#btw i can't recall if. they have kissed before. but you can't tell me they haven't

[romance-rambles]

modern clarence | true love's kiss

The one where you kiss the merman awake, and in return, he wipes away your tears. Meanwhile, William is both oblivious and confused.

2.3k, alternate scene in clarence's azure island route, angst + humor, reader is mc, series: none

WAITING IS A TERRIFYING GAME.

You take Clarence's hand in yours, desperately trying to think of anything but the half-coherent fears buzzing around in your ear. They whisper the same thing over and over again, deliberately circumventing the semi-comforting words of the young medic who had teased you earlier.

He is fine now, but what if.

What if, what if, what if—

Amidst the constant chanting, you make a note to throttle your boyfriend. Honest and deliberate communication can come afterwards, once he's realized how much he worried you. It's a good thing you've developed a habit of listening to your instincts—what if you hadn't been waiting for him on the beach? What if something far worse had happened to him?

Gnawing at your bottom lip, you curse his usual tendencies—so very Clarence that they remind you that this is the man you fell in love with.

"Wake up, or I'll go date William instead," you threaten, in a hushed whisper.

Your voice cracks early on, though it's not as though its trembling quality could lend itself to a threat anyways. Leaning over, you brush his wet bangs out of his face lovingly. Then, your hand slides down with a gentle carress and cups his cheek, wiping away the water dripping from his hair.

With color slowly returning to his lips, you can allow yourself to appreciate his handsome face in an effort to pass the time. Now, you can almost imagine he's asleep, much like the princess in Sleeping Beauty—quietly awaiting the true love's kiss that'll wake him up.

CPR, that is, you correct yourself.

Due to your mistake, your cheeks take to burning, as though the shame flooding through your system will temper your own tendencies. You dare not accept the reminder of the medic's words that your brain helpfully offers you. Instead, you barrel onwards, as if it never existed.

"Ten seconds," you murmur. It sounds like a promise. "I'll kiss the merman—ahem, perform CPR in ten seconds."

A bit too faithfully, unfortunately.

With a grimace, you squeeze Clarence's hand gently. The humor behind your blunder had briefly calmed you down, but as your countdown begins, you find yourself back at square one. You really will throttle him.

In lieu of reaching for his neck, you pull at his cheek gently, just enough that it soothes your worry. Not once does he stir—and perhaps that's what emboldens you. Slowly, the distance between the two of you shrinks, and you are so preoccupied by the almost hypnotic hold your repetition has on you that you don't notice.

But when you do—

I can count his lashes, you realize, blinking away the familiar burning sensation in your eyes.

By now, you've lost track of where you were—both in terms of the countdown and your surroundings. There are people on the beach, but, perhaps, having sensed your volatile emotions, they do not dare cross over to the little spot on the beach you have to yourselves. You start counting again, expertly dodging the temptation of kissing your beloved.

10, 9, 8...

When you reach the final number—zero, not one—you reluctantly let go of his hand. And, mirroring your other hand, the newly-freed one comes to rest on his cheek. The mole underneath his eye disappears under your trembling thumb.

When you hit zero, you finally allow yourself to kiss the merman.

SOMEONE IS KISSING HIM.

This, Clarence surmises even without opening his eyes. They're touching his face too, as if even the rarest of treasures are incomparable to him, even as they tremble against him. He knows, instantly, that it is you.

Who else would touch him so lovingly? And who else has touched him so lovingly?

When he opens his eyes, Clarence is rewarded for his guess by the sight of you leaning over him.

Your eyes are closed; unshed tears cling to your delicate lashes, quietly asking him to do something about them. There's little time to be flustered. Yet, paradoxically, it is the best time to be flustered. Your lips are soft and they taste of your favorite chapstick—the one you obsessively put on when you're stressed.

Somehow, though he doubts the formula changes every other day, it tastes sweeter each time he rediscovers it.

For a moment, he closes his eyes, lifting his hand up in the air, just above your arm. His cheeks are still warm, and his ears even warmer, when he rethinks his move and finally fulfills the request.

You open his eyes, startled by his gesture.

"Clarence?" you sputter out weakly, once you've established some distance between them both.

He has half a mind to point out the irony of the moment, before you go ahead and wipe your tears away. His gaze fixes itself upon your hands, clad in the same protective gear as his own. The warmth he felt from your touch would've had him believing otherwise, if he did not have his sight to fall back upon.

Hoping to find something to occupy himself with, he reaches for his glasses. They are, of course, not there—he'd replaced them for contacts before he went diving.

Thankfully, you seem oblivious to his blunder as you wring your hands, desperately looking for an excuse.

"That's, um—"

The black diving suit you're wearing contrasts sharply against the gold and orange of the evening sky. It was early in the afternoon when he dove into the waters, and then—the gears begin to turn in his head, reminding him of how he'd collapsed into your arms. Some leniency, he thinks, is deserved.

"CPR," Clarence says slowly, feeling a sharp twinge of pain in his head as he sits up. "Is that not what you were doing?"

You look at him, clearly bewildered. Soon, as scarlet blooms across your cheeks, you're diving into the crook of his neck with a groan. There's some kind of inside joke he's missing, but he can't find it in himself to worry about it too much.

"Don't," you say fiercely, "ever do that again."

As you adjust yourself against him, your body now pressed up against his, your grip on his diving suit tightens. Coherency leaves him that same moment—all he knows to do is wrap his arms around your trembling form and softly call out your name.

At some point, he'll tell you all that he's learned. About your mother. About the strange python he'd encountered, the one that seemingly shared his voice. But for now, it is just you and him, bathed in the rosy hue cast out by the sun, and—

"Thank you for waking up."

WHEN YOUR SNIFFLING SUBSIDES, CLARENCE begins to delve into the series of events that led him to stumble into your arms. You listen intently, only ever interrupting him to offer your own conclusions.

That is, until he admits he'd like to face anything and everything in his path with you.

Your sentiments are well-practiced; your only argument, compelling. It's true—you are his lover, and you do occupy an entirely different tier within his heart. There is no one else he'd trust more to watch his back. You cannot do that if you're not by his side.

You offer him your pinky and he links his own with it.

"Okay," he says softly. "I promise, my lover."

Your eyes narrow fondly at him. Slipping your pinky out of his grip, you throw your hands around him. It seems you're still shaken up by the experience, and Clarence—having already put himself in your shoes and concluded that he'd act no differently—can understand why.

"Okay," you repeat. You've both changed out of your diving suits, having exchanged them for your usual summerwear somewhere in between the two events. "I'm going to hold you to it."

"Alright."

His assumption that his agreement marks the end of their conversation soon turns out to be false. You hug him tighter, leaving your soft hair with more opportunities to tickle his cheek. After a momemt, you sheepishly admit:

"It, um, wasn't CPR."

Clarence can feel his cheeks warm up again. You're faring no better, though it'd be easy to miss with the way you're hiding your face. It's hardly the first time you've kissed each other—though the heightened emotions make for what is perhaps one of the most unforgettable ones yet.

"I know," he admits.

"Okay," you say, clearing your throat. The words come out rushed and awkward. He thinks back to when you rendered him speechless in the Student Council's clubroom and wonders how he could pull off the same thing. "Glad we had this talk."

When he can't think of anything witty to add to the conversation, Clarence simply admits the truth.

"I liked it," he says. You inhale sharply, and he thinks he might've pulled his objective off through sheer, disarming honesty. "Though, next time, I'd like to do it when we're both happy. I...know it's my fault, but—I dislike seeing you cry."

You call out his name, and next time comes faster than he was expecting.

PERHAPS IT'S DUE TO THE recent revelation you bestowed upon him that William can't help but take note of the distance between the two of you. Your hands are still intertwined, though, proving the truth behind what you'd said to him earlier.

He has—

He has a lot of questions. Like, actually, a lot. As in, actually, he'd spent the entire time preparing a quiz worthy of the Student Council President.

Because if it's true, then he's calling dibs on being the best man at the wedding. And William sure hopes it is because he's already made plans to become Uncle William to any of your future children, whether they're of the human or cat variety. The ship has sailed for yours and Clarence's current, combined brood of cats, but he'll try hard regardless.

His progress with Beanie was looking quite promising when he'd visited you before the trip, after all. He's tentatively excited about the play date he's scheduled for himself after the trip.

The only problem is, he can't really wrap his head around it. How? And why? Is Clarence even capable of seduction?

As he plops down onto the sand, now much cooler than it had been in the morning, William makes a show of scolding Clarence. The scary dark mage of the Student Council doesn't need to know that he almost burned a misshapened circle through the rug in his room. Besides, how often does he get the upperhand?

Never.

He nods decisively. Right, never.

Thanks to the setting sun, your faces have taken on a reddish hue. And while the fear of potentially losing Clarence—one he can relate to—has rendered you unable to speak without introducing a shrilly note to your voice, the guilt of leading you to that point has left Clarence unable to go a sentence without coughing politely into his clenched hand.

It must've been bad.

You must've been downplaying it when you texted him. It'd been a short message, straight to the point. For a moment, William almost convinced himself it was Clarence before he remembered that the president does not text without proper punctuation.

(And for a small, small fee, William thinks he could be persuaded to remember that scene a bit more clearly—so long as news of it does not reach Clarence's ears.)

"Alright," he says, temporarily putting his plans for a pop quiz on hold, "I think it's time we went back to the hotel. I'm exhausted, Clarence. Do you know hard it was to stare at my phone for so long?"

To William's surprise, his fellow Student Council member smiles faintly. It's a bit strange looking at him without glasses on, as if something is just undeniably wrong with the very fabric of time and space itself.

"Thank you, William," Clarence says, and the pink-haired boy is left to blink confusedly. Something really is wrong. "I'm sorry to have worried you."

"Worried?" he sputters out, his own cheeks growing warm. "I—okay, maybe I was a little worried."

"A little," you echo. Your intentions are hardly as sincere as your boyfriend's—and gah, that's still weird. "Just enough to want to go looking out for him in my stead, right?"

As the couple begins to smile, now looking eerily similar to each other, William hurriedly stands up. The colors of the setting sun don't cling to their faces nearly as much as they once did. Whatever awkwardness was between them seems to have vanished, almost instantaneously.

He can't help but think that his upper hand is no longer his.

"Anyway, I'm starving!" he says, pointing in the direction of a nearby restaurant. The two of you have already changed out of your diving suits, so he figures it won't take too long to get served. "Since this is all Clarence's fault, I think he should pay!"

The man in question chuckles and easily agrees to William's request. Then, as another reminder of his new relationship status, Clarence looks over at you, and William swears he can see hearts in his eyes.

Squinting, he wonders, Should I have been worried about you instead?

Clearly, something spooky had happened when his fellow student council member went to look at the totems. That means—and the pink-haired student shudders at the thought—there's clearly some truth to the legends. And if magic is real, then—

Maybe the dark mage of the Student Council is not Clarence, but you.

"Are you coming?" you call out, cutting through his thoughts. You and your boyfriend are both standing, with an expectant look in your gazes. "I thought you were starving."

He squints at you for a moment. At your kind smile and much gentler countenance, compared to the guy you've decided to date. So what if you tease him sometimes? It just means you feel close to him.

Yup, that sounds right. Having made his decision, he nods to himself and says:

"There's no way!"

When he finally joins his waiting friends and they ask him what he was mumbling about, he only assures them they have nothing to worry about.

[spidybaby]

Begin Again | Part Four

Summary: It's all about the hating, the loving and the healing... but in that order?

Warnings: Cursing

A/N: It's been a long time, but here it is. Love you all for being so patient and sweet with all the messages and anons asking me if I was okay and sending me love while I was sick 😭❤️ sorry if I didn’t answer, I wasn't that much on my phone but I'm thankful for all the messages and love you send me 😣💛

Dedicated to: @gaviandgrizisgirl because she motivate me to write and post this as quickly as possible. Luv you 💛✨️ (btw go read her work, is amazing, you'll love it 😀❤️)

Part One | Part Two | Part Three

17:45 p.m.

"Déjame ayudarte con eso, " Elena says. As she picks up the straightener, she is as nervous as you are. "Estoy tan emocionada, yo te ayudarme a planear la boda. Ahhhh!" (Let me help you with that. I'm so excited, I'm helping you plan the wedding)

You smile at her, your words are out due to being nervous. You feel like throwing up but weren't.

You made a small talk about something she was promoting while she was straightening the last piece of hair. That was cut off by the baby monitor announcing that your baby was done with cocomelon.

"Ya, ya, ya voy, mi amor." (I'm coming, love)

You finish with the hair as your son begin crying for attention.

"Ay ya mijo, no te puedes entretener solo? Andamos ocupadas." Elena says, picking him. He stops crying, looking at her with a confused expression. "Ya ves? Todo bien. Hoy tenemos pijamada, usted se duerme en el lado izquierdo y yo el derecho." (Omg baby, can't you entertain yourself? We're busy. You see? Everything's fine. Today, we have a slumber party, you'll sleep on the left side and I'll sleep on the right one)

You laugh at her. She's so special to him.

"Vente, solo me haré algo natural de maquillaje." You say picking your products, barely any, some concealer, powder, blush, waterproof mascara (that's essential). (Come here, I'll just do some light makeup)

18:50 p.m.

"Bueno, ya quedó. Dejo todo ahí en la cocina y me voy corriendo antes que llegue." Fernando says, throwing some used napkins. He prepared some pasta, your favorite actually, and he helped Pedro pick some nice outfit for the night. (Okay, it's done. I'll leave everything in the kitchen, and I'm out before she arrives)

Pedro hugged his brother, thanking him for the help. He was nervous, and Fer knew it.

"Tranquilo chaval. Todo irá bien" Fer palms his back and walk to the door. "Pedro, me llamas mañana a primera hora para contarme como te fue, si?" (Relax, everything is going to be fine. Pedro, call me first thing in the morning and tell me everything.)

Pedro nods, nervous at the time, and at everything.

"Por cierto," he says. Before the door closes. Pedro looks confused at him, waiting for him to speak. "Te deje unos condones en el nochero." He winks and laughs, noticing his brother blushing like crazy. "Te quiero niño, adiós." (By the way, I left some condoms on your nightstand. Love you, kiddo, bye)

18:59 p.m.

"Bien, me voy," you say as you spray some perfume, his favorite as you recall. You were done with the feeding and ready to leave. "Adiós amorcito, mami te va a extrañar mucho." You kiss him several times on both cheeks. "Si te da problemas, en serio llámame, aun que no creo que despierte, si lo hace hay leche que recien me saqué en la nevera, solo calientala y dale eso." (Okay, I'm leaving. Goodbye, my love, mommy's going to miss you so much. If he gives you problems, please call me, even tho I don't think he wakes up. If he does, there's fresh pumped milk in the refrigerator. Just warm it up and feed him)

"Ay ya largate." Elena says, pushing you to the door. "Te deje unos condones en la bolsa, la de la izquiera, no quiero otra sorpresita" (Omg, just go. I put some condoms on your purse, left bag. I dont want another surprise)

"Qué?" You look at her confused.

"Shh, adiós mami." She says, making Polo wave his hand.

You shake your head, smiling at her.

But when you open your door, the one surprised is you.

"Mamá? " You open your eyes all the way, you didn't invite her, you didn't call her. Why was she there? "Qué haces acá?" (What are you doing here?)

"Nena, que guapa. Te traje una carbonara, tu favorita de tu restaurante favorito en Barcelona. Sé que la última vez que nos vimos no te portaste tan bien conmigo pero, hijos. Ya entenderas cuando Polito crezca." She says, pushing you to enter. (Baby, how pretty. I brought you some pasta carbonara, your favorite from your favorite restaurant in Barcelona. Even tho the last time we saw each other, you weren't so nice, but you know, kids. You'll get it when Polito grows up)

You scuff. You weren't nice? What about her? Saying how Pedro was going to take your son away. How you were going to go back crying to them for help.

"Mamá, voy de salida. Gracias por traer la pasta. Elena se la puede comer o te la puedes llevar." You say grabbing her by the arms just in time. She was about to grab Polo from Elena's arms. (Mom, I'm actually on my way out. Thanks for the pasta. Maybe Elena can eat it, or you can take it back)

You grabbed the pasta from her, leaving it on the little table beside the door.

"Pero si vas de salida, entonces déjame cuidar a mi nieto, nadie mejor que una mamá para cuidar de los bebés de su bebé." She tries to enter one more time. "Y/n, quítate." (But if you're on your way out, I can take care of my grand baby. Nobody like mommy to take care of her baby's baby. Y/n, get out of the way.)

"No."

"No?" She scuffs "acaso te volviste loca? Que te pasa? Tu no eres así, nunca me habías hablado así" she looks at you with this hurt expression, one you usually fell for, but not this time. (Are you out of your mind? What's wrong with you? You're not like that. You never spoke to me like that)

You grabbed your doorknob as you take some steps, making her step back. "Mamá, voy de salida y Elena va a cuidar a Polo, voy tarde. Adiós." (Mom, I'm on my way out, Elena is taking care of Polo. I'm already late, goodbye)

You kissed her cheek and walked to your car. You turned it on. She was still standing on the same place.

You picked up your phone, texting Elena to not let her in, no matter what.

You notice the time. Already 19:10

"Me cago en la." You say as you drive off your house.

19:16 p.m.

"Mierda" Pedro says, looking at his phone, you were not someone who was late to almost anything.

He calmed himself, thinking maybe is the traffic, maybe she went for gas, maybe she's nervous and driving slowly. Maybe there was some roadwork and she had to take another street.

His mind began to overthink against him. And just in time, the doorbell saves him from his own mind.

He runs to the front door and takes a look of himself in the mirror he has there. "Bien, como dijo Fer, todo estará bien," he say to himself. The walk to the door is a quick one. He takes a few breaths before opening. (Okay, like Fer said, everything is going to be fine)

When he opened the door, nothing prepared him for the view. Even though you didn't change much, there was something different. You looked more beautiful. The way your hair is done looks stunning. The way your smile is shining is like no other.

Not to say your body, you were slimmer than the last time, more here, less there but the same one he loves.

"Dios, estas preciosa," he says without thinking. "Perdón, hola." He shakes his head as you laugh. "Hola va primero, pasa por favor." (Gosh, you look beautiful. Sorry, hi. Hi, is it first)

"Hola, Pepi." You say walking inside. "Tu también te vez muy bien." You laugh. (You look amazing, too)

"Venga, vamos adentro." He closed the door. (C'mon, let's go inside)

He doesn't know if his actions are some muscle memory or if his brain is not coordinating the best. But when he extended his arm for you to take his hand like he used to, at first he didn't notice, but after a few seconds and your hesitation. He slowly pulled back.

But, before he could, and for his surprise, you did take his hand.

"Vamos." You say smiling at him. (Let's go)

The smile on his face is the biggest he ever had since the last time you were together.

That was something everyone noticed. His smile wasn't the same, his was always so into his mind.

"Tienes hambre? Fer me ayudo a preparar tu comida favorita." He says, guiding you to the kitchen. (Are you hungry? Fer helped me cook your favorite food)

You nod smiling, knowing how good that must taste.

Fernando was one of the best chefs you have ever known. He even opened his own restaurant. It was amazing, and he was so successful.

"Mucha. De hecho." You begin talking, but stop when you realize what you were about to say. (Yes, actually...)

