#the recipients of the head pats in question

[alexiethymia]

a chain of headpats

[ravennaortiz]

As always 18+.Smut below the cut. CW- Face slapping

“Jax” you moaned into his ear, your hot breath making him shiver. He sucked at your neck as he continued to thrust up into you. The room the club used for meetings filled with the scent of sex and the sounds of skin on skin and your moans.

“Lean back” murmured Jax into your throat as he slowed down his pace. Once you were in position your lust filled eyes locked on his he moved his thumb to your clit and gently circled it. Instantly your back was arching as pleasure shot through you. “So pretty” murmured Jax as he let up moving his hands to your thighs as you twitched and pulsed around his cock.

“I want you to slap me” stated Jax simply as he thought back to that slip of paper he had pulled that morning. It had been on his mind all day. How the feel of your soft skin making contact with his roughened, stubbled face would feel. He wondered if he would catch a whiff of your lotion and perfume? Would it sting, leave a bruise? He closed his eyes as he thought about you leaving a mark on his face. The idea of you laying claim to him in such a violent way had him getting even harder inside your soft walls.

You were taken aback by the request. You bit your lip nervously as you searched his blue eyes. When you had tossed that idea in the jar months ago you had intended on you being the recipient. As much as you wanted it, the idea of being able to dominate Jax piqued your interest. Unconsciously you moved one of your hands up to his cheek, gently cupping it. Jaxs eyes closed and he sharply inhaled as you started to pat his cheek before grabbing his jaw and pulling him in for a kiss.

You began rocking your hips slightly as Jax slid his hands back to cup your ass as he moaned into your mouth. Just when Jax thought you were going to ignore his request you pulled back and sent his head flying to the side as the room resonated with the sound of your slap. “Fuck” hissed Jax through gritted teeth. His eyes smarted as he dug his fingers into your skin and felt heat bloom in his cheek.

“Again” he demanded as he turned back to face you his pupils blown with lust as he panted and stood up fucking you onto the table. You snaked your legs around his waist before releasing another powerful slap that had him slamming into you harder as he moved a hand to pinch your clit. Waves of pleasure washed over you as you grabbed his shoulder digging your nails in.

Jax was like a wild animal when he pushed you down on the table caging you in with his arms. “Close” he grunted as he kept up his frantic pace. “Again!” he demanded as he leaned back to free your arms. You smiled at him as you delivered one final blow that sent him soaring over the edge. He wailed like a feral beast as he coated your walls with his release.

“Fuck that was good” murmured Jax a few minutes later as he lay on top of you.

“I didn’t hurt you did I?” you questioned as you caressed his cheek with your hand. Massaging the reddening skin.

“No baby. You hit hard but I’ll survive” chuckled Jax as he kissed your nose. “What do you think about round three?” he inquired as he started moving in and out of you.

Return to Masterlist

[mochie85]

Thank you for opening up requests! 💖

I feel this prompt in my soul: “You don’t have to pretend with me.” And I could see it coming from Loki or the reader, or both.

Thanks! 💖

A Brave Face

1k Celebration Masterlist One-Shots Masterlist Complete Masterlist

Summary: Loki comforts you after one of Stark's exhausting parties. A/N: Part of my 1k Celebration Pairing: Loki x Female Reader Word Count: 903 Warnings: ALL Fluff, slight angst if you squint your eyes, the fic alludes to the reader being sick prior and had just recovered.

Your cheeks were the ones that hurt the most. The constant smile you had to put on was draining. But you knew their incessant questions would be more work if you didn’t have it on.

The “Are you ok?” or, “How are you feeling?” or the ever-wonderful, “You’re such a champ. How do you do it?” always demanded more thought energy from you than necessary. You knew their hearts were in the right place, but it was exhausting trying to prove to them that you were fine. You were ok.

Really.

So faux-smile it was. You walked around the party like Lazarus, back from the dead. Like someone who had their life together, waiting for the opportune moment to hide out from the party and leave.

Your saving grace was your husband, Loki. He could tell when your smile was genuine. He knew because he made sure he was the recipient of most of them. He held your hand throughout the night and gave you someone to lean on when you got tired.

“Would, you like to leave now, darling?” he whispered in your ear.

“No. I’m ok,” you smiled up at him.

“You don’t have to pretend with me, love,” he said kissing the top of your head. “Let’s hurry before the Captain makes a speech about sacrifice and glory. You know he will likely go on forever,” he laughed in your hair, tickling your nerves, and making you giggle genuinely.

“Too late,” Natasha said coming up next to you. Her gaze made you both look up on stage as Roger’s stepped up to the podium, holding a glass of champagne.

Low groans could be heard sprinkled throughout the crowd. Most likely from team members who’ve been victimized by his straining speeches.

Steve was about to speak when Tony came up and patted him on the back. “I think what the good Captain was trying to say…”

“I haven’t said anything yet,” Steve said surprised.

“…is that’ we’re glad to have our friend back.” He raised his glass towards you as the spotlight moved in your direction and blinded your eyes. “Cheers, my friend to your health and speedy recovery.” He raised a glass and everyone else did the same.

You forced your smile just a little bit wider. Just a little bit happier, and waved to everyone. “Any reason for a party, eh Stark?!” you yelled out, making everyone laugh at your quip.

When the lights finally left you, you whispered a silent ‘thank you’ to Tony, and he nodded in return. “I think that’s our queue to leave,” Loki rubbed your back and led you out toward the private hallway to your quarters.

He intercepted greetings and well-wishers along the way for you as he guided you further and further into the private quarters of the team.

Once in your room, you let out the biggest sigh and launched yourself on the bed, almost falling onto the floor. “That was exhausting,” you muffled in the pillow. Loki came up behind you kneeling on the bed. Instinctively, you spread your legs apart at the thought of your godly husband behind you.

He reached for your foot and tried to untie the straps of your shoes. You tried to wiggle your foot away, but he held them with a firm grasp. Chuckling, he lightly twisted your leg to signal you to turn.

“Loki, you don’t have to do that. I can take them off myself,” you smiled. You turned your body over, as he placed your foot on his chest. He fingered the delicate straps of your heels, deftly taking them off.

“I know, but please, allow me.” He gave you a chaste kiss on your ankle as he set your foot down and reached for the other. “You did say you were exhausted.”

You smiled up at him. The one heart that kept you going even when yours wanted to fail. He finished untying your shoes and set them gently on the floor.

“Did you see the look on Roger’s face when Stark commandeered his speech?” He said crawling up next to you, leaning his head on his hand while the other wrapped around your hips.

You laughed, turning into his chest. You snuggled up against the heat of his neck, feeling the strong pulse of his heartbeat. You could smell his cologne and the clean scent of his shirt. “Poor Steve. You know we’re not gonna get away without him saying that speech one way or another.” you chuckled.

“Do you have enough energy to change, darling, or would you like me to use my seidr?”

“I’m comfortable here in your arms. Please don’t make me get up,” your voice muffled against his skin.

“Seidr it is.” He snickered. With a snap of his fingers, a warm heat shimmered over your body. Rough organza gave way to soft jersey fabric, and you sighed with contentment. His linen shirt was replaced with soft ribbed cotton and you could feel his heartbeat quicken.

“How are you feeling?” he asked. You looked up into his worried eyes. The passion and devotion in them were enough to render you speechless.

With Loki, you didn’t have to pretend. You gave him your genuine smile. The one smile you save only for him and said, “I’m happy Loki.”

“Good. So am I,” he sighed as he captured your lips in a heated kiss.

@alexs1200 @a-witch-with-words @athalialaufeyson @britishserpent @cakesandtom @crimson25 @el-zef @fictive-sl0th @gigglingtigger @glitterylokislut @goldencherriess @holdmytesseract @holymultiplefandomsbatman @huntress-artemiss @ijuststareatstuffhereok89 @immersed-in-mischief @kellatron55 @kikster606 @kkdvkyya @ladyofthestayingpower @lokidbadguy @lokiprompts @lokisasgardianvampirequeen @lokisgoodgirl @lokisninerealms @lokischambermaid @lokixryss @loopsisloops @lucylaufeyson3 @luvlady-writes @michelleleewise @mischief2sarawr @muddyorbs @nopenottodayson @one-oblivious-nerd @ozymdias @peaches1958 @salempoe @sarahscribbles @sarawr-reads @silverfire475 @springdandelixn @starktowerrooftop @theaudacitytowrite @thedistractedagglomeration @thomase1 @vickie5446 @vbecker10 @wheredafandomat @xorpsbane  

[frankenjoly]

kunizai "I'm proud of you, you know that?"

And your choice with "you're cold. come here"

picked kenji & kyôka for the second bcs. the besties

kunikidazai + “i’m proud of you, you know that?”

“I’m proud of you, you know that?” Kunikida said, in barely a whisper. There was no need to speak louder, though, since the recipient of those words was sitting right beside him.

So close their hands might brush at the slightest move.

“I’d say ‘take me out for dinner first, Kunikida-kun’ if we weren’t about to have dinner already.” Dazai answered, his glance moving up to check the oven’s current status before going back down and finally falling on Kunikida’s face. And he maybe should have been annoyed by such a response, but what came from his mouth was a brief snort. “Now seriously, I just did my part. Like everyone else.”

“I don’t get how that could contradict me being proud of you, but go off, I guess.” His comment was accompanied by another scoff, as amused as the first one.

“So you’re not proud of everyone else, then? Woah, harsh.” At that point, there was no doubt about how Dazai was just being dramatic for the shits and giggles. And as tempting as Kunikida found playing along with it, that wasn’t the route he took.

“C’mon, obviously I am.” He instantly nodded, and if his hand was trembling a bit when he moved it to brush the back of Dazai’s, it was more about nervousness than having been struggling that day. Though, if asked, Kunikida may or may not try to pretend it was them acting up. “But now I’m talking to you specifically, so just take it, alright?”

“In my defense…” Dazai replied, going even further than he had and resting his head on Kunikida’s shoulder. “ Strictly speaking, I never said I wasn’t gonna take it.”

Then there came Kunikida’s third snort.

“So you were just what? Taking your time?”

“Maybe.”

kyôka & kenji + “you’re cold. come here”

“You’re cold.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement. Doubting would be difficult, after all, when Kenji had started shivering. “Come here.” Kyôka patted the spot right beside her over the bench she was sitting on, nudging him to come closer and sit there.

“Alright!!!” Kenji didn’t even hesitate and ran towards her, slowing down when near and sitting slowly. 

Then, once he was already there, Kyôka took the towel she had been wrapped in and readjusted so they would both be covered. Since Kenji had just gotten out of the water, getting in direct contact made her experience a bit of that same cold, but it wasn’t like it bothered her much; in mere minutes, they would both be warm again, after all.

“Thanks!!!” He said, smiling wide as usual. “I didn’t think it’d feel so chilly when getting outta the pool, y’know.” Kyôka nodded, since she had experienced the same barely an hour before. “Like, we go swimming back home too, but it’s usually way warmer after. Unless you fall into one of the ponds in winter, obvi, then it’s super cold.”

“I think it was somewhat warm when my parents took me to the beach for the first time too. Or at least I think it was the beach, I was very little.”

“Yeah, I don’t fully remember my first time swimming either. Well, not literally swimming ‘cause I didn’t know how to, but you get me.” Of course she did. “And… I prefer swimming when the water’s still, but the beach sounds fun. Maybe we can go sometime, all of us together.” 

“Oh, yes.” Kyôka instantly beamed. “Plus, we can build sand castles and play games in the sand, it’s not all about swimming.”

“I know, don’t worry.” In theory, she didn’t. In practice, everyone knew Kenji’s history with a flooding river, and even if the sea was different… a bit of reassurance wouldn’t hurt. Quite the opposite, actually.

(Also on ao3.)

[shotmrmiller]

MILLER MILLER MILLER

I KNOW YOUR VERY BUSY BUT MY STARVED SELF NEEDS THIS OML

https://youtu.be/ZY1f7E_2iFA?feature=shared

THIS SONG RIGHT HERE GIVES ME THE ABSOLUTE CHILLS YOU HAVE NO IDEA HHHH

My heart fills with a sort if nostalgia, and my stomach fills with butterflies. It's very exhilarating! I can't help but imagine a sort of small drabble of like.. Simon realizing he's in love with you. Nah cuz I ain't no writer but uhmmmm I'm finna Write something and it's gonna be crusty but tbh idrc

Lmao this is turning out to be long even tho I'm writing it on a whim and pulling everything outta my ass-

You and Simon had a sort of tension ever since he got injured on duty about a year or so back.

Since you were the only Medic in the medbay at the time, you were the one to care for Ghosts wounds. Even though he was very cautious on the job, he managed to get himself a gunshot wound to the abdomen. He had lost quite a lot of blood, causing him to be in-and-out of consciousness.

As you swiftly work to get him a blood transfusion, you slip off his mask and pat the side of his face to try and wake him up. He groans with blurry vision and pain.

You attempt to keep him awake with questions, or making him talk.

"Sir, I need your name"

He coughs up a bit of blood, causing you to wince since it splattered a bit on your cheek.

"Ghost.."

"Alright Ghost, I need you to stay awake for me, yeah?"

"I can try, but no promises" he says with a cheeky grin, which quickly dissipates into a painful expression as you work.

"Alright big guy, I need you to turn on your side so I can see if there's an exit to the bullet"

You start pushing him to his side to assist him, and cut his shirt to find no exit of the bullet.

"Alright it's still in there, so I'm gonna need to dig a bit. I'm gonna give you something for pain" you say as you pull out a srynge of fluid, sticking him with it before he can react.

You get the necessary tools ready, and start digging carefully for the bullet. After pulling out a small silver clump of metal, you start sewing him up.

"Here's a souvenir for you"

You hand him the bullet. He chuckles a bit, but not too much.

(That's literally all I can think of as a backstory lmao ik it's lame hh)

Ever since that late night shift at the medbay, you and "Ghost", later on changed to "Simon", had become close. So close in fact, that it got to the point that even if he had a small cut or a very minor scrape, he would make a B-line to your section of the building.

You would always tease him for such things, giving him a sticker of his choice after every visit (And yes, you carry stickers around for him).

For some reason today, you hadn't seen him at all which was out of the ordinary. You found yourself waiting for him throughout the day, but he never showed up.

You mope away to your designated barracks, face saddened. After JUST getting comfortable in your bed, you hear a knock at your door.

You sigh, getting up frustrated to see who the hell it is. You swing the door open in grogginess to be met with Simon standing there with a sort of look on his face, and not a good one.

Lmao cliffhanger because it's 5am and the idea I had in my head was literally just an emotional Kissing scene in the rain when Simon has to go on a mission that he might not come back from, and you both realize you love eachother idk. (That's why I originally came here with the song lmao but I got distracted hhh sorry for wasting your time 😭) btw this was my first time attempting to write something so sorry that it's musty.

-♦️

kissing in the rain!

who cares about backstory! who cares if it's a repetitive trope! if that's what you're wanting your story to be then write it.

honored to be the recipient of your first ever little snippet.

let me give you a hug and i'm saving the song in my playlist.

[vendetta-if]

Baby!ruthless!MC being those little red flag kids that are super adorable and sweet but then ask disturbingly gory/violent questions that leave the recipient just staring at them awestruck while the child blinks up at them innocently because they don’t realize how fucked up the thing they just said was.

Like the he’s just a little guy! Oh, he’s a little fucked up actually meme.

Scenario: Cute baby MC sitting with their most favouritest Gramdma ever, maybe brushing her hair or feeding her warm soup or just giggling and hugging her and then suddenly lacing their chubby little fingers with hers and saying in those choppy sentences that young children speak in when they are still learning how to pronounce certain sounds/words “I heard! that if the you get toooo cold that you can get fah-rost-bite and your fingers and nose and toes all fall off! It’s super painful, I think! Have you ever done that Baba Alina? Have you ever made somebody so cold you just snap them right apart? Have you snapped off somebody’s arm? Have you ever fah-rost-bited somebody’s neck off their shoulders, Baba Alina?” The rest of the family just looks at MC and each other in concern but MC is just blinking like they asked why the sky is blue.

Alternative scenario: Cute baby MC asks Grandpa if he ver commanded some to hurt/kill themselves or their loved ones, Grandpa just eyes Viktor because he knows his son would want him to lie or change the subject, but MC is just looking him like he hung the moon and he’s torn, but then MC adds “if you didn’t, it’s kinda a waste” and it becomes very obvious that yes this is his grandchild

Ruthless MC is my baby girl(gender neutral) I love then so much if you t tell

Aww that’s kinda cute, but also as you said, fucked up 😆 But really, such ruthless MC is lucky to be born in the Morozov family then where all of the members are just as or close to that level of ruthlessness. Yes, even Viktor. He might be kinder but make no mistake, he’s capable of being really ruthless to people who hurt or put the people he loves and cares for in danger.

For sure, they would all be surprised and shocked, but it won’t be long until they are used to it. Viktor would probably try to teach MC that they can’t just say those kinds of things to just anyone. If it’s him, Grandpa, Grandma, Luka, Ash, Cara, and Rin, then it’s okay 😩 Viktor just mostly doesn’t want MC to say those stuff to the wrong people and they think and treat MC as a weirdo (also, worried that it might not end well for them 😂).

Grandma would be surprised for a second, before booping MC’s nose lightly. They’re still soo adorable. “Well, I did turn someone into an ice sculpture once, although I didn’t immediately ruin it. It’d be a waste, wouldn’t it? How about I show you what kind of other pretty stuff I can make with my power?”

Grandpa would be staring at MC with a glint of pleasant surprise in his eyes. “I can already see you making me proud in the future,” he says, patting MC’s head fondly. “The answer to your question is yes. Sometimes, examples need to be made to spare us more work in the future. One day, I’ll teach you more about it, yes?”

