#Machi you know what you’ve done

[evanore-thornheart-vamp56]

First drawing of Bluefang vs recent drawing of Bluefang(under the cut cuz man nipples and hair)

My headcanons:

-neck fur/hairy chest, legs and back in general.

-not as wide and bulky as his brothers Redfang and Greenfang, because he doesn’t train and fight as much.

-tall, at least 7 or 8 feet tall.

-gentle giant, afraid of hurting someone, pacifist until family or loved ones are involved.

-awkward after/before intimacy, the type of person to say “Yippie!” When his s/o takes off their shirt,

-loves cuddles, especially after intimacy,

-loves fishing, releases fishes he wouldn’t eat,

-loves cooking and baking, his favourite dish is pork chops, and favourite dessert is carrot cake

-canonically Evanore’s best friend since childhood, and lover

[winterchimez]

Starboy | Kim Sunwoo

SUMMARY: you always had one goal in mind: to do your job properly and call it day when it's done and dusted. until on one fateful night when you accidentally exchange phones with the one and only Kim Sunwoo, and your ordinary PR life is going to take a turn for both the good and the bad.

PAIRING: guitarist!Sunwoo x f!reader

GENRE: band au, fluff, angst, slight suggestive, some crack (bcs it's Kim Sunwoo we're talking about 💁‍♀️)

WARNINGS: nc-17, slow-burn, petnames (girlie, sweetheart, princess, kitten), man's way too obsessed with Neoguri Ramyun, both y/n and Sunwoo bicker A LOT, ofc he's obv flirty as hell here too, ngl he's lowkey kinda a jerk, alcohol, kissing, making out, they both get drunk 😃, they both go through traumatic experiences when it comes to relationships ❤️‍🩹 (so yknow a lot of figuring things out), arguments, mentions about sleeping pills, cursing, parties whoopie, a couple of flashback scenes, in this fic we say amen hallelujah to Eric Sohn (he's the friend we all need let's be real)

WORD COUNT: 21,742

A/N: happiest dearest birthday to my beloved dongsaeng @justalildumpling 💗 i remember we were once talking about sunwoo x starboy (bcs of this whole photoshoot he did for mediheal 😮‍💨) so here it is 🫣 once again, shoutout to @drunkdrazed @momhwa-agenda @from-izzy @sungbeam @kyaroscuro @mosviqu for literally helping me (from brainstorming, beta reading, hyping me up, keeping me in check ashnjsd, choosing the banner, and literally just being the best supporters ever yall are amazing ilysm 😙😙😙🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻)

Act 1 (하나): Starboy

“What do you mean you’re not going? It’s The Boyz, Y/N!” 

Your roommate immediately shoves the VIP backstage passes right back at you, convincing you that you’re out of your mind to reject such an offer. 

“You know me, Flo. I just don’t really get involved in work-related affairs. Frankly, I much prefer hanging out with my close circle instead.” 

“You’re no fun. That’s why you barely get to know anyone in the entertainment world. Imagine all of the big celebrities you could make! Hell, sometimes even get concert tickets for free or even attend after-parties!” Your roommate was now grabbing your shoulders and shaking them vigorously, not caring about all the excuses you’ve come up with to prove your point of just staying home after a long day. 

“Come with me, come with me, come with me!” Flo whined, and at this point, if you weren’t going to acknowledge her efforts, she might as well be shaking you till your head fell off. 

“Alright, alright! Just this one time, then; what even is so good about them? They’re just an ordinary band like the others-”

Flo immediately places a finger to shush you up. “Now that’s where I’m going to stop you, young lady. The Boyz are very much different than all of the groups out there, and I’ll make sure you realise how much you have been missing out this whole time.” 

“If you fail to impress me, you’re treating me to ten cups of black tea with cheese foam from Machi Machi.”

With that, your roommate simply just smirked. “Consider it done.”

It turns out that your roommate wasn’t kidding when she mentioned about The Boyz being a hotshot. 

You were now standing in front of Watcha Hall, a fairly well-known concert hall that wasn’t too big or too small. These halls were usually meant for rising artists currently out on the market. 

As much as you were taken aback (since you usually dealt with smaller bands or artists with smaller venues), you quickly shook your unnecessary thoughts away before entering the hall. With no time to waste, you hastily made your way backstage and greeted your team of colleagues you’ll be working with for the day. 

Thankfully, the organisers had sorted everything out beforehand, so there weren’t too many miscommunications or tasks that seemed too complicated to fulfil. You were pretty much enjoying your time going around the venue, making sure to check that everything was right before the concert. 

It was definitely slightly challenging compared to the smaller events you were used to, but it wasn’t too hard when you had a good team of colleagues working alongside you. 

Just as you were about to wrap things up, you clearly heard the backdoor creak open, and a few echoes followed behind. As soon as you turned to look, you noticed a group of individuals carrying their instruments began entering the venue one by one, protected and surrounded by their managers and bodyguards. 

It was The Boyz. 

Immediately, they wasted no time, quickly coming around and lined up in a straight line before extending their greetings to all the staff members they would be working with for the day. You noticed how they ensured that they greeted every single staff member without missing anyone, including you.

They would definitely pass as models if they weren’t in a band. 

Every single one of them was breathtakingly beautiful and had good mannerisms. However, one of them immediately caught your attention: the male with striking dark black hair with a kuromi band-aid on his face. 

Something about him lured you in, and you couldn’t pinpoint why exactly that was. Was it his aura? The good looks? Or the way he presented himself? 

You were snapped back into reality when one of your colleagues approached you to tell you about a minor issue that had occurred backstage and required your assistance. Instantly, you took one look at the band before each of them headed straight to their dressing room to change before coming back up on stage for rehearsals. 

Just then, you could’ve sworn that the male you laid your eyes upon actually gave you a little smile followed by a wink before he disappeared into the dark. 

What exactly did that mean?

Rehearsals went fairly well, and everything was done a few hours earlier than expected. You had some free time, so you took a little stroll outside at the park near the venue. Obviously, you exited through the back since you wouldn’t want to bump into the thousands of fans lining up to enter the hall.

The little walk was a refreshing moment for you, and you needed it badly, especially after going through months of endless events without having much time for yourself like this. 

While strolling through the park, you finally found yourself on an empty bench, perfect for rest while enjoying the breeze. Right then, you decided to whip out your phone and search for The Boyz. You were curious to know why exactly your roommate was obsessed with them. 

After some digging, you realise that they have built quite a reputation for themselves: winning multiple awards, being nominated for band of the year, and taking up the role of ambassadors of many beauty brands currently on the market. 

Once again, you couldn’t deny that they were all relatively good-looking and would strive to be a celebrity without a doubt. However, your eyes fall upon the man who caught your attention during rehearsals. As you scrolled further down, you came to learn of his name. 

Kim Sunwoo, the guitarist of The Boyz. 

That name now sounded slightly too familiar for you, though you couldn’t pinpoint why exactly it was that. As much as you tried recalling from the back of your mind, only a hazy recollection of that name rings in your head, and nothing else helpful popped up. 

Now that you know that this man had something to do with you, it is best to dig in further about him and ask your childhood best friend who knew you best—from your personality to your likes and dislikes. Immediately, you texted her before deciding it was time for you to head back to the venue to prepare for the show. 

“Hey Lyla, would you mind searching up about this man named Kim Sunwoo to see if you can find anything interesting?”

The venue was filled with fans from the front stage to the back, and the same went on the upper floor. You were surprised that their popularity wasn’t just for the show; they had fans ranging from teens to middle-aged. Moreover, you noticed a few prominent celebrities sitting in the crowd for the night, sitting in the VIP zone with their bodyguards, as if they were not just enjoying but also evaluating the show.

The band members knew exactly that those celebrities, besides their very own fans, had eyes on them. Hence, they knew that they had to give it out all for the night, and they did just that. Their performance was like no other and very different from the ones you were used to, and you were instantly captivated from the beginning of the show. Each member had their unique colours, and they all stood out in their very own ways.

As you continued to listen to their music in a much more precise manner, you noticed how each lyric meant something, as well as the choice of keys, instrumentals, and how each instrument and vocals just seemed to blend and create the perfect song to perform as a group.

Before you knew it, two hours passed so quickly, and the band was now lined up and giving their fans a final bow before going one by one backstage. At this time, it was also your cue to head there, meet them personally, and hopefully get to know them a lot better. 

Sure enough, the backstage was filled with snacks and drinks to fuel the artists and staff after a successful performance. You decided to go for the simple lemonade pop fizzy drink before taking it and heading into the room where everyone was. Once the director made everyone raise their glasses of beverage to do a loud cheer, everyone began dispersing into their groups to catch up with one another. 

Your roommate’s words constantly echoed in your mind: “Go and meet them personally! Do not let your VIP pass go to waste!”. 

That is only if your anxiety wasn’t up the roof. 

You have tried to walk up towards the idols multiple times but have only ended up retreating to the entrance. You had yet to learn what you would say to them upfront. 

Hey, the show was incredible I loved it! Oh my gosh, you looked absolutely stunning in that black leather jacket! 

No, that was way too common. You were sure that every fan would’ve said the same to them. 

After a good 10 minutes of internal battling, you decided that it was best to head back to your accommodations and call it a night. Instantly, you grabbed the phone lying on the glass table near the makeup station, assuming it was yours since you had been looking for it right before the show started. 

It wasn’t unusual for you to misplace your belongings; it was something both Flo and your childhood best friends back in Busan—Lyla and Bella had always commented about you. But since the phone was a dark midnight black, it must be yours since you were the only staff member with an iPhone in that particular colour anyway. 

Little did you know that all it took was one small mistake for you to end up in an awkward situation that would soon follow.

If you could yell at yourself out loud right now, you would certainly do it without a care in the world. Only now that you were out in the dark and it was slightly freezing, you're left squatting down in front of the twenty-four-hour convenience store with the mobile in hand.

How exactly did you end up in this situation? You should have checked the phone thoroughly before bolting out from the concert hall to your hotel. 

As soon as you returned, you tossed all your belongings aside and took a quick, warm shower. You couldn’t care less about wanting to have a nice relaxing salt bath—which you would usually do whenever you get booked into a luxury hotel. You were too exhausted, and all you wanted to do was lie in bed while scrolling through random Instagram reels for the night. 

Immediately after the shower, you wrapped your dripping wet hair up with a towel before plopping down onto the bed, trying to unlock your phone, which was encrypted with your Face ID.

Only this time, the Face ID wasn’t recognised, and the wallpaper differed from the one you had just changed a couple of nights ago. 

This wasn’t your phone. 

Instantly, panic rushed upon you, and you did not know who this phone belonged to. You could head straight back to the concert hall, though you will likely run out of luck since there would only be a couple of security guards left to clear out the space during this late at night.

Or you could try calling your manager or roommate if you remember their mobile numbers before this. 

You were tossing and turning around your bed, not knowing what to do, and worried that whoever had your phone must’ve probably hacked into your system by now. 

No no, they can’t do that! I have tons of important emails and work stuff in there-

Your train of thought was immediately cut off when an unknown number began calling the phone in your possession. You quickly shot up from the bed before taking a deep breath and answering the mysterious phone call. 

“Hey, I think you might’ve gotten my phone instead,” the voice on the other end of the line spoke. 

“Y-Yeah! I’m so sorry. I should’ve checked earlier before I left; I know it’s not right for me to steal-”

“No worries, man. Say, would you mind going to the convenience store near the hotel to exchange our phones back?” 

“C-Certainly! I’ll get dressed now and be there as soon as possible!” 

So all of that happened within the span of half an hour, and you were now waiting patiently outside the convenience store, waiting for whoever the owner is to come as quickly as they can because, frankly, you’re about to start freezing to death at this point. 

After what seemed like a long 10 minutes, you began to hear footsteps approaching your way. You shot up and squinted your eyes to see the individual slowly emerging from the shadows. The moment you landed your eyes on them, your jaw immediately dropped, now knowing who exactly the phone's owner belonged to. 

“K-Kim Sunwoo?!” You scream before the male quickly dashes towards you and cups your mouth with his bare hands. 

“Yes, it’s me. Are you trying to expose me right out here in public?”

“N-No, that wasn’t my intention-” You tried speaking in your muffled voice.

Sunwoo finally lets go before he gave you a little chuckle and reached through his back pocket to hand you your phone back. “Since you accidentally took my phone, why don’t you keep me company for a little while?” 

It took you a little while to process the thought before the alarms started ringing off in your head, and you quickly positioned yourself in defence mode. “Oh hell no, you ain’t touching me, mister. I don’t care if you’re an idol, there’s no way-” 

Sunwoo immediately burst into laughter, laughing so hard that he was now wrapping his arms around his stomach, and tears started forming in his eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous, I’m not a predator.” 

“Well, at least that’s not how it goes in certain cases out there.”

“Girlie, you watch too many crime documentaries. I can assure you that I’m a harmless guitarist who’s just craving for some Neoguri Ramyun.” 

Instantly, you lowered your guard down and straightened your position. “You’re here to eat ramen?” 

“Now, I have no idea why that came as a shocker to you. It’s very common for idols to sneak out in the middle of the night to head to the convenience store for some late-night snack.” 

“How do your managers not notice someone missing from the hotel rooms?” 

“Eh, I have my ways…and no. I’m not telling you,” Sunwoo immediately rejected your advances when you started walking closer to him. 

“Hmph, you’re no fun. Just when I thought I could get some valuable inside scoop from you,” you sulked. 

He scoffed. “You’re a funny one; I like you.” Right after that, he immediately grabs hold of your wrist before dragging you into the convenience store.

“Neoguri Ramyun with red chilli flakes. My treat, and I’ll show you how to cook it properly.”

Act 2 (둘): Party Monster

You were still baffled by that ramen date you had with the one and only Kim Sunwoo the night before. Well, you wouldn’t exactly call it a “date”, but you had no idea how else to describe it properly. 

He was a lot different from how you imagined him to be—very upbeat, someone who loved to crack jokes every chance he got, and hilarious as hell. Honestly, you enjoyed your time with him at the convenience store. He definitely taught you the proper way to make Neoguri Ramyun, even though you insisted that you wanted Shin Ramyun the entire time or some Mala Oden instead. You just never got the hype for Neoguri Ramyun after the countless times that your roommate Flo has forced you to try them. 

But that all changed last night, and you were about to add this to your cart whenever you headed out to do your usual groceries every weekend. You had never seen someone talking about ramen so passionately as he did, and what’s more interesting was that this was coming from an idol, not some random dude you would meet on the streets.

However, you had to constantly argue with the man about not consuming too much of it, and it would be better for him to get some protein in his diet. He would just shrug you off and stand firm with his answer.

“Hey, I once read an article about an elderly man who survived for 50 years by just consuming Neoguri Ramyun. He’s my actual idol if you ask me,” Sunwoo argued. 

“Sure, you’re gonna get high cholesterol the next time I see you,” you spat right into his face. 

“Watch me, girlie. I will still be as fit as I was performing on stage tonight. Or hell, even buffer and healthier than I was before.” 

“You’re insufferable.” 

“And that’s why I get all the girls to like me, sweetheart.” 

That last line would constantly replay in your head, as much as you didn’t want it to. You knew he was just saying it as part of his demeanour, but you couldn’t help but reminisce on your past. 

Because that was what your ex always said, and it turns out those weren’t just empty words. 

You were brought back to reality when you realised you had been overfilling your mug with cold milk, which was now splattered across the dining table. Not wanting your roommate to wake up screaming at the top of her lungs at you, you quickly grabbed the nearest cloth to wipe away all the evidence, chugging down the liquid before you dashed right out the door. 

As you made your way to the local subway, you suddenly felt a ring within the inside pocket of your jacket. You waited until you had gone up the train before taking your phone out to see whatever it was. 

It was a text from Sunwoo. 

As if yesterday still felt like a dream for you, so many questions lingered in your mind about how exactly he got your number until you remembered that you both had swapped phones for a couple of hours before giving them back to their rightful owners. 

As soon as you read his first message, you couldn’t help but form a smile before texting one back eagerly.

that one guy obsessed with Neoguri Ramyun 🦝: good morning, princess. how did you sleep last night? I’m sure that hot warm ramyun definitely gave you a well-rested night. y/n: as if. i had to use the bathroom multiple times this morning because of how spicy you made the broth to be. that one guy obsessed with Neoguri Ramyun 🦝: shame, you don’t have a strong and capable immune system like i do y/n: shut your mouth, mister. or else I’ll report you to your managers about your disappearance last night.  that one guy obsessed with Neoguri Ramyun 🦝: you wouldn’t 🥰 y/n: try me, bitch 😄 that one guy obsessed with Neoguri Ramyun 🦝: feisty. this is why i like you. say, do you wanna catch up some time for dinner? my treat again, of course 😙 y/n: what makes you think that i would risk my life to go out with you in plain sight? unlike you, i clearly care about my job and i wouldn’t want to risk that.  that one guy obsessed with Neoguri Ramyun 🦝: now that’s just rude. i was going to treat you to the newly opened Sheraton Hotel a few blocks away from the concert venue since i had extra vouchers. i guess not anymore- y/n: now why didn’t you say so earlier!! count me in im coming!! 😍 that one guy obsessed with Neoguri Ramyun 🦝: that’s what i like to hear. get yourself ready and send me your location later on, i’ll pick you up tonight at 8 😉

“What do you mean you’re going on a date with the actual Kim Sunwoo?!?!” 

Okay, on second thought. Maybe you shouldn’t have spilt the tea with your roommate just yet. 

“It’s not a date, Flo. He’s just treating me to a meal for returning his phone back to him,” you answered while digging through your wardrobe for what to wear for the night. 

“Umm, hello? The Sheraton Hotel? That’s a fancy place where people go for candlelight dinners! He’s clearly onto something.” 

“You read too many romance novels. There’s no way I’m getting involved in any of those fiascoes. I’m just there for the free food.” 

“Whatever you say, ma’am. You clearly want to impress the guy himself,” Flo pointed to the black slim-fit dress you picked and a sparkly cardigan to keep yourself warm. 

“Hey, what’s wrong with being all glammed up? After all, it’s been a while since I’ve felt this pumped,” you laughed before heading straight to your makeup desk to get started. “Besides, I think I’ve had enough moping episodes, and I’m ready to head back into the party scene.” 

“The party scene? Oh hell no, don’t tell me you’re going to bring Sunwoo to your favourite clubs-” 

You turned around to meet your roommate face to face while applying foundation with your beauty blender on your cheeks. “Why yes, darling, I’m going to do just that. I think it’ll be interesting to see if he can beat my alcohol tolerance.” 

“You’re just too much sometimes, Y/N. I don’t even know if that’s going to be a great idea, you know, after how that last one went-” 

“Flo, I assure you. I’m fine. I’m all over him. I’m no longer seeking a relationship; I just want to get out there and return to my safe space and have some fun.”

In return, your roommate could only sigh before walking back towards you. She grabbed your hairbrush right next to your makeup desk to start brushing out your hair before helping you style it with your curler. 

“Just promise me you won’t be crying in my arms again. I don’t wanna go through that hell of a phase you had back then,” Flo stressed, making sure that you listened carefully and that her words have gone straight into your mind. 

“I promise. My heart will be as hard as steel from now on.”

“You definitely don’t seem like the type of guy who would drive,” you commented as you sat comfortably in the passenger seat while Sunwoo rested one of his arms on the armrest and the other on the steering wheel.

“When will you stop looking down on me? I assure you that I have many hobbies and talents and excel in every single one of them,” Sunwoo pouted, which in return made you giggle. “I swear if I wasn’t driving right now, I would’ve charged right at you and taught you a lesson.”

“Like what? Tickle me? That’s so old-school, Kim.” 

“Whatever you say, Princess. But hey, thanks for accepting the offer. I knew you would be the perfect one for this little getaway I have during my free time.’ 

“I’m just here for the free food, sir. Nothing else.” 

“Hmm, I wouldn’t say so. Usually, people turn me down even if the food is luxurious and scrumptious; I’d like to think that you have some other motive-” 

“Look up at the road ahead and drive, Kim. You don’t even meet my standards in men, anyway,” you crossed your arms before extending your tongue out at him. 

“Damn, why did they even choose you to be part of the PR team? And I thought people who do events like you are a lot more friendlier and nice,” Sunwoo fired back. 

“I am friendly and nice to many people, but not to you, apparently,” you shrugged. 

“And how can I help change your mind about me?” 

“You can’t, and you won’t. Just hurry up and let me taste some luxurious seafood; I’m starving.” 

“Ungrateful.” 

“Not my fault that you’re flirty as hell. It just makes me want to drag you down some more.” 

With that, you both chuckled as the drive stopped before Sunwoo exited his vehicle, walked towards your side to help you open the door, and extended his hand to you. “We have arrived, Princess.” 

You gave him an eye-roll before resting your hands on his and stepping out of his vehicle. “You better be treating me to good food; otherwise, I will give you a rating of 1.5 out of 5 stars on Google reviews.” 

“Oh, don’t worry about that, darling. I aim to please.”

You retracted everything you said about the male himself; he definitely knew all the ways to a woman’s heart.

He actually made an effort to pull the chair away from the table and escorted you to a seat before taking the napkin placed on the table and draping it over your thighs before going across to have a seat himself. He ordered the best champagne for the both of you, paired with an 8-course dinner, and you certainly felt like it was your birthday. 

No man has treated you this way before, not even your ex. 

Another difference about Sunwoo was that he was willing to ask more about you and actually tried to listen to everything you had to say. He was the complete opposite of your ex—he presented himself well, knew how to read the room so as not to push the question further if it made either one of you uncomfortable, and always made sure to check up on you. 

He insisted that you give a proper review for each meal, for he would give feedback to the chef behind the meal planning and prep. Sunwoo often visited the hotel, after all, since the company would usually be hosting any sort of private events here, and all of the staff felt like home to him. 

At one point, he noticed a little stain on the corners of your lips, and he instantly took his napkin and leaned forward to wipe it away by instinct. This little action made you blush, and your cheeks turned pink to red within seconds. Sunwoo, being the man he was, had to point it out, making you feel much more embarrassed than before. 

Throughout the night, he would often call you pretty and cute, and each time, you would try to brush it off and think nothing much of it, but you just seemed to fail horribly each time. 

You won’t deny that he looked absolutely stunning compared to wearing a hoodie at the convenience store the night before. He made an effort to style himself tonight; his hair gelled and parted to the sides, and he wore this black suit with some hints of sparkle throughout the fit. 

This is definitely not the look of a guitarist from a band—he looked way too good for that. In fact, he could definitely pass as an idol or actor, and he was certainly on par with the top good-looking models you have previously worked with.

You were not planning to tell him that; his ego was already too much for you to handle, and you certainly wouldn’t be surviving his teases if he found out what you thought about him. Instead, you hastily chomped away your food and the dessert that finally came and suggested that you wanted to bring him to one of the clubs you often frequented back then. 

Sunwoo was reluctant, and you could see in his eyes that he was contemplating whether to go. That action intrigued you, and you couldn’t help but comment on it.

“Why? Are you afraid to drink? Or do you have horrible alcohol tolerance?” You smirked as you crossed your arms together. 

“Neither. Let’s go.” 

His response seemed slightly colder than usual, and he was up and ready to pay the bills before exiting the hotel. You quickly trailed behind and guided him to the club a few blocks from the hotel. You reassured him that nobody would bother him at the club since most people are just there to have fun, and usually, half of them are just busy making out with one another or tipsy. 

After going through the identification at the entrance, you guided him down to the section where you often stayed for the night. It was much quieter than the others around the area, and there was a little bar at the corners for those who preferred to chat while having a drink.

You offered to pay for Sunwoo’s this time and handed him a long island cocktail to fuel him for the night. Instead of drinking it immediately, Sunwoo spun the glass around with his hand, swirling his drink while staring at it. 

On the other hand, you chugged down your beverage almost immediately, and only then did you notice how Sunwoo seemed a lot quieter now. In fact, this is the most quiet he has been ever since you’ve met him. 

“Long Island is not suited for your taste, sir?” You joked before ordering another cup from the bartender. 

“No…it’s just…I don’t think it would be a good idea for me to drink tonight, Y/N.” 

That was the first time he actually called out your name. 

As the alcohol slowly enters your system, the tipsiness begins kicking in, and you are getting high at this point. Most importantly, you wanted to tease him more now. 

“Aww, a star like you can’t handle a little cocktail? Guess you’re not what everyone seems to label you as then~” you purred before leaning in close to taunt him. 

With that, Sunwoo finally looked into your eyes, and you noticed how they were slowly turning black before he chugged the entire cocktail down his throat. It took him a while to swallow everything and open his eyes, and when he finally did, he grabbed your wrist and dragged you to the nearest bathroom stall before pining you up against the door. 

You were startled by the sudden move he made, but the alcohol was just not making you rational at this point, and you just wanted to taunt him even more. “What is it now? You’re going to teach me a lesson? Mr Kim?” 

“Oh hell yes I am, Y/N.” 

With that, he was now holding both of your wrists with one hand before the other snakes down to touch your body before resting it on your waist. Sunwoo then leans forward to the point that both of your lips are now mere inches apart. 

“You’re going to regret making me consume alcohol for the night, Miss Y/N.”

Act 3 (셋): Rockin’

You were woken up with the sun blaring onto your face and the birds chirping outside the windows. You began rubbing your eyes until you felt something draped over your body. 

A blanket? 

Instantly, you jolted up and looked around your surroundings. You have no idea where exactly you were, and this was definitely not your apartment. Frantically, you looked around to take in as much information as possible, just in case you needed to report to the authorities. 

Okay…there’s a white curtain, a fireplace, a laptop-

“Ouch!” 

You suddenly felt something cold come into contact with your cheeks, and you quickly darted your attention towards whatever it was. That was when you looked up to see the familiar man holding a glass of ice water toward your cheeks. He immediately let go the moment you grabbed the cup into your hands. 

“Drink that. You need it,” Sunwoo replied before walking across the room to pick up your clothing tossed on the floor. 

Oh my god. 

You quickly placed the glass water on the nightstand before lifting the blankets to see if you were wearing anything underneath. 

“Calm down, princess. I have not stooped that low to do the nasty with a woman I just met. I had to help change your clothes into something a lot more comfortable because there’s no way you’re sleeping comfortably with that tight dress for the entire night.” 

So that was what happened. 

“B-But still! You changed my clothing without my consent-”

“And leave you all dirtied with splatters of alcohol all over that dress and then sleep in MY bed? Very unlikely and not gentleman at all.” 

You were not convinced just yet. “T-Then, you slept beside me the entire night!?”

“I slept on the couch in the living room, obviously. You basically had my bedroom for the entire night, a solid 8 hours, to be exact.” 

As soon as you took every information in, you plopped straight down onto the pillow, burying your face with your hands. You couldn’t believe your return to the party scene led you back to Sunwoo’s apartment. You had promised yourself and Flo that nothing would happen and that you knew how to stop before things proceeded further. 

Guess all of that effort went straight down the drain. 

“Look, I…I’m so sorry I’ve caused you so much trouble. I swear, none of this was my intention; it’s just the alcohol, and I was desperate and-”

“Oh, I know. Baby.” 

Just when you opened your eyes, Sunwoo was now sitting at the edge of the bed and very close to you. By instinct, you retreated and moved towards the side, but that only made Sunwoo come closer and eventually rest his fingers on your chin. 

“Whatever happened last night? Will stay between us, Y/N. Frankly, I did enjoy my time with you. I think it would be nice if you could attend the parties that I will be hosting from now on. I’m sure you’ll be a great addition to the party scene.”

It took a few seconds for you to process that thought, and you blinked as a response to that. Seeing that you were too stunned to speak, he decided to press on. 

“I’ll drop you back to your apartment in an hour, so get dressed and take a warm shower in my bathroom, hmm? I’ll be waiting outside in the living room.” 

