#idk how to end it so im just gonna cut it here and try to study

[matchagirliris]

“my darling” kuroo X Reader oneshot

Summary: you dated back in highschool and never took him seriously and essentially now it’s timeskip of you two meeting again on unexpected terms

[based on yet again another song, This time it’s “love is a laserquest” by Arctic monkeys (my fav band ^~^) anyways hope you enjoy: happy ending? idk anywho, matcha girl out :p]

Coming back from being in the states for work to japan was exciting you missed kenma and all your friends back home It had been a few years since you left for America to go to college and work. Unfortunately you did dread of seeing a past lovers. More specifically Kuroo you never took the poor boy seriously back in highschool you had no reason too you were gonna leave anyways. He knew that but he couldn’t help the fact that he fell so hard. The day you left he didn’t really know what to do with himself he knew it was coming he knew that you didn’t take him seriously. He understood the circumstances that came with being with you in highschool so you couldn’t really say it was completely on you.

As your best friend kenma comes and picks you up from the airport to take you to the house you had bought in japan before you left and asked him to keep maintenance for you while you were gone. As you guys are on the ride home you ask “how’s the house?” you turn to look at him “uhm to be honest i don’t really know” he looks a bit terrified while driving.“YOU HAVENT BEEN KEEPING UP WITH IT?!” you sorta yell at him worried that your house is in shambles. “Well no, i wasn’t supposed to tell you but i asked kuroo to keep up with it for me…” he says sorta worried about how’d you feel about the guy you played in highschool taking care of your place much less making sure it was prepared for you when you came back. “oh. he’s doing it for me?” you say sorta feeling bad about how you treated him, it’s not that he didn’t know it was going to be like that you were just sad that he still tried for you like he always had always trying to make you understand how serious he was about you. As kenma drops you off at your house handing you your keys and hugging you goodbye you slowly make your way into the house, looking at how nice and clean it was you smiled softly but you felt sad. The guy you hurt the most in highschool because you never took anything seriously but your career still cared for you like he did before even though his life is probably just as busy as yours, He always made time for you. As you get ready for bed falling asleep soundly in your room you can help but dream about him and you and the memories you had in highschool.

You wake up hearing a faint noise outside “who the fuck is cutting grass this early in the morning?” you get up groggy in your pjs and walk outside seeing who it is, it was none other than kuroo cutting your grass assuming you weren’t here yet and was just here for weekly maintenance “y/n?” he says startled to see you here at all wondering why kenma didn’t tell him. You immediately freeze in your tracks as your stomach drops not knowing what to say you run back inside not wanting to face him after all these years looking like this. Why did you care how we saw you all of a sudden? anyways you run into the shower and try to look decent but in your head your hoping he’d be done before you got out so you wouldn’t have to face him once more. As you peek out your window he’s still there doing yard work, looking good while doing it at that. You snap out of your stupid delusional and decided to fix him up something since you feel sort of bad about all of this and decided makes it’s time to talk you walk outside facing kuroo one more time “Hey kuroo i fixed you something, im sorry for scaring you earlier i was just shocked to see you” you nervously say with a half smile “no worries y/n it’s all fine to be honest i wouldn’t have showed up and did this if kenma told me you were already here i just came to do the weekly check up you know?” he says walking up to you “Thank you for keeping up with the house even though it wasn’t your job ill reimburse you for everything if you’d like” you say and he laughs “no it’s all good i did this just to keep me busy i guess” he half smiles with a bit of sadness in his face. You both take a sit outside on the little table you had out there as his eating the snack you fixed up for him with grass stains on his face and sweat beads on his forehead you can’t help but notice how handsome he’s gotten. He looks up at you and says “Do you still feel younger than you thought you did by now? or darling have you started feeling old yet?” he laughs a bit “don’t worry i’m sure that you’re still breaking hearts with the efficiency that only youth can harness” he says has his smile slowly dims, you respond “and do you still think love is a laserquest?”

“what about you y/n do you take it all more seriously now? You know i’ve tried to ask you this in someday dream that i had, but you’re always busy being make believe.” he says taken you back, you look at him sideways with even more sadness than you did before in the morning “and do you look in the mirror to remind yourself your there or does somebody’s goodnight kisses got that covered?” you respond.

“when im not being honest i pretend that you were just some lover, now i can’t think of [your fav thing or place] without thinking of you i doubt that comes as a surprise.” he says “and i can’t think of anything to dream about, i can’t find anywhere to hide” you responded with your head rested in your hands feeling overwhelmed. You both sit there for a moment in time which felt like years but truly only lasted a minute “i’m sorry kuroo. I’m sorry for everything and the way i treated you back in highschool i was so dumb and focused on something in the future and taking the then for granted.” you say lightly crying “you didn’t deserve any of that you treated me so well and still do i didn’t realize how much love i had for you till i left but i thought it was too late” you say breaking down fully at that point kuroo sat there in shocked seeing how much you changed how you weren’t that girl that didn’t care about guys and only wanted a simply good time, how now you were a girl that had everything she wanted expect genuine love his eyes softened at her he got up and hugged her tightly “it’s okay y/n you were young and had goals and didn’t want anyone to get in the way of that even if you wanted simply pleasure at the time i still knew you were a good person, to tell the truth i always hope you’d come back and we’d be able to have this conversation that you’d come back for me and im happy it was later than never.” he says hugging you. You stare up at him with teary eyes….

“i love you kuroo, can we start again?” you say softly “id love too my darling more than anything.” he says happy to have you back and this time fully and for real.

(rushed ending im sorry LOL)

[zorosq]

misunderstanding ; roronoa zoro

↻ angst, fluff, jealousy, misunderstanding obv, cussing, hurt/comfort, wano spoiler, suggestive if you squint hard enough, grammatical errors

↻ pairing ↬ zoro x fem!reader!

anonymous asked: hi! is it okay if i request a scenario/drabble/hc of the reader getting jealous and hurt over how protective zoro was being of hiyori, then she sees them in the shed and she rationalizes that it was a misunderstanding, but when the dust settles after onigashima and they have their typical victory banquet, she sees them being all close or sth, just laughing and it just hurts. could it pls have a happy ending? 🤍 if not, then could you write the reader being jealous/insecure of sabo and koala seeing their close friendship and bond. again with a happy ending or my heart won't be able to take it 💀😂 you can decide!! thank you!! sorry if this was so specific!

a/n since i've alrdy wrote for sabo with the same scenario for more than one time, i'm gonna try my best and write up your first request🚶‍♀ i just watched wano arc thats why it took so long. and i definitely encourage for everyone to be more specific in their requests <3 idk if you meant a canon victory banquet or smtg bcs im just starting the 3rd act but here you go anyway, i hope its good :)

the moment you slid the door open, an awkward silent hangs in the air. brook looks at you, and back at the woman who was laying next to your lover. “who is that?! w-w-what’s going on?!” he shrieked.

you could feel the jealousy boiling in your heart. it’s an ugly feeling. you hated it. but you knew that it was simply a misunderstanding. there was no way that he would cheat on you. the man was way too loyal for that.

but still, you couldn’t help with what you’re feeling. your ears rang for a moment, looking around the shed. anywhere else but him. “it’s not what you think―”

“i know,” you answered, completely cutting him off. you could see him breathing out a relief sigh. he quickly get out of the woman's grip and walked towards you.

you could see his eyes taking in your feature, looking for any sorts of injury which you didn’t have. deciding to put your jealousy aside, you pulled him into a hug, careful not to press on his injuries.

“i’m glad you’re okay...” you said, hiding your face at the crook of his neck. just as he was about to get comfortable in your hold, you pulled away from him and slap his arm roughly.

“that hurt!”

“that’s what you get for worrying me! god, you’re so reckless!” you scolded him. “sorry for worrying you...”

“you should be sorry! you had no idea how worried i was when i saw your wanted poster!” you continued again before sighing. you could see his eyes twinkle with amusement.

“what?” 

“nothing... it’s just... you look cute when you’re all fired up,” he said with a smirk. gosh, how can he be so?! 

before your interactions could go any further, the skeleton beside you cleared his throat. except that he doesn’t have a throat―

“sorry to interrupt this and all, but don’t you think you should introduce us to her?” brook asked politely. 

.

everything had happened so fast. one second, you were just getting to know hiyori and otoko. the next second, you were running to chase for zoro who was going after hiyori. 

“oi! you guys are still on the run! what would happen if one of orochi’s assassin happened to find you?!” zoro scolded her. your heart panged with a feeling of jealousy.

she knew that zoro was right, so she decided to listen to him and let him catch up to otoko. you didn’t stop running. instead, you continued to follow him from behind.

you were more worried about him getting caught by orochi’s forces or the beast pirates.

you ran and ran until you arrived at the flower capital, where tonoyasu being tied up to the long pole where he was displayed for everyone to see.

“toko!” you called out along with zoro. sure, you had only spent less an hour with her, but she already have a place in your heart. you could hear her laughter, and the next thing you knew, gun shots was all you could hear.

.

you sighed softly, brushing the girl's pink hair out of her face. she had been crying all the way to sleep.

it probably still hurts her if she wakes up anytime soon. you sighed once more. zoro, who had been sitting next to you knitted his eyebrows together.

“you okay?” he finally asked when you let out another sigh. your head snapped up to meet with his eye, heart beating a little bit faster from the shock he gave you.

“sorry, i... it's just- sad to think that she doesn't have any family left...” you said, which he nodded. “i still have everyone on the crew. and everyone is like a family to me,”

you were expecting some sort of response from him. anything, really. but you knew that zoro doesn't know how to express those words out. he only knows how to show them through actions. which is more effective in telling.

but he was staring in your eye, listening to you intently. and that was enough.

.

you flopped onto the ground, letting the victory washes over you. a single tear slipped from your eye, feeling relief.

you caught the sight of your boyfriend, walking towards your way but was stopped by a certain oiran who hugged him affectionately.

you knew that she was only paying her gratefulness towards him. it still didn't stop from your heart to tug painfully.

a day passed by, and everyone was already setting up the victory banquet for the straw hats. knowing your crew, every one of them would be ecstatic due to the food, drinks and of course, woman.

you chuckled at the thought of sanji losing too much blood because or attractive woman again.

it really didn't take them long to prepare the banquet. the next thing you knew, the banquet was already starting.

looking around at the lively atmosphere made you smile. you were glad that luffy accepted to help momonosuke. it was one of the reason you followed luffy as captain.

zoro somehow found you, his lips quirking into a small smile. “you look beautiful,” he complimented. you felt your cheeks getting hot. though the two of you had been in a relationship for so long, a compliment from him wasn't as often as you'd like to think.

he was a man of action after all. “thank you. you look beautiful as well,”

your compliment had clearly caught him off guard when you saw the red tint dusting his cheeks slightly. he took your hand, pulling you away from the crowds and prying ears.

he sat down on the bench, pulling you along with him, resulting in you to land on his lap. he nuzzled into your neck, sighing in content.

“y'know, i can smell your jealousy from miles away. but... thank you for trusting in me,” his hand that was resting on your waist moved teasingly on your back.

“don't you think that i deserved a little reward?”

a/n god i hate this 😭

[yanban-san]

i like to think it'd be a certain kind of funny if after everything, all the strings they've pulled nshit, the ONE thing that darling isn't okay with is dating their bosses. like darling's very very much into them too, had a bit of a "they're really popular though, idk maybe im reading too much into things?" talk with elesa that... well, it happened. i'll leave how that went up to you but EVENTUALLY at one of Gal Pal Hangout Time(tm) (gender neutral) darlings like "ok. im gonna do it." and elesa's all like "oh???" and audibly sweating because this usually doesn't end well-and lo and behold you pull a "im gonna quit." on her and her eyes almost bug out of her head. two pairs of eyes certainly bug out of the wall behind you, and before anyone else can say or do anything you follow up with a "i mentioned i don't feel comfortable dating my bosses earlier, right? so im gonna quit and then go for it; confess to ingo and emmet, i mean." and oh, bless you, you're all shaky and a little jittery about it but you look so damn proud of yourself and with the solution you thought up. this' been a damn long while coming because as much as she loves you goddamn are you dense (affectionate) - feather anon

Oh this is adorable-

Put it under the cut because- is long :)

Darling's been a nervous wreck ever since they started catching feelings for their bosses- Between the twins saving them, giving them little gifts, constantly praising them and treating them so sweetly-

Darling's tried to write it off- or perhaps has always been a bit of an air head when it came to these things- as just the two being nice. They are, after all, the legendary Station Masters! They're powerful trainers, both having a myriad of strong pokemon- They run the entirety of Gear Station and the Unovan Transit System like a well oiled machine! Darling's seen them with their coworkers, they've seen their kind encouragements to young trainers who they do battle with. Surely their behavior towards Darling is nothing special; it's just their way of gently encouraging them to do their best as a depot agent! Although, Darling does have to admit, they are rather attractive; Which explains why they have so many devoted fans. And of course people would consider them attractive- Even Gym Leader Elesa befriended the two!

And somehow, though Darling really isn't sure how, they ended up being friends with Elesa as well. They're really not sure what the beautiful model saw in them to approach them one day on their shift, but she did, and seemed oddly nervous talking to them- but they took it in stride and somehow ended up with her asking if they'd like to get coffee later- As friends, of course.

And so Darling and her set up regular hangout times, having coffee- or having a pokemon battle or two- Elesa showing off some of her more exotic electric types she owned, or offering Darling tips and training advice.

However, the conversations Darling has with her... quickly shifted to romantic discussions. At first, Darling thought Elesa may've been trying to ask them out- but she wasn't. She just seemed to genuinely like talking about dates she'd been on, or her friend's love lives- and she often asked Darling about their thoughts- was there anyone they were interested in? Anyone they were in love with?

Darling was shy at first- mentioning off-handedly a boy here or there, and swore- almost swore they saw Elesa look a little crestfallen when they mentioned anybody by name...

And the conversation would drift to your work- did you like your coworkers? Anyone particularly cute?

Or what about your bosses? You know, the handsome, beautiful twins who run the entire transit system- It would be difficult not to like them, right?

Darling sighs at the memories. So much had happened since then- and things had changed, for better or for worse. They’d considered their options, and they had arrived at what they considered the best course of action.

Things just couldn’t continue the way they were anymore. It was impossible.

Darling is sitting across from Elesa again, holding their head in their hands; And Elesa’s wondering what’s wrong.

---

“That’s it,” You announce, voice shaking. “I can’t- I can’t take this- this anymore-”

Elesa looks up from her coffee- She’s actually a little worried, you’ve been looking absolutely miserable these past few days, and you normally seem pretty cheerful- And now your eyes are practically sparkling with tears. Your emotions seemed to be effecting Emmet and Ingo, as well; They had been trying to lift your spirits so desperately, but no matter what, you just seemed.. melancholy at best, and ready to cry at worst.

And now the weather was reflecting just how upset they were as well; It had been raining on and off all week, and no sunshine- Elesa was called into the office of the twins rather urgently, and it was the first time she’d seen one of them looking... inhuman around her. Ingo was nowhere to be seen until suddenly the shadows of the office stretched, condensing into a strange black pool on the floor that writhed and shaped itself gradually into a being she knew was Ingo. Emmet simply did not appear.

The Ingo before her was remarkably... strange looking. His face was blocked by shadows, and he stood much taller than a human could- and his eyes, while still silver, were marked with darkened, slitted pupils rather than his regular eyes. He stood at attention, the shape of four arms wrapped around his back, like how he carried himself as a conductor. The edges of what should’ve been his coat were writhing and stretching into the pool of darkness on the floor, and Elesa should’ve been afraid-

But she wasn’t. It must’ve been some sort of subconscious reaction, she thought, but she felt more pity than anything else for this being in front of her, for some reason.

“Ah, Miss Elesa,” Ingo’s voice was deeper- And she felt her ears rumble at hearing it-

“Our darling is upset. They’re very upset.”

“W-What about?” Elesa asked.

The shadows quivered.

“We don’t know. You told us not to read their mind. To listen to their thoughts- That it was rude. But they are so horribly upset, they avoid us- They’ve been sobbing to themselves in private. They refuse to report to us. They have called out sick when they are not sick.”

Elesa felt a bead of sweat run down her face- Was Ingo going to blame her for this-

“You told us not to read their thoughts, Miss Elesa. I believe you did not intend for anything bad to happen.”

“I- I did not,”

“-They will not speak to us. But perhaps they will speak to you. Find out what makes them suffer. It makes us suffer so. Please.”

----

“-I really can’t. I just can’t go on like this,” You finished, sobbing again as Elesa snapped back to reality.

She needed to focus. She had a mission to complete- And she better complete it soon.

“Wh-What do you mean? Is everything alright?” She asks.

“I’m-” You hiccuped as you silenced your tears. You promised yourself; No crying. “I’m going to quit.”

The atmosphere in the cafe changed dramatically- You didn’t seem to notice.

Elesa noticed. The silence that fell over the cafe was markedly abrupt.

“I’m going to quit my job at Gear Station,” You proclaimed. Your eyes were wet with tears, but you were firm.

Elesa noticed the outside- Dark clouds had gathered over the city- Oh Sinnoh Above-

They were extremely dark clouds, she noted.

Those two were absolutely listening in, and judging by the darkness swirling around the cafeteria, and the fact that it was starting to look like the Fucking Darkest Day of Galar outside your window seat-

Elesa needed to act fast.

“Wait, Wait! Why on Earth would you want to quit? I thought you loved working at Gear Station!” She exclaimed, desperately trying to stop whatever was about to happen-

You looked at your friend- Surely, she of all people, would understand how you felt?

“I- I really do, Elesa...”

“-But,”

“-I love Emmet and Ingo more.” You finished, turning your face downward.

What.

Elesa stopped. Oh, for the love of-

“Then why would you quit your job at-”

"B-Because they’re my bosses, remember? I would never date them like that- But, if I quit... I can ask them out!”

Elesa put her hands to her temples. Oh my fucking god oh my fucking god oh my fucking god- That’s what you’d been crying about, you were fucking working up the courage to- Oh Arceus above-

But no. This was Great! Right??? Elesa picked up her napkin, rubbing it along her brow.

“So, yeah... I’m going to quit. And... hopefully ask them out. Or well, I might- I might ask out... one of them at first... I’m not sure...? I don’t know-”

“DO IT. ASK THEM BOTH OUT.” Elesa practically shouted. It shocked you upright- “B-But what if they-”

“They won’t. I guarantee it. I will say- You’re exactly their type.”

You stared at Elesa in shock- Surely, not- Wait- Had they mentioned that to her?

“Re-really? You think so? I thought they’d like someone more like you-”

“Pfft- Absolutely not-” Elesa guffawed, letting out a genuine laugh. “They’re both idiots.” She noticed the shadow on the wall twitch at this remark. “But lovable ones, I’m sure- I’m sure they’ll accept your feelings, friend.”

You smiled- Elesa was always good at helping you through these things- encouraging you. “Thank you, Elesa.”

“No problem, dear!”

And for the first time in a while, you noticed the sun coming out- It’d been rainy these past few days, hadn’t it? Maybe it was a sign.

Or maybe you had no idea what you were about to get yourself into.

[rexxdjarin]

Thinking about reader from our last thot — before you’re together:

About how Rex is running his men through drills on base. It’s a new obstacle course that tests their strength, stamina, balance, and agility. They’re tired and he’s not happy with the results, saying they should be able to complete the course in much better form.

He’s feeling irritated because some reporter from HoloNet News is gonna be coming by to film some of their training and conduct some interviews for some sort of special segment on the war. Frankly, he doesn’t have time for this, but Senator Amidala said it’d be good for the bill she’s trying to pass.

And then, of course, the men are distracted when the crew arrives. Like Fives and some of the shinies are showboating a little for the camera and Rex has to get everyone to focus. He orders them to run through it again and he pinches the bridge of his nose.

“Captain Rex?”

He looks up and oh great 🙄 — it’s the reporter. You run him through your plan for the shoot and he gives you the names of a few men that would be good to interview.

But as the day goes on he becomes impressed with your professionalism, the thoughtful questions you’re asking, and the way you lead your crew. Clearly this piece is meant to highlight the troopers and their hard work.

He’s watching you interview some shiny from a distance and he starts n o t i c i n g 👀 was your ass always that cute? Do pencil skirts always look that sexy??

And he’s getting annoyed with all the men who are clearly hitting on you and sort of accidentally takes it out on them lol like he’s got more of a stick up his ass about these drills than before and they’re all but complaining about how their times are equivalent to the 212 and Rex finally steps down to show them how it’s done. And definitely not because he wants to show off in front of you.

But i mean. You’re w a t c h i n g. Rex is just in his black compression suit and the way he’s handling this course has heat licking up your spine and sets your heart racing.

Ok this is some American Ninja Warrior shit except he doesn’t stop in between obstacles. He’s leaping off ledges and swinging from ropes and Maker he’s so fucking strong. And fast. And he finishes and all the men are in awe.

“And that,” he says between heavy breaths, “is what i expect out of all of you.” AND HE MAKES EYE CONTACT WITH YOU AND YOURE BITING YOUR LIP BECAUSE YOURE SO WET

At the end of the shoot you thank him for his time.

“Feel free to comm me if you have any questions about the story.” And you give him your frequency and he does that really cute lopsided smile and you’re looking at each other like this is definitely not a professional curtesy dkdnndmdjd

IDK MAN

B I AM SCREAMING CRYING AND THROWING UP IM WJFJSIGIDIKDIRIWIF

I HAVE IDEAS:

Your holocam crew just got through recording Rex’s entire course run and everyone is applauding and whooping, jaws dropped and eyes popped.

Your crew pans to you and you, who absolutely never in a million lightyears gets flustered, are staring completely speechless at the sight of the extremely gifted, talented, driven and fucking sexy Captain panting and glistening with sweat beside you.

“Cut!” Your Camera 1 ops girl, a bright eyed Mirialian with tattooed cheekbones and your favorite coworker, stops recording and gives you a knowing wink. “We’re gonna take five to give the Captain here some time to breathe and then you can proceed with your interview.”

You smile graciously at your friend, subtly thanking her for giving you time to speak with him off camera. He glances between the two of you and smiles. “Thanks. But…you didn’t have to…do that. Don’t want to…ruin your story…or anything…”

You reach for your unopened canteen of water and hand it to him. “Here, have some. You’ve earned it. Working up a sweat like that. It’s the least I could do after you gave me such good content for my story later.”

He hesitantly takes it, carefully letting your fingertips brush his for a bit longer than necessary. He doesn’t pull away. Rather he lets your touch on him linger and he smiles bashfully, this behavior a stark contrast to the blatant showing off he just did. “Who said I did it just for the story?” His eyes glittered in dozens of shades of warm browns and ambers and golds when they caught the light in just the right way. They were so focused on you it was like no one else in the universe existed but you. And the depth of color suited him, as he himself was just as complex inside. This was no ordinary clone. Not even an ordinary man.

The man in front of you just put on the best record time on a course like this that anyone, including his men, had ever seen. Yet he was spending his time ensuring you got your story rather than collecting his own accolades from the hundreds of men who were practically fawning over him. Of course not as much as you want to right now.

What do those heaving pectorals look like under that black body glove? How would it feel underneath your palms as you climbed on top of him? How strong would those rock hard biceps be and how would they feel curling around your back?

Oh you needed to see him. All of him. Bare and naked and under you or over you or just anywhere you could watch him flex and sweat and work his stress out on you.

What would he kiss like? As you watch him taking swigs of water you can’t help but salivate at the sight of his mouth opening. You wish you could satiate him with something a bit more vulgar than water. He was a man’s man, he’d definitely enjoy all you’d give him.

“Hey Rex, if you ever have any additional comments on this story. Or you just want to share how things are going. My comm channel is always open, day or night…no matter what planet you’re on.” You whispered, handing over a small holochip with your work info and private comm channel on it.

“Is this business or personal, Miss?” He flirted, crinkles by the corners of his eyes forming as he looked at you with the warmest, most affectionate glance he’d given anyone all day.

You step close to him, placing your hand on his on your canteen and slowly moving to pull it back to you. “For the story, business. For you, personal.” You draw out, letting your mouth drop open slowly and keeping your lips parted more seductively than you intended. He shuddered oh so slightly that anyone who wasn’t standing directly beside him would’ve probably missed it.

His eyes darkened, his gaze raking over your hips in that tight pencil skirt and at the way your breasts sat in the button up shirt that you’d opened just one button more than usual. “Well then, in that case, mesh’la…I promise you’ll get another impressive run time. Just a lot slower. I’d really like to take my time.” He muttered, handing you the canteen and shooting you a highly suggestive yet sweet little smirk that seems to be his trademark.

Your Mirilian camera ops friend shouts, “Ok post run interview. Let’s take it from the top!” You back up into place and straighten up, the confidence surging in you as you interviewed him properly this time.

And when the story actually aired, there was no denying that sparks had flown from the second you two touched fingertips. Though by that time, you two had already brushed far more together than just fingertips.

[winter-darling]

Rui x a reader who like, ok idk what it's called but im gonna explain it bcz it happened to me 💀

Ok so like the reader constantly has these random moments where when they stand up or get to deep into thought that they disassociate and their vision gets blurred, they feel like they're weak, they start feeling immense pain all over their body, they can't really hear anything except for their own voice, but this time they actually pass out.

(Im sorry if this is a lot if you need a bit more explanation let me know!)

Note: something similar to this happens to me often actually so i understand what you mean (minus the passing out) and this may be a lil crappy since writers block is kicking my ass once again

Warning: passing out (if there's smth else in here that i forgot to put in the warning, lmk i'll edit this)

RUI KAMISHIRO

-unless u tell him directly what happens when you get up, it’ll take some time for him to realize but will eventually catch on

-makes sure you aren’t gonna fall and hit something that can potentially harm you

-lays u down on the bed until u wake up and gets u a drink and something to eat

*************

It was the middle of the day, the weather was a little too hot for your liking today, therefore giving you no option other than to stay home until the evening; when it cools down a bit.

You had been reading a book that you recently bought, turning from page to page and occasionally getting a small whiff of the ‘new book’ scent.

Rui, on the other hand, was working on one of his inventions, not too far from you.

You both were in his room, you were reading on his bed, and he was kneeling on the ground, observing what he had just tinkered with.

“Rui” you state.

“Yes?” He replied as he put down his tools and turned to you.

“Would you mind if I grabbed a snack from the kitchen? I'm getting a bit hungry��

“Not at all,” he says.

You closed your book, and got up.

After a second, everything felt fuzzy, there was a painful tension in your head.

You felt lightheaded, and your body felt weak, but tried keeping your composure.

“Rui, i-“ you were cut off by a pain that ached in all of your body, and your vision declined more, everything that surrounded you became inaudible, leaving you unable to hear anything other than your own voice.

You could see Rui get up in a panic.

“Are you alright?” He questions.

“I don’t feel-“ your vision goes black, and you collapse.

Luckily, Rui catches you before you could hit the ground.

