frozen hearts, flaming arrows ; p.sh
parts ; one. masterlist. two coming soon.
pairing ; fire!seonghwa x ice!reader
summary ; two enemy clans. one icer healer, one flamer soldier, one brewing war. love was never meant to be a part of this. but then again, when is love ever supposed to be a part of anything?
words ; 7.3k
warnings / includes ; cursing, violence, a make-out scene !!, future suggestive / mature content, hwa being sexy as always, ANGST okay this is a lot of ANGST and hURT, enemies to friends to enemies to lovers trope lol
a/n ; bet yall didn’t see this one coming lol but yea pls enjoy !!! im rlly excited for this series omg !!! im sorry this part was rlly short and kinda bad kkdfjdf but this is just the beginning and i swear part two will be much better !!
A snowflake glowing a luminescent blue lazily floated above your palm, multiplying into several others until you held a mini-flurry in your hand. You walked past all the frosted-over trees, huffing in deep breaths of cold air as your boots stepped over piles of unblemished snow and crispy dead leaves.
Being a healer was exhausting. Though you were still fairly new to the job, you couldn’t help but lay all the blame on yourself for being incapable of saving a life today. You just… hadn’t expected there to be that much blood. Icers had thicker blood for a reason; it wasn’t usually a problem. The head healer tried to reassure you that you did everything you could, but you couldn’t stand to be in the medbay for much longer. You needed air.
And that’s how you ended up here, head spinning dizzily as you stomped through the wintry grey forest, releasing out a frustrated groan from the bottom of your lungs.
“You’re dangerously close to our territory, Icer.” The sudden deep-timbered voice had you flinching so harshly you hit your head on an icy tree branch. “I’d watch my step if I was you.”
Breath caught in your throat, you watched with wide eyes as the Flamer stepped out of the shadow of a tree. He was undeniably handsome; his irises were dark, flecked with a fierce gold the same hue as the edge of a fire, his slicked-back hair a nightly black, and a curl of his carmine lips that was nowhere near friendly. An obvious insignia of a red flame was embedded into his unwrinkled jacket, a clear sign of this man being from the Fire Tribe.
“I’m sorry. I hadn’t realized I was so close to the border.” You murmured, backing away slowly. The small snowflakes that you had accumulated in your palm quickly dissipated into the air, but miniscule particles of snow still floated around you, no doubt a result of your quaking nerves.
Noticing this, the man watched curiously as a snowflake drifted by him. He raised a finger towards the ice crystal, a small orange flame bursting out of the tip. The snowflake melted into a droplet of water, falling to his feet. You noticed the snow had melted away from him in a large circle around his shoes, now standing in a patch of wet grass. Even from the great distance between the two of you, you could still feel the wavering heat pulsating from this strange man.
“What are you doing so far away from your people?”
You knew you shouldn’t be talking to a Flamer stranger. They were dangerous, and it was common knowledge that Icers and Flamers weren’t on the best terms as of late.
“I couldn’t be there anymore,” You whispered, just loud enough for him to pick up. At his raised eyebrows, you continued on. “I’m a healer. It was a lot of pressure not to mess up.”
He nodded, his curiosity getting the best of him. He stepped closer and asked, “Then why are you a healer?”
“Because I’m good at it.” The words came off far too snobbish for your liking, so you quickly added in a sheepish tone, “Also because I like helping people.”
The two of you fell into a queer silence, before he nodded, somewhat satisfied with your answer. The Flamer turned his back to you, “I best get going now. The lands aren’t going to patrol themselves. Run back to the rest of your people, Icer.”
You could feel his heat retract as he walked away. More snow fell to cover his tracks, as if the strange man with flaming eyes was never there.
It wasn’t until the same time the next day that you found yourself strolling towards the forest, back to the same spot last night, feet acting to their own accord. You paused in your steps when you realized where you were heading.
Would you really risk getting a Flamer angry at you for getting too close to their borders again? With not another thought, you pushed back the doubts and walked onwards… it wasn’t like you actually crossed the border. There was a large grey strip of forest land that belonged to neither tribe; it was far too costly to maintain and the forest gave them nothing but bugs and piles of dead leaves.
Much to your surprise, the man was already there, watching you with those glowing eyes of his. “What are you doing here?” He hissed.
“I can ask you the same thing,” You retaliated, arching an eyebrow.
The cold wind whistled as it blew past you, but you were planted firmly to the ground. He, on the other hand, grimaced quite obviously as the breeze tousled his neat hair about, sending dark strands careening into his eyes.
“I’m Y/N,” You said with a small smile. Although he pulsated with heat, that only made him feel the frigid sting of the cold wind all the more. At the sight of his shivering form, you wondered just how bad a Flamer can be.
He eyed you suspiciously before stepping forward quite boldly, sticking out a hand, “I’m Seonghwa.”
There was a strange arrhythmic thump in your chest. Now that he was so close to you, the lilith-hued snow around your feet started to wilt away as well, your cheeks flushing at the sudden rise in temperature. Icers weren’t very good with heat, that was obvious.
And when you took his hand, it was as if he was the coldest thing you’ve ever touched. But that couldn’t be it… you couldn’t really feel the cold much. Nonetheless, you gripped his palm unflinchingly, staring him dead in the eye. It became like some sort of challenge, but the both of you knew that you had obviously won. Seonghwa winced at how freezing your fingers against his were.
“Do you come here everyday?” The Flamer asked once he retracted his hand from yours to shove into the warmth of his pocket.
“Yesterday was my first time. I wasn’t planning on coming back today, but I just ended up here on instinct.” Your boot scuffed the pristine snow, avoiding the way his gaze seemed to quite literally burn holes into you.
Seonghwa frowned slightly. Funnily enough, the same exact thing had happened to him. He wasn’t on patrolling duty today, so really, he had no cause to be out here. He could be curled up with a book in front of a nice, warm fire, instead of standing in the snow with an Icer, of all people. Gods, he must be crazy.
“So… what are you doing here?” Your seemingly innocent question had Seonghwa struggling for words.