Once he was done, he stood up before heading straight to turn the doorknob, leaving you alone to pull yourself together and get ready before it was time to go. Right before closing the door, he decided to add one more crucial detail that he had left out. 

“By the way, your lips tasted exactly like my favourite strawberry lip gloss that I often apply whenever I go up to perform on stage.”

“You did what!?” Flo was screaming right at the top of her lungs this time, not caring about all of the stares you both had been getting for the past 10 minutes since you arrived at the cafe before spilling the tea with her. 

“Look, nothing happened. He just happened to take care of me and made sure that I was safe-”

“Nothing happened!? How can you be so sure? Who knows, he might’ve touched you while you were asleep-” 

You grabbed her shoulders to calm her down. “Flo. Nothing. Happened.” 

Your roommate immediately swatted your hands away and crossed her arms as she laid back on the bench, giving you an immense side-eye while she was at it. “Either way, you broke your promise. You said you were going to be responsible, but look at what you did!” 

At times like this, you just wanted to vanish from the depths of the earth as you knew your roommate always had this motherly figure between the two of you. Ever since you moved out from your little hometown on the outskirts of Seoul, Flo was the one who managed to guide you around and became your roommate in the blink of an eye. 

She had moved in a week before you did, and originally the tenant wouldn’t let anyone enter the properties anymore. But you were desperate at the time, as you needed a space to live in as soon as possible before starting the following week, and Flo was the one who managed to talk it out with the tenant to give you a room. 

It has been a year, and you both managed to fit right into your studio apartment, becoming much closer than you thought you would. After all, Flo had made a pact with your childhood friends, who have always looked out for you throughout your time back home, ensuring you were always in good hands no matter where you went. 

“I think I’m going to have to report to Lyla and Bella,” Flo huffed before taking out her phone. She was about to make the call before you managed to stop her right there. 

“Do not. Call them over trivial matters like this. I do not need them to be on the train to Seoul right now,” you warned. 

“Clearly, you did not know how to limit boundaries, Miss Y/N. You said you were not looking for a relationship, then why did you even make out with the Kim Sunwoo in the club?” 

“Can you just- not say his name out loud,” you hissed. “Look, we were both drunk; it was just a one-night thing, okay? That’s not going to happen anymore. Hell, I’m even pissed at myself for falling for the guy so easily like that.” 

“Well, you should be. You have a lot of things to work on, young lady.”

“Okay, but first of all, can you just stop being mad at me?” 

“Not until you have learnt your lesson. No more boys and no more kissing. And most importantly.” Flo now stood up and cupped both of your cheeks with her hands. “No more alcohol. Understood?”

You sighed. “I’ll bake matcha cookies with you when we get back.”

Instantly, Flo let go of her hands before sitting back down and giving you a devilish smile. “Now, that’s more like it.”

Nothing much happened after that, and your phone has been unusually silent over the past week. There hasn’t been much going on at work either, so you have been working remotely and having much more time to yourself. 

You would laze around the apartment a little too much, but you were glad you could sit back and relax for a bit. All you had to do was respond to some work emails, and that was it. Most of the time, you would spend your time baking with Flo (because she insists) or just going through the list of shows you have meant to catch up on Netflix. 

Just as you were done clocking out for the week, your supervisor informed the entire department that you would continue working remotely the following week and would only be back in the office in a fortnight. 

Ever since that conversation with Flo back at the cafe, you figured it wouldn’t hurt to return to your hometown to visit your family and friends. You only need to bring your laptop back, and you can work remotely instead. With that, you quickly stood up, took out one of your smaller luggage and began sorting out the clothes you would bring back. 

That is until an unexpected message came through.

that one guy obsessed with Neoguri Ramyun 🦝: hey princess, just checking up on you  that one guy obsessed with Neoguri Ramyun 🦝 : how have you been feeling?

Really? A text from Sunwoo after a week of not saying anything? 

You honestly were just planning to leave him on read, but something within you said that you should give him a reply; he, in fact, was concerned about your well-being. 

You could definitely trust this guy. Right?

y/n: been good, burying myself with work.  that one guy obsessed with Neoguri Ramyun 🦝: that’s unfortunate. but if you do happen to be free tomorrow night… 👀 y/n: whatever are you planning this time, Sunwoo that one guy obsessed with Neoguri Ramyun 🦝: just the usual parties at Eric’s villa. you’ll come, won’t you? 

Tomorrow. But you were planning to head back to your hometown. 

Now you were in a dilemma; you know that you have only known this guy a little shy of just one week, yet there was this prominent mutual attraction between you two—at least, you wanted to think of it that way. 

But were you ready to ditch your friends and family over this guy? Over a party where you could potentially get drunk once again and make questionable decisions that you were certain you would regret later on? 

You contemplated asking Flo to help you choose, but given that she did not take your last encounter with the male well, it’s probably not a very good idea at this point. You could flip a coin and respectfully choose the side you’ve assigned the decision to, but why go through the lengths of all that? 

It was either a yes or no, simple as that. Yet, you were pacing around the room, scratching your head while at it, until one more text came from the man himself.

that one guy obsessed with Neoguri Ramyun 🦝: y/n, you there? don’t leave me on read 🙁

Argh, goddamit we ball.

y/n: pick me up tomorrow, the usual.

“Damn, I had no idea your bandmate Eric was this rich,” you commented before taking a sip of your mocktail that you took at the entrance.

Yes. Mocktail. You weren’t ready to go down the same path you had in the previous encounter you had with Sunwoo. 

“Boy grew up rich, alright. He has one villa back in the States, too.” 

“And I assume all of you have been there?”

“Oh, we often stay there for a couple of nights whenever we’re in Los Angeles. I say it's a win-win situation, given that we have free accommodations. Besides, his mum has taken a liking to us all, particularly me.” Sunwoo nudges your shoulders as he says that last sentence. 

“Don’t be stupid. You look horrendous,” you spat.

“Now, that’s not what you said to me the other day, Princess.” 

You were baffled. “Huh? What did I say?”

“Oh, darling. You said many things when we were making out. You were pretty much a very vocal one at that, too,” he grinned before taking a sip of his drink, but you couldn’t just let this slip away easily. “Ow! Why did you pinch my arm for!” 

You pulled his shirt down so that you could whisper into his ear. “You’re going to have to tell me what exactly happened that day, and it stays between us and only us.” 

“Seems like girlie couldn’t remember a single detail from that night after all, hmm?” Sunwoo smirked before he took a strand of your hair and intertwined it around his finger. 

Again, you swatted his hands away. “Don’t play games with me, Sunwoo. Tell me everything right now; I need to know for the sake of my well-”

Before you could even finish your sentence, Sunwoo immediately pulled you down onto one of the empty sun loungers scattered throughout the pool area, and little did you realise that you had just landed on his lap. 

“Stop wasting all of the unnecessary energy, Y/N. We’re here tonight just to relax and party, hmm? That heated make-out session is history. What matters is you’re here with me,” he cooed. 

Oh hell, this is going to be a long night indeed.

Act 4 (넷): Secrets

It definitely took you a while to break free from Kim Sunwoo’s arms. At one point, you were both just chatting—well, more likely bickering, and then the next thing that happened was the both of you got pulled towards the pool table located at the side of the outdoor swimming pool area where the boys and several other girls were playing beer pong. 

Eventually, you gave in and represented your team in a couple of rounds, only having to drink once or twice as compared to Sunwoo. He was a mess by the time the game got around to the tenth round, and he had his arm over you and slowly laid his head on the crook of your neck. 

It was fairly common as you saw the other boys and girls around you doing the same thing; people were just having fun, and a little skinship could do no harm. 

After some time, you decided that you needed some alone time and retreated into the house, where you found a cosy couch just to sit back and relax a little. Everyone was still in the outdoor area, with only a handful of people chilling and just talking with one another around the living space, so you didn’t really mind it at all. 

Slowly sipping your drink, you decided just to take in everything that had happened back in the past week. You were back in the party scene again, back to drinking (which you’ve definitely missed), and you actually felt that your life was lit up again after so long. 

It took you a while to get over your ex, and that previous relationship ruined you so badly that you couldn’t even drink or go to a club for quite some time. To think that you had met Sunwoo through one of the events you were part of, trading back each other’s phones just because you were the one who mistakenly took his, and then getting close with him until you were now part of the band’s social scene? It was wild. 

Suddenly, you felt a little thump as someone made their way to take a seat next to you, and you realised who it was the moment he brushed his hair back with his hands. 

“You must be Y/N? Sunwoo has talked a lot about you,” he lifted his glass of whiskey to prompt you to do a little cheer before taking a good sip of his beverage. 

“Thanks for letting me come tonight; I really appreciate it,” you responded politely to the male. 

“Oh no, thank you for coming, actually. Without you, our recent concert wouldn’t have been a huge success as it was.”

You chuckled. “You’re joking. All of your concerts do great all the time, Eric.” 

“Not always. There are usually a few seats left empty in our previous one. But this? We have been told that all seats were sold out in nearly ten minutes before the website crashed. You and your team made it happen, Y/N.”

You weren’t too sure if it was because of the alcohol or if it was getting a little too stuffy in the house, but you could only respond by giving him a little nod before downing your drink to ease the awkwardness. 

You didn’t seem to have to worry much because Eric was a sociable guy. He would come up with random topics that could keep you busy throughout the night, and frankly, you enjoyed yapping about every single one of them, and he did just the same. 

Before you knew it, laughter began filling the room, and it was from both of you (mostly Eric because he is one loud fellow). At one point, you laughed so much that tears had formed within the corners of your eyes, and Eric had to pull the nearby tissue box to hand them to you. 

“Oh my god, you can be a stand-up comedian, Sohn.” 

“I’ve been told multiple times if only the members would acknowledge that,” he pouts. 

“They don’t? How could they?” 

“You tell me! Clearly, they don’t know how to appreciate LA humour in the slightest. But now I’ve found someone who does,” he points his glass again at you to indicate another cheer before the two of you drink your beverages. “Say, Y/N. Can I ask you something?”

“Shoot your shot, mister. I’m prepared for anything, even if it means I will be laughing my ass off until tomorrow morning,” you replied confidently, thinking that he was about to pull another lame joke. 

Only this time, he was going to press on something serious instead. 

“What are your thoughts about Sunwoo? Be honest with me.” 

Huh? Why are we shifting the topic back to Sunwoo? 

“I…umm…he’s just a guy, I guess. I don’t know him well enough to determine that much yet,” you answered bluntly, hoping it was enough to give him a satisfactory answer. 

It took Eric a little while to respond properly before you eventually caught him staring right at your collarbone, causing you to touch the very spot he was eyeing at. “Umm…is something wrong?” 

“No, not at all. But listen to me very carefully, Y/N. You will be needing this.” 

Immediately, Eric gently pulled you closer so he could whisper into your ear, ensuring that the coast was clear and nobody was around to eavesdrop before muttering those words that caused you to linger in your mind for the entire night. 

“Whatever you do, do not get yourself involved in Sunwoo’s affairs. Stay as far away as you can from him.” 

Just like that, Eric was up and ready to excuse himself as he had to tend to the other guests. He gave you one final smile accompanied by a single wave before he headed towards the exit. Right before he left, you could catch something he muttered softly under his breath, something you wished you hadn’t heard. 

“Kim Sunwoo, I guess you are still the very same bastard just as you were back then.”

It has been a couple of weeks since you were invited to the party at Eric’s villa in central Seoul. As much as you tried your best to ignore the warnings Eric had told you about Sunwoo, you couldn’t help but constantly think about it throughout the entire day.

Sure, Sunwoo was a flirt—but he wouldn’t go as far as to harm you physically or emotionally. 

In fact, you have been in close contact with the man himself almost every weekend. The band was off-season for a little while, which meant he would be back in Seoul during the weekends, as his schedules were free. Hence, he had a lot of time to bring you around Seoul and to all of his favourite restaurants that he frequented either as a celebrity or where he often went during his trainee days.

He has built up a reputation for himself, and all of the owners of the restaurants near his old dormitory with the members treated him like their own son. At times, certain owners would even treat him to a free meal, so that basically meant you were getting a free ride, too, since you were his acquaintance.

You just couldn’t seem to fathom that a guy like Sunwoo was someone comparable to your ex. 

Your ex has done multiple things in the past which made you feel like an outcast for a while. You stopped going to parties, being the sociable fairy you once were, and hell, even let yourself get close to a man ever again. 

Your previous relationship traumatised you to the point that you needed a break from everything and everyone, including your best friends and family. 

That was why you fled to Seoul—you wanted a new life, a new beginning, and a little escape from everyone for a little while. The moment you received a call back from your current agency about hiring you to be part of their PR team, you were astounded. You have always loved meeting new people and wanted to do everything you could to help them until your ex-boyfriend changed everything.

It just so happened that your encounter with The Boyz was meant to have several chapters down the line. Usually, you would work with a group or artist until the day of the concert or event, and then you would return to your normal routine. There were no meet-ups or getting close to the celebrities or their acquaintances. You’d like to think that it was fate that you had become close mutual friends with The Boyz. 

Until that fateful night when Eric warned you about Sunwoo. 

You couldn’t believe it, or rather, you didn’t want to believe that. 

All you wanted was to have someone like Sunwoo come into your life again—to drag you out of your shell and back to where you truly belong. 

That is until a phone call came from your best friend. 

“Y/N. I think I’ve found something that should piqued your interest,” Lyla announced on the phone.

Act 5 (다섯): All I Know

It seemed that the days of relaxation had ended when the band finally received some sample songs for their upcoming album. As the group's lead songwriter, Sunwoo was already in the studio at 3 a.m., going through each one with his team of producers. 

When it came to his job, Sunwoo poured his whole heart and soul into them, and he can be very meticulous when selecting the song that would suit the team best. He was cautious and ensured that each member had time to shine and portray their unique skills throughout the song. 

This is also a time when he would be the hardest to contact if there ever was a situation in which someone needed his presence as soon as possible. Technically, he would always leave his phone on silent mode throughout the day but opt for the do-not-disturb mode when in the studio. He just disliked it when he got interrupted during his train of thought while in his creative mindset. 

But hunger would never escape him, and his tummy began making growling noises. Then, he finally checked his phone for the very first time since he stepped into the studio. It was already 9:30 in the morning, and he hadn’t had any food since 6 p.m. the day before. 

If he wanted to get back on his feet, he obviously had to do something to satisfy the grumbling noises that would soon fill the entire studio if he had left it just there and then. So he quickly took his hoodie and was off to the nearest convenience store near the company. 

As usual, he walked straight towards the ramen aisle and quickly grabbed his favourite Neoguri Ramyun, which had to be the spiciest one. To top it off with a beverage, he went straight to the freezer box to grab an ice cup and paired it with his favourite chocolate milk drink that came in a packet, which he would then empty the continents into the cup itself after purchase. 

He was going to walk straight to the cashier until your voice suddenly rang in his head. 

The hell do you survive on just ramen all the time? Add on some healthier carbs, will you? 

Just like that, he turned his heels back towards the aisle and grabbed an onigiri that looked pretty decent enough to pair with his noodles and coffee.

There. I’ve added rice. It’s more than enough. He replied mentally towards your voice. 

Usually, he would bring his so-called “breakfast” back to the studio and eat while working, but he decided that it wouldn’t hurt just to sit down and chill in the store while admiring the clear blue skies for the day. It had been raining for the past few days so it was nice to get a little sunlight in a while. 

As he chomped down on his food, he just couldn’t stop thinking about that very first time when you both had met back at the store that was located near the concert venue and how you were doubting his ability to actually make an ordinary cup of ramen taste just as good as Sunwoo acclaimed to be all the time. 

“What, you’re just adding chopped green jalapeno and sesame seeds. That doesn’t make a difference,” you argued, having done the same with the noodles at your apartment. 

“Not just any jalapeno and sesame seeds, it has to be the one that specifically comes with this spiciest addition that you can request at your local convenience store for the add-on,” he proclaimed while throwing all of the ingredients together before mixing it up well with the wooden chopsticks. 

Still unconvinced, you gave him an immense side-eye as he pushed the cup of ramen to you and insisted that you try it. You reluctantly took a few strands of noodles with the chopsticks and started chewing until you stopped halfway, which made Sunwoo lean in close to reply with a grin. 

“See, told ya.” 

It really did make a difference. It turned out that Sunwoo was serious about this whole Neoguri Ramyun business he was running. He had always insisted that the people around him had to cook the noodles the same exact way as he did, or else they would be better off thrown into the trash. 

“Honestly, I should’ve become a ramen connoisseur instead of a guitarist. I would’ve made loads of money from this alone. Hell, I think Neoguri should even hire me as their ambassador.”

“Nah, you don’t have the looks to be plastered across Neoguri advertisement boards. Heck, I don’t think I would wanna consume a cup ramen with your face on the packaging.”

“Hello? We just met and were having a good conversation together?” Sunwoo protested. 

“I’m sorry, but I’m usually pretty blunt and straightforward with my words.” 

“Ouch. You’re a monster.” 

“I’ve been told,” you stuck your tongue out at the male. 

That conversation would often bring a smile back onto Sunwoo’s face. It was the way you could be savage for one second, and the next thing that happened was you were slurping away the noodles that he had just made for you (note: the noodles that he deemed were far beyond perfection). 

Just like you thought that it was fate for Sunwoo to have entered your life, he did the same, too. 

It had been a long time since he had found someone who could connect with him, be on the same level as he did, and even tolerate his flirtatious remarks and behaviour. Most importantly, it had been a while since he had gotten this close to a girl. 

Like everyone else, Sunwoo had a past that wasn’t of the best to be on his history books. He had been through many things, more like things that he wasn’t too proud of. All he wanted was to cherish his time with you and to let go of the things that have haunted him in the past. He would take it if it meant being with you could bring him temporary happiness. 

And that he would ensure that you would never find out about the Kim Sunwoo of the past.

You couldn’t believe it when your friend Lyla had just dumped all the information towards you on just one FaceTime call. 

It all started a couple of weeks back when you first got her to find out more about Sunwoo, especially ever since you just couldn’t fathom the thought of why his name sounded so familiar to you. 

Even after all of the dates and parties you both had been to, nothing alarming stood out from the guy, and he was a normal celebrity who just wanted to have some fun. Yet, there was something at the back of your mind that just knew there must be something about the guy.

Something mysterious, but harmless. 

However, after that video call with Lyla, you couldn’t be so sure anymore. 

Instantly, you texted the Sunwoo and said that you needed to see him as soon as possible because you needed answers.

Desperately. 

y/n: hey…do you happen to be free for the night? can we meet? that one guy obsessed with Neoguri Ramyun 🦝: never would I have expected for you to text me firsthand…are you finally taking my love proposal into consideration 😘 y/n: sunwoo…not right now please, i just need to see you.  that one guy obsessed with Neoguri Ramyun 🦝: wait. y/n you’re not like yourself. did something happened? are you okay?  y/n: we’ll talk more when we meet. please that one guy obsessed with Neoguri Ramyun 🦝: i have a schedule tonight, but i can totally meet you at Han River if that’s okay with you y/n: deal. I’ll see you then.

Given that you were out of town for work earlier in the day, you glanced at your watch to see that it was already 6 in the evening. Hastily, you excused yourself from the little afternoon date you were having with your co-workers and quickly took the subway to return to Seoul to meet Sunwoo. 

The usual 45-minute train ride back felt like an eternity. You had no idea why you were so nervous, anxious and even terrified about the ordeal. You were still trying your best to take in everything Lyla had said over the call, but you refused to believe that everything—all of the memories you had made with the man himself until now—had all been a facade. 

Why go through to this extent? Was everything had been a lie all this while? Were you just a pawn in his games?

The moment you stepped out of the train, your legs guided you straight to where you were supposed to meet. At this point, you were running on autopilot, and you felt that your energy and consciousness were slowly drifting away from you.

By the time you reached the stairs up to the bridge, you lay your eyes upon the familiar figure who was already there. Though, he wasn’t alone. 

As you closed in your distance with him, you had just picked up one sentence from the conversation—one that was more than enough to confirm all of the doubts and fears you’ve had up to this point. 

She’s just another one of the girls. 

“Y-You meant what you said?” You squeaked, and that was enough to make both men turn their heads towards you. 

Instantly, tears began streaming down your face as you turned your heel and started running in the opposite direction, not caring if he was chasing and screaming your name out loud in the middle of the night. 

I’m done with men.

Act 6 (여섯): True Colors

If you talked about being one’s soulmate, Eric Sohn knew that best when finding the right friend with whom you can connect on a whole different level. The word “soulmate” meant a lot to him—someone who is more than just a friend, one that the universe has just seemed to create specially just for you. 

Sunwoo and Eric go all the way back to their trainee days when they were both training to become idols instead of a band. They clicked right off the bat, and the first thing they did was sneak out in the middle of the night to get some ramen at their local convenience store.

They have got in so much trouble together in the past, to the point that they had to be placed in detention by their managers and company staff multiple times, but that was all the joy and fun with that for the both of them. 

Eric had always wanted a brother, and so did Sunwoo. Even though they weren’t related by blood, their chemistry was incomparable to the others in the company. They did everything together—songwriting, sharing their meals together when they had barely enough to survive, and even taking the late-night buses to travel to another town or city during their breaks. 

Eventually, they decided that being in a band would better suit them as idols, and they did everything they could with the little amount of cash in their pockets and left. Of course, it came as a shocker to everyone, be it from their family members or friends or even to the company since they would potentially debut in their next upcoming new boy group. But both of them knew that there was a much better place and opportunity for them. 

They have spent countless of days sleeping in the local parks or subways, each taking turns to look out for one another while job hunting in the local restaurants or cafes while they were at it to earn some cash. Eventually, both of them bought their very own instruments from a second-hand store and started busking on the streets. 

Nobody knew how to appreciate their music at the beginning, but their hard work has definitely paid off in the long run. They never once gave up, eventually earning ten and hundreds of pedestrians who would stop by to enjoy the music while giving them some tips. 

At the same time, they ventured around Seoul to find similar members who were willing to share the same dream and passion as they did, and that was when they encountered the rest of the members. With Kevin's help (since he had some contacts within the music industry), they were able to sign with their current company and eventually debut as a successful band.

Since both Eric and Sunwoo had already been on the internet for quite some time before debuting, they already have garnered enough fans to start off fresh and strong, which earned them their very first win on the local music awards show that very same year.

Years passed, and they were now one of Seoul's biggest and most successful boy bands. Eventually, their words spread out, reaching almost every entity in South Korea. They had everything, and there was nothing to lose. 

But there was one thing that constantly bothered the man himself: Sunwoo’s past. 

When it comes to romance, Eric often takes it seriously, and frankly, he knows best about it. Both Eric and Sunwoo had something in common: they were flirtatious as hell, and they knew how to get the girls. But there was a significant difference between them: Eric knew when to draw the line.

Given his profession, getting into a serious relationship meant trouble for his career and company. If he really wanted to find love, he would definitely have waited for the right moment to do so because he knew that both personal and business relations should not co-exist in the same duration. 

Sure, he knew how to satisfy a woman, but he would never stoop as low as to play with their feelings. He always loved being fully transparent about them, which has always worked out for him. 

However, Sunwoo didn’t, which frustrated his friend all the time.

Eric knew about his past with his ex—it made him the way he was when it came to romance. He couldn’t blame Sunwoo after all of the traumatic experiences He had gone through, especially when he did not deserve any of those in the slightest. But yet, it angers the male, and he has been trying to do something to help him get over it for years. 

It just so happened that you had to come into the picture. 

Eric and the rest of the band thought nothing much about your “encounter” with Sunwoo; they often brushed it off as a silly and hilarious experience because you accidentally took his phone instead of yours. However, things changed when Sunwoo started hanging out with you more often and even invited you to their parties. 

There was nothing wrong with you joining their scene, but it was how Eric noticed how Sunwoo had been treating you. 

Just like he did to all of the previous girls. 

Though, Eric knew that you were different to all of the other girls who had gotten involved with Sunwoo in the past. You seemed a lot more mature and outgoing, and you were never afraid to voice your honest yet brutal opinions about the guy—which is also why the band had taken quite a liking towards you. 

Unfortunately for the previous girls, they wanted to get close with the band—specifically towards Sunwoo—and get involved with all of the games he was about to pull. That was why many of them seemingly fell too easily into his traps and manipulation. 

Because of that, Eric wasn’t ready to see a pure and humble girl like you crumble down. As his best friend, he was going to try his best to make things right. 

To make sure that history wasn’t going to repeat itself.

“Alright boys, let’s take it from the top!” Sunwoo announced, after going through with everyone about their latest hit, that they would make it into their latest album. 

They had been in the studio since noon, rehearsing nonstop. They insisted that they would push through to get this new album out for their third anniversary. They wanted to try out a whole new concept this time—something that portrayed all those years they had been through as trainees. 

This new track, Hurt Me Less, is all about the end of a previous relationship and the beginning of a new one. 

As the co-writer of the song, Eric himself found it ironic that Sunwoo decided to use this as the title track, given that he knew exactly how Sunwoo had treated all the girls in the past, including you.

So many things went through his mind when he first heard it and he was allowed to co-write it with him. Was this Sunwoo’s way of finally acknowledging his past mistakes and that he was ready to move on and see romantic relationships from a different perspective? 

Eric had wanted to confront his friend for the longest time, but it just wasn’t the right timing to do so—especially when the both of them often get caught up with work, and nothing else would come to mind when they’re in the studio. 

Since they finally had a little time before their next schedule later at night, Eric decided to take Sunwoo to Han River for a little stroll and perhaps finally get a glimpse of his friend’s thoughts after so long. 

“Don’t you miss it?” Eric nudged his friend's shoulder as they walked through the river. This used to be their favourite place to escape from reality, after all, in their earlier days. 

“The hell are you being so sentimental today? I’m pretty sure you have got something up your sleeves to call me out like that,” Sunwoo spat. 

Apparently, that angered Eric, and he quickly slapped his friend in the arm. “Can’t we just go back to the good old times and take things slowly for a bit? We have been so busy preparing for the new album lately and haven’t gotten much time to hang out like we used to.” 

“Sure, but it’s finally our third anniversary, and I really want to make it special this time,” Sunwoo chuckled as he buried both hands in his jacket. 

Since Sunwoo has touched on the topic of interest, it was time for Eric to get to the point gradually. “Say, about this new song and album…what inspired you to choose this theme?” 

His friend thought about it for a while and gave an open-ended answer. “Nothing much. I just felt it would be nice to do something different. After all, music is all about experimenting with different genres.” 

“Are you sure it’s just that?” 

That was enough to make Sunwoo stop in his tracks as he narrowed his eyes towards his friend. “Youngjae-ah, what exactly are you trying to fish out from me?” 

Eric knew that whenever Sunwoo used his birth name, the conversation would turn 180 degrees as there would be no room for any jokes or mischievous acts. The gig was up, and he knew he had to speak out his deepest thoughts. 

“Sunwoo. I’m going to ask you a question, and you’ll have to answer me truthfully.” Eric then walks up to his friend, grabs hold of his shoulder and takes in a deep breath before he poses his question. “This whole new album…the title track…are any of these meant to be about your past?” 

“Or more specifically, about Y/N?”

That was enough to make Sunwoo widen his eyes and stare deeply into his friend’s. Given that his response was merely a sigh and lowering his head, he probably knew this would happen sooner or later. Eric knew Sunwoo best, after all. 

“What exactly have you deduced this time, Mr Holmes?” Sunwoo mocked. 

“Don’t play games with me, Sunwoo. I need to know the truth.” 

“Why? Are you interested in Y/N?” He scoffed, and that was enough to make Eric’s blood boil. 

“No. But I do not like how you’re dragging her into your unnecessary mess, just like you did with all the other girls.” 