Normally, your way of talking was mom on if someone asked you, "You hungry?" You would say,"Yes, breastfeeding makes me hungry." Which is what was about to happen.

"De hecho qué?" He asks, serving the pasta.

"De hecho, tu sabes, yo siempre tengo hambre." You laugh, hoping that was good enough. (Actually, you know, I'm always hungry)

He laughs, nodding "cuándo volviste?" He says, grabbing both plates. "Acá o en el comedor?" He asks you. (When did you come back? Here or at the table?)

"Acá esta bien, déjame ayudarte con eso." You say taking two cups and serving some water. (Here it's okay, let me help you with that)

He places the plates down, picks some forks and napkins.

"Queres vino? Tengo uno buenisimo que te va a encantar, o prefieres algún cóctel? Sé hacer unos ufff, Robert me enseñó." (Do you want some wine? I have a really good one, you'll love it. Or do you prefer a cocktail? I know how to make some, ufff, Robert taught me)

Normally, you used to drink wine or a cocktail when you had dinner dates or when you were around him watching a movie or spending time together.

But the feeding was something that had you at cero alcohol. You pretend to get a text just to Google if one glass was okay. Maybe not? You didn't think about that.

"Amm, déjame responder esto rápido, perdón, el trabajo." You say nervously. He nodded, not taking too much care. (Let me answer this quickly. Sorry, it's from work)

A quick Google search taught you that you could, but had to pump and throw that milk away because that's where the alcohol would be.

"Perdón, deja lo pongo en no molestar." You say, now more relaxed. "Un poco de vino no matará a nadie." You joke, making him laugh. (Sorry, let me put it on. Don't disturb. A little wine never killed nobody)

Once you both sit down and begin eating, you notice how different he is. The beard was more prominent, more styled, too. He has this more prominent dark bag under his eyes. This guy never rests.

"Me gusta tu barba, esta más estilizada y te sienta mucho más." You say honestly, "pero sabes, debes dormir más, qué son esas ojeras Pedro? Te pasas jugando hasta tarde de nuevo?" (I like your beard. It's more stylish and it fits you so well. But you know, you need to sleep more. What are those bags under your eyes? Are you playing video games till the morning again?)

He rolls his eyes. "Ay mamá, pero primero me halagas y luego me matas, venga que deja que el vino haga efecto preciosa." (But you first compliment me and then trash talk me, at least let the wine get into my system baby.)

You both laugh.

And it feels good. Being like this again. Being so close and able to joke without worrying.

The jokes continue. You both know you have a talk, but you want to enjoy the beginning of the night first.

"Déjame ayudarte." You take both plates and take them to the sink and wash them. (Let me help you)

He looks at the way you're washing the dishes, even when it's a completely normal thing to do. You doing it for the first time in so long was something he couldn't believe.

"Pedro," you say, noticing how lost he is. "Estas bien?" (Are you okay?)

"Si si si, quieres ir a la sala? Ahí estaremos más cómodos." He's nervous, and so are you. (Do you want to go to the living room? We will be more comfortable there)

You nod, walking to the living room.

Your heart is beating faster.

Your hands are sweating.

Or was that the water you didn't dry?

Guess you can blame the water.

"Yo quiero"

"Necesito decir"

You both talk, laugh at how coordinated that was.

"Vamos preciosa, comienza tu." (C'mon baby, you go)

You opened your mouth, but nothing was coming out.

Even when you practice how you were going to say the things you want to say. Nothing.

"Okay, entonces voy yo." He laughs, trying to make you feel less nervous. You nodded. "Bien, no es fácil poner todo en palabras y perdón si la cago, créeme que estoy jodidamente nervioso y siento que el puto corazón me va a salir del pecho. Y, la verdad no sé ni por qué empecé diciendo esto, creo que, ammm, Okay." (Okay, so my turn. It's not easy to put everything into words, and I'm sorry if I fucked up, believe me I'm fucking nervous and I feel like my fucking heart is going to burst out of my chest. And to be honest, I don't know why I'm saying that. I think that, ammm, okay)

He pauses, breathing deeply.

"Perdón," he says, looking at you. "Por haberte dejado tan de la nada. Se que fui una mierda contigo y créeme que no fue como lo planeé. Yo en serio no quería lastimarte." (Sorry, for leaving you so out of nowhere. I know I was a piece of shit with you, and believe me, it was not how I planned it. I didn't mean to hurt you)

"Y por qué lo hiciste?" You ask, eyes never leaving his. (So, why did you?)

"Porqué fui un cobarde, porqué no puse tus sentimientos o los míos primero, porqué dejé que otros dictarán nuestro futuro y me arrepiento tanto. Si tuviera una maquina del tiempo regresaría a esa noche y cambiaría todo." (because I was a coward, because I didn't put your feelings and mine first, I let others dictate our future, and I regret that. If I had the chance, I would go back in time and change everything)

"A qué te refieres con qué dejaste que otros dictaran nuestro futuro?" No te entiendo. (What do you mean you let others dictate our future? I don't get it.)

"Es a lo único a lo que le prestaste atención?" He asks, trying to change the subject. (It's the only thing you paid attention to?)

"Pedro," you say with that tone he knows, that mom tone when you won't take his bullshit for an answer.

"Venga que al menos dime que me perdonas." He tries again, failing. (C'mon, at least tell me you forgive me)

"Pedro, responde mi pregunta." You say downing your tone a little bit more.

He shakes his head. He didn't want to tell you about that conversation with your father, but another lie is not the best way to go now.

"Mira, tú padre y yo hablamos. Y él estaba tan seguro que tú me dejarías y yo solo quería la jodida bendición. Por qué no me dijo si y luego me odio en secreto? Joder, preciosa lo siento tanto, yo no debí escucharle pero sus palabras se sintieron como putas puñaladas y tu no querías irte a Portofino. Y tu ibas a decir que no. Tenías un futuro tan brillante delante de ti y yo solo era un jugador de fútbol. (Look, your father and I had a talk. He was so sure you'll leave and I was just looking for the fucking blessing, why couldn't he just smile and hate me in secret? Fuck, baby I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have, but his words hit me like fucking daggers, and you did wanted to go to Portofino, and you were going to say no. You had a bright future ahead, and I was just a football player. Your dad was right)

"Pedro, espera."

You didn't get that much because of how fast he was talking, but enough for you to understand.

"Mi papá te dijo qué?" You ask. (My dad told you what?)

You weren't going to imply that he was lying, but you needed to know if what you heard was right.

"Tu padre y yo." He tries, but you interrupted him.

"Mi papá te dijo qué?" You repeat getting up from the couch.

"Preciosa, por favor sientate." He tries to grab your arms, wanting to calm you down.

"No, Pedro." You back away. "Dime que me estás mintiendo." You can feel the tears. "Pedro, por favor." (Tell me you're lying.)

He cursed mentally at himself. He didn't want to lose you again.

"Y/n, por favor. Déjame explicarte." He's up now, eyes asking for permission to touch you.

"Es solo que. Si él te dijo eso. Entonces todo lo que me dijo a mi fueron mentiras." You say shocked. "Todo este tiempo él me dijo que eras un imbecil por haberme lastimado. Como nos miraba juntos y como estaba con el corazón roto por no vernos juntos en el futuro." You were in a shock moment. "Entonces, todo eso. Todo lo que hice. Todo fue por sus mentiras?" (is just, if he told you that. Then, all the words he told me were just lies. All this time, he told me you were an asshole for hurting me. How he saw us together and how heartbroken he was by us not getting a future together. Then all of that. All I did was. It was because of his lies?)

You tried to take deep breaths.

All the times he let you cry on his shoulder. All the words. All for nothing.

And then he, let you be alone your whole pregnancy, give birth without Pedro.

"Preciosa. Respira por favor." Pedro says, his hands on yours trying to help you breathe. (Baby, breathe, please.)

You shake your head no, you weren't mad at him but at your father.

You free your hands and grab your purse. You needed an explanation. And you were getting one.

"Es que me va a escuchar." You storm out of the house, Pedro calling your name and trying to get you before leaving. "No," you say as he grabs your arm.

"No te voy a dejar ir así." He closed the door back again. "Por favor, vamos a calmarnos."

"Es que no lo entiendes. No sabes lo que hice y ahora más que nunca sé que me vas a odiar por haberlo hecho. Pero no puedo quedarme así." You say, freeing your arm and quickly opening the door. (You don't get it. You don't know what I did. And know I know you'll hate me it. But I can't just let this go)

"Joder, que no te vas a ir." He says, taking your keys. "Mira, no sé que hiciste pero yo jamas te voy a odiar. Por favor, Y/n vamos adentro y hablamos. Cuando te calmes te puedes ir." (Fuck, you're not leaving. Look, I don't know what you did, but I'll never hate you. Please, let's go inside and talk. When you're calmer, you can leave)

"Ven conmigo entonces." You say, grabbing his arm and pushing him to the drivers side. "Te prometo explicarte todo." (Come with me then. I promise I'll explain everything)

He wasn't sure, but he knew how stubborn you're and how you weren't getting back inside.

"Ve por las llaves y cierra la puerta de la casa." He sighs. (Go get the keys and close the door)

While he enters the car, you run back inside and search for the keys where you know he always left them.

Grabbing them and running back outside he has the car on and ready.

"Te recuerdas donde queda la casa de mis padres?" You say grabbing your phone. Texting you father to know if he was home. (Do you remember where my parents' house is?)

"Estas segura?" He asks, really not sure about this whole plan you just thought. "Mira, podemos manejar un rato y así nos calmamos." (Are you sure? Look, we can drive for a while, and we can calm down)

"Pedro, por favor. Hazme caso a mi esta vez." You say as you get a message back saying he was home. (Pedro, please. Listen to me this time)

He didn’t say more.

The drive was quick, something he didn't appreciate.

When he parked outside, you quickly took your seat belt off, running to the door. Thankfully, you still had the key.

"Papá." You scream. "Papá."

You went to his office, he was always there.

"Y/n? Que haces acá?" Your mom says once she sees you. (What are you doing here?)

"Tú sabías?" You ask, angry. "Mamá, tú sabías que Papá le dijo a Pedro que me dejará para yo irme a Italia?" (Did you know? You knew dad told Pedro to break up with me so I could go to Italy)

Your mom stayed quiet.

"Lo sabías" you say. (You knew)

"Calmate, todo tiene explicación." She says, getting closer. (Calm down, everything has an explanation)

"No te me acerques." You say in a tone of voice you didn't even recognize. (Stay away from me)

"Qué carajos esta pasando en esta casa?" You dad says as he approaches both of you. "Y/n mi amor por que gritas?" (What the hell is going on in this house? Y/n, baby, why are you yelling?)

You had to calm yourself. You wanted to slap him. Hurt him. But no, he was your father. And as much as you want to you won't.

"Explicame algo." You say. "Por qué me dijiste que estabas tan triste por mi ruptura con Pedro cuando tú." You say putting your finger on him. "Tú le pediste que me dejara, cuando tú le dijiste que no era suficiente para mí?" (Explain something to me, why did you say you were so sad for my break up with Pedro when you ask him to leave me? You told him he wasn't enough for me)

"No sé de lo que hablas." He says, pushing your hand away. "Estas bien? Te miro alterada, quieres un té?" (I don't know what you're talking about, are you okay? I see you're upset. Do you want some tea?)

"No te atrevas," you say, backing off a little. "Ya sé todo, al menos se hombre para admitirlo." (Don't you dare. I know everything. Be man enough to admit it)

"No me hables así, para empezar." He says, elevating his tone of voice. "Y si lo hice, qué? Yo quería más para ti, no un tipo que se gana la vida pegandole al balón." (Don't talk to me that way. If I did, what about it? I wanted more for you. Not just some dude that makes his bag from kicking a ball)

"Y qué?" You scuff "estas loco? Ustedes dos me manipularon para que yo pensara que Pedro estaba detrás de todo esto, que ya no me amaba. Y para qué? Por sus estúpidos estandares?" (What about it? Are you out of your mind? You two manipulate me into thinking Pedro was behind all of this. You make me believe he didn't love me and for what? For your stupid standars?)

"No son solo estándares, piensa las cosas niña, en serio esperabas que dejáramos que jodieras tu vida? Pagamos cantidades absurdas para que fueras a la mejor universidad solo para que fueras la esposa de un futbolista." He fake laughs. (They're not only standars, think this through kid, were you expect us to let you fucked up your life like that? Paying stupid amounts for you to go to the best college just to settle down to be a footballer wife?)

"Era mi vida," you scream. "mi vida, y ustedes no tenian por que quitarmela." (It was my life, my life. And you don't get to take that away from me.)

"Y/n por favor, cálmate, dejanos explicarte." She tries to hold you, but you push her away. (Y/n, please, calm down, let us explain everything to you)

"No lo entiendes." You say. "No entiendes nada, mamá." (You don't get it. You don't get it, mom)

"Claro que si. Amor por favor."

"No me toques" you yell at her. "Me dais asco." (Don't touch me. You both disgust me)

"Ya basta! Deja el drama." Your dad says as if is nothing. (Oh, stop it. Stop the drama)

You laugh, shaking your head. They don't get it.

"No es drama, papá." You say as the words come out with venom. "Ustedes me manipularon para pensar que todo fue distinto. Mierda, me la pase sola." You cry. (It's not drama, dad. You both manipulated me into thinking everything was different. Shit, you let me be alone)

"No estuviste sola, estábamos contigo. Paulo, Elena, tu papi y yo." You mom says.

"No, no es a lo que me refiero. Me dejaron estar sola nueve meses. Y tú." You point at your mom. "Me convenciste de no decirle nada, de que sola estaba mejor. Y yo te creí, porque pensé que él ya no me quería." You were crying badly at this point. (No, that's not what I meant. You both let me be alone for nine months. And you. You convinced me into not saying anything because I was better alone. And I believed you because I thought he didn't love me anymore)

You clean your tears. They weren't worth it. They don't even care.

"Por ustedes Pedro no conoce a nuestro hijo." You say sadly. "Por ustedes se perdió tantas cosas de nuestro hijo." (Because of you, Pedro doesn't know our child. Because of you, he missed so many things of our child)

"Nuestro qué?" (Our what?)

You feel how the air is stuck in your throat.

You turn around. Here he is, keys in one hand, purse in the other.

"Pedro."

Tag list:

@alwaysclassyeagle @footballerficsposts @gulphulp @cinderellawithashoe @jajajhaahaha @bellinghambby22 @pablogavisgirl @lunamelona @christinabae @103009 @pedrileclerc @pampeop @magicalfundragon @helanahaadock @eau-rougee

[quill-pen]

Bless This Woman

So, @rom-e-o presented me, out of the blue and in the middle of the night, with this gorgeous piece of fan art😍😍😍:

And it inspired a wholesome and sweet little ficlet, surprise, surprise.

Btw: Yes, my Ebenezer grows his hair out long, if this is the first encounter with my work you've had. Also, in future, I plan to try and publish my Scrooge story, and Romey and I are kind of in cahoots with that; so we are trying out some slightly different character designs for Scrooge. That Netflix look is so specific, that I don't want to risk getting sued. This hairstyle is one we've decided on for him, as opposed to his lovely swoop.

It was a request Ebenezer had never been asked before; one he never thought to encounter. He wasn't what anyone would particularly call a "praying man", even now after he'd turned his life around for the good. But he'd be damned if he wouldn't become one: Because how could he possibly deny a woman as sweet and lovely as his Bess when she shyly asked him if he would pray over her that night before bed?

"Pray over you?" Ebenezer asked. Not in a condescending way, but certainly in a slightly confused way. He'd never heard that phrase for it before. Praying for someone, yes, but over someone? That was new to him.

Bess stood before him in her gauzy summer nightgown, the neckline slipped tantalizingly down to expose one speckled shoulder. She looked a little embarrassed, a slightly rosy tint in her cheeks making her freckles pop sharply--something her husband adored. "I-I know it sounds silly," she commented with a small, beseeching smile. She ducked her head and lowered her gaze in instinctive supplication, as her hands fiddling together at her waist. "But it's... it's something George used to do with Mama every night when he was home and... well... it's kind of something I've always hoped the man I love would do for me, too."

She looked back up at him, trying to judge his reaction to it. "Y-You don't have to if you don't want to," she assured him in a bit of a rush. "I just thought I'd ask. Doesn't hurt to ask, right?" She bit her bottom lip, hoping she hadn't just made herself look foolish in her husband's eyes.

She hadn't. And as far as Ebenezer was concerned, she never could.

Smiling softly at the woman, the Englishman stood from his seat beside the small fire, closing and placing his journal upon the mantelshelf as he did. Then he approached his wife, opening his arms to her. "It doesn't sound silly," he murmured softly, taking her into his embrace. He snuggled the American close, nuzzling into her thick, inky curls and kissing her crown. A satisfied purr nearly rumbled from his chest as Bess folded him into her arms and snuffled into the soft fabric of his nightshirt over his heart. "And, no, it never hurts to ask. I'd be happy to pray over you."

Bess looked up at him, eyes sparkling with happiness? "You would?" she asked, sounding rather relieved. "Truly?"

Her husband nodded as he kissed her hairline. "Of course." He touched his brow to hers and gave her a sheepish smile. "You might have to tell me how," he muttered. "I've never prayed over someone. Come to think, I can't recall when I last prayed for someone either. Not really. Not like you would in church."

Bess giggled as she nudged her nose along his. "This isn't exactly like that," she assured him. "It's not a big production full of show-boating piety the Bishop likes to make. This is more genuine and from the heart."

"I'm not even sure I know how to pray, to tell you the truth."

"George always told me that prayer is just talking to God. And the best way to talk to God is to talk to him as though He were a good friend."

He knew that was true. Still, Ebenezer felt a little out of his depth as he watched his beloved sink to her knees on the plush rug beneath their bed. Regardless, he knelt beside her. "H-How did George used to do this?"

Snorting, Bess gently pulled out of Ebenezer's embrace. She grabbed his hand and pulled him after her as she moved towards their marital bed. "Don't worry, I won't judge," she stated with a smirk and wink over her shoulder.

"I only caught him doing it a few times," Bess answered as she scooted into the man's side, ever desiring to be close as possible. She manages to twine her legs and feet with his. "But the few times I did, he always had his hands on Mama. On her shoulders, around her waist, hugging her--he was always touching her."

"Well, I certainly like the sound of that," Ebenezer remarked. Without a moment's hesitation, he stretched an arm across his wife's shoulders and pulled her close again. He pressed his lips to her brow. "Mmm, I love you," he murmured, the sentiment leaving him automatically.

Bess hummed as she leaned into his touch. "That love you feel--let that be what guides what you say," she quietly instructed.

In many ways, that didn't give Ebenezer a clue as to what to do at all. Yet in many others, it did.

The couple knelt there at their bedside in silence for a moment, the man absently stroking the woman's arms as she pressed into him. His mind, for a moment, felt like a wheel stuck in muddy clay. What should he say? How should he begin? He supposed the best way was just to start.

"Dear Lord, first and foremost, I would like to thank You for the wonderful woman beside me. I'm... not always certain what my convictions are in terms of faith and religion; one thing I do believe with certainty, however, is that You have placed my wonderful Bess beside me."