In all honesty, he had been curious whether or not you’d come back. An Icer healer in the Grey Forest was more than enough to pique his interest. Nothing remotely gripping ever happened in the Fire Tribe (other than the various men and women who threw themselves at him whenever they got the chance). He hadn’t actually expected you to come back.
“I’m… hunting.”
“It’s illegal to hunt outside of your tribe lands, everybody knows that.”
“Who said I was hunting for an animal?” Seonghwa crossed his arms over his chest to try and look somewhat menacing, but you just grinned. “I was looking for a book I lost.”
You hummed slightly, “Right.” As you waved your arm about, little snowflakes seemed to trail after you, and Seonghwa watched in masked fascination. “Can’t you just admit that you came to see me again?”
“Who’s to say that it’s not you coming to see me?”
“Hmm, let’s just say we both came to see each other. I’ve never seen a Flamer up this close before.”
Seonghwa blinked down at you with wide eyes, as if realizing just how small the distance between the two of you was. His cheeks reddened quickly as he cleared his throat into a fist, stepping backwards and almost slipping on more snow. When he attempted to sidestep the large wet puddle he’d created because of his rippling heat, his foot caught onto a tree root and he tumbled backwards. Snowflakes clung onto his dark hair and he shivered yet again. You tried to conceal your sniggers behind a palm, but Seonghwa still seemed to notice, his blazing eyes narrowing in mock-offense.
“You’re enjoying this,” He stated with an accusatory tone.
“Of course I am,” You replied through muted laughs. “I’m sorry. I would help, but I’m afraid I’d only make it worse.” To emphasize your point, you shook your hands slightly, blue crystals of snow whirling about.
Seonghwa’s fiery eyes seemed to soften at this. He pushed himself up to his feet, now shivering so harshly that you could hear his teeth chatter. You’d only known this Flamer for less than two days and yet he’d already managed to tug at your heartstrings.
“You should go back and get warm. I’ve read about Flamers and their immune systems… you guys are absolute babies when it comes to the cold.” Out of instinct, you reached out to touch his arm, like you did to most sick patients. But of course, you paused just before the tips of your fingers brushed against his jacket, curled your hand into a palm and forced it back down to your side. “I wouldn’t want you getting a fever just to see an ordinary Icer.”
Seonghwa cracked a half of a smile, shaking his head in disbelief.
But when he spun on his heel to leave, you called out before you could stop yourself, “Will I ever see you again, Seonghwa?” He stopped in his tracks without turning to looking at you. Stomach coiling into a tight knot of tension, you awaited in the palpable silence, a heavy lump forming in your throat.
“Next time, let’s go somewhere a bit warmer, yeah? Meet me closer to Flamer territory, by the river next to the largest tree in the Grey Forest. If you get to see me shiver, I get to see you sweat, Icer.” And then he continued on his way, until his lithe form disappeared behind the misty haze and the frosted shrubbery.
Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck, fuck, fuck. Just what were you thinking, agreeing to meet with a Flamer? Were you always this stupid or had you just realized now? You couldn’t believe you were spending your free time with some random Flamer from the Fire Tribe.
Thoughts of doubt swirled about in your head as you wove your way through the Grey Forest. The low rumbling of the river had you gulping down a large lump in your throat. It was already far too warm for you liking, the little snowflakes that buzzed around your head slowly melting away in water droplets. You didn’t think you’ve ever been this nervous before; not even back when you performed your first major surgery. There was just something about Seonghwa that you couldn’t stay away from… like when your Nan used to tell you no sugar candies before bed, it only made you crave for them all the more.
By the time you spotted Seonghwa leaning against the large tree, you were panting heavily, perspiration marring your skin.
“Fancy seeing you here,” The Flamer chimed, seeming to be in a much better mood now that the tables have turned. He seemed quite at ease, not a bead of sweat to be seen. “Already worked up quite a sweat, have we?”
Pathetically, you lifted your arm to conjure a small snowball, proceeding to press it against your head for cool relief. It quickly melted into a slushy of ice and water, dripping down your hair. You frowned, while Seonghwa grinned in return.
“Not so fun, is it?” He teased while you kicked off your boots and dipped your feet into the river, moaning in relief at the slightly cooler temperature of the water. You wished to make it colder, but much to your disappointment, the water wouldn’t crystalize because of how quickly it was rushing by.
Seonghwa crouched next to you, but still kept a decent length away, picking up rocks to skip across the river. For that, you were grateful, because if he made you any warmer than you were at that moment, you would’ve gotten up and stormed back to Icer lands.
“The first time we met,” You started after flicking water onto your face to cool down, making Seonghwa glance at you with curious eyes. “You were telling me to go back to my territory. But now, you made me come closer to Flamer lands. What’s up with that?”
“I don’t know,” He answered honestly. “You’re just… not what I thought an Icer would be like. It made me curious.”
“And what did you think we’d be like?”
A small shrug lifted his shoulder, “Cold. I mean, not that you aren’t, but cold as in… your hearts would be frozen over as well. I grew up with stories of Icers freezing Flamers to death and placing them in their gardens as statues. But you don’t seem like you’d do that kind of stuff. Especially when you told me that you were a healer.”
“For me, everybody knew the story of how the Fire Tribe would lock the Icers they captured in a sealed room, and the snow they made would melt and they’d slowly watch as the room filled with water, unable to turn it into ice because it was too damn hot. And eventually… they’d drown.” At the last few words, you frosted over your fingers and dunked them beneath the waters’ surface.
Seonghwa’s horrified expression made you chuckle slightly.
“Well, for the record, we don’t do that. We aren’t barbarians.” His words were said huffily as he crossed his arms and turned fully to fix his rapt gaze on you.
“I know. It was merely a silly childhood legend.”
