#i'll be staring at this ask for the rest of eternity if anyone needs me

[turn3tifosi]

Request incoming...

Reader comforting Arvid after a bad quali ( yes writing this after watching it) 😭

Like he doesn't want to talk to anyone else but her and maybe she doesn't even have to say anything, just holds him

shoulder to lean on

arvid lindblad x gf!reader

masterlist

You watch the screen as Arvid’s final lap time flashes on the leaderboard. His name sits far lower than expected, the position nowhere near where he wanted to be. Your heart sinks, mirroring the disappointment you know he's feeling.

Arvid's qualifying session for the feature race on Sunday has been disastrous, and you can see it in the way he walks back to the garage—shoulders slumped, eyes fixed on the ground.

The team gives him space, understanding his need to process this in solitude. You know him better than anyone, though, and you understand that while he needs quiet, he also needs you. Not in a talking, consoling kind of way, but just to be there, to share the silence.

You find him sitting on a low wall behind the paddock, staring at the ground. You don't say anything, just sit down next to him, close but not touching. The minutes tick by, the hum of the track and distant conversations filling the space between you.

Eventually, you feel him shift slightly. His head leans gently against your shoulder, and his hand moves to rest on yours, which lies between you two on the wall. The touch is light, hesitant at first, but then his fingers curl around yours, seeking comfort and grounding.

The silence remains, but it changes. It's no longer heavy with unspoken disappointment but becomes a shared moment of understanding and support. You both sit there, neither needing to speak, finding peace in the quiet together.

After what feels like an eternity, but also no time at all, he speaks, his voice barely above a whisper. “I let everyone down.”

You squeeze his hand gently, offering silent reassurance. “You did your best, Arvid. That’s all anyone can ask for.”

He sighs, a deep, weary sound. “It doesn’t feel like enough.”

“You’re enough,” you say softly, meaning every word. “Always.”

Later, as the evening starts to fall, you decide it's time to try and lift his spirits a bit. You had planned a little surprise, something to cheer him up. You lead him to the small market set up for the race weekend, colorful stalls and fans milling about. One stall catches your eye, and you drag him towards it.

"Matching pendants," you announce, holding up two cheesy, race-themed pendants. One is a tiny steering wheel, the other a checkered flag. "One for you, one for me. So you'll always have a piece of my luck with you."

Arvid raises an eyebrow, a small, reluctant smile tugging at his lips. "They're ridiculous," he says, but there's a softness in his eyes that tells you he's touched by the gesture.

"Ridiculously awesome," you correct, grinning as you hand him the checkered flag pendant. "See, now you'll have no choice but to win. You can't let my lucky pendant go to waste."

He chuckles, a sound that warms your heart. "Alright, alright. I'll wear it... for luck."

Later, you don’t notice him carefully placing the pendant into a secure pocket in his travel bag. What matters is the moment here and now, his laughter, and the small bit of hope you’ve managed to restore.

As you walk back together, Arvid wraps an arm around your shoulders, pulling you close. "Thank you," he murmurs, his voice sincere. "For everything."

You lean into him, your heart light. "Always, Arvid. Always."

[ethereousdelirious]

Sicktember 2024 Day 3 - Con Crud

HEE HEE this is my favorite fill I think.

Malva gets stuck babysitting Siebold when he comes down sick on the last day of a summer camp

I meant to interpret "con" as "conference," and that sort of morphed into "giving speeches to kids at a nerdy summer camp for high-achievers."

Anyway.

Six days.

Six days of snot-nosed kids (no, literally) and Siebold's smarmy smiles, six days of getting sneezed on and drooled on and stared at. Six days of chain-smoking behind the latrines so she didn't snap at the next little delinquent who open-mouth coughed on her leg, and now the plague has reached her door.

Malva took a drag of her cigarette and blew the smoke in Siebold's face. “Don't stand so close to me.”

Siebold coughed and sputtered, his face going red, red, red. But he backed off, dabbing at his eyes with an honest-to-god handkerchief.

“I don't need your germs all over me,” Malva added, and took another drag. Silver-gray smoke curled in the air, warping her view of the placid waters sparkling outside the Kalos League castle.

Siebold pressed his fingertips to his chest, perfect nail beds on full display. “Germs?”

“I can hear you mouth-breathing from here.” Malva turned to him, the better to let him see her roll her eyes. “I'll venture a guess: you woke up with a sore throat and a stuffy nose, but you thought it was just your allergies acting up. So you took a pill, and you're just now starting to think ‘my, that’s strange, why do I still feel like Toxic Sludge?’”

Siebold blinked, jaw falling open in picture-perfect surprise. “Well—”

“Ask me how I know.”

He eyed her warily, tugging at his jabot. “How do you know?”

“Because—” she stubbed her cigarette out on the castle wall and tossed the butt in a nearby ashtray— “about a hundred sniveling little children have told me the exact same story over the course of this week.”

Siebold was quiet for a moment, looking her over like he was worried she might burst into flames. “I do have allergies.”

Malva pulled out her lighter and flicked it, and the little orange flame danced in Siebold's eyes. “And be assured, I wish you the best of health.”

—

Siebold fell asleep in the car. Malva stared at him, slack-jawed and snoring and no less handsome for it. Siebold embodied the kind of bland, blond beauty that smiled benignly out at the world in eternal passivity. He was safe. He was boring. And he was definitely sick.

His body was stiff in the backseat, legs splayed and knees bent awkwardly to accommodate the divider separating them from the driver. His pure white smock wrinkled against the cold black leather seat.

Clean, all of it.

Malva leaned over to better study her own reflection in the tinted divider. A beauty on the edge— audacious beauty teetering on the verge of ugliness. That was the only beauty worth pursuing.

Siebold awoke with a gasp and leaned forward, burying his face in his hands. “Oh.”

Malva smirked, though he couldn't see it. “Welcome back.”

���Malva.” Siebold sniffled and shifted his hands so he could speak without uncovering his eyes. “I'm afraid you were right.”

Of course she was. And now she'd have to deal with his whining for the rest of the trip— for the rest of the day. She settled back, leaning away from Siebold as much as she could lest he grab onto her hands in a fit of passion. “Well, it's only closing ceremonies. You can handle a little speech, can't you?”

“Not just a speech,” Siebold moaned, and indeed listed to the side like he wanted to rest his head on her shoulder. Instead, he flopped against the armrest, rattling the untouched bottles of water in the cupholders. “There's the battle, too.”

Malva squinted. “Battle?” Had anyone said anything about a battle? Maybe she'd read the word somewhere on the informational flier before the flames had fully engulfed it…

“That's the grand finale.” Siebold looked up at her with red-rimmed eyes. “You and me in a—” his breath hitched and he swallowed with visible discomfort— “in a glorious, 3v3 battle on the main stage. Ugh.”

Malva eyed him, flopping around on the armrest like a Magikarp. He really did look ill. Somewhere in the hours they'd been trapped in the car, his face had gone as pale as his smock. When he spoke, his consonants stuck together in the back of his palate, a sure sign of a dry mouth. “Drink some water.”

“Malvaaa.” Siebold, to his credit, heaved himself up and reached for one of the bottles. “What am I going to do?”

She turned away to look out the window. Red rock stretched out before her, reaching out toward a clear blue sky. “We're coming up on Coumarine City. I think you should beg me to buy you a to-go coffee from JavaJolt while you consult with a pharmacist.”

“Very well.” Siebold pressed the glass bottle, not to his lips, but to his forehead. “If I survive the trip.”

—

By the time they reached Coumarine, Siebold had gone red in the face and started to shiver and sniffle.

He got out of the car like every motion hurt him, and leaned against the door without shutting it. “I… I really don't feel well.”

Malva crossed her arms. The longer they spent here, the greater the chance she might just abandon the whole summer camp and check herself into the seaside spa for a day or three. “I can see a pharmacy right over your shoulder.” Siebold gave her a pathetic look under heavy lids before straightening up and shutting the door. Malva just stared at him. “Well?”

“Dearest Malva,” he began, and had to stop to cough. “Dearest, most esteemed Malva. Won't you please do me the favor of purchasing me the finest to-go swill from JavaJolt? I should be ever so grateful.”

She could keep pushing. But the sea breeze ruffled her braids and cooled the temper simmering under her sun-warmed skin, and Siebold truly did look like he was about to keel over. It was probably an act, at least partially— she'd seen him moved to tears over a hangnail. But she could hold the favor over him, maybe shame him into silence the next time he started whining.

“What's your order?” she asked, studying her fingernails.

“Oh, um.” He stifled a cough behind his lips and seemed to lose his patience for the game. He pressed a palm to his forehead and slumped against the car, smearing red dust up his sleeve. “I don't know. I don't— Whatever won't make me nauseous. Please.”

Malva gave him her best Holocaster smile. “As you wish, Duke Siebold.”

She turned her back to him and sauntered for the waterfront. Lysandre would drop dead if he ever saw her set foot in a JavaJolt. She'd have to send a gift card to the prison. One of the especially twee ones that featured the little Jolteon mascot making Baby-Doll Eyes up at nothing.

She pushed her way into the coffee shop's interior and walked straight up to the counter. Siebold needed espresso, a shot of DayQwil, and a gag over his mouth.

…Maybe she could withhold the coffee until they reached Shalour. A good dose of decongestant ought to knock him right out.

Something to consider.

—

Siebold slurred his way through his closing ceremonies speech, his JavaJolt cup held lazily in one hand. He leaned hard into the shaky wooden podium and didn't bother to swipe his hair out of his eyes when the wind blew it out of place.

He finished and Malva gave her own speech, shorter and absent of the cloying sentiments in Siebold's.

When it came time to battle, some of the drugged haze lifted from Siebold’s eyes. He leaned hard into his Type advantage, but— Right at the end, the color drained from his cheeks. He gave commands seconds too late, choked on his words, staggered.

It lost him the battle.

Malva smirked and crossed her arms, recalling Pyroar with a lazy motion. “And that’s precisely why a bad Type match-up isn't the lost cause you might think it is,” she said, turning to the crowd.

Dozens of bug-eyed kids clapped and cheered and stamped their feet in the grass. Malva curtseyed, and somewhere in the corner of her eye, caught the tell-tale white sweep of Siebold’s apron. He staggered down the steps at the side of the stage and ducked behind a wide oak tree, just out of sight of the kids. Clutching at the trunk, he doubled over like he was about to be sick. His complexion, white as ash, corroborated the conclusion. Malva grinned.

There was her ticket out of here. No more Camp Junior Genius, or whatever it was called. She took her time down the steps, subtly bypassed her seat, and reached Siebold just in time to watch him faceplant into the dirt.

Oh. Wonderful.

Siebold stirred a few seconds later, mumbling and clutching at his chest, and Malva shushed him, staring out at the lake with her tongue between her teeth.

She needed a fucking cigarette.

“No ambulance,” Siebold muttered. “Don’ wanna scare the kids…”

“I had no intention of calling an ambulance.” Malva flicked her lighter open and shut, open and shut.

“Mmh.”

Malva stared into the tiny flame. She'd have to get Siebold out of here somehow, and he clearly needed a doctor.

Below her, Siebold got to his knees and coughed, and burying his face in his arm barely muffled the sound.

“Get up.” Malva looked down at him, red-faced and teary-eyed, his apron all stained with dirt. With a sigh, she extended her hand. “Come on. Before you frighten the children.”

—

Six hours.

Six hours waiting in the emergency department of the Shalour City Hospital while Siebold sniveled and coughed and burned, six hours of corralling herself with threats of Diantha's lecturing if she left Siebold alone here. Six hours of torture, and now Siebold had cost her a night on the town.

He shivered beneath the blanket some nurse had brought him, appraising Malva with dark, narrow eyes. “I suppose you want to leave,” he said, not for the first time that evening.

Malva crossed her legs, settling back in the vinyl chair she occupied. “Diantha would have my head if I left you here alone.”

“I'm in good hands,” Siebold said. Malva looked around at all the nothing. No doctors, no nurses. Siebold alone with his IV and his fever of precisely 39°. He bristled. “It's a hospital.”

He stared at her under dark, heavy lids, eyes dull and face slack. The ugly fluorescents only washed him out further, tinted him chemical green and blanched the pink on his cheeks and eyes to a cold lavender.

Malva sat up, heat raging into her face. She'd spent all day babysitting Siebold, and this was the thanks he levied at her? A tepid declaration of freedom, only nine hours too late. “Here's how this is going to go,” he said, clenching her hands on the chair's plastic armrests. “I'm going to stay right here until you're cleared to leave. Diantha is not going to give me another lecture on ‘bettering myself’ and ‘paying my debt to society.’ And you are going to spend the entirety of your recovery coming up with a way to thank me. Understood?”

Siebold hiked his blanket further up his shoulders, shrinking back into himself. He nodded and swallowed thickly. “I— Yes. I understand. Thank you, Malva.”

She smiled sweetly at him, so wide her eyes scrunched up. “That's more like it.”

[eventinelysplayground]

Near Eternity.

This is the epilogue for my previous fic A Little Nudge, it was also the highest voted NSFW for my recent badly described WIP Poll. I pull a bit from Leonardo's route as well as his proposal and wedding events but as always don't have to have read them to enjoy this fic. Mitsuki wakes up after Leonardo bit her craving not blood but something else. WC approx 2065, this fic is NSFW so minors DNI. Thanks again to @yanderepuck and @fang-and-feather for putting the idea for these fics in my head and to @onegianthotmess for being interested in the idea and then loving the drama I wrote 😄.

I guess it's true what they say, your life really does flash before your eyes when you die.

The memories all played through her mind like a dream or movie of her life working their way up until that fateful afternoon.

Did you know, it's the second largest painting in the Louvre?

Pardon, Monsieur?

I knew it. This earring belongs to you.

That first kiss.

Don't try and stop me, vampire! I'm not going to become your next meal!

…You're not hearing me.

That first night of passion.

If you're going to grow even better at my side, what am I supposed to do?

You're the genius. You could start by kissing me though. I liked that a lot. In fact…I want more.

The day he proposed.

I'll say it one more time. Are you prepared to stay with me forever? … Are you prepared for me to love you for the rest of your life? And are you prepared to marry me?

Their wedding day.

But I feel like meeting you was a miracle. The odds that you and I would have ever met were astronomical, and yet here we are together. So I don't mind asking God for a little help…

And every day in between or since right up until the night of the ball.

I bet it was those eyes of yours.

Pardon me?

I was just musing what would have attracted Leonardo to you first.

Are you a friend of Leonardo's?

An 'old' friend, yes. I must say I was a bit surprised when I heard Leonardo got married. I suppose though it's not like it's for eternity or anything, really it's a much bigger deal for you than him.

I…

You don't need to say anything, not to that anyways. Comte introduced the two of did he not?

Yes he did.

By accident surely?

I suppose you could say that.

I didn't think it would have been by design. He's not really that generous, regardless I must thank him later. Have you always made a habit out of staring at people as you are me?

I'm terribly sorry, I didn't mean to.

It's fine, such emotion in your eyes. A man could have quite a bit of fun with you, and with that scent of yours…Tell me something, just how happy are you with a man like him? I'm certain there are other men, some even in this room that would do anything to make you happy for near eternity.

I'm very happy with Leonardo.

Well if you're happy just being a distrazione momentanea who is anyone to tell you differently.

Excuse me?

Cesare.

Ahh Leonardo…

That memory was so lifelike and it engaged all her senses from the music playing to the familiar scent of Leonardo's cigarillos clinging to his clothes.

Maybe because this all happened just before his bite? I know lately it's been harder for him to maintain control, he's been raking his fangs over me so often now. If I'm being honest with myself I was sad each time it ended in nothing, I wonder when exactly I stopped being afraid of it and started wanting it?

Mitsukis thoughts were interrupted by the last of her memories and they were even stronger yet, like she had been brought right back to those moments.

