#I promise soon I'll make an actual finished piece of these two

[saintobio]

sincerely yours. (10)

↳ gojou satoru/reader

when a twist of fate led their marriage to the path of a quintessential tragic romance, two past lovers go through another series of experiences on love, heartbreak, identity, illness, and trauma along the road to a happily ever after. 

genre. heavy angst, amnesia, modern au, 18+ 

tags/warnings. depression, intoxication, trauma, implied suicide attempt, toxic relationships,

notes. important announcement ! as you all know, this series has always had an extensive approach into detailing the events in its side stories (ie. sera x sukuna x naoya, yuuji x megumi, maki x yuuta x miwa, etc), but while writing the chapters, the word count and the plot building had become too exhausting for me to produce consistently, esp with the amount of scenes and side stories i was introducing to the story, so i've decided it's best for me to stick to the main characters, reader & gojo, and will only add side stories as necessary. this really hurts me knowing that i can't achieve the level of comprehensive writing and world building that i did for sincerely not, but i really want to finish sy as soon as possible and removing a chunk of side stories would be some of the things that'd help me achieve that 😭 i hope you guys understand. hopefully i'll figure out a way to write those side stories instead of completely abandoning them mid-way in this series. but as always, thanks for ur continued support <3

series masterlist -> episode eleven

“It’s a little weird.”

What was supposed to be her bed time had turned into a moment of reflection for Sera who, instead of being fast asleep at this time of the night, had unconsciously brought herself inside Sukuna’s home office to join the up-and-coming tech mogul in his late-night programming. 

She wore her silk pajamas, pacing back and forth in her boyfriend’s office as her mind flew back to the recent encounter she had with her ex-boyfriend. Who knew that Satoru’s kid would look just like a carbon copy of him? No, actually, the question should be: who knew it would be a different woman by his side acting as the mother of his child? Sera had to laugh at herself, shaking her head as she realized how truly and undeniably ridiculous her ex was. It was clear that day that he wasn’t really as loyal of a partner as he claimed himself to be. 

Did he really just go through all those crazy things with you, only to look like a whore-hopping fool now? 

If he was bound to end up with someone else other than you, then why did he have to make Sera’s life miserable in the first place? 

She may have done terrible things before as a selfish and materialistic lover of his, but that wouldn’t change the fact that Satoru also contributed to her role as the side-piece in his marital relationship. He allowed her to cling to him like a mistress. Being his side-piece wasn’t even something that she had forced upon him. It was his promise, an idea that he planted on Sera’s head, saying that she would need to stay by his side and that he would marry her guaranteed that he had already secured the merger and divorced you. He swore like a fool that he would divorce you. But guess what? The jerk ended up falling in love with his wife and suddenly had no use of Sera. Suddenly, he was such a good husband who couldn’t be more loyal. Suddenly, he was a lovestruck man who had always been in love with his childhood friend. If he had downright dumped Sera the moment his engagement was announced, if he had not been prideful and ambitious since the beginning of his marriage, he probably would have had better luck at having that healthy relationship he yearned from you. 

But how come the blame of being the third-party was all on Sera when her only mistake then was loving the person who promised her all the good things in life? 

Now, you see, this was all just bitterness brewing at the back of her head. She knew what she did was still wrong and that she wasn’t innocent. Sera swore to herself that she would never look back on those awful days ever again, but seeing how Satoru was running around freely with a different woman just reminded Sera of his days as a spiteful, two-timing man. Somehow, it felt like he had changed and yet didn’t at all. 

Ha ha ha. How ridiculous was that? 

“What’s funny?” asked Sukuna, her present boyfriend and thankfully so. He was Sera’s blessing, because she never would have thought that a man like him could still exist in a world full of Satoru’s and Naoya’s. “You look cute smiling to yourself, though.”

“I know,” she responded to the compliment, shifting to settle herself on his lap, though his attention remained fixed on his laptop screen. “It's just strange to me,” she continued, her voice thoughtful, “how Gojou appears his usual self, yet there's something off about him.”

The question clouded Sukuna’s eyes in confusion, tilting his head to the side as he tried to comprehend her description. “You mean dude got uglier?”

I wish, Sera thought. “No, he’s… he’s different. The vibes are different. For a second, he even looked like he was dissociating the whole time he was with that girl,” she said, referring to Satoru’s new girl as though she was your cheap alternative, “But then again, why is he with her in the first place if he looks absent-minded the whole time, you know what I mean?” 

“Was he like that with you before?” 

“At times, but it’s not like the way he’s acting right now… I don’t know, I can’t explain it. The energy is off. That’s just not how he acts when he’s really, really into someone.”

To be honest, Sukuna didn’t give a damn about Satoru Gojou’s life and any normal boyfriend wouldn’t really like hearing their girlfriend talking about another man, especially her ex at that, but he knew Sera found joy in old money gossip and he was aware of the demoralizing past she has had by associating herself with them. Sukuna was acting all engaged in their conversation because he wanted to make her feel heard and that he shared her simple joys in life. Besides, it was through her that he learned so many inside scoops about the people that ran the country’s biggest conglomerates. It was like watching one heck of a messy episode of Dynasty. 

“Didn’t he get into a car accident?” he recalled, remembering the headlines on the news that day, “Then, we saw him at the expo and he couldn’t really remember you. The guy’s probably got his head all messed up.” 

Sera was bitter at the time thinking that Satoru was toying with her when he asked who she was, when the truth was, he was actually diagnosed with amnesia. It was such a shock to her, truthfully, because having amnesia felt like something you would only see on a movie’s screen. Well, in that case, she could also say karma’s a bitch. The director might be onto something here.

“He’s probably not mentally fine, but still…” she thought carefully and played the scene in her head again. What was it about the Gojou that she saw the other day that was different? “He just has a different vibe to him that it feels uncomfortable. It’s like he’s rude, but not so rude? He doesn’t have much of a personality anymore. Like a complete stranger.”

“Maybe it’s the new girl rubbing off on him.” Sukuna was back to typing on his laptop as he said that. Frankly, he was just saying anything at this point. 

Sera shook her head in response. “Well, I don’t know about that girl he’s seeing and I don’t really care, but it’s common knowledge to the filthy rich that she’s Y/N’s best friend. That’s why I recognized her right away, and that’s why it disgusted me,” she pressed on, “Tell me, would you—and be honest about this—would you fuck your best friend’s ex?” 

The humor on her boyfriend’s face came right as she asked that. “Babe, you fucked a married man. It’s worse than fucking somebody’s ex.” 

“Shut up.” Rolling her eyes, she got up from his lap and sighed, but Sukuna wasted no time in pulling her back onto his lap. His chuckle was mingling with the gentle kiss he had planted on her cheek, unaware that his actions made Sera’s heart flutter. “Forget it. I shouldn’t even be talking about Satoru with you.”

The man stretched his arms and finally closed his laptop, patting Sera’s thigh afterwards. “On that note, I do have another ‘dude from your past’ that I gotta meet tomorrow.” 

Her reaction alone was a response for him. “Naoya?” she protested, face contorting with disgust. “What for? I told you not to take on that project.”

“Yeah, I considered it, and you know, the partnership could really benefit CleaveTech,” Sukuna reasoned, leaning back as he outlined the situation to her from a business standpoint. Given her own background working for the Gojou Group before, he expected her to grasp the significance of this partnership and set aside any personal grievances or emotional attachments. “The Zen'in Group is a major client. It’s all pros and no cons here.”

“The contra is the guy you’re gonna work with,” she highlighted with a hint of annoyance rising from her throat, “Naoya is nothing but an opportunistic motherfucker. Mind you, he’s a stupid elitist, too.” 

He held back a laugh, not even threatened by a man who had a terrible history with his girlfriend. “Nah, I’ll deal with him. Just trust me on this.” 

As much as Sera wanted to object, she knew Sukuna had a point and that she really shouldn’t hinder his company from being partnered with such a large conglomerate. She just didn’t like the thought of her boyfriend being around a man who manipulated and humiliated her to the point where she had been blacklisted by multiple companies, leaving her to resort to being somewhat of a prostitute just to make ends meet. 

The world was harsh for the not-so-rich, and all Sera wanted was to give those upper class people a taste of their own medicine. But seeing as her desire for revenge would clash with her boyfriend’s chance at company growth, she had to set aside her personal grudge and support him on this one.  

Still, there was nothing wrong with being curious. “Is there any other reason you agreed to this partnership?”

Sukuna smirked as if he expected that question from her. “Blame it on my little brother, he’s been bugging me ‘bout it.”

“Yuuji?” Sera asked, clearly confused. 

To which her boyfriend quickly answered, “Yeah. He said it’ll give him an opportunity to work with his best friend. You know that kid, Fushiguro, right?” 

Ahh. Toji’s kid aka the heir to the Zen’in business empire. Sera had met Megumi before, and while that other brat Mai used to be unreasonably rude to her, the younger boy was always civil and respectful at least. He never even once treated Sera like dirt when she was spending time with Naoya at their mansion. Perhaps their upbringing really differed because he was raised by Toji and the other Zen’ins were raised by demons. 

Nevertheless, with a connection now established between Sukuna and Naoya through Yuuji and Megumi, Sera couldn’t help but feel that her peaceful days as a nouveau riche were about to become far more intriguing. Depending on the cards she would choose to play, they could even turn into a living nightmare. 

— —

You weren’t exactly abandoning your company; you were merely taking a break, a necessary pause given your current mental state after the whole break-up with Toji and the Osaka thing. Your mind was just too overwhelmingly occupied to even properly function. Each day, mustering the energy to show up at Hearte's head office became increasingly challenging, especially when faced with individuals who relied on you for major decisions and creative direction. 

To make matters worse, Akemi’s sudden resignation hit hard.

You received her decision by a simple letter, a mere piece of paper, without even having the guts and decency to meet with you in person. Was she scared? Or was this her way of rubbing salt on the wound, shoving it in your face that she was now taking things to the next level with your ex-husband? 

She did cite in her resignation letter that her reason for resigning from the role was due to conflict of interest. You wanted to laugh when you read that part. No, you wanted to choke in your fit of laughter after reading through her asinine reasons. She could have been upfront and mentioned that the so-called ‘conflict’ was the very man her best friend had previously married. 

Obviously, everyone in the office felt sad knowing that a core member of the company left without at least a 30-day notice, but they were all also aware that her resignation was due to personal albeit controversial reasons. Did Akemi not care about her image at all? The same colleagues she had trained, managed, and collaborated with would now likely gossip about her behind her back. She would become a hot topic of disrespect among the people that once heavily respected her. Did she also not care about the company you two created together anymore? This was the same company you two had passionately dreamed of during your late-night conversations on a New York rooftop. She was the one who wanted to build a fashion house together with you.

Yet, it seemed she was willing to throw it all away for a man already entangled in complicated familial dynamics. Her immediate resignation and refusal to speak to you in person just further confirmed it to you that Akemi was willing to forsake your friendship by choosing a man who already had a child with someone else. 

Since she chose that path, you couldn’t help but interpret Akemi’s actions as a deliberate slight against your friendship. It seemed clear that she no longer viewed you as a friend and was essentially cutting ties with you. Otherwise, why would she take such a step? Akemi wasn’t the type to be vindictive; she likely believed she was sparing you further pain by severing your connection. However, regardless of her intentions, her actions felt deeply disrespectful and hurtful.

If this was what she wanted, then kudos to her and her unbelievable confidence to choose a man like Satoru Gojou. Besides, it didn’t even take you a week to find another replacement. Your family connections were powerful after all. You readily had a pool of potential candidates for the role of the Head of Sales, Retail, and Merchandising—all from prestigious backgrounds and unparalleled expertise. While the competition was tough, you selected the person you deemed was the most qualified to be your second-in-command. This was someone you had esteemed since college, a person who excelled in both business acumen and creative vision.

Yuki Tsukumo. She was influential in every sense, and you trusted that she would be able to manage the high pressure environment of a start-up fashion house and transform it into an iconic brand, a household name that would one day rival Chanel and Miu Miu. 

You may have succeeded in replacing Akemi. You may have shown her that her position in the workforce was easily replaceable, but her role as your friend still left a lingering, repugnant mark that proved far more difficult to erase. This underlying sentiment could explain the unreasonable anger festering in your heart—a visceral reaction born from feelings of backstabbing betrayal. 

It was hard enough for you to travel all the way to Osaka with a broken heart, but it became much more agonizing to watch your own son run up to Akemi like she was his mother. It was a goddamn slap to your face, indeed, to see that your ex-husband had already chosen a woman to have his happy, little family with. That he wanted to be a good man and be everything you wished for in a husband for her. 

As they say, nothing hurts more than building a man for another woman. 

And honestly? You cried so much on the way home that you became numb. Now, you were just trying to get over it. You were trying to bury the searing pain in order to forget the betrayal you felt. It was all too much for a person to handle and it wasn’t like you hadn’t gone through the same old shit before. Wasn’t it worse before with Satoru actually cheating and all? He technically wasn’t crossing any lines here, so it shouldn’t hurt you. It shouldn’t. You had been here before. If you had managed to get through such an awful time as his previous wife, his relationship with Akemi shouldn’t be too hard to accept. No, you weren’t trying to lowball your pain, but it was better to be an optimist in this situation than be a suicidal, self-destructive person. You had a business to run and a child to raise. You had to be strong. 

Or at least, that was what you told yourself. That was what you had been telling yourself over and over, each time you got up from bed forcing yourself to have a false positive mindset. In fact, that was also why you had to take this extended break because you had to have your peace of mind. You had to have some form of release to remember why you needed to stay alive and keep yourself going.

Not just for Sachiro’s sake, but also for your own. 

Your safe haven for now was at the horse ranch, where the tranquility of riding and the beauty of nature provided the perfect ambiance for reflection. How long has it been since your last visit to Willow? Your father had been joking that you shouldn’t be leaving a beautiful, white Friesian horse unattended for years, especially not for the expensive price he paid her for. True enough, because the moment you saw the mare again, you almost forgot how majestic she was for her breed. Willow was a completely docile and graceful horse, so alike to you in many ways. However, one thing that was unlike you, was that she lived in peace, existing solely for herself and not for anyone else.

If only you could be like her. 

As you reached out to stroke your rare-breed horse, a new and unfamiliar stallion in the stable caught your eye. To think of it, your family shared this equestrian estate with the Gojou family. This realization meant that the strikingly elegant and tall gray horse in the adjacent stall belonged to none other than Satoru.

“It’s a Thoroughbred,” the equine caretaker informed while guiding your horse out of the stable, “Mr. Satoru got him recently and named him Six.” 

A gray Thoroughbred, renowned as the most expensive horse breeds out there. It could fetch a price as high as $70 million, and of course, Satoru was the perfect owner for such a prestigious horse. The stallion embodied his essence completely—its color, its build, its rarity. On the other hand, you couldn’t help but find his naming convention by number a bit odd. His previous black stallion was named Eight. This time around, it was Six. Couldn’t he be more imaginative?

“He’s beautiful,” you mumbled, nonetheless, in awe with the regality of the horse. 

“He’s a good boy, too,” added the enthusiastic horsekeeper in a thick country accent, “Mr. Satoru was here yesterday and played polo while riding him. They were perfectly in sync even if it was his first time riding him.”

Of course, he would play polo. That was one of his favorite recreational sports. The burning question at hand was, who was with him during his visit? Because if the caretaker mentioned Akemi, you would certainly lose it. This was your private space with him. This estate was a place that none of his other women had access to, not even Sera. This was a location filled with memories from your childhood. For him to bring another woman here would be crossing the damn line. 

“Did he bring anyone with him?” you asked, trying to sound casual as you dusted off your boots. 

The caretaker denied. “No, he was alone. He just came to play polo and check the horses he recently bought.” 

Oh… “He bought more than one?” 

Did he seriously get Akemi her own horse? Your heart was racing at the thought, but the caretaker led you to the stable near the exit to show you the other horse than your ex-husband had purchased. It was a brown Shetland pony. 

“He got a fully trained Shetland for your son,” the horsekeeper proudly declared, showcasing the pony as if he had been instructed to do so in anticipation of your visit. It was obvious that Gojou had already briefed him on introducing Sachiro’s new pony to you because he knew you would be asking about it. “His name is Elmo. He is kid-safe and very friendly.”

Frankly, you wanted to sigh in relief, but at the same time, it warmed your heart to know that Satoru got his son his own horse at such a young age. You could already sense him planning to make Sachiro take equestrian classes when he gets older, and probably join him on his horseback riding sessions, too. You could imagine just how perfect it would be to see the father and son bonding here, racing together, playing polo together… yet it would not be you who would be watching them on the side.  

This future he was setting up with his son would be an experience he would share with Akemi. 

There was no you in that vision anymore. 

The caretaker likely questioned your sanity when he noticed the bitter smile on your face as you mounted your mare. He might have even doubted whether you were sane enough to ride alone, without a guide, particularly through the woods since Willow had not been ridden for some time now. However, you had done it countless times before and were quite familiar with the trail, and so you dismissed his offer to lead you and assured him confidently that you knew your way back.

You needed this solitude. You craved this moment of peace, alone with your thoughts and surrounded by nature, to reflect on the ceaseless torture of your life. It was just never-ending, squeezing every drop of happiness out of your system to make sure that you would only live to suffer. You really thought you had your happy ending with someone else? You actually believed you had found the perfect man to be your actual husband? 

Well, unfortunately for you, Toji was not the one. 

At first, your mind flew to Toji as you went on to the trail, allowing the mare to continue trotting as you held the reins to control her. You remembered Toji’s text that morning, asking you for the hundredth time if he could meet with you. He likely wanted to apologize in person, but you doubted he would change his mind and take back the things he said. Because they were true. He could never fill the void left by his deceased wife by being with another empty soul. It was painfully, unmistakably true. You were better off dead if that was the case, because even if you did end up marrying him, you would never be regarded as the person he loved the most. After all, your role in this world seemed to always be the second option. You were never the first in other people’s books. Not with your ex-husband. Not even with your family, especially with Gen around. You were meant to be a bystander, watching others live their perfect lives while you were forced to be in your misery. Someone like Toji would not have a guaranteed blissful marriage with you and you had to spare him from that. You had to draw the line and step back from this charade that you were playing with him, knowing that you were never the right person to be with him, so at some point, you had to accept his drunken words. They came from a place of truth, and that truth would set the both of you free. 

Even it hurt. Even if it fucking hurt to hear his words. You couldn’t deny them. 

You could easily forgive him, but his words might take a while for you to forget because even thinking about it now was bringing a wave of pain into your chest. You didn’t even notice that you were losing control on Willow’s reins by the time you entered further into the woods, bouncing on the saddle as you galloped along the challenging path. With the speed you were riding right now, inexperienced riders would certainly find it unsafe and scary. But for you? It was just what you needed. The breeze of fresh air, the thrill of riding alone, the peaceful sound of nature—you could die there and be at your happiest. 

Maybe that was where you had to be; to disappear and leave them all behind. Wouldn’t that be best for everyone? If you were to vanish, they could finally be free. Your presence, even from the beginning, was a burden for everyone—for your dad, Gen, Satoru, Toji, and even Akemi. The people you trusted the most would be the same people who would secretly celebrate your demise. So, what else was hindering you from taking matters into your own hands and ending it all yourself?

“Giddy up!” 

Was it Sachiro? Definitely. But now he had his father, and he was likely starting to see Akemi as a mother figure as well. Your role as his beloved mama could be easily replaced if you were to leave him now. It wouldn’t hurt him as much that way. Three years with Sachiro seemed sufficient enough, and he was at an age where he could grow up alongside his father. In this short span, he would have lasting memories with you, yet not enough to deeply grieve your absence. He was a young child, surrounded by people who would offer the whole world to him. At least, for that, you were eternally grateful. It brought you comfort knowing that your son would have support after you were gone, and that he would find a mother figure in Akemi. Given the brief time he spent with you and the rest of his life with her as his stepmother, Sachiro would likely come to love and accept Akemi as his own mother. This was the best outcome you could hope for.

My child, my son, my baby… please don’t get mad at mommy. 

Tears were gushing out of your eyes and you hadn’t even realized it until they started blurring your vision. You were far too lost in your own thoughts, unaware that you were now in an unfamiliar and seemingly dangerous part of the trail. The path was getting a little bit too steep and poor Willow was clearly stressed at your inconsiderate handling. There were multiple obstacles on your rocky terrain and you weren’t as steady and controlled as you wanted to be because the horse wasn’t comfortable navigating such a difficult path with the pace you were forcing her to.  