Bess dared to open her eyes and lift her gaze just enough to see her husband's down-turned face just above hers. She smiled in adoration at the man, marking how his long eyelashes brushed his cheekbones. Somehow, she managed to press a little closer to the man, nudging her head under his chin.

Ebenezer tightened his grip on her. "I come to You now, to pray for my Bess, Lord," he continued on, voice quiet but steady. He still didn't really know what he was doing, but that didn't seem to matter: He was focusing on his adoration for his wife, letting that guide him through what he wanted to say, and it was doing the trick. He was feeling much more confident in every passing moment. And, amazingly enough, even more in love with his mate.

"I pray that You watch over my beloved Bess, Lord. That you take her into Your arms and keep her safe throughout her life. I pray, if she can't find comfort and happiness in this world, that she is able to find it in You. I place her ultimate well-being in You, Lord, for I know there are things that I, as a mere man, cannot do to protect and comfort her."

Bess pressed her face into the open neck of Ebenezer's nightshirt and nuzzled at the hairy swathe of chest bared to her. On instinct she fluttered kisses to over sternum. "Oh, Darling...."

A slight heat bloomed across Ebenezer's face, but he didn't falter. "I ask You to continue to bless this woman with goodness you have granted to be in her life, Lord. And should it ever come to an end, I repay You grant her the strength to overcome challenges, just as You have granted her before. I ask You to continue healing and soothing the wounds and scars of Bess' past, and that You might bring her to realize that she is so much more than them--that they do not define her. I pray that she continues to discover herself in You, oh, Lord, and that she might draw great satisfaction and peace from that.

A lump suddenly formed in the man's throat and tears bit at his closed eyes. "I also pray that-" he cleared his throat as it croaked, "-that You might allow my lovely Bess to remain in my life, Lord. To remain by my side and help me continue to bear the burden of life. She is my greatest strength, my greatest happiness, my Brightness. And I ask with all my heart and soul that she might remain so, Lord. I promise to strive each day to be a better man, to be stronger and more virtuous, and to make this world a better, kinder place if You might allow Bess to remain in my life. I promise to cherish her with my entire being and do my best to care for her and make her happy all the days of my life."

Bess felt something warm and wet drip onto her cheek. Looking up again, she saw a single trickle of tears dripping down Ebenezer's cheek. Moved to wet eyes herself at the sight (her kind, sweet, tenderhearted man), the Yank reached up and gently dried them away. Then she kissed his stubbly chin. "Amen," she whispered. "That was beautiful. Thank you, my dearest moonlight."

Ebenezer gazed down at her with a trembling chuckle. "Not as beautiful at George's though, yes?" he rasped, looking a little shy.

Bess shook her head with a doting smile. "Better," she answered honestly. "Because it's my prayer. And it came from you and your heart. And I'll cherish it and carry it with me, until the day I die."

Genuine relief flooded through the gentleman. Bowing his head, he lifted a hand to his love's face and held her tenderly as he pulled her into a lingering kiss, one she eagerly returned.

"I'll do this again every night if you'll, please, just stay with me forever, Bess," Ebenezer whispered against her lips. His eyes were beseeching as he gazed deeply into hers. "Please."

Bess couldn't help the little smile that curled her lips, nor the little chuckle that left her in response to that promise. "Well, then, you're about to become a praying man, Ebenezer Charles. Because, while I can't speak for our Heavenly Father, I have no intentions of leaving your side. Not ever. Now, please, kiss me again."

And her husband, ever faithful and giving, did just that.

[imaginespazzi]

Yeah no that definitely makes sense and agreed - I think at that stage in her life and career, she'd only have a child out of circumstance rather than on purpose.

P would be trying real hard not to let her favouritism show while she's coaching, but everyone knows anyway that she's extra soft for Stephie. Imagine a game where Stephie gets a little hurt and P's ready to fight another 6-yr old kid lmao.

I keep imagining how soft and cute P would be with a mini Azzi 🥹

Ooo yep, I definitely vibe with staying as close to irl UConn lore as possible, plus I'm never gonna say no to another cruise scene haha.

Oh imagine when P comes around to Storrs during Azzi's final year to visit the menaces or even just when she's facetiming any of them and that inevitable awkwardness of broaching the Azzi topic, or Azzi accidentally walking in while the others are on the phone with her.

I realise I've just kinda assumed that they break up after P's final year 😅 Would that mean that the public never knew about their relationship? At least, not officially?

If that's the case, do the media or public ever question their "friendship" and why they don't seem to be close anymore?? Like when P gets traded, and there's talk about the two "former best friends" being reunited?

Also, do they still kinda fall into each other at times after breaking up? Maybe especially that first year or so after the break up, like during Azzi's final college year and then slowly fade into no communication? Or do they immediately cut off all connection and only interact at public events and games? Or just barely interact at all?

Oh and I know I've been advocating for Tim to still always be checking in on P, even if it's just at games but I am super curious in general about the dynamics between Azzi and P's family and P and Azzi's family after they break up. Especially Azzi and Drew, cause you know I'm a sucker for a Drew cameo and Azzi + Drew interactions!

A Steph appearance! Just don't make Stephie into a Warriors fan 😫😂

Ooo a possible divorce situation with P??? Ugh I'm so curious about other relationships they had after breaking up! Although idk about P getting married to someone else (only cause I'm selfish and just can't see her marrying anyone other than Azzi lol) - what if she got engaged and came close but in the end, she just couldn't go through with it?? Or we can go with divorce, that's cool too, it has been 9 years after all haha.

I mean… I may or may not have a playlist where I drag songs into if they give me the exes to lovers fic vibe 😏. I need a title for it though!

Ngl, I actually was thinking "oh I wonder what Taylor song Nivi's gonna go with for this one?" 😆 Last Kiss seems like a pretty perfect choice. But now that just makes me think that we're about to go through even more pain than we did with the UCLA fic before we get a happy ending. We are gonna get a happy ending, right?

Speaking of Taylor songs - why do I feel like loml could potentially be one of the songs used for a chapter - "what we thought was for all time was momentary" or "you shit-talked me under the table, talking rings and talking cradles. I wish I could un-recall how we almost had it all."

Oh btw Nivi, you totally don't have to address all or any of my questions!! I literally just chuck in whatever comes to mind but please feel free to tell me to just wait for the fic to find out the answers 😅

And pleaseee, your "NO NO NO NOPE NO" in response to that ask about you having kids had me dead 😭

ALSO, Tatum and Ella Mai expecting a baby?! Talk about private but not a secret, they did a fine ass job keeping the pregnancy quiet as long as they did though!

-🙋‍♀️

EVERYONE HAS ME SO CONFLICTED I have no idea what to do lmao maybe I'll just leave it open-ended and we don't have to go into how this child came to be lol

LMAO all the other parents whining about playing time and their child not getting a starting role meanwhile Azzi's out here giving Paige a talking to about how they're literally 5 year old's, this is not that serious and Stephie doesn't needa start every single game

I actually haven't decided the exact time for when they break up but it's definitely before Azzi gets to the W I think but I haven't really thought about the media reaction yet, other than that it's obviously a big deal when they end up on the same team again in the sense that it's a huge deal that two mvp's are teaming up

So....mayhaps a little spoiler but there might potentially be just a little bit of Drew and Azzi angst at some point because let's just remember she was in his life from very young and then she wasn't.

Well if I go with the Valkyries, it only make sense babes. Trust it's gonna be as hard to write for me as it is for you to read but Stephie is very likely gonna be a Warriors fans (that hurt to write oh lord)

LMAO give me a title?

Happy ending? Hmmmm what's that?

YES LOML WOULD HIT SO GOOD. Maybe I'll use that in chapter but I gotta add it to my playlist asap for sure.

I literally got that ask and was like, y'all I am literally in college, no I do not have a child thanks!

I SAW THAT. I'M SO EXICTED FOR THEM!! They really did such a good job and aww Deuce is gonna get a little sibling.

[n3rdy247]

HEY GIRL YOU DEFINITELY DONT KNOW WHO THIS IS *WINK WINK WINK WINK* (I'm saying wink out loud everytime btw)

From stranger to stranger *wink* do you by any chance write samgladiator hcs??????? 😊😊😊

Perhaps x reader hcs??????? 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

THATD BE SO SILLY IF YOU DID YKNOW LIKE GIRL ITD BE CRAZYYYYYYYY YKNOW LIKE ITD BE SO INSANEEEEEEEE RIGHT???????????

EAEHRHHSUGHE DUDE RIGHTHTHTH IT WOULD BE SOOOOOO FUCKING WILD AND SUCH A SILLY THING TO DO 🤭🤭🤭

(PROBABLY WILL BE OOC THOUGH since i only watched a few episodes, so I'm really sorry if this doesn't really fit your headcanons anon WHO I TOTALLY DON'T KNOW *wink wink*)

(ANYWAY, these will be (mostly) based off the reboot since idk much and keep in mind that I only watched a few episodes, so I'm really sorry if these HCs seem really OOC)

YHS!SAM X READER HEADCANONS GO WEEEE!!!!

I STILL DON'T KNOW HOW TO WRITE

❥ Sooo, starting off the bat, since I'm not really writing yandere hcs, let's put all the batshit crimes he committed aside for this occasion..and focus on him being really silly. ❥ If you see him tripping near a trash can, dude, that's on YOU. I imagine he'd be jokingly bragging to someone how he is about to make a 'pro gamer move', then immediately fail a millisecond later before he could even try SHIT

❥ His love language? Well...uh....you could say it's kind of a mix. ❥ For example, gift giving? Absolutely. If you were to mention something specific that you wanted even once (or maybe even when you were talking to yourself while walking back home)? Expect that very thing to appear right outside your doorstep with a poorly drawn rabbit doodle sticked on top of it with a bunny sticker. ❥ Quality time? Definitely! He loves to see you wake up and THRIVE FOR ANOTHER DAY! You BET he stalks the shit out of you though. If you can't shake the feeling that you're being watched at school, on the road back home, and mayybe when you are about to sleep, then that's on HIM. (Sorry, I said I'm not really writing yandere hcs, not that I will never write any.) ❥ Physical touch? ... ❥ DO YOU TAKE HIM AS A MENTALLY WELL GUY? I DIDN'T THINK SO. ❥ You should know by now that he would SCREAM the second his hand accidentally brushes against yours (though we're not sure about the accident part WINK WINK)

❥ I also have a teeny tiny headcanon that he only lets YOU touch his rabbit ears. (and I MEAN ONLY YOU if others even TRIED they'd be thrown to the nearest dumpster) And when you do so? He MELTS. Like don't be surprised if you see him giggle like a freaking teenage girl is what I'm trying to say 🤭🤭🤭

❥ You also cannot tell me he wouldn't also try to impress you, one way or another. Whether it be trying to make you giggle and twirl your hair by saying the most APPALLING pickup lines of all time, or casually talking to you about your interests as if he was already a huge fan of em (bro actually stood up all night looking at every search result on google about that topic, BUT SHH)

❥ He would also tell you about his day BY EITHER LYING OR TWISTING HIS WORDS AROUND. COME ON NOW.

"Sooo..what weree you up to this weekend?" ❥ "Oh, me??? Well, I bought my friend a cat...and I did help a guy raise money for his cancer.." as he recalls what the FUCK happened in his life that went wrong

❥ Now. You know this man would never ever want to leave you alone (as if it wasn't obvious enough with the abandonment issues and the stalking, but I digress) so you definitely would need to reassure his ass. But once you do so? His droopy rabbit ears would slowly, but surely go right back up again. He can't help it though, you just seem to always make him feel better by existing.

either way, he is a little fucked up bastard someone please put him in a psychiatric hospital (or kiss him, that sounds like a better solution) *DROPS THE MIC AND IMMEDIATELY RUNS*

[chessalein]

WIP whenever because I wanna show I'm still alive

I think I'm not really active right now, but I'm still alive.

I just think that my energy for CP is not really present right now. Its been 4 years of 24/7 hype and I think right now I'm just overfilled with it?

My love for Jackie still exists and I will continue my fanfic because I just have too much fun with it. Right now I'm writing chapter 55.

Here is a little piece of Chapter 55 of "Bringing back the sun"

His big, strong arms that hugged her tightly while she sat on his lap were like a weighted blanked she needed right now and his big member inside of her was the distraction she wished for. Today none of them were in the mood for dirty talk and he knew that she probably wouldn’t want to hear sweet praises about how good she feelt. What she needed today was distraction and he would do his best to make it happen. If she was honest, it surprised her how bad she felt. She pushed multiple people through the death of their friend, son, brother, lover, not ever feeling like falling into a pit. She even did the unthinkable till then and slept with Vincent. But right now, the pain was different. She felt sluggish and unmotivated and just wished for an empty mind. “Val, cumming.” He groaned, making sure he would thrust even deeper while he filled her insides. His heavy breathing as his head rested between her breasts made her feel sorry for her lover. The whole day he tried to take her mind off things, to give her a good time. It did work okay, but never had she reached an orgasm today while he had several. “Damn, doll… You’re hard to please today.” His word seemed like a complain, but his eyes told her that he was sorry that he couldn’t give her the release she was looking for. She gave him a soft smile back before kissing his already dry lips. “The only thing that’s really hard today is your dick. How co- Don’t tell me you took something.” He shrugged with flushed cheeks. “Had to make sure to give you a good time for longer than a round. I know you need it…” The ripperdoc might not be the youngest anymore, but he was always proud that he can last three rounds on a good day. He never liked the thought that he had to take something to help his manhood rise or stay long enough, it was a big gesture of his love that he prepared like that.

And on the side (like... really... I have both open) I write on my "Dragon's Dogma 2" fanfic. I'm not sure yet how much it will follow the original story, but I have a few things I want to change up so it will be slightly different.

This is a warning that there are spoiler in the text below. Like I said, its a bit changed up from the original story but I gave you a warning so you can't give me a bad time. ♥

I would love to keep the fancy way of speaking like they do in the game, but sadly english isn't my first language and I would probably get everything wrong. So I will try to keep it in an elegant formal way that I think could come close, orienting on the speech pattern ingame.

The story has no title yet btw so... Here is the start of the Dragon's Dogma 2 fanfic without a name.

It was as if someone had lightened up a candle in a dark room in the middle of the night. As if she had suddenly come into existence out of thin air. Looking around she found out that a man with a larger build was speaking to her in rude manners. Telling her that she had too much of willpower in her eyes and that he didn’t like it. That there was life in her eyes, the opposite of the one her kind should have who are, taken by his words, are “lifeless like that of a corpse.” By the time he had opened the cell, she wasn’t able to recall what her emotions were this moment or how she should feel. There was no fear, there was no happiness, the only thing that filled her mind was confusion and curiosity of what was going on as she followed close behind the man. On their way, he kept talking, but her attention was captured by the tunnel they went through and wondered how it came that they hollowed out this way just to build a prison at the end of it. Was she a prisoner? What had she done? Neither her hands, nor her feet were restrained, perhaps she wasn’t one. Was she a slave? If yes, how long has she been? A sudden realization hit her while stumbling over the uneven, cold ground with bare feet: She didn’t know her name or any other thing about her past. Where should be memories was only a deep, empty void. Her emotion begun to set in the further they followed their path. A mix of fear and uneasiness, wondering what would happen to her should they come to the other side of it. The bright light of the sun blinded her as she made her first steps into the world she seemed to have forgotten about to live in. The warmth of it was like a spell that filled her body with energy and optimism as it was telling her that everything will be okay. Whatever it was that she had to do, she will take it and try to make the best out of it.

I can't wait to get to the point where she meets Jackie. I'm dying to write this scene.

[stayxlix]

CHAPTER 4 LET’S GAURRR!

Ooh ‘the eighth’ sounds sexy Welcome back to season 3 ( or 2?) of Julian’s play-by-play commentary hehe🤭 Sorry in advance for how long this ask is gonna be.

“You will come across many soulmates in your current lifetime. But that doesn't mean you will get to keep them.” WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?😃Pls don’t raise my blood pressure from the get-go. Anyways concept photos ate as always. Bottom left one is my favourite. The minsung one is kinda unsettling tho… foreshadowing maybe👀

Btw Minho best not give me a hard time this chapter I literally do NOT have the capacity to deal with his beef rn. Idk why I think mc will win Jeongin over tho. But hey, we’ll see! I’m literally weak with excitement!! Oh and 15k + wordcount is crazy btw I’m so proud of you <3

“Out of all of the memories he had ever made, Felix had pushed most of them away. He buried them so deep that sometimes, he wondered if he would even be able to recall them if he tried.” *takes a long breath* that… hit home.

Wait so Chanlix are all the way from district 2?? Damn. This concerns me so much because the life they have now in district 6 must be lowkey paradise compared to what they probably had before. I’ve been wondering if the rebels have family. But we’ll see.

“…using Jeongin's homemade "thunder bombs" 퉤 퉤 퉤! 소리꾼! (TWE TWE TWE SORRIKUN)

“Not everyone had as much to offer as Minho, who was beyond skilled in his knowledge of healing.” Now I feel bad for going off on him in my reaction vid :((((( Also ngl Hyunjin's perception is impressive. The way he's already figured mc and lix out. Could never be me💀 I'm so blind when it comes to this kind of thing.

Hold on….“Remember what we all agreed on, before you get too attached.”

HOLD ON…. “The same thought that had been replaying over and over again in his head since he saw that damn family crest around your neck.”

I HOPE THEY’RE NOT PLANNING TO KILL ME HELP– I really hope they didn't make a pact to end me💀💀✋

“So what if he wanted to know how you looked with your lips wrapped around his *[dinky-donk]* instead.” I have so many inappropriate things to say…. (This was WILD)

“Felix wasn't like Jisung, who could charm his way into convincing whatever semi-interested human being he stumbled across in god knows where to fuck him.” You sure about that bro? Let’s not forget chapter 1😃

“Terrified for this moment to end because once it did, you would be forced to come to terms with the permanence of the decision you had made tonight, and what it meant for not only your future, but the future of every innocent person that you passed by, sleeping soundly without any idea that a war had just begun.” SO WELL WRITTEN! SAURRR WELL WRITTEN MWUAH

“and then, to your surprise, he left your side without a word.” UHM???? EXCUSE YOU???

“But that wasn't the only reason.” PURRR MC GO GET THAT *[retracted for the sake of modesty]*

“…and sometimes Jisung who just likes to be wherever Minho is.” You’re so real for this BAHAH💀💀

“He took a few steps closer, inviting himself into your personal space once again.” TRYING TO KEEP IT TOGETHER RN BUT I’M SLOWLY LOSING MY SANITY

“Oh, I dont know. The fact that you can't seem to keep your tongue out of my mouth?” I LOVE MC WITH EVERY BONE IN MY BODY UGH JCKVJDNSL

“After all, every time you'd kissed, he had been the one to initiate it.” THAT’S THE THING!! TELL THE MF!

“Felix was the king of sending mixed signals and you had half a mind to call him out for it…” DO. IT.

“Felix brought his hands up to rest against the wall on either side of you, closing you in.” I don’t want to keep reading I cannot keep reading I’ll d!e if I keep reading I-

my sweet Jules🥹💕💕💕 can I first just say that your enthusiasm for this story is so much more appreciated than you will ever know. like words cannot even BEGIN to express how i felt when I saw your asks pop into my inbox yesterday, but i will do my very best. i’m finally sitting down for the evening to answer these (and have been looking forward to it for two whole days) so lets get started..(i'll make sure to comment as much as i can without revealing any spoilers🤭)

"I HOPE THEY’RE NOT PLANNING TO KILL ME HELP– I really hope they didn't make a pact to end me"

and already i'm reminding myself..NO SPOILERS

“...Hyunjin’s perceptive is impressive...”

especially when it comes to lix.🫢 and don’t feel too bad about going off on minho just yet….

