#there's some outfits where he's hm. I guess more casual. but my point is that you fail if you make him wear nothing but beige. brown. black

[jasmyluv]

016. Delicate

wc: 0.7k

“Scara, hi!” You greet the man in front of you. 

“Hi, [Name].” He greets you back, putting his phone in his pocket. He looks you up and down, observing your outfit. 

“You look nice.” he so casually compliments you. You must say, you could feel your cheeks warm. What a strange occurrence. 

“Thank you.” You utter, playing with the hem of your shirt.

“Where’d you want to go? You ask him, looking at him with interest, waiting for his response.

“It’s almost sunset, I know a place.” Before you can reply, he takes your hand in his and starts speed-walking on the sidewalk. If others were to see this, they would’ve thought you two were dating, hm.

“Damn, why are you walking so fast?” You ask him, panting. Even if you two were hand-in-hand, you had a hard time catching up with his speed, he’s a bit too swift for his short height.

“To catch the sun set, duh.” His cockiness didn’t seem to change. What a shame. 

You both ended up at an abandoned parking lot with many floors, how’d he find this place? If you were being honest, you were frightened by this setting, cobwebs and cockroaches everywhere, ew. There isn’t any trash anywhere, that was a relief. 

“Here.” You suddenly hear Scaramouche’s voice. You walk beside him by the edge of the building, you were both staring at the mild orange sky at the top of the car park. 

“Wow…” You’re awestruck, it was the first time in a while that you breathed so freely. As if you didn’t have a shit ton of pressure put on you to always be number one, to always be perfect. It’s just you, him, and the fresh air that surrounds you. 

“Sit.” Scaramouche interrupts you looking at the sky to invite you to sit down at the edge of the building, your legs dangling. 

“How’d you find this place?” You ask quietly, almost like a whisper escaping in to the wind.

“I was out with Childe and Signora. We saw this place while looking for a place to sit down.” He briefly explains. “Ah.” You respond, continuing to look at the view in front of you.

“So… Tell me. How’s you know, your life?” You ask him. Truth be told, in the few weeks he’s been your friend, you haven’t heard much about his life.

“Well, me and Ei still live together, surprisingly. She’s dating Yae, they’ve been hanging out a lot, thank god.” You’re rather surprised he still lives with his mother, you thought he would’ve run away. 

“Oh? Auntie’s dating someone? Good for her.” You say, seeing the sun slowly lower as the moon rises.

“So, what about you?” He asks you this time. You sit there thinking about your life. It’s been, more or less, the same since he left.

“Uh, it’s fine, I guess. I have some new friends, my mom’s still pressuring me, it's been driving me crazy. I also have you in my life again.” You didn’t mean to let that last part slip, oops.

“Hm, well. You can’t always wish for everything to go your way, it’s triggering, but you just have to accept it. All you can do is just do it, and hope for the best.” He says, looking at the auburn sky he came with you to see. 

“You’re right. But, I can’t accept it. It’s been years since I’ve felt true happiness. Even with my friends, some part of me felt empty. I can’t point it out, nor can I even fill the void.” You sigh, remembering the times you felt this “true happiness”. 

“I’m sure you’ll find it soon, [Name]. You’ll never know when you meet the person that will crowd the empty hole.” How is he always right? 

“... Thank you, Kuni. I’m glad you’re back in my life. You were the only person I could trust. Everyone seems to suffocate me. But when I’m with you, I can breathe freely with no limitations.” You express. You truly were grateful he’s there again. 

“You’re welcome, [Name].” He says, sitting closer to where you were at. You lay your head on his shoulder, admiring the moon’s glow and the many stars that surround it. 

It's been years since you've last talked like this. Though he was prideful and cocky, he's still the Kuni that was there for you, through your ups and downs.

That night, you both talk and talk, laughing at every pun and joke you made, thankful that this moment is happening.

previous :: MASTERLIST :: next

Of All People… - scaramouche x fem!reader smau

SYNOPSIS When you, a student who finds her best friend admits the terrors of high school. A best friend who've you'd hated ever since he left. Of all people, why was he the one to make you swoon, a person you swore to hate?

Fun facts!

Scaramouche is very observant. Ergo, he will notice every little thing about you. From your change in style to the way you hold your bag.

You're surprised he still lives with Ei because he always used to talk back and disobey her.

Ei is girlie pop!!

Scaramouche is a natural at giving advice that digs deep down your mind, it stays with you for weeks

Tag list; Open!

@viridescent-ivy @sakiimeo @ttoshiiroz @lxry-chxn @stopandget-help @r0ttenhearts @h-8chi @thenightsflower @killuixz @linn-a-a @vodkistt @raideneiari @yuyan @layla240 @barbatosfavouritenun @plinkuro @taikabae @beriiov @ghostxrism @rifran @elakari @kairxse @belovedxiao @alwaysmentallyill @mellowknightcolorfarm @xingyunclouds @scooofyaei @nambii @scaraapologist @samyayaya @kunikuzushisbeloved @dee-zbignuts @kaekazuha04 @monochromaticelliot @erosdevil @wisteriarain @kaoyamamegami @dazaiswifenicole @phoenix-eclipses @vivinsoul @vuvulia @r4yyyyy @cinnamontimecrunch @whatamidoing89 @aludicpoet @cindywasneverhere

[elk96]

Hi! 😄

I wanted to know if you could be a top male reader. Where he and Cillian met in a bar, they spoke little so he couldn't ask for his number but the reader fell in love with him and his blue eyes, and one day when looking at photos of his friends he realizes that Cillian is a friend. from one of his friends, and is surprised because they never told him about him, so the reader asks his friend where he could meet Cillian again, and when they meet again, the reader flirts with him by saying things like:How about I kiss you, how about I buy you coffee tomorrow? What if you are the man of my life?

hello and thank you so so much for your request!!😁 it is my first request so it gave me endless joy😂

I so liked your prompt I had to make it into a two part story.

Hope you enjoy it!

What If Part 1

Cillian Murphy x Male reader

Words: 2457

Warnings: none (smut in part 2)

Of course, no disrespect to Cillian Murphy or his family intended! It's just a fictional story folks.

The bar was quiet, yet annoyingly full of people. Most of them danced slowly near the corners, but the queue for the drinks was large. You shoved your change in your pocket and grabbed your drink to get out of there, when a sharp voice caught your attention. It was one of the bartenders.

“And what do you want me to do lad, pour it back into the bottle?!”, he shouted angrily at the customer. 

“I’m sorry, but I really can’t pay for it-

“What’s the matter”? you asked pleasantly, approaching the pair. You glanced at the bartender, then the money laid in front of a Guiness. The customer had closed his eyes, pushing his head towards his chest. So much drama for such a little inconvenience, you thought.

“There, I'll pay it off”, you said to the bartender and gave him the missing coins. “No need to worry mate, come on”, you added, and with both drinks at hand, you found a quieter spot in a corner. You looked behind you to find the man you’d just helped come after you flustered and embarrassed.

“God you’re not from around here, are you”?, you asked with a smile and handed him his beer.

“I just left the house in a haste. Though I had more money with me, you know”? He took a large sip. “Thank you so much by the way, I wasn’t in the mood for trouble. I’m Cillian”.

A small smile tugging at the corners of your lips, you reached to shake his hand. Your heart was dancing in your chest. His touch was smooth, warm, his hand large and yet frail, just like the rest of him.

“What’s your name”? Cillian asked as you continued to just stare at him.

You cursed yourself mentally looking at the ceiling for a brief moment in frustration. “Sorry, I was thinking about something. Um. Y/N. Y/N Y/LN. Lovely outfit, may I add”.

Cillian chuckled and looked down at himself as if to actually remember what he was wearing. White and red striped shirt, blue navy cardigan, ripped cuffed blue jeans. A small silver earring added even more spark to his face, as if those eyes weren’t dazzling enough already.

Cillian rolled his eyes, shaking his head. “It’s just my casual fit you know? Something to keep me going through the day”.

“Rough day, I presume”.

“Yeah…Sometimes I just…I don’t know…Lose my faith in humanity, I guess. With everything that’s happening around here…I’ve always been trying to be one of those ‘look at the bright side’ kind of people, but now…”.

“You’re talking about the person who stole those charity funds hm”?, you asked sympathetically. The news had caused great shock in all the country. “I suppose that’s always been man’s nature though, hasn’t it? We can’t deny it”.