*********

You wake up, and try to remember how you ended up here.

The most you could make out was getting up from Ruis bed for a snack.

The sun was beginning to bid its farewell for the night, golden rays shone into Rui's room from the windows.

You sat up after a few minutes, then slowly got up from the bed, in search of Rui.

Before you opened the door, it appeared someone already had done that from the other side.

“Ah, you’re awake,”

“Yeah, do you mind refreshing my memory on what happened?” You asked

“You passed out,” He answered.

***********

Both of you sat on his bed, munching on a few snacks he brought from the kitchen with content.

“Are you feeling better now?”

“Yep! And thank you for the snacks”

“Of course,” He said with a chuckle.

Ok idk how to end this so i hope that was good eheh and if u want any changes lmk!

this is so bad but its whatever yk

[steelycunt]

oh oh ohhh these a goodd!!! and you’ll ruin me either way but because i don’t feel like feeling like particular shit i’m gonna ask forrrrr….. actually… okay im stuck between 1 and 13 so you take your pick!! this is a hostage situation btw if u make me sad i’ll… like. idk. threaten you with a nerf gun i’ve stolen from my brother or smth. i’m still trying to figure it out leave me alone!

(also also also sending u a bowl of soup with extra crackers thru the mail!! hopefully it stays warm!! and hopefully a kiss on the cheek will help you feel all better as well!! isn’t that how it goes with healing someone sick? a true love’s kiss? sending it either way! xoxo)

LIV LIV LIV!! LOML!!! i am so endlessly sorry this is so late...i am The Worst...but i wanted it to be happy after all i put you through with literally murdering remus in the last drabble....only the best and the loveliest for you!! you, the best and the loveliest!! here you go!! seeing as i did 13 before, i went with:

1. things you said at 1 am

He says: “Budge over, you.”

Remus obeys. When they started this, he might’ve asked, why or did you have a nightmare again or is everything alright. He never cared for the answer, but it used to buy him a few seconds—used to give him just enough time to swallow his own spit, just enough time to fashion a makeshift exoskeleton out of flannel pyjama bottoms and the dry skin of his elbows.

Now, he has less need of it: Sirius isn’t all that scary, really. At this time of night—Remus cuts a glance at his bedside table, 1 a.m. or thereabouts, supplies his wristwatch, dutifully—when he’s standing at the edge of Remus’ fourposter, he’s not so bright, not so blazing. A bit more fifteen-year-old boy.

“There you go.” Remus shuffles sideways, tugs his duvet away to let Sirius clamber in. “Feels like letting a stray in out of the cold,” he tells him; Sirius snorts as he burrows down into the mattress.

“Mm, well,” he murmurs, turning onto his shoulder, “I do have fleas.”

"God. Charming."

Sirius presses his chilled foot against Remus’ ankle—maybe to be spiteful, or maybe just to watch Remus snatch his leg away, only to move it back moments later (he doesn’t actually mind). “Horrible mutt,” Remus snaps, disgruntled, and Sirius cackles quietly.

Back when it was reserved for nightmares, this thing they do, there was none of this: Sirius would come hurtling, fleeing something, all torn about the mouth. He’d come rearranged, like a building turned to rubble (except for the times it was Remus, instead), and Remus would let him in and they’d sit here silently, stare into the dark like it could hurt them.

Neither of them have nightmares like they used to, but Sirius still comes—more and more, in recent months. This is the third night in a row, and sometimes Remus wonders if they’re too old for it to be alright: they barely both fit in the bed anymore, new bones jutting into sides and limbs stacked on top of each other. Like one of those old-timey carts piled with plague bodies waiting to be buried.

In the end, he decides he doesn’t care. This is when he gets Sirius: in the dark, in the quiet, when he’s soft. Stone mossing over.

“So. What are you thinking about tonight, Moons,” Sirius asks him, a ritual akin to a roll call. Remus Lupin, present. Sirius Black, present. Ten dozen nasty little thoughts jangling about in Remus Lupin’s nasty little head like pebbles in a child’s pocket, present. They do this every time—Sirius makes knowing him look so fucking easy.

Remus leans back against the headboard. His bed hangings droop at one corner; James and Sirius snagged them down during a playfight in second year. “Hm,” he begins, as he has every night, “let’s see. I’m thinking about, er…” he falters as he sifts through his options—he can’t say you, and he can’t say that strand of hair you haven’t brushed out of your eyes that’s been bugging me for the last minute and a half (you bug me, Sirius), and he can’t say last Tuesday you drew me that doodle of The Beatles being hit by a lorry at the Abbey Road crossing because I was humming Maxwell’s Silver Hammer in Charms, and I’m sort of worried that if you sit up right now you’ll see it sticking out of the textbook on my bedside table—but eventually he settles on, “I’m thinking about that Ginsberg poem. That one about seeing Walt Whitman in a supermarket, or something.”

“Why that?”

“I don’t know. I just am. There’s a—there’s a bit about peaches and watermelons,” Remus says. “Maybe I’m hungry, I don't know.”

He’s aware of Sirius looking at him, of their hips grazing through layers of ratty fabric. He’s aware, out of the corner of his eye, of the spill of fine dark hair over his own pillow. “You want to go down to the kitchens? We could go now,” Sirius suggests. “They’ll have that tea you like, probably. The disgusting one.”

“No, it’s fine. S’only what I’m thinking about, is all. You asked.” Remus smothers a yawn against the back of his hand (he likes to try and stay awake as long as possible, these nights when Sirius turns up), turns to his side so that their faces rest inches from each other. “I don’t know why you always bother to ask.”

“Ha. Wait—really?” Sirius inclines his head; Remus’ breath rattles. They're very close, and he’s newly conscious of the ugly pink scar scrawled across the bridge of his nose, and of the fact that his duvet will smell like Sirius tomorrow (loamy pine; cigarette smoke and that soap that comes in solid white bars). “You really don’t know?"

"What d'you mean?"

"Do you...why do you figure I’m here, Moons?”

Remus stares; his face flares hotly. “I don't understand. Is there a—is there supposed to be a reason?”

“Oh, my—you actually don’t, do you? Oh my god. I’ve—I’ve been here three nights in a row, Moons. I don’t exactly come because it’s—comfortable,” Sirius says, softly, punctuating his point by nudging Remus with his knee. Two beds over, Peter grunts in his sleep. “You’re so fucking daft. Just—think about it, for a moment. Or…ask me what I’m thinking about. Go on.”

Remus obeys, of course—he’s always going to—and Sirius barely has to move his head to kiss him the way he does, then, before Remus has even finished asking. It's brave, careful, half-hidden beneath the duvet: a brush of noses. Sirius' mouth is cool like peppermint and Remus feels it even after, has to resist the giddy, ridiculous urge to touch his fingers to his lips. To the place where Sirius just—kissed him.

“That’s what I'm thinking about.” Sirius watches him, blasted little dent in his brow, and says, “that’s…that’s always been what, Moons. Fucking hell, I thought you knew. I thought you knew why I was here. You lovely idiot.”

“Oh,” he mumbles. Feels a bit stupid, now. Sirius starts to smile. “That’s—er. Right. That's good. Can I—can I change my answer?”

[mukamibabe]

Hi Cindy!

How do you think teen S,M,T boys (maybe around 13 years old) will react to getting in trouble in school and the principal calls their step-mother (Karl's new wife in S and M boys case (they love her dearly) and T's aunt who is like a mother to them) to school,but when she arrives the principal starts flirting with her and threatens to kick the boys out of school and make sure they don't get admission anywhere else if she wouldn't submit to his wishes?

AND how will Karl react to such behaviour towards his beautiful wife?

oooh this was pretty creative, thanks for requesting! under the cut due to length, but that shouldn't surprise you at this point lol

also before i get into this, i know you said teen/preteen, but here's the tough thing,,, . dl timelines.. they're tricky Jdgfhgdg yes i know lore shouldn't matter in this case but,,,, sajfhsdf anyways think of the younger diaboy sprites just ..slightly older? i have no idea, basically im just envisioning them as their young sprites + with the early trauma. i guess? no idea, i know i'm overthinking it haha

also, i guess this is technically an au and i'm most likely bending things a bit but i'll leave it up to you whether or not the younger boys know of one another's existences. or at least, specifically the mukami's. idk??

oh and !! i ended up writing this where like.. it would be each boy separately, if that makes sense? instead of the principal like.. expelling all of them

sakamaki's

shu:

okay, so i'm picturing during this time, shu was still pretty naive, at least in comparison to his current self. 

though, it makes a lot of sense for him to get in trouble at school due to his lack of like.. wanting to do things. he’s still a kid, or at least he wants to be. and this is most likely before uhhh the whole.. polar bear thing so he doesn’t know the extremities of his father’s consequences,,,

anyway. he knows he’s going to be in trouble. he’ll just deal with it. but, once he sees his step-mother?? (who he genuinely sees as a mother as opposed to all of karl’s other wives,, bc she’s actually nice to them) 

shu isn’t sure whether or not he should be relieved because this means he’s not going to get reprimanded, as he definitely expected literally anyone but his stepmom,, there’s also a part of him that almost feels guilty? 

i mean, what can you expect? shu truly doesn’t want to disappoint his stepmother, who has basically (assumingly???) been the only one to actually praise him and even just show him affection. so yea, he feels kind of bad. he doesn’t want to let her down, specifically. 

the guilt only grows more once the principal starts getting a little bold, i guess you could say

at first, shu doesn’t really pick up on the flirting- he’s not an idiot, but his stepmother is quite charming, so it’s understandable? he guesses?? he isn’t slow to notice the sudden shift of mood from his stepmother, either. even if she hides it well, he’ll pick up on any sort of discomfort, and it concerns him.

shu eventually insists on sticking up for his stepmother, at least in the best way he can without causing a scene. as i said, shu isn’t stupid, he knows that the principal literally just threatened her, and he knows it was wrong

he jumps in right away, trying to reassure both his stepmom and the principal that it’s not going to happen again. he does want to threaten the principal in return, but he doesn’t want anything to escalate

now, in this situation, i’m guessing they end up leaving anyways, because like ?? what’s the principal gonna do?? hold everyone hostage??? 

so.. yeah. that happens. and after it happens, shu honestly feels horrible about it. he’s not worried about his own education or anything, he just feels bad that his stepmother had to go through this, specifically because of him. 

reiji:

so.. if such thing were to happen, reiji would straight up be distraught over it. not specifically the harassment of his stepmother (which is something he’s not happy about either but what comes first for reiji is those grades) 

the amount of self hatred he feels for this?? he has no idea how it even happened. he’s always done his best, and has never been in trouble before so that kind of is,, his main worry;;

if reiji did actually do something to get in trouble, i doubt it would be over grades. and if that were the case, i’m not sure he’d own up to it. or any of it at all, actually. he’s persistent that he’s done nothing wrong.

now, once the principal comes in with all of the threats and whatnot? reiji is livid. it’s amazing how angry he is, honestly.

like, such a young little thing to feel so much wrath? uhmm yikes. rip.

he looses his composure just a bit, you’ll notice that he’s really on edge because he knows the principal is full of it- 

there’s a part of reiji that literally wants to slit the principal’s throat, but.. he wont. he’s not going to make a mess, at least not in front of his mother.

in this period of time, i’m still assuming reiji decided to uhh set fire to edgar, so reiji wanting to,,,dispose of the principal? not super surprising

reiji tries to hide how upset he is, but his stepmother knows him well enough that he’s lowkey livid. he keeps it together for the most part, though

he doesn’t actually acknowledge the reason for her being there, but he does say that the principal doesn’t matter- the stepmother, in the long run, ultimately has more power. i mean, she’s married to his father. a king. there’s no way some school principal is going to be more powerful than that. 

lmao not really accurate but i definitely thought of My FAther will hEar aBOut tHis’ 

anyways. reiji is standing beside his stepmom like a little devil on her shoulder, basically reassuring her that the principal can’t even lay a hand on either of them, and their life means little. easily disposable. literal devil, lol

ayato:

so, it’s probably not the first time this has happened. ayato does try, sometimes. but he’s not some nerd. he can be the greatest even without learning all this school stuff, so whatever

..that doesn’t stop the school from punishing him lol

his stepmother should be used to it, at this point, so maybe the principal has had their eyes on her for a while? idk. either way, a majority of the time, ayato is oblivious to it all. after getting in trouble with things like this, ayato will be there physically, but he basically just ignores everything else going on around him. 

but, maybe out of boredom or something, ayato starts paying attention. and he’s not at all pleased to hear the principal threaten his stepmom. 

he feels the same way reiji does, honestly. except, rather than thinking like?? stfu principal, youre threating a king’s wife+son, ayato literally thinks: you’re messing with me, the great ayato sakamaki. 

lmao this mindset is most likely the reason for him being in trouble in the first place,,,

anyway, another thing that makes his reaction completely different from reiji’s is that: he’s literally the opposite. this poor kid is willing to create the biggest commotion, so long as it means his stepmother is safe and feels comfortable. 

i don’t want to say he’s entirely oblivious to her discomfort, but just the tension in the room doesn’t feel right to him, and he wants to get this over with, quickly.

i almost hate to say it lol but think of him like a rabid chihuahua or something. screaming little guy with pure fire JHDFSDF seriously though. that’s basically it

also unfortunately i imagine that the triplets don’t get to see the stepmom often, so long as cordelia is around. as soon as ‘that woman’, being the stepmother, is around, cordelia will be watching her sons like a hawk. because cordelia knows that the other woman will treat her sons differently. ..though, this isn’t the topic for now 

anyways that’s just another reason why ayato is so defensive about the situation. he does value his step mother because he does crave her praise and just.. the love that he’s not gotten to feel before. it’s natural that he’d want to be super protective over her.

kanato:

most likely got in trouble for throwing a tantrum or something,, and probably doesn’t really know why he’s being disciplined in the first place.

so when he hears the principal say he’s going to get kicked out of school?? along some other things, of which he didn’t bother to listen to, he kind of.. loses it. 

whether he goes batshit or starts sobbing, i’m not sure. that, or he’ll completely just.. go silent. head empty, sort of thing

kanato’s reaction, in comparison to the others so far, might be more dull and less,,, emotional? or because of his relationship with his stepmom, i guess?

i’ve always imagined scenario’s like this to be super conflicting for kanato because there’s a part of him that wants to stay loyal to his own blood mother, but all he wants is attention. and the way his stepmother feels? he feels so warm inside, and he loves it. he wishes he could feel that with cordelia, but.. .

yeah. so, it’s a tough one. kanato would definitely love his stepmother though, or at least the care he receives from her. 

to bring up some more trauma,,, i both feel as if kanato is completely unaware of the principal’s predatory actions, but also entirely aware of it. i’m not sure how to explain it, but something about it seems familiar to him, and there’s a part of him that’s just.. acknowledging it as a bad thing for his stepmom

because of that, kanato will do his best to ensure he and his stepmother get out of there as soon as possible. might literally tug her by the hand just.. out of the office lmao

laito:

hm.. this one is tricky because it kind of.. depends. but, i really can’t see laito getting in too much trouble other than grades itself, or like a lack of participation, which might go hand in hand,,?

anyways, his reaction to the principal threatening his stepmother is quite.. stale, i guess? 

i definitely think laito would recognize it for what it is, that being predatory and just disgusting behavior,, but how he would respond to it.. is a bit tricky

at this time, i’m picturing him to be still fairly innocent, though not entirely. anyway, laito knows. 

he knows the principal is awful for trying to threaten both laito and his stepmother. but.. what can he do?

he feels lost, really. there is a part of him that feels a tinge of regret- if he had done as he was supposed to, this entire mess wouldn’t be happening. though the regret isn’t exactly his biggest worry

he genuinely has no idea how to respond or what to do, so he just tries to reaffirm his stepmother that everything’s going to be fine- he can get into a new school, the principal’s words don’t matter, ect

subaru:

scholarly things just.. aren’t for subaru. so it doesn’t surprise me that he’d get in trouble over it

that being said, his principal treating his stepmother like that?? it fuels something in him that he had no idea existed

he’s pissed, and he really can’t put a finger on why he’s so upset over this. but, does he need a reason? 

subaru reacts instantly upon hearing the principal. like, instantly. he lashes out, quickly switching from his quiet manner into this.. explosion

he couldn’t help it. it just triggered something in him, honestly. and.. subaru really isn’t the best at handling his emotions, as we know. so yeah, it’s kind of a surprise, i guess

he could care less about the consequences, he just doesn’t want any more of his loved ones to get hurt. though, technically speaking,,, i dont think subaru knows what love is, nor does he know what it’s like to feel loved, but you get what im saying

i mean, if his stepmom is going to get themself in trouble somehow, subaru would rather not be the one responsible. yes, he knows, he’s not responsible for it (like some of the others, there’s a tad bit of guilt, but subaru doesn’t care that much) but listen. if he can stop the principal from harassing his stepmother, he will. even more so because his stepmother has been good to him

honestly, it’s a bit weird but subaru’s situation might be the messiest out of all of them. 

deep down, he knows his father could probably help the situation, but subaru would hate that. he has no idea why his stepmother is even with him, and if his father were to be a good husband for once, his wife wouldn’t have to put up with this. 

realistically,,,, maybe not,, but. .subaru has it out for karl. for a good reason,,,.

mukami’s

ruki: 

ooof ok this one is also tricky because he’s like reiji. at least, in regards to education. sort of. not really. but sort of.

basically, errors in school just aren’t really likely for ruki. he’s smart, he knows it, and rarely does he skip out on educational stuff kjsdghsdg

so im ? guessing . .maybe he was being a brat. i have no idea lmao 

all that is besides the point, though. and because this is after the mukami’’s have been turned, ruki is a little less of a brat. only a bit lol

either way, ruki has a similar response to reiji. the principal has literally no power in comparison to ruki, or at least, ruki’s savoir. that being: karl. karlheinz’ wife, who also happens to be his stepmother, and someone he does somewhat see as a maternal figure (though it’s super super complicated and wayyy too in depth for me to explain here-), he knows the principal literally has nothing in comparison to them.

...it would not be that big of a deal if they were to, say, go missing without a trace. seriously, who would care? also, they’d deserved it, right?

unlike reiji, though, ruki isn’t going to set the principal’s house on fire LMAO he just rats him out to karlheinz honestly

or he encourages his stepmom to do something about it. wink. DJFSJDF

kou:

why :( that’s honestly so mean LOL

kou’s a pretty good kid in school. struggles a bit, and is, by no means the perfect student, but he’s not the worst. but, rude!!

kou thinks so, anyways. though, i think out of all the diaboys in this situation, as horrible as it is, kou’s probably used to this? and/or has been through a similar situation at some point in his early life. 

he’s not sure how to respond to it, though. he just looks up at his stepmother expectantly, almost pleading for her to just put her foot down and leave

if the principal is willing to suspend him or ban him, whatever. kou doesn’t care, and he’d rather not be in a school with a corrupt principal like that. it scares him, honestly.

yeah, he’s just very adamant about leaving. kou will be very open about how he doesn’t mind getting kicked out of the school, he’ll take the repercussions, he just .. doesn’t want to be near that person

even if they weren’t harassing kou himself, who’s to say they wont?? if they have the nerve to threaten his stepmom, then.. yeah he’s kind of worried

yuma:

another oof lol i mean, yuma gets it. i can picture him struggling with school, some things more than others, but still,,,

even yuma recognizes that it’s a bit extreme. yeah, he knows that the principal doesn’t have it out for him but rather his stepmom. still, though. really??

yuma doesn’t have any problem arguing with the principal, though. he’ll do so without hesitation lol

like, seriously? you think that would work?? your school fuckin’ sucks anyway,

aand he continues to rat out the principal sjfhsfd

what, you’re so shitty that you have to bribe someone to be with you??? 

jsdfhd honestly there’s not much else to say other than yuma will tear this principal down and not care

he’s gotta protect his stepmom, ok?? he’d probably do it for anyone else, because yuma hates the abuse of power, but like.. still. really?? his stepmom??? is the principal that dumb?? do they not know who his stepmom is married to??

azusa:

like yuma, azusa isn’t the best with school. i imagine it’s a pretty big struggle for him, and i bet his stepmother knows that as well

no matter how much reassuring his stepmother does for him, he’ll feel so bad about it. he wont be sobbing or crying or anything, but just a sort of like.. numbness. he’d feel worthless. 

that feeling gets worse once the principal starts threatening him. and his mom. 

i doubt azusa trusted the principal in the first place, but either way, it still feels like a betrayal and lowkey it hurts him. a lot.

what hurts even more is that his stepmother is involved, and she doesn’t seem keen to be flirted with by the principal. he really can’t help but feel at fault.

honestly, in this case, i think the stepmother would probably carry along the situation because azusa will just stand there like :(

he’s too nervous to speak up and what not

tsukinami’s

carla:

the audacity,,,,

why? why would they even dare to do that?? it’s honestly funny to carla

also, both me and probably carla lmao have no idea why he’d get in trouble at school. he doesn’t believe the principal because like.. he doesn’t do anything wrong

honestly i don’t think there’s much to say about this one because carla knows he’s got more power over the principal. 

...and because of that, the principal is likely,,, not going to be there for any longer

seriously lol don’t worry auntie <3 he’s got you DJFHSJDF how? no idea. but this boy will dispose of him without any issues

shin:

no. 

no, no you don’t. his aunt is one of the few people shin appreciates in his life, and some loser of a principal isn’t going to get away with threatening her. or himself, for that matter. 

truthfully, he doesn’t care about getting kicked from school, and i wouldn’t be surprised that he’d gotten in trouble. shin isn’t the naughtiest kid, but he’s not the best, either. super mouthy lol

his mouth is probably the reason for his trouble, and it’ll continue to be the issue. like yuma, he’ll tell the principal off, and then, like his brother, will do whatever he can in order to make them disappear. because what difference would it make, really?

+ karlheinz:

yeahhh this principal.. probably wont live for much longer. or, he’ll live slightly longer but at the cost of being karlheinz’ new lab rat. 

the issue isn’t actually that big of a deal for karlheinz- his wife has been flirted with before, surely- karlheinz has good taste, afterall- so he’s not worried. she knows better to get with anyone else, anyways. 

it’s also.. quite annoying that the principal has the nerve to threaten his children. nevermind the tsukinami’s, he doesn’t really care because.. they’re not his to control, basically jsdfhsdf

that’s exactly why he’s not happy with the principal, though. just the audacity, really. to even think that they have the power to do so?? it’s almost funny to karl. 

but no. no one gets to threaten his children, or his wife, but him. KJfdsfs 

[sningo-prompts]

Prompt idea but… my cat has a routine. The moment she hears my Keurig starting to pour my coffee she’s right their sticking her snout as close to the cup as possible without burning herself. What if Sningo does something similar but ends up accidentally sticking his snout too close to the pot?

My cats only come to the kitchen when they hear me sturring because i used to make a hot of hot chocolate (i literally made a blog to post everytime i made a cup) but once i finished kine i gave them a little whipped cream. But this sounds so funny so im gonna write it under the cut! Idk if you wanted me to do that or if you wanted some more prompts based on it but im a write it lol.

Emmet has a coffee pot that starts on its own so he didnt have to get up so early to make it himself. (This function is actually on a lot of coffee makers i noticed) So everyday like clockwork hes there right when it finishes. When Ingo comes back he stops setting it up the night before, mostly because hes been staying up late himself drinking it trying to study up on Sneasel care. After about a week or two he finally brings it back into his nightly routine.

Its the first morning of having it set that the problem starts. Emmet is awoken by his brother getting up and leaving the room. Groggily he follows curious as to what his brother might be up to. He doesnt have to wsit long to find out. Ingo went strait to the coffee maker. Tilting his head back and forth once or twice before perking up at the realisation. Emmet might be tired but his worry for his brother has kept him on edge so it doesnt take him long to figure out whats going on. Ingo mist have not had coffee while he was gone. Which is ashame because out of the two Ingo liked it more. Normally Ingo took is pretty dark, only adding a little cream or sugar. While Emmet on the other hand couldnt stand the bitterness of it. Though after his brother disappeared Emmet stopped caring to make up his coffee and just drinking it black for the caffeine.

So here he was, leaning on the doorway of their kitchen watching his brother excitedly watch the coffee be made. “You know coffee isnt really good for pokemon” Emmet teased. He couldnt pass up the moment to mess with his brother a little. Ingo didnt even jump at his brothers words, having heard Emmet walk in. Though the look Emmet received was worth it. The slow turn of Ingos head. The deadpan look. Ingo wasnt having it. In mock seriousness Emmet decided to tease his brother some more, still a few minutes before the coffees done after all. “Really Ingo you must watch your health.” Jokingly be puts his hands on his hips shaking his head as he approaches his brother. “What am i going to do with you hmm we only just got you better now.” Its taking everything Emmet has not to start giggling. Reaching the counter his picks Ingo up under his arms and places him in a chair at the table. Ingo who raises his disapproval with an incriminating “sneaa!” Fulling understanding what his brother ment Emmet moves to block his brothers view of the coffee maker “Now now i on the other hand have no health issues keeping me from the wonderful drink.” Ever so slowly he pours a cup, making sure Ingo can hear it. Peering over his should he can see his brother has turned away in a pout. As quietly as he can he sneaks up behind his brother and sets the cup in front of him. Ingo looking up in surprise. Now pretending to be hurt, placing a hand over his chest “Come now Ingo do you think me so cruel as to not make you a cup. And here i thought you knew me” Smirking he sits down next to his brother. Now with his own cup. Ingo raising an eyebrow at his brother. Shrugging Emmet answers “What can i say i learned to like coffee your way” Ingo just shrugs it off and starts trying to figure out how to pick up his cup. The claws make it awkward but he manages.

This routine continues for the next few days. Ingo waking up the moment he heard the coffee pot and going to the counter to wait for it to finish. He has missed coffee so much, and the smell oh how he missed that feeling. It happens on the one morning Emmet didnt immediately follow him to the kitchen.

Ingo was lost in the smell of the coffee that he didnt realise how close he was getting. His new nose just made it so much better, It was like almost tasing it. Then pain. A burning pain that caused him to yelp out and fall off the counter. Sitting up he rubbed his poor nose, silently cursing himself has he heard Emmet fumble and probably fall trying to get to the kitchen. Panicked Emmet burst into the room franticly looking around. Till he spotted Ingo sitting on the floor rubbing his nose. When his panicked mind put two and two together he couldnt help but burst out laughing. The look Ingo was giving him wasnt helping either. “Im sorry brother but did you reslly stick your nose in the HOT coffee!” Ingo just grumbled while continuing to rub his slightly burned nose. Still chuckling to himself Emmet went over to his brother to get a better look at the burn. “Come now Ingo dont be bitter let me have a look” Seeing it was anything bad, just a slight burn nothing some burn cream cant solve Emmet picks his brother up and sets him at the table, along with a fresh cut of coffee. “Now im going to get come cream for that, try not to inhale the coffee while im gone”

Sorry this is so long i got really off track and the realised i hadnt used your prompt at all so i kept going to get that bit in. I honestly like the idea that Ingo likes sweet more than Emmet because its not what you would expect from them but it really just didnt work for this so i scrapped it. I am so glad you sent this ask in because i had a lot of fun writing it.

