#but they kept coming off because i have to do so much with my hands especially in water lol

[sukunas-wife]

What about Y/N and reader having a little baby girl. Sukuna was disappointed at first because he wanted another boy. But she becomes so attached to her papa since she was a baby. Like she sees cuts on his hands (she doesn’t realize he can use RCT yet) and tries to treat his wounds 🥺🫶🏽

~🪽

I though tumblr ate your ask when I scrolled 5 times and could find it and I panicked so hard 😭 So cute 🥺 Im pretty sure we’re going with Anya, but I suck at catching her personality so I’m just going to go with general daughter reactions for this 🥹🤍🤍

(Note: I tried, but I feel like I’m always lacking in the daughter area. Maybe I need to borrow my niece ;-; also, its a little short…) finally back into it tho 😎

Your room fell silent, the cries filling the air were almost piercing. You felt like you knew this was bound to happen. Yuji was a miracle, but your second child was born a girl. You knew Sukuna had only ever cared about having heirs, so in the silence you were on edge of what he would say or do.

It was strange watching him in that moment, she was crying in his arms, he was staring at her with that black expression that always appeared like a frown. He shouldn’t have been so openly disappointed, he knew from the start when your stomach started to swell and he hadn’t noticed until he touched your round belly. The child in your stomach had not an ounce of cursed energy to leave a presence, much less for him to be able to tell what it could be. Yet he held out hope for a boy, even if the lack of his presence was due to a heavenly restriction, he could work with that. But no, the little pink haired girl crying and screaming in his arms was enough to leave him perplexed. He shook his head, handing her over to you, you watched him while you began to breastfeed your daughter.

“Sukuna..” your voice was a whisper followed by a cringe of feeling like your insides were coming out. You wanted to comfort your husband but you didn’t feel right. “Sukuna,” your lower stomach kicked in painful cramps, and everything moved in a rush. Sukuna was pushed out of the room and heard the panic of your caretakers clearly.

—- —- —- —- —-

The day had passed and he sat outside your room, they had persisted he did not pass. So he sat out there waiting until the early hours of sunrise when they brought out his daughter. He took her in his hands, you couldn’t see it past her pink hair and eyes, but to Sukuna she had your face. She was small and round but to him, she looked so similar he was in disbelief you had won over that part of his genes.

He sat there all day, holding her to his chest, while his head leaned back against the wall. His eyes were closed but he couldn’t sleep, he couldn’t rest, he could tell you were alive, but it felt like you were just barely there. He looked down in his arms, the little bundle of clothes moving around slightly as your daughter moved, crying out. He wanted to hand it off to a servant as his hand came up to uncover her face more to look at her, that was until her hand slipped out taking a tight hold of finger. She stopped crying for a moment just sniffling, her little nails falling digging into his skin. “Come, stop your crying.” His free arm came to lightly run over his little wrinkly cheeks, “my child.” He was looking at her with such a soft look, the servants found it endearing. It was then he decided he would take care of her as he did Yuji, his child, his pride.

—- —- —- —- —-

Years passed, and you were outside with Yuji. Watching Anya’s big eyes growing in size as an emperor butterfly slowly fluttered around the garden. It had been a month since Sukuna had left on one of his little excursions, you were curious why his supposed two week trip became a month long trip. But you had your 13 year old Yuji who was laying in your lap passed out from his own Ventures of the day and your 3 year old girl keeping you busy, you didn’t feel as lonely as when it was just yourself. “Mama!” Your hand kept running though Yuji’s hair, “Yes sweetheart?” Your little girl came running up to you, “Papa!” You could see the stars in her eyes as she pointed behind her, past the garden. You looked seeing the all too familiar and burly silhouette in the distance. You faked a gasp, “It is papa! He’s almost home. Do you wanna go get him the sweets you made?” She perked up more, “Yeah!” You watched as she ran off inside the house singing a song as her steps padded on the ground. Yuji slowly sat up, eyes squinty as he looked around “Dad?” You laughed while rubbing his head, “Yes.”

You started to get up, Yuji rushing up and offering to help you as you struggled to get up, “my leg is tired from being in one place too long.” You laughed and Yuji grinned, “Sorry’ was tired.”

You simply rubbed his head, “It’s fine, go get your sister, she’s been away for a while already.”

Yuji ran off to find his sister while you tried to ignore the feeling in your legs. You moved closer to the edge of the garden Sukuna was approaching in fresh blood, the closer he became the more you noticed the minor scrapes and cuts on his body. You rolled your eyes with a smile, he shrugged off the top of his robes once he had realised your eyes were trained on his body. It would be a lie to say you didn’t find him attractive in this form of glory, but for the sake of your kids you wouldn’t touch his chest and give him that look. It was when he stood in front of you that your dominant hand pulled your handkerchief from your obi, your free hand cradling his face before cleaning his face of the foreign contaminant.

“I see my husband is home, sturdy, well and revelling in his victories.” You hummed as you finished cleaning his face, pulling him towards you gently so you could kiss him. As you pulled away from what was going to be a soft kiss he pulled you back in to catch your lips longer, “Mhm.” Was all

He hummed against your lips, aside from the hand on your head, two of his free hands came to your waist to pull you closer. Placing your hands on his chest you pushed yourself back a little to stare up at him, “Your little girl has been asking and crying for you to come back. She even made you a little treat everyday for when you arrived.” He hummed, eyeing you, your hands moving to rest on his biceps, “They should be here. I sent her in to retrieve what she worked so hard on.” Your head turned exposing your neck to him, his last free hand coming up to run his nails over the tender flesh, “I’m sure she’ll be back soon enough, as for now I’m craving the feeling of something else.” His hand angled your head away, teeth and lips running over the plush pulse point on your neck, until he huffed at your resistance, “how impervious.” He pulled away, hands sliding from your waist as he looked away visibly upset. You couldn’t fight the smile, “We should go, it might be a waste waiting longer out here then if we go find them.”

—- —- —- —- —-

That’s how you ended up in this situation. Yuji was sitting by his dad with a big smile listening to the story of how he single-handedly levelled another city. Anya was sitting on his lap bouncing along as his body shook when he’d let out a louder laugh or was jostled around with his movements. That was until she noticed the smallest cut on his stomach and let out a loud gasp making all of you turn to look at her.

”Papa! You’re hurt!” Sukuna looked down, seeing the small surface wound that left a red line of broken skin over his side stomach. “Oh, I suppose I a-PAPA NEEDS BANDAGES” she was rushing off feet pattering over the floor as Yuji mumbled, “But.. can’t dad use reverse cursed technique…” he looked confused as he closed his eyes tilting his head to the side. You looked at your husband who sighed with a faint twitch at his lips and placed a hand on Yuji’s head messing up his already tousled hair. “Interesting, I remember another brat with pink hair who did the exact same thing.” Yuji smiled under the weight of his fathers hand.

Anya came running in with a bowl of water spilling everywhere and other things tucked under her little arm. You watched as Ryomen steadied her after she spilt water onto his lap trying to clean his wounds as she had watched you done when your husband would crave your attention and purposely not heal his own wounds leaving you to tend to him. He cringed as more water spilt onto his lap as she un purposely smacked his stomach with a soaking rag rubbing at the small flesh wound, Yuji tried not to laugh as you laughed quietly behind your hand watching as Sukuna tried to help only for Anya to yell at him “No! I can do it papa! You’re hurt!”

The screen was cute as he cringed more at the cold water, relieved when she stopped only to become stressed when she pulled out the roll of wraps. She had seen you use those wraps on Yuji many times when he would become injured or hurt. What she didn’t see was how her father was much larger in size, those tiny wraps wouldn't circle his waist even once.

When they couldn't, Anya became frantic, rushing to jump off her father and run to get more bandages. This was until Ryomen caught her mid jump, “Lemme go daddy! Need more wraps!” He sat her back on his lap, “No you don’t brat, I'll show you something better.”

Anya looked up at her dad with glossy eyes and a wobbly lip, “Press your hands here.” You watched as he guided her small hands to his stomach over the wrap, “Put all your force behind it.” She forced her eyes closed, pressing both her hands against his stomach with all her little muscle. Using the slightest bit of his reversed cursed technique he pulled her hands away, “See.” Her eyes opened slowly and the red mark on his stomach was gone. Her eyes lit up as she looked up at him, “I DID IT!” Ryomen couldn’t fight back the twitch of his lips that pulled into a smile, “You did.” Her hands clasped together with starry eyes, her stare locked on Yuji, “I can fix you.”

Tag List: @sakuxxi @mercymccann @certainduckanchor @najiiix @bakugou-katsukis-wife @amitiel-truth @souyasplushie @mylovelessnightmare @ynjimenez @dolliira @princessluvz @furiousblacktiger @anyaswlrd @shytastemakerthing @alialucille @sad-darksoul @satorisgirl @bontensbabygirl @sakunawifey @queen-luna-007 @venus-seeks

@bofadeezs

[certifiedyapperx]

imagine you’re dating ghost and no one knows. the two of you have kept it a secret on your end and his just for your protection— because ghost knows what could happen if someone finds out, how someone might try and target you to get to him, or worse, given his line of work.

but then imagine that he’s on a mission, interrogating some piece of filth ready to decorate the fucking wall with his brain matter when the guy says “you know what, simon, killing me would be the biggest mistake of your life.”

immediately ghost would pause, eyes narrowed, though his hardened demeanour wouldn’t fade much, he’d just blankly stare at the prick like “oh yea? n’ why don’ you tell m’ why.”

the shit-eating grin that would crawl across that fuckers lips would have ghost ready to kill him right then and there, but then he’d say “reach in my pocket. pull out my phone.”

id like to think ghost would have absolutely none of this assholes bullshit, not at all entertained by his theatrics. i’d like to think he’d just press the muzzle of his gun to the fuckers temple within an instant, all teeth barred and ready to get it over with when the guy would add,

“your girlfriend is a fucking beauty, isn’t she?”

everything would pause. ghost, time, the world, air, the universe itself—the life that would drain from ghosts face would almost be enough to make his alias a reality. his heart pounding in his throat, his fingers fucking trembling as he immediately reached into the assholes pocket to find his phone—a picture of a woman tied up (face not in view however) lighting up on the home screen. there’d be no thinking rationally, no thoughts in ghosts head except for making sure you were fucking okay. he’d do whatever he’d have to do, kill the guy, leave him strapped there, whatever—he’d be out of that room in two seconds flat and personally flying the helicopter back to your house calling you nonstop every fucking second until you answered.

“hello? si?”

he’d wait a second before answering. taking everything in. background noises, the inflection of your voice. it sounds calm, maybe too calm? he’s grasping his phone so fucking hard it’s a miracle it hasn’t shattered between his fingers.

“princess,” he breathes, fighting with everything in him to keep his voice steady. “see any birds today?”

though it was a genuine question, it also was an established one. ghost had set up a series of questions for a situation precisely like this. if you said blue jay, it meant you were fine, at home, as usual. if you said crows, it meant you weren’t.

“oh just the usual blue jays, si.” he could almost hear the smile on your lips. “everything okay? i miss you.”

ghost would exhale a shattered breath. “i’m coming home.”

and then he’d show up, not all but a few hours later, hands still trembling slightly, heart rate still struggling to regulate. it was too much, reminding him too much of his past traumas, he knew he needed to find better protection for you, but that was a conversation for another time.

he’d come in the house, barely even taking the time to shut the door behind him, almost frenzied again, relentless, unable to relax until he could finally lay eyes on you. and then, the second he did, he’d just pause and look at you, all messy hair and pyjamas still on, in the kitchen cooking breakfast for you both since you knew he was on his way.

and he wouldn’t say a goddamn word, he’d just come up behind you and wrap his arms around your waist, hugging you so tight you’d hardly be able to breathe, his face buried in your hair and his heart thumping at your back. you’d feel the pain the fear the anxiety radiating off him and you wouldn’t try to say anything because you knew he needed this, you knew he needed to see you, hold you, feel your pulse stable and alive. you knew he just needed a moment to breathe.

and so the two of you would stand there like that for a while, and then he’d take a big inhale and spin you around to face him, pulling up his mask to plant soft kisses on your jaw.

“i love you so fuckin’ much.”

[godslino]

IN BLOOM | jisung first date series. second chance lovers.

pairing: jisung x fem!reader word count: 13.2k genre: childhood friends au, angst, fluff, songwriter!jisung, florist!reader warnings: swearing, minor character death, grief/loss (nothing to do with any of the members!) summary: it's february. the tulips are in bloom. jisung is back.

chan | minho | changbin | hyunjin | jisung | felix | seungmin | jeongin · · · ♡ series masterlist · · · ♡ taglist · · · ♡

a/n: *taps mic* hello?? is this thing on?? oh good. yes. hi. hello! it's been a while, as most of you can tell. thank you all SO MUCH for sticking around. if you've been reading my asks you'll know that march and april were rough months for me personally. shout out to my anons and mutuals who kept my spirits high and made my days brighter. uhhh, this was originally supposed to be a stand alone fic but i figured hey, what the hell, and made it into jisung's first date chapter. it's pretty heavy stuff. lots of feelings, lots of love. i hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as i did writing it! again, thank you so much for waiting for me. i'll be back soon with more updates! all the love <3

also thank you kenzie for being such a light during all of this. i hope all my screaming in your messages was worth it!

“All of these had to be pulled.” Hyunjin huffs, dropping a few crates just past the doorway. 

“Again?” you ask, hands on your hips as you stare at yet another wasted supply. “I don’t understand, they sold so well last year.”

Hyunjin gives you a sad smile. “It’ll pick up eventually, don’t worry. I mean the holidays just finished and business usually slows down in the months after anyways.”

He’s being sincere, you know that. But there’s a part of you that also knows it’s a lot more than just the usual ebb and flow of sales. He’s being nice for your sake.

“Maybe we could try coming up with other ideas?” he suggests, because Hyunjin is nothing if not kind. Always willing, always finding a way.

He moves past you to grab a fresh pair of gloves. The ones he’s wearing are dirty, pollen-stained and ripped at the edges. 

“You’ve always been really good at basket arrangements. We could try to make some for Valentine's Day. Different sizes, maybe? The big ones will probably do well for online orders since they’re more optimal for things like office deliveries and stuff like that.”

You hum in approval. “True. I mean, I was kind of worried we would have to skip out on deliveries this year since we don’t have the manpower to handle all of that, but I think Jeongin’s been looking to pick up hours around here again. He said something about his program giving them a month of independent study, so he’ll be home for a bit.” you say, scribbling down a reminder in your notebook. “I could ask him to help with driving the truck in his free time?”

Hyunjin lights up– he always does when Jeongin is mentioned. 

It’s been a lot quieter ever since he left for college. There were so many tears and so many hugs that were met with countless 'you guys are dramatic's in return. But it’s hard to not feel sad when people leave town; when they decide the borders lined with apple trees and rice fields aren’t enough to stop their dreams from blooming into more than what’s capable of being pursued here.

That, unsurprisingly, is something you know all too well.

“Can’t believe he’s driving.” Hyunjin laments as he wipes his floral scissors with a rag. “I used to spend my days changing his diapers and spoon feeding him redbulls– but now? Driving? My baby is all grown up.” he fake sniffles. “By the way, I’m gonna take my fifteen after I’m done snipping these tulips.”

You snort, bending down to take the crates of wilted flowers to the back for disposal. Hyunjin moves to help but you shake him off.

“Sounds good. Also, don’t let Innie hear you say that. I’m about a thousand percent sure he has the strength needed to throw you into the dumpster with one arm now.”

“My baby would never do that to me!” Hyunjin calls out as you round the corner, bumping open the back door with your hip. 

February brings a lot of rain in Jeju. Today is no different; fat drops landing on your head as soon as you stumble out into the alley behind the shop. Footsteps heavy on wet brick, you curse under your breath as you run as fast as you can to the dumpster.

There’s still a few supply boxes from yesterday’s shipment laying around. You meant to bring them in, but you were so exhausted that it slipped your mind while you struggled to make sure everything inside the shop was figured out.

Scrambling, you haul them in one by one, shoes squeaking against the floor as you alternate in and out, soggy cardboard pressed against the front of your apron. 

Hyunjin’s on break. A necessary one at that. You can’t bother him, especially not when he’s done enough by taking on more responsibility both as a physical worker and a newly actualized business partner recently. A few stacks of boxes and wet hair seem like a fair trade off for what he’s had to sacrifice in the past year now.

“Idiot,” you mumble, cursing yourself for carelessness. Your slip ups have been more frequent lately, evident in the way you constantly forget things and can’t seem to push away the haziness clouding your mind. 

If it weren’t for the timing of it all, you’d blame it on the weather. The gloominess. The overcast skies probably have some sort of hand in your lack of clarity. Shrouded.

But it’s February. And in Jeju— it rains.

By the time you make it back inside, you’re drenched. 

“You look like you just got dunked in a pool.” 

You frown, ringing your hair out into the trash bin by the door. It’ll definitely take time to dry off, both your hair and your clothes are soaked through.

Hyunjin watches with an amused look, arms crossed as he leans his back against the counter.

“Might as well have. It’s insane out there.” you sigh. “How was your break?”

You look up to find that his face has gone unreadable.

“Yeah, about that…” Hyunjin trails off, voice suddenly smaller than before.

“Everything okay?” 

“Yeah, yeah it’s just–” Hyunjin chews at his bottom lip.

You push past him into the supply room to switch out your apron just as he says, “Do you mind if I leave a little early today?”

You scoff, turning to face him. “Hwang Hyunjin,” you scold, lips twitching when he visibly startles at your tone, “You don’t have to ask me that. We’re partners now, remember? We run this place.” 

He shifts on his feet, still unsure.

“Besides,” you huff, tying a knot behind your back, “We were friends way before that, too. You don’t have to be all proper with me. Of course you can leave early. It’s slow today, I can take care of it.”

Hyunjin sighs after contemplating for a second. “Are you sure you’ll be okay, though?” 

When he stares at you for a moment too long, you know the real reason for his hesitation. It makes something twist deep in your gut.

Guilt, maybe, amongst other things.

“Of course.” you shrug, doing your best to seem nonchalant. 

Hyunjin’s ability to read people is kind of intense, a little scary at times. You happen to be one of his favorite subjects in that regard.

“Have fun. Tell Minah I said hi.”

He pales, sputtering around words as he struggles to say something. It’s cute, his plump lips opening and closing, eyes wild.

“I’m not going to see her! I’m–it’s just a movie! How did you—God, you’re so annoying. I should’ve made you trim the tulips. Hah!”

You giggle. “It’s funny that you think I wouldn’t know, especially with the way you love to actually make yourself look busy whenever she stops by to say hi.”

“I am busy.” he mumbles, looking away. “I just emphasize it a lot more when she’s here.”

“Sure,” you roll your eyes, “Let’s go with that.”

He whines a couple more times, trails after you around the shop and laughs when you swat him away with a rolled up newspaper that’s used for wrapping vases.

It’s loud. Easy. Hyunjin is a gentle reminder that normalcy still exists in your day to day, even if it’s hard to find. 

When he finally decides to leave, he lingers for a moment, triple checks that you’ll be okay. You roll your eyes for what feels like the millionth time today, but deep down you’re grateful. 

“Love you,” he says, one foot out the door. “Call me if you need anything.”

You shake your head, ignoring him. “Love you too.” 

And then he’s gone, a skip in his step as he heads down the sidewalk, leaving you with nothing but freshly-trimmed tulips and the sound of rain. 

“Herb snips, shears, tape…” you mumble, scanning the supply shelf. 

There’s not much to do in-shop right now. Almost all the arrangements have been tended to by Hyunjin already, his specialty being his keen eye. That’s why he handles the appeal of the shop, leaving you to figure out all the logistics. Learning it all was easier said than done.

In reality, it was never your intention to take over the shop at all. 

“When I die,” your grandma would always say, ignoring the way you groaned and begged her to stop bringing it up, “Sell this place. Use the money for something worthwhile. A trip to Greece, maybe?”

“Nana,” you would scold, glaring at her where she stood next to you, trimming a batch of roses.

Wrinkled hands that still held all the skill of youth. Fingers moving at a speed others could only ever dream of having– you included.

Your grandma handled flowers with the same amount of care she did everything else. It’s no wonder that when they grew they would lean in her direction, drawn to her like they would be the sun. 

“I’m not selling this place. It’s too special, too important. A vacation only lasts so long, Nana. This is forever.”

She would smile, turn petals over in her hand. Sometimes the marigolds would match the glow in her eyes, a testament to the belief you harbored as a child that she had the ability to sprout blossoms from her fingertips.

“The one thing you shouldn’t do, my dear, is rely on forever. Because that, too, is uncertain.”

You wish you hadn’t been so hard headed. Wish that you would’ve believed her, taken the time to listen, cherished the moment a little bit longer instead of relying on the promise of tomorrow.

I’m sorry for your loss.

Your grandmother was a wonderful woman.

She’ll be with you in your heart, forever.

Oh, what a lie forever is.

The shop stays empty for the rest of the day. There were a few passersby, all of whom simply stopped to scan the arrangements along the windows before giving a polite nod and carrying on their way. 

Realistically, the shop has no problem with attracting customers. It’s a sight to behold: mid-floor to ceiling windows with various displays, hanging baskets of winding greenery, countless arrangements that fill the shelves and add a pop of color, and a wide assortment of flowers for each season. 

The real issue lies in your inability to sell. Most people regard the place as being good for nothing more than window shopping and the usual photo-op.

Business has slowed since your Grandma passed; since you took over as the sole owner and were suddenly face to face with the task of making decisions in the shop’s best interest– both integrity wise and from a business standpoint.

“I know, I know,” you say around the pen cap between your teeth, “You used to be the brains around here, not me. I’m not creative enough for all of this, you know? No matter how much I try to be.”

You look up from where your notebook lays open, dozens of scribbles for arrangement ideas and planning. The picture on the wall stares at you, unmoving, eyes as bright as marigolds.

“Don’t give me that look.” 

She stares. A gaze that holds all the answers while also saying nothing at all.

“Ugh.” you groan, leaning your palms on the desk.

You allow your head to hang forward, defeated, exhaustion flooding your bones. 

Just as you’re about to speak again, to complain about yet another thing that probably has her rolling around in her grave, the bell at the front counter dings.

The clock on the desk reads 6:55pm, five minutes until close. You hadn’t even heard anyone come in.

“Be right there!” you call out, rushing to grab your apron from where you’d thrown it on one of the chairs. 

In your haste, the box of seed packets you’d been inventorying goes tumbling to the floor.

“Fuck,” you mutter, bending down to pick everything up. One more thing to add to the list today. 