Now, that was when Sunwoo was the one who got all worked up, and he immediately pushed his friend away roughly. Rage began to overtake his way of thinking logically, and he was now balling up his fists while trying his best to contain himself. 

“We don’t talk about that.”

“Well, we have to! Sunwoo, you need to stop running away from your problems and face them head-on. You’ll never overcome your fears if you live like this daily!” Eric raised his voice, and Sunwoo returned the favour by grabbing onto his collar. 

“It’s not your life. You have no rights or say so based on what I have experienced in the past. So I suggest you shut your mouth before making me do something I regret.” 

“Fine by me. If that’s what your true colours are. If only Y/N is here to see you in this state-” 

“The hell are you bringing up Y/N again in all of this? Why do you care?” 

“Because you’re in love with her, you goddamn idiot!” 

That was enough for Sunwoo to let go of his friend’s collar finally, and he began pacing around while ruffling his hair in frustration. 

“So I was right,” Eric panted. 

“T-That’s not true. I don’t have feelings for Y/N.”

“How can you be so sure? Your actions have proved otherwise these past several weeks, Sunwoo. Stop lying to yourself.” 

“Never. Romance and dating no longer exist in my books. She’s just another one of the girls.” 

With that, Eric suddenly gulped before he directed his attention to something, or rather, someone that was now behind his friend. 

“Y-You meant what you said?” 

Oh god, this was now much more messed up than it should’ve been. 

Before either of them could have a say in all of these, you instantly turned your heel towards the opposite direction. You began sprinting away, not even caring when Sunwoo was screaming for you and about to dash towards your direction. 

Until Eric gripped onto his wrists forcefully and yanked his friend back. 

“You scumbag.” That was all he said until Eric tried his best to keep up with you. 

Kim Sunwoo, what an actual jerk you are.

Act 7 (일곱): Love To Lay

Sunwoo couldn’t remember when was the last time he actually got proper sleep without having to rely on his sleeping pills. It wasn’t by choice; rather, it’s something he has been struggling with for over a year now. 

Being obsessed with shoujo mangas, there’s no doubt he absolutely enjoys romance novels and films, which was also one of the reasons he could click on Eric so well. They would often have book or film talk sessions after practice, discussing the latest trend and evaluating the way the characters proposed to one another in their respective ways. 

Also, being a social butterfly himself, he had been on the party scene for years now, and there was no doubt he had gotten a good handful of female friends he would often hang out with his group of friends in the past. 

Which was also where he met his first and only girlfriend, Miyeon. 

Miyeon was known as the beauty queen of the town, as the locals would dub her. She was well respected in the community as she was at the top of her class and often participated in volunteer work during her semester breaks from university. 

It was ironic to see a top student visit a club during the late weekday nights. Still, Sunwoo figured that everyone would eventually venture into the party scene at least once in their lifetime, no matter how good their upbringing was. It was part of youth, after all. 

It all started with them having a little conversation, followed by a bit of alcohol in their system, and then straight onto the dance floor before they ended up with a little makeout session at one of the stalls. It was Sunwoo’s first relationship, and he thought the pace they were going for was pretty reasonable. 

Miyeon was everything to him, and he would work around his tight-knit schedule to spend as much time as he could with her—even if that meant he would be getting less sleep or rest after a show. 

After all, he had never found someone who came as close as she did. They had the same interests and hobbies and could talk about any topic for hours on his couch. Miyeon would often come over to stay at Sunwoo’s apartment since it was much more convenient for them both. 

She even had a set of her own clothing, skincare and up to having her makeup products at his place. She was pretty much treating his place like her second home, and Sunwoo was completely fine with that. 

They even talked about getting engaged once, and Sunwoo was ecstatic about the thought, and he couldn’t stop giving her cuddles and kisses that day. Ever since then, he started working tirelessly to get the engagement ring that he’d had his eyes on for a while, and he knew that it would suit Miyeon’s taste.

However, Miyeon started getting a lot busier not long after as she had recently changed her job, and she wasn’t able to meet up with Sunwoo as often anymore. Hence, their dates slowly dropped down to having three to only once per week, or sometimes only meeting each other just once a fortnight. 

As much as Sunwoo was worried that she was working way too hard she should, there was no reason to doubt her since she always excelled at everything that she had done. She was still texting Sunwoo every day without fail on Kakao, so everything was under control. 

At least, that was what Sunwoo thought. 

Since it was going to be her birthday soon and he finally had gotten his first paycheck after a successful first The Boyz concert, he was able to use that to get his hands on the engagement ring that he had asked the shopkeepers to keep for him for a couple of months now. 

Eagerly, he walked out of the store with the blue Tiffany & Co. bag in his hands as he made his way towards her apartment to surprise her. 

Until he focused his attention on the couple on the other side of the road. 

The couple both held ice cream in their hands as they played around with the dessert playfully, taking some with their fingers and smearing it across each other’s noses. They were also laughing and having a lot of fun—way too much fun, actually. 

At least, Miyeon was. 

Sunwoo wasn’t sure how he would confront Miyeon about it—in fact, he couldn’t. Sure, he was confused as hell, but the thought of Miyeon potentially having an affair outside this relationship seemed unlikely. He couldn’t fathom the thought of her doing that, and he refused to believe it and was convinced that it must be a sick joke. 

That night, Sunwoo tried his best to make everything seem normal as he entered Miyeon’s apartment. Miyeon was showering him with kisses and telling him all about how she was sorry for being late as she was out shopping for ingredients for their sukiyaki dinner date. 

Lies. 

At that point, they hadn’t seen each other for two weeks, and Miyeon went on and on about how she was away for a business trip and had just returned to Seoul that evening. It was hard for her to hail a cab as they were all pretty much booked until she needed to contact one of her colleagues to give her a ride back into the city and return home. 

Lies. 

After that, they had a little movie night and spent much time cuddling on the couch. It would’ve been a lie to say Sunwoo didn’t miss her scent. He just couldn’t help but rest his nose into her soft brunette hair and savour as much of the scent he had loved so deeply over the past year of their relationship. 

“I miss your scent too, Sunwoo. It’s been hell without having you beside me for weeks,” Miyeon sulked as she hugged Sunwoo tighter. 

Lies. 

Even as they went to sleep that night in Miyeon’s room, Sunwoo could clearly feel a distance between the two. Miyeon was sleeping on her side, so her back was facing him. As much as he wanted to touch her, to carry and hold her in his arms, he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. 

We are just strangers in a bed. 

Sunwoo went on like this for a month, ignoring all of the red flags that he had been getting and seeing for the past several weeks—he kept convincing himself that he was living in a horrible nightmare and it would soon be over. 

As Miyeon started getting busier again with her “work,” Sunwoo returned to focus more on his career. Ultimately, this was a huge failure, as his performance started deteriorating horribly, to the point that it was affecting the other members in the group. 

Every time the members confronted him about it, Sunwoo just shrugged it off, saying that he hadn’t gotten much sleep because of their busy schedule. However, they knew deep down that something was very much off, and Eric was determined to find out exactly what had happened. 

One night after their pre-recording at Music Bank, Sunwoo went out for a little walk around the area, and Eric followed behind discreetly. It didn’t even take Sunwoo more than five minutes until he had come to a halt, and Eric did exactly the same until his eyes travelled along where Sunwoo had landed.

Miyeon was accepting what seemed like an engagement ring from the very same guy Sunwoo had his eyes on the other day. 

Rage instantly filled him, and this time, he couldn’t help but confront them straight ahead. He desperately had hoped that Miyeon would feel a little remorse or at least appear shocked to see that her boyfriend had caught her red-handed. After all, Sunwoo just wanted answers as he wasn’t in the mood to make this a huge deal. 

But apparently, Miyeon didn’t think of that in the same way. 

The heated conversation between the two of them would always come to haunt Sunwoo, and he would never forget about all of the things Miyeon had just spat right into his face back then. 

Love is just a pretend. 

Your love for me is crazy. 

You’ll never be the right one for me. 

Since that day, Sunwoo’s hatred for romance has constantly grown, and he often has a couple of outbursts, especially when he is alone in his apartment. How couldn’t he? Especially when Miyeon’s stuff was scattered all throughout his comfort space. 

To make matters worse, Miyeon even had the guts to contact Sunwoo after all that she had done to make him return all of her things that were still left in his apartment. 

Did Sunwoo do just that?

Absolutely not. 

He got rid of every item she owned— throwing them into the trash or burning them in his fireplace. Anger would always accompany him whenever he did so, and it frustrated him that Miyeon would betray him like that.

It was then that Sunwoo decided that romance was just total bullshit and there would never be such a thing of true love for him. He blocked her number and deleted everything that reminded him about her. 

Sunwoo felt like he was on autopilot for the first couple of months, and he would just go out to the nightclubs every day and pick up every girl he could find and tease them a little. Eventually, when the girls started having feelings for him, he would run away before anything further than that could happen. 

Love was like a game for him now, and it didn’t matter if he would break those girls' hearts. All he wanted was to feel the thrill of being loved and wanted, and if he had gotten what he needed, then that was fine by him.

He couldn’t face rejection again. What happened with him and Miyeon has left a deep scar within him, and he’ll never be able to fix it. He has learned it the hard way from that breakup. 

Until you came into the picture. 

It was definitely the first time someone mistook their phone as theirs and accidentally took his instead. He found it amusing, and he absolutely found your reaction back during the first encounter hilarious. He genuinely just enjoyed your company that night. 

But there was something different about you—you weren’t like all the other girls he had encountered at the nightclubs. You were just so pure and genuine, and you didn’t want him just for his flirtatious demeanour and good looks. You were savage as hell, and you always spoke the truth and made him laugh. 

It has been a while since someone could put Sunwoo back into his place. 

That’s why he couldn’t bear the thought of doing the nasty when you brought him to the club that night. He knew that the moment he got a sip of alcohol into his system, he wasn’t going to be able to hold himself back from doing something he was going to regret.

Miraculously, he did. He was able to stop himself before things got too far. The both of you only had a heated makeout session before Sunwoo finally grabbed your wrist and stopped you in your tracks. He had no choice but to drag you all the way back into his vehicle before driving off to his apartment. 

As much as he wanted to bring you straight back home, you were already sleeping so soundly on the way back, and he knew that he was definitely going to get killed by your roommate if she saw her friend in this state. Ultimately, he did what he thought was best—taking you back into his apartment and helping you change into much more comfortable clothing before tucking you into bed. 

Sunwoo slept on the couch next to his bed that night, and he couldn’t stop looking in your direction as you tossed and turned around all night. It was clear to him that you were having a horrible nightmare, and you kept mumbling incoherent words as you began sweating profoundly. 

He had enough and decided to get up and sit right next to you, and that was when he heard your words loud and clear. 

“Please don’t hurt me…I’ve done nothing wrong…Don’t leave me…” 

Instantly, you grabbed his wrist and hugged it tightly as you adjusted your sleeping position towards him. Sunwoo had no idea why that made him go all soft for you, and he instantly began rubbing away the tears from your eyes and leaned down to give a little peck on your forehead. 

He wished he could’ve done something to relieve your pain and that he would snuggle with you to bed if that would have made it a lot better for you to sleep soundly for the night.

But he knew that once the sun rises the next day, he would go back to being the playboy Kim Sunwoo that the public had labelled him to be.

You’re in love with her.

Those words pierced right through Sunwoo’s heart every single time his mind flashed back to that night when Eric confronted him right before you came.

He hasn’t spoken to his good friend since, and it has been close to a week now. Sunwoo decided to call in sick for the week, and the rest of the members went on with rehearsals without him—he wasn’t in the right mindset to put on his idol persona anyway. 

The couch right next to his fireplace was his go-to for the past week, and Sunwoo would just sit there for hours staring into the flames, thinking about those words that his friend had said right to his face that day. 

It was as if those were the words that needed to be said straight to his face, for he knew that his relationship with yours meant something—a lot more compared to all of the other girls that he had gotten involved with in the past. 

As much as he didn’t want to admit it, you were slowly breaking down his steel heart, which had been sealed shut for years. Little did you know that you were slowly healing his broken heart day by day. Sunwoo adored everything about you, and you were constantly on his mind throughout the day. 

You have officially taken over his mind; everything he does daily reminds him of you. 

But Sunwoo just couldn’t admit that out loud. After he had sworn that he was done with romance, he couldn't. 

However, Sunwoo had been sitting at his fireplace for days, and he kept thinking throughout the day and night. 

What if you were the key to fixing him? 

What if you were finally the one who would make him realise it’s okay to fall in love again? 

What if…you were the right one that was meant to be with him?

With that, Sunwoo leaned back against his couch with his hands covering his eyes as he grunted for the hundredth time of the day.

Stop messing things up, you good-for-nothing idiot.

Act 8 (여덟): A Lonely Night

You couldn’t recall when was the last time you actually got a proper meal. Ever since that day when you overhead the conversation between Sunwoo and Eric, you were dashing straight towards the streets, not caring if people were giving you weird looks in the slightest. 

You quickly hail a taxi and give the driver your apartment address—you just don’t have the strength to take public transport anymore in your current state. 

The moment you opened your front door, your roommate was already expecting your return, with her arms crossed and feet tapping the ground. However, her expression softened when she saw that you were an absolute wreck in your current state. She immediately opened her arms wide, and you quickly slipped into her embrace and started crying again. 

It hurts so much, and you don’t know why exactly that is. 

Sunwoo was just a casual friend. You were both hanging out a lot more often these days, and he just so happened to be the very first man after your ex to have treated you exactly the way a woman should be treated. That was it, and there wasn’t much more to add to that. 

But deep down, you were expecting—no, hoping—that perhaps there was something a little bit more to that. 

Maybe you’re the one who was insane for thinking that way. 

He was a celebrity, and you are just a girl working in PR who happened to be able to work with renowned artists many times. 

There was absolutely no way that there could’ve been something more to that. 

You quickly wiped away your tears as you slowly pushed Flo away, trying your best to muster up whatever strength you had left within you to talk before your tears were about to flow again for the hundredth time tonight. 

“Flo…I just…I wanna go back,” you sniffled. 

With a sigh, your roommate began rubbing your back to comfort you. “I know. But rest up first for the night. Maybe I’ll make you some chamomile tea with extra boba to calm you down while we watch a little bit of Netflix? I’ll help you pack tomorrow morning, and we’ll call Lyla and Bella.” 

You chuckled. “What would I ever do without you?”

“By the way, I’m not doing all of these for free. You better get me VIP tickets to your next upcoming show with whoever celeb that you’re going to be working with.” 

“Deal.”

“Alright, let’s go have some girls’ night, shall we?” Flo gently flicked your forehead before dragging you into the living room. 

You couldn’t recall when you last enjoyed the countryside view from the train. 

You usually take the subway within Seoul, but it’s been a while since you took the train that goes from one province to another—especially where you grew up. 

Leaving Busan a year ago was a huge step for you, especially since you have always lived with your friends and family—basically being in your own comfort zone. You loved everything here, and there wasn’t much reason to move since Busan practically had almost everything Seoul had. 

The nightlife here was how you’ve always loved—going out to clubs while you knew almost everyone in your little town on the outskirts of Busan, and everyone just looked out for each other often. 

However, after the way things ended with your ex, you needed some time and space alone and thought that perhaps a location change would benefit you. The past year has been amazing in the city, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’ll never give you the comfort you loved best when you were back home.

And that was something you desperately needed right now. 

As soon as the train came to a halt and you stepped out of the vehicle, you quickly dashed right through the door and into both of your friends’ arms—they had been expecting your arrival since this morning. 

It’s been a while since you had spent time with both Lyla and Bella, so the three of you took the time to walk slowly back to the countryside while dragging your luggage behind you. As soon as they helped you settle down in your old home, the three of you quickly dashed out of the house to get a quick bite of local food down at the town centre. 

The three of you had fun browsing from store to store and filling your stomachs to the brink of possibly throwing up everything you had just consumed. You would constantly laugh at one another about how Lyla and Bella would look silly with ice cream smeared all over their mouths, and they would fight back when you accidentally got Malatang all over your shirt. 

These were the kinds of bickering that you’ve missed so badly. Sure, you always bicker with Flo, but both Lyla and Bella were the OGs constantly coming for your neck. You’re still holding onto the hope of bringing Flo to visit your childhood best friends someday. 

Now that the three of you had your own flavours of churros in hand, you decided to take a little stroll at the nearby park right before exiting the town and returning to the countryside. As soon as you found a comfortable bench that was more than enough for the three of you to take a break, Lyla was the first to start the conversation you have been dreading talking about since coming back.

But you knew that you couldn’t hide much from them any more; they knew all of the details by now (thanks to Flo, who would constantly keep them updated) and were this close to heading straight to Seoul with their pots and pans to head straight up to Sunwoo’s apartment to give him a lesson. 

“I honestly don’t know what to tell you guys. It all happened, and he just so happened to be the same as my ex,” you shrugged as you took a bite of your churros. 

“Men are all the same; they suck,” Lyla commented with her mouth full. 

“Trust that I’m tying him up and throwing him straight into the Egyptian river if we ever cross paths with one another,” Bella threatened as she pointed her churros straight into your face. 

“But wait…didn’t you mention that they were preparing for an upcoming comeback?” Lyla asked. 

You sighed. “That’s the problem. And I am again part of the PR team's line-up.”

“Damn. That’s brutal,” Bella spat. 

“It sure is,” you replied. 

“Well, what are you going to do about it then?” Lyla asked. 

You contemplated for a little while before telling your friends about your decision: “I am thinking of quitting the company.” 

Immediately, both Lyla and Bella shot up from their seats, not caring if the whipped cream on their churros fell straight down to the ground. Frustration was slowly creeping up to them and you were stunned by their reaction—you had no clue why they would be mad about your decision. 

“What do you mean you want to leave? You do know that means that you’ll never get to meet celebrities any more-”

“That’s not the point, Lyla. Look, Y/N. I don’t want to jinx anything, but you’re treating this issue as running away again, just like you did with your ex. You know, escaping from your problems will never help you to put a proper closure to them.” 

You hated the fact how much that truth hurt—it almost felt like you were being stabbed with a bunch of needles all at once. As much as you wanted to face them properly, you couldn’t. You couldn’t bear the thought of going through all the pain once again, and you wanted to omit all of the horrible outcomes that could potentially happen after all this. 

You also didn’t know how to feel about Sunwoo. Clearly, it wasn’t his fault for saying what he did back at Han River. Celebrities are not meant to date as to adhere to their company rules. If they did, they would get into big trouble, and you would be partly to blame. 

But why did that matter to you so much? 

Why did those words sting as hell? 

Most importantly, why did it matter to you anyway?

As you took a deep breath, you finally stood up and threw your leftover churros into the bin before placing both hands on each side of your friends’ shoulders. 

“Look, I appreciate both of you constantly looking out for me, even in different cities for work. Frankly, I don’t really want to talk about this anymore, and I will venture out to find something much more fitting for my current well-being. Let’s just go home now, hmm?” 

Both Lyla and Bella could only soften their eyes as they looked at you, who was close to shedding tears again. They could only pull you in for a hug before taking you back to your home and giving you some time to rest up since you have been out all day since you stepped down from the train. 

Your parents were away visiting some family members, so you had the entire house to yourself. You were used to being alone, and you enjoyed some peace and quiet occasionally, but it all just felt too eerily quiet. 

The emotions were creeping back to you, and you hated how you were slowly becoming overwhelmed with them again. 

Everything you saw reminded you about Sunwoo—how you both would sit together on his couch to watch anime, the way the leftover instant ramen in the kitchen reminded you about your little convenience store dates and how you slept in his bed when you were passed out drunk. 

As much as you tried your best to get him out of your head, you couldn’t.

And you hated that so much. 

Just as you are about to turn to sleep on your side, your phone lights up on your nightstand, so you extend your hands to check the notification that you have received.

managing director: Lads, be ready for our online briefing tomorrow at 10 a.m. on Zoom about The Boyz's upcoming showcase. 

Frustration began to consume your thoughts, and you just threw your phone onto the other side of the bed before burying your face into your pillow, screaming into it and wishing that you could quickly escape from this horrible nightmare. 

Kim Sunwoo, this is all your fault.

Miles apart back in the heart of Seoul, Sunwoo was once again staring at his ceiling as he lay down on his bed. There was nothing much that he could’ve done other than thinking about you wherever he went. With that, the bed was nowhere near as good as his fireplace, especially when he was the one who tucked you into his bed when you were drunk. 

Sunwoo hasn’t come up with a conclusion after all that thinking at his fireplace throughout the week, and it frustrates him that he doesn’t really know how to feel about all of this. 

Actually, scratch that. He clearly knows how he feels about you, but he refuses to admit it out loud. 

The only thing that has been helping Sunwoo to cope is that he would feel inspired to write songs about his emotions, and he did exactly just did right before hopping into bed.

The music score was situated right on his nightstand, and he groaned before taking it quickly and sat up to read the lyrics that he had just written down an hour ago.

Better when we’re both apart.  We’re no good for each other.  A lonely night, Baby girl, I loved you on a lonely night.  It was the only time If I led you on I apologize. How can I make you rethink your decision?

That made Sunwoo’s jaw dropped. He didn’t know that he wrote all of these the hour before—it was as if he was on autopilot, and he clearly wrote down his deepest thoughts about the whole situation.

I loved her? Did I really just write that down? 

Sunwoo kept staring at those three words, and he was now sitting frozen in bed, thinking that if that was really what he had been meaning to say out loud for so long. 

Without thinking much, he quickly grabbed his phone and began frantically searching up about something. 

Or rather, your location. 

He needed to get this off his chest, and he needed to talk to you right now. If he doesn’t, this will continue to haunt him for months, and he wasn’t going to be his best self any more. 

Immediately, he jumped right out of bed and rummaged through his wardrobe to take whatever he needed for the little short trip he was going on for a while.

He didn’t care if his manager would lecture him about skipping the morning rehearsals and meetings—it was the most important thing to him right now. 

Even if that meant he would be miles away from Seoul, he would get his message straight and clear to you this time.

Act 9 (아홉): Nothing Without You

If it hadn’t been for Lyla and Bella calling you nonstop for thirty minutes, you would’ve been in big trouble and missed out on your online meeting with your colleagues. 

You did your best to stay focused during the meeting—jotting down all the information required to run the show successfully in three days. It was a lot to take in, and all of you were expected to perform your very best, considering that this would be a rather crucial showcase for the artist, and many important figures from the industry would also be there. 

It seemed as if their company decided to go all out to make sure that the showcase was going to be as grand as possible, and the only thing you could assume was that they had to keep up with the image that they had painted in the industry and continue to keep their artist’s popularity at its best. 

Certain things did frustrate you a little, and so many questions ran through your mind as you questioned their company's decisions. But you were just someone who works in PR, and all you had to do was adhere to the rules and regulations and nothing else. 

After all, you decided you would quit after this one last show. 

The moment the meeting was over, and you decided to shut your laptop down, you could briefly hear some muffled noises coming from your front porch. You were confused as hell since you weren’t expecting any visitors for the day. Other than that, you told your friends that you would only be available during the night for some get-together at dinner since you needed some time alone in the afternoon to sort out the upcoming event. 

Curiously, you slowly stepped to your front door before pulling the sliding door apart, only to see that both Lyla and Bella were far from your house. It seemed as if they were arguing about something…or rather, with someone.

Now, you were more concerned than before. The only person who could get both your friends this riled up was your ex, and that confrontation between them did not go down well the last time it happened—which was also the last time you saw him.

As far as you know, your ex was long gone from your village, and he had moved all the way to Jeju to settle down with his new fiancé. So, who exactly could it be this time? 

“Guys, what did I say about having a heated argument in front of my house-” 

You were about to break your friends up from the commotion until all three of them turned back to look straight at you. 

And you were certainly not expecting the one in the middle of your friends to be here at all.

“S-Sunwoo?” 

“N-No! Y/N, you must be real tired from the meeting, hmm? Why don’t I take you inside to get some ice-cream that’s left in your freezer? Yeah, let’s do exactly that!” Lyla began panicking as she tried to lure you away from the scene, but she should’ve known how persistent you could be and that you were already breaking free from her grasp. 

Neither of you could say anything and just stared at one another for a good ten seconds. However, your friends definitely did not take the situation well, and they were not ready to see you cry your eyes out for the hundredth time. 

“You don’t belong here, Kim. I say you should leave, and don’t you even dare try anything stupid,” Bella hissed. 

“Look, I’m going to leave, that is after I talk to Y/N-”

“What is there to talk about? Was hurting her not enough for you? You men truly are scumbags-” 

“Lyla, enough.” 

Your response was short and simple, but it was enough to make everyone stop what they were doing and divert their attention towards you. You slowly walked up to Sunwoo and gently grabbed his shirt to gesture to him to walk in the other direction. 

“Leave us alone for a couple of minutes. I believe there’s a long-overdue conversation that both of us must get out of the way for weeks. I won’t take long, I promise.” 

With that, you excused yourself and tugged Sunwoo’s tee to walk him through your neighbourhood and slowly towards the park where you often hung out with your friends. Neither of you could start the conversation, and it was just pure silence throughout the ten-minute walk from your house. 

However, Sunwoo figured food was the best option to start the conversation. Thankfully, there was a convenience store near the park, and the two of you quickly went in to grab a little snack to break the ice between you hopefully. 

He went for his Neoguri Ramyeon as usual, and you decided a little matcha latte would do the trick. You don’t think that you’re able to stomach anything for now, just in case you will cry once again and could potentially throw up everything you had just consumed. 

As much as you detested that he once again paid for everything, you reluctantly accepted the offer and quietly held your warm cup of beverage in hand as you both sat down at the bench in the park, keeping a distance from one another. 

All you could do was stare down at the lid of the latte, your fingers tapping on the hot cup while trying your best to calm your emotions down. Sunwoo was busy slurping away his noodles, and it was slowly starting to annoy you slightly. 

“You still have the appetite to eat?” You scoffed. 

“Look, I had to get last-minute tickets for the earliest train from Seoul to Busan. Be grateful that at least I’ve arrived on time,” Sunwoo protested while stuffing his mouth with the noodles. 

You wished you could respond to his sarcasm the way you usually would, but it seemed that the enthusiasm you once had for all that was now long gone, and you could only clear your throat in response. 

Sunwoo was now clearly reading the atmosphere, and he swallowed the last bite of his noodles before tossing the cup into the trash bin beside him. Instantly, he placed both hands together and began rubbing them nervously as he leaned down to look at the ground. 

“Y/N, I…I’ve been such a jerk to you after everything we have been through. It’s unfair for you, and I have been deceiving myself after all these years.”

That last line caught you off guard. “Excuse me?” 

“I once had a girl whom I loved so much that my world revolved around her. She was my everything, and I wouldn’t hesitate to drop whatever I was doing to be with her and to make her the happiest girl in the world. But betrayal and lust are definitely not planned in the books, and they are truly the most unpleasant things that happen to someone in life.” 

You knew those two words very well. After all, you were also a victim once. 

“She…did unthinkable things, which has made me the person I am today. I ignored it long enough, thinking it was fine to continue living like this. That is, until I met you,” Sunwoo’s voice softened at that last line, and he finally lifted his head to look straight into your eyes. 

“Y/N. You showed me what true friendship is, and I fell in love with how you could always be so pure and honest with your feelings and emotions. You made me realise that what I have been doing wasn’t just hurting and deceiving others and myself. I can’t live on like this, and I desperately want to change.” 

Sunwoo took one of your hands and intertwined his fingers with yours, giving you this soft puppy look to show his sincerity.

“Y/N. I need you. Will you please accept this offer?” 

You were too stunned to give him a proper response. You were certain that you probably spent a minute just staring at him before you felt that your cheeks were suddenly wet to the touch, and that’s when you realised that tears were streaming down your face again.

Sure, you have expected Sunwoo to travel all this way to see you and to talk things out, but you weren’t expecting a confession from the male himself. 

