#there was so much love for chan when he was the special mc

[harunayuuka2060]

Ace: NO! WHY YOU'RE GOING BACK TO DEVILDOM?!

Ace: I thought you were going to stay here!

MC: I have responsibilities in Devildom. And Dia can't be away for too long.

Diavolo: *chuckles* That's right.

Ortho: But how about your children with Malleus Draconia?

MC: Oh. Them? Barbatos here made a special portal just for them so they could travel back and forth whenever they needed me.

Barbatos: *smiles*

MC: And Malleus too. Though it should be when he really needs me.

Lucifer: Yes. We don't want him frequently visiting Devildom.

Deuce: How about Grim?

MC: Grim hasn't decided yet. He's torn between coming with us or staying in this house.

MC: I advised him that he should do the latter.

Epel: You and he are a tandem. I don't think he will-

Grim: Grim-sama will stay in Night Raven College! Myaha!

Ace: Oh? Really?

Grim: Yes! It's time for Grim-sama to ace everything on his own!

Solomon: *chuckles* I convinced him to stay behind.

Solomon: After all, you will need a strong mage to assist you whenever you want to return to Twisted Wonderland.

MC: Thanks, Sol!

Solomon: *chuckles* You're welcome.

Vil: Let's meet again on your next visit, Potato.

MC: Sure, Vil.

Asmo: Vil-sweetie~ I'm going to miss you~.

Vil: *smirks* I'm sure you will. It's not everyday you will see someone as beautiful as me.

Asmo: ...

Asmo: Sweetie? You look like a hundred people.

Vil: ...

MC: Asmo, what the hell-

The Scarabia students: Brother Mammon! We're going to miss you!

Kalim: Here's a treasure chest full of gold to remember us by!

Mammon: DAMN- I LOVE THIS!

Jamil: *smiles* That's great to know. MC told us that gold would make you happy.

Mammon: *hugs them* I'll visit you all again!

Idia and Levi: ...

Idia: This is nothing much, but here.

Levi: What's this?

Idia: A fanart of MC in a Ruri-chan costume.

Levi: ...

Levi: You drew this... for me? *puppy eyes*

Idia: Yeah. It'll be awkward if I didn't give you a farewell gift.

Levi: Idia-kun! Thank you! '

Idia: H-H-Hey! Don't hug me!

Satan, Beel, Belphie: ...

The other housewardens: ...

Simeon and Luke: ...

Simeon: Is everyone ready?

Them: Yes.

Simeon: *chuckles* Riddle and Azul's guesses are correct.

Riddle and Azul: Yes!

Leona: Are you kidding me?

Malleus: Belphegor, we believed in you.

Belphie: You shouldn't have.

Beel: Belphie knows how to get people to trust him.

Satan: *sigh* Only Riddle and Azul guessed that I wasn't the traitor.

Luke: Because all three of you share the same mindset.

Simeon: Anyway, have any of you considered studying in Devildom someday as exchange students?

Malleus: I wanted to, but it seemed they didn't want to even consider me.

Leona: Haha, that sucks.

Riddle: I received an invitation from MC themselves; however, I had to decline.

Azul: Me too. I can't leave my businesses here.

Simeon: That's unfortunate. Ah! Malleus! Have you chosen a name for the little prince and princess?

Malleus: *smiles* Yes.

Luke: Really?! What are their names?!

Malleus: *chuckles* Seren and Sylvas.

Belphie: Their names don't start with "M"?

Malleus: Yes. The child of man was surprised with that too. Nevertheless, they approved the names. *smiles*

Thirteen: MC is finally coming back?!!

Mephistopheles: Yes, reaper- NOW STOP STRANGLING ME!

Raphael: That's good to hear. Michael can't wait to punish them for kidnapping Luke in front of him.

Thirteen: Huh? And why?

Raphael: You heard me. It was a rude behavior.

Thirteen: Hmph. He better not do anything or I will fight him myself.

[therhythmafterthesummer]

Afraid to Lose You (M) ~Bang Chan

Pairing: Werewolf!Chan x Human!F.Reader Themes: Supernatural/Fantasy AU | Smut | Fluff | bit Angsty | Established Relationship | Soulmate AU Word Count: ~9k | AO3 Synopsis: The aftermath of an argument with a supernatural being was something no one ever prepared you for, much less if that supernatural being was someone you were romantically involved with. You figured it’d happen eventually, you just weren’t aware of how much it could hurt. [This is an instalment of my WereRoomies series. You don’t particularly need to read the other instalments to understand this, but it’ll add more depth to the story if you do, so I highly recommend it~]. Warnings: chubby/curvy MC · usage of the word ‘fat’ in a neutral/positive manner · mandatory Christopher Is Intense warning, but the reader is also Intense so it’s very mutual · couple arguments · they’re in love, your honour · graphic depictions of intercourse (smut warnings under the cut) .

Author’s Note: i felt like portraying this side of our dearest pack parents. apologies in advance. special thanks to @cursed-mars-bars for reading this and sharing her thoughts with me💜

Due to all the abovementioned warnings, this story is intended for an adult audience only. Minors please do not interact.

Chris’ WereRoomies Instalments:  It’s Cold Out · Rut · Alpha Dog · It’s Warm In · Love is Easy · Afraid to Lose You. For extra drabbles, check out the series masterlist.

Smut Warnings: oral [M.Rec] · fingering [F.Rec] · unprotected penetration [piv. no barrier method, but the reader is presumed to be on birth control] · creampie.

Disclaimer: the story represented in this work does not represent Stray Kids in any way; anything described in this story and all actions performed by the characters are purely fictional, this was created just for good fun.

It was rare for you and Chris to have disagreements, but they did happen. You’d argue sometimes, over small things that usually could be resolved by taking some time to cool down and talk it out after. It was usually fine.

What happened just a few minutes ago was completely unprecedented.

You weren’t really sure how it all got out of hand so quickly. It was probably the fact that Chris had arrived home from work at midnight, starving and tired out of his mind, the fact that you decided to talk about such a sensitive topic right then and there, right as he munched on a sandwich.

‘What if you turn me? Wouldn’t that be better?’ You’d had those questions on the back of your mind for a while now, mulling on the possibility of your boyfriend turning you into a werewolf, into what he himself was. To you, it made more sense, since you were essentially leading a pack with him. You being human, in your mind, made it so there were certain things you couldn’t do, or activities you couldn’t participate in, and, sometimes, you’d admit you got a bit insecure about it.

‘Absolutely not’, you’d never heard Chris say something so firmly, so incredibly serious.

For some reason, you got defensive, Chris got defensive, and at some point everything started escalating. If you thought about it in depth, it was probably the time of day, the fact that you were both tired. 

He was so stubborn, and, in that moment, whatever he told you felt just so diminishing, something he’d never ever made you feel, something he never did. Logically, you knew Chris valued you and your opinions, but tonight, it seemed like logic wasn’t leading his train of thought, nor yours.

‘What the fuck’s gotten into you? Why’s this suddenly a problem?’ He’d asked at some point, probably louder than he had intended to, and, it just made you answer louder in return. 

It wasn’t just suddenly a problem, it had always been a problem. Or, at least, it seemed like that to you right then, when you were talking to him.

‘I don’t want you to turn!’

‘And what if I do want to?!’ You’d countered, because, ultimately, wasn’t what you wanted what mattered most?

‘Are you out of your mind?!’

Chris never ever spoke to you like that, and maybe that was why you got defensive. 

‘So if I don’t do what you want I’m out of my mind?!’

‘That’s not what I said!’

It was a seemingly endless back and forth, an endless loop of both you and him further rubbing salt in the freshly open wound. Saying things you didn’t mean, in ways that were nowhere near appropriate, until you just couldn’t take it anymore.

“That’s it. I’m fucking leaving”, you took your phone and your keys, and it was just as you were putting your shoes on that Chris caught up to you.

“Where the fuck are you going?!”

“Away!” You turned to look at him. You weren’t really sure how to read the expression on his face. Angry? Tired? Annoyed? Hurt? You honestly couldn’t reason it too much, you were too preoccupied trying not to cry. Because you’d be damned if you cried right now. “Can’t stand being near you right now”.

“But–!”

“I said I’m leaving”, you interrupted him, still speaking louder than you normally would, but no longer shouting, at least. “I need space, Christopher”.

Chris didn’t follow you after you stepped out of your flat and slammed the door closed. You knew he wouldn’t, and you honestly didn’t want him to, it would’ve probably made everything so much worse.

You knew where you wanted to go, but there was no way you could get there at this time without a car. So you made your way to Changbin’s. If they turned you down you’d try someone else, but, even in the unstable state of your mind, you knew they wouldn’t.

So, as soon as you stood in front of Changbin’s door, you knocked. It was late, you were well aware of that, but there was only one person you felt like you could go to right now, and you were sure they wouldn’t hold it against you.

When Changbin’s girlfriend opened the door, hair mussed, wearing nothing but a nightgown, you hauled yourself at her, hugging her tightly and burying your face in the crook of her neck. You couldn’t stop the tears anymore, it was too late for that.

She was a bit taken aback, but she immediately hugged you back, mumbling a quiet, and very, very sleepy ‘Hey, honey, what’s wrong? What happened?’

You couldn’t mutter a single word, you just sobbed against her shoulder as she waddled back into the flat with you in her arms, closing the door quietly behind her.

When you finally managed to pull yourself away from her shoulder, she cradled your face in her hands, wiping your tears away, but they wouldn’t stop. “Baby, what happened?”

You just shook your head, hugging her again.

“Is Chris okay?” You heard Changbin mumble from somewhere behind you, and you shook your head again, not even looking at him, getting your friend’s shoulder drenched in your tears.

Changbin sighed, but he didn’t sound annoyed. If anything, it was a worried sigh. After a few moments of silence, you heard the front door open and close.

“He’s gone”, Changbin’s girlfriend mumbled, patting your shoulder. “Babe, talk to me. Can’t help you if you don’t”.

With a deep, shaky breath, you finally pulled yourself away from her shoulder so you could look at her.

Wiping the trail of tears on your cheeks, you mumbled, “I need a favour…”

Being in your mother’s house always made you feel safe. Which was why you always ended up here whenever you needed some time to disconnect from the outside world and think about things. 

Your mother didn’t even question why you’d appeared in her house in the middle of the night with one of your friends, she simply let you in and offered Changbin’s girlfriend a warm drink and essentially begged her to stay the night because ‘It’s really late, darling. You already drove all the way here, you should rest before you leave…’

You were honestly happy she took the offer. That night, when you finally made it to your childhood room, Changbin’s girlfriend slept with you, hugging you close in an attempt to soothe your aching heart.

On the way here, you’d told her the details of what had happened, of your argument with Chris, and she had been nothing but understanding the entire time. Even if you’d woken her up all of a sudden, she still drove you to your mother’s place when you asked her to, regardless of the time, and without any hesitation.

‘Call me if you need anything. Hm?’ was the last thing she told you the next day before she left, and you honestly couldn’t help but feel immensely grateful. Not only for her help, but for her friendship in general.

Three days had passed since then, and, as you stared up at the ceiling, way past midnight, with your eyes fixed on the spinning fan, you just couldn’t ignore the heavy feeling in your chest. 

This was the longest you’d spent without talking to Chris, and you quickly realised you absolutely hated it.

Whenever you felt like you needed to think things through and regroup your feelings you had always tried to pull yourself away from the situation, cool down, and then go back to face it head on and resolve the problem. However, what you hadn’t anticipated was how much you’d hate being away from your home, being away from Chris…

You honestly weren’t sure if it’d been worth it at all. All you’d felt these days was this all-consuming feeling of sadness, coupled with an immeasurable amount of longing. All that introspection you’d done during your stay here was quickly bringing you to the conclusion that things had blown out of proportion.

Turning to look at your bedside table, you stared at the journal you’d found this morning in the bottom drawer of your dresser. From things you’d dreamt, to things that had happened to you at school, to arguments with friends…Reading your thoughts from when you were little was a bit amusing, considering how all your problems from back then seemed so insignificant now. You enjoyed reading them regardless, though.

Taking your phone in your hand, you unlocked it and went to your messaging app. Your eyes fixed on the screen in front of you, re-reading the messages Changbin and Seungmin had sent you this morning.

> BroBin💪: i’m sure you have a very valid reason to not be here > i know it’s only been like 2 days > and i know it’s none of my business > but chris is absolutely miserable  > and i just can’t bear seeing him like that > if you asked for space i doubt he’ll reach out to you first > so i’m literally begging you to please consider talking to him

Of course Changbin was worried about Chris. He always was, and you wholeheartedly understood him, but Seungmin’s messages were the ones you’d been mulling over the most.

> Seungminnie🐶: mama > u dont have to respond and i know u prolly wont > no one has said anything > but i noticed ur not here > and christophers moping > are u not talking? > u should talk to him if thats the case > itd be really bad if you dont > i think theres something you should know…

These messages had been staring at you all day. You hadn’t really replied to Changbin, nor Seungmin–just like he’d predicted.

You’d admit you tended to isolate yourself when you needed a breather, even from friends. It was just insanely hard for you to reply to them, maybe irrationally so–not something you were proud of by any means, you were just overwhelmed.

Seungmin’s revelation had been roaming freely in your head since you read his messages… To top it all off, Chris was miserable, and you weren’t that much better, so what was the point of all this? 

Going back to your recent chats list, your finger hovered over your conversation with Chris, and you suddenly felt a knot form in your throat just at the sight of his name. That was enough for you to know it was time, you just couldn’t keep running away from this, so, with a racing heart, you clicked on his chat and quickly sent him a few messages, all before your own self-doubt made you recoil.

&lt; You: i’m sorry < for the things i said < you didnt deserve that

Not even twenty seconds after you sent those, you received Chris’ reply, so you replied as well.

> Chris 🐺💕: mind if i drop by ?

&lt; You: no i dont mind

> Chris 🐺💕: be there in around an hour

&lt; You: i’ll be in the backyard with joaquin < just fyi in case you ring the bell and i dont answer < you can just text when youre here

It was a forty-five minute drive from the den to your mother’s house, and that was not accounting for any possible traffic. Just thinking that Chris was making his way to you as soon as you gave him the go-ahead made you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It reminded you that, ultimately, Chris would always respect your boundaries, he’d always lookout for you, and you honestly wanted to cry just thinking about it.

So, you got out of that bed as fast as you could and ran to your bathroom to take the quickest shower you possibly could. You’d honestly barely left your bed the entire time you’d been here–something your mother did comment on, but any of her efforts to get you out of your room were futile.

That shower made you feel as if you’d been reborn. People truly underestimated how a good shower could immensely improve your mood, yourself included. So, with a fresh pair of shorts and the oversized t-shirt you kept in your childhood room’s dresser, you finally made your way to the backyard, and sat on one of the chairs to watch Joaquín chase squirrels around.

Joaquín was your mother’s dog, whose favourite pastime was chasing rodents of all kinds. She adopted him from a shelter around five years ago, so you really didn’t know which breed he was–if any. He was a big dog, with black and brown coat, short haired, and probably one of the friendliest dogs you’d ever met–although, if you thought about it in depth, wouldn’t your boyfriend and your friends be the friendliest dogs you’d ever met? You just chuckled at the thought.

As soon as the one hour mark since you received your boyfriend’s texts passed you started to feel antsy. You’d glance at your phone every couple of minutes, or fiddle with the loose threads of the table cloth in front of you.

You started to worry, too. What if something had happened while Chris was driving here? What if he had an accident and the last thing you did together before it happened was have an argument? What if–

Suddenly, Joaquín bolted out of your sight, and you heard him barking as well as the undeniable sound of your boyfriend’s gentle voice trying to calm him down. “Hey there, buddy. It’s been a while, huh? Shh, yeah, yeah. It’s just me. Yeah, I know you’re excited, but tone it down a bit. You’re gonna wake up the whole neighbourhood at this rate…”

You couldn’t stop the smile from spreading on your face as you heard them talk to each other–as much as Chris talking to your mother’s dog and Joaquín barking at your boyfriend could be considered having a conversation. 

Just as you were about to walk back into the house, you heard a thud, and Joaquín quickly made his way to where you were, panting and wagging his tail.

Your boyfriend appeared seconds after, which immediately made Joaquín turn his attention back to him again.

“Hey”, Chris gave you a small smile, and it honestly made your heart skip a beat.

“Hey”, you watched as he instructed Joaquín to go play and give you two some space, to which the dog immediately complied. “I could’ve just met you at the front door, you know? No need to jump over the fence”.

 “Very true, but then I wouldn’t have been able to play burglar and dog with Joaquín”, Chris chuckled.

Silence enveloped you, and you simply took in the sight of your boyfriend. He was wearing one of his hoodies, a cap, and some gym shorts, the first items he probably found in the closet before coming here. Most worrying, though, was how pale his face looked.

“Have you gotten any sleep?” You couldn’t help but ask, the bags under his eyes and his overall complexion looked just like they did when he pulled an all-nighter, but somehow much worse.

Chris shrugged. “Have you?”

You hadn’t.

You’d been sleeping horribly.

Every time you tried to sleep you felt like something was missing, and anxiety made your heart feel heavy in your chest. If you did manage to fall asleep, you’d wake up a few hours after, mindlessly seeking your boyfriend’s body heat and finding none of it, which only fed that feeling of uneasiness that had clung to every fibre of your body.

“Not really, no”, you answered with honesty, because there was no point in hiding it. It was clear that you both were having a bad time, and you couldn’t help but feel incredibly guilty. “I’m sorry”.

“I’m sorry, too”, Chris replied simply, taking a step closer to where you were standing, clearly trying his best to not invade your personal space. 

It was so weird. Having Chris so physically distant to you, on purpose, was something you weren’t used to anymore, and the more he stayed rooted on the spot, the more you yearned to be enveloped in his warmth, in his scent.

So you took tentative steps towards him, all while Chris just looked at you with the saddest look in his eyes, resembling a kicked puppy. The only other time you could remember seeing this look on Chris’ face was the night you found out he and the rest of your friends were werewolves, right after you’d finished your confrontational conversation in the landing between floors, right after you told him not to follow you when you left.

“I shouldn’t have…spoken to you like that. I really am sorry”, you finally stood in front of him, but not as close as you wished you were.

“I shouldn’t have, either. I was exhausted that day, I let panic flood my brain, and I was being irrational”.

You couldn’t bear the distance anymore, so you reached for him, taking a hold of the front of his hoodie with an admittedly trembling grip. That simple gesture was all it took for Chris to finally move, to finally wrap his arms around your frame and hold you tight against his body. His sigh of relief didn’t go unnoticed, just like the way his muscles seemed to relax as soon as you were within his arms didn’t.

Relief washed over you immediately, especially when you buried your face in the crook of his neck, when you got that faint whiff of sea air that seemed to always emanate from your boyfriend.

“Pretty…” Chris cradled the back of your head, softly caressing your hair, holding you close. “You know I’d give you the world. Anything you asked me for…But this is something I won’t do, and that I beg you to not ask anyone else to do. It’s not certain you’d survive the turning process, and that’s a risk I’m just not willing to take”.

You hummed, moving your hands from his chest to instead wrap your arms around his waist so you could hold him tighter.

“I know you…can get in your head sometimes with this, but trust me, human you is just as adequate as a possible werewolf you. Why risk your life when you’re already perfect just as you are? I just…” Chris’ voice broke a little bit. It made your heart ache and a knot formed in your throat. He tightened his hold, taking a deep breath. “I can’t lose you, baby. I just can’t…Especially if it’s over something that can be avoided”.

“You won’t…” You mumbled against his neck, pressing a quick kiss on his skin. “You’re right…I was in my head. Overthinking…”

Chris hummed, and he pressed a kiss on your temple. “I’m still sorry for how I talked to you”.

“Me, too”, you rubbed your forehead on his shoulder, getting drenched in the smell of your shared home, in the smell of him. “I love you…”

Chris pulled away from you to cup your cheeks. The warmth of his palms on your face almost made your shiver, the soft drag of his thumbs over your skin had your heart beating fast in your chest, and the way he was looking at you, with his pretty eyes all glossy, as if you held his world in your hands, had tears collecting in your eyes.

“I love you. So much. You’re my everything, you know?”

You just nodded, and the second Chris’ lips were on yours you just couldn’t contain the soft whimper that came out of your throat.

Bringing your hands from where they had been wrapped around Chris’ middle, you took his cap off, held it in your hand, and buried the other in his slightly damp hair in one swift movement. Chris hummed, clearly relishing the tender caress of your fingers on his scalp. His tongue made contact with your bottom lip, and you immediately parted your lips to let him into your mouth.

With his hands on the small of your back, Chris simply held you close as he ravished your mouth, almost like he needed to kiss you to keep his heart beating, just like you did. It might’ve been three days, but those three days seemed to have lasted a lifetime, and now that you had your boyfriend’s warmth surrounding you again, you honestly couldn’t care about anything else.

