feet, over the wealth and fame over a name. One you didn't even feel the right to associate yourself with. Instead, you were just another middle schooler who was strangely acquainted with someone who others saw as highly desirable

It cemented your friend when she asked you to pick her up for a weekend shoot on a small bridge at the park. The modest one-floor house was surrounded by an unkempt yard and a rusted link chain fence. A rather loud argument pictures the walls as you watch every bit of movement you can see behind the crumpled curtains. Your fingers are anxiously twisting the strap slung over your shoulder, bag packed generously by Alfred with two lunches. Finally, hurling one last shout over her shoulder, Mj emerged. Her arm links with yours and before you can speak she’s all but dragging you down the street.

She didn't say anything until you two were in the middle of setting up your first shot. stumbling over her words, she tries to tell you that what you heard wasn’t really that bad, that her dad just had a few drinks, that really they weren’t even yelling, and actually it wasn’t something to worry about if you are worried. There was an abnormal casualty of which she spouts anything to pacify whatever she thinks your reaction will be. Only the deep sorrow in her eyes told you the truth of the pain and strife she was pushing down.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.” You peer from behind the camera,

“Can I just.. complain about it?”

An appreciative smile pulls at her lips as you continue to capture her image. You didn’t expect an explanation, didn’t need one. She stopped trying to reason. Instead, she spoke, and you listened. Then, everything came almost at once, from her sister leaving to her father drinking and even her mother's illness. For a moment, you wonder if your father could do anything for her. You just as quickly push the naive thought away, why would such a man do something like that for a friend of yours?

Her lips curl into a satisfied smile as she clicks through the camera. “You know, you have a knack for catching my good side.” She tucks it away before tossing you a juice box from the bag.

“All your sides are good sides.” You hum, poking your straw through it.

This earns you an unstifled giggle, “Good answer, tiger.” Mj winks at you before tucking the camera back into its carry case, “Seriously, you've mastered the cam. Not that I want to lose my personal photographer, but have you considered joining the paper?”

You suck the last of the juice from the box with a raised brow, “I dunno, ‘might have to drop a few other things..” Swishing the contents as if contemplating. Really thought, it was an easy answer and you already decided to drop most of the clubs you only joined to fill time. Not to mention you were already familiar with helping and it was fun to work with your friend.

“Come on, me and you, together. I’ll do the writing and posing for pictures while you do the editing and taking pictures.” She clutches your hands in hers, fingers intertwined, “We’ll literally be the hottest journalist team.” Her emerald eyes are wide and pleading as she gazes up at you.

“Don't let her trick you into doing her work for her.” The scoff of another girl comes from behind you.

You recognized her as Gwen Stacy, another girl from your grade. She flips her blond hair over her shoulder as she makes her way onto the small bridge. The two of you had been using the foliage-obscured spot for your photo shoot. Coming to stand before them, blue eyes scanning Mj up and down. Mary Jane crosses her arms giving the scrutinizing look back.

She scoffs at the blond, “How do you know they don't want to?”

Gwen raises a brow at her, “Who would?” She offers back with a scoff of her own.

You jump in before proverbial knives can meet throats. “Actually, I like taking pictures for MJ.”

Gwen cocks her head at you, “Then join the photography club.”

Mj huffs, “Not if you want to actually, ya know, do something with your life.”

You step in again as the two wind up to take more jabs at each other. “Hey, um, ‘think I'll stick to what I've got..” Lifting the camera to Gwen she furrows her brows looking closer at your picture, “I've never even owned a camera before, but I'm having fun with Mj and I think doing the paper could be nice.”

She slips the device from your grasp, clicking through each picture. “You're actually really good..” Peeking up at you, she smiles sheepishly, “Can you take pictures of me too?”

While the two have their differences every now and then, you were always together. You left most of your clubs, having only picked them up for that void made by your family. Now you have people to fill the holes that they left behind.

