#so when others who've agreed to do things for me laugh it off with 'I forgot' I just stare at them like 😐

[mira--mira]

Life lessons I have not learned but know I need to: Not everyone obsesses over agreements and responsibilities like I do to the point of ‘forgetting I agreed to something’ has only been something I’ve done a handful of times in my life. This is extremely exacerbated when it comes to agreeing to do things for other people even for the most mundane things. Most people in fact just forget things.

[imaginaryf1shots]

Slow-Speed to the Finish Line

WC: 2.6K

Fernando x driver!reader

Summery: "You drive me insane, you know that, I can't seem to get you out of my mind." + "my chest... hurts."

Warning: Crash, injuries, curse words

A part of my 1K celebration

Masterlist

Fernando Masterlist

You've been in Formula 1 for so long, coming into the sport as a female was met with opposition from fans and some officials alike. But you've proven everyone wrong with an amazing rookie year and almost beating the 2 times world champion Fernando Alonso as his teammate. You have a very good relationship with all the drivers who've come into Formula 1 through the years. The media had their say on that, but you didn't care. It's not a bad thing to be close to your colleagues. At the end of the day, they're the only ones who can relate to you on so many things. You've become closest with Lewis due to the two of you working together to get more women into formula 1 to have the sport be more exclusive.

Maybe that's the reason why Fernando hated you so much. He and Lewis have been rivals since day one, just like you and him. From day one, he's been against you for some reason, didn't like you or approve of you. It irked you to no end, but you took it out on track. The battles you both share are a fan favourite. Even when you changed teams and were no longer teammates, you still were always at each other's throats. It's a wonder you've never crashed into each

other, you've pushed each other off track more times than you can count. Don't get me started on when you qualify on the same row. The first corner always gets spicey, but never to the point of crashing. You've been in your fair share of accidents on track, but none were because of Fernando.

"You know, there's a reason they do best when they're close to each other." Nico Rosberg once said in an interview, when he was asked about an incident between you and Fernando, that saw you two pushing each other off track both getting penalties for that race. "They push each other to the limit. They just have to learn when to stop."

"They've been in the sport long enough to have learnt." Jensen said, and Nico agreed. "It seems to me that when it comes to each other, it's like they're rookies again."

That race specifically was fire-y between the two of you on track. You found yourself in the FIA section in the paddock, after the race, where all the drivers get weighed and there's a screen showing some parts of the race. Both of your teams were standing side to side as the watched the two of you, the clashing of team kits making this all the more obvious, the rivalry between the two of you. You stand facing each other, your voices cutting through the noise of the garage, a storm is brewing. The air

between you is filled with tension.

"If you haven't pushed me off track, we would've both finished in the points." You say through gritted teeth, your arms crossed and your eyes blazing. "What were you thinking, Alonso?"

"Spare me the lecture." Fernando's tone is icy, and he steps closer. "Maybe if you learned how to defend properly, you wouldn't have ended up in the gravel."

"Defend properly?" You scoff. "That's rich coming from someone who dives into every corner like a maniac, this isn't bumper cars, Alonso."

"You've always been like this." Fernando waves his hand around.

"Like what?"

"You waltz in here and act like you own the place, you've still got a lot to learn about racing, and respect is one of them, maybe start with that." His fists clench.

"Respect?" You laugh sarcastically, taking a step closer, matching his intensity. "I don't need a lesson in respect from someone who thinks he's the king of the track, your arrogance is unbelievable."

"Come on, both of you this is enough." Your team principal arrives on scene and tries to calm you down, his voice was firm, he's sick and tired of having to always break the two of you off. "It's been years and you're still at it.”

You and Fernando glare at each other, both unwilling to back down.

"Just stay out of my way, or you'll regret it." Fernando says with venom in his voice.

"Funny, I was about to say the same thing." You say coldly and wip around your ponytail hitting him in the face, that's how close you two were standing, and walk away.

Now this race was no different, you qualified on the third row with Fernando, there were some things said between the two of you before the race that left your blood boiling. Fernando is only like this with you and you don't know why. You qualified higher than him, but he's on the good side of the track so the start is very important for the trajectory of the race.

When lights go out you press the paddle down, and away you go. You maintain you lead on Fernando overtaking two cars by the first lap, but with one look in your rearview mirror you know that Fernando is behind you.

"Why is he always so close to me?" You ask yourself and focus on the cars in front of you, the track is short so by the third lap cars are still close together and with a yellow sector because of one of the Alpines, everyone is getting even closer. Once the yellow flag is back to green, it happens. You don't know what happened, was it Fernando trying to overtake you while you were trying to over take the car in front of you? Has it finally happened? Did Fernando crash into you?

All you know is that you touch the gravel at a corner and your car is slipping, skidding and flipping a few times before it hits the barrier. You felt the G-force from the hit in your core. Thankfully the car landed on the wheels and you weren't upside down.

A car came up behind Fernando and hit his tire, giving him a puncture at the start of the corner making his car hit yours, the impact into your car, made his car only slide on the gravel before it stopped.

In a few seconds Fernando was out of the car, he caught glimpses of your car as it rolled, the car was totaled, bits and pieces of carbon fibre littered the gravel. It looked like the car was chewed up and spit out, that's the only way for him to describe it. Fernando's feet carried him at a speed he didn't know he possessed. Reaching the car, or what was left of it, he saw your shaking hands as you tried to take off the wheel. Fernando leans in and takes it out for you, he threw it to the side. You seem to be struggling even more, so Fernando steady's himself on the side of the car, gets his arms over the halo and under your armpits and pulls you up. It's a struggle, he felt like you put no weight into it. But you're still conscious so that's a good thing. He knows your family is watching, seeing you out and moving will be a great relief to them.

“I-uh, I.” You struggle to speak, Fernando leads you a bit away from the car before he sets you down, he removes his helmet in super speed to be able to see you better. “I can’t breathe.” You choke out. He lefts you head and unbuckles your helmet and removes it and pulls off your balaclava. Your hands press against your chest.

”What hurts?” He asks in such a tender tone, you haven’t heard before. You try and curl into yourself from the pain, but you only manage to move a bit with a whine and whimper.

”My chest… hurts.”

”Shit!” Fernando looks around and sees the medical car just rounding the corner. “HURRY THE FUCK UP!” He turns back to you, tears gather in your eyes as you struggle to breathe. “It’s okay, they're here, the medics are here.”

Your hand clenches his forearm tightly as if it’s your lifeline, his eyes don’t stray from yours, a look of panic fills yours, it’s a look he’s never seen before.

”You’ll be okay, you’ll be okay.” Fernando stresses, he doesn’t know how he’s comforting, you or himself. only when the medics arrive and pull him away does he move. He stands to the side and watches as they quickly assess you. The ambulance arrives seconds later and you’re carried to the back of it, he doesn’t think twice before he jumps in after you. There’s an oxygen mask placed on your face, as the medic does his check ups, you wince when he touches your chest. But then he presses a spot that had you let out a short strained scream, being unable to breathe properly Meant you didn't have enough air in your lungs to scream so that let to coughing.

“Wah, what's happening?” Fernando panicked as the medic tried to calm you down.

Thankfully it doesn't take long to teach the medbay, you're wheeled out of the ambulance and inside. Fernando is taken for check ups but a few doctors go with you. He's half focused as he goes through the motions.

Your race suit is unzipped and pulled down your arms the fireproofs are cut down the middle. The nurse pauses when she sees your chest, it's all bruised up. The doctor takes a look at you, and he's calling for the ambulance to take you to the hospital.

Fernando finds you after his test, he looks at the frantic medic.

“What's going on?” He asks the doctor.

“She has to go to the hospital.” The doctor tells him while he checks your chest and ribs once more, they put some pain killers in an IV, since you were still feeling a lot of pain.

“Why?” Fernando’s heart dropped once more, this means it’s a bigger problem than he originally thought.

“We need to do some scans.” The doctor told him and they start rolling you out of the make shift medbay and back into the ambulance.

“I'm going.” Fernando says, no one of your team has reached the medbay yet, and he doesn’t like the idea of you going alone.

“What? no you-“ The doctor says as you’re rolled in, Fernando hops in the ambulance and glares at the doctor.

“I wasn’t asking.” His tone left no room for arguments.

“O-okay.”

You’re rushed to the hospital and Fernando stays by your side as much as he was allowed to, one of your team and one of his team arrive, he changes into his street clothes, but still refuses to leave you. Even when you tell him to go, he just says.

”After we know what happened.”

You’ve never seen Fernando this worried and if you weren’t in pain you’d have found it endearing.

“Fernando.” Your trainer calls the driver’s name with his phone pressed to his ear, the spaniard looks up. “The FIA looked at the photoage of the crash-“

”Was it my fault?” Fernando cuts him off, his tone already guilty, maybe he wasn’t pushed after all, and it was his fault all along.

”No, they uh, did you unbuckle y/n’s belt?” He asks him and Fernando frowns, thinking back to when he got you out of the car, it dawns on him now.

”No, I didn’t.” You share a look with the driver before you look at your trainer.

”Guess we know now why my chest is all bruised up.” You mumble.

Just then the doctor walks in with a couple nurses. They have your scans with them, the doctor looks at your trainer and Fernando before he looks back at you.

”It’s alright, we already have our theories.” You tell him to just say what they found.

The doctor says a bunch of things, but all you focus on is, bruised lung, cracked rib and and another three bruised ribs. Your trainer is back on the phone informing the team with your diagnosis.

“Why are you still here?” You ask Fernando when you’re alone in your room.

”I can leave if you want to.” Fernando stands up and heads towards the door when you stop him.

”Why did you come in the first place?” That stops him in his tracks and he turns to look at you, there’s a long moment of silence. “I thought you’d be happy, I’ll be out of the car for a while.”

”I’m not cruel.” Fernando spits out, he’s offended you’d think him so heartless.

”No, but you hate me.” You fire back at him, though your tone is much softer, weaker.

”I don’t… I don’t hate you.” Fernando’s tone waver, he takes a few steps toward your bed.

”Could’ve fooled me.” You scoff and play with the irritating hospital blanket.

”You’re not really all sunshine and rainbows.”

”But what did I do in my first year, you’ve hated me since then.” You frown, this is beyond confusing, Fernando stays silent, and you chuckle dryly. “That’s what I thought, you know, I was so happy to be your teammate, I have no idea why you’re so cold towards me, I’ve never been the instigator to anything that has ever happened between us, maybe on track but nothing to ever warnt this much hate from you, I was so happy to be teammates with the great Fernando Alonso but you’ve made it so hard and -“

”Can you please shut up! You drive me insane, you know that!” Your lips close tight at his admission, his tone turned desperate like he couldn’t hold it in anymore. “I can't seem to get you out of my mind, and I feel guilty about it."

“Guilty? Why are you guilty?”

”You choose to ignore everything and focus on that?” Fernando puts a hand on his waist and the other pinches between his eyes. “You’re the only female in the sport, what would be like if I showed that I liked you, that I want to be with you, that you’ve consumed my every thought and my every dream? Huh? It’s not fair to you, to have your colleague want to date you.”

”You know you’re such a child.” You glare at Fernando and he scoffs. “So what? You have a crush on a girl and instead of telling her you’re mean to her?”

”What else was I supposed to do?” He throws his arms up.

”Fucking tell me!” You’re angry and rightfully so.

”And then what? You’ll reject me and then it’ll be uncomfortable for you.”

“Who said I’d reject you?” Fernando’s eyes snaps to yours, your voice is much softer now, void of the anger.

“W-What?”

”I would’ve gladly gone out with you.” Your voice is barely over a whisper, Fernando moves closer, he’s standing right next to you. “I still would, even though you’re an asshole.”

”Would you?”

”mhmm.” You mumble and give him the smallest smile.

“I’m such an asshole.” Fernando mutters and you grin.

”That you are, but you can start making it up to me, by taking me out on a date.” You say and raise an eyebrow teasing him. “It seems like I’ll be have time off from my job.”

”Anywhere you like.” He promises and takes your hand in his, raising it up to his lips where he presses a soft kiss there.

”It’s a deal then, Fernando.” He closes his eyes and groans. “What?”

”This is the first time you called me Fernando.” You giggle and shake your head softly.

”Get used to it then.”

Main Taglist:

@gnatthefly . @mochimommy2002 . @llando4norris . @mrswolffs-blog . @barcelonaloverf1life . @c-losur3 . @xoscar03 . @schniti-is-in-the-house .

[hedghost]

Understandable lol but from a United fans view why are the players getting such different treatment when they left for the same reason?

no literally! people have just turned on lessi for some fucking reason and it's honestly horrible to watch. i think the main difference is that united is lessi's childhood team, and barca is ona's, so ona is going home, whilst less is supposedly leaving it.

that being said, i think there's clearly something going on that we don't know about, and even if there isn't, i personally don't see a huge problem with alessia's decision, since united doesn't seem serious with all these last minute offers. i've seen a lot of bad takes and a lot of good ones, so i won't dive back into those, but i'd say, as much as i'd love for her to stay, and as much as i hate to see her go to a rival, united has shown us all that they don't take this team seriously, and so we can't punish players for seeking development elsewhere.

i also think, technically, ona is a better and far less replaceable player than lessi. her impact on the team has been immense, and we leave a big, big hole without her there. i do think lessi is great, and she'll also be missed if we don't replace her, but, ona was a whole other level. lessi was good this season, i love watching her play, but personally i don't think the midfield we play with allows her to get her full potential. she's good, but ona is groundbreaking. i think most united fans would agree on this, and if i'm honest it's giving the people who've turned on lessi a lot of ammo, and maybe the reason for some difference between the treatment of her and ona.

in the same way that arsenal fans switched on lessi towards the middle of the season, then switched back when they found out she was likely going there, some of the united fans who used to defend her have now seem to have switched too.

arsenal fans i can give the benefit of the doubt for saying she 'doesnt score that much' if they're only looking at stats, but for united fans to start using the same point is baffling to me. i'm not sure how you could be a united fan and think that the only thing less brings to the table is goals, when her style of play is clearly so much more than that.

as much as it sucks, i can't fault the players for deciding to move on, and i can't fault the fans being upset. i get it, i am too. they're great players and great people, we don't want to lose them. but like you say anon, the different treatment i absolutely can fault. calling less a snake, or a money-grabber, senidng her death threats etc.etc. is, in my eyes, way too far past the line of a good football rivalry, especially since anyone with half a brain can tell there's more to it than that. don't get me wrong, i believe rivalry is important, and fun. if i saw less play for arsenal at lsv, i would probably join in with the booing. not out of hate, but because it's fun, and its the done thing, and alessia is a grown woman who would understand that. she'd probably laugh. i'd want her to do badly that one game, and then when she isn't playing my team she can go back to being my favourite. but yeah, the attitudes of certain united fans i do not like at all, and that's what's getting to me about the whole thing.

from my perspective, the club has serious problems - which we've seen countless times in regards to countless other players: letting AG and LJ go, letting Jackie go and then not letting her say goodbye, Skinner's eyeroll at Garcia, the absolute lack of rotation, the slow negotiation with Ona and Lessi, potentialy not being able to keep Mary, signing players like Leon and then shipping them off on loan, VBR being on the bench, and now VBR potentially being shipped off to Italy?? - and so i will absolutely not be blaming any of them who want to leave, childhood club or otherwise, and especially not when it's the two players who have given us so much.

anyone who wants to be a dick can be a dick sure, but like, i just think it's fucking stupid.

