#sick names huh. i came up with them myself.

[lovelessbachelor]

IT COULDN'T POSSIBLY...

...SHE'S ALIVE...?!

Haha look OC lore. hahahha. there they are. OCs.

these two are my Villain and my Hero in my whole...narrative...story....thing...

Calice & Luna respectively, you can't rlly see Cal cus she's just got that shot in the bottom corner, but y'know.

Luna was supposed to be killed in that fire. hah. funny how fate works.

They actually used to know eachother when they were younger, much younger. Luna's about 17 here and Calice is 36 and they crossed paths a few times due to living in the same village (until, y'know...the incident.) and Luna's need for finding companionship in someone she thought was like her, didn't help that they often took the same route to school/work. Calice thought she was a pest.

the right section is a bit of Calice's recollection of Luna from when she was younger, fire and missing posters....not like many people cared much for the wolf hybrid freak that shared a classroom with their children, if anything she was a danger, I mean, it's still an animal...what if it snapped and hurt someone? You never know with these....things.

Poor Luna, this part of the story is VERY dramatic, i love to think of their characters of being so similar, they just took a different approach to how they were treated.

One emboldened, one buckled.

Man, i love dualities.

[makeitmingi]

Be Your Solace

Genre: Romance, Fluff, Comfort, Slight Angst

Pairing: San x Reader (y/n)

Characters: UniversityStudent Girlfriend!Reader, UniversityStudent Boyfriend!San

Summary: Since your relationship was still relatively new, you were afraid of letting San meeting your family. You didn't want them to chase him away. But your boyfriend can't stand to see you stressed, anxious and exhausted from your family. So he tries to help you and be your solace.

Warning(s): Reader has anxiety and is mentally anxious, bad mental health. Depictions of toxic family dynamic and family members. There may be triggering topics to certain readers. Please read at your own discretion.

[A/N: Happy belated birthday Choi San!!!!!! This is my 'self-indulgent' fic. Some parts you may find rather detailed because it is a close depiction to my own personal experiences with extended family. And how I am going through it right now. So I wrote this to vent, rant and comfort myself.]

Word count: 7.7K

'At the end of the day, family will always be family. And family will always comes first.'

That's what you've been told your whole life. No matter what happens between family members, you'll always be family, you'll always share blood bonds. And blood is thicker than water... right? The expectation that family will always come first was seared into your brain.

"(y/n)? Did you hear what I said?" Your boyfriend's voice pulled you out of your mind's despair.

"Huh? No, sorry, Sannie. What did you say?" You frowned at yourself, not even realising that you were spacing out. You blinked and let out a soft sigh, moving to meet his eyes.

"What's wrong? You didn't even react when I called you 'jagiya'." San joked but his eyes filled with concern and worry.

The reason you didn't like the pet name 'jagiya' because that was what San and his best friend, Wooyoung, called each other.

Instead he calls you, 'baby', 'love' or his favourite, 'baby love'. To him, that was the most unique and it combined his two other petnames for you. And that made it special to both you and San.

"I'm fine. Just a little distracted." You forced a smile. One of San's hand reached out to cup your cheek, the other wrapped around your waist to pull you closer to him.

"You're not fine. Tell me what's bothering my baby?" He tilted his head with a small pout.

"It's just my family... You know how it is... My cousin's coming back to visit and as usual, the whole family is rushing to accomodate her as if she's the queen. She's not even here yet and I'm already so bothered by it." You rubbed your temples.

"This is the cousin that's the favourite of your oldest aunt, right?" He clarified. San hasn't met your extended family yet so he only knows them by your stories and rants about them.

"Yes. And since my aunt is the head of the family, we kind of have to do her bidding. I'd rather not face her wrath." You said.

"I understand." San nodded.

"And she knows I'm off school now so I'll probably be roped into doing more of whatever she has planned. She even made an excel sheet schedule." You groaned.

"Looks like all my weekends are gone." You said, looking at the schedule. San looked over to read through it.

"That's... a lot of things to do..." San frowned. Even he felt exhausted looking at that.

"I know!" You groaned, your head falling onto his shoulder. And what's worse is that you won't be able to see San as much since so much of your time would be taken up for family. San turned his body on the couch so he could face you and hug you properly. You buried your head into his chest.

"I shouldn't be complaining, right? I should be grateful for all these extravagant meals and outings she drags me to. But why do I feel such an exhaustion and dread?" You gulped.

"Everyone has a social battery, baby love. And it is very exhausting. I remember the last time she came back, you were sick after she left."

"Yeah because she has the flu and still came in close proximity to us." You mumbled bitterly.

"Would it help if I was there?" He asked carefully, rubbing the back of your hand with his thumb as you tucked your face into the crook of his neck.

The last thing San wanted to do was to add to your stress or make you feel pressured into inviting him for these.

"Thanks, San. But I like our relationship so I don't want to risk scaring you away yet." You chuckled.

"Baby, you already have me and my love for you is greater than what your family can do to me. If I have to accept your family to be with you, so be it." He laughed and pulled away slightly to kiss the crown of your head.

But from your answer, San knew not to push it or insist that you let him come with you. He didn't want to make things difficult for you. You knew your family and were old enough to judge the situation.

"Wait, it's not that I'm embarrased by you or anything, okay? That side of my family is just judgemental and not welcoming-"

"Woah, woah, woah. Breathe, baby love. It's okay. Hey." He cupped your cheeks in his hands to ground you.

"Sorry..." You mumbled.

"Mmm-mmm, you have nothing to apologise for. Thank you for wanting to protect me." San pressed his forehead against yours. You gave him a small smile.

"I really wish I could have you with me. But there's this whole thing they have about insiders vs outsiders." You sighed.

"Before we continue, let's move to the room. This couch is too small to cuddle." Without saying anything else, San lifted you up and brought you to his room. As he climbed over you, he hovered over you for a few seconds to give you a kiss before landing his body beside yours.

"Here." He put Shiber in your arms for you to hug while he wrapped his arms around you to hug you.

"I'm sorry I'll be more absent these 3 weeks." You sighed, inhaling Shiber's scent. He smelled just like San, which comforted you.

"Don't worry about that now, baby. I'll miss you dearly but that's not for you to worry about. I'm not angry nor do I blame you." He assured pulling you closer to him.

"But I am angry. I need my San time." You whined. San laughed and cupped your cheek to give you a peck.

"You can come over any day, any time you need, hmm? Or if you want me to go over, let me know." He rubbed your back.

"Thank you." You murmured. San wished he could do more, he hated seeing your anxiety peak like this and how stressed out you were. The least he could do was be here for you when you need him.

When San hugged you like this, you felt so safe and protected from the world. Your anxiety was something you were transparent about right from the start. But San never grew annoyed with it, he was always there, patient and understanding.

It's funny because now you wonder how you lived without him all these years because you've definitely grown dependent on him.

"Take a nap, hmm? Rest your mind." He said, gently massaging the back of your neck to help you relieve the tension there. You melted in his touch.

When San woke up from the nap, you were not in bed with him. He heard you talking outside.

"So you've seen the schedule. Just help me book my hair and nail appointments where there's a free slot. No mornings though."

"Sure... I'll call and check. Then update the schedule." You said, nodding to the phone that you propped up using your mug so you wouldn't have to hold it.

"And make a booking at the Chinese restaurant for Sunday brunch too. Since you're usually the one who makes it."

"Okay, hang on for a bit." You blanked the camera and turned off the mic, waving San over. You both still heard your cousin rambling about something on the other end. San shuffled over to you, leaning down to give you a kiss. You giggled and ran your hands through his hair, combing out his bed hair.

"Sorry I left the bed. She called and I didn't want to wake you up with the talking." You sighed.

"It's okay. But you owe me." He smiled with a playful glint in his eyes. You laughed and nodded, giving him a final kiss before he moved away. You turned the camera and mic on again.

"What happened? Why did you have to turn off the camera and mic when we were talking half way? Why are you acting so secretive?"

"What? I'm not secretive." You frowned.

"It's just a boyfriend. You're at your boyfriend's place, aren't you? It's not that big a deal, (y/n). You don't have to act like it's some big secret. I have a boyfriend too."

"I know that. I just... It's not that it's a secret. I just enjoy my privacy." You sighed.

"Privacy? We're family, why do you have to keep it so private? That's making it a big deal."

"Anyway, back to the plans." You diverted the topic. You could only bite your tongue for so long and you didn't want to accidentally say something ugly. There was a nice facade that you had to maintain to keep the peace.

"Also, since I'm back, can you make me that Chinese dish you learnt to make the other time? I've been asking each time I return and you haven't made it for me."

"It's a lot of work and I'm busy..." You chewed on your bottom lip.

"Yeah but you're on holiday, right? What? You want me to pay you? I can pay you to make it."

"Money is not the issue here... It's time consuming and a lot of work. There are other things I need to attend to. Making that dish will take me two days..." You tried to reason with her.

"What's the point in saying you learnt to make it if you're not going to make it?"

"Yeah, my bad." You hummed.

"Anyway, our aunt said that for the two family gatherings, you're in charge of desserts so make enough this time, okay? And try something new, you always make the same thing."

From the kitchen, San listened to the conversation, his frown growing deeper as time went on. This was the first time he heard you speak to your cousins and it's like you're an entirely different person. He hated it and he hated how your cousin used your aunt's position in the family to make you do things.

"Are you bringing your boyfriend for any of the gatherings? I brought my boyfriend the last time I came back."

"I remember. But no, I don't intend to bring him this time." You shook your head, eyes casting to the side to meet San's. He just stared back at you with an unreadable expression.

"Maybe it's best that you don't. I got some heat the last time and I'm the favourite of the family. So, who knows what you'll get."

"Right, thanks for the heads up." You awkwardly chuckled.

"But I'm not saying you should keep him away forever. It's rude of you not to invite him. If you're serious about him and talk about him, you should bring him to meet us."

"I do intend to since he's already met my parents a few times. Just not this instance." You said.

"Keeping him away is not only rude, it's not fair to him either. You'll hurt his feelings and your relationship this way."

"I'm aware. Thank you for the advice." You forced a small smile, swallowing the lump in your throat. The exhale you let out was shaky, you were trying your best to keep it together but it was hard when she talked about how you were 'treating' San.

"Baby, are you free? I need your help!" San shouted. You looked up at meet his eyes.

"Looks like you're needed, you better go. Are you sure you can't pick me up from the airport tomorrow?"

"Seems like he needs me. And yeah, I'm sorry about that. I have a family dinner." You lied, hoping she bought your lie. San had come closer to you.

"Mmm, okay. But you better send me to the airport when I leave. Bye, I'll see you the day after tomorrow then."

After she hung up, you felt your whole body quiver. With shaky hands, you put your phone down.

"Baby love?" San approached you carefully but you stood up. You gulped and took a deep breath. In addition to everything else, now you felt embarrassed that San witnessed that.

"I-I'm going to the restroom." You made a beeline for the bathroom and closed the door. You knew you needed to collect yourself and not constantly depend on San to comfort you, you didn't want him to think that you were using him. Turning the sink on, you splashed your face with cold water.

*KNOCK KNOCK*

"Love? It's me. Open the door, hmm?" San was heard on the other side of the door.

"Just give me a second." You breathed out. From the gap beneath the door, you saw that he still stood there but he didn't rush you. He remained quiet until you were ready.

"God, I'm so embarrassed." You let out a tired sigh when you opened the door. San was leaning on the opposite wall and stood up.

"What's there to be embarrassed about, baby love?" His eyebrows furrowed with worry.

"Nothing. I'm good, Sannie. Don't worry about me, I-I'm used to it. But thanks for saving me." You threw your arms around his neck. His hands went to their usual place on your hips.

"I'll always save you." He kissed your cheek.

"I hate that she talks to you like that. I... I really hate it... She doesn't know anything about us." He mumbled against your shoulder as he hugged you tightly. You let out a hum, fingers toying with the ends of his hair behind his head.

"You're not rude and I'm not hurt that you're not bringing me to meet your extended family, okay? Our relationship is stronger than she thinks." San squeezed your waist.

"I know. What you think and feel is the most important. That's all that matters to me." You replied in a whisper.

"Aigo, my baby love. My pretty baby, my precious girl." San cooed, patting your butt teasingly.

Before meeting San, you hated people in your personal space. But one of the ways that San shows his love is through physical touch and now, you can't live without his hugs, kisses and cuddles.

*BEEP BEEP*

"Please tell me that's not her." San groaned and buried his face into the crook of your neck as you fished your phone out.

"Oh, nope. It's your boyfriend, he's coming with food for dinner and Yunho's tagging along." You informed, reading the text. San pulled away just to show you that he was rolling his eyes at you. In your phone, Wooyoung's contact was 'San's Boyfriend' and you did refer to him as such.

"He's not my boyfriend and I'm not his boyfriend. I'm YOUR boyfriend. You, (y/n) (y/l/n)." San squished your cheeks, pressing his forehead against yours.

"Not that many people have their boyfriends call another guy 'jagiya'. So can you blame me?' You teased.

"You-" San feign anger, chasing you around.

As you ran away, there was someone at your door. San wrapped his arms around your middle, playfully nibbling on the exposed skin between your neck and shoulder.

"Oh, your boyfriend and Yunho are here." You giggled and opened the door to let them in.

"Jagiya! I'm here!" Wooyoung came barreling in, throwing his arms around San, who caught him before they could both fall over. You chuckled with a shake of your head and wrapped an arm around Yunho to greet him.

"Sorry for coming unannounced." Yunho grinned, wrapping his long arms around you. You shook your head, all of San's friends were nice, you liked being around them.

"Some love for you too, baby girl." Wooyoung tugged you away from Yunho's embrace, planting a kiss on your cheek to rile San up.

"YAH!" San let out an outraged yell.

-

It only took about 3 days after your cousin's return for you to come back to San's place.

"San?" You called out after letting yourself in. He wasn't around, probably in the gym. The first thing you did was shower and wear one of San's shirts. After seeing that you liked to wear his shirts to comfort yourself, he started to set aside some of his shirts in the cupboard labelled 'Baby's Pile'.

"Hi, Shiber." You created a nest of San's blanket and hugged Shiber, just wanted to engulf yourself in his scent. It was the only thing that kept you sane now.

The first thing San did when he arrived home was notice your shoes in the doorway. The past 3 days, you haven't even had the time to text and call each other so he didn't know how you were doing.

"Baby love?" San called but there was no reply. He frowned in confusion and dropped his gym bag on the couch.

"Baby? Where are-" San paused when he saw you in his bed, fast asleep.

"My love." He whispered, hovering over you to give you a kiss on the cheek. You looked so precious and adorable in his shirt, hugging Shiber to you.

San went to take a shower, wanting to jump into bed with you and not disturb you with his sweaty self.

"Sannie?" San heard your sleepy voice from the bathroom and opened the door. You smiled when you saw him there.

"Don't you dare move a single inch. I haven't got a chance to get my cuddles. Let me dry my hair first." San threatened. You saluted and laid back down, squeezing Shiber tightly. You were glad you convinced San not to keep Shiber in storage or something.

"Okay, I'm here." You felt the bed dip as San crawled over to you. His arms reached for you to pull you close to him. The first thing he did was shower you in kisses.

"Come here, baby love." He smothered your in kisses, making you squirm and laugh.

"Ack, San!" You laughed as he gave you a final kiss on the lips.

"Sorry for being MIA and coming unannounced, I just needed to get away for a bit... It's only been a few days since she's been back and I already feel like I can't breathe." You sighed into his neck.

"Don't apologise, I'm glad you feel safe and comforted here. And I'm always happy to see you." He grinned.

"She appeared at my parents' place and wanted to stay over. The moment she left, I came straight here." You told him.

"So that's why you've been MIA. Where's her mom and brothers though? Shouldn't she be staying with them? Or even your oldest aunt, she always stays with her right?" San asked.

"Her mom and brothers couldn't care less. Her mother lets her do whatever she wants and her brothers would rather have her out of the house too since she orders them around and rules the house like a queen. And I think she's only staying my oldest aunt's place towards the end of her trip." You explained.

"My poor baby." San pouted.

"I have the first family gathering tomorrow and frankly, I'm so exhausted I don't even want to go..." You blinked.

"Can you not go? There is another gathering before she leaves, right?" San asked.

"No, I have to. The family will rip me to shreds if they found out I skipped a family gathering to stay with my boyfriend. Because family comes first, right?" You rolled your eyes.

"The only one tht doesn't like her is my mother." You chuckled.

"Your mom never puts up with anyone's bullshit so I am not surprised." San chuckled.

"Plus my mom lowkey doesn't like most of my dad's family anyway." You giggled. San laughed, nodding his head. He stroked your cheek with his thumb.

After you fell back asleep, San quietly grabbed his phone, careful not to disturb you. He thought to send your mother a text to let her know that you were with him and to ask if it was okay for you to stay the night with him.

'Also, I am aware that you have a family gathering to attend to tomorrow. I promise to make sure that I will drop her at your place earlier or the gathering's location on time. - San'

'Alright. Thanks for letting her stay with you, San. She's been stressed and I think she needs some comforting. - (y/n)'s mom'

'Thank you for trusting me. I promise to take good care of her. Have a nice evening. - San'

San then called his mother for recipes because he wanted to cook for you. He wasn't a gourmet cook but he could cook simple dishes for you to eat.

"San?" You called out from the room.

"In the kitchen, love!" San replied from his position by the stove. You shuffled out of the room, still holding Shiber.

"Oh my! Omonim, hello. I'm sorry I didn't see you there!" You jumped when you saw his mother on video call. You jumped out of the frame to adjust your crooked shirt and bed hair, as well to put Shiber down. Then you stepped back to properly bow to her. Both her and San were laughed at your funny actions.

"No worries, dear. Hello." She waved. San was still snickering at you so you secretly pinch his waist. He yelped and jumped, turning to glare at you.

"How are you and abonim? I miss Byeol!" You smiled to the camera, taking the phone up.

"Oh, we're doing fine, dear! Don't worry. And I'm sure Byeol misses you a lot too." She giggled, turning the camera to Byeol.

"Hi, Byeol! Such a cutie." You cooed. Byeol let out a loud meow in response, making you laugh. You could hear San's mom laugh on the other end before she turned the camera back to you.

"Ah, which reminds me. Thank you for sending appa the new foot massager! And for the royal jelly you sent me."

"I'm glad you both like it." You giggled, sitting on the couch and pulling your feet up.

"Like it? I can't even get him to get up from the thing... He even wanted to bring it to the dining table to use it while eating." San's mother sighed with a shake of her head. San smiled softly as he overheard your conversation with his mother.

"I didn't know you sent my parents things." San said after you handed his phone back to him once his mother hung up. You shrugged and leaned against the counter.

"Your mom always feeds me delicious food." You scooped the rice, seeing how San was finishing up his cooking.

"Well, thank you for taking such good care of my parents, baby love." He kissed your cheek.

"No need to thank me. I wanted to do it." You giggled. The both of you sat down at the small dining table to eat together, San handed out the cutlery.

It was nice, spending time with San like this. There was something warm about how domestic and homey it felt.

That's why when San drove you to your oldest aunt's place for the gathering the next day, you didn't want to leave the car. To coax you, San offered to walk you right to the doorstep. You pouted like a little child throwing a tantrum but still let San hold your hand to lead you to your aunt's apartment.

"I don't want to gooooooo. I want to stay with you." You whined, stomping your feet. Full disclaimer, you don't usually act like that, only around San.

"I know, baby. But I promised your mom I would send you here." San chuckled, pulling you along.

"You just hate me, don't you? Because if you love me, you wouldn't send me here."

"Ah, baby~ How can you say that?" San sent you a look. He came up to cup your cheeks, planting a kiss on your lips and swiping the slightly smudged lip gloss.

"Do you want me to stay with you then? I don't mind." San smiled.

"No, you should save yourself when you still can." You groaned. San squeezed your hand and walked with you.

"This is it." You stopped in front of the door, voice filled with dread and despair.

"You'll be okay, baby love. You're strong. But if you've had enough and need me to come get you, just say the word, hmm? I'll be here as soon as I can, your knight in shining armor." San engulfed you in a bear hug, planting a kiss on your temple.

"Thank you, Sannie. I don't know what I would do without you." You hugged him tightly. Before you ran the doorbell, you wanted to wait for San to leave first but you ran into your parents.

They were carrying the two desserts you made before going to San's place yesterday. One carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and the other was cookies.

"Omonim, abonim." San bowed respectfully.

"Thanks for dropping her off, San ah. Would you like to stay for some food?" Your father offered.

"Thank you for the offer but maybe next time, abonim. I already have plans with my sister." San lied. He turned to you and you sent him a grateful smile.

"Ah, alright." He nodded. With a final hug and a bow to your parents, San left. Your cousin opened the door.

"I knew I heard talking outside! Why are all of you just standing there and not ringing the doorbell?" She asked when she saw all of you.

"Oh, (y/n)'s boyfriend dropped her off so we were just greeting each other. But he has something to attend to so he couldn't stay." Your dad explained before entering the house to greet your siblings with your mum by his side. After you removed your shoes, your cousin held your arm.