Relief swept over you, and all the worries troubling you were gone. Unfortunately, the heartbreak was far stronger than the latter, and you don’t have the room or strength to go through the turmoil again. 

With that, you gently pushed his hands away and stood up from the bench, wiping your tears away before turning your heel in the opposite direction. 

“Maybe you should’ve thought all that through before placing the nail in the coffin.”

Act 10 (열): Die For You

Coming back to Seoul was a lot harder than you expected it to be. You were this close to potentially ditching your final job and just calling in sick, but you knew it wouldn’t be ideal, and you had promised to work together with your team for one last time. 

After dropping by the office to hand in your resignation letter, you made your way towards the concert hall and went straight to work without having a proper break before everything. It was all fine by you; after all, getting yourself occupied was the very least you could do to keep your mind off things for a while. 

However, you underestimated the workload you would deal with, as their showcase this time seemed a lot more complex than the ones you were used to. There were a few mishaps here and there, but that didn’t stop you from continuing your task. 

T-minus 12 hours more till I’m done with all of these. 

Having that as a constant reminder has proven to be a lot more helpful than before, and slowly, your motivation was coming back to finishing up things as quickly and detailed as you could before the showcase was about to begin. 

Journalists and newscasters flocked to the venue first, and your PR team had to deal with them firsthand. It wasn’t too bad, as talking to people has always been your forte. Just like that, it was time for the fans to enter the hall slowly. Soon enough, you and your team headed backstage to help the artists and other staff prepare for the show. 

The band members slowly stepped out one by one and started putting on their in-ear pieces and getting their instruments ready. Of course, Sunwoo still had that same puppy-doe-eyed look as he had the day before back in Busan. 

He was constantly trying his best to grab your attention—giving you a hiss or a little wave, but you had no desire to return those to him. Instead, you flat-out ignored the guy and constantly got yourself busy by going around to each station to check with the other staff. 

It wasn’t long before the members were scheduled to go up on stage, and Sunwoo gave you one final look and mouthed something towards you before taking that step up to greet the fans. 

Watch me. 

You could only sigh and cross your arms as you watched from backstage as The Boyz first greeted all of their fans and the reporters before positioning their instruments to prepare for the first opening act. They started with their title track, Hurt Me Less, and soon followed it with a few more tracks from the album before having a little Q&A session with the fans.

Finally, they ended the showcase by performing one last song before all of the members walked up to the front of the stage and bowed towards the audience. One by one, each member was exiting the stage and started to take off their in-ear pieces. 

That is, all except for Sunwoo.

He stood frozen for a few seconds on stage, and immediately, whispers filled the hall, thinking that everything was alright with the artist himself. 

Not for long, Sunwoo lifted his head and walked back to the centre of the stage—adjusting his microphone and slinging his guitar on his shoulders again.

Obviously, everyone backstage started panicking and tried their best to get Sunwoo off the stage, as it was not going according to the schedule. You, too, were trying to hiss at the male to get his attention, call it a night, and end the performance right there and there.

But it seemed the male had something in mind, and he wouldn’t budge. 

Instead, he turned to look straight at you and gave you a little smile before diverting his attention towards the crowd once again.

“I apologise for the sudden change of plans, but this is something that I have been meaning to do for a while now. You see, we performed all seven tracks in our latest album, but one hidden track has not yet been released to the public. So here I am tonight, revealing the hidden track to all of my precious fans, but most importantly, to a special someone.” 

Just then, Sunwoo began strumming his guitar and started playing the song's tune. As he slowly finished the intro and was just about to start singing the lyrics, he turned to look straight at you and smiled at you as he mumbled a few more words. 

“This song is specially written and dedicated to you.” I'm findin' ways to articulate the feelin' I'm goin' through I just can't say I don't love you (Yeah) 'Cause I love you, yeah It's hard for me to communicate the thoughts that I hold But tonight, I'm gon' let you know Let me tell the truth Baby, let me tell the truth, yeah

No. That can’t be.

You know what I'm thinkin', see it in your eyes You hate that you want me, hate it when you cry You're scared to be lonely, 'specially in the night I'm scared that I'll miss you, happens every time I don't want this feelin', I can't afford love I try to find a reason to pull us apart It ain't workin' 'cause you're perfect And I know that you're worth it I can't walk away, oh

“W-What…What are you trying to tell me, Sunwoo?” You choked on your words.

Even though we're goin' through it And it makes you feel alone Just know that I would die for you Baby, I would die for you, yeah The distance and the time between us It'll never change my mind 'cause Baby, I would die for you Baby, I would die for you, yeah

As he finishes the first half of the song, Sunwoo takes some time to strum his guitar, letting the audience follow along with the rhythm as he takes a deep breath before making another speech. 

“These lyrics…I have been thinking about them for a while now. These feelings have haunted me for weeks, and now I know I must convey them properly to the special someone,” Sunwoo spoke softly before he continued with the second half of the song.

You had no idea why that was the last blow before tears began streaming down your face uncontrollably, and you dashed right through the exit, not caring that your co-workers were calling you from behind. 

You continued running through the night, not caring where you’d end up; you just needed some time to be alone and let out all the feelings you had been bottling for so long. 

Eventually, you ended up back at Han River, and you immediately went to the nearest bench and lay there helplessly. Your emotions were far stronger than your ability to think logically right now, and you just wanted to cry out loud for as long as you could. 

You have no idea how long has passed since then, but you were pretty sure that you had at least cried for half an hour before you dozed off. By the time you woke up, you felt that the rock-solid bench suddenly felt way too soft and comfortable. 

And how warm it was. 

It was then you realised that you weren’t just lying on the bench but rather on someone. 

“S-Sunwoo!?” You screamed as you realised that you had been lying down on his lap for God knows how long, and you quickly tried to sit back up, but the male decided to push you back down instead.

“Now I’m very heartbroken, Princess. How could you leave in the middle of the spectacular performance I’ve spent so long working on, especially for you?” He sulked. 

Those last words stung you again, and you lifted both of your hands to cover your face once more as you felt that you were about to cry again. But it seemed that Sunwoo wasn’t buying it this time, and he quickly grabbed both of your wrists to stop you. 

“Look at me, Y/N. Stop running away from me,” he commanded. 

“W-What makes you think I’d listen to you? You have done nothing but lie to me all this time. You hurt my feelings, and you treated me like one of the girls that you have always sought comfort from. You’re an idiot to think if you’d stand a fair chance-”

Before you could finish your sentence, Sunwoo sealed your lips with his and gently lifted your head slightly to make it easier for him to gain access. It’s been a while since you tasted his soft, plump lips, and you immediately softened up when you tasted that familiar strawberry lip gloss that you used the same one as he did.

As he slowly pulled away and placed you back onto his lap, he caressed your cheeks and wiped the remaining teardrops away. “Sorry that I was rough with you. It was the best thing I could think of to get a woman to stop crying.” 

“S-Sunwoo…I-”

“Y/N. Please. I need to hear your thoughts about how you truly feel about this. I know I’m the worst jerk alive and that me going to Busan to apologise to you wasn’t enough. Words aren’t my forte, so I conveyed my feelings through performing. But you have to know that whatever I’ve sung back there, those really are the words that I desperately wanted to get across all this time and that I’m done playing games.” 

Just then, he slowly moved his hands from your cheek to your lips and gently brushed against it. “Y/N, I can now confidently say that you mean a lot to me. You’re more than just a friend, a companion who eats Neoguri Ramyun with me all the time at the convenience store, and also the one who just happens to get me all the damn time.” 

With one final deep breath, he leans down again to plant a kiss on your forehead before muttering those simple words.

“Y/N, I’m in love with you.” 

It was so simple, yet captivating enough for you. 

You have so desperately wanted to hear those words from him—to know if it has helped you finally cleared all of your suspicions and doubts from the beginning. To the public, it was absurd for a commoner like you to fall in love with a celebrity and vice versa, but you were certain that those memories that you both have made weren’t just for show, and Sunwoo’s actions and words for the night have proven that enough to you. 

Nobody would’ve thought that a simple encounter between you both, exchanging your phones and meeting up at a convenience store to eat, would lead to the current situation that you both were in. 

Was it fate? Or just purely a coincidence? Neither of that matters to you right now. 

Instead, you snaked one of your hands back up to his neck and pulled him down to connect your lips with his again, taking your time to savour his sweet, plump lips truly. Sunwoo was initially taken aback, but he slowly blended in and began picking up his pace, his tongue swirling around yours. 

As soon as you both broke apart to get some air, you realised you had just returned the sneaky and flirtatious Sunwoo as he brushed his fingers on his lips and gave you a sly smirk. 

“You could’ve just told me you wanted me this bad,” Sunwoo hummed. 

“You’re sick in the head,” you replied as you finally sat back up. 

“So…I take it as a yes to my proposal?” Sunwoo grinned. 

“What proposal?”

“Don’t play dumb with me, Y/N. You know exactly what I’m talking about.”

“Frankly, I don’t.”

“Is that so? Maybe you want to reconnect your lips with mine again? Maybe it’ll then give you a better insight of what I was trying to tell you all along-”

“Your breath stinks,” you stuck your tongue out at him. 

“No, it doesn’t!” Sunwoo quickly lets out a breath onto his palm before sniffing it himself. “You liar! I just used my favourite citrus mouthwash before the show!” 

You immediately giggled at the sight, and Sunwoo was delighted to see you returning to the Y/N he knew. Just then, he places his arms over your shoulders and rests your head against his chest as you both take the time to admire the sky filled with dozens of stars. 

“Say, you’re not supposed to be here, are you?”

“Hey, I’m still a model employee, okay? I quickly wrapped things up at the showcase before rushing to find you sleeping like a baby here.” 

“I’m not a baby,” you sulked.

“Your sleeping position says otherwise,” Sunwoo retorted as he shoved his phone right into your face, showing you a picture he had taken just seconds after he arrived to see you sleeping soundly on the bench. 

“Hey! Delete that right now!” You screamed as you tried your best to reach for his phone while he was retreating to make you fall right back into his arms again.”

“You’re a persistent one, aren’t you?” 

“Shut the fuck up, Kim Sunwoo. You’re insufferable.” 

“Be honest, you love me.”

“Only a fool would love a guy like you.”

“Oh, so you’re the fool now, then!”

Sunwoo immediately regrets saying those words as he earned a hard slap from you in return. “I’m leaving if you make one more flirtatious remark.” 

He then lifts his hands to show that he surrendered, and you give him a pout before resting your head back onto his chest again. As you finally take in everything that had happened today, a smile plasters across your face before you close your eyes and mumble the words you have wanted to say to him. 

“Thank you, Sunwoo. For giving me a chance to love again.” 

“Anything for you, my Princess,” Sunwoo replied before kissing your forehead again. “Neoguri Ramyun date again later?” 

“Does your life really have to revolve around Neoguri Ramyun on a daily basis?”

“Can’t blame me; that’s my daily energy source. But so that you know, I will be bringing you to a lot more dates from now on, and I’m never going to let you leave my side again. Be prepared for that, Y/N.” 

You scoffed. “Tempting. Add on a matcha-day only date to the books, too.”

With that, Sunwoo smiled at you and rubbed his nose against yours. “Consider it done.”

The sounds of the fire crackling were the only things that filled the room for the past half an hour, as Sunwoo spent the entire time writing whatever came to mind in his trusty, worn-out notebook in front of his fireplace. 

The Boyz’s latest album has proven to be their most successful comeback, and who would’ve thought that the hidden track was the most beloved song out of all of the songs from the album itself. 

It definitely wasn’t his intention for it to be more well-received than their title track. Still, the members were more than happy that they were getting the recognition nonetheless, and of course, with Sunwoo, who’s finally back on track and much happier. 

News immediately made headlines when the public found out that he has been seeing a non-celebrity, but both of you were thankful that his fans were supportive, and Sunwoo has managed to keep you out of the spotlight most of the time. 

It was crazy to think that a few months had passed since then, and you had decided to move in with Sunwoo for the past month. You’ve quit your PR job; instead, you are now working as his manager. 

You both have made it clear to establish personal and business relations and most of the time, everything works out. There are times when both of you have to give up one thing for the other, but you have never failed to talk things through and make it work.

Just as Sunwoo was deep in his creative mindset, his train of thought was cut off when you climbed into his lap and cuddled with your boyfriend.

“Seems like my kitten misses me a little bit too much, hmm?” 

“Don’t be stupid. You’re sitting on my couch, dumbass.” 

“Hey, this is my apartment; who said this couch belongs to you?”

“This couch was from my old apartment, so it’s mine,” you stuck your tongue out before trying to see what he was up to. “New song?”

“Yeah. Was feeling a little inspired,” Sunwoo hummed. 

With that, you could only look straight at his side profile and admire how he looked when working. As much as you don’t want to admit it, you have come to love the guitarist Kim Sunwoo. He always put in a hundred percent when he worked, inspiring you to do the same as his current manager.

“Care to share with me what the new song is all about?” You pinched his cheeks, but he gently pushed you away. “That’s not fair. I’m your manager, so I deserve to know.” 

“Now now, it’ll just ruin the fun if I tell you all about it now.”

“Fine then. No Neoguri Ramyun for you tonight,” you crossed your arms before he finally gave in and hugged you tightly.

“You can’t use my source of nutrition against me,” he sulked. 

“I can, and I will if you don’t tell me now.”

Sunwoo sighed. “Fine. It’s titled Starboy. I guess it gives a little glimpse into the current fame that I have gotten over the past several years.” 

As you took in what you had just heard from your boyfriend, you couldn’t help but snort at his comment, earning a little smack on your shoulder. “How dare you mock me?”

“Nah, it’s nothing. I just think that it’s absurd that you want to write a song about that.”

“Yeah no, you’re looking down on me, Y/N. I’m going to make sure you-” 

Before he could finish his sentence, you cupped both cheeks and brought his lips to yours, giving him a kiss that made his heart beat ten times faster than it already was. He definitely did not expect a sudden move from you since he always initiated a kiss with you.

As you pulled apart from him, you gently laid your forehead against him, and you caressed his now red flushed cheeks. 

“Kim Sunwoo, you’re already and will forever be my Starboy.”

A/N: i def struggled writing this yes...but i hope i did it justice nontheless 😭

masterlist

taglist: @deoboyznet @kflixnet @k-films @flwoie @zzoguri @kyusqult @tinkerbell460 @cheonsafics @sulkygyu @jaerisdiction @lngwayup @djidfk @daisyvisions @stealanity (join my permanent taglist here!)

[luffyvace]

MACHI RELATIONSHIP HCS CUZ I LOVE HER

i’m doing this with female reader in mind but i have absolutely nothing against if someone wants a machi x male reader!! (plus i haven’t done female reader yet)

in troupe reader!!

this probably won’t be spoiler free btw

machi as a s/o is very caring and cautious about your safety

even though your in the troupe and she knows you can handle yourself she’ll keep an eye out for you

no matter how strong—stronger than her even

thats just how she is, if she gets a hunch she’ll come running

not literally—just to seem collected- but she would definitely internally worry if you don’t come back way after the time you were supposed to

if were talking after pakunoda died that’ll definitely heighten

she’ll be slightly more paranoid for you

if you’ve been in the troupe a long time you’ll notice these things

but if you were a replacement for a founding member you may or may not notice depending on your skill

its highly likely you do though, since all the troupe members are above average strong, whether in nen, resources, intelligence, gadgets, whatever!

machi would make sure you eat, drink & sleep properly

she’s a very caring lover

shes also the type to be very blunt though

dont take it to heart she means well by it

i feel if your in a relationship with her she trusts you a lot, so you probably own a apartment somewhere together

she’s decent at cooking

but if your a terrible cook she won’t mind because of her living conditions growing up

that doesn’t mean she won’t judge and give criticism though

how else will you improve? in her eyes

she’ll eat it but she’s still picky about it

teaches you what she knows about flavoring/seasoning (or whatever she doesn’t like about it)

i know she would be good at giving massages

but she will expect some in return

she keeps the house clean and expects you to, too

she’s used to living in clutter from childhood but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t like cleanliness 🙄

if your a slob she’ll scold you but still clean the place up herself

she gets up early

like at the crack of dawn

she’s a get things done woman

when she goes to bed varies depending on your troupe missions, how tired she is, etc

she’ll probably wake you up early too but won’t care much as to when you go to bed

unless your health starts declining because of it

then she’ll start forcing you to go bed real early

like 7-8 pm

she doesn’t care if your a grown woman or not

she’s not loosing you all because you refuse to sleep 😒😑

as for dates it won’t necessarily be dates

she’ll just consider it as quality time

stargazing

indulging in your hobbies

her teaching you how to sew your own socks with holes back together

(she rummages through your drawer to find your socks with holes and if they’re dirty she’ll throw them out. if they’re clean they’re now sewn back together)

the troupe knows your together but thankfully it doesn’t put a elephant in the room

especially since y’all don’t do pda

if you try she’ll stop you

shes protective of you though

not really toward the troupe unless they tried to flirt with your fine and dine behind

even then she’d still expect you to handle it yourself and be loyal to her

if a stranger hits on you she be slightly more annoyed

she’s not hot headed though

if they get the message after you say your in a relationship, fine.

but if they keep harassing you?

slice and dice my brother

on another note

at the end of long days she would rest her head on your chest and listen to your heartbeat to lull her to sleep

or vice versa depending on who had a more stressful day

dont talk about it out loud though—especially in front of the troupe. she’ll stop doing it for weeks on end out of embarrassment. with enough time (and stress that built up) she’ll come back to doing it though

if your girly and like to do makeup and hair/skin care routines she’ll do it with you but not every time (skin care more than anything)

and don’t make a big deal or show out of it

but if you wanna sing your favorite songs she’ll have a soft smile on her face

wont sing with you though

also

she’ll shower/bath with you—but in a comfortable n casual way yknow?

no funny business just genuinely showering

scrubbing each other’s backs and scalps

massaging each other’s muscles

rubbing lotion into each other’s skin

then passing out early after changing into some comfy pajamas from the aroma of said lotion

life as her girlfriend is very domestic and relaxing really

[badwithten]

good short stories for @papermatisse

ok homie needed help writing short fics so heres a list of some short fics i like and what makes them so good despite their length (this sounds insulting but its difficult to make a story effective and short, so if you're on this list you’ve done a good job at it!)

sweet tooth by @lino-nyangi

ok so what i said about ongoing metaphors, this is sorta in the same boat but its less of a metaphor and more of a theme/how to run along a story? like because it flows through y/ns birthdays and each scene is that and the progression of it, it keeps you engaged. its very clear what the story is about, what the end of the story will be and it makes it so satisfying to read!

a life we spent apart for the death we spent together by @lebrookestore

brooke is an amazing writer and usually does do longer fics machi so check her our fr but this drabble works so well with me bc its a familiar theme that the readers know. being so short, you don’t have the words to world build or create depth with your characters the way you normally would. so picking a concept people are familiar with (in this case soulmate au) it allows the reader to already be invested in your story without having to write a lot. if that makes sense? you can just add your story and your feelings, into an already existing universe and get the point across. very cool

return our lives by @hoshwife 

ok sorry to say this again but mads is an amazing writer! legit one of my favourite, if not my favourite, on this app. once again, she does longer fics as well that you should def check out machi. but this story in particular is amazing, reading this again omg, just as good as the first time. i’m not sure how to describe mads writing, as i said above picking a familiar theme allows readers to be invested in the story without a lot of world building/character development but i feel although this story is the opposite. writing about the war which isnt common on this site, very descriptive of the world in the story. mads has just done such a good job at writing something so good but still fitting it into a bit sized fic. this is probably the most “scene of a fic” one on this list i guess? just read you’ll see what i mean lmao anything from mads is so good so yess check it out

crimson by @neo-shitty​

horror! if you're able to put a twist or some gory effects in a story it can be really effective at leaving an effect on the reader. this story does this so well! captures you in at the beginning, and then the last part is just done so well, no spoilers but if you do read it omg. i really really love horror stories for this reason. the twist of the horror. it makes a story great and it can be either done in longer fics or shorter ones ( i have so many long horror suggestions machi hmu bro)

dark clouds by @doiefy​

sorta the same as horror, but some alternate universes work well in smaller bits. i’ve done something with siren/mermaids where it was just a smaller chunk out what could've been a longer au. allows you to write something in there without a full fic, means you don’t have to work out all the lore of a full universe but its still really fun to write! this fic has done a similar thing to mads where you get to build up a little bit of the universe its set in, just enough for your story to make sense then to focus on what the narrative of your story actaully is. if that makes sense?

my last season called ‘you’ by @zh-lele​

i know we already read this story for k-bookclub but it really fits well for the ongoing metaphor point i talked about a little bit. the story is told through sections of the flowers, each feeling is represented by the flowers and what they mean. it’s just a great way to get across the point and meaning of your story

this one doesn’t have a specific fic recommendations but song fics! im a bit bias on this one bc i enjoy writing song fics, but if an artist can fit the narrative of their song into a 3-4 minute song, its sorta the same thing trying to write your story into the same short frame. its really fun like analysing the song, what the meaning is and trying to turn it into a story with the same meaning and effectiveness

this is a lot shorter than i wanted but if anyone has any types on writing shorter fics let me or machi know 🙏

[frierenscript]

Episode 8 : Frieren the Slayer / 第8話『葬送のフリーレン(Sosono Furīren)』

＊Green colored words are only in anime, not in original manga, and we usually call them "ani-ori(anime-original)".

フリーレン「誰？面会時間ではないはずだけど。」

Furīren “Dare? Menkai-jikandewa naihazu-dakedo.”

Frieren “Who are you? Visiting hours are over.”

ドラート「断頭台のアウラが配下、首切り役人の一人、ドラートだ。お前を殺しに来た。」

Dorāto “Dantodaino Auraga haika, kubikiri-yakuninno hitori, Dorātoda. Omaeo koroshini kita.”

Draht “I am Draht, one of Aura the Guillotine’s executioners. I am here to kill you.”

フリーレン「そう。外交ごっこはもう終わり？」

Furīren “So. Gaiko-gokkowa mo owari?”

Frieren “I see. Done pretending to negotiate?”

ドラート「これからさ。」

Dorāto “Korekarasa.”

Draht “We’re just getting started.”

フリーレン「ふーん…」

Furīren “Fūn…”

Frieren “Uh-huh.”

フリーレン「言っておくけど私、強いよ。」

Furīren “Itteoku-kedo, watashi tsuyoiyo.”

Frieren “Just so you know, I’m strong.”

ドラート「俺よりもか？」

Dorāto “Ore-yorimoka?”

Draht “Stronger than me?”

フリーレン「断頭台のアウラよりも。」

Furīren “Dantodaino Aura yorimo.”

Frieren “Stronger than Aura the Guillotine.”

ドラート「そうは思えんな。」

Dorāto “Sowa omoenna.”

Draht “Doesn’t seem like it to me.”

フリーレン「どうして？」

Furīren “Doshite?”

Frieren “Why not?”

ドラート「もう決着はついた。」

Dorāto “Mo kecchakuwa tsuita.”

Draht “This fight is already over.”

フリーレン「ふーん。魔力の糸か。面白い魔法だ。」

Furīren “Fūn. Maryokuno itoka. Omoshiroi mahoda.”

Frieren “Magical wire, huh? It’s an interesting spell.”

ドラート「首に魔力を集中させて切断を防いだか。冷静だな。並な魔法使いなら訳も分からないまま首が落ちている。だがこの糸の強度は魔族の中でも随一。人類の魔法ではどうにもなるまい。」

Dorāto “Kubini maryokuo shuchu-sasete setsudan o fuseidaka. Reisei dana. Namina mahotsukai-nara wakemo wakaranai-mama kubiga ochite-iru. Daga, kono itono kyodowa mazukuno nakademo zuiichi. Jinruino maho-dewa donimo narumai.”

Draht “So you saved yourself from decapitation by concentrating mana around your neck. You’re level-headed. A common mage would’ve lost her head without even realizing what had happened. But this wire is among the strongest of demonkind’s spells. Humanity’s magic doesn’t stand a chance against it.”

ドラート「お前の魔力ごと、その首を断ち切ってやろう。」

Dorāto “Omaeno maryoku-goto, sono kubio tachi-kitte-yaro.”

Draht “I’ll cut through both your neck and your mana.”

フリーレン「確かに。この糸をなんとかするのは無理そうだ。」

Dorāto “Tashikani. kono ito o nantoka surunowa muri-soda.”

Draht “You’re right. I doubt I can do anything about this wire.”

フリーレン「…この程度で勝利を確信か。今の魔族は駄目だね。実戦経験が少なすぎる。」

Furīren “Kono teidode shorio kakushinka. Imano mazokuwa damedane. Jissen-keikenga sukuna-sugiru.”

Frieren “That’s enough to convince you you’ve won? Demons these days are hopeless. They lack actual battle experience.”

ドラート「こいつ…！！俺の腕を…！！このクソ女(アマ)…」

Dorāto “Koitsu…!! Oreno udeo…!! Kono kusoama…”

Draht “This mage… She took my arm! You bitch―”

ドラート「待て！！話を…」

Dorāto “Mate!! Hanashio…”

Draht “Wait! Let’s talk this―”

フリーレン「まずは一匹。」

Furīren “Mazuwa ippiki.”

Frieren “That’s one down.”

フリーレン（この襲撃を伯爵に報告して残り二匹を始末すれば、恩赦くらいは貰えるでしょ。）

Furīren (Kono shugekio hakushakuni hokoku-shite, nokori-nihikio shimatsu-sureba, onsha-kuraiwa moraeru desho.)

Frieren (If I report this attack to the graf and kill the other two, surely he’ll pardon me.)

フリーレン「…衛兵が死んでる。」

Furīren “…Eiheiga shinderu.”

Frieren “The guard is dead.”

ーーーーー

フェルン「これ、美味しいですね。」

Ferun “Kore, oishii-desune.”

Fern “This is delicious.”

シュタルク「師匠が言ってたぜ。飯がうまい街は、平和でいい街なんだとよ。ここもきっと、そうなんだろうさ。」

Shutaruku “Shishoga ittetaze. Meshiga umai machiwa, heiwade ii machi nandatoyo. Kokomo kitto, sonandarosa.”

Stark “My master said any town that serves tasty food is a good, peaceful town. That must be true of this town, too.”

フェルン「シュタルク様。」

Ferun “Shutaruku-sama.”

Fern “Mr.Stark.”

シュタルク「あげねーぞ。」

Shutaruku “Agenēzo.”

Stark “You can’t have any.”

フェルン「グラナト伯爵にフリーレン様を釈放してもらえるよう直訴しましょう。この街に危害が及ぶのは時間の問題だと思います。フリーレン様を牢から出して魔族を倒してもらいましょう。」

Ferun “Granato-hakushakuni, Furīren-samao shakuho-shite moraeru-yo jikiso shimasho. Kono machini kigaiga oyobunowa, jikanno mondai-dato omoimasu. Furīren-samao ro-kara dashite, mazokuo taoshite morai-masho.

Fern “Let’s directly petition Graf Granat to release Ms.Frieren. I think it’s only a matter of time until harm comes to this town. We should release Ms.Frieren  from the dungeon and have her defeat the demons.”

シュタルク「…確かにそうするしかねぇか。俺たちがかなうような相手じゃねぇしな。特にあのリュグナーって奴、とんでもなく強いぜ。フリーレンしか見ていなかった。周りには俺らや衛兵隊がいたってのに。フリーレンしか見ていなかったんだ。俺らなんかいつでも殺せると思っているからだ。まだ手の震えが止まらねぇよ。」

Shutaruku “Tashikani, so-surushika neeka. Ore-tachiga kanau-yona aiteja-neeshina. Tokuni ano Ryugunātte yatsu, tondemo-naku tsuyoize… Furīren-shika mite-inakatta. Mawari-niwa, Oreraya eiheitaiga itatte-noni. Furīren-shika, mite-inakattanda. Orera-nanka, itsudemo koroseruto omotte-irukarada… Mada teno furuega tomaraneeyo.”