“Ah!” 

Your attempt to balance was interrupted by Willow’s loud neigh, signaling her distress before she bolted into a full rampage. She was sprinting at an estimated speed of 20 miles per hour. Not even a skilled rider like Satoru himself would be cantering that fast on unfamiliar terrain and an unfit horse. But you, you clearly had a death wish, because instead of fearing for your own life, you were far more concerned at the thought of how dreamy Satoru and Akemi’s wedding would look like after your demise. They would definitely make Sachiro their ringbearer. Suguru would be the best man. Shoko, the maid of honor. People on the internet would praise them for being an attractive couple. They would anticipate their beautiful kids together, living in the same mansion he bought as a gift to you. He would kiss her good night, tell her loves her, and offer the whole world to her. They would exchange vows and promise themselves a lifelong commitment to be by each other’s side through sickness and in health, and only in death would they part. 

“Willow!” 

You let out a shriek as the reins slipped from your grasp, causing you to tumble off the saddle and crash onto the ground. The impact was first felt in your elbow, and a sharp, searing pain then radiated through your body. There you lay, sprawled on the dirt, helplessly watching Willow galloping out of control up the mountain, and then tragically plummeting off a cliff.

“Nooo! Willow, no!”

Utter hysteria overtook you. You sobbed uncontrollably, unable to determine which pain was more agonizing—the clearly broken elbow, the loss of the horse you had inadvertently led to its death, or the heart-wrenching reality of Satoru starting a family with someone else.

You were pathetic. You were such a pathetic excuse of a human being and this was why you deserve hell. 

“Willow!” 

Toji couldn’t love you. Your own son didn’t want to be around you. Satoru had gotten over you. And now, you drove a poor innocent horse to its demise because of your recklessness! 

You were crying hysterically as you held your pained elbow, crawling by the cliff’s edge as you screamed for your horse’s name, but in the end, there was nothing you could do. You could only apologize to poor Willow for having such an irresponsible owner, and now she was dead because of you. 16 years of her life, she was able to live in peace until you came and ruined it all for her. It should have been you. You were the one who should have jumped off a cliff. You should atone for your sins and follow her, but you were too weak, far to overcome by the excruciating pain on your hip and your broken elbow to move or do anything at all. 

That was, until your mind had completely shut down, leaving you as a mere body to be discarded alone in the darkness of the woods. You hoped that no one else would find you soon. 

— —

“A-Angina?” Satoru’s eyes went wide. His whole world stopped before him.

“Yes. She was diagnosed with stable angina,” Dr. Mori confirmed, much to your husband’s horror. “But there is another factor that requires her to have more rest. You need to take good care of your wife, Mr. Gojou. Her body needs a lot of nutrients so she can carry safely.”

He could barely process the whole thing in his head because the news kept coming one after another, leaving him in a befuddled state with a flood of unanswered questions running through his mind. “What do you mean…?”

“Your wife is seven weeks pregnant.”

…

…

“Y/N?”

“Y/N!”

“Are you out of your mind?!” 

You could barely pry your eyes open, but when you finally managed to, you were met with the concerned expression on Gen’s face. The harsh glare of fluorescent lights and the antiseptic scent confirmed to you that you were in the ER, likely an hour or two after the incident in the woods. The memory of the trail quickly flooded your thoughts, and a pang of sorrow gripped your heart as you recalled Willow's final moments before she fell off the cliff. The poor horse had lost her life, while the one responsible for her tragic death remained alive, save for the bandage wrapped around your arm.

“Why did you ride into the woods alone?” Gen persisted with her barrage of questions, standing by your bed as you attempted to sit up. “Are you suicidal or what? Riding your horse in a dangerous trail like that—”

“You know what, maybe I should have just died back there!” you snapped, wincing from the pain in your elbow. Her choice of words struck a nerve in you. “Maybe I’d prefer that over sitting here, listening to your sanctimonious lecture like you're so perfect yourself! How obnoxious.”

“Then, maybe you shouldn’t be riding so recklessly and causing alarm to everyone else!” 

“Did I literally ask you to come save me?!” 

The atmosphere around you two just became even more uninviting, with discomfiting silence seeping through as you and Gen were engaged in a sharp glaring contest. Your father stood behind her, clearing his throat to cut the tension. 

“That’s enough, Gen.” Your dad placed a hand on her shoulder, and although she wanted to protest, she knew better not to keep stirring the pot after receiving his strict gaze. “Let’s just be thankful your sister is safe. There’s no need to be so overwhelming.” 

You rolled your eyes, drawing in a deep breath before you looked away from them. None of them would ever understand your pain unless they were in your position. They didn’t carry the same baggage as you, so they would never fully comprehend the weight of your suffering. You had already dealt with similar pain on your own before and that was why you didn’t need any of them to come to your aid, meddling with your life like they knew exactly what you were going through. “Just leave me alone, you guys. I wanna rest.”

Since when did your relationship with your sister start to get rough? It wasn’t really like this before, but ever since she started to become too overprotective over you and your choices in life, particularly choices linked to Satoru, Gen had started to become insufferable in your eyes. She was acting too much like a mother; controlling your decisions, lecturing you about your personal relationships, being too involved with your private life. There, ever since that, you started to distance yourself from her, and she didn’t like that. Her stubbornness wouldn’t allow her to cease acting like this mature, picture perfect big sister to you. 

With that said, Gen would have normally gotten annoyed when you asked them to leave you alone, but this time around, she seemed to have reflected on her insensitivity a lot better with your father around. “I’m sorry, okay?” she said, her tone still tinged with stubbornness, “I just got worried. I don’t know what’s gotten into you to put yourself in danger like that, but… please, Y/N. If you’re going through something, you can always speak to us. Dad and I, we’re here for you.” 

To be fair, if you had to put yourself in their shoes, it really would have been alarming to know that your sister almost died. This wasn’t the first time you were at death’s door either, so they were probably scared shitless when they were informed of your situation. Your absolutely reckless situation. You didn’t mean to cause a scene, neither did you intend to bother them on their already busy schedules. You just had so many things in your mind while you were horseback riding, too engulfed by your own sorrow that you didn’t realize the repercussions after the incident had already taken place. 

“I’m sorry, too.” Your voice softened with humility. “I didn’t mean to worry you guys. It was just really an accident.” 

Of course, Gen suspected it was more than just an accident. Your dad did, too. It was obvious on their forlorn faces that they were worried for your mental and emotional well-being, but none of them dared address the elephant in the room. It seemed they didn’t need to, anyway, since one of the many reasons that contributed to your earlier breakdown took a peek from behind the curtains, clearing his throat and sending you a look of sympathy. 

“Y/N?” Toji looked at your father and your sister for approval before stepping further inside your space in the ER. “Can I talk to you?” 

There was no escaping Toji’s presence anymore. No more hiding, no more avoiding. You knew you had to have this talk with him no matter how many times you ignored his flood of texts and calls. While this may have struck as an opportune moment for him to speak to you in person, facing the painful truth of your situation weighed heavily on you. Besides, hadn’t the irony presented itself right there? If Satoru were the one trying to speak to you, even if he was the father of your child, Gen would have been quick to lash out at him. Yet with Toji, even with the general knowledge of what had transpired between you two, your sister still showed no hostility towards him, allowing him to approach you freely and without interference.

But then again, Toji was far from being a cheating, manipulative scumbag who not only caused you suffering but also sought to selfishly acquire your family’s company. Therefore, he wasn’t considered a threat. 

Alright, then. Since Toji genuinely wasn’t a threat to your current emotional state, you agreed to talk with him. It was the first time you had seen the not-so-confident side of Toji Zen’in. He was typically a man of virtue, often holding his chin high, offering the best advice, and having insightful perspectives on life. However, it seemed you had shattered that confidence in him. You could sense his cautiousness around you as he stood by your side in the ER, assisting you with your needs, and eventually agreeing to your request to walk you to the rooftop garden.

“I don’t really think there’s anything else we should talk about.” It was you who first broke the silence, staring at the cityscape while sitting on a wheelchair. The calm breeze allowed your mind to seize the moment with a peaceful mind. “I already heard what you had to say.” 

Toji found it better to kneel down in front of you to meet your eyes as he spoke to you in a sincere and earnest voice. “Y/N, I was drunk when I said all that shit back there. I didn’t mean them. I didn’t mean to hurt you with my callous words, and I feel awful that you had to hear them from me. You trusted me. You sought comfort from me. I wasn’t thinking like a normal person when those things came out of my mouth.” 

“That doesn’t mean they weren’t true,” you replied with quiet resignation. It was the acceptance in your face that seemed to have caused Toji’s heartbroken gaze. “It’s okay, Toji. I think, when you said all those things, it actually made me realize some aspects of our relationship that had to be addressed. It made me more self-aware and it opened my eyes on the bigger picture.” You touched his hand, giving it a comforting squeeze as you mustered the courage to speak your next words. “It’s for the best that we part ways. It’s not fair to me to become a placeholder for your wife the same way it isn’t fair to you to have to deal with my ex-husband always being present in my life. Our unresolved feelings won’t really be resolved by being together.”

“Y/N…” Toji’s voice hinted at his vulnerable emotions, though he restrained himself from showing it fully. And you didn’t miss the apologetic look he had presented to you. “Despite all that, I hope you know that I’d been true to you. I do love you and will always love you. I’ll always be someone you can rely on, someone you can seek comfort from, someone you can turn to when you need help…” 

Damn it. Why did he have to make it sound like an actual break up? Now, it tugged at your heartstrings and hit you in a place it shouldn’t have. You weren’t good at these things and it certainly was your first time dealing with such a mature and mutual separation, but wasn’t that a good thing? No further drama was to happen, leaving a stark comparison to your separation with Satoru. While this one didn’t hurt as much, it still brought a hollow feeling in your chest. 

“Same for me,” you agreed, displaying a weak smile. “You’ll always have a spot in my heart, Toji. I’ll always be grateful that I met you.” 

Sometimes, two people didn’t need to be together to love each other. Friendships could still thrive between ex-lovers, and that was why closure was so important. It not only closed a certain chapter of your life in a healthy way, but also allowed you to heal and open yourselves to a new beginning without any bitterness left behind. 

It shouldn’t be considered bad to remain friends with an ex. It also shouldn’t be bad to give a parting kiss from said ex, right? 

You weren’t the one who initiated it, after all. It was Toji’s hand that gently stroked your cheek. It was him, who leaned forward and pressed his lips onto yours. It wasn’t forceful, but neither was it passionate. It was simply a tender kiss of goodbye, feeling the warmth of each other’s lips for one last time before you two would transition from being lovers to friends. What you didn’t understand from this supposedly bittersweet moment was the faint tears that somehow managed to escape your eyes, perhaps because you knew that once Toji left, you would be alone again. 

You had no one by your side to love you, cherish you, choose you, and offer their entire world for you. You were meant to live this cruel world all by yourself. 

As he pulled away, he pressed his forehead against yours. “Please learn to love yourself before anyone else, Y/N. It’s what you need and what you deserve.” 

That night, while you were getting your MRI, your mind kept flying to the possibilities of a future without having anyone by your side. Any normal person would tell you to focus on loving yourself first, as Toji did recently, focusing on what matters most, and ridding yourself of the toxic things that hinder you from moving forward with your life. Things weren’t as easy as they sounded. Besides, it was different being on the receiving end of the said advice. How could you do those things when the primary cause of your pain was someone whose life would always be linked to yours forever? 

Based on the result of your MRI scans, your doctor recommended that you undergo elbow arthroscopy. It was just a minimally invasive procedure compared to open surgeries, but considering how much of an overthinker your dad was when it came to your health, he insisted on your confinement at the hospital until you had been completely cleared of any other issues. He really placed a big deal on your condition and emphasized to the doctors that they make sure nothing was missed. It could have been worse; you could have had a broken hip or a fractured leg, but at least you only had a dislocated elbow. Nothing that couldn’t be easily corrected by surgery and physical therapy. 

The decision was for you to stay there for two days, and on your first night, a crying Sachiro ran inside your private room because his ‘mama has a boo boo’. Gen said he was picked up from daycare and dropped off at the hospital because the poor kid was looking for you. She didn’t mention who dropped your son off to you, but you could tell it was Satoru. You could sense it by the glances she exchanged with Ian after you asked how Sachiro came to the hospital. 

So, in that case, Satoru must have found out about your little incident and didn’t care enough to see you. Did he not even have an ounce of care anymore? Or was it Gen who stopped him from seeing you? 

“Did you ask him to leave?” you confronted Gen in a mellow voice, rubbing Sachiro’s back as he snuggled into you on the hospital bed. 

Your sister knew exactly which man you were referring to, and she denied having done such. “No, I didn’t even talk to him. He took Sachi here and left.” 

You didn’t know why you looked at Ian to confirm the truth of his wife’s words, but hurt yourself upon seeing his bowed head. It was an apologetic expression that did signify your ex-husband’s blatant act of ignoring you. To hear about your near-death experience and simply leave without even checking on you should be your wake-up call. He didn’t care anymore. No, why should he care? He had Akemi. His only responsibility with you was to be a supportive father to your son. 

Why did the pain in your heart feel far more agonizing than the discomfort on your dislocated elbow?

If anything, you wanted to ask for the strongest anesthetic they could offer to numb your pain. You were desperate to have anything even if they had to put you into an eternal sleep. That would have been much easier to deal with than feeling disregarded by a person you supposedly had moved on from. Satoru did nothing wrong here. It was you who had that expectation, only to disappoint yourself when things didn’t happen as you imagined. 

And just when you thought things would get better as long as you ignore your torturous thoughts, it didn’t help that being in the hospital kept giving you flashbacks of the time you were in this exact room, hearing Satoru crying helplessly from outside and begging for you not to terminate his child. What comes around certainly goes back around. Or worse. 

Such depressive thoughts had you occupied throughout your stay there, and your unusual placidness alarmed the nurses instead of being assured that you were doing well. You heard your doctors telling your father and sister to always keep a close eye on you as the incident may not seem serious, but the trauma would undoubtedly be present somewhere and somehow. Were they aware? Of your intrusive thoughts of wanting to hurt yourself? 

The elbow arthroscopy was successful and by the second day, you were free to go home. You were placed on certain medications to help with the swelling and the pain, and while you were walking around the hospital with a listless mind, you happened to pass by the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department. What a deja vu it was, remembering the time you had seen Satoru there waiting outside for Sera. Back then, it was one of the climactic events in your life that led to a domino effect on the downfall of your marriage. Not that you were reminiscing, but it did remind you that Shoko was probably there in her consultation room and it would be nice to talk to a friend who had witnessed the wild history of your marriage. 

You asked Gen to wait for you in the car while you headed to Ieiri’s consultation room, assuring your visibly worried sister that everything was fine and that you wouldn’t take too long. You had to give Gen some slack, because despite the strains in your relationship as sisters, she was still always there for you. At the end of the day, she was family. 

Shoko, on the other hand, was the next closest thing you had for a sister. She welcomed you inside her room in a very worried embrace, telling you that if she had known about the incident, she would have gone straight to your hospital room on your first day, but you told her not to worry about it and understood that being in the medical field already had her schedule tight. 

“Well, I guess it’s perfect that you’re here, too.” Shoko smiled warmly, sitting behind her desk. She had exciting news to offer, it seemed. “I just wanna say that… of course, I’ll still be sending you a formal invitation and everything. I actually have a few gifts along with it.” 

You shared her enthusiasm. “Hmm… is it what I think it is?” 

The wedding. The most eventful day of her life would be arriving soon and you were the first one to hear it. 

“Yes!” she answered, with the utmost joy coruscating from her eyes. “I want you to be my maid-of-honor, Y/N. I’d be extremely happy if you could make it. I know you just got into an accident, but it won’t be until two months, so—”

“Hey, it’s okay.” You eased her worries by chuckling. “I’m completely fine, of course I’ll be there. I can’t miss it.” 

Shoko was grateful to hear your answer, relieved even, because by asking you to be her maid-of-honor, you should already understand who Suguru’s best man would be. That was a touchy subject for you and she was keenly aware of it, but you didn’t want her to worry. You didn’t want your relationship with your ex-husband to have a negative impact on the relationship of all the other people surrounding the both of you. It was already bad enough that Shoko and Suguru almost called off their engagement after they fought over their morals as you and Satoru’s friends, and you were glad that they somehow made things work. They somehow set aside their disagreements and ultimately chose their love over anything else. 

Their love was beautiful, and while that wasn’t something you could easily have, it was something you deeply admired. 

“Where are you guys planning to hold your wedding?” you asked, steering the conversation away from any mention of your ex-husband. “Here or overseas?” 

She delighted you with her answer, sounding as if this was the perfect wedding she had always dreamed of. “It’s an intimate wedding on the lakeside. Suguru chose the location, actually, since he wanted our wedding to have the view of Mount Fuji.” 

“That’s perfect,” you said with wide eyes. “Lake Kawaguchiko?” 

“Yep. That’s exactly where it’d be.” She smiled with her eyes. “You know this resort… Hoshinoya Fuji? We already booked the place, and we have a luxury cabin for friends and families to stay at.” 

You had been there before, but you were too young to remember. All you knew was that it was a high-end resort that had the best panoramic views of Lake Kawaguchiko and Mount Fuji. The hotel owner was also a close friend of the Gojou family, so that was probably why they were able to rent the entire place for the wedding, especially at a peak season for tourists. 

Since the fall season was arriving, you could only imagine the stunning views of the autumn foliage there. It offered the perfect weather, too. It wouldn’t be as hot as summer, nor as freezing as winter. Surely, it would be nice to do some nature walks and stargazing, maybe ride a boat or bathe in a hot spring. You looked forward to it, except for the fact that your ex-husband would also be there. 

And just what a perfect timing it was, because as Shoko sorted through her patients' medical records above her desk, a file slipped from the pile, revealing the name of your very friend, Akemi. 

“Oh,” Shoko murmured apologetically as she retrieved the record, not wanting to ruin the mood of your conversation. “She, uh, came by a few days ago... with Gojou.”

You didn’t need to ask. You didn’t need to hear any further detail. Akemi’s visit likely revolved around her desire to conceive, as she wouldn’t have visited Shoko otherwise. Why? If it were simply to monitor her polycystic ovary, why did she choose Shoko instead of her own gynecologist? Thinking of how your ex-husband and best friend were attempting to start a family together left your heart shattered in unimaginable pieces, stirring up painful memories of your pathetic marriage with Satoru and reopening old wounds you thought had already healed from. Wasn’t it ironic that a couple of years ago, you were crying over the same situation with Sera? 

You couldn’t stand this feeling anymore. You thought you had already freed yourself from the pain of loving him, yet here you were suffering from the same heartbreak over and over and over again. Tears threatened to spill, but you held them back, the ache in your chest too raw to confront just yet. 

“It’s funny.” Although you displayed an outward smile, the sadness in your voice reflected your otherwise inward thoughts. You didn’t know why you said that. You were just too… too emotional. Almost like you couldn’t breathe. “He was never this passionate with me. They seem so in love.” 

Ieiri’s eyes carried sisterly concern in them. “Y/N, it’s not really what you think.” 

Was it? You weren’t sure what to feel anymore. You certainly weren't there to hear it anymore, either. Satoru chose her, just like what you wanted for him to do. Just like what you asked him to do. He had moved on, he had found someone who would love him for who he was, he had chosen the woman he would share the rest of his future with. Call yourself ridiculous for even feeling hurt about it, because you had no right to be and you definitely chose this. Either you own up to it, or you cry about it for the rest of your life. 

Both choices had no happy endings. 

— —

When Satoru learned about your incident in the woods, he thought he was going to lose his mind. 

Was it out of love that he swiftly left the office in the middle of a meeting just to get to where you were? 

He still had to pick up Sachiro from daycare, and he felt bad telling his son on the way to the hospital that his mother was hurt. It actually gave Satoru a hard time explaining to the 3-year old that they had to go to the hospital because his mommy was there and that she had an unfortunate encounter while riding a horse. 

“Dada, is… is mama okay?” Sachiro pouted with wide, tearful eyes as he clung to his father’s hand. “Sachi wants to go to mama!” 

“She’ll be okay, Sachi.” Gojou carried his son and soothed him as they went inside the hospital, searching for you. “Mommy’s strong, remember?” 

Was it out of love that he wanted to be the person that brought your son to you when you most needed him? 

According to the nurse, your room was on the seventh floor, but when he got there, your room was empty. It was Ian who told him that you went up the rooftop garden to get some fresh air, insisting that if Satoru wanted to go and talk to you, that it was best to leave Sachiro with them. 

