#Fare Arena

[m0thisonfire]

Please, god, either give me the strength to endure or let this game release early.

[qazastra]

well-researched article about why and how this is happening

The result is a dynamic in which the rich shell out top dollar to see major acts while working-class fans grow increasingly disillusioned with the music industry.

[renjunphile]

kiss, cry, fall in love ☆ jung sungchan

୨♡୧ WORD COUNT: 19.3k ୨♡୧ PAIRING: riize's jung sungchan x female!reader ୨♡୧ TAGS & WARNINGS: figure skating!au, skater!sungchan, skater!yn, friends that kiss to lovers!au, secret/hidden relationship, fluff, angst, mentions of anxiety and skating-related minor injuries, lots of pining, lots of internal monologuing, lots of making out descriptions but no smut!, non linear narrative ୨♡୧ SYNOPSIS: jung sungchan is completely, utterly and hopelessly whipped for the struggling skater who keeps him at an arm's length, yet loves the feeling of his mouth on hers in every corner of the globe.

୨♡୧ NOTES: im sorry this is SOOOO long and its just y/n and sungchan being so cute and head over heels for each other. it's kinda a self-indulgent fic and i didn't really explain the figure skating terms, but i think you can make do without knowing what they mean (ask me anything if you wanna know tho!) pls enjoy this cute piece :) anyway, miss u seunghan!!!

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SKATE AMERICA, OCTOBER 2023

Your first love will always be figure skating. There was something about the way the cool air kissed and then smothered your face as you stepped onto the ice, and something about the way your sharp blades screeched as it cut through the top layer. There was something about the way the lights around you reflected on the glossy surface and the way you felt like you were most yourself while cutting through the air.

Your first love is figure skating, and everything to do with it- from the 5am call for training, to the sleepy drives all around the country and the world to get to your competitions, to the cheering, the gasps and the booing from the audience, to the gifted plushies making their home on your couch in your living room, to the stumbles and the landings, to the kiss and cry and most of all, to the skating.

Figure skating was also your first heartbreak- one that you were still trying to get over.

The arena you were competing in today was a familiar one, since you'd completed competitions in both the junior and senior circuit here a couple of times. Over the years, your nerves had truly eased up a little - never totally, of course, but you were always more excited than nervous no matter how well you thought you'd fare.

Still, the familiarity of the layout and the size and the ice was no help towards the pit growing in your stomach that you hadn't felt in competition in years. No matter- you woke up with that dread every single day for months now.

The stands had fallen into a hitched silence when they announced your name over the speaker. You had opened the barrier to the rink with a deep breath and one last forlorn look to your coach, who diverted her eyes quickly from you after a tense smile. It was weird; this was one of the loudest crowds in the grand prix circuit, but for you- last to skate in the short- you could hear a pin drop.

This time last year, you were on top of the world going into your first assignment of the season. You were fresh off the back of an amazing run at your very first Winter Olympics, helping your team secure gold medals in the team event and yourself a silver for your own effort. You had been skating in ice shows left and right in the midst of creating new routines for the new season, and you were on a high in life.

The season had passed well- you won gold, and then silver at your grand prix assignments, cruised through the grand prix final and then swept your discipline at nationals. You medalled for the 4th year running at 4 Continents and then all that was left was worlds.

Easy right? All you had left at the end of the best season of your career was the World Championships against all the skaters you had been consistently beating for years.

Anyway, back to the present.

You continued inhaling and exhaling consciously and intentionally for a while and it felt like forever before the first notes of your music began to boom into the arena and you could make your first move.

All eyes were on you.

It took you a split second to snap yourself from the sudden stage fright that had come over you. For a second there, you had thought that your feet refused to move from their starting position and had anchored themselves to the ice, but thankfully your brain and muscles had connected after a brief pause to send you on your first lap around the rink.

You had a few seconds to compose yourself and perform some intricate arm waving before your very first, and most difficult jump- one you had been rigorously training over and over and over again since the end of the last season when it had sabotaged your Worlds free skate.

When on the ice, the faces of the audience blurred into one continuous mass. You were thankful for this, otherwise you would be staring at the anxious expressions of hundreds of people that would bury and make home in your already fluttering stomach.

You sighed heavily to yourself before beginning the lead up to your jump. You told yourself that even if you didn't make it, it wouldn't affect how the rest of the routine went- you wouldn't let it.

You made the dreaded turn to start skating backwards and counted to 3 in your head before you turned again to take off forward, throwing your arms around yourself and launching your body in the air. You wish you could say that you knew what happened afterwards, but all you know is that you landed on the correct feet and the arena burst into cheers. You prayed that you landed your triple axel, but who knows at this point.

You let out a sigh of relief and continued with the rest of your programme that was ingrained in your mind. You were pretty much running on autopilot, which was not always what you preferred to do in competition. You wanted to be more in control, but honestly whatever got you through this skate would be okay.

The rest of the skate flew by and with each jump and element, you began to loosen up and the cloud in your mind began to dissolve. By the end of it, you could clearly make out the relief and pride splattered on your coach's face.

She gave you a tight squeeze when you opened the gate once more and cooed into your ear how proud she was of you, not that a blip in your routine would make her any less proud.

"Let's go to the kiss and cry and then i'll treat you to whatever you want," your coach Lina squeezed your hand with a reverent smile.

"Well now it sounds like you're bribing me to skate well," you grabbed a Keroppi plushie from one of the attendants that had cleaned up after you, giving her an appreciative smile.

"I always believe that you'll do well," she uttered back.

She sat you down in the middle of the bench and you gave smiles and waves to the camera pointing at you. You finally got to review yourself on the screens showing the live feedback of the broadcast and you were elated to find out that you had in fact landed your triple axel perfectly, instead of just a double.

The score blared out your season's best, just cause it was the start of the season, and it was on par with your scores from the start of last season, so you quickly celebrated and made your way to the media area and the changing rooms.

"Y/N!" you were greeted with a familiar squealing voice and were quickly enveloped in a tight hug.

"Sho! I didn't know you were coming!" you were so happy to see one of your friends around.

Shotaro pulled away and you noticed a towering figure beside him, holding a small bouquet of your favourite flowers, tulips.

"Sungchan," you smiled softly, "Hi."

His eyes were as sparkly as you always found them to be, his lips challenging the pinks on the flowers he was clutching.

He gave you a shy smile back and offered out the bouquet, "Taro and I got this for you. Congratulations on your short."

You wrapped your fingers around the stems and admired the vibrant orange and pink, "I bet you guys were holding your breaths. I know I was."

"It was incredible, as always," Sungchan assured you.

"Every skater goes through this, Y/N. We always know you're giving your best and we always believed you would recover," Shotaro hummed sincerely, "Anyway, we came because a lot of the gang is skating tomorrow. We begged our coach to let us come to this assignment and surprise you and the boys."

Shotaro was the first friend you made outside of your skating club in the junior ranks. He had approached you years and years ago, telling you he admired your skating and offered to be skating friends. In a career that was sending you everywhere around the world with never any stability, it was good to be friendly with people that could end up in the same assignments with you.

He had introduced you to the boys he had befriended himself and that was something you were so grateful for after you stopped finding yourself lonely in the cities you were drawn to.

You recalled seeing Anton and Wonbin drawn to this assignment too, but you hadn't had the chance to see them in their practice or otherwise.

"I'm gonna talk to a few reporters cause I can see my coach giving me some death stares to do them right now, but wait for me and we can get dinner? Or are you seeing the boys?"

"Toni and Bin have practice just after this and the others are watching, so we can get dinner just us and then we're hanging out in Anton's hotel suite after if you wanna join," Shotaro explained, "But yeah, go!"

You gave them both smiles and turned around to make a beeline for the press area, trying to ignore the booming feeling in your heart seeing the tall brunette for the first time in months.

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WORLDS, MARCH 2023

"Last to skate, Y/N Y/L/N."

You set off into a lap around the rink before settling in your starting position. You were well poised to walk away with the gold medal this competition, after ending up second in the short program and the competitor above you falling out of her combination in her free skate just before you. It wasn't that you prayed for the downfall of others, it was just that you had to take advantage of all you could.

Still, you were incredibly nervous. Your warm up and public training yesterday hadn't gone so smoothly considering you under-rotated your triple axel and landed your other quads shakily. You didn't know what was wrong with you- you were rounding off the best season of your career so far and this was just one last programme before you could have time to relax for a bit.

Lina gave you an encouraging thumbs up from the side and mouthed a good luck. You gave her a nod and waited for the music to start.

You had polished this routine to perfection, having performed it for two seasons already, so you were able to hit every piece of choreography perfectly as you led up to your first jump.

It was weird, the minute you began the lead up to the axel, this unfamiliar feeling began to nestle itself into your stomach and your mind and you didn't even have a split second to shake it away before you shot up in the air.

Then something snapped.

It felt like time had stopped and you were frozen mid spin in the air. The world had gone quiet and you could suddenly see the faces of everyone contort into worried gasps in slow motion. You didn't know how many times you spun in the air. It should have been 3 and half, but maybe it was 5 and maybe it was 2. It seemed like the laws of physics were non-existent as time suddenly snapped back into motion and you were on the floor the next moment.

You had no idea what was happening. Your mind had completely fogged up as you pulled yourself up. In the replays of this moment, you'd later see your coach in the background motioning for you to stop your skate and retreat, but you had bit your lip to stop the tears and continued your skate.

It was as if you blacked out for the rest of your free skate. All you remember was spinning around and around and trying your hardest to get back on track, but that was incredibly difficult when you had popped out of your quad lutz and fell again on your triple-triple. The audience was stunned, watching in silence and shock as the most likely contender of the competition was skating the worst in her entire career. Even in your junior years, you had never placed lower than 5th and you had certainly never popped out of your jumps before. You could probably count on one hand how many times you had fallen in competition, and this skate was obliterating that statistic.

You received your score in the kiss and cry stoic and unmoving. As soon as the cameras switched, you bolted to the halls of the arena while your coach shouted behind you. It took less than a minute for you to lose her as you navigated the maze of the 'backstage'. You were running on your skates (protected, of course) and you were running on some kind of adrenaline that was currently preventing you from breaking down. It would run out soon enough.

You had finally run into a corridor where the lights weren't activated until you stepped into them, so you had felt safe enough to hide in one of the rooms in the hopes they were empty.

The one you had barged into was a small dressing room, but evidently it was occupied by some people judging by the skate guards on the coffee table and the Team Korea jackets thrown on the couches. You didn't care as long as it was empty.

The silence dawned on you after the ringing that had been plaguing your ears since you came off the ice. It was then that all your emotions erupted and you fell to the floor in body-shaking sobs.

You had no idea what had happened at all. Nothing in the world could explain it and you had never felt like this skating ever again. In fact, skating always made you happy- it was the one thing in life that felt like it was for you. You never belonged anywhere else doing anything else. Skating was it.

So why did that happen?

You had heard of a phenomenon in gymnastics- the twisties. It was the sensation of losing yourself in the air, with your mind and body disconnecting in the middle of an element. It was one of the scariest things that could happen to a gymnast, and maybe that was what you had experienced.

Your tears were falling like a rainstorm on your sequinned dress and you felt the creeping of a throbbing and thunderous headache as you cried into the couch.

That was probably why you couldn't hear the door opening and a tall, young figure skater strolling in with a hum before he stopped in his tracks, noticing you on the floor, "Uh-"

Your eyes snapped to the leaning figure and you couldn't even make out who it was through the tears.

"Y/N?"

That was a voice you knew anywhere.

"Sungchan."

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SKATE AMERICA, OCTOBER 2023

"Where's your next assignment again?" Shotaro mumbled out through his mouth full of noodles. The three of you were in a hole-in-the-wall ramen restaurant downtown in the city, somewhere that one of your club-mates had recommended.

You grimaced, urging him to finish his bite first before speaking, "France. So soon."

"That's my first event," Sungchan hummed, sitting diagonally across from you.

Sungchan was one of the quieter ones around you. Of course, that possibly didn't reflect his usual personality around his friends while you were absent, but you'd noticed that in a large group, he tended to flitter on the outskirts and just listen.

"I'm off to Canada in a few days and then to Japan," Shotaro added, "I keep telling the federation to invite some lower ranked skaters to give them Grand Prix experience, but they keep including me in their domestic picks."

"Oh what a shame! You're popular in Japan!" you rolled your eyes playfully and chuckled at him, Sungchan joining along with you.

"Yeah, whatever. I want to experience other assignments. You know i've never been seeded to France?" Shotaro grumbled, "But yeah, I guess a home crowd is always the best crowd."

"The only time I experience a home crowd like that is for nationals, where all my competitors are also the same nationality. Then no one has a home crowd advantage," you mused, "I hope I make it to the final though- I haven't been to Italy in a long time!"

"I believe in you," Sungchan cheered timidly. You returned his musings with a gummy grin.

"Thanks, Sung. After Worlds I stopped believing that phrase, to be honest, but I think I'm getting better at internalising it."

"Ah yeah," Shotaro hissed, "A lot of the guys haven't seen you since. I don't know how much you want to talk about it; do you want me to tell them not to ask?"

"Thanks for being considerate, Taro," you said, "But I think i'm okay to talk about it if they ask. I think I'm coming out the other side of that dark tunnel now. And my therapist says talking about it is the best way to get over it. I guess she's paid to talk about it with me so maybe she just says that so our appointments aren't filled with silence."

Your best friend gave you an understanding nod and continued digging into his bowl of ramen. A comfortable silence fell between the three of you as you finally stopped chattering and were able to divulge into your food. You made small talk about the bowl in front of you- how good the broth was, how chewy the noodles were and how tender the meat was.

After the bill was split three ways, you huddled into the back of a taxi that was taking you to the hotel that most skaters had booked for the competition. You were squished in the middle, thanks to your shorter stature compared to Sungchan and Shotaro, but in an effort to not make Sungchan uncomfortable, you tried to scoot closer to Shotaro. It was pretty much a futile attempt considering the way Sungchan's broad shoulders sprawled over his seat and yours.

Still, you sneaked some glances over to the quiet Korean, who was peering out of the window and watching the busy streets of downtown Texas. His side profile was one you admired, with his enviable nose bridge and plump lips that were pulled into a somewhat pout as his eyes followed the people and the lights outside.

"Hm?" Shotaro poked you with a whisper, "You okay?" You didn't even know that you had dissociated and were staring expressionlessly out through the windshield.

With this, Sungchan snapped his head to you, eyebrows pulled in concern as you dismissed them with a wave, "Yeah i'm fine guys. Just thinking about stuff."

"Well don't plague that pretty head of yours. We're here tonight to help you take your mind off things," Shotaro was well aware that you still had some anxiety about skating and competing, and he mainly dragged Sungchan along to Texas just to help you through your first competition since your disastrous World's run.

Sungchan hummed along, agreeing with Shotaro and soon enough, the taxi was pulling up in front of your hotel. You rolled your eyes when Shotaro pressed on the penthouse button in the elevator; Anton often booked the most expensive suite at his competition hotels, claiming his environment had to be perfect or else it would affect his performance. Whatever, all the more space for all of you to hang out.

Sungchan produced a keycard from his pocket and you could already hear some commotion from the other side of the door. As soon as you heard the beep and the click of the lock opening, you felt a stampede of footsteps running towards the door.

"Noona!" Anton beat everyone to wrapping his arms around you, "Haven't seen you in forever."

"Yeah, I know. I've been a recluse these past few months. I missed you guys though," you giggled into his neck.

"Congratulations on the short," Eunseok hummed as he hugged you.

You received the same sentiments from the rest of the boys before you were being dragged over to the plush L-shaped sofa that they had begun to make their home at, judging from the blankets and jackets and snacks.

"Are you guys excited for tomorrow?" you asked Anton and Wonbin, recalling that the men's short program commenced in the afternoon.

"Excited, nervous; it's all the same emotions," Wonbin shrugged, "I kind of hurt my knee in practice today so hopefully it's okay tomorrow."

You winced at the prospect of an injury. It was so difficult to gauge how much certain bumps and grazes could actually affect you until you're on the ice and giving your all.

"Don't hurt yourself, okay?" Seunghan nudged his friend as he nuzzled into the corner with his blanket.

"Yeah, trust me, you don't want to make it worse," Sohee groaned. He had been dealing with a knee injury for a better part of 6 months and he was praying it would miraculously heal itself before his first assignment in one month.

You plopped down in the middle of the couch and to your surprise, Sungchan took his seat next to you. You tried not to make a big deal out of it, meeting his eyes for a brief second before turning your attention to Eunseok and Shotaro rock-paper-scissoring over who was choosing the movie. Shotaro won and the rest of you groaned, knowing that he was about to subject you to Studio Ghibli film again. For as long as you knew the boys, which was a long time, but you hardly saw them, you had cycled through the whole roster maybe 3 times over.

"How about we don't watch a movie and just chat shit instead?" Seunghan murmured sleepily from his position, "Like to start with, how's everyone's love life going? Any updates?"

You threw a pillow at him, knowing the question was directed at you. The 7 boys were attached to the hip in Korea, all training at the same rink (how the coaches managed that, you don't quite know) for the majority of the off-season. They knew everything about each other.

"Yeah, Y/N, how's your love life?" Sohee teased with a shit-eating grin.

"Non-existent, as always," you rolled your eyes, "I literally don't interact with any guys outside of the 7 of you in this room and that's even a stretch. The only man in my life is my cat at home."

"Why don't you date one of us then?"

Sungchan erupted into a coughing fit and you all looked at him strangely before deciding to address Wonbin's crazy suggestion.

"Sorry, swallowed my spit wrong," Sungchan avoided your eyes and chugged the water bottle he had snatched from the coffee table. He was thankful that everyone moved on from him.

"Wonbin, what the fuck?" you turned back to the long-haired skater, "Are you in love with me or something?"

"Psh, you wish," he dismissed, "But i'm just saying it makes sense. We've been friends for years, you trust us, you can't be bothered to go look for a man and i'm sure the thought of dating even just one of us won't kill you."

"Shut up, Bin. Did you hit your head or something cause that's some crazy allegations there," you defended, "You can't skate with a concussion, you know that right?"

"I'm legit fine," he rolled his eyes and began annoying Eunseok who was sat cross-legged next to him.

Your relationship with these boys was somewhat complicated, you would say. They were your closest friends in the skating world, but you also barely saw them and befriended each one on different levels.

You knew Shotaro better than everyone and you considered him a brother to you, meanwhile Sohee and Anton felt like your children since they adored you so much. Seunghan and Wonbin were your drinking buddies in whatever corner of the world you could find them in and you found yourself museum-hopping with Eunseok more often than not.

And then Sungchan. Ah, Sungchan.

Sungchan was just a consistent and quiet presence in your life. You didn't know much about him but he always appeared in the most random times. You weren't sure if Sungchan just treated you nicely because he felt obligated to because of your friendship with the others, or if his considerate but small gestures were out of his own friendly affection for you. There were phases that you convinced yourself that Sungchan disliked you and merely tolerated you for the sake of the others, but he would always prove you wrong otherwise in ways that you like to cast out of your memories.

Sungchan remained pretty quiet for the rest of the night, only chirping in when he felt like he could add something to the conversation, but the warmth radiating from his body next to yours gave you constant comfort. You would say the two of you were friends, but it was hard to quantify and label what you and Sungchan were exactly.

Eventually, Anton and Wonbin began dropping hints that they were tired and needed to rest up for their skate tomorrow, so you began to usher the boys into their rooms. The two competitors were sharing the three-bedroom penthouse, but with the surprise from the boys, they were having to squeeze 7 to the suite. Of course, Anton and Wonbin needed their beauty sleep, so the rest of them were cramming themselves into the 2 king beds in the third bedroom.

The two skaters bid their goodbyes first and you gave them good luck hugs, promising to watch the event tomorrow if you were able. This left the other boys and you standing around the coffee table looking at each other with no purpose.

"Uh, Shotaro and I are going to the gym," Wonbin began.

Sungchan perked up at this, "Oh! Let me co-"

"No!" Shotaro cried out suddenly, "You're not invited! Sorry! C'mon Bin let's go get changed," he dragged the smiling boy towards the spare room in the suite.

You looked around in confusion, noticing Eunseok, Sohee and Sunghan looking mischievous, "We're going to get chicken," Sohee declared, "I know you don't eat fried chicken so close to competition, right Channie? So why don't you walk our dear Y/N to her room? It's dangerous out there, you know?"

Their intention must have flown over your head as you furrowed your eyebrows together and shook your head, "It's okay Sungchan, I can go by myself! It's only a few floors down and you should rest. Must have been a long flight."

He mirrored your action as he reluctantly tugged on your arm, "It's okay; I'll walk you. I wanna get something from the vending machine anyway."

You gave him an unsure look, but relented when he returned a confident smile. You said good night to the boys who were slipping on their jackets and followed Sungchan out of the suite.

"I'm sorry they made you do that and they all just left you," you scurried after him. His long legs were definitely no match for you, "I don't want you to feel uncomfortable or anything so you can just go down to the machine!"

"Hey," he interrupted your ramblings as the two of you entered the elevator, "Don't worry. We're friends, right? And I would hate if something happened to you on the way down. You have a pretty crazy fanbase, you know?"

You grimaced, thinking back to the time that a couple of fans had stalked you around Toronto when you had competed there once. Sungchan was right, in fairness- you never know what information people have access to.

"Thanks, Channie," you reluctantly called him by his affectionate nickname that the others loved to coo at him, "I also think they decided that you're the most eligible bachelor for me, considering they all dipped and left you behind."

"Ah, they're crazy," he rolled his eyes, "Ignore them, please!"

The two of you had reached your floor and you were glad that your room was close to the elevator. You took out your keycard from your jacket pocket and opened the door. You hadn't had time to unpack before going to training the day before, so all that was in your room was your free skate dress hanging in the exposed wardrobe to let the wrinkles drop out, and your closed suitcases in the corner of the room.

"Well, uh," Sungchan scratched the back of his neck, "Goodnight, Y/N."

"Sungchan?"

He looked up at you with glimmering doe eyes.

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to come in?" you moved aside to give him the choice to.

He chuckled in amusement, "Yeah, I do."

He stepped foot into the room and kicked off his shoes while you peeled off your jacket. As soon as the lock clicked shut behind him, Sungchan snaked his toned arms around your waist and attached his lips to yours.

Okay, confession time.

Your relationship with Sungchan was incredibly, incredulously complicated.

It all started 3 and a half years ago when your high school boyfriend broke up with you over the phone between your short and free skate in Canada. Sungchan had been the only other one of the group who was competing at the same assignment and although the two of you weren't close, the boys sent him to your hotel room with chocolate, tissues and a picture of him to rip up or stab with a pen.

You had embarrassingly cried your eyes out all over his training shirt and then pathetically asked him to distract you from the heartbreak by making out with you. You couldn't say that 18-year-old you was very smart or emotionally available. Well, to be honest, you still weren't particularly any better.

Anyway, the next day, the two of you decided to never talk about it ever again, swearing to never tell the boys anything and decided to continue with your semi-awkward acquaintanceship.

That was until the two of you stumbled into each other months and months later at a fellow skater's birthday party halfway across the world and ended up making out again in a coat closet for a good amount of time.

And then it carried on like that- finding places to make out around the globe, swearing not to say anything to anyone and then not talking about it ever again.

"We should really stop this, you know," you panted against his lips.

"You say that every time," Sungchan muttered, slotting his tongue between your lips and snaking his smooth hands to your throat, "But totally, yeah. We should stop this."

"Okay, this can be our last," you decided, as he led you over to your bed and pushed you gently down.

To be honest, you would say that you didn't know much about Sungchan despite making out with him 2 or 3 times a year because it was a correct statement. The two of you never really did anything else other than blow off some steam by making out. You never shared meals together or cuddled in bed indulging in pillow talk. It was always a transactional thing. It was weird in your head- all that the two of you did, but Sungchan was too good of a kisser for you to care about all the details of it.

"Better make it worthwhile, huh?" he peppered kisses down your neck until he reached the spot that had you putty in his hands. Sungchan knew better than to leave marks that your friends would definitely not let go of, so he just bit and sucked for a short time before connecting his lips back to yours. Your shirt had creeped up your torso, exposing a sliver of smooth skin that Sungchan attached his large hands to while he laid waste to all your emotions by kissing the breath out of you.

You didn't know how long had passed until Sungchan pulled away with blown out pupils and a pant. A small smile tugged onto the corner of his lips, which you couldn't help but poke, "What's with you?"

He giggled, "Nothing, nothing. You're beautiful, you know?"

A blush rose up to your cheeks and you broke your eye contact with him. It was weird- Sungchan seemed so confident when he was alone with you, but the moment he stepped out of the confines of your little situationship, he returned to being quiet and mysterious. You wished that you could get to know who the real Sungchan was.

"Shut up," you dismissed, cupping his chin and bringing his face down to yours. Sungchan stopped himself until your noses touched and he nudged his against yours sweetly before kissing you once again.