Off-kilter. Disoriented. Exhausted. 

You sniffle a few times, blinking against the sting behind your eyes as you stand up to put the box back in its place.

One deep breath, a shake of your shoulders. Just enough to chase it all away until later. 

“Sorry about that,” you say cheerily, pushing past the hanging beads that separate the front of the shop from the back. “How can I help you?”

There’s a stranger, his back turned, attention focused on a batch of tulips. Freshly cut. White, blue, purple.

You realize, belatedly, that you’d forgotten to grab your apron in your haste to clean up the seed packets. Another slip up. Nana always prided herself in her apron, wore it like a badge of honor, raised you to do the same.

Just as you spin around to grab it, the stranger says, “It’s okay. I just, um, I wanted to say hi.”

You freeze. There’s a long moment where his voice rings loud in your ears, reverberates against the walls of your brain until it travels through your blood, the feeling like wildfire in your veins until it settles deep in the pit of your stomach. 

Slowly, you turn, heart clamoring in your chest, threatening to stop altogether as soon as you come face to face with the one person you never thought you’d see again.

Because there, at the front of the store, is Jisung.

Jisung, with wide eyes and parted lips. Jisung, with hair that still curls at the ends and falls in shags around his face. Jisung, broader, more actualized, now grown into his features but still undeniably soft around the edges. Jisung, with thick framed glasses pushed up his nose and silver hoops dangling from his ears. 

A stranger. But undoubtedly Jisung. 

“You look…nice.” he says, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly with his free hand.

Three words is all it takes. Ice turns to fire. The blood that had drained from your face returns with the blaze of a thousand suns, anger burning your throat. 

You reach forward, grab the remote for the neon Open sign and click the power button. Jisung watches in confusion.

“The shop is closed.” you manage on a shaky breath.

Jisung sighs, something heavy. “Listen, I’m—”

“The shop–” you try again, louder, “–is closed.” 

Jisung stares. His eyes are still the same velvety brown; big and round and just as you remember. 

There was once a time where the sight of Jisung in your Grandma’s shop made your heart sing. A soft tune, the thrum of a thousand harps, a song only for him.

His heart-shaped smile as he helped her hammer some of the shelves onto the wall. The sound of his laughter whenever you’d enter a sneezing fit from accidentally rubbing your face with a gloved hand. His rosy cheeks, burnt from the wind whipping past his face as he ran on foot to make sure you were okay the one time an angry customer smashed a vase on the floor and you called him crying.

But now, seeing him here, a stranger in a body you once knew like the back of your hand— it feels wrong. 

“I…” he trails off, registering the way your fists are clenched at your sides. 

“Okay,” he resigns, licking his lips. “I, uh– have a good night.”

He gives you one last look, bottom lip pulled tight between his teeth, and then slips out the door. You watch his retreating figure through the glass panel, dark gray skies muting the sound of your rattling heart.

It’s February. The tulips are in bloom. Jisung is back.

And in Jeju– it rains.

There’s an apple tree in the middle of town where Jisung told you he loved you for the first and last time. 

Off the corner, a few minutes down the road from where your houses stand a mere five hundred feet away from one another.

Your grandparents were farmers. Your grandma started her floral business a few years before you were born, a dream she always had that your grandpa urged her to pursue once he decided to sell the animals to a younger, more capable couple that could take care of them. 

Jisung’s parents, new residents on the island, looking to settle down and start a family. 

That’s how it happens. Yours and Jisung’s story, two authors of the same book, destined since the start.

Jisung was born on the same night your mother left you at your grandparents’ doorstep. One note, an apology, is all you’ve ever known about her. Your grandma never cared to indulge you. You’re glad in a way. She provided more than enough love to make sure you never felt an absence in her wake. 

The townspeople used to say you and Jisung were soulmates. Something about the heavens knowing he would need a friend, hence why you were delivered that night. From that moment on, the two of you were inseparable. 

Attached at the hip, you and Jisung grew up together. First steps, first birthdays, firsts for everything under the sun.

Jisung was there in the morning to walk with you to school and he was there at night when the two of you tucked into bed, sleepovers a regular occurrence, both of you counting the pale green stick-on stars dotting his ceiling until you fell asleep. 

Jisung was always around. He held your hand and walked with you to the nurse’s office the first time you got stung by a bee. He wiped your eyes when the boy you liked told you he only ever saw you as a friend, your first rejection. He sat with you under the stars the night your grandpa died, your face tucked into his neck as you stained the collar of his shirt with tears until you were too tired to cry. In the years that followed, he took care of you and your grandma like the two of you were his own. 

Jisung, for lack of a better word, was your first forever.

“You could come with me, you know.” 

Under the stars, real ones that time, Jisung had turned to you and offered the world. 

The air was cold. The apple tree was bare.

“It’ll be fun. We’ll be together, we’ll experience new things. I can do music and you can study all that history stuff you like to learn about. You know, nerdy things.”

“They’re not nerdy things, Ji. Don’t you know everything we have now is because of what’s happened before us?” you’d asked. “Doesn’t it make you wonder? Learning about the past helps us better understand the present, and ultimately the future.”

Jisung had hummed softly, an agreement. “I don’t care about the future, though.” he’d said. “I care about right now. You, me, this.” 

When you turned to look at him, he propped himself up on one elbow and stared down at you from above as the moon casted a halo around his head. 

“I love you,” he whispered, “And I want you to come with me.”

Jisung, with all the stars in his eyes and a heart full of dreams. Jisung, with the world at his fingertips and the ambition to make it his own. 

You, with all your hopes stuffed tight into a suitcase and chained to a boulder, thrown into the ocean. Sinking and sinking until it hit the bottom.

“I love you too,” you whispered back.

Images of marigolds flashed behind your eyes when you closed them, a tear rolling down your cheek. Jisung’s mouth was soft when he kissed it away, salt on his lips. Burning. 

“But I can’t.” you choked. 

Under the apple tree, Jisung told you he loved you for the first and last time. He promised that the distance would be no match for him, that he would traverse oceans to find his way back. He promised forever.

It was February. The tulips were in bloom. Jisung left to pursue his dreams with a guitar on his back and your heart in his hands. Your understanding of forever was shot at point blank. The bullet passed clean through you. 

And in Jeju– it rained.

“I think you should talk to him.”

The sun is out today. Perfect weather for another field harvest. The distributor had called you early in the morning to ask if you’d be willing to accept a drop off even though it’s the weekend. You’d agreed, calling in your most reliable help for the job.

“And I think you’re not helping.” you huff, snipping the head off another hyacinth.

“Agreed,” Hyunjin parrots from beside you, currently in the middle of putting together an arrangement, “This guy sounds like a total dick.”

Chan sighs from behind the two of you, his knees knocking against the legs of the desk when he swivels back and forth in the chair. 

Besides Hyunjin and Jeongin, both of whom moved into town after you’d already graduated, and of course, Jisung– Chan is your oldest friend. 

Chan was also a neighbor of yours. Three years older than you and Jisung, he was the one who acted as a role model for the two of you when growing up. Nowadays he helps his parents run the largest orange grove on the island during the day and DJs one of the clubs in the tourism hub at night. 

“Jisung’s not a dick, he’s just–”

“An asshole.” you finish, smirking when Hyunjin cackles. 

Chan sighs. Again. “Yeah okay, I’ll give you that one.”

“Listen, I know I’ve never met him, but isn’t it weird that he just, like, showed up?” Hyunjin asks, setting down his scissors. You continue trimming the hyacinths, listening halfheartedly.

“I mean, think about it. Dude disappears to pursue music, right? He’s gone for what– three years?”

“Four.” you correct.

“God, even worse.” he grimaces.

“But yeah, okay, four years. And then boom! He just strolls in through the front door without so much as a word during the time he was gone? No letters, no phone calls, not even a damn visit. Nothing! All so he can pop up and go ‘oh, you look nice’? Come on.” he scoffs, crossing his arms.

You wince, caught off guard because you’ve never really heard it phrased as bluntly as Hyunjin put it just then. It’s no surprise that he’s annoyed, having only just heard the full story thirty minutes ago. He’d been shocked, partly because you never told him and also because he just couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“Okay, yes, he was wrong for that. But isn’t part of you even just the least bit curious as to why?” 

You pause mid-snip, mulling Chan’s words over in your head.

The most frustrating part about it all is that you are curious. You wish you weren’t, though. Not when you’ve spent the past four years trying to convince yourself that you don’t need to know what Jisung’s been up to, don’t need to know if he’s been okay since he clearly held no concern for you in that regard anyways.

“What?” you ask when you realize that both boys are staring at you. 

“Well?” Hyunjin pushes. “Are you?”

You shrug. “No, not really.” 

There’s a total of five seconds that pass before Hyunjin is stomping over and hauling Chan up out of his chair, pushing him towards the front door as he protests.

“Out! Out, out, out, we have important business matters to discuss.”

“But we were supposed to get lunch—!”

“We’re taking a rain check!” Hyunjin fights back, shoving him out of the shop before he has a chance to answer. He drops the shade to cover the glass, Chan’s sad figure left alone on the other side.

You gape at him. “What was that for?”

Hyunjin scoffs. “You think you’re convincing? Think again.” 

He hops up on to the counter and gestures for you to do the same. When you do, he pulls you closer, grabs your hand in his, and pushes your head down until it’s resting on his shoulder. 

“Tell me the truth now,” he says, soft. “I know there’s more to it.”

Hyunjin’s warm to the touch. The heat seeps through the fabric of his shirt, igniting the skin of your cheek until you feel like you’re standing too close to the sun. A star. Hyunjin is a light in your tunnel.

“I am curious,” you start, “About him, I mean. I’ve– I don’t know. It’s been so long. I tried to pretend I didn’t care when I saw him, but the minute I looked into his eyes it was like I was eighteen again. Eighteen and happy and looking at someone that I always thought would be there, you know?” 

Hyunjin hums but doesn’t say anything. He squeezes your hand once, a signal to keep going. 

“I’m scared, though. Part of me doesn’t want to know.”

Hyunjin takes a deep breath. “What are you scared of?”

Through the gaps in the beads you can see into your office, the picture of your Grandma hanging on the wall. She stares at you, unblinking. 

“What if he tells me that it’s true?” you ask, lifting your head to look up at him. “What if he says that I was right, that he didn’t care? That he left and didn’t want to call because it no longer mattered to him? That he loves his life there and only came back to clear his own conscience?” 

“Oh honey,” Hyunjin soothes, pulling you into his chest. You hadn’t realized you were crying, that the anger and fear had bubbled over until there were tears falling down your cheeks, wetting the fabric of Hyunjin’s sweater. 

He lets you cry for a while. It’s nothing new; Hyunjin has seen you break down countless times. He’s been there through the worst of it, held your hand even in the aftermath. He’s picked you up off the floor more times than you can count, has grounded you when you felt like the world was gonna open up beneath you and swallow you whole. Salt of the earth, returning you to its core.

Once you’ve quieted into nothing more than shallow breaths and a few scattered hiccups, Hyunjin speaks again.

“Can you be honest with me?”

You nod, the hair stuck to your cheek with tears rubbing against his shoulder. 

“Do you love him?”

It nearly knocks the wind out of you. This concept, so foreign to you now, shoved to the back of your mind to make room for the things that matter most. Hospital visits, labor cuts, wage increases— none of it left any room for love, let alone the thought of someone else. Especially someone as all-consuming as Jisung.

Slowly, you inhale, breath shaking on the exhale. Hyunjin squeezes your hand to remind you that he’s there.

“I don’t think I ever stopped, Hyune.”

The silence stretches thin. The realization is dizzying. Years of suppressed emotions, of telling yourself and everyone around you that it wasn’t a big deal. The sad eyes of the townspeople whenever they’d see you sitting beneath the apple tree. The gentle touch of your grandma’s hand when she’d find you on the front steps alone, staring at the stars. The soft hum of the radio in the shop, set to a playlist of all the songs he’s written, the only reminder that somewhere out there he was doing well.

The final crack in the dam, its water pushing until it gives way.

“Then you owe it to yourself,” Hyunjin says. “You owe it to your heart to get an answer. Free yourself from this pain, love. Don’t let yourself suffer forever.”

Forever. That word again. No matter how many times you’ve tried to escape it, it always comes back.

“It’s gonna hurt.” he sighs, tightening his grip when you sniffle. “It’s gonna hurt so fucking bad, babe. But you can take it. You’ve got people who love you enough to stand in front of you and soften the blow from time to time. But you’ll be okay. I’ll make sure of it.”

He hops down from the counter and moves to stand in front of you, right between your legs. Placing both hands on your shoulders, he pushes until you’re sitting with your back straight and lifts your chin. 

“You deserve an answer.” he says, with conviction this time. “Okay?”

He lets his thumb swipe beneath your eyes, smiles softly. Unconditional— that’s what he is. Hyunjin burns brighter than any star in your sky, the heat wrapping its arms around you like it’s too scared to let go, to watch you freeze and die out like so many others. 

“I don’t deserve you, though.” you say, laughing wetly when he rolls his eyes.

“Shut up,” he chuckles, pulling you in for a hug, “You deserve everything and more.”

When Jisung comes into the shop two days later, you’re ready for it. 

Chan had talked to him. No surprise, really, not when he’s been letting him crash in his spare room ever since he figured out that he was holed up in one of the hotels out in the tourism hub. 

If there’s one thing about Chan, it’s that he’d rip the shirt off his back to clothe anyone in need. Housing a friend is nothing, especially when that friend is Jisung.

“I don’t know how much of a consolation this is,” he’d said nervously, watching as you regarded him with an expectant look, “But he’s pretty cut up about you not wanting to see him. Which, I know, is stupid. He is the one who fucked up. But I just– I don’t know. I’ve never seen him like this, I guess.”

It’s not a consolation, not really. Knowing that Jisung is struggling is far from anything you want to hear. 

Sure, there’s anger present. Anyone would be stupid to not feel the least bit frustrated with what’s happened. Years lost, time stripped away. But you’ve long since come to terms with it, the anger turning to sadness in the meantime.

“Also, he leaves tomorrow.” Chan smiled sadly. “He really wants to talk to you before then.”

Hyunjin left early again today to give the two of you space. Not before making a show of his own though, threatening to incite violence with his arms that are supposedly ‘shredded’ from years of lifting boxes filled with petunias. 

The shop is slow again, not many sales nor a lot of foot traffic. Usually when the sun is out there’s more to do; people to see, smiles to give. But there’s nothing, just the chirping of birds and the sound of cars rolling by. 

Maybe the world knows that this is what you need. The calm before the storm. 

Five minutes until close. You’ve spent most of the day pacing back and forth. Waiting. Anticipating. 

Chan had said Jisung planned on stopping by, trying again. You’d told him that was okay, and his eyes lit up. Too much hope, maybe, that something might come of this. 

You’re seated in the back office, staring at marigold colored irises when the front door opens. You hear it this time, ears fine tuned, waiting. 

Slowly, you stand, make your way to the front. You don’t realize you’re holding your breath until you pull back the beaded curtain and Jisung’s figure comes into view. 

He looks the same as he did the other day: curled hair, thick glasses, parted lips. His sweater, fluffy and striped, hangs off of his shoulders in a way that boxes off his tapered waist, one that you know is hidden beneath all the layers. The sleeves are way too long judging by the way it curls over his fingers. 

“Hi.” he breathes out, watching as you step into full view.

You blink. “Hi, Jisung.���

His name feels weird on your tongue. Bitter. It’s been years since you uttered it, forbidding yourself from the luxury out of fear that it would make his absence more real. Talking about him in the past tense always scared you off before you could even get the chance. 

“How– How’ve you been?” he chews on the inside of his lip.

You want to scold him, tell him to stop the habit just like you always would in the past. He’d make a joke then, tell you to kiss him so that he had something else to do instead. You would laugh, feign disgust, but in the back of your mind you’d wanted it more than anything. 

You’d waited for it, the day you could kiss him without warning and melt into his touch as he kissed you back. Another stupid bet on forever; the belief that you had all the time in the world for things to get to that point.

“I’ve been better.” you say, taking a deep breath. “What about you?”

Good, you think. He’s been good. He looks good. He doesn’t need this place.

“Me too.” he says instead. “I’ve been better.”

You don’t know what to say to that. Silence fills the room, heavy on both your chests. The anticipation feels like it might kill you before anything else does. 

“I’m sorry that–”

“Is that all you came here to say?” you cut him off.

“What?” he asks, confused. “No, I– no.”

“What, then? What is it you want to say, Jisung?” your voice is firm. He winces when his name leaves your mouth. “Because, honestly, I’ve waited all this time to hear literally anything from you, and if all that comes out of this is that you’ve ‘been better’ I might actually lose my fucking mind.”

The words tumble out faster than you intend. You can’t help it, not with the way anxiety has been bubbling over in your chest since the moment you woke up this morning. You could barely sleep last night, not when you were playing out every possible scenario in your head, the anticipation of it all making your sheets feel scratchy against your skin and the lumps in your pillow more discernible. 

“No, no, of course I wouldn’t do that.” he says quickly. “It's just that I didn’t know where to start. I don’t know how much you’ll allow me to say, what the boundary is here. I didn’t want to just barge in and demand you listen to me. You don’t owe me that. You don’t owe me anything. Not after what I did.”

What I did, his voice rings loud in your ears. He’s aware of it, of the pain he caused. 

He takes a step forward, and then another, again and again until he’s right up against the front counter, an arm’s length away. 

Your breath catches then, when you see him up close for the first time in four years, see the way he’s grown and changed with your own eyes. 

Stubble dotting his chin, laugh lines around his mouth, the dip and curve of the bow above his lips that you always loved. Brown eyes, soil and stardust. 

“Tell me what your conditions are,” he says quietly, “And I’ll give you every explanation I have.”

The sincerity on his face is blinding. Your stomach twists at the thought of hearing what he has to say, that same fear brewing in the pit of it. You take a deep breath, feel the phantom ghost of a hand squeezing yours and a crescent moon eye smile. 

“I waited four years for you.” you say.

“I know.”

“I trusted that you’d be back. That you would keep in touch during the time you were gone.”

“I–” his voice cracks. “I know.”

“You lied to me.”

Jisung tips his head back then. Swallows down a lump in his throat. Blinks rapidly at the ceiling, veins of ivy crawling along the expanse of it.

“I know.”

“So you owe me everything. I deserve that. I deserve answers.”

When he brings his head down to look at you, it’s unreadable. A mix of emotions that you aren’t familiar enough with anymore to decipher. Fear, guilt, sorrow. Hope, too. Maybe.

You stare at him head on, fully letting your eyes meet for the first time in what feels like an eternity. He holds your gaze, unwavering. Determined. The sight makes your heart clench. 

“Okay,” he says after a beat of silence. “Okay. I can do that.”

Despite the ever-growing mountain of things to address, you decide that the first thing you want to hear from Jisung is about his time in Seoul. 

You’re only human, after all.

Best friends from the start– you can’t stop yourself from wondering what life has been like for him. Jisung’s always been good at storytelling, animated in his features and gestures to the point that you’d be rolling around and clutching your stomach from laughter. It’s one of the things you missed the most, just talking and being present in one another’s lives.

The two of you end up at one of the diners down the road. The owners, an elderly couple, coo as soon as they catch sight of you.

“My flower girl,” the old lady, Mrs. Kim, greets.

“Mrs. Kim,” you beam, moving in for a hug. When you pull away, Jisung is behind you, hands clasped behind his back and feet together like he has his tail between his legs.

“Halmeoni,” you say, gesturing at him, “Do you remember Jisungie?” 

His eyes go wide at the nickname, and you try to ignore the heat creeping up your neck, avoiding his gaze and instead watching as Mrs. Kim blinks in surprise.

“Oh! Oh my goodness, our Jisungie? Honey! Honey, look, Jisung is here! Oh you crazy boy,” she scolds, rushing forward to hit his shoulder and pull him in for a hug. “Where have you been? It’s been ages!” 

Jisung lets out an oof! as her body slams into him, all of his anxiousness dissolving into laughter as he hugs her back. 

“Hi Mrs. Kim, how have you been?” 

“Me?” she asks, pulling him away to hold at arm’s length, “Nevermind about me! I’m old! How have you been?”

Good, you think again, a mimic of earlier. Jisungs eyes flit over to yours for the smallest of moments before he answers.

“Better,” he says. “I’m doing better.”

Once both Mr. and Mrs. Kim are done doting over the both of you, they seat you by the window.

The island is always beautiful on sunny days: trees swaying, golden rays painting the rooftops in hues of pink and orange, the indigo shimmer of the ocean off in the distance.

“So,” you say, catching Jisung’s attention, “Tell me about Seoul.”

He hums. “It’s busy. Stinks. Lots of people.”

“Dream come true, yeah?” you joke, taking a sip of your water.

Jisung chuckles. “You could say that, I guess.”

“I mean, it was yours.”

“It was.” he sighs, looking down at the table. “I don’t know. It’s nice. I met good people, made even better connections. I live in this one bedroom studio apartment just outside of Itaewon, so I’m close to where all the foreigners hang out. I’ve learned a lot, gained a lot of inspiration for my music.”

You follow along, staring at him intently. His mouth, still heart-shaped, twitches when he catches you in the act.

You clear your throat, glancing away. “Yeah, I’ve– uh, I’ve heard some of your songs.”

He raises his eyebrows, almost like he hadn’t expected you to say that. “Really?”

“Yeah. I mean, I hear them on the radio sometimes.” A lie. “It usually takes me a second to realize that it’s you.” Another lie. “But they’re good, you’re doing well.”

Pink dusts the tops of Jisung’s cheeks as he turns back to the window, clearing his throat.

He looks younger like this, like he’s still the same boy who would sit across from you all those years ago. Cherry-stained lips and a smile so bright it put the sun to shame.

He talks a bit more about his music, about how he’s with a good company that gives him creative freedom and enough support to pursue more if he desires.

His eyes light up when he tells you about his studio, a small room on the fifth floor of a building in the middle of the city where he does all of his writing. It’s equipped with an entire soundboard, full of instruments that he says he’s been able to get signed by artists that come in and out. Most notably, his guitar, the same one he left with. 

Slowly, like a flower blossoming, petals opening one by one, you feel yourself falling back into step with him.

Everything is so familiar: the curve of his smile, the tilt in his voice when he gets excited, the rumble of laughter when he recounts an embarrassing run-in with an A-list celebrity in the company’s cafeteria. He shares stories that fill your heart as the two of you fill your stomachs.

