#pls save us both some trouble and Not do that

[sixosix]

SOMETHING HAPPENS | XIAO

summary verr goldet and huai'an playing matchmaker, basically

warnings wc 1.7k, this fic is xiao pretty much watching over reader in his very xiao way so if you’re not into stalking elements pls don’t read LMFAO + xiao having a crushhh

You’ve felt the looming presence of someone watching you ever since you’ve set foot in Liyue.

It wasn’t anything sudden—in fact, no ordinary human being would have noticed it. But you’ve been trained to deal with all sorts of animals, from wild Rishboland Tigers down to slippery Red-Tailed Lizards. You could sense the tiniest snap of twigs and freshly fallen leaves that could have only occurred from an interference.

And having dealt with animals for so long, you can safely conclude that whatever has been following you for the past ten days is definitely not an animal. If it were, it would’ve been some skilled predator that somehow disappears into thin air when you steal a glimpse. The only possible trace you could find is the barely discernible mark on the dirt.

It also helped your Vision gave you the blessing of being attuned to the wind and the shift of air from a heavy presence.

You thought you’d be dead by the fifth day of your stay—murdered by this newly-acquired stalker of yours, but nothing happened. You asked (politely, with a please) this person to reveal themselves and save you both the trouble, but nothing happened.

You even went as far as to throw yourself into the first hilichurl camp you saw to see if anything happened, yet while you were defending yourself against one, all of them fell to the ground limp once you turned back to them. You search for more camps nearby, but they’ve all been cleared—and all of them were freshly beaten as if your stalker made quick work once they figured out what you were up to.

“It’s hard to tell if you’re out to protect me instead of murdering me if you don’t show yourself,” you say to the empty field, hoping for at least one answer, but nothing happens.

You suppose all that matters is that it’s hard to feel lonely with the constant presence.

“You been hanging around Wangshu Inn lately?” asks the man you went up to. It is in case you weren’t alone in what seemed to be the beginning plot of a horror movie. At your reluctant nod, he snorts, “Well, aren’t you a lucky one? Or perhaps it’s the complete opposite if you’ve been up to no good and disrespected an Adeptus.”

You don't understand what this man’s point is. You’ve briefly heard of the term ‘Adepti’ floating around Liyue, but you’re not quite sure if it’s one person or something else entirely. Have you done something to offend any deities in Liyue? All you’ve really been up to is researching the wildlife and tracking down the stalker. 

“What does Wangshu Inn have to do with this?”

“Why don’t you ask and find out yourself?”

You frown. “It would save me hours if you just tell me now.”

“I already told you what I know, kid,” says the man to you, a full-grown adult. “But I suppose I can let you in on one secret: you’ve piqued the interest of someone.”

This man is crazy.

You sigh. You’ve only been hanging around Wangshu Inn for shelter, but the sun is setting a little too fast, and the warm lights and delicious aroma of their food are starting to speak to you—you suppose there is no other way.

Making your way up to an inn has never been more interesting.

While walking, you belatedly realize that you feel the presence of the stranger again. It’s stronger than before, says the winds, and they never lie with what they touch as they fly by.

You also take it upon yourself to ask the merchants and customers alike, calling yourself new and curious as to what they know about the Adeptus lingering around Wangshu Inn.

“An Adeptus? All I know is that this inn is hiding a mysterious secret, but none of us have really gotten to a point where we found more about it.”

A secret.

You’d really prefer if the man you met before weren’t lying, as you would want your stalker to at least be some sort of god than an ordinary human being who has been watching you for no other reason.

You mull this information in your head as you climb up the inn. And then your limbs lock in place once you hear a voice. It speaks to you, for some unknown reason—as if the winds have quieted down to make you listen. You’re not sure if it’s the rasp or the absolute command his voice demands that gets to you, but—

“The next person to come here will ask about me. You will say you know nothing about my whereabouts.”

Then, a new, feminine voice speaks up. It breaks the brief trance you’ve been under. “…Is this the same person you’ve been watching over for the past two weeks, Adeptus Xiao?”

Adeptus Xiao. Watching over…?

Yet when you pick up pace and hurry to the counter, it’s just a woman alone, wide-eyed as she looks at you as if you were the one acting stranger.

“Sorry,” you blurt. “I’m, ah… I thought…”

Were you really just imagining that? No. That’s impossible.

The lady smiles. “I’ve seen you around the Inn recently. My name is Verr Goldet, the boss here at Wangshu Inn.”

“Oh, yes, nice to meet you.” Embarrassed, you choose to stare at the cat resting on the edge of her desk. You wonder if that cat can sense your distress; it’s blinking up at you innocently, surely the eyes of someone who has witnessed what you’ve missed. “My name’s Y/N, and I wanted to book a room…”

Verr Goldet brightens, but you suppose anyone receiving a customer would be, too. “I see. Have you considered the room on our highest floor?”

“Not…really?”

She hums, then smiles like she's letting you in on a little secret. “You should. If not, then at least consider climbing up the stairs and see the view for yourself. Most of my customers book rooms solely for that reason.”

That does sound appealing, and you have time to spare. “I will; thank you for the suggestion.”

Pleased, Verr Goldet turns to her desk to assumably book you a room. In the silence, you find your voice, “Hey, boss.”

You look up, and Verr Goldet’s eyes are sparkling. “Hm, yes? Oh, your expression looks terrified.” She laughs, sliding a key across the desk and urging you to take it. “I’m just used to correcting people who call me ‘boss lady’. What was your question?”

“Well, I’m pretty new, and—I’ve heard something interesting about this place.”

“There are a lot of rumors about this place. You’d have to be more specific.”

She might either kick you out from where you’re standing or understand what you’re about to say. “Well, ever since I arrived here at Wangshu Inn I always felt like I was being watched over… and then a man I met outside from here told me that there’s an Adeptus nearby?”

“I see. So you’ve met my husband,” she smiles knowingly. “You’re not from Liyue, aren’t you?” You shake your head. “Usually, no one knows about this, but my husband must’ve caught it, too. You’re looking for Adeptus Xiao, and I have noticed that he’s been lingering a lot more recently. More so than usual—I’ve concluded it’s ever since you arrived.”

“Should I be scared?” Because you’re not. Your heart is pounding. It’s a little messed up, but the thought of someone so highly esteemed having noticed you sends a thrill down your spine.

“Of course not. Xiao is the slayer of demons—he keeps Liyue and, most notably, this Inn safe from harm. Of course, I can’t blame your curiosity: no one else has seen Xiao with their own eyes.”

“Am I correct in assuming my stalker could be this Adeptus?”

Verr Goldet laughs. “Why don’t you head up and find out?”

Breathtaking is the first thought that crosses your mind as you finally reach the terrace. You can’t hold back your elated gasp seeing the place from this height—the lanterns, the people, the scenery.

And then you say, “Adeptus Xiao, are you here? Verr Goldet told me you’d be.” She didn’t say it directly, but the implications were there.

The wind shifts as a presence materializes behind you. It’s an all-too-familiar feeling. Goosebumps arise in your arms, and it’s not from the breeze. You turn, and come face-to-face with the most beautiful man you’ve ever met.

Xiao clicks his tongue, his pale skin tinted red. “I did not ask for them to resort to matchmaking.”

“You heard that? So you’re not denying that you’re the one who’s been stalking me ever so creepily?”

“Do not disrespect the Adepti with your accusations,” Xiao quickly retorts, like it’s second nature.

But you now know that one of the Adepti has a little crush on you, so you hardly care less about that at this point. “I’d say that invading my privacy is more disrespectful.”

Xiao’s silence embodies a scolded puppy.

You grin, stepping closer. It widens as Xiao stares at you warily, yet doesn’t disappear. The moonlight brings out the color on his face. He’s beautiful and acting unbelievably adorable. “It’s nice to meet you, Adeptus Xiao. Thank you for protecting me during my stay in Liyue.”

It must’ve been the sincerity in your voice that has him clearing his throat, scrambling for some sense of control again. “It’s—It’s my duty.”

“To watch over one person in particular?”

Xiao glares weakly, caught red-handed. “Do not get so presumptuous.” He says, yet he hasn’t disappeared into thin air while talking to you, unlike what Verr Goldet says usually happens. That alone says a lot.

“It’s hard not to when you look at me like that.”

Xiao visibly startles, losing his calm composure by blinking. “How do I look at y—“

“I think I’ll be staying in Wangshu Inn for a little while longer,” you voice aloud, the grin on your lips never once faltering. “I’ll be in your care, Xiao.”

Xiao cannot, in fact, handle this, as his entire face goes up in flames, and he disappears into wisps of teal and black. You’re not too worried. You can still feel his presence, the way you’re already getting used to.

A/N OH MY GOD. A XIAO FIC. FINALLY. FROM SIXOSIX. SELF-PROCLAIMED XIAO MAIN... im shaking as i post this like im so nervous. and i hate this. but out of all the xiao fics i tried to write this one has been the one i actually completed without throwing out halfway through

[fettuccin-e]

Better Than Nine to Five

hi guys i wrote this quite a while ago!! i had trouble with the beginning but, like with most things i write, the words started coming as soon as the characters started coming (get it?? get it cause like cum) but ANYWAY pls enjoy the poly!steddie content!!

Tags: Steve Harrington x Reader x Eddie Munson, established poly, dp in one hole, brief use of sex toys, afab!fem!reader, unprotected piv

Steve can barely ever get off work these days. He hasn’t been as fortunate in the job market as you or Eddie; the both of you have pretty strict 9 to 5 jobs, able to sit and relax after a day at work, knowing what your schedule will be the next week, and the week after that. Steve’s schedule, at best, is random and wildly inconvenient, working late shifts almost every night and waking up the next day with you and Eddie already gone to work, alone in your shared bed.

He hates it, you and Eddie know he does, but he puts up with it, wanting to help all of you save up for a house, a pretty one that’s the exact opposite of the run-down, shitty apartment that you all live in.

You and Eddie also know, however, that Steve needs a chance to fucking relax for once. And if there’s anything you both know how to do, it’s how to make your sweet, loving Stevie let out some steam.

It’s Eddie who calls Keith and tells him to let Steve out early for the day. “He needs tomorrow off too,” Eddie says, twisting his finger around the phone cord.

“No fucking way, Munson. I’m already doing a favor for him by letting him out today, but he’s coming in tomorrow, whether he likes it or not.”

Eddie opens his mouth to respond, eyes narrowed and angry, but you rip the phone from hics grasp.

“Look Keith, either you let Steve off tomorrow, or I'm going to the cops to tell them about the stash of weed you’ve got in your office. That we an smell it all throughout the damn store. And wouldn’t that just be a crying shame?” you snarl into the receiver.

“It was your freak boyfriend who sold me that shit in the first place!”

You nearly laugh at the high-pitched indignance in his voice. “Are you really gonna tell them that, Keith? Maybe I’ll also throw in the fact that they should probably look into your tax records, right? I bet there are some glaring inconsistencies, aren’t there?”

“You fucking bitc-” You hear Keith stop himself, sighing angrily. You hear a loud crash in the background just before he says, “I’ll let him off tomorrow, but you stay the fuck out of my business, you got that? I’ll-”

“Not a chance, maybe try being less of a shit person. Bye Keith!” You don’t give him a chance to respond, slamming the phone down.

Eddie watches you with wide eyes, before smirking, pupils blown and dark as he grabs your waist to pull you in for a hot, messy kiss. “You’re so fucking hot when you’re mad like that, baby.”

You giggle, reaching a hand up to play with his messy curls. “Gotta stand up for my boys, don’t I baby?” You step away from him, grabbing his hand to drag him to your bedroom. “C’mon, Eds, you gotta get me ready for Stevie, right?”

Eddie nearly faceplants into the carpet in his race to get to the bed.

It’s only an hour later that Steve unlocks the door to the apartment, stripping his vest off. Keith had stumbled out of his office earlier that day, mumbling something about, “go home early, Harrington, shit. Just wait till like, six or something, and you can go.” Steve had been confused, but decided not to question it, his heart galloping at the thought of spending the evening with the both of you for the first time in far too long.

Except the apartment seems almost empty when he walks in, all of the lights off and the living room and kitchen empty, devoid of both yours and Eddie’s presence. His heart drops, only for a second, thinking that he’s alone in the apartment, before he hears a loud, keening whine come from the bedroom.

Your unmistakable whine, followed by Eddie’s familiar whispered praises of “shh… baby I know, I know. It’s a lot, but I think he’s home, did you hear the door open baby? He’s gonna think you’re so pretty baby, so good, planning all this out for him.”

You answer Eddie with a choked sob, and Steve’s pants suddenly are far too tight, cock bulging almost immediately. He goes to open the door, and the sight that greets him almost makes him pass out on the spot.

You, with your hips hiked up in Eddie’s grasp, your flushed face pushed into the mattress as Eddie works his cock into you, his pretty hips slapping against your plush ass. Eddie’s head snaps over to the bedroom door, mouth pulled into a self-satisfied smirk while he keeps fucking you.

“Look, baby,” Eddie grunts, lifting his hand to give your ass a loud smack. You jerk, head turning to see what Eddie wants, and smile blearily at the sight of Steve.

“S-Stevie, you’re, ah, home,” you slur, struggling to get the words out between Eddie’s strong thrusts into your needy pussy.

Eddie watches as Steve’s eyes darken, his big hand moving down to palm at the bulge of his cock through his pants. “She’s been waiting for you, Harrington,” Eddie says, sounding almost like he isn’t fucking you stupid. “She had this all planned out, wanted to surprise you.”

“Well, uh, consider-” Steve coughs, eyes trained on Eddie disappearing into your pretty cunt over and over. “Consider me surprised baby.”

Eddie chuckles, and Steve’s eyes snap from where you both are connected. “Steve, this isn’t even the best part.”

“What?”

“C’mere,” Eddie mumbles, and you whine as he stops his thrusts. Eddie beckons Steve over with a playful finger, and Steve moves next to him, kneeling on the bed to see what Eddie thinks is so important.

Steve nearly chokes on his spit. Because there, in your dripping cunt, is a pretty blue dildo, shoved inside you right alongside Eddie’s cock.

“She wanted to take both of us today,” Eddie whispers into his ear, and Steve can hear Eddie’s smug smile. “Been working her open for the past hour, waiting for you to get home.”

Oh fuck. “Oh fuck,” Steve says, echoing his own thoughts. He smooths a hand over the soft skin of your ass, and you whimper softly.

“You like it?” you ask, almost tentatively, and Steve almost laughs at the absurdity of the question.

“Like it?” Steve says softly. His hand moves from your ass to push lightly on the base of the dildo, making you gasp sharply. “Baby, I love it. God, you’re so fucking hot.”

“You gonna take your clothes off, Harrington?” Eddie murmurs. “She’s been waiting so long for us, it seems cruel to make her wait any longer.” 

Steve follows Eddie’s vaguely concealed demand at an almost frantic speed, ripping off his shirt so fast it gets stuck on his arm for a second. He ignores Eddie’s tiny laugh. He stands off the bed to untie his shoes and shuck his pants off, his hard cock slapping harshly against his stomach. 

“C’mon baby,” Eddie whispers to you, “gotta let Stevie lay down, right? So you can sit on his pretty cock, yeah?” Eddie's mouth waters just a little at the sight of his boyfriend, hard cock glistening and hairy chest heaving. He looks fucking illegal, Eddie thinks. You nod your assent, but still whine as Eddie shuffles back, his cock slipping out of you along with the dildo, leaving you painfully empty for the first time in an hour. 

Steve follows Eddie’s instruction, laying down on the bed, while you kneel up, swinging a leg over his hips to straddle him. You lean forward to brush your lips against his, smiling softly.

“Hi, Stevie,” you whisper, and he smiles back at you, curling his fingers into your hair. 

“Hi, baby,” he whispers back, before crushing his mouth to yours. He feels Eddie grab his cock, notching it up against the entrance of your pussy, and suddenly you’re sinking down, down, sucking him into your sticky walls, making all three of you moan in unison. You and Steve breathe heavily into each other’s mouths as your ass finally meets Steve’s heavy balls, buried all the way inside.

“God, fucking shit, you both are so fucking hot, Jesus,” Eddie grunts from behind you, and you both can hear the unmistakable sound of Eddie’s hand slipping up and down his cock, still sticky with your juices.

You turn, smiling softly at Eddie’s blushing face, his lips parted as he looks at you both. “Eddie,” you whisper, “You can’t cum yet. Y’gotta fuck me too, right baby?”

Eddie curses again, before kneeling behind you, just like he had been a few minutes before. ”You are a fucking minx, you know that?” He mumbles, and you would giggle if it weren’t for the blunt tip of Eddie’s cock nudging against your opening, right beside Steve.

“Ah- Oh God-d” you whine as Eddie’s fat cockhead pops into your stretched out pussy. You thought you would be prepared for it, with the dildo, but you don’t think anything could’ve prepared you for this. Eddie’s sticky cock nudging along Steve’s as he sinks deep into you, Steve’s warm hairy body beneath you, his big hands on your waist while Eddie radiates heat above you.

Steve’s not doing much better, his eyes rolling into the back of his head at the feeling of Eddie’s gorgeous cock squished against his, the hot walls of your pussy strangling the both of them. Eddie’s hands are clutched into the bedsheets beside your sweaty bodies, and Steve takes his hands off your waist for just a second to grab Eddie’s hands, entwining their fingers together to hold onto your waist at the same time. You all take a minute to just breathe, allowing your pussy to adjust to the stretch of both of them.

They’re both whispering breathless praises into your ears, trying to get through to your cloudy brain. “So, so good for us, baby, taking us so good,” and “Can’t believe we’ve got you baby, you’re so pretty, so, so good for us. Y’feel so good, princess, fuck.” You can’t even discern whose voice is whose anymore, lost in a sea of pleasure and nearly-painful fullness, their cocks reaching so deep inside, pressing into every crevice of your sensitive pussy.

And then they start to move.

You try to gasp air into your empty lungs through your screams and cries of pure fucking pleasure, the both of them thrusting in tandem to bully your pretty pussy open for them again and again. Eddie’s face is nuzzled into the crook of your neck, pressing comforting kisses into your skin between whispers of “doing so good, princess,” and “y’feel how wide you’re stretched baby? Fuck, you’re so sexy, sweetheart, how’d we manage to land you?”

Steve’s groaning praises of his own, primal grunts of “so fucking sexy,” and “our pretty, gorgeous baby. God, can’t believe I’ve got you both,” before licking into your mouth in messy kisses.

You knew, even while planning this, that none of you were going to last long, and you’re a strange mixture of pleased and slightly disappointed to learn that you’re right. The knot in your stomach is tight, tightening and tightening as they rock into you, the overwhelming stretch of both of them keeping them pressing into your g-spot. You’re choking on your own spit as moans try to escape your throat. 

It’s going to be over far too soon, but knowing that you can take them both, that you three could do this again, makes your pussy clench, your clit throbbing. 

After only a few minutes of Steve’s and Eddie’s strong thrusts into your dripping cunt, grinding overwhelmingly against the spot that makes you sob, you reach your hands into both Steve’s and Eddie’s hair, your hips jerking uncontrollably.

“I’m gonna, oh God, I-I can’t, I’m gonna,” you gasp painfully, tears leaking down your flushed face, not even able to get the words out, before your pussy is clenching hard around both Steve and Eddie. You’re shaking like a leaf, overwhelmed and wrung dry as Steve and Eddie rub their joined hands up and down your waist.

“Shit, baby, you’re so fucking t-tight,” Eddie whimpers, composure fully lost. “Steve, I gotta-I gotta, gotta cum.”

Steve nods frantically, unable to form words, before he’s releasing one of Eddie’s hands to instead cup around his boyfriend’s head, dragging him down to meet his lips, licking into his mouth over your shoulder. Their hips stutter as they finally, finally cum, flooding  your dripping pussy with a mixture of both of them.

You all breathe heavily for a moment, the room feeling hazy. Like heaven, Steve thinks, this is like heaven. You know you can’t move, feeling drunk and ripped apart, but your boys know it too. They slip gently out of your used pussy, Steve moving you to his side to cuddle you into him gently. Eddie steps out for just a moment, coming back in with a warm, damp cloth.

“Baby, Eds is going to clean you up real quick, okay?” Steve whispers, and you whimper softly, nodding your head, your eyes still closed. Eddie takes the permission to wipe the sweat off your body, and clean up a little of the mess between your legs.

“Good girl, sweetheart,” Eddie whispers when he’s done, pecking you softly on your sleepy lips, before turning to give Steve a quick kiss. He throws the cloth in the hamper, knowing you would hate to make up to it laying on the floor, before laying on the other side of you, pressing himself comfortingly against your naked body. Steve reaches down to tug to the sheets over each of you, and grabs Eddie’s hand to hold, their palms resting atop your warm body.

“Shit, I’m gonna have t’call off work tomorrow,” Steve mutters into your hair.

“Don’ worry bout it,” you slur, sleep already whisking you away. “I took care of it.”

“She did,” Eddie smiles. “I’ll have to tell you about it tomorrow, she was fucking hot.”

“She always is,” Steve smiles, chest hurting with happiness and sheer, unadulterated love. “Our perfect girl.”

[lucysstoryworld]

The Veil Whisperer | Azriel x Reader (1)

Summary: The aftermath of Bryce Quinlan's arrival has stirred up some trouble for the Night Court. After weeks of trying to resolve the issues on their own, the inner circle of the Night Court are left having to consult a dangerous female to complete the job much to Azriel's dismay.

Themes: Love/hate relationship, enemies to lovers kinda.

Warnings: CC3 SPOILERS, NSFW from the get-go, canon-typical violence, angst.

No use of (y/n). I might have gotten some info wrong about acotar and can't double check bc I gave my friend my books so pls be aware of that. I would also massively appreciate any criticism! I'm trying something new and would definitely appreciate any pointers of any kind!

Words: 3620 | Part Two Here

Azriel stood before his High Lord and Lady, frustrated and exhausted. Irritation was rippling off him in waves, his shadows swirling as though there were snakes poised to strike. Azriel was poised as though he was going to strike. The fresh spring wind had melded into the sweltering summer breeze since he had last been in Velaris. Gods he wished he could sit on one of the many balconies of the River House, with a whiskey and book in his arsenal. The feeling of the sun on his wings, the sweet scent of Elain’s garden being pushed around by the wind and the faint sound of Nyx cooing close by felt like a dreamscape away.

“So there’s nothing,” Rhys stated, more than asked.

Azriel felt his muscles tighten and his fists close. More than anything, he felt the tiredness weighing on his eyes as he furrowed his brows. The actions were so slight that, to the normal eye, they would go unnoticed. But to Rhys and Feyre, the actions were as obvious as the sky being blue. “Not even a trace,” He started, reigning in his annoyance. “My spies have tried, their connections have tried, I’ve tried and I can’t even pick up a hint of a track.”

Azriel wished he could go back in time and make Bryce undo whatever it is she did to the Prison during her impromptu visit. Azriel had spent the last number of weeks cleaning up after her. Or attempting to at least. Azriel watched as Rhys assessed the weight of his words, observed as he and Feyre spoke mind-to-mind.

Feyre lifted her chin. “So what we are faced with is that this is not something we can resolve…” she looked hesitantly toward Azriel, trying to lay the words delicately. Feyre very rarely saw Azriel so wound up. There had been glimpses in the war, like when Elain had been lured away by the cauldron. But this was a different ball game. Bryce had stirred up Prythian in her desperate attempt to save her world. Feyre could not fault the girl for that, no matter the swagger Bryce flaunted. But, they had been cleaning up, Azriel had been cleaning up the chaos she left behind. “Not on our own at least,” She finally finished.

Azriel struggled to move past the feelings of failure with his High Lady’s words. Though his bones were aching, his wings seemed heavier and heavier with each tick of the clock and his shadows now swirling lazily as if they were the embodiment of his exasperation, Azriel couldn’t help like feeling he could have done more. Like he could dig that little bit deeper to give his brother and Feyre some semblance of information. Anything, if it meant they wouldn’t have had that slightly disappointed look on their faces.

Azriel did not acknowledge Feyre’s words, instead picking a spot on the wall behind both of them. A pawn, ready to be ordered to their next position. Rhys could see his brother recessing. He remembered the time he saw Azriel again after the first wars, that same demeanour being mirrored right before his eyes. “We will discuss what to do later. You’ve been gone awhile, brother. Rest for a bit,” Rhys declared, and rested a hand on Azriel’s shoulder. A sliver of guilt snaked up Rhys’s spine when Azriel seemed to deflate slightly, as though he was prepared to go back into the field if he was ordered to. Azriel finally met the High Lord’s eyes, a silent thank you and apology all twisted into the gentle nod. We are grateful, Az,he whispered into his mind.

With that, Azriel left Feyre’s study. Walking the halls, Azriel debated saying hello to the members of his family that were in the River House. One would think that he would have been excited to see them. Typically, he would have. Though, this mission was particularly gruelling and with no result, the thought of disappointing anyone else on that day was the very last thing he wished to do. So, Azriel stopped in his tracks and winnowed to the House of Wind. Usually, he flew home so he could enjoy the sight of his home after a long mission like this but, it was an effort to keep his wings from dragging on the floor.

***

Steam billowed in the grand bathroom, so thick it was hard to determine where the steam began and Azriel's shadows ended. The aforementioned Illyrian warrior breathed a silent thanks to Nesta and her power for granting the House a consciousness. The bath was already drawn with various oils diffusing into the air by the time he left his knives down in his room. Slowly, Az began to peel his leathers from his aching body. Bit by bit, the articles fell away revealing the constellation of scars mixed with tattoos. Azriel stood bare before the mirror, studying the reflection before him. His eyes skimmed and paused a different points, though they were sure to keep clear of his hands. Scuffs of mud clung to Azriel's legs from the trenches he had to almost wade through, along with a few almost-healed scratches he acquired that morning. A few past battle wounds decorated his torso, the newest being from the arrow that had pierced his chest the day Nesta and Elain were Made. Averting his eyes, Azriel focused on his face instead. As if just taking his eyes away could take away from his failures of that day. Failing his High Lady and failing each of her two sisters was something that would take a few more years to be at peace with.