Chris detached his lips from yours, only to reattach them to your cheek, pressing tender kisses on your skin. “Missed you so much, pretty…”

He said those words in a way that made it seem like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders, and you wholeheartedly shared the sentiment. “Missed you, too, baby…”

“Come back home”, he mumbled against your cheekbone before pulling back. He cupped one of your cheeks in his hand, while the other remained on the small of your back. “Our bed just feels so empty and cold when you’re not there. I hate it”.

“I will”, you replied simply, leaning into his tender touch. “Tomorrow, though. It’s too late, baby, and you’ve barely had any sleep. Let’s stay here tonight?”

Chris hummed, pressing a brief kiss on your lips. “Sure. As long as I get to hug you to sleep tonight I don’t care where we stay”. 

Chris sent Minho and Changbin a quick message, letting them know he was here with you, and to not turn away any packmate that might need some alpha support tonight–you doubted there’d be any, but it was good they were prepared just in case. You honestly didn’t like that both you and Chris had to be away, but when Minho replied to Chris’ message with a simple ‘👌’ you felt immediately at ease.

“Is your mum sleeping?” Chris asked as soon as you were stepping back into the house, getting out of his shoes. 

You shook your head. “She’s not even home. She went out with her friends and had a bit too much to drink, so she’s staying with one of them”.

“So it was just gonna be you and Joaquín in this big house?” Chris turned to look at Joaquín, just as the dog made his way to the sofa. “You would’ve protected my girl if anything happened, right?”

The dog huffed, jumping on the sofa, turning a few times only to finally plop down on one of the ends, on his usual sleeping spot.

Chris just chuckled, shaking his head.

“What’d he say?” You took a hold of your boyfriend’s hand, offering a ‘Good night, Joaco baby’ to your mother’s dog after you sent her a quick text and went through the motions of switching the lights of the living room, right when you walked past him on your way to your room. 

“Essentially that he’d die for you”, Chris held your hand tighter. “And that he was happy to see you smile again”.

As Chris had explained it to you, animals didn’t really communicate with words. They gestured, their scents would change, and there was just something in their body language that made it so they could understand each other. It was funny to think that your boyfriend could hold conversations with your mother’s dog like this, especially when you knew that the only reason he was verbally talking to him, with human language, was because Chris wanted you to not feel left out, which you appreciated.

As soon as you made it to your room, you got out of your shorts to sleep only in the tee you were wearing like you usually did. After you pulled back the covers, you laid as close to the wall as possible, leaving enough room for your boyfriend. This bed was smaller than the one back home, so it’d be a tight fit, but you were sure he wouldn’t mind, just like you didn’t–if anything, tonight, you wanted zero space between you and Chris. You’d had enough of that the past three days.

Chris pulled his hoodie over his head, and he haphazardly placed it on your desk. He joined you on the bed after, immediately pulling you against his chest. 

“Sleeping in shorts? Who are you and what have you done to my boyfriend?” You couldn’t help but comment, chuckling a little as you started to caress his back.

Chris laughed, the sound a bit muffled against your hair. “I don’t know…being butt-naked at your mum’s doesn’t feel right”. 

“Mm…It’s the first time you’re sleeping here, isn’t it? Hadn’t realised”.

Chris hummed, absentmindedly playing with your hair. “First time laying on your childhood bed”.

“It’s more than a childhood bed at this point. I was sleeping here until I moved to your den”, a minute shiver shot down your spine when your boyfriend sneaked a hand under your shirt, slowly dragging it from your hip to your waist, where he settled to lightly squish the soft roll that usually formed there.

“Our den…But still”, Chris pressed a kiss to your forehead, and you scooted closer to him, relishing the drag of his hand over your bare skin. “Missed squishing you, pretty”.

You couldn’t help but chuckle. “That’s why you asked me to be your girlfriend, right? To be your own personal stress ball?”

“Mm. That, and because of your child bearing hips, and this scrumptious fat ass”, he moved his hand from your waist to your bum, patting it lightly, giggling.

“What about my thighs, though?”

“God, don’t mention your thighs. I’ll pop a chub”. 

“Ah, of course”, you brought your hand behind him to squeeze his buttock. “You’re just like me, then”. 

“See? That’s why we’re perfect for each other”, there was a playful tone in his voice, but you knew that under all his jokes, laid some real feelings, some very deep feelings that you were sure matched your own. 

You pulled yourself from his chest to look him in the eyes. A soft smile settled on your lips, and you brought a hand to his face so you could lightly drag your fingertips from his forehead, down the curve of his nose, only to finally catch on his plush bottom lip. “You know…I was reading my childhood journal…I used to write my dreams in that diary. I had forgotten so many of them, honestly. Most of them were all nonsensical shit, but…there’s one that was quite interesting. Wanna hear about it?”

Chris nodded, taking a hold of your hand to press kisses on your palm.

“So, started with me in the foyer putting my shoes on before I left the house. I ended up walking for a long time, until I found myself in a forest. There were faeries flying all around, gnomes mining rocks, leprechauns protecting pots of gold… It was fascinating. It felt like I was walking for hours, until I finally made it to a stream, where I found a wolf. And it was like this wolf and I just…knew each other. It laid down on the grass and I laid down as well, propping my head on him, like it was the fluffiest pillow. Kinda like we do sometimes at home when we’re cold, you know?”

Chris just hummed in confirmation, dragging his lips from your palm to your wrist, where he also pressed a few lingering kisses.

“Knowing what I know now, I’d like to think that wolf was you…” You continued, placing a hand on his chest. He was so warm and his heart was beating so fast–faster than usual… “Like it was you meeting me in my dreams before we even knew what we’d mean to each other”. 

“That’s…literally so cute, baby”, Chris mumbled against the skin of your wrist, before he finally pulled it towards his chest, bringing it close to your other hand.

“You’re the wolf of my dreams, Christopher”. 

Chris giggled a bit, averting your gaze and biting his lip, looking incredibly adorable once a rosy flush started spreading on his cheeks. You couldn’t help but giggle with him, leaning in to press a brief, lingering kiss on his lips.

“So…Did I miss anything while I was gone?” You asked as soon as you pulled back from the kiss, and Chris sighed, bracing himself for what he was about to tell you.

Apparently, when Changbin left you and his girlfriend in his flat, he’d gone to Chris, knowing he’d be having a bad time. They fought, or, at least, Chris was trying to pick a fight. He seemed to be embarrassed about it now, but he was grateful that Changbin dropped by to check on him regardless, it did help him calm down a bit.

The rest of the pack clearly knew something was wrong, but no one brought it up to Chris, which he was kind of grateful for, but also annoyed by. ‘If they don’t talk to me, it means they’re talking to each other behind my back, which means they were probably feeding all these crazy theories in their heads, you know how the kids are…’

Nothing really out of the ordinary happened besides that. Felix and Hyunjin’s partner dropped by, and apparently also gave Chris a pep talk. ‘Let’s talk alpha to alpha, they said’, Chris chuckled, recalling how she was somehow trying to help him reason his feelings, but scolding him at the same time because he’d hurt you.

You honestly weren’t sure how long you spent talking to Chris, and you honestly didn’t care much, either. You just loved to listen to him speak, and just the mere sound of his voice and his warmth all around you was immensely soothing. It all made your eyes droop and your head sink further into your pillow.

“Baby…” Chris mumbled against your hair after a few moments of silence, and you simply hummed to let him know he had your attention. “I’d like to…feel you. If you’re fine with that”.

Your boyfriend was a big fan of physical contact, especially skin-to-skin contact, which was very convenient for you, considering you also loved to feel him against you at any given moment. So you pulled yourself away from him, pulling your t-shirt over your head and throwing it somewhere by the end of the bed to quickly snuggle back within Chris’ arms.

As soon as you tucked your head under his chin, and your skin made contact with his, Chris sighed. A sigh of relief that perfectly matched your own, followed by a sleepy murmur of ‘That’s more like it. Love you…’

With your boyfriend’s arm under your neck, curled around your shoulders while the other hugged your waist to keep you tight against him, with your legs intertwined as comfortably as you could, laying close to each other on your much too small bed, you finally let Chris’ body heat and overall presence lull you to sleep.

The second you woke up the next morning and felt your boyfriend’s warmth against your back and his strong arm around your waist, you truly felt at ease. You had noticed it was hard for you to sleep without him there, but you hadn’t fully grasped just how much until now. 

Taking his hand in yours, you brought it close to your face so you could leisurely press kisses on his fingertips and his palm. It was crazy how much you’d missed Chris in such a short amount of time, but here you were, feeling as if it’d been weeks. It honestly puzzled you a bit, but you couldn’t think too much about it, not when the soft presses of your lips on your boyfriend’s hand seemed to have woken him up.

“Morning…” He mumbled, shuffling a bit to mould his body completely against yours.

“Morning, baby”, you mumbled back, letting go of Chris’ hand when he started to move it away from your face so he could rest it on your belly.

“What time is it?” Chris nuzzled his face on your shoulder, and you couldn’t help but chuckle and squirm a little when his hair tickled your skin with the movement.

“Dunno”, the blackout drapes over your windows made it so you truly had no idea what time it was, and you hadn’t even checked your phone since you texted your mother last night to let her know Chris was here. You honestly didn’t even know where you left it.

Chris just hummed, holding your belly a bit tighter and starting to leave kisses on the skin of your shoulder, effectively kickstarting the butterflies in your stomach, and prompting the next words to come out of your mouth.

“Is it too soon to have makeup sex?”

You heard Chris giggle behind you as soon as you asked the question, and the sound alone made you smile.

“You know if it’s up to me, it’s never too soon for any type of sex”, Chris pressed his crotch further against your ass, letting you feel just how hard he already was. “But I don’t wanna be disrespectful”.

“To whom?” You chuckled, laying your hand on top of his on your tummy.

“To you, silly”, he pressed a kiss on your shoulder. “And your mum. This is her house, after all”.

You couldn’t help but scoff at that. “So that time we came over for her bimonthly barbeque and you sat me on the bathroom counter to eat me out wasn’t disrespectful?”

“That was different!” Chris laughed, nuzzling your shoulder.

You turned in his hold so you could lay face to face next to him. “Mhm, tell me how?”

As soon as he looked at you, Chris went serious. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, but he didn’t say anything. Not until he cupped your cheeks and squished them together with his palms.

“Holy shit. You’re so cute”, you felt heat pool on your cheeks as soon as the words left his mouth. He squished your cheeks further, forcing a pout to form on your lips. “How’d I get so lucky, huh?”

“Babe…” You whined, suddenly feeling bashful under his sparkly gaze.

In an instant, Chris’ lips were on you. He pressed kisses all over your face, making you giggle and squirm a bit in his hold. “God, I don’t wanna wake up without you next to me ever again. I’m so fucked”.

“Hopefully you won’t have to”, you mumbled, melting as soon as your boyfriend pressed a kiss to your lips.

“Hopefully not”, he said simply, wrapping his arms around your waist to pull you flush to him.

Chris moved, taking you with him for you to lay on top of him. You shuffled a bit, straddling his hips to lay more comfortably when his lips attached to your neck, kissing and nibbling on your pulse point.

His hands roaming your back, your sides, your ass, squeezing your soft flesh anytime he could, his lips and his tongue on your neck, his unmistakable scent, everything combined had shivers running up and down your spine and butterflies flying freely in your belly. Without even thinking twice about it, you rolled your hips, making Chris groan with the pressure of your centre against his length, and he detached his mouth from your skin immediately.

“Fuck…Yeah. Yeah, we can have makeup sex. Let’s have all the sex. Every sex”, his rambling made you laugh, and you pressed a brief kiss on his forehead before you moved.

Shuffling further down his body, you attached your lips to Chris’ neck. Right now, you felt like you needed to kiss him. Anywhere and everywhere. You wanted to feel his heated skin under your lips, your hands, your body…You just wanted to feel him, so you didn’t hold back.

Slowly, leisurely, you took your time savouring Chris’ body, leaving trails of kisses from his neck, to his chest, his stomach, his tummy…All as he sighed and hummed contently, as he buried his fingers in your hair when you stopped at the waistband of his shorts, focusing on the barely perceptible freckles that littered his skin, making sure not to leave a single one unkissed.

“Can I take these off?” You mumbled, hooking your fingers under the waistband of his shorts.

Chris just hummed, taking them off himself and throwing them right where your t-shirt had landed last night. As you suspected, he wasn’t even wearing underwear.

“You drove all the way here just in your shorts?” You couldn’t help but chuckle, settling yourself between his legs, running your hands up and down his thighs.

“‘Course I did. Had no time to put on an extra item of clothing when the prettiest girl told me I could come over”, Chris grinned at you, and you grinned back, shaking your head from side to side a bit, mumbling an ‘Unbelievable…’

The grin disappeared from Chris’ face the moment you took him in your hand, teasing him with soft strokes that instead had him closing his eyes and sighing. Your boyfriend loved to have his way with you, and you loved letting him get away with it. But, sometimes, you also wanted your fun, and he was more than ready to let you indulge.

You continued your motions, not only the motions of your hand, but the previous motions of your lips, pressing kisses on any freckle on his tummy, and even on his length, simply relishing the taste of his skin. Until you just couldn’t wait any longer, until you couldn’t stop yourself from licking a long stripe from the base of his cock all the way to his head, all so you could finally take him in your mouth.

Chris swore under his breath, bringing a hand to the back of your head, not really moving you, simply caressing your hair, taking in the sight of his length going in and out of your mouth, mumbling. “You’re always pretty, but you certainly look even prettier with my cock in your mouth, baby…”

You just hummed in response, ignoring the heat you felt spread on your face. Whether that heat was caused by the dirty words constantly falling from your boyfriend’s lips, or by the way you were borderline choking on him and slurping him up, you weren’t too sure.

You spent a while just working Chris’ length, sucking him off, swallowing every bit of pre-cum that spilled from his tip, jerking the rest of his shaft you couldn’t fit in your mouth. You did it until the feeling of emptiness in your core was just too much to bear. It truly hadn’t been that long, three days wasn’t even the longest you’d ever spent without having sex with Chris, but considering the circumstances, you figured your body just missed him.

With a lewd pop, you let him fall from your mouth, all so you could climb your way back up to sit on his lap and kiss him. Burying your fingers in his hair, you pulled him as close to you as you could, just as Chris’ fingers dug on your soft sides, whimpering a bit at the feel of his tongue against yours, of his lips on your own.

“Gimme some room, pretty. Hm?” Chris mumbled against your lips, right before biting on your lower lip and tugging it, just as he brought a hand between your bodies.

So you complied, lifting your hips just a bit, enough for him to bring two fingers to your entrance. Chris wasted no time, he spread your essence all over, getting his fingers drenched before he finally stuffed those two fingers within your warmth.

A quiet whimper left your mouth as soon as he started moving his fingers, as soon as he started massaging the utmost sensitive areas within your walls, stretching you open in the process. The slow, calculated movements of his fingers were a complete contrast to the borderline desperate way he was kissing you. You were starting to feel lightheaded, breathless, and you were sure your heart was close to bursting out of your chest.

Detaching your lips from his, you attached them to his cheek, trying to catch your breath. You couldn’t help but whine when Chris removed his fingers from your core. The sight of him bringing them to his mouth and sucking them clean, with his eyebrows pulled together in bliss, had you clenching around air, had you craving his warmth, too.

So you brought your hand between your bodies, taking a hold of your boyfriend’s length and lining him with your entrance right as you kissed him again.

“Love, wait…” Chris pulled away from your lips, just before you took him inside of you. “Need to stretch you more first”.

You just shook your head, leaning in to press a brief kiss on his cheekbone. “Can’t wait that long”.

“Baby…” Chris was giving you his Worried Tone, and you appreciated it, you really did, but you also needed to have him inside you now or you were sure you’d cry.

You pressed a few more kisses on his cheeks, mumbling. “I can take it…Need you. Now”.

“Fuck, you’re playing dirty…” Chris chuckled. His need to give you what you wanted and his instinct to make sure you didn’t get hurt were clearly at odds with each other here, but you knew very well what your limits were. “Fine, but go slow. Hm?”

“Mhm…” You placed a quick kiss on the corner of his mouth before you took him in your hand and lined him with your entrance again.

With a deep breath, you finally started to lower yourself on Chris’ lap, taking him in one centimetre at a time.

Funny thing, how Chris asked you to go slow, as if you had any semblance of control whatsoever, as if he wasn’t holding your hips tightly to make sure you did go slow. Sure, it was a bit more difficult than usual, but you were already so used to your boyfriend’s body it wasn’t particularly painful, just a bit of tighter fit.

As soon as you were fully sat on his cock, you sighed, almost relieved that you were finally stuffed full, just as Chris swore under his breath. You moved a hand from where it’d been resting against his chest to his cheek instead, and he closed his eyes, turning his head to place a kiss on your palm.

“So warm…” He mumbled against the skin of your palm, and he removed one of his hands from your hips to bring it to yours on his face, cradling it so he could press kisses on your wrist. The soft drag of his lips over the sensitive skin further agitated those butterflies in your belly.

Leaning into him, you wrapped your arms around his neck and buried your face in the crook of his neck, just as one of his arms circled your waist and his hand found its way into your hair, cradling the back of your neck, holding you close once you finally started to move.

“You know you’re my dream girl, right?” Chris whispered in your ear, chuckling when you involuntarily clenched around him. 

Pressing soft kisses on his neck, you hummed. “I know. But I love hearing it anyway”.

“I know you do…I can feel it”, he moved his hand from where it was laying around your waist to grope one of your buttcheeks instead.

Chris let you keep the slow bounce of your hips, clearly in no rush to do anything other than fondle your soft flesh, than enjoying your body and your kisses and your overall attention. You could feel his body getting warmer, his chest heaving, and the low hums and sighs that left his lips under your movements had your mind hazing a bit. 

“I’m so…happy”, you mumbled against his skin, pressing kisses up his neck until you found his cheek, leaving a lingering kiss there. “Happy that you’re mine”.

Chris’ hand that was cradling your head finally moved, finding your other buttcheek. He held you tightly, almost tight enough to bruise, and you knew your little time of control was over. “Love to be yours…Love that you’re mine…”

Finding your lips, Chris kissed you deeply, holding you with a firm grip. He moved you up and down his cock however he pleased, with no difficulty. His tongue in your mouth, pushing against yours, felt like the tastiest dessert you’d ever had, coupled with the feel of him going in and out of you, hitting all your sweetest spots, was quickly clouding your mind, filling it with only your loving boyfriend, the delicious drag of his cock against your walls, and the feeling of his hands on your flesh.

“You know…” Chris moved away from your mouth, attaching his lips to your neck instead to suck a mark on it, making you squirm a little. “Sometimes…It feels like you were made for me…” His hold on your bum tightened, and the pace in which he was bouncing you up and down his cock increased just the tiniest bit.

“Your tight cunt, your fat ass, your soft tits, your thick thighs…” Every word that came out of his mouth had you whimpering, had you whining softly close to his ear. Threading your fingers through his hair, you held him tightly, relishing his wet, sloppy kisses all over your neck and chest. “But not just that…”

Kissing up your neck, Chris found your earlobe, lightly sucking and licking on it. “You’re so kind, smart…so caring, and strong willed…”

Before you knew it, you were rolling, and the tiniest of squeaks left your lips once Chris flipped you both over so he was now on top of you. There were few things in this world you enjoyed more than your boyfriend’s weight on you. It always filled you with a pleasant mix of comfort and arousal. The way he moved your thighs so you could wrap your legs around his torso, to lock one ankle over the other so you could keep him there as he continued to drill into you, it all was quickly filling you with a sense of fullness quite like never before.

His mouth claimed yours, kissing you with want, all while his hips slowly  rocked back and forth to fill you with all of him time and time again. You truly felt like your heart was going to leap out of your chest, like it was skipping every other beat.

With one of his arms under your neck and the other around your lower back to tilt you however he wanted, you simply let yourself enjoy the feeling of him all around you, in you, dragging your hands up and down his back, feeling each dip and curve of his muscles, relishing his warmth, his body heat.

“I’m just…” Chris murmured between kisses. “Madly in love with you…”

Your heart swelled in your chest, now full of just Chris. You could only vaguely hear the whines and quiet moans that left your mouth with each thrust, with each word coming out of your boyfriend’s kiss-bitten lips, and your nails dug on his back as he increased his pace.

“I love you…” You simply mumbled back, holding tight onto him, swallowing the almost desperate moan that came out of his lips as soon as your words registered in his brain.

“Say it again”, Chris buried his face in the crook of your neck, bringing a hand between your bodies so he could start rubbing circles on your clit.

The slow movement of his hips was now long gone. His pace grew faster, the headboard started to thump against the wall, a sound you weren’t really used to–unlike your bed at home, this one was most certainly not werewolf-proof. It would’ve distracted you, had Chris not increased the intensity of his thrusts, drilling into you as hard as you knew he could, making you see stars and making you lose your sense of reality.

It took you a moment to comply, too lost in the feeling of it all. “I…I love you”.

“Again”, his voice was a bit strained, but you could barely register it with the unrelenting pace of his fingers on that sensitive bud between your legs, with the feel of him splitting you open time and time again.

