#kino would only do so if there was genuinely no other way to get out of the situation and would rather just hit da bricks

[hungryslothwrites]

if i had a nickel for every piece o' media that had a deep irreversible impact on my brain chemistry when i was young and whose protagonist refused solid gender titles and asserted themselves by their names i would have two nickels.

[otomehonyaku]

Diabolik Lovers Lost Eden Stellaworth Tokuten Short Stories スペシャル特典小冊子 ☽ Ruki ver.

This short story booklet was part of the Stellaworth set for Lost Eden! Keep reading below the cut for Ruki's version. Yuma's, Kou's, and Azusa's are coming soon!

S ☽ [Ayato’s version by @kyouxa] [Laito’s version by @kyouxa] [Shuu’s version] [Reiji’s version] [Kanato’s version] [Subaru’s version]

M ☽ [Ruki’s version] [Yuma's version] [Kou’s version] [Azusa’s version]

TK ☽ [Carla’s version] [Shin’s version] [Kino’s version]

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

As always, special thanks to @karleksmumskladdkaka for providing the scans ♡⸜(˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝ Please do not reuse or post my translations elsewhere or translate my work into other languages without my permission.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

When I think about it, I have rarely been alone since those three became my brothers. It is not that we spent 24 hours a day in each other’s presence, but the fact that I had people to call family again after losing everything eased my loneliness.

I wonder if that’s the reason why I am still genuinely not used to not being in the pictures that my brothers send us from time to time, even though I don’t really want to admit it.

The one who’d made the suggestion after a while of living together was her.

“Why don’t we send them something back?”

And so the seed was planted.

“If I’m also thinking of sending them pictures, then they must be thinking the same thing at home,” she told me with a smile, “so I’m sure they’ll be happy if we do.”

I knew that she had a point, but there was a certain awkwardness to taking staged pictures with her and sending them to my brothers. I considered flatly rejecting the idea at first because I thought it was embarrassing, but I came around immediately when I remembered the way her face had brightened when she brought it up.

The two of us ran away from the human world. From Kou, Yuma, and Azusa. Ever since she and I started living together in a crumbling Eden, I have begun to realise something–I have become completely beguiled by her. Or, rather, I might have had a soft spot for her since the beginning, but lately, the moments when I dropped my guard around her have increased considerably. Of course, I cannot convince myself to tell her that.

It’s only natural when I consider all we have been through together. To stay behind in Eden even after the war ended, then, was nothing but my own selfish idea. She was under no obligation to join me.

Nevertheless, she has stayed with me all this time, and she has truly helped make the best out of every day. It’s simply impossible not to love her for that, even though I know she had wanted to be by my side from the beginning. 

In all honesty, I am happy. Maybe that’s what has turned me into such a softie, I thought, smiling wryly. I was loath to admit it, but the plain fact that I had found happiness with her was probably the reason why.

“Ruki… Don’t you want to take a picture?” She gazed at me a little nervously. Maybe she thought she had upset me because I had kept quiet.

“No, it’s a good idea. Like you said, I think Kou and the others would love that.”

“Let’s do it, then!”

“Yes, let’s.”

Before I had even finished speaking, she darted out of the room to get the camera. As I watched her run off, I realised my approval might have pleased her more than it would my brothers. My expression inadvertently softened at the thought.

☽

She told me the camera was a gift from Azusa. Come to think of it, the photo album that my brothers had given me a little while ago had also been Azusa’s idea.

“Smile!”

“...Wait.”

I grasped her hand before she could click the shutter.

“What’s the fun in a picture of me by myself? Get over here.”

She hesitated a little, making some foolish suggestions on how we should take our picture, but I ignored her and snaked an arm around her waist. Holding her close to me would make things much easier.

“This way, you’ll be in the frame too,” I whispered into her ear. 

Her shoulders twitched a little as she held her breath, and her ears started to redden. What a hopeless girl. I was sure this was not the side of her she wanted recorded on film for others to see.

If I truly cared for the picture for my brothers, I would have stopped there. However, the feeling of her warm body in my arms was too tempting. I decided to tease her a little more. I leaned down to whisper in her ear again, closer than before. 

“Save that face for later tonight.”

Her voice quivered as she whispered my name in response... 

Oh, this was bad. I wish I could say that I truly intended to leave it at teasing, but my body was acting on its own.

Sorry, Kou, Yuma, Azusa–you will have to wait for the picture a little longer.

However, when she understood that I wanted to take the camera from her, she spoke.

“But… we really are going to send them a picture, right?” So, let’s actually take a proper picture. Her unspoken words lingered in the air. She had gotten more perceptive recently.

“...Of course. Let’s continue this tonight, then.”

I let out a heavy sigh. 

I really had been going soft, but it could not be helped. Especially not around my lovely wife.

[yuikomorii]

Heya! In which of the boys route do you think Yui was broken/hurt the most?

I always wanted to know which would be the worst scenario (route) for like.. an avarage girl irl . I know most girls would not survive there😅 but just wanted to know your opinion which of those 6 doors you would never open. Or 13 if we count all the characters.

// Since it's an otome game, it goes without saying that there will be a lot of plot armor and that the love interests can't really harm the heroine seriously throughout the route, regardless of what she does, because the plot would go nowhere like that. Most characters are jerks but not really that hard to handle, since they were known for scaring Yui rather than letting her get genuinely hurt. However there were certain Diaboys who were very scary, as it felt like they had no feelings of remorse or empathy.

Laito:

Can’t say that his HDB route is the worst thing Rejet has ever written (because it’s definitely not) but it baffled me how he was so okay with Yui breaking like that to the point where she lost all her will to live and only wanted to be set free from him. I mean, she literally tried to commit and he was just there not even intending to stop her bleeding veins despite being the one who cut them?? It’s true that in the Vampire Ending she doesn’t turn out that bad but after all, this is just because it’s fiction.

Kanato:

He was easier to understand than Laito because at least you were able to know that he had a soft spot for sweets and Teddy. Nevertheless, it was a bit too much how he kept stabbing Yui with the fork and a few chapters later, I’m pretty sure he stabbed Yui with a knife in more places as well. Still, it’s surprising how she turned out worse in his route, considering the fact that in the afterstory she kills innocent people—

Kou:

I love Kou but he was a literal demon in MB. I really hated how he made his fans bully Yui JUST FOR FUN. It wasn’t even any sort of punishment, he merely wanted to make her suffer. Another thing I couldn’t stand was how he kept putting Yui’s life in danger, only to make her prove her love. I understand wanting to test someone but it would have been way better if he actually saved Yui after seeing her do something dangerous. That way it would have proved that he cared for her yet he continued to watch her get hurt for him over and over again, without feeling any empathy. He was sorta redeemed at the end but yeah, most of his route was big yikes, especially since you wouldn’t have expected a cheerful and friendly idol like him to be such a wicked person.

Carla:

I like the Tsukinami family's desire to preserve their lineage but sorry, I must say that I find it repulsive that a 17-year-old would be forced to become pregnant out of the blue with strangers. I understand that Yui was partially to blame for Carla's anger and subsequent dungeon scene but that moment grossed me out sooo bad. She lost her will to live but Carla literally jumped on a depressed girl and was on the verge of rap€ing her, if his Endzeit didn’t kick in. He gets gradually better throughout his route but this scene left a sore taste in my mouth.

Kino:

Look, Kino is a great villain and a lot of fun, but his LE route was trash. Kino killed a child, mistreated Yui, abducted both Yui and Ayato, planned to sell Ayato to the church for execution, manipulated Yui and tortured Ayato. The pain he caused them both was immense and although I appreciated Yui calling him out, it's so sad that she was brainwashed. While it's true that Kino can be quite cute when he wants to, their romance was so rushed and forced because they didn't give us any reason why Yui would fall for him other than manipulation when Ayato, who was seen to care more about her than for himself, was right there. I wish they developed Kino’s feelings better, given that he straight up blackmailed Yui to become his, otherwise Ayato would had been killed, therefore Yui had no other choice but accept the situation. That’s why his CL route is way better.

I only mentioned 5 instead of 6 but that’s mostly because no other character came closer to them in terms of bad scenario. The rest of them felt decent in their routes for a game called Diabolik Lovers, lol.

[jinkoh]

butterscotch yellow

kino/hyunggu x gn!reader

“Still, I can't believe you didn't even tell us. No use crying over spilled milk but you'll have to tell us all about how it happened, y/n. I mean you hated his guts.” Just when you realized that Hyunggu and you hadn't agreed on a backstory yet, a voice sounded from behind you. “Hate is such a strong word, don’t you think?”

summary: for reasons you can't quite understand you end up fake dating the one guy you absolutely can't stand—and even more perplexing: you also end up falling in love with him

word count: 19,5k Tags: fake dating, rivals (?) to lovers, college au, hurt/comfort, a little smut (minors dni); Warnings: alcohol consumption

a/n: actually this story was first inspired by prompt 27 from this post: the way you said "I love you"—A taunt, with one eyebrow raised and a grin bubbling at your lips. And then it accidentally became almost 20k and the original prompt isn't even all that present anymore. Anyway I hope you enjoy~

Masterlist

Everyone loved Hyunggu. He was kind and charming and beautiful and helpful and whichever other amazing traits could be attributed to a person. Anyone would attest to how perfect he was

—and you couldn’t for the life of you understand why. Even your friends genuinely liked him and, what irked you even more, couldn’t grasp why you didn’t. If anything, they thought your constant bickering was amusing.

To your demise you weren’t only sharing the same major, no, you were also together on the student council. There was really no escaping him.

It wasn’t like you were a negative person by nature. But something about Hyunggu just rubbed you the wrong way, you felt annoyed by his mere presence.

Maybe you were just a bit more sensitive  these days, but considering that you only just went through a pretty ugly break up with your boyfriend it was only natural.

So, when you went to the atelier between two of your classes in hopes of getting some peace and quiet while working on your final assignment,  you weren’t exactly pleased to see someone else already there and even less pleased that it was Hyunggu.

He looked up when you walked in, only just stepping out from behind one of the art supply racks, his hair slightly ruffled.

You couldn’t suppress a sigh at his sight, but he just grinned.

“Nice to see you too, y/n.”

Just when you thought you couldn’t have been more annoyed at the situation, a girl stumbled out from behind the shelf, hastily readjusting her clothes. When her eyes met yours she laughed awkwardly, before scurrying past you out of the room.

After the girl had closed the door behind her you threw an annoyed glance at Hyunggu.

“Seriously? In the atelier?”

He just shrugged, getting back to his easel.

You couldn’t believe this. You didn’t care if he wanted to sleep around or whatever. It was none of your business and it also wasn’t a secret that he liked to have hookups with girls or guys or anything outside and in between—no strings attached of course. But did it have to be in the atelier? This space was for working, for drawing. It was supposed to be a safe space. Couldn’t he have gone elsewhere if he was feeling horny?

"I don't care what you do with your free time but can you at least try to keep it in your pants while in the atelier?"

He didn’t even look at you, his eyes trained on the painting in front of him as he picked up his brush again.

“Calm down, y/n. It’s not like we actually had sex here.”

“Calm down? Some people try to work here, Hyunggu.”

“You're just bitter because you're not getting any. Not anymore at least.”

Ouch. You didn’t want to admit it, but he’d hit you right where it hurt. A part of you wanted to murder him, another part wanted to cry.

But as if you could ever let that happen, as if you could ever cry in front of him. That’d feel like losing and if there was one thing you hated more than you hated him it was the feeling of losing.

So you just rolled your eyes at him while sitting down in front of your own work.

"Very funny, Hyunggu."

He threw you a shit-eating grin. “I know.”

You thought the conversation was over, but apparently Hyunggu didn’t agree.

“I can't help it, y/n,” he said casually as his brush moved over the canvas. “They just can't keep their hands off me.”

You started wondering if maybe you could get away with murder.

“Yeah,” you scoffed. “You poor soul. Must be so hard to be born this pretty.”

“Thanks.” He sighed dramatically. “It really is.”

You felt so frustrated with him, your hand started clenching around your brush. But you tried to contain your anger and calm your breathing.

"Maybe you should just start dating someone for real if you're struggling this much. Would surely help your case.”

The moment you spotted the smug grin on Hyunggu’s lips, you regretted your words.

“Sure. Are you volunteering, Buttercup?”

You gagged at his words. “I’ll pass, thanks.”

“Hm.” He shrugged and turned back to his painting. “Your loss. Others would have died for this opportunity. But suit yourself.”

“Yeah, right,” you mumbled, trying to steer your focus back on working too.

You mostly worked in silence after that. From time to time you could hear Hyunggu humming so softly, you didn’t even notice at first and when you did you were surprised to find that it didn’t bother you. In a way it was nice to have a little background noise while focusing on your painting.

Since you still had another class, you had to pack  up your stuff eventually to leave. While you cleaned out your brushes, your gaze briefly wandered to Hyunggu. He was completely engrossed in his work, not even noticing you at all. It was like he was a completely different person.  There was nothing of his obnoxious teasing and his arrogance. His whole aura changed when he focused on his painting—it almost made you want to respect him. Maybe you did, a little, at least this side of him.

You didn’t say goodbye when you left, both to not interrupt him and to avoid another spiteful conversation. But when you opened the door you heard a mumbled “See you,” from his direction.

“Sure,” you replied, not even bothering to look back.

A few days later, you found yourself at a house party from one of your fellow student council members. It was the first time you went out after the break up so you’d been somewhat looking forward to this.

But now you were standing in some  corner, clutching onto the drink in your hand, your eyes glued to your ex making out with some girl on the couch. They were so invested in shoving their tongues down each other's throats they didn't even notice you staring at them.

Someone else seemingly noticed though because you were suddenly pulled out of your trance by a familiar voice.

“Wow,” he said with a dramatic sigh. “That hurts. I thought we were going to get married. Guess making out in the art room doesn't mean anything anymore these days.”

Your head snapped around to find Hyunggu standing next to you, an impish grin on his face.

When you looked back to the couch then, you recognized the girl on the couch as Hyunggu’s hook up from the other day.

“Truly tragic. You must be heartbroken,” you retorted.

“Hm. Not as much as you.” His voice almost sounded genuine and when your eyes met his you thought something like concern flashing through them.

It was gone within a split second though. “Bet you regret not taking me up on my offer now, huh?”

You rolled your eyes before downing the rest of your drink. “Gotta go, get a refill.”

“You know, if you'd asked me I would have gotten one for you.”

“I don't need you for that.”

You started walking towards the kitchen to finally get rid of him, but he jogged up next to you.

“No need to be so cold, Buttercup.”

“I'm not in the mood for your jokes, Hyunggu.”

He came to a stop in front of you, blocking your way with his body. When he looked at you, there was something dark in his eyes. If you didn't know better you'd think he was trying to seduce you.

“Who says I'm joking?” He leaned in a little. “I wouldn't mind giving this a go, just say the word.”

To your own horror, you really felt your heart skipping a beat but you quickly shook yourself out of it. You couldn't get involved with him and his games just because you were heartbroken and a little tipsy.

“Dream on,” you scoffed, pushing past him to the kitchen.

You tried to stay clear of both Hyunggu and your ex-boyfriend for the rest of the evening but it wasn't that easy since the location wasn't exactly a big place. Still, you could at least ignore them. You deserved to have a good time and there was no reason why you would have to be the one to leave. You did nothing wrong. You didn't cheat or break up nor did you make out with some girl in the art room.

But when you went back to the kitchen once more to get you another drink, you caught your ex, completely occupied by that girl from before who was sitting on the kitchen counter, her legs wrapped around his waist.

You wanted to gag and cry and punch him in the throat.

Good for her though, you supposed, since she really seemed to be getting her needs met these days.

When you sat down your cup on the counter with a little more fervor than necessary, your ex unglued himself from the girl’s lips to look at you. 

“Oh,” he laughed awkwardly. “y/n.”

You threw him a forced smile and a nod, before you turned back to your drink. There was no reason to make conversation with him. You could be out of this kitchen within seconds.

Your eyes searched the counter, trying to find a bottle of liquor that wasn't empty in all the mess

“I think this one is good,” the girl suddenly said and handed you a bottle with a smile. You knew it wasn't her fault, lord, she probably didn't even know you were his ex. But at that moment you really wanted to punch her. For existing, for making out with him, for being nice to you.

Of course you didn’t go through with that. You weren’t that childish nor were you going to give your ex-boyfriend the chance to tell people you were hysterical or a bitch. God forbid they end up sympathizing with him even though he was the asshole who cheated.

“Thank you.” You took the bottle from her and started mixing your drink, trying to leave as soon as possible.

Sadly, your ex decided he wasn't done yet. 

“I'm so sorry if this is awkward for you. I didn't know you'd be here.”

What a dumb excuse. He knew well that you’d be here, you were in the student council after all and pretty close with a bunch of the people here while he was… just kinda there. Still, you weren’t going to make a scene.

“Yeah sure, no problem,” you curtly replied.

“I hope this isn't too hard on you. I don't wanna hurt your feelings.”

You felt yourself getting angrier. Funny that he was suddenly caring about your feelings now. You wondered where that empathy had been when he hooked up with someone else the night while still in a relationship with you.

You put on your best fake smile.

“Why would I be hurt?”

“You don't have to pretend to be strong, y/n. It's okay.”

Your fingers clutched around the bottle of soda you’d picked up, trying hard to contain your anger and not empty the liquid over his head. 

Just then, someone stepped into the room. Of course it had to be Hyunggu. For once you almost felt grateful for his presence. Anything was better than dealing with your ex just a second longer.

“What's up?" Hyunggu asked casually but his expression made it clear that he knew very well he interrupted a tense conversation.

“Ah,” your ex looked uncomfortable. “Hyunggu.”

The girl felt uncomfortable too, if the way she averted her gaze was anything to go by.

“So, what did I miss?” Hyunggu asked, stepping closer to you to reach for one of the bottles on the counter.

Your ex laughed. “Nothing big really, we were just talking about how hard it must be on y/n to see me here with my new girlfriend.”

Hyunggu raised an eyebrow at that last word and the girl seemed to get even smaller. He didn't comment on it though, instead he looked at you questioningly.

“Is that so?”

You wanted to disappear.  This was so humiliating.

How could your ex dare to say shit like this, especially in front of other people, in front of Hyunggu?

When you didn't say anything, he asked again. “Are you having a hard time?”

There was concern in his eyes again, but this time you also thought there was something else. An offer. Or maybe a challenge?

Whatever it was, you decided to take him up on it.

Of course you hated Hyunggu with your entire being. But if it meant to escape getting humiliated by your ex any further, maybe it would be okay to take part in one of Hyunggu’s games.

“Why would I be having a hard time? You're here with me after all.”

Surprise flashed through Hyunggu’s face, but it quickly got replaced by a smug grin.

“That's good, love.” He wrapped his hand around your waist and pulled you a little closer to leave a kiss on the crown of your hair. “Let's go back?”

“Sure.”

Hyunggu threw a last glance at your ex and his girl who both seemed equally confused.

“Was good seeing you guys. Truly a lovely couple,” he said before guiding both of you out of the kitchen.

You hated to admit it but seeing your ex's reaction made all of this worth it. The confusion and the humiliation on his  face were the best things you'd experienced in a while.

Nevertheless, you didn't really think it was necessary to stay in Hyunggu's arm now that you were out of sight.

“Thanks, you can let go now.”