But with the ease comes something more, something you recognize as longing. You hadn’t realized how much you longed to be there through this part of his life, how you wished you’d been the one to answer a video call as he showed off his apartment the first day he moved in, his company badge when it was newly issued, every moment of happiness that you’d been absent for just as much as he was absent for yours.

He seems to share the same sentiment then, when he sets down his fork and stares at his empty plate. 

“You run the shop now,” he says, “How’s that been?”

You purse your lips, nodding your head slowly. You knew this conversation would happen, that it was coming.

“It’s good, I guess. Been almost a year now since, uh, it was left to me.” you shrug. “I’m not alone though, Hyunjin is a big help. I don’t know what I’d do without him.”

Jisung noticeably bristles. Eyebrows pulled together, staring more intently at a crumb on his plate. It looks like there’s a lot he wants to say, like he can’t find the words to say them.

So, naturally, you do it for him. 

“I assume Chan told you so I wouldn’t have to, by the way.”

He looks up then, as if he wasn’t expecting you to address the very obvious elephant in the room.

“He did, yes.” Jisung says after a while. His voice is quiet, gentle, like he’s walking on eggshells. “I– I didn’t know how to bring it up. I assume you’ve heard it all already but– I really, really am sorry to hear about Nana.”

The way her name sounds coming out of his mouth turns your mind to static.

Suddenly you’re in the hospital again, monitors beeping, hands as soft as petals cradled in your own and wishing that you could bury your face in a familiar neck as you cried and watched the marigolds wilt. 

“I don’t need an apology for that.” you croak, blinking back tears. Jisung is somewhere in your periphery, your vision blurry around the edges.

“It wasn’t sad. Her life, I mean. It was full. Of love. Of light. She left this place happy. That’s what she told me, at least.”

You take a deep breath. “So don’t be sorry about it.”

Jisung sniffles, and the sound shoots straight through your chest. 

“I know. I just– I’m sorry I wasn’t here. I should’ve been. I had no idea that–”

“Nobody did, Jisung. Don’t punish yourself for that.”

He sees it then, when you finally meet his eyes, the acceptance. You’ve come to terms with things a long time ago, have fought tooth and nail to come out on the other side of all the guilt and resentment and grief alive. Scathed, but alive nonetheless.

“You’re right.” he sighs, wiping at his eyes quickly. “She’d probably yell at me for saying that.”

You laugh, suddenly, the noise startling him. Jisung looks at you like you’re crazy.

“I think she has a lot more to yell at you for than being sorry that she died.”

The bluntness punches a chuckle out of him, and you giggle at the thought.

Your grandmother was always such an outspoken person. She always said what was on her mind, speaking it loud. There’s no doubt that if she was here she’d be berating Jisung, smacking him upside the head before pulling him into a hug and cooking his favorite meal. Tough love, but still, love.

“She would’ve loved to be able to see you.” you say once your laughter dies out, the air a bit lighter between the two of you. “She always wondered if you’d grow your hair out without her around to nag you about keeping it short.” 

He reaches up to run a hand through his curls, the strands falling around his face in a way that has your heart stammering in your chest.

“Well, clearly I don’t know how to listen.”

“No, you don’t.”

Jisung smiles softly. “Maybe I’ll cut it now. You know, since I’m here. And because I know she’d want me to.”

You watch him carefully, searching his eyes. For what, you don’t know. All that’s in them are stars. 

“Yeah,” you say quietly. “You’re here.”

By the time the two of you leave the diner, stomachs full and enough bags of extra side dishes hanging off of your arms to last you at least two weeks, courtesy of Mrs. Kim, the sun is almost fully set. 

The ocean is calm, the evening breeze just barely brushing the surface of the tide. Jisung walks in step with you down the street, one side of his face cast in a glow from the sun’s fading rays. 

“Do you think you’d maybe want to stop by the arcade that Old Man Park runs? Just for a little?”

You snort. “Why? So I can embarrass you?”

“Hey!” he puts a hand on his chest, offended. “I’ll have you know that I let you win all those times.”

“How do you let someone win after spending hours practicing while I worked at the shop?”

“I was being nice!”

“Uh huh.”

“Don’t believe me?” he grins. You try not to look, afraid of how bad your blood pressure might spike from the sight. 

“I’ll have you know that I’m one of the best Kart Rider players in the PC Bang scene back in Seoul.”

“Jisung,” you scold, “That’s a computer game. These are coin-ops. There’s way more skill needed.”

“No there isn’t!”

He knocks his shoulder against yours, tucking his chin to his chest to hide his smile when you try to fight back.

It’s easy. Nice. There’s a soft melody echoing in the dust-covered chambers of your heart. You still know all the chords.

Old Man Park’s arcade is a few doors down from the shop. You stop there to drop off the food, spare a glance in the mirror hanging in your office to fix your hair.

Your grandma’s picture stares at you from the other wall, eyes bright.

“Love you,” you say, kissing the skin of your fingertips and pressing it gently against the frame.

Jisung is toeing at a few rocks on the sidewalk when you walk back out. He doesn’t see you, too busy with his eyes casted down at the concrete, hands shoved into his pockets. 

It’s still hard to believe that he’s here. Flesh and bone. For a long time it felt like he was nothing but a distant dream, someone who only existed in the memories that you kept locked deep within your heart, the key somewhere on the streets of Seoul.

“Ready?” you ask.

He looks up, his glasses moving when his cheeks round into a smile.

Something passes across his face– a myriad of emotions in just a fraction of a second. Hesitantly, he holds out his hand. Long, delicate fingers.

You stare at it, swallowing roughly around the butterfly wings flapping inside your throat. 

The one thing you shouldn’t do, my dear, is rely on forever. Because that, too, is uncertain.

Forever isn’t promised. But even then, there are things you know for sure:

It’s February. The tulips are in bloom. Jisung is here. Living, breathing, in the flesh. 

So you take his hand, watch as relief floods his features, and let yourself feel.

The wind in your hair, the calluses on Jisung’s palms, and the warmth radiating out of the smile that threatens to split his face into two.

And with that certainty, the two of you start walking. A silent agreement to focus on the now.

You. Him. This.

“God, I can’t believe everything is only one coin.”

You laugh, watching as the multi-colored lights cast a glow on Jisung’s face. 

“Stop acting like you don’t remember this place.”

“I don’t!” he argues, smiling. “We stopped coming here, what, in middle school? Once Chan hyung started driving? We would always ask him to take us to the other one out in the big town!”

Chan’s first car was an old Camry with leather seats and enough room for the three of you to pile into after school. Used, but still with enough juice to satisfy three young kids who felt like they were on top of the world.

You used to sit in the back, the wind whipping your hair every which way while yours and Jisung’s hands lay side by side in the middle seat, pinkies brushing but neither of you willing to take it further. 

“Oh, shit!” Jisung gasps, letting go of your hand as he runs up to the space invaders machine. 

“Here we go,” you sigh, following after him. He’s like a kid in a candy store, face filled with innocent wonder and joy.

“Aren’t there, like, I don’t know– things better than this in Seoul?” you ask as he shoves a coin into the game.

Jisung turns to look at you with a devilish grin. “Obviously,” he says, “But I can’t beat anyone’s high score over there. Here though? Ha! This place is ancient. I can finally be at the top of the leaderboard in something.”

“We’ll see about that.” you mumble, the noise of the game booting up drowning you out. 

Jisung sticks his tongue out when he focuses really hard on things. It’s cute, the way the end of it sits between his lips, spit-slick and parted just a little bit.

He’s glowing, probably because of the lights, hues of red and green and blue flashing across his face. But then again, Jisung has always shined brighter than anything. 

The game beeps to signal that he has one life left. He grunts a few times, his fingers tapping the buttons madly as his other hand handles the joystick in a frenzy of movements.

When it ends, he groans, throws his hands up in defeat.. 

You shake your own head knowingly, watching his eyes bug out of their sockets as soon as the leaderboard appears on the screen, the 8-bit letters blinking at him. 

“You’re joking.” he laughs in disbelief, turning to stare at you. “Please tell me you’re joking.” 

There, on the screen, is your name. The highest score. Jeongin and Hyunjin’s names sit just below you, respectively.

“What was that again about finally being able to be at the top?” you mock him, smirking.

“Since when did you get good at this?”

You shrug. “Had to find something to do in my free time.”

“No,” he says, rolling up his sleeves. “Nuh-uh. No way. This is not happening. I will beat you.” he holds out his hand for another coin, to which you roll your eyes and place one in his palm. 

“You might as well give up now. We’ll be here all night.”

“In your dreams.” he scoffs, assuming his position as another round loads onto the screen.  

Jisung has always been competitive. It’s one of his more hidden characteristics. 

It persists still, you realize, as you watch him burn through the styrofoam cup of coins that Old Man Park had given the two of you. Free of charge for old time’s sake.

Fort-five minutes. All he’s managed to do is bump Hyunjin down to fourth.

“Ugh!” he groans, kicking the machine lightly with his foot. 

“Look at you throwing a tantrum.”

“I’m not throwing a tantrum.” he pouts. You raise an eyebrow.

“Okay fine. I’m throwing a tantrum.” 

“Thought so.”

“Can you blame me?” he asks. “This is, like, our first date. And I’m sucking. Hard.”

“Our–” you stop, eyes wide. Jisung mimics you, almost like he didn’t mean to say what he did. 

Heat rushes to your cheeks. Your mind goes blank. But the world doesn’t end. Time keeps moving. Jisung is still here.

“I didn’t–”

“I like the sound of that.” you say quickly. “Of this being our first date, I mean.’

He smiles. Slow and sweet like molasses. Blinding.

“And the fact that you suck.”

The moment is shattered, his resulting whine echoing throughout the arcade.

“Come on you big baby,” you laugh, grabbing his hand. “I know a game you can beat me at.”

He lets himself be pulled, pretending that he’s upset, but you can see the smile tugging at his lips when you lace your fingers together.

The feeling is still new, this ease you have with him. The wounds you sported all those years are still healing, some more fresh than others. But with each laugh that comes out of Jisung’s mouth and shared glance, every note that your heart sings, you can feel them beginning to fade. A balm to soothe the burn.

The Pac-Man game is situated in the back corner of the arcade, right next to the jukebox. It used to be your favorite, because Jisung would always use his own coins to play songs for you while you tried to score higher than twenty-five thousand points. 

When you get there, he frowns. “The only game you think I can beat you at is Pac-Man?” 

“I don’t think,” you say, grabbing a coin before shoving the cup into his chest. “I know.”

The game boots up instantly, and you smile softly to yourself when Jisung moves wordlessly behind you, slips a coin into the jukebox.

“Play something good, Jisungie.”

He freezes. Out of the corner of your eye you watch him stare at you for a long moment. And then he smiles. Stardust.

“You got it.”

In a matter of seconds, Lovers In A Dangerous Time by Bruce Cockburn rings throughout the arcade, the speakers on the ceiling fighting past the static.

An old song. The same one your grandparents would dance to in the mornings, eggs on the stove and love in the air.

Your grandma used to say it was written for them, because when they fell in love the war was at its peak and she didn’t know if he’d ever come home. 

After he passed, she still played it, except those times it was Jisung who twirled her around and painted a smile on her face as you watched from the same spot you grew up in. Always there.

Jisung, Jisung, Jisung. 

When the game starts, you try your best. It’s hard. You’ve always been terrible at anything involving quick decisions. Focusing on everything at once isn’t easy for you, that much is still true. 

“Shit.” you mumble, the top right corner of the screen reading ten thousand points as the ghosts run into you.

Jisung lets out a low whistle. “Harsh.”

“You wanna go back to space invaders and waste the last of our money?” you raise an eyebrow. 

He holds his hands up in surrender. “Sorry, sorry. Go ahead.” he says, holding the cup out for you to take another coin. 

You try a couple more times, failing each and every one. You can tell that Jisung is growing more and more amused with every attempt, and the smugness radiating off of him is starting to rub you the wrong way.

“If you’re so good,” you say after a particularly sad attempt, turning to glare at him. Jisung has his lips pulled tight to stop himself from laughing. “Then why don’t you try?”

He chuckles then. “I’d rather help you, if you’ll let me.”

“How are you supposed to do that? We only have one coin left.”

Jisung doesn’t say anything. He puts the cup down, the last coin held between his fingers. You watch as he slips it into the machine, move to get out of his way once he’s done, but he stops you by grabbing your hand and spinning you back around, his fingers placed over yours on the joystick. 

With your back flush against his front, caged in by his arms on either side, Jisung takes a deep breath.

“This okay?” he asks right next to your ear, the curls on the side of his head brushing your cheek when he leans down to get a better look at the screen.

Warm. He’s so warm. The material of his sweater only worsens the heat, and the faint scent of vanilla makes your head swim.

It’s more than okay. Great, even. It’s Jisung. Everything and more.

“Yeah,” you say, letting him control your hands as he flicks the joystick. “It’s okay.”

The hair against your cheek moves when he smiles. “Good.” he says, and then hits the start button.

The game begins but you’re barely processing what’s happening, too aware of the feeling of his body pressed against yours. 

A firm chest, different from what’s observable on the outside, what with the fluffiness of his sweater and soft features. His arms too, encasing you, the bulge and flex of his biceps every time he moves.

It’s all so intoxicating, so much so that you don’t even realize you’ve beaten the highest score in the system by the time he loses his last life. 

“What?” you blink. “What the hell?!”

You laugh, spinning to face Jisung who’s grinning from ear to ear. In your excitement, you jump, flinging your arms around his neck. He’s surprised, but catches you nonetheless, circling his arms around your waist.

“Holy shit how’d you do that!” you squeal while he swings you around, feet off the ground.

“Magic, I guess.” he chuckles. 

The closeness of his voice brings you crashing back down, suddenly aware of what position you’re both in. You pull back quickly, clear your throat, and watch as his face falls from the loss of contact.

It’s been a long time since you hugged Jisung. The thought transports you to that day four years ago, standing under the apple tree, the future uncertain. Forever promised.

Things are different now.

“Sorry,” he backtracks. “I didn’t– um, I wasn’t trying to–”

You cut him off by throwing yourself at him for a second time. Intentional. Breathless. Tired of running and acting like it’s not the thing you want most in the entire world.

Jisung doesn’t react until he feels your face against the skin of his neck. On instinct, he hugs tight, hands around your waist, breathing in the smell of your hair.

“Hi.” you whisper against him. 

One word. Simple. However the weight of it sends a chill down his spine. It feels like home. 

He tightens his hold. A silent understanding. The two of you never had much of a need for words anyways. 

“Hi.” he whispers back.

The apple tree is much bigger now.

Long, thick branches, a wide trunk, a slight tilt in its shape.

It’s bare. The season is long gone. But it’s okay, because it means that the view of the stars isn’t blocked when you and Jisung lay beneath it.

It’s the same but it isn’t. There’s gaps– periods of time where the two of you grew separately. There are moments and memories tucked away that neither of you know about, whole lives to discover. 

But even so, it feels right. His arm wrapped around you, your head on his chest. The stars and the moon. You and Jisung.

It’s nice. Perfect, even. But there’s a conversation that needs to be had. One that can’t be put off any longer.

“Ji.”

“Hm?”

“Can I ask you something?”

Jisung shifts beneath you, tightening his hold. The grass is damp. Neither of you care, too caught up in each other to stress about whether or not it’ll stain.

“Of course.”

“Am I ever gonna see you again?”

He takes a deep breath. “Yes.”

“You said that last time.”

“I know.”

“So what makes this different?” you ask, sitting up. He watches you carefully, eyes trained on every movement like he’s scared you’ll get up and run away.

When he realizes you’re waiting for an answer, he sits up too, pulls his knees to his chest and wraps his arms around his legs. 

He doesn’t say anything, just wordlessly reaches into his pocket. Silently, he hands whatever he grabbed to you. A guitar pick.

It’s white, a marbled design. Golden flecks infused into the lines. There, on the front, is a singular marigold. When you flip it over, you’re met with a tulip. 

“Do you remember that one time, when you called me crying at midnight because Nana told you that she didn’t know if she’d be able to afford school in the city?”

You nod silently, still turning the guitar pick over in your hand. 

It was one of those nights where the rain was relentless. Monsoon season always tagged on to the tail end of the school year, bringing with it a more intense gloominess than usual. 

You’d been angry. Stressed. Irritated that other kids at school were making plans to go to the mainland for college and you were stuck helping your grandmother trim foliage and wrap vases in newspaper.

“You told me that you couldn’t do it anymore.” Jisung whispered, staring up at the sky. “That you were tired of being here. That you needed to get out.”

You remember. Jisung had walked through the rain to show up at your window. Had climbed in with muddy shoes and sat on the floor of your room with you until the downpour stopped and your tears dried.

“And I said that I would make it happen, that I would invent a way to live amongst the stars so you could be as far from here as possible.”

“So what?” you ask, looking at him. “Did you finally do it, then? Is that why you came back?”

“Don’t be like that.”

“No, Jisung, I’m gonna fucking be like that.” you scoff, rising to your feet. 

There’s a fire in your veins, stoked until the embers are burning hot against your throat. Too good to be true. You should’ve known that there was no explanation left for him to give.

Jisung scrambles to his feet. “It wasn’t like I wanted to–”

“Oh like hell you did.” you say, turning to face him. “Four years, Jisung. I waited four years and you just– you come back and decide to tell me about some make-believe bullshit to save yourself and feel less guilty about the fact that you left.”

“It wasn’t make-believe to me,” he argues. “It was real. Everything I said was real. I left and I tried for years to make something of myself so I could come back here and get you.”

“Oh so it’s my fault? I made you leave, is that it?”

“That’s not what I said.”

“So then say something else!” you yell. The stars rumble, threatening to fall out of the sky. “Say something else, then, Jisung. Why didn’t you call? Huh?”

“Because I–” he stops, licks his lips. “God. Fuck. I couldn’t face you if I had nothing to show for myself, okay? It wasn’t fair to you for me to leave you behind just so I could fail.”

“Ha!” you laugh, running a hand through your hair in disbelief. “So you decided to go radio silent instead? Decided to not only leave me alone but let me suffer and wonder about where you were because that’s so much better than telling me that you were struggling, right? Great choice, Jisung. Really.”

He blinks a few times, watching as you pace back and forth in the grass. 

Anger bubbles deep in your gut. This whole time, he knew. It was a conscious decision. Jisung deliberately didn’t contact you because he chose not to.

“Did you ever even love me?”

The words tumble out before you can stop them. Jisung’s entire body goes rigid, his face falling and eyes hardening within a fraction of a second.

“Watch what you say.” he says, his voice low in his chest.

“I wouldn’t have to if you’d just be honest.”

“I’m trying.” he pleads. His eyes are glossy. Big and round behind his glasses. Illuminated by the moon. 

“I fucked up, okay? I prioritized myself and the way I felt over you and fucked everything up. But I tried. I tried so fucking hard. And I’m sorry it took me so long but I wanted– no–  I needed to make sure that I had everything figured out before I came back. I promised I would.”

“No, Jisung, you promised me that–”

“I’m not talking about you.” he says then, taking a deep breath. “You weren’t the only one I made promises to back then.”

Before you have a chance to speak, Jisung says, “I promised her. I told her I’d get you out of here. That I’d give you a life that you deserved, because she knew she couldn’t.”

You drop to your knees when the first sob hits, the force of it racking your body so hard you feel like you’re drowning. Jisung catches you on the fall, holds you up, lets you bury your face into his neck like he had so many times before.

“She told me you believed in forever. She wanted me to give that to you. I’m sorry it took me so long.”

Jisung lets you cry. He holds you through the storm, your wails as loud as thunder and tears as heavy as rain. Four years in the making; the sky and the earth colliding until the dirt and layers of sediment give way to the molten core that’s been hiding beneath the surface all along.

Pain. Grief. All of it pent up and leading to this moment. 

“You should’ve told me.” you cry, beating a fist into Jisung’s chest. “You idiot. You fucking idiot. You should’ve told me.” 

Jisung pulls you in closer, takes each hit as long as it means that it’ll soften the blow on your heart. He whispers apologies in your ear, runs a hand through your hair. 

When it quiets again, the worst of the storm gone, he shifts so that your head is in his lap, his legs crossed and tucked beneath him. A few stray tears wet the fabric of his jeans, your eyes focused on the field of flowers across the street.

“I won’t ask you to come with me.” he says after a long while, when your breathing has evened out. “I know that things are different. You have a life here that you’ve made for yourself, responsibilities to bear as well.”

He pauses to push a few strands of hair out of your face. His fingers are gentle against the skin of your cheek.

“But I promise it’ll be different. I spent too long away from you, was too selfish for my own good. I won’t disappear again. I’ll call every day. I’ll visit. You’ll get every part of me that I kept away from you all this time, and I’ll get every part of you in return.”

Your heart thrums. The thought of having what you’ve wanted for so long. Of having Jisung.

“And when you’re ready, when you feel like you can’t do it anymore, there’ll be a place for you.”

His voice is firm. Confident. More sure than he’s ever sounded before in his life.

When you turn to face him, he’s already staring back. Jisung, with all the stars in his eyes and a heart full of dreams. Jisung, with the world at his fingertips and the offer to make it yours.

Under the apple tree, Jisung leans down and kisses you for the first time. Twenty four years in the making, soft and slow, his lips a perfect fit against yours. A starboy and his flower girl. His glow is so bright it makes blossoms sprout from her fingertips.

Soft curls tickle your eyelids when he pulls away to rest his forehead against yours. You reach up to run a hand through them, smiling softly when he presses a kiss to the tip of your nose. 

“I love you.” you say first this time. 

He reaches out a hand, closes it over your fist that’s still clutching the guitar pick. A marigold and a tulip, both working together to make a perfect harmony. 

“I love you, too.” Jisung whispers back. “Forever.”

Jisung stops by the shop early to say goodbye.

There’s less tears this time, less of a reason to be sad. But still, when he wraps his arms around you, vanilla filling your nose and curls against your face, you feel your composure crumble.

“Every day.” he says, repeating the same thing he did all night. “I promise. Morning and night. Also at lunch. Oh, and on your days off. Matter of fact, you can call when you’re on the toilet too.”

The last part earns him an elbow to the ribs, his laughter bubbling up and out of his throat as he tries to dodge any and all subsequent attacks.

He kisses you stupid before he goes, Chan rolling his eyes from his car out front. You flip him off blindly, Jisung’s lips still attached to yours, earning a loud honk in response.

When he leaves, the shop is quiet, the only sound being the buzzing of your phone as Jisung blows it up with text messages the second the car pulls away.

You’re too busy replying, giggling to yourself when a slew of cute emoticons start appearing one by one, that you nearly fall over out of your chair when Hyunjin bursts through the door.