“You sure about that bro? Let’s not forget chapter 1”

i’m💀 omg lix doesn’t see himself this way alright.😂😭 (however right you may be)

it means so much to me that you always take the time to mention the concept photos and i will never ever forget when you said that each chapter has a different color that you associate with it. that touched my heart more than you will ever know.🥹🤍 and the word count honestly at the rate I was going I was terrified it was going to be something like 18k lmao but thankfully we were able to condense a bit.😂

THE THUNDEROUS LYRICS.😂 ty for including this lmao i HAD to include a thunderous reference somewhere because it may or may not be my fav skz song of all time and I will fight anyone who tries to tell me it isn’t a masterpiece

"SO WELL WRITTEN! SAURRR WELL WRITTEN MWUAH"

(ily lmao) this was a last minute addition like an hour before i posted the chapter🤭 so the fact that you included it here made me giggle. and if i’m being honest our mc really has become very special to me too. i had absolutely no idea when i first started writing this story how attached i was going to become to her but i really have grown to hold a special place for her in my heart so once again thank you for this.💕💕💕

going to head on over to part 2 now....(mostly because i need to cut myself off or i will spend all night on this one ask alone because there is so much to unpack with your commentaries and you know i absolutely love you for that<33)

[pure-kirarin]

Slow & Steady [P2] [Sabo x f!reader] (+18)

Genre : Romance - Smut - Bestfriends to lovers General warnings : Alcohol consumption - Dark themes - Swearing - S m u t - possessiveness - Mention of ex-relationships - jealousy

A/N : This is really different from my usual writing style but I am experimenting. Please tell me your thoughts and don’t hesitate to ask to be added to the tag list :) AO3 : https://archiveofourown.org/works/31877203?view_full_work=true

In the last chapter --  «-Enough playing now, you're going to sleep. -B-but ! This wasn't what I asked for....You're really a coward after all...You virgin... » He carried you to his room, putting you on the bed and sitting next to you. «-I'd love to prove you wrong. However, it would be better if you were in a state where you'd be able to recall how good I am. If you want me to fuck you this badly then maybe ask me when you're sober.

Part I - Part II

Part II  -Yeah yeah...Pff..You're no fun Sabo. Things were finally getting interesting ! »

He smiled seeing that you were now calmer. You started to yawn and bury your face in his pillow. He loved to see you getting so comfortable in his room. He really needed a cold shower after your little show.  -Goodnight (Y/N). I'll sleep on the couch. You can get comfortable. -Are you crazyy ? You gonna leave me alone like this ? Let's sleep together~ -Come on (Y/N), you're a big girl. You could sleep alone for one night, would you ? Translation : I don't want to spend the whole night with a semi. And you're dangerously flirty, and I have wanted you for years and now I have to abstain.

-Pleaaaase. You said looking at him with puppy eyes. He rolled his eyes placing a hand in his hair. God.damn.it.

You won again. Like every time. * * *  You opened your eyes hardly next day, feeling something hard against your thigh. You looked at the ceiling

Oh...I am not in my room...Where the fuck am I ?

you turn around only to discover the embodiment of Adonis to your side. A light beam was lighting up Sabo's face. He looked like an angel as his beauty couldn't be that of a human.

Was he always this handsome ?

You didn't know, in fact, you have never had the occasion to wake up in his bed. Wait, in his bed ? This realization came slowly as your head was still foggy from yesterday's consumption.

You looked down, the thing that was pressing against your leg was indeed :

his thing.

You frowned, blushed, pulled away, put a hand on your lips repressing an internal scream, all of this in around three seconds. You then tried to calm down, telling yourself that it was very normal for a man to experience this kind of morning unconviniences, and that Sabo was a man, after all. Even if  you have always seen him as a bestfriend, he was still a man that is capable of physical attraction.

Now that this internal monologue was done with, you felt a bit calmer, but that didn't answer your question. You got out of bed, trying to recall what happened after going in the bar. And it came back. All of it. Without any mercy for your feelings.

You wanted the ground to swallow you whole. Your only wish was to disappear which meant : calling Nami. You headed out of the house, not even having the courage to face your bestfriend.

« Namiiiii -Uh ? What's the matter ? -I fucked up. I fucked up really bad. -Oh yeah ? Tell me about it. -Wait, why do you seem excited ? -O-oh I'm not excited. Come on tell me. What else could you have possibly done ? -I asked Sabo to fuck me. -Wait what ? You could hear Vivi ask Nami about what happened and her answering « She asked Sabo to fuck her ». -Nami ! Don't go on telling everyone about this. I'm on my way. -For starters, Vivi isn't « everyone », she's my girlfriend. And I'm here waiting for you to tell me what happened. -Wait, I'll come at your place. This can't be discussed over the phone. »

You hung up on her. Ten minutes later, you were at her place. Extremely confused. Nami was painting her nails bright red on the bed while Vivi was sitting comfortably on a chair. You let your whole body weight fall on a lounge pug, tourmented.  «-So tell me how you and Sabo ended up fucking. She emphasized the last word in a way that made you almost choke on air.  -We didn't actually. Nami and Vivi both sighed in a synchronized « Ah » of disappointment. -So hmm...I don't remember clearly. I was really drunk-- well that you're aware of and...And Sabo didn't want to leave me alone so we went to his place. Ace was at Thatch's so we were alone. We hugged and he comforted me. Then I started teasing him, and I don't know what I was thinking, but I kissed him, and then I asked him to fuck me. -Wow that escalated quickly. Said Nami as she continued painting her nails.

-Well, I was heartbroken, I needed something, someone, and he was there, and you know Sabo, he's a good guy ! I don't know what's worse, the fact that I asked him to fuck me or the fact that he said no.

-Oh god I'm so so sorry

- Nami please don't make things worse for me.

-No offense, but you're so dense. Sabo has always been into you. Do you want him, or do you not ? I know that going right into a relationship after a breakup is a bad idea. But honestly it's worth giving it a shot. He's a really good guy. Try dating someone nice for once.

-I don't know, he has something unsettling about him. Like « almost too good to be true » you know ? Added Vivi.

-Ohhh~ I see. Honestly, I always thought that he was a bit prude and hella vanilla. I mean, yes, he's my best friend. But he has never talked about girls to me or about sexual stuff. So I just assumed that. I never thought that he'd be packin' like that. You said as you popped a lollipop in your mouth.

-Ah ? Was it really that impressive ? asked Nami, genuinely curious.

-Yeah. On a scale from 0 to doflamingo he's a solid eight point seventy five. (*)

-Oh gosh. I understand why you're so worked up now.

-That's really...precise. Added Vivi, a bit horrified.

(*) [ The dear reader might need this clarification ; Doflamingo was Law's uncle, he sometimes came to pick him up after uni with his luxurious lamborghini. He wore extremely tight pants that left little to the imagination. And he was most known among your clique for having a nine incher. It was a running joke wether to know if Law got his uncle's genes. Needless to say that this joke wasn't to Law's taste. Now back to our adorable Y/N. ]

-So. I really don't know what to do. I am still heartbroken. -And horny. Added the ginger. -Yeah, that too. I'm afraid of ruining our friendship. -Listen dear, said Nami as she was closing the nail polish bottle, if you're not going for it, someone else would. And trust me, that girl Koala is upping her game. She's going to steal him right in front of your eyes, just like this - and she snapped her fingers. -Oh, and then, you can forget about being « best friends ». Said Vivi adding fuel to the fire. -Yeah, once he's gonna start dating, he won't have too much time for you-- and then, that Koala girl, my god, she seems extremely possessive ! -No way, your voice was detached, trying to act is if you weren't worried, Sabo has never dated any girl before.- -Yes but he seems to get along with that girl. And to be honest, she's kinda cute.

-Nami ! Vivi pinched her forearm playfully, pretending to be jealous.

-That hurt ! And don't be jealous, you know that you're my only one~

-Hmm...I prefer that. Vivi laughed. You started caughing reclaiming for their attention.

-Attention please ! We're discussing my dick-appointment here.

-Jesus you're really annoying, (Y/N), just go for it already.

-How much did he pay you to tell me this huh ?

-What ? He didn't pay me ! You're just always getting your heart broken. I'm just trying to be a good friend.

-Say that you are trying to get rid of her~ Jokes Vivi.

-Vivi, don't expose me like this- Nami plays along while laughing.

-I hate you girls ! You say as you throw a pillow on Nami. The ginger starts complaining that you messed her Nail polish, and the whole scene metamorphosed into a pillow fight.

* * *

You spent the whole day with the girls, chit-chatting about boys and girls and playing stupid games. You felt way more comfortable now, less ashamed. However, you were surprised because you didn't get a message from your bestfriend. You wondered wether he was mad at you, it wasn't in his habits.

You decided to message Ace [click for conversation] [ (Y/N) : Heyy amigo is Sabo ok ? Did he tell u smth abt yesterday ? Ace : Ouch, your hurting my feelings, </3 Only talking to me to ask about my brother~ Yea hes okay why tho ? (Y/N) : Ooo kay. He's home ? Ace : He is. Why don't u directly text him ? (Y/N) : Don't tell him I asked. Btw I didn't forget about those 10 bucks you « borrowed » from me. Give it back.] He didn't answer. You sighed and decided to go see Sabo to settle things down. It was the first time that you were embarrassed to see your best friend. You dressed up in a black skirt and t shirt. You didn't usually pay attention to your looks when you went to hang out at Sabo's, but you were really stressed out and what the girls have said about Koala made you scared of losing him. After all, you had some abandonment issues. You had to settle this down once and forever. You arrived at the guy's place, it was an apartment not so far from your own student flat. You knocked on the door and Ace opened : -Ohhh, (Y/N), he whistles, lookin' like a girl today huh ? -What are you implying you dumbass ? Where's Sabo ? -He's in his room with Koala.- -Wait what ? Koala ? What is she doing here ? Ace raised an eyebrow then said amused ; -I don't know, go ask him yourself. -You're useless as usual. -Always so sweet. You on your period or something ? -I didn't forget about my twenty bucks by the way. -I said I'm goin' to pay you back alright ? Now go talk to Sabo. You and Ace were always teasing each other in a brotherly way, but in reality, he really cared for you, it was just your usual way of communication. But it was true that knowing that Koala was in Sabo's room put you in a bad mood. You knocked on the door with a knot in your stomach. Did they start dating ? Was Sabo interested in her ? These ideas were torturing you. But why did you care anyways ? It was none of your business. He could date whoever he wants. You opened the door but there was only Sabo relaxing on his bed, still fully clothed. « - Sabo ?-Oh, (Y/N), what brings you here ? -Why ? Do I need a reason to see my best friend ? He sits on bed looking at you. He doesn't fail to notice your cute outfit, it was different from your usual sweatpants and hoodies, the way it complemented your figure was almost too much for him. Just that sight was driving him insane, but his face didn't betray his emotions, like always, he acted friendly, not an ounce of lust in his dark ebony eyes. You took place next to him. He smelled good, you thought. The same fresh minty smell as last time. Did he always smell this good ? -(Y/N) ?Huh ? Is everything okay ? His voice seemed concerned.He cared for you. And you had those stupid immature and posessive thoughts. Get a grip of yourself, (Y/N), you thought. -Oh yea-- wasn't Koala here ? Ace told me you were with her.

You tried so hard to act like you didn't care, but he knew you like the back of his hand. But still, he played along. -Hmm..Yes. She just left. I was going out as well. He says with a sweet smile, looking at his watch. You couldn't help but make a disappointed face. -But Sabo I wanted to - I'm really sorry (Y/N), let's talk later. He ruffles your hair and you close your eyes as he does so. You felt stressed out. What happened exactly ? You felt intimidated in his presence for the first time. You wanted him to stay and talk this out. It was a bit awkward for you now. You never thought too much. As he was going out of the room you held the fabric of his coat tight in your hand ; -Sabo- -Hum ? Need me to drop you somewhere ? -N-no. You let his sleeve go, realizing what you have just done, I'll stay a bit then go back home. Don't worry about me. -Alright then. See you later ? -Yeah. See ya. ]

You looked at Sabo go away and you followed him shortly after. Meanwhile Ace was sitting on the couch and watching some movies. You went back home and was quite tormented. It wasn't the right time to worry as you had your assignments and studies to deal with. On one hand, you didn't even have the time to think of your ex boyfriend and his cheating but on the other, you felt like you were let down by Sabo. But why ? He didn't do anything. He just found himself a new friend and a potential new girlfriend.

He didn't even talk about her, but why where you so upset by him meeting her ? After all, he had the right to date just like you always did.

A few days have passed and you didn't get the chance to talk to Sabo. Your exams were getting closer and closer and you didn't feel ready.

Usually, Sabo would help you with your assignments but you were too scared to ask. You realized how much you relied on him and how he has been always there for you.

Who were you exactly to him ?

Maybe you took him for granted.

As you were on your bed looking at the ceiling and trying to collect every drop of motivation in your system to study, you heard your phone ring. It was Sabo's ringtone ! ----- Tag list : @vemuabhi @chloe-abbacchio @mwls-garden @soanywaysistartedsimping If you wanna get tagged just ask for it :)

[saranghanuuu]

HOW CHINESE DRAMA UNFORGETTABLE LOVE SHOWED US THE IMPORTANCE OF A FAMILY + REVIEW!

Family provides support and security

They love and understand you

They protect you from external influences

Family gives the earth a center!

It's an important foundation to raise a child

They aid in making decisions

Family makes us who we are

A Cdrama with a decent storyline and acting – filled with romance and enough comedic value, but fell short in delineating the main conflict.

Story: 8.5 / 10

Although already an overused plot, contractual relationships never get old. We always welcome dramas where this trope gets creatively re-used, and this time, it's in the form of an established CEO getting into a contractual marriage with a child psychologist to help treat his son's PTSD. The drama hit it off with me from the get-go! It took a few episodes before the story set foot on the main plot — a very sane move 'coz the drama will surely appear half-baked if done otherwise. Of course, this cliché story will never be complete without our bickering main couple, their funny yet heart-fluttering forced skinship, until love comes into fruition in their pseudo-affair.

But then, as much as I wanted to give it a perfect 10, the number of loopholes I tried to overlook in the drama (especially towards the end) is intolerable. The ending is sweet but feels rushed. The accident that drove the story into what it is wrapped up so prematurely. I still give it to them that the backstory is not what I expected. I just wished they gave us more narrative about it, tie up the loose ends, and round it all off.

Acting/Cast - 9 / 10

The whole casts are exceptional, even our cutie-pie Lennon Sun who played the adorable Xiaobao. I heard Lennon was just 4 years old at the time of filming and that Unforgettable Love is his first drama, but I can never tell 'coz he nailed the role perfectly! If you can just imagine how I melted when I heard Xiaobao speak for the first time in the drama. He's grown on me ever since the first scene I saw him.

As for our main couple, I didn't buy the chemistry between Miles Wei and Hu Yixuan at first. But as episodes went along, I came to acknowledge how cute their pairing is! Their kissing scenes are not awkward to watch (they drove me crazy as a matter of fact). Miles, Yixuan, and Lennon's acting are well-coordinated, making them naturally look like a lovely family of three.

I've no issues with the supporting casts as well, except for one - Shi Qing Yan's portrayal as Lin Wei is excellent, but the drama made her character seem like a filler to the story. I get it that Lin Wei's supposed to help build up the tension and disturb our CP's blossoming romance. However, after the troubles she caused in Qiaoyan's company and life, she just fled off from the picture and eventually sought comfort with (none other than) Ning Fang. Like... What?! The writers are to blame, I know. And I, too, will approve to give everyone a happily ever after. Nevertheless, isn't this last-minute matchmaking rather offbeat? I don't know, but there, I said it.

Music 8 / 10

The OSTs have a low recall to me (except for the opening theme) but they fit very well with the scenes in the drama.

Rewatch value - 8.5 / 10

There are lots of better dramas than this, but Xiaobao is enough of a reason to make me rewatch this drama some time in the future. I still can't get enough of his cuteness!

Overall rating: 8.5 / 10

It's a pity that the drama's potential flaked out at the last minute. But if you're just in for the fun and will not try to overthink, I'm sure watching this will be an enjoyable ride. Just beware of the occasional moments offering secondhand embarrassment and sexual tensions giving pure cringe. Overall, Unforgettable Love is one cute and fun Cdrama to binge on♥︎

Btw, I made a FMV about this drama! I really enjoyed making this haha😊

[liyuesbian]

✧ pygmalion!au [ningguang]

notes: btw idk how commissions from museums work i just made the process up LMAO and this one's kinda angsty? i mean, it is the pygmalion greek myth so iykyk. also, i describe this figurine of ningguang here but w/o the colour... i've linked it in case any1 needs the reference. (btw, this is not set in ancient greece specifically)

only yesterday had you been commissioned by an art gallery in the capital to create a piece for their up-and-coming collection titled desire, love and identity. yet here you are, slaving away to make the perfect image you had in your head come into fruition. your vision is exquisite once sketched on paper—you can't find any faults in it so you take the risk.

as soon as your chisel meets the marble, a feeling so invigorating dominates your body. no further references are necessary as you place your trust entirely on your hands, coarse from the labour. you find such mindless toil addicting and you work day and night, only stopping for a half-baked meal and the odd collapse into bed.

for months, love streams out of the tips of your fingers and through your sculpting tools to arrive at the stone figure. you sincerely hope the intimate emotion has been reached.

when you finish, you wipe the bead of sweat running down your forehead, rest the other palm on your hip and take slow steps backwards all while maintaining eye contact with the statue. a wave of sweet relief hits you and you fall to the floor, uncontrollably sobbing into tired hands that still grip the hammer and chisel.

it's beautiful.

you stagger, struggling to get up with your bruised knees while clumsily wiping the tears off your stained cheeks. setting the instruments aside, you lift your head to admire your handiwork up close. a woman made of stone sits elegantly atop an oriental chair, crossing her smooth, white legs over each other. her left elbow is propped on the arm of the chair while on the other side, a long smoking pipe is balanced between gloved fingers. around her lies an assortment of objects: a vase containing scrolls, a floor lamp, and a charmingly decorated folding screen.

you see, you had already thought it all out. you'd imagined ningguang's preferences for a life of luxury, her affinity for constructing and sprucing up interiors. she would be a master of the trades and a woman who likes to keep an air of mystery around her. and like how you increasingly project her to be more of a person than she ever will be, there is a creeping concern in the corner of your mind that you will lose your rationality just as quickly.

the sculpture's body is clad in a qipao with a slit that reveals alabaster skin below the waist. the dress—embellished with patterns and neat linings—hugs her figure and shows off a lean build. the extensive train and sleeves of the fabric are shaped curvaceously to mirror the flow of a waterfall. and her face. the section you strived so hard to refine. she stares at you with an imperious expression and a hint of a smirk. her gaze, so piercing, makes you avert your eyes in shyness but you find yourself gravitating back to her profile.

you muster up the courage to draw closer to your creation and unconsciously stroke her cheek with your thumb, captivated. if she were an empress, you'd be a common peasant—undeserving of setting your sights on such a goddess. you can feel your soul being sucked into eyes devoid of emotion—of anything, actually. after all, the woman sitting before you is not a person but an inanimate object.

the weeks following the completion of ningguang—which is the name you've picked up the habit of calling her—are spent in said lady's company. every minute of every day, you surround yourself with her presence as if she is your closest friend. you eat with her, tell her your troubles, even going so far as to decorate her with various types of jewellery and bringing her gifts you think she'd like.

