#i touched upon that in chapter four; if the roles were reversed i can’t imagine chris doing what piers did

[hidingoutbackstage]

Okay, you’re sad that the character died. I get it. But do you know why they died? Did it serve a greater narrative purpose? Was it important to the story? Was it important to the character? Was it important to other characters around them? You can bring people back in fanfiction all you want but it’s always good to acknowledge why they died in the first place

[beautiful-liu]

Chapter 23 - Remember me - Kryber

Title: Remember me

Pairing: Kryber [Amber Liu x Krystal Jung] Fandom: f(x) Genre: Drama, romance

Summary: The bad ass androgynous girl Amber Josephine Liu with a sex, drugs and rock-‘n-roll attitude whom everybody seemed to fear and admire at the same time, with the flash of a smug smile on her handsome face, and a sigaret or lolly pop in her mouth, depending on her mood. A leather jacket always hugging her shoulders, ripped jeans and a loose tank top that displayed just a tiny bit of her sports bra when she lifted her tattoo-filled arms. Everyone was weak for Amber Liu. Krystal simply didn’t see it. Until that one night she accidentally met her, and met a whole other person than the stories she had been made to believe. Word count: 5500 Rating: T A/N: Excuse the grammar mistakes. This is my first time writing a multi chaptered fic. Hope y'all enjoy the progress!

Read it on: AO3 & asianfanfics

Moodboard: x

The next morning, Krystal woke up by the bright sunlight shining through the windows of the bedroom. Last night they had probably forgotten to close the curtains she reckoned; both of them had been too sleepy to even care. During her sleep, she had let Amber go. Clearly the spooning had been too hot for both of them under the covers. Krystal woke up with her back towards her girlfriend — or, could she already call Amber her girlfriend? — and her face to the wall. The first thing she did was turn around, so she could continue the spooning. A whole night passed, but that didn't mean the bruises weren't still there. Whilst she had thought she found Amber still sleeping — that girl could literally sleep everywhere, so she reckoned she wouldn't be bothered by the sunlight lightening the room either — she saw her instead scrolling through some messages. When she moved closer, peeking over Amber's shoulder, she noticed it wasn't the space grey iPhone of Amber's but her golden one. Krystal pressed a kiss on Amber's shoulder. "Didn't know we exchanged phones, hmm?" she chuckled. Amber looked up and handed it over, sighing. "I just.. your phone woke me up. It kept buzzing and I thought someone might call you so I picked it up and I got.. well, distracted." Krystal unlocked her phone and took a look at the messages. A frown immediately appeared on her face when she saw they were all from Kai and the harsh words that fell. Of course they had been directed to her and not meant for Amber's eyes to read, but she guessed Amber's mood wouldn't improve if you read all the mean words Kai had written. Last night he had gotten home to an empty apartment and had immediately guessed that Krystal was with Amber. He cussed her out for a slut; a cheating whore. Homosexuality was unnatural and so was Amber, therefor he would finish his job if she didn't come home soon. With a sigh she tossed her phone away in the sheets and wrapped her arms around Amber again. The other girl sighed and leaned into her touches. "I never meant to cause so much harm..." she muttered in a broken voice. When she looked up to her, she saw how teary her eyes were. Those deep eyes were now puddles of sadness. Krystal took Amber's face in her hands and pressed a long kiss on her lips. "I don't care what he thinks of us. I don't care anymore. I only care about us, you and me. We started this together, and now we're going to finish it, with pride. We won't let us be taken back by such inconvenience. Kai can kiss my ass," she said, after the kiss had ended. Amber chuckled softly at that — Krystal wasn't the person who would cuss freely, so to hear her say that Kai could kiss her ass was rather funny. "Krystal.." she said slowly. The brunette tilted her head questioningly. "Hmm?" "Nothing.. I just.. I really love you." Krystal smiled widely and pressed another kiss upon her lips. The following morning, Krystsal decided to follow Amber's advice and go talk to Kai. She knew it was the best choice to talk to him and settle things down. So after their breakfast — which they had very couple-ishly made together — and their quick walk with Jack Jack, Krystal was getting ready. A quick shower and some fresh clothes from Amber made her feel like new again. She was a bit nervous for the confrontation. Kai had showed her that he could get really angry last time. And of course, he should be. It's not something light to deal with if your fiancée and parter for the last four years cheats on you so easily, without even thinking twice. Knowning that he was never enough for her must've hurt his pride a lot. But they needed to work this out. Krystal would prefer to have everything settled before she told her