"Hey, you know... I know your dad said your boyfriend had to rush off but he should have at least come in to say hello to everyone and introduce himself." She leaned in to whisper.

"Yeah but this isn't really the time to introduce him to everyone. Maybe next time." You replied.

"Was he in that much of a rush he couldn't say hi? It just gives off the impression that he's unfriendly and it's honestly quite rude, you know?"

"San's not rude, not in the slightest." Now you felt the need to defend your boyfriend because San was not rude and unfriendly.

"Wouldn't know, he didn't even bother to come in." She chuckled and left you to go.

You felt something boil within you, an ugly anger. She could insult you all she wants but mentioning San was going too far. San would give the world to you, he was a nicest person ever. You chewed on your bottom lip, willing yourself to hold back.

"(y/n)! Why are you just standing there? Come on!" Your other cousins call you. Once again, you took a deep breath, swallowing your anger before forcing a smile and going to join them.

"Hey." You greeted them with hugs.

"My sister said your boyfriend came?" The cousin you were closest to, whispered in your ear as he hugged you.

"Yeah. He wanted to come in to say hi but I told him to just go and save himself. Luckily I did or else he would get grilled, I can't risk that." You sighed.

"Good call." He chuckled, patting your shoulder. You giggled and went to greet your other relatives.

"Oh, (y/n). Can you change the hair appointment you booked for me?" Your cousin asked as you were scooping food.

"You can't make it? I made sure to book it on an open slot in your schedule. And my hairstylist is doing me a favour by coming in on her day off to do your hair before you leave..." You sighed.

"I appreciate that but I don't want to have to wake up so early when it's one of my last days off. You booked it too early." She shrugged.

"Yeah, you should just call and change her appointment. You know she doesn't wake up early for these things, if she goes late, it'll be an even bigger waste of your stylist's time." Your oldest aunt voiced out in support of your cousin. You knew your cousin purposely said it out loud in front of the adults.

"Thank you, you can change the appointment to one of the empty slots in the afternoon or evenings then." She smiled and took her food to go back to one of the tables.

"(y/n), when you booked the chinese restaurant brunch, did you preorder the peking duck?" Your oldest aunt checked.

"No, I was just told to book the table for 8 people at 11 am..." You blinked.

"Ah, you should know we always get the peking duck! Better call them to reserve it before it's too late. I only get peking duck when I am back from London." Your cousin pouted.

"I'll get on it..." You said, trying to contain the sourness in your voice. Putting your food plate down, you went to call the restaurant.

When San heard the doorlock beeping, he checked the time on his laptop. He continued typing on his reports, knowing that you knew your way in. And as he expected, you came trudging in, falling face first onto the sofa.

"Hey, baby love. How was the gathering?" He greeted. You mumbled something into the couch, burying your face into the material of his sofa. San chuckled, putting his laptop and coming to you.

"I didn't hear a single word you just said, my love." San crouched down beside you and stroked the back of your head.

"San..." San didn't expect you to lift your head and to see tears in your eyes.

"Baby! My sweet love, why are you crying? What happened?" San was shocked, he wasn't expecting to see you crying so that sent him into a panic.

"I... I..." You shook your head, feeling like a baby for crying. San hushed you, not wanting to press you for answers.

"It's okay, I've got you." He pulled your leg over his lap so you were straddling him. You clutched onto the material of his shirt like a koala.

"Breathe, my love. Breathe with me. Shh..." His voice was soft as pressed his forehead against yours and purposely breathed loudly so you could follow him.

"It's okay, breathe, baby love. Slow down and take all the time you need." He whispered softly, rubbing your back. You nodded your head in agreement, you did need a minute, a minute to breathe and soak in San's comforting warmth. San was patient, quietly comforting you until your sobs turned to soft whimpers.

"There we go. Good girl. It's going to be okay. Just keep breathing." He kept his eyes trained on you.

"Thank you, San..." You murmured. San guessed that nothing particularly bad happened. You were probably just so frustrated, and mentally and physically exhausted.

"Nothing for you to thank me for. I hate seeing you cry, love." He grasped your hand, rubbing your knuckles with his thumb.

"I know it's tiring. I'm sorry I can't make it any better." He whispered.

"No, you make it better by being San." You pulled away to meet his eyes, cupping his face in your hands. You were so grateful for San being the most amazing person in the world.

"Cute. I'm glad me being San makes you feel better." He chuckled, holding your hand to kiss your fingertips.

"It's not easy being a San." You played along.

"It's all worth it for you. When it's for you, it's never tiring or difficult." San reached up to wipe the last tears off your cheeks. You hugged him again, feeling his arms securely wrap around your waist.

"Do you know she reached over and took food off my plate? Saying that she's deprieved in London so she never gets to eat such nice food. Then she was being annoying by trying to 'convince' me to give my entire share since she deserves it more?" You complained to San.

"In the end, she used her fingers to take bites of my food!" You sighed, shaking your head.

"At that point, I'd rather give her my food. I don't want to know if she's washed her hands. Couldn't she have just taken her own portion and be happy with it?" San sighed, rubbing your arm.

"Apparently not. She kept all this food for herself, saying she'll eat it later so others won't take it and guess what happened?" You asked.

"She didn't even finish it?" San guessed.

"Exactly! First she stops us from eating then after that, says it's too much and she'll feel sick if she eats it. She'd rather THROW IT AWAY!" You exclaimed.

"That's horrible." San frowned. If San was there, he would be frustrated and annoyed too.

"My aunt bought this really fancy, nice ice cream for all of us to share. My cousin took my portion without asking me! She said I could have it again another time but she can't. And by the way, that was her THIRD share. So I didn't have any... It's not even that I wanted the ice cream that badly, it's more... her!" You groaned.

"I know, baby love. I can't believe you two are from the same family when you're so different." San said, leaning his head on his hand.

"She's so different from the rest of the cousins..." You threw your head back.

"I know you said it wasn't about the ice cream but do you want some? I stopped by the store on my way back and stocked up the freezer with your favourite." San offered.

"Why are you so perfect, Choi San?" You whined.

"Far from but I'm glad you see me as such." He kissed the top of your head. You went to the kitchen to grab the ice cream and two spoons.

"No, you eat it, baby." San shook his head when you held the spoon out to him.

"The best part about ice cream is sharing it so take the spoon." You insisted, taking a seat beside him. San peeled open the lid for you to dig in. You leaned against his arm, the both of you taking turns to scoop out of the tub to eat.

"Do you want a blanket?" San asked.

"No, I just want to stay like this... With you... I don't want anything else." You said with a shake of your head. You were just happy in San's presence, he was all you needed.

"Just one more week before she goes back, one more week with one more gathering and it'll be over." You sighed.

"You can do it." San chuckled. When the ice cream was done, San threw the empty tub while you washed the used spoons.

"Go shower and come to bed, hmm? I'll wait for you." San squeezed your hip. You nodded with a hum, feeling slightly sticky on your cheeks from crying previously.

-

The last big, family gathering was at your house. You barely slept the night before because you were stressed. While you baked the desserts in the middle of the night, you were talking to San on video call. You felt bad for making him stay up with you but he was gaming on the side.

"Hello! Welcome." You heard your parents greet the family members that came. You were still setting up the food table, getting everything that you would need.

"Wait, you're wearing that when you have guests in the house?" Your cousin came up to you.

"No, I just haven't got the time to change since I was helping my mother set up." You replied with a soft sigh.

"Well, now that guests are here. You should change. You shouldn't welcome them in home clothes." She raised an eyebrow. You pursed your lips and placed the napkins on the stand.

"Honey! Go change. We can handle the rest, thank you." Your mother came.

"Sure, mom." You nodded with a tight smile and went to take a quick shower to wash the sweat off you.

'She just arrived and she's already giving me grief... - (y/n)'

After sending San a text, you threw your phone aside and took out clothes to change in. You stood by your dresser to dry your hair a little, not wanting to get told off by your relatives by going around with wet hair.

"Oh, welcome! So glad you could make it!" There was a loud commotion outside, you mainly heard your mother exclaim. Putting your hair dryer down, you went outside.

"Thank you for having me." The latest guest said, handing your mother a bouquet of flowers and your father, a bottle of wine.

"What..." You stood there, frozen and dumbfounded.

"(y/n), you didn't tell me your boyfriend was coming!" Your relatives all looked fondly at you and San as he respectfully bowed to greet all of them, shaking their hands too.

"Uhhh, yeah I didn't know too..." You said, frowning slightly hoping you were not dreaming.

"It was my idea to surprise you with San." Your mother giggled.

"Yes, it was all her idea." San, handsomely dressed in a shirt and dress pants, wrapped an arm around your waist, nodding his head.

"Hey." He smiled to you. You smiled back, still kind of surprised by his sudden appearance. But you took a deep breath, San being here shouldn't make you scared, it should make you feel more relaxed and comforted. You were still worried that your extended family will be too hard on him.

"Wait a minute, come here for a bit?" You asked softly. San nodded, following you to your room.

"Baby love, I'm sorry, I know you said-" San was cut off by you throwing your arms around him to hug him tightly. His hands went to hold your hips.

"I'm hoping this hug means you aren't angry?" He chuckled.

"Not at all. Surprised, yes. But angry? No. I know your intentions are good." You smiled softly, pulling away to give him a peck.

"Of course. I'm here with you." He placed kisses along your jaw, making you giggle at how ticklish it was. After that, you both went out, not wanting to stay in your room for too long.

"Let me help you, omonim!" San squeezed your hand and left your side to go your mother in the kitchen.

"Ah, San, go get food and eat. You're a guest." Your mother chuckled, shooing him out.

"You should eat! You and (y/n) have been busy preparing the whole morning, I'm sure you guys didn't get to eat breakfast. Come, I'll take over." San insisted on doing the dishes. Your mother gave up, going to join your father at the food table.

"You wash, I'll dry." You grabbed the dish cloth.

"Baby, I want you to eating something or at least, sit down to rest. You didn't even sleep last night..." San frowned.

"With you, I don't feel tired at all. And we can eat together later." You shook your head. San sighed in defeat, reaching over to knock his head against yours since his hands were soapy.

You weren't done with the dishes but your mother and father came to chase you and San out.

"I guess we should eat." You shrugged. Sticking by San seemed to save you from your cousin and save San from your relatives.

"You want this?" San asked, holding your plate for you. He held both your plates and patiently followed you while you scooped the dishes for both of you.

"No~ No vegetables." San held his plate away when you tried to put spinach salad.

"(y/n), don't be mean to him." Your mother chided. You shot her a look of betrayal while San smirked proudly. With enough food on your plates, you went to sit down with your other cousins. They were nice, making an effort to get to know San and including him in the general conversations like he was part of the family.

"Here." San removed the bones from the galbi and placed it on your plate for you, taking the other pieces that still had bones in them off your plate.

"Thanks." You smiled. Shifting your eyes, you saw the judgemental stares from your spoiled cousin.

"San, would you like a glass of wine?" Your father offered.

"No, thank you. I have to drive later. Do you want a glass?" San turned to you. You nodded and San stepped up, respectfully receiving your glass from your father with a slight bow.

San got along well with your relatives and cousins. You could leave him alone and he would be fine.

"I'm going to the bathroom." You stood up. San held your plate for you while he conversed with your uncle and cousin.

"(y/n), why did you bring your boyfriend to the gathering?" Your cousin stopped you in the hallway just as you were exiting the bathroom. You took a slight step back, suddenly feeling how menacing her presence was.

"I didn't bring him, not planned to at least. You heard it earlier, my mother surprised me by inviting him and my father wanted to introduce him to the family." You spoke calmly.

"Do you know how humiliating and unfair it is with you parading him around in front of me?" She crossed her arms.

"What do you mean? What does San being friendly and nice have to do with you?" You frowned.

"You saw how interrogative they were with my boyfriend, they treated him so much like an outsider. It's unfair that they warmly welcome yours." She scoffed.

"Shouldn't you be finding issues with your boyfriend rather than issues with mine? It's not San's fault that he's better." You glared.

"How can you say that?" She gasped, obviously feeling the shock of someone speaking to her that way.

"Your boyfriend came in, dressed like a slop! He didn't bother to say hi and introduce himself, he just helped himself to the food and didn't bother to offer anyone help with anything. So those issues lie with your boyfriend, they have NOTHING to do with mine." You clenched your fist by your side.

"You-" She took a step forward.

"Hey, baby love. I was looking for- Is everything okay?" San came, a slight frown on his face when he realised it was you and your cousin, the tension in the air heavy and thick.

"I don't know, is it?" You raised your eyebrows at your cousin, making San glance at her as he slotted himself between you and her.

"No offence but this is a family issue, San sshi." Your cousin said with spite. You rolled your eyes.

"I am aware, I just want to try my best to protect (y/n) from anything that may upset her." San smiled. He didn't wait for her to react, or he didn't care.

"Let's go, your food's getting cold." He patted your head. You nodded and walked back out with him.

"Sit here." San naturally brought you to the balcony to sit with him on the bench for some privacy, bringing your plate and wine glass with him. The way he did it, no one paid any mind. He disappeared for a bit and came back with a throw blanket from your room.

"Thanks, San. I'm fine. Really, and this time I mean it when I'm fine." You chuckled as he draped the blanket over your lap so you wouldn't be cold.

"What happened?" He asked softly.

"Blaming you for things that have nothing to do with you. You know that I would take any insult but when it comes to you..." You sighed.

"My hero." San cooed teasingly, scratching your chin like you were a cat. You knew he did that because you always did that to him, comparing his likeness to that of a cat.

"You're always protecting me and being my rock. I can protect you too." You cleared your throat.

"Thank you, baby love. You're so cute. But you know I don't care what anyone else thinks. All that matters to me, is what you think."

"Well, I already think you're the most amazing person in the world and that I don't deserve you-" San stopped you by putting his hand over your mouth.

"There you go again, sprouting nonsense." He pouted with a frown. You laughed and held your hands up in defeat, stabbing a piece of meat to eat. San looked at you with pride and happiness, as if you were his whole world. And if you ask him, he'll probably say that you ARE his whole world.

"Shall I get you a refill of wine?" He offered, gesturing to your empty wine glass.

"No, it's okay, just stay here with me?" You asked.

"Of course, as long as you need." He smiled softly, letting you lean your head on his shoulder. Lacing fingers with you, he brought your hand up to kiss the back of it.

You were wrong, there was nothing for you to be scared of, bringing San to a family gathering.

It didn't bring you more stress and anxiety like you thought it would. Instead it made you feel reassured and comforted having him around, the same feeling San always gives you.

Your crazy, chaotic family didn't chase him away. They welcomed and accepted him, seeing him the same way that you do.

"I'm grateful I have you with me, Sannie. Not just here and now... but always." You squeezed his hand.

"I'm glad you feel that way because I'm not letting you go that easily. Plus, I think I can safely say most of your family loves me. Including your dad! He wanted me to drink wine with him and told me I could stay the night if I need to." He grinned proudly.

"Wow, that's really progress. Coming from my dad. I thought it would take a while more for him to be friendlier with you." You chuckled.

"He's just protective of his daughter like any father is. I would be too if my daughter was like you." He said. You rolled your eyes and snorted at his cheesiness.

"And this is a warning, I will be protective of our daughter. I'm serious." He said seriously.

"W-What are you saying now?" You grew flustered at his words and punched his arm, fanning your face. But deep down, you knew you would want nothing more than to have a future with San.

~

Masterlist

[adverbally]

Slow, So Slow, I Fell to the Ground on My Knees

Written for the @steddieangstyaugust prompt “Terrible Things - Mayday Parade” | wc: 1,002 | rated: T | cw: dustin in peril, hospital | tags: canon divergent, what if Dustin came back to help Eddie buy time, no I couldn’t bring myself to actually kill Dustin, meditation on guilt and love and responsibility, not as sophisticated as that sounds, pre-steddie, hopeful ending

———

Eddie probably doesn’t have any right to be here.

After all, it’s his fault Dustin was so determined to get back to the Upside Down. If Eddie had just followed him up the rope instead of cutting it, they both would have been safe. Instead, he played right into Dustin’s need to know what’s going on, created a puzzle that Dustin just had to solve.

Eddie should’ve known that Dustin would find a way, but it didn’t occur to him. All he thought of was his own pride, his own vow to stop running. It wasn’t until he heard Dustin shouting his name, running into the swarm of demobats alongside him, that the horrible reality of the situation set in. Not only would Eddie die, but he would take Dustin– sweet, stubborn, loyal Dustin– down with him.

By some miracle, Steve, Nancy, and Robin had shown up just in time to save them both. They had dragged them back to their own world, done what little first aid they could manage, and got them help. But the damage was done.

Eddie had held Dustin, told him everything would be okay even as blood oozed out of his mouth. Even as Dustin grew weaker, and his voice got softer, he apologized to Eddie with tears in his eyes. It still makes Eddie sick to remember how sincere he had sounded, saying he wished Eddie had never been dragged into this and he was sorry to leave him like this.

Standing at the foot of Dustin’s hospital bed, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat on the monitor, watching the rise and fall of his chest as he breathes, Eddie still can’t shake the guilt. He was an adult, it was his job to watch out for Dustin and keep him out of danger.

As with everything else in his life, Eddie had failed miserably.

“It wasn’t your fault, you know.”

The voice is soft, coming from a dark corner of the room, but Eddie still startles. “Jesus!” he gasps, clutching his chest.

“Sorry, I wasn’t sure whether I should interrupt.” Is that…? Yep, Steve Harrington himself rises up from the stiff-backed chair, still moving a little gingerly, and moves into the pool of light that gently illuminates Dustin’s bed.

Eddie looks down at the scuffed, shiny linoleum. “I, um, didn’t expect anybody to be here.” It’s late, technically past visiting hours, but Mrs. Henderson’s job with the hospital has allowed them some flexibility as long as they keep it quiet.

“His mom is on the night shift. I didn’t want him to be alone.” He explains it so simply, like it goes without saying that Steve would be the one to step in. Maybe it does. Whether it’s because it’s Henderson or because Steve would do the same for any of them, Eddie can’t say, but he hopes Steve would have stayed with him too if he had been the one in the bed.

“You really care about him a lot, huh?”

Steve doesn’t respond for a long time. When Eddie glances up, he looks… not sad, exactly, but serious. “Yeah, I do,” he eventually says, hushed in the quiet of the room.

Eddie already knows, of course. Even before all of this Vecna bullshit, Dustin’s ravings had included a lot of references to the things Steve did for him. Not just shit like dropping him off at the arcade. Helping him get ready for the Snow Ball. Giving him advice about his relationship with Suzy. Bringing him soup and crackers and Sprite when he was sick and his mom was stuck at work. Steve had already started teaching him how to drive, for God’s sake.

He’s seen it for himself, too. He can never forget the moment when Steve realized that Dustin had been hurt so badly. How he’d taken one look at Dustin’s pale, blank face and collapsed to his knees, his eyes wide with horror, and let out the most spine-chilling noise Eddie has ever heard. It was the sound of some animal kind of grief, something so deep that Steve wasn’t even conscious of it. Eddie still hears it in his nightmares.

Yeah, it’s obvious that Steve cares about Dustin. Loves him, even. Like a little brother, almost like a son.

Eddie wishes he could love someone like that. Standing in that field, telling him, “Never change, Dustin Henderson,” it felt like he already did. As if he had any idea what love meant outside of family and excuses and obligations. As if he even knew Dustin at all. What Eddie does know is that he would have sacrificed himself in a heartbeat if it would protect Dustin. He hopes Dustin will wake up soon so he can tell him that.

And here comes the guilt again, curdling in his stomach. Eddie braces his hands against the footboard of the hospital bed, leaning over to look down at the knit pattern of the blanket covering Dustin’s feet. “I’m sorry I didn’t keep him safe,” he says, to Steve, to Dustin, to anyone who might be listening.

“Don’t do that to yourself,” Steve sighs. “Nobody blames you. Dustin definitely won’t.”

“I do,” Eddie scoffs.

“Then you’re wrong.” Steve steps closer and rests a hand over Eddie’s on the bed railing. “Trust me, I’ve been there. You did your best in a really shitty situation.” When Eddie looks up at him through blurry eyes, Steve’s expression is soft. “I know it’s hard to believe it at first, so I’ll keep reminding you until it sticks.”

Eddie clenches his jaw and nods. He doesn’t trust his voice enough to speak. Instead, he twists his hand underneath Steve’s, putting them palm to palm and threading their fingers together.

They stay there like that until Eddie can’t stand for much longer, and then Steve drags him over to the pair of chairs in the corner.

They’re still holding hands when they drift off, shoulders and heads slumped together as they keep their vigil.

[thefloorisbalaclava]

love on the brain [simon 'ghost' riley x f!reader]

▸pairing: simon 'ghost' riley x f!reader ▸words: 3,362 ▸warnings: illness, lovesick ghost, kissing, making out, simon makes up his own little game of hide and seek, the balaclava stays on ▸summary: simon doesn't do feelings... until he does.