The hours dribbled away fairly quickly, you and Seonghwa exchanging tales of your childhood that only increased in absurdity the farther you recounted. He told you about his friend, San, and how they once snuck into Wind Tribe territory to steal rare Gustberries that only grew in the harsh fields of the Breezers. You told him of Hongjoong and Wooyoung, the former being your closest friend and the latter constantly getting himself hurt. Laughs and giggles and the quiet hum of the river filled the silences in between the gaps of your vivid conversations. The more time you spent talking with him, the more you found yourself growing fond of the fiery-eyed man. Who would’ve thought?
By the time the sun had already set, you and Seonghwa were sitting much closer than when you had first sat down, his heat pulsating through the air in waves. To be honest, you didn’t quite mind the subtle warmth after you got used to the initial shock, but you knew you were pushing your limits. An Icer shouldn’t be out in high temperatures for this long.
You pushed yourself up to your feet, head swimming dizzily as you sucked in lungfuls of air. Slightly concerned, Seonghwa reached out to help you find your feet, but he pulled away at the last moment, just as you had last night. The tables really have turned, you thought in mild amusement.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m… fine…” You swayed on your feet slightly, pressing your cooler palm against your warmer-than-usual forehead.
“Come on, let’s get you back to the cold. You guys are absolute babies when it comes to the heat.” He said, mimicking the same exact words you told him yesterday. A weak laugh slipped past your lips, as you leaned against a tree branch.
Oh, everything was just too hot. You’ve been out of the snow for too long…
All of a sudden, the world was flipped onto its side, damp grass pressing against your face. You could barely register Seonghwa startled yelp before everything went dark.
“Hey. Icer, are you okay? Icer! Y/N, come on, I put you back in the snow, I don’t know what else to do.”
Though your head pounded as though someone had whacked you with a tree branch, you could just barely make out Seonghwa’s concerned tone. When your eyelids fluttered open, you were met with the sight of the Flamer’s handsome, yet alarmed face.
“You okay?” His words came gentle and soothing.
Puffing out a small sigh, you nodded tiredly. Being back in the snow felt much better, “Yeah. Thank you,” You croaked out sheepishly.
Seonghwa beamed down at you, before shuffling away so as the snow around you wouldn’t melt. But just as soon as the smile graced his features, it quickly dissipated into a frown, “Don’t scare me like that,” He practically scolded. “You win, okay? Next time we can stay in the snow.”
Breath caught in your throat, a heavy blush laid over your cheeks, “Next time? You just can’t get enough of me, can you?”
“No, I suppose not,” Seonghwa said somewhat nonchalantly, shocking you.
“I… well, thank you for the, well… uhm, getting me back,” You stumbled over your words the longer Seonghwa stared. Oh, what was this man doing to you? “I have some… healer things I need to do… so, I best get going… erm -” Without another thought, you pushed yourself onto your knees, snow crunching underneath your breeches as you leaned over towards him.
He was so warm. His face, especially, once you brushed your far-cooler lips against his cheekbone. The Flamer reared back with a ridiculous, startled expression, eyes comically wide. One of his hands came up to clamp against the cheek you kissed, mouth opening and closing but no words coming out.
“It was really nice talking to you. Thank you again,” You murmured while hiding a grin behind your palm. With that, you turned on your heel and left the blushing Flamer alone in the snow.
From then on, you saw Seonghwa practically every day. Oftentimes, you’d meet in the snow and stroll through the Grey Forest until it got far too warm and the both of you would have to turn back. The moment he’d see your skin dampen with sweat, he’d have the two of you abruptly changing course, steering away from the heat of the Fire Tribe. You thought that was incredibly thoughtful of him.
Once, Seonghwa discovered a more shallower part of the river that you could actually crystalize to keep yourself cool. That day was a good day. You had gently taken his scorching hand and tried to help him run across the ice before his heat could melt it away. The two of you left soaking wet, boisterous grins painted across your lips.
Hongjoong, being your closest friend and all, was constantly questioning and badgering on about where you went every afternoon. After all, you were a healer and your tribe needed you. But, however selfish it was, you didn’t want to stop seeing Seonghwa… he made you feel things no person from the Ice Tribe had ever made you feel.
The more you saw him, the more you had the urge to yank his stupidly sharp jawline towards you and shove your lips onto his. You’d imagine the way the warmth radiating off his skin would feel underneath your frigid palms and lips. You thought back to the second-long cheek kiss you gave him a couple months back, a fond smile tickling at the corner of your mouth.
“What’re you thinking about?” Seonghwa asked from beside you, nudging you slightly. Over a long course of time, the pair of you grew more and more comfortable with one another, inching closer and closer with each meet-up. At this point, you were practically sitting on top of him, one of his legs intertwined with yours and your head laying on his shoulder, the both of you leaning against a frosted tree trunk. Seonghwa smelled of sweet, burning sugar with a heavier scent of roasted coffee beans. He also often complained about how cold you were, although his tone was always fairly light and lacked any true bite.
“Nothing,” You were quick to say, pulling your head away from his shoulder to peer up at him.
Shrugging off your strange attitude, Seonghwa glanced down at you with excited eyes, “You wanna see a new trick I learned?”
Without awaiting your answer (because he knew you’d say yes anyway), Seonghwa cupped his hands together and pulled them away to produce a thin orange flame morphed into the shape of a shooting arrow. You watched in rapt fascination as the fire-arrow spun in the air when Seonghwa whistled sharply. Then, he pushed it away to embed itself into the tree across from you. The tree’s dry bark was quick to catch aflame, but you flicked your hands and caged in the fire with frost, the orange dying out into the blackened wood.
“Learned that during archery,” Seonghwa beamed down at your bemused expression. “You know, only the best Flamers can morph their fires into shapes. It takes a lot of concentration.”
With no effort at all, you twirled your fingers to make an intricate rabbit out of ice, whiskers and fur and all, holding it out to Seonghwa with a minuscule smile. The Flamer scowled slightly, and touched the tip of his finger to the clear crystal, watching it dribble into liquid through the gaps of your palms.
You rolled your eyes to the side before leaning your head back onto his shoulder with a content sigh, “Don’t you compete with me, Park Seonghwa. You’ll never win.”