“Aww, Buttercup, I'm hurt.” He pouted at you but it was clear he wasn't actually offended. He dramatically clutched at his chest. “I feel so used.”

“Shouldn't have offered then.”

He chuckled at your quick comeback. “You don't know what you're missing out on.”

“I'd rather keep it that way.” You shot him an emotionless smile before making your way back to your friends.

The following week you went back to the atelier to continue the work on your assignment only to find Hyunggu there once more. It only made sense that he’d use the room too—after all he had an assignment to finish. But it was really just your luck that he always chose the same times as you.

With a sigh you stepped inside.

“Is anyone hiding behind the shelves fixing their clothes or are you actually alone right now?” You took a cautious look around the room as if you were expecting someone to jump out from somewhere.

“Who do you take me for?” He grinned. “I would never cheat on you, Buttercup.”

“You're so funny, Hyunggu.”

“Right back at you.”

Since it seemed he really was alone you sat down at your easel and took out your equipment. Just when you wanted to continue your painting, Hyunggu interrupted you.

“Reminds me, do you know what you'll do about the gala yet?"

“What's that supposed to mean?” You asked with a glare. Of course your piece didn’t look exactly finished yet, but you also had another week before you’d present it at the gala and you were confident about making it in time. And even if you didn’t finish your assignment—it wasn’t any of his business.

He shrugged. “Well, your ex will be there too and he now thinks we're dating, so…”

Oh.

You felt the heat rush to your face.

You completely misunderstood him.

“So… what are you asking?” 

“I'm asking how you want to handle it. Are we dating? Are we not dating?”

For a moment you stayed silent, considering your options. Of course you didn’t want your ex to know that you lied or to think that you’d already broken up again. But it was just a gala to present your final assignments. It’s not like you were supposed to come there with a date.

If anything, everyone would mostly stick close to their own works anyway, answering questions if the professor or other guests had any. So it wouldn't really matter right?

You shook your head. “Thanks, but I think no one would notice anyway.” You focused back on your painting. “Last time was really a one time thing.”

You could practically hear the grin in his voice when he replied “Usually that's my line.”

The night before the gala, you went to the location to set up your work. Your class had a loose time frame for the drop off, but by the time you arrived most people had already been there, the gallery decked out in paintings and sculptures. It wasn’t really surprising—you’d cut it pretty close and literally did your last brush strokes just this morning, giving them the day to dry before you transported it.

One of your professor's assistants was waiting at the entrance asking for your name and class number so she could tell you the number of the space where your painting was supposed to go.

When you reached the place there was already a painting up on the wall next to it. It looked very familiar. It was Hyunggu’s.

From an artist's perspective you could understand why your paintings would be set up next to each other—it made an intriguing combination in terms of style and arrangement.

But the prospect of having to spend the whole evening next to him? Torture.

You were carefully unwrapping your painting, when you heard steps behind you. You turned around to see your ex standing there giving you a dirty look.

“Can't believe you,” he hissed his gaze wandering between you and Hyunggu’s painting.

“Excuse me?”

“I was going to do the sensible thing and ask if me bringing my girlfriend along tomorrow would bother you. But here you are, having your work literally next to your new guy's painting. Can't bear to be apart for one evening, huh?”

You stared at him in disbelief. “What the fuck are you even saying? I'm not the one who made the room plan. And even if, what are you so pissed about?!”

“Am I not allowed to be angry when my ex who pretended to be all hurt about the break up moes on this quickly and then has to shove it right into my face?”

“Are you serious right now? You were the one who kept making out with your girlfriend at a party you knew very well I would be attending so what even is your point?!”

He just shook his head as if you were too stupid to understand.

“I just didn't take you to be such a slut, y/n, that's all.”

With that he left you behind, not giving you another chance to retaliate.

You clenched your fists. The anger bubbling in your stomach was so overpowering you almost wanted to go around the gallery to search for his piece and destroy it.

Honestly, he would have deserved that.

But you were going to pull yourself together (only partly because of the surveillance cameras in the gallery).

You still felt angry on your way home. But there was also a realization slowly sinking in: You might have to come back to Hyunggu’s offer after all.

You just knew your ex would have an eagle eye on you as much as he could, and with Hyunggu's painting right next to yours it would probably be noticeable if you didn't keep up the pretense.

So despite the feeling of absolute disgust that took over you at the mere thought of asking Hyunggu about this again after declining his offer so confidently, you decided it had to be done. If only to tick off your ass of an ex boyfriend.

The next day, you got to the location a few hours before it started, to help prepare and set everything up. Your professor gave some last instructions, since it was  the first event of this type for most of the students. After that you helped with some last minute preparations, like relocating some standing and carrying some boxes with sparkling wine inside.

You kept looking for an opportunity to catch Hyunggu alone in between and you finally took your chance when you spotted him fixing the angle of his painting. You looked around before stepping closer and clearing your throat to catch his attention.

He turned around to you and immediately had a smug smile on his lips.

“Y/n.”

You really didn’t want to do this.

“Uh, yeah, hi. Can I talk to you for a second?”

He raised an eyebrow but nodded and the two of you stepped outside. On the way out you briefly crossed paths with your ex who threw the two of you a glare but you tried to ignore him. Hyunggu didn’t seem particularly bothered either.

When you finally stepped through one of the small back entrances, no one else in sight, he smiled looking intrigued. “So, what's up, Buttercup?”

“Can we be serious for like one second?”

“I'm always serious when it's about you, y/n.”

You rolled your eyes but decided not to further spur him on by replying to his the stupid comment.

“So the thing is,” you started reluctantly.

“The thing is?”

You could tell from Hyunggu’s smug expression that he wouldn’t make this easy for you, but it wasn’t like you had much of a choice.

"doesyourofferstillstand?" you begrudgingly pressed out, swallowing all your pride. 

"Eh?" He cocked his head. "My offer?"

It cost you all your strength not to punch him in his dumb pretty face. But you pulled yourself together. You needed him alive.

“Stop  pretending, Hyunggu. you know exactly what i'm talking about.”

“So where does the sudden change of mind come from?”

“Let's just say the situation changed a little.”

“How so?”

You didn’t exactly want to tell him all about yesterday's conversation but you also knew he wouldn’t give it a rest if you didn't give him at least some kind of reason.

“I had a little argument with my ex yesterday,” you briefly summarized.

He nodded slowly as if he was contemplating something.

“Hmmm, I can see why that would change things for you.”

A sly grin appeared on his lips as he stepped just a little closer to you. You felt your heart skip a beat in your chest at the sudden proximity. Without saying anything his gaze just lingered on your for a moment, wandering from your eyes to your lips and back up.

“But you know, Buttercup,” he said after a while. “You should have just said yes when I first offered.”

You frowned.

Of course you had known this conversation would be uncomfortable and that he'd be smug and sassy. But there had been no doubt in your mind that he would easily agree. Yet, now he was rejecting you?

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I guess you could call it a time-limited offer? Would have done it for free, but now you lost your chance.” 

He looked at you with fake pity. 

“What?” you asked, dumbfounded. You didn't know what else to say.

“Sometimes it's better not to hesitate, y/n. Maybe take it as advice for the future.”

You shook your head. “You're kidding right?”

“Why would I be kidding?”

“You were so keen on this before and now you're saying no?”

He shrugged. “What would I get out of this?”

“So that's what this is about? You want something in return?”

“I mean if you don't want to…” He let his eyes wander into the distance, a meaningful expression on his face.

You sighed. “What do you want, Hyunggu?”

A sly grin formed on his lips and it made your stomach burn with frustration. “I knew you'd come around.”

“Just tell me what you want already, Hyunggu.”

“A favor.”

You had a bad feeling about this.

“A favor?”

He nodded “Exactly.”

“What kind of favor?”

“I'll let you know when I need it.”

“You expect me to say yes to this without knowing what you're going to ask for?”

He shrugged nonchalantly. “I'm not expecting anything. I'm just telling you my price.”

You took a deep breath. You hated this. There was no way you’d say yes to something like this. How stupid did he take you for?

Just when you were about to tell him to forget it all, you heard the backdoor behind you open.

Your ex was standing there, eyeing the both of you with pure disgust.

“Sorry to interrupt the two of you,” he snarled, not sounding sorry at all. “If you're done flirting maybe you want to come back inside and actually help like the rest of us?”

You swallowed looking back at Hyunggu who cocked his head in a question, as if to ask what your decision was going to be.

Your jaw tensed up. You couldn’t let him expose you now in front of your ex.

“Fine,” you mouthed at him.

“Perfect.” Hyunggu leaned in closer, his lips briefly brushing over your forehead, before he pulled back again to look at you.

“I love you.”

The way he said it was taunting, one eyebrow raised and a grin on his lips. It was so obvious that there wasn’t the tiniest bit of sincerity in his words, but your ex didn’t seem to notice, judging from the scoff he let out.

Hyunggu didn't give either of you a chance to say anything, moving past you to step back inside from where your ex was still glaring at you.

When you didn't follow along, Hyunggu turned around again. “Aren’t you coming, Buttercup?"

You went back inside to help with the rest of the preparations, though honestly, there wasn’t much to do anymore, confirming your hunch that your ex mainly came outside to interrupt you and Hyunggu.

Still, you somehow managed to keep yourself busy with this and that until the event started, barely seeing either Hyunggu or your ex. During the gala itself Hyunggu of course was close by, his painting being next to yours and all, but the guests kept you busy so there wasn't that much room for conversation or any fake dating activities.

In the late evening, after the gala ended, you felt tired and exhausted but you were also filled with bubbling happiness. More people than you’d expected had shown interest in your work and you thought you also did a decent job presenting it, so you couldn’t help the feeling of pride welling up inside of you.

Still full of adrenaline, you turned to Hyunggu who was taking a sip from a water bottle, looking pretty tired himself.

"Tonight was amazing, wasn't it?" You asked excitedly, forgetting for a moment that you were supposed to hate his guts.

You got ready to be ridiculed by him, you could almost hear his voice taunting you for getting so childishly happy about something like this. But instead he broke into a wide smile too, little creases forming in the corners of his eyes.

"Yeah," he agreed. "I loved it too"

It caught you off guard. He looked so genuinely happy, no trace of his usual sneer or smugness.

You couldn't remember seeing him like this before but you suddenly understood why everyone seemed to like him so much.

You swallowed, quickly averting your eyes. Instead of him, you focused your attention on your painting, reaching out to carefully take it off the wall.

"That's good," you mumbled, hoping Hyunggu didn't notice the heat you felt rising up to your cheeks.

Maybe it was because of the size of the painting or maybe you were just too fidgety but somehow getting it down was way harder than it’d been to put it up. You were just considering asking someone from the gallery to help you with it when you felt someone step behind you.

"Let me help you," Hyunggu said, standing so close to you that you noticed the scent of his perfume. It smelled like freshly cut flowers. It didn't exactly fit the image of him you'd painted in your head, but maybe you didn't know him as well as you thought you did.

"It's fine," you stuttered out, trying to put a little distance between the two of you.

"Just let me help, y/n," he insisted and you could hear the smile in his voice. "It can be a little tricky." 

Hyunggu reached out his hands to your painting, his fingers brushing yours when he did. He easily removed the painting from the hook it was attached to and gently set it down. 

You felt your heart beating so hard in your chest, you worried that he could hear the sound of it.

"There we go."

"Thanks," you mumbled.

"Always, Buttercup."

The nickname made you look up to meet his gaze, before your eyes wandered past him to your ex who was glaring at you from a few meters away.

Of course. 

All of this had just been part of your little pretense because your ex had been watching. You’d simply been too unattentive to notice.

You suddenly felt stupid for getting all nervous and shy when Hyunggu was just playing his role—a role you’d asked him to play yourself.

“We need to set up some boundaries,” you stated later that night, when the two of you were alone, making your way to the bus stop.

“Boundaries?” 

“Yeah. You know, rules and stuff.”

“So you want to keep this up longer then?” He grinned. “Can't get enough of me now that you've had a taste?”

You suppressed a gag. “Get off your high horse, Hyunggu. It's just that we can't suddenly stop now, I'm sure he will keep an eye on us at college too and since the others also sorta noticed now…”

Hyunggu chuckled. “Got it. We'll play lovebirds a little longer. I don't mind.” You didn't like the expression on his face but decided to ignore it.

“So, as I said, we need boundaries.”

“What did you have in mind, Buttercup?”

“That’s the first one. Don't call me that.”

“Why not? It suits you.”

“We're alone Hyunggu, there's no need to put on an act. Which is the first rule. When we're alone we're back to normal. No flirting.”

Hyunggu raised an eyebrow. “But aren't I always flirting with you? Isn't that our normal?”

“Rule number 2,” you moved on, not acknowledging his nonsense. “No others. I can't have another boyfriend cheating on me, even if it's just a fake.”

“I already told you I wouldn't cheat on you. Anything else?”

“I'm the one who breaks up.”

“Sure.”

You looked at him in surprise. You hadn't expected him to agree to that so easily, knowing all too well that Hyunggu could be prideful.

“You don't mind?”

“I think your ego needs that more than mine right now. Besides,” a cocky grin appeared on his lips, “I bet you won't want to break up anyway.”

“Dream on.”

“So, is that all?”

“Uh,” you considered for a moment. “I think so?”

“What about other kinds of boundaries?”

You looked at him questioningly. “What do you mean?”

“You know,” he stopped walking, his hand grabbing yours to make you stop as well. He pulled you closer until there was barely any space left between you. 

“Things like this,” he whispered. “Is this fine?”

You swallowed, suddenly feeling way too hot despite the cool evening breeze. “I guess so?” Your voice was thin and it sounded more like a question.

“Mhm,” he hummed, his face coming just a bit closer still. “What about other things?”

“For example?”

His eyes wandered to your lips. “Is it okay to kiss you?”

Your brain short circuited. Clearly, the answer should be No. But how could you say no when he was looking at you like that?

“If,” you started, your voice trembling with nerves. “If the situation absolutely requires it…”

“Hm?” He urged you to go on, his gaze not leaving your lips.

“Then I suppose it's okay…”

He didn't say anything for a moment. His face was close enough for you to feel his breath against your lips and you were almost convinced he was going to lean in and close the gap. If you were honest with yourself maybe you wanted him to.

But then he pulled back, one corner of his mouth pulled up to a crooked grin.

“Alright,” he said, letting go of your hand as if nothing had happened. “I can work with that.”

Things didn't change as much as you thought they would—mostly because Hyunggu and you barely shared classes and you tended to keep to yourself a lot in school anyway.

Though when you had lunch with Shinwon and Hui the following week they of course mentioned it to you, playfully offended that you hadn't told them sooner.

“It was just really new and we weren't really sure where things were going,” you lied half heartedly.

Shinwon sighed dramatically. “Still, I can't believe you didn't even tell us. No use crying over spilled milk but you'll have to tell us all about how it happened, y/n. I mean you hated his guts.”

Just when you realized that Hyunggu and you hadn't agreed on a backstory yet, a voice sounded from behind you.

“Hate is such a strong word, don’t you think?”

Hyunggu really had a talent for showing up out of nowhere. He set the tray with his food onto the table and sat down next to you.

“I think rather than hatred, it was a bit of anxiety. Admitting your own feelings can be pretty scary.”

 He smiled. You wanted to punch him.

“But thankfully we managed to talk things out,” Hyunggu squeezed your hand on the table. “Isn't that right, Buttercup?”

Your friends grinned at the nickname. You tried your best to look bashful instead of utterly humiliated and angry.

“Sure,” you replied, pulling your hand out of his grasp.

“No need to be so shy in front of our friends.”

You ignored him, focusing back on your food instead.

“So, since y/n isn't telling us, you'll tell us right? How the two of you got together?”

You felt Hyunggu's gaze wandering over to you, but you didn't look up. You were already feeling uncomfortable enough as it was.

“I think that's a story for another time,” Hyunggu replied in his usual charming tone. 

Relief washed over you. You really weren't in the mood to make up some lovey dovey back story, nor did you want to give Hyunggu the power to make something up by himself.

For a moment you wondered if he wasn't saying anything to be considerate. But you quickly pushed the thought aside—this was Hyunggu after all.

Thankfully your friends let it rest after that and you got back to chatting about this and that until Shinwon interrupted the ongoing conversation with a sudden Oh! as if he'd just remembered something.

“Since you're on the student council too, you’re also signed up for the weekend getaway in a few weeks, right, Hyunggu?”

“Ah, yeah, I'm going.”

“Perfect,” Shinwon continued, excitedly clapping his hands. “Changgu said we had a problem with splitting the rooms since we got some rooms with double beds—but since you're dating now you can just share right?”

You choked on the bite of food you'd just taken, coughing helplessly until Hyunggu started to gently pat your back.

This wasn't good.

You'd been sure you would already be broken up by the time the trip rolled around. But how could you say no to this without exposing this all as a fake relationship? Then again, your ex wasn't even going to be on the trip so why would you have to keep pretending there? But did you really want to tell all your friends that you were pathetic enough to fake a relationship in order to get back at your ex?

While your thoughts kept circling, Hyunggu seemed just as helpless. It wasn't often you got to see him being unsure and if the situation had been any different you surely would have found great joy in it.

“Uhm,” he finally started, throwing you a questioning glance. “I don't really—”

“Sure!” You cut him off. “No problem at all!”

You felt his surprised gaze on you but you kept your eyes focused on your friends who nodded happily.

“Perfect, I'll send a message to Changgu then!”

Soon after, your friends excused themselves to go to classes, leaving you and Hyunggu alone.

“No problem at all, eh?” He turned to you with a raised  eyebrow as soon as they were out of earshot.

“I mean—,” you stuttered. “What was I supposed to say?!”

He shrugged. “I don't know. I'm sure you could have come up with some kinda excuse.” The corners of his lips turned up into a mischievous smile. “If you really wanted to, that is. But I guess I'm just impossible to resist.”

With a roll of your eyes, you grabbed your tray and stood up to leave. Hyunggu quickly picked up his tray as well, jogging up next to you. 

“Can't believe you're trying to leave me behind, Buttercup.” He playfully nudged you in the side. 

“I already told you to stop calling me that.”

“And I already told you it suits you.”

“You're insufferable, Hyunggu.”

“That's what you like about me.”

Things weren't very eventful after that. Hyunggu was teasing you every chance he got (as he always did) and played your sweet, sweet boyfriend whenever other people were around. Somehow you got used to it so quickly, you almost started to miss his constant commentary when you were by yourself. 

Not that you would ever tell him that.

From time to time, you caught yourself blushing or your heart skipping a beat and it honestly worried you. You knew that all of this was fake. He didn't mean it when he called you his or said that he'd missed you. And his nickname for you, too, was just part of this little game.

You knew this and yet sometimes you forgot.

Even if it was fake, even if there were no feelings involved, his hand felt warm against your skin and his voice sounded like home when he called you by that stupid little nickname.

Maybe you could finally understand the fall of icarus now, because against your better knowledge you still wanted to get a little closer, you still wanted to hold his hand and his heart, knowing full well that you'd get burnt.

The weekend before the student council retreat, Hyunggu texted you to accompany him to a party. You told him that you didn't want to go. He knew you weren't usually a party person anyway, but he somehow managed to convince you, saying it would make things more believable and probably also get your ex riled up more since you'd barely gone to parties with him.

