#in the past I was never much of a fragrance person so I’ve been loving reading reviews on fragrantica as a newcomer to fragrances <3

[herbaklava]

I understand the Fragrantica lovers now because that site is the TRUTH.

[beels-burger-babe]

The Façade of the Suitor - Pt. 2

***Wow! You guys are really digging this series! Thank you so much for your support 🥰🥰🥰 I don't get to share OCs often, so it's really reassuring to see you guys take to Harlow. She's a character, that's for sure 😅😅 Thanks for all the love! - B*** Summary: MC catches the eye of Lady Harlow, a higher demoness who has had a small feud with the brothers for centuries. She's determined to steal MC from them and keep MC under her wing. The brothers, however, are determined not to let that happen. Part 1, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

After a week had passed since the ball, Lucifer had dared to hope that maybe that had been the end of things and that Harlow would just leave him and you alone. But fate had never been on his side. A letter arrived in the mail, sealed with a horrifyingly familiar purple stamp and her nauseating fragrance. It was, of course, addressed to you.

Lucifer's nose wrinkled in distaste. He'd have to dispose of this before you ever caught sight of it. He had turned to do exactly that when he bumped into Satan and dropped the letter. Satan sighed and bent down to pick it up. "I thought that you of all people would be capable of watching where you're," he stopped short as he finally looked at the letter. Satan's jaw clenched as he looked back at Lucifer. "Why in Diavolo's name are you in contact with her again?" Lucifer sighed and tried to take the letter back, Satan stepped out of his reach. He glared at the angry demon. "Not that it's any of your business-" "Not my business?!" Satan snapped before Lucifer could finish his explanation. "She turned you against all of us and nearly tore this family a part and you don't think it's my business if you're in contact with that- that- that snake again?!"

Lucifer growled at the reminder of his past failure. "If I had a choice, I would wipe her foul existence from the face of this realm, but I can't. I loath that woman as much as you do. The letter isn't addressed to me. It's to MC."

Satan's eyes widened and quickly looked down at the letter, seeing your name scrawled in her disgustingly perfect cursive font. He dropped the letter as though it had burned him. "We can't let them see this. Harlow shouldn't even know MC exists! How the fuck did this happen?"

Lucifer picked up the letter, " The exchange program ball. Near the end of the evening, MC and I were relaxing near a wall and Harlow approached us." Satan looked at his brother as though he had two heads. "And you just let her?" This quickly earned the younger demon another glare. "We were at a public event where I was representing our House and Diavolo and MC was representing the human realm. There wasn't much I could do without causing a scene." Satan rolled his eyes and threw his hands up in the air. "Of course! You'd let Harlow sink her claws into MC just so you can protect your reputation. I forgot who I was talking to for a moment." Beel stepped out of the kitchen and into the room at the sound of the yelling. "What's going on?" "Noth-" "Harlow's trying to get to MC." The "father and son" duo sneered at each other. Beel's eyes widened as his face paled. "Well, we aren't going to let her, right? We can stop her this time. Now we know her tricks. It won't be like last time?" he was staring directly at Lucifer. The eldest felt his stomach twist and churn guiltily at the desperation in Beel's stare. They all knew from experience just how cunning and manipulative Harlow could be. She had targeted Lucifer specifically, and because he let down his guard, his whole family soon became infected by the demoness venom. He refused to let the same happen to you. Lucifer turned on his heel and threw the letter into the fireplace. The three brothers watched as it slowly was consumed by the flames and turned to ash. "Tell the others about what happened. There's no doubt that Harlow will attempt to reach MC again. It's our duty to stop that from happening," Lucifer spoke up. Beel nodded right away before taking off to obey the command. Satan sighed and glanced at Lucifer, "You know this won't stop her. She'll figure out a way to get to MC." Lucifer continued watching the flames. The fire's glow reflecting in his obsidian eyes like a memory flickering in the darkness. "Maybe so, but at the very least it will give us time to come up with a plan on what to do when she does." In the end, Satan had been right. The brothers worked tirelessly together to intercept any letters, bouquets, or baskets that had been sent for you. Asmo kept a collection of the bouquets and gifts in his room, and simply told you that they were objects of admiration from his fans. You had walked in on Beel shuffling through the mail one day, and he had managed to fluster out an excuse before hurrying out of the room and shoving the most recent letter into his mouth. Mammon became even clingier than usual and was always by your side. Although he was physically with you, his mind and eyes were always looking around you for any signs of the demoness that he was trying to avoid. Satan had worked with Solomon to put an enchantment on the House's gates that caused anything that had recently touched Harlow's hands to be incinerated as it passed through the gate. Levi had been forcing you to watch the top ten anime betrayals and any anime with a manipulative or toxic antagonist in hopes that it would help you recognize them in Harlow if she ever got to you and that you would do the right thing and choose your real best friend him (and I suppose the others as well). Belphegor would purposefully fall asleep on you as much as possible to prevent you from leaving the House and therefore heightening the risk of Harlow coming to meet you personally. Lucifer had begun to do his own research on Harlow, once more, and was looking back on his own past experiences with the demoness to gain wisdom on how to outwit her. Despite all of their efforts, it wasn't enough. You came down to breakfast, looking complexed but intrigued as you held a piece of paper with a dreadfully purple broken seal on the top. The brothers froze as Harlow's familiar perfume reached their noses. Levi swallowed his food as he looked at you nervously. "M-MC, what...what do you have there?" You blinked up at them and held up the paper. "It's a letter from

Lady Harlow. A bat flew through my window this morning with this attached to its foot. According to the letter, she's tried more normal means of communication, but had no luck. Hmm, I wonder why?" you pondered out loud as you continued reading the letter. The brothers exchanged worried looks. Lucifer straightened his posture. "What else does it say?" You barely looked over at him as you responded. "Oh, she has invited me to a private luncheon at her manor. Apparently, she'd like to get to know me better." Your words caused everyone at the table to stiffen. "Seems suspicious to me," Belphie stated as he rested his head on your shoulder. "You shouldn't go. She's probably planning to kill you or something but is just pretending to be nice to get you to let your guard down." You smirked down at him. "Hmmm, sounds familiar," despite your joking tone, you noticed the room tense and Belphie looked away in shame. You frowned and placed a hand on his arm. "I...I was joking, Belphie. You know I've forgiven you for that. You've proved that you've changed. We're okay," you looked around at the others, finally picking up on the tension in the room. "What's going on? Why is everyone acting so weird?" Satan sighed and met your eyes. "Harlow is the Lady of Manipulation. She thrives off of playing with others' emotions and desires to get her own twisted wants." "She's dangerous," Lucifer added. You were shocked to see that he was seemingly unable to meet your eyes. Instead, he stared at his plate as though lost in a memory. "She's incredibly skilled at what she does and will worm her way into your thoughts before you're even aware of what's happening. She's cunning and sly," he finally lifted his head to look at you. You shivered at the intense urgency and regret in his gaze. "Lady Harlow is not one that you should give even a second of your time to. If you give her even a single inch, she will take a mile." You frowned and looked back at the letter. It was filled with so many kind words and eloquent phrasing. She had seemed nice enough at the ball, and she went through all this trouble just to send you an invitation. "Thank you for the warning," you spoke sincerely as you looked at the others. "I'll be sure to keep your words in mind and be careful." Mammon scoffed and crossed his arms. "You make it sound as if you're going." "I am." The room burst into a mix of angry proclamations, commands that you were not going, and pleas for you to listen to them. You smiled sympathetically at the brothers. "I know you're worried, but it would be extremely rude to reject a personal invitation like this from a noble, especially after all the effort she went through to have it delivered. I should at least go to see what she wants. I'll have my D.D.D. on me and you can guys can ask me all the questions you want as soon as I get back." Lucifer's eyes searched your expression in a mix of frustration and desperation. "MC did you not hear a single word I just said? One visit is all she'll need. I really must urge you not-" "Lucifer stop," the room fell silent as Lucifer's mouth snapped shut. His gaze hardened at your use of a command. You sighed and ran a hand over your face. "I'm sorry, but this isn't your choice. I know you seem to have...something going on with Harlow, and I will take caution from your words during my visit. But I'm sure I'll be fine. I live with and have befriended seven of the most powerful demons in the Devildom. What's a silly noblewoman going to do to me?" You gently lifted Belphie's head off of you and rose. "I should get ready for the school day. I'm sorry guys. I'll see you all later." As you left, a small piece of hope from within the brothers left with you. Lucifer snarled and downed a glass of wine. "Right," he said bitterly and looked over at Satan, "onto plan c."

*** I hope you guys enjoyed it! I promise you will find out exactly what went down between Harlow and the brothers later on. But for now, let the games begin 😈 Thanks again for all the support and love you've all been giving this series!***

Taglist: @cosmixbun @sufzku @simeonspebble @lovevictoire @obey-mes-treasure @kissed-by-a-dementor @yukihaie @justtiarra @mammoneybb @obeys-world @peachyeevee13 @otome-scribbles @azureusmoonie @poly-bi-mf

[tteokggukk]

amortentia → kth

–pairing: gryffindor!taehyung x gryffindor!reader 

–genre: hogwarts au, enemies to lovers, fluff

–words: 3.7k

–warnings: none, except a teeny tiny dirty joke in the end (?), oh and this was unedited sorry i’m in class, also i mention cedric so just pretend he’s alive ok

–summary: you’re surprised to smell the scent of the boy you constantly don’t get along with coming from the famous, but most dangerous, love potion in the world.

–a/n: uh so i’ve been obsessing over harry potter again for the past month askdlaksdj anyways here’s a short drabble i thought of when i got sidetracked planning my next smau wahoo oh yeah this was also inspired by that one scene where they sniff the potion lol

permanent taglist: @100percent-dum-dum  @mochisjoon​ @boraength @rageyoudamnednerd​

You hurriedly walked into your Potions class with your books clutched to your chest.

Potions has always been your favorite class and no doubt were you skilled at it. Your friends often had to ask for your help when it came to brewing, and an added plus was that you often gained house points for your flawless work. The class was normally held by Snape, who greatly terrified and intimidated a lot of students, but there were certain changes made this year that resulted in a different professor teaching the class.

Students were evidently happy about the sudden change of professors. Walking into Potions back then would instantly result in a quiet room and anxious-looking faces with no one daring to speak. It was a bit strange now, albeit refreshing, to hear the buzz of students chatting and actually smiling in the room while waiting for the class to begin.

Professor Slughorn stood at the center of the room in front of a long table where several cauldrons were spread out, emanating a variety of colored fumes and causing a mixture of different smells to fill the room.

The combination of different smells was something you were already used to—normally they were undistinguishable and almost smelled like something close to nothing, but today there was one scent that stood out, one that was strangely captivating.

Fighting to keep your mind from falling into a trance, you could feel yourself being pulled by the scent. Never before have you sniffed something so alluring, so entrancing— so dizzying, it almost smelled like—

Your thoughts are interrupted by the sound of a group of students laughing and rushing into the room, causing you to snap out of it. Your head immediately turns to find the source.

There Taehyung stood with his friends who were all fixing their robes as if they just ran a hundred miles to get to the room. They were only standing but they all looked so bright, even you couldn’t deny they were attractive. Though you got on with his friends well, Taehyung just seemed to love annoying you every minute of the day. He especially loved teasing you through uncalled for flirting and a plethora of dirty jokes—and though you could easily retaliate, it was amusing to see you try and hide how flustered you’d get because of it. Because of this, all your interactions resulted in numerous banters, inevitably making it official that you two would never get along peacefully without one riling up the other (which was mostly you).

He found it amusing, whereas you found it annoying.

You glared at him, watching as he ran his hand through his hair while sending a sheepish smile over to your professor.

“Sorry we’re late professor, almost forgot our books,” Taehyung smiled, holding up his copy of Advanced-Potion Making.

Professor Slughorn simply smiled and waved for them to hurry, “No problem, m’boy! Good to see you, good to see you—now, gather ‘round everyone!”

As if he could’ve gotten away with that if Snape were around, you thought and rolled your eyes. You could almost hear Snape from a distance with his low voice muttering a “Ten points from Gryffindor.”

Taehyung catches your eyes rolling as students began to huddle around the different cauldrons. As you and your friends made your way towards one of the potions on the table, you fail to notice Taehyung excusing himself from his friends and moving past other students to walk over to where you were, a smirk forming on his lips.

The seductive scent your mind was previously clouded with has suddenly gotten stronger, and it wasn’t long before you were able to distinguish one of them: a scented candle that had an oddly specific scent of blackcurrant berries and roses. Your brows knit in confusion at the familiar scent of combined fire and fragrance as you whip your head around to look for the person you knew often smelled like this.

Sure enough, he was right there standing behind you. Did he burn all of his candles? Why does he smell so strongly today? Taehyung places his hands on your shoulders, steadying you from looking around too much. He bends his head low and moves close to your ear.

“Saw you rolling your eyes there, y/l/n,” He whispers, trying to look discreet. The scent engulfs you even more—probably because his hair seems to absorb it all, and though you’re not exactly repulsed by it (you were pulled, even, though you’d never admit that), you try to act nauseated. “Darling, do I bother your thoughts that much?” He teases.

“Psh, please, Kim. You wish I was thinking of you,” You faked a gag. “And move—” You push his hands off your shoulders and wave your hand around your face as if to waft away something pungent, “I don’t know why but this room seems to smell an awful lot like you. It’s suffocating.”

Taehyung raises a brow, and looks at you with a confused look before talking in a not-so-discreet and surprised tone, “Me? You know, I was actually gonna say the same about you. It smells like your shampoo in here.”

“My shampoo? You’re literally right behind me!” You retorted through gritted teeth.

“No, I know! But like, it’s everywhe—“

“Now then,” Slughorn’s voice was much louder now, cutting Taehyung off, “Can anyone tell me what this potion is? Maybe Mr. Kim?” He asks, pointing to one of the cauldrons on his right. He definitely heard Taehyung talking.

Taehyung moves closer so he was standing next to you now. He stares into the cauldron, finding a colorless and odorless potion, but Taehyung only looks at him in confusion.

“Sir, is this Veritaserum?” Taehyung asks, his eyes narrowing in thought, “I don’t think it’s supposed to smell like anything, but I can’t really tell cause it smells like y/l/n in here—“

“Oh dear, my bad, sorry!” With a knowing smile, Slughorn covers one cauldron and suddenly the room stopped smelling like Taehyung. Taehyung seemed to be thinking the same thing because he looked back at you with a blank look on his face before turning back to the cauldron.

“It’s Veritaserum,” He concludes, “It’s a colorless and odorless potion that forces the drinker to tell the truth.” “Very good!” Slughorn praises him, “Now, can anyone tell me what this is?” Slughorn continues to ask students around to identify what kind of potion has been brewed along with its function. You raise your arm up every time and Taehyung laughs at how eager you look every moment that you do, earning him a death glare each time. Slughorn doesn’t call you once, but he finally does in the end.

“Now, Miss y/l/n. I know you know all the potions well, so would you do the honor of telling us what this one is?” Slughorn reopens the cauldron he had previously shut when Taehyung was identifying Veritaserum, and suddenly the room smells like him again.

Why does the scent make you feel comfortable yet nervous all at once?

You move towards the brew, heart pumping a little too loudly in your chest. You had your suspicions on what that potion really was, but that couldn’t be it, right?

Taehyung probably just burned all his candles or something, that’s why his scent was so strong today.

But upon seeing the liquid in the cauldron, you could already identify what it was by its distinctive mother-of-pearl sheen along with the characteristic spirals rising out of it.

“Amortentia,” You spoke, trying to sound calm. Taehyung, who was also secretly good in potions, looked up in shock and moved from his position to a place where he could clearly see your face to see your reaction.

“Very good! Will you tell us more about it?” Slughorn continued.

You nod in response, “Yes, well… It’s the most powerful love potion in the world. It’s supposed to smell differently to each of according to what attracts us.” You stopped. Maybe he wasn’t going to ask you what you could smell, but before you could move back, Slughorn trailed on.

“Correct! Now, can you describe what it is that you smell?” Slughorn smiled before turning to the rest of the class, “You all will have the chance to sniff it too.”

Your eyes widen and you gulped nervously as you moved back closer to the potion. You forced a smile and nodded to your professor before leaning into the cauldron and wafting the scent towards you.

“I smell…” You stared into the liquid before recognizing several scents, “Fresh paint… scented candles…”

You could feel your heart beating out of your chest. Were you actually smelling Taehyung in amortentia? Taehyung, who would endlessly annoy the life out of you whenever he had the chance? Taehyung, who would argue with you over trivial things like food preferences? Taehyung, who recently kept “running into you” and ended up hanging out with you cause it “couldn’t be helped”? Taehyung, who would stay with you until late at night while you studied in the common room because you shouldn’t be “out there alone”?

Taehyung, who annoyed you but made you feel empty whenever he wasn’t around?

Or maybe it wasn’t actually him you were smelling. Maybe it’s just his scent that rubbed off on someone else? You couldn’t possibly be attracted to him when all you did was annoy each other and get on the other’s nerves.

But then again, you’ve never had a day where he failed to make you smile.

The final scent, proving that it really was him these scents were associated with, made you subconsciously glance over at him who was eyeing you with much curiosity. You quickly looked away and stared back at the liquid, feeling the heat spread upon your face and ears before quietly muttering, “…and strawberries.”

Your friends all stared at you in shock because even they knew the whole world associated strawberries with the one and only Kim Taehyung because it was his favorite fruit, after all. Walking back to your place, you kept a good distance from you and the cauldron to avoid being too immersed in the smell, now wanting it to be as far away as you kept mentally denying what just happened.

Taehyung stifled a laugh and tried to press his lips together to suppress himself from forming a wide grin. Slughorn, who caught onto what was happening, thanked you before calling onto Taehyung again.

“And what about you, Mr. Kim? Could you tell us what you smell in amortentia?” Slughorn motioned for him to move over. Taehyung looked nervous, he obviously wasn’t expecting himself to be called again. He gulps nervously and charmingly tries to offer someone else to sniff the potion, but Slughorn declines and tells him that he should do it.

Taehyung didn’t want to do it, but now he found himself forced to.

Now your only problem was the whole world now knew what—or rather, who attracted you. You knew Taehyung would smell someone else in that potion, it’s probably why he’s so against sniffing it right now. Like you said, all you did was annoy each other. You couldn’t expect him to like you back, could you? You could feel the embarrassment coming as Taehyung moved forward.

You kept your eyes on the floor, avoiding any form of eye contact with the boy you suddenly realized you had feelings for. Taehyung kept looking at you before focusing on the potion and leaning into the cauldron, wafting the scent towards him.

“I still smell your shampoo,” Taehyung spoke. You frown before looking up to see him looking at you. You could feel everyone’s attention transfixed on the both of you, eyes darting back and forth from you to him in amusement.

“It smells sweet, like flowers,” He continued wafting, “I also smell cinnamon… and that perfume you wear, smells like cherries and violets.”

For a second it felt like the whole world stopped, and all you could do was stare at each other with expressions of disbelief. From afar, you could’ve sworn his cheeks were turning into a darker shade of pink, but then he had to walk back to his place after Slughorn had said something you didn’t pay attention to. Everyone else raised their hands up and took turns smelling the love potion.

The rest of the class was spent awkwardly making a potion called Felix Felicis and nothing else about Amortentia. Awkward, because Taehyung was working with you on the same table as he and his friends all couldn’t fit in one. Neither of you really spoke to each other, you were mostly just avoiding his stare while he tried to ask you for help in brewing to which you gave him short and monotonous answers. In your head, you couldn’t help but think that Slughorn made a big deal with amortentia just to stir something up.

Finally, the class ended and you were done with your potion. You handed yours in and Taehyung followed, but you noticed him trying to make his way to you causing you to pick up your pace. You excused yourself from your friends because frankly, you had no idea how to face him.

Plus, what if he was joking about what he smelled? He loved making you mad for a pastime, who’s to say he wasn’t just faking all the things he said?

You shook the thought out of your head, even you knew he wouldn’t go that far. You feel a small twinge of guilt at what you just thought, silently apologizing to no one.

As you brisk walked along the corridors, you felt a hand rest on your shoulder. You looked back to see Taehyung, face looking flushed as he looked at you. You almost dropped your books but caught hold onto all of them. Taehyung notices and takes the books from your hand. You couldn’t really decline; your throat was too dry to speak.

“I—“ He starts.

Taehyung, who always has something to say, has suddenly run out of words.

“You don’t need to say anything,” You spoke, voice filled with false confidence, “They’re just scents, you know. Don’t feel obligated to act on anything.”

You have no idea where all this was coming from, but maybe it’s because you didn’t want anything to feel forced between you two. Taehyung just stares at you before clearing his throat.

“Uh, right,” He chuckles, before taking a piece of paper from his pocket and slipping it into your books.

“What—?” You try to open the book to grab the paper, but Taehyung places his hand on the cover and closes it shut.

“Don’t!” He says a little too loudly, causing a few people glance at you two, “Don’t open it now, just… open it later. When I’m not around.”