Much to your surprise, he didn’t bother to argue, and instead pressed his warm nose into your frosty hair, humming, “Yeah, yeah. And who was the one that fainted in the heat again?”
“If I recall correctly, you’ve caught more than three colds just this year! And it’s only the fifth moon, too!”
His hands suddenly darted out to tickle your midriff, to which you squirmed away with a smothered laugh.
“Hm, wanna put it to the test? I promise I’ll go easy,” You said teasingly once you managed to capture his wrists. You could feel his pulse rapidly thumping against the pad of your thumb.
“I don’t know… I wouldn’t want to hurt you.”
“Trust me, you’re not the one that’ll be hurting.”
“Oh, you’re on, Icer.”
The two of you stumbled onto your feet and you held yourself up in a defensive stance. With a faint smile, Seonghwa mimicked your position. Admittedly, it wasn’t a very fair fight; you were a healer and he was a well-trained fighter.
But nonetheless, you were the first to throw, a frozen ball of ice the size of your fist hurtled towards him at top speed. Seonghwa was quick to react, blasting the ice with orange flames until it melted mid-air. You frowned and lithely dodged behind a tree when he reconjured his fire arrows and sent them after you. In retaliation, you quickly brought up a thick ice barrier with a laugh, smothering the thin lines of fire away with the sole of your boots.
The air was chock-full of his crackling flames muted by your snow, crystalline icicles dripping from nearby tree branches, and lame taunts tossed back and forth by the both of you as you play-fought for another couple of minutes.
Seonghwa might’ve had the upper hand in combat, but you knew how to play dirty. Just as he was stepping forward, you sent a sheet of slippery ice to slide underneath his boots. With a bewildered expression, Seonghwa flailed about for a moment, the small fire he prepared in his palm dying down to glowing embers, before tumbling down into the snow.
“That was low, Y/N,” The Flamer huffed out whilst trying to catch his breath against the pale white mound of snowflakes, glaring at you with playfully narrowed eyes. You were glad to see that he wasn’t actually angry at you.
“Do you call defeat, Seonghwa? There’s no shame in admitting it, you know!” Your jaunts were light-hearted as you walked closer to him and Seonghwa found himself grinning despite the cold stinging his skin.
Sticking your hand out to help him up, Seonghwa eyed you for a moment with an indiscernible expression, his playful nature fading away into something you couldn’t quite decipher.
Instead of pushing himself up, he suddenly pulled you down with him, a startled shriek leaving your lips and echoing across the Grey Forest. You fell on top of him with a grunt of pain, meeting his glowing amber eyes with your confused ones. During your hazy moment of puzzlement, Seonghwa tugged you closer, his warm palms curled around your forearms gently.
And then, without further warning, he kissed you. This one was nothing like the first kiss you gave him. That one was merely an innocent peck on the cheek. But this one… this one held passion and furtive desire and yearning. The both of you most definitely wanted this, it was quite clear by now.
Your senses were overwhelmed in the best way possible. All you could smell was him, the heavy undertone of roasted coffee beans sending your head into a cloudy daze. Your lips were slanted against his hot ones, noses of starkly opposite temperatures bumping against one another in your moment of desperation. You weren’t sure where to place your hands, so you balled them up against his jacket, just close enough to feel the hardness of his chest underneath.
For you, everything was hot, searing with a need for more as his plump, warm lips laid over yours. For him, however, everything was cold. The snow beneath was a mild annoyance, and yet he was willing to bear through it for you. You were equally freezing, but Seonghwa welcomed the cold for once, a dangerous ache that would grow to be lethal if neither of you were careful.
A small, frosty sigh left you when he pulled away for a second to stare at you with those intense eyes of his. You stared back with part-confusion and part-longing, lips agape. That apparently set something off in him, because he sat up with you straddling his hips, hands now encircled around your midriff as he kissed you more passionately, leaning forward so your back arched into him.
This wasn’t supposed to be happening. Why were you feeling these emotions for a Flamer of all people? Why couldn’t you have just stayed within your own tribe? Turmoil churned about in you as you kissed him in somewhat of a frantic manner. You hated yourself for loving it so much.
The second time he pulled away, you were both gasping for breath, lips swollen and clothes rumpled and askew. You could tell he wanted to kiss you again, and probably a thousand times after that. To be frank, that was all you wanted as well.
But you knew this had to stop. And so, when he leaned forward to capture your lips with his again, you flinched none-too-subtly and slid off his lap. An expression of genuine hurt flickered across his handsome, reddened features. A twinge of guilt gnawed away at your stomach as you got up onto your shaky feet.
“Go home, Seonghwa,” Was all you could find yourself saying with a hoarse voice. “You’re going to catch a cold again.”
You couldn’t look at him anymore. And so, you left him laying crestfallen in the snow, hurriedly making your way back to Icer lands, small blue snowflakes trailing behind you and cold tears pricking the corners of your eyes.
The next day, Seonghwa didn’t show up. You waited by your usual meet-up place, gnawing on your lip anxiously, glancing every which way in hopes of seeing the raven-headed Flamer. In the midst of your worrying turmoil, more and more snowflakes emanated from your skin and it didn’t take long for them to accumulate by your feet, completely covering your boots in a pristilline white blanket. You stepped out of the feather-soft pile, opting to impatiently trudge about in an attempt to steel your nerves.
You hadn’t been able to sleep that night. Seonghwa’s heartbroken expression was imprinted into your mind, leaving you in a mess of guilt and regret and anger.
Why did you have to push him away? Seonghwa, your first non-Icer friend, shoved away as if he meant nothing. You released a frustrated groan, smacking your palm into your forehead.
It made sense that he didn’t want to see you. If you were in his shoes, you probably wouldn’t leave your room and have the light of day touch your face for a whole moon. The idea of Seonghwa upset just didn’t sit right with you. Nonetheless, you could do little else than bide your time for him, however much you hated waiting.
He didn’t show up the next day either. Nor the one after that.