“But we can fight it-and we have to fight it, otherwise what’s the point”?, Cillian asked in a haste and gulped down his beer.

Absent-mindedly you reached to swipe some of the foam gathered on the corner of his eyes. You only then noticed that he’d finished his drink, while you were only one sip down with your. Cause you were drinking him with your eyes…

“Thank you for the beer again, I have work to do”, Cillian murmured, and with a soft “Good night”, he slipped between the crowd and…left. He had just…left. You kicked the wall next to you for letting him go like that. You could’ve asked for his number or something!

You closed your eyes and sighed heavily, leaning on the wall. He is gone now. And, nobody said that there was much to happen anyway. What if he’d left so quickly because of your gesture? What if he’d cringed?

“Oh what a stupid reason to stay awake at night…”, you whispered to yourself and finished your drink. You had paperwork to do-loads of paperwork, actually, but all you would think about would be that ethereal man. Chiseled jawline, sharp cheekbones, soft nose. Not even Michaelangelo had carved beauty like his.

—----

Three days had passed and all you could do was think about Cillian-which was why you had agreed to go see the game at your friends’ house. Many of his pals would be there, since tomorrow one of them had his birthday, Will was throwing a party for him.

“Hello Y/N, so glad to see you mate! I didn't think you’d come”.

“Yeah, me neither, but I needed a break from work”.

“Oh come on”, his friend complained. “All you do is work and sleep, when are you going to have some fun? Find a girl, have a good time”!

“Oh I’m sorry sir William but not all of us have rich parents”, you joked and stepped inside. 5 other men were sitting on the couch and on the floor, waiting excitedly for the game to start. You smiled at them and then walked to the kitchen. You poured yourself a cup of water from the fridge. You had recently moved into the city, so you didn’t have many friends, and all your old ones were now scattered across the globe. William and his pals were good, fun-but they were made only to party and talk big. You hadn’t bothered to confess that you weren’t interested in girls, you just gave lame excuses about having too much work.

“Did you print the photographs''? William said conspicuously, making you flinch in surprise. He had asked you to print some cursed photos of the birthday boy and the group. Whether he wanted to blackmail him or give them to him, you didn’t know, but it was unimportant.

“Yes, I did”, you answered and handed them over to Will. “Scott looks like he’s pissed drunk in that one”, you laughed and pointed at the picture that interested you.

“Eh, you know Scott, always the quiet one”, Will smiled. You liked Scott. “But the most ridiculous one is Cillian”.

You drew in a sharp breath at the sound of his name-so it was him after all. When you’d seen the face in the picture you thought it was just wishful thinking on your part, a trick of your mind.

You furrowed your brow, pretending not to know. “Cillian? New addition to the gang”? you joked.

“Nah, we just hang out once or twice. He was the leading man on the play Scott participated in, so we became acquainted. Nice lad. Scott loves him ‘because he introduced him to a writer and now he thinks he’ll be able to work full-time at the theater like Cill. Let’s hope he finds out you need talent to do that because he quits his job, huh”? William laughed and went to the living room to find the others.

A sweet sense of anticipation lingered over you. He worked full time at the theater…You knew where to find him.

The next day, the sun rose vibrant and promising, the weather was crisp but not cold. You were walking faster than usual, anxious to find Cillian in the cafe Scott said he was going to in between theater breaks. Your heart was hammering in your chest, but you felt confident. You had finished all your work, for the days to come, so you had no responsibilities, and with the weekend right on the next corner…who knew what would happen? You took a swift glance at yourself at a shop’s window to make sure everything looked in place, and then entered the cafe.

It was a small, cozy place with lots of cushions, orange lamps and vintage wooden tables. It’s calm, romantic ambience enveloped you, easing your nerves completely. You inhaled the intricate smell of brewed coffee, and then you saw him. He was sitting alone in the small attic of the place, where no tables but rather large pillows were places for those who searched for a break from the chit chat and noise. He was wearing a fluffy blue turtle-neck, which brought out those incredible eyes of his.

You ordered your favorite coffee and with the cup in hand you climbed up the stairs to meet him.

“Mind if I join”?, you asked with a smile.

Cillian put down the book he was reading, his features illuminated by joy for seeing you.

“Y/N! Of course, you needn’t have asked. Good to see you again”, he added softly.

You sat next to him on the soft material, placing your coffee on a little hanging shelf.

“You too. I was thinking about you actually…”, you said in a  low voice. “What you told me '', you added to make it a bit more subtle. “Are you better now”?

“Hey, I didn’t mean to sound so depressive, '' he explained. “It’s just that I had worked in a play for the guy that collected and then stole the money. I thought he had integrity and honesty-but anyway, it doesn’t matter anymore. How come you found this place”?

You held your breath, contemplating whether you should give him the real reason or just make up an excuse.

“I was out for a casual walk, and it looked cozy and cute, so I thought I’d come in for a cup of coffee. What are you reading? "you asked and picked up his book. “Call me by your name, my my! I thought you’d be more of a Dostoyefsky and Kafka type of guy”, you laughed, while your heart clenched in hope.

“Oh I am”, Cillian answered. “Or Bukowski, or Oscar Wilde, or Max Porter. But this particular book, I’d read some twelve years ago, and I still go back to it when I need a boost. Their relationship is so pure”, he said, his voice trailing off into nothing. 

You tentatively brushed your fingertips against his own, held your hand there when he didn’t shy away from your touch. But he didn’t dare look you in the eyes.

“I always found it very sad…how long it takes them before they understand the depth of their feelings…And when they do, there is no time to enjoy their love”, you said softly admiring the softness of his skin, the delicacy of his features.

“I’d rather have one true kiss with someone than a relationship based on lies”, he mumbled almost inaudibly and that was when you placed your hand on his chin.

“What if I kissed you right now”? you whispered, turning his face towards yours. Cillian looked at you with surprise, but then, he closed his eyes, giving you the smallest of nods.

You leaned in, pressing your lips against his soft ones, savoring his smell. You kissed his bottom lip, sucking on it gently before you parted his lips with your tongue. You felt him melt into your touch as you licked into his mouth gently. You broke the kiss, both gasping for air. His cheeks were flushed, chest rising rapidly.

“You look so fucking beautiful when you’re all ”, you whispered in his ear, pulling him towards you for a more passionate kiss. You brushed your hands through his silky hair, sucking at his full lips. Cillian needily wrapped his arms around your torso, and a small whine left him when you lapped on his mouth.

When you pulled back you were both disheveled.

A mean, low laugh came from downstairs, and when you looked, two blokes were pointing fingers at you, rolling their eyes and judging stupidly. Cillian picked up his book quickly, pulling away from you. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, you apologized for your boldness.

“It’s not your fault, I just…worry about work. I don’t want word to spread and stuff”, Cillian answered hoarsely, and you understood that completely. It wasn’t necessary that people know about your affairs, no matter the sexuality or gender.

“How about I  buy you a coffee tomorrow, or a beer at that bar and we talk about it?, you asked hesitantly.

Cillian thought about it while his thumb brushed nervously against your hand.

“I really like you Y/N”, he confessed.

“I’ve been thinking about you, Cill. For over three days now. We could go to my place-for something casual, I mean. To talk…I really want to get to know you better. Because I like you too. Very much”.

You admired the ethereal color of his eyes a little longer while Cillian prepared mentally for what awaited him. After a rather eventful break up, he wasn’t in the right headspace to connect intimately with someone again-especially a person of the same sex- but the attraction he felt, the warmth in his stomach and at the same time, the trust he had in you eased his uncertainty off.

Having already paid for your drinks, you left the picturesque cafe and walked to your place. It was a short walk under the warm sun and you were happier than you’d been in a long, long time. Cillian was introverted and shy, laughing nervously at your jokes and fidgeting with the hem of his sweater. It would scare you, how hard you were falling for him, if he weren’t honest and pure-hearted as he was.

You poured drinks for both of you and he sat on the living room carpet-another quirky habit of his along with the fact that he was always fidgeting-and you continued your conversation. He told you all about the play he was rehearsing at the moment, Grief Is A Thing With Feathers, opening his heart about the toll the role had taken on him. He had a beautiful way of speaking, soft and calm, and yet you understood almost right off how passionate he was about his work.

You could also sense that while eager, he also felt out of his depth a little bit, being alone with a man that regarded him as something more than a friend.

And then, you brought up your love for music, and the conversation went on for hours. In his nerdy way, he could speak insightfully about the songs he loved, how he connected with them. 