And so he did. He ran hastily, almost out of breath, until he reached the rooftop, scanning every face within the vicinity until his tired blue eyes finally landed on you. 

Satoru laughed in disbelief. He scoffed bitterly, with each breath full of disgust. The tips of his fingers felt cold, while his breathing grew thin and ragged. He could feel his stomach clenching at the humiliation of seeing you engaged in an intimate make-out session with Toji Zen’in. 

How sickeningly sweet. 

At that point, he was laughing at his own expense, ignoring the elderly lady who looked at him like he was a crazy person. He stood there frozen for a few minutes, watching you kiss another man before it finally woke him up from reality. 

It was out of love that he let you go. 

You see? This was where his attachment to you would lead him. It was pure and unreasonable selfishness, but he would gain nothing at all from even seeing you. He didn’t need to care for you at all, no. You had Toji. You seemed to be goddamn happy with your life with Toji. And what a romantic fucking moment that was, too. 

Satoru couldn’t think straight when he hurriedly left the hospital and got inside his car. He desperately wanted to forget the painful image of you locking lips with somebody else. How? How would he? Fuck! He was mad, mad at himself for choosing to come to your aid like he still had any role in your life. He was disgusted at himself for ignoring Akemi’s calls after promising her a movie date after work. He couldn’t believe he had her waiting all by herself in that cinema, waiting for him to come while he was stupidly running around the hospital to see his ex-wife. 

You chose Toji, then you better be happy. Satoru hoped you were happy, and that wish came from a place of genuineness. He genuinely hoped the best for you. Because for him, it was time to fully let go and stop himself from trying to be the superhero whenever you were in danger. You weren’t his wife anymore. 

So, was it out of love that he headed straight to Akemi’s apartment that night with a bouquet of red roses? 

She didn’t know what happened nor was she given the full detail as to why he unintentionally stood her up on their date night. He had just briefly explained that he had to drop Sachiro off to you at a hospital because you got into a small accident. Akemi, being your friend, got immediately worried upon hearing the situation and asked if Satoru was able to check on you. 

He said no. He said Toji was there. He said he left as soon as dropped Sachiro off. 

And in an effort to apologize for not paying attention to the current woman in his life, Satoru pulled Akemi in a tight embrace. He held her in her arms, drunk from the sweet and citrusy notes of her perfume, before pulling away to kiss her. He kissed her with the same passion as you did with Toji. Perhaps even more, even better. He completely devoured her lips, with a hand on her cheek and the other on her waist. The taste of her tongue was sweet like strawberries, while her lips were red like cherries. 

This woman was all he needed. 

But was this love? He didn’t know. It was too soon to tell, too early to answer, too hasty to even consider. 

— —

The current situation you were in reminded you of your younger self after your mother had died. It was the same before; you never left the house, often locking yourself in your room, shutting yourself off from the world, and drowning yourself with the pain and loneliness of losing somebody important. 

Sure, no one really died for you to be acting this way right now, but the feeling was still the same. Was this really a comeuppance to all of your wrongdoings before? But just how terrible were you of a person to be hit by this unbelievable truckload of sorrow? You might as well spur on the physical pains of your angina again if this torment continued. Otherwise, how else do you avoid it? 

You were being a terrible mother, too. You were too engrossed by your own misery that you couldn’t even properly take care of Sachiro. He didn’t deserve to have an incompetent and irresponsible mother like you. He deserves someone better, someone like Akemi, who not only has all the motherly traits a woman should have, but also the physical and mental capacity of being a true, strong woman. 

Sachiro was bound to have that, anyway. Now that his father was planning his lifelong journey with another woman, and now that he was trying to build a happy family with her, you were no longer needed in the picture. There was no need for you. 

How many more times would you tell that you have accepted it? 

Because, god be damned, you knew you couldn’t. You knew you were lying to yourself when you said everything was fine, lying to Satoru when you told him you didn’t need him in your life anymore, lying to Toji for telling him that you wanted to marry him, lying to Akemi that you didn’t care if she was seeing your ex-husband, and lying to Sachiro when you promised to him that you would never leave his side. You were a liar. A terrible liar. A pitiful, terrible liar. 

How would you tell the universe that you couldn’t take it anymore? That, for once, you wanted to be showered by happiness and all the good things in life? 

Sera was right. Not everyone could have it all. There were people of lesser fortune who weren’t blessed to live a lavish life like you, yet still work hard to achieve what they want. Why couldn't you achieve your own happiness without blaming it on the universe? If this was simply a lesson, then weren’t you the top student at this rate? 

God. God, help me. You really didn’t know how to deal with this life anymore. You weren’t sure how to proceed. You couldn’t rely on anything other than the bottle of alcohol on your hand—what was once full was now half empty after you took another swig. This was your second bottle already, wasn’t it? Or third? 

You got up from the floor and failed to walk in a straight line as you made your way towards the balcony. Your steps were unsteady, wavering like a leaf caught in a gentle breeze. With each attempt to move forward, your body swayed from side to side, struggling to maintain balance. You almost lost grip of the bottle you were holding. No, it did, in fact, slip from your hand and ended up crashing into the floor. Shards of glass lay across the ground, ready to pierce the soles of your feet to mirror the same physical pain your heart was experiencing. 

“Stop,” you muttered under your breath, begging for your chest to stop hurting. But it only worsened, and your antidote to that was to wash it down with even more liquor. No matter how expensive it was, you didn’t even like the taste of alcohol. You hated the sting on your throat whenever you drank it. You despised the bitterness it left on your tongue. However, it did great at numbing your emotions. 

It just felt wrong in many ways that you were seeing Satoru’s face whenever you closed your eyes. You could see his smile, his loving eyes, his beautiful lips. You missed his embrace, his kiss, his touch. You missed hearing his I love you’s. Him. You missed him. You yearned for him. Three goddamn years, and you were still undeniably in love with him. 

“Satoru…” you cried, sitting on the floor. Each breath made it harder and harder for you to catch as tears continued to stream down your face. You were tired of pretending, denying that you no longer had feelings for him when you knew deep down that you would always choose him. “S-Satoru… come back to me, please.”

Was it him coming inside your room? Or was it your vision making a fool out of you? 

“Baby, what are you doing?” Satoru’s expression was engulfed in immense worry as he knelt down and reached out to you, touching your cheek and looking at your eyes somberly. “Don’t do this yourself, Y/N.” 

Your head hung low, your gaze unfocused and glazed, as you fought to keep your eyes on the path ahead. You had to reach him. You wanted to touch him, hug him. And despite your best efforts, your movements were disjointed and erratic, betraying the effects of the alcohol coursing through your veins.

“Y/N, that’s enough.” Gen had to use force just to be able to snatch the bottle away from you, forcing you to wake up to the reality where Satoru no longer existed to be there for you. It was her who came rushing inside your room in the middle of the night. The bottle of liquor was now spilled all over the floor. The same could be described with your emotions. “Get it together. You haven’t been acting like yourself lately!”

You couldn’t, even if you wanted to. You were in delirium after having dealt with all the terrible things the world had thrown at you. If you couldn’t drown yourself in alcohol, how else would you have been able to numb the pain? How else would you have been able to… forget? 

As much as your sister tried to hide the obvious sympathy in her voice, even your drunken mind could recognize it. “We all know you’re going down the depression lane again, but never to this extent.” Her voice cracked in the middle of her sentence, cradling you into her arms as a tear fell down her face. The Gen who would usually lecture you, was now holding you in her arms as her only baby sister. “Stop this, Y/N, please. Don’t ruin your life the second time. I-It’s hurting me. It’s hurting Dad. Do you… do you realize what Sachiro’s gonna think of you when he sees you like this?” 

“Gen…” Muffled sobs unwillingly came out of you, leaving you with such excruciating pain in the chest, so much so that it didn’t even feel like you had done surgery to fix your (quite literally) broken heart.  “I w-want him back,” you continued to cry, “I want my husband back. I want to be with h-him, Gen.” 

“Y/N.”

“Where’s S-Satoru…? D-Did he leave? Please take me to him—”

“Y/N, listen to me.” She gently cupped your cheeks, forcing you to look at her pained eyes. “You’re intoxicated. He was never here, and he’d never come for you. You have to let it go.” 

“But—”

“He’s not good for you. He never will be.”

— —

It had been two weeks since Satoru last heard about you. Miwa was the one who updated him that you had already returned to your family’s mansion, letting him know that you were okay and that you were recovering well. Frankly, Satoru was starting to get annoyed at the fact that his secretary was still giving him updates about you. What did he care? He wasn’t your husband anymore. 

Besides, Toji was probably visiting you every day, so why did he have to worry about you? If there was anyone he should be worried about, it was Akemi. She had been experiencing terrible pelvic cramps lately, which needed to be given serious attention, but you would never see her being dramatic about it. The only thing she needed was for Gojou to accompany her visits to the OB-GYN, and even then, she never showered herself in self-pity. She carried herself like an independent woman, and that was exactly what Satoru needed in his life right now. 

He had a son to raise. He had a company to run. It wasn’t the perfect time to commit himself to someone lawfully. Heck, he didn’t even believe in marriage anymore. He realized that two people could still love each other without getting married. As long as Akemi didn’t pressure him about such things, he was fine with having her around. She didn’t ask for anything much, anyway. 

As for you, well… 

“What are you planning with that mansion you gifted Y/N?” asked Nanami, seated on the couch inside Satoru’s office, casually reading a newspaper. “Do you even remember that?” 

He certainly did. “What about it?” he questioned, idly toying with a pen on his desk. “It’s her property now. She can sell it if she wants.”

Better yet, you should let Sachiro inherit the property someday. His son was already set for a life of privilege having wealthy parents on both sides, but wouldn’t the mansion be a substantial addition to his assets in the future? Satoru couldn’t help but envision the kind of man his son would grow up into. He hoped Sachiro would not inherit his father's immaturity and pettiness but would embody the kindness and altruism of his mother. From a business perspective, however, Satoru planned to groom his son to be a leader, as he was the sole heir to the Gojou Group. Additionally, he would also inherit half of Creston and the entirety of Hearte. No wonder Sachiro was recently listed as the wealthiest kid by Forbes Japan. He even beat Megumi Zen’in from the list even though the teenager was the heir of the Zen’in business empire. 

These were the thoughts that should consume Satoru—the future, not the past. His kid, not you. And he was right about doing so, because when he came home to his penthouse, he was told that he had a visitor. 

A visitor on a Wednesday afternoon? 

Your brother-in-law, the esteemed prosecutor who sent his evil stepmother to jail, appeared on his front door, carrying Sachiro in his arms. It was hard to tell what type of emotions were visible on the man’s face, but he definitely didn’t bring any good news. 

“Ian?” Satoru promptly made way for the man to come in, ushering him into the penthouse and allowing him to set Sachiro down. The young boy was quick to dart off to his playroom, leaving the two men in an uncomfortable silence. “What’s going on? Weekends are usually my schedule with Sachi.” 

Ian cleared his throat, a hand on his pocket. “Do you mind looking after Sachiro for the time being?” 

By saying ‘for the time being’, it seemed like Ian wanted to actually say ‘until further notice.’ But that confused Satoru even more, because what was happening for the man to come here and ask him to let Sachiro stay beyond the agreed schedule with his father? He couldn’t read through Ian’s expression and it was making him uneasy. 

“I can, but… why so suddenly?” Gojou asked, glancing at his oblivious son. 

“It’s Y/N’s idea, Gen doesn’t know about it.” Ian released an awkward chuckle. “You know how my wife is.” 

Gen would absolutely hate it, Satoru was aware for sure. Though the questions lingered in his mind. “Why would Y/N want Sachi to stay with me? Where’s she?” 

Was it him or was Ian having a hard time explaining the situation? It felt like he was walking on eggshells, deciding between what had to be said and what shouldn’t. He was careful with his words when he spoke again, “Y/N flew to Monaco this morning and will be back when she’s ready. She says Sachiro should spend all of his time with you while she’s gone.” 

Monaco? Why would you be there?

Confusion bathed Satoru’s eyes. “Is it for a fashion event or something?” 

“No, she’s just…” Ian struggled heavily. “Well, to sum it up, she has to go there to sort some things out. It’s a personal thing, but she really needs this time for herself and we think it’s the best for her right now. I don’t know how long she’s gonna stay there or when she’ll be back, but I hope you understand what I’m trying to say here.”

No, he didn’t. Satoru found it difficult to fathom his ex-brother-in-law’s words, seeing as he had no general idea of what was truly going on. But if you were flying to Monaco, surely Toji wouldn’t allow you to go there all by yourself? 

Ahh. It made sense now. I see what’s happening here. 

Satoru’s lips curled into sarcasm. You would be vacationing with the love of your life. Is that what it was? Planning your halted wedding? Choosing wedding gowns? Looking for venues? There was no way you would be flying to Monaco alone, especially without Sachiro around when you two had been inseparable since his birth. 

“What kinda mother is she?” Satoru muttered in disgust, unaware that Ian had overheard him. But Ian had heard loud and clear. How could you leave your son behind like this? Couldn’t you face your ex-husband to discuss it, instead of just dropping Sachiro off as if he were some unwanted toy?

“Hold it right there,” Ian interjected, becoming defensive at the accusation. “You have no idea what she’s going through.”

How would he know? No one was telling him shit. No one was giving him details, so did they expect him to understand things and accept them as they were? Did they do the same thing to Satoru when he was at the verge of losing his sanity asking everyone for forgiveness over and over? 

“I've never taken sides between you two, Satoru, you know that,” Ian continued, trying to maintain a calm demeanor and speak with clear judgment, “But one thing I’m not gonna let you do is call Y/N a bad mother.”

Satoru’s chest tightened at Ian's words, a mixture of guilt and frustration bubbling up inside him. He knew he shouldn’t have spoken out of turn, but the pain and resentment were too raw to contain. It felt like you were abandoning him and your child, like you were off to a new chapter in your life again, and leaving everything behind. Perhaps this was his trauma from the New York thing crawling back at him, but it definitely reminded him of the day you had abandoned him. For three fucking years. How long would it take you to return now? 

Why do you keep doing this? He was sick of it. You kept running away instead of talking to him. He gets it, people change, circumstances change, but couldn’t you at least have the decency to talk to him about it? Was it wrong for him to wish you’d handled this differently? To wish that you’d talked to him, involved him in the decision-making process, instead of just making this unilateral decision and leaving him to pick up the pieces? 

Satoru took a moment, collecting his thoughts before continuing. “It’s fine, I’ll take care of Sachi,” he reassured, “I’ll take some time off work and have ‘Kemi help me out.” 

He looked back at Ian, his eyes pleading for further details, for answers, for some semblance of clarity in the midst of this emotional turmoil.

Yet none of it was given. 

And so, would it still be wrong to assume that he could now completely forget about you? That this opportunity to be with Sachiro would allow him a chance to share it with someone else? If you spent three years of your life playing house in New York with Toji, would it still be unfair for Satoru to do the same with Akemi? 

[justauthoring]

the bait.

zoro only wishes he'd gotten there earlier.

a/n: okay, so... listen, three things; i meant to write something for opla when it came out but of course, as usual, i'm late to everything :) (fashionably late???) second, i can't help it. i love protective!zoro :) and third, yes i will post the third part to naturally soon!

ALSO! i've never seen one piece (probably won't ever tbh) so this is strictly based off of the live action. if things aren't canon accurate to the anime, it's because it's not meant to be!

word count: 3,757

warnings: attempted sexual assault, creepy guy, also rushed ending

want to support your local writer? send me a coffee!

“Absolutely not.”

At least, that’s what he said.

No one had really bothered to listen to him regardless of the fact.

“Zoro,” you sigh, frowning at the nasty glare set on his face, harsh eyes set specifically on Nami as he faces her fully, arms crossed over his chest, seconds away from practically lunging at her (at least, it sure seemed that way – you knew, or hoped, he wouldn’t actually).

He doesn’t acknowledge you. Not at first. It takes you grabbing him by the crook of his elbow and tugging him to face you for his eyes to finally fall on you. Almost instantly, his gaze softens as you shake your head up at him.

“There’s no way I’m letting her use you as bait like that–”

“It wasn’t Nami’s idea, Zoro,” you huff, “it was mine.”

His lips part, hands falling to his side in disbelief. “What.”

“We need that treasure, yeah?” You ask, trying to appeal to his logical side. The rest of the crew is watching as well, and you know he’d rather not make a scene in front of all of them if he can help it. He’s not thinking all that rationally, though and you know that as well. The second the plan had left Nami’s lips, he’d cut her off with a harsh no that everyone had chosen to ignore at first. The second time he’d said the words, he’d been firmer, harsher, a cruel tone bleeding into his tone as he cut Nami off.

You needed him to understand that this wasn’t her idea and this certainly wasn’t her fault.

“Yeah,” he nods, shrugging, “but we can easily steal it another way–”

“Not unless you want all of the Marines after us in seconds–”

“We can handle them,” Zoro cuts Nami off, turning to her once again with a glare. “I can.”

Nami rolls her eyes; “the whole of the Marine’s?”

And his answer is blunt; “yeah.”

She scoffs.

Stepping in before the two of them actually fight, you opt for physically stepping in front of Zoro this time. “Listen, this was my plan, okay?” You try to placate, setting your hand on Zoro’s chest to hold him back. “Mine alone. I’m volunteering. When we scoped things out, he wouldn’t take his eyes off of me, right?” Zoro frowns at the recollection, and you’re quick to continue. “I'll distract him just while Nami quickly slips in. In and out, she grabs the treasure and the second she gives me the okay, I leave, right?”

You turn to Nami, smiling at her.

“Yup,” she nods, leaning against the table where her map lays of the restaurant the heist would be taking place in. “In, out. I’m quick. I wouldn’t do this if I thought Y/N was in any danger.” 

Turning back to Zoro, you nod; “see?”

“Besides,” Sanji speaks up, shrugging his shoulders. “The rest of us will be keeping an eye just in case.”

“Yeah!” Luffy calls out, grinning widely at Zoro who stares back at him unimpressed. “We won’t let anything happen to Y/N! I promise.”

Zoro doesn’t say anything at first. His eyes drift from Luffy, across the crew, Nami and then finally you. He can tell that no matter how much he argues, none of them are going to budge–and Nami had a point. He knew that the crew would never intentionally ever put you in any danger. 

Not to mention you… he could tell this was important to you. Helping the crew like this.

“Fine,” he huffs, ignoring the tightness in his chest as he meets your gaze. “But the second something goes wrong, mission or not, I’m–”

“Stepping in,” Nami finishes for him, sending a smirk Zoro’s way as she rolls her eyes. “I’d expect nothing less.”

And that settles that. A moment later and Nami is finishing the plan, you lean in to listen intently to her words as Zoro watches from behind you, eyes drifting across you. It wasn’t that he didn’t have faith in your abilities, but it was the premise of the entire idea. Zoro didn’t need to know the man they were trying to steal from to know he was a sleazebag–the guy practically oozed it and a single glance at him at Zoro feeling disgusted.

To know that you’d have to be batting your eyes at a man like that?

It made him feel sick.

-

It didn’t help that you were exceptionally skilled at it, though.

Sanji’s kept a very close eye on him since the entire operation began, never drifting too far in fear that Zoro might lunge forward at any given second. If the cook was being honest, he wasn’t all that comfortable with what was happening either (a gentleman like himself, of course) but he also knew how crucial this mission was and he didn’t want to put Nami in any unnecessary danger either.

So, he stuck to the plan and tried to make sure Zoro did too.

God, why’d he always have to get stuck with the mosshead?

- 

“I must say, you look rather… fetching tonight, my dear.”

Forcing a smile on your lips, you turn your head towards the man, batting your eyelashes prettily as you brush a strand of ruly hair behind your ear. You play the part of bashful well, even though you feel sick to the stomach at the man’s rather… gross flirts.

“Why, thank you Mr. Becker,” you smile back at him, letting your weight fall against the side of the counter of the bar. When the mission had started, you’d come here first, remembering that Nami had told you that your target often spent his free time at the bar, drinking himself to a stupor and preying on whatever poor girl had caught his eye that night. Of course, tonight you were his prey and you had every intention of making sure that by the end of the night, this man would prey.

It was the main reason why you’d been so okay with offering yourself up as bait. Never in a million years would you allow your body to be used like this, but this man was notorious for trapping young rich women, lying to them with pretty words and hopeful promises, until he forced himself on them and stole every pretty penny off of them. The Strawhat’s goal was to get the treasure for yourselves, but your main goal was to teach this man a lesson.