He flashes you a shy smile before turning to walk away, leaving you dumbstruck in the corridors. You watch as his figure slowly disappears into the crowd, making sure that he’s out of your sight before you open the book and pull the note out. Your heart beats wildly in your chest upon seeing what he wrote.

‘Meet me in the common room after dinner.’

You don’t see Taehyung at all while you were having dinner in the great hall. Surprisingly, you found yourself worrying at the fact that he was skipping a meal, something you never knew you’d ever worry about. The upside was that he wouldn’t hear how your friends (and some of his) mercilessly teased you about what happened earlier at Slughorn’s class, saving you from the embarrassment you would’ve only felt if he were present. With Taehyung being the massive flirt that he is who could come up with a dirty joke within a half of a second, he might’ve actually played along with all the teasing.

Once you were done eating, you excused yourself from your friends telling them that you had forgotten something up at your dorm. Your pulse was beginning to fasten at every step that took you closer and closer to the common room, unsure of why Taehyung asked you to meet.

“Password?” The portrait of the fat lady asks.

“Abstinence,” You spoke.

As you walked in, you were once again greeted by the smell of blackcurrant berries and roses—the scent of Taehyung’s favorite candles. You were also surprised to sniff a few pastries that smelled of cinnamon, and as you made your way further into the room, you later realized that there were freshly baked cinnamon rolls laid out on a platter. The smell was overwhelmingly comforting.

Unsurprisingly, no one was around yet at this hour as people often hung around in the corridors during their free time. All except for one person who was seated on one of the couches, candles spread around on one of the table he sat in front of.

“____,” He looks up once he hears your footsteps. Your heart flutters at the sound of your first name falling off his lips instead of your last. Though he’s already called you by your first name before whenever you two were alone, it was something you still hadn’t gotten used to and filled your stomach with butterflies. Taehyung stands up from the couch and walks over to face you.

“Hi,” You greeted, a little awkwardly.

“Have you—um, eaten?” He asks, scratching the back of his head. The confident, cocky, and outgoing Kim Taehyung was bumbling mess now. It was endearing to see him like this, but it also rose a small ounce of confidence in you.

“I mean you did ask to meet after dinner, so, yeah, I think I’ve eaten,” You chuckled and he jokingly rolls his eyes at you while his tongue pressed against his cheek, a sight that took every effort in your body not to melt at.

“About earlier,” he starts, his expression softening and eyes looking deeply into yours, “I really didn’t want you to find out that way.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I really was planning on telling you. I was hoping to wait until the Celestial Ball since it’s coming up, but then Potions class happened and I didn’t know I’d be up there telling everyone I could smell ­you in the potio—“

“You were gonna wait ‘til the Celestial Ball?” You ask, raising a brow in amusement.

“Well, yeah. I was gonna ask you sooner or later,” He blushed and nervously scratched at his temple before turning a switch and changing back into his old demeanor, folding his arms and leaning in for your faces to meet, “Can’t have you dancing with anyone else other than me, can we?”

“I was gonna ask Cedric,” You lied with a straight face, “But whatever, I guess I could go with you.”

“You what?” He scoffed in disbelief before laughing at what he just heard, “Please, no you weren’t.” You only stared at him. “Please tell me you’re kidding,” His playful expression falters, “____? Hey!” He gently shakes your shoulders, causing you to break into a fit of laughter.

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding! Geez, Kim,” You laughed, wiping a tear away from the corner of your eye as Taehyung glared at you.

“Wow, and to think I helped with baking all these cinnamon rolls for you,” he huffs.

“How sweet of you,” You said in a sarcastic tone, though you really meant it.

“Aren’t I?” He smirks and looks over at you, “So, I’m gonna scratch out whatever you said earlier.”

“And what exactly did I say?”

“’Don’t feel obligated to act on anything’, is what you said,” He raises a brow and folds his arms, “Yeah, as if. It’s like you don’t even know me.”

“I just meant I didn’t want to fo—“ You start talking defensively, but you stop talking as soon as Taehyung cups your face with his hands.

“Well I want to act on it, and it’s my decision. I’ve been trying to give you hints these past couple of weeks, but since you never really caught on…” He chuckles, hands travelling down to your waist to pull you closer which causes your breath to hitch, “I like you, in case you haven’t noticed.”

“How could I when all we ever do is annoy the crap out of each other?” You tell him, unable to help yourself from staring at his lips which were now eye-level with yours.

“What can I say? You’re pretty hot all riled up,” Taehyung smirks and earns himself a light punch on the chest, though it made you laugh nonetheless, “I’m sorry it’s just—I can’t lie. Are you staring at my lips? Does this mean you like me back?”

“Taehyung,” You looked back at him, using his first name for the first time, “I smelled you in my amortentia. Of course I like you.”

“Right. This is why the hat never considered me for Ravenclaw,” He mutters.

Taehyung places one of his hands on your chin and looks at you for any sign of hesitance. When he sees none, he smiles and pulls you in. Before you know it, your lips were crashed into the soft, pink ones you were staring at just a while ago. Maybe this is why the hat never considered you for Ravenclaw as well, because only now did all those “hints” make sense—all those nights staying up with you, keeping you company while you studied, all those accidental “run-ins”—they were all for you.

Breathing each other in, you could’ve sworn there might’ve been some freshly brewed amortentia lying around. Your mind was clouded with thoughts of him as you felt him smiling through the kiss prompting you to do the same. His lips tasted like sugar and cinnamon, probably from taste-testing all the cinnamon rolls he’d just baked, not that you were complaining. It was wonderful.

Taehyung finally pulls away with a small tug on his lips. The sight of your warm, red-tinted cheeks while you looked up at him was the prettiest thing he had ever laid his eyes on.

“Wanna disobey the fat lady’s password?”

That earned him another light punch, but no words of denial left your mouth.

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[sometimesophie]

莫恨香消雪减， 须信道、扫迹难留。 难言处、良窗淡月， 疏影尚风流。 Do not mourn the fading fragrance, the falling snow; Have faith, when every last blossom has been swept away, That in the window, under a pale moon, Their sparse shadows will remain untamed and free. from 《殘梅》 "Fading Plum Blossom" by 李清照 Lǐ Qīngzhào translation by @sometimesophie with help from @wangxianbunnydoodles​ and @hunxi-guilai

[ID: digital painting of Meng Zhi and Fei Liu from Nirvana in Fire, dressed in their matching blue outfits from Episode 2, with brown and black leather accents and boots. Meng Zhi has an arm over Fei Liu's shoulders; Fei Liu rests a hand on the hilt of a sword worn at his waist. Both of them are smiling slightly as they gaze upwards at branches laden with white plum blossoms. Two lines of poetry, written in Mandarin characters, run vertically down the right edge of the painting. /end ID]

Further nerdy notes below the cut. (Warning for spoilers!)

@merelhyn gave a prompt of "Meng Zhi + flowers" and because my brain is the least reasonable thing ever it flew right past "cute" to "but what if we made it hurt???"

Because...one of my favorite things in LYB (among, admittedly, many, many Favorite Things) the friendship that blossoms (heh) between best dashu Meng Zhi and everyone's favorite murder child Fei Liu. I've mentioned before how much I love me a good Meet Kill (meet-cutes are so yesterday, y'all), especially when it lays the foundation for interesting and mutually supportive relationships where beatdowns are a love language. I love the way Fei Liu just lights up when Su-gege says they can go visit "that person you can't beat," the way he casually says "Meng-dashu is better" while shit-talking Prince Jing in his own manor, the way he can tussle around with Meng Zhi without having to hold back because Meng-dashu can take it—

Of course, they never would have met if it hadn't been for Lin Shu, Mei Changsu, Fei Liu's beloved Su-gege, whom they both love and want to protect so much. I think it's a short step from that thought to the possibility that these two would find solace in each other if Mei Changsu dies at Meiling 2.0. They're both such affectionate, uncomplicated people; they'd know how to help each other process their grief while still remembering the one who brought them together, the one who is no longer there.

Which brings me to the plum blossoms. It's far from a coincidence that the 梅 méi in "plum blossom" (梅花 méihuā) is the same character as the méi in 梅长苏 Mei Changsu and in 梅岭 Méilǐng, the battlefield that bookended his first and second lives. It is similarly no coincidence that plum blossoms are associated with winter, and specifically endurance under harsh conditions. Aside from being a beautiful poetic image in their own right, plum blossoms are the perfect flowersona for Mei Changsu, an encapsulation of his grief, his fragility, his determination to beat the odds aligned against him.

Also, if you watch carefully in the show, meihua are everywhere—peeking over the walls of Prince Jing's house, littering the courtyards of Mu Manor, decorating Nihuang's hair and Fei Liu's flower vases. It's impossible to account for them all, just as it's impossible to extricate Mei Changsu's life and memory from the lives of the people who loved him. Even in his second life—especially in his second life—he still touched so many people, and it's possibly one of the greatest tragedies of the show that he ends it believing that nobody will mourn him as Mei Changsu.

So I used plum blossoms as a stand-in for Mei Changsu’s memory and his absence between these two lives he brought together, and then I thought, “why be subtle when I could add in some sad poetry and clobber my viewer with EVEN MORE FEELINGS?” It’s what Fei Liu would want. 

Source for poetry: original text here (pg. 95 of PDF, pg. 81 in-text), Pinyin transcription here. I took Wang Jiaosheng's translation (first source) as a jumping-off point but ended up doing a translation myself because I disagreed with some of his choices, such as referring to the plum blossoms in the poem with English feminine pronouns (she/her), or parsing the word 风流 fēngliú as "beautiful beyond words" when it can really be construed quite differently.

(Per a discussion with @hunxi-guilai, who knows way more about these things than I do, 风流 fēngliú is closer to "wild" or "unrestrained," to the degree that it can carry an almost masculine connotation. If it's romantic or beautiful, it's a chivalric sort of romance, a wild, rugged, wuxia-wanderer sort of beauty. So it's interesting that Lǐ Qīngzhào chooses to apply this masculine adjective to plum blossoms, which are more often described using more delicate, even feminine terms—but that's something to be explored elsewhere, outside this post.)

As a final note: if you've been wondering this whole time why I made it a point to draw Fei Liu with a sword in hand, please know that (as usual) it's Hunxi's fault—I already had a lot of feelings about the shot of him in ep54 in "real" armor with his hair up, and she just made it even more painful, as is her wont, which is why I love her.

[qingxin-s]

༉₊˚✧ꜱᴏ ʟᴏɴɢ : xɪᴀᴏ x ꜰ.ᴀʀᴄʜᴏɴ.ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

synopsis: [y/n], the goddess of hydro, is adamant on fighting in the archon war- desperate to protect her people and nation. xiao however grows to regret letting her take part

genre: angst to fluff

word count: 1,195

warning(s): mentions of injury + blood, mentions of character death, not proof read fully so may be some mistakes

taglist: @senkuwu-chan​

◈ ━━━━━━ 2,000 years ago ━━━━━━ ◈

Wind tapped against the silk curtains, causing them to billow around her figure as she stood on her balcony- looking out at the region she adored so much. But it wasn't the same. The crisp smell of salt water that fluttered through the air had been replaced with the stench of charcoal. The lapis sky had been replaced with dark clouds. Every time more damage occurred to the town, it felt like part of her broke along side it.

"Madame, your weapons are ready" A low voice spoke, breaking her out of her thoughts and causing her to turn her h/c haired head towards them. It was one of her assistants, a large polearm placed on a pillow in their hands.

"Thank you, my dear. I'll be ready in a moment" She smiled in return, walking over to pluck up the weapon. It was light, but she could tell it would pack a lot of punch.

"I've never fought in a war before" She murmured, her e/c hues flickering up to her open window where a figure now stood. This had become the usual thing, she learned to recognise his presence. He huffed in response, taking a few steps inside.

"I still think you're being idiotic, (Y/N). You have no experience, you can't protect them forever" He huffed as his yellow eyes narrowed, and she smiled sweetly in response. By the tone of his voice, she could tell he too was anxious. There had been a rise in the amount of demons spotted in the areas around Liyue, and he was constantly overworking himself to fend them off. She adjusted the polearm in her gloved hands as she stepped towards him.

"You worry too much, Xiao. I'm going to be fine, Fontaine will live to see another day" (Y/N) sighed as she looked back out the window, not noticing his tensed physic. The two had become well acquainted shortly after he was dispatched to fend of the demons, and their bond had only grown since.

"It's not Fontaine i'm worried about. It's you, and you know that" Xiao growled, but she was quick to place her palm on his cheek- which he instantly melted into. He didn't mean to snap like that...he was just worried sick. He didn't want to lose her.

If he lost her, he'd lose part of himself.

"I'm going to be okay. I promise you" She whispered, her palm curling slightly and her thumb brushing over his cheek. Her touch was warm, comforting. Xiao didn't notice that his hands were balled into fists, it was only when he looked down at the floor to avoid her gaze that he realized.

"I'll see you after, Alatus" (Y/N) said softly as she broke away from him, and he so desperately wanted to reach out and throw his arms around her- preventing her from leaving. But all he could do was watch as she walked away.

◈ ━━━━━━━━━━━━ ◈

The war raged for days...and days...and days. And the more she fought, the more she realized the Yaksha was right. She had no battle experience whatsoever, and the most she had ever used her powers for was healing her people. So she was completely and utterly exhausted. Not to mention...she was injured.

A cry left her lips as she collapsed to the sand, feeling numb to the waves of salt water that washed over her as she curled up. Decarabian had gotten the better of her, his attack impaling her and injuring her gravely. He was here to gain yet more power, just to hold over his peoples heads like bait. He was a monster.

Normally for any injuries she may receive, she would just heal them. It was simple and always incredibly effective. But as her life slipped away from her bit by bit, so did her ability to heal. She spluttered as a wave hit her, the water turning crimson as it mixed with her blood. This is what she got for fighting in her human vessel...and for being weak.

"Xiao..." She coughed as the pain she was experiencing melted away, her eyes feeling heavier and heavier with each passing second. Images of the yaksha flashed through her brain as she rested her head on the gritty sand, and a smile graced her chapped lips.

"So long"

◈ ━━━━━━ Now ━━━━━━ ◈

Not a day passed when the yaksha didn't hate himself with every fibre of his being. Not a day passed where he didn't think of the hydro archon. Where was she to calm him down? Where was she to progress through life with him?

Why did her life have to be taken? Why was he the one to come across her lifeless body?

Fontaine seemed to have moved on quickly after her death, even welcoming a new person to take over her power. How dare they? It happened so long ago, but the rage still bubbled inside him like it happened yesterday. The only ones that seemed to care about her death apart from him was Barbatos and Morax- but even then, they didn't fully understand.

They didn't fully understand why he distanced himself, refusing to talk to anyone when he could avoid it. Refusing to take breaks from his work of purging demons off the face of the Earth.

"Xiao, you're scowling" Verr Goldet spoke as she wiped down her desk, causing him to knit his eyebrows even more. All he wanted to do was eat his almond tofu- it was one of the only things he had left to remember her. She had taught him how to make it one day when she was feeling hungry, and it quickly became his favourite thing. He pushed it around with his fork, staring down at it intently. If he ignored the boss, maybe she'd leave him alone.

"Excuse me, I hope i'm not too late. I was wondering if you had any rooms available" A kind voice asked, and his heart skipped a beat. Why was this voice...so familiar? He was just overthinking things, after all- he was just reminiscing on their time together. He heard the boss shuffling around as she flicked through paperwork and finally, he heard the noise of a key.

"Of course. Please take the staircase up next to the young man over there, it's the first room you see" The boss bowed, and he could hear the mystery girl express her thanks. He heard footsteps approach him as she walked towards the staircase and without meaning to, his amber hues looked up- and his body froze.

He was greeted with the same h/c haired hair he loved so dearly. The same e/c orbs that he could get lost in. The same kind smile that guided him away from darkness. How could this be? Her eyes met his, and she sent him a grin- and he quickly jumped up from his seat. He wanted to reach his hand towards her, to hold her in his arms and breath in the salt fragrance he adored so much.

"(Y/N)!" Xiao called as she walked past him, and she froze in her tracks. Slowly, she turned to him- tears rolling down her face as he stumbled towards her.

"I haven't heard that name in so long"

[opalesense]

more than friends

kaeya & gn!reader

2k words • ~15 min. read

summary: feeling down in the dumps on a lonely valentine’s day evening, you are met with a pleasant surprise from your close friend, kaeya.

warnings: just pure lovesick fluff!!  shy kaeya my beloved... <3

notes: i defrosted this draft from valentine’s day aahhh hope you like it!! ;^; p.s. shoutout if you can spot his canon voice lines in this hehehe

SITTING WITH MY BACK ON THE FOUNTAIN WALL and watching the rotating blades of the windmills in Mondstadt was not how I expected to spend my evening on Valentine's Day.

   To be honest, Valentine's Day was never that big of a deal to me.  For the past few years, I always considered Valentine's Day to be a day where vendors could get a boost of profit by exploiting the gift-giving aspect of the holiday and selling their wares to cheesy couples who wouldn't know any better.  Why was there a dedicated day to be sweet to your significant other?  Couldn't special gifts be given at any other time of the year?

  Despite my indifference to Valentine's Day, I couldn't help but feel a little lonely this year.  My back purposely faced the couples of Mondstadt who would walk by now and then on their way to their dates and instead I had windmills to accompany me along with a book to pass the time.  I figured my evening stroll outside wouldn't make me feel so disappointed in myself, but I was proven sorely wrong.  I couldn't even look at other people today without feeling sorry for myself.

   "[Y/N]?" a familiar voice drew closer behind me, interrupting my lament and startling me.  "What are you doing here all alone?"

   I turned my head to see my close friend and neighbor Kaeya approaching me, carrying a small leather pack along with his sheathed sword on his waist.  I realized he probably finished his shift at the Knights of Favonius headquarters and was just about to head home.  The sight of him eased some of my worries knowing that despite my usual solitude, at least I would talk to one person today.  "Just reading a book," I held up the cover of my book for him to see.  He gave a small nod to the title as I put it back down into my lap.  "How did you even spot me here?"

   "I can see you from my office," he pointed at a window on the wall of the headquarters, "You chose quite an odd spot for reading, dear friend. You must be uncomfortable on the ground like that.”

   I nervously laughed, not wanting to admit that I sat behind this fountain to avoid looking at how much fun everyone else was having.  My gaze turned to the sky, a vibrant orange that now began fading into a shadow of dark blue sprinkled with stars.  Dusk was approaching. “I suppose it is getting a little late for reading, now that I think about it.  I think I might head home now."

   "Allow me to accompany you on your walk home.  I’m headed that way, after all," he quickly offered as I began to prop myself up to my feet.  He held out his hand to help me on my way up, the sudden physical contact sending a shiver down my spine.  As clearly touch deprived as I was, my hand quickly pulled away once I was standing and dusted off my clothes, which were wrinkled from sitting for so long today.

   "You are too kind, Kaeya," I grinned, earning a grin back from him.  Maybe this is my loneliness speaking for me, but I swear that smile might have made my heart skip a beat.  Although I may have had a crush on Kaeya for the past few months, there was no way I’d ever let those thoughts resurface now.  I've done a good job of repressing the feelings for so long, whether I was around him or not.  At least, I thought I did.

   As we walked, it suddenly dawned on me that the feelings never truly went away.  They were persistent for months, despite being suppressed.  He was my closest friend for quite some time now.  So maybe it was a sign that it was meant to be...

   Chills ran down my spine at this realization.  And once the truth had settled in, the feelings I thought I had managed to stow away suddenly flooded my mind in a storm of emotion.  The more we talked during the walk home, the more eager my heart was to open up and let the thought of him fill the cavernous, lonely void inside.  My eyes nervously turned to our feet, which stepped together in perfect sync.  My attention darted to the hand at his side, which I ached to touch once more.  The more I tried to fight this longing, to forget about it and keep it isolated, the more it fought back in an effort to stay alive.

   "[Y/N]?" his sultry voice snapped me out of my delusion.  Do NOT let your emotions take control of you, I scolded myself.

   "Sorry," I shuffled my feet towards his figure, which had stopped a few meters away.  The world seemed to stop when I was lost in thought, and with each step I took towards him, the world slowly resumed from where I mentally left it.

   "Is something wrong?" he asked, now concerned.  "You know you can talk to me."

   "No, no.  I'm fine," I gripped my book, fighting the urge to break in front of him.  "I'm just a little lost in my thoughts."

   "Well then, what's on your mind?"

   "Kaeya, you won't make fun of me if I’m being honest with you right?" I started to speak without thinking.  No, no, no!  What are you about to say?!

   "What makes you think I would?  C’mon, [Y/N].  We joke around a lot but you know I'm good with secrets."

   What are you doing?!  Don’t fall under pressure like this!

   "Well...  I’ve felt quite lonely today.  A little part in me hurts to see so many people enjoying Valentine's Day, knowing fully well that I live alone and spend most of my days alone...   I guess what I’m trying to say is that it was very kind of you to go out of your way to talk to me today, Kaeya.  It means a lot more to me than you know."

   The silence that followed that regurgitation of thoughts was lethal.  Kaeya didn't even stop.  We just kept walking.  I ignored the instant regret that pounded the walls in my head.

   "So you didn't have any plans today?" he asked, as if he had just ignored everything I told him.