Stark “That’s our only option after all, huh? We wouldn’t stand a chance against them. Especially not that Lügner guy. He’s unbelievably strong. He was only looking at Frieren. Even though we were standing there next to him with the guards, he was only looking at Frieren. It’s because he thinks he can kill us at any time. My hands still haven’t stopped shaking.”

シュタルク「ほら、こぼしてお漏らしみたいになっちまった…　それほどの相手ってことだ。」

Shutaruku “Hora, koboshite omorashi mitaini nacchimatta. Sorehodono aitette kotoda.”

Stark “See? I even spilled my drink so it looks like I wet myself. That’s just how strong he is.”

フェルン「早く拭いてください。行きますよ。」

Ferun “Hayaku fuite kudasai. Ikimasuyo.”

Fern “You should wipe that up. Let’s go.”

シュタルク「伯爵の側にはリュグナー達がいるんだぜ。最悪(さいあく)戦闘(せんとう)になるぞ。」

Shutaruku “Hakushakuno sobaniwa, Ryugunā-tachiga irundaze. Saiaku, sentoni naruzo.”

Stark “Lügner and his guys are with the graf. Worst case, a fight will break out.”

フェルン「勇者様御一行ならそれでも行きます。」

Ferun “Yusha-sama-goikko nara, soredemo ikimasu.”

Fern “That wouldn’t stop the party of heroes from going.”

シュタルク「確かにこんなところでビビってたら師匠に合わせる顔がねぇな。行くか。」

Shutaruku “Tashikani konna tokorode bibitte-tara, shishoni awaseru kaoga neena. Ikuka.”

Stark “You’re right. If I lost my nerve here, I’d never be able to face my master again. Let’s go.”

フェルン「そのハンカチあげます」

Ferun “Sono hankachi agemasu.”

Fern “You can keep the handkerchief.”

シュタルク「あ…」

Shutaruku “A…”

Stark “Huh?”

フェルン「…どうしたんですか？」

Ferun “…Doshitan-desuka?”

Fern “What’s the matter?”

シュタルク「腰が抜けちゃったみたい…」

Shutaruku “Koshiga nukechatta-mitai…”

Stark “I’m paralyzed with fear.”

ーーーーー

リーニエ「ドラートの魔力が探知できない。」

Rīnie “Dorātono maryokuga tanchi-dekinai.”

Linie “I’m no longer detecting Draht’s magic.”

リュグナー「死んだな。」

Ryugunā “Shindana.”

Lügner “He must be dead.”

リーニエ「馬鹿だね。油断しすぎだ。」

Rīnie “Bakadane. Yudan-shisugida.”

Linie “What an idiot. He underestimated her.”

リュグナー「油断？私達はアウラ様の懐刀、首切り役人だ。油断した程度で死ぬと思うか？」

Ryugunā “Yudan? Watashi-tachiwa Aura-samano futokoro-gatana, kubikiri-yakuninda. Yudan-shita teidode shinuto omouka?”

Lügner “Underestimated her? We are the right-hand men of Lady Aura. Her executioners. You think we’d die from merely underestimating someone?”

リーニエ「あの魔法使いは一体…」

Rīnie “Ano mahotsukaiwa ittai…”

Linie “Who is that mage?”

グラナト「待たせてすまなかったな。捕らえた魔法使いが脱獄したんだ。衛兵の首を切ってな。」

Guranato “Matasete sumana-kattana. Toraeta mahotsukaiga datsugoku shitanda. Eiheino kubio kittena.” Granat “Sorry I kept you waiting. The mage I captured has escaped. The soldier guarding her cell was beheaded.”

リュグナー「それはお困りでしょう。捜索を手伝います。リーニエは魔力探知が得意で――」

Ryugunā “Sorewa Okomari-desho. Sosakuo tetsudai-masu. Rīniewa maryoku-tanchiga tokuide…”

Lügner “That can’t be good. We’ll help you look for her. Linie is skilled at locating magic―”

グラナト「いや、結構。ところでお連れの方が一人足りないようだが？」

Granato “Iya, kekko. Tokorode otsureno kataga hitori tarinai-yodaga?”

Granat “No, that’s all right. By the way, one of your men seems to be missing.”

リュグナー「手洗いです。すぐに戻ります。」

Ryugunā “Tearai desu. Suguni modorimasu.”

Lügner “He’s in the privy. He’ll be back soon.”

グラナト「使用人に場所も聞かずに？」

Granato “Shiyoninni bashomo kikazuni?”

Granat “Without asking a servant for directions?”

グラナト「あの魔法使いが手練れであることくらい儂にもわかる。それが衛兵にあっさりと捕らわれたんだ。彼女は衛兵殺しの罪の重さを理解している。リュグナー殿、もう一度だけ聞く。お連れの方はどこに？」

Granato “Ano mahotsukaiga tedarede arukoto-kurai, washi-nimo wakaru. Sorega eiheini assarito toraware-tanda. Kanojowa eihei-goroshino tsumino omosao rikai shite-iru. Ryugunā-dono, mo-ichido-dake kiku. Otsureno katawa dokoni?”

Granat “Even I can tell she’s a skilled mage. But she allowed my guards to seize her without a fight. She understands the seriousness of killing a guard. Lord Lügner, I’ll ask you one last time. Where is your man?”

リュグナー「まったく…ドラートの能なしめ。全部、台なしだ。」

Ryugunā “Mattaku… Dorātono nonashime. Zenbu, dainashida.”

Lügner “Honestly, That idiot Draht. He ruined everything.”

リュグナー「でも不思議なものだ。暴力で解決するしかなくなった、このクソったれな現状が、私は堪らなく楽しいと思っている。グラナト卿、言葉とは何だ？この剣と一体何が違う？何を使おうと、弱い者は皆、死ぬんだ。この剣の持ち主のようにな」

Ryugunā “Demo fushigina monoda. Boryokude kaiketsu-surushika nakunatta, kono kusottarena genjoga, watashiwa tamaranaku tanoshiito omotte-iru. Guranato-kyo, kotobatowa nanda? Kono kento naniga chigau? Nanio tsukaoto, yowai monowa mina, shinunda. Kono kenno mochi-nushino-yonina.”

Lügner　“It’s strange, though. Now that violence has become the only way to resolve this mess, I’m overjoyed. Graf Granat, what are words? How do they differ from swords? No matter what we use, the weak die. Just like this sword’s former owner.”

グラナト「リュグナ――！!」

Granato “Ryugunaaaa!!”

Granat “Lügner!!”

リュグナー「所詮、我らは猛獣だ。安心しろ。殺しはせん。お前には、この街の防護結界の解除を手伝ってもらう。」

Ryugunā “Shosen, warerawa mojuda. Anshin shiro. Koroshiwa sen. Omaeniwa, kono machino bogo-kekkaino kaijo o tetsudatte-morau.”

Lügner “In the end, we are wild beasts. Don’t worry. I won’t kill you. You’re going to help us remove this town’s defensive barrier.”

ーーーーー

シュタルク「そろそろ伯爵の屋敷だな。」

Shutaruku “Soro-soro hakushakuno yashiki dana.”

Stark “We should be arriving at the graf’s mansion soon.”

フェルン「…フリーレン様(さま)？フリーレン様(さま)ですよね？」

Ferun “Furīren-sama? Furīren-sama desuyone?”

Fern “Ms.Frieren? You’re Ms.Frieren, aren’t you?”

シュタルク「なんでこんな所にいるんだ？」

Shutaruku “Nande konna tokoroni irunda?”

Stark “What are you doing here?”

フェルン「まさか脱獄したんですか？」

Ferun “Masaka datsugoku shitan-desuka?”

Fern “Don’t tell me you broke out of the dungeon.”

フリーレン「…仕方がなかったんだよ。牢屋にいたらドラートとかいう魔族が襲ってきてさ。一応倒したんだけど。魔族って死んだら魔力の粒子になって消えちゃうじゃん。」

Furīren “…Shikataga nakattan-dayo. Royani itara Dorāto toka-iu Mazokuga osotte-kitesa. Ichio taoshitan-dakedo… Mazokutte shindara maryokuno ryushini natte kiechau-jan.”

Frieren　“I didn’t have a choice. Some demon named Draht attacked me while I was in there. I defeated him, but when demons die, they turn into mana particles and disappear.”

フェルン「それがどうかしたんですか？」

Ferun “Sorega doka shitan-desuka?”

Fern “What do you mean by that?”

フリーレン「そいつ牢番の衛兵を殺していたんだよね。その場に残されたのは、魔法で首を切られた衛兵と魔法使いの私だけ。この状況どう思う？」

Furīren “Soitsu robanno eiheio koroshiteitan-dayone… Sono bani nokosareta-nowa, mahode kubio kirareta eiheito mahoutsukaino watashi-dake. Kono jokyo do omou?”

Frieren “He’d already killed the dungeon guard. The only ones down there were a guard who had been beheaded using magical wire and me, a mage. How would you read that situation?”

フェルン「衛兵殺しで極刑ですね。」

Ferun “Eihei-goroshide kyokkei desune.”

Fern “That you’re a guard-killer who should be executed.”

フリーレン「でしょ。面倒臭いから、私は街を出るよ。」

Furīren “Desho. Mendo-kusaikara, watashiwa machio deruyo.”

Frieren “Right? This is becoming a pain. I’m leaving town.”

フェルン「…待(ま)ってください。それだと残りの魔族が野放しに…　この街を見捨てるつもりですか？」

Ferun “Matte kudasai. Soredato nokorino mazokuga nobanashini… Kono machio misuteru tsumori desuka?”

Fern “Wait. If you leave, the remaining demons will run wild. Are you really going to abandon this town?”

フリーレン「フェルン達で倒せばいいじゃん。」

Furīren “Ferun-tachide taoseba iijan.”

Frieren “Why don’t you two defeat them?”

フェルン「そんな簡単なことみたいに…」

Ferun “Sonna kantanna koto mitaini…”

Fern “You make it sound so easy.”

シュタルク「俺たちが敵うような相手じゃねぇって。」

Shutaruku “Ore-tachiga kanau-yona aiteja neette.”

Stark “We don’t stand a chance against them.”

フリーレン「相手が強かったら戦わないの？それに私は、二人があいつらより弱いなんて、微塵(みじん)も思っていないよ」

Furīren “Aitega tsuyo-kattara tatakawa-naino? Soreni watashiwa, futariga aitsurayori yowainante, mijinmo omotte-inaiyo.”

Frieren “You’re not going to fight them just because they’re strong? Besides, I don’t think you’re weaker than them at all.”

シュタルク「待ってくれよ！！戦うからさ！！せめて手伝ってくれよ！！この通りだ！！」

Shutaruku “Matte kureyo! Tatakau-karasa! Semete tetsudatte kureyo! Kono toorida!”

Stark “Wait! We’ll fight, okay? At least help us! I’m begging you!”

シュタルク「チラッ」

Shutaruku “Chira.”

Stark “Peek.”

シュタルク「あっ待ってくれって！頼むよフリーレン！」

Shutaruku “A, matte-kurette! Tanomuyo Furīren!”

Stark “Hey, wait! Please, Frieren!

フェルン「往生際が悪いですよ。腹を括りましょう。」

Ferun “Ojogiwaga warui desuyo. Harao kukuri-masho.”

Fern “You don’t know when to give up, do you? Let’s steel ourselves.”

シュタルク「そんなあ…無理だって…」

Shutaruku “Sonnaa… Muri datte…”

Stark “But… It’s impossible…”

フェルン「わがまま言わないの」

Ferun “Wagamama iwanaino.”

Fern “Don’t be childish.”

フリーレン（街から10キロメートルってところか。絶大な魔力だ。こちらの様子を窺(うかが)っているな。）

Furīren (Machi-kara jukkiro-mētorutte tokoroka. Zetsudaina maryokuda. Kochirano yosuo ukagatte-iruna.)

Frieren (About ten kilometers from town… I sense a great deal of mana. We’re being observed.”

フリーレン（七崩賢(しちほうけん)、断頭台(だんとうだい)のアウラ。）

Furīren (Shichi-Ho-Ken, Dantodaino Aura.)

Frieren (Aura the Guillotine, one of the Seven Sages of Destruction.)

フリーレン「私だって強い相手との戦いは大嫌いだ。嫌なことは早めに終わらせないとね」

Furīren “Watashi-datte tsuyoi aitetono tatakaiwa daikiraida. Iyana kotowa hayameni owarase-naitone.”

Frieren “I hate fighting powerful opponents, too. All the more reason to finish this quickly.”

ーーーーー

シュタルク「いいのかよ。こんな忍び込むような真似して。」

Shutaruku “Iinokayo. Konna shinobikomu-yona maneshite.”

Stark “Should we be sneaking into the mansion like this?”

フェルン「では門番に和睦の使者を殺しに来たとでも言うつもりですか？」

Ferun “Dewa monbanni wabokuno shishao koroshini-kitatodemo iutsumori desuka?”

Fern “Would you rather tell the gate guards that we’re here to kill the peace envoys?”

シュタルク「妙に静かだな…」

Shutaruku “Myoni shizuka dana…”

Stark “It’s oddly quiet.”

ーーーーー

リュグナー「私は魔法が大好きでね。彼の腐敗の賢老クヴァール。彼が人生の大半を掛けて、人を殺す魔法を開発したように、我々魔族は長い寿命の中で一つの魔法の研究に生涯を捧げる。年月を掛けて日々探求し積み重ねていく。10年後の魔法は今よりもっと優れたものになり、我々の力をより強固なものとする。」

Ryugunā “Watashiwa mahoga daisuki-dene. Kano Fuhaino Kenro Kuvāru. Karega jinseino taihan o kakete, hito o korosu maho o kaihatsu-shitayoni, ware-ware mazokuwa nagai jumyono nakade, hitotsuno mahono kenkyuni shogaio sasageru. Nengetsuo kakete hibi tankyushi, tsumi-kasanete-iku. Ju-nengono mahowa, ima-yori motto sugureta mononi nari, ware-wareno chikarao, yori kyokona monoto suru.”

Lügner “I love magic. Just as Qual, the Elder Sage of Corruption, spent most of his life developing a killing spell… demons dedicate the entirety of our long lives to researching a single kind of magic. We develop our research daily over years and years, Ten years from now, our magics will be even greater, and we will become even stronger.

リュグナー「だが魔法というものは不思議なものでな。魔族の侵入を防ぎ、この街を守ってきた大魔法使いフランメの防護結界。千年前の天才が作り上げた魔法が現在の魔法を凌駕(りょうが)することもある。天才は嫌いだ。積み重ねたものの美しさが無い。代々結界の管理を任されているのは貴方がたグラナト家だ。魔族の私達がこの街に入れたということは、結界を操作できる魔法が存在するはずだ。それを教えろ。」

Ryugunā “Daga mahoto iu-monowa fushigina monodena. Mazokuno shinnyuo fusegi, kono machio mamotte-kita dai-mahotsukai Furanmeno bogo-kekkai. Sen-nenmaeno tensaiga tsukuri-ageta mahoga, genzaino maho o ryoga suru kotomo aru. Tensaiwa kiraida. Tsumi-kasaneta monono utsukushisaga nai. Dai-dai kekkaino kanrio makasarete-irunowa anata-gata Guranato-keda. Mazokuno watashi-tachiga kono machini hairetato iu-kotowa, kekkaio sosa-dekiru mahoga sonzai-suru hazuda. Soreo oshiero.”

Lügner “But magic is a strange thing. Flamme the Legendary Mage’s defensive barrier has prevented demons from invading and protected this town. Sometimes a spell cast by a genius a thousand years ago outmatches spells of the present. I despise geniuses. They lack the beauty of accumulated effort. The Granat family has been entrusted with maintaining the barrier for generations. If you could allow us into this town, then there must be a way to control it. Teach it to me.”

リュグナー「少し時間を置くか。よく考えるといい。人類にとっては待たせるのも、有効な外交戦術の一つだろう？吐かなければ待っているのは拷問の続きだけだ。」

Ryugunā “Sukoshi jikan o okuka. Yoku kangaeruto ii. Jinruini tottewa, mataseru-nomo yukona gaiko-senjutsuno hitotsu daro? Hakana-kereba, matte-irunowa gomonno-tsuzuki dakeda.”

Lügner “I’ll give you some time. Consider it carefully. Making someone wait is an effective diplomatic strategy for humans as well. If you won’t talk, then all that awaits you is further torture.”

リュグナー「どこかに結界関連の魔導書があるはずだ。寝室を。私は書斎を探す。」

Ryugunā　“Dokokani kekkai-kanrenno madoshoga aruhazuda. Shinshitsuo. Watashiwa shosaio sagasu.”

Lügner “There must be a grimoire related to the barrier somewhere. Search the bedroom. I’ll search the study.”

グラナト「…なんだ。昼間の冒険者のガキか…　息子がお迎えに来たのかと思ったぜ…」

Guranato “…Nanda. Hirumano bokenshano gakika… Musukoga omukaeni kitanokato omottaze…”

Granat “You’re just that adventurer kid from this afternoon. I thought my son had come for me.”

シュタルク「ひでぇ有り様だな。ここまですんのかよ。今、助けてやる。」

Shutaruku “Hidee arisama-dana. Kokomade sunnokayo. Ima tasukete-yaru.”

Stark “You look awful. Those demons did this to you? I’ll release you.”

グラナト「…震えているな。」

Guranato “…Furuete-iruna.”

Granat “You’re trembling.”

シュタルク「悪いかよ。」

Shutaruku “Waruikayo.”

Stark “Is that a problem?”

グラナト「いや、勇敢だ…　死んだ息子も出陣前は震えていた…」

Guranato “Iya, yukanda… Shinda musuko mo shutsujin-maewa furuete-ita…”

Granat “No. It’s valiant. My dead son was trembling before he headed off to battle, too.”

シュタルク「クソ。縄が切れねぇ。魔法か？」

Shutaruku “Kuso. nawaga kirenee. Mahoka?”

Stark “Damn it. I can’t cut the rope. Is that magical?”

グラナト「…儂のことはいい…　どうせもう助からん…　それよりも街の人々の避難だ…」

Guranato “…Washino kotowa ii… Dose mo tasukaran… Soreyorimo machino hito-bitono hinanda…”

Granat “Don’t worry about me. I’m done for either way. Evacuating the townsfolk is more important.”

シュタルク「どうせあんたがいなきゃ皆言うこと聞いちゃくれねぇよ。」

Shutaruku “Dose antaga inakya minna iu-koto kiicha kureneeyo.”

Stark “They’re not gonna listen without you.”

グラナト「儂の首にグラナト家の紋章が掛かっている…　こいつを衛兵に見せれば何だって聞いてくれるさ…」

Guranato “Washino kubini Guranato-keno monshoga kakatte-iru… Koitsuo eiheini misereba nandatte kiite-kurerusa…”

Granat “The Granat family crest hangs from my neck. Show this to the guards, and they’ll do whatever you say.”

グラナト「それとなクソガキ…　儂にタメ口叩くのは、この街では重罪だ…」

Guranato “Soretona kuso-gaki… Washini tame-guchi tataku-nowa, kono machidewa juzaida…”

Granat “And speaking so casually to me is a serious crime in this town, brat.”

グラナト「…そうだ。今なら見逃してやる…　さっさと行け…」

Guranato “…Souda. Imanara minogashite-yaru… Sassato ike…”

Granat “I know. Given the circumstances, I’ll overlook this offense. Now go.”

シュタルク「そうかい。悪いな、おっさん。この高そうな椅子ぶっ壊すぜ。弁償はできねぇけどな。」

Shutaruku “Sokai. Waruina, Ossan. Kono taka-sona isu, bukkowasuze. Benshowa dekinee-kedona.”

Stark “I see. Sorry, old man. I’m gonna break this expensive-looking chair. I can’t afford to replace it.”

リーニエ「リュグナー様、鼠(ねずみ)。」

Rīnie “Ryugunā-sama. Nezumi.”

Linie “Lord Lügner, a rat.”

リュグナー「グラナト卿。お知り合いで？」

Ryugunā “Guranato-kyo. Oshiriaide?”

Lügner “Graf Granat, do you know him?”

グラナト「…いいや。昼間の冒険者の一人だ。連れの魔法使いが脱獄したとも知らずに直談判に来たのだろう…　馬鹿なガキだ…」

Guranato “…Iiya. Hirumano bokensyano hitorida. Tsureno mahotsukaiga datsugoku-shitatomo shirazuni, jika-danpanni kitano-daro… Bakana gakida…”

Granat “No. He’s one of the adventurers from this afternoon. He must’ve come to petition me directly without realizing the mage he was with escaped. What a stupid kid.”

リュグナー「そうか。」

Ryugunā “Soka.”

Lügner “I see.”

シュタルク（また…）

Shutaruku (Mata…)

Stark (Again.)

リュグナー「帰っていいぞ小僧。見逃してやる。」

Ryugunā “Kaette iizo Kozo. Minogashite-yaru.”

Lügner “You can leave, boy. I’ll let you leave.”

シュタルク（まただ。こいつ俺を見もしない。）

Shutaruku (Matada. Koitsu oreo mimo shinai.)

Stark (He’s doing it again. He’s not even looking at me.)

リュグナー「どうした？そこを退(ど)け。邪魔をするなら殺すぞ。」

Ryugunā “Doshita? Soko o doke. Jamao surunara korosuzo.”

Lügner “What’s the matter? Move. If you get in my way, I’ll kill you.”

シュタルク「やってみろよ。」

Shutaruku “Yatte-miroyo.”

Stark “Go ahead and try!”

リュグナー（速い。）

Ryugunā (Hayai.)

Lügner (He’s fast.)

リュグナー「だが、所詮は人間か。」

Ryugunā “Daga, shosenwa ningenka.”

Lügner “But you’re only human.”

リュグナー「急所は避けたか。反応もなかなかだ。とはいえ人も魔族も若い奴は短慮だな。無策で無謀だ。だが、単身で私に挑んだその武勇は評価しよう。」

Ryugunā “Kyushowa saketaka. Hannoumo naka-nakada. Towa-ie hitomo mazokumo wakai yatsuwa tanryo-dana. Musakude muboda. Daga, tanshinde watashini idonda sono buyuwa hyoka-shiyo.”

Lügner “You protected your vitals. Your reflexes aren’t bad. That said, the young are rash, whether they’re humans or demons- thoughtless and reckless. But you challenged me alone. I commend your valor.”

シュタルク「単身…？そうか。やっぱりお前たちには視えていないんだな。」

Shutaruku “Tanshin? Soka. Yappari omae-tachi-niwa miete-inaindana.”

Stark “Alone? I see. You can’t detect her after all.”

リュグナー「なんだと？」

Ryugunā “Nandato?”

Lügner “What?”

シュタルク「フェルン。言われた通り隙を作ったぜ。」

Shutaruku “Ferun, iwareta-toori, sukio tsukuttaze.”

Stark “Fern, I created the opening you asked for.”

リーニエ「リュグナー様！！魔法使いの反応が…」

Rīnie “Ryugunā-sama!! Mahotsukaino hannoga…”

Linie “Lord Lügner, I’m sensing a mage!”

リュグナー（馬鹿な…　人間の魔法使い如きがリーニエの魔力探知を掻い潜っただと…）

Ryugunā (Bakana… Ningenno mahotsukai gotokiga Rīnieno maryoku-tanchio kai-kugutta-dato…)

Lügner (Impossible. A mere human mage evaded Linie’s detection?)

リュグナー（それにこの魔法は…）

Ryugunā (Soreni kono mahowa…)

Lügner (And this spell…)

リーニエ「リュグナー様、ここは私が。」

Rīnie “Ryugunā-sama, kokowa watashiga.”

Linie “Lord Lügner, let me handle this.”

リュグナー「やめろ。小娘、この魔法はなんだ？」

Ryugunā “Yamero. Komusume, kono mahowa nanda?”

Lügner “Don’t. Girl, what is that spell?”

フェルン「一般攻撃魔法。確か、あなたたちの魔法体系ではゾルトラークと呼ばれているものです。」

Ferun “Ippan kougeki-maho. Tashika, anata-tachino maho-taikei-dewa Zorutorākuto yobarete-irumono desu.”

Fern “Ordinary offensive magic. I believe it’s known as Zoltraak in your magic system.”

リュグナー「これがゾルトラークだと？馬鹿なことを言うな。我ら魔族はゾルトラークなど半世紀以上前に克服している。この魔法を誰から習った？」

Ryugunā “Korega Zorutorāku dato? Bakana koto o iuna. Warera mazokuwa Zorutorāku nado, han-seiki-ijo maeni koku-fuku shiteiru. Kono maho o darekara naratta?”

Lügner”This is Zoltraak? Don’t be absurd. Demonkind overcame Zoltraak half a century ago. Who taught you this spell?”

フェルン「時間稼ぎのつもりですね。早く止めを…」

Ferun “Jikan-kasegino-tsumori desune. Hayaku todomeo…”

Fern “You’re trying to by time, aren’t you? I should finish you now.”

リーニエ「させない。」

Rīnie “Sasenai.”

Linie “I won’t allow it.”

シュタルク「…フェルン、伯爵の怪我が酷い。やり合う時間はねえぜ。退(ひ)くぞ。」

Shutaruku “…Ferun, hakushakuno kegaga hidoi. Yariau jikanwa neeze. Hikuzo.”

Stark “Fern! The graf is gravely injured. We don’t have time to fight. Let’s retreat!”

フェルン「…はい。」

Ferun “…Hai.”

Fern “Very well.”

リュグナー「止血が終わり次第、追うぞ。お前は戦士のほうを殺れ。あの二人には私の血が付着している。見失うことはない。」

Ryugunā “Shiketsuga owari-shidai, ouzo. Omaewa senshino ho o yare. Ano futari-niwa watashino chiga fuchaku-shiteiru. Miushinau-kotowa nai.”

Lügner “We’ll go after them once I’ve stopped my bleeding. You kill the warrior. My blood is on those two. We won’t lose them.”

リーニエ「リュグナー様が手を下すまでもないでしょ。魔法使いも私が…」

Rīnie “Ryugunā-samaga teo kudasu-mademo nai-desho. Mahotsukaimo watashiga…”

Linie “You needn’t fight them yourself, Lord Lügner. I can handle the mage as well.”

リュグナー「お前があの魔法を食らっていたら死んでいた。あの魔法は魔族を殺すことに特化した改良が施されていた。最早あれはゾルトラークと呼べる代物ではない。魔族を殺す魔法だ。」

Ryugunā “Omaega ano maho o kuratte-itara shinde-ita. Ano mahowa mazokuo korosu kotoni tokka-shita kairyoga hodokosa-reteita. Mohaya arewa Zorutorākuto yoberu shiromono-dewa nai. Mazokuo korosu mahoda.”

Lügner “If you’d been struck by that spell, it would’ve killed you. That spell has been modified to specialize in killing demons. It can hardly be called Zoltraak anymore. It’s a demon-killing spell.”

リュグナー「あの小娘の所作には面影があった。私は昔、同じ魔法を受けたことがある。そうか。思い出した。フリーレンだ。人類のゾルトラークの研究解析に大きく貢献し、歴史上で最も多くの魔族を葬り去った魔法使い。」

Ryugunā “Ano komusumeno shosa-niwa omokagega atta. Watashiwa mukashi, onaji maho o uketa-kotoga aru. Soka. Omoi-dashita. Furīrenda. Jinruino Zorutorākuno kenkyu kaisekini ookiku kokenshi, rekishijode mottomo ookuno mazokuo homuri-satta mahotsukai.”