Kissing Sungchan felt like the world stopped spinning and it was only the two of you. All your worries disappeared and every stress left your body when Jung Sungchan's was on yours. He had this amazing power of making the world tilt on its axis the minute his lips touched yours and frankly, you were addicted to the feeling of him.

Your heart was completely and hopelessly beating out of your chest with the way his lips melded perfectly between yours and it was times like this, alone in a hotel room in a city you'll only ever see the ice rink of, that you forgot what your relationship with Jung Sungchan was.

"You should go," you murmured, halting his actions, "I have training early tomorrow."

"Yeah," he untangled his limbs from you and gave you a limp smile, "It's good seeing you again, Y/N. We haven't spoken in a while."

You internally cringe, thinking back to all those nights you sometimes contemplate texting him, only to realise you really don't text or speak at all outside of the groupchat. You think the last time you spoke was when you greeted him a happy birthday over text, and even that was a very fleeting exchange.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Channie," you felt the emptiness rise up again in your stomach as you walked him to the door. You were back to acting like nothing had ever happened between the two of you and as if walking you to your room was the only thing he did, "Thanks."

He bid you a soft goodnight and disappeared around the corner. Your hands rose up to your swollen lips and you sighed.

What were you actually doing?

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JUNIOR GRAND PRIX FINAL, DECEMBER 2017

"Urgh," you kicked the vending machine in anger as it withheld your drink in its clutches. It was a futile attempt as it sat on the edge of the shelf, taunting you. You gave it a few more hopeless kicks and groaned in frustration.

First, your triple salchow in your program was a total mess and definitely under-rotated, and now the vending machine wouldn't even disperse the drink that you paid the last of your Japanese coins for.

"Do you want some help?" a soft voice called out to you. You turned around and came face to face with who you presumed to be a skater judging from the pass hanging around his neck. He looked kind of familiar, you thought, but you couldn't put your finger on it.

You tried to give your politest, "Sure," but he could probably tell you were annoyed.

He enveloped the vending machine between his two sprawling arms and gave it an abrupt shake. You sighed in relief as you finally saw the melon milk can tip over and fall into the hole.

"Ah, thank you," you crouched down to take the drink, "I'd buy you a drink for that but I just used the last of my money."

He gave you a dashing smile, finally meeting your eyes.

Ah, wow.

He was certainly an attractive boy, with light brown fluffy hair and eyes so big that it made you swoon. This guy was almost two heads taller than you, but he was still built from the soft definition of muscles you could see from his short-sleeve top.

"It's okay," he assured you, flashing you the coins in his palm, "I was gonna buy myself a drink. I'm Sungchan, by the way. I'm a skater from Korea and I'm competing tomorrow."

It clicked in your head suddenly, "Jung Sungchan? Shotaro's friend? I'm Y/N!"

He smiled sheepishly, "I know who you are, of course," he motioned to your ensemble consisting of your competition dress, "You literally just came off the ice, you know that? Plus, Taro talks about you all the time."

You looked down at your costume and your feet that were still in your covered skates, "Oh, yeah. It wasn't my best out there. Anyway, sorry for not recognising you- Shotaro also talks about you guys a lot but he never shows me pictures. It's my fault though- I know I've probably been at numerous assignments with you guys since I've known Sho."

Sungchan popped open his can of strawberry milk, "You're quite harsh on yourself, you know that? Shotaro always says that about you. It was an amazing skate and you swept your competitors. Even if you made a small mistake, it doesn't take away from the rest of your incredible elements. You should always be proud, because those who watch you always are."

You tilted your head at him, a near-stranger offering you some comforting words, "Ah, I've never thought about it like that. I guess I'm harsh on myself because I want to do this for as long as possible. My dream is to win an Olympic gold."

"You're probably the closest out of all of us. Your skate in Norway was out of this world!" he chided. It was true- you already had a Winter Youth Olympics medal, but that was never really a predictor for the real thing- wait, he was at Norway Youth Olympics. Maybe that's why he looks so familiar to you?

You fought the smile arising, "Well, skating's an unpredictable sport; you never know what can happen. You just have to hope for the best," Sungchan opened his mouth to reply, but you could see your coach appearing around the corner, "Ah! I have to go- my coach is coming! It was nice meeting you, Jung Sungchan. I'll definitely see you around and good luck for tomorrow!"

"You too, Y/N," Sungchan watched as you bounded over to your coach, happy to see that you were in a better mood than when he first encountered you. That feeling did something funny to his stomach.

⋆｡°✩

GRAND PRIX DE FRANCE, NOVEMBER 2023

You're on top of the world, and then suddenly you're not. That's the feeling you get when your blade collides with the ice so abruptly, shooting the pain all through your body as you fall on your triple axel again.

You think that you don't even breathe for the rest of the free skate, just running on pure adrenaline pumping through your muscles to get you out of this situation. Fight or flight was really taking over, but you knew that you could never step foot on the ice again if you decide to leave halfway through.

Your coach fussed over you as soon as you stumble out, shell shocked and delirious, but not yet crying.

"Y/N?" she snapped her fingers in front of your face, "Are you okay? Go to the medical team and get that checked out now," she ordered you.

They're satisfied that you didn't sustain any injuries with that fall; you think your mind took the worst of it. You're hunched over on the examination room bed, blanket around your shoulder and shivering.

All you need right now is someone to hold your hand and tell you everything's okay.

"Sungchan?" you whispered into the phone when the call finally connects.

"Y/N! What happened? Where are you?" he sounds breathless, as if he's been running around.

"I'm in the medical room," you looked around the empty room, thankful they gave you the privacy you needed to process, "Can you find me?"

"I'm coming, don't worry," he assured you, "For now, just breathe okay? Just make sure you're breathing. In and out, okay love?"

Love.

Sungchan doesn't bat an eye on this or even try to correct himself. It's something that slips out so naturally to him and that gets your mind going at another 100 miles per hour. Well, at least you weren't thinking about your skate.

It took Sungchan a few more minutes to find the medical room, having asked two staff members along the way. The whole time, he stays on the phone, making sure you're still okay.

He knocked twice and entered the room, finding you in the corner, just staring at his contact information on your phone. Sungchan pressed the hang up button and sighs in relief as he finds you.

Reluctantly, he approached the stiff bed and wrapped his arms around you. The second he does, you melt into his embrace and he's more confident to squeeze you tighter.

Your body begins to shake with sobs and Sungchan feels his shirt become damp, so he places his hand on your head and gave reassuring pats.

"Ah, let it out, Y/N. I know how hard that must have been for you," Sungchan whispered, hoping and praying he was saying the right things.

Falling was nothing new to Sungchan. He fell every day, even. But the immediate feeling you get after it never gets any better. You just have to get better at dealing with the aftermath. He knows you've fallen countless of times before, but after a nearly-traumatic competition all those months ago, he understands why nearly 8 years into your career, you're starting to deal with these new anxieties.

"You're okay, Y/N, you're safe," your sobs let up after a while, but he can still tell that you're still crying, "This is nothing. You're still in the Grand Prix Final and you're still the most amazing skater in the whole world."

You pull away and gave a half-hearted smile through the tears, "Just cause I'm having a breakdown doesn't mean you need to lie to me."

Sungchan is in awe at how beautiful you still look despite the tears rapidly falling. He tucks the hair in your face out of the way and tried to wipe some of the tears, "I'm not a liar. You're my favourite skater and you always have been, ever since juniors."

"Have a crush, do you?" you teased, sniffling and trying to finish up the release of emotions.

"And how bad would it be if I did?"

You tried to ignore him, you really did. You tried to ignore the way his words sent impulses straight to your heart and brain and made you dizzy.

Look, you weren't stupid. You were nearly friends with benefits with this guy and you knew how that usually ended- lovers or enemies. You had been suppressing any emotion all this time to postpone finding out which one you and Sungchan were gonna end up as.

"Y/N?" he called, pulling you out of the trance.

"Hm?"

"Come to Paris with me for a couple of days," Sungchan hums, taking your fingers and playing with them, "I'll help you take your mind off it all."

"Just you and me?"

You think about Eunseok and Seunghan, and how they had expressed their desire to come to Paris after the competition.

"Just you and me," he stated, "Let's just- keep it between us. A healing trip."

"What are you healing from?"

He brings his face close and nudged his nose against yours, "Seeing you cry breaks my heart every time, but I'm glad you come to me."

⋆｡°✩

Sungchan holds your hand the whole 3 hour drive to Paris the next day. While you were feeling better, and watching him skate to a gold also made you happy, you were still fighting your inner thoughts. You look over to your companion, his head resting on his shoulder with his pink lips slightly open as he let out deep breaths. He looked so pretty sleeping, you thought to yourself.

You felt like you were in a romantic film, to be honest. Outside the windows were the sprawling countryside of France between Angers and Paris, and his hand was intertwined with yours and you were sharing an earbud each from his wired headphones connecting to his phone.

You wish you could fall into a slumber like he had, so you wouldn't have to be faced with these thoughts about the two of you. Since your arrangement with Sungchan started, you refused to think about the possibility of anything more between the two of you, convincing yourself that friends was the only title you were destined to bear. When you think about it, you're actually in a much dire situation than you wish to be in. You know you'll have to confront these feelings soon enough the more that Jung Sungchan entwines his life with yours.

Then again, Jung Sungchan has always been in your life.

The minute after you met him at the Junior Grand Prix final when you were 16, you suddenly began to notice him all over the world. He was at nearly every grand prix assignment, every challenger series you participated in and every corner of the world. He was always just there and you never really realised that until recently.

It started off as shy smiles between the two of you and 'good luck's' in passing, and then happy waves and asking each other how you were. When you finally turned 18 and had more freedom at the competitions, you were able to explore town with the boys, Sungchan always in tow since the world loved to put the two of you together.

You didn't know everything about Sungchan but he had already seen you at your worst and at your best. That has to mean something, right?

"We're almost at Mr. Jung's requested destination," your driver cleared his throat, breaking you out of your spell.

You thank him quietly and face the task of waking up what you believe to be the most beautiful sleeping boy in the world.

You reached up to his eyes, pushing the hair out of the way and you cup his warm face with your cold hands. His eyelashes began to flutter, until he woke up at your touch.

"We're almost here," you told him.

He squeezes his eyes shut adorably as he stretches out his body, never breaking his hold on you, "Ah, I fell asleep? Sorry, I didn't mean to!"

"It's okay," you shrugged, "You must be pretty tired considering you had the whole competition and you were last to skate at the gala. You did so well yesterday."

You thought back to how you also met up for drinks with the other boys that night and didn't get into your hotel until 2 in the morning.

"I wanted to spend some time with you, though," he pouted and your head spins at the thought of wanting to kiss the pout off his face.

"We have a few days," you reminded him, "Speaking of, where are we going?"

Sungchan pulls his lips into a sheepish grin, "You might hate it but give me a chance, okay?"

He's right in saying that you absolutely hate the thought of it the second you stepped foot in the building. You pleaded him to do literally anything else in the world as he paid for the tickets and led you past the barriers. You're slow in putting on the equipment and grumbling as you meet him by the gate.

The ice rink is busy, bustling with teenagers, families, couples and everyone alike.

"Give me a chance," Sungchan echoed as he extended his large hands towards you. You nearly laugh at this gesture, considering the two of you were definitely the most experienced skaters on the rink and the possibility of falling was nearly 0, but then you look up at the other couples and groups on the rink, all holding hands as they tried to keep themselves upright.

"We've just spent the last week going around and around the ice until we were going crazy," you began as the two of you set off on a leisurely lap, "And your very best idea for our so called 'healing' trip was to do the same thing?"

He looked at you pleadingly, "Look, I know I can't change the way that skating makes you feel instantly in one day. But I want to get to know you a bit more- find out why you love skating in the first place and hope that I can help you in your journey in falling back in love with skating."

You're struck silent by his explanation, mouth agape. Sungchan smiled softly, tugging on your hand and doing some more intricate steps as you followed. Looking around, there were people of all abilities- adults stumbling and adults gliding, teenagers falling and teenagers spinning, and little children across the whole spectrum of abilities. You awed at the little girl who fell, but got back up immediately, cheeks flushed but expression determined.

There was some couples that you could make out- one partner would be hobbling, holding onto the railing, and then every so often, their more gifted partner would catch up to them in their lap and make conversation, usually grinning and laughing together despite the disparity in ability. You could see the couples holding hands, reassuring each other that they were supported and they weren't gonna let the other fall.

"I was already 9 when my parents first put me on the ice. I fell so many times that my legs were bruised and bleeding up and down both sides and they had to stop me from skating because I was tracking blood and it was a biohazard," Sungchan began, "I hated skating so much at the beginning because I was so bad and I hated being bad at things. I begged and begged my parents to put me into lessons and I was determined to be the best. I hit a stump when I was 13 and puberty hit. I hated how all the easy jumps I could land were suddenly the most difficult thing in the world and it took me a while to find my balance again since I grew so tall in a short period. The time that I hated skating made me realise all the more how much I loved it because it was just showing how much I was willing to give to the sport. That's it, that's my story."

"That's your whole story?" you let go of his hand and skate around him, holding eye contact.

He shrugged nonchalantly, "That's all there is to me. Once I started skating, nothing else mattered. All I do is hang out with you and the boys, and get on the ice at every other time. What's your story, Y/N?"

The two of you skate around an adorable child clutching onto a penguin aid and join again at your hands as you reminisced, "My older cousin loved to skate, so when she would babysit me, she would take me to the rink. At first, my parents hated the idea of that since they didn't want me to get hurt, but I took to skating immediately. It became my life too. School was hard- I was always leaving school early or coming late because of practice and I would be missing days at a time for competitions. I never made many friends at school because of that, so skating was my only friend. I loved everything, but I guess I'm hitting my stump now."

Sungchan hummed and nodded along, "Do you know why?"

"I know it's all in my head," you affirmed, "Me and my therapist agree. I know I can do these jumps and I know that I still do love this sport deep down. I think all the pressure is mounting onto me- you know, continually being the best? But it's all I have and it's driving me crazy. It's the only thing I can take pride in and I think I need something new alongside skating."

"Like what?"

"You're definitely helping," you admitted, looking down, "Not just you. Spending time with you guys is giving me a bit more purpose in life- striving to form better friendships. But you've helped me a lot."

Sungchan grins down at you, surprising you by planting a kiss at the top of your head. He had never been affectionate in public, considering the two of you were keeping a secret from the world, but in this small rink in the outskirts of Paris, he felt like he could shout to the world how he felt about you.

"I don't want you to dread competitions or tear yourself up over your falls. I know there's nothing I can personally say or do to help you, but I just wanna be here for you," Sungchan's words are nearly a confession, but you push that aside as you come to a halt by a little girl falling in the middle of the rink.

"Hey," you coo in your best French, "Are you okay?"

The little girl grabbed your hand with her little fingers and you swooned at how tiny she was. Her eyes are brimming with tears as she tries to find her feet again, so Sungchan grabs her other hand and helps her to stabilise.

He looks over at you, fondness in his eyes as you try to set off the little girl into a slow routine. She's giggling when she is finally able to skate on her own and she thanks you in a cute little voice when she does.

"What's the likelihood that she's gonna be a figure skater when she's older?" you lean against Sungchan's frame, watching her shoot off into the bend.

"Hm, pretty high. You just showed her that if someone's there to pick you up after you fall, it's all gonna be okay."

⋆｡°✩

GRAND PRIX FINAL, DECEMBER 2023

"Song Eunseok," you greeted your friend with a tight hug, and turned to the other, "Park Wonbin! Haven't seen you in a couple of months."

Wonbin affectionately nuzzled his head into your neck, "Did you miss us?"

"I don't know if miss is the right word. Maybe, noticed your absence is better," you teased back, "Isn't this exciting?"

The three of you took your seats right in the front row of the area you had reserved, you in the middle as you watched your best friends warm up on the ice. The other 5 were all participating in the grand prix final, having had the best results in their assignments of the season and were about to compete in the free skate to determine the medalists. Yours had just finished in the slot before, but you were still awaiting the awarding ceremony, hence you still in your costume.

"I would like to be on there with them," Eunseok grumbled, waving hello to a passing Shotaro, "But getting to watch with you isn't so bad."

"There's more seasons to come," you nudged his elbow, "Everyone's on top form this season."

"Especially you, our newly crowned Grand Prix Final gold medalist," Wonbin excitedly clapped, "Three in a row, how does it feel?"

"Like the pressure is still crushing me," you dismissed, "But thank you, Bin. I'm happy."

You steer the conversation along in a different direction, talking about the boys' program and what you were looking forward to see. Anton had a mean quad combination, meanwhile Shotaro's dance elements and step sequences always blew everyone else out of the park. Although you had watched these routines time after time each season, you never got tired of how talented your best friends were.

"Ah right, you went to Paris right? After your assignment there?" Wonbin asked you suddenly.

Your face flushed beet red immediately, "Oh, how do you know?"

"You posted a picture of the Eiffel Tower on your Instagram," Eunseok butted in, "Who'd you go with?"

"Ah, no one you know. Just stopped by on the way to the airport," you lied through your teeth and you hated that you had to do that, but it was your decision anyway.

Sungchan was nearing your side of the stands, and he slowed down significantly as he sent the three of you a wave. You hadn't seen him yet since the end of your free skate that crowned you gold medalist, since he had to prepare to be on the ice immediately afterwards.

"Something's up with Sungchan these days," Wonbin began, eyes trained on the tall figure skating away.

"What makes you say that?"

"I'm not sure," he replied, "But he's like, uh, happier these days? But also more secretive? He's always on his phone and smiling at it and he always sighs when we mention setting him up on a date. Do you think he has a girlfriend he's keeping from us?"

Eunseok nodded along, "I've been noticing that too, actually. What do you think Y/N?"

Your ears flushed red and you prayed they wouldn't notice as you kept your eyes on the boys warming up, "Why are you asking me? You guys spend the most time with him. Plus, why don't you just ask him yourself or wait for him to tell you?"

In all honesty, you were burning with guilt about keeping such a huge secret from the boys, but you and Sungchan were suddenly treading into new territory that you wanted to navigate together first before anything else.

"When we ask him he just changes the topic," Wonbin answered, "To be honest, I thought he had a crush on you. We all did."

"Me?" you exclaimed, looking between the two of them nodding.

"He always talks about you and we thought that was so weird considering you two didn't even seem that close. Channie always asks Taro how you are and we're like: 'why don't you text her yourself?' and then he gets all shy and flustered," Eunseok rambled, "But I guess not."

"Yeah," you trailed off the word, decidedly ending the conversation as the boys evacuated the rink for the first skate.

The thought of Sungchan asking the boys about you made you feel some way- happy, maybe? It was so adorable that he thought of you and that texting you made him shy. You weren't stupid- Sungchan made his intentions clear towards you, but the two of you drew a line and stayed behind it, so you weren't sure what to think. These days, it seemed like Sungchan was destroying that line inch by inch.

Anton was first to skate, so the three of you focused your attention to him instead. A grand prix final with 5 of your best friends was definitely conflicting, but the boys all agreed to never get angry or too competitive with each other and just cheer for each other. Whoever won, won and that was that.

You were glad that all the boys were making it through their programs cleanly and the scores were all in such close proximity to each other that it was actually unclear who might win. Sungchan was last to skate by luck of the draw and by the time it was his turn, you were nearly biting your nails off in anticipation.

While you try not to have favourites between the boys, considering them all to be equally talented in their own ways, Sungchan just had a way of skating that spoke to you. You determined this even before your arrangement.

For a skater his height, he was incredibly graceful with long limbs creating beautiful lines and silhouettes. Despite his abnormally broad shoulders, his jumps were well balanced and tight, and his athleticism made all of them look so easy. His choreographer and coach really used all of his features and abilities to create the most visually stunning and technically superb skate.

"Hyung's been on fire this season," Wonbin muttered beside you, in awe of his friend that was so magnificently treading the ice.

"He's incredible," you agreed softly.

Sungchan was incredibly passionate about figure skating. Of course, you all were since it was your careers and if you didn't love what you were doing, you would quickly burn out. He just had this fire in him that you hadn't seen reflected in other people in a very long time, and that's what you admired about him.

Pushing your own feelings for him aside, you watched him intently as he led up to the most difficult skill in his arsenal- the three of you in the stands all linked arms and muttered prayers and pleadings. It felt like you were on the ice instead- you couldn't breathe until it was over.

"1, 2," you counted under your breath as he took off into his quad lutz. It was almost as if you watched him jump in slow motion, counting every turn until he landed, switched sides of his blades with an euler, before taking off into his triple flip.

You were still holding your breath when Wonbin and Eunseok dragged you up as they jumped up to cheer and whoop at the clean landing and combination. Jung Sungchan was truly one of a kind.

"He's so good," Wonbin squealed as you sat back down to watch him finish off his program, "Crazy good."

You're completely captivated by him for the rest of his skate and it even takes your coach multiple tries to catch your attention to tell you to come down to prepare for the victory ceremony. You plead to wait until Sungchan finished his skate and she just clicks her tongue and gives you a knowing smile.

The rest of the event goes by in a whirlwind, accepting your medals and flowers and taking pictures with your fellow medallists. You speak to some media and change into your comfier clothes, relaxing in your self-prescribed dressing room, which was just an empty room with a table and a couple of chairs.

A knock at the door snapped you out of your trance thinking about your program, and you shouted for them to come in.

"My gold medalist," Sungchan grinned over at you from the door as you jumped up to greet him. He's holding a gorgeous arrangement of flowers in his arms, extending it to you once more, "A gift from us."

You took the flowers, admiring the colours and the smell, before placing it down with the other gifts and your medal, "You guys are always so sweet to me. Congratulations to you as well; that was one of the best programs i've seen in my life!"

"Thank you, Y/N. And Taro says you're our only ice princess so we should spoil you," Sungchan chuckled, slowly approaching you closer and closer, "Anyway, they asked me to come and get you so we can go and get dinner together."

"They asked or you volunteered?"

A smirk took over his face, "Now why would I want to get you alone?"

"Who knows?" you teased as his large hands cupped your cheeks and guided your face to his. All tiredness left your body as you melted into his kiss and you wished that time would stop so you could do this forever.

He captured your lips with his own soft and plump lips, nibbling and kissing so softly and delicately, as if he would break you. It was worlds away from the way you two would make out ferociously in dimly lit hotel rooms after competitions ended at night. It was intentional, sweet and utterly heart-clenching.

"My gorgeous champion," Sungchan murmured against your lips, connecting them again passionately as he snaked his arms around you.

"Channie, we talked about this," you whispered, "We're just getting to know each other still."

Sungchan playfully rolled his eyes and left a fleeting peck before he pulled away, "I know, I know. Let's go before the boys get suspicious?"

He offered out his hand after you picked up all your things and you laced your fingers together and walked out side by side.

⋆｡°✩

PARIS, NOVEMBER 2023

November in the city of love and enlightenment was certainly a chilly ordeal. You were wrapped up in infinite layers, face red and tucked behind a wooly scarf and hat. You would think that since your profession was being around literal ice all day that you would be acclimated to the cold, but Paris was tearing you a new one with its weather.

You and Sungchan were taking a stroll by the River Seine, people watching and basking in each other's quiet company. The thing with Sungchan was that you felt comfortable with him; you's been friends for 6 years anyway, but all this time, you had kept him at arms length in order to protect your heart. Sungchan was still somewhat of a mystery to you- all his thoughts and all his feelings unknown.

"I heard that at night in the summer, they have people play live music here and people will dance along all night," Sungchan sighed, watching the couples stroll by with arms and hands interlocked, bundling together tight to warm each other up.

"That really sounds amazing," you replied, trying to stop yourself imagining dancing with Sungchan by a twinkling river on a cool summer night, "I want to come to Paris again when it's warmer and fully explore it!"

"We should do a trip," Sungchan said and you don't even ask if he meant as a group or just the two of you.

"Y/N?" he called again.

"Hm?"

He stopped to lead you to an empty bench, sitting with a considerable gap away from you before he made the bold move to shuffle closer. Sungchan stared you in the eyes with a longing gaze, "How come you trust me so much? How come you let me stay through your vulnerable moments when I know you don't do that with the others?"

You paused to think momentarily about his question that you'd pondered yourself during sleepless nights many times, "You're always just there. Whenever I end up in a situation like that, you somehow always find me like you have some spider-sense that i'm breaking down. And your presence calms me; you don't even need to say anything," you talked through your thought process slowly, trying to make it make sense in your head as well, "I feel like you understand me well whereas others may feel like I'm self absorbed and selfish for freaking out over such minor mistakes. And I can just feel in my heart that I can trust you. Thank you for always being there for me, Sungchan. I hope I don't burden you with my own breakdowns."

Sungchan smiled shyly, taking your gloved hands between his, "I'm really thankful that you do trust me. Don't ever think that you burden me because I do want to be there for you. Me and the boys hate seeing you so upset, so whatever I can do to help you through is nothing for me; we're in such a demanding field that it's important to have a good support system."

"You guys have really made my career. I don't know how I could have lasted this long without all of you," you emphasised the 'all', hoping he would catch on to your allusion of how special he was to you.