[catladywriter]

Inotan Fanfic: Inosuke’s White Day Mission - Chapter 2

Bigger and Better

Synopsis: It’s the day before White Day and Tanjirou is busy making chocolates for all the girls who gave him chocolates on Valentine’s Day. Inosuke thinks it’s a stupid tradition. Why should Tanjirou have to return their favours? Shouldn’t Tanjirou be making chocolates for him instead? Of course, he’s not jealous or anything. Definitely not.

Alright, maybe he is a little jealous. After all, he has feelings for Tanjirou and wants to be the one receiving his hand-made chocolates. With a little prodding from Zenitsu and some help from Tanjirou’s family, Inosuke sets out to get the perfect gift to prove that he’s the best candidate for Tanjirou’s White Day chocolates.

Pairing: Inotan (Inosuke x Tanjirou)

Setting: Highschool AU (They’re 17 in here, a couple of years older than their Kimetsu Academy counterpart)

Wordcount: 8500+ words across 4 chapters

Chapters: 1 2 3 4

Status: Complete

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Kie, Tanjirou's mother, was busy attending to a delivery order. Despite that, she flashed Inosuke a warm smile to acknowledge his presence. Nezuko, managing the cashier, greeted him with a friendly wave while munching on a piece of bread. Seated next to her were her younger siblings, Takeo and Hanako, engrossed in their homework.

Inosuke always craved the Kamado bakery's signature chocolate cookies, which he made a beeline for on every visit to the bakery. But today, his eyes spotted the enticing chocolate and sweet sets packaged for White Day, tempting him to take a closer look.

Inosuke's eyes roamed the shelves until they settled on a whimsical round basket. It was decorated with bright yellow sunflowers that stood out amidst the usual red roses and heart-shaped boxes. On closer inspection, it was evident that the sunflowers were made by hand from paper. Each petal and seed head was intricately crafted to resemble freshly picked blooms from a field. The sunflowers were arranged in a circular pattern. Their long green stems coiled and weaved together, forming a natural-looking wreath around the basket's edges. A ribbon wrapped around the basket's midsection, culminating in a large bow adorned with a dainty sunflower charm. As he peered inside, he discovered a treasure trove of chocolates, wrapped in sunflower-patterned paper. The effect was charming and delightful, intending for the recipient to receive a bucket of sunflowers, only to be surprised by the sweet treats hidden within.

To most people, the sunflower basket might have seemed gaudy or childish, but to Inosuke, it was perfect. Roses were sappy, old-fashioned, and had thorns. But sunflowers reminded him of Tanjirou's sunny and bright personality, always there to uplift his mood on gloomy days.

The price tag gave him pause, but with his employee discount, he could make it work. He might have to skip his favorite tempura lunch set for a few days, but it would be worth it to see the look on Tanjirou's face when he received the gift.

Inosuke walked over to the cashier and placed the sunflower basket on the counter in front of Nezuko. She gave him a puzzled look, seemingly surprised that he was considering purchasing it. But Hanako, who had been working on her homework, looked up and squealed in delight, "I decorated it!"

Nezuko patted her little sister's head. "Great job, Hanako! She worked on it all night, and was worried that no one would buy it because it's not the typical rose and heart theme."

Inosuke dug out his wallet. "It's nice. I prefer sunflowers to roses."

"Who's it for?" Hanako's round eyes brimmed with curiosity. 

Inosuke's defensiveness kicked in. "None of your business," he said.

But just then, Kie walked up to them after seeing the delivery person out, and asked the same question. Inosuke felt exasperated. He couldn't exactly tell Tanjirou's mother that it was none of her business, could he? But they didn't ask other customers, so why were they being so nosy with him?

"'None of your business,' he said," Takeo smirked.

Kie gave a pleasant laugh. "He's just shy." She smiled at Inosuke with kind eyes. "It must be for a girl you like then."

"I'm not shy! And it's not for a girl! It's for Kentarou! Uh, I mean Tanjirou." Inosuke hastily corrected himself when Kie tilted her head, looking puzzled.

Kie's eyes widened slightly with surprise at the mention of her son's name. "That's really kind of you, but all the gift sets from our White Day shelf are more elaborate and expensive. They're better suited as romantic gifts. If you're looking for something to express gratitude or friendship, you might want to choose something simpler."

Inosuke looked at her with confusion. Why was this so complicated? He just wanted to give the best chocolate he could buy.

"Maybe you can tell me what you're trying to convey, and I'll help you choose something suitable," Kie suggested.

Inosuke felt a lump form in his throat. He had only wanted to buy some chocolates, not have a conversation about his feelings. Besides, his gut feeling told him that this was the perfect present, and he didn't want anything else. Four pairs of eyes stared up at him, making him feel even more uncomfortable. Inosuke wished that Hanako and Takeo would go back to their homework.

Nezuko came to his rescue. "Inosuke and nii-chan do everything together, and nii-chan always shares his lunch with him and treats him to stuff. That must be why Inosuke wants to get him something in return!"

"I see." Kie smiled. "Tanjirou talks about you a lot, Inosuke. He enjoys spending time with you and doing things for you. So, the feeling is mutual. You don’t have to feel like you owe him anything or get him something special."

"Really?" Inosuke's heart swelled with happiness at the thought of Tanjirou having mutual feelings for him.

Kie nodded. "That’s right! So, I'll exchange this sunflower basket for a simpler packet of chocolate cookies. I'm sure Tanjirou will be happy with anything you get for him."

As Kie made to take the basket back, Hanako and Inosuke yelled "No!" in unison.

“Mum! It’s my first sale!” Hanako protested.

“It’s okay, Hanako-chan. Someone else will buy it. Don't make Inosuke spend more than he should."

Inosuke appreciated Kie's kind gesture. He knew Tanjirou liked doing things for people and giving people things, but he never expected others to go out of their way for him. It must be a trait he learned from his mother, who seemed to feel bad that Inosuke wanted to get such an extravagant present for her son.

“I’m getting it!” Inosuke insisted.

“But…” Kie began.

"Tanjirou's making a ton of chocolate in the home ec room now! I need to find something good enough to trade for it all!"

Nezuko and Kie exchanged perplexed looks.

Inosuke took a deep breath and tried to explain. "White Day's about giving back to those who gave to you, right? I want to trade this chocolate for all of Tanjirou's so he won't give any to anyone else but me." He punctuated his explanation with exaggerated hand gestures, hoping they would get his point across if his words could not.

Kie furrowed her brows, although her face remained kind and patient. “Is there a reason he shouldn’t give chocolates to other people? He got a lot of chocolates on Valentine’s Day so it’s only right that he reciprocates. Takeo’s bringing chocolate cookies to his school tomorrow too.”

Inosuke's mind raced as he tried to come up with a response that would make his argument convincing, but he couldn't refute what Kie said. He reluctantly conceded defeat with a huff.

"Whatever, he can give chocolates to anyone. But I need to give him something bigger and better than the other girls' gifts. I need to show him I'm the best. Got it?"

The Kamados looked at Inosuke in anticipation, waiting for him to elaborate. Inosuke groaned internally. Why were they all so clueless? Tanjirou was oblivious to his feelings, and Nezuko was oblivious to Zenitsu’s aggressive pursuit. It probably ran in the family.

Suddenly, Hanako clapped her hands together and squealed. “You like nii-chan!”

Takeo’s mouth formed a comical ‘O’, and Nezuko put her hands to her mouth. “I knew it! I always thought there was something going on between you two,” she exclaimed.

Inosuke's face flushed red with embarrassment. His attempts to choose a gift for Tanjirou had turned into a bigger ordeal than he had anticipated. He had only wanted to emphasize the importance of getting a worthy present. Why did Hanako have to expose him like that?

"N-No, you've got it all wrong!" he stammered.

But Kie's smile broadened as enlightenment dawned on her face. "So you're getting this because you want to confess your feelings for him!"

“Of-of course not! As I said, you’ve got it all wrong! Why would I do a dumb thing like that!” Inosuke sputtered, feeling his face and ears go hot. He didn't want to confess his feelings, he just wanted to prove himself to Tanjirou.

"Liking Tanjirou isn't anything to be embarrassed about," Kie said, stifling a chuckle as she patted his shoulder.

"Our nii-chan is popular, you know," Takeo chimed in, sounding offended.

Inosuke's hands waved frantically as he stumbled over his words. "N-no, that's not what I meant!" he stuttered, flustered at how his response came across as disparaging Tanjirou. "Actually, I- I think Tanjirou's amazing. He's smart, always knows what to do, and he's nice to everyone. Whenever I'm with him, I feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I just wish he would treat me more special..." His voice trailed off as he struggled to express his feelings.

A smile of comprehension played on Kie's lips. "Then you'll have to let him know. Tanjirou isn't the brightest when it comes to feelings, but as his mother, I can tell that you're special to him."

Inosuke felt a sense of pride swelling within him. Of course, he's special to Tanjirou. He's the strongest, the bravest, the smartest and the most talented. A warm feeling spread from his chest through his body, and he felt increasingly confident. There was no doubt in his mind that Tanjirou would reciprocate his feelings, no matter how oblivious he might be to them at the moment. All he had to do was help Tanjirou discover those feelings. A grin spread across his face, replacing his anxious expression.

Kie beamed. "Let's not hold Inosuke up! Give him the family discount, Nezuko!"

Nezuko grinned and tapped away at the cash machine, her fingers moving deftly over the buttons. A customer needed assistance and Kie excused herself to help.

Takeo and Hanako had their backs turned to him while they bagged his purchase. As Inosuke waited, he noticed they were whispering busily to each other while scribbling something. He was too exhausted to care about what they were up to. Confessing his feelings about Tanjirou had been nerve-wracking and draining. He was relieved to be left alone.

"Good luck!" the three siblings chorused as they handed him his purchase in a paper bag.

"You got this!" Nezuko pumped her fists and gave him a nod of encouragement.

Inosuke muttered his thanks and turned to leave, only to find a small queue of people behind him. He groaned inwardly, wondering how long they had been listening to his halting love confession. A girl in the same high school uniform who had been behind him gave him a sheepish grin. He couldn't wait to get out of there.

At least the family discount turned out to be quite significant, he thought as he gave his purchase a squeeze. He wouldn't have to sacrifice too many tempura lunch sets.

He checked his phone and saw that he had several missed calls and messages from Tanjirou. He had completely forgotten that he had stormed off earlier from the home economics room. Inosuke felt ashamed at the memory as he opened the messages. Tanjirou had sent a few apologies, although it was clear that he didn't seem to know what he was apologizing for. After all, he had done nothing to warrant an apology in the first place. The revelation made Inosuke feel even more guilty.

The latest message, sent 15 minutes ago, was a photo of several pieces of chocolate shaped like wild boars. Accompanying it was the caption, "I made these for you, they’ll melt if you don't come back!" Inosuke couldn't help but grin from ear to ear at Tanjirou's adorable creations. His fingers flew across his phone screen. "Coming through!" he texted, before breaking into a sprint to make up for lost time. He cradled his purchase in his arms as he ran, the paper bag a comforting presence against his chest.

Chapter 3

「 ✦ Please support your creators by reblogging ✦ 」

Author's Notes: I'm so happy to have the Kamado family in my fic, alive and well, and having cute and happy interactions with Inosuke. Poor Inosuke, gift-shopping is stressful enough without having half of his crush's family prying! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Now what are Hanako and Takeo up to? Will their sneaky antics hinder or help his confession? Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed my fic, it’d really make my day if you could drop a like, reblog, and/or comment to let me know! This story is also published on AO3 where you can comment anonymously! Although I mostly write for myself, your encouragement keeps me motivated to post and share my work.

[fullfledgedghost]

happy holiday star season and happy hatoful fandom secret santa exchange day everybirdie =) no other holidays today (lying)

my recipient was @iwritenarrativesandstuff ! i wrote a short fic about mirror hiyoko roping ryouta and nageki into some shenanigans, its mostly character interactions and one bit where i paraphrase instructions on how to set up a classic prank. i hope u enjoy! happy holidays ^_^

synopsis: hiyoko tries to play a practical joke on her teacher and gets nageki and ryouta to help. it... doesn’t go exactly as planned, but they still have fun!

“Hey Ryouta? Have you ever heard of April Fool’s Day?”

Ryouta and Hiyoko are hanging out after school at Torimi Café, doing their homework together. When Hiyoko asks him this question, Ryouta looks up from his work.

“Huh? April Fools Day?” He repeats, for clarification’s sake.

“Yeah! It’s an old human holiday,” Hiyoko excitedly tells him. “I don’t think it was ever that popular in Japan, but they celebrated it in other places. You play pranks on all your friends, but not mean pranks, just the funny ones.”

Ryouta hums. “I’ve never heard of that. It sounds kind of fun, but I don’t know how to pull pranks..”

Hiyoko nods. “Me neither! But learning about it inspired me to try playing pranks on people anyway.”

Ryouta suddenly looks nervous. “Are you gonna pull a prank on me?” He asks Hiyoko.

She laughs. “Of course not! I want you to help me pull a prank...” Hiyoko pauses for dramatic effect. “On our teacher!”

Ryouta seems relieved. “Oh, good. Wait, no, Hiyoko, what do you mean? Play a prank on our teacher??”

She grins. “Mhm! We both have class with Nanaki-Sensei, right? It would be the perfect setting for an ambush!”

Ryouta seems unconvinced. “I don’t know.. that seems like it could be dangerous. What if we get in trouble?”

“How could it be dangerous? It’s not like I’m suggesting we play a prank on, say, Doctor Iwamine.” Hiyoko replies.

Ryouta shivers. “Now that would be really dangerous. Just imagining what would happen to us is making me nervous!”

Hiyoko pats Ryouta on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, we won’t play any pranks on him this time. Maybe in a future story, though.”

“A what?” Ryouta looks confused.

“Don’t worry about it,” Hiyoko tells him. “So, are you in?”

Ryouta hums, thinking it over. “...sure, why not.”

“Yaay!!” Hiyoko claps. “Thank you, Ryouta!” She gives him a quick hug.

He smiles and returns the gesture. “No problem, Hiyoko.”

She pulls away and starts piling her homework up to put away in her bag. She then pulls out a blank piece of paper, and writes PRANK PLANS at the top. She shows it to Ryouta with an evil smile.

“So..” Hiyoko gestures to the page. “Any ideas?”

Nageki is sitting in his room reading when his phone rings. He sighs, putting in his bookmark before picking up the phone. It’s probably Hiyoko and Ryouta asking for help with their homework again.

When he picks up the phone, his suspicions are confirmed by the ‘Tosaka, Hiyoko’ caller ID that pops up. He takes the call.

“Hello?”

Hiyoko’s cheery voice answers from the other end. “Hey Nageki!”

Nageki smiles despite himself. “Did you need help with a homework problem, Tosaka?”

“What? No! Gosh, do you think so low of me, Nageki?” Hiyoko responds with exaggerated offense.

“...” Nageki stays quiet.

“Don’t just say nothing!! You’re so mean!” Hiyoko laughs. “Anyway, I actually wanted your help with something else!”

Ah, so he wasn’t entirely wrong. “Alright. What do you want help with?”

“Me and Ryouta are planning to play a prank on Nanaki-Sensei! Wanna join? We could really use your help.” Hiyoko asks.

That isn’t at all what Nageki was expecting. “You’re... planing a prank? Why?”

Hiyoko laughs nervously. “Well, there’s this whole story about an old human holiday, but I don’t wanna tell it again. Just for fun, I guess!”

Nageki shakes his head in disbelief. Those two can be so ridiculous. Still.. it did sound kind of fun. As long as Hitori doesn’t ground him or something because of it.

“Pleaaaase?” Hiyoko pleads with Nageki. “It’ll be fun, I promise! At least I hope it will!”

Nageki sighs. “..sure.”

“Great! Thank you, Nageki!” He could practically hear Hiyoko’s smile through the phone. “We can discuss plans tomorrow at school. Should we meet in the library?”

“That sounds good to me.” Nageki replies.

“Alright! See you later, Nageki!”

“Bye, Tosaka.”

After a day of planning, and a few days getting materials together, Hiyoko and her birdie backup are ready to go!

They sneak into school early, climbing through a broken window that the custodial staff hadn’t gotten around to fixing yet. Thank you, Anghel!

Trying to be quiet, even though they assumed the building would be empty, the trio makes their way over to Hiyoko and Ryouta’s homeroom classroom, class 2-3.

Nageki almost drops the plastic bucket they had brought, and refuses to accept Ryouta’s help when he offers to help carry it. Ryouta just sighs.

Once they reach the classroom, Hiyoko starts assigning jobs.

“Okay, Ryouta!” She whispers assertively while pointing at him.

“Yes?” He jumps as she turns and points at him so quickly.

“You’ll be filling the bucket with water!” She waits as Nageki hands Ryouta the bucket. “There’s a water fountain in the next hallway over, it should be the quickest way to fill it.”

“Aye aye, Hiyoko!” Ryouta salutes her before rushing off to fill the bucket.

“And you, Nageki,” she whirls around to point at him now, “will be holding the door steady while I balance the bucket on top of it!”

Nageki nods, seeming to take his job seriously. He likes getting to feel helpful, even if its for something silly like this.

Ryouta comes back with the bucket, trying to keep water from splashing out as he runs. Hiyoko laughs evilly.

“Perfect! Now, Nageki, the stepstool?” She turns to Nageki, who rushes over to the nearest janitor’s closet and grabs a stepstool from inside. He drags it back over to the door and gives Hiyoko a nod. She nods back, then mounts the stool and accepts the bucket from Ryouta.