Lügner “The way that girl moved reminds me of another mage. And I’ve been struck by that same magic once before. I see. I remember now. It was Frieren. The mage who contributed significantly to humanity’s analysis of Zoltraak and slew more demons than anyone else in history.”

リュグナー「葬送のフリーレン。私の嫌いな天才だ。」

Ryugunā “Sosono Furīren. Watashino kiraina tensaida.”

Lügner “Frieren the Slayer. One of the geniuses I despise.”

ーーーThe end of comic vol.2 / コミックス2巻　完ーーー

(Continues to Episode 9)

[ddarker-dreams]

congrats on the 13k lock!! and since i am gay may i request "machi with regret"?

Warning: Yandere (ish ??) themes and unhealthy relationships. 

13k follower event

Machi had never learned to live in the moment before meeting you. 

Her earliest memories were of fighting tooth and nail for survival amidst piles of trash, learning that the best way to deal with enemies was to silence them permanently. The Troupe was the one constant in her life. Even then, the heists would draw to an inevitable close, and she’d be left to wander aimlessly until the Boss called upon them next.

You hum a song, the sound echoing in your shared bathroom. She recognizes the tune as one from a couple playlist you texted her a few weeks back. When she came home from work this morning, you excitedly asked if she’d been listening to it. She grumbled that it wasn’t exactly her taste.

Little do you know that it’s been on repeat every chance she has to wear headphones. 

She marvels over the hands that massage deep into her scalp, relieving pent-up tension that she didn’t realize she carried. So these are the hands of someone who has never taken a life. Soft, tender. There’s no aura radiating off your skin — no barrier to separate you from her. That is, aside from those she erects. 

The lovely aroma of your shampoo wafts in the air. It is by far her favorite scent, hence why she’s taken to sharing it. A little reminder of you while she’s away. 

“You’re always so tense, Machi,” you tease. “You can relax, y’know? Do I need to pull up a yoga tutorial? It might do you some good.” 

“I’d prefer to drown in this water.” 

While she can’t see you, she hears the pout in your voice. “Someone’s grumpy. Ooh, I know! Let’s watch scary movies tonight! That always cheers you up, doesn’t it? Kinda macabre, but hey, I’m not one to judge.”

That’s because you cutely end up clinging to her like your life depends on it. Not that she intends on telling you that. 

“... Yeah, sounds good.” 

During the particularly gory slashers, after the film ends, you’ll sometimes wonder aloud how anyone could kill like that. What it would take to drive someone to such awful extremes. She gets silent, then, knowing the answer yet recognizing some things are better left unsaid. 

If only you knew what she’s done — what she’ll continue to do. Would you direct that unfiltered revulsion toward her? 

You swoop down in an instant. It takes every ounce of Machi’s self-restraint not to perceive the motion as a potential threat, her muscles taut from years of combat experience. She silently sighs in relief when your lips brush against her temple. 

That’s right, you aren’t her enemy, she needn’t be so on guard. 

Machi makes a vow to preserve this idyllic paradise you’ve formed for as long as she can. She’ll personally see to it that every tempting snake is slain, each forbidden fruit containing knowledge you shouldn’t have plucked from the branch so that it may wither. 

For if the day were to come that your eyes were opened to her true nature... she knows her paradise would be no more. 

[lliminall]

Hello hello I am the same feitan loving anon from before!! I just had to let you know that the line “power wash 3000 sloppy toppy” absolutely killed me and I was reading this in the car with my mom 💀 I forced myself to read it multiple times because it made me giggle so damn much 😭😭😭 also loved Paku and Machi 🥺 they wouldn't treat me right but I love them anyways 💙

I figured since I'm here I might as well ask this too: how tf would yanderes deal with a darling during their period 😔 feel like feitan would just be so mean about it! Mocking my pain and pawing at my boobs even though they hurt 😭😰 mean, mean man right there

Anyways, periods are homophobic and I hate them but lovely writing as always!!

anon!! thank you for the kind words, I’m glad my dumbass sense of humor landed well with you lol 😭

the power this question holds…our brains must be syncing because I’ve been thinking about period sex with the yans lately, so I had to take this as an opportunity to write out some headcanons for some of my faves hehe

Feitan is absolutely an asshole about it but he’s also very, very into it. Firstly because it allows him to indulge his sadistic side a bit more, given how sensitive your body is. You’re absolutely right about the boob thing, he’d be kneading the tender fat on your chest and pinching your tits just to see how your face twists up underneath him.

He also loves how needy you become during that time of the month. You can try your hardest not to show it, but he’s more than aware of how good an orgasm feels when you’ve been miserable in bed with cramps all day. Maybe he can even pat himself on the back for it later, when you’ve come three times and the endorphins have numbed your poor body enough that you can finally drift off to sleep. Good boyfriend behavior if he says so himself, you should show a little more gratitude to him for it tbh. (not that he’d ever EVER call himself something as sappy as your boyfriend but you get the point lol)

And of course the blood is nothing he’d shy away from, if anything it’s an added bonus. Not only because it works as a natural lube, but also because it creates such a raw, carnivorous experience for him. Cutting people down is a hobby of his. He’s done it for long enough that the smell of blood becomes exhilarating, and to smell it while he’s driving his hips into yours only gets him that much more worked up. It paints such a striking mess across your torsos, smearing down your thighs, the sheets, and everywhere his hands touch after he fingers you to climax. It’s Feitan lmao I hope y’all weren’t expecting it to be wholesome 😭

can I be extra gross and say that he’d even be willing to eat you out, if you got him riled up enough? hm maybe another time lmao

Chrollo doesn’t mind the blood. It isn’t particularly off-putting or attractive to him. What he loves about period sex is the opportunity it gives him to prove how well he can take care of you. Your cramps are keeping you up? And the painkillers aren’t working? How unfortunate. Lucky for you, he knows just the thing that will take your mind off of it :)

You just don’t have the energy to talk back and refuse him when you’re like this. And…it does make you feel better. He’s so gentle with your body, asking you what feels good, what hurts, bringing you to climax as many times as you’ll allow him. He’s basically a dream boyfriend through all of it. It’s confusing and frustrating, and 100% intentional on his part. He wants to show you how good he could be to you, how prepared he is to give you everything you want (minus a few minor things like, uhh your freedom) if you’d just behave for him.

He’ll take care of you in any way you’ll let him. Ordering in comfort foods, bathing you, throwing a heating pad in the microwave, putting on any dumb show you want to watch and cuddling on the couch. In the beginning I think he would offer all of this himself, but after you two have been through it a few times and you get used to it, I can see him being a little shit and making you ask for it yourself. You’re looking at him all expectantly and he just plays dumb. You’re going to have to ask for it and he wants you to be very specific. Tell him you want him to fuck you or it’s not happening. Ugh

Machi feels a little bad about it, but she comes to almost look forward to your periods. She’s a high-level nen user and hers don’t bother her much, but the same sure can’t be said about you. You just look so pitiful lying on the bed with your heating pad clutched to your belly. So when she comes to offer you help, she can act like she’s doing it for your benefit, obviously. If it’ll get you to stop moping around then fine, she’ll finger you a bit, if she must 🙄✋

It lets her feel like she’s doing something good for you. Getting you painkillers, bringing you a hot pad, refilling your pads and tampons without being asked. She feels more guilt than she’d like to over forcing you to be here with her, and providing for you like this soothes that ache a bit. Of course, she’ll never admit any of it. You’ll probably feel like you’re a burden to her, like she does it all out of begrudging obligation. Maybe someday you’ll be familiar enough to see through the act.

Don’t call her bluff though. It’s humiliating enough to be so wrapped around your finger, but for you to become aware of that fact…it might be more than she can gracefully handle.

[bloodyknucklesandbleedinghearts]

Meeting the Troupe

Warnings: none!

This was it. I was finally going to get to meet my girlfriend’s friends.

We pulled up to a broken down building.

“This the place?” I rubbed my sweaty palms on my floral skirt.

“Yeah.” She sighed, opening her door.

“Fuck I’m nervous.” I ran a hand through my hair, following her.

“You got this.” She placed a kiss on my lips.

“Yeah.” I breathed.

We walked through the door together.

“Hey, I’m here.” She called out.

“It’s Machi!” A happy voice shouted.

“That’s Shalnark.” Machi told me.

“Uh? Hey! She brought a friend!” Shalnark told everybody else.

“Oh? Is it a boy?” A playful voice asked.

“That’s Hisoka.” She rolled her eyes, her disgust clear in the way she said his name.

“And who is this?” Hisoka leered down at me.

“Y-Y/N.” I gulped, holding out my hand. He grabbed it, pulling it up to his lips and planting a kiss on the back.

“Nice to meet you... Y/N.” He licked his lips.

“Hands off.” Machi hissed.

“Protective, are we?”

“Fuck you.”

“Who’s your friend, Machi?” A man with black, slicked-back hair asked curiously.

“Huh? Oh, right. Uh... I’m Y/N... nice to meet you.” I waved nervously.

“Yeah, this is my girlfriend.” Machi grabbed my hand, interlacing our fingers.

“What?” The black-haired man asked, clearly surprised. “Oh, I didn’t know you were a lesbian. Why didn’t you tell us? You know we wouldn’t care.”

“I’m telling you now.” Machi shrugged.

“Fair enough.” The man chuckled, then turned to me. “All of them call me Boss, but my name is Chrollo. You can call me either one.”

“O-Okay.” I nodded.

“Don’t be afraid, I promise we’re not bad. We treat our own as family.” He smiled warmly. I couldn’t help but return the smile, feeling a bit better at his kind words.

“Are you sure we can trust her? She could be lying.” A short man crossed his arms. I hadn’t seen him as he approached, but his gaze was unnerving.

“That’s Feitan. And yes, of course we can trust her. I wouldn’t have brought her if we couldn’t.” My girlfriend told him.

“I still do not trust her.” Feitan eyed me suspiciously.

“Well, get used to having her around.” Machi wrapped an arm around me protectively.

“Fresh meat, huh?” A hulk of a man stared down at me. I pressed myself closer to Machi.

“Don’t be afraid of Uvogin, he’s not that bad once you get to know him.” She assured me.

“Oh, yeah, sure, ‘fresh meat’.” I mumbled. She chuckled at my sarcasm.

“Who’d she kill?” Uvogin asked, not having heard my comment.

“She’s not a member,” Machi clarified, “this is my girlfriend.”

“You’re into chicks?” Uvogin thought for a moment. “I guess that makes sense. Nice to meet ya… uh… what’s your name?”

“Y/N.” I almost whispered. Somehow, he heard me.

“Y/N? Alright, nice to meet ya, Y/N.” He put a large hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze before letting go.

“So, you’ve met Feitan, The Boss, Uvogin, and sort of Shalnark… and Hisoka, I guess.” She counted off the members. “Of the members here right now, you still have to meet Phinks, Pakunoda, Nobunaga, Shizuku, and Franklin.”

“That’s a lot of people.” I swallowed dryly.

“You can do it though, you’re halfway done.” She encouraged me.

“What would I do without you?” I mumbled, leaning my head on her shoulder.

“Crash and burn.” She said playfully.

“Rude!” I pushed her lightly. We both chuckled.

“You’re cute together.” Uvogin smiled. “This one’s a keeper, Machi.”

“I sure hope so.” I found the courage to speak.

“Of course! I’m never letting you go, Y/N.” Machi promised. We smiled at each other.

Machi began to lead me to another large man, accompanied by a blonde woman, and a dark-haired woman.

“Machi? Who’s this?” The dark-haired woman spoke first.

“I’m Y/N, it’s nice to finally meet you.” I felt less nervous after the very warm welcome from Uvogin.

“My name is Pakunoda.” The blonde smiled at me, introducing herself right away.

“I’m Shizuku, it’s nice to meet you.” The dark-haired one smiled kindly.

“Franklin.” The big guy nodded.

I smiled at the three, then looked at Machi. She smiled back at me, then began to lead me over to a group of four.

Uvogin had joined the other group, making me feel a bit better about introducing myself to the final few.

“Oh, that’s Machi’s girl.” Uvogin caught sight of me first.

“Is she trustworthy?” A blonde man stared at me as I approached.

“I’d say so. Besides, she makes Machi happy, and we all know how rare that is.” Uvogin laughed.

“What’s your name?” Shalnark asked.

“Y/N.” I offered my hand. “Machi said your name is Shalnark, right?”

“Yeah! Nice to meet you!” He smiled wide.

“I’m not sure about her yet.” Another black-haired man spoke as if I wasn’t there.

“Well, I’ll tell you what I told Feitan,” Machi stepped in, “she’s gonna be around here often, so get used to it.”

“And you’re sure we can trust her?” The black-haired man asked.

“Why would I have brought her here otherwise?” Machi glared at him.

“I trust Machi, so I trust Y/N.” Shalnark decided.

“I trust Y/N too.” Uvogin ruffled my hair with a large hand.

“Thanks.” I nodded at both of them.

“I’m gonna need a bit of time, but you seem fine so far.” The blonde decided.

“And you, Nobunaga?” Shalnark asked.

“We’ll see.” Nobunaga crossed his arms.

“Fine with me.” I smiled politely.

“Better than nothin’.” Uvogin pulled me next to him. “So, tell us about yourself a little.”

[sweetchup]

💌Acting Naive (?)💌

Type: Shalnark x reader

Prompt: 14—Love potion + 7—Innocent/Corruption Kink

Author Note: Ah! @pastelbear12 I hope you like your request! I made sure it was really good for you! Especially as a fellow writer and Shalnark stan! Enjoy💕💕💕!!

(Valentine’s Day Masterlist)

Blue, Pink, Purple, Green, Blue…

…Round, cylinder, was that a square?

You just couldn’t fathom all the potions this clan of witches had hidden in their basement. Hell, You bet your boss, Chrollo, didn’t even realize there was this much when he sent you guys out to steal them.

“Hey (y/n). How many do you exactly think there are?” Phinks questions, gobsmacked at the amount just as much as you are.  

“I don’t know…” You mumble out, looking around the room, “Honestly, Phinks… I’m not even sure how we are going to transport them out of here…”

“Wel—“ “Oh wow! That’s a lot more than expected.”

You flinch as a familiar happy go lucky voice is heard by the doorway. You thought the boss put him on another mission.

“Oh hey Shal!” Phinks shouts out, just as surprised as you were, “What are you doing here?”

“The boss wanted me to come join you guys since I finished gathering information for him early.” Shalnark explains, walking up to you two. However, even as Shalnark begins to chat with Phinks, you could still feel his eyes flicker to your figure ever so often.

It wasn’t that you hated Shalnark, you just… particularly didn’t like him. Mostly due to the fact, he didn’t give you the best impression when you showed up as a replacement number 4.

According to him, he didn’t understand why you should be the replacement member. You were “cute” and “naive”, not the best fit to replace the former number 4. He also thought your ability wouldn’t work well with the members you were designated to work with.

Honestly, You could have understood where he was coming from, all Shalnark wanted was to make sure the Troupe succeeded. But, you also believed he didn’t have to say all this in front of the whole group with you in the room. It embarrassed you so much, you nearly stormed out of there.

Naturally, of course, this event created a rift between you two. A general dislikeness to the other person.

“(Y/n),” Phinks suddenly calls out, catching your attention, “What did you think of the plan?”

“What plan?” You questioned. Slightly scowling as you see Shalnark’s lip slightly twitch up a little as Phink responds with a sigh. Cheeky Bastard…

“The plan is that I’m going to go grab Fei’s group to come help us. But, In the meantime, You and Shalnark can start taking count of the potions.” Phinks explains, already putting on his pharaoh helmet to get ready to leave.

“Wait. Wouldn’t it make more sense to grab Machi’s group? Feitan’s group is a traveling distance of 3 days away while Machi’s is only 1 day away.” You question out, thinking it was a logical conclusion. However, you were only met with Shalnark letting out a small chuckle. Almost as if what you said was a hilarious joke to him, “What’s so funny?”

“Well, I find it so funny that you are practically rushing to try to get the mission over with. What’s with that? Do you have some sort of date you have to get to for Valentine’s Day?” You slightly flinch as Shalnark happy expression turns much darker; mockingly in a way, “That’s pretty irresponsible of you. You do realize troupe activities come first? Oh wait… You likely don’t care because—“

“Shal,” Phinks barks out, stopping his friend from finishing his sentence. As Phinks comes closer to stand in front of you, you now notice Shalnark has gotten much closer to you than before, “Fighting or attacking troupe members isn’t allowed. You should know this.”

“What are you talking about? I wasn’t going to,” Shalnark responds with a lighthearted pout. However, you see a ever so slight twitch in his fingers that contradicts his previous statement. It seemed that he was practically just itching at the chance to stab you with his antenna.

Woah, that’s new….

Shalnark has never before given a hint that he hated you that much. Sure, he messed with your missions or denied helping you sometimes but even that was never enough that could possibly hurt or kill you.

However, that seemed to be the least of your worries right now. With Phinks being here, you could at least avoid Shalnark insults or possible attempts to attack you, especially since Phinks can step in to interfere as an older member as well. But if Phinks is still set with trying to leave to go grab Feitan’s group then… you are in big trouble.

“Hey Phinks. How about I just go grab Feitan’s group?” You ask cautiously as you interrupt their conversation (Well, more like bickering). About to explain your reasoning when Phinks cuts you off.

“No, neither of you two are going anywhere. This little feud between you two has escalated way too much. We are going to solve this problem right here and now.” Phinks grumbles out, sending a slight glare Shalnark's way to tell him not to even try to rebut. “Also Meaning, you two are going to allow each other to talk in order to solve this.”

After Phinks stops speaking, a thick silence settles over the room. Neither of you attempted to start to talk to the either and it seemed, from your perspective, that Shalnark wasn’t happy about being forced to participate in this bonding event at all. Well technically you shouldn’t judge as you weren’t happy about this either but, at the very least, you were willing to participate if it solved this petty problem of you two.

“Well…,” You started, breaking the thick silence, “I first wanna know what I did to get you to dislike me so much.”

You watch as Shalnark rolls his eyes in slight annoyance. He wasn’t planning on answering you but a hard swift slap to the back by Phinks makes him think twice about that decision.

“It’s that fake act you do.” Shalnark grumbles out, winching slightly as Phinks puts his hand up again, “I-I mean I don’t like how you act towards us.”

“Pardon?” You let out, accidently. Quite confused at what he was referring to. You’ve never acted a certain way specifically towards Shalnark or any of the members in that matter.

“Don’t act stupid—“ “Shal…” Phinks warns out, cutting Shalnark off. However instead of backing off like before, Shalnark continues.

“You know it. The one where you act all ‘I’m miss innocent and cute, I don’t know things~’. That stupid ass one.”

However instead of understanding what he was saying, you get even more confused. You will admit you can be a little naive at times but you’ve never acted or played into it.

“I still don’t get it. I don’t specifically act—“

“There it is! That.” Shalnark shouts out suddenly as he points his finger accusingly at you, taking a step forward also. “You just titled your head to the side slightly as if you were some confused puppy!”

You can’t help but feel heat suddenly bloom up to your face. You hadn’t even realized you did that sort of thing. God, you must have looked like a fool, an idiot—

“And there’s another one! You just tried to hide your face behind your hands.” Shalnark exclaims again, pulling your hands down and away from your face.

“H-hey. I-I don’t get why all this matt— Oof.”

Suddenly, as you take a step back to keep some space between you and Shalnark, You don’t realize how close you are to the shelves and hit your back hard against one. It creaks for a second and you think nothing of the sound. Well, nothing of it until something hard shatters on top of your head, dosing you in some sort of strange sticky liquid.

“Shit.” Phinks curse out, both his and Shalnark’s eyes blown out wide as they look at you. “(Y/n) are you okay?”

“Y-yeah. Just my head hurts a little…” You mumble out, pulling your hand away from your head to see it was covered in a little bit of blood. Uh oh…, that wasn’t good. That could only mean the potion got absorb into your bloodstream…

“Welp…, it seems like she’s going to die.” Shalnark says matter of factly, making you snap your head up to look at him. However, instead of yelling at him, your words suddenly felt stuck and clogged up in your throat. Ever so slowly as if a fog came over you, your mind starts to grow fuzzy, unable to make you think clearly. What was going on? Was the potion only now taking effect?

However, unaware of your current predicament, Phinks had started bickering with Shalnark. Angry at not only his bitterness towards you but also his unwillingness to help you out just as a fellow teammate.

“Shal, Dude. Her thing isn’t an act. The boss has been over this. She acts this way even towards Kortopi, who, I’m sure you can understand, wouldn’t benefit her in any way.”

“Well, she might be still trying to get on his good side so she—“

Phinks cuts Shalnark off by grabbing him by the collar. Pulling his friend so they were face to face, Phinks speaks again. This time in an extremely serious tone that tells Shalnark there isn’t going to be any more of these ‘if’s’ or ‘buts’ from out of him.

“Shal. Just stop. If she had the choice to attack or use one of us, she would have done it by now. Chrollo has allowed her to guard him alone more times than I can count, just to see if your suspicions were correct. And, in all those times, she didn’t show the slightest bit of desire to get information out of him or attempt to try to fight him. So, Cut. It. Out. This is not only hindering our mission no— Shit.“

Phinks suddenly let go of Shalnark to grab you, who from the corner of his vision was wobbling slightly.

“(Y/n). Sit down.” Phinks mumbles out as he helps you to the ground. As he crouches down to look at you, he can’t help but grow even more worried. You didn’t look good, at all.

So bad, he knew they needed to race to go find Shizuku right at that very moment. And it didn’t reassure him any better that he was the fastest one out of you three at the moment.

“Shal.” Phinks calls out, making Shalnark snap his head to him, “We need to go grab Shizuku from Machi’s group now and since I’m the fastest I need to go. Don’t give (y/n) a hard time and you better try to help.”

Without attempting to hear Shalnark’s response or possible rebuttal, Phinks has already raced out the door. Leaving Shalnark alone to try and take care of you. Something he honestly has never imagined doing.

“S-Shal…” You suddenly stutter out, breaking the man’s attention from staring at the door. Shit, you seriously didn’t look good.

“Yeah?” He questions, still apprehensive to try and help you as he crouched down. Shalnark can’t help but feel a shiver go up his spine as you looked up at him. A hand hiding the front of your mouth told him you were embarrassed. A thing he’s seen you do many times before when you weren’t sick.

Perhaps,... Phinks was correct and the cute things you do aren’t actually an act. You would have definitely dropped it by now with the horrible condition you were in.

“C-can…Can you kiss me?” You suddenly beg out, nearly making Shalnark have to do a double take.

“What…?” Shalnark lets out, unable to stop his surprise at what you were saying—suggesting—for him to do. Have you gone fucking insane?

“P-please.” You mumble out, your words slightly slurred and incoherent as you move yourself, “I’ll do anything.”

Shalnark goes to speak again to quickly deny your request but suddenly feels himself choke on his own words. Slowly, He had to put a hand up to his mouth to check his jaw hadn’t dropped and he hadn’t started drooling. Especially with the position you had moved to because, Holy shit…

With your arms stretched out forward, hands slightly opening and closing to urge him to come near, it looked like you were innocently begging him for a hug. Well, it would have been considered innocent if your legs weren’t opened up as well. With you wearing just a skirt, it gave him a clear view of your underwear that was already dripping in your arousal.

Oh, all the things he was imagining to do to you right now…

“S-see. I’ll do anything you want. I just need you close to me-e.” You beg out, seeing how Shalnark’s gaze was trained on your lower half. Your pleas clearly worked on Shalnark as he can feel himself starting to harden more in his pants. “I-I love you. I need you. Please—“

You can’t help but let out a little gasp as you are suddenly tugged forward by your ankles. The cold feeling of the cement basement ground leaks through your sweaty skin and clothes as you fall backwards, making you also unconsciously arch your back closer to Shalnark.

However, your attention towards the uncomfortable cold stinging the ground produced is short-lived as you feel one of Shalnark’s hands push your underwear away. You let out a small whine as Shalnark rubs your clit, the intense pleasure shooting like fireworks throughout your whole body. It was so much for you, almost painful in a way, making you quickly wiggle away from his touch.

“What’s wrong?” Shalnark mumbles out, his words hardly heard as he presses small wet kisses to the sensitive skin of your neck. Trying to hold himself back from completely and utterly wrecking you once he sees how you were helplessly trying to escape from him. Why did he hate your cuteness again?

“I-I’ve never been touched there,” You answer back, making Shalnark’s hand freeze in his ministrations, “Too much-h.”

“Have you ever been touched…?” Shalnark finally asks out after a long pause.

“N-no. Never.” You whine out, gasping as Shalnark snaps your soaked panties back into place. Using the back of his knuckles to rub the fabric against your sensitive folds, only to drag them down and off your ankles seconds later. You are confused as to why he doesn’t choose to throw them to the side until you hear a zipper being undone, “Shal…”

You can’t help but cross and rub your thighs together as you look down to the thing that was between his legs. It sounded childish but you couldn’t help but wonder how that was even supposed to fit inside you.

“(Y/n)... Come here...” Your attention snaps away from your thighs to Shalnark at his sudden call. Oh, so that's what he was using them for…

You gulp as you slowly crawl over to Shalnark, your eyes trained on his hand that was smothering the wetness of your panties onto his dick. As you sat in front of him, you can’t help but shakily reach one of your hands out. As your hand touches the warm flesh, you feel it twitch under your touch. You hesitate for a second before enveloping your hand around it. Unconsciously gulping as you realized you were unable to wrap your hand fully around the shaft due to how thick it was.

“G-good.” Shalnark moans out, his body slightly shaking as he attempts to keep his cool as you add your second hand. Fuck, Your hands were unimaginably soft, driving him insane as they worked their way around his length. And the pure fact you clearly had no idea what you were doing and was clumsy trying to give him pleasure, for some odd reason, turned him on even more.

Damn, you were so cute and innocent. Naive to the point you didn’t understand what he could possibly do to you at a moment's notice. How much he could easily just slip inside of you and turn you into his whiny little thing. Slobbering and drugged up on the pleasure he would continuously induce upon you. Making you beg for his every touch and word until your throat hurts. Begging for him to pump his load in you, to be his pretty little obedient toy.

“Fuck.” Shalnark murmurs out, catching you off guard as he pulls your hand off his length by your wrist. You let out a small whine in rebuttal, wanting to touch him more, until you see that ever so slight lustful haze over his eyes.

Happily you allowed the blonde man to move you around so you were positioned on your hands and knees; your back arched and butt stuck up in the air just for him to see. Honestly if he wasn’t craving to be inside you right now, he would have definitely taken a picture. The sight would have made a perfect new background for his home screen.

As he lines himself up at your entrance, he hears your breath suddenly hitch. Testing to see how you do, he slowly slips only the head of his length in. Woah. Instantly a shiver goes up his spine as he feels your walls squeeze and unsqueeze around his tip, your body struggling to accommodate the sudden intrusion.

He really wanted to go slow. After all, he truly felt bad for how he had been treating you before all this. But once you tilted your head to the side to look up at him with those doe-like eyes of yours, it was as if all his patience had suddenly snapped.

“Shal!” You yell out, your hands balled into fist as you had nothing to hold onto, to possibly ground yourself.

“It will feel g-good. I promise.” Shalnark mumbles out incoherently. Lost in pleasure as he continues to piston in and out of you. His top half eventually draping over yours as he attempts to get even deeper inside you; pressing small encouraging kisses to the back of your shoulder blades as you continued to take every inch of him.

Eventually, Shalnark was right. It was as if things suddenly clicked and everything felt just oh so good. You thought you were in heaven with the amount of pleasure you felt rushing through your body. Even though the man inducing these feelings upon you could hardly be considered a heavenly being. Then again, with what you have done, you weren't much better than him.

“Ah! R-Right there. Please, Please, please!” You cry out, feeling an even intenser flash of pleasure come upon you as he hits a specific spot. “S-Shal!”