   "Not at all.  I was taking a stroll to find a good reading spot for today but seeing so many couples together...  I guess it was like pouring salt into the wound.  That's why I was sitting turned away from everything, if that answers your question from earlier."

   Now you've just told him too much.  If he didn't already think you were sad and lonely before, he definitely thinks so now.

   "You shouldn't isolate yourself like that, [Y/N].  We could've– forget it, actually," he chuckled and rested his hand on the back of his neck as we finally approached our residential complex.

   "Hey, spit it out!" I nudged him with my elbow, "I poured out my thoughts for you, don't get all shy now.  It's your turn."

   We stopped at my front door, exchanging small chuckles.  The space between us was killing me. If only I could get enveloped by his warm embrace now... No!

   "How about I tell you later?  Meet me here in around ten minutes."

   "What?!" I scoffed, "Now you’re just toying with me."

   "Ten minutes," he gave me one last grin and a short wave before jogging away towards his own house.  I shook my head as I turned the key to my door, feeling the slamming of my heart against my ribs and the sloppy mix of awe, nervousness, and regret boiling in my stomach.  His smile was frozen inside my mind like a photograph capturing a memory. It hurt to like him this much.

   A knock on my door ten minutes later pulled me away from tending to my plants on my balcony.  I set the watering can down and rushed to the door, straightening out my clothes once more before opening it.  Contrary to my expectations, Kaeya stood in the doorway with a shy grin, his hands obviously hiding something behind his back.

   "I thought you were joking when you said ten minutes," I scoffed and crossed my arms, looking up at him to meet a pair of soft eyes.

   "Still don't have plans for tonight?" his eyebrows raised with the question.

   "No.  What, are you about to take me out on a date or something?" I said in jest.  He chuckled and uncrossed his arms behind his back with slight hesitation before revealing a dainty bouquet of calla lilies tied with a silver ribbon.  My jaw dropped slightly in shock with the sight of the charming white petals.

   "I am, actually," his voice was gentler and sweeter than usual.  "These are for you."

   He motioned for me to take the bouquet, which I gladly accepted.  The subtle fragrance reminded me of his own scent, which made me smile.  I secretly wished my entire house would smell like this unforgettable aroma – this unforgettable man.

   "[Y/N]," his words were laced with hesitation, "I have been waiting weeks to tell you this but...  you are constantly on my mind.  Whenever I see you my heart jumps and..."

   He chuckled with nervousness.  That grin never fails to make my chest light up.

   "...and I know you're not going to believe me because you say I smooth talk everyone, but I promise you, [Y/N].  I know you see that I’m nervous right now – that doesn't happen to me with anyone else.  This feeling hasn't gone away for months.”  Instant regret suddenly painted his face, which I quickly took notice of.  I stepped closer to him and lifted my hand to gently cup his warm, blushing cheek.  It was my way of telling him to keep talking without interrupting him.

   "[Y/N]..." he blushed more at the touch and sighed, "you are so special to me and... I’ll get straight to the point. I want to be more than friends. I really mean it.”

   He stuffed his hands in his pockets and waited eagerly for my response.  I was no longer thinking properly.  My heart had taken over my mind, and for once, it was for my benefit.

   "Kaeya," my voice cracked with a million emotions at once, "you have no clue how long I’ve wanted to hear you say that.  I am so in love with you it makes me sick," I admitted lightheartedly.

   He laughed with relief, taking another step closer to me and shrinking the space between us.  He lifted his hand to grab mine and intertwined our fingers together.  The mood shifted from nerve wrecking intensity to reassurance and gentleness the instant our palms met.  He caressed my hand with his gloved thumb for reassurance, chasing all my troubles away.  "I promise I will never let you feel alone ever again."

   We stood there staring into each other's eyes for a few moments, exchanging so many mutual emotions in mere seconds.  A blush began to creep up my face as well when he gave my hand a squeeze accompanied with a proud smile.

   "Well, now that we're both blushing messes in love with each other, how about we finally go out tonight?"  Our friendly dynamic finally returned to clear the thickness in the air once he broke the silence.  "I have to admit, I was feeling a little lonely myself and was just going to drink at the tavern with some of the other Knights tonight.”

   "Not anymore, I hope?"

   "Definitely not.  I’d rather spend the evening holding your hand and taking a stroll through the city so everyone knows I’m finally yours."

   This man sure knows how to say the right thing.  I glanced at the bouquet in my arms, partly to hide my reddened face but also to ask, "Could I put these in a vase first?  They're beautiful, by the way. I really love calla lilies.”

   "Oh yes, of course. But they’re not as beautiful as you, cutie," Kaeya said with no reluctance.

 There's the flirty Kaeya that I know.

 I let out a shy laugh as he let go of my hand, the loss of touch making me pout.  As I turned to put the flowers away, he leaned on the doorframe and let out a deep breath.

    "Well, I'll be here.  Don't make me wait too long, now."

[lydias--stiles]

love, between the shadow and the soul

chenford | drabble | post-canon | title: sonnet xvii - pablo neruda

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Look, Tim Bradford did not get attracted to rookies, okay? In all the years he had been a TO, none had grabbed his attention. Not when he and Isabelle were dating, or married, or when she disappeared into the night with a trail of illicit affairs and a shot of heartache for him. Dozens of young women had sat in that car beside him and never ever had he let their femininity distract him. He served his country. He fought wars overseas. He looked Death right in the eye every single day and never blinked.

But then came officer Lucy Chen. He instantly knew the type of cop she’d be the second she turned in her seat, meeting his gaze for the first time, and nervously smiled at him. Nerves were normal, he was aware, but the doe-eyed look and the hopeful grin sold her out. No mystery. Just another young cop that would either slip through the cracks by the exam by tanking their grade due to stress, or she’d become a desk duty cop — one that stayed far from danger, that handled life with a perpetual softer touch ‘cause of her shrink parents.

Nothing wrong with that, Bishop would chastise him. Every cop had its use, she’d add. Sure, that might be true, but Tim didn’t want to babysit an armed toddler waiting for it to cry and call for mom. With just a couple well-placed Tim-tests, she’d be out of his hair in no time and then he could cross his fingers for a better recruit in the following weeks.

Life had the ability to change in a snap though — their funny, yet stern reminder that the universe called the shots, not the gun in his holster, or the rulebook. He got shot. Officer Chen backed him up. Her stubborn, yet brazen, yet honest attitude reeled him in just enough to ignore her little quirks she always joyfully displayed in the shop. Whenever he didn’t nip her ramblings in the bud fast enough, she babbled on and on about her personal life, her personal issues and relationships, like they were best friends (They weren’t! Boots and him never befriended!), like their relationship was anything more than a transactional training period. They got each other’s six. That was it.

But fuck, man. She got under his skin, too.

Lucy wore this… really nice perfume. A lot of female officers had make-up and perfume on, allowed a small sliver of self-expression, and he and Lopez had spend countless hours in a shop together. He was used to it. But somehow, Lucy’s stuck in his nose and didn’t leave. He felt like a creep, thinking about the blend of cardamom and oranges and cherry blossoms mixing with her warm skin, uncontrollable while also wanted. He wanted to fantasise about that fucking perfume of hers, a realisation that took a long time to come to terms with.

That didn’t mean he liked her though — he quickly corrected himself the first time he caught the pattern of behaviour — all it meant was that Lucy had good taste in perfume. Case closed.

So why did he linger whenever her shimmery eyes flicked up at him, why did his breath catch in his throat when her voice dropped to that infuriating sincerity as she uttered words of appraisal? Why his heart go haywire when she recorded all those audio books for him; an out of line gesture and overzealous task for a boot, which would normally result in him laughing their face.

Tim never thought he’d get over Isabelle, nor did he ever believe he’d have his happily ever after with Rachel, but with Lucy he foolishly hoped for more. A more that came from such a stupid and deluded place, probably fostered through months of loneliness and the Pavlovian response to her perfume, but one he didn’t stop. He couldn’t stop it. The man was always in control about everything, ran his own tests and went over every possible outcome every day, every hour — and yet he didn’t see her coming. Lucy Chen had been right under his nose and he hadn’t been prepared for the ground to disappear beneath his feet; something that should honestly get him fired. The callousness of his emotions while entertaining the idea of a relationship with his own boot sentenced him straight to P2 or desk duty, or whatever.

Lucy deserved someone better, anyway.

Someone that understood her love for sage and cleansing homes. Someone that liked veggie burgers, chai lattes, karaoke nights and social media lurking. Someone that wouldn’t hesitate for one second to open her door for a teenage girl in need of safety and a little bit of that Chen-love. Someone that wasn’t any of those firemen assholes, but wasn’t Tim either.

He never let his insecurities get the best of him, but after seeing her thrive as a P2 without him, handling undercover stints like a pro, conquering her trauma of being buried alive, it only showcased that she had more bravery in her index finger than some army members had in their entire body, all while staying innately kind. Of course Tim lost his mind over her. Of course he tried shaping officer Barnes to be more like Lucy — more sun and bite and charisma, less army BS. Of course, of course, of course. Even Rosalind, the person he hated most besides Caleb, had him figured out in seconds. He was obvious as hell.

Which was why he had to move stations. Away from the Mid-Wilshire Division and to another. He couldn’t be around her anymore and risk compromising missions or attacks. He didn’t tell Angela the details, though her knowing look said enough, and simply replied that she’d miss him and that she was sure the chief would happily reinstate him any time.

He should’ve known that information leaked through like a wildfire.

The morning of his resignment, uniform neatly folded in his locker, Lucy stopped him in the hallway with the most befuddled expression he’d ever seen.

“What?” he said.

“What the hell,” she exclaimed. “You’re leaving and I have to hear it from Angela? Why’re you…? You love this division. Is everything okay?”

Shouldering past her, he drawled over his shoulder: “Everything’s fine, officer Chen. I’d advise you to put on your uniform and get to roll call.”

“Don’t pull this crap with me,” she bit back, latching onto his arm before he was out of reach. His feet reflexively stopped in place, stupidly waiting on her to finish her train of thought. “Tim, you can tell me if something’s wrong. We’ve been through… way too much for you to act this cold with me.”

He scoffed, feigning mockery, and put his hands on his hips. “We? Chen, I was your TO. That’s it. Get it out of your head it was more.”

Lucy blinked, once, twice, a hurt expression crossing her features, followed by disbelief and a quiet contempt he had become awfully familiar with. Swallowing back the regret, he watched as she pursed her lips and took a step back. “Wow. Okay.”

“Don’t take it personally.”

“Hard not to, officer Bradford,” she muttered. Turning to the locker rooms, she added, “Talk to me when you’re ready to not be an asshole.”

That should’ve been his cue to let her go and resume his trek to sergeant Grey, but a whiff of her fragrance wafted in his face from her dancing curls and any sensical thought was knocked out his head. He wanted to embrace her and burrow his face in her hair, he wanted to hold her with intent, he wanted to kiss the scent off her skin. His feet followed her instead, both fully aware and totally impulsive at once. He chose the excuse of loving a good argument with her to then utter: “I’m not an asshole, Chen. I’m honest.”

“If you’re honest, you’d admit that we’ve been very close friends these past months,” she exhaled, refusing to look him in the eye. He supposed he deserved that. Stopping in front of her locker, she continued with, “Distorting your own reality to fit your macho narrative isn’t healthy. Also, this is the women’s locker room. Out. Now.”

Tim sputtered out a laugh and crossed his arms. “Macho narrative? Please.”

Lucy’s eyes narrowed, all air sucked out the room at the intensity of her stare, and Tim felt himself flailing, suddenly wondering why the hell he wanted to turn in his badge when the only place he could have moments with lucy was, well, here. Why was he giving up on this, how silly it might be?

With a resolute voice, she said, “Tim, why are you resigning?”

Nothing in his entire career prepared him for this. Tim Bradford had survived Iraq and Afghanistan, twelve years of the LAPD and counting, a deadly virus, hundreds of bullets taken by the vest and felt the power of death on the blue lips of Lucy in the quiet countryside. Fear got pushed aside. Pride pulled him forward, onwards. But right now, he had to take a leap of faith — the sole thing he never relied on, but Lucy did — and trust she’d be there after the fall.

(He wanted to be that amazing someone for her.)

“Because of you,” he whispered. His fight or flight told him to run for the first time in forever, but he kept his feet glued to the floor.

Her jaw fell slack in shock. “E-excuse me? Me?! I’ve done nothing wrong!”

“Exactly,” he spit. “You… you’re…” Tim sighed. “You’re the best, Lucy.”

Faltering, her brows furrowed in utter confusion, a grain of her fury replaced with compassion. He wasn’t sure if that was warranted. All he was trying to do was get it off his chest, confess, before it escalated to insurmountable heights. “I don’t think I understand.”

“Uh…”

“You’re resigning, because I’m the best?” she tried to deduce. “No offense, any other day I’d be dancing right now, but this is just…” She gestured at him. “So weird.”

Tim let out a miserable sigh and ripped the band-aid off. Fuck it. “I’m trying to be honest about my feelings, Lucy.”

She froze. “What?”

“I like you. A lot.” Her wonderstruck expression didn’t make him feel better, so he quickly added: “Which is why I gotta decrease the risk of this exploding in our faces and go.”

“Whoa!” Lucy’s hand wrapped around his, eyes wide and searching, like any empirical data would be found within his green irises, otherwise known as fondness and unresolved tension with every quiet moment they had. “Is this… another test? Are you getting back at me for pranking you?”

He quirked a brow. “You’re a P2 now. Tests are over.”

“Right,” she quipped, catching herself. She let go of him and nervously tucked a lock behind her ear. “Yeah. Okay. And you’re serious?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. O-kay. Let me, uh…” the locker swung open “… wrap my head around this.”

“It’s a pretty easy thing to—”

“Tim.”

“Yeah, okay.” He backed off, hating how the control was out of his hands now, how he practically shoved his heart in her grip and her pretty fingers could crush it to dust if she wanted to. “I’ll let you do that.”

Walking out the locker room, he took a deep breath and straightened up his face. Alright. He royally screwed that over. If his army buddies knew, they’d all laugh in his face and tease him for the rest of his life. But at least he told her and got his answer, that a relationship was off the table but that they could save their friendship once he switched divisions and some distance mended his twisted, inside-out heart. Lucy had rocked his world and all she had to do was exist.

“Tim!”

“Wha— wow!”

Her body crashed into him the second he turned around to her beautiful voice, Lucy’s arms wrapping around his neck and pulling him down to her level ‘til all he experienced were her sweet eyes and breathless smile and a kiss. Lucy kissing him, slow and tentative, but it lit his heart aflame and urged him to hold onto her. Her perfume was all-encompassing, nose full of the fragrance and the soft slope of her neck and long, brown hair and fuck, he was kissing Lucy Chen. Except he didn’t care if the entire precinct idly watched by, or if she yanked him out the building on impulse, or anything — ‘cause he was kissing her and it was perfect. Her plump lips were better than he ever imagined.

Her hands slid from his hair to his shoulders, arms and then his hands, squeezing. His forehead pressed against hers, embarrassingly weak in the knees from that incredible kiss that he didn’t dare to stand up straight. Two silly grins broke loose on their faces. He had no clue what to do now, or not do, but he did know he wanted her. He wanted everything.

Lucy decided for him.

“Don’t go,” she whispered.

Tim smiled. “Okay.”

[haikyuuphilia]

if u havent done this yet, hcs for hq boys at a kareoke or hq boys who take skincare seriously/as a joke :D

i’ve done karaoke hcs here so this one will be skincare! hope this isn’t too niche for ppl who aren’t really into skincare like i am

haikyuu boys and their skincare routines

→  AKAASHI could be a licensed dermatologist. actually looks at ingredient lists and has a list of “holy grail” skincare. he hasn’t had a pimple in years and he looks like he’s wearing a filter but in real life.

→  KITA has a routine so consistent that he can’t recall ever missing a step in it. he’s been using the same products for years, and they work for him. lots of traditional natural products without irritants or fancy add-ins.

→  OIKAWA just really likes the idea of having a skincare routine. loves toner is motivated by the fear of getting wrinkles when he’s old he’s done that one tiktok trend and got scared bc he was an ugly senior citizen. overuses makeup wipes even though he doesn’t really wear makeup because he’s too lazy to actually watch his face sometimes.

→  SUGA follows a complex 10-step routine with different serums on some days, and then he doesn’t wash his face on others. it’s not really a routine since he’s so inconsistent, but at least he wears sunscreen every day.

→  YAMAGUCHI uses products that are soothing and made for sensitive skin! prone to breakouts and acne scarring, but he’s grown to love his skin as he takes care of it. really enjoys sheet masks and likes to hate on st ive’s.

→  SAKUSA definitely stays clean but doesn’t do anything fancy. uses the trio of cleanser, toner, and moisturizer every morning and night, adding in sunscreen when he goes out. good for him.

→  ATSUMU likes skincare because he used to get acne in the past (osamu didn’t). still, he should invest in some moisturizer without fragrance or parabens. has a basic exfoliates harder than he should and steals osamu’s skincare products very often.

→  TSUKISHIMA thinks it’s natural to take care of his skin, so he’s incorporated it into his daily routine. doesn’t ever get acne, but he does get dry, sensitive patches sometimes.

→  BOKUTO would be lower on this list but he has two older sisters, so he’s picked up some things here and there. he likes to buy products based on how nice the packaging is.

→  OSAMU is a little too lazy to have a proper skincare routine, but he does put in effort. the type of person that doesn’t try too hard because his skin is just naturally good.

→  KENMA washes his face because he can’t sleep or wake up unless he does it, but he doesn’t enjoy it much. uses a headband to keep his hair back while he’s washing his face and hates when water drips down his arms, especially if he’s wearing long sleeves. 

→  KUROO likes serums that come with droppers and have fun names like niacinamide + zinc. for someone who knows so much about skincare ingredients, he should be taking better care of his skin, but he’s getting there.

→  DAICHI uses the most basic cleanser and moisturizer the drugstore sells and has zero brand loyalty; he’ll just buy whatever’s cheapest and looks legit. he’s never heard of the word “ampoule” in his life.

→  IWAIZUMI probably used to use bar soap to wash his face, then oikawa found out and made him buy actual skincare products, which is the only reason he has any “routine” to speak of.

→  KAGEYAMA only really washes his face when he’s showering (luckily he showers a lot, but it’s still gross). somehow still has perfect skin. 

→  HINATA thinks skincare is a myth or something you do to pamper yourself on the weekend. he treats his pimples as friends. someone please get him some cetaphil.

[vemuabhi]

Disney Romance - Brave’s Blue - 200 followers special

@holykillercake swan!!! Sorry for the wait! Thankyou for requesting! You know how much I love Killer, This story took a while for me to get inspiration and actually write it, but here I am with this! Please don’t keep high expectations, I may not reach them.

Pairing : Killer X Princess! Reader

Word Count : 3.6K

Warnings : Nothing but Fluff, a long ass fic written by me!

A/N : Yes Its the Movie Brave! I hope you like it! Its lengthy but please give it a chance! Its the story of our favorite Pasta Boy!

“Princess Y/N, its an honor to meet you. I’m Jason, prince of Goustvania, I’ve heard so much about you and your Kingdom”, Jason said as he looked at you. You both were in your garden which had beautiful plants and flowers.

“Prince Jason, don’t get me wrong but, as this is a formal meeting for suitors, and I would like to keep it that way”, the way you said it, made Jason to gulp. He was not a potential suitor and he knows that. By pulling some strings he made it to the list. There are many princes who wanted to marry you.

You were not only beautiful but were also the princess of the wealthiest Kingdoms. Not even a single death due to starvation was recorded in your country. As marriages are a part of a treaty, if a person could marry you, you’d definitely share your riches to help.

“So, I’ve heard that, your country is really big and has the absolute weaponry with a very powerful army”, she looked at the prince who was scared to even speak to her. But he didn’t want to waste the opportunity.

Putting on his brave smile, he said, “My country is beautiful and definitely has the most powerful machinery”, proudly he ended, only for you to nod in return by taking the silver cup in front of you. It contained the finest tea, which was brewed from the leaves of Assam.

“Prince Jason, but my resources say that your country is in the verge of war with another 5 countries. And in your last war, even though you’ve won, you’ve lost many soldiers. Is it true that you’ve been requiting many soldiers to compensate the loss”, you took another sip of the tea as he gulped.

“I also heard that you’ve already been engaged to princess Lucy from the snow kingdom. I didn’t hear anything about breaking your marriage”, Jason had chills sent up and down his spine because of the questions you were asking. Not even his friends knew about the information of him getting engaged to princess Lucy.

“I suppose that even she doesn’t know that you are here. The partner that I’m choosing needs to be loyal. I’m sorry but you are no longer a suitor. I’ll make arrangements for you to leave this place within a day”, you bluntly said getting up.

“Oh no, Please listen to me. I’ll break the engagement as soon as possible. Just give me anoth-”

“Please don’t make me repeat myself. Ive already made up my mind”, you replied sternly and walked out of the garden without giving him another glance.