While you'd never met, you’re familiar with the GCPD Captain, through your family's close ties with the commissioner. Who would have guessed that you would find yourself in his living room as Gwen dragged you along? Shaking his head with amusement as he watches he shut the two of you away in her room. Gwen had offered a hangout to help you with your scheduling if you helped her with her own. It was interesting to see all the things she was balancing. A focus in stem with an emphasis in chemistry but, with a blossoming interest in modeling.

Something she admits sheepishly, revealing the offer to do a small shoot she's been recruited for, “I sent in a headshot you did, and well I didn’t think I'd actually get it. Who knows..” She shrugged nonchalantly despite the turbulence on her face, “Maybe it'll help me with college too.” Legs stretching out across her bed, she nudges your shared piles of junk aside, her feet resting at your side.

You mirror her positing from the opposite end of her bed, “Collage? already?? I don't think we have to take it so seriously yet.” Collecting the pile of disheveled papers in your hands, you shuffle them off to the side to be put away later. “Not that getting in would be hard for you. I guess you already know what you want to be but, it's okay to have other interests.”

Smiling at her with reassurance infects her with a pull at her own, “I have a pretty good idea, yeah, and that's what I'm gonna shape myself into. Starting now.” Cerulean eyes scan over your current disastrous schedule of overbooking and under-appreciation, “Stretching yourself so thin isn’t going to make you.. well, whatever you’re trying to become.”

“I just want to be somebody.” It’s your turn to poorly shrug your worries off as if they never really sat all that heavily, to begin with.

“You of all people wanna be famous?” Gwen misinterprets, raising a golden brow at you.

Your face scrunches at the mere suggestion, “God no!” Busying yourself with sifting out your less favorable activities. Handing over everything you planned to keep up with, to the bewildered yet, inturged blond across from you.

Martial arts, Gymnastics, journalism, photography, coding, knitting, and you're still handing her more.. Looking them all over, she shakes her head with a chuckle, “You know what they say. Jack of all trades, they’re master of none.”

A hand slips over your head, rubbing at the back of your neck, “I just wanna be.. Worthwhile, I guess? I’ve just never felt like I was enough.” She set you with a concerned look that paints heat over the tops of your ears, “But I actually like these!”

She shuffles through your handful of flyers, sign-ups, papers, and the like for each, “Well, there’s more to that saying about a jack of all trades, right?” Scooting over to sit beside you, she bumps your shoulder with a soft smile. “They’re often better than a master of one.”

“Thanks.. I think?” Laughing, you bump her shoulder back. You get the sentiment at least, you think..

“Still might be good to cut some of these out. Don’t push yourself so hard.” Lifting flyers for both photography and the school paper, “I thought you were gonna pick one?”

Days spent without Alfred or the girls were the hardest. Roaming long halls, hearing your father and brother, who've been arguing more and more. Robin's role in leading his own team had left the house feeling emptier than usual. Hardly ever crossing paths with one another. Lately, it's even been putting a strain on the dynamic duo's relationship. You wonder if they noticed when you stopped reaching out. Not likely when they are falling apart themselves. Your little band of miscreants always softened the blow of coming home to the lonely Manor, you'd always see them tomorrow...

You spot your blond just outside the lunchroom doors. Nose stuck in her book before you settle in next to her, “Where's MJ?” You ask, pulling your bag from your shoulder.

“Ugh, late as always.” Snapping her book shut, she sighs, leaning into your side. “Are we supposed to hold up everything for her all the time?”

The two of you sit chatting as children flood to and from the cafeteria. You talk long enough for Gwen to get over Mj being late again, just in time for her to show.

“Heyyyy! Sorry, sorry!” The redhead plops between them and hooks an arm over each of her friends' shoulders. She pokes Gwen's puffed cheeks as she huffs, “Oh, don't look so grumpy!”

“We've got to wait for you, like, every day!”

Mary Jane shrugs, “So?”

You roll your eyes, “So, can't you ever get here on time?”