You could see why so many women fell for his tricks. Despite being older, he was handsome–though the admission felt sour on your tongue–and he was exceptionally charming. Or, rather, he would be if you didn’t know the truth. An hour of his charms and flirts and you’re already feeling exhausted from his games, knowing that this is just what he does… makes a woman feel special and beautiful, only to use them for sex and steal every bit of their money right off of them. He had a big enough name that no one believed these women, but you? You did.

“Please,” he admonishes, “call me Rinano.”

You beam, “thank you, Rinano,” you correct, making sure to say his sultry tone, shifting your body so that you’re facing him. The dress Nami had found for you certainly was beautiful, you only wished you’d gotten to wear it on better terms. A floor length, black, silk dress that hugged you in all the right places, with a rather tempting slit that ran quite high on your leg and a neckline that dipped low enough to have anyone’s eyes glancing at it. 

You know the second the words leave your lips, the words go straight to the man’s penis. His eyes bulge faintly, and this dazed look washes over his eyes as his eyes dip lower, just briefly, taking in the view of your chest.

You ignore the shiver that threatens to run up your spine.

“Please, Y/N, I think it’s time we moved this somewhere else, no?” He offers, eyes finally falling back on your own as he extends a hand out towards you. “Somewhere… a little more private?”

You mull on the decision briefly. It wasn’t part of your plan to go anywhere private with the man, knowing that this is how he lures women into his trap… but Nami still wasn’t done. Or, at least, she hadn’t given the signal. And you didn’t want to risk her or the mission…

Letting a smile curl on your lips, you set your hand in his.

“I’d love to.”

He grins, shifting to lead you through the crowd. You chance a glance back towards where you know Zoro is, but it’d gotten a lot busier since you’d come in and you can’t make him out in the crowd. Your chest tightens with worry, but you try to shake it off. You know Zoro would never let his eyes off of you, and you know the rest of your crewmates wouldn’t ever let you be in any danger either. You’re sure, even if you can't see him, that Zoro knows where you are.

-

“Hey man, you got a light?”

A frown curls onto Zoro’s lips when suddenly there’s a group of men standing around him, effectively blocking off his view of you. His body tenses as he glances at the three men, noticing for the first time just how busy it's gotten in the restaurant–Zoro and the rest of them had already had to make sure there was enough distance between you and them so as not to blow your cover. Zoro, though he argued against it, was forced to stand near the entrance of the restaurant, a good distance away from the bar and where you were, but it had been fine because Zoro had still been able to see you.

Now though? Especially with these idiots standing in front of him? He couldn’t see you at all.

A quick glance to the left and Zoro realizes he’s been separated from Sanji somehow as well.

Shit.

“Excuse me,” one of the men cuts in, taking a step towards Zoro. “We asked you a question.”

“No,” Zoro answers bluntly, glaring at the men as he tries to shove his way through.

“Are you sure?” Another one asks, the one holding a cigarette in his hands, a frown on his lips but as Zoro’s eyes flicker to him, he notices a glint in the man's eyes. “I forgot one at home and I’ve just been dying for a smoke–”

“I don’t have one,” Zoro grounds out, “get out of my way.”

The third one steps in front of him, hands held by his sides as he laughs; “hey, man… we’re just talking here. No reason to get mad.”

Zoro glares at him.

“I mean…” the one holding the cigar speaks up, “it’s not like you’re looking for someone, is it?”

Panic sets in then. By the smirks on their faces, Zoro comes to the startling realization that these men aren’t just annoying but that they must be Rinano’s men and they’re fully aware of who Zoro is and what he’s here for. And if they knew, then…

Zoro doesn’t hesitate, his right hand falls on his swords before striking his leg out towards the man to his left, knocking him up the chin and effectively knocking him on his ass. Instantly, a chaos of panic ensues as Zoro fights the other two, screams from other people in the restaurant but Zoro pays no mind to them. Rinano’s men are exceptionally weak that it barely takes Zoro anything to knock them down, and his eyes instantly shoot towards the bar the second he can, only for his heart to fall the pit of his stomach when he realizes you’re no longer there.

“Zoro!”

It’s Sanji who’s calling out for him, racing towards him through the panicked crowd and he’s slightly out of breath when he reaches him. Sanji’s eyes fall on the three men on their backs around Zoro and sighs; “so, they know.”

“Y/N’s not at the bar.”

Sanji’s eyes widen, head snapping towards the bar before he curses. “They knew who I was, tried to corner me like you. We should find Luffy and Usopp–”

“There’s no time.” Zoro cuts in, shaking his head. “You go. I’m finding Y/N.”

Zoro is pushing his way through the crowd before Sanji can say otherwise, leaving the cook to let out a huff.

-

The door slams behind you the second you step through, causing you to jolt slightly in reaction. When you turn your head over to glance, Rinano is simply smiling in your direction, stepping past you and further into what you assume is his ensuite above the restaurant. You hadn’t really known where you expected Rinano to lead you, but you figured it made sense he’d have a room above the restaurant he owned–it was, after all, easily accessible for the women he’d lead from the bar.

You’re quiet, scoping the room as Rinano pulls out two wine glasses at the bar located on the far end of the room. His back is turned to you as he prepares the glasses, and you shrug, using the time to see if you can find anything; Nami had snuck into the vault you knew was in the basement but you figured there might be something worth taking in here.

“For you.”

Blinking, you turn back to Rinano, smiling faintly as you accept the glass from him and take a seat right by the bar. Rinano takes a seat across from you, swirling the wine around in his cup, eyes on you as you take a slow sip of the wine. You weren’t a big drinker and you’d been careful to monitor your intake throughout the night, not wanting to be tipsy while with a man like Rinano–but one drink wouldn’t hurt. Plus, you needed the courage to steal your nerves.

It was a whole new ballgame being alone with him like this.

Honestly, you still weren’t really sure what you were doing. You just hadn’t wanted to put Nami in any danger and tip him off at all…

“You know,” Rinano says, and your eyes fall on him, head tilting in curiosity. “I didn’t think I’d see you again.”

Letting out a light laugh, you shrug; “well, the food here was delicious.”

“Ah, yes, I know.” You resist the urge to roll your eyes–smug asshole. “But, if I remember correctly, you hadn’t come alone last time, right?”

Body tensing, you take another sip of your wine. “Ah, no,” you nod, setting the wine glass down as you fix the strap of your dress. “No, I came with two friends before.”

“Yes, a boy with an odd straw hat and a man with green-hair and three swords.” Rinano recalls, and your eyes squint–what was he getting at? “If I remember correctly, the green-haired man made quite a fuss about being allowed to keep his… weapons on him.”

You blink. You… hadn’t known Rinano had been watching all of that.

“Yes, well, he’s very protective of them,” you explain, leaning against the back of the seat when you feel your vision blur for a moment, head spinning momentarily. 

“It’s also odd, you see,” Rinano continues, leaning forward, arms resting on his knees as he stares back at you, gaze intensely on your own. He’s waiting, you realize–watching you, more like it. Why, you’re not sure. “I could’ve sworn I saw a similar looking man watching us from the entrance all night. He seemed particularly keen on keeping his eyes on you.”

You feel your breath quicken, and somehow, you can’t explain it, your hands are shaking. Your whole body feels like it’s shaking, actually.

“The two of you seemed close that first night you came in,” Rinano continued. “I’d tried to catch your attention that entire night, but you hadn’t seemed to care when he was next to you. And him on the other hand… he’d glared at me the entire night for even looking at you. I wonder why, then… you were at my bar tonight, batting your eyelashes at me with your tits out on display?”

You stare back at him, noticing the anger and glint in his eyes as he stares back at you. Something uncomfortable twists in your chest and you’re moving to stand before you even realize. “I… I think it’s time I–” but your words get cut off as you feel your world spin. You’d stood up, you know that, but you find yourself on your back, staring up at the ceiling and your body won’t respond to you despite how hard you try to make it.

Then, Rinano is in front of you, leering over you.

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible,” he smiles down at you, “you enjoyed the wine more than I expected.”

Your eyes widen, blinking as you feel your body slipping.

“You–you asshole!” you cry, forcing the words out but they’re more slurred than anything. Rinano just laughs, and then his hands are on you, grabbing you by the waist as he moves to pick you up. You use every last bit of strength in your body to push him off, forcing your legs to work as you move to stand but you make it one step before you’re crashing to the ground, hitting it with a hard thud that has your breath leaving you for a moment.

In a flash, you’re flipped around, Rinano over top of you.

“I imagine you thought you’d come in here, get your money’s worth and rob me blind, yes?” Rinano grins down at you, and your body refuses to move even as his hand moves to the strap of your dress, pulling it down. “But you see, Y/N, that’s not how this works. Women are simple creatures and all it takes is a pretty smile and they’ll bend over backwards for men like me. Usually, I like to pick women who have something more than just their bodies to offer me, but… well, you really did catch my eye that night.”

The strap of your dress is yanked off, while his free hand hikes the skirt of your dress up, revealing your panties and bra. Your mind screams at you to do something, but your body refuses to listen. You can feel your heart pounding madly against your chest, but nothing happens.

“St–stop!” you cry, tears welling in your eyes as you feel his hands lift you, moving to the zipper of your dress. “Get off me! Stop!” but your words are slurred as your lips begin to fail you as well. The sob that wretches past your lips is piercing as you hear the familiar sound of a zipper, feeling a cold brush against your back before the carpet of the floor scratches against your bare skin.

Rinano leers above you, eyes dazed as he moves to pull your dress off.

“You really are magnificent,” he whispers, “maybe I’ll just keep you around… you’ll be my own personal treasure.”

Your head lolls to the left, feeling his hands drift across your bare stomach as tears stream down your cheeks.

Where… where was Zoro?

You wanted Zoro.

But in the back of your mind, you knew that if Rinano had known about you, he’d known about the rest of them as well.

You feel Rinano’s fingers slip under the band of your panties when the door slams open. You can’t turn to see who it is, but the sight of it is enough to have Rinano’s eyes widening, panic flooding his vision before suddenly his weight is knocked off of you and you see a familiar flash of green blur past you before a cry echoes across the room. There’s the distinct sound of someone choking, gasping for breath, but you can’t turn and see and you’re left there, exposed and vulnerable, sobs wracking your body, until a shadow falls over you.

Zoro is suddenly there. His wide eyes are on you, panic flooding his gaze as he pulls you into his arms, pulling your dress up and back on as he zips the back of it for you. You’re limp in his grasp and you want to say something, force your mouth to move, but you can’t. All you can do is stare back at him as he pulls you into his arms.

“It’s okay,” he whispers and it’s the softest you’ve ever heard him sound. “I’ve got you. You’re okay.”

-

Nami had profusely apologized but you’d only brushed her off.

It seemed Rinano’s one mistake was he hadn’t known about Nami so everything on her end had been successful. For that, you were grateful. It wasn’t all for nothing.

The rest of the boys had come to check up on you as well the next day, clearly each worried but you’d brushed all their concerns off. It wasn’t any of their faults. It was yours… and you wouldn’t let them take the blame.

It takes a whole day before Zoro finally checks up on you.

He’s eerily quiet as he steps into the room. It’s late at night but Nami wasn’t here yet… by the look on Zoro’s face, you figure he’d asked her to hang back a minute, give you two some privacy.

You watch him, a frown on his lips as he takes a seat next to your small cot. 

Then, after a minute, you speak up; “I'm sorry.”

And his eyes widen, head snapping to you in disbelief.

You just shake your head, a sob breaking past your lips as you curl into yourself. “I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. It was my idea and you could’ve gotten hurt because of me–”

Zoro cuts you off by setting his hand on your own, squeezing. Your eyes fall on him, lips left parted, sniffling. “This isn’t your fault,” he mumbles. “I came in here with every intention of telling you to never do that again… to never use you as bait but… but that wouldn’t be fair of me. And I’m not here to make you feel worse.”

Your lip trembles. “I… I didn’t think that’d happen,” you whisper, staring down at your entwined hands. “I… I was so scared.”

Shaking his head, Zoro leans forward, “I wouldn’t ever let anything like that happen to you. I’m just… sorry it got that far.”

You squeeze his hand back, “it’s okay. You came. That’s all that matters to me.”

[kyleoreillylover]

Keep my Hands to Myself

Jey Uso x Fem!Reader

Summary: Jey just can't seem to keep his hands off of you.

Warnings: typical wrestling violence, allusions to smut but no actual smut written, etc.

A/N: In my Jey mood again, can’t get enough of him. Hope you guys enjoy!

You sat in front of the mirror, your Smackdown Women’s Championship shining on top of your vanity as you put the finishing touches on your makeup. You were laser focused on getting ready for your match against Liv Morgan. The two of you have been in a heated feud for months, but tonight would be the night she’d challenge for your title. But after you humiliate and embarrass her, you were sure it would be the last time.

You were so into your thoughts, you didn’t even notice Jey come into your locker room until you felt a pair of strong arms wrap around you from behind. You turned your head to see him giving you a soft smile, your heart melting at the look he was giving you; like just being around you was all he ever wanted to do. And it couldn't be closer to the truth. He could never stay away from you, the way you carried yourself, your beauty, the sexy ass confidence radiating from you - it was magnetic.

"You look amazing, champ," he whispered into your ear, voice as soft as honey as he pressed a gentle kiss to your cheek, making you giggle and lean into his touch. No matter how touchy Jey was, and he was very touchy, you could never get enough of him no matter how many times you were wrapped up in his arms.

"You like my new gear?" His eyes lingering on the shimmering blue design and how it showed off your form already gave you your answer.

He pulled you closer, his fingers tracing the patterns on your gear. "It looks too good on you. Makes me wanna take it off." You shivered at his husky tone as he pressed a soft kiss to the side of your neck, turning around when his hands skimmed a little lower.

"Hands to yourself, lover boy." You tried to move away from his arms, laughing when he pouted and refused to let you go.

"Can't we have fun before your match, baby?" His lips met yours, and you couldn't help but melt into him, his hand gripping your waist and pulling you flush against him. The kiss was soft and slow, like you had all the time in the world to worship each other. He teased your bottom lip with his tongue before slipping it inside your mouth, and you let out a small moan before pulling away from him and escaping his grip before you could fall under his spell.

"Not now, Jey. I won't be long baby, I promise." You rolled your eyes playfully when he yanked you back into his arms again, your arms on his shoulders as he began to kiss your neck.

"Can you just stay a little bit longer, baby?" He begged, giving you those cute puppy dog eyes and laying soft kisses on your neck. You giggle at his neediness, teasingly poking his chest. " Baby, Liv is light work, you know that. I'll be quick, and I promise I'll make it up to you, okay?"

He sighed dramatically, giving you a cute pout. "Alright, alright. Just one more," he pleaded, capturing your lips in a lingering kiss.

When you finally broke away, you chuckled. "You're lucky I love your clingy ass."

He grinned, trailing a finger down your arm. "That's all I need, sweetheart." He finally let you go, waiting for you grab your title and giving you an annoyingly charming smile as he opened the door for you. "You better come back to me in one piece, or I'm gonna have some words with Liv."

You rolled your eyes, playfully pushing at his chest. "I'll be fine, you big baby. You worry too much." You kissed his cheek and dragged him out of the room before he could make you reconsider giving him an attitude. He accompanied you to the ring, heart fluttering at the soft smile you gave him when he held open the ropes for you.

Liv soon made her away to the ring, her eyes glaring daggers at you as you held your title up with a cocky smirk. Jey gave you a quick hug and kiss before getting out of the ring and making his way to the commentary table, joining Michael Cole and Pat McAfee.

The match was intense, the crowd on their feet and the both of you pulling anything and everything out of your arsenal. You were tired out, but she was as well and that thought kept you going. At one point, Liv tried to hit a codebreaker on you but you caught her midair and power bombed her onto the steel steps, much to Jey's delight.

"You see that, Michael? That's my girl out there, the champ," Jey boasted, pointing towards you dragging a lifeless Liv Morgan into the ring. "She's bout to show Liv what real competition looks like. Ain't nobody steps up to my girl and walks away a champ."

Liv put up a great fight, but you fought even harder, you were the top women in WWE for a reason. Before you knew it, you were hitting your finisher on her, leaving Liv sprawled out in the ring. You quickly went in for the pin, the referee's hand slapping the mat three times.

"1... 2... 3!" The bell rang, and the crowd erupted. You pushed away from Liv, a cocky smirk on your face as you watched her retreat. You were still catching your breath when Jey slid into the ring, your title in hand and a triumphant grin on his face as he pushed the ref aside, sweeping you off your feet and lifting you up into his strong arms.

“That’s what I’m talking bout, baby!” He shouted excitedly, holding you to his side as you tightened your grip around his neck, laughing at his enthusiasm. Your man was too adorable.

"Told you she would be light work, babe." You grinned up at him, the lights shining down from the arena were nothing in comparison to the glimmer in his eyes as he smiled down at you with pride. He set you down and handed you your title, watching you stand on the turnbuckle and raise it up high, letting you have your moment.

Once the two of you made your way up the ramp and back to your locker room, you grabbed his face and pulled him in for a searing kiss, Jey's warm and soft lips against yours, his hands finding their way to your cheeks, holding you in place as he deepened the kiss.

Eventually, the need for air overpowered your need for each other, and you pulled away from him, He rested his forehead against yours, the both of you panting and out of breath. “What was that for, babe?”

“Didn’t I tell you I’d make it up to you?” You gave him a devilish smile that made his knees weak as you walked in the locker room, dropping your title on the couch and making a beeline for the bathroom.

“The valet is gonna be here in 15 minutes, and I’ma shower. We could have some fun before it’s here.”

You winked at him, going inside the bathroom and beginning to strip off your gear. You chuckled when you heard him running behind you. “You better cancel that valet! Cause ain’t no way we gon’ be done in just 15 minutes, baby.” Jey opened the door, seeing your back turned to him, ass fully on display as you were still taking off your clothes. You turned to him and smirked at the way his hungry gaze; he wanted to just eat you up.

“You mind helping me?” You asked him, a cheeky grin on his face as he shed off his clothes, and you forced yourself look in his eyes instead of his body that had your mouth watering as he made his way toward you, leaning down until you could feel his hot breath against your ear. “As long as you don’t mind not being able to walk for the next few days." He nibbled your ear, making you groan and lean into him, feeling his lips turn into a smug grin on your neck as be clasping your gear and tugging it off of you.

You yelped when he suddenly picked you up, lifting you up by your ass and bringing the both of you in the shower. Your back hit the wall as he brought himself closer to you, your heart rate picking up as his lips hovered dangerously over your own, his eyes dark with the thoughts of what he was going to do to you.

He crashed his lips against yours in a bruising kiss, internally smug as you moaned against him, every touch he gave you and every kiss he left leaving your skin burning and your mind turning into radio static and the only thing you could think about was Jey, Jey Jey. You didn’t know what he was planning, but you did know one thing.

Tonight was going to be a long night.

[corpsekiller]

𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐝, 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 — 𝐦𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧

𝖯𝖠𝖨𝖱𝖨𝖭𝖦. mammon x genderneutral!reader

𝖶𝖠𝖱𝖭𝖨𝖭𝖦𝖲. fluff, language, implied best friends to lovers, protective!reader, this is honestly pure asmodeus slander and i stand by that

𝖲𝖸𝖭𝖮𝖯𝖲𝖨𝖲. you’re tired of mammon’s brothers wrongfully accusing him. when asmodeus blames him for something he hasn't done, you decide to put him in his place.

𝖠𝖴𝖳𝖧𝖮𝖱'𝖲 𝖭𝖮𝖳𝖤. i haven't written in so long, but i finally found the time and motivation to finish this piece that i found in my drafts. i'll try to be more active on this blog, though i can't make any promises because my motivation makes a rare appearance these days, but i hope you enjoy this fic. see ya around <3

𝖫𝖤𝖭𝖦𝖳𝖧. 1.981 words

MASTERLIST

“Y/N, wait for me!” Asmodeus shouts after the lesson has ended with the loud ringing of the bells, waving a perfectly manicured hand to catch your attention before Mammon and you can disappear into the crowd of students rushing to enjoy their lunch break in the cafeteria.

As soon as you catch a glimpse of him your shoulders drop in resignation and he watches how you mutter something to his brother, exchange a sharp glare with him and quickly grab the sleeve of his wrinkled school uniform before he can bolt — it’s your intuition speaking when you reach out for him, rightfully so, because after all these months of growing close with him you just know what his next move will be and this time is no different.