The sun was beginning to set when you stood up, putting some jazz music playing on the radio. You turned on the warm, low lights on the side of the wall to create a romantic atmosphere, looking at Cillian.

“Up for a dance”?

“I’m not a great dancer”, he murmured, breath caught in his throat.

“How badly can you mess up some simple steps”?, you bit back, pulling him up by the forearm. You led him away from the furniture so you had a bit more free space, wrapping your arms around his waist. He let his hands drop lightly at your shoulder blades, shying away from your eyes. You began to move in small steps, following the rhythm of the music.

[manicplank]

The Color Pink (Part 9)

This one is fucking long. Buckle up.

Hazel came home after another long, slow day at the cafe. Business was still dull. Her only customer seemed to be The Vigilante, but things grew tense between them as she spent more time with The Noise. The Vigilante always seemed to have something curt to say. However, she hadn't seen The Noise much since he had been so overwhelmed by work. She was so bored around her house. She just sat around waiting for 7 p.m. to come. She was always excited to get her daily phone call from Theodore, even if it was just him explaining that he was too tired to talk. The time finally came, and her phone rang. She answered it without hesitation. "Hello?"

"Hey! It's me," Theodore greeted.

"Hey! I was waiting for you to call."

"I was wondering if you wanted to do something tomorrow. I know you're usually off on weekends."

"Really?"

"Yeah!"

"Of course! What were you thinking we do?"

"I don't know... I was hoping you would have some ideas."

"Um... Hm... Maybe we could just do something casual, like hanging out at the park or one of our houses."

"Oh! Uh... I think I'd prefer the park. I'd feel more comfortable with that."

"I understand that. It's supposed to be super nice out."

"Cool! What time were you thinkin'?"

"How about one or two?"

"One works for me. The sooner the better."

"Okay!"

"I have this thing where if I have plans later in the day, I won't really do anything else. I get stuck in waiting mode."

"Same here! I thought it was just me!"

"I think it's an ADHD thing."

"You have ADHD, too?"

"Yep! Got it bad."

"That's crazy!"

"I kind of suspected that you had it. No offense. It sort of takes one to know one."

"I guess that's true. I don't try to hide it. I guess looking back, I can see it in you now."

"It's kind of the basis of my whole character."

"I can see that."

"What park where you thinkin' we go to?"

"Hmm... There's that one in the Gnome Forest that's real pretty. We can go loiter around there!"

"I think I know which one you're talking about. I think it's literally called "Picnic Park" since nearly everybody who visits has a picnic."

"We could do that."

"Maybe. We would have to be careful of the bees, though."

"Oh yeah... I guess we could just walk around."

"If we get hungry, we could always go somewhere."

"The Gnome Forest has a lot of good places to eat."

"Exactly! So... I guess I'll see you then?"

"Yeah!"

"Okay, cool! I'm gonna let you go so I can get some rest. I'm a little tired from working."

"I get it. I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Yep! If anything happens, just call me and let me know!"

"Of course! Goodnight, Theodore."

"G'night, Hazel."

-

The Second Date

Hazel was ecstatic. She finally got to go on another date with The Noise. At this point, she didn't like him for being a celebrity. She liked him for who he was. Of course, she was amazed that her celebrity crush was interacting with her, but now she saw him as just a regular crush. She had waited for what seemed like forever until it was time to get ready. She didn't want to do anything special to her appearance, but she still wanted to look her best. She went to the vanity and sat in front of it. Her hair was already curled at the ends like she usually kept it.

She hummed in thought. What was she going to wear? She went through her closet and dresser drawers. After several minutes, she finally decided on an outfit; a cropped sleeveless white turtle neck with a cropped pink cardigan with high waisted straight leg jeans and white platform sneakers with pink laces. She grabbed a fuzzy white mini purse to finish her look.

She picked up the phone and dialed a cab. It arrived shortly after, and she ran into it excitedly. "Where to," the cab driver asked?

"Picnic Park in the Gnome Forest," she responded.

The pig man driving the cab nodded and drove off. She watched out the window excitedly as they cruised through the tower. Her heart fluttered in anticipation. They quickly reached the park. She paid and got out. She looked around, but she didn't see Theodore. Even though she knew better, she was worried he wouldn't show. She wandered through the park hoping to find him. He arrived shortly after she did and called out to her. She came running, but she couldn't run very quick in the platforms. When she reached him, she jumped onto him in a hug, nearly knocking him down. He caught her and twirled her around. He smelled pleasantly like a gentle cologne.

"Hey, you," he greeted with a huge smile. He was wearing a white "Thrasher" t-shirt overlapped by a denim jacket with solid black jean pants and black "Vans" shoes.

"Hey," she put her fists to her chest in excitement.

"You look cute," he scanned her from head to toe.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Oh," she giggled, "thanks." She tucked her hair behind her ear. "You look cute, too."

He scratched the back of his head and blushed. "Nah, I look like a mess."

"Shush," she pushed him playfully, "take the compliment."

"Fine, fine."

"So, what were you thinking we do?"

"I don't know. I was hoping maybe to just walk around and," he shrugged, "enjoy the scenery. Talk and get to know each other better. I mean, I've been so busy with work, it'd be a nice change of pace just to talk to you."

She was still smiling. "It sounds like a good idea. I enjoy simple things. I'm not hard to please. Plus, I like the flowers in the park."

"Well, come on," he held out his hand, "let's go."

She looked at his hand with a slightly shocked expression. "Oh," she grabbed his hand, and their fingers intertwined. She smiled once again. "Right." They walked side by side down a stone path. Their arms swung back and forth as they strutted along.

"So," she spoke, "how's everything been? I haven't seen you since..." She chuckled nervously, "I think the last time I saw you was when we bumped into each other at the bar?"

"At the bar," he asked, confused.

"When you were drunk."

"Oh, my gosh." He face palmed with his free hand. "I'm still so embarrassed about all of that."

"Please, you didn't do anything to upset me."

"I acted like a total fool!"

She stopped and pushed his arm to make him face her, their hands still together. "Stop it. You didn't do anything wrong. You were funny, actually."

"Was I? I don't really remember what I said."

"You were giving your pig friend a ton of trouble."

"James? Oh yeah, I always give him shit, especially when I'm drunk."

"He kept yelling at you for hugging me a bunch."

Theo chuckled. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that, too."

"Shut up," she said teasingly. "It was silly. If I didn't like it, I would've just pushed you off. You know I don't take shit."

He laughed again. "It's funny when you're assertive."

"Well, people see my sweet demeanor and assume I'm a pushover. I don't stand for that."

"Oh, yeah, the pushover doesn't stand."

She hit his arm playfully, "Shut up!"

He cackled and nudged her shoulder. "Don't hit me!"

"What, you scared?" She puffed out her chest and taunted him.

He threw her arm over his head and hoisted her over his shoulder. She screeched in surprise and kicked out.

"Put me down," she yelled through laughter. "Put me down!"

"Don't dish it if you can't take it!"

He carried her for a few steps before he put her down gently. She charged at him, but he grabbed her arms. She swung around and kicked at him, both of them laughing hysterically.

"Okay, okay, okay," he said through chuckles, "stop, stop."

She stopped, and he let go of her wrists. "Don't dish it if you can't take it," she spoke in a mocking tone.

"Whatever," he rolled his eyes. "Come on," he grabbed her hand again. "Let's go."

She smiled as she looked at him. "Okay, I'll behave."

"Thank you."

"For now," she giggled.

As they started to walk off, it began to drizzle. The rain started off lightly, but picked up very quickly. Before they could even process it, the rain was pouring down on them. Hazel put her hand up to shield her eyes. Theodore swiftly took off his jacket and held it over her head. "Come on," he said, "let's go to that pavilion." They ran over to a small pavilion. It covered a small patch of concrete and a few picnic tables. They sat at one of the tables across from each other. Theo put his jacket beside him. The two of them looked over and watched the rain.

"Shit, that came out of nowhere," he spoke.

"Yeah, I didn't even know it was going to rain today," Hazel exclaimed.

"It wasn't supposed to! I checked like five times."

"Aw, man." She looked at him. "Theo, you're soaked!"

"Eh, I'm okay."

"You didn't have to shield me. I would've been fine."

"It was first instinct. I mean, you're wearing crop tops."

"But you must be freezing!"

"It's a little cold, yeah. I'll be fine, though."

"No, you're gonna get sick!"

"Hazel, I'll be fine."

She grunted. "Maybe we should just... Go home and change."