You felt your mood was ruined after meeting him. ‘How can people be so disloyal towards their partner?’, you thought as you entered your chambers. It had blue curtains, blue carpets, a big blue bed. Simply said, it was a pastel blue aesthetic with also a touch of white to it. You had twenty minutes time before you had your next job to check the travel and trade matters of the country. You removed your closet before you plopped on the bed and closed your eyes.

Blue always calmed you down. That’s the reason why you wanted your room to be with blue stuff. Blue reminded you of the sky. The peacefulness was what you required in your hectic life as a princess, who is taking care of the country. As the King was feeling sick, you took the job on yourself and took care of the country yourself from the past two years. You knew the kings, princes wanted to marry you because of your country. Everyone was selfish and had the same motive. You were sick of this. You mostly tried not to meet princes and tried to dismiss the proposals. You wanted a person, who could love you and be loyal to you. To love the country as you loved. Would respect your opinions as a queen.

Little did you know, Prince Jason wasn’t happy with your decision. As he went to the house of the witch of your Kingdom. He sat before her and asked her, “I need a potion. A potion which can make a person to change, to go feral, like an animal”, rubbing his hands nervously he looked at the witch.

She asked no questions, just stretched her hand forward. He placed a bag of silver coins in her hand. The old witch went to her cupboard and took out a very small bottle with olive green liquid.

“Mix it in her food and it’ll do its job”, she mumbled and Jason started to return to your castle.

But little did he know, every single potion had a reversing effect. This potion was asked with a person with full intent to destruction, anger, greed. A potion was available to reverse the spell.

“My lady, my lady”, you heard a voice calling you so you opened your eyes and looked at the person before you. It was your butler Heat. You woke up with a groan and asked him, “How long have I been sleeping?”

“It’s been 30 minutes my lady, you are getting late to check the Travel and trades of the country”, he said sternly. You grunted as you sat on the bed.

“My lady, that’s not how a princess should behave and Oh lord!”, he exclaimed looking at the corset on the floor and walked towards the door, “Please dress appropriately”, he closed the door behind him.

“Damn corset”, you cursed as you picked it up. Heat was your head butler and also very skilled fighter. He talked less and worked more, a reason why you chose him as your assistant. He gave wise suggestions and always respected you.

You wore your corset with the help of a maid and went to your office to work again.

Being a prince, Jason easily slipped with the maids into the Kitchen, and saw the tray of food, which was supposed to be given to you, just before Heat could enter the place, Jason added the portion into the tea cup.

Like every day, as you were doing the paper work and Heat placed the tray of food in front of you. You took the cup of tea and savoured the fragrance. Before sipping it, you asked Heat, “Why were you late by 10 minutes?! You know how much I am addicted to tea”, your glossy eyes conveyed how you felt.

“Prince Jason was talking to maids in the Kitchen, so there were a lot of maids slacking off and not doing their respective works”, he replied.

“Is that so, then get him out of the castle as soon as possible”, you ordered and he bowed.

“By the way, don’t even think of skipping the work. Last time I had to do your work because you sneaked out”

“Tsk, how rude!”, you said to yourself as he left. You drank your tea with so much happiness and continued to work. Suddenly, you felt pain in your chest. You placed your hands on your back in an attempt to remove the corset. But even after removing the corset, your pain still didn’t subside. You fell to your knees and panted for air as you closed your eyes. Then suddenly your pain stopped. You opened your eyes and your gaze landed on your hands. Your eyes opened wide.

‘What the hell?!’, You looked at your torso and you noticed that you were not… normal.. You took the fine silver plate with your claws and saw your reflection in it. You couldn’t believe your eyes. You turned into a bear now. ‘But why? How?’, your thoughts were stopped with a knock on the door. Indicating Heat will enter now.

You didn’t know what to do, so you opened the window and jumped down it. If Heat was to see you, he wouldn’t even spare a second glance and Kill you as you looked like a bear and search for you. You slowly climbed down and escaped into the forest by not being seen by any soldier. You ran in the forest quickly trying to process everything. ‘Why? How?’, your questions weren’t stopping in your head.

You stumbled because of a rock in your way and rolled down into the deeper part of the forest. There you tackled some people in your way. You couldn’t stop rolling till you got hit by a tree in front of you. Clenching the side of your head with your claws, you slowly got up. You stood on two of your legs and cursed, “Oh Davy Jones! What have I ever done?”.

“What the hell?!”, you looked to your side and saw that you crushed 4 people and you saw a guy with a mask, standing a few meters away from you.

“Tsk, I hope I didn’t kill them”, you said and again the Mask dude flinched. You both stared at each other for a while before he spoke, “How the hell can you talk?”

Your brain took a few moments to process and then you gasped. “I can talk!!! I didn’t think I could talk! Hey Mask man, can you help me”, you asked and walked towards him only for him to swiftly take his weapons out.

You took a step back and said, “No! Don’t harm me! You don’t know who I am!”, you said as your back hit the tree. You maintained eye contact with the mask and hid behind the tree.

The man was very confused at your actions. He was actually about to fight some people but you crushed them to death. So he owed you one. He asked, “You shouldn’t harm me”.

“I won’t! And you also, please… don’t hurt me”, after hearing your request, he hid his weapons and walked towards you as you also did the same.

“How can you talk?”, he asked again.

“Oh! I am actually not a bear. I am a human, but I don’t know why I became like this. Please help me. I wanna turn back”, you requested.

‘The only reason why I am decided to help is because this bear crushed these jerks. But what it is asking doesn’t make any sense. Its way too much work’, he thought and said, “Too much of trouble. Do it yourself”, with that he started to walk away.

“No! Wait!! Please help me. If I go to any other human, they’ll freak out and I’ll be Killed. I am a human for real. Don’t leave me. If you were turned into a bear, you’d want to be turned back. Please help me, I never begged anyone in my life like this. Please understand”, you said as you walked beside the masked man. ‘Tsk… this stupid bear is kinda right’, he thought and stopped in his tracks.

He huffed, “let’s sit and talk”, he said as he sat on a big root of a tree and you sat opposite to him.

“Tell me clearly. How did you turn into a bear? Did you drink any potion or anger any witch by doing or saying anything rude?”, he asked you and you shook your head no.

“I didn’t even go to any witch and didn’t take any potion”, you replied looking down. “I never thought I’d turn into a bear. I’ve always taken care of the people around me”.

The man before you sighed and said, “Don’t be disappointed just yet. How much time has it been? Since you turned into a Bear”. You looked at him and replied, “Its been 3 hours, if Im correct. I’ve been wandering in the forest from more than an hour, and it took me a while to escape from my house”.

He hummed as he nodded and again asked you, “You said that you didn’t anger any witch but did you anger anyone in particular?”, he asked. You thought for a while and Jason’s image popped into your head.

“I… I rejected a proposal to get married and… the person was really mad at that”, you admitted.

“Did you eat anything, that person gave you?”, he questioned

“But after I rejected, I didn’t even meet that person again. I only got on with my daily tasks”.

“It doesn’t have to be given. Must’ve slipped something in your food”, the masked dude said and got up. He continued, “Let’s go, you must be hungry, Wandering the Jungle all by yourself”

You looked at him with a bit suspicion. ‘What if he kills me and sells my skin or make me a coat for himself’, negative thoughts started to run in your mind and he noticed how you were hesitating.

“Look, I have enough food thanks to the Princess. I don’t have any reason to kill you”, as he said it making your heart skip a beat.

“Okay…”, you mumbled and walked behind him to a small hut, which was inside the forest. Hiding from all the other villages. Apparently, he was a poor armorer, weapons specialist and also a former bandit. So, he didn’t want to be mingled with the villagers. He maintained few connections with some people who wanted customised weapons. Entering into his hut, you were mesmerised by the wide range of weaponry.

“Woah! You seem very talented, why don’t you work for the Princess? I’m sure she would love all your creations”, you said as the man washed vegetables and fruits for dinner.

“No way. It’s the palace. I’m sure there are so many people working for Princess anyway. Also… I’m a former bandit”, he confessed. ‘Why would a princess want a person like me in her castle working for her? I’d scare her’, he thought.

“Tsk… your talent is going waste. You would be really helpful to the army, they have been in need for weaponry and there might be a conflict with another country soon”, you replied as you took the apple and gobbled it in one bite. You were really hungry and were thankful for the food.

“Why are you speaking like you know all the things about the Kingdom?”, those words made you to choke.

“Rumours”, you lied as you drank the water from the jug leaving your claw marks on it.

“I’m sure the Princess will manage those problems in a blink of an eye”, he replied.

“Why are you so sure?”, you enquired only for him to sigh and lean back on the wall.

“Because she made the country enrich and developed the poor villages. Now people atleast can eat twice a day due to her. I became a bandit only because I had no food. But since I get food, I left that. But still some people are angry at me because of my deeds of the past”,”.

“Oh!! We have a fanboy here”, you teased him only him to trying to deny it. Even his neck was turning red because of your teasing.

“Did you see her?”, he replied by shaking his head no.

The next day you he wasn’t in the hut when you woke up. You started to search for him. Then you found him coming back.

“Welcome back! Where did you go?”, you enquired him as you looked at his mask. He noticed that you were walking on your fours this time. But the way you came towards him and greeted him, made his heart warm. He had never experienced such treatment.

“I met a customer to give his order to him. I also asked him about any witches he knew in the area”, he said and your eyes lit up with hope.

“I also met the witch and asked her about this condition, she said its cure able”, he ended and you cheered with happiness and rolled on the grass.

“YAY!!! Will she help? What should be done?”, you rolled again only for him to slip out a chuckle and stop it quickly. He himself was shocked at how you could make his sealed lips to talk more and also to let out a chuckle.

“She asked me to create something for her and in return she’ll give me the potion if she likes what I make for her”, he confessed. Guilt started to form in your heart. About how he had to work for her, to save you.

“I now need to think what she would like”, he said with relief in his voice and walked towards the hut.

After a lot of designs and dissatisfactions, you both started to eat. He cut his vegetables separately to eat them through his mask while you just ate them… well like a bear. Then you got an idea. Even if she was a witch, she was a girl after all.

“What if… you give her a blade, which can be hidden in her skirt?”, you managed to speak. You both noticed that your voice was getting hoarser than it was.

“I need to work quickly. I can’t fail you now. I guess the time is running out”, he sighed and added, “You are walking on your fours too”.

With in an hour the design was ready and the mask man started to create the new weapon for the witch. You went out and played with the butterflies as he made it.

After another hour with the beautiful blade, he stepped out of the place and waved you bye. You managed and said, “Thank… you”.

Now his time was slipping out and he had to be quick. He handed the weapon to the witch and she analysed it for a while and nodded her head as an approval with a satisfied smile. The masked man sighed in relief and took the blue potion which was in a small container. He quickly headed towards the hut in the forest. He had to save you as soon as possible.

By the time he reached home, he noticed that the hut was almost destroyed from the inside with many claw marks and the weapons were thrown everywhere. You were still in the house, emerging from the darkness. It was already evening and the sun was setting. He saw how your eyes seemed nothing like before. They were just like a wild animal. Before he could even think, you punched his face so hard that he flew and hit the wall. His mask broke into pieces because of the force.

Not giving up, he jumped on you and held your face tightly as he wrapped his legs on your waist. Your claws on his body hurt so much. Blood was dripping but he stayed like that. Trying to calm you down and call you.

“LISTEN TO ME! I KNOW YOU ARE STILL IN THERE! I GOT YOU POTION”, he screamed on the top of his lungs, as you tried to throw him away. But at last, you looked into his eyes. He had light blue eyes. Blue, was your colour. Looking into his eyes, you calmed down and stopped struggling. He took out the small container and opened the lid. He slid it into your mouth and patted your head. Soothing you down.

Slowly you could feel the change. The pain was inevitable. But you kept looking at those blue eyes of the man in front of you. That kept you sane and you closed your eyes and fell down on your knees. You opened your eyes, panting for air. You noticed that your hands were back to normal as well as your torso. Suddenly you felt a blanket over your shoulders. You looked up and saw the man with cheeks redder than any tomato you’ve ever seen. Your senses slowly got to you and that was when you noticed that you were… not dressed.

Pulling the covers even closer to you, he stepped away and walked towards the other room. He swiftly came back and handed clothes to you and without looking back he walked towards the main door and closed it.

“Why didn’t you tell me that you were… a lady?” he asked.

“Why didn’t you tell me that you were really handsome?”, you replied making him blush even more as you wore his clothes.

He wore a mask and agreed to walk you home. You apologised for messing his apartment. After you reaching your castle, he was absolutely stunned just as the guards at the entrance. He tried to leave but, you didn’t let him go. “Work for me, its an order”, you announced and walked with him still his hand in yours.

Heat was absolutely pissed at your behaviour and was surprised to look at the man beside you. “Who is this?”, Heat asked and you replied, “He is going to be our new armorer, I hired him and I want no objections from you”

“No objections huh? You leave the palace, dump your paper works on me, come back with a masked dude and demand no objections? Tell me what’s his name and where you met him?”, Heat inquired making you gulp. You turned towards him and asked, “What’s your name?”

“Killer”, he chuckled.

“Killer, I met Killer in the forest”, you said proudly to Heat as he shook his head and mumbled, “Unacceptable”. As for Jason, he thought he was scammed and never came across you ever again.

One Year Later

As you handled your paper work Killer stayed in your room to keep an eye on you. His work was exceptional and helped the soldiers to get good results in their weapon wielding. You glanced at Killer and said, “Killer why don’t we get married?”, almost giving the poor man a heart attack.

You knew he was turning into a tomato under his mask. “Killer, we have been dating since a year. Lets get married”, you said as you stood up from your place.

“Yes! Yes Lets get married”, he replied as he fiddled with his hands, head facing down. You placed a hand on his mask and removed it. Pulling him down you captured his lips with yours in a Kiss and smirked at your success. Now you were really marrying a person, who was kind, who was selfless, respected you, was loyal and also loved you to death.

XOXOXOXO

Like/Vote, Reblog/Share and comment your feelings!

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[peculiarpatches]

𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 - 𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐱 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐱 𝐟𝐞𝐦!𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

this is part 1 of 4 or 5 (??) parts. if you like this, please give it a like and or reblog (or both). feedback is appreciated, always!! this first chapter contains smut. so if that makes you uncomfortable, this isn’t for you. and again, this is part one of others so there will be more :) 

WARNING: public sex, dirty talk, unprotected sex, angst slightly??? but not really??? it’s going to get angsty more later down the road, lmao. so, buckle up. it’s one hell of a ride. enjoy :)

*~*

A flush of regret wipes over my body. The moment our lips touch,  it washes over me like a waterfall. One drop then thousands of drops came pouring down, soaking me until I was drowning in it. Regret & anxiety; Both washes over me and yet,  I  know  what I am doing is wrong but I can't bring myself to stop. A tiny part of me didn't want it to stop, either.  He knew that, I knew that.  Yet, nobody said anything. We didn't have to. We were too busy, too caught up, in each other that we didn't need to talk. No words needed to be spoken, to be said. We knew it was wrong but... if it was so wrong, why did it feel  so right?  A moan escapes past my lips and drips onto his tongue. His hands found their way to my hips, fingers sneakily trailing up my shirt and he curls his fingernails deep into my skin, making another whimper slip out from me;  no matter how hard I tried not to speak or let any noise out, he got me to do the complete opposite.  "Now, now, remember what I said... We've got to keep quiet, okay, baby girl?" He had said this earlier  and yet, it seemed as if he wanted nothing more than to get me to scream and shake.  To be putty in his hands, to melt under his touch..  The little shit was trying anything - everything - to get me to make noise.  And unfortunately, it was working.   I  shouldn't love him and he  shouldn't love me. Yet, here we were; Tangled together  with our lips locked and our hands caressing every body piece we could manage to find.    We were in the most uncomfortable place to do this at, though. We were in one of the closets  of Hawkin's community pool. It was after hours now,  the pool had been closed for some time, they always closed when the sun went down and when the children's fathers got off of work and the mothers had to be quick on their feet and head home to cook them a meal.  A few people were still in the parking lot, a few life guards were also gathering their supplies and getting ready to set, sail, and go home. Yet, Billy told me he had a surprise for me if I stayed past my curfew and past my work schedule.  Of course, I knew what he wanted. I knew what he had up his sleeve.  (The so called surprise, as you may have guess is... *drum roll*  his cock!! What an amazing present to gift someone, right?)   I, being the dumbass that I am, agreed, though.   It wasn't bad, per say. It never was bad. Hell, it only got better within each sacred and secret moment we shared together.  That's where the problem was at; I was tired of being a secret. Tired of hiding from everyone. Tired of feeling used. I wasn't Billy's rag doll he could use and carry with him wherever. I also wasn't his personal sex toy that he could slip his dick into whenever, wherever.  I was tired. So, fucking, tired. I was  exhausted, mentally and physically. Having to keep the secrets buried away, hiding them in a place they can't be broken or seen, it was truly going to be the death of me.  Especially from Steve. I was tired of lying to him.  Steve Harrington was my best friend. Best friends since kindergarten, he and I. I hated that I was hiding my relationship - was it even that? - with Billy to him.  Steve and I went to each other for everything.  Always have, always will. When he and Nancy broke up, he came to me, crying his heart out and drowning my shirts (and pillows and blankets) with tears and snot.  (Thankfully, he cleaned them up so I didn't have to. I would've done it in a heartbeat, though. I loved Steve. Steve is my best friend, I'd do anything for him, as I know he'd do anything for me.   So, lying to him made me feel like the shittiest person alive.)   That night, along with many other restless ones, we  talked  and talked until the sun came up.  I did everything I could to make him happy, to cheer him up. I baked him his favorite cookies and favorite meal once as well to try and make him feel better. Almost burnt the kitchen down while doing so, too. And, okay, maybe, the meal and the cookies didn't work out and I failed. In the end, it put a smile on Steve's face which is all I had been dying to see.  Soda dripped from Steve's nose and burnt his nostrils, he was laughing so hard when the fire alarm went off, letting us know the cookies in the oven were bursting in flames. Luckily, we saved the kitchen from exploding with fire and clouding with smoke. Can't say the same for the cookies, sadly.  From that day and onward, he and I still made jokes about burnt crisp cookies and nearly dying because of trying to bake them together.  It was one of our favorite inside jokes, actually.  ("I went to the store yesterday and I walked up and down the aisles and guess what? Not a single one had burnt crisp cookie dough.")  ("You see this bullshit, Harrington? All the cookies in the world are at this fundraiser expect for burnt crisp cookie dough!"  "Oh, man, I'm going to have to talk to the principal about that one... I cannot believe they'd do something like this.") When I got dumped by  one of the basketball players on the Hawkin's high school team, Steve was the first (and only) one who reached out to me and cheered me up. He rented out a few of our favorite movies together and before they could close, Steve and I were quick to rush to the grocery store and we picked up as much junk food as our arms could carry.   That night - along with others - was full of nothing but contagious laughter, sweet and salty foods, and horrible but too good to put down and look away movies.   All the thoughts of Steve wash away once I  feel Billy's hand dip  into the opening of my underwear, his calloused fingers pushing the thin layer of fabric aside  as his index finger slips between my folds, a gasp leaving me as I feel his touch.  His touch felt like fire among my skin, and I was an ice cube, melting in the palm of his hands.  I could feel myself sinking and sinking, slipping away into the pleasure he was about to bring onto me.  "I love when you make that face," He whispers against my neck, lips drifting across my skin, not quite in contact but not so far away either where I couldn't feel him. His breath was hot and I could smell the peppermint gum as he talked.  "Love hearing those pretty but pornographic moans of yours.... gets my cock so hard, you get me so worked up, baby girl...." Billy's scent was intoxicating. Even right now with the  left over smell of coconut lotion smeared across his skin from lathering himself up early in the morning, he smelled perfect. As perfect as can get. He smelled of coconut  mixed with peppermint and a cologne I couldn't pinpoint on exactly what  or which brand. All the scents together may sound odd and unsatisfying but I was nearly drooling as the different fragrances overwhelmed my senses. That and the fact he pushes his index and middle finger inside me, so easily, without any trouble whatsoever. Him, doing that earned another  gasp to fall off  of my lips as it was so sudden, so unexpected.  I knew I was wet, could feel the puddle of wetness coating the bottom half of my underwear but I hadn't known I was so hot and bothered he could easily slip two fingers into me. I shouldn't act so surprised, this was Billy Hargrove, after all. Billy was one, if not, the most attractive guy in Hawkin's, Indiana. Well...in our age group, anyways. A lot of other students and fellow classmates were far from attractive. (Minus Steve, but of course, he doesn't count. He knows he's attractive, just as much as Billy does. Me, telling him he's cute and everything wouldn't change the fact. He already knows it.) Moments like this, I wish I had a jar I could bottle these memories up and store them away, have a look back upon them some day with a smile on my face. I've never felt so alive, so wanted, needed and loved... not until I met Billy.  He made me feel as if I was on cloud nine and he made me feel as if  I could do anything - everything -  and I wasn't just some girl, some hookup, to him. I was special. Sure, hiding and keeping secrets wasn't the greatest feeling in the world, I'll have to have a talk with him about it, about the way I felt, but as of right now, I wanted to touch him the way he was touching me. I wanted to make him feel the butterflies in the pit of his stomach, the ones I was feeling right now. The ones I always feel when he presses his lips against mine or when he just touches me, in general. Hell, even when he smiles in my direction, holds my hand with his much larger one and or laughs at a not so funny joke I tell. I wanted to make his heart skip a beat, as he did with me. I wanted to make him feel as special as he makes me. Before I could register what I am about to say, those three little words leave my lips before I could put a stop to them.  "I love you."  I couldn't stop the sentence, even if I tried.  Billy said nothing. He hums in reply, but no words leave his mouth. He continues to move his fingers back and forth, curling and scissoring his digits deep inside me. I groan quietly, leaning my head back against the shower tile wall, holding myself up the best I could from the position I was in. "There's a good girl," is all he says. He either doesn't acknowledge what I said or he chose to ignore it. My heart aches at the second option but the feeling goes away rather fast as he's sinking to his knees and spreading my legs far apart, his head guiding up to face my cunt and before I know it, his tongue - his mouth - everything is inside and I feel as if I'm on fire.   "Oh... Oh, Billy..." I mewl,  slowly my eyelids drift close on their own as I press my lower half into his  welcoming mouth, my breathing began to grow heavy as his tongue swirls against my cunt which hardens underneath him.  He grips his fingers into my thighs, more  than likely putting imprints of his nails into my skin by  how hard he pressed them down. I didn't mind a few bruises. The bruises were  a reminder this was all happening and not some form of my imagination.    Even from the position he was in, I could feel the outline of his lips curving upward and I didn't need to look down to see the famous Hargrove smirk sitting there across his face; I could feel him smiling in between my thighs.    He, to my disappointment, pulls away, but he doesn't stay far back for too long. The cheeky little shit only wanted to lock eyes with me, shoot me a wink before diving back down in between my legs, eating me out as if he was starving. Saliva dripped down his chin and I could feel it sliding off of my thighs, too.  His tongue was everywhere, going from my pussy to the inside of my thighs to my clit back and all over again. He was devouring me, eating me out as if we were running out of time which was far from the truth.   I didn't mind it one bit. Wasn't complaining in the slightest.  My only  issue was how close I was getting to an orgasm. The signs were all there, slowly building up. My heart was pounding faster than before, my legs were shaking and my knees began to buckle. It was getting harder to keep upward.  My eyelids  could barely keep open, the familiar fluttery feeling grew bigger and stronger in my stomach. Billy, probably knowing I was close to my peak, pulled away and before he stands up, he pushes his shorts down, letting them hang by his feet. "Next time, princess, I want to see that mouth of yours stuffed with my cock; see you gagging for it, all around me. As of right now, I just want to fuck you and leave you  breathless, now bend over and let me see that pretty pussy of yours, baby. 'm gonna wreck it, have you feeling me for days, have you feeling this cock in your stomach. That's what you want, isn't it? To be fucked like I hate you?"    Before I could reply, he's taking me by the wrist and bending me forward, laying my body against one of the shelves in the closet as he rubs my opening with the head of his cock, sending a shiver to run through my body, goosebumps prickling my skin as I breathe through my nose, closing my eyes. I wait for him, wait for the stretch and the opening of his cock but it doesn't come as quickly as I would have liked.  "I don't, by the way. Hate you." He said, leaning forward whereas his back touches my own, "I'll fuck you like I do but I don't. The feeling is mutual." He said and before I could reply - before I could ask what he meant - he's pushing forward, pressing his cock deep inside me, sinking into me with a growl.   "You're so fucking tight, always so fucking tight." He grunts, hissing through his teeth as he rocks his hips back and forth, his cock going deeper inside me, inch by inch, I feel him. He's all I could feel.  He's all I want to feel.  "Please..... please, Billy." My words are crumbling together, my body was breaking apart.  "Tell me," He purred,  his breath lightly  fanning against my ear as he spoke,  his voice was low and irresistible, it made every part of me shake as he spoke. "Tell me what you want. You have to speak up in order to get what you want, love.... So, tell me." "Just you, you, you, you." I'm begging now. I can feel myself getting closer and closer. I'm holding onto the shelf so tightly because I'm afraid I'm going to fall over.   The feeling is growing, the bubbling sensation is getting larger and I can feel myself getting ready to burst.  "Please, Billy, fuck me like you hate me. Fuck me like I'm some whore on the street. Fuck me-" My words are cut off by the way he pulls out only to slam back into me. Him, doing this  - the sudden force and movement - is what makes me come undone. I knew I wasn't going to last long.  Luckily, neither does he. "Oh, fuck. Already came, did you? Such a good girl. Fuck~ you're such a good girl for me. 'm gonna cum too, fuck, I'm so close, (Y/N)." His words, much like mine were, slur together, his thrusts become sloppy and messy. And before I know it, he's cumming with a cry of my name, filling me up as he does so.  "Shit...." He groans, pulling back slowly as he then pulls me up with him, pulling me around to face him as he kisses me suddenly,  the taste of myself still strong on his tongue. It shouldn't be a turn on but it was. However, I was too exhausted for a round two any time soon.  I kiss him back, smiling against his lips.  We stay in this position for a few seconds, saying nothing because the kiss says what all that I needed to hear. He loved me too.  Pulling back, Billy smiles and moves a few pieces of hair out from my face, leaning forward, he captures my forehead with his lips, kissing it with so much softness and affection, I feel all warm and tingly on the inside.  This is the Billy nobody but me got to see. This is the Billy I was in love with.  Not the one he portrayed for everyone in town to see. He didn't have to play pretend, to put on a show, I loved him for who he was. Even the fake persona he wore. I knew it wasn't him, not at all.  "I love you."  Something flashes across his face the moment I say those three words, there's a certain  look in his eyes I can't make out but he grins nonetheless and pulls me closer to him, hand finding their way to my cheeks as he  moves to kiss me the way he had done before. "And I love you."  Of course, I should have known he was lying.  It was Billy Hargrove, after all.  He didn't date.  Didn't fall in love.  All he cared about was the person that looked back at him in the reflection of his mirror and getting into girl's pants, no matter who it was.  More importantly, he didn't fall in love with me.  It was all a lie, all a trick, and I was nothing more than a puppet on strings for him to toy around with.  I didn't know this until the next day. If I had known, I wouldn't have given myself up to him so easily. 