“It's called fashionably late for a reason.” Gwen gives you a look that you return, and the two of you walk away. Mj gasps, hurrying to catch up, “Wait!!”

They may be a bit dysfunctional but they were yours. Before you know it, they're closer to your heart than your so-called family. Alfred even tells you he's delighted to see you making these connections. Happy to host you and your friends when you finally decide to bring them around. Your little room on the far end of the manor is cleaned from top to bottom. An array of treats is accompanied by frequent check-ins, which led to many, many questions each time around.

“You've really had to spend so much time alone here?” Gwen makes herself comfortable in your desk chair.

“Oh, well, I have Alfred.” You scoot back on your bed, back pressed against the headboard. With a sigh your head bumps the wall, “... most of the time anyway.”

“This place is crazy..” MJ pulls open your closet, fuming and ready to tear apart your meager wardrobe. “I can't believe you're actually a Wayne. Your dad is Bruce freaking Wayne, why is he the worst?”

Grimacing as her chair spins slowly the blond grumbles, “Not that surprising from some fancy stuck-up rich boy.”

Green eyes flicker through each quick swish of a hanger, “Why doesn't everyone know? Don't people like that usually have a big announcement or whatever?” Mj turns those critical emeralds to you.

Slouching into yourself to escape the gaze, “I did not want that.”

Unimpressed with the answer, she huffs, “Still there have to be people who know about you, right? Your family is, like, super famous.”

“Wait!” Gwen perks up, feet hitting the ground to halt her cycle, “I think I have heard people talk about you.”

Heat claws its way up the back of your neck, catching onto your ears. “Wh- huh? Really??”

“Yeah, they call you- uh..” Her sudden realization seems to die in her throat, “Well, they call you, um..” Gwen combs a hand through her hair, aquamarines darting away from you, “Wayne unwanted... cause the Wayne's have never acknowledged you publicly.”

Mary Jane scoffs, “Or personally, apparently.”

You've only lived through this your whole life yet hear that you're known for your misfortune, to be watched but never seen...

The two of them were across the room before you even realized you were crying. They cuddled up on either side of you, squeezing you between them as they apologized. “No, no, it's okay..” You giggle through the sting in your chest, wrapping your arms around them.

Gwen gives you an almost offended look. “It is not okay.”

“You deserve so much better!” Mj tights her grip until you're begging for air.

They didn't make you feel othered like your family name or the intimidating manor. You knew they saw you, not a name, statue, money, power. Just you.

“Hey, would you..” Swallowing the nerves catching in your throat, you slide the paper across your lunch table. “Would you guys like to come to my competition?”

Mj snatches the paper up from the table, “Of course!”

The other scans the sheet with intrigue, “We'll be there, promise.” Gwen takes the paper from the redhead's hands, smoothing out her crinkles.

It always felt better to have someone there to root for you. Tonight, Alfred would be busy handling things for Bruce's ‘business trip’. Not that it matters because now, you have friends.

After the winners are called and you can part, Mary Jane is the first at your side. “You were great!”

“Really? Thanks..” Your face burns. You always felt Alfred was just being biased in his praises.

She swoops you up into a hug, “Absolutely, way to go, tiger!” Yet, it feels more real coming from your friends.

“Though, I don't really get it.” Gwen muses from the side, “You're such a wallflower. You hate the spotlight.”

The warmth in your cheeks raises again, “Yeah, well, so?”

Gwen's lips quirked into a frown, “So, why do these?”

“Seriously, like, no one's making you..” Mj raises a brow at you, “right?”

“No, I just.. I wish someone would come.” You sigh, shoulders slumping, “Just one of them. Even once.” No matter how they push you away, there's always that part of you that still wants them to come around.

An arm is thrown over your shoulder, “Well, you're great so, so... Fuck those guys!” The curse slips from Gwen in a half whisper of juvenile rebellion.

Another arm joins the first around your shoulders, “Exactly, Fuck them!” Mj giggles, grading on the use of profanity.