"What? We've barely been here for a half hour."

"No, I mean, go home, change, and maybe do something else? We could go get food or watch a movie or something."

"Oh! Yeah, I guess that could work."

"Okay," she pulled her cell phone out of her purse. "I can call a cab and-"

"No, save your money, I'll drive us."

"What? No, no, no, I don't want to be a bother."

"Hazel." He grabbed her hand. "You're not going to bother me. Let me drive you so you don't have to take three different cabs."

"Oh, okay, fine."

"We're gonna have to run through the rain again, though."

"Alright."

The two of them got up, and Theo pulled out his keys. He went to hold his jacket over her head, but she grabbed one side while he held the other. "We'll share it," she said. He chuckled and held part of the jacket over his head, too.

He grabbed her hand. "Ready?"

She nodded at him.

"Okay, go!"

The two of them took off, laughing as they held hands. Rain soaked the jacket held above them. It was a fair distance between them and the parking area. They got to his car, and he let go of the jacket. She held it over her head as she went to the other side. He quickly unlocked the car, and they got in. They caught their breath and continued to laugh. "Holy shit," Theo sighed. His hair was dripping wet and his shoulders were drenched. Hazel only had a handful of drips on her.

"Oh, my gosh," she put her hand on her chest and leaned back into her seat. "I can't believe that just happened." She let out a small chuckle.

"I know, right?" Theo had a huge smile on his face. He suddenly felt nervous as they sat side by side.

"I feel bad getting your nice car all wet."

"Oh this? Nah, it's alright. I wasn't really looking for anything fancy. I mostly bought it so the salesman would leave me the fuck alone."

"What kind of car is it?"

"Cadillac CTS."

"A cadillac?! And you're claiming it isn't nice?" She crossed her arms.

"I'm not saying it isn't. I'm just saying, a little rain water won't hurt it."

"Uh huh, okay, you're not trying to act all humble."

"No, I totally want to impress you with my expensive-ass car," he said sarcastically.

She hit his shoulder jokingly. "Shut up."

He chuckled. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry."

The two of them smiled and made eye contact for a minute. Hazel felt butterflies in her chest. He started up the car and spoke, "Alright, just give me the directions."

"For what?"

"To get to your place."

"You don't want to go to yours, first? You're soaked..."

"I'll be fine."

"Theo!"

"Right or left?"

"Theodore!"

"Right or left?!"

"Oh, my gosh, you're so stubborn!"

He got a worried look on his face. "Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

"What? Oh, no, no, no, no, no! I was just playing with you."

"Oh," he sighed in relief. "Sorry, I just... I actually can be really stubborn, sometimes."

"No, I didn't mean to alarm you." She rubbed his arm, and he smiled at her. "You can take a right out of here. Then at that tree, take a left."

"Okay."

-

It was only a short drive over to Hazel's house. It was a small, humble abode in a normal-looking neighborhood. They pulled up in her driveway, and Theo put the car in park. "Okay," she said as she unbuckled, "come on." Theo gave her a confused look. She nodded her head towards the door. "Let's go."

"Huh," he responded, "I thought I was waiting out here."

"No, that'd be rude. Now, come on!"

Theodore and Hazel quickly got out of the car and ran to the door. She unlocked it as fast as she could, and they went in. Her house was sweet but petite. The walls were a off-white color. She had a small brown love seat couch in front of a T.V. on a wooden stand. On the stand were small decorative dolls. There were family portraits on the walls, as well as some metallic floral decorations. Theo looked around feeling slightly nervous. "Stay here," Hazel poked his chest. "I'll grab you a towel. She turned the corner and opened up a small closet. She grabbed a towel and ran up to Theodore. "Thanks," he smiled as he took the towel and began to dry off his hair. "I'll be back," she spoke as she ran off.

Theodore stood there and waited. He was stiff as a board, he wasn't sure what to do with himself. Her house was incredibly clean. He toweled off his shoulders and tried his best to dry off his shirt. Hazel came out pretty quickly. She came out in a over-sized pastel pink cardigan buttoned up with a lacy white camisole tank top underneath. She also wore straight legged soft pants and white Converse sneakers. Her cardigan was so big that the sleeves covered her hands, but it was one of her favorite shirts. "Sorry," she said, "I figured I'd put on something more comfortable than stylish."

"What do you mean," Theo responded, "you look cute."

She slapped him jokingly with her sleeve. "You say that with anything I wear."

"Cause you look good in everything."

She slapped him repeatedly with her long sleeves. He chuckled and put his arm up as defense. "Okay, come on," she grabbed his hand and headed for the door, "let's go to your place so you can get changed."

"Oh, uh-"

"What? You gonna change in the sewer?"

"Well, my house is sort of... shitty."

She tilted her head and crossed her arms. "Theodore. You said the same thing about your expensive car." She grabbed an umbrella with one hand and his hand with her other. "Now, come on, let's go." She opened up the umbrella as they stepped out, and they ran under the umbrella together until they got to his car.

-

They came into an average neighborhood to a medium-sized house. Hazel was a little surprised. She was expecting something big and fancy like his car was. As they pulled into the driveway, Theo sighed, "Alright, so, I'm gonna warn you now. My house is... old. I've only been in it for a few years, but I'm not necessarily the best at keeping up with cleaning or maintenance. So... It's a little messy."

Hazel shrugged. "What, are you a hoarder or something?"

"No, no. I just... hate cleaning."

"Who doesn't? I doubt your house is as bad as you think it is. You think I'm gonna care if you didn't clean the whole thing before I came here?"

"Um..."

"No! You've barely had time to sleep the last few weeks. I understand if your house is a little messy."

He took a deep breath. "Okay, let's go."

Hazel opened her umbrella and laughed as they ran to the door. Theodore was incredibly nervous. He felt a little insecure of his house at times, and now was especially one of them. He held the door for her. She closed her umbrella and shook off the excess water as she walked in. She turned around and observed her surroundings. There was a leather couch and a glass coffee table over a pale tan rug across from a T.V. on a glass mount. There were family portraits and small pieces of artwork scattered around the walls. Hazel walked in further. "This is what you were worried about?!"

"I know, it's-"

"It's fine, Theodore! It's not messy! Oh, so what? Your glass table has some smudges on it here and there. Oh no!"

"Hazel, please..."

"Theo," she walked up to him and held his upper arms. "You don't have to be insecure. I don't care. You're not a hoarder, you don't have rotting food everywhere, you don't have roaches; your house is fine!"

He sighed. "Okay, I'm sorry. I just... I don't know what came over me."

"Now go get changed before you get a head cold." She patted him on the arm as he walked off. She sat on the couch as she waited. She looked around and saw a photo of a young, tiny Theodore with his mother. She smiled. It was a cute picture.

In his room, Theodore was doing his best not to freak out. Despite his opinion, his house was quite nice and humble. It wasn't super fancy like his car was, but he still couldn't seem to shake the feeling of insecurity. He got changed into a yellow hoodie with an orange hood and strings. He put on some casual black pants and slipped on some checkered slide on canvas shoes. He took a deep breath before he headed back into the living room. Hazel was no longer on the couch...

"Hazel," he called out.

"I'm in here!"

He walked into his kitchen, Hazel was just walking out of it. "Sorry," she said, "I got nosy."

"It's fine..."

"Your house is nice, Theo. It's not a mansion, but it's not a straw hut, either. I'm not going to judge you for having a few dishes in your sink."

"Oh, my gosh," he laughed it off. "You're ridiculous. So, where do you want to go?"

"Huh?"

"Well, we could go grab some food or go watch a movie."

"How about we just stay here?"

"What?"

"We can watch a movie here, right?"

"Oh, uh, I guess. I have a few movies I've been meaning to watch, I just haven't had time."

"Great! We can watch them together."

"Okay..."

Hazel dragged Theodore over into the living room. He had a couple movies on one of the shelves of the T.V. mount.

"You want to choose one," he asked her.

"Yeah, sure." She went over to the mount. She looked through three different DVDs. She hummed as she thought. "This one!" She held it up with excitement.

"Okay, cool." Theo came over and knelt down. He powered on the DVD player and put in the movie. Hazel went over to the couch and waited. As everything was set up, Theo came and sat next to her. She scooted over until they were hip to hip. She leaned her head on his shoulder and wrapped both of her arms around his one. Theo's heart was racing, and his body went stiff. She could feel how tense he was.

"Relax," she said. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"I know," he sighed. "I don't know why I'm so anxious."