father about her relationship with Amber; she wanted the wedding to be cancelled and their apartment to be sold. Living together with Kai was out of option now. Not only was their friendship ruined, but it would be inconvenient to live together to. It'd be best if they sold their apartment and the furniture, devided the money and started over again. Krystal would with Amber and she was sure Kai would find a new girlfriend in no time. With his handsome looks, status and money he was able to get anyone. And she wanted him to have someone who could make him happy as well. But she first needed to speak with him and try to get him to understand the situation. It was one thing to be angry, but it was another to behave like an 8-year-old with anger issues. They needed to talk this through as adults. Amber brought her home and when she asked if she should wait in the car, Krystal told her yes. She didn't want to stay longer than she needed to. "I don't know how long it's going to take," she warned her, but Amber simply shrugged. "I have unlimited wifi on my phone. I'll get through it," she said with a smile. Krystal chuckled and kissed her goodbye. With her head held high, she walked into the apartment building. She hadn't informed Kai that she would come home. In fact, she wanted to catch him by surprise. If a person was caught by surprise, their first responses would be to act true to their heart, without thinking. Plus, Krystal wanted to startle him a bit, so that she at least had a chance to speak. Yesterday, Kai had been the one yelling and she had been the one crying. She didn't want to reverse the roles, but she at least wanted to be able to explain something. Krystal went with the elevator up. It didn't take long before she opened the front door to their apartment with her key. She was curious about what she would find inside. The whole room trashed? Empty bottles of liquor everywhere? Other girls in her bed? She shuddered at the thoughts. But when she stepped inside, everything was clean. Even cleaner than the night before; the pizza boxes had been thrown with the trash. It was scarily quiet, which made her wonder if Kai was home after all. But as soon as the front door fell shut behind her, she heard some stumbling in the other room. Within a few seconds, she saw Kai appear around the corner. His gaze was at first hopeful but as soon as he saw her, a grim expression appeared on his face. "So you decided to come home after all.." he muttered. Krystal gritted her teeth together and nodded. "Kai, we need to talk. You know we do," she said seriously. There was a cold tone in her voice, one that she always used when she put on her CEO-facade. It idicated that she didn't accept him talking back to her; her voice was gruesome. He squinted his eyes together, but eventually nodded as well. They sat down on the couch. It was awkward; Krystal didn't dare to sit close to him whilst they always used to cuddle. At the uncomfertable position and tensed muscles, she could tell Kai didn't feel comfertable too. Despite that, she took a deep breath and decided to be the better person. "We need to talk about what is going to happen. The wedding, the apartment, the alliance between our companies..." she started. Kai sighed deeply. "The alliance stays. Our private lives cannot interfer with our jobs, we know better than that. And as for the wedding... it's off. I suppose you're glad about that?" he said bitterly. Krystal bit down on her lower lip. "Aren't you? Would you want to marry a woman who doesn't love you?" she asked. Kai stayed silent for a moment. "I know I have done you wrong. But can't you imagine how it's like for me? I was happy, Krystal, I thought we had a future together. That perhaps one day there might be little me's and you's running around our house. I had no clue you weren't happy..." he sighed. Half past, his voice broke down and a lumb formed in Krystal's throat. "I was happy. I really was. You're my best friend, Kai. And you were the first person who could make me genuinely laugh after a long, dark period," she said. Kai huffed sarcastically and shook his head, not believing her. "Do you love her?" "What?" "Do you love Amber? I need to know that what you're feeling right now isn't just a fling, and that you mean to her as much as she means to you. Not because I want you back, I suppose that's all off the table now, but out of genuine concern. If I'm going to let you go and get over you, I want to know if you're truly in good hands," he explained. Krystal couldn't help to blink a few times surprisedly. "I do love her, Kai. I do. And she loves me. We always have. When I said that we had history... I meant it. But we weren't just friends.." Krystal sighed and paused for a moment. Then the whole story came out: about how she used to hate Amber with every cell of her body but after that one night on the roof, she too had fallen for her charms. And at first she had been sceptical about it all. Falling in love, to her, was already something to be sceptical about, let alone with Amber Josephine Liu. But even back then, they had loved each other. She told every detail, every thought that