By the fourth day of waiting, you started to feel twinges of discouragement, but you never gave up, determined to set things right with Seonghwa. The niggling thought of him never showing up was one that often pestered you while you patiently awaited his return, although always quickly shoved down into the corner of your mind. You didn’t want to think about what you would do if you never saw him again.
It took just over a week of waiting for him to come back. At that point, you hadn’t thought he’d come back at all, reluctantly accepting that you’ve ultimately ruined your friendship with Seonghwa.
And so, imagine your surprise when his voice rang out through the trees, your name rolling off his tongue smoothly, “Y/N.”
Startled, you flinched so hard that your head hit a branch that hung lowly on the icy tree you were sitting beneath. It reminded you so much of the first time you met him that you couldn’t help but crack a smile after your initial pained grimace.
“Seonghwa,” You gasped, eyes round with shock and mouth agape. “You’re… you’re back!”
The excitement in your voice didn’t go undetected by either of you, but his features were set in stone, unmoving and neutral. Those blazing eyes of his seemed to bore holes into you, and you felt strangely naked underneath his gaze. You noticed that his appearance was more disheveled than ever, eyebags dark and hair not neatly slicked back like usual. He looked broken, but far too proud to admit so.
“Seonghwa…?” You stepped closer, the frosted leafy foliage crumbling under the pressure. This man was someone you deeply cared about, and you knew he felt the same about you.
So why was he staring at you like you meant nothing to him?
A shiver ran down your spine, a sensation that only Seonghwa could bestow upon you. Which was ironic, because the cold feeling that tickled down your spine was ignited by a man with powers of fire and heat.
You and him didn’t belong together. That was clear as day by now.
“Seonghwa,” You mumbled again, reaching out to him once close enough.
He shut his eyes as if looking at you were torture. It stung more than you liked to admit, so you retracted your fingers, clenching them into a fist and dropping them back by your side awkwardly. The air was so tense, so utterly uncomfortable, you could feel the crack in your heart splinter into more branches.
“Stop saying that.”
“Saying what?” Your bottom lip trembled. This wasn’t the Seonghwa you’ve grown to be so fond of. This man scared you. You had half a mind to grab him by the shoulders and shake some sense back into him. Where did your Seonghwa go?
An angry huff escaped his lips, misting visibly out of his carmine lips. The very ones you kissed a little over a week ago.
“You can’t… just… don’t say my name. Please. We can’t be like that anymore. We can’t do this. We can’t keep seeing each other.” Seonghwa’s stoic mask disintegrated into raw emotion. He looked to be on the verge of tears, and you wouldn’t be surprised if you mirrored the same exact expression.
There was a part of you that wanted to yell and scream and throw sharp icicles at him until he had no choice but to run back to Flamer territory. Anywhere, as long as it was far away from you. The other, more rational part of you, whispered that he was right. After all, you were the one that pushed him away first. It was only fair.
A broken bone won’t heal if you keep putting pressure on the wound. Being a healer, you couldn’t just ignore your own teachings.
But for just once in your life, you wanted to be selfish. You wanted to hold Seonghwa tightly in your grasp, no matter how dangerous it was. You wanted to call him yours, and you wanted to be his. You wanted to kiss him again, despite the small action being the ultimate downfall for the both of you.
And so you found yourself croaking out, making sure to emphasize his name, “Seonghwa, you know just as much as I do that there’s something here between us. You can’t just ignore it and toss that all out the window!”
His face screwed up in an effort to keep the onslaught of tears at bay. Perhaps what he felt for you wasn’t yet as strong as what he’d call love, but he wasn’t very far from it. He cared too much for you, so much more than anybody else in his life.
He needed you. And because of that, he had to let you go. Fraternizing with the enemy wasn’t something to be taken lightly. If his tribe knew about this little escapade of his, they’d have his head and would finally have a good enough reason to declare war. Regardless, it was only a matter of time. The Fire Tribe has hated Icers for centuries and centuries, teetering on the brink between neutrality and complete bloodshed.
“We have no choice,” The words were said in a low tone, rumbling deep down in his chest. Seonghwa shuffled closer, so close that you could feel his familiar heat wavering against the ice once again. You longed to reach out and place your hand on his chest, feel his heart thumping against his ribcage frantically, just as yours was. “Do you know what they’d do to you - to us - if our tribes found us together? It’s too risky, Y/N. I don’t know what I’d do if you got hurt.”
“I’m a healer. I can take care of myself! And we can just stay careful like we always have. Besides, people rarely come into the Grey Forest anymore!” Your words came out fast and jittery and panicked. You thought that you had already come to terms with losing the man that stood in front of you, but you were far from acceptance, you knew that now.
Seonghwa carded a pale hand through dark strands of hair, “I’m sorry, were you not the one that told me to go back home? You started this. You wanted this!” He was so agitated that when he swung his arm back to his side, small crackles of fire lit up his fingers.
Something inside you snapped, “I most definitely did not! It was just… all too sudden and I needed time to think. Now that I’ve already thought, there’s no need for us to run away and never see each other again! You’re overexaggerating, Seonghwa.”
“No, you don’t get it. Don’t you know, Y/N? Our tribes are verging on war. We’re supposed to be enemies, you and I. Don’t be daft!” His voice raised a notch or two louder, and you found yourself shrinking into yourself.
Tears pricked your eyes and you looked away from his fierce gaze, “We don’t have to be a part of that. We can just -”
“Just what? Pretend? We can’t play picnic in the forest and act like our people aren’t planning to slaughter each other!”
“You know what?” You shouted so loudly that the birds nesting on treetops fluttered away, a mass of dark wings and agitated squawks. “If you want to walk away from this relationship, from me, then go ahead! I won’t stop you. Fuck you, Seonghwa. Fuck you for throwing this away the moment it became something more.”
“You were the first to push away!” He protested, pointing an accusatory finger at you.
“Well, I’m sorry!” You cried out, furiously swiping away the tears that dribbled down your cheeks. “I’m sorry I was scared! I’m willing to try again, but you’re not giving me the chance. I waited for you every day, you know.”