"I know why... but I won't say it."

"What?"

"Figure it out." She smiled, remembering what he had said to her when he was drunk.

-

After a few hours, the movie finally came to an end. Hazel and Theodore both had disgruntled looks on their faces. They faced each other.

"So..." Theodore started. "What did you think?"

"It sucked," Hazel exclaimed.

Theo burst into laughter. "Oh, thank fuck, I'm not the only one. I didn't want to seem like I was being cocky since I make movies."

"No, no, that was awful! I mean, the plot made absolutely no sense! It was so rushed. Another hour would've done the movie good."

"And maybe different writers."

"Yes! It was terrible!"

The two laughed together for a moment. "Want to watch another one," Theo asked.

"Maybe. What time is it?"

Theo looked over his shoulder. "It's 6:30."

"No, I should probably be heading home by now."

"Okay."

"I'll call a cab."

"I can drive you."

"I will call a cab. I appreciate you being so nice to me, but I'd really hate to be a bother. Truthfully, I need a little time to decompress."

"Oh, okay. I understand."

Hazel called up a cab, and it wasn't too far away. Theo walked her over to the door, and they hugged their goodbyes. As they pulled away, Theo ran his hand down her arm and grabbed her hand. He looked from her eyes to her lips then back to her eyes with a smile on his face.

"This might seem out of line," he says. "You know what? Nevermind."

Hazel tilted her head. "What?"

"Nothing, nothing."

"Come on." She stood on her toes for a second then back down. "You can tell me."

"I don't want to scare you."

"Whaaat?"

"Um..." He cleared his throat. "Can I kiss you?"

Hazel gasped. "What?!"

"Sorry, sorry, I know that was weird." Theo got incredibly nervous.

"Yes!"

"Sorry-"

"No, I mean, yes, you can kiss me!" She giggled and bounced excitedly.

"Wait, really?" He smiled, a little shocked.

"Yes! Please!"

He chuckled nervously. "Okay, um..." He held the side of her face and closed his eyes as he slowly leaned in. Hazel closed her eyes, but she started squealing and giggling in excitement. Theo pulled back and laughed.

"Sorry, sorry," she giggled, "I just... Hehehehe!"

"Just tell me when you're ready."

She took a few deep breaths. "Okay, I'm ready."

He gently grabbed the side of her neck with his other hand on her hip and leaned in, but she started to smile and squeak again.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" She giggled. She took another deep breath. "I'm ready, I'm ready."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I promise this time."

"One more time, okay? If you're too nervous, I won't do it."

"No, I'm not nervous. I mean, I am, but I'm also just excited!" She chuckled again.

He grabbed her chin and slowly leaned in. She closed her eyes once he got close. He closed his eyes, leaned his head to the right, and kissed her softly. She put her hands on his jaw as she kissed him back. It wasn't just a small peck. It was a genuine, romantic kiss. He drew back slowly and laughed nervously. "Sorry," he apologized.

"Why are you apologizing? You're soft."

He blushed heavily. "Oh, um-"

"Can we kiss again?"

"What?"

"Can we kiss again?"

"Oh, yeah, um-"

She grabbed him behind the head and pulled him in for a deep kiss. They got lost as they kissed passionately for a few minutes. Theo pulled back and gulped. She laughed at the bashful look on his face.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry," he said.

"For what?"

"I... I don't know."

She smiled at him and shrugged. "Stop worrying about it and come here." She hugged him, and she could feel his body relax in her arms. They swayed slowly side to side. Theo felt his heart rate slow. He felt like he could fall asleep in her arms. He quickly went from awkwardly tense to securely relaxed. The moment was ruined as her cab pulled up and honked. "I gotta go," she spoke with a huge smile. "I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

Theo smiled. "Okay."

She kissed him on the cheek as a goodbye before she walked out of the door and opened her umbrella. He closed the door and put his back to it. He slid down to the ground and put his hands on his face. He was completely flustered again. He couldn't believe that just happened, he couldn't believe he just did that! He took a few sharp breaths. He went to the bathroom and splashed his face with cold water. He was freaking out a little bit. He kissed her, and she kissed him back. The moment seemed so small but felt so big to him. She made him so nervous but in a good way. When she came around, he was mostly calm, but when she was gone, he couldn't stop overthinking and worrying about ruining it or scaring her away.

But as her cab pulled off, she couldn't stop smiling as she watched out the window. She was so happy that he finally kissed her. It ensured her that he really did like her. He like liked her. Her heart was fluttering, and her legs felt weak. At this point, she felt that she was head over heels for him, and she was almost sure he felt the same way. She kicked her legs as she kept thinking about the kiss; how soft he was, how gentle he was... It kept playing over and over in her head. Then she remembered something. She pulled out her cell phone and sent a text to her friend Lia:

It happened. We kissed.

[unofficialperson]

sorry to be petty but I hate like 95% of the Satan outfit redesigns because everyone collectively forgets he's a dude that loves colors and accessories .

[hops-hunny]

Yo-yo’s Girl

Pairing: Kyoya Ootori x Black!Reader

Pronouns: She/Her

Word Count: 1.6k

Request: N/A

Summary: Kyoya’s girlfriend is a lot a bit different than what they expected.

Warnings: None, could be read as a chubby or plus size reader!

A/N: This was self indulgent. I wrote this at like 2 AM and didn’t know until I woke up.

"Do you really think this is going to work?" Haruhi asked, already done with Tamaki's antics. She knew this was a bad idea but with the promise of some of her debt being removed, she couldn't find herself to do anything but go along with the blonde's crazy scheme.

"Why of course it will! When have you ever known of my plans to go wrong?" He responded, placing a hand over his heart as he swooned around dramatically. Hikaru and Kaoru exchanged looks with each other before looking back at Tamaki.

"Do you really want us to answer that?" They chimed, causing Tamaki to deflate with a defeated look. He looked over at Haruhi with puppy dog eyes, hoping the girl would agree with him. She offered him a sympathetic smile, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Listen senpai, don't get me wrong, sometimes your ideas are great but isn't this...a bit much? I mean why can't we just ask Kyoya about his love life? Do we really need this elaborate plan?" She asked, hoping he would budge. She looked down as Honey hung off her arm, Mori trailing behind him.

"Don't be silly, Haru-chan! Kyoya senpai is a private guy. He wouldn't trust us with anything like that." He said, climbing off the girl and back onto Mori. She let her eyes drift to Mori in hopes he'd help but he just let out a grunt of agreement. She sighed in defeat knowing she wasn't going to get through to them. How had they gotten into this dumb plan in the first place?

It all started when Tamaki overheard Kyoya on the phone with someone and from the tone in the raven haired boy's voice, he assumed it was a girl. More specifically, his girlfriend. However, any other time Tamaki didn't wanna intrude so to avoid doing so, he decided they would all follow him after school to see if that's where he was going!

As they saw a familiar head of black hair walk towards the school gates, they all began to walk behind him, attempting to be as quiet as possible. They had been following him for a few blocks, leading to a nice but unfamiliar part of town; however as he stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, they all began to hide behind a bush but halted their motions when they heard him speak.

"Do you honestly think I didn't see any of you?" He questioned, not even turning around. They all stayed quiet in hopes that he would assume himself as crazy and continue to make his way down the street. But, as he turned around, parting the bushes, that idea flew out the window.

"Hey Kyoya! My dearest friend, I'd even go as far as to call you my bro-"

"Cut the bullshit Tamaki. Let me guess." He pushed his glasses up his nose before clearing his throat. "You thought that if you followed me you'd get to see my girlfriend, correct?" He asked, their wide eyes answering his question. However, where was the fun in that?

"That's exactly what we were doing! We wanna meet your girlfriend, Kyo-chan!" Honey piped up. The twins glared at him for his willingness to comply with Kyoya's questions so easily. Meanwhile Haruhi just sighed, slumping down even further.

"If you wanted to meet my girlfriend, you all could've just asked. I expected more from you, Haruhi. You should've known better." He chastised, watching the girl who's left eye was currently twitching. Without another word, Kyoya kept down his path towards the airport, leaving his companions to fight amongst each other.

----------------------

It was Friday of the same week and the rest of the hosts were beginning to grow hopeless about meeting Kyoya's girlfriend. Was she even real? Perhaps Tamaki's senses had been wrong and the conversation that played out earlier that week was simply meant to teach them a lesson. However, as the hosts were shutting things down for the day, slowly gathering there things to go home, Kyoya cleared his throat. They all turned to him, curious to what he had to say.