With Nageki holding the door steady and Ryouta keeping lookout, Hiyoko takes a few moments to balance the bucket. She fumbles it a few times, but luckily doesn’t drop it, and in a minute or so the bucket is successfully balanced! Ryouta claps softly as Hiyoko gets off the stepstool and Nageki returns it to Mr. One’s closet.

Hiyoko high fives both of her friends. She giggles.

“Okay, now let’s get out of here! We can wait in the library until class is about to start, so we don’t seem suspicious.” Hiyoko tells the others. Both birdie boys give her a nod, and the trio dissolves into laughter as they race each other to the library.

After a little while of waiting and chatting in the library, the bell rings to signify that class is about to start. The trio leaves the library and make their way over to class 2-3, hoping they’ll be able to see their prank come to fruition before Nageki’s class started, since his homeroom was in a completely different classroom.

And it seems like it will! Right as they turn the corner of the hallway, all three teens can see a bird about to open the door to class 2-3! But...

“Sakuya, look out!” Ryouta shouts, trying to get the fantail’s attention. They were about to prank the wrong bird! Their classmate Sakuya was entering the classroom early, even before Nanaki-Sensei!

Sakuya turns around to look at Ryouta as he pushes the door open.

“Kawara? What are you-“ he is cut off by a wave of water, as the plastic bucket falls on him and soaks him!

Ryouta cringes. Nageki tries not to laugh. Hiyoko does laugh, but covers her mouth.

“Ashslkj!” Sakuya sputters, fuming with anger. “What mockery was that??? Do classrooms in Japan typically dump water on their students?? This is nonsense!”

“Sakuya, I’m sorry, this was a mistake. The bucket was for Nanaki-Sensei.” Ryouta tells him sheepishly.

“What are you talking about? Explain yourself, Kawara!” Sakuya points a soggy feather at the other bird.

Hiyoko steps over to them. “Sakuya, don’t get mad at Ryouta! This was my idea, I just asked for his help. Plus, he tried to warn you!”

Sakuya doesn’t look appropriately chastised. “Then I should be mad at both of you! Explain yourselves, now! I won’t be asking again!”

As Hiyoko and Ryouta try to explain the situation to a grumbling Sakuya, Nageki is approached by a rather worried Nanaki-Sensei.

“Wh-what’s going on here? Did somebody pour water on Shirogane??” Nanaki asks, concerned.

Nageki shrugged, trying not to get his friends or himself in trouble.

“There was a bucket on the door. I think Shirogane was going to find you, so it was probably supposed to fall on you.” Nageki tells him.

“Eep!” Nanaki seems scared just at the thought of such a thing. “M-maybe it’s a good thing I was late today, then...”

Sakuya notices Nanaki-Sensei’s arrival and storms over to him. Nanaki looks like he wants to hide.

“Nanaki-Sensei!” Sakuya barks. “Why weren’t you in your classroom! Class was about to start, and Doctor Iwamine sent me to fetch you for him!”

Nanaki laughs nervously. “Ehe, I may have.. forgotten to set my alarm for this morning. B-but at least I got here before class actually started!” He cowers under Sakuya’s angry gaze.

Nageki walks over to his friends as Sakuya begins lecturing Nanaki-Sensei about respecting himself and his responsibilities. Ryouta and Hiyoko both seem exhausted from trying to subdue Sakuya.

“Well... it seems like our plan failed.” Hiyoko sighs. “Sorry for roping you two into this. I thought it would be fun.”

“...I had fun.” Nageki admits. “Even though we hit the wrong bird.”

Ryouta chuckles. “Yeah, me too. We probably shouldn’t do this again, though. And we should hope and pray that Sakuya doesn’t sell us out to Nanaki-Sensei...”

“Or Hitori..” Nageki murmurs.

Hiyoko laughs. “As long as we don’t get suspended or killed, maybe it worked out okay!”

“Someone is getting killed? When and where? I may be interested in attending.” A deeper voice from behind makes all three teens flinch and spin around, where they find Doctor Iwamine standing menacingly in the hallway.

“Doctor Iwamine?!” Ryouta sputters. “What are you doing here?”

“And nobody is getting killed!!” Hiyoko adds.

The doctor shrugs, looking slightly disappointed by Hiyoko’s addition. “I was wondering why it was taking Shirogane so long to fetch his teacher for me. Now I see why. What manner of mischief has been conducted here?”

As Ryouta is about to start explaining everything again, the bell to begin class rings. Nageki looks towards his friends, waves, and then runs down the hallway towards his classroom. Doctor Iwamine seems annoyed by the interruption, while Nanaki-Sensei seems relieved.

“A-alright, everybirdie inside! Class has started!” Nanaki declares, nudging the bucket into a corner and holding the door for his students, who had gathered in the hallway as the chaos continued.

Doctor Iwamine sighs. “Oh well. I suppose I’ll have to get the story later. Farewell.”

Ryouta and Hiyoko sigh in relief as he leaves.

“We really dodged a bullet there,” Ryouta breathes.

“Kawara! Tosaka!” Both teens jump as their teacher singles them out. “Please go and get your classmate Shirogane a towel from Mr. One!”

Hiyoko elbows Ryouta lightly. “You jinxed us.” She tells him. He pretends to be offended.

“Quickly, if possible!” Nanaki-Sensei encourages.

Ryouta and Hiyoko both bow to him, flustered, before walking together to Mr. One’s room. They may not have escaped trouble for now, but they figured it was better not to test their luck.

Maybe next time they’d stick to a smaller scale prank. Or one with less water.

[jalebi-weds-bluetooth]

IPKKND SS: There’s More To Her #9

Previous Chapter

All Chapters

Awakening

An overconfident Khushi had correctly assumed that Arnav Singh Raizada would be absolutely helpless when it came to finding a location for Akash and Payal’s first date. And Devi Maiya always sided with her favorite devotee, until that devotee gloated in the ego she accused the atheist for.

It was funny that the atheist had no idea how often Devi Maiya sided with him.

Hence, the final, accident free date location was Akash’s office with a variety of snacks that a closed office canteen could offer. Pre packaged brownies, coffee from a coffee maker, tea in a to-go cup and some favourless, tasteless digestive biscuits from Arnav Singh Raizada’s personal stash of snacks along with two bottles of mineral water - of course.

Khushi, though, had worked her magic into Akash’s office. White rose petals scattered on the dark table, all lights were switched off except the fairy light trees and a lone office desk lamp.

Although the effect never reached its recipients as Akash and Payal took their sweet time gazing at each other. Despite her upbringing, Payal let her eyes wander over the well fitted chocolate suit and white shirt on Akash. He was taller and more muscular than she thought. White really was Akash’s color.

Akash was not indifferent to female gaze. While his brother benefitted from the don’t-you-fucking-stare-at-me face, Akash’s politeness and Raizada-ness left him to awkward thank yous and exit strategies from press meetings.

But this was Payal, and all he could feel was dhak dhak.

Khushi, oblivious to her nauseated partner of third wheeling the love birds, played with the fairy lights and begrudgingly accepted that Arnav had otherwise done splendid work.

But before Arnav could recover from his nausea at the puppy eyes Akash and Payal exchanged, he balked at the outfit Akash held for Khushi.

Red saree

“Yeh?” Akash snapped out of his trance at Khushi’s question.

“Oh, yes Khushi ji, isn’t it wonderful that I found this in the wardrobe? Although it is last season,” Akash mused.

Arnav stood rooted to his spot, memories assailing his heart and mind without a drop of mercy.

“Nevermind, I thought you’ll be comfortable in this because you modeled-”

“Modeled?” Payal frowned.

“Haan, that’s why Khushi came home late-” Akash stopped, belatedly realizing Payal had absolutely no knowledge of the disastrous calendar photoshoot that took place on her birthday. Payal shot a look at her younger sister, waiting for an explanation that was overdue.

“Woh, Jiji… I was responsible for looking after Liza-”

“That snooty model?” Payal scrunched her nose in disgust. Khushi nodded,

“Yeah wohi, so I was responsible for her fur coat. I had to hold it still until the shoot was done but somehow it got spoiled so as punishment I had to model in place of her.” Khushi concluded. Payal frowned, Khushi usually told stories that had no head or tails and this one simply took the cake.

Of course there was one man responsible for this.

Arnav Singh Raizada

That man had the grace to look away.

“I appreciate what you have done for me and your brother Arnav-ji, but you’re telling me that a fashion house does not have a single cupboard-” Payal began but Arnav and Khushi sneezed at once, shivering in their wet, unchanged clothes.

“As I was saying-”

“Jiji, there’s no need for this. You and Akash-ji enjoy your date. And if I change my outfit any later then I’ll catch a cold and you don’t want that right!” Khushi grabbed Payal’s arm, begging her to let go of the matter. At the end of the day despite the horrible memories of the day at the office, what mattered more to Khushi was her sister’s office. After months she needed no revival of the challenging days, nor any apologies.

Payal sighed and tapped her hand with reassurance. Khushi smiled and hugged her sister gently, careful her wet clothes didn’t ruin Payal’s new ones, patted Akash’s back and whispered ‘good luck’ before skipping out of the office. Arnav waited until Khushi was out of sight.

“Payall, I know how it seems….” Arnav started. Payal closed her eyes and willed patience.

“I crossed multiple lines-” Arnav said.

“The one to whom  you owe any apology or explanation isn’t in this room Mr. Raizada.” Payal snapped, “and the explanations provided out of questioning instead of conscience have no value in my eyes.” Payal concluded. Arnav’s jaws tightened. For once he wished Payal yelled or debated, it gave him ground to fight.

But one rarely could if they were confronted with righteous anger and dignity. Arnav looked at Akash who chose to remain silent. For many times Arnav counted on Akash’s silence, be it keeping things private or taking reprieve that at least one member of his family wouldn’t harp on him about marriage.

But now, seeing Akash’s silence when he too knew what the events were, left Arnav all alone to face Payal’s anger. Arnav finally realized why Akash rarely involved himself in others’ battles.

It forced accountability.

Payal waited for Arnav to come up with a reason regardless. If he’d launch into long paragraphs, her remaining respect for him would touch the grounds. Because ever since the day her sister came home unconscious in his arms, Payal stopped giving any heed to Arnav Singh Raizada.

It was his love for his family and the lengths he went to get her and Akash together that made him an average man.

So when Arnav said no further and headed for the door, Payal stopped him.

“A final word, if you don’t mind.” Arnav stood still, giving her his attention “I don’t ever want you to respect my sister because there might be a relationship between the two families one day. I don’t want you to think anymore that she’s behind money because it has been proven that every assumption you’ve ever had of her was wrong.”

“When you do respect her, let it be for the fact that a 20  years old middle class woman with a third of your education, wealth and experience has been providing for a family of five which involves three aged people and a sister with a broken marriage.” Payal said, tears betraying the potent love for her sister.

Arnav briefly nodded and left the room.

“You know right, your broken marriage doesn’t define you.” Akash began, giving Payal a glass of water. Payal softly smiled, not having the energy in her tonight to explain it to him that it is how the society defined her.

“I’m sorry, I should’ve started this on a better note.” Payal said after a moment.

“Payal ji, never apologize for doing the right thing. A part of me loves you because of who you are and how fiercely you love your sister.” Akash pulled a seat for her held her smaller hands in his.

“Then what does the other part of you love me for?” Payal added, her reddened cheeks and soft smile mirrored on Akash’s face.

He leaned in as her eyes closed at their proximity, “For how beautiful you are.”

Payal’s eyes flashed open and her nose brushed against his. She removed her hands and played with the hem of her saree, “Really?”

“No, it’s actually the way you scold Bhai.” Payal stared at his blatant response and broke into a laugh as he chuckled at his statement.

– – –

Arnav sat in the cafe in a fresh suit, Payal’s words playing in his mind in a loop. He closed his eyes and sighed. She was right. Every single assumption he had of Khushi Kumari Gupta had been proven false. From the moment she fell into his arms at Sheesh Mahal to when he’d accuse her of visiting Shantivan to charge extra money from his family.

Speaking of Khushi, where was she?

A familiar prick of awareness seeped through him. Goosebumps broke on his flesh. His heart pumped in a staccato rhythm.

“Khushi,” He whispered even before he saw her. With a soft turn he watched her in the darkness of his office. Little beads of sequins reflected the dim lights. The gossamer red saree left little to imagination.

Khushi stopped still, feeling the heat of his eyes on her. She clenched her fists and sat on the nearest chair she could find - farthest away from him. She prayed, prayed to calm her racing heart, feel the chill of the air instead, to stop the dastardly pull towards the one man who would push her off the cliff.

She barely looked behind and sighed in relief and disappointment when he looked away.

For how long must she rot in these emotions?

– – –

“Akash ji, if you don’t mind, I’d like to ask  you a few questions before we…” go any further. Payal hesitated. Akash was more than the man of her dreams and she wondered if she tested his and Devi Maiyya’s patience by putting every single obstacle instead of accepting the gift of love.

From denial to innumerable questions, was she jinxing her relationship even before it began?

“Please do Payal ji.” Akash smiled, worried at her hesitation. As much as he believed love was at first sight and that he would never regret having Payal in his life, he wondered if he had pushed her into accepting her love. He should’ve waited. True love didn’t come from desperation, it came from patience.

There was still a great distance between them. It was strange. He had thought an ‘I love you’ from both the ends sealed the deal. But now that they lapsed into awkward silence around difficult questions, he wondered if he had ruptured things by hastening it out of fear.

“Akash ji, I do… love you,” Payal confessed, worried at his sudden silence, “but I won’t find any comfort in this love until certain things are clear. Please understand.”

“I absolutely do Payal ji. Please feel free to ask about anything.” Akash reassured her.

“What’s yours and your family’s take on dowry?” For a second Akash was offended at her question. Didn’t she know how much he loved her? How he and his family would never take a cent for such a crime! But looking at her frightened eyes he was ashamed at feeling offended. He had the luxury of never being associated with such folks. She had lived through this.

“The Raizadas have never given nor taken a cent. We did make the mistake of offering a property and farm lands as gifts for one wedding, it is perhaps no surprise things didn’t end up well.” Akash’s mouth soured at the memory of the Maliks. He had never liked that side of the family, even as a child. When he had helped Arnav get back his mother’s property from the Maliks - one Arnav’s uncle had in possession - Akash was glad that his cousin never grew up in that environment.

His Dadi’s friendship and care for Arnav’s Dadi was the only sorepoint between Arnav and Akash. Akash never approved of his brother spending hard earned money behind a member of the family that had only hurt the Raizadas and above all, hurt his dearest cousins. Although his inner emotions couldn’t be revealed to Arnav at a worse time.

“I cannot believe this Papa. Dadi-ji sent Anjali-di to dissuade Bhai from buying Sheesh Mahal!” Akash fumed, clenching his fists to reign in his temper.

“Subhadra Devi-Ji had called Amma. It is the last house her son has.” Mahinder sighed, weary of the fight he had with his own mother, “And Amma said it’s not right for Arnav bitwa to treat ancestral property as a tool for revenge-”

“That property is ours. Phupha-ji got it as dowry. If anything, Bhai and Di deserve to have it back. We’re paying for that woman’s extravagant ashram, it’s enough.” Akash said.

Mahinder shook his head and patted his young son’s shoulder. It was rare to see him so worked up, even for the right reasons, “Akash bitwa, aisa nahi bolte. You know that Amma believes her friend has a good heart after all-”

“I won’t let them misuse Bhai’s newfound fame. I don’t know why Dadi forgets she’s a Malik. That family sucked us dry. I hate it that we have an association with them-” Akash stopped, noticing Arnav on the door, his face ashen.

Arnav said nothing, nearly pretended he heard nothing. He simply lavished Mami with an unlimited access of jewelry from his bank account, Mama was given a significant share from his company, and stopped any of the Raizadas from contributing to Subhadra Malik’s expenses.

Akash knew. That even in a slip of tongue, Arnav took the words to heart and paid the Raizadas ten fold for any kindness they ever showed.

And because Arnav wouldn't accept any apology - for his side of the family was terrible - Akash vowed to stand next to him and never make him feel ‘othered’.

Payal held Akash’s hand, her heart melting at Akash’s sincerity and stories of the extent Arnav went for the family.

“Bhai has quietly become the head of the family. It’s not arrogance, it’s a fact. He looks after everything. And when he has his blessings over this relationship, no one and nothing can come in between because he simply won’t allow it.” Akash reassured her. Payal smiled, finding some hope in the marriage ahead of her.

Perhaps Arnav’s rejection of tradition and Akash’s genuine love was all she needed. To think of it no one apart from his mother scrunch their noses about their class difference. True, at times they were a bit blind in privilege, but that also stemmed from harmlessness.

– – –

Arnav kept looking behind, losing his heart every time he saw the flash of red. He had rarely seen Khushi so quiet. After ten uncomfortably silent minutes, he turned to find her engrossed in some books, highlighting something with a pencil.

It was a mathematics textbook. For children.

Khushi looked up, aware of his questioning gaze and cleared her throat, “Woh… I tutor kids so I’m preparing materials in advance.” Arnav took that as an offer to walk towards her. Khushi tucked back a strand, nervous at their little talk.

“Mathematics?” He asked.

“Yes, I was studying financial management so mathematics had to be my favorite subject. According to Babuji finance is the backbone of any successful venture.” Khushi smiled, recalling her days in college and at the sweet shop. Arnav realized he truly didn’t think about Khushi’s life before they met.

“But I haven’t seen you attend college…” Arnav said, sitting next to her.