Ona and Less will both hold a special place in my heart, regardless of where they are, and I will be supporting them both. I truly don't belive either of them took this decision lightly, and I don't want to hear all the negativity.

[ener-chi]

Life Update: Ego Death, and my Path

Heya! It's been a long time since I've given an update, for reasons you'll read presently. I hope you've been doing well 🙏

Early December is when it happened. I was reading the book Why Is God Laughing by Deepak Chopra while at work. Sidenote: I HIGHLY recommend this book, it is INCREDIBLE and it's very funny.

Anywho, in one section, it talks about how the ego is really just one of the many roles that we play, and that we are really just the actor behind the masks that we wear.

As I was reading this, I had this sudden, deep realization: the self doesn't exist. The "self" is really just our attempts to string together all of our experiences, a label that we've put on a pattern we're looking for behind all experience but is constantly changing and ultimately illusory.

I remember that as I realized this, I grew, literally, physically nauseous. I've never had that happen before. I grew physically sick, and thought I was going to throw up. I could also feel like my ego or my sense of who I am (or was) was starting to panic, but that and all of my other thoughts slowly began to fade, until there was nothing.

The next 2-3 days after that moment was absolutely the most present I've ever been in my entire life. Completely in the moment, in the present. It was also very strange - everything felt and looked extremely foreign to me.

And in those few days, I had this realization: I am awareness. Pure awareness. At my core, that it was I am. Actually, that is what EVERYTHING is. We are all just... pure awareness. And we are all the same pure awareness, just like different waves are all part of the ocean.

I really like the metaphor of the masks. We are all just pure awareness, but at the moment we're wearing a mask and playing a part. I am awareness, but I'm currently wearing a mask and playing the part or "Zach" in this life.

I've done some research, and it would seem a lot of people who've experienced ego death agree that while the mask may come off for a while - eventually, it has to come back on.

But that doesn't mean that things go back to being the same. You know that it's just a mask, just a part, and so you don't take things as seriously, or get too invested beyond it. And because of that, you see things differently.

Alright. Enough waxing philosophical here. After those 2-3 days, the mask did indeed come back on. But my life and my Path are very different now.

The first thing I noticed is that I had a very difficult time having visualizing myself, because of how I now view "me." Because of this... I haven't been able to astral travel or do most of my Practice. At all.

Actually, I've been in a bit of a rut with my Practice lately. Aside from not being able to astral or use most of my abilities, this experience has completely rattled my thoughts on how the universe and energy and sould and the astral and everything etc. operate. I've kind of had a working theory and system that I've been operating out of for a while now - with great success.

But now, everything is changed. I view things differently now, and I'm not sure how and where these direct realizations I've had fit in.

And so... I haven't really made any updates because... well, there hasn't really been much to update about. I'm still trying to figure and sort everything out all that.

Also, just because there hasn't been anything going on with my practice doesn't mean I've been at a complete standstill. As a result of this experience and my new view, I've been able to do some incredible transformative inner work. I've made leaps and bounds with things I've been working on for a long whole now.

Anywho, just wanted to give an update, share my experience, and write in my e-journal lmao. Also, as a result of where I'm at rn, my services will unfortunately be closed until I learn how to do them again.

I hope everyone has a wonderful night!

Blessings!

[free--therapy]

Hello it's 🌼 anon and thank you SO MUCH for your response to my ask. Honestly it set things straight a lot.

I tried distancing myself from the situation and all the overthinking and it helped me a lot. Staying away from the overthinking definitely helped me see things clearly and as you said, I'm overthinking way too much.

And yes i agree that even if i were to go to the police for a reason like this, they'd surely laugh it off honestly lol

I say this because i remember when i was worrying about me stealing like $3 or something a few times as a 13 year old from a relative and i shared this with my therapist (and i have shared this with u too some time ago) and i told her how if i should be going to the police and back then too, she smiled and gave me the same reply. For a reason so small and something that many people do growing up, i was just overthinking and jumping to extreme solutions unnecessarily and im doing the same now. Honestly i feel like I'm just scared of the idea of "doing something too wrong" because as you mentioned, most of these silly things that I've been worrying about are things i've done that until the age of like nineteen (basically just until two years ago) and i believe i should be kind to myself enough to let myself believe that i was (and am) still just growing and i didn't know or think if these things could be "wrong" or against the law or anything like that.

almost always it's went like, i search for something but something else comes up and i get curious and i search it but it turns out to be something weird or something I've never seen before or I'm not used to. But then with time, seeing people in the comment sections of these types of contents ends up making me desensitized to it and since i was exposed to this stuff when i was still a teenager, i never questioned the "morality" of it which is what i continued until recently when i started questioning myself a little too much

But now that i saw this from a third person pov, i can clearly see how much im stretching this out and catastrophisizing and burdening myself with things that i definitely don't need to think so much about. And i realized so many people i know who watch anime have consumed that sort of content some time and it's just not practical to think something like "oh do i deserve to go to the police because of this?" or something when there are so many people who've done it too but don't think about it too much

i read something which definitely helped me understand this reality better. there was this case where a celebrity got into some scandal about distributing some nsfw videos which had real people in it and since distributing p*rn of any type is illegal in my country, that celebrity got into legal trouble but ended up getting bailed. and that's when i realized that I've never seen or heard any sorts of legal cases where a person has been caught for looking at some content online. It's just not something that's taken that seriously even if there are laws for it. As you said, it's a grey area and there are other illegal sort of things that are given much more importance

Basically i realized that not everything is so idealistic and i don't have to believe that mindset either. These things can happen unknowingly or without realizing because they're so small situations that most people don't even talk about and so, people end up consuming such stuff before they even know what they're doing. Or even if they know, it's not something that's consumed with a serious notion but more of a "its just a manga" sort of a thing. so i have to learn to let go of that idea of trying to keep myself "perfect" in that sense or to feel like i need to have "neat, clean, perfect morals"

By no means am i saying that doing wrong things is okay but what i mean is it's important to see the reality and instead of trying so hard to be idealistic, it's just more realistic to remember that these sorts of things are very small and very common among people too...even by standards of the law this is just a grey area and not something that's as serious as I'm thinking it to be so I'm just overthinking too much.

And this applies to most areas that i keep overthinking about. most of the things i used to overthink about are things that are really small and not serious enough but i catastrophisize because i get anxious about it like "omg does this make me a bad person?" Or "is this is a crime?" Or something. But i realise this is just a flawed or disordered way of thinking because it just leads to me spiralling when its not needed and i even end up jumping to extreme conclusions like "does this mean I'm a weird person?" Or "do i not deserve to be treated nicely because i did this?" etc. which again is just me following that flawed thinking pattern

I'm definitely gonna remember to respect myself and believe that i deserve to be treated with respect too and remember that stuff like what i watched or what mistakes i made don't make me any less deserving of respect or love or anything unlike what the anxiety makes me think. And this will start from me being more kind and understanding of myself and allowing myself room to grow while making mistakes without beating myself up so much for it especially for things from the past

Thank you again for answering! It helped me a ton and i could see things more clearly even more because of your response. thank you for being so kind 💗

Hey Anon 🌼

We learn by making mistakes and a lot of the time we're not even aware they are mistakes until much later. It's normal and happens to all of us. Of course we'll feel guilty when we found out something we've done before can be considered illegal or wrong, but we should be using those opportunities to educate ourselves to make sure we don't repeat them again in the future. A lot of the time, people let go with warnings whenever they break the law because they genuinely did not know that something was law or if something was deemed "wrong". Again, this has to deal with forgiving yourself for not knowing what you don't know because that is life. We can't and will never know everything and we have to be okay with that. We just have to make sure we strive to do better when we learn better. It's impossible to be perfect and that's something a lot of people need to come to terms with because perfection is just a concept that no one can attain.

It's very easy to spend so much of our time evaluating ourselves based on our past actions, but as long as you're learning from those mistakes and are a completely different person today than you were back then, then you're growing. We're all going to continue to make new mistakes too, again because there is just soooo much out there that we don't know. We can only hope that we don't learn these lessons the hard way and that we're able to catch onto things quickly. Mistakes make and shape the person we are today and that's okay. No one has never not made a mistake and everyone has something they are ashamed of to share. It's what makes us all a lot more alike than we think or know.

I love that, anon! Please do remember to love and respect yourself in this journey of yours, you absolutely deserve it. Hope you have a lovely week 😊

[forever-rogue]

Idk if you're taking requests still but I was wondering. If we could get Eddie and reader who've been friends for years. After each go through bad breakups they decided to be friends with benefits which eventually leads to them both catching feelings.

AN | I saw this and went…pain 🥰 but there might also be fluff…and a happy ending because that’s what Eddie deserves!

Warnings | Language

Pairing | Eddie x Fem!Reader

Word Count | 4.6k

Masterlist | Main, Eddie

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“What’s up with you?” Eddie’s voice cut through your thoughts, and caused you to jump slightly. He strode up and hopped onto the rickety old picnic table next to you, “didn’t mean to scare you, princess.”

“It’s alright,” you sighed before scooting closer to him and resting your head on his shoulder, “you’re the only person I really want to see right now anyway.”

“You want to talk about it?” he leaned his head on top of yours and rested his hand on your thigh, “you’ve seemed off the past few days. It’s not like you to…shut me out. You’re my best friend and it…sucks to see you so down and I just want to try and make it better.”

“I know,” you put your hand on top of his and gave it a tight squeeze, “it’s stupid. It literally feels so dumb to be this upset about it. But, ugh…Kyle broke up with me.”

“What?!”

“Yeah,” you shrugged lightly, “he just…told me he doesn’t want to be with me anymore and the fact that I found him sucking face with Ashley later that same day didn’t really help. So…yeah. I’m sure that’s been going on for some time.”

“What a fucking-”

“It’s fine,” you pulled your head from his shoulder and turned to look at him. His heart broke when he saw that your eyes were glossy with tears before a few rolled down your cheeks. He reached up and gently wiped them away, “I mean, it’s not fine, it really fucking sucks but I guess I’m glad at least things didn’t get further than they did. He could have just told me that he found someone else he wanted to be with instead of lying to me. I can’t stand…lying.”

“I’m sorry,” he cradled your face in his hands before pressing a kiss to your forehead, ‘I’m not opposed to beating him up, I’m just saying.”

“Eddie,” you laughed lightly, a small smile ticking up the corners of your mouth, “it’s okay. I’ve got you, don’t I? What else could I need other than my best friend? I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Seriously,” he agreed with a small laugh, “me too, princess.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Eddie had been off. Just as you had been Kyle had initially broken up with you so it didn’t take much to put the pieces together. He hadn’t been at school for a few days, hadn’t called for a Hellfire meeting, or answered your calls. But you weren’t able to let him just completely spiral, you were going to be there for him, as you always had been, as he always had been for you. 

“Edward Munson,” you knocked on the door to his trailer, not bothered to care about how loud you were being. You waited nervously, bouncing back and forth on your heels as you waited for him. After a few long moments when you didn’t hear anything, you knocked again, “Eddie, I’m not leaving! Let me in or I will crawl through your bedroom window. This is a threat!”

You waited again, and after a few moments you heard his heavy footsteps heading over until he unlocked the door and poked his head out. He looked…horrible and it broke your heart to see him like that. He always gave and gave and gave to you and everyone else, but he rarely took, so rarely asked for anything. 

“Eddie,” you didn’t hesitate to wrap your arms around him, and pull him into a bone crushing hug. You rubbed his back gently as he buried his face into your shoulder and sniffled lightly. It wasn’t long before you felt tears soak into the fabric of your shirt, “it’s okay, my honey boy. I’ve got you. I’ve always got you.”

“I know,” he whispered softly, “I know you do.”

You held him for a bit, until he was able to get it all out before pulling him inside and out of the cold. Without even asking, you took his hand and led him to his bedroom, motioning for him to get into bed. Once he was settled, you kicked off your shoes and followed suit, settling down next to him. You laid so you were facing him, gently reaching over and brushing some of his roguish waves out of his face. 

“I’ve been worried about you,” you whispered softly, “especially when you didn’t answer any of my calls. Do you want to talk about it? It’s okay if you don’t or you’re not ready, I’m here.”

“Stacy,” his voice cracked as he spoke about a few beats of silence, “broke up with me. Said it was never serious and just wanted…she just wanted the drugs and to find out what it was like being with the freak.” 

“Fucking bitch,” you inhaled sharply, feeling the rage seeping into your blood, “can I…full disclosure - full honesty?”

“Always.”

“I hated her,” you admitted quickly, trying to gauge his reaction, “she treated you like shit, Eds. Even if you didn’t see it. You deserve so much better - you deserve everything. Not some stuck up bitch that only cares about herself.”

“Full honesty?”

“Yes.”

“Kyle was an absolute idiot,” he confessed as you couldn’t hold your giggles, “so stupid and dumb and you, princess, absolutely will find someone better.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” he promised, “and we’ll always have each other.”

“Of course,” you agreed, “do you wanna smoke and talk shit?”

“Abso-fucking-lutely.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“Is there anything that would make you love me less?” you were sitting on the floor of your bedroom, leaning against your bed as you painted your nails and Eddie flipped through some random music magazine. You heard him stop flipping for a moment before he shifted so he was looking down at you.

“Umm…no?” his pretty face was marred with confusion, “wait…like maybe murder? But I mean I guess that depends on the circumstances.”

“I have a proposition for you,” jamming the brush back into the polish, you set it to the side and waved your hands to get the polish drying faster. You shifted so you were in front of Eddie, who was curiously watching you, “I don’t…I almost don’t want to say anything because I don’t want to…I don’t want to ruin anything. You’re my best friend, the only person that gets me, the only one that keeps me sane in this crazy world, and I don’t think I could ever bear the thought of you not having you in my life.”

“Okay…you won’t? What could you possibly ask that would change anything?” he reached over and brushed a few locks of hair out of your face before laughing lightly, “come on, princess. You’ve got me worried now.”

“I was thinking…I, ugh…it’s just…fuck,” your face felt like it was on fire under his intense gaze, “doyouwannahavesexwithme?”

He paused for a moment, eyebrows raising before his brow furrowed in confusion. Had you really just asked what he thought you had? His mouth opened and closed wordlessly and you grew worried that you’d absolutely overstepped any boundaries, “w-what did you say?”