“Love you, Chris. I’m–”

With one final moan of his name, you finally felt your release wash over you, dragging warmth all throughout your body. You bit on his shoulder to ground yourself, your nails dug on his back, and the blissed-out sounds coming out of your boyfriend’s mouth joined the ringing that had started in your ears.

“Fuck, fuck…Love you…so much…” Burying himself as deep as he could, Chris finally stilled, filling you up, pumping you full of his release, of everything he had to give.

As you came down from your high, you could vaguely feel his rumble against your chest, and even in your post orgasmic, hazy state you couldn’t help but smile, holding tightly onto him, just as he held onto you, as he pressed soft, tender kisses on your neck. Chris truly never rumbled often, but when he did, it was because he was either falling into a more animalistic state, or because he was particularly vulnerable, and as you held him, you knew the reason was the latter.

When he pulled away from your neck to finally press a loving kiss on your lips, you couldn’t help but notice the blush on his face and his ears. You simply brushed your nose against his, relishing the small giggle that left his lips when you did.

“Be right back”, Chris tried to pull himself away from your embrace, but you held him tightly in place, keeping your limbs firmly around him. Realistically, he was stronger than you, and he could pull you off of his body easily, but he didn’t, he simply regarded you with a curious–and maybe a bit confused–look.

You looked him in the eyes for a bit, until you unwrapped your arms from around his neck to instead cradle his face in your hands, softly stroking his cheeks with your thumbs. “I’m so, so in love with you. Truly”.

His flush deepened, just as the widest smile spread on his lips, making his eyes disappear into crescents and his dimples pop on his cheeks. With one more kiss on his lips, you finally let go of him. Chris simply left the comfort of your bed, and he made his way to your dresser, so he could grab a random towel from one of the drawers.

He cleaned you up thoroughly, wiping the fluids leaking from your ruined core, all as he smothered your face with kisses, making your heart flutter in your chest and your cheeks heat up.

As soon as he was done he dumped the towel on the floor, tucking you and himself back under the covers, uncaring of the soiled sheets as he held you close to his body, stroking your back, your thighs, your bum…

“Sorry if I didn’t let you keep the pace for long…” Chris mumbled against your hair, sounding just as sleepy as you felt, even when it was early in the day. You figured the sleepless nights were catching up to you both.

Leaving a quick peck on his chest, you snuggled closer. “It’s okay, darling. You know I love when you manhandle me”.

“Don’t you mean wolf-handle you?” Chris giggled, mostly to himself, and you couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Any-handle me”, you confirmed, draping your leg over his torso and pulling him further into you, pressing yourself fully to his heated skin. “Just love to feel you…”

“Mm…Me too”, he simply caressed your back, keeping you close.

You both kept silent for a while, simply basking in your love and the lingering feeling of your high.

“If we ever fight again…I’ll try my best not to run away”, you mumbled, tracing mindless shapes on his chest.

Chris took a deep breath, and you felt his chest rise and fall under your head. “I understand why you do it. If it helps you, then I won’t stop you”.

“But…it hurts you, baby”.

“I manage…” He brought a hand to your head, softly caressing your hair.

You pulled yourself away from his hold, propped yourself up on an elbow, and looked him right in the eyes. “Chris…Why didn’t you tell me you had imprinted on me?”

Chris’ whole body tensed as soon as you asked the question, and you saw his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed. “How’d you–”

“Seungmin sent me some texts explaining…Please don’t be mad at him, he was just worried about you”, you added that last sentence as soon as you saw Chris’ gaze harden, and he pressed his fingers on his eye sockets, just as he let out a frustrated sigh.

“‘Course Seungmin told you…” He mumbled. When he finally removed his hands from his face, his eyes found yours, looking incredibly vulnerable. “Pretty, listen…”

Chris sat down on the bed, and you followed right after, crossing your legs, and listening intently to what he wanted to say. “I didn’t tell you anything about imprinting in general because I just knew that the second you found out about it you’d know I had imprinted on you. There was just no way for you not to know when it’s so painfully obvious that my feelings for you run much deeper than a regular guy’s would…It’s a lot to take in, and it’s a level of pressure I didn’t want to put on you”.

Taking your hand in his, he gave it a squeeze. “I don’t want you to…feel like you have to stay with me because of all this mystical bullshit inside of me. You should be able to put space between us if you need it, to do things you want to do even if they go against what I say…And, most importantly, you should be able to leave if you ever want to…”

You felt your heart ache with that last statement. Somehow, the thought of leaving him, of truly leaving, was unbearable even to you. Sure, people fell out of love often, it wasn’t like it couldn’t happen, but you figured most people didn’t have a supernatural connection with their partner.

“Baby…” You squeezed Chris’ hand, bringing his attention to your eyes. “These couple of days without you have felt like pure torture. I know it sounds silly, considering one, I was the one who left, and two, we’ve been physically apart for long periods of time several times before, but never after an argument. It’s manageable in normal circumstances, but if we’ve fought, or if we don’t speak, you need to know it’s painful for me, too”.

Chris’ eyes widened, like you were breaking inconceivable news to him. He cupped your cheek with his free hand, keeping you close. “What?”

“I’ve never felt anything like this…Like a piece of me had been ripped out of my body. I didn’t understand why, until I read those texts from Seungmin this morning…” You brought your hand to rest on top of his on your face, licking your lips. “Seems like that mystical bullshit is inside me, too, baby. Which, I suppose, makes sense, if your wolf is somehow connected to me…”

“Shit, pretty, I–” You could see it in his eyes, Christopher’s signature Guilty Look. The one he had whenever he was beating himself up. You truly loved him deeply, but, sometimes, you felt like you wanted to murder him for taking the blame for things that weren’t his fault.

“Nuh-uh”, you cupped his cheeks, squishing them together. “Don’t give me the ‘guilty dog’ eyes. Not with this”.

“But–”

Before he could continue, you moved. Sitting on his lap, still cradling his face in your hands, but with less pressure, you simply looked him in the eyes. “Now, you’re gonna be all like ‘ooohh, I dragged you into this’, ‘ooohh, it’s my fault’, ‘ooohh, I didn’t mean to’. Please don’t do that”.

A pout made its way onto your lips, and you saw Chris’ form relax a bit, just as he wrapped his arms around your waist.

“What are you gonna do about it now? Take what’s mine away from me? No way”, you moved your hands from his cheeks to his hair, burying your fingers in the soft strands, holding him tightly. “The universe has made you for me, too, babe. I wholeheartedly believe this is a mutual thing”.

Chris looked at you for a brief moment, taking you in. His eyes jumped all over your face, and, in an instant, he was scoffing, and a bright smile spread on his lips. “God, I truly am so fucked. So sickly in love with you, baby. You shouldn’t have said that, I’m gonna be even more insufferable after this”.

“I wouldn’t have you any other way”, you mumbled, right before you pulled him in for a kiss.

Chris just hugged you tighter, and he dropped back on the bed, bringing you down with him, giggling. You just giggled in response, kissing him as many times as you could, relishing his warmth, his presence, and his love.

After a while, when your fit of giggles died down, when you were just cuddling again, holding each other close, Chris tensed under you. “Shouldn’t we take Joaquín on a walk?” His eyes widened, and he suddenly held your waist tightly. “Shit, baby, do you think your mum came back?”

You just hummed, bracing yourself on his chest to sit on his lap. “Let’s hope she didn’t. Not like I particularly care, but if she did come back already, she probably heard you railing me. There is just no way she didn’t. You almost made a hole on the wall with how much this bed was moving”.

“Oh my God…” Chris groaned, covering his face in his hands, and you smiled as you saw his ears grow red. “I can’t believe I let you seduce me!”

“Oh, please. As if you needed me to do anything for you to feel seduced”, you laughed, pulling his hands away from his face, uncovering his flushed cheeks and the pout on his lips.

You tried your best to kiss that pout off of his face, but he was still grumbling, grumpy at the thought that he’d somehow disrespected your mother’s home. Whatever that meant.

“C’mon, baby”, you said eventually, pressing one last, loud kiss on his lips. “Let’s find out if you’re working yourself up over nothing, or if death by embarrassment is a real thing”.

Chris sighed, but he followed you when you stood up from the bed to get dressed, practically holding his breath in anticipation when you finally opened the door to leave your room.

Tagging: @222wonnie · @staaa96 · @oiminho · @straylightdream · @starshine-moon · @biribarabiribbaem · @100layersofdaddyissues · @dearalice · @alexis-reads-fics · @xcookiemonsteer · @knowleeknow · @chanlovesme · @liminaldaydream · @sstarryreads · @svngiem · @notastraykid · @princelingperfect · @violetpenguinkris · @leedunno · @peepeepoopooharrie · @aestheticsluut · @skzhomiehopper · @cessixja · @mimzibee · @hipsdofangirl · @djeniryuu · @floatingcoffecup · @hakunaamaatittiessss · @minnysproutgriffinteddy · @moonmooncr · @waiting-for-the-barbarians · @phobia0325 · @leebitsimpracha · @changbinmwah · @viviixlyy · @casualenthusiastexpert · @kileidoscope · @kpop-bbdoll · @crispytigerearthquake · @meloncremesoda · @amaranth-writing

in purple: can’t be tagged. If you want to be removed (or if i tagged you incorrectly) from the list just PM me. If you want to be added fill in this form~

© therhythmafterthesummer 2023. all rights reserved. do not repost or translate my stories.

Constructive feedback (or even keysmashes, really) is always welcome :) feel free to leave your comments in the caption/tags when you reblog, or by sending me an ask !

General Masterlist Chris’ WereRoomies Instalments:  It’s Cold Out · Rut · Alpha Dog · It’s Warm In · Love is Easy · Afraid to Lose You. For extra drabbles, check out the series masterlist.

[jisungsdaydreamer]

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

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

"It hurts to love you."

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

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

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

“I love you.”

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

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

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

“I love you too, you menace.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“You did.”

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

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

You start. “No!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“One… two… three.” 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Hey, can you pass that over here?” 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Right.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Why did you and Y/N break up?” 

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I’ll come with you,” Sunoo offers.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You let out a mirthless chuckle. “Yeah.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You return it. “You just did.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“This is an apartment.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Alright.”

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

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

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

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

“Aren’t you overdoing it?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Seriously?” Minho looks shocked. 

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

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

You blink. “Sorry?”

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

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

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

“Of what?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Nothing much. What’s up?”

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

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

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

“Minho?” Your eyes widen.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You smile at him. “My handsome CEO.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Minju?” 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

catservant98: I’ll always love you.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Seriously?

“Thanks, Chris.”

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

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

“You drive me crazy, you know that?” 

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

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

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

“You seem to be enjoying yourself.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Okayy.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“You should show me what you mean.”

“I should.”

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

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

“Promise?”

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

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

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

AUTHOR'S NOTE

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

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

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

Network: @kflixnet

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

[thewritingmagician2022]

Hey! I just found your blog and I've read through your work and I love it 💗 can I request MC trying to talk the brothers out of confessing to them?

(Perhaps taking place towards the end of season 1, beginning of season 2)

The brothers tell MC they love "LOVE" them and MC thinks they're joking and when they finally realize that the brothers are being serious MC's like "I thought you had better taste... are you sure you're not just infatuated with an idealized version of me that you created in your head? I mean you can do better, besides what would the people of Devildom think? Honestly, I didn't really get the impression you liked "liked" me in that way... I think you should think it through, maybe it's because I'm a novelty that your interested in me?" Or something along those lines? The point is that MC doubts their feelings and thinks they can do better.

Thank you so much! 💓

This is one of my favorite prompts because it’s so realistic and human and authentic. Which is terrifying too because I know I’m not gonna do it justice and I’m so freaking late on this. Back on topic - what makes us special to these brothers? Is it going to last? How long until we’re nothing new? (starts playing Taylor Swift in the background while I contemplate these)

Lucifer: Lucifer is vaguely insulted by the implication that you don’t trust him to know his own feelings. Yes, he understands your self doubt because he’s the high level demon Lucifer, the best of the best, and it makes sense that you would feel intimidated by that. But to doubt his feelings is to doubt Lucifer’s judgement and that won’t stand. He knows who’s worth his time and affection (no one) and he is not willing to open himself up to such a state of vulnerability without absolute certainty. So when he says he loves you, it’s true. He’s been around a long time and you’re the only person who has been able to capture his attention and heart in such a way; he isn’t worried at all about the feelings fading or being an illusion. He is under no delusions of who you really are - the person who doesn’t listen to him and runs wild with his brothers and causes so many problems in the Devildom and also the person who brought his family back together again and who reminded Lucifer of who he used to be and could still be. He will provide you reason after reason to back his point if you need it but he really feels he should only have to express his feelings once to make it clear.

Mammon: Mammon’s feelings are definitely hurt when you question him, even if it’s coming from a good place. He knows he’s not the most serious demon and maybe he’s a bit of a tsundere but he doesn’t understand how you can doubt him after everything you’ve been through together. He’s your first man, you’re his best-friend. Mammon is no stranger to romance and flirting over the millenia; demons, angels, witches, humans, etc. He’s got options, almost as many as Asmo, but you are the only person who has ever made him feel this good, this special and loved and in love.It breaks his heart a little every time you doubt his love for you. He might not be the best at talking about his feelings but he promises that he will spend the rest of his life showing you exactly how much he loves you for you, the same way you love him for him - the good and the bad and the weird. He is yours until the end of time, whether or not you’ll ever actually be his.

Levi: Of all the brothers, Levi is probably the most understanding of your doubts - not regarding him, that’s super crazy and he doesn’t understand how you could ever think he could do better than you. He does understand how self-doubt doesn’t always follow logic so he actually does well not taking it personally when you ask him those kinds of questions. He’s a man of many hyperfixations but they’re lasting. Have you seen him with his favorite series or Ruri-chan? This man is dedication personified. He’s already added you to his list of hyperfixations and, okay, maybe he does idealize you a little but he’s not as deluded as you think. He knows you have weird, messy bits of you - just like him - and he loves that so much about you because he’s able to actually be comfortable with you. He loves you and trusts you and respects you, which is more than he can say about anyone else in his life, and he is going to be your simp long after the series finale and he only hopes you’ll agree to let him stay in your life and worship you the way he knows you deserve.

Satan: That line of questioning makes him angry, shocking. He hates that you’re doubting him and his feelings. Satan is the intellectual of his brothers (if you ask him). He’s smart enough to know that there’s a difference between lust vsinfatuation vs love, and he’s considered it for a long time before he came forward with his feelings. He knows they’re genuine and lasting; he even avoided you in the beginning to avoid catching those kinds of feelings but it happened. Satan knows maybe he can romanticize things a little, like in the romance novels that he secretly loves, but he doesn’t think it’s to an unhealthy or unrealistic level - no more than a general man in love might do. He’ll sit and discuss all of this with you for as long as necessary, reigning in that anger that stems from feeling rejected, until you finally realize that he’s genuinely in love with you.

Asmo: Okay, so Asmo gets it, you know? He’s most beautiful being in three realms and charming and funny and sweet and basically everything good wrapped into one wonderful, sparkly, good smelling package. It would make sense that any human he pursued felt a little insecure about his feelings and their worthiness. But like…it’s you! You’ve seen Asmo at his worst - the days when he’s not as beautiful or kind, when he’s selfish and cruel and narcissistic - and you’ve stuck by his side the whole time. He is going to do the same for you. He sees your inner (and outer) beauty every time he looks at you and he falls a bit more in love with you every time. He knows what lust and infatuation feels like - he feels those every day and has them reflected right back at him tenfold. You are not those things. There’s still the passion and longing and affection but it’s so much warmer and steadier, like the warm sun that Asmo used to see in the human realm. You make him better (a hard task considering how close to perfection he is) and he won’t stand for you having any kind of doubts. He’s going to love you into loving yourself until you’re unable to doubt him or your relationship ever again.

Beel: That’s…not unfair to ask him. Beel may not be the smartest brother but he’s not as stupid as others make him out to be. He is the only brother who is going to hear you out and actually take the time to think about what you’re saying. You are the first human he’s ever had these kinds of feelings for, the first person actually. Beel is not used to romance at all and so he really needs to think about the line between romantic and platonic and familial; he doesn’t want to mess up the relationship by defining it incorrectly and breaking both of your hearts in the process. He doesn’t agree that you’re not good enough or interesting enough to inspire those kinds of feelings in him; he thinks you’re the most wonderful being he’s ever come across and anyone would be lucky to know you, let alone be loved by you like he is. It doesn’t take him too long to come the conclusion that no, he is in love with you. He would choose you over food or sports or even some of his brothers; hefeels empty without you in a way that even Belphie can’t compare to. He wants to kiss you and hold you and keep you around forever to share in his food and laughs and affection. Once Beel makes his decision, it’s completely solidified. Beel is a ride or die kind of man and you know you’ll never have to doubt him once he tells you he loves you.

Belphie: Belphie is torn. He understands why you may question his love for you. He did betray you and literally kill you in another universe; he would be more concerned if you weren’t skeptical about him. However, you feeling not good enough? Absolutely absurd. You need therapy ASAP. You are the best thing that’s ever happened to him and his family, even if you are a human. He never wanted these feelings; he loathed you at first but, over the months and different experiences you’ve shared, those feelings have grown to respect and trust and love. He couldn’t stop himself from loving you even if he tried (and he’s tried). He can understand your nerves but he knows down to his very soul that he loves you and that he will always love you. If you can’t accept his feelings, he’ll be the most accepting of it, especially because he doesn’t think he deserves you at all but he will never back down from his claims and he will continue expressing his love for you until the very end.

Diavolo: Of them all, Diavolo most understands why you may doubt the longevity of this relationship. He’s the demon lord. He’s the top choice of the realm, and everyone is scrutinizing him and his choices. He gets why you might be afraid of that and what comes with it. However, he wouldn’t be choosing you if he hadn’t thought long and hard about it to make sure his feelings for you withstood all of those doubts and fears. Diavolo does not lovely easily or lightly; he’s been offered companionship from more people than he could ever care to count but he’s never seriously considered any of them. You are the first and only person to have made him fall so completely head over heels in love that he’s able to get out of his own head which is so often filled with those some kinds of doubts and questions. He may not make every decision in his life with 100% confidence but this is one that he feels so sure of that he’s willing to stake his entire future and reputation on it. He loves you and he will do everything in his power to prove that he loves you and will stay by your side as you both rule the Devildom together, putting you at the top with him - exactly where you belong.

Barbatos: Barbatos is efficient, if nothing else in the world. Do you really think that he would pursue you if he wasn’t completely sure of his feelings and your future together? This is the man who has spent his entire life dedicated to Diavolo; he’s turned away from every and any meager temptation that’s come his way. No one has ever caught his eye like you have and certainly no one has ever made him question where his loyalty lays. Of course he is still Lord Diavolo’s servant and he serves the Devildom to the best of his ability but his heart isn’t in it the same way and that’s because he’s given it to you. You are what consumes his every thought and feeling; he’s broken the rules and used his powers for you, he’s gone against Diavolo for you, he is willing to do anything so long as he can be near you and make you happy. You don’t even have to accept his love or love him back, if you really can’t or won’t, but he’s seen you in every timeline and loves you in all of them. Nothing in this world or any of the others will change that and, if you give him the opportunity, he will dedicate his every moment to proving to you why you can put your full faith in him. After all, Barbatos has never failed at an assignment before.

Solomon: Solomon can understand insecurity on your end. It’s hard to consider yourself special enough to last for someone who has seen everything. Solomon has lived thousands of years, visited the three realms, love and lost time and time again. It’s hard to imagine that you’re anything more than the next shiny toy he’s got his eye on. For someone who can never die, what is this love other than a small blip on his radar one day? Solomon can’t stop you from feeling that way because, in a way, it’s true. You can’t be a permanent fixture in his life because you’re human but he can certainly be one in your life. Solomon would argue that he’s seen so many people and places over the millenia and he has lived long enough to know himself completely, and he knows that he loves you. He knows that no matter what happens or changes, his feelings for you will never waver. He will carry his love for you until the ends of time itself. It’s his curse to bear and the only thing that would make it bearable is being able to love you directly for as long as he’s given the chance.

Simeon: Simeon is the most patient and sympathetic as you ask him these questions. He would never invalidate your fears but he will confront them with you and break them down and banish them. Simeon is an angel who has watched over humanity for as long as they’ve been around. He has seen the best of the best and the worst of worst and still he’s never been tempted to turn away from his Father for one. At first, he could have explained it as curiosity and then fondness but it blossomed into the deep, unwavering love that he feels for you now. He sees your flaws and humanity and loves you all the more for it. You have become the new object of his worship and affection; he would fall from grace if it meant being able to hold you in his arms and shower you in the love he so truly believes you deserve. He will remind you every day of why you deserve to be happy and loved; he will tell you everything he loves about you from your smile to your kind heart to your most selfish desires. So, please, just put the same faith in him and his feelings that he puts in you and let him love you.

[baby-beelzeburger]

The brothers finding you asleep in their bed [Part Two]

➳ Summary: The brothers come home late to find MC sleeping in their bed. When asked, MC admits that they missed them while they were gone.