“I know. I saw,” He said, suddenly quiet. “I’m sorry for making you wait.”
The two of you stared at each other defiantly, heavy breaths misting the air in front of you. His nose was tinted a deep pink, no doubt because of the cold.
“I’m leaving,” Seonghwa said after a long while. “And you shouldn’t come back here. Ever. I need you to know, Y/N. I’m doing this because I care about you. I expect you to do the same for me.”
Then, after casting you a forlorn expression, he tore his blazing eyes away and stiffly swiveled around in the snow. A gust of wind tousled his hair and he blew out a sigh of pale white mist. The cold made his nose red, and you subconsciously noticed the way he shivered slightly, brushing snowflakes off his sleeve. You’d miss that.
You’d miss him.
His heat grew fainter as his long strides took him further away from you. Your tears had crystallized on your cheeks uncomfortably, a frozen reminder of what you’d lost. You had half the mind to storm right up to Seonghwa and force him to stay here, by your side. That was the child speaking within you, however, and you were no longer a child.
Flicking the solidified salt water on your cheeks away, you did just the same as Seonghwa had minutes ago, trudging your way back to Icer lands. Little did either of you know, the two of you cried fresh tears along the whole journey back.
The last time you ever stepped foot in the Grey Forest was just the day after. Your eyes were puffy and aching, hair a terrible mess, and a wax-sealed envelope was tightly clutched in your hand.
There was a chance that Seonghwa would never come back. In fact, it was most probable that he’d never get the precariously written letter you left by the usual meeting place, considering what he told you yesterday.
Fond memories sunk its sharpened claws into you, stealing away your breath as you cupped both hands over your mouth, overwhelmed in every way possible. You were far too drained to cry, having emptied away all your tears the day before.
And so, you brushed stray snowflakes off the periwinkle-hued wax stamp, placing it down by the tree stump where Seonghwa usually sat.
Then you muttered a quiet, broken goodbye, stomping back to Icer lands. You were never going to see Seonghwa again.
Dear Seonghwa,
I know you told me to never come back. I won’t, I promise. I just wanted to leave the letter because… we never properly got to say goodbye, did we?
Well, congrats, you big dummy. You’re right. You always were, and you always are. We were never supposed to be friends. I mean, I suppose we’re enemies now, aren’t we? It was quite the foolish fantasy we had going on there, huh? I get it, we have to stay loyal to our respective tribes, we can’t risk getting caught, so on so forth. I just hope that when war is declared (which doesn’t seem to be long from now, to be quite honest), I won’t see you on the battlefield. I don’t think I’d be able to handle that.
So, I guess this is goodbye. It’s a little hard to believe that I won’t ever get to see your stupid face again. Remember when I threw a snowball at you so hard that it broke your nose? You panicked and blood went splattering everywhere and it didn’t stop until I got you to calm down. For a highly-ranked Flamer soldier, I’d expect you to be less squeamish at the sight of your own blood. It’s alright, though. As a healer myself, blood still freaks me out just a bit.
I thought I ruined your pretty face for all the poor ladies and gents who were mad in love with you back at the Flame Tribe, and I felt so guilty. And then you smiled! I remember feeling envy and astonishment at the same time because how the hell could one look pretty while smiling through a broken, bloody nose?
I’m glad I didn’t ruin your face, though. You’d probably get really mad at me if I did. But you would’ve forgiven me eventually, right?
Frankly, I don’t know if I deserve your forgiveness for what I did. And no, I’m not talking about hurting your precious face (they say a once-broken nose makes a man more attractive!). I’m sorry for pushing you away, Seonghwa. Really, I don’t know what I was thinking. I was scared and I needed time to think. I hope you understand that. If you don’t, that’s okay as well.
If I could rewind time, I wouldn’t have stopped kissing you. I could’ve carried on for days and days and days on end. Did you know that you’re the second person I’ve ever kissed? Don’t ask about the first, drunk Wooyoung isn’t really something to brag about. Well, for the record, you were the first kiss I actually enjoyed. Congrats.
Of course, all this doesn’t mean that it was entirely my fault. I waited for you for a week, and you did nothing but hide behind trees and watch. That was real shitty of you, to put it plainly.
I’ll miss you, though. I’ve never felt this way about any Icer and I doubt I ever will. Of all people to set my sights on, it just had to be a Flamer. What rotten luck we have.
Goodbye forever, Seonghwa. Stay safe, alright? For my sake.
With much love,
Y/N.
Seonghwa read the letter through so quickly that his pupils seemed to be moving at lightning speed. Then, with a numbed heart, he read it a second time, this time much slower.
By the third time he reread each of your carefully handwritten words, warm tears of salt water were running over his cheeks. His face had grown considerably hotter, the salty liquid steaming misty tendrils against his skin. He was angry. So, so ridiculously angry. At himself, at this stupid rivalry between the tribes, at you for being so goddamn perfect. Of course you’d managed to squeeze in jaunts and jokes in a farewell note.
There was a part of him that wished he’d never come back to the Grey Forest and found the letter. Fat droplets of his tears trickled down his jaw and soaked through the parchment, marring the intricate ink characters. With a gentle sigh, Seonghwa brushed the dampness away and stiffly flicked his wrist.
The letter burst into glowing orange flames. And Seonghwa watched on, stifling down the urge to break down into a fit of chest-wracking sobs, until your goodbye was nothing but a measly pile of blackened ashes on his palm.
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peter parker headcanon: how peter would ask you out/have a crush on you -requested
Anon Request: 9 hours?? yikes that’s a pretty long time omg. If you need requests would you consider doing headcanons about peter crushing on the reader/how he would ask the reader out?
A/N: Yes it was a long ass drive thank god for naps!! OMG yeS I can!! (Um I’m sorry but best friends to lovers trope owns me so agaiN you’re always gonna be friends with peter in some form!! #sorrynotsorry) also this is disgustingly long sry i got totally carried away
This is 2.8K ish words who am i??