“Umm…do you want to have sex with me?” you repeated more slowly as he looked at you incredulously, “it’s not…I mean for like a friends with benefits thing, you know? Like…I know you don’t like me like that, and I don’t blame you, it’s whatever. But you know, we’ve both just been through bad breakups and it could be…fun, ya know?”

Your second little comment had caught him guard as much as your initial question and he swallowed thickly. He decided to ignore that little part before gathering up his thoughts, “okay, let me get this super clear - you want us to have sex? Like…as friends.”

“I-it was just an idea,” you stammered nervous as you stared at your drying nails, “obviously it would only be if you want to, but please don’t feel obligated to give say yes and just give me a pity fuck. I only want to do this if you want to do it too.”

“Why me?”

“Why…what? Why not you, Eds?” you laughed softly as you tilted your head to the side, “I trust you, you’re my best friend. We know each other so well, I thought maybe that could translate into whatever else we do. Plus, you’re hot, you have to know you’re hot, right?”

“I…umm,” he ran a hand through his hair nervously. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to have sex with you - oh, he did, he had wanted to for a long time. But more importantly, he wanted everything with you; not just sex but the whole relationship thing and all that entailed, “I-I…you’re so fucking pretty.”

“There’s no need to flatter me,” you insisted softly, “so…ugh, it’s just a thought. You know, all the benefits but no strings and no feelings - besides our usual best friend feelings. But I don’t want to do this if it’s going to even possibly ruin our friendship, Eds. I’d rather be celibate for the rest of my life than lose you.”

“No strings, no feelings?”

“Right - and we stop as soon as either of us starts seeing anyone else,” you caught his eye and found that his expression was unreadable but eventually he nodded slowly.

“Yeah, right, that makes sense,” he agreed, “umm…okay. Okay. Let’s do it then.”

“Really? Eddie, I hope you-”

But he cut you off before you could say anything else, leaning into you to lightly brush his lips against yours. You paused for a moment, caught off guard by his sudden response and looked at him with wide doe eyes that made him weak. You looked at him and he offered you a cute little smile before you sat up and gently took his face in your hands. 

There was only a moment of pause before you crashed your lips onto his, kissing him messily as the two of you tried to find your rhythm. It was a bit clumsy at first, but somehow neither of you minded, even when you accidentally clicked your teeth and bumped noses. At one point you broke apart, looking at each other before giggling softly.

“C’mere,” he helped you onto the bed and quickly pulled you back to his lips, finding that it was easy to get lost in you. He’d imagined how it would be to kiss you at least a million times and yet it still didn’t compare to what it was actually like, “you taste like heaven.”

“Eddie,” you laughed, feeling your face warm before you kissed him again, “please touch me.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The next few months turned into…more than you have ever dreamed of. It was like getting all of Eddie, your best friend and your lover…without the relationship part. And sure, that’s what you really wanted, but you’d never admit that to him. You had already been afraid that proposing the whole friends with benefits thing was going to be too much, and you didn’t want to push him away completely. Somehow it felt like that would be what happened if you actually suggested dating. So you pushed that idea down and far away where it would lie forever. 

“Hey,” Eddie kissed the side of your head before sitting down next to you at your usual table in the cafeteria. You looked at him with a giant smile and oh. How that caused him to melt, “I managed to snag a few extra pieces of pizza from the lunch lady that likes me. Bone app the teeth, m’lady.”

“What a sweetheart,” you grabbed the soda he pushed towards you, opening it with a loud pop, “hey, are we still on for tomorrow night? I thought that maybe after Hellfire we could catch a movie or go to dinner, or both maybe.”

“Umm, you know what…I can’t actually,” he refused to look at you, instead focusing on picking at the pizza on his plate, “I forgot that I have…band practice?”

“Are you asking me or telling me?” you raised an eye at him, wondering what had suddenly gotten into him.

“Telling,” he cleared his throat, “sorry. I completely spaced.”

“Okay,” you weren’t going to question him too much. If something was going on you were sure he’d tell you eventually, “do you want to hang out after? You can spend the night at mine if you want.”

“It’ll be really late…”

“That’s never stopped us before, Eddie,” you pulled his plate away, causing him to make a small sound of surprise, “we’ve been best friends for years, Eddie Munson. We’ve spent probably a thousand late nights together and it’s never been an issue. Are you sure everything’s alright?”

“Yeah,” he insisted quietly through a tight lipped smile, “of course. Hey, don’t worry princess, I’ll make it up to you soon.”

“There’s nothing to make up for,” you put your hand under his chin and gently turned his face towards yours. There was a light pink flush dusting his cheeks, “I just want to make sure you’re alright, honey boy. You know I’m here for you no matter what. You’re the most important person in my life and I hate the idea that you’re dealing with something alone.”

“It’s fine, I’m all good,” he wrapped his fingers around your wrist before gently pulling your hand away, “just tired and busy.”

“Okay,” you decided to drop it rather than push him further and make it worse than it was, “okay.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

But things were definitely not okay, despite his initial instance that they would be. He’d spend the next several weeks distancing himself from you. It wasn’t in an inherently rude way, but he managed to avoid you, ducking away when he saw you coming, ignoring your calls, pretending he wasn’t home when you stopped by, and always seeming to be busy and wrapped up in whatever he was doing when you were around. 

At first you believed that he really was busy and just short on time - after all, why would your best friend lie to you? But then, when you realized he was still hanging out with his other friends, still managing to goof off, and home when you stopped by and he didn’t answer the door. That’s when you started to take things personally. What could you have possibly done to upset him? Nothing had changed, nothing had happened; nothing that you were aware of at least. 

It broke your heart; not only was Eddie your best friend, he was also your love, even if he didn’t fully realize that. Not only were you losing your best friend, you felt like you were losing everything.

It came to a point, several weeks after he had been so initially weird that you couldn’t take it any longer. You’d ducked out of class a few minutes early so you could wait for Eddie and follow him wherever he had been going for lunch. As soon as you spotted him, you carefully padded after him, making sure to remain completely quiet. He went to the closed little spot in the woods just behind the school, which did not surprise you in the slightest. You were planning on sneaking up, but the loud snapping of a twig underneath your feet caught his attention.

He whipped around, eyes widening when he realized it was you, “w-what are you doing here?”

“Me?” you sighed in exasperation, “I’m trying to talk to my best fucking friend, Eddie! You’ve barely spoken more than a few words to me in the last couple of weeks. You’ve never done that before. We’ve never…gone through anything like that. The longest we haven’t talked has been maybe a day. But it’s been weeks.”

“I’ve just been busy-”

“Bullshit,” you shook your head and walked closer to him, poking him squarely in the chest, “I’ve you seen with the others, I know when you purposely ignore my calls, and how you’ve been practically running in the other direction as soon as you see me. If I did something, tell me, please just tell me so I can try and fix it. But I can’t stand this silent treatment.”

“Look,” he ran a hand through his messy waves in exasperation before sighing heavily, “it’s not you-”

“It’s me. Okay, Eddie, sure.”

“You want the truth? Full  honesty?” he threw up his hands in defeat as you crossed your arms over your chest and nodded fervently, “I don’t want to…I can’t sleep with you anymore. Okay? I tried to just avoid it and hope that you would drop it, but…fuck it’s only made things worse.”

“You can’t? Or you won’t?” you were surprised by his confession; the two of you always had a good time when you were together, in bed or not, “if you didn’t want to have sex with me, you could have said no in the first place. We never had to…”

“I wanted to,” he confessed, which left you reeling an even more confused, “fuck, baby, I’ve wanted to for a long time. But you…you said no strings and no feelings and I can’t…I can’t continue to pretend that I don’t have feelings for you.”

“Of course you have feelings for me,” your eyes widened, heart pounding as your mind raced with all the possible meanings of what he was saying, “y-you’re my best friend. You have best friend feelings for me.”

“No,” he shook his head before groaning lightly, “no, I don’t. You know what I’m trying to say and I know…tell me you don’t feel the same. Tell me and we’ll drop this and pretend it never happened. We’ll go back to exactly how things were before we started having sex. But I need to hear you tell me.”

“Eddie,” you swallowed the lump in your throat, tears stinging at the back of your eyes, “you don’t…you don’t like me like that.”

“Yeah,” he insisted, “I do. And I think deep down you’ve always known it - fuck, we’ve always known it. Tell me I’m wrong.”

“You’re wrong,” the words stung as they left your lips. You regretted it as soon as you said them. Eddie’s face was a mask before it fell completely; he looked utterly devastated. It broke your heart and you hated that you couldn’t admit you felt the same way all because you were scared, “you’re wrong, Eddie. You’re my best friend and that’s…what we are. We’re best friends.”

“You mean that?” his voice cracked as he looked up at the sky to keep back his own tears.

“Yeah,” you lied, “I do.”

“Okay,” he was biting the inside of his cheek so hard that he was soon tasting blood, “okay. Alright, we’ll pretend this never happened, that none of the last couple of months have happened and just go right back to how things used to be. That’s what you want, right?”

“Mhmm,” it was a weak and pathetic sound, and Eddie brushed past you without another word. You were tempted to go and run after him, but instead you found yourself rooted to the ground, unable to do anything but watch him go. 

Now you had really ruined everything. All because you were scared, rather than honest with him. 

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

It had been seven whole days since you’d lied to Eddie about your feelings. Seven long, hard days. It could have been seven days of heavenly bliss but you just couldn’t get over yourself and be honest. It was all your own fault. You hadn’t been able to sleep, eat, or focus on anything. Eddie occupied almost every single waking thought and he’d invaded your dreams too. You weren’t able to get any peace; you were sure Eddie was no better off. You hadn’t seen him at school for a few days, but when you did see him he looked terrible. 

Fuck. You should have just been honest. Instead you ruined everything.

But that didn’t mean you couldn’t try and make things better. You could at least give him some sort of peace, or even closure because you highly doubted he wanted to remain friends. The thought alone was enough to break your heart but you had no one to blame but yourself. 

That’s how you found yourself, jumping out of your car and running through the pouring rain at midnight, to pound on his door. Realistically you knew you should have waited, or something, but you couldn’t. It was now or never and you couldn’t just say never. Not with him, not with Eddie. 

“Hold on!” you heard his voice shout before his footsteps came closer and closer to the door. It was only a few seconds until you heard the door unlock and open. His face flickered from annoyance to surprise and confusion, eventually settling on upset. He was still dressed, so at least you knew you hadn’t woken him up, “what are you doing here?”

“Eddie-”

“Whatever you could possibly have to say to me could have waited until school o-or something. Just go home,” he was ready to shut the door but you wedged your foot in the door to stop him, “please.”

“I know you hate me, and honestly I don’t blame you. I hate myself right now, but it’s my own fault, so that’s on me,” you tears now mixed with the rain droplets still clinging to your skin, “and I know you don’t want to see me or listen to me or whatever and I get that. As soon as I get this off my chest I’m leaving and you’ll never have to speak to me or me again.”

“That’s not what I-”

“I lied, Eddie. I was lying when you asked me if I had feelings for you,” you admitted with a sharp exhale, watching his eyebrows raise in surprise, “I’m sorry, I’m so fucking sorry. I should have just told you the truth then and there. Things would be…they’d be so different now.”

“Why didn’t you? It would have been so easy…it’s just me. Why would you lie to me?” His eyes were glossy now too as he tried to make sense of it all.

“I was scared. I was so fucking scared and worried that if I told you how I really felt that you wouldn’t want to be my friend anymore, that you wouldn’t…that you wouldn’t want me,” as soon as the words were out in the open it felt like a weight had been lifted off your chest, “I couldn’t deal with the idea that you wouldn’t want me so I lied to save my own feelings. I thought that maybe you were saying you had feelings for me and if I said it too, things just wouldn’t turn out and I thought I could keep you as my friend rather than anything else. I’m so stupid though and I’ve ruined everything.”

“I wouldn’t have…I told you how I felt, how I’ve felt for a long time,” he was getting frustrated and you didn’t blame him, “all you had to do was be honest with me!”

“I know and I’m so fucking sorry I didn’t,” you wiped at the tears that were running down your cheeks and blurring your vision, “the truth is…I wasn’t ready to admit that I’ve been in love with you for so long, so deeply that it was the only thing that mattered. But that's the truth, Eddie, full honesty. And I ruined everything by just…being a pathetic coward and I don’t expect you to ever forgive me. I just…I had to tell you. That you were right and I’m an idiot.”

“You could have…I’ve been in love with you since we met,” he admitted as your heart constricted in your chest, “there were a million ways I’ve said it and you’ve said it without ever saying those words. When we had our break ups I thought maybe it was a sign, or something stupid like that, that it was supposed to be us finally. And then you asked me to have sex and that you wanted no feelings and I thought maybe it could work. But the truth is, full honesty, I could never have sex with you without those feelings. Why did you ask me if you were scared?”

“I thought maybe it would help me get over you,” you cried, “I thought that maybe if I got to have all of you for once, it would be easier for me to put my feelings in check and get over you. But it didn’t work. Not from the moment you kissed me. It just made things worse, made me realize just how fucking much you mean to me.”

“I wish you would have just told me.”

“Me too,” you shrugged lightly with a small, bitter laugh at yourself, “here I thought everything was going to work out, and I fucked it all up. And now I don’t even have my best friend anymore, and I don’t want to think about a life without you, but I did this to myself - to you. And I’m sorry, Eddie, I’m so sorry.”

The two of you remained silent for a few long, agonizing moments before you decided it was time to leave, “I-I’m going to go. I’m sorry for bugging you but I just had to tell you now before I lost the nerve again. I’m sorry for…everything. But at least now you know.”

You’d turned to leave but before you could make it down the steps of the trailer’s porch, you felt him take your hand and pull you back. You turned around to face him, finding that he had tears running down his cheeks too. 

“Eddie?”

He gently took your face in his hands before kissing you. It caught you completely off guard and after a moment you pulled back and put your hands on his chest to lightly push him back, “w-what are you doing?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” he laughed nervously, “kissing you?”

“Why?” you asked seriously as a small little smile tugged up the corner of his mouth, “I…don’t understand.”

“I’m in love with you,” it felt so good for him to finally be able to say it out loud without worry or fear and knowing that you loved him too, “and you’re in love with me. Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Then let’s not throw this away,” he insisted, “you are, first and foremost, my best friend, my other half, the best thing in my life. The fact that I’m in love with you and vice versa just makes it…perfect. I’m not giving up ten years of friendship and our entire future together because of a small mistake. Yes, it hurt me when you said you didn’t have feelings for me, that I was wrong. It hurt me a fucking lot. But I…I’m so in love with you. And I want this, but only if you do too. The best things in life - you  - are worth fighting for.”