➳ Content info: MC is gender neutral.

➳ Characters: Leviathan and Satan

➳ Word Count:  Leviathan- 2,047 // Satan- 1,444

Part one

Being an otaku was exhausting work. This, Leviathan knew well. But his hard work was worth it all as he walked through the empty halls of the House of Lamentation with a limited edition Ruri-chan figurine within his grasp. He had spent hours of the early morning, lined up with other super fans in order to get a chance to score such a precious item. There had only been a small amount of this special figurine. Not wanting to take any chances, Levi had set out the night before, eager to be as early as possible to the event. He had spent much too much time in the outside world, social battery drained just from having to spend so long packed in a line full of others. But at the end, it was worth it.

Despite his fatigue, excitement coarsed through his veins as he thought over all the places he could put this precious new addition to his collection. He knew she had to be front and center! She deserved no less. He wanted absolutely everyone to see this masterpiece! Not like... anyone really went into his room. But you did, and he just knew you were going to love her! So he had to make sure she was in a nice spot.

Just as he pictured the cute smile you’d give him when he was finally able to show off his new prize, he opened the door. His entire body felt like it was melting in relaxation at the sight of his room. He could already feel his energy meter beginning to fill again as he took a step inside, calming blue lights welcoming him in.

And then, he froze as movement from the corner of his eye drew his attention. Movement specifically coming from his bed. Upon closer look, he saw a lump underneath his covers where a lump should not be.

Frightened out of his mind, convinced some terrible creature had snuck it’s way into his room (after all, he had just played a new horror game the night before,) he hugged Ruri-chan tight to his chest. He took one more careful step into his room, craning his neck as far as it could go to see over the edge of the bathtub.

The lump moved again, and Levi jumped back in surprise. He yelped at the movement, only to hear a quiet voice mumble in response.

Wait. That sounded a little bit like.... MC?

Hah, no, that was silly. As if someone like you would ever want to sleep in the bed of someone like him. It was absolutely more likely that the scary monster from his game was under there, not you. He was completely imagining things.

Except, as his strained eyes continued to stare in fear, a head popped out from under the blankets. A head with a pretty face attached to it, a face that looked just like yours. and it looked incredibly adorable snuggled tightly in his bed. Your eyelids fluttered just a bit, showing him those gorgeous eyes he could get lost in forever. And then, he knew for sure.

You mumbled something incoherent, then your eyes slid back shut.

It was unmistakably you. He could never, ever forget your face! Or your voice, even when he couldn’t really understand what you were saying. And the monster from his game wasn’t a shapeshifter... so it really was you? But, why?

A lightbulb went off in Levi’s mind. This all must be a dream. The best dream of his life, for sure. It was the only way to explain how he managed to score such an incredibly rare item, and the only reason that the person of his dreams would be laying right there in his bed.

Levi stood there for a moment, taking it all in. If this was really a dream, then he wanted to soak it all in for as long as he could. He held Ruri-chan close to his chest. But even then, even as he wanted to revel in both parts of this increible dream, he couldn’t really take his eyes off of you.

That’s okay, he thought. This was enough to make him happy. He’d treasure the memory of your dream self snuggled up like this forever.

With a sigh and a firm nod to himself, he decided that he should wake up now. Enough relishing. Although, now that he thought about it, he never really checked if it was a dream. They say you can’t feel pain in your dreams, right? You’re supposed to pinch yourself to check. That’s what he’s heard, at least.

Leviathan tucked Ruri-chan underneath his arm- even if it was all a dream, he could never just drop her, or put her on the dirty ground!- and dug his nails into his flesh.

He yelped once again, this time in pain. He put his all into that pinch, convinced that it wouldn’t hurt. Now he had deep crescent shapes marked into his arm, irritated and beading with blood.

Wait... so was this honestly real? All of this? That meant that he really did get this awesome Ruri-chan figurine! Yes!

And, that meant that you were really sleeping in his bed...

WAIT, THAT MEANT THAT YOU WERE REALLY SLEEPING IN HIS BED!

Levi’s head shot up to look back at you, panic now erupting through him at the confirmation that this wasn’t all in his head.

Oh no, his head felt light. Was he about to faint?

Okay, okay, think Levi, He thought as he braced himself against the wall, This must be some trick of the mind. Lack of food, and water, and sleep. Yeah that’s it! Gotta be it. Don’t freak out.

But that wasn’t it. That became increasingly clear as you started to stir, the bright light shining in through the crack in the door becoming irriting to your sleeping mind.

He barely noticed at first that you started to return to reality. Not when your eyes started fluttering back open, fully awake this time. Not when you pushed the covers away from yourself and stretched out your arms with a little yawn. Only when you fully sat up to look at him from over the lip of the tub did he notice, and he jumped yet again.

You smiled a cute, lazy smile as you rubbed your tired eyes. Goodness, you even looked perfect straight out of bed, sleepy and a bit disheveled.

He started stuttering your name. It was all his brain could really muster in the moment. He couldn’t really think of anything other then you right then, and his panic was making him do a bad job of speaking.

You giggled. He felt mortified by the possibility that maybe you were laughing at him.

“Levi, you’re here. Welcome back.”

How could you be so casual about this!? You were sleeping in his bed! What are you even doing there!?

Wait, shit. Did he say that out loud? Why were you smirking like that?

“Mm... I just missed you is all.”

...WHAT!?

His heart was about to burst right out of his chest. You were literally about to kill him, did you even realize that!? You- you were trying to kill him, you must’ve been! This was an attempt on his life!

But completely oblivious to the hammering beats against his ribcage, you pointed towards Ruri-chan, still tucked underneath his arm.

“You got it!” You said, excitement in your voice.

That eased him up, just a bit. He knew you’d be excited...

All he could do was nod though, holding the box up in his hands for you to see.

“She’s so cute,” You said with another giggle, pulling yourself up and out of his bed. You stepped onto his cold floor, stretching out your legs this time, “I told you that you’d get her. Where are you going to put her?”

He felt happiness bloom across his chest, even in his anxiety-ridden state. This is why you were his best friend. You always engaged in his intrests and passions. You always cheered him on, even when no one else did.

Except... why did it feel so weird to call you just his friend? Especially after what he’d seen? That panging in his heart over seeing you in his bed... was that a normal thing to feel towards a friend?

Best friends sleep in each other’s beds when they miss each other, right?

Sure. This was normal.

Levi tried to take deep breaths to calm himself down, just like you’d taught him. This panic was over nothing. This was normal!

“I’m not sure yet. Do you maybe want to- um... do you wanna help me choose a spot?”

You nodded, even despite the fact that you looked so tired. Even through your fatigued eyes, you looked more then happy to help him.

The two of you spent the next few moments discussing which shelf she would look best on. You helped him rearrange some things to fit her in, treating each piece of his collection like a precious artifact. And that’s why you were the only person he’d let help him do this. Because he knew you were the only one he could trust to treat them- and by extention, him- with respect.

Once that task was completed, you both looked upon your work in triumph. She looked perfect there, the spot you chose was the best one in the room. He knew he could rely on your opinion.

After just a moment of observing, a yawn escaped your lips, drawing Levi’s attention back to you. You smiled sheepishly.

“I should probably head back to my room for the rest of the night. I’m still sleepy.”

“Right, uh... Sorry I woke you up.”

You laughed, shaking your head.

“No worries. Goodnight, Levi.”

“Night...”

His eyes never left you as you made your way to the door, trailing after you the entire time. He was thankful for it when you turned to look behind your shoulder as you reached the door. You sent him a wave. In a daze, he waved back. Then the door was shut, and you disappeared behind it.

Leviathan took a deep breath of relief, feeling the tension start to dissipate. With nothing left to do, now exhausted from both his excursion, and his panic of the evening, he begun his nightly routine to get ready for sleep.

Though, once it was time to get in bed, he hesitated. He wasn’t sure what he was so anxious of. Somehow, sleeping in the same spot that you once had felt strange. Wrong. Even when it was his own bed. Like you had blessed it with your pure pressence, and he would taint it the moment he touched it.

Eventually, the call of his soft blankets and pillows drew him in. And he was so glad it did.

It wasn’t until he rested his head onto the pillow that he realized his bedding smelled of you. The pillows he lined the tub with, the blankets, and sheets, all of it. The smell of you invaded his senses in the best way, and he felt his entire body ease.

You were so strange. You made him so nervous. You made him feel so tense, in an odd way that he didn’t understand. And yet, even the very thought of you, the very scent of you relaxed him. You were an enigma. A paradox. How could both things be true at once? It made no sense.

Despite this, he snuggled into his bed, into your scent, as much as possible. He felt so relaxed surrounded by you... so comforted. Almost like you were still there, laying next to him. Holding him in a gentle hug...

He shook his head, as if he could shake the thought right out of his brain. Maybe that was another thought for another day, as his swirling thoughts of you were starting to trouble him. He could think on it another time. Or he could avoid it, and loose himself in video games instead. It was a choice for future Leviathan to worry about.

One thing was true for certain, however. Levi got the most comforting sleep that night. More comforting then he’d had in a long time.

On days like this, Satan was rather greatful for the exsistence of libraries. Not only for the wealth of knowledge right as his fingertips, but for the silence they offered him in times of distress. A library was like a sancuary to him, where the chaos of the day could melt away, and the wrath that boiled just below his skin could be temporarily forgotten.

Just that morning, Satan had once again lost his temper towards Lucifer. Over what, he could hardly remember. But he remembered exploding, his words flying from his mouth a mile a minute. And what made it worse was that Lucifer had barely even reacted. He just kept this annoying, stoic expression on his face, and that only served to piss Satan off more.

That bastard really thought he was perfect, acting like nothing had any effect on him. But Satan yelling at him must’ve upset him! It must’ve!

Satan had ended up storming out of the house in his distress, warning everybody to not follow after. The library was where he retreated to, as usual. But even as nice as the stillness of it was, he couldn’t help but wonder why, for the first time, it felt so lonely.

It wasn’t until late at night that he dared return home, but even then he still felt tense. Asmo greeted him at the door, expressing worry but clearly treading carefully in case he was still in a bad mood. Satan made an attempt at assuring him otherwise, but he knew his dialogue still came off as stiff. Asmo left him alone rather quickly, at least reassured that Satan was back home, but not wanting to set him off again.

Satan took a deep breath, then sighed it out slowly. It was a long day, and he was looking forward to falling asleep in the comfort of his bed.

He made the trek up the stairs, thankful he had yet to come face to face with Lucifer again. Though he was calmed down considerably, he wasn’t sure if seeing the demon’s face would set him off once more. Better safe then sorry.

Satan’s jaw was still clenched, and his eyebrows still furrowed, but even with the tension still lingering in his body, it felt like it all melted away the moment he opened the door to his bedroom. There, laying in the bed right in front of him, was you. It was hard to miss, the way the stacks of books littering his room framed you perfectly. Not to mention the moonlight that filtered in through the window behind you, acting as a spotlight to you and your peaceful rest.

How precious, he thought as he stepped inside, closing the door as silently as possible. He skillfully stepped around the mess of books to get to you, and with each step the frustrations of the day became further and further away from his thoughts.

In your hands, he noticed a book hanging from limp fingertips. A book from his own collection, he believed. Seems as though you’d helped yourself as you waited for him. A luxury granted to you and you alone, so long as you were mindful of the cursed and forbidden tomes hidden amongst the piles.

He couldn’t help but smile as he slid the book from your grip and set it aside, sure to save your place with the bookmark on his bedside table so you could pick up where you left off later.

He shed his jacket, kicked off his shoes, then crawled in bed with you. He dare not touch you, not wanting to cross any unknown boundaries. But he laid there beside you, and that was enough. He felt so at ease just being next to you. He fell asleep in no time, thanking you for being his most effective stress relief.

In that moment, just before he was whisked away into a dreamless sleep, he felt so silly. Just that morning, he had been so caught up in his rage he had forgotten that you, too, were his sanctuary. Even more precious then any word on a page. Had he remembered that this is how wonderfully being in your pressence would go, he would have sought you out, not gone to some stupid library.

The last words to drift in his mind before his eyes slid closed for the remainder of the night were accompanied by a soft smile.

I’d be wise not to forget it again...

When he awoke the next morning it was to the sight of you, rather frazzled. It seemed as though you had become a lot closer in the night, you with your head on his chest and him, with his arms holding you with no soon intent to let go.

He released you the moment he had become aware of it however, not wanting to make you uncomfortable. You let out a relieved breath and scooted away just the smallest bit, but he still noticed your slight hesitation the moment before you parted from him.

He apologized, feeling bad that he had indeed crossed a boundary, despite his own wishes the night before. He supposed even in his sleeping moments, he wanted to be near you as much as possible.

You took it in stride, not worried or upset. Simply a little flustered to have woken up in such an unexpected way.

“I hope I didn’t have you caged in for too long,” He said, a grin forming on his lips. Now knowing that you weren’t upset, it meant that the situation was open for teasing. Of course, he was also keenly aware of the fact that he were the one to hold you in the first place. He was just as open for teasing as you.

“No, don’t worry. I woke up just before you did...”

He nodded, and a silence began to settle over you. Normally, Satan would enjoy the fact, not because he grew tired of you speaking, but because it was the state he found most peace in. Your times together were often like this. Silent, simply enjoying one another’s pressence.

He was rather aware of how... cat-like that was. Especially when you teased him so much for it.

However, in that moment, Satan had one more question on his mind. He would have to set aside that moment of silence for just a minute longer.

He called your name, softly. Your head rose to face him again, still flustered. Adorable.

“Not that I’m complaining at all, but why exactly are you here?” He wondered.

“Well, you weren’t answering my calls yesterday and I was really worried. And I... I...” Your voice trailed off, the rest of your sentence turning into mumbled words he could no longer understand.

He leaned in forward and asked, “Sorry, what was that?”

“I said I... I really missed you.”

Satan felt like his heart was suddenly soaring through the bright, starry Devildom sky.

Yet even with all these soft feelings swirling around his chest, he couldn’t help but show something else on the outside. A teasing, smug smile formed on his lips.

“Is that right?”

“I- I did! You left in such a hurry and I didn’t know when you were going to come back...”

He sighed, the smug smile falling from his lips. He found his hand raise to cup your chin, guiding your gaze upwards to meet his own. He hoped you could feel the sincerity within his eyes.

“I’m sorry I worried you, MC. I feared that if I responded to your calls then I would end up taking my anger out on you."

He really hadn’t meant to upset you. He hadn’t even been thinking that clearly. All he knew was that he needed to be alone, away from everything. To know he worried you in the process made him feel terrible. Never did he want to be the cause of your bad feelings.

Seemingly gaining some sort of courage, you gave him the meanest face you could muster. It wasn’t all that mean, nor that threatening. It was actually rather cute. Like a kitten, trying to prove that it was scary. He didn’t say that though, keeping in the adoring smile that threatened to grace his face.

“Well next time, you be sure to at least let me know where you’ve gone, got it?”

With a nod, Satan let his hand trail up from you chin to hold your cheek instead. Hid thumb brushed against your cheekbone, and your “mean” expression melted.

“Got it,” He agreed, his voice light. Warm, “Now, would you mind coming back over here? I’d like to spend a bit more time with you before I have to face Lucifer again.”

[devildom-moss]

Valentine's Day Gifts

MC made chocolates for everyone on Valentine's Day, but it turns out that everyone also has a chocolate-themed present for MC. What did the Obey Me characters get you this year?

(All characters - including Mephisto, Raphael, and Thirteen x gn!MC) (platonic for Luke)

(SFW, but some characters are a bit suggestive)

Lucifer

He pulled out a jar of what looked like ground coffee mixed with cocoa powder. You gave him a confused look. He got flustered, realizing that he had forgotten something, and grabbed a card from the nearby table to give to you. You read the card:

Lucifer, thank you for your custom order. Making this Rose Vanilla Ground Cacao for you was a pleasure and an honor. Even without magic, we guarantee this blend will capture the heart of its recipient and soothe their soul. May your beloved be pleased with your tastes and our craftsmanship.

See brewing instructions on the back.

You smiled up at him, striking him with sudden affection. You looked so cute and pleased over his gift. Lucifer was doing his best to contain himself and hide his own joy, “I read that roasted cacao was growing in popularity as a coffee substitute. However, I couldn’t just get you something generic for Valentine’s Day. I could brew a cup for you now, if you’d like.”

“Thank you. I’d like that very much, my beloved,” you teased. His cheeks went pink.

Mammon

“Close yer eyes and turn around.” Mammon demanded.

“Why?”

“Just do it, or ya won’t get a gift at all.”

“Fine,” you complied, turning your back to him. You felt something cold around your neck, realizing what it was as Mammon hooked the clasp of the necklace. He placed his hand on your back and gently guided you across the room.

“’Perfect. Go ahead and look now,” Mammon spoke from behind you. His hands settled on your hips.

When you opened your eyes, you were standing in front of a mirror. A deep brown chocolate-colored pearl pendant, exquisitely carved into the shape of a heart, hung around your neck. It wasn’t traditional chocolate, but it was a uniquely Mammon-esque interpretation. You turned around to kiss him on the cheek. “Thank you, Mammon. It’s lovely.”

“I can’t have anyone showin’ me up today, so I wanted to get you somethin’ real special,” he spoke but he couldn’t look you in the eye. He wanted to tell you how hard he had worked to get that – how much trouble it had been, but he didn’t want to sully that sweet smile you had. “Looks good on you, my treasure.”

Leviathan

Levi had practically snuck up on you, popping up from around the corner, and screaming out your name. His entire face as pink as he stared at the ground, hand outstretched to you. He was holding two pink tickets. You could see a few hearts and Azuki-tan on them.

“What’s this?” you asked.

“I managed to get two tickets to an exclusive Valentine’s Day Ruri-chan pop-up café. They only sold 200 tickets, and you had to buy them in pairs. I thought we could go together – if you don’t mind going with a yucky otaku like me, that is.”

“I’d love to go!” You pulled him into a hug as if to squeeze the self-deprecation out of his body. He let out a squeak, but eventually hugged you back.

“Waa! I can’t believe you want to go with me. We have to try their lava cake special. It’s topped with a tiny chocolate Azuki-tan, and there are rumors that it’s baked with a magical charm that’s supposed to make lovers closer. They also have a white chocolate Ruri-chan parfait. The layers match Ruri-chan’s outfit! M-maybe we could get both and share them? Ahh! Just imagining you offering me a bite of either dessert is more than I can handle. This is going to be the best Valentine’s Day ever.”

Satan

“Ah, MC, could you grab the book on my nightstand?” Satan asked you without looking up from his current book.

“There are . . . eight books here, Satan.”

“The one on top, please.”

“Okay,” you grabbed the strange looking book. It was heavier than you expected for its size, and the balance of weight was off. A Love of Books and Chocolate was written on the cover. You handed it to Satan, but he put his hand up and set his book down.

“Open it up,” he smirked at you.

When you did, you realized that the reason that book felt so strange was because it was hallowed out and filled with chocolate bars – seven of them, to be precise. Each one had a wrapper with different cover art on it. Some of them were familiar. In fact, one of those books was setting right under the book of chocolates on Satan’s nightstand.

“They’re literary themed chocolates. Each one has a flavor that matches a popular piece of Devildom fiction. I set each corresponding book aside if you’d like to read them while you eat the chocolate – it has a long shelf life, so don’t worry about having to rush through the books. I could even read the books to you, if you’d like,” Satan informed you. It was so thought out, and you could tell that he wanted to share more of his interests with you.

“I’d love that, thank you.”

Asmodeus

“Happy Valentine’s Day, my love,” Asmo whispered into your ear.

He had crawled into your bed that morning, and was sitting over you, straddling you and smiling down at you.

“Morning, gorgeous,” you smiled up at him, still half asleep. He was already dressed and he had drawn hearts freckles on his cheeks as a part of his make-up this morning. “You sure have a lot of energy. And happy Valentine’s Day.”

“Of course. I thrive on days of love like this. Get up, and I’ll help you get ready,” Asmo gave you a kiss before getting off of you.

He did as promised, going so far as to help you get undressed and even buttoning up your shirt for you. Once you had washed up and were dressed, he asked you to sit down so he could do your make-up.

“By the way, I have something for you,” Asmo grinned and pulled out a fancy, rococo-style lip gloss tube. “Today calls for chocolate lip cream! It’s supposed to leave your lips soft and sweet – like chocolate. Can I put it on for you, MC?”

“Of course.”

He gently applied the lip cream. Asmo nodded, “I knew that color would look amazing on you! Ugh, but now I want to mess it up and kiss you! Can I? I’ll reapply it for you when we’re done.”

Beelzebub

“MC, I have a Valentine’s Day gift for you.” Beel handed you a box excitedly. He was smiling widely, as if he was hardly containing himself. Then again, it made sense that he would be so happy on a day that involved so much candy and chocolate.

“Thank you, baby Beel. That’s so sweet.”

You opened the box to find an array of chocolate syrups. They had unique flavors that looked delicious, but you were taken aback by the fourth flavor: Chocolate Lunatic Pudding.