[sleepy-dreamers-inc]

Going to School with Ranboo!|| 📌

[i was going to answer this but i was a big dummy dum dum and accidentally deleted the ask bUT I REMEMBERED YOU DEAR ANON]

irl / in-game

Genre| fluff and (minor) angst

h e a d-c a n n o n s||

Sypnosis|

You and Ranboo go to school together, so have some scenarios and thoughts about it!!

Artist| grapeichie on twitter!!

warnings| bullying, stress, swearing

Note: you are a streamer in this!! You are also in the SMP!

optional platonic or romantic!!

- so going to school with Ranboo is both amazing and weird. You two have tons of stories of the dumb shit that happened there.

- Nobody will ever find Y/N and Ranboo far apart, even if you guys dont share classes one of you will randomly appear and at this point no one questions it

- Both of you meeting up at eachothers classroom/locker to walk together to your next destination

- Both of you helping eachother with schoolwork, Ranboo would totally tutor you in any subject you struggle with. Both of you go to his house but you two end up getting bored, so he does a Facecam stream with you in the background vibing. (It was so much fun)

- You guys are both the teacher’s favorites and least favorites. You both add so much life to the school but thats the exact problem.

- Y/N: haha look at that high waisted man he got feminine hips!!

Ranboo: NOOOO THATS THE THING HE’S SENSITIVE ABOUT

That Poor Teacher:

- I can totally imagine some kids in your school being invested in the SMP and both of you just nervously sweat in the background. Bonus points if ya’ll’s friends are into it so its just absolute panic

- You trying to help him not be awkward, especially when it comes to talking to new people. I can totally see like a new girl trying to talk to him and he just panics, so you have to step in and explain and help the poor boy out.

- You two are like,, inseparable. Like literally rarely does anyone see you guys apart. So this kinda urks some people who have crushes on him, or literally just your stereotypical bully.

- So one day while you we’re grabbing things for your next class, someone slammed against the locker next to yours, slamming yours shut in the process.

“Well well well, if it isnt the clingy one. Im surprised your not with that dork, you two practically don’t function without the other.” The guy snickered, leaning forward directly in Y/N’s face.

“And how is that any of your concern? And why does it matter?” Y/N said, standing straight up staring at the guy. “Because your fucking pathetic, thats why. Your useless without him and both of us know it.” He spat, pushing Y/N to the floor with a thud, they’re books crashing to the ground around them. Snickers could be heard from around them, as well as gasps and ‘oh-no’s’.

“Awww whatcha gonna do now, freak? You gonna go cry to that loser? Because i have a better idea. Your gonna shut up, and if not, he gets hurt.” The boy said, picking Y/N up by the collar of they’re shirt, and soon slamming them back into the lockers. All he did was laugh and walk away, muttering “pathetic, good for nothing freak.”

- You went home by yourself that day, usually Ranboo walks you home so you two can hangout, but you were nowhere to be seen. This went on for 2 weeks, and you practically avoided him at all costs, not wanting him to get hurt.

- But when he walked into school one day and saw Y/N being harassed by a group of people, he surely wasn’t the one hurt.

“Awww, cant move?” One said, twisting Y/N’s wrist even more, bruising they’re arm as they whimpered in pain. “Awww i think they’re gonna cry!!” Someone else chimmed in, one girl quickly said “better take a picture of this before the moments gone.” As she giggled, snapping a photo of you in the middle of being bullied.

“Delete it, and leave.” Ranboo said, looking down at the three who were currently tormenting you. You looked so sad yet happy, but you knew what was about to happen. “I thought i fucking told you not to tell him, guess your getting it.” The guy said, kicking your stomach and slamming you against the lockers.

You never in your wildest dreams expected Ranboo to punch someone, he was so sweet and charismatic, very passive and neutral. But now, your bully laid on the floor, a bloody nose, and Ranboo towering over him. “Dont. Touch. Them.” Ranboo snarled, leaning down and looking at the bully directly in the eyes.

- A fight soon broke out, leaving one guy with a black eye, bloody nose and a bruised arm and shoulder. Ranboo got suspended, but you left with him, not wanting to be at school and instead with him.

- While walking home he stopped, pulled off his white and black hoodie, put it on you, and soon enveloped you in a hug. Y/N return the favor, and all he said shakily was ‘i love you’

- God no one ever fucked with Y/N again everyone was scared spineless

- The entire SMP had a ‘bruh’ moment when you two told them. Of course Techno was very happy about Ranboo beating some kids up.

- But like back to happy stuff,,

- Kahoot? Idk if you guys play it in school but i do, and both you and Ranboo are such a power duo in Kahoot games

- Trading each others lunch because thats what duo’s like you two do, share with the homies

- Both of you being referees in sports because if other wise someone is going to accidentally get hurt

- You having to walk Ranboo to the nurses office after he got hit in the face with a basketball.

- The librarian does not like the fact you two cannot be quiet. You both are constantly cracking up and can never keep it down

- I know for a FACT one of you got your hands on the teacher’s computer, and i know one of you are playing memes during class while your Teacher is screeching

- All your teachers think both of you are cheating because you have synced brains and get every single answer the exact. same.

- Pulling some kind of huge end of the year prank

- Both of you speaking in zoomer language and not even your classmates have any idea what your saying

- I can see both of you accidentally writing/typing ‘pog’ into a essay/class assignment and your teacher being VERY confused

- Blasting fan-made songs about both of your guys characters and everyone liking them, and both of you are just giggling and smiling because they dont know

- Your friend group see you two doing something and they’re just like “ah shit, here we go again”

- Both of you going to school events only to ensue chaos and be idiots

- On the first day one of you getting lost and the other having to go fetch the other one

- Both of you crashing at the others house to study but it probably didnt go well

- You two are honestly just encased in your own little shared bubble, just vibing and being yourselves

- i feel like this is going on forever and most of it was just angst so I’ll go ahead and cut this off lol

a/n: TWO UPLOADS IN ONE DAY??? CALL ME GO-

Okay but in all seriousness i hope this was not total shit and actually pleasant to read. Idk i just feel like this bad

Anyways I promise I’ll get to working on pt. 2 of dad wilbur but i have some other requests i need to work on. But in the meantime simp for Ranboo and Wilbur okay bye

[mystoganisiconic]

He walks in on you changing(Rogue, Sting and Gajeel

Rogue: He was looking for his cape but couldn’t find it and came into your guys’ room

You took off your shirt and you weren’t wearing any bra because you had woken up only a few minutes ago, that when Rogue walked in, “Hey Y/N have you seen my ca-, oh my god oh lord um I uh..” he was trying to say something but poor boy was so nervous. “Rogue you know you’ve seen me naked before”, “I know but um-i I’m sorry I should just uh go, yeah b-bye”, he said closing the door and walking out. After you were done, you went out to see a completely flustered and embarrassed Rogue. You assured him that it was alright though.

Sting: This horny mf doesn’t even need a description, he’s literally gonna be like Gray + Laxus.

“Hey Y/N you’re changing in there?”, you heard Sting ask, from the other side of the door “Yeah I am”, “Good cos I wanted a treat”, he said opening the door and walking in. “Sting no, please get out”, you say calmly. “Really now, you want me to get out or get in you. (tf did i just write) “ALRIGHT LISTEN UP YOU LITTLE SHI-”, you cut yourself off by giving out moan when you realized his lips were on your neck, abusing it, “St-sting I ju-st took a sh-shower”, “not my fault”. “Sting have you seen my-oh my god oh god I’m sorry”, you both freeze as you hear Lector entering the room and swiftly existing it, completely embarrassed. “I hate you”, you said looking him in the eye, “love you too, angel”

Gajeel: this bitch-

You had just gotten out of the shower and this iron chomping machine walked in. You were too busy vibing out to the music you were listening to, moving your almost completely naked body to every beat, and Gajeel just stood there looking at you, not saying a word, you hadn’t realized he was there. After about another 5 minutes of seeing your almost naked body Gajeel just walked over and pulled the towel, you let out a gasp and you turn around and see him smirk, “YOU PERVERT GET OUTTA HERE”, “nah it kinda pisses me off that weren’t dancing to me singing”, he said bending down to kiss your cheek, while you were doing everything in your power to get your towel back but this metal head was preventing that from happening. He moved from your cheek to your lips and…(its up to you, end it the way you like)

A/N: lmfao love how im soft with rogue and when it came to gajeel and sting- also pls dont take me calling them mf and bitch or metal head or iron chomping machine, seriously, and maybe part 3 will come out tomorrow idk maybe, i dont post on weekends so there's a chance I might not post, but I think I'll go with Erik, Jellal and Mystogan, but I feel like jellal and myst are gonna be the exact same so maybe Erik, Jellal and Freed or Bickslow maybe, also do y'all want Lyon and Hibiki imagines, i could also add Ichiya👀 jk theres no way im adding him, but tell me if y'all want Lyon and Hibiki, or maybe Rufus and Olga as well. OMG THIS A/N IS PROBABLY LONGER THAN THE IMAGINE ANYWAYS THANKS FOR READING AND STAY SAFE I LOVE YOU ALL. ALSO IM LITERALLY READING KATSUKI BAKUGO SMUT ALTHOUGH I HAVENT WATCHED MY HERO ACADEMIA, help

[peaches-writes]

heart attack!

description: han jisung can charm any heart if he wants to but he just wants one, whether he admits it to your face or not. 

member: jisung / han

genre: fluff, fantasy, rivals to lovers au, childhood friends to lovers au, witch / wizard au (sugar sugar rune-inspired), royal au, college au, roommates / housemates au, slice of life format, a side of hwang siblings, sunshine twins, cousin chan, and minchan (!!)

word count: 25.1k i’m so sorry

warnings: explicit language, alcohol, some mentions of injuries, a brief episode of someone getting abducted, mentions of a creep being,,,well a creep at public transportation, self-indulgent tooth-rotting cheesiness, idk if i should put a warning for unconscious emotional manipulation but im gonna write that in here anw

note: idk if i want to write little drabbles w this same pairing again since it ended up being so long but i kinda lost the plot halfway lmao lmk if u guys want additional lil drabbles for this hehe + again happy 1k yay!

You don’t always get along with Han Jisung, crown prince of the Eastern Kingdom, for reasons you simply can't limit to the number of fingers and toes that you have. He loves annoying you for the sake of getting a reaction, bratty as far as a wizard prince goes, and prideful among many traits that you were forced to grow up alongside with.

These days, however, you hate the way that he is the only other candidate alongside yourself for the High Crown of the magical world. As if fate didn't just want the two of you to butt heads in school and at royal social functions all the time, suddenly you're pushed to compete with him for something much greater.

For the record, though, it's tradition that all firstborn heirs of the 4 major kingdoms are considered eligible for the highest throne that unites all of your domains. You were going to compete with him either way, just with other people initially involved. However, with prince Hyunjin of the Southern kingdom mysteriously disappearing over a month ago and princess Lia of the Western kingdom subsequently refusing the candidacy, suddenly there was only you and the Eastern prince for the high jury to challenge in their Crown Candidacy exam. Fate and circumstance clearly love you with the way Jisung is always in your line of sight when all you want for yourself is to not be on the receiving end of his teasings and competititve streak all the time.

Though you yourself didn't desire the High Crown at first, the elders continuously pressuring you eventually pushed you into accepting the task. Plus, knowing that it's Jisung—the brat who pulled on your hair during those silly etiquette lessons the high jury made you and the other royals take as kids and embarrassed you when you once confessed your past crush to him in middle school—who would be automatically crowned without a test if Hyunjin isn't found in time and you also refuse made you go forward with it. After all, as much as you personally don't want to answer to Jisung as the next High King, you also think that entrusting the entire magical realm to him is simply not right. You would know, you had to grow up with him.

So, here you are on the night that the Crown Candidacy exam begins, receiving the final blessing from your mother and the high jury with Jisung who has been sneakily trying to poke on your side and get a reaction out of you since the ceremony began. If 15 elders and your mentors aren't surrounding the two of you with their scrutinizing eyes right this very moment, you would've easily snapped on the first poke and blasted the blue-haired boy.

"Stop that," You instead gritted your teeth next to him with the 17th poke to your waist, lowering your voice that only he can hear. "Ji, I swear to the gods—"

Among the circle of witches and wizards chanting ritual protection spells over the two of you, your mentor Younghyun glares at you and Jisung as if in a non-verbal scolding that the two of you should stop "playing around" as he would usually word it. You simply roll your eyes at this in response, earning you more quizzical looks from the other elders.

You also hate the way that Han Jisung keeps stringing you into his antics as his favourite person to mess with. If anything, you're most often in trouble with the elders because of him.

"This part of the ceremony is so unnecessary. I'm bored" He murmurs tiredly under his breath, bringing his hands back inside his black cape and pushing his shoulders back as he stands up straighter once more. "It's not like humans can hurt us. We're the magical ones, hello? Besides, the jury’s already cut the one-year exam by half. What could even happen in that time?”

"Stray monsters can still hunt you there if you don’t stand still." You correct immediately, earning you a look from your own mother this time as she finishes leading the last of the spells. At this point in your unwanted association with him, you don't even care much anymore that you get in trouble because you entertain his antics. You just want him to shut up. "Whatever. It's done."

The prince then giddily springs up in place once all of the spells are casted, suddenly looking more awake than the past 5 minutes of ceremony. "Finally! Okay, thanks for that! We'll be going now!"

"Wait." Your mother calmly interrupts him, perfectly hiding her slight annoyance over you and Jisung as she whips out her blue wand from the pockets of her ceremonial robes. "For the high jury to properly tally the ecure that you'll collect in the human world after this task, we'll be providing you with vessels to keep them."

As she mentions the vessels, a sapphire locket and an emerald ring materialize in front of you and Jisung respectively before settling at the palms of your hands. You're then quick to notice the way that the diamond-cut sapphire encrusted at the center of your locket emits warmth as you place it around your neck, indicating its magical properties.

"These vessels have been modified further to record everything that you collect and any spell or potion that you might use them on while undertaking in this task." Your mother then continues. Simultaneously, Younghyun gestures for you and Jisung to mount your brooms and prepare to fly off into the yellow crescent moon where the portal to the human world lies on its other side. "Though the ecure that you lose is not counted in the final tally, knowing how you used or lost them also contributes to the jury's examination of your magical skills and knowledge."

Jisung chuckles, bumping the bristle end of his broom with yours playfully. "And to see what kind of trouble we'll get ourselves into, right?"

In response, you simply roll your eyes. Your mother, on the other hand, purposely tunes out Jisung's usual antics and continues, "Remember, this exam will determine the next monarch that unites all of the 4 major domains. Collect as much ecure as you can from the humans in the 6 months that you're given with them and you will be rewarded greatly. Until then, have a safe journey to the human world, candidates."

With that, you and Jisung push yourselves off from the castle balcony, heading straight to the crescent moon.

"Last to the other side is a lousy flyer!" Jisung yells playfully into the quiet night, speeding ahead before you could even process his words. “And has to pay for a meal sometime!”

"Ya! Han Jisung!" You increase your speed yourself anyway despite knowing that his words don’t have any ill meaning, catching up to him with ease just as the two of you pass into the portal. “I paid for the meals last time!” 

-

Han Jisung isn't always fond of you, the heir to the Northern Kingdom, for reasons he simply can't limit to the number of fingers and toes that he has. He thinks you're too uptight (especially in the presence of the high jury and the other elders of the bigger royal circle), easily irritable, and surprisingly a bit of a pushover to your kingdom's advisors ever since your cousin, Chan, renounced his royal title and settled in the human world.

These days, however, he hates the way that you've suddenly taken up an interest in competing for the high crown of the magical world alongside him even when you've made it clear countless times before that you only wanted to rule your own kingdom. You only started showing interest after Lia formally refused her candidacy and the elders pushed you more into changing your mind, clearly hinting that you don't want Jisung to automatically be crowned High King.

Do they really think that terribly of me? Jisung has resorted to thinking a lot about these days, even now as the two of you arrive at Chan’s place where you would be staying for the duration of the test. I make a good high king as much as I do the king of my own people! Hmp!

It shouldn't bother him this much, it's just you anyway. But at the same time, it bothers him for this very same reason: because it's you, the know-it-all who always busted his antics to the teachers back in school and embarrassed him to his friends when you confessed your past crush to him back in middle school. Jisung hates the way you challenge and compel him to be petty and competitive all the time, especially in the little things. Like right now, as the two of you argue on who gets the bigger bedroom in Chan's house right after you arrived.

"You know, I was just holding back a while ago because we were in front of the elders but I swear, I won't hesitate to blast you now that we're away." You warn as you try your best to stare him down while he blocks the bedroom door you both want. You have your hands raised to the side, sparks of a spell encircling our fingers and the space between your hands. "Move, Jisung!"

Still, Jisung stubbornly refuses. You two have bickered enough to last you all of your lifetimes and for him to know that you won't really do it. "I was here first! You go to the other room!"

The blue ball of energy in your hands begins to shape itself into a more tangible shape as your brows furrow even deeper in frustration. "But I called dibs on this room to Chan firs—!"

Before you could finish your words, however, Chan peeks his head out from the opposite end of the hallway with a pile of blankets in his hands. "You two still going at it? It's almost 2 AM." He teases in feigned disapproval, approaching the two of you to throw a blanket each of your way. "Come on, give it up, Sung. Y/N gets the big room."

Jisung's initial smug expression contorts into disbelief in an instant while you celebrate with a wide grin and a teasing tongue stuck out at him. "What?!"

"Ha! Thanks, Channie!" You clasp your hands together in satisfaction, the red sparks in your hands disappearing into thin air as you do so, before pushing the paralyzed Jisung out of the way and locking yourself in the bedroom. Once Jisung's pulled himself together at the betrayal, you then briefly peek your head out of the door, sticking your tongue out for the last time before greeting the two boys with a quick, "Goodnight!"

Jisung glares and purses his lips in front of Chan who chuckles at this. "Hyung!" He whines, grabbing the older boy by his biceps and shaking him wildly like how a child would throw a tantrum. "I don't see you for three years and when I do, I get treated like this?!"

"Exactly." Chan nods with an amused smile, tugging Jisung to his side and leading him to his room across from yours. "Y/N was kind enough to visit me here while you didn't even send a letter. I think that's enough to give them the big room."

"Aah, but you already know why I couldn't! I was busy with all the prince stuff!"

"Y/N was too, though? And they’re doing twice the work than you."

"But Y/N's more organized than me!"

"So you agree? My cousin earned the bigger room?"

"No, it’s not th—aish! Bang Chan!" When the older boy in question tries pushing Jisung back to the smaller bedroom, the latter childishly protests by gripping onto the doorframe. "I'm making it up to you now! I'm literally staying here for 6 months!"

"Yeah and I'll definitely treat you to lots of other things for that later. Seriously, Ji, give it a rest. It's just your temporary room for the exam." Chan sighs with a tired laugh, prying the younger wizard's hands off of the doorframe and shoving him inside the room. "Unpack your things and get some sleep. We're having a welcoming party for you two on the weekend."

"You're supposed to side with me here."

"Don't pull that face, you're not kids anymore." Chan chuckles, ruffling the younger boy's hair. "And I'm not siding with anyone. It’s just a room! Night, Sungie."

Jisung opens his mouth to protest, only for Chan to close the door on him and walk back to his own room. With a sigh, the boy defeatedly trudges to his new bed and, after taking out his expandable pouch from his pockets, jumps to the mattress with a muffled groan to the plush pillows.

Jisung also hates how one of his best friends favors you better just because you're cousins first. He's had enough of Chan coddling you before from when you were kids, always taking your side when the two of you bicker and offering you his extra food when the three of you are together, and he would much prefer it if he doesn't see it now that the two of you are undergoing an important exam.

"At least the view's nice." He pouts to himself once he's seated up once more, facing the window that overlooks the city. After just spending ten minutes flying over Seoul and exploring Chan's vast mansion, Jisung gets it a little now. Chan definitely didn't choose this realm over their home for no reason.

If I'm not in line to be king, Jisung thinks to himself, this life also seems nice.

Hovering his hands over the enchanted green pouch, its neatly packed contents of clothes and other personal belongings then emerge from its seemingly tiny space before levitating to their respective places. "Aish, that Y/N!" Jisung yells loudly on purpose, leaning on his side closer to the door to hear your reaction.

Across the hall, while you make a fuss out of unpacking and changing the appearance of some furniture, you yell back, "Shut up, Ji!"

Jisung has many reasons for disliking you at times but, if anything, he lives for your reactions when he purposely annoys you. Even when he knows you’re always a spell away from actually snapping at him, you never actually do and it never fails to amuse him. Scoffing, he lets it slide for now and quietly unpacks.

-

If attending social functions as a royal has taught you anything over the years, it's to avoid being within reach of Jisung at a party before, during, and after he makes a huge mess of things. You've had your own fair share of spilled drinks to your dress robes, purposely getting embarrassed in front of the elders and other important public officials, and even a huge fight over not wanting to be his dance partner to remind you of this at all times.

Of the places that you and Jisung have to be standing next to each other, it's the parties that you hate having to see him at the most because they bring you nothing but trouble. Chan's welcoming party for the two of you, with witches and wizards living in the human world as well as Chan's own human friends in attendance, is no exception.

"What do you think he's going to do this time?" Yeji snickers next to you on the makeshift dance floor of the house's backyard. Ever since her brother disappeared, she's been staying in the human world combing through every inch of Seoul and trying to retrace what is little known of the steps he took. Naturally, you've stuck to each other like glue since she arrived. "It's been two hours since this party started and all he's doing is—"

"Flirt with every human on the dance floor. I know, that's why I'm not looking over my shoulder. I think that's all he's planning to do in this party, given that we've started with the test." You frown, taking a sip of your beer as the song changes to a more lively one. "This guy's never taken any exam back in school seriously but now he suddenly wants to win this one exam. Weird, right?"

"Hm, maybe he really wants to win this exam and become high king. You can never really tell what goes on in that head of his." Yeji shrugs, blinking twice in quick succession to make her eyes turn red, an indication that she's scanning the venue for the humans' ecures. "Anyway, he's definitely working hard. I see a lot of orange hearts for him as much as there are for you."

Only then do you also turn your head around the place, your own eyes turning blue as you collect the orange hearts of infatuation and green hearts of friendship that people you've met tonight have for you with a non-verbal spell. As you catch these little crystal hearts into your locket, you briefly catch a glimpse of Jisung at one of the foldable tables chatting with three human girls. It somehow irritates you.

"He never lost that cringey fuckboy persona, huh?" Yeji points out once you're done with your collecting, shaking her now empty bottle and frowning once she realizes that it's already empty. "I guess I didn't miss out on much even after being away for a few weeks."

"You talk like you were gone for a year, not 3 weeks." You laugh. When she then asks you if you want to get new beer bottles, you follow her back to the coolers behind Chan's DJ set. "I hate how we'll be seeing more of those again when we start attending uni to collect more hearts."

"Oh, right! You're attending mine, right? You'll be with me, Seungmin, and Ryujin?" When you nod once more, she links her arms with yours and adds, “Gosh, I can just see it now, girls from the different departments flocking the two of you on the first day but especially Sung. A lot of girls I know from uni really dig that e-boy thing he has going on."

You pretend to gag, making her throw her head back in a cackle of laughs. "Humans and their weird tastes in men." You scrunch up your nose, the two of you briefly pausing to politely wave at Chan as you pass by his booth.

Your cousin doesn't hesitate to wave back at you both before going back to his spinning. You and Yeji then head to the back of his area where the coolers of different beverages have been placed.

"Oh shush, didn't you too also have a crush on him way back then?" Yeji teases the moment the two of you are alone again, opening the cooler with a simple flick of her hand. You follow along despite the glare you send her way, your empty beer bottles getting replaced by new ones. "Sometimes, Ryujin and I like to think that you still have a little bit of that."

"No way." You shake your head in denial, picking up a bottle opener from one of the closed coolers and using it over yours and Yeji's. "Middle school was a long time ago. Jisung just irritates the hell out of me now."

"Who irritates who now?" A voice behind you perks up almost immediately, causing you to jump and spill a little of your beer on the grass. When you glance over your shoulder, Jisung's white bucket hat comes into your vision, eventually uncovering his mischievous smile. "Ah, so clumsy. Look, you spilled a little beer on the grass.” 

Next to you, Yeji giggles behind her hand while greeting Jisung. You glare at her in response.

"You're annoying." You point out with a pout, thrusting the bottle opener to his chest before linking arms with Yeji. "We're going."

Jisung only shrugs with a smirk, waving goodbye to Yeji as the two of you pass by him to go back to the dance floor. "It makes you look, doesn't it?"

"Uh-huh, keep telling yourself that." You roll your eyes before disappearing back into the crowd with Yeji.

Once Jisung is out of earshot, Yeji then nudges your side with your linked arms. "I'm telling you, there's still a little something. Deep, deep down there." She teases in a singsong. “That’s probably why the banter just won’t die out.”

"Nope, definitely not." You shake your head. "Have you been watching too much of those human dramas while you’re here? It’s playing with your judgement."

-

It comes even as a surprise to Jisung himself that he hasn't caused a major mishap in this welcoming party so far. Since the majority of the guests started arriving two hours ago, he hasn't done anything troubling besides losing to Ryujin at beer pong and finishing a whole red cup of Chan's jungle juice concoction as punishment almost an hour ago.

It doesn't bother his "instincts for mischief" that much—his mentor's words not his. It means that he's more focused on collecting ecures at the moment with the amount of humans he's mingled with at this party, especially the girls who have taken it upon themselves to flirt with him.

What does bother him slightly, however, is the way you occasionally glance over to him knowingly from across the lawn, as if you're expecting him to do something. You always seem to do that after years of getting roped into his troubles, much like a lot of your childhood friends who'd frequently end up in similar predicaments. Somehow, however, it's always intimidating when it's you looking at him. He personally hates that, the look in your eyes when you're trying to catch him in his mischievous acts.

"Who are you and what have you done to my twin brother?" Felix has been teasing the entire night every time he encounters Jisung. When Jisung pouts this time, while the two share a drink on a couch that was brought out for this party, Felix laughs over his drink and adds, "Oh, so you're really focused on this test, huh? No trouble until this party's over?"

"Why do you guys think I'm not?" Jisung frowns, elbowing his brother by his side. "Geez, Lix, you're supposed to root for me here. If I win, you get to be king too."

In response, Felix waves his solo cup dismissively. "No, no, I think you're doing great! You've caught how much already? Twenty hearts in this party? That's a great start, bro." He comments with a proud smile. "It's just a little new, seeing you all so serious and focused. It's not because you're up against Y/N, right?"