“Jesus Christ Hyune, did you have to–”

“What the hell are you doing here?” he asks, breathless. 

“Uh,” you blink, glancing round. “Working?”

“Is Jisung not on a damn plane right now?”

“I mean he’s on his way to the airport. Chan is–”

“Chan hyung told me that Jisung wanted you to go with him.” Hyunjin says, brow furrowed.

You sigh. “He didn’t want me to go with him. Well, okay, he did. But I told him I can’t just pick up and leave. He knows that. Nana left this place to me and–”

“You are so stupid.” Hyunjin sighs. 

“Excuse me?” you ask. You stand up, crossing your arms as you walk closer to the counter. 

“Come on. We have to go.”

“Go where, Hyunjin? I’m not leaving to–”

He cuts you off, places an envelope on the wooden surface. “And I am not letting you stay here and pretend that this is what you want.”

“What is that?” 

“A plane ticket.” he says, pushing it towards you. “To Seoul.”

Your mouth opens and closes, lost for words. Hyunjin is already moving around the counter, pushing past you with an expression the most serious you’ve ever seen on him.

“Hyunjin I– I can’t– where did you even…?”

“Chan hyung has a friend.” he mumbles as he begins pulling stuff out of the office. Your planning notebook, your apron, the picture of your grandma off the wall. All of it thrown into a small box he managed to snag from somewhere off to the side.

“His name is Seungmin or something. Met him out in the tourist hub. Dude’s super rich with tons of miles and apparently owed Chan for a drunken night where he needed to be escorted to his hotel. So thanks to him, you’re leaving.” he explains as he grabs the box with both hands and starts walking towards the door.

“Wait.” you stop him, watching as he turns to regard you with a look that says his patience is running thin. 

“I told you I can’t leave, Hyunjin. This place is where I need to be.”

He huffs, places the box on the ground in front of him. His hair falls in waves around his face, a shimmery dark brown beneath the rays of the sun poking into the room. 

“Can you be honest with me?” he asks. 

You nod, slowly. 

“Do you love him?”

Hyunjin watches you with careful eyes. Reads you like a book, something he’s always been good at. You don’t doubt that it’s written on your face. Star-kissed cheeks and eyes as bright as marigolds. 

“So much that it hurts, Hyune.”

Hyunjin smiles, eyes watery. “Then you deserve to go. You deserve your chance to be free. Don’t worry about this place, I’ll take care of it.”

The familiar sting of tears sits behind your eyes. Your heart swells full of love for this friend, this light, this beacon of unconditional love in the shape of your best friend.

“I don’t have clothes.” you manage to say around the lump in your throat.

Hyunjin shakes his head, tears spilling down the bridge of his nose. 

“I’ll send them to you.”

“There’s a lot to do around here for just one person. What if you need me?”

“I’ll manage.” 

You round the corner quickly, throwing yourself into his chest. He catches you with ease, wraps his arms around your body as the both of you cry into each other.

“I’ll miss you.” you say weakly.

Hyunjin’s throat bobs against the top of your head. “I’ll always be here in our little corner of the world.”

The two of you stay like that for a while. Hyunjin’s warmth seeps into your skin, lights you ablaze. By the time he pulls away, his hands on your shoulders, you feel like you’re floating. Unreal.

“I don’t have a way to get there.” you say quickly, glancing at the clock. 

Jisung’s plane leaves soon. The airport, the only one on the island, is a thirty minute drive. You’re at a disadvantage the more time you spend not moving. 

“Don’t worry,” Hyunjin chuckles. “I’ve got that taken care of.”

You open your mouth to ask him what he means when you’re cut off by the sound of honking from outside. Confused, you run to the door, your jaw dropping as soon as you realize who’s waiting for you.

“Hurry up people we don’t have all day!” Jeongin calls, his upper body hanging out of the window. He’s parked outside in a beat-up truck, arms waving wildly when he spots you.

“Innie!” you scream, pushing through the door to run at him. He jumps out of the truck just in time for you to barrel into his chest, laughter loud in your ears as he spins you around. 

“You’re here! Oh my god I thought you weren’t coming for another two weeks.” you say in disbelief once he puts you down.

He looks older, more sophisticated. His hair is rusted and falls past his ears, the ends just barely touching his shoulders. 

“Yeah, well,” he shrugs. “I figured I’d show up earlier. You know, see you before you leave, catch up with my parents, help Hyunjin break into your house. The usual.”

“Help Hyunjin break into my what–” you say, but you stop when your eyes fall on the small suitcase in the backseat. Your own bag, the one that’s been sitting in your closet untouched for years now.

“For the last time,” Hyunjin says from behind you, carrying the box in his arms. “It’s not breaking and entering if I have a key. Which, by the way, I told you would come in handy one day.”

He sets the box down next to the luggage and dusts his hands on his pants. When he turns to face you, he’s smiling, eyes disappearing into crescent moons.

With tears threatening to spill once again, you stare at the both of them, your heart bursting at the seams. “I love you guys.”

Jeongin grimaces, opts for getting back in the driver’s seat as you laugh. Hyunjin rolls his eyes and ushers you inside of the truck.

“Yeah, yeah. Save it.” he says. “Right now, you have a plane to catch.”

The airport is crowded. 

There are tons of people everywhere, some saying hello and some saying goodbye. Hyunjin explained the gate system to you before you left him and Jeongin on the curb, and you keep glancing down at your ticket to make sure none of the information has changed in the past thirty seconds since you last looked. 

Thankfully, your gate isn’t far. With twenty minutes to go until boarding, you can feel the sweat building up beneath the hand that’s curled around your suitcase handle. 

It’s scary thinking about the fact that this is it. That you’re finally leaving. 

It’s bittersweet, too. There’s an excitement in the pit of your stomach as well as a feeling of dread in your chest, both of them meeting in the middle somewhere. 

You let your eyes scan the crowd, searching for wavy hair and thick-rimmed glasses. However, the first thing you see is the familiar neck of a guitar, strapped right on to a back that you would know and recognize anywhere without warning.

Jisung is seated near the gate, his eyebrows furrowed and lips set in a pout as he glares down at his phone. You realize that he’s probably wondering why you won’t answer, why all of his emoticons are going ignored. 

Quietly, you come up behind him, reach into your pocket, and say, “Excuse me? I think you dropped this.”

Jisung startles, his eyes falling on to the guitar pick being held out in your hand. Slowly, he lets his gaze follow upwards, wide-eyed and shocked.

“What– what are you doing here?” he asks. 

You place the pick in his hand. “I'm on my way to Seoul. There’s a guy there that I’ve been trying to find for a while.” you say. 

Jisung catches on quickly. “Oh, really?” he asks, moving over so you can sit beside him. “This guy must be pretty great if you’re leaving for the mainland.”

The rain starts hitting the tarmac outside right as you sit down. “Hm, yeah. He is. He really likes the stars. He says that he found a way for me to live in them, too.” 

He laughs, the sound making your stomach flip. “Sounds like you’re excited.”

You nod. “I am. He promised me that we’d do a lot together, experience new things. Apparently he’s gonna write songs and I’m gonna be a nerd.”

Jisung snorts and reaches across to link his hand with yours.

“He’s really lucky.” he says, leaning over to plant a kiss on your lips.

You smile into it. “So am I.” you whisper into his mouth, your heart stuffed to the brim with flower petals. 

And when Jisung smiles back, his other hand coming up to cup your cheek and give you another kiss with the force of a thousand suns, you feel the key you’d been searching for finally click into place. 

Salt of the earth. Soil and stardust. A boy who glows so bright that his girl sprouts blossoms from her fingertips. 

Forever isn’t promised. But then again, with Jisung by your side, there are things you know for certain:

It’s February. The tulips are in bloom. In Jeju– it rains.

And no matter what, despite all odds, you and Jisung will always find your way back to each other in the place where marigolds grow.

[tags: @skzstarnet @snowyquokka @palindrome969 @summergirlsmj @n1staytiny @drhsthl @strwbrrychannie @shays-library @giuliadesu @iknowyouknowminho @linocz @pynchkilledme @jisunglyricist @itsgghowitsgg @alician87 @skzms @meloncremesoda @ilychee08 @allaboutsan @legally-lixs @stayceebs97 @candyquokka @chans1aptop @liknws @realrintaro @beeracha @vxllxnsworld @feelikecinderella @caitxx1 @lilac13 @sebastianswhore13 @classiclitandmemes @hyunverse @linosazuna @lastgreatamericandynasty1 @bubbly-moon @cookiesandcreammy ]

[h0e4jongho]

Playtime

Yunho X Reader ( ft Wooyoung & Mingi )

WC : 1.4K of p0rn with very little plot ; not proofread

TW : Unprotected intercourse ( wrap it up kids ) Cockwarming, Exhibition (being listened to) Dirty Talk, Name calling ( Slut ) Praise, Use of nic name ( Baby, princess, pretty )

"Shhh baby, you don't want the rest of the guys to hear you do you? Don't want them to know what a little slut you actually are" Yunho says as he adjusts both of you in his gaming chair. You whimper in response as you feel his thick cock shift inside you. 

You're trying to wrap your head around how you ended up in this position. Yunho was having his normal weekly gaming night with Wooyoung and Mingi and you had been peacefully reading your book laying on his bed. 40 minutes ago he called you over to sit on his lap, saying he needed some good luck. One thing led to another and here you were straddling his hips, his hard dick buried in your cunt.

"Woo over there by that wall" Yunho says into his headset as he looks over your shoulder. Your head nuzzled into his neck as you try not to pant and whine too loud. His arms caging you in as he looks at his screen. His long pretty hands pressing the buttons on his keyboard. "Yuyu" you whimper into the side of his neck as you try and hold still. The ache between your legs becoming to much for you. "Shh babe" he coos at you as his hand comes up to push on your back, trying to muffle your voice.

 All it does is shift your body forward, Yunho's cock shifting inside you hitting places that have you seeing start. A strangled moan leaving your lips as you throw your head back, the same time Yunho lets out a sharp gasp. The sound echoing through his room. "What was that?" you hear Mingi ask through the head set. Your chest heaving as you lean back looking at Yunho with wide eyed. A playful smirk plastered across his mouth as he says "Oh that was just Y/N. She apparently cant sit on my cock with out moaning like a needy whore" You feel your face heat under the blush that spreads across it.

"Yunho" you whisper yell at him. "Dude..... you have her sitting on your cock right now? While we're playing?" you hear Wooyoung say through the mic. "I sure do. She couldn't help herself, grinding all over me before" "YUNHO!" you shriek as you bury your face back into his shoulder. "What?" He chuckles "I told you to be quiet or they would hear you" You huff and try to lift your self up and off his lap, but you don't get far before his arm is wrapped around your waist pulling you back down. "Oh no where do you think you're going baby?" Another needy moan slipping past your lips as you slide back down on his shaft. Yunho lets out the same. "Oh did you like that baby? Fuck feels so good" 

"Yuyu" you whisper breathlessly. "oh you can't. Hold on" You watch as Yunho removes his head set and unplugs them, plugging in a few new wires and pushing a few buttons before he asks "Can you hear me" followed by both Mingi and Wooyoung's voice filling the room. The horror you felt must have been all over your face because Yunho chuckles "They said they couldn't hear you babe. We want to be good friend's now don't we and let them listen" You knew this was his way of asking you if you were okay with this. You knew if you said no, he would shut it down. Yunho had never done anything to make you even close to uncomfortable.

But you couldn't deny the shock of pure pleasure that shot through you when you figured out that they could hear you, and you them. "Yes" you said softly "Want to be good for all of you" As soon as the words left your mouth three things happened. 1) You heard all the air leave Wooyoung's lungs. 2)Mingi let out the neediest groan and 3) The biggest smile crept its self across Yunhos face. "That's my girl" he said as he leaned in a placed the sweetest kiss to your lips. "Now move for them baby" he says against your lips "let them hear all your pretty sounds." 

And you do. You would do anything this man said right now If it kept you feeling this way. Slowly you begin to pick up your hips, dragging yourself up his length before coming back down again. Little mews and moans leaving your lips as you look at Yunho watching you, his hands grabbing your hips. Slowly you pick up speed, bouncing on his lap faster, harder, pulling grunts of pleasure from his throat as he tried to control himself. 

You on the other hand have lost all sense of self preservation and are a moaning, whining mess as you fuck yourself on your boyfriends dick. "God she sounds so good" Mingi deep voice grunts through the speakers in the room and you have know doubt in your mind that he has his cock in his hand listing to you. "So good" Wooyoung coo's back. Your walls tighten at their praise sending a moan slipping from Yunhos lips. 

"Fuck baby you like that? You like them telling you how good you sound?" He asks, his hips jerking up to meet your body. You shake your head enthusiastically. "They can't hear you princess, use your words or have you gone dumb on me? Hmm?" "Yess" you moan out "Yes I like it yuyu" your hands snacking up his body to rest on his shoulders, giving yourself leverage to fuck yourself on him harder. 

"Fu- fuck" Mingi moans "She sounds so pretty" The sound of your panting and your thighs slapping agains Yunhos hips fills the room along with the pants and whimpers from the speakers. "You should see how pretty she looks" Yunho breaths out "Maybe one day you can show Mingi baby, show him how well you ride cock" Your body heats up and your core clenches around him at the thought of his best friend watching you fuck him "Oh Mingi I think she likes that idea" 

"Do you pretty? You like the idea of me being there? I like the idea" Mingi groans out, the tell tail sound of slapping filling the room lets you know either him or Woo are jerking them self to you and it elights another sensation of pleasure in you. "Hey what about me?" Woo whines "Well see about you" Yunho laughs. "Yuyu im-" His hand comes up to cup your cheek "I know baby, I know me too"  he says as he lifts his hips to meet you. His other hand sneaks between your bodies and finds your bundle of nerves "Just let go for me baby" 

It doesn't take long, between Yunho thrusting up into you, hitting that sweet spot just right, his finger in your clit rubbing circles just the way you like and Mingi and Wooyoung's groans and pants filling the room you are sent over the edge. Your body jerking forward till you were flat against Yunhos chest. Clamping down on his cock, your walls flutter around him just as he shoves back inside you and stills. His cock twitching as he fills you with his load. 

The both of you reaching the loudest you have been the whole time, followed by the sound of Mingis deep grunts filling the room letting you know he followed behind the two of you. The only tell of Woo finishing was the heavy panting from his end. You stayed pressed up against Yunhos chest as his hand came up to stroke your back, helping you calm down. The reality of what you just did washes over you and you bury your face in his chest. Embarrassment eating away at you. 

It's Wooyoung who breaks the silence first. "Ughh, I'll talk to you guys later.. Gotta clean up. Bye" and with a quick click he's gone. Its Mingi who lets out a chuckle after that "You got him all embarrassed there pretty" You shift to look at Yunhos computer screen, like you half expected to actually see your boyfriends 6ft blond best friend looking back at you. "Didn't mean to" yo mutter out. "Awww don't go getting all shy now baby. Don't forget we promised Mingi he could see just how well you ride remember" 

You look up at Yunho, meeting his big chocolate brown eyes and that sweet smile and you instantly melt. "Yea pretty, I want to witness that first hand" you hear Mingi say. You nod your head yes up at Yunho before remembering Mingi cant hear you. "Yea.. okay" you say softly. A smile forming on your face as Yunho leans down to place a kiss onto of your head, you think to your self, what did you get yourself into?

Part 2 ?

Dividers by @saradika-graphics

[sfznyxio]

❝ 𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐘 ❞

𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒. fans are raving about the chemistry between you and their favorite actors who play as the love interest in your recent music video. they missed the message behind it: the two of you are actually together. now that the word’s out, the whole world won’t shut up.

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒. acheron, aventurine, dan heng, firefly, seele

𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓. gn!reader. celebrity au. fluff. 1.1k words. lineup is based on the en va panel at the one night in penacony event. inspired by a fanart of acheron and aventurine taking a selfie by @/yaoyaobae on twt. the pairs have been in a relationship for several years, kept private initially as we all know that the public eye can be vicious when it comes to dating life of celebrities. confirmation of relationship in various settings (acheron - red carpet; aventurine - concert; dan heng - fanmeet; firefly - interview; seele - livestream). reader was on hiatus for mental health reasons.

𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐀. i hope your aventurine summons are going well! i got a female, silver-haired aventurine who’s wind and harmony… haha… even having his hubby in the team and in the hotel room doesn’t work. i eventually got him at 77 pity thankfully, so my f2p status is safe (for now). used all my blood, sweat, and tears to bring him home.

𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐍.

“over here!” as you step out of the limousine, you’re greeted with shouts from the photographers and flashes from their cameras. walking to the photo booth together with acheron, the photographers become frenzied, chanting her name multiple times. you feel awkward standing still with a flat smile, so you look at her for inspiration of what poses to do.

“are you nervous?” the red carpet is uncharted territory. it’s your dream for a small musical artist like yourself to attend such a huge event, with a date no less. also, you have announced your relationship with acheron to the public recently. this event being your first appearance since then makes you feel that way. a pair of lips lands on your hand, and it calms you down.

“focus on me.” she rests her forehead against yours, and you clutch onto her suit to steady yourself from the rapid fire flashes. the photographers are thriving off the pictures they captured of your pda. acheron feels the same for being able to show affection for you out in the open. you share her sentiment, and now you're not worried about posing when you place her hand on her chest and look at her with so much love, knowing that you can let the world know she’s yours.

𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐄.

“this is the last song for tonight.” fans express their disappointment as they don’t want your concert to end. for the finale, you’ll be performing your newest single for the first time. you’re excited for the audience to hear it live, but you’re hoping that aventurine hears it too.

“let’s make this count, yeah?” cheers ripple among the crowd. you begin reminiscing about your musical career, especially writing this song. you and aventurine are there for each other as long as you can remember, so you pray that a miracle will pull him out of his busy schedule and watch you sing your heart out. as if the gods heard you, the monitors switch to a blond man in a teal turtleneck curving his arms outward with the tips of his fingers on his head.

“i love you!” is what you read from the movement of his mouth, and you reciprocate the gesture while on the verge of tears. at the very end of the performance, you realize the dried tears on your cheeks which are wiped away by aventurine. a kiss on the temple and a hug has everyone cooing at the sight of how happy the two of you are together. casting doubts of your dreams in ruins because of falling in love away, there’s nothing to fear as long as aventurine’s by your side.

𝐃𝐀𝐍 𝐇𝐄𝐍𝐆.

“bye, nice to meet you!” you wave at an overjoyed fan walking away with your autograph. this fanmeet is the busiest to date, considering that you were on hiatus before the release of your single. also, your music video’s trending because of its lead actor dan heng, a cool-headed heartthrob of the industry, who happens to be your significant other for years now. 

“hi there!” the next fan in line wears a mask and hood over his head, but you immediately recognize him by the way he looks at you. dan heng is someone with a few words, but his eyes say it all. before you even know it, he pulls down his mask to sneak a kiss on your nose. you’re given so many flowers and homemade but he himself is a favorite you’ve received thus far. you just hope that everyone hasn’t seen your flustered state to spare yourself from the embarrassment.

“cute. as always.” you don’t have the power to respond to his flirtation, nor rip your fingers off from his that are already entangled with yours. you feel sorry for whoever’s behind him, but they’re long gone, seeing that the cold dragon young has been in front of them all long. described to be cool and cold, he’s warm to the touch. noticing that he’s showing more of himself, you think it’s time to follow suit. after all, he wants to show everyone how endearing you are.

𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐅𝐋𝐘.

“the viewers are curious about the two of you.” following the question of the symbolism throughout your music video, the interviewer’s reminded of the numerous private messages they received. people beg them to ask about your relationship with firefly, who’s also a guest in this interview. she clings onto your arm, something she does when she’s nervous.

“i’m sure everyone’s also curious about that specific scene.” the poor girl lets out a sound of defeat, of her soul leaving her body. that scene you’re referring to is the longest to film because she gets very emotional about how raw and vulnerable the lyrics and your acting are. of course, you’re leaving that part out to save her from losing more of herself. but there's no doubt that it’s special; she’s your shining star.

“it… was very meaningful to us.” firefly unexpectedly kisses your cheek and immediately hides in the space between your neck and shoulder to conceal her reddened face. you glance at her, soon forgetting about the interview and having your mind relieve memories of that specific scene. she’s true to her name, guiding you out of the fields to somewhere safe, like how she drags you out of your lowest. you’ll get lost in life, but you can always count on her to find you at the maze.

𝐒𝐄𝐄𝐋𝐄.

“my new single’s out!” a flurry of comments and colorful hearts are sent to congratulate the release of your new song after some years of hiatus. it’s been a while since you streamed, so it’s a given you’re nervous. other comments congratulate the reveal of your relationship with seele, whose cough can be heard in the background.

“hey, have you seen my— oh, sorry.” as soon as she walks into the area of your stream, she quickly backtracks only for you to pull her there. the chat is excited to see her based on their rapid fire commentary. many of them say the two of you look great, and in fact in your case, breaks from the industry did help you reflect on both your personal and professional growth. she gives a boost in achieving your goals, including a new song which turns out to be successful. you don’t think you can make it at this point without her.

“no, i’m gonna be late for my shoot. see you later?” seele leaves a haste kiss on your shoulder and rushes to the door. you return to your stream, finding yourself talking more about her than your single, not that your fans are complaining. they can sense how thankful you are to the people who supported you throughout your hardships, especially her who urges you to create that song that revolves around yourself. you couldn’t have it any other way.

[navstuffs]

About Tradition and Responsibility

Pairing: Gojo Satoru x WifeF!Reader

Summary: You, a non-Jujutsu sorcerer, married the Gojo Satoru. After having your first child, the higher-ups demand to meet you and your first born son.

Warning tags: protective!Satoru, tiny angst if you squint, non-jujutsu sorcerer reader, no y/n usage

Author's Notes: hiii, i wrote this based on my own post, having one of my favorite tropes (protectiveness)! this might have a second part i haven't wrote yet, we shall see. enjoy your reading!

You keep your head down, trying to focus on the peaceful expression of the baby in your arms, your first newborn son, Kotaro. He is perfect, from his white curls to his tiny toes. You can't help but give him a small smile, your hands gripping his little body, promising silently to always protect him from any harm in the world. You feel so much love for your son that it is difficult to understand anyone who could find his existence wrong due to one ridiculous minuscule detail: when Kotaro opens his eyes, they are your eye color. Not your husband's vivid, ethereal blue eyes. 

Because of that, Kotaro Gojo is considered a waste of time—almost a mistake, but no one would dare say that in front of you or his father.