Azriel admittedly looked like shit. His hair was much longer than when he left, and he had done a few rough chops in the time that passed. Darkness underscored his eyes, and his skin looked like it had aged a few decades, if that was even possible. Azriel lowered himself into the almost blistering bath. A sigh loosed from deep within his chest, relief prickling across his skin like wildfire. Stretching his wings out in the water, his muscles relaxed from the weeks of pent of frustration. Azriel scrubbed gently, almost massaging his worn out body. The lavender and honey soap clung to the dips and bumps of his body. Gladness was all Azriel could feel. Finally, he felt like he was home. No disappointment or worry, just the pleasantness and serenity that Velaris promised. Azriel supposed the only thing that could possibly complete this scene would be a loving mate, massaging his scalp with her soft luscious legs wrapped around him from behind. Maybe she would kiss his neck, or whisper how much she loved him in his ear. The thought sent a rush of blood between his legs, arousal beginning to cloud Azriel's mind. Azriel gripped himself and began to pump slowly, thinking of how her body would push against his back. His head rolled back as he imagined her soft tits against his wings, her nipples grazing against the sensitive area close to the base. Suddenly, his hands were hers. Her fingers would be wrapped around his cock, stroking away his tough day as she kissed and nipped at his neck. Closer and closer, she would take him to the edge of ecstasy, running her thumb over the head of his cock. Shivers rippled through Azriel's body as he neared completion, his toes were curling as he felt his head became light. His mate would begin to lick at the spot on his neck that drove him wild, and her other hand would reach to lightly caress his wings. The thought of the sensation sent Azriel careening through his orgasm, spilling into the water around him.

With laboured breaths, Azriel got out of the bath. While he needed release, it seemed to highlight just how lonely he was feeling. How he wished the cauldron had blessed him with Elain that day, instead of matching her to Lucien. But alas, like always, he was not worthy of such a fate. Drying off, Azriel heard a slip of paper land on the vanity nearby. A letter from Rhys. Padding over to it, it read that there was a family dinner that evening to celebrate his return and have a discussion with everyone over what to do. Confirming his attendance, because with his dear brother it was always a choice, Azriel let the paper vanish into thin air. Until then, he was going to crawl into the mass of satin sheets and plush cushions that were seemingly screaming his name.

***

Rhysand or Feyre must have brought everyone else up to speed on Azriel's mission before he arrived because no one had asked about it and they were already three courses into dinner. He momentarily caught Feyre's eye, questioning her with a single glance. His High Lady merely winked and smiled, then returned her attention to the cooing babe in her arms. Trust Feyre to take care of their family in ways they didn't know they needed. Azriel allowed himself to sink in to the idle chatter, striking up a conversation with Nesta and Cassian, who looked as though they were about to have a domestic.

"I'm sure you'll be able to hold your own against me in a couple decades, Nes," Cassian teased and looked to Az for backup.

Nesta caught the bothers' exchange and directed her cutting glare to Azriel. "Well?" She calmly demanded, though like always, there was a cool fury ready to strike.

The Shadowsinger raised his arms, "Maybe when you can reanimate a skeleton and kill a Middengard Wrym with it, then perhaps you'd be able to hold your own against her," Azriel quipped, earning a satisfied humph from Nesta. Cassian chuckled, squeezing his mate's shoulder.

Mor, in true Morrigan fashion, used the allusion to recent events to bring up the topic that had been looming in the air since Azriel arrived. "So... how do you think we should tackle the escaped prisoner issue?" She asked everyone. Everyone halted their conversation, waiting to see what the others came up with. Azriel dipped his head slightly, embarrassed at his lack of answers.

Rhys sighed deeply, his brows knitting together. He kept his eyes trained on his hand, which was currently being toyed with by Nyx. He studied it for a moment, wishing he could be as innocent and oblivious as his son. "I was thinking that there might be one person left who would have the knowledge to track them," Rhys started. He was unsure, not enjoying the idea of what he was about to suggest.

Azriel seemed to catch on and he couldn't help the scoff and eyeroll. Elain looked between the two brothers, "What?" She asked, wariness prickling down her arms. Elain had never seen Az so tired and irritable than this evening. It had to be bad, for Azriel to act so animated compared to his usual demeanour.

"Nothing," Azriel nearly spat, "It's nothing because we are not going to see her."

A collective realisation occurred across the original members of the inner circle, and more confusion within the Archeron sisters. Everyone's reaction was different. Mor frowned, Amren remained unsurprisingly indifferent and Cassian puffed a breath out of his cheeks. "Amren, will you explain please?" Feyre asked, clearly not in the mood for dramatics.

"The 'her' they are referring to is a female gifted with a magic long since purged from this world," Amren explained. "She is known in this land as the Veil Whisperer. The Veil Whisperer has been known to exchange services in return for hefty bargains, some of which has left those who have availed worse off than before they struck the deal."

"This sounds like it is ill-advised," Elain replied, rubbing her hands over her arms.

"It is ill-advised," Azriel affirmed, sticking Rhys with a hard glare.

Squaring his shoulders, Rhys did not yield. "Does anyone have a better solution?" He asked everyone, though his eyes remained on Azriel's.

"I hate to say it, Az, but Rhys could be right. We are in under our heads here," Mor added. "I don't like it either, but what other options do we have?"

"Why don't we ask our friends in other courts? Maybe Helion could offer us something we don't have?" Nesta questioned.

"We didn't tell any of the other courts about Bryce's arrival or what she did when she was here. We would have to explain that in order to explain why we are in this predicament." Cassian's words breathed a sense of awareness across the table. Of course they couldn't ask for help. Not without creating tension and distrust with their friends and fraying what little lines they had with other courts.

"So we are on our own in this," Elain began tentatively. "If we do attempt to solicit this Veil Whisperer, who's to say she will accept the job?" Azriel felt gratitude towards the middle sister for the support.

"Rhysand has only had dealings with the Veil Whisperer on a very limited amount of issues. Each time, her price is different than what she is typically known for," Amren's voice was unforgiving.

"I have only heeded her services a handful of times, for very specific reasons," Rhys told the sisters, Nyx's eyes began to lull as he nestled into his mother's chest. "I asked her to hide my mother's ring in a place that would be hard to get it out of."

Feyre's lips straightened into a line, and she met Rhysand's eyes, and damn... if looks could kill, the High Lord would be dead five times over. "I thought you put the ring into the Weaver's cottage yourself," Feyre stated, a slight hiss in her tone as her jaw clenched.

Cassian had to conceal his grin as Rhys looked at Feyre apologetically. "Not exactly," his brother began, and a barely muffled snort erupted from the general. "You remember that my mother wanted it to be a challenge. The only person I thought could be creative enough to hide it would be her... and I was right," Rhys explained and shot his brother a glare, returned only by a smug Cheshire smile.

"So you let this Veil Whisperer do your dirty work then." Trust Nesta to not pass up the opportunity to gain the upper hand.

Cassian outright cackled at his mate's criticism, "Nes has got you there, brother!"

"No, Nesta," Rhys challenged. Things had not been completely amicable between Rhys and Nesta since she gave away the Mask to Bryce. "I do not let her do my dirty work. Let's not join in on discussions you couldn't possibly have any understanding on."

"Rhys," Feyre warned.

The warning went unheard, as Nesta tipped her chin -- a tell-tale sign that she was about to enter battle. "No, what understanding could I possibly have. Surely no one else in this room has superior knowledge to their High Lord," She spat. Tension began to thicken in the room, like a fine soup. "Well, unless that 'understanding' matches your own. Gods forbid anyone truly disagree with you... Rhys." Nesta's eyes narrowed and when she saw her words had hit their mark, a smirk tugged at her lips.

"Well, now that we're totally off topic," Mor drawled. "Anyone fancy another drink?"

"She's right," Feyre sighed. Rhysand broke his staring competition with Nesta, anger coiling in his gut. "We need to make a decision on if we are going to approach her or not."

"What price does she typically demand?" Elain questioned.

"For my mother's ring, she demanded a specific tea." Rhys looked at everyone but skipped over Nesta. "I thought she took mercy on me. But no, this tea comes from a particular plant that grows in the Bog of Oorid, and happens to be protected by the Kelpies." Everyone looked reasonably put-off, Nesta particularly whose mate pulled her hand into his own. "Not to mention that it is poisonous in its plant form so I had trek back to the Whisperer's dwelling feeling like death warmed up."

Elain frowned, her mind trickling through her knowledge to determine which plant could have possibly debilitated the High Lord of Night. "She didn't tell you that it would do that?" Elain already knew her answer.

"No," Azriel finally spoke. "The Veil Whisperer is a master of manipulation. Everything that leaves her mouth has an ulterior meaning. Lies hidden within lies. You won't know the truth unless she wants you to. Not telling Rhys about the tea was her way of showing that she can down him in ways he would never even think of, without even a touch of her magic. She is a snake and jumping into this with her is stupid," He finished with a grunt.

"Have you ever seen her magic?" Nesta asked the table.

To the sisters' surprise, everyone shook their head. Nesta raised a brow at Amren, thinking out of anyone she would have seen it. "I do not enter into bargains with the likes of her," Amren stated as though it was obvious. "And I have never been in her presence. She does not participate in war, under any circumstances. Though I have heard that she works with other... deities. A rumour, but a dangerous one to float in these lands." Everyone remained silent at that little bit of information, not entirely sure on how to digest it, let alone comment on it.

"All this being said... I don't see any other viable option," Mor declared. The lack of argument was agreement enough.

"So how should we go about this?" Feyre asked. She hated instances like these. As High Lady, she should be able to provide solutions for her friends and family but her overall lack of old age inhibited her in these niche situations.

"The Veil Whisperer lives in the Middle. Azriel and I will go there tomorrow and ask her if she wants the job."

Before Azriel could even protest his involvement, Amren cut in, "She will want this job. She will gain information that she can work to her advantage, and that says nothing of her asking price. Tread carefully, boy." The warning was not taken lightly. Rhys dipped his chin, though his mind seemed a million miles away.

Feeling his social battery wearing quicker than usual, Azriel declined any offer of further drinking and decided to return to the House of Wind. Though he gave the excuse of being tired, which he was, he caught the look in Elain's eyes. The look that screamed that she could see right through the excuse. Whether it was her seer abilities or that she had come to pick up on Azriel's subtle giveaways, he was unsure. Feeling the need to fly off some of his stress, Azriel made for one of the balconies. Though the aforementioned middle Archeron sister followed him to the terrace. "You don't have to go. You can stay and talk, if you wish." The kindness and observation rattled Azriel's chest. He had never experienced a female be so attentive and caring toward him before. Not one he also cared for anyways.

His shadows began reaching for Elain, slithering and weaving affectionately. "Thank you, Elain. I'm okay for now, I will sleep it off. But I appreciate the offer." Well, it meant something to him but that didn't mean her gesture was enough for him to emotionally offload onto her.

Frowning ever so slightly, Elain's shoes clicked on the polished marble as she shortened the gap between herself and the Shadowsinger. Gingerly, she reached for his gloved hand and squeezed gently. "I hope you know that I truly mean that. There is nothing so severe that it should be shouldered by you alone."

Azriel brushed her cheek with his free hand, unable to stop the smile that tugged on his lips. "And I truly appreciate that, thank you Elain. Your kindness is beautiful, I truly hope it never pales." He said by way of a goodbye and backed away from her blushing face, stretching his wings. He could tell she wanted to stop him but he launched himself from the balcony before she had the courage to respond. Azriel felt like an ass, pushing her away when she was trying. He often found himself slipping under Elain's spell of sweetness and beauty, yet something in the back of his mind always reeled him back to reality. He desperately wished it wouldn't, he ached for the companionship both his brothers had. Though it seemed the Mother had different plans for Azriel... if she has any at all Azriel often thought to himself.

Azriel pushed all thoughts from his head and soared higher and higher, testing his limits as the air thinned around him and became harder to fly through. Up and up, closer and closer. Then, his wings stilled and curled around him. The descent was vicious, the earth was pulling Azriel down with a fury. The air whipped past the Shadowsinger, and finally, his mind felt empty. In that moment, Azriel was nothing more than a drop of rain from a cloud, falling from grace. Opening his eyes, the lights that dusted Velaris like golden glitter inched nearer. And just as they went from specks of stardust on the ground to discernible buildings and faelights dotted along the river, Azriel finally opened his wings and levelled off. Adrenaline coursed through his blood and finally shook the cobwebs that felt adhered to his bones. Azriel soared across the sky, allowing his thoughts and feelings to ebb and flow through him.

And when he eventually touched down, Azriel felt prepared for tasks laid out before him. Felt prepared to come face-to-face with the Veil Whisperer.

Part Two Here

[pacifythots]

Babe I'm gonna be honest this is gonna be a spicy req and I hope you're okey with it (but if you're not then it's okey too! I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable :''<)

So I've been listening to Obsessed by Mariah Carey. And I had a thought where fem!reader got pissed off with Suo coz he let another girl touch him (to make our reader jealous) or vice versa 😉 maybe a lil nsfw Owo sjfjksjdkskxj

Thank you!

[!] I SUCCEEDED.

ⓘ BOTH YOU AND SUO KNOW HE'S NOT SLICK. f!reader — spicy. teasing, jealous!reader, dom!reader, suo being himself, kissing, clothed grinding, light cursing, ear licking, referenced or almost hand job lmao, + lmk if i missed any.

girl- pls don't apologize cuz i fucking love suo and topics like this. (got a lil excited w/this one, had to stop myself). im 100% cool with spicy requests! they don't make me uncomfy at all <3

i need more of them actually, but im going to settle and get the ones out of my inbox first. the ear-licking part was inspired by 'just like putty' by @brainrot-of-a-thot ; hope you don't mind :]

should i do this prompt but reverse? thinking abt revenge pt 2 rn...

suo is an asshole.

sometimes.

however, he's a huge one right now and he fucking knows it. that stupid, sweet- kinda- sorta- hot, charmer.

it wasn't rare for him to tease you or others, it was in fact, extremely common. it seems his antics have increased since the two of you have started dating. he never crosses the already set boundaries, but he does tend to step on the line.

he's a 2-year-old, he purposefully stares at you while he's doing something bad, daring you to come get him.

suo makes sure to apologize afterwards, buy you something, give you kisses, whatever you wish. its normally harmless things, but today suo just decided to strike a nerve. talking to that bitch.

of course, he's a gentleman, but he's actively avoided her for quite a while now. he has a girlfriend, and she's strangely obsessed with him. ever since that day he saved her from some thugs and handed her groceries back to her, she's been hooked. she is around your age, so she has a chance, which only pisses you off further.

regardless, the both of you are confident in your relationship, trusting eachother wholly when it came down to it.

you still do! though there's some irritation seeing her touching him.

like usual, bofurin saved the day! suo was walking back with sakura and the rest when he got stopped. he pondered if he should shut the conversation down, or should he indulge. then he remembered that you'd be doing your weekly grocery shopping right about now.

he smirked to himself and indulged in the girl's completely dreadful talking until he caught a glimpse of you in the corner of his eye.

he wonders what you act like when your truly jealous. what exactly would you say? do to him? suo nods like he's listening indulgently, letting the woman squeeze his arm, even hug it for a bit before he moves to push her off. then again, you were already doing that.

suo's eye watches you shove her off of him. "number one, back off bitch," you glare at the woman before turning to suo.

"number two, hayato suo."

suo swallows, having to prevent himself from smirking. that's the voice you always used when angry at him, and fuck- it's sexy. especially, with you're bossy demeanor, ugh.

"you might want to tell sakura and the others that you're coming to spend time with me tonight," you speak, staring up at him with a frown, your voice turning stern, "we have to talk." suo nods, swallowing his saliva as he watches you walk off with your groceries.

"yes, ma'am ... "

he chuckles to himself, whistling. his friends look at him weird. he hums with a smile. "it seems i've gotten myself in trouble with my pretty lady. im afraid i can't join you today!" suo winks.

sakura blushes, blinking in 2nd hand embarrassment at the thought of dating, though he wonders what suo meant.

nirei whispers in sakura's ear, albiet loudly. suo could almost see the steam leaving his ears. "nirei, i'd appreciate it if you wouldn't describe it to him that way," suo smiles, "regardless, i'll see the two of you later."

suo leaves with a wave, wondering what exactly you could have planned. it couldn't be that bad. it's not as if you have some secret sadistic side, at least that he's observed. then again, he's also never seen your cheeks that puffy. nor that strange look in your eyes. he shrugs, walking calmly to your apartment, making assumptions.

and whatever assumptions he made were wrong.

"letting her hang on you, really hayato?" you whisper in his ear, blowing on the already reddend skin.

your plump lips kiss everwhere but his lips. his cheek, his chin, right below and beside his lips. you just wouldn't kiss him on the lips. suo chuckles both from annoyance and amusement. "aw, come on, i was just teasing," his eye follows your movements.

a grunt leaves his chest when you sit down, rubbing your lower half on his lap as if to sement it there. "really?"

normally, he'd have no problem. however, his cock is out, a pink ribbon tied at the base of it. you feel it twitch beneath you. feigning ignorance, you tilt your head, "really' what? im not understanding, hayato?"

he chuckles with a nod, "alright, payback. i get it." his hands are squeezing your hips, he's lucky you allowed him touch, had you not, he'd be insane by now. "what? you feigned such ignorance when you let that bitch hang on your arm. you know i don't like her." suo smiles, "i just wanted to see what you'd do. i wanted to make you jealous."

he leans up a bit, "and i succeeded."

"mm, i guess. well- you're certainly going to see what im going to do," you smile. "i mean, im even willing to help with- this."

his eye watches your manicured nails ghost along the length of his leaking and twitching cock. "you need help don't you," you whisper, your lips centimeters from his, "hm?"

suo nods, his eye fluttering. "yes- " your eyes are staring into his as you feel his legs twitch, your hands cupping his balls to trailing up the length. "yeah?" you smirk, your painted lips smacking, dragging on his skin to meet his ear. you lick a stripe up his ear that has him shuddering, his grip haltering.

you smile as his lashes flutter, the tip of your tongue exploring inside and out of his ear. a breathy moan leaves him as the tip of your tongue swipes along the piercing. "swe- sweetheart," he gulps, near whimpering when you nibble on the skin. "please- "

"hm?" you lean back, admiring your work. his blushy red face, shuddering breaths, and angry red cock.

"i am going to help you because i am a gracious girlfriend ... " you sit down on his lap, hand wrapping around his length. "in return, i better not see her touch you like that, ever again."

[papil0nglegs]

Detention

(Pico x Reader)

Warnings: School fight, blood, bruising, bullying, swearing, EVERYONE gets their ass beat

A/n: This is based off a ao3 fic that I liked but also hated cuz it had 🍇.. I didn’t read the tags pls. Anyways I’m rlly proud of this fic ha so enjoy

You felt so stupid, you never thought that you’d get into such dumb fights for such dumb reasons. Now you’re stuck in an empty classroom, with two idiots you just finished fighting with. All covered in either blood or bruises, the fuck happened?

Third pov:

Another average morning at school. The hallways were full of teens either walking to class or having a quick chat with their friends.

However, Pico and Darnell had other plans. The two boys were in the middle of a brawl, one in one side of the hallway, and the other in-well the other. All of the students stopped whatever they were doing to watch the two, cheering ‘fight!fight!fight!’, Y/n had been in the middle of the two, trying to grab some books from their locker. They were completely unaware of the fight that they were basically in the middle of since they had their earbuds plugged in on max volume

As y/n went in to grab on of their books, Pico reaches in to grab it from their hands and throw it at Darnell. “Dude!” Y/n yells, raising their hands a bit. Pico ignores them, realizing that he missed the first throw. In a panic, he grabs y/n’s iPod from their hands and pelts it at Darnell’s face.

Y/n gasps and runs towards their dear iPod to try saving it from the fight, but before they can even get near it, Darnell accidentally steps on the screen while getting up. Y/n stops in their tracks, jaw open and eyes widened. They were too late. They quickly look back at Pico, who was getting his ass absolutely handed to him by Darnell, and decides that he’s gonna have to pay for that thing, and not with money.

Once Pico knocks Darnell out on the floor for a bit, y/n tackles him. “What the fuck??” The confused ginger yells while y/n grabs him by his hair and stuffs his head in their open locker. ‘Oh fuck’ and ‘holy shit’s are heard from the audience of students watching as they prepare for what’s about to happen. Suddenly, a bang comes from the locker door and Pico’s head, as y/n slams the door shut with his head stuffed inside. They then do it again, and again, until her arms eventually get tired, and they notice Darnell getting up.

Darnell seems confused at first, until he realizes that he stepped on their iPod. Shit, now he has another opponent. Before he knows it, him and y/n are both giving each other bruises and bloody noses, fists flying everywhere. At least until a few teacher make their way out of the crowd, and quickly separate the three.

Now, y/n is sitting in the third row of some desks in a classroom, while both Pico and Darnell sit behind her. The room is filled with nothing but silence, Pico laying his head on the desk, seemingly asleep. Y/n on the other hand, wasn’t doing much. They didn’t have any homework, nor were they feeling sleepy, so they just had their elbows on the table, holding their head from falling. I mean, what else was there to do? Use their iPod? ..wait

Darnell, sitting behind her, puts his feet up on the top of y/n’s chair, getting dirt in their hair. Now, normally y/n would ask them to stop, or even tell the teacher, but at this point, they didn’t feel like getting anymore trouble for anything else. So they just tried their best to ignore him. Darnell chuckles at their ‘reaction’, then going back to playing with his lighter.

“Darnell!” Mr Roger’s yells, “Do I need to put you in another classroom?” He asks rhetorically. Darnell groans in annoyance, “no sir..” he mumbles. Mr Roger’s sighs, “Darnell, why don’t you just, go get me some papers from the printing room.” Mr Roger’s says waving his hands in a shooing motion, Darnell clicks his tongue, clearly pissed. But he still gets up to go do as he says.

Y/n feels a wave of relief, that Darnell’s dirty shoes aren’t stuffed in their hair anymore. But as soon as they finally find peace, it’s quickly interrupted a paper ball being thrown at them. Out of curiosity, they pick up the paper ball and unwrap it, because of course they did.

“Whats ur name?”

Was written in some shitty Sharpie that Pico found on the floor. He couldn’t find a pencil or even a paper since his backpack was a mess, so he just wrote on his homework that was past due a week ago. Y/n looks back at Pico, who’s head was down as if nothing had happen, they rolled their eyes at the freckled boy. They then look down at the paper, wondering if they should write back or not. Eh, why not.

“Y/n”

Y/n waits until the teacher at the front of the class averts his gaze to something else, throwing the ball back to the ginger. Pico tucks it under his elbow, his head still down. Suddenly, y/n’s heart drops when she hears Mr Roger’s chair creak as he gets up. “I’m gonna go check on Darnell. You two, stay silent.”

As soon as Mr Roger’s steps out of the classroom, a voice is heard from behind y/n. “Sorry that I threw your thing, y/n..” Pico mutters shamefully, y/n looks back at the injured boy. His lip looked busted, and he had bruises around his cheek. Y/n cringes at the sight of his injuries, injuries that they did. “It’s fine.. sorry about the locker.” Pico chuckles at y/n’s apology, shaking his head.

“I uhh, got you something, Yknow, for your lip.” Y/n grabs a cold can of monster from under their desk. Then handing it to pico. “You can drink it too if you want it” Pico grabs the cold drink from their hands, and places it on his bruised cheek. “What song were you listening to anyways? Must’ve been somethin’ pretty loud” He laughs. Y/n blushes a bit in embarrassment of what her answer is, “oh just.. break stuff by limp bizkit”

Pico’s eyes lighten up at her answer, “no fuckin’ way! I love bizkit!!” He smiles, “Lemme guess, your favorite album is significant other?” Y/n laughs, “no, it’s chocolate starfish..”

Pico cracks the can of Monster open, taking a couple of painful sips since his lip was busted. “Your nose still has blood on it by the way” Pico points out, y/n tapping blood that was on their upper lip, seeing dried blood. “Shit.. I don’t have anything to wipe it with” They mutter staring at the dry blood on their finger. “I got some water, gimme a sec” Pico grabs his backpack, and pulls out his water bottle and a crinkle napkin from some fast food place. He begins to pour a little water on the napkin, and makes the ‘come here’ motion with his hand to y/n.

Once y/n scoots closer, bringing their chair with them, he grabs the side of their jaw lightly, moving them closer. Pico wipes the dry blood from y/n’s upper lip. Y/n looks around the room, trying to not stare into picos green eyes, but they eventually fail. The two make eye contact, their faces only an inch or two away from each other. Not knowing what to say about the awkward interaction, she decides to compliment him, because of course they did. “Your hairs really.. pretty” Y/n whispers, “what?” Pico responds, quite confused at the feminine compliment.

“Hey!”

The two heads snap at the door, where Mr Roger’s, along with Darnell, stood. “What did I say about talking?” Darnell chuckles at the state the two were in, “oh shit! Were you two about to kiss?” Darnell laughs, pointing at the two. Pico and y/n both look back at each other, realizing that their current position wasn’t the most.. platonic. Pico and y/n quickly move back to their desks, red faced, rambling about how gross it’d be to even be near each other

“Pfft, whatever you say, lovebirds.” Pico scoffs “fuck you Darnell.” “Okay you two, that’s enough. Pico, Y/n,” He starts, “you two are going to get detention for the whole week. Darnell, you’ll be getting two weeks for sneaking out.” Darnell groans in annoyance.

The group exits the classroom onto the front of the now empty school. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow..” Pico shrugs, his hands in his pockets. “Yeah, you too, Pico.” Y/n says before walking away, Pico weakly raising a hand to wave her goodbye.

“Ew, fucking weirdos.”

[jisungsdaydreamer]

Love Playlist #3: Make It Right (Lee Know)

«GENERAL M.LIST» · «NAVIGATION» · «TALK TO ME» 

"It hurts to love you."

Pairing: Lee Know x Fem!reader Genre: college au, angst, exes to lovers Warnings: swearing, messy break-up, mc has a fear of the dark, mild haunted house/Halloween descriptions Word Count: 18.3k

*Written for @skzwritingcafe's July/August event: Summertime Confessions ☀️

Special thanks to @baekhyyun & @simpforyongbokk for beta-reading!! 💘

“I love you.”

You roll your eyes and shove Minho away, trying to suppress the giggles that threaten to spill out. “Stop that. We need to concentrate, or we’ll never find an apartment.”

“I’m definitely concentrating.” Minho grins mischievously. “On you.”

Laughing at his antics, you shake your head, shutting your computer for a brief intermission to tend to Minho’s insatiable appetite for your attention. Your boyfriend never fails to make you smile, no matter what. 

“I love you too, you menace.”

Minho wakes up with a start. He groggily glances over at the clock hanging on the wall in front of him. Nearly 3 a.m. Slinging his legs over the side of the couch, Minho just sits in that position for a good twenty minutes, marinating in the pitiful mixture of his sweat and tears.

The night before, he’d attempted to drown away his sorrows at some bar he stumbled upon while aimlessly wandering the city streets. It hadn’t worked, obviously, because his wallet wasn’t bottomless, and the pain was too great. But in true character, Minho had tried anyway, until his savior found him slumped over the counter and led him back to a safe place to sober up.

“Stay here as long as you need to,” Chan had said, tucking Minho’s drowsy form into a bundle of blankets on the couch, like he was a little kid.

Minho had tried to resist, mumbling complaints towards his friend’s retreating back, but fell into a troubled slumber before Chan even reached his own bedroom. Now he’s wide awake and unwilling to be so, praying he can just fall back asleep and forget about everything that had transpired in the previous twenty-four hours. But even sleep can’t save him from the memories of what you both once were: happy.