"Ha? Nope, definitely not. It's barely a competition when I'm clearly winning." Jisung shakes his head a little too defensively as he sinks into the soft velvet couch. "I just think it's natural that another kingdom should get the high crown this time and since it's only me and Y/N competing, unless we also find Hyunjin while we're here I should work hard and make it happen."

Just then, Seungmin sits down on his other side with a cup of punch and a small paper plate of sweets from the chocolate fountain. "If Hyunjin was here, he would've whipped your asses in this party by getting all of the human guys and girls with one smile." He points out matter-of-factly. "Plus, if Lia accepted the candidacy, all three of you would've lost even before you left home."

"You never really rooted for me, huh, Minnie?" Jisung feigns sad eyes as he rests his head on Seungmin's shoulder. "And here I thought we're best friends."

"Oh no, I'm totally rooting for you now." Seungmin replies with a dry chuckle, passing his paper plate over to Felix when he holds his hands out in a motion asking for food. "But if the gang was complete, I would've changed to team Hyunjin."

Jisung scoffs at this, swiping a marshmallow covered in chocolate from Seungmin's plate. "Fine, I won’t hold it against you. I miss Hyunjin too."

"Yeji and Chae are doing everything they can to look for him. He'll turn up somewhere, he just has to. Until then, you should just focus more on your exam. Hyunnie would want that." Felix quips in before turning his attention over to you and Yeji at the nearby karaoke mini bar. "Look, that's what Y/N and Yeji are doing right now."

When Jisung looks through the crowd that has gathered around you, his eyes turning a deep green, he sees a lot of orange hearts gravitate over to you, mostly from the uni boys and girls that Yeji, Seungmin, and Ryujin have invited to this party.

"You guys are seeing it too, right?" Felix asks, his own eyes a matching shade of green when he tilts his head over to Seungmin and Jisung. "At least twenty new hearts in a span of 10 minutes, right after they just gave Y/N a bunch of green hearts."

Seungmin nods, his head movements making Jisung's head shake a little on his shoulder. "Yeah. Y/N's really working extra on this." He notes in complete awe. "The competition's really close, don't you think so Lix?"

"Definitely. What do you think, Ji?"

"Nope, definitely not." Jisung crosses his arms and shakes his head in disagreement. "It's impressive but not enough to catch up to me."

But the smallest hint of a frown gracing his features is enough to give his feelings away to his friends. Only now does it fully sink in that it’s definitely a tight competition between the two of you.

one out of six months

At one point, you understood why people would foolishly fall for Jisung. On a really good day, when he's not causing you or anyone too much trouble, you could see his playful side as charming, maybe even too cute for you to admit it out loud. A long time ago, back when you were still so naïve, you had a small playground crush on him too, after all; a crush that ended so badly you're convinced it's where your bickering naturally escalated.

But now, as your days in the human world turn into a month spent fulfilling your Crown Candidacy exam at university with your friends, you just wish that not a lot of humans are so insanely attracted to Jisung. It's nothing personal, of course, you're not jealous at all in that way. Whenever you sit in the library to study, attend classes from late in the morning to early afternoons, or even just sit in the quad with your shared friend group discussing updates on Yeji's search for Hyunjin, however, your competitor is just always being followed by flocks of smitten girls with their orange and pink ecures of crushes on their sleeves, ready to be collected by Jisung's emerald ring.

And you're not going to get started on the rainbow-colored hearts that send him little gifts and love letters at least once a week before classes, sometimes even directly to Chan's house where the third kitchen fridge is now filled with bakery goods stashed along with Chan's fan gifts. Not wanting to admit it to him or any of your friends, you're admittedly quite jealous because he attracts the ecures from the humans so easily while you have to work extra harder in socializing with your human peers to garner even just pink hearts. You hate having to work extra, extra harder just to be on par with him all the time, especially when he seems to be effortless in his ways.

"Before Lix went back to the magical realm, he relayed that Changbin from back home suggested that we start expanding our search for Hyunjin to—" For the sixth time since your group met up at the quad after classes this particular afternoon, another group of girls pass by and greet Jisung, interrupting Yeji in her explanations. Pouting slightly, she then turns to Jisung and pokes him with her pen, snapping the smirk off of his face. "Sung, focus."

Jisung nods quickly, waving Yeji's pen away from his side. "Yeah, let me just collect their hearts real quick."

You roll your eyes in response, nudging Yeji to resume her updates. "Just go on, Yeji." You encourage her, Seungmin and Ryujin nodding along in agreement. For emphasis, you make sure to tap Jisung's hand on the grass with your own pen harshly, making him wince dramatically in pain. "You're extending the search to Incheon, right?"

"Oh, uh yeah. Like I said, Lix said that Changbin suggested Incheon since Hyunjin briefly mentioned it in one of his letters. We'll start looking into it ourselves before this semester is over." Yeji continues on, ignoring the next group of passing girls that Jisung gets distracted over again this time around. "Chaeryoung is going there in the following months, though, to scout the places first. Then, we'll try and follow up with a search of our own. I'll have to ask Chan and the jury back at home if you and Jisung are allowed to go, though, since you're taking your exam."

"Among those places, Hyunjin often went to this stretch of the beach because he was investigating a monster from home who escaped here and took an artifact from our kingdom." Seungmin added, pointing to a location on Yeji's map sprawled over your laptops at the very center of your circle. "It was one of his last assignments here before he suddenly disappeared. We'll probably stay here the longest."

You try your best to listen, adding your own inputs to how your search operations would go while also noticing a couple of people who recognize you and wave your way, but Jisung somehow keeps grabbing your attention by the way he entertains his admirers who greet him shyly as they pass by you group. The playful smirks he sends their way, the polite waves, and the way his hand keeps twitching in between the two of you as he collects the ecures with his own spell keep eating away at your attention span, pressuring you that he's taking the lead in your race.

You also try discreetly collecting your own share of hearts under your breath whenever someone you know passes by but you eventually find it hard finding people while trying to listen to your friends. "Ji, focus." You mumble under your breath after a while, breaking his focus as he collects two more orange hearts.

"Y/N, keep up with me here." He smirks, just as the orange hearts disappear into his ring. "Why are you so distracted by me, anyway? Jealous?"

"I’m not jealous!” 

"Guys focus." Ryujin snaps at the two of you this time, chuckling in amusement when you and Jisung both glare at her. "Hey, easy on the stink eyes. I'm just telling you two to listen over here."

"Do as I do, Ryujin, and just tune them out." Seungmin jabs nonchalantly as he and Yeji take down notes of their discussion, not even once looking up at you nor Jisung. "It works out splendidly once you've mastered it."

"Hearing them bicker over random things before was one thing. Hearing them bicker over ecures now is a whole new playing field." Ryujin smirks, particularly to you. "Ah, you guys sound even more like a married couple now that you're competing. Tsk, tsk..."

"No, we're not!" You and Jisung answer in chorus, looking incredulously at each other after. "Ya!"

"Seungmin's right. Just tune them out, Ryujin." Yeji points out without missing a beat, a small smile taking out the initial annoyance from her face. "Anyway, what's important is we settle our plans first. Let the married couple race for the crown."

"Ya! Hwang Yeji!" You scold, flinging your notebook towards her which she dodges swiftly. "I'm listening, I swear."

Yeji gives you a look of mock disbelief in response before chuckling and going back to her work. "Whatever you say."

-

Jisung won’t admit it to any of you nor his friends’ faces but he may be just a little jealous that you’re catching onto him at a great speed and looking surprisingly nonchalant about it on the outside. You work extremely hard, that’s a given and Jisung respects that as much as the two of you annoy each other. But he doesn’t even have to sneak over to your room at night and check your locket for your ecure count; the boys and girls from uni, the market where Chan forces the two of you to run errands on weekends, and even at Ryujin’s favorite skate park who always take two glances your way wherever you go are enough giveaway to the amount you’re collecting everyday. And it’s a whole lot of hearts. He won’t even be surprised if you’ve managed to collect 300 hearts by now.

And he’s not even going to get started on how fast you manage to take ecures from the same people twice in less than a week, managing to charm same-age neighbors and classmates from good friends to secret admirers in a span of a few days and getting you at least twice the amount for your tally. You have enough hearts on your locket to keep up with Jisung’s count and use your magic leisurely at home. You definitely keep your competitor up on his toes all the time with how you’re giving your all in this competition and it’s gnawing at him to do even better. 

What annoys him on top of this, however, are certain kinds of people that look your way, or even Yeji’s and Ryujin’s for that matter. When the three of you aren’t looking and a bunch of passing jocks would eye you weirdly on the quad or at the library, especially since you’re new to the school, his natural instinct is to glare them down until they’re looking away. He sees their purple ecures from where he would sit across from you as you study, a sign of a lusting kind of feeling, and it does nothing but to tick him off into intimidating them until the color fades out. 

Seungmin thinks that, in a way, this is cheating and that you’d probably think the same way if you find out since purple ecures are ranked quite high in the tally, just above pink hearts (”Y/N’s gotten mad at you before for going too far or breaking the rules. You, of all people, should know not to get on their bad side.”). When Jisung writes to Felix back home after, however, his twin naturally defends him and says that he’s just looking out for you. 

“You guys don’t always see eye to eye, even now that you’re competing against each other,” Felix recorded over the enchanted mail that arrived after your meeting at the quad, Jisung and Seungmin separating from your group to do some more studying at the library. “but you’re just looking out for Y/N and protecting them from any weirdos, like for Ryujin and Yeji. Just tone it down a bit and let them handle it sometimes.” 

“See? Lix thinks I’m doing something right.” Jisung sticks his tongue out at Seungmin who simply shakes his head in stubborn disagreement before returning back to his class notes. “I’m telling you, I’m not sabotaging Y/N on purpose.” 

“Still, whether they want to collect those purple ecures or not is not your choice to make.” Seungmin points out. Though he agrees with Jisung’s intentions, as he’s been doing the same and looking out for you and your friends in his own ways as well, he also trusts that you can take care of yourself. “Just let them handle it next time, unless they actually do need your help.”

“But—“

“Consider the guys that passed by at the quad the last time you’ll mess with Y/N’s ecures.” “You saw that?!”

Still, it gnaws on Jisung’s conscience when he takes the train home with you later that day, when another purple heart springs up for you as he checks your surroundings and finds it to be from a stranger. What a creep, Jisung cringes internally with disgust before strategically blocking the man out from your sight and standing closer to you, Y/N’s competition but I’m a decent being! Be the bigger person or whatever bullshit.

“Ya, what are you doing?” You push him away with your index finger to his stomach, leaving a bigger gap between the two of you as you stand on the moving train. “Ji, personal space.” 

“We’re literally cramped in this train like canned sardines, Y/N. I’m just trying to make space for the people coming in.” Jisung fibs in retort, unknowingly timing his words perfectly with the train making a stop and justifying his next action of taking a step closer to you. This time, he makes sure that he’s towering over you and blocking the creep behind him completely by moving his hand over to the train handle right next to where your hand is. “Don’t make it weird!”

Your expression is surprisingly unwavering now, clearly unamused by his boyish quips. “You’re the one making it weird! You keep hovering over me.” 

“Sure, sure, whatever you say.” He rolls his eyes, instinctively steadying you with one hand when the abrupt movements of the train pushes you slightly forwards. “Oops, careful there.” 

When Jisung takes one last glance at the creep and finds him still looking over your general direction, the boy finally snaps and sends a little spell over the man’s way, one that makes him itch all over and ties his shoelaces together. This is the last time, Jisung swears to himself with a chuckle under his breath, oh what the hell? Punishing creeps is kinda funny.

two out of six months

The first time Han Jisung spots a red heart that he can collect, it’s 2 months into your candidacy exam and he makes the surprising decision to prolong collecting it by several days. It’s not that Soonyoung from your Math class is aware of this. As far as she knows, Jisung is simply stringing her along much like he does with every other girl he’s flirting with and she doesn’t seem to mind this fact. 

But you mind, you and your other friends do a lot. “It’s a powerful heart and costs 5000 points on the point system.” Seungmin even noted himself once on another day that Jisung left your class without Soonyoung’s crystal red heart. You mostly agree on this, coupled with the fact that you can’t steal the heart for yourself to gain more points in the race since it’s not for you. “Just take it, it’s not going to get any higher than that.”

No matter how much you or any of your friends nag, however, Jisung simply lets the days pass doing nothing much about it besides entertain Soonyoung whenever the girl approaches. As his sole competitor in your candidacy exam, you visibly feel the most frustrated out of everyone else by each passing day, especially at the thought that you yourself haven’t managed any red hearts yet. 

“It is weird, very not like him but also a bit like him if that makes sense?” Ryujin notes by the 10th day, after you recounted Math class to her as you take a short break together. Today, Jisung agreed to go to lunch with Soonyoung, only to tell you and Seungmin that even then he’s not going to take her heart today. “I mean knowing what happened between you two in middle sch—” 

You immediately shake your head before she could even finish her thought, “No, I don’t think that has anything to do with now. Definitely not.” 

“It’s not like that! I meant to say that this is even worse than when you had a crush on Jisung. The girl’s ecure is as red as red could go!” Ryujin exclaims, forcing you to cover her mouth with your hand just as Soonyoung and Jisung comically pass by your table at the kiosk to eat lunch together. Slowly prying your hands off once the pair in question are out of earshot, Ryujin then leans over the table and continues, “But even then, he’s not taking it to gain momentum in your exam. Aren’t you a little bit curious why?” 

You hesitantly shrug, “I mean, a little...but honestly I think he’s just being stupid. If I were him, I won’t string the girl along, not for this long anyway. It’s a waste of time and effort when he can just pick up the heart and reject her carefully.” 

“Then, maybe he has his reasons. If you know about it, you might get an advantage!” Yeji speaks up this time, joining your table late with a huge pile of library books on top of her laptop bag in her hands. As much as this girl has been busy looking for her brother, she also keeps up with her human world cover surprisingly well even when she doesn’t have to with all the studying that she does on the side. “One way to find out, right? I heard Felix’s not that busy these days back home.”

You feign a frown at the two girls agreeing in unison, especially at Yeji as she takes out her phone from the magical realm. “You know, you’re really good at sticking your head into a lot of things even when you’re busy looking for your brother.” You note dryly, making Yeji laugh while dialling Felix’s phone on the other side. “That was sarcastic, Yeji.” 

“I’m a great multitasker.” She winks before placing her phone at the center of your table then scooting her chair closer to you and Ryujin, effectively hiding the odd-looking device that projects Felix’s face almost immediately. “Hey Lix!”

“Hi Lix!” You politely greet along with Ryujin anyway, waving to the small projection of the prince on Yeji’s phone. By the faint greenery that surrounds him, you immediately assume that he’s back at home and tending to his personal garden. 

“I’m not in trouble, am I?” The younger Eastern prince jokes, greeting the three of you individually after. “What’s up? Seungmo and Sungie not with you three today?” 

“Seungmin got held back in class today for a TA offering and your brother’s on a date! Can you believe it? A lunch date with a human girl!” Yeji explains a little too excitedly, you and Ryujin immediately shushing her up. Giggling, the princess continues anyway, “Which is why we called! We just thought it’s a little weird that Jisung’s not trying to catch this red heart when it’s a clear advantage to his tally and maybe you’d know why.” 

All the while Yeji explains your purpose for calling, you slowly observe how Felix’s own expression morphs into that of genuine surprise. “What? He hasn’t taken it?!” He exclaims in response after Yeji finishes speaking. “Are you sure? That’s not very like him.” 

“Well, why do you think he hasn’t taken it, then?” You suddenly find yourself asking this time, earning you incredulous looks from your peers. Brushing them off, you simply glance over at Felix as he tries thinking of a reason himself. 

“Maybe he still can’t reject admirers for shit.” Ryujin snickers under her breath, making you elbow the girl harshly on her side. 

But surprisingly, Felix nods absentmindedly to this. “Maybe…”

“Are you seriously agreeing with that, Lix?” You frown. “I think he’s just up to no good.” 

“Hey, Ji can act weird and not be up to trouble too, you know.” Felix pouts back. “But honestly, I don’t know why he’s not thinking of taking it either, especially knowing how he’s so proud of getting to receive it alone. Maybe he likes this person, who knows?” 

The thought feels so foreign to you, Jisung genuinely liking someone, especially knowing what he did when you were much younger. But when you glance over to your friends, you also notice the same confused looks on their faces. 

“Han Jisung...liking someone? Enough to respect their feelings?” Ryujin muses out loud before eventually shaking her head. “Nope, sounds weird. Dangerous! Alien! Y/N, have you been noticing any other weird things from your housemate lately? Maybe he’s been secretly abducted by aliens!” 

“Oh stop it, Ryujin! Whatever it is my brother’s planning, I trust that he at least has an idea what he’s doing.” Felix sighs, running a hand through his blonde locks. In the background of his end, the faint voice of Changbin beckoning him over momentarily catches his attention. “If he’s being stupid again, then just let him be. If he does like this person, though, I just hope that he treads carefully while he’s at it. You know how precious witch ecures are.” 

“Oh, I know…” You murmur under your breath as you scrunch up your nose, unconsciously glancing over to Jisung and Soonyoung’s table where the two are laughing over something you can’t hear from across the room. When Changbin’s voice grows louder on Felix’s end, you then smoothly steer the topic to a close, “Anyway, sorry for bothering you at this time. Bin’s calling for you.” 

Next to you, Ryujin and Yeji agree with nods and smiles as Felix waves his free hand dismissively at this. “No, it’s okay! Just look out for my brother, yeah? I gotta go, Queen Lia just arrived for tea with me and my mom!” 

“Oh, then we’ll see you!” “Have fun at tea!” “Say hi to Lia for us!” 

Felix waves one last goodbye before ending the call. As his image disappears from Yeji’s phone, the princess is quick to pocket her phone back and turn to you with a raised brow, “So, what do you think? Even Lix finds it weird.” 

Personally, you think it’s odd. The thought that Jisung could easily be developing feelings for someone while taking your exam, to someone human no less.  You’ll probably never admit it to him but he’s been working hard in collecting hearts up to this point and you know him enough to know that he won’t let himself get distracted with something like this. “What is he planning exactly?” 

-

You’re giving Jisung that look again, through the boy’s reflection on the bus mirror no less as the two of you head to Chan’s studio where he has promised the two of you dinner. The same look you kept giving him during your welcome party just last month, probably without you knowing, rests on your tired features as you listen to music on your phone and rest your cheek against your propped up hand on the window seat you almost threw him out of the bus for. What did I do now? The boy can’t help but whine pitifully to himself as he steals another glance at your direction while scrolling through his phone. 

Jisung helplessly rakes his brain for anything that he’s done today that could’ve possibly pissed you off while pretending to look down on his phone, missing the way you shift uncomfortably in your seat as if you were going to ask a question. 

“So—” “I meant to ask—”

Jisung’s immediately closes his mouth shut when the two of you speak at the same time, eyes widening when he looks up and sees you already looking over at him directly. Simultaneously, you’re quick to look away from him and cough awkwardly, quietly mumbling out that Jisung speaks first. “Go ahead.” 

“What did I do this time?” Jisung immediately goes for it, pouting and sinking into his seat for extra emphasis. This visibly surprises you by the way your eyes widen slightly and you visibly freeze in front of him. “You’ve been glaring at me from the window since it started getting dark outside and it’s starting to get annoying but I’m too tired from today to think of everything that I did today to pinpoint where I ticked you off again.” 

Your lips curl down to a frown and you bring your propped up arm back to your side, sinking down your own seat to his level. “I wasn’t glaring at you!” 

“Yes you were—” “—No, I wasn’t!” “Yes you—”

“Okay, then, if I was glaring at you like you said, it’s because I meant to ask you something.” You huff before shyly looking away, gazing out of the window again. “W-Why haven’t you...whyhaventyoutakenthatgirlsheart?”

Now, Jisung is even more confused than ever from not understanding a word you just said. Raising a curious brow, the prince nudges you by your shoulder with his own until you look back at him again, uttering a slow, “What?!” 

You inhale slowly, as if holding your embarrassment in, before repeating, “Why haven’t you taken Soonyoung’s heart?” 

“I—really? That’s what you wanted to ask?” That’s it? So I didn’t do shit? Whew...

You nod, crossing your arms and looking away. “Well, don’t act so smug now! I’m just curious, it’s powerful and worth a lot of points, after all.”

Caught off-guard, it takes Jisung a worryingly long time to answer your question. He looks down on his phone first, with his emerald ring right next to it, before glancing over to the distant LED screen at the very front of the bus, announcing the next stop. “Just because…” He trails off with a reluctant shrug, avoiding the feeling of your curious gaze. If it were any other situation, maybe involving a lower-ranking heart like a yellow, green, or even an orange one, he would be laughing at you and teasing that you’re obsessed with his count or trying to compare it with your own. “You, of all people should know…” 

But it’s a red heart, one that’s made him a bit too flustered for him to admit to anyone, even to his own brother. “I don’t know what I’ll do with it.” He answers vaguely because of this, hearing a little ‘oh’ from your side. “I already told Soonyoung over lunch that I don’t see her like that but it’s still red. Her feelings are too sincere for me and I feel like I can’t take advantage of that, not for a competition.” 

Jisung doesn’t hear any verbal response from your side after this, not even when the LED screen ahead announces that you’re nearing your stop. When he glances over to you through the window, however, he catches a glimpse of the smallest hint of a content smile on your features. 

Only when the two of you arrive at your stop, while you’re following him down the stairs down from the bus, do you nudge him on his side once more and say, “I guess that’s sweet of you. Plus, you’re actually using your head for once.” 

Your soft smile momentarily catches him off-guard, freezing him on the sidewalk, until a passerby brushes him by his shoulder and snaps him back to reality. “Y-Ya! What’s that supposed to mean?!” 

You wave your hand dismissively at him with a laugh, running off ahead to Chan’s studio. “Last one to the studio is a lousy runner and won’t get dessert!” 

“Hey! Y/N! What’s that supposed to mean? Did you just call me stupid?!” 

-

The next day, a ‘secret admirer’ leaves a red apple, a milk box, and an unsigned heart-shaped note on your usual table as you enter Math class. Though the note has your name and its message typed and printed, a simple nonverbal spell that you cast over the gifts reveal a familiar fingerprint. 

“So, who’s it from?” Jisung asks, swiftly swiping the apple from your table and taking a huge bite. “How many points are we looking at here?” 

You scoff at his action, taking the apple for yourself and biting on the opposite side. “It’s from Soonyoung.” You answer with a mischievous smile, causing your competitor to choke. When you glance over at the girl’s table, your eyes briefly turn blue to see a pinkish heart for you. “I guess you don’t want her red heart, huh? Mind if I make a pink one from her into a red for me?” 

Jisung coughs violently, thumping his fist against his chest as he recovers. “Y-Ya! Don’t you dare!” 

three out of six months 

One thing you’ve been most looking forward to in this Crown Candidacy exam, besides seeing your cousin and friends currently staying in the human world and helping with Hyunjin’s search, is getting to see your cousin’s boyfriend again. Though the rest of your family doesn’t really approve of Minho, mostly since he’s the reason why Chan renounced his duke title in the first place and why your cousin might be permanently tied to the human world in the future, you’ve taken a liking to the guy since you first met him on a short visit 2 years ago and have been looking forward to hanging out in person once more after a long while. 

Minho makes Chan the happiest you’ve ever seen him since you were kids, cooks really well, travels the world as a performing artist, and is totally cool with the idea that his boyfriend is a wizard from another realm. Plus, he catches onto magical items really quick, having adapted quickly to using your realm’s inter-world mailing system hence how you’ve been keeping in touch up until this point. You honestly don’t see any reason to hate him, even before meeting him in person. If anything, knowing that it’s Minho that’s keeping Chan from fulfilling his royal duties makes you support your cousin’s decision even more than before. 

However, you’re already halfway done with your exam and Minho is still nowhere to be seen. He initially promised you that he’ll cook you and Jisung a meal as soon as you arrived but last-minute plans in his touring schedule with a ballet company held him back abroad, postponing this plan indefinitely and making you focus more on school and helping look for Hyunjin. 

That is until you and Jisung came home from your usual Saturday grocery errands to inhale the smell of meat and mushroom soup coming from the kitchen. 

“Is Chan cooking?” Jisung raised a brow at this, closing the door behind you and walking further inside the house. “It smells nice, though. So it’s not him?” 

You roll your eyes, biting down a laugh at this surprisingly funny quip. “That’s definitely not Chan.” You affirm anyways, excitedly walking past him to the kitchen where you find the familiar back of a person stirring a big pot of soup next to Chan who’s chopping up side dishes. “Minho!” 

Jisung follows you to the kitchen and watches from the doorframe as this said Minho turns around, opening his arms out to hug you as you quickly drop your groceries on the dining table and run towards him. Next to you two, Chan stops his own work and laughs at the sight, prying you away after a moment and reminding you, “Hey, hey, Minho’s tired from his flight!”

“Tired? Then you make him cook dinner? I don’t think so!” You giggle, clutching onto Minho like a koala while the said boy pretends to shrug you off. “I was wondering when you’re coming home! You haven’t even written since I came here, you jerk!” 

“My schedule was jam-packed until the other day but I promised some magic freaks that I’ll cook them dinner so I came home as soon as I can.” Minho laughs, hugging you back and only then catching sight of a confused Jisung. “Oh, hi there! You must be Han Jisung?” 

“Y-Yeah?” Jisung nods slowly in confusion, raising one hand holding multiple eco-bags up in a wave. He hates it when he’s not in the loop of things but more importantly, he hates it when it’s you keeping him out of the loop in particular. Who’s this guy?! “Sorry, and you are?” 

“Lee Minho! I’m keeping Chan hostage here on Earth.” Minho formally introduces himself, earning him a nudge from both you and Chan. “What? Should I curtsy? I know your family and Hyunjin’s doesn’t really require it but I don’t know about the others so—” 

Oh. At this, Jisung visibly relaxes with a chuckle and finally approaches your little group, settling his own share of the groceries down on the dining table before sitting down himself. Chan then takes this as his cue to reluctantly drag you over next to Jisung while he and Minho finish cooking. “No, no, it’s cool! We’re not at home, anyway.” 

“Okay, then, cool. You guys are okay with waiting for a little bit, right? The lamb’s not fully cooked yet.” Minho explains. “I was going to make you two a meal when your exam started but I got caught up in work so—”

“Yeah it’s fine!” You agree eagerly, taking out your groceries and organizing them on the table. “We’ll just fix up the groceries.” 

Jisung side-eyes you with an incredulous look in his eyes, something Chan definitely notices as his lips quirk up into a knowing grin before whispering something to Minho. “Why are you so chirpy all of a sudden?” He asks you, helping you take out the groceries and arrange them into their respective shelves. 

“What do you mean? I’ve been chirpy since this morning.” You scoff. “Why do you even keep track? I told you not to stare at me, weirdo.”

“Um no, you weren’t. You were complaining about me breathing next to you on the bus a while ago. ‘You’re not helping me get any hearts’ or whatever it was you were rambling about a while back.” Jisung points out with a huff. “And I don’t stare, that’s you! If anything, you’re the weirdo, always up my business!”