▸a/n: i just wanna kiss him.

⋆masterlist⋆

Ghosts had secrets. Plenty of them. Hell, even his face was a secret. But there was one that he considered his deepest.

He was in love.

You would never guess it by looking at him; he had his mask to thank for that. His self-consciousness stopped him from saying many words to anyone outside of a mission. And just being around you made him feel like all the wrong words would come out.

He wasn’t much of a romantic and couldn’t even remember the last time he was in a relationship. What was he even supposed to say to you?

“Hey, Lt.” Your voice was like music to his ears.

“Evenin’,” he said gruffly.

“What are you doing out here in the rain?” you asked.

“I could ask you the same thing.” His palms were sweaty, and he was happy you couldn’t see them.

You shrugged. “I guess I just like the rain.”

“Yeah, so do I. Helps me clear my mind,” he said.

“Am I bothering you, sir?” you asked, worry filling your tone.

“Not at all. I’m actually surprised you found me.” There were all sorts of places he went to be alone, and no one knew about them.

No one except for you.

“I promise I won’t tell anyone else about your hiding place,��� you said, and he believed you.

“How did you find me?” he asked.

“I have no idea. Maybe fate brought me here.” You looked out at the view in front of you. He looked at you, heart beating faster.

“Bollocks,” he scoffed. “You actually believe in that?”

“We gotta believe in something, sir.”

He hated that you called him sir. It reminded him that he was your superior and his feelings for you were beyond inappropriate.

“You can call me Simon, you know,” he said.

“Simon,” you said quietly, to hear how it rolled off your tongue. You smiled at him. “It’s a lovely name.”

“It’s not,” he said, “But thank you.”

“Do you ever let anyone compliment you?” you asked.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s just…whenever I say something nice about you, you find a way to downplay it,” you said.

He felt like such an idiot. He was hurting you and didn’t even know it.

“I’m sorry. I’m not used to it,” he confessed. “I’m sorry if I…made you feel bad.”

“You didn’t. I do the same thing. I guess it’s my way of deflecting. Sometimes my self-esteem makes it hard for me to take a compliment.” Your smile began to fade, and Ghost couldn’t have that.

“We should get inside before we both get sick,” he said, and it seemed like he was ready to end the conversation.

“You’re right. You came here to be alone, and here I am bothering you….” you sighed.

“No! I mean…that’s not what I meant. You don’t have to go,” he said.

Please don’t go. Please don’t go. Please don’t go.

The smile was back on your face. “Okay then. What should we talk about?”

Simon was still thinking about that night even as he lay in bed with a fever, runny nose, and cough. He was able to convince himself to stay in bed and rest, which wasn’t easy for him.

He nearly groaned when he heard the knock on his door. He put his balaclava on quickly and walked to the door.

“This better be bloody important,” he said, swinging the door open.

“Hey, sir…I mean, Simon.” You looked up at him and noticed something was wrong right away.

“Y-You…what are you doing here?” he asked in a raspier voice than his usual one.

“You too, huh?” you asked, and he tilted his head. “Sick?”

“Yeah. What brings you here?”

“I…uh…you know what? I don’t even know. It’s like my feet just brought me here on their own.” You gave him a smile that broke through his tough exterior and wrapped around his heart.

“Dunno if you wanna come in here with me bein’ sick and all.”

“I’ll leave you to rest. I need to do the same myself. Lots of fluids, sir,” you told him.

“Simon,” he sighed.

“Sorry. Simon.” You stood there and looked at him for a while. “Feel better soon.”

“You too, love.” He closed his eyes and cursed inwardly at the slip-up. If you heard him, you didn’t make it known.

A few days later, Simon was back to his usual self, and you were trying to be. As he made his way to your room, he rehearsed precisely what he would say.

Isn’t all this supposed to come naturally? He thought. Yeah, when you’re not head over heels in love with the other person.

He knocked on your door and tried to stand as naturally as possible before you opened it.

Your face lit up as soon as you saw him. “Simon! Hey.” You rested your head against the door.

“How’re you feelin’?” he asked.

“Eh, could be better,” you admitted.

“Is there anything I can do?” He put his hands on either side of the doorframe and leaned in.

“You’re sweet, Lt. I’ll be fine, though.” You didn’t need this man doing anything else to make you fall even more in love with him.

“Oh…” He was disappointed, to say the least.

“Actually,” you started, and he stood up straight again. “Would you mind bringing me some tea? You’ve made some for me before, and it was fantastic.”

You like his tea.

You like his tea.

It was a silly thing to gush over, but he felt his face getting warm.

“I can do that for you,” he said. He turned and walked away.

“Hey, Simon!” you called out, and he turned to look at you. “Thanks.”

“What do you need two cups of tea for?” Soap asked. “Still not feelin’ well, Lt?”

“Nah, I’m fine,” he said. “This is for—” He froze, and a knowing smile spread over Johnny’s face.

“Ah, I see.” He smiled smugly.

Simon sighed and walked off. He hoped the tea would still be hot enough by the time he got to you.

You were dozing off when he knocked on your door. You stood excitedly and walked to the door to open it.

“Tea,” he offered, and you took a cup.

“I would ask you to come in, but I’m probably still contagious.”

“I’ll come in if you like. I don’t mind,” he told you, hoping you’d let him stay.

“Okay, come on in.” You closed the door behind him and hugged yourself as you walked over to the sofa and tried tidying it up.

“What are you doin’?” he asked.

“Cleaning up,” you said.

“You don’t have to do that. You’re not feeling well,” he pointed out.

“I know, but….”

“Don’t,” he said, nearly reaching out to touch your hand. “Sit and drink your tea.”

“Sir,” you said playfully before sitting down.

He stood in the middle of the room awkwardly. “How’s the tea?” he asked.

“It’s perfect. You make it?”

“I did, yeah.”

“You can sit down.” You pointed to one of the chairs. You doubted he wanted to sit on the same couch as you.

But he walked over slowly and sat beside you. You looked over at him and smiled.

“What?”

“I wasn’t expecting you to sit so close.”

“Why not?” he asked, turning to you.

“Well, no offense, but you like to be alone…you don’t seem to like getting too close to anyone,” you said. You hoped you hadn’t said too much or overstepped a boundary.

“I don’t,” he started, “But I make exceptions now and again.”

“And I’m an exception? Wow, I feel special,” you said before taking another sip of tea.

“You are special,” he said. He took a sip of his tea casually. “Look, I have to tell you something, and I don’t want you to say anything until I finish. Just listen.”

“Okay, I’m listening.”

“When I say you’re special, I mean it. I…feel something whenever I …look at you. To be honest, I’m not sure how to manage this,” he confessed. “I want to protect you; I don’t want anything or anyone to hurt you…ever.” He looked at you when he said that.

“Simon…”

“Not done. I think I’m in love with you, and I’m not quite sure what to do about it,” he finished. “You can say something now.”

“In love?” you asked, and he nodded.

“Yeah. Is that…bad?” he wondered.

“Why would it be bad, Simon?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know anything about it.”

“You do. I think your mind is so full of a sense of duty that it’s hard to focus on anything else.”

“You may be right,” he admitted.

“I am right,” you said with a smirk.

“You see…when you look at me like that….”

“And when you look at me, Lieutenant...”

“What?” he asked.

“I love your eyes,” you told him. “There’s something in them that makes me feel safe.”

“What are you sayin’, love?”

“I’m saying I’m pretty much in love with you, too. Tea’s getting cold, Lieutenant.”

“Fuck the tea. What did you say?”

“I’m in love with you, Lieutenant. I know it’s wrong, and I know you’ll go on about how wrong it is, but—”

“The rules don’t matter. I’d break every single one if it meant you’d be mine,” he said.

“If I weren’t sick right now, I’d kiss you.”

He looked down at your lips. “Save it for me, hm?”

“I don’t think you understand just how…hot that is.”

“Hot?”

“Yeah, like…sexy,” you said shyly. “Your voice, eyes….” You were leaning in closer to him without even realizing it.

“Anything else?” he asked, ending up in his own daze.

“Um…you…you…Simon…”

“Yeah?”

“I’d like to kiss you, but….”

“You’re sick, I know. I can wait,” he said.

“You can, but I don’t know if I can.”

He chuckled. “You’re impatient.”

You laughed. “You’re always saying that about me.”

He leaned in even closer. “Drink your tea, love.”

“Wow, Lieutenant, you’re a tease, I see.” You took a sip of tea.

“Pardon?”

“A tease, sir. You’re a tease,” you repeated.

“I haven’t done anything…yet,” he said quietly.

You pointed at him. “See? Tease!”

“I ain’t trying to be.”

“You don’t have to try, Lieutenant.” You both sat in silence for a while.

“I want you to call me Simon,” he told you. “I don’t want to be sir or lieutenant around you. I want to be me. I want to be Simon. Just Simon.”

“Okay, Simon.”

“You told her! Yes!” Soap shouted.

“Fuckin’ hell, Johnny…” Ghost murmured. “Any louder, the whole base will hear you.”

“Sorry, just happy for you, mate. It’s about time, Lt.”

“Yeah, but…not much has happened yet. We’ve, uh, we’ve drank some tea together,” he told Soap.

“That’s it?” Soap asked.

“She was sick, Johnny. Besides, I’m a patient man,” he said. Soap cocked an eyebrow. “What?”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“She’s better now, so…I’m thinkin’ about taking her for a proper date, but….” His words trailed off.

“But?”

“I don’t know what…I mean, it’s been a long time since I’ve been out on a date.” He was trying his hardest to avoid what he really wanted to say.

“Are you askin’ for my help, Lt.?”

“Don’t let it get to your head,” he said, rolling his eyes.

“Lt., she’s already head over heels for you. There ain’t much more you have to do. I mean…you do know how to kiss, right?” Soap asked, and Ghost threw him a glare.

“Of course, I know how to kiss….”

“If you need practice….” Soap puckered his lips, and Ghost was about to slap him over the head when you walked in.

“Am I interrupting?” you asked, smiling brightly.

“Yeah, I was about to kick Johnny’s ass,” Ghost said.

“Oh, okay, well, I’ll ask this quickly then. Simon, would you like to see a movie with me?” you asked.

Both men froze. You couldn’t see the look on Simon’s face, but Soap was beaming. He looked at Simon and then nudged him.

“What he means to say is yes, lass.”

“Simon?” You wanted to hear it from him.

“A movie? Yeah. Sure.”

“Okay, great!” you said excitedly. “See you later.”

“Later…tonight?” he asked.

“Yeah. Is that okay?” You looked at him.

“Yeah. Are we going off base or what?”

“Yup, if it’s okay, sir.”

“It’s fine. Time?”

You looked at your watch. “1900 hours?”

“Sounds good to me,” he said. You nodded and walked out.

“Guess it’s time for a crash course,” Soap said.

He walked downstairs, and there you were, waiting for him. You turned to him and smiled.

“Punctual,” you said.

“Always, love.”

You moved closer and wrapped your arms around him. “Thanks for this.”

“What? Did you think I was going to say no?” he asked.

You shrugged. “You could have.”

“Listen, I’ve been through some of the hardest situations, but saying no to you would be the hardest thing I’d ever have to do.”

You looked up at him. “Do you know how badly I want to kiss you right now?”

“Save it for the end of the date, hm?” He tapped your chin gently, and you nearly sighed aloud.

“I’ll try,” you said.

“Are you going to ambush me with kisses or something?” he asked.

“Don’t put it past me, Simon.”

As you got into the car, you could only think about kissing him.

The date went off without a hitch. Simon was a gentleman—you weren’t expecting anything less—and you behaved yourself.

The tension in the car was palpable as he drove back to the base. The tension in the elevator seemed to grow even stronger. You watched the numbers change—2, 3, 4—Simon is on the fourth floor.

The elevator dinged, and the door opened. He walked toward the opened doors, and you thought he was going to step off the elevator without saying a word, but suddenly you felt a firm grip on your wrist, and then he was pulling you along with him.

He moved so quickly for such a big man. You looked up at him as he guided you through the hallways, turning here and there before finally stopping in front of a door.

You were both slightly out of breath as he unlocked and opened the door. The lights were off, but Simon walked through the place as if he knew it by heart.

Of course, he did, you thought.

His room smelled clean as if you’d expect anything less from him. There was also a hint of his scent in the air. It was a scent that you could never quite place. Tea, for sure, but something else was there that was purely him. The man had his own musk.

“Come to me,” he said, voice cutting through the darkness. You went in the direction of his voice. “I’m here, love.” Wait, now it sounded as if it was coming from somewhere else.

“Are you moving?” you asked.

“You tell me,” he said, and you closed your eyes. “Over here…”

You whipped your head around. “Simon…”

“Yes?”

You kept your footsteps light and your ears open like he always told you. You listened for any change in the air. Humans radiated heat. Simon especially.

“Simon,” you whispered.

“Yes, love.” He was directly in front of you. You reached into the darkness and felt his broad chest in front of you.

“Good job, soldier,” he said with a hint of amusement. “Give me your hands.” Your eyes were adjusting now, and you could just see his hands. You placed yours in his.

He held them gently and moved them up until you felt the fabric of his balaclava.

“Go on,” he said. He dropped his hands and allowed you the honor of moving his balaclava. You felt your way, making sure not to lift it any higher than his nose. Even in the dark, he deserved to keep his secrets.

You felt around. He had a strong nose and lovely cheekbones. You felt a long, somewhat smooth line going from his cheek and over his lip, and you gasped.

“It’s all right,” he said, “Don’t hurt anymore.”

You could feel his warm puffs of breath on your hand, and you were tempted. You slowly moved your fingers to his jaw, which was covered in a sprinkling of newly growing hair.

Then you were touching his lips. They were soft and full. You felt them move and noticed that he had kissed your fingers.

“May I kiss you, Simon?”

“Thought you’d never ask,” he said. He met you halfway, and when your lips met, it felt as though the room lit up, but it was still dark. He stumbled back a bit, overcome by the feeling of your lips. Once he had his footing again, he deepened the kiss and walked you backward carefully.

Not once did you bump into anything or stumble until the backs of your knees hit a sofa. He guided you down carefully, putting a protective hand behind your head so that you wouldn’t land too hard.

“Kiss me again, Simon,” you breathed.

“Say it again,” he said lowly. He was right there—his nose touching yours.

“Kiss me again…Simon,” you whispered, and he did with a slight moan. He loved hearing you say his name.

The kiss became a little needier with tongue and teeth and a need to be closer. He pressed his body against yours, and you melded to him, wrapping yourself around him so that he wouldn’t move away.

He began kissing you teasingly—a peck here, a peck there—he wanted you to chase his lips. You whined, and you swear he chuckled.

“Don’t do that,” he said quietly before lowering his head, so his lips were against your neck. “Save those whines for another night.”

Those words were full of promise and a hint of lust that shot right between your legs. It was almost as if he knew because he swirled his hips against you. He was slotted perfectly between your legs, so you felt the friction in the perfect place when he moved his hips.

“You’re such a good kisser,” you moaned before he and his tongue swallowed up your words.

“I could kiss you for the rest of my life,” he admitted. “Give me your tongue.”

You stuck your tongue out, and he swirled his around yours before sucking it.

“Mm!”

He pulled off slowly. “Like that?” He didn’t give you a chance to answer—his lips were on yours in a flash.

You pulled away and kissed along his jaw. When you worked your way down to his neck, he shuddered. You continued along his neck, and he turned to give you access. You latched on just below his ear, and he pushed his hips between your legs hard.

“Like that?” you teased.

He was practically rutting against you now. “Hush,” he said before kissing you again.

You slid your hands down his body, and he pulled away from the kiss to stop you.

“Not tonight,” he breathed. He moved your hand to his face. “I just want to kiss you tonight.”

“Sounds perfect.”

He kissed both of your cheeks before moving to your lips. “I can’t remember the last time I kissed someone…like this,” he said.

“Me neither.”

“Is it okay?” he asked.

“Is what okay?”

“That I just want to kiss you,” he said, his lips brushing against yours.

“It’s more than okay,” you told him, giving him a quick kiss.

“You’re amazing,” he whispered, nuzzling your neck.

“So are you, Simon. Thanks for going out with me tonight.”

“You don’t have to thank me for that, love. It was my pleasure.” You could tell he was needy for more kisses because he kept giving you little kisses here and there.

You initiated the kiss this time, claiming his lips as your own.

Tonight was the night you realized that you never wanted to kiss anyone who wasn’t him.

Tonight was the night he realized that after all that time not kissing anyone—he was waiting for you, for the right one to kiss.

[loupy-mongoose]

Warning: This part contains discussion of Pokemon abuse and neglect, as well as the general topic of death.

Edit: I didn't realize when I posted that this part is kinda long, so I'mma slap a Read More on it.

PREVIOUS NEXT

ARC START | CHRONO

Lavender stared in shock at the man who'd approached her.

It was him.

The man she'd seen in the articles online.

The man she'd seen in Nico's dream vision.

Fuji...

The man tilted his head a bit. Ah, so you've heard of me. I'm guessing you've read about the orphanage online?

I, uh...

Lav had no idea how she would begin speaking to him, let alone broach the subject that drove her to this moment.

I... I...

She hugged herself, shivering. Her mind and emotions were spent.

Fuji's concerned look grew deeper. Easy, there. Easy. What's troubling you? Maybe we can work it out.

She could feel his genuine concern for her wash off of him, and her own loneliness and regret crashed over her. She asked him in a timid, shaky voice, can I have a hug?

His eyebrow rose, but he smiled warmly at her. Of course! If it'll help!

She charged into his arms almost before he could open them wide enough. Oh how she missed this feeling of being safe in a pair of arms...

So what's got you so upset? Or is it something too personal to tell a stranger like myself?

Uh...

His voice lowered to just above a whisper. Your family isn't mistreating you, are they? I can help get you out if they are.

At that Lav pushed away from him, waving her arms. No no no no, nothing like that! I-I'm sad because I left them... And I wish I hadn't... I came here looking for someone, but... She wiped her eyes for the hundredth time since she'd taken off. It was a rash decision and I wish I could go back...

I can help with that too. Fuji smiled again. Where do they live? I'll do what I can to get you back to them!

Lav gripped at her elbows, biting her lower lip. Should I tell him? How much would it give away...?

How much will I need to give away...?

She took a quiet breath and answered. Paldea.

Paldea... He became thoughtful. That's a long ways away from here... You came here on your own?

Lav nodded, rocking slightly back and forth. All the warnings she'd heard from her parents flashed through her mind, almost making her feel sick again.

Finally she gripped her jacket sleeves and took a deep breath. Listen, Mr. Fuji, there's something I wanted to talk to you about. But... not in the open.

The gentle man lowered his brows questioningly.

I-I know that sounds weird... But... C-can we go to your house? And talk in private?

Fuji's face creased in confusion, but he shrugged. Alright. I'm all ears. Maybe I can offer you a drink to calm your nerves? Coffee, tea, hot coco?

Lav smiled widely at the sound of that. Ooo, yes please! Hot chocolate! Please!

Fuji chuckled as he turned to go and motioned for her to follow. A sweet tooth, huh? No problem!

Hey, I never got your name.

She gave a shy laugh, well recognizing how this might sound to him. It's, uh... Lavender, actually. Lavender Linden.

Hah!! Oh dear, it might be a little hard for my old brain to remember that one. His voice oozed with joyful sarcasm, and Lav felt herself warming up to him.

You can call me Lav if it's too much for you~

Lav. That sounds lovely. He chuckled softly. It's nice to meet you, Lav.

Lav smiled, finally feeling a sense of comfort for the first time since leaving home.

It's nice to meet you too, Mr. Fuji.

The pink Mew carefully peered down into the cliffs surrounding the purple-hued town. It was too far away to make out distinct people. But where his eyes failed him, his senses gave him hope.

I feel her.

He looked at Akoya. They're eyes passed the message without use of words or mind. They flew down to discuss with Persim what the next step would be.

Oooooh, look at themmm!!

Lav looked into a pen containing several little land-dwelling Pokemon. Ratattas, Growlithes, Nidorans, and Mankeys, and others mingled together. Some were missing eyes and limbs.

So you take in orphaned Pokemon and take care of them?

Fuji smiled softly, but with a sad gleam in his eyes. Orphans, injured, sick... Trainers will often bring in Pokemon, either their own or ones that they've found in their travels. It's sad when they're mistreated, but I like to think we offer a little bit of hope and comfort for those in need.

Lav watched a few Ratattas running together, including a dark colored one that had a set of wheels attached to its back legs. She pointed to it. What happened to the Alolan one there?

A Karate Chop went too far. HP shields will only protect so much. Fuji sighed. Her trainer pushed her to fight beyond her limits--against a Machop, no less--and she paid the price. And of course her trainer left her for dead because she couldn't fight anymore.

A lot of the Pokemon in our care have similar stories. I swear, trainers who don't bother learning type matchups drive me up a wall! Just because they're protected from elemental attacks doesn't mean the protection lasts or is perfect every time! And when the shields fail, it can fail spectacularly.