The door in front of you opens, and an older lady announces that the elders are ready to see you. You get up from the bench, bringing Kotaro closer to your chest. 

It is finally time to face your curses.

-x-

When Gojo Satoru decided to marry a non-jujutsu user, the higher-ups thought it was a joke. A good one especially coming from Gojo, who was known to do anything to piss off the hierarchy of the Jujutsu world, as if Satoru's whole existence wasn't on top of all that, as if any of those ancient and outdated men had anything to complain about the woman he chose as his wife.

However, when Gojo decided to proceed with this marriage, most were still shocked. They never thought Gojo would marry anyone, so soon, interest spiked in the mysterious woman he decided to marry. 

You wish you could tell your first meeting with the strongest sorcerer had been something glorious, but no. It was in your small candy shop, the one passed down to you by your parents from their parents. On a rainy day, that strange tall man with white bandages and white hair entered, sniffing the air like a hound dog. Gojo insisted on buying all the sweets you had on display, and instead of leaving, heard you explain how you made each of them, fascinated. 

After that day, Satoru started appearing daily, buying all the sweets on display by the end of the day. Gojo always mentioned he first fell in love with your cooking, but you didn't know when exactly you fell in love with him. Maybe it was the comfort of having someone understand those sudden chills around your body as if something had been watching you until Satoru entered the shop. He never found that weird at all. 

At first, Gojo kept you away as best as he could. You could sense curses with a chill in your body but couldn't see them (a blessing, for what Gojo described sometimes). And since you met your now-future-husband, as powerful as you could remotely grasp he was, Gojo was also the silliest and most annoying man you ever met. If you got upset with something he did for any reason, he would not leave you alone until you reassured him you weren't mad anymore. On top of that, Satoru was easily manipulated with sweets. Again, a big grown baby.

He never shared the consequences of what it meant to marry him. The letters started coming two months after the marriage, with your name on them, presenting themselves as chairpeople of the Jujutsu Sorcerers, and they were eager to meet you whenever you could. Gojo always told you to ignore those letters, throw them in the trash, and burn them if you wanted. 

Then Kotaro was born. It had been a normal pregnancy, with the usual sickness in the morning and mood swings, but at least your baby was born healthy. You couldn't be happier, and Gojo couldn't be happier. The baby not having the same blue eyes didn't concern your husband, reassuring you that everything was fine.

Until it wasn't: the letter that made you come into this meeting with the elders without your husband's knowledge had a clear underlying threat in those polite words: You were to bring Kotaro for them to look at, or they would be forced to bring you in. Gojo had shielded you from this for far too long.

As soon as you enter the oval room, you notice the covers: you can't see any faces, but you are sure all stares are on you and your baby. Kotaro rubs his face against your chest, and you bring him closer, shielding him from their judgmental glances.

"Come forward." A masculine voice demands.

You walk in the middle of the room and stop. No one speaks.

"You wanted to see me?" You ask, surprised your voice isn't trembling. You wonder if they can hear your heart exploding in your chest. 

"Yes. We never had the chance to meet with the wife of Gojo Satoru; he has kept you hidden for a long time."

"I am sure he had his reasons." 

"Not that it matters who Gojo Satoru decided to marry, but his decisions impact the Jujutsu World, wanting or not." An older voice speaks, clearly angry with your disobedience. 

"And who would stop him from making those decisions?" You question, trying to sound courteous but instead sounding resentful. Satoru has told you about these higher-ups: focused on their old ways, not allowing anything that disturbs their way. Only their way is correct. Tradition. Anything that breaks from the fine formal line should be eliminated. "No one can stop Gojo Satoru from doing what he wants. As his wife, I should be the first one to know."

Silence. You breathe deeply, part of you still fearful of what is about to come. They have yet to speak about Kotaro, so you dread the inevitable moment. Now, something deep inside of you screams you should have told Satoru. What if you walked straight into a trap?

"Your child." A third voice speaks, and the whole atmosphere of the room seems to change when he mentions your son. You grip Kotaro's small body again, ready for what will come. "He does not possess the same eyes as his father, as we can see."

"So? It is not like every single member of the clan was born with six eyes." You ask defiantly.

"Of course not," The man snickers. "But this is Gojo Satoru's son. Haven't you thought about the consequences of having a child with a man like that?"

"Satoru keeps us safe! And if he isn't here, I keep my child safe. Never underestimate the love a mother has for her child."

"There is no doubt in a mother's love for her child. There is also no doubt that some might carry a heavy hatred for Gojo Satoru. If, for some reason, you were caught vulnerable…"

"What? What are you talking about?" Your voice shakes a little, but you keep yourself steady. For Kotaro.

"Many curses and even sorcerers have hidden and disappeared because of Gojo. Many fear him. When your husband was born, he altered the balance of our world. If there is an even remote possibility Gojo can't defend himself or, even worse, if you get pregnant again and this baby comes with six eyes…we can't even imagine how bad it would be the repercussions." The tone of false concern disgusts you. Sensing your uneasiness, Kotaro starts whining, and you start rocking him. 

You are not stupid. Those men didn't care about you or your baby's safety. They wanted six eyes that they could control, nothing else, nothing more. You haven't given any proof that you are worthy of being married to Satoru.

You don't get to answer because the door behind you opens, and all eyes are directed to the man behind you. You don't even have to turn around, your sixth sense telling you: Satoru. And he is pissed. He takes a moment to analyze the room in front of him, seeing you in the middle with your son in his arms, crying. His son crying. Gojo walks in, no blindfold on, without asking for permission (not that anyone was waiting for one), and ignores everyone as he stops right before you.

His blue eyes scan you and Kotaro from the top of your head to the feet, concerned. 

"Are you okay? Is Kotaro okay?" Satoru asks in a gentle tone, ignoring anyone around. You nod, starting to form an apology, but he shakes his head, calming you. "There's nothing to apologize for. You did well. You always do well. Stand beside me, okay?"  

You nod as Satoru forms a shield between you and the higher-ups. Surprisingly, Kotaro has stopped whining, feeling his dad is close by. No one speaks, and everyone seems to be holding down their breaths.

"So," Satoru's tone is calm, "who cares to explain how my wife and son ended up here?"

No answer comes, and you can sense the fear over the room, which differs from your husband's posture. Those who don't know him might believe in Satoru's calm posture, but you and probably the rest of the elders knew this was only a façade. In Satoru's veins, there is only anger. The only reason any of those higher-ups are still alive is because of your and Kotaro's presence. Not because Satoru would hurt you or his son if he had to kill them, but because he didn't want to shock you or accidentally make you fear him. You had never seen him kill before.

You don't know yet what lengths he would go to protect you and his child.

"We were just worried about her well-being, that's all." Some brave higher-up answers and Gojo snickers.

"Oh? More worried than her husband then?"

"You know, we had to meet her eventually. You kept her away from our world, your world, for far too long."

"And she was fine until you brought her into this. My wife and my son are none of your concerns."

"Not if she births a child with six eyes. Then it is our concern." Your body tenses behind Gojo, immediately causing him to react back, his murderous energy filling the room. If you felt it, those elders felt it as well, silencing them.

Kotaro starts crying again, sensing the threatening energy in the room. You had never felt such a destructive sensation coming from your husband before, but you managed to grab Satoru's arm.

"'Toru? Kotaro is scared." And you are scared.

The energy instantly leaves, and Satoru turns around, worried. You tremble with fear, and Kotaro bawls, tears dropping from his eyes. He instantly places his black blindfold on his eyes before taking Kotaro from your arms and gently rocking him. 

"Can we leave, please?" You ask, and Satoru nods, grabbing your hand with his free one. Before turning around to leave, he announces in a frightening tone to the entire room, "If I ever hear any of you trying to make any sort of contact with my wife or son, I won't be so merciful."

With that, Gojo Satoru pulls you away from that horrible place you promised to never see again.

-x-

Satoru dismisses the driver who drove you there. Instead, he takes you to his car, finding Kiyotaka Ijichi with a nervous smile when he sees you. You manage to smile back, and Ijichi seems relieved that you and Kotaro are okay. The ride home is silent, and Satoru never lets go of your hand. Kotaro is in the other one, sleeping safely in his arms. You can't bear to look at your husband, too afraid of what you are about to see: disappointment? Anger? He would be right to feel like that. You endangered not only yourself but Kotaro in this whole situation.

After Ijichi leaves you at home, you gently take a sleepy Kotaro away from your husband's arms. Satoru had this enchantment with your son, making him feel calm and safe. Like mother like son, you guess. You place Kotaro gently on his mat, watching as he gets comfortable. How careless of you to put your son in such a dangerous situation.

"Do you want to talk about this?" Satoru whispers, and you shake your head.

"I am sorry." To Kotaro. To Satoru. To yourself. "I thought I could—"

Satoru slowly closes the proximity between you two. He waits, watching the tears flowing down your eyes, sitting at your side, and when you hide your face on his shoulders, his arms are around you, bringing you to his lap.

"You had no idea."

"I endangered our son! Do you know how serious that is?"

"You would never let them do anything to him."

"How would I even stop them, Satoru?"

"I don't know, but I know you. You would find a way." Satoru simply shrugs, which sounds to him like the most obvious answer, and you don't know if you laugh or cry or his hopes on you. "Which would involve bringing me there."

"Yes, bring my most dangerous weapon: Satoru Gojo." You two chuckle low so you don't wake up Kotaro.

"Nothing will ever happen to you or Kotaro. I won't allow it. Be sure of it."

"They said you have enemies…"

"Who wouldn't dare to lay a finger on one stray of Kotaro's hair. Or yours. Come on, you don't have some faith in me?"

Remembering the amount of energy you felt earlier, you feel a chill pass your body. "I do, 'Toru. I was crazy enough to marry you."

"And would you lose the chance to be the luckiest woman alive?"

"With the most pretentious husband ever." You roll your eyes, feeling happy inside. The earlier one may have scared you. But you know this Satoru, back to his usual pretentious self. 

You get more comfortable in Satoru's lap, your eyes never entirely leaving Kotaro. He looks so peaceful with his eyes closed like that; he is Satoru 100%, except for his eyes. What blame did he have? You vowed to protect and love him as soon as he came out of you, no matter what came after him. And by the looks on Satoru's face, he also does.

Slowly, you can feel your eyes getting heavy as you become more comfortable in Satoru's arms—like a mother, like son. 

"Rest, my love. I will take care of it all. I will never leave you, I promise."

[dragon-kazansky]

Bridgerton shade of blue

Benedict Bridgerton x Female Reader

Benedict bumps into you, quite literally, at a ball while trying to escape his mother's attempts to find him a partner. You decide to humour him with a dance, not realising just how entwined you would become with him. It seems the universe will find every excuse to push you and Benedict together, no matter how much you fight it.

{Masterlist}

{Previous Chapter} - {Next Chapter}

Season one

Chapter Fourteen - Scandals in abundance

♡♡♡

When you sat down for breakfast, you expected a peaceful morning between you and your mother. However, the knock at the door was urgent, and quickly did the butler come rushing in with the latest Whistledown column. He handed it to your mother instantly.

You sat there and watched many expressions cross her face, wondering what on earth had been written to have her react in such a frenzy.

Only when she was done reading, and only then were you given the paper to read. You took it from your butler and looked st the first column.

The gasp you let out was louder than you anticipated. Your eyes rose to meet your mother's.

"I must go."

She simply nods and calls for the carriage to be prepared for you. You head upstairs to get yourself ready immediately.

The Bridgertons must be beside themselves.

Marina Thompson is pregnant and has been since she arrived in Mayfair. Poor Colin had no idea. He couldn't possibly have. You were certain of it.

You had no idea that just the night before, he had devised a plan to run away with Marina to marry her in Scotland. Not that he could now, surely.

The carriage ride to the Bridgerton house felt like a long journey, though you were certain that had to be because you were anxious to get there. When the carriage finally did stop, you didn't even wait for the footman. You opened the door, startled the poor man, and hurried out. He watched you rush up to the front door and knock rather urgently.

The butler answered the door and called your name into the house. You entered and found your way into the drawing room. Violet was fanning herself on one of the sofas, Colin was nowhere to be seen. You made your way over to Lady Bridgerton and held up the glass of water that was sitting on the table to her. She took it and sipped it.

Benedict and Eloise were also present in the room, neither of them said a word.

"Did he know?" You had to ask.

Benedict and Eloise both shook their heads at you.

"Where is he?"

"In his room," Eloise answers rather solemnly.

Violet waved her fan a little more quickly. It would appear that one could not be a Bridgerton without coming close to a scandal. Lady Whistledown sees and hears all.

You feel for poor Colin. Apparently, he believed himself in love with the woman. Though Anthony took the blame for that. Colin was still young.

"Eloise, dear, we must get ready for the modiste." Violet closes her fan and stands from beside you.

Eloise groans.

"Now, dear."

You watch in silence as Eloise stands and goes with her mother. Before Violet exits the room, she turns to you. "It was nice of you to come by, my dear."

You smile at her and watch her go. Once she's out of the room, you turn to Benedict. "Tell me everything."

Benedict leans forward and tells you all he knows. From Marina's arrival to the pregnancy, she had kept secret. The man she was under love with and his absence. It had all been in Whistledown. You didn't learn anything particularly new other than that Marina had intended to keep her condition quiet and then tell Colin she was pregnant after they were married.

Portia Featherington knew, of course. It's why she was so keen to marry Marina off.

"Gosh."

"Yes, I know."

"How is Colin?" You ask. "Truly."

"Not great, I admit. He hasn't spoken a word to us since the paper arrived this morning. He has kept much to himself."

"Do you think he will speak to me?"

"I do not know." Benedict says softly. "Do you wish to try?"

You shrug lightly. "No harm in attempting."

Benedict leads the way to Colin's door, and you knock gently on the hard wood. You hear no response, but with one nod from Benedict, you talk.

"Colin? I'm sorry to hear of what happened. I hope you are well."

Nothing.

You sigh. "Know that you may call on me for anything."

You turn and face Benedict. You have no idea what else to say. What does one say in such a situation?

Benedict leads you back to the drawing room.

"I believe there is to be a family meeting. Daphne is coming down too."

"Daphne? Goodness. Word reached her door, too?" You sigh.

"She is family."

"I know. I envy that."

"Envy?" He looks at you curiously. "Envy what?"

"That bond you have with your family." You sit down again, not sure what else to do with yourself.

"You do not have that bond with your mother?" He asks, sitting opposite you.

"Having a bond with your mother is one thing, but you Bridgertons are a family. You have siblings. Anthony, who looks out for all of you, though admittedly, not always in the best of ways. Daphne, who adores you all so dearly she will make such a trip just to be here for her brother. I have no sibling. No father. Just mother. When something happens in my family, we only have each other."

Benedict fights the urge to reach out for your hand.

"I shouldn't complain. I am lucky to have what I do, and I am grateful. I just wish I had siblings to look after and rely on. I hope I have several children one day who can experience that."

Benedict listens to you talk about your hyperthetical future again. Every time you talk about it he feels a strange twinge begin to turn in his chest.

"I'm sure that will be a reality one day."

You smile wistfully.

"I shall be good to see Daphne again. I have missed her. Have you not?" You ask.

"Of course. She is my most sensible sister." He grins.

You laugh. "I have to say the most sensible of the lot."

Benedict laughs, too.

It feels good to laugh.

♡♡♡

Daphne doesn't arrive until the evening. You have long since left the Bridgerton house by then. Benedict had seen you out, and you spent the rest of the day at home.

A family meeting was just that, for family.

You don't see the Bridgerton family for a couple of days. As you understand it, Colin and Marina meet, chaperoned by Daphne, to talk. It wasn't the most cheerful conversations, you hear.

The queen's luncheon was the first time you saw the Bridgerton lot after a few days of absence. Daphne had been the one to reach out to you after securing an invite. You accepted, of course.

You stood in the gardens and awaited their arrival. All eyes were certainly on them upon their entering the garden.

Benedict caught your gaze and offered a small flicker of a smile. You smiled back. He looked relieved to see you. Perhaps all this drama surrounding his family was a bit much over the last few days.

You wanted to approach them, but your mother kept a firm hold on your arm. You sip your drink quietly, eyes drifting away from the family you so wished to greet.

As people approach the Bridgertons and the Bassetts to greet them, Benedict finds himself greeted by Granville.

"I have missed you in the studio of late. You must join me for another drawing lesson," Henry says to Benedict. "As I said, improvement is all a matter of practice."

Benedict glances over in the direction you're standing in. His mind briefly recalls the day he let you see into his sketchbook. Your words rang clear in his head.

"At least, that is the excuse he gives for coming home with paint in all kinds of peculiar places," Mrs Granville says with a chuckle.

Benedict giggles awkwardly and then spots someone just beyond the garden talking to Cressida Cowper of all people.

"Ah! Were you able to meet my friend Wetherby at my party? Come, I shall introduce you."

"No, thank you." Benedict says quickly. "I- I see my mother requires my presence. Good day!" Benedict leaves quickly.

Truth be told, he hadn't visited the studio since you asked him where he went off to on his evenings. He couldn't bring himself to go back.

That, and you complimented his art so wonderfully. He often heard your kind words in his mind as he sketched these days.

He was rather starting to like his work.

The Featheringtons arriving had all eyes on them. No one whispered a word about Colin. However, that did not mean they wouldn't talk about the family that had hosted the girl mentioned in the gossip column. If anything, people defend Colin.

Eloise rescues Penelope from the stares her family are retrieving.

Portia tried to talk to Violet. It was rather awkward to watch. You turned your eyes from them and tried to speak to your mother, but even she was watching with keen eyes.

The Featheringtons are asked to leave once Violet walks away without saying a word.

You watch Penelope follow her family out.

The next to walk off is Daphne, and you know not why. You hadn't even had the chance to talk to her.

Something seemed to be upsetting her too.

Your heart ached to see the people around you suffering. It seems it doesn't simply rain. It pours.

Managing to free yourself from your mother, you stroll along the outer hedges of the party. Benedict manages to intercept you there, smiling softly at you.

"Hello."

"Hello." You repeat softly.

"It's been a bus few days."

"Yes. I imagine."

Benedict stands there and stares at you for a moment. He's not sure what it is he wants to say. That is, if there is anything at all he wants to say. All he knew was that he wanted to see you.

"You look sad," he says.

"Sad? I'm not sad."

"No?"

"No."

Silence falls between you both. He scans your face quietly. You're avosiign his gaze, and he can see the way you lightly pluck at your gloves. Rather pretty gloves, he might add. Did you always wear such pretty gloves, or did you pick these out, especially for this occasion.

Benedict frowns. Why did he care so much about your gloves?

"What is the matter?" He asks softly.

"I can't help seeing the sadness in others around me. Colin. Daphne. Penelope. Your mother."

Benedict remains silent.

"Everyone seems to be hurting in one way or another, and I either do not know why, or do and cannot do a thing. Can I confide in you about something? Without judgement and disdain against me?"

Benedict gives you the slightest nod.

"I hate society."

You see the way his brows raise. Yet you see no judgement in his eyes.

"I hate the way it judges, discriminates, gossips, and picks and chooses. I hate the way it functions." You speak so passionately, from the heart. "Society turns its back on someone the moment they step out of line or even slightly bend the rules. One wrong move or word and its all over."

Benedict is intrigued by your views. So many thoughts must be occupying your mind, and he's only heard a fraction. It's in this moment he realises he doesn't know you. The real you, that is. He just knows a fraction of who you are.

There's a goofy crooked smile on his face.

"What?" You ask, looking at him.

"What?"

"You think I'm silly, don't you?"

"I never said that," he defends himself.

"Then why are you looking at me like that?"

"Like what?" He chuckles.

"That!" You say, trying not to raise your voice too much. You weren't fond of the idea of drawing attention to you both.

Benedict merely laughs, and you groan softly. Now you're getting agitated, and he would be lying if he said he wasn't somewhat enjoying that.

"I think you're fascinating."

You state at him blankly. "Huh?"

Benedict chuckles again, and you quickly jab him in the arm without anyone noticing.

"Ow!"

"Shut up," you hiss at him.

"What? What did I say?"

"Nothing! Forget it. You're infuriating me." You sigh.

Benedict tries to hold back his giggles.

At least someone can smile despite the rain clouds over everyone else's heads.

You crack a smile and then giggle. Benedict laughs, too. You both must look so silly giggling in the hedges.

"Oh, Benedict, you do make every miserable thing seem more positive." You smile at him.

"How so?"

"Just by being you."

Benedict swears he could fly from the amount of joy you have just bestowed in him. Never has anyone said anything more heartwarming to him than that.

As you travel home in the carriage with your mother after the luncheon, you cannot stop yourself from smiling. You have been cheerful from the moment you left.

"Whatever has you grinning, dearest?" Your mother asks you as you gaze out the window.

You keep your eyes trained on the passing scenery, your lips ever grinning.

"Nothing, mother. Nothing at all."

♡♡♡

@callmemana - @lilscast - @imgondeletedis - @benedictbridgertonss - @clownsdiehard - @wxnterwidow333

@sillynilly27 - @autumn-slaves - @ben-has-arrived - @ajdelilah - @aadu2173

@booknerdlife - @tamlinrose - @sarahskywalker-amidala - @cheryyluv - @louschan - @lou-la-lou - @cultish-corner

@hopshusushi - @katherinejess - @nannabug - @afunkyfreshblog - @f0x33 - @dd122004dd -

@jupitervenusearthmars - @orchiidflwer - @bespinnn - @captainlunaxmen - @winchestersimpalababy - @acupnoodle

@ms-fandomgirl - @fablesrose - @anyaisinyourcloset - @meowzerzstuff - @orchiidflwer - @bespinnn - @crazymar15

@cosmixstar - @bree3parchen - @berrnuu - @charmainemaclendon - @pinkpantheris - @krismdavis

@biancamde - @ifgslsofbsodbf - @kniselle

[agirlcandream84]

HIII !!! im the anon that asked for neighbor!frank, and to answer your question... Why not both? 💋💋💋

Ok twist my arm why don't ya. First batch, Boyfriend!Frank:

Boyfriend!Frank Headcanons- yet again.

Frank is a SIMP for you cracking his back. As soon as he's face-down on the bed, he's pawing at you to straddle his broad back like "come on honey, get on top of me-- give it to me good" and making you lean your whole weight onto his spine-- a satisfying crack rippling through him while you shriek "oh-my-god-did-i-hurt-you?!" and he just chuckles with "nah sweetheart, do it again f'me" Sometimes you think it's as good as sex for him. Almost.