“Well, why wouldn’t I complain? I was at the market with you all day! You don’t know how to pick good vegetables and you kept flirting with the store clerks to try and up their orange hearts to pink ones! Then, you wore that stupid perfume again when I told you already that it smells bad! Now we’re at home and you can stay the fuck away from me.” 

“Ya, you little sh—” 

Across the kitchen, Minho giggles in amusement at hearing you and Jisung bicker live for the first time. You’ve always complained about this Jisung fellow in your correspondence and he’s never had a clear grasp as to why you’re always at this boy’s neck but now that he’s meet Jisung in the flesh and is starting to hear what you two are exactly fighting about, Minho can’t help but laugh into the mushroom soup. “So this is the troublemaker who’s been bugging our Y/N.” He ends up musing out loud. “I see why you need me home now.”

“Believe me, you should’ve seen them grow up together with the other kids. Always fighting over the smallest of things, competing on who’s better, and all that.” Chan rolls his eyes in disinterest, glancing over to you and Jisung as the latter starts chasing you around the dining area with a bundle of scallions. “What you’re seeing right now is barely the tip of the iceberg, Min.”

“Reminds you a little bit of us back then, don’t you think?” 

“Ya, and which one am I supposed to be?” 

The couple glances over their shoulders to see that you’ve now successfully snatched the scallions from Jisung with your magic and have started to hit him over the head with it. This then makes Chan squint his eyes suspiciously at Minho who only chuckles. “Babe, you and Y/N are definitely related, don’t you think?” 

“Do you also want to get hit with scallions?” 

-

Though Jisung was initially wary of Minho at the start of the evening, having only heard of him vaguely from gossip among the other royal kids prior, your cousin’s boyfriend slowly and naturally transitioned over the prince’s good graces as soon as the lamb chops and mushroom soup were served along with stories of Minho’s own adventures and questions about the magical realm. Now that he’s put a name and a face to the person that people back home simply referred to as the reason why Chan left (and who he’s admittedly been blaming as well for the sudden shift in your attitude at the royal courts), Jisung now genuinely believes that the people back at home jumped to their conclusions quickly about Minho. 

Minho’s really nice, Chan is really fond of him and you clearly support the two. In return, Minho looks out for you and Chan, you in particular as the older guy proceeds to drill Jisung shamelessly with questions on whatever it is that you’ve mentioned about him in your letters. 

Jisung didn’t even know a lot of the things Minho kept rambling on about while you tried so hard to keep his mouth shut next to him by helplessly trying to cover his mouth.

“Y/N talks about you a whoooooooole lot. Like, a minor inconvenience during their royal duties then they’re quick to talk to me about it.” Minho grins playfully, dodging your attempts at shutting him up while he eats his share of the pastry dessert. “When we first met and this candidate exam thing was first brought up, they talked about the other royals briefly but they talked about you in super great detail! Oh, and Y/N was rambling a lot about how you reacted to when they confessed to you in middle school and everything, it was so funn—” 

“Minho shut up!” 

“It was really funny!” Minho pins your wrists to the table after a while, gesturing towards Chan, sitting next to Jisung across the table, who then uses his magic to switch your places. This then effectively shuts you up as your flustered expression overcomes your face upon accidentally locking eyes with Jisung right after. “But I want to know what actually happened when you rejected Y/N at your magic school? I want the full scope of what happened just so I get both sides!”

“Y-Ya!” You protest, only to be silenced by Jisung this time who laughs as he swallows a mouthful of food. “Ugh, you’re enjoying this aren’t you?”

“Why do you still talk about that, anyway? It was a long time ago.” Jisung chuckles, propping an elbow up on the table and resting his cheek on his palm as he glances over to you with a smirk. “God, you’re in love with me, aren’t you?” 

“No, I’m no—” “So, Minho hyung, what did Y/N tell you about that?” 

-

It was in the 7th grade, on Valentine’s Day of all days even, when you confessed your crush to Han Jisung. You actually didn’t plan any of it to happen because you just thought of it as stupid, especially at the thought that almost everything Jisung used to do back then annoyed you and made you think of him as childish. 

But Hyunjin somehow slipped you an enchanted cookie on that day as a prank after you confessed at Ryujin’s party the previous weekend that you thought that Jisung was cute sometimes (”I specifically said sometimes and it was one time. Clearly, it wasn’t me who had a problem, right?” “That still doesn’t change the fact that 12-year-old you had a crush on me, Y/N.”). He told you that it was from a batch Felix made for their baking class, bluffing about its distinct strong vanilla scent as a mistake on the younger Eastern prince’s end. 

As it then turned out, however, the cookie was laced with a potion that forcefully exposed the true color that your heart reflected towards Jisung in front of the entire cafeteria while the two of you bickered over some mishap that happened in one of your shared potion classes. Being young as he was as well and feeling embarrassed of all the passersby that looked at you both, Jisung’s fight or flight response made him visibly cringe at seeing the surprisingly pink, bordering red, heart and childishly berated you for it until the potion wore off and your ecure disappeared back into the sleeves of your robes. You ran away crying while Jisung didn’t go to school for the few days that followed in embarrassment.

“You were like 12 back then, it happens.” Minho shrugs after yours and Jisung’s messy storytelling. “And for the record, Y/N, if Chan did that to me as Jisung, I would’ve been annoyed at him too. Your rants are totally valid.” 

“I’m eating my croissants in peace.” Chan complains, slapping the younger man’s arm. “Don’t drag me into this.” 

Simultaneously, Jisung glances over to you and sees a small pout rest on your features. “Well, I don’t know, it’s not really an ‘it happens’ kind of situation if you come from our world.” You point out, glaring at Jisung when you feel him staring at you. “Especially back then. My heart was looking pink and a little reddish for Jisung at the time—ew—which gave him the power to take it if he wanted to.”

Now, this is apparently new information to Minho as he then asks, “You can do that? I thought witches only have one heart so it can’t be taken away?”

“Yeah, exactly.” You nod. “Since we don’t produce the crystal hearts as infinitely as you humans do, it could only be taken if it’s pink or a higher color. It’s the natural law in our world.”

“And if that happens, the witch could become weak, controlled by the other witch who takes their heart, or killed.” Chan quips in this time. “That’s why marriage is sort of a permanent commitment back at home and witches are more encouraged to use human ecure when performing higher-level magic.” 

“That’s a bit of a stretch in our case, though! It’s not like 12-year-old me would think of killing Y/N back then.” Jisung purses his lips into a thin line at you, unamused. “You really are a bit dramatic sometimes, you know? What would I even do with your heart?”

“You were 12, Jisung. Who knows what you were thinking back then...if you were thinking at all.” You retort immediately, turning to Minho again after. “That’s why my family’s a bit wary about you, Min, no offense. With you and Chan in a relationship, he can give up his heart to you but if you don’t reciprocate it by exchanging with one of your own, he might get weak or die.” 

This then makes Jisung turn to Minho as well, curious as to what his response would be. 

Unfazed, Minho smiles and turns lovingly to his boyfriend. “Then, aren’t you lucky I’m obsessed with you, huh?” 

“Really now?” Chan chuckles, slinging his arm over Minho’s shoulder and pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Then I guess I can stay here permanently, right?” 

You pretend to gag as you sip on your water, reminding the older guys that there are “children” in front of them. Jisung rolls his eyes and leans back in his chair at this scene, looking away at the tender display of affection across the table. The two of you don’t even have to check how the pair’s ecures reflect towards each other with your magic to know that they’re a matching bright red. 

When he looks over to you, he catches the briefest and fondest smile gracing your expression as you mumble about how “stupidly cute” Chan and Minho are being. Jisung knows he shouldn’t look, not in this moment when he sees you at a vulnerable state and you would slap him over the head if he teases you about it, but his eyes unconsciously turn green and peeks over at your ecure as it watches over your favourite cousin and his boyfriend. 

It’s a bright blue, a sign of deep respect and familial love for Chan and Minho. Jisung looks away immediately when you glance up at him curiously, forcing his eyes back to their natural color before he could accidentally see how your heart reflects to him. “What?” 

He gets it now. Why you’ve been so uptight in fulfilling your royal duties, snapping just a little more easily these days whenever he annoys you, and acting like a pushover to the elders who keep ordering you around back at home. You’ve been shouldering a lot of the responsibilities back home, both yours and the ones that Chan has left behind, all because you want your cousin to be happy in this world without worries. 

“Why were you looking at me?” You pout. “You didn’t check my—ya, Han Jisung!”

“I wasn’t looking at you like that! I was gonna ask you to pass me the cream puffs!”

You begrudgingly pass him the bowl of cream puffs, rolling your eyes before smiling at Minho and Chan again and changing the conversation to something else. “Anyway, Minho, you’re staying longer now, right?”  

- 

“I saw what you did at dinner, by the way. Y/N would beat you to a pulp if they knew you were looking into their heart, especially since we were just talking about it.” Chan speaks up after a moment of walking around Jisung’s room, tidying up the fallen music sheets on the ground and closing the curtains for the night. You’ve long stolen Minho from your cousin right after dinner hours ago to binge his tour videos and so he’s resorted to hanging out with Jisung, playing video games until the clock struck midnight.  

Jisung pouts as he tucks himself away in bed, turning to his side to face Chan as the older boy continues arranging his “messy” work table. “I looked at how it reflects for you and Minho, not at how it looks at me. Just that, swear.” He clarifies in between protesting over Chan’s actions (“It’s an organized mess!” “It’s a mess, Jisung.”) “It’s almost like your family’s sapphire when it looks at the two of you, bluer than how it looks when Y/N’s with the King and the High Queen. You’re more family to them than their own parents.”

This effectively freezes Chan in place for a moment, a small smile gracing the former duke’s features. “Of course I know that.” He replies, almost as an inaudible mumble from across the room. “That’s why it was so hard to leave at first.”

“Then why did you—?” 

“Because Y/N told me to.” Moving to the door and preparing to leave, Chan sees Jisung’s face and continues, “Believe me, I was even more conflicted than you’re being right now back then. We both know that my own siblings are too young to shoulder the job I’ll leave behind but Y/N told me that they’ll gladly handle it if it meant that I can be happy here. We argued about it a lot, I kept telling them that I can just juggle moving between the two realms, but you know how persuasive and stubborn Y/N can be.” 

The last comment makes Jisung chuckle. Of all people, he should know of it the best. “It’s just hard to argue with them.” He nods in agreement. “I heard they’re the one who got you this house and everything.” 

Chan nods, slowly putting one foot out of the door. “Y/N cares a lot, sometimes a little too much, that they end up sacrificing a lot and putting their own feelings last because of it. Since I went away, I’ve only ever been worried that they’ll just explode one day, actually, but I know you and the other kids keep them in check.” 

“I’d hardly call Y/N relaxed with me.” Jisung pouts, fiddling with his fingers nervously as he confesses this shyly. “I think they just find me annoying…” 

“Oh you definitely annoy each other but that’s just how you two are together. It’s all in good fun and that’s good, especially now that you’re going to take much more responsibilities once you go back home.” Chan notes with a shrug, briefly glancing over his shoulder as you and Minho arrive on the second floor. “Just be a little gentler with them. Night, Sung.” 

four out of six months

You know better than to expect nothing less from Lee Chaeryoung, one of the best investigators from your realm, as she helped Yeji lead Hyunjin’s search party. When you initially expected that she would finish scouting Incheon before the end of the semester, she came back with the most solid lead that anyone’s picked up since the start of the search party around Seoul with 2 months left on your time in the human world. 

Apparently, from the scouring she’s done beyond the initial parameters of the search, a few magic and non-magic folk living around the beach area have seen the Southern kingdom’s prince at a party on the night he disappeared, interacting with a strange group of people they only described by their unusually white hairs, matching snake tattoos, and icy blue eyes. What was even more interesting is that these people were still around the area when Chaeryoung visited but without any sign of Hyunjin. With this, she could only confirm that they’re also from the magical realm.

“They could only be Northwestern ogre witches, I’m sure of it.” Chan commented after hearing Chaeryoung’s report over dinner with everyone present. When Minho then asked about it, your cousin didn’t hesitate to explain, “A group of witches back home who were initially banished to the wastelands because they practiced darker arts and only collected black ecures. Lately, a lot of them have been turning up here and doing gods-know-what.” 

“But if they only want the artifact that Hyunjin recovered, why would they still keep him?” You ask, crossing your arms over the dining table as Chaeryoung showed you photos of the location she ascouted on her phone. “Hyunjin’s high-profile too, yes, but unless they want him to collect colored ecures for them, there’s no other reason to keep him captive when there are other magic folk there. Why him?” 

“Unless they have something bigger up their sleeves.” Seungmin notes with a frown, closing Chaeryoung’s phone as he grows more and more upset from across the table. When you and Jisung glance over to him curiously, he then meets your eyes and adds, “Maybe we shouldn’t let you two go with us on this.” 

“What?! Why?” Jisung is the first to instinctively speak up against this, sitting up taller in his seat. You echo the same question, albeit a little quieter when you see Chan nodding worriedly on your side. 

“I have a feeling that they might be after the two of you too from this.” Seungmin explains once Jisung calmed down a bit from his sudden outburst. “Like Y/N said, keeping Hyunjin to collect colored ecures against his will doesn’t seem like a good enough reason, at least not this long.”

“It’s timed perfectly, too, that they caught Hyunjin right before the candidacy exam.” Yeji quips in, belatedly nodding in agreement to Seungmin’s suggestion. “They might be luring you two specifically by using my brother.” 

“But that’s just a hunch for now! We don’t know th—” 

Chan’s entire disposition in a flash, slamming his hand down on the table a little too loudly and effectively shutting everyone up around the table including Minho. “That’s exactly why we can’t risk it.” He counters firmly and you know, just by the tone of your cousin’s voice, that he already has the final word. “Remember, you and Y/N are here first and foremost because you’re taking your exam. Keeping you on wraps with this search is formalities, at most. Anyway, there’s enough of us here who can look for Hyunjin. You two just stay put until we can sort this out and ensure that this problem stops interfering with the exam any further.”

When you peek over to your right to glance at Jisung’s reaction two seats away, you see him glancing back at you from the corner of his eyes before sighing in defeat. “And if they want our group separated?” 

“The house’s enchanted with protective spells. Minho and Ryujin will also stay and watch over you two while we extract Hyunjin over the weekend.” Chan notes, continuing before Jisung could complain further. “That’s final, Ji. We’ll take over from here.” 

“Don’t fret too much, Sung.” Seungmin adds comfortingly. “Anyway, if we find Hyunjin, we’ll all stay here for a few days before going back home.” 

In response, you hear Jisung slam his back on his seat hard before huffing childishly, glancing over to you as he opens his mouth. Knowing that he’ll throw a fit, you immediately shake your head, forbidding him from doing so. “Fine...” He murmurs under his breath with a sigh, knowing better than to start an argument with one of his best friends at this time. “Just—just bring Hyunjin back quickly.” 

Somehow, even when you understand where Chan’s coming from, you also feel somewhat bad for Jisung. You want to see Hyunjin too but your circumstances aren’t exactly favourable to let you be of much help. 

- 

As much as Jisung used to hate how Chan coddled you, he hates it even more now that the same behavior is directed towards him, especially in situations like this when he wants to actively help in Hyunjin’s search. The circumstances couldn’t have been more unfavorable to him now: the group finding a lead but at a time when he’s participating in an exam that has him more at risk of being targeted by creatures from the magical realm that have strayed to this world. 

On top of this, he hates how he can clearly see that you want to see Hyunjin just as much as he and everyone else does but you’re quicker to comply the moment Chan, and eventually even Yeji, put the two of you on house arrest for the weekend while the rest of the group goes to Incheon. It frustrates him to no end that you keep quietly complying to everyone else when you clearly want to do something else. And, as a result, you end up channeling your energy aggressively elsewhere much like today as you spend most of your Sunday cleaning and redecorating around the expansive house with Minho. 

“Can’t you two like, tone it down a bit?” Jisung complains for the third time this afternoon as he plays with the music software on Chan’s laptop, lifting his feet off of the coffee table in the living room when Minho passes by with a vacuum before pushing a levitating plant that hovers too close for comfort to his face. Somewhere, Ryujin has retreated outside to the garden in order to tend to more plants. “The house’s going to get thrashed after a while anyway.” 

“And why can’t you help clean?” You ask back in retort, fluffing up the pillows next to him as you occasionally glance over your shoulder to make sure that the levitating objects around the room aren’t falling over. “If you’re just going to complain while we’re cleaning here, you can just go up to your room since we’re done upstairs, anyway.” 

Jisung pouts, crawling over to the other side of the sofa anyway when you gesture for him to move. “The sunlight’s better here at this time.” He points to the glass windows. “Just finish up quickly already.” 

“If you want to get some sun, you can help Ryujin outside.” You poke back, moving over to the sofa across the coffee table. As you move, the hovering plant pots slowly move to where you want to relocate them to, one moving next to the sofa almost hitting Jisung in the face once more with its leaves. “Make yourself useful, Jisung.” 

The witch in question scoffs, closing Chan’s laptop and finally planting his feet back on the floor to a stand. Jisung also hates that tone you use when you order him around because it always makes him do whatever you ask without fail. “Fine, I’m going outside.” He grumbles, trudging to the direction of the back door leading outside and making sure to close the door with a loud thud. 

Out in the gardens, Ryujin is busy reviving dried up leaves and flowers while a few watering cans go around to water the trees and bushes. Upon seeing Jisung walking down the mini stairs with a pout and furrowed brows, the younger witch can’t help but laugh, “Y/N banished you outside?” 

“I’m supposed to help you but you don’t even look like you need help at all.” The prince continues to grumble, setting himself down on a foldable chair and crossing his bare arms over his chest. “If I do help, I might actually kill the plants. You already know how I’m terrible I am at healing magic.” 

Ryujin acknowledges with a hum, turning her attention back to Chan’s mini garden of camellias. “Just sunbathe, look around or whatever, I can handle this.” She assures with a smile. “I won’t tell Y/N too, don’t worry.” 

“I think I’ll take you up on that looking around thing later.” Jisung sighs, sinking into his seat and closing his eyes. “I’ll nap for now.” 

- 

“He just does whatever you say, huh?” Minho points out to you as soon as you finish cleaning the living room, tiredly taking up the empty space next to you on the couch with two pillows hugged close to his chest. When you open your mouth to protest, “I know I said it’s amusing when you two bicker over stupid things but it’s actually really nice and quiet when you two reach compromise like this. So peaceful.” 

“He just knows when to not mess with me. Don’t exaggerate it.” You scoff at this, pushing Minho away from you as you lift your legs up to the coffee table. “He knows that I feel the need to be busy when I’m on edge like this but he was in the way. The least he could do is either be useful around the house too or just stay out of my sight for a while.” 

“Don’t be too worried, I’m sure they’re all being careful and getting to Hyunjin soon.” Minho assures you with a small smile, waving his human world phone in front of you as it displays a flurry of messages from Chan. “If it makes you feel better, your cousin’s been asking me about you and Jisung as much as he’s been updating me of what’s happening.”

You frown at this, making Minho chuckle. “He’s been talking to you but not to me? I’m his cousin!” 

“He knows you’re redecorating his house in 50 different styles while you wait for him so he just asks about you through me. Don’t get it twisted, Y/N.” The older boy continues laughing, carefully shoving a pillow away from his face when you levitate it closer to him. “Anyway, they said that they’ve confirmed that the ogres are still staying at the beach resort so they’re planning to get to them tonight and confirm if they really took Hyunjin.”

Your expression visibly shifts more positively, eyes widening and mouth hanging agape. “Really?” 

“If things go smoothly, everyone, including Hyunjin, would be home really soon. Until then, Chan has asked me to make sure that you and Jisung don’t kill each other or go outside without permission.” 

You shove Minho once more at the last statement, mustering up a laugh this time. “Hey, we’re not that childish.” You point out with a pout before another thought crosses your mind. “Oh, right, I can tell Jisung, right? I mean, it’s just an update anyway.” 

“Yeah, go ahead.” Minho nods, poking you on your side to get you to stand up. “It’s also getting dark out, call Ryujin in too so we can reheat some leftovers for dinner.” 

You scoff at the thought of leftovers for dinner, standing up anyway and heading outside where the sun has indeed set on the horizon. As you walk down the steps leading down to the backyard, you easily spot Ryujin by the back gate as she flirts with one of your neighbors who holds an orange heart up her sleeve but it takes you a moment to see Jisung fast asleep under one of the outdoor umbrellas. 

“Ryujin!” You call for your friend, biting down your lip when the girl she’s been flirting with awkwardly looks away and your friend in question consequently glares at you for interrupting her. “Where’s Jisung?” 

“There.” Ryujin quickly points towards the outdoor umbrellas on the far corner of the backyard before turning her gaze back on your neighbor whose heart immediately turns a shy pink at this. 

You roll your eyes at this with a chuckle before heading over to Jisung, finding him snoring lightly and snuggling into a pillow despite the cold evening breeze. He doesn’t budge an inch when you call his name or poke his side, stirring only when you slap his cheek gently awake by instinctively swatting your hand away and mumbling a string of curses for you to go away. “What?!” 

“It’s starting to get cold out here. Come on, we’re eating dinner in a while.” You respond, taking the pillow from him and grabbing him by the arm to help him stand up. When he doesn’t budge, you resort to adjusting his hoodie at least so he doesn’t freeze himself to death. “Minho also said that Chan’s been texting him. Everyone’s okay so far and they’ll interrogate the ogres tonight, maybe even get Hyunjin if they really took him.” 

Jisung finally springs awake at this, jumping to a stand in surprise. “What? Really? Is there—well, is there anything else?” He asks quickly, stumbling over his words in shock while you drag him back inside. 

Ryujin follows along after a while, running to the kitchen to check what you’re having for dinner. You and Jisung walk a little slower as he rubs his eyes from his surprisingly long nap next to you, somehow not making a fuss this time about your linked arms. 

“Sadly, that’s only what I got from Minho a while back so I guess we’ll have to wait until tomorrow morning for anything new.” You answer his previous question as you head to the kitchen where Ryujin and Minho reheat leftovers and make some new side dishes. When you see Jisung’s ears perk up slightly at your words, you quickly add, “Don’t try staying up late just for an update. You should get some more sleep after dinner so you don’t look like a ghost when we see Hyunjin again.” 

He scoffs at this, sitting down on the dining table and dragging you along with him on the adjacent seat. “How can I sleep if I know that we’re so close to seeing Hyunjin again after months? I’ll stay up late if I want to!”

“And I’ll kill you two if you stay up all night then get all cranky tomorrow when you have to get to class.” Minho cuts you off before you could even speak, setting the dishes down on the table. “Okay, eat up!” 

“That was him, not me.” You shrug at Jisung’s semi-permanent pout with a chuckle, receiving a plate and utensils before thanking Minho for the food. “Eat up, Ji.” 

You don’t even have to glance back over to his direction to know that he has his usual determined look plastered over his face again. Because of the new update on Hyunjin’s situation, he’s suddenly more alert now that he might actually take you up on staying awake the entire night. 

-

“Jisung, are you awake?” 

Jisung doesn’t really expect you to hold true to your word and check up on him at 3 AM when Ryujin and Minho have both gone to sleep. You suddenly knock on his door while he’s in the middle of a song he’s been trying to write on his guitar lately, startling the poor boy who almost falls off of the window and causes a big fuss about it. 

“Are you okay in there?” You ask worriedly from outside after knocking for the 4th time, the doorknob clicking gently after. When only shuffles reach your ear on the other side, you immediately add, “Hey, I’m coming in!” 

Jisung doesn’t even have time to protest, catching a glimpse of you going in and closing the door as a tray of mugs trails behind you. Quickly hiding the guitar by the curtains, he clumsily scrambles up to a stand and retrieves the tray from the air, “H-Hi! You made...tea?” 

“Those two mugs are for me.” You pretend to swat his hand away jokingly, joining him on the small balcony on the other side of his window. Spotting his guitar hidden haphazardly on the side, you’re quick to pick it up and slide it over your lap while Jisung’s occupied with the tea, strumming a few chords. Only then, do you also notice his music sheets strewn across the balcony, all labelled with the word ‘sunshine.’ “I didn’t know you brought this along. It still plays good, I suppose, but do you still play badly?” 

Jisung scowls at you as he sets the tray down next to his notebook, sitting down criss cross once more before swiftly snatching the guitar from your hands. “I play better than you, at least.” Ignoring your protests, he then strums a few chords of his own and continues, “Why are you still awake, anyway? Don’t you have a 9 AM later?” 

When he turns to you, he sees you taking a sip of your tea first before answering, “I feel like ditching,” a statement he’s definitely never heard from you before by the way his eyes widen in surprise. “Don’t act so surprised! Uni’s just a cover and a way to get hearts while we’re here in the human world, anyway. Since everyone could be here later and there’s a possibility that we’ll see Hyunjin again with them, I wouldn’t want to miss a second of him back.” 

“Don’t tell me, am I rubbing off on you?” Jisung snickers playfully. Deep inside, however, he’s undoubtedly a little impressed. After all, it’s been a while since he’s seen you so carefree outside of royal duties. “This is bad. We’re still competing, you know!”

“Tch, don’t push it. My current count’s quite high so I’m not that worried.” You shake your head in disbelief, leaning back against the windowsill and gazing ahead to the brightly-lit city. “It’s just that it’s been 5 months since Hyunjin’s gone missing and Yeji started combing every inch of Seoul, only to find a lead out in Incheon. I want to see him as much as you do.” 

Jisung nods slowly in agreement, picking up the second mug of tea and taking a sip. It’s chocolate matcha, the flavour you always craved on elementary school field trips back in the magical realm whenever you missed home or so Felix once said. “It’s been that long, huh? And we’ve been here taking our exam for 4 months now.” He muses out loud between sips of tea, warming him up in an instant against the unusually cold night. “Time flies a little weirder when you’re on the other side of the moon, don’t you think?” 

“I think you’ve just been having too much fun flirting with humans.” You point out, gesturing over to his emerald ring. Over the months, you’ve noticed that the vessels grow warmer every time you reach a thousand points which is roughly every 100 hearts or so. In the rare moments these days that Jisung’s ring has accidentally brushed against your skin, usually at the bus or when passing dishes along, the stone feels intimidatingly hot and almost burning. “How much do you have already?” 

“Enough to win against you.” He teases playfully as he hums along to his song, making you scoff. “I mean, it’s been fun. Gaining a lot of ecure here has made my magic feel more powerful but, still, I can’t help but think sometimes that this whole exam would’ve been fun if the 4 of us were complete.” 

You take another sip of your tea, listening along to Jisung’s humming. “If Hyunjin didn’t disappear beforehand and scared off Lia and her parents from letting her compete...yeah, I guess it would’ve been much more fun if we’re all competing together and the exam duration was 1 year like normal.” Thinking about it more, you end up chuckling at imagining how this whole exam could’ve gone differently. “But, at the same time, it’s been fun competing with you so far.” 