Lav thought about her dad's journey as a trainer through Sinnoh, as well as her own dream of doing her own journey. She had to venture a question. D... Do you feel that way about all trainers?

Absolutely not. There are plenty of good trainers out there, and I adore them. I want to support those ones however I can! And of course trainers will make mistakes. Sometimes mistakes that will cost a life, unfortunately... As long as there are Pokemon trainers, that will continue to happen. But that alone doesn't make one a bad trainer.

And the sad thing is, it's those trainers who suffer most from their mistakes. The ones who throw away the dead or injured, they move on to the next victim with nary a backward glance. But when a loving trainer loses...

He sighed again, leaning on the fence. It's heartbreaking, really. All the trainers who feel like they failed because of their losses, when in reality those are the best of the best. They don't realize that in taking a path of love, they've taken the hard path. Grief is the price we pay for love, after all, and sometimes in can bankrupt trainers...

Suddenly he leaned back. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to get sad on you! I see both ends of it, so I have trouble keeping them apart sometimes. I hope you can forgive my morbid rambling...

Of course. Lav smiled morosely. ...I can tell you pay that price a lot...

Fuji met her eyes with warmth. Yeah... Yeah. It's not always an easy job... But it is my greatest love. And grief is a price I'm willing to pay for it.

PREVIOUS NEXT

ARC START | CHRONO

This makes me want to do a Nuzlocke. XD

[mollymauk-teafleak]

Huskerdust babies?? Please say more

GLADLY oh my god there was no way I was going to be able to restrain myself until I made time to write a fic. and right off the bat, so much credit goes to @minky-for-short who came up with this with me

Okay, I'm going to bullet point it for structure. And first off, whether you want this to be a trans Angel Dust or demon magic making it possible or Angel being a porn demon giving him different genitals, go crazy, I don't mind any interpretation

So the fact that this happens is a result of their gradual redemption. Demons aren't supposed to be able to reproduce but as Angel and Dusk slowly improve themselves, they start changing in ways they don't notice and the curse they have in Hell starts to weaken

Charlie is actually the first person to find out, she clocks that Angel is feeling sick which is pretty unusual because he's actually been cutting way back on his general debauchery, having a much healthier coping mechanism over behind the bar. He insists he's fine because he's used to powering through pain and discomfort with a smile on his face. But she won't have it, she's going to get him checked out

Healthcare is very hard to come by in Hell but Charlie can get him access to the facilities in the Sloth ring. But the doctors there are just as stumped, no one can figure out whats wrong with him, it's not a bad batch of drugs, its not a hangover, he's just throwing up and miserable and exhausted

They're back at the hotel and it's Charlie who notices the barest of little sentient sparks when Angel Dust moves but it's not coming from him, it's coming from inside him. And she's the one who realises. And Angel Dust is convinced she's spouting idealistic bullshit but he can't deny it

It's a while before he can bring himself to tell Husk, he's terrified that it means he'll just want to call things off with him, that he's clearly not a winning hand. But eventually they're sat together and Husk mentions casually that whenever he's ready to tell him whats bothering him, he'll listen. Like, he's realised he's scared but he still gave him the space to deal with it and thats what makes Angel Dust brave enough to say it out loud. And after a moment of quiet, Husk just shrugs and says well lets hope he makes a better daddy than he did an overlord, huh?

They have twins in the end, a boy and a girl. Both dads got to name one twin each so Husk calls their son Howard, Howie for short, after a famous magician and Angel Dust calls his daughter Belladonna, Bella for short, because he wanted to give her a name that made her sound strong and able to defend herself

The twins are utterly adorable, no one can deny it. They have the multiple arms from their pops and little heart shaped pink patches on black fur from their daddy, each with a set of wings like his too. They act a lot like kittens, rolling around and hissing and pouncing on whatever moves in the hotel

They're also unashamed trouble makers, they really only listen to their daddy and their pops, everyone else has to bribe them. Fortunately they're cute enough to get away with everything and anything.

The twins also have a super close bond with their Auntie Charlie. I can go into more detail about this in another post but she ends up with the contract for their souls to protect them from both Heaven and Valentino (Alastor has no interest in the babies, beyond not really minding as much as he should when they climb up him, knock his hat off and call him Uncle Al)

But yes I have many many ideas about these two being dads and their little demons and all of that so feel free to bug me about them!

[hrts4hanniehae]

clutch || eight

there are written parts :)

note that the timeline or educations may not add up but just ignore it because i don't have the brain power to sync up THIRTEEN + 1 's education schedules

sorry for the late chpt. I was really sick so i tried my best on this chpt. next chpt will be longer, i promise.

warnings: some level of chae-young attempting infidelity, swearing

wonwoo came home to find yn passed out on the couch.

"you okay?" - wonwoo

"i need sleep. i've been stuck at school finishing my final project and i just finished. now i have to worry about the stupid reunion in two days. i have no dress and i look like a zombie. life is great." - yn

"go take a shower. i'll get the guys to help you. jeonghan has connections." - wonwoo

the word shock wasn't enough to describe the look on everyone's faces when yn and wonwoo walked in through the door.

some background information: in the one week before this gathering, yn had completed her pieces for the museum, her final project for university and all her outstanding commissions. her exhibit had been very successful and she had earned quite a significant amount of money.

"yn. is that your boyfriend?" - aunt

"yes. this is jeon wonwoo, my boyfriend." - yn

"nice to meet you, my name is jeon wonwoo." - wonwoo

"yn-noona... isn't that the streamer gameboi? you're dating Korea's number 1 [game name] player?" - younger cousin

"no way..."

the whispers in the event room got louder and louder until the people she hated finally came towards her. it was evident that chae-young was gawking at wonwoo. she didn't even bother to hide her lovestruck expression from her husband.

"so this is the new guy you have, huh yn." - mother

"good morning, i'm jeon wonwoo." - wonwoo

it seemed like he had to repeat himself often today.

"what's your net worth?" a disrespectful question right off the bat was expected and both yn and wonwoo had prepared for it.

without missing a beat, wonwoo simply smiled and said, "14 million. I am sure that I have enough to take care of yn for the rest of our lives."

the jealousy that clouded chae-young's face was the best thing that yn had ever seen.

sitting at the table was very awkward because they were surrounded by whispers and glances.

“so wonwoo. what do you work as?” chae-young’s husband was actually a very nice man. he was always kind to yn and her brother and was the complete opposite of his distasteful wife.

“i’m a gamer. i’m currently in talks of joining [fictional korea no.1 pro gamer team]. that deal closes before june,” - wonwoo

“ah i see. what about you, yn? what are you working as now?” this question was on everyone’s mind. some with ulterior motives.

“up until thursday, i was a museum part-timer and finishing university. but i recently managed to sell many of my art pieces and have made quite a name for myself in the past three days. in case you all didn’t know, almost every artwork in this building was made by me over the last 4 years.” - yn

the room was silent. you could hear a pin drop and wonwoo couldn’t help but smile to himself.

let’s walk through the real train of events.

after the “fake-dating” agreement, wonwoo, minghao, mingyu and dokyeom had helped yn move every piece of her artworks over the years to minghao’s studio to sort through them. it took them almost 30 hours to categorise. by monday, they had organised the auction within the museum, an exhibition for her other works and an online bidding website for exclusive works. from tuesday to thursday, the auctions and exhibitions opened.

every one of yn’s artworks sold for incredibly high prices. this particular hotel that the family reunion was, had purchased a significant amount of said artworks.

“you mean you painted that painting of a phoenix?” - uncle

“i did that 2 years ago.” - yn

“and that ceramic heart? that was you?” - aunt

“yes.” - yn

wonwoo could not help but smile at yn’s nonchalent bragging. just then, a hand reached across to tap his.

“so~ wonwoo-oppa~ how did you and yn meet?" chae-young began to blatantly flirt with wonwoo while her HUSBAND sat helplessly beside her.

“i commissioned an art piece from her and fell in love at first sight.” wonwoo forcefully took back his hand before leaning closer to yn, earning a scowl from chae-young.

yn was’t exaggerating when she described all of chae-young’s antics.

here’s a list of the things she tried but failed to do. seduce wonwoo, yn’s “boyfriend”, spill water on yn, pretend that yn stepped on her foot on purpose, claim yn slapped her.

how embarrassing.

ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ

synopsis: wonwoo is a popular streamer known for his incredible gaming skills and good looks. He turned heads. but he hates the attention. he just wants to play games and earn money. one day he receives a letter. his apartment’s rent has almost doubled. no warnings at all. his current paycheck from streaming can’t shoulder those bills. he has no choice but to rent out his spare room. to who? a fresh art university graduate who has… 1. a stable job ✅ 2. talent for art and sculpting ✅ 3. many friends ❌ 4. social anxiety ✅ 5. no filter ✅ when his iconic cat logo gets copystriked, she comes to the rescue with a new logo for him. when his apartment’s walls start peeling, she fixes it. whatever he used to struggle with… the empty space... was now filled by her. so what does he *last player standing* do when her ex *enemy spotted* tries to take her back? heh. *clutch* he clutches.

inspired by wonwoo's gam3bo1 streams, falling into your smile & gogo squid (has hints of valorant)

pairing: streamer!jeon wonwoo x fem!artist!reader (ft. jeongcheol, soonhoon, junhao, seoksoo, verkwan)

genre: fluff, comfort, slowburn, comfort, pining, bestfriend!minghao

warnings: stalker ex, toxic ex, mentions of abuse, guns (game), cursing, hate comments, panic attacks

started: 28.12.23

ended: ?

taglist: join from my masterlist

main masterlist

smau socials

previous I next

tags! @fairyofhour @megseungmin @sun-daddy-yoriichi @woozixo @euphoric-univers @christinewithluv @haowonbins @ocyeanicc @asyre @cynthiaaax13 @superhoshisvt @bangantokchy @chimmy-bts @angelarin @daisawa @writingbarnes @jeonghansshitester

@belladaises @wonwootakemyheart @wonwooz1 @luchiet @kookssecret @caratsland @peachescreamandcrumble @thepoopdokyeomtouched @isabellah29 @leah-rose03 @yandere-stories @coupshour @heesbees @hamji-hae @hyuckxtagram

[leeehye]

Sweet Truth - pt.2

“…I couldn’t let her see my true self and now she has this impression of me”

Summary pt2 ~ The next day things at the office things get tense when Y/n is offended before meeting. She questions why Mr. Choi (Seung Cheol) is undergoing strange changes

Warnings ⚠️ ~ fluff☁️, angst, may contain some smut in future parts, language, sexual assault ❗️- enjoy

a/n - it is finally here! I’m sorry it took long and I’m sorry if it seems like it’s all over the place but it will all connect! Thank you for all the love to part one! 💕

pt.1 recap (continued)

His gaze was fixed on me. He was hesitant to say whatever he wanted to say. I looked at him with innocent eyes ready to hear him.

“Um…I’ll see you tomorrow Miss Y/n” he said gently, patting my shoulder with his large hand and making his way around the car to the driver’s seat.

“Oh yeah! Yes sir goodnight! And I apologize again for my mom” I said with a nervous face and he gave me a small smile while getting in his car driving off. Releasing a sigh I whispered to myself

“Y/n what you were you expecting to hear from him...”

Next Morning

The next morning was like usual, everyone in their business and quietly working, meaning Seungcheol was here already. Setting down my bag on my desk I sat down and started to look through today’s schedule and started humming softly.

So focused on taking some notes my nose caught the smell of really nice cologne, gentle yet strong and…manly. It was bad that I knew who that was. I looked up and saw Seungcheol right next to me.

“Ah! Seung— Mr. Choi!” I exclaimed, jumping from his closeness. Clearing my throat hearing the awkward situation and workers now looking at us, I straightened my posture and looked at him.

“Um do you need anything sir?” I asked softly and he shook his head before checking his watch.

“Looks like you slept in today Miss Y/n…I was waiting for today’s schedule…” he said in a cocky voice I frowned, my eyebrows confused and quickly grabbed his hand looking at his watch. What was I thinking?

“Holy sh— so sorry sir I lost track of time!” I said gathering my stuff.

“You have an important meeting in like…less than... 5 minutes…” I said quickly, sprinting off to the meeting room.

In exactly 5 minutes all the executives walked in and some of them were already there. I was still setting up the projector, arranging the folders and just making sure everything was ready for Mr. Choi.

“You must be Mr. Choi’s new assistant” a male voice called to me and hearing my boss’s name made me turn. It was an older man, the important man that we were supposed to impress today. He was offering a great deal to Seungcheol.

“Oh um yes sir, I’m Y/n, Y/l/n Y/n” I said politely bowing my head. Before looking at him.

“That’s nice sweetheart, you’re a bit young huh sweetie?” he asked while some of his friends started to chuckle and some of my coworkers looked at him weirdly. I started to no like this guy.

“Um I’m Y/n sir…Please call me like that or just Miss, if it’s easier…And yeah I am young, yet Mr. Choi has never had a problem with my work” I said with not a harsh voice but not a soft one. I had to defend myself with this old dude.

He scoffed and started to eye me, his eyes moved down to my legs and towards my chest. I rolled my eyes and continued with my work. Yes I was uncomfortable, but it was still my job and I had to do it for Seung Cheol.

“Does Seung Cheol pay you well? I mean…unless you’ve already asked for a raise, you have the key to that” he said and I had lost it. I slammed the folders on the table and I was about to make my way to him but Jeonghan came in quickly held me back.

“Let go Jeonghan! this sick pervert is not even here for work!” I exclaimed glaring angrily at him as Jeonghan had his arm wrapped around through my stomach and waist and grabbed my slapping hand with the other one.

“Y/n please let’s just get out of here—” Jeonghan whispered, trying to avoid a big conflict. I was still struggling in his grip and the man laughed.

“Isn’t she a feisty one?” he said and kept on with his disgusting glances.

“Listen you idiot I don’t care if you’re Mr. Rich, Damn millionaire or whatever you are! You are a pervert and I know that you are married, you are disgusting!” I yelled pointing at him and Jeonghan’s grip slowly lightened and my eyes slightly glanced seeing Seungcheol already by the door. He had heard everything I just said. Shit! I huffed softly and stomped my heels as I started to walk to the door.

Stopping in front of Seungcheol I make a 90 degree bow.

“The projector is on, now excuse me sir. I can’t stay at the meeting I have…a…complaint to make” I said, squeezing my hands into fists, before leaving, not making eye contact with Seungcheol not even once.

30 minutes had passed and I was by my desk standing up. I couldn’t stay sitting down. It was impossible, I was anxious to know if that bastard would accept Seungcheol. Or if I had ruined it for him. God he will probably fire me.

I started to chew on a cuticle and suddenly the door opened, making me slightly jump. It was the perverted man from earlier. He walked out of the room, glared at me and walked away to the elevator followed by his workers. I didn’t know what to do. Should I go check on Seungcheol? I debated with myself for a few seconds when I saw Seungcheol walking out, and I quickly turned and pretended to arrange some papers. He said nothing to me and went into his office slamming the door.

There was mumbling from the people around and I saw Jeonghan walk out with his iPad. I made my way to him quickly tugging on his sleeve.

“Hey, what happened? Am I fired?” I whispered to him and he looked around grabbing my arm pulling me to the breakroom.

He was making me more nervous than ever, I looked at him with full attention.

“God Jeonghan! What happened?” I asked, slapping his arm gently. He looked at me and shushed me.

“I didn’t want to say it with everyone around listening, Mr. Choi wasn’t accepted with Mr. Kim, the guy you almost fought…hey let me finish” he said stopping me from arguing “he didn’t get accepted because he declined it, and threatened Mr. Kim with what had happened…he was on your side Y/n, he will make sure that other companies break partnerships with him” Jeonghan finished and I froze on my spot.

“Woah, wait what?” I managed to say still in shock of what I had just been told. Jeonghan gave me a few more details but I was lost questioning why Seungcheol was becoming nicer. It wasn't normal for him to put an employee before his own advantages for the company. But him defending me was quite a nice quality of him.

Minutes later, I had to go into Seungcheol’s office and I didn’t know if things would be awkward and had no idea what to expect. Should I ask him about it? Ugh whatever Y/n, Jeonghan told you what happened it can’t be bad.

I gave myself a pep talk before knocking on his door gently before walking in seeing him drawn into work that he probably didn’t notice me. His eyes finally left the screen when he heard my heels tapping against the floor.

“Um…hello sir, I need you to sign these papers…” I said handing him a few folders he hummed quietly and took them and started to read through them.

“Also sir, do you want me to start on something for the new project…with um Mr. Kim?” I asked gently, smoothing down my skirt. He frowned and looked up at me.

“No…The partnership was canceled…” he mumbled before signing the papers. I had decided to risk it and ask I wanted to hear what Jeonghan said from Seungcheol’s mouth.

“R-really um…why? it was a big opportunity for you—” I said softly and he closed the folders handing them to me.

“It wasn’t the best for the company…” he said and my shoulders dropped down. I slowly nodded but didn’t believe him one bit not because I already knew the truth but because he was a horrible liar.

“Mr. Choi…tell me the truth…a really honest truth” I said politely looking down remembering the scene I made earlier.

“Like my truth is…I was really offended—” I continued but he cut me off.

“No Miss Y/n…you did the right thing,” he stopped letting out a sigh. “I declined the partnership because one, it would be bad reputation for us to accept someone like him and two...you would have to be dealing with him...” he said and it caused a smile to form on my lips.

“But um, are you hungry? I think it’s been a long day…let’s go and eat something…it’s on me” Seungcheol said and stood up, I had to say this man was huge yet he was starting to show the sweet side of him.

“Oh sure yes…” I said politely, I really couldn’t say no I was starving.

-restruant-

Later we arrived at the restaurant and it was fancier than I thought. I had already seen myself in a fast food restaurant, I seemed to have forgotten that I was eating with Mr. Choi Seungcheol. He didn’t seem to eat fast food.

looking at the menu I started to panic, the prices were so high! I heard Seungcheol chuckle and I looked at him.

“Pick anything you want, I told you to not worry about paying” he said with a small smile on his face.

“Seungcheol the cheapest thing on here is sushi and it’s not even that cheap!” I whispered yelled making him smile wider and my eyes went wide.

He had such a pretty smile, one that I had never seen in him. He seemed to notice and quickly went back to his serious face.

“No, I…sorry you have a pretty smile sir” I said shyly as he took a sip of his wine.

“I’m flattered Miss Y/n” he replied with a gentle smile making me giggle.

“Oh and sir, I’m sorry if I was the one to ruin the opportunity you had…it was probably worth millions—” I said, bringing up the event from earlier. He gently raised his hand and stopped me.

“No…please…forget about it Y/n…um I guess taking you to lunch can be an apology for that man…” he said softly to me. “So what are you going to order?” he added as his eyes sparkled.

“um the chicken parmesan something ?” I said, trying to read the name making him chuckle again but he quickly stopped.

Lunch went by amazingly. We talked about embarrassing moments at work and in our childhood. We also got a bit into our personal lives. I was starting to feel comfortable with him, I felt like you could tell him anything and he would keep it. He gave me that security.

“…so yeah my parents are divorced and my relationship with my father is bad…like I told you yesterday” he recalled and I nodded while listening to him.

“Everything has to be perfect for him and well I inherited the company from him and he taught me all the way through, making me into “arrogant and stupid boss "" he said and I quickly covered my face in embarrassment.

“No sir, I didn’t mean it like that…um I was immature and well you gave that impression I mean— well about your father?” I said, trying to avoid talking about my opinion on him.

“Well the thing is…I guess my father taught me the cold and arrogant mindset you know? I lost some friends when I entered the company and drowned myself with work, and the only one that stood on with me was Jeonghan…and I think it also affected my…love life” he said and the last few words made me stop chewing swallowing hard.

“Did your father make you break-up with your girlfriend?” I asked, feeling curious and he shook his head.

“N-not exactly, I couldn’t let her see my true self and now she has this impression of me” he said softly and I had a feeling in my gut of what he might be trying to say. I opened my mouth to ask a reassuring question but my phone went off.

Incoming call…

Vernon 😎

“Oh I’m sorry…do you mind if I take this?” I asked softly. Seung Cheol's expression had changed into a neutral tone and just hummed, I bowed my head and slightly turned.

“Hi Vernon! What’s up!?” I asked with a happy voice smiling.

“Hey! Can we have our movie date tonight?” he asked, chuckling while I playfully rolled my eyes.

“It’s not a date Vernon, but yes we can, I'll see you around 8?” I asked him and he agreed and I hung up, turning back to Seung Cheol. He was quiet and now looking towards the group of guys playing the music.

“Um sorry sir, he calls at the worst times” I said giggling and he looked at me.

“It’s fine, he’s your... boyfriend it seems…” he mumbled coldly and I bit my lower lip gently. Thinking to myself that the old Seungcheol was back.

“Um no no…we’re just friends, he’s not really my type” I said softly shrugging my shoulders shyly.