“Eddie,” he reached up and gently wiped your tears away, his thumb stroking your cheek, “you are everything to me. Always have been and always will be. And I…I’ll never lie to you again. I want this, I’ve always wanted this - you. I just…I love you.”

“I love you,” he promised as he pulled you close so your nose was brushing against his. You both giggled nervously before tentatively leaning in so your lips were almost touching, “I’m going to kiss you now, just so you know, so it’s clear what’s going on here.”

“You’re never going to let me live that down are you?”

“Not a chance, princess,” you could feel him smiling against your lips now, “never.”

“Good,” you closed the small distance and kissed him quickly, “honey boy. Please kiss me more.”

“With pleasure.”

[crownofanharia-if]

so I saw this and immediately wanted to do this for all the ROs, so. yeah. there's two ways this can go, either a "kissing to avoid getting caught" or a "i thought you were gonna kiss me but you didn't 😥" so I chose Evaine, Rayyan, and Jaime for the first option and Caelan and The Villain for the second. I hope you like it!!

Caelan

The two of you are sitting by the fire at night, and you're doing your own thing, white Caelan is sharpening their sword and any of the other's weapons. (It's relaxing for them, don't judge) And if Caelan's paying more attention to the way that the firelight plays over your face, then that's Caelan's business and nobody else's. You look up at them and smile, reaching out with one hand and leaning in close. Their heart is in their throat, you're just so close to them, are you really going to—no, you're just brushing away some soot that got on your face from sitting so close to the fire, and now you're sitting back in your normal seat and going back to what you're doing. Jaime is laughing at Caelan behind their hand, and Rayyan and Evaine are trying hard not to smile in commiseration. Caelan isn't pouting. They're not.

Evaine

So you and Evaine should definitely not be sneaking around the Arcane Library of Okar. If anyone from the Order of Oceanic Mages found you here, neither of you would be able to say 'boo' before being forced off the wrong end of a plank. But if Evaine says they need a spell, then they need a spell. So there you are, sneaking around the towering stacks of ancient scrolls, Evaine geeking out over magical theory texts that go way over your head, when suddenly you hear footsteps. The two of you stand there, stunned, before Evaine's eyes flash with an idea. The next thing you know, Evaine's mouth is pressed over yours, kissing you softly, their hands cupping your face. The footsteps pause as they find you, and whoever it is just makes a very tired sigh and tells you both to go make out in front of a fountain before moving on. You don't think you stop blushing until you fall asleep that night, especially once Jaime drags the story out of you.

Rayyan

Rayyan is hiding. Well, technically, the both of you are hiding. It's not that you don't like going to these royal events, honest! It's just that sometimes...they're insanely boring. So you grabbed Rayyan and dragged them out to the gardens. The noble you're attending is a total bore, but the wild gardens surrounding the castle are gorgeous. Rayyan is sitting on the moss at the base of a wide-trunked Wildleaf tree, laughing as Sahaire, their pet serpent, winds tight around their wrist, shying away from the unfamiliar flora. The two of you are having a wonderful conversation, when suddenly you hear the voice of your host calling for you. You look to Rayyan, a wicked idea taking hold. Standing quickly, you bend down and grasp their hands, pressing their knuckles to your mouth and winking at Rayyan's flushed face, pulling your face into an earnest, performative expression like one of the nobles who've attempted to come court you since your return to the Anharian court. Your host turns the corner on the path and freezes as he sees the two of you, apparently caught in a private moment. Stammering apologies, he stumbles back the way he came, leaving the two of you alone once again. Grinning, you flop down across from Rayyan, and pick up the conversation as if you'd never been interrupted.

Jaime

Agreeing to go with Jaime was probably one of the worst ideas you've ever had in your life. The bard has never been known for doing things on the up-and-up, but still, you never quite expected to be playing lookout while Jaime...actually, you're not quite sure what Jaime's doing. You're pretty positive it's severely frowned upon, though, if the weird looks you're getting just by standing awkwardly outside the door to the museum are any method to judge. You hear Jaime before you see them, their voice cheerfully arguing their innocence for something you're sure you don't want to know about. Jaime strolls out the door of the museum as if they don't have a care in the world, smile glinting brilliantly in the afternoon sun, though the woman following them seems markedly less happy. She's accusing Jaime of badgering the 'bishop' whoever that may be. Jaime spins, affronted, and manages to even make you feel guilty with their ensuing retort. Then, Jaime turns back to you. "And besides, I could never be interested in such a dull rock like him when I have such a lovely flower like this on my arm." And then, before you can process the compliment that's making your stomach flip, Jaime wraps an arm around your waist, spins you into a low dip, and kisses you deeply. Your head spins, all you can feel is the silk of their colorful clothes and the heat of their teasing mouth. Just as quickly as it began, the kiss is over, and Jaime lifts a playful brow at the now very confused looking woman. "Tell old George that I'm sorry, but my heart has been quite stolen by another. Shall we, my love?" You're halfway down the street before the woman calls out after you, something shiny glinting in Jaime's pocket that hadn't been there before.

The Villain

"Why on earth would I care what you have to say to me?!" You cry, your hands clenched into fists, fighting the urge to swing. This is a fight you can't win, not now, you know that, and yet... Staring at their arrogantly attractive face makes your blood burn. It just gets worse when that damn smirk spreads wider on their face. "Oh, sweet mouse, how you wound me." Jabbing a finger at them, you snarl, "Stop calling me that!" "Ah, my apologies, your highness," they bow, managing to make it look disrespectful instead of honoring. When they rise, you realize that somehow they're closer than they were before. "What would you prefer I call you, then," they ask, practically purring, taking another step closer. "Songbird?" Another step. "Sweetheart?" Another. "Or perhaps even something more..." their eyes drag over your body, making you feel as if they leave fire in their wake. "Intimate?" they finish. You can't reply. Your voice is stuck in your throat. Why are they standing this close? Your pulse jumps as they lean down, their head bowing in towards yours...and then changes direction so they can whisper near your ear, making you shiver as they murmur, "No, I prefer to call you what you are. A sweet little field mouse, whose been caught by a bear." They step back, and the rest of the world seems to come back to you in a rush, leaving you breathless. You glare at them, but your voice still seems stuck, unable to convey your irritation. "Don't fret," they tease, rocking back on their heels as they leave the room, "If you want a kiss, field mouse, just ask for it, and I'll give you want you desire." With a wink, they leave you fuming, and alone.

[wonderlandleighleigh]

Could you write some more Schneiders in Stars Hollow?

(It isn't my fault that the line "Lenny was supposed to bring the matches" appears in Star Crossed Lovers and Other Strangers in season 1)

"Why did we never stay for the Firelight Festival before?"

"Because we always left right before Thanksgiving," Lenny responds. "We never stayed the whole year before."

"I had no idea it was so beautiful," Midge says, marveling at the decorations in the town square.

"You've had to much punch," Lenny chuckles, wrapping an arm around her.

"That punch is no joke," Midge warns him. "I thought the stuff at the B. Altman Christmas party was strong, but they don't fuck around here."

"Apparently."

She cuddles in against him. "Let's give up our very lucrative careers and retire and stay here all the time. We can torment Taylor until we die, and then haunt him after."

"God that sounds romantic," Lenny teases.

"Ooh, someone's had too much punch," Lorelai giggles as she steps up to them.

"We don't normally stay for the Firelight Festival," Lenny explains. "But since we're here the whole year this year..."

"Midge got into the founders day punch."

"And how," Lenny chuckles.

Midge gasps. "We were here one year! The- Two years ago, remember? We came back for this! for the night! We had a night free and we came back, and then- they asked you to bring the matches and you forgot."

"On purpose," Lenny adds, chuckling.

"Lenny," Lorelai admonishes playfully.

"It was a good gag," Lenny defends. "Watching all the chuckleheads who've never smoked a cigarette or a joint before scramble for some kind of match or lighter. Harry and Taylor punched each other over it! I did that."

"I married a funny man," Midge grins proudly.

"Yes, you did," Lorelai giggles.

"Luke gave me free coffee the whole night that night," Lenny boasts.

"Yes, he did," Midge confirms.

Lorelai giggles. "They didn't ask you to bring the matches this year, did they?" Lorelai asks.

"Never again," Lenny confirms.

Lorelai laughs more and smiles at them. "It's been really great, having you guys here the whole year."

"Yeah, I didn't know if we'd like it," Midge admits. "We're such city people, but it's been fun."

"Our kids are furious," Lenny chuckles. "Really mad that we missed Thanksgiving and Hanukkah, but they all survived without us."

"Having everyone over for Latkes was fun," Midge beams.

"You almost burned down the house, and melted your pretty fingers off in hot oil," Lenny points out.

"In a fun way," Lorelai interjects. "That was fun."

"Yeah," Lenny agrees. "Who knows. Maybe we'll get old enough to slow down completely and just stay here one day."

"The kids would kill us," Midge comments. "But it'd be nice....I want more punch."

"No you don't."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not carrying you home."

Midge pouts and looks to Lorelai. "He never carries me."

"You're a strong young woman, you've got legs," Lenny reminds her.

"He's been saying that for decades."

They stand in silence for a long moment, watching the fire and Lorelai takes a breath, looking to the couple.

"You know, this festival makes everyone super sappy and romantic," she comments. "And every year, I find myself alone when it happens."

Midge smiles at her and takes her hand, patting it gently. "I know it's hard to be patient. Especially when things like this pop up and it's just...everywhere. I've been there."

Lorelai looks confused. "When?"

"On an impromptu trip to Paris in 1959," she explains. "There was this bridge...the uh...the Pont des Arts! And I'm walking at night, and I'm just...surrounded by all of these couples, holding each other and kissing...and I was alone. Joel had broken my heart - again - Lenny wasn't an option yet, and I was miserable."

"So what did you do?" Lorelai asks.

Midge shrugs. "I kept moving forward. Things always turn around, Lorelai. Keep trying, and keep moving forward."

"What're we talkin' about?" Luke asks, stepping up to them.

"Sappy romance stuff," Lenny tells him. "And that one time Midge's mother ran away to Paris and no one noticed for two weeks and they found her living in a one room apartment with a broken chair, no toilet and a tiny dog."

"Luke will you get me more punch?" Midge asks.

"That stuff will kill you," Luke says automatically.

Midge snorts. "Oh please, Sophie Lennon once tried to brain me with a Grammy award, I'm invincible."

"If I get you more founder's day party punch will you tell that story?" Lorelai asks, looking mystified.

"Yes I will."

Lorelai dashes off.

"Dammit," Lenny grumbles. "Now I really am gonna have to carry her home."

[doomedship]

I agree with you so much 😭 I am so offended on behalf of Lucy and Tim that the writers are doing this to them. Lucy is my favorite character but I can feel that changing because I just can't stand how immature they've made her. With all she's been through with her kidnapping and Jackson (😭😭), she could have such impactful storylines, but NOOO let's just make her a jealous whiny little girl who doesn't even remember any of her traumas 🤬

I understand how you feel, completely. Lucy and Tim were each introduced as such cool, unique characters with interesting backstories and a clear sense of who they each were as individuals. Both flawed and both complementing one another pretty much perfectly.

And yet, for a couple of characters who've had some really heavy stuff happen to them, they've both become oddly superficial. The show has shied away from the emotional fallout of events and despite including very dark storylines, they rarely follow them through. It feels like the writers are no longer as capable of combining serious drama with comedy as per s1-2 and are more comfortable paddling in the light comedy/slapstick action genre.

The show's become mostly about hammy action sequences, sparkly guest characters, fire and explosions, and jokes. So many attempts at jokes. Even when grim things are ostensibly happening.

Lucy as a character is suffering the consequences the most, for me. She hasn't got a clear role, she's just sort of in the background, and not really as Tim's foil anymore. The beauty of their sunshine/grumpy dynamic has gone because Tim has himself become a flirty, schmoozing ray of sunshine, and Lucy's become a 20 year old college roommate.

She gets paired off with other characters and bumped around mid episode, depending on what either Nolan or Tim is otherwise occupied with, since they generally have actual plot drivers of their own.

She's given occasional action scenes and a lot of jokey dialogue, but if I ask you what her arc / character development has been in the last six episodes, what can we really point to? How many of her lines have been purely in support of other characters' arcs? How many are played for laughs?

I hope the back end does better than this for her, because I still love Lucy so much.

[everafterkeiji]

Song: Easy to Forget Me by Cimorelli

Pairings: Tobio Kageyama x fem! reader

Word count: 2.8k

Summary: When the king's queen was out of his grasp before he can realize

Warning/Genre: angst, toxic friendship, anxiety attack

Symbols: Italics=flashbacks

A/N: um- im very much hurt

Kageyama pants as he runs, pushing his limit with his eyes scanning the street ahead of him. His chest heavily coming up and down with sweat dripping down his skin. Mind empty but theres a certain feeling in his chest that was urging him to come back to a certain period in his life or a certain someone.

As he passes by a certain store, he suddenly stops. The feeling of his legs as if it they were holding him back, restraining his every move along with a voice lingering in his head like a broken record.

"She wasn't there."

Like a rock thrown to glass, his heart shatters, the sharpness of it scattering around his body making him weak to his knees as he stares at the shop that brought back memories he should've cherished. Maybe he should've gone with you when you asked him, maybe he should've took interest in your stories that had you smiling for days.

Maybe he should've chosen to remember.

"Tobio! Please don't push me away." Y/N begs, as Tobio disregards your words as he locks the door, slamming it in front of you. It was right after the match of Kitagawa, where his teammates claimed him the King, leaving him stranded.

"Please.. I'm here. I'll stay with you, I promise." Y/N says, head leaned on the door as she desperately tries to talk to the boy who've built such high walls a person like her can never reach. Kageyama can hear her pleas through the door but only one scene was repeating in his head-the moment the ball dropped, not even a soul was willing to save it for him.

"Kageyama.." she whispers sliding down with tears in her innocent eyes, scared for the condition of the boy, even more scared of what was bound to happen to their closeness.

The door creaks open slightly, and she was off her feet wiping away her tears as she turns around to see the broken boy clutching his shirt. He collapses into her arms and she gladly takes him, both sat on the ground with her hands running through his dark locks. Tears in each of their eyes, Y/N holding onto him while he questions himself. All the words that slipped through her mouth was nothing but sweet whispers and promises, reassuring him that he was no king.

Just a prince surrounded in a kingdom he didn't deserve.

-

"T-thank you for yesterday. You're the only one I can..count on." He says through the phone and you immediately smile at his words, surprised he believed in your promise. You let your hand rest on top of your heart, gripping on your shirt feeling that your heart was too big to fit into your body with how your emotions were overwhelming you just because of one boy. You wonder how long it'll take for you to break under him, under the kings command.

"It's nothing, Tobio. I'll be here whenever you need me."