I was -  I still am - a fool for falling for his little white lies.  I should have known.  All the red flags were there but..... I guess I was just color blind.  I just wanted to be loved. And I thought he loved me..... I really did. I guess I was just another girl to put on the top of his list. 

[seongsangsgf]

Guidance

Pairing:Hongjoong x Reader Word Count:2.2k Genre:Smut, Fluff Tags/warnings:very fluffy, soft sex, switch(sub lean)!hongjoong, switch!reader, first time, virgin!hongjoong, mentions of reader having fuck buddies in the past, handjob, oral(fem receiving), Hongjoong is shy in this gif:sanshine A/N:requested by @minionn98! I actuality found this cute while I was writing it 🥺

It’s been awhile since you and Hongjoong have been dating each other. It all started when Hongjoong noticed you as a worker at an expensive fragrance store. He was trying to find a cologne that he’d like to buy but was a little hesitant at first so he decided that he’d ask someone for assistance.

This is where you came into the picture. You found the blue-haired man cute and sweet. Hongjoong was a shy man to begin with. More so he became more shy when he saw you. He thought that you were beautiful hence the reason why he was at a loss for words.

But eventually your kind self helped him and recommended the new cologne that the store was selling that day. Since then Hongjoong would always appear every now and then to buy any new fragrance that the store would sell on a certain day.

In reality however he only went to the store to see you and wanted to ask you out for a date. He was scared though, having too many thoughts about you either rejecting his offer or you already dating someone else. But Hongjoong was relieved when you said yes to him and since then the two of you went out on many dates after your shift at the fragrance store was over.

Hongjoong has tried lots of new things with you along the way and he was happy about things going as planned. But then one day, Hongjoong began to think about the two of you having sex with each other. It was all thanks to one of his friends sending him a link to a porn website and watched at least a couple of videos on there, some rough and kinky and others soft and gentle. Hongjoong loves the soft porn videos more because there was more connection between the pornstars and since that he began having thoughts of the both of you making love to each other. He began to feel hesitant though, thinking that you might not be into it, it wasn’t the right time, or he might mess up.

Hongjoong thought that it was best for him to talk it over with you so that he wouldn’t feel so anxious.

You just came back home from your job when you were met with silence. Normally Hongjoong would go running into you and greet you whenever you came back but this was the complete opposite. The silence was already killing you so you decided to go upstairs to where your shared bedroom was.

When you finally approached your room, you saw your boyfriend sitting on the edge of the bed, looking down at the floor while nervously fidgeting his fingers.

“What’s wrong Joongie?” You asked, noticing how nervous he was.

“I-it’s nothing y/n, r-really!” He said smiling nervously, trying to hide the fact that he was feeling anxious and that he wanted to tell you something that has been in his head lately but couldn’t find the right words to say to you.

“Oh Hongjoong you can tell me whatever’s on your mind, I won’t judge you.” You encouraged him, sitting down next to him and gently caressing his face.

Hongjoong felt somewhat relieved at your words of encouragement because in the end you never judged him for the things that he said.

“Well i-it’s just that my one of m-my friends have sent m-me a link to a p-porn site and ever since then I began to have t-thoughts of d-doing all of the things that I’ve since from those v-videos with y-you.” He cringed at how small and timid his voice sounded but was at least proud to get everything out of his chest.

“Of course we can Joongie. I’m ok with it after all.” You have mentioned to him about how you had sex with a few fuck buddies before but that was before you began working. Luckily you were experienced enough with sexual intercourses so you thought that it would be best to guide him along the way. “Since this is your first time would you like for me to be gentle with you sweetie?” You asked softly while holding his hand.

“Y-yes please.” He said in his shy voice, cheeks turning pink.

“Ok then strip and lay down on the bed for me.”

Hongjoong began to get rid of his clothes while you did the same before laying on his back. The both of you admired each other’s exposed bodies, despite the fact that he was blushing at you staring at him, shyly closing his legs.

“Oh Joongie don’t be shy, I’ll take good care of you.” You assured him, getting on top of him before capturing his lips in a soft kiss.

Hongjoong melted into the kiss before he felt your hand wrap around his cock, jolting at the sudden touch and letting out a muffled moan.

“Does this feel good baby?” You asked as you pumped his cock at a steady pace while pinching his nipples, watching him squirm underneath you.

“Y-yes, I need m-more please!” He sobbed as he was enjoying the pleasure that you were giving him.

You granted his wish by speeding your hand a little faster, eliciting more of the beautiful sounds coming out from his mouth.

Hongjoong felt like he was in the clouds right now, not wanting this to end and feeling like he was gonna cum any minute now.

“Y/n I’m gonna c-cum! Let me cum p-please!” He cried as his orgasm was about to crash down on him.

“Go ahead baby boy, cum for me.” You whispered sultry in his ear.

Your seductive voice sent shivers to his spine as he came all over your hand and on his stomach, inhaling shakily as he experienced his first orgasm.

“T-thank you, y/n…” Hongjoong mewled as he was feeling the aftershocks.

A few seconds after he was brought back down to earth, Hongjoong was curious as to how heavenly you would sound, wanting to make you feel good as well.

“Y/n, may I eat you out please?”, he asked, voice beginning to sound a little confident.

You didn’t say anything but decided to lay down on the bed, spreading your legs so that he could get a good view of your pussy.

Hongjoong felt his cock twitch softly at how wet your cunt was, already wanting to do more things to you than just eat you out but also wanting to keep his promise.

He hovered over your body before leaning down to lick and suck on your nipples, making you let out a low moan.

He began to leave soft kisses from your stomach to your inner thighs before his tongue found your clit, kitten licking it before he actually began to eat you out.

“H-hongjoong~!” You moaned out loud, bucking your hips against his face while gently gripping his hair. You thought that he was doing a good job for someone who had no experience.

Hongjoong thought that you sounded beautiful so he decided to find more ways to pleasure you. He pushed two fingers into your tight cunt while sucking on your clit, coaxing the sweet sounds that came from your lips. From how loud and hot you sounded he could tell that he was doing a good job.

Your walls tightened around his fingers, making him think about how good you would feel around his member, the thought of it making his cock harden.

Hongjoong noticed that you were close to cumming so he licked and fingered you faster like if he were a famished man.

You let out a choked moan as you felt your walls spasm around his fingers, your juices gushing and making a mess all over your boyfriends’ face and fingers.

Hongjoong licked your cum off of his face clean while also sucking his fingers clean. If he were to be honest, he’d rather have you for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

“You did such a good job Joongie.” You cooed at him while ruffling the top of his head softly.

“Thank you y/n, I’m glad that I could make you feel as good as you made me feel too.” He smiled softly at you, blush appearing on his cheeks again but not as much as earlier. Hongjoong felt himself getting more comfortable as the moment went on.

“Is there anything else that you need help with Hongjoong?” You asked him softly, wondering about what other things he’d love to do with you now that he was doing good for his first time.

“Well there’s a position that I’ve seen that I’d like to try. Missionary I think that’s what it’s called?” Hongjoong questioned, wondering if that was the name that he was looking for. It became a personal favorite of his because with this position he could do eye contact with you and he’d once told you that your eyes look pretty.

“Ah yes I know what you're talking about baby.” You assured him, once again laying down on your back so that he could get the position right.

“Go ahead baby, you can put it in.” Giving him the green sign, he slid his member inside you, groaning when he felt your walls tighten.

You moaned softly at the stretch, already loving how good his cock felt inside of you.

Hongjoong moved his hips at a slow pace, making sure that the two of you were both comfortable and that he was gentle with you even though you had more experience than him.

You were letting out little sobs and moans as he was making you feel good with his cock, pleasing you in all the right places. You thought that he was fucking your better than your past fuck buddies because in reality he’s the only one that can make you experience euphoria like you are now.

“Hongjoong, more p-please!” You whimpered, wanting to feel more of him and wanting to know what he was capable of doing.

He did as he was told as he was thrusting into you a little faster, moaning loudly as the both of you stimulated each other with you rocking your hips, matching the speed of his thrusts to help him out.

If Hongjoong were to be honest, you looked very beautiful all fucked out, drowning in the pleasure that he was bringing to you. He too was also drowning in his own pleasure.

Hongjoong leaned down to kiss you passionately while holding onto your hand, not wanting the intimate moment to be over. You held onto the back of his head with your free hand to deepen the kiss. Eventually the kiss was broken when Hongjoong found your g-spot, making you let out a cry.

“Joongie I’m g-gonna cum!” You sobbed as you felt your orgasm approach, feeling your cunt get more tighter around his cock.

“Cum for me y/n, please!” He moaned in desperation of wanting you to spill all over his cock so that he could fill you up.

Moans and pitiful cries were heard in the room as the two of you came together, your heat spasming around your boyfriend’s cock as he breeded you full of his warm release.

A few minutes later the two of you were brought back down to earth before cleaning each other up, making sure to change the bedsheets into cleaner ones. Hongjoong nuzzles himself into your neck like if he were a little kitten. You rubbed your hands on his back while whispering gentle praises to him.

“You did so well Joongie, so good for me.” You cooed at him, running your fingers through his hair.

Hongjoong blushed a lot at the compliment before giving you his brightest smile. “Mm I’m glad that I did good for you y/n.” He said cheerfully, pecking your lips softly before actually kissing them. You kissed him back while hugging him, the two of you basking in the romantic moment.

The moment would last until you turned your head to look at the clock, reading 7:00 PM.

“Oh my it’s a little late now, I think I should cook dinner for us, I’m starving.” You stated before getting up from the bed, only to be pulled back down by Hongjoong.

“No I wanna take a nap with you!” He whined cutely.

“Ugh fine whatever.” You shrugged at him. In reality you couldn’t say no to someone as cute as Hongjoong. “I’m still gonna cook dinner though.”

Hongjoong smiled in victory before burying his head into your neck again, wanting more of your affection, to which you gave him that.

“Y/n?”

“Hm?”

“I love you~.” He cooed before planting some kisses onto your neck and jawline.

“I love you too baby~.” You ruffled his hair a little.

The two of you decided to take a nap. You hope that you don’t oversleep so that you can cook for your boyfriend, but then again you don't care. You just wanted to spend some time with your lovely prince right now.

Hongjoong was proud that he was able to do good at his first time, feeling like he completed the challenge. He was glad that he overcame his fears that he had in the beginning. But more importantly, Hongjoong was thankful that you guided him in his first time and he couldn’t wait to do it with you again.

[ladyeliot]

I got you.

Request: Anonymous. Hello there, first of all I love your way of writing, the fics are great! Could I send you an request? Maybe the reader and Chris met again after the pandemic, they have an unfinished relationship and she realizes that she still loves him. Don't worry if you don't feel like it, thanks a lot! 

Pairing: Chris Evans x Fem!Reader

Warning: Mentions of anxiety and the pandemic. A little angst.

Word count: 2687

Notes: Sorry for taking so long! And for my spelling and grammatical mistakes, English is not my native language, I am learning.

There had been so many times when you had imagined yourself growing old with him in that house that you didn't know how to deal with the situation right now. You were in Massachusetts, inside your car, standing in front of his house, without any warning and without knowing how he would react when he saw you after so many months.

You and Chris had a history, a short but passionate history that lasted two and a half years as an established couple and one year with comings and goings. The reason for the break-up was not the end of the love, but the time. The time you spent apart was longer than the time you spent together, your work was not very compatible with his, and although you both did your best to overcome it, it was not enough. Even so, after the friendly break-up the relationship didn't end completely, let's say it never had a point and end, becoming friends with benefits, and it was something that didn't seem to matter to you. However, there was a conversation going on between you, and although neither of you named it, that conversation was present. Every time you coincided for a short period of days everything happened except that conversation, and without it neither of you could evolve, neither of you could have freedom. You felt that you were still bound, and you both knew it.

The global pandemic did not benefit your situation, while he stayed in Boston with his family, you flew home. At first everyone thought that the situation would be resolved in a couple of months at most, but as time went on the problem became bigger. The months passed, the pandemic became uncontrollable and everyone stopped their lives. Your contact with Chris was not lost, but it weakened, there were too many things to think about and the constant fear that something might happen to a loved one made you anxious, and your priorities were elsewhere.

As time went by you discovered to value the little things in life, perhaps because of the pandemic. You realized what really mattered, what made you happy and what you were willing to fight for in your day-to-day life. Chris was one of those things. Your life with him was not perfect, like nothing else in this life, but the positives outweighed the negatives. Confinement allowed you to meditate, to consider how you wanted your future to be and to discover that the important thing was to live in the moment, because you never know what is going to happen. It was clear that during the pandemic you couldn't fight for what you wanted, nor take a plane and fly to where he was, but things would slowly come back to normal, and it would be time to make an important decision.

As you had predicted, light began to appear at the end of the tunnel. Things were relaxing again, taking on a new normalcy and you had to start to take up your old life again. Conversations with Chris had increased over the last few months, you had too much to say but it was a bit difficult for both of you to put it on the screen, so in the end you always ended up talking nonsense and getting a laugh out of each other. Maybe that was what you liked best about him, that he managed to make you smile even in your worst moments. It was comforting to discover that he was well, that he had overcome, with his more and with his less, that period and that your feelings towards him had not changed.

It was obvious that you were back to your routine, and that meant that work would barely let you take a break. The New York company had not dealt with the COVID crisis very well and the situation was quite alarming. You barely had time to reconnect with your friends, as you set foot in New York City hundreds of business problems fell upon you. Stress was trapping you, preventing you from even sleeping at night, and all you needed was to escape from that environment because your head was going to explode. You were told that several trips were planned to discuss the impact the pandemic had had on various locations around the country, and you felt an immediate relief when you were told, unless you could get away from the centre of the bomb.

Your destination was even more comforting, as it was barely 30 kilometres from your previous residence with Chris. The plane left for Boston first thing in the morning, the sky had not yet awakened and you chose to rest your eyes for the 60 minutes that the journey took. You hadn't spoken to him for the last two weeks, basically since you arrived in New York, when he called you, you were in business meetings and always came home in the early hours of the morning, falling into bed. That was your life, quite complicated to complement with external factors.

The meeting with the Boston headquarters was not too negative, which got you to relax and send good news to your company. The most positive factor you brought out is that you had finished early enough to do what you had in mind since you discovered your trip to Boston. You borrowed a car from your company and set off for the house where you had lived for almost two years. You didn't know if he would be there when you arrived or if it would be completely empty, but you erased those thoughts from your mind and just drove.

You knew the route perfectly, you used to do it every morning. It was nice to rediscover the variety of colours that those little forests could have during the autumn. You lowered the window so that the wind would fill the interior of the car, producing extreme relief in you, relaxing every limb and freeing your mind from any stressful event. That's all you wanted during the long, final months of your life. It took you just over 30 minutes to reach your destination, and when you were there the world around you came to a standstill. It had been so long since you had been in front of each other that a little worry had formed inside you.