Seungcheol looked at me, realizing that I was telling the truth. And it was, I was not interested in anyone right now. Vernon was my childhood friend and he was a bit clingy. My past experiences with men weren’t as good.

“hm then what’s your type Miss Y/n?” he questioned me and goosebumps spread throughout my body.

“oh well I think I go for the mysterious and quiet guys that turn out to be the sweetest, I like puffy long hair, um he should be tall, but the outside doesn’t really matter as long as he truly loves me and cares for me” I said smiling blushing lightly looking down.

“hm I can probably qualify on some of them…” Seungcheol said leaving me with my eyes wide open. He should really stop this, I still had that grudge against him but how he was behaving was turning him into my type.

Bonus Part!

Seungcheol’s POV

My body froze from the sudden warm touch of her hand grabbing mine. Her worried face looked so adorable on her I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself seeing her running to the meeting room. 

I placed my hands in my pockets still having the sensation of her hand on mine, a good sensation. 

I had never felt this warm before, she is a ray of sunshine to my cloudy days. She still panics when she makes a small mistake. I guess she is still scared of me I can’t forget the time I underestimated her abilities, she’s an amazing assistant. Not only in conducting my schedule appropriately, always punctual but to assist me in a way of honest company. Though I don’t think she notices. But my thoughts vanished when I heard yelling (her yelling) from the meeting room. 

“... I don’t care if you’re Mr. Rich, Damn millionaire or whatever you are! You are a pervert and I know that you are married, you are disgusting!” I was standing by the door with shock spread all over my face. I had never seen Y/n this angry, she had a good reason though. 

She got silent as soon as she saw me and made her way to me, apologized and left. I cleared my throat and made my way to the front, closing the door.

“What happened here?” I asked coldly looking around before stopping looking at Mr. KIm with a death stare.

“You should pick better assistants Mr. Choi, I get that she is really attractive but don’t just pick any girl to take her to bed” he said, not even feeling any shame. I scoffed quietly before leaning on the table on my hands. 

"you are mistaken Mr. Kim she isn't just any girl...she is my trusted assistant and I ask you to respect her," I said coldly and he rolled his eyes.

"You're kidding huh?" he asked me starting to raise his voice but I stayed calm and looking at him without expression. "I don't joke around at work Mr. Kim, consider our deal off" I said and he stood up.

"You have no idea who you are dealing with!" he yelled at me and I checked my watch. "yes I am dealing a pervert, for that reason I would hate to work with you. This better be a good lesson for you to not mess with Y/n, I care for her and I will not let anyone disrespect her" I said coldly, his face was full of anger as he took the folder throwing it at me. I sighed before turning to Jeonghan as Mr. Kim kept arguing.

"Jeonghan, send a message to all of our partners to cut business with Mr. Kim, make sure you include the reason, have a good day Mr. Kim" I said and he kept yelling before walking out shouting profanities.

I sighed and pushed my hair back frustrated, Jeonghan looked at me.

"You did good, he was being an ass to her" he told me softly and I nodded.

"I know, I will never let anyone hurt her..." I said and made my way out of the room and into my office slamming the door. Face palming myself.

"Fuck, Seung Cheol, you're falling for your assistant"

To be continued...

Sweet Truth - Part I

Taglist

@lol6sposts

(Taglist is open! Request to be added!)

[cantstoplovingjude]

Underneath the Black Veil: Jude Jazza Premium

This is from Ikemen Villains EN, Cybird owns everything.

(What a disgustin' place.)

I cursed inwardly in front of the church altar after I put all the followers to sleep.

(Why the hell would I bind myself in an eternal promise to someone else, as if that made anythin' better?)

(A vow of love's nothin' more than a curse.)

(What's so great 'bout cursing each other to stick together in sickness or in health?)

The sacred atmosphere, the solemn sound of the organ, the sweet fragrance of the flowers... It all seemed cursed to me.

No "vow" could ever be considered beautiful.

Not for me, anyway.

Just then, the door opened and Kate appeared, wearing a jet-black dress.

(Damn, she looks nervous.)

I watched as she pressed her lips together and looked at me.

The moment our eyes met, a strange look came over her face.

(What's that all about?)

She got this dreamy look in her eyes, like she had a fever or something.

And she began to slowly walk down the aisle toward me.

(Ha...)

(What an idiot. Don't tell me ya got caught up in the moment?)

(Sometimes she's so damned stupid I actually worry about her.)

Jude: "What're ya doin', facial exercises?"

Kate: "Huh?"

It was like she didn't even realize she'd reached the altar until I said something.

She just blinked at me.

(She took on the daft job of being Fairytale Keeper 'n so far she's kept her promise.)

(What a hopeless princess.)

She stood there in her wedding dress, looking utterly defenseless.

The thought crossed my mind that I could tear her to shreds in an instant if I wanted to.

Jude: "Lookin' like you're on another planet. Sure ya wanna get hitched?"

Just then, a gentle-looking man with long hair and glasses appeared.

(Must be the leader.)

Man with glasses: "We are gathered together today to celebrate the true love between our new followers."

Amore: "My name is Amore, the leader of Amour. I am a servant of love, who will grant your love eternal."

(This git's a total nutter.)

He made all these exaggerated gestures while he spoke like some kind of dimwit.

It was so creepy I was getting goosebumps.

(Could just shut him up right now by puttin' him to sleep.)

(But I've gone to way too much trouble. I won't be satisfied till tease her a bit.)

I remembered the investigation report I read on the way here.

("The lovers are most likely poisoned somehow once they take their vows.")

In that case...

(An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. And poison for poison.)

Amore: "Now, there is no need for vows between two people who truly love each other."

Amore: "So if you pledge your eternal love, close your eyes and seal that pledge with a kiss."

Kate: "...O-oh."

Kate's breath caught in her throat.

(Why's she so flustered when she knows we're not gonna actually do it?)

I grabbed her chin and felt her tense up beneath my touch.

And when I pulled her closer, her eyes were so big you'd think they were gonna fall out of her head.

Kate: "Ah..."

Jude: "Hm."

(Look up at me, princess. I'll move my face close to make it seem like we're kissin'.)

Her cheeks slowly turned red as she tipped her face up toward me.

(...Huh?)

(Does she really think I'm gonna kiss her?)

I stared at her in disbelief, watching as her lips trembled.

I could tell she was a nervous wreck.

But even still, she squeezed her eyes shut tightly.

(Hah...)

(I didn't think even she was this foolish.)

-Flashback-

Kate: "I'm sure lots of people don't actually believe that their love will last forever just because they exchange vows and have a ceremony in a church."

Kate: "But what's important is that they tell each other they intend to keep those vows."

Kate: "And when they think they might break their vows, they'll remember that day when they swore to each other."

Kate: "And maybe that'll keep them going to try to find a solution."

-Flashback ends-

So naive it made me wanna throw up.

But it probably sounded like the truth to her.

(Stupidly honest, ridiculously obedient and to good for this world.)

(A princess who never knew hardship in her life, who truly believed in her ridiculous naivete.)

(To think a woman like her would swear to stay with me forever... What a joke.)

I envied her for believing in such ridiculous positivity...

But at the same time, the sadistic side of me wanted to ruin it for her just to make her understand.

Jude: "...Ya actually closed your eyes?"

Kate: "Yes?"

Her eyes, which had been closed to accept the kiss, fluttered open.

Jude: "Ya really are an idiot."

I stared into her wide eyes as I brushed my lips against hers.

Her body trembled as she stared at me in shock.

Kate: "A-ahh..."

Jude: "Pfft, look at that dumb face."

(Maybe this'll teach her a lesson for once.)

Amore: "Well, then. I hereby recognize you as husband and wife. Now I shall make your love eternal."

Amore: "Pour this wine into each other's mouths."

Amore dramatically took out two wine glasses.

Jude: "So, this your secret remedy for makin' love eternal, huh?"

Amore: "Yes, that's right."

I was certain the wine was poisoned.

(Haha. What a nice smile.)

I started to feel excited when I pictured that smile distorting with pain.

Jude: "By the way, didja know your waiters spilled water on us today?"

Amore: "...Huh?"

I poured the wine over his head, drenching him.

I aimed just so that I could be sure it would go into his eyes, nose, and mouth.

Amore: "Bwaaah?!"

He immediately became distraught and rushed to the cupboard by the altar.

Kate: "What in the world is he doing?"

Jude: "Lookin' for the antidote, I'd bet."

Kate: "Antidote...?"

The color drained out of her face.

She must've put two and two together about the wine.

Kate: "How did you know?"

Jude: "I read Victor's report on the way here."

She stared at me as if to say this was the first she'd heard of it.

(Course it is, 'cuz I didn't tell ya.)

(If I'd told her, she would've blurted out somethin' stupid anyway.)

I ignored her gaze as I walked over to Amore as he took out a vial from the cupboard.

And I grabbed his wrist before he could open it.

Jude: "Ya ever heard of gettin' a taste of your own medicine? That's what ya deserve for makin' other people suffer."

Jude: "Why'd ya get to live while others die? Selfish piece of shit."

Amore: "Ugh... arghhh!"

(I can make ya scream even louder.)

(The poison must be taking effect.)

Amore: "Th-there's no time! Let me go! P-please, I'll do anything!"

Jude: "Anythin'? All right. How 'bout we sign a contract?"

Jude: "A contract to do whatever the hell I say till ya die. You'll make that vow, won't ya?"

After I saw him nod, I let go of his wrist.

He looked so frantic I almost laughed as he gulped down the antidote.

(Yeah, yeah. Nice job.)

I poked his forehead with my fingertips.

And, with my ability, he instantly dropped to the floor in a deep sleep.

Kate: "What do you plan on doing with him?"

Jude: "Haven't decided yet."

I looked down at the leader, who lay on the floor.

(Could use him for experiments, throw him onto a cargo ship...)

Kate: "Hey, where are all the followers, anyway?"

Jude: "Dreamin'. Even the guy playin' the organ went down in the middle."

(At any rate, the mission was a success.)

(That's what she's probably thinkin'.)

I let out an exasperated sigh when I heard her sigh with relief.

Jude: "Had no idea ya were 'bout to sign a dangerous contract, huh?"

Kate: "What?"

She blinked at me and tipped her head cutely to the side.

(Did she already forget what happened?)

(She's more dangerous than I thought.)

(How in the world did she manage to survive this long?)

Jude: "The whole, if ya wanna pledge your eternal love, close your eyes deal."

Jude: "Ya closed your eyes. So ya wanna spend the rest of your life gettin' tortured by me, huh?"

She took about five seconds, and then it finally hit her.

Even her neck turned bright red this time.

Kate: "I thought we had to kiss so you could have a chance to catch him!"

Jude: "All ya had to do was just lean in close 'n we coulda pretended to kiss."

Kate: "B-but then why did you kiss me?!"

Kate: "You should've just pretended, then!"

Jude: "Wanted to see that ridiculous look on your face after."

(Even if it's fake, sealin' your vows with a kiss is a daft idea. That's your punishment for going along with it so easily.)

Jude: "Don't worry. I had no intention of closin' MY eyes."

Kate: "That's not why I closed my eyes!"

Jude: "Uh-huh. Sure."

Her face was still bright red, but now she was speechless and shaking.

(Damn. I love that face. It's the cutest thing.)

Jude: "That ain't the kinda face a blushin' bride makes."

Kate: "I am NOT your bride!"

I wondered how much of this rubbish world I'd have to show her... in order to make that pretty face of hers distort with despair.

(For some reason, I can't even picture it.)

Instead, I pictured her standing proudly, glaring at the harsh reality even if she was covered in filth.

And something stupid tingled deep inside my stomach.

End Premium

[blueesnow]

(5/10) Chill out time ~Welcome to the Antiques~ - LE Event Story Translation (UR Reiji, SR Otoya)

Synopsis: Reiji and Otoya, who were casted to appear in a drama, had to come up with their own ideas for the settings of it, such as what kind of store will they be running for and their roles in the scenario. During that moment, Reiji suddenly remembered about the concerns he had received from his listeners on his radio program regarding their career paths…

Ch 1:

Currently on the radio program recording. Reiji: And the one we listened to just now was "SONG LETTER" by us, QUARTET NIGHT. Reiji: Now then, on to the next one… We'll be reading the letters that we received from everyone~ Reiji: This time we decided to put up "career path" as a theme for the request submission… And oh boy, there were so many that came in. Reiji: And that's why for today, we're going to just showcase a few of them and I'll try my best to reply them! Reiji: Without further ado, we're going to start with our first letter! With radio name, "Rei-chan I love you". Thank you☆ Reiji: "Rei-chan, please listen. I've been rejected by more than 30 companies on my job interviews… Just what exactly should I do?" Reiji: Uh… that's pretty heavy. On to the next one, with "Ebi Mayo-san" who's also asking about job-related concern. Reiji: ”Reiji-san, please help me! I'm the only one who can't decide whether to go get a job or go to college!". This one is also quite a difficult problem. Reiji: And for the last one…is here. With radio name "I want to be healed". Reiji: "I'm having a hard time studying for entrance exam, and I'm worried sick about what would happen if I were to fail.” Reiji: Hmm, I understand how you feel. No matter how hard we try our best, all of the “what ifs” tend to pop into our head. Reiji: Now then… For the three letters that I read just now, they actually have "one thing in common". Did everyone notice it? Reiji: Whether it's about an entrance exam or job hunting, they're both are very tough because they're a major events that affects our life. And the road to getting there is steep and difficult. Reiji: At times like these, I'd think to myself that maybe it's a good idea to take a break if things are really tough and there's just nothing that we can do. Reiji: However, when I looked at all of the letters just now… I can genuinely sense everyone's feelings from it, that they still wanted to try again and do their best. Reiji: And I think having someone supporting you during this time will give you a courage to take a step forward. Reiji: That's why I will continue to support everyone, including ones that I can't read for today too. Reiji: And someday… Once you finally managed to get a vision for the future, then I'd love if you could tell me that during our concert or event. Reiji: Until then, I'll always continue being an idol and wait for you all ♪ - Reiji: And next we'll be airing this song. Good luck, everyone! I'll always be with you!

Ch 2:

-Reiji's Car- Reiji: (There were still quite a lot of letters that I couldn't read during the radio program huh) Reiji: (I guess everyone is more or less concerned about their own career paths~) Reiji: (Hmm…. Is there anything more that I can do for them?) Reiji: (I always received a lot of powers from everyone, and I do wanted to pay them back but) Reiji: Not only just on radio, if I could also cheer them up in some other waysー Reiji: Oh no! I'm too deep in my thought that I didn't even realize it was already this time. Reiji: (Now then, after this I have a meeting for that new drama that was about to start) Reiji: (I've looked over the proposal several times but… it seems like this one might be quite a huge challenge) Reiji: (Not to mention, I'll also be co-starring with Otoyan! This might be quite a lively and fun set☆) -TV Station's Conference Room- Otoya: Oh, Rei-chan! Have you seen the proposal for the drama yet? Otoya: I've been so excited for it. I keep reading them all over and over. Reiji: Oh, that's great~! I can really feel Otoyan's enthusiasm. Otoya: Hehe. But even so, isn't the way this drama being filmed is quite unusual? Reiji: You're right. I've actually been in a lot of projects, including ones from my childhood, but… Reiji: It's my first time to encounter one with this much freedom, so I think this might be quite a good experience for us. Otoya: Yep! As long as Rei-chan's with me in this drama, I believe that we can create something amazing! Reiji: Otoyan… Rei-chan is getting more and more fired up☆ Let's both do our best to make this project successful!

Ch 3:

After the meeting for the drama. Otoya: Hey, Rei-chan. I told you this before but… Otoya: As I thought, isn't this drama just amazing!? It has too much freedom! Reiji: Well~ It was definitely a lot than I expected. And to think that for the settingー Reiji: All that we know is that "we're running a store together" and "we've been friends since teenager"! Reiji: For our roles and what kind of store will it be, we're allowed to decide it by ourselves! Reiji: In fact, they even told us that we could also come up with what kind of scenario will it be if we want to! Reiji: Seriously, this is the first time that I've seen a drama that offer this much freedom. Otoya: Yeah… But on the other hand, it might also help us show and convey our feelings into it. Otoya: When I thought about it, it made me even more motivated! We need to start brainstorming right away! Reiji: Oh, that's the spirit~! You have to be like that if you want to survive in this industry♪ Reiji: …But, although what Otoyan said is true, I think this also came with a pretty big responsibility. Reiji: Depending on the setting and the story that we need to come up, it will affect everything that everyone need to prepare, including the location, the advertisement and the content of the drama. Otoya: Oh, you're right. That means we're going to need a lot of help from everyone around more than the usual drama shooting… Otoya: …But even so, there's this a strong part of me that wants to make this drama fun and enjoyable. Otoya: I'm sure it's going to be a difficult road, but I want to try and give it my all! Reiji: As expected of my Kouhai☆ I knew that Otoyan would say that. Reiji: I also feel the same way! I mean, it'd be such a shame not to enjoy such a wonderful project that was given to us☆ Reiji: This time we'll be working on it right off from the scratch, and surely there'll be a lot of things that we need to think about together but… Once again, please take care of me Otoyan♪ Otoya: Yep! Likewise, I'm in your care too!

Ch 4:

On the way home after the meeting. Reiji: Now then… for the store that we'll be handling for the drama later, what kind of store shall it be? Otoya: Hmm… Now that we're looking around the city, it made me realized that there are actually a lot of different kind of stores. Otoya: A shaved ice shop, a lemonade stand… Oh, a shop that sells out a set menu meal is also delicious! Reiji: *nods* …Wait, all of it was just food-related things! Don't tell me, are you hungry? Reiji: But you're right~ …Maybe an electronics store, a flower shop or a toy store. Oh, a suits tailor store might be interesting too! Otoya: Wow, so stylish! Aa~h, I've never thought of opening up a store by myself until now, so I'm really confused~! Reiji: Ahaha. Don't worry, there's still a little bit of time left before the deadline for the idea submission, so let's think about it carefully together☆ Reiji: (That being said, the stores that we mentioned before weren't all bad but… somehow I feel like we're missing something) Reiji: (Maybe it's because we can't see any convincing reason or vision for why we're running a business?) Reiji: (…Eh? Talking about visionー) Reiji: …That's it. This is similar to everyone's problems! Otoya: Problem? What are you talking about? Reiji: Well, you see. I was on radio recording a while ago, and at that time we were all discussing about everyone's "career path". Reiji: Although there were a bit of minor differences, but all of the people that wrote letter to me were all worried that "they can't see a vision for their future". Reiji: …We ourselves are idols now, but I think each of us had our own reasons for wanting to pursue this career. Reiji: Similarly, there must have been a reason or connection as to why these two characters wanted to open up a store together… Reiji: Maybe it's because we can't see their vision that we can't come up with any ideas at all. What do you think, Otoyan? Otoya: The reason why they wanted to open up a store, huh? I don't think I can think of it straight away… Reiji: Right~ Although I'm the one who bring it up, I also can't come up with any ideas at all. Reiji: If I'm not wrong, our next day off were overlapped together, right? Why don't we go to the different stores at that time and try to think about it? Reiji: I'm sure both of the main characters were also at lost as well. So let's both try to think of it again and be confused together!

Ch 5:

-Downtown- Otoya: Morning, Rei-chan! I know this is early, but there's actually something that I'd like you to hear. Do you have a minute? Reiji: Oh, it looks like you've just thought of something. Come here and let Onii-san hear it? Otoya: Okay! You see, I realized something that might be a hint for us when we're going on a search for a storeー - Reiji: I see… “Think of a store that you would run based on what we both have in common”, huh. Reiji: Nice idea, Otoyan! Very good☆ That way of thinking is perfect for us this time♪ Otoya: Really!? Thank God~ Now then, what would you think will happen if we were to open a bicycle shop? Otoya: We both can ride a bicycle so… What if for the setting, the one thing they have in common is because they were both in the same bicycle club during their highschool? Reiji: Bicycle club, huh… Working up a sweat every day, and sometimes fighting in preparation for competitions… Hmmm, talk about youth☆ Reiji: Ah, wait… if that's the setting, then wouldn't it be more likely for them to aim being a road racer rather than being a bicycle shop owners? Otoya: Whoa, true! That seems even more likely!! Otoya: Looks like we only might be able to manage a store after we retire or something. Sounds like it would be difficult given our age… Reiji: Right. But I have to admit that was actually a pretty good idea. We have a lot of time for today, so let's think of it again more carefully okay☆ -Park- Otoya: We managed to find quite a few good stores, and we also discovered a lot of things that we have in common, but… Otoya: But connecting all of the ideas from there is difficult. *sigh* I'm tired from all of that walking! Reiji: My legs are sore too… Well, it's important to take a breather at times like this, so let's go and take a break somewhere. Reiji: It's just that… It looks like a lot of stores are already on their last order now. Maybe we won't be able to get into any of them. Reiji: Oh well, it can't be helped. For now, let's go find a nearby convenience store and get something to drink or something… Hm? Reiji: (Now that I think about it, isn't this place is actually near that store…) Otoya: What's wrong, Rei-chan? Did you remember something? Reiji: Yep, just a little bit. I'm sure Otoyan will be happy, so look forward to it, okay☆

Ch 6:

Ch 7:

Ch 8:

Ch 9:

Ch 10:

[illuminatedquill]

Ghost Stories #01

Feat. Sabine Wren & Hera Syndulla

Story Context: Sabine tells Hera about her decision to be trained as a Jedi and is met with a cold reception.