The way he kissed her, the feel of her silk dress being pulled off her body. The warmth from Leonardo's hands as he touched her, the softness of his lips on her thigh and the skillful touch of his fingers inside her. She was feeling every bit of it all over again, her senses overloading her with the vivid sensations but the most intense of all was the memory of his bite. The pain followed by waves of pleasure and a surging heat, it had been blissful and even just its memory was reigniting the fire within her for him as she opened her eyes.

Mitsuki blinked and looked around Leonardo's room which was bathed in the rich colors of sunset. At some point he had dressed her in one of his shirts and she took a deep breath of his familiar scent.

Just how long was I out for?

“A few days now, you looked so peaceful. I wasn't expecting that.”

Mitsuki turned towards Leonardo's voice as it answered her unasked question. His voice was strained and she knew he had been worrying about her all this time so she gave him the biggest smile she could as she sat up.

“Leonardo.”

“I've been waiting to see that smile.”

“I didn't mean to make you wait so long.”

Mitsuki gave Leonardo a playful pout and he chuckled, reaching out to cup her cheek. As soon as she felt his touch a current of pleasure ran through her and she couldn't help but gasp.

“What's wrong cara mia?”

“Nothing.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes I'm fi-”

Mitsuki bit her lip, halting her words. Leonardo had moved his hand from her cheek down her neck and out along her shoulder leaving a burning heat in its wake.

“Leonardo…”

His name fell from her lips like a desperate plea, he hesitated only a moment before leaning in and kissing her gently. When they pulled away from each other she saw him searching her gaze. Whatever he was looking for he found it quickly because his eyes lit with a sudden fire and he pulled her to him for another kiss.

This kiss was fierce, consuming and he nipped at her bottom lip with his teeth causing her to let out a moan. As soon as her lips were parted his tongue pushed its way in claiming every inch of her mouth as its own. She grasped at his chest for balance as she greedily returned his kiss, her tongue twining around his as she increased the pressure from her lips.

Their kisses came to a halt only long enough for Leonardo to lift Mitsuki into his lap. Once she was settled he slowly ran his rough hands under the shirt she was wearing. They trailed slowly over her hips for a moment before one hand traveled down firmly grabbing her ass while the other traveled up her stomach to her breast, his thumb running over her nipple until it hardened beneath him.

Soon their storm of kisses broke again and she used the opportunity to slowly strip off the shirt she was wearing. Normally she was shy but not now, she held his fiery gaze not wanting to look away. Kisses rained down upon her neck and collarbone and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He moved his lips lower leaving red marks in his path until he reached the swell of her breast where he'd bitten her.

He paused momentarily bringing his other hand up and running his fingers along where his bite marks would have been just days ago. He tenderly kissed the spot as his hands massaged her breasts. She arched into his touch and let out a soft moan as he rolled one nipple between his fingers. She was quickly becoming undone and tightened her grip around his neck.

She felt like clay he was molding into whatever form he desired. He kept fondling her breasts and teasing her hard nipples between his fingers until she was on the edge from that alone and she rubbed herself against his thigh desperate for any friction. Her relief was short lived though as Leonardo grabbed her waist and held her still as soon as he felt her moving. He kissed her nipping at her lips with his fangs and she whimpered at the echo of the intense pleasure she had felt when he bit her. He deepened their kiss as one hand slid down between her thighs running his fingers over her wet core.

His fingers trailed along her core and inner thighs coming oh so close yet oh so far to where she wanted them most. She tried to move her hips to guide his fingers but his one hand still held firm on her hip keeping her in place. The combination of overstimulation to her breasts and lips and lack of it where she wanted it most was driving her mad. She also felt a severe burning in her throat and before she knew it she was biting Leonardo's lower lip with her fangs. The taste of his blood was sweet but she had barely begun to drink before she found herself tossed onto the bed.

“Careful with those cara mia, we're both already at our limits.”

Mitsuki watched Leonardo strip as he spoke and once he was done he was pulling Mitsuki back onto his lap.He captured her lips in a passionate kiss and she licked the remnants of his blood from his lip. His hands no longer held her still instead they roamed over her body coaxing and teasing cries of pleasure from her lips. One hand came to rest on her back while the other once again slid over her soaking wet core, his fingers running over her sensitive nub made her buck into his touch.

Their kisses continued as he moved his skilled fingers slowly away from her nub and into her warmth. His fingers danced inside her as his thumb applied pressure to her most sensitive spot. She bucked more into his touch as she felt her climax coming closer. The wet noises his fingers made as they moved were drowned out by her muffled cries from being brought to the edge once more. After all the teasing she knew there was only one way to get her release.

She was panting heavily into their kisses and Leonardo knew exactly what her body craved. He slowed down his movements before slowly withdrawing his fingers from her heat and bringing them up to his lips. They were dripping wet from her and he licked them clean as she lowered herself onto his hard cock, the long awaited sensation of him inside her was almost too much and still not enough at the same time. He brought his now clean fingers to her lips and she sucked on them hard while taking her fangs across them. Leonardo let out a low groan before he pulled his fingers back and sealed her lips in a fevered kiss.

She moved herself up and down his length slowly at first as they kissed but when that didn't provide the relief she wanted she picked up her pace. She was moving quicker now and sliding him further in with each movement. His hips joined her rhythm and before long every part of their bodies was in sync. He thrust as deep into her as he could get while he pinched her nipples and his fangs nipped at her lips. Their kiss broke and he thrusted even faster, harder as she cried out his name and her walls tightened around his throbbing cock.

Her head fell forward onto his shoulder and she placed a hand on his chest to steady herself and that's when she felt his heart beat. His heart had always beat differently to hers as if marking the differences between them but now his heart was beating in time with hers. She lifted her head up and looked into those eyes she loved so much as she took one of his hands and placed it over her own heart. After a moment Leonardo's eyes went wide and he smiled at her as he toppled them backwards onto the sheets.

They held each other and talked for a while Leonardo filling her in on what had taken place.

“So was the whole mansion in on Comtes plan then?”

“Seems like it. Listen Cara Mia, Comte may know how to push me but in the end it was my choice and I never want you to think otherwise. Even without his meddling it was-.”

“I know Leonardo. Our love has changed from how it used to be, it's so much deeper now.”

Mitsuki felt Leonardo's lips brush against her forehead and she turned in his arms to look up at him.

“What am I supposed to do with you?”

“You're the genius. You have near eternity to figure it out now though, but... you could start with a kiss.”

Mitsuki smiled up at Leonardo as their lips came together in a sweet kiss, their hearts continuing to beat together.

[unscheduledfics]

Sakuatsu drabble - New year's proposal

sfw, fluff 540w no warnings

The stroke of midnight is less than five minutes away when Kiyoomi drags Atsumu out into the backyard of the MSBY sharehouse. The rest of the party guests are out front watching the fireworks, and Atsumu makes a soft sound of surprise when Kiyoomi drags him away from the crowd.

"Are ya okay, Omi?" he asks when the door swings shut behind them and Kiyoomi turns to face Atsumu. "D'ya not wanna be with the others?"

Kiyoomi takes a deep breath and grabs both of Atsumu's hands with his own. "Exactly two years ago today, you asked me to be your boyfriend right on this spot."

Atsumu blushes and a grin spreads across his face. "Ya must be tipsy if yer getting sentimental on me, Omi."

Kiyoomi feels a small smile tug at his lips, and he reaches up to stroke Atsumu’s cheek. "A little bit, but I don't need to be tipsy to tell you how much you mean to me."

Atsumu’s grin widens and he nuzzles into Kiyoomi’s hand, cheeks red and eyes glittering. "Yeah?"

"Atsumu," Kiyoomi says, feeling the beginnings of tears form in his own eyes. "You're everything to me. You've completely changed my life, and I don't think I tell you that enough. I cannot even begin to describe how happy you make me, every single day. I'm a better person because of you, and you didn't even have to try. Your joy and warmth, these things that come so naturally to you, have made me so much happier and I can't thank you enough for that. I love you so much, and I will until the day I die."

Atsumu is actually crying now, tears running down his cheeks and his grin trembling. "Omi..."

Kiyoomi takes another deep breath. This is it. He sinks down onto one knee, maintaining eye contact. Atsumu’s breath hitches and his grin fades into surprise as his eyes widen.

"Miya Atsumu," Kiyoomi says slowly, reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out the maroon velvet box he's been holding onto for three months already. He flips it open to reveal the simple gold band inside, looking up at Atsumu and feeling his chest ache with love and devotion. "Will you marry me?"

Atsumu seems to have stopped breathing and he's just staring at the ring, his lower lip trembling. Kiyoomi watches him, trying his best to be patient despite the frantic beat of his heart.

After what feels like an eternity, Atsumu finally takes a shaky breath. "Omi, I-"

"I know we're young," Kiyoomi blurts out, his mouth uncharacteristically running away with him. "But I can't imagine ever being with anyone else. You're so important to me, Atsumu. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and I'm sorry if this is too much but-"

"Omi, stop," Atsumu laughs, his eyes soft and full of emotion as he pulls Kiyoomi to his feet. "Sakusa Kiyoomi, the answer is yes. Of course I'll marry ya."

Kiyoomi feels his shoulders relax and a few tears spill from his eyes as he slides the gold band over Atsumu’s ring finger. As the sky lights up with colourful explosions to welcome the new year, they fall into each other's arms and kiss until their teammates find them.

[poptod]

Hii! How are you? I don't want to bother you, but can I ask more of the Ahkmenrah x reader ( gn or male please if your comfortable with it). I love your writing. If not that's not a problem. Again I am sorry to bother you and have a nice day. :)

hello! i'm doing good, i have a crush on one of my friends and i've been making them a lot of crafts. anyway i don't know if you're talking about a continuation of an existing fic or if you just want more gn!readerxahk in general so I'm just going to go with the latter since there's no mention of a fic in your ask.

i'm actually working on an ahk fic right now that's implied male reader but again, no mentioned gender. i have four chapters of it up on AO3 called It Feels Like Being Alive. the first chapter is mostly setup though so if you want some fun little interactions I'll post a part of the fifth chapter that i havent posted yet. i'll put background under the cut in case someone cares about spoilers but i would recommend reading the previous chapters before this bit.

if you were talking about another fic and i'm just not connecting the dots please let me know!

Your name is Wau, and you are hiding the Prince from the wandering eyes of the Gods as your master is off running an unavoidable errand. You're a soldier from the underworld, and you're not really supposed to be talking to anyone in the first place, so Ahkmen's barrage of questions is a little daunting.

"I think you should rest your mind. You're asking so many questions your tongue must be on fire."

"Is that a common phrase in the Duat?" He asked with a sugary smile, leaning closer to you as you both sat on the dirt floor.

"No." You frowned. "And that's another question."

"Ugh!" He exclaimed, falling onto his back with his arms splayed dramatically across the room. "You're such a pedant."

"I never claimed to know anything, I'm just stating the obvious."

"That's exactly what a pedant is. Like, I know you said no questions and I asked you another questions, and that's because conversation is made up mostly of questions!" He spat out in a flurry of words.

There was almost a blush in his cheeks, matching the sudden depth and darkness of his pupils.

"Look, Wau, I want you to do something. For me," he said, and scooted closer to you.

You tried to move away, forgetting you were leant against a wall.

"Can you do that?" He asked as his voice turned smooth and honeyed.

"… depends on what it is," you said, ever the mediator.

"No," he said, narrowing his eyes at you. "Just do it for me. No denominatives."

"Fine."

Anything to get him out of your face; he was close enough for you to nearly feel his ghostly breath on your skin.

"Calm down, will you?" He asked in the most exhasperated voice you'd ever heard. "Have a conversation with me, like a normal person."

"I don't know if it's escaped you, but I am not a normal person. I don't think I even count as a person."

"Of course you're a person!" He exclaimed, as though you'd insulted him. "I've seen you laugh and… things. Of course you count. You've just… not had a lot of practice, being.. normal." He trailed off somewhat, before regaining his train of thought. "How long have you been alive, anyway?"

You glared at him, and thought to mention that that was yet again another question, but instead leased the breath in your chest, your eyes sliding shut.

"I don't know. There are no seasons in the Duat. Only the eternal harvest. The Gods don't share their timekeepers with the million shabtis that serve them."

"That's unfortunate," he said quietly, his eyes scanning your face with a gentleness. "And they don't let you come to Egypt much, then?"

"There is little reason to. The Gods love to come here themselves, they don't need to send their servants on 'errands' to a land they'd rather visit."

When you looked up, you found him with a smile on his face, staring at you warmly. Your brow furrowed in deep aversion.

"What?" You said flatly.

"This is a good start," he said, tilting his chin upwards. "Thank you for..." he sucked in a considerate breath, before breathing out the words, "taking my advice."

Your eyes widened, horrified by the warmth in your cheeks, and the sudden, sickening flutter in your chest.

"You're a very strange person," you finally said after a minute of staring at him silently.

He chuckled.

"And you're really clueless, aren't you?"

You frowned, and straightened your posture.

"Don't worry," he dismissed, "it's adorable."

[tryhardgwen]

rs archive 07/26/2024:

i'll be completely honest, the first time i saw all my love while hunting for one2eus fics, i didn't click it. i saw that it was about attending gumakeria's wedding and thought that oh maybe it's unrequited keriaxzeus. i was so so wrong (prolly cuz i dont read tags on ao3 💀).

it's been half a year since the last time i read all my love and it still consumes a part of my soul. it's been a year since i started college miles away from family and friends then became so homesick that i couldn't study. it's been a lifetime since i've longed for a home shaped like the almost-family in all my love.

i don't even remember the specific words written on the page when i read it, and i don't even remember the scenes that made me hyperventilate on my bathroom floor. but, i do remember every feeling i felt when i read your fic. from joy to sorrow, from dread to anxiety, and from peace to forgiveness, i had felt almost everything when it came to coming home after a whirlwind of change.

i had originally thought that all my love was just going to be another 2d love story with the normal amount of angst and confessions, but when i clicked on the title, i had realized my thoughts were rooted in the wrong assumptions. it was a love story, yes, but it was a love story that wasn't just romance. the love was familial, romantic, a devoted type of platonic, and community. after clicking on the title, i just couldn't peel my eyes away. it was everything i felt in that moment, in the confusing transition from my teen years to my adulthood. in just a few days of reading it, this story had made a nest in my heart and spread a warmth i hadn't felt in a full year.

the way everyone had forgiven and given wooje a chance after all he had done gave me hope that i would be forgiven for leaving my little sibling behind with our mentally recovering parents. the way minseok always checked to see if wooje had left reminded me of how i had watched my friends drift away from me one by one and how i'd occasionally pull them back for a day out. the way everyone loved in the fic made me look into a mirror and face the experiences i had long stuffed into the bottom of my lungs.

i was going through a lot of stuff when i finally clicked on your fic. i had recently suffered the loss of a pet, started college, and felt my friends drifting away from me. reading all my love felt like a hug after becoming numb. it was that warm feeling after you would stare into the abyss after crying your heart out. after feeling like i could no longer stand up, it felt like i could atleast put my feet firm on the ground again.

i thank you, so so much. not just for the wonderful story and the dedication to your writing, but also for the love you shared with me and your readers. the amount of love in your writing could probably fill every heart in this world and have extra in case anyone needed it. i hope you feel the same way and i hope you took some of the love for yourself as well. just from the way you write, you seem to be bursting with love.

it's like the universe let a star become human to share its warmth in the most comforting way. i hope you continue to write and love what you do for years to come and for the eternities that face you.

i give you all my love, gwen.