It only took a couple more hits to that pleasurable spot to push you over the edge. Turning you into a dazed and drooling mess as you couldn’t stop yourself from whining out how good Shalnark made you feel and how you loved him ever so much.

“S-shit.” Shalnark groans out, his arms wrapping tightly around your waist as he suddenly feels a hot flash of pleasure come over him as well. His hips methodically grinding against your hole as he works his way through his high. Slightly overstimulating you in a way as his ever so warm white ropes of his cum start to fill you up. You never thought you would enjoy such a primal feeling of being filled up by someone’s cum. Honestly, you could have cummed again from just that alone.

As you feel Shalnark lean his forehead against your back to catch his breath, you slowly feel your mind becoming clearer. As if a strange fog has been lifted off of your senses. However, you honestly wished it stayed as everything that has happened while under that strange potion has suddenly come crashing down on you.

You didn’t know what to do, what to think. Actually, would anyone know what to do if they suddenly realized they had sex on Valentine’s Day with a teammate that hated their guts and couldn’t even stand being in the same room before now?

Then again you should have known that, even in a situation like this, Shalnark doesn’t exactly fall into the category of the average person.

“H-hey!” You choke out in surprise as you feel Shalnark suddenly lift one of your legs over his shoulder, forcing you to lay on your side as he starts to move his hips again. His dick already hardening back up to where it was before.

You wanted to rebut. Wanted to tell him to calm down and to talk this whole strange situation out. But, then again, why would you?

With him already plowing into you deeper than before, mixing and pushing his cum deeper inside you and creating this dangerous cocktail of pleasure. How could you possibly tell him to stop when you wanted to continue?

Especially when he had just referred to you as his good little girl.

[feifood]

Enemies to Lovers; Feitan x Reader 

PART 1 // PART 2 

Word Count: 759 words

HERE. AFTER LIKE SM MONTHS OF WAITING I FINALLY MANAGED TO PUT SOMETHING TOGETHER FOR THIS SERIES SO I HOPE Y’ALL LIKE <33

A chuckle interrupts the deafening silence, your chuckle.

“Yeah sure,” you manage to spit out in between ragged breaths from laughing so hard, “Fei likes me? He hates me!”

Phinks furrows his non-existent eyebrows as he tries to explain himself, “no, Y/N I’m not joking here he-”

“Yeah yeah,” you interrupt, “I’m sure he does, for a joke right? This is a prank? I gotta give it to you, it’s pretty funny.” You stand up from the roof and begin to make your way to the exit, passing by the two men and giving Feitan a pat on his shoulders. “As if you’d ever actually have feelings for me,” you mumble beside him, so quiet that Feitan almost misses the words like the way you missed the faint pink tint making their way to his cheeks.

By the time you’ve already left the rooftop Phinks gives Feitan a big nudge with a sigh, mentioning that they’re going to have to get Shalnark’s help in this.

“Just tell them!” Shalnark says a bit too loudly, rolling his eyes after just how hopeless Phinks and Feitan can be, “they’re obviously in denial so just say it straight up, and this time Fei has to be the one to say it.”

“Not saying it,” Feitan shoots at Shalnark with a nasty glare to which Shalnark shrugs and responds with “suit yourself then.”

“What about gestures?” Phinks interrupt the tense conversation, “buy them flowers or something, I don’t know.” He pulls out his phone and starts scrolling mindlessly on the device, “let me search this up, the internet’s got everything these days.”

“They don’t even like flowers,” Feitan mumbles out. “They like the sunset more than anything.”

Upon hearing the words, Shalnark buries his face into his hands and lets out a big sigh, “Feitan, you really are a lost cause,” his comment making both the tall and short men turn their attention to him. “Just confess during sunset then! How obvious can it get?”

Feitan can’t help but wince at the words, confrontation wasn’t his thing. Sure, if it was business-related he’d probably have done it already, but this was a completely new field he’s stepping into. The whole concept of romance could not be more confusing for him.

“Not doing it,” he concludes, maybe he’ll just buy you those flowers, anything but a confrontation at this point. Before Shalnark and Phinks can even get a word out, the short troupe member is already making a beeline out to the door to escape the presence of his friends.

He’s almost made it out of the room, just a couple steps away -- that is if he didn’t bump into you right as he turned into the hallway.

At first, Feitan thought it was just Machi or Shizuku, he was ready to just ignore them and keep walking away, but as he lifts his gaze off the floor and onto the person in front of him, he’s met with your soft smile gazing at him. Suddenly, his heart starts to race faster than the speed of light, his hands getting just a little bit too sweaty for his liking, words getting stuck in his throat.

“Did you hear all that?” Shalnark prompts you just a few feet away from inside the room, to which you nod in his direction and Feitan finds himself keeping his eyes glued to the ground as if he was a child being lectured by his teacher.

“I did hear it, sounds like someone’s scared of confrontation huh?” You turn to Feitan who’s still not able to look at you after getting caught red-handed. He gives you a slight nod praying that you won’t force him to actually say the words out loud. “What’s it gonna take for you to admit it?” You ask with a little pout.

Feitan finally lifts his head to look at you, then to Shalnark who’s monitoring the conversation a little too closely, then Phinks who’s still scrolling on his device, and back at you.

It’s surprisingly not that suffocating in the hallway anymore, he notices, maybe he’ll be able to let the words out, but “not here,” he tells you, before dragging you to somewhere private and away from the eyes of the tall blondes.

“I’m going to yell at him if he doesn’t confess,” Shalnark whines after watching him dash away with you, turning his attention to Phinks who’s the only person left in the room.

“What about chocolates?” Phinks looks up to ask Shalnark, completely unaware of everything that’s just happened.

@pastelbear12​ @f33itan​ y’all were so excited omg

[ad1thi]

2020 fic recs!! [Part 2]

part 2 of my 2020 fic recs!! as before, ive limited this to five fics per month; and fics are ordered by the month they were published. This spans fandoms and ships, and hopefully you find something you like!! credit for the idea goes to @iam93percentstardust

***

July

this is the start: @capnwinghead

Clark and Bruce continue raising the Wayne children and encounter a number of challenges along the way.

great minds (love alike): @starklysteve

Steve’s eyes flicks down to Tony’s knees on the floor.

“Are you – are you proposing to me with my ring for you?” Steve asks incredulously, eyes wide and confused.

---

Or, Steve finds Tony’s ring for him, Tony finds Steve’s ring for him. Panic happens.

Marvels Unsolved: @iam93percentstardust

Marvels Unsolved was never supposed to be this popular. It started off as a novelty web-series about Tony trying to convince Bucky about the existence of the supernatural—he firmly believed that if science could turn Uncle Steve from an actual shrimp to the god of muscles, then magic had to be out there—and then they’d started talking about an unsolved crime from the early 20th century after filming an episode one day, forgetting that the camera was still rolling, and had ended up with enough footage to make a second episode about real crimes. They had stayed pretty unknown throughout that first season but then true crime podcasts had exploded in popularity and Unsolved along with them.

it’s a small world after all: @maguna-stxrk

“Great speech.”

Smiling at the compliment, Tony turns around. “Thank y—”

And nearly drops his champagne flute.

His world comes to a stop.

They had only spent a night together, but Tony would recognize those baby blues anywhere.

It’s Steve.

Steve from Tony’s London business trip. Or, as Rhodey has become accustomed to calling him—The Soulmate That Got Away.

you’re in my blood, you’re in my veins: @nethandrake

Tony always figured that if they ever were to break up, it would be like a blaze. Scorching and hot and all-too blinding. Intense like the two of them have always been.

Instead, they break up on a Tuesday, with the rain pelting the windowpane and the midnight silence stifling.

August

Five Times Danny said he’d marry Steve (plus one): @five-wow

Danny humphs. “Look, all I’m saying is, I think I’d probably have married you by now.”

“I’d marry you, too,” Steve says.

Or: An experiment in how many times you can say something before you have to put your money where your mouth is.

Family (You’ve Always Had It): @/SunnyQueen

A black Camaro and a scowling blond was not what Junior had been expecting.

“Hi, sir. You didn’t have to pick me up.”

The blond looked up from the screen on his phone and groaned, completely ignoring Junior's statement. “You are right, I didn't have to."

Ode To Yoga Pants: @riotfalling

OR the continued terrible mating dance of Bucky and Tony, AKA when betting on your friends stops being fun

Through The Years: @hawkbucks

Tony brings home Natasha one day, proclaiming her to be his new sister.

Natasha takes this all in stride.

The broken road that led me home to you: @just-fandomthings

A documented list of conversations between Steve and Danny via text and phone call following the events of 10x22 "Aloha." (Where, even thousands of miles apart, Steve and Danny can't go without talking to each other.)

September

someday, we’ll pass it on to you: @starklysteve

Steve smiles.

Reaching up, he flattens his hand against his son’s far smaller one, curling gently around it. “You wanna be like him?”

“Da!” Peter agrees again.

One year old, and you already know who’s the best of us, Steve pauses to reflect, all his fears chased away by a fierce pride. “Your Dad’s coming home real soon,” he promises, “you should tell him that.”

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

Or, five times Peter did the repulsor pose as a toddler

+ one time he used the repulsors as an adult

Classic Sci Fi: @notdoingsohot

Bucky wakes up to Steve telling him he's lost his memory, but not to panic, it'll only last a few days. Easier said than done when the last thing Bucky remembers is fighting Hydra with the Howlies in WWII.

He tries to make the most of it however, and there's this guy... Tony Stark. It's pretty clear the guy hates Bucky's guts, which is unfortunate because god damn is he a sight.

He tries to figure out what he did to wrong Stark, but everyone just tells him he doesn't want to know.

They were right.

Blooms in Frost: @/Diomedes

Tony coughs up his first petal on the sixth of July. He has been married to the love of his life for two years.

Bury a Hanahaki corpse in earth and it will beget the most beautiful garden. All that love, it is said, must go somewhere.

Hanahaki AU: Established relationship

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

A Single Thread of Gold: @lovelyirony

Rhodey doesn't believe in love at first sight or any of that cheesy shit. He just wants someone who is nice, dependable, and safe.

Tony Stark is Housing Service's little problem for the school year, and now he's stuck in Rhodey's room because he's exploded the last two dorm rooms he's been in and won't live off-campus.

high roller, place your bet: @machi-kun

“Would you kiss Stark for a hundred bucks?”

“I would pay a hundred bucks to kiss him.”

October

press my luck: @omg-just-peachy

But... Steve is almost ten years his junior, and he could be with just about anyone, looking and acting like he does. And then there’s the not so small fact of Tony’s name and net worth and the fact that, okay, Tony had paid for Steve’s grad school tuition, and now he’s worried Steve feels obligated to stay. Or something.

Or, Tony is a billionaire, Steve is a grad student, and they learn to let themselves be taken care of.

see it with the lights out: @starklysteve

Tony goes on a business trip, and he does not - not at all - get jealous of Dodger hogging his husband's chest, a territory otherwise known as Tony's pillow.

(or, Steve goes on an Instagram spree and Tony misses home)

adulthood is looking both ways before you cross the street and getting hit by an airplane: @starkslovemail

It was a perfect plan, if Peter did say so himself.

The Buy In: @dracusfyre

For the ImagineTonyandBucky prompt: Mafia AU with Tony as the Boss (except he's a really good one, making the streets safe, keeping drugs away from kids etc) and Bucky as the detective sent to go undercover to catch him out but ends up realizing he's actually doing more good than harm and they end up falling in love

trinkets of your affection: @starklysteve

Kissed him once for every year I loved him, Steve had written.

By that count, Steve owes him five more kisses now.

Tony traces the words, hands trembling, and tips back a shot of Howard's ancient whiskey. None of it burns anymore.

One day, he'll have lived more days without Steve than there are words in the diary.

For the first time since he'd woken with shrapnel in his chest, Tony fears the future.

----------

Or, five things Tony keeps to remember Steve by, and one thing Steve gives him to remember.

November

“Hey Tony”: @riotfalling

Steve points out that Bucky never calls Tony by his actual name. Bucky doesn’t believe him, until he does.

Remembering You is Hard to Do: @lovelyirony

“The future’s crazy, honey-bear.”

Jim looks up.

“Why do you call me that?”

“Call you what?”

“Honey-bear. It’s weird.”

“Inside joke we have,” Tony says, chest tightening. “We thought those couples that have the lovey-dovey nicknames were ridiculous.”

overheard your heartbeat (calling me yours): @starklysteve

"Tony - "

"I wish I could promise to come home this time," he feels the armor crawl back down his arm, continuing unnoticed over Steve's red gloves, then up the blue uniform as Tony fights to keep Steve's gaze firmly fixed on him.

The last eyes Tony might get to see, and he wants to be lost in them.

In the end, his entire life boils down a few simple things: "JARVIS, take care of him for me."

----------

Or, Tony overhears a phonecall where Steve proposes, a battle happens, and a paper ring settles some misunderstandings.

i (really, really, really, really, really, really) like you.: @nethandrake

For as long as Steve can remember, he's been crushing on Tony Stark. The thing is, he's pretty sure Tony doesn't know Steve exists. And how could he? Steve's scrawny and little. He's a nobody compared to Tony who's Mr Popular and the son of a billionaire.

Or at least he thought so until Tony swings by the bakery Steve's mother happens to own to enlist Steve's help in finding the perfect Valentine's Day card.

The perfect Valentine's Day card for someone who isn't Steve.

One Song (My Heart Keeps Singing): @iam93percentstardust

When Thor is old enough to understand what a Heartsong is, he goes to his mother to ask her why he can’t understand the language his is in. He listens as she tells him about the first soulmates who couldn't understand their Heartsong until the day they meet, excited by the thought of a grand adventure, one that will take him across the cosmos in search of his One.

He’ll search all the Nine Realms if he has to.

December

Swiping Right: @s-horne

“Ouch. Definitely a hard pass for that one?”

Steve startled at the sudden comment from the row of chairs behind him and turned around. He’d been passing the time in the airport lounge by swiping through Tinder and had gotten lost in his own world. It was almost jarring to be pulled away from the screen of hot men and back into reality where the PA was screeching and there was noise everywhere.

Adjusting to the difference, Steve frowned. Wait, he knew that face. Oh, shit… he knew that face.

“No, no, it’s fine,” the man said before Steve could get out anything other than an embarrassed sort of yelp. Waving his hand through the air, the stranger smiled ruefully. “I get it. It’s the beard, isn’t it? True be told, it was a weird winter choice that year and I knew it would come back to hurt me.”

Steve didn’t know what to say. He knew it must have shown on his face and could feel himself flushing, panicked and embarrassed all at once. What were the odds of swiping left on someone literally sat behind him?

set your flight path home (to me): @starklysteve 

Tony puts down his welding torch. “I’m building you a plane.”

Stepping carefully over the gears and tools scattered about, Rhodey slowly makes his way to him.

“And when did you become an expert on how to build a plane?”

“Last night,” Tony grins.

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

Tony builds a plane, and Rhodey teaches Tony how to fly it. Or he would be teaching Tony, if Tony didn't distract him so much.

I Want A Man With A Slow Hand: @thefourofswords

“Can I ask you a question?” he asked on their way to a crime scene, because no time like the present, and Danny believed in ripping off band-aids.

“Why not?” Steve replied, eyes on the road. “You’re gonna even if I say no.”

“What do you like in bed?”

*

Danny undertakes a very important mission to get Steve laid. For his health. Ahem.

same time next year: @omg-just-peachy

“I forgot to ask. When’s your flight home?” Steve asks, draping his arm over Tony’s shoulder and settling in against him.

Tony ignores the knot that forms in his chest at the idea of it, leaving Steve again for his own impersonal apartment, his piles of books and projects and the nights without sleep.

“Day after tomorrow.”

Steve huffs a little sigh, then brings his lips to Tony’s neck. “Well, we’ll have to make the most of it, won’t we?”

Or, four (4) Christmases with two (2) idiots who can't admit they're in love.

rearrange my heart (to fit your smile): @starklysteve

"You dare," Howard's chair makes an ugly noise as it scrapes against the stone floors, the chatter of the room shifting into hushed whispers and stolen glances. "I am your father and your King!"

"My King is my husband," Tony tips his chin up, defiant. "And I refuse to hear you suggest that my husband has been anything other than good to me."

Next to him, he feels Steve's shoulders stiffen in surprise.

Howard's fist slams loud on the table. "Your husband does not even love you!"

Tony jerks back, burned. He knows that. Knows that Steve did not marry him for love – does not need any reminder of the cold truth, of what he desperately yearns for and can't even hope to have – but the harshness of Howard's words was scalding, and Tony can't afford for this to go any further.

----------

Or, King Steven marries Prince Tony, Tony is pretty sure he shouldn't panic when he falls in love with his own husband, and Steve tries his very best not to cause diplomatic crises.

Keyword: try

[beigehearts]

The Price of Self Respect

Please refer to my master list for the other chapters! There will be ten parts in total, so only four more after this

PART VI

CW:  alcohol consumption, mentions of drugs, murder

1,656 words

____________________________________________

You've gotten to drinking with Uvogin and Shalnark, they somehow provide you a sense of comfort in this weird world you're trapped in. It takes half a bottle of vodka and a few shots until you feel that incessant buzz that ravages your body. The three of you sit around the couch area- playing a game of doubt with just the three of you. Yours and Uvogin's laugh rings loudly through the inn- the owner and son not caring since you guys are the only customers at the moment. Your laughter covers up the cough that Chrollo sounds, trying to get your guy's attention.

When he stands next to the table with cards littered around it, you finally notice him. He examines all of the alcohol paraphernalia and clicks his tongue, "So have you been having fun y/n?" He asks loudly, as if you can't hear him over the sound of your inebriation.

You look at him out of the corner of your eye, having a newfound hatred for him, which is quite a change from before. "Yes."

Shalnark speaks up, "She's a lot of fun Chrollo, I'm glad you brought her here." He looks down at his cards, "And she's really good at cards." He sighs, realizing his chances of winning the game are low.

Chrollo seems to have enough of this conversation, eyeing Uvogin sitting way too close to you. So close that your thighs are touching. "Come on, let's go to bed, you must be tired."

"Actually." You say, "I'm not, so I think I'll finish my game." The alcohol seems to be speaking louder than your voice is.

Without even arguing or protesting, Chrollo grabs you by your bicep, pulling you out of your seat. "It's time for bed." He drags you from the common area with you slurring curses at him. You can hear Uvogin and Shalnark booing him from the other room. Once you reach your room, he slides the door open, and drops you on the tatami mat. You drunkenly groan at the short fall, and crawl towards the futon, pulling the blanket back and trying to maneuver yourself inside of the bed.

"You made friends pretty quickly- especially with the troupe that broke your leg." He taps his foot against the mat, watching you struggle to get under the blankets.

"Yes, they're quite nice, and very informative." Your words blend in with one another and Chrollo strains his ear to discern each word. "I even learned that you're more of a stalker than I thought." Finally you settle into the bed, turning on your side, getting ready to fall asleep.

"Excuse me?" He asks.

"I don't appreciate you trying to seduce me after having kept notes on me for almost two years." You sigh, closing your eyes to go to sleep.

You quickly notice the anger in his voice, he's not able to hide it. "I don't appreciate you hanging all over Uvogin either." He sits down cross legged next to you, "Honestly I don't appreciate you flirting with other men."

You take your chance to get under his skin, "It's easier to connect with people who don't know every detail about you."

"You're upset because I love you?"

You open one eye, looking up at him, "You have a twisted view on love."

You don't remember much of the end of the conversation, falling asleep during what you think was an argument. You rise with the sun, it blinding you in the early morning. Strong arms hold you close, too tightly to even move your hips in his grasp. A dull pain pulses through your head, with an endless sense of nausea to accompany it. The night before was fun- though you're not sure that the hangover is worth it. You tap your hand against Chrollo's and speak lightly, "Let me go, I need to shower." As if clockwork, he lets go and flips on his other side.

Before you go to the shared showers, you stand on the deck outside of your room, admiring the authentic rock garden, the water glistening and wind temporarily relieving your headache.

The shower's are nice, towels, robes, and indoor slippers are provided. You undress, dropping your clothes next to one of the stalls. Stepping into the warm water you let out a sigh of relief, thanking life for this sweet relief.

The door opens and you hear another person repeating the routine you've already performed. When you step out after finishing scrubbing your body, a woman steps out of her stall simultaneously. Her hair is in a short black bob, and has a towel wrapped around her bust, hanging just below her waist. You recognize her, you must have seen her last night. Ah that's right, she came into the common room late in the night, and Shalnark introduced her.

"Hi Shizuku." She nods at you, not bothering to speak.

The both of you stand in front of the lockers, putting on the complimentary robes and slippers.

Before you leave the room she clears her throat, "Would you like medicine for your hangover?" She asks.

You send a smile her way and nod.

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

With a cup of hot tea in your hand, you watch the sunrise from the deck of your room, a slight drizzle misting and blurring your view. You can see the sun peeking through the clouds, providing little light. You don't flinch when Chrollo sits down next to you, grabbing the other cup and pouring himself a cup of tea.

"Good morning y/n." He says with a smile, and the plants a kiss on your cheek as if you didn't fight and he didn't threaten to kill his troupe members and blame it on you last night.

You hum in response and continue gazing out at the rock garden, admiring the koi fish and seeing the steam just past the garden, indicating where the hot springs are. Maybe you should sit in the springs, it might make you feel better.

"Last night, I'm sorry for getting so angry." Chrollo breaks the silence. "But don't ever be so friendly with another man. Ever." His jealousy is practically seeping through his every pore, and you know when he says not to be friendly he means it. You know he's not bluffing about hurting someone for being so kind to you.

"You're ridiculous." His eyebrows are enough to show his intrigue in your statement, "You watch me for so long, noting my every move, until you kidnap me. You seduce me and then get upset when I'm angry after finding out about this." You look his way, "You really expect me to return your affection?"

He doesn't respond to your question- knowing it is rhetorical. You're right. And you don't even know about half the things he's done for you- so imagine how you would react if you found out about that. Not well that's for sure. He takes time to process your words, swirling them around in his head so he can bend them to fit his reality he's made.

Dropping the subject completely he states, "We're leaving in twenty minutes, we have a van to fit all of us. We have a mission nearby, I'm going to need your help."

"Why should I help you?"

He frowns, "I can take your nen ability instead if you wish. "

That shuts you up, standing up and heading to grab something to eat from the continental breakfast before you go anywhere.

Fitting all of you into the van is difficult to say the least. Fitting Uvogin, Nobunaga, and Franklin in is practically a miracle. They are definitely going to have back pain once you get out of the van. Chrollo drives and you sit in the back with Machi and Shizuku. You aren't sure exactly of what you're needed for but you'll do whatever is asked of you in order to keep your nen to yourself.

Two hours of laughter and griping from the large men, you all finally stumble out of the van and onto the pavement. There's a large warehouse, and it reeks of marijuana. It must be a dispensary.

"Y/n you need to draw a key that can fit to any lock. I would have the door broken down but there's no physical way of doing that and it's loud. And it's not digital locking so Shalnark can't get us through it."

On command you conjure a pencil, sketching out a key with a malleable end. It begins materializing and everyone watches as it turns from pencil sketches in the air into a real gold key. Only you can use it since it's built from your nen, so Chrollo leads you to a heavy duty door. You put the key into one of the locks, forcing the key to bend and then harden into the shape of the lock. You repeat this three more times and watch as the troupe goes ahead. When you step into the building Chrollo stops you and points to the van.

"Make sure no one comes out, and if they do, eliminate them." You nod hesitantly, and head back to the van, hopping into the driver's seat. You hear gun shots, screaming, and pleas from inside but you have no choice but to listen to the genocide that's being put into play by the man who kidnapped you and claims to love you.

Thoughts of driving away, escaping, and running off enter your brain, but it's not like it would mean anything. They could find you in a matter of seconds if you did.

You come up with a plan on having Chrollo and the troupe trust you and maybe even willingly give you your freedom. You will just have to reciprocate his love until he thinks you love him. But the problem is that you already have feelings for him, maybe Stockholm syndrome will catch up with you first.

[charming-2d-boys]

Oooh, I really loved that S/O getting accidentally babified scenario with the adult trio x'D What if the adult trio end up on the wrong end of that Nen (maybe seeing the attack coming before the s/o does and shoving them out of the way?) and have an s/o who's actually pretty good with kids looking after them while being babies?