“I dropped out.” Khushi said and plastered a big smile on her face, “Anyways according to Babuji real life experiences shape you more than education. So between running a sweet shop in the morning, tutoring kids in the evening and managing orders for Buaji’s chikankari sarees, I’m running quite the enterprise here.” Khushi went back to her book, happy at the way her life shaped. Of course, she’d never want Babuji's ill health, but if she was in Lucknow then she would’ve happily left her college to marry right after Payal did.

It never crossed her mind that there was more to life. There was more to her.

Arnav couldn’t manage to return her smile. It didn’t take a genius to figure out why she couldn’t complete her college. Between the scandal, the loans, resettling to a new city, financial pressure and her father’s health - Khushi’s education would’ve taken the back seat.

And he was responsible for nearly all of it.

“You know, AR is hiring-”

“No.” Khushi said, “I cannot work here.”

“No one refuses Arnav Singh Raizada.” Arnav glared.

“Accha. No, no, no, no.” Khushi stuck her tongue. If only Khushi knew that she was far from annoying, rather quite adorable.

“So what happened to your Babuji’s business… now that you’re running on your own?” Khushi couldn’t believe if Arnav was actually engaging in small talk. It felt new. It felt good. It had been too long since anyone asked her about her life.

“Well they were seized by the loan sharks-” Arnav frowned, “-woh Babuji had given it up for loan for Jiji’s dowry to loan sharks. And then the people refused to return the store back considering Babuji’s fallen goodwill. The scandal-” Khushi grew quiet and Arnav cursed under his breath.

The more he spoke to either of the sisters, the more he learned about the things he wished he didn't.

– – – – – – – –  

“I genuinely loved the dupatta!” Payal gushed over the intricate fabric designing and detail with Akash, enjoying the moment as they bonded over their shared love of textiles. Akash was the finance man, but he was enamored by the beauty of embroidery and the texture of fabrics - except he never had the talent to actually make anything out of it. Although to Arnav that was an asset, Akash would always know if their materials were genuine or if they were being scammed.

“If I knew it was you I would’ve packaged it better!” He confessed. Payal was touched. The fact that Akash was ready to give it a stranger because it would brighten Khushi’s day meant everything. She had seen fate play on someone’s goodness, it was surprising to see someone’s goodness move fate.

“Would you mind if I worked after marriage?” Payal asked.

“Do you want to?” He asked.

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen myself there. I’ve never had ambitious dreams,” Payal admitted. Akash empathized. Ambition was never his asset. On the other hand Khushi and Arnav had heaps of it.

“Payal ji, I might’ve been born with a silver spoon but all I’ve ever wanted is good work and a happy life. Really. And maybe a dog one day.” Akash mused.

“A dog? In a house where there’s a lamb?” Payal chuckled.

“Why, don’t you want one?” Akash asked.

“I’d get another lamb, or maybe a little dove. Khushi loves doves and seeing doves would remind me of her. But… I wouldn’t want them in a cage.” Payal said.

“Bhai’s garden is big enough for a sanctuary for a few birds, but I’m wondering what he would say when they would leave droppings in his pool!” Akash laughed.

“Aur kya kahenge? What the?” Payal growled, imitating Arnav to perfection. Akash clapped at the mimicry and shook his head, “It looks like I’ll have to create a garden for the doves.”

“And I’ll have to teach the dog to be calm - especially around the doves, Lakshmi and future children.” Payal dreamed.

“Children?” Akash asked.

“Kyun, you don’t want any?” She questioned. Akash did look like he’d be an excellent father. Graceful, patient, calm and a listener. If that wasn’t like Babuji, who else was?

“Only if they look like you.” He smiled as Payal turned a pretty red in shyness. Akash brushed a tendril away from her face and stroked her cheek with the back of her fingers.

“Akash-” the lights went off, leaving them in the darkness.

– – – – – – – –

“Hey Devi Maiyya!” Khushi gasped as she couldn’t see anything. Before she could move, Arnav's hand found hers.

“It’s ok Khushi. The generator should kick in soon.” Arnav’s firm voice instantly calmed her nerves. It was alright. He was here. She is not alone. Her nails dug into his skin. Her palms had turned clammy.

To Khushi’s relief Arnav switched on his phone’s flashlight.

“Fuck,” Arnav swore under his breath. His phone battery was at ten percent. Why wasn’t the generator working?

“Khushi, wait here. I’ll go the studio and grab some candles-”

“Nahi, please…” Khushi gripped his hand tighter.

Arnav tugged her along. They made it to the fusebox, a candle in place of the dying flashlight. For a moment Khushi was arrested by his face lighting up by the flame. His expressionless face was scrunched in worry. Arnav realized he was being watched.

“Kya hua? Tum theek ho?” Khushi nodded and looked at the board. Strange, everything looked fine. Even the fuse was intact.

Arnav leaned by her, Khushi stiffened at the proximity. He bent to her eye level, looking at all the switches. She could feel his breathing, the heat his body emanated.

“Oh of course! I completely forgot that we had the electricity maintenance-” Arnav stopped as his nose brushed against hers, their faces close up next to each other. Words died out as her large eyes looked deep into his. His eyes flickered to her lips and her breath hitched.

He gulped as her lips parted. It had been so long since something right had happened. Memories of Diwali and the photoshoot intermingled with his hidden fantasies. Time lost its essence to Khushi. All she could see was him, his eyes and his lips. Desire flowed like blood through her veins. There was so much tension in his face. If she could only brush it away.

Arnav leaned in, without rationale, and Khushi inched up, on instinct. His arm slipped to her waist and her hand rose to his cheek. Arnav closed his eyes at the touch of her fingertips but froze, feeling the metal band of her ring on his cheek.

Khushi’s trance snapped, the diamond of her engagement ring shining brightly in the candlelight. Horror flooded her face. What was she about to do? Arnav sprang back, his breath harsh. What had he just done? The lights came back to life, revealing their darkest desires to each other. Without a word Arnav turned around and rushed out of the room.

– – – – – – – – – –

Akash and Payal exchanged the sweetest glances across the rearview mirror as Arnav drove them all home. A slow romantic ballad played on the radio and Arnav held the steering wheel in a tight grip. Khushi stared out of the window, bothered by her own immorality.

He was Lavanya’s! She was betraying her best friend.

Khushi saw the stars above, twinkling in the clear night and she didn’t have the courage to meet them. She had sinned. For he was anothers.

Who would help her in this crisis? Who could?

Payal reached out and squeezed Khushi’s hands. She had seen Khushi look lost throughout the day. She gestured if everything was alright with her - Khushi only smiled back in response. She didn’t even realize when they stopped near Preeto’s house at an alley where they could be safely dropped off without any nosy neighbors.

Akash led Payal down the SUV, his heart hammering with joy and anticipation. So much was said and so much was left to be said. Payal’s mind urged her to hug before they left, but her sensibilities of society prevented her from doing so.

Khushi realized after a moment that she and Arnav were alone in the car. She immediately tried to remove her seatbelt but fumbled in her nervousness. Arnav walked around, opened the door and removed her seatbelt. His eyes no longer bore warmth. Khushi knew very well what that look meant. She ignored his hand and stepped out of his car.

“Just so you-”

“For the love of God don’t say anything.” Khushi warned him, anger sitting as tears in her eyes. She could not bear another word. Arnav stood still, clenching his jaw. He didn’t know if he intended to give an explanation to her or to himself.

“Akash!” Payal called out to Akash, and the shy lovers met for a hidden hug behind the car. At first there was hesitation, which slowly melted as he leaned awkwardly to match her height.

Khushi pulled the edge of her saree, it was minutes away from ripping. Arnav rolled his eyes and moved to tug it free but she stepped away,

“Stay away,” She hushed, aware of Akash and Payal.

“It would’ve ripped-”

“Then let it rip, aapko kya farak padta hai?” She snapped, pulling off her saree that left a little tear. Arnav growled, he wasn’t an idiot to not realize that this conversation was a painful continuation of the ones left abruptly before.

Yet, his ego stung.

“Don’t get any ideas, you mean nothing-”

“Exactly! You’re Lavanya ji’s, we must never meet again.” Khushi decided, tears of anger flowing down her cheeks. Burned, Arnav got into the car and slammed it shut - shocking Akash and Payal who embarrassedly pulled away, cheeks tinged in red.

Payal mistook Khushi’s urgency as the threat of Buaji questioning the delay and Akash misunderstood Arnav’s urgency as his usual nausea to affection.

Long after Arnav reached Shantivan, he paced throughout his room, a niggling doubt solidifying over time. Ever since he and Khushi were engaged - to different people - Khushi always mentioned his engagement. For someone very chatty, she spoke about anyone and anything except her fiance.  

You’re Lavanya ji’s…

So what about Khushi? Who did she belong to in this world of commitment? Arnav was aware of the arranged setup that seemed to have been exchanged between Khushi and her fiance… but if he could read her well, she just didn’t want to not marry, she despised it.

She despised her fiance.

“Khushi… what the hell are you doing?” He murmured, unaware of the irony.

But it wasn’t lost on Akash who stood by the door, listening to Arnav’s murmur. The discord he long suspected between Arnav and Lavanya was not due to the former’s commitment issues or the latter’s drastic change of opinion of marriage. 

Arnav had tragically fallen in love with the wrong person at the wrong time.

– – – – – – – – – – – –

Payal paced in front of the bathroom, her concern growing as Khushi took a late evening shower in cold water.

“Haye re Nandkisore! We barely have water saved and the queen needs to take a bath after a simple outing!” Madhumati complained. She was touched by the exclusive gifts Preeto had given Payal and Khushi - the yellow and red saree looked exquisite! And laughed at the kids' childishness to wear the gifted outfits and come home.

“Buaji, let Khushi ji be.” Shyam sweet talked to Madhumati, both sharing a secret smile over what happened minutes ago. And for all his honeyed words - he couldn’t match Payal’s suspicious eyes.

“Khushi, you look beautiful.” Khushi was startled as Shyam dropped the ji, walking incredibly close to her. Panicked, she looked around to find Buaji smiling and turning around - giving the couple their ‘privacy’. After all, to-be-newlyweds must spend some time together!

Shyam looked around and then grabbed her wrist,

“No one is watching us, don’t worry.” His fingers traced her arm.

“S-Shyam ji, this isn’t right!” Khushi snatched her hand back.

“Why? We’re engaged aren’t we?” He smiled. Khushi balked at the predatory glint in his eyes and started to sweat. A hand moved to her face-

Khushi splashed the water over herself, shaking as the cold seeped into her body. What if Payal hadn’t interrupted him? She scrubbed the soap over her wrist multiple times. The touch… it felt wrong. She muffled her sob, cleaned up and got out of the washroom - giving Payal her best smile.

Payal couldn’t return it. Shyam and Khushi were a couple. Yet what she saw, even in the flicker of a second, frightened her.

It looked anything but romantic.

Madhumati and Garima were deep into a conversation, they saw Khushi and stood up. Fear crawled in Khushi’s stomach. Every single time the two had something to say to Khushi it was the worst.

“Khushi, Lata saw you and Shyam babua together at the patio. Granted you two are marrying but everyone must keep boundaries. Shyam babua is very kind and mature enough to promise not to visit anymore in the evening.” Khushi wanted to protest, minutes ago Madhumati had been the one who left them alone!

“And hence, a decision has been made.” Madhumati spoke, giving little room to anyone else present.

“In three weeks you and Shyam babua will be married.”

- - - 

A/N: Hey there! Thank just in case if you actually remember the story! I’m finally back with an update and I sincerely hope you liked it - just a couple of chapters left for me to wrap this up!

- JWB

Tagging: @butaneandthebeast @shaonsim @shiyaravi @myloveforstuff @leila1 @lostafpanda@laadgovernorandsankadevi @laad-governess @thenainitaldisaster @maansiloves@chutkiandchotte @honeybellexox @bigfatreader @simplycurlz @thecharlesboyle@sapnokiduniyaisalwaysbetter @zaphbeeblebrox @shehzaadimira @pakki-ya-nahin@mindpdnim @jaanedil @pandora-678 @featheredclover @rae-blogging @goals1024@onadaanparindey @magicfeltmybloop @acroakingbird @blogenana @starzin8s@exosexosekai @noor1025 @ijustchangedmyname@delicatecloudfestivalweasel @sankititaliya @dvk-ok @roqiaposts​ @white-thebeauty​ @childofsquidward​ @maansiloves​ @shehzaadimira​ 

[if you want to be added/removed from tags lemme know!]

[seeker-for-arts]

Headcannons for the Aetheria theater girls

Following a short discussion in the RAIN COAT!! discord server, I decided to write a headcannon post for the Aetheria theater girl trio and their reception towards physical affection - mostly hugging.

This post contains full spoilers for Chapter 2 of Raincode; it only makes sense once you have finished Chapter 2.

Waruna

Even before Aiko's death, physical affection has always been met with a big fat "no" from Waruna - it doesn't fit her image of the bullheaded actress of the theater club who does what she wants on her own terms. She has this energy of a skittish cat who will back off and hiss warily at someone slowly extending their hand towards her in an attempt to pet her. Any sign of trying to initiate "that touchy-feely stuff" will earn you a deadly glare and only one warning to back off, and further advancement might result in the poor soul getting decked on the back of their head.

Amongst the quartet of close friends, she's slightly less aggressive, but will still vehemently resist any show of affection, primarily from Aiko or Yoshiko (before the former's passing, that is). Any attempts for a congratulatory hug from either of them after a killer performance are usually met with a gentle shove and a roll of her seafoam green eyes.

Although, very rarely, she will accept the physical contact without protest if she sees that the initiator truly needs that silent comfort for one reason or another; an example of this happening would be the heart-to-heart she had with Yoshiko a few months after the fallout of Aiko's death, during which both girls broke down and expressed the hopelessness they felt over the situation. It was a tender, vulnerable moment that Waruna keeps close to her heart, and not a soul outside of Yoshiko and Kurane knows of the incident.

(The aforementioned heart-to-heart is an idea I adopted from Murder Pact by AKhaos, which is a fic that stars the three girls.)

Yoshiko

After Aiko's death, however, Yoshiko grew to become more guarded, and less accepting of affection as a result. She won't threaten to claw your eyes out, unlike Waruna, but she will try to quickly wriggle out of a hug when given one, before giving a gentle explanation that she doesn't like that kind of contact anymore. She only initiates physical contact if the recipient obviously needs it as comfort, and doesn't do more outside of that. The other theater club members understand and respect this, knowing how close their new leader was to Aiko and how she may have been affected by her death, even if they don't know the true extent.

Yoshiko used to love physical affection back when the group was still together, and received hugs and the like without any issue. She was the other "hugger" amongst the quartet aside from Aiko, being the second-most frequent initiator of compassionate hugs towards her close friends. She sincerely respects their boundaries, of course, but as Waruna has frequently complained about, sometimes it feels like she gives hugs to her snappy fashionista friend for no reason other than to annoy her.

The only people she has no issue receiving physical affection from post-Aiko's death are Waruna and Kurane, although that only happens once in a blue moon, because Kurane would rather be tasked to help calibrate the sound system of the theater hall than to give any physical affection, and Waruna is, well, Waruna.

Kurane

Let's make one thing clear here:

Kurane does not initiate physical contact.

Getting touchy and up-close with someone else is just... not her thing, okay?!

She's not a social butterfly! Half of the time, she's alone in her own corner in class, and she would like to keep it that way; hugs and the like are not her domain!

She would not necessarily deck you for hugging her or giving her an assuring pat on the back (the most she will do if the action was unasked for is to firmly push you away), but please do not ask her to do the physical contact; that is out of the question.

...

With that out of the way, it should be clarified that the wallflower actress doesn't completely reject any and all forms of physical affection. Unlike a certain fashionista, Kurane understands when someone might want to offer that silent reassurance that there was a listening soul; her only stipulation is to ask for her consent first before initiating the contact.

She isn't very reactive towards shows of physical affection, with a small smile being the extent of how she expresses her thanks. Despite that, she truly is grateful for the concern being shown by the initiator, and can only hope that the other person understands the depth of her gratitude. The other three are more attuned to how she expresses her emotions, and thus they usually have no problem picking up on her feelings.

[the-purple-elf]

Disappearing Act

There was a stiff crackle as the arcane barrier faded long enough for a figure to step through. The hood was pulled back to reveal long, white hair.

"Well, well, I knew you couldn't stay away," came the soft spoken greeting from the prisoner slumped in the corner of the pristine cell. Bright arcane shackles bound his hands and ankles, preventing movement, but his head lifted, the glowing gaze raking up the length of her body.

Xalendyra ignored the jab. "Three long years since your execution was ordered. Yet here you remain,” she said with irritation. “At the very least you did me the favor of granting our divorce.”

Monty bowed his head in mock acknowledgement. "Along with a substantial portion of my fortune. Don’t let it be said that I never did anything for you.”

Dyra let out a sarcastic “hmph” and clasped her fingers together to keep them from shaking. The rage he inspired within her was unquenchable.

“You gave me your fortune? I took it. Along with your estate, and your family’s sympathy. You’re nothing to them now.”

It was his turn to smirk. He lowered his eyes demurely, his stringy black hair obscuring his vision. It wasn’t as if he could push his hair out of his face if he wanted to, bound as he was. “Is that so?” he asked quietly, his voice gravelly. Something in his tone caused a shiver to run up her spine.

It made her wonder if the control she’d assumed over these three years hadn’t been control at all, but her playing right into his hands. Certainly he couldn’t pull any strings from here?

“Hadn’t you heard? It’s a new Suramar. One that values honor, strength of commitment over strength of arms, and one that believes in rehabilitation rather than punishment. After all, we are so few compared to the Horde. Such a pity to lose another Suramar citizen needlessly after so many lost.”