"Leaving so soon? And to think (Y/n) was coming to visit today. Oh well, I'll tell her you all said hi." Kyoya started, turning around to face the window. 3, 2,.. a chorus of hot fire questions started around him causing him to chuckle under his breath. "One at a time, I can't answer you all at once."

"Why doesn't (Y/n)-chan go to school with us?" Honey started, staring up at the tall boy. Kyoya turned to face the group, brushing off his blazer as he did so.

"She does during a portion of the year. Due to her parent's line of business, (Y/n) does one semester in the United States and one here in Japan. However, she is originally from America. Next question?"

"What do her parents do?" The twins said, angry with each other that they had asked the same question. "I thought my question was original.."

"I'm sure you've heard of the (L/n)'s before. They specialize in state of the art technology of all forms. Best selling in all of Japan. However, (Y/n) also has her own business under her parents that deals with unbreakable fine china, some of the best of it's kind but I'm afraid I'm biased." He smiled at the thought of his girlfriend, catching the other host off guard. Who was this girl who was able to make Kyoya smile?

"What's she like, senpai? I'm sure she must be special to catch your attention." Haruhi inquired. Kyoya felt his cheeks heat up as he thought of the many things he enjoyed about his girlfriend. He turned back to the window, looking out it once again.

"She makes me laugh and she's beautiful. Don't tell her that though. She always gets a big head when you do." He muttered, checking his watch for the time. She should've been here by now.

"She sounds absolutely radiant, Kyoya! When is she going to show?" Tamaki asked, sighing dreamily at the thought of his closest friend in love with a beautiful girl. Kyoya looked at the clock across the room before frowning slightly.

"She was supposed to.." he trailed off at the sound of his name being screamed continuously and the sound of loud footsteps growing closer. All of a sudden a blur of brown skin and thick thighs stormed in, jumping onto the man. Mori put Honey down, ready to fight if need be but stopped once he saw Kyoya wrap his arms around the girl, embracing her tightly.

"Darling! I'm sorry I'm late, I got hungry and stopped by that little bakery you showed me the other day!" The girl said, looking up at the boy who had an uncharacteristically warm smile. Everyone was even more shocked as he let out a laugh, stroking some of the girl's braids behind her back. She was a short girl, full of curves and rolls in all the right places. Her outfit was very casual compared to the things Kyoya wore on his free time. She had on a jean skirt and a form fitting striped shirt that made the undertones of her soft brown skin pop.

"I told you to let me know if you plan on going places beforehand. You know how sidetracked you get. You easily could've gotten lost." He lectured causing the girl to roll her eyes. She pouted, crossing her arms around her chest.

"Okay and? Clearly I didn't. Lay off 4 eyes. I'm here now aren't I? That's all that matters!" She jumped out of the boys arms finally before turning to face the rest of them. They all had the same question: 'How could such an energetic girl be with Kyoya?' "You're definitely Tamaki." She said, pointing to the blonde. He had a flattered look on as he began to say something but she cut him off. "You look just as annoying as Yo-yo said." She finished. Hikaru began to comfort their boss in the corner as Kaoru began to laugh.

"Yo-yo?" He choked out, laughing a bit more. Kyoya's face began to heat up more as he looked down at the short girl, a pissed expression on his face.

"(Y/n) I told you not to call me that in public." He said in an angry tone, looking away from the girl. She pouted some more, bringing a soft hand up to his face. As she stroked his cheek, hot tears began to form in the corner of her (e/c) eyes.

"I'm sorry, Kyoya! I forgot. You know me, I didn't mean to embarrass you in front of your friends." He leaned into the girl's touch, looking down at her sad expression. How could he ever stay mad at that? He sighed quickly, leaning down to place a kiss on her forehead. She squeaked, unused to him initiating any sort of physical affection in public.

"Forgive me darling, I hate to see you so sad. How about I take you to one of those," his face turned slightly green as he grimaced some, "Commoner malls that you adore so much. I'll buy you anything you want. Hm?" The girl instantly perked, throwing her pudgy arms around her lanky boyfriend. He tensed a bit before hugging her back warmly, glaring at the twins who looked like they may say something to ruin the sweet moment. Haruhi watched in awe, feeling even herself grow emotional at how clearly in love her senpai was.

"Really? Let's go Kyo! What are we waiting for?" (Y/n) asked as she grabbed her boyfriend's hand, beginning to drag him towards the door forcefully. Once they were out she quickly peaked her head back in looking at the others.

"Well? Are you coming?"

[mandos-sluts]

The Visit

This is Part One of a three-part series

The Visit Part Two

The Visit Part Three

The Mandolorian x Fem!Reader

Rating: Explicit

Word count: 3.5k

Warnings: Smut, dubious consent, fingering, dirty talk, mentions of sex work

Summary: You are Luke Skywalker’s Padawan, training directly under him at his Jedi Academy. Din Djarin is staying at the compound for a few days to visit Grogu.

A/N: Please message us or comment if you want to be on our tag list!! Also we love feedback <3

“What does he look like?”

“He’s a Mandalorian. Big silver shiny armor. Can’t miss him.”

*************************************

Boy was he right. You spot Din as soon as you step into the cantina. He’s standing at the bar, leaning over it slightly. His visor catches your eye from across the room, and he stares at you for a while, looking you up and down, before turning his head back to the bar. He’s never seen someone so beautiful in this parsec before.

Your Master, Luke Skywalker, told you to meet Din at the cantina and escort him to the Jedi Academy. Luke had similarly informed Din that he was sending his Padawan to rendezvous.

You know all about Din Djarin. You know his whole deal with Grogu and the Darksaber, and his run-ins with the Empire and the Guild. The story of his miraculous rescue of Grogu made its way around the school after Luke brought the child back to the Academy.

The cantina that you’re at is located in the town that lies right outside the Jedi Academy compound. It’s a place that many students go to blow off steam and hang out.

You find yourself surprisingly nervous as you walk up to the tall intimating Mandalorian. “Excuse me.” You say.

“Not interested.” He says shortly without even looking at you.

”What?” You asked, confused.

“I said I’m not interested.”

“Not interested in what?”

”Your services.”

”My services?” You don’t understand. Is he wanting to travel to the grounds by himself? That’s not an option....he wouldn’t be permitted on the estate without an escort. Didn’t Luke tell him of this arrangement?

Din exhales, clearly annoyed, and finally turns to look at you. “Do I need to spell it out for you? I’m not looking for a whore.”

You stand there, completely dumbfounded, your mouth slightly open from shock. A whore? What the fuck?!!

In his defense, you are wearing a rather skimpy-looking outfit. You have on what is essentially a tennis skirt and a bandeau; it’s the hot season on the planet. Even so, this guy is an asshole.

You take a breath and put a fake smile on your face. “My apologies….Din Djarin.” You say in a suggestive manner. Turning around to leave, Din whips around and grabs your upper arm tightly, yanking you closer to him.

“How do you know that name?” Din loudly whispers in a demanding, low voice.

You’re not stupid, you know that his name is known only by a few. “My industry has very skilled people.” You respond, hoping he will get the hint that you are in fact not a sex worker, but actually the person he’s supposed be meeting.

”Are you telling me your brothel somehow got a hold of my name?” Din is pretty pissed. Is this what he gets from doing dealings with Jedi? His name gets leaked to brothels?

You let out a sigh as your eyes roll. You snatch your arm out of his grasp and move swiftly out the door into the street. What a jerk. This guy can find his own way to the compound.

Din tries to follow you, needing to know how a random whore got his name, but the streets are pretty crowded.

”Oh, Mr. Djarin!” Din hears someone say. He looks over his shoulder and sees Luke Skywalker approaching him.

“H-hi, Master Skywalker.” Din says, deciding to give up on his pursuit of you, after all, that’s not the reason he’s here.

“I’m surprised to see you here, did my Padawan not pick you up?” Luke asks.

“No. He never showed.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry about that. Let me take you to the Jedi Temple.”

************************************* You hear your Master’s voice and footsteps nearing the empty lounge you’re sitting in. It’s a pretty big, dark lit room. There’s a conference table on one end, and an arrangement of couches and chairs spread across the place. It’s always empty, and you often use the area to meditate or exercise or just hang out. You pretend to look busy, eager for what’s about to occur.

“It is strange that my Padawan did not show up to greet you.” You hear Luke say behind the wall. He pokes his head around the door. “Ah, here she is.” He says walking into the lounge.