So, on Saturday evening you got yourself dressed up and waited for Hyunggu to pick you up. When he spotted you coming out of the house his face lit up, little creases forming in the corners of his eyes the way they always did when he genuinely smiled. You hated that it made your heart race.

"You're looking pretty tonight," he said, opening the door of his car for you.

In an attempt to hide your nerves you just scoffed at him, while getting into the car. “Thanks.”

Hyunggu didn't take it personally though, closing the door and then going back to the driver's seat, a light swing in his step. He seemed to be in a really good mood and you couldn't decide whether you liked or hated it.

You didn't really talk on the way to the party. Instead, he had some music on and softly sang along from time to time. It surprised you—both that he was comfortable singing in front of you as well as the realization that he was a good singer. There were so many things you didn’t know about him yet and it was terrible, really. Because with every new thing you learned, he got more charming, as if you weren't already having a hard enough time keeping up your antipathy.

Once you reached the party you were once more reminded that not only everyone knew Hyunggu but that everyone also genuinely liked him. Before you knew it he was swept away and you were left to your own devices. You shouldn't have felt hurt about it but somehow you still did.

Wasn't he the one who persuaded you to come in the first place? Even if this was fake, the least he could do was to not leave you alone the second you arrived.

Feeling a little lost, you sat down in some corner unsure what to do with yourself, when someone sat next to you.

“You good?” Changgu looked at you, a worried frown on his face.

“Uh, yeah, totally good, really.”

He didn't seem to believe you but still nodded. “You know that you can come talk to me if something is up, right?”

“Thank you, Changgu.”

“Mhm,” he hummed in reply before nipping on his drink. “To be honest it really surprised me to hear that you're dating Hyunggu now. I always thought you hated him.” He wasn't looking at you, instead his eyes were fixed on some people in the opposite corner of the room.

When you followed his gaze you spotted Hyunggu talking animatedly with some guy you hadn't seen before, maybe from a different faculty or college altogether.

You watched him for a moment. The other guy must have said something funny because Hyunggu started laughing, his hand wiping at the corners of his eyes. You knew it was too loud in the room for you to actually hear his laughter, but the sound of it still rang in your ears.

“Yeah,” you replied without averting your gaze. “I thought so too.”

That drew a small chuckle from Changgu before he bumped your shoulders together playfully. “You really got it bad, huh?”

“What?” You tore your eyes away from Hyunggu to look at Changgu instead.

“You don't?”

You couldn't really agree to that nor could you decline, so you just shrugged.

“I hope you didn't misunderstand me. You make a good couple,"” Changgu eventually added. “It's just surprising is all.”

“I don't know about that.”

“About making a good couple? Why? What's up?”

“I'm just not sure if we could work longtime. It's like we have an expiration date,” you replied and it was just a little too close to the truth.

“Hmm,” he sounded thoughtful. “I'm sure you'll figure things out.”

“Yeah. Thanks, Changgu.” 

Somehow you wanted the conversation to end, even if it was just to run away from your own feelings. You excused yourself and went to the kitchen to get yourself a drink.

It was ironic; the mere act of mixing yourself a drink in someone else's kitchen was exactly what got you into this whole mess. It somehow felt so long ago now, even though you knew it had only been a few weeks.

This time there was no ex boyfriend making out with a girl on the kitchen counter. Instead a bunch of people you'd never seen before were sitting at the table playing some kind of drinking game.

When a girl at the table caught you looking over she gave you a smile and asked if you wanted to join. You threw a brief glance through the kitchen door to see Hyunggu still immersed in conversation, so you agreed and sat down next to her. You didn't need Hyunggu to have a fun evening anyway. You could just make new friends if he didn't want to bother spending time with you.

You played a few rounds of a game that you didn't exactly grasp the rules of which also explained why you'd gotten tipsy so quickly. After another lost round you were about to drink again, when your shot glass was snatched right out of your hand.

“Hey!” you complained, tipping your head back in an attempt to catch a glimpse of the thief.

It was Hyunggu. Of course it was.

“I think you might have had enough for tonight,” he suggested, holding the glass out of your reach.

“Shut up,” you babbled. “Don't pretend like you suddenly care about me.”

“Don't say that. You know I care about you.” 

A crease appeared between his eyebrows and he looked... worried? Apologetic? Hurt? You weren't sure.

And it didn't matter either, this wasn't real. 

“Liar.”

He sighed. “I think we should drive home. Let me get your things, Buttercup.”

“Don't wanna.”

“Please?”

Reluctantly and not without a big pout on your face you gave in. “Fine.”

He told you to wait there while he left to gather your things. The girl next to you eyed you with a raised eyebrow. 

“Didn't know you were here with Hyunggu," she said once he had left. "Are you dating?”

You shrugged but she didn't seem to mind the unclear answer nor did she seem surprised.

“Buttercup, huh?” she shook her head. “Classic Hyunggu. You know, he used to call me that too.”

You weren't sure why her words hurt you so much, but they stung like a knife.

You should have known better.

But some dumb naive part of you had always felt a little special when he called you that. Because you’d thought it was a nickname he’d made up just for you.

But of course not.

It was just some dumb name he recycled from past love affairs.

You should have known better.

“You ready to go?” Hyunggu's voice pulled you out of your thoughts. 

When you turned he was standing there with a smile, holding out your bag and jacket for you. Without a word you grabbed your things and walked towards the door. You were still silent when you sat in the parking lot, waiting for him to start the car.

He reached out for the key but then halted, lowering his hand again.

“Are you angry with me?”

“No,” you replied curtly. “Why would I be?”

“Is it about leaving? Did you want to stay that much?” A crease appears between his brows. "I'm sorry."

“I told you I'm not angry.”

“But something is clearly wrong, y/n.” He sighed, running his hands through his slightly tousled hair. “Look, I know I wasn't being the best date tonight.”

“Fake date,” you corrected.

His frown just grew, and for a second you thought there was something like disappointment on his face.

“Yeah, right, fake date.” He repeated your words. “Still, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left you all alone tonight.”

“I wasn't alone. I spoke with Changgu and uh-" You tried recalling the girl's name, or any of the people you played with, but you couldn't remember. Or maybe you never knew in the first place.

“I wasn't alone,” you emphasized again.

It was clear that Hyunggu didn't really know what to say. “I mean, that's good then?” It sounded unsure, like a question.

“Yeah. Can we drive home now?”

He hesitated still, his gaze lingering on you a little longer as if he wanted to say more. But then he reached for the key and started the car.

The ride home felt suffocating. He didn't turn on music he could hum along to and you didn't speak either. Both of you just kept your gaze fixed on the road until his car stopped in front of your house.

“There we are.”

“Yeah.” 

“Sorry again for tonight, y/n. I didn't mean for the evening to go like this.”

“It's whatever.” You unbuckled your seatbelt and left the car without even looking at him again.

You made your way to your doorstep and even without turning around you knew Hyunggu was still there. Only when you opened the door and disappeared inside did he start his car again to drive home himself.

He texted you later that night, telling you that he got home and that you should get a good rest.

You didn't reply.

You still hadn’t replied by the week after and you went out of your way to avoid him, disappearing immediately after the classes you had with him to avoid conversation.

Of course you knew that you weren't being fair to him.

You had no right to be angry or hurt about something that you'd known from the start, something you had specifically asked for.

And yet you felt all kinds of angry and hurt.

Maybe there'd been some truth to Hyunggu's words when he'd said you never hated him in the first place. Maybe you'd really just been scared. How unfair though, that you were the only one feeling this way, while he got to move on from this as if it was nothing.

Avoiding Hyunggu had worked out so well,  you'd gotten careless by Thursday. You'd taken your sweet time packing up after one of your classes, only leaving the room after everyone was long gone already.

When you got out, Hyunggu was waiting next to the door, immediately coming over as soon as he spotted you. He walked next to you through the hallway, not a lot of distance between the two of you.

“Don't think ignoring me will get you out of owing me that favor.” He winked, but it was clear he wasn't feeling as relaxed as he tried to make it look. 

“Sure, don't worry, you get your favor. What do you want?”

He frowned at your cold reply.

“I haven't made up my mind yet. But I think rather than that we need to talk.”

“Then talk.”

He stopped walking and when you turned around to him he almost looked angry. You'd never seen him angry before. Annoyed, sure. Disparaging too. But angry? Hyunggu wasn't the type to get angry. He was the type who kept calm, who always had the upper hand.

Somehow you didn't know how to handle him looking at you like that, so you quickly averted your gaze.

“You're being unfair, y/n.”

I know, you wanted to say but you kept quiet.

“You wanted this. You specifically came to me and asked me to help you out.” He took a small step towards you, but not enough to feel intimidating.

When you glanced up his features had softened a little. “Don't I at least deserve an explanation when you suddenly treat me like this?”

He was right. But what were you supposed to say? I don't like that our fake dating is, you know, fake?

When you stayed silent he sighed. “And what am I supposed to tell the others? That we broke up? That we didn't? How am I supposed to behave?”

Objectively speaking, it was a valid thing to wonder about. It was only natural that he'd ask this. After all, contrary to you, he was around people often and couldn't exactly avoid conversations.

But somehow your brain and your heart didn't really connect that well, at least not today.

“So that's what it's about, huh? You're worried about what to tell the others? Well, I don't care, Hyunggu, just tell them whatever the fuck you want to.”

“Come on, Buttercup, you know that's not what I meant.”

Hearing him call you by that name made you feel sick to your stomach. All you could think of was that girl and who knows how many others that he'd given the same nickname to.

“I told you to stop calling me that!” You almost yelled now, not exactly the volume appropriate for the hallways of a university building but you couldn't bring yourself to care.

With tears in your eyes you stomped off, leaving Hyunggu behind in his confusion.

When your alarm woke you up on Friday you felt miserable. For all the same reasons as the day before but also for a bunch of new ones.

After sleeping about it and giving yourself the time to calm down a bit and think the situation over, it became blatantly clear that an apology was due.

You'd known from the start that you hadn't been fair to Hyunggu, but you really took it a little too far yesterday. It was vexing that he didn't even know what you were angry about. But how could he? It wasn't his fault you caught feelings and got your hopes up for nothing.

Another reason for your miserable mood though was that your phone reminded you that the student council retreat started today.

The retreat that Hyunggu would attend as well.

The one where you were supposed to share a room.

You wanted to stay home and just skip out on this. But you also felt that not going would just make things worse between Hyunggu and you and it would also put him in the uncomfortable position of having to explain in front of the others.

So despite everything, you forced yourself out of bed and started packing your things.

All of the student council members had agreed to meet up near college beforehand and drive together from there so that you could share cars instead of everyone driving by themselves. Since you'd put off packing till the last minute,  you were already short on time and to top it off your bus was delayed too. It really wasn't your day.

You texted Shinwon about it, letting him know that you'd be running late and he told you not to worry,  someone would wait for you.

When you arrived at the parking lot you immediately recognized his car.

Really, you should have expected this outcome.

Hyunggu was leaning against his car lifting his hand in a small wave when he saw you walking over.

You remembered the way he'd smiled when he picked you up for the party and it made your heart ache that he wasn't smiling at you now.

“Hey,” he said once you reached him, his lips pressed to a thin line.

“Hey.” 

You looked around the parking lot and also glanced into his car to see if someone else was there. There wasn't.

“Sorry, it’s just me,” Hyunggu said, reaching out his hand to take your bag from you and put it into the back of his car.

You weren't sure what he was apologizing for, especially since clearly, you were the one who should be doing that.

After he put your stuff away he went around to the driver seat.

“Should we get going?”

The drive was silent again and you couldn't help missing the sound of his voice humming along to his music. Or any sound really.  You kept fidgeting with your hands, well aware that you should fix this, but it somehow felt so intimidating to speak up.

“You're making me nervous,” Hyunggu eventually said with a small glance at your hands.

“Sorry.”

You laid your hands flat onto your thighs, but you only made it so long before you started fidgeting again.

“Can you uhm- can we maybe listen to some music?” You eventually asked, hoping to at least get rid of the silence. Maybe it'd be easier to speak up once it wasn't so quiet anymore?

“Sure, you can put something on. My phone should be connected to the speakers.”

He vaguely gestured towards the center console where his phone was laying. You just stared at it helplessly, unsure if he was expecting you to just take it?

“8310.”

“Huh?”

“My code.” For a second you thought you saw a small smile on his lips.

“Ah, right.”

You picked up his phone still feeling as if you were intruding despite having his permission to do so.

You just put one of his playlists on shuffle since you hadn't anything specific in mind that you wanted to listen to and also didn’t want to search through his phone. Melodic jazz started sounding from the speakers and it helped you relax a little.

“Uhm,” you started again after a while. “I'm sorry about yesterday.”

“Hm,” He just hummed in reply, his gaze fixed on the road ahead.

“I was out of line.”

“You were.”

You anxiously bit on your lower lip, unsure what else to say. You'd hoped he'd make  things a little easier for you once you decided to apologize, but you knew you couldn't expect that from him.

“Are you going to tell me what was going on with you now?” He asked after a while.

“I was just—I think I'm just not cut out for this whole fake dating thing.”

It wasn't a lie, just not the whole truth.

“So, are we breaking up?”

You shrugged. “Maybe it's for the best? Thank you though, for playing along.”

“Mhm-hm.” He stopped the car at a red light, using the moment to look over at you. “What do you want to do about this weekend then?”

If only you knew.

Even if you broke up now, it would only make things complicated and uncomfortable for everyone else on the trip, not to mention the problem with the room.

“Maybe we can just... pretend a little longer? And end this on Monday?”

He nodded, looking away from you to focus back on the street when the traffic light turned green again. 

“Whatever you're comfortable with, B–” he cut himself off before repeating his sentence once more. “Whatever you're comfortable with.”

The rest of the drive wasn't exactly comfortable, but at least some of the tension between the two of you had eased. From time to time, Hyunggu was humming along to the songs again too, almost as if he didn't notice he was doing it himself.

Once you reached the lodging, Hyunggu was back to his usual self, meeting the others with a grin.

“The lovebirds finally arrived,” Changgu dramatically greeted both of you, as he and some others got out to help you carry the luggage and supplies. “Took you long enough.”

“We just wanted some privacy,” Hyunggu replied with a wink.

It shouldn't surprise you how good Hyunggu was at slipping in and out of roles, putting up a front as if you hadn't just broken up in the car. Then again, you supposed it probably wasn't as emotionally taxing on him as it was on you.

You weren't sure if you should be hurt about his easy acting or if you should be grateful since he prevented things from getting awkward. With mixed feelings you trudged behind the others into the house, carrying some food supplies for the weekend inside.

The student council was a pretty wild mix of people and you usually felt a little overwhelmed with how loud and chaotic it could get, but today you felt pretty grateful about it.

Everyone was in a good mood, and a bunch of them had already started drinking too so no one noticed that you and Hyunggu kept some distance between the two of you.

Hyunggu managed to make a quick witted comment whenever the conversation touched on your relationship, keeping up the pretense without actually touching or flirting with you.

Between setting things up, cooking and playing some games, the evening rolled around quicker than expected.

You'd mostly stuck to Hongseok, helping him prepare dinner and then doing dishes together with him and Wooseok after dinner.

When you went back to the living room afterwards everyone was chatting and playing games and no one noticed that you sat down far from Hyunggu who was immersed in a conversation with Hui.

Drinking, playing games and listening to everyone's rambles let you forget a bit of the tension from today, and Shinwon even managed to draw the one or the other laugh out of you with his weird jokes.

Just when he'd said something stupid again that made you almost tear up from laughing, you caught Hyunggu looking at you from the other side of the table. 

He smiled fondly, and you quickly averted your gaze, feeling the heat rise to your cheeks. You hoped that the blush on your cheeks went unnoticed or at least would be blamed on the alcohol and not your emotional chaos.

After a few more rounds of drinks you found yourself getting both very tipsy and very tired, unable to keep yourself from yawning.

When you could barely keep your eyes open, Hongseok carefully nudged you in the side.

“Y/n? Do you maybe wanna go to bed?”

Your gaze instinctively wandered to Hyunggu who was immersed in conversation, before you shook your head. 

“No, no, I'm still awake,” you mumbled but it didn't sound very convincing.

Hongseok chuckled. “You don't have to force yourself just because your boyfriend is still up, you know that, right?”

Changgu overheard your conversation, asking if you were tired and wanted to sleep loudly enough for everyone to hear.

You felt a little helpless. You hadn't talked with Hyunggu about the sleeping situation again and weren't really sure how to behave. But it was true that you felt unbearably tired and now with everyone reassuring you that it was okay to sleep and some of them saying that they'd head to sleep too, you couldn't really say no.

“Just rest, y/n, it's fine. I'll come up later,” Hyunggu said with a reassuring smile.

“Okay.”

You made your way to the room Hyunggu and you  were supposed to share, quickly got yourself bed ready and slipped under the covers.

Maybe you should have been nervous about the fact that Hyunggu was going to come up later, but you were too drunk and tired to really care.

You must have fallen asleep quickly, because the next thing you knew was that you woke up from a noise in the room. Blinking your eyes, you tried to adjust to the darkness of the room. You weren't sure how much time had passed since you went upstairs, but it was quiet in the house now, except for Hyunggu rustling with his bag.

“It's me,” he whispered when he noticed you were awake. “Just keep sleeping.”

Your eyes kept closing, despite your best attempt to stay awake, and when you opened them again he was gone, probably getting bed ready in the bathroom.

He didn't come back though.

When you woke up early the next morning, you were alone, no trace of Hyunggu ever having been there, except for his open bag on the floor.

You crawled out of bed,  slipping into a hoodie before quietly making your way down the stairs to the open living room. It was quiet, everyone else probably still asleep after the long night.

You got yourself a glass of water from the kitchen when you heard a soft groaning noise from the couch. You walked over to take a look just to find Hyunggu sleeping there under a thin woolen blanket, quietly sighing in his sleep.

You felt guilty for making him sleep there and briefly wondered if maybe you should have stayed home after all, if only for his sake.

As if he'd noticed your staring, he scrunched up his face before blinking his eyes open.

“Y/n,” he mumbled, his voice still thick with sleep.

“Did you sleep here?” You whispered, worried about waking anyone else in the house.

He closed his eyes again for a moment. “Mhm.” 

“Why?”

“What, were you lonely?” A small grin tugged at his lips. 

Honestly you felt a little caught but you tried not to let on. “If anything I should have been the one sleeping on the couch.”

“I wasn't going to throw a sleeping person out of their bed. Who do you take me for, y/n?” He sat up, his hair looking tousled and sticking up a little. 

“But this really took a toll on my poor back,” he sighed dramatically while stretching his arms behind his back.

“I'm sorry.”

A mischievous grin appeared on his face. “Well, if you're that sorry, how about making coffee for everyone? I might be willing to call it even then.”

The way he teased you reminded you of the way things were before the whole fake dating thing went downhill and it made you feel a little relieved, as if you could go back to normal eventually.

The others soon woke up as well and you ate breakfast with everyone before splitting up into smaller groups to get some student council work done, the excuse for taking this trip in the first place.

After working for a while, it was decided that some people should already start making lunch. You volunteered again, but were sent to go to the supermarket instead. Apparently Hui and Changgu had underestimated the amount of food (and even more importantly drinks) you'd need for the weekend.

“Take Hyunggu along since he has a car,” Changgu suggested and you couldn't really find an excuse not to.