You assumed that naturalness was the best way to deal with such a situation, so you chose to get out of the car and face what might happen. You analysed the outside of the house, there was no car in the driveway, no sign of anyone inside, but a very familiar voice, along with some barking, guided you to the back of the garden. A wistful look on your face, and your smile widened when you discovered that Dodger, hearing the rustling of leaves under your feet, had noticed you. From the distance he headed towards you at great speed, causing Chris to fix his gaze on you. As usual, Dodger lunged at you, causing you to fall backwards into the wet grass, but you were used to that.

The next few minutes hundreds of emotions met in the air. The reunion with Chris was silent, but many things were said through the eyes. First came the nervous smiles, then the excited look and then the hugs.

"It's been so long since I've hugged you... that I've forgotten how it feels to be hugged by you," he whispered those words in your ear and made you tremble, wishing that the embrace would never end.

There were no questions between the two of you, no "What are you doing here" or "Why did you come here", you didn't need an answer to either of them, you wanted to focus on the moment. You went back into that house, for the first time in a long time, accompanied by a Dodger that was fully seeking your attention and that almost prevented you from walking.

"Let's go, buddy! Let Y/N in the house," he said trying to catch him. "Oh, he just ignores me. I'm sorry you'll have to manage on your own. He has chosen, very smart."

Chris' comment made you show a sweet smile as Dodger tried to lick your whole face as you crouched at his height.

"I've missed you too, sweetie," you said, standing up as you could.

You headed inside the house, where Chris was watching you with a tender expression on his face. As you entered, a warmth and that unmistakable aroma of Chris was in the air. It was a mixture between the smell of wood from the fireplace and his fragrance. That caused your senses to come together and create a familiarity in you. You looked around curiously, quickly analysing every corner, Chris waited while you checked.

"It's all the same," you said in a soft tone smiling at him.

"Yep," he replied in the same soft tone. "Will you stay for dinner with us?"

You showed him a smile as you slowly nodded. "That sounds great."

You knew you had one night before your plane back to New York left the next day. There was too much to do and too much to say for just one night, and neither of you were likely to start that conversation, you were experts at it.

Both of you got down to work in the kitchen, as if you were back in the past. Neither of you were experts in that field, but you used to let yourselves go. Dodger, calmer, took a seat in his basket and watched you with curiosity.

"Beer?" asked Chris, approaching you with a bottle.

"Thank you," you took it and took a little drink, imitating him.

The situation was common, two people cooking, but for you it was not at all common where you were. Chris was a person who did not hide his emotions, and you had seen this during the time you had spent together. In the relationship it was much harder for you to express what you were feeling, but at that moment it was perhaps not too much for you to be back in your old home, with the man you had loved, after a year of not seeing each other and having a relationship that was not quite closed.So you finally put down the knife you were cutting onions with and threw yourself away, knowing that everything could go wrong.

"Aren't you going to ask me why I'm here?" You frowned softly and looked at him.

Chris was caught off guard by the question, as he watched you and arched his eyebrows, while leaning against the refrigerator.

"Okay," he nodded across his arms. "Why are you here?

You remained pensive, you had gone into the lion's den, because even you did not know very well how to answer that question. Why were you there? You opened your lips to look for a coherent explanation, but nothing. Chris was waiting for the answer, but he realised that you didn't know what to say, so he approached you. "It's okay," he said, taking a lock of your hair and putting it behind his ear.

"No," you frowned. "It's not okay."

"What do you mean?" he asked curiously, returning to his previous position.

"To us," you pointed. "I don't know if it's right what we're doing to each other.”

"What are we doing to each other?" he asked gently, trying to get you to express what was on your mind.

"This," you raised your voice a little. "We didn't finish. We have no end..."

"That's why you came," he crossed his arms at a considerable distance. "To put an end to it?"

You asked yourself if you had come to that, and the answer was obvious, no, you had not come to that.

"No", you whispered looking into his eyes, then you put your hand to your face. "God, this is too complicated."

"Hey...", he came up to you again and took his hand away from your face. "If it wasn't complicated it wouldn't be us."

Those were the truest words he had ever said. You both had a magnet for complicated situations and were the first to try to deal with them.

"Try to tell me why you came here," he kindly insisted again. "I have a clear idea, but I need you to confirm it.

You remembered how you felt when you got there, when you drove there, when you discovered that the business trip was taking you to Boston, where he was. All your happiness in those days was for him. During the pandemic you told yourself that you needed a change in your life, that many things had been lost because of your previous priorities, and your mood had also changed.

"I have come... ", you sighed, emptying your lungs and taking in air again. "I'm here... During the pandemic, I realized what really makes me happy, how things can change from one day to the next and that you have to fight for what you want." You felt a little embarrassed. "God..."

Chris knew how complex everything was for you, that you only extracted your sentimental feelings and thoughts when you were angry and had an argument, so that was a big effort.

"Please Y/N, continue", he gave you a soft smile.

"In short..." you started.

"No, don't summarize", Chris cut you off with a little laugh, which relaxed you.

"Okay," you leaned against the kitchen island and took a breath of air. "It's simple, I've decided that I want to be happy, and you make me happy.”

When you released that sentence you felt an inner relief, you freed yourself from a great weight that had been with you for a long time, and now Chris had everything in his hands. The next ten seconds were the longest of your life, you waited to see Chris' reaction, who was just a few meters away looking at you with a little smile on his face, that you didn't know how to take it.

"Well?" you whispered expectantly. "Are you planning to say something?"

The smile on Chris' face widened and he slowly took a step towards you to shorten the distance, standing face to face, finding you between the kitchen island and his body. He didn't say anything, it was what he did that made you realize his opinion. He stretched out his arms to take your face in his hands and approached you very slowly to kiss your lips. Your heart gave a return when you felt him so close to you again, testing his taste on your lips again, rediscovering the touch of his beard. A bark from Dodger came in the moment, but you barely noticed the event, as you were too busy meeting again.

You split up by cutting off the kiss and frowning.

"Wait. You haven't said anything, what do you think?"

"Come on honey, isn't it obvious?"

You arched an eyebrow waiting, Chris rolled his eyes and caught you sitting on the kitchen counter, you being taller than him.

"You're going to make me say it," he said, looking at your smile. "If I tell you that I love you, so that I can kiss you again and then later develop the answer, will that help?”

Those were the things you loved about him.

"It depends on the kiss."

Chris soon had you in his hands again, more firmly than the previous time. You let yourselves go forgetting everything around you, as if you wanted to make up for all the lost time, all the time apart. Chris lifted you off the counter again and you wrapped your legs around his waist.

"I got you," he whispered against your lips.

"You've always got me."

Tag list: @imerdwarf @mycosmicparadise @lavendertales

Requests/Taglist Open (DM)

MAIN MASTERLIST

[extremelyblackandwhite]

innocence - 04

PAIRING: bodyguard!bucky barnes x innocent actress!reader

WARNINGS: age gap, sexual harassment (please don’t read this chapter if it triggers/makes you uncomfortable, your safety comes first)

A/N:  i do realise i’m on a roll posting every day but uni starts early and idk why i keep writing like i’m running out of time😂 hope you enjoy this chapter. much love xx

* additionally, there is a light sexual harassment scene in this chapter and if anyone is uncomfortable or triggered by it i would skip it. your mental health and safety come first. *

NEXT CHAPTER

One day I’ll fly away...

She remembered the very first role she got to play as a lead. She was the standby for Glinda in Wicked. She could still feel her hand shaking as the backstage technicians secured her to the bubble. She could still hear the bubble machine engine rumble as the bubble raised up in the ceiling and for a moment she was above everything - above the audience, above the cast, above the stage itself. It felt like flying, soaring through the gasping of the crowd. She remembered feeling like this was her height, this was her flight but as things went, as she got more roles and as she progressed to the screen as she always wanted, the feeling of flying just seemed to soar, turning her into a creature of air.

Flying for Bucky was something he couldn’t remember, he remembered crashing. Remembered falling from the train waiting for the peaceful slumber of death to come but it never did, remembered the cold snow melting through his jacket reaching his skin. It’s cold. Remembered diving in after Steve, lungs filled with water, heavy suit. It’s cold, it’s quiet. Soaring was only something he could dream of while frozen or when they put him on a cell with a small window. Crashing was more like something he could remember, drowning, pushed to the bottom by his arm, wishing death came to greet him

More powerful than crashing was sound. The theatre was always filled with whistling from men getting a peak at ladies’ legs, women giggling and security trying to keep out children and teens away. You could hear the laughter reverberating from any material, it was electrifying. Her voice however seemed to melt over distorted past sounds, a melancholy while held hands with the old telling it never of its former glory but of what it can be. Bucky knew now why her agency kept her so locked up, all people with a voice eventually fly away. 

     - Don’t just stare at me. - she bite her lip, looking the other way. Did she sound that bad? She thought she sounded just fine in the shower that morning, maybe her bathroom had better acoustics. - Should we go back home? Before it gets dark?

     - Sure. - he got up from his seat, extending his hand towards her so she could jump off the set. She put her hand in his, another hand coming to rest upon his shoulder as her elevated her up into the air before bringing her down onto the worn out floor. 

The walk back to the subway was quiet. People were starting to crowd Coney Island for night time dates. Bucky remembered bringing girls to dates in Coney Island, even remembered bringing Steve along, he just didn’t remember the girls’ names anymore. There were some flashes of what they were wearing but surely those memories were replaced with that of Y/N staring at the ferris wheel as they walked back to the subway.

Once there, her child like wonder of the city that never slept and the city which she now lived in didn’t seem to leave her eyes, sparkling brighter than the billboards in Times Square. The walk back to the apartment was once again quiet, with their footsteps being the only thing echoing in the halls. Soon enough they reached her door, still looking as intact as they left it.

     - Thank you so much for showing me Coney Island. - she handed him the teddy he had won. - Thank you gift. 

     - I won it for you, Y/N. Besides, I think I’m a bit past stuffed animals. 

     - Well, I’ve had my fair share of stuffed animals to last a life time and I insist you keep this one. - she stuffed the teddy between his arms, finding it incredibly adorable how the little toy looked smaller in the middle of his arms than in hers. - Little Coney Island memento. 

     - I should get going. - he changed the subject, gesturing with his hands as he looked at the time on his watch. - It’s been a great day, Y/N.

     - The pleasure’s been all mine, Bucky. - she smiled as she held the edge of the door. She stood by the slightly opened door watching as he turned the corner which led to the lift. Once he was out of sight, Y/N walked into her apartment, closing the door behind her but still holding the knob with a silly smile on her face. 

Bucky reached the headquarters around 11 PM. Despite going the long way home, expecting Steve to be asleep when he returned. Steve had a very mundane routine when it came to sleeping, he could still sleep but he would wait until everyone was asleep for him to go to his bedroom. Bucky didn’t want to have to dance the first day in the job waltz. He knew he cared, he knew Steve wanted him to be alright. There was only one small thing; Steve wanted Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes, his Bucky, and he just wasn’t that man anymore. He didn’t like being asked who he was, he doesn’t know who he is.

Opening the door to the living room, he found Captain America himself sat on the big lounge chair, skimming through his list of modern day TV shows and movies. His blue eyes moved from the bright lights of the television to him.

      - How was the first day? - he questioned, regular optimism present in his voice. Steve had remained the same, maybe it was that which made him believe the spectre of the boy Bucky was could be revived. He seemed to forget dead people can’t be revived. 

      - It was good, went to Coney Island.

      - Coney Island? - Steve muted the TV, contorted face expression settling into his youthful features. - I thought you were going to guard her door.

      - She wanted to see Coney Island. Couldn’t let her go alone?

      - Didn’t her personal assistant tell you she couldn’t leave? - he had been noisey, he had looked into Bucky’s contract. He told himself it was just in case, just in case Bucky needed his help. - You don’t want to get in any trouble, specially with agencies. They’re the devil.

      - I’ll take it into consideration. - his skin tightened as he smiled a tight straight line. 

      - Do you wanna stay for a while? I’m watching a series Sam recommended. 

      - I think I’m gonna just go to sleep.

Steve nodded allowing Bucky to return to his bedroom. There wasn’t much in the bedroom, a bed, side table and wardrobe, nothing else. No mirrors and no windows, silence, grey and black bedding, no decoration rather than a postcard his sister had sent him during the war framed in a plastic frame. No glass, Steve wanted nothing around he could harm himself with. It was almost like living in an insane asylum. 

He looked at the little teddy bear in his hands before placing it on the side table, a little smile on his face. A Coney Island memento indeed. 

The morning came rushing like the rain which fell against Y/N’s bedroom glass window. She turned around in her bedding, pushing her knitted quilt up to her nose, the scent of fresh crisp cotton invading her senses. The mood would’ve remained the same comfortable, early morning type had it not been for her comforter being yanked off her without any warning. Through the fogginess of morning sight, she could make out Ms. Olson in her traditional black suit co-ord. She thought it fitting, considering her morning was now ruined.

     - Get up. We have much to do. - she barked like an infuriating dog.

     - But I thought I had the weekend off.- Y/N rubbed the sleep of her eyes, sitting up, quilt covering her body. 

     - You have last mine commitment. Now run along and change into something more ... - he analysed her before gazing her face, tight expression settling in. - Enchanting. 

She left Y/N in the bedroom, clenching her bedding as she looked around the place she’d rather be. Nevertheless, she rose from her bed and walked up to her wardrobe grabbing the first dress she could find and a pair of heels. Her routine during work was different, she normally showered, got her makeup done, dressed and then out of the door. Mechanic, controlled, with Ms. Olson asking her to hurry up. In a split second she returned to the living room, bag held on her shoulder, sunglasses in hand as she prepared to walk out with Miss Olson.

    - You should’ve put some product on your hair. The ends look dry. - Miss Olson commented as they walked outside. She looked around hoping Bucky would be around but it was just her and Miss Olson. 

    - Is Mr. Barnes not coming? 

    - It’s a dress rehearsal. - Y/N froze in her mind. Dress rehearsals were supposed to be better than fittings but after her last experience she really wasn’t in the mood for another experience with the director.

Time seemed to stop, freeze in spot as she stepped inside the car. No noise, no sound, even colour seemed to fade as the car drove faster and faster. She wondered what she could do, open the door, roll over, maybe do it like what she had seen in Lady Bird but the driver always kept the door fully locked and Miss Olson always had her eye on her like Sauron’s Eye.

She looked at her phone in her lap, fingers loomed over Bucky’s name. He was employed by her, maybe she could ask him to come over. Maybe if he was there it would be easier. She sent the message hopeful he would reply, but the text bounced back. Looking at the network, she was lacking all the bars on her phone. Sighing, she leaned against the car seat, looking off the window, dark clouds on the blue sky mocking her. 

As the car came to a halt on the same building as before, she almost had to be pulled out the car by Miss Olson. Once inside, Y/N could see him, she could smell his patchouli fragrance as he wrapped his arm around her. She stood once again in front of the camera lights, muffled cries in her head as she was squeezed into a corset and a then a body con dress. Her eyes were blinded by the lights, behind those lights Miss Olson and Mister Powell gazing at her. Her hand slide down her collarbones to her lap, feeling the fabric as the cameras kept flashing, locking her in a case of lights. 

Once the lights dimmed, she could see them looking down at her, almost five feet tall, mumbling she couldn’t hear as one of the costume designers helped her out.

     - Costumes are looking fantastic. - the director walked up to her, hand wrapping itself around her waist, raising up to lay just below her breast. - Maybe you should try and cut some weight. You would look a bit better.

     - We’ve already started a diet plan. - Miss Olson added. - Not to worry, Mr. Powell. Y/N is fully invested in this movie.

She remained caged in the conversation, being moved by someone back onto the car and dropped at home. She looked around her hallway, wondering if it had always been this cold. As she opened the door to her home, she noticed the jar of flowers the director had sent her on her kitchen balcony. White carnations in a crystal clear jar. She stormed to the kitchen, ripping the tag of the carnations. To my perfect leading lady. The handwriting wasn’t his, probably his assistant. 

When had it all gone so wrong? Why did it felt wrong? Why did the flight felt like a burning crash? When did it all get so screwed up? 

She wrapped her hands around the glass jar, hands trembling, the sound of her ring hitting against the glass being the only thing she heard before a shattering sound filled her mind. It was fast, too fast but she threw the jar against the wall, watching as the glass shattered into a thousand pieces, falling into the ground like small diamonds. She thought it would make her feel better but instead she feel to the ground, trying to gather the pieces together as guilt embraced her. 

    - Y/N?

taglist: @disasterbii @lookiamtrying @buckysteveloki-me @nsfwsebbie @americasass81 @jamesbarnesappreciationclub @lostinthebeans @mariahthelioness29 @buckyandsebastian @peaches-roses-sins @theadorasabditory @sipsteacasually @tonystankschild @saiyanprincessswanie @booktease21 @noiralei @learisa @everythingisoverrated @uglipotata72829 @naturalthrone22 @husherstan @mandiiblanche @vicmc624 @newyorkgoddess @itsallyscorner @chipilerendi​ @emzd34​

[hyucks-archive]

blooming.

word count: 6,721

genre: fluff, angst if you squint, and a dash of badboy!jaehyun

member(s): jaehyun, featuring johnny

warning(s): fictional depiction of achromatopsia

author’s note: i just really wanted to write a flower shop au, but somehow it turned into this

Blue.

The deliveryman checks through the delivery invoice once more, ensuring that all that is on the list has been successfully handed over to you. “All good,” he says, handing you the delivery acknowledgement slip. You sign in the designated area, passed the slip back to him, and gave a slight bow, “Thanks, Mr Kang,” you say, wrapping your fingers loosely around the last bunch of flowers. Daffodils, to be exact.

“Don’t forget, those are yellow,” he says, pointing at the daffodils in your hands.

You smile, “Thank you. See you next week!”

Slowly, and carefully, you place the daffodils into the one remaining empty vase that sat beside the purple delphiniums. Taking a step back, you smile in satisfaction, imagining and loving how the bright yellow daffodils probably perfectly complemented the deep purple delphiniums. You dust off your gloved hands, making your way back to the counter, where there were some stray craft and wrapping paper laying around, which you needed to clean up. Just as you slid the scissors back into the stationery holder, the wind chimes sound, indicating a new customer.

“Welcome,” you greet, plastering on your best smile. The male bows, “Hi there,” he says, waving.

“May I know what you’re looking for?”

He purses his lips, eyes browsing through the very many flowers that decorated the place. He hums in thought, “Different flowers have different meanings, right?” he asks, eyeing the vases of fresh roses that were neatly displayed in a row.

“Yes, they do. May I know who you’re getting the flowers for? Or if there is any specific message you’d like to deliver through the flowers?”

As he ponders, the wind chimes sound again, your attention averting to the second customer. To no surprise, it was Jung Jaehyun, with a baseball cap atop his head, his face barely visible. He looks at you, so you flash him a smile and a slight nod of the head, as a sign of acknowledgement. You inform the male in front of you, “I’ll be a minute,” before walking over to Jaehyun.

“Do you mind waiting?” you ask. He shakes his head. You gesture for him to follow as you lead the way to the mini waiting area located in the corner of the store. He takes a seat while you turn to grab a fine china tea cup and saucer, the prettiest florals decorating its surfaces. Lifting the teapot, the fragrance of its contents immediately diffuses into the atmosphere, your lips forming a pleased smile.

“Here,” you say, placing the cup of tea on the table, in front of Jaehyun. “Fresh chamomile tea.” He leans forward and breathes in the fragrance of the tea, dimples appearing on the lower right half of his face, the only area that was visible. “Thank you,” his voice deep and rich. Jaehyun watches as you return to the customer, whom was finally able to make a decision.

“What flowers should I get if I want to profess my love? You know, something that isn’t as cliché as a rose?” he says. You nod your head in acknowledgement of his sentiments, clarifying, “Is she a long-term partner of yours?”

“Actually, no. Not yet, at least. I was going to confess to her tonight, with some flowers.”

Jaehyun notices how your smile changes into one of confidence as you gesture the customer’s attention towards the vase of purple lilacs. “I’d suggest gifting her a bouquet of purple lilacs. Purple lilacs are associated with the beginning of new love, symbolising the first emotions of love,” you share, pulling out a purple lilac for the customer to get a closer look. He nods in understanding, taking a good look at the lilac, “It’s really pretty,” he commends. “Can you wrap it up for me?”

“Would you like to write her a message as well?” you asked as you lead the way to the counter.

“Yes, please. That would be nice.”

“You can pick a card from here,” you say, gesturing towards the variety of cards. While the customer looks through the different designs, you walk over to the waiting area. Jaehyun isn’t bothered, he simply continues to give you his full attention. Meanwhile, you retrieve another set of fine china, pouring a second cup of chamomile tea. Placing it on the table, opposite from where Jaehyun is seated, you called over to the customer, “Here’s a cup of chamomile tea. You may sit here while you craft the message.”

Jaehyun continues to watch as you begin to wrap the purple lilacs.

Pulling out the wrapping paper drawer, you scanned through the labels, taking out a piece from the ‘light purple’ pile. Grabbing a pair of scissors, you bunched the stems of the flower together, delicately trimming them to ensure that they are the same length. Jaehyun continues to stare, noticing how serious your expression is when you are focusing on doing the best possible job you could with producing the perfect confession bouquet.