It’s not like he didn’t notice the rift growing between you two in the past few weeks. You didn’t have as much time for each other anymore, reducing your interactions to quick dinners and text messages. But you both have been together for nearly three years, and Minho had assumed that it was just the stress of senior year taking a toll on you both, nothing more. You both had been browsing apartments together just one month ago, finally planning to take the next big step in your relationship. He loves you more than anything in the world, and he so believed that you felt the same about him.

So when you sat him down yesterday at your favorite café, Morningstar Coffee House, and told him that you had doubts about your future together, he was shocked. Too fearful of what you were going to say next, Minho decided to take an abrupt exit out of the conversation, rushing out of the door by using class as an excuse. And now, he will be forced to confront a brutal reality, wishing he could have just gotten this over with yesterday.

A small chime alerts Minho to a new text message, and before he even reaches over to the coffee table to pick up his phone, he knows it’s you. 

bobaluvrr: we need to finish talking catservant98: do we really need to? bobaluvrr: morningstar at 8. i have class, pls don’t be late.

With an exasperated groan, Minho stands up, tossing his phone onto the couch. At the very least, he could use the coffee.

“Don’t you think you’re being a little extreme?” Soyeon scrapes the bottom of the pint of ice cream in her hands, frowning when her spoon doesn’t recover as much as she’d like.

“Maybe,” Sunoo answers for you from where he’s sprawled out on the floor, lying on his stomach while scrolling through his cellphone. Soyeon chucks a pillow at him, making him yelp and lift his hands up in defeat.

“This is for the best, Soyeon,” you reply firmly, stabbing your spoon into your own pint of rocky road and digging out a generous chunk. As you lick the spoon, you note that you barely notice the creamy goodness that always succeeds in cheering you up. Not today.

Sunoo sits up and sets his phone aside. “Literally last month, you said you wanted to marry Minho as soon as you graduated.”

You swallow harshly, remembering the exact moment Sunoo is referencing. It’s true that you wanted to marry your boyfriend— no, you still want to marry him, even now. But you meant what you said; breaking up with Minho is necessary to prevent any more heartache. You’ve been feeling this indescribable longing seeping into your heart for weeks now, silently pressing through all of your warning bells. It was a whisper in the wind beneath your lofty wings, telling you that one day, Minho was going to leave you. The last few days had been the final straw, forcing you to grasp your courage and do what had to be done.

“I know.” You hold your tears back. “But the situation has obviously changed.”

Soyeon takes your hand in her own, softly rubbing your palm with her thumb to comfort you, while Sunoo just rolls his eyes. “I still blame that bitch Minju. It’s her fault you’re feeling like this, if anyone’s.”

At the mention of Minju, your expression hardens. After all, you don’t exactly have warm regards for a backstabber like her, especially when she had pretended to be your friend just to get close to Minho. When you found out about her ulterior motive, it made the betrayal hurt ten times worse.

You had befriended Minju nearing the end of the previous year, after she sat next to you at lunch when you were alone in the dining hall. All along your short-lived friendship, you had noticed that she would only ask you questions about Minho or your relationship with him, but you brushed it off as an attempt to just get along with your boyfriend. You had no idea that she wanted to do more than that. 

At the beginning of the next semester, Minho mentioned that he had one class with Minju. Ever the optimist, you were pleasantly surprised, thinking that Minju could become friends with Minho as well. After all, it always took Minho forever to really bond with new people, and this would make everything easier. But the little things you kept overlooking built upon each other, forming a whole dam of distrust. 

First, there were all of the times you hung out with both Minju and Minho. While Minho always engaged in conversation with the both of you, if not more with you, Minju would actively ignore you just to talk to Minho. Once, you three visited an arcade together, and there was a game that involved picking teams. Minju immediately declared that she would partner up with Minho, so you had no option but to team with a stranger. But maybe she just wanted to get to know him.

And then you ran into Heeseung, one of Minju’s old classmates. Heeseung had no malicious intentions; he used to have photography class with Minju before she switched out, and needed Minju’s number to ask her for the pen he had lent her. It looked like Minju had changed her course schedule to share a class with Minho. But maybe that was just a coincidence.

The final piece that made you put together Minju’s puzzle was when Minho was dropping you after a date one night. He had kissed you goodbye, and you went inside, wondering if you should invite Minju over to watch some movies. You called Minju and asked her if she wanted to come over, but she claimed that she was very sick and couldn’t even leave her house, down with a high fever in her bed. Feeling sorry for your friend, you decided to whip up a quick batch of soup for Minju and walk over to her loft. However, you saw two people standing right outside the building. Upon closer look, you realized it was Minju and Minho, talking about something you couldn’t hear. But the sight itself was enough— Minju looked perfectly healthy and fresh. You could give the benefit of doubt to your boyfriend, but Minju had obviously lied to you. You ran away before either of them spotted you.

You shake your head, knowing in your heart that even someone like Minju couldn’t really end one of the most important relationships in your life. “It’s not just her. I’m tired of watching every other couple on campus, wishing Minho and I were like that. Everyone calls us perfect, but really, we’re not. I’m tired of pretending. I’m tired of feeling like I’m the only one who cares. I’m just tired of everything, Sunoo.”

And it’s true. You’ve had enough of wondering about whether you love him too much, if you were being naive about everything. You have always been a very bubbly, social person, wearing your heart on your sleeve. You know that Minho is more of an introvert, and that it’s hard for him to express himself to others. However, you believed that with time, he would open up, at least to you. You found it as easy to confide your fears within Minho as it was to laugh when he tickled you. But communicating with Minho about his own feelings remained a difficulty. He still seems like such a mystery to you, and even if he wasn’t entertaining Minju’s whole plot, you feel like he isn’t as interested in you as you are in him. You hadn’t even bothered telling Minho the truth about Minju, because in the end, you doubt Minju would have troubled you so much if your relationship really was so unbreakable. 

Sunoo’s face softens, as he gets up to envelope you in one of his hugs. “I’m sorry if I came off too strong. I just want the best for you.”

Soyeon joins your little huddle, wrapping her arms around the both of you. “You are our best friend, after all. We can’t have our favorite girl being sad.”

A tiny flicker of hope ignites in your stomach. Whatever happens, you know you’ll have Soyeon and Sunoo by your side. You tell yourself over and over again that you don’t need anyone else but them, until you start to believe it.

It hurts Minho’s heart to see that you look more beautiful than ever as you step into Morningstar, even with your downturned lips and the reddened sheen of your sleepless eyes. He busies himself with the menu as you approach the table he’s sitting at, as if he wasn’t just watching you a moment earlier.

“Thank you for seeing me.” Your words feel oddly formal, especially taking into account your usual greeting for Minho was an excited hug and an avalanche of kisses.

Minho shrugs, trying to seem nonchalant and not as scared as he really is. “Yeah, of course.”

You scoot your chair closer to the table, clearing your throat. “Did you sleep okay last night?”

Unable to help himself, Minho rolls his eyes. “How do you think I slept, Y/N?”

You immediately flush, realizing how obvious the answer must be. “I was just—”

“Checking on me,” Minho interrupts you, sounding more wounded than angry. “Right after you tell me that you think maybe we shouldn’t move-in together and that you aren’t feeling the same about us.”

You reach across the table to take Minho’s hands in yours. He can’t bring himself to wrench them free from your hold. “I’m sorry if I hurt you.”

“You did.”

“That wasn’t my intention. I just…” You trail off, gazing out the window. The campus is alive with the buzz of students waking up and going on about their days. It’s a gorgeous day for October, with bright sunshine and a cloudless sky— Minho hates it.

He looks away, not wanting to showcase how truly vulnerable he feels right now. “Why? Why this all of a sudden? Did I do something wrong?”

You start. “No!”

“Are you still upset about yesterday? I know everything is stressful right now, but I promise—”

You take a deep breath. “I can no longer trust you. I don't know if I’ll always be the only one. But it’s not you, it’s me.”

“Of course you’re my only one, what are you talking about?” Minho shakes his head, the desperation creeping in. “No. I promise I’ll try. I’ll be better. Whatever it is, we’ll get through this together.”

You slam your palms down on the table, making it shake. It shocks both you and Minho into a moment of charged silence. “We’ll only grow to hate each other at this rate. I need to end things with you now.”

“Y/N, please. I- I don’t want to break-up.”

You flash Minho a broken smile. “I don’t want it either. But I need to do this, for both our sakes.”

You stand up from your chair, and Minho finally breaks. Minho, who didn’t cry even when he fell into a ravine while hiking and broke his arm. Minho, who didn’t cry even when he was cut from the line-up for his dream internship in New York City. Minho, who never cries, sits in front of you now, the tears streaming down his cheeks and dripping onto his sweatshirt.

“Don’t go, please.” He makes one last attempt at getting you to stay, grabbing onto the arm of your jacket. 

You gently shake him free, taking your purse. You’re crying now too. “Don’t make this harder than it has to be, Min.”

Minho lets his arm fall limply to his side as he hopelessly watches you leave as quickly as you came. He always hated saying goodbye after every time you went out, but the thought of being able to see you the next day helped a little bit. Now, there wasn’t even that.

“One… two… three.” 

Minho grunts in effort, sweat slowly dripping down his neck at the arduous pace of each repetition.

“Keep going, Minho. You’re almost there,” Changbin says, leaning over Minho and supporting him on the bench press.

Minho barely hears him, flexing his biceps up and down, exhausted, yet determined to finish a set. He’s done nothing at all for the past few days, strangled with the inevitable grief of being broken up with. Minho sullenly welcomed trudging back and forth to classes. He went to bed early and slept in for as long as possible, and barely ate anything during the meals Chan forced him to have.

However, Chan finally became fed up with Minho’s mopiness, employing Changbin to drag him out to the gym and make him work out his feelings. And so, as he struggles under the backbreaking weight of the barbell, he yearns to feel a sense of accomplishment about something— anything.

“Ten! You’re done.” Changbin gently places a hand on Minho’s arm, willing him to stop, but Minho keeps going without toning down his pace.

Minho feels the excruciating ache burning in his muscles, the slow agony of pain rippling through him. Is this how you feel? Is this how much it hurts to love him? If so, he wants to live it over and over again, atoning for the reason you left him. He blames himself for letting you go, of course, but mostly for making you feel like you had to leave in the first place. He should have been a better man for you. 

“Minho, stop!” Changbin lifts up the weight in his own hands, racking it and staring down accusingly at his charge. “Are you crazy? You could have hurt yourself.”

“You lift more than that, and you’re fine. Give me that.” Minho reaches for the barbell once more, but Changbin places it on an even higher hook, forcing Minho to get off the bench.

“I’ve been doing this for years. You started after your girlfriend dumped you, four days ago.”

Minho rolls his eyes, picking up his towel and dabbing at his dampened skin. “Thanks for the reminder.”

“You were already thinking about her anyway.” Changbin pats Minho’s shoulder, grabbing his bottle of green juice and walking over to the rowing machine to start his own workout.

Without further protest, Minho retreats to the locker rooms, wondering if he’s being that obvious. Minho gazes into the clouded mirror, inspecting himself for any signs of sadness, but all he receives is an eyeful of his general look, a guarded expression that reserves smiles only for those who deserve it. Weird. Maybe Changbin is just telepathic.

Minho shoves his belongings into his gym bag and heads out of the gym, back to nowhere else but Chan’s apartment, his temporary home until he finds a better place to stay. After all, he thought you both would be moving in together, but plans change. 

As Minho makes his way down the sidewalk that leads to the university off-campus housing complex, someone throws a soccer ball into his path. Great.

“Hey, can you pass that over here?” 

Clenching his jaw in annoyance, Minho kicks at the ball as hard as he can, not caring about where it lands. He ignores the person’s confused shouts and keeps walking until he reaches his destination, not acknowledging any of the strangers he passed by. What does it matter, anyway?

“Gym go well?” Chan looks up from the cutting board, setting down his knife and wiping his hands on a dishrag.

Minho sighs, neatly fixing his bag next to his current post, the sofa. “It was fine. I’ll go clean up and be right back.”

“Hurry! Dinner’s almost ready,” Chan calls as Minho heads inside the bathroom, locking the door and cranking on the shower. 

Minho feels his body relax as he steps under the steady stream of water, but his mind remains tense. He’d gone to the gym with Changbin today because he thought he’d be able to get some peace of mind and forget about everything, but evidently, that hadn’t worked. All he can think about is you, you, you. He’ll deny it to his friends for as long as he can, but he isn’t sure how long he can keep lying to himself.

As he finishes, Minho steps out of the steamy bathroom and into the bedroom, drying off and quickly changing into his clothes. He walks into the dining area, where Chan has set up two bowls and is ladling pasta into each of them. When he was younger, Minho’s mother used to tell them that a good meal could ease a troubled heart. For her sake and Chan’s, he decides to eat well today, just for living.

Enveloped in a comfortable silence, Minho and Chan dig in, enjoying the spicy, cheesy penne that serves as an instant comfort food. 

“Thanks, Chan,” Minho says, looking up from his bowl.

Chan swallows his bite and pauses, placing down his fork. “For what?”

Minho shrugs awkwardly, trying to find the right words. By now, he knows he’s no good at speaking his heart. “For being there for me. For feeding me. Everything, I guess.”

“And for making Changbin haul your ass to the gym.” Chan grins at Minho, nothing but warmth in his kind eyes. “What are friends for, brother?”

Even though he feels kind of crappy, Minho smiles. “Yeah, man.”

Chan reaches over and smacks Minho’s back, laughing the sentiment off. But deep inside, Minho knows that Chan understands him. Whatever happens, his brother will be by his side. He tells that to himself over and over again, through dinner and the TV show that Chan turns on, until he starts to believe it. 

The next morning, Minho wakes up after finally getting a good night’s sleep. The much needed rest spurs him on to message you, something he’s been putting off for a while now.

catservant98: did you wake up? catservant98: how are you doing? catservant98: ??

You don’t reply to any of his texts. Minho knows that you’re not much of a morning person, but you would never miss class, so you have to be up. Every Thursday and Friday, both of you have Writing Seminar together, a course that is mandatory for every senior student at the university you both attend. When he first received his schedule, he had been elated that he shared a class with his girlfriend. Well now you are his ex-girlfriend, and he doesn’t know that being in the same room and unable to speak with you is a great option.

Nevertheless, Minho tucks his phone into his pocket, opening the door to the lecture hall. The moment he enters, his eyes find yours. You’re sitting in your favorite spot in the middle of the fifth row, but the seat next to you that Minho usually takes is already occupied by some other girl who’s busy reading a book. You didn’t bother saving him a seat, for the very first time.

You tear your eyes away from Minho’s piercing gaze, looking at the grassy lawn beyond the window behind you, leaving Minho to find a new seat. He sets his backpack down in the very back row, where no one else is, and sits alone, a sad new reality setting in. Thankfully, the professor enters and starts talking about some upcoming project, leaving Minho ample leeway to observe you. 

Your head is tilted down and you're focused on the open notebook in front of you. Although he can’t see your hand properly, he knows it’s moving as you sketch a little doodle onto the paper. It’s a habit that he always found enormously endearing, and as you tuck your hair behind your ear, Minho feels another pang in his chest. He will never be able to brush back your hair for you, ever again.

The moment class is over, Minho quits pretending he’s actually paying attention and hurries over to you before you can leave. You’re midway through stuffing your books bag in your bag when you notice Minho hovering over you. With a resigned sigh, you look up at him expectantly.

“I- I just wanted to check on you,” Minho says quietly, looking down at his hands like he’s a kid again, guilty of stealing a candy instead of impinging on your time. “And see how you’re doing.”

“I’ve been better.” You look away and stand up, gesturing towards the door. “I should go. Soyeon’s probably waiting.”

“Okay then.” Minho steps aside, letting you pass. You both had a lot of mutual friends; surely every interaction between you both will not be this awkward, right? 

Before you leave, however, you turn and look at him. “Let’s try to be civil and move on, okay? We’ll still be seeing each other a lot, so.”

Minho just stares at you, for a moment, before remembering himself. “Yeah, okay. Let’s try.”

You curtly nod and walk out the door. Minho isn’t so sure that moving on is what he wants. Of course he wants to get along with you, because having you in his life and not being romantically involved is better than not being involved with you at all. But he wishes the world— time, you, and even himself— would understand that moving on meant this loss in his life. Shaking his head, Minho heads out of the classroom and towards a hopefully better day.

“Are you sure this isn’t a bad idea?” You worriedly scan the increasing mass of partygoers. Usually, you love a good party; spending time with friends and making new ones is one of your favorite things to do. Tonight, however, you can’t help the bad feeling building inside of you.

Sunoo loops your arm through yours, leading the way for you through the swanky flat, searching for a place to sit. “No, it isn’t. You deserve to have some fun.”

“What if I see Minho?” You ask him, but you already know the answer. Of course Minho is coming to Jihyo’s birthday party; unfortunately, both of you were in the same large friend group, an aspect of your relationship that you used to cherish. Now, not so much.

He looks over at you, a challenge in his eyes. “And so what if you do? You told him you wanted to be civil. So be civil.”

“Right.”

You both find a place by the food tables, where boxes of pizza have already been opened to entice guests and bottles of beer chill in the cooler. After congratulating Jihyo and helping yourself to a few slices, you sit down on the couch next to Sunoo, trying to enjoy your dinner. After boba, pizza is your most favorite food on the whole planet, but even that can’t seem to soothe your nerves. You wish Soyeon were here too, but she’s stuck studying for an exam.

Noticing your restlessness, Sunoo whistles to a few people mingling nearby. “Hey, who wants to play Truth or Dare!”

Although outdated, Truth or Dare is a certified party hit for stressed college students like you all, especially if there’s alcohol involved. You’re just thankful for the distraction. Everyone quickly huddles around, buzzing in anticipation of either a comedy show or secrets being revealed.

“I’ll go first.” Chan says, stepping forward. If he’s here, so must be Minho. “Truth.”

Sunoo rubs his hands together in thought before piping up. “What’s your beef with your Student Council co-president?”

Chan immediately tenses, his cheeks turning red. “Shit. I’ll drink on that.”

Everyone whoops with laughter and cheers as Chan downs his beer, setting the cup down with a sour expression on his face due to the bitterness of the drink. He must really hate his co-president. The game continues, before you’re the only person playing who hasn’t gone yet. Unfortunately, your questioner is Mark Lee, a junior that’s notorious for his nosiness. You brace yourself for whatever invasive question he’ll come up with, but you aren’t as quite prepared as you think.

“Why did you and Y/N break up?” 

“Huh?” You follow Mark’s gaze to see him looking at Minho, who joined the game without you realizing. The question was meant for him, not you.

Minho says nothing, giving Mark the opportunity to keep talking. “I mean, weren’t you guys the golden couple of campus or something?”

Everyone quiets down, zeroing in on you and Minho for all of the wrong reasons. Minho’s eyes dart over to where you sit, shifting uncomfortably in your seat. You feel your skin prickle and your body heat up, the stress clouding your senses once more.

“This is stupid. Game’s over,” Minho declares while getting up, and everyone disperses, not willing to argue with him.

You stare down at your lap as Sunoo places an arm over your shoulders, pulling you close to him. “I’m so sorry, Y/N. I had no idea Mark would ask that. What an asshole.”

“I’m fine.” You stand up, brushing off your skirt. “I’m going to go get a drink.”

“I’ll come with you,” Sunoo offers.

You shake your head. “No, it’s okay. I’ll come back.”

After getting some water, you wind through the impromptu dance floor that has now taken over the living space, everyone jamming to the raging music that thumps through the loud bass speakers that Jihyo had installed into her flat. You dodge a couple grinding up against each other and a pair of best friends swinging to the beat. Before you head back to Sunoo, you’re about to find temporary reprieve out on the balcony, but like a cruel universal joke, you see exactly what you fear most.

Minho leans against the railing, the evening breeze ruffling the chestnut hair that frames his handsome face. And next to him stands Minju, twirling her hair around her fingers while listening to what Minho is murmuring to her. Yours and Minju’s eyes meet, and she gives you the faintest hint of a satisfied smirk. Your heart drops and your feet want to give out right then and there, but you would rather die than fall apart in front of both of them. You turn on your heel and blindly march to wherever will rid you of the sight of the person you love the most speaking to the person you hate the most. 

That destination turns out to be the kitchen, as you march in and huff out loud as your body hits the kitchen island. There’s no one else there except for one other person with his upper body hidden by the refrigerator, obviously raiding it. At the sound of someone else entering, he shuts the fridge door and looks over at you. Taking in his faded pink hair and beat-up converse sneakers, you vaguely recognize him from somewhere.

“I was just looking for some carrot juice, that’s all.” The guy shoots you a sheepish smile. “I don’t do booze past 9 p.m.”

“Carrot juice? Don’t tell me you’re a fitness freak.”

He raises his hands in faux surrender. “Guilty. But outside of the gym, I’m Kang Taehyun. Or Terry, if we’re acquainted, and hopefully you and I will be by the end of the night. So call me Terry.”

You’re intrigued by this carrot-loving stranger. “I’m—”

“Y/N, I know. We have Writing Seminar together.” Terry smiles as the recognition hits you.

You slap your palm against your forehead, wondering how you could have missed him. “I’m so sorry. I guess I was always too distracted in that class.”

He waves your apology off with a twist of his wrist. “No worries. Besides, you’re a lot more memorable than me.”

You feel your cheeks heat up. “Thank you.”

In the brief silence that follows, you gaze up at the pattern of the tiling on the countertops, toying with the hem of your skirt. Once again, your thoughts flit over to Minho, wondering if he’s still talking to Minju. Terry notices you spacing out and speaks up. “Hey, are you okay?”

You look up at him like a deer caught in headlights. Suddenly, everything feels like too much, and you’re overwhelmed with your own emotions. You feel yourself tear up, and you’re immediately mortified for breaking down in front of someone you just met. 

Unfazed, Terry crosses over to you in three quick strides and gently touches your arm, concerned. “Hey, you don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to. I didn’t mean to intrude.”

You swipe at your eyes, trying to collect yourself. “No, it’s not you. I broke up with my boyfriend recently. And it’s been… bad. God, this is embarrassing.”

Terry dips his head in understanding. “I noticed you weren’t sitting next to him as usual in class earlier today. Minho— that's him, right?”

You let out a mirthless chuckle. “Yeah.”

“Well…” Terry trails off, and you fear you’ve ruined the mood with your depressive recollection, but he smiles at you. “I’ll tell you something embarrassing about me. I have a fear of mint chocolate chip ice cream.”

A giggle escapes your mouth at the absurdity of his confession. “What?”

Terry nods solemnly. “Yes. Technically, I have a fear of visiting the dentist, but mint choco is close enough to the taste of toothpaste to give me the chills.”

You grin at Terry, the down atmosphere slowly fading away. “What do you like, then?”

“Water slides. Pleasure reading. And caramel popcorn with extra caramel.” Terry flexes his bicep. “Even a fitness freak needs his sugar fix.”

You roll your eyes in good humor. “You’re really something, aren’t you, Kang Taehyun?”

“I’m hoping that’s a compliment.” Terry runs his hand through his bubblegum hair, carelessly mussing it up. You find the messiness of his bangs absolutely adorable.

“It is.” You tap your nails against your cup, trying to think of something to say next. Generally, you have no difficulty in keeping a conversation going, but Terry seems to be content with that role in this one.

“Are you an Apple or Android kind of person?” Terry inquires.

You take a sip of your water, raising your eyebrow at him. “Where did that come from?”

“I was trying to think of a good way to ask you for your number.” Terry shrugs, that playful smile that you’ve now become familiar with coming back.

You return it. “You just did.”

Both of you exchange cell phones and type in each other’s contact information. When finished, Terry slides your phone back into your palm, and you don’t miss the light touch of his fingers against your own.

“I have to go find my friend now, Terry. But I’m glad I met you. Don’t forget to spam me with more weird facts about yourself.”

Terry laughs. “I won’t. Like I said, Y/N, you’re not easily forgettable.”

You hide your smile and leave the kitchen, lost in your own world, even as you run straight into Sunoo, who asks you what took you so long. When you finally get back to the warmth of your own room after the party, you sit down to get some homework done before bed. You notice your favorite keychain, a little cat charm, hanging off your ID card lanyard that’s strewn across your desk. Minho gifted it to you last year, stating that you needed something to remind you of him when he wasn’t there. After a moment’s hesitation, you unclip the charm from the lanyard and tuck it away inside your desk. You don’t need the reminder right now.

terrypotter: hey, good morning!! this is terry from yday btw bobaluvrr: hii!  bobaluvrr: omg ur user <3 i love harry potter too!  terrypotter: this friendship was meant to be.

You throw off your covers, hopping out of bed. Last night was proof that things could start out horrible and end well. You meant what you said to Terry; you’re happy you were able to meet someone like him. Even though you both only hung out for a few minutes, talking to him felt relaxing and uncomplicated, less of a puzzle and more like a game, unlike how it felt with Minho. You were tired of always guessing Minho’s thoughts, and so Terry’s habit of speaking his mind feels incredibly refreshing.

terrypotter: here’s a thought- coffee @ morningstar?  terrypotter: they make a mean breakfast bagel too, if ur up for it

You frown down at your phone, the lighthearted feeling fading into uncertainty. You are glad that Terry named this new acquaintance as a friendship, but still, he’s a boy— and a good looking one at that, too. You aren’t sure if getting coffee entails something potentially romantic down the lane, and if it does, it feels wrong, especially so soon after Minho. You definitely haven’t moved on, yet. After all, you once believed that Minho would be the man you would marry one day, and a tiny part of you still dreams of what could be.

bobaluvrr: i can’t :( promised my roommates breakfast terrypotter: aw that’s too bad

After a moment of thought, however, you text him again. 

bobaluvrr: but i’ll save you a seat in class today! terrypotter: see u then :) 

Strangely buzzed, you make your bed and get ready for the day, trying not to think of the fact that Minho is also in Writing Seminar with you and Terry. You don’t want him to give him the wrong idea, but then again, you both weren’t together anymore, so what does it matter? 

After showering and getting dressed, you stand in the kitchen so that the excuse you gave Terry won’t be a lie, scrambling a few eggs in the frying pan that Minho bought you last year. As the designated chef in your relationship, Minho used to cook for you all the time, whenever you came over to the apartment he shared with Chan and Jisung. Whenever he visited you, however, he complained that there weren’t enough proper cooking supplies for him to create a “proper culinary experience” for you, so he insisted on buying you some. 

When you nearly fainted, looking at the receipts for everything he bought you, he promised that you could make it up to him by bringing everything with you when you moved in with him. That’s how he very smoothly asked you to move in with him, and you accepted by attacking him with kisses. You both planned to find an apartment as soon as possible, since Jisung wanted to move-in with his best friend, and Chan was looking for his own place. The reminiscing smile on your face fades away when you remember that everyone’s plans came to fruition except for yours and Minho’s.