"You're going to do what?" asked Hera, her voice almost a shout at the end.

Sabine blinked, taken aback at the Twi'lek's response. It was certainly not the one she had been expecting. They were sitting in the Ghost's communal area; outside, the constant buzz of machinery and maintenance tools from the ship crew could be heard as the old freighter underwent some much-needed repairs.

Feeling uneasy, Sabine leaned back in her seat and folded her arms. "I thought you'd be supportive," she said.

Hera massaged at her temples, grimacing. "And why would you think I'd be supportive of you being a Jedi?"

Feeling defensive, Sabine countered, "You were supportive when Ezra did it. And Kanan, too, when he decided to take up that mantle again. What makes me so different?"

"That was then. This is now," Hera replied. "This is not a good idea, Sabine."

Sabine narrowed her eyes at Hera. "Ahsoka seems to think so. You know, the actual Jedi."

"Former Jedi," Hera corrected. "And believe it or not, Ahsoka thinking so doesn't make me more convinced."

"What, you have an issue with her, too? You guys always seemed friendly to me."

"That was before Malachor," Hera shot back. "Where has she been all this time during the war? She hasn't said anything to anyone. She's different now. Less . . . I don't know, just less of herself, it seems."

Sabine couldn't argue with that. Talking with her master sometimes felt like trying to conversate with a rock. Whatever happened at that Sith Temple seemed to have robbed Ahsoka of her spirit; she seemed listless on some days, adrift from herself and others.

Desperately casting around for a change of subject, Sabine asked, "Where's Jacen?"

"With his grandfather on Ryloth," said Hera. "Don't try to change the subject, Sabine."

"Fine," Sabine snapped. "I don't understand why you're so hostile about this. It's my decision. I'm an adult. What are you going to do when Jacen starts showing an interest, huh?"

"I don't know!" Hera shouted, throwing her hands up. "I'm not - I'm not strong enough, okay?"

Sabine cocked her head at her friend. "What do you mean, 'not strong enough'?"

Hera hung her head. Hands clenching into fists, she suddenly banged them on the table. Sabine jolted in her seat from the abrupt display of anger.

"Hera?" asked Sabine quietly. "What's going on?"

"Kanan. Ezra. Ahsoka. And now - you," Hera muttered. "Maybe someday, even Jacen. I'm so sick of losing people. I'm not strong enough to lose you, too."

"Losing - what? You're not going to lose me like you did with Kanan, Hera. I promise. Ahsoka came back, too, even if she's not the same as before! She's still fighting! And Ezra's still out there."

Hera turned her face back to Sabine. The younger woman felt her heart twist, seeing the cascade of tears on the Twi'lek's face.

"You're already gone, don't you get it? I've lost you. Once you decide to take that mantle - when you add 'Jedi' to your name, it's over," Hera whispered miserably. "That's the truth of this galaxy, Sabine. Jedi die."

Sabine shook her head. "Kanan died. I know that still hurts for you. But I'm still here and I promise Ahsoka isn't going anywhere either. Neither is Jacen. I'll make sure of it myself. And I will bring Ezra back," she added fiercely.

Hera smiled bitterly. "It's better if you leave him out there. Even better if he's dead. Because if Ezra isn't dead, then that means the Force isn't done with him yet. That means Ezra is destined for more suffering. For more sacrifice and heartbreak."

The Twi'lek leaned forward, her eyes glassy with bottomless pain. "Leave him be, Sabine. Don't go looking for him anymore. If you love him at all, you'll let him go."

Sabine was silent. Then, in an icy tone, she replied, "You don't mean that, Hera. I know you don't."

Hera looked away, blinking rapidly. Then, quietly, she said, "You're right. I'm sorry."

She didn't know what to say to comfort Hera. It's clear her friend had been harboring some deep conflict over the fate of her Jedi loved ones. Sabine belatedly realized that her deciding to be a Jedi was, to Hera, probably adding to that conflict.

To that buried pain.

Jacen was destined to follow in his father's footsteps someday. Maybe Hera saw Sabine as a safe option - that she would never take up the mantle and responsibility one day and could be relied upon to never break her heart the same way that Kanan and Ezra did.

Sabine wondered if she ever had nightmares about burying her one day. Or Jacen. Or Ahsoka. Outliving them all.

She wanted to hug Hera in that moment so badly. But something in the Twi'lek's demeanor told her that it wouldn't be welcome.

She stood up and made to depart. "I'll let you get some rest, Hera. We'll talk later."

Still not looking at her, Hera gave the barest of nods in acknowledgement. Sabine turned to go -

"Sabine."

She paused at the hallway leading to the docking bay.

"Follow your heart. I'll always believe in you, no matter what."

Without turning around, Sabine said, "Thanks, Hera."

"Don't thank me," came the sad reply. "You're going to be a Jedi now. Just like Kanan and Ezra. I don't get to keep you anymore."

Sabine was quiet. Listening.

"You belong to the Force now. I know you'll do well. You always have. It's in your nature to rise and meet whatever challenges come your way."

Sabine felt touched by Hera's words, yet there was a chill in her blood from the solemn way she uttered them. Finally, she worked up the nerve to turn around and face her directly.

Hera just gazed at her, but not seeing her at all - seeing through her, was the better term.

Like she wasn't there.

Like she was already a ghost.

"You have an important role to play now, Sabine. And, just like the other Jedi I loved, you'll play it . . . to the very end."

*Author's Note: Hello! So, this is just a seed of a story. Sometimes, when I'm brainstorming ideas for Sabezra fics, I'll have these conversations/scenes between characters pop up in my head, out of context. I don't know if I'll ever include these in future fics but I've decided to just start writing them down and posting them here just to keep track of. I always have ideas bouncing inside my head for stories regarding Sabine, Ezra, and the Ghost crew in general, so there will be more of these little fic-lets, I guess the term is? Except these aren't really full-fledged stories. Just short scenes.

Anyway, the genesis for this is pretty simple: I've always been interested if Hera feels conflicted about all the Jedi in her life, seeing as though they've all been met with terrible fates. I find it odd that Hera in the Ahsoka series seems all onboard for Jacen training to be a Jedi, considering what happened to his father and Ezra (and Ahsoka, to a degree). As a mother, she has to feel some trepidation about encouraging Jacen to be a Jedi - especially in that day and age. And now with Sabine - someone who is like a daughter to her - resolving to take up the mantle of a Jedi, I wanted to write out a scene where all those buried negative feelings bursts forth. I'm realizing that this is probably veering Hera into out-of-character territory, but it makes for a really good, dramatic, and angsty conflict between her and Sabine.

[lemiko0]

FIRST COME FIRST SERVE PT. 2

Read PT. 1 for more context!

MASTERLIST

Word count: 2k+ WARNINGS: kidnapping, toxic love, unhealthy obsession, gay people, and very inaccurate settings...

When you woke up you were tied to a bed in a familiar place, “isagi’s basement”. The first thing you remembered was his basement you could tell by the door even though you’ve never been in the room you're currently in. You couldn’t move your arms, you were stuck, you wanted to cry and ask what happened. You looked at your outfit realizing it’s different. You were wearing a small dress that barely covered anything “who changed me?” is the first thing that came to mind before the bathroom door opened seeing Kurona enter with a towel around his waist and right behind him was Isagi also with a towel around his waist however their hair wasn’t wet it was as if they were getting ready for a shower.

“Hey Isagi and Kurona care to explain why I'm chained up in your basement?” You ask confused Kurona smiled before jumping on top of you hugging you “you’re ours now” he said repeating himself twice smiling kicking his feet “Give it a rest Kurona you’ll scare her” Isagi warned “How can I help myself when shes so cute in that dress!” you try kicking him off “Get off me you freak!” you said annoyed they looked at you surprised and confused “Huh? What’s this I thought you liked us?” Isagi said sadly “Of course I did! Until you kidnapped me! You freaks!” You said, you were annoyed, so you started resisting the chain around your wrist.

Kurona looked at you disappointed with a frown on his face. Isagi just stared unbothered “what did you expect Kurona it’s not like she’d give in easily to her kidnappers.” Isagi said while walking back to the bathroom. “Hey wait for me!” Kurona whined following him. There you are chained to the bed with little to no explanation “I'm theirs? What a joke” is what you thought while trying to get out of the chains on your wrist.

30 minutes passed and you couldn’t get your hands out of the chains instead you irritated them making them red. Isagi and Kurona walked in fully dressed in their pajamas. You would giggle at Kurona for wearing unicorn pants but right now wasn’t the time. They were smiling like sick fucks you wanted to punch them, but you couldn't. Kurona went and unlocked the chains, freeing you.

As soon as the chains were off you got off the bed before going and attacking Kurona. You tackled him to the ground, choking him. Isagi immediately grabbed you, taking you off him “Calm down [name], Kurona didn’t do anything” Isagi said calmly, chuckling a bit.

Kurona stays on the ground trying to regain his breath. “Really [name]? I thought you loved me” he said, frowning as he got up, he went to the door to leave the room. Isagi just sighed as Kurona left sad. “Really [name] you made him sad.” Isagi said. Like you would care in the first place they literally kidnapped you.

Isagi opened a drawer in the room showing a bunch of female clothes. You were confused because there were no girls living in his house the last time you checked. “Here are some clothes we bought for you since you’re staying here for a while.” He said smiling. “No way?” you thought to yourself how did he even know your size? No, how long were they planning this? Disgusting, absolutely disgusting.

You were just disgusted by the fact you trusted such freaks you wanted to slap them so badly. Isagi left the room to give you some privacy. Jeez at least they have some human decency to give you privacy. You started looking through the drawers finding a bunch of dresses, shorts, shirts, pants, underwear, and bras?? How the hell did they even know your size?

You looked around the room for any way to escape. There were no windows, so you went into the bathroom. It was decorated with pink. Did they think that would calm you down? So instead of listening to them you wanted revenge so what did you do? You grabbed all the toilet paper rolls and soaked them in water and threw them at the ceiling making a ruckus. Here's a little layout of the basement to give you a better idea :3

Knock Knock, is what you heard at the door “[name]! What is going on in there?” Isagi yelled on the other side of the door. You giggled as you kept one wet toilet paper roll in your hand as you went to the door “Isagi! I need help!” You yelled. Isagi opened the door and as soon as he opened the door you threw the wet toilet paper roll at his face blinding him.

You took this opportunity to run out the door going to the staircase you ran up the stairs to see a door. You tried to open it before realizing it had a code “fuck” is all you thought before being grabbed by Kurona. You let out a yelp when Kurona wrapped his arms around your waist pulling you into a hug from behind.

“Seriously thought you could escape?” Kurona said annoyed while forcefully taking you down the stairs. You whined kicking your feet trying to break from his grip, you saw Isagi at the bottom of the stairs staring at you. His face was soaked, you giggled. He looked at you annoyed before helping Kurona take you down the stairs.

They put you back inside the room locking the doors. You giggle when they see the bathroom completely destroyed. Isagi puts a hand on his face while Kurona sighs “Who knew kidnapping is really hard?” Isagi said annoyed. They made you clean everything.

4 months past of you being held captive in their house but you got used to it. You were in your pajamas laying on the couch in the basement watching TV with Isagi and Kurona. The news was on, and it showed a missing picture of you. Kurona changed the channel instantly, but it got you wondering.

“How is Bachira doing?” you asked, curious. “He’s been looking for you. He even suspected Reo and Nagi were responsible for your disappearance.” Isagi stated. That’s right… You were hanging out with them at the arcade. How were they doing? You wondered.

Kurona then bit your shoulder making you yelp. “Stop thinking about them.” Kurona said, annoyed as blood dripped down your shoulder. “Really Kurona? You didn’t have to bite her” Isagi giggled. Isagi grabbed your shoulder, smearing the blood on his finger. “Y’know we’ve been so nice holding back [name]” Isagi said getting on top of you. You roll your eyes annoyed as you try to push him off you.

You were laying on top of Kurona’s lap as Isagi was on top of you hugging you tightly. You hated it “[name] please become ours.” Isagi said as he put his face in the crook of your neck. Kurona grabbed your hair and started putting his fingers between your hair. “As if I’ll have a choice, you psychopaths” you muttered.

Kurona smiled, “Don’t be so harsh, I thought you were already used to us” he said as he massaged your scalp. You stay still, annoyed as Isagi proceeds to lick the blood off your shoulder. You giggled it felt ticklish, sometimes you did enjoy being here not having to do anything. Maybe it was better staying here.

Wait what were you thinking? Are you insane they literally kidnapped you! Not only that Kurona keeps biting you like a damn dog! You have bite marks all over your shoulders! Disgusting their ideals were already in your mind before you could even realize.

“What’s wrong [name]?” Isagi asked, smiling, as he pulled away from your shoulder laying his head on your stomach. Kurona looked down at you, smiling. That smug smile you wanted to break his shark teeth. You look away as a tear falls down your cheek.

Kurona notices and wipes the tear away with his thumb, as he uses his other hand to grab yours and brings it up to his mouth. Before you can take your hand back Kurona bites into the skin making you yelp. Blood went down your hand, you wanted to move away due to the pain. But Isagi held you down as Kurona continued to lick the blood.

Tears went down your face from the pain making Isagi whip the tears with his long sleeve shirt. You hated them so much, you just wanted to go home. You missed Bachira, Nagi, Reo, Chigiri, Kunigami, Sae, maybe even Kaiser, Ness and Shidou. You hated being stuck in this basement with two insane guys.

But you couldn’t do anything about it, Isagi was on top of you hugging you tightly. Sooner or later, you drift to sleep in Isagi’s embrace. Next thing you saw was Bachira in a dark room. “0412” is what he said, you tried to reach for him. “Bachira?” is the last thing you said before waking up in your bed realizing it was a dream.

Holy shit you were becoming schizophrenic already. You got up and heard nothing. No T.V on, no one cooking, nothing. You were confused as you opened the door, there was no one to greet you. Weird, you thought as you walked to the kitchen.

There was a note on the fridge that said "We went to buy a gift we'll be back in a bit sweetie" with a heart right below it. It was obviously from Kurona.

“I thought they had detachment issues” you mumbled as you grabbed the note, crumbling it in your hand annoyed. It pissed you off, they were getting closer and closer to you without you even realizing it. You walk out of the kitchen to the stairs; you proceed to go up the stairs to the door with the code. You remember your dream with Bachira “0412” is that the code? Your way out?

You pressed those numbers to see if it works. Surprisingly it did! The moment the door opened you ran to the backdoor where they didn’t have security cameras. You opened the back door going to their backyard. Holy shit are you a fucking mind reader or something how the hell did you find out what the code was? Or are you actually schizophrenic and hallucinating right now?

Doesn’t matter, you need to get the fuck out of here. So first you jump over the fence falling to the ground on the other side, into the bushes. You quickly get up running away from that house “Reo and Nagi live by don’t they?” Is the first thing you thought of. So obviously you run towards their area, but as you're running a car notices and honks at you.

The driver pulls down the window “Hey do you need a ride?” the person asks. You shake your head yes getting in their car telling them Reo’s address.

Meanwhile back with Isagi and Kurona

When they entered the house Kurona was excited to show you, their gift. “[name]!!! We’re home!!” Kurona yells from the entrance of the house knowing you couldn’t hear him due to the soundproof door. Isagi held a carrier as he entered the house, Kurona ran to the door where you had been held captive in.

… The door was left wide open, Kurona stared confused. Did Isagi leave the door open…? He ran down the stairs checking every room in a panic. You weren’t there… not in any single room? “Isagi!!! Where is [name]!?” Kurona yelled in a panic. Isagi was already looking for you, opening every door in the building looking for you.

They were literally going insane. Not like anyone gives a shit they literally kidnapped you; they were already insane in the first place.

Anyway, back with you, the nice lady dropped you off at Reo’s house. You knock on the door waiting for a reply. The door was opened by a servant. The servant's eyes widened seeing you “miss [name]? Are you okay?” The lady asked, knowing who you are. You remember this servant who helped you find your way to Reo’s room when you visited a long time ago.

“Yes, I’m okay I need to see Reo. Is Nagi here?” You asked as the lady allowed you in escorting you to Reo’s room. “Yes, he is, Nagi has been staying here ever since you went missing. What happened anyway? Why were you missing?” the lady asked as she went up the stairs with you. “I was kidnapped by two guys” you said, scratching your arm and shaking a bit.

The lady turned to you worried “Are you sure you're, okay? They didn’t touch you right?” The lady asked, concerned. “Don’t worry I’m fine I just need to see Reo and Nagi” you reassured her smiling. The lady then knocked on Reo’s door, still concerned for you but ignored it. “Enter,” Reo yells from inside.

The lady opens the door slowly “your friend wants to see you” opening the door wide enough to reveal you. Nagi drops his phone in shock as you enter, Reo didn’t see you at first, he was too busy doing homework on his desk. “What’s wrong Nagi?” Reo asked as he turned his chair to face the door.

Reo’s jaw dropped instantly standing up walking towards you “[name]?” Is what he asks before grabbing your hand making sure it’s actually you. He hugs you tightly “Where have you been?” Reo asked. Nagi got up from the bed running towards you and Reo, he hugged you from behind.

You hugged them back feeling safe and happy that you got away from Isagi and Kurona. Tears came down from you. You felt a warm feeling in your heart. It was nice finally being able to trust someone.

THE END OF PART 2

Note: This took way to long for me to complete i swear i will make future chapters longer i just got unmotivated D:

[bloodlustngore]

Hair cut - Amanda Young

Another upload that’s not after a month or two?! I’ve got so many drafts not joking 😑.

Haven’t proofread half of them, and again this is one of those, clearly I’ve lost my writing mojo ✌️. According to my brain everything I write is shit now & doesn’t make sense.

Anyway…

Cw: Self-harm mention other then that fluff

Word count: Around 880?

Summary: Amanda decides she wants to cut her hair, her girlfriend helps her out.

Amanda got sick of looking at her long brunette hair, she wanted a new look and of course she was going to do it herself. Not that she knew what she was doing. The brunette didn't want to look at herself in the mirror like this, her long hair reminded her of her past and also the first time John had put her through a trap.

Enough was enough, she decided, grabbing a pair of scissors from the kitchen. But before she could reach the bathroom, Y/n, her girlfriend walked into the apartment. A look of concern on her face for a moment, given the brunette' history and known habit of self-harming which her girlfriend is trying to help her through if she feels like shes about to slip. "Amanda, what are you doing?"

"I...just want to get rid of this long hair. I can't stand to look at myself, every time it brings back shitty memories and the first time John put me through a trap. I can't look at it. I need change." Amanda sighed. Y/n walked closer to her girlfriend, kissing Amanda. "Change is good, baby. Just don't go hacking off your hair with those. I'll help you, if you want." Y/n mentioned. Amanda smiled back at her, happy that Y/n would help her, otherwise her air would be a mess. She let out a quiet laugh. "Okay, I'd like that."

Y/n grabbed Amanda' wrist, the hand she held the scissors from the kitchen in and took them from her. "First we get rid of these, I have a pair of hair dressing scissors in the bedroom." Y/n added. Amanda went into the bathroom, waiting for Y/n as she went into the bedroom to get what she needed, when she came back she had changed clothes completely.

"Change of clothes too?" Amanda chuckled and smirked when she saw that her girlfriend was just in her panties and a tank top that was Amanda'. "I wasn't gonna get hair on any of my clothes."

"But you're wearing my tank top, huh? I see how it is." The brunette couldn't resist when she pushes Y/n up against the sink, it wasn't very comfortable but neither women were bothered about that, especially when Amanda crashed her lips against Y/n'. The way Amanda kissed her was needy, with hunger, and when Y/n kissed back, the kiss ended up being deeper but a bit more sloppy in nothing but need. The way Amanda grabbed at the tank top Y/n wore (which was one of hers), and the way Y/n wrapped two fingers round the loops of Amanda' cargo', just to keep her as close as she possibly could. Teeth clashing, heavy breathing.

Y/n pulled away to catch her breath, Amanda smirking at her, chasing her girlfriends lips once more, this time for a quick kiss. "I thought we were cutting your hair?" Y/n chuckled, her lips ghosting over Amanda'.

"It's not my fault that my girlfriend decided to wear nothing but underwear and one of my shirts. You're just too irresistible." Amanda whispered in Y/n' ear, before pressing her lips to her neck. "Mandy..." Y/n let out a breathy sigh, her girlfriends nick name on her tongue.