hey anon. i’m really sorry about the late reply on this—i first saw your submission on friday evening, and i’m typing this sunday and monday evening. i had to make a google doc and everything to write out exactly what i want to say. and i still can’t get through reading your message without crying. LOL

truth be told, i thought this was going to be a rlly funny ask when i saw the first paragraph!! i laughed so hard hearing about your keria/zeus assumption, and showed it to bebe (my beta reader), and then i calmed down enough to read the rest of your submission. and then i was like, oh this is. long. and so, so heartwarming that i cried tears of joy (not sadness!!! do not worry!!!)

to be honest, these days i’m reflecting more on my emotions and i just want to say i am very, very glad and grateful that you are here. i’m happy that my silly fic could impact you in the way it did. i never really foresaw how much love that fic would get, or how much love i would receive as a silly fic writer in general. i mean, when i started writing all my love, it was because my dad bought a stick shift and i learned how to drive one. (i stalled it so many times.) the very first scene i wrote was the one with hyunjoon and wooje in chapter one, when wooje drives the mustang for the first time in a long while. besides that, the idea for all my love had been floating in my head for a while—i knew i wanted to write a second-chance homecoming fic about returning back to your hometown after college. i was torn between two ships, onerzeus and bengifaker, but settled on onerzeus because that’s what bebe and ginger told me to do, and because i didn’t feel comfortable writing skt-era side characters since i didn’t know them as well. and i think that was the right choice. i mean, all my love has onerzeus written all over it. but it was that, plus my recent discovery of noah kahan and his deluxe album that just fit my ideas so well, which sort of formed the start of all my love.

in general, all my love became very, very self-indulgent. me and my dad’s music taste, the cars, the mechanic shop, the found family trope, making gumakeria get married. all things from me, that i love, that i want, or that i enjoy. i think for that reason it surprised me that so many people were attracted to it and loved it. but ginger tells me that’s why so many people love it in the first place—because i poured myself and the things i love into it. I MEAN I PUT JOJOPYUN IN IT FOR GODS SAKE JUST BECAUSE I LOVE HIM. but i don’t know. she’s smarter than me, so i’ll just take her word for it. and you are, too—you’re right when you say it’s a love story. ginger also used that wording before in the past while talking to me—bursting with love—and i showed it to her with a smile. wooje struggles with himself and his home and his family. i always made fun of the fact it’s a whole 13k before hyunjoon—the love interest—shows up in all my love, and i freaked out while writing chapter 3 that he talks to primarily minseok and sanghyeok at the start of it, but i feel like that in itself shows how much the other relationships matter. (huh. maybe i should add the zeus&minseok tag, zeus&faker, or the zeus&t1 tag.)

but i’m really happy this self-indulgent fic spoke to so many people, though. i guess love just shines through, or something.

it was the last paragraphs of your message that hit me the hardest. you have told me some of the kindest words i have ever heard. i never really get all that personal in my fic notes, or my twitter, but i’m certain i’ve mentioned my mental states vaguely. i wasn’t necessarily going through a lot when i wrote all my love, but i was battling depression, my father was battling cancer, and toward the end i got into a horrible car crashed that tanked all my mental progress in one day. (ironically, i ended up a lot like hyunjoon after his and wooje’s crash.) i’m kind of going through a lot right now and that’s why i cried after reading this submission. my depression has gotten much better, but i’ve entered a stage of grief since i lost my father to cancer last month. i got this retrospring submission on friday evening, like i said. saturday was his memorial. the whole week had been horrible for me; i was an emotional wreck—but then i saw your submission. and that was my warm hug, anon. i read it, and reread it, and bawled like a baby on and off for an hour. you seeing the love in my story and me means a lot. you called me a star—i’ve always loved stars. call me naive for believing in fate, but i haven’t had a retrospring submission in a month. so this means a lot to me. you mean a lot to me. i don’t think i’ll ever forget this message.

all my love is by no means a perfect fic, but it’s full of love. i love it, and many people love it. it—and all my writing, really—is meant to share joy and love from my little corner of the universe. i’m overjoyed that me and my fics can impact you like this. i love writing, i love my fics, and i love you guys. so thank you for reading and supporting and sending love. it truly means the world to me.

[mxstellatayte]

"oh, my love," the ebony-haired demon whispered, holding the angel in his arms. "what have they done to you?"

"they found out," was all the angel was able to wheeze out before they coughed out even more deep gray blood, the liquid smearing their lips and dripping down their chin in messy globs. "and you know what happens when they see even a hint of black in your blood."

"i know better than anyone, darling." the demon's composure on their exterior was calm as he cradled his rapidly dying partner in their arms, their head resting in his lap. "and you're going to be okay. it'll all be okay. you'll come back, and all will be well. we'll be together again." he really did believe what he said until his eyes drifted to the angel's neck- the collar of gold was missing, instead replaced by a growing blue and purple bruise the size of a giant's hand. the size of god's hand. no. no, lucifer, no. please. anything but that.

"i had hoped you wouldn't notice," the angel whispered, and the illusion faltered. it was in that moment that the demon truly saw what the oh-so-perfect angels of god had done to his partner. their wings were torn off at the ulnar joint and the pure white feathers were stained dark gray with their blood. "they really did a number on me, but i guess i should have known that was going to happen." tears pricked the corners of their eyes, silently paving rivers down their cheekbones and into the shells of their ears.

"no, i'm going to help you. i can save you, i learned about this just a decade ago, i'll cure this. i promise." the demon cried openly, his tears streaming down his cheeks, off his chin and dotting the apples of the angel's cheeks. "you'll be okay. it'll all be okay. we'll run away, hide from everyone. we'll be happy."

"it's too late, my love. i'm going to die." a tender hand reached up to cup the demon's chin, smearing gray blood onto his mandible and the lobe of his ear. "find someone else. take your chance to be happy. they don't come often."

"i can't be happy without you. you're the only thing that kept me sane. i need you with me." his voice broke, his wings extending to take off and bring his partner with him.

"you'll find a way. i know you will. and when you do, i'll be right behind you. i'll follow you and stay with you through every day of eternity."

"pinky promise?"

"pinky promise." the angel and the demon linked their fingers together, a binding promise for eternity. and then the angel went limp, their eyes staring into the demon's forever. he closed their eyes, a final tear slipping from his eye and falling onto his dead partner's lips. the angel turned to light, then crumbled into dust, vanishing forever.

seconds, minutes, hours, days passed before the demon brought himself to move again, gravity pulling the dust of his lover from his pants. and when he stood up, he was reminded of the small silk pouch in the pocket of his pants. inside it was a simple ring made of enchanted smoke contained in marble a deeper black than a crow's wings. he never had the chance to ask his partner to become his forever, and he never would.

"i'll see you on the other side, my love," he whispered, feet teetering on the edge of the cavernous obsidian cliff, molten lava flowing thousands of feet below.

and he jumped.

[darsiared]

OBSESSION

CHAPTER 10 : NEW ROLE

∘◦❀◦∘●∘◦❀◦∘●∘◦❀◦∘●∘◦❀◦∘∘◦❀◦∘●∘◦❀◦∘●∘◦

"And I want all the information you can possibly arrange about Megumi Fushiguro and his father Toji Fushiguro."

The table went completely silent and no one uttered a word for what felt like an eternity as Gojo slowly tried to absorb everything that had happened that day.

He kept on glaring into those sharp unforgiving purple eyes trying to find answers but failing. Those purple voids were far too deep and empty to offer any help.

He looked away from her losing hope in finding meaning in that obscure night and looked out of the window at the streets completely empty, with all the people resting in their homes leaving those streets to be the playground for the ones who lurked out during the night.

The cafe was completely empty by that time and the owner was looking impatiently for them to leave so that he could go back home and not loiter around after the veil of night had been drawn.

Taking slow and deep breaths, Gojo kept on thinking just one thing.

I wish I never met her.

But what had happened had happened and being the strongest, it was his duty to take care of it, no matter how much he didn't want to deal with it.

What do you intend to do with that information? He wanted to ask but stopped knowing she won't answer.

Are your plans somehow going to cause harm to the existing Jujutsu world? He wanted to ask, but to that he already knew the answer.

Of course they would.

He felt so tired and drained, he wanted to curl up and forget about the day.

But with the cause of his problems sitting right in front of him, gazing unblinking at him in confident expectation, he had no choice.

"You're not going to get your way so easily, Miss."

His sad yet bold words made her face change from that of absolute victory to alert about an uncertain threat really quick.

She was astoundingly authoritarian but he too was Gojo Satoru.

"I may have decided to not kill you. Yet. But that doesn't mean I will never want to. I am a moody man. And not as much of a weak minded wimp that you take me for." He said slowly feeling like himself again.

"You can't just barge into my world that I control and try to grab the reigns as if I don't exist. You want information, then you give me information back. You want my compliance then you comply back. That's how it's going to be. You can't just sit there tight lipped and expect me to babble all secrets out like a child to you."

"And as far as Megumi Fushiguro is concerned, try to hurt him and you'll be over." He said, his voice slowly becoming louder and deeper, making the last words as deadly as his glowing blue eyes.

She raised her left eyebrow looking directly into Gojo's eyes, amused at the thought of him being so concerned about Megumi. What's so special about that kid to make all the monstrously powerful men so obsessed with him?

"Megumi Fushiguro getting hurt would be against my interests as well. In fact, if you care so much about him, consider me one of the many more people trying to keep him out of danger."

"Many more people? Are these the same people that you're working for?"

"Just as I said earlier, I am not working for anyone. Just me and what I want. Nothing else."

"And what ensures that you're not lying?"

"Because I don't need to lie. If there's something I don't want to say, I just wouldn't say it. I am under no obligation to comfort you with my lies." She replied.

They stared into each other's eyes for a long time in silence trying to assert dominance, none of them losing.

He sighed and picked up the cursed tool from the table and got up from the sofa chair.

He looked down at her and declared with a commanding voice.

"I'll give you all information you need on Toji Fushiguro and Megumi but you'll have to stay in my supervision until you get whatever you're trying to accomplish. I'll need you stay around me and report to me daily. For that I'm going to have you join the Jujitsu high school as a teacher and I'm going to keep my eye on you."

To the both of them it was clear that it wasn't a proposition but rather an order.

Gojo put the cursed tool in his pocket and walked out of the cafe leaving the Shizuka girl contemplating his offer, not caring to wait for her decision. Whatever it may be, he knew she would let him know with her actions.

The outside night air was chilling but felt like a warm, cuddly hug compared to the coldness of the person who had accompanied him that entire evening.

He knew that letting her near his students and other sorcerers was a huge act of idiocy, but she was a menace no matter where. So it was better to keep her in a place where she would be cornered and kept in check in presence of other strong sorcerers and where he could easily reach her if she ever went out of control.

Well, letting her live when it was still possible to eliminate her was the biggest idiocy.

But Gojo knew that it wasn't the first time he had lost the war of rationality due to overwhelming emotions.

Even the strongest had their weaknesses, perhaps weaknesses far more fundamental than what the common man experienced.

And surely enough, there she was.

Standing at the gates of the Jujitsu high school, the very next morning, her eyes focused on whatever that was driving her, walking unwavering towards him, sealing the promise from the previous night.

"Well, Good morning to you, six eyes. Let's get to work, shall we?"

══ ∘◦❀◦∘ ════ ∘◦❀◦∘ ════ ∘◦❀◦∘ ══

[angel-bubbles]

Inspired by your pumpkin post...

Have you considered David taking Angel apple-picking on a crisp autumn day? At first, Angel is skeptical. (Why pay to pick apples yourself when you could just buy them?) But David knows that the apples you pick yourself taste better and fresher. So, off they go to the orchard. Climbing ladders and inspecting each piece of fruit. Working to fill up basket after basket. Swatting away a few bumblebees in the process. At the end of the day, David and Angel have more apples than they could ever have anticipated. It was a fun day, full of smiles, laughter, kisses, and togetherness.

David vows to make apple pie, apple crumble, baked apples, and apple butter for the Halloween party Booker throws for the pack every year. Angel vows to eat an apple every night until they are gone.

🍎🍏🍁🍂🐺😇🍁🍂🍎🍏

omg romi this is such a sweet little scene. david telling angel what to look for in a good apple (i think david is totally clueless in picking pumpkins but vetted in picking good apples. angel is the opposite) while they're walking through the orchard angel takes david's hand and dramatically swings it between the two of them, he pretends to be annoyed but his grip on their hand is tight.

thinking about gabe taking david to pick apples every year growing up. the first time he went again was with angel and he kept catching himself smiling at them as they carefully studied an apple to make sure it was a good one. he tried to hide it but angel caught him more than once

also angel would totally be up on a ladder looking down at david like "now who's taller >:3" david just ":| still me. you're on a ladder." asjdkfl

david's apple crumble is the best apple crumble known to man and no one can convince me otherwise. it lasts all of 30 minutes at the Halloween party, half the time he doesn't even get any himself

[jtrokujo]

𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐇𝐘 𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐎𝐗𝐈𝐂¿

paring: Mikaela Hyakuya x fem!Reader

(they’re 18+!!!)

word count: 4k

warning: this story contains sexual content

gerne: smut

summary: there are days when they get along well but there were also days when they hated each other like the plague and even though they love each other?

—

The weather is neutral, but I wish it got better.

The sun is obscured by the gray clouds, but it's not windy or anything.

You could even go out with a top.

However, y / n decided to take a seat in the four walls with a number of different books and a tall pile of books right next to them.

As she gently leafed through the pages of the somewhat older book, she felt a stab.

Of course it didn't hurt since no one was attacking her, but it felt like someone was watching her.

Without presenting her feelings, she took some books and put the rest where she got them.

Immediately after leaving the library, she stopped in the middle of the path and said with an annoyed sigh, "Bathory, I know you're here."

He stands grinning in front of y / n, but could hardly show a disappointed face.

With his head tilted to one side, he looked at his prey and smiled at her immediately. "I prefer you to call me by my first name, dear."

“I do what I want and not what you want, Bathory. Besides, I have better things to do than waste my precious time being influenced by you. "

When they told the vampire, she continued on her way, or at least intended to.

As quickly as he came, he grabbed her arm just as quickly. "But y / n, why is it in such a hurry?" asked the vampire, amused, pressing more and more on hers with every second, so slowly you could hear her bones. Y / n had to react immediately!

Without thinking for a second, she dropped all of the books on the white floor and immediately grabbed her gun. "You should let go of me!" y / n's voice rang out down the hall and immediately shot the vampire in the arm.

His blood spurted around her.

Y / n got his blood on her face as well as on her clothes - it was the same with Bathory, also the wall and especially the floor got his blood.

"Disgusting." mumbled y / n and wiped the blood on her face, although she knew herself that it would be of no use.

"What's going on here?" Everyone but not him.

"Hello Mika!" said Ferid with delight and turned to get a better look at him.

"Have you lost your nerve again?" he asked me annoyed, but he only looked at me for a few seconds and immediately saw Ferid's blood spatter.

"What do you mean 'again'?"

Even if we've known each other for a long time, we both have to admit that one and the other have diverged. Sometimes it was his fault, sometimes it was me. There were of course moments when we got along really well, but in the end they weren't enough in my opinion.

"Since you've lived with us, at least one vampire must have got something from your weapon."

Said the blond-haired vampire while his eyes stared at me.

I'm not understating when I say that his eyes alone make me feel naked.

Mika only manages to control me through his eyes, even though I should be the one who should control every vampire or the various books I spend most of my time on just one more bad joke.

It was enough for vampires to exist and more than hundreds of people took their own lives just to be able to enjoy themselves. To this day I cannot forgive any of the vampires for what they did to me or those around me. I know myself that there are bad ones, but what is their goal?

Or do you have a goal?

"Y / n." I heard his voice.

Awakened from my trance, I see his eyes again. However, they do not have this previous aura, no, they are a little stricter this time. When I gave him a sign of his attention, the lecture immediately came, "You are old enough to know how to behave and with whom to behave. If you show this behavior to someone else, I'll let that person do it . " and do what they want, because I haven't had the nerve for someone like you for a long time. So finally know your limits before I use my weapon against you! "

Impressive. From sentence to sentence his voice grew louder and louder. Seriously, I never expected or even had the idea of ​​this side of Mika in my life, but here it is. Wonderful y / n, now you have managed to sink deeply with Mika, which is actually the very last thing I ever wanted to achieve in my life, but life has never been a paradise.