You don’t know if it’s the universe looping Minho into your life again and again, or if your treacherous heart just misses him so much that you can’t help but subconsciously cling to every last remnant you have of him. The sensible side of you knows it’s the latter scenario. 

“I smell food.” Sunoo ambles out of his room, looking like a lovable yet scruffy teddy bear. 

He tries to sneak a piece of fried egg from the pan, but you quickly push his hands away, wrinkling your nose. “Go brush your teeth first. I’m going to throw up.”

Sunoo rolls his eyes sleepily, but obeys, before Soyeon also comes out of her bedroom. Unlike Sunoo, however, she’s all dressed and ready for business, clad in her uniform of baggy jeans and a badass leather jacket that you adore. Soyeon pulls out three glasses and starts juicing a couple oranges to complete your meal, as you start plating the food.

“Thank you, my angel,” Soyeon blows you a kiss as you set the eggs and some slices of buttered toast on the table. You wink back at her as you both take your seats and Sunoo comes out to join you, still wearing his pajamas.

“And you, lazy ass? Wake up earlier so you can help out more. You never do anything.” Soyeon smacks Sunoo’s arm, hard, eliciting a cry out of him.

“Hey! I take on the emotional support role in this house,” Sunoo replies, aggressively biting into his toast.

“This is an apartment.”

Your two roommates trade their usual insults back and forth as you tune them out, picking at your own plate. Maybe it had been a bad idea, asking Terry to sit next to you. And it wasn’t even about how you could already envision your ex-boyfriend’s beautiful eyes full of betrayal, but more of how you’re coming off to Terry. What if he got the wrong idea, that you both were heading into something more than a friendship?

When you’ve escaped Sunoo and Soyeon’s bickering, you plug in your earbuds and walk to the lecture hall. The sound of your morning mix fills your ears as you enter your own world. While you cherish the people in your life more than anything, you treasure the times when you can slow down and just appreciate the fact that you’re alive and healthy. Gratitude isn’t something you feel a lot, especially taking into account recent happenings, but maybe you’ll start now. A new friend is always something to be thankful for—

You hear someone calling out and immediately pull out your headphones to see Terry next to you. 

“Hey, Y/N!” Terry falls into a synchronized step with you. “Did I interrupt any deep contemplation? The look on your face was pretty intense.”

You shake your head, accepting the coffee that Terry hands to you. “Thank you. And no, you didn’t. It’s nice to see you again, Terry.”

Terry smiles, sipping from his own cup. “Likewise. Ready for class?”

You’re about to naturally give him an affirmative answer, before you halt, remembering yet another moment with Minho.

“Who the hell is he?” Minho glowers threateningly at the guy next to you, pulling the sleeves of his button-down up to his elbows. The man quickly rushes out of the bar and into the rain, without even bothering to open the umbrella in his hands. 

You sigh loudly while Minho sits down on the stool the man was just perched on. “Was that necessary, Min? Poor guy just wanted to ask me about the book I’m reading.”

“That’s the pretense that all guys put up when they’re trying to hit on a girl.” Minho slides his arm around your shoulders, and despite your mild annoyance, you melt into his touch. He smells like a mix of cologne, rain, and fresh cotton sheets.

You look up at Minho through your eyelashes. “Is that what you did when you asked me out?”

Minho smiles lovingly at you. “I didn’t have to. You were down bad for me already.”

You shove him away in mock offense. “You were the down bad one! I remember your whole cheesy speech.”

“I don’t recall anything like that.” The smirk on Minho’s face fades in favor of a deep blush.

Laughing, you press a kiss to your boyfriend’s lips, and he quickly reciprocates. The truth is, you both were impossibly down bad for each other. And to be even more honest, you enjoyed it when Minho got like this; the feeling of being Lee Minho’s girl will never not excite you, especially when he was the one keen on enforcing it.

You sigh to yourself. While that was a pleasant memory without the context, you aren’t so sure it’ll be cute this time, when Minho reacts to you and Terry.

Terry holds the door open to the lecture hall, letting you go in first before shutting the door behind him. Most of the class is already assembled there, setting up their desks before the professor starts. You see that Minho’s also sitting, perched in the back again, but he seems busy rifling through his bag, looking for something. As you take your own seat, you don’t know if you feel relief at Minho not saying anything, or disappointment that he didn’t notice you at all.

Throughout the duration of class, you and Terry giggle together over the professor’s infamous random rants, but your mind keeps flitting over to Minho. You can feel his gaze on you and Terry, but when you turn, you see him immersed in his notes like he wasn’t looking at you in the first place, and you end up feeling stupid. Fearful of what Minho— or really, you— might do, as soon as class ends, you grab Terry’s wrist and practically pull him out of the door, ready to get out of there. Terry doesn’t question it, understanding the rationale for your actions. You appreciate that about him.

To make it up to Terry, you take him out to lunch, choosing a restaurant downtown. You love the views of the riverfront there, as well as their renowned spicy food. You block out the memory of all of the times you and Minho walked over here, hand in hand. You are entitled to lunch at your favorite restaurant, you remind yourself. Once you’re seated, the waiter comes over to your table.

“Chef’s special soup, please. Level-three spice,” you tell the waiter.

The waiter writes down your orders and walks away, leaving Terry to look at you with an amused expression. “Level-three? The food here is already spicy.”

You cross your arms. “I have a very high spice tolerance.”

“Alright.”

In no time at all, your waiter is back, setting down the food in front of you both. Terry immediately digs in, shoveling liberal spoonfuls of his mild fried rice into his mouth, leaving you to stare at your soup. You can practically smell the red pepper in the steam rising out of the bowl.

“Here’s my last warning before destruction,” Terry says, squeezing a lemon onto his rice. “Try some rice.”

You sit up, trying to look self-assured. “Nonsense. I can do this.”

Of course, you wish you hadn’t bragged so much, barely a few seconds after your first sip of the spicy broth. Your eyes start to tear up involuntarily, and Terry fills a glass of water from the iced pitcher and hands it over to you. You accept it, clumsily tipping the cool water into your mouth, as Terry gives you a knowing smile.

“Aren’t you overdoing it?”

The spoon in your hands nearly falls onto the floor in your shock at Terry’s words. “What did you just say?”

Terry gives you an odd look. “Um, I said, ‘aren’t you overdoing it?’”

You take a deep breath, the tears now flowing down your cheeks. But you know that they’re not completely due to the soup. “Wow.”

“Are you okay, Y/N?” Terry hands you a napkin, worry written on his face. He signals for the waiter to refill the water pitcher.

You smile ruefully. “Yeah, I will be.”

“I can handle it, Minho.” You give him a glare, placing the napkin on your lap and scooting closer to the table. It’s your first date with Minho, and you want to impress him so bad.

Minho nudges your leg with his own, and you try not to look flustered. “It’s okay if you want to order something else.”

You stubbornly dig your spoon into the bowl, gathering a large helping of broth and noodles onto it. “You like the soup here. So I want to eat it too.”

He just laughs, watching intently as the clear signs of regret manifest on your face. “Told you so.”

"What are you talking about?” You narrow your eyes, unwilling to admit defeat, even though you really, really want to. You drink the soup in careful spoonfuls, pretending it’s too hot, but you struggle to speak even in between tiny sips. “This… is.. so… delicious.”

Minho is now hysterical, losing his mind laughing at the look on your face when you bite straight into a whole jalapeno. “Aren’t you overdoing it?”

“Minho, you’re so mean!” You can’t bear it any longer, the tears gushing down your cheeks while you also laugh in both pain and genuine happiness at being here with Minho, at making him laugh. 

“Alright, alright.” Minho quickly goes and gets a large glass of chilled apple juice from the bar, handing it to you. 

When you’re finally calmed down, you wipe your mouth with your napkin and set the spoon down, metaphorically waving a white flag. You skip straight to dessert, opting to soothe your taste buds with cold ice cream, all while watching Minho in awe as he easily finishes his own bowl of soup. After paying for dinner, Minho takes you to a secluded section of the rocky beach bordering the river that runs straight through the city. You both walk in a comfortable silence, still at that point where your hands slightly touch as you walk, unsure of just holding each other like you so want them to. 

You look over at Minho, suddenly self-conscious. At this point, you see no point in faking anything; he’s seen you literally sob over a bowl of soup. “About the soup… I promise I’m not a braggy show-off. Honestly, I just wanted to impress you. Guess I did the opposite, though.”

“What are you talking about?” Minho shakes his head, all laughter from before gone. “I’ve never met someone who ate a bowl of soup here just because I like it. Not even Chan would try it, and he’s my best friend.”

You blush, illuminated by the combination of the moonlight and the glittering city surrounding. “Thank you.”

Minho stops walking, turning around to face you. “I know I told you this when I asked you to go out with me, but I suck at using my words, so I’m sorry.”

You copy his movement so you’re looking him directly in the eye. “I understand you, words or not.”

Minho looks down at the rocky ground, secretly fighting his own insecurities. “I’m trying, but I… I admit I’m not great at this.”

You try not to show how utterly charmed you are by his bashfulness. “To be honest, neither am I. You’re actually the first person I’ve ever gone out with. Nobody’s really been into me before.”

“Seriously?” Minho looks shocked. 

You now wonder if divulging that information in him was wise. Definitely not. “Yeah.”

Minho kicks a pebble into the river, watching it sink into the water. “Idiots.”

You blink. “Sorry?”

He scoffs, looking back at you. “I don’t know what kind of idiots you were hanging around before. How could no one be into you?”

You shrug, embarrassed. Your heart feels heavy, thinking of the things people used to say to you, thinking they were being funny but not realizing how much mere words were hurting you. “I’m kind of undateable, I guess. People tend to gravitate towards Soyeon. They say I’m more of the comedic relief. I don’t blame them, though. She’s perfect.”

Minho gives you an unreadable expression. “You have no idea.”

“Of what?”

He crosses that miniscule space between you both, answering you in a different way than you expect. His lips are full and sweet, and he tastes like your coffee ice cream that he stole a few bites from. The surprise you harbor quickly melts away when you shut your eyes, wrapping your arms around his neck as he circles his around your waist. If it took this long to find the right person, then so be it. And you don’t know if you can say that this— your first kiss ever— is like the movies; it feels even better. 

“I may not be good with words, but I can say this: you are perfect.”

“You look kind of stupid,” Hyunjin says, cackling at Minho’s struggle to look over the top of the box in his hands while coordinating his movements. 

Minho gives Hyunjin a sharp look in response. “And you look ready to go into the air fryer.”

Hyunjin immediately tosses his phone aside and scurries over to where Minho is, taking the box out of his hands and transporting it into Minho’s designated bedroom with ease, looking over his shoulder fearfully as he goes. Minho smiles to himself, satisfied. 

He follows Hyunjin into the room, finding the latter boy dramatically smoothing out the bedsheets and straightening the pillows. Hyunjin side-eyes Minho’s entrance, earning him a smack on the backside and a great reason to get out of the room, leaving Minho in peace.

Minho quickly unpacks, neatly folding his clothes and stacking them in the closet, before organizing the rest of his belongings around the room. When he finishes, he falls back onto his new bed, staring up at the ceiling fan and observing it whir. Out of everything that’s happened, he knows he should be thankful; although Hyunjin is the designated comedian of their friend group— along with Jisung, of course— he values his privacy incredibly. So when Hyunjin offered to rent out a room in his apartment to Minho, he couldn’t believe his luck. Then again, he wishes he wasn’t in this position to begin with.

Earlier today, Chan insisted on going out to catch the football game that their university hosted. Minho had agreed, with nothing better to do— besides, he noticed that Chan was also having a rough start to his day, after being locked in the campus library all night with his co-president that he always conflicted with. Chan had stayed quiet for the entire time, staring out the window on the ride to the home game, but at least he had a happy ending. By the end of the game, things had changed for Chan, and for the better: he’d amended things with his co-president, and of everything that could have happened, they even emerged from the stadium as a couple. For Minho, however, things had been quite different.

Namely, there’s a new replacement for Minho. He saw you walk into class with Kang Taehyun yesterday, and he’d been so anxious to not let you see his reaction that he immediately busied himself with his backpack. The entire time, however, he was watching you both whisper to each other during class. He darkly observed Taehyun scribble something onto the corner of your notebook, and it had made you laugh. That was what Minho used to do all the time. By the end of class, Minho considered confronting you right then and there, without caring about anyone else, but you ran out of class with Taehyun before he could even move.

And to make things even worse, he saw you and Taehyun together at the game. Minho had to resist the urge to march down to your section and slap the flirtatious smile off of Taehyun’s face. But more than anything, he wanted to ask you if it was true. Did you really already start to move on with a new man? Is Minho really that replaceable to you?

“Hey, what are you up to?” Hyunjin cautiously sticks his head into the room, snapping Minho out of his reverie.

“Nothing much. What’s up?”

Hyunjin steps into the room, his silky shirt and pressed trousers a stark contrast to Minho’s soft blue t-shirt and gym shorts. “Wanna go to the convenience store with me? I ran out of snacks.”

“You and your snacks,” Minho teases, chasing after Hyunjin when he sticks his tongue in retaliation.

A few minutes later, Hyunjin successfully drags Minho into the convenience store, disappearing into the junk food aisles to get his fix and leaving Minho to wander around the store. Following the twisting row of frozen foodstuffs, Minho turns and crashes straight into you.

“Minho?” Your eyes widen.

Minho clears your throat, trying not to gaze at you like you’re a returned long-lost love. You are indeed lost to him, but he had class with you merely the day before. He needs to get a grip on himself. “You dropped this.”

He kneels down, picking up the tub of ice cream, and hands it to you after inspecting the flavor label. “Strawberry? You hate strawberry.”

You take it back hastily. “Yeah. You always loved it, though.”

That doesn’t satisfy Minho’s rampant irritation. “You wouldn’t even touch strawberry ice cream with a ten-foot pole before. What changed?”

“I just wanted to try something new,” you say, with what Minho observes as guilt.

Before Minho can respond, the person he wants to see the least rounds the corner and interrupts you both. 

“I promise, the strawberry ice cream here is amazing and— oh.” Taehyun walks up to where you are, standing slightly between you and Minho, before he looks down at you, ignoring Minho. “Am I interrupting something? I can go away.”

You shake your head, flaring the rage in Minho. “It’s fine. You can stay.”

“So you’ll eat strawberry ice cream with him, but not me.” Minho rolls his eyes, the humiliation inside him swelling like a balloon.

“Hey man, it’s nothing like that. I know she doesn’t like strawberry ice cream that much, but I practically threatened her to try it. J'adore strawberries,” Taehyun says in a joking tone, but Minho doesn’t miss the protective glint in his eye.

Minho has never been a violent person, but he balls his fists. The nerve. “Who the fuck even are you? You don’t know anything about—”

“What is your problem, Minho?” You cut in angrily. “If you’re mad at me, then be mad at me. Don’t take your frustrations out on Terry.”

What you said is perfectly sensible, Minho knows that. He doesn’t have anything against Taehyun at all; he doesn’t even know the guy. But all logic is thrown out of the window when it comes to you.

“Terry?” Minho scoffs at the nickname. “You know what, I am mad at you. Because seriously? Kang Taehyun? He isn’t even your type.”

Before Taehyun can say anything else, you respond to Minho’s jab, sarcasm dripping from your voice. “Right, because you were so perfect for me.”

The words hit him like a sledgehammer, and Minho starts in surprise— you’ve never talked to him like that before, ever. And neither has he. The regret is evident on your face as you shake your head, frustrated, like that came out wrong.

“I got the snacks!” Hyunjin announces suddenly, waltzing into the aisle, before he notices you standing there with Taehyun. “What’s going on here?”

You and Taehyun stay quiet, adding onto Minho’s misery. He wants you to say something, anything. He doesn’t even want an apology; he knows he absolutely deserved that insult. Still, Minho can’t help that horrible feeling rising inside of him.

“Let’s just go.” Minho turns on his heel and walks out of the store, before waiting to finish the conversation, Hyunjin following closely behind. He doesn’t bother looking back.

Hyunjin doesn’t say anything to Minho, falling silent in the rapidly approaching night. At times like this, Minho prefers to be left alone. But he isn’t, really. Not with the truth leaning over his shoulder, like an angelic superego. He tries not to think of it, however, or the fact that his heart is falling apart so violently in his chest. Although you and Minho are not together anymore, you’ve both now fulfilled a milestone: hurt each other beyond repair.

The convenience store encounter with Minho left you feeling guiltier than ever, even more than when you actually broke up with him. You should have been more understanding towards Minho; after suddenly ending things, you appear out with Terry. Even though you don’t see Terry like that, you are well aware of how it can look to Minho. After all, you’d react similarly if you found out that Minho and Minju are dating. But you hadn’t, because you know that Minho would never do that to you. 

You sigh, shutting the door to your room and collapsing onto your bed. After the whole incident, the air between you and Terry had been pretty awkward. While you still don’t know much about Terry, including his intentions, the topic of a romance had never been broached until Minho did it for you. He’d walked you back to your apartment, before wishing you a goodnight. 

Your phone sounds with a text, and you pick it up, curling into your pillow. It’s Terry.

terrypotter: just checking up on you terrypotter: how are you doing? bobaluvrr: better, thanks for asking terrypotter: glad to hear  terrypotter: and i also want to say that i’m sorry for any role i might have played in what happened today bobaluvrr: you’re good, terry. it wasn’t about you. i’m sorry for bringing you in

There is truth to this. No matter how much it feels like third parties have an avenue in furthering the split between you and Minho, the problem has always been internal. It’s truly between you both, hence, you’re not a couple anymore.

bobaluvrr: let’s change the subject? terrypotter: ofc terrypotter: wanna play would you rather?

You laugh in spite of yourself. It feels good to laugh, to distract yourself, but Minho stays like a stubborn mirage in your mind. Nevertheless—

bobaluvrr: game on. terrypotter: beaches or mountains? bobaluvrr: beaches terrypotter: sweet or salty? bobaluvrr: are u kidding? my username? boba?? terrypotter: LOL sweet then bobaluvrr: yes. terrypotter: spring or autumn? bobaluvrr: spring, duh terrypotter: and lastly, dogs or cats? bobaluvrr: DOGS terrypotter: u are 100% correct terrypotter: all of our answers are the exact same LMFAO

You think back to your first date with Minho. Before the whole soup fiasco, the atmosphere had been so awkward while waiting for the soup to arrive. This was months of tension and pining between you both, and now that the apex had arrived, neither of you were sure of what to say. Without thinking, Minho broke the silence by randomly asking you if you liked dogs or cats better. You were automatically enchanted by the bashful look on his face. From there on, for every single question he asked you, both of you had the exact opposite answers. For the longest time, your differences had felt charming, before they weren’t. 

Terry, on the other hand, shares so many similarities with you, beyond the strawberry ice cream betrayal. Both of you are outgoing, have a similar sense of humor, and like to be unabashedly yourselves. If a romance did ever blossom between you and Terry, if your friendship lasts your current heartbreak, you could be happy with him, maybe. You would never be insecure, worrying about what’s going on in his mind, because he would talk to you directly. You appreciate that so much about him. But whenever you look into his eyes, or whenever your hand accidentally brushes his, you don’t feel that electricity that had always coursed through you when you were with Minho. You’ve been searching for it everywhere since, but that spark just isn’t there; Taehyun’s just not Minho. Your heart calls out to Minho, no matter how much you wish it wouldn’t, and you can’t deny it any longer.

If there’s one thing that Minho has learned in the duration of his college years, it’s that work has no tolerance for those special ailments of the heart. His professors don’t give a crap about the fact that his girlfriend dumped him, or that his girlfriend has now apparently moved on with some pink-haired stud. No matter how much he wants to slam his laptop screen down and fall asleep to the rhythm of his shattered heart, he knows he can’t. His term paper will not write itself, and it matters, especially since he’ll be graduating this year.

“What will you do when we graduate?” You set down your iPad, flexing your fingers.

“A job at a good company. And then one day, my own business.” That familiar, dreamy look mists Minho’s eyes. 

You smile at him. “My handsome CEO.”

Minho tapped your nose with his finger, following it with a soft kiss there. “You are so cute.”

“I know.” You peek down at his notebook that’s full of graphs and lengthy strings of numbers. “This looks complicated.”

“Welcome to the life of a business and economics double major,” Minho laughs. “But you’re literally a pre-med student. I’m not going to complain when you have to memorize human anatomy and random proteins.”

“Don’t remind me.” You dramatically shudder, giggling at Minho. “But I don’t care, as long as one day, you’re CEO Lee, and I’m Dr. Lee.”

Your words shock both you and Minho, invoking a moment of charged silence. You both have never talked about getting married before. But before you can backtrack, a slow smile spreads across Minho’s face. “Dr. Lee… has a ring to it, don’t you think?”

You turn a bright red, but lean into Minho, kissing him sweetly on the lips. “Definitely.”

Minho clears his throat and shakes yet another memory of you away, trying to concentrate on the email open in front of him. Just minutes ago, he’d received notice that he’d been chosen for a position at Google, following graduation. Fucking Google. Every business major would kill for a job at Google. And not only that, but his employer noted in the message that they usually don’t even extend offers this early in the year, but made an exception for him because they wanted him so much. 

For a moment, he forgot all about the angst of the previous day, giddily jumping off his bed in a rare display of emotion, even if nobody else was around. And then he reached for his phone, opening up your contact and preparing to type in a text to you; for months, you knew Minho was anxious about his application to Google. But then he remembers himself; he’s now someone in your past.

Minho swallows roughly, staring at the blank space where his response accepting the offer should be. A moment later, he decides he’ll respond to the email later. But he doesn’t even have any time to chide himself before he notices someone standing in front of him. 

“Minju?” 

She looks down at him, either oblivious to his confusion or choosing to ignore it. “Hey. Am I interrupting something?”

Minho nods, waiting for Minju to sit down and get settled into her chair, trying not to let his bewilderment show.

At Jihyo’s party, he had needed some air after that stupid game of Truth or Dare, and even worse, your reaction to the question asked of him. Minho had escaped to the balcony, hoping for a moment alone, when Minju approached him. When she launched into a conversation with him about school, Minho realized that you probably never told Minju about the break-up. So he excused himself as politely as he could, explaining that you and him both broke up. He never really considered Minju as his own friend, and did not expect Minju to pursue a relationship with him any further.

“I’ll get straight to the point, Minho.” Minju exhales, looking him directly in the eye. “I like you.”

Minho sits up immediately, shocked. “What did you just say?”

Minju purses her lips. “I like you, and I always have. Go out with me.”

Minho shakes his head in disbelief, the confusion fading into anger. “You’re Y/N’s friend. How could you do this to her? How can you even look at yourself?”

“You’re not together anymore, it doesn’t matter,” Minju says, her voice wavering.

He scoffs, packing up his belongings and shoving them carelessly into his bag. “Don’t talk to me again.”

Minju grabs the sleeve of Minho’s jacket as he turns to leave, desperation in her eyes. “Be with me instead. I’ll make you forget her.”

Minho shakes her free, giving her a look of both pity and disgust. “I still love her, and I always will.”

And with that, Minho leaves without looking back, walking slowly and deliberately in thought. Was this what you meant when you told him that you weren’t sure if you were the only one? Was Minju the reason for the love of his life leaving him? A strange mix of both fury and hope washes over Minho as he exits the library and breaks into a run, barely eight out of his eight-thousand word essay written.

After you broke up with Minho, you forgot one very crucial detail: you didn’t unlink him from your Google calendar. One of the few things you both share in common is your organization, and when you were together, you both loved to plan things together and very ceremoniously add them to your shared online calendar. It became a game, trying to guess where the other was at random times, judging by their schedule. More often than not, the calendar proved to be a very useful tool in pinpointing each other’s locations. It’s why the brief surprise of seeing Minho standing outside your apartment door in the middle of the day on a weekday fades away quickly. You don’t have any classes scheduled today.

“Y/N,” he pants, leaning against the doorframe. 

“Minho. What are you doing here?” You cross your arms, resisting the urge to rush forward and hug him in all of his puffer coat glory. You used to make fun of him for that coat, all the time.

“I needed to see you. Minju told me,” Minho lowers his eyes, as if he’s nervous. “I need you to know that there was nothing going on with her. You have always been my only one. I promise. No one else. I miss you.”

Your heart wrenches in desire and nostalgia at the sincerity of his eyes. Of course you knew that he never cheated on you; this is Minho. But that’s not the reason why you have to remind yourself, once more, that you aren’t right for each other. Not in the long run. “I miss you too. And I know you didn’t cheat on me.”

Minho’s eyes fill with what you recognize as a mix of despair and tears, because after all, you’ve felt it in you too, before. “Then why? Why end it?”

“I feel like you don’t love me as much as I love you.”

The wheels turning inside of Minho’s mind and searching for possible reasons, immediately crash to a stop. “What?”

You shrug, drawing back your hands to tuck them into your lap, a habit that Minho has observed whenever you are nervous. “Remember when we were at that picnic with all of your friends? And Jisung and his girlfriend were also there? We were playing a question game.”

Minho nods slowly, still confused. “I do.”

“Felix had asked all the guys to think of why they love their girlfriends.” You look down at your hands, embarrassed. “Changbin had a whole list of reasons. But when it was your turn to speak, you had no answer.”

The recollection comes back to Minho like a tsunami. He hadn’t really ever thought much of that day; he always had trouble talking about personal things in front of other people, and he thought you already knew why he loved you. He didn’t know his inability to share something like that could hurt you so much, especially when he can write a whole book of reasons for why he loves you. Your smile. Your endless generosity. Your never ending patience for Minho’s antics. The way you always see the best in people, and how you light up the whole room when you walk in.

“Baby,” Minho starts, before realizing that he doesn’t have the right to call you that anymore. Reluctantly, he continues, using your name instead. “Y/N, I have trouble talking in front of other people. I love you so much, and if you know that, it’s all that really matters. A stupid game doesn’t change that.”

You laugh, but there’s no humor in it. “But see, Minho, I don’t know. I don’t know how you’re feeling half the time. Felix’s question was just the icing on the cake. I’m exhausted from wondering. Wondering if you love me. Wondering if I really know you. Just wondering all the time. I shouldn’t feel that way.”

I’ll try harder to be more open. I’ll work on myself. I just— please believe me.”

“I do believe that you’ll try, Min. It’s who you are. But I can’t force you to be someone you’re not, and you can’t force me to want different things. We’ll only end up hurting each other more.” Your eyes fill with tears. “It hurts to love you.”

Minho flinches at your words, and he sees the sorrow in your eyes, but you say nothing to soothe the burn. Nevertheless, he keeps trying, as if he didn’t notice the determination written in your gaze as well. “I know I was senseless. But please— I’m begging you. Don’t do this. Don’t leave, not again.”