“Going soft on me?” He raises a brow with a smirk. “I know we’ve been stuck to each other like glue for the past months but you should look out for that heart of yours, it might turn pink for me again.”

“I mean you’ve put up a fight so far. It’s a professional compliment, don’t exaggerate it.” You roll your eyes with a slight snicker, making him laugh. You purposely ignore his last comment, though, knowing that he wouldn’t really look into your feelings for him, anything but that. “Maybe you’re the one who’s going soft on me. Seungmin told me about the purple hearts.” 

“He what?!” Jisung exclaims, his smug expression instantly morphing into panic as he almost throws his guitar off of the balcony. “Wait, I can explain!” 

You shake your head and wave your hand dismissively. “No, you don’t have to! I understand.” You assure with a laugh, placing your hand on his nearest shoulder and making him sit back down when he wobbles over the messy and narrow space. “Though, yeah, I probably would’ve yelled at you if Seungmin told me any earlier but it’s all said and done now, anyway. I appreciate it, actually.” 

“A lot of guys were being creeps to you so I thought...I got protective, okay? Ryujin and Yeji were getting stares too so even Seungmin would do the same thing to protect them.” Jisung pouts. “I know we’re in a competition and we’re supposed to rake up a bunch of hearts but your dignity’s much more important than some stupid crown...” 

“I know, and I also know that you would’ve done it for Lia if she were here.” You nod understandingly, mustering up a small appreciative smile. Jisung can be sweet if he wants to, you conclude internally. “Ah, seriously, just imagine if there was 4 of us competing. This would’ve been much more fun and less stressful. You would’ve gotten your ass handed to you when you wanted to race to the moon.” 

“Tch, Hyunjin would’ve taken all of the red ecures for himself.” Jisung adds, sharing in your quiet laughs now that the conversation’s shifted once more. “Much like how he charms everyone back home. He might even win, like he always does in every challenge the elders give us. He’s just the favourite!” 

“I can’t wait for him to come home safely. He’s been gone for too long.” You sigh against your tea, tiredly adjusting to the uncomfortable space of the window. Seeing this from the corner of his eyes, Jisung doesn’t hesitate to pass you a pillow and nearby blankets this time which you’re more than grateful for. “I can’t wait for all of this to be over and go home, just visit again when I feel like it.” 

“Me too. I can’t wait to see him.” Jisung sighs, peering down onto the balcony as he adjusts his guitar on his lap. “And I can’t wait to go home, too.” 

And just then, the car that Chan used to drive everyone over to Incheon materializes at the front porch, spewing out Chan, your friends, and Hyunjin who’s supported by Seungmin and Yeji.

five out of six months 

Hyunjin sports distinctly black cuts and gashes across his arms and legs when you greet the group in front of the house, similar to the ones Chan and Changbin also sported one time when the two also had an encounter with dark magic. Limping on his right leg and supported by his arms, Yeji and Seungmin used their magic to lift him over to the nearest sofa once they’ve reached the other side of Chan’s protective spell from the front door while the rest of the group crash into the vast expanse of the living room. 

“I tried healing him as much as I can so it’s easier for you and Ryujin.” Seungmin huffs, tiredly sitting down on the ground by the coffee table. “He’s mostly fine, just exposed to a lot of dark magic.” 

“And you guys? Are you okay? Is anyone else hurt?” You ask worriedly, darting your eyes over to Chan, Yeji, and Chaeryoung who all individually affirm to you that they’re not nursing any big injuries. “What happened?” 

At that moment, Jisung arrives in the living room with a half-sleepy Minho and a frantically running Ryujin who immediately makes a beeline to Hyunjin and Yeji. Standing next to you, he echoes the exact same question to Seungmin. “What happened? Is Hyunjin going to be okay?” 

You kneel down in front of Hyunjin, right next to Ryujin, and examine the cuts and gashes. Meanwhile, Jisung sits next to Seungmin while Minho runs over to Chan. “Turns out, they’ve been keeping Hyunjin to try and get him to activate the artifact.” Seungmin answers Jisung’s question after a moment, taking out the stolen compass that Hyunjin was supposed to retrieve from this world. “Then they heard that you and Jisung were going to proceed with the exam. So they tried using him as bait as well but the protective spells the elders casted on you two made it hard for them to find you even when they planned to separate our group.” 

“We got there before they could manipulate my brother into it with dark magic.” Yeji continues tiredly in between casting her own spells, making her smaller wounds and a sprained ankle disappear. “They were quite hostile but we managed. It’s just that Hyunjin still hasn’t woken up since we took him.” 

“Then aren’t you glad we stayed at home, Ji?” You mumbled under your breath as you and Ryujin casted spells to identify the magic needed to heal the half-conscious Hyunjin’s injuries. “Hyunjin’s probably not waking up because of exposure. We’ll have to determine just how much dark magic those witches used.” 

Behind you, Jisung grumbles stubbornly at your comment. “So, is Hyunjin okay? What’s the diagnosis?”

Hovering your hand over Hyunjin’s chest, his heart suddenly reflects a horrifying black over your magic and making yours and Ryujin’s eyes widen. “Oh no…” 

“What?” Suddenly, Jisung’s next to you and peering over Hyunjin’s ecure. “What the hell? Why is his heart black?” 

Ryujin then places her hands over Hyunjin’s forehead, going through his fresher memories as her eyes turn a bright blue. “He’s...it’s an ancient spell, a really powerful one.” She eventually concludes, turning to Chan after. “Chan, do you think you can take a look at this?” 

Across the room, Chan stands up with Minho’s help, having just treated a healing cut on his leg, and sits on Ryujin’s other side to briefly access the same memories. “The three of us can do it,” He gestures to you and Ryujin with pursed lips. “But it’ll take hours and a whole lot of ecure. We’ll need to purify his heart with an equally powerful spell.” 

From the corner of your eye, you see Jisung immediately turn to you in worry, as if he already knows what you’re going to say. “Y/N, don’t—”

But you’re already reaching for your locket, forcing the stone to reveal its contents. “I can give up mine. It’ll save you both your energies and time.” You assure, tuning out Jisung’s protests.

“A-Are you sure?” Ryujin asks worriedly, echoing Jisung’s concerns. Next to her, Chan shakes his head at you in equal concern. “Y/N, these are your ecures for the candidacy exam, you can’t just—not right now when you’re almost do—”

“That’s not important right now. What’s important is that we save Hyunjin.” You nod without any hesitation. “Anyway, I have enough for both purifying Hyunjin’s heart and healing his wounds. It’s fine.” 

You then take out more hearts from your locket, the clumped crystals of oranges, greens, pinks, and reds hovering above Hyunjin as he continues lulling in and out of consciousness and his body tries rejecting the prior spells Yeji casted to help him heal. Before you could fully empty out the vessel, however, Jisung’s hand with his emerald ring flies over yours to stop you. “Wait!” He exclaims, startling you, Ryujin, and Chan. “I’ll give up some of mine too. Don’t empty yours out.”

“Ji—” 

“—Y/N.” He snaps frustratingly, raising his voice and confusing you further. “Please, let me help! I don’t want you to empty your count, I’m not letting you.” 

This seems to effectively catch you off-guard. Jisung then takes this as an opportunity to stop you, not letting your hand go while he summons his own collected hearts out from his ring and firmly making sure that you don’t argue with him further until Chan has reluctantly made sure that you have enough ecures to convert into magic. Even then, he doesn’t let you go by your hand and instead moves his over to your free hand while Chan instructs you and Ryujin on how to purify a black heart. 

“J-Jisung.” You call for him once your initial annoyance of him stopping you has died down, eyes widening when he glances back at you with worry. “I need my two hands.” 

“Oh, shit. Sorry.” He lets go of your hand immediately, keeping his hands down on his lap before leaving the three of you to check on Seungmin, Yeji, and Chaeryoung. “Sorry…”

You cough out awkwardly as he leaves, glaring at Ryujin when she musters up a teasing smile despite your current predicament. 

“He’s right, you know.” Chan comments after a while, instructing you the following spells while the dark color of Hyunjin’s ecure fades to a glowing white. 

“Don’t start.” When you send a glare over your own cousin’s way, however, he quickly drops the subject with a shrug. 

Purifying a darkened heart, as it turns out, lasts until the very break of dawn as the three of you exhaust the ecures you and Jisung have put out to heal Hyunjin. As time ticks by agonizingly slow for Hyunjin who could only lay back on the sofa and absorb all of your energies to heal himself, Minho eventually gets everyone to clear the living room and sleep in the much more comfortable guest rooms after making sure that no one is greatly injured before hurling himself to the kitchen and make breakfast. 

But you see Jisung stay from the corner of your eye, taking up space on your opposite side to steal glances at you or comfort Hyunjin. From the way his eyebrows furrow over his sleepy eyes and how he refuses to leave even when you awkwardly tell him off, you could tell that he too can’t make out your previous exchange. 

“—Y/N. Please, let me help! I don’t want you to empty your count, I’m not letting you.” You know that he acted the way he did because it was Hyunjin that you were trying to save, one of his best friends. But the way he sounded so angry, the way he snapped at you in the spur of the moment, a small part of your thoughts wants to make you think that he had other reasons for doing what he did. 

“Hyunjin? How are you feeling?” Chan asks after 2 hours of nonstop spellcasting, halting you and Ryujin in your steps after. “Can you sit up?” 

Your eyes turn blue at the same time you see Jisung’s turn green, surveying Hyunjin’s heart for any hints of leftover dark magic. Meanwhile, Hyunjin struggles to sit up with Jisung’s help, tiredly groaning under his breath. “Much b-better.” He manages to stumble out after a moment, mustering up a small smile despite the dizzying and overwhelming fel. “Thanks, you guys.” 

You sigh in relief, resting your back against the coffee table behind you before nodding. “Finally…” 

“Come on, Hyunnie, I’ll move you upstairs.” Chan volunteers, standing up from his position on the floor and briefly stretching his arms out. Turning to you, Ryujin, and Jisung, he then adds, “You guys get some rest too. Just skip for today and tomorrow. I’ll write to everyone back home.” 

You don’t even argue against your cousin this time, finding yourself nodding when he gives you the same look he always does whenever you intend on shouldering some work for him. Standing up from the floor, you, Ryujin, and Jisung then head upstairs in silence. 

The entire walk, you feel Jisung stealing glances over to you but you decide to not act on it, shaking your head when he suddenly opens his mouth to speak before the two of you could go on your separate ways. 

“Y/N, wait—” “Goodnight, Jisung.” 

-

Growing up, Jisung has always relied on two people in helping him through the crisis of accidentally going too far with you: Chan and Felix. Chan, obviously, because he’s your cousin and the only other friend he has who harbors an inkling of a braincell and Felix because he’s everyone’s favourite and he knows the kinds of snacks that get on your good graces. These moments when he’s actually pushed your buttons too far are rare (as much as the two of you like to express your annoyance over each other, you’ve actually come to understand that this is just your dynamic growing up), but Jisung personally keeps a list of steps to do in situations like this anyway. Now more than ever, it seems, because suddenly, it feels weird and awkward being around each other—and not the usual kind. 

But as fate would have it, Chan is busy working out how to safely get Hyunjin home and explaining to the elders what happened. If normally Jisung would be asking Chan first about you and what he could say when he confronts you, this time he’s asking all of them to his twin brother who’s more than willing to listen (after listening to Yeji, Ryujin, and Chaeryoung gossip everything to him prior, of course).

“Why did you do that anyway?” Felix points out on the other side of the call, snuggling into a pillow as night falls on both realms. It’s been 3 days since Hyunjin returned and both the house and the officials back at home have been busy arranging his return with Yeji, Seungmin, Ryujin, and Chaeryoung; only allowing for the twins to talk in the late hours of the night. “And you said it angrily too from what Ryujin told me. No offense, bro, I’d feel a little weird if you raised your voice at me, too, then offered up half of your collection on their behalf.” 

Jisung groans in frustration, running his hand through his hair as he shuffles uncomfortably around his bed sheets. “I don’t know, it’s just...I was thinking of a lot of things.” 

“Like what?” 

“This candidacy exam, what Chan told me beforehand, Hyunjin, Y/N…” The older twin purses his lips, taking his eyes away from Felix to gaze down at his hands. The emerald ring is much cooler now after losing ecure but somehow, it feels heavy on Jisung’s ring finger. “I thought that it’d be unfair if they lose all of their ecure at this point in the race, trying to save Hyunjin, then the elders might not be too pleased about it when we return. But most importantly, I thought about what Chan told me when Minho first arrived, about how Y/N’s always jumping at every opportunity to help other people without thinking too much of themself. I was right there with my own vessel of hearts for them to use and if I just let them empty out theirs, then I’d be letting them get the short end of the stick in the long run again.” 

Felix nods along understandingly at his brother’s words, all the while trying to hide a smile behind his hand. So Yeji was right! “So why did you call me, then? You seem to have your reasons sorted out, just tell Y/N what you told me.” He shrugs after Jisung’s extensive speech, giggling at the dramatic reaction that he receives from his brother after. “I know you guys aren’t those emotional kinds of people to each other but you said so yourself that Y/N’s been quieter these days and that it’s been eating at your conscience. I say you just go for it and tell them how you feel.” 

“I’m not you, Lix. Y/N’s going to laugh at me.” Jisung pouts helplessly. “I can’t just tell them that.” 

“You’re so dramatic! It just implies that you care about Y/N like a decent human being. Anyone in your situation who knows what you know about them would’ve been considerate enough to do the same thing.” Felix argues back, rubbing his temples at how the older boy’s acting. “Don’t get it twisted, brother...unless you want it to, of course.” 

“Ya, and what’s that supposed to mean?!” 

“Figure it out yourself.” Felix sticks his tongue out teasingly before laughing and waving a dismissive hand. “Anyway, Yeji told me that Y/N’s been craving blueberry pancakes lately. You can just make them right now and give it tomorrow so you don’t have to go out.” 

“If anything, I want to leave the house right now and never come back.” Jisung grumbles back in frustration before sighing in defeat. “For the first time, I can’t believe you’re no help at all, Lix. I’m hanging up.” 

“Tch, you just can’t handle the truth, Sung. Anyway, I have to go too, mom and dad are asking me to come to this thing. I’ll update you on it later! Love you! Bye!” Felix then waves to the call one last time before hanging up, leaving Jisung in the uncomfortable silence of his room. 

Jisung sighs against the heavy blankets, throwing his phone to the other side of the mattress before ultimately deciding on standing up and heading to your room across the hall. Fuck it, he thinks to himself, it’s not like I like them or anything like that! Nothing to worry about! Let’s not get it twisted. 

When he opens the door, however, the first person he unexpectedly sees outside the hallways is you just as you close the door behind your own room. “Y/N!” He ends up blurting out loud in the moment, catching your attention with wide eyes. Not knowing what else to say, the first thought that comes to mind is, “Are you going to Hyunjin’s room?” 

You furrow your brows in confusion, shaking your head slowly. “No, I’m going to the kitchen?” 

“O-Oh.” He runs his hand through his hair once more in nervousness, nodding along and hiding the heat rising up his neck in embarrassment. “Well, I’m going there too. Mind if I join you?” 

You simply nod in response, walking down the end of the hallway with him in relative silence. He hasn’t seen you much since Hyunjin’s arrived either since you spent most of your time checking your mutual friend for his condition and brewing tea. The dramatic gears in Jisung’s head would like to think that it’s just pure convenience. 

“So, what did you and Felix talk about?” “How’s Hyunjin?” 

Jisung glances over to you on his right just as you mirror his actions, the gesture somehow making him flustered this time around as he’s quick to look away. “S-Sorry. Um, we just—talked about how things are back home.” He shrugs in his best feigned nonchalance, mentally cringing at how visibly awkward he looks as the two of you go down the stairs anyway. Not that it’s a lie, anyway, he and Felix did talk about other topics besides you. “Everything’s pretty busy back home since the elders are talking about how Hyunjin coming back is going to affect the exam now.” 

“Oh.” You nod along almost absentmindedly. “That’s...yeah, I’ve heard about it too. It’s pretty hectic on my mom’s end right now.” 

“So...how’s Hyunjin?” Jisung chimes in almost a little too quickly, feeling even more awkward that he accidentally brought up your candidacy exam again. Stupid, stupid, stupid!

You purposely pretend to not notice anyway, answering his questions carefully as you approach a curve into the spiral staircase. “He’s regaining his strength at least. Still on bedrest but he should be okay by the weekend when Changbin fetches him and the others.” The two of you then pass through the living room to get to the kitchen, finding Minho and Chan cuddled up on one of the sofas as they watch a movie on the television. 

The kitchen, on the other hand, is deserted when you turn on the lights which Jisung internally thanks every guest in the house for before taking a deep breath. “About what I said back then, by the way…” He starts carefully, catching your attention before you could even detach yourself from him to open the nearby fridge. You freeze a few steps ahead of him, making the poor boy gulp nervously. “Um, I’m sorry that I raised my voice at you. I shouldn’t have done that, even when I was stressing out.” 

Much like when he actually did raise his voice, you momentarily freeze in your spot before eventually shaking your head reassuringly and moving over to the fridge. “It’s alright, you don’t need to apologize for that.” You add with a small smile, taking out the fruit bowl from the fridge. “Is that why you’ve been quiet these past days? It’s okay, really.” 

“I haven’t been—it’s you who’s—” Jisung stops himself halfway before he could even start another argument, biting down his lip before shaking his head. Walking over to the stove area, he then opens a few cabinets in search of the pancake mix while you shuffle around the area behind him. “A little, yeah. It’s just that it looked like it bothered you so it bothered me too.”

When Jisung then glances over his shoulder, he sees you approaching with the fruit bowl hugged close to your chest. “I thought about it a few times. After that, I just thought that you were bothered so I couldn’t talk to you after.” You explain slowly, voice growing louder as you set the bowl next to him. In the dim lights of the kitchen, he suddenly can’t tell if you’re lying or not. “But it’s all good now. Are you making pancakes?” 

Jisung nods sheepishly, finally finding the pancake mix in the deeper crevices of the cabinet and taking it out with a pan and spatula from the adjacent cabinet. “No, but you have to know that—that—”

“Hm? What?” You raise your brows curiously, taking the pan and spatula for him before proceeding to the stove and twisting the knobs to preheat. 

“You’re not letting me finish.” Jisung points out with a feigned disapproving situation while quickly preparing the pancake mix, one which you somehow find amusing enough to laugh at. “Come on, don’t laugh, my twin made me say a bunch of things then coerced me into telling you so I’d—”

“Yeah, I know.” 

“—So, I appreciate it if you’d lis—wait, you know?!” His feigned expression then turns into one of surprise once more as you nod and break into giggles. “W-What?!” 

“You were being really loud, Hyunjin was even complaining to me from the next room by phone that he can’t sleep because of you.” You chuckle in amusement, nudging him by the arm when you notice that he’s slowed down his mixing. “He said something about you complaining to Felix about something or whatever. I don’t know, I was on a call with Lia.” 

“Then why did you—? So, you just came out here for pancakes?!” 

“No! I wanted to hear what you were going to say! I didn’t hear any word besides the pancakes, I swear...well, not clearly at least.” 

By now, all of the awkwardness has immediately dissipated as Jisung stops mixing the pancake mix altogether to turn to you and cross his arms. “You’re unbelievable.” He pretends to roll his eyes and scoff at you, earning him a glare.  You then swipe the pancake mix from his hands, pouring them into the pan in big circles. “And you still have the audacity to make me do this pancake mix.” 

“Well, you’re already mixing it so might as well.” You shrug with a knowing smile before nudging him again by the handle of the spatula. “Now, go on, what were you going to say?” 

Jisung shoots you one last incredulous look but you effectively counter it by encouraging him, promising that you “won’t laugh.” “Ah, well...I just wanted to say that you shouldn’t go all out wasting all of your collected hearts at this point, not when we’re almost done with the exam.” He blurts out, gazing down and fiddling with the fruit bowl while you take spoonfuls of blueberries from it to mix with the pancakes. “I want to win but it won’t be fun if your tally suddenly drops, right?” 

When he looks up, you’re raising your brow at his last comment as you make more pancakes. “I mean, I know you want to do what’s best for everyone but you have to look out for yourself too. Geez.” With a sigh, he then corrects which makes you nod in agreement. “A-And I guess lean on us too. We’re your family and friends, don’t shoulder all of the work for us all the time.” 

“I doubt I can lean on you.” You tease, flipping through your second batch of pancakes to cook. When Jisung sends a glare your way, you simply stick your tongue out at him. “Kidding.”  

“I get all emotional and all you say is that you doubt you can lean on me. Unbelievable…” Jisung scoffs, stuffing his mouth with more blueberries in feigned annoyance. 

The blueberry-filled pancakes are all eventually set on a plate you find on your opposite side, stacked up as a tall tower leaning on one side. Carefully passing Jisung the plate, you then twist the stove’s knobs off and reply, “You also made me cook the pancakes you wanted to make for me so I think that makes us even.” 

“Y/N!” He whines between mouthfuls of blueberries as you move around him to transfer the pan and spatula to the sink. 

You sigh in defeat, chuckling when you meet gazes once more and see him sulking with his cheeks full. “Right, right, I’m sorry!” You then beckon him over to the dining table, taking the fruit bowl on his side. “A-And...you know, thank you for that. We’re all good now, right?” 

“If you are.” 

“Definitely. Want to eat with me? I still owe you that meal from our first day.” 

six out of six months

Your mother as well as the high jury of elders from back home eventually proposed that you and Jisung finish your Crown Candidacy exam while Hyunjin, should he eventually announce that he wants to participate as well in the incoming 6 months, do his under stricter supervision in the following year. This ensures fairness in your situations, that yours and Jisung’s efforts aren’t wasted in the past 5 months while also thinking of Hyunjin who wasn’t around in time for the traditional schedule of the exam. When Hyunjin was escorted home by Changbin and Felix, however, he briefly hinted towards a plan on refusing the candidacy and the exam. He left with the others before you or Jisung could even ask him about it. 

Regardless, you and your sole competitor easily fall back into the race as soon as Hyunjin, Yeji, Seungmin, and Chaeryoung have settled their business in the human world and went home, returning to university over a week later to regain the ecures that you lost. Not that it’s suddenly harder, anyway. Timely as it is, an announcement for a school festival at the end of the month has Jisung signing up to perform while you join the organizing committee to spend more time with your human friends. 

In the time that you’ve spent in the human world, you’ve made many genuine friends beyond collecting their ecure for your exam, especially in your classmates Yuna and Jeongin. Though they don’t know about your true nature, the two have unknowingly aided you a lot in your mission by accompanying you through the different activities around university. 

Yuna, in particular, was even the one who first mentioned the school festival to you, encouraging you to join the events committee with her and invite Jisung to perform. “It’s free backstage passes and we can see all of the artists up close!” She sighed dreamily on the day she showed you the gold and red poster that she picked up from the department bulletin board. “And come on, you’re really good at organizing stuff! We should do it together!”

And more hearts to collect, you thought to yourself when you accepted and attended the orientation.

And more hearts it was, indeed, as you spend the next 3 weeks meeting people from different colleges as you and Yuna are assigned to helping organize the music performance for the end of the festival. With your previous experience fulfilling your duties back at home, it’s unsurprisingly easier for you to juggle the work assigned to you—contacting students to perform, arranging the program flow, and turning the university football field into a makeshift mini concert stadium—with socializing and fulfilling your original mission of collecting hearts. 

Across from your room at home, on the other hand, Jisung has been busy spending the same time making his own music to perform at the music festival. You invited him to perform some time after starting your work with the festival committee—well, your friends insisted that you invite him and Chan after finding out that the famous DJ, CB97, is your cousin and that you and the “College of Psychology Cutie” commute home together (“Don’t tell me...are you guys secretly dating?!” Yuna had shamelessly asked during one of your meetings, to which you had to smack your hand over her mouth and improvise a cover story for you and Jisung that you live in the same neighbourhood). 

Jisung accepted at the thought that he could garner a huge crowd of hearts from this opportunity, cooping himself up in his room right after the following days that followed to complete his 15-minute set. Ever since, all you’ve heard coming from his room in the middle of the night would be guitar strums, drum loops, and the faintest hints of Jisung’s voice singing along to freestyle raps and lines. 

He mostly sang about love, of all things; something you, Minho, and Chan immediately noticed in the next 3 Friday nights that the three of you would be huddled in the living room to watch a movie, only to hear Jisung repeating lines as if he was talking to someone in Chan’s home studio. You wanted to ask about it out of pure curiosity, and just the general worry that he might not be looking after his heart while finishing your exam after all, but decided against it in favor of waiting for the final product at the music festival.

Fortunately, the month somehow went by in almost a flash as you and Jisung both got busy preparing and collecting more hearts on the side. Before you know it, it was the afternoon of the music festival and Felix is suddenly back in the human realm to accompany you and Minho to the school festival. 

“So, did he tell you what he prepared for tonight?” Felix asks you as the three of you walk around the festival grounds. Over the course of 3 weeks, you and a large team of student volunteers have managed to haul in food stalls, arcade booths, and rides from the quad all the way to the football field for this festival, amenities which you yourself haven’t tried yet because of your busy schedule but Felix and Minho have both been so overwhelmingly excited to check out even on the bus trip to your university. 

In response to the prince’s answer, you shake your head with a small pout. “I just hear him all over the house and I didn’t really want to pry if he didn't want to tell me anything.” You point out, the two of you suddenly changing the course of your mindless walk as Minho points to a crossbow shoot booth. “Why? Doesn’t he tell you what he’s been working on?” 

“No! He stops whatever he’s doing whenever we call, even when I ask him to play just a little bit of his work.” Felix is quick to mirror your pout, only for it to disappear when Minho jokes that the two of you help him cheat in the booth as he picks up a crossbow. “I thought since you guys are living together, you’d know better than me.” 

“Ah, you kids just wait until Jisung and Chan perform later.” Minho dismisses your concerns, holding the fake crossbow up properly while the staff manning the booth prepares the targets on the other side. “Now, help me win Chan a giant wolf.” 

You roll your eyes at Minho, shrugging at Felix. “I guess he’s right. Let’s just help Minho get a giant wolf first.” 

-

Chan and Jisung arrive at university 10 minutes before the music festival from Chan’s studio halfway across the city, initially unable to find you in the crowd of organizers as they set up backstage with Yuna and Jeongin’s help until you call Chan late that you’re “babysitting” Minho and Felix. 

“They’ve somehow teamed up and have been competing with the rigged booths since we arrived.” You explained over the voice call, the distant sounds of Minho and Felix yelling while tossing metal rings around almost muffling your own. “I’ll be on my way in a while as soon as Minho leaves the ring toss alone but Yuna and Jeongin are there. Just ask them if you guys need anyth—oh my gods, Felix, you won another plushie? That’s so cool! Wait, I’m on a call with Chan!—uh, yeah. I’ll be there in a second!” 