"You know, Y/N," he began, voice suddenly shaking and nervous, "I've been meaning to get some time alone with you in the daytime to talk for a while now."

You chuckled anxiously, "Did you take me to Paris to break up with me? Break up as in end our arrangement?"

"I like you, Y/N," he deadpanned, dismissing your pessimistic comment. Your heart started beating fast instantly, "I really like you and I can't carry on what we have until I tell you. We can move forward however you want: we can end the arrangement or just carry on as we are, but I just wanted to tell you."

His words don't shock you much. You think Sungchan has been confessing in his own little gestures and actions for some time now, but he finally threw the ball in your court.

You looked down at your intertwined hands, smiling softly and exhaled a puff of white frost, "We were bound to fall for each other, right? I just don't want to to hurt you since I've been in a bad place this past few months. I'm slowly getting out of it, but I just don't want to drag you down with me."

"I just want to be by your side," Sungchan whispered gently, "I just want to be able to kiss you in front of the world and call you mine."

"In front of the world?" you teased, ignoring the way your heart was swooning at his sweet confession.

"I know it's selfish of me, but I don't want to hide you forever," Sungchan voiced out, "I want to text you how you are and not feel like I'm overstepping and I have so much more of myself I want to give you."

You finally met his eyes again, "Let's make a deal, Jung Sungchan. Let's get to know each other well and more intentionally over the rest of the season and try that out. When it ends, we can think about what's next."

"I like the sound of that," Sungchan grinned, "I can still kiss you though, right? I think I'd die without it. The months between Worlds and your first assignment was hell for me."

"You're so dramatic," you rolled your eyes playfully, nudging your shoulders against his.

"Y/N?"

"Yes, Sungchan?"

"Does that mean you like me back?"

You let out a laugh that Sungchan swears is the best thing he's heard in his life, and you pulled him by your entwined hands, telling him you want to go see the Eiffel Tower.

⋆｡°✩

SOUTH KOREA, APRIL 2024

Shotaro is smiling happily as he placed the orange juice pouch in front of you on the sand. You're sat on a blanket, knees tucked up to your chest as you watched the waves crash against the rocks peacefully. You think it's a good time to swim since the tide might be too strong later.

"Thank you," you coo at your best friend as he laid down beside you, flicking his sunglasses over his eyes.

You pierced the pouch with the straw and let out a happy sigh as the freezing cold juice invaded your taste buds. Late April in the south coast of Korea was thankfully warmer than the previous weeks you spent in Seoul with a new choreographer, piecing together your new program for the upcoming season.

The beach house behind you does very little to block out the sun, considering the sun is shining the opposite way and down to you, so you had made sure to lather up in sunscreen before relaxing on the beach. You had read half your book before Shotaro woke up from his short post-breakfast power nap and decided to join you on the sand.

"I think Anton and Sohee are still asleep cuddling," Shotaro laughed. You had tried to wake up the pair for breakfast, but they had both grumbled and sent you on your way back to the kitchen, nestling into their shared bed even more.

"They can be in charge of lunch then," you huffed, "When's everyone else coming? What time is it?"

"It's only 11:30," he told you, "I think the other 4 are all arriving together soon- maybe around now."

You, Shotaro, Anton and Sohee were able to make it first to the beach house that you all booked for a peaceful week and a half trip. You had already stayed the night, but the other boys had commitments that meant they could only come now. It was all fine, since you were there for a pretty long time anyway.

A comfortable silence fell between the two of you as Shotaro closed his eyes and took in the fresh sea breeze.

"How have you been since Worlds?" Shotaro broke the silence.

"Better, but I'd hate to find out if my happiness only stems from redeeming myself at this year's Worlds," you recounted. The last time you had seen the boys previous to the trip was the Worlds Championship the previous month, the same competition that caused a year-long spiral down into near insanity. Thankfully, you managed to escape scot-free and with a gold medal around your neck.

"How does it feel now stepping onto the ice? Does that dread still overcome you?" Shotaro asked softly.

After your worst skate on the world stage, it had taken you nearly a month to step back onto the ice since every time you attempted, you were instantly tossed back into that moment. It took another month before you even tried attempting your signature triple axel again. At your first assignment, you had felt fear instead of excitement as you began.

"I don't think so," you said lowly, afraid that if you said it with anymore confidence, it would come back to haunt you, "I think i'm on the other side completely. I have you and the boys to thank for that."

Shotaro smiled proudly, grabbing your hand and squeezing it tight affectionately. You missed speaking like this to your best friend, just the two of you- on rooftops, beaches, cafés, ice rinks, diners- spilling your hearts and confiding in each other. You hated that you were still keeping such a big secret from him.

"Hyung? Noona?" you heard a soft voice call out behind you. You turned around to find Anton peeking only his head out of the double doors at the back of the house overlooking the beach, "The others are pulling up!" The two of you shot up, picking up your blanket, your book and your trash before skipping through the sand to reach the house.

You were nervous, quite honestly, but the good kind, which was new for you. You hadn't seen Sungchan since Worlds (though you've stayed much more connected than in the past when apart) and all you could think about was the agreement between the two of you to revise your arrangement once the season had ended. And it has.

However, the talk was still pending.

You joined Sohee and Anton watching from the wide open front door as the boys were getting their bags out of the car trunk and rolling it up the driveway.

"Vacation time!" Seunghan whooped, dancing into the house with his suitcase in tow and a plastic bag filled with clinking glass, "We're going to get fucked up this week!"

"Well hello to you too, Hannie," he approached you with open arms before you were pulled away into another hug.

"Hmph," you were taken by surprise as Wonbin crushed your frame.

"Haven't seen you in ages," he said sadly. He wasn't at Worlds since he had injured himself slightly at 4 Continents before that, so it had been a while.

"How are you?" you poked his arm, "How's the knee?"

"It'll be totally fixed up before the season starts," he dismissed, grinning at you before going to greet the boys. You quickly hugged Eunseok and turned your attention to the last one through the door.

"Sungchan," you quickly enveloped his waist in a tight hug and he wrapped his arms around your neck and leaned down to your ear.

"Hey there," you could feel him smiling, "Missed you."

You pulled away quickly, trying to not be obvious in front of the boys, simply giving him a smile of reciprocation as you all migrated to the living room.

"D'you guys claim rooms already?" Eunseok looked around at the interior of the beach house.

"Hm," Sohee nodded sleepily, "Anton and I took the double bed on the right of the stairs and there's a room with another double across it."

"My room has a single bed and a double so two more of you can stay with me," Shotaro explained, "Then our princess Y/N gets the master bedroom all to herself."

You grinned teasingly at the boys who affectionately cooed at you and your overpacking. Your clothes were all currently sprawled out everywhere since you dug deep into it to find your pyjamas the night before and didn't bother to unpack properly.

"Dibs on the single," Eunseok rushed out, to which the other boys groaned at, "What? Shotaro likes to cuddle at night and I get too hot for that."

"I'll cuddle with you, Hyung," Wonbin said cutely, wrapping his arms and leg around Shotaro's side. Shotaro chuckled and fondly agreed.

"Yay, we're roomies!" Seunghan tugged on Sungchan's arm, "What are we doing today?"

"How about relaxing?" Wonbin groaned, "Sleeping?"

"Yah, you already slept the whole drive down!" Eunseok protested, "We can unpack and then grocery shop?"

The others seemed to decide that was a good idea so you also headed up to your room to sort out your clothes. Normally, you never properly unpacked in the countless hotel rooms you stayed in, since you only every brought your skates, your costumes and a couple of comfortable sweats to lounge in in between skating sessions. However, since you were staying for a while and doing activities (Shotaro made sure to book a place far from any ice skating rinks), you had to bring a lot of clothes.

Leaving your door open as you sat on the wooden floor and arranged your clothes into piles, you saw Eunseok and Wonbin drag their suitcases up the stairs and onto your wing of the house and they peeked in.

"Wow, noona this room is so nice," Wonbin expressed, "You're so lucky."

"Yeah I deserve not having to share with you guys. You're all pigs," you threw a sock at him that he threw right back.

"Guys, come look at the master," Eunseok craned his head and called over to the other boys bringing their bags up. Eunseok and Wonbin crossed the landing to their room to make space for the approaching Seunghan and Sungchan.

"Wow," Sungchan gasped in awe as he traversed the room and past you, "A bay window looking out at the sea?" He clapped happily as he stretched out across the cushions on the bay.

"Yah, get off! It's mine," you pouted, getting up from the floor to check the view outside. Since you arrived after the sun had already set, you didn't get to see what the view was like before and in the morning, Shotaro had dragged you straight down to the kitchen without even letting you do so much as brush your hair.

You could see from the corner of your eye that Seunghan had turned around and closed the door behind him, which left you slightly suspicious.

"Why did he close the door and leave?" Sungchan frowned, sitting up and patting the cushion next to him for you to have a seat. You sat down, twisting your body to examine the view. It was so peaceful and you couldn't wait to see how the sunset would illuminate your room in vivid colours.

"Beats me," you shrugged, "Did you tell them anything? They've been suspicious that you've been dating someone since grand prix final!"

"Yeah, I know. They keep bugging me about it," he rolled his eyes, "But I haven't said anything!"

"Hm," you hummed, "Anyway, how was the drive up?"

"I called shotgun then Eunseok demanded that I stay awake the whole time to keep him company," Sungchan recounted, "Seunghan and Wonbin were completely knocked out in the back, but it was a nice and smooth trip. What have you guys been doing here?"

"We all just explored the house and then went to bed last night pretty quickly, but Taro and I had breakfast and sat on the beach for a bit before you guys came."

Sungchan shuffled over, his hips bumping against yours, "Mhm, sounds nice! We should take a walk on the beach later. A nice long walk on the beach."

"Just us?" you inquired, brow raised.

"To be honest, I'm not really sure how to get you alone without the others being suspicious. This is probably suspicious enough," he pointed at the door, "They're all probably on the other side with their ears pressed against the door."

"We could just tell them," you suggested cautiously, "That we're getting to know each other?"

Sungchan dropped his head onto your shoulder and sighed, "I like keeping this to us. Our own little secret. It's fun for now, but maybe when we get a bit more tired we can tell them. We'll find a way to spend time with each other a little bit, but I guess it's a group vacation after all."

"Yeah, let's not stress," you agreed. Sungchan started playing with your fingers, twisting your rings and measuring up his large hands with yours before he entwined them together. He peered up at you from your shoulder and reached up to press a kiss along your jawline. You rotated your head to look down at him and before you know it, he had stolen a kiss from your lips.

You nudged him off of your body playfully as he tried to lean in for another kiss, "Go unpack! Hannie's gonna get suspicious!"

He feigned displeasure as he got up and stretched high, nearly touching the ceiling, "Mhm, okay, whatever you say. I'll see you later, love."

You bit back a grin, "Bye Channie."

⋆｡°✩

Sungchan is pushing one of the shopping carts as Shotaro and Sohee trailed behind him. In reality, they should be ahead, but they stopped far too often to point at random things and Sungchan was getting impatient. The three of them were on snack duty, while you, Eunseok and Wonbin were on ingredients duty, as you were the best cooks. Anton and Seunghan had skipped away the second you all arrived and every so often passed by and dumped an armful of things in the cart.

"What kind of crisps should we get?" Shotaro placed his hands on his hips and examined the vast wall of options in front of him. He picked out a few, Sohee following also and placed them in the cart.

Sungchan spotted a rare flavour to find, "They have truffle flavour! Let's get this. I think Y/N likes these."

"How'd you know that, hyung?" Sohee questioned, not interrogatively, just nonchalantly.

"Uh- I think she's mentioned it before," Sungchan stammered, "Let's get drinks."

Shotaro shot him an unsure look, but skipped ahead of the cart anyway to find the beverage aisle. From a few aisles down, Sungchan could hear you laughing with Wonbin and Eunseok and he wished he was by your side.

Eventually, you all converged at the checkouts, carts full and wallets about to be emptied, metaphorically. You had chosen a bunch of meats to grill on the patio down to the beach and lots of ingredients to make side dishes and other random things. The three in charge of cooking followed their task diligently, whereas Anton and Seunghan had produced a pool floater, a bunch of water guns and so many hangover sticks that you were all worried about how much Seunghan was going to force everyone to drink.

You returned to the house in two cars, the same groupings as how you came to the house and rapidly unpacked everything.

"Today, Eunseok, Wonbin and Seunghan are in charge of lunch for everyone," Shotaro declared, "We'll take turns making food each mealtime!"

Everyone made noises of agreement, slowly dispersing through the house as the cooks brainstormed what to serve.

"Does anyone want to go on a walk on the beach? I haven't seen it yet," Sungchan queried to no one in particular. Anton and Shotaro had turned around guiltily from where they were crouched under the TV. You could see that they were fiddling with some wires and powering on the console that they brought to the house. Ah, boys.

"Gonna play FIFA," Shotaro held up the game case sheepishly, "Maybe later?"

"I'll come with you now," you offered slowly, "I love the beach!"

Sungchan gave you a knowing smile and turned to Sohee, "What about you?"

Sohee looked up at you and Sungchan and then down to Anton and Shotaro, who had widened their eyes in order to communicate with him. He opened his mouth and spoke hesitantly, "Uh, I wanna play as well. Is it okay?"

"Mhm, suit yourself," Sungchan shrugged, happy on the inside that he had found a way to be alone with you.

The two of you slipped on more suitable footwear and grabbed a few snacks before heading out onto the beach.

(Meanwhile, Shotaro, Anton and Sohee were smirking in the living room, delighted that their own devious plan to get you and Sungchan together was coming into effect.)

"That was easy," Sungchan chuckled as you chose a direction to walk down.

"Surprisingly! You know how much Sohee loves the beach!" you frowned again but shook out the suspicion, "Whatever. I'm happy to spend time with you."

The second you were far enough from clear view from the house, Sungchan had interlaced his fingers with yours, happily swinging your conjoined arms between you. With his other hand, he ran it through his fluffy brown locks and basked in the soft breeze of being down by the ocean.

The beach was fortunately pretty deserted of people, since it wasn't terribly hot in climate yet, but there were a couple of people dotted around closer to the water.

"This is definitely what a healing trip is made of," he sighed contently, "That was a hard season."

Facing your own challenges didn't mean that the boys also weren't experiencing some hardships of their own. You know that Sohee was taking it hard with some injuries and Sungchan had only introduced his hardest combination the season just past, which is never easy.

"We all deserve a little break," you agreed, "To spend time with each other and definitely not talk or think about skating at all."

"What a dream," Sungchan was too elated being on this trip and it had barely begun, "Here with my best friends and my best girl."

You had stopped in your tracks and punched him softly in the chest, "Don't say that!"

He lowered his neck to meet you at your eye-level, "Why? Did it give you butterflies?"

You scoffed, pushing him away from you, but he decided to wrap his arms around you instead and sway your bodies around.

"You're too bold now, Jung Sungchan," you huffed, "Where's the boy that never speaks whenever we're around people? And the boy that blushed every time we kissed in secret?"

"He found out that the girl he liked likes him back and was giving him a chance to woo her off her feet!" Sungchan poked his tongue out at you and finally let you go, returning to your linked hands and continuing to walk.

"Woo?" you laughed at his teasing.

He nodded affirmatively, "Yeah, woo. Have you been woo'ed?"

You looked away for a second, hesitant to be so candid with him, but you figured that if he was so bold, you couldn't let this chance slip away.

"You're my ideal man, Sungchanie," you admitted quietly, "I like everything about you. I like having you by my side."

His face heated up so suddenly, so far removed from the confidence that was radiating off him just seconds ago. His heart was beating out of his chest as he tried to utter his words as casually as possible, "Enough to make me your boyfriend?"

You nibbled on your bottom lip to stop you from freaking out and smiling like a maniac, "Is that a confession? Is this our evaluation?"

"You already know I like you," he affirmed softly, "If you're ready for a relationship and if you're ready to have me in that way, you're in control."

You were still walking, barely looking at each other and too shy.

"Ask me."

"What?"

"Ask me the question," you whined as he seemed to play dumb.

Sungchan grinned down at you, his bambi eyes sparkling in the sun as he shook his hair out of them. He paused your stroll momentarily, turning to face you and closing the distance between your feet.

He nudged his nose against yours, a favourite move of his as he took a deep breath, "Y/N," he began slowly, "Please can I be your boyfriend?"

"Sungchan!" you laughed suddenly, "The question is 'will you be my girlfriend?'"

"That's not enough to express how much I want to be your boyfriend though," he pouted, "Doesn't matter, just give me an answer."

You threw your arms around his neck, still giggling, "Of course you can be my boyfriend, Jung Sungchan. I'm sorry you've been on trial period for like 5 months now."

Sungchan connected his lips to yours, giving you a soft peck, "Don't be sorry. I just wanted to show you how much I wanted to be there for you."

"And thank you for that. I couldn't have gotten through this season without you," you proclaimed gently.

He bumped his shoulders with yours as he took your hand again, "Don't get too sappy. You'll probably hate us by the end of this trip."

"I swear, if you guys don't clean after yourselves and leave the bathroom messy and dirty, I'll kill you all!" you remarked.

Sungchan laughed heartily- a sound that you had grown to adore over the past few months when you would share hushed conversations getting to know each other over the phone at night and calls whenever your schedules aligned. The two of you walked a little further, just talking about your plans for the trip and pointing out the cute, but also the endearingly ugly, dogs that were running around the beach. Eventually, Eunseok had texted you that lunch was nearly cooked and for the two of you to start heading back.

You couldn't believe that you left the beach house in a situationship and came back as a girlfriend! In fact, you probably still hadn't processed the fact that the Jung Sungchan was finally your boyfriend after all these years of creating boundaries and drawing lines to protect yourself and your heart.

All this time, Sungchan was your right person, wrong time, but you were so happy to be able to say that he stayed by your side long enough to become your right person at the right time.

⋆｡°✩

You were breathless and pliant in Sungchan's hold as he pressed feather-light kisses along your neck. He peppered them across your jaw, ending at the corner of your mouth before pulling away.

"Just kiss me," you begged as he smirked above you. Sungchan loved seeing you like this and now that you were officially his, it ignited a new spark in his heart that had always beat for you anyway.

It was past halfway through the beach trip and you had spent the past week lounging around on the beach and exploring the seaside town together. You spent mornings taking walks with the boys, the afternoon sunbathing and relaxing under parasols on the beach and the evening huddled around a bonfire just talking, singing and reminiscing. You were hard-pressed to find time alone with Sungchan, but you didn't mind since you came with the intention to hang out with your best friends and the new season wasn't going into full effect for a few months anyway.

Despite that, Sungchan had been sneaking into your room either before the others woke up or after they went to sleep, usually just to say goodnight and pillow talk, but sometimes to also make out like you were doing now.

Light flooded into the room from the expansive bay window, bathing Sungchan's face in sunlight. His twinkling eyes against his golden skin made you want to stare in them forever.

You were snapped out of your daydream when you heard a door click open and then close behind someone, and then footsteps on the hardwood floor. You pushed Sungchan off of you and he rushed over to sit at the bay window while you straightened out your bed and your clothes to give the illusion that your boyfriend hadn't been attacking you with his lips for the past half an hour.

You could hear a few more doors open and then close, before a knock on your door sounded out. Gingerly, you shuffled to your door and peeked out to find a sleepy and dishevelled Seunghan.

"Noona, have you seen Sungchan-hyung? He's not in bed," he was blinking slowly, as if trying to adjust to the natural light in your room. As he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, you opened the door wider and pointed sheepishly at the missing boy.

"Hey, I woke up early and couldn't go back to sleep so me and Y/N were just talking and planning the day," Sungchan hummed as casually as he could muster up, "Do you need something?"

You let Seunghan inside your room and he immediately collapsed on your four-poster bed, sighing as he felt the soft sheets hit his head, "Nah, just wondering where you went and if you guys suddenly all decided to wake up and do something without me."

"You know everyone's so hard to get up in the morning," you mused, "Sungchan and I are the only morning people."

"You must have got closer then," Seunghan mumbled to himself, eyes fluttering shut, "That's good, noona. You weren't always as close to hyung."

You sat criss-cross next to his body as you shot Sungchan a pointed look. Was this the time you were going to reveal your relationship to the others? Sneaking around for the past week had been exhilarating, but it did weigh on the two of you to keep such a big secret from them. 

"We're going to the fair today, right?" he carried on, breaking the tension between you and your boyfriend.

"Mhm, so you better get up and wake the others up so we can have breakfast and get going," you told him as he groaned. Sungchan was just smiling at you lazily from the window, watching your sweet and maternal interaction with the younger boy. You prodded Seunghan a few more times before he finally rolled away and off the bed and Sungchan followed him out of the door, giving you a small wave goodbye.

You slowly got yourself ready for the day ahead, knowing it was going to take a while before all 7 of the boys could wake up and get refreshed enough to leave. By the time you were done, the youngest ones were preparing breakfast in the kitchen, singing along to the song on the radio perched on a floating shelf.

"Need any help?" you cast your eyes over Sohee and Anton who grinned happily as they saw you for the first time.

"Mhm, no," Sohee assured you, leading you to the already set dining table and pointing at the food, "We're nearly done so you can just wait for us or start eating if you want."

For the duration of the entire trip, it seemed like the boys were determined to not let you lift a finger. Although you were happy to help in cooking and cleaning, every time you were on the rotation, whoever was with you would work hard and take a lot of your work off you. Then again, the boys had always been sweet to you. Of course, they were funny, teasing and ridiculous, but at the core of it, they treated you like their little sister even though you were older than most of them. You really think that you couldn't have lucked out more with a friendship group and found family.

Anton served an over hard egg on your plate and you noticed that the rest on the serving plate was filled with sunny-side up eggs. See, they even paid attention to your food preferences.

Seunghan was next to come down, more wide awake than when you saw him last and seemingly energised by the prospect of food. He sat on your right, quickly scooping all of the dishes he wanted but stopping himself from eating until everyone came down.

Wonbin and Shotaro descended next, complaining about how long each other took to shower and get ready, but Eunseok came right behind them hair still dripping, to your chagrin as he made the floors slippery. Sungchan finally came down just moments later and took the empty seat next to you.

"Yay, let's eat!" Anton clapped his hands together as you completed the table.

"Wonbin-hyung, you'll go on the rides with us today, right?" Sohee crunched through his sausage.

"No, you can't force me to do anything," he grumbled and the rest of you chuckled at the man you knew to be so scared of fast and high rides, "I can watch over our stuff if you do go."

That was exactly the coversation you were having 2 hours later as all 8 of you stood in front of the tallest and fastest rollercoaster at the fair. In all honesty, it wasn't even that big and scary considering it was only a small fair that moved around, so the rides had to be simple to deconstruct. Even still, Wonbin planted his feet on the ground and firmly shook his head.

"But there's an uneven number of us," Shotaro whined, tugging at Bin's arm, "C'mon, just this once?"

He pouted and batted his long eyelashes as Anton sighed, "It's okay, I'll stay with hyung. I don't feel that good after that hot dog anyway."

Looking around, all of you had accepted defeat, so you joined the short line for the ride and immediately began grouping yourselves into pairs. At the one amusement park you had joined them at since you guys became friends, you stuck by Shotaro's side the whole time as you were still opening yourself up to the others. This time, you didn't really mind as Sohee linked arms with your boyfriend.

As the line progressed and you were at the front, Eunseok made his way to the back of the pack with you and helped you into the cart before sitting by your side. The climb up was decently steep and you could hear and feel the vibrations of the rails under you. You could also see Sohee still clutching Sungchan's arm and Seunghan and Shotaro preparing to raise their arms up when the ride plummeted.

As it slowly approached the peak, Eunseok cleared his throat, "You guys are pretty obvious, you know?"

You snapped your head so fast that even this rollercoaster couldn't give you the whiplash you gave yourself, "What?"

The ride was so rickety and loud that the boys in front of you couldn't hear you as Eunseok smirked, "You and Channie. Well at least to me you're obvious."

You opened your mouth to say something along the lines of you had no idea what he was talking about, but suddenly the ride dropped and a scream erupted from your throat. From beside you, Eunseok was nearly doubling over in laughter at how he caught you so flustered and shocked.

"Yah, don't run away from me," Eunseok laughed, calling after you as you gave him a pointed stare and ran ahead to catch up to Wonbin and Anton first.

Sungchan with his long strides reached you quickly, "What was that about?"

Anton and Wonbin's eyes were trained on you, so you merely waved your hand and dismissed it, "Nothing, just some nonsense."

You were grateful that Eunseok didn't say anything else when he arrived at the fence the others were waiting at, but for the rest of the fair, he would give you teasing smiles whenever you got so much as remotely close to Sungchan.

The sun was about to set and you were all nearly tired enough to go home. Between the big rides, the boys put on their competitive hats and kept challenging each other to the stalls that were known to be scams. They were probably blowing all of their prize money between them, but you had to keep walking back and forth between the fair and your cars since they were accumulating far too many plushies to hold.