You look away from him, a single tear sliding down your cheek, as Minho tries to hold back his own. The whole scene feels disturbingly like a few days ago, when you broke up with him in Morningstar. He had hoped it wouldn’t come to this. 

“I tried to understand you. I did. But don’t you think that being senseless about everything that was going on also means that you were that indifferent towards me?” You scrub at your face to keep from crying even more.

Minho cringes, hearing the truth in your words. Once upon a time, he cherished the silence you both could share comfortably, working independently in the happy company of each other. Now the quiet hangs in the air like smog, a heavy uneasiness that he never imagined around you. “I really thought I could change. I swear.”

You nod, a brisk movement that doesn’t match the tears glistening on your face. “You should go now. Please.”

And you turn your head, as if you can’t bear to watch him any longer. Minho turns, his head hanging down like he’s a sinner. A small, ugly voice in Minho whispers that he truly is one, for hurting you and letting you go. It implores him to fall at your feet and stay, insisting, breaking at you until you crumble into his arms, taking him back. But the part of him that carries the resolve is stronger by a thread, the one that fuels his despondent retreat from your heart.

Later, holed away in the place he would now have to call his home, Minho is left alone in the bed that he’d once believed to belong to you as much as it did to him. The nights cuddled together and the mornings after, when you woke up to each other in a halo of sunlight, all fade away into the prickling solitude that now constitutes his new reality. There is nothing left for him to do now, except looking out at the sky through his tiny bedroom window, wondering if you were both gazing at the same moon in the separate worlds you both now are in. He’d left you one last message before promising himself that he’d never text you again, and thankfully, you never responded. He didn’t think you would.

catservant98: I’ll always love you.

“The festival will end by the time we get there.” Jeongin lets out an exaggerated sigh, making a show of checking the watch on his wrist.

“Shut up. I need to lock this place up properly or my parents will kill me,” Seungmin mutters grumpily, as he carefully turns the key in the lock to Morningstar, taking his time. “It’s not my fault that I’m the owner’s son.”

Jeongin, donned in a Harley Quinn outfit, bounces on his toes in uncontained anticipation. “Hurry up!”

Seungmin tugs at the lock for good measure, before turning and swatting at Jeongin, who yelps and jumps out of the way. His detective hat, which he wore as a part of his Sherlock Holmes costume, falls off, and Jeongin grabs it. Usually, Minho would have laughed at the way Seungmin has started to chase Jeongin around, but he just glumly stares down at his sneakers, having no energy to join in. 

“You okay?” Chan notices Minho’s downcast gaze, slinging his arm around his shoulders. “You don’t have to come if you don’t want to.”

Minho shrugs with one shoulder, out of options. “I’m fine. I have nothing else to do anyway.”

Today is Halloween, your favorite holiday of the entire year. It seems especially cruel to him, to have to confront this day without you by his side. It was never much of his scene, and he’d always been reluctant to dress up, but one look from your pleading eyes and he’d fold, decking himself in a cheesy costume and feeding you all the candy you desired. The night would always end in you both binging horror movies together because you were too scared to watch alone. The memory of Minho getting distracted, just watching you hide behind your hands the entire time, used to bring a fond smile to his face. Today, it makes him want to smash something into bits.

“Let me know if you want to leave the festival early, though. Changbin can drive you home later.” Chan juts his chin out at Jeongin and Seungmin, who are now smacking at each other, while Changbin responsibly tries to pull them apart. “I have to make sure those two idiots don’t get in trouble.”

“Thanks. But you don’t have to worry about me.” Minho gives Chan a half-hearted smile. Chan looks hesitant, like he wants to keep talking with him, but he nods, focusing on the moonlit path in front of them. 

The roar of the annual Halloween festival that the university throws resonates throughout campus, drawing stressed students ready to throw aside their homework and party. But Minho is in anything but a celebratory mood; the last few weeks have been absolute agony. Ever since things fell apart. He just wants to go home and curl up into a ball under his covers, ready for this stupid night to be over. He didn’t even bother with a costume, choosing to stuff himself into his hoodie and make himself seem as small as possible. But he’s too tired to tell anyone, so he opts to stay quiet and gloomy on his own.

The gravel of the walkway crunches under their little group’s shoes, barely heard over the deafening sound of “Thriller” blasting on the DJ’s stereo. The entire main lawn of campus has been converted into a party space, crammed with different tents full of attractions, games, and souvenirs for students to indulge themselves in. There’s even a converted frat house that’s now a haunted house, as well as tables of snacks and lightsticks for people to wave around. Jeongin, Seungmin, and Changbin immediately zero in on the haunted house, running off to get tickets for it, leaving Minho and Chan alone. Two boys swaying together at the edge of the dance floor catch Minho’s eyes. He looks closer and notices that they both are dressed in an obvious couples costume, and it makes him think of you again— last year, he was Chucky and you were Tiffany Valentine, and you both won “Best Look” together, at the festival’s costume contest. Minho feels sick to his stomach.

“Oh my god, she’s stunning.” Chan’s eyes are wide, and Minho follows his gaze to a very pretty girl dressed in a white gown that seemed to float above her knees, two trailing pieces of fabric sticking out daintily from the back of her dress. An angel. 

She approaches him with a shy smile on her face, as she not-so-subtly checks out Chan’s own dracula costume. “You look good.”

“I— you’re pretty,” Chan stutters, and they both blush. 

Seriously?

“Thanks, Chris.”

Chan smiles lovingly at her. “You don’t have to call me Chris, you know. My friends call me Chan.”

“Chan,” the girl tests with a beam, before quirking her brow at him. “So I’m just a friend now? Not your girlfriend?”

“You drive me crazy, you know that?” 

And then they both start kissing right then and there, which doesn’t seem to faze anyone else around them, considering the fact that they are surrounded by other couples. Minho, however, has to look away, his stomach turning. Is this how everyone else felt when he used to kiss you, whenever and wherever he wanted? 

“Hey guys, I’m going to go find a place to sit,” Minho calls out to Chan, who barely notices in the midst of his make-out session. “You know what? Never mind.”

Cringing to himself, Minho makes his way over to the food tables, dodging at least five witches, seven ghouls, and six zombies on his way. He collapses onto the bench of an empty table with a groan, letting his head rest on the table before lifting it up like he’s been stung; the thump of the DJ’s bass seems to vibrate through the wooden tabletop, worsening his already horrible headache. What was he thinking, coming here?

“You seem to be enjoying yourself.”

Minho looks up, ready to lash out at the intruder, before he notices it’s Hyunjin. He is so out of it that he hadn’t even recognized his voice. “I thought you were staying home and painting tonight?”

“Thought about it, but I kept getting distracted by all of the noise outside, and thought I’d take a snack break.” Hyunjin plops down on the seat across from him, setting a plate loaded with brownies, potato chips, and cookies cut into pumpkin shapes. He’s dressed in plaid pajama pants and a baggy sweatshirt to fight the October chill, the only one besides Minho who hasn’t dressed up. “Want some?”

Minho shakes his head, watching Hyunjin dig in. “Can I ask you a question?”

Hyunjin nods, his cheeks stuffed with food. “Sure.”

“Don’t you ever get lonely?” Minho fiddles with the strings of his hoodie, feeling his face heat up. He was never one for sentiments like this, but even though he and Hyunjin have more of a seemingly lighthearted relationship, they’re more alike than they think in how deeply they care about each other. “I mean, you’ve never even had a serious relationship before, but you’re like the most hopeless romantic I’ve ever met. How does that even work?”

Hyunjin looks surprised, at first, but quickly smooths it away in understanding. “I do get lonely sometimes. But I just occupy myself with the things I love. Painting, reading. Just because I’m a hopeless romantic doesn’t mean I can’t be realistic. And I have been in a serious relationship before, remember?”

Minho frowns. “Oh. Right. What happened?”

He notices Hyunjin’s eyes flicker with something— grief, maybe. But the emotion is quickly replaced with indifference. Hyunjin shrugs. “Let’s just say it didn’t work out. I love a good romance novel, but is it real life? No. I don’t do relationships. Not anymore.”

Minho stays quiet, unknowing of what to say. He never thought of himself as a huge relationship person either, but then again, that was before he met you. You changed his perspective on a lot of things, and most of the time, he thought it was for the better. Now, he feels empty, alone. He wants to match costumes with someone, and go bobbing for apples together. And he wants that someone to be you, only you.

Hyunjin must have noticed Minho’s melancholic contemplation, because he gives him a sympathetic look. “Is this about Y/N?”

Minho’s chest tightens at the mention of your name. “I don’t know, honestly. I just want to go home.”

“Same. I just came for the free food.” Hyunjin chews on a brownie, before swallowing. “Let’s go after I finish eating.”

Minho hums in response, pulling his hood over his head, as the rest of their group comes to join the table. Chan and his girlfriend, unsurprisingly, are discussing plans about some upcoming event for the Student Council. Jeongin and Seungmin, on the other hand, are immersed in a gleeful recollection about the haunted house with Changbin, who is dressed up as Woody from Toy Story. Everyone seems to have a role except him.

“That was actually wild,” Jeongin says. “If Jisung was with us, he would have fainted when he saw the chainsaw guy!”

Seungmin shudders, while Changbin glances around their table. “Hey, where is Jisung, anyway? And Felix?”

Chan breaks away from his own conversation as his girlfriend pauses to eat her slice of cake. “He’s handing out candy to kids at home. Meanwhile, Felix is Trick-or-Treating.”

Jeongin snickers. “Trick-or-Treating? What is he, ten?”

Seungmin grins evilly at Changbin. “At least he doesn’t have the height of a ten year old.”

Changbin rolls his eyes, but chooses to ignore Seungmin and Jeongin’s high-five at his expense, instead turning to Hyunjin. “Can I have a cookie? There are no more left.”

Hyunjin gives him a judgemental glare, but passes a cookie over anyway. “Where’s your girlfriend, by the way?”

Changbin stuffs half of the entire cookie into his mouth, licking the frosting on his lip. “She has work. But we’re going to meet up later tonight and watch movies. Wanna come?”

Hyunjin shakes his head. “I’m good. Minho and I are headed home soon anyway. Right, Minho?”

But Minho isn’t paying attention. His gaze is locked on none other than you and Taehyun, dressed in Hogwarts robes— you in Gryffindor, and Taehyun in Slytherin. He’s seen multiple people tonight sporting similar getups, and so both of you wearing Hogwarts robes doesn’t exactly entail a couples costume, but it makes his heart clench either way. Both of you are standing near the apple bobbing station, laughing and talking animatedly together. It hurts to see you enjoying yourself, while Minho has to struggle to keep himself together, to keep from breaking down on the spot. It hurts that he’s not the one matching with you right now, the one to be making you laugh, holding you on one of your favorite days of the year.

He watches as you and Taehyun walk closer to the haunted house. Your smile has now faded into an unsure expression, skeptical and tinged with fear. Taehyun puts his arm around your shoulders, evidently trying to assure you, before he leads you inside the house. Minho immediately springs up from the bench, fists balled up at his sides. You love everything about Halloween, except for one thing. You hate being in the dark, and so you had always avoided the haunted houses at every Halloween festival or any other event that you and Minho went to. Obviously, Taehyun doesn’t have a clue about your boundaries, and as always, you’re too kind to point them out.

Ignoring Hyunjin’s confused protests, Minho stalks after you and Taehyun, even though he knows that he should sit right back down. He told himself that he’d stay away from you if you didn’t want him, but if he even gets the slight sense that you are afraid, he’ll throw all reason out the window. He won’t let you go inside, not without him.

“Excuse me— you can’t go in right now. The haunted house is at full capacity.” The ticket collector stops Minho even though he shows her the ticket that Jeongin had passed out to everyone before. “Just wait for a few minutes for someone to come out.”

But he can’t. Not if you’re already inside. Minho steps back for a moment, and the collector glances back down at her phone. Before the collector can react, he rushes past her, running inside. She calls after him angrily, but he barely hears her. All he can register is the racing beat of his heart, and the faint screams deeper inside, wondering if one of them could be you. 

He whips past the ax-wielding maniacs and the corpse brides in tattered dresses, pushing past their horrible acting and all of the other props in his way to you. Minho feels his hoodie snagged against a cloud of fake cobwebs, and the fake blood on the walls is enough to make him gag, but he goes on. A desperate search in nearly every nook and corner yields nothing, and Minho curses the haphazard quality of the setup, nearly tripping over a loose wire. As he passes through a room decorated like a murderous hospital room, he hears a small whimper from behind the fake operating table. 

His senses perk up and there you are, sitting down with your knees drawn to your chest. With how his eyes have now adjusted to the dark, he can faintly make out your crouched body and the shine of your flowing tears. Immediately, he gets onto his knees, and envelopes you with his arms, firmly pulling you against his chest.

“Y/N, it’s me,” he murmurs, the scent of your coconut shampoo blocking out the stench of ammonia.

“Terry and I got chased by one of the ghosts and then got separated,” you mumble as you cry, shivering in his arms as he begins to rock you slowly. “I’m so scared, Minho.”

Minho looks at the tears still leaking down the sides of your face, and has to restrain himself from the instinct to kiss them away. Instead, he puts a steady hand to your skin, gently wiping them away. In this moment, you aren’t broken up. He isn’t your ex-boyfriend, and you aren’t his ex-girlfriend. You are the girl he loves, and him the very soul that has so vehemently devoted himself to even at such a ripe age, an inspiration and a shame to the vengeful spirits that govern your favorite holiday.

“I’m here now. I’m not going to leave you.” Minho gazes down at you. “Are you still frightened?”

You shake your head no, wide eyes clinging to his comforting presence. Minho gives you a small smile, rubbing your jaw softly with his thumb, a movement that doesn’t feel as inherently romantic as it generally would be. “See? You’re not afraid of the dark. You’re just scared of being alone in it. And that goes away when you realize something. You’re never really alone.” 

Both of you just gaze at each other in the dark for a few minutes, saying both nothing and yet everything to each other. He carefully rests his palm against your heart, gaging the beat until it slows down to its usual calm. Wordlessly, he helps you onto your feet, his arms still wrapped around you as you both navigate the maze of the haunted house. You don’t encounter any other of the actors, but at one point, you jump in Minho’s hold, spooked by the amplified horror sound when passing by a speaker. Steadily, you both make your way out together.

The first thing Minho sees as he steps out of the exit is the array of blinding lights that shine on his face, in addition to the glow of the raging bonfire that has now been set up for students to roast marshmallows. Then he catches that shock of pink hair in the small crowd gathered outside of the haunted house; Taehyun, distress written all over his features as he speaks to the security guards.

You and Minho, however, stay frozen on the spot, just staring at each other with a fresh uncertainty. Realizing himself, Minho lets go of you. Contrary to how you felt, Minho could always read you like a book. He practically memorized all of your expressions, able to tell how you were feeling in an instant. But the indecipherable look you give him is baffling, but before you can open your mouth and say something, Taehyun notices your arrival.

“Y/N!” Taehyun immediately rushes over, his breathing labored from sprinting the distance to you. “I’m so, so sorry; I lost you and tried to come back inside to find you, but they wouldn’t let me!”

Minho steps to the side awkwardly as Taehyun hugs you tightly, squeezing his eyes shut. Your tears are long gone, and you pat his back softly, giving him the comfort of your safety. “I’m alright, Terry. It’s all good.”

Taehyun pulls back to look at you, before turning to Minho, surprise and confusion on his features as if just registering Minho’s presence. You clear your throat, placing a hand on Taehyun’s arm. “Hey, could you give us a minute?”

“Sure. Of course,” Terry says, the stress on his face softening as he looks down at you. Minho recognizes it— it’s how he always imagined himself to look whenever he saw you.

You turn back to Minho as Terry walks away to a food stand, presumably to get you a warm drink. “Minho, I—”

“I’m glad you’re okay,” Minho interrupts, unable to bear any more. He chokes back a sob, his eyes trained on your pained expression. “I need to go.”

“Minho, wait!” You grab his arm, and it places you both in the uncomfortable déjà vu of when everything ended. 

He looks back at you, swallowing his dread and pushing away the angsty alert of his brain, the command to let everything go and just take you back, then and there. But he wouldn’t be the man you had always loved, then. Not if he takes advantage of you when you’re like this, vulnerable and exhausted. Not when there’s a perfectly good man standing at a distance, hesitantly holding a cup of hot chocolate for you. Not when he knows that he’s lost his chance of ever getting you back from the moment he gave up on you both. Minho realizes that he doesn’t have the right to call you his anymore, when you’ve finally found a man who prioritizes you over his pride and his insecurities— a man who will treat you right, and will never make you wonder if you’re his only one. All he’s ever wanted is for you to be happy. That has to be enough for him. It will be.

Minho leans down before you can protest, kissing you on your forehead softly. You stay silent, looking up at him with those wide, inquisitive eyes, the very ones he fell in love with. “Stay smiling, always.”

And with that, Minho finally walks away, willing himself not to cry as he tries not to think of his heart breaking.

You watch Minho, dazed, as he walks away for the second and last time. It feels worse, somehow, than when he left your apartment, weeks ago. Minho had spoken to you so gently, inside the haunted house, calming you down in spite of the fact that you had so cruelly broken up with him, and then he proceeded to wish you his best, before leaving. You didn’t miss that note of finality in his voice, the one that told you that he wasn’t going to go back on his word. He had let you go.

You barely notice Terry approaching you, placing a warm hand on your shoulder. “Is everything okay?”

He hands you a cup of hot chocolate, as you stare at Minho’s retreating back before it finally disappears within the crowd of partygoers. “Everything’s fine. Thanks for this, Terry.”

Terry blinks at you, slightly unfocused. “Yeah of course. But… can I ask you something?”

You nod, sipping the hot chocolate. It’s so warm and sweet, and it feels wrong to be drinking it. It feels like you don’t deserve it. 

He hesitates for a moment, before speaking up. “What happened in there? In the haunted house?”

You bite your lip, still distracted by the thought of Minho; Terry’s question doesn’t pull at you as much as it probably should. “He just found me and helped me back. That’s all.”

Terry looks like he wants to say something else, but he doesn’t, and you don’t question it. The rest of the night is clouded by an awkward rut that has originated from nowhere at all, one that you never guessed you’d experience with Terry. He walks you back to your apartment early, and waits next to you as you fumble with your keys. 

“Good night, Y/N,” he says softly, as you finally wrestle your door open. 

“Thanks,” you whisper back, too drained of energy to make one of the usual jokes traded when you both say goodbye. He tips his head at you like he always does, albeit in a less jaunty way, and steps into the apartment elevator at the end of the hall, flashing you one last little wave before the doors close. 

You turn back to your apartment, walking inside and locking the door behind you once again. This time, you don’t go straight to your bedroom and drop onto your bed, like you always do after a horrible day. Instead, you stalk over to the kitchen, which is illuminated by a single, flickering lightbulb. You tug open the freezer, fishing out a box from your emergency stash of ice cream, the one thing bound to be on stock at all times. When you went grocery shopping some time ago, you didn’t think that a crisis would hit so soon. 

Cracking open the lid of the chocolate ice cream, you take your scooper and place a bowl on the counter. After a second thought, you take out your blender as well, and scrape the ice cream into there instead, throwing in some milk and peanut butter as well. Tonight is a milkshake kind of night, you think, the kind that necessitates butterscotch chips and whipped cream as well, you note, opening the cupboard to get said ingredients. When you finish blending, you pour your icy salvation into a large tumbler and collapse onto the living room couch. You turn on the television, blankly staring at the screen while barely registering the dialogue playing. 

“That’s not a milkshake— that’s diabetes in a glass.” 

“Don’t knock it ‘till you’ve tried it.” You shoot Minho a pointed look as you chug down your shake, savoring the sound of Minho’s laughter even more than a hefty peanut butter and chocolate combo. 

It isn’t until you taste saltiness instead of the sweet milkshake that you realize you’re crying. 

callmeterry: can we meet? bobaluvrr: yes. see u @ morningstar

You stare into the bathroom mirror, checking your face one last time, inspecting it for bloodshot eyes and dry skin, the telltale signs of the tears that have now become a habit over the past few days. Ever since Halloween, things haven’t been the same since you and Terry. Although a fairly new friendship, you both spent a significant amount of time together after meeting at Jihyo’s birthday party. However, you haven’t seen each other at all outside of Writing Seminar nowadays— probably because during class, you’re too busy staring at Minho, who won’t even spare you a single glance. You’re determined to at least save your friendship with Terry, which is why you are so quick to agree to meet him.

“Catch you two later,” you call out to Sunoo and Soyeon, who both are slumped on the couch, watching One Piece over boxes of takeout butter chicken. 

The journey to Morningstar doesn’t take long, especially since the vastly approaching night has gotten you nearly jogging, regardless of how safe your college campus is. Although it’s been nearly a month and a half, you still can’t get used to not having the security and comfort of your boyfriend. Serves you right, you think.

You enter through the glass doorway of Morningstar, the door chime ringing and announcing your entrance to Terry. He stands up from the table he’s sitting at, walking over to you with the  genuine smile that you were fearful of not being able to see again. Terry looks heartbreakingly handsome, dressed in a long brown coat and wool scarf, an ode to the plaid shirt days and hot chocolate nights that you know you could have with him.

“Hi,” he says, pausing his gait when he’s a few feet away from you. Tentative, but still Terry. The bouquet of assorted flowers in his hands, however, isn’t. 

You can literally feel your face fall, as you stare at the certainly expensive arranged red roses and lilies. “I—”

“Don’t.” Terry’s smile doesn’t fade, but the slight sheen of moisture to his eyes is new. “ I know. I’d rather not hear you say it. Please.”

You’re speechless as he hands you the flowers, the refreshingly floral scent wafting up and screaming at you to wake up. You had a feeling, you knew how Terry felt about you. But you didn’t think he’d act on those feelings so soon.

“You know, I’ve been in love with you since August. You walked into the very first day of class late, wearing this gorgeous pink dress— and God, I was so whipped. I even dyed my hair the same color.” Terry laughs lightly, but you can see the heaviness in his eyes, the same thing that you feel in your chest. “I didn’t approach you, though, because I saw the way you were looking at Minho.”

You shake your head, still in disbelief. “Terry…”

“And then you walked into the kitchen at that party; it felt like a sign. But that can’t have been true, because the way you looked at him didn’t change. It never will.” He stops for a moment, taking in a shaky breath. “When you both broke up, I ignored my heart telling me not to dig myself deeper into this, to leave you alone. But I couldn’t, Y/N, because I thought that the risk would be worth it. And it was, you know. You are worth it.”

“I’m sorry,” you whisper, at a loss for words. You don’t know what else to say, whether it’s a reaction to how your friend is pouring out his heart to you, or the fact that he’s always known that you’d never be his.

The smile on Terry’s face is now a sharp contrast to the strings of tears that mar it. “Don’t be. It’s Minho. It’s always been Minho for you.” 

He turns, but you rush forward and block him. You can’t lose someone else. Not again. “Terry, wait! Can’t we be friends?” 

“Of course we can be. I’d rather have you as a friend than not in my life at all. I’ll move on, eventually. But you have to go fix things with him now.” He flashes you another one of his signature beams. It doesn’t have the same joyful effect on you as it usually does, now that it’s tainted with sadness. “I’ll see you next class. Hold onto him, okay?”

Terry leaves, and you stare after him at the door, dumbfounded, haunting the entryway of the coffee shop nearing closing hours. You never saw this confrontation coming, not today. And you didn’t want it to happen any time soon, not like this. But no matter how much you want to deny Terry’s words, you know they are the truth. You know what you have to do. Because love works in strange ways, you realize, and now yours needs to be made right.

“We shouldn’t be here.” You say, shaking your head. “It’s dangerous.”

Minho just stares at you, his eyebrow skeptically quirked in a way that shouldn’t be as attractive as it is. “It’s literally just a bridge.”

You glare at him, before looking out at the arched walkway that connects the wooded expanse of the university library to the rest of campus. According to university lore, any pair of lovers that walks over Forsaken Bridge together is doomed to suffer an untimely separation; hence, its ominous name. And you would rather look stupid for believing in superstition rather than risk losing Minho. 

“It can’t be.” You cross your arms stubbornly. “I know so many couples that came here, and they ended up breaking up.”

Minho says nothing for a moment, just pondering your words, and you think he’s about to step back, allowing you to cross the bridge first, before following on his own. But then he grabs your hand, pulling you towards the bridge.

Your immediate reaction is to let out a small scream that cuts through the quiet night, and it’s quickly muffled by Minho’s hand gently closing over your mouth. “Trust me on this. Nothing bad will happen.”

You really want to remind Minho of what happened to Hyunjin and his girlfriend— well, ex-girlfriend— but you let him lead you towards your dreaded destination. Because you do trust him, more than anything. 

The balmy summer night sticks to your skin, a feeling that will soon give away to the crisp bite of autumn. You’ve already moved back onto campus to get a headstart on the teaching assistant position for your biology professor, but for the first time ever, you don’t feel sad or apprehensive at the thought of going back to college again. This was the gap in time that you once despised because it signaled the unfortunate trudge of school life: textbooks, homework, and stress. But nowadays, you think it to be a reminder of something better: Minho, Minho, and Minho.

Your boyfriend takes an easy step onto the bridge, his hand tightly clasped in yours. You trail after him more cautiously, hiding behind his broad frame like the bridge will come alive and attack you. “You better not ever break up with me, Lee Minho.”

He turns back to look at you as you both near the center of the supposedly cursed bridge, his lips pressed together in a way that suggests concealed laughter; knowing him, it probably is. “Never. Now close your eyes.”

With a grumpy sigh, you oblige him, shutting your eyes. “For what, Minho?”

“I need to tell you something.” His voice is soft, almost vulnerable. It’s a new color to him, compared to how assured and confident he always seems to be.

You crack open one eye, looking at him curiously. “What is it?”

He frowns, letting go of your hand. “No peeking!”

“Okayy.”

Minho takes a deep breath, right before he turns your world upside down. “I love you.”

Your eyes fly open, and Minho doesn’t complain this time, only gazing at you nervously, clutching his right arm with his left hand like he’s a little kid again. “What did you just say?”

Regardless of his uncertain body language, he looks you directly in the eye. “I love you, Y/N. And I know it’s too soon to say it, but it’s true. I love you, and you don’t have to tell me back, but—”

“I love you too,” you blurt out, and you both just stare at each other for a moment, in mutual shyness and surprise. You can’t believe how good it feels to finally say the words that were hanging off the tip of your tongue for the past few months since you started dating.

Minho’s beautiful face breaks out into a dazzling smile as he steps closer to you. “Then let’s make our own story for this bridge. Two people crossing the bridge together will be lifelong friends. And if they kiss, lifelong lovers.”

Your poor, racing heart can’t take anymore of this; what a man that you have found. “Kiss me, then.” 

Minho gives you a tender look, and in that moment, you wish you had a camera to capture it. You can’t seem to remember your initial fear of coming onto this bridge, not when you have a beautiful boy who gazes at you with nothing short of absolute adoration. You’ll follow him anywhere, if it means you’ll stay together. Always and forever.