had crossed her mind. She didn't even skip a scene on the night she broke up with Amber. Krystal told him about her darker years in which depression had taken over her mind, all the way up 'till the moment her father had introduced them together. Krystal felt obliged to tell him what happened at the party and after that; how they had kissed in the restrooms and the one night stand they had after he had left home. Kai grimaced at that part, but let her talk. He didn't interrupt her once. Krystal talked further. She told him how she eventually had called their secretive relationship off when her father promised her Jung Internationals as a wedding gift but how Amber eventually had convinced her to think about it twice. And for the first time she had really listened to her heart and had chosen for her because she truly thought that she wouldn't be able to survive another heartbreak. When she was done, Kai sighed deeply, and rubbed with his thumbs in his eyes. Suddenly she noticed how tired he actually looked. With messy hair and dark circles underneath his eyes, she reckoned he must've been up all night. "I suppose that I didn't even had a chance to begin with," Kai eventually said. "Logically you immediately budged when you saw her again.." "I know I should have never lied to you, Kai," Krystal sighed. "It was wrong. I also should've told you immediately about what had happened when we met. But I couldn't. I wanted to be happy again. And for a while, I really was. I forgot Amber. But I didn't feel what I felt when I was with her after we broke up eight years ago. And after a certain ammount of time you can't feel the difference anymore. But when she turned up at the party, it was a wake up call. The worst thing was that I didn't even feel guilty..." Krystal bit down hard upon her lip to keep the tears from falling. To her surprise, she felt a hand on her shoulder. When she looked up, she looked into Kai's eyes. They were still serious and had hardened over the past 24 hours, but they had a sense of compassion in them too. "I'd prefer for you to cheat on me and be happy than to marry me and be miserable for the rest of your life," he eventually said. Krystal smiled weakly. "I knew you'd understand..." she murmered, as she whiped off her nose with her hand. It took another half an hour to settle on the rest. Kai had immediately agreed to start over again and sell the apartment. It was originally his, but he agreed to devide the money equally. They both didn't actually need it, so it would be a waste of time and energy if they spent hours figuring out what piece of furniture was whose. After that, Krystal packed her bags. They both preferred to stay away from each other for a while, and since Krystal was able to stay at Amber's place for a couple of days, Kai stayed at the apartment. With a bag full of clothes, hygene supplies and other handy stuff, Krystal returned to the car. Amber had moved to the back seat, had pulled her legs up and covered them with a blanket. She was watching Pokémon on her phone. Krystal had to tick against the window to catch her attention. Once the other woman saw her, a worries expression grew on her face. "How did it go?" she asked, as soon as Krystal had gotten in the car again. The brunette sighed and ran with her hand through her hair. When she let her eye fall on the digital clock of her phone, she realized she had been gone for more than two hours. "It was better than yesterday," she admitted. "He was still very sad about it all, but he was more understanding. I'm sorry I let you wait so long.." Amber stretched and climbed back into the front seat. "It doesn't matter, I'm glad you settled it all. I suppose the wedding is off?" she asked. Krystal nodded. "He told me he'd cancel the appointment with the priest as well as all the other appointments, but after we took care of the apartment. He agreed to keep it a secret a little longer until I was ready to face my father. Sadly, he knows what a dick he is... The only thing we have to take care of now is the apartment. I'll go over tomorrow to make pictures and such. We're going to sell everything." Amber frowned. "So where are you going to live now?" she asked seriously. Krystal bit down on her lip and looked down. "I thought I could stay over at your place for a while.." she muttered. "I know it's a bit inconvenient and such-" "That really won't work. I have to work and such and I won't be able to concentrate when you're there," Amber immediately objected. Krystal cleared her throat awkwardly and nodded, immediately accepting her defeat. "I suppose I could go to Jessica then..." she muttered. Amber's laughter made her look up. The other girl was holding her belly, trying to keep it all in, but failed drastically. Krystal frowned. "Of course you can stay over at my place, dummy. Gosh, Krystal, you're so easy to fool," Amber laughed. Krystal's frown dissapeared and got replaced by a look of disbelief. "Yah!" she exclaimed loudly, as she hit Amber hard on the arm. She tried to duck and avoid her hand, but the car was too small to avoid the hit. Amber cringed when she endured Krystal's slap and suddenly she