Speaking of sex though... one time you decide to tease Frank via pics while he was out of the apartment, every pic more suggestive and lewd than the last and when he finally bursts through the door you act coy for about 0.5 secs before Frank hauls you from the kitchen, your toes only skimming the floor as he carries you effortlessly with one hand, his other hand already working to unzip his pants, and tosses-- literally tosses-- you on the bed, as he crawls onto the bed after you and taps your knee with "open 'em for me doll. Not gonna ask twice."

You beg Frank for his help to paint your toenails for you and he pretends to grumble about but he secretly loves it. He's meticulous and even perches a set of magnifying reading glasses on his nose as he does it. Just his big hulking head hunched over your foot, his crooked nose inches from the tips of your toes. He's so proud of his work that he stops you from getting up before they're dry like "nah nah nah, you're gonna mess 'em all up 'n shit. Stay put, I'll get your book."

Frank does not take kindly to people (let's be real, men) disrespecting your intelligence. When you're remodeling your bathroom and you're looking for the right tile, the store clerk is talking directly to Frank about every detail, acting like you don't even exist. Frank is all, "The fuck you tellin' me for buddy? My lady asked you the question. Why don't you answer her," and the guy is suddenly tripping over his words as he gives you an apology.

You got it in your brain that you wanted to learn how to roller skate and your apartment is all hardwood floors so it felt like a perfect place to practice and Frank is like a nervous parent to a toddler, putting towels over sharp table corners, shouting "Go slow!" down the hallway and generally hovering around for the (many) inevitable times you lose your footing-- his thick arm looping around your waist as your feet slide out from under you and he's mumbling "gonna fucking kill yourself on these fucking things."

Frank didn't have much a sweet tooth except for your banana bread. The first time you made it you never saw him take a bite but somehow the loaf kept getting smaller and smaller. One night you reach over to Frank in the middle of the night but he wasn't in bed so you pad into the kitchen all groggy and rubbing your eyes asking "Frankie?" and there he is in the dark kitchen, enjoying a hunk of banana bread he tore off with his bare hands.

Unsurprisingly, Frank is a cash-carrying guy and you simply never have cash when you need it so Frank has taken to leaving a stack of bills tucked in your wallet once a week because he doesn't like you not having some spending money and emergency cash on hand.

Unfortunately, Frank was always scaring you on accident. Sure, sometimes you could hear the clunk of his boots from a mile away but Frank was pretty stealthy more often than not, even when he wasn't trying. Pair that with your nervous system being one that was sorta lowkey always on high alert and that amounts to you yelping in fright at least once a day when Frank seemingly appears out of nowhere. Of course, Frank interprets this as an opportunity to better educate you on how to be aware of your surroundings like "Come on sweetheart, you gotta get out of that pretty head of yours. Gotta stay sharp, alright?"

It took ffooorrrvveer into your relationship for Frank to even show you that he got sleepy sometimes-- LIKE A HUMAN. The first months of living together you didn't see Frank so much as yawn and he was always awake when you fell asleep and awake when you woke up in the morning. But finally, he slowly dropped his tough-guy-watch-dog visage just enough to let himself get cuddly when he was feeling slightly needy like when he was sick or especially tired or thinking about the past too much. His favorite spot was his cheek pressed into the warm smooth skin of your chest, his hands softly running over your breasts and his warm breath tickling your stomach. It was one of the one places he let himself be taken care of, just for a moment, with your nails scratching his scalp slightly.

[princncess]

Your captor finishes the meal you made her, and instructs you to clean the dishes. She lazily gestures with the taser in her hand, her weapon of choice, toward the sink. You stand up and start collecting her dishes, bringing them back to the sink. She doesn’t move from her seat. Stepping close to her makes you nervous, but she just watches you calmly. You turn on the water and pick up a plate to start washing it, and-

You feel her footstep behind you, and before you can startle, her left arm is around your chest, groping you, and you feel the hard plastic of the taser jamming sharply into your hip. You tense up and grip the plate tightly, frozen in place.

Softly in your ear, she says “Go ahead and start cleaning now, little love.”

“Please don’t tase me right now…”

“Mmm, why’s that?” She shifts a little, nestling you in her arms a bit tighter.

“I don’t want to drop a plate, and the taser might make me.” You try not to show any fear that might entice her to hurt you.

Her voice immediately drops to a stern, harsh tone, much louder but still just as close to your ear. “If you break one of my dishes, I will fucking kill you.” She grabs you much tighter, and you hear and feel the taser’s safety click off. You make a barely contained whine and twitch as if she really had pressed the button.

You speak in a much higher, more whimpering voice, taking quick shallow breaths. “Well then, please don’t tase me, because I don’t want to die-” You gulp and take a few more quick breaths, and try to shift your voice to a less pitiful and more “nervously trying to appear as best buds with someone who wants you dead” tone. “I don’t think you want me to die either- right? You want to keep me around and not have me get all gross and rotten- plus I couldn’t do chores for you if I was dead, and if you kept me around after that, I’d be another chore for you, right? Like, keeping my corpse-” the thought of yourself as a corpse, and the fact that you’re talking about it as a very real possibility stops you in your tracks for a moment. You gulp again. “Like keeping my corpse from getting messy, or spraying perfume on it for the smell, or… Stuff like that…” Your voice is shaky. Your head hangs down. You don’t dare look back at her face, because the tear rolling down yours would have her excited and pushing you to the floor, plate be damned. You wait for a response.

“Eh, I guess you’ve convinced me. Carry on.” She doesn’t turn the safety back on. Your hand shakes as you reach for the dish soap, and you start scrubbing the plate in your hand. It’s finished and you move to put it on the drying rack, but freeze for just a moment, thinking fast. If the only reason she’s not tasing you is because you’ll drop a dish, what happens when you aren’t holding one? Time resumes, and you grab another dirty dish before putting the clean plate down. Did she just exhale? Was she thinking the same thing as you?

You’ve repeated the process a few more times, with her hand on you the whole time and without ever forgetting about the taser. Now you’re holding a plate with just silverware left to wash. Nobody cares about dropped silverware, you probably shouldn’t put down this plate. You figure out a way to hold the silverware with the plate hand, and scrub it with the other, and you repeat this process for the rest of the silverware. You figure whatever ran off the silverware might have dirtied the plate again, so you wash it once more. You hope she lets go and finds something else to do now that your task is done. You still hold the last plate as everything else is drying.

“Okay, I finished…”

“Thank you, darling,” she says with a squeeze from her hand. “Go ahead and put down the plate now.”

You don’t move. She says again, in that same sweet tone, “Go on.”

“I can’t…”

“How come, little lady?” Saccharine. She has to have been thinking the same thing as you this whole time. No point in playing a game at this point.

“I know what happens when I put it down…”

“Aww, I’m sure you do, clever doll.” Her voice loses some of its comforting sweetness. “Put it down.”

“Please-”

Her voice switches all the way again. “Put it down. Now.”

You reluctantly slide the plate between the bars of the drying rack. You shut your eyes tight. You bring your arms back to your body, wrapped around your own stomach, comforting and bracing yourself.

[asterr1sk]

no space between us

⊹₊ ⋆ kang taehyun wc: 701 genre: fluff, secret relationship, jealousy a/n: thank you to the anon who requested this. i was giggling so much at the end.

you've been in a relationship with taehyun for months now. it was difficult to keep it low knowing that your friends are basically his friends too. there were some instances where they almost found out, but they guessed that you were just close friends.

all of you went out to the mall and did some shopping. taehyun obviously stuck around you while the others were trailing behind.

"hey, guys! we should get lunch." yeonjun called out to both of you, and they walked closer. "maybe we can eat chinese food," he suggested.

"but i'm craving japanese food right now~" beomgyu countered.

"oh! me too! i want katsudon!" you exclaimed as you grinned at beomgyu. "two versus one!" he said proudly.

"i'm fine with any," soobin said while the other two nodded. "sure, let's go," yeonjun said as he was defeated. you and beomgyu high-fived at each other and started to think of restaurants.

the group finally arrived and ordered food. taehyun can't help but observe how the waiter looked at you differently. maybe he was just seeing things. the food came, and everyone began to eat their food. you noticed that your drink still hadn't come, unlike the others, so you asked the waiter. taehyun saw how enthusiastic the waiter was when talking to you.

"sorry, miss. i forgot," he said, placing the glass on top of a folded napkin. "it's okay," you said, smiling lightly. taehyun, on the other hand, was questioning why your napkin was folded compared to theirs.

the napkin underneath your drink was bothering you because it wasn't balancing the glass. you took it off and unfolded it, seeing what was written. "sorry again for the drink. this was not planned, but i took it as a chance to give you my number. call me xxxxxxxxx :)"

soobin sitting beside you, was being nosy and saw what was written. "oh, a guy is hitting on y/n." he said teasingly, and immediately everyone kept bugging you except for one.

"y/n, for the love of god, get a boyfriend!" beomgyu begged. "will y/n finally break free of the friendzone curse?" kai added while wrapping his arm around beomgyu's, looking like they were praying.

"you guys really have no shame, huh?" your heart was beating fast. not that they were teasing, but you don't know how to react. you tried not to stare at taehyun, hoping not to make this situation worse if someone were to ask what as going on between you two. he was weirdly quiet in this situation.

"i'm sure taehyun would be fine knowing his friend is happy, right?" yeonjun teased, and they continued on. the atmosphere was getting tense. taehyun was still not reacting much, but seeing that he had paid for the dinner, he wanted to get out of that place.

the day went on, but taehyun was walking closer to you than ever. thank god, they still don't question it. kai then saw a photo booth and wanted to take pictures with everyone. all of you were squeezed together in the booth.

they were bickering and complaining with each other, trying to find comfortable positions before taking a photo. since they were too busy, you and taehyun were in a different world.

"tyun, are you okay with that whole thing at the restaurant? i'm sorry that i didn't do-" he cut you off. "it's fine. i decided we should tell the others," he whispered.

"okay, i'll press the button. are you ready?" soobin said, and the timer was starting.

3 2 1... you and taehyun put cat ears on each other.

"another one!" yeonjun shouted.

3 2 1... you pinched taehyun's cheek while he was cupping yours.

"wait! i'll do this pose. beomgyu, do it with me." kai was posing, and beomgyu copied him.

3 2 1... taehyun put a half heart and you jokingly put a thumbs up next to his.

"let's do this together. come on!" yeonjun gave an example, and everyone followed.

3 2 1... taehyun kissed your cheek.

the other four immediately looked at the preview. you looked at taehyun wide-eyed while you heard screaming at the back. he pulled you in closer and kissed you properly on the lips.

[shayyprasad]

helloo this is my first time in a while requesting so if this doesn't make much sense then that's whyy

could I please request peter parker with an s/o who does competitive cheer as a sport, and gets hurt a lot because they have a lot of main parts in routines (like tumbling nd holding girls up nd stuff), peter is always concerned for them cuz they r always hurting something but he also loves seeing them perform at comps and stuff

if you want a better understanding of the sport u could research! but thanks in advance <3

pom-poms and bruises | peter parker

a/n: your request was great, no worries! i did do my fair share of research, but lemme tell you, my knowledge on cheer (or, like, any sport) is mad limited. if i got some information incorrect, i apologize in advance! i took... creative liberties (?) and changed some minor details - instead of competitive cheer, it's high school cheer. enjoy the fic, and i hope i did this request it's justice. sorry this took so long!!

summary: peter can't help but worry seeing you all bruised up, but no matter what, he's your biggest fan.

warnings: the ouchies, innuendos to sex

pairing: fem!cheerleader!reader x peter parker

word count: 1.8k+ words

"oh jeez," peter sighs, rubbing his thumb over the bruise on your cheek. it was a blue-purple, indicating that it was fresh. "what happened?"

you wave him off, grinning, "you know how it goes, battle scars and all."

"scar?" he cocks a brow.

sighing, "battle bruise isn't half as badass."

"right, i forgot the most important thing is proclaiming our dominance in the social hiearchy of the big ol' globe. and obviously not our physical health."

"you wouldn't understand, baby. it's a full time job."

gently, peter pushes you up against your locker. leaning in to whisper, he says, "i wouldn't, angel? best believe i've got battle scars of my own."

"ugh. so not the same. not everyone has the luck of getting to be a human-spider."

"yeah, okay, luck."

"you seriously cannot complain," you deadpan. "that bite did you favors! like, down there, you grew at least- mmph-!"

peter covers your mouth with his hand, "we are not having this conversation."

"it was a compliment! i mean, it's not like you sucked before or anything. i'm just saying it... improved... you."

"somehow, this isn't going the direction you think it is."

"oops. i didn't mean to hurt your over-inflating ego."

"first off, if anyone has an ego that needs to be kept in check, it's you."

"don't blame me," you tell him, "blame the girls," you're referring to your cheer team, pinching his cheeks. "but... maybe i can compensate with a kiss?"

he feigns annoyance, "i suppose." in response, you lean in for a kiss, melting at his touch.

peter kisses your bruise as well, letting it linger for a moment longer. "does it hurt?" he asks.

"barely," you shrug, leaning in for more, but he isn't quite focused on that at the moment. giving you a look, he softly pokes your cheek, to which you wince.

"right. barely."

"don't be a worry-wart, worry-wart."

"i'm not! 'm just concerned!"

"puh-lease," you scoff. "you come back worse! remember that time you broke and entered into my bedroom, then proceed to bleed out onto that cute new rug?"

he looks down, epitome of cute puppy. "yes," peter says, guilty, "i do."

you pat his stomach, nuzzling your nose against his. "see? so you have nothing to worry about. me, on the other hand," you trail off.

"nah. you don't have anything to worry about either, angel."

"watch me worry anyways," you snort.

he pinches your cheeks, and you swat his hands away. "watch it!"

"you're my intellectual property."

"oh, so you're objectifying me now?"

"wait- no! no, of course not!"

"lemme me just say right now, may would not be happy."

peter groans, shoving you away.

"no!" you giggle, "i'm sorry! i won't snitch!"

he peeks an eye open, turning his head just barely to look at you. "fine, i guess," peter pulls you back.

"hey, petey?"

"hm?" he asks, nuzzled in your neck. there's just a few minutes before class starts, and he wants to make the most of it.

"are you coming to the game? it's my first year of being captain, and, well, it'd be cool if you came." suddenly you're more bashful than giggly, and he's quick to assure you.

"are you kidding me? of course i'm coming. i'm not missing the chance to see my girl shine.

"you sure? because i know you don't care for foot-"

"shhh," he presses his palm to your mouth. "yeah, i hate football, but i just to happen to love y- god!" he exclaims as you lick his hand, but in your defense, what did peter expect?"

"you put in on my mouth!"

peter narrows his eyes at you, "vermin."

"see you tonight?"

"see you tonight," peter replies as the bell rings. with one last kiss, you part ways.

your hair was done, two yellow and blue bows to tie the look together. midtown theme eyeshadow was painted on your eyelids, with stars dotted on your cheekbones. you have your cheer uniform on, and you're basically jumping with how giddy you are.

part of you is nervous, because you don't want to mess this up. every year, a senior is picked to be captain, with a junior as a mentee. not only do you have to set a good example for the junior this year, but you have to wow everyone.

checking your makeup one more time, you grab your purse, heading out to the car.

by the time you get there, your teammates are already stretching. on the other side of the field, football players are warming up. last year, liz was captain, well, before she moved. then she got replaced by gwen.

you knew liz and peter... okay, so you weren't completely sure, but they had something. some part of you wanted to be better than liz, entirely for peter. you know it was silly, but you felt like you had something to prove. some families are already in, which is funny, because there's an hour to the game.

it's normally parents and friends of the cheerleaders/players that get here before most people, but there are some occasions.

peter's here, you know that. you haven't looked for him yet, but as you get up, you scan the bleacher. finally, you spot a curly, brown-haired boy (it helps that he's waving like crazy) and his aunt. you blow a kiss to them, grin present of your face.

tasha, one your girls, taps your shoulder, "we're gonna run our routine a couple times, okay? just before the game starts." you pull your eyes away from may and peter, nodding at her.

the familiar music of your routine starts playing. the first part's easy, synchronized movements, shoulder-to-shoulder.

as the routine progresses, you feel the familiar rush of adrenaline. you spot the base of the pyramid, their arms outstretched, and with a deep breath, you allow yourself to be pulled upwards.

their grip is firm and reassuring as you climb, hand over hand, until you reach the apex. a split second later, you're soaring through the air, launching into a full backflip.

as you launch yourself into the backflip, you feel your body twist off-axis. the ground rushes up to meet you, and with a sickening thud, you land flat on your face. a gasp escapes your lips, the sting of impact radiating through your jaw.

the cheers falter for a moment, but your teammates are quick to react. they rush to your side, concern etched on their faces. you sit up, momentarily stunned, but the pain quickly makes itself known.

just as soon as it's there, it's gone, leaving you slightly sore. "i'm okay!" you call out, lopsided smile on your face. the first person you look for is peter, who's already heading towards you.

gently, he moves everyone away. "jesus, are you okay? what'd you fall onto? your head? wait, are you dizzy? lightheaded? nauseated?" peter grabs your by the chin, hurry to inspect everything on your face.

"baby, baby," you say, cradling his hand. "i'm okay, i swear. i might've bruised something... like my ego," you joke, smile on your face, but he is not amused.

"no? okay. well, honestly my jaw is too, or will be," you point to the left side. "'s red?"

"yeah," he winces, "it's gonna leave a nasty bruise." you're sure it's not as bad with makeup on, but you can't be sure.

"does anyone have concealer?" you call out.

jenny, a girl that's your shade nods, "yeah! i'll grab it!" she tosses it to you, and you catch it perfectly.

peter presses his lips together, "so no concussion?"

"because i caught it? to be fair, that was mostly luck."

his eyes widen. "but no! i don't have any concussions!"

peter tilts his head, "icepack?"

"nah. i'm good, really."

he hesitates, "okay. be careful though, seriously." you don't feel like hearing a lecture right now, so you nod quickly.

"i will, i will!"

"because i swear-"

"you won't have to! i'm all good. now leave," you joke, "you're embarrassing me. if i wanted to be smothered, i would've asked for my mom."

he blows a raspberry at you, and gives you a quick kiss. "be careful," he repeats, "and good luck!" he jogs back over to may, and you watch him leave.

jenny giggles as you brush yourself off, "you guys are so cute."

blushing, you murmur a thanks. quickly, you grab your phone to cover up the forming bruise. and there's not really time for another run-through.

all you can do is hope it won't happen again.

there's a small dance at the start of the game and some other here and there, but it's not anything crazy. what is crazy is halftime.

as you get into your position, you fidget. "you'll be great," one of the girls tell you.

"thank you," you smile.

"yeah, no, you will," says another.

you don't feel super ready, not after that fall, but there's not much you can do about it.

the song, louder than before, echoes through your eardrums, a roll of excitement passes through you. no matter how anxious you are, you'll always love cheer.

it's your safe place.

the music swells, and you launch into a series of cheers with your teammates, your voice ringing out in perfect unison. as the routine progresses, you feel the familiar rush of adrenaline. you spot the base of the pyramid, their arms outstretched, and with a deep breath, you allow yourself to be pulled upwards.

their grip is firm and reassuring as you climb, hand over hand, until you reach the apex. a split second later, you're soaring through the air, launching into a full backflip.

you twist perfectly, landing with a confident thud back in the waiting arms of your base. the crowd erupts in cheers, and you beam, the thrill of the successful stunt coursing through you.

you did it, and everyone's squealing. peter's not that far from where you are, and you can hear him shrieking; "that's my girlfriend!"

you grin at him, and he whoops again.

the rest of the game flies by, and you finish the last routine. midtown ends up winning 20-17.

peter scooping you up in his arms, spinning you around. "that was awesome! seriously, like, mind-blown! and you didn't fall this time!"

may comes up beside him, hugging you, "you did fantastic, sweetheart. freaked me out with that fall, though," she chuckles, and you kiss her cheek. "my bad," you tell her, rubbing the back of your neck.

"hey, pete, hun, i'm gonna head out, okay? hospital shift was crazy."

you frown, "was it late?"

may sighs, "two a.m. to five p.m."

"oh, may, you should've gone home to get rest!"

"and miss my lovely girl's big night? you're crazy."

"aww," you coo, hugging her again. "sleep well, okay?"

"oh, please, i'll be knocked out like a baby." you laugh as she leaves.

"we should totally get ice cream," peter says.

"ooh, yes!"

"wait, don't you have an after party?"

"i'd rather spend it with you," peter pecks your lips. "and, we can have extra dessert," he winks.

you frown in confusion, "like cupcakes too? can we get cho- oh. oh! i really, really like that idea."

"good. i'm gonna let you know how badass of a girlfriend you are."

"why don't we skip straight to the second dessert? switch things up?"

taglist: @whatsupstark @ell0ra-br3kk3r @idli-dosa @susvale @kdbsr-h @littlemsbumblebee @sflame15-blog @twinsunkithies @chocolateshepherddreamclod @one-piece-frvr7 @477strberry

[missabigailtaylor]

Our New Beginning

My first contribution to Elriel month. I haven't posted my own writing in so long, I may be very rusty so be gentle. Slight warnings: slight AU, some characters may be OOC, Mother Archeron is not nice, slightly NSFW.

Elain will marry for love, at least that’s what Elain believed when she was younger. She read every fairytale that was placed in front of her and imagined her life within the pages. She would dance with a handsome prince with a crowd of partygoers watching in awe. During their waltz Elain’s eyes would lock with the prince and she would feel herself fall deeply in love with him.

Her older sister, Nesta, would roll her eyes at Elain’s daydreams but wouldn’t discourage her. “You will marry for love, Elain.” She would tell her with a small smile.

As children Elain along with her sisters grew up comfortably. Her father was a merchant while her mother kept house. Their home was large and beautiful with the finest furniture and decorations meticulously picked out by the lady of the house. Every weekend their home was filled with music and guests enjoying their evening while the daughters watched the parties from the stairs. The youngest, Feyre, would be in bed, deeming the party ‘too boring’ while Nesta and Elain allowed their curiosity to keep them awake. They were in awe of the ladies’ long gowns and elegant jewelry, it all appeared so glamorous to the young girls. It was as if there was a fairytale going on right under her very roof. 

Ever since she was a young girl she had grown close to the manor staff much to her mother’s dismay. Her favorite was a kind woman who worked in the kitchen. Mabel primarily was the family’s baker, she made every birthday cake for the girls and always had the best treats during the holidays. One day Elain went to the kitchen to see if Mabel needed any help when she was met with a boy who she had never seen before. His dark hair was overgrown, almost covering his eyes. His mouth seemed fixed in a permanent frown and he refused to meet her eyes. Then she saw his hands, his poor hands covered in bandages. 