From when you were a little girl, your parents painted fairy tales for you in your childhood bedroom, of handsome princes mounted on midnight stallions and towering castles set against sunsets. For the longest time, you thought them to be true, because by the time you might have grown up, you found your own handsome prince, who rode a secondhand bike instead of a horse, and his castle was the sweatshirt-strewn dorm room he shared with two other boys. Nevertheless, you so strongly believed you would get your own happily-ever-after, that it took you a long time to accept the thorns in the rosy brush that constituted your outlook on life. You had a hard time understanding your prince, sometimes, and ended up spinning your own stories to fill in the gaps you thought he created. It never once occurred to you that life would never be perfect, and that your prince could not be exactly who you dreamed him to be.

It’s why you stroll the length of Forsaken Bridge alone, materializing its dreary name with your head bent and hands tucked in your pockets. But you’re not surprised either, when you see your prince, standing on the very place where he made you a promise that you broke yourself. His crown is misplaced and his armor has lost its luster, but he’s your beautiful prince, still beautiful while heartbroken over you.

“I didn’t think you’d come,” you say softly. 

“I shouldn’t have.” Minho stares at the deteriorating timber planks beneath your feet. “But I can’t say no when it comes to you.”

You shake your head, sniffling lightly. You both hate and love him for being so understanding, so kind, even now. You hate yourself for it, too. “I broke your heart.”

Minho blinks, clasping his hands in front of himself. “There are so many things that I’m sorry and thankful to you for, but you know I’m not good at expressing myself.”

“That’s my line, Min.” You scoff through your tears. “I tried to force you to be someone you're not. And you respond by taking care of me, like you always have. And you listened to me instead of fighting. You walked away.”

“I wanted you to be happy. That’s all I have ever wanted. With or without me in the picture.” Minho shoots you a watery smile. “I love you, you know. I always will.”

You inhale shakily. “And I love you too. I was scared of being hurt because I love you so much. I shouldn’t have been so afraid of what I didn’t know. I should have tried to ask you instead of coming to assumptions on my own.”

“We’re in this together, okay?” Minho steps forward towards you, reaching up to hold your face in his hands. “Remember what I said? You never have to be alone. I’m right here, always.”

Minho rubs his thumbs over your tears, nothing but devotion in his eyes. You touch his arms, pulling him into a hug. “I know I ruined everything, but please come back to me? I’m so, so sorry.”

“Me too. And you ruined nothing.” He squeezes you. “We still have our whole lives ahead of us.”

You draw back from the embrace, smiling through your tears— for once, they’re the good kind. “I love you, Lee Minho. Let’s start over?”

“I love you too, Y/N.” Minho whispers, a grin slowly spreading on his face. “And I don’t want to ruin the moment, but can we begin by finding an apartment, please? If I accidentally drink Hyunjin’s paint water one more time I think I will literally die.”

You laugh, raising your eyebrows at him teasingly. “Only because you want to escape Hyunjin? Not because you love me?”

He rolls his eyes playfully, a light blush tinting his pale skin. “You know what I mean.”

“You should show me what you mean.”

“I should.”

Minho obeys your command, leaning down to meet your lips in a chaste kiss, before you grasp his waist, pulling him closer and deepening the movement. God, you missed this so much. You missed him, so much. Minho’s hands reach up to cup your neck as you trace endless love letters on each other’s lips, campus curses and bad faith banished from your lovestruck young minds.

“See? Looks like our story came true.” he whispers as you come up for air, nudging your nose sweetly with his own. “Lifelong lovers, we’ll be.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.” Minho kisses you once more and pulls back, tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear. “This means forever.”

Check out the rest of boys' stories on Love Playlist!

«GENERAL M.LIST» · «NAVIGATION» · «TALK TO ME» 

AUTHOR'S NOTE

It feels so good to get back to Love Playlist <3 This whole series itself was inspired by the cute, college au vibes of the K-drama Love Playlist and its spinoff, Dear M. (starring NCT's Jaehyun, a must-see), but this story especially was heavily based on Dear M.'s second leads. Brownie points if you've noticed which hit superhero TV series I took a piece of dialogue from! I just adore that quote so much. Anyway, I'm a sucker for Minho and this story has a special place in my heart. Can you guess who is next?! And thank you for supporting me, always! -Dreamy

P.S. ♡ If you like my work, please consider giving me feedback in the form of reblogs, comments, and asks! ♡

TAGLIST @chansburgah @hamburgers101@ajxreads @hash2013 @pixigreen @ana-marais98@ohish@chizumiyoshi@lilydaisyyy@jetblackbelle @143hyunes @yeahhspider

Network: @kflixnet

©jisungsdaydreamer 2023 | All rights reserved. I do not condone translations or transfers of my work onto other platforms such as Wattpad, AO3, etc. Tumblr is my only platform. Acts of plagiarism are strictly prohibited.

[chqolan]

Ed boyfriend headcanons (sfw + nsfw)

A/N: this white boy is taking over my life again and i had no choice but to write my own self indulgent thoughts,, nsfw ahead too (sorry not sorry)

TW: fem reader, very self-indulgent LMAO, oral, dirty talk, swearing, ed being hot

sfw

dating ed is a very interesting ride to be on. he’s a troubled man with a troubled past who’s in the process of becoming better along with those around him.

given the life he’s been living, he’s probably not used to being all that affectionate,, so don’t expect too much pda with him.

don’t get it twisted though, because he has no shame in showing you off- in fact, he’s proud to have somebody as sweet as you by his side.

at most, he’ll keep an arm around you while the two of you are out. he needs people to know that you’re his after all.

however,, when the two of you are alone, things are different.

ed allows himself to be much more touchy with you in closed/private spaces. he’ll often let you sit on his lap with his arms bringing you in closer to his chest.

expect much more kisses from him too,, this man just can’t help himself ugh he’s so down bad (and you are too)

smooches everywhere…

lips, cheeks, neck, you name it !

even if he’s not the best at it, ed also tries to be a gentlemen when it comes to you.

growing up and being raised by balrog surely doesn’t give him a lot to work with when it comes to mannerisms. but he’ll do his best to hold doors for you, lend his jacket to you and also buy you flowers (if you like that sort of thing ofc).

on the topic of balrog, i believe ed would still try to ask him for advice regarding his relationship with you. that’s his pops, so it’s the only person he can think of!

if not that, he’d go to falke and the rest of his neo shadaloo group. they’d give their best opinions on where ed should take you out for your next date etc.

also given his line of work, there are times he won’t always be around with you, so he cares a lot about making the time he spends with you memorable.

some of his favourite dates with you would probably be the times he’s taken you to boxing matches or some of those sketchy fight clubs.

(not the most romantic places…but like i said, he doesn’t have much of a guide on how to be that pleasing for a pretty lady like you all the time. pls bear with him LMAO)

but trust, he wouldn’t go to these type of places with you if he couldn’t protect you. there are a few times he’s gotten in some street fights while you were around, but you can’t deny how hot he looked when he has to throw down,, so it’s okay!

he would also teach you small boxing tricks, just for fun of course, but also protection (as if you’ll ever need it when he’s around).

ed would always deeply appreciate how genuine you are with him. the way you participate in the love he has for his interests just has him head over heels for you.

and he’s just the same when it comes to your own interests, too! you’re both there for each other.

you like video games? he’ll play some with you.

you like spending time on skin care? he’ll apply however many face washes, face creams and face masks you bring him.

and if you’re lucky, he might allow you to test your new makeup on him.. just once…

anyways he’s so in love with u hehe

(also i would love to push the agenda of ed having a girly girlfriend, but i’ll save that for another time LOLL)

nsfw

by his own nature, ed is a pretty rough man, so expect that to unintentionally cross over when y’all are in bed.

when the two of you are together, he highly prefers being in charge. his ego is too big for him to submit to anybody, sorry.

he wouldn’t necessarily be a hard dom at all times. he could definitely be a softer dom depending on the overall mood.

though on a regular basis, he's not soft.

he's got quite the ego, so he goes crazy whenever you beg or praise him.

tell him how good he’s making you feel, tell him that nobody else can make you feel this way, tell him that you’re his !

ed also has a habit of getting riled up with the more his ego gets stroked, so it’s a win-win !

in his own way, he’s a respectful and kind boyfriend , but he’ll be in love with degrading you during sex. and i also cannot stress this enough… ed absolutely loves dirty talk.

“you were made to take my dick,"

“there’s a good slut ,, bouncing on my cock like her life depends on it,”

“you enjoy bein’ my little cum dump, baby?"

needless to say, he’s pretty vocal when it comes to sex and won’t be afraid to let out some moans from time to time.

his sounds will usually come in ranges between grunts and groans, but the small moans are there occasionally.

ed wants you to feel good at all times, so he definitely doesn’t mind getting a little messy with giving oral.

also hear me out on this…

pulling his hair back when he’s eating you out. he’s a total sucker for feeling a bit of pain such as scratches on his skin and tugs on his hair.

mhm ,, so pull back that swoop of hair that’s always covering his face and don’t stop tugging on it. just being able to see both of his eyes looking up at you while his face is stuffed in your pussy— oh lawd…

also don’t be afraid to cum all over his face, he’s a freak and he most definitely loves that shit.

however… with that being said, ed mostly prefers receiving oral.

sucking him off is when you’ll be able to hear him moan the most. wether he’s talking his shit or just moaning/groaning, he just can’t keep quiet.

something about him makes me assume he loves it all messy and sloppy, so he won’t worry about the mess you make while you’re down there, so go crazy and go stupid !

regarding the noise ed makes, it’s the perfect opportunity for him to keep on talking while you’re busy gagging around him.

he’d love to guide your head with his big hand and just keep on talking,

“you’re takin’ my dick like a champ…good girl,”

“yea, that’s right. choke on my cock, babe”

and if you’re comfortable with it, his favourite thing to do is cum all over your face. like he is obsessed.

but now, let’s talk about positions. ed’s favourite position has to be anything that allows him to get a good view of your ass.

yes. he is an ass man, i said what i said.

his go-to would probably be doggy, everything about it was perfect. as if the view of your ass wasn’t perfect enough, he’s still able to lean closer to you, whispering obscene words in your ear while his cold chain presses against your back and sends shivers all around your heated skin.

if he’s in any position that’d allow him to see your face, he would just love watching your fucked out expressions as you cry out for him.

(oh and he totally grabs the headboard while he’s hittin it)

i also forgot to mention he’d love overstim omg

there’s something about seeing how much he can push you over the edge that just gets him so turned on. he just thinks to himself like ‘damn, i really did that’ LOL

and i can’t forget to mention one of my personal favourite headcanons for him,

dirty talk, except it’s in german-

personally i don’t know any german, but ik this german boy has some crazy game and it’d be so hot omg.

you don’t even need to understand what he’s saying to know he’s saying some nasty shit.

when it comes to ed, he enjoys a partner who goes along with how much a freak he is. so be as dirty as you want him him, trust.

feeling bored and want some attention? take his hoodie and keep it unzipped with nothing else on except for a pair of panties and his chain that looks even larger on you and surprise him!

(spoiler alert: you got fucked up real bad, but not in a fight)

heheh anywaysss i have so much more i wanna put but i don’t wanna whore out even longer and make the nsfw section too much LMAO

if you’ve gotten this far, ty for reading through all of that :3

[gogolstoelicker]

Dorm leaders with a Razor!MC

a/n: totally lost the pookie who asked for this but if by some miracle yk its you, pls dont beat me up for taking so long </3 /j

also if tumblr did smth weird with the bullet points again, point ur guns at the app

its one week before my exams so im using my adrealine for smth!!

You are generally good-natured person who considers your wolf pack your family and becomes enraged if they are hurt by other parties. You love your wolf family but dislike the fact that you aren't fully like them. You considered the few humans you do encounter to be your friends and are willing to protect them from danger if it means sacrificing your and your pack's dinner for the night. You are a quick thinker. You are also honest and forthright due to your limited exposure to human life. You are not used to speaking and only speak in short phrases and words, finding it troublesome, but you continue nonetheless.

Riddle

my mans stopping you like this to take a look at your uniform

pookie, youre a lil messy rn -he said this in anger, I'm just giving you the nicer version

its ok, he helped you clean up a lil after!!

u absolutely trying not to mess up the collar and tie up bcs its so uncomfortable:😢😔

it always goes back to the messy version as soon as hes out of sight or its half the day already

he wont find out (i lied he absolutely did)

he can always count on u to tell him the truth should your friends ever do smth bad

"broke. chair." while pointing at ace and deuece

they have tears in their eyes as riddle approach them

honestly some of ur behaviour makes him go⁉️

fr thought u were a beastman or smth

then found out youre just a human whos lived with wolves their whole life

FUCKEKEKE REMEMBER THAT TIME IN HIS OVERBLOT WHEN HE WAS TALKING ABT PARENTS

u being an orphan as he goes on with his speech: /JOKE

ace beats his ass up for u its ok

him trying to figure out how they didnt try to eat u🤔

he didnt try to stop u but that wont mean he wont go😅😅

ALSO eat ur veggies pls

hes chasing u around heartslabyul trying to make u eat a wee bit of carrots

Leona

"veggies:( bad:(" "so real"

^ur real time convo

whenever youre given food with veggies, u pass it off to leona

leona then pass it to ruggie who then muched it off

he absolutely told u to give ruggie any veggies btw (free food for the man‼️)

ruggie is forever happy to receive free food

he actually thought u were a beastman too because of your scent

"r u a jack kinnie?" he would ask (he didnt ask it like that)

turns out you just got raised by them

idk savanaclaw might be an ok? place for u? considering most of them r beastman there

like its not even surprising to see u practicing with them every morning anymore

ruggie dragged both u and leona by the collar to practice btw

"im all the way in ramshackle" leona surprise adopted u to savanaclaw, dont resist /J

u surprisingly get along well with him‼️‼️

leona acting like he doesnt care abt the youngsters👴🙄 (hes failing)

he totally didnt take a nap with you in his usual spots, no who did that?? pft not him

no he did NOT save u from accidentally getting hurt by your friend's troubles btw no

also, he did not mind that you do not talk much

the less words the better for him!! he encourages this (he got beat up later by the people who thinks otherwise)

Azul

youre so simple, azul actually had a great time

"pls sign this contract to save ur friends" "ok:)"

well youre homeless now (not rlly u have a home in savanaclaw)

yk those super villains laughing evilly everytime their plans r going so well?? thats azul

he didnt even need to put many efforts in trying to trick u, u just go thumbs up at him

he does not feel bad btw

he does not care if youre a beastman or not. a business opportunity is all you'll ever be to him

maybe a friend too but you'll need to unlock friendship level 10 for that

can wolves swim underwater, im sayign yes for plot reasons

anyways u came back from trying to get the painting(?) picture (?) like a wet dog

im saying nonsense rn i think i need sleep its almost 1am

he threw his head back 90° to laugh dramatically at how u reminded him of a wet dog

this is a joke, do not come for me

honestly he had to drag u away from the lounge once bcs u tried catching the fishes in the aquarium

"MF LEAVE MY FISHES TF ALONE IF U WANT TO LIVE" is what he wouldve said if hes not a professional businessman

he is a professional guys do not worry💯

honestly, he is pretty ? that you had trouble speaking

after finding out its bcs youve been isolated from the human things, he kind of goes🤔

the business in his head is controlling him before he can stop them😖🫣

would u like a potion from him to help u with that problem<33

honestly head empty rn

Kalim

rhey all thought you were a beastman and he is not an exception

is def surprised bcs ur ass howled one time at a full moon

he witnessed that, he had the front row seat as witness

he lets u do ur thing its ok

even asked u if its family tradition HELP /J

"oh man u have such fluffy hair"

he said before trying to touch it and realising its literally tangled all over

him and jamil whos right next to him

were u raised in a barn??

kalim assumed theres no hairbrush in ramshackle

u dont have to worry bro, kalim is more than happy to stock u up with some hairbrush

"oh its nothing much dont worry😊🙏‼️" the literal gold handles on the hairbrush:

u dont have to worry abt not speaking much, he speaks enough for the both of u

he spoke such strange things u dont understand him sometimes

u just nod along and gave him thumbs up

its like sun and moon but the moon is confused /j

if youre sleeping outside, he will join u btw

he brought his pillows and blanket out to have a small sleepover with u

jamil had a mini heart attack when he went to wake kalim up in the morning to see hes missing from his bed

Vil

vil when be sees u

yk how yall lived in pomefiore for a bit after the idia thing??

yeah he polished u up so much bro

u came into the dorm looking like someone abandoned u so youe only option was to live in the jungle with the help of ur jungle friends and have survived through the way of the mammals since u were an infant

and u came out looking like a brand new person

u came out of the dorm looking like u got new skin that its literally shining under light, ur hair softer and no longer tangled and no more eyebags and u smell like flowers

vil wiping his forehead after a job well done😊🙏

also he was pretty shocked when he found out u were pretty isolated from the human norms or whatever

he did try his best to break you bad habits, like literally running in mud

he also helped u with like speaking problems?

he got u a whole dictionary in case u dont know the word bro

also fix ur uniform for ueach time u try to loosen it up because its too suffocating for u

if u try to loosen it up one more time, he'll add the veggies in ur plate

he absolutely does makes u eat ur veggies

he'll tie u down a chair and make u eat them even

/j he wouldnt. he have rook to help him with that

Idia

him after he fixed ur dorm with the greatest and newest updated quality just for u to sleep outside

he gets it, youve been raised this way

but he just fixed it for u bro😢😢cant u at least sleep in there

grim sleeps in diff rooms every day bcs of the upgrade and u did this?? /j

oh well at least the outside kind of looks better now too he guess....

u dont even use the tv, u dont know how it works

"people in there real?" "? no ?"

he beats u in every video games ever because u literally could not keep up with technology

hes slaying everyone and youre wondering how to make ur character walk the way u wanted them to

u accidentally drowned somehow in the video game

he feels a tad bit bad for u

he cant bond much with u because like

hes quiet, youre quiet

hes a modern dude, u dont even know whats a phone

he likes video games, u prolly like hunting for food

if you two r in a room together, the only people who r talking r literally the wind

"whoosh whoosh whoosh🌬" whoosh whoosh🌪

Malleus

he spoke enough for the both of u (its abt gargoyles)

he actually spoke so much confusing words for u

u looked at him like 😃🫨 (ur head is spinning and u r dying)

u can always ask him if u dont understand tho

he will explain in another paragraph but its ok, at least u understand now

barely actually

ur brain hurts and its fried from talking to him since he use big words

he did try to use simpler words for u!!

oh u two can kind of bond i think

youre both not familiar with technology so it will work well

u know those faces grandparents make when looking through new technologies

like the eyes squinting and eyebrows furrowed look with thag confused look

yeah thats the both of u

u both try to figure it out together (it did not work out)

yall asked lilia for help

peepaw is into the trends, he can help the both of u dont worry!!

he saw how messy you could be sometimes and went damn

he'll fix u up with magic its ok

show me funny things, magic man

anyways its a habit of his to fix anything in ur appearance whenever u have ur nighty walks

like u have this dirt on ur white uniform? say no more.

theres a damned branch in ur hair (dont ask how u got that) and its tangled in ur hair?? he got u pookie

part of ur clothes r literally ripped off because god's knows what youve been doing in your free time??? u dont even need to ask bbg

[heaven4lostgirls]

You’re my happy place

husband!elijah mikaelson x wife!fem!reader

tags: fluff, happy ending, soft!elijah

a/n: if u guys even read this pls pls pls send me requests for fics u want me to write!! ok enjoy<3

You had spent the entire day at the compound waiting for Elijah and Nik to get back. They had gone on some stupid witch hunt again because Nik believed that the witches were plotting against him as usual.

You sat on the floor of the compound playing with baby hope when you hear the hurried footsteps of the two brothers and the stench of blood nearly made you vomit on the spot.

You hurriedly put Hope back in her cot before running to see if anyone was hurt. Nik looked like he had just committed mass murder but by the look in his eyes you knew better than to ask him what had happened. All you did was beckon hun closer and take a look to see if any of his injuries were major, thankfully he just looked like he had a bruised ego.

To the left of his Elijah stood in a ski liar state however he seemed to be clutching his side. You knew whenever Nik would put himself in dangerous situations your idiot of a husband would not be far behind, always looking out for his little brother.

You made your way to him slowly whilst looking over him to see if anywhere else seemed to be causing him pain, once it looked like his side was the only place he seemed to be clutching you sighed in relief.

As you reached him you carefully placed your hands on his face, he seemed to be avoiding your eyes and you somehow knew exactly why.

“Is that blood Eli?” You questioned harshly, you knew that when you both moved to New Orleans that the witch community wasn’t exactly fond of the Mikaelson family however the lacerations on Elijahs side didn’t seem to be healing and this has been an all time low for them, never had the witches hurt them so badly they couldn’t heal it. You were on relatively good terms with all of the witches however seeing your husband in this state all you could hear was your heart pounding and your blood boiling.

Elijah looks almost embarrassed as he utters a small “No?” You sigh and shake your head with a small smile, your husband would always be the one trying to make you laugh even if he did seem like he was bleeding out.

“That isn’t normally a question you answer with another question darling” all he does is smile back innocently.

“Cmon let’s get you cleaned up” you motion for him to sit on the couch as Hayley ends up attending to Nik as he grumbled about the ‘stupid witches’. You just sigh and look at Elijah pointedly

“You can’t keep running head first into ever fight that Nik picks so you can save him, it’s not safe” you tell him as you brush his hair out of his face to clean the small scratches surrounding his eyes.

“I know my love, he’s my brother, I simply can’t let him get himself in trouble, I made a vow to my mother to always protect him and it is what I plan to do as long as I’m alive, alongside you of course” you can’t help but smile at his loyalty to his family, you know it hasn’t been easy for him and Nik to gain back their mutual trust of one another especially after decades of daggers and heartbreak however for the most part they seem to have moved past all of that.

“I love you Eli, I can’t stand to see you hurt” He can feel your worry and although he and you both know he will continue to put himself in harms way to save Nik he hugs you and mumbles affirmations that he will try harder and be safer when he travels with Nik. You can’t ask for much more and you know that so as you both make your way to Freya’s room so that she can heal Eli’s wounds you squeeze his hand as a reminder he’s okay and Freya will most likely know how to heal him.

After the quick visit of Freya healing his wounds and researching about the kind of magic used by the witches that was somehow strong enough to hurt an original you both lay in you shared room.

“Do you ever wonder what it would be like if we were never turned?” You turn to him in confusion, you had been one of the first vampires that Elijah had turned after his mother had used to spell however even after decades of being together you always thought that you were both content with how life was. “Sometimes, but I am quite happy with how we are right now…Are you not?” You admit and question almost insecurely.

As if Elijah has read your thoughts he backtracks “No no no, my love I just meant that I would have wished for us to have a family of our own, little children for us to take care of and I am sorry that I can’t give that to you” you feel tears welling up at the thought of what your life could have been. You grasp Elijah’s face in your hands and assure him that you are perfectly happy with how things have played out.

“Even if you hadn’t turned me with you Elijah I would have been heartbroken to see you outlive me, you have been my rock and compass our entire lives, seeing you daggered by Niklaus only ever brought great heartache to me, so please don’t think for a moment that this life has not been more than enough, I will always choose you over and over again my love” You can feel his smile as you rest your head on his chest.

“Do you remember the 20’s? Where we had gone to that jazz club with Niklaus? We had just changed our names and anytime someone spoke to us we would make up elaborate stories of where we came from, we spent the entire night dancing and once we got home you told me that you loved me and that you wish we could have had that life-“

“You proposed to me that night and promised you would show me the world”

“I plan to keep that promise everyday we have each other”

“I love you Elijah Mikaelson”

“I love you more Y/N Y/L/N”

[magicaltickles]

See bc I originally wasn't planning on this howmstever, a certain two individuals convinced me of others SO love and deepspace tickle hcs enjoy 🥰

Dorks all of them (including mc) <3 okay hcs now promise

🪶 Sylus 🪶

- doesn't admit he's ticklish. will never admit he's ticklish. that being said-

- since he has some scars n stuffs from his ahem 'accidents', he's come to learn that they are actually very sensitive to light touches. at first didn't mind when you crawled into his lap to trace the lines and dots left from his tussles, but then your beautifully soft hands touched his skin and his life flashed before his eyes as he found himself having to suppress his reactions

- speaking of reactions, it takes a lot to get much out him. he's supposed to be the big scary boss, a few tickles can't be enough to take him down. his laugh is more like a deep chuckle and soft snickers

- you had to recruit Luke and Kieran once to lure Sylus into a tough spot and then you took charge to wreck him. he only forgave you after you kept your word on a promise to wash dishes for the next two weeks (he told the chef to take two weeks off and cooked for you as much as he could <3)

- ruthless ler most times. loves to chase you around the house, following you into rooms and under beds to wreck your shit

- sometimes he's soft tho, like when you're in bed. since he's a night owl and you aren't, he'll sometimes give you soft tickles to get you to sleep instead of staying up with him. will take that time to shower you in praise. his pretty crow<3

👾 Xavier 👾

- space man, hasn't been tickled in so long bc of his circumstances nor tickled anyone else. he almost forgot it was a thing, had he not seen others do it

- he's pretty ticklish himself, and has no trouble admitting it. he'll indulge in a tickle fight every so often with you if he's up to it

- most often tickles you when you guys are sparring. he'll make it his mission to pin you down and tickle you until you say he wins

- and if you manage to pin him first? expect him to squeeze your sides and thighs until he can flip you two over and give you the tickling you deserve<3

- he does it a lot as a way to cheer you up and get you to rest after fighting wanderers

- he wants his favorite person happy and relaxed as much as he can help it and is so super sweet about it

🐟 Rafayel 🐟

- is canonically the most ticklish one out of the gang. we even tease his about it a bit and it's absolutely adorable

- has canonically ticklish palms which makes my brain go brr bc he's an artist with ticklish palms and sometimes he won't think before absentmindedly running a brush over his palms for various reasons and tickling himself bc of it and LET ME GET MY HANDS ON THIS MAN PLS PLS PLS

- rafa is so playful and cute pls. constant tickle fights for any and all reasons

- bratty? tickles. won't look at his paintings? tickles. late to a meet up? tickles. forgot to call/text him back? tickles.

- and it goes both ways too, you can find any and all reasons to wreck his ass

- tbh, he's the love interest I can imagine being in the community if ykyk. he'd be a ler-leaning switch with big lee moods when he gets them. other than that, he's a big, playful tickle monster

- omg omg cute idea came to head he'd have you sit and tell you to start painting and then stand behind you and tickle you the whole time until you're both covered in paint and the canvas is filled with random lines and swirls bc it's all you could get down and fuhdhdnsn GOD THIS FISH MAN

- he makes the switch mood go dudhudbdushdn

❄️ Zayne ❄️

- baby zayne, the doctor of all doctor's stOP SACRIFICING YOURSELF TO SAVE US TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF PLS I LOVE YOU

- he's a heart doctor but that won't stop him from giving you, his favorite patient, an examination. which includes *that* part where he lightly presses on your tummy. he'll act like he has no idea what you're talking about

- cold hands syndrome. ends up tickling you slightly anytime he touches you as a result, or at least makes you jump

- he finds it amusing, loving to pretend he has no idea why you jump or squeak.