With a chuckle, Bathory put his arm and my shoulders and spoke to Mika.

"But, but Mika shouldn't be so strict with her. She's just a little girl again, not even now, is she?" "If I were that little girl, you would surely have two arms instead of one." After saying my sentence, I picked up the books that were still on the floor and didn't say goodbye to anyone, why should I?

Bathory is nothing more than an idiot who uses his satisfaction to see others suffer rather than provoke them too.

While Mika nudges both children like a father, although the other is to blame for everything.

When I got to my room, I put the books on my table and sat on my bed, thinking about the old days. However, I don't think of the days with loved ones that I lost, but of those that I spent with Mika before he gave me a “better life”.

I could leave it all behind at any time and either not start an old or a new life, but I love to have him in my heart for it.

Sighing at my thoughts, I give up and stood in front of my closet for the next minute.

While the lukewarm water felt the white bathtub, my clothes landed on the floor.

This life is more of a calling expected of others than a life of its own. A break does no harm to anyone.

I said to myself and after a few seconds I closed my eyes.

After my bath or a break from the real world, I'm just choosing which book to read.

As I was about to start the new book, someone knocked on my door.

Hesitantly, I said the door was open and waited for the person behind it to appear. Please leave it all but Bathory.

Sighing, I immediately put my hand on my left breast and saw him, Mika.

To be honest, I'm happy to see him, but I'm not, but I don't need an explanation. "Good evening." he said in his usual tone. Without making a big head out of it, I repeated it myself, but added if he needed anything from me.

Shivering, I answered my question in the negative and came up to me with slow steps.

The only thing I could do was do nothing. I stopped. When our faces are a few centimeters away, his arm came slowly towards my body, until he reached for something, when he had this in his hand, he came back with a few steps and immediately held a book in my face.

"I really recommend it, I have to say, you have pretty good taste when it comes to books. I've read it several times because these stories, the writing style, the plot and most of all the characters are up to me." uniquely well written down to the smallest detail. "

I looked at the vampire in amazement. "You read that too?" "Y / n, if I hadn't read it, I wouldn't have a clue either."

A little ashamed of my oh-so-intelligent question, I also looked at the floor.

The whole time there was nothing to be heard, neither a little intoxication, nor even breathing. But after a few seconds, Mika also broke the embarrassing silence by taking a few steps and holding out his arm to me. I don't understand it about myself. When Mika is around, I either act annoyed or neutral. However, countless butterflies gather in my stomach when I think of him alone!

"Y / n ... y / n?!" Mika looked up, gave me a neutral look and at the same time held a few strands of my hair and asked me if he should tie my hair up with a towel. I gently took the wet strands of hair from his hand and began to giggle at my discomfort and nervousness. The thought of me being weird was always out of the question.

"I think I'll blow dry my hair. I'll see you at dinner or tomorrow."

"I'll see you at dinner or tomorrow." repeated Mika before she disappeared from my room.

Locked in the room and caught in his deepest thoughts, he stared over the ceiling.

The reviews of that day haunted him to this day when he also dreamed them.

Sleeping now wouldn't be for him, even though it is shortly before 2 o'clock.

But what can you do about it?

The vampire rose from the bed, stretched out, and decided to go for a walk immediately.

As he walked through the empty corridors, he always hoped not to meet anyone.

Whatever stays that way.

Bored and hands in his pockets, the floor caught his attention. It didn't take long, however, because he was amazed to get up when he saw the light coming from someone's room.

He was more than sure whose room, or rather chamber, it was.

It was Y / n's.

He stopped in front of it, thinking, held out his hand and wanted to knock on the door. At the same time he quickly put his hand in his pocket. This scenario takes about 3 minutes. But it wasn't the vampire's nervousness that was unusual, no, why should he be at y / n's door? This is funny.

Doesn't he often seem annoyed or stern in your presence?

Well, he doesn't even know what's going on in his head.

After an eternity, the vampire finally knocked on the human's door and immediately heard "Come in" from the other side.

Without telling himself twice, he opened the door and saw her. He saw her spread out on the large bed with several notes and books.

Stressed out. You can't see it from the outside, but even Mika can confess that he thinks it is strange to see y / n at this time.

"Do you need something?" she asked him and fixed him with her gaze.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping long ago?" he asked and at the same time crossed his arms over his chest.

"Mika, I could ask you that too, don't you think?" sigh y / n and slowly start piling up her notes and books together.

When Mika offered her help, she politely declined and slowly and carefully put the things on her desk.

"If you have nothing special to do, you can always keep me company, you know?"

Yes, even if there is an argument between the two, they still get along well. However, they don't seem to be as close as they used to be. Without saying anything, Mika accepted the offer and sat next to y / n.

Was that really wise?

The smell of y / n gets over his head, but he's not as easy to lose control as other vampires.

Breathing hard, Mika rubbed her eyes and hoped that this unbearable smell would go away any moment.

Easier said than done.

If only I had drunk blood in the last few days. The vampire cursed.

Y / n noticed his unusual behavior and tried to communicate with him, but to no avail. She called his name several times, tapped him on the shoulder, and shook him a little. He seems trapped in his own world. For the first time she seemed to see someone so trapped in his own world. When will he regain his senses?

Annoyed, she hit his skull with her fist, which led to a groan of pain from Mika's mouth. "What does this mean?!"

“If you are tired, please go to your room and sleep there.

Both rolled their eyes in annoyance.

"You have nothing to say to me, human."

"Oh really? What are you going to do about it, vampire?" It wasn't a mistake by y / n, but rather Mika's mistake. If he hadn't called her a human, she wouldn't have called him a vampire. Nobody except Mika knows right now how much he hates vampires and yet he is one himself, but you have to remember that he never wanted to be one. Not everyone is lucky in life.

As I said, even if it was his own fault that she reminded him, he completely lost his nerve. Slowly she approached y / n, she already felt the dark aura coming towards her. However, y / n did not want to show the fear that is in her and slowly rising above her head. She will regret it. "Repeat when you have the pity." "What is the problem? You called me human and I called you a vampire, but you know what makes me be silly, get out of here, vampire. ”Without further ulterior motives, Mika grabbed her wrist and squeezed the bones with her hand listened from print to print. When she wanted to reach for her gun, which is under her top, Mika was a second faster and threw it directly to the end of the room. When Mika immediately released his hand from Y / n's wrist, she saw an emotion in his eyes, sadness.

He was hurt, but shouldn't he care? What should a little person who plays with little guns do against a vampire, ask him about a game? However, he saw her more as a person, he saw her as someone he can love, with whom he can laugh, of course he had had these people before in his life, but they have long since disappeared. Oh how much he loves her.

If only she knew how many letters he wrote her, but never gave them to her, but hid them in his room.

"I'm really stupid." Mika muttered trembling to herself. Y / n heard it and slowly walked up to him "Mika, that was very childish of me and, to be honest, I'm sorry." When she tried to touch his shoulder, he knocked her away and looked into her eyes, it was their fault.

“I don't want your decisions! I never wanted to be a vampire! If you don't know anything about me, please be quiet and think twice before you open your door! ”The whole room went quiet, pretty quiet. It was rather uncomfortably quiet for y / n, but she preferred to keep her mouth shut because it looked like Mika was looking for the right words. "Why do I love you? Tell me Y / N, how can I love you when you hate me so much?" His voice was fragile and it was tormented to hear it that way. "Mika, I had never hated you before." Exhausted, Mika sat down on the floor and looked at the gun at the other end of the room. "Every time I see a gun like that, I hate myself even more." “Even if it sounds a bit clichéd, for example because of the current situation, I have to and want to admit that I love you Mika. You are in such pain and apparently you have torn old wounds. You didn't deserve that, nobody deserved that. ”Y / n sat like Mika on the floor and hugged him. Her warm body against his cold one. As if in slow motion, their faces stood a few inches apart until their lips met.

𝐒𝐊𝐈𝐏

With my hands on the back of his neck and my tongue seeking his, his fingertips dance from my thigh under my top.

Only he managed to make me shiver everywhere in a few seconds with the help of his touch. Not through his ice-cold skin, no, only through him. In keeping with the mood, the cold raindrops hit my window pane. "Waiting." he whispered to me.

Not a second later it was pitch black in my room. The butterflies in my stomach just like Mika don't know when to stop, but I love it, never let it stop! His lips kissed every inch of my skin and whispered to me how divine my body was. His hands slide up my top until it finally brushes over my head. The first item of clothing is already on the floor. My legs were around his waist so he could pick me up and lay me on my bed. When he did that, his lips were still on my skin.

As I lay down comfortably, I watched his clothes land piece by piece on the floor. His belly is built like that of a Greek god and although it is dark the moon shines on him. One could have immediately thought it was a godsend. The boxer shorts were the only items of clothing that remained. While I was about to take off my pants, Mika took my hands and indicated that he could do it himself. When my pants peeled off my skin, he looked at my legs in admiration and immediately threw my pants on the floor. Now stand half-naked in front of my bed. The red cheeks on his cheeks were clearly visible. "Are we really supposed to pull this off?" I asked Mika and looked him in the eye. His lips approached my ear and he breathed softly, "Y / n, the question is not, we should, but we can. A human and a vampire, is that a good chemistry?"

"Why don't we want to find out?" I whispered and kissed his shoulder in time. Now he looked at me again, but with clearly red cheeks you could have thought he had a fever, but I can't blame him, because even when his ice-cold body is on top of mine, my body manages to have a hot temperature.

As our tongues played with each other again, our hands explored each other's bodies. While one hand pinches my buttocks, the other is right on my bra clasp.

Moaning slightly, I also pinched his buttocks and felt my muscles tense. A low gasp left his delicate lips, which made me even weaker. My temperature rises more and more with each of his touches.

I can not stand it anymore!

He knows very well that he has the upper hand!

When my bra, like the rest of the clothes, landed on the floor, his ice-cold hands brushed my arms up to my hips and brushed the last piece of clothing across the floor.

I was breathing hard down in my zone.

His hands were on each thigh so I couldn't pinch my legs together. Apart from the horniness, I could hardly move my legs because of his strength, you can not say that he is so strong. The horniness in me is going like crazy! With every breath Mika takes against my area, the butterflies in my stomach fly crazier.

When his tongue brushed my cervix for less than a second, I let out a gasp. Immediately afterwards he pressed his tongue against it and danced with it at the same time. That I'm getting wetter is not only clear to me, but also to Mika, when he was his tongue in my entrance, she explored every single inch inside.

Overwhelmed by shame and lust, I pressed one hand against my mouth so as not to make a noise from you, and the other on his white-blonde hair.

Every time his tongue penetrated deeper and he spread my thighs wider and wider, it honestly hurt, but I don't care about that at the moment because as good as he makes me feel no one is going to do it and I want it too nobody does it because I just want them. Because I just want Mika.

When I thought it couldn't get better, I was wrong. When he started sucking, I was done. My lustful moans got louder every time I sucked, but I do my best that nobody but Mika can hear it. When he freed his tongue from the entrance again, he stuck his middle and ring finger in the next second and didn't give me a second to get used to it. The speed of his fingers is unique!

No matter how much I press my hand against my mouth, my moans stay louder.

Several times his name groaned, which only drove him to increase the speed. My orgasm is nourishing. When I groaned and said I was about to be there, he didn't stop but continued. His tongue dances on my cervix and his fingers successfully hit the G-spot every time, it's just breathtaking!

When my orgasm came, I screamed his name with relish and breathed heavily as I stared at the ceiling.

His beautiful face approached mine, but he devoted his lips to my ears and whispered, "A second round won't hurt you." Aren't my trembling legs enough for him? In the middle of the kiss, I slowly felt his member inside me, but my nails clawed behind his back in pain, we continued the kiss. Now it was Mika who groaned in the middle of the kiss. He closed his eyes and kissed my chest as his hips began to dance. Is it still normal for him to make me feel this way? Because on the one hand I can no longer, on the other hand I want more! Mika's one hand is on my thigh while the other is on my chest. The way he plays sensitive nipples is superb.

I don't know how he makes me feel so good, but I want him to never stop. "Mika, don't stop." I moaned in his ear and wrapped my legs around his waist. When he saw me, I didn't know how to feel. Because his eyes are blood red! He slowly approached my neck. That cold breath worried me even more. He didn't bite me, however, but instead scratched his designated spot with his fangs as the blood flowed from the wound, so it propelled him and made him much faster than before. The clap of our skin was just as loud as the satisfying moans from our mouths. "Y / n." he groaned my name and immediately turned me around. Now my back was visible to him. With both hands on our hips, our bodies clapped together. When I moaned his name one last time, the orgasm came, Mika pulled his member out of me and rubbed it with his hand until finally the white sperm speared out of his body.

𝐒𝐊𝐈𝐏

After Mika helped me cleanse my body, we are back in bed naked. "Do you think we can do it?" Mika asked out of nowhere. “I don't think so, I know, Mika. And I think you should too. "The vampire looked at me lovingly and finally kissed me on the lips and immediately afterwards whispered" Good night, y / n. " "Good night, Mika."

[emotionally-damaged-carrot]

Don't Judge a Book by its Cover

Vigilante x pscho/serial killer male reader

(Idk how to put that little bubble in the bio to go the ask me page can anyone teach me?)

Proof read once, k/n = killer name, might make a part 2 if you lot like it. Enjoy!

Warning: some suggestive stuff, that's about it ig

It just feels weird being around y/n it feels like he has a very deep dark secret, but then again doesn't everyone?

I just ignored it for some time 'til I asked him about his life, he told me he just moved here to greenfield two months ago, then I remembered about the killings that had been going around. That started two months ago, surely it was mere coincidence, I mean, look at him.

He has those big beautiful e/c eyes that when you gaze into them it feels like you are under a spell, that makes you want to stare at them for eternity. He has that small frame that makes him look defenseless, makes him look too innocent. Those perfectly shaped lips and their cherry red coloring that looks like a God painted them himself. That soft fluffy h/c hair that looks like it would feel like a cloud when you touch it.

That's what makes him so loveable. The perfect killer.

As I sit in an alleyway hurt and full of slashes, my eyes become watery, it stings, it stings everywhere, everything hurts, I feel my cheeks get wet and my vision blur.

I shouldve gone with my gut.

You know what they say,

Don't Judge a Book by its Cover.

——————

"Chase you will show the new guy around when he arrives."

I heard my manager tell me as I walked in through the back door. Throwing the newspaper I managed to pick up somewhere, giving one last look at the headline topic that has been at the top for the last month.

"When will he arrive?"

"About 15 minutes from now, I think. All the things you need to show and teach him are on this paper, please just try to finish this as soon as possible."

My manager says as he returns to his office to do manager stuff I guess.

I stand on the counter at the front waiting for the new guy, elbows resting on the counter, chin resting on my hands. Thinking about whether the new guy will be hot or not, will he be fun at work? will he be nice? Will we become friends? What does he think about vigilante and peacemaker? What wi-

My rambling was cut short with a guy entering the restaurant wearing the same uniform as me, he looked so timid and shy, he had beautiful e/c eyes that when gazed upon looks like they will lure you into a trap.

"H-hi, i'm-i'm the new guy, a-are you the one who w-will be showing me around?"

"Adrian Chase."

"Y-y-y/n l-l/n."

And holy fuck that voice, he has the voice of a siren, melodious, beautiful and perfect. He looked like a Greek God, the uniform fit on him like a glove, showing off his small frame, he looks like he doesn't weigh a ton, those beautiful red lips that looks like they just drank blood, that perfect shade of crimson red. Dirty images of those lips on my cock begin to appear.