You weren't sure if you even wanted to come up with one.

“Good to know our friends are supportive of us getting some alone time, huh?” Hyunggu shook his head in amusement as the two of you went over to his car.

“Sorry that you have to come along.”

“No, not at all. I don't think any of them would be capable of choosing good wine and—,” he playfully eyed you up, “no offense, but I don't trust you with that either.”

You couldn't help but chuckle. “Fair point.”

You got everything from the list as well as a few things on top that you simply were in the mood for—the privilege of being the ones getting the groceries, Hyunggu reasoned.

On your way back to the house you mostly looked out the window, until you suddenly realized that the road didn't look familiar at all.

Just when you wanted to say something, Hyunggu turned right, driving  onto a lot.

“What are you doing?”

He hummed while he easily pulled into a parking spot. “I'm sure they won't mind if we come back just a little later.”

“What are you doing?” You asked again, but he ignored you.

He got out of the car, walking around to your side and opening your door for you.

“Just thought we could use some fresh air.”

You shook your head in disbelief but got out anyway.  When you looked around you realized you were in the parking lot of some kind of botanical garden.

Hyunggu got something out of the back of his car before locking up behind him and walking towards the entrance.

“You coming?” He grinned, holding out a can of coffee to you that you hadn't noticed he'd slipped into the shopping cart.

“You're insufferable,” you said but took the can from him.

He grinned, opening his own can with a plop and raising it in a small toast. “How I missed hearing you say that this past week.” 

You walked through the garden for a while, just looking around and sipping on the coffee. Despite the quiet it didn't feel uncomfortable this time. Maybe it was because Hyunggu seemed to be in a good mood, a light swing in his steps, that rubbed off on you.

Eventually, he plopped down on one of the benches in front of a pretty fontaine, tapping the space next to him for you to sit down next to him.

"”Shouldn't we get back soon? We also have the groceries in the car…”

“It will be fine,  y/n, they won't suddenly spoil just because they’re in the car for a minute or two longer.”

You hesitated for a moment but then you sat down too, enjoying the fresh breeze and the pretty view.

“I'm sorry that I made things awkward,” you mumbled after a while, not daring to look  at him.

“I don't mind things being awkward, y/n. But I'd rather be talked to openly instead of ignored out of nowhere.”

“I'm sorry.”

“Mmh-mh,” he took another sip of his coffee. “Let's not dwell on it anymore. Besides, I'm sorry too.”

You looked at him in confusion. “What are you sorry for?”

“For the party. It wasn't my proudest night.” 

“You already apologized for that.”

He ruffled through his hair and let out a long sigh. “For the nickname too, I didn't know it bothered you that much. I didn't mean to overstep.”

“No, it's not—I mean it's not your fault, I just felt a little weird to be called the same nickname as a bunch of others before me—”

Hyunggu frowned. “What do you mean?”

You swallowed. “It's stupid, because everything is fake anyway but I just got a little too in my head about it. It doesn't matter.”

“No, what do you mean with others?”

“Uh, you know. People you've dated and stuff.”

“What makes you think I used it for anyone else?”

You huffed a tired laugh. “You don't have to pretend for me, Hyunggu.”

“I'm not. Why would I call anyone else that way?”

You almost felt annoyed at him keeping up the pretense. “Hyunggu, please. That girl at the party told me.”

“Well whatever she told you wasn't true then.”

“Why would she lie?”

“I don't know.” His expression looked more like pout now. “But why would you trust her over me? You don't even know her.”

You sighed. "Does it matter? It was all fake anyway.”

“It matters to me.”

“Why?” You raised an eyebrow.

“Just, you know.” He shrugged. “You really have the worst image of me, don't you? But I'm not as insincere as you make me out to be.”

“That's kinda hard to believe.”

“You wound me, y/n,” He sighed dramatically, properly an attempt to lighten the mood again, but it didn’t come across as fun and relaxed as he’d intended.

Hyunggu didn't give you more time to wonder about it though, getting up from the bench and motioning for you to follow along.

“Maybe we should head back after all. Before we miss lunch.”

You returned to the house soon after, not without your friends teasing you about taking so long. You made it on time for lunch though so it wasn't too bad. After eating you got back into your work groups from the morning, you and Hyunggu once again not working on the same things.

Later that evening you all sat together in the living room again, chattering and drinking the night away. It was loud and chaotic as always and you found yourself genuinely happy that you didn't skip out on the retreat. It would have been sad to miss all of this.

Soon enough you felt yourself getting a little tipsy again and decided to step outside for some fresh air. What you hadn't expected though, was that Hyunggu was already outside, looking up at you in surprise when you opened the door.

“What's up?”

You shook your head, stepping outside and closing the door behind you. “Nah, nothing. Just needed to get some air. What about you?”

“Mhm, me too.” He leaned against the wall of the house, his eyes focusing  on the sky.

You followed his gaze, appreciating the amount of stars that could be seen. It was different from the sky in the city that never got truly dark.

“You know,” you mumbled after a while, and maybe it was just the alcohol that made you say the words that followed. “I actually liked it at first.”

“What do you mean?”

“The nickname. I kinda liked it.” You glanced over to find him  smiling at you.

“I like it too. As I said, it suits you.”

“Me and whom?” Your grin died on your lips when you met his serious gaze.

“Why can't you trust me on this?”

You swallowed. “I don't know. It just feels a little hard to believe after what she said and after knowing how many people you hooked up with in the past.”

“Yeah, I did. I hooked up with a lot of people in the past. Her too, like a year ago or something. But I never called her by that nickname. I never called anyone like that. Only you. I promise.”

Your mouth felt dry and you wanted to avert your eyes but at the same time you wanted to keep looking, keep holding his gaze.

“Why?” You asked, unsure what exactly you were even asking.

“You probably don't remember this, but when we first had an art class together in first semester, we were supposed to paint flowers. I wasn't sure what to go for, but then you rushed into the room, flustered because you were late on the first day. You had that butterscotch yellow sweater on and it suited you so well and you looked so bright that it stuck in my mind.” 

A nostalgic smile tugged at his lips. “So I painted buttercups that day.”

You stared at him in disbelief. You hadn't expected this kind of declaration so all you could muster was a small “Oh.”

When you wracked your brains you remembered his painting from that day. It'd left an impression on you back then because you’d liked the way he used the colors.

It was weird to think that without knowing you'd somehow been a part of this painting you’d adored.

He grinned when he saw your flustered expression. “So, do you trust me now?”

You nodded slowly. “Yeah.”

“Good. Let's go back inside then, Buttercup? It's getting cold.”

He was about to open the door when you reached out to him, tugging on his sleeve.

“You know,” you mumbled, staring at your fingers that were holding onto the fabric of his sweater.

“Mhm?”

“You shouldn't sleep on the sofa again.”

He chuckled, one eyebrow raised. “Do you really think I'd let you sleep there?”

You felt the heat rise to your cheeks and hoped he didn't notice through the dark. “I mean the bed's pretty big, you know…”

“Eh?” Hyunggu looked surprised.  “Are you sure?”

“Can't have you breaking your back on the uncomfortable couch, right?”

He grinned. “Right.”

The two of you went back inside and this time you sat down next to him. In the limited space around the living room table you had to sit closely together, close enough for your thighs to touch. You tried not to think about it too much.

You also tried to ignore the way Hyunggu kept touching you more and more the later it got. Just casual touches that you knew were a habit of his; something he did with all his friends. 

But everytime Shinwon said something remotely funny, Hyunggu clung to your arm or leaned his head against your shoulder, unable to contain his laughter. There was no use reading anything into it, heck, he probably didn't even realize he was doing this. But it made your heart ache for something more, for something real.

As the evening went on, the little get-together started to thin out, one after the other going back to their rooms to call it a night. Hongseok was already passed out on the floor, the shot of soju he'd had already too much. Giggling, Changgu and Shinwon tried to maneuver him out of the living room and into his bed, accompanied by Hui who couldn't quite settle between worrying and giggling along.

Everyone else looked tired too and you also felt fatigue overcome you. Maybe you'd had a little too much to drink as well or maybe you'd gotten too used to the proximity between the two of you all evening. Either way, you leaned your head against Hyunggu's shoulder and closed your eyes for a bit, not even giving it a second thought.

“You can go ahead to sleep,” you heard Hyunggu say, probably to Wooseok and whoever else hadn't left yet. “I'll take care of the chaos and then we'll head up too.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, don't worry.”

“Alright. Sleep well.”

You heard the shuffling of steps, but in your drowsy state it sounded a little distant.

When it was quiet again, you suddenly felt fingers ghosting over your temple, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear.

“Are you asleep?” Hyunggu's voice was quiet and soft, almost a whisper.

“Mhm.”

Hyunggu carefully steadied your head with his hands, before moving away from where he’d been next to you. You groaned in protest when you lost your human pillow, which was met with a chuckle. 

“Don't you think sleeping in bed would be more comfortable?”

A pout on your face, you blinked your eyes open. Hyunggu was crouching down in front of you, his hands still cupping your face. 

“Let's get you to bed, alright?”

“You said we'd clean up,” you mumbled.

“Oh, so you were awake enough to hear that, huh?” He huffed a laugh and shook his head. “I said I would clean up though. Not we. You can sleep first, Buttercup.”

“No.”

“Come on, you're tired, y/n.”

“Mh-mhm.” You shook your head but your eyes fell shut again, refuting your denial.

Hyunggu sighed but he didn't sound annoyed. “Why not? I'll come up just a little later.”

“Will you though?”

“Eh?”

“If I go to bed now,” you mumbled, taking long breaks between words. “You'll sleep on the couch again and I'll wake up all alone.”

“That's what you're worried about?” He sounded genuinely surprised but couldn't contain a chuckle. 

You frowned. “Don't make fun of me.”

“I would never.” 

His thumbs brushed over your cheek before his hands wandered to yours, pulling you up from the floor. Once again you were groaning in protest but he wasn't having any of it, helping you onto your feet. You promptly fell into his chest, but he held you steady, one arm wrapping around your waist.

“I guess cleaning can wait until tomorrow morning after all.”

You couldn't really recall how you got up the stairs but suddenly you were sitting on the bed, your pajamas in your lap while Hyunggu gathered some things from his bag and went to the door.

“You're coming back this time, right?” You weren't sure why you were so hung up on this. Maybe you could blame it on the alcohol later.

“I'm coming back, y/n. Now get changed.”

With that he left the room.

You discarded your clothes of the day on the floor, slipped into your pajamas and crawled under the blanket. 

Somehow, now that you were laying in bed, waiting for Hyunggu to come back, you were feeling awake again, wondering if this had really been the best idea.

You tossed and turned, unsure how to behave. Maybe it'd be best to pretend to be asleep already?

After a few restless minutes, you heard a faint knock on the door. “Y/n, can I come in?”

You instinctively squeezed your eyes shut, not replying. He waited a little longer before you heard the sound of the door opening and him coming into the room. You kept your eyes closed, expecting to feel the mattress dip any second. But it didn't happen. Maybe he left after all?

You blinked one eye open to sneak a peek, just to find him standing right there, staring at the bed, seemingly contemplating something. 

“What?” you asked when he still didn't move after another few seconds. There went your plan of pretending to be asleep.

“Should I get one of the woolen blankets from downstairs?”

It took you a moment to realize that there was only one big blanket. He was asking if you were okay with sharing it or not.

You swallowed, trying to ignore the pounding in your chest. “It's fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Totally.”

He laid down next to, leaving enough space for your bodies not to touch. Still, you felt the warmth radiating off him and it didn't help calm your nerves.

Hyunggu turned off the bedside lamp before he rolled around to lay on his side, facing you. Even through the dark you could see that he was looking at you, a pensive expression on his face. You returned his gaze, not daring to disturb the silence of the room. His gaze made you nervous. You couldn't read him, couldn’t tell what was going on in his head.

Eventually, you broke eye contact with a breathy chuckle. 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” your question was barely a whisper, and even that felt too loud.

“Just thinking.”

“About what?”

“You.”

You almost gasped, his response catching you off guard. Heat rose to your cheeks but you tried to play it cool, pretending that his words didn't do anything to you. 

“You're so embarrassing.”

He didn't seem very impressed by your attempt at acting. 

“Says the one who kept clinging to me tonight, who begged me not to sleep on the couch.”

“I didn't beg!” you denied just a little bit too loud, earning a raised eyebrow from Hyunggu. 

“I didn't beg,” you repeated, quietly this time.

“Sure did.”

“I was worried about your back. Since you're my driver and all. Just for my own safety.”

“We have enough cars, who said you're driving back with me tomorrow?” A challenging gleam appeared in his eyes and he inched just a little closer. 

“Am I not?” You tried to make it sound cocky but your voice came out breathless.

“Hm, I don’t know.” He chuckled and you felt his breath fanning over your lips when he did. “If you beg me again I might consider driving you.”

“I already told you, I didn’t beg.”

His gaze wandered to your lips before coming back to your eyes. “Keep deluding yourself.”

You swallowed, your gaze automatically dropping to his lips. 

“I’m… not…” You trailed off, unable to focus on anything but his mouth so close to your own. If you just leaned in a little, a tiny bit—

Before you knew it, you felt his lips against yours. You weren’t sure if you’d closed the gap or if he did, but it hardly mattered. All that mattered was how sweetly he kissed you, his hands finding their way to your waist to hold you close. Hyunggu rolled over onto his back, pulling you on top of him. For a moment you looked into his dark eyes that stared right back at you and you wondered why it had taken you so long to do this. Before you could contemplate the wasted time any longer, Hyunggu leaned up to kiss you again. You sighed into his lips,  your hands wandering to his hips and pushing up the fabric of his shirt.

“Wait.” Hyunggu broke the kiss, gently prying off your hands.

“You don’t want to?” You asked, but before the question was all out you already knew the answer. Of course he didn’t. This was all fake, he wasn’t actually into you.

It was like you’d been hit in the face with the reality of the situation. You felt stupid and embarrassed and you wanted to escape.

You tried pulling your hands away, but Hyunggu held onto them.

“Hey,” he whispered softly, trying to meet your gaze.

“Let me go,” you choked out, already feeling the tears well up in your eyes.

“Y/n, look at me.”

“Let me go,” you repeated like a broken record. You flailed your arms in an attempt to get free, but he easily stopped you,  rolling both of you over and pinning your wrists to the mattress.

“Look at me,” he repeated with a little more urgency.

You shook your head, tears starting to spill out and run down your cheeks.

“Please?”

Reluctantly you obliged, raising your gaze to meet his. A soft smile tugged at his lips and he let go off your wrists to cup your face instead. His thumb brushed away the tears running down your cheeks.

“You know I’m not rejecting you, right?”

You shrugged, not quite believing his words.

“You’re drunk,” he continued. “You’re drunk and you’re tired, so I don’t think we should be doing this. But I’m not rejecting you. Okay?”

“Okay,” you choked out.

He chuckled, his thumb coming up to easen the deep crease that was still apparent between your eyebrows. “Then stop frowning like that, hm, Buttercup?”

“Just—you know—” You interrupted yourself, still feeling terribly stupid about all of this.

“Tell me.”

You shrugged again, trying to look anywhere but his face. “Got me feeling a little lonely I guess.”

“Y/n, you’re not alone.”

“Then why does it feel that way?”

“You’re not.” He leaned in, his lips brushing your temple in a soft kiss, before his lips moved onto the other side. “Even if it feels that way, I promise you're not alone.” He left another kiss on your forehead. “I’m right here.”

You sniffed. “It's easy to say that now. But this will be over tomorrow and we'll go back to being nothing.”

He frowned, but the expression was gone again in a split second, replaced with a gentle smile. 

“We don't have to be nothing, Buttercup.” He whispered, just to correct himself a moment later. “We won't be nothing.”

He let himself fall onto the mattress next to you, opening his arms for you to snuggle into. As soon as you did, they wrapped around you, his fingers drawing soft patterns onto your back. His mouth kept whispering words of reassurance and his lips kept leaving little pecks and kisses on the crown of your head. You relaxed into his embrace, feeling yourself slowly calm down and drift off to sleep.

When you woke up the next morning, you felt a little disoriented, needing a moment to remember what happened last night and to realize that you were still wrapped up in Hyunggu's arms.

You felt your face growing hot from embarrassment and tried to wriggle yourself out of his arms without waking him. But as soon as you stirred he made a small sighing noise and pulled you even closer.

“Just a little longer,” he mumbled, seemingly still half asleep. 

At a loss for words or any kind of reaction really, you just resigned for now, letting him hug you close until he'd wake up properly. If you couldn't sneak out, maybe you'd at least get the satisfaction of not being the only one feeling embarrassed and ashamed.

Of course you'd forgotten to factor in Hyunggu's annoying amount of confidence. When he finally did wake up he moved back a little, looking at you with a smile that was definitely too bright for someone who'd still been asleep a minute ago.

"Hey." 

He pushed a strand of hair out of your forehead. 

"Hey."

For a while you just looked at each other, his gaze on you so fond it made your heart ache. You swallowed around the lump in your throat, trying to remind yourself that not being nothing didn't mean that you’d be a something.

Muffled noises were coming from the hallway, the sound of steps running up and down the stairs.

“Everyone's awake already,” you mumbled, trying once more to push yourself out of his embrace.

“What about it?” He asked, not letting you go.

“We should get up too. I'm sure they'll want to leave soon.”

Hyunggu shrugged. “Let them.”

“Hyunggu, please,” you complained and this time managed to wriggle yourself out of his grasp.

You slipped out of bed and made your way to the hallway, where you were met with a way too chipper Changgu.

“Guess the lovebirds overslept, huh?” Seeing your tousled, sleepy state he chuckled. “Good timing, I was just about to come wake you up.”

“Yeah, we're up now…” 

You looked around and realized that most rooms were empty already. Wooseok made his way down the stairs, his bag slung over his shoulder.

“Why is everyone in such a hurry?” You asked in confusion, earning another laugh from Changgu.

“It's almost 10:00, y/n. We wanted to leave at 9:30.”

“Oh. Fuck.”

He shrugged before ruffling your already tousled hair. 

“Don't worry about it. We already cleaned up, so just take care of your room and make sure to be out by 11.”

With that he started making his way down the stairs as well, turning around again when he was halfway down. 

“And don't forget to lock up when you go.”

“Wait, Changgu—”

But he didn't stop and soon was out of sight. 

“See you on Monday, y/n,” he shouted from downstairs. And then you heard the front door fall shut, leaving an eerie silence in the house.

You tiptoed back to your room, finding Hyunggu exactly how you'd left him, curled up in bed.

Helplessly you just stood in the door frame for a bit, until he turned around to you with a scrunched up face. 

“What's up?”

“Everyone left.”

“Mhm.” He patted the spot next to him on the mattress. “Perfect, let's sleep a little longer then.”

“We have to be out in an hour.”

He groaned but pulled back the blanket and sat up. “You're such a spoilsport, y/n.”

The two of you got ready to go, cleaning up your room and packing up your things. Just as Changgu had said, the kitchen and living room were already all cleaned up and it made you feel a little guilty—especially since Hyunggu had promised to clean yesterday.

Hyunggu didn't seem to struggle with the same pricks of conscience; he was in a good mood, humming softly the whole time.

After loading his car, he checked the front door, making sure it was locked properly, before plopping down on the driver's seat of his car.