Dyra let out a sudden bark of laughter.  But it was not as sharp as she intended. “You’re mad. You’re speaking nonsense. I was at your trial. I heard the recounting of your crimes. You committed treason!”

He lifted his head and straightened his back, pulling his knees up to his chest and resting his bound wrists on them. “I believe…yes…the question arose of intent. Was it knowingly committing treason? Or was it…unknowingly committing treason by reason of coercion? The promises…the threats…the Burning Legion is very good at manipulating intentions. My willpower was simply no match.”

As he spoke, she saw white spots creeping into her vision. The room swam briefly. Her long nails drove into the skin of her hands, willing him to stop talking. For none of this to be true.

“No one would believe that. No one.”

“They don’t need to believe anything. It’s the truth,” he replied calmly.

“You’re lying.”

“I expect to receive word at any moment that my sentence has been reduced to time served plus a century or two of probation.”

“That’s impossible. They…they’ve already executed other traitors.”

“With more compelling evidence of their treason, I’m sure.”

Dyra turned and gripped onto the bars of his cell, shutting her eyes tightly for a few moments to gain her composure. There she was again, his pawn, a lesser being who could never win at a game of wits with him. And he was at it again, but this time bringing more than just her into his whirlpool of deceit.

“I… don’t believe you,” she stammered, rushing out of the cell.

—

It was true. All of it. The next time she came to visit, his cell was empty. A simple note was left for her, reading, “Until we meet again.” She crumpled the note and threw it onto the floor, stamping on it, then pounding her fists against the wall in anger. The guard nearby looked at her quizzically. “Are you all right, Lady?”

“I’m…I’m fine. I just need a moment.” She patted herself down for her communicator, and tapped it briefly before typing out, “You won’t believe what just happened!!” The cursor flashed rhythmically on the screen, her finger hovering over the send button. The recipient: Dicenne. No…no. He didn’t need her shit. She could deal with it. She had just told him everything was great. And now it wasn’t. All over again.

“He was a shit bag, to be honest. I know how he got out,” came a slow drawl. Her attention ripped from the communicator, she pocketed it and squinted into the darkness of the nearby cell.

“Silence, prisoner.” The guard rapped his polearm on the ground.

“I wouldn’t get your panties in a twist about it,” continued the voice. “Nobility like him has connections.”

Dyra’s ear twitched, and she stepped forward, trying to see into the darkness. As her vision adjusted, she saw a male figure, unshackled, doing push ups with one hand. “I am also nobility, but even I don’t have connections that would free me from a sentence of treason.”

“Guess that makes you a shitty noble, then,” he spoke between grunts of exertion.

The casual manner of his insult rankled her, and she turned away to leave. But something nagged at her. “How did he do it, then?”

The prisoner grunted rhythmically before switching to the other arm. “I can guarantee money or favors of some sort exchanged hands. There’s always shady shit happening in the upper echelons.”

“Are you some kind of noble with such insight?” Dyra moved closer until her hands rested on the bars. He stopped long enough to lift his head. Unwashed dingy brown strands fell away from his face revealing fel-tainted eyes.

He smiled. “A shitty one.”

Dyra tilted her head, fighting not to return the grin, then turned to the guard. “What is he here for? Murder?”

“Murder? I’m flattered,” the sin’dorei spoke.

“Debts,” the guard answered. “He racked up quite a sum in the gambling halls, and has, it seems, an insatiable lust for arcwine.”

“Don’t forget about those fights I got into,” the sin’dorei ticked off each finger. “And the escape attempt. And the shiner I gave you durin’ that escape attempt. There was also some public indecency involved.”

The guard pressed his lips together, clearly a sore subject.

“How long is he supposed to stay?” Dyra interrupted.

“Until his debts are paid or someone comes forward to pay them on his behalf,” the guard responded.

“How long has he been here?”

“Years,” the guard responded.

“Don’t need charity. But I do need therapy after bein’ stuck with your ex all this time,” the sin’dorei quipped.

“What is bigger, I wonder, your ego or your…” Her eyes traveled down his muscular frame. “Muscles?”

He did not respond.

“I will go to the Halls of Justice and pay his debt,” Dyra spoke, as if invoking her nobility at that moment. She turned to leave.

“Hey, you know, I’m just fine here, you don’t need to go and do that,” he edged closer to the bars. In the light, she could now see he was an older male, of perhaps middle age, with a few silver hairs dotting his beard. A few laugh lines creased the corners of his eyes, leading Dyra to believe he might have a sense of humor. She was at least a good foot taller than him, but he looked built, sort of top heavy, while she was more slender with a librarian’s physique.

“Me and Reggie here are good friends now, and I’m pretty sure he’d miss me.”

“For the last time, my name is not Reggie,” the guard snapped.

Her eyes narrowed intently. This sin’dorei was hiding. And using incarceration as an excuse to avoid something. Interesting.

“I’m Xalendyra,” she smiled, trying to dispel the discomfort of her piercing gaze. She could have thrown the fluffy titles in there, but she was, as he said, a “shitty noble.” But she was learning, and right now, she was getting herself a favor to be cashed in later.

“All right, if you insist. It might not be a bad thing to see the sky again.” A hand stuck through the bars. She looked at it suspiciously, then took it. It was warm and calloused. He squeezed her hand firmly.

“Pleasure to meet you, sweet cheeks. I’m Saviero Deterre of House Velstand.”

[jae-canikeepyou]

| kismet | j.jh | final part

pair: jaehyun x fem!reader

word count: 8.3k+

summary: his parents sends him for a month long vacation to the country side to meet his other half, which so happens to be you. and alternatively, your beloveds asks of you to be in your best behaviour while he’s around. disliking how things turn out, you both come up with a pact with each other before your two families gathers together for christmas eve dinner.

genre: arranged marriage + bad 1st impressions

a/n: oh no i left this out far too long >< i hope you all enjoy reading it lovelies!

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

| part one | part two |

broken, you felt yourself losing grip of anything your hands tried to grab hold onto, because if anything, his gaze numbed you to the point you cowered your head from him. your lips agaped, dropping the apple while the water kept running. your mind juggled with bits and pieces of ideas coming from him, his behaviour, reaction and what your father mentioned. you tried to put them together to complete the picture to reach a conclusion of what you were feeling now.

jaehyun’s ears went from pink to red, his demeanour remained unfazed. you both stared at each other in silence as you waited for whoever would speak first. in his eyes, he knew you were to explode but was surprised to see you rather collected. “given you’re not answering me just proves it?” you crossed your arms, fingers tapping your arms.

you hated the tension when you first met him, even more so now when he picked up the fallen apples— intentionally ignoring you and as if he had no clue. “and if i say yes, what will you do?”

johnny helped hendery with stacking presents by the door for the annual gift giving, orphans being the recipients. your best friend was about to convince mark that children were actually adorable when they heard your voices growing louder in volume. it was muffled due to the music, and tried their best to make some words out from it. they’d like to believe this was only one of the few quarrels, since a day never passed without you both getting on each others’ ends.

but they were wrong. the music faded in the right timing, and that was when they heard it.

*slap*

their eyes widened and looked at the kitchen area, jaehyun held his cheek with head down low. you were breathless, shoulders heaving and palms closing from the impact. “you knew and you didn’t tell me?! you had the whole day and never thought about how i’d feel?!”

they looked at each other with raised brows, hoping any one of them could answer the only question in their heads. is it another quarrel?

whilst hendery and johnny held the arc entrance of the hallway and hid behind the pine tree respectively, mark was awkwardly sitting on the sofa— forearms rested and with earphones plugged. he squinted an eye open as he felt the others feeling the same way. they conversed with their eyes whether or not should he move or keep ‘sleeping’, leaving mark to decide to stay put in his place.

jaehyun swirled his tongue to one side that it was shown he didn’t like pain throbbing his flesh. “was that your way of being affectionate too?” he scoffed and scruntised you deeply, putting pressure on your habit you told him before. and you recalled it;

“it’s my way of being affectionate.” you laid on the grass and while he copied your laying action.

“by being violent?” jaehyun moaned as he asked. “ever thought that a pat in the back would be better?”

out of embarrassment and shame because he remembered it, you were about to slap him again, yet he was a step ahead of you and held your wrist. “so i guess this is what you meant when you misbehave..” he took a step closer, his figure engulfing your small frame. “didn’t expect you to be more.. violent than usual-”

“you didn’t answer my question.” squirming your arm led to him gripping it harder. “oh my gosh! this was just like last time! what’s with you not telling me important things beforehand?! first with johnny and now my dad! why didn’t you tell me?!”

“here’s what you don’t get y/n. would you still believe me if i did?” he asked with furrows of the brows. silence. he jutted his lips, followed by curved lips of disbelief. “no, right?”

he was damn right. it wouldn’t make much difference if you knew it before or after. either way you’d still react, cause a scene and misbehave like he said. you stomped his foot, letting him release you.

“i can’t believe you! you know how much it means to me to get his approval! i prepared so much that i ended up embarrassing myself instead of feeling proud that i finally told dad what i wanted to do!”

“i just thought that i might offend you okay?! i got a bit worried that maybe you’re too assured your dad would accept it this time where in fact he never will-”

“what the hell? are you serious? jaehyun, choosing not to say anything offended me! if you’re that scared of hurting my feelings, you already did! ugh it’s like you enjoy seeing me suffer!” you yelled, heaving in deep breaths that every word you uttered have slurred.

the boys who listened felt the pain through your voice; that was trying your best to holding it in before breaking down repetitively. as much they want to enter and to stop the argument from getting worse, they couldn’t.. because jaehyun blocked your way to exit the kitchen, the house too. again his long limbs and large torso enveloped you, its shadow already frightened you.

“hurt?” he touched his chin as he thought deeply. “ever crossed your mind you’re doing the same to me?! three weeks y/n! three weeks! i had to follow orders from a woman i don’t even love just so that she could save her ass from all work! and here you didn’t think i was hurt?! just how conceited are you?!”

“wow! i had every right to so don’t question me and my choices!” you tried to push your way through yet he wouldn’t budge. “if there’s a choice i made wrong then that was for me to stoop so low to your level because of the pact you came up with!”

johnny straightened his back, ears not believing that what he heard was true. he had doubts before but now it was confirmed. there was a pact between jaehyun and you.

if the other boys were shocked to hear such plan plotted secretly, your family and jaehyun’s parents took it quite differently. they entered the living and kitchen area at the exact moment, after hearing screams coming out from the house.

jaehyun’s arm was brushed aside from the brutal force you did. he rolled his eyes as his patience was clearly running out and grabbed your arm. “level? please. don’t put me in same pool of stupidity as you!”

“why?! it’s because you’re a doctor in training and i’m not? ‘career choices define intelligence’ my ass, are you belittling me?“

“sure does! why do you think i have to go my way to teach you about it then-”

“jeong jaehyun.” mrs. jeong along with others stood and rushed inside. she looked at her son with a glare that caused him to freeze. “what pact is she talking about?”

“nothing.” jaehyun spat and massaged his arm. “i don’t understand her.”

you let out a short chuckle, all eyes were on you now of your reaction. “why are you suddenly acting innocent, mastermind? you’re the one who came up with all this!”

jaehyun loosened his top button of his shirt, sweat rolled down his body from both heat of the house and the conversation with you. “what the? you’re just as involved with the conditions as i am! stop playing victim!”

“please guys. it’s christmas eve, can’t you both deal with your lovers’ quarrel later? your mood swings are ruining the vibe.” marg flicked your arm.

“she’s not my lover!”

“he’s not my lover!”

seeing your father at the far back of the living room, his expression darkened at your behaviour. great, this wasn’t how you wanted it to be. you’ve had chances to prove yourself that you’ve grown as a person and it only took one night for that chance to slip away. you could almost see nothing, blacking in and out of consciousness as you tried not to let more anger consume you. but every time you closed your eyes, jaehyun’s face always appeared, angering you like than before.

the pressure to tell them the truth was like walking on a tight rope. you were afraid of falling; falling into your pool of failures, because as of now you would never reach the other side, that is, meeting your father’s expectations you’ve been trying to grasp.

“what’s this pact?” your mother stepped in front, her voice raising a little for you to speak up. “hm?”

you knew what would happen if you did tell them, the pressure was working its way nevertheless. “it’s his idea. he wanted us to convince you all that we wouldn’t work out, and that you and his parents would drop the marriage.”

your eyes never left the rest. you wiped the brimming tears, yet fell uncontrollably, out of overwhelming feelings; anger, rage, embarrassment and most of all, your shame showered like slow rain the than violent storm. you felt more of a failure now than ever. there were more people seeing the way you actually were.

mr. y/l/n frowned with arms unfolding from his chest. “and where’s your part in this?” he asked you. you cowered your head, not wanting to meet his eyes.

jaehyun witnessed your meek attitude towards your father. he couldn’t help but feel bad though he was cross with you. “i asked her to do it with me. she was right, it was my idea.”

“is it really? i certainly do not believe you would do such thing jaehyun.” your father replied. “perhaps she too agreed with it because she thought she could escape this.”

“you’ve only known him a day and you trust him more than you do to me?” you cried as you shook your head. all you ever wanted was your father’s love and acceptance. “but yeah dad. you’re not wrong, i do want to escape. from this-” you paused and finally you looked at him. “from you. you think i would benefit from it if i stayed.”

your mother looked confused, as if she wasn’t told the whole story; while your father seemed to have avoided her gaze. “benefit from what? what does she mean, honey?”

you pursed your lips and sighed. you couldn’t handle any of this. your mom could be pretending since the jeong’s were here. she too cared about the family’s reputation. “do i really have to say it out loud?” you sniffed. “marrying jaehyun was only way to shut me up about continuing veterinary, and that he was the perfect spouse for it.”

the said guy swifted his head toward you at the mention of his name. “i’m sick and tired of trying prove myself when none of you see the pain i’ve been through. and to add salt to the wound you really had to pair me with some guy who crushed my dreams by his existence.”

“you’re blaming me for your own misery? and then use that to pity yourself? disgusting.” jaehyun groaned as tensions continued to rise. “what the hell y/n, you judged me before you even met me.”

“couldn’t help it when my family here kept bragging endlessly about your achievements. i would’ve been in your shoes if they let me be.” you maintained a blank face as you competed with his gaze. “so in case you’re really that dense..” you rubbed your arms. “..they’re basically saying they’d prefer a perfect accomplished child like you over me. there’s no use in us competing on who was hurt more..”

“..because i’m already damaged before you met me.”

you took your coat and headed towards the door and your mother reached her arm out, yet stayed in her place. jaehyun looked at her strangely, like she did no effort to even try to stop you. then he saw it. there was a glint in her eyes where she hoped you’d act mature. however, he was starting to understand that the problem wasn’t never you.

the blizzard was just starting to worsen when hendery couldn’t stay still. seeing you head out the door without second guessing had him turning heads to your parents whom were doing nothing to stop you until hendery’s deja vu had been realised. “what are you doing y/n? y/n don’t do this!”

you only gave a small smile at your bestfriend and glared at your parents for the last time before slamming the wooden platform behind you. echoes of your name haunted your ears. even hendery’s tone was the same as before, but you had to turn that with a blind eye.

hendery immediately opened the door with wet snow and strong wind entering the household. “i’m going.” he said in a low voice, looking at your parents by which they behaved as he expected them to be; just like before-

“y/n get back inside!” your father yelled a second too late. he and his wife wouldn’t know what to do when you begin to be uncontrollable.

hendery grabbed his keys. “we can’t let her go far in the blizzard. don’t worry, i’ll get her.”

“i’m coming too.” jaehyun wore his coat and shoes. “she’s so stupid for going out in this horrid weather.”

“take it. we’ll ride on my motorcycle.” he wore his coat, tossing an extra helmet to jaehyun. “it’s just like last time.. we have to find her before she gets into another accident.”

another? jaehyun froze more than the temperature from the snow. he recalled the conversation he had with him, mentioning that you were in the road to recovery. was it similar to what was happening now? he had many questions, but hendery already seemed too tensed to take any of them. “what do you mean?” he mounted on the vehicle.

“didn’t i tell you about it?” hendery yelled through the whistles of the slashing wind.

“you were vague-”

“ah..” he trailed off. “uhm. this time a few years back, m’lady’s accident was just like this. she got on jet without a saddle and injured herself.”

crap. why was he so late to realise when things had gotten bad? it was no wonder why he was always tasked to do heavy duties at the barn by you. you weren’t being stubborn, bossy or lazy, or perhaps maybe the routines seemed too repetitive for you.

the answer was simple, and he didn’t take word for it.

“was the weather at the time this bad too?” his dimples deepened.

“not exactly.”

the engine started and hendery spoke in a low voice, he had a look in which jaehyun’s gut feeling proved accurate. “it was way worse because there was already a storm rumbling in her home. she was affected from that compared to the actual weather.”

jaehyun caught on quickly from the weight and the meaning of his words. he couldn’t help but hope you’d be alright.