The second he realizes who’s the cause of your faltering steps, he curses under his breath and braces for his sprint across the campus, only to stagger back against your unmoving body as your fingers dig into his arm.

“Hey, whatcha think you’re doin’? Let go of me,” he argues, helplessly tugging on your hand in a fruitless attempt to loosen your grip on his jacket. A crease forms between his brows, then his eyes shoot to his brother and in a moment of awful recognition, he understands. “No, ya can’t be serious... You’re really going to waste our lunch break and talk to him?”

“Yeah, and you’re coming with me,” you respond dryly.

Honestly, it's bold of him to assume you’d let him escape, but given by the offended glare he shoots in your general direction, he actually expected his plan to work. Instead, you’re dragging him with you to approach Asmodeus at the door of your shared classroom and all he can do is sigh defeatedly and accept his miserable fate.

At least he doesn’t have to do the talking.

“Thank you, darling,” his younger brother giggles and sweeps his bangs behind his ear, batting his eyelashes at you as if he could charm his way into your pants that easily. It doesn’t go unnoticed by you, though you have mastered the art of ignoring his silly flirtations and instead focus on what he actually wants. If his only goal was to flatter you, he wouldn’t have gone out of his way to catch up with you at school, but as always, he draws out the moment and relishes in the attention the two of you give him.

“You are such a sweetheart, my dear! I don’t know what I’d do without you,” he muses, though the mischievous glint in his eyes betrays his true intentions. His lips, sparkling under a thick layer of lipgloss, stretch into a wicked smile, fully aware he’s testing your limits and your patience for him slowly withers away. Not that he cares about any of that.

Once again you’re grateful Lucifer chose Mammon to look after you considering the other options he had and every time you have the misfortune to get tangled in a chat with Asmodeus you become painfully aware of what your life in the devildom could have been like if he was assigned to take care of you.

The thought makes you cringe and you have to bite back a disgusted grimace that follows Asmodeus’ action of grazing his painted fingers over the length of your arm, therefore pulling your attention back to him once more. “May I take a look at your notes? I’m afraid I missed the important parts of the lesson because I was busy—”

“Starin’ at your ugly face in that stupid mirror y’always got in ya pocket? No wonder ya missed most of the class,” Mammon all but seethes behind you. Crossing his arms over his chest, he stares down his brother who merely laughs it off and lifts his hand to brush a strand of hair out of your face.

Another attempt to bewitch you with his demonic charm that fails miserably.

Seriously, you nearly feel second-hand embarrassed at his pathetic efforts to seduce you, but that’s what he’s always done —wrapping everyone around his finger to get what he wants, only to treat them like dirt after he exploited their friendliness and shortly upon your arrival at the devildom you’ve already learned your lesson. You’ll never fall for his tricks again.

"Maybe ya should start payin’ attention, then ya wouldn’t have to run after people beggin’ for their notes like a dog,” Mammon scoffs loudly and points an accusatory finger at the Avatar of Lust. He’s one to talk — skipping most of your classes, causing chaos left and right, and dragging his sorry ass back to you as soon as he needs some urgent tutoring to pass the school year with somewhat decent grades.

Your lips twitch at his dry comment nevertheless, amusement evident in your eyes when you throw him a quick glance over your shoulder that mirrors how much you’d love to leave his brother in the dirt just this once, but you think better of it. If Lucifer hears about your disrespectful stunt, you might get into trouble far worse than merely talking to Asmodeus for a couple of minutes (although that easily counts as one of the worst punishments anyone could ever experience down here, but that’s only your personal opinion).

“Can you hold this for a second?” You finally cave, shoving a few books and your wallet in Mammon’s hands and opening your bag to rummage through your notes. Of course the pages he needs are at the bottom, buried beneath notebooks, your water bottle and your pencil case and you huff in annoyance, internally cursing yourself for giving in and doing him this favor.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Asmodeus remarks tauntingly, his eyes trained on a spot behind your back. You assume he’s staring at Mammon who’s surely taking it as a challenge to prove his superiority, too stubborn to back down until he ultimately wins. It’s stupid and childish, but you couldn’t care less. The only thing on your mind right now is giving the Avatar of Lust your notes and get out of here before he demands different pages or worse, decides to chat you up until your break is over and you’re forced to attend class with an empty stomach.

“You’ll find your money missing when he returns it. If he even returns it, that is.”

You pause.

“What are you talking about?” His words settle in and it suddenly clicks what exactly he’s indicating, the outrageous accusation he’s spewing against his own brother.

Sure, you’ve heard the insults they throw at him. Ugly words like ‘scum’ and ‘coward’ that always cause your stomach to churn in anger at their poor treatment of their brother. You’ve witnessed them shove him around, badmouth and blame him for everything that goes wrong even if he isn’t the one at fault and although you’ve never dared to do more than speak up for him it appears that today, Asmodeus might be the first to make acquaintance with your fists.

“Mammon is just holding my stuff when my hands are full and so far I never found anything missing,” you snarl, revolt clear in your voice. To emphasize your statement, you whip around to look at Mammon, only to find that he isn’t there anymore. The spot where he’s supposed to be standing is left empty, abandoned. You’re too dumbfounded to think of a quick comeback when Asmodeus starts to giggle quietly behind your back, clearly satisfied with your defeat that rendered you speechless in a matter of seconds.

Yeah, it would be a real shame if someone broke his perfectly shaped nose and coincidentally disfigured his entire face for the rest of his miserable life.

“See? I told you so.” He drawls, that annoying, sickeningly smug little smile on his face and it takes every ounce of self-control in you to not strangle him in the middle of the hallway. Instead, you tighten your grasp on your notes, the notes he wanted, listen to the sound of crumpled paper between your shaking fingers, and raise an eyebrow.

If you can’t physically hurt him until he apologizes not only to you, but to Mammon too, you have to deny him the satisfaction of thinking he got under your skin — even if the complete opposite is the case.

Your head reels for a snappy comment that could send Asmodeus into a frenzy, anything really, to wipe that fucking smirk off his lips and buy you some time to get a hold of yourself. It pisses you off, more than it should, that you let him get that far, that he managed to let you doubt Mammon, your best friend who may be an ass, but would never stab you in the back like this.

“Honestly, you’re—"

“Are ya done now? I’m starvin’ and our lunch break is almost over,” Mammon interrupts suddenly. There’s a moment of silence and you swear you can hear your heart jump a little in your chest as he throws an arm over your shoulder and tilts his head to study your face. The arch of his brows holds an unspoken question — 'are you okay?’ is written in the crease between them and you smile fondly at the genuine worry in his eyes.

He’s a good guy.

You fail to notice what he holds in his hands until he flicks his finger against your forehead, huffing out a laugh at the small yelp escaping your mouth as he shoves your favorite drink against your chest, the one you always buy from the vending machine a few hallways further. He took a sip once and nearly spat it back out, you remember, and then he pulled a grimace and complained about your awful taste, but he remembered that it’s your favorite beverage anyway.

And he bought it for you. Despite everything Asmodeus had said about him, he got you your favorite drink because he knows you wouldn’t have enough time to run to the vending machine and get lunch at the cafeteria in time and if you weren’t about to downright murder Asmodeus, you’d probably kiss him.

“You know what, Asmodeus? Go fuck yourself,” you grin. Without hesitation you rip your notes apart, relishing in the way he winces at every piece that drops to the floor before you close your bag and take Mammon's hand to pull him down the hallway. He follows you with no complaint, though you catch him eyeing you suspiciously from the side.

“What was that for?” He finally breaks.

“He was talking shit about you.”

“So ya ripped yer own notes?” Mammon snorts and wedges his hand out of your grasp to sling his arm over your shoulders once again, pulling you into his side as you walk. “’m not sure if that’s badass or jus’ plain stupid.”

“Shut up,” you shove your elbow into his side, just hard enough to make him groan in pain, “You know how much I hate it when your brothers treat you like garbage. I’d do it again if it meant Asmodeus would shut the fuck up for once.”

Mammon blinks, once, twice, taking in your words before a smile spreads across his lips, tender and so sweet that it catches you off guard when you steal a glance at him. For a second, you both stare at each other, and then, hesitant, as if he isn’t quite sure how to show what he truly feels, he leans down and presses a kiss to your temple, avoiding your gaze as if that would somehow hide the blush on his cheeks.

You don’t mention it anyway, but your stupid heart flutters in your chest and you take a hasty sip of your drink to cover your own embarrassment as you stroll into the cafeteria.

[mae-gi-writes]

More love, more us, more healing . mark lee

Burnt out and overworked, your boyfriend Mark decidedly takes your mental state into his hands and shows you that life is much more than just jobs and routine.

Genre: fluff, angst, feelings of anxiety and helplessness, mark is a cutie.

A/N: For all those who are struggling with their day-to-day life, this is for you.

Song inspiration: More - Sam Ryder

----

"No."

Mark looks at you as if you've grown two heads, "what do you mean, no?" He demands with wide eyes.

"No means no. I need to finish this chapter before I can chill out," you don't even bother looking at him as you type out the words, the sounds of the keyboard bouncing off the walls of your Air BnB apartment that you've rented out for this week.

"You're in Dubrovnik," Mark leans over the table to catch your eye, though you do a good job of avoiding his, "there's no way you're being the slightest bit productive--"

"Mark, please. I'm really trying to finish this here," you send him a look that shows you're actually serious, "just give me ten minutes and I'll be good to go."

A sigh escapes his lips and he collapses into the chair next to yours, looking out at the panoramic view of the seascape speckled with shards of white from the reflection of the sun.

You're actually surprised and glad that he's listening to you, and resume typing up the last chapter for the story you've been posting online for free. It's easy getting back into that headspace when the silence overtakes the room, the quiet buzz of the air conditioner providing good background noise to channel your focus.

But all that is quickly shattered when Mark suddenly bolts upright, chair squeaking. He grabs onto your forearm and tugs you up to standing

"What the--Mark!"

He closes your laptop and drags you out of the door.

"Mark!" You're fighting against his iron hold even if you know it's in vain. He's not going to let you go so easily, so soon, "I didn't even save my work!"

He responds with a mere “later” as he continues dragging you out wherever he’s planned this small adventure.

Your mind immediately starts racing to all the things you still have not yet done; you forgot to send that work email that had been promised this morning, your files still need to be sorted and you briefly remember seeing your colleague’s message pop up on your screen as you were writing out your story instead of focusing on work. You mentally groan; why couldn’t have started with the ones that needed your attention the most?

It’s always this weird downward spiral in which you realize that you haven’t accomplished what you hoped you would. And then, the disappointment seeps through. Followed by shame and irritation.

Mark must have seen the look on your face, for he’s quick to press a kiss to your forehead. You blink, steered right back into the present.

“You’re getting distracted again,” he grins lopsidedly as he always does, that crooked smile that always gets your heart beating a little faster somehow, “stop that brain for a minute,” and he presses a finger to the same spot he’d kissed earlier.

“I’m trying,” you mumble out.

It’s not just work. It’s the fact that you’re not even doing a job you particularly enjoy. You spend your days wasted away at a desk, filing paperwork and printing stuff for people upon request. So whatever you do after work-hours has to be decidedly productive or towards your ideal career, that’s what your brain has trained you to think, anyway.

Every day upon coming home, it’s routine to dump the laptop and work bag on the couch before opening up your personal PC, where you’d type away at a new chapter in hopes of getting it done by the time Mark gets home for dinner. You take a small break during dinner to have nice, simple conversation, then you switch to the small art pieces you’ve been trying to create and that means splitting your time between actually making the art work and actually managing the Instagram page.

There’s no time left before bed. And the next day is the exact same cycle all over again.

No sooner have you started this so-called ‘productive’ routine that it turns toxic, though you don’t see it. Mark does and he’s reprimanded you multiple times for it.

“That much social media ain’t good for you,” he used to say as he watched you from his spot at the sink. He’s the one on cleaning duty while you’re the one cooking. It’s only fair that you divide the tasks.

“I need to do it.”

“You don’t need to do it.”

“Yes. Yes I do,” you looked at him then, “easy for you to say when you write songs for a living. That’s literally the best life anyone could ever ask for.”

“It’s a job,” Mark replied, “at the end of the day, we’re all tired.”

He’d been right that time. He’s always right.

But he came from a place of success. He had multiple opportunities to show his talent. Had the choices given to him.

And you always had to grovel as if you were being left behind.

“Alright, we’re here.”

Mark’s voice jolts you back to the present and you snap back to attention, only to gape at the entirety of seascape that dwarfs you over the horizon, beyond the bus windowpanes from behind which you’re watching. Mark’s hand finds yours, squeezing softly as he leads you out of the vehicle and it isn’t until you’re stepping onto the pavement that he throws his arms out, head tilting back up to the sky.

“Breathe in!” He sucks in a loud breath and you giggle, swat his arm for good measure, “stop it. You’re so embarrassing.”

“That’s my middle name baby,” he winks at you, causing you to swat him again as embarrassment takes over. Always the one with the flirting, even after four years together.

The roads in Dubrovnik aren’t like normal city streets. They follow the flow of the mountain, winding up and down, going narrow then expanding wide whenever it allows for space. They are flanked by multitudes of rocks and a rich foliage of green adorning the houses that line the street.

You spot other tourists making their way down the stony steps leading to the beach, where Mark is currently directing you. Beyond lies the glimmering turquoise sea water sloshing up to the bank of jagged rocks from where people are currently jumping off of. In the distance, you hear the sound of waves, the call of seagulls, the chatter of voices.

Life, in general.

"Shall we?" Mark gestures towards the stone steps leading to the beach and you nod mutely, still on the fence about leaving everything behind. Aren't you just wasting time like this? Maybe you should--

All thoughts scatter when he tugs you to him and before you know it, he's sauntering down the said stairs, whistling a tune under his breath, you in tow.

"Mark, I--"

"If it's about doing something productive, I don't wanna hear it."

Your laugh escapes you before you can stop it, "actually no, it's about the beach thing."

"What about it?" He turns to look at you and his sunglasses slip down his head to his nose. Your laugh increases tenfold and if you had taken notice of him, you would've seen the grin widening across his face.

"Well, I wanted to tell you that I'd prefer the shade," you say, following down the rest of the steps until you reach the rocky floor leading to the water, "it's hot and I don't feel like burning myself."

"That can be arranged princess."

You flush once more, swat him on the arm, "stop it you idiot.”

"You like it when I call you that huh?" Mark teases as you move to a shadier area and you pull a face at him, knowing that hitting him won't have any effect anyway.

People are everywhere; lounging along the beach on towels, sunbathing like cats in the sun, plunging in and cliff jumping like there's nothing else more important in the world.

You’re about to say something, only to be interrupted by Mark grabbing your cheeks and squishing them up.

“Gotta smile a little,” his voice is bubbly and yet, it’s the tenderness in his eyes that makes your heart feel all fuzzy, “life’s good. Right?”

“Right,” you mumble, mystified that this amazing man would want to go out with the likes of you.

But true to his promise, Mark is right. The water does cool you down and allow the thoughts to melt away as you submerge yourself. The freshness makes you gasp, hairs on the back of your neck rising with goosebumps as your body automatically moves to provide some warmth.

You can’t help but yelp when he inevitably splashes you with water, “Ugh Mark!”

He laughs, shrieking as you splash him back, “okay okay!” He giggles, ducking this way and that in an attempt to avoid your assault, “truce! I call truce!”

You lower your hands, lowering your guard and it’s only when you’re swimming away that his hands come pressing down on your shoulders.

He dunks you headfirst and you come up screaming.

“You are so annoying!” You push seawater and hair out of your eyes, hands blindly splashing him some more.

“Oh gosh Y/N,” he’s chortling and choking on water, hands coming up to shield his face, “your face! You should’ve seen your face!”

“I hate you!”

“No you don’t!”

And in a flash, his arms weave around your waist.

He blocks your arms at your sides, cages you in his hold until you’re face to face.

He grins at you with adoration in his eyes and you find yourself grinning too.

“You’re an idiot,” you murmur while his forehead leans against yours.

He chuckles softly before one of his hands slide up to cup your cheek, “an idiot for you, surely.”

“Oh stop it with the sweet talk.”

“But how am I supposed to woo your pants off?” He pouts.

“Easy. You don’t.”

"I so do."

Your hand clamps down onto his mouth, “you talk too much.”

He mumbles a string of incoherent words that make you laugh even more, only to lick your hand.

You yelp, pulling away as he smacks his lips, “hmm. Salty.”

"You are disgusting."

"But you love me."

"Not when you do that, no."

"You dooo," he whines like a kicked puppy, "you can't live without me Y/N."

Sighing, you're well aware that he's saying the truth, "you're right. I cannot--"

He's quick to interrupt with a kiss. He grins at your astounded expression. Then, heat flushes right up to your cheeks.

"Idiot," you hide your face into the crook of his neck so as not to show your embarrassment but it's of no use. Mark pulls you away to grin at your flustered expression and you know, despite the fact that you hate how transparent you are, Mark loves it terribly.

"Cute," he steals another kiss before you cab say anything else, and you splutter, "y--you--"

"Yes? I? Blew you off your feet?" He nuzzles his nose with yours, "as I always do?" And proceeds to kiss your cheek, giggling.

This is presumably what you love the most about Mark. He makes you forget the troubles of life if only to live in the moment. You can let go of everything and just be for a little while, you can relax and be yourself. The self that isn't weighed down by the numerous impossible tasks set for you.

You get cold soon enough and decide to warm up in the sun, sitting atop rocks with both legs dangling as you talk about everything, about life, about what you should do for the rest of the day.

"I'm hungry." You tell him after a while.

He hums, "what shall we eat? I know they're famous for their seafood."

You decide on walking along the street, as per what Mark likes to refer as "Hakuna Matata" style. That is, until you stumble upon a hot dog stand.

"You want that?" Mark asks after noticing the way you keep glancing back at it.

"Do you?"

He slings an arm around your shoulder with a grin, "if you want it, I want it too."

Afterwards, you decide to visit the famous Old Town, a tourist village of old stone buildings, millions of stone steps winding in and out of the main road as if you've stumbled into a fairytale. Your eyes take in the red-tiled rooftops, the buildings made up of stone pieces and the beautiful architecture that surrounds it. And you suddenly realize one thing:

You're incredibly lucky.

You are lucky to be here. Lucky to even have the opportunity to see all this.

And yet, you had been stressing about work and about not meeting deadlines.

It's when you're sitting outside on the steps leading to a random cathedral eating ice cream that you voice this out to Mark.

"Yeah you stress a lot Y/N. Sometimes you gotta just--" Mark gestures a wave with his hands, "let it go."

"I know," you mumble, finishing off the last of your ice cream, "it's easier said than done though."

His hand rubs comforting circles over your shoulder. Then, he motions for you to get up.

"Come on," he wipes the dust from his shorts, reaches a hand out for you to take, "let's go do something wild."

Turns out that "something wild" means cliff jumping on the edge of the open-air Pub that overlooked the ocean.

"You want me to jump that?" Your fear gets the better of you. You peek over the rock edge down at the deep aquamarine of the water below and wonder if this is the day you'll die.

"You better, because there's no other way down than this one," one of the other boys who had climbed up after you and Mark says. And then off he goes, catapulting into the water with a huge splash and a cry.

You look at Mark, "you want to kill me."

He laughs, a hand circling your waist before he presses a kiss to your forehead, "you want me to go first?"

"No no," you know that if Mark goes first you'll never have the courage to jump, "I'll go."

And so you do.

Taking a deep breath, you try to atabilize yourself and close your eyes. Then, without thinking twice, your feet kick off the stone and push yourself into the void, adrenaline rushing through your body.

You float in mid-air for a moment and you can't help the scream that tears out of your mouth.

And then the water hits. Your body plunges into the depths.

It's refreshing. It's cool, and the sound of rushing water fills your ears as you float up to the surface.

A grin blossoms across your face as you look up at the rocky cliff.

"Wooo!" You yell at Mark, "this is so cool!"

"Woo!" He yells back, "catapult! Incoming!"

And a second later, he's splashing in right beside you and you laugh. A full, deep-bellied laugh for the first time in ages.

"Pretty cool huh?" He pushes his wet hair back from his face and you help him, an affectionate smile on your lips, "yeah, pretty cool indeed."

"See? You would've missed all this if you were cooped up in your room," he nudges your arm with his as your hand finds support on his shoulder.

“Maybe I would’ve finished my work earlier,” you joke.