She? Din walks a few feet behind Luke. He turns the corner and walks through the door, freezing in his footsteps as soon as he lays eyes on you. There you are, the woman who approached him at the cantina….Luke’s Padawan.

You stare into his visor with a smug half smile on your face and slowly rise from your seat. You’re reveling in how taken aback he clearly is.

“Y/n, this is Din Djarin. I thought we discussed that you’d meet him at the cantina and escort him to the Academy? He says you didn’t show.” Luke says innocently as he stands between you and Din.

“Oh. I did go to the cantina. I guess I missed you.” You say slowly with your eyes locked on his helmet. “My apologies, Din Djarin.”

Din clears his throat. “Um n-no worries at all.” He chokes out. Shit! Din can’t believe he called you a whore. How did he not see the laser sword on your hip?

“Alright, well I’m gonna get to my meeting. Y/n, show Din around, alright?” Luke says.

“Of course Master.” You say with a slight bow of your head. You plant your gaze back on Din’s helmet as it rotates to watch Luke exit.

He slowly turns his look back to you, staring at him confidently with your hands on your hips.

“I’m sorry.” He says flatly through his modulator.

“For being such an asshole?” You say tilting your head.

“Yes. And assuming you were a prostitute.”

“There’s nothing wrong with sex workers. I’m not offended that you mistook me for one.” You say. But….why does it kind of turn you on that he thought you were a whore? Ugh and why does it turn you on that he is such a jerk??

There’s an awkward pause as you both stand there examining each other.

“So, you’re also a…Pawa-don?” Din asks, trying to fill the quiet. He has never been uncomfortable with silence before, in fact, he more often than not preferred it. But right now for some reason he feels different.

“Padawan.” You correct him. “And yes.”

“So are you doing the same training as the kid?” He further probes.

“Kind of. Grogu is more in the elementary stages of training. His focus is mainly on developing and fine-tuning his sensation with the Force. Most of my training nowadays centers around my lightsaber mastery and combat.” You inform him.

“Hm. Wonder when you’ll be good enough to battle me.” Din says casually as he takes a breath.

“What?” You ask.

“I said I wonder when you’ll be good enough in combat to put up a fight against me.”

Is he serious? Is he trying to provoke you? Even after the predicament he just found himself in with you? “Ha….um….I was good enough to fight you years ago.” You declare

Din looks at you for a moment. “I’m a Mandalorian.” He says simply.

“.....”

“The Mandalorian who wields the Darksaber. So you’re either overestimating your own ability or underestimating mine.”

You take a deep breath and take a step closer to him. “I know most people think that Mandalorians are the greatest warriors in the galaxy, but that’s because they don’t know of the Jedi Order. My connection with the force gives me strength that you will never know, that you will never be able to comprehend.”

Din takes a step closer to you. “That may be, but I have decades of combat experience that is simply unmatched by you, not to mention the most imperishable armour in the galaxy.”

“So what I’m hearing is that you would like to duel.” You say as you remove your saber from its holster and activate its blade. It’s a light lavender color, thin and sleek.

“That’s cute.” Din says. “Just a reminder, little girl. You were given that light saber. I won mine in battle.” He proclaims as he detaches his saber from his belt. *see gif*

“I made it. But fair point. Now enough talk, Mandalorian, are you ready to duel or what?” You say as you get into a battle stance.

Din holds his hand out. “If, by some miracle, you do happen to overpower me, don’t touch the saber. Bo-Katan is already mad enough that I have it, I can’t imagine what she’d do if a non-Mandalorian gets their hands on it again.”

“Yeah yeah, I’m well aware of the bizarre way that the ruler of Mandalore is chosen.”

“Alright then, princess, I won’t hold back.”

You feel heat rush through your core at those words. Princess. He won’t hold back. Uggh... focus! This guy has been demeaning you since the moment you met him, show him how powerful you are!

*************************************

You and Din battle for a good seven minutes, the two of you are pretty evenly matched, neither one of you gains the upper hand for very long. Just as you’re feeling your strength falter, you’re able to knock his saber out of his hands, and you push him onto the ground. Din tries to get up and reach for his saber but you plant yourself on top of him, straddling him. He looks up at you in defeat.

He takes a deep breath as you stare down at him. That’s when you notice the tent in his pants. You’re sitting on his legs so that his bulge is right above your crotch.

Adrenaline is pumping through your veins from your victory and a smile stretches across your face. “I have another quality that puts me at an advantage that I forgot to mention: your attraction to me and your primal desire to fuck me.” You say as you slowly place your hand on top of his clothed erection. You lean down and bring your face close to his helmet. “I bet your face is just bright red underneath this helmet of yours. Not only did you lose the battle, but your urges got the best of you.” You say in a condescending tone.

Din stares up at you, his chest moving up and down as he breathes.

“That’s where you and I differ.” You say. “A real warrior has self-control and self-restraint.”

Din moves his hands to your thighs and runs them up to your hips. “Who said I was trying to restrain myself?” He says in a raspy voice.

You’re a little caught off guard. You were teasing him, and this was not the reaction you were expecting. You thought he’d be embarrassed, you thought he’d want to get out of this situation as soon as possible.

“Face it.” You say after a pause. “You can’t repress your arousal, and your lack of self-control is a disadvantage to you.”

Din’s hands are still on your hips, and he pulls you up his body ever so slightly. “So since you have such great self-control, your panties wouldn’t happen to be wet right now, would they?” He inquires in a low, sultry voice.

You’re taken aback at his shameless words. “O-of course not.” You stutter as your confidence recedes.

“Let me see.” He demands flatly.

“What?” Did you hear him right? Your heart beat is pounding, you can’t tell if he’s joking around with you or not like you were doing with him.

“I said let me see.” Din says moving his gloved hands to the bottom of your skirt. “C’mon, pull this short little skirt up just a tad more and show me that your panties are dry.”

“N-no I–”

“Fine.” Din cuts you off. “I’ll do it myself.” He says as he removes one of his gloves. He then moves his bare hand under your skirt up to your pussy, easily pushing the thin panties you're wearing aside and planting two fingers inside your sopping wet folds.

You jerk at the contact of his soft skin on your sensitive pussy. “Din!” You exclaim. You grab his hand, but don’t move it.

Din chuckles. “Looks like you don’t have as much self-discipline as you claim.” He brings his other hand and cups your cheek. “Awwww, your face is just bright red right now.” Din mocks.

“W-whatever, you still lost.” You say out as you’re overcome with humiliation.

“Mmmmm. Congratulations.” Din says lazily as he removes his hand from your cunt and grabs your hips once again. “So, y/n. You showed me how Jedi fight. Let me show you how Mandalorians fuck.” He says as he pulls your hips and grinds you against his bulge.

Your panties are still pulled aside and the friction of his clothed erection against your clit makes you whimper.

“You– you wanna fuck me?” You ask hesitantly.

“Ha. Of course I wanna fuck you. Look at you.” He says as he lifts you off of him to stand up. Standing tall, he towers over you and brings his non-gloved hand to your chin, pulling it up gently to meet his gaze.

The unexpected and prompt shift in the power dynamic has you all turned around. Just moments ago, your confidence was through the roof. You were giddy claiming your victory against him, making fun of him for getting a boner during a duel. But the tone between the two of you has completely changed. He has you weak and timid, he’s looking down at your wide doe eyes as if you’re his prey.

“Come on, little Padawan. Practicing self-control is great, but let me show you what it’s like to lose all control over yourself.” Mando says as he wraps his arm around your waist and pulls you closer to him. “Cuz I would just love to tie you up and have my way with you.” He mutters. Dins hands slide down to your butt as he gropes your flesh, pulling you flat against him. “Let down your guard for just a moment and let me show you how rewarding it can be.” Din slips his bare hand back under your skirt to find your cunt even wetter than before. You let out a whimper and bat your eyes at him.

He starts slowly circling your clit, and moves his other hand up to caress your cheek softly. “Come on.” He whispers in your ear. “I promise you’ll enjoy it.”

High-pitched breaths are escaping your lips as he gently runs his thumb up and down your cheek bone.

“Can– can you not–” you breathe, sliding your hands up his chest.

“What. What is it?”

You pause for a moment. “Can you not be so gentle with me?” You say with slight embarrassment.

Din scoffs, “Oh baby girl, you’re gonna regret saying that.” He says as he grabs a fist full of your hair and roughly pulls your head back, exposing your delicate neck to him.