"Just one more," Sungchan pleaded so cutely that you were resigned to say yes to, "Then we can go home after! Song Eunseok! Do this one with me!"

He was tugging on your arm, pointing at the basketball booth before slinging his arm around Eunseok's shoulder and dragging him along. Behind you, the youngests were happily munching on long churro sticks that Shotaro had bought for them, meanwhile he was conversing with Wonbin behind them.

"Loser has to grill all the meat later," Eunseok bargained. It was the two of them on main dinner duty once you returned to the house.

"Well what if we both win?" Sungchan huffed.

"Doubt it," Eunseok chuckled, as he handed over his bills to the booth manager.

You rolled your eyes at their antics- everyone knew that the basketball hoops were oval shaped and the chance of getting a ball in was slim. Even still, they both paid for the highest amount of balls in order to have the chance to win the biggest prize. If they got three balls through the hoop, then they could pick from the large prizes.

The boys finally caught up to you guys and sighed at the competition they saw in front of them. Eunseok was very passionate about basketball and Sungcham was very passionate about winning.

"No cheating," Sungchan swatted at Eunseok, who narrowed his eyes playfully.

They both began, the rest of you cheering them on. Both of them missed their first two shots, and they had to make the last 3 to win the big prize. Surprisingly, they also both were able to shoot the next two together, and were staring each other down as they picked up the last basketball.

"You're going down, Song Eunseok," Sungchan taunted, sticking his tongue out. Eunseok rolled his eyes and decided to shoot first at the hoop. You all watched in anticipation as the ball hit the rim... and then bounced off. Eunseok screamed in defeat and all eyes were turned to Sungchan.

He carefully examined the hoop and decided to just go for it. You were all shocked that it went in!

Sunchan whooped in glee, taunting Eunseok before throwing his arm around your shoulder. That was a pretty normal thing for the other boys to do to you, but it certainly wasn't the way Sungchan used to interact with you.

"You can choose the prize, Y/N," he grinned down at you, pointing at the array of large animal plushies attached around the booth.

You gasped as you laid your eyes on the most perfect choice and you leaned into his touch as you pointed it out, "That one!"

The booth attendant took it off its hook and handed it over to you. Gleefully, you held it up to Sungchan and cooed, "It looks just like you, Channie!"

Sungchan was smiling so dorkily at how the large baby deer plushie was making you so happy, and you were both too busy cooing at the plushie to notice the boys, jaws dropped and watching you.

"Uh," Wonbin uttered, "What's going on here?"

The silence that fell caused you and Sungchan to turn around, and upon realising their reaction, you jumped away from each other, still both holding the plushie.

"What do you mean?" Sungchan scratched his neck awkwardly, "You all got a prize for Y/N earlier. I wanted to as well."

Seunghan nodded slowly, "Okay, okay. Sure. But we just got small prizes."

"Is it my fault that I was good at this?" Sungchan retorted as he began walking your group towards the car park. You scurried behind him, hugging the deer close to your chest.

You fell back a little from Sungchan and slowed your footsteps since the boys behind you started whispering to themselves.

"I think Operation Sung-Y/N is working!" Sohee whisper-hissed. You raised your eyebrow at that. There's no way, right? There's no way that they were doing a whole scheme to set you up together with your boyfriend- not that they know that.

You decided not to confront them and joined Sungchan's side again. He had turned to talk to you, but saw you had slowed down so he had stopped in his tracks and waited for you. Sungchan sighed to himself as he watched you bound over with the plushie. He wished he could be in your embrace the way that plushie was connected to you. Frankly, he should have just told everyone else right then as they got suspicious, but he had a feeling you wanted to do it more lowkey.

Later on that night, Sungchan was lying on top of your sheets as you played with his hair. It was his turn to hug the deer- the only one that made it to your bed as you banished the other plushies the boys gave you onto the windowsill.

The others were all downstairs, either preparing the side dishes and preparing the grill or fighting each other on the playstation.

"We can tell them tomorrow," you sighed happily. his hair was so soft and bouncy that it instantly bounced back to its spot after you ran your hand through it, "And then we'll have 2 days here to act like a couple."

"Ah, two days," Sungchan sighed, "When am I going to see you again after that? I want to take you on a proper date, finally."

You gasped to yourself, bringing your hands to your mouth. Sungchan sat up quickly, eyebrows stitched together in worry, "Oh, what's up? What's wrong?"

You began laughing to yourself and Sungchan looked at you like you had grow two heads, "I forgot to tell you guys completely! I have some news for you all!"

"Ah, what is it?"

"I'm going to train in Seoul this season!"

Sungchan yelped in surprise, suddenly attacking you in a hug down onto the bed, "Oh my gosh, really? Are you serious? It's not a joke right?"

You giggled happily as he attacked your face wiyh kisses, "You know my coach Lina? Well, she's pregnant and she asked if I would be willing to relocate to Seoul so she could be around her family and her husband's family! She wants to receive maternal care here, so," you trailed off.

"Oh my, I'm so happy," Sungchan breathed out, "You mean I won't have to wait months in between competitions to come and see you? I can see you everyday?"

"Hey, you have a skating career too," you poked his chest, "Make sure you focus on that. But if it works, then sure! I'm going apartment hunting as soon as we all drive back up to Seoul!"

Sungchan was so elated, dreaming about all his favourite places that he would take you, "Ah, I think there's an apartment empty in our building. Do you want me to ask our management team?"

The boys all lived in the same building, some of them sharing and some of them living alone since there were various apartment layouts. You recalled that Sungchan lived with Shotaro on the 7th floor of the building, but you had only visited twice before.

You had a thought about declining his offer. Maybe it was moving too fast for you if you moved into his apartment building, but then again, the rest of your friends were there too and it wasn't like you were moving into his room. The thought of having all of them around often and being able to guide you through the city comforted you, so you just gave him an appreciative smile and nodded, "Mhm, that would be nice."

A happy sound escaped his throat and you're certain that moving to Seoul was the best move for you at this stage. Sungchan flipped you around so he was below you and you hovering over him. He brought his hand up to your face, tucking your hair out of your eyes and settling his large palms on your soft cheeks.

He guided your face down and you could feel his breath ghosting over your mouth. Sungchan connected his eyes with yours, "I really, really like you, Y/N. Thank you for giving me a chance."

Stealing his move, you grazed your nose against his, "You tell me that everyday, baby. I really, really like you too. I'm excited for this new season."

It wasn't just a new season of figure skating where you were going to debut new programs. It was a whole new season in your life. It felt like you could finally release yourself from the shackles of the bad moments of your past and start anew- a new country, and a new boyfriend.

He craned his neck up to softly touch your lips together, but he hadn't made any other moves, so you slid your arms around his neck and melted into his chest, parting his lips with yours and deepening the kiss.

You have always loved kissing Sungchan. His kisses seemed to heal every pain and suffering in the world and made you forget even your own name sometimes. He was always a passionate person, tending to your whines and requests whenever you got frustrated and he was teasing you. You don't know how, but since becoming his girlfriend, kissing him felt even better than it did before.

You were so engrossed in each other that you hadn't even heard the footsteps coming up the stairs, or Seunghan's soft calls for you, or his knocking on the door, or the way the door creaked as he opened it.

"Yah!" his scream caused Sungchan to sit up so hard and fast that you fell off of him and onto the floor, "My eyes!"

Sungchan smoothed his clothes out in a panic and yelped in apology as he helped you up from the floor. He scowled at his younger friend, "Do you know how to knock?"

"I did!" Seunghan exclaimed, throwing his hands up, "I even called for you, noona! Ah, I'm so traumatised! How can I get that out of my head?"

Your face must have been as red as the way it flushes when you get drunk as you just watched silently against the bed.

"Hey, what's going on? Hurry up, we wanna eat!" Wonbin appeared behind Seunghan who was still rubbing his eyes, unable to believe what he saw. Wonbin looked at him, confused by his reaction and the yells, "What happened?"

Suddenly, the other 4 boys all came out of nowhere too, crammed in the small hallway and looking between you on the bed, Sungchan closer to the door and Seunghan just on the other side.

"I caught them," Seunghan dramatically screeched, throwing his arms around Wonbin, "I caught them!"

"Caught them doing what?" Shotaro frowned.

"Making out!" Seunghan screamed, to which the rest of the boys started yelling in surprise too, suddenly firing questions at you and Sungchan, who was looking worriedly and apologetically at you.

"I knew it!" Eunseok smirked.

"Oh my God?" Anton gasped quietly and Sohee was mirroring his reaction.

"Are you guys fucking?" Seunghan was still dramatically wailing.

Sungchan scoffed, offended, "No! Well-" he looked at you, giving you the choice to give as much information.

"We're in a relationship," you revealed softly, laughing at their dropped jaws, "Well, only since the trip. We've been getting to know each other since Paris."

"Paris?" Wonbin gawked, "Paris? So when we asked you who you went to Paris with and you said no one, you actually were with Sungchan-hyung?"

"Yeah," you tilted your head and scratched the back of your neck, "Sorry for some white lies we've had to tell. We just wanted to keep it to ourselves for a bit, navigate new territories and make sure it doesn't affect our friendship with you guys."

Shotaro stepped into the room, huddling over to give you a hug, "Well we're all happy for you both. Besides, we were all conspiring to set you two up this trip."

"We were so proud at how well it was working," Sohee cried out, "Turns out we're the fools!"

You think back through the trip at the instances they created to get you alone together, whether it was taking quick trips to the grocery store because they 'forgot' an ingredient, or just leaving you two behind whenever you were walking and relaxing on the beach. You were thankful the boys were so silly to create a plan like that, otherwise you couldn't have spent so much time with your new boyfriend on the healing trip.

"It's okay guys," Sungchan grinned lopsidedly, "It was funny to watch." "Um," Seunghan interrupted, "I actually came up cause I was coming to tell you that dinner was ready."

Eunseok nodded, turning on his heel, "Yeah, I'm really hungry. Can we talk about this over barbecue instead?"

The rest of the boys nodded in agreement, making their way down the stairs. You sighed heavily, looking at Sungchan who placed a loving kiss on your hair, "That was so chaotic. Are we okay, though?"

You smiled up at him and took his hand pulling you up, "More than okay. They were bound to find out and they're all so happy about it."

Sungchan splayed his palm against yours and then locked your fingers together, "Ah, wait til you tell them about moving to Seoul. They'll forget this news instantly!"

You let the grin invade your face as you happily imagined the way they'd cheer and instantly bombard you with outings to do and places to visit together in Seoul. You were definitely certain now that your relationship with Sungchan wasn't going to change your friendship.

"Lovers, come on!" Eunseok yelled up the stairs, "The food is getting cold so stop making out!"

Well, maybe a little bit. But as long as you were able to call Sungchan yours, you were sure you could endure anything.

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

a/n: thank you for reading:) pls let me know what you think<3

[blorbo-arena]

Steve Blueclue wins round 1 against Captain Picard in a landslide victory! Will he fare as well against the 10th Doctor himself, however? Or will we see Ms. Blue turn out to be a Badwolf?

Share for larger audience! ⚡

[tanadrin]

RE "revolutionary leftists are revolutionary because they know they can't win electorally."

It astounds me a little that there are leftists who think that a communist revolution is more likely to work than, like, fifty years of community-building and electoral politics. Sewer socialism, union activism, and other boring activities have brought much more success in the U.S. than agitation for a revolution.

What I mean is, setting aside the moral concerns (violence is bad, even when it's necessary, and if there are practical alternatives then we should pursue them), I am not a revolutionary leftist because I think we would lose a revolution. For one thing, there is a considerable right-wing element in the country that is much better prepared for this kind of thing, and I think that the majority of the institutions in the U.S. would pick fascism over communism if they had to choose, but also, prolonged violent action is ripe for breeding authoritarianism.

Goatse is concerned that "the party" might "abandon or neglect its primary ends," but what is leftism if it is not, at bottom, an attempt to improve the living conditions of all people, et cetera et cetera? To the extent that social democratic parties successfully pursue this end to some degree, they're better than than an ostensible communist party that talks the talk but commits human rights abuses. And, more than the fact that U.S. leftism has some pretty fierce opposition that would probably fare better if The Revolution happened tomorrow, I think that, even in winning, we would lose, because what came out the other end would look a lot more like Stalinism.

I think one thing the hardcore revolutionaries in OECD countries don't realize is that the reason they can't marshal support for their revolutions is that the socialists won most of the issues that were salient in the early 20th century--workers got more rights, better pay, unions were legalized, etc., etc. But it didn't take restructuring the whole political economy to do it, which is immensely frustrating if you believe that any society without your ideal political economy is inherently immoral and impure, so in order to justify an explicitly communist platform you have to rhetorically isolate it from the filthy libs and feckless demsocs who it turns out have been pretty effective within the arena of electoral politics in which supposedly nothing can ever get done, and treat them as of a piece with the out-and-out fascists and royalist autocrats of the 1920s and 30s.

Which, you know. Is not persuasive to most people! Most people understand intuitively the vast gulf between the SPD and the Nazis; they see that, milquetoast and compromising though they may be, the center-left can deliver substantive policy improvements without the upheaval of a civil war or political purges, and this is attractive to people who are not of a millenarian or left-authoritarian personality.

Which isn't to say that communists don't often make important points! It sucks having to fight a constant rearguard action against the interests of capital rolling back the social improvements of the 20th century, and it sucks that liberal governments in Europe and North America have historically been quite happy to bankroll and logistically support fascists and tyrants in the third world against communist movements (which invariably only exist as communist movements because these same fascists and tyrants have crushed more compromising movements and only the most militant organizations have managed to survive).

But I agree with you: communists also talk a big game about how liberalism is the real fascism (what's that line from Disco Elysium I see quoted everywhere about how everybody is secretly a fascist except the other communists, who are liberals?), while also being awful at democracy. Suppressing dissent because your small clique of political elites is the only legitimate expression of the people's will (which you know, because you have declared it to be so) really is some rank bullshit. A system with competitive elections is still, well, a system with competitive elections, even if those elections are structurally biased in certain ways; all the bloviating that attempts to justify communist authoritarianism cannot really obscure the fact that authoritarian systems are cruel and brittle, regardless of the ideology being served.

[dduane]

Hello! I was wondering if you’ve shared your ao3 account? Like, have you acknowledged “this account is mine,” or do you keep it personal? Totally respect if you keep it under wraps I just wanted to know if I’m missing something. Hope my wording of this makes sense!

No, it's OK, I get it. You're asking "Have you publicly ID'd a given AO3 account as yours?"

No, and I'm not going to. Because it contains fanfic I've written for pleasure—exactly as I started writing it in my teens—and I have no desire to have that publicly connected with me.

Leaving the usual legal concerns aside (and not being even slightly concerned that a judge would fail to find the fiction "transformational", if the truth came out in a court of law) a significant part of this effort is about answering the question: "What would happen if people read fiction of mine and they didn't know Diane Duane was responsible for it? What would their reaction be?" That urge to discover whether the fiction stands on its own, without the inevitable shadow cast by one’s reputational backstop, still comes up for me in some moods. So when the itch to write fanfic comes up, I scratch it. And all I can say is that, by and large, the results have been satisfying.

Frankly, it's a ton of fun. There's no one to satisfy (at the most immediate level) except me and the local embodiment of the Creative Urge. No one will ever accuse me of "just churning [this] out for more $$$$", because there is no $$$$. And there's room to stretch further and harder than I might normally do in my public work (because there's more forgiveness for failure: and in the arts, I think, failure is absolutely one of the most effective ways to grow). Whatever comes back to me in return for this work—and it is work, some of the hardest I've ever done—is in the form of raw appreciation. So, people, on behalf of my colleagues, let me just say: comment on AO3 fics, yeah? You don't have to be fulsome about it. A word or two will do. And bestow kudos where you may. It's all an AO3 fanfic writer asks.

...And of course some people will say: "Are you off your rocker? You're traditionally published for decades, you have awards, you've been on bestseller lists, how can you not be sure that what you're doing's any good?" ...But you know, no writer is sure all the time. All of us wake up in the middle of the night some time(s), thinking "I'm not sure I've still got it..." and squeezing our eyes shut in terror of future reviews containing the horrible conjecture that Maybe We Never Really Had It To Start With. When you've spent a significant portion of your lifetime making stuff (up) out of nothing, the horrible suspicion that maybe it really has been nothing all the time—I mean, nothing nothing—is unavoidable.

So sometimes some of us want to go out in disguise (and I don't mean paid pseudonymic work: that proves nothing in this particular arena) and see how we fare. I know other traditionally-published writers who've done this—names that would surprise you—and who, by and large, have done it for the same reasons. We are the dark figures, hooded and cloaked, sitting in the shadows of some of the more prominent fandoms that express themselves on AO3; eyes glinting in the firelight, enjoying the reactions to the stories we've got to tell.

It's not bad here, in the shadows. For one thing, you're in a better position to appreciate the figures moving in the light. There's a lot of extraordinary talent on AO3 (and elsewhere in the online fanfic world), sharing stuff with us out of their own hard work and from their own urge toward grace. It's a privilege to read them. (Some of them are better writers than I am. I appreciate them: and comment, and leave kudos, because that's how appreciation is concretely shown. And I take notes.)

Beyond that, there's nothing much to add except that I have no plans to stop. And also: that I think kindly every single day of the very small and exclusive group of people who know "who" I am on AO3, and have kindly kept that data to themselves. Your confidence honors me, friends. May the Work do you honor in return. :)

And now: I owe you all an update, so you'll have to excuse me while I get on with it. :)

[summerreign4077]

Let’s talk about the folks who are trying to backtrack on mocking Gus Walz because they didn’t know he had a disability.

Right. Okay. So …

Let’s start with the fact that he’s a seventeen year old kid who was so proud of his dad, whom he obviously loves deeply, that he was moved to tears. That’s beautiful, and a hell of a testament to their relationship.

But sure, some people thought his reaction was over the top and “weird.” And therefore fair game. Until they heard he has a disability.

(So, to recap, it would have been a-okay in that crowd to bully a typical kid for *acting atypical* but maybe he should be off limits now that they know he has a diagnosis.)

Pull up a chair, won’t you, friends?

Being an accepting, inclusive, and not completely shitty human isn’t about having access to everyone’s medical records. It’s about humanity. It’s about not having to know that there’s a label for a fellow human’s unique constellation of strengths and challenges in order to approach them with compassion.

It’s about not needing an explanation for why someone comes across a little - or a lot - differently from the average bear in order to indulge their quirks, celebrate their differences, support their challenges and accommodate their access needs, to give them extra time and love and leeway.

Labels / diagnoses / identities are important and valid and helpful in a million different ways, but they shouldn’t ever be the ticket that we demand from others before granting them entry into the arena of our empathy. The only fare needed is humanity.

So lay off the kid. Not just because he has a disability, but because he’s human, and that’s reason enough.

{image is a photo of Gus joyfully hugging his Dad on stage last night, flanked by his sister, Hope, and his mom, Gwen, who is just out of the frame.}

Credit: Diary of a Mom page on Facebook

[clayvedevs]

ATP Hunger Games Simulator

With relatively little tournaments going on now post-wimbledon, i've decided that the next best thing is to watch the atp top 25 (minus rat) fight to the death in the hunger games. Since that's also not an option, i'm left just simulating what would happen if they were in the hunger games. So without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, meet the cast:

And it's lights out and away we go!

Day 1

And already, there are casualties. Local american idiots Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz team up to fight brit Jack Draper and honorary brit Alex de Minaur. Unfortunately, Ben and Taylor don't make it. Rip american idiots. You found each other in every universe.

As the day goes on, we don't see any more casualties. However, faa is pricked by thorns, which is about the most action so far. Oh and Hubi sparing Lorenzo's life like the gentleman he is. Daniil with explosives, a great combination i'm sure. As night falls, 2 cannon shots can be heard in the distance. Rip Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz.

Night 1

Some very interesting groups. Not sure why Lorenzo would want to hang out with the guy who just defeated him in a fight, but it's his decision. No more deaths yet. Sebastian Baez is a mood.

Day 2

Novak Djokovic with a spear is something that everyone should be afraid of. But having said that, it is Jack Draper who kills Felix Auger Aliassime, who evidently has not recovered from his earlier thorn prick. Jack - 3, everyone else - 0. A cannon can be heard in the distance. Felix Auger Aliassime, taken from us too soon.

Night 2

Everyone prefers night matches apparently, because all the action is happening at night! Both Chileans fall at the hands of the ruthless Sebastian Korda and the merciless Andrey Rublev respectively. Rip Chile, you had to put clothes on eventually. Alex de Minaur has opted to keep Lorenzo Musetti alive. This is the 2nd time someone could have killed Lore but his puppy dog eyes must have won them over. Will this come back to bite him in the arse? Honestly, i wouldn't need much convincing to snuggle up with Alexander Bublik.

Day 3

Hubi the gentle giant not so gentle, forcing Bublik to kill Karen. If i was Sebastian Korda, i too would question my sanity. I wouldn't even have to be in the hunger games. Alex keeps letting people live, which is nice of him, but what other chance are you gonna get to eliminate the threat that is Novak? Biggest news though, the number 1 seed is out! Yes, Jannik Sinner has been killed at the hands of Sebastian Baez. 4 cannon shots can be heard for the Chileans, Karen and Jannik.

Night 3

Not much to say here, except that Tommy Paul might have an infection, Stefanos is thirdwheeling ruru, and Jack shows mercy for once. Also, i've heard Novak sing in that backhand boys video, and he didn't have the worst vocals.

Day 4

A lot of sanities being questioned. Tommy Paul tried to be too clever and it has backfired on him. Sebastian Korda is the last North American standing. In a repeat of the Dubai semi finals this year, Ugo Humbert has taken down Daniil Medvedev. Is the arena filled with clay? Sebastian Baez seems to be enjoying himself though. And glad to see Andrey try to fix his sleep schedule. 2 cannon shots for Tommy and Daniil.

Night 4

Another night, another Tsitsipas rizz masterclass. First cuddling with Sascha, now holding hands with Jack. In revenge of the Acapulco final, Casper kills Alex. Between this and Daniil, mouse man nation has truly crumbled.

Day 5

It seems like his age is finally catching up with Novak, whose ankle gives out after a chase by the fitter Andrey. After scaring him in Day 4, Holger doesn't finish the job and spares Korda. Maybe he felt bad for the jumpscare? But in a huge twist of events, evidently Bublik hasn't gotten over Hubi forcing him to kill Karen, so he enlists the help of Carlos to get revenge. Poor baby Casper is pricked by thorns. I wonder how he'll fare?

Everyone has failed their mandatory drug test and begins to hallucinate. Sebastian Korda wins the Sebastian Derby, and there goes Latin America's last hope. Both Carlos and Novak die hugging tracker jacker nests. Maybe it's a grand slam winner thing? Also Lorenzo and Holger attempt to run away to wonderland together, but their doomed love story ends there. At least they died together. I know the French eat snails but apparently they also eat scorpions too. And this one is a doozy. A whopping 8 cannon shots can be heard for Alex de Minaur, Hubi Hurkacz, Sebastian Baez, Carlos Alcaraz, Lorenzo Musetti, Holger Rune, Novak Djokovic and Ugo Humbert. At this point, i'm beginning to get scared that Sebastian Korda might actually win this thing.

Night 5

Korda continues his reign of terror, taking out Bublik. Grigor dares to dream, something that he hasn't done in a long time. Probably.

And it's time for the feast!

Oh my! Andrey Rublev has always been a wanted man, but now it seems like he's wanted more than ever, and not in a good way. Grigor doesn't go to the feast. At least he didn't see his lover die.

Day 6

Grigor goes and takes revenge for Andrey's murder, but ultimately decides against going through with it. 2 cannon shots can be heard. Rip Alexander Bublik and Andrey Rublev.

Night 6

Poor Grigor, still haunted by his dead lover. And here's another weird statistic for the atp, tree related deaths - 2. You heard that right ladies and gentlemen. Two people have died from tree related incidents: Jack from falling out of a tree and Sebastian Korda from being stabbed by a tree branch. Ouch. At least his reign of terror is now over.

So, who is still alive?

After flopping on the atp tour for these past months, Casper Ruud, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Grigor Dimitrov suddenly find themselves with a chance at victory. Will it be the iceman Casper Ruud who will find himself winning a title bigger than a 250? Will the balding, bisexual, Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov win his 2nd title since 2017? Or will Stefanos "daddy issues" Tsitsipas prove that he can win without on-court coaching? Stay tuned to find out.

Day 7

Casper goes back to his Scandi roots and builds a shack worthy of rivaling ikea furniture. 1hbh off and Grigor runs away, knowing he can't shank the ball as well as Stefanos can. 2 shots can be heard for Jack Draper and Sebastian Korda.

Night 7

Stefanos wasn't invited to the cuddle party. The shock of that was too much for him and he passed out. Not fatally though.

Day 8

Stefanos, in awe of Grigor's backhand and slice, knows he cannot compete with him, begs to be killed. Grigor keeps him alive anyway.