Since you hadn't had any breakfast yet, the two of you stopped for a coffee along the ride. Hyunggu had asked if you wanted to sit down to eat somewhere, but you'd declined in favor of getting home more quickly. Or maybe just to keep yourself from getting more delusional.

So, Hyunggu pulled into the parking lot of a café and quickly hopped in while you waited in the car for him to come back.

He soon returned with the coffee and two croissants for the both of you, handing them to you when he got back into the car.

“Sorry, not the most copious breakfast, but better than nothing.”

You laughed dryly. “It's fine Hyunggu. It's not like this is a date or anything. I'm not your girlfriend anymore, remember?”

He looked taken aback for a moment, before he turned away from you to start the motor. 

“Right.”

You wondered if you'd said something wrong, because his good mood from before seemed to be washed away. Instead, you were once again stuck in a silent car together, feeling tense and anxious. The rest of the ride was quiet, except for the music coming from the speakers. He didn't hum along.

You silently sipped on your coffee and munched on your croissant, well aware Hyunggu left his own breakfast untouched but not daring to speak up about it.

When you reached your house he turned off the motor, the music stopping as well.

You didn't move, feeling uneasy to leave things like this.

“Uhm, thanks for the ride,” you mumbled after a while, your gaze focused on your hands.

“Sure.” He unbuckled his seatbelt. “I'll help you get your things.”

“It's fine, I can do it.”

But Hyunggu had already gotten out of the car.

You trailed behind, watching helplessly as he got your bag out and walked towards your house. He stopped in front of the door, a bit to the side to give you the space to unlock it.

But you didn't move, too afraid that opening the door meant leaving things like this.

“Forgot your keys?” He asked after a while.

You shook your head, reluctantly fishing them from your pocket. Right before putting the key into the lock  you stopped, turning around to face him.

“I'm sorry,” you blurted out.

He huffed a tired laugh. “What for?”

“I don't know... Just—I feel like I said something wrong.”

“It's not that. I just misunderstood your intentions. But it's fine, really.”

He held out your bag for you to take but you just stared at him, searching for something in his eyes.

“What do you mean?”

“It doesn't matter, y/n. Don't worry about it.”

You swallowed around the lump inside your throat and finally took the bag from him. He raised his hand in a small wave before turning around and walking to his car, leaving you feeling anxious.

You couldn't shake the uneasy feeling for the rest of the day. You considered texting him but maybe he needed some space?

Unable to calm your nerves, you went to bed early, hoping to shut your thoughts out.  But it wasn't working, not when your bed felt so lonely and cold now that you had to sleep alone. It was ridiculous to feel that way; it'd only been one night. But his arms around you had been so warm, so comforting that you already missed them. You tossed and turned for hours, and when sleep finally found you the sun had already started to rise again.

The next day you were tired and miserable, your mind wandering back to Hyunggu and your cold farewell from yesterday the second you woke up.

You wanted to skip college, not really in the mood to deal with people right now. But in the hopes of meeting Hyunggu and being able to clear things up, you dragged yourself out of bed and got ready.

To your surprise though, Hyunggu wasn't in the class you shared and you also didn't see him in the cafeteria. You knew you could ask your friends if they'd seen him but you weren't really in the mood to answer any of their questions.

Maybe his skipping class had nothing to do with you at all, but your gut feeling told you he was avoiding you. It hurt.

You briefly wondered if that was how Hyunggu had felt when you’d ignored him after the party. Maybe this was karma.

You weren't feeling too optimistic, but you still decided to check the atelier, hoping that maybe Hyunggu would be there. To your surprise he really was, sitting in front of an easel and working on a painting. He didn’t even look up when you entered the room and closed the door behind you.

“Hyunggu.”

He glanced over but immediately turned his focus back to his brush. 

“Hey,” he replied curtly, letting the room fall silent again.

“Can we talk?”

“I'm kinda busy right now.” He gestured at his painting. “The deadline is soon.”

You knew it was a lie but you nodded anyway, stepping a little further into the room.

“Then maybe we could have a coffee this weekend—”

“Y/n,” He sighed, setting the brush aside to look at you. “Just give me some time, alright?”

You swallowed, unsure what to say.

Of course, you should give him the space he needed. But it just felt so unsettling. It felt like you'd lose him if you didn't hold onto him now.

"I'm sorry," you said, surprised by how choked up your own voice sounded. “It's just—” 

You took a deep breath. “You said we won't be nothing. But why does it feel that way now?”

“I thought you hated my guts anyway.”

You weren't sure if it was supposed to be a joke or not. It didn't sound like one.

“Hate is such a strong word.”

A tired laugh slipped past his lips. “You got me there.”

You started to get frustrated, unsure how to fix this. It almost felt as if your words didn't matter at all, as if they didn't reach him anyway.

Tears started gathering in your eyes but you tried your best not to cry.

“So can we just—” 

You interrupted yourself, not confident to keep from crying if you continued. It wasn't fair that things were like this. You hadn't meant for things to turn out this way.

“I miss you,” you eventually blurted out and with it your tears started to spill. You didn't care anymore, letting them run down your cheeks. 

“It's only been a day but I already miss you. I miss talking to you. I miss being with you. I don't want us to be nothing.”

Hyunggu's gaze immediately softened and he stood up to walk over to you. He reached out his hands, gently cupping your face and wiping your tears away.

“I got it,” he whispered and he looked so in pain, as if seeing you like this made his heart ache just as much as yours. “I got it. We won't be nothing. So don't cry, Buttercup.”

“I'm sorry,” you choked out between sobs. “I'm sorry if I said something wrong. I'm sorry if I hurt you.”

He hummed in reply, pulling you against his chest. “It's okay already. Don't worry.”

He drew soft patterns onto your back to calm you, just like he did that last night on the trip. You weren't sure for how long you stood there, but the whole time he held you close, patiently waiting for you to calm down.

When you finally calmed down a bit, you knew you should probably let go of him. But you didn't want to leave his embrace, not when it felt so warm and comforting. He must have noticed that you'd stopped crying, but he didn't let go either, his fingers still running over your back.

“Should I drive you home?” He asked eventually.

You nodded and reluctantly peeled yourself out of his arms. “Thank you.”

“Let me just gather my things real quick, hm?”

He packed up his equipment and then slung his bag over his shoulder.

“Let's go?”

Before you could reply he just took your hand and pulled you along, out of the atelier and then out of the building to the parking lots. You kept your eyes on the ground, feeling self conscious both about your tear stained face and the fact that Hyunggu was holding your hand.

Of course the latter didn't make a lot of sense, not when all your friends thought you were dating anyway, but you couldn't help it.

The ride home was quiet again, but it was a different quiet. It wasn't filled with the uncomfortable tension from before. He wasn't angry or cold, he was just calm.

Nevertheless, you felt a little nervous. Of course you were relieved that you somehow managed to patch things up between the two of you, but you weren't entirely sure what all of this meant. The whole fake dating thing was supposed to be over, but the way he'd treated you didn't exactly seem platonic—or were you just reading too much into this? Was he just being nice? Hyunggu was an affectionate person by nature after all, maybe he just wanted to comfort you as a friend.

“We're here,” Hyunggu said once you’d reached your house.

“We're here,” you repeated but you didn't move. You didn't want to part yet but you also didn't have a good excuse to stay.

For a moment you sat in silence, before Hyunggu spoke up again.

“Should I help you with your things?”

You glanced at your things: a small backpack you'd put between your feet and your coat that laid in your lap. There wasn't really anything to help with, you knew that and Hyunggu knew it too.

You looked back up at him. 

“Sure.”

Both of you got out of his car and he slung your backpack over his shoulder as you made your way to the door. The scene felt familiar, him carrying your bag and all. You didn't want to end it the same way though, you didn't want him to leave again.

After unlocking your door, you turned around to him before pushing it open. 

“Uhm, do you want to come in for a coffee?”

The moment you asked he broke into a bright smile that made your heart race.

"I'd love to."

You felt a little self-conscious about letting him into your flat—you hadn't specifically cleaned up and while it wasn't a complete mess it also wasn't particularly tidy either.

Hyunggu didn't seem to mind. He looked around with curious eyes, taking in the way you decorated your home without being too nosy.

“Sorry I didn't—it's a little chaotic,” you mumbled watching him.

“No, don't be, I like your home.” He smiled. “It's comfortable.”

Maybe he was just being polite, but somehow it made your heart flutter to hear him say that. 

After you were done making coffee, you moved to your living room and sat on the couch. The two of you talked a bit, all the while sipping on your coffee. There wasn’t any particular topic, you talked about this and that, from college or your friends to one of the paintings on your wall that Hyunggu commented on. Despite the random topics, it felt easy and comfortable. You were so used to the endless banter between the two of you, it was nice to  know you could talk to each other casually —without any teasing. Without any crying too.

You tried to drink your coffee slowly, knowing full well that once the two of you had emptied your cups there was no reason for Hyunggu to stay any longer. Hyunggu took his time as well, purposely or not, but eventually you were done; two empty cups on your coffee table.

Hyunggu looked at them pensively, then glanced at his watch.

You knew what was coming.

You didn't want him to leave.

He turned to you. “Maybe I should—”

“Do you want to watch a movie?” You blurted out, interrupting him.

He almost looked relieved. “Yeah.”

You put on a random movie that Netflix recommended to you and it wasn't as bad as you would have expected. From time to time either of you commented on something that made the other giggle. You'd noticed this before, especially when your other friends were around, but it was easy to make Hyunggu laugh. And god, were you thankful for that. You loved the sound of it and you loved the little creases that would form in the corners of his eyes and how he’d push out his chin.

When the movie was almost over your stomach decided it was a good moment to ask for attention.

Hyunggu grinned. “Am I keeping you from having dinner, Buttercup?”

You shrugged, feeling the heat rise to your cheeks. “I didn't have a lot for lunch,” you explained, embarrassed.

“Should we order something? That is, if you don't mind having me around for dinner?”

“Let's order.”

The food hadn't arrived yet when the movie ended, so you started another one that you continued after the food came.

Hyunggu was more relaxed with you again. It showed in his laughter and in the way his hand kept finding your arm or your thigh, casually touching you as he spoke.

It wasn't that you didn't know this side of him—you'd seen it plenty when you all hung out with your friends. But it'd never been this way when it was just the two of you; he'd never let his guard down like this with you before. It made your heart yearn for more. You wanted to be able to always have this, not just tonight.

“It's gotten pretty late, huh?” Hyunggu commented eventually—your dinner long eaten and the end credits rolling over your TV screen.

You swallowed. “I guess so.”

“Should I—,” he hesitated. “Maybe it's time for me to go?”

No, you thought. “Maybe,” you replied. 

For a moment it was quiet, neither of you saying anything. You just looked at each other, as if both of you waited for the other to make a move.

You swallowed again, your heart racing like crazy under his gaze. “Is it bad if I don't want you to go?”

A soft smile played on his lips. “Is it bad if I don’t want to go?”

“Not at all.”

The two of you started another movie, but you got unbearably tired before the movie was even halfway through. When your eyes involuntarily closed once more, Hyunggu chuckled softly.

“Maybe we should call it a day?”

You nodded, turning off the movie and standing up to go to the bedroom. Hyunggu followed you to the hallway, but from there he stopped, looking a little unsure, his eyes wandering between you and his shoes that were sitting close to the entrance.

You looked at him with a sleepy frown. "You're not coming?"

“No, uh, sure.” He cocked his head from one side to the other and you wondered if it was a nervous habit of his.

You got bed ready—as best as you could with Hyunggu not having anything with him—before you settled into your bed. There was a polite distance between the two of you and it made you feel a little lonely and unsatisfied but you didn't know what to do to fix it.

After staring at the ceiling for a while you turned around, examining his side profile through the dark.

"Hyunggu?" you mumbled eventually, your voice trembling with nerves.

He turned around to face you. "Mhm?" 

You took your time with saying anything else, unsure what it even was you wanted to say. Hyunggu didn't rush you though, he just looked at you attentively, waiting for you to go on.

Your gaze kept flickering, unable to hold eye contact but also not capable of looking away for good. 

“I'm cold.”

You thought you saw a soft smile on his face when he opened his arms for you to snuggle into.

You looked up at him through the darkness, your faces mere inches apart. He looked right back, holding your gaze.

“I like when you look at me like that,” he whispered, not breaking eye contact.

“Like what?”

“Like that.” You felt his lips grazing yours, just the ghost of a touch, before he pulled away again, his eyes searching yours for consent.

In a silent reply, you leaned in to close the gap. Your lips moved together, gently at first but then more and more greedily. It hadn’t been long since you’d kissed him, but doing it now made you realize how much you’d been longing to do it again. 

He pulled you close, one hand cupping your jaw while the other found its way to your hip, grazing the skin underneath your shirt.

“I’m not drunk now,” you whispered against his lips, your fingers tugging at the waistband of his underwear.

He pulled away and for a brief second you were overcome with a sense of deja vu, the fear of getting rejected rushing through you again.

But he didn’t go far, his hand still cupping your face when he replied. “And tomorrow?”

“What about tomorrow?”

“Will you let me take you on a date then?” His lips briefly grazed yours before he continued. “Or will we be nothing again?”

Your heart was racing in your chest like crazy. You nodded hastily. “Yeah. No.”

“Which one is it?”

“No, you can. You can. Take me on a date.” You felt him smile against your lips before he kissed you again. “Okay.” 

Hyunggu didn’t stop kissing you, not even when he rolled over, bracing himself up on one arm to hover above you. His fingers wandered underneath the fabric of your shirt, grazing your skin with featherlight touches that left goosebumps in their wake. You sighed into his lips which just egged him on more, if the way his fingers got bolder was anything to go by. He pushed up your shirt until the fabric was bunching over your collar bones, most of your upper body exposed to him. He grinned mischievously, pressing a kiss onto the corner of your mouth, before his lips traveled down your jaw to your bare chest. While his mouth kept teasing your skin, his hand moved on to your shorts, softly tugging at the waistband.

“This okay?” he mumbled into your skin.

When you nodded, he dipped his fingers into your pants. A small gasp escaped your lips when you felt him touching you through the thin material of your underwear. Your hands instinctively moved to his shoulders.

"Off," you complained, tugging on the fabric of his shirt. "I wanna touch you too."

Hyunggu lifted his head to look at you, something like surprise in his eyes that quickly gave way to a soft smile.

"Then I shouldn't stop you, hm?"

He left a small peck on your cheek before sitting up and slipping out of his shirt and tossing it aside. The fabric had barely hit the ground when you pulled him in again. You kissed him, your hands running over the expanse of his back, marveling at the feeling of his warm skin against your own.

"Better?" He mumbled into your lips and you could hear the grin in his voice.

"Much better."

Your hands traveled over his skin to his hips, sneaking into his boxer briefs. He let out a soft sigh when you touched him and you couldn’t help wanting to hear more of his voice. You moved your hands experimentally, in awe of his little gasps and moans.

Suddenly, his fingers clasped onto yours, making you halt in your movements.

“Let me take care of you first,” he whispered, his breathing slightly erratic.

“But I don’t want to be the only one enjoying this.” You almost pouted a little and it drew a breathy chuckle from him.

“Oh, I’m enjoying this plenty; don’t worry, Buttercup.”

His hand once more found its way to the waistband of your shorts, hooking one finger underneath and letting it snap back onto your skin.

“Should we get rid of these?”

You nodded, as your hands impatiently moved to help him take them off, pushing your underwear down as well. Hyunggu pulled them all the way down, gently lifting your legs to remove them completely. Before he set your legs back down onto the mattress, he left gentle pecks on your ankles and then your knees, as he crawled up between them. His lips continued their path, leaving a trail of kisses on your inner thigh. Once he’d reached his destination, he looked up at you with round eyes.

“May I?” 

You swallowed, anticipation rushing through your body. “Yeah.”

A smile spread on his lips. His hands took hold of your thighs, gently urging them to open a little more and give him access. Just feeling his breath against your skin already made you shudder, but it was nothing compared to the feeling of his mouth on you. He made you fall apart so easily, his every move making you tremble. Your hands clung to his shoulders, instinctively trying to pull him in more as you felt the knot starting to build in your lower stomach. 

“Feels good,” you babbled thoughtlessly, followed by a string of moans.

Hyunggu pulled away to meet your gaze, his hand taking the place of his mouth to keep you on edge. 

“You close, Buttercup?”

You barely managed to breathe out a reply, unable to focus on anything but the way he touched you. He pecked your thigh once more, before moving in again, his tongue and lips getting back to work. It was all you could do to hold onto him as he sent you over the edge. Your fingers clung to his shoulders, as he helped you ride out your high, probably leaving scratch marks in their wake, but you were too far gone to notice. 

Once you’d come down a little, he scooted back up to look at you. His eyes were so full of awe, gazing at you as if you were the most beautiful thing in the world and for the moment you could almost believe it yourself.

When he still didn’t avert his gaze nor say anything after a few seconds, you self-consciously turned your head away.

“No, don’t,” he whispered softly, cupping your jaw to make you face him again. “Let me look at you.”

You let out a timid laugh. “It’s embarrassing.”

“Yeah.” He pecked your cheek. “It is.”

You wanted to complain, but he was looking at you with such a gentle expression, you couldn’t bring yourself to.

“But it’s okay,” he continued. “You’re safe with me.”

When you woke up, you were still wrapped up in Hyunggu’s arms. You instinctively snuggled a little closer which was met with a warm chuckle.

Still sleepy, you raised your head to look at him. Hyunggu was already awake, watching you with fond eyes.

“"Did you sleep well?”

You made an affirmative noise before you tucked yourself back into his chest.

“We should get ready for classes.”

You shook your head. 

“You want to skip, Buttercup?”

“Just for today.” 

You didn't want to let him go yet, you needed to stay in his warm embrace as long as possible.

“And people say I'm the bad influence.” Hyunggu huffed a laugh but his arms pulled you closer, one of his hands running over your back.

You must have drifted off to sleep again, because the next time you blinked your eyes open, you were laying on Hyunggu's chest, one of his arms loosely on your back while your own arm was slung around his waist. Hyunggu had fallen asleep again too, his breathing coming in even puffs. 

You gazed at his sleeping form, taking in every little detail of his face, from his full lips to his dark lashes. He was beautiful.

Without giving it much thought, your fingers ghosted over his skin, moving from one faint mole to the next. You'd never noticed that he had so many. Of course you had seen the one below his eye, but there was another one on his cheek, the tip of his nose, under his mouth, on his lip—

“What are you doing?”

Hyunggu looked at you through sleepy eyes. Before you could draw back your hand, his fingers wrapped around it and pulled it to his chest.

“Hmm?” He raised an eyebrow when you still didn't reply.

You averted your eyes, heat tingling under your skin. 

“Just,” you shrugged. “You have a lot of birthmarks.”

“You don't like them?”

“I do. They are pretty.”

He broke into a smile, little creases forming in the corners of his eyes. You thought you could get used to this sight in the morning.

Hyunggu rolled over to his side, his face incredibly close to your own.

“You know what else is pretty?” He whispered, his gaze not leaving you. 

“Your eyes,” he whispered with a charming grin, leaving a peck on the corner of your eye. “And your nose,” he continued, leaving a peck there too.

“And your lips.” He cupped your face to kiss you and you couldn’t help giggling into it.

He pulled away, eyeing you fondly. “But you know what’s the prettiest?”