realized that Amber was still hurt of the fight. Even though her eye wasn't swollen anymore because of the paste they had applied to it yesterday, it still looked sickly purple. Had Kai also hit her arm? But when Amber kept on giggling, she knew she hadn't hurt her much. Or at least, not enough to make her stop laughing. "Let's just go home," she said, as she rolled her eyes. The following days were rather hectic. Krystal was constantly travelling between her old apartment and Amber's. It was bothersome, but at least she would be able to make sure everything was sold quickly and Amber had time to work on songs without her. Even though Krystal loved to listen to her composing, it was done best when you were alone. Also knowing that the song lyrics were probably about her, made it awkward for Amber to sing them out loud. Together with Kai they had contacted a real estate agent to sell their apartment. Besides that, they sold their furniture to second hand shops, for a lot less money than they're really worth. The fact that they were sold quickly was of more importance than that they were sold for the right price. It took them two weeks to sell off all the furniture. Another two weeks passed before the apartment was sold. Some rich dude with a need of another extra apartment bought it from them for a high price. The money was transferred to Kai's account and a few hours later half of it to hers. Kai had told her he would stay with his parents for a couple of days, until he had enough time to look for a new apartment. He wanted to live closer to work, which meant he'd probably move to the other side of the city. It was a sad sight to see. She would never see him again. At least, if they lived in sort of the same neighbourhood, they might still bump into each other. But perhaps it was for the best. To see each other during a meeting would be draining enough. And even though the whole situation just sucked, living with Amber was one of the best things. It was weird to suddenly be around her the whole day. Sleeping in the same bed, making breakfast together, going out for lunch, trying to cook dinner but eventually ordering take out — because they both sucked at cooking — and cleaning together. They were like a married couple and it felt like one of the best things in the world. Krystal would've thought that because they saw each other so often, the magic would eventually fade off. But every morning when she woke up next to her soundly sleeping girlfriend she would still be amazed that she ever had been able to make such a beautiful person fall for her. It amazed her that Amber felt as strongly towards her as she felt towards her. It was simply astonishing. She didn't think she'd ever get enough of waking up next to her. They both agreed Krystal needed a place of her own though. Not because Amber didn't want her to live with her — in fact, she had actually asked her to just move in already — but Krystal had wanted her own space. She wanted to keep her meetings with Amber special, and it'd be best if she had her own place as well. There were two suitcases and several boxes with Krystal's stuff packed in Amber's bedroom and it simply looked messy. Plus, Krystal had always loved to decorate; she was thrilled to decorate her new place. Shopping for a new apartment together with Amber almost felt like a dream. Together, they went by different real estate agencies so they were showed all the nice little spots. They a saw at least a dozen apartments before Krystal's eye fell on a place that she genuinely liked. But not before Amber had embarassed her as well a dozen times to the real estate agents. Whenever they showed up at an appointment with their arms interlocked, or their fingers intertwined, the estate agent would lift their eyebrows and curiously ask if they were shopping for an apartment to move in together. "You know, I asked her a few times but I suppose she doesn't love me enough," Amber would answer, causing her to get poked hard in her belly by Krystal. "I told you-" "I already understand," the estate agent would laugh. "It's still young love. I know all about it." The estate agent would turn around and go further with their tour through the apartment, but Krystal would shoot Amber a foul look nevertheless. The other woman couldn't hide her chuckles nor could she meet Krystal's stern gaze. She guessed she should be content with Amber's behaviour nevertheless: at least she hadn't told any of the estate agents that they were looking for an apartment in which they could have children together or something. Amber hadn't adressed the children topic yet, luckily. She doubted any of them wanted to even have children. Heck, they weren't even married yet, or had a relationship for longer than a month, it was such a weird thing to think about right now. Still, it would've been totally something Amber would say as a joke. The apartment she had chosen was one that had wall-like windows just like her office in Jung Internationals did. The floor was made of a light wood and the walls were completely white, causing the room to look bright up nicely. The furniture that was put there to show off how