Night 8

If this were another genre, it'd be the start of a smutty threesome. But it's the hunger games, so two of these men are gonna be dead come tomorrow.

Day 9

And what's this? Grigor Dimitrov has died from thirst. What a way to go though. And Casper Ruud from district 4, killing off his title contender for king of flopping, has won the hunger games! Congrats king, i hope you win a real title soon.

[corazondebeskar-reads]

live to rise: preview

doin' something a little different for wip wednesday...

live to rise

gladiator!Din Djarin x f!reader

coming late January 2024

warnings: dark, captivity, forced proximity, canon-typical violence, genre-typical violence, prisoner of war, indentured servitude, fight to the death, au where the empire wins, graphic descriptions of violence, graphic descriptions of injuries, gore, brutality, mand'alor!Din Djarin, major character deaths (not Din), many minor character deaths, tattooed!Din, bleeding heart!reader, Din has hearing loss, eventual smut

The Last of the Mandalorians have fallen; their Mand'alor captured. Stripped of his armor, his weapons, his people. Din rises to fight another day, grasping onto the hope that his son still lives.

No fighter has won their freedom from the Empire's arena before. With the help of a servant girl, can he hope to break free?

snippet below:

In the servants' barracks, which are actually barracks and not a soft word for cellblocks, the gossip has already spread. 

Some of the attendants get to watch the fights. Or, rather, they have to, bound as they are to a single combatant. The mandated proximity is unforgiving, but no one likes to watch.

After all, there’s very little difference between you and the fighters.

Instead, the attendants take on the solemn duty of letting the rest of you know how your residents fared or fell. 

“He was a berserker,” Hali says in hushed whispers. “They took all that armor off, and he just looked like a man. A pretty man, but just a man. But when it started, he moved so fast. It was over in, like, two minutes.”

“Shut up,” says Eli, your bunkmate. “He did not take down a Wookie in two minutes.”

“No, he really kriffing did,” hissed one of the new attendants whose name you hadn’t caught. “It was brutal. The whole arena went quiet. And he’s just standing there, covered in blood, looking at the crowd.”

“Okay, whose block is he in?” Eli demands. “Someone needs to spill now.”

“Mine,” you say quietly. 

[farearenaflighttickets]

[padfootscoldleathers]

i'll leave (a light on) ch.1

The stage lights flash over Sirius's skin and the open air in the arena suddenly feels thin and muted. Performing under the bright eyes of hundreds of adoring fans with some of the best friends he's ever had: Peter, Marlene and Dorcas. He’s at the height of his career, the band has taken off, they're on the band's first international tour. It's everything he's always wanted. So Sirius should feel at the top of the world right now, should be happy but what is there to feel behind a mask you painted meant to show that you feel nothing?

Bought a bunch of makeup

Just trying to cover up my face

He looks into his lap and fiddles his thumbs just to do something, to work up the nerve to say what he came here to. Where do you find the courage to break a heart? "I can't do this anymore." He says it slowly and sighing, but it's a sharp taste. Possibly finally more than Sirius can take in a lifetime. "What do you mean?"

Bought a new prescription

To try and stay calm

But there's always something missing

There's always something in the mirror

That I think looks wrong

His lungs start to burn as his throat swells and voice rasps yet gorgeously compliments the song. The crowd's roaring seeps through his earpiece but he can still hear the buzzing. The annoying wasp of Walburga whispering in his ear when he was young and easily manipulated that beauty was pain; that they were one in the same. Sirius doesn't feel beautiful with hot salty tears sparkling on his cheeks. Doesn't think anyone watching tonight would see a radiance in his silent heartache.

Pretty isn't pretty enough anyway

"You know what I mean, Sirius." Barty was dancing around something Sirius didn't want to acknowledge, so obviously he wasn't going to help. Crouch had to summon his own courage, Sirius had none to spare. "I can't be with you. I know you see it, even worse you feel it and yet," Barty blows out a suffering sigh that leaves his chest caved in. "You let me stay; you let me hurt you."

Sirius winds a hand through his long curls and lifts his head to watch the ceiling fan spin around. "You're not hurting me, Bat." Crouch jumps onto his feet from where he's sat next to Sirius on the sofa.

"Bullshit! Black. You're not just lying to yourself now, you're lying to me too. You know that lies and I never fare well."

It's in my head

It's in the boys I bring to bed

It's all around

It's all the time and I don't know why I even try

The crowd is still raging from the surprise song signifying the end of the concert. They're all screaming their hearts out, probably trying to embed this night into their minds; some happy memory to pull up on a bad day. Sirius never wants to remember this night. Doesn't want to ever recall this bareness; raw and defenceless.

I could try every lipstick in every shade

But I always feel the same

"I can't just come over and pretend that being here and with you isn't eating at me, Sirius. I can't live in this delusion."

"If you knew that why the fuck did you let it drag on for 5 months? Why did you let me believe I could have this? WHY DID YOU LIE?!" Sirius's voice grew louder and louder. With his rage came grief and more anger to disguise it.

"I didn't lie, Sirius, I told you from the moment this started that I wasn't ready!"

"You haven't said anything since! Was I wrong to think that maybe this was working?!"

"YES!"

None of it matters and none of it ends

You just feel like shit over and over again

Oh it'll never change

As the ending chords to the final song fly out the speakers surrounding the arena, Sirius makes his way to the platform that'll bring him beneath the stage. Away from the lights, the crowd, the pressure, the thinning air, the heat, the cheers but not the heartache.

The silence stretches for a buzzing moment, the anger and anxiety becoming something sombre and desolate. "Why now, Barty?"

Crouch slides his arms around Sirius, unreciprocated because there's something in Sirius like a light switch gone off. A skill learned after years and years of having to hide everything he ever was in that wretched house. Hiding because no one could be trusted, no one except Regulus.

No one but Regulus, and Mary, and Peter.

"My mother taught me a lot about love, but I don't think I've ever really gotten the romance bit. Between the movies, and the marriages, and the loves, and the lies it's so hard to even begin to tell what I'm supposed to be feeling." He sighs.

"I've known you since we were yay-high, Sirius" Barty holds his hands about half a metre off the ground smiling fondly. I always kind of thought we'd have a love like the novels and movies. We'd grow up and fall in love and it would be you and me, always. But we did grow up and I still can't love you like that even though I want to. Trying to is eating at me and regardless whether you see it or not, it's eating at you too."

Barty pulls away slowly, slipping his hands from Sirius's back down his arms then further down to hold his hands.

"I love you, Sirius. I always have, I always will but not the way you want. We can't love each other like this." Barty gets himself up to walk the little hallway to the front door but stops with his hand on the doorknob when he hears Sirius start talking again.

"Well, you got what you wanted; a love like the movies. You asked for something fake and you got what you asked for." Sirius's voice echoes through the walkway from the living room. 

"Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead." Barty utters as he leaves. 

The click of that door locking is a changeless and unceasing echo in Sirius's mind like the ringing in his ears. That was nearly three months ago before he and the band left on their All American tour.

He takes his final bow as the platform descends under the stage. He stares out in front of him at nothing in particular. Stays frozen until the platform stops completely. The walk to his dressing room is a blank memory along with every conversation along the way, unlocking his dressing room door. Doesn't remember standing in the doorway to closing the door behind him and leaning against it. Or the mechanic movements to switch out of costume into a big, comfy maroon sweater and soft black leggìngs. From the deep breaths to lying on the floor in the middle of the room was entirely of his subconscious.

Sirius hasn't clicked back into place yet. He is still insensate when Peter comes in a short while later and lies next to him. They both watch the ceiling fan turn and try to follow one of its blades before their eyes can't keep up anymore. Then listen so his pocket watch tick for what feels like forever. Sirius wonders what it would be like to have certainty in life. To know what is coming, when to move, what to do. Wishes he could just have something consistent but nothing seems to stick.

The only love that ever stuck was his family. Reggie, Andy, Peter, Mary, Marls, Cas and Minnie. There is, of course, Peter's very big, very Colombian family. Not to say Sirius doesn't have room in his life for love and romance, but how much more heartache and heartbreaks can you take until you run out of heart?

"Sirius?" Peter whispers after a few minutes. Forever isn't a particularly long time anyway. When he gets no response he starts humming a familiar beat. It catches Sirius's attention which means it did its job. He can't quite pinpoint it and then it all falls into place and he starts to hum along.

"She ain't got no money,"

"Her clothes are kind of funny," Sirius scrunches his nose.

"Her hair is kinda wild and free." Peter goes on in a whisper then jumps to his feet and hauls Sirius up by his torso. Then twirls him around and ruffles his hair. "Oh, but love grows where my Rosemary goes," Sirius continues. "And nobody knows–"

"LI-i-i-Ike MeEee." Peter belts out before he changes out the final note for a screeching high pitch.

"Aagh, oh, stop! Stop! Please! I get it!" Sirius clamps a hand over Peter's mouth and he stops abruptly. It takes a good second for Peter to shut up, but he eventually does. "If I let go–" Sirius glares at him head on. "Gross. Real mature." Peter giggles behind his hand, so Sirius lets him go to wipe his hand off on Pete's face.

Prolonged eye contact.

The dressing room is silent while Peter slowly pulls something out his back pocket. They're in a staring contest so Sirius doesn't look to see what it is. That is before he gets sprayed in the face with a mini water gun. "Down, Bessie." 

Sirius wipes the liquid from his eyes but some gets in his mouth and it tastes... strange. "Is this," he licks his upper lip and Peter raises a brow comically like he's crazy. "Why are you tasting it?" He asks through a laugh.

"Is this my fucking rice water?" He ends, his mouth hanging open. "What? Did you think I didn't know why your hair's so shiny? With your incestuous bloodline you should be balding right now but," Peter scoffs and shakes the spray bottle. "Here we are."

Sirius wheezes out, "You motherfucker." 

"Not yours though." He snips back quickly. Sirius runs his tongue across the line of his teeth and looks down at their feet. He looks up and accidentally makes eye contact. Peter shakes his head, "Not even for your Make a Wish,” before they both start cackling.

That's when Dorcas walks in to find Sirius curled up on the floor wheezing and Peter giggling with an arm against the wall. She scans the room for something, but seems to come up short. "Are you guys high on helium again?" It has the opposite intended effect because it just makes them more manic. Hands on her hips, she says, "Don't make me call Minnie." Marlene pops her head under Cas's arm to take a peek inside. "No! No, don't call Minnie," Peter gets out through his fit of giggles. "We're not on helium."

"Why's Black on the floor barking his left lung out then?" Marls asks, making her way on the floor next to him.

Sirius tries his best to wheeze through an explanation. "I called Petey a motherfucker and he said–"

"Not yours though." Peter adds while he slides down the wall. Dorcas hangs her head with a smile and Marlene absolutely loses it.

Sirius grips her by the thigh, wheezing for air. "Marley, Marls. He said he wouldn't shag Walburga if it was my last cancerous dying wish." Dorcas is hanging on by only her grip on the doorknob. Marlene snorts randomly which acts as the catalyst of their cackles. "You going to tell her how we got there?" Sirius stops laughing and channels his fiercest Walburga glare, "On my dying, laboured breath.”

They then hear heels clicking down the corridor but it's freshly late because Minnie looms over Dorcas, confusion painted on her face. "I don't think I want to know," she mutters, eyeing all of them. "Time to go, the clean up crew wants to get done and get home. Pack your things in and get moving. I haven't got the energy for a pissy Kingsley. He'll take that bus and leave without a moment's notice and you were lucky he didn't get far the last time."

The bus is gone. Sirius is at a gas station. Alone. In the dark. In Texas. He rings Pete. "Why are you calling me from inside the bus?" Peter says cautiously slowly and Sirius chuckles awkwardly. "Oh my– Are you not on the bus?" He hears Peter yell for Minnie to turn the bus around. "Why are you not on the bus?!" Dorcas screeches from the phone. "I told Marls I had to pee!" He hears a tired sigh on the line in the background, probably Peter. Cas yawns, "Sirius, Marley was sleepwalking the entire time." He shrugs and says that he couldn't have known as the bus' headlights flood the street. The door slides out and he's met with an amused and smiling Kingsley, "I knew you weren't on the bus."

His mouth hangs open incredulously. "You bitch." Sirius mutters under his breath and Kingsley starts laughing like he's got endless oxygen.

"Yeah. Lucky."

(day one of spot/get the reference) taglist under the cut

ch.2

@moonyswarmsweaters @sspadfoot @thingthatoncewastruee @probs-reading @cheekyboybeth

@starving-marauder-lover @yourlocalbadgerscales @taleofapart-timepoet @mirrs-ball @tea-blankets-andstars

@where-is-vivian @amberlink @wastingawayinmyroom @ashes-to-ashesxx @percabeth-trash

@equippedtolove @moon-girl88 @jamespotterbbg @drunktayloratthevmas @labyrinthhofmymind

@s0ggyguts @nyx-taylors-version @will-vs-the-homo-sapiens-adgenda @siriusly-insane

[the-sun-and-the-sea]

hello! i hope you don’t mind me hopping in your ask box with Time Travel Thoughts- how do you think finnick and annie would fare in the 10th hunger games?

somehow, they’re in younger (reaping age) bodies and selected as tributes. they both know what the games are like in their times, but it’s different in such a (comparatively) small arena and capitol mentors. also, how do you think finnick and annie might interact with persephone and festus?

Hey backpacks! I don't mind at all, this is a great question!

I don't know if you meant that canon Annie and Finnick (ages 23/24) are the ones who time travel or if they time travel as they were when they were reaped/volunteered. I'm going to choose the second one for the sake of simplicity but I think they're both super interesting concepts!

Ok if we keep the same mentor arrangement from ballad, Festus would be with Annie and Persephone would be with Finnick. Honestly the Festus and Annie dynamic is not something that I've ever thought about but it's so funny to me now! Annie (in my head) is a career who has trained her whole life for the Games. She knows every arena, every victor, everything there is to know about the Games. So I think she'd be really put off by Festus trying to tell her what to do as if she doesn't know what she's talking about. (Although Festus would probably be glad to have someone who wants to win, even if they wouldn't get along).

I think the Finnick and Persephone dynamic would be really similar to her dynamic with Mizzen, since Finnick is only fourteen. He's a career in the sense that he trained, but he was reaped before he was ready. I think Finnick and Persephone would really get along. Finnick, even at fourteen, is very perceptive, and I think he would recognize the severity of his situation and the need for allies, however he can find them. So I think he'd see that Persephone's kindness is genuine and decide to work with her, and from there I think they have the potential to become friends.

Unfortunately I think Finnick's victory hinged a lot on how the Games worked at the time. Not only did he have Capitol sponsors who were pulling for him, he used his age to fly under the radar and let the older kids who volunteered commandeer the attention until he got his trident. In the 10th Games, when nobody volunteered, he's just another unlucky kid. He could probably appeal to the sponsors, but at that point in the Capitol, I don't think anyone's sending tridents. He has a decent chance because of his training, but he's not winning this one.

Annie has a much better chance. She's eighteen, strong, and has a decade of training to back her up. I think she'd be one of the strongest competitors in that arena, and even if Festus doesn't care about her, he cares about winning for his own sake. I'm not sure how the Capitol would react to Annie's competency in the arena. Obviously in her time they enjoyed seeing initiative like that, but in the 10th Games, they might be put off by her enthusiasm.

Finally, the 10th Games are so much more primitive and don't hide their brutality like they do in the original trilogy. This could mess with either of their minds and disorient or further traumatize them. They trained for the Games as they are in the 60s/70s, not for whatever the 10th Games are. It's a very different situation that they may not be equipped to handle. But who knows? Maybe they learn about the evolution of the Games at the Academy, or maybe Mags told them about her arena experience!

Thanks again backpacks, this was so fun to think about! Also if anyone else has thoughts on this, feel free to share! <3

[mostlycompetentwriter]

Star Lost

F/M Pairing: Fem! Reader x Changbin (SKZ)

Genre: Science Fiction; Star Wars AU

Word Count: 13K

Warnings: Explicit Smut, Graphic Depictions of Violence, Alcohol Consumption, and Language; Changbin as a Brooding Mandalorian

Summary: They found you, a speck among millions of stars, and they gave you a home in their ranks. But how will your ragtag family of bounty hunters fare against a former storm trooper who offers you a compelling reward in exchange for your services?

A/N: if you see any mistakes, no you don’t...

Tag List: @luminouskalopsia​ @straykissss​ @charreddonuts​ @pandinha-puff​ @mrs-grim-reaper​ @elkel​ @lamerchesan​ @idek-at-this-point-lol​ @poutypoutybin​ @lavenderbang​ @adaamazing​

“Do you have the target in sight?”

The question, heavily modulated, hummed through the dusty speakers along with a fresh wave of static.

“I see him,” you replied, tapping your fingers against the screen in the hopes of deterring those annoying purple and black bars from moving like electrified waves across your line of vision.

If you did your job well, then it would be easy for the rest of your group to catch your next bounty. But that meant keeping a close watch on his movements, which was rather hard to do with outdated equipment that had seen better days. Still, your last-ditch efforts to clear the screen seemed to work, and you could see the target speaking to one of the competitors who was adjusting his helmet next to his speed cruiser.

“Chan?” you called into your headset. “Are you set at the starting line?”

“I am,” your leader returned, and your eyes were immediately drawn to a flash of blonde hair walking across the sand, trailed by a familiar Twi’lek and Togruta hot on his heels.

“Get ready,” you said, watching the three imposing figures attract a fair amount of attention from the surrounding competition. Not that you blamed them. Elegant, tall, and graceful, Hyunjin’s stunning countenance had once been attached to an incredible price tag when he had been imprisoned under the infamous Jabba the Hutt on the desert planet Tatooine. 

His species, the Twi’lek, were coveted because of their colorful features, beautiful head tails, and gorgeous facial pigments. Yet, beneath Hyunjin’s speckled green skin was a powerful warrior who had spent years mastering the martial arts in order to secure his freedom.

Next to him walked Minho, a Togruta who fled his home planet Ryloth to seek a better life. Unlike Hyunjin’s two prehensile head-tails that grew from the crown of his skull, Minho had three of them, spreading over his shoulders and another emerging from the rear base of his skull. His bright orange skin almost made him blend against the backdrop of the sand, but his white and blue-tinted head-tails disrupted the camouflage and cast a unique halo around the crown of his head. 

“We’re starting,” Chan’s voice broke through your thoughts, and you took a deep breath as he mounted his cruiser, switching on the ignition and looking nothing short of fearless with his blonde hair swept back by a headband and his blue eyes sharp and calculating.

Minho and Hyunjin exchanged a few words with Chan before they walked over to stand at the side of the arena, glaring at anyone who ventured too close. “If looks could kill,” you quipped, earning yourself a tight-lipped smile from Hyunjin.

“Racers, take your marks!” the drone flying overhead announced, and the arena was filled with the reverberating sound of various engines being revved as riders prepared to race for the grand prize: a mountain of gold that you had seen with your own eyes, disbelief rendering you speechless. But it wasn’t the money that you and your partners were after...your crew sought something far more valuable, and it meant that weeks of careful planning were riding on this one moment. 

This is the part where you held your breath, muscles tensed as you watched the traffic light change from red to yellow and then, finally, green. Cuing the start of the race, and a huge, dusting of sand reared up in the background, spreading across the arena as the cruisers took off, speeding into the distance where they would attempt to conquer the course as quick as possible without wrecking or, worst case scenario, dying. 

You knew during the planning stage that Chan’s part in this was nothing short of dangerous, but that didn’t mean you accepted it without stressing over every possible piece of the puzzle that could go wrong. Even as you watched Chan’s heat signature on the screen, tracking him across the vast expanse of sand and open dunes that populated the small dessert planet you had landed on for this mission, your mind was whirring. All you could do was keep an eye on things as the real trouble happened at the end, especially if Chan managed to win the race.

In actuality, a first-place win wasn’t necessary; the most he really had to do was finish in the top 3, and Chan was notorious for being an excellent racer. It had been a no-brainer to choose him for this part, even if the risks meant that something could easily happen to deter your entire mission, leaving you back at square one.

But it was your best plan, and that meant waiting. Long, agonizing minutes of stationary monitoring. Chewing on the ends of your fingernails as you watched Chan pass the second-place cruiser, building a lead that still didn’t offer you reprieve. What if an Ackley spotted him from a distance and decided to make him its next meal? What if his cruiser malfunctioned...although, that was highly unlikely considering the man who built it from scratch.

And just the thought of him made you shiver unexpectedly despite the heat penetrating your ship. “Focus,” you whispered as thoughts of him could certainly derail your focus if you weren’t careful.

“They’re coming in for the finish!”

Your eyes were burning from forcing yourself not to blink, laser-focused on the screen in front of you as the racers rounded the final stretch, and you could feel the tension ready to snap at a moments notice.

Riding at the front of the pack was Chan, flanked on either side by second and third place. It was tight. Too tight.

And you winced at the moment of impact, when all three cruisers collided over the finish line. 

Every ounce of oxygen left your lungs, body seizing in a catatonic state when Chan lurched forward off his cruiser, flying through the air to land with an audible thud against the unforgiving track. Nothing but an unmoving heap amidst wreckage of metal parts and loose pieces. 

“No!” you whispered, fingers trembling against your headset as Hyunjin and Minho ran across the arena, falling next to Chan with clear urgency in their movements.

Your heart thundered in your chest at the sight, chills running down your spine. What would your crew accomplish without your leader? Could any of you live with the guilt and regret if he didn’t make it back on the ship?

Yet, just as those intrusive thoughts entered your head, you noticed one of Chan’s hands gripping tight to Minho’s forearm. It was the first sign of life, and you let out an incomprehensible noise when Hyunjin and Minho managed to help muscle Chan into a sitting position, cleaning the dust and debris from his racing suit.

“He’s okay.” You breathed a sigh of relief as Chan stood from the wreckage, brushing aside Hyunjin and Minho.

He had done it.

Chan had won the race.

Not without a few bumps and bruises, and maybe something worse as you noticed his legs wobbling beneath him. He started for the bleachers lining the sides of the track, gritting his teeth against obvious pain, when the crackling of reverb from the overhead speakers disrupted the chaotic aftermath. 

“To the victor goes the spoils,” a booming voice rang from across the track, attracting every pair of eyes in the arena to the tall, lanky figure emerging from the shaded tunnel. Even from afar you could recognize him as your target, dressed in wealth and cloaked in a gold cape that swept the ground and churned up a faint cloud of dust.

“He’s coming,” you spoke in the headset to warn Hyunjin and Minho, who held just that extra bit tighter to Chan, helping him stand prouder in spite of his obvious pain.

“Well, we certainly weren’t expecting this,” your target spoke, hands moving in the air. “An outsider from another planet. Winning against all odds.”

“Impressed?” Minho dared to venture, ignoring Hyunjin’s sharp eye. 

“Indeed,” your target agreed. “But where are my manners? My name is Raphael. I’m the owner of this track.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Chan forced out between clenched teeth. “I’m Chan and these are my crew members, Hyunjin and Minho.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” Raphael smiled, something grand and well-practiced. “Are there more of you?”

“A few of us,” Chan replied vaguely in turn.

Raphael nodded, glancing between your three crew mates with obvious interest. “You’ll join me, of course?” he asked with a smile. “We must celebrate our new champion. Bring all of your friends!”

Bingo. It was the opening your team had been hoping for, and Chan ducked his head in agreement, following behind Raphael as he turned around to lead the way. “Meet Jeongin outside the stadium,” Chan murmured into the mic, speaking directly to you. “Tell the guards that you’re with us.”

You perked up in interest, surprised that Chan wanted you and Jeongin to join him. Usually, you and your team’s medic remained behind, tucked away on the ship while the others did the heavy lifting. 

Unless Chan was desperate for trusted medical assistance. Or, he was keeping information from you. Either way, something bad was churning in the settling dust, the remnants of the race disappearing in the wind. 

You tossed aside your headset, moving through the ship to find Jeongin in his small laboratory. He was hunched over his desk, eyes squinting from behind eyeglasses that had long ago went out of a current prescription. “Jeongin,” you said, and he offered a muted hum of acknowledgment. “Chan wants us to meet him.”

Jeongin frowned at that, but agreed nonetheless, tossing on his lab coat as you led the way off the ship, ensuring that the cloaking shield was on before you started in the direction of the dusky, dilapidated buildings that populated the infamous desert city. “What does he want with us?” Jeongin huffed, struggling to keep pace with your longer strides.

If you didn’t know any better, you might think Jeongin was allergic to fresh air, preferring the indoors and the comforts of his lab equipment and potions. “I don’t know,” you replied, and the two of you fell into terse silence as you followed the tracking beacon that Chan had attached to his suit before leaving the ship, guiding your way through the streets lined with merchants and patrons alike, hustling and moving, as you fought your way through the crowds.

Up ahead in the distance, you identified a taller building, standing out from the rest. Far more elegant, a picture of wealth, made entirely of the nicest stone masonry and supported on four tall columns. The roof was slanted in the shape of a cylinder, and the adjoining towers seemed to vanish into the clouds above.