Completing the finishing touches with a shiny purple ribbon, you held the bouquet of purple lilacs up, admiring and imagining how pretty it looks. Satisfied with your work, you looked towards the waiting area, where the customer was still seated, intently writing out what you assumed to be a heartfelt message for his soon-to-be significant other. You couldn’t help the smile that naturally forms at the thought of how a simple flower holds so much meaning, that it could bring two people together. Meanwhile, Jaehyun wonders the meaning behind your expression.

“Done,” the customer says, placing the card into the translucent lilac-coloured envelope. He finishes the chamomile tea, gets up, and heads towards the counter, handing you the card while he reaches into his pocket for his credit card.

“I hope your wish comes true,” you say, completing the transaction. He doesn’t forget to express his gratitude, “Thank you. I hope your business flourishes,” before taking his leave.

Jaehyun gets up from his seat, walking over to you. You were busy clearing the remains of the scrap pieces of ribbon and the stems which you cut off earlier. He leans his body against the counter, persistent in making it known that he is, and has been, watching you. You weren’t in the least bit fazed by this. Something about Jaehyun’s presence was calming to you.

Whenever you were with him, you are tranquil. Blue – represents peace and tranquillity. Maybe Jaehyun is your blue.

“Why? Don’t act as if you’ve never seen me wrap bouquets before.”

Jung Jaehyun – that’s literally all you knew about him. Other than his face, of course. You knew nothing of his background, nothing of how he even came to know about your shop, not even his hair colour. All you knew was that he’d stop by once every week. There isn’t even a day of expectance. He just comes when he wants to, and goes when he feels like it. You’ve never questioned him before, and you didn’t intend to, not anywhere in the near future.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen someone come in without a flower in mind,” he says, tilting his head to the side so that he could see you better. You didn’t even bother to look up at him; you already knew the smirk he had on his face, for no good reason whatsoever. “I didn’t know you knew the meaning behind flowers,” he continues. “Or were you just lucky you know about purple lilacs?”

With your back turned towards him, you scoffed, rolling your eyes. “I’m a florist, Jaehyun. Of course I know the meaning behind each flower.”

Jaehyun doesn’t reply. A moment of silence later, you turned around, only to meet eyes with Jaehyun, who hadn’t moved an inch from his position. He was still slouched over the counter, staring at you. That’s when you noticed the cut on his cheek, the dressing on the wound on his forehead, and what you assumed to be a slight bruise by the side of his lip. You were stunned for a moment, but you were quick to recollect yourself, maintaining your calm and relaxed demeanour.

“No wonder you’re in a cap today,” you comment, looking away. You focused your attention to recording the sale in your sales log book, “I assume you’ve already applied ointment?”

“I came here so you could do it for me,” he replies.

“I can see the bandage on your forehead, Jaehyun.”

“Johnny took care of it for me yesterday. It needs to be changed,” he says. “Can’t you see the scar right here is already all dried up?” He points at the cut on his cheek, purposefully brushing his finger against it, feigning a dramatic ‘ouch’ as he slouches further, eyes glancing towards you for some form of a reaction.

You chuckled, reaching for the first aid kit that was kept in the cabinet below the printer. You gesture for Jaehyun to take a seat as you placed the kit on the table. “You’re always staring at me. What exactly are you looking for?” you asked, picking out the ointment, saline water, bandage, and cotton buds. “Nothing. I just like people watching, and you’re the only person here that I can watch,” he states, eyes still fixed on you.

Gently, you peeled the bandage off of Jaehyun’s forehead. He doesn’t even flinch.

“Aren’t you going to ask me what happened?”

With your vision focused on his wound as you cleansed it with saline water, you reply, “Is there a need for me to?”

“I thought you’d be curious.”

You contemplated for a moment. Were you?

“I guess I thought wrong,” Jaehyun says, interrupting your thought process. He looks away for the first time, looking past the variety of flowers you had on display. He shifts his head to the right a little, trying to get a better look at the flowers, but is forced to reposition his head with the gentle yet rough push on the cheek from you. “Stay still.”

Jaehyun’s eyes finds its way to your face once more, “Are there flowers with negative meanings too?”

You placed the bandage over his forehead wound, reaching for another capsule of saline water, “What kind of negative meanings?”

“Maybe a flower that represents your hatred towards someone?”

“Aconite represents hatred. Orange lilies represent hatred and disdain,” you say, finally finished with applying ointment on the cut on his cheek. “All done,” you say, throwing the used cotton buds and bandage wrappers into the bin. You placed the medicine back into the box, reorganising it a little, before closing the first aid kit and putting it back in its place.

“Maybe one day I should send bouquets of hatred to my enemies,” Jaehyun says, suddenly all smiley.

“Finally, you’re going to buy something other than a red rose?” you gasp, feigning astonishment. Another thing about Jaehyun’s weekly visits; he always finishes the night off by purchasing a single red rose. He never talked about who they were for, but you’ve never questioned him about it either. You were simply happy to be able to have a guaranteed sale even in the slower months.

“Who said I’d buy them from you? Can’t get your hands dirty by asking you to prepare all those nasty bouquets for me.” Jaehyun lets out a chuckle when he sees the smile that forms on your face along with the subtle shaking of your head upon hearing that. He watches as you pull out a drawer, his eyes darting down in curiosity. He notices how the entire drawer was so organised; everything had a specific spot, each of which, were labelled clearly. Although he has been here many times, it was his first time getting a look at what was in the drawers behind the counter.

“Wow, why did you label everything so specifically?” he questions, pointing to the label that read ‘light blue ribbons’, “Even down to the exact colours?”

“Huh? Oh, I just like to be specific,” you reply, quickly closing the drawer. Jaehyun picked up on the slight awkwardness in your voice, and he definitely took note of how quickly you averted the topic, “Shall I get you the red rose now?”

Jaehyun nods his head, so you walk to where the roses were placed. Counting from the left, the third vase housed the red roses. You pick one out, heading back to the counter to wrap it up with some silver plastic. You hand it over to Jaehyun once you were done, and he takes it from you with a smile. As usual, he places the cash on the table. As you collect the cash, Jaehyun takes the opportunity to take a good look at the henna on the underside of your wrist. Chrysanthemums, he notes.

“I guess I’ll see you next week?”

He meets eyes with you, nodding his head, “Thanks.” He waves the rose in the air, turns, and takes his leave. Pulling out his phone, he searches for the meaning behind chrysanthemums.

“Red chrysanthemums symbolise love, white chrysanthemums symbolise loyalty and honesty, violet chrysanthemums symbolise a wish to get well,” Jaehyun pauses, looking up at the mostly empty street. “Yellow chrysanthemums symbolise neglected love or sorrow,” he finishes. The image of the copper-orange chrysanthemum henna on the underside of your wrist flashes in his mind once more. The problem is, henna comes in only one colour.

“Which one is it?” Jaehyun murmurs.

Yellow.

Today was a slow business day. Initially, you were debating whether or not to just close the shop early, since it was already past four in the afternoon, a timing where it is extremely safe to say that no one will be purchasing flowers for the rest of the day. Instead, you find yourself seated opposite Jung Jaehyun at six in the afternoon, a pot of Osmanthus tea between the two of you.

“Don’t you like slow days like this?” he asks, watching people briskly walk by. You had your eyes on his cheek, half-focused on analysing how perfectly placed his dimple is, half-focused on whatever conversation you were having.

“Sometimes. Other times, I just really want to find an owner for all the pretty flowers here,” you reply, shifting your eyes to look around the shop. You can only imagine how beautiful the scene before you must be, but that’s all there is to it. Your imagination. You couldn’t help but lower your head, shifting your eyes to focus on your shoes.

“It’s boring, though,” he says, with a hint of what may have, or may not have been, a pout. You chuckle in response, “It’s because of slow days that you managed to learn and recognise all the different flowers here.”

“Maybe next time we should do something fun together. You know, something other than just sitting here, talking the night away?” Jaehyun turns to look at you, his smile soft and genuine. You often ponder upon the fact that Jaehyun is, what they term a ‘mafia’, yet there was the clear possibility that Jaehyun is a representation of what they term as ‘pleasant’. The two are obvious juxtapositions.

Whichever it is, Jaehyun’s smile had an effect on you. It makes you warm; almost hopeful. Yellow – signifies optimism and idealism. Is Jaehyun your yellow?

Jaehyun tilts his head to the side, waving a hand to get your attention. You looked at him, nodding your head, “Sure, why not?” You’ve never stepped out of your apartment, the florist’s, and the supermarket since forever anyway. Maybe this would be good for you. Maybe this is an actual opportunity for you. After all, the smile plastered on Jaehyun’s face as he stares at you, eyes gleaming with excitement at the sound of your reply, makes you feel yellow.

“Great,” he says, getting up. “I’ll take one red rose, please.”

Jaehyun takes note of the hyacinths on the underside of your wrist as you hold out the red rose, neatly wrapped. He looks up, flashes a smile, nods his head in acknowledgement, before turning to leave. “I’m looking forward to next week,” he says, waving as he leaves.

Once out, he pulls out his phone, searching up ‘hyacinths’.

“Yellow hyacinths symbolise jealousy, white hyacinths symbolise loveliness or prayers for someone, red hyacinths symbolise recreation, purple hyacinths symbolise asking for forgiveness, or deep regret,” Jaehyun reads aloud, brows knitting together. Again, it was inked with henna. There was no telling what colour you intended for the hyacinths to be.

Jaehyun knows well that you weren’t the type of person to simply choose a flower that you think is pretty. All of your actions and words always have a meaning behind them. There was just no possible way for Jaehyun to decipher these meanings without some form of a clue. It was beginning to frustrate him a little. He was beginning to doubt, if he really even knows you well enough.

He thinks about the hyacinths you had drawn on the underside of your wrist once more; why was there a compulsion to believe that they are meant to be purple?

Purple.

You’ve been anticipating. Every time the wind chimes would sound, you’d snap to attention, with only one person that you’d very much like to see walk through the glass doors of the florist’s. As each day dwindled by, you began to wonder if everything was just an empty promise. Now that it was Sunday, the last day of the week, you can only be affirmed that it was indeed, nothing but an empty promise.

Jaehyun hasn’t showed up. There is only thirteen minutes left before you’d close up.

And at that moment, the wind chimes whistles as the sudden rush of air tickles them. You whip your head in the direction of the chimes, the last 1 percent of hopefulness your motivating factor, only for the overwhelming rush of disappointment to wash over you. Nevertheless, he smiles sweetly, making his way towards you.

“I know that look,” Johnny says, facial expression filled with tease, “Are you disheartened that it’s me?”

“A little,” you admit. Johnny lets out a low chuckle, “Honest as always. It’s no wonder Jaehyun loves frequenting here so much.”

“Nah, he just comes for his red rose. I sell the freshest ones in this neighbourhood, you see.”

Johnny’s eyes widens, before he breaks out into a hearty chuckle. He shakes his head, “Honest, but lacking in terms of wit,” he comments. You glare at him, replying with, “Rude.” You knew what Johnny was referring to. You weren’t dumb. You just acted oblivious. No harm in that, right?

“Hey, as Jaehyun always says, and I quote, “Lost time is never found again.” You really never know what’s going to happen,” Johnny says, resting his hands on the counter. He leans forward a little, in a half-whispering voice, he adds on, “I know something’s going on here.”

You looked down, fixating on the counter surface. Johnny’s right. Something is going on here.

You didn’t need to be a genius to know that a guy doesn’t just frequent a shop weekly for no good reason. A guy doesn’t just sit and stare at you all the time for no reason. A guy doesn’t ask you so many expository questions for no reason. A guy doesn’t show interest in the things you do, and the things you like, for no reason. Still, Jaehyun’s thoughts, Jaehyun’s feelings, they are all pretty much a mystery to you. You’ve never felt like you had the right to question him, to know about him. You didn’t want to fall.

There’s something about you that nobody’s going to accept at all. Not even Jaehyun.

“Um, hello? I’m still here?” Johnny says, catching your attention. You had drifted off into so much thought you hadn’t noticed that Johnny had made a round around the shop. He steps back into the spot before the counter, in front of you. Only now, he had a single flower in each hand. They were both irises.

He holds them out, showing them to you. You didn’t want to admit it, but you were slightly stunned. You could feel the nerves building up inside of you, almost towards a mode of panic. What were you going to do? What is Johnny trying to do? What’s he going to say? How are you going to answer him?

And then it hits you; Jaehyun’s voice plays in your head, “You don’t have to control your thoughts. You just have to stop letting them control you.” You allow his words to replay in your head, again and again, like a recorder playing on repeat. Somehow, it was effective. You could feel the tension release a little, your heartbeat regulating once more. You couldn’t help the small smile that forms on your lips.

Purple – represents wisdom and spirituality. For who he is, and what he does, there were genuine pockets of time where Jaehyun didn’t seem like someone from the underworld. He seemed to always know what to say, no matter the situation. Maybe that is his magic touch? Maybe, he didn’t only teach you wisdom, he also taught you purple.

“Excuse me?” Johnny calls out. Once again, your eyes snap up to meet his. His features were slightly scrunched together, his lips forming a frown. An expression of slight… disgust? He raises a brow, “You need to stop zoning out on me like that.”

You shrug, apologising. Johnny quickly gets back on track with his queries, re-spotlighting the irises he held in either hand. “So, Jaehyun told me you know all the meanings behind every flower. Tell me about these two. They’re the same flower, but the colours make a difference, right?” He looks at you expectantly. You gulp, biting the inside of your lips on reflex. Do you take a chance? Gosh, heck it.

“Well, white irises are a symbolism of purity,” you begin, cautiously. As you spoke every word, you tried to gauge how on track or off track you were based on Johnny’s expression. He raises both brows; a bad sign.

“I meant these two irises,” he says. “Oh,” you reply, “I thought you wanted to know all of them,” you lie. But that’s good. One colour down, only three to go. You have a two-third chance of getting it right. Take the leap.

“Yellow irises symbolise passion.” Johnny nods in understanding. It’s fifty-fifty now. “And blue irises symbolise faith and hope.” Johnny deadpans. Shoot.

“I thought we understood I was asking about the meaning behind these two colours,” he says, turning to return the irises to their respective vases. “Right, purple irises symbolise royalty and wisdom,” you finish off. Luckily, it didn’t seem like Johnny had picked up on anything. He seemed to be riding on the idea that you were just overtly passionate in sharing your knowledge.

“Anyway, I’m here to get Jaehyun’s red rose,” he says, coming back to the counter. “And to let you know he hasn’t broken his promise, he just couldn’t make it today.” At that, you smiled, a burst of yellow. Is it possible? To go from disappointment to anticipation, in the span of the time it took for Johnny to say that one sentence?

Johnny is patient as you wrap the red rose. When you are done, he hands you the cash.

“Can’t wait to see you again,” he says, remembering to add, “Concealment makes the soul a swamp!” before rushing out the door, ridding you of the opportunity to say anything. Was that a jab at the avoidance of feelings, or something more? You let the curiosity go to rest, because you knew you wouldn’t be able to get any answers.

Johnny arrives back at the hideout. Jaehyun was already there, expecting his return. He greets his comrade with a smile and a shoulder bump, retrieving the red rose from Johnny’s hand.

“Did you get it?” Jaehyun questions, holding out his hand. Johnny smirks, “You’re lucky I am experienced with this kind of thing.” He pulls out his phone, unlocks it, and clicks into his gallery. He enlarges the latest photo he had taken, handing the phone over to Jaehyun. Jaehyun takes a good look at it – “Silver brunia balls,” Jaehyun identifies.

“What the heck is that?” Johnny questions, while Jaehyun had already keyed in his search.

“It’s a grey flower. It means chivalry.” Jaehyun couldn’t understand. Why chivalry, out of nowhere? Could it be that there was an encounter with someone chivalrous?

“Hey, but, do you know something?” Johnny says, tapping Jaehyun on the shoulder. The younger boy looks at him questioningly, to which Johnny continues, “As a distraction, I was just talking to y/n. Then I picked up two random flowers that were the same flower, just different colours. Held it out, and asked for the meaning behind the two flowers. I don’t know what it was, but y/n gave me the meaning of a colour of the flower that wasn’t even in my hand.”

Jaehyun raises a brow, “Maybe y/n thought you were asking for the meanings of all the colours.”

“Well, yeah, that’s what y/n said. Then I clarified myself, and y/n made the same mistake again. Like, is y/n just messing with me? That’s so weird.” Johnny dismisses the conversation, now that he was done with whatever he had to say. “Anyway, I’m going to shower.”

Jaehyun sits back down, staring at the red rose he was still holding in his hand. The more aware he became, the faster the inkling he had begins to realise.

Grey.

Jaehyun pops his head through the glass doors, the sunlight shining from behind him giving him the most ethereal look possible, but you could barely see him. When he shifts away from the light, you aren’t able to pinpoint it accurately, but you could tell he has on much lighter colours than he usually wore. His smile was bright, almost excited, his skin fully healed back to its flawless state.

“Are you ready?” he asks. You looked at him, expression blank. “There’s still two hours until closing time.”

Jaehyun enters the florist, speaking as he walks, “Come on. The sun is supposed to set early today.” He arrives next to you, tilting his body forward, his head aligned in your direct vision. His smile grows wider, eyes twinkling in cooperation, “Let’s go, hm?”

Within an hour, through your very dark, tinted sunglasses, you find yourself in awe of the gorgeous view Jaehyun has made known to you. The soothing sound produced by the gentle waves make you feel calm and at peace; blue. This is one of the rare moments where you can feel nature, where you can connect to it, where you can draw your own picture of it, imprinting it in the deep depths of your imagination. You smile, looking far out. You kind of love this feeling.

“It’s pretty, isn’t it?” Jaehyun says, eyeing your expression.

“Very.” Your simple yet straightforward reply causes a spark to light in Jaehyun’s heart. Granted, you always have a smile on your face. But for the first time, you smiled because of him.

“Let’s go sit over there.” Jaehyun gestures towards a picnic mat that was all set up and ready. “You prepared that?” You take a step forward, towards the mat. “Don’t flatter yourself. It’s just a piece of cloth. I don’t want to get my butt dirty.”

You roll your eyes, removing your sneakers, setting them neatly by the side. You take a seat, hugging your knees to your chest. You really enjoy the feeling of the ocean breeze tickling at your skin. Jaehyun sits himself beside you, internally amused at how amazed you seem to be at everything. “Have you never been to the beach?” he asks, attention on you.

You contemplate for a moment. Did you want to be honest? Jaehyun probably deserves a little honesty, right?

“Yeah,” you admit. Jaehyun listens intently, as you continue, “I’ve read about it in books though. The glistening waters, usually in a light, beautiful hue of blue, the golden sand, the white rays of sunlight, the sunkissed skin of those who frequent the beach,” you look towards Jaehyun, “I’ve read all about it,” you finished, flashing a proud smile. Jaehyun doesn’t return the smile. He could only guess the reason why you’ve never been to a beach.

But you knew the reason best yourself. You’ve never felt that you had the right, nor the ability to be able to be in the presence of sights that are so beautiful, that can only be appreciated in its full, blooming form. You’ve never had the confidence to come to face a scenery that you would never be able to take in as it is. All your life, everything was pure imagination. But Jaehyun… he gave you the confidence, the minute hope that you were capable of painting the perfect picture.

Ridding the many reasons he’d listed in his head, Jaehyun reaches into his pocket, pulling out the bracelet he had gotten custom-made, as what he would like to believe as a gift for you. But a part of him knew, that it wasn’t a mere gift. It doubled as a test, a test which would dawn on him all the answers he’s been looking for. He takes in a breath, bracing himself.

“Give me your wrist,” Jaehyun says, holding a hand out. You look at him, raising both brows. “Why?”

“Just give it to me,” he says, gesturing for you to hurry up. You place your wrist in his hand, waiting patiently as he brings out his other hand from behind his back. Gently, he hooks the silver bracelet around your wrist, the fit just right, with enough room for breathability. Your mouth parts slightly, truly surprised. You weren’t expecting anything.

Holding one of the precious charms between your fingers, you looked closely, “Are these alstroemerias?”

Jaehyun smiles, nodding his head, “It’s so well done, right?”

You nod your head, inspecting all six alstroemerias that dangled from the bracelet. Alstroemerias comes in six colours – pink, red, orange, yellow, white, and blue. Did Jaehyun select six different coloured alstroemerias? Or were they all of a single colour?

Jaehyun anticipates, pursing his lips as he watches you look at every single alstroemeria charm. Your next sentence is probably going to give him the answer he needs. He waits, he sees you in thought, and he couldn’t help but feel that the answer was already clear. Which is why he isn’t even surprised when you say, “Why alstroemerias?”

You are a florist. Jaehyun knows that. Jaehyun also knows that because you are a florist, you’d know exactly what his gift meant, without having to ask any questions.

“Pink and red alstroemerias represents warmth and affection towards a friend, right?” Jaehyun spells it out for you. He doesn’t want to put you under any form of pressure of having to guess what colours the six charms were. He sees you nod your head, your grin widening, “That’s really sweet of you. Thanks.”