“Hm?”

“The way you look at me,” he pecked your lips again. “That's the prettiest.”

“You said that yesterday. How do I look at you?”

“As if you're in love with me.”

You felt your breathing catch in your throat. You’d understood the meaning behind yesterday’s words, but you hadn’t expected him to address the matter so easily.

“Are you not?” He asked, when you stayed silent.

“I—No—”

“No?”

You blinked at him slowly, unsure what to say, too scared to just put the answer out there.

“Do you want me to make it easier for you?” Hyunggu whispered against your lips. He didn’t wait for your reply before he continued. “I am. I’m in love with you, y/n.”

You felt as if your heart was going to burst. You stared at him with wide eyes and he just looked back at you with a gentle expression.

“So?” He asked, the word tickling on your skin.

“Yeah,” you breathed. “Me too.”

He kissed you again then, a happy smile on his lips.

“I made up my mind,” he mumbled after a while, both of you still cuddled up in your bed.

“What do you mean?”

He turned his head to look at you. “The favor. I know what I want now.”

“So what do you want?”

“A date. A proper one.”

“Didn’t we already agree on that yesterday?”

“Better to pin you down on it.”

“Pin me down then.”

“Is that a challenge?” He raised an eyebrow. “Or an invitation?”

You shrugged, unable to contain a giggle. “Try and find out?”

He didn’t need to be told twice. In a swift movement he flipped you over, his hands pinning your wrists to the mattress.

“Either way,” he mumbled against your lips with a smug grin. “Seems like I won.”

You grinned back before you leaned up to kiss him. “I guess so.” 

Masterlist

[deadhawke]

Oh my god I just thought of a character/universe crossover with Trigun that probably no one will get cause ive never seen anyone talk about the other series BUT that being said!

Trigun crossover/AU with Kino No Tabi (The Beautiful World)

(Personally I’m thinking of the first volume of the light novels English translation over the manga or anime. Cause that’s what rewrote my brain in high school. Like genuinely impacted me in a way no piece of writing ever had.)

Like truly I can see so clearly where Wolfwood has Hermes and they travel together, and then at some point they pick up Vash. Or even the other way around and there's finally a universe where Vash can drive a motorcycle.

The ideological and moral HELLFIRE that Vash would go through visiting The Land of Majority Rule or The Land of Peace! How would Vash and Wolfwood handle the Coliseum? Could Vash take that shot? Would he have even conceived of anything like that plan? Would Wolfwood have to do it instead?

There is crossover with the philosophy of both books/series in regards to how the world is a mess and sometimes a bloody horrible mess but it is still worth saving. Not to mention how both main characters are constantly traveling and dealing with both the joy and tragedy of everything. As the front page of Kino No Tabi says:

The world is not beautiful, therefore it is.

(further random info and links below the readmore including the prologue of Kino No Tabi which really will help you understand what I'm on about here)

In case any Trigun people want to join me in this, here’s a link to the only pdf I could find on where you can read the story I’m talking about. If you like the moral and philosophical discussions and implications of Trigun this will be so up your alley. The link above is a google drive link I can personally vouch for.

Here is the prologue as promised. The vibe is just. Just read it and trust me.

And then there was darkness. There was no light. No moon, no stars. Only the sound of the wind in the trees, wafting through the darkness. "You know… it's kind of like…" Kino trailed off. A contemplative silence followed. Or perhaps sleep. "Kind of like what?" Hermes asked. "I sometimes wonder if I'm really just a terrible person. Sometimes I feel like I am. Sometimes, it actually makes sense that I am. Because I can't change things; or worse – I just tell myself I can't, so I don't. But whenever I get like that – feeling terrible, I mean –everything else – the world, the people I meet – it all becomes incredibly beautiful to me. I fall in love with it. That's why I keep traveling – because I want to experience more. Because sometimes, I get to see some good. Maybe even do some good." Kino paused to entertain another thought. "Still, I know if I keep on moving, I'll always see more sadness, more tragedy –experience more sadness and tragedy." "But if you experience it – if you know it's tragic – how can you be a terrible person? Terrible people don't experience other people's pain… do they?" "I don't know. I only know it doesn't mean I'm going to stop traveling. I love traveling, and even though I see so much death – even though I have to kill people sometimes – I want to keep doing it. And…" "And?" "I can stop anytime." Kino's tone was resolute. "So I keep going… You see?" "Honestly? Not really." "Oh. Well, that's okay." "You sure? I mean, it helps if we're of one mind about things…" "How can I expect you to understand it if I don't? And I don't. Not really. I'm still confused, Hermes. And in order to find my way out of this confusion, I keep traveling." As if there were a road that led away from it. "Ah…" "I'm going to sleep. We've got a long way to go tomorrow. Good night, Hermes." "Good night, Kino." Thick cloth softly rustled, and then utter silence filled the darkness again.

The formatting of the pdf is not the best but I double checked it against my hard copy that it is the correct translation. Specifically it is volume 1 as it was the only one to get an official translation.

[dialovers-translations]

Diabolik Lovers LOST EDEN ー Carla Maniac [07]

ー The scene starts in Carla’s room

Carla: I shall go supervise the Ghouls’ training together with Shin now.

You can relax over at your own room. 

Yui: ( Relax... )

Excuse me...!

Carla: Yes? 

Yui: ...About what Kino-kun said the other day.

I’ve put some serious thought into it ever since.

...If I can make myself useful somehow, I wouldn��t mind going to the Viboーー

Carla: Excuse me? 

ーー You. Do you truly understand what you are saying right now...?

Yui: Ugh...

( I can tell that he’s incredibly upset. Butーー I have to say this. )

I genuinely felt grateful when you turned down his suggestion. 

You were trying to protect me and that truly made me...happy.

Carla: Then why would you say that!?

Yui: ...!

But, I...I haven’t been able to do anything here. 

I cannot fight in the war like the men can.

However, if we can prevent the fight if I go to the Vibora, then...

If there is even the slightest thing I can do to help, I want to do so. That’s how I feel. 

I want to make myself useful to you...!

Carla: You...!

ー He steps closer

*THUD*

Yui: Kuh...

( He grabbed hold of my arm and I can’t move...! )

Carla: You want to make yourself useful to me? Then I shall grant your wish.

*Rustle rustle* 

Yui: Eh...?

Carla: This is about the only thing you can do to make yourself useful... ...!

ー He bites her

*Rustle*

On certain CGs, little black roses will appear on the screen. If you click on them, you get an extra line of dialogue.

“Get rid of any foolish thoughts. Just by hearing you say those things, I can feel my skin crawl.”

“Do not overthink the situation. All you need to do is quietly stay by my side and enjoy my protection.”

Yui: Ah...!

( His fangs are forcefully digging into my nape...! )

Carla: Phew...Nn...Do not spout such nonsensical logic without thinking...!

Yui: Aah...

Carla: Nn...Kuh...Nnhーー ....Good giref, you foolish girlーー 

You want to say that simply offering me your blood is not enough? 

Yui: W-Well...

Selection

→ That’s not it (❦)

Yui: T-That’s not it...That’s a completely different story...Aah...!

Carla: ...How so...!? 

...You want something else rather than simply being by my side...!

Yui: W-Well...I just want to make myself useful to you where I can...!

Carla: While I can understand that as wellーー

It appears to me that you do not quite understand how own role yet...!

Phew...Nn...

Yui: ...Aah...!

( It hurts so much, and it’s so intense, I can’t...I feel my mind going blank... )

→ Perhaps 

Yui: Perhaps...

Carla: ...! Come again...!?

Yui: ( His expression changed...Did I seriously upset him...!? )

Carla: You sure have some nerve to say such imprudent things. You must really want to be punished by me. 

Then take this ultimate punishment. Nnh...Nn, kuh...Phew...!

Yui: Aaaah!!

( He’s being so aggressive... As if he’s sucking up all of my blood at once...! )

Carla: ...Nnh, kuh...Hah...

Yui: A-Aah...

( I can’t, my body is burning... )

Carla: Your legs are giving in...? Heh. ...I can imagine.

I’ll suck all of those ridiculous thoughts right out of you as well...Nn...Nnh...!

*TIMESKIP*

Yui: Hah, ah...!

*Thud*

Carla: Cannot get up? Perfect.

Yui: Eh...?

Carla: Either way. Get rid of those insolent thoughts. Okay?

You are the wife of the King of Founders. You should simply obey me without question. Do not mess with my head. 

Then there will be no problems at all. ーー Do you understand? 

ー Carla leaves the room

Yui: ...

( Why...? All I wanted was to make myself useful to him... )

*TIMESKIP*

ー The scene shifts to the outside of Banmaden

Yui: Haah...

( I know Carla-san wants me to stay put but... )

Ah...

( It’s the Ghoul women. They’re talking about something...? )

ー She approaches 

Female Ghoul B: This place is so nice, we can even grow our own vegetables. A vegetable garden was completely out of the question at Rotigenberg. 

Female Ghoul A: Right? The guys have a huge appetite, so we can’t keep up even if we come here to harvest fresh ones every day.

Female Ghoul C: I suppose it’s because of the training. I guess it’s because they’re fulfilling their own duty, but they’re very motivated. 

Female Ghoul A: I never imagined I’d be polishing armor one day either. 

Female Ghoul B: But that’s the least we can do for them.

Female Ghoul C: Exactly. I don’t mind if we have to work more now, if that means we get to enjoy a life of freedom here!

Yui: ( ... )

( Everyone’s trying their best doing the things they can, yet Iーー )

...Haah. I want to make myself useful in some way too...

*SCENE SHIFT*

Kino: ( Hm. I see. )

( I guess Carla and that girl have somewhat of a different opinion on this matter... )

( ...Aha. Very nice. That’s one more thing I can use to my advantage. )

Monologue

I tried confronting Carla-san with my take on the matter. 

If there is someway in which I can make myself useful,

I would not mind going to the Vibora. 

However, Carla-san did not take that well at all.

He says that the woman of the Founder King should simply stay put. 

But if that is the case, I honestly do not understand,

why (何のために) I am here in the first place.

I stay by Carla-san’s side, and offer him my body when he is in need of my blood. 

Is that truly the only role (役割) I have...? 

ーー TO BE CONTINUED ーー

[tuherrus]

Idk it kinda rubs me the wrong way that some people want to excuse Kino from they’ve done over the years and to “not take commissions and do tattoos instead” sorry but no. If I were an employer and I found out that my employee has a history of illegal behavior and are obviously still stealing from charities (mind you this zine mess just happened RECENTLY) I wouldn’t want to work with a person like that as it would be a bad reflection on my place business.

White people always avoid repercussion and I’m tired of it. It’s like a slap to the face of the artists that genuinely worked hard to get where they are. If enough evidence is compiled against them, I am definitely all for contacting their place of work and even have authorities look into it. Scamming over tens of thousands of dollars is not something to excuse and only give a small slap on the wrist for. It’s illegal.

Sorry for the word vomit 😅 that just didn’t sit well with me

that summarizes a lot of how i feel about it too, like i don't enjoy if someone's job opportunity or career is ruined but clearly they don't give a fuck about anything except themselves so why should they be given a chance for what seems like the millionth time to start over

they've had all this time to change and they haven't, they haven't even apologized or acknowledged anything they've done whether past or recent scams, and the only time i've seen them say sorry was to placate people that were rightfully mad at them for working them in circles about unfulfilled commissions or to fix mistakes that they made with the zine

i only ever shared a fandom and was mutuals with kino and wasn't ever a customer or an artist for the zine so i have no prior history with them, i didn't know half of this stuff until other people came to me so i wouldn't feel confident in compiling everything together but i believe some people with more knowledge and receipts are working on something, i'm pretty much just making noise! and i'll be sure to share if a doc is published

[chiveburger]

hongseok has a whole live where he spends 30 minutes talking about his members... he goes in depth to talk about each member’s personalities and defining characteristics and this is what he says:

kino: when he first met kino, he couldn’t believe that someone like him could actually exist. he didn’t realize that someone could be so pure and innocent and good hearted, and kino wasn’t shy about caring for others eithers. not only did he do things secretly he’d be upright about being kind to others to the point that hongseok wondered if this was all an act. If kino was just faking it or maintaining his image that way. over time he realized that he really was like that all the time... he was nice to everyone, good to everyone and he had a personality that not everyone can emulate. as you age, hongseok realizes that it’s hard to be someone that is so altruistic and genuine. “Is he really a perfect human being or is he just faking this” were the two choices hongseok thought of when he first met kino

hui: hui is a really really good leader, and his job is a lot harder than it seems. for him to even take the lead requires a lot of responsibility and leadership, and he’s shown that time and time again. hui is someone who is tough when he needs to be tough, but he’s receptive and malleable too. he listens to everyone’s opinions and tries to incorporate all of what he hears, and tries to find a solution alone. just so that his other members don’t have to feel burdened by it. as an idol group those problems always arise, and hui tries to take care of it every time. 

yeoone: alike kino, he’s unbelievably nice. he’s not weak, but he’s very innocent and honest to the point that he almost feels like a blank piece of paper. he’s very good at keeping promises, but not in the way that’s just like... “oh I’ll meet you there on time, promise!” promises that are embedded in wanting to change or better himself. he puts in a lot of effort into keeping his word, and if he can’t he has asked hongseok for help. he’s open about his feelings and he tries to absorb and learn from others. he’s a person who knows how to take responsibility and blame too. yeoone was also the first person to greet hongseok when he first came into the company, he told him that he was a fan and tried to get close with him. he’s one of the first people who helped hongseok find comfort in being a trainee in cube.

shinwon: with shinwon, the more you get to know him, the more you’ll begin to like him. his first impression was very blunt and straightforward, and he is still like that today but everything shinwon says is truthful and sincere. shinwon doesn’t lie. he never lies, and if he does he doesn’t speak and he doesn’t answer questions. this was in regards to when he asked him about something to do with kino, and shinwon said he didn’t know. he kept on prying, and shinwon said “hyung, I know the answer but I don’t know if this is something I can tell you without kino’s permission. I can tell you but only if I ask kino first.” shinwon is very loyal that way. because his honesty is not sugarcoated, sometimes his words can hurt but there’s never any malicious intention behind them. he will properly express his opinion in hopes that it’s helpful. he’s also very sharp, and if he's not confident in any task he won’t accept or promise to do it. 

wooseok: in one word... he is cute. he is pure too. whenever he sees wooseok, he’ll start talking to him as if he’s a baby just out of habit. he knows that his personality is very sweet so he knows there’s never bad intentions behind his words. If wooseok is sad, sulky or upset they can tell right away. he can’t hide his feelings, so when he’s adamant about saying no even in a more serious tone they know that he’s not saying it to be hurtful or that he really means it. he’s saying it because he’s unhappy. what wooseok says and emotes is what he feels in his heart, and because he is like that hongseok (and most of pentagon) finds him very lovable.

yuto: yuto is a dedicated and gentle person. hongseok has never met a foreigner like him before, and he recalls moments during their trainee days where his heart would be aching for him. at night time when the lights had to be shut off, and the doors to their practice room had to close yuto would always stay late to practice his korean. he’d be biting on a pencil working on his pronunciation. to yuto, he just feels like he’s pulling his weight and doing his part. he’s responsible and selfless too. as a foreigner he’s already at a disadvantage but yuto never hides behind those excuses. he stays tenacious and meticulous, he puts in a lot of effort into everything he does... he doesn’t show off and he works silently but when push comes the shove he is always reliable. 

jinho: as their oldest, jinho is pentagon’s mental pillar. he is someone who tries to take an objective and neutral stance on everything, and he believes that it’s role to do so. he cares for each and every member, and knows their strengths and weaknesses too. with that he talks to everyone and tries to help them in reaching their highest potential by highlighting their strengths and making them aware of their lacking points. If the members disagree with some of the decisions hui makes, they try to ask jinho to relay their grievances to him but he’ll tell them that they have also have to look at it through hui’s perspective. for hui to make certain decisions he must have his reasons, and because of that, hui even as their leader also relies on jinho a lot.

yanan: there’s never a reason to dislike yanan. he is cute, diligent and confident. If yanan is criticized once, he’ll stay up all night fixing his mistake and when he says that he’s practiced the members know that he’s not lying. yanan is so pure that it’s almost like he’s filled with child-like wonder... he’s very keen, but there are times where his answer to their questions are so far-fetched that it seems right. before finalizing for title songs, hui sometimes goes to yanan to ask which one he’d like best and whichever one he chooses always becomes the song they promote.

hongseok says that for all these truly good people to have found each other and created this group is very rare. there isn’t one member’s personality that he doesn’t like, and if he was uncomfortable with them he wouldn’t be able to say any of this truthfully. all these different and great characteristics is what makes up pentagon 💗

[gravityunforgiven]

Right Where You Left Me (Kakashi x OC)

Pairings: Kakashi x OC, Jiraiya x Tsunade

Synopsis:

She was the daughter of a Legendary Sannin, He, a son of a disgraced shinobi. Fate brought them together but life tore them apart. Will they be able to take control of their destinies and find their way back to each other?

...Or will they be another victim of the cruel shinobi world they are both a part of?

Chapter Four

"You didn't tell me." Kakashi's tone was almost accusing.

Their roles were reversed now. She was the one sitting on the bench of the locker room as he stood next to her.

You didn't tell me you were going to be a jinchūriki. You didn't tell me you were chosen.

Of course, that never happened. She was too late to do anything.

Akira looked up, her voice just as cold as his, almost menacing. "I didn't think you should know."

A deafening silence engulfed the two.

"He's dead." She breathed in conclusion. A silence fell over the two as their reality sank in. Minato was gone and so was Kushina. Kakashi knows they were an important figure in her life especially after her mother left the village.

Kakashi sat down next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

They didn't talk much for the next three years. He threw himself at work to relieve his pain and she did exactly the same to relieve her guilt but every now and then, Kakashi would find a neatly wrapped bento box placed on his front door and he would know it came from her because she was the only one he told about how much he hated eating his own cooking.

She remembered.

—

He just turned seventeen the first time he walked her home. Their friends threw him a small party ( against his will) in the dango shop for his birthday. Everyone in their class were invited and Kakashi actually had a good time himself.

Akira was not her usual self that night.

She had just returned from a mission from the Land of the Waves when Kurenai knocked on her door and dragged her to the shop. She was never the one for the parties but she sure does enjoy the company of her friends but she was just dead tired at the moment. The adrenaline cursing through her veins for the past week had died down and fatigue has taken its place instead.

It was half past one when the celebration wrapped. Everyone bid their goodbyes outside the shop and parted ways.

She headed west and him to the east.

However, Kakashi couldn't get Akira's unusual behaviour out of his head. He just turned into the first corner when he found himself running back, past the dango shop, and to the opposite direction of his apartment at full speed.

He found her walking on third street on the way to her house. Akira immediately noticed the familiar chakra signature and stopped on her tracks.

"Kakashi?"

He gave her a smile, his eyes crinkling in the process. "I thought you shouldn't walk alone at this time of the night." He shrugged.

Of course, that was a lie. She was more than capable of taking care of both of them but it was all Kakashi could come up in the short time he had before he was able to catch up with her.

She lived on the far west side of the village, in one of the quieter neighbourhoods. She had too much chaos in her life that she just wanted to have a little bit of serenity in the rare times she was actually home and she figured that the best place to get that was to be away from the center of the village and in a neighbourhood full of civilians. In here, she could just be a normal person just like every body else.