“They’re inside?” Jeongin asked.

You nodded, braving the steps leading to the large, mahogany-colored doors where two Gamorreans stood guard, holding double-axes between their clawed hands. “Halt!” one of them called, taking a step forward.

“We’re with Bang Chan,” you said, bowing his head. “He asked us to meet him here.”

The Gamorrean grunted, turning to his friend who merely stood aside, opening the doors to reveal a long, narrow hallway, marble floors shimmering with the reflection of the flames held on wall scones. “Thanks,” you muttered, pulling Jeongin behind you with a hand on his shoulder.

Once inside, you weren’t surprised to see a tall, formally dressed man immediately come to greet you, bowing low at the waist and requesting that you follow him to the main room. “Of course,” you agreed, and there a skip in the butler’s step that had you rolling your eyes, taking in the gruesome war scenes hanging from the walls in graphic detail.

As if you needed confirmation of Raphael’s preoccupation with violence. “Right this way,” the butler directed you down another corridor, walking you to the end to open another set of doors, and your stomach settled a little at the sight of Chan, Minho, and Hyunjin. 

“Ah!” Raphael clapped his hands together in delight. “You weren’t lying.”

You frowned at that, but chose not to comment, and you and Jeongin joined Chan, taking two flutes of champagne from one of the waiters making rounds through the room. “This is Y/N,” Chan said. “And Jeongin.”

“Excellent,” Raphael said. “And the girl...”

“Untouched,” Chan agreed, which you knew was a blatant lie, so why was Chan saying such things?

“Then you can stand with me,” Raphael said, and you forced yourself to move, casting Chan a confused look which was merely met with a nod. 

You forced down your disgust, letting Raphael tuck your arm into his as he continued chatting away about the room’s décor. What was Chan’s goal here? To make Raphael think you were a virgin? What good would that do?

Maybe something had happened to force a change of plans. But you didn’t like it one bit, being in the dark and holding your tongue as Raphael continued to drink glass after glass of champagne. Perhaps Chan’s plan was to get him drunk enough to pass out.

“Now, what about your other guest-”

The doors opened again to interrupt Raphael, and you could feel the room’s temperature drop. Your stomach was flipping in somersaults, twisting and churning, as your Mandalorian walked closer, flanked by Han and Seungmin, the final members of your ragtag crew of hunters. “What do we have here?” Raphael laughed, seemingly delighted. “Can it really be a Mandalorian?”

“Does it surprise you?” Chan asked, tone cool and collected.

“In beskar?” Raphael hummed. “I can’t say I’m not intrigued.”

You shivered at the blatant interest in Raphael’s gaze. “Does it have a name?”

“He does,” Changbin finally spoke, voice modulated through his helmet. “But not for your ears.”

“Ah, yes, the code,” Raphael smirked, tone dripping with disrespect. You bristled at the insult, knowing firsthand just how important names were considered in Mandalorian culture. Their secrecy equated to their survival. Even within your team, Changbin’s name remained a mystery.

Well, except to you, of course, since he had willingly whispered it to you one night, breath hot against the skin of your thighs from where he had laid between them. 

You blushed at the memory, shaking your head clear of any thoughts of your Mandalorian and the lust his presence spiked in your blood. 

“This day just keeps getting better,” Raphael said, jostling you a bit with his over-eager motions.

It was then that you could feel Changbin’s gaze on you, even through his reflective visor. Did he know about this change in plan? Or, was he just as confused?

“How much then?” Raphael asked and Chan cocked one brow.

“How much?”

“For your Mandalorian!” Raphael said. “He’d make a fine warrior!”

“Not for sale,” came Changbin’s dead-panned response.

“Well, what about the lady?” you grimaced at his breath on your face, seeing Han clasp a tight hand on Changbin’s shoulder before he could react.

“100,” Chan replied, and you forced down your urge to flinch. “But it must be done on my ship. I don’t allow her out of my sight.”

“So, you’ll be watching?” Raphael quipped.

You rolled your eyes, stopping on Chan’s form. Was this really his plan? To pretend to sell you out to get Raphael on the ship? 

“How can I trust you?” Raphael asked, and you noticed one of his guards entering the room.

“We’re friends, aren’t we?” Chan asked, and that’s when all civility ended, watching the guard lift his blaster from the corner of his eye. 

He was down before you could blink, Minho aiming his blaster just right, and that’s when you knew to hide, breaking Raphael’s hold to dive under one of the refreshment tables. Jeongin fleeing next to you. 

Maybe Chan had anticipated this as a last resort. If you didn’t work, coming on to Raphael, then there would be a fight. Then, they would need Jeongin if anyone was injured.

Your hands closed over your ears to drown out the sounds of blasters and screams, whispering a prayer under your breath that none of your crew would feel the stinging edge of a blaster’s rays. You hated this. The violence inflicted against the people you cherished.

But in the blink of an eye, it was over, and silence reigned. Then, you felt a familiar gloved hand wrap around your arm, and you forced your eyes open, relief washing over you at the sight of Changbin.

“We’re fine,” he said, the only two words you needed to hear for your shoulders to drop and your heart to return to an even pace.

You let Changbin help you out from under the table, swallowing hard at the carnage around you. Thankfully, you were quick to tally the ones that mattered: Chan, with a smear of blood under his eye, Minho, Hyunjin, looking put-off as always, Seungmin, and Han. 

“Let me see,” you heard Jeongin speak, eyes following him as he moved in closer to examine Chan’s wound.

You felt no remorse studying Raphael’s crumpled body on the floor, leaving nothing but a sea of dead bodies surrounding you. But a tiny shiver did fall down your spine when you felt Changbin’s hand caress your own from behind -  a barely-there brushing of appendages. Yet, you had never felt so lightheaded. It was his silent way of comforting you. 

“Sorry,” Chan grumbled into the silence, holstering his blaster with a sigh. “He wasn’t coming in hot.” You grimaced as Jeongin applied a salve to Chan’s eye, spreading some of the blood.

“No,” Minho agreed in that assessing way he had about him, finishing a sweep of the room with calculating eyes. “Not that it matters.”

“Let’s get out of here before the rest of his guards come,” Changbin said, and you jumped a little at the sound of his voice, so close behind you, that it almost felt like a gentle hug. 

The others murmured their assent, and Chan was the first to start for the big, oval-shaped window at the back of the room, using a chair to smash through the glass. It rained down on the floor, joining the bodies and blood, reflecting colorful light at different angles. “We’ll head back to Tatooine, hand over the rest of the bounties.”

There were no objections, and you let Changbin coddle you, even if you often insisted on trying to maintain a strong image in public. “You did good, kitten,” he mumbled to you. “Even if I didn’t like that slimy bastard’s hands all over you.”

You preened at the his obvious jealousy, holding your tongue to prevent yourself from saying anything that might tease him too much. Instead, you focused on following the others, keeping to the shadows of the clay-lined buildings until your ship came into focus in the foreground, growing larger and larger as you approached.

“Everyone on board,” Chan said, brushing aside Jeongin’s worried hands. “It’s fine.”

“It could get infected!”

“Just check on the others,” Chan insisted, nodding at Minho as the two of them walked onboard and immediately started up the ladder to the cockpit above, flipping switches and turning dials to bring the ship to life.

You watched Jeongin deflate, but he did move about the room, making sure everyone else was fine. “Y/N?”

“I’m okay,” you assured him, turning your head to the side to track Changbin’s movements with your gaze as he disappeared below deck. It was obvious to you where he was going, as you remembered that Han, Seungmin, and Changbin had been tasked with bringing back the remains of the cruiser before joining everyone else in Raphael’s hideout. 

“You might have to finish with Chan when he falls asleep,” you whispered, pleased at Jeongin’s smile.

Satisfied that the others were safe, and Jeongin in better spirits, you took a familiar path to your room, deciding to wash up before searching for Changbin later, deciding he needed an appropriate reward for always looking out for you.

It had only been a few hours since you made the jump to hyper speed, and you observed the flashing stars from your window for a while before deciding to find Changbin. Your first instinct was to check the lower deck, as you knew Changbin’s mind was a machine that often worked itself up in battle only to take far too long to return to normal again.

Of course, you weren’t the slightest bit surprised, when all was said and done, to find him tending to the remnants of Chan’s cruiser on the floor beneath the main deck. In the room where you kept weapons and other machines. In fact, you found yourself smiling at his predictability despite his claims otherwise.

“What are you doing?” you asked to break the silence, coming into the room before closing the door behind you.

Immediately, a familiar black visor was searing your gaze. “The better question is...why are you awake?”

“I couldn’t sleep,” you lied, tip-toeing closer to where he stood, still clad in his beskar armor, arms folded over his chest. 

“Really?” the modulated voice purred, and you were delighted by the sound. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

You shivered at the prospect. “Maybe...”

He grunted, dropping his helmet back down to look at the sad remains of the cruiser. “Chan promised he would be careful.”

You snorted at the comment. “When is he ever?”

He didn’t respond right away, walking along the melted edges of the cruiser as if looking for potential. Even though you only saw a pile of junk, you knew that he was a master when it came to engineering. 

An intellect who also happened to be a highly skilled warrior, trained in battle under the guidance of an ancient civilization. But more than that, he was your Mandalorian, and you found him irresistible. 

From under the fluorescent lights of the workshop, you admired his powerful presence. Even clad in beskar, from his shiny gray helmet to his black chest plate, Changbin was a sight to behold. You shivered when your eyes landed on his fingers flexed inside his gloves, knowing firsthand just how they felt curled inside of you. 

For a moment, silence persisted between you both, and you thought that you might just watch Changbin work on the cruiser. But then he started for the big, worn leather chair tucked away at the workbench in the furthest corner of the room, spreading his legs apart. “Come here,” he husked, crooking a finger in your direction.

You swallowed hard, feeling yourself grow wet at the mere sound of his commanding tone. You were helpless to obey, forcing your legs to work as you managed the short walk to stand in between Changbin’s legs wrapped loose in leather pants. His head fell to the side, looking at you from that annoying visor that kept his gaze from locking on your own. You could only hope that he didn’t notice the way you were trembling like a delicate leaf in a windstorm. 

“Kitten,” Changbin said, and you nearly gasped at the seductive sound of his nickname for you. “Turn off the lights.”

You nodded so hard you thought you might get whiplash, nearly tripping over yourself in your haste to flip the light switch, bathing the workshop in a dark blanket of black. 

A deep exhale filtered through your lips, heart thundering against your chest, as you used your hands to help guide your way back over to Changbin. Once you stood in front of him again, trapped between the reassuring weight of his legs, you heard the familiar hiss of air that released whenever he removed his helmet.

According to Mandalorian tradition, a Mandalorian could not reveal their identities to anyone. They wore their protective beskar, including the helmet, to hide themselves from the world. 

Not once, in the years that you had known Changbin, had he ever revealed himself to you. Even in intimate moments like this, you could only touch him when there was darkness to keep himself hidden.

“Kitten,” Changbin growled, and you realized you had been tuning him out. “Sit.”

Like a well-trained animal, you straddled his thighs, perching yourself on his lap as his hands flew to grip your waist. 

“Pretty thing,” Changbin murmured in a tone much softer than you had anticipated. One that slowed your heart rather than speeding it up. 

“Kiss me,” you whispered, delighted when he was quick to acquiesce, clearly in no mood for teasing. Instead of his usual, teasing pecks, these kisses were deep and sensual, capable of warming you all the way down to the tips of your toes.

You sighed into the kiss, feeling that his breath was hot against your lips, and you couldn’t get enough of his taste. Of the rough sensation of the five o’clock shadow that dusted his face and chin. Fingers moving against the texture like it was raised braille that you could read and learn. Memorize to recall later when you might touch yourself in bed to thoughts of him.

“Eager,” Changbin grunted when you took his lower lip between your teeth to give it a nip. “Asking for trouble.”

Your hands moved to his shoulders, fingers wrapping in the curls that grew from around his ears. “Can you blame me?” you grinned, letting out a little whine when his hips jerked up from under your own, grinding himself perfectly against the tight seam of your shorts. 

“What do you want?” Changbin asked, grip tightening and letting you know that he would give you what you wanted, but under his full discretion.

“I want to cum,” you whispered, gasping when one of his hands moved to grip a handful of your ass, squeezing with a strong hold.

“Then you’ll do it right here,” he said, and you understood his intention immediately, feeling his thigh clench under you. “Ride me.”

You nodded fiercely, foreheads meeting in the hot middle, sharing precious oxygen between your hungry lips as you started to move yourself against him, friction building as the burning sensation of his leather pants rubbed against the loose shorts that barely kept you hidden. 

“Move like this, kitten,” Changbin instructed, and you nearly choked around a hoarse moan when he started rocking you back and forth against his thigh, grip impossibly strong. You could sense yourself growing even wetter, a familiar tightening building in your core, demanding release.

Your hands flew to his shoulders, nails digging into his armor to keep yourself anchored. At this point, you were desperate, hips grinding against his muscled thigh with as much strength as you could muster, chasing that delicious release as he simply looked on with a growl, cologne thick in the air between you.

“That’s it,” he encouraged you, both hands landing on your ass to move you even closer. You bent your head to hide yourself in his shoulder, shivering each time the tight bulge of his cock knocked against your sensitive pussy, giving your clit just enough pressure to push you right over the edge. 

“Pretty,” Changbin declared, still perfectly put-together as if he hadn’t just brought you to an earth-shattering orgasm while still rock-hard in his leather pants. 

“Changbin,” you trembled, giving a few weak grinds to ride out the rest of your high, breathing hard with sweat dripping down the back of your neck.

“My turn,” Changbin grunted, and there was no room to collect yourself before he was grabbing you again, parting his legs to give you enough room to slink down between his thighs. 

You felt firm hands at your shoulders, pushing you the rest of the way into the floor. Then, there was the familiar sound of his zipper, the shuffling of fabric, before the wet tip of his cock prodded against your lips. “Suck,” Changbin growled, and you were helpless to disobey.

You took Changbin’s dick in one hand, testing the dry tug before thumbing at the slit. Changbin tensed, letting out a low groan which only served to give you more confidence, knowing exactly what he liked.

Propping yourself up on his knees, you gave a teasing lick to the tip of Changbin’s cock, finding that you didn’t mind the slight salty taste. It was different, but not in such a way that made you want to take things slower. You licked along the underside, pleasantly surprised to feel the vein pulsing against your tongue.

Hungrier now, you took the first few inches into your mouth, testing the weight and the stretch of your lips. Once again you found it wasn’t that bad - familiar, but not bad. The sounds that were spilling from Changbin’s pretty mouth definitely fed your arousal as you started bobbing your head.

Changbin’s fingers found your hair but your Mandalorian didn’t attempt to pull, unlike how you had yanked on Changbin’s. Your found yourself wanting Changbin to pull on your hair, but you figured that was something for another day. You could feel spit pooling in your mouth and starting to drip out of the corners of your mouth and down Changbin’s shaft. It was getting messy, but that only made it better.

You knew as soon as the salty taste started to get more intense that Changbin was getting close. Pride filled your chest knowing that you were the one to make someone as lovely as Changbin fall apart. You pulled off, using your hand to continue jerking Changbin off as you pressed kisses to the inside of his bare thigh. You lost against your urges and began sucking marks into the skin there, reveling in how he twitched and moaned at the sensations.

“Kitten, I’m close.” Changbin groaned, and it spurred you into moving your hand faster. You hovered over Changbin’s cock, preparing to drip some spit down to make the slide slicker only to find hot cum splashing you in the face. It hit your cheek, making you close one eye as you worked Changbin through his orgasm.

“Oh...” you breathed, surprised but equally as pleased. You wiped some of the cum off your cheek as you listened to just how disheveled and wrecked Changbin sounded, all because of your ministrations.

Afterward, with your head against the inside of his leg, you were struggling to catch your breath while one of Changbin’s gloved hands gently brushed through your hair.

Tatooine had a formidable reputation, and it was for this reason that you stuck to Changbin like glue when you landed on the desert planet, waiting off to the side as the others unloaded the bounties you had collected, encased in carbonite for the trip. 

There was only one lone Aqualish mercenary that survived outside of the carbonite freezing as requested by the one who put the bounty on his head. You watched through narrowed eyes as Chan handed him over to Changbin who wrestled the frightened Aqualish to stand next to him, hands bound behind his back.

“Don’t move,” Changbin growled, a sound that likely terrified the Aqualish but only served to dampen your panties.

“Alright, let’s go,” Chan said, once the last of the bounty had been removed from the ship and handed over to the two Duros who had been sent by the head of the bounty hunters guild to collect your bodies. 

This wasn’t your first time being apart of the exchange, and you knew that the next step was to meet Mr. Park inside the cantina to collect payment and personally hand over your Aqualish.

“Stay close,” Changbin muttered to you, and your hands flew to the edges of his whispering, black cloak, head bowed low as you followed the rest of your crew from behind, drawing plenty of attention from the other street goers who had been shopping in the local market.

As it should, perhaps, considering the strange, eclectic mix of hardened, battle-ready men who Chan had recruited and offered a place next to his side. Making a great deal of money while being able to do the one thing all of them were exceptionally talented at. It was a good sign, you supposed, that your reputation preceded you, even if it was hard to endure the harsh stares.

At least the trip wasn’t far from the landing pad, and you were grateful when you could see the familiar sight of the cantina up ahead, standing out as the largest brick and mortar building with a steady influx of patrons walking in and out the double doors.

“Bang Chan!” a masculine voice purred from the crowd, and you weren’t surprised to see Mr. Park, head of the bounty hunter’s guild, approaching with his arms wide open. Dressed to the nines in his best robe and finest silks. A sign of his formidable wealth, accumulated at the behest of those unfortunate enough to garner a bounty on their heads.

“Park,” Chan grumbled, reluctantly accepting the embrace. Not that you blamed him. Park was as scummy as they came.

Who knew where those hands had been.

“No Raphael?” Park hummed, surveying the trail of bounties following the Duros behind the Cantina. 

“He wasn’t coming quietly,” Hyunjin remarked in that cold tone that spoke volumes. 

“Left him dead in his office,” Minho added with a smile that could scare even the roughest group of galactic starfighters.

“Well,” Park cleared his throat, forcing a smile. “Good to see everyone is in high spirits.”

Jisung rolled his eyes, stepping aside as Park closed the distance between you and Changbin. “You know, Mando, we could really use someone of your skill around here. Especially when the rowdier hunters come in.”

You tried not to look at Changbin, standing next to the Aqualish like he was perfectly at ease. He had the benefit of hiding his wandering gaze behind cold steel, but you did not have the same luxuries. And it would not look professional. 

“I’m fine with my team,” came his modulated response, to which Mr. Park merely sighed and brushed it aside. 

“Very well, but you know where to find me.”

Chan rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed. “We’ll need lodging tonight, then we can talk about new jobs in the morning.”

“I’ll take care of it right away!” Park said, clapping his hands together and giving a loud whistle. “I do have something for you, Mr. Bang, that I think your crew will like very much! And there’s a big price tag attached.”

“Great,” Chan sighed, crossing his arms and looking entirely impatient as two of Park’s men escaped from the cantina, holding an array of golden keys.

“You each have a room waiting,” Park said, and you refused to meet his gaze as you accepted the cold metal between your fingertips. “I’d love for any of you to join me tonight for dinner! Until then, I’ve opened a tab for you at the bar, free of charge!”

That was all Minho and Hyunjin needed to hear, tucking away their keys as they started for the cantina entrance. Park chuckled at their hasty escape, tossing a nonchalant arm around Chan’s shoulders, ignoring the glare from the man in question. “Join me in my quarters, Chan. I have something to discuss with you.”

You watched as Chan’s form was swallowed by the snooping crowd of onlookers, sucking in a sharp breath when a Duro suddenly appeared at your side. “We can take the Aqualish.”

Changbin grunted his assent, roughly forcing the Aqualish in the Duro’s direction. “See to it then,” Changbin said, and the Duro offered his acquiescence, keeping a firm hold on your last prisoner.

“I’m heading further into the city for something better than bar food and sleazy strippers,” Jisung suddenly announced once they were out of earshot. “Anyone interested in tagging along?”

Seungmin and Jeongin agreed, and Jisung arched a brow in your direction. “I’ll just rest,” you said, and Changbin must’ve done something to brush Jisung off, leaving you both alone once they had flagged down a cruiser to speed along the busy streets of Tatooine.

“Thanks,” you said to him to fill the tense quiet. “For letting me stay close to you.”

Changbin nodded, tilting his head to the side as if considering you. You held your breath when he drew closer, leaning down to brush the bottom of his helmet against the top of your head. “You know my room number,” Changbin whispered to you as if you were locked together in your own little world.

His proximity cleared all rational thought from your head, words failing you as you managed a nod, letting out the breath you didn’t know you were holding as you watched him disappear into the cantina.

Later that night, lying spread out under his weight, you were glad that you had taken the opportunity to tend to your personal affairs before meeting Changbin. 

There were very few thoughts left in your head after being drug into his bed, fingers tangled in his thick locks, keeping him tucked against your neck to decorate dark bruises on your skin as he fucked you with rough thrusts that had your cunt screaming for reprieve. 

In the darkened room, breaths knocked from your lungs at every stroke of his cock, you wondered if he would even grow tired. All the energy had been sapped from your limbs, but Changbin was still moving like he planned to stay inside of you all night, using you while you slept, a limp doll to warm his cock and keep him in a tight vice.

Shit, the man knew what he was doing, turning your insides into mush and bringing you on the verge of your second orgasm of the night, even as Changbin showed no signs of stopping anytime soon. 

The thing was, Changbin could last, keeping you pliant under him for hours as he had his way with you, growling out curses when you clenched around him just right, cock drilling between your walls to shape you just for him.

He always fucked you like he would never get a chance to have another moment like this again. As if it was the last time. Even though you had fucked enough at this point to have practically memorized one another’s bodies, well-versed in your signs and the physical language that expressed when it was on the verge of too much. 

It didn’t matter that you had never seen Changbin before, always hidden away in the dark. You felt like you knew him, even without mapping out his features with your eyes. Instead, you relied on touch to understand him, feeling across the defined muscles in his arms and chest, the perfect angular set to his jaw, and the sharp edge of his nose when it brushed against your clit, lips wrapped around the sensitive bud. 

“So tight,” Changbin whispered, tongue tracing the line of your collarbone. “Feel so good around me.”

“Please,” you begged, even without knowing what you really wanted from him, stuck between too much and not enough as his fingers dug into your waist, squeezing tight. 

“What are you asking me for?” Changbin grunted. You could only shake your head, even if he couldn’t see, unable to manage words when his rough grinding prevented you from speaking. 

You could feel the strength in his powerful thighs, encasing you in a strong grip on either side. The smooth, but rough, sensation of his skin, hairs coarse and scars raised like braille. Your hands gripped his biceps, squeezing tight to the muscles working there, a constant reminder that he could break you if he wanted to do so.

And maybe there were times when you wanted him to do just that. To turn you around onto your stomach, one hand clasped tight over your mouth to prevent your screams, and the other arm anchoring both of yours back for him to hold. He’d mount you just like that, guide his cock home without preparing you on his fingers first. You dreamed about that often, of him just taking and taking, even if you were grateful that he often spent his leisurely time opening you up in preparation for the thick erection between his legs.

Changbin could be rough, but it was usually only when he was close to cumming, when that little break in his rhythm meant a total loss of control. When all that mattered was reaching that sweet, sensual high. Thoughts of your well-being briefly forgotten as he chased after what he wanted.

In a fight, Changbin was never careful. The same fingers that worked you open and played gentle music on your clit, could slice a man in half or break a neck in one harsh twist. The same voice that lulled you into a submissive headspace could also growl threats and curses and sully a man’s name. The same muscles that had broken a man’s spine kept you perfectly still under him, in whatever position he wanted, while you cried and begged for him. 

“Are you close?” Changbin growled, nipping at your ear to get your attention back on him.

To hold you in the present moment, stomach clenched in preparation for another orgasm, heat building in your abdomen. Each seductive thrust fed the flames licking under your skin, and you whined when he leaned down for a long, explorative kiss, licking into your mouth and tasting your tongue against his own.

“Close,” you gasped, pleasure dancing through every nerve when he sat up on his heels, hands grabbing your thighs for more leverage. 

“Come on my cock, kitten,” Changbin hissed into your ear, breath hot against your skin.

You were helpless to obey, mouth parting around a wordless scream, tears falling at their own volition when his fingers pressed rough circles on your clit, drawing out your orgasm with wave after wave of intense pleasure.

He was still moving when you were done, failing to push him away as he pinned your arms to your sides, slamming his hips down harder to force you back into submission.

“You can take it, kitten,” Changbin reminded you, even as you shook your head, even as he started to move a little faster, holding his head back with a groan.

“Please,” you whimpered again, and then Changbin was back on top of you, forehead meeting your own. 

“Can I?” Changbin asked, being so careful with you, and you nearly cried at his thoughtfulness.