You and peter had always known each other, you lived in the same apartment building (lets pretend that peter’s parents also lived in the same building as Aunt May, for the sake of this headcanon pls and thank you)
So you and peter are like best friends like BESTIES
Growing up with peter was the most fun ever, sleepovers that lasted the whole weekend and day trips to central park where you guys would goof off all day long and play superheroes
And your mom would always send you with a lunch when going with peter and Aunt May. And Aunt May would make pb and j for peter while your mom would make you turkey and cheese, and peter would always complain that yours was better so you would always split your sandwiches
This became an everyday thing when you guys were in school, where you guys ALWAYS shared your lunches 50/50 no matter where peter was he would always come find you to share his lunch because he knew you loved the peanut butter pretzels that Aunt May always packed him
He didn’t even really like them all that much he mainly encouraged May to keep buying them because he knew they were your favorite
As you got older nothing really changed, you guys still made pillow forts and had sleepovers both of you guys sleeping in sleeping bags in the fort or on the fire escape if it was particularly nice out
You were the first one to find out about Spider-Man even before ned!! And you were always so worried about him bc how can you not be !!!!
“y/n I swear it’s fine I mostly just help people anyway, like the other day I helped this old lady with directions, she bought me a churro which was nice. SEE YOU DON’T HAVE TO WORRY”
“whatever parker,,, just know if you die ill kill you”
He always protected you when you guys took the subway because guys can be creeps and its his job as a best friend
holding your hand when you guys catch the subway or are in any crowded place he doesn’t want you to get lost or so he tells himself
Studying together because you both have a really important calculus test tomorrow that’s like 50% of your grade in the class and peters low key freaking out and you said you would help him in calc if he helped you in chem which you were far worse at than him
He was in pjs when you came over that morning and he still is bc hes lazy as heLL and he looks so cuddly all you want to do is hug him as a friend of course lmao
His hair is in messy curls and is all over the place as its falling into his face as he leans over his notes
yOU CANT HELP BUT BRUSH IT AWAY from hIS FACE AND HE LOOKS UP WITH THE MOST INNOCENT lOOK LIKE “huh?” bc he’s so focused on studying and hes caught off guard by your hands in hIS HAIR AND ON THE INSIDE HES DYING
you toss a grateful smile his way because you are so happy he’s in your life and you love and care about him so much as a friend what a lie
you end up both deciding to push the calculus aside and just hang out for the rest of the night because it’s like 7 pm and you’re both so tired
well actually peter begged you to quit
“y/n please!! I promise you can quiz me on the way to school tomorrow!!!” he used those big brown puppy DOG EYES ON YOU AND HE LOOKED SO CUTE AND TIRED HE MADE your HEART !!! which scared you a lil but whatever he’s just nerdy peter parker
Peter goes and begs Aunt May to let you sleep over but it’s a school night but he’s using those puppy eyes on her and no one is immune so she allows it
You both decide to watch a movie and you beg to watch 13 going on 30 and he allows it bc you use your begging eyes which you think never work but he’s like FUCKIn putty in yOUR HANDS
So he slides the movie in and you both squeeze onto the beanbag chair meant for one and peter’s childhood blanket is covering you guys and you’re both squished into each other and so logically peter puts his arm around your shoulder to allow you to be more comfortable and lean into him a little more
Peter hasn’t seen this movie in a while and he kinda forgot the whole premise of it
Then as he’s watching matt (mark rufflo’s character) fall in love with jenna and how much he cares for her and he’s looking at you and it kinda slaps him in the face and makes his heart skip a beat and the wind gets knocked out of him when he realizes that ,,, he’s in love with you?? He thinks he knows
And you look up at him when he starts coughing up a storm and you kind of slap his back in attempt to restore his breathing (is this a thing?? Maybe not ?????? who cares it is now) and shoot him a concerned glance as he goes to sit up
“dude are you ok? You sounded like you were dying..,,,”
“yeah yeah yeah yeah [the thing peter parker does you know that thing] im ok “
All he’s thinking about is the fact that the love of his life just called him dude and that she definitely doesn’t love him the way he loves her
They go back to their original position and you’re so engrossed in the film and all peter can do is look at you because you’re actually the most beautiful thing on this earth and he’s so lucky that he even gets to hang out with you! How did he even deserve to hang out with you all these years because you could’ve lived in any apartment buildings but no, you lived in his and here he was on a school night, cuddled up to the literal definition of an angel and you have no idea how beautiful you are
And I guess it kinda makes sense to him that he feels the way he does, I mean look at you how can he not! Your grace and patience and god you’re so smart and you’re such a dork it’s crazy adorable, the way you get excited about the little things in life or the way you care for others.
In peter’s mind it would be crazy if he didn’t love you because of course he’s always loved you he just didn’t really know the difference. He loved ned, of course not the way he loved you, and he also loved mj but not nearly close to the way he loves you. He loved all his friends but I guess it makes so much sense why the love for you always felt so much more intense. Of course he loved you as a friend but it was also a “I kinda want to kiss you for the rest of my life???” kind of love, which wasn’t friendly at all
But he kept his mouth shut because maybe you don’t feel the same ?? maybe you thought he was super creepy for feeling the way he did or maybe you liked someone else although you hadn’t mentioned anyone lately so ?? maybe not ! but he really didn’t want to lose you after nearly 10 years of friendship and sleepovers and shared sandwiches. He could keep his secret a secret if it meant he could keep you.
The movie comes to a close as peter is still daydreaming about you but looks down when he hears the credits roll and you don’t move.