When she almost ran into him she made a surprised sound which made him also jump. “Oh, hello, I’m sorry.” She said, covering her chest with her hand.

The boy didn’t say anything, just stared at her. “Elain,” Looking up she saw Mabel enter the kitchen. “I see you met Azriel.”

Azriel, Elain immediately liked his name. “Nice to meet you Azriel, my name is Elain.” She smiled, she wanted to hold her hand out for him to shake but she feared she would hurt him. 

He didn’t speak, just continued to stare at her as if he was afraid to make any sudden movements. She could tell he was uncomfortable which only made her want to make him feel at ease.

Glancing up at Mabel Elain asked in her sweet voice. “Mabel, could we please have some of your homemade waffles?” Elain knew Mabel’s homemade waffles were always the best comfort to her and her sisters whenever they needed a pick me up.

Mabel smiled at the young girl, knowing exactly what she was up to. “Of course, my lady, but only if you go pick some fresh berries to go on top. How about you take Azriel to the gardens?”

Elain nodded. “Would you like to come with me?”

Azriel didn’t answer, he just followed the girl only pausing for her to pick up a small basket she kept by the back door. Outside was one of Elain’s favorite areas in the whole manor. The garden was one of the few places her mother didn’t badger her even though she had tried to forbid her from getting her hands dirty. It was only because her father stepped in and said Elain was allowed to spend time in the garden did her mother finally back off. “She is doing no harm, leave her be.”

Elain had always been closer to her father, but him taking her side over her mother only proved it. After rows and rows of flowers the back of the garden was saved for fruit and vegetables. Elain tried to help but the staff usually took care of the food portion of the garden, since she was far too young just yet to understand how to take care of the crops. “The berries grow here,” Elain explained to Azriel even though she wasn’t sure if he was listening. 

She didn’t want to risk hurting his hands further so she took the lead with picking the berries. She continued to speak and tell him about the garden and the manor. “You will probably meet my sisters. Nesta can be difficult but she has a good heart, you just have to get to know her. Feyre is still young and carefree and spends most of her time outside, avoiding anything to do with finishing school.”

Azriel still didn’t speak but she could tell he was listening. While she picked the berries she continued to talk, mostly out of nervousness and wanting to fill the silence. “What of your family?” She finally asked, hoping to get some sort of answer from him.

She noticed him tense before he whispered.“I have no family.” She could practically see the pain written all over his face. It broke her heart, he was so young and she could tell how much suffering he had been through.

Stepping forward she gently gripped his wrist, mindful of his injuries. “I’m so sorry, you don’t deserve this.”

Azriel didn’t speak again but she could see warmth in his hazel eyes. “Shall we return?” She asked.

Instead of replying he held out his arm for her to take. She couldn’t stop herself from smiling as she gently grasped his elbow and allowed him to lead her back to the manor to their waiting breakfast.

As the years passed Azriel continued to work for the Archeron family. He had taken his time to train the horses and mostly work outside. He had grown taller and his muscles had significantly grown with all the work he does day in and day out. His hands were scarred from his childhood and just the sight of his damaged skin haunted him; he didn't let his trauma define him anymore. He was still quiet but he always found time to seek Elain out. She had truly grown into a beautiful woman and remained just as kind as the first day he met her. In their quiet meetings she had shown him some of her favorite books while also telling him about her garden which had bloomed just as beautifully as her. Azriel may not have been a chatterbox but she held onto every word he told her. He would occasionally tell her stories, but never about his childhood which she never pushed him. The only thing he ever said was, “My mother used to tell me these stories when I was a child. It’s what I remember most about her.”

“Did she pass away?” She asked gently, he had never mentioned his mother before.

“I don’t know…she just left one day and left me with my father and brothers.” He explained, his eyes falling down to his ruined hands.

She could tell his mood dampened at the mention of his other family members and how tortured he still appeared. “Shall we sneak a piece of pie while Mabel isn’t looking?” She questioned with a small smile on her face.

She heard him chuckle softly. “I will stay out as a lookout as you retrieve two slices.”

As she grew closer to Azriel, Elain grew less and less interested in the balls and galas her mother forced her to attend. Nesta had been sent off to school, Feyre was still too young leaving Elain to be the focus of their mother’s attention. She had also become the fixture of her mother’s criticism. Elain’s hair was never fixed correctly, her makeup was too heavy, she had put on weight.

“You will never find a husband looking like that.” Her mother snapped one day.

Normally Elain was able to shake off those comments but after one particularly grueling afternoon of being torn apart Elain retreated to her garden, avoiding the eyes of everyone around her. In the privacy amongst her flowers Elain allowed herself to cry, her tears falling onto her lilac gown. Bringing her knees to her chest she tried her best to silence her sobs, not wanting her mother to come for her and berate her further.

“Elain?” She almost cringed when she heard his deep voice.

Looking up she quickly wiped her eyes before he could see her wet cheeks. “Azriel, hi, what are you doing here?”

“I was coming to see if you would like to go for a ride. The leaves are beginning to change and I know you love the beginning of autumn.”

Shaking her head she whispered. “Maybe later.”

She wasn’t sure what she expected from the handsome man but approaching her and sitting down right next to her on the wet grass. “What’s wrong?” He questioned.

Hugging her knees she sighed. “It’s nothing, I was just having a moment.”

She refused to meet his eyes, if she did she knew he would pull the truth out of her. Azriel had a gentle but stern way of getting information from others. He knew when to push but also when to back off. This time though he felt like Elain needed to let out some emotion. “Is it your mother?”

A fresh wave of tears washed over her. “She was just…exceptionally cruel today.”

Azriel cringed. He didn’t have many experiences with Mrs. Archeron but the few times he had been around her, they weren’t pleasant. She looked down on the staff, firing anyone on the spot if they upset her. Throughout his years at the manor he had found ways of avoiding the older woman. Even though he tried his best to stay away from her, he heard rumblings from the staff about the way she treated her daughters.

“Nesta is a brain so she’s practically trained her to be an academic. If she ever brought home a bad grade Nesta was forced to write essays until her hands went numb and couldn't go to sleep until she got everything right.” A farmhand Bernard had told him before. “And if the essay wasn’t up to par she had to start all over. She’s deemed Feyre a lost cause, she gets the hand me downs. She never pays the young girl any attention and when she does she makes it known she isn’t fond of her own daughter.”

Azriel didn’t want to know the answer but he found himself asking. “What about Elain?”

Bernard sighed heavily. “She’s putting everything on Elain. Elain is kind and gentle, she doesn’t fight her mother on her treatment, she just puts up with it. She has picked that girl apart since she was a toddler. I think her end goal is for Elain to marry rich, doesn’t matter if it’s a good man or not. She would rather her daughter marry for status, because it would make her look better.”

Ever since Azriel had met Elain he had noticed she was always prim and proper. Her dresses were always beautiful, her long hair was curled and styled to perfection. At first he was just convinced that was Elain and the way she was. Now he was seeing it differently, she was always so put together because that was what was expected of her. “What did she say?”

Elain waved a hand dismissively. “It doesn’t matter, I think she’s just stressed about the upcoming gala.”

The gala which happened to be her eighteenth birthday. Her birthday was being used as an excuse to invite the lords and ladies and find a potential husband. Elain should have expected it but she wished her mother wouldn’t push it. She still wanted to marry for love but not right now. Nesta had been writing her letters and telling her about her new experiences away from their manor and it made Elain long for the same. She wanted to get out from under her mother’s thumb and live for herself for once. “It does matter.” Azriel said, making her look at him. “She shouldn’t be treating you this way.”

“I’m used to it,” She whispered, her voice breaking, making him frown.

“Elain!” They heard breaking them up. It was her mother, probably looking for a second round of lashing.

“I must go.” She told Azriel, rising to her feet.

Before she could walk away he stopped her with a gentle hand on her arm. “Whatever she tells you…she’s wrong.” He murmured, brushing his thumb over her cheek. “Do not let it get to you.”

The sides of her mouth perked up in a small smile. “Thank you, Az.”

“Of course, Elain.”

Days later it was time for Elain’s birthday gala. She had been locked away in her bedroom getting ready, her hair being curled and pinned painfully to her head. Her dress was stunning but her corset was so tight she feared she may pass out by the end of the evening. It wasn’t the gown her mother had picked for her but Elain had put her foot down when choosing her dress. The blue material stood out against her pale skin and sparkled when she walked. What she loved the most was the soft flowers placed along the thin straps of the dress and along down the sides of the gown. 

What made the evening for Elain was Nesta coming back just to surprise her. “You look beautiful.” Nesta beamed as she helped finish Elain’s hair.

“Thank you, I’m so glad you’re here.” Nesta had always been a good buffer between the daughters and their mother. Nesta no longer feared her mother, she knew she could leave if she had to but Elain and Feyre weren’t so lucky.

“I wouldn’t miss it. Now come on, everyone is waiting for the birthday girl to make her grand arrival.”

Following her sister down the long hallway Elain felt the butterflies in her stomach as they got closer to the stairway. Nesta led the way taking charge of the room until it was Elain’s turn to greet her guests. At the top of the stairs Elain looked out amongst the crowd, recognizing a few faces from other galas. These crowds were always the same, the same conversations were going to happen boring her until she moved to another group. The women stood in their gowns, silently criticizing others' hair and dresses but smiling in their faces. God forbid the wrong food was served and the champagne wasn’t expensive enough, Elain would never hear the end of it. 

As she carefully made her way down the steps she saw him. In the back of the crowd Azriel stood, as handsome as ever. His normal white shirt and brown trousers were replaced with a suit and tie. His hair was pushed back making him appear rich and noble like every other man but he was so much more to her. Seeing him made her smile brightly but when she reached the bottom she was pulled away by her mother to greet guests of honor making her lose Azriel in the crowd, she almost wondered if she wanted him to be there so bad she imagined him. 

The hours passed by slowly, she was forced to smile and greet men of all ages with her mother holding her close preventing Elain from leaving. Her only reprieve from her mother was when she was being forced to dance with potential suitors. Most of them stepped on her feet making her cringe, one in particular had the worst breath that reminded her of the strongest garlic. The last one was an older man who let his hand trail far too low for her liking. As ladylike as she could she excused herself to head outside to the garden. The sun was long gone with the bright, full moon replacing it overhead lighting up her garden as if it was still daytime. The cool air was a welcome relief from the stuffy gala. Taking a deep breath she wished the ball would end so she could retreat to her bedroom. 

“The guest of honor is missing.” Turning her head she saw Azriel step out from the shadows. 

She finally allowed herself to genuinely smile. “The guest of honor needed a break.”

Coming up to her side she was able to see his suit more clearly. “You look very handsome tonight.”

Azriel unbuttoned his jacket to place around her shoulders. “Mabel may have helped me. It’s one of her son’s jackets. I had to get the shirt and pants myself.”

“You did very well. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you dressed so smart.”

“And it probably won’t happen again.” He teased. 

Giggling to herself she replied. “Good, I prefer your other clothes.”

Azriel had been trying to talk himself up all evening to approach her. Finding her by herself out in her garden was the best case scenario for him. With the hawkeye stares from her mother she would never allow him to get within arm’s reach of Elain all evening. “Would you like to dance?” He asked, holding out his hand to her.

Smiling up at him she nodded her head, placing her smaller hand in his. “I would love to.”

There in the privacy of her garden she allowed him to lead her in her favorite dance of the night. He held her close, his hand warm in hers and he moved gracefully, nothing like her other suitors. It was the first time all night she felt happy and at ease. Leaning into his embrace Elain inhaled his cedar and misty scent, everything about him was comforting. His arms held her tight but gentle, and most importantly, they felt right. Her body fit perfectly against his like they were made for each other. “Azriel…” She murmured looking up into his hazel eyes.

“Elain.” He whispered, his grip tightening against her blue dress.

They were so close, if she just raised up slightly their lips would touch. She wanted him to lean down to connect his lips to hers but before the moment could come they heard her name being called. “Nesta.” She said, silently taking off his jacket and handing it back to him. “Thank you for the dance, it was the best one of the evening.”

“The pleasure was mine.” He told her honestly, allowing her to step away from him to follow the sound of her sister calling for her.

“There you are, where did you go?” Nesta demanded.

“I needed a break.” Elain admitted. 

“Well mother is looking for you, she wants you to meet her and father in his office.”

The gala was still going on but Elain couldn’t deny her mother’s order. Leaving her guests behind downstairs she headed back upstairs to her father’s large office at the end of the hallway.

“Mother? Father?” She questioned, opening the heavy wooden door.

Her mother appeared pleased while Mr. Archeron just seemed defeated, sitting behind his desk with his tie undone and a glass of whiskey in front of him. “Elain, terrific news.” Her mother beamed. “Grayson Nolan has asked for your hand in marriage.”

Elain’s world stopped. “What?”

“He pulled your father and I aside and wants to marry you. His family is one of the wealthiest in the county, he would be such a good match for you.”

Elain’s heart pounded. She knew about Grayson Nolan, every woman in the court was after him. He was older than Elain by a few years. She had danced with him once or twice at previous galas but she felt nothing for him. He never asked her any questions about herself, he only prided himself in his money and gloated about his hunts and how many animals he killed. “But mother…I don’t know much about him.”

“That doesn’t matter,” Her mother snapped. “He has proposed, that’s all we need. The wedding can be planned within a month.”

“But I don’t want to marry him.” Elain replied, the words tumbling from her mouth before she could stop them.

She saw her mother’s smile fade. “What did you just say?”

“I want to marry for love. I don’t want to marry someone I don’t love.”

Mrs. Archeron squared her shoulders. “You do not have that luxury.”

Now Elain was confused. “What do you mean?”

Mrs. Archeron glanced at her husband with disdain in her eyes. “Your father has driven this family into the poor house. A string of bad debts and ruined contracts had drained all of our accounts. Your marriage to Grayson can save us. He has already offered to pay for the wedding and whatever costs come his way.”

The news had left Elain stunned. She sat back onto the plush leather couch her father had in front of his desk. “But…”

“No buts,” Her mother said harshly. “You marrying him is the key to our survival. If you don’t, Feyre will have to.”

That ran a chill down Elain’s spine. “Mother…she is only sixteen.”

“And others her age are already engaged or married. Nesta will refuse if we ask her. It is up to you two to keep up the family name. If you refuse, Feyre is the next daughter in line.”

 The thought of Elain’s younger sister being pushed into a marriage made her sick to her stomach. It would more than likely be a marriage between an older man and there was no way Feyre was ready for something like that. Elain herself wasn’t even ready for it. 

Numb to her surroundings, Elain nodded her head. “Good, I will write to Lord Nolan informing him of your decision.” Her mother beamed.

Later on that night Elain was taking her hair down still thinking about the news of her upcoming engagement. Her mother had kept saying how good of a match this would be and how Grayson would treat her just fine. The thought of being engaged to a man she didn’t truly know was making her panic. She couldn’t breathe. Reaching behind her back she tried to find the strings of her dress and her corset, searching for some sort of relief. Her breath came in short spurts and she tried to free her body. Her fingers couldn’t find the strings, couldn’t grasp them only making her panic more. Her vision blurred and tears filled her eyes.

“Elain?” She faintly heard.

Then the relief finally came when her corset was undone allowing her to breathe. She was panting, her hands holding her chest. “Elain, talk to me.” Nesta urged, covering her sister’s shoulders with her hands.

“They’re making me get married.” Elain finally confessed. “Our family has gone broke and me marrying Grayson Nolan is the only way out of debt.”

Nesta’s eyes narrowed. “They cannot put that kind of pressure on you.”

“It’s already been done.” Elain sighed. “He proposed and mother accepted on my behalf. And even if I don’t…mother said she would push Feyre into marriage.”

Nesta crouched down to meet Elain’s eyes.

“Elain, I will find a way out of this. You will not be forced to marry that man. And I will make sure Feyre will be safe as well.”

Elain wanted to believe her sister but she couldn’t see a way out of this predicament. “I saw you with Azriel.”

That caught her attention. “Nesta…” Elain muttered. “Please don’t tell mother, she’ll fire him and I don’t know what I would do without him.”

Nesta’s normally stern expression softened. “I would never, I saw the way you looked at him. I could always tell you cared for him.” She said, “I’m only telling you because you need to be careful. If anyone else saw you they will go straight to mother or father.”

Nodding, Elain threw her arms around Nesta. “Thank you.”

“Please be patient, I will find a way out of this.”

As the days passed Elain remained in the house. Word of her new engagement passed quickly through the halls, excitement filled the staff but Mabel could tell how unhappy the middle Archeron appeared. She feared what Azriel thought. All of this came after their dance in the garden. She prayed he didn’t think less of her or that she was trying to lead him on with their dance. He was who she truly wanted, she hated it took too long to realize who she loved and now she would never have that kind of love in her life. 

She couldn’t even enjoy wedding planning. Her mother took charge over everything from her dress, to the colors, down to the table settings and menu. Elain went through the motions, frozen to everything around her. Her mother paraded her around through the court, gushing over her daughter marrying a Lord like Grayson Nolan. If only these people knew this marriage was a sham, a ploy to pay off her family’s debts. 

One evening, after tossing and turning Elain gave up on sleep to tread downstairs to her garden. Even during the night her garden brought her a sense of peace and comfort. The night was cold against her bare arms, her nightgown providing her barely any barrier from the wind. Falling onto the stone bench in the middle of the garden she shakily sighed, trying to keep her tears at bay. Just how long was she going to be allowed to enjoy her home? Her garden? Her entire life was going to change and she was powerless to stop it. 

Suddenly she felt like she wasn’t alone. Looking over her shoulder she saw Azriel appear in the night, his eyes tired and his fists clench. Quickly she wiped under her eyes, just in case any tears escaped her eyes. “Azriel…” She whispered.

“Elain, what are you doing out here? You’ll freeze to death.”

She frowned. “I couldn’t bear to be inside any longer.”

Stepping closer to her he sat down beside her on the bench. He ran his scarred hands over his pants, trying to think of something to say. “I can imagine.”

“So you’ve heard?”

He nodded. “Word travels fast on this property.”

Closing her eyes, she felt her shoulders slump. “I can’t stop it…even if I could…”

“I understand, this is what is supposed to happen. You’re supposed to marry someone like him. You don’t belong…” He paused, choosing his words carefully. “You don’t belong with someone like me.”

Elain turned to face him. She couldn’t believe he was diminishing himself like this. Surely he knew how she felt about him. She thought the world of him and had so since they were kids. “Azriel…you’re exactly who I want to belong to.”

Azriel’s hazel eyes met her brown orbs. “Elain, I’m beneath you. I’m a no one, the only reason I’m here is because your family felt sorry for me. If our paths hadn’t crossed you wouldn’t have met me.”

Now she felt tears burn her eyes. “That’s where you’re wrong.” She murmured. “Fate brought you to me. We were meant to meet. And I was meant to fall in love with you.”

Hearing those words made the weight of the world lift off his shoulders. “Elain…”

“You don’t have to say it back, I just want you to know.” She told him, grasping his hand in hers, bringing his fingers up to press a small kiss onto his scarred skin.

In one fluid movement Azriel released her hand to grasp the side of her neck. Tilting her head up he stared into her eyes, part of him wanted to see if she was lying. If she truly didn’t love him then he would be able to tell. But all he saw was pure, unrelenting love. With a shaky breath he leaned forward pressing his lips to hers. Elain was stunned at first but soon gave into the kiss, sighing into his mouth. Her arms reached up to wrap around his neck, her fingers entangling themselves in his dark hair. 

Azriel needed her closer. His strong hands reached down to grab her to lift her from the bench to straddle his lap. Elain jumped at first, feeling his hard body under her but soon relaxed into his embrace. Breaking apart for a brief second Azriel looked for any sense of hesitancy but all he saw was her warm embrace. Breathing her in he pressed his lips back to hers only this kiss was more passionate. Her mouth instantly opened allowing his tongue to find hers. Even though this was a first for her, Elain found herself rocking her hips against his. She did what felt natural, leaning into his body while his hands ran down her body. When she felt how hard he was under his trousers she paused. “Az…”

“Don’t worry about it.” He told her, his voice even deeper than normal. “I just want you right now.”

Suddenly she felt shy. “I’ve never…”

“It’s ok, when I finally take you we are going to be somewhere safe. Somewhere I can have my way with you the way I want.” He whispered, pressing his lips to her neck. “I want to be able to fuck you like you deserve, where you will feel me for days afterwards.”

“Azriel…” She whimpered, clutching onto his shirt.

“I know, my love.” He told her. “We will figure this out.”

“You sound like Nesta.”

“Your sister is brilliant, if anyone can get you out of this engagement, she will.” He said, pressing his forehead to hers. “You better go back inside though. If you stay I really will have to control myself.”

She frowned. “What if I don’t want you to?”

He kissed her one more time. “Don’t worry, love, I’m not going anywhere.”

The last thing she wanted to do was leave him. She stole one more kiss from him, holding onto him longer than she intended before retreating back into the manor. The home felt colder than usual. It suddenly didn’t feel like home, the place she had grown up in had shifted and she felt like she didn’t belong. Holding herself she treaded up the stairs to her bedroom. As she closed her eyes she could still feel Azriel’s hands all over her body, embracing her and feeling so comfortable and safe. She didn’t regret telling him she loved him. If Nesta didn’t figure out a way out of this engagement and she was forced to marry Grayson then at least Azriel would know how she truly felt about him. 

The days went by even slower leading up to the rehearsal dinner. Unfortunately Lord Grayson was around more and so far Elain wasn’t a fan. All he talked about was money as if he was trying to impress her. Her mother suggested they take a walk in her garden and when Elain did she could tell Grayson wanted their time together to be over as quickly as possible. “We have our own gardeners at the manor. You won’t have to worry about these weeds anymore.”

She nodded, his words making her shoulders slump. On paper Lord Grayson would be a fine husband but in person he was anything but. He was getting married as an obligation to his family just like she was. Clearly they weren’t well matched but they had to go through this for the better of both of their families. 

The rehearsal dinner was just as painful. Her mother carried on the conversation along with the Nolans. They raved about the upcoming wedding and just who all was going to attend. With each passing minute closer to the nuptials Elain felt her heart crack. She barely ate her meal that night and when it was time to retire to her room her mother hugged her tight. “You’ll see this is for the best.”

She cringed as her mother hugged her. Lady Archeron was never one to show physical affection like this and Elain knew this wasn’t meant to comfort her daughter. When she was released Elain whispered. “Yes mother.” Before heading straight to her bedroom.