"thank you," you whisper. "for always listening to me." in truth, you're always so immersed in your work that you forgot what conversations could feel like. though, you fear your art would never be on par with something so transcendent ever again.

you become curious, wondering what she would be like if the nymph in front of you were not just a figment of your imagination.

you perch yourself on top of ningguang's stone-cold lap and trace the contours of her visage. you inspect each crease on her lips and the minuscule crinkles in her eyes, applauding yourself for the well-crafted details. you don't know what possesses you but you close your eyes and press your lips against hers, hoping that once you open them, a living being would erupt from underneath the marble. but, of course, as soon as the light hits your retinas, ningguang is as unmoving as ever.

realising what you've just done, you drop off of her thighs and laugh anxiously. however, you could've sworn that you had felt warmth in the lips of your beloved muse.

"i've finally gone mad!" you cry aloud.

hell, you say to yourself, is it even possible to fall in love with such an... an artefact? you dismiss your glaringly obvious infatuation.

"nonsense," you mutter under your breath, sensing your heart breaking slightly. how can something so painfully humanlike also not be human at the same time? you must've caused a tremendous atrocity in your past life to have made the gods harbour a grudge against you. of all things, you'd never have guessed that a lifeless piece of art would be the object of your desire.

you can't bear to look at the handcrafted lady any longer and with an anguished face, cover her with a large cotton cloth. the plan was to wait until you could hand the statue over to the curators and try to ignore its existence until then.

for a few days, you act according to the plan, going about your daily routine but eventually, your stoic demeanour crumbles. you lock yourself in your room refusing to eat or believe that your affection would never be returned.

during the hours of sunlight, you weep under your sheets, drowning in self-inflicted sorrow. and at night, you do the same, lamenting over the loss of what could've been your true love. she would've been so perfect in your eyes, your other half, and the only one who could calm this growing turmoil!

the reality pains you. hence, you do the only thing you can do: you pray. you pray to the gods for a miracle, that the light of your life would stride into your room and pull you from the depths of despair... but she never does.

your last day "cohabitating" with the sculpture has arrived and for the first time in—what felt like—an eternity, you open the doors to your workshop. taking a deep breath, you unveil the stationary maiden.

it's still as beautiful as you remember.

you give it a sad smile, wanting to get its departure over and done with. you manoeuvre about the room to prepare the things for the movers who're due to come in a couple of hours. while you go down your little list of errands to be done, you cough and bat away the smoke—wait, the smoke? frantic, you spin around, eyes darting everywhere in search of its origin until they land on the smoking pipe you so intricately moulded for the commissioned piece.

it's strange, you don't recall colouring the statue. and how on earth is smoke coming out of the pipe? suspicious, you approach the motionless entity and almost stumble when you spot its chest rising.

oh lord! — i really must be descending into madness! you clutch your head, clawing at your hair in hysteria.

"stop, please don't hurt yourself." the sound of a low, worried voice penetrates your ears. you shut your eyes tight.

"no, the gods have cursed me! i mustn't listen to your poisonous words!" you exclaim. your state of agitation is alleviated when the woman caresses your tensed arm.

"what has happened to you? i haven't seen you lately either." the tone is more soft and more tender than you had imagined. you release your grip.

"is it really you, ningguang?" your voice cracks at the end, and the woman you sought after witnesses your features twist into an expression of longing and hope.

"yes, my darling. i dare not go anywhere else."

helplessly, you rush to cup her face to check for heat, for the blood traversing under her skin—anything that would prove that your sweetheart is truly alive and breathing. and when you do get the confirmation, you beam, trying to withhold tears born from elation.

you bend down to kiss ningguang, who is still seated on the chair, once, twice, and three times to rid your scepticism. oh, deities! she's real.

"i love you," you declare.

"i know." you watch as the same creases you'd etched on the corners of her eyes spread into a loving half-moon shape and you kiss her again.

you reach a conclusion: you couldn't give away your lover—let alone a live person—to be displayed as part of a museum exhibition so when the workers arrive, you hide your muse away in another room. you apologise profusely and spin a lie, rambling on about how you had nothing to relinquish for the piece you had prepared had been oh-so-viciously stolen by a mob of trespassers!

the movers share with you their sympathies and ask what the work of art looks like and maybe they could sort something out with the authorities. nodding, you recount—so ardently—the details of your divine maiden. you feel heat rush to your face, chuckling when you realise that you'd run your mouth for too long.

in response to this, the two labourers exchange dubious looks as they peer at the static sculpture standing in the middle of the studio—its appearance unmistakably matching your elaborate description.

[maplecornia]

Chapter 3

𝔴𝔬𝔯𝔡 𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔱: 3.06K

𝔤𝔢𝔫𝔯𝔢: romance | slice of life | fluff | angst | bts x female!reader | ot7

𝔰𝔲𝔪𝔪𝔞𝔯𝔶: You watched them from the sidelines ever since you were a young teenage girl. Now you’re grown up, they’ve returned after 2 long years and everything has changed. What happens when you pull back the mask and find the darkness within? What happens when you see that they’re broken?

𝔞/𝔫: everytime I upload a chapter my tags increase LMAO i hope you guys are enjoying the story so far ^^ BTW when they're speaking and their words are bolded that means they're speaking in English just a heads up ;)

𝔴𝔞𝔯𝔫𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔰: cliffhangers | angst | fluff | slight mentions of self hatred | depression | mental health illness | self harm | occurs in the year 2024 | set in a timeline where BTS went to the military together | slight language

tags: @kookaine | @fangirl125reader | @kookiebbyxx | @taradevonne

What is he doing here?

And whose clothes do those belong to?

You mouth his name, and in his eyes, you can see the surprise turn to shame.

The sick feeling in your stomach grows bigger.

You pray that you're wrong. That for the first time in your life, your intuition isn't correct. That what you think happened was merely a misunderstanding. That he didn't do what you think he did.

You want to reassure yourself that you didn't give up your heart in vain.

That he still loves you.

But everything points to the signs.

The fact that he only wears boxers, his smooth muscled skin shining in the soft moonlight.

The pile of mixed clothes on the floor.

The look in his eyes and the ruffled mess of his hair.

Everything tells you what you already know.

"What's going on?" you ask, your voice shaking. He doesn't meet your eyes.

The sick feeling grows deeper in your chest.

"What's going on?" you repeat, your voice stronger and more severe.

Even if your heart can't stand strong, at least you can.

He opens his mouth to reply, but instead, you hear a woman's voice from the bedroom.

Your bedroom.

"Babe, who is that?" you can't seem to look away from the door that it materialized from, as he looks between it and you, unsure of what to do. As though he were the one trapped. As though he were the one who was in pain. As though he were the victim here.

Instead of the murderer.

As she comes into view in the doorway, rubbing her eyes and running her hands through her hair, you can't move. You're frozen, and the world completely disappears, a roar of static noise rising in your ears.

No.

No.

NO.

This can't be happening. Not to you. You were so careful. You were so sure. So sure that he felt the same. So sure that he was yours and yours alone. So sure that nothing would be able to break what you shared. That you had finally found the one.

However, as she looks at you, her green eyes spark with realization. Then as they quickly turn to shame, she avoids your gaze as well.

You know.

This is happening.

It's real.

And there's no turning back from it.

You can't feel yourself as you start to cry.

In the shower, the hot water clings to your skin, mixing with the tears. You lean against the tiled wall, squeezing your eyes shut, you cling to yourself. Nails digging into your flesh, you bite your lip, shaking violently.

Mixed images of his face flash through your mind unwillingly.

Hiding alone, the steam surrounding you in a thick veil of deception, you give in to the pain.

You allow the tears to come.

You allow his face to stare into yours once more. You paint the same hazelnut gaze of his eyes. You try to recall the safety you once felt when he held you in his arms. You pull pieces of the same warmth that rose in your cold body flushing your face when he smiled at you, out of the depths of your mind. You look for the tenderness reflecting in his eyes when he whispered that he loved you. You sigh as you remember the way his curly hair had felt on your skin as you ran your hands through it. You picture his perfectly sculpted face, high cheekbones, and long eyelashes. The strong jaw and full lips. The curve of his throat and the touch of his body.

The mirage holds you in its embrace, makes you forget everything, all the pain, all the hurt, the betrayal that tore your soul apart for his pleasure.

However, when it leans in to kiss you, your eyes fly open to reality, and you find yourself hugging your body, the shower still running.

Shaking your head, you proceed to clean yourself, hoping that perhaps the water could wash away the pain.

Some things weren't enough. Some things are not good to dwell over. Some things are better left locked away.

In the end, it wasn't real.

None of it was real.

Done with the shower, you turn the water off, strands of hair falling in your face, and droplets of water dripping off of your body.

Was any part you enough to keep him?

Was this body?

Was it enough to have him wait for you?

Looking down at yourself, you press your fingers against your stomach, pulling at the flesh and skin as though it would change anything.

Were you enough?

Shaking the thought out of your mind, you reach for your towel as you open the shower curtain and step out into the steamy bathroom. Flipping on the fan switch, you dry yourself off, avoiding the reflection in the mirror. You lotion your body down, before pulling on your bra and underwear. Ignoring the drips from your hair, you tug on a loose T-shirt and shorts, and shake out your head, water falling everywhere as though you were a wet dog.

Sighing, you turn to the mirror, where fog from the shower is fading, water droplets trailing down like rain and making pathways. You follow them with your eyes for a moment before, in a sudden urge, you swipe your hand across the screen, destroying their peaceful journey. What's left of your reflection.

Staring into your eyes, you can see just how tired you look. Just how worn down you are. Touching just below your eye, the dark circles under your eyes from restless nights of tears and loss of sleep stand out like a stain on your skin.

What has he done to you?

This isn't you, this isn't who you are.

What has he turned you into?

Sighing, you turn away from the mirror and pull on your robe.

Drying your hair off with your towel, you pull open the door and walk outside, your wet feet slapping on the crisp wood floor as you make your way into the living room.

You look around for any sign of Jae or Miji, but they are nowhere to be seen. Glancing over at the kitchen island, you spot a small piece of paper. Taking it into your fingers, you read the neat block letters of Jaejin's handwriting. His Korean alphabet is so structured, so neat and so straight as though it were the writing of a computer. It reads:

“Hey, I’m sorry we left, but Mijeong prepared a surprise birthday dinner for me tonight, we’ll be back later so help yourself to make dinner or whatever. Remember this is your home now too, I love you!!”

You smile at the thoughtful letter and pocket it in your robe.

You had prepared a gift for Jae today yourself, but you'd reckon you'd just give it to him later.

Turning to the room you take a deep breath before beginning to explore.

The living room is very spacious, which you prefer. The TV is elevated on the left wall from the kitchen, the couch positioned against the right wall across from the screen. In the middle of the room, there is a cute small glass coffee table with forgotten magazines and books laying on top of it. Underneath the TV there are many different bookshelves with movies, books, and magazines shelved on them. All around the apartment, there are potted plants, cute decorations, and some photographs.

Stepping onto the carpet, you dig your feet into it as though it were the warm sand on the beach.

"I would have been fine sleeping on this floor, you know. This is like heaven." You murmur to yourself, closing your eyes in content. You wait there for a moment before the soft plinks of rain begin outside, knocking you out of your stupor.

Opening your eyes, you turn to the balcony's clear screen door and press your hand against it. Gazing outside, you smile at the sight of rain against the lights of the city. Opening the door a crack, you close your eyes, taking a deep breath.

After a moment, you step back inside and shut the screen door, turning to the kitchen. You pull out a pot and fill it with water before setting it on the ceramic stove and heating it. As you wait for it to boil, you pull out your phone and turn the notifications off from vibration. As soon as you do, you click on your Instagram and into the group chat you share with your friends.

Looking through, you can't help but feel a bit conflicted.

Biting your lip, your finger hovers over the message box before you quickly pull away and place your phone on the counter. Letting out a shaky breath, you swallow the lump rising dangerously in your throat before looking away.

You're sensitive today.

You knew it was going to be like this.

When you moved in the middle of high school back home, it was the same. Their lives carried on without you. They still had fun, they still had other things to do, they still had a life outside of you. Outside of you being there.

Things were different.

They were still your friends, they'll always be your friends, but they weren't the same.

Will they ever be the same?

When you hear the crackling of the boiling water, your head snaps up and you pocket the phone once more. You pull the pot off the stove and grab a mug out of one of the many cabinets in Jae's kitchen. As you set it beside the cooling water on the counter, you search his pantry for a cocoa mix. Normally you would have tea, but right after the sight of the rain, you're in the mood for something to warm you from the inside out.

Something to remind you of home.

On cold, rainy days after you and your friends would practice at the dance studio, or finish having a meal together or anything simple like that; you would hurry home and with your group, you would make them cocoa. You would start a fire and would sit with each other spending the time together, happy and complete.

The nostalgia and sadness growing too much, you are relieved when you find the hot cocoa packets. You let out a little shout of happiness and accomplishment before walking out of the pantry and dumping the contents into the cup. Setting the packet aside, you take the pot of water and carefully pour it into the cup as well. While the powder and water slowly swirl together, you rummage for a spoon before mixing it. Once you're satisfied, you sip it carefully and...

...almost burn your tongue off.

Coughing violently, you set it down and focus on putting away everything you brought out, giving it time to cool off. Once everything is done and put away, you pick up your mug, holding it to your face as you softly blow on it. Even now the smell and the warmth of it is getting rid of the chill you feel whenever you're alone.

Settling yourself amongst the blankets and pillows on the couch, you take the TV remote off of the coffee table and turn on the TV. Netflix pops up and you search for a K- drama you were watching before you left. When you find it, you press play, leaving off captions so that you can practice your Korean a bit more.

As the intro starts, you hum along to it, setting up a sort of bed so you can watch comfortably. Once it's done, you lay down, your head sinking into a pillow comfortably, and a soft gray blanket pulled over your body. You're in a position so that you can still lounge but won't spill your cocoa.

As the show begins, you mouth the words along with them. When you can't catch what they say, you're quick to rewind it and try it again until you understand. You laugh with the show, cry with it, finding yourself on an emotional roller coaster.

You've always been like this, too emotional, too easily attached, too naive. Always careful to keep yourself at a reasonable distance from anyone who could hurt you. From anyone who you couldn't handle if they left you. It takes a while for you to open yourself up to someone, and when you do, you're wholly and completely theirs.

It's a lose-lose situation.

A lose-lose way of life.

Before you know it, the cocoa is gone and the episode is almost over. Setting the mug on the coffee table, you settle back into the pillow. As you watch, your eyes grow heavy, and you drift further and further away. The last thing you see before you close them is their touching kiss before they flutter shut and you fall into a restless sleep.

Hours pass as you lie there on the couch, sleeping. The show continues to play until the question "are you still watching?" shows up on the screen as it often does when you've been watching for a while without much activity.

Once the show is off, the apartment goes silent and it seems almost empty. In the far background, there are the sounds of cars honking, the screech of tires on the pavement, even the sound of music from the billboards and clubs.

This is like home, these sounds are familiar. These are the reasons why you sleep so soundly, hugging the pillow as though it were your lifeline.

You do not wake when Mijeong and Jaejin enter the apartment. They are laughing, but as soon as they see you on the couch, fast asleep, they fall quiet, each one of them smiling softly.

They hold unimaginable compassion for you and deep love.

Mijeong immediately sets down her stuff, sliding out of her shoes and walking towards you. Tenderly, she brushes back your hair as though she were your mother taking care of you.

“She’s sound asleep.” She whispers, just as Jaejin joins her side.

“That’s not like her. She’s such a light sleeper, she would have woken up when we came home.” He replies worry reflected in his eyes. Mijeong’s smile, at his statement, fades away and she nods.

“She must be in so much pain that she wants to drown out the world around her,” Mijeong says sadly before standing up and clearing her throat.

“Let's take her to her room.” When Jaejin doesn't move, she gives him an expectant look and he jolts to attention. She hits him softly on his arm and he lets out a slight joking yelp.

"I was going to do it, I just wasn't ready yet." He whines, and she chuckles before leading the way to your room as Jaejin picks you up with strong, sure arms. Cradled in his arms as though you were a baby, he looks down at you with a tender look. He hates that he can't help you.

No one can.

He smiles how sound asleep you are now, cradled in his arms, your head resting against the crook of his neck. Mijeong, watching the encounter, smiles as well. He notices her look and his attention changes immediately from you to her in a second.

“What is it?” he asks, and she shakes her head, opening the door to your newly acclaimed bedroom.

“Nothing.” She says but a sly smile is playing at her lips, as though she’s concealing a secret. Which she is. A secret that, at that moment, she thought he would make a great father. A secret that at that moment, she wanted things with him that were far off in the future, but very real to her now.

As they walk into your room, Mijeong pulls back the covers, and Jaejin sets you down softly on the bed. Once you are out of his arms, and Mijeong pulls the covers up over your body, you settle instinctively into the soft mattress, and immediately curl up into a ball, holding tightly to one of the many pillows on your bed. They smile as they watch over you, and Jaejin presses a soft kiss on your forehead. Mijeong does the same, brushing back strands of hair on your forehead. Turning around, they share a tender look before walking out of the room and cracking the door shut behind them.

“Are you sure that she’ll be okay?” Mijeong asks as soon as the door is shut. Jaejin looks at her a bit surprised.

“Of course. Why, are you having second thoughts?” he asks before heading into the living room, Mijeong not far behind.

"No. I'm not, I just....I wish we could tell her before we do anything. She's going to wake up and we'll be gone." Mijeong explains, following him and settling on the counter. Jaejin pauses from setting the living room in order and turns to her. He takes her hand in his own and kisses her softly on the forehead before pressing his forehead to hers tenderly.

"I love you, and I wish we could have told her before we leave tomorrow, but she will be okay. She'll have the apartment, and my job at Big Hit to take over. Everything will be okay." He reassures her. Mijeong hesitates before nodding her head in agreement. Jaejin smiles, before pulling away and turning off the TV. "Besides, I'll leave her a note just like we did tonight before we take off in the morning. This is just too much of an amazing opportunity for you and for me to waste."

"I know." Mijeong answers, rocking on the counter as she swings her legs back and forth. "Not every model gets a chance to appear at Fashion Week, but Jae....she'll be all alone."

Done with ordering the room, he chuckles as he begins to make his way back to her.

"She is a grown-up you know. It’s only a few months, she can take care of herself." He says, pulling her off the counter and spinning around in the air before setting her down as she giggles and leans on him, a little dizzy.

"Don't worry," he reassures her once more before heading into their room, his voice fading as he closes the door behind him.

"Yen will be okay. She always is."

𝔫𝔬𝔱𝔢: thanks to everyone who read! so why do you think miss Yen moved to Korea?