it could be decorated was nice and light too, with dark mahogany wooden details that fitted the colour of the kitchen. There was one master bedroom with a walk-in closet and one smaller one. The bathroom was gigantic and the tub alone would fit three people. There even was a spare room that she could decorate as work space. Overall, the apartment was way too big for her, but it was close to Jung Internationals — which had been one of her demands — and in her budget. It took her not longer than a day to call back to the real estate agency and buy the house. The next weeks were spent shopping for furniture, also together with Amber. They scoured every furniture shop in the neighbourhood for stuff. It was amazing to not having to consult with her partner and just pick the sofa or the lamp she liked best. Amber helped her with choosing the best colour schemes, which eventually turned out to be white, light gray, darker gray, dark brown and navy blue. It took two weeks before the furniture was delivered to her new place. Together they spent days putting the stuff together, building the tables and closets they had bought at IKEA's. It took another week before the place was decorated. After that, Krystal bought some fine pieces of art to decorate the walls. The whole process of moving out of her old place and into her new one took about one and a half months, but after that, Krystal felt like the happiest woman on earth. "You must be glad that I'm gone," Krystal snickered, as she was placing all of her clothes from her suitcase in her new closet. Amber laid on her new bed, with her hands underneath her head and her gaze centered upon Krystal. She had chosen a low to the ground model which fitted three people at least. "Duh. Now I don't have to share my bed anymore. Do you know how uncomfertable that was?" she laughed. Krystal stack out her tongue. "You love to cuddle, don't lie to me." "Yeah with myself, not with you. You smell," Amber chuckled. "To flowers, yes." Krystal rolled her eyes and went on unpacking. The best thing about it all was that she now finally could place her own stuff into her walk-in closet and in her bathroom. The closets were a little empty now that Kai's clothes weren't there anymore, but she occasionally found some of Amber's in between hers and that made her smile again. "You know, I was wondering..." she mumbled. "With how many women have you been in those eight years in which we were apart?" Amber looked up from the bed with a frown. "No one?" she said confusedly. "Come on, you cannot have not had sex with anyone in eight years, that's crazy." Amber chuckled softly. "Oh, like that. Well, I never had a relationship in that time, but I did have a string of one night stands that I'm not proud of. I never talked to them more than twice though. Only Luna was able to make me come back once in a while, but even she couldn't make me stay long enough to make me fall in love. I slept around like I did in college, only this time I didn't know their names nor intended to discover them. They don't mean anything to me." Krystal came walking out of the closet with her hands placed on her hips. She gave Amber a long, doubting look. "So you don't have their numbers anymore?" she asked. Amber chuckled. "Why, would you be jealous if I had?" she replied cheekily. Krystal rolled her eyes and turned around, to walk back. "No," she said, before she went on unpacking her stuff. Amber rose her eyebrows and started to chuckle lowly. Krystal heard the bed creak. When she heard Amber's naked feet on the floor, walking towards her, she wanted to turn around, but she was too slow. Amber pushed her against the wall, her face immediately close, giving Krystal no time to prepare or whatsoever. "No?" she asked sweetly. "Do you have to make me say it?" she muttered annoyedly. Amber grinned and nodded. "Okay fine, I'd be jealous. I would feel insecure if you had all those girls one call away." Amber laughed and bowed back down. "I always deleted their numbers. I only still have Luna," she said, shrugging. Krystal let out a relieved sigh. She hit Amber one time hard on her shoulder. "Yah, you made me think that you still had all of those numbers!" she hissed. Amber laughed and pulled her closer. Krystal tried to push her away, but that was in vain with Amber Liu; she was too strong. Also, she didn't actually mind. Amber kissed her passionately and Krystal just kissed her back. When they both broke apart, Amber was grinning. "Hmm, what do you say if I said we should hold an inauguration for your bed? Or would you prefer the wall?" Krystal started to laugh and hit her again. "What if I don't want to at all?" she asked playfully. Amber shook her head. "You do. Your eyes just scream 'Amber I want you!"