Within the privacy of her bedroom Elain allowed herself to break down. Collapsing on the floor she crumbled. This was really happening. She was going to be chained to a man she will never love and who would never love her. No amount of time with Grayson had given her the same feelings as her time with Azriel. She felt like she was a burden when she was around Grayson, he wanted to be away from her as if he had better things to do. With Azriel she was always at ease, they could talk for hours or just sit within the silence and it would still be her favorite moments. He was her favorite person and the only one who truly understood her and listened to her. And now he wasn’t going to be in her life anymore.

Hours passed, Elain somehow made it to her bed still in her dress from dinner. A soft knock at her door made her stir but not move. Then she heard a louder knock making her open her tired eyes. Her body felt heavy as she stumbled towards her door. Opening it she saw an out of breath Nesta. “You need to pack a bag.” Was all she said.

“What?”

“You need to pack what you need. Come on, Azriel is waiting.”

That woke Elain up. “Nesta, what are you talking about?”

“You’re getting out of here. I’ve been working with Azriel and I think I have it figured out. I’ll explain as we pack, come, we must hurry.”

Elain found an old carpet bag within her closet and opened it while Nesta grabbed what she thought Elain would need. “We found Azriel’s brothers.”

That made Elain pause. “But he told me he didn’t have any family.”

“That’s what I thought too. They’re not really his brothers but they were close friends when Azriel was younger. I didn’t get all the information but at one point Azriel went to live with his father and his real brothers, separating him from his mother. They’ve been searching for him for years. The oldest one, Rhysand, is a Lord himself. He’s even wealthier than the Nolans. And then there’s Cassian, he’s a general in the royal Army, he’s moved all over the country and everywhere he went he would search for Az.”

“And they found him?”

“Azriel accidentally found them. Turns out he’s been trying to find a way to get you out of this marriage himself.” Nesta playfully glared at her sister who just blushed. “Anyway Azriel ran into Cassian in a pub of all places.”

“How is this helping me though?”

“Well what is going to happen is you are going to go away with Azriel to Rhys’ property. He has a house ready for you. Once you’re safe and away from here he is going to send a check to mother and father, paying off their debts essentially freeing you from the marriage agreement.”

“He’s willing to do that?”

Nesta smiled. “He said he would do anything for his brother and the woman his brother loves.”

Elain felt like she could cry all over again but then she remembered. “But what about Feyre?”

“That’s a bridge we will have to cross once we get there.”

Elain frowned but both sisters froze when Elain’s door opened. “What’s going on?” Their youngest sister, Feyre asked.

Elain breathed a sigh of relief seeing her sister’s tired blue eyes staring at her. “Feyre, close the door. Come in here.”

Feyre noticed the bag on the bed along with Elain’s belongings scattered around the room. “You’re leaving?”

“I am…I’m so sorry.”

Feyre threw her arms around her older sister. “I know you were going to marry him to protect me. I heard mother and father talking one night.”

Elain pulled away. “Nesta took care of it. There will be no wedding.”

“No, but we have to get out of here now if we want to be sure of that.” Nesta snapped. “Come on, we’ll save our goodbyes for later.”

Elain held onto Feyre’s hand while Nesta carried her bag. The three sisters hurried down the stairs, trying to be as quiet as they could. They were almost home free when they abruptly ran into their father. “Shit.” Nesta gasped.

“Father…” Elain whispered.

His eyes were tired but he appeared as if he expected this from his daughters. “I never figured you would be a runaway bride.”

Elain frowned. “I can’t marry him.”

He nodded, glancing at all of his daughter’s faces. Stepping aside he opened the back door. “Go, I’ll take care of this mess and the inevitable uproar.”

Elain let go of Feyre to hug her father tight before they ran outside. Her heart was pounding as they ran through the gardens. It made her sad this may be the last time she saw this garden but staying meant being trapped, being a prisoner in a political game she didn’t wish to be a pawn in. As they left the manor behind Elain was starting to feel better then like a beacon in the night she saw him. Azriel stood in the middle of the path waiting for them to arrive. When he spotted them his expression softened. When she was right in front of him she embraced him. “Is this really happening?” She asked.

He chuckled against her. “It is, but we have to hurry. Rhys is sending a carriage for us but we have to walk a few miles to meet it.”

“I don’t care just as long as it’s with you.”

Elain released him to look back at her sisters. Feyre was already crying while Nesta was trying to keep her tears at bay. Azriel reached out to take her bag from Nesta’s hands while Elain embraced her sisters. “This won’t be goodbye for forever.” She promised them. 

“It better not be.” Nesta warned her.

“I will write to you once we’ve arrived.” She said pulling back.

Feyre bit her bottom lip, clutching onto Elain’s hand. “Thank you for trying to protect me.”

Elain brushed away her own tears. “I may not be the perfect sister but I would do anything to protect you. If mother says anything about forcing you into a marriage you can come live with me. I will come back for you in a heartbeat.”

Feyre nodded. “I’ll tell you.”

“I’m sorry, but we have to go now if we want to meet at the rendezvous point.” Azriel announced from behind them.  

She gave her sisters one last squeeze before returning to Azriel. He gently took her hand and led her down the path. It was all so exhilarating but terrifying at the same time. She had never been away from her family before and now she really was living for herself and doing what she wanted. She was still scared but somehow with Azriel beside her she felt better about her future. This was a new beginning for the both of them, together. 

Tags: @elriel-month

[drafthorsemath]

Home

A/N: I still want Tech to be alive so I’m making it happen and all working within the scope of canon. Here we have old man Tech and Phee.

Warnings: disabled Tech, talk of his fall and the aftermath, discussion of broken bones and almost bleeding out

Word Count: 1.534k

There was a lot of hustle around the rebel base. Several pilots were headed out, but Tech was more concerned with who was coming in. Omega had comm’d to say she left Pabu and was on her way. Tech sighed. Just as she was coming he would be going. More than that, while he and Phee stopped by so they could use their skills to fix up an old ship for a new crew, Omega would be out in the thick of it and he was worried for her. He knew they were all worried about her, but just as he respected Echo’s choice and Crosshair’s choice in years past, he respected hers as well. She was as ready to be a rebel pilot as ever, very much in part to the lessons he gave her back on Pabu.

“Hey Brown Eyes,” Phee said with a hand on his shoulder. “Ready to go?”

“Nearly,” he replied, smiling as she ran her hand through his graying and still thinning hair.

He reached for his spanner on the side of his hoverchair and continued to work on the power booster in front of him. He flinched just slightly as he made some adjustments. The arthritis wasn’t making it any easier. Still, he was pleased that while there he and Phee showed some new recruits as many skills as they could.

He put his tools back in place along the side of the humming hoverchair and took a breath. Phee smiled down at him. He picked up her hand and kissed the back of it. She was as lovely as ever. Gray streaks in her hair and small wrinkles forming on her face, but no amount of time dulled her spirit. He could never forget the day he finally made it back to Pabu and the relief he felt to see her and his family. Echo was off with Rex, but he was assured he was safe. Omega and Crosshair were home and Wrecker and Hunter had started easing into island life. 

“Better late than dead?” he asked the first time he saw Phee after stumbling off a ship.

She threw her arms around him with tears in her eyes and despite the pain he was still in, he embraced her warmth.

“So much better late than dead, Brown Eyes.”

His body had been through so much. Bones had taken months to mend and he knew that some of them hadn’t healed properly. He went through the painful process of a doctor rebreaking and resetting them. Phee sat with him through every procedure and he knew for sure that he wanted her in his life for however long it was. He woke up in agony after the worst of it, his lower back and legs in braces. She sat in a chair and rested her head on the bed near him. He softly smiled and put a hand on hers. 

During his recovery they started running low on med patches. She flew into imperial territory just to get more for him and to restock the supply on the island. It was during that time he was able to catch up with Crosshair. Both men were relieved to see each other and it didn’t take long for them to find their way into a comfortable mix of conversation and shared silence.

“How did you do it?” Crosshair asked. “Survive?”

“I thought that was probably going to be the end of me,” Tech admitted. “But I was able to change the angle of my fall and thankfully I hit the edge of a body of water and softer ground. The impact probably would have killed me otherwise.”

He went on to explain that all he could remember was trying to take his helmet off because his comms had died and his helmet cracked. Somewhere along the way he lost his goggles and slowly realized a piece of broken armor had pierced his abdomen. He kept it in place to reduce the risk of bleeding out as he stumbled along, but the terrain quickly became the familiar stone they saw poke above the mist. All he remembered was passing out and waking up briefly on a ship. When he got to this part of the story, he recalled Phee warning him not to run off with any pirates. Of course it was the pirates who saved him. Granted, they thought they could get some money selling his armor and possessions and were unable to get the elaborate set up off his body with his chest plate twisted as it was, so they just took all of him. One of the pirates couldn’t stand to watch him bleed out and so got him some minimal medical treatment that ended up being just enough to save his life. He spent months trying to get back to Pabu and contact his brothers, but the Empire was everywhere at this point and he had to focus on not getting caught since he couldn’t very well run from them. His best bet was to be friendly with the pirates and help them in an attempt to help himself. He knew the coordinates to some useful planets and knew how to fix just about any broken thing put in front of him. He essentially hitched a ride around the galaxy while his body tried to mend.

Tech looked at his brother with a bit of a grimace.

“I decided if they want to use me for my skills then fine. It kept me alive and I used them as transport in return. Eventually we made it close enough that I knew I could probably get here without a major medical event. I took a small ship, left while they were out drinking, and finally made it to Pabu. You know the rest.”

Crosshair put his hand on Tech’s shoulder just as his brother had done with him countless times.

“We survived and we’re here now,” Crosshair said. “That’s all that matters now.”

It took weeks for Tech’s body to heal the rest of the way, but this time he had hope and real help. Even on days when he could barely move, Phee and his brothers helped him get up and down, made sure he had something to eat, made sure he had something else to keep him occupied, and helped him in and out of the refresher. Once he was ready, Tech accompanied her on trips to recover artifacts. Phee was extra careful, knowing that his soldiering days were very well behind him and never wanting him put in too much danger. Still, he had a few tricks up his sleeve and was very creative when it came to making technology work for him even when his body struggled. More than that, he simply wanted to be with Phee any way he could.

Unfortunately as time went on, his old injuries made it difficult to walk very far. He crafted his own hoverchair, but could still go from the chair into bed or another seat. He still walked short distances, but the chair supported him for the most part. He was not-so-secretly fond of asking Phee to sit in his lap and taking her for “a stroll” around the island.

When Echo got word that the rebellion needed help rebuilding a ship, Tech’s face lit up. There was no stopping him. He and Phee would be back to Pabu after this one last job. Just one more ship to rebuild and then he could rest. Of course Phee knew better and shook her head. As much as his body was giving out on him, his head would never rest and it was one of the things she loved most about him. He always kept his mind occupied, exceptional as always.

They finished loading some items onto their ship, but stayed to greet Omega when she landed. He embraced his sister before grilling her on piloting procedures only to be met with a familiar pair of rolled eyes and an affectionate smile. Omega invited them up to see the upgrades she made to her ship. Tech greeted Gonky and was satisfied as he looked around. They said their goodbyes and Omega promised to come back and visit when she could.

“I still don’t know why she insists on keeping my old goggles with her,” Tech said as he and Phee boarded their ship.

“Because it reminds her of you,” she replied.

“Not one of our fondest memories,” he said, gazing up into his beloved’s eyes with a sad smile.

“No, but it’s all we had to hold on to for months as far as physical items,” Phee countered. “You know Omega. She brought Lula with her. She likes having those things to hold on to.”

“I know,” he said. “You’re right.”

Tech lifted himself from the hoverchair and gingerly moved to the co-pilot seat. Phee was right there ready to lend a hand, but he still had enough strength to move himself. She parked his hoverchair right behind them and pressed a kiss to his forehead before sitting in the pilot seat and punching in the familiar coordinates to Pabu. It was time to go home.

[knavesflames]

Ballroom dancing with arle, gimme 💳💳💳

Hellooooooo sorry I was away!! I was so busy :-( sorry it is short

Contents: dancing, ur scared to mess up lowkey, why is she being so mean by making u squirm like that

Word count: 663

Suggestive under the cut <33

“Keep your head up.”

The quiet, sharp yet caring voice sounds against the shell of your ear. Your head immediately lifts, your eyes scanning your surroundings. Her arm is wrapped around your waist, her hand giving gentle, reassuring squeezes every so often. It isn’t often you’re told to accompany her at one of her Fatui balls, but sometimes.. she can’t help but show you off. The Harbingers joke about you being the ‘eye candy’ hanging off of her arm, but they all know better than to push the limits of their jokes, especially when her dark eyes shoot daggers towards them. Protective is one word.. possessive is another. Both apply in your relationship. She isn’t afraid to make it know that you’re hers, and you aren’t afraid to flaunt you’re dating the Fourth Fatui Harbinger. And the way you say it so proudly every time provides a little bit of warmth in Arlecchino’s heart, a little crack in her cold exterior.

So it’s a given when she whispers in your ear, telling you what you have to do because she knows you need the reassurance, the direction. She turns to you, fixing a small piece of your hair, murmuring softly, her face ever cold.

“Don’t think too much. Follow what I do, I will guide you. Simply do not look down.”

With a breath of relief and a smile, you move towards the table with your place card. It’s hard to ignore Arlecchino’s fingers dancing up and down your thighs under the table, making you squirm and move in your seat. After a much enjoyed evening of food and wine (maybe a bit too much wine for you), you notice people moving towards the middle of the room. You exhale, a mix of sharp and shaky, because what if you embarrass yourself in front of the other Harbingers? What if you embarrass her?

She decides she’s finished making you squirm by trailing your thighs with those sharp, sharp nails, taking your hand and leading you to join everyone else. You try to focus on anything else, like a wrinkle in her suit, or a hair out of place. But you can’t find any. She’s dressed to perfection, just like usual, and for once, it’s slightly annoying.

“Head up. I have to see those pretty eyes.”

You swallow, letting her clasp your hand and snake her other arm around your waist again. Her grip is firm, like she doesn’t plan to let you mess up. Her face stares back at you, unreadable, almost blank, but the small twitch at the corner of her lips tells you that you’ll be fine. And of course, the dancing begins. You’re hesitant at first, almost always going to tilt your head down, stopped by the tap of a finger against your bicep. You’re secretly very glad she’s helping you silently, because you seem to be keeping up with everyone else. Until she decides to mess with you.. again.

“How much did this dress cost?”

“You bought it for me, I don’t know.”

“Hm.”

The dance continues in silence for a few seconds longer before she speaks again, a quiet murmur.

“I suppose you’ll have to make it worth my while when I rip it open.”

“Why would you do that?”

You feign ignorance, but you’re not. You just want to make sure you’re hearing her correctly. That she’s talking about doing that in the middle of a damn ball dance.

“So I can bounce you on my cock afterwards. You know exactly what I mean. The dress, while beautiful, will only get in the way. Unless you can’t take it, then..”

Your head is now kept up on its own as you stare into her eyes, a mix of disbelief and amusement appearing on your face with the slightest hint of want. Or is that need? Both. Your voice is equally as quiet, but it comes out quickly.

“I can take it.”

“I bet you can, pretty girl.”

[1moreoffkeyanthem]

Since you've already discussed how OJV Style came to be, how did OJV Bendy come to be?

OOO! honestly? Pretty similarly. Best friends do it better, after all ;)

I feel like Bebe was the one to confess first, like she and Wends were hanging out and she just made that move. And timing wise, it was mid sophomore year, a lil after AFITS takes place. They’ve been super close for years, both Wendy and Bebe are super good friends with Stan and Kyle, bond stronger than ever after stendy break up for good, like Wendy is definitely dealing with comp het for a long time while knowing she doesn’t like men, and that last breakup was the final because that’s ALSO when Stan confided in her that he was down horrendous for his sbf. And coincidentally, she was in the same boat.

Stan absolutely kept urging Wendy to just TELL Bebe, see what happens after, but Wendy was absolutely overthinking it, and the Bendy Moment was LITERALLY at a basketball game, at finals, the girls just finished a cheer and went off the court, Bebe planted a lil kiss on her best friend’s cheek and went “hey u wanna be gfs” lmao Wendy was FLUSTERED and of course Stan WITNESSED THIS in the mascot suit and his hopeless romantic ass was SO EXCITED like my boy fr ran up to hug both of them “hop off my girlfriend, Marsh” “you’re BOTH getting smothered oh my GOD!!! Fuck Kyle’s gonna be so mad he missed this!” Whilst wearing the Stank Ass Cow Suit and BRUH WHEN I SAY KYLE WAS BIG MAD bc he didn’t see the first little Bendy Kiss in person. Poor Ky was still out after fucking up his knee and found it too frustrating to go to games if he couldn’t play, and Stan went to his house after and went “YOU WILL NEVER FUCKING GUESS DUDE HOLY SHIT” and Kyle, who secretly gets into gossip, like excited as hell and jumping up bc hot gossip (he got yelled at by his mother for walking without his crutches and was rather annoyed that Stan was on her side) was BIG MAD that he missed it like “Oh Barbie better call me asap I have been TELLING HER to just tell Wendy she likes her! I fucking MISSED IT?!?” “Dude, dude, all I saw was a cheek kiss and then I got sappy and hugged them and Bebe called Wends her girlfriend and-“ “-WHAT?!?” Bro is so pissed he didn’t see that.

Meanwhile Wendy and Bebe after the game, still in their cheer uniforms, have gone to the local sonic for milkshakes and both are TREMBLING bc holy shit they like each other lmfao like they’re in one of the drive in spots, lit softly by the colorful lights and menus, in Wendy’s car, holding hands and blushing bc this is NEW to them and THEN Bebe sees her phone light up in her purse “damnit it’s Kyle” and then Wendy’s laughing so hard hearing the call like “DUDE you didn’t TELL ME YOU LIKED HER BACK! Stan knew Wendy liked you this could’ve been so much easier and I DIDNT EVEN SEE YOU GUYS TONIGHT?” “A girls gotta have some secrets” lmao and she hangs up and Wendy’s smiling like “so, girlfriends, for real?” “Wanna make up for lost time?” Lol kissing in the car under the neon lights like a movie

Bendy Supremacy

[scekrex]

Hi I am wonder if you could do anothe part for overlord!reader, like maybe news on how reader has Adam got out and now reader has to take time from his personal paradise to deal with the rest of Hell. Their place is hidden away so he doesn’t really have to deal with attack but he does have to deal with contant calls to buy or hand over Adam. Reader is just increasingly piss off and at some point Adam decide to help him chill out by snuggling him when it became clear he’s close to losing it. It gotten bad enough that Adam straight up drag a reclining couch to his office which help which helps wth work because an angel being all cuddly nearby would motivate anyone haul ass quickly to join them

Fuck I'm such a sucker for the soft bond overlord!reader and Adam have, I wanna write for em all day long ughhh

Part 1 ; Part 2 ; Part 3 ; Part 4

Lover come hold me

pairing: Adam x male!reader

warnings: language

note: not beta read bc fuck you I don't have beta readers

After that little date you and Adam had enjoyed the prior week, news that the former angel was living with you spread through hell’s seven rings like a disease. And while your life as an Overlord in general had grown more stressful ever since the exterminations had been invented, this was a new peak of stress.

People kept reaching out, strangers managed to get their claws on your phone number and had the audacity to call you and ask for how much you would sell the first man to them, not understanding that Adam was not for sale. The first man would continue to stay at your place for as long as he desired and if one day he should decide that he no longer wants to spend eternity with you, he could move out. Selling him to some limp dick Imp was off the table though. Hell’s residents didn’t seem to understand that though, they kept calling you, blowing up your phone like there was no tomorrow, your text messages were full of people offering insanely high amounts of money for Adam and some people even dared to pay you a personal visit - though those were only people you knew. Not everyone in hell knew where exactly your mansion was located and you were more than grateful for that. A protection spell you had casted recently would also prevent any ordinary sinner or hellborn to ever find it.

You dropped your head onto your desk, the loud noise it made caused Adam to lift his head, his eyes looking you up and down. The first man was leaning against the door frame, his arms crossed over his chest as he looked at you with a displeased expression, “The fuck is going on?” You sighed as you turned your head towards your lover, yet you kept it on the desk, you were too tired to lift it up. “Hell’s demons seem to be very interested in you, my love,” you mumbled as you reached for your phone that was interrupting the situation by buzzing quite loudly, “Fuck off, he’s not for fucking sale like a motherfucking slave,” and with that you hung up, not even hearing the person on the other end out. Your tired eyes watched as the first man left the little room you had organized to function as your office. Apparently Adam himself seemed to have enough of hell’s bullshit as well and you really could not blame the former angel at all. It must be exhausting to know that people down here either want him permanently dead or that they want to buy him like a pet you can just shop. The poor soul must suffer from this even more than you were. You were able to turn off your phone and ignore it, he wasn’t. Not when all of this was about him, after all. You had offered him protection when you had rescued him, now you were not even able to provide a peaceful afterlife for the first man.

In exhaustion you closed your eyes but the silence in your office didn’t last long, this time however it was not your phone that interrupted the somewhat peaceful moment, it was Adam. The first man was dragging a reclining couch through the door, pushing it through the room until he had decided on what appeared to be the perfect spot for it, then he walked over to where you were resting your head on your desk. Without any explanation the first man took your phone, muted the device and put it back on the table. “You,” he said as he lifted you out of your chair. Your body went limp as the brunette picked you up as if it was the easiest thing he had ever done, your head was now resting on the first man’s shoulder instead of the hard wooden desk and your body embraced the warmth that Adam’s body offered. Legs were wrapped around the brunette’s hips and arms held onto his neck, the former angel’s hands steadied your back so that you were not to fall. His soft, shimmering wings he wrapped around you, turning the stressful world off for a moment as he carried you over to the couch he had just dragged here. “Are gonna fucking rest and ignore all that motherfucking bullshit for a couple hours,” he finished his sentence as he flopped down onto the couch.

Adam had never been this touch before, yes he had hugged you, yes the both of you cuddled while sleeping, but him hauling an entire couch into your office just to distract you from the chaos that hell was going through because its residents now knew Adam was living with you? That was nothing you’d turn down - not that you’d ever turn down affection the former angel offered you in general. “Whatever my mighty winged love desires,” you hummed as you snuggled closer against his chest. The brunette’s chin came to rest on the top of your head as he simply held you, the wings provided a comfortable warmth that made you fall asleep quicker than you had thought it would. But the warmth paired with Adam’s scent had you asleep in no time and with a small smile your tall lover watched over his finally resting boyfriend.