I didnt realize I was gazing for too long until he cleared his throat, now with a blush on his face, the pink contrasting with his light complexion perfectly.

"Do you turn pink during sex?"

I say dumbly without realizing what I said, I kept on staring at him, he begins to turn even pinker.

"W-w-what?"

"Hm? Oow right, sorry about that, it just came out."

Now it's my turn to blush as I look down, my glasses falling slightly from how fast I moved my head. Fixing my glasses a bit, I looked up, looking at those beautiful e/c eyes.

"Right, well, I'll be showing you around today, soooooo let's start."

——————

As the tour came to an end, the weird guy with glasses kept looking at me... admiring me. as he's talking animatedly to me, he doesn't notice me slip in a sinister smirk for a split second. Too busy admiring my eyes, he kept biting his lips too. Pervert. Near the end of the tour he kept adjusting his pants, most likely cause by me.

As the day came to an end, I make my way to my car, sitting in the driver's seat I spot him, Adrian, by a dumpster looking at my car, I smirked, knowing I already had him wrapped around my finger, reader to be played with just to get an ounce of my attention, what a gullible fool.

As I was driving back to my new apartment. My phone buzzed notifying me, I looked quickly, seeing a grindr message notification.

'Still on for tonight, baby boy🍆?'

'Of course, daddy😘'

I replied, throwing my phone back on the passenger seat, turning up the radio. Grinning as I remembered who my next 'volunteer' is going to be.

As I arrived at my apartment, I quickly took a shower waiting for it to be 8pm, for him to pick me up, as I got out of the shower, I went to my room. To get into some comfy clothes, looking at the clock saying 7:01, 'I got some time to kill. Might as well relax a bit more, the "date" won't even take long anyways.'

Getting ready for the "date" I turned off the TV going back to my room to change into soemthing a bit more appropriate for the occasion, wearing an oversized red hoodie with black shorts and some red converse. I sat on the couch waiting for him to arrive scrolling through my phone.

After 5 minutes, I heard the doorbell ring, 'about time'.

I opened the door to see a tall hot blonde guy, with a well defined body, look down at me smirking, he was wearing a tight black shirt, obviously to show off. And also some shorts to show off those calves that look like they never skipped leg day.

"You ready baby?"

"Only for you, daddy."

I say as I walked out of my apartment locking the door, I looked at him, biting my lip and winking before going ahead of him, not before he slapped my ass tho, causing me to give a moan.

——————

As I was walking out of my apartment, ready for work, with my things ready I remembered my suit, going back in and packing my suit with me to work, I saw everyone that were outside of their apartments with a worried look on their faces when I walked back out.

"Why is everyone looking like that?"

I asked a random lady I was about to pass by, she just hands me the newspaper she held then went back inside her apartment.

'BLONDE MAN FOUND DEAD'

'A young blonde man was found dead, in the same way the other victims that were found in the previous weeks, with their faces sliced off, and hands missing, making them nearly impossible to recognize, the killer is suspected to be "The k/n ", who is also suspected to be the murderers of the people prior to this man based on the similarities of the conditions in which the bodies were found, authorities say it is advised to stay indoors before 7am and to avoid going out late.'

I stared at the picture they took of the body with fear, fear that the next victim could be y/n.

I make my way to my car to drive off to work, with the newspaper still in my hands. Sitting in the driver's seat I throw my phone and the newspaper on the passenger seat turning on the radio.

'I don't know about you chief but, last night I saw small kid, with an oversized red hoodie just a few houses past where the body was found, you think he by any chance, he saw what happened but was paid off to keep quiet? Or was he the one who did it? Or did he just come out of his home?'

'You can't go around accusing kids like that, we could get in trouble, but what we're you doing-'

I turned off the radio as I didn't want to think about how I failed to protect another innocent person.

——————

I parked my car next to y/n's car in the parking lot and went inside.

"H-Hey Adrian!"

I heard a sweet voice say my name, I immediately looked for the source of the siren call. My eyes landing on none other than y/n, he waved at me with a small smile on his face and that light blush.

"Hey y/n!"

I returned with he same energy waving my hand and making my way towards him.

"Did you hear the news? Another guy died."

I said with a damp look on my face, thinking about whether I will be able to protect the next victim of that maniac.

"Y-yea, I think I passed by the body too, by the time I passed by it tho, the crimes were already done, although I didn't really clearly see the body due to the poor lighting and the place of the body. And I think I saw some movements in the bush."

My heart raised as he said that.

"Were you wearing an oversized red hoodie?"

"Yea, w-why?"

He said with a panicked look on his face.

"N-nothing."

——————

As the day ended, with nothing too exciting happening I sat down on a chair by a table near the entrance. Tapping my fingers on the table, I kept seeing Adrian looking at me with a worried look. 'Did he bite my bait?' I thought to myself grinning inside.

As I was making my way to my car I kept feeling Adrian looking at me from behind. I grinned. 'The fish bit the bait, now all I have to do is reel it in'.

Liking and caring about me too much in the beginning was the worst mistake he could've made, being nice doesn't always mean being good...

After all,

Don't Judge a Book by its Cover.

[redheadspark]

New Prompt Time!

Hello Lovelies! I hope you all had a great three day weekend! Mine was mostly made up of relaxing, hitting the gym, and playing The Sims (My own personal need to turn off the brain). I want to start a new prompt tonight since I'm ready to write a bit more again! This lists theme is:

Affectionate and Affirming!

Here are the Rules:

1.) You can pick ONE from each list below, mix and match to however you wish! (One action and one quote) 2.) I'll close the request on Thursday night 5PST to give me plenty of time to write when I'm off work. Request in my ASK box either as yourself or anonymous! 3.) Here's who I'll write:

Druig (Eternals)

Azriel (ACOTAR)

Shangchi (Marvel)

Benedict Bridgerton (Bridgerton)

Eddie Munson (Stranger Things)

Thanks and happy requesting!

AFFECTIONATE  AND  AFFIRMING  PROMPTS :

Quotes:

❝  i’ll always want to listen to you.  ❞

❝  any time spent with you is time i treasure.  every second.  ❞

❝  my favorite color changes but it’s always the same,  whatever color you’re wearing.  ❞

❝  whatever matters to you matters to me,  you’re important to me.  ❞

❝  you’re so strong.  and brave—but i wish you knew you don’t always have to be.  i’m here,  if you’re ever willing to let me help shoulder those burdens.  ❞

❝  i’m not staring,  i’m admiring.  ❞

❝  i’ll always be yours,  in one way or another.  ❞

❝  you don’t ever have to worry with me.  i’m here for good.  ❞

❝  you are more beautiful than you know.  ❞

❝  you have a beautiful mind and a wonderful soul,  don’t ever let anyone make you think differently.  ❞

❝  i’m happier when you’re here.  ❞

❝  you’ve become my joy.  ❞

❝  whatever else happens,  if i have you,  i’m content.  ❞

❝  well,  i do feel a little better now that you’re here.  ❞

❝  you do make me happy,  it’s important you know that.  ❞

❝  you will always be my priority.  ❞

❝  i love you forever.  ❞

❝  you don’t know how glad i am to see you.  ❞

❝  you look wonderful.  ❞

❝  i want you to feel safe with me.  ❞

❝  i’m not letting you go until you say it out loud.  you’re beautiful and strong.  you deserve to believe it.  ❞

❝  sometimes you amaze me—i mean you always do.  but you have such intuition and real wisdom about things.  i like understanding the way you see the world.  ❞

❝  you carry yourself with such grace.  ❞

❝  you have a way of lighting up even the darkest moments.  ❞

❝  a tender heart is a courageous thing to preserve.  don’t ever be ashamed of having one.  ❞

❝   being around you makes me a better person.  ❞

❝  i hope you know just how full of worth you are.  ❞

❝  you always make me see things differently.  i appreciate your perspective. ❞

❝  i’m just enjoying you.  you look happy today and i like seeing that.  ❞

❝  you’re very valuable to me.  ❞

❝  you can come to me with anything.  anything at all.  ❞

❝  there is not a place in the world i would rather be than right here with you.  ❞

❝  come here,  come sit in my lap and tell me about your day.  ❞

❝  come put your head in my lap and tell me something new.  ❞

❝  i love it when you smile at me like that.  ❞

❝  i don’t think i can share you with anyone today.  ❞

❝  i’ll take you anywhere you want.  just tell me where.  ❞

❝  bored? of you?  impossible.  ❞

❝  if you like it i’ll get you one.  ❞

❝  your happiness matters greatly to me.  ❞

❝  you deserve to reach the goals you want in life.  you deserve to obtain anything you wish.  ❞

❝  you’re doing well.  you’re just discouraged and tired.  ❞

❝  you need to rest,  you don’t have to do it all today.  ❞

❝  the way i love you goes beyond description.  even those words don’t seem like enough.  ❞

❝  you come first.  you’re always my first choice.  ❞

❝  no,  if you’re upset that’s what matters right now.  talk to me.  ❞

❝  i want to share in your joy.  i want to be part of all things that make you happy.  ❞

❝  all of my best moments are the ones that have you in them.  ❞

❝  i would give you anything you ask of me. ❞

Action:

[ COMFORT ]  sender discovers receiver brooding and quietly approaches to carefully hug them from behind. 

[ SOOTHE ]  in the midst of a tense moment,  receiver turns away to conceal their emotions but sender wraps their arms around them and holds them from behind. 

[ CLOSE ]  sender reaches out and pulls receiver into their lap as they’re walking by. 

[  STOP  ]  sender reaches out and takes receiver’s face into their hands,  drawing them away from what they’re doing so they can just look at receiver for a moment.  

[ GIVE ]  sender greets with receiver with a gift. 

[ BRING ]  sender takes receiver out for the day to pamper them. 

[ ATTENTION ]  sender peppers a series of caresses over receiver’s face in an attempt to make them laugh or smile. 

[ COAX ]  sender knows receiver has had a lot on their mind,  so they hold them for a while to help them relax and hopefully open up. 

[ CARESS ]   sender sits by quietly while receiver works,  petting their hair and simply providing company. 

[ RELAX ]  sender gives receiver a massage. 

[ LOOK ]  for receiver to catch sender gazing adoringly at them.

[ MORNING ]  for sender to wake receiver with a kiss. 

Prompt by @leneemusing

Tagging: @botanicalbarnes @ftrmrs-barry-keoghan @heartofwritiing @a-lumos-in-the-nox @basicrese @virtueassassin @vinvantae

[user21340]

the world in her arms

(i don’t own this gif or characters used in this fic)

pairing: natasha romanoff x fem!reader

summary: you and natasha have always had quite a flirty and sarcastic relationship. both of you develop feelings for one another but you both are clueless to what the other feels until nat gets jealous and says something hurtful to you. will you make up (or out)?

warnings: minor angst, fluff, swearing, and a mention of death.

word count: 2.1k

a/n: omg thank you so much for 57 followers love you all 💕. sorry for the lack of content i didn’t know what to write and had almost no new ideas. also i’m a youngin and worked my first 8 hr day yesterday so your girl was exhausted and i have finals coming up soon. k thank you for coming to my ted talk, enjoy!

also this song doesn’t relate to the story at all but it’s underrated imo and also sorry for the weird pov changes throughout the story.

“Hey y/l/n! Where are you headed?” Natasha yells from the kitchen while I’m standing in the living room on our shared floor.

“Wouldn’t you like to know Nat.” I say with a smirk.

“Yeah matter of fact I would.” she retorts.

“Chill, I’m just headed to train some recruits with Clint. But don’t miss me too much, I'll be back in a few hours, Natty.” You blow a kiss her way, and she just rolls her eyes partially from the kiss and the use of her nickname but you see a faint pink tint sitting atop of her cheeks before she turns away.

I’ve been training these recruits with Clint for a couple hours and my session is nearing an end. Something I’ve picked up on today is how touchy and how dumb these recruits are acting just for me to correct their form. I don’t have time for this shit I think as this girl has me correct her jab form for what has to be the fifth time this hour.

Non readers pov

Natasha actually does start to miss you because of how bored she is due to the larger training room being occupied for these recruits. She heads down to see if you are wrapping up yet and see if you’d like to grab dinner with her somewhere. She arrives at the training room and heads to the back room where there is a large one way mirror. Natasha, having nothing better to do, watches Clint and yourself interact with these seemingly clueless recruits.

Minutes pass and Natasha honestly likes seeing your frustration every time a recruit asks you a stupid question or something you’d already answered for the hundredth time this session. That is until she sees this handsy recruit keep asking you to correct your form which she sees you fake a smile at and happily correct it. As if Natasha isn’t jealous already she sees you release a genuine large laugh at something a recruit says. Not being able to withstand witnessing anymore of this behavior from you directed towards anyone else except her. Natasha then storms off into the living room.

Readers pov

I was nearing the end of this session when a recruit comes up behind me and asks, “Soooo, is it true that you and Clint are like a thing?” he asks with no trace of humor or sarcasm on his face. I just bust out laughing because one, everyone or at least almost everyone who knows about The Avengers knows that I’m 100% only interested in women and two, CLINT? I mean he is a great guy and all but I’ll never forget the time I went into a diner to have breakfast with him and the waitress assumed he was my grandfather.

twenty long minutes later...

The living room is lively and everyone seems to strike up a conversation with one another. I decide to strike up a conversation with Natasha who is weirdly acting cold all of a sudden.

“Oh my god! You know what I just remembered the other day? My mom used to-“

“Shut up, y/n/n. I don’t care and I don’t think anyone does at the moment.” she exclaims with a small smirk thinking you’ll detect her harsh-morbid sarcasm.

“Oh.” you choke out, “It’s getting pretty late I-I better head to bed” my voice cracks as I mutter a small, ‘asshole’ agony laced in my voice blinking the hot tears away. I start walking towards my room but it slowly turns into a jog, then sprint. Anything to get to my room and release my sadness.

Non readers pov

The room is frozen. Everyone is staring at Natasha.

“I care.” Wanda states heading to your room because she knows you shouldn’t be alone right now.

“Jesus Nat, that was awful. You know you’ve fucked you when even I say it’s bad. Poor girl’s mom passed when she was around 10.” Tony deadpans.

“Oh my god, what have I done?” Nat says burying her head into her hands.

“I’m not too sure how you’re gonna get out of this one Nat, but you’ve gotta fix this.” Sam says.

Wanda reaches your room and hears loud yet muffled sobs while standing in the hallway. She can feel your grief rippling through her body. The only heartache she can relate to is the moment she lost Pietro which is more than an average person should feel. She knocks on the door softly yet hard enough to alert you of her presence.

Readers pov

I hear three soft knocks on the door. I quickly silence my cries and assume it is Nat. I then clear my throat as the knocking continues and muster up enough energy to speak,

“Go away” into my pillow loudly. The knocking stops but I don’t hear anyone walk away just yet.

“Y/n/n, it’s Wanda. Can you let me in please, so we can talk?” she asks, I stand up while groaning and walk towards the door. I unlock it and open it just a crack to make sure she is alone and not with a certain someone. It is pretty short-lived as Wanda pushes the door open the rest of the way.

“Oh hon, I’m sorry.” She says as she wraps me into a tight hug after closing the door behind her. I crumble into her embrace as she rubs small circles on my back. Wanda has always been such a calming figure in my life since I met her, a major part being that she can feel almost all of my anxieties that try to drown me throughout a day. She also knows how it feels to be alone which allows her to relate to my feelings, so she knows just how much missing someone who is gone for eternity hurts.

We hug for what feels like minutes but when I take a quick glance outside my window it is dark out.

“Is it true?” I rasp.

“What?” she counters.

“Y’know that no one cares. All I wanted to do was share a memory that I remembered of myself with my mom and as you know it isn’t too often that I remember these types of things and when I do I love sharing them, so she won’t ever be forgotten. It just hurts so much to be shut down talking about something you truly care about by someone you care about.” I explain while Wanda looks at me with the softest eyes I’ve ever seen while nodding her head slightly.