Amanda with one last kiss to her neck pulled away. "You can have me all you want, but don't you want to cut your hair first?" Y/n added, a chuckle leaving her lips. Amanda smirked at her girlfriend "I'll hold you to that, Y/n." Y/n agreed with her, a silent promise that she could later. "Okay, do you trust me?" Y/n asked, knowing that it was a stupid question but she wanted to hear it from Amanda before she cut her hair.

"Yeah, of course I do." Amanda replied.

The brunette explained how she wanted it, and Y/n understood as she cut her girlfriends hair short. Once she was done, Amanda felt like she could breathe, she looked in the mirror and smiled. Her hair shorter than she's been used to having it. "Do you like it?" Y/n asked. Amanda' smile in the mirror as she moved her hands through her now short hair, was indication that she does but Y/n just wanted to be sure.

"I love it, thank you Y/n" Amanda turns to her, Y/n stands and admires her girlfriend. "Anytime Mandy. It really suits you." She replied, smiling.

Y/n just couldn't stop looking at her girlfriend, Amanda was so pretty and short hair was definitely her thing. Amanda laughed a little bit, she caught on that the woman in front of her was just completely enamoured by her. But Amanda was the same, Y/n was just so pretty and so sweet, Amanda didn't even know how she was so lucky or deserving of Y/n.

"What Y/n?" Amanda asked. Snapping her out of the trance the brunette seemed to have her in.

"Nothing, you're just really hot with short hair" Y/n smirked. Amanda smiled at her girlfriend, looking in the mirror, it was different but a change was nice, she could get used to having short hair more often.

[mono-blogs-art]

incredible chaser game w moments (part 2) up to & incl. episode 4

the most homophobic breakup you've ever seen. just, unholy behavior. on fucking god itsuki i know you had good intentions but you're the worst for doing it like that !!!!!!!!! at least let her down easy !!!!! if i was 22 and my gf of 4 years did that to me i'd fucking go insane as well

the elevator stopped working ➡️ you are trapped in with the person you hate ➡️ you are forced to sit it out and face your fears together, ultimately bringing you closer both emotionally & physically. i love this trope and i didn't know i needed it here, but it was great. step 1 to the meowmeow-ification of fuyu complete

my prediction of itsuki running into & taking care of little tsuki and the two of them then being found by fuyu, resulting in an awkward and heartbreaking scene, came true exactly like that. i think this scene was genuinely so well done and well acted, it broke my heart. i think this was the scene that really got me to say Damn, I'm invested in this now...

^ I'm still waiting for Itsuki to bring up the similar names in conversation though. like you need to talk about that

"ohhh harumoto-san, so you're part of that team?" - itsuki (sweating in closeted lesbian): "huh? what? n-no, of course not- I'm--" - "Don't worry, it's all good, we're all into BL too!!!" ➡️falsely coming out as a yaoi fangirl to your coworkers to avoid having to talk about your own sexuality. LMAO

^ this scene only being a setup so fuyu can be homophobic on main is what makes it even funnier

why. in every gods name. would you go to your boss' home address. why on earth would you do that. at least itsuki was self-aware about it too. girl you are SO unwell

every time fuyu has kissed itsuki of her own initiative, it has been when she was drunk... can we remedy that for future episodes, please? not that consent has been an issue, their mutual feelings are obvious, but i think she should be making a move when she doesn't have any liquid courage in her. step up your fucking game, fuyu

"she's a classic tsundere, after all" - fuyu, who has been severly harassing her subordinates at work (again, there seems to be no HR department at this company) being written off as a "tsundere" by the rest of the team - I mean, you're not wrong, but you should still file a complaint against her.

fuyu's husband Kouu is the nicest man on earth. my man doesn't deserve ANY of this. he even calls her dongyu. he even calls his wife by her real fucking name like the bar is so low

fuyu treats him so badly too, man, i genuinely felt bad watching it. were the 5 years of marriage all like this? was he always just a means to you getting your revenge? i'm sick. i hope they can make up by the end of the show and have a real conversation about their feelings and relationship.

that aside, i do have some theories on kouu, his disappearance, and his own feelings as well, but i'm keeping that to myself atm...

fuyu & itsuki keep having insanely homoerotic moments in front of god and everyone on earth, I'm starting to believe the only person with a gaydar in this company is the photographer from the other office. the fact that you two haven't been found out yet is honestly a massive plot hole (lmao)

has itsuki eaten anything else but sweets (cake, in particular?) on screen yet? apart from the homemade meal at the hayashi's, whenever there's a scene of her alone or with her grandma, she's always eating cake. i wonder if it will come up at some point, but it's just something i noticed. no shade though girl i'm also (almost) 27 and if you wanna eat cake for dinner alone at home I'm your nr1 supporter

i'm never a fan of the trope of a bilingual character breaking out into their native tongue for swearing or just randomly, but it is fun that only fuyu does it and that all the other chinese characters just don't speak mandarin at all. and i'm happy they actually cast a bilingual actress for fuyu!

episode 4 was the mid-series finale, and it definitely showed. this was the best episode so far by a pretty significant margin imo.

the. silent pleading fuyu puts on to make itsuki stay at the hayashi house. the most fucking 🥺*twirling my hair cutely* AND IT WORKS TOO BECAUSE ITSUKI IS JUST AS INSANE AS YOU ARE

i would like to talk about the best scene of this show yet. i really wished it was longer and was given even more weight. in episode 4, fuyu & itsuki are sitting in the living room together at night, so far apart that they're completely out of each other's camera shots even. i found this to be the most interesting scene so far. there was genuine tension in the shot composition, the acting, the complete absence of music. just silence and their voices. "after all, it was all my fault, wasn't it? that we ended up like this?" fuyu still deep down believes that she was the reason their relationship failed. she wasn't enough, because she's fuyu, because she's a woman. she still thinks that. my heart fucking broke in two

their fight after fuyu came back home drunk was so funny. especially with their height difference... hydrogen bomb vs coughing baby

after finally learning the truth about their break-up, fuyu is absolutely devastated. "you valued your promise to my mother more than the one you made to me?" just completely broken. after all this time sitting with these unresolved emotions, feelings of guilt and deep shame, only for that to be the reason? I feel so bad for her

the mutual love confession!!!!! i'm honestly a bit surprised it came so early, i thought they were just going to sleep together and not talk emotions first. but i'm not gonna complain (i just love mess) i'm also devastated that itsuki used suki while fuyu used the word aishiteru. my friends it's so bad for me right now (and them)

did. they. fuck. on. the. floor. in. the. living room.

i hope so because 1) hot and 2) although i'm still unsure as to the exact room situation of the hayashi household, don't they all have one shared bedroom??? isn't the bedroom that they're in after they've had sex (hopefully in the living room) the same one we've previously seen, where the kid also sleeps????? WHERE WAS THE KID ITSUKI. WHERE. WAS. THE. KID. WE KNOW SHE'S WITH YOU BECAUSE THAT WAS THE WHOLE REASON YOU STARTED FIGHTING!!!!!

if you had sex while your kid was sleeping soundly in the same room i'm sending both of you to superhell. i'm praying you guys just have a totally identical bed in another room. please.

if it wasn't the same bed we've previously seen from tsuki's room, that means you guys fucked in the marriage bed, which is only slightly less gonna get you sent to superhell.

in any case, happy lesbian sex to them. i know neither of you have known the touch of a woman in the past 5 years so it was probably intense. drink a lot of water in episode 5, alright? jesus.

it was also quite funny that the scriptwriter for the show tweeted out a few hours before this episode aired that "itsuki has always taken the leader position in their relationship" and that "you should watch episode 4 with this in mind" and we were all like. oh so you're telling me that fuyu is a bottom? you're telling me water is wet? fork found in kitchen??????

their lil afterglow convo in bed was just perfectly sweet. 1 point to fuyu, now presumably much more sobered up, for having the courage to ask if itsuki's gonna stay the night after all. girl you don't have to ask. i think she's ready for another 12 rounds. she's not going anywhere.

the line delivery of the "alright" (i'm gonna stay) oh my god. oh my god... oh. oh.

the meowmeow-ification babygirl-ification of fuyu is now complete

in the preview for ep5, fuyu is wearing a mixture of white and black clothes. girl... it was that good, huh?????

in conclusion:

i had a lot of thoughts on this one and i've found great joy in going deep into the twt tags for it as well. and i'm glad to see many japanese sapphics also being super vocal about the show. it's really interesting to read and interact with that side of the fandom i haven't really seen in this capacity for a (lesbian) live action show yet. i see people slowing down & brightening up footage to analyse who's taking each other's clothes off first, people just posting close-ups of Yuuka's hands, people going into Yurika's past filmography to dig up ancient clips of other sapphic roles she's played (of which there seem to be actually quite a lot?). i love to see it lmao. on a more serious note, it makes me happy to see sapphics from so far away expressing themselves similarily to myself or my other lesbian friends. it's cute!! as for cgw, part b of the series is gonna be intense, and i'm especially curious to see how they're gonna do the inevitable breakdown of fuyu again. my girl is so deep in the trenches, her temporary being on cloud 9 right now is gonna be short-lived and i want to see it happen. i hope she can really stand up for herself and make things right after all!

[morimakesfanart]

Sindria's Prophet #37

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[AO3] [wattpad]

*CW-Long term affects of medical denial & child abuse, living with PTSD *Kink & toys mentioned

((I keep forgetting to tell you guys: Lyly is pronounced "lee-lee." It's short for their middle name, Llyn/Lynn (<-genderfluid affected spelling)))

~POV Mori~ I woke up gasping. I sat up and wrapped my arms around myself so I could tell the difference between actual physical touch and the phantoms left over from my night terror. My body wouldn't stop shaking; I needed Lyly's help. When I got out of bed I froze. Not only did my bed not have curtains, this wasn't my room. No. This was my room. Sinbad picked it out for me in the guest tower. I was in Sindria; in a whole different dimension. All of the adrenaline supporting me left and I sank to the floor. I was still trembling but I wasn't scared anymore. The people who hurt me couldn't reach me here. I had that dream because after spending the past month hyperfixated on the present, I had been triggered into remembering one of the worst parts of my past, so now I was remembering the rest too. 'Sorry, Lyly.' The safety I had gained in this world was invaluable. I couldn't imagine going home willing. Based on how little light was getting through the curtains it was still the middle of the night. I was drained from my dream, and my hips were still aching but it took a while for my mind to calm back down. Tomorrow and the distractions that came from it couldn't come soon enough.

--- "Alright now, Mx. Prophet," the doctor gave me my diagnosis. Sinbad had him sent first thing in the morning, and his arrival woke me up. "You need to rest for a few days. I'll have painkillers sent over to help with your hip pain, fever, and migraine." With his job done, he saw himself out. 'I can't miss the Morning Assembly! ...But-!' I knew the doctor was right deep down. I was in no condition to do much of anything. I was fine resting when I didn't have obligations, but I had a job now. If I was back home I would have had to give Lyly my keys so I couldn't leave. Five years just wasn't enough to fully rewrite my base instincts. Although, from the new memories I was gaining, the me back home was doing a bit better. Those new memories were why I was healed and practiced enough to stop myself even if a doctor hadn't told me to... especially since I had a fever. As long as both me's kept whatever this connection was then maybe we would also keep the benefits from both sides. --- ~POV Sharrkon~ Mori was the only person that missed the morning Assembly. Yamuraiha had a growing smile throughout the meetings, and now that it ended she mumbled something to Pisti. Shar groaned; he knew where this was going. "Yup." Pisti giggled. "I heard from a reliable source," probably 1 of her boyfriends, "that Mori's not 'sick'. Her hips were injured and her body over worked last night." The King refused to look at the gossips. His silence spoke volumes compared to the past month of him adamantly defending that there was nothing special between him and 'his Beautiful Prophet.' "Oh ho~! It finally happened after I left!" Hina slapped Sharrkan on the back with a laugh. "Looks like the 2 of us have to pay up! But I guess you lost the most, huh?" "Oh, no! I ain't paying nothing! Nothing happened!!" Shar had a hurt ego to nurse and he would not let them step on it harder. "Mori got hurt dancing. Our King had nothing to do with it!" Sharrkon felt a shiver run down his spine that made him hold his tongue. Hina looked to the others for confirmation. "Is that true?" Drakon answered him. "It's true. However, it's also true that Sin carried Mori all the way to their room from the festival." "Oh~? That's proof enough for me." Drakon, Ja'far, Yam, and Pisti agreed with their own comments. The man in question still refused to comment, so Hinahoho addressed him directly. "You're really not going to say anything, Sin? After all of that time, telling us how you don't want to get married?" "Fine. Fine." King Sinbad finally turned to them with his arms crossed. "It's simple really. You know I'm not the type to reveal my hand until I'm certain." Sinbad was smiling, but Shar knew instinctually the King was the threat that told him to stop talking. The giant laughed. "Is that so?" "I know you're aware this is a first for me." Sharkkon's wallet cried with him. He had lost 2 out of 3 bets. It was only a matter of time before he lost the 3rd.

---- ~POV Mori~ The Great Bell rang out. The morning Assembly was definitely over. There were several things I had wanted to do today, and I couldn't do any of them since I had to rest. I needed to meet with Queen Artemina before she left Sindria. I had to solidify our connection as allies, but she was set to leave in a day. As I wrote a letter to send her, the waves shifted. This was the right choice for me, and the future I wanted. The letter would need time to dry before I could send it. I got up from my chair and stopped. I didn't want to lay down again yet no matter how much my body needed it. 'Damnit! How much more of my life am I going to spend sick??' I groaned into my hands. I was born with a weak raspatory system, so I get sick multiple times a year and often end up bedridden. "I am allowed to rest even though I can sit up and walk. Pushing will only make it worse." My mom eventually stopped acknowledging when I would get sick due to the expense which is why I struggle to let myself rest as an adult. I made a point of putting the truth into words to fight her conditioning. I climbed back in bed even though I knew that meant I would be stuck with just my thoughts until I fell back asleep. This was the perfect opportunity to process everything that had happened with Sinbad, but I couldn't think about it at all. Being triggered, recognizing these new memories, and that night terror just made me think about home more -well the place I came from. Even when I was in my room there I often couldn't help but think 'I want to go home' because even though it was comfortable and familiar, I couldn't feel safe. My last therapist told me that as long as I stayed in that house full of reminders there was only a slim chance of me recovering from my CPTSD. If only I could have afforded to move out.

In the new memories I got, our dad finally agreed to reorganize all of the living spaces, so that me and Lyly weren't getting as many flashbacks anymore. Hell, he even apologized for everything and started acting like a real dad some of the time. The me that stayed home was able to persevere until an opening for change finally came. 'If they got Isekai now I wonder if they would want to go home?' The thought had never occurred to this me -just like it never did back when I was in in-patient. Although I was still worried about Lyly like I was then. I rolled over to pull out a scroll from the bedside dressers. When I was on the ship I had worked on all sorts of scrolls and one was a memoir of my life back home. One of the first things I did was draw the people important to me before I'll inevitably forget their faces. I unrolled the scroll. Lyly's face stared up at me from the page. As difficult as that place was to live in all of my loved ones were there. In this world there was no one that knew me, and I wasn't sure if I could let my self get that close to anyone here -especially Sinbad. He already knew how deep some of the scars on my heart are. I didn't want him to think any less of me, or use my pain against me. And even more than that, I was scared that the safety I had here would shatter if I made a wrong step. 'I thought I was doing better.' This world had treated me so well that I fell into a false sense of security. Not being surrounded by reminders of my traumas made me feel like I was somehow cured and could restart from scratch. But that's not how healing works... Being away from triggers just made it easier to avoid having an attack. It's only after feeling safe that we let ourselves feel the emotions that are unsafe to feel in the moment. A few tears fell down my cheeks. I placed the scroll on the bedside table and rolled back towards the middle of the bed. Surely it was okay for me to cry in a situation like this. I allowed myself the luxury even though the tears didn't last long. When I was young I cried just as often from joy as sadness. The abuse I experienced made it unsafe to cry at all, so I learned to cry silently until I eventually stopped crying altogether. Being in this world made me feel like it was okay again. Letting myself actually feel these emotions was an important step in the healing process. Beating myself up for getting triggered and relapsing wouldn't help at all. I needed to forgive myself.

--- One day of rest should be enough, right? It's not like I still had a fever. I didn't want to stay in my room and make an even worse impression. My hips would hurt a little if I over worked them, but that would just act as a limiter. ((<<= This person is in denial))

I got dressed after breakfast, but as soon as I grabbed the doorknob I froze. "Yeah, no." I was not in the mood to see Sinbad in person yet, and I would have to if I left my room. As soon as I took Queen Sinbad's choker back off I felt a wave of relief. It had given me so much dopamine and serotonin when it was part of a fantasy, but now it was a reminder of my fears. How could I mark myself with it when I couldn't feel safe in my own desires? Wearing it felt like a lie. I definitely wouldn't be able to wear it for a while.

'Guess I haven't completely lost my sense of self-preservation.' Besides, I hadn't actually had time to do most of the things I like doing to relax since I got to this world. Going out in this state would be worse than not going out. Another day off as I recover from the stress had to be reasonable.

But what options did I have to relax?

Everyone else was busy with work at this time of day, so I could masturbate without having to worry about being interrupted. But my toybox didn't isekai with me; I only have my hands, and some ribbons for mild shibari. Sinbad said I could make requests, but there was no way in hell I was letting him find about this, let alone use his money for my sex toys. I'll figure out where to get some after payday. The night terror was still fresh in my memory anyway.

Video games, comics, and anime were obviously out of the question. Printing still isn't big enough for fiction to be popular to write -that's part of why Sinbad's Adventure story was such a huge success. I had 3 cats back home, but I can't exactly adopt a new pet while sick. I do sing a lot to relieve stress, but it would be embarrassing to be overheard without knowing. 'Note to self: get carpets to hang up to dampen the sound.' There were places I could go that would be harder to be heard but leaving wasn't an option until I was better. That only left me: writing and drawing.

'Working on Fate scrolls it is!'

The flow of ink was good for my brain. It did more than help calm me; it gave me more perspective but it couldn't give me true answers. 'I wish we could just go back to how things were before that night. How am I supposed to know when I will be ready to see Sinbad again?' He isn't any of the people that hurt me, so why can't I just like him without being afraid of betrayal?

Were Sinbad's actions manipulation, or earnest? Could I trust the safety I felt around him? It was definitely a combination of how he treated me, what I knew from reading his Fate, and how familiar I was with being around those types of manipulation. But there was something strange. When I looked for signs of his manipulation in how he dealt with me, or any expected fallout, nothing came from it. In fact, everything kept ending in my favor. The cycle I was expecting was coming from me, not Sinbad. The waves swirled as I finally let myself think about it.

What was he actually going to say when I cut him off? Even if it was what I thought, would I be able to believe him? Even if I didn't have relationship trauma I don't think I could trust him romantically after reading his Fate. He claimed he wasn't playing the flirting game, but that could have been manipulation. Was it my heart or pride that would be hurt more if he was lying? I couldn't tell yet.

I was lonely. Both in general, and in this world. There was no one that knew me here. And I was too scared to trust the person getting closest to my heart. Even though I didn't want to be seen like this, I didn't actually want to be alone; I just couldn't shake the fear of rejection or punishment I thought was inevitable. I left my windows open just in case. ---

~POV Sinbad~ The King sat on the edge of Mori's bed. He had been unable to visit the first time she was sick. Now that he understood his own feelings he couldn't stay away unless he was on the other side of the world. The only reason he didn't visit the first day was because he knew she needed space away from him. The waves had been trying to guide him here for a while though. Who was he to deny them? No one answered the door when he knocked or called out. The silence and waves worried him. The last report said her current fever was mild, but it could have spiked since then. Mori developed an extremely high fever on the ship several hours after everyone saw she was unwell. He entered without permission only to find his Beautiful Prophet was sleeping peacefully. He had gotten to see her; that would have to be enough. Mori turned her head in her sleep and her bangs fell onto her eye lashes. Sinbad leaned over to move her hair out of the way. He tried to keep his touch light to not wake her, but her eyes fluttered open. Unfocused eyes watched him. "Sin..?" The sound of their voice was a relief. It didn't sound strained at all, only weak from sleep.