—

skies didn’t appear clear for you since you stood your ground against your parents’ ideals. that was two years ago. you couldn’t believe there wasn’t any difference from what had happened earlier. were your tears really this held-in that they couldn’t seem to stop from falling? they froze just as your heart did when your father favoured jaehyun. you yelled in frustration whilst holding on to jet’s reins, not bothering how far you’ve travelled. yet of course, you cared about the accident happening a second time.

a cave at the far end of your peripheral caught your attention, and led jet straight into it. your horse seemed agitated about going out in this condition and you fell from his back and onto the icy ground. you had no strength left. whether you were cold from the snow and blizzard or tired from confrontation, you just knew you were exhausted— both physically and mentally,

to the point you didn’t notice that jet left your side and went back to the direction of the barn.

hendery and jaehyun have been travelling for thirty minutes. in their minds there was still no sign of your figure or jet’s. they couldn’t let this pass or postpone it to tomorrow. jaehyun knew that even in a span of nearly a month, you were the stubborn kind, hard-headed and arrogant that you think everything that went your way was right.

this wasn’t.

it was getting dark too. the lampposts that were guiding their direction have flickered several times, while some already short-circuited. where could she be? jaehyun wondered as he rose a little from the vehicle to see the distance in front. the storm were to go violent than ever, they knew the figure heading towards them had to be you. no one would dare to go out in this weather. hendery recognised the horse, and to his dismay, you weren’t with it.

he grabbed the horse’s leash, pulling it to the covered area under tall pine trees. “where’s your rider, boy? where’s y/n?” he took off his goggles to see where jet was nodding in a specific direction.

while hendery seemed clueless, jaehyun knew the animal’s behaviour. he was a veterinary student after all and mounted on top of the horse. “stay here, i’ll get y/n back.” jaehyun told your best friend.

and little did he know that hendery thought real deep into what he just said. “get her back as in fix your complicated relationship?” he mumbled softly.

—

the fire from the heater flickered its smoke, waking you from your slumber. it felt warm but you weren’t exactly home, because you were at the barn. jet’s body surrounded yours like a huge neck pillow. you felt a sharp stinging pain as if you were being electrocuted in attempts to sit up. “why’d you bring me here?” you groaned and alerting the boy with you.

“why’re you so stupid for going out in the blizzard?” hendery cupped your hands with two small bean bag warmers. “m’lady, do you know how worried i was?”

you let out a small chuckle. it was hard to believe that someone who wasn’t blood related to you was more worried for your well being, excluding marg, hendery was the only one. “at least someone worried..” you hugged your legs towards your chest.

he leaned back on his palms. “not just me. jaehyun was worried sick, even left me with jet in the snow. he brought you here with my motorcycle knowing that you wouldn’t want to be at the house.”

even more unbelievable. “so, did the jeongs leave?”

“how could they? they travelled hours just to get here. they’ll probably stay until new year’s.” hendery poked your cheeks. “you and jaehyun had a rough start and i understand how annoying it is to have each other on the necks for three weeks.. but are you really keeping this up until new year’s?”

“i’ve held it like this so far. i could it for another lifetime. he probably helped me just to look good in front of my parents. not sure if he really intended to.” you began to argue with your best friend, but you could never ever win against him, seeing him roll his eyes. “ugh you’re gonna rant again are you?”

“it’s because you don’t get the point! jaehyun’s not the type of guy, you know it. you’re denying his kindness even though he teases you plenty. i don’t know if you’re just dense or really stubborn. he wouldn’t bring you back if he didnt’t intend to help you.” he paused almost immediately after seeing you flinch in the condition you were in. “anyway how’s your back?”

you rolled your eyes at his annoying chatterbox mouth. aren’t you supposed to be on my side? you grumbled. the pain’s existence didn’t occur to you until he mentioned it. you forgot about your accident and you partially blamed it on jaehyun for occupying your mind and time.

now that you’ve been reminded, the pain seemed to hurt more than it ever did. you sat up with a few grunts and sighs, and hendery’s ears perked up knowing that it might’ve gotten worse. “nothing unusual.” you retorted to avoid the topic.

“your nose scrunch says otherwise.” hendery grinned as he slid next to you. “it’s a habit you’ll never get rid of.” he checked your back to check for bruises or broken bones, followed by small presses to see if you’d react. “but hey y/n.. what i said earlier.. about jaehyun.. i wasn’t kidding you know?”

oh no. you knew hendery was serious when he would start calling you by your name rather than m’lady.

your silence grew longer. and in that silence your thoughts trailed to infinity.

if jaehyun hadn’t found you, would you still be here? frostbite was possible. you knew how traumatising it was to be injured in the cold. then again, it seemed as if your two sides of conscience were battling each other. or rather, your mind said to make up and apologise to jaehyun— for what he had done for and with you so far. yet your heart refused to soften for him, because to you, he was your enemy. more of, he was the ideal person you’d never become.

what would your own dignity mean after storming out of the house? your parents probably took the action as your final decision; you ran away.

whether it was the sentiment of christmas or just one of those times you would feel lonely, tonight had to be your breaking and lowest point. tears began to fall tremendously and you didn’t dare to wipe them away. hendery probably misunderstood you for being in pain, but in reality, it was all guilt.

“ah.” you sobbed and hiccuped like a wee child. “i hate it.. when you’re always right.”

“and i love it when i always prove you wrong.” he happily sung at your surrendered remark. “apologise to jaehyun, okay? because between the two of you, he was more innocent and you shouldn’t drag him into your family issues or your resentment. and also because-”

you hated it when you were vulnerable, especially in front of your best friend. “..i wasn’t in my best behaviour, i get it. heard you a hundred times.”

“thanks for completing my sentence.” he messed your hair and pulled you into a hug. “make it your new year’s resolution. talk it out with jaehyun.”

“i’ll do it before the year ends.” you mumbled as you covered your face.

“even better.”

the conversation ended from there and outside the barn, jaehyun stood at the door’s frame with hands in pockets, it was what hendery asked him to do. his face went grim and aura had changed after listening. originally jaehyun planned to rest up after settling you in the barn. your words still hurt him like a dagger to his heart. hendery read the tension and pleaded him to stay a while and claimed that he would have the ‘talk’ with you.

and there it was. a side of you he hadn’t seen. after all you were a child who wanted her parents’ approval, love and attention, yet didn’t get enough.

jaehyun walked back to the house with white snow crunching from underneath.. head filled with troubled and uneasy thoughts.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

you never imagined it would be this awkward— home alone with jaehyun as your parents made you both “grounded” for last night’s commotion. not like you cared about going skiing anyway.

it was how you cared more about what jaehyun felt now. he was clearly keeping his distance and chose to not talk to you. sure he had the right to feel so since you’ve said things that were way out of line, but you found out that he was also the type to understand quickly. fingers crossed maybe?

you trailed on your phone, remembering the voice message hendery left you when he went to go skiing with your family.

“other than your parents’ purpose for your arranged marriage and discard your jealousy on his career.. at one point i start to see jaehyun’s actually suitable for you, and you for him. you may not see it but in another’s eyes, it’s all genuine.”

“plus like what marg said, you do wear your heart on your sleeves. can’t hide from us.”

you lightly slammed your fists on the kitchen island to forget about what they said. but here was the thing,

they weren’t wrong. you developed feelings for him.

at the corners of your eyes, he was busy reading a report and typing away on his laptop. he had a couple of opened instant coffee packets scattered on the table, clearly pulling an all-nighter for a few days. other than the cup, there was nothing else.

that meant he hasn’t eaten anything. you looked at the toast on your plate where butter’s scent probably reached the corners of the house. jaehyun might’ve resisted looking elsewhere since you were there and was aware of your presence.

sipping on your hot chocolate, you plated your slices of toast bread and slid them towards jaehyun’s side. he glanced from the screen to you and the plate. “eat, before i change my mind. they’re the last slices and this is enough for me.” you referred to your drink and sat on the sofa to read your book.

“but you’re lactose-intolerant.” jaehyun took a bite off the bread.

“used oat milk.” you hummed and flipped the pages.

he chuckled and you couldn’t tell if he was genuinely in the mood or not. “you’re back to your usual self.”

you raised your brows as you both met eyes. he was probably looking your way since you sat, you just didn’t dare to respond with the current atmosphere. “aren’t you?”

“should i be?”

his question yet again caught you off guard, just like those other times where he would always leave you speechless with his sudden buttbacks. jaehyun kept a straight face, though there was a faint curve by his lips.

your heart drummed so hard it wanted to come out of your system. “i- i don’t know? that’s up to you, right?”

he left his laptop unattended, the screen dimmed and he shut it to a close. you cursed to yourself, now you had his attention and for sure he wouldn’t look away. you had to converse with him, because he obviously would bring up that night.

your fingers curled gripping your book and jaehyun spotted that. it irked him for some reason. “c’mon you obviously have something to say so can you get to the point?” he began.

“why do you always assume i have something to say?”

“because you kept looking over here since you woke up. don’t you know yourself?” he licked the crumbs from his fingers.

it hasn’t been a minute yet and honestly by now this stupid conversation was getting nowhere. oh gosh we’re answering each other with questions again. you couldn’t take his blunt attitude and stood up.

“you’re gonna escape from this too?” he puckered his lips and managed to hold your wrist.

you paused with a sigh. jaehyun could tell the change of your response based on the heartbeat through your veins. from slow to fast, jaehyun felt bad for surprising you, but he just had to. “i’m not trying to.” you replied in a soft voice. “at least not from you.”

that was what he wanted to hear. he wondered if you were going apologise today, as from what he heard at the barn.

“then.. why can’t you understand?..” jaehyun let go of your hand and stood up to properly talk. “..not everything is always about you or you’re the only one suffering. i am too, y/n. i’m hurt as much as you are about everything, and about what i’ve done just to get the both of us hurt in the end. but as always here you are, thinking about yourself.”

“look, it’s not that ‘i can’t understand’. i-” you sat back down, realising that he was recently heart-broken and you only deepened the wound in his heart. “i.. just really thought it would go my way.”

jaehyun rested on the carpeted floor. “but it didn’t. still you got mad at me for ‘teaming up’ with your dad when i really didn’t. if you could just hear me out, we wouldn’t have reached to what we are.”

“i- i know.. i’m here to say i’m sorry-”

“you’re apologising because hendery asked you to.” jaehyun interrupted you, for he felt there was insincerity in your words.

“excuse me?”

he knew you reacted, and he was sure to stop you from saying further. “he didn’t tell me anything and i didn’t eavesdrop. i assumed that on my own.” that was a lie. he just needed a reason to convince you so you wouldn’t notice he heard everything.

“ugh there you go again with assuming.” you scoffed while looking elsewhere.

“‘observation’.” jaehyun corrected, carrying his laptop and belongings to the room he was told to stay in. “anyway, a person doesn’t change overnight. so even if you apologised i won’t forgive you, nor will i believe anything you say.” he headed towards the stairs where silence came after.

you’ve had enough. what did you expect? immediate forgiveness and then you get what you wanted? you knew you hurt him more, so what made you worthy of his respect? when jaehyun walked farther, you didn’t want him to leave, you only wanted him to listen.

“so that’s it? you’re walking away when i’m here putting my pride down and trying to tell you that i am sorry—” you scoffed in disbelief, hands gesturing everywhere.

jaehyun halted in his tracks just at the bottom of the stairs, while you continued ranting. words muffling and clearing, alternating in volume. he set aside his laptop and his legs led him straight to you. darkness loomed around him as you continuously banter, he wasn’t listening.

stop. jaehyun could hear himself wanting to say it.

“—which i really am.”

history repeated itself. you were just like his ex-girlfriend. “don’t. your apologies are only words with empty feelings. you don’t mean it. you’re saying it to be free from the guilt consuming you.”

why did every word coming from him squeeze almost all of the arteries of your heart? when you first met him, it didn’t really matter that whatever things he said to make you feel bad. you didn’t care before, but now you did. “no! i’m not apologising for myself..” you faltered with fidgety fingers. “..wait, just now you think i don’t mean what i say even if it’s genuine? but in the past weeks it’s the opposite?”

“so, you expect me to take you seriously when you took advantage of me?” jaehyun surmised, his brows remained furrowed, as if he didn’t want to prolong his reasoning because what was the point of explaining to you when you should’ve realised it before? “then you’re mad at me i’m walking away? yeah sure, from a woman like you i should be.”

swords hurt more than daggers, however, you felt that the latter made you bleed more. “okay what you said was too much.”

“is it? that’s the truth though.” he tilted his head, checking his watch as it was mid-afternoon. “i- uh, gotta go to bed, all-nighter’s killing me. not like your actions did any different.. goodnight i guess.”

you were left alone in the living room and it’s silence was deafening, more than your own fast drumming heart-beats ever did.

jaehyun shut the door behind him, hands gripping on his laptop before letting it go. did i make a mistake? he kept telling himself he was victim in this mess even if he was the person who started the pact. his phone vibrated, the caller asking for a video call. “jae! we called you five times and you didn’t answer!”

“i didn’t receive any calls..?” jaehyun’s brows met. “what do you want?” he jumped onto the bed, stomach first.

mark moved around the screen as if to gain height in order to look for your existence on the other end of the call. “alright that was an exaggeration. so? did you talk with y/n? is she okay?” his fangy smile fell after seeing the change in jaehyun’s face. “are you guys.. okay?”

jaehyun sighed loudly, his friends began to pester him so they could see you. he wanted to forget about the morning and that was impossible to avoid when johnny and mark were expectant to see resolve and a happy ending. “she’s not here, if that’s what you’re wondering.” he pressed his temples.

“nothing happened? dude we talked about this.” johnny replied with a slight sour expression.

“i don’t care if results change, john. my point is people don’t.” jaehyun brought his phone down for a moment before continuing. “we fought after she apologised. and i don’t know if what i did was right.”

“she apologised! that’s the sign of change!” johnny brought the phone towards him, his whole face covered the entire frame but jaehyun remained quiet. “why? what did you do?”

seeing how jaehyun closed his eyes tightly, he knew his friend messed up big time. “oh nonono, please tell me you didn’t use the j card?” he gasped, sounding disappointed enough for jaehyun to reply back.

“i would be lying if i said i didn’t.” jaehyun groaned softly, regretting that he told the guys his situation now. “but really, i don’t think i used it on her-”

“yeah sure, you and y/n wouldn’t be fighting if you didn’t use that-”

“okay i am lost? what’s the j card and why do you seem to be more pissed than him?” mark asked the older one.

“the j card means ‘jerk card’. sue made it up when jaehyun was being one before.” he replied, shaking his head.

jaehyun found johnny’s attitude quite strange. the way he spoke was similar to a series of books with cliffhangers. he didn’t seem to state his point and left him wondering. “oh my g- just say it! i’m currently feeling a really appropriate emotion to receive criticism. so before i end the call, say what you must.”

“good. you’re aware. i don’t know the details to your argument but i’m saying that y/n.. she’s like you when you tried to ask sue for forgiveness.” johnny finally placed the phone on a stable surface and have this particular conversation with jaehyun. “and what did sue do? she pushed you away and you’re doing that same thing right now with y/n.”

“y/n deserves it-” jaehyun tsked, rolling his eyes.

“then that means you did too, because you kept a secret from sue.” johnny sighed. “you know how it feels to be chasing someone, only to be pushed away and rejected tenfold and then your efforts become in vain.” johnny tried to talk it out with jaehyun’s stubborn heart. he gave up and passed the phone to the younger one.

mark exhaled with pursed lips, going out of the room and sat by the hallway at the ski resort inn. “i kinda agree with johnny.”

“where’s the other half of ‘kinda’?” jaehyun chuckled.

he nodded with his hands gesturing that he was getting there. “well, i agree that you were too harsh on y/n and at the same time, she did hurt your feelings. like, i’m not taking sides on here but i know you both still have that last chance of understanding each other.” he looked elsewhere to check if he was being loud since marg could hear him.

“why emphasise on the word ‘last’? i’ll talk it out with her when i figure my feelings out. next year maybe..” jaehyun chuckled again, his grin later falling to a frown as mark gave an uncertain response with his eyes. “what is it that you’re not telling me?”

“y/n didn’t tell you?” mark asked, soon being hit with delayed realisation. “r-right of course she couldn’t, you guys fought. she’s, uh moving abroad.”

so suddenly?

“her ultimatum, as we’re told.” the video was wobbly at this point. “anyway, i gotta go. they’re calling for an early dinner. see you tomorrow bro.”

jaehyun didn’t understand why his friends somehow made him feel he was in the wrong. he knew his mistakes, reflected on them and already planned to talk it out to you— but not knowing where you were heading caused him to think there wasn’t any way to solve widening gap between him and you.

for now, letting it be was the only option.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

normally people have already set their resolutions, slowly change or challenge themselves to get through another year in their lives. for you and jaehyun however, among all the people celebrating for the new, you both thought about each other, sometimes.. here and there.

was he bitter at you? yes.

was he still mad at you? perhaps.

it was way passed new year’s and it was hard to believe that it’s the third year he celebrated with the same resolution as the previous. jaehyun sat at the kitchen island by the window, staring out at the distance and never would have thought he would let this prolong for months.

he didn’t know what to feel anymore— about you. jaehyun did not get it. it went how it was supposed to be, how the last minute pact was over and everything was solved. both families called it off, he wouldn’t have to worry about relationships, he got to focus on his final year in veterinary school and graduate..

yet he felt so empty.

his friends described him everything they could think of, especially after how he acted and treated you the way they never thought jaehyun would do. he recalled they called him a jerk, the guy who wanted the upper hand, a selfish, stupid-

“a coward.”

jaehyun jolted back from his trance, which he couldn’t help stopping it because he subconsciously would fall into his thoughts so often. “that’s what you are.” johnny switched the t.v on to continue his documentary series, mrs. jeong let out a giggle, catching his attention. “sorry aunt.”

she placed two glasses on the island, almost bending down to see her son fidget in his seat at the topic. “oh honey, you wouldn’t get hurt if you don’t love her, but you’re hurting..still.” she trailed off, hurting back to caress jaehyun’s cheek while he stayed silent.

“i don’t know what i feel for her. all i know is that it’s going to be awkward if we crossed paths again.” jaehyun leaned into his mom’s touch.

“ah.. so you do love her.” she folded her arms with a smile growing on her face.

“i-” jaehyun sighed heavily. “it’s not that, mom. i just keep thinking back that i may have gone too far at the time.”