!" she laughed. Krystal chuckled too and kissed her again. "The bed, dummy, you know I get cold when we aren't under blankets," she said. Amber nodded knowingly. Without a warning, she lifted Krystal up. With a mix of a yelp and a laugh leaving her mouth, she wrapped her arms around Amber's neck. "The bed is it!" Amber said, as she walked back towards the bed. They both fell into the soft pillows, laughing. Afterwards, they cuddled up together. It was only four in the afternoon, so they weren't tired yet, although Krystal had to admit that laying so warmly in her new bed with Amber sure made her eyes fall shut. "When are you going to tell your father?" Krystal woke up from her daze. She blinked sleepily when she looked up to her girlfriend, who looked back at her with a worried expression on her face. "About us?" "About everything." "I don't know," she admitted. Krystal fell silent and Amber pulled her closer, so she could lay her head upon her arm. "I'm not trying to pressure you, Krystal," Amber sighed. "It's just that you said that you'd approach him after everything was settled. You broke up with Kai, sold the apartment and bought a new one. Wouldn't now be the perfect time?" Krystal sighed too and nodded. "I suppose so," she said softly. Amber turned her head so she could face her girlfriend. "I know you're scared. I am too. But remember what you told me when we began dating? That nothing is going to break up apart anymore. You cannot let the fear for your father do that," she said. Krystal showed her a weak smile. "Of course not," she replied. "I'm just afraid he'll never want to see me again. Even though I hate him for everything he has done to me, he's still my father. And I wouldn't want to just cut him off entirely. I want to rebuild our bond..." Amber nodded and pressed a small kiss on her forehead. "Can't you tell your mother first, then? Or Jessica?" she suggested. Krystal shook her head. "I already told Jess. She said she wanted to come over once when everything was settled. I didn't believe she was quite content that we were back together but she at least was a lot more supportive than Kai. And she liked you the first time, she'll like you again. As for my mother, she'll never leave my father's side now that he's ill. I can't get to her alone. And even if I did, she would tell dad immediately. I'll just have to confront them together, alone.." "You don't have to confront them alone. I can stay with you. I know you'd prefer to do it alone, but this'll be worse than Kai, Krystal." Krystal looked up and Amber met her gaze. "Would you do that for me?" she asked, with a voice soft even she had trouble hearing it. But Amber smiled and nodded. "I'd do anything for you." And so, a few days later, they drove towards the Jung mansion. They were both silent. The only sound interrupting the silence was the roaring of the engine. Krystal was sick to her stomach because of the nerves and she knew Amber felt the same. By her tense shoulders, the frown on her face and the fact that she gripped the wheel so tightly that her knuckles had turned white — it almost seemed like her bones were going to rip through the skin — Krystal noticed she shared everything she felt. They had both grown pale. Not even their favourite song could make them sing along. Eventually, they turned into the driveway of the Jungs. The gravel crackled underneath the tires of the car. "Ready?" Amber asked, as soon as she had parked the car in front of the enormous building. Krystal took a shaky breath. "Not at all." "Me neither." "Let's just get it over with," she forced out of her mouth. Amber nodded. They got out of the car and immediately walked over to each other to intertwine their fingers. Together, they walked towards the front door and rang the bell. It was almost four o'clock so she expected both of her parents were home. They were devoted Christians and therefor didn't work or worked as little as possible on a Sunday. Krystal took the house key out of her pocket and opened the door. They were welcomed by an empty hall and the smell of chicken from the kitchen, a familiar scent in the Jung mansion. Were the cooks already busy with preparing dinner? "You know, your parents have style," Amber said. Krystal turned her head confusedly towards her girlfriend, only to see her gaze amazed at the interior. Of course, Amber had never been here before. "Focus, Amber," Krystal muttered, causing the other to laugh softly. She shushed her immediately. "They might hear you!" she hissed. Amber immediately placed a mouth to snore her laughter. Even at times like these she was able to laugh and Krystal had such a hard time understanding how she could even do that. If she tried to laugh now she'd probably end up barfing. She took a deep breath. "Mom? Dad? Where are you guys?" she called into the empty abiss of the house. There was a silence, for a couple of moments, until she heard stumbling coming from upstairs. "Bedroom, dear!" her mother's voice sounded. "Who have you brought with you? Jessica?" Krystal sighed. "You'll see, mom," she called back. Amber shot her a look and Krystal looked back at her. The pressuring weight of the conversation that lay ahead was almost killing. Everytime it was harder to breathe normally. But Amber pinched her hand softly, sending a signal up to her brain that she needed to keep going. And with her by her side, she was able to smile and walk up those stairs towards her parents' bedroom. Before they entered, they shared one look, each wishing each other courage. "We're coming in, mom."