“Now that is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. I care and everyone in this compound cares about what you have to say as well as what you are feeling. You know how Natasha can be sometimes with the insensitive comments she makes before realizing what she’s doing.”

“I know but that doesn’t give her the right to j-just say stuff like that. I get how full our relationship is with banter and sarcastic comments but I really thought she was starting to like me.” I frown as Wanda just nods. That’s when exhaustion hits me like a truck.

“Wands, before I ask you this just know you can decline.” I give her a minute to protest, but she says nothing. ” Can you sleep with me?” Wanda’s eyes widen,

”Y/n/n I don’t think that is a good id-“ I realize what I just said and cut her off before things get even more uncomfortable. “Nonono, Wanda, like lay down with me not any of that gross stuff. Ew.” Wanda’s features fill with relief, and she chuckles at my childish comment about sex.

“Of course I will! You just may want to word it a little different next time.” she chuckles as you hide your face with embarrassment. We both get settled on the bed and I feel her two arms pull me towards her and I snuggle closer.

Non readers pov

Wanda slowly gets out of bed after she is sure you are fast asleep and sets off to find Nat. When she does she sees that Nat had barely moved from where she last saw her still with her face in her hands.

“Nat. I know you think you really screwed up, which you did, but it’s y/n/n. You can’t go on without telling her how you feel about her.”

“Wanda, you can’t just look in my mind! We’ve talked about this!”

“Romanoff you know I’m one to keep my promises, so I’d never look without your permission. Maybe if you turned down the volume of your thoughts a few decibels I wouldn’t have heard anything. Also, are you ready that oblivious to the fact the whole team knows you two are like little lovesick puppies for one another when you two aren’t attached by the hip.” she explains, “Now, stop moping around and apologize at least.”

“You’re right, Wands, wish me luck. I hope she can forgive me.”

Natasha gets up and races towards your room. She didn’t want to wait so long to talk to you and apologize, but she thought you wouldn’t want to speak to her after what she’d said.

Similarly, to Wanda’s entrance, Natasha softly knocks on your door enough to wake you even out of your semi-deep sleep.

Readers pov

I jump at the knocks on the door and am confused to see Wanda is no longer beside me.

“Wanda you don’t have to knock, you know that.” I sigh out.

“It isn’t Wanda.” a voice you are able to recognize as Nat sheepishly speaks.

“Oh, what do you need?” I ask, all the heartbreak and ache coming back when I hear the voice I’m usually excited to listen to, as if her speech is my favorite song.

“Can we talk? I need to apologize.”

“Sure,” I softly reply.

Non readers pov

Nat opens the door once she has your permission and sees your usual strong, confident frame look small and fragile. Her heart breaks at the sight of you so broken and in pain because of her own actions. Not to mention your tear stained cheeks when you look towards her. It is silent for a minute or so before you throw your head back onto your pillow staring at the ceiling. This awakens something in Natasha for an unknown reason.

Readers pov

“Y/n, I am so sorry. I know that sorry doesn’t cut it for the amount of hurt I’ve caused you all because I was jealous but I hope we can rebuild what we had but it totally is okay if you don’t want to even though I would love another chance with yo-“

“Nat, calm down. I’m not going to sit here and say I’m fine with what you said because truth be told I love sharing memories of my family when I remember them with you. Not only because I trust you but because I think I care for you and love you more than friends should. I just hope what you said is meaningless or else that is when we can’t rebuild what we had.”

“No y/n/n, I didn’t mean any of it. It was just in the heat of the moment because I saw you laughing at something a recruit said when I was going to ask you if you wanted to go get dinner with me. So, I stormed off like a child and said hurtful things to mask my selfishness because I want you to be mine and mine only.”

“Oh my god Nat. You can’t be serious, I was laughing at something a recruit said because he assumed Clint and I were going out.” Nat bursts out laughing.

“See? Anyone who was told that who knew me would just die of laughter on the spot.” I say as I glance her way while patting the place beside me on my bed. She accepts.

“So you actually like me?” you hopefully ask.

“Possibly depending on if those feelings are reciprocated.”

“They are.” I say.

“Good. Can I also say how sorry I am for saying that to-“ I cut her off but placing a quick peck to her soft lips.

“Uh, uh, uh” I tut, “I don’t want to hear any more apologies come out of that mouth. Could you just hold me?” Natasha is still dumbfounded by the little kiss.

“Of course.” Nat complies pressing your back to her front as she wraps her long toned arms around your frame. I hum at the contact.

At this moment Nat realizes there is no place she’d rather be as she feels like she has the world in her arms.

[milkybonya]

i'm not the same boy you knew back then

Warnings: food mentions and some angst, party mentions

Pairing: Yedam x (gn)reader

Summary: where Yedam broke your heart in high school because he didn't know how to act but now he's desperately in love with you and wishes you still felt the same :")

word count: 5.8k

inspired by Walls by All Time Low (it has explicit language! be careful~~i've put a link for it at the veryyy end of this fic)

[a/n]: I GOT SO CARRIED AWAY FOR THE FLASHBACK PART OF THIS OML I'M SORRY FOR THE CHAOS AND MESS BUT I HOPE YOU ENJOY

Hey there it's good to see you again, It never felt right calling this "just friends". I'm happy, if you're happy, with yourself.

"Isn't that Yedam?" your friend, sat beside you, asks. They point to somewhere behind your head, and naturally, you turn around to follow their finger with your eyes.

As the doors to the lecture hall swing shut, a familiar boy begins to walk quickly down the steps. While grinning, he decides on a spot near the back, far away from your almost front-row seat. You let out the breath you didn't realize you were holding and face the front.

"Since when did he go to our university?" your friend asks, also facing the front now.

"I have no clue," you admit.

You'd purposely accepted an offer at a faraway university to avoid having to see Yedam ever again after high school. High school had become one of the worst times of your life thanks to him.

-

Yedam's pov

As soon as I enter the hall, I find [y/n] with my eyes immediately. They look at me with a mix of shock, disgust and hatred, but seeing them fills me with so much joy that I can't help but smile.

Deciding not to bother them, I pick a spot near the back and sit down. I wonder to myself if switching to [y/n]'s school was the right choice...

-

[y/n]'s pov

It was obvious you were too much for me. Oblivious, I was young

Back in high school, you had the fattest crush on one of the school's most popular kids, and you hated yourself for it. It wasn't like you could control your feelings... but your heart was set on him. His smile made you feel so warm and you felt happy despite him not having the slightest clue who you were. You always watched him from afar, peering at him as he walked into the classroom while waving at all of his friends before taking a seat at the back.

By some chance, you got paired with him for an assignment. You thought he would be disappointed, since he had never spoken to you, but contrary to his somewhat intimidating aura as a result of him being a popular kid, he smiled warmly at you as you introduced yourself.

"I know you're [y/n]," he said quietly, looking down at the assignment instructions in front of him.

"How do you know?" you asked him.

He looked up and leaned in closer to you to whisper into your ear, only after being sure that no one was watching.

"It may not seem like it, but I do know my classmates."

When he moved back, he flashed you a grin before returning to the assignment instructions again. Your heartbeat was flooding your ears.

After meeting up several times to do the research and plan out the presentation together, you and Yedam somehow grew closer. You had always thought he was some sort of chic, cool guy, but he turned out to be super soft and sweet. The two of you laughed at each other's dumb jokes and procrastinated late into the night sometimes, only beginning your work when the café was about to close.

On one of those days, Yedam asked if you wanted to go to his place to finish the assignment.

"It's due in two weeks and we still have so much to do... plus we're so busy that we can only meet once a week," he explained, pouting slightly.

You agreed, feeling somewhat nervous and excited at the prospect of going to your crush's house for the first time.

His parents were home but asleep as it was late for them, so the two of you quietly went to his room.

In-between muffled giggles and late-night snacks, the two of you managed to get a lot of work done before you felt as though you'd hit your limit. After yawning and stretching, you told Yedam that it was time you went home.

"Do you live far from here?" he asked you.

You, in fact, did live quite far from his house, but you felt bad telling him this, so you lied and told him you lived close by.

He pouted and looked down.

"I was going to ask if you wanted to just sleep here... but I guess it makes sense for you to go home," he said, helping you pack up your things.

Yedam... wanted you to stay the night? How could you miss such an opportunity! Your crush! Wanted you to stay the night!!

Yedam noticed that you'd stopped moving, holding your pencil case in your hand as you thought about what to say.

"Is everything okay?" he asked you.

"Yeah... I actually... live kind of far," you mumbled, not wanting him to get mad at you for lying.

"You do? Then why did you say you live close by?" he asked, also taking his hands away from your backpack.

"I didn't want you to walk me home or anything," you explained. Yedam smiled at you, shaking his head.

"Don't worry about it now... do you have any clothes to change into?"

"Just my gym clothes... but they're dirty," you told him, shyly.

"Do you want to take something of mine to wear?" he asked you, already standing up to look through his closet without waiting for your answer.

You were going to say no, again, not wanting to bother him, but he had already pulled out some of his comfier clothes for you to wear.

After changing into them and walking back into his room, you avoided Yedam's eyes as he quietly lost his mind over how cute you looked.

"Um, so..." Yedam started, scratching the back of his neck.

"Would you be okay with sleeping in my bed? I'll go sleep in the livingroom-"

"No, no! I'll go sleep there-"

"No, I can't let a guest sleep on the couch!"

Both of you sighed, not being able to win against one another.

"Listen, it's either you sleep in my room and I go to the livingroom, or we both sleep in my bed," he said, pointing to his bed behind you.

You froze, trying to consider your options as your heartbeat grew louder.

"Well... I guess we're both sleeping here then," you said, in a tone that tried to sound confident but was a little shaky.

You plopped yourself face first into the bed to hide from your embarrassment, feeling the bed shift a few seconds later as Yedam joined you.

"Scooch over towards the wall. I'll sleep on this side so you won't fall off the bed at night," he said, pointing to the side of his bed that faced the rest of his room. You smiled at Yedam's kind gesture as you moved over.

He had turned off the light and it was dark now, and both of you lay side-by-side on your backs, staring up at the ceiling.

"Are you... asleep?" he asked you quietly a while later. You shook your head at first, but then realized he couldn't see you. So you said a quiet "no".

You felt Yedam shift as he turned to face you. You carefully turned your head towards him too, wondering what he was up to. It was hard to see in the dark, but he was just admiring your face. You looked away, feeling embarrassed, until you felt him shuffling closer to you.

It was a little nerve-wracking watching his figure tower over you in the dark. Blinking up at him, you parted your lips to ask him what he was doing, but he spoke first.

"Am I allowed to... kiss you?" he asked, quietly looking down at you.

Yedam... wants to ???? Your crush wanted-

You found yourself nodding before your thoughts could entirely be processed, and watched as Yedam lowered himself onto you with a small smile. His heart soared as he watched your reaction -- your eyes were squeezed shut so tightly out of nervousness.

Before his soft lips met yours, he found your hand under the blankets and held it in an attempt to ease you of your nervousness. He didn't know that it only made your stomach feel the effects even more intensely.

Your lips touched for only a moment, but it felt like a whole eternity. When he pulled away, he moved off of you quickly and shuffled over to his side of the bed again.

"I'm sorry.. I'm so sorry," he mumbled, looking away from you. You were confused.

"What's wrong?" you asked him.

"I... I was supposed to tell you I like you first but then now you're right beside me--wait not that I like you... wait I mean I do, but I didn't want to tell you like this--"

Hearing his unsure confession was all the confidence you needed to pull him closer, accidentally tightening his hoodie strings as you pulled him in to carefully press your lips against his again. He completely melted into your hands, then, wrapping an arm around your back and holding you close.

That was probably one of the last good memories you have of him.

After that, Yedam turned into a different person the next morning, avoiding your eyes and missing any trace of a smile on his face as he pushed a plate of breakfast towards you.

"Let's not walk to school together, okay? I'll be leaving first," he told you, leaving you alone in his own house.

You had no clue what was going on and no appetite to eat. After waiting a few minutes, you walked to school after him. You had no idea how to even get to school from his house, so after getting lost and arriving late, you finally managed to make it.

When you tried to approach him in class, he would turn his back on you and ignore you. It made you feel so small that you stopped even trying.

It was really hard for you to show up to school after that, because of how terrible you felt, but you still tried your best. Your friends knew something was wrong and they did their best to help you, but it didn't stop you from thinking about Yedam and why he was acting so strangely.

Until he texted you one day in the middle of class, asking you to meet him in an empty classroom.

You told yourself you shouldn't pay him any attention, especially after he ghosted you like that, but you still followed after him, curious to see what excuse he would give you.

In the classroom, you couldn't see anyone, so you thought Yedam hadn't arrived yet until you heard him call out your name from behind a file cabinet. By the windows.

"Come here, [y/n]," he said, motioning for you to approach him. He was smiling at you again, just like he did on those days when you'd study with him in the café. You told yourself to just turn around and leave, but your feet guided you to him.

You frowned up at him.

"What the heck have you been doing?" you asked him, tears already threatening to leave your eyes.

"[y/n], I-I'm sorry... you know how it is for me, with my popular reputation. Some kids saw us at the café and posted pictures of us, saying that I was going around dating a loser-"

He was holding onto your hands while wearing a pitiful expression, but you coldly pushed him away after hearing him out.

"So you've been acting weird because I'm tainting your reputation? Yedam, we never even dated! You gave me some... half-assed confession and... kissed me in the middle of the night and then ghosted me," you told him, sternly.

"I know, I'm sorry... It's so pathetic but I really do like you... I'm just really bad at this, I know, but I'm telling you now I like you-"

"In an empty classroom. Behind a file cabinet."

"Please, [y/n]. Date me for real... I promise I won't let you down."

You and your kind, innocent heart believed his promise. You believed him because his eyes were sparkling and he was holding onto you so tightly.

Yedam told you that you had to date him in secret, and that was just one of many red flags. He explained that if his friends found out, he would be teased and you would be hurt by their words, too. Nonetheless, you agreed. At school, you never spoke to him. All you got were stolen glances, Yedam winking at you every time you turned around in your seat. Somehow, that was enough to make your heart flutter.

You could only see each other in each other's homes, since even the risk of being caught out on a date was too much for Yedam to handle. The two of you would intertwine hands while watching a movie. You'd rest your head on Yedam's shoulder, or sometimes he would rest his head in your lap and you would gently stroke his hair, watching as his eyes squeezed shut tightly while he indulged in the feeling of your love.

Sometimes the two of you would listen to music together, quietly sharing earphones while staring out the window.

Sometimes you would just talk for hours into the night.

Yedam's smile would never leave his face when he was with you.

Except for when he was at school.

And you could handle it. At least you thought you could, until the final straw.

For Yedam's birthday, a few of his friends had gathered in his home, celebrating. You were also invited, of course, after you begged Yedam to let you come. He had told his friends that he invited you as a gesture of thanks for working on the assignment with him... it broke your heart to hear this lie, but you shrugged it off, again.

Everyone was feeling excited as they all started a game of spin-the-bottle. You felt incredibly out of place and already angry, even more so upon seeing a girl getting all handsy with Yedam, stroking his thigh with her hand and playing with his hair. She was constantly glued to him, but you shrugged it off, again.

After the bottle's mouth faced Yedam, the girl beside him dared him to kiss someone. How childish, you thought to yourself. You watched as Yedam locked eyes with you and started to stand up, making his way towards you with a small smile, but the girl beside him stopped him.

"Where are you going, damie? Isn't it me who you should kiss?"

Yedam looked back at her and then at you.

"I-"

"C'mon, it's your birthday!" she said, dragging him back down.

That literally is not an excuse and makes no sense, you scoffed to yourself, rolling your eyes.