“But you’d just go back to work on something else,” he pushes a stray strand of hair behind your ear, “at least you get to enjoy yourself a little.”

“Have you ever considered doing a ted talk?” You ask him as you start swimming back towards the ladder, the cold finally seeping into your bones and making you shiver, “you might want to switch careers.”

“Nah but then I wouldn’t be able to personally counsel my girlfriend,” he looks up at you while you rummage for some dry towels. Tossing them at him, he continues, “where’s the fun in that?’

“Your girlfriend can do just fine.”

“Can she?” He raises a brow, “I don’t doubt it. But she still needs someone.”

It’s the way he looks at you as he says those words coated with nothing but a deep, full-fledged affection that makes you want to burst out into happy tears. You blink them back fiercely, turning away so as not to make a fool out of yourself as you grovel for an answer, “stop looking at me like that.”

“Like what?” His grin widens. He moves closer, chest almost touching your shoulder before he leans in and ever so slightly, murmurs into your ear, “like I love you?’

“Yes,” you narrow your eyes, “exactly that.”

Laughing some more as he winds an arm around your waist, he squeezes you to him, “love you,” he mumbles into your hair.

“Love you too.”

As the sun falls over the coast of the island, the pair of you decide to dash back to your little accommodation for a quick shower before deciding to have an early dinner by the beach. You walk along the shore spanning from one coastline to the next and as the golden hour comes up to unfurl its dreaminess onto the Croatian landscape, you can’t help but lose yourself in the beautiful way the sun glimmers over the waves to cast amber light over its surface, the sky turning a bright pinkish orange with cotton candy clouds that makes you dream forever.

You find a little spot by the rocks where the waves lap up at intervals and, with your Mcdonald burgers in hand — as basic as you are despite the abundance of amazing Dubrovnik food in the area — you sit back and watch the sun cast a final goodbye over the horizon before its like disappears.

“I actually don’t want this day to end,” is what falls out of your mouth when the final slithers of the sun drop away from view to cast shades of blue over the beach, “I don’t think I’ve laughed that much in a while.”

“It’s nice to see you like that,” Mark turns to you then, that same soft smile gracing his lips and making your heart tickle. He presses his shoulder to yours, a gesture of comfort that warms you up, “you work so much that I tend to forget how you look like when you smile—“

“Don’t be so dramatic—“

“I’m not, Y/N.” His eyes find yours, “I mean it. You come home always tired and I don’t know what’s going on because every time I ask you, you brush me away and say you don’t want to talk about it. That’s fair enough, but do you know how helpless I feel when you’re literally sleepwalking around the house? It hurts me more than you think, Y/N. And it’s worse because I can’t do anything about it.”

Everything he says rings with truth, and despite the fact that he’s being gentle and is actually saying this for your benefit, you can’t help the tears that swell up in the corner of your eyes and you look away in fear that he’ll see you sniffling, hating how ignorant you’d been of what Mark was going through because you were too wrapped up in your own little world to care.

“I’m sorry,” is what you mumble out, “I didn’t realize how bad it had become.”

Mark shakes his head before his arm weaves around your waist to tug you closer, “no need for sorry’s,” his lips ghost over your temple, “I just want you to smile more, to be happier, to have things to laugh about.”

“I’ll try to take care of myself more.”

“Yeah and I’ll be there to bully you if you don’t,” he grins against your forehead.

You push at him in response, though there’s a wide grin almost splitting your face in two as you nuzzle even closer to try and hide your face into the crook of his neck. A comfortable silence takes hold and you bask in the serenity it brings; here with Mark and with remnants of salt on the tip of your tongue, you allow yourself this moment to enjoy the lapping of waters, the soft rocking of boats tied to the harbor, the call of birds to signal the end of the day. And you know that you’d live for more days like this with Mark at your side.

“Hey,” Mark’s murmur causes you to blink up at him, only for his mouth to descend on yours, sealing that moment with a sweet kiss.

You stifle a breath to kiss back, one of your hands sliding up to press along his neck to deepen it. His tighten his hold around your waist and as your bodies press together, your mouths start moving in sync, slowly, slow waves softly bobbing and meeting half-way. Goosebumps rise along the back of your neck, heat coiling through your stomach the more you keep kissing, the more your lips chase each other’s as if there’s nothing else in the world that matters but this moment, this touch from him to you, from you to him.

Mark tilts his head to the side and you angle yours as you feel the warmth of his tongue licking along your bottom lip. You open up to him, allowing him to delve in as a soft whimper jumps out from your throat. He grunts in response and pulls you even closer if that’s possible.

As light-headed as you feel, you pull away in order to halt yourself from getting too carried away by the magic of it all. You are in a public space after all and definitely not in an appropriate one to exchange such intimacy.

Mark’s forehead finds its way to yours and he grins down at you wickedly, the same little mischievous boy that has stolen your heart for safekeeping.

“Thank you,” you breathe out in the comfortable silence wrapping you up in a cocoon of warmth you’d like to call home, “thank you for taking care of me.”

“Thank you,” he says back before pressing one last kiss to your lips, “for loving me.”

“Ew, how are you so cheesy?” You try to wrinkle your nose, even lean back for good measure, but he beats you to it by caging you in his hold and chuckling when it’s clear you won’t be able to get out so easily.

“Just for you, baby,” he smiles at you easily and your heart melts in your chest.

Mark’s right. You need to stop, and breathe, and live a little more. All this time you’ve been running around the clock in a competition against no one but your own shadow, and at the end of the day, you’re still human. You still need to rest, to have peace, to have love. And to be loved.

To be loved, and to give more love.

And you can’t think of anyone else you’d like to share it with other than Mark.

[leegemma]

Hi! It's Gemma.

So I wrote this one really really quickly and I only now realized that I was supposed to work on my marvel one 😫. So I am so sorry and I promise to finish the marvel one very soon.

This one is a harry potter one! Now, here's the thing: last time i watched a Harry Potter movie was probably 5 years ago. But I was a huge fan when I was younger, so I hope it's fine.

Enjoy:))

Warning:

This is a tickle fic!!!

***************************************

You looked up to the sky, looking at the pretty sky on this pretty summer day. You were sitting outside next to the lake with your three best friends. Chatting about anything.

"We'll have to take an exam later today. Have you prepared, Ronald?" Hermione turned to look at the scared looking Ron.

"I- I don't want to answer that!" Ron huffed and crossed his arms.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Of course you don't. Harry, what about you?"

Harry, who was looking lost in thought (as always), turned to hermione. "Hm?"

Hermione groaned. "Seriously, you two! You have to study more! I bet y/n did!"

All three heads turned to you, which made you blush slightly.

"I uhh... yeah, I think I'm ready."

Hermione proudly at you. "That's what I'm talking about!"

She went to pull you in for a friendly side hug but was stopped when Ron poked her side. Instead, she squealed and jumped. "Ronald!"

You looked over to see Ron smirking a bit at Hermione, then shrugging his shoulders. "Maybe that'll get you to stop annoying me and Harry." He then jumped right at the girl and started tickling her mercilessly.

You quickly jumped out of their way and crawled over to where harry was sitting.

"You don't want to get in their little fight?" He asked you, an amused expression on his face.

You shook your head and smiled at him. "If anyone ever found out how ticklish I am I don't think I'll be able to walk aro-" you slapped your head onto your mouth. Eyes widening.

Suddenly Hermione's hysterical laughter calmed down and you looked over to see both her and Ron staring at you blankly. Only starting to smirk evily a couple of seconds after realizing.

You got up and went to hide behind Harry.

"N-no! Harry's not gonna let you!"

"Let us what, y/n?" Ron asked teasingly.

"Why do you look so scared, y/n?" Hermione started wiggling her fingers towards you.

"Stohop! Harry, help!" You held on to his shoulders while he was still sitting on the grass.

"No can do." He shrugged again, a smile on his face this time.

"Jeherk" you giggled in anticipation, trying to protect yourself from the two monsters who were slowly making their way towards you.

"No. I don't think we will." With that, Ron quickly grabbed your arms and wrestled you to the ground gently. Managing to pin your arms over your head while he sat behind your head.

"That's great, thank you Ron." Hermione came over and sat on your hips. Giggling with you as she started slowly stroking your neck.

After about a minute of gentle tickles, Ron was starting to get bored and decided to take matters to his own hands by quickly letting go of your wrists and digging into your armpits. Making you scream.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I guess that means go..." and with that, she started kneading your sides and hips.

"Harry! Get her legs and feet!" Ron yelled.

Harry seemed to think about it for a while, then nodded and walked over. Sitting next to your legs and digging under your knees.

"I CAHANT ANYHYMORE!" You finally said after a few minutes of heaven torture.

The three giggled and got off you. Hermione immidiatly going in to hug you and the boys slowly joining in.

"I hope we didn't take it too far?" She moved a piece of your hair behind your ear.

You shook your head, your face heating up. "It was actually kind of fun..."

Ron started smirking again and was just about to poke your side when you moved out of the way. "Buhut noho mohore! I had enough for today"

Ron went back to hugging you. "Whatever you say..."

[dynamic-k]

How you doin'

I think I finally broke out of the Writer's Block!! Time to celebrate with a coffee!

I also started writing the next chapter of the Guessing Game, uhhhh, whoops, why has it taken me eleven days-

I am also making a lot of headway on the next Arc Two chapter, and I am so unbelievably excited to bring it to completion because more LOREEEE!! And more subtle things to decipher, hehehe

And other not-so-subtle things... Yeah...

And also, uhm, a certain mother of the Alcoholic Twins, *cough, cough* Mum Rum *cough, cough*

I need to keep my mouth shut, cursors...

Why do I let you all ask me things-

Next thing I know, I'll be explaining King's full motives in way too much detail... '= w =

ANYWAY

Yes, I am doing swell and well, and good mood. U v U

Even though the Alan Becker Minecraft server has been very captivating as of late, and I find myself not writing as much because I want to hang out with Alan Becker fandom people-

WHICH BY THE WAY

I am on that server a lot, as Dynamic_K, so feel so free to say Hi and whatnot, I love meeting you all. :D

And you may also call me Scarlett, I don't care a bit.

Golden Boy, I thiiiiink, is going to still take me a while, even though I've actually made really good headway for the first time since I made chapter 2. It's gonna be so long, lol. I wrote down the plot outline, for the most part, and I just need to fill in the actual words. (Some of which is already done, hence my prediction about the chapter being like 10,000+ words, lol)

Don't ask me about A Second's Tale just yet. That's still sitting on the backburner of my incredibly spacious Mind Stove, simmering every now and then as I slowly piece together how I want the plot to go. I NEVER HAD A SPECIFIC PLAN FOR THAT FIC, IT'S GETTING TRICKY-

I'll finish it all, eventually, though. I promise!! I never EVER abandon a fic.

That's like my motto at this point!

...besides the Second punnery, the "I don't believe I have the faintest notion what you're insinuating" and some other things I say often...

*cough*

Anyway!

Yeah, I think that's it for major updates.

Feel free to clarify more specific inquiries in mah Askity Boxity-

OH STICK

I JUST REALIZED I FORGOT TO POST MY "Idea Box"!!

I had an idea, hehe, about three weeks ago now, oops-

That I could-

OH, never mind, you'll see, I'll get that out soon.

SHUHHCE

I HAVE SO MANY THINGS TO DO, WHYYY

[otterandterrierwrites]

I promise I'll give you 32 sentences of the Vampire AU soon but, as I mentioned, I happened to be working on the least popular option today: 5 times they didn't do it + one time they did (title tbd)

and hey, I get it, it's not a very descriptive title! so I'll tell you!

this fic was inspired by TPATS (again? I knowww), specifically by it implying Han and Leia didn't have sex until the victory celebration on Endor, and... the whole mess that was their wedding night tbh

basically it got me thinking why on earth would they have not had sex yet, and because my whole thing is apparently becoming "take something you hate and make it better", I had to write that as five times they were close-ish to having sex, but didn't - and one time they did (it's actually two times, sort of, don't worry about it)

anyway, I just finished scene #1 and it's +3k words, so I guess this will be multichapter rather than a vignettes thing

here's a snippet:

‘I’m an adult,’ she spat out. ‘I mean, how—how old are you?’ She had done her due diligence and had a background check done on Han soon after Yavin IV, before she’d tried to pitch him for a high-stakes mission. The report had been a labyrinthine list of facts that contradicted each other and conjecture, with vast lagoons of information sprinkled through. There had been at least three different records of his age. Needless to say, she was eager for him to supply at least that piece of the puzzle. ‘Near thirty-one.’ Leia sucked in a sharp breath. ‘Scandalous.’ ‘Yeah, well. You’d come here looking for companionship and stress relief a month ago, it woulda been.’ Han sighed. ‘Sit down, I’ll get ya a glass of water.’

[spaceyflowerswriting]

i hope this request doesn't sound weird or complicated but, young (like, elementary young) seongjun and reader as playmates? you don't have to write it if it's too weirdkshfovbaofj

but if you do then thank you 💕💖💗💘💝💞💖💞💗💝💞💖💝💗💞💝💗💞💖

proposal (kid!seongjun and kid!reader)

details: fluffy drabble, gender neutral reader but written in 2nd pov, general canon au, you and seongjun are kids and neighbors + friends

summary: seongjun's mother explains what marriage is after he unintentionally proposes to you.

a/n: no worries, this is a very cute request!! thank you for requesting it, anon :]

×

"What's that?"

"I'm making a ring."

"Why?"

"For you."

"Why?"

"I'll tell you later."

"Why?"

Seongjun attempted to give you a light shove for being annoying but you dodged it just in time, giggling. He pouted at you before going back to his ring made of paper. You scooted closer again to continue watching his progress. It wasn't really a work of art, but you weren't sure if you could do any better.

"Okay, there." He finished up smoothing out a piece of tape on the side and then grabbed your hand. As soon as he slipped the ring on your finger, his mother walked back into the living room.

"Who wants oranges--" She gasped, eyebrows rising when she saw you two. "Oh my, what did I walk into?"

"What?" questioned Seongjun, sounding a bit agitated. Despite being as clueless as you, his cheeks turned red simply because his mother had that particular teasing tone.

"Seongjun, I knew you liked them," his mother said in a singsong voice, only increasing Seongjun's agitation. She sat down across you two and placed the plate of oranges down, sliding it over.

You popped an orange slice in your mouth as Seongjun tried to defend himself. "I don't like-like them. I just like them."

"Isn't that what I said?"

"Mooom!"

"I'm serious!" His mother chuckled, resting her arms on the table. She pointed to the ring on your hand that Seongjun was still holding. "You know that's what couples do?"

You still had a mouthful of oranges but replied, "The ring?"

"Mhm. Giving each other rings is like a promise people make when they really love each other. Sometimes it is just a promise, but other times it goes straight into weddings. It's called a marriage proposal." Her eyes twinkled as she looked at her son. "Did you make your neighbor a ring because you want to make them a promise of love?"

Seongjun continued to turn red. Honestly, you were a little embarrassed, too, but at least you weren't in your friend's position. Actually...

You made a big grin. "Why did you give me the ring? You said you'd tell me later."

The look of ultimate betrayal was on his face. He opened and closed his mouth, speechless for a moment. And then, "Just for fun... but..." He became more quiet. "It was kind of supposed to be like a promise thing. Like... friends forever..." He finally let go of your hand. "I didn't know about the marriage thing, though!"

"Yeah, right," you continued to tease, "I don't even want you as my husband."

"How would you know that?!"

Seongjun's mother laughed at the scene. "Calm down, honey, I was just teasing in the first place. You kids are much too young to be thinking about love." She reached a hand over to ruffle her son's hair and pat your head. Her voice softened when she added, "But have fun until then. And I'll make sure to save up enough money for whenever you choose to have a wedding, Jun."

The mention of money made you and Seongjun freeze up. You both exchanged sad glances before looking back at his mother.

She was still smiling, and was quick to change the topic. "But for the ring, I'll give you mine to pass on to your lover." Her eyes settled onto you. "Which will be you, yes?"

Now that you were the center of attention, you felt your own face growing warm. Seongjun was snickering, though. Didn't that fool know he was still being made fun of?

[anotherkindofmindpod]

Have just listened to Ep. 4 of A Mistake in Many Ways. *gulp* Oh boy... you did warn us! 😢

Thanks for all the incredible research. It’s really fascinating and I’m just hoping it makes its way into the books. (Unless you’re planning on writing your own book – I hope so!)

One question: what do you think was happening with the other two at this time?

I’ve noticed that both Paul and John are inclined to say “we” , meaning “we three” – but I'd love to know what “we”, i.e. George and Ringo, actually thought about the breakup (when it occurred and who was to blame and whether it was inevitable or avoidable).

Do you think they thought it was still fixable in early ‘70? And did they take any steps to fix things? I wonder if they encouraged John and Paul to talk, or were they past caring?

I've seen some contradictory accounts here so would really appreciate the AKOM lens on this if you have time. 😊

Thanks as ever!

Well, Ringo and George definitely wanted the Beatles to continue and believed they would (unless, of course, they were lying and making empty promises to the public) in spring of 1970.

In fact, weeks after Paul's announcement George was STILL saying he wanted the Beatles to continue! Here are some quotes: GEORGE HARRISON: So in a way, it's a great relief for us all to be able to work separately at the same time. And so maybe if I get a chance, I'd like to do an album as well, just to get rid of a lot of songs. So maybe I'll do a George album. And so I'll try and get that together sometime during this summer. And I expect by that time, we should be ready to do a new Beatle album. [...] I certainly don't want to see the end of the end of the Beatles. And I know I'll do anything, you know. Whatever Paul, George, Ringo would like to do, I'll do it. As long as we can all be free to be individuals at the same time. -March 6th DAVID WIGG: Because nobody wants the (Beatles to) split. I mean, the general public don't want the split. Beatle fans don't want the split... RINGO: And the Beatles don't want one really, either. -March 25 -- DAVID FROST: Will we ever see the four of you in concert again? Or only on records do you think? RINGO: Only on records up til now. At the moment what we're all doing... I'm doing my album, I just finished it, everyone else is doing albums... and maybe when we get all them out the way... we'll make a few more (Beatles) records. FROST: But not concerts at this point? RINGO: Not yet, no. -March 29 And here is George on May 1st (after Paul's announcement) w? Howard Smith:

Q: "You think the Beatles will get together again, then?"

GEORGE: "Uhh... Well, I don't... I couldn't tell, you know, if they do or not. I'll certainly try my best to do something with them again, you know. I mean, it's only a matter of accepting that the situation is a compromise. In a way it's a compromise, and it's a sacrifice, you know, because we all have to sacrifice a little in order to gain something really big. And there is a big gain by recording together -- I think musically, and financially, and also spiritually. And for the rest of the world, you know, I think that Beatle music is such a big sort of scene -- that I think it's the least we could do is to sacrifice three months of the year at least, you know, just to do an album or two. I think it's very selfish if the Beatles don't record together." __ It is our contention that John's plan (which he got George and Ringo on board with) was for the Beatles to take a break, do solo projects and get back together at a TBD point in the future. And that Paul was supposed to ignore/forget John's "I Want a Divorce" statement (which John either changed his mind about or didn't mean in the first place and never intended to follow through on). All the evidence shows this was the case. The ONLY piece of contradictory "evidence" is John's post-McCartney LP insistence that he did in fact mean to quit in September 1969 (i.e. before Paul). p.s. our final episode in the series is COMING SOON!!!

[mell-eight]

Busy Bee

Busy Bee http://melleightsblog.weebly.com/blog/busy-bee

1/21/24

I have been so busy with writing stuff and chores lately, which is phenomenal!  I'm feeling really accomplished.  I know this level of work ethic will fade away whenever whatever adrenaline or manic energy fueling it is used up, but I'm taking advantage while I can. 

The most exciting thing is Soul Bond is completely ready for release.  Those who pre-ordered at NSP will get their copy in a few short days.  I expect the purchasing information for other retailers to be available imminently, and I will share as soon as it's there.  Soul Bond comes out on January 30th! 

As promised, I pulled out The Prince and gave it a final edit.  I was able to shine up some rough spots and I am very, very happy with how it turned out.  I went ahead and formatted for submission, and sent The Prince to NSP for their consideration.  I do think they'll like it, but I will let you know what they say as soon as I hear.  Editing The Prince was exhausting, though, so I did pause in the middle for a mental health break.  Rather than work on something else, for some reason I found myself up in my third floor library, putting together a bookshelf that had been languishing in pieces for over two years.  If only all my procrastination efforts led to getting old tasks accomplished. Lol  Thanks to the bookshelf actually being able to hold things, I was able to take piles of books that had been sitting on the floor and put them away, which means my library is less of a mess than before.  I still need at least one more bookshelf, but for now it's a step in the right direction. 