“realised so late. you did, dude.” johnny turned over his shoulder. “and if this was sue, she wouldn’t forgive you.”

jaehyun gulped his water quickly, not believing what he was hearing from his friend, what he was implying. “what makes you sure y/n would forgive me? i left her in the dark.”

johnny looked at his phone, a group chatroom where you and mark were in it. they grew fond of you and closer despite the clash between you and their friend, that there really was genuity in your intentions. they only wished jaehyun saw the same.

he smiled to himself, clicking on the picture you just sent about winning another competition that led to the finals. he zoomed on your wrist. you wore the bracelet jaehyun created back when you all did christmas wreaths. jaehyun made a smaller version of it. “i just hope he notices, y/n.” johnny mumbled softly.

jaehyun tossed his car keys to him and hugged mrs. jeong before opening the door to head outside. “where to?”

“somewhere. you’ll know when you see it.” he spun the keys and as the car alarmed to unlock, jaehyun only felt suspicion towards his friend. “just, don’t ask.”

jaehyun had a hunch and he wasn’t confident if it was right. ever since new year’s, he knew johnny set one of his resolutions to make you and him talk. jaehyun made his call, his friends should at least respect his decision. he chuckled to himself. “if this ‘plan’ of yours is what i think it is, then i should get out of the car now.” he unbuckled the seatbelt.

“ugh fine. we’re attending a party, a mutual friend’s.” johnny locked the doors and started the engine. “i invited y/n. i’m not sure if she’s gonna be there but if she is, you’re gonna man up about what went wrong instead of doing nothing. c’mon i know you considered seeing her at least once.”

“i’ve seen her, okay? couldn’t help it when her face is in every advertising poster or sports pamphlet to promote her family’s business.” jaehyun rolled his eyes as johnny began to grin teasingly. “that doesn’t mean i think about her.”

“gosh you’re still indenial.” he laughed. “too bad it’s my birthday week and our rule is ‘do whatever the celebrant says’. listen, doc. i’m taking you out because you haven’t been yourself lately.”

“you really want me to go see her huh.” jaehyun bit his inner lip, staring at every vehicle passing by.

“yes! if she really does go, you have no idea how i impatiently waited! four years for a sequel? i’m betting for a happy ending. the cliffhanger sucked and you’re such a bad male lead.”

“enough with your film metaphors and drive, will you?” he groaned.

“exactly why you got the worst boyfriend award.”

“DRIVE!”

—

there was a pressing feeling in your chest that this year again, you wouldn’t meet him. like heavens, would he even bother to attend? he didn’t block you in any social media or deleted your number. that was why up until now you had that slightest hope of reconciliation, whenever johnny would bring up his name.

you decided last minute after struggling to choose from ‘i’ll pass’ and ‘i’ll go’. you stayed idle in front of a huge house, songs blasting from speakers in which the neighbours begged the owner to shut them up.

a breather was much needed after four continuous years of trying to build your name out in the equestrian world. people never knew of your injury, for your father reasoned that you wanted to focus on teaching classes— which was false since he was busy pairing you with men for marriage. jaehyun being among them was the only one who caught your attention.. that ended so badly you didn’t realise johnny was already turning the engine off.

johnny closed the door and was ecstatic to see you walking from the stables. “y/n! you came!”

“oh wow johnny! hi yes i did!” you tiptoed to hug him. “i’m surprised your friend’s house has a stable and a few miles away from my area.”

“i told you. a mutual friend of mine recently moved, kinda close to yours! i can crash into his place so mark and i can hang out with you.” he draped his arm around you as you both walked towards the entrance.

somehow your heart dropped hard specifically at ‘the’ missing name. maybe you expected you’d hear him mention jaehyun’s name along with theirs.

“aw that’s sweet.” you squeezed his arm, swallowing your worries in case they’ve already been written all over your face. “i have to thank this friend of yours-“

“that would be me!” the door swung open, revealing hendery who was leaning against the wooden frame. “seriously y/n have you been living under rock that you forgot your own best friend purchased his own house?”

“should’ve known it was you! and hey, i have a lot of things on my mind. sometimes you don’t appear.” you removed your coat and shoes.

“of course i don’t cross your mind. clearly it’s all about jaehyun.” he nudged johnny’s chest in a soft voice.

your eyes still looked everywhere for his figure, anyone with similar stature. none. there were only few of you in the house, countable with fingers and he was nowhere to be found. or rather, if he was here, he wouldn’t dare to show himself. that was his attitude. “looking for him?” hendery peeked from behind you, emphasising on the last word.

you shook your head, crossing your arms in thought. “nah. i’m just curious who else you’ve invited. i’ll chill in your room.”

hendery snorted and cackled at how obvious you were. “second door on the left, you indenial stubborn lady.” he tease you and later whispered to johnny. “how’s your end?”

“the same.” mark joined the conversation. “jae doesn’t like us bringing the topic up but his thoughts, wonders and side comments always leads to y/n. like, what’s so hard in being honest- oh.” mark was cut off and was slightly pushed from the back.

jaehyun sighed heavily, his palm patting hendery’s head. “been looking for you everywhere. you said you needed my help for your router?”

“oh yeah man. my room’s second door on the left.” he responded with a hidden agenda everyone except jaehyun was aware of.

“isn’t that where y/n is-” mark followed jaehyun’s trail, only to be covered in the lips with johnny’s hands.

“that’s the point, dimwit.”

“we should leave them be.” hendery led the two downstairs.

you sat on the couch, legs stretched and relaxed. hendery’s room was the same as his old one. although it wasn’t in your plan to crash into a house party just to sleep in, your exhausted body couldn’t help but drift off to dreamland. you closed your eyes when a familiar scent entered your nostrils.

you giggled inside. did you miss him that much you started to imagine things? but this was really the smell of his perfume, one you haven’t smelled in a long time. funny how you still remembered it, became something that caused you to crave for his existence around you.

jaehyun froze by the door, you were comfortably laying on hendery’s couch. he smiled to himself knowing that you were aware of his presence, and sniffed his coat to confirm that you knew because of the perfume he wore. he walked around to pretend to look for the router.

so he is here. you continued to shut your eyes, holding onto a pillow, quickly to hide your growing expressions itching to show on your face. “if you were going to sleep, at least make it look convincing.”

you peek an eye open. “still not enough?”

he has gotten mature, there’s still a professional feel towards his stature yet clumsy at the same time. “nuh-uh. it’s been a while.” he partially sat on the edge of the couch.

“y-yeah. it has, hasn’t it? how are you.. feeling?”

what’s the the pause and awkward air? “what?” jaehyun didn’t know why he sounded bitter and it wasn’t his intention to be one either. he was taken aback.

“i- i can overlook the anger you have. i mean i did deserve it.. at the time.” you pressed your lips at his sudden tone. maybe it has been years that it was possible for him to hold a grudge this long.

and regret immediately flushed jaehyun once he saw your sullen expression. “sorry, that came out wrong. i’m not mad- not anymore. it’d be immature of me to be that way now, wouldn’t it?

you smiled in a way jaehyun never seen before. he thought you’ve gotten tamed, a lot more content and considerate. three years could do things, and having to have a conversation without arguing the next minute was a miracle. maybe if he met you the first time now, would everything be different?

“aw haven’t you gotten soft.” he heard you singsong, followed by a light nudge.

“and you’ve gotten noisi..er.” jaehyun smiled a little. “how’re things for you nowadays?”

“other than i’m taking a break from horse-riding and teaching classes, it’s the same old routine. you’re pretty much familiar with it.” you walked down the stairs, each step downwards were on par with your mood changing.

there was an ultimatum, one you expected to receive, and from then you thought your wishes weren’t meant to be granted, but.. here he was before you. “is there something on my face?” jaehyun asked softly with slight fear written in his eyes.

you cleared your throat, thinking your heart shouldn’t beat too much for him. he wouldn’t view you that way. “you still.. look.. nice.”

jaehyun didn’t know why it was challenging to hide his growing smile from you. seemed like the issue between the two of you were just gone. he’d like to think that both of you were too scared to bring it up further, but having the closure would be what’s best. “can we talk about us?” he fixed his sitting posture to be closer to you.

“i thought you didn’t want to, so i didn’t dare to start.” you gulped loud enough for him to let out a giggle.

“we both know we would never feel at ease on our current situation. actions are needed to be taken.” he now scooted beside you.

“yeah. i understand.” you fiddled with your hands. “for some people in the same boat as us, they would choose to not do anything.. like nothing’s worth fixing.”

jaehyun held your hand gently. “but with us...i think it’s worth trying. four years’ been enough for us to clarify our feelings..” his eyes caught sight of something before him. “..or i think that’s what.. kismet’s all about.” he stood to grab bars of chocolate of the same name on hendery’s table.

you nodded at how silly he was. “kismet chocolate. coincidence?”

“we didn’t have a good start back then so..” he handed you a piece of the snack. “i’m jeong jaehyun. a veterinary doctor on equine science.”

“i’m y/f/n. an equestrian athlete, or as you call it, horse racer-“ your ears twitched after realising his words. “you changed.. your specialty?”

“mhm and i don’t regret my decision.”

you opened the packet of chocolate, too shocked to process all this. “w-why change?”

“if the only way to get back to you is through the love of horses, then i don’t see why not.”

[with-love-from-hell]

oh...X seems interesting. Can I get that with Beelie? Genre is your choice!!!

X  》  Xenograft

a tissue graft or organ transplant from a donor of a different species from the recipient.

1k event Masterlist

Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Drabble

Written for GN!Mc (you/yours)

WC: ~880

CW: Mentions of death (but no one dies), Spoilers for Chapter 2, swearing, Mc is described as shorter

The air is thick with tension as you and the brothers approach the altar of candles displayed out before you. They all vary in different shapes, sizes, and thickness- some appearing as if they have a very limited time left to burn, others seeming as if they have just begun. It’s beautiful, in a way, despite the fact that you know that this is a place representative of death- the true lair of the reapers. Each candle was a life force, and the lower it burned, the less time the individual the candle represented had left to live. 

Beelzebub nervously twiddles with his fingers, looking amongst the candles before him. “Does anyone see mine..?” 

There’s a pause before Satan pipes up from behind. “There!” 

All eyes fall to the 7 candles closely situated together, each holder etched with a sigil that represented each brother. A rush of panic sweeps over the room as everyone takes in the deteriorated state of the candle, confirming their fear that Beel’s time was running thin. It was much lower than the 6 that surrounded it, and seemingly burning quickly. 

“Fuck! What do we do!?” Belphegor grabs Beel’s hand tightly, as if he’d drop dead at any moment. “We can’t let it burn all the way down!” 

“Take it easy.” Lucifer murmurs, approaching the area where the 7 brothers’ candles sit. In one swift movement, he pours a bit of wax from his tall candle onto his brothers, working the wax back up to meet the height of the other candles. 

“Lucifer...” Beel whispers, feeling tears well up behind his eyes. “You didn’t have to...” 

Before he could finish his statement, Belphie rushes over to where Lucifer stood, adding the wax from his candle to Beel’s candle as well. Lucifer frowns as the candle quickly burns down through the added wax, seeming that their attempts at saving Beel’s life were futile. 

Belphie begins to choke on tears, rushing back to Beel and hugging him tightly. 

“N-no! Not you. Anyone but you...” Belphie cries into his chest as the other brothers comfort him, trying the twins that things would be okay...but uncertainly flows in their tones as they looked between one another. 

The eldest sighs, finally turning his head to see where you have gone. He sees your face illuminated in the distance and approaches.

Your eyes follow the names and birth dates etched onto the candle holders, searching in the area where somehow you just knew yours would be. You finally spot it, though your hand is stopped by the eldest gently grabbing your wrist. 

“What are you doing?” He whispers, though the question is said in a melancholy tone instead of his usual stern roar. “We tried- it’s not going to work. Don’t waist what little essence you have. Our candles burn a lot slower than a humans does.” 

You look at him with glossy eyes. “I have to do something...” You glance back at Beelzebub, feeling your heart squeeze at the sight of the fat tears streaming down his face. “I can’t just...” 

“Mc.” Lucifer drops to one knee in front of you to meet your eyes. His hands envelop yours in warmth as he tries to convince you to save your essence. “The effort will be in vain- and then we’d risk losing you too. We can’t go through both losses at once.” Lucifer turns away, and you see how hopeless his expression had become once he caught sight of the turmoil now settling into the rest of his family. He pats your hand gently, but you feel as if it’s more to comfort himself than you.

You bite your lip, and make your move. You jerk your hands away, snatching your candle and carefully speed-walking over to Beelzebub’s. The brothers all stare at you, dumbfounded, as you pour a few drops of your essence onto his candle. 

“Mc, I told you-” Lucifer begins, but is cut off by a sudden flash of light from Beelzebub’s candle. 

As the light dims, the brother’s stand with mouths agape- seeing now that Beelzebub’s candle was back up to match the rest of the brother’s candles once more. Lucifer shakily presses his hands to the table, as if he couldn’t believe that it had worked. You set your candle down next to theirs, scooting in close to show your connection to the brothers. You smile, seeing your light seemingly burning brighter next to the seven other candles. You back away from the table, but are nearly tackled to the groun as a thin pair of arms wrap around your stomach. They pull you backwards, nearly winding you as they squeeze your abdomen tightly

“Mc...” Belphie chokes into your back through tears. “You...T-thank you...” 

You pat his arm gently and turn to Beel, who had been frozen in place in a wide-eyed stair. You smile at him feeling happy that you could protect him this time, rather than him protecting you

“I...” He starts, but clamps his mouth shut, not able to find the words to express his gratitude. He stumbles forward, wrapping you and Belphie in a bear hug as he cries tears of gratitude. His voice is merely a whisper as it’s muffled against your head, but your heart flutters all the same. 

“Please...never leave us, Mc.” 

[julek]

7) “are we breaking up?” 💕

The ring burns in Geralt's hand.

He's had it for so long, hidden at the bottom of his bag, two old shirts wrapped around it for good measure. He's looked at it on starless nights and turned it on his finger over and over again for long winters. He's written hundreds of pages under candlelight in Vesemir's library while staring at it, watching the shapes it cast on the walls where the light met its stone.

He's finally ready. His brothers have gone hunting with Vesemir, the candles are lit, and there's a bottle of his best wine cooling in the snow.

Absolutely nothing could go wrong.

Pocketing the ring and putting on a confident smile, he walks over to where Jaskier is napping in front of the fire. He takes a minute to drink him in, the soft slope of his nose golden pink against the furs he's wrapped himself around, his curls mussed and tangled against the pillow. He crouches by his side.

"Jask."

One blue eye cracks open. Then closed. "Mm."

Geralt smiles. "Jask, come on."

"Hmmmmmm." Jaskier screws his eyes shut. "We're closed. Come back later."

Geralt bites his lip, thinking of a way to wake him up that doesn’t involve pouring frozen water directly onto his face. "Jask," he says again, rubbing his stubbled cheek against Jaskier's face.

Third time's the charm.

"Ugh," Jaskier complains, sitting up and bringing the blankets up with him as well. He blinks once, twice, then squints at Geralt. "What."

Okay, not the perfect opening Geralt expected. He can make it work, though. "I need to talk to you."

At that, Jaskier is a little more awake. His eyes are wide and Geralt can feel the way his scent changes, but he can't quite put his finger on what it is. Jaskier makes some room for him to sit, and Geralt nods. "Right."

His heart is pounding, and he suddenly forgets every sonnet and ballad he spent months quoting to Lambert as practice, forgets every eloquent sentence Eskel suggested to him as they fenced. He clears his throat, then takes in a deep breath.

Jaskier's looking at him with curiosity and something else he can't quite decipher, so he takes his hands in his. "Jaskier," he stars.

After a moment, and because Geralt hasn't said anything else, Jaskier squeezes his hands. "Yes?"

He clears his throat again. Gods, it hadn't been as hard when he practiced with Vesemir. "You have been by my side for a long time." Okay, not a bad start. "I didn't want your company at first, didn't need it."

Jaskier's face does a complicated thing, so he hurries to continue. "You were loud and reckless and annoying, and more often than not I had to save you from cuckolded husbands and revenge-seeking fathers," he chuckles. "And it took us a while to get to where we are."

Jaskier's eyes are shining as he looks up at him. Perfect, Geralt thinks. I knew I've always been a romantic deep down.

He gets bolder. "I brought you to Kaer Morhen this winter, after many years of someone," he says, and thinks of Lambert's merciless teasing, "pestering me to let you come. But I think it is time I tell you the truth about my feelings."

Geralt's about to bring the ring out of his pocket when a sob escapes Jaskier's mouth. He looks up, confused. "Jaskier?"

Jaskier isn't looking at him, tears running down his cheeks. "Are—" he sniffs, "are we breaking up?"

Geralt freezes in his seat. Breaking up? Where did Jaskier get the idea—

Oh.

He springs into action. "No, no, no," he soothes, taking Jaskier in his arms, loathing the way his tears keep falling. "No, Jask— Gods, I'm an idiot. I'm not breaking up with you." He reaches into his pocket, pulls the ring out. "I'm asking you to marry me."

"You—" Jaskier lets out a strangled sob and tries to speak, but his tears don't let him, so Geralt pulls him against his chest, whispering sweet nothings in his ear until Jaskier's breathing evens out.

Once he can, Jaskier pulls back. "That was you asking me to marry you?"

"Um." Geralt's still holding the ring, and he aims for a smile. "Yes?"

Jaskier covers his flushed face with his hands, muttering into them. "—the most tactless Witcher in the entire Continent, yes." He takes a deep breath. "You— I—" He closes his eyes. "You know what? Just— go on. What were you saying?"

Geralt swallows, tentatively reaches out for Jaskier's hand. He has a feeling he's sleeping in the stables tonight. "Um." He swallows again. "I was about to tell you about my feelings. For you."