"How are you feeling?" They weren't anywhere near as bad as last time. "~*yawn* Better now that I'm awake." "Oh? Did you have a bad dream?" They watched him as what he asked slowly processed in their newly conscious state. "Yeah, I did. Thank you for waking me." "Anytime." Sinbad returned their weak smile with his own. "I guess that's why it wasn't just my waves leading me here." He hesitated. "Mori, what do you think about moving into the Purple Leo Tower? It will be easier to care for you when you get sick. You'll be safer there. And your waves could reach me faster." The same fear from the other night started seeping into their expression. "I'm fine here." But he wasn't fine. "Besides, it will be harder when I have to move out of the Palace." For a moment he forgot how to breathe. "Why would you have to move out?" Why would she ever think she had to leave?? "Would you really be okay with me staying after my visions run out?" The King couldn't stop his hand from reaching to caress their cheek, but he was able to hold back from making contact. "Of course." Mori's brow creased farther and they glanced at his hand. "What about after I share all the knowledge I have from my world? I wasn't an engineer. I only know the basics." Sinbad's heart dropped. From the beginning Mori had been marketing herself as a resource, and he had only ever responded positively. Yet another way he'd messed up without even realizing it. "Of course, I'll still want you by my side." The more he was able to peer into Mori's heart the more worried he got. "You are a person, not a resource. You do know that, don't you?" Mori closed their eyes and leaned their head towards his hand; he took that as permission. Their cheek didn't feel feverish. They spoke flatly about their emotions like they did the night of the Announcement. "I know that logically, but I struggle with knowing how to act if I'm not helping someone." They brought a hand up to his. "I really do like helping people, but sometimes it feels like that's all I am. It's what I had to do to survive since I was little." Ah. He could understand that thought process. Sinbad had been a caregiver for his mother and village from a very young age, and went straight from that to king's candidate. There was very little time in his life when he wasn't working towards helping someone. Drinking, and philandering became his break from that -although he would hopefully be narrowing that last point to one person soon. "You seemed to do just fine at the festival." So fine that he couldn't deny his feelings anymore. "Huh? -Oh. Yeah. I guess I did." Her expression softened into a genuine smile. "It was probably going around the festival that got me sick though." It was mainly stress according to the doctors' report. Mori closed her eyes with a yawn. "I'll have to keep more distance between me and the citizens next time. I didn't realize I was so interesting." "You're incredibly interesting." They let out a quiet chuckle. "If you say so." Sinbad watched and felt as they turned their face into his palm, and sighed. Mori relaxed more into his hand with each breath as if his scent and touch were comforting. It bubbled up desires he knew he shouldn't act upon with a sick or unconscious person and yet he couldn't make himself leave either. He took a moment to ground himself but it did little good. He couldn't bring himself to leave until after Mori let go of his hand. To think another person would have this much power over him. "You really are amazing." There was absolutely no way he'd ever allow anyone else to see this side of them. Mori would be moved to the Purple Leo Tower in time, and would just have to learn through experience that he had no intentions of letting them go. ---

~POV Mori~ I woke up to the Great Bell the next morning. Sinbad being here was not a dream. I had just been too groggy to question the situation. What was the point of staying home, if he was going to visit me in person?

On the plus side, seeing Sinbad while I wasn't stuck in my trauma brain helped break the cycle of questions. Sinbad might be stubborn but through his whole life he is shown being someone fully willing to change his mind when given enough information. At this point in the story he is someone with conviction who says his truth directly -even if he often speaks in a manipulative way. So when he said he's chosen a new path, he meant it -even if I don't know what that means yet. And when he is shown seducing women, the idea of moving any of them into the Purple Leo Tower would never be considered, let alone offered -even in private. And yet he offered that to me.

Sinbad was changing and I'd never be able to accept how if I stayed cooped up in my room. To understand myself, and Sinbad I needed to spend more time around him. My rest was over. I didn't need to jump all the way in at once. I'd see him at the morning Assemblies, swap pleasantries, and part ways until the next day. 'Slow and steady.' --- ~POV Sinbad~ Was this how Hina and Drakon felt when they looked at their wives before they got together? Just seeing Mori enter the halls of the White Capricorn Tower made his heart swell. And hearing their voice? Well, he was starting to understand why Ja'far had been so upset with him since they returned from Balbadd. Even seeing Mori dressed androgynously didn't shake his feelings -though it was a bit jarring after how they dressed for the Announcement. It just cemented that what he felt wasn't simply based on how Mori presented. They were undeniably the most beautiful person in the world to him now.

After going through more options than necessary, the first thing the Dungeon Capturer managed to say to Mori was, "I'm happy to see you're feeling better."

"Yes. And thank you for visiting me while I was resting." Mori's smile made him feel at peace. Seeing them up close confirmed that they cut their bangs some. "But never enter my room without explicit permission again." Their sharper tone pierced him repeatedly with each sentence. "That includes the bird by the way. If my curtains are closed or I don't answer the door: don't enter my room."

He wore a smile to ease their anger. "Of course. It won't happen again."

Even as Mori accepted his response and left, the King couldn't get his heart to stop racing. Why did there have to be so many large risks of ruining his chances when he already knew she liked him from reading his Fate?

--- ~POV Mori~

As soon as the Assembly was over, I fled to the Black Libra Tower. 'He said he was happy I was better! AND he didn't say anything about about my change of gender expression!' Sinbad said all of two words directly to me and I started short circuiting. I remembered that he offered to move me to his tower -the one he sleeps in???- and immediately went on the defensive. I was not as ready as I thought!! I was going to need my favorite hyperfixation to survive the rollercoaster I was trapped on. And if it didn't exits yet, then I was going to reinvent it myself! It would be relatively easy to make a printing press since this fanfic was in English instead of whichever Arabic language was the region's canonical one, or Japanese like the series was originated in. Both require significantly more characters than English, and some kanji can be too intricate to make with this world's current level of technology. Speaking of which, this world had stamps and seals so this next level of printing shouldn't be too crazy of a change. I took some print making classes in high school and college, so I got to use a few different scale printing presses. I knew enough to draft prototypes. I excelled at typography in college too -so well that the department head signed off on me skipping a few courses so I could get to the high level stuff faster. The typography was digital, but I still learned enough to draft prototypes of stamps and such. ('A shame I couldn't afford higher than an Associates Degrees.) Since I was working on a table in the middle of one of the libraries, people came up to ask me about what I was doing. I gave a brief summary to the latest onlooker, before I pointed to the examples I was drafting. "I see." His voice was familiar but I was too focused to register it. The person moved around the table to read the part I had finished this morning. He made a few sounds of recognition as he read. "Won't spelling out each word every time be a hassle?" "Well, yeah. It's better to have most words premade. And full lines of text can be fused together to make reprinting more issues easier and faster." He pointed to a spot on the parchment. "Ah- that's what this part is then." My eyes were drawn to the glint of his rings. Every cell in my body remade itself as my brain finally acknowledged who was talking to me. "That is convenient." Sinbad's voice was unmistakable now that I was paying attention. I prayed to every God I knew of that my emotions didn't show in my actions or voice. "This might be a new technology here, but you won't have to completely reinvent the wheel thanks to my 'visions.'" I had to focus on my breathing to keep my heart rate down. I was able to keep the conversation moving, but I wasn't sure I would remember it well. I was more focused on not looking like an idiot. We had exchanged greetings at the morning assembly but this was the first time I was talking to him fully sober in days. His polite gestures and this conversation made my heart swell, but he wasn't flirting; he was just existing while being attractive. 'Why did I have to start thinking it could be mutual??? I can't even enjoy it like this!' If anything starts there's going to be an end.

--- ~POV Sinbad~ Sinbad didn't have a 'real' reason for visiting Mori in Black Libra Tower on their first day back, but, as King, there was no one who would question him. Although, Ja'far would come to get him if he's away from his responsibilities for too long. He arrived a bit after lunch to find Mori sitting at a table in the middle of the library where anyone could and did come talk to them. The proof being that they didn't beat an eye at his questions. In fact, it sounded like they had explained about this stamp system multiple times. Mori needed their own office in the tower. He'd make sure they got one asap. As interesting as this new technology was, Sinbad kept finding himself staring at his Beautiful Prophet more. It was hard enough to focus at his own desk -let alone when Mori was right in front of him. Sinbad had heard that acknowledging the feeling makes it stronger, but he wasn't expecting this. Mori tensed for a moment before scooting their chair away from him. He had been leaning closer to them without realizing, and they moved away. How was this the same person that fell asleep holding his hand the previous day? Were they just too tired back then to remember what was going on? Did they think it was a dream? He definitely shouldn't flirt with them while they were this uncomfortable to be around him. Would they even be willing to hold his arm while they walked together? He didn't think so. Sinbad took a moment to ground. Even if Mori had turned into a feral cat or wild rabbit around him, the way they watched him when they thought he wasn't looking was a sign that they wouldn't mind being tamed by him. They had enjoyed his company before; he just needed to remind them of that. The only question was if he could regain Mori's trust before he had to leave for the Kou Empire.

((OMGOSH I did not expect this to take this long. At least a month of that gap was from back-to-back illness too, so it took even longer. My digestive track turned off for 24 hours and took 48 to fully come back online. While I was in recovery I caught a really bad upper raspatory infection that gave me a 103F fever for a week. So of course my period hit me like a freight train a week later. Somehow I was ill the weeks around the holidays and not on them, but it was a still a super rough couple of weeks. I'm better now :D which is why I was able to have the energy to write.

I processed a lot of my emotions while working on these chapters. They're all things I already knew, but consolidating them like this helped me see more of the places they were affecting me, and cement in my head that it is okay to move forward. :D

This arc is 3 chapters long including this one. Since I do have the next 2 written already, I just need to refine them and make the art, so there shouldn't be as long as a break for the next chapter. Like this chapter, they will have scenes of Mori processing their emotions. I needed a lot of time to edit them down a ton since there's obviously things I don't intend to post on the internet, and I want the story to feel good to read chapter to chapter. I've already got the next arc started too. It's a lot of character confrontations that became discarded drafts of earlier arcs, but definitely need to happen now. Since I have those drafts as a basis, I hope to get that arc ready before I finish posting this one. I have another DeadEnd chapter to post, and a few one shots I almost have ready. I've been posting wips and art for for them on patreon, but I won't be posting them here until I have full chapters ready U-U))

[writingwithciara]

Warning Labels ~Nate Macauley~

summary: getting all types of warnings from her friends about nate macauley, y/n knows she shouldn't be falling for him. but she does anyway, knowing it will most likely end badly.

word count: 2.5k

pairings: nate macauley x reader

warnings: swearing, mention of drugs

a/n: just recently watched One Of Us Is Lying & immediately fell in love with nate. not sure why but i'm glad it happened. this takes place in a world where bronwyn doesn't exist (although i love her)

masterlist

"Who'd you get as your science partner?" Addy set her lunch tray down and looked at her friend.

"I got Nate." y/n sighed. "Has he ever handed in a project in his life?"

"Not since the 7th grade." Jake shook his head and laughed. "You're pretty much screwed if you want a good grade. He hardly comes to school, but when he does, he's usually only here to sell drugs."

"I'll just do the project myself and put his name on it."

"That's not fair. He shouldn't get credit for not doing anything."

"Jake, I've been doing the same thing for you for the last 5 years. Don't tell me it isn't right."

"Okay, fine. Let him believe that he can slack off all the time and still manage to get decent grades while not deserving them." Jake picked up his lunch tray and Addy followed. Cooper looked at y/n and shrugged before following the others out of the cafeteria.

During her free period, y/n decided to go find Nate. Luckily he was in the very first place she looked.

"Nate, we need to talk."

"If this is about our science project, you don't have to worry. Let's come up with a topic and I'll do my fair share of the work."

"Are you serious? You haven't done work on a project since the 7th grade."

"Okay, that's not true. In 7th grade, Jake & I were partners on a project & I actually did a lot of the work but he turned it in on the day I was really sick, so he got all the credit. Ever since then, teachers will put me with the rich kids who usually don't do their own work & they just expect that I won't do any of the work. And then the same situation repeats itself over and over."

"That's not right. You should tell somebody."

"Who is the administration going to believe, huh? The rich kid obviously. To them, I'm nothing but a drug dealer."

"Maybe we can change that. I'm not a rich kid & I won't take credit for any work you do, as long as you actually do something on the project."

"Okay. Meet me at the library in town after school. I have a few topics that I want to discuss." Nate climbed on his bike and took off before y/n could respond. She shook her head and headed back inside for her last class of the day.

After school was over, y/n walked towards the library. She was expecting to be waiting for Nate for a few hours but when the library came into view, she saw Nate sitting on the front steps. When he saw her, he jumped up excitedly.

"I really wasn't expecting you to show up on time."

"Well, I got here a little earlier than planned. I know, it's shocking."

"Very, given your reputation to not show up to things."

"I'm a senior in high school. I think my reputation needs a change." Nate chuckled and looked at y/n. "Let's get started."

Nate & y/n spent 3 hours trying to come up with a good science project that wouldn't take too long but would produce some impressive results. They narrowed their list down to a few and decided that they'd pick one and start it tomorrow.

After the library, Nate gave y/n a ride home on his bike.

"Thanks for the ride." she smiled and climbed off, handing the helmet back to him.

"It was no problem. It's on my way home anyway." Nate put the helmet on the back of his bike and looked back at her. "Thanks for not giving up on working with me for this project."

"We gotta change your reputation, right?" she offered him another smile and turned around. "I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

"Same time, same place?"

"If you're referring to school, then yes. But if you're talking about the library, I'll probably be a little late. Got practice for an hour."

"Oh, right. Forgot you were a cheerleader." he chuckled and started his bike. "Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow." Nate was gone before y/n could respond.

"See you tomorrow, Nate Macauley."

The next day at school, Nate showed up to all of his classes and only sold kids drugs during breaks and lunch. When the day was over, y/n went to the gym for practice. Addy looked up from doing her stretches.

"Hey, y/n. Over here."

Y/n approached her friend and started her stretches. "Hey, where is everybody else? There's only 5 girls here."

"I'm not sure. There was only 2 when I got here." Addy grabbed onto her foot and leaned over. "So, I noticed Nate showed up at school today and actually attended classes."

"Yeah. Science class was interesting. I mean, watching the teacher yell at him for missing so many assignments was hilarious. It was even better when he was handed all the workbooks and papers."

"I'm sure he wasn't pleased with it."

"It was funny, but I do kind of feel bad for him." y/n stretched her arms out.

"Oh well. Serves him right for missing so much school." Addy checked over her shoulder when the door slammed open. A few more cheerleaders walked in and took their usual spots. "Where's the coach and all the other girls?"

"Haven't heard from coach all day. Have you even seen her?"

"No, we haven't. Maybe she's not coming." y/n looked around. "Should we just leave?"

"I'm definitely leaving." Addy stood up and stretched one more time. "You wanna go see a movie, y/n?"

"I would love to but I gotta meet Nate at the library to work on our science project." y/n stood up and went to the locker room. Addy followed and opened her locker.

"You're not gonna start ditching us for Nate, are you? Because that's just not right."

"I'm only going to be spending time with him until our project is finished. That's it."

"Good, because we can't have you falling in love with him. It would not be good for you or your reputation."

"I appreciate you looking out for me, Addy, but I don't think you guys are ever going to have to worry about me falling in love with him. It's just never going to happen." y/n gave her friend a small wave and headed off to the library. When she walked in, Nate smiled at her.

"Hey. I wasn't expecting you for another 40 minutes."

"Coach didn't show up so we all decided to leave."

Nate chuckled. "One afternoon with me and you're already ditching? I wish I could say I'm shocked but I'm really just proud of that."

"Relax, Macauley. It wasn't a class. It was just practice. I don't get graded for it."

"I know. But you still ditched. I like that." Nate smirked. "Have you given any thought to the project I suggested?"

"Yeah. I think it can definitely be done if we work nonstop on it. I'm sure it'll be impressive too, given your skills."

"My skills?"

"Yeah. I've seen you fixing cars and bikes and other stuff."

"You've been watching me?" he raised an eyebrow at his partner.

"No. Of course not. Your place is on my way home and sometimes I can see you outside working on some kind of vehicle. Plus, you fixed up my brother's car last year. It was great."

"Oh. Well, thanks. I work hard when it comes to something I love." he looked at the textbook in front of him. "Shall we get started?"

"In a minute. I actually have something for you." y/n reached into her bag and pulled out a tupperware container. "Yesterday, you said the brownies I had were delicious, so I made some more for you last night."

"Seriously? That's so kind of you." Nate took a brownie from the container and took a bite. "Wow. What do you put in these?"

"Like I'd ever reveal my secret ingredient." y/n smirked and pulled out her notebook. "Okay. What materials are we going to need?"

For the next 2 weeks, y/n and Nate spent 3 hours together every day after school working on their project. As Nate put the final touches on it, y/n took a moment to watch his muscles contract against his shirt. The voices of her friends floated around in her head as she watched,

"You can't fall in love with him."

"It's not good for your reputation."

"He's already corrupting you."

"He's not good enough for you."

"All he does is skip school and sell drugs."

"He's a bad influence on you."

Nate finished his work and stood back to admire it. "What do you think?"

"Huh?"

"I asked what you thought of the project."

"Oh. It looks amazing, Nate. You did good."

"You mean we did good." he looked at y/n and smiled. Like her, he had voices bouncing around in his head. Most of them were of his dad and a few were his friends, but they were all telling him that he shouldn't get too close to y/n. She was only going to turn her back on him as soon as they handed in their project, so he needed to distance himself from her. "Hey, I gotta go. But I'll see you at school on Monday."

Before y/n could turn around and say goodbye, Nate was gone. When y/n got home, she called Cooper, knowing he wouldn't judge her for how she was feeling.

"Coop, I don't know what I'm going to do. All of our friends are going to hate me for how I'm starting to feel."

"Y/n, it's going to be okay. Nobody can help who they fall in love with." he took a second before continuing. "Besides, who are they to judge, really? Addy cheated on Jake with TJ and is only hurting herself by not telling him. You're just catching feelings for an actually decent guy. That's way better than what they're going through."

"Thanks, Cooper. You really know how to make me feel better."

"It's what I'm best at." Cooper chuckled on the other end of the line. "I gotta go but feel free to call me if Addy & Jake give you shit for hanging out with Nate."

"Alright. Bye, Coop." y/n hung up and looked at her ceiling. She started remembering how close everyone was back in elementary school, even Nate and Jake. The memories were mostly happy, aside from the few that were too heartbreaking to remember. Y/n wanted nothing more than the good moments back. She wanted to be able to tell her friends how she was feeling, without receiving judgement from them.

Maybe in another world.

When Monday morning came around, y/n looked for Nate but couldn't find him. Assuming that he just slept in, she headed to Science class and handed in their project. Luckily their teacher was going to let them present it in class tomorrow instead of today.

At lunch, Nate was still a no-show & it was beginning to worry y/n. Cooper noticed her discomfort and pulled her aside.

"You alright?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Your mind has been preoccupied since I saw you this morning & you've been looking around the cafeteria like a crazy lady. Luckily nobody else noticed." he touched her shoulder. "Is this about Nate?"

"God, I hate that you can read me so well." y/n slumped her shoulders. "I really thought he was changing, you know? I thought he'd be here to present our science project with me, but I haven't seen him all day. Do you think he took some drugs?"

"Why would that thought even cross your mind? You know better than anyone that he's been trying to stay sober. If you're so worried about him, why don't you go see him? I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for his absence on such an important day."

"I can't just ditch school. That's not like me at all."

"You care about him, right?"

"Well, yeah but-"

"Then go to him. I can cover for you here."

"Thanks, Coop." she kissed his cheek and ran out of the school. Luckily Nate's house was not far so she didn't have to rush. When she got to his house, Nate was in the garage. "Nate, we need to talk."

"What do you want, y/n?"

"I want to know why you haven't returned my calls or texts all weekend and why you didn't show up at school today."

"The project is over so I figured that you should go back to hanging out with your friends and I'll go back to being alone all the time. It's no big deal for me."

"It is a big deal. It's a huge deal. I know you, Nate. And I know that you enjoyed these last 2 weeks because it gave you someone other than your buyers to talk to. You don't like being alone, just admit it."

"Why can't you let it go? I don't want to hang out with anyone. That's why I do what I do."

"What is your problem? You were fine on Friday...and we used to be friends. What gives?"

"You really want to know why we aren't friends?"

"Yes, I really do. So why don't you tell me?"

"When we got to high school, you got hot & that's just not fair!" he approached y/n with a finger pointed at her face.

"How is that not fair? You got hot too!" y/n looked at him. "But you don't see me pulling away from this friendship, do you? What's not fair is that you're pushing people who care about you away when you know that it's only going to hurt you in the end."

"You think I'm hot?" Nate's scowl suddenly turned into a smirk.

"No. I didn't say that."

"Yes, you did." his smirk kept growing. "You just said it like 10 seconds ago."

"That's not the reason I came over here." y/n looked behind him. "Why don't you want to be friends with me?"

"Because you're hot and popular. You've got a good reputation and being friends with me will only bring you down. I care about you enough to not let that happen."

"I don't give a damn about my reputation anymore, if you can't already tell by me being here in the middle of a school day." y/n took a step closer. "And if you really cared about me, you wouldn't let reputations get in the way of that."

"Look, what if we become friends again and end up falling in love or something? That could ruin the very fragile relationship we barely have. I don't want that."

"I'm willing to risk it, Nate." y/n looked up at him. "Please tell me that you're willing to do the same."

"Fine. For you, and only for you, I'm willing to risk our friendship for love."

"Love, huh? Do you really feel it?"

"Yeah, I really do. How about you?"

"Despite all the warnings from my friends, I absolutely feel it too."

"Good because," he pulled her close and looked into her eyes. "I really want to kiss you."

"How about we start with a date first, huh?"

"Okay. Deal!"

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