-

"Kageyama! Good morning!" You say as you gladly bring him his usual choice of milk. He nods to you as a sign of thank you, and you smile at him. You walk with him silently, admiring the pleasant air between you two. It was a coincidence you two entered the same school, or was it really just your instinct and you chose it to protect the boy?

"I heard about this new store. Do you wanna come with me? I've seen photos of it everywhere!" She rambles on yet it fell on deaf ears as Kageyama was only delighted about being back on the gym, able to play his passion. When he turned to her, even if she was talking, his slightest care couldn't be given to her. He'd only nod every once in a while to make it seem like he'd understood.

If your heart knew that he didn't care, maybe then you would've realized.

-

We're in the same town

But you're nowhere to be found

"She hasn't been around for days. Do you think she'll make it to our game?" Hinata asks as Tanaka hands him another ball. Tanaka sighs as he looks over to the empty bench. It was funny how they were all concerned yet one boy couldn't care less. The second year looks over to Kageyama who spiked the ball perfectly, seeing him cheer at his success.

"Worry less about Y/N, she probably has her own problems. We all know that she could never miss our game, especially when Kageyama is playing." Daichi says, looking over to the younger boy. Daichi can feel how cold the atmosphere was with just a glance. He tries not to interfere with whatever happened between you two but after the match no one saw you again. Yet he sees Kageyama, perfectly back in his mindset and not an ounce of suspense as to why you weren't present.

"Plus we missed her birthday! Can't we buy some gifts for her? She doesn't really seem okay to me." Sugawara say and Nishinoya jumps at the idea agreeing completely.

"Seems like he shouldn't be invited." Tsukishima says, pointing at their other setter. Hinata sighs beside him, before shaking his head, in denial of the tension.

"Let's just go after practice!"

-

He walks inside the record store, seeing a variety of albums and vinyls. He lets his slim fingers run over the texture of each album, wondering which drew his attention. The atmosphere of the store was enough to leave a weight on his shoulders.

It's you, isn't it?

He eyes a poster on his left, enjoying how the colors were spotlighted by the sunlight that was peeking through the window. All the soft hues, having a dark gradient at the bottom he couldn't help but feel how familiar everything was. He carefully listens to the song that was playing, concentrating on every lyric as if he was trying to find a connection.

This is her world.

He watches how everyone in the store was occupied in conversations. Conversing about their interests, debating about different eras, even singing in different aisles. He can only feel sympathy, alone in her world he didn't bother to acknowledge. He should know by now what music you like, what album you first bought, which band poster was hung on your wall, but when he tried he could only hear murmurs and whispers.

I wish I listened.

-

Do you ever miss me?

You wonder as you sat in your room, knees to your chest in the far corner, listening to the song playing in your earphones. You stood up, walking to your window and opening it, greeted by the cold air. You let you hands dangle from the window while your eyes landing on the night sky creeping a smile on your face at how comforting it was.

The moon stares down on you, feeling helpless for the girl who thought numbness was the right choice. She couldn't even mask the way her world was slowly loosing color. To her, music would always paint her skies with color. All she can do now is envision the colors but in reality they were all desaturating with every passing day. There's pretty smile set on her lips yet feels like a tug of force knowing it was hard to act civil when her heart lost the battle.

-

"This place is so cool!" Hinata exclaims, eyes sparkling at the sight of the vivid posters and overall aesthetic and aura of the store. Nishinoya joins him on the excitement. Daichi turn to Kageyama who looked like a lost puppy, eyes wandering everywhere. Sugawara taps Daichis shoulder quite cutely holding up a vinyl in his hands.

"This looks like something she'd like!" He says with a smile and Nishinoya joins the conversation, holding out his own album waving it in the air claiming it was more her type. Asahi laughs at the two while he continues to view the albums that were in front of him.

Kageyama glances at his seniors along with the second years. He sees the genuine care they have for her but why is that he feels empty? Like he was numb to any feeling. He did miss her birthday, not even bothering to greet her, focusing on doing better for the next matches.

Hinata notices the dismay from the boy but his lips form a thin line, knowing exactly why Kageyamas clueless. He wonders about the feeling of neglecting a person that's been by your side for years. Kageyama seemed like he was a pro for such things. He always took notice of how Y/N would look whenever he's decline her offers, the way she walks to class disheartened but when she sees the setter, she instantly lights up at the sight.

Seeing her cry that day was enough for him to keep a distance.

How can he even comfort her? The moment she turned her back to Kageyama, she had a hopeless smile on her lips, tears continuously rolling down her puffy cheeks. He could see the way she collapsed that way. How the queen finally let go of her duties from the king.

-

Kageyama laid on his bed with earphones in, hands to his chest focused on the melodies. It was ironic how he wanted to badly catch up on what he's lost. He was badly trying to find the trail back to you but he was unfortunate. It seemed like he was the one that changed everyone's destination.

The moment she stepped in the gym, so bewildered at the different personalities they had. Hinata was the first one to approach her, asking her questions about their "friendship." The following months went by and Hinata found comfort in her and so did the rest of the team, favoring her for her endless support, always hearing her cheers at each game. After every match, she'd always encourage the others, being the brightest sun to cast upon the team who was discouraged.

Yet he found this unnecessary?

He bites his lip at his old thought. He hated himself for thinking how useless of a habit that was for you. He believed that Daichi was enough to lift up the spirits of his teammates so the team really didn't need you. It's opposite for the others though. They truly appreciated each of your compliments, each pat on the shoulder or head. Even if you wanted to do the same for him, he'd always walk away before you could even reach him. Hinata and Yamaguchi would always try to make you forget how harsh the boy was.

He lets his eyes close for a while. For a second, he was at peace but then words started resurfacing.

"How could you just walk away?"

He tries to ignore the tone of her voice, trying to drown it out by increasing the volume, but his heart was panicking at the memory. Even if he tightly shuts his eyes, all he can imagine was the sight of the last time he saw her. He wanted to sit up, to avoid the anxiousness that was crawling under his skin, but his back remained on the bed, struggling to escape the encounter.

"Is it that easy to forget me?"

Y/N.

(TW! Anxiety attack. Do not proceed if this makes you uncomfortable)

He calls out to her like a whisper, clutching his pillow as he stares wide eyed at the ceiling. He feels the room swirl around him, the walls caving on him as every insult and memory came to him. He sits up and desperately tries to walk but he collapses on the floor, hands quickly reaching the hem of his shirt bringing it over his shoulders. Panting incredibly with his sweat covering his forehead as he tried to calm himself down but each second he was reminded of a moment in his life he could never change.

"Hey..Kageyama it's okay." Y/N tries to reach for his shoulder but he harshly grabs a hold of her hand, gripping it tightly in his as he stares her down with his dark eyes, locking on her terrified ones.

"We fucking lost! To Aoba! To Oikawa! How can you act like this when we lost?!" Kageyama shouts at her and she winces at the volume but she lets her other hand rest on top of his, trying to make sure her eye contact reminded him that everything was going to be okay.

"Tobio- Karasuno will come back and win again.. You have to trust that everything isn't set in stone. Failure-"

"FAILURE? I don't have any fucking time for more failures Y/N! You simply don't know what that feels cause all you've been doing is tagging along and being useless." He spat and you felt your smile crumble at his words. He removes your hands from his as he frustratedly runs his hands to his hair, feeling as if pins went through his hands, blaming it for their loss.

"Kageyama..you don't m-mean that. Stop. I know you're angry-"

"I'm disappointed Y/N for fucks sake! I could've done better! We could've won if I didn't slip up. Stop acting like you can fucking solve everything and leave!" She takes a step forward to him as he extends out a hand, blocking her from moving any further. The gesture completely draining the life out of her, her heart growing more and more in her chest, the admiration for the boy trying to erase his negativity.

"K-kageyama-"

"Fuck Y/N! Can't I have a day without you talking to me? Or even being around me? I don't need you. The team doesn't need you. No one else does.. so please just leave already."

He stares at her for a while before rushing off, annoyance and pride feeding his heart and mind. She sees him getting more and more distant as she lets her last smile fall on her lips. All the love and joy was erased from her heart, feeling how shallow and dark the atmosphere was inside it. It began to feel like every heartbeat was slowing down as her tears painted her a trail as she walked. The tears continuously flooded her cheeks as every function of her body was weakening with every action.

She feels the tension that there was in the bus, while she was stuck in the corner, silent.

Silent but the Kings poison consumed her.

Happy birthday to me then. She thinks bitterly.

She looks at the scenery beside her, appealing dull. She allows her heart to cry at the sharp pieces that went through it, as if it was like a balloon being popped or like the light from a fire was blown out.

There was a certain part of her that died that day. She wonders if it was her entirely, or just her ability to feel anything apart from the harsh reality. It was the mere feeling of hearing him say the exact opposite of the words you were badly used to. As the person who he counted on even back at Kitagawa, you should've believed it. But every word he threw were all words that should've never been brought to light. You were back to zero to say the least, back at the darkest corner of your mind. Touching in with your negative emotions drowning you with every replay of of his words.

Then she glances at him.

She lets her eyes linger on him for the last time before she sighs, hands forming a ball, nails digging through her skin.

I don't know you anymore.

Kageyama opens his eyes slowly, hands reaching for his phone as he dials a forgotten number. He was panting furiously, desperate to hear the sound of your voice he was late to miss. He dreaded the silence the surrounded him, he wished the silence would be killed by your voice, assuring him that all was forgiven and you were ready to come back to him so he can apologize for everything he's done.

On the other end of the line, you sighed sadly. You the see way your phone lit up the dark room, seeing a name you've yet to see in months. You carefully place the phone in your hands, trying to find the feeling in your chest when he was around. The feeling of excitement to see or hear him has vanished yet you wished that you had the ability to feel for him again.

Love has faded, no evidence, not even a trace.

So you put the phone down, done waiting to be found.

Kageyama hears the way the sound of the phone stopped, seeing his wallpaper flash in front of him. He lets the tears fall from his eyes as he calls out to you one more time, even if you broke your promise, still holding on to it but there wasn't a chance for him anymore.

And the queen left the kingdom, leaving the king to rule by himself.

[mrsgiovanna]

- Inside Giorno's mind -

All three: *cleaning up the nightmare juice that's covering the mind floor*

Angel Giorno: Usually when we have fevers, this never happens at all. Was this week really bad?

Devil Giorno: What with the tension among the team, meetings, Stand fights and paperwork?

Angel Giorno: *blinks in surprise* Oh. Well, I, uh, guess when you put it that way, then yeah...

Devil Giorno: When we wake up, the first thing I'm gonna ask Bruno is a needed vacation.

Haruno: *brightens up* Will BriBri be there? She has to be there! Oh and everyone else too!

Devil Giorno: Bri will be definitely there! But as for everyone else, well, we'll see if they behave.

Haruno: B-But...won't they get sad if they don't come? I don't want them to be sad...

Angel Giorno: *laughs* How about we recover from this fever, then we can talk about it?

GER: *suddenly appears* Is everything alright in here? *looks at the scene* Oh, that explains it...

All three: ...?

GER: Giorno's been tossing and turning. All the while mumbling in his sleep. For now, he needs to wake up for a while. *presses awake button*

- Outside -

Giorno: *wakes up surrounded by his concerned teammates* Hm...? Wha...happened...? *cuddles up to someone* I feel tired...

Awwww the poor bb🥺☹, he needs some time off and they can go somewhere really sunny or snowy😍🥺🤲

Abbacchio: what happened? Your bad sleeping habits are catching up to you. This is why everyone-

Bri: Abba no, don't shout *gives Giorno a small hug *

Abbacchio: not a peep out of you, you're always enabling him

Bruno: I agree with everything but not now Leone,

Fugo: *checks Giorno's temp* it's finally broken, he needs to rest though

Mista: oi, don't scare us like that okay? *smiles*

Giorno: I'm sorry, maybe I have been overdoing it... I think we could all do with a vacation...

-Narancia and Bri speaking at the same time-

Narancia: yeah! Somewhere sunny!

Bri: yes! Somewhere cold *Both glare at each other*

*Everyone softly chatting amongst each other about their preferred vacations*

Giorno: *smiles, cuddles into Bri's arm and falls asleep again*

-inside Giorno's mind-

GER: *tucking in all 3 who've fallen asleep too* right, everything seems in order here... *glances at the dream where everyone are mermaids, smiles *

Aaaaaaaaa my heart, they're all so concerned for him, I hope you're doing well my sweet and are having a wonderful day, as always tysmmmmmmm for sending these to me, stay safe my lovely 💗🌟💕💫🐞❤🕊👑

[thewidowsghost]

The Unknown Muggleborn - Chapter 9

3rd Person POV

Hermione, who had come back with (Y/n) the day before term had started, takes a different view of things. She is torn between horror at the idea of Harry being out of bed, roaming the school three nights in a row - "If Filch had caught you!" - and disappointment that he hadn't, at least found out how Nicholas Flamel was.

(Y/n) had opened her mouth to say something, but Fred and George had darted across the Common Room and dragged her away and towards Oliver Wood, her three friends staring after her, and catching her apologetic gaze before Oliver snaps at her to pay attention.

Oliver seems to be working the Quidditch team harder than ever. Even the endless rain that had replaced the snow couldn't dampen his spirits. The Weasleys complained that Wood is becoming a fanatic, but Harry and (Y/n) are on Wood's side. If they win their next match, against Hufflepuff, they would overtake Slytherin in the House Championship for the first time in seven years. Quite apart from wanting to win, they find that they has fewer nightmares when they're tired after training.

Then, during one particularly wet and muddy practice session, Oliver Wood gives the team a bit of bad news. He'd just gotten very angry with the Weasleys, who kept dive-bombing each other and pretending to fall of their brooms.

"Will you stop messing around!" Wood orders. "That's exactly what'll lose us the match! Snape's refereeing this time, and he'll be looking for any excuse to knock points off Gryffindor!"

George Weasley really did fall off his broom at the words.

"Snape's refereeing?" he splutters through a mouthful of mud. "When's he ever refereed a Quidditch match? He's not going go be fair if me might overtake Slytherin."

The rest of team - besides (Y/n) - land next to George to complain, too.

"It's not my fault," says Wood. "We've just got to make sure we play a clean game, so Snape hasn't got an excuse to pick on us."

Which is all well, thinks (Y/n), but I don't need a repeat of what happened last time, whoever did it.

The rest of the team hangs back to talk to one another as usual at the end of practice, but Harry and (Y/n) sprint straight back up to the Gryffindor common room, where they find Hermione and Ron playing chess. Chess was the only thing Hermione ever lost at, something Harry and Ron though was good for her.

"Don't talk to me for a moment," says Ron when Harry sits down beside him and Hermione shifts to make room for (Y/n).

Then Hermione catches sight of (Y/n)'s face. "What's wrong?" she asks, a worried look on her face and Ron looks over at (Y/n).