Jaskier nods and pats his hand. "Yes, yes. That."

Taking in a deep breath, Geralt steels himself. "What I was trying to say," he starts, "was that I didn't always see you for who you were. For who you are." Jaskier smiles at that, and Geralt squeezes his hand. "Kind. Loving. Brave."

He rubs the stone on the ring with his thumb. "I do now," he says, looking into Jaskier's eyes, drowning in that blue. "And, contrary to what I made you believe a few seconds ago, I can't get enough of you."

Jaskier sniffs. "I love you," Geralt murmurs in the low light, plain and simple. True. "I never wish to be parted from you."

There's a beat of silence. Then—

"You ridiculous, foolish man!" Jaskier exclaims, swatting at his chest. His grin is blinding. "That was all you needed to say! None of that You were nothing but a parasite, I hated you at first glance—"

"I don't believe I said—"

Jaskier's laughter is infectious. Geralt hears it against his chest as he pulls him into his arms. "I love you, you fool." Jaskier looks up at him. "Ugh, I can't believe you did that."

Geralt lets out a laugh, relieved. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you I practiced that, would you?"

Jaskier laughs again, bright and so, so lovely. Geralt loves him too much. "I fear for whoever had to be the pretend recipient of that so-called declaration of love."

"Hmm," Geralt says, and presses a kiss to Jaskier's cheek. Jaskier turns and catches his lips in a tender kiss, full of laughter and longing and love.

"So?" Geralt says when they part.

Jaskier's dopey grin doesn't waver. "So what?"

Geralt presents him the ring. "Will you?"

Jaskier gapes, taking a proper look at the ring, watching it glint in the firelight. Then, he looks at Geralt with a smirk. "I don't believe I heard a question yet."

"Jask," Geralt groans, but looking at Jaskier's shit-eating grin makes his heart feel lighter. He smiles his softest smile and whispers, "Will you marry me?"

Jaskier's left eyebrow rises, and he puts on a ridiculous considering face. Then, earnest, he says, "Yes."

There's the sound of a bottle popping open behind him, and it makes them turn.

"Shit!" comes Lambert's shout-whisper.

"I told you to be quiet," chides Eskel, and Geralt can hear Vesemir's quiet laugh as well.

"You were supposed to be hunting!" He yells, and, at last, from behind a curtain emerge the Wolves. "You weren't supposed to be here."

Lambert's hands are sticky with the wine he's holding in his hands. "By the way your proposal went, I wouldn't be too worried about clearing the space to consummate your love right here in the hall."

"Lambert," Eskel says, hitting his arm.

Geralt looks at Jaskier. "Sorry." He glares at his brothers. "They were supposed to be gone."

Lambert cackles. "Gods know what would've happened if we'd left you truly alone!" He elbows Eskel in the side. "Bet you pretty boy would've made Jaskier pack his bags somehow."

Taking Geralt's hand, Jaskier clears his throat. "It was a beautiful proposal," he says, and only laughs a little bit. "Very original."

Vesemir joins in. "Son," he rumbles, nodding at Geralt. "Give him the ring."

"Oh." Geralt looks at Jaskier, who puts out his left hand expectantly. He kisses his ring finger before sliding the small silver ring in, the plain but imposing stone shining against his tanned skin. "There."

This time, Geralt's sure that the tears that escape Jaskier's eyes are happy ones. He kisses each one away, bringing the bard into his arms once more.

"I love you," he whispers into his hair. Jaskier says it back against his jaw. They stay in each other's arms for a while, reveling in the warmth of their love, of their embrace.

"Yes, yes, love conquers all, we know,” Lambert says, "but we're not getting any younger, the wine isn't getting any cooler—"

Geralt clicks his tongue, and Jaskier laughs as Lambert keeps listing reasons as to why they should stop making pretty eyes at each other and get their asses to Vesemir's congratulatory dinner. Shaking his head, Geralt stands up. He offers Jaskier his hand. "Are you coming?"

Jaskier's ring scratches Geralt's hand as he takes it. It's a pleasant feeling.

"Always."

[bestiesenpai]

Recess - Nanami Kento

Don’t mind if i do~ femme reader no content warnings, it’s just a little fluff :) 2.1k words

"Papa, do you like Miss (Y/N)?" The young voice of Kento's son sounded next to him as he walked the young boy to his second grade class.

"What do you mean?" A blush tinged Kento's ears; it was embarrassing his son could figure it out so easily.

"Well I always catch you lookin' at her when you drop me off...and you talk to her a lot sometimes..." The child didn't really have a lot to go off of and he squeezed his fathers hand as they came to an intersection.

"I like her a normal amount, Yuji." Just a few more blocks and Kento would be free from this.

"What's that mean?"

"We're just acquaintances." Kento picked up his pace just a little, eager to drop him off and staunchly avoid eye contact with you.

"What's that mean?" Yuji echoed again, looking up at Kento curiously.

"I don't like Miss (Y/N) like how you say I do.” Finally they were at the school and Kento could ease up the hold he had on his son's hand. There was a swarm of other kids all in their little uniforms, matching tops and shorts for the upcoming summer weather.

“Miss (Y/N)!” Letting go of his hand, Yuji ran to you, latching onto the fabric of your sundress as you stood outside the school and made sure the kids were going to the right places.

“Hello!” Rubbing the back of Yuji’s head, you smiled down at him. “Are you ready for school today?”

“Yeah!” Today was a special day, after lunch they got to watch a movie about dinosaurs. Opening his mouth to speak again, Yuji saw something else that caught his eye. “Megumi! Nobara!” And off he ran to say hello to his friends.

Kento stood awkwardly where Yuji had left him, clenching and unclenching his fists. Should he talk to you? It wasn’t like Yuji dictated what he could and couldn’t do, but he didn’t want the kid to get any more impressions. Or would not talking to you make it even more obvious?

“Have a good day at work, Nanami.” You called out to him, waving and smiling at him with such ease it made his heart swell.

“Y-you too.” Clearing his throat, Kento waved back and scanned the crowd to see where Yuji was one last time. Spotting his son walking into the building with his friends, Kento nodded toward you and started to walk away. “See you after school.”

“Bye!” Waving again, you turned your attention to another student, and Kento went about his way.

Except he didn’t see you after school, he saw you much earlier than that. Yuji had forgotten his lunch despite swearing up and down that he’d packed it all by himself, so Kento was tasked with delivering it.

Going into the school and walking past brightly decorated classrooms, he quickly found the class Yuji was in. Peeking in through the window to see them all still sitting down, Kento leaned against the wall until the bell rang and they were let out.

“Yuji.” The rich timbre of Kento’s voice cut through the shrill sounds of children, easily reaching the intended recipient.

“Papa, you came!” Setting his sights on the lunch box in Kento’s hands, the little seven year old leapt to grab it. “Sorry I forgot my lunch!”

“It’s okay, I’m just glad I caught it in time.”

“Thanks papa!” Once he got his hands on it, Yuji gave Kento a quick hug and scampered down the hall.

“Hello again, Nanami.” Turning his head, Kento saw you leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed as children filtered out of the classroom.

“Yuji forgot his lunch.” Kento felt a little silly already trying to justify why he was there. You’d probably seen the whole interaction take place and knew exactly what transpired.

“Mhmm, he mentioned that at the start of class today.” Nodding to yourself, you flicked your head behind you. “He told me not to call you, said he ‘for sure’ had a feeling you would come and bring it.” You grinned and pushed yourself away from the door, slyly giving Kento a once over in his business attire. Despite working from home most days, he still chose to get dressed up like this.

Kento could only nod in agreement as he watched you walk back into the room and to your desk in the corner of the room. Letting his eyes roam over the room, Kento could see clearly where his son was sitting, in the middle of the room with a bunch of stickers on his desk.

“Ah, Nanami?” Your shy voice cut through the internal dilemma Kento was having about how to smoothly exit the room.

“Yes?” Taking a slow step into the room, Kento could see you were looking at your computer screen in apprehension.

“Are you good with technology?” A sheepish laugh accompanied your question and Kento thought it was cute you were embarrassed. “I can’t seem to get any video playing on the projector and we’re supposed to watch a movie today.” Gesturing to the device on the ceiling, you worried your lip and looked at him.

“I know a thing or two, I can try.” Committing to coming into the room, Kento walked briskly over to your desk. There weren’t a lot of things that Kento couldn’t do and fixing a computer was surely not one of them.

“Thank you so much! I tried some stuff but it was no use!” Pushing your chair away from the desk and to the side, you let Kento take up the space you were previously in.

Grabbing the mice and beginning to click through applications, Kento wasn’t sure he could fix your problem. Not because he didn’t know what was wrong, he knew exactly what was wrong, but this was the first time he was alone with you and this close. He could smell the light perfume you put on and feel the heat radiating from your body. It was harder to focus than he thought it was.

“I clicked that one before and it didn’t work.” Your arm shot out to point at a few icons, making sure Kento didn’t waste his time on them.

“Really?” He mumbled, clicking on it anyway and chuckling when you grunted in mock annoyance.

“Yes really.” Sticking your tongue out at him, you watched him work intently, eager to know how to fix the problem should it ever come up again.

“Miss (Y/N), I think your computer is opening the wrong application to play the video.” You’d told him before to just call you (Y/N) when no kids were around, but Kento couldn’t bear to drop the formality; he didn’t want to get too comfortable with saying your name like that, it would only spur on the daydreams he had of you.

Mumbling something about how simple the fix was, you stood up and grabbed a remote off the desk, turning the projector on and watching as the opening credits to the movie played on the classroom wall.

“Thank you so much, Nanami!” Clapping your hands together excitedly, you turned to him. Your back was to the large windows, warming you up and casting the sun all around you.

“Happy to help.” Kento nodded, fighting to remain his stoic self and not take notice of how easy it would be to push you against said windows and kiss you. Your class was on the first floor of the building, anyone could walk by and see it if he did it, and that kind of risk had Kento’s heart beating a little faster.

“Yuji is so lucky to have a dad like you, I bet you’re great around the house!” Setting the remote down, you pat Kento on the arm. He really had no choice in the matter, his wife running off shortly after Yuji was born and leaving him with sole custody. Feeling the touch of your hand reminded him how long it had been since he’d had any physical contact with a member of the opposite sex.

“Mi- (Y/N).” Turning sharply to you, Kento took a deep breath through his nose, nostrils flaring as he drank in your form. Summer really suited you, breezy clothes and longer days, the warmth in the air meshing well with the warmth in your personality.

“Yes?” Blinking owlishly at him, you shuffled just the tiniest bit back out of surprise.

“I want to show you how good I am around the house.” The line, coming out stilted and spoken with uncertainty, had your brows coming together a little.

“W-what do you mean?” Your breathing was coming out shorter now, nerves beginning to prickle your skin the longer you and Kento stood looking at each other.

“I want…” Licking his lips nervously, Kento knew this could be a reach. He could be ruining the good relationship the two of you had, the professional relationship you had. He could make you uncomfortable, and while that was the last thing he wanted to do, he couldn’t stop himself from taking a step forward and making you back up into the windows.

“I want to take you out. On a date.” Saying the words all in one big rush, Kento watched your face closely. Your lower lip trembled and your fingers curled into your dress as you thought of a response.

“I’d like that.” Your cheeks were burning intensely and turning your head to look at the wall beside you was the only saving grace you had. The silly little crush you had on Kento, the one you tried to stamp out and ignore, was finally allowed to take shape.

“Really?” Smiling loosely like an idiot, Kento put his hand on the window panes, leaning forward and almost touching you as he exhaled in relief. “I’m glad.” Peeking at you through his lashes, Kento tried to ignore the fact he could see right down your dress and to your breasts.

The longer he looked at you though, the more he realised how close he actually was to you. Your breath reached his face, if he wanted to Kento could drop his arm and easily envelop you in a hug, or perhaps-

“May I…?” He started to ask as he leaned in to kiss you. Hovering over your lips, he brushed the tip of your nose with his as he waited for you to squeak out a yes and nod before proceeding.

Touching your lips gently, Kento forced himself to go slow. There wasn’t any need to rush, he told himself, but the excitement of finally getting to kiss you was threatening to steamroll the control he had over himself.

Reaching a hand out, you rest it on his shoulder, your fingers slowly curling into his collar and holding it tightly. Tilting your head and deepening the kiss slightly, you breathed a little harder through your nose as Kento shuffled closer.

“I knew it!” The overjoyed shriek of Yuji surprised both of you, enough so that you pushed Kento as hard as you could away from you in shock. He was standing at the door to the classroom, his fellow classmates behind him staring in awe and confusion.

“Damn, lunchtime is over already?” Running past Kento’s dazed form, you wiped your lips off furiously as you collected the kids and ushered them into the room.

“I was right, papa! I was right! I was right! You do like Miss (Y/N)! You don’t like her a normal amount, you like her a lot! You were kiss-” Yuji was shouting at the top of his lungs, silenced only by Kento sliding a hand over his mouth.

“Be quiet, don’t yell like that inside the classroom.” Kento groaned, already feeling a headache form at having to explain himself to Yuji later. When he asked you out, he already had a vague plan in the back of his head on how he was going to hide it from the young boy, but that was completely out the window now. “Go sit down, we’ll talk later.” Nudging him toward his desk, Kento tried to ignore the whispers from the other students about what they’d seen.

“Yuji, is Miss (Y/N) your new mom?” Nobara whispered loudly, looking obviously between you and Kento.

“Not yet, they have to get married first.” Megumi whispered back, pointing at his ring finger.

“Married?! I wanna come!”

“I think it’s best I leave.” Straightening his tie, Kento nodded curtly at you before giving Yuji a lingering look. “Don’t make any trouble.”

“Yeah, okay.” Yuji was definitely going to save all the questions he had, saving them for the most opportune time. “Bye papa.”

“See you after school.” He was talking to you just as much as he was talking to Yuji, taking a sneaky glance at you before turning on his heel and walking out of the classroom.

“Miss (Y/N), are you going to live with us now?”

Dinner time was going to be pretty awkward tonight.

[jelzorz]

the people need ia93b

Ok nonny but this one's on you

93b

It's an honest mistake.

Honestly.

Crow—because that's just what people call him now and there's no real point trying to fight it, he supposes—is busy, and his ticket to college relies on academics and extracurriculars. He's a little in over his head and that happens sometimes, but basically the point is that it's not entirely his fault it happened.

The Valentine's Day stall is busy this year. Busier than its ever been, and he likes to think it's because they've been using vintage memes. It got a good laugh out of the staff (Mr. Gren) anyway, and the younger kids might complain but the results speak for themselves. They've raised probably twice the average amount of money they usually make on Valentine's Day, which is great for his resume—and charity, of course—but it also means he's spending his free period trying to match cards to roses to recipients.

It's a shame though. It's nice outside, and he doesn't even like the outdoors much. It's nice enough that he indulges himself for a minute—a minute—and gets up for a break. The cards and roses will be fine, right? It's only a minute.

Only it's not a minute. Miss Opeli wrangles him into helping sort memos. Mr. Gren borrows him for admin stuff. Principal Harrow asks him for his opinion on the upcoming dance. He's a teacher's pet if there ever was one (so what?) but anyway, this is all just to prove a point, and that point is this:

What happens after isn't entirely his fault.

He can't be blamed for the open window. He can't be blamed for being called away by teachers.

He can't be blamed for the football that lands on his pile of roses and scatters all his cards.

And, listen, he does his best, okay? Sorting cards and roses on its own is a big job, but sorting them again after they've been messed up is—

Well.

It's not his fault. Not entirely.

x

"Roses!"

The otherwise silent classroom startles, and Miss Opeli rolls her eyes but waves a hand. "Get it over with," she grumbles, retreating to the far side of her desk, an Soren grins at the room full of juniors and starts on the cards.

Rayla shrinks into her chair. She never did return that card, and she hopes with every fibre of her being that Soren hadn't actually gone ahead and sent one anyway. He'd been joking, surely. Surely. And for five or so minutes, it feels like that all it was—

Until he gets to the last couple of roses in his delivery.

"I got one here for Rayla," he says, laying it on her desk with a flourish. "And look at that, one for Callum, too!"

He winks at them both, stupidly obvious and hammy about it, and struts out of the room looking pleased.

"You got a rose!" says Callum, leaning over his desk, his smile kinda nervous. "Who's it from?"

Rayla shifts uncomfortably. This was never part of the plan, was it? She opens the card and it's...

Not signed?

"No one, apparently," she mumbles, shoving the rose towards him.

Callum's smile falters, just a little. "Oh. Maybe you've got a secret admirer?"

"Mm." Rayla wrinkles her nose. "Who's—er—who's yours from?"

"Oh, um." Callum flushes and glances down at his card. He pales. He flushes again. His grin grows wider, and he glances at Rayla with a smile so wide that, for a second, she thinks—hooes, even—that Soren's stupid plan might have worked in her favour after all.

"'Callum'," Callum reads. "'Thanks for being such a great friend. Love, Claudia.'"

Rayla stares.

Callum almost swoons. "Do you think—do you reckon she means it? Do you think, maybe, after all this time, she might—"

He doesn't finish the question. Rayla doesn't need him to—the hopeful, enamoured spark in his eye is enough.

"Maybe," she squawks. "I'm—congrats, I guess."

Callum glances at her. His smile falters for real. "Hey, you okay?"

"Fine," says Rayla, looking away. Her heart feels cracked in two, but what else can she say? She can't take this away from him. She grins weakly and pats his arm. "Good for you. I'm glad."

(Somewhere in the school, Crow's neck prickles. Something's not right, he thinks. Something's gone wrong. He brushes it off and thinks nothing of it).