+

I'm going to be updating my mutuals list (because I never had it to begin with ;-;) on my navigation so if you want to be added, pls ask me ^^ thankssss

chapter 4 here

check the Infinite Stars masterlist for more chapters

check my BTS masterlist for other BTS content

check out my masterlist for other kpop fanfics

[beautifulterriblequeen]

B2:S - Chapter 5

Much of this series will be about the differences and additions in the novel version, and how they contribute to my understanding of story canon. But there will be character appreciation, the odd theory and headcanon, and suchlike as well.

Here be lots of Viren deets, Best Boy Soren deets, some writing/continuity stuff, worldbuilding appreciation and half of a theory, Detective Rayla, Moon Temple geeking, Claudium and dark magic, and more!

Spoilers for Book Two: Sky below.

(I know for darn sure that I wrote up a post for chapter 4, but I can't find it anywhere so I guess Tumblr ate it and I'll have to redo it at some point, but today is not that day)

Viren, my evil dude, my bad guy, coming in clutch with the worldbuilding and backstory again! If you want to know decades of information, you gotta talk to Viren. Or read his scenes, at least. Here, he seems to not sleep much when he has a big problem to analyze his way through. Solutions trump pretty much everything else in this guy's life, and he's had a really hard week with a lot of new and complicated problems. Of course he's getting sleep-deprived trying to find his way through them all.

Harrow put so much trust in Viren when he made him High Mage! He just threw himself extra hard at that Lady Justice blindfold, didn't he? Didn't really want to see what Viren was doing in his magic study, so he left Viren to his devices. And Viren has a lot of devices.

Also, this is fascinating: Viren made the secret passage to his "less official study" in Katolis Castle! And he was inspired to do so by the way his own mentor kept the Puzzle House. What else could a Puzzle House be, except a place with secret passages? Yay! secret headcanon that "the Puzzle House" is just "Katolis Castle" from Kid Viren's perspective tho

So either Viren built all of those passageways, or at least the ones to his dungeon. Which means he has to have, or know where to get, a stash of those glowing blue Moonshadow crystals. Hmmm.

I can't wait to learn more about Kpp'Ar and young Viren, btw. From this description of Viren and all his literal secret ways, it feels like another parallel between Viren and Runaan, with the whole "secretive paths, members only, insider knowledge" type stuff. Only the really cool members of this cult club get to know the secrets, and guess what, kid, you're cool now but you can never tell anyone, okay? Our secret.

Yeahhh, that'll never backfire in any way for either of them.

Kpp'Ar calling puzzles and secrets "man-made magic," though. Yes sir, knowledge is indeed power.

This chapter mentions Runaan by name, from Viren's perspective. Generally that would imply that Viren knows his name, even though assassins do not share their names, and Runaan didn't seem to give his to Viren in the first book. However, there was a scene in book one where the last paragraph switched perspective from Viren to Runaan - a technique that's very common in visual media like movies and shows and gives you that "ohoho they left the room and didn't notice this, but you do!" vibe. Using Runaan's name there in book one, where Viren couldn't see it but readers could, helps them keep track of the assassin's story arc while maintaining Viren's racism.

So in book two, in which Runaan has no onscreen scenes (alas), using his name in a scene that calls back to the events in book one helps us remember what happened in that dungeon cell. It would be a bit muddier to recall the specifics if Viren kept thinking about Runaan as "Elf." So I'm cool with the perspective nudge because it serves a narrative purpose: clarity. But I'm also enjoying the angst of considering that, somehow, Viren learned Runaan's name either during or after the coining spell. Mwa ha ha haaa. (Obligatory "Keep my pretty name outta your mouth" goes here)

Okay, back to Viren's scheming! He took the mirror because it was human-sized in a dragon lair. He knew it didn't really fit there, and that made it interesting, so he stole it. But he realized it was really powerful when Runaan wouldn't tell him squat about it - the assassin's instinct to protect Xadian secrets from human hands meant that Viren was holding a very powerful Xadian secret. And that just made him want it all the more. Ah, Runaan, if only your relationship with lying was, like, the exact opposite of what it is. Nyx could've spun Viren a believable tale in 2 minutes flat.

Also of interest: Viren considers his cursed coins to be a final fate. He expects Runaan to remain in his coin forever. With the Chekhov's coins still extant in the storyline, we can assume that they'll come up again eventually, but Viren has no current plans to do anything with his elf money except carry it around.

It's worth noting that Viren admits that he got impatient when he trapped Runaan in the coin. Runaan's first fate in Katolis was supposed to be death at Soren's hands, but Claudia "saved" him from that. His next fate was to become spell components, but Viren's frustration with his stubbornness "saved" him from that fate, too. So now he's in a coin, where no one can chop him up at all. Yay? No, boo!

We get one last line about Runaan before Viren shifts gears: he makes a point of noting for us that Runaan's shackles are still locked shut. However much of Runaan made it into that coin - body, soul, hair care products - he was magicked there, pulled right out of his restraints.

The creepy black liquid that Viren pours right into his eyes is the last of a powerful potion he got from Kpp'Ar, and its recipe is ancient! Humans used it back in the age of Elarion to see through the illusions of the world. And we get a delightfully creepy bit of description about the preparation of this serum, which makes it abundantly clear that it's a Moon magic-based concoction, harvested from eyeless vipers on a moonless night, with the threat of irrevocable madness ("madness" by whose definition, though) if it's done wrong-

Hang on. Hold up. This is a Plato's Cave reference. OH MY GOD.

No no I'm fine, this is brilliant. Sorry, sorry, I couldn't figure why there was so much description for a potion prep that Viren didn't even have to perform himself. But now I get it. I see the light. HA. I should make a separate post for this, it's amazing.

Anyway, for reference, the humans who used this serum were called the Oracles of Ophidia, and Ophidia is a taxonomy group that includes all modern snakes. Can you say "creepy ancient snake rites"? I can! Woo!

Viren activates the serum with a spell, but apparently he's never done it before. He's not sure if it's supposed to be hot and bubbly, and he worries that it's been tainted by moonlight.

Oh, I do hope so.

The magic potion hurts, a lot. Viren will do just about anything, to himself or anyone, to do what he believes is necessary. He just risked madness and blindness to find out what this mirror does! Viren. Can you just. Take a nap or something. Have a Snickers.

This chapter gives us a fun clue that I don't remember from the show: when Viren's vision clears and he can see, his reflection has white pupils and the room reflected in the mirror has inverted colors. You know where else has inverted colors?

You know who else got white pupils for a hot second?

Okay, now it makes sense! Viren and Lujanne were both seeing into the realm beyond life and death. Him with his moon magic potion, and her with her moon powers on a full moon night at the Moon Nexus. Which is Very Interesting! Is it a direct hint about Aaravos's location, or just a separate cool detail? Orrr, does it look like a direct hint because Aaravos is actually trapped in the world beyond life and death, but it's actually separate and we'll see something about white pupils again later on?

Viren really does have self-esteem issues, we all picked up on it with his rant at his reflection. He throws a fit when he catches himself wondering if he's actually worthless. In the book version of his tantrum, he shoves the mirror and hurls a candelabra instead of flipping a table. He didn't need to shove the mirror to set the fire, but it's in here. Foreshadowing that perhaps, if push comes to shove, Viren will choose himself over Aaravos? Giving Aaravos time to peek through and see that the coast is clear?

Soren, my boyyyyy. He has a rough night at the Moon Nexus because two sides of him are fighting with each other. He struggles to understand Callum's friendship with Rayla, and he also fantasizes about chopping off Rayla's head. One of these is a pretty ordinary thing to do. The other is Soren's internalization of what he needs to do to gain his father's approval. If he brought his dad a chopped off elf head every week, he'd probably feel a lot more confident because Viren would praise him a lot more.

Okay, okay, omg, is it just me, or does the "Moonshadow Madness" story, as it's told in the book, seem like Soren just doesn't know what a monsterfucker is? He thinks an elf bite puts humans under a spell. But vampires are sexy, and some people want them to do more to them than just bite them. A passionate kiss under the moonlight could look very bitey, especially if one of the participants has horns and you're already culturally trained to hate them. No yeah, I'm already headcanoning an actual human-elf kiss that got misunderstood by an observer long ago.

it's Lujanne isn't it, we all know, because what is a love spell but a sweet soft illusion, I mean how else does she get supplies for her Caldera, I ask you, and also Corvus was totally sent to investigate once and he told Soren at camp what he saw

And then back to magefam angst: Soren pretending that his sister's nose-tapping is stupid, even though he actually thinks it's cool, just because their dad thinks it's stupid. Viren, istg. Let your kids like harmless things. It's so cute that Soren taps his nose back at her, though! Like they have their own sibling code. I hope we get to see the nose tap again, especially now that they've chosen different sides. It could mean so much, that they're not too far apart yet.

Rayla knows what buttery pancakes smell like. I love this. Do Moonshadow elves have butter and pancakes, does Rayla eat a stack of eight giant pancakes in the morning? Orrrr it is just illusion food? I don't care, let Rayla have pancakes! Everyone loves pancakes. Pancakes will save the world. this message brought to you by the fact that I can't eat pancakes rn, send help

I love that Rayla is both sus of the pancakes and hungry, and that combines into a very motivated "I will get to the bottom of this" attitude. She kind of goes into Poirot Mode when she inserts herself into Soren and Ellis's conversation about Ava, explaining about the wolf's illusion leg and segueing into her claim that the pancakes taste sus. Claudia confirms she used dark magic, and Rayla is furious. It's different than the show's version in that it puts Rayla in detective mode, as the only Moonshadow elf in the scene, and boy does she take that role seriously. Also, she doesn't actually swallow the dark magic pancake bite. It ends up on the ground just like Lujanne's grubs from that earlier meal. These poor kids are so nutrient-starved. You guys gotta eat!!

Rayla's determination and prejudices and the fact that she super knows Harrow is dead all dovetail to make her try repeatedly to persuade Callum that Soren and Claudia are Not To Be Trusted. It's nice that the book keeps taking the time to point out that Rayla is Well Intentioned But Flawed, just like Callum and pretty much every other character in the show. No one is Right All The Time, no one Knows More Than Everyone Else.

Callum loving the sound of Claudia's unique voice is so wholesome. When you like someone, it only makes sense that you like all the things about them that they can't change - like the sound of Claudia's voice. Her choices with dark magic, not so much!

Claudia seems to have the same concerns Soren does about Callum's relationship with Rayla, but she comes out and asks him. The inherent possession implied in "your elf" is interesting, though. Elves are not people to Claudia. They're enemies who can be disassembled for the magic inside them. So maybe more like robots than living beings, if she knew what a robot was. Maybe she heard Soren's "Moonshadow Madness" story and realized he totally missed the kissing implications - but she didn't, and now she's genuinely worried that Rayla could kiss Callum under a full moon and enchant him to do her will. Good thing it's only a half moon, then!

Okay, Callum nervously making a puppet hand and then not knowing what to do with his hands and freaking out about itching and moving and pointy elbows is such a ND mood. The sudden stress of knowing that someone else is noticing your existence and maybe you're Not Existing Right, amirite? Ugh, poor Callum.

The Moon Temple! Omg it's so pretty in the description! Made to be beautiful and useful, full of knowledge but also allowing light and life inside (butterflies and vines). Lujanne, when can I move in, please? Also, it's all the more angsty because Lujanne is the only one who gets to see this beautiful place, but it has lots of chairs and shelves and tables, and it was meant to be used by lots of people. :(((

Claudia knows some of the runes on the walls. She isn't in a hurry to copy the rest of them down or anything, either. Her spellwriting is very precise, and she's a skilled mage. Her father would have made sure she was aware of the dangers of drawing sloppy runes, as much as he made her aware of the dangers of doing dark magic wrong. And the whole point of dark magic is that it's easier to learn than primal magic. Claudia supports her dad and their shared knowledge and life path. She's not gonna go nuts over an elf library she can't translate.

Side note: Between Claudia knowing some Moon runes and Viren building a secret passageway and a dungeon and lighting it with the same blue crystals that Lujanne and Ethari use for light--and Claudia exclaiming that she loves ruins--I wonder once more if there are really Moonshadow ruins somewhere in Katolis, which Viren has found and looted. Father-daughter relic hunting trip, maybe while Soren is away at camp? Omgsh that would be so wild!

Callum out here having a Viren moment with his "I feel powerless unless I've got magic that lets me help" vibes. God. I love their complicated mirroring. One of the hard differences between them is that Callum is very sure dark magic is bad because you have to kill stuff and take its power to cast spells, and he doesn't want to be a person who kills and takes like that. The line he walks to be nice to Claudia on their tour of the Cursed Caldera because he likes her, while telling her that he doesn't want to do her magic, like, ever, is so fine that it might as well be a shifting shadow on the ground. It's a very fitting conversation to be having during the half moon, with its tricks and little white lies.

Callum being out of the castle and his comfort zone, having to deal with the fact that the Claudia he loves is not quite the Claudia who's chasing him down across the kingdom, but of the two of them, he's the only one with a problem with this.

They say that if you really want to get to know someone, you should spend time with them outside their comfort zone - in heavy traffic, with a small baby, taking care of a new pet, trying a new skill, following unfamiliar directions, etc. While the castle is familiar territory for them both, Callum's never really found his comfort zone yet, while Claudia is pretty comfortable with her growing skill set. The creepy part starts to kick in when Callum begins to realize that Claudia's comfort zone encompasses a whole bunch of stuff that seems like it should make her uncomfortable... but it doesn't. But that'll be for a future chapter!

[duxhess-kryzewan]

Will you ever write a sequel of the Braxton Hicks story you wrote a few months ago? I just can't get the idea of Obi-Wan panicking and maybe almost missing the birth out of my head. Btw, I love your writing, keep at it!

- hicks, pt.2 - 

​The pain was blinding.

Everything was screaming in agony with each passing second, as if the baby was trying to tear her apart from the inside out and she can vaguely recall the mid-wife telling her that she would know the difference between Braxton-Hicks and the real thing. The woman was right, these are so, so much worse than anything she could have imagined.

"We're going to transfer you to the medical wing, your grace." One of her guards - the pain was too much for her to remember which - had told her.

"Obi-Wan." She says, "Where is Obi-Wan?"

There were only a handful of people within Sundari palace that knew the true parentage of her unborn child; a decision that both she and Obi-Wan had made when they first discovered she was pregnant in order to provide plausible deniability should anyone she didn't outwardly trust get questioned. Even with the hopeful outlook that the war would be ending there was till always the threat of someone seeking to harm her Jedi Knight, and he had sworn that they would never be collateral for his actions.

She had her own reasons too, of course. While Mandalore was prospering with it's new dawn of peace, there will always be those that won't forget that bloodshed between their people and the Jedi.

"We'll track him down ma'am," A nursemaid told her, "We'll send for him to meet you in the delivery room immediately."

Delivery room.

Delivery room.

Delivery room.

The baby was coming for real this time, and Obi-Wan was nowhere to be found.

----

"You're seven centimeters dilated, Satine." The doctor had told her shortly after another wave of pain crashed over her, "We won't have you push until you reach ten."

"I can't-" She pauses and sucks in a ragged breath as the most recent contraction makes itself known, "I can't have this baby without Obi-Wan here."

The doctor looks at her, both sympathy and amusement written across his features, "I'm sorry to say that they tend to come out when they please. But you have some time between now and then, he very well could get here before you have to start pushing."

When he leaves she's overcome with the crippling fear of loneliness. How could she ever manage to do this without him? All those nights they spent together, discussing the possibility of what would happen if he wasn't there when she went into labor was suddenly a reality, and the sadness that it brought was so heart crushing.  

They both had known of course that this was always part of the reality; that he may be off saving the galaxy somewhere else while she tries to bring their child into the world. But how she had hoped that the stars would align in their favor just this once.

And oh, she dreads how much guilt that he will carry around if he were to miss this. There would never be a harsher critic of Obi-Wan than Obi-Wan himself.

The door to the room opens, and for a moment she's filled with delight only for it all to be taken away from her when she realizes it's not him, but simply the mid-wife.

"Your grace," She says with a slight bow, "We've contacted Senator Amidala as you requested, she said she will send word to Master Kenobi as soon as she tracks down his location."

Satine nods solemnly, "Thank you. Please send word if you receive a response. I want updated no matter what the news is."

The young girl nods obediently and scurries out of the room. Yes, surely Padme would be able to track him down. She almost always knows where Anakin is, and where there is Anakin there's normally Obi-Wan not too far behind.

She thinks back to their conversation from the night they had thought she was going into labor, when they had gone back to bed after the scare of the Braxton-hicks had worn off.

"Oh, I’m petrified. But I’m more afraid of not being here when you actually do go into labor. The baby being born tonight would have been a bit unexpected, but at least I would have been here to go through it with you. The thought of you going through labor alone-”

“I want you by my side. Always.” She tells him, “But that is not the way we have chosen to live. If you are off saving the galaxy, then I will make sure our child knows that.”

“You are extraordinary.”

The pain subsides for a moment when she thinks of that night; how he had held her until she finally slipped back into a dreamless sleep. It was one of the rare occasions that he had been there for more than a single days time. He had been called away on a mission not long after, and had only just returned yesterday according to Padme.

He smiles and rubs his hand up and down the length of her stomach, “Wearing you out already.”

She reaches up and presses a lazy kiss to the corner of his mouth, “Well, they are your child, I would expect nothing less. You certainly like making my life difficult.”

He rolls his eyes, “I’m not even going to humor you with a response.”

A soft laugh escapes her just as her eyes begin to flutter close, “Next time you’re here they better be real.”

“Next time."

She grips the bedsheets tightly in her hands as another contraction blindsides her, and it wasn't long until the doctor and an assortment of nursemaids flooded the room, one of the younger ones holding her hand gently as the pain begins to subside and force does she wish that it was Obi-Wan's hand more than anything right now.

"You're at nine centimeters," the doctor informs her, "One more centimeter and you're going to start pushing."

​Everything inside of her hurts, from the aching in her chest from Obi-Wans lack of a presence to the baby that was trying so desperately to come out of her. It's the most overwhelming thing she's ever experienced and she vows then and there that he was never, ever going to get her pregnant again.

"Have you picked out a name?"

She stares blankly at the doctor, thrown off by the sudden inquisitiveness.

"A name?" The contractions were more frequent than before, one after another and she could hardly think straight.

"For the baby," he says, "Talk to me Satine, it'll help distract you."

She wants to laugh and tell him that she doesn't think anything can distract from this, but she doesn't have the energy.

"We've discussed a few," She says, letting out a slow and measured breath, "It all depends on what if they're a boy or girl. We wanted-" She pauses and takes in a deep breath, "To wait and meet them before choosing a name."

One of the nurses wipes at her forehead with a cool rag and smooths her hair back and out of her eyes.

"Are you hoping for a boy or girl?" The doctor continues, flashing her an encouraging smile.

"I'm hoping for a healthy baby." She says, because it's true. While the idea of having a daughter who she could dote on as she got older was certainly appealing, having a mini version of Obi-Wan running around in a son warmed her heart just as much. In the end, all that mattered was that they were healthy and here with her.

"We're going to find out very shortly." He tells her, "You're fully dilated. You're going to have to start pushing."

The urge to cry over takes her; partly due to the pain, partly in anticipation to finally meeting the child she had carried for 9 months, and partly because she would have to have this baby without Obi-Wan.