Speaking quietly so that no one else would hear, Harry tells the other two about Snape's sudden, sinister desire to be a Quidditch referee.

"Don't play," says Hermione at once.

"Say you're ill," Ron offers.

"Pretend to break you leg," Hermione says.

"Really break your leg," at Ron's words, everyone turns to him.

"I can't," says (Y/n), then she signs. "There isn't a reserve Seeker. If I back out, Gryffindor can't play at all."

At that moment Neville topples into the Common Room. How he had managed to climb through was anyone's guess, because his legs had been stuck together with what they recognized at once as the Leg-Locker Curse. He must have had to bunny hop all the way up to Gryffindor Tower.

Everyone but (Y/n) and Hermione laugh, and (Y/n) leaps up an performs the countercurse. Neville's legs spring apart and he gets to his feet, trembling.

"What happened?" (Y/n) asks him, leading him over to sit with Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"Malfoy," says Neville shakily. "I met him outside the library. He said he'd been looking for someone to practice that on."

"Go to Professor McGonagall!" Hermione urges Neville.

"Report him!" (Y/n) agrees with the brunette.

Neville shakes his head. "I don't want more trouble," he mumbles.

"You've got to stand up to him, Neville!" Harry says.

"He's used to walking all over people, but that's no reason to lie down in front of him and make it easier," Ron says.

"There's no need to tell me I'm not brave enough to be in Gryffindor, Malfoy's already done that," Neville chokes out.

(Y/n) feels around in the pocket of her sweatshirt and pulls out a chocolate frog. She gives it to Neville, who looks as though he is about to cry.

"You're worth twelve of Malfoy," (Y/n) says.

"The Sorting Hat chose you for Gryffindor, didn't it? And where's Malfoy? In stinking Slytherin?" Harry finishes.

"Thanks, (Y/n), Harry ... I think I'll go to bed ... D'you want the card (Y/n), you collect them don't you?"

As Neville walks away, (Y/n) looks at the Famous Wizard card.

(Y/n), reading the card, smacks herself in the face and everyone turns to her. "I found him!" (Y/n) hands the card to Hermione and she sprints upstairs and grabs a alchemy book from her nightstand.

"I never thought to look in here," (Y/n) says, sprinting back downstairs and over to her friends. "Snape gave me this a few weeks ago to read."

(Y/n) opens the book and flips through the pages. "Nicholas Flamel is the only know maker of the Sorcerer's Stone."

This doesn't have the effect she had expected.

"The what?" ask Harry and Ron.

"Honestly, don't you read?" Hermione asks.

"The Sorcerer's Stone," (Y/n) begins pacing back and forth, her friends watching, "it was a legend, but I guess now it's true." (Y/n) runs a hand through her (H/C) hair. "It can transform any metal into pure gold and can produce the Elixir of Life, which makes the drinker immortal. If I remember correctly, Flamel just turned six hundred and sixty-five."

"The dog must be guarding the Sorcerer's Stone!" Harry begins.

"I bet he asked Dumbledore to keep it safe for him, because they're friends and he knew someone was after it, that's why he wanted the Stone removed out of Gringotts!" Hermione finishes.

"A stone that makes gold and stops you from ever dying!" exclaims Harry. "No wonder Snape's after it! Anyone would want it!"

At Harry's mention of Snape, (Y/n)'s mouth spreads into a frown.

"And no wonder we couldn't find Flamel in that Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry," says Ron. "He's not exactly recent if he's six hundred and sixty-five, is he?"

. . .

The next morning in Defense Against the Dark Arts, while copying down different ways of treating werewolf bites, Harry and Ron are still discussing what they'd do with a Sorcerer's Stone if they had one. It wasn't until Ron said he'd buy his own Quidditch team that (Y/n) remembers about Snape and the coming match.

"I'm going to play," she tells the other five. "If I don't we'll be behind in the cup. If we win, I'll show them ... it'll really wipe the smiles off their faces."

"Just as long as we're not wiping you off the field," Ron comments and (Y/n) shoots him a incredulous look.

As the match grows closer, however, (Y/n) becomes more and more nervous, whatever she told her friends and sister. The rest of the team isn't very calm, either. The idea of overtaking Slytherin in the House Championship was wonderful, no one had done it in seven years, but would they be allowed to, with such a biased referee?

Harry doesn't know whether he is imagining it or not, but he seems to keep running into Snape wherever he goes. At times, he wonders if Snape is following him, trying to catch him on his own. Potions lessons are turning into a sort of weekly torture for Harry, Snape seemingly getting worse in each class. Harry didn't see how he could - yet sometimes he had to horrible feeling that Snape could read minds.

(Y/n) knew, when they had wished her and Harry good luck outside the locker rooms the next afternoon, that Ron and Hermione were wondering whether they'd ever see her alive again. (Y/n) hardly hears a word of Oliver's pep talk as she pulls on her Quidditch robes and picks up her Nimbus Two Thousand.

Ron and Hermione, meanwhile, had found a place in the stands next to Neville, who couldn't understand why they looked so grim and worried, or why they had both brought their wands to the match. Little did (Y/n) know that her friends had been secretly practicing the Leg-Locker Curse. They had gotten the idea from Malfoy using it on Neville, and were ready to use it on Snape if he showed any signs of wanting to hurt (Y/n).

Back in the locker room, Oliver Wood had taken (Y/n) aside.

"Don't want to pressure you, (Y/n), but if we ever need an early capture of the Snitch it's now. Finish the game before Snape can favor Hufflepuff too much."

(Y/n) nods, a determined look on the Seeker's face.

"The whole school's out there!" says Fred, peering out of the door. "Even - blimey - Dumbledore's come to watch!"

Harry and (Y/n) exchange looks. "Dumbledore?" Harry asks, dashing to the door to make sure. Fred is right, there's no mistaking that silver beard.

Harry could have laughed out loud with relief. (Y/n) was safe. There was simply no way that Snape would dare hurt (Y/n) if Dumbledore was watching, Harry thinks. Maybe that's why Snape is looking so angry as the teams march onto the field, Harry thinks, which Ron notices as well.

"I've never seen Snape look so mean," the ginger tells the other girls. "Look - they're off. Ouch!" Malfoy had poked Ron in the back of the head.

"Oh, sorry Weasley, didn't see you there," Malfoy grins at Crabbe and Goyle. "Wonder how long (L/n)'s going to stay on her broom this time? Anyone want a bet? What about you, Weasley?"

Ron doesn't answer; Snape had just awarded Hufflepuff a penalty because George had hit a Bludger at him. Hermione, who had all her fingers crossed in her lap, is squinting fixedly up at (Y/n), who is circling the came like a hawk, looking for the Snitch.

"You know how I think they chose people for the Gryffindor team?" says Malfoy loudly a few minutes later, as Snape awards Hufflepuff another penalty for no reason at all. "It's people they feel sorry for. See, there's Potter and (L/n), who've got no family, then there's the Weasleys, who've got no money - you should be on the team, Longbottom, you've got no brains."

Neville goes bright red but turns in his seat to face Malfoy. "I'm worth twelve of you Malfoy," he stammers.

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle howl with laughter, but Ron, still not daring to take his eyes from the game, said, "You tell him, Neville."

"Longbottom, if brains were gold you'd be poorer than Weasley, and that's saying something."

Ron's nerves are already stretched to the breaking point with anxiety about (Y/n), "I'm warning you, Malfoy - one more word -"

"Ron!" says Hermione suddenly, "(Y/n) - !"

"What?! Where?!"

(Y/n) had suddenly gone into a spectacular dive, which draws gasps and cheers from the crowd. Hermione stands up, her crossed fingers in her mouth, as (Y/n) streaks towards the ground like a bullet.

"You're in luck, Weasley, (L/N)'s obviously spotted some money on the ground!" says Malfoy.

Ron snaps. Before Malfoy knows what's happening, Ron is on top of him, wrestling him to the ground. Neville hesitates, then clambers over the back of his seat to help.

"Come on, (Y/n)!" Hermione screams, leaping onto her seat to watch as (Y/n) speeds straight at Snape - she didn't even notice Malfoy and Ron rolling around under her seat, or the scuffles and yelps coming from the whirl of fists that was Neville, Crabbe and Goyle.

Hermione watches to see Snape turning on his broomstick to see something scarlet shoot past him, missing him by inches - the next second, (Y/n) had pulled out of the dive, her arm raised in triumph, the Snitch clasped in her hand.

The stands erupt; it had to be a record, no one could remember the Snitch being caught so quickly.

"Ron! Ron! Where are you? The game's over! (Y/n)'s won! We've won! Gryffindor's in the lead," shrieks Hermione, dancing up and down on her seat and hugging a beaming Pavarti Patil in front of her.

(Y/n) jumps off her broom, a foot from the ground. She couldn't believe it. She had done it - the game was over; it had barely lasted five minutes. As Gryffindors come spilling onto the field, Harry sees Snape land nearby, white-faced and tight-lipped. Harry lands beside (Y/n) and they feel a hand on their shoulder and they look up into Dumbledore's smiling face.

"Well done," says Dumbledore quietly, so that only Harry and (Y/n) could hear.

The Gryffindors run to lift (Y/n) onto their shoulder; Ron and Hermione in the distance, jumping up and down, Ron cheering through a heavy nosebleed.

Harry leaves the locker room alone some time later, to take his Nimbus Two Thousand back to the broomshed. He leans against the wooden door and looks up at Hogwarts, with its windows glowing red in the setting sun. Gryffindor in the lead. (Y/n) had done it, she'd shown Snape. . . .

And speaking of Snape . . .

A hooded figure comes swiftly down the front steps of the castle. Clearly not wanting to be seen, it walks as fast as possible toward the forbidden forest. Harry recognizes the figure's prowling walk. Snape, sneaking into the forest while everyone else was at dinner — what was going on?

Harry jumps back on his Nimbus Two Thousand and took off. Gliding silently over the castle he sees Snape enter the forest at a run; he follows.

The trees are so thick he couldn't see where Snape had gone. He flew in circles, lower and lower, brushing the top branches of trees until he hears voices. He glides toward them and lands noiselessly in a towering beech tree.

He climbs carefully along one of the branches, holding tight to his broomstick, trying to see through the leaves. Below, in a shadowy clearing, stands Snape, but he isn't alone. Quirrell is there, too. Harry can't make out the look on his face, but he is stuttering worse than ever. Harry strains to catch what they are saying.

". . . d-don't know why you wanted t-t-to meet here of all p-places, Severus . . ."

"Oh, I thought we'd keep this private," replies Snape, his voice icy. "Students aren't supposed to know about the Sorcerer's Stone, after all."

Harry leans forward. Quirrell is mumbling something, but Snape interrupts him.

"Have you found out how to get past that beast of Hagrid's yet?"

"B-b-but Severus, I —"

"You don't want me as your enemy, Quirrell," says Snape, taking a step towards him.

"I-I don't know what you —"

"You know perfectly well what I mean."

An owl hoots loudly, and Harry nearly falls out of the tree. He steadies himself in time to hear Snape say, "— your little bit of hocus-pocus. I'm waiting."

"B-but I d-d-don't —"

"Very well," Snape cuts in. "We'll have another little chat soon, when you've had time to think things over and decided where your loyalties lie."He throws his cloak over his head and strides out of the clearing. It is almost dark now, but Harry can see Quirrell, standing quite still, as though he was petrified.

. . .

"Harry, where have you been?" Hermione squeaks.

"We won! (Y/n) won! We won!" shouted Ron, thumping (Y/n) on the back."And I gave Malfoy a black eye, and Neville tried to take on Crabbe and Goyle single-handed! He's still out cold but Madam Pomfrey says he'll be all right — talk about showing Slytherin!"

"Everyone's waiting for you and (Y/n) in the common room, we're having a party, Fred and George stole some cakes and stuff from the kitchens," Ron continues.

"Never mind that now," says Harry breathlessly. "Let's find an empty room, you wait 'til you hear this. . . ."

He made sure Peeves wasn't inside before shutting the door behind them, then he told them what he'd seen and heard.

"So we were right, it is the Sorcerer's Stone, and Snape's trying to force Quirrell to help him get it. He asked if he knew how to get past Fluffy — and he said something about Quirrell's 'hocus-pocus'— I reckon there are other things guarding the stone apart from Fluffy, loads of enchantments, probably, and Quirrell would have done some anti-Dark Arts spell that Snape needs to break through -"

"So you man the Stone's only safe as long as Quirrell stands up to Snape?" asks Hermione in alarm, (Y/n) shifting thoughtfully on the desk she was sitting onto of.

"It'll be gone by next Tuesday," says Ron.

Hermione glances over at (Y/n), who is sitting silently, a thoughtful expression on her face. "What is it?" (Y/n) asks.

"The thing about the loyalty confuses me," (Y/n) says, jumping off the desk. "Who would Quirrell need to prove his loyalties lie to? Dumbledore right, what if Quirrell is trying to get the stone? What if that whole stuttering thing is an act? I've never been a hundred percent about him myself."

Ron shrugs her off, "It must be Snape."

"Not necessarily, not to be rude or anything, but I'm his favorite student," the others nod in agreement. Then (Y/n) turns to Hermione. "Who was sitting behind Snape at the first Quidditch match?"

"Quirrell," Hermione says.

"My point exactly," (Y/n) says but Ron and Harry shrug her off again.

"It's definitely Snape," Harry says and (Y/n) shakes her head and walks back to the Gryffindor Common Room alone.

Despite herself, she grins when she portrait whole swings open and the Common Room erupts into cheers as she steps through. Oliver and Fred come over and lift (Y/n) up onto their shoulder and everyone begins to cheer:

"(Y/n)!"

"(Y/n)!"

"(Y/n)!"

Word Count: 2963 words

[nightshadeshadow123]

Paw prints on the Agent's heart🐾part 4:

Alex Danvers x reader🔫🐾

Sorry for the slow progress of the story guys.

Tag list:

@retro-aesthe @blackluthxr @samustar @aznblossom @ibe-anne @lezzzbehonesthere

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"Not so tough now aye Princessa?" You chuckeld into her ear, not failing to notice her breath hitch and heart beat picking up a pace.

"Midnight. We meet again." Came her reply, trying to keep still in your hold.

"Mhm, what a pleasurable coincident." You purred. You'll admit that you did find her very attractive, and the way she seem to shiver when your lips ghosted ever so slightly against her ear and they way your breath fanned against the back of her neck had her hair raising had you smirking devilishly.

"Enjoying yourself Princessa?" You cooed.

"In your dreams, bad wolf." Alex breated out, hands now firm on the arm around her neck.

Kara stepped closer this time, keeping a tentantive eye on you.

"(Y/N), you can let her go now. She means no harm." Kara assured. "And you can come with us now."

"Meh, where's the fun in letting her go. She doesn't seem to mind it either." You chuckled at them.

Kara looked to Alex and with that distrataction you whispered an inaudible thing in her ear and shoved her towards Kara.