- loves to tease you for it tho, he'll lean in and whisper how cute you are and stuff

- will fluster you with his words ages before even laying a hand on you. zayne has an extensive vocabulary, and uses it well

- counts anything he can possibly count, using the excuse that he has to as your primary care physician

- this one isn't tickle themed, but I love the idea of him making it snow for you any and everywhere just bc he knows it makes you smile

[uriwoos2]

fallin' in love overnight ☾ ִֶָ ⋆ (kjh)

pairing: best friend!junghoon x gn!reader. genre: attempt at crack, fluff. overview: a trip to the amusement park doesn't go as planned, but no worries! junghoon saves the day. a hint at friends to lovers(?) word count: 3.1k warnings: first time writing crack, so don't expect much( っc ) junghoon and reader are kinda childish^^ ♡ note: this is the promised (belated) lil gift for hoonie's bday! my longest fic yet! I have so so much love for him in my heart, i don't know where to put it ૮꒰ ˃̵͈᷄ ﻌ ˂̵͈᷅ ꒱ა˚ ° anyway, I'm still getting used to writing longer fics, so pls be patient w me^^ and ofc! happiest birthday to our precious boy, hoping he's the healthiest and is eating well! ♡ˎˊ˗ likes & reblogs are super super appreciated! — with love, cream <3

♪₊˚ song: softly — clairo.

⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂ ⠂⠄⠄⠂☆

*ring*..........*ring*..........*ring*...........

after yet another unsuccessful dial, you sigh to yourself as you end the call. this boy never answers his phone!

the truth is, you weren't mad, not in the slightest.. but he promised to be here soon and it's been almost twenty minutes, how long could it possibly take to buy a couple of churros!?

you puff your cheeks and exhale heavily. you two wouldn't usually opt for separating, always keen on doing everything together, but the ever increasing crowd in the already bustling theme park urged you both to divide the tasks, since you wanted to go on at least some of the rides.

so that's how you ended up in an endless queue for the roller coaster, while junghoon went off to get some snacks for you guys to eat while you waited. but he wasn't coming back, and sure, the line would most likely be big for the churros as well, but it was taking way too long and you were getting just so worried. you just needed to make sure he was okay, but you couldn't reach him through your phone and he's nowhere to be seen!

who has their phone on silent while they're out, for god's sake, junghoon!

your eyes are glued in place, staring in the general direction of where he went off to almost half an hour ago. your anxiety is through the roof right now, making you unable to stand still. you're already feeling a bit timid, being alone in such an enormous crowd of unfamiliar faces isn't such a pleasant feeling.

that's it! I'm going to go look for him!

the impatience got the best of you, and you didn't even care about any of the rides anymore, the only thing on your mind right now was finding junghoon and ensuring his safety.

what if he got lost? that guy has a terrible sense of direction... you think to yourself, as you're squeezing your way through the line of people, getting more and more concerned by each passing minute.

okay.. the churro stand... find the churro stand, yes. hmm... he went that way earlier... right! it's definitely that way!

but you find that it is easier said than done, as you're going in circles trying to locate the churro stand, the stupid churros and that silly boy! where the heck is he?!...

you're getting entirely too frustrated, feeling completely helpless to the point where you're on the verge of tears, and on top of that you're being squished by people all around, the amount of people in the park just seeming to grow continuously. crowding you on all sides, the enormous swarm of people pushes you around, completely cutting off your ability to see anything but the backs of strangers in front of you. a wave of panic hits you when you can't seem to get out of this arbitrary cage they've created for you, the press of the crowd too suffocating.

your legs are about to give out on you from how weak and powerless you're feeling, your mind having trouble to stay focused, when you feel a warm hand slip into your own.

..it's junghoon!!

your eyes regain focus as they meet his and you feel like you can breathe again, he squeezes your hand gently, signaling you to follow him. you slowly manage to slip through the small gaps in the crowd, junghoon’s fingers firmly gripping yours in order to not lose you.

"what were you doing there?" he questions after you both successfully leave the crowd behind, "that was the line for the bumper cars! didn't you say we'd be going on the roller coaster?" there's no hint of anger in his voice, you can tell he's just confused.

ahh.. he probably went to look for me right as I left.. if only I had waited a little longer.

"yes- yes, I did. I guess I got swayed by the crowd by mistake.. but anyway! you were taking just so long, and I got worried thinking you got lost, so I tried calling you but you didn't pick up! then I went to look for you and I couldn't even find the damn churro stand!" you say everything in one breath, as junghoon just stands there listening intently, his features showing slight hints of amusement.

he lets out a chuckle as you're trying to steady your breathing. "huh? is that funny? hey! junghoon I swear to god, if you don't learn to use your phone for it's actual purpose I won't come with you next time, and you can have fun enjoying the rides all by yourself!" you push your hand through your hair, exasperated with the boy in front of you.

junghoon straightens his expression, going back to his default serious face as he responds, "no, it wasn't funny, I'm sorry for laughing." despite his words, there's an undeniable tug in the corner of his lips. clearly, he's amused.

you decide to just leave it at that, feeling so drained from all the overwhelming things that happened today, "anyway, did you get the churros, at least?" junghoon averts your eyes for a moment, answering sheepishly, "it was taking too long, and I didn't want you to wait all by yourself, so I kinda just left..." he scratches the back of his head.

"if you were that worried, you could've just picked up your stupid phone!" you retort, playfully hitting his arm.

he looks at you for a good minute not knowing what to say, and you're staring back, your brows furrowed in frustration. junghoon tries to immitate your irritated frown, but it just looks so unnatural that you burst into laughter, and at that he doubles over in chuckles too.

after a few minutes of uncontrollable giggling, you both attempt to regain your composure, the situation too ridiculous for the both of you to handle. junghoon slips in a little 'sorry' between his chuckles, acknowledging your concern about checking his phone. you examine him for a bit, scanning for sincerity in his apology.

in the end you just shake your head dismissively, going to sit on the bench nearby, but something seems to be keeping you in place, jerking you right back as you try to take a step.

upon realizing that you were still holding hands, you and junghoon dramatically drop each other's hands instantaneously. you're sure your face was the color of a tomato right now, prompted by your heart that was beating through your chest.

how could I not notice I was still holding onto his hand!?!??! how embarrassing...

you take a seat on the bench, resting your palms on your knees awkwardly. junghoon, who's cheeks have flushed pink, follows in tow and sits down stiffly on the other end.

"hey, I'm sorry, I didn't realize-" he begins to apologize, turning slightly toward you, but you don't want to make things even more awkward, so you interrupt him, eager to change the subject, "no, no, it's alright, I think we should just think about what we're gonna do now, because we don't have any snacks, and since I left my line, we lost that too, sorry about that by the way.." you trail off, desperate to distract him.

he rushes to answer you, "no, that's fine, I mean I also abandoned the churros so.." he scratces his head again, while you're trying to calm your drumming heartbeat.

why am I so affected by this!?!??

you rack your brain for any ideas as to what you two could do, when junghoon notes loudly, pointing his finger in a certain direction, "look! the line for ice cream isn't so long, we can go buy that and.." he whips his head around, looking for something, "and then we can get on the ferris wheel! it's gonna get dark soon so they'll turn the lights on, it'll be pretty!.. what do you think?" he looks at you with sparkling eyes, awaiting your response.

he's so excited about it that you can't help but think that he's cute. it's so uncharacteristic of him to be so childish, his usual demeanor, especially with other people being super serious and put together, that when he lets this side of him show you can't let it go unnoticed.

he's just so adorable like this.

you giggle a little at his giddy expression, "yeah, okay, the ferris wheel isn't so busy either, but this time let's go together, alright?" you ask, knowing you're gonna end up in some kind of trouble again if you don't.

he returns your smile, nodding his head happily. the liveliness of today's little date returning, both of your moods lightening significantly even more so as you're stood in front of the ice cream parlor, picking out the flavors.

it's not long after that you're walking back to line up at the ferris wheel, and your ice cream's started to melt already, "that girl put so many sprinkles on mine, oh my god." junghoon is beaming at this point, eagerly savouring his ice cream.

you scoff, coming to a stop as you've arrived at the bottom of the wheel, "yeah, and mine has extra caramel drizzle too, makes up for all the bad luck we've had today." that earns you a chuckle from junghoon, his ice cream rubbing all over his mouth.

"aaah, your mouth got all messy, junghoon would you eat you ice cream properly?" you nag at him, and before you realize what you're doing, your hand instinctively reaches up to wipe at his lips.

"there's so much, and it's everywhere! how can you manage to make such a mess in a matter of seconds?!" you take a napkin out of your bag to clean it off your hands.

"sorry." he says in a soft voice. you look back up to meet his eyes, but he just turns his head to the side, cheeks turning pink.

why is he acting weird all of a sudden?

it takes a moment for you to register the weight of your actions, after what happened before, and that's enough to make your heartbeat rapid again.

why am I so nervous about this? I'm never nervous when I'm with junghoon. this is how we act normally, so it should mean nothing.. right?

even so, you can't help but feel a little shy, the atmosphere between you shifting, a bit different now. you can tell he picked up on it too, but he's way better at keeping his composure.

you don't really talk more, not until you're already on the ferris wheel, both having finished your ice creams and settled on opposite seats in the pod. junghoon breaks the silence with a question, "you think, this thing will shake when we're on the top? it's kinda unsettling." there's genuine concern in his eyes, gaze darting all around, checking for any faults.

he tends to get freaked out quite easily when he's like this, so you rush to reassure him, "no- even if it does, it's not a safety hazard, hoon. besides, it won't even move around so much that it's noticeable." your words seem to sate his anxiety slightly, his figure relaxing into the seat.

"hey, weren't you the one who suggested to go on this ride in the first place? why'd you do that if you're so frightened?" you ask, bewildered.

he seems reluctant to respond, but does so in a quiet tone, "because I didn't want this outing to go to waste, especially when we don't really get to spend much time with each other these days." he scratches at his forehead, "I wanted you to enjoy this trip, and I couldn't let our day be ruined just like that.. you even made time to come with me today, so.." he trails off, thinking for a moment and then adds, "i- I mean I'm not even that scared either, so you don't need to worry."

he was willing to do it, even if he was afraid.. just for my sake?...

your heart swells at the thought, instantly feeling shy at his words, your mind going into a frenzy, "thank you.. for thinking of me. but you know I'm fine with simply spending time with you, right? we don't need to do these things for me to have fun, even sitting in silence is nice when it's with you." you respond with a smile, feeling so nice at the thought that junghoon cares so much.

but what you failed to pick up on was the effect your words had on him, because you we're too busy thinking about his own. the boy was a blushing, fidgeting mess, eyes looking everywhere but you, already having forgotten about his concerns for the safety of the pods.

junghoon was struggling to keep a straight face, fighting off the brightest grin, relishing in the fact that you found his mere presence pleasant company. it got so bad that he covered his mouth with his hand, cautiously looking at you from the corner of his eye, checking to see if you'd noticed anything. but much to his relief, you were already way too captivated with the view in front of you.

the evening sky gradually dimming, letting a couple of stars shine through it's dark veil, along with the colorful carousel lights glimmering brightly down bellow, making everything look so picturesque. junghoon was right, the view is beautiful from up here.

the boy himself, however, wasn't really paying attention to the view, eyes now fully fixed on your face, admiring the way your eyes twinkled at the mesmerizing sight out front, and the way your mouth parted slightly in awe at the glowing lights.

at this point his heart was drumming through his chest, confusing him with this surge of unfamiliar feelings toward you. the thoughts in his mind were going wild too, all tangled and muddled, no coherency in the way they were being thrown at him. but despite it all, one tiny thought managed to slip through all the chaos, displaying itself loud and clear before him, 'pretty.' taking him by surprise, immediately going beet red at the mere thought of it.

he didn't get to think about it much before you were interrupting his little internal monologue, "hey! look, we're at the very top already! there's so many stars now.. and you were totally right about the lights being pretty, I like it so much!" beaming from ear to ear, it was impossible not to notice the pure joy radiating from you. this simple fact calmed junghoon's heart, relieved to see that you were enjoying yourself.

he sunk back in his seat with a tender look in his eyes and a soft smile on his lips, all of it directed toward the person in front of him. he didn't know what the feelings he felt toward you meant right now, and he didn't want to figure them out either, because this was more than enough, having you before him, happy and smiling. if he could watch that for eternity, he'd be forever grateful.

you were so captivated by the beautiful view that you couldn't really notice the slight shift in the air, everything feeling so much more intimate in the tiny ferris wheel cabin, as it always tends to get. but when you pulled your attention back to junghoon, you were met with a gaze you couldn't quite label with a name, and in spite of that it made you blush, knowing he'd been staring at you the whole time, "hey, why won't you say anything? it's making me feel embarrassed for being so excited about this.." you ask sheepishly, wanting to break the silence that settled between you.

junghoon, however, seemed to be zoning out, your words snapping him out of the daze he was previously in, "no, i- I'm just glad you're enjoying the view, didn't want to interrupt you, since the ride only lasts for a few more minutes." he pushes his hair back, stray strands falling onto his forehead, another mesmerizing sight you've seen today.

you're so focused on it that you forget to reply, but the pod's doors opening quite literally startles you, making you jump a bit in your seat. junghoon chuckles briefly at that, before leaning forward to talk to the guy working the ferris wheel, "we'll take another round, please." and then turns back to you, giving you a smile.

I think he can read my mind. either that or he just knows me too well. either way... he's being so nice to me..

you're trying to accommodate your heart with the amount of appreciation you've just accumulated for junghoon, feeling so well taken care of and cherished that your heart is about to burst. you realize you have to actually vocalize your thoughts to him though, so you go to thank him quickly, "hey, I appreciate that a lot, thank you. but we can enjoy the view while talking this time around, I don't mind at all.. I'd like to, actually." you feel a bit too bashful saying the last bit, but you feel like you need to, really really need to.

junghoon seems to be caught off guard by that but doesn't let it show too much, "alright, okay, hmm.. wanna talk about that book we've been reading? well, I'm already forgetting some of the stuff so we better pick it up again soon." he chuckles, making you laugh as well, admiring his ability to start a conversation so simply, and naturally.

you guys spend the second time around the wheel talking about the said book, and on the third one you count the stars, and on the fourth you talk about everything and nothing, laughing so much, that when you finally get off the ride, both your guys' cheeks hurt from smiling so much.

you don't know if you like junghoon like that yet, and you definitely have no idea if you'd want to act on those feelings either, but you don't need to rush to find out. that's the good thing about being friends with junghoon, you know you can go at your own pace with things, and there's no pressure to figure anything out, knowing he'll never make you feel uncomfortable about it.

it's fine, this is normal.. and I can give myself time to think about this. what matters now, is that we have fun together, and that's all I care about.

you're basking in the aftereffect of the beautiful day you just had, when you feel a jacket being put on your shoulders, "it's got pretty chilly since we went on the ferris wheel, don't you think?" junghoon is stood in front of you now, zipping up the jacket after you've put your arms through it.

he's so sweet to me, I can't help but feel all soft at the sight of him. maybe I really do like him like that...

you can't seem to take your eyes off him as you answer, "yeah, maybe.." he looks up at you, meeting your eyes and then ducking his head in shyness again,

he's too cute, how can I not.

[aritamargarita]

Hey bestie, it’s been a while!! I hope your well💗 I saw requests were open and this idea came to me after watching some old segments. Could you do a love triangle between reader, trish stratus, and Jeff Hardy?☺️

hey bestieee im doing well!!! it's been a while indeed :). hope you're doing well too! so sorry this took a while! BUT THIS REQUEST...i can't explain how good this sounds LMAO I WAS LIKE “AHHHH—“...i may have gotten a little out of hand with the sadness on this one? i also kinda based it off this chart , with jeff as A, reader as B, trish as C. reader’s feelings for trish are conflicting and she kinda doesn’t think they’re real, therefore this is very jeff centered. and also kayfabe compliant lol

you guys can have an imagine..as a treat :3 alexa, pls set the tone for us *lights dim dramatically*

YOU FELT SUFFOCATED whenever they were around. You hate Jeff. You hate Trish. You hate both of them. You hate how close they are and you wish they could never see each other again....but sometimes wishes can’t be granted.

"Trish Stratus..she's just horrible, isn't she?"

Victoria’s voice comes from behind you. She sets a neatly manicured hand onto your right shoulder and leans into your ear. “I mean, just look at them.”

You didn’t want to look and she realizes this. Her hand reaches over to grab your face to forcefully turn it in their direction.

They’re standing there, holding hands and talking to each other with the biggest smiles in the world.

“Doesn’t it just make you sick? They’re rubbing it in your face, [Name].” Victoria says. “If I were you, I’d take that pretty little face….and smash it right against the mat.”

You sigh.

Her words were clearly fueled by hate. This wasn’t advice, this was just because she hated Trish. You don’t think you’ll ever get the reason as to why. Even when you accidentally walked in on one of her meltdowns and she babbled to you about how horrible she was, you were still at a loss.

“Just because you have a vendetta against her doesn’t mean that I do. She’s my—“

“We can see it in your eyes!” Stevie Richards appears from out nowhere, startling you. You’re trying to do your makeup, goddamn it. Why’d they have to come and bother you?

You whip your head around to your right. Stevie’s staring at you with nothing but a grin. He sets his hand on your left shoulder and shakes it lightly.

“C’mon. Everyone, and I mean everyone, knows you have a thing for that Hardy guy! Flower is right. I’m sure they make you sick!

Tch. Yeah, right. The only thing that everyone knows is that him and Trish were madly in love all of a sudden. And now that you think about it, the only thing that makes you sick was Stevie always calling Victoria that cheesy nickname.

“Hardy boy,” You correct. “And I don’t have a thing for him.”

You can see the reflection of the other two in the mirror. They’re not very convinced.

It’s not a thing. It never was a thing, you just think Jeff is pretty neat.

To put it in perspective, Jeff Hardy is someone you can rely on. Jeff Hardy is someone you can consider a hero. You really just think he’s neat for saving your neck a few times when it came to people ganging up on you.

And somehow, you feel like you owe him something in return. Him being with Trish only stalled your returning favor even further.

It’s driving you crazy. You haven’t talked to Jeff in days. All you do is avoid him. In other words, you’ve quit him, gone cold turkey.

Those two were getting closer and closer day by day and you just didn’t understand why.

Trish was your friend, best friend, and hadn’t even told you what was going on. The moment you heard the she kissed him right in the middle of the ring had made you really confused, to say the least.

Somehow, you felt yourself harboring some feelings for her as well. It was strange. You don’t really know why, but when Trish had started to tag with you, save you, (stating that she didn't want to see her friend in trouble), and hung around with you backstage, you started to think about her more often.

Things are difficult with her around. Things are difficult with the both of them around.

It’s the reason why you stopped talking to him and limited your interactions with her. This was for your own sanity, even if it wasn’t working out so well.

It truly is hard to believe you could find yourself in this situation.

Lita would constantly tell you how much Jeff missed you. For someone who was supposed to be “resting“and “healing up” because of her injury, she sure was hanging out backstage a lot more lately.

What makes matters worse is that her and Trish were best friends as well, so you’d occasionally hear her pass along messages. Ugh, you really wish she would stop telling you these things. It only makes you feel worse.

“I think you’re lying, [Name].” Victoria outright says. “You like him, no, love him. And seeing that plastic, fake, no good…” She has to stop herself from getting too wound up, taking a breath. “Seeing her makes you angry, doesn’t it?”

She’s right. You hate that she’s right. It does make you angry, but it makes you more sad than anything. You won’t admit it. You refuse.

“What makes me angry is the both of you trying to wind me up.” You throw your lip gloss to the ground. “Let me clarify. I do not and never will have a thing for Jeff Hardy!”

Perhaps your voice was louder than anticipated because suddenly, the hallway had gotten quiet. You had attracted unwanted attention, including looks from Trish and Jeff.

You take a deep breath. Victoria didn’t even know the whole story, so there’s no reason for you to act like this. As long as she hasn’t caught on about your thoughts about Trish, everything is fine and dandy.

Victoria only lets out a cackle, as does Stevie. They just couldn’t help it! The look on your face was just hilarious and you couldn’t have been anymore obvious with your true intentions about him.

Though you want to ask them what the hell was so funny, you realize there’s nothing you can do to save face, so you just storm off. You don’t think you can ever show your face backstage again after that.

The sound of footsteps behind you cause you to stop. “If the both of you are following me, I swear to god, I’ll—“

“It’s neither.” It’s Trish, all dressed up in her red ring gear. Her and Jeff were both dressed up, actually. “Were they bothering you? I can deal with them if you need.”

You wave your hand. “No, it’s no big deal.” In response, she gives you a smile, one that genuinely makes you feel sick.

There’s suddenly a strange tension in the room as Trish lifts up her hand to bite on her index fingernail. There are little details that you feel like you hadn’t noticed about her before in that moment, irrelevant as it was.

The way she curled her hair was different. Maybe it was the amount of lipgloss she applied, which seemed significantly noticeable.

The look on her face gives you the impression she’s not nervous at all, if anything, she seems a bit gleeful. “…So,” You feel like you already know what’s coming as she speaks up. “…I didn’t know you had a thing for Jeff…?”

There’s a teasing tone behind her voice, which makes you just want to quite literally leave the country and change your name. Dramatic, yes, but you feel like this is too much.

“Jeff is,” You have to pause for a minute, trying to phrase things carefully. “He’s cool. What brought you to that conclusion? I don’t have a thing for him..”

Trish probably couldn’t tell that you were in denial. “For one, your obvious yelling in the hallway. But if you say you don’t, I believe you.”

And speak of the devil, because he starts to come over to you two without a care in the world. He reaches out to hold Trish’s hand and you have to turn your attention anywhere but there.

“Hey, [Name].” Jeff greets. Honestly, he’s happy to see you. It’s been too long since you’ve spoken to him.

“Hi.” You come off bitter, but you do your best to mask any of it with a forced smile.

For some reason, Jeff feels like he’s over the moon, even if you had only greeted him. “How are you doing? Lita told me that you weren’t doing so well.“

“She’s not?” Trish turns over to look at you with a frown. “You aren’t? What’s wrong?”

Fucking Lita, again with this! This is exactly why you wish she’d just be quiet. You found yourself in a really awkward place because of her. “She’s wrong. I’m fine, like way fine.”

Jeff nods. On another note, he smelt like so much paint. If you looked closely enough, it was almost like it was fresh. You point this out in attempt to shift the topic. “You painted yourself again, huh? The colors are nice,”

The compliment you had given him about the colors had made him feel as if he was getting somewhere.

“Yeah. Sooner or later, I’ve gotta paint something on you. Pick any color and I’ll do it. Wherever you want.” He says. “You’re the canvas.”

Trish smiles. “He’s really good at it. But he’s also really good at getting it all over me..” She giggles, looking down at her hand.

There was definitely chemistry and you feel like you don’t belong. It pains you. “Hey, I just noticed. Do you two have a match tonight or something?”

“We do!” Trish chimes. “It’s funny you say that. It’s against Victoria and Stevie Richards. Don’t worry, we’ll kick their butt for you. Speaking of which, I think we have to go to gorilla. Let's go, Jeff.”

“Have a good match.” You wave. They both thank you and leave you be, but you can see them talking on their own as they head down the corridor.

You’re alone with your thoughts once more, that is until a sickeningly sweet voice had made you groan.

“Oh sweet, sweet [Name].” Victoria coos, reaching over to caress your cheek. You swipe her hand away and she laughs. “I think that was so rude. The audacity of him, right? Just showing up with her like that in front of you.”

You just stare at her.

She continues on, knowing that she’s got you right where she wants. “Now that you know we have a match against them...come with us.”

It sounds more like a command than a request and she’s smiling all the while. “Having them lose would make them feel like they’ve lost everything."

Is that really true? No, is that what you really want? You're hesitant. “I don’t know, it seems a little—“

She quickly cuts you off. “You can trust me, [Name]. We’re friends.”

Friends. You’ve heard that word a lot lately. But you feel as if you had no other choice, you had to trust Victoria. So, you end up following her to gorilla in hopes of getting what you want.

When it was your turn, commentary referred to you as something akin to a lost puppy. You were clearly hesitating, taking painfully slow steps down the ramp.

Stevie has to rush back to grab you by the arm and pull you down the ramp a bit faster, which makes you yelp. “Ow, ow, ow! You’re grabbing me too tight—!” He pays no mind to your complaint, instead presenting you to the duo in the ring as if you were a trophy.

Trish and Jeff were confused. Really confused. Why were you out here with them? The two pass whispers amongst each other while Stevie joins Victoria in the ring.

You can’t look them in the eye, so you try and focus on Stevie as he’s the one to start the match with Jeff. As soon as they lock up, you let out a shrill for Stevie.

It almost makes Jeff break it up, so Stevie quickly takes advantage and stiffs him a bit. You lean your head onto the apron. It's going to be a long one..

So far, Victoria and Stevie weren’t doing too well. Trish and Jeff were completely dominating them and it makes you irritated. You want to help them out a bit. It’s Victoria and Trish in the ring while Jeff and Stevie were going at it outside.

Trish irish whips Victoria into the corner, and the latter brings up her knee to slam right into Trish’s face. As a rebound, Trish decides to hit the Stratusphere once Victoria starts to climb onto the top rope.

Alright, you can’t keep watching anymore. You absolutely have to interfere! Once she grabs her from off of the ground and starts heading towards the rope, you already know she’s about to do Stratusfaction.

In an attempt to stop her, you hop up onto the apron. The referee tries to stop you from getting in in the meanwhile. It’s clear that she hesitates coming towards your side, which gives Victoria enough time to try and reverse it into a Widow’s Peak.

Trish is able to maneuver her way back out of it though, much to your surprise. And instead of hesitating any further, she grabs Victoria by the back of her hair and uses you as leverage for her finisher. It hurt like hell once you hit the ground.

…Actually, you may have landed wrong. Almost immediately, a shot of pain had shot up your right leg, making you curl up and grab onto it. The crowd to let out a gasp.

‘[Name] falling off the apron, by god, that was a nasty fall!’ JR calls. ‘This may be bad news!’

On the other side of him, Jerry cries out. ‘Oh no! Come over here, [Name]! I’ll nurse it better!’

You don’t know what sucks more, the sound of the bell ringing along with Trish’s theme music or the fact you may have been injured. What if you’re taken off of TV? You feel like you’ll have to share your time off with Lita, who would probably drive you insane the entire time.