“Um, Beel, this is a great gift, but I can’t eat this one,” you lifted the bottle slightly, trying to remind him while recalling the one time you tried a bite of Lunatic Pudding and every demon was suddenly all over you. Had Beel forgotten? You felt bad for pointing it out, but you couldn’t risk that happening again.

 “Oh, that one isn’t for you,” Beel remarked non-chalantly before leaning into your ear and whispering, “that one is for me to lick off of you.”

Belphegor

When you got home, you found Belphegor napping in your bed. Lying next to him was a thin blue box with a star map printed on the lid. You leaned over to give Belphegor a kiss on the cheek.

“Mmh, MC, welcome home.” Belphie had the wispy tone you were used to hearing when he woke up from a nap. He stretched.

“Whatcha got there Belphie?” you motioned towards the box.

“Shit, I hope they didn’t melt,” he yawned and handed the box to you, “happy Valentine’s Day.”

“For me?”

“Who else would I get chocolates for – well, aside from Beel? Take a look.”

You opened the box to find an assortment of galaxy painted chocolates – a gorgeous marble of blue, purple, and black with white flecks – and star shaped chocolates. The twins’ constellation (that they now shared with you) was painted on half of the galaxy chocolates.

“These are beautiful! Thank you.”

“You can thank me by joining me in bed.”

Diavolo

Diavolo summoned you to the student council room. When you arrived, he was sitting at his desk. A white box tied with a red ribbon was setting in front of him. Diavolo noticed you in the doorway and waved you in, “come in, MC! I called you here to give you a Valentine’s Day gift.”

He grinned from ear to ear – like a child who had just finished a drawing that he was excited to show you.

“You didn’t have to do anything special for me, Diavolo.”

“Nonsense! I wanted to do this,” Diavolo exclaimed. He pointed to the box on his desk, and it unwrapped itself, revealing a delicious-looking chocolate custard in a heart-shaped ramekin. “It’s common to make chocolate sweets for the one you desire, today. So, with some help from Barbatos, I made this chocolate custard for you. You won’t refuse it, will you?”

His eyes begged you not to refuse him. He looked so sweet and cute that you wondered how anyone ever found him intimidating. “Of course not! Thank you, Diavolo.”

“Excellent,” he laughed, “now, will you also allow me to feed you?”

Barbatos

“I’m sorry to call you here, MC. I’m sure this is a rather busy day for you, but would you do me the pleasure of joining me for tea?” Barbatos asked you at the castle doors. He didn’t show it, but he was holding his breath awaiting your answer.

“I’d be happy to join you.”

“Wonderful. This way, please.”

Barbatos led you to the garden. A vase of rainbow-colored roses sat on a table along with a tea pot, two dark brown cups on saucers, and a covered tray. He pulled a chair out for you.

On closer inspection, you realized that the teacups were actually sculpted out of chocolate. They were more ornate than most cups you had ever used. “Did you make all of this?”

“I did. The roses are from my garden, and I sculpted these cups especially for the tea I’ve prepared today. It’s my own blend of chocolate and cinnamon black tea. I’ve set aside a batch for you to take home and enjoy at your leisure, but today we’ll be enjoying an ice brew version of this blend – so as to not melt the chocolate cups. Feel free to eat your cup once you’ve had your tea, by the way. I also prepared chocolate cardamom shortbread cookies in anticipation of you accepting my invitation.”

“Barbatos, this is too much. I mean, I appreciate it, but wasn’t this too much effort?”

“Not at all. If you enjoy this tea with me, it was more than worth the effort. In fact, that adorable, flustered look on your face right now has already been more than enough,” he teased while pouring tea into both of your cups. Barbatos is the king of doing too much.

Luke

Luke was waiting outside of your first class of the day for you, eager to give you your Valentine’s Day gift. He had worked so hard on it, and he couldn’t wait to see your face – both in reaction to his gift and in general.

“Oi, chihuahua. What’s got ya lookin’ all chipper today?” Mammon greeted him.

“I’m not a dog, you rotten demon! I’m here for MC.” Luke barked back at him.

“What business ya got with them, Fido?”

“Mammon,” you sighed, “stop being rude to Luke and go on to class, I’ll see you later.”

“Yeah, yeah. Make it quick,” Mammon rolled his eyes and walked into the classroom.

“Sorry, Luke,” you apologized on Mammon’s behalf with a sheepish smile, “what did you want to see me for?”

“I baked this for you,” Luke handed you a small box. “You’re always helping me out, and I wanted to show my appreciation today.”

You opened the box to see a mini heart-shaped layer cake. The cake was pink with white buttercream and topped with a cherry and crystalized rose petals. It was almost too pretty to eat. He was so precious. Luke beamed when he saw the awe on your face. “The buttercream is made of white chocolate and the cake is cherry and rose flavored. Please eat if before Beel spots it, okay?”

“Will do! Thank you, Luke. This is so sweet.”

Simeon

Simeon had requested your presence at Purgatory Hall – “urgently” he said. However, he failed to elaborate, so when you arrived in a bit of a panic, he laughed, “oh, about that. . .”

“Simeon, you scared me,” you told him when he presented a thin rectangular box with a pink bow to you, “a Valentine’s Day gift is hardly urgent.”

“Sorry about that,” Simeon laughed again, “but I really needed to see you and give these to you today. I spent all of yesterday making them.”

You had to forgive him when he smiled so sweetly. Plus, he was giving you a present. You sighed, “next time, just tell me you want to see me. I’d be happy to visit you just for that reason.”

“You would? You really know how to make my heart race, don’t you?” He laughed the embarrassment away. He probably didn’t have to be so sneaky just to ensure he could give you a present, but he didn’t want to risk you declining him. He looked at you with anticipation, “well, aren’t you going to open it?”

The box contained seven macarons, arranged in an ombre color pattern – from a dark brown shell to beige to white. The buttercream and ganache in the center was also in an ombre pattern, going from white to pink to a deep red. They were so pretty, and if Simeon made them, you knew that he must have put a lot of thought into each one. He picked up the one with a dark brown shell and a white center and placed it in front of your mouth to feed you. “This one is dark chocolate, espresso with vanilla buttercream.”

You took a bite. “It’s delicious. Thank you, Simeon.”

“Of course, MC. I wonder, would you allow me to feed each one to you? I could tell you what flavor each one is before feeding you like I did just now.” He couldn’t get the thought of your lips grazing his fingers out of his mind.

Solomon

“MC, I made you something for Valentine’s Day.” Solomon was so cheerful as he said that, but dread filled your veins.

“Oh, Solomon, that’s not necessary. I’m happy just getting to see you today, honestly. I don’t need anything else.”

“Don’t be silly, MC. I obviously had to make something for my lover on Valentine’s Day, especially if you’re going to be receiving gifts from other people. I can’t be the only person to not get you something,” he chuckled and pulled a basket from behind his back. It wasn’t food. You sighed in relief as Solomon continued to explain, “now, the kitchen at Purgatory Hall was pretty packed between Luke and Simeon, so I couldn’t actually cook for you, but I have a lot of experience making beauty and bath products. I made mocha-scented soap, a dark chocolate and lavender bath bomb, and chocolate raspberry perfume.”

You could smell the soap from there, and it was delightful. You weren’t sure whether to be more grateful that Solomon had made you all of those products or that he hadn’t almost committed manslaughter by making you food. You hugged him tightly, “this is wonderful – much better than making chocolates!”

“I’m so glad you like it,” Solomon chuckled before placing a kiss on your neck, “you know, I could help you take a bath tonight if you want.”

Thirteen

“There you are,” Thirteen ran up to you while you were walking around the campus. “Geez, you should make yourself easier to find on a day like today, you know?”

“What?” you asked, confused.

“I shouldn’t have had to try so hard to find you on Valentine’s Day, that’s all. Especially when I finally finished working on your gift,” she feigned her annoyance, an obvious smile giving her away.

“You got me a gift?”

“Don’t act all surprised. Ta-da,” she threw her hands up, motioning towards a mechanical floating sheep that seemed to appear out of nowhere. This was undeniably one of her gadget-like traps. However, you weren’t sure how a trap made for a good Valentine’s gift – aside from that fact that it was cute. “Hey, no need to be worried. He’s 100% safe for you to use. I promise.”

“What’s he do?” you asked.

“Let me show you!” She pulled out a remote and pressed button #1 of 4 – well, actually, it was 3 numbered buttons and one red button. The sheep hovered over you and took out a large chocolate heart and a tiny hammer. It broken open the heart and confetti came floating out over both of your heads. Thirteen laughed, “pretty neat, right? The confetti is made of candy, so you’re welcome to eat it. Want to try another button? Just don’t press the red one.”

“Heck yeah,” you took the remote from here hand. The next button caused the sheep to pull out another heart and break it open. Two small clay chocolate heart charms fell into your hand – one for you and one for Thirteen. The third button dropped a bunch of individually wrapped chocolate hearts. “So, what’s the red one do?”

“This one breaks a heart filled with glitter and melted chocolate over the target. I was wondering if you’d like to try using this one on Solomon with me?”

Raphael

Even though you had made chocolates for Raphael, you hadn’t expected him to prepare a gift for you – especially not one that looked so cute and must have taken a long time. Raphael stood there in the hallway outside of your class, presenting a rather large chocolate macaron plush that required two hands to hold properly. The macaron “filling” even looked like a sheep.

“Did you make this?”

“Yes. I got back into sewing again.”

“For me?”

“Naturally.”

“Oh, Raph. It’s so cute! Thank you,” you took the plush and held it to your chest. It was so squishy and soft.

Raphael couldn’t resist smiling at you. While you were staring at the plush, you heard an airy, gentle laugh. Raphael cut himself short, returning to his placid look when you stared up at him. You had forgotten how sweet his laugh was. He averted his gaze and added, “I figured you could squish it or punch it the next time those brothers give you trouble.”

Mephistopheles

Mephistopheles requested your presence in the RAD Newspaper Club room. He unceremoniously handed you a bottle of Demonus. It was clear, even from your limited knowledge, that this was a pretty expensive bottle.

“What’s this?” you asked.

“Demonus – a special chocolate flavored edition, obviously.” What he didn’t mention was that it was an incredibly rare edition from a top-quality brand.

“I know that, but why are you giving this to me?”

“It was a gift from an acquaintance, but I have multiple cases of this one at home,” he said as if he was irritated that you wanted to know why he would give you a present. “Besides, I kind of owe you since you made chocolates for me this year. I’d hate to feel like I was in debt to you, so take it.”

You stifled a laugh at his arrogant façade. He was actually trying to be kind to you in his way. It was like taking the worst parts of Mammon and Lucifer and rolling it into one demon sometimes – but he would protest that comparison angrily. “Thank you, Mephisto. You’re being especially nice today. Although, you really didn’t have to do anything for me. I made chocolates for you because I wanted to, not so you would owe me.”

“Whatever. You can go now,” Mephisto waved you out, but reconsidered as you turned towards the door, “wait.”

“Hmm?”

He undercut his earlier air of indifference by adding, “if you like the Demonus, let me know. I can bring you another bottle or you can visit me, and we’ll have a drink together. I’m certain my collection is better than anything you would get from Lucifer at the House of Lamentation.”

A/N: surprise bonus this week~ I hope you all enjoy this one. Have a good Valentine's Day, and try to enjoy/celebrate love in whatever way in exists in your life.

[caffeinetheif]

Bit of an odd request to make. Could I request the seven brothers with an s/o that likes plushies?

Of course! As a fellow plush enthusiast, I don’t find this request odd at all ❤️ I decided to write a short blurb with headcanons for each brother. Hope you enjoy!

P.S. I had the hardest time writing for Satan and Levi. I apologise in advance for Satan and Levi lovers lol. And Shoutout to my bestie for helping me come up with ideas <3 love u babe

The Demon Brothers with an S/O that Has Plushies

GN! MC/Reader

Lucifer:

He’d probably be the most critical of the brothers

He would most likely give you a long winded lecture on spending habits

Though, after seeing how happy they make you, he might be more open to it.

“MC, what is the reason for all of... these?” Lucifer asks, holding up one of your many plushies. You should have seen this coming. He is the eldest brother after all, it’s like it’s his job to scrutinize everything. 

You roll your eyes before answering, “They remind me of home, in a way. Do really need a reason to have them?”

Lucifer pauses and thinks for a moment before gently returning the plushy to its original spot. “I suppose they don’t need a reason, as long as you’re happy.”

Mammon

He can’t help but think of the price tags on your more collectable or hard to find plushies, but don’t worry about him selling them.

In all honesty, I think he’d enjoy having an excuse to shower you in gifts

For special occasions, he’d try to find some of the hard to find plushies in the Devildom as a surprise for you

“Oi, MC! I gotcha somethin’.” 

You barely look up from your DDD before a shopping bag lands on your lap. You look up at Mammon with a confused look. It’s normal for him to get you things out of the blue, but they’re normally much smaller than the one currently on your legs.

You reach into the bag and pull out the contents. A soft, purple plush sheep sits in your hands. You can’t help the large grin that settles on your face as you examine the adorable sheep. 

Leviathan

He would have a problem with your plushies, but not for the reason you think. He loves their cuteness, but hates that they take your attention away from him.

Almost sees them as competition, but he won’t tell you that

However, he’s the most understanding about your collection. Afterall, look at how much Ruri-chan merch he has.

“MC, pay attention to me!”

“Levi, you were in the middle of a game. I wasn’t going to interupt you because I wanted to cuddle.”

“But I’m not gaming anymore,” Leviathan pouts.

You laugh at his attempt at a begging face and give in, ditching your plush cuddle buddy in favor of opening your arms for your purple haired lover. He grumbles about how you must love your plushies more than him as he plops himself in your arms. 

Satan

Satan would be the most nonchalant about your plushy collection. He finds it nice to talk to you about collecting items, even if your collections are vastly different.

He would probably use them as pillows when laying in your bed or to prop up his books

If you have any cat plushies, please show him them.

Satan has noticed that you have a specific species of animal that you favor when you buy plushies. He has gotten into the habit of buying that plush animal when he finds one you don’t have and secretly adding it to your collection. 

Anytime you begin to notice a new one, Satan tells you a white lie such as, “You bought it when we went grocery shopping a few weeks ago. Do you not remember?” He hopes you don’t catch on to his accidental gaslighting anytime soon.

Asmodeus

He would definitely see your plushies as a photoshoot opportunity

Has a secret photoalbum on his DDD of just you napping and cuddling with your plushies.

At least once a week he will ask you to take pictures of him with your plushies for his devilgram.

As cute as Asmo thinks you are when you cuddle with your plushies, he sometimes wishes that you were cuddling him instead. That’s how he found himself in his current predicament. 

He’s trying so hard to not wake you up as he gently moves your arms from around the plushy you’re currently napping with. With slow movements and a little tug to the plush, he removes it from your grasp with a triumphant grin. Ever so slowly, he lowers himself down and replaces the pushy with himself and rests his head on your chest with a happy sigh. Shortly after he gets comfortable, he drifts off to sleep with his own arms draped around your waist. 

Beelzebub

If you have food themed plushies you better hide them because we all know how Beel gets with anything food related

Like Satan, I feel like he wouldn’t really mind your plushies.

He would win prizes from any and all the strength games at the carnivals for you

It was getting late, so you and Beel decided to call it a night and head home from the carnival. With Beel’s large hand in one of your own and a large plush prize in your other arm, you considered this date one to remember.

Beel had noticed you eyeing one of the zombie lizard plushies at one of the game booths and made it his mission to win you one. Luckily, it was a strength based game, similar to ones you had seen in the human realm. 

It had taken several of the small prizes to be traded in to get the large one, but the look of joy when Beel handed you the zombie lizard made it worth it.

Belphegor

He would be the most likely to enjoy your plushies or be a plushy stealer

oftentimes, you’ll find him cuddled up with your plushies

I think he’d find a lot of comfort in your scent that clings to the plushy

It had been a rough day in class for you, the stress of exams weighing down on your shoulders. You would love nothing more than to collapse onto your bed and take a well deserved nap.

When you reach your bedroom and open your door, you expect to be greeted with your neatly made bed ready to welcome you into its warm covers. However, the sight you’re greeted with instead is Belphegor snoozing away with his face tucked right into your favorite plushy. You quietly take a photo before crawling in bed beside him and passing out.

Thank you for reading! Likes and reblogs are greatly appreciated <3 

[moonlightndaydreams]

Forbidden (A SKZ Family Secret) Part 5 of 8

Read Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 2.5 // Part 3 // Part 4 // Part 5 // Part 6 // Part 7 // Part 8

Fem reader // Han Jisung // female Aunty Lina (Lino) // Hyuna (Hyunjin) // Suengmin

You are the nanny/housekeeper for Han and Hyuna (Hyunjin), helping take care of their two sons and keeping daily life in order. But what happens when Han and his Sister-in-law Lina take an extra liking to you, and you are caught up in a secret that you never could have imagined?

Chapter Summary: Your pregnancy is moving along. You spend some time with just Lina, and Hyuna paints your portrait.

Writer's Note: In this chapter the MC/reader's pregnancy spans from around 24 weeks to 32 weeks, if you were wanting to follow the progress. We're going to have some F/F smut, Lina thinks she has a pregnancy kink, and Hyuna shares another secret.

I've also been writing this late at night when I'm meant to be asleep and so I know when I re-read this later there will be parts I wish I wrote better. But I need to get this story out of my head.

Word Count: 2.4k (part 5) there will be more parts to come.

A few things to note before you jump in (as this might not be your cup of tea): * Hyunjin (aka Hyuna) and Lino (aka Lina) are female characters in this story (and one of them will be involved in sex). * There is cheating on partners. * There is manipulation and abuse of authority. * Female reader is an adult (in case you were worried)

Warnings: NSFW // Female Lee Minho // Female Hyunjin // cheating on partners // emotional turmoil // unprotected sex // pet names // sub dom undertones // pregnancy // mentions of adoption // breeding kink // squirting // female x female sex // oral sex//

-------------------------------

You had been watching how Han interacted with his children since the day you arrived there. There was something really attractive about a man caring for his offspring. But once you were pregnant you tried not to pay as much attention to it. It hurt to see him being a dad to them, knowing it wouldn’t be the same with your baby.

But now you couldn’t stop watching him. The way he’d scoop up Chan and play zooming him around the room, to the way he’d lecture Binnie about homework and tidying his room. He made such a good father. You couldn’t believe you were caught up in another lie. Oh why did Hyuna have to tell you he wasn’t their actual father? Now you were keeping secrets from Han as well. But it wasn’t your secret to tell.

Maybe it didn’t really matter? Han loved the boys and they loved him. He was their Dad even if he wasn’t biologically their father. Seungmin, if he really wanted to, could’ve claimed them, surely? “It’s killing him.” Hyuna’s words echoed in your mind. You told yourself to Just focus on yourself and the pregnancy and your last few months pretending to be a family with Han and Lina.

You were beginning to feel your baby move more and more inside of you as she grew bigger and stronger. It was a strange feeling, but it made you smile. You had a little human being wriggling in there, and you tried to store the feeling in your memory bank for when you looked back on this for years to come.

As far as Han and Lina knew, Hyuna and Seungmin were under the impression you got pregnant to a guy you went on a few dates with, which was what you were originally going to tell them anyway. Another fucking lie to add to the the growing pile.

Hyuna gave you your first pregnancy photo shoot, setting you up by a window to get the perfect natural light. You bought a gorgeous robe that draped over your growing curves just nicely, and blow dried your hair in soft curls that cascaded around your shoulders. She wanted to create a nice photo album for you that you could look back on and remember this special, intimate time that you and your baby shared. You were starting to see Hyuna as more of a Mother figure than a boss. You were grateful for her support and generosity, and you felt cared for when you were with her.

Your energy returned as you headed into the second half of your second trimester. Your nannying and housekeeping duties were less draining as long as you had an afternoon nap when Channie did. Your hormones were going wild and you had never felt so horny in your entire life. It was lucky you had two lovers to be honest, because you would have worn them out by now. Han and Lina loved it. They worshiped your beautiful, changing pregnant body, making love or fucking you depending on what mood you were in.

“Lina?” You purred. You had her pinned to her bed. Suengmin was at a work function that evening and you and Lina took the opportunity to spend some time together, just the two of you.

“What is it kitten? She grinned looking up at your desperate face.

“I’ve got cravings?” you pouted.

“Oh, I can make you something. What do you-”

You put a finger to her mouth to shush her and shook your head. “You’ve already got what I’m craving…right...” You traced your finger down her chest pausing at her breast. “here.”

Lina blushed. “Oh. Is that right, kitten?” she said as you took your clothes off. You loved being naked lately, and you knew Lina loved you naked too. Her eyes would light up as they drank you in.

You grinned. “I wanna suck Aunty Lina’s nipples.” You whispered tugging her shirt up. She sat up, letting your pull her top off and nestled back onto the bed, a glimmer of excitement in her eyes.