The commotion on your end makes the two boys laugh, even as you bid your goodbyes and end the call, but especially Jisung who’s been looking nervous since he arrived. Throwing his head back in a laugh as he tunes his guitar, he comments, “That’s a bit unexpected. I didn’t know my brother and your boyfriend would get along like that, and this quickly!” 

“Beating out rigged games sounds about right.” Chan chuckles along, seated on a plastic chair and running a quick check on his equipment. Turning to the younger boy, he then asks, “Are you still nervous?” 

“Me? Nah, I wasn’t even nervous to begin with!” At this, Jisung’s laughs naturally die down to an uncertain shake of his head. He dismisses with a scrunch up nose which Chan immediately raises a brow at. 

“Come on, Sung, I practically raised you with the other kids.” Chan proceeds to roll his eyes as Jisung’s brief confident facade crumbles down slowly. “What’s up?” 

The boy in question eventually sighs in defeat, shoulders slumping against the plastic chair he occupies. “Fine, maybe I’m a bit nervous! Just a little bit, though, I can still get on stage later! I mean, it’s not like performing here is gonna be different from back home like you said on the way here but…”

“But what?” Chan asks patiently, glancing up to see Jisung’s gaze fixed down on his yellow acoustic guitar. When the younger boy doesn’t respond immediately, he then continues, “I’ve heard bits and pieces of what you’ve been working on this month and all of the songs sound great. You’ll catch a lot of hearts tonight with them, I’m sure. What are you worried about?”

Jisung looks up from his guitar and opens his mouth to speak, only to get cut off when you come in the performer’s tent running and balancing different kinds of microphones in your hands. “Sorry I’m late!” You announce in between tired pants, catching both his and Chan’s attention as you pass the microphones around the artists with Jeongin who instinctively comes to your aid. “I was with my friends and they wouldn’t budge from the ring toss!” 

“I think I’m going to faint.” Jisung mumbles under his breath with furrowed brows, loud enough for only Chan to hear, until you approach them last with their microphones. 

“Mics?” You offer obliviously, holding up the last 2 hand mics in your possession. Passing one to Chan quickly, you then sit down next to Jisung and pass him his hand mic. “Hey, you’re up fourth, right?” 

Jisung glances over to Chan with a panicked look but the older boy simply shakes his head with a chuckle and focuses on his keyboard. Turning to you, Jisung then nods quickly with a hum before gazing down at his guitar and the laptop he’s set up on the table in front of you two. 

Immediately sensing his odd behavior, you then hover your hands in the space between the two of you in a quick spell, eventually verifying his nervous feelings. “Yeah, totally not nervous.” You chuckle in amusement, laughing even more when he turns to you and whines in complaint. 

“Ya! Don’t do that!” 

“Well, it’s not like you’re that good at hiding your nervousness!” You point out in defense, holding your hands up in front of you in between uncontrollable fits of giggles. When the glare he sends your way doesn’t relax one bit, you then fish out a small quokka plush from your backpack. “Anyway, Felix was kinda expecting that you’d be a little nervous so wanted me to give you this plushie he won at the milk bottle game with Minho for good luck. He would’ve given it himself but LUCY was already performing when we came here so he dragged Minho to the audience area before I could even bring him here.” 

You then place the plush toy on the table right next to his laptop, looking around once to make sure that no one is looking your way before mouthing a quick spell to shrink the quokka into something smaller that he can hang on his guitar strap. As you do so, Chan notices how Jisung’s ears are quick to turn red as he follows your every movement. “You can stick it to your guitar strap and bring it with you to the stage.” You point out once you’re done, only then noticing his stares. “What?” 

“Huh?” Jisung shakes his head absentmindedly, mentally slapping himself back to reality before scrambling to pick up the plush toy by the chain you added on top of its head and tying it to the small hole along the edge of his guitar strap. “O-Oh, yeah, thanks!”

You chuckle, just as Yuna suddenly calls for you to help in getting the next act’s microphone stands on stage. Standing up, you then pat Jisung’s shoulder reassuringly, saying one last, “Don’t be nervous!” before running off again to where most of your committee members are. 

Once you’re out of earshot, only then does Chan look up from his equipment once more but this time with a knowing grin and squinted eyes. “Yeah, Sung, don’t be nervous!” 

Jisung rolls his eyes in front of the older boy at this, securing the quokka plushie on his guitar strap one last time. “Shut up.” 

-

Your committee heads lay you off of work just as Jisung heads to the stage for his set, the small quokka plush you gave him dangling behind his fretboard with a toothy grin while he sets up his laptop and greets the energetic crowd. When you discreetly scan the people’s ecures while standing behind the curtains, you quickly spot a growing number of pinks and oranges. “Such a charmer.” Chan notes, eyes also blue when you look up at him. 

You nod in agreement, reverting back to your original color as more of your peers gather around the curtains to listen to Jisung’s introduction. “Um, hi, I’m Han Jisung from the Psych department.” You hear him greet with a shy chuckle over the microphone, earning him another wave of cheers. Behind you, even Yuna and Jeongin cheer despite Jisung having his back partially facing you. “This is my first time performing here at uni and the songs that I’ve prepared so please go easy on me.” 

You then turn to Chan again, taking a sideways step closer to him as a thought crosses your mind. “Hey, Chan,” You call for him in a lower voice, craning your head up when he leans towards you. “Have you heard of the songs he’s going to perform tonight? You were together before coming here, right?” 

“Only a little bit. We mostly talked while we were at the studio.” Chan shrugs in response. “I think he wanted it to be a surprise to everyone.” 

On stage, Jisung then checks his guitar one last time before announcing the name of the first song. “So, this first song is something that I’ve been thinking about since I moved here. It’s called ‘Close.’” He says, pressing play on his loops and singing the first lines of the song. “Can you tell me about you? You, seen from afar. I just don't want to watch. Yeah Just tell me about you.”

Jisung is a great performer, there’s no doubt about it. Though you’ve grown up hearing him sing and rap at your more casual events back at home, he always manages to surprise you every time he performs just with the way he enjoys himself on stage. You can see him smile widely from the side of the stage, his nervousness long gone as he interacts with the crowd and collects the pink crystal hearts that float above your heads. 

“He’s really good…” You murmur, more to yourself than to Chan, as you find yourself gently swaying to the song. “What was he even worried about? It’s a great song…” 

Chan glances knowingly at you, a small smile playing on his lips as you sing along to the next round of the chorus. “I don’t think he has nothing to worry about too, not right now at least.” 

“Hm?” “Nothing.” 

-

In truth, even with the positive response from the crowd and the amount of ecures he’s collected from this set alone, Jisung is still nervous for his last song. “Sunshine” was supposed to be just another warm-up song with barely a cohesive topic, a compilation of sketches about his experiences in the human world that he spent his free time on when he wasn’t collecting hearts these past 6 months. As more time passed by, however, and the time of your exam was suddenly coming to a close, they eventually took a different direction without him even realizing it until you were inviting him to perform at this music festival. 

The times that the two of you would bicker just to laugh at each other in the end, the competition that brought the bests and worsts in you, and your chocolate matcha tea and musings on the one time you sat down with him on his balcony. Eventually, you were all he was writing about. On top of the nervousness that comes with finishing the competition you’ve found yourselves in for half a year and finding out who will be declared the winner, Jisung was more nervous about the thought that you’re just behind the stage curtains with Chan, anticipating his next song. 

“For my last song, I picked this one for someone I know whom I’ve spent a lot of time with these past few months.” He confesses shyly in front of the crowds. Among the hundreds of people that came tonight, he easily spots his twin brother in front of the barriers with Minho, sporting the most exaggerated surprised face ever. “I was hoping that when all of this is said and over, we’d get well-deserved breaks...maybe music and tea at night again or something.” 

Jisung doesn’t have to turn around to gauge your initial reaction as he begins the song, Felix’s expression turning into that of giddiness as he looks over at the stage curtains is enough to set every gear in his head to pump out more nervousness. Instead, he pushes through until halfway to the song before he could steal his first glance over to you since beginning his set. 

With his eyes still an emerald green from scanning the crowd’s ecures, your eyes meet under the harsh stage lights as he sings the bridge. “This place is quiet without a sound ye ye ye. Quiet except for the sound of our breaths ye ye ye.” He doesn’t intend to look again, not in that split second before he’s turning his gaze back to the crowd of cellphone lights and LED signs, but he sees your heart’s reflection once more. 

Reminiscent of when you first confessed in middle school, a pinkish heart floats by the sleeves of your sweater, almost looking red if he just looked longer. You didn’t even turn away this time and simply just stood there, heat visibly rising up your neck. 

Reminiscent of when you first confessed in middle school, a pinkish heart floats by the sleeves of your sweater, almost looking red if he just looked longer. This time around, however, you don’t turn away to try and hide it. 

And this time around, Jisung doesn’t childishly call you out for it or ignores it. This time, it makes his own heart swell at the thought. 

-

The car ride home, with Chan on the wheel and three extra boxes of equipment most of the backseats in his SUV, is a comfortable and awkward mix of quiet between you and Jisung as the two of you are forced to sit next to each other in the cramped space. You sit by the window, using it as an excuse to peer outside and avoid any kind of small talk from the boys, while Jisung has hisi eyes glued to his phone while a sleeping Felix snuggles into his shoulder. The only human noise in the car, as it seems, is coming from Minho and Chan as the two recall the songs the latter and Jisung performed at the program. 

It’s even quieter at the thought that you, Jisung, and Felix will fly back to the magical realm tomorrow, something that Minho reminds you when he suddenly asks, “Right, what do you kids want me to cook for lunch later, by the way?” 

The question comes right as the car suddenly comes to an abrupt stop at Chan’s garage, masking the way you and Jisung simultaneously jump in surprise. You instinctively glance over to him after with wide eyes, before gazing over at Minho who has a poorly-hidden snicker on his expression from the front passenger seat. “Um,” You stutter out awkwardly, glaring at Minho when he smirks teasingly over your way. “Anything’s fine for me.” 

Jisung nods over to your direction in agreement. “Yeah, anything’s fine.” 

Minho nods with pursed lips, as if he was biting down a laugh. “Does crispy pork belly sound good?” He asks, earning him nods from you. “Okay. You guys have been quiet back here this entire time, you guys good?” 

“Yeah?” “Totally.” 

Clearly unconvinced, Minho shakes his head and scoffs before twisting his upper body to face front once more, unbuckling his seatbelt and opening the car door next to him. “Oh, kids…” 

You roll your eyes at the comment before stealing a glance over at Jisung again, only to find the boy already staring at you. “W-What?” You manage to ask this time despite your initial surprise. In front of you, Chan has already turned the engine off and left the driver’s seat to open the back of the car. “You okay, Ji?” 

He hums almost absentmindedly, phone now set down on his lap as he fiddles with his hands nervously. “Yeah, um—” He stutters out, biting his lips down once. Briefly glancing at his side, he then gestures towards his twin and adds, “Wait, sorry, um, let me wake Lix first.” 

“Okay.” You nod awkwardly, deciding to unbuckle your own seatbelt and open the car door next to you. Jisung then gently shakes Felix awake, leading his brother out through the same car door since the opposite one’s blocked by more of his and Chan’s equipment. 

“You go on ahead, Lix, I’ll just talk to Y/N.” You hear Jisung say as the three of you now stand outside in the cold, levitating boxes of instruments and computers flying over your head and heading inside the house. 

Felix nods at this immediately, sleepily bidding you and Jisung with loose hugs before trudging back inside the house with Chan and Minho. 

Once the doors leading back to the house fully close on the two of you, only then are you engulfed in the same awkward silence again and the two of you, for the third time in the past 6 months, speak up at the same time. 

“So um—” “—Yeah, a while ago—” 

This time, the two of you chuckle awkwardly over speaking at the same time again. You then gesture for him to go ahead and speak first as you adjust your sweater’s placement on your shoulder. 

Instinctively, Jisung fixes your sweater for you before speaking, causing him to stutter a little. “S-Sorry, um…” He licks his lip awkwardly, retracting his hand as fast as he can and moving a step back. “Yeah, I meant to say that I didn’t...I didn’t mean to look at your heart.” 

Suddenly, at such an important moment, you’re speechless and frozen in front of Jisung. Your hands find their way down the hem of your sweater, absentmindedly playing with the loose threads as you shift your weight on the balls of your feet and stutter out your response. “I-I um…” 

Simultaneously, Jisung takes in a huge intake of breath and continues, “I looked at you because I actually made the song for you—well, about you but not in a weird way! It can be for you too, that is if you want it!—”

“Jisung?” 

“Ah, anyway, I’m losing track! Just, I looked at you because I wanted to know what you thought of it the most in the moment, you know—”

“Jisung…”

“And I didn’t realize that my eyes were still green and I saw so I looked away as fast as I could, I swear—!” 

“Ji.” 

“I know you don’t want me looking into your heart and stuff because of before. I promise I won’t do it again—” 

Realizing that he’s not going to stop in his ramblings, you then impulsively take a step towards him and grab him by his arms. “Ji, it’s fine.” You shake him gently, effectively stopping the endless flow of thought. “I mean, you already saw it and everything.” 

“But I—” 

“Just don’t lash out or stop talking to me again while I sort it out.” You shrug reassuringly with a sigh, reluctantly sliding your hands off of him and taking a step back again as you see him listen intently to your words. “It’s just pink, anyway, it can still go away like before. Just don’t avoid me again this time.” 

Though he’s clearly been listening intently, you see his brows furrow and his expression suddenly becomes confused towards the end of your words. “What?” He echoes helplessly after you. “No, I...why would I stop talking to you? That was a long time ago. I won’t do that now, I...” 

“Then just don’t take my heart or something.” You point out, almost like a question as his reaction confuses you similarly. “Anyway, that’s not the point, like I said, I’ll sort it ou—”

“Don’t.” He cuts you off immediately this time with more conviction, shaking his head and suddenly taking your hand. “Don’t sort it out. Don’t make it go away or anything.”  

“What? Why?” 

You’re pulled closer again, Jisung mumbling an incantation to show his ecure under his breath. “Look at mine.” He points out, a pink crystal heart floating over to your upturned palm as he holds onto you by your wrist. “If anything, I should be the one telling you to not take mine on the spot or something.” 

“It’s pink.” You muse out loud in surprise, the warmth of his ecure feeling overwhelming as it floats above your hand. “And it’s for me…?” 

Jisung rolls his eyes at this in disbelief, nodding patiently anyway. “Who else would it be for?” He scoffs gently, making the heart disappear before it could burn your palm. “I don’t know since when it’s been like that, maybe it’s been like that for a long time even I don’t know I’ve only looked at it while Chan and I were at the studio. All I’m sure is that suddenly I was writing a song for you and sacrificing half of my ecure count so you don’t lose easily in the exam and looking out for you and—just, this time it’s me who’s afraid that you’ll run away or disappear for a while if you knew.”

“So don’t...sort it out.” He concludes after unknowingly speaking at such a fast rate, heaving belatedly from this. “I like you now, I like you a lot, and I’m not going to lash out like when we were kids. Take my heart if you want just don’t change your feelings for me, please.” 

There’s a brief pause that follows, the only noise ringing in your ears being the unusually loud beating of your own heart as the two of you freeze in place. Jisung tries waiting as patiently as he visibly can in this silence, puffing air in and out of his lips as he fails at trying to conceal his recurring nervous feelings, while you gaze at anywhere but him because of the heat rising up your neck. 

“Listen…” He speaks up after a while. “I’m sorry, I—”

Fuck it, you think to yourself before stepping forward, shakily cupping his cheeks, and pressing a kiss to his lips. “Don’t say sorry.” You muster up a shy smile in between brief kisses. “You already know that I like you too.” 

bonus epilogue

When you return to the magical realm to the news that Hyunjin won’t be taking his own candidacy exam next year in favor of his own kingdom’s crown, the elders are quick to take your locket and Jisung’s ring to proceed with the final results. Since the decision takes at least 3 days, coupled with the fact that a major complication arose in the 6 months that you were given, Jisung was asked to stay at your castle until the jury could come to a conclusion and crown either one of you. 

The others would also occasionally come and visit (especially Lia who’s mostly kept up with your trip through Yeji and Ryujin) but since confessing to Jisung, the boy has been doing the most trying to sneak you away from everyone and your regular royal duties just to spend more time with you. 

“So this is what you meant with Sunshine?” You ask in the afternoon before the elders would summon you back to the throne room, the two of you hidden away in your favourite greenhouse garden. Today, Jisung has somehow convinced you to ditch a visit to Chan’s family in favor of just sitting on your greenhouse’s cushioned sofas and listening to him hum his songs until your mentors would eventually come looking for you. “Chocolate matcha and your guitar?” 

“Yeah, just a relaxing rest date with your crush.” Jisung points out next to you, his head snuggled into the crook of your neck as much as the guitar in between the two of you could allow him. On your opposite side, his cuddle rival, the quokka plush toy you’ve somehow managed to turn into a life-size pillow today, sits on your lap and occasionally pokes on the end of his guitar. “Why? Do you want to refill your tea? I’ve been getting Felix to teach me this spell to refill tea, you know. I’m getting it but chocolate matcha’s kinda hard to replicate.” 

You shake your head in disbelief with a chuckle, a stark contrast to how you’re internally flustered over the small comment on your favourite tea flavor. “Who said you’re my crush? Bold of you to even assume, Ji…” You pretend to roll your eyes, sinking deeper into the soft cushions behind you. 

“Baby, you’ll be taking those words back when I get crowned tonight.” He pouts, elbowing you gently before shifting to place his guitar on the side. With his hands now free, the prince then resorts to linking his arms with your free one and intertwining your hands together on top of the plush quokka. “If I win, I’ll make sure to banish this quokka first so you’ll be forced to cuddle with only me.” 

“Tch, Felix won you this quokka. You’ll have to duel with him first if you want this gone.” You argue, sliding the quokka closer to him so its face is adjacent to Jisung. “Plus, it kinda looks like you. If I get crowned and you’ll be away doing your own duties back East, I have something of yours.” 

“I think you meant that if I win and you’ll be staying here doing your own duties, you’ll have something of mine.” Jisung huffs pettily. “Maybe we should keep the quokka, after all. You might get lonely if I get busy.” 

You shake your head immediately with a chuckle, leaning more of your weight on his side. “Oh, no, no, no.” You correct teasingly, making him giggle along against your shoulder. “Who said you’re going to win later?” 

“Wanna bet?” He raises a brow and smirks, lifting his head briefly to glance over to you.

You roll your eyes at this, leaning forward to meet his lips. “You’re so competitive, babe. Give it a rest, you know I’ll win anyway.” 

[otrtbs]

are you a taylor swift fan? if so, what songs do you associate with art heist baby?

sorry this took me so long to answer i went a little very crazy haha but this is like my achilles heel

(also if you're not a taylor swift fan in the whole ass year of 2022 wyd?)

I did Something Bad- Art Heist in general

"They say I did something bad Then why's it feel so good? They say I did something bad But why's it feel so good? Most fun I ever had And I'd do it over and over and over again if I could It just felt so good"

Willow- Art Heist Jegulus

Regulus to James

"I'm like the water when your ship rolled in that night Rough on the surface but you cut through like a knife"

"I'm begging for you to take my hand Wreck my plans"

James to Regulus

"Lost in your current like a priceless wine The more that you say The less I know Wherever you stray I follow"

"Wait for the signal and I'll meet you after dark Show me the places where the others gave you scars"

Lover- Jegulus

"And this is our place, we make the rules And there's a dazzling haze, a mysterious way about you dear Have I known you 20 seconds or 20 years?

Can I go where you go? Can we always be this close forever and ever?"

"All's well that ends well to end up with you Swear to be overdramatic and true to my lover"

My Tears Ricochet- Art Heist Black Brothers

"And if I'm dead to you, why are you at the wake? Cursing my name, wishing I stayed Look at how my tears ricochet"

"And you can aim for my heart, go for blood But you would still miss me in your bones And I still talk to you (when I'm screaming at the sky)"

This is Me Trying- Art Heist Black Brothers

"I've been having a hard time adjusting I had the shiniest wheels, now they're rusting I didn't know if you'd care if I came back I have a lot of regrets about that"

"And maybe I don't quite know what to say But I'm here in your doorway

I just wanted you to know That this is me trying"

"They told me all of my cages were mental So I got wasted like all my potential And my words shoot to kill when I'm mad I have a lot of regrets about that"

Paper Rings- Art Heist Dorlene

"I like shiny things, but I'd marry you with paper rings Darling, you're the one I want, and I hate accidents except when we went from friends to this"

"I want to drive away with you I want your complications too I want your dreary Mondays Wrap your arms around me"

Don't Blame Me- Sirius to Remus

"For you, I would cross the line I would waste my time I would lose my mind"

"And baby, for you, I would fall from grace Just to touch your face If you walk away I'd beg you on my knees to stay"

Gorgeous- Art Heist Evan to Barty (idk if y'all know that yet but it is lmaooo)

"You should take it as a compliment That I got drunk and made fun of the way you talk You should think about the consequence Of your magnetic field being a little too strong"

"You're so cool, it makes me hate you so much (I hate you so much)//You've ruined my life, by not being mine"

"You're so gorgeous I can't say anything to your face 'Cause look at your face And I'm so furious At you for making me feel this way But, what can I say? You're gorgeous"

"You should take it as a compliment That I'm talking to everyone here but you And you should think about the consequence Of you touching my hand in the darkened room"

"You make me so happy, it turns back to sad, yeah There's nothing I hate more than what I can't have You are so gorgeous it makes me so mad"

There are like a million more but im gonna stop now because I can go on for 3493284148 years

[shotorozu]

11:43pm (happy belated chifuyu day!)

character(s) : matsuno chifuyu (tokrev)

legend : [Y/N = your name] you/your pronouns mostly used (gender neutral), everybody’s alive au, takes place in 2015

synopsis : despite being an adult and a retired deliquent, chifuyu tries to steer away from horror manga, but he supposes he should make an exception for you— his crush. until, he realizes how grotesque junji ito’s work really is.

oneshot type : fluff (x reader)

mention of glyceride by junji ito (idk if that counts as anything, but 🤩 junji ito’s so talented but the imagery was genuinely disgusting 😨 )

note(s) : so, it’s like 12:04 here— but it’s (or was, depending on your timezone) chifuyu day 🤩 ‼️chifuyu’s finally 30 😨 so, i wrote something for him 😼 (characterization of baji may be a little off though, so please excuse that! im still new to writing for him)

no proofread btw 🗿

when chifuyu flips the volume back to it’s cover, apprehension is evident on the adult’s face— as he sets the manga onto his lap, bookmarking his progress, allowing his eyes to rest (even if it’s momentarily.)

the cover only stares back at him, as if it was mocking him of his hesitant behavior.

it’s the first time he stepped out of his comfort zone. “comfort” was the first word he associated with anime, and manga— the comfort that was reading romance, and slice of life stories with happy endings.

it’s not to say that he’s uncomfortable. it’s to say he’s anxious about the page that follows the one he left off.

a door from across the main room opens, and his long time friend, and petshop co-owner baji keisuke appears, “chifuyu! wanna gr—”

baji’s earthy eyes land on the manga volume’s cover set on chifuyu’s lap. “… shiver?” his eyes seem to sharpen, zeroing in curiously on the volume’s rather peculiar cover, floating heads plus bodies, with the background a bluish-muddy color palette.

“why’re you reading that? don’t you normally read like hmm.. what’s it called again?” there’s a pause, then— baji lets out a sound of realization “that ai yazawa. don’tcha normally read that?”

chifuyu isn’t sure if he’s surprised as to why he knows and remembers what ai yazawa’s work looks like, or if he’s more concerned with where the conversation’s heading.

seemingly— anything’s possible with the dude.

“first— ai yazawa’s the author, baji,” the blond corrects, “and second— uh.. i’m trying something.. new.”

baji doesn’t seem so convinced. it may not appear as it is, but the taller male is surprisingly quick at catching onto things, even if being a long time friend didn’t contribute to anything.

“then, why d’ you look like that?”

before chifuyu can ask about the question’s implications, baji snatches the volume from the blond’s lap— and flips it to the bookmarked page.

the corner of his lips are tugged into a classic grin, “i like this!” baji exclaims, “‘s a little gross, but it looks cool!”

chifuyu’s relieved that even someone as nearly flamboyant, and eccentric as his friend— found the imagery even just a bit too much for the eyes.

but of course, that feeling was cut short with his following words.

“now, why’re you actually reading this thing?” baji says, eyes never leaving the bookmarked page, as if he wanted to burn the page’s imagery into his mind. he mutters a “that’s gross” but unlike chifuyu— he has the guts to proceed.

“you’re gonna laugh at me.” chifuyu mutters, unable to admit why he’s reading junji ito— and who he’s reading it for.

“no, i’m not gonna! since when did i?”

chifuyu recalls a hefty amount of memories. though, he says none of them out loud.

“the only person i’ve seen read this sort of stuff is Y/N! if i knew any better, i’d say you’re doin’ this for them.”

jackpot.

that is, quite literally why he’s even reading something of this nature.

when you— chifuyu’s crush, revealed that you’ve also read your fair share of manga, chifuyu jumped the gun (a little too quickly for his own liking) at getting your recommendations. though, chifuyu’s determination would’ve prevailed— he took no consideration of your tastes in manga.

though, it’s not to say that it’s bad. he’s just.. not used to it.

the silence is heavy, and baji seems to connect the dots at an alarming speed. he blinks, as if it was a way for him to scan his friend of some sort of pretense. (which, he was unable to find)

then, he’s grinning— and suddenly, he’s laughing, quite loudly (it’s a good thing they’re alone, because this would be difficult to explain to some innocent customer, shopping for some cat food.)

“chifuyu!” his friend smacks his back quite harshly, which erupts a hiss from the blond, “this is fucking priceless!”

“only you’d do something for—“

“for who?”

chifuyu’s heart seems to drop down his stomach— and suddenly, his long time friend, and crush— the person in question is standing in front of him, holding what appears to be takeout food from his favorite restaurant.

is he falling in love again? yeah. he totally is

he’s been told, that “you get bolder, and braver with romantic advances when you age” but, he’d like to kindly sock whoever told him that in the face.

“Y/N!” baji exclaims, and it seems to be that his grin got even wider “we didn’t hear you come in!”

chifuyu could foresee his friend’s next actions.

“we were just talking about you, y’know—“

“baji!—“

“—but! i think you should ask chifuyu here, about it” baji, patting his friend on the back— shoves him forward, placing the manga volume in his hands

“is that junji ito?” you ask, as if you don’t believe what your eyes are showing you “when did you get this?” your eyes scan the cover with curiosity, and more importantly— interest.

(it’s cute, he thinks to himself.)

your reactions are perhaps, the best thing about all of this— despite being unable to read the grotesque scenes that reside within the pages without a single halt.

baji jolts chifuyu’s side with an elbow, which allows chifuyu to snap out of his trance, “yes! it is.”