You were dead asleep on his shoulder,, and you looked so peaceful and serene and adorable as soft lil snores left your lips which he most definitely wasn’t looking at not at all
He shut off the movie and then carefully vERY CAREFULLY slid his arms under you and picked you up bridal style with a chuckle
Here he was complaining he was tired from all the studying and you were the one that fell asleep during the movie so typicAL of you and completely adorable
Although yall had hella sleepovers you guys never slept in peters tiny twin bed together only on the floor or you slept on the bed and he knocked out on the couch because he was a kicker when he slept and you needed your personal space
But peter was too tired to go and get the sleeping bags and you looked too peaceful to wake so he just carried you towards his twin bed and set you down in his unmade bed as you made a move to cuddle into the covers and you’re just awake enough to sigh because the sheets smell just like him and you’re so sleepy and sweet peter just carried you to his bed and its got you feeling some type of way
He pulls the covers over you and turns away and makes his way to the living room before he does something stupid when you open your eyes and scoot over to the far side of the bed (who are we even kidding it’s a twin and there ain’t a far side) and you reach out to grab his hand gently just before he’s out of reach
He hears your soft sleepy voice whisper “pete?” and he’s sure he’s gonna die bc look at you!! His heart is skipping beats and he’s blushing and he doesn’t even know why but he’s sure everything is written on his face because he wears his heart on his sleeve
He turns around and makes his way back to the bed and you pull his hand so he’s half sitting on the bed next to you and looking at you with loved up eyes because its dark and maybe you won’t see??
“pete it’s late and we have to be up early tomorrow you need good sleep just climb in” when you call him pete he gets all !!!!
“a-a-are you sure y/n? [insert peter’s rambling voice] you know I kick in my sleep and it’s a twin and you need good sleep too and you won’t get that if i’m kicking you all night long!!!” he really doesn’t know if he could sleep that close to you because he’s not going to be able to sleep when you’re right there being all perfect and he’s creating scenarios in his head where you guys are a thing and happy and all domestic and crap
“shut up you goof, just come sleep next to me” he’s dying on the inside because he’s thinking maybe if she wants to sleep with me maybe she likes me ?? not sleep with me but you know
So he mad bluSHES and so do you because you just invited peter to sleep with you? Are you stupid?? friends don’t sleep in each others beds?? But you are pete are best friends so maybe it’s ok? Maybe you don’t want to be friends ? maybe you want to be more?
Peter is freakin out because you are kind of cuddling him? Your legs are intertwined ish and your head is close to his shoulder and he can feel your breathing on his neck and all he’s thinking about is he kinda wants to fall asleep like this every night and that if may found out she would most definitely not let you sleep over anymore
You slide your arm over his stomach and scoot closer to peter and it’s been like 2 hours and he still can’t sleep because all he can imagine is dating you and buying you your favorite flowers to surprise you and cuddling with you every night and taking you out to nice dinners and treating you like a queen because you are and you deserve everything under the moon and sun. he also imagines introducing you to tony and the gang and everyone loving you just as much as he does and you both just are so in love and he’s so happy and you’re so happy
Eventually he falls asleep although he’s not sure when because he spent the whole night thinking up your future because you’re all he’s ever known and he’s so in love and he’s such a sap
He wakes up to his alarm at 6:30 am and he feels you groan into his chest and your head in on his chest and you guys are all tangled up in his twin bed and he’s just about ready to spill his heart to you when you look at him from his chest with your sleepy eyes and mutter “can we just skip?” in your morning voice. He’s in so deep
You half freak out when you wake up basically on peter because you are so comfortable and he’s so warm and he’s holding you and you groan into his chest and you can feel his heartbeat quicken and all you can think is this is all you want but friends don’t want this ?? so you kinda know that you’re totally into peter parker in a “omg lets date” kind of way which you think isn’t that bad and you can’t believe it took you 10 years since he’s always been just peter but that’s the thing, you love that he’s just peter because he’s just your peter
He laughs his funny cute laugh and makes a move to get up, reminding you about your calc test and how if you don’t get up aunt may will kill him and you for skipping
You both blush as you try to untangle yourselves because you both are fEEling the feelings and it’s all so much because you’re all so flustered and embarrassed !!!
Pete is such a gentlemen he lets you take the bathroom first as he hands you a sweater of his to wear today he knows the drill and the rest of your clothes that you always keep at his house.
After you’re all done he comes in to brush his teeth and you’re there in his midtown jacket and you’re so cute and you look so tiny in it and he can’t help but stare a little as you brush your hair back and he reached by you to grab his toothpaste and he has his hand on your waist to move you out of the way and you feel your face getting red and he grabs the toothpaste and brushes his teeth in which he looks so cuTE uGh
Peter honestly doesn’t think he can waste any more time not kissing you, so he thinks that maybe he should just do it but then he thinks that no he shouldn’t because you probably don’t feel the same way
Anyways yall raced your asses to school and basically aced that test and you guys are living it up because its FRIDAY and peter spends the rest of the day imagining more scenarios which involve you guys being all cutesy and crap its honesty disgusting and so he waits for you outside your history class, your last class of the day and he sees you with a huge smile on your face and your coming up to him and he grabs your face without THINKING AND KISSES YOU NICE AND SOFT AND yOU aren’t sure what to dO !! and he kinda panics because he’s kissing you?? How the heck did this happen he thought you guys were a thing like in his mind and he’s so involved in these fake realities he’s created in his mind?? He honestly wasn’t thinking and now you hate him except now you’re kissing him back and his arm goes to wrap around your waist and lift you up a lil and you both smile and giggle and people are staring and ned from down the hall screams “GET A ROOM” and mj flipps yall off as you guys both turn red as he
“so I guess now is a good time to tell you that I think maybe do you want to go out with me?? Like on a date? Or something ? you don’t have to say yes just maybeimeanitwouldbereallynicebecauseidkiloveyouimsosorry”
“sure you goof”
“really!!!!!! Wow omg thank you yes uhh tonight? Ill pick you up at 6?? “
“sounds good peter! And one more thing”
“what ?”
“I love you too” and he’s blushing and Omg he just hugs you and kisses your cheek and goes to leave then he remembers that you guys always walk home together he’s so stupid you basically hang out til your date and then you go home and he picks you up and he’s got floWERS and acts like he hasn’t been hanging out with you for his whole life and he’s so nervous but its nice because you guys could talk for hours and you split your dinners with each other then he walks you to your door and kisses you and im ded
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