“No bra.” You clicked your tongue. “You’ve got the sexiest tits, you know that right?” Your hungry eyes were firmly on Lina’s pretty pink nipple. “This little kitten is dying to taste you.” You lowered your mouth to her breast, licking the nipple softly, just teasing. Then you took it fully into your mouth, slowly, gently sucking until you felt it grow hard against your tongue. You lifted off with a pop and looked up at Lina through your lashes, then sank back down onto her nipple. Your other hand found her other breast, rubbing your thumb over the nipple as you squeezed the supple flesh. Lina moaned softly. Her breath became heavier, and so did yours. Lina’s tits made you so fucking wet you tried to grind against her leg. As Lina responded to your touch, you responded in turn by increasing the intensity. You sucked a little harder, and grazed your teeth over her erect nipple. Your other hand squeezed the flesh of her breast more aggressively.

“Oh! Kitten!” her back arched up off the bed, pressing against you harder. Your mouth moved to her other breast now, giving that nipple the attention it deserved.

Lina was writhing underneath you. “Touch me. Please. Fill me up with your fingers.” She plead. You leaned up and found her lips, kissing her messily. She moaned into your mouth and you swore you almost came on the spot. Without breaking the kiss, you shimmied her shorts and panties off, and slid your hand down her body and over her stomach, continuing until your fingers found her pussy. God she felt heavenly. She was so pretty and so perfect when she was aroused.

“Oh dear! Lina!” You broke the kiss shocked. She looked at you wide eyed. “You’re fucking soaking.” You whispered as you slid your finger through her lips and brushed it over her clit.

“For you kitten.” She panted, rocking her hips to try and get more friction.

“So needy.” You smirked. “You wanna come all over my hand?” you purred. Lina moaned and nodded frantically. “Wanna come.” She echoed.

You locked eyes with hers and pushed two fingers into her soaking cunt. You groaned at how warm and tight she felt. “Fuck I wish I had a cock right now.” You sighed. “I envy Han getting to fill you up and stretch you out far more than my fingers ever could.”

“I love your fingers, kitten. You know how to find that sweet spot in record time.” She moaned.

“Oh you mean this spot?” you smirked digging into the spongy wall with your fingers.

“Oh… fuck…” she choked. “God you’re going to make me come too fast.” But it only spurred you on. You relentlessly pushed against the spot, using your other hand to rub her clitoris. She begged you to stop, but she didn’t use her safe word so you knew she really wanted you to keep going. You could tell her climax was building rapidly by the sheen of sweat on her body and her flushed chest and cheeks, and they way her breath became shallow. You pushed in a third finger and she moaned at being stretched just that little bit more.

“Put in four… please! Stretch me.” She sobbed. Who were you to deny such a desperate plea. You pulled out your fingers only to return with all four digits, again aiming right into her g-spot. She was flailing around, squeezing her eyes closed, rocking her hips, arching off the bed. You didn’t ease up. Her cunt was soaking your fingers, her creamy arousal gathering at your knuckles. You wished you had more hands so you could fondle her breasts at the same time or caress her body. But you weren’t about to change what you were doing, she was almost there, about to burst, and you couldn’t wait to watch it happen.

“I’m…fuck…I’m…fuuuckkk!” she threw her head back and screamed as she reached her climax, her cunt gripping your hand so fucking tight you thought your fingers would lose circulation. At the same time a clear, warm liquid coated your hand and ran down onto the bed. Lina had squirted and it was the hottest thing you’d ever seen. You quickly licked up as much of her juices as you could while you worked her through what seemed to be a very long, very intense orgasm.

Eventually, Lina’s body stilled as she came down and she fell silent save for some panting while she caught her breath. You crawled up to lay on your side next to her and kissed her again.

She looked at you with her freshly fucked pink cheeks and a stupid-ass grin. “I wanna take care of you now, kitten. I bet your soaking wet. Let me check.” She propped up some pillows and laid you back against them so you were comfortable.

She took her time kissing, sucking and caressing your breasts. “Fuck these are getting so big and full… grrr.” She squeezed a breast making it wobble underneath her grip. “Your pregnant body turns me on so much. Do your think that means I have a pregnancy kink?” she asked. You shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe?” you laughed “But whatever it is I like it.”

She continued touching your body and kissing your swollen belly, and eventually knelt between your legs. She spread your thighs wide open with her hands and bit her lip as she gazed directly at your pussy. She brought her thumb to your lips and ran it up an down your folds. “I love how puffy and pink your lips are. So inviting. I just want to worship you kitten.” She made you feel like an actual goddess.

Lina repositioned herself so that she could bury her face against your pussy. She wrapped her arms around your thighs to keep you still as she slowly and delicately used her lips, her mouth, her tongue to make love to you. If felt like she was going for hours, taking her time, dragging out your pleasure. She’d dip her tongue into you while she brought a thumb to your clit, then she’d swap, plunging her fingers deep inside you while her tongue worked on your sensitive bundle of nerves. “Just like that, Lina. Yes.” You whimpered. You closed your eyes and leaned your head back, indulging in this beautiful, erotic moment. Your orgasm built slowly, just as Lina had intended, and when you came it was euphoric. Your entire body tingled with electricity and a warmth spread through your veins as you floated away. You felt content. You felt happy. You felt like you were where you belonged.

----------------------------------------

You entered Hyuna’s bedroom wearing just your robe and a simple pair of black briefs. She’d already set up her easel and had a little table set up with all her paints and brushes. It was the day you were getting your portrait painted. You were thirty two weeks pregnant now and your belly was beautiful and full, but not so full you that you looked uncomfortable. It was the perfect time for Hyuna to paint you and she’d been counting down the weeks for this moment. She’d made space for you to stand by her bedroom window, having moved her low armchair, the one Han fucked you for the first time on, out of the way.

“Petal, before we start I just wanted to show you something. Come here. Sit.” She invited you to sit by her on the bed, holding a thick sketchbook in her hands.

“I’ve never shown anyone this before. Not even Seungmin.” You sat down beside her, nervous of what she was about to show you. With shaky hands Hyuna opened the book to show a sketch of a young couple sitting on a park bench, holding ice-creams and laughing. Hyuna and Seungmin. Hyuna turned the pages to reveal more images of the couple. Young and in love. Doing all the things couples do, like picnics and dancing, smiling and holding each other close.

“This is you and Seungmin? You drew these?” you gasped.

Hyuna nodded. “We used to pretend we were seeing friends, but really we’d be spending time together.” She traced her finger over the page as she recalled the memory. “This is when we talked about getting married.” She pointed to a sketch of the pair sitting under the stars, Suengmin reclined back and Hyuna tucked up against his side in an embrace. It was heartbreaking seeing Hyuna’s memories etched into the paper.

She flicked through several more pages before stopping at a page that showed a heavily pregnant Hyuna looking down at her stomach, smiling. Two sets of hands were resting on her belly. One pair were her own, the other were Seungmin’s. He was standing behind her, arms wrapped around middle, his chin resting on her shoulder. He had the happiest expression you had ever seen.

As Hyuna turned the pages, the sketches of Hyuna and Seungmin tuned into images of Hyuna, Seungmin and Changbin. Seungmin holding a baby. Seungmin carrying a toddler. Seungmin holding a boy up in the their smiling and laughing. It kept going and until one boy turned into two.

You looked at Hyuna who’s eyes were filled with sorrow. This book represented the life she should have had. It was full of memories that never happened, or if they did happen, were secret, never to be spoken about or acknowledged.

“Why…why are you showing me this?” you asked perplexed.

“Because, petal, I’ve always craved to share this with someone. It hurts more as time passes,” She placed her hand on yours and squeezed it. “But, I also needed you to know what happens when you don’t live your truth. The sadness, the regret, the resentment, the lies. Like I said before, it eats at you.”

“You would have made a perfect couple.” You said looking down at the page.

Hyuna scoffed. “Yeah, would have, but didn’t get to. Not in real life.” She wiped the tears from her eyes and sighed, shaking away the sadness. “Now. Let’s start your portrait.” She smiled. “I can’t wait to paint this for you.”

While you stood posed for Hyuna, you reflected on what she’d just shown you. Every single person in this family was hurting. No one was living the life they were meant to. Everyone was keeping their truth hidden. No one was happy. Now you were caught up in this big mess too, even adding to it. Should you just continue to let everything pan out on the trajectory it was already on, keeping up the façade, or was Lina trying to remind you that you you could choose differently?

Read Part 6

Taglist: if you would like to be on the taglist for this series please reply to the post HERE

-------------------------------

Writer's Note: The Hyuna/Seungmin backstory is really heartbreaking. I know I didn't do the scene justice, not by a long shot, but I hope you got the idea I was trying to convey? Bittersweet nostalgia, really hits my INFP heart.

Coming up, there are two more smut scenes I am itching to write and share before shit hits the fan and a baby comes.

See you soon my loves.

-------------------------------

@lyramundana @channieandhisgoonsquad @2chopsticks2eyes @queenmea604 @noellllslut

@leeknowsthigh @chlodavids @antoniorhinothethird @bangtanmix73 @linocvp1d @sunshinesquokka

[lyramundana]

today is five years since I started to follow stray kids ^^ have you even thought of a fan!reader and minsung in skz? how the things can grow between them? 👀

sorry I'm such a delulu -🌻🌻

Congrats for staying in this circus so long!!🥳 And yes. Fan!MC x idols is actually one of my favourite tropes, and I find it unsettling that there's not much content about it.

And don't ever apologise from being delulu, honey. My blog is pure delulu material and proudly, so don't hold back.

Anyway, here you go, my sunflower. Sorry for the waiting:

MINSUNG X STAY! READER

Reader has been a devoted Stay for a long time. However, as much as she loves all the members, Han and Minho hold a special place in her heart. Not only because of them individually, but mostly because of their relationship.

Because yeah, no one can convince her these two are just friends. She refuses to believe it. She sees the signs, the gestures, the body languages. You can't fake these kind of things. She feels it in her bones. She lives, breathes and moves for this ship. Plus, they look so fucking good together! You can say she's more in love with their chemistry than she is with them as people.

She's a Minsung supporter first, a Stay second. While most Stays dream of asking their bias questions about dating, their ideal types and trying to flirt with them, the only thing Reader wants to do if she sees the members is gossip with them about Minsung. She'll take any crumbs she can get from them about her favourite couple and feed into her fantasies. Of course, she'll also tell all of them how wonderful they are and thank them for bringing light to her life with their mere existence.

When the news of a fansign spread out, Reader fighst tooth and nail to get a spot there. She prepares consciously before going. She's so excited! She feels like she's buzzing in her skin from the emotions. She makes sure to dress prettily to make a good impression, but since she doesn't really have the intention of "catching their eyes", she's not too preoccupied. She's in for their music, their personalities and the hot homo couple. Sure, she admires how handsome they are and will most likely be ogling at them a bit, but she knows where she stands and where they do. She arrives just in time to see them coming and her eyes almost fall off her face when she catches a glimpse of Han and Minho coming off the van...together and exchanging sweet glances.

Yeah, she's going to take full advantage of this fansign.

She walks to the line and talks with each member while they sign her album. She asks them about their day, their projects, she compliments their songs and express how much she loves them and how grateful she is for all their work. She dares to throw a pick up line at Chan that ends up with both of them flustered and him giggling like a high school girl. But she never looses sight of her main objectives, and she almost faints right there when she realizes they're sitting next to each other, so while she speaks to one the other will hear.

Perfect. It's like they did it on purpose.

She gets to Han first, who receives her with that signature smile of his and the friendly behaviour he always displays. Even though he seems natural about it, she can notice he's a bit tired. Her heart aches for the boy, but it inmediatly dissapears when she comes back to her intentions. That's right. This might be the closest she'll be to the group, and she doesn't want to have any regrets later when she returns home. So she buries her growing nervousness at being in front of her bias and focus on the task at hand.

They have the typical converstation. He greets her, thanks her for coming, and exchange questions. She notices Jisung is a bit tired and isn't really in the mood to talk, so she decides to use the moment to catch him by surprise and make him ignore his exhaustion. Before he can sign another page, she stops him, making him look at her confused and even worried, only to tell him to sign somewhere else, an extra page she added. When he looks up to it, he sees this:

"You guys have my whole support. Please, invite me to the wedding" and a rainbow colored heart written in the entire page. He blinks at it and stares at her with a confused giggle.

She winks at him and throws a not so discreet glance at Minho. Han inmediatly stumbles through his words and almost falls of the chair. At least he seems to have energy again. The boy doesn't know if play along to pretend it's all fanservice or deny it all, but Reader whispers to him that "friends don't look at each other like that" and that she's incredibly enamoured of their bond, how happy she is for them for finding each other. Jisung listens to all in shocked silence, still feeling shy but also a certain warmness in his heart at the girl's words.

He expected the usual banter with a fan. Shyness from both parts, random questions about his life and hobbies, his ideal type and some flirting he'll usually play along with. At worst, some hater to spill hate at him. This, however, he couldn't have ever see it coming. When the time is out, he lets her go almost reluctantly but smiling at her so widely she knows it's not forced.

When she greets Minho, she notices the fidgeting of his fingers and his red ears, and guess he has heard some words. Enough to know what she was talking about. His english sounds so tiny and cute she can't help but say it out loud. He smiles shyly and thanks her, proceeding to sign until Reader stops him too, opening the album to the same page was before. He reads a bit slower than Han, taking in the words, and his ears are now completely red. He coughs and his grip on the pen is a bit unstable. He stares at Jisung's signature next to the heart and then smiles, signing right next to it. Reader wants to burst out of her body, and she lets out a tiny fangirl squeal at his gesture, at which he giggles shyly and returns at looking through the album. Much like with Jisung, she only asks a handful of questions for him before focusing on Minsung again. She talks completely sure that they're dating and she covers Minho on nice comments about it. He'll fight to not show a big reaction, but he's fucking melting inside. He starts to feel more relaxed and, unlike Jisung, he replies shamelessly to all her comments. She's overall really enthusiastic about their relationship more than she's with them and it amuses him for some reason. It's refreshing to have this kind of interaction with a fan, even more if she's respectful about it. Jisung is listening to everything not so discreetly and almost joins. When the time is up, Minho actually grabs her hand and asks the guard for some more minutes with a pout, but he isn't allowed. Reader is sad about it too but understands she has to go. She feels satisfied with herself for what she did and decides to keep it as a sweet memory.

When they wave goodbye at her, she winks at them and says that they look so cute together. They're flustered again but also happy.

Reader doesn't know yet, but whent he fansign is over and the boys meet in their dorms, her favourite couple talks about her and they both agree they wish they could see her again. It felt so good having someone so openly supportive of them, even if it was born out of a fan enthusiasm for her idols. They wish more people could be like that. They wonder if what she said was true and there are more Stays like her.

After that, the boys are already interested in having a closer bond with her, but it's not romantic yet. When Reader encounters again by accident during a date, she struggles between taking a photo for herself and run away to avoid the sasaeng charges or continue her way and pretend she doesn't see them. Before she can decide, she's spotted and they're surprisingly friendly with her. Reader expresses how honoured she feels for having see the Minsung on a date and basically have her beliefs confirmed and excuses herself for interrupting it, swearing she won't tell a soul (because she doesn't want anything to ruin her ship) and attempts to leave. However, she gets thrown back when Jisung, after exchanging a glance with Minho, invites her to stay with them and keep them company. "The more the merrier" he says. Reader feels tempted, the offer of staying to watch Minsung in their natural love bubble sounds too good, but she claims that she shouldn't be in the middle of a romantic date and they wouldn't be able to interact as openly as they would like with a third person there. But they insist so much she ends up complying. She's mostly in silence, watching with heart eyes every gesture they share, and squeals from time to time because they're so adorable together. It feels like a private fanservice show, except she knows it's not fanservice and has no idea why they brought her, but she's not complaining.

They actually include her in the converstation, but she makes most of it about them. She doesn't see the need to speak about herself when she's having this golden chance. In the end, they ask for her contact number (and her signature for a NDA contract) because the want to be friends. Reader doesn't even hesitate and agrees.

And that's how she becomes close to them. She makes sure to keep the distance at first and not get too into it because she sees them as idols, and so she feels them out of her league, while they try to make her more comfortable with them. Their dynamic is basically "gay couple x agressively supportive bestie". She lives off the romantic momens they have, encouraging them to be more expressive about their feelings when she's there and ready to fight any bitch that judges them for being specially affective towards each other. Minsung are golden in her eyes, they deserve to have love and they have something precious. She's not about to let anyone make them feel bad for it or, worse, make them stop having their interactions.

Meanwhile, the boys become addicted to all the love and adoration she shows for them, and get a warm feeling inside their chests when they see how much she supports them. It feels so good to have someone besides the members that knows about it and is completely accepting of it (maybe too much, but they like it). They won't ever admit but they low-key find it hot when she argues or fights homophobic jerks for them.

Eventually she gets to see them as friends rather than celebrities, and this comes with privilegues. Reader receives spoilers from new songs and projects, they buy her VIP tickets for concerts (they wanted to bring her backstage but she prefered to live the experience like a normal fan), they might show more fanservice than usual when they're in her zone. And of course, she gets the privilege to see the dorms. Reader wouldn't have ever believe she'll be friends with the guys she previously worshipped (and still does tbh) but turns out they make great company and she has so much fun with them. They find things in common beyond music and hang out often. Suddenly, she's in a group chat with both and there isn't a day where they don't talk.

As time passes, things start to...change.

Everyone but them can see it. They basically act like three way marriage without noticing. They include her in all their dates, to the point that they don't even go anywhere without her. She's at the dorms more often than Chan himself, usually locked in Han or Minho's rooms and barely seen by the other members. Minho becomes less of a tease with her and instead acts softer, treating her with the same gentleness than Jisung. The younger boy becomes more physically affectionate with Reader. Hugging her from behind, dragging her to sleep with him so they can cuddle, kissing her face and call her stuff like "baby". Minho forgives her everything and shows her a patience that the other members don't believe him capable of. Like, if she makes a mistake, he'll pat her head and encourage her to keep trying, but if the other members do, he'll scold them until tomorrow.

Now they don't feel comfortable seeing her show her admiration for the rest of the group. They're so used to be the center of attention that now they can't stand it when she praises the others or looks at them with the same adoration. If they catch her interacting with other members' fancams or videos, they "playfully" take the phone away and exit the app before return it to her. If another member (example Hyunjin) speaks to her longer than a few minutes, they're rigid. Oh, and god forgive they see her screaming someone's else name during a concert. After all, she's a Stay, so they're aware she can be attracted to the other guys. And they don't fucking like it. They're supposed to be her favourites!

Now come to think of it they may have a problem..

Reader doesn't notice the shift, or she does but her brain instantly processes it as "friendly" banter. There's just no way Han Jisung and Lee Minho themselves, being perfect as they are and happily in love, have a minimum of romantic/sexual interest for her. It doesn't sound right. They already have something great going on, how the hell could she be part of it? She doesn't fit. And so she tells herself all of this to ignore the butteflies on her stomach whenever she's between them, feeling the warm of their bodies covering her. When Jisung calls her sweet nicknames and kisses her cheeks, when Minho feeds her like she was a baby and rubs his head against her tummy to ask for massages. When they drag her to their bed to sleep in the middle and cuddle, each hugging her from the sides.

Yeah, that's all platonic. Nothing to worry about.

(Even the moments when she feels horny and burning with desire while she sees them being passionate with each other, kissing and grooping the other, and she can't help but hide her face in the pillows and make herself climax to that image)

But all these arguments she repeats in her head become dust when, during one of their dates, Minho wanted to drink and play games, and of course she agreed. Jisung hesitated because of his light weight thing, but he relented in the end to join the fun. The drank and asked each other private questions or dared them to do dumb things. The drunker they got, the more tense things grew in the room. The challenges became more suggestive. At some point, Reader dares them to make ou in front of her, for five minutes. The boys have no problem complying, gone as they are, and they specially put on a show for her eyes. Reader feels her skin melting and not because of the alcohol. Suddenly, when they stop with a thin string of saliva between their mouths, they look at her with darkened eyes and filled with an emotion she can't comprehend, but makes her cross her legs.

What happened next was blurry, but she remembers clearly the feeling of their warm breaths against her neck where their lips were hungrily biting her and the air hiting her skin when her clothes were tored off her. She remembers so vividly the way their hands roamed her, their husky voices, the delicious climax in the end and the darkness that came over her eyes when she fell asleep.

When she wakes up next morning unable to walk and with two familair bodies pressing against her, she knows there's no point in continue running away from the truth.

They have a loong talk after that, in which there are messy confessions thrown and some tears from all parties. It ended with a three way hug and a promise to try, to see wherever this lead.

In short, the relationship will be sweet (because that's how they are) but as Stay it'll add an interesting layer into it. I think there might be some power imbalance at first, because their dynamic is pretty much "celebrities x enthusiastic fan" and so they don't really treat each other as equals. I'll like to say that Minsung wouldn't be entirely comfortable with this, but I can't help but think some sick part of them would enjoy it. They would enjoy this power they have over Reader, the sheer devotion she shows to them, how she lightens up with their attention. Again, they're possessive and easily jealous assholes, so they like to know their partner utterly adores them.