I LOVE YOU! 😭💕

I'm so excited, I've seen fanarts of this and my imagination's been killing me with this and it's just the cutest thing ever and I'm dying just at the thought of it 😆

Thank you so much for the request! I hope you'll like it just as much as I did! 🙇😍

A/N: These two were the biggest inspiration for this because they are so cute! I will be linking them here since I wouldn’t want to upset the artists and repost them here without their permission:

https://twitter.com/Mono_hh/status/1171024805027434501/photo/4 (look at my baby Chrollo crying because he has no one to pick him up 😭)

&

https://twitter.com/meume_h/status/767683109839974400/photo/1

Also, the premise will be the same for all of them: they get transformed into babies by a Nen user’s ability while trying to save their S/O, just like it was requested. And this is all pretty long 🤔

Chrollo

for someone so smart, that was a very stupid move

that’s what you want to say

until you see Chrollo... or a baby version of him

he’s just staring at you with those wide, grey eyes as if he just can’t believe what is happening

and he’s naked and shivering, surrounded by his clothes that remained in their original size

and reaching out to you - at least he seemed to remember you, which was a relief

that shirt of his is no good in this situation, so you sort of bundle him up in his coat and hold him in your arms as another Spider picks up the rest of his clothes

you and the rest of the Troupe agree on Chrollo staying with you for the time being

you wouldn’t have let him stay in that dingy and decaying church not even if they threatened to kill you

you don’t know how weak he is right now and you won’t take your chances

and they’re thinking the same thing when you tell them that

so you all go to your house and tell everyone what they should bring you

while Feitan and Machi take the now unconscious person in for interrogation (and torture)

what an idiot, thinking he could kill a Spider so easily to take their place

Chrollo hasn’t cried once - though he was really close, but it was more out of shock and frustration than anything else

but other than that, he was silent, just clinging to your clothes

you washed him first to make sure he was warm and by the time you were done, the others had brought you some baby clothes as well as everything else you’d asked for and more - just in case

assured that you’d take care of their boss, they left and promised to visit the next day - of course, because they’re worried

but it’s also because Chrollo as a baby is adorable

he still has his tattoo and the earrings and just looks like a really cute baby trying to be edgy and cool

he doesn’t fuss about anything really

maybe except for the food, but you do try to make him something better than baby food, which he appreciates

loves it when you read to him, especially when you read him to sleep

it doesn’t really matter what you read to him

honestly, you even read fairy tales and when you picked up one of the books, Chrollo looked at you as if you had personally offended him

he’s a man in a baby’s body, you don’t have to treat him like one

not entirely

but honestly, after he thinks a bit about it, it’s like having a taste of what a normal childhood would’ve been like

so he settles down in your arms and listens to you while looking at the colourful pictures

falls asleep within minutes usually, feeling warm, loved and cared for as he feels you kiss the top of his head

and while Chrollo is the quietest and most well-behaved “kid” you’ve ever met and you (and the Troupe) think he’s adorable

you all honestly can’t wait for him to return to his adult form

though Chrollo likes how doting you are and he appreciates everything you do for him

he knows the Troupe would’ve done it if it weren’t for you

but with the way they grew up... he’s glad you were the one who showed him what a normal and loving childhood would’ve been like

Hisoka

this is his true moment of WTF

and yours as well

you’re safe and sound, if not a bit dirty from falling on the ground when Hisoka pushed you with Bungee Gum

and you see the person dead and on their back, a card sticking out of their face

and Hisoka is just standing there, small, helpless, confused and just looking down at his body, to the corpse then to you

when he sees the shock on your face and the realisation of what’s happened dawns on him, he actually tears up

and soon he’s crying

loudly

you scramble to your feet to pick him up and stop him from crying

but Hisoka just keeps doing it and you’re panicking because you don’t know if he’s hurt or if there’s anything wrong

you just pick up his clothes and try to rock him back and forth, slowly managing to quieten him down

when you’re sure he’s okay, at least on the outside, you dress him up with what he has as best as you can and go to the hospital

you’d make an excuse about the clothes later

turns out he’s okay, so you’re free to go home

Hisoka’s been quiet the whole time, only staring at you with those golden eyes

when he’s clean and warm and even fed, you sit him down on the couch and you sit on the floor, looking at him while he looks back

he’s absolutely adorable

you’d cleaned the makeup off his face and his hair wasn’t styled anymore

and he’s cute and chubby and you just smile lovingly at him

Hisoka is shook because you’re looking at him in such a way and it’s just something new

he would love to smirk and tease you

but all that comes out is a sweet smile and babbling, making you coo loudly as you hug him and tell him how adorable he is

Hisoka is a bit shocked by this sudden display of affection, but he likes it anyway, so he hugs you back tightly

he also refuses to sleep anywhere else but besides you

you tried that once and he kept crying until you took him with you in bed

then he just snuggled into your arms and fell asleep with a smile on his face

in his tiny, little heart he feels thankful for having you to take care of him now

now, he’s not the most well-behaved kid or anything

sometimes he cries just because

also, he likes groping your chest whenever you pick him up - yes, he’s still perverted

and if you get mad at him for doing something

those big, sparkly, innocent-looking (not) golden eyes of his getting a bit teary are quick to have you let him off the hook

again

overall, it’s going to be both a relief and concern when he’s going to turn back to his normal self

it’s good to know that Hisoka won’t be a baby forever and won’t be able to defend himself

but you also liked how cute he was

expect a lot of teasing and affection

that’s mostly as a thank you for taking care of him without actually saying it

Illumi

this couldn’t have come at a worse time

Illumi just sighs as he looks up at your incredulous expression

he doesn’t even need to say anything, just lifts his arms towards you and stares

what else can you do except pick him up?

good thing you had a hoodie on for this mission, as it was easier to bundle him in it while it was already warm

Illumi just subconsciously snuggled himself better and into your arms, looking at the needles sticking out of the person’s head

well, he’s just going to have to wait it out

you wished you could take Illumi at the estate, but it’s extremely far away from where you were

so you tell Illumi just that and march to your hotel room

Illumi can’t really do much except pull on your clothes in protest and stare up at you with a pout

he really just wanted to go home

well, you were dead set on proving Illumi that you could take care of him just fine and without getting his family involved

and that’s what you did

you bathed him, fed him, read him to sleep, took him on strolls in the city

Illumi was fussy as hell at first because it was childish and below his dignity

but he was aware of how hard you tried to take care of him and how... loving you were towards him

plus, it didn’t feel so bad to have someone take care of him when he himself couldn’t

so he slowly warmed up to the idea and cooperated with you

Illumi never cries

not even when you took his needles away because they’re dangerous

but he did pout for hours

and honestly, he doesn’t really make much noise

so he scares you quite easily when you suddenly feel him tug at your clothes or cling to your leg as he just stares at you with those black eyes of his

it’s cute, if not a little creepy

he also just stays still and watches TV while he’s on your lap and you’re brushing his hair - Illumi loves those moments

always clings to you in his sleep

by the time Illumi transforms back, he’s so used to this that he actually just does it naturally

and he loves clinging to you even when you walk around

honestly, now that he’s had a taste of what someone being so doting with him feels like, he just wants even more

he’s going to be very thankful for everything you’ve done and the parental way you’ve taken care of him

and he’ll even voice it and just plan on keeping you by his side for as long as he can

[sekceesimps]

A Rose Made of Chains Ch 5

a/n Hey Simps! Very very sorry about the delay between 4 and 5. School actually sucks and makes me cry every night so I haven’t had time to write. Hopefully I can get 6 and 7 out within this week. Very sorry once again. 

sincerely, Coffee 🥵

Part 1:   teaser,    Ch 1,     Ch 2,     Ch 3  

Part 2:  teaser,   Ch 4,  Ch 6,   Ch 7

A soulmate AU chapter fic of Kurapika (Aged Up) and Reader who was kidnapped by the Phantom Troupe

You had remained meekly in your room desperately trying to think of a plan. You had to not only find a way to get into the hunter museum showing, but also somehow take the blade from a secure holding area. You wanted to curl up and die. No one said anything about the repercussions of failing, but you knew from Machi’s words that if you did fail you would probably be thrown back to where you were. The thought of being killed crossed your mind, but you weren’t exactly keen on dying anytime soon. You had just gotten a taste of freedom, you were not eager to lose it easily. The knowledge that you could keep the little privileges you had is what thrust you into developing the complex strategy to retrieve the spider’s desired blade. 

When your pink haired partner came into your room, you had finally prepared your plan.

“Hey, are you ready,” she asked as she plopped down beside you on the bed.           

You nod simply and begin with asking her about her nen ability. You were reluctant to tell her about your own, but you wanted to know what you would have to work with. She went into a little detail about her nen stitches but you had gotten a good idea of their use. 

The prospect of using her nen to harm others left a vile taste in your mouth, but you simply ignored it. Silently vowing to not hurt or let her hurt anyone on this mission. You informed her of your plans. You would be using your manipulation of the shadows to cloak yourselves when entering the museum crawling with hunters. From there the two of you should be able to blend in and grab the blade as long as you two kept collected appearances. If worse came to worst then you would have to hope that you two could fight your way out. 

The true nature of your nen is something you barely touched on in your spiel, hoping to keep what little privacy you had to yourself. She agreed to the plan and the two of you set out on your journey.

»»————-　　————-«« 

The drive to the museum had been fun. Your partner was a carefree person as she drove the two of you towards the mission. She had cracked jokes, making fun of the different troupe members you had met. Her demeanor was lighthearted and you couldn’t help but look at her and admire how attractive she was. Which is why it surprised you so much when she started flirting with you. In all honesty, you don’t consider yourself hot or someone desirable. All you can do is smile and flush red when she comments about how adorable your laugh is and how stunning you are. You decided that you felt almost comfortable with her. This ride solidified your admiration and attraction to her. You almost forgot that you were being held hostage and fighting for your life.

Coming to your destination felt quick, so when she parked the car you immediately perked up and felt ready. Your plans were now coming to fruition and you were eager to prove yourself. As you prepared to exit the sleek car, Machi had pulled you back by tugging at your shirt. 

“Whoa there, Y/N. Where do you think you’re going dressed like that. We’re going to a fancy gallery you can’t go in like that. As stunning as you are, this is a black tie event,” she paused and smiled at your blushing face. 

“I may have forgotten about that tiny detail,” you mumbled out, embarrassed. 

“I anticipated that, which is why I brought outfits for us,” she continued. Great move, Y/N, already failing and you’ve barely even started. You grin sheepishly as she reaches into the back and pulls out a bag. “You can change in the bathroom over there. I’ll get ready here.” 

You unzip the bag and look at the outfit she had chosen for you. It was a F/C gown/suit (whichever you’d like more) that complimented every feature of yours. The fabric was soft and breathable, you were truly amazed at it’s craftsmanship. Noticing your awe, she smiled with pride at her foresight of picking that out for you. You grab it and quickly dart towards the bathroom in the area she had parked. 

When you had come back to the car moments later in that stunning outfit it made Machi’s jaw drop. She wasn’t one that really showed much emotion, but goddamn your gorgeous body being accentuated by that outfit stunned her. If you weren’t already claimed by Chrollo she might have made a move on you at that moment. 

“Holy shit, Y/N. You look amazing in that. You’d look great in less, but hey I’m not complaining.” she couldn’t help praising you. You were just too good looking to not appreciate. If Chrollo wasn’t here to appreciate you, the least she could do was do it for him. Your face flushing pink never failed to make her elated. Yes, she could clearly see now why he wanted you as his own. 

“Thanks! You look great too, Machi,” you reply. Trying to hide how your eyes analyzed her own champagne shaded dress and how it clung to her in all the right ways. “Let’s go!” you announce as you let your aura increase and surround you. 

She analyzed your steady moves as you let the lack of light in the empty parking lot encase the two of you. “As long as you stay right next to me and use zetsu, we should both be undetectable. To everyone else, we just seem like a background.” you informed her, “don’t touch anyone and we should be alright,” she nods and presses herself closer to you. A little unnecessarily close but she smelled nice so you allowed it. 

Surprisingly, you had kept up your aura and shadow manipulation all the way into the museum. It was exciting to pass by pro-hunters, close enough to touch if they reached out, with them being blissfully unaware of your presence. When you two had reached a point that was semi-empty, you released your aura and let the two of you be seen again. You had told her that all she was meant to do now was stay with everyone and make sure that the guards were not close to you as you went into the backroom and took the knife using your nen again. In all honesty, you knew this mission could have been done with just you. It suited your abilities perfectly, pure stealth. However, you were also aware that they didn’t trust you and needed someone to babysit. Fair, if you were being honest. You still felt quite drained and tired after only using a small amount of your power. As the two of you parted ways, you drifted into the sea of people and made your way to the storage room with the exhibits. 

Getting the blade was a piece of cake. You put up your shadows, slipped behind the guards, and then bypassed the small security around the knife. It was a simple looking item but you could sense the aura around it from the entrance of the building. You tucked it neatly into your outfit and left as easily as you had come. 

As you made your way back into the crowd, the thought of creeping out unnoticed kept nagging at you. After being in the base for so long, you knew the chance of escape was slim to none. Out here though, it was only one troupe member, and she seemed like she liked you well enough to trust you if you took a few extra minutes retrieving the blade. Your mind was screaming to just go while you could. A part of you was tugging you and making your heartache as if it was missing something big. The logical part of you also knew that they probably already knew what you were thinking and already took precautions against it. As nice as Machi was to you, you knew that she wouldn’t hesitate in taking you back by force. Then the punishment would be severe and you’d be in so much pain again. So you push down your aching heart and soul and push past people to look for your spider friend. 

You had found her by the bar and stirring a drink. She smiled at seeing you back. If she was being honest, she thought that you would run and she’d have to hunt you down like what Chrollo had told her to do. She was glad. This meant that you were settling in nicely. You hardly protest as she lightly grips your arm and wraps her own around your waist, as she leads you out of the museum, just as they were beginning to bring the artifacts out. Right in the nick of time. 

“Nice job! You’re going to make a great addition. Get some rest, you look tired,” she announces when you make your way back to the vehicle. You nod in agreement as you pull out the knife and put it in the seat next to you. With a final exhale of exhaustion you passed out in the back of the car as Machi drove you two back to the base. 

»»————-　　————-«« 

She had nudged you awake and pushed you back into the hideout, allowing you a few moments to orient yourself and walk in. You carry yourself slightly more relaxed now. Of course, you weren’t at complete ease in a den of killers, but you were certain that they wouldn’t get rid of you tonight. Machi had told you that you could go back to your room and eat dinner as she took the knife and brought it to the troupe’s meeting. She had informed you that you were excused from it. 

You were glad at her forwardness. Being around two to three of these people at a time was fine, but the thought of being around the entirety of the spider made you shake in your shoes. As you sulked your way back to your room, thoughts of these people swam in your mind, drowning out any glimpse of a time before them, a time of true comfort. 

You had hardly realized that you had already made it into your room and into the shower of your private bathroom. You hardly remember sitting in the shower and letting the steaming hot water run over your body and wash away all the memories of what had just happened. It was a good warmth that let you forget what your future here would be like. When the water had started to make your skin prune and wrinkle, you decided that it was time to get out, as you turned the water off, wrapped yourself in a towel, and made your way back to the bed. 

It was surprising how you had gotten different styles of clothes placed into your drawers. Some shirts looked far too big, while others looked tiny. It was quite obvious that someone had just grabbed one of everything from the store and called it a day. Quite frankly, you didn’t mind as you grabbed a hoodie in your size and pulled it over your head. 

You lost track of time as you sort of just laid on the bed and looked up at the ceiling. You made sure to count and memorize every bump on it, a small sliver of satisfaction from the pure boredom nagging at your mind. The window allowed you to look at the landscape outside. Granted it was dark, but you could make out trees and greenery, nothing to tell you where you were though. You briefly entertained the idea of breaking the window and running into the forestry outside. 

The loud knocks at the door sharply broke you away from your brief thoughts of escape, as if a sign of fate telling you that it would be unsuccessful. For whatever reason, thinking of escape created painful shocks that numbed your brain. You sighed and got up, cracking open the door for whoever was interrupting you. 

He was standing there in the most casual way. He was still wearing the strange outfit from this morning, but his entire demeanor was different. It was friendly and lax, paired with a gleaming smile you couldn’t help but blush.  

“May I come in?” he asked politely. Ever the gentlemen. 

“Of course,” you respond and open the door wider for him to enter, giving him a smile in return.

It was unbeknownst to you how much he truly enjoyed seeing you smile. As he made his way into your room, you slyly take in his appearance now that he was in the better lighting of your room. He was so incredibly attractive. His hair was no longer slicked back, but looked more natural and loose, it meshed well with the eased look in his gray eyes. You realized that you hadn’t noticed the tattoo on his forehead before. You felt small in comparison to his striking beauty and powerful aura. His leaner physical appearance may have only been around 5’10”, but it felt as if he was so much greater. Come to think of it, why were all of the members that you had seen so far so attractive. Was being hot a requirement to be a spider? Why did they choose you then?

You were so lost in thought that you hadn’t even noticed that you were sitting beside Chrollo on your plush bed. He had pulled you out of your train of thought by asking you how you felt. 

“Hmm, fine, I guess,” you hummed at him. Unconsciously leaning towards him. You were beginning to feel how taxing using your nen ability had been. 

He must have taken note of this as he let you lean onto him, before wrapping his arms around you and laying down, with you laying half awake as the little spoon. You felt a little self conscious at his arms that were enfolding your waist and his hands laying on your stomach, your aura had started coming across as more anxious now. 

Quickly noticing this shift in mood, he let go and moved his arms up towards your shoulders, resting his hands around the crook of your neck. This was more bearable for you, you decided. You broke the calm silence first. 

“Chrollo,” you began quietly, almost hoping that he wouldn't hear you, “can we cuddle?” You felt stupid after asking such a ridiculous request. Why did you think asking the head of the spider to cuddle with you was smart. Now your only form of comfort here would leave. I’m such a dumbass you continued admonishing yourself. 

However, to your surprise he let out a low chuckle. God, his voice was so hot. “Of course, love”, he replied suavely and pulled you as close to himself as possible. “I’m so glad that you passed,” he continued murmuring sweet nothings into the shell of your ear. You found yourself turning around and facing him, nuzzling your face into his chest. This was… pleasant. It felt so familiar, but then again thinking of anything before being in that room with the man named Feitan made your stomach toss and turn. You ignored the passing feeling, trying to avoid any of the flashes of pain that you associated with trying to remember. 

“If you want, I can introduce you to the rest of the spiders tomorrow,” he mumbled into your hair. You only hum in response and bury your face into Chrollo’s chest again. He was so warm and his steady breaths with his calming heartbeat lull you easily to rest. As you fall deeper into the arms of peaceful sleep, images of a blonde who held you in the same position flashed by. 

a/n I’m kind of in love with Machi if you couldn’t tell 💀. Just to clear up some confusion, the reader is unaware that Chrollo and the Phantom Troupe massacred the Kurta Clan. This is a piece of information that Kurapika hadn’t revealed to her before she was taken. Anyways I hope you enjoyed it, please leave us some feedback! 

~I’ve also never written a scene like this before, so I hope it was ok~

[pocket-luv101]

Summary: Mahiru can’t sleep due to his neighbour’s new baby crying throughout the night. He decides to go help his neighbour so he could finally sleep. (KuroMahi, Human AU)

The walls of Mahiru’s apartment building were thin and he was able to hear his neighbour if they raised their voice. His neighbour was quiet so the thin walls had never bothered him. The apartment was also cheap and close to his university. He thought it would be easier for him to tolerate the thin walls rather than search for a new place to live. Mahiru was beginning to question his decision though.

For the past week, Mahiru would be kept awake by their crying baby on the other side of the wall. He had never met his neighbour but he assumed that they had a newborn baby. Mahiru didn’t hear anything violent or shatter so he doubted the child was being abused. He worked in a daycare so he recognized that the baby was merely crying to voice its needs.

Mahiru glanced at the clock next to his bed and he saw that it was one in the morning. He doubted he would be able to get enough sleep for his morning class. With a heavy sigh, Mahiru pushed off his blanket and he slid out of bed. He knew how difficult infants could be so he couldn’t complain to his neighbour about the noise. He thought he could give them advice for how to soothe a newborn at least.

Mahiru walked to his neighbour’s door and knocked lightly. He hoped they were able to hear him over the overwhelming wails the child made. After a few minutes, a man answered the door. He had large bags under his red eyes and he carried a baby in his arms. The man appeared to be the same age as him and Mahiru wouldn’t have guessed that he was a father at first glance.

“I’m sorry for coming over like this but I live next door and I can hear your baby crying through the wall. Do you need help getting your baby to sleep? I work at a daycare and I have experience with kids. My name is Mahiru.” He introduced himself. “Is your wife asleep? Your baby could be hungry for milk and feeding her might help.”

“I’m not married. It’s just me and Machi here.” Kuro placed his finger beneath Machi’s tiny hand and he lifted it slightly so she waved to Mahiru. He had seen Mahiru in the hallway a few times so he knew that he was his neighbour. He was a private person so he never started a conversation with him before. “Sorry for the noise. I already fed and changed her so those things aren’t making her cry. Can’t deal.”

Kuro didn’t know if his lack of sleep was clouding his judgement but he opened the door wider so Mahiru could enter. He was certain he would collapse in exhaustion soon and Mahiru could help him stay awake at least. He walked into his living room and sat on his couch. Machi continued to cry on his shoulder and he lightly patted her head. “There, there, Machi.”

“Machi looks like she’s six months old. Maybe her baby teeth are growing early and it’s irritating her gums. Do you have something cold she can chew on to relieve some of the pain? You can also put a towel into the freezer to make a quick chew toy.” Mahiru suggested. He looked around the simple apartment and he saw that the room was a mess with baby toys on the ground and dishes were piled in the sink.

Kuro poked Machi’s nose to make her look up at him and he could check her gums. He saw a hint of her teeth growing and then he stroked her hair. “You’re right. Thanks, Mahiru. You can go back to your apartment and get some sleep now that I know how to make her stop crying.”

“I’m glad I could help.” Mahiru stood to leave but he found himself hesitating to go.

“Sorry, I didn’t notice you were teething sooner, Machi. I’ll get something to help.” Kuro was focused on soothing the baby and he didn’t notice that Mahiru was still in his apartment. His mind was tired and his body merely went through the motions of finding a pacifier for her. “I took care of Hugh and everyone when they were kids but I forgot how difficult it was. Troublesome.”

He placed a towel in the fridge to chill it and he leaned against the table as he waited for it to become cold. His eyelids felt heavy and the sleepless nights finally started to take their toll on him. He began to sink to the ground but then he felt a warm arm around his waist. Kuro opened his eyes to find Mahiru standing in front of him with his arms around them. He forgot how tired he was for a moment. “You’re still here?”

“I’m glad I didn’t leave or you would’ve hit your head and dropped Machi. You need to sit down before you fall asleep on your feet again. I’ll take care of Machi.” With his arm still around Kuro’s waist, Mahiru helped him back to the couch. They sat down and he gently took Machi into his arms. She shook her head and stretched her arms towards Kuro. He rubbed her back to comfort her and said, “Your Papa needs to sleep but we’ll stay next to him.”

“She’s only six months so she can’t understand you. It would be a lot easier once she can talk and tell me what she needs.” Kuro muttered and his head fell back onto the cushion. He gripped the hem of Mahiru’s shirt so he couldn’t leave with his daughter. He doubted he intended to kidnap her but he needed to be cautious. “Was Machi’s crying that bad for you to break into my home and babysit her yourself?”

“No. My friends say I have a bad habit of offering my help to people who never asked for it. I’m sorry if I’m overstepping but it looks like you two needed help.” Mahiru looked from Machi to Kuro. “I thought you had a newborn baby because I started to hear her crying a week ago. You said she’s six months though. Are you babysitting her for your sibling or a friend?”

“I adopted her. Then again, that’s a strange way to describe my baby sister.” He told him in a voice so quiet that it was almost a whisper. Kuro placed his large hand on Machi’s head and stroked her hair. Tired, he leaned his head on Mahiru’s shoulder and smiled down at her. At his touch, her whimpers subsided and she grinned back at him. Mahiru could see a resemblance in their smiles. Then he added: “My father died last month.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.” Mahiru didn’t expect him to shake his head. He saw a brief glimpse of sadness enter Kuro’s red eyes before he turned his face into his shoulder to hide his expression.

“When I was a kid, my father left me and my seven younger siblings. I was surprised when my aunt asked us to come to his funeral. It was more shocking to learn that he left behind a baby. No one knows who the mother is. Everyone was talking about who should adopt her but Machi didn’t have a clue what was going on. She was just playing in her crib.”

Kuro thought back to the first time he held Machi. “She had the same expression my youngest brother did the day my father left. I said I would take care of her. I didn’t really think it through since I’m still in university and I forgot how troublesome it is to raise a kid. Can’t deal. My siblings come by to help but they’re busy with their own lives.”

As Kuro told him about the funeral, Mahiru couldn’t help but think of how he lost his mother at a young age. He stared at the photos on Kuro’s wall that showed him with his happy siblings and he could tell that he was a good brother. However, he would need help raising Machi. “I’m your neighbour and we just met but I’ll be happy to babysit Machi. I have classes in the morning but I’ll be back by eleven. When are your classes?”

“Noon.” He answered but he was still a little hesitant to leave Machi with a person he barely knew. “You said you work at a daycare. What is it called?”

“Sunset Avenue.” Mahiru understood that his question was to learn more about him before he entrusted Machi to him. “How about you and Machi visit the daycare at lunch so she can socialize with other toddlers?”

“I’m home.” Kuro called into the apartment as he walked into Mahiru’s home. A few months had passed since they met and he would leave Machi with him while he went to school. He was exhausted from class but he smiled the moment he saw Machi crawl into the foyer. Mahiru followed behind her and he scooped her into his arms. She laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“How was the lecture?” Mahiru stood in front of him and he started to pass Machi to him. He was confused when Machi continued to hold his shirt in her tiny fingers. At the same time, she stretched her arm out to Kuro until she was able to grab the bell around his neck. He moved closer to him so she wouldn’t hurt herself by stretching her arms so much. “Machi missed you.”

“But she still wants to hold onto you.” Kuro chuckled and patted Machi’s head. He understood why she became so attached to Mahiru and he felt something similar. He was grateful that he had helped him take care of her and he came to know him throughout their time together. “Are you working Friday night?”

“No. Do you need me to watch Machi that day?” Mahiru wondered if Kuro was planning to meet his siblings that day or if he had a date. He felt a little jealous at the latter possibility. He thought of asking Kuro on a date several times but he didn’t know if he should. With Machi, Kuro would be too busy to date someone.

“I was thinking that I could take you out to dinner and thank you for everything you’ve done for us.” Kuro lifted his hand from Machi’s head and then he tenderly brushed Mahiru’s brown hair from his eyes. “I asked my sister if she would babysit Machi on Friday.”

“If we’re not bringing Machi to dinner with us, will this be a date?” Mahiru asked and his heartbeat quickened slightly. He couldn’t be happier when Kuro shyly nodded in answer. “I’m looking forward to dinner with you.”

“Fuud yum!” Machi cheered and it caused them to laugh.

[ddarker-dreams]

Wait please I beg of you what else has phinks done in cannon in an attempt to win over HWR reader??? How else does the inner simping come out????? More general phinks cringe????? How does Hwr reader not notice 🥲

cracks knuckles .

anon, you are most brave to ask . i cannot tell you how eager i am to go way into detail about the nuances of HWR reader's relationship with each member of the phantom troupe.

within the main story, there are a few instances where we see phinks trying his best (with mixed success) ft my director’s commentary. 

You dismiss the possibility. “The only threat she poses is her company.”

Shalnark laughs while Phinks shoots you an incredulous look.

“Did you somehow manage to get drunk while I wasn’t paying attention?” He asks, motioning to the unopened can of beer in your lap that Uvogin insisted you should take. “Or did I just hear you make a joke?”

“No, it was your imagination,” you deadpan, Phinks giving the possibility some consideration. It’d make more logical sense that way. The first time you met him, you had referred to him as Mr. Phinks, to which he almost had gone into a state of shock. It’s not uncommon for either Shalnark or Feitan to call him that when they’re trying to get a rise out of him. Speaking formally with the Troupe was a mistake you quickly learned to correct.

here we have phinks doing some light flirting. looking back on this snippet, i realize HWR reader’s response comes off as flirty?? to any onlooker, at least. you just know chrollo is pouting in the corner. basically, i wanted this to be an instance where you see HWR reader’s developing camaraderie with the other members, despite having a somewhat rigid and professional air about her. 

Shizuku walks over next, placing a hand on her chin and humming. “What was [First]’s arm wrestling rank again?”

“Eighth, I think,” Phinks recalls. “She beat Nobunaga even though he’s an Enhancer.”

Nobunaga shoots Phinks a dirty look, who simply snickers at his reaction.

phinks is the first person to immediately recall HWR reader’s arm wrestling rank . it’s a small detail that i personally found endearing. the man answered faster than people playing jeopardy. 

“Alright! Who wants to marry [First]?”

Phinks chokes on his beer and starts coughing violently, Chrollo’s eyes widen in a way you’ve never seen before, Shizuku tilts her head, Shalnark stops typing away on his phone and freezes, Franklin drops the drinks he just entered the room with.

this is another personal favorite of mine. i actually love this entire scene. there’s not much to say here other than phinks was probably hoping he’d be involved in this plan somehow. 

Phinks slides his hands into his pockets. “Your hair… it’s down.”

Ah, that’s right. In the mayhem of the morning, from not being able to find an important undergarment to hailing a cab to return to your estate, you neglected to put your hair up as it usually would be. The fact you sliced your ribbon in half the night prior didn’t help. Sensing Phinks’ staring, you take a loose lock in between your fingers and examine it. Should you need to fight, this’ll be a hindrance. That’s why you keep it up and out of your face in the first place.

“I’ll see if Machi has a spare hair tie.”

“Oh,” he almost sounds disappointed and you haven’t the slightest clue why. “That’s not why I… it looks nice. Good, I mean. You should wear it like that more often.”

What a friendly guy Phinks is, offering you encouragement like that while expecting nothing in return. Maybe you’ll write him a thank you card later.

“Thank you, I’ll consider your proposition.”

and here it is. the saddest moment for phinks (god rest his soul). this is by far his most blatant attempt at wooing HWR reader, who is about as dense as anything when it comes to emotional intelligence. he gets an A for effort though. again, another favorite scene of mine ...

i kinda thought it’d be a fun gag to make everyone in the troupe somewhat aware of HWR reader’s relationship with chrollo, with phinks never being able to completely catch on. it’s more of one of those unspoken but universally understood type of things. no one feels the urge to keep him in the loop though. basically, he has this big puppy crush and is doing his best. it’s surprisingly wholesome the more i think about it? he doesn’t push his boundaries and is one of the first people HWR reader befriends after she’s kicked out of her home country. their bond grows stronger as the years pass on. 

by the time the yorknew arc occurs, it’s likely HWR reader pairs up the most with phinks and machi when it comes to jobs. those are her go to picks.