After The Prince and the bookshelf, I turned toward editing tasks.  I received the copy edit for Gifting a Dragon's Heart.  The copy editor called the story "sweet" and loved the world building, so I will happily call this story a win.  After I finished that, I rewarded myself by working on my latest paint by numbers project. The next step for this book is getting the cover, so I'm very excited!  I should also have a potential release date to share soon too. 

Lastly, I have been writing!  The Spy has reached 26k words and I haven't even reached the halfway point.  However, I am about to write a big battle scene, after which the plot does shift into the second half.  I think there's a good chance this story will reach 60k, so closer to the length from the first book (The Chef).  While all the books have very intriguing magic, I'm finding the magic in The Spy to be the funnest, which makes writing this story very interesting.  I am hopeful I'll have this story completed in the next few weeks, and can therefore start focusing on some new material soon. 

[sindevilslit]

Yes hello I am sure u can recognize who i be once I say this (deep breath) 👏I👏LOVE👏YOUR👏JACKLE👏SO👏MUCH👏 I wanted to request a little sketch of him and Reala being bros if thats okay ^^

Hope y'all like B̵l̸u̵r̴r̶y̵ ̸i̵m̵a̶g̵e̶r̴y̵

[yutanology]

Kids (Prologue)| NCT Dream × Fem!Reader

Warning : cliche, a few cusses, little fluff, possessiveness, NCT Dream being bratty and stubborn. No proofread :(

Synopsis : Y/n somehow ended up helping Mark babysit his stepbrothers for the weekend. That two days of babysitting soon turned into frequent days of her visiting them as they would throw a fit if she wouldn't. When she thought everything would be fine soon, it only became worse as time passed by.

Take note that Mark and Y/n are at the same age(15). 00 line are 7 while Chenle is 6 and Jisung is 5.

"Vroom! Vroom! Vrooom!" Jisung said loudly through his pouted lips. He was sitting on his big toy car, imitating the roaring machine of an actual car.

Behind him was Chenle pushing him on all sides of the wide nursery room to make Jisung feel like he's really driving the car. The younger kid raised both his hands up, enjoying the ride and the room was filled with their cute giggles.

"Hey, slow down. You might get hurt—" Mark immediately cut his own words, replacing it with a loud yelp when the wheels of the car they were riding ran on his toes. "Ahhh!" he instinctively crouched down to hold his toes that were now throbbing in pain.

The duo didn't even bother to look back at him and ask if he's okay cuz they're too entertained to even notice his suffering.

"Y/n, help!" he called out for the female who just entered the room carrying a very hyper Haechan on her arms that she chased around the house for almost half an hour so she could get him to wear his pants.

She had such a great time giving him a bath. Haechan splashed water on her clothes, saying that he wanted her to join him on his bubble bath. Ending him getting her hoodie soaked wet (she took it off and let it dry), thankfully, her shirt was safe.

He wanted to play with her all the time. He doesn't want her to take a break even for a damn minute and he never ran out of some things he'd like to say. Either he makes sense or not, he doesn't care.

She wasn't supposed to be here. She was supposed to be enjoying her time alone at home while it's still weekend but here she is, babysitting her friend's stepbrothers. It just so happened that she met Mark's parents when both of them walked home together yesterday from school.

They had a little chitchat and eventually got along. Then that's when they asked her a favor to help Mark take care of his stepbrothers during the weekend as they won't be able to keep an eye on them because of their busy schedules.

She was about to decline until she heard that they're going to pay her a fair price. Yup, she needed money that's why she agreed with them. Her family is not as rich as the Lees so she can't always get the things she wanted to buy. So in order to be able to, she had to work for it. She got her parent's permission that night, letting her do what she wanted.

"Why? What happened?" she asked Mark, trying to keep Haechan still or he'll fall down but she decided to put his feet on the floor. "Nooo! Carry me! Carry me!" Haechan whined, holding his arms up to her.

She tiredly sighed, picking him up again. She knew the last thing to do to him is to make him upset. He'd cry nonstop and would totally be mad at everyone. She didn't want that. Things would be harder to handle than it already is right now.

"My toes freaking hurt! I don't think I'll be able to stand up." He over exaggerated.

Y/n approached him to check if he's alright then found his toes flamming red. "Oh god, uhm, I'll go get some ice or something. I don't know how to treat that but I hope it would help." she rushed to the kitchen with Haechan still on her arms.

Opening the top of the fridge, she saw an ice pack. She grabbed it and was about to close the fridge when Haechan spotted the fruit popsicles. "I want that." he pointed at the sweet treats that caught his attention.

She reached the first popsicle, "I don't like that. I want the strawberry." then she gave him one. He better not have cavities for eating too much sweets or else she'd be blamed for it.

She helped him get rid of the plastic wrapper, throwing it on the trash bin before letting him eat the fruit popsicle. His eyes almost literally twinkled once the cold strawberry treat touched his tongue. At least, he's happy now.

They both went back to the room, handing Mark the ice pack to help it ease the pain on his poor toes. "Thanks." Mark sighed and she nodded, sitting beside him on the sofa but their eyes are still on the kids just to make sure they're okay.

"Where are your maids? Aren't they supposed to be helping us here?"

"They all went home to their families. Only our cook and our driver are the only workers left here." That explains why she didn't bump into someone else in this house.

Renjun was not so far from them. He's quietly sitting on the carpeted floor attaching puzzle pieces together, focusing on completing the picture into whole. Despite the whole chaos going on around him, he somehow found peace on the corner of the room.

Well, not until he found out that Jeno was chewing on the other puzzle pieces. He's been trying to look at the missing items on his puzzle only to find out that they're with Jeno all the time.

The two kids fought. Renjun was huffing mad while Jeno was crying. Even though he already said sorry, Renjun doesn't seem to forgive him anytime soon for ruining his puzzle that he worked on for hours since this morning.

Mark limped his way to Jeno to calm him down and Y/n took care of Renjun (and Haechan, of course). She was in the middle of a conversation with Renjun when she felt a tug on her shirt.

Looking down, she saw a sleepy Jaemin rubbing his eyes. "I'm sleepy." he said. He must've been worn out from joining Haechan at every trouble he initiated.

"Oh, wait a second." she told him, he silently nodded.

"Haechan, can you please sit here with Renjun for a while?" she carefully put him beside the said boy.

"Huh? But why? Where are you going?" he asked her after he took out the popsicle out of his mouth.

She lifted Jaemin on her arms this time which Haechan frowned at. "I'll just go take him to his room. I'll be back, I promise." She waited him to say something but he stayed silent, glaring at the boy playing her hair, completely unaware of the piercing gaze of his stepbrother.

"Uhm, we'll go now..." she awkwardly informed him before making her way out of the room for the nth time of the day. This time, she's the one unaware of Jaemin sticking his tongue at Haechan to tease him. Before he could stomp his way to him, Y/n was already out of the room with Jaemin, leaving both Renjun and Haechan angry of different reasons.

Throughout the whole time she carried Jaemin to his room, he continued to play with her hair. Twirling silky strands of her hair on his small fingers, droopy eyes slowly closing and his head weighed on her shoulder.

Assuming that he fell asleep, Y/n could only sigh in relief that one of the most chaotic step brothers finally took his rest. After climbing a few more flight of stairs, she reached his room at last. The whole mansion is too big for her liking but she's not the one living here so she can't have something to say to it.

She pushed the door open, laying Jaemin on his queen sized bed then she covered half of his body with his comforters. "Sleep well, Jaemin." she kissed his forehead before she left him and he slept with a smile adorning his lips.

"What took you so long?" Haechan immediately asked her, arms crossed on his chest and his brows still furrowed together. "Haechan, you know how far Jaemin's room is from here. Come on, stop being sulky. I'm already here."

She glanced at Mark reading a book for Jisung, Chenle and Jeno on the table. "Why don't you join them?" Haechan shook his head. "Because I don't want to."

"Aren't you going to take your afternoon nap too?"

"No."

"What about—" he didn't let her finish her words as he stood up and stomped away out of the nursery room. He left her there confused. Renjun who had finally cooled off his anger approached her.

"He's mad at you."

Y/n looked down at him. "I just tucked Jaemin to sleep. Why'd he gotta make a big deal about it?" she asked as if she's talking to herself. Renjun knew the answer but didn't blurt out anything about it instead he held her hand.

"Can we go pick flowers on the garden?" she smiled at him with a nod. "Yeah, sure. Let's go."

[slut4dympna]

Heyyy bestie! Just have a quick question, do you have any new fics planned??

boy, oh boy, do i have some fics planned .

CURRENTLY IN PROGRESS

NON-REQUESTED WORKS

'futile devices' - joe (mammal) x reader - rated E, 18+

sequel to 'care for you', very long awaited i am aware, thank you for being so patient with me. will contain copious amounts of both fluff and smut to make up for this <3

'old money' - dympna devers x reader - rated M, 18+

oneshot continuing the concept i proposed with my arranged marriage hcs a little while back. i've written it so it could easily be a standalone, but if people are interested, could also be a series !!

'i would never pretend to not know you' - joe (mammal) x reader - rated E, 18+

if you couldn't tell, a continuation of my normal people au. yes i had to make that quote the title, yes i do apologise for any heartbreak it may cause you.

REQUESTED WORKS

all of these are currently untitled simply because i am uncreative with titles and will not be able to settle on anything until i have finished the entire thing </3

martin (killing of a sacred deer) x reader - rated T

wherein you are martin's best friend, get jealous of him and kim, and then get thoroughly comforted by him. rated t for the canon-typical weirdness of martin's character and the whole story lol

the scavenger (green knight) x reader - rated T

just some general scavenger hcs because i am yet to write anything proper for him and wanted to start off simple ! again rated T for the canonical themes

martin (killing of a sacred deer) x goth!reader - rated T

martin rambling abt his sexy goth s/o because its what we all need . (promise there will actually be more plot than this)

dympna devers x reader - rated M, 17+

let me tell you this request alone is heartbreaking enough, i am only extending the suffering. only rated M because its so so angsty and is canon-typically dark and violent. if you're familiar with the ending of tasm2.... prepare your heart is all i can say

dympna devers x reader - rated T

some good old fashioned enemies to lovers <3 packed full of fluff to make up for the angst of the other dymp fic in progress

dympna devers x reader - rated T

maybe i'll sandwich the angst in between these other two because this one will be lovely and wholesome as well ! a little birthday themed drabble where dymp realises all you really need to have a good day is some time with him

TO BE POSTED SOON ...

12-day writing challenge - multiple barry characters x reader - all fics rated E (18+) for gore, violence, dark themes, etc.

in celebration of my return to this blog, i wanted to do a challenge / prompt series that really caters to my own writing interests. therefore, i would like to say, that these mini fics definitely will not be for everyone !! and that's okay !! i've taken six of my favourite / the most popular barry characters and over twelve days, will publish two fics for each of them. each fic is based on a goretober prompt selected randomly from a huge list i found. individual warnings will be posted with each mini fic, but here's the character and prompt schedule now to give you a little preview:

day one : dympna devers + run

day two : martin (koasd) + stitched together

day three : the scavenger (gk) + antlers

day four : joe (mammal) + organs

day five : george (dunkirk) + rotting

day six : druig + plant growth

day seven : dympna devers + darts

day eight : martin (koasd) + melting flesh

day nine : the scavenger (gk) + frostbite

day ten : joe (mammal) + self-mutilation

day eleven : george (dunkirk) + blind

day twelve : druig + marionette

i'm planning to start posting these at the end of this week / beginning of next week so stay tuned for that !!

i'm going to keep this as my masterlist of sorts until i have enough fics / pieces to make an actual one !! so check back here for updates on any of these very soon <3

[tyongxnct]

𝘗𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 - 𝘛𝘦𝘯

pairing: Ten x reader

summary: Your best friend finally became your boyfriend, but not longer after that, he got a once in a lifetime opportunity. Ten didn’t know If he should take the offer, you only started dating recently but you would never hold him back. Going to a dance school in New York City? You know how much Ten loves dancing and you also know that you could make this work. But after a couple months, your relationship was slowly falling apart. 

song: Pillow - Bebe Rexha

genre: bestfriends-to-lovers!au, long-distance!au, angst, smut, fluff

warnings: smut (that’s it i guess)

word count: 5.6k

A/N: I’ll probably take a song fic break after this one! I hope you enjoy this!! have fun reading :)

taglist: @aesthetichrj​, @bitchenderyy​, @bvbyxuxi​, @chitaphrrrr​

this is fiction!

© tyongxnct on all platforms

I just wanna kiss your face I just wanna feel your gaze I just wanna, I just wanna I just wanna be where you are I just wanna feel your touch I'm not asking for too much I just wanna, I just wanna I just wanna wake up where you are

You missed the way he kissed you. You missed the way he looked at you with so much adoration, you missed his touch on your skin.

You missed him, you missed Ten.

“I miss you.” You whispered, half asleep. You were facetiming Ten and it’s been almost two months since he left.

“I miss you more.” Ten smiled as he watched you slowly fall asleep.

“That’s not possible.”

Ten looked at you with those eyes again.

“What?”

“Nothing. You’re just so pretty.”

“Shut up.” You said shyly.

“But it’s the truth.”

“I love you.”

“I love you more.” And then you fell asleep. That was your routine. Facetime with Ten until you fell asleep.

Yes, you missed him and you would prefer to sleep next to him, but Ten was living his dream and his happiness was your happiness.

I used to think that love was just so easy But I couldn't be less right Yeah I finally found someone perfect, just for me Gotta fly thousands of miles, yeah

four months ago

“Why? Please tell me, why is it so hard to find the perfect guy? Is there not a single guy who’s interested in me? Am I going to die alone? Am I too ugly to be loved?” you cried out.

Ten sighed. He wanted to tell you so bad that you were the prettiest girl in the entire world and that he would love you forever, but he was just you’re best friend. You didn’t like him like that. Right?

“No you’re not, now shut up and focus on new girl.”

“Is it too much I’m asking for? I just want someone to love me. Like really love me. Am I not loveable?” you asked him.

You looked at the screen and watched Nick and Jess share their first (and absolutely amazing and passionate) kiss.

“I want what they have! Look at the way he kisses her! I want that, I need that!”

After watching a couple more episodes of new girl, Ten decided to go home. He wanted to kiss you so bad, he imagined it the whole time instead of focusing on new girl. “You can stay the night if you want to.” You told him.

“Nah, I should go home. Lucas texted me and asked me to take Bella out since he’s busy with whatever her name was.”

“Fine. Text me when you get home.” You hugged your best friend goodbye before he left and he hugged you back, a little longer than normal. You were standing in front of the door and just hugged each other.

A couple minutes later he left and you missed his touch.

With a sad sigh you closed the door and went to the kitchen. You wanted to drink something, but suddenly the doorbell rang.

“Did you forget-“

You opened the door and saw Ten standing there and before you could finish your question, Ten pressed his lips on yours to shut you up. You didn’t move at first, your head was spinning, you weren’t sure if it was the alcohol or just the fact that Ten, you’re best friend who you secretly loved more than anything else on this planet, kissed you with so much passion.

You pulled him closer as you put your arms around his neck. You were kissing him back and you accidently let out a moan when he put his tongue inside your mouth. You were never, ever kissed like this.

He softly pulled away to let you breathe again. Ten licked over his lips and stepped back.

“You’re the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen. You’re absolutely beautiful and I couldn’t stop myself from kissing you. I-I’m sorry If I just destroyed our friendship, but I need you to know how I feel about you. I don’t want you to date random men, I don’t want you to think that you are not enough, because fuck, you are. You are perfect and I want to love you like you deserved to be loved. If you let me.”

You looked at him with teary eyes. Ten, your best friend who you were crushing on for years, your best friend who helped you find cute outfits for your dates, even though he hated every second of you looking cute for another guy, your best friend who just confessed to you.

“I love you.” You blurred out.

Ten’s eyes widened.

“Shit, did I say it too soon?” you looked down to your feet.

“Fuck I love you too.” And without hesitation he pulled you closer to kiss you again, “I love you so much.” He said in between kisses.

That’s how your relationship started. He stayed the night and told Lucas to take care of Bella himself. He wanted to spend some time with his best- no, his girlfriend.

You were dating for three months now, and you can’t remember a time you were happier. You loved to go on dates with Ten, but you also loved the nights you had just dance battles at home. Ten always won, he was a dancer after all. Dancing was his passion, he loved it and he was the greatest dancer you’ve ever seen and when he told you about the school he wanted to apply to, you encouraged him to do it. One day, he got an email, but he was too scared to read it so he rushed over to your apartment.

“It’s going to be fine.” You assured him.

“C-Can you read it? Please?”

You smiled softly, “Sure.”

You opened the email and read it out loud, “Dear Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul, I would like to congratulate you for winning a scholarship in our school-“

“Oh my god I’m in?” he couldn’t believe it.

“You are in! I knew you would make it!” you hugged him tightly and he hugged you back even tighter after he realized that he had to leave you.

“I can’t believe this.” He mumbled into your neck.

“I can! You deserve this so much, I’m so proud of you Ten.” You pressed a kiss on his shoulder before you pulled back to look him in the eyes. “I love you.”

“I love you too. So much.” He said sadly.

“What’s wrong. Why are you not smiling and dancing?” you smiled softly.

“I-It’s in New York. I don’t want to leave you, maybe I should refuse-” He said unsure but you interrupted him.

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence. Ten, Baby, I love you and I promise you that everything is going to be fine. You worked so hard, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, I’ll love you no matter where you are. We can make this work.”

You tried to stop yourself from crying so bad, you bit your lip almost too painfully.

“You are right. We’ll make this work. Thank you for believing in me.” He kissed every inch of your face, “You are the best girlfriend in this entire world. I love you so much.”

It took you so long to finally be with Ten and now you had a long-distance relationship. But your love was so strong, you could make this work. You promised each other to make this work.

I'll be alright, just one more night I'll be just fine, holdin' my pillow Pretending it's you though I'll be alright, just one more night I'll be just fine, holdin' my pillow Pretending it's you though

Babe 03:23: Sorry baby, we practiced a little longer than usual. You’re probably sleeping right now, sweet dreams. I love you and I’ll call you tomorrow. I promise.

You were actually still awake, you couldn’t fall asleep. You were worried and you missed him so much that you had to wait for an answer.

You threw the pillow you were hugging against the wall and sat up. You took your phone in your hand and smiled brightly as you called him on facetime. It’s been two minutes since he called, why did it take him so long to answer? You called him again and when he didn’t answer you texted him a simple good night and I love you.

You grabbed your pillow again and hugged it tightly. You tried to stop yourself from crying, but it was so hard. It’s been 7 months since Ten left, and the first couple months of your long-distance relationship was easy, you talked every day and texted often too, you would facetime before you would go to sleep and he would send you random pictures and videos of New York and his dance school so you would know about his lifestyle there.

But now he’s been pretty busy and you would talk maybe three times a week if he had time. He would answer your texts when you were asleep or not at all. Sometimes you were worried that he was overworking himself, but he assured you that everything was chill and easy. So why was he acting so distant?

Maybe tomorrow will be a better day, you told yourself as you tried to fall asleep. You would try to call him tomorrow and tell him that you were sad and that you missed him. Communication is the key after all, but for now, you’d cry into your pillow and imagine it was Ten you were hugging.

I need a minute to breathe you in Just a second to taste your skin I just gotta, I just gotta Feel you here right next to me Can we please just go back in time Those lazy Sundays, you and I 'Cause every hour and every day Is more painful when you're away

It was the last night before Ten would leave for New York. You spend the last month everyday together, it was almost like he moved in with you, but you pushed back that thought to stop your heart from hurting.

“Is it tasty?” you asked him.

You had ordered some Pizza and he asked you if you wanted a piece. You refused at first but now you wanted some and he laughed at your cute acting and gave you his last two pieces. “No it’s too much.” You giggled. “Just eat it, we both know that you could finish another box of Pizza baby.”

“Well, that’s true.”

He put his head on your lap while you were eating the last piece of Pizza. “You look so hot from here eating that Pizza. Tomato sauce on your lips, wow, baby, I get hard just looking at you from here.” He joked and you slapped him softly.

“Don’t make fun of me or you can sleep on the floor.”

Ten pouted, “You wouldn’t do that.”