“hmm,” you shift your body weight onto one leg, setting down the bag of sweet takeout. “so, what made you want to read his work? i’ve never seen you read junji ito, so i thought—“

technically— he has read another junji ito work in the local library. however, that was when he was 10 years of age.

of course, he was ridden with nightmares for at least a week, and ever since then— he vowed to stay away from novels, and content like that (or at least find something toned down) until he was able to properly absorb material like that without being ridden with nightmares for a week.

sure, he is an adult now— but that doesn’t change the fact that junji ito doesn’t exactly ‘tone things down’

truth to be told, he doesn’t read things like this. though, he used to be involved in delinquency, he has steered away from anything discomforting since (which has made baji and even kazutora wonder, if he softened up throughout the years)

but, he’d definitely do it all for you— so there’s at least one common interest between you two, even if it’s not about the feeling of romance, a feeling he so obviously has for you.

baji’s laughing loudly again— and that’s when he realized that he said it all out loud, in front of you.

surprise spreads all across your expression. ir is evident, as your mouth is shaped into a tiny ‘o’— eyes widening as more time passes by. you stare at him, as if you weren’t sure if he was kidding, or if he was saying only the absolute truth.

it was the latter.

suddenly, you’re walking towards him— narrowing the distance between you two, and then, you’re smiling.

before you could say anything, baji speaks up “i think,” he says, after finally calming down, “i should get going, y’know. gotta, check up on the new litter” baji wiggles his eyebrows, and nudges his friend with his elbow. chifuyu’s chooses to ignore the (possibly) blooming bruise on his arm. (because, it certainly does feel like it!)


but, he couldn’t find himself caring.

baji then waves goodbye to you, and when your eyes are lifted off of him, the dark haired teen sends a thumbs up to his friend

and then, baji’s gone— disappearing to play with the new litter of kittens, allowing chifuyu to deal with the entire ordeal himself.

but, he doesn’t complain— as your next words have his heart bursting with joy

“i don’t think the manga’s the only common interest we have, chifuyu.” you say, before you press a kiss on his cheek

it’s simple, chaste— but it’s enough to have realization come crashing into him.

if your body language didn’t make things obvious enough, then the implications would be the icing on the cake.

chifuyu sputters, realizing what just happened, and the color of his cheeks deepen with intensity.

albeit— he was apprehensive with finishing the book, and almost cowardly towards lines, and ink on paper— but what came out of it, is definitely worth almost gagging at glyceride’s imagery.

likes and reblogs are appreciated, thanks for reading!

i do not own tokrev and it’s characters. tokyo revengers belongs to wakui ken, i only own the writing and i do not profit off of my hobby

do not plagiarize, reupload, translate, or use my works for audio readings without permission :))

[gb-patch]

Ask Answers: July 10th

I really let asks get away from me lately. I was super focused on working on that Patreon Moment. With that done I can finally think about doing other things, so here’s a new collection of answers!

Thank you for sending in questions everyone ^^.

For the new Patreon moment, will you be able to reference it in step 4? Or just like a tiny nod to it if you pick certain choices?

There won’t be. I’m sorry if you were hoping for that! The Patreon moment is meant to be entirely optional, it’s not something that gets you extra content in the main game.

Is the new CG artist the main one now? :0 I’ve noticed theres been a difference in the art style recently. Is the old CG artist still going to make art for the game? :0

The original artist still makes CGs for the game sometimes, but he mainly focuses on character sprites.

Are you going to put the NSFW our life moment on a website other than patreon? I would love to get it but I can't use patreon atm.

I don’t know. I'm afraid we can't release the Patreon Moment on a normal game storefront because we can't mix 18+ content with our family friendly game. If there's some other place similar to Patreon where it's not the normal type of full-scale public content releases we'd consider using that, but I’m not sure if there is another site that’s better than Patreon in that regard. I'm sorry.

Out of curiosity, in all of your games so far, which characters in each were the most fun to write? They obviously don't have to be your favorite characters!

Buffalo Seer in AFA, really everyone in XOD/XOBD is pretty equally entertaining to write, The Guide in LoV, and Cove in OL!

idk if you accept "personal" questions, but is there anything you've been watching/ listening to lately

Mostly, I’ve been watching/listening to Authortube videos as of late! It’s people who talk generally about the process of how books become traditionally published and/or share their own experience as they attempt to be published. I don’t have an interest in writing normal text based books, but it’s really interesting to hear about that world. I’m listening to a video about royalties right now as I answer these asks.

Will one of the desserts we get to pick be fudge? That'd be such a cute reference! 

Haha, yeah, it should. Unless I completely blank on it and forget when trying to include the various referential food options.

I don't know if this has been asked previously but what would be the approximate heights for the presets MC can choose from Step 2 ~ 4? Are there any measurement you had in mind? Sorry if I didn't make myself clear kk I've been struggling with my English lately 💀 

I don’t know, ahah. I didn’t have any numbers in mind for that. So it’s whatever you imagine it is!

I noticed a bug with the Patreon moment when it comes to what your character wears. When Jamie and Cove are kissing while my character only had dresses selected, I had both the option to remove the dress or to remove the shirt... Picking one of the options to interact with Cove, after he removed his shirt, it had Jamie remove their shirt followed by ther pants despite only having dresses picked. 

Thank you for reporting ^^

I keep refreshing steam to see when the new doc for xobd will be released. I noticed you haven't posted anything about it in quite some time. Would it be possible to ask about a timeline/potential date? (If it's even this year—) I know you and your team are probably working super hard, I'm just super curious! ~Thank you!~ 

There are more stories done, I just haven’t gotten around to publicly releasing them. Hopefully I will have a chance to spend the time on that sooner rather than later!

hello!! i’m not sure if it’s an update but i’ve just replayed our life and at the end i can’t propose to cove anymore? :(( i’ve actually tried playing twice but the options are not there anymore, did you guys remove the options? i’m sorry if you’ve answered this before!! thank you and have a good one :) 

I’m afraid things haven’t been changed or removed, so I think you might’ve accidentally picked the wrong things somewhere along the way and locked yourself out of being able to propose by mistake. Sometimes you meant to say you want to get married but instead you mis-click and have it so the MC isn’t thinking about marriage or something. All I can suggest is starting from the beginning of Step 3 and making sure to follow the steps listed in the FAQ. I’m sorry for that.

Did yall remove some of the options for when youre making out with Cove in the charity moment? I could've sworn you could grab his bonkadonk and its not there anymore 

This is the same situation as the above. We didn’t remove things and you’re not wrong that there are sometimes those options. But there are various choices you have to make to get those options and it sounds like you accidentally missed something. If your relationship isn’t long-term, you can’t do it for example.

HI IM SO EXCITED I CAN FINALLY GET THE STEP 3 DLC 

Thank you for getting it!

Is Shiloh super totally straight bc I’m very gay and a huge Shiloh fan, would my man make an exception?😩

Sadly, he is one of our super straight characters. I’m sorry.

Hi, I have a very dumb question. In Step 2 does Cove not wanna share his drink with us at the mall (or rather why he stops drinking it) because it's an indirect kiss? Or is it like ...weird to him to share? Because if I remember right he eats off our spoon in the birthday scene right? 

Yeah, he’s awkward about it because he likes the MC and it feels very personal to share a straw with his crush.

Hi! If you don't mind me asking, who is the artist for OL2? Their style is so pretty! 

Thank you for saying so! This is her Twitter- https://twitter.com/redridingheart

Do Beginnings & Always and Now & Forever exist in the same universe? 

Yep! XOXO Droplets also exists in the same universe. It’s one big GB Patch world, haha.

Do Pran's parents regret the way they raised him? Do they feel ashamed of it?

No. They’re the type of people best cut out because they’re not gonna change. Which is why Pran does go very limited contact when he’s an adult.

Hi! I just wrapped up my second playthrough of Our Life, and I absolutely adore it, but I had a question. I went to the gallery and found I was missing 2 CGS (specifically Step 1-3 and 2-3) and I had no clue where they would've shown up. Which moments are those found in? 

You get it by telling Cove about his dad offering you money to be his friend in Step 1 and Step 2. You can’t get both in one playthrough, since you can only tell Cove the truth once. I’m really glad you liked it!

Hi hi! Please, how tall is Baxter and Derek? Love the game so much and I can't wait to see more! 

I don’t know, aha. I think Baxter was around 5′10 and Derek was like 5′8/5′9, maybe. I really am not one who has specific heights for things in mind.

is adult cove a bottom, top, or switch? 

A switch, though would choose the top if he had to pick.

I was wondering if there is a way to transfer save data? Even if through the game files. I wanted to be able to transfer my save data from my desktop over to my laptop so that I could continue playing right where I left off from but I'm not entirely sure how to go about that. 

If you save the save folder/persistent data of the game from your desktop and put it into the game folder on your other device, that could work.

Hi! Is it possible for us to know the date when our life: now and forever comes out on steam? Sorry if you've mentioned it before but I haven't seen it and I'm looking foward to that happening and just wanted to know :) 

It’s gonna be a long time, I’m afraid. There’s no estimate right now.

I started playing Our Life with my sister a while ago, and I think you guys should know that we discovered your secret. >:)

L from death note and Cove are clearly the same person, and this whole game is just an origin story!!

I’ve never seen that show so I’m sorry to say I don’t understand the connection/reference you’re trying to make. I’m pretty out of the loop when it comes to media. I don’t watch movies or TV.

Will OL2 have options for disabled MCs?

I understand if it's too complicated, just curious

Unfortunately, it’s not really something we have a plan for. We couldn’t finish the game if we tried to include every disability and have it be meaningful. It’d just be too much content to create. But if we decide to only include a few, how would we choose which disabilities get to be represented and which are left out? I don’t know. It’ll probably have to be something we don’t include as an option again, sadly. I’m sorry.

playing our life > anything else 

Haha, I’m glad you’re enjoying it.

Honestly, I would like to thank Our Life for helping me come to terms with my sexuality. Before, I never would've actually thought that it was possible to like boys romantically and still be asexual. Almost all of the BL visual novels I've read had unskippable sexual content in them and it honestly just didn't click with what I feel. I'm glad I found Our Life. I love the game, the developers, and this fandom so much. Now, I can safely come out as homoromantic AND asexual (at least anonymously here anyway; my parents are still huge homophobes 😂). 

Aw, it’s great to hear you felt comfortable being yourself in the game! That’s wonderful. I’m really sorry about your parents, though.

Will the demo for OL2 be on android? Really not sure if I could wait any longer than I have to aha 

Yeah, it’ll be available for Android once we eventually release a demo!

Do all these reveals perhaps mean development is progressing ahead of schedule? Please let that be the case I'm already obsessed with Qiu 

No, sorry, aha. Art comes along much faster than script/programming-work for us. It’s gonna be a long time before the game is a finished thing you can actually play. But at least we can look at the beautiful images.

Hey! First of all I wanna say I reallllllyyyyy loooovvveeee Our Life and XOXO Droplets! I have over 300 hours of playtime on Our Life… Anyways, I was just wondering, are the Derek and Baxter DLCs going to come out at the same time? If not, which one do you plan to release first? :3 

They will come out separately and Derek will be first! Glad you like the game.

I keep replaying Our Life to get every possible iteration and I am loving it <3 I was wondering if Cove gets locked out of his confession because MC was talking to Lee, would it be possible to confess to him in step 4? 

Yeah, you can avoid the confession in Step 3 and then get it in Step 4.

Hi, my Cove wears bracelets through step 2 and 3 but I still don't get an option to give him a bracelet? I didn't even know that was possible until I seen someone else ask about it lol 

Hm, did you use the Cove creator? Maybe there’s a bug where using the creator to add bracelets doesn’t fulfill the requirement to give Cove a bracelet in Step 3.

Wait, I'm dense, when does Baxter appear in step 2? Is it from big park firework? I feel so bad since i really love Baxter and waiting to buy his dlc. 

It’s in the Soiree Moment. You have to be just friends with Cove, indifferent, or crushing but not ask Cove to the dance at all. Then while there you can find someone new to dance with. But if you bring Cove to the dance while crushing, the MC won’t wanna dance with anyone else so you can’t get the scene.

In step 2 when we go to the soiree I made my mc go alone and baxter chooses the mc to dance, i'm curious, why did he pick the mc? sorry if this has been asked before! 

Because the MC looked to be around his age, seemed to also be searching for a partner, and had nice legs. A perfect option for him.

I read some of the FAQs, and I saw that we could tell Baxter about the condo that he rented there was previously the mean old grandparents. how do we get the mc to tell him that? 

It happens in the DLC Moment “Late Shift”. If you don’t have a job you instead get a longer scene with Baxter.

I don’t know if you’ve addressed this or not, but are you planning on paying voice actors for our life: now and forever? 

Yeah, we pay our VAs in all our projects.

hey can i ask how you did the moments thing in ol? im trying to get into making visual novels and while im VERY sure its out of my comfort zone and all that atm i kinda wanna know just for the future, bc im p sure it would work well for something i wanna do :O but its also fine if you cant say for other reasons :> 

I’m afraid I’m not sure what you mean. Are you asking how we programmed the screen or something script related? Adding Moments like that is pretty straightforward, though. You just have buttons that open to different labels and then the scripts are essentially individual short stories/vignettes. Good luck with your VN!

Since Autumn becomes gender fluid later in the game, will there be a character who remains as he/him to romance in game? 

OL1 has the he/him LIs, OL2 is all about other genders.

I don't want to impose on your creative plans, but a parrot could possibly make a good pet in an OL-type game? They're pretty long-lived and likely to still be thriving by the end even if the MC got them back in step 1. 

I do appreciate the suggestion, but I’m afraid it’s not likely going to happen. I understand there are technically some animals that could theoretically live long enough to last the whole game that or we could have the MC only get a pet after some years have already passed. But the many things that would have to be considered/accommodated for makes it just something we probably can’t manage adding. I’m sorry.

As time passes will we be able to see Qiu and Tamarack's other stage arts as well?

They are both so cute i can't wait to be friends with them!

Yeah, we’ll show content from other Steps in the future. It’ll be a little while from now, though.

Can you date Cove and still have your family comfort you in the car?

You can’t get Cove’s Step 3 confession scene if you have the family comfort you in the car. But that’s not the only way to date him. You can get together with him earlier in the game or later on in Step 4.

Is Mc always going to be the one walking down the aisle or could Cove do it? Also could you choose to have one of your moms walk you? 

No. Cove wouldn’t want to walk down the aisle like that and the MC automatically respects that. And the MC also gets to have their preferences respected, so it’s up to you whether they want to do an aisle walk or not. You also can pick who, if anyone, walks with you.

Once step 4 is out, will you be able to go the whole game on crush/love without either of you confessing? 

Yes, as long as you tell the game you don’t want to progress the relationship. Even in Step 4 it won’t force you to officially get together.

Howdy, so in Step 4, there will be any Romance with Derek that is not part of any dlc? 

He’s only a friend unless you get his romance story.

Will the step 4 in OL2 be one big step or are you considering moments? 

Step 4 is just an epilogue in both games.

hi kind of a weird question but!! we know tht cliff doesn't start dating again but. wht abt flings? like does he ever do 1 night stands or anything? thank u!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Nope. Cliff has a very small interest in sex. If he’s not in a real relationship with a partner he’s crazy about it simply isn’t something he feels a need for, so one night stands wouldn’t even cross his mind.

sorry if you've already answered this, but i was wondering if there were plans for there to be bonus love interests in OL2 like how we have derek and baxter in OL1.

Maybe! There are side characters who could be given romance stories, but whether or not it will happen depends on funding and how long everything else takes to finish.

I don't know if i'm allowed to ask about ol2 here yet, if not u can ignore this or answer it later. My question is can you date one of them and be good friends with the other? I don't want to be strangers with the other bcs i love them both a lot :<

Yes you can!

what patreon level do i have to be to unlock the nsfw moment? im on the $5 one right now, will that give me access to the moment, or just access to the moment progress? 

That’ll give you access! Tier 2 and anything higher allows the player to download it.

[1-800-gaygentsofshield]

natalia | n.r.

i saw a tiktok about this and idk where it went so here

summary: You and Nat are ex-red room assassins, one day being given an asshole that you needed to interrogate. He's stubborn and gets on your nerves, a certain comment making Natasha cut the session short a bit..violently.

warnings: violence, y/n and nat being a badass assassin power couple, nat being hot, swearing, smoking/cigarette burns

pre avengers? idk you and nat are doing freelance jobs and shield asks you to do your thing

I LIED, THE SMUT WILL BE THE NEXT POST I PROMISE

"Listen, my teammate is going to come in here soon so it's either you talk now or you'll deal with her." Your demeanor is calm and cool despite the rage you felt inside, your hands placed on the table as you look at the man. "gryaznyy amerikanets, ya ne sobirayus' tebya slushat'." He hisses out, spitting on you as your jaw clenches.

Dirty american, i am not going to listen to you.

You wipe his spit off your face and look at your hand with disgust, seeing his smug grin at your reaction. That grin is quickly wiped off his face as you deliver a harsh slap to his cheek, smirking as blood slowly drips from his nose. "YA russkiy ty idiot." I'm russian, you idiot. You say before standing up, hearing the door get unlocked. Natasha steps into the room and gives you a look, sighing as she sees you shake your head.

Shield has had this man captured for almost a week, trying to do their little nice guy shtick before calling you and your girlfriend in to do it properly.

"Vy priveli druga, a?" The man grins cockily and you cross your arms.

You brought a friend, eh?

He whistles at Natasha and jerks his head over in your direction, a sickening look on his face.

"Pora nachat' nastoyashcheye vesel'ye. Ey, ryzhaya, snimi s suki odezhdu." He bites his lip and you can see Natasha's stance change, her shoulders more tense as she looks at the man.

Time for the real fun to start. Hey redhead, take the bitch's clothes off.

When neither of you move his cocky look turns into one of anger, barking out a "Do it!" as he looks at you.

In the blink of an eye Natasha grabs him by the head and forces it back, pulling out her knife from her thigh holster and pressing it up against his throat. "Kak naschet vmesto.." How about instead.. Natasha hisses as she jerks his head back, a whimper coming from his throat as the cool blade presses further into his skin.

"Vy nachinayete govorit' nam to, chto my khotim slyshat', a ya ne budu ispol'zovat' vashu golovu v kachestve misheni. Aga?"

You start telling us what we want to hear, and I wont use your head as target practice. Yeah?

She smirks as he nods his head, making eye contact with you briefly before puling her knife from his throat. Damn you were touching yourself tonight.

----

You silently fill out the file as you sit across from the prisoner, the man spilling his guts after a good amount of violence persuasion. "You don't scare me, you know." The muttered statement breaks through the silence and you glance up from the papers, an eyebrow raised as you look at him. "Excuse me?" You ask and he shakes his head, chucking in amusement. "The only reason I told you anything was because your butch bodyguard was here. You probably can't do shit." He taunts and you laugh breathlessly, looking back down at your papers as your tongue runs along your inner cheek.

"Hey, if you aren't gonna do anything but sit there and look pretty, would you be a doll and light a cigarette for me? It's in my jacket sweetheart." He says after another long period of silence, causing you to sigh and put your papers down. "Fine." You say with a tight lipped smile, grabbing the cigarette from his jacket and lighting it. He grins as you walk over to him, looking up at you and parting his lips. Instead of letting him get a smoke though, you press the lit end up against his cheek, a cry of agony coming from his mouth before you slam his head down onto the table. His head comes back up and you roughly grab the back of it, leaning down so he can hear you loud and clearly. "You've got your cigarette, now shut up before I slam your face again." You spit out, releasing the back of his head with a shove before continuing with your files. You knew Natasha was watching you so you throw a look towards the one way mirror, already imagining your girlfriend bite her lip at the scene.

----

Natasha grabs your hips and roughly presses her front up against your back, both of you standing in front of the camera monitors. "That was hot." She mumbles as she kisses your neck, your eyes fluttering closed as your girlfriend moves her hips up against your ass. "We could take down all of Shield right now." You say your thoughts as Natasha's hot breath hits your throat, feeling your girlfriend give a soft hmm in response. "Do you want to?" Nat asks and you laugh softly, feeling her warm hands run over your suit. "Nah, I feel like they'd be a good organization to have on our side. I was just saying that it would be so easy if we wanted to." You gently kiss her cheek and she nods her head, a small grin on her face as you look at each other. "Since when have you worried about having allies? Last week we almost took down Hydra because they didn't have the chips that you liked." Nat teases and you smile, shrugging as your hands move down to intertwine with hers. "We can't do this forever, Nat. When the time comes we need to pick a side and I'm thinking that Shield is a good option." You say and she nods her head, hips still gently moving against you. "You think they'd let us if we asked?" She asks and you shrug, kissing the back of her hand as you glance up at the monitors. "Probably, because if they didn't they'd have one large enemy against them." You grin and Natasha only chuckles against your neck.

You both stay there for a few more moments before you pull yourself out of her grip, turning to face her as her hands remain on your hips. "Im going to check in with Fury, see if he needs us for anything else." You say and she nods her head, both of you leaning in for a kiss. Instead of connecting your lips though, you gently brush them over one another, a grin forming on your lips as you feel Natasha trying to close that gap. "Fucking tease." She whispers and you only laugh, walking away from the console as you could feel her eyes on you.

----

"Shield is gonna take you from here." You say to the man as you check his restraints, Natasha walking into the room as you do so. "Hey babe, I got you some food. You haven't eaten all day." Natasha says, holding up a bag of food. A smile graces across your face as you walk over to Nat, touching her arm gently as you thank her. "She shouldn't have the calories." The man comments, his voice dripping with disgust as Nat glares at him. "What?" Natasha asks, her tone dangerously calm as she looks at him. "I said she's fa-" The man doesn't get to finish his sentence as Natasha pulls out her gun and shoots him in the chest, her hand recoiling back only a bit as Fury walks in. "Romanoff! What the hell?" He questions as he sees the redhead hold the gun up, the man slumped over in his chair. "He was getting on my nerves." She shrugs before holding the bag up to you, a small smile returning to your face. "It's your favorite." :)

[organic-guacamole]

HSMTMTS SEASON 3 EPISODE 7 REACTION

i just finished watching the paw patrol movie so at the end of this episode I can see how they compare 👯‍♀️

ooo a Maddox opening

why did they do that cut with EJ saying "I wish I could" to Gina. THERE IS A VALID EXPLANATION DONT DO HIM DIRTY

no one gonna mention how hot these campers all are? ummmm I'd be down for a shallow lake spin off because every camp I've been to cannot compare.

Ricky didn't finish the crust though🤨🤨

just when I thought they couldn't break ricky any more than they already have....

ASHLYN

wait her name is Valerie?

ASHLYN

she looks so happy and I'm happy eeeeeee

so was Maddox and Madison's thing why the rule was implemented? 👀

AWW JET

I don't understand why Maddox couldn't go with Jet to talk, like now these kids are outside in their dressing gowns and she's fully dressed 🚶🏽‍♀️

"you can come out now"

"no I already did that"

cOMEDY IM WHEEZING

oo JoJo Siwa *acts shocked like I didn't know she'd be in this 2 months ago*

this episode is something omg

"I want David Bowie not Rupaul"

"I have never shown this much cleavage"

who's writing the scripts and when can I meet them

2 things: love the running joke of making assumptions on the theme and LOVE Carlos in headbands thank you stylists.

no because I like Jet but why would inviting an ex with no warning be good. also MADISON YOU BROKE UP WITH HER. YOU KNOW HOW SHE FELT(probably) WHY DID YOU AGREE.

I can't stand the way everyone's getting upset with EJ for working. they are literally at a party and he has no choice but to perfect the musical. like, ???

"yes, sir" I do not understand.

brother stop gawking at the man's girlfriend please.

Richard I like you too but if you don't stop rn I will give a standing ovation when EJ drop kicks you out the window.

this MadMad scene is nice and all but I can't say anything funny about it, nor do I have enough history of their trauma to talk about it so: they're sweet. I love them now. the end.

OMG AWW Carlos and Ashlyn needs to be a friendship we see more though

wait wait wait is EJ gonna bring seb? cuz....I would very much like that...

I like seeing EJ be meaningful and considerate, which feels weird to say.

NVM SEB'S HERE IDK HOW BUT YES

DUDE A SECOND SEBLOS KISS

SEB SBE SBEBSHAKA

HE DRESSED LIKE HE'S IN HIS 70'S I LOVE SEB I MISSED SEB

EJ babe you're hurting me

but also they did have less than 2 weeks to learn the lines so

Maddox telling her whole life story one stage is such a Disney movie thing. I love it.

SEBLOS HAS A SONG YAY

THIS IS SO CUTE I love the sibling storyline surprisingly

Saylor is so pretty.

no but like I just realized, no one here knows Seb except for the wildcats, how weird is this for them to see a random 15 year old on your stage.

ftr, I'm not entirely against Rina objectively. I just HATE how they're trying to make it happen.

EJ's trying, so hard. like I'm sure I can see grey hairs showing up on his head because of all this stress he's under.

aw he even wants to play a song so they can have their dance

since when is a summer 14 days long ?🤔🤔🤔

this thing Gina keeps going back to, "were having different summers"... I have something to say but I'll make a separate post for that. maybe. depends on how badly I want to be ripped into by fans ig.

the way they all use metaphors and weird wording for break ups in shows has always been funny for me. is is just me or does literally no one say "solo" in normal speech...

NO I ABSOLUTELY HATE HOW HE JUST ACCEPTED THAT WITH A NOD AND A SMILE BRO WHO HURT YOU

Cash Caswell

Unnamed mother Caswell

Unrealistic societal expectations due to his family

Nini Salazar-Roberts

Richard Bowen

His own mentality which has been programmed to believe he has to be more than he is to matter

right, nevermind.

AW I LOVE SEB HIS TIMING IS SO AMAZING AND HE'S JUST IN SHOCK OVER EJ'S NAME WHY DO I ALWAYS USE CAPS WHEN TALKING ABOUT SEB? HE DOES SOMETHING TO ME I SWEAR

not Richard Bowen telling a stranger about his own show, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, now streaming on Disney plus 🤨🤨🤨

why did Gina walk in between the people's conversation? legit just step around them

her crying makes my heart hurt.

AH THERE'S KOURTNEY FINALLY

I'm actually crying. this scene with all the girls is probably the best one all season. there's depth, emotions, love, an amazing song, Maddox fitting in with them and just the most beautiful and interesting storylines and characters coming together.

Dara Renée deserves an award for this.

THE BOYS OMG THIS IS SO MUCH MY TEAR DUCTS ARE IN OVERDRIVE

someone added that guys water scene self indulgently I think

"I was born to be brave" the callbackkkk

"Bro" coupled with the high note can we actually not do this to me? you know how I feel about the "bro" since last season

the timing of Ashlyn walking by when Maddox and EJ are talking, man I love this show.

How did Val find that out though.

anyways the finale will be fun...