“Heh, yeah.. Fuck ‘em.” You smile despite the way your ears burn in superfluous fear of being scolded by Alfred for your language.

Nights were more exciting with your newfound love of photography. You collected pictures of the best and worst of Gotham. From sparkling main streets to eerily dark alleyways. Especially the growing stock of your star muses, Batman and Robin. You started putting together profiles from them, juxtaposing their day and night personas. Filing in the scraps of knowledge you've gathered from chasing after them. You kept the folders stuffed in your closet; embarrassed by your almost obsessive habit over people who disregard your existence.

Despite how he may treat you, when Dick came home with a bullet in his shoulder from the Joker, you cried. It felt silly when you realized they were falling. What was there to mourn if.. Alfred had been teaching you to take care of bigger wounds. You pleaded to assist his tending of your brother. Promising to feign cluelessness on your knowledge of the.. happenstance.

It wasn't until after his wound was cleared of debris and disinfected, that he noticed you. Trembling little fingers press the gause to his broad shoulder as Alfred prepares the bandage. His hand comes up to rest over yours, steadying it. Head snapping up to meet his gaze, there's something lurking in those sapphires of his.

A smile cracks its way deliberately across his weary face. It's too endearing of a look for him to give you. This was the first time it felt so sincere. The warmth of it burned at your frayed nerves. Sparked at cool embers of hope that he'd come around to you. Only when he's nearly died. It couldn't be real, but it hurt too much to be a dream.

“Thanks, Birdie. You didn't have to.” Dick's praise burns at your ears. It must be blood loss, a near-death experience, or something.

It feels too unnatural. You mumble out quietly, “Of course I did.”

Alfred relieves you of the tension, wrapping the bandage around and across. You’re left to stand off to the side before eventually being shuffled out of the room. The weight of his gaze is unrelenting until you finally step out of the room. You immediately miss it, realizing you've let such a rare moment of connection slip away. The sudden tender moment only made it harder to hear he'd left shortly after. He moved two states away to New York, leaving Robin behind for good.

He hadn't even bothered to say goodbye.

───── ⋆⋅ 🕸 ⋅⋆ ─────

Tag List?!

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[shycoconutt]

Life changed a lot after Nanami Kento came into it.

Nights alone in your apartment feasting on cup ramen with microwaved broccoli (for your health obviously), turned into homemade dinners under candlelight. The long ride to work in the back of an Uber turned into riding in the passenger seat of Nanami’s luxury car, hands intertwined over the middle console. Quick showers turned into long, steaming baths with essential oils. Winding down from a long day turned from nights out at the bar to nights in under the covers while he softly reads to you.

“Darling, hey, wake up,” you hear Nanami whisper in your ear as you feel your shoulders shake lightly. You groan in protest, not wanting to be broken away from the warmth and smell of him all around you.

“I know, I know,” he softly chuckles, “but we need to get ready for bed properly.”

You nuzzle into his side more and wrap your arms around him. Squeezing him slightly, you take one long, dramatic inhale of his scent in the crook of his neck, fluttering your eyelashes to give him butterfly kisses.

“What are you doing?,” he laughs, “It tickles!”

“Just taking some for the road,” you smile into his skin.

“You’re such a dork.”

With Nanami, everything always seems to be taken care of. There is no need to over-extend your brain power, because once a thought or worry passes through, you know it’s been meticulously mulled over by your other half.

Your appointments are scheduled and on the calendar. Your laundry is clean and neatly put away in the proper place. Your memories and photos are filed and categorized, with some of your favorites even framed and displayed in your home and offices. Your books, CDs and other media are sorted alphabetically in pristine condition.

“But wouldn���t it be cool if they were categorized by, I dunno, color? We could make a rainbow wall!” you suggest as you marvel at his work.

Nanami, who is currently kneeling on the floor putting the last of your books on the shelf, turns and gives you a disapproving glare, “Absolutely not. It would be a disservice to your collection.”