This harsh action sends shocks to your pussy. “Didn’t you say something about tying me up?” You purr with a slight smile, looking up into his visor.

“So I was right about you being a filthy fuckin whore.” Din spits as he shoves a finger inside of you, his thumb rubbing against your clit.

“Y-yeah, but only for you.” You whine as your eyes fall closed and high-pitched moans begin escaping your lips.

“Ohh that’s right baby.” Din praises. He’s so turned on by the way you’re speaking and responding to his touch, and he loves the impact he has on you. How you so quickly went from a confident fighter when he lost to you, to a shy little girl when he started teasing you, to a dirty slut once he got his hands in your panties.

He starts pumping his finger faster and you can hear the lewd noises your obscenely wet pussy is making. Your mouth opens even more with your moans becoming more pronounced and your back arches. You’re standing pressed flat up against him, he’s basically holding you up on your toes with one arm as his other hand drives into your cunt.

You can feel your orgasm just beginning to climb when you suddenly hear a beep on your watch’s intercom. It jolts you back to reality.

“Y/n, are you at the lounge? I’m heading back there now.” Your Master says through the intercom.

“Shit.” You say as you push Din’s chest, pulling yourself off of him. “I should have shown you to your accommodation by now.” You say as you frantically start looking around your feet for your saber. By the time you grab it and look up for Din, he has already made his way out the back exit.

You attach your saber to your hip as you try to steady your breathing, disoriented from the abrupt conclusion of whatever it was you were doing with Din. You hear Luke’s footsteps approaching as you quickly try to put your panties back in place, growling at how soaked they are. You’re praying that your Master doesn’t notice the wetness that has been smudged on your inner thighs.

*************************************

You cannot believe what you did with Din. No one has ever done anything like that to you before. You get hit on all the time— you’re gorgeous— but you are almost never interested enough to give them the time of day. But Din? He had his fingers in your pussy after knowing you for ten minutes. How did he do that!?

It’s the early evening. You lie in your bed visualizing the events over and over again, heat pooling in your core as you replay the dirty things he said to you.

While it fuels your arousal, you also feel uneasy about the interaction. He left so quickly, and he left without saying a word to you, almost like nothing had happened. You hope that Din doesn’t think less of you, that he doesn’t think you’re some hussy who is easily persuaded into letting guys she just met finger fuck her.

You are pulled away from your anxious thoughts when you hear your intercom going off. It’s your friends talking about what they’re doing tonight. You don’t really care to pay attention, but you sit straight up in your bed when you hear something about that “Mandalorian who’s visiting the Academy,” and how he’s “at the cantina in town.”

You jump out of bed and without even thinking, you grab a sweater and head toward the parlor.

Your heart is beating on the chilly walk there. You hope he’s surprised to see you, you hope he’s excited to see you. You’re gonna act casual, yeah, like you didn’t even know he was there. No big deal! You’re just going to the cantina to hang with your friends. And then you see eachother, and bing bang boom, you guys are back in your room fucking while he calls you his little slut. Yes. This is gonna go great.

It’s a Friday night and the cantina is bustling. People are dancing, drinking, and gambling. It’s so loud that you can barely hear yourself think. As you make your way through the rowdy crowd, you spot Din’s helmet over the hordes of people. He is sitting in a somewhat secluded booth in the corner of the restaurant.

You proceed a few steps forward, lightly pushing people to get through the crowd, and then, your heart drops. He’s not sitting alone. There’s a girl, a woman, a sex worker, wrapped in his arm.

You stand there for a moment as everything goes quiet, you stare at Din and the beautiful woman in a tight short dress sitting beside him. She’s talking to him, saying things into the side of his helmet as he sits there looking forward with his arm casually draped around her, man spreading and all.

Din’s head turns and that’s when he notices you, standing there among the crowd of people in that same short high waisted skirt and a cropped sweater of the same color.

You feel something fall deep in your chest as you realize that he sees you. You blink a few times as the rest of your senses come back, humiliation and embarrassment overcoming you as you quickly turn around and stumble out of the bar.

You make your way into the dark street and take a few deep breaths before running back to the Academy. You're fighting off tears as you feel the cold air pinching every bit of your exposed skin.

You can’t believe that you let yourself become smitten by someone who was such an asshole. He mistook you for a whore, he insulted your combat skills, he pressed you to let him fuck you! You should have expected this.

A tear rolls down your cheek. Why did you think he liked you? He didn’t. He didn’t like you. And he didn’t want to fuck you, he just wanted to fuck someone, and you were the closest one to him. You let him use you. He must do this kind of shit all the time with women, you were nothing special.

You get back to your room and bury yourself under your covers, wanting to escape so badly from this reality.

TO BE CONTINUED

The Visit Part Two

The Visit Part Three

*************************************

Masterlist

*************************************

Taglist:

@pinkninja200 @raspberrymama @stevie75 @tacticalsparkles @kenoobiwan @shark-s @theamuz @blackrose8425 @beskarboobs @beskarboobs @smutslutz @princess-djarinn @spideysimpossiblegirl @riot-rotten

[rqnvindr]

delicacies

pairing: baker!childe x gn!reader

genre: fluff, modern bakery!au, suggestive 

w.c: 1.5k

warnings: making out lol

synopsis: moving to a new country was quite the adventure. and you found new areas to travel further within the cute boy right down the road’s ocean eyes.

--

it had been a total of two weeks since you arrived in italy. getting settled was your top priority, but now that you’ve got your place set up and are getting used to college life in a new country, it was about time you started checking off some of the more leisurely activities on your checklist.

the streets were clearer, less busy than usual, on the weekend you enter the bakery. it seemed like an unpretentious, small business, with the simple, yet homely, beige walls and the old vinyl in the corner playing soft tunes. the bell rings when you enter, but no one seems to be behind the counter when you examine the array of cakes in the front display.

“welcome! i can help you when you’re ready to order!” a perky male voice interrupts you in the middle of eyeing a slice of strawberry cake. you look up to see a ginger with a warm smile, the crinkles around his blue eyes genuine. 

“hello! i was hoping to get this slice of cake right here.” you point to said strawberry treat.

“ah yes. my older brother has been WAITING for someone to try his new signature strawberry cake. but there honestly can’t be anything special about something that tastes the same no matter what.” you can practically hear the way he rolls his eyes as he takes the cake out to put it in a box. 

you raise an eyebrow. “complaining about your own products? that doesn’t seem like a very good marketing strategy, but i suppose reverse psychology will do its job.” 

“you sound like you know about sales quite a bit.” he smiles wryly. “are you a business major?”

“yup! i actually just moved here to study at the local university for an overseas program.” you only knew this guy for a maximum of 30 seconds, and he had already seemed so open and was able to read you like a book. it made you want to know more about him in exchange. 

“so your family bakes everything here?” you ask. 

“yes we do! my parents usually do the baking while my siblings and i work varying shifts here up front or stocking up the inventory. but we too, also experiment with different recipes to sell new things.” 

you hum in response. “you must have a lot of siblings then.”

the boy chuckles in response. “i do. i don’t know what i’d do without them.” he sounded so happy while talking about his family and it made you feel warm just hearing about how they worked together. 

“is this a competition for how much we can learn about each other within a span of a few minutes.” he smirks. “when we haven’t even learnt each others names yet?”

you inspect his attire, pausing at a name tag pinned to his shirt pocket. “ajax? nice to meet you, i’m (y/n).”

“well, (y/n), hope to see you again after trying my brother’s cake. hope it makes you realize that you gotta go for the chocolate or vanilla, not something that wasn’t meant to be a dessert in the first place.”

--

“i mean it was good so i came back for another one?” you can’t help but laugh when the same boy you met at the counter last week shakes his head.

“and you came to order right around closing time too, huh? guess this makes you a new challenge for me.” you avert your gaze to the ground, suddenly feeling nervous from his chastising. 

“fine, you can lose the pouty face. i’ll accept your questionable taste just this one last time.” he pushes his hair back with a sigh after packing up your order and you catch yourself staring. 

and of course, just when you allow yourself to indulge in the sight of a mysterious sea of unanswered questions in his blue eyes, he locks eyes with you. he knows you’re checking him out, causing him to smirk coyly. 

“ajax,” you begin, preventing the atmosphere from heading somewhere more tense. “have you lived here all of your life?” 

“as a matter of fact, no i haven’t. my family has been around, but i think we’ve finally found where we