"I can't." She tells him, gripping the nurses hand even tighter.

He looks at her with sympathy and she can only imagine the state she must be in, "I'm sorry Satine, but it's time. I need you to push."

She doesn't want to do this without him, but she knows they're at the point of no return. She was going to have to have this baby.

"Push." He instructs her.

The pressure in her shifts, and it suddenly feels better and worse at the same time. The rapid contractions hurt worse, but she was so exhausted and she's certain that she just didn't have the strength to do it.

"Push."

She shuts her eyes tightly and focuses all her energy on trying to push. She's gripping the nurses hand so tightly she's certain she would snap the poor girls fingers if she put anymore of her strength into it.

"Push."

But then the hand holding hers suddenly lets go and is replaced by another. One so familiar that it causes her eyes to snap open.

​"Obi-Wan."

He smooths her hair back with his free hand and smiles lovingly at her, "I was on my way here when I received Padme's distress signal. I wouldn't have dared missed this."

For the first time since her contractions started she smiles and thanks whatever omnipotent force is there looking after her.

"Keep pushing Satine." The doctor instructs.

She grips Obi-Wans hand as tight as she can manage, his presence providing her with a newfound strength and she pushes with everything she has in her.

A cry fills the room.

---

When she wakes up hours later, she finds that the last few hours of daylight had came and went, leaving only the white light of the moon to illuminate the room.

Obi-Wan stands in front of the window overlooking the city, swaying gently as he stares at the bundle in his arms. A warmth spreads through her at the sight; an overwhelming wave of love so strong that she's certain it'll bring her to tears at any moment. Nothing would ever compare to watching the love of her life cradle the blessing they made together.

"Obi-Wan." She says softly.

He turns and looks at her, smiling adoringly before glancing back to the sleeping infant.

"I was wondering when you'd wake up," He says quietly, coming over to sit on the edge of her bed, "You've been asleep for a good while now."

"Giving birth does tend to tire the body out," She says with a soft laugh before focusing her attention on the infant, "She's perfect,"

He shifts their daughter into her arms without question., She feels complete; as if this was the piece that shes been missing in her life all these years.

"She has your hair," She says, brushing her fingertips over the soft auburn fuzz that decorated her head, "I was hoping she'd be a redhead like you."

He leans down and pressing a kiss to Satine's temple before coming to fully lay down beside her. She wastes no time pressing herself into his side and dropping her head on his shoulder. This was what she had always wanted, a family with the man she loved. It wasn't lost on her how lucky she was, that they very well could have lived out their separate lives and never have created something so beautiful and wonderful as their daughter.

"I love you, Satine."

This time she can't stop the tears from welling up in her eyes.

"I love you too, Obi-Wan, More than you could ever possibly know.", She looks down to her daughter, "And I love her more than I thought possible."

He nuzzles her hair with the tip of his nose, "We only had one name for a girl we both agreed on."

Satine nods, "So it's decided. Jinn Kenobi-Kryze."

He kisses her then, the first time he's been able to do so in upwards of two months and it reminds her just how much she misses him when he's gone, and how she only loves him more each time he comes home.

"She's perfect." He affirms.

And for the first time in forever, she knows everything is going to be alright.

[retro-rezz-the-est]

Drabble idea (I already know I sent ya one); Halloween dinner with the Demon King and reader is wearing something quite revealing and Balor can't keep his eyes off of her. 😘

I’m combining this one with @gold–gucciempress and her request​ bc I had a great idea for both of them! :D Here you go, loves!

(this is her’s btw: Okay so for my Halloween drabble… Can I have demon Finn flirting with and seducing a witch? Like he tells her he likes the taste of her magic or some freaky shit? Idk just surprise me lol 😅)

(A/N: I kinda got carried away with this one lmao)

You and the Demon King had a… difficult relationship, to say the least.

You wouldn’t say that you were dating because that would be completely false, as the relationship between the King and a trusted member of his court would cause a hysteria amongst everyone else and would make gossip fly like the swarms of insects that lay in the dungeons.

You weren’t exactly “friends-with-benefits” either, since you didn’t really see him as a friend. More of a colleague, of sorts.

A colleague who would rail the ever loving shit out of you at any given moment of the day whenever neither of you were busy.

The two of you had been seeing each other for a number of months, you originally coming to his kingdom because of his need of a new witch after the last one had tried to kill him by pouring a poison into his wine. He knew of your work from various others as you were a wanderer, never staying within the same area for more than a few weeks.

But, when the Demon King himself calls you in and offers you work, you accept.

Over time, the two of you grew “close”, in a way. He found you attractive, and you vice versa. He needed something (or rather, someone) that would let him get out the stress of being King, and you were looking for any form of intimacy. He offered you a “no-strings-attached” relationship, you accepted, and that was that.

The two of you agreed that whenever one of you was stressed out or angry or whatever else, you would find the other person. You would find them, wait until they were alone, and then fuck them. Plain and simple, right?

Wrong, because Balor kept on coming to you…a lot.

Like, “numerous times in a day for a quickie” a lot.

He would have you ride him on his throne once he finished with meetings with his council for the day, and then call you to his room at the end of the day to tie you up to his headboard and proceed to throw your back out before sending you on your way again.

This continued for months and months on end and as the two of you grew closer together, you knew you could feel something between you two. There was a spark growing and you wanted to see it alight, but you needed him to see it too.

You remember him leaving a note under your door one night telling you to meet him in his chambers. He had wanted to talk. He never wanted to do that before that day, so you figured it was important. You were expecting him to declare his undying love for you and sink down onto one knee to make you his queen, like in one of the erotic novels you’ve been reading in the castle library.

What you weren’t expecting was for him to suddenly end your “relationship”, claiming that it had nothing to do with you but with more personal matters at hand. But, you couldn’t hear him over the sound of your own heart breaking into a million partnerless fragments.

You entered his room that night hopeful and you had left defeated, drained and mostly angry. How dare he end things like that?! Because of personal matters?!

Bullshit!

You couldn’t even question him because he was the King, so you just sulked back to your room broken, reprimanding yourself for even thinking that you even had a chance at claiming the King’s heart. What had you done? Was it truly you that was the deciding factor in your relationship? But nothing more could be done.

The two of you scrapped your arrangement and moved on with your lives, however changed they may be now.

                                                      ~~~~~~

A year had passed since that fateful night and this time, the day had fallen on the night of the King’s annual Halloween dinner. Members of his court and numerous guests from neighboring and allied kingdoms flooded his large dining room and mingled with each other, dressed to the nines and waiting for the King himself to finally make his presence known.

And what’s a good King for if he doesn’t make an entrance everywhere he goes?

Smoke began to pour from the bottom to the main entrance and the twin doors blasted open, bits and pieces from the pumpkins that lay there flying out into the crowd. In Balor stepped, dressed in a deep red suit with a black button down and blood red tie, his crown glinting in the candlelight.

The room immediately went silent and he slowly began to walk through the mass of people and to the large dining table in front of him, glancing around the room at those who were in attendance.

You also happened to be in the room, lingering near the back in your floor length black dress with a decent sized part lingering in the middle of your chest. Going over some spells about a potion you needed to make for a court member to yourself, you stuck to the back for a reason; he had no reason to look at you, to admire your figure when he stood on your heart and broke it all those months ago.

You had a plan, and it sure as hell failed.

He spotted you immediately, swiveling his head around to meet your spaced out gaze and smirking. You jumped and your heart raced. How could he…out of literally everyone here? That prick!

You could feel your face burning with anger as he turned away and continued walking, a trail of people following behind as you lingered back with death in your eyes. Soon enough, everyone was seated at the long table with Finn at the head of it like the bastard King that he was.

The dinner progressed and every few minutes (more like every minute), you would catch Balor giving you bedroom eyes from your seat near the head of the table. He would be talking to a court member one second and then go back to glancing at you from above the rim of his wine glass so quickly that it nearly gave you whiplash a few times.

He loved to tease you at the table, constantly licking his lips seductively as his eyes roamed down your body to your cleavage and then back up. Grinning as those dark eyes of his clouded with a lust that wanted to make him pounce on you then and there…

But all you gave him was a few dirty looks and a sneer, and went back to minding your own goddamn business.

He didn’t deserve my time then, he doesn’t deserve it now.

The dinner proceeded as such for the remainder of the night, this battle of wills until the remainder of the night’s guests had finished their meals and moved on to the ballroom to continue the party. You let out a breath of relief, as you were finally alone and able to vent out your frustrations to the nearest object.

You rose from your seat and moved over to the balcony, walking across its dark marble platform to its railing to see the stars better. A quick mumbling of a spell by you had your fingers glowing bright yellow and you held them out towards the sky as small fireworks shot from your fingertips, small bats and jack-o’-lanterns and spiders forming from the bright lights.

This was it; this is what you needed to finally take your mind off of him again. This is what you needed to do, get a little you-time in before heading back insi-

“Well, well, well? And who do we have here, loiterin’ on my property?”

Speak of the damn devil himself.

You remained silent, determined that that would make him go away and flee to his little hole like the rat he was.

“Oh, so you’re not talkin’ to me now, is that it? Did I do somethin’ to ya, sweetheart? Or rather…someone?”

“The only thing that you did was come out here and waste my time,” you snapped, whipping your head to the side and lowering your hands to grip the balcony’s railing. “Now, please leave me alone.”

“Aww, don’t be such a hardass, darlin’. I was only checkin’ in on ya.”

He moved with the swiftness of the wind, and you didn’t even hear his shoes move until he was right next to your ear. “I could check on ya even more, if ya want…”

You raised a hand and summoned a light blue flame from your palm, holding it up and away from you and towards him. “Move.”

He refused to listen and instead wrapped an arm around your waist, his hand warm against your cool skin. He waved his free hand around in a circle and your flame disappeared, leaving you defenseless.

“I never wanted to start a fight with ya, (Y/n). I just wanted to see you.”

“See me?” you scoffed, pushing away from him. “Last I recall, you were perfectly fine “seeing me” from across the damn dinner table and eye-fucking me senseless.”

He started chuckling and honestly, you were seeing red again at this point. “I don’t fucking want you anywhere near me, Balor. We’re done seeing each other, remember? You ended that shit a year ago and we went our separate ways.”

Rolling his eyes, he unbuttoned his suit jacket as you turned your back to him, looking up at the moonless night sky. You knew he was right behind you; you could feel the power behind his aura and his hands running up the sides of your dress. You froze, not knowing what to do. Do you fight him off and have his advances continue or do you leave his hands where they are, feeling your exposed skin and giving you a touch you starved yourself of for almost a year?

He decided for you and spun you around, pinning you to the balcony railing and looking at you with those dark eyes of his. They were swimming with their usual lust and anger and power, but there was something else this time…something different…

One of his hands moved from your waist and to your cheek and internally, you were deciding whether to be mad at him for coming up to you and just touching you like this or to thank him for finally coming back to you. His thumb ran across your jaw and over your trembling bottom lip, and he leaned in for a kiss that stole the breath from you.

He nibbled on your bottom lip and sucked it into his mouth, slipping his tongue into your own. You moaned, the railing behind you beginning to bend from how hard you were gripping it.

Oh, fuck me.

He pulled away first, leaving you dazed and confused as to what the hell just happened.

“Damn, I missed the taste of your magic on your tongue, darlin’.”

He was panting slightly, his brogue deep and rich and filled with lust and the darkness you were oh so familiar with after spending so many months hearing in your ear as he wrecked you to hell and back…

You just had to go in for another to make sure and you did, gripping the lapels of his jacket and dragging him back in for a rough and dominating kiss, embracing the old feelings that were washing over you on that Halloween, even if it was only for one night.

[dylan-o-yumm]

Alright next angst.... *rubs hands with evil smirk* How about s\o having amnesia and can't remember nero anymore through that? (Alright I'm maybe evil when it comes to angst.... Sorry! But to be not to evil a happy end with that s\o memories comes back through something!)

(Awwww poor Nero!) Btw it should come of no shock that I don’t edit any of these, so I’m sorry if my spelling, grammar and punctuation is shitty. Ps, got carried away again…

You woke up slowly, eyes fluttering and adjusting to the harsh white light of what appears to be a hospital room. Your joints feel stiff, like you haven’t moved in a couple days, a dull ache residing in your the side of your head. You glance around, neck cracking as you turn to the side to see a bunch of flowers and cards that read ‘Get Well Soon!’ along with a few little teddybears. You realised quickly that they were for you, having been laying in a hospital bed, it didn’t take a genius to guess that you had obviously been in some kind of accident. You could’t quite remember what accident, though. Was it a car crash maybe?

“Hey, you’re awake. How’re you feeling?” A voice sounds from the other side of the small room, over by the door. In a rather uncomfortable looking chair, sat a young male with short white hair that looked to be messed up from sleep, and gorgeous blue eyes that held happiness and hope as he gazed at you. He was laying horizontal on the small one seater, having been asleep previously. He swung his legs down and scooted forward in the chair to get closer to you. He had a strong jaw and thin but rather kissable looking lips. It wasn’t until you really focused on his eyes that you realised you have seen him before. He had longer hair from when you remember him, and his face has defiantly matured, but the longer you look, you can tell this is Nero, a boy you vaguely knew from the orphanage. 

“Nero? What are you doing here?” You ask, not meaning to sound rude, but the shock was evident in your voice. Nero’s smile faded slightly, not quite leaving his face entirely but you could tell you maybe upset him a little. You wanted to ask what happened to you but you were more confused as to why a boy you hardly know was here in the hospital with you when your family or friends weren’t. Did he hear of your accident or whatever happened and felt sorry for you? But even then, he didn’t know you well enough to pay you a visit… 

“What do you mean? Why wouldn’t I be here?” Nero chuckles, thinking you’re joking with him. He had leaned forward even more until he could rest his elbows on the side of your bed, reaching one hand out to caress your face gently with the back of his fingers. You felt tingles spread from your cheek all the way through your body as he touched you so gently, but it only made you more confused. 

“Because we hardly know each other…” You stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, recalling the two times you can remember conversing with Nero. You knew him but you wouldn’t consider him anything more than an acquaintance. Nero’s hand fell from your face when he realised you weren’t joking, smile completely wiped off his face now. Well, he hoped you were, anyway. You were just pulling a little prank on him, right? 

“What?” He scoffed, taking his elbows off the bed and letting his shoulders sag. “Y/n no one knows me better than you… A-are you okay?” He asks, worry lacing his words and painting itself on his face. Now you were a little worried too, wondering if he were pulling your leg or if the accident you had had caused you to forget certain things. 

“What happened to me?” You ask, knowing the emotions Nero was feeling couldn’t be faked. This had to be real. He explained how you were fighting demons on a bridge and a car came out of nowhere, causing you to jump out of the way, but you tripped and fell off the bridge into the shallow waters. You had hit your head badly. He told you how he and a girl named Nico, who is apparently your friend, had to race you here to the hospital. 

“You really don’t remember me, don’t you?” Nero asks with a soft, sad voice. All hope and happiness that were once in his eyes from when you woke up was instantly gone. You remembered a few things, but everything about Devil May Cry and the people you’ve met, such as Dante, Trish and Lady were all a blur. Nero told you of them, that you worked for the company with him and Nico, but you don’t remember any of them. You only partially remember Nero because you knew him years ago.  

“I remember you… however many years ago. When you had long hair. You had just joined the Order, I think” You remember, frowning as you try your hardest to remember anything at all from the past few weeks. Nero mutters something along the lines of ‘we hardly spoke then’ but he shifts in his seat before standing up, walking over to the open door and keeping his hand on the frame as if to reassure you that he isn’t leaving as he calls for a nurse. 

The following week, you left the hospital after being told that you in fact did loose some of your memories, as if you didn’t figure it out for yourself. The doctor said theres a chance you’d be able to remember pithing a few months which made Nero smile hopefully at you. You left with Nero, wanting to try and get your memories back of him. And what better way to jog your memory than by spending more time with him?  

When you first saw your room you were shocked to see that it was also Nero’s room. You should have figured that you two were more than friends. Knowing that you ended up with someone as attractive and kind as him made you smile, wondering what made you so lucky. But then you realise you don’t remember anything about him, which in turn, doesn’t make you so lucky. Seeing your shared bed made you a little flustered, knowing he’d most likely want to sleep in the same room as you but you weren’t ready for that yet. He understood completely and slept on the couch for a week, even though you insisted he had the bed since he clearly had been sleeping on the uncomfortable couch at the hospital for the time you spent there. 

As time went on without you regaining any memories, you could tell Nero was getting a little touch starved, but he always was respectful and kept his distance. It worked in his favour that a little crush had been growing from the time you spent with him. It was like you were falling in love with him for a second time, thought you just couldn’t remember the first time. You’d be ballsy and reach for his hand, intertwining your fingers with his. The first time you did it, he let out a sigh of relief, his heart skipping a beat. He couldn’t tell if he should be happy or sad, knowing this is all a first for you when he still held the beautiful memories of the two of you. 

Your first kiss was something Nero told you about while you were relaxing on the couch with him, wondering if it would bring anything back. He told you how it was cheesy and romantic, after having been on a great first date, you were walking through a park with him and he kissed you on the cheek. You were the one to pull him in and kiss his lips. You almost cried as he told you, seeing how his face lit up with love and adoration at the memory. You asked him if he’d recreate that moment for you and he smiled sadly, leaning in to press a soft kiss to your cheek. It sent shivers down your spine and your chest swelled with warmth as you did as your past self, grabbing the collar of his shirt and pulling him in for a kiss on the lips. 

No memories where restored. 

Though you didn’t remember, the kiss was amazing. Soft and sweet just like him. It defiantly made your odd little crush on him grow. 

The next night was something you were sure you’d never forget. You had finished cleaning the dishes after dinner and were looking for Nero to ask him what movie he wanted to watch with you. You found him in your shared room, leaning against the wall with one hand holding his collar to his lips, muffling moans as he had his other hand down his pants, eyes closed as he pumped slowly. Upon hearing you enter, he scrambled to take his hand out of his trousers and blinked rapidly to hide the lust in his eyes, spitting his collar out of his mouth. 

“Shi- Y/n, I’m sorry. I-I just… well, you know, I-I…” You cut him off from his apology that he was stumbling over, a little unsure of your own words when you offered him some help. You couldn’t deny that the image of him pleasing himself was completely and utterly arousing to you, having spent a few weeks with him now and having gotten to know him rather well meant you had already thought of inviting him back into bed with you, in more ways than one. 

“Seriously?” Nero asked surprised, taking a hesitant step towards you. He was so worried about your comfort and needing you to be 100% sure you knew what you were asking. His kindness only made you more sure of your decision. Doesn’t mean you weren’t shy and awkward about it though. There was no doubt that he’d be able to please you more than you could him, without having any memories of past experiences with him meant you couldn’t remember his body and what he liked.  

“Kiss couldn’t get my memories back… maybe I… maybe I need something more?” You fidgeted with your fingers, unable to meet his gaze. You couldn’t help but subtly look up at the tent in his pants, biting your lip after averting you eyes again. You felt excitement between your thighs and Nero knew what you were feeling, maybe before you did yourself. He came over to you slowly, gently resting his clean hand on your cheek and tilting your face up so he could kiss you passionately. 