You spent the next hours just laying lazily on your couch and cuddling. You would miss nights like these the most, just being with him and talking about everything that came to your minds. You loved it and you loved him.

You didn’t notice him crawl between your legs as you laid against the armrest. “What do you think? Should we take this off?” he pulled on your shirt.

“Maybe we should.” You smirked, “And maybe you should take your shirt off too.”

And he did. He took off his shirt first before he slowly, teasingly took off yours. You were just wearing a shirt and panties and now you were almost completely naked under him. “You’re so hot.” You heard him say before he started kissing your boobs. His hand softly caressed your pussy over your panties.

Your nipples hardened instantly, your head fell back and you just enjoyed his tongue on your breasts. “It feels so good.” You moaned.

After giving enough attention to your other nipple, Ten stood up and carried you to your bedroom. “It’s going to be a long night.” He smirked at you.

After softly placing you on the bed, Ten pulled down your panties and kissed your inner thighs. He kissed his was to your already wet pussy and kissed it softly. You felt his tongue against your clit and you closed your eyes. He licked you so good and sucked on your clit, you were so close.

“Fuck, baby, It feels so fucking good.”

Ten fastened his pace and a couple seconds later you reached your first orgasm.

“Number one, more to go.” He said, his chin glistening with your arousal and turning you on.

You felt his fingers on your entrance and a second later he thrusted his fingers inside of you. His lips were on your nipples again and you gripped the sheets, his fingers slid in easily, you were so wet. “Fuck.” You could feel your second orgasm coming. “Tell me baby, what do you want?”

“I want to cum again- please Ten make me cum again.” You cried out.

You felt him go faster and when he hit that one spot, you reached your second orgasm. Ten put his fingers against your lips, “Suck.” He demanded and you sucked his fingers clean. “Good girl.”

“I want to suck you off- please Ten let me suck you off.” You begged him.

“Okay baby, show me how good you can take me inside of your mouth.” He pulled down his sweatpants and his boxers briefs and sat down on the edge of your bed. You got off the bed and got on your knees right in front of his hard cock.

You spat on your hand and wrapped your fingers around his shaft and started pumping slowly, “Don’t tease baby, or you’ll regret it.” He warned you.

You fastened your pace and started licking his tip. You licked on the slit, and slowly put his cock inside of your mouth. It’s not your first time sucking his cock, you knew what you had to do to make him feel good.

“Yeah just like that, feels so good baby.” He caressed your hair softly as you took him all the way down. His cock hit the back of your throat but you didn’t mind, you liked it actually and Ten loved it. “Fuck yes yes, just like that, love it so much.” He moaned out, you felt him twitch inside of your mouth.

You sucked his cock and softly played with his balls, you looked up and saw that he closed his eyes and bit his lip, eyebrows furrowed and face sweaty. You let out a moan after seeing him like that and the vibrations of your voice felt so good, he came. “Fuck, yes baby take it all and swallow.”

You did as he said, “Open up and show me.”

You opened your mouth and sticked your tongue out. “Good girl. Now baby, I want you to fucking ride me, okay baby?”

You nodded eagerly.

You sat down on his cock slowly and started riding him. It felt so good, you grabbed his shoulders to go faster. “T-Ten, I love your cock so much.” You cried out. Ten cupped your boobs and flicked your nipples, and you loved it when he played with your nipples. Ten wrapped his arm around your waist and pulled you down so he could suck on your nipples. While he did that, he fucked up into you, meeting your hips. The sounds of your skin slapping against each other was like music to your ears.

“So fucking tight, didn’t I fuck this pussy enough?” you clenched at his words.

You felt your legs arching and you felt like you were collapse on top of him, “T-Ten I can’t p-please take over.” And he did.

Within a second he turned your around and took you from behind. You were on all fours as he stared ramming his cock inside of you. His hand found your clit and he started rubbing and circling it with his fingers. “Gonna cum baby? Hm? Cum all over my cock?”

“Y-Yes, fuck, feel so good. I’m so fucking close.”

You clenched once again and encouraged Ten to go even faster and harder with his thrusts. “I’m gonna fill you up, you’re going to take all of my cum, okay baby?”

“Yes please, cum in me.”

And with the next thrust, you came. You moaned as you clenched and rode out your third orgasm, you were so sensitive but it still felt good. You clenched around him once again and Ten came and painted your walls white.

“Fuck fuck fuck.” He moaned as he slowed down and pulled his cock out of you. He watched his cum mixed with yours drip out of you. “So fucking hot.” He got hard again.

That night, you had so many orgasms. His hands, his mouth and his cock bought you to heaven. He fucked you hard and fast but also slow and full of passion.

I used to think that love was just so easy But I couldn't be less right, yeah

“I’ll miss you so much.” You told him that night before he left.

“I’ll miss you too, but we’ll make this work. I trust in us. We’ll talk every day and text and I’ll come visit you and you’ll come visit me too.” Ten said convinced that long-distance was going to work.

“I love you so much, never forget that okay.”

It could work. You could make this work. You were absolutely sure that you and Ten could make a long-distance relationship work. He was your best friend before you started dating, he would never hurt you and you would never hurt him and you trust him with your life.

I'll be alright, just one more night I'll be just fine, holdin' my pillow Pretending it's you though I'll be alright, just one more night I'll be just fine, holdin' my pillow Pretending it's you though

It’s been almost two weeks since you last facetimed Ten. Yeah, you texted once in a while but it’s been so long since you talked and just be there for each other. You talked to him a month ago about feeling lonely and missing him and he promised you to make more time for you, but the last two weeks you barely talked.

You didn’t want to be clingy and suffocate him, so you waited for him to text you first. But every passing minute broke your heart more and more. You knew that he found new friends, but you would never doubt his faithfulness.

You closed your eyes and hugged your pillow tightly. Every night, you pretended that it was Ten you were hugging and not just your pillow. You missed his touch so much, you missed to kiss him and just hug him. You couldn’t take it anymore, you had to hear his voice. It was past midnight in New York but you didn’t care a t that moment.

“Yes?” you heard him yell. At least he answered.

“Ten? Can you hear me?” The other line was so loud, you raised your voice a little.

“What is it Y/n?! I’m busy!” you could hear loud music and people laughing around. “Busy? What are you doing?” it didn’t sound like he was busy.

“I’m out with some friends, look, I told you I’ll call you. Can’t you let me breathe for one day?” he said. Ten sounded annoyed and you could imagine how he rolled his eyes.

“It’s been two weeks since you said you’ll call! I let you breathe, but I was so worried, I just wanted to hear you voice-“

“You heard my voice, can I hang up now?”

You gasped, he sounded so cold, so annoyed and even distracted and before he could, you hung up.

You fell asleep crying. Once again.

Ten never apologized for that night and you never bought it up. It’s like talking to a wall. It took him a couple days to call you and he acted like that night never happened, like he never talked like he had enough of you.

The worst thing was yet to come.

Your one-year anniversary.

You reminded him one day before, that you would facetime, eat something together, watch a movie and just spend time together.

You waited and waited, but he never called.

You called him four times, texted him ten times, but he never answered and when you checked his Instagram story, you weren’t even surprised.

Ten was partying again. Ten ditched you to party on your one-year anniversary.

You realized that you were holding onto something that was long gone. It was over. It should be over. You were done with him, you were heartbroken and you regretted every decision you made. Maybe you should’ve stayed friends, maybe you would be happier and not suffering.  

And I can't lie, babe, I'm losing my patience Too much waiting for you Every time that I wake up My hands go where I'm waiting for you I know I say that I'm fine But I'm losing my mind Just need to hold you Don't take your time Oh, baby

The next day, you had fifteen missed calls from Ten, but you decided to ignore him for a while and sort your thoughts. He texted you every day, apologizing and asking for forgiveness. Ten told you about his day even though you never texted back. You hated to be like this, but you needed space. You called him one week later and he answered immediately.

“H-Hi.” Ten whispered nervously.

“Hey.” You mumbled.

“How… how have you been?” Ten wanted to punch himself. How could he ask you that? He knew that you were feeling sad.

“Okay I guess.” You tried to hold back you tears.

“Look about-“

“I can’t do this anymore.” You just said it. You’ve been thinking about it for the past months actually, but you never thought you would get to this point. You never thought you would want to break up.

“W-What? N-no, no no no please Y/n. Look I’m sorry, I’m s-so sorry that I missed our anniversary, but please don’t do this-“

“It’s not just the anniversary! Everything is too much for me. You ignore me and you yell at me for caring and being worried a-and you ditched me so many times and o-our anniversary- you, fuck, you were out having fun while I was waiting for you! You tell me that you’re going to call, but you never do and when I call you because I miss you, you yell at me and call me annoying!”

You didn’t want to cry, but it was so hard not to.

“I-I’m sorry. I am really so fucking sorry. Y-You didn’t deserve all that, I fucked up. I promised to be there for you b-but-“ he stopped. You could hear him sniff and try to hold back his tears. Ten rarely cried, like, you saw him cry maybe one time.

“But?”

“But I was so overwhelmed with this city and with this school and dancing. I can’t lose you. You’re my everything. I’ll change! I’ll be a better boyfriend, but please, don’t leave me.” He cried out.

“I-It’s not that easy. Y-You broke my heart. I trusted in us, b-but maybe we aren’t meant to be.”

“No, no. No, don’t say that- you know that’s not true, you know that I love you more than anything. You are the most important person in my life.”

“Seems like I’m not as important as you think I am. I don’t want to be the reason you stop focusing on what’s important and that’s your dance school. That’s New York and m-my feelings are important too. I… I can’t remember the last time I was genuinely happy. I’m sorry, Ten. I’m really sorry.”

And before he could start talking again, you hung up. You broke out in tears, you clutched your heart and tried to keep it from exploding, but you felt the little piece stab your insides. Ten wasn’t doing any better. He cried and cried and regretted all of his choices, he regretted leaving you and moving to New York. He regretted ignoring you, he regretted leaving you on read. He regretted everything. Oh, how he wished he could turn back time and be a better boyfriend. A boyfriend you deserve, someone who makes you feel loved and not someone who hurts you.  

I'll be alright, just one more night I'll be just fine, holdin' my pillow Pretending it's you though I'll be alright, just one more night I'll be just fine, holdin' my pillow Pretending it's you though

It’s been a couple days since you talked to Ten. You had blocked him everywhere and you tried to ignore the pain in your heart. It was harder to break up and block him, but it was the only way to stop your suffering. You couldn’t let him treat you like that forever.

You couldn’t focus on anything. It was almost like he followed you everywhere. One day your mother send you pictures of prom and Ten was your date. You went as friends but you just realized that he looked at you with so much love in his eyes. His arm was around your waist and you looked at each other and smiled brightly. Then, you wanted to watch some Netflix and Netflix recommended you Step up. A movie about dancing. How ironic. Even the number Ten made you so sad and emotional.

Almost a week later, you got ready for bed. You were brushing your teeth when you heard the doorbell. Who could it be at this hour? You tiptoed and looked through the spy. Your jaw dropped when you saw his face.

“I can hear you breathing. Please open the door, I want to see your face. I missed you so much.”

You slowly opened the door and looked at him with teary eyes, he was about to step closer but he stood still, his body froze and his heart hurt. You weren’t doing any better. It’s been a year since you saw his pretty face and now he was standing right in front of you. You wanted to hug him, kiss him, just pull him closer and never let go again, but you were also frozen.

“I-I can’t be without you. Tell me to stay and I will.” He said and he looked absolutely serious.

You pulled him closer and hugged him as tightly as you could. Ten wrapped his arms around you pressed kisses on your hair. “I’ll do it, I’ll leave New York and come back to you. I just need you. I love you so much, Y/n.”

You sobbed and cried and it was so hard to breathe but you couldn’t stop yourself from crying harder. “I love you too, but I don’t want you to do t-that. I don’t want you to stop living your dream. I love you so much, but I won’t let you do that.”

“B-But I don’t want to lose you.” Ten whispered and caressed your hair softly.  “Please forgive me, please. I was dumb, so fucking dumb. I didn’t realize how I treated you. I didn’t see that you were hurting and I promise you I’ll be better, I can’t lose you ever again. Please give me a second chance to make this right.”

You nodded and it felt so unreal to hold him in your arms. You waited for this moment for so long and he was finally in your arms. Seeing him helped you realize that you couldn’t be without him, that you needed your best friend, the love of your life.

“I love you so much.”

“I love you.”

You were cuddling under the blankets as Ten softly played with your hair, your head was on his chest. He also left kisses on your forehead, on your nose, on your lips, on every inch of your face and hands. Your hands were locked and he would never let go again.

“How did you even come? Don’t you have any classes to attend?” you asked him as you pecked his lips.

“I’ll just skip a few days, I won’t miss anything. Don’t worry about that.” He smiled softly.

Ten started drawing circles on your soft skin and you did the same on his chest. You looked up at him and pressed your lips on his, not just a simple peck. A kiss with so much longing and passion. A kiss to show him how much you missed him.

His hand slowly travelled to your waist and then to your ass. He squeezed it softly and pulled you on top of him, not breaking the kiss.

You moved your hips and his hands caressed the skin under your shirt. You broke the kiss for a second to get rid of your shirt. You weren’t wearing anything under your shirt and Ten cupped your breast with one hand and cupped your cheek with the other to kiss you again. He pinched your nipple and you let out a moan.

You could feel him slowly hardening and your hand found his belt. You unbuttoned his jeans and grabbed his shirt to take it off. You placed wet kisses on his chest and next thing you knew, you were under him.

Ten sucked on your boobs and pinched your nipples while he was busy pulling down your sweatpants and underwear. You were completely naked under him now and he kissed his way to your pussy. He parted your legs with his hands and you wanted to close them again, you were shy but then you remembered that this was Ten and you parted your legs even wider.

Ten softly kissed your pussy and then he ate you out like a starving man. He sucked on your clit and when he inserted two fingers inside of your wet cunt, you lost it. You tried to hide your moans but you couldn’t, your grip around the sheets tightened and you could see the stars, you can’t even remember the last time you had an orgasm, that’s why you came embarrassingly fast. You couldn’t hold back and came all over his fingers. “I’m cuming, fuck, feels so good.”

Ten didn’t stop playing with your clit, even after you came and you were so sensitive, you almost came again but he stopped and crawled back up to kiss you. “I love you.” He mumbled before he pulled his boxers down.

“I love you- so much.”

He was rock hard already and ready to be inside of you. He didn’t need you to suck him off, he just needed to be inside of you.

“I missed fucking you, I missed your tight little cunt so much.” And before you could answer that you missed him fucking you too, he rammed his cock inside of you. You moaned so loud, you hoped the neighbors wouldn’t hear you, but you wouldn’t hold back- you were feeling way too good to shut up.

“Fuck me, fuck me please.”

And he did.

Ten fucked you hard and fast, he gripped your hips tightly and fucked you deep, hitting the right spot and making you lose your mind. You clenched around him and he could feel himself getting closer. He looked you deep in the eyes and your boobs bounced up every time he moved his hips. He loved how fucked out you looked, so pretty and innocent.

“L-Let me ride you, please-“ you moaned out and who was he to refuse? He loved seeing you on top him.

You were riding him now, he gripped your hands again to thrust up. He couldn’t take away his eyes from your boobs or your face. You threw your head back, you felt your second orgasm nearing and feeling his hands on your boob, pinching your nipples turned you even more on.

“I’m gonna cum, gonna cum-“ and you came and Ten couldn’t hold back and he shot his cum inside of you. “Fuck, you feel so fucking good.”

You moved your hips to ride out your orgasms and you collapsed on top of him. Ten pulled his cock out of your cunt and then he got up to bring a warm towel to clean you up. After he was done cleaning you up, he got into bed and pulled you up to his chest. You were naked under the covers but you didn’t mind, his body was warm and cozy.

“I love you.” He placed a kiss on your temple.

“I love you too.” And you fell asleep in the arms of the love of your life.

Your relationship was even stronger than before. After Ten left for New York again, you were scared that it wouldn’t work out, but it did. He was always there for you and you were always there for him. You visited him on Valentine’s day and he visited you on your birthday. Your love grew and before you could realize that you’ve been dating for three years, you were packing your stuff to move out of your apartment.

Yes, you were moving to New York, to your boyfriend and you’ve been thinking about this for months now and it was the best decision you’ve ever made. You’re living with your best friend, who became your boyfriend, in New York City.

Baby (14:24): SPOTTED! The love of my life in Starbucks, with an iced coffee in her hand. Who is she waiting for? Perhaps her boyfriend? Stay tuned. XOXO gossip girl.

You laughed out loud in Starbucks as you read the text Ten just sent you. You laughed a little too loud, a couple looked at you and you apologized for laughing so loud.

Ten entered Starbucks and kissed you on the lips. “Babe, gossip girl? Really?” you giggled and wrapped your arms around him. “You know you love me.”

And that was the truth. “You’re right.”

[steamberrystudio]

11/07/2021 Devlog

Hey everyone! Time for our bi-weekly (sometimes tri-weekly) update to tumblr!

Summary:

More Maggie corrections

Pushed Caissa out for beta testing

Some Caissa corrections

Finished Lance flowcharts

Finished Jack's flowcharts

Wrote the Guides for Jack and Lance

Made corrections to Caissa's route

Corrected Magnus' route

Pushed out Jack and Lance's routes for beta testing

Completed 3 Ari CGs/CG sets

Completed 2 Caleb CGs/CG sets

Completed 1 Caleb mini-CG

Completed 1 Magnus CG set

Completed 1 Jack CG

Imported and coded most of these CGs

FINALLY coded the ending screens in

Planning for Quill's route

The Ramble:

Hey everyone! So since my last update, I finished up all the flowchart remakes and coded the remaining charts. I wrote up the basic guides for Jack and Lance's routes, then pushed those routes out for testing after making corrections to routes already out for testing.

With flowcharts done I've been working on CGs and got quite a few of them done this week. Though I don't expect to keep up that pace.

Some of the ones I completed this week were already partially completed for one. And, of course, some CGs are just more complicated than others.

I'm actually trying to not get all the easy ones out of the way first because I don't want to leave myself with a bunch of difficult ones to do. I want to be able to alternate between tricky and easy.

That said, a couple of the ones I did this week were a little on the easier side so that's part of why I got so many done.

CGs are currently around 40% complete based on how many I expect to have in the released base game.

I also got most of the new CGs coded which maybe doesn't seem like a big deal but given how much more complicated anything with Morgan is...

Is actually a big deal. LoL

A lot more work goes into the Morgan CGs than the others as far as the saving of the files and the set up so I'm proud to have just gotten them all coded successfully too.

Toward the end of the week I took a break from CGs and worked on some writing. I still have to solidify the synopses for Reuben, Yuu, and Quill. Particularly Quill.

Quill is the least planned and is also proving the most difficult. I know the general idea of where I want his route to go but I'm having difficulty putting all the pieces together. There are a lot of possible ideas that I can work in but it can be difficult to know what fits, what needs to be tossed, and what the progression of events will be.

I talked to a friend about it yesterday and kind of smoothed some aspects out, then today was able to solidify a few other elements. So I think I'll get the general flow of events and antagonist motivations worked out soon.

I'll be able to write up his basic synopsis and then from there, I'll work on everyone's scene-by-scene synopsis so the routes are ready to go as far as writing goes.

Sneak Peeks and Previews:

(CG sneakpeeks will always show Morgan's default colours, but her customisation is reflected in the CGs in game.)

Upcoming Weeks:

CGs, corrections, and maybe some route planning/writing.

While there are still a lot of little polishing things I need to get done (some non-CG or sprite art assets, SFX, glossary, etc), the last remaining BIG thing is getting all the CGs completed. Overall, the base game with the original six LIs is about 90% complete.

I've reconciled myself to the fact that each route is going to need 7 CGs or "CG sets" instead of the 5 I promised. The routes are just too long and there are too many key moments for 5 to be sufficient.

This is more work for me but I knew from the start it would likely be 7 and not 5 for this game.

And for Heaven's sake, I'm counting a set of CGs that illustrate a single important moment as ONE CG. 😒

I'm not counting it as two CGs because Magnus opens his eyes in one CG, resulting in two CGs that are almost identical except his eyes.

I realised this week how much I was stressing over whether or not to add those sorts of variations because people had complained in Changeling about some characters having "more CGs" than others due to these kinds of variations - despite that each route had either 5 or 6 CG moments illustrated regardless how many gallery slots they had in the CG gallery.

It occurred to me that something so petty should not be causing me to stress out so much about this kind of thing.

Anyway, I'll see you all in a couple of weeks!