Their walk back to her apartment was quiet, peaceful, even. The two of them basked in the calmness that surrounded them and the presence of one another. There were no words that needed to be spoken, they both knew how nice it was not to walk home alone for once.

Kakashi was at a war with himself the whole way to her place. He didn't know what got to him and he did this. He was not typically the one who acts based on impulse. He was a shinobi, the kind who plans his every move and analyzes the situation he was in.

But this, right now. Walking next to her, Kakashi couldn't put his finger to what he was feeling but somehow...it felt right.

"This is me." She said, stopping in front of a moss-colored door.

He bid his goodbyes and left. But Kakashi lingered in her street a little bit more. He hid behind the shadow of a street lamp and stayed until he heard the click from her door as it locked and the first light in her home burst into life.

On his way home, he concluded that he was just being a good friend and it really was just late. He made himself believe that it was just a lapse of judgement on his side and it would never happen again but ever since that night, they sat a little closer to each other, sometimes their shoulders would brush and although Akira seemed oblivious about it, Kakashi was hyperaware of her skin brushing against his and he couldn't be more thankful for the mask he wore.

Kakashi tried his best to fight against his own instinct. It was no easy task especially for a shinobi who relies on his instincts the most, but for her sake, he did.

He knew he was bad for her and she was too good for him. Everyone he had ever loved died. His parents, his team and most recently, his sensei. He couldn't do that to her. He would rather suffer for the rest of his life knowing she cannot be his than bring her down with him.

He can't live with that. So he did. He did his best to do what he believed was right and ignored his feelings knowing she deserved someone better. Someone who could protect her more that he can. There were no labels between them and he settled on the privilege of walking her home when he had the chance. Every time, he would tell himself that it would be the last time he was going to walk with her only to fail again the next time.

Kakashi knew he was in too deep. He didn't know when he started falling. All he knew was that when he walked next to her for the first time nearly two years ago, deep inside, he wanted to be by her side for a very long time.

She made him feel safe, she didn't treat him any differently when people were calling him names and their friends looked at him with pity in their eyes. She has just always been there. She was his one constant since his days in the academy to his time as an ANBU. She understood his pain when he lost Minato and respected his space when she too was grieving and needed someone but most of all, he fell for her genuine kindness, her bravery and how she always puts others before herself.

It was during the time when Kakashi found himself meddling with Root Division business, a stern warning came from her. She said he may no longer recognize himself if he continued to deal with the division. She said it was made for people specifically like him. But when Lord Third was negotiating with Danzo, she volunteered herself to be in exchange for another wood style user, Kinoe. His abilities were only half of what she can do and yet she willingly went back into the dark so he could find the light. The Third strongly disagreed with this, but like before, Akira did not listen and she was back in the Root Division. She shrugged nonchalantly saying she needed more training anyway.

Kakashi asked if Kinoe knew Akira. He said yes. She was really powerful when they trained together and they became good friends since they were the same age.

When the Root Division was disbanded, Akira was back on the Hokage's ANBU. She was in the hospital for weeks, and when she came back, she was still wincing in pain.

This made Kakashi want to put her first for once. He felt like she had no regards for her life, like she didn't care about it. He knew what that feeling is like and he wanted her to know that she was so more than just another pawn in the war.

She was slowly becoming his world.

She made him feel things that he didn't even know existed, she made him do things he thought he would never do. She made him see the beauty of life once again.

She saved him.

For two years Kakashi kept himself at bay, wondering if Akira felt the same way as he did. A part of him hoped she only saw him as a friend and nothing more, he hoped that the meals she left on his door were just random acts of kindness on her part, he hoped it was just him making up stupid scenarios in his head because he knew wasn't strong enough to stop himself from caving in if she does.

Their friends eventually noticed Kakashi's odd behaviour. He looked for her as he passed through the sushi restaurant where she's mostly seen these days, it was her face he first searches in a crowded room, the one he hoped to see when he tagged along for dinners and the others eventually noticed.

They didn't really confront the two about what was going on (except for Gai which Kakashi outright denied) but they always had their suspicions that there was something more than what meets the eye.

He ran into her in the locker room the night he first held her hand. She just came from a week long solo mission in the Land of the Snow and though he wouldn't admit it, he missed her.

"How did it go?" He had asked her.

"It went well." She replied as she strapped her shoe into place.

She stood up from the bench the same time he sat down. Before she reached the door she called his name and told him she was going to report in to the Hokage and eat dinner after. She was out of the door before Kakashi could ask her if she wanted him to join her for dinner. He stared at the door, perplexed and unsure of what she meant.

He ate next to her anyway. That night when he walked her home on the now familiar streets that led to her house, their hands lightly brushed against each other. Kakashi's heart almost stopped when he felt her hand take his own.

It was warm. So warm that the heat radiating from their tangled hands traveled through his whole body.

She wanted him.

Akira held Kakashi's hand just as tight as he did with hers. They didn't have to exchange words to know how each felt. Their eyes already said a million words. It was just how it's always been with the two of them.

When they reached her house, Kakashi walked her up to her front door. He watched in amusement as she fumbled with her keys before finally abled to unlock the bolt and switched the first light on.

They stood in her doorway, both unsure of what to do next but when her green orbs met his dark ones, Kakashi knew there was no stopping them now. Whatever the consequence may be, there was no turning back. They were both in too deep that the world would just have to deal with them being together.

Kakashi leaned in and kissed her forehead. She smelt like oakmoss, like the forest after the rain. It eased Kakashi's nervousness.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

Everything fell into place soon after that. As the months passed by, the began to fall in love with each other, know each other, it was slow and gentle, like the flowers blooming in the spring.

They became familiar with each other's presence, their small quirks and habits, like how Kakashi likes his miso soup with eggplants in them or how Akira can't go to bed without a cup of warm tea and the way he would stay up late at night just to watch her sleep, wondering how he had gotten so lucky only to discover that Akira talks in her sleep. She mumbled words in a language Kakashi never understood but once in a while, his name would leave her lips and Kakashi swore he could feel himself falling in love with her all over again.

Kakashi never thought he could love someone this much. love. He was in love with Akira. He thought he loved her enough before, but now, having her in his arms, knowing her the way he was the only one allowed to, Kakashi asked himself what he could have possibly done to deserve her.

None of their friends knew. In fact, no one besides the two of them knew about their relationship for an entire year. It was the first time for the both of them and they wanted their relationship to be theirs for the time being. They knew the others would find out soon enough but for now, they wanted to relish the feeling of finally having each other after years of holding back.

It was a little after Kakashi had moved in to her apartment when the news broke out. He had been sleeping in her house for months and didn't do much "moving in" anymore since most of his things were already in her house anyway. In fact, her apartment has been looking more and more like theirs for a while. She had neatly folded her clothes to make space for his growing number of shirts left in her place months ago and the window sill that contained her worn-out books now has his as well.

Their relationship finally became public when Genma had caught Kakashi leaving Akira's apartment early one morning. It would have been harmless and easily dodged if Akira hadn't bolted out of the door to give Kakashi a kiss goodbye on his masked lips. Genma initially kept their secret for weeks but accidentally slipped up during a conversation which Kurenai and Gai immediately picked up. It wasn't long after that when the pats on the back were given followed with congratulations for the couple. Their former classmates weren't really surprised by the news, they always knew it was going to lead to this but what took them by surprised was how they were able to keep it a secret for a long time.

The answer was simple. They were both ANBU members after all.

Kakashi cherished their long walks together the most. After all, it was where everything started. They walked along the streets of Konoha, hand in hand with the moon shining brightly above them. No one could touch the way they laughed in the dark, talking about their future or the way they would spend hours on wrapped in each other's arms, watching the sun go down. He loved how the world seemed to fade away when he looks at her. All he could see was this woman who chose him despite his flaws and accepted him wholeheartedly.

They were no longer two seperate beings, they were two souls merged into one. This time, they will have each other to lean on for the rest of their lives.

That was the plan.

Life doesn't always go according to plan.

—

Next Up: Tsunade and Akira meets again.

[unifox]

McDelivery

Sequel to "Who is this"

~Pairing: Shinwon x Youtuber!Reader

~Genre: Fluff :3

~Warnings: none

~Words: 859

~Summary: Shinwon finds himself questioning that person that came to deliver McDonald's without him ordering anything

a/n: Oof I didn't revise this one but if there are any mistakes I'll fix them later :) I also had this really weird dream and Yeo One appeared in it... I think I should do a scenario with him, but does anyone have suggestions on what to do? Send me a message :D ~Foxy🦊

~Masterlist~

"Ok, but which McDonald's sandwich is the best in Korea? It's different in our countries and I don't know what I'd order if I were there" You talked to shinwon while walking on the street.

Today was the one year anniversary of you guys friendship and so you were making a video call. You told him that you had to go somewhere but he could call you even if you were  on the street. Throughout your one year of friendship you guys became best friends resulting in way too many messages exchanged, video calls despite the time difference and even some collabs like gameplays that you ended up posting in your youtube channel.

For your one year of friendship you guys didn't plan anything besides a video call. Or at least that's what Shinwon thought. For a couple of months you've been planing to visit him and that's exactly what you were doing. The McDonald's question was actually to buy him his favourite sandwich before heading to his dorm.

Luckily, Shinwon's roommates knew you and helped you with the surprise, especially Hongseok who watched your videos. He helped you by providing you their address and keeping shinwon not only there but also preventing him from ordering food.

After chatting for a while you guys hung up with you telling him that you would "call later" when instead you stopped in the Mc nearest to his house and ordered food for you guys, not forgetting to text hongseok asking what he, Hui and Kino would like as well saying that it was your treat since they helped a lot in preparing this surprise for your best friend.

Leaving the establishment and heading to his dorm, you lowered your cap afraid someone would recognize or follow you after the cashier asked for your autograph

When you finally reached his doorstep, you ringed the doorbell. Inside Shinwon las lazily lounging on the living room sofa and refused to get the door since he did't order anything and wasn't expecting any parcels.

"Shinwon I'm busy, get the door" Hongseok scolded even though he wasn't doing anything in the kitchen. This didn't go unnoticed by the other male who retorted

"You're not, go get it" Not minding him and staring at the tv again

"I'm doing the dishes" He said suddenly pulling a plate toward the sink

bzzzz. The doorbell rang once again

"Shinwon hyung! Get the door please!" Kino screamed from his room getting impatient. The surprise was for him but he was lazy and stubborn and it was annoying kino.

"Fine FINE" he stood up and went for the door. Checking the monitor that shoed the front door, he saw a person holding multiple McDonald's bags. He opened the door already saying

"Sorry, but I didn't order anything"

"Oh, but it's a present!"

Shinwon was taken back. This voice was awfully familiar to him. He double checked the person in front of him and noticed that the clothes were the same you were wearing in your videocall earlier

"Y/n?" He asked hesitantly

You looked up, the cap not hiding your face anymore and with genuine happiness you called his name back. He was really shocked to see you there and went for a hug but you stopped him gesturing to the bags of food in your hands

He guided you inside and when all the bags were out of the way you smiled saying "surprisee" Going in for a hug

Shinwon couldn't stop muttering thing like 'how?' 'how did you get here?' 'how long will you stay' 'wth?' in between laughter. He was truly in awe and couldn't believe that you were here, in his house, his best friend from abroad!

"Happy one year anniversary best friend!" You exclaimed holding his hands

"Happy one year anniversary! I- How did this happen?"

"Your friends helped me a lot!" You said, on cue kino and Hui emerged from their rooms. You greeted all of them, Hongseok fanboying over you a little bit. After you all calmed down, You opened the bags of food giving each boy their respective order

"McDonald's delivery is here! Let's eat"

Dinner was very fun. You and shinwon acted as the best friends that you were, proving that even though your relationship was long distanced, it was genuine. Meeting and talking to the other guys was fun as well and at the end of the night you were able to score a brand new video collab.

When it was getting too late, you decided to head back to your hotel and shinwon was quick to all a cab for you, ordering that you send him a message to signal if you arrived safely. in your room, after getting ready for bed, you received a video from Hongseok. opening the video you realized he had secretly recorded your first meeting with shinwon and you were thankful for that, especially because shinwon was kinda panicking and it was funny. I guess you would use it as blackmail someday

Smiling to yourself, you put your phone to charge and went to sleep. Who knew what tomorrow would bring when you meet Shinwon again

[houkagokappa]

We had another anime club meeting today and almost every episode we watched gave me thoughts worth sharing so here they are.

We began with episode 5 of Golden Kamuy and I’ve now come to the realisation that it’s not a comedy anime like I first thought, or an action anime like it first seemed, but a cooking anime. Even though they mostly eat meat and that’s usually a turn-off for me, the fact that it’s centered on Ainu traditions makes it A+++, very good cultural exchange.

We continued with two episodes of Kino no Tabi (2003). The first was about a country with the tradition of creating traditions. It was a fun episode, but with a fairly cruel twist at the end. Kino no Tabi is great in how you never know what kind of country they’ll visit and how it always gives you a lot to think about - so many questions about morality! I really liked the structure of this episode, it was a bit different compared to what we usually get in that we saw several short visits rather than the usual full episode exploration. Variation is always great and I really loved how all countries/encounters ended up being connected to each other.

The second Kino no Tabi episode began with Kino and Hermes lying in a bed of red flowers and I was instantly struck with stress and fear because I remembered this scene from the 2017 anime. I couldn’t remember which episode it was, only that it meant we’d be in for a BAD_TIME. Yup, turns out it was Otona no Kuni, Kino’s “origin story”. I’d forgotten most things from it, like how all the kids in Kino’s home country get lobotomised when they’re 12 years old so they can turn into adults and work with a smile on their face even though they’d otherwise hate their job and life. The episode hit me even harder now, because I’ve thought a lot about my own place in society and I have pretty strong feelings about going against what society tells me to do to pursue my own happiness. Watching Kino be able to do that was great. Or you know, it was horrible and traumatising, but at least they made it and it made me love Kino and Kino no Tabi even more. I also want to shout-out the scene where Kino takes up their new identity, if you want a cool genderqueer/agender character look no further!

Next up was Martian Successor Nadesico. Sursprisingly I’m kinda loving it? I don’t really follow along with the plot, but I also don’t think that matters at all. It’s a mecha parody anime from the 90′s and all the hijinks and jokes carry the whole show regardless of what’s actually going on. I love any anime with an anime within the anime that one or several characters are obsessed over and we get updates on. The way Akito and Gai bonded over their love for Gekiganger 3 was amazing and super fun to watch. I also can’t believe that they apparently killed off Gai (and that I completely forgot about it, since I didn’t think they were serious about it, whooops). It’s great how episode 4 showed us Akito mourn the loss of his newfound friend. It stood out nicely with everyone else seemingly not caring at all and I could relate to him wonder why he has to be alone in his sorrows. I also liked the girl he confided in, I even thought that they’d make a nice pair so I was very pleased when the episode ended with them getting together. I also loved that it happened right in front of Yurika who’s been telling everyone that Akito is her bf or something along those lines. It’s kinda annoying when anime characters do that and especially when it comes to romance it’s super satisfying for me to watch characters not get what they want (don’t psychoanalyse me please). All in all it was great to see them mix things up a little and give us something unexpected rather than having Yurika continue to claim they’re dating when they actually aren’t (even if it’s only for a little while and they end up together later). Oh and I also love all the new pilots, they’re such disasters.

Following that we watched episodes 4-5 of Spice and Wolf. The anime is well-made and Holo’s a great character. Since I like her it’s nice enough to watch her interact with Lawrence. I’m not invested in their relationship and I don’t care for their romance, apart from appreciating that they actually have some chemistry and it’s great to see Holo make some advances already. Unfortuantely I couldn’t care less for the plot, this silver coin bs is super boring and uninteresting. Hopefully it’ll be over soon and the anime will get more engaging again, although I can’t think of any merchant business that would be appealing to me. I don’t see myself falling in love with Spice and Wolf, but if I can enjoy it a bit more in the future that’ll be great.

We ended the evening with episodes 5-6 of Bungou Stray Dogs. I’d seen them before when they originally aired in 2016, but my memory was a bit hazy and rediscovering that Ranpo doesn’t actually have supernatural powers, he’s just like that was a great moment. I’m still annoyed at the “over the top” comedy with the funny faces, twitches and sounds, but I can appreciate the anime having that as a distinct style. They’re also getting less frequent and annoying as Atsushi (it’s mainly his doings) becomes more used to the Armed Detective Agency and all its idiots.

I feel like I like the anime more now than I did 4 years ago. I think I understand the characters and their quirks better and how it’s the trade-off for their powers. One has to wonder how much that has to do with the fact that we’re living in a post-Sarazanmai world where I’m more partial to the Mamo-Hosoyan pairing, which certainly helps, but isn’t everything. Apart from the reaction humor, there’s some genuinely great humor and fun character moments. I also like the superpowers and twists. Akutagawa comes across as an edgy chuuni character so I’m not intimidated by him, but I remember the first season ending with another villain character who was super intriguing, so I’m looking forward to continue the series to that point and beyond!

[dixbolik-lovers]

“For the parental au, how about hcs for the reader being some sort of relationship advisor for the boys and Yui? Like they would tell the boys how to get with her and teasing them about their crush since this is the first time they ever saw them genuinely like a girl and not just her blood? This is all after the boys began to see them as a substitute parent and trust them of course”

---

Ah yes, what might be my favorite Au~ :3c Just for info, the boys having had a good parental figure for a while improves them in a lot of ways. Expect far softer boys than usual~

. . . 

Shuu:

-He pretty blatantly tells you to shut up and stay out of it. Considering that his words have no real bite to them, however, it’s easy to infer that he’s just huffy and embarrassed about it. He’ll pretend not to care a bit about whatever advice you give him, but you’ll catch him following it more often than not. Your presence makes him feel a little safer about forming a relationship. 

Reiji:

-He’s sort of huffy that you think he needs advice from you... but winds up taking it nonetheless. Your opinion matters to him, no matter how much the prideful boy tries to hide it, and it shows. Teasing him over his crush results in a surprisingly flustered Reiji. Also, e’s shockingly likely to confide in you just how deep his feelings run, as well as how vulnerable that makes him feel. 

Ayato:

-He denies needing or wanting advice from you at every turn, but keeps “subtly” asking for your opinion on things anyway. Teasing him about the whole thing will end in him shouting at you, then probably curling up in a little ball on the floor and questioning if she should even try. He needs a surprising amount of encouragement to get his feelings out properly. 

Kanato:

-He does not need your help! Not under any circumstances! He’ll go as long as possible without doing a single thing you say, but fail and come angrily asking for advice in the end. He’ll cry and throw a tantrum if you tease him, but he’s red-faced all the while. He does really need the help, though, considering that you’re the first genuine attachment he’s ever had. 

Laito:

-He makes a lot of “jokes” about how all he has to do to make Yui love him is have sex with her. And gets weirdly defensive when you shut those jokes down. In the end, for him, it’s a lot of talking through how vulnerable he feels with you, and slowly, slowly letting himself give those feelings a chance. He really does value your advice, even if he’d do just about anything to hide it. 

Subaru:

-Just trying to give him love advice has him flushing and shouting... and probably breaking something. It would be so, so much easier if he didn’t have to handle all the fluffy stuff, but you seem insistent that he needs to, and, well, he really does think you know what you’re doing. Teasing him about any part of this is bound to end in a broken wall, if not worse. 