“Yes,” you practically screamed, and then Changbin was taking hold at the backs of your knees, grip so tight you knew it would leave bruises, to fuck himself harder, jostling you up the mattress with the force of his thrusts. 

It was rough and barbaric, and you were burning with overstimulation, but then his hips jostled in place, slowing down to a stop and you could feel his warm cum as it started to leak from the place where you were connected.

“So good,” Changbin said, holding himself above you on his arms, skin shining with a sheen of sweat.

You were both breathing hard, matching inhales when he pulled free, leaving behind a mess you would regret later.

Your heart fluttered inside your chest, eyelids growing heavy when he moved to lay next to you, one arm wrapping around your waist to pull you against his side. It was too hot in that position, but when you tried to pull away, his grip only became stronger.

“Stay,” Changbin said, surprising you with its earnestness.

“But-”

“No arguments,” Changbin interrupted, and you were taken aback by the sweet way he held you closer, keeping you resting against his side, wrapped in strong arms. 

“When we wake up...”

“Don’t worry,” he said, as if sensing your fears. What if you saw him in the daytime, with the sun coming up and the room lit with a faint flow? “I’ll get up first.”

You swallowed hard, nodding your head because it was hard to tell him no, especially when you craved his presence like nothing else.

The next morning, Changbin was gone, and you got dressed before heading downstairs to the cantina to meet with everyone.

The first face you recognized was Minho’s, standing against the counter connected to the bar, eyeing Chan and Mr. Park who stood talking together from across the room. You were curious, sliding next to Minho under the guise of ordering a drink. “How long have they been down here?” you asked Minho, raising your hand to signal the bartender.

“Too long,” Minho replied, and you huffed in frustration when the bartender ignored you in favor of a separate group wearing what appeared to be the finest silk money could afford.

“Figures,” you muttered in reference to both Chan and the patrons.

“He’s waiting for the others,” Minho remarked. “Supposedly.”

“Chan indulges him,” you said. “He takes advantage of his patience.”

“One day Chan will snap,” Minho hummed, and you nodded your agreement, glancing around the room with vague interest.

“Here,” Minho said, dragging your attention back to the bar, eyes falling to where Minho was pushing what appeared to be a market pastry in your direction. “Mando left this here for you.”

Your cheeks warmed at the mention of Changbin, reaching down to carefully unravel the food, stomach growling at the idea of breakfast. Your first bite almost drew out a moan, eyes closing to savor the taste.

“Speaking of people who are too indulgent,” Minho said, pointedly looking between your food and a spot over your shoulder.

You swallowed around your bite, glancing back to see Changbin entering the Cantina with Hyunjin and Han behind him. “He’s just looking out for me,” you muttered. 

“Is that all?” Minho smirked, but you chose to ignore his teasing, finishing your food as the boys approached where you stood.

“Let’s get this show on the road,” Han proclaimed, voice carrying throughout the cantina. Enough so that Chan aimed a glare in your direction before returning his attention to Park.

But Han didn’t care, flagging down the bartender with ease, to which you scowled. He always made things look simple, and it was this thought that distracted you from the Mandalorian who had started to move even closer, pitching his voice for your ears only.

“Sleep well?” the modulated voice husked from next to you.

“I did,” you agreed, trying to hide a smile, thoughts of Han disappearing in an instant. “Tuckered myself out last night.”

“What did you get up to?” Changbin asked, and you could hear the amusement in his tone, working your brain for a good quip, but the sudden appearance of Chan and Mr. Park sent a wave of silence over your group.

“Seungmin and Jeongin are handling some supplies,” Chan said. “Mr. Park will escort the rest of us for a private interview.”

“Thank you, Mr. Bang! I have someone who really wants to meet you,” Park explained. “In the other room.”

“Sounds riveting,” Hyunjin sighed.

Yet, no one protested as Mr. Park led the way to a winding staircase jutting out from the wall, leading upstairs to the second level you seldom noticed. It was quieter up there, the cantina’s music muted, and there was a clear tension in the air as you walked to the end of the hall, pausing outside of a door.

“You have my word that this individual will bring you no harm,” Mr. Park said in an ominous tone that had you frowning.

Why did he feel the need to give such a promise?

Your question was answered in the very next moment, when Mr. Park opened the door to reveal a slightly darkened room. There was a long, wooden table occupying the space, and at the very end, reclined in a metal chair, sat a stormtrooper, helmet placed in front of him as he offered a tentative smile at your group.

You could hear Chan’s sharp inhale, and the firm grip of Changbin as he took your arm in his hand. “What the fuck?” Han cursed, breaking the silence and any of Minho’s restraint as he reached for the blaster holstered at his side.

“Well, this is a sight for sore eyes,” the stormtrooper chuckled, even as you could feel the tension in Changbin, and detect the noticeable strain in the others.

“What is this?” Chan demanded, turning on Park who simply held up his hands in a faux gesture of surrender.

“You know I’d never lead you astray, Bang! The guy is legit. I had my best men look into him.”

“A stormtrooper?” Hyunjin scoffed. 

“All I’m asking is for you to hear him out!” Park insisted, wincing when Minho brought the blaster into sight. “Seriously! He has no allegiance to the Empire. Plus, he’s willing to pay good if you finish a job for him!”

“Bang,” Minho growled, shifting between his feet. He said nothing else, but that single syllable spoke a coherent warning. 

Chan scowled, gaze lowering as if battling with his own thoughts - urges to fight and protect conflicting with an inherent curiosity pertaining to whatever business an ex-stormtrooper could require. “Sit,” Chan eventually barked, a clear order that he wasn’t in a joking mood.

“Fucking hell,” Minho sighed, re-holstering his blaster as he shoved around Chan, taking the seat closest to the stormtrooper as if determined that he would be the first line of defense.

Chan sat across from him, on the stormtrooper’s other side, and the rest of your crew slowly fell into place, taking the remaining seats. It left you perched on the end, practically shoved against Changbin as he kept a protective arm around your shoulders. 

“Talk,” Chan demanded next, startling the stormtrooper who seemed chastened by the reaction he had just witnessed. 

“I have a job, and Park said you were the best of the best,” he started. “I guess I should start from the beginning. You see, my old captain bailed when the Empire fell,” the stormtrooper explained. “Not that I expected him to stick around, but he always had eyes for my sister. Used her against me in the beginning when I was recruited.”

He paused here, taking in the room. “My name is Jackson, and I’m asking for you to look past my uniform. To look past an organization I no longer serve, and one I never believed in. I was recruited young, brainwashed into following orders that I didn’t care to follow. Not that you care about that part. The real reason I’m here is because of my sister. She was kidnapped by my old captain, and I’m determined to get her back.”

You exhaled slowly at his story, searching the expressions of your crew to try and decipher their reactions. “She doesn’t deserve it,” Jackson insisted. “To keep suffering because of me.”

“So, you want us to come with you to save your sister...” Chan asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Help me get her back,” Jackson said in a pleading tone. “And I’ll make it worth your while.”

Chan nodded, sitting back in his chair, gaze flitting to Minho who arched one brow. “This could be dangerous for us. We’d have to consider the logistics. Do you even have any idea where this guy is?”

“I’ve tracked him to the edge of the Andromeda galaxy,” Jackson explained, pulling a tracker from his suit pocket to place it down on the table. “All we need to do is board his ship and get rid of his men.”

Hyunjin snorted at the proposal. “You make it sound too easy. Like a Captain of the Empire wouldn’t have security in place to protect him.”

“They’re not loyal,” Jackson said in a firm tone. “They won’t stick around for him. I’ll give you any information you’ll need, I’ve done my fair share of research.”

“Have you?” Hyunjin sneered, but Chan held up a hand in his direction. 

“We’ll hear all that you have. If you can answer our questions, and give us time to consider the schematics, we’ll let you know what we decide.”

“That’s all I’m asking for!” Jackson said, a smile contorting his lips. “Just a chance, and I’ll be sure to make it worth your while.”

Chan simply nodded, exchanging a look with Minho, and you moved even closer to Changbin, worried about the dangers that could be waiting on the other side of the galaxy...worried about the safety of your family and whether or not you could take on the wrath of the Empire.

An Empire in decline.

A desperate Empire.

One that had nothing left to lose...

The Stormtrooper had everything mapped out to perfection. It was almost too perfect, in your unconsidered opinion, voicing your concerns aloud to Chan who simply sighed. “He checks out,” Chan had told you. “And he’s paying good money for the job.”

“He’s a stormtrooper!”

“From a fallen Empire,” Chan said, and that was all you needed to hear to roll your eyes and walk away, knowing that he had already made up his mind.

“Chan finds the best of the best,” Changbin tried to reassure you later that night as you helped him load the ship. “His sources are always right.”

“Does it matter when it involves an stormtrooper?”

“Of course it matters,” Changbin replied. “But Chan is smart. You know this. He’d never put any of our lives in unnecessary risk.”

You swallowed down your complaints, keeping silent for the rest of your time together, ignoring the simmering tension in the air - something thick and palpable. Barely able to hold back when your instincts remained on high alert.

There was nothing you could do to change the outcome, so you kept to yourself for the rest of the day, assisting when you were asked to do something. Helping Minho on the ship, or working to ensure that the ship’s weapon system was calibrated correctly. It was dull and unexciting work, made all the worse by the nagging worry constantly diluting your thoughts.

You barely slept that night, in your own room, despite Changbin’s request for you to join him. He would only distract you from your thoughts, and you needed the time alone to work through the heavy burden weighing down on you - the never-ending dread that filled the pit of your stomach when you thought about something bad happening to your crew. 

They were all you had. Out of all the lost stars in the galaxy, they chose you. And you felt the crushing hand around your windpipe closing its unforgiving fist thinking about life without them.

But Chan’s mind was made up, and there was no stopping this mission. Whatever he had found out about the stormtrooper - his past, his misgivings - weren’t enough to stop you from moving forward. Changbin had been right about Chan’s sources - they had never been wrong before.

Even if there was always a first time for everything.

“Are you mad at me?” Changbin asked when you met the rest of your crew outside the ship the following morning, glaring daggers at the stormtrooper who spoke with both Park and Chan.

“Not you,” you replied, crossing your arms over your chest and ignoring his teasing chuckle.

“Relax,” he purred, leaning in close enough to distract your gaze. “I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

“I know,” you grumbled, letting him take one of your hands before leading you both onto the ship.

Immediately, you headed to the cockpit to check on the ship’s main controls, ensuring that nothing needed to be re-calibrated. Han always called it overkill, since you checked it at least a dozen times before taking off, but you could never be too careful. The ship was an older model that had seen its fair share of gunfire.

“Good to go?” Minho asked when he joined you later on, sitting down in the pilot’s chair.

“Yeah,” you agreed, holding your breath when he started up the ship, guiding the front toward the skyline. 

You closed your eyes for this part as the jump to hyperspace always made you feel nauseous. Minho chuckled at the action, but you ignored him, waiting with bated breath until you could feel the ship leaving the cold prism of lightspeed, settling into something calmer.

When you looked up again, you saw nothing but a familiar sea of stars that helped to settle your stomach. “The others decided to play cards downstairs if you want to join them,” Minho suggested, and you nodded, leaving him to mind the controls while you climbed the ladder down the main floor.

You let yourself be guided toward the intermingling sound of voices, exhaling slightly when you noticed Chan and Jackson were not among the ones seated at the little table tucked away at the side of your kitchenette. “Y/N!” Han chirped in greeting, and Jeongin moved over to make an obvious space for you.

“Thought I’d watch,” you said, making yourself comfortable. “Got a keep an eye out for cheaters!”

“Hey!” Han protested, but it was enough to get Seungmmin going, starting one of his all too-common rants about Han’s less than ideal playing habits.

You laughed at their bickering, feeling your shoulders relax at the familiar banter. Until a set of heavy footsteps had you perking up, watching Han’s gaze fall to something over your shoulder. 

“Buying in, Mando?” Han grinned, and you could feel him moving in closer, presence hot as he leaned over to address Han.

“100 credits.”

Hyunjin let out a low whistle, cards held up to hide the lower part of his face. “Do you think you’re good enough?”

Changbin chuckled, lowering himself next to you on the bench, and you were hyper-aware of the way your thighs touched.

“Deal me in,” he rasped as a response. 

“This is a rare treat,” Han remarked, but he nodded at Seungmin who shuffled the deck of cards without a word of protest.

“You go first,” Han offered as if he was doing Changbin a favor.

Changbin looked down at his cards before pushing a stack of chips to the center of the table. “Already?” Hyunjin chuckled, and there was a calm expression on his face as he pushed his own chips to the middle. “I’ll call.”

“Fold,” Han said, placing his cards facedown in front of him. “You can never tell with Mando.”

But you could, even without seeing the handsome face you could only dream about at night laying next to him. You could tell his signs, subtle as they were. The way a muscle jumped in his thigh or the deeper breath released from his modulated helmet.

Mando was nervous, or at least, less confident about his moves. Unfortunately for him, Hyunjin wasn’t accepting his bluff, calling him every time Seungmin dealt another card.

“Show your hands.”

Hyunjin smirked, revealing a full house. Mando chuckled from next to you, tossing down his own lackluster hand. “Thought so,” Hyunjin smiled, raking in all the chips toward himself.

“Ah, you can’t bluff with Hyunjin,” Han tsked, ignoring the way Changbin had leaned in closer to you.

“We might have some time before we land.”

You swallowed at his heavy implication, ready to grab his hand and lead you both to the back of the ship, when Chan suddenly appeared with Jackson, eyebrows pulled taught together.

“We’re landing soon,” Chan warned, and you felt the light-hearted air grow heavy with something dangerously palpable, knowing you were about to embark on your most dangerous mission yet.

The galactic cruiser was just as you remembered, bringing back memories of the before times when the Empire’s power was solidified. You could feel the palpable concern in your crew, and the anger in Jackson as he glared at an unidentifiable spot through the glass.

You trusted most of the men on your ship with your entire life, and so far, Jackson had not done anything to earn your ire. Maybe you were simply put-out by the inherent dangers of this mission and blamed him for dragging you all into such a precarious situation.

Then again, Chan had agreed. And he had done so wittingly. Without protest or second thought.

You studied your leader, beckoning everyone closer as your ship halted at a safe and undetectable distance from the cruiser. Soon, Chan would have Minho land the ship beneath the cruiser’s hull where security wouldn’t be able to pick up on your signal. From there, you would all disembark through a security door and carry out the mission at hand.

“Let’s remember what we’ve discussed,” Chan said, and he nodded at Minho who started in the direction of the helm.

From behind you, Changbin stepped closer, listening as Chan continued speaking, and you resisted the urge to drown him out and lean back into Chanbin’s steady weight. 

Unfortunately, you weren’t able to maintain your façade for long, and your heart dropped to your stomach at a jolt from the ship, signaling that power had been cut. Minho returned shortly thereafter, and your fingers found the worn holes in Changbin’s cape.

“Are we ready?” Chan asked, and you could hear the shared affirmations from your group, even above the thundering race of your pulse.

You swallowed hard as Chan organized everyone into groups, pacing back and forth as your crew stood in formation. “Keep to your assignments,” he ordered. “We must remain invisible.”

You trembled at the short, perfunctory tone behind his words, wondering if everyone else held the same level of unease. It would be all too easy for this mission to go awry, even with the most meticulous of planning, and there was nobody who prepared more for a potential fight than Chan.

It was with bated breath that you watched Chan, Han, and Seungmin move out with the first group, turning around to face Changbin and Felix who had been assigned together with you. You sighed, trying to hold your head high as Changbin finished a muted conversation with Felix before turning to look at you.

“Come with me.”

You followed him at once, re-entering the cargo area of the ship as the others moved about, getting ready for what was to come. “I don’t know what you have planned...” you started when you were safely tucked away with Changbin out of sight, taking the loose leather belt from him that he was struggling to secure around himself. 

“Stay on the ship.”

You frowned at Changbin’s words, standing in such close proximity as you helped him adjust his belt, weapons clipped in order. 

“Did Chan say that?”

“I’m saying that.”

His sharp words only deepened the scowl you likely wore, your displeasure reading clear and open. “I could be useful if the droids fail...”

“Stay.”

His tone had deepened, gloved hand flying out to grip your chin. “Changbin-”

“Chan gave me the directive to lead my group,” he reminded your sullen form. “I choose to leave you on the ship. Just in case.”

“Fine,” you lied through clenched teeth, determined to do anything you could to help. Even if your help wasn’t wanted.

Changbin hummed at your agreement, and you helped him secure his weapons, standing aside as he started around you. He had always been stubborn and overprotective, but you were short-handed as it was, and there was no reason you couldn’t handle yourself.

But you still waited until Changbin and Felix, the last of the crew, had vanished into the darkened security entrance before hurrying behind them.

You had managed to snag a blaster without Changbin’s notice, and you held it tight to your chest once you dipped through the security door and landed feet first inside the enemy ship, peeking around the corner before taking off for the security room. With the blaster in stun mode, you easily took out the two guards who had been stationed inside, wincing when their heads clunked down against the machinery. 

“You can do this, Y/N,”  you assured yourself as you surveyed your surroundings, grunting with the exertion of pushing one of the guards to the side, giving you complete access to the security cameras. “I knew it,” you huffed, coming to the rapid realization that the droids had failed to disarm every camera on board - a job which you easily accomplished, making sure that there were no eyes on your men...

“Hey!”

The unexpected sound of an unfamiliar voice had your fingers freezing above the controls. 

“Turn around at once, solider!”

You let out a deep breath, doing as the voice commanded, coming face to face with the barrel of a blaster held between two gloved hands. The man in front of you was clearly no stranger to battle, and his uniform marked him as an enemy of the Republic.

“What is your name and identification number?” he asked, scanning over your form and likely wondering if you could be trusted.

You tried to make yourself as small as possible, putting on your best pout. “I was asked to come down,” you lied, palms clammy from holding the blaster behind your back. “There are intruders-”

“I know,” the guard growled over your words. “But that’s not what I asked you.”

“My identification number is not with me,” you said, and this only irritated the guard more.

“You aren’t supposed to be here without proper identification,” the guard said, raising his blaster a little higher as his eyes raked over you - likely wondering whether or not to believe your half-assed story.

“I can bring you my identification-”

“Silence!” he shouted above you, and this time, your eyes had to cross from the close proximity of the blaster as he stepped even closer, invading your space with a snarl. “You’re one of them, aren’t you?”

You held your tongue, unable to utter a single syllable in the presence of death. You tried not to shake, swallowing hard and searching your mind for something to say, when a shadow crossed your field of vision, and the blaster fell to the floor in front of you.

“Hey!” the guard shouted, and you fell back against the controls, eyes widening when you recognized your Mandalorian in the room, fighting hand to hand with the nasty guard who had threatened you.

You winced when the guard rammed Changbin against the wall, causing him to drop his own blaster. It fell close to your feet, glinting dangerously in the flickering lights of the room. 

“The gun, Y/N,” you heard Changbin growl, grunting with the force of taking an elbow to the chest.

It was like you were disembodied, reaching down to wrap your fingers around the cool handle of the blaster. Even while the struggle continued in the background, the sounds of violence echoing in your ears. 

“Shoot him!”

The words did little to penetrate the haze surrounding you. But you winced as the guard managed to land another swift blow to Changbin, bringing him down to one knee.

Changbin. In danger!

Your hands trembled, faced with a task you had never accomplished before. You remembered a time, from long ago, standing in an empty shooting range with Changbin. His hands had been warm and firm on your waist, guiding your hands and arms in place. “Hold it like this,” he had instructed you, keeping things steady when you shot for the very first time, a proud smile stretching across your lips...

“You can do this,” he had whispered then, and you savored the sweet words and his tickling breath on the back of your neck.

“Y/N!”

You blinked rapidly to draw yourself back into the room because Changbin in the present was on the ground, struggling against another man’s hands wrapped around his throat, squeezing the air from his lungs.

Focus.

There was a heavy weight sitting on your chest, keeping you from breathing, as you did your best to aim at the guard in front of you before finally allowing your fingers to click the trigger in place.

You heard the defeating sound of the killing blast, having been switched out of stun mode. A sharp breath left your lips as your trembling legs brought you forward to the two bodies on the ground. You stood over your Mandalorian, lowering the blaster with trembling hands.

“Binnie-” you croaked, heart heavy with dread. 

“It’s okay, Y/N,” he said, grunting as he struggled to sit up.

“Were you hit-”

“I’m fine,” he interrupted, as if he could possibly dismiss your concerns.

But it didn’t look like he was fine, struggling to even move to a sitting position, and there was blood.

So much blood

Everywhere.

You were hyperventilating, completely on the verge of passing out, barely able to focus on your Mandalorian. “I-I hurt you...”

Your heart thudded to a stop, breath caught in your throat when Changbin reached up, grabbing his helmet and slowly raising it above his head.

“Changbin,” you whispered, suddenly unable to focus on anything else but the unexpected sight in front of you: Changbin revealing himself without an ounce of hesitation. 

Your eyes widened, growing perceptibly wider, greedily drinking in the face that you could only dream of at night curled against him. In the bleakness of the dark, encased in shadows to hide him from your curious gaze. 

“It’s alright, kitten,” he whispered in an unexpectedly deep tone. “It only grazed me. Come here.”

You did as he directed, falling into his arms. Even with your eyes still glued to his handsome countenance, tracing the beginnings of a five o’clock shadow with the tips of your fingers. 

Strong nose. Angular jawline. Eyes as black as the deepest parts of space.

You couldn’t stop staring, drinking it in like a Bantha finding water for the first time in days after treading across the desert plains of Tatooine. Unable to keep yourself under control, and unable to stop the impulses telling you to touch everything that your eyes had just been gifted. 

He had broken his code. Removed his helmet for you all in the hopes of calming you down.

“I’m sorry,” you sobbed into your shoulder. “I lied to you. I disobeyed and left the ship. The guild-”

“None of that matters,” Changbin said, fisting your hair to pull your gaze to his, leaning down to press a careful kiss to your lips. “I love you, Y/N.”

“You can’t call yourself a Mandalorian anymore.”

“Maybe I’m not,” Changbin said, choosing his words carefully. “Not anymore.”

“Binnie-”

“I’m a bounty hunter,” he interrupted, thumbing his way across your lips. “A friend. A fighter.” His tone dipped into something warm and honeyed. “A lover.”

“Changbin-”

He cut you off with an unexpected kiss, locking you both together with a hand on the back of your head.

“We’re okay, kitten,” he whispered when you parted for air, the words wrapping you in a warm caress. “Everything will be just fine.”

You weren’t so sure about his bold declaration, but it was hard to argue with Changbin when he had presented himself in such earnestness, giving you all of him in every way that he could.

“Let’s get back to the others,” he suggested, helping you stand and keeping a strong arm holding you to him, guiding you both from the security room and toward the light. 

It was done, or so you tried to tell yourself. Keeping your arms wrapped across your torso, shivering from the events that took place in the security room. Changbin kept a protective arm around your waist, leading you back to the ship, which at least offered you some consolation that everything had went well before he had been forced to come save you...

Your shoulders dropped when you laid eyes on your crew, counting everyone as present, including Jackson. The collective sounds of your footsteps on the tiled floors halted all conversations, and that’s when every eye in the room flew to you and Changbin.

You cringed at the collective shock in your group at the sight of a helmet-less Changbin. Eight pairs of eyes watching you both, silence growing thick. You held tighter to Changbin’s arm, breathing out in a soft exhale. 

“You’re better-looking than I imagined,” Han eventually remarked, which, at the very least, seemed to ease some of the tension.

Changbin snorted. “Thanks.”

“You good?” Chan asked, studying Changbin with an uncertain gaze, seemingly unsure about where to look. 

“Everything is fine,” Changbin reassured him, reaching out to clasp his shoulder. “I promise. No damage has been done.”

Chan nodded. “We were worried when you didn’t come back on time. But we figured everything was fine since we were able to finish our jobs.” He took a step to the side, allowing you to see the frightened figure huddled behind Chan, plastered against Jackson’s side with a timid gaze.

“You found her,” Changbin agreed.

“Thanks to all of you,” Jackson added, offering a warm smile. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Minho suddenly spoke up, taking a step forward. “Let’s just get out of here before we push our luck.”

Your other crew mates muttered their agreements, and you were relieved to let Changbin practically drag you back on the ship, still keeping you supported in your state of shock. You could feel the effects wearing off, the total freezing up that you had experienced when under the threat of death, but there was still a haziness keeping you from feeling secure on your own feet.

“Come on, kitten,” Changbin encouraged you, leaving the others to tend to the ship.

They were smart enough not to question you, letting Changbin takeover like he had so often done before. Taking you down below the main deck to your little room, helping you sit down on the edge of the bed before he knelt down to remove your shoes.

You shivered at the cold on your bare feet, hearing him chuckle when he glanced back up. “You keep staring.”

Your gaze averted at once, feeling yourself flush. “I’m sorry-”

“Don’t apologize,” he murmured, reaching out to guide your chin back to facing him. “It’s only natural.”