“A disservice to my collection?”

“What happens when a series contains books of all different colored covers? Am I supposed to just separate them?”

You blink.

“You’re right. I apologize for even suggesting something so foul.”

But, most importantly, over everything, your body, mind, and soul are finally at ease. Past anxieties rarely present themselves anymore, and, if they do, you never dwell. People say you’re glowing, and they aren’t wrong. Your skin is clear, your hair is shiny and smooth. Your favorite clothes fit a little better, and your shoes are always polished to look brand new.

“Nananmi Kento looks good on you, girl,” Shoko muses, watching you over her lunch in the breakroom.

You smirk, daring not to look across the table to conserve your blush, “Feels good too.”

“Gross!” 

You curl over in laughter as Shoko chucks a strawberry at your head.

All this and more, because Nanami cares, protects, cherishes, and respects you. He would never, ever in a million years try to hurt you in any way. He is honest and loyal, vowed by his duty to be a man. Ever since he was young, he put immense thought into its meaning, only to be confirmed by one look at you.

One look and he knew that you were the one he would spend the rest of his life with.

“I think I should take you out on a date, if you don’t mind of course,” Nanami stutters, gently pulling you aside after one of your meetings.

“You think we should date?” you question, head reeling.

“Yes,” he starts, “I think we’ve been friends for long enough and it’s time to move forward with our relationship.”

The disbelief you feel must be painted on your face because Nanami’s normally pale skin is flushed cherry red just looking at you.

“I mean, long term,” he’s babbling now, “I want to make you my wife. Well, I wanted you to be my wife from the beginning, you’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen, but they always say the best relationships start from friendships, so I thought it would be best to take our time. Naturally, now is as good a time as any. We’re at good places in our careers, we already spend a lot of time together, our personalities mesh, and, I don’t mean to be coarse, but I think we’d look pretty good tog-"

Before your mind has a chance to catch up, you’re already cutting him off with a passionate kiss, arms wrapping around his neck to pull him down close to you. After a beat, you feel Nanami’s broad, warm hands grab hold around your waist, pulling you to him. 

His lips feel so soft, and more plush than you anticipated. You part yours slightly in an invitation, and he’s quick to swipe his tongue against your bottom lip. You reciprocate and smile when you feel the vibrations of a small moan escape him.

You break the kiss first.

“I’d marry you yesterday if I could, Kento.”

Where he ebbs, you flow. With the few traits he lacks, you flourish. In social settings, you pick up when he doesn’t have the bandwidth to keep going. You can read his mind from his body language alone. You've shown him how to aim for the ideal, even when his pragmatic nature leads the way. You’ve taught him to slow down, even when life is relentlessly shoving him along.

“Kento, are you- are you crying?” you question in shock.

It’s difficult to process the information in front of you. You’re not seeing things, right? That’s definitely a tear falling down his cheek. Quickly, you bring your thumb to his face, swiping it away.

Catching your wrist, he brings your pulse point to his lips, giving you a small kiss there.

Here, feet in the white sand of the island of Redang, under the dark, starry sky, Kento goes down to kneel before you.

Recognizing the gesture, your heart swells and all the air leaves your lungs. Both your hands immediately cover your mouth, and the burn of tears forming ignites behind your eyes.

Through the blur, you see him smile. 

Regaining composure over your senses, you remind yourself to take everything in. The way his honey-brown eyes reflect the lights in the distance, the way his open collar ruffles in the breeze, the appearance of the new freckles from the Malaysian sun that decorate his exposed chest, how his unstyled, blonde hair moves freely, how one of his hands takes both of your own, while the other holds out a breathtakingly beautiful solitaire diamond ring.

Your eyes take him all in and land back on his face, one that displays the most loving, adoring expression you’ve ever received. 

“When you came into my life, everything changed. I knew, from that point forward, I would dedicate my existence to ensuring your happiness. Nothing matters to me more than seeing you smile. It gives me purpose—fills the air in my lungs. I have never, and will never need anything more.”