Kara let's out a spueek but easily caught her sister, helping her to stand upright.

"Well playtime was fun but I'm afraid I must go, see ya later querida." You winked at Alex before turning into wolf form and running off into the shadows of the night.

They both stood dumbfounded and baffled, trying to process what have just happened.

"What just happened?" Kara managed to get out, looking at her sister.

Alex stood wide-eyed, before calming down.

"Just...woah. I don't even know." Alex breated out.

Kara suddenly amusedly smirk at her sister.

"Oh, you like her." Kara laughed heartily at her sisters perplexed expression.

"I....do not!" Alex yelped, trying to hide the blush rising towards her cheecks.

Kara laughed even harder at this. "You so do have a crush."

Alex playfully shoved her. "Shut up blondie."

"What did she whisper in your ear?" Kara asked, a smug look on her face.

"N-nothing." Alex blushed, glaring at Kara.

"Oh Rao, am I hearing wedding bells?" Kara bursted out laughing.

Alex glared even harder at her. "Shut up!" And this time punshed her shoulder lightly.

"And how do you know her real name?" Alex questioned Kara.

"Well, turns out she's my childhood friend from Krypton. That's why she looked familiar." Kara explained, standing infront of her sister.

Alex smiled at her sister. "Woah, that's nice. You aren't so alone anymore."

Kara smiled back. "Yeah, I'm glad she survived. I was heartbroken when I thought she have died with Kryptons destruction."

"Are all Kryptonians so foward and flirty." Alex smirked.

This time it was Kara's turn to blush. "Ehehe, not everyone, just males and Alpha females."

"Ha, knew you were a bottom." Alex laughed, causing Kara to elbow her playfully.

"So that means she's an Alpha wolf?" Alex suddenly asked.

"Yep, she is. Born pure Alpha. Why you asking? You wanna be her bottom Omega. Or are you a top." Kara wiggled her eyebrows, giving her a cheecky smile when her blush returned full on.

"You Kryptonians or so unbelievable." Alex grumbles, arms folded.

"And just so you know, Krytonians eat alot so make enough food for us all."

"KARA!" Alex yelled. "She haven't even joined and you talk like this."

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Alex, Kara and J'onn were in the main computer room at the DEO facility, talking about the wolf they now know as (Y/N).

"I still believe that she'd join us if we keep on trying. We can't give up now." Kara said, determination in her voice.

"I agree with Kara." Alex smiled at her sister.

J'onn nodded. "I know. She've been through a lot and it might take her time to fully trust us. But we have to prove to her that we aren't like CADMUS." He explained.

Just when he went to talk more Winn came running from his desk frantically, almost bouncing with excitement.

"Please tell me good news Winn." J'onn looked at Winn, waiting to hear what he have to say.

"Sir, I've find a way we can know who've helped (Y/N) escape. But the file is located at one of their hideouts." Winn explained.

J'onn narrowed his eyes, rubbing at his chin in thought. "Well just give me the location then and I'll work out a plan."

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"Agent Danvers. I have a new mission for you if you are up for it." J'onn fell into step next to Alex that is busy talking.

Both Alex and Kara's attention snapped towards him, greeting him.

"A new mission? What is it Sir?" Alex asked eagerly, just wanting to do something fun other than be stuck listening to Winn's weird theories he seem to have lately.

He held a piece of paper out towards Alex. "I want you to go search this location. One of CADMUS hideouts. Apparently it holds the information of the wolf we need. We can learn who helped her escape, her abilities, strength, weakness etc. But this is a stealth mission, just sneak in and get the info then get out."

"Hell yeah, I'm up for this mission." Alex accepted eagerly.

J'onn give her a small smile. "But just be careful Alex. You are our best agent. We can't afford to loose you. I would've send someone else out but I only trust you with this."

Alex nodded at him, giving him an assuring smile. "I'll try my best Sir."

J'onn gave her a pat on the shoulder. "Suit up and get ready to leave. We need that info as soon. I'm going to have a freak fit if we have to clear up onther mess CADMUS made." With that he left the room.

"I would have loved to go and help you out but Miss Grant will have my head if I do plan her famous Gala tonight then I also have to attend said gala." Kara grumbels.

"You go do that sis, it's only a sneak in mission and get the info then get out. I can handle that." Alex assured her, nudging Kara's side.

Kara smiled softly at her sister, pulling her into a hug before flying off in a hury.

Alex immediately went to get ready, already dressed in her DEO outfit, hostering two pistols at either side of her just in case something goes wrong with the mission and she might have to defend herself.

"Let's hope this is worth a shot." Alex said to herself once outside the building, getting onto her bike.

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"Oh, how orginal." Alex muttered under her breath when arriving at the location, seeying it's an abandoned warehouse.

Taking a quick scan over the place, Alex could see a few guards guarding around the eerie warehouse, unsetilling drilling sounds filling the slightly windy dark air along with the sounds of hammers on metal as a few guards make small talk off in the distance.

"Sir, I don't think this is just a regular abandoned warehouse." Alex said through her ear piece to J'onn, the few hair on her arm raising.

"Agent Danvers, what do you mean? Winn said it wasn't a big deal." J'onn ask in concern and confusion.

"This place is dark and eerily creepy but it seems like an active place, they are certaintly doing something very bad here." Alex explained softly.

"That sounds?" J'onn asked knowingly after catching the faint sound, imagining just how much harder it must sound in person. "I wonder what secret dark stuff they are up to this time. I'll have Winn make more scans over the place."

"Yeah, he clearly must have missed something when he scanned the place." Alex agreed, making sure to stay hidden and keeping an eye out for any guards that might be guarding near.

"Agent Danvers, you can come back to the DEO. Leave that place."

"No Sir. We are so close to getting the information. I can't just throw that away just because of an creepy warehouse." Alex firmly said despite the fear that slowly grips her heart.

J'onn let's out a heavy sigh, knowing it's useless to try and argue with the stuborn agent.

"Alex...just please be careful." J'onn said worriedly making Alex sinceriley smile to herself.

"Will do."

"Come back to us alive and in one piece Agent Danvers." J'onn chuckled out, greately worried about her.

"I'll try my absolute best Sir." Alex assured."I must get going."

"Be safe. If anything goes south don't hesitate to alert me or your sister. Don't try to take on too many danger yourself. You aren't invincible like Kara or me." J'onn said in a stern voice.

"Yes Sir. I know but just know I'll try my best." With that she disconnected the earpiece.

Alex quickly but silently found a way to sneak down from the low cliff she was on, hiding behind what appears to be broken weapon that's mounted in a wall, peeking around the corner and scanning for guards, spotting one near.

Alex let out a soft huff, looking at the dirty ground, spotting a medium sized rock, bending down to quickly grab it and pressing herself back against the wall.

"This better work." Alex said softly under her breath, clutching the rock tightly before she threw it against an empty tank with a hole in a good few feet at the guards left, creating a clank sound, immediately gaining the guard near hers attention.

Alex held in her breath as the guard slowly walked in the direction where the sound came from, gun pointed and ready to shoot, one hand going to active his ear piece but he didn't get far before Alex sneaked up behind him, hitting him behind the head to knock him out, letting out the breath she was holding in as the guard lay passed out.

She dragged him behind the wall she first used, making sure he wouldn't be spotted before she dashed to the side of the warehouse, hiding behind everything she could, keeping an eye out for more guards but spotted none, figuring that most have went to talk with the other two guards that were talking and joking loudly.

Alex noticed rusted faint blue stairs at the side of the warehouse that led to an second floor entrance.

"And there's my way in." Alex said to herself softly, palm pressed against the cold metal container she's hiding behind as she did another quick scan of her surroundings before she made a fast paced run for the stairs, hands gripping the cold metal railings as she softly made her way up them, the hairs on her neck raising as the sounds grow even louder now accompanied by an eerie faint shimmering swooch sound that grows louder with each step.

Alex lifted her hand to the rusty knob, pushing it open when realizing it isn't locked, making sure there aren't any guards nearby before entering.

"Some security they are." Alex said sarcasticaly.

She kept hidden in the dark corners, trying to focus on the task at hand instead of the awful steely stence of blood that fills the air, even noticing said dried blood along the rusty floor, making her even more on edge.

Upon walking past a huge crate she could see various alien weapons, a few barrels with a glimmering green substance in, cages with dead alien people in that makes her pull a distsgusted face, briefly closing her brown eyes in sympathy for the aliens before moving to look over the railing that goes down to the first floor, spotting more weapons, guards, diffrent substance in racks of vails and more cages filled with aliens with some tied down to chairs while the scientist were performing diffrent opperations on them, dread filling her heart and rage at the people for doing such things.

Alex spotted a blue cube office near the corner on the other side of the stairs.

"Bingo." Alex said to herself, having a good guess that the information she came for must be in there.

When she went to take a step down the stairs she was suddenly knocked down the few stairs by a force from behind, landing on the rusty cold hard floor with a loud yelp.

"Well, well. What have we here? A lost DEO girl scout." A male said in a manic voice as he stepped down the stairs making Alex flinced at every clank the man's dirty boots made against the metal stairs.

Alex pused her palms against the floor, trying to get up but another man came from behind, kicking her back down with his foot, keeping it pressed down on her back hard as the barrel of the the other guard's gun pressed against her forehead, growling lowly when the guard behind her yank her head up with her hair, forcing her to look up at the one that have pushed her down the stairs, a sinister scowl/smirk present as he kept his gun against her temple.

"Time for some fun." The other one snickered, grip tightening on her hair.

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Whoop another cliffhanger for ya'll lovies. Sorry for the long wait, it took me a damn long time to get insperation to finish the chapter, hope you guys enjoy it.

[d-noona]

MAKE OVER

Chapter 8: Saturday Night

Jung Hoseok x Reader

Reader as Kang Hyeonji

SUMMARY: When Kang Hyeonji transformed herself into a striking redhead, the entire male population of Seoul stood up and took notice. But her make over was for Jung Hoseok’s benefit alone. He began to show interest in the new look but not in the way she wanted. Suddenly he was over-protective, perhaps a little jealous. It seemed that the idea of having a relationship with her couldn’t be further from his mind. The girl however wants more. So it was time for an ultimatum. If Hoseok didn’t want Hyeonji to lose her virginity to another admirer, he had no option but to make love to her himself.

Hyeonji could not concentrate on her work. How could she, with Choon Hee besieging her with suggestions from the moment she arrived at work on Monday morning and spied the newly made-over Hyeonji.

Choon Hee's main advice was directed at Hyeonji's choice of clothing for the big night. The trouble was, she changed her mind every day. On Monday she insisted Hyeonji buy black. Lace, preferably. Black lace was so-o-o sexy!

Hyeonji didn't think she could carry off black lace and told Choon Hee as much. So on Tuesday Han Byeol came to the office and butted heads with Choon Hee, they now moved into getting Hyeonji a red satin...before they realised red would clash horribly with Hyeonji's new hair color.

From Wednesday to Friday the girls went through every possible color in the rainbow, plus every possible style from strapless and sexy to tight and slinky, then finally to white and virginal.

This last, desperate idea was an attempt at reverse psychology, since Tinashe would never dress in such fashion. Hyeonji was glad to leave work on Friday afternoon, having informed her avid friends thay she would simply buy something that suited and flattered her. Choon Hee had pulled a face before pressing the solemn promise from Hyeonji that she would finally wear the perfume she and Han Byeol got for her on her birthday.

"And buy yourself some drop earrings," had been Han Byeol's last hurrah. "I was watching this body language expert on television the other day and he said dangling earrings projected highly sexual messages on some subtly primitive basis. Apparently there's this tribe in Africa where women stretch their earlobes with heavy rings and weights. The ones with the longest earlobes are considered the sexiest, so the longer the earrings the better."

Choon Hee laughed out loud yet nodded to have Hyeonji wear some drop earrings for more appeal. Hyeonji had sighed and agreed to wear long, dangling earrings as well as the perfume.

Saturday dawned slightly overcast but the sun came out during Hyeonji's short train trip up to the shopping center. The forecast that morning had predicted twenty-eight degrees, average for their small little town in March. Fortunately, the humidity was low so Hyeonji would mot have to worry about perspiration ruining whatever dress she bought.

She arrived just as the shops opened, her mother's gift of five hundred and forty-five dollars tucked safely in her purse. Four hours later her mission was finally accomplished, and her purse was pretty empty. Hyeonji could hardly contain her excitement on the train ride home, hugging the parcels on her lap.

She would never have thought she could look so good, or sexy. Of course, it was to be seen what Hoseok would think of her, but she could never reproach herself for not pulling out all the stops. She hurried home from the station, puffing a little as she struggled up hill with her bags. It was one thirty and Hoseok's car was nowhere in sight. His mother was, though, Mrs Jung waving from where she was attending to her pot-plants on the front porch.

"Been shopping for tonight dear?" She called out, her smile bright just like her son. Hyeonji was grateful to stop for a minute. "Yes, Mrs Jung. I've been very extravagant," she confessed rather breathlessly. "New dress. New shoes. New everything, actually."

"Oh you must come in and show me. I'd love to see them," says Mrs Jung. Hyeonji hesitated, then glanced back down the hill. She didn't want to be caught by Hoseok coming home. She didn't want him to see her today until she was ready.

"Don't worry," Mrs Jung said "Hobi's not due. He has to work all day today. He just rang to say he'd get ready down and arrive straight to your place. Come in. You can have a cool drink while you're at it. You look hot."

Hyeonji was hot, but it wan't from the shopping. Suddenly, tonight was all too real. It was also her last chance. If nothing came tonight with Hoseok then she would give up all hope. Total failure was less than a few hours away.

"What lovely dress!" Mrs Jung exclaimed when Hyeonji drew the silk bit of nothing out of the bag. Mrs Jung held up the clothing "Oh yes, that's just the thing." She chuckled delightedly.

"You're certainly going to make that boy of mine sit up and take notice in that dress, aren't you my dear?" Hyeonji's eyes rounded at Hoseok's mother, who gave her a softly knowing smile in return. "You think I haven't guessed all these years that you're in love with my son?"

"I...I..."

"You don't have to say a thing. Just listen. Hoseok does not love Tinashe. She is, however, a beautiful and clever girl who panders to his not inconsiderable ego and knows exactly how to handle him." Hyeonji was all ears as Hoseok's mother went on. She'd been riveted from the moment Mrs Jung had said Hoseok didn't love Tinashe.

"I know my son very well, Hyeonji. I know his strengths and weaknesses. Basically, he is a good, kind, loving boy, but he has an obsessive workaholic personality with a one-track mind. I'm sure you've seen evidence of this yourself. I used to have to set an alarm clock next to his computer to get him to school reasonably on time. When he becomes absorbed in a project nothing can distract him, not even his male needs, which I might add are as strong as any other normal red-blooded man's."