THE END

[winter-sol]

Levi's characterization at the Valentine's Event and why I live for it (Spoilers)

Am I here to overthink about Levi's writing again? Hell yes I am. I guess I'm analyzing this event and his role in particular because not only I enjoyed it, but also it had so many interesting aspects to notice I needed to point them out. Now that the event is almost over, I hope I'm not spoiling anyone!

I was a little bit taken aback when I played the event and noticed how Levi centric it was. I still have no idea why they made the decision of basically make him the protagonist but you won't ever find me complaining, I love that demon.

(is this the character oriented event for him? Like we had with Satan and Barbatos? It wasn't stated as such, so I'm curious)

So, recapping a bit, a curse triggered by Beel made all the chocolates of the Devildom disappear, threatening Valentine's day. The brothers need to fix it since they're all simps and want to give us chocolate. In fact, Levi is highly motivated to fix it since he wants a special Ruri-chan chocolate (and we later find out there's more to it).

So, Levi's role starts with the Abstinence Brigade (lmao it sounds so funny), where he makes sure everyone is following the plan of not doing the things they love the most.

I won't lie, I was laughing the entire time because he was just SO ridiculous. Exactly as I love him to be. He was loud and annoying, but above that, I was actually nodding at the screen with how consistent he was.

See, if anyone ever had any doubt this guy is a military genius since his role during events is mostly having weird ideas and fanboying over any otaku stuff (*ahem*... Comic relief), I assure you it's not that much of a strange concept.

It's a simple role he had in here, but that didn't make him any less bossy and strict. For someone who's quite sensitive and self deprecating, Levi certainly has a way with how he can give himself the right to command his own brothers, and I assure you this is not the first event I remember him doing it (it's kinda old at this point, but for example the Manga event was all him ordering his brothers around to make a good manga and scolding them for doing it wrong).

He can be really insecure, but when he knows he's right he's very stubborn and you won't convince him otherwise unless you can prove there's a better way or someone more competent to do it.

Now, moving on.

We find ourselves with the two routes. The normal one has this interesting dialogue, with Barbatos pointing out Leviathan had this piece of knowledge that could work out. I shit you not, I laughed at how Levi was once again relevant because there were at least 6 other characters that could've taken that role.

When did he even mention that? Lmao. Who cares, the guy has already been carrying the entire event on his back.

So ok, we all got to see he was particularly invested in fixing this situation, looking for solutions and having an active role. But that doesn't stop here.

The neutral route is saved thanks to Diavolo, Barbatos and Simeon and, yay!, everyone gets their little chocolate gifting scene if that's what you chose.

But still, the goddamn route still has an ending scene with him particularly. WHY. That was a surprise, but not as much as...

The unlockable route 🔑

So the story has moved and nothing worked from the original plan. Mc and Beel head to the cafeteria at night after hearing a rumor about an evil spirit appearing there at 3am. Turns out it was... Levi. Levi trying to cook chocolate because he needs to fix everything and restore chocolate in the Devildom.

I'm not gonna delve into Levi's growing as a character, romantically speaking, because I believe it's pretty noticable to anyone. He's not as much as a hater as he was before, and since he's in love, he actually appreciates Valentine's day now. That was really cute and made my heart go doki doki, of course. But c'mon, let me talk about his bossy attitude and sassy remarks cuz I live for them.

His way of speaking is always direct and blunt, even sounding mean. But what I love about it is the fact he never intends it as a passive-aggresive personal attack. It's more like an objective take of the truth and him feeling entitled to it (man that's some extraverted thinking if you're into MBTI). It might not be to everyone's taste, but it certainly is mine lol

Moving on, not only he feels responsible, but since the plan with all the brothers failed he's actually trying to solve it himself. Since MC and Beel are helping, now he's leading and guiding what to do next.

So it kinda fails as well and Beel gets horny weird all of the sudden. So here I absolutely adored this dialogue.

Hell no, he's not going to get moody and self deprecating, he's kinda confident now you two are a thing now.

Also, Beel can kick his ass and he'll still stand strong. Man, I love a "loser" (cuz we all know he isn't) who's willing to fight for me.

But the last thing I wanna remark from this scene is how, when he needs you to prepare the antidote while he distracts Beel, if you pick the choice where you're insecure about it, he does it himself. Like, I thought he was gonna be like "you can do it!" But no, he takes the time to prepare the stuff himself. And without any bickering, he thinks fast and does it quickly.

Man, how can I not be a simp when this guy's character is so multidimensional and consistent? Yes, he's weird, loud, has crazy ideas all the time, and is always described as annoying and disgusting for being a hardcore otaku.

But damn, he's also dependable, strong and intelligent. As much as he's in his own head and his own world all the time, he's quite practical, detail oriented and good at problem solving. And as I mentioned before, this is not the first time we see him like this.

(also, have you all seen the lyrics from the song "Trigger"? The guy does a 34 seconds rap on how he's smarter than others might think, he actually sees everything, but somehow he's still insecure. fuck, his character is so coherent it's even flexing at this point)

A long time ago I made a post about my own expectations regarding Grand Admiral Leviathan, and this event is feeding me even more to believe there's so much interesting material to work with Leviathan's character. It's so funny how it starts all comic relief, but turned out to be so good he's third at the popularity contest. OM Nightbringer, I surely hope you can deliver and do justice to all this potential.

Did I write too much? Yeah, but I needed to make this analysis and appreciation post.

As always, I'm open for discussing it further or fangirling together.

Oh, and I hope you all enjoyed the valentine's event (and the real life valentine's day) 💖✌️

[choicesmc]

A few questions for Sawtooth and Channing: What are their favourite things about each other?

And what are things they dislike about each other?

And how do they deal with conflict?

oooh!! Thank you!!

What are their favourite things about each other?

Sawtooth really admires how much Channing looks out for the pack. Like he’d never say it, but Sawtooth knows Channing drives himself near insane trying to be perfect for his pack. He takes his role as their Alpha incredibly seriously (and lbh he’s probably a tad more serious than the avg alpha, y’know?) Yeah, Sawtooth acknowledges that Channing can get incredibly set in his ways and, yeah, he can be an ass about tradition and takes on too much responsibility than he should but it’s all from a truly caring place. As much as Channing is frustrating, Sawtooth can be at least a little assured that it’s for a good, though misguided, reason.

Also, Channing has a really pretty face.

Channing loves Sawtooth’s unabashed stubbornness. It’s not necessarily that Sawtooth doesn’t give in easy (which he doesn’t). It’s more of an insistence on being themself, regardless of whoever or whatever is around them. You can’t intimidate him into hiding away parts of themself. His emotions are plain on his face and they rarely ever try to hide what they’re feeling. Channing sees himself in contrast to that: where Sawtooth is purely themself, Channing is so used to putting in a façade of a cool, undisturbed guy that at times Sawtooth seems to feel for the both of them. (<- i have more to say but this’ll suffice for now)

also sawtooth’s body is lean and toned and they’re always showing it off (not intentionally though, it drives Channing mad at times) <3

And what are things they dislike about each other?

OOH

okay

Sawtooth cannot stand how much Channing appoints himself leader. Yeah, yeah he’s the Alpha and whatever but, by gods, is it grating when Channing just. Decides stuff for the both of them because he can. For example, the first premium outfit in Alpha where Channing picks it out for MC does not fly with Sawtooth. It makes them intentionally act out almost as a matter of principle. I explain this a little better in [this] post

for Channing, im not sure if there’s anything in specific that he dislikes but something that does get to him is Sawtooth’s lack of affection. Channing is a huge romantic —he’s really Prince Charming once he’s dating someone and Sawtooth. Just. Isn’t. Like, Sawtooth does kisses and will hold his hand and cuddle but they don’t bring flowers or wait up after classes for him or plan special dates as surprises. It gets to Channing at times —especially if they haven’t fucked recently. But Channing doesn’t want to admit that because ‘cool, stoic alpha’ amirite?

And how do they deal with conflict?

Excellent question. As this couple is well versed in conflict, they do have a couple strategies:

Don’t get the rest of the pack involved. Since Channing is their Alpha, getting the rest of the wolves to pick a side can end up making Sawtooth feel alienated since most members will side with Channing.

Spend a couple hours apart. When they’re both seeing red, neither of them are thinking straight so if this fight is serious it’s better tackled when they’ve had a bit to calm down. If it’s not serious, they’ll probably make up once the couple of hours is over.

Alternatively, if the mood’s hot and heavy, fucking it out might actually be helpful. It’s a useful way to channel how they’re feeling and sometimes they’re more honest when Sawtooth’s fucking Channing silly.

Don’t avoid fights. (not that they needed to be told that tbh) if you e got a problem, it’s better to have a million tiny fights than one blowout-maybe-we’ll-break-up fight.

Corollary to 4, never ever suggest breaking up or taking a break mid fight. Like not even as a joke. Channing takes it seriously regardless and honestly, it’s a touchy subject for him.

thank you thank you for sending these in <3 as reward here’s a sawtooth picrew <3

made with [sushicore]

[galacticlee3]

Mario… Something?

(Lee!Leviathan, Ler!Reader; Obey Me! Shall We Date?)

A gift for the lovely @altheadajoysoul for Squealing Santa 2k22! I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it, and again thank you so much for hosting this year, Hypah!

Summary: Levi has something special to give you, something that brings back childhood nostalgia and helps you make a precious memory with the demon. Can either be interpreted as platonic or romantic.

Warnings: none!

Word Count: 1.4k

Levi-chan

MC, do you have time to come to my room? I have something for you.

You

I have some free time, yeah. What is it?

Levi-chan

It’s a surprise :)

You

Alright, coming!

Levi shut off his phone, looking down at the wrapped gift sitting on his manga shelf. He wanted it to come in by Christmas so you could open it with bright eyes in front of his brothers, your smile as much of a gift to him as it was to them. But unfortunately, the shipping was delayed due to the high influx of travel from the human world to the Devildom, so he had to make you wait. He heard you running down the hallway above his room, a screech followed by muffled apologies telling him you’d knocked into one of his brothers on your way.

As your footsteps got closer and came to an abrupt stop, he brushed off his hoodie and messed with his hair, looking at Henry 2.0 in the tank. “Nothing to be nervous about, they’ll love it,” he reassured himself, getting pulled out of his head when two soft knocks sounded at his door. “Coming!” He called, taking a deep breath and opening the door a crack. You smiled at him, a little out of breath from your speedy trip, and he almost melted right then and there. Determined to keep his cool, Levi beckoned you inside, hoping you wouldn’t be able to see his rising blush in the dark.

He motioned for you to sit down on the couch while he walked over to the bookshelf. “I know you already got something from me for Christmas but this is your real present. It took a bit to get here, but I wanted to give it to you as soon as I got it,” he scratched the back of his neck, sitting in front of you criss-crossing his legs. Levi shyly bowed his head and held the gift up to you, a heavy silver box with purple ribbon tied in a haphazard bow.

“Oh, Levi! Please tell me you didn’t splurge, I love the Ruri-chan blanket you got me already,” you looked down at him, both grateful but also a bit taken aback. Levi shook his head, pushing the gift onto your lap gently. “I-its not splurging if it’s for you, MC,” he whispered sincerely, tail twitching nervously at his side, “Please, open it, for me?”

You nodded your head, gingerly pulling at the ribbon and opening the box. You gasped when you saw what was inside. A white Wii console, two controllers, and a few games were carefully packed with a little note that read Merry Christmas, MC.

“How did you- they don’t make these anymore!” You gasped with wide eyes, unable to keep a wide smile off your face. You had told Levi about your childhood Wii console a while back, the fun you had losing yourself in your favorite games, which were all stowed away inside the box. “I wanted to make you more at home here, you looked really happy when you told me about these, especially… what was it.. Mario, something?”

“MARIO KART!” You clapped your hands and fished it out of the box, hugging it to your chest. “Levi, will you play it with me? I can’t wait to smoke you,” you giggled as he got a competitive glint in his eyes. You loved when you two hung out and gamed, you could tell he felt more confident and you liked spending time with him doing something you both enjoyed.

“Just because I’ve never played it before doesn’t mean you’re going to beat me, in fact, I would be surprised if you did,” he stuck up his nose, taking the box from you and grabbing the correct outlet adapter from his box in the corner. “Wait there, I’ll get it booted up.” He plugged in the Wii and connected it to the large TV in front of you, the nostalgia coming on in waves hearing the starting sounds.

You and Levi spent a few minutes making Miis of each other, sad that there weren’t any purple hairstyle options for him, but having fun anyway making your little characters run around. After a few minutes, you inserted the disc and readied your controllers, teaching Levi the controls and having a few practice laps. “Okay, do you think you’re ready to play for real now?” You wiggled your eyebrows at him where he was sitting across from you.

“I think I have the hang of it now, in fact, I know I’m going to win. A simple racing game? Child’s play, literally.”

“Oh? Then how about we raise the stakes? The loser…” You zoned out in thought, before a mischievous grin made its way onto your lips. “The loser gets wrecked by the winner!”

Levi’s cheeks bloomed an adorable shade of red, for he knew exactly what you meant by “wrecked”. The loser would be tickled by the winner, something he knew you both didn’t mind very much. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t incredibly flustered by it, something you knew, and were planning to take advantage of during the round. Was it cheating? Maaaaaaybe, but you also wanted to hear his precious laugh, something he didn’t share often.

He shook his head, trying to distract himself from the ghost tickles starting to creep up his back. “You’re on, don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Levi taunted, trying to hide his growing blush and flustered state.

His Yoshi and your Waluigi drove up to the starting line, buzzing with energy. “3…2…1…go!” You chant along with the screen, blasting off with the CPUs. Levi was not too far behind you, tongue sticking out in concentration. You decided he was too cute not to mess with.

“Y’know Levi, I bet you’ll barely be able to hold back your laughter when I get those sides of yours,” you chirped, keeping your eyes on the screen. You saw Yoshi waver and almost drive off the track, not expecting distractions, let alone teasing from you. He was almost silent, tail swishing behind you unbeknownst to him.

“You get all squeaky when I get near your ears, how do you think you’ll fare now? Asmo did my nails yesterday so they’ll be extra tickly~”

“MC! This is cheating!” He was climbing up the ranks, a place behind you, but he was curling into himself which threw off his game.

“I’m not doing anything, just making some conversation!”

“Can we change the topic?” He said meekly, trying to keep his cool. He came up to you, trying to knock into Waluigi’s car. You knew it was time to pull out the big guns.

“Hmmm. Fine, I want to talk about how adorable your laugh is, it’s contagious and it always makes me want to hug you for being so gosh darn cute!”

Levi lost grip on his controller, letting it go in favor of covering his face with his hands. His ears were pink now, and he was quietly whining in protest of your statements. “Why do you always do this MC… saying things that aren’t true,” he groaned into his palms, refusing to show you the fiery flush on his cheeks. You scoot over and wrap your arms around his shoulders, “You might not think it is, but I do. I find you charming, cute, but most of all someone dear to me,” you whispered, rubbing his back. Levi peeked out of his fingers, sighing, but a big smile broke out onto his face. “Thank you,” he peeped, glancing down at the controller. The one that he dropped. With wide eyes, Levi turned to the TV which displayed a cheering Waluigi in first place.

“We don’t have to if you don’t want,” you said quickly, letting him know there was an out. But he shook his head, still embarrassed to the nines. “You won, I l-lost, fair and square,” Levi reasoned, chest filled with nervous excitement. “What kind of demon would I be if I couldn’t take it?”

With that, you pounced on him, hands squeezing up and down his sides, giggling along with his airy laughter that you loved so much. His tail was thumping away on the couch, letting you know he was enjoying it as much as you were. You two spent the rest of the afternoon like that, gaming and reveling in each other’s stories and laughter. For you both, it was a perfect day with your best friend.

[thequietkid-moonie]

hi moonie, how are you doing? <3

i just saw your latest honkai post and finally figured it's time to ask you something: who are your favorite honkai & genshin characters? fav characters per game, fav male characters, fav female characters and all of that?

i don't even play those two games (i wanna play honkai so badly but my pc is weak and can't handle any game that isn't a visual novel :') but i still know some characters and feel like i'd love them if i were to play the game

(i watched someone play honkai for like five minutes and fell HARD for acheron lmao--)

anywaysss, i hope you have a lovely day <3 love ya!

Thank you so much for asking V-chaaaan and I really hope you can play Honkai soon!!! is so good 🥺🥺

im doing alright for now, I had a bad dream but right now im at peace, thanks for asking :3 hope you have a good day too <33 love you V-chan

If you only can play visual novels in your pc I can recomend you the one i just started to play! Its called Reverse: 1999, is also a gacha game, is a visual novel but has a combat that is turn based with cards! I think it wont cause troubles to you pc!! If you can play it dont forget to tell me <3

Also, please tell me what characters you think you'll like <3333 pleaseeee

YOU HAVE AWAKEN THE ULTIMATE SIMP THAT LIVES INSIDE OF ME!!! NOW VE PREPARE FOR THE ULTIMATE RANT!!!

I haven't play Genshin in a while because i felt a little tired and I don't really like the combat based on elental reactions buuuut I love the characters <3333

I guess that male characters from Genshin my favorites come from Fontaine, I totally love Lyney, Freminet and Neuvillete, the three of them are completely diferent from each other but I completely love them!!! Also, i love Wriothesley gameplay, the man literally said Nah i'd win and start punching the enemies with a bare fist, I also totally love and hate Zhongli (stupid old man I love him), Bennet, Razor, Gaming, Gorou and Freminet are my babies and I will protect them with my life <333 and I loooooove Venti's gameplay, he may not be the best by now but I just love him too much <333

And for female characters I hold a really close to my heart Rosario and Kuki Shinobu since they were some of my first characters and helped me a lot!! I love Beidou and Kuki because they are so cool and badass and stronge and girls and pretty and and 😳😳 okay okay, for being extremely cute I love Noelle, Barbara and Lynette, they are so cute, but if we talk about cuteness Nahida and YaoYao are my cutie babies <3333 also, i loooooove Fischl and Furina for their personality, I used to dont like them at all but I end up loving them so much

Nooooow, about Honkai Star Rail <3333 one of my favorites games and special interest!!!

im trying really hard to dont add all the characters haha

First of all, I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND YOU WITH LOVING ACHERON!!! she is really beautiful, in the story is she is so misterios and interesting and her gameplay is so cooool!! She does so much damage!! I love her, im always playing with her

Okay okay, now with my favorite characters I want to make a special mention to the MC, it doesn't matter if you choose Caelus or Stelle, both can be incredibly silly and badass (i still dont get over the scene when Ruan Mei's creation use their voice and start crying)

Im focusing now! If we talk about male characters the first ones who comes to my mind are Boothill, Aventurine and Argenti like, i cried for them and I want to protect them but im so down bad for them too , seriously i just want to give them a hug <333 and marry them and make them my male wife I also love Dan Heng and Welt Yang but in a calmer way, like I will love to have them in my live and have a soft fluff romance, I love Sampo because he is funny, like can we be a menance to society together? Please? Also, Misha is my baby, he will always live on my heart, im crying im not saying more

im down bad for Mr Svarog and Screwllum but this stays between you and me alright? im not ready to say that i love robots

Specially mention to Clockie and Hanu xd also to Aha, I love that idiot

Nooooow with the ladies, my dear female characters <333 first of all Firefly, she is the lady that will always live in my heart (i know she is perfectly fine and happy but im still crying for her), Topaz (and conty), Robin, Serval, Tingyun and Ruan Mei lives in my heart and mind free rent, they are so cute, and beautiful and powerful <33 I also love March with all my heart because she is a cutie patootie but in a calmer way too, and, of course, I will love to be a meneance to society with Guinainfei, Bailu and Qingque, Huohuo and Clara are my babies

Specially mention to Phantylia and Yaoshi, they are so beautiful and dangerous! A great match!