Jaehyun recalls all of the moments that had happened before, where the red herring was dangling in his face, yet he wasn’t sensitive enough to pick up on them.

Jaehyun remembers standing across the street, watching as you mapped out the exact placement of every type and colour of flower. Initially, he had thought you were simply overtly obsessed with writing everything down. Now, he realises you were memorising the placements. Jaehyun remembers the time he had visited in the morning, which coincided with the time the delivery truck would come. He recalls overhearing how the deliveryman repeated three or four times, that the last box of flowers, were white carnations. He had thought the deliveryman just didn’t want you to forget that you had one more type of flower that you’ve yet to put away. Now, he realises you needed someone to tell you, to know which vase the flower goes into.

Even the extremely detailed labels in the drawers; you didn’t put them there for organisation. You needed them there. And the incident with Johnny, the forever dimly-lit florist’s, the tinted sunglasses, they were all screaming at him. Even right at this moment, it is already night time. But, could you tell? Why hadn’t he realised it sooner? He’s so good at being observant, at predicting the moves of the other gangs, yet he was so bad at paying attention to the one person that means something to him.

Jaehyun sighs, running a hand through his hair, as though frustrated. You rest a hand on his shoulder, voice soft, “Are you alright? Is something wrong?”

“Yeah,” he says, forcing a tired smile. Touching your chin with his thumb and pointer, he turns your head in the direction of the ocean, “Enjoy the view.” You don’t think much of it. As you continue to get lost in the comfort of the atmosphere, Jaehyun calls, “Hey.” Without turning to look, you hum in response.

“I’ll take care of you,” Jaehyun says, his eyes taking in the entirety of your side profile. No matter the angle, he couldn’t help but love the way your skin illuminated under the moonlight, the way your eyes twinkled from the reflection of the lights, the way the side of your lips were almost always tugged upwards. He watches as your lips formed the words, “Is that a promise?”

“No. It’s a fact.”

Your body stiffens. You could tell from his tone. Jaehyun meant what he said, it is sincere, it is genuine.

Grey – security and reliability. The blanket of security Jaehyun had just cast; it was grey. Your eyes shift to focus on Jaehyun, who was looking straight at you. His expression was comforting. His presence was assuring. And even though you have always and will always only be able to see him in greyscale, his entire being has never felt greyer than it does right now. He makes you feel secure, his presence reliable.

You return the smile.

On his way home, Jaehyun searches up the meaning behind tulips, the flower that you had on the underside of your wrist this time round.

“Pink tulips symbolise happiness and confidence, purple tulips symbolise royalty, yellow tulips symbolise cheerful thoughts, white tulips symbolise forgiveness, red tulips symbolise true, everlasting love,” Jaehyun reads aloud. He locks his phone, sliding it back into his pocket.

“At least they’re all positive meanings this time,” he says with a small smile.

He couldn’t help but wish for the tulips to be red.

Red.

Henna was a part of your every Sunday routine. This week, however, you had allowed the tulips to fade, and you hadn’t replaced the henna with any other flower. The pink and red alstroemerias that hung off the silver chain on your wrist is decorative enough.

“Warmth and affection towards a friend,” you recite with a soft smile.

Your attention is attracted to the entrance of the florist, Jaehyun making an entrance with his usual sweet, comforting smile. Jaehyun had a bag slung over his shoulder today. He sets it down on the countertop, greeting, “Hello.” He pulls a stool over, taking a seat opposite you.

“I’m here to prove a fact,” he says.

“What fact?”

Jaehyun holds a finger up, a sign to wait. You nod your head, patient as he reaches into his bag, pulling out a device. It was a rectangular device. There were two buttons on the side. Jaehyun pulls the top quarter off, revealing a right-angled triangle jutting out of the device. On its body, there is also a circular pop up with lines, seemingly to be where sound would come out from.

“Judging by your facial expression, I’m assuming you have no idea what this is?” he says, holding it up. You shake your head, “What is it?”

A glint of excitement twinkles in Jaehyun’s eyes. He reaches into the side pocket of his bag, pulling out a rectangular strip of paper. You could see that the paper was divided into six equal boxes. You weren’t sure what to expect.

“Do you know what colour this is?” Jaehyun asks, referring to the strip in hand. You blinked a few times, about to answer, but Jaehyun doesn’t let you. “Watch this,” he says, almost giggling from all the excitement. He presses the ‘on’ button on the device. You watch as he places the slant of the triangular top of the device directly against a box on the paper.

“Very light blue,” the device reads. Jaehyun giggles, amused by your shocked expression. Jaehyun moves the device downwards, onto the next box. ‘Dark purple,” the device reads. You couldn’t contain the shock and interest the device has piqued. You’ve never seen nor heard of such a device your whole entire life. But, more importantly, if Jaehyun brought such a device for you, then…

“It’s so cool, isn’t it? Now you try.” Jaehyun places the device in your hand, “It’s black, by the way.”

You look at Jaehyun. From your gaze, he knew what you were thinking.

“I figured it out on my own,” he says. You nod your head, shifting your vision towards the device in your hand. “Go on, try it out,” he urges.

You place the detector against the counter top. “White,” it reads. You smile.

“It’s a talking colour detector,” Jaehyun explains, “Now you don’t have to always memorise everything. You can just use it to know what colour something is.”

“So this is why you suddenly said you’d protect me,” you say, resting the device back down on the counter.

“Of course not,” Jaehyun says, looking at you with a serious expression. “Just because you have achromatopsia doesn’t make you any less able than me. You’re still an independent human being.”

It was as though time had stopped for a few seconds. The eye contact you shared with Jaehyun. For the first time, red – the feeling of love.

Abruptly, you press the colour detector against Jaehyun’s left cheek. “Light pink,” it reads. Jaehyun pushes your hand away, scrambling up onto his feet, taking a few steps away from you. You laugh, thoroughly enjoying how flustered Jaehyun is.

“Pink symbolises love and romance,” you tease.

“Really? That must explain why you’re always pink in the cheeks around me,” he says, almost nonchalantly. He watches for your reaction. You scrunch your nose, hitting Jaehyun in the arm. He laughs, genuinely loving the reactions he’s able to elicit from you.

“Anyway, as I was saying,” Jaehyun starts, refocusing. “I’m here to prove that fact.” He reaches into his bag once more, this time, pulling out an entire bouquet of roses. You scoff, brows knitting together in absolute confusion. Jaehyun holds it out in front of you, “This is for you.”

You scoff again, rolling your eyes. You weren’t sure if you should be laughing or offended.

“Jaehyun, more than half of these roses are dead,” you say, looking at the bouquet made up of three-quarters of dead roses, a handful of dying roses, and two relatively fresh roses. “Is this supposed to be romantic?” you question, in slight disbelief. Jaehyun seems unaffected, simply gesturing towards the talking colour detector, “Go on, find out what colour they are.”

You picked up the detector, pressing it against the petal of one of the fresh roses. “Red,” it reads. You immediately looked at Jaehyun. He had a shy, adorable smile on his face.

“Red roses are the traditional symbol for love and romance. Most of all,” he pauses, taking a step towards you. He isn’t extremely close, but he is definitely closer than he’s ever been before. Swiftly, he pulls you in by the waist, your bodies pressing against each other. You leaned your head back as much as possible, almost straining your neck, staring up at him with the widest eyes, and possibly, the pinkest face.

“The red rose will always be the best way to say ‘I love you’,” he finishes.

You are almost 100 percent sure he could feel your rapid heartbeat.

You didn’t know what to say. At least, you’ve uncovered the mystery receiver behind the single red rose Jaehyun would purchase every visit over the months. And you are definitely 100 percent sure that Jung Jaehyun isn’t aware that he is the only colour you needed in your world.

“Rose too,” you reply.

[barkkletshunt]

Those Worth Fighting For Part five

Eyy~ I actually stayed up later than usual to get this part out lol I hope you all like it! The comments I’ve gotten on this are really encouraging me to keep going with this and I really appreciate all of you who have taken the time to let me know what you think <3 

Now, enjoy part five! 

Part one

Part two 

Part three

Part four 

Part six

Part seven

Part eight 

Marinette was out enjoying her day like a normal girl for once. She had a full itinerary and she was making great progress on her list. In the morning she went out and bought fabric, sent Felix possible designs for the table arrangements, and then she was going to grab lunch with all the groomsmen in order to help Felix feel more comfortable around them. 

He had texted her the night prior telling her he was concerned that they held his past actions against him. While she couldn’t blame her friends if they did, she had spent enough time with Felix in the past few days to realize he wasn’t the same person as he was back then. She doubted the others would hold it against him, given their own pasts with akumas, but she wanted to make sure that Felix didn’t feel ganged up on regardless. Even if it was just a precaution Marinette promised to be there to mediate any possible disputes with the condition that he bought her lunch. 

His reply made her heart skip a beat. 

“It’s a date then,” he wrote. 

She had read and reread that text a number of times, hoping that he’d either send a ‘lol JK’ her way and put the butterflies that had made a home in her stomach to rest, or he’d tell her he was serious. She hated not knowing if it was a joke, because against all odds she was really starting to like that clever blonde boy that would tell her how genius her ideas were. 

Marinette knew it was stupid to catch feelings so soon, especially after declaring it to herself that she wouldn’t be part of a romcom, but she was caught helpless each time he’d stop off at her apartment to go over colour swatches for the table cloths or decorations and bring her a coffee without having being asked. Felix was sweet and she always had a sweet tooth. 

Despite the crush that was bubbling up inside her, Marinette hoped that Felix was late to their little meeting so she could talk it over with the boys. She hoped that they’d be able to decrypt that four worded message that had left her sleepless most of the night. Was he serious? Was it a joke? Who knew? She didn’t. 

That didn’t mean she wanted to make a fool of herself and wear track pants on something that could possibly be a date. Just in case. She didn’t want to come on too strong and say she was for sure interested and obviously dressing up to impress him, despite how he had told her two nights ago that she looked nice after she had woken up from a post exam nap with her hair knotted and drool stains on her mouth. There was no impressing anyone after they saw her like that, and no matter how much she prayed the ground didn’t open up from beneath her and swallow her whole. 

Marinette also didn’t want to go so low as to make it seem like she had no interest on the off chance that he did want to date her. Sure, he was still deciding on whether or not he was going to make Paris a permanent move or not, but perhaps having a Parisian girlfriend would make him want to stay, because if she was being honest with herself she did want him to stay. Even if he wasn’t dating her, he was a great guy who she’d love to spend time with. Dating him would simply be a bonus. 

Her thoughts had drifted to the blonde man more times than she could count as she ran her errands. She pictured his stoic face as he sat in Kagami and Adriens kitchen and budgeted everything they needed for the wedding with a hefty set of wiggle room just in case they went over. She could still hear his hushed whisper as he tried to be discreet about telling her a bad pun his cousin once told her that he had remembered, not wanting to let Adrien know he thought they were funny. She could even still smell that warm floral tea-like fragrance that clung to him like perfume, that she had been able to smell as he leaned on her to rest while they were going over Kagami’s dress design and how to make it match with Adrien’s.  

She had it bad already and it hadn’t been that long since they had met again. There was just something about Felix that lit her heart on fire and she wasn’t ready for it, especially not with everything else going on in her life. Still, if Felix felt the same as she did, there were worse 

So even if it wasn’t a date, Marinette dressed up as if it was. She spent time making sure her hair was done up right, and her outfit matched perfectly. She had even busted out the pair of fake leather heels she loved that laced up at the front in bows. Her outfit was cute, and in turn it made her feel cute. So after throwing on a simple brown jacket to go along with the shoes, she went out. Ready to meet her friends and possibly get some much needed advice if Felix was late. 

She really hoped he’d be late.

When she got to the restaurant she realized that luck really was on her side, as both Nino and Felix were yet to arrive. Nino would be there shortly, but she wasn’t as intent on getting romantic advice from him as she was the other two. So once Marinette was seated in the restaurant with Marc and Nathaniel, she began ranting. 

"And then he said, it's a date! A date! Can you believe it?"

Her two friends shared a look. 

"I mean, yeah. I can." Marc said, taking their boyfriends hand in their own and squeezing it. "Mari, you had our entire class in love with you at one point."

"We all had an agreement not to pursue you to make it fair for everyone else." Nath recalled. 

Marinette rolled her eyes at the exaggeration. "Not everyone was in love with me."

"Oh, my sweet summer child, how naive you are." Marc cooned, reaching their free hand across the table to take hers. "It would be no surprise that Felix joined the Marinette fanclub."

"But," Nathaniel started, "if you really want to know if he is interested in you there is a surefire way to find out."

Marinette straightened in her seat, intent on the redhead. Nathaniel never led her astray and she wanted the advice. She’d do almost anything to get rid of the nervousness she felt that could only be compared to when she was younger and Adrien had said something flirty on accident. "What is it?"

"Ask him." 

She groaned, hitting her head off the table and causing the silverware to clatter together. That was not the answer she wanted."Do you have any idea how much I cannot do that? He’s like super charming and he says I have good taste and just talking to him over text makes me get all anxious. If I try to ask him it’ll be like Adrien all over again! Remember how well that went for me?”

The two grimaced with her as they remembered how often she would forget how to talk around her long time crush, and how even more often she would end up tripping or falling over herself because of it. No one wanted a repeat on her crush on Adrien.

"Hey Dude, Dudette, and fam." Nino called. The DJ's gender neutral term for Marc made the ravenette smile, and they responded by waving at Nino as he made his way past the empty tables that were in between him and his friends. It only took Nino a moment before he realized Marinette didn't lift her head to say hello. "What's got Mari in a funk?"

"She wants to know if a guy is interested in her, so we suggested she ask him." Nath explained, and that was all that needed to be said for Nino to understand. He had known Mari for the longest and she had never been one to confront someone when it involved herself. Bullies? She'd get in their face in a heartbeat and yell at them until they straightened out. Romance? Not a chance. 

"Hey, Dudette, do you like this dude?" Nino pulled a chair out from beside Marinette and sat down. Nino placed his hand on his childhood friends back, rubbing soft circles on her shoulders. “Because if you don’t then it doesn’t matter, but if you do, well then you gotta ask.”

“How about you guys see how this guy acts near me and then send me all his subtle dude signals through text or something.” The girl lifted her head to give the best puppy dog look she could muster up, and from the collective sigh that came from the group she knew she had won. 

“I still think asking him would be easier,” Nino lightly elbowed Marinette in the side. “But hey, he’s late like you normally are. He could be your soulmate after all.”

“I’m not always late!”

“Just a majority of the time.” Marc joked. The four fell into an easy conversation about how often Marinette was late to important events, and soon how each one of them were going to be responsible that the maid of honour was on time for the wedding.

“We’ll have to remind Kagami to set the wedding time to three hours early on Mari’s invitation just so she’ll make it just on time.” It was Nathaniel’s turn to tease her, but Marinette wasn’t taking it.

“Well, let me remind you that I am the whole reason you and Marc ended up together. Just saying. Without me snooping around you two would have walked past each other a number of times.” Marinette pointed out, remembering the time she helped the two set up dates soon after they met.

“If I’m not mistaken I was turned into an akuma-”

“And in the end you got the man of your dreams, so we should stop picking on the amazing matchmaker here and perhaps we could,” Marinette’s voice trailed off as she felt rumbling beneath her seat. The smiles on her friends' faces vanished as they all stood, checking each door for a possible sentimonster attack. The doors stayed put, and they almost believed it was an earthquake until the ground below them began to split open with the sounds of creaking metal signalling the monster had arrived. The creature was a giant snake made out of the metal pipes beneath Paris, and if the smell that wafted from it was anything to go by Marinette figured the main pipe of his body came directly from the sewer. 

Everyone scattered, running to the exits as fast as their legs could carry them. Nino made it out the fire exit, while Nathaniel and Marc escaped to the kitchen. Marinette drove behind the bar, hoping against all odds that she’d find the perfect moment to transform in order to save everyone.

That was when a familiar voice broke through her panic.

“I understand you’re a sewage pipe, but this fight is going to be a real drain.” 

Marinette covered her mouth, resisting the urge to scream out at the black cat holder. Was it the miraculous itself that made its owner make such terrible puns? Was there no escape from the puns that haunted her superhero youth?

The cat hero circled around the destroyed restaurant as the pipe snake kept the knobs it had for eyes trained on him. When he was close to the bar the snake dove for him, and Marinette jumped out of her hiding spot to push him out of the way. “Duck!”

Marinette squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the pain to hit her. There was no pain, but there was the sound of a racing heart beneath her ears. 

ScapeGoat, Mattamorphis, and Carapace were already there behind them, keeping the snake occupied as Marinette got her barings. She began lifting herself up when she caught the gaze of the hero beneath her. 

“Am I at a vending machine?” The cat hero muttered, his voice rough from getting the wind knocked out of him seconds before.

Marinette blinked. Was he concussed? She didn’t think that was possible while in costume. She looked over his head, looking for any blood or sign he was seriously injured. “What?”

“Because a snack just fell on me.” He said, grinning like a fool at his own terrible pick up line. She wanted to punch his smug face, but she’d have to wait till after she got into her suit. “Not that I’m complaining.”

She pushed herself up, determined to run off to change before she punched the man in his idiotic face, but the new cat stopped her by grabbing her wrist. She looked down at him, watching the belt he had flick around behind him like a real cat's tail. “Wait.”

The hero stood and grabbed Marinette’s shoulders. He put his other arm under her knees, and lifted her up like she weighed less than a couple of grapes. She gawked at him, unsure of what to do. This was not the time to be chivalrous, and she could have sworn he had said that flirting on the job was unprofessional. 

The hero took her out of the restaurant and made sure she was a few blocks away before setting her down. “There, this should be far enough away.”

“You didn’t need to do that,” she started, but he held a hand up and got down on one knee. Panic filled her. What was he doing? Was he being serious? Now was not the time for some cheesy joke. “What are you doing?”

Instead of the fake proposal she was half sure would come, the black cat began tying one of her shoes up. Marinette assumed it came undone at the restaurant, but she wouldn’t have to worry about it since she’d be changing soon anyways. 

“Shouldn’t you be, uh, fighting that monster Mr. Cat?” Marinette asked, unsure what it was he was after.

The man stood up once her shoe was tied and smiled, a smile that if she wasn’t so furious she would have swooned at.How could he be so nonchalant about the whole situation? He had left three people behind to fight that living pile of pipes just so he could go and flirt with a girl? He wasn’t meant for that miraculous and now she was sure of it. “I will be, but I have faith in the other heroes. For now, I just wanted to make sure your laces were done up.”

“So I can run away safely?”

“So you don’t go falling for anyone aside from me.” He winked. 

Stupid flirtatious cat. 

“Besides, that is only one of the multiple heads of the snake. I’m going after the main one, I was just nearby here to start with.” Wait, what? The man looked off in the distance, towards the center of Paris. “I can’t stay long. If you see the other heroes pass by please let them know that the snakes are coming from the sewage museum. Oh God, they have one of those here?”

“Hold on a second, how could you possibly know that?” She asked, astounded by the amount of information he had. 

As the cat hero displayed the black device in his ear she remembered what he had said the other night. He had a bluetooth earbud hooked onto a police scanner. “I have ears all around Paris, sweet flower. Now, as much as I’d love to stay here and tell you all my hidden tricks, I must be off. The sentimonster’s true head is getting close to where I left a trap and I can’t leave it there by itself. Besides, I think Ladybug is waiting for me somewhere or another.”

I don’t think that’ll be a problem, she thought to herself. 

“Wait,” Marinette grabbed his arm as he started to back away from her, for what she had no doubt was going to be a dramatic exit. “I don’t feel right calling you Chat Noir, do you have a hero name yet?”

The hero’s face displayed his shock just for a moment before a smile brighter than the sun formed on his soft pink lips. “I don’t have one yet, why don’t you think of one for me?”

“You want me to pick?”

“Of course, it’ll remind me of the beautiful woman with bluebell eyes that gave the name to me.” The cat winked.

Marinette couldn’t help but laugh. He had told her he didn’t need a superhero name just the other day, but now he wanted one from her? He was flirtatious and full of tricks, there really was only one name for him. “How about from now on, we call you Alley Cat?”

“Alley Cat?” He said the name, tasting it on his tongue. “I like it. And who is the wonderful lady who named this poor Alley Cat?”

“Oh no, first names are for the second time you save me from a monster.” Marinette shook her head, trying not to burst into a fit of giggles seeing his fake heartbroken look.

“Then I guess I better get at it.” Alley Cat gently took her hand in his leather clad palm, and placed a soft kiss on her knuckles. “I hope to save you again soon, sweet flower.” And with that the cat was off, bounding across Paris at a speed that only reminded her of the urgency behind the movement. 

She had gotten swept up in their little conversation that she forgot what she was supposed to be doing. What was wrong with her these days? First Felix being an absolute sweetheart and getting her to reevaluate her opinion on him, now making her get butterflies wherever she thought of that soft chuckle he had when he found something she said was funny. Now there was a charming alley cat who was clever enough to form schemes of his own to stop the monsters terrorizing her hometown, but smooth enough that she was having a hard time making sure her face didn’t match her supersuit. Either the boys in her life needed to be less charming, or she needed to get a boyfriend.