Ruki:

-He’ll thank you for your advice, but try to avoid following it for as long as possible as a matter of sheer pride. A lot of his issue is that he doesn’t want to admit that he needs the help, so once he does, it’s a much smoother ride. He takes the teasing relatively in stride, secretly thankful that you’re helping him manage to be something resembling “normal” in the first place. 

Kou:

-He’s an idol. He doesn’t need some human’s advice when it comes to love, even if you are basically his parent at this point. He goes a long time insisting that he’s just fine, but eventually caves and comes to you needing genuine coaching. Teasing him makes him whiny and pouty, sort of put-out that you’re making fun of him for actually trying his best at being good. 

Yuuma:

-Yeah, he needs the advice from the very start and he’ll admit it. You’re kind of the only thing keeping him from being terrible at the whole romance thing, so he appreciates it. Teasing him over his crush makes him flush, but other than that, he’s surprisingly casual about the whole thing. It means a lot to him that you’re willing to help him out with something so silly in the first place. 

Azusa:

-He’s delighted to have your help, and outright thanks you every time you offer him advice. Yui deserves the best he can give her, and you probably know what that best is better than he does, so he’s very grateful for your advice. Because he has absolutely no shame in finding her to be the nicest person ever, teasing him about his crush on Yui isn’t exactly entertaining. 

Carla:

-He takes the advice with as much dignity as possible, which is more than you’d expect from him. He values your help greatly and tries to remain polite even when he feels like he shouldn’t need it in the first place. It’s not wise to tease him when he’s genuinely trying his best, but praise goes a lot further than you’d expect now that he’s thoroughly softening up. 

Shin:

-He gets very, very grouchy if you try to help him with anything, insisting that he’s just fine on his own. By the time he does actually try to get some advice from you, he’s probably dug himself into a horrible hole. Teasing him gets outright anger in response, mostly because his ego can’t take having it pointed out that he’s actually winding up with feelings for a human. 

Kino:

-He’s a brat about it, but he really does appreciate the help. It seems like he doesn’t listen very often, though. In the end, all he really wants is both your and Yui’s attention, and he’ll do almost anything to get it. Teasing him is asking to get teased back over something, so speak carefully. You’re always risking making him pouty enough to do something truly stupid. 

[yuikomorii]

Can we agree that when the Diaboys call Yui "ugly" they simply do so because they are jerks and want to denigrate her and make her feel bad, but in reality none of them really find her "ugly"?

There are several pieces of evidence that they all find her attractive/pretty:

Ruki has told her that she has beautiful skin.

Kanato and Laito really like her hair.

There is quite a bit of evidence that Subaru and Shin already liked Yui physically from the beginning of their routes, (they are both quite tsunderes with her).

Shu, Ayato, Laito and Subaru have admitted that Yui has nice legs and Reiji complimented her for having a nice butt.

Kou, Yuma, Azusa, Carla and Shin have told Yui that she is really pretty. Even Carla and Shin were dumbfounded when they saw Yui wearing a dress on the "Date With Tsukinami" scenario.

And not only that, in other scenarios there are random characters who have fallen in love with Yui at first sight, such as in one of Yuma's Heaven in More, Blood she and Yuma are in the park eating ice cream and Yuma mentions that at least four guys keep staring at Yui and this makes him very jealous.

In Shu's second After Story, Yui starts working at a flower shop and the owner falls madly in love with her, (and even asked her to be his girlfriend).

And in Lost Eden the leader of the Vibora Clan, Zweig, also seemed very interested in Yui.

Lastly, it's true that there are more attractive heroines than Yui but to say that she is "ugly" is something I just can't accept, the girl literally looks like an angel, she is beautiful inside and out. ಥ_ಥ ❤️

//Wait,I think I wrote something similar in another post:

I mean,probably some of them truly considered her ugly at first because she looked basic in comparison with girls they were used to but it’s still really rude calling someone “ugly”,especially directly://

I know they might have seen her in a different way once they fell for her but it still leaves a very sore taste in the mouth knowing that she got to hear things such as “What a plain looking woman”, “Nobody would dance with a woman as ugly as yourself”, “Look at you,what an ugly face” etc. I know you’re sadistic and damaged but the fact that some chapters later you’re like”You’re cute”,”My pretty girlfriend”,it just sounds so unfair!

I like all Diaboys but I can’t ship someone 100% with Yui after making fun of her FACE and then suddenly changing their mind :// All of them have been through traumatic events yet how come only some of them have never called her ugly?

I do think her body looks really good but it‘s still sad how none of the Diaboys have ever said anything nice about her face.They’re all complimenting her legs,butt,back,hips etc. but none of them genuinely looked into her eyes and was like “You’re beautiful”. On the other hand,Yui always compliments their faces and she’s not saying it in a smooth-talking way,she simply feels like saying it.

It still bothers me when ,once she puts on a dress they’re all like super shocked and act as if she looks extremely different ”Wow!My woman is so pretty!”That sounds so backhanded because she looks exactly the same,a dress can’t change a person that much and she doesn’t need anything like that in order to get some compliments from time to time too.

And speaking of jealousy,at this point I believe all of them are so possessive that they imagine guys staring at her since Yui’s always like”But where?I didn’t feel stared at!”She might be…not so bright but she’s not blind.

Also that flower shop guy did fall for her but let’s admit it,he was a creep.If I recall correctly Yui didn’t want to go somewhere with him and he literally asked her “Do you hate me?”Like????She didn’t even say something like that.The only guy who was worth of going on a date with Yui was the one from Yuma’s MB route because he actually wanted to save her.

Another frustrating scene was in Kou’s LE route(I think)when Kino said that every man in the Demon World wants to marry his girlfriend aka Yui but the thing is…they don’t want to marry her because of her looks or personality,they don’t even know her,they only want her because she’s Eve and that means power.Another reason why the only good thing that happened in LE was simply introducing Kino and that’s all.Poor girl,as if being used for her blood wasn’t enough,now she’s being used for power too.

Her design is not meant to be gorgeous,even the DL Director said that they were trying to avoid making her the type of girl who’d attract with her charming looks.That’s why they tried to make her a sweet girl instead of a very cute or adorable one.As I said,her personality is supposed to be what attracts,not her looks.

I consider her good-looking tho.Her design might not be something“wow”but that doesn’t mean she can’t be pretty.Yui’s a simple girl yet attractive in her own way.She still deserves so much better than she got,it’s not her fault she doesn’t look like some sort of idol or royalty.

[gamerwoo]

Pentagon headcanon: Pentagon as mall workers

a/n: I’ve always lowkey wanted to do some sort of mall series but never actually had a solid plot so we gonna just do this instead. and Seventeen will be mentioned bc I wanna do one for them and I want them all to work in the same mall and no one can stop me 😤

-

Lee Hoetaek

the manager at FYE

everyone calls him Hui though

really good at reading people and just kind of knowing what they’d like

but y’know he doesn’t wanna be creepy so he asks what kind of music they’re into

and then he can pull any album and know it’s perfect for you

you always go to him when you’re looking for new music

he’s also always up to recommend some new stuff you might not have listened to

knows the store inside and out

if you’re looking for a specific album, he knows exactly where to go

the friendliest dude ever

he loves that you ask him about music so he always gives you his discount

sometimes makes you mixtapes

but he got that idea from his co-worker, Hansol

-

Jo Jinho

assistant manager at Music Center

lowkey salty that the manager is Jihoon who’s way younger than him

but honestly together, the two run the store really smoothly

they do their best to help out the other employees who might not know as much

like Joshua, for example since he really only knows guitars

Jinho often sings to himself while he’s working but the customers lowkey love it

honestly you only go in there to listen to him sing

and because Josh flirts with you but that’s neither here nor there

one time you were looking at a keyboard so Jinho offered to ‘demo’ it for you

he’s so talented you don’t know why he’s not famous instead of just working in some music store

-

Yang Hongseok

works at GNC

flirts with pretty much everyone who walks through the door

but lowkey though

gives really good advice on how to stay fit and what things to use

knows everything about everything in that store

still wondering why he’s not manager

oh yeah it’s because Matthew is lmao

even though he’s more of a flirt, he does take his job seriously and is a genuinely sweet guy

one time after a bad day, he saw you sitting on the bench outside his store and he went and got you bubble tea from the place downstairs

you go to Hongseok when you’re stressed now and he’ll listen

-

Ko Shinwon

works at Gamestop

always laughs about how he’s glad he’s not the manager because all the workers get treated like garbo by 12 year old boys and their parents

so he teases Wonwoo for having to get the bulk of the trouble

gets yelled at for playing the game demos instead of working

takes too many breaks to go get food but then downs it all in the back room in like 3 minutes

tbh the only reason he hasn’t gotten fired is probably because they’re short staffed

but you like him because he plays the game demos with you

you think he’s funny and if he wasn’t there, Gamestop just wouldn’t be the same

-

Yeo Changgu

works at Build-A-Bear

does so well with the kids even when they’re bratty

you don’t go into the store because you’re embarrassed to but he sees you always staring at the Eevee Build-A-Bear and he’s waiting for the day you come in to make it

and yes he would absolutely make you do the heart ritual thing

and yes he would giggle at how red your face would get

he loves doing that to people his age when they come in

“can we skip the heart thing?” “absolutely not”

they get so embarrassed doing it and he lives for it

he takes his job seriously ok

-

Yanan

barista at Starbucks

might be the most handsome one there which makes his manager, Jeonghan lowkey salty

kinda slow when it comes to making drinks but nobody seems to care

how could you care?? look at him

whenever you go to get a drink from Starbucks and Yanan’s at the register, you always stutter and get blushy

but it’s fine because he always seem flustered talking to customers too

he usually doesn’t work register though

-

Adachi Yuto

works at Hot Topic

he likes it because the store just doesn’t give a shit about anything and hardly anyone goes in so he can just dick around with Wooseok all day

plus he gets a discount on all his goth clothing lmao

people will go in the store just to see him though

you sometimes go in there for shirts or for pop figures and stuff and he’s always really nice

quietly asks how you’re doing and if you need help finding anything to let him know

but he won’t ask Wooseok or Soonyoung to do their job

he’s not annoyed by it anyway so it’s fine

the only responsible worker there tbh

-

Kang Hyunggu

works at Bubble Bee

everyone calls him Kino

tbh half the reason anyone goes to get bubble tea is because of Kino

he’s just so smiley all the time and so sweet????

between him and his coworker, Seokmin, they really draw in a good amount of business

and y’know bubble tea is like a big trend now, so there’s that

makes the best taro bubble tea you’ll ever have in your life

one time he was working a shift alone and it got busy and he got your order wrong so now he always always always makes extra sure that it’s what you wanted

like he literally has you try it while you’re in front of him to make sure it’s good

send you off with the biggest smile and a “have a good day, _____!”

-

Jung Wooseok

works at Hot Topic

that one employee that does not give two shits about actually working

but he knows he’ll get away with it because as I said, Hot Topic does not give a frick

likes to change the music in the store to bubblegum jpop

Yuto lowkey likes it which is half the reason Wooseok does it

he’s always either fucking around at the counter with Yuto or giggling and fucking things up with Soonyoung in the back

if you ask him for help, he calls someone else over

literally does not do anything

you know well enough to not bother asking Wooseok for anything so he likes you

whenever you go up to the register, he calls to Yuto to give you his store discount and then says “keep up the good work” when you’re leaving

to this day, you have yet to ask him for assistance

[dialovers-translations]

Diabolik Lovers LOST EDEN ー Laito Ecstasy [06]

CHAPTER MASTERLIST

Monologue

I want to invite them over here. 

Those words of her,

could only mean one thing from how I interpreted them. 

I am aware. 

Of her connection with them,

as well as with Kinoーー 

ー The scene starts in the big hall at Eden

Laito: I mean, sure?

Yui: Eh?

Kou: ...? What do you mean?

Laito: You know, I’m suggesting we do exactly as she proposed. 

Yui: Eh? You don’t mind?

Laito: Nope?

Yui: ( I wonder what has gotten into him all of a sudden...? )

Kanato: One second, please. Are you being serious, Laito? 

Laito: I mean, I don’t see why we should deny them. Right, Reiji? 

Reiji: Why are you asking me? 

Laito: I figured you’d be able to come up with a sound reasoning.

Reiji: Well, I suppose it would entail certain benefits for us as well. 

Kino, the man leading these Ghouls, is one of the individuals out to steal your Powers after all...

Laito: It’d play in our advantage if Kino were to come here and join forces with us instead, right?

Ayato: Still...I can’t imagine he’d want to work together with us.

Laito: You think so? We already formed an alliance once in the past, so don’t you think he’d readily accept if we promise to protect him and his Ghouls?

Ayato: Oi, what do you think, Chichinashi?

Yui: Eh? 

Laito: Bitch-chan is the one who knows Kino best out of all of us, isn’t she~?

Yui: Wellーー

( What should I answer? )

Selection

→ We can’t trust him 

Yui: If you were to ask me whether we can trust him or not, I’d say we can’tーー

Laito: Well, I figured you’d say that.

Yui: Eh?

Ayato: Anyway, Chichinashi, you want to bring some shady fucker hereーー!?

Yui: I meanーー That’s because the circumstances are as is. 

Laito: Right?

→ You can look at it in different ways (❦)

Yui: I think you can look at it in different ways...If we take into account the ill treatment of the Ghouls, then Kino-kun alsoーー

Laito: Heeh. You’re going to stand up for him? 

Yui: Eh? 

Laito: Oh no, I’m just talking to myself.

Ayato: I just can’t trust that guy...

Laito: ーー But you know, just look at it like this. 

Regardless of the Ghouls’ situation, Kino is our brother, remember?

...So don’t you think he only has the right to come here? 

I mean, if the Mukami’s are allowed to stay here even?

Yuma: Ah? What? Got a problem with it, mate?

Laito: Don’t get up in my face. I’m only stating the truth, aren’t I?

Shuu: ーー Well...When you look at it like that, I guess there’s really no reason for us to deny them. 

Yui: Shuu-san...! Then...

Shuu: Laito. You’re sure that’s what you want, right?

Laito: Why do you need to confirm a million times like that? I mean, I’m not trying to commit any crimes, am I?

Right, Bitch-chan? 

Yui: Yeah, you’re...right.

Ayato: ...

Kanato: ...

Subaru: Ugh...

Reiji: ーー Well then, if that is what you want, I shall get everything arranged at once. 

Laito: Nfu~ I’m counting on you.

Yui: Reiji-san, I’ll help out as well!

Reiji: That would be a great help. 

Ruki: In that case, so will we.

Yui: ( Is Laito-kun really okay with it? I mean, I’m happy with this outcome, but... )

( Something doesn’t feel right... )

( I feel like we’re going in circles or something. )

( But...That’s just the reality of dating Laito-kun which I’ll have to accept...I guess? )

Monologue

ーー To my surprise, my suggestion which was once nearly turned down already,

actually got given the green light by Laito-kun. 

Laito-kun justifies his actions,

by claiming that doing this will not only save himself time and effort,

but those in trouble are none other,

than his own brother Kino, the Ravens and the Ghouls under his command. 

While I am genuinely happy that Laito-kun has acknowledged them,

for some reason, it doesn’t feel right (違和感).

I cannot help but end up doubting his true intentions. 

In which case, nothing has changed at all...

Laito-kun is truly a very delicate individual. 

He will go back to being his old self over the most trivial of happenings. 

If there is something weighing down on his mind,

then I wish he would just speak up (ぶつけてきて) about it to me.

ーー TO BE CONTINUED ーー

[demonlullaby]

Road to Kingdom ep.1

SPOILERS AHEAD

This is my unbiased review of the performances. It's entirely my own opinion.

Premise: I'm watching the show because I stan Pentagon but I also follow Oneus and The Boyz. I occasionally listen to ONF and Golden Child as well, TOO is the only group I know nothing of. I'm only reviewing tonight's performances according to MY taste, not the group as a whole, so please take this as the unbiased review it is instead of an attack of sorts. I wish all groups the best of luck!

My ranking

7. Oneus

I was overall kind of disappointed with the performance. The singing wasn't live, or at least the back track was very loud, and the concept was pretty but bland. Oneus are really good dancers and have good vocals as well so I wish they'd done something that represented their colors and uniqueness better. Overall they looked handsome, danced well, it was nice to watch, but forgettable. Sorry babies, better luck next time 🥺

OFFICIAL RANKING: #6

6. TOO

Their performance felt very fresh to me. I don't know them, so I don't know their usual style, but it was nice to watch if, again, a little bland. I liked the styling because the all black and leather from the others got boring very fast, but it seemed more like a music show performance. They're rookies, and they're probably playing it safe. I hope they don't get eliminated because I think they have potential.

OFFICIAL RANKING: #7

5. Golden Child

The beginning of the performance was very eye catching but I quickly lost interest. They're clearly extremely skilled dancers, which we love to see in this house, but I *HATED* the music choice. To me it was their biggest downfall. It was so loud and confusing which combined with the lighting made it impossible to focus on the performance. I wanna see them on stage again because I think their dancing was incredible, but I wish they would show more of their personal colors next time.

OFFICIAL RANKING: #4

4. ONF

I thought they put together a really good stage! I feel like the stylists need to coordinate better because GC, ONF and VV were wearing basically the same outfit lol But I liked that they sang and I think I could hear some live vocals in there which is admirable! I wish they would have gone a little further and made it a crazier performance, but they're clearly skilled, and very good dancers too. I think they deserved to place higher, they did a great job!

OFFICIAL RANKING: #5

3. VERIVERY

What a pleasant surprise. I don't know this group that well but their stage was gorgeous. Caught my attention from the beginning, and it was impossible to look away. It also showcased that not only they have great dance technique but also good synchronization and I like that they switched it up a little in the middle, slowed it down and then fast again. However, like all the groups placed below, I wish the stage had been a little more personal, which is why I think the other two groups deserved second and first place. Either way, good job Verivery! I'll be on the lookout for these boys.

OFFICIAL RANKING: #3

2. The Boyz

I have to say that second and first place were on a whole another level compared to everyone else, at least tonight. The Boyz had an unique concept, they pulled it off well, they showed their strengths and chemistry as a group and put on a damn good stage. I would have liked to see more of an unexpected twist though, something unpredictable to make the stage even more interesting, but nonetheless, hats off. I really liked them already and expected them to do well, they deserved their first place, so well done.

OFFICIAL RANKING: #1

1. Pentagon

Ah, where to start... I went into the episode unbiased because I just genuinely wanted to enjoy the performances, which I did. But not only Pentagon's experience showed on stage, they showed that uniqueness I was desperately looking for. They acted, they danced, they played that stage like their own personal instrument and it genuinely felt like watching an intro performance at MAMA. My first round of applause goes to Wooseok, when he was left alone on stage I KNEW he was going to deliver and boy did he. Also very proud of how Hui and Kino stood out with their unbelievable charisma and damnnnn those facial expressions always on point. The styling was a great touch too, I loved how the whole performance was orchestrated from start to finish, and that CONFIDENCE! *chef's kiss*

OFFICIAL RANKING: #2

I'm gonna watch the full episode once subs come out. I hope SnakeNet doesn't eliminate TOO just because of an intro performance because if so, I will FIGHT.

It's been Lia, now back to the scheduled programs ✨