You watch the tears cascade down his cheeks, mirroring your own.

“Please do me the honor of marrying me and making you my wife.”

One second passes, and you squeal, “Yes!”

a/n: This was supposed to be smutty and turned into something fluffy. I can't help it! I just adore him so much. also, how do we feel about this format? I've never done something like this before!

[heirofnight]

meddling, pt. 2

pairing: azriel x reader

word count: 1.4k

summary: the next little installment of pure preciousness revolving around these two. no plot, just fluff. azriel is smitten with the idea of doting on reader - he's just pure and sweet and wants to make her life easier. reader wears azriel's sweater, and his heart almost explodes. azriel then rearranges the entire library for reader because she can't reach her favorite books. enjoy!

a/n: thank you so much for all of the love revolving around this little drabble-turned-series! this is another example of me sitting down and just writing until i feel like stopping. no plot, just cutesy fluff. i hope you love it! also lightly edited, sorry for any mistakes. <3

read part one here

six months ago, you'd arrived at the house of wind. for the first two months, you had gone to great lengths to isolate yourself from the high lord and his family. while you'd had no initial negative feelings towards the group, you'd prioritized cultivating a peaceful environment for yourself after the past you'd so narrowly escaped from. this involved keeping to yourself, finding solace in the private library a few doors down from your rooms, and not speaking to anyone else.

four months ago, you'd been tricked into attending your first family dinner in the dining hall on the second floor. funnily enough, the house itself - along with one of az's stray little shadows - were the reasons why you'd ended up frozen in the archway of the dining room, every instinct in your body screaming at you to flee to your chambers. after polite coaxing from rhys, and encouraging nods from azriel, you'd felt welcomed as a new member of the tight-knit inner circle by the end of the meal.

you still found yourself looking back on that evening and smiling fondly.

now, this evening, you were perched on your favorite chair within the library, book in hand. you'd cycled through several different series over the last few months, and tonight, you were beginning a new trilogy that you'd found tucked at the top of your go-to shelf. the tall, wooden display of books contained a myriad of novels in every genre you could imagine. you struggled to reach the top row of books, which - of course - contained your favorite genre: romance. you briefly wondered if the males that resided here had sequestered books about love in this hard-to-reach spot on purpose. you'd had to grab a footstool and still stand on your tip-toes to reach the novels you'd desired.

alas, you'd finally grabbed them - all three at once, to save yourself the exertion of all but climbing the entire shelf when it was time to move onto the other two books in a few days.

you were snuggled comfortably in your favorite armchair, large droplets of rain pelting the side of the library's windows. it was dark, gloomy, and the perfect reading weather. a fire burned brightly within the hearth across from you, warming your legs and toes. dim fae lights and candles flickered a relaxing glow into the space.

you nuzzled into an oversized, lived-in, charcoal grey sweater. it belonged to azriel - well, it had - and his scent still lingered as if it were woven into the threads themselves.

he'd silently approached you last week, same sweater folded neatly in his hands, politely extending the fabric your way. you'd abandoned the focus on the book in front of you to meet his gaze, brows cinching together in silent confusion.

"you said you were always cold," he started, voice quiet. he always spoke to you so quietly. gently. and he wasn't wrong, you truly were always freezing - a fact the house had learned, too. it made sure to always have the hearth burning in any room you were occupying.

you smiled fondly up at him, nodding once. "i'm surprised you remember that, az," you said, a faint rosiness creeping onto your cheeks. he noticed your blush, and it made the corner of his full lips quirk upward.

he huffed out a quiet breath in response, extending the sweater a little further towards you. "i thought maybe this would help. i don't ever really need it - illyrian blood, you know. i'm always warm. anyway, i understand if you don't want it. but i promise it's clean, and when i have worn it, it's always kept me warm. so...-," he trailed off, realizing he was rambling, full of nerves. now it was his turn for his cheeks to turn pink, and he cleared his throat, breaking the eye contact.