He was slow and careful most of the time, as if he was waiting for you to tell him to stop. You had to keep reassuring him that you were fine, by either moaning his name or digging your heels into the back of his thighs to get him to move faster or harder. He always kept one hand laced with yours, even when he got a little rough. You had to admit, when he got rough, he was unbelievably sexy. His back arched as he hunched over you, the hand that wasn’t holding yours was under your head, holding you firmly without hurting you, especially with your head injury, even though it had had weeks to heal, he was still mindful of it. His head buried into your neck, growling and groaning like an animal in your ear. 

His thrusts were slow and passionate at first, but as he let go a little, he became faster and harder, quickly sending you over the edge. He asked you where you wanted him to finish, remembering this was basically your first time with him. You responded by telling him to release wherever he usually did, feeling him spill his seed inside you which caused you to moan and roll your eyes back. You were both spent, Nero picked up his discarded shirt and cleaned you up with it after he pulled out. You pulled him back to you when he got up to go sleep on the couch again, bringing him in for a cuddle under the blankets. 

He asked if you remembered anything. 

“No” You replied shortly, before kissing his bare chest and falling asleep in his arms. 

You woke up after what felt like a bunch of realistic dreams, like a slideshow playing one after the other. They were mostly of Nero, one of them was of the date he told you about, and a few other things here and there that he had previously mentioned. You opened your eyes and saw that Nero was already awake, head resting in his hand as he looked down at you with soft, loving eyes, stroking your hair back soothingly. 

“You okay? You were mumbling in your sleep” he asks, leaning in to press a delicate kiss to your forehead. You sighed happily, closing your eyes as his lips lingered on you. A smile made its way to your face, stretching wide until it hurt. Nero smiled too, but only because your smile was contagious, asking you what you were so happy about once he pulled his lips away.

“I think I remember everything…” You chuckle, quickly rolling onto your stomach with a sudden burst of energy from excitement. Nero’s smile dropped but not because he was unhappy, he stuttered over his words, asking you what you remembered and you spent the day telling him everything. You didn’t get out of bed for a whole day, not even thinking to get food or water or go to the toilet. You were so excited that you finally had your memories back, needing to talk about every single one and appreciating them for what they are. 

“Did you really get your memories back from the sex we had last night?” Nero laughed, gladly listening intently to everything you had to say even though he remembered everything you were already saying. He loved seeing you happy, finally having the pieces back to your unfinished puzzle.

“Hmm, lets say me falling asleep in your arms is what jogged my memory” You chuckle, leaning in to press a sweet kiss to his lips. 

[hoopdiddies]

I'm Not Over You // Ben Hardy x Reader (Part 6)

A/N: Y'all I'm so mad cos this is my third attempt in posting this and hoping it would appear as I load my page. Btw, thanks to everyone who supported this series so far, your comments and reblogs really hype me up to write more even when I don't feel like a confident writer ☺ ☺

Summary: You had always loved Ben ever since you two met in university and became the best of friends. That feeling went out like a candle flame when the two of you parted ways until he re-entered your life...but this time with someone who has already occupied his heart.

Warnings: Mentions of drinking, a hangover, fluff, slight swearing and angst.

Word count : 3k+

Tags: @haendel-me-with-care , @mrsdoradominguez-barnes , @mickmoon

Parts: 5 , 4 , 3 , 2 , 1

(Edited)

The first thing you usually expect the second you wake up is the sinking feeling of your plush mattress cradling your entire body, down to the last, visible patch of skin. Your room laced and embellished with an aesthetic ray of sunshine seeping through the gaps of the beige curtains, the light subtly refracting off of every daft corner.

But your current location bodes the contrary. You run your hand over the fabric you're laying on, the familiarity of it arousing you to sit up, ultimately finding yourself on the couch in your living room.

Just as you begin questioning why you're here and not in your own sleeping quarters, a blunt ache spreads in your head and you bring your hands up to your hair, pulling on the roots at the sudden, morning agony. You let out a gritty groan at the throbbing sensation, like someone is bashing you in the head with a hammer that's travelling in the speed of sound. You fall back onto the couch in a low cry to numb the pain, but blessed to find the Aspirin Joe had left last night on the coffee table for you to take– but you don't remember that.

You don't think twice before swiping it from the tray, desperate to alleviate the throbbing. You pop the pill in your mouth and wash it down with the glass of water from the tray, gasping as you feel it swirl down your system. In a breath of relief, you place the glass back on the tray and try to recall every bit that's happened last night.

You get one thing straight; you were heavily drunk and of course, waking up with an apparent hangover decreases your chances of remembering anything the previous night. However you do recall some stuff. Two of them being the moment you had your first drink with your colleagues and Joe arriving a minute after you had your seventh swig, respectively. You wonder if he was the one that took you back.

He has to be. Who else would put essentials, Chinese food and a cup of coffee on the table with a note that has been signed with a blotted 'Joe'?

You wonder where he is at the moment, if ever he's gone home or just presently in the bathroom. As soon as your headache subsides, you get off from the couch, grunting as you stretch your limbs from the position you slept in. You pull on your collar and take a whiff of sweat, perfume and vodka all merged into one, pungent emission. You grimace to yourself, hurriedly making your way to the bathroom to wash up, swearing to never drink like that again.

Upon stepping foot in front of the door, you grab onto the knob and put very little to no thought of what's about to unfurl, twisting it open only to be greeted by a hard bump on your first step in. You yelp as you stumble forward, expecting to greet the floor with a bone breaking kiss yet something hard and meaty cushions you from underneath instead. You lift your head up and lo, you've landed on no other than Ben's clothed chest.

Or rather Ben himself.

What the fuck is he doing here?!

No longer holding back that gasp, you prop yourself up on your hands that are on either side of Ben's head, his face dangerously close to yours with his hot breath fanning against your cheeks.

Since you have both landed on the moist tiles of the bathroom, getting up in a prim position is not going to be an easy task.

"Oh god, um, h-hey." You, unfortunately,utter quickly, your stutter evident. You're an inch away from kissing him and apparently, running out of breath from supporting yourself on your arms, plus your hands are gradually slipping on the tiles thereby lowering you even further.

Ben's bright, green eyes remain as comically wide as they could ever be, the corner of his lips twitching to a small smile as he responds with a hoarse yet guttural, "Good morning."

You have to admit one way or another, his messy, blond hair flopping on all sides and shaping his face in that manner must be illegal.

You shift just an inch to plant your fingers firm on the tiles, hoping to throw yourself off of him by the time you get a good angle to start from. Ben notices your struggle and suggests something else with his cheeks growing redder by the second.

"I'm going to pretend that this isn't awkward and allow you to just fall."

You give him small glimpses due to the agonizing proximity between your faces. "That's a terrible idea. I'm going to end up mushing your face and I know you wouldn't want that."

"You're slipping. You can't launch yourself up in that position." He mutters quickly with how fast you're sinking into him. Counting, you have at least a few seconds before your arms give in to the pressure and you make unwanted contact with Ben's face.

"Come on, Y/N. Joe would be furious by the time he returns and you're not up yet." He teases you and you feel his breath growing hotter along with his accelerated heartbeat as you de-escalate. You wish you could hit Ben for making fun of the situation right now. Rolling your eyes heavenward, you drop your head low and let your arms slide open, your face landing right into the crook of Ben's neck with your upper body slamming against his chest, the impact pushing out a low grunt from him.

Your breath against his neck has left him oddly shivering but you don't notice.

A success, you throw yourself off of him and haul him up along with you. "I won't tell Joe as long as you don't tell Rosy." He banters and you smack his chest playfully. He thanks you and asks how you're feeling after such a night.

You shrug. "I'm fine now after taking that Aspirin."

"Joe's gone out to buy breakfast. The two of us kinda crashed here for the night to look after you." A little bashful, Ben rubs his nape and it makes your heart skip a beat.

"That's thoughtful of you, boys. But what about-" a certain memory flashes in your mind and you recall spotting Ben with Rosy at the pub last night. You don't hesitate to ask him about the possibility of Rosy questioning his whereabouts, leaving out the bit of you seeing them both at the pub. "What about Rosy?"

Ben walks out of the space with you and leans against the wall. "Don't worry, she knows I'm with you and Joe."

You stop yourself from asking him any more questions to avoid friction, especially since you're still hung up on his engagement. You nod and re-enter the bathroom to rinse yourself, pausing halfway to peer at him over your shoulder, a smug smile present in your expression. "Your cologne was insulting."

Ben gives half a shrug, pursing his lips proudly at the fact. "Yours was not bad either, the vodka highlighted it." He chuckles and you tut, closing the door and facing the vanity mirror with your hands clutched on either side of the sink.

You scoff at the fading, crimson glow in your cheeks, even so at the fact that Ben's was just as bright as yours and he could've passed as a tomato at that moment. But that blush was born out of awkwardness.

Yours meant something else.

It definitely is a weird morning.

Half an hour later, Joe returns with a paper bag full of fruits and is welcomed by the sight of Ben having a quiet cup of decaf on the couch, man spreading and waiting for life to happen.

"Hey, mate." Ben greets without bothering to turn his head around. Joe narrows his eyes at your absence from the spot Ben is now kicking back on. "Hey. Where's Y/N?"

"Loo. She's taken the aspirin by the way."

Joe nods, blinking twice. He pads towards the kitchen with the paper bag cradled in his arms, setting them down on the counter and pulling out two apples. Right after wiping your face dry, you step out of the bathroom fresh and sling your face towel around your neck, seeing Joe and Ben chat up with bitten apples in hand. You approach them and take out a seat from the edge of the table, darting your eyes at either of them. "Quick question. What are you boys waiting for exactly?"

"Just for you to finish up. I bought some fruits by the way." Joe reminds you with his mouth full.

"You didn't have to?"

He sighs, less than willing to feel defeated. "But I wanted to, besides," a sly glint twinkles in Joe's eye as he furtively flicks his eyes at Ben who is across him, "I'd be a bad boyfriend if I didn't. My baby's got a hangover and she needs her vitamins." If it were only possible to do an effective spit-take with your own saliva, you would have done it by now. Pretty sure you could hear Ben's breath hitch in his throat.

You don't want to draw your brows together as a reaction to that, it might give away the lie. As much as you want to protest and possibly nudge Joe for not giving you a heads up, this was your doing in the first place and Joe's just keeping up with it, by somehow trying to make Ben jealous...and slightly uneasy. You nod slowly, reaching out to snatch Joe's apple and taking a huge crunch of it as it takes up all the courage you've dredged not to break eye contact with him, before handing it back to a stunned Joe. "Now you're a good boyfriend." You click your tongue and wink back at him, walking away to change your clothes.

Ben would be lying to himself if he denies getting dazed as you gave Joe the eye. He shifts uncomfortably in his seat, clearing his throat at how unusual that was. Of course, that was just you playing along and you feel as if you've tainted yourself with that flirtatious ogle.

Throwing a fresh shirt on, your phone lights up with a notification. You find that it's from the institution and it's been a while since they've emailed you.

Apparently your date of departure has been rescheduled to the 26th of February and it's a relief to know that you have a month left to gather important papers and prepare your passport. You tuck your phone away and exit your bedroom. You and the boys talk for a while and share some laughs as you whip up fruit smoothies in the kitchen, the messy tendencies far from being absent between every taunt.

Soon after finishing your drinks and helping you clean up the mess you've made in the kitchen, they remind you of a certain event they'd want to drag you along to.

"What is it? " You ask, wiping your hands.

Joe flails his arms as he gushes. "The Oscars! BoRhap has been put up as potential candidate, according to Brian."

Your eyes widen along with the smile on your face. "No way! Really?"

Ben grins even wider. "Yes, really! The possibility of Rami bringing home a 'Best Actor' award would be huge! I mean, you've seen the film thrice with me, surely you can conclude that his-"

"His performance was flawless. Yes Ben, I said that the first time I saw the film." You trail him off humorously and shift your pleased gaze at either of them. "I'm so happy for you, guys. Really. Rami's not the only one that's deserving of the award. You all do. I'm suing if they don't call the rest of you up the stage."

They let out a prolonged yet soft 'aww' at your faith in them, bringing you in for a tight hug. You enjoy the bliss for a few seconds before letting go.

"By they way, Y/N. When are you leaving?" Your expression flits faster than you could command it to as Joe puts up the question.

Be still, my throbbing fist.

You feel your heart quicken as Ben's smile slowly vanishes, looking mildly confused. "Leaving? What do you mean?"

You never told Joe about keeping it a secret from Ben the first time, the only person you told was Lucy. Taking advantage of Joe's delay to answer, you quickly dive in to speak. "Leaving for...a retreat!"

Not being the answer he expected, Joe opens his mouth to protest, but you give him the look to zip it and luckily, he does, opting to hear the explanation of the your decision later. You turn to Ben whose face couldn't contort any further from being baffled. You reassure him softly. "We're hosting a retreat at work this February. Just a few days out of town."

I suck at lying.

Ben could only ever mouth a soundless 'oh' as a response. Guilt dreads you from inside, knowing very well the pointlessness of hiding something important as you leaving to study medicine abroad from Ben. Your best friend. It sounds melodramatic and you're well aware of that but the possibility of the spark of your friendship going out the moment he says 'I do' is just inevitable.

You feel it in your gut and never have your intuition failed you.

Zoning out momentarily with the boys being oblivious to it, you faintly hear Joe ask Ben the date of his wedding. Your heart races at his significant mention of date. "Rosy and I have been planning it for a week now and decided on the 26th."

"This month?"

"February, mate."

The days went by fast. You felt like a bee working your ass off nonstop for nearly a month. Sure you got breaks, in the summit of weekends but you could rarely enjoy every passing second with a hodgepodge of obligations in mind. You just got off work with extra cash to purchase a new bag to use for when you depart, despite you being scheduled on the 26th of this month. The date didn't put you on edge before Ben's announcement of his wedding date and now, you can't help but worry.

You walk along the lines of luggage bags on display, finally picking out a silver one with the appropriate space to fill. You ask the sales clerk for the price and she tells you it's in no more than 150 pounds, which is enough. While waiting in line to pay, you brush arms with a slightly, taller figure, not bothering to look at them as you apologize.

"Y/N?"

That voice. You dart your eyes to your left, having your mood alter as you find Rosy smiling at you. "Oh. Hey, Rosy. What are you doing here?" You question, nearly impassive. Not that you aren't thrilled to run into her here - not that you are as well - but the best friend versus fiancee cliche is just not something you wanted to deal with in the first place.

"Just purchasing this purse," she waves a silver purse laced elegantly with sequins it before you, "what have you got there?" She gestures to the luggage bag you're holding. You restrain yourself from giving her the 'what does it look like, dumbass' face and answer monotonously, sighing. "Luggage...bag."

"Ah, any plans for the month to be in need of that?"

"Uh yeah. A retreat." Definitely not.

Rosy bobs her head slowly and you take a step forward, your turn coming up. "That's great. Ben and I are flying to LA this weekend to find a venue for our wedding, you know," she gives you a saccharine smile and your stomach churns, not from the news - it's nothing new - but at her delivery. It's as if she's reminding you of the line between you and Ben, and that you should always remain at the end of your line. You're pretty aware of that, you always have been that a reminder is never needed. Your eyes flicker briefly to her right hand by accident, catching an emerald-crusted, engagement ring glistening around her ring finger. The sight of it leaves a hard lump in your throat.

"That's nice. You're really having your wedding outside the country, huh?"

"Why wouldn't we?"

You shrug, pursing your lips and taking a step forward, nearly reaching the counter. "Nothing against it. I just think the expenses would be too much."

She scoffs at you, flipping her red hair to the side in an indirect yet uppity manner. "You know, Ben was right about you being the thrifty one. That's where he got it from."

You're not having any of this today. "It's an honor, in all honesty." You retort with a sarcastic smile before taking the spot in front of the registrar, your response turning Rosy a little sour. After the cashier sticks the receipt to the handle of the luggage bag, you drag it along with you but pause as Rosy reminds you smugly.

"You're invited, remember that."

It almost seems as if she knows how you feel about Ben and on top of that, she's handing you the reminder on purpose to prod you to your limit but you couldn't care less about what she thinks. She's got him. What else does she want?

When you first thought she wouldn't mesh with Ben well, your gut really stood out. But Ben loves her for possibly a couple of reasons and with nothing particularly overlooked so you have no choice but to accept that she will be playing a huge part in his life.

Their wedding day is the day you leave anyway, so that advantage has saved you the pain and the killer heels. It should be the very least of your worries.

You brush off her words and set a course for home, eager to slam the door shut and sleep through the entire stress.

On your way to your car, your phone rings for the seventh time today and you answer, opening the trunk to put your luggage bag in. "Hello?"

"You know it's stupid, I'm just behind you and this feels pointless."

You turn on your heels quickly and shake your head in bemusement even with your blood rushing headlong, putting your phone back into your pocket and nearly throwing a fist at Ben who's laughing from the shock on your face as you turned around.

How convenient.

I was just thinking of you.

"You idiot, what brings you here? I thought you had a convention to go to or something."

He jerks his shoulders up and takes a few steps closer to you. "Just took off from it. I came by to pick up Rosy."

It has become a challenge to maintain the look you have on right now. "Ah. Kinda ran into her back there."

"Really? What were you buying?"

Your nose crinkles as the breeze blows against your face. "Just a luggage bag."

He hooks his thumbs into his pockets, altering his stance. "For that retreat thing?"

"Yeah. Anyway, you should get in. What kind of fiance are you waiting out instead of making an effort to find her in there?" You taunt him a little and he brings his hand up to his mouth, covering it as to hide the grin that's taken shape. "I'll be in after asking you if you want to tag along to the awards."

You gawk mindlessly at him for a ticking second, scoffing. "For real? No, Ben. You know me. Award ceremonies and parties, especially the ones mostly filled with people who hold their noses up high, are not my strong suit." You express lightly, raising your hand up at him as you politely decline. The amused look on his face is one thing you wish to wipe off but enjoy beholding nevertheless. "Come on. You don't like parties but you've been to mine."

"That's because I did it for you."

"Would you go to this one for me too?" He's pulled off a look that would be hard for you to say no to. You stare up at his hooded eyes with one brow creased, weighing in mind your decision. You sigh in defeat, hoisting your hands up in surrender. "Fine!"

He pumps his fist in the air and cheers. "Yes! Joe's gonna be thrilled with this too."

"Pfft, why?"

"Um, he's your boyfriend? And he needs his date? You're doing this for him mostly? " He reminds you once more in a 'duh' tone, underlining it as a question in answer. It would take you the will of a warrior to resist whacking him in the face with your luggage bag but you're certain you've done that in an alternate timeline somehow. You cross your arms together and turn around to the driver's seat.

"So are you down really?" Ben questions one more time in a nervous tone, making sure of your willingness to go. You climb into your car and slam the door close, rolling down your window and lifting your brows at him, noting. "24th. I got it."

He flashes a contented beam at you and waves slowly. "I'll see you soon." One reassuring nod from you and you turn on your ignition, stepping on the gas and driving just a few feet away from him. You stop the car midway through the exit and peer at the outside mirror through which you see Rosy leap into Ben's arms happily, having him lower her afterwards for a sweet kiss. It doesn't take you a couple of seconds to look away and continue down the road, swallowing the lump in the back of your throat.

The sight still takes a toll on you.