“Yeah,” you whispered back, swallowing hard when he returned to his full height, removing his shirt and pants before asking you to move over and make some more room.

He was an overpowering warmth next to you, gathering you into his arms and raking gentle fingers through your hair. “It’s not your fault,” he said, eventually, when your eyelids had started to close. “I can’t blame you for wanting to help. Shoulda taken you with me to start with.”

“I disobeyed-”

“Stubborn for good reason,” he interrupted, planting a chaste kiss to your lips. “Don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise.”

You opened your eyes wider, meeting his honest brown orbs in the middle. “It’s surreal...to see you like this.”

He smiled. “A good thing?”

“A selfish part of me thinks so...”

“Not selfish either,” he argued, leaning close to connect your foreheads. “Wanted to show you everything for a while now. Planned on it, actually..”

You let out a little noise, shocked that Changbin would even plan something like this after living his life loyal to the Mandalorian code...

“Don’t think too hard about it,” he chuckled, nosing his way across the bridge of your jaw. “Get some rest. There will be plenty of time to talk.”

You gave a sleepy nod in response, more than eager to succumb to the sleep you needed.

You had never been so glad to lay eyes on the sea of red that defined Tatooine, leaving the ship feeling more rested than you had in years.

The rest of your crew loitered around outside, exchanging your final goodbyes with Jackson and his sister, who finally seemed more at ease far away from that horrible ship, even letting a small smile soften her features.

“Always call on us, yeah?” Chan said, and you rolled your eyes at his dramatics.

Jackson reached out, clasping his forearm to Chan’s. “Thank you. For everything.”

Chan dipped his head, a sign of respect. “You have friends in us.”

“It’s hard to find reliable help like that these days,” Jackson remarked. “Even rarer to call someone a friend.”

Chan smiled, accepting the gesture, and you moved in a little closer to Changbin as your crew offered your last farewells. Whatever your next adventure might become, it would certainly be difficult to forget the events of the past few days. Befriending enemies and becoming allies to forgotten causes. Revealing identities that had always been meant to remain a secret...

With one last salute, Jackson wrapped an arm around the delicate shoulders of his sister, leading her further toward the booming marketplace. You watched as Jackson was swallowed by the familiar crowd of patrons before turning to look at Changbin, lips cracking into a grin because you would never get enough of looking at him. His gaze met yours, as if drawn together, and the black of his irises seemed to glow in the fading sunlight.

“Let’s get back to it,” Chan announced, ushering everyone back in the direction of the ship.

Changbin took your hand, holding on tight as you made your way up the ramp. “Y/N, you want to takeover controls?” Minho asked, and you knew that your face betrayed your excitement.

It was rare for Minho to give up controls to you, even if you were properly trained. He was either in a really good mood or exhausted from your adventures. Likely a combination of both.

But you wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. “Sure!”

Changbin chuckled at your enthusiasm, and Minho dismissed you with a wave, following Jisung and Hyunjin down below the deck. “You ready?”

His breath tickled the back of your neck, and you couldn’t fight off a shiver. “Always.”

You hummed in agreement, and you climbed the ladder first, working to get everything functional, nodding at the rumble of the engine. Navigating to the edges of space took time and control, and you carefully lifted the ship from the ground, guiding it up toward the sky. 

Once you had breached the atmosphere, and the infiniteness of black onyx beckoned you to make the jump to hyper space, you relaxed on the controls, turning it over to autopilot mode. “Good to go?” Changbin asked, joining you in the cockpit.

You urged him to sit down in the captain’s chair, allowing both legs to separate, straddling his lap as he switched the controls to lower the lights, finding yourself lost in his eyes and his sharply defined features. After so long of being deprived of this very moment, you could only be greedy in drinking all of it in for as long as you could.

As if on instinct, you reached out to trace the swell of his lip, feeling your heart skipping several beats, determined to spend the rest of your life learning every curve and line, to show him that you appreciated every ounce of what you had once been denied.

“Kitten,” Changbin purred, and you gasped when his fingers dug into the hourglass shape of your waist.

“I don’t think anyone will be bothering us anytime soon,” you whispered against his lips, feeling his responding laugh before allowing your lips to fit perfectly together: a match literally made in the Heavens. 

[mechaknight-98]

Gathering CEDH edition: Once Upon Time

Author's notes: No this is not a repost. I am trying this a third time. I now have a clear understanding of What I want to do with the series. I wanted to Streamline it as an Izone/Izone's daughter group and Dreamcatcher fic. The Main characters are also a bit more refined this time around as I have figured out how they connect. I also have now consolidated a lot of the bloat the previous version had to focus on better storytelling between the characters. So sit back and Enjoy the New Version. Think of it as a Director's cut.

I entered the new Photography collective my friend Dexter asked me to join. The goal was to create a group that could help each other rise in related industries relating to Photography, film, directing, scriptwriting, producing, etc. I was unsure of the efficacy as most of us were amateurs with some experience but not much. Dexter was the most well-versed of us as he was getting cameraman jobs for several TV shows and his roommate and other member of this collective Connor was in the same boat. I was just some rando they found on social media who had an insane appetite and penitence for artistic expression in all forms I could get my hands on. so these two "extroverts" Our first meeting I learned that we were all Nexos and fans of the game Magic the Gathering. This made building a relationship that much easier as our first meeting ended up with us playing a game of Commander. Connor was a Jeskai player, and Dexter was a Temur player. Thankfully I could play anything so our games were always varied. I began to lean into Sultai a lot as it was the colors I felt were most reflective of my player mindset. it also had the highest number of my favorite creature types Ooze. (WotC if you are reading this please give me a legendary Ooze elder dragon in Sultai that becomes copies of things when attacked that would be so cool). One day after the Aespa concert we all went to Connor made a huge reveal.

Connor sat at his computer waiting for another round of historic brawl on MTGA (Magic the Gathering Arena). He was on a roll with your kinda junky “Omnath Locus of all” deck. He stepped away to grab a snack from your fridge across the hall but came clamoring, and running back when you heard the ding of a match found. It was against a person with the name Scorpion’s-love-00. He noticed the name was funny and chuckled at the beginning of the match. You did your tradition of “ggs” before the match. He focused up and eased in. She was playing a bit of a serious deck helmed by Kyodai that relied on flickering and cloning the dragon spirit numerous times so her board became almost impenetrable. The only problem she was playing against someone who thrived in unbeatable situations. For each new indestructible body she put on the field you retaliated with more interaction in the form of bouncing exile until she was tapped out and drawing empty on resources. To finish her off Connor ended with a simple draw Connor the whole deck into Thassa’s oracle. As the scene shifts to the win screen, Connor sighs a sigh of relief. The win was tough but well-earned. Connor relaxed and decided to send a friend request to Scorpion’s-Love-00. you enjoyed playing with them and thought it would be fun to play with them again. He was surprised to have the friend request not only accepted but also a message attached.

“Hey! What’s your discord?” the message read. Seeing this as Harmless He responded

“Infinite #2782” Connor responded. To his continued surprise there was another ding and a new friend request from a “Scorpio Rapper 00” He accepted and was treated to the following messages.

“wow, you kicked my butt. You must know your stuff. How long have you been playing?”

Connor smiled and responded, “I am decent, and you didn’t fare too badly yourself.”

The message that came in response read “ ;] I bet you say that to all the girls you beat.”

Connor responds “Only the nice and cute ones.”

You say the message typing and then this message you, “Aw you're so sweet. I want to take a bite out of you.”

Connor laughed and responded “Lol, Lol” and for the next few hours, he talked with Scorpion flirting and helping her with deck ideas and builds. She was adamant about sending Connor pictures through messages as when he brought up the idea of screen sharing she freaked out.

“What are you some uber famous Mega star?” he asked innocently.

Scorpion replied “Something like that. Or maybe I am disfigured and I don’t want to scare you off.”

Connor smiled at her response. She was easy to talk to and so those hours flew by. Eventually leading to Connor needing to go to sleep. So Connor explained this to Scorpion.

“Aw, but we are barely halfway through my Hinata Dawn Crown deck and I need your expertise and card knowledge.” Connor sighs and respond

“I have work early in the morning I need to go to sleep but when I am free I will shoot you some more cards and ideas," Connor said

So with this, Connor fell into a routine. He would work, go home, go to sleep, work out, and play magic in either a shop or online (Usually with Scorpion). As he does this you get to know Scorpion. She is funny, sweet, caring, and ultimately a gentle soul. She also likes K-pop which is also a plus. One of the groups she is into is Aespa right now whom Connor loves. When she asks who’s your bias and you proudly say Giselle she laughs, but she insists she is laughing at something her roommate said and not him. She still refuses to do anything showing her face but he's seen her hands after she sent a video going through a completed paper high-powered Hinata deck that she adores. Eventually, this culminates with her making a voice call out of the blue

“Hey, you’re in New York City right?” Scorpion’s pleasant voice asks

“Um yeah, why?” Connor respond hesitantly

“Well let’s meet up?” I want to see what my friend who’s helped me get better at mtg looks like.

Connor hesitates. Scorpion waits for his response until she can’t bear it

“you didn’t hang up on me did you?” Scorpion asked anxiously

“Ah no. I just wasn’t expecting you to say that. Sure I am down what day and what time?” You respond quickly

“Good, How about in two weeks? At the Empire State Building?”

“Works for me.” He responds

“Great!! see you then.” Scorpion says a bit too excitedly.

As the weeks pass Connor tries to figure out a plan and an outfit to wear to meet Scorpion. As the day gets closer however your nerves lessen. Connor figures she’s going to bail as she has always not wanted to meet face to face. That is until Connor finds himself standing at the Peer waiting for her.

Connor was stressed but had chosen a killer look and had a dope plan all figured out. It’s a little chilly so he brought a windbreaker and some gloves. To ease his mind you put on some Aespa, you found their music oddly calming and familiar at this time. While you are chilling on the peer looking around when you get a call.

“Hey, it’s scorpion what do you look like? I am having trouble finding you.” Connor gives her a bare-bones description. That is specified only by the jacket you have on. Scorpion responds “Okay I think I see you.” and she hangs up. Well, here it is the moment of truth. You stand still for a few moments until you get a tap on your shoulder. You turn around and an extremely pretty young woman is staring at you expectantly.

“Scorpion?” Connor says hesitantly.

The young lady smiles and responds “ Yes I knew it was you!! but call me Aeri. Since that's my name. What about you” Connor laughs heavily, still starstruck that his mtg partner is a world-famous musician.

"Hello, earth to InFinite." Aeri laughed. Connor came out of his stupor to respond

"Connor Sun-won Kang." Connor stammers

"Wait Are you Korean?" Aeri asks

"half my mom was Welsh American...I think. I was adopted and only know what my "mom" told me about them." Connor explains

“Okay got it, and I am Aeri,” Aeri said

"I know but I am sure that's not what other people call you."

Aeri smiles as she responds. “No, but you’re not most people. Now are you?” she links his arm with hers and she says “Now let’s hurry I don’t have much time.” so begins the impromptu date with Aeri. The duo grab a bite to eat and then go through various rides and attractions on the island. As the date winds down the two find themselves in a taxi Connor looks at her still in shock. The rapper of Aespa and his bias Giselle was sitting across from you. All because he met her playing mtg.

“What?” she said “Do I have some ice cream still on my face?”

He shook his head and responded, “No you're just kinda prettier in person is all.” Aeri blushed.

“You’re not too bad yourself,” she responds

“Aw, I bet you say that to all the boys you meet?”Connor teased.

Aeri laughs and responds. “Only the cute and nice ones. Lucky for you. You're both.” Connor tries to find things to talk about that aren’t magic but it does often get back to that. Aeri is hooked on the game and she picks Connor's brain for a thousand and one ideas.

“oh, I won my first commander night. The week before we flew out.” Aeri said with pride. “Guess which card you suggested cinched the game?”

he thought for a moment then responded “Aurelia’s fury”

Aeri nodded surprised. “I am impressed you do know your stuff, but I’d expect nothing less from the guy who’s been beating me up relentlessly over the past few months.”

You sigh and say “Well I have also been trying to encourage you as well. You are an excellent player and a very quick study, Plus that's how I learned from My roommate.”

Aeri smiled softly. “So when does that mean I can go against your paper deck?”

You wheezed at Aerie’s question, “Um yeah I don’t think you’re ready.” you said trying to catch your breath.” Aeri smiled.

“Why not?” She said innocently “I have some tricks up my sleeve you know.” You blink rapidly as flashes of numerous counter-spell wars and free interaction flash through your head from the games you played against Nathaniel your roommate.

“Uh yeah okay. Sure next time I see you I will bring my deck and we will play together one-on-one.” You respond slightly shell-shocked. smiles and claps

“So after the concert?” Aeri asks. Connor blinks again remembering and now cursing yourself how excited he was to be going to see Aespa. He is trying to figure a way to wiggle himself out of this until Aeri says, “What are you scared I’ll beat you?” Hearing that flips his hesitation and apprehension into bravado and completely earned confidence.

“Yeah definitely,” Connor announces sardonically. Aeri noticed the change in demeanor and smiled at him.

"there he is. My confident and passionate sparring partner." Aeri teases

After this Connor and Aeri part ways for the night. When he gets back home you stress out as you get a text from Aeri.

“Here’s the address to our hotel I look forward to beating you After the concert. ;]” You sighed and got two of your decks ready to face off against Aeri. looks like you wouldn’t be holding back.

Two days later was the concert. Connor had a great time. Aespa did fantastic as always and even though Connor wasn’t close to the stage at all he could have sworn Aeri locked eyes with him a few times but he ignored it and just focused on enjoying the music. He was elated to hear their songs especially "Hold On Tight" since it was his favorite song by the group. ( I like the more metal-sounding girls but hey to each their own) Thankfully the mix was good too.

As the concert winded down he thought for sure that Aeri locked eyes with him and winked, but again it was probably all imagination. After the concert, He made his way to the hotel. When he arrived he stayed in the lobby for a few minutes decks, and play-mat in hand. after a few more minutes there was a tap on his shoulder.

“Infinite?” An unfamiliar voice said. Connor turned to see Minejeong aka Winter.

"Winter?" Connor questioned

"Were you expecting someone else? Well sorry to disappoint. Also, call me Minjeong you are too close to us to use that name." Minjeong said

She smiled when she saw him. Connor followed her to her room. She was dressed plainly in an oversized t-shirt and baggy sweats. She grabbed him and said, “Come on before someone sees you.” Connor puts his hoodie up to obscure his face and when you get to the elevator Minjeong looks at him “Oh I see put the hoodie on and cover your face. I like it.” Connor smiled at his friend

“Don’t want any dating rumors.” Connor replies “You need to keep your image after all.” he adds

Minjeong smiled, “Ah what a gentleman, but that won’t get you mercy.” Connor laughs at Minjeong’s taunt.

"Um if you don't mind me asking where is Aeri?" Connor asks

"Oh, Aeri Unnie still needed to shower and do...What did she say deck edits." Minjeog stammers

"Oh deck edits," Connor Suggests

"Yeah, that," Minjeong confirms

"Fair" Connor nods

When Connor arrived at Aeri and Minjeong's room you were surprised to see the other members all chilling. Ningning was the first to acknowledge you “Oh is this him?” Aeri nodded. Ningning stared at you with confusion, “I thought he would be taller, but you're right h, He's super cute.” she said, in between bursts of laughter. You set your decks down and unfurl your play mat on the nearby table across from Aeri’s deck box which was littered with various stickers. Connor took out yours and Winter sighed.

“Giselle please don’t get mad and scream when he beats you,” Winter said

Aeri smiled and said “Oh I would never besides. He is the one going to lose tonight.” he held his tongue which Karina noticed. She had been watching him the whole time you had entered not saying a word.

“Is there something you want to say?” Karina asked pointedly. Connor steepled and shook his head. he cracked open his deck box and set his commander down.

“Oh, I haven’t seen this card,” Aeri said as she gently grabbed your commander. “Narset Enlightened Exile. she’s cute.” Aeri said. Connor laughed as he spaced out thinking about all of the games he'd played with this deck and the trouble, Aeri was in for.

“What was that about?” Their leader Karina asked, “You spaced out”

”Oh it’s nothing.” He responds

Connor shuffles his library and hands it over to Aeri. She in turn hands him hers and he cuts it. She cuts yours. Connor gets his starting hand and wince. An OG Dual land fast mana, a free counterspell, and early plays. “Um you can go first,” Connor says to Aeri. The other members have circled her. She starts by playing a Shock land and playing Esper Sentinel. “Okay untap upkeep draw,” he says. Connor plays a scalding tarn (He had Tundra in hand) and fetches for a Volcanic island he grabs it, and plays it then taps the volcanic island for a ragavan, nimble pilferer. After that, you play Mana Crypt and Mox Opal. after all of that Aeri looks at you

“Um, what was that?” Aeri said dumbfounded.

Feeling confident you say “What never seen an og dual or a turn one mana crypt before?” Aeri shook her head

“Unnie I think you’re in trouble,” Ningning said. Connor nods. After that Aeri played another land, a sol ring, and a rhystic study.

“You like your tax effects huh?” Connor asked Aeri

Aeri nodded, “I need to keep up somehow how "Mr. I am playing cards I have never heard of before." I just thought it was going to be Ruhan and not all of this.”

Connor smiled and responded, “Well It could be worse.”

Aeri looked at him with apprehension, “How?”

“Well I didn’t open up turn one Narset,” Connor explains.

“how would that be worse,” she asks.

“You’ll see,” Connor says as she passes. He draws his card for a turn and sighs. Connor plays chrome mox pitching whirlwind of thought and a Tundra to play his commander. He swings Ragavan at Aeri. She doesn't block. Ragavan triggers and gets a red elemental blast from Aeri. he uses the treasure and it from Ragavan to destroy Rhystic study.

Aeri sees this and says“Wait what?" in Connor's mind the game is over, but Aeri thinks it’s only begun. that changes two turns later when Connor countered her commander twice and swung at her for another 15 damage. She looks at Connor with awe and silent terror. Winter is laughing hysterically. After conceding Aeri says to him, “Well that was unexpected.”

Connor laughs, "Next time I will play something a bit more your speed." He comforts Aeri in the meantime

Winter laughs jovially before saying “And you doing all that trash talk.” She looks to Connor (the only American in the room) to confirm She used the right phrase. he nods, and Winter smiles. Aeri is still surprised.

“You know your stuff.” She said. You nod at her as she tries to recover.

After that beatdown, Aeri sits next to Connor and converses with the rest of the Aespa members. They learn he is a cameraman for various events and a few indie darlings movies. They Also Learn he is adopted. He shows them some of his work and Karina especially takes interest.

“Oh I love the angles you get they are so dynamic,” Karina says intrigued Connor smile

“Thanks, Karina.” Connor say meekly

She looks at Connor with a smile and says “You’re welcome and don’t be so stressed we’re friends now.” he tries to relax at her words. As Connor shows them more stuff they warm up to him more and more. Eventually, the group looks up and it's 2 in the morning and you Connor is exhausted. He looks at his friends and says, “I gotta go to sleep but we can talk later.” They all nod. As he walks out Aeri follows him to the door. When outside she smiles at Connor

She kisses Connor's cheek and says “Thanks for giving me a great time.” he smiles and walks away.

A few days later at the Photography club Connor, Dexter, and I were a part of he told us what he did over the weekend. I believed every word while Dexter was more suspicious.

"So you want me to believe you just met one of your biggest idol crushes? who also plays MTG," Dexter questioned. I groaned

"Dex that is literally what he just said," I respond

"I know man but that's crazy that you just befriended Aespa like that," Dexter replied still skeptical. I look at him confused and ask

"Would you have rather Scorpion be a serial killer that's zodiac-themed? Or worse a Yandere who would steal our boy, and we have to fight to save,"

"Ugh Hiro you and your imagination need to calm down," Connor replied.

I laughed before saying, Come on dude. We are just having fun,"

Connor and Dexter roll their eyes, as we head to a Karaoke house at the request of Dexter at the end of our meeting. While there Connor gets a face time Call from Giselle.

"Hey Can you come to Korea for a few days," she asks

[cerastes]

I like how boss fights in Tevi have gone from Touhou fare to Heaven’s Feel fare in terms of heft and pathos.

Some boss fights in Tevi so far:

Dumb bear dude (literal; he’s a hunk on the other sense of the definition).

Cute rival cat (dog?) girl that totally doesn’t like Tevi.

Jackal girl guardian of an ancient civilization that doesn’t bear you any ill will, she’s just doing her job.

Funny lion guy that said “trans rights”.

Raccoon girl who outright ripped Tevi’s friend’s soul apart.

Someone’s demonsona in slutty clothes that carries on his creator’s wishes to turn others into demons as well after doing horrible inhumane experiments on them.

The dead, zombified corpse of a plague doctor’s wife that has fused with the heart of decay and has become a plant-based monstrosity that spreads magic antimatter nonstop.

A catboy that tried to use mind control of lesser magitech beings and a ton of magic antimatter to carry out a Chernobyl on humanity because he’s racist and bitter.

Tevi’s childhood friend catgirl who is an honorary angel, who was kidnapped by the creator of the demonsona above and then subsequently subjected to incredibly cruel “demonification” experiments which included severing her limbs and replacing them with crude prostheses, successfully turning her into a demon catgirl and whose mana is absolutely out of control and needs heavy sedatives to not go insane from the pain.

The Archangel of Heaven, one of its highest agents under the Seraph, who is a fervent ethnonationalist and culls any angels that show signs of a certain illness that would make angels look “imperfect” if they were to be seen by others, thus breaking the illusion of perfection that Heaven has worked hard to attain. He has them disappeared to the bottom of a secret torture dungeon where he personally kills and mangles their corpses with his blade; in fact, angel corpses and fresh bloodstains adorn the background of his boss arena. He explicitly says that besides this being ‘necessary’, he personally enjoys the bloodletting.

[majorsoapfan]

I'm curious about ma plinth knocking out Strabo and sejanus hiding sabyn

Hi! Yeah, of course! This is long though, just so you know.

Ma Plinth Knocking Out Strabo

Basically, I have a lot of conflicting and intermixing thoughts about Strabo Plinth as a character. These thoughts ranged from: 'Strabo had been doing what he had thought was the best for his family and had wanted them to have a better life with more opportunities' to 'Strabo hadn't truly thought about how his family would fare personally in the Capitol and had been too blinded by ambition' to 'Strabo betrayed his people and had sided with a culture that would never truly accept him, his intentions and reasoning for doing so were a mixture of good and bad, but had then set his family on a path that meant they spent most if not all of their remaining life isolated/rejected/hated and had then unknowingly financed his son's murderer's rise to power, who would then go on to brainwash his home District in particular and if Ma Plinth had been able to see the future and what his decisions would result in at any point of the process, then she would have hit him with her frying pan.'

It was that last thought especially that made the writer in me perk up and go, 'you, continue'.

That's how it started.

Ma Plinth doesn't have seer abilities in this one (although I am considering a separate fic of the same), but the general gist of this fic is that Sejanus, once again, snaps and decides to break the tributes out of the zoo and is hiding them in the Capitol until he can get them home (details of which including whether he has help or not are still being worked out).

Strabo however, is getting more than a little suspicious of Sejanus' behaviour in the meantime. And after a little investigating, discovers what he's up to. He immediately wants to turn them in, triggering a huge argument with Sejanus about the same.

Only for Ma Plinth to finally have enough and decides to give her cookware another use, catching both Strabo and Sejanus off-guard.

Basically:

Woman snapped, can you blame her?

Sejanus Hiding Sabyn

This fic starts with the Arena bombing and while Marcus still gets captured and tortured, Sabyn, Velvereen and Facet all succeed in escaping.

Sabyn however, is by herself, she survives the fall, but still isn't able to get out of the Capitol. So she's trying to hide/survive when she's found by Sejanus.

Sejanus is so relieved to see her. Yeah, Sabyn isn't Marcus, but she is still a) a kid who doesn't deserve to die, b) from District 2 and therefore home, and finally c) someone who he is able to help, so he brings her back to his apartment to hide her there until he can think of a plan to smuggle her back to District 2.

. . . It doesn't take long though for Ma Plinth to find her. And from there, Strabo. But they become involved in hiding her as well.

Strabo really isn't happy about any of this as he knows that not even their money will save them if they get caught. But he can't turn her in either, because even if he can convince Gaul and the President that he and his wife had no involvement in this, Sejanus is doomed and he's not about to screw over his own son.

From there, the main plot focus on Sabyn's dynamic with each of the Plinths, including a showdown/conversation with Strabo about what he did in the Rebellion.

There are also two B plots currently being planned, but may or may not make the cut.

B Plot 1: Velvereen and Facet trying to survive in the Capitol and figure out a way home, while plotting revenge on their Mentors (particularly Livia, who is demanding Facet's return so she can win her Prize).

B Plot 2: Some of the Mentors, inspired by the way the other tributes were able to run away/not get caught and not wanting their tributes to die, start scheming up ways to get them out.

That's all I have for it for now. Hope you like them.