a wide grin spread across your cheeks as you reached forward to take the large, soft sweater from his hands. "thank you, az. really. this is perfect," you whispered shyly, holding the fabric against your chest. he smiled proudly, a dimple peeking out.

and that was that - he walked over to his preferred spot within the library, wings perked in pride. he made himself comfortable with a book of his own, and you both read in silent companionship.

tonight, you'd adorned that same sweater as you let the sound of the rain outside become the soundtrack to your escapism. out of your peripheral, one lone shadow twirled through the door of the library - your favorite little tendril. you glanced up as it approached you, swirling around your right hand as it always did in greeting. you smirked, knowing its master was not too far behind.

sure enough, in strode azriel shortly after - the rest of his shadows lazily twining around his form. his eyes found you immediately, and his steps faltered as he realized you were wearing his clothing. that dimple made another appearance as he smiled shyly, cocking an eyebrow upward.

"keeping you warm?," he asked, taking in how cozy and well, adorable you looked like that. in his clothing. reading a book in the candlelight. azriel was in trouble, and he knew it.

you nodded, sitting up straighter as you took him in. his hazel eyes were nearly glowing. "very. it's my new prized possession," you smiled, and that comment nearly made azriel's heart burst.

he hummed, quite pleased. "good. it looks like it was made for you," and he meant every word. maybe he should give you every piece of oversized, warm clothing he owned. they looked far better on you, anyway.

you looked back at the open pages of your book, smiling, trying to hide the blush creeping from your neck up to your cheeks. he noticed anyway - he noticed everything.

"how's that one?," he nodded his chin towards the book in your hand as he got comfortable in his own armchair. his wings spread behind him in a relaxed fashion.

"oh, i can't put it down," you sighed, looking up at him once more.

he hummed, glancing around at the tall spread of novels that surrounded the both of you. "i've never seen it on the shelves", he mused, brows furrowed as he studied the closed cover of your book.

you took a sip of your tea, snorting in jest after you swallowed. "probably because it's tucked away on the highest shelf in here," you huffed a laugh, rolling your eyes fondly. "i had to use a step stool, and even then, i barely reached it."

he nodded once, studying you for a moment. he looked as though he was pondering something. the moment ended quickly, his own eyes averting to the pages in the open book before him.

the next day, you'd entered the library after breakfast - as always. what surprised you is that you weren't alone like you normally were around this time.

azriel was already there, positioned in front of your favorite shelf, pulling every single romance book down from the top row.

"...az?," you questioned quietly, trying not to startle him. "what are you doing?," you stepped forward, peering up at him. his large hands held a stack of books, most of which you'd already read.

he turned towards you, cheeks quickly tinting pink. "oh, y/n," he paused for a moment, looking from the stack in his hands and up to the top shelf before meeting your eyes.

"well, you said that the books you enjoyed were too high. so.... i rearranged a couple of shelves to make sure they were at a height you could reach," he smiled bashfully.

you froze in place, taking in the entire scene before you. and sure enough, he'd already moved most of the romance novels. and beyond that, he'd also relocated them to a shelf that was right next to your favorite chair. you could literally just reach over from where you normally sat, easily plucking your next choice from the row without having to move.

you smiled widely up at him, eyes twinkling, and he swore his heart was going to swell and float right out of his chest.

"az," you breathed out, "can i hug you?," you blurted, overcome with emotion.

he huffed out a laugh, carefully setting the stack of books in his large hands down beside him. he nodded then, opening his arms for you.

you stepped into his large frame, and he stilled for a moment. he shifted to hold you tightly, and his wings twitched with the sudden urge to wrap around you too. his arms didn't feel like enough, you should be closer.

instead, he settled for moving one hand to the back of your head, cradling you against his chest. he smiled to himself, another wave of pride flowing through his chest and limbs.

he could get used to this.

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