The next few moments were a blur, but Yedam ended up kissing her and you felt like a piece of paper being torn in two. We can't even look at each other in public, you thought to yourself. You fought back tears and got up to leave. No one seemed to mind or care about where you were going, since none of these people were your friends anyway. Even Yedam was preoccupied, his lips on the mouth of this other girl.

You couldn't just shrug things off anymore. This was it. Now, it was your turn to ghost Yedam.

You hadn't told him, but your family were planning to move to another city soon. You told them to plan the move for earlier so you could leave that dreaded place and leave Yedam. Ignoring all his calls and texts, you transferred out the next week, and that was that.

-

I'm gonna break down these walls, I built around myself. I wanna fall so in love, with you, and no one else, Could ever mean half as much, to me as you do now. Together we'll move on, just don't turn around, Let the walls break down.

You can't focus in lecture as everything that happened with Yedam flashes before your eyes. Just as you're starting to live a normal life without him, he has to show up and allow of the trauma to resurface.

As soon as your class ends, you quickly pack your bags. Your friend does the same, understanding exactly what is going on. But it seems like Yedam and his feet move a little faster.

Just as you're about to leave your row, you look up to find Yedam standing at the end of it, a small smile on his face.

You sigh and turn around, telling your friend to do the same so you can leave through the other side. But Yedam just follows behind you quietly. He doesn't say a word and just follows you as you and your friend as you leave the lecture hall to go to your next class.

Suddenly, you stop. Your friend and Yedam stop, too.

You turn around, your fist clenched into a tight ball.

"Yedam, can you please stop following me? Do you not have classes of your own or things to do? Please leave me alone," you told him, turning your back on him again and walking forward.

Your friend didn't follow you, though, but looked back and forth between you and Yedam. So lost in your thoughts, you walk to class on your own, not noticing that your friend isn't following you.

-

Yedam's pov

After they say those words and leave, I feel my heart breaking in two. Of course I know how much I've hurt [y/n], but their words make me realize that I'll never be able to completely understand. I almost start crying right there and then...

"Yedam, right?" their friend asks me. I look at them and nod, confused.

"Listen, [y/n] hates your guts. They're not going to talk to you and hear you out, so I'll do it instead. I know [y/n] might regret it if they don't hear you out, even if they don't want to."

I smile at [y/n]'s friend. That sounds exactly like [y/n]...

"You've probably heard a lot of awful things about me, and it's all true. But... [y/n] probably didn't tell you about those nights we spent in each other's rooms... the times that we did get to spend with each other alone.... sorry, what I'm trying to say is that I've always loved [y/n]. Not even 'like', but I've always loved them. And I don't think I'll be able to stop... I know I was such a terrible boyfriend back then. I don't think I can say I even was much of a boyfriend... but I've changed. I can promise that I've changed. I know it must be so arrogant of me to ask if they'll give me another chance but..."

I trail off, my brain shutting down as I struggle to find anymore words to express myself. [y/n]'s friend nods after I trail off.

"I see... well, I've heard about your promises. I heard they couldn't be trusted but if you've changed, then maybe that has changed, too. [y/n] has a really kind heart, but I won't let them date a jerk ever again. So unless we both know for sure that you're different now, we are not letting you date them."

With that, [y/n]'s friend walks away and leaves me there.

-

[y/n]'s pov

In class, you feel completely empty, unsure of how to feel. You only notice that your friend had not been beside you this entire time when they take a seat in the spot beside you, apologizing that they're late.

"Where were you?" you ask them, looking up as they sit down.

"I was talking to Yedam," your friend tells you, never one to lie.

Your face fills with disgust at the mention of his name.

"Why would you do that?" you whisper loudly, causing some heads in the lecture hall to turn your way. You mumble an apology before returning to your friend.

"I wanted to hear him out," they say, casually opening up their notes.

"What did he say?"

"So you are interested, huh?" they ask you, teasing.

"No, I'm not!"

"I know, calm down! He just said something along the lines of how he's always loved you and does now, too, and that he's changed--"

"That is the most garbage thing I've ever heard," you say, interrupting your friend with a scoff. They smile, shaking their head at you.

-

When you return to your dorm after all your classes, you find a small gift bag hanging on the door knob to your room. Curious, you pick it up and notice it has your name written on the side.

You could recognize that handwriting from a mile away.

As if it's the side of a hot pan, you drop it, watching its contents spill to the ground. A pack of your favourite snack falls out, along with a neatly handwritten note, a CD player and earphones.

I guess it wouldn't hurt to look, you tell yourself.

Picking everything up and walking into your room, you sit on your bed and read the note over.

[y/n]!! ah, it doesn't make sense for me to be cute or excited in this note, does it? >.< please forgive me.... i'm a little nervous... here is that snack that you've always loved... do you still love it now, too? and here is something that i wrote for you~it's on the CD. just press play and i'll let the song do the talking... i wrote this after you disappeared.

- yedam

This song better be god tier if he's coming to leave it at my door, you think to yourself.

As the song fills your ears, it seems to fill your empty heart too. You can tell it's full of Yedam's sincere feelings and thoughts... or he's just doing a good job of acting while singing. You can't seem to tell, but you still tear up a little.

You hear the door to your room swing open, as your friend, who also happens to be your roommate, barges in.

"What are you up to?" they ask, placing some things on their desk. They turn around immediately when they hear you sniffling.

"ARE YOU CRYING?" they shout, sitting beside you and wrapping their arms around you.

"This... song... Yedam..." you croak, just handing them the earphones.

When they listen to it, they also go quiet.

"It sounds really sincere..." your friend tells you, quietly.

"I'm not the only one who feels that way?" you ask your friend, looking at them.

"You know him better than I do, so you're probably right," they tell you, standing up.

"Why did this boy have to show up and make a mess of my life again," you groan, hiding your face in your hands.

"Well, I have just the solution! I know you're probably going to think about him and not get any work done anyway, so should we just go to a party?!" your friend tells you, jumping up and down.

"A party?" you wrinkle your nose in disgust.

"It'll help you stop thinking about him! Please, we never went to any parties last year!! Let's go, just this once!" they beg.

After thinking it over, you agree. What's the worst that could happen?

-

Wearing one of your favourite fits and feeling good, you walk alongside your friend, who already has a groove in their step as the two of you make your way to the house where the party is set to be held. It isn't that hard to find, since you're just following the bright lights and loud music in the distance. It's a wonder the people in that house aren't being arrested for causing such a ruckus...

Finally there, you step inside and try not to bump into any weird people. The music is so loud its deafening, and you shrivel up at the sound of it. Your friend wraps their arm around you, pulling you in close and guiding you to the snack/drink area so you can take what you need and go to a quieter place.

Your friend did beg you to come today, so they won't force you to dance or do any things you don't want to do...

Now equipped with everything you need, you make your way to the basement, where it's a lot quieter despite being so busy.

"How's this for a change?" your friend asks you, grooving along to the distant sound of the music from upstairs.

"It seems like you want to dance," you tell your friend.

They shake their head.

"I'll stay with you toniiiiiight!" they cheer, hugging you tightly. You laugh.

"It's fine, just go up! The crowd doesn't seem too scary or weird down here," you tell them as you watch two people play mario kart in front of a TV.

After asking you 1000 times if it's really okay, they leave you there with a drink in your hand. You continue watching the two people playing mario kart, secretly rooting for the boy in orange because his fit looks really nice, even if you're only looking from the back.

He ends up losing and you let out a "noooo!" loud enough for the two to hear. When they turn around, you discover that the boy in orange had been Yedam all along!

I take back rooting for him... he deserved to lose!

Widening your eyes at the sight of him, you quickly turn away and try to navigate your way towards another room. To your surprise, as soon as you walk in, Yedam is in there, holding the door open at the other end and panting.

"[y/n]," he calls out softly, smiling slightly. You can tell he's testing the waters and wondering how to react.

You try to walk out of the room, but the door behind you has been shut by some drunken idiot! He's pressed up against the frame and no matter how much you push, the door just won't open.

"[y/n], if you want to leave, it's okay. I don't want to bother you," Yedam tells you, stepping aside from the other door and motioning for you to walk through.

You sigh.

"No, it's fine. I guess we're here for a reason now, or something," you mumble, sliding down the wall until you're in a comfortable sitting position.

Yedam smiles, closing the door behind him.

"Still caught up in all that destiny stuff?" he asks you, joining you in sitting on the ground but also keeping his distance.

You scoff in response. How does this kid remember everything about me?

"So... what are you doing in my house?' he asks you.

"Your.... house?"

"Yeah, this is my house. You didn't know?" he asks you, looking bewildered.

You think about your friend. They must have brought you here while knowing it was Yedam's house...

"Um... nevermind that. How... have you been?" Yedam asks you, wringing his hands.

"Me? I've been doing great until now. How about you?" you spit out your words sarcastically, but Yedam doesn't seem to mind.

"I've been... well... I'm not sure. It would be cheesy for me to say I've been feeling lost without you, but that's kind of how it is," he tells you, chuckling nervously.

"Yeah, super cheesy. It also doesn't make sense, Yedam," you tell him, avoiding his eyes.

"I know it doesn't, but to me it does. I know our relationship was a mess, but those times that we spent together were... something else. Probably some of the best times of my life, honestly," he tells you.

"And why... are you telling me this?" you ask him, curious to see how he'll respond.

"Because I know I'm in the wrong and there's no excuse for my past childishness, but... I've missed you. And I still do. I know I was really caught up in my reputation back then and I didn't open myself up to you properly, but I want to do that now."

He runs his fingers through his hair, and something inside you turns. You didn't realize just how much you loved it when Yedam did that until now... he looks so pretty--

No. What are you thinking?!

"I haven't missed you though, Yedam," you say.

He smiles sadly.

"I know. And there's no reason for you to. But I'm just... asking for a second chance in case you think there's anything left."

You gulp and look up at the ceiling. You hadn't even considered the possibility of dating Yedam again, but talking with him now is different. He's less cautious and seems to be a lot more comfortable with you.

Someone knocks on the door behind Yedam and Yedam tells them to come in.

"Oh, am I interrupting?" the boy asks, slowly backing away.

"It's fine, I'm just talking to [y/n]," Yedam says with a smile, gesturing towards you. You greet the boy and his eyes light up.

"[y/n]?! The one you always tell me about? Gosh... it's so nice to meet you!" the boy says, shaking your hand and sitting down in front of you.

"You put up with a lot of Yedam's antics, I've heard," he says, laughing. Yedam laughs along, but you're still in shock.

Yedam had never told anyone about you... but now this random boy knows everything?

"It was more than antics. I was... really bad to [y/n]. I'm surprised they haven't left yet," Yedam admits, leaning back.

"I transferred to your old high school after you transferred out, and this boy was always sad. He didn't talk to anyone but me, only because the teacher asked him to show me around. He told me everything about you and eventually told the rest of his friends, too. You were his biggest and only heartbreak... I swear everyone at our school knows about you," the boy explains.

"What did you tell them?" you ask Yedam.

"He told us how he had been dating you in secret because he was afraid to ruin his popularity, but that he regrets it a lot. A lot of his friends left him after finding out you dated Yedam," the boy explains. Yedam nods along.

You're in shock. The boy who was so secretive and insecure exposed himself as a heartbreaker?

"Anyways, I'm sorry to be interrupting. I'll leave now!" the boy says, standing up and closing the door behind him.

"You... told everyone?" you ask Yedam. He nods.

"I feel like it was the only thing I could do for you. You deserved to be known as the one who held my heart," he says, holding his chest and laughing at his own cheesy words.

You find yourself laughing along and loosening up.

A moment of silence stretches between the two of you, and Yedam breaks it by standing up.

"Do you wanna play mario kart with me? You seemed to be having fun watching," Yedam asks you quietly.

You nod, also standing up.

The two of you play for about an hour, screaming and yelling at the TV just like you used to in your bedroom when you'd play games together.

"I won!" you declare in glee, turning to Yedam to do your signature high five with him. His hands meet yours, and you only realize what you're doing only after its already happened. You awkwardly move your hands away, facing the screen again.

"I'm sorry..." you mumble.

"No, I'm sorry! It's really okay, [y/n]... if you feel uncomfortable around me, you don't have to--"

"Your song touched me a lot, Yedam. And now I feel like... I want to try again. Just like this game," you say, pointing to the screen that has try again written in the corner.

"Are you sure?" he asks you, slowly.

You nod, deciding you've made up your mind. You've seen a lot of green flags already -- enough to decide that it's okay to move forward.

Yedam smiles and looks down at his lap. Then his head lifts up quickly, his eyes lighting up.

"I can take you to that café you always wanted to go! They have one in this city... and there's a museum next to it too! Do you want to go there? I.."

As he continues talking, you realize that all of the things he's saying he wants to do were things that you never did with Yedam, even after one year of dating him. It was always stay-at-home dates and ignore-each-other-when-we're-at-school. Somehow, you feel excited, wondering what things will be like.

"[y/n]! I've been looking everywhere for--oh, Yedam? Hi!" your friend greets you both.

"Did you have fun dancing?" you ask them. They nod, pointing to Yedam with their eyes.

You get up and whisper into your friend's ear.

"We have a lot to talk about, but I think..."

Your friend doesn't even wait for you to finish before they say, "well, I have to leave early now. Yedam, can you walk [y/n] home? Great, thanks!"

With that, they disappear and you shake your head at your friend's strange behaviour.

Yedam is all smiley while still sitting on the ground.

"Do I get to walk you home now?" he asks you, standing up.

"I wonder what would've happened if you walked me home that day, too..." you mumble, thinking about the day you slept over at Yedam's in the same bed as him.

"What, do you want to sleep over today, too?" he asks you.

You shake your head.

"I don't want things to turn out like that again."

"You mean, you don't want me to kiss you like I did then?" Yedam teases you, sending you a wink.

"You--shut up!" you yell, chasing after him with a pillow.

This boy literally broke my heart, you think to yourself. He is testing his limits...

After you both calm down, Yedam walks you home. It's a little quiet at first, until Yedam speaks.

"Can... I hold your hand?" he asks you.

"This soon?" you say, still grabbing his hand anyway. He looks down at your hand in his and smiles.

"Yeah... you don't know how long I've been wanting to do this for," he admits, swinging your arm up and down as you walk.

You shake your head at him.

"Let's run!" Yedam declares, racing forward with your hand in his. You trail behind him, the sound of laughter escaping your lips and ringing in Yedam's ears. It leaves a bright blush on his face as he thinks to himself about how much he's missed your laughter.

The two of you slow down, panting.

"I'm so tired," Yedam wheezes, laughing at how weird he sounds.

"Do you want me to kiss it better?" you tease him. He raises his eyebrows at the comment. Maybe it's the adrenaline from all the running or the feeling of the night air, but a courage surges through you as you snake your hand around the back of his head and pull him towards you, pressing his warm lips to yours.

You pull away shortly after, feeling breathless again. A blush dusts Yedam's cheeks as he stares at you with wide eyes.

Your own stomach is full of butterflies, but you ignore it and walk forward.

"Are you not coming?" you yell to the boy behind you. He laughs and chases after you.

[a/n]: i just want to say that i do not condone getting back together with a toxic ex so soon... i was just really excited while writing and sped up the plot >.< but don't ever get back with someone who has hurt you unless you are 100% sure! please take care of yourself!!

[thekingdomofelfhame]

Jurdan Fanfic: Highschool AU Part 1

Summary: Much to Jude's annoyance and surprise, she and Cardan have been paired for a school project. Cardan's feelings, on the other hand, continue to blossom when he arrives at Jude's apartment only to witness something beyond his comprehension.

Warnings: Mild cursing

This will be an alternative between Cardan and Jude POV just to get a good look at how their feelings develop.