[charliesons]

Leviathan Bday Collab 2023! Pajama Party prompt.

genre: fluff pairing: leviathan and gender-neutral mc ----------------- MC spent a month preparing for something very important to them, talking with their closest friends and making their plans were as detailed as possible. Buying gifts and decorations, making sure that everyone had time in their schedules and that they kept the date free, ensuring that they all had the outfits that MC had specifically chosen for this day. After all, it was their first year, and possibly the only one, in the Devildom, so they were going to make sure they experienced it in full, even if they meant planning everyone's birthdays on their own, something that they were perfectly happy to do.Once night fell on Leviathan's birthday, the fun had officially begun. The House of Lamentation was bustling with noise and excitement, there was a celebration in order and everyone was looking forward to it. No one was entirely sure what the night had in store for them, but they knew they would be spending as much of it as possible with the Avatar of Envy, per MC's planning.MC had thought about everything. The food, the decorations, the gifts, the games, the matching onesies that everyone would be wearing. They had saved Grimm and ordered limited edition Ruri-Chan items that they knew Leviathan would enjoy. It was his special day, and they would be making sure it was extra special, full of love and gifts that they knew he would cherish and enjoy. To the others it might look like something big that took too much effort, but to MC it was something that they would do for any of their friends, no matter the cost or the day.  The transfer student appeared to be a ball of energy all day, visibly excited, possibly more excited than the birthday boy himself. When the time finally came for the celebration, they were the first one in Leviathan's room. They were there so quickly, infact, that it wouldn't be a stretch to assume that they had been sitting outside of his door the entire time.But, now that everyone had arrived, it seemed a bit crowded, lightly shoving each other around to find somewhere to sit on the pallet they'd made on the floor, MC was determined to stay sat next to Leviathan, practically glued to his hip. It was his special day, afterall, and they were determined to make sure it was amazing. Everything had been planned in advance, nothing could possibly go wrong when it was all so well thought out. And so, they spent the night playing Super Smash Devils. A few, very minor, fights broke out, as was to be expected when there are 7 brothers and their friends playing a competitive game, but, overall, they had a lot of fun and plenty of laughs. Everything was going well, and exactly as MC had planned. Leviathan looked like he was having a lot of fun, Beelzebub was definitely enjoying the food that MC had ordered, some of which they had specifically prepared and themed after his interests. a 7-tier TSL cake, Ruri-Chan themed cookies, and cupcakes with icing designs that looked suspiciously like Henry 2.0. The expression on Leviathan's face when he saw everything was one of amazement and joy, it was obvious that he was happy and enjoying himself. He had fun throughout the entire night. He hadn't lost a single game in the time that they were together, he was overjoyed.  As the night began to end, MC returned with a cake that they had made themself, decorated with a sugar image of Leviathan's face. It gained a few laughs from the party, but the grin on Leviathan's face was something that MC would pride themself in receiving.  "The cake isn't very well-made, but I wanted to make something especially for you," MC grinned as they spoke, placing the tray with the cake in front of Leviathan, "it might not taste very good, but it sure is pretty." The grin never left Leviathan's face as he cut himself a slice, he hadn't figured he'd be eating his own eye on the night of his birthday, but it was interesting. If it were possible, his face lit up even more after he took a bite, it was easy to tell that he was enjoying it, there was no need for words when it was written all over his face, "Well, it's good I guess," was the only response he gave, rolling his eyes. But he was happy, and that was all the response that was needed.  When everyone had a slice of cake, Leviathan stood up, a smile plastered to his face. "I'm really glad you all came here to celebrate with me, I really did have a good birthday, and its all thanks to you guys." It was obvious that he meant it, the party was coming to a close and everyone would be going to bed soon, there was only one thing left for them to do. "Yeah, yeah, save the sentimental talk for later, I think it's about time that we sing happy birthday to you, birthday boy."

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

About Me: Favorite TV Shows

I'm gonna be honest with all of you: I'm not much of a TV show guy. I'm just typically not one who likes sinking a lot of time into something unless it's a video game with a lot to do in it. This is why I review movies; they're typically the perfect length for my easily-distracted ass to take in.

But still, there are plenty of shows that have broken that rule and managed to keep me engaged and coming back for more. Some of these are favorites from my childhood, while some of these are more recent shows I finally decided to watch. It's a nice mix, but the main thing here is that all of these shows are something truly special to me considering I took the time to watch them all.

There's a few honorable mentions to go over. The four biggest ones are The Simpsons, South Park, Family Guy, and Rick & Morty. I love all four of these shows... for the most part. My issue with all of them is that despite having stretches that are some of the greatest ever in TV history, they also have huge chunks of absolute dogshit to the point it is debated to this day at which point the shows fell off, or if they even managed to get back on. And sure, every show has bad stretches, but with most of these shows being long running programs and all of them being massive cultural phenomena, it sticks out a lot more. Rick & Morty in particular was hit really bad by this. The reason these shows don't get on while I have other long runners with bad stretches on the list is simple: When these shows are bad, they're offensively bad. Like the middle seasons of SpongeBob are bad, but at least they don't have his giant sperms come to life and impregnate his sister's egg to create a giant incest baby or have an overly long sequence in which he vomits after finding out he fucked a trans woman.

Other honorable mentions include: Batman Beyond, Chowder, Catscratch, Codename: Kids Next Door, Fraggle Rock, Good Omens, Malcolm in the Middle, Heroes, Cardcaptor Sakura, Invader Zim, Ben 10, Gargoyles, and The Mandalorian.

30. Captain Planet and the Planeteers

I had to find a way to squeeze one "so bad it's good" show on the list, but how? Making a show that's pure camp is more difficult than making a movie like that... but they somehow found a way by giving us the adventures of racially diverse eco-warriors fighting against pollution with the held of an absolutely ripped planetary avatar with a green mullet who spouts an endless stream of cheesy puns and one-liners that would make even Schwarzenegger's Mr. Freeze take pause. Every time this show is on, you bet your ass I'm sitting down and watching; it's the most beautiful cheese there is.

29. Bluey

My wife and I caught this on TV during a Disney vacation and we ended up loving it! This turned out to be a blessing, because a while later we had our first kid and she's obsessed with the show (she's going as Bingo for Halloween this year). It's such a cute, charming children's show with relatable messages for both kids and parents, as well as a shockingly good score. It genuinely is one of the best pieces of children's media out there, much better than shlock like Cailou or Peppa Pig (are those shows even still on?).

28. Jackie Chan Adventures

Cartoons based on celebrities tend to suck balls, but maybe they were picking the wrong celebrities the whole time. Maybe instead of MC Hammer, they should have picked everyone's favorite homophobic, PETA-supporting Chinese nationalist action star, Jackie Chan! This show is literally the Saturday morning cartoon. It really had it all: Wild animated action, mystical artifacts acquired through Indiana Jones-esque adventures. all sorts of crazy monsters and supernatural entities, and memorable characters like my man Tohru, who walked so Prince Zuko could run.

27. Sailor Moon

I think everyone remembers their first anime, and this was mine. My mom loved the show, so I ended up watching it a lot back when it was airing on the early iterations of Toonami, and it has made me a lifelong magical girl fan. Maybe Cardcaptor Sakura and PPMM did that whole thing better, but neither show had Sailor Mars, my first anime crush. All that aside, the cheesiness and the sheer earnest power of love and friendship that managed to solve every problem is just peak fiction... I just wish it was nearly as good as the manga.

26. Green Eggs and Ham

If you told me way back when that someday there would be an adaptation of the Dr. Seuss book famous for containing a very limited number of words that expanded on the story, added drama, and threw in a villain who is a blatant spoof of former president and eternal idiot Donald Trump, I think I might have stared at you in utter confusion. And if you told me this show would actually be good, I'd be doubly confused. Thankfully, the show is really damn good, with an impressive cast and good humor that manages to capture the whimsy of the wubbulous world of Dr. Seuss perfectly.

25. Inhumanoids

I think everyone has a soft spot for an 80s toy commercial, but where most would pick Transformers, My Little Pony, or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, my favorite of the lot was this obscure gem of a show. It's such a fun introduction of horror and Lovecraftian abominations to a young audience, and a lot of it is still unsettling and dark to this day. D'Compose will eternally haunt my nightmares between that raspy voice and the gruesome transformations he inflicts on his victims. Good shit!

24. Danny Phantom

Forget that stupid fairy show, this right here is the best thing Butch Hartman ever put his name on. It's a loving tribute to comic book superheroes in the same way Ben 10 was, but I think this show is ever-so-slightly better due to its blend of supernatural and sci-fi working really well (and also it doesn't retcon all magic as being alien energy or whatever the fuck they did with Gwen in the sequel series). The only thing holding it back from a higher spot is how hilariously bad the finale is and the rather scattershot quality of the final season in general. Too many loose plot threads hanging for my taste.

23. The Boys

Seth Rogen has seemingly made it his mission in life to adapt all of Garth Ennis' work in a way that makes it not suck ass, and boy am I here for it. Adapting one of Garthy-boy's most repulsive and spiteful works and turning it into a genuinely great superhero show that satirizes celebrity culture instead of just taking a huge shit all over comic book superheroes was really the way to go, and watching Anthony Starr and Karl Urban command the screen every time they take center stage is a blast. Sure, it's still gory and lowbrow, but it's done in a way where it's honestly appealing as opposed to whatever the fuck Ennis was doing.

22. Mystery Science Theater 3000

I mean, it should be pretty obvious that I love this series, right? If you ever had the misfortune of watching a movie at home with me, you'd know I just do not shut the fuck up and spend a lot of the runtime either pointing out trivia or cracking jokes, and it's mostly because of being inspired by this show. It's also partly because I'm annoying, but that's neither here nor there.

21. Batman: The Animated Series

No fucking duh this is on the list. This is pretty much the definitive portrayal of Batman for a lot of people, one that truly encapsulates everything the character is all about. Kevin Conroy truly owned the titular role, as did his costar Mark Hamill when it came to the Joker, and as if that wasn't enough this is the show that spawned one of my favorite comic characters, Harley Quinn. There's no denying the impact this show has had on Batman as a franchise, but even beyond that it's just a damn good show with really good writing. I sure am glad one of the guys who made it never went and flushed all the good will he garnered from creating this by constantly having Bruce Wayne lust after one of his teenage proteges!

20. Courage the Cowardly Dog

This show is pretty well-regarded for how it showcased some truly weird and fucked up imagery, but I don’t think any of that would be as resonant without the moments of tenderness and heartfelt emotion, the genuinely amusing slapstick, or the often clever writing. When it comes to episodic shows, variety is king, and this show has that in spades.

19. The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy

This show seems to be an answer to a question no one asked: What if they made Family Guy for kids? The black comedy, the negative continuity, the numerous pop culture references, the grossout humor, the musical numbers… it probably wasn’t intentional, but it sure adds up. The biggest difference is that this show is way more consistent in quality and has Jeff the spider, making it the superior show by a mile.

18. Digimon Tamers

What do you get when you cross the silly monster battles of Digimon with the writing of the man who brought us Serial Experiments Lain and a heaping helping of Lovecraft? You get this show, of course! It’s darker and more psychological than the goofier seasons before it, and while normally I’d balk at a series shifting tone like this, since this was my first ever Digimon cartoon I watched from start to finish I embraced it with open arms. Hell, this show is probably where my love of psychological and allegorical horror came from. And of course the show gave me yet another childhood crush, and if you’ve read the Rhine City stories I co-author you’ll know exactly which character it was.

17. The Twilight Zone

The brilliance of this anthology series is just the incredibly wide range it has with the supernatural and sci-fi stories. Sometimes you’ll get a resonant and hard-hitting allegory on a social issue, and sometimes you’ll just get a cool, fucked up horror story where some evil little kid can warp reality and holds an entire town hostage to his maniacal whims. I’ve enjoyed every revival they’ve done over the years, but the Rod Serling original just can’t be beat.

16. Stranger Things

I’ll admit that it’s really the first and fourth seasons carrying this show to #16; seasons 2 and 3 are wildly uneven, with 3 in particular veering close to the shark-jumping ramp with its cartoonish Red Scare stereotypes. But even in the show’s weakest moments, the characters and how they interact with each other have managed to keep me invested. How can I be too mad at season 3 when it gave my boy Steve (the best character) a new BFF, Robin (the other best character)?

15. Elfen Lied

I think it’s easy to write this show off as overly gratuitous because, well, it is. Everything here is turned up to 11, from the gore and nudity to the drama and tragedy. I kind of feel the same way about this show as I do for V for Vendetta, where if they cut the crucial tragic backstory it would make the work as problematic as the haters say. But with Lucy’s heartbreaking backstory left intact, it definitely elevates the story into something greater. The manga is still (mostly) better, but I have to give the show credit for introducing it to me, and also cutting out the character who constantly pisses herself.

14. Smiling Friends

Sure, the wacky shitpost humor and the black comedy are great, but can we just stop and marvel at how uncynical the show is? The core concept is a cheerful optimist and a bitter realist work together in a business that helps people be happy, and despite all the hijinks they get into they typically end up succeeding in one way or another. In a world where so many adult animated shows seem to revel in pessimistic nihilism (cough Rick & Morty cough), it’s nice to see a comedy with similar humor but a more optimistic outlook.

13. Ed, Edd n Eddy

This is one of the absolute funniest shows ever, making great use of the cartoon world to pull off the most wacky slapstick you'll ever see. But I think what truly pushes this series this high is the absolutely fantastic sound effects and music it utilizes. Like, holy shit this show is on another level. It all goes a long way towards making up for the living sexual assault joke that is the Kanker sisters.

12. SpongeBob SqaurePants

This show dropped almost nothing but bangers for three seasons, gave us one of the best show-to-film adaptations of all time, generated a near endless supply of memes, and was generally just really fucking funny. And sure, it dipped in quality a bit in its middle seasons, but I think the first three to three four seasons are good enough that they can fuck up as much as they want.

11. Invincible

Gee Amazon, how come you get to have two of the best superhero shows around? Where The Boys is more of a straight deconstruction of superhero tropes, Invincible feels like something of a reconstruction. We still have an evil Superman and morally dubious good guys, but Invincible himself is utterly unyielding in his desire to be good to the point he manages to break down his evil father’s emotional walls and save the world (for the moment) simply by being a loving son. Unwavering goodness even in the face of genuine horror is badass as all hell.

10. Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Not to be a stereotypical weeb, but this show is simply a masterpiece. Now I will admit, the first half of the show was honestly done way better in the original series, and that one also had some interesting takes on some of the characters once it started diverging from the manga. But this series has a much better finale with way better character moments, with stuff like Envy's final fate hitting harder than anything the original show could muster. There's a reason anime fans suck this show's dick so much; it genuinely is that good.

9. A Series of Unfortunate Events

I’m sure I wasn’t the only one disappointed that the original movie never got a sequel, so my hopes were high going into the Netflix series. Needless to say, I ended up extremely impressed; considering how they managed to incorporate the VFD plotline from the very start instead of throwing it in later in the series, I might even go as far as to call it an improvement on the books. I think the most surprising thing here is that despite expecting NPH as Count Olaf to steal the show, it’s actually Patrick Warburton’s portrayal of Lemony Snicket himself that brings the whole show together.

8. Peacemaker

I think this one speaks for itself.

7. Futurama

I love all of Matt Groening's shows, from the loose family sitcom shenanigans of The Simpsons to the great overarching plotline of Disenchanted. But it's really not surprising that the middle ground between tightly-plotted continuity and great humor is my favorite of his works. The best part of the show is no matter how many times it ends, it always comes back and finds new ways to bust your gut and tug at your heartstrings.

6. Gravity Falls

Disney has had many great TV shows in their time, but quite frankly nothing compares to this animated supernatural mystery series about a pair of twins having their summer vacation at a shitty scam shack. The episodes are mainly episodic with hints at the bigger lore, and it doesn't really ever feel like it's dragging its feet. It also didn't overstay its welcome, telling a fantastic story over the course of two seasons before gracefully bowing out while on top. Very few shows can say they ended in top form.

5. Jane the Virgin

One fine day I came home from work to find my wife watching this on Netflix. Curious, I sat down and watched it, not expecting much... and then proceeded to become so emotionally invested in the show I spent the rest of the series shouting at the screen as if the characters could hear me. It's sweet, funny, and absolutely ridiculous, a loving tribute to the telenovelas that inspired it, and a blessing unto this world for giving us the gift of Rogelio.

4. Avatar: The Last Airbender

Yeah, real bold and daring of me to say this is probably the best Western animated series ever, but it’s hard to deny that it’s true. With a rich world, excellent characters, and a strong story it’s to the point where the worst episode would be perfectly fine in any other show, and the best episode doesn’t even feature the titular Airbender at all. It’s just that good.

3. Breaking Bad

You know me, I love character studies of awful people, and few fictional villains are as awful as the egotistical meth manufacturer Walter White. Watching his rise and fall, the numerous moments where he goes further beyond the pale than before, is endlessly gripping, and the fantastic cast of characters helps keep things just as good even if we aren’t following Walt. Mike, Jesse, Gus, Skyler, the Salamancas, Hank, Saul… all of them are fantastic in their own right and could easily carry their own show. Speaking of which, about that last guy...

2. Better Call Saul

As much as I think Breaking Bad is objectively the greatest show ever, I prefer Better Call Saul. In hindsight, you can kind of tell Walter was bad from the start, but Jimmy “Saul Goodman” McGill? We watch him go from a morally dubious but ultimately well-intentioned man into the sleazy bastard he was in the original show, and it is genuinely heartbreaking. This show makes you truly dread the moment Jimmy fully becomes Saul, and considering how beloved the funny lawyer man was that is no small feat. The story of a good man falling from grace only to ultimately claw his way back to ultimately reclaim his humanity in the end… it’s beautiful.

1. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure

I don’t think I could possibly overstate the influence this series has had on me and my writing. The personalized superpowers, the meaningful names, the numerous musical references, the unashamed embracement of even the most ludicrous elements of the stories… If you read the Rhine City stuff you can clearly see where I’ve let the JJBA influence seep in. But even outside the influence, it’s just a damn good action/adventure series, with no part being truly bad (4 - 6 are my favorites, though). It’s never a dull moment watching what sort of insane feats the Joestar family and their allies will pull off against the increasingly deadly forces of evil; here’s hoping we get to see Steel Ball Run sooner than later.

[apollo-gate]

Hey author! Since it was my birthday today I wanted to send in this ask to all my favourite blogs lol.

How would the ROs celebrate MC's birthday? How will they plan for it before they get together (crushing stage) and after they get together?

Omg HAPPY BIRTHDAY !!!!!

I’m one of your favorites.

Where ya at that’s an immediate bear hug. RIGHT THERE. (Jk. I swore to someone that they get a bear hug before anyone else. So you be like 6or 7 on the list. But hey your there. But Vanessa will be before you so crap where did I write that down. Ah your after Nikki no no Jessica no was it Greg. No it was Justin. Ah it was Jessica my mistake. Your after Jessica . Got it so my mom. The one i promised to hug regardless of time or place. Vanessa. Chan, Nikki, Jessica, and finally you. Ok remember your place. (If your name here that was a lucky guess. Vanessa or hey Batman got on the list when that request of Vanessa prompts came about. Chan or Second chance asked because when he or I get married we meet so 🤣. Nikki I think that’s right. Got it with the bear gif. Like yes!!! Hello there Friend. 😁.

Now onto our ROs 👏 (I’m going to do it in parts as the list is wonderful.)

Alice: Is not really a big fan of huge party especially for birthdays. So it would be very small with close friends and family. In crushing stage she would do a private dinner. But in a relationship she would take Mc to where she went with her dad. A over look of the city and meals she and everyone made.

Helena: crush stage: ok so depending on the Mc this will change. Helena would get the Mc favorite band or singer they like for a private concert or get vip tickets to go to the concert. Relationship stage: Helena will do a underwater ship cruise.(this is one of the harder things to get.) Helena has already done them but wants to share the experience with the Mc.

Lisa: Don’t laugh. Crush stage: It would be art classes or pottery classes. She would want to share something that’s apart of her. Oh and the Mc gets to eat Lisa cookies. Relationship: Have you ever wanted to do body paint.(it’s happening.) And paintball fights with friends that too.

Becca: Beach trip or to the lake house. 🤷‍♀️ girl wants me time no one else. But doesn’t mean she won’t surprise the Mc with a cake and friends. She’s not friends with many people but as long as Mc is happy she’s happy.

Daniella: She will get Noah’s number and set up a dinner or lunch. Ask Mc to look after her son. Will get everyone in on it yes Becca I see you. And when Mc comes back every one is caught do one thing or another. So everyone cooks together and it becomes a thing. Although Noah is forbidden from the stove same with Scott and Lena.

Vanessa: Musumes or Art gallery than theater is also an option. Vanessa will have a picnic basket to. (Yes she like picnics. So just where will be y’all’s spot) Will be happy so very happy as birthdays are special. Will definitely strive to get a laugh out of the Mc.

Azalea: (doesn’t know what a birthday is. Yeah I know.) in crush stage would do a metal work as a gift. Would even get Mc into doing it. In relationship: Azalea would do a ritual If the Mc wanted to see the world how they see it.

Kent: Alright let’s get this right. Kent would do a breakfast in bed. Basically anything the Mc wants to do he will do.

Naamah: MCs Birthday is all about them. She will do the pampering treatment and everything.(could she have servants do this. Well yes but she wants to do. To show how much she loves and what the Mc means to her.)

Blaze: two words.Time travel. Man is going to zoom with Mc to anytime they want to go to. You want to reenact a historical event. See a historical figure or just say you ate during a battle and watched it. (Hell yeah Blaze is all for it.)

Zero: Zeros gift is unorthodox. It’s simply an outer body experience. In a robotic body. It’s not permanent don’t worry Zero has tested this many times.

Red Flag RO: Sex. Biting blood. Hmmm 🤔 You get your own blood bag.(person) She would also get you to see world with her daughter is at.

Rune: big party. Like the hugest you’ve ever seen. And a beautiful necklace with matching rings. Rune would get her own alcohol she makes to and just say no one walking away without a headache.