This wasn't any news to Hyeonji. She'd seen the trail of girlfriends, all of them not exactly the types you just talked to on a date.

"You think Hoseok has only ever been attracted to the most beautiful girls," his mother went on. "That he's like a moth drawn only to the brightest of flames."

"Well, his girlfriends have all been stunners, Mrs Jung." Hyeonji pointed out.

"True. So I suppose if I said it was their personalities which won him you would be sceptical?" Mrs Jung chuckled.

Hyeonji laughed.

"I understand your cynicism. Nevertheless, what I am saying is true. The only girls who've attracted Hobi have been the ones who had enough confidence in themselves to break through his absent-minded nature and force him to notice them. I have no doubt most of them approached him first, made none too subtle passes and flirted with him outrageously in order to win him away from his other, all-consuming passion."

"Naturally, the only girls who have such a degree of confidence are usually very beautiful ones which gives them that added edge. Once they have Hoseok's attention, they have the equipment to ensnare his sexual desire as well. Even so, he usually tires of them rather quickly. Either that or they themselves become frustrated with his tendency to forget dates, and they leave the relationship of their own accord."

Hyeonji intensely listening and nodding to every word Mrs Jung had to tell her, felt like having a fairy god mother by her side.

"Tinashe, however, has hung in there. I think she must be very good in bed. I also think she knows Hoseok's net worth and wants to hitch her wagon to a star. I suspect this so-called trial separation is suppose to frustrate Hoseok enough for him to agree to marry her. I don't know if it will work. I sincerely hope not, because she does not love my son and it will make him miserable in the end. He doesn't believe in divorce, you see. Hoseok needs someone who truly loves and understands him. In short , Hyeonji, he needs you."

Hyeonji was speechless.

"You have the perfect opportunity to put a spanner in Tinashe's work tonight, my dear," Mrs Jung continued in a conspiratorial voice. "But you must be bold. And daring. Make him notice you, in more ways than one. Flirt with him. Let him know you want him. You do want him don't you?"

All Hyeonji could do was nod.

"Then go after him, with as much cunning and ruthless as Tinashe did. In short SEDUCE him."

Seduce him?

Hyeonji went home with those daunting words ringing in her ears. How did an inexperienced virgin seduce a man like Jung Hoseok? According to his own mother, he'd had coubtless sexy, beautiful women do just that and do it superbly! What chance did she, Kang Hyeonji, have?

Made-over she might be, but that was only a skin-deep transformation. Inside, she was still a quiet, reserved kind of girl. Basically, she was not bold. Or daring.

Okay, so she'd spoken up for herself a few times recently, but only in private and with people she knew well. The thought of openly flirting with Hobi in a very public place at a well-attended formal dinner sent frenetic butterflies fluttering around in her stomach.

At six-thirty she still found those butterflies still in full flight. Yet her reflection in the dressing-table mirror went some way boosting that confidence Hoseok's mother had insisted she find. Outrageously long, the green crystal drops hung nearly to her shoulders, swaying seductively whenever she moved. They've been worth every cent of the fifty dollars they'd cost.

"Oh Hyeonji, you look gorgeous."

Hyeonji swung around at her mother's voice, the A-line skirt of her dark green silk dress flaring out before settling into more discreet folds against her thighs. Not that a skirt that short could ever be discreet. It ended a good five inches above her knees. When combined with the four-inch heels of her strappy, bronze-colored Jimmy Choo's shoes she looked all leg.

"Do you think so, Mom?" Hyeonji was desperate of reassurance, her own eyes not to be trusted. Zil's admiring gaze traveled from her daughter's shimmering hair, down to her perfectly made-up face, past the flamboyant earrings and finally to the little sexy dress which showed off Hyeonji's recently reshaped curves to perfection.

The low, scooped neckline hinted at a very adequate and perfectly natural cleavage, the tight bodice nipped-in waistline showing that Hyeonji could rival Scarlett Johanssen in the hourglass figure department, and with out the help of a corset.

"Turn around," her mother said. "Let me see the back again."

Hyeonji did so a little tentatively. She knew the lace-up back was daring, exposing a deep section of creamy flesh right down her back to her waist. This was part of the style of course, but it precluded the wearing of bra, even a strapless one. The only underwear Hyeonji had on, in fact, was an expensive set of lace silk panties.

Hyeonji turned back to find her mother frowning slightly. "What's wrong?" She asked, panicking. "Do you think the neckline is too bare? Should I wear a necklace instead of these earrings?"

Zil smiled reassuringly. "Not at all. Those earrings are perfect. No. I was just hoping everything turns out right for you tonight."

Hyeonji scooped in a steadying breath. "I do too..."

Zil came forward to take her daughter's hands in hers. "Whatever happens, you look absolutely beautiful."

"Thank you Mom." Hyeonji smiled at her mother fondly.

"You smell lovely too. What's that perfume you're wearing?" Zil tilts her head in curiosity. "It's the one Choon Hee and Han Byeol have me for my birthday. It's called....SEDUCTRESS."

Zil's eyebrows shot up. Mother and daughter looked at each other, then laughed. "Let's hope it has a secret ingredient," Hyeonji said, shaking her head ruefully, "because I think I'm going to need it."

"You'll do fine my love. Just be your sweet lovely self and Hoseok will be enchanted." Now Hyeonji felt confused. She had Hoseok's mother telling her to be a vamp, her own advising the natural approach she had an awful feeling neither would work. The only time she'd had a real response from Hobi was when he'd been jealous of Mr X.

Maybe that was the way to go. Mr X had been very useful so far...Hyeonji had been speculating on how shw could use Mr X to further advantage tonight when the doorbell rang. Her stomach immediately crampedm oh, dear heaven.

"That will be Hoseok," her mother whispered. "I won't come to the door. Say I'm in the bath or something. If he has those papers for me, just put them on the hall table. Oh and don't worry about how late ypu get home. I won't. In fact i won't worry too much if you don't come home at all."

Hyeonji's hazel brown eyes rounded at this amazingly broad-minded mother she'd suddenly acquired. "Mum," she said. "I'm shocked but I love you for being so understabding. Still, I think you'll find I'll be home soon after midnight like a good little Cinderella."

"I don't know about that," Zil said wryly with another glance at her striking-looking daughter. "Now off you go," she added when the doorbell rang the second time.

Hyeonji picked up the bronze clutch purse which matched her shoes and made her way carefully downstairs, taking her time lest she trip over in her new high heels. Be confident, she kept telling herself as she approached the front door. And bold. And daring.

Schooling her face into a cool smile, she swung open the door, prepare to accept Hoseok's surprised admiration as though it were the most natural thing in the world. Unfortunately, she hadn't prepared herself for being confronted with Hoseok standing there looking blistering handsome in a superbly tailored black dinner suit.

Most men looked good when dressed in a tux.

Hoseok however was breath taking.

She stood there in speechless admiration of his beauty and missed his initial reaction to her own appearance by the time she recovered sufficiently to look into his eyes he was shaking his head at her with a mildly rueful reproach.

"I can see this is going to be a long and difficult night."

Hyeonji was taken aback. Did he like the way she looked or not? "What do you mean?"

"You know very well what I meant you minx, my God, are you wearing any underwear at all under that excuse of a dress?" Hoseok says.

Hyeonji blushed and bristled at the same time "I'm only following your suggestions. You told me you don't like women who wear pants."

His shocked brown eyes zoomed to where the hem of her skirt ended at mid-thigh. Hyeonji rolled her own eyes. "That's not what I meant. I do have pantyhose on with built in panties," she said dryly. "I was talking about my wearing a dress and not pants suit."

"Oh, that's a dress you're almost wearing, is it? I thought it was a left-over from a lingerie party." Hoseok added furiously.

"Very funny. Truly, Hobi, you're acting like some over-protective big brother, though I don't know why. You never have before." Hyeonji getting all frustrated as Hoseok answers back. "Well you've never looked like THIS before."

"Is that a compliment or an insult?" She replied. "It could be a damned problem." Says Hoseok.

"I don't see how," she said airily. But she wasn't as thick as she was making out, and the reality of Hoseok's brooding reactions thrilled her to bits. He was perturbed by how she looked. And really jealous of any other man she might attract tonight.

His own mother's words popped into her mind. "Go after him, with as much cunning and ruthless as Tinashe did..."

"So," Hyeonji went on, twirling around and mercilessly pretending she had no idea of the effect the back of the dress would have on him. "Will I knock 'em dead at dinner?"

"I don't know about the others," he growled, grabbing her wrist to stop her from twirling around again "but I'm in my grave already."

She feigned a flustered frown. "But I'm not talking about you, Hobi. I was thinking of all those successful and possibly available businessmen at this dinner night."

Hoseok glared at her. "So that's why you changed your mind about partnering me tonight? Because you want to parade yourself for other men's eyes, like you're in some kind of meat market?"

"Well...I wouldn't put it quite crudely. And I'm really only interested in ONE man's eyes." Hyeonji only meant she wasn't the sort of girl who played the field, but immediately Hoseok took it the wrong way.

"One man?" He frowned, then scowled. "Oh my God. Don't tell me your infernal Mr X is going to be in this bloody dinner tonight!" He bit out.

Hyeonji tried not to color guiltily, but failed. For the first, the use of Mr X had backfired on her. "Damn it Hyeonji!" Hoseok exploded. "You should have told me."

"Why? Would you have refused to take me if I'd said he was going to be there?" She asked, even while her mind raced Mr X simply had to be disposed of once and for all, she decided he'd been very useful up till now, but suddenly he was beginning to get in the way.

Hoseok opened his mouth to say something, then snapped it shut again. "It's and irrelevant question anyway," Hyeonji went on swiftly. "Because Mr X is NOT going to be there. Mr X has been wiped from the planet from this moment onward. I've decided to take your advice Hobi, and move on. This is me moving on. Now, do you think WE might move on and get going? Or do you want to be late and make a grand entrance?"

"With moving-on-Hyeonji by my side?" He mocked. "Heck, no. I'd prefer to slink in the back door."

"There's no pleasing you tonight, is there?" She snapped as she stepped outside and banged the door shut behind her. "I only did everything you told me to do. I happen to think I look very nice."

Hoseok gripped her nearest elbow and began urging her along the path. It set her crystal earrings swinging, along with her unfettered breasts. She kept her eyes straight ahead but had a feeling Hobi was staring daggers at her highly mobile bust. She hadn't realized till that moment what substantial movement did to bra less breasts. Ones of her size, that was.

"Nice is a very ineffectual word to describe how you look tonight" Hoseok muttered. Hyeonji extracted her arm from his grip once they reached the passenger door of his car. "So how would you describe how I look?" She challenged.

His brown eyes blazed as he yanked open the door and waved her inside. Not a word passed his lips while she lowered herself into the seat, but his eyes spoke volumes when they dropped to take note of the way her skirt rode up dangerously high when she sat down.

"Provocative" he snarled at last, then banged the door shut.

"Good" she snapped back, once he'd settle himself behind the wheel. "That's exactly the look i was looking for tonight."

Hyeonji dropped her purse into her lap, noting with some dismay that the smallish bag covered almost half of the minuscule skirt. Had she gone too far with the dress? She wanted to attract Hoseok, not revolt him. She'd had no idea he could be such a prude. He certainly wasn't around Tinashe. Good God, some of the gear that girl wore was downright disgusting.

Still...at least she did have his attention that was something. Pulling the seat belt out, she was in the process of buckling herself into place when Hoseok's hand shot out and gripped her chin she gasped when he wrenched her face around this way, then gasped again when his mouth was suddenly covering hers.

His lips pressed down hard, insistent in their demand for surrender she yielded more from shock than any immediate passion. Her lips fell apart again his tongue plunged deep into her mouth. Her whimpering moan seemed to snap him back to the reality pf his quite savage kiss, for his head whipped back abruptly, his eyes widening. She just stared at him, the back of her left hand coming up to cover her still stunned mouth.

He groaned and shook his head, clearly appalled at himself. "I'm sorry Hyeonji. I don't know what got into me." Hyeonji didn't believe him. He knew darned well why he'd done what he'd done. By adopting ignorance of his very male actions he was throwing the ball in her court. How she acted now would set the tone for the whole evening.

Her hand trembling slightly, she removed it from her mouth and reached out towards him, letting it come to a shaky rest against his cheek. She twisted and leaned towards him till her mouth was only inches away from his. "I'm not," she whispered, and made the momentous decision to close those inches.

His shock was even greater than hers had been. For a few excruciating moments his mouth froze under kiss. Hyeonji hesitated herself. Good God, if he wrenched his mouth away, what would she do? Impossible to laugh it off. She would utterly be crushed.

Don't be tentative, came the voice of desperation. Be bold! Be daring!

She lifted her mouth from his and smiled. "What's the matter, Hobi? Haven't you been kissed back by a girl before?"

He didn't say a word, just kept staring at her as if she were a stranger. Sighing, she dropped her hand away from his face and settled herself back in the passenger seat. If nothing else, she'd taken the initiative and salvaged her pride.

"It's not that," he growled as he fired the engine. "Let's be honest, Hyeonji. It's not me you really want to be kissing anyway is it? Look I won't say you're not a temptation, looking as you look tonight. But might I also remind you that I'm supposed to be getting back with my girlfriend tomorrow? I don't like complications in my life, and if I don't watch you might become a complication. So let's just keep our old status quo going, if you don't mind. We're good friends. Nothing more. I'm sorry I kissed you just now. I promise you it won't happen again."

Hyeonji bit her bottom lip and turned her face away to stare through the passenger window. Her immediate response to Hoseok's words was to sink back into herself and oblivion. Underneath, she'd expected failure, hadn't she? Game, set and match to Tinashe.

But is seemed her new appearance had imbued her with more confidence in herself that she would ever have believed. Or maybe it was everyone else's confidence in her. Whatever, her mind gradually turned more positive, clinging to the fact that Hoseok hadn't mentioned Tinashe as his first excuse for backing away. His initial withdrawal had been because he thought she didn't really want to be kissing him. He mistakenly thought he was just a substitute for Mr X.

Hyeonji's frustration was acute. She heartily wished she'd never invented Hoseok's mysterious alter ego. She toyed with telling Hoseok the truth during the tensely silent drive down to the event. That he was Mr X, that she was crazy about him and would do anything for him.

But by the time Hoseok turned into the club car park ten short minutes later she'd abandoned that idea. It smacked too much desperation and would send any man running the opposite direction. No, her mission tonight was to seduce Hoseok, not openly declare her undying devotion.

Tomorrow several hours away and she aimed to make the most of them. Now, what worked best for her this past week or so?

Jealousy...

Not over Mr X this time, she decided. Over some other man. Hyeonji hoped and prayed there would be a suitable candidate at this dinner tonight, and that he would find her as provocative as Hoseok had...

Chapter 09

Masterlist