Cardan POV:

She keeps staring at the ring enclosing her finger, her gaze never shifting to the notes scattered on her dressing, her walnut eyes intense with emotion. She kept humming the same tune over and over, her voice as smooth and soft as butter as she traced invisible patterns on her ruby studded ring, its bright red colour magnifying the beauty of her hand.

I had never seen her like this: bursting with emotions. Standing before me was the same girl who lived in impenetrable walls, walls that I had been trying to overcome only to lead us down a path of hatred. She was the girl of steel, no titanium, and yet she melted away like snow in early spring when no one was around.

Her voice echoes in the room which-surprise, surprise- is a mess of pillows and papers. This girl had been haunting my dreams since sophomore year but my foolish imaginations were nothing compared to the beauty that stood before me and when she starts vocalizing, I swear my heart skips a beat.

As she turns to pick up her phone, her eyes find mine and I am robbed of the melodious voice that had filled this room a few seconds ago. I am pretty sure I see her eyes swimming in tears but she immediately blinks them away. She has trained herself well.

I hadn't even realized she was in her bathrobe until she stopped singing and am left with her perfectly masked yet startled cuteness when she becomes aware of her current state.

"Why'd you stop?" I say clearly disappointed, "your voice is beautiful"

"Weren't you supposed to be here at 11 30?", she says completely ignoring what I just said, tightening her robe around her.

"I clearly said I'd be at your place by 11", my eyes skim over her robe and am pleased to see her cheeks flush with colour as I say, "maybe I'll make a habit of coming early"

"How'd you even get in?"

"Your roommate let me in and, oh, she told me to inform you that she will be staying with her boyfriend for a while"

"Wow. She and Van are really speeding things up", there a short pause that feels like eternity before she says, "Okay, now could you go wait in the lounge while I get ready?", she says and something tells me she is not asking. Though I would very much prefer to stay, I obey her orders for she is The Queen of my heart.

Jude POV:

I walk out of the room, no longer dripping, and am utterly surprised to find Cardan lounging on the white sofa, one of his legs draped over the arm rest. He looks...comfy.

I think about the way he was looking at me in awe when I found him leaning against my door, his dark black eyes peering into mine. I had never seen him so captivated. How long had he been standing there?

Your voice is beautiful...

His words ring in my ears and I can't help the faint pink rising on my neck. Cardan Greenbriar had complimented me; that was a first. I was surprised he didn't make fun of me just like he has been since the day I set foot into school. He didn't mock me as he usually would, seeing my emotional outburst. This was Cardan Greenbriar, the most spoiled rich kid who never gave a fuck about anyone.

I had never once let anyone past my defenses, not even my family, foster or not. No one knew about this small world of mine and I liked to keep it that way. That is, until today when I saw a pair of iridescent coal black eyes bewitching me into wanting to tell him everything about this tiny world I had created where I would doze off to whenever I wished. That was when reality hit me and I was reminded of why I had lived in an armour for so long, why I had never let anyone get close to me.

I snap out of my thoughts when Cardan interrupts, "Like what you see, huh?". I scoff and I didn't realize I had been staring at him as he further added, "Should we get on with the project or are you gonna stand there all day, thinking about me?"

"Asshole. You wish", I snap right back at him and he lets out a soft laugh as I go through his notes.

We had agreed on double-checking each other's notes before we started the project, and by the looks of it, we had a lot of work to do. Surprisingly, Cardan's notes were not only correct and authentic, they were thorough and much more organized than mine. He had even used fancy words like serendipity- I mean what does that even mean?

"Jude, I think some of your notes are missing", he says raising his black brows and a book with torn pages.

"Oh, yeah. The torn notes are in a green file right over there", I gesture to the stack of books behind him as he leans over to find it only to frustrate me further when he says, "Uh, Jude. There is no file here".

"It should be there. It cannot go anywhere", I stand up and walk towards the mountain of books.

That was when I realized my foot is asleep and I stumble over a book, covering my face with my hands, ready for impact. Only I don't hit the ground; instead I feel arms slide around my waist and when I remove my hands from my face, the first thing I see are Cardan's eyes partially covered by his black locks.

I almost get lost in the moment. The world stops when he runs his hand through his hair as if he is nervous and he stares back at me. That is, until I remember who he is.

Ughhh....

"Looks like you're falling for me, Jude", he teases.

I abruptly push him off of me and start looking for the notes. Despite my foot still being asleep, I try to walk as if nothing happened but the bastard still notices.

"Here. Let me help you", he reaches for my hand but I stop him with a gesture and he does.

Looks like my defiance all these years really did have an effect on him.

"If you want to help, start by looking for a green file. It is unlabeled, no fancy decorations what so ever"

"What else to expect from the boring Jude Duarte"

"Well, at least I am not like one of those stupid girls who are so easily charmed by you"

"Did you just say I am charming?"

"Fuck off"

"Okay, okay", he raises his arms in defeat and I go to my room to look for the file. My eyes shift to the scattered notes over my bed and my dressing and my carpet.

Shit.

This is going to take longer than I thought.

Cardan POV

As I search through her notes, my thoughts keep drifting to the moment I had her in my arms, her body fitting right into my hands. I battled with the urge to get lost in her deep brown eyes or to drop a kiss on her cute nose.

No, no, no. Stop.

Wine. I needed wine. I needed wine right now.

Jude hated me and I should hate her. She was the one person who had refused to let me get my way and would continue to do so. She could never want someone like me, let alone love. This was just a project and as soon as it would finish, we would go our separate ways.

And yet, I cannot help but think about her all the time.

Jude POV

I return to the lounge drenched in sweat, panting and gasping for air. I had been rummaging in my room for the past hour and had finally found that file.

I slam the file onto Cardan's face and he doesn't dare reply when he sees my tired state. I sink into the sofa, one hand covering my eyes the other blindly searching for the glass of water on the front table.

"What happened to you?", Cardan asks as I open my eyes to find him completely shocked but instead of answering him, I gesture towards the file while gulping down my third glass of water.

"Let's continue. I don't want to waste any more time", my voice is dry as I open my laptop to start typing in the outline and he continues to examine my notes.

"God, your handwriting is horrible", his voice is filled with surprise as he brings one of the papers closer to those haunting, dazzling eyes to get a better look but gives in and throws it back onto the table.

"If you can't read it, why don't you make me something to eat instead?", I say robotically while looking at my screen and had not expected him to actually go to the kitchen in search for food.

My eyebrows furrow together as I walk up to him and say, "I was joking! Come on, we gotta get this done"

"I know you were joking and I know we have to this done but I am hungry and if you are not going to ask me then I am going to make myself", he complains as he looks around, opening cabinets and drawers.

"I didn't know you could cook", I say clearly perplexed by his actions.

"There are many things you do not know about me, Duarte", he continues his search and when I have had enough of his noise I say, "Stop! Okay, stop making noise! God, it's like raising a child or something", I grab the spatula from his hands but he takes it back saying, "Well, I am hungry and I can't work when I am hungry and by looking at you, you should be too"

As much as I would hate to admit it, I was hungry and I felt like I hadn't eaten in ages.

"Fine, you cook and I am going to take a break and watch some Netflix", I say right before telling him about where I keep the food and where the utensils are.

"One more question. Should I make sandwiches or hotdogs?"

"Lilliver usually does the cooking so, whatever you want", I turn on the television and continue to watch Shadow and Bone, each episode more intriguing than the last.

I hadn't realized an hour had passed when Cardan came with sandwiches.

The room is suddenly filled with the smell of freshly made sandwiches and that does nothing to satiate my hunger as I reach out for the dish set in front of me but Cardan quickly grabs the dish before I can get my hands on a sandwich.

"Patience is a virtue, dear Jude", Cardan says raising a long slender finger in the air.

"First of all, never and I mean NEVER call me dear", I glare at him as I grab the dish back, careful not to break it, "And you took so long making sandwiches that I got hungry"

I take a bite of the sandwich and if I am being honest, I had never tasted such sandwiches in my life and Cardan must have noticed me and my increasing craving for his delicious sandwiches that only seemed to make my hunger more insatiable when he said, "Either you like them", he gestured towards the half-bitten sandwich and its cheese dripping from the side of my mouth, "or you haven't eaten all day"

"Hmm. Yeah, I think it is the latter", I lie through my teeth with ease as I take a second one into my mouth.

I would never compliment him to his face, especially since I don't want him spreading the story in school.

"Why are you acting like this?", I ask out of nowhere before I can even process what I just said out loud.

"Like what?", he asks dumfounded

"I don't know, you seem a bit more... tolerable, I guess", my voice almost drops to a whisper as I stare at my third sandwich, suddenly looking for something more interesting in a piece of food that would soon be in my mouth.

He doesn't answer but I am able to see his mood shift as his body language completely changes and his muscles become more stiff. His pupils become dilated and he looks every bit as horrifying as he did when he once threw dust into my food after I had punched him.

All of a sudden, I regret what I had said and cursed my stupid mouth for opening itself.

We don't speak to each other for the rest of the night and though I hated Cardan with all that I had, one small part of me felt that there was more to this person, that he was more than just a bully and that I had missed an opportunity to get to know the real him.

Let me know if you wanna be tagged! Also, I will now on follow a policy of following back those who follow me, just to spread a bit of kindness!!

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[evehere]

eve, hi! your 2ha-qws au is so so good! mo ran's regret and his thoughts of the underworld ("Maybe then he’d reach the underworld mostly intact, and he wouldn’t scare Chu Wanning too much when he saw him." my heart) are amazing. cwn's not even there and you can really feel based on mr's thoughts how much he sacrificed for mr. it's heartbreaking. i'm really happy you did a little fic with your idea. if you ever do more, i'll just have to sit and wait excitedly!

Hi, Lu! I’m glad you liked my qws-au! (ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*: ･ﾟI’m testing it out, since I’m writing something larger, but I couldn’t resist to writing it. Like, the busier I am in rl, the more inspiration I get OvO It has come to the point it has a more complete outline and a title (which means, unfortunately for my schedule, that I’m going to write this, albeit slower and in shorter segments).

I have named it “Yearning unwittingly breaks the willow branch” (无令长相思，折断杨柳枝), the phrase the fox demon tells Mo Ran when he hands him the box with Jiangui. Let’s leave it at yearning willow for short 😂

Willow branches in Chinese poetry, particularly broken ones, means “regretful parting”. It basically comes to “to yearn for the wrong person will lead to bitter partings”, which is 2ha and this fic summed up in 10 neat characters XD

I have a second chapter written, which I’ll probably post here this weekend, and it has enough length now (for my own standards) to be posted to ao3, which I’ll do this weekend as well.

I can’t stress enough how thankful I am for the interest you and other readers have taken into this fic! It’s really encouraging to find people that like what you write, so you have my eternal gratitude °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°

As thanks, I offer you a ficlet. I hope you like it!

Yearning willow masterpost here 🍃

Mo Ran 2.0 (1)

“Who are you?”

“What do you mean, Wanning?” Mo Ran laughed, though his voice was constricted under the weight of his husband.

If anyone entered Honglian House now, they’d be taken aback by the sight. Or rather, they’d start preparing for the funeral of the marquis’ husband.

Mo Ran was lying on his back on the bed, his arms pinned tightly at his sides by Chu Wanning’s legs. Said man was striding his abdomen, a hand clutching a handful of Mo Ran’s hair, and the other one pressing a sharp dagger in his neck.

But Chu Wanning didn’t care, because this man wasn’t his husband.

“You’re not Mo Ran,” he said in a cold, sharp voice. “Who are you? A Northern spy? Or an Eastern assassin? What have you done with him?”

The man was wearing his husband’s face alright. He pulled tentatively at his hair, but it was rooted firmly in the scalp—the hair was real then. He examined his neck meticulously, but found no marks of a mask, nor trace of make-up.

However, Chu Wanning had read about the magic some Northern tribes practiced, of the many tricks Eastern kingdoms knew of espionage. He didn’t need to know what had been used exactly, because something was terribly amiss.

Instead of an answer, he stared at him with those dark eyes, with an almost purplish quality to them. So similar to Mo Ran’s, and yet, not his.

Mo Ran never looked at him with such tenderness.

He’d have never stood still under Chu Wanning like he was now. The real him would have thrown him down by now—gods knew Mo Ran had that strength—maybe even slapping or punching him, and he’d order Chu Wanning to kneel in the shrine to repent for his disrespect towards his husband. All of those would have been more agreeable behaviour, because it would be ordinary.

“Why do you think I’m not him?”

Chu Wanning sneered.

“You didn’t do your investigation very well,” he said, pressing the dagger more firmly against his neck and extracting a drop of blood. “Mo Ran doesn’t come to Honglian House on his own accord.”

The rest of it was too embarrassing to tell to an outsider, and much more to one that didn’t know the actual state of the relationship between them. He cooks sometimes, Chu Wanning thought, but never makes a portion for me. He would have never called a doctor to attend to me, nor would have him come to my bedside to see me.

If it was in his fancy, he’d have just taken Chu Wanning, doctor’s orders and his own agreement be damned.

Quick as lightning, Chu Wanning pressed down with his thighs when he felt him trying to extract a hand.

“Don’t move!” He snarled.

His legs trembled with the effort, and his knees protested under him, despite being supported by the soft mattress.

“Okay, okay,” the impostor acquiesced, relaxing under him. “See? I’m not moving. Don’t overexert yourself, you’re still recovering, okay?”

There was worry in his voice, Chu Wanning realised, his hand twitching where he was grasping his hair.

“What have you done with Mo Ran?” He asked again after a moment, trying to recover his senses.

If he spent a moment longer with this impostor that had Mo Ran’s face and voice, he’d go mad.

The impostor merely looked at him with a helpless gaze.

“I’m really not some impostor,” he said. Before Chu Wanning could say anything, he continued, “let’s see, what can I tell you to make you believe me?” He was deep in thought for a second. “Ah! You have a blade scar in your chest, just above your heart!”

Chu Wanning pondered on that, but shook his head almost immediately.

“You could have seen that when I was unconscious.”

Unnerving as it was, it seemed the impostor wasn’t in the slightest bit nervous, even though Chu Wanning hadn’t relaxed his hand on the dagger on his neck all this time. He merely looked at the canopy over them, as if he was being asked a question over tea.

“I remember…” he said, his voice much lower than before. “I remember that in our wedding night, we were like this, with Wanning on top of me.”

…

Like a cat bristled with water, Chu Wanning jumped backwards, jolting to the corner of the bed. The dagger fell on the floor resoundingly, and Mo Ran sat on the bed, smoothing out his rumpled clothes, with a boyish smile with dimples. The smile felt apologetic, and somewhat guilty, but Chu Wanning was too flustered to process that.

He…

He had to be Mo Ran. Only Mo Ran knew.

For all he had been a scoundrel since they married, he didn’t talk about the matters of the bedroom. Not to him, not to anyone.

Besides, in the months after their marriage, he had let many people believe he had gone directly to Mu Yanli’s room straight after the banquet, instead of coming to Chu Wanning’s first and then leaving for hers.

The night of his wedding. It was an unpleasant memory, and he pushed it far to the back of his mind.

He smoothed his own clothes as well, but kept himself in the far corner of the bed. For now, he should focus on what he could manage.

“You let me put a knife to your neck,” he said, incredulity swarming his features and his voice.

For much less he had been ordered to kneel in the shrine. However, the present Mo Ran didn’t show any indications of wanting to punish him. The young man picked up the dagger from the floor and put it on the low table in front of them.

The tray with food Mo Ran had brought was on top of the table. The food was still warm, still steaming—Chu Wanning’s attack had taken a short time. Mo Ran picked up the bowl of congee with minced sea bass and green onions and a spoon, and sat back on the edge of the bed, offering a spoonful to him with a bright smile.  

“I know my Wanning would never hurt me.”

***

Honglian (红莲) means “red lotus”. It was the name of Chu Wanning’s pavillion in the novel.

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