This is really bad. What starts to make it worse is that Stevie starts to stomp over to you. You can barely stand, which makes him yank you up harshly. He guided you over to the ring and pushed you in.

Now, you’ll have to answer to Victoria. As you try and use the ropes to get up, she stands over you, jabbing a finger in your face. “What the hell was that, [Name]?!”

“I was trying to help you!” It’s safe to say you’re afraid of Victoria right now. She's so unstable, you hated to be on her bad side. "I was!"

"We LOST!" She screams. "That bitch won! And it's all because of you! Guess what?! You're going to pay!"

Shit. Stevie grabs you and lifts you up, keeping you in a hold so that he’s got your arms hooked behind you. Victoria felt that she had no other choice but to punish you.

She reels her arm back in preparation. On instinct, you close your eyes.

…But nothing ever comes. You hear the crowd begin to cheer louder and you open your eyes to see that Trish had slid back into the ring and knocked her down. They move out of the ring, giving the other two enough space.

Of course, Jeff came back, easily maneuvering over to you and Stevie. He lets you go and you crash onto the ground, only able to watch them go at it.

Your leg was definitely busted. You can barely move! Luckily, the fight between the boys in the ring hadn’t last too long. Stevie rolls out of the ring to escape, while Jeff quickly comes over to you.

“Ya’ alright?”

"Besides my leg feeling like it's broken, sure, I'm alright." You sarcastically remark. He starts to walk and you try to hop along with him. “Dude, you’re going to have to slow down.”

“Sorry.” He quickly apologizes, slowing his speed so that you’re comfortable. You note that he’s not as harsh as Stevie was. He’s trying to guide you to the very edge of the ring.

…But he suddenly stops halfway before you get there. “What’re you doing?” You ask.

Jeff doesn’t reply.

Will he’ll regret this later? It didn’t matter. Before you can question him again, he reaches over to grab your face and brings you in for a quick kiss.

You don’t even know what to do. It was so fast, you didn’t even get the opportunity to decide whether you wanted to kiss back or not.

Perhaps it’s a random act of kindness. Maybe even an act of sympathy? You’re not even sure. You just look dumbfounded.

That’s the first time he’s ever done that. He goes back to helping you out of the ring without a word and you feel like it’s for the best.

Somehow, you have to fight the growing smile on your face, despite how much guilt may lie beneath.

Jeff Hardy is a strange individual, that’s for sure. But you know that he’ll always be a hero at the end of the day.

[novellafaire]

TWST BOYS AS YOUR BOYFRIEND

Just some headcanons on what I think they would be like as boyfriends ♡

Heartslabyul (here!) - Savanaclaw - Octavinelle - Scarabia - Pomefiore - Ignihyde - Diasomnia

• Sweet boy has never been in a relationship before

• easily flustered and wants everything to be perfect for you

• you’re always invited to Unbirthday parties!! Or any casual tea party

• will still scold you if you break any rules, but is noticeably softer on your “punishments” (Ace and Deuce call out favoritism constantly)

• he gives you a rose every date — your vase is never empty

• he tries to make sweets for you because he thinks they have more meaning that way… but he needs help so he always seeks out Trey’s assistance

• would totally help you study if you ever want!! Just know he won’t go easy on you, but only because he wants to see you succeed

• please save him from Floyd

• he gets jealous but he’s stubborn and won’t admit it; this leads to him having an even shorter temper, usually unleashed on the Adeuce duo

• high-key worried about what his mom would think of you, but decides that no matter what he would choose you

• sometimes he gets nightmares about his overblot and if he hurt you ):

• pls comfort him during those times

• speaking of comfort, he’s not used to giving (or receiving, for that matter) it so he may be a little awkward if you are upset but he’s really trying

• despite his temper, arguments don’t happen very often between you two

• he’s good about trying to communicate with you if he thinks there’s a potential problem

• will combust if you ever initiate PDA, it’s not that he dislikes it, he just prefers to keep such matters private

• Chen’ya loves to tease him

• Adeuce will try to use you as a scapegoat so they don’t get in as much trouble. It seldom works — Riddle still collars them

• Trey is very happy that Riddle has found someone he trusts and loves

• Cater thinks your relationship dynamic is adorable, and you’ll have to thank him for the candid pictures he gets of you and Riddle

• Riddle might be inexperienced, but he would genuinely do anything for you — even if it breaks the rules

• over all, sweet baby who is really trying his best for you ♡

• literal boyfriend material ™

• he’s such a good boyfriend it’s not even funny

• he’s always making sure you’re taking care of yourself (texts asking if you’ve eaten or have been staying hydrated are not uncommon)

• loves to spoil you with the sweets he makes, always curating it to your preferences

• if you don’t like sweets, that’s okay!! that’s what his unique magic is here for

• common dates for you guys’ include baking, obviously

• does the cute cliche thing where you get flour over each other or frosting on their cheek, kissing it off, basically you guys’ just have fun with it

• even though he’s a sweetheart, he does have a teasing streak — one that you aren’t protected from

• always worried that you’ll find him boring ):

• not a very jealous guy; he trusts you and can read situations really well

• Chen’ya loves to tease him [pt 2]

• Ace and Deuce sees you two as the parents of Heartslabyul, even if you aren’t a member of the dorm

• they will fake gag though if you two ever show PDA

• speaking of PDA, it’s not uncommon but it’s also never anything extreme — usually just hand holding, hugs, cheek kisses, etc.

• Riddle doesn’t outwardly show an opinion of you one way or another, but inside he’s genuinely happy for his childhood friend

• Cater thinks you guys are a cute couple

• Trey is actually really good at comforting people, especially since he has multiple siblings, so he’s always there for you whenever you need a shoulder to lean on

• his presence alone is just really comforting

• arguments are also uncommon because Trey is good at reading your emotions

• they only happen if you’re both stressed, but the issue is resolved relatively quick

• he would also love for you to meet his family and their bakery!! both mean a lot to him, just as you do

• all in all, Trey would be such an amazing boyfriend and you can’t convince me otherwise ♡

• magicam power couple!!

• actually, he wouldn’t post as many pictures of you guys’ as you would think

• don’t get him wrong, he adores showing you off

• but some pictures he just thinks are too personal to share with the world, and he rather leave them for your guys’ eyes only

• that said, he does still take a lot of pictures of you and/or with you

• he can’t help it, he just thinks you’re so beautiful

• matching outfits!!!

• he’s very playful, and is always down to try new things

• he would NEVER push you out of your comfort zone, however

• he’s normally a fan of PDA, never shying away from having you wrapped up in his arms or pressing a cute kiss to your cheek, but he will limit himself to whatever you’re comfortable with

• he’s also not that jealous of a person, because he trusts you and your relationship

• however, there are still moments where his insecurities get to him

• he’ll try to play it off by playfully whining to get your attention, but deep down he really does need that reassurance

• you’re his source of comfort, a place where he doesn’t need to have any mask on, a place where he could be plain ol’ Cater and not be worried about it

• speaking of comfort, he’s great at reading the room and being able to recognize your emotions

• he would try to distract you from whatever is bothering you, but if that doesn’t work, he’ll gladly be there for you to vent your emotions

• arguments are also pretty rare between you guys, but when they happen they can get nasty and hurtful words may be thrown

• usually this just means you two need alone time to cool off, and then you’re able to make up really easily and come to an understanding

• Ace and Deuce can be lowkey disgusted by how lovey-dovey you guys can get, but Cater just finds their reactions funny

• Trey and Riddle would just smile and shake their heads at his antics

• not going to lie, he’s extremely hesitant for you to meet his family

• only because of his sisters though

• he knows they can be pushy and even judgmental at times, and he doesn’t want you to have to deal with that

• in conclusion, Cater is a very fun boyfriend, who also knows when to be serious ♡

• first off, when he realized he had a crush on you, he was in denial, denial, denial

• bro refused to admit he had a crush

• he did finally confess though (probably accidental tbh) and now he’s the brattiest [affectionately] boyfriend out there

• he’s been in a relationship before, but he never caught feelings like this

• his defense mechanism for dealing with this new feeling? teasing the ever-living crap out of you

• just because he’s your boyfriend, don’t think you’re safe from his pranks

• if anything you’ve become his new main target

• he is such a tease; it’ll be rare for him to give you a proper compliment, but it does happen occasionally

• but he would never go too far ( he does sometimes get extremely close to treading the line, tho)

• he would love it if you came to his basketball games though!! you cheering him on would give him even more of a boost to do his best

• he may drag you into trouble with him, but he wouldn’t ditch you

• small arguments are common between you two, but they never last that long

• most of the dates with him will be adventurous or filled with chaos, so be prepared

• he can be chill sometimes as well though, content to simply watch a movie or show with you

• this is especially true if you’re upset

•he’ll try to make you laugh, but if that doesn’t work then it’s one of the few times where he’ll get serious and really try to comfort you, even if it isn’t his strong suit

• he is constantly vying for your attention, so he’s easily jealous

• he’ll be super bratty about it too, always pouting and annoying you even more, instead of admitting his true feelings

• however, if you were ever in trouble, he would be there to protect you in a heartbeat

• is not above beating someone up or pranking them if they bothered you

• when it comes to PDA, he’s pretty open about it

• almost always has his arm draped around your shoulders

• gets even more touchy when he’s jealous

• you’re really close to Deuce as well, which can sometimes spark arguments between him and Ace

• Riddle just hopes you can keep Ace out of trouble

• Trey hopes that as well, for both of your guys’ sakes

• Cater finds your guys’ antics amusing, and will sometimes even record them

• Ace has definitely mentioned you to his brother before, who was shocked to hear that his little brother actually found someone he genuinely likes

• over all, Ace is a really fun boyfriend who may be annoying at times, but he’ll always be there for you and will make you smile ♡

• Deuce is such a sweet boy

• he’s trying so hard to be an honor student, and this mindset bleeds over into him wanting to be the best boyfriend he can for you

• dates with him can be either really exhilarating — such as riding on a blastcycle with him

• or they can be really chill where you guys just hang out and chat

• he’ll be eternally grateful if you help him study, or at least study with him

• he’s easily flustered, and so he may stumble a lot with his actions, but they always have the sweetest intentions

• that said, he would fight to the bitter end to protect your name

• if he ever heard someone talk bad about you, best believe he’s not caring about his “honor student” dream, cause he’s going to fight them

• will also always be there to protect you

• even though his memory may not be the greatest, he’ll try his hardest to remember things you like or don’t like

• when it comes to jealousy… he’s conflicted

• on one hand he trusts you so he knows he shouldn’t feel that way

• but on the other hand he simply can’t help it; those feelings are just inherent to his nature

• chances are he’ll probs become a little more distant when he’s jealous cause he’s worried about messing things up

• this gets resolved relatively quick

• arguments don’t happen very often between you guys’, usually only if there’s was a misunderstanding or stress got to be too much

• Riddle hopes you’ll be a good influence on him

• Trey and Cater are just content that he’s happy

• Ace will tease you guys’ to death, and will act grossed out at the slightest showcasing of affection

• deep down tho, Ace is happy for you guys’ — both of you are his best friends, after all

• your happiness = his happiness

• he’ll try his best to be a gentleman around you

• meaning he avoids PDA in fear of accidentally pushing your boundaries

• when his emotions get the better of him, such as when he’s excited, then he won’t even think about it and will pull you in a hug no matter where you are

•only later does he realize what he did and gets embarrassed

• also, best believe his mom heard all about you before you guys even started dating

• he can’t wait for you to meet her, and it would mean the world if you two got along

• he would cry tears of joy

• in conclusion, Deuce would be an incredibly sweet and protective boyfriend ♡

[kxmikomrade]

🍁˖࿐ Artist! S/O - Isagi, Bachira, Reo, Sae

╰┈➤Hcs of them with an Artistic S/O!! Genre: Fluff and crack Gn!reader or Any gender Warnings: Swearing, Not proof read bcs im lazy, idk wat else but lmk if theres anything else Waiter's Note: OH LOOK WHO FINALLY PULLED THIS OUTTA THEIR DRAFTS AFTER A WHOLE ASS 5 MONTHS LMAOO I HOPE U GUYS ENJOY <33 Reqs Open as usual!! Masterlists

Now Playing: An Art Gallery Could Never Be As Unique As You

Very VERY VERYYYY fascinated on what you do, he thinks it's really cool

He canonly likes art too so let him join in!!

Draw him in any way like even a small doodle and he WILL COMBUST

He decorated his wall infront of his desk with your drawings and doodles, other things like custom keychains, origami, glass paintings are on his desk so he can see it everyday when he wakes up 🥹🥹

Study dates with you two often end up in drawing-cuddling sessions

Starting with studying so you can both pass your exams to you two beside eachother, legs tangled under the kotatsu table while you both lay on your stomachs, drawing whatever you felt like drawing 🫶

Let's just hope that you both pass your exams 😭😭

When you have art block or you feel stressed, he offers to take you out to a walk (yk he loves those esp with you)

It may seem kinda annoying at first but trust me, it does WONDERS

YOUR WORKS ARE DISPLAYED THROUGHOUT THE ISAGI HOUSEHOLD ✨

His parents like your creations too but they ALWAYS remind you whenever you come over that it's okay to take breaks and do other things 🥹💖

He's not rich by all means, but he's willing to spend his money to get you supplies u want

When he got the letter for blue lock, you both agreed to meet at a park at night and you talked things through, promising to work hard and improve while you both are separated

Whenever the topic of art or s/o comes in, he just ends up talking everyones ear off in blue lock and the question was just from a truth or dare game😭

Whether or not you got recognized for your art and got more commissions/promotions or quit art to start something new that interests you, he's supportive just as you are for him 🫶

HE LOVES ART, AND YOUR AN ARTIST?? MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN

Introduces you to his mom <33 you both share tips and tricks and now she's like your teacher ITS SO CUTE

But Meguru gets pretty pouty if you just sit there beside his mom talking about art related things all day 😭

If you let him lay down on your lap and give him occasional kisses then he'll be able to sit still for a while longer

You gave him a bee-themed soccer ball you painted once and he ALWAYS has it on his bed so he can fall asleep hugging it 🥹

He doesn't play with it tho, atleast not outdoors bcs he doesn't wanna ruin it 😭💖

Painting with him and his mom if she isn't busy!!

He always plays around and puts paint on your face, his mom scolds him for it LMAOO

Don't take him to art museums pls 😭😭 HAVE YOU SEEN HOW HE WAS IN THE LIGHT NOVEL?? you both would get in trouble just because he was bored 💀

BRAGS TO EVERYONE AND ANYONE IN BLUE LOCK ABOUT YOU THAT THEY LITERALLY KNOW YOU AND EVERY SINGLE ART PIECE YOU HAVE DONE BEFORE EVEN MEETING YOU OR SEEING THEM 💀💀😭

Has tried to eat paint before 🧍‍♂️Much worse if you paint food then bro might try it again 💀💀💀

You sit on a bench nearby and draw while he practices, it's relaxing, just watch out for the ball 😭💀

Oh boy

Id say for a FACT that you were broke until you started dating him unless you have really cheap materials or you're just really good at saving

Yk how art materials and art school is so ridiculously expensive?? Well, your LOVELY boyfriend here has it all covered

Mans literally already bought a whole art shop 💀

Its not like it's anything new *looks at art big art studio*

PLEASE get a frying pan and smack some sense into this man's head bcs he was just about to buy his way into getting your art showcased in an art gallery/convention

He might, MIGHT stop if you use his own words against him. Like the whole 'i want to carve my own future' thing

Lets be fr, he won't stop, the most he could do is stop bribing his way to get your art showcased

Bby supports you alot tho :((

He just admires how much effort you're able to put in each work

When art block kicks in, he'll take you to go to expensive art galleries or to wherever the Mona Lisa is currently being showcased at

Just drag him out and tell him u wanna learn soccer 😭 it's honestly more fun than roaming around an art gallery

Paint him with his parents and they'll already start planning your marriage 💀😭

Bro when collage comes along, then your tuition fees and apartment bills are already paid like??? I wonder how 🤔

PLS DRAW HIM AND SHOW HIM THAT THERE ARE OTHER WAYS TO EXPRESS LOVE OTHER THAN MONEY SPENDING BCS HE'LL ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND WITH ALL THE TIME, EFFORT AND SKILL YOU PUT IN

He DEFINITELY frames all the drawings/paintings you give him. No buts

Let's be fr, he probably has a room in his house filled with your creations 🧍‍♂️

I'm pretty sure that blue lock allows anything to be brought unless it's a phone or something (because they'll have to earn it back) so Reo brought this photo album/journal decorated by you and/or your drawings

AND YK THOSE MINI PRINTERS??? HE BROUGHT ONE TOO SO WHENEVER YOU SEND A NEW ARTWORK, HE PRINTS IT 😭😭

Talks Nagi's ear off every time 💀

Supportive bank in general 👍 jkjk pls don't use him just for money or I will come for your eyeballs 🤗

Sae is pretty chill compared to his hardcore emo brother like did you see that one panel where he wanted to go home in the middle of a game while applying lotion???

He doesn't seem like the type to check social media often too so I hc that he draws after practices when he gets home to cool down for the night yk

I can definitely see him drawing his favorite characters from Chibi Maruko-chan whenever he feels stressed or has a bad day because of his stupid teammates who play like headless chickens 🙄(his words not mine)

So like when YOU came in, it's like he's surrounded by comfort when you two draw in silence while listening to your shared playlist 🌼

drawing fanarts for him that you wanna show off to everyone since he's beautiful and he's even more beautiful in your artstyle <33

he doesnt know about it tho because thats too embarrassing

rin follows you on that account with his private acc LMAOOOOOO

LISTEN. IMAGINE DRAWING HIM WITH HIS YEE YEE LOOKIN ASS BANGS AND TEASING HIM ABOUT IT HAHAHSHAHA

you secretly sent one to Rin for funsies once and he sent you a pic of Sae when he was young back, now you both have this sketchy deal thing going on that Sae doesnt know SHIT about

dw tho, both your mouths are sealed because now you got Rin to approve of you

If you live with him abroad, then your apartment/house is FILLED with notes/drawings/sketches/paintings/origamis, etc. im not exaggerating at ALL.

Imagine those cute and decorated fridges but make it the ENTIRE house

You both just slap some sticky note on walls, tables, chairs, cabinets, shelves, counters and draw on it,and neither of you clean them up, you just leave it there 😭😭

it comes off when it comes off ig 🤷

If you dont live with him abroad, then you guys have a minecraft server you both share thats literally FILLED with builds. Somehow, Sae's RIDICULOUSLY fast at learning these things and now hes an architect 🧍‍♂️

Also those cooperative drawing websites/games?? yeah, you both have them OFTEN, like, every night other than when hes like SUPER tired

just stick to screenshoting him and drawing on his face

He buys you anything you need/want too and theres basically no stopping him 🤷🤷

Tagging: @inariezaki

[1341 words]

[skulgore]

Creator has a toddler family member with them

^ normal AND imposter sagau!

to soothe me missing my nephew. this is based off how my nephew has genshin 💀.. he loves amber and bennett

i never seen anybody write an imposter version cus they don't want children to get hurt ... but me on the other hand? ... ima turn up

Normal Sagau:

they didn't expect anything, just a normal farming artifacts day with your strongest team!

it was until you joined somebody's world that they began to get curious? who was this person? do you know them?

their questions were quickly answered when they heard a child run in your room with a loud voice, then proceeding to tell you how much they love you and that they need to get

while some feel a twinge of jealousy, others feel heart warmed.

but the common thing throughout teyvat is that they want to be the one telling you their love, not some kid who doesn't know how much they would die to trade spots with them

imagine the kiddos hearing you with them :(

klee, qiqi, diona, sayu, and dori want to hangout with you too :(

especially if you have one of the kids on the party when you join the lil kiddos world.

they want to play with you!!! but they also find the kiddo adorable.

so do all of the characters!! they love them so much but they are so so jealous 😕.

the ones who are most jealous of your family member would be:

Tartaglia, Klee, Kaeya, Fischl, Diluc, Collei, Jean, Barbara, Ayato? and Ayaka (mostly the younger siblings)

the ones who are most jealous of you:

Venti? Amber, Lisa, Ningguang, Hu Tao, Noelle, Yoimiya, and Ganyu

Imposter Sagau:

oh dear.

oh no.

you guys are in trouble big time!

that is if the "creator" has a younger family member of them as well

if not, free reign.

butttttt if they do. yikes.

protecting your family member and sprinting? not only do they want your head on a stick, they want BOTH of your guys' heads.

the kiddo hasn't done anything wrong :(

but boy, when they saw the fear in the kids eyes just made them tear up.

best thing they could use against you? “bring you and the kid to the creator and we'll spare your lives, for now."

wanted ... alive. PLEASE! that's if they're nice.

i think this version of imposter au it'd be very uh toned down a lot from the other versions, less gorey for the kiddo :(, if anything, shield their eyes :((.

when they find out you're the actual creator? they're enraged and no blood had been shed due by your request, save the trauma for the kid.

the true imposter has been taken down, what about the other clueless lil kid? :(

take them in pls.

they have nowhere else to go, everywhere they go, they'd be shunned on for impersonating the creators-successor.

[lcnelyghost]

Hey if u don't mind, can u pls do an imagine with jpm where the reader is gen z and sometimes James has trouble relating to her/ him/them but he still tries? And also pls pls pls a part two of introducing James to modern music

Ps, ur writing is fucking incredible, and ur one of my fav tumblr blogs, take care sweets :) <3

yk, that last little comment really made me smile. i’m glad to know my writing actually interests people! thank you sm lovely <3

the fascination of our modern world//jpm

pairings; james patrick march, female reader

rating; pg!

warnings; none <3

Oh, where could you even begin here. Let’s just say, having a boyfriend from the 1920’s was occasionally difficult at times. Even though he had a thirst for taking the lives of the innocent, James was a total gem. A gentleman who would spoil you and give you everything he had. Everything you wanted!

But.. the poor dear had a hard time understanding how the modern world worked. He found it incredibly uncomfortable. Certainly quite confusing in many ways, though Mr March found a way to avoid being included in anything that involved this generation. That was until he met you.

Now, James was left to face the supposed joys of finding out about even more sources and objects that now existed in this world. If it meant trying to understand more about you, he’d clearly have to go right in and start learning.

***

“Darling?” James called. He could faintly hear someone singing softly in the sitting room of his suite.

Inspecting this odd noise, James proceeded to enter the sitting room, just in time to see you with you’re back turned whilst singing within the dead silence.

Mr March was quite confused that you were just randomly singing to no tune in particular. No music was playing, so he chuckled quite a bit at this current sight.

“Last Christmas, I gave you my heart. But the very next day.. you gave it away. This year, to save me from tears! I’ll give it to someone special!” You sang with glee, you’re back still turned to you’re ghostly lover.

James smiled in awe but slowly made his way over to you and tapped you’re shoulder. He immediately flew back when you jumped in surprised, going on to giggle at his reaction.

“James! You gave me quite the fright. Is something wrong?” You asked.

James slowly shook his head. “No, no. Not at all my love. Just.. erm.. remember the record player I own?”

You furrowed you’re brows and looked at him funny, pausing the song on you’re phone as it was still blaring through the AirPods a tad bit too loud in you’re ears.

“Yes?”

“Well, i’m sure you are quite aware that you’re more than welcome to use it for some of the albums that belong to you. Don’t feel that you have to sing to yourself rather than the actual piece of music, dear. I know we all like a bit of singing to ourselves sometimes. But it’s better to join whoever may be singing in the song we like.”

You laughed at his slight confusion. “Oh James, you’re such a sweetheart. But I wasn’t singing to myself in pure silence..”

“You weren’t?”

“No. I was listening to my music through these,” You took the AirPods out of you’re ears and went on to present them to him.

He stared at them curiously, taking one of the small white speakers into his own hand. He inspected it before giving the AirPod back to you.

“Ah yes.. these are uh, something that connects to one of you’re electrical devices?”

You nodded and placed both of them in his ears, going back onto you’re phone and playing the song you were last listening to.

A grin began to spread across his face as he slowly tapped his right foot to the beat of the song.

“My my! This is quite the invention!” James beamed, his body now swaying slowly to the smooth sound of music.

You both laughed and you’re heart practically melted at his joy. Now usually, things like these utterly disgusted Mr March. He’d most likely say it was too loud for his ears or it hurt him. But perhaps now, you’re partner wouldn’t be so quick to judge.

***

“So, what do you fancy watching?” You asked James, searching on Netflix and Disney+ as you cuddled into you’re boyfriend further.

The two of you were comfortably sat in bed in you’re pyjamas. You’d taken James to bed a little earlier tonight, explaining to him that you wanted a ‘movie night’ or so you called it.

“Hmm, i’ll let you decide dear. Just maybe something that fits both of our tastes.” He said, twirling you’re hair around with his finger.

“Oo! How about Twilight?”

“Sorry?”

You giggled slightly. “Twilight. It’s a romantic movie. It’s about a vampire who falls in love with a human in high-school. And it becomes his job to protect her. He sort of stalks her a bit though. There’s also wolves in it! Maybe we could watch the full franchise!!”

James blinked at you, not knowing what to say. He eventually sighed and told you to put it on if that’s what you wanted.

Half way through you guys watching the full saga, James became bored and was just cringing at how there was too much going on. Far, far too much for his liking.

“Dearest, I think it’s time for me to settle down for the night.” He stated, faking a yawn and excusing himself.

“Aw, ok! We can finish it tomorrow.” You smiled sweetly, James only just smiled back before kissing you goodnight and rolling over. His smile fell shortly after he’d realised he actually had to finish these lot of movies tomorrow night.

***

“Mm, i’m feeling a bit peckish. Maybe we should have lunch now?” You said to you’re lover, rubbing you’re stomach as it growled loudly with hunger.

“Yes, I was getting ready to ask you that actually. Wait- where is Miss Evers?” James searched around the place but didn’t manage to find his loyal laundress, (and chef for that matter)

“I told her to go to the bar and enjoy herself for the afternoon. Don’t worry though. I’ll order us something in.” You pulled out you’re phone and went into Just Eat.

“Darling, I thought you said you gave her the afternoon off. How are we meant to request to her what we would like if she’s gone?” He frowned.

“I know, that’s why I said I would order it in.”

James frowned ever more. “I don’t understand.”

You sat down beside him, showing him what app you were currently in.

“Look, this app allows me to order food to the Cortez. I can text Liz to bring it up to us and that’ll be our lunch for the day.” You told him. He looked shocked and wildly fascinated at the same time.

“So.. you are able to get someone to professionally make us something to eat and they are willing to deliver it right here to the Cortez?”

“Yup.”

“Oh Darling.. when I said I had a huge dislike for the modern world.. I don’t think I meant it quite literally at all..”

***

hope y’all enjoyed this little imagine! it was quite fun to make actually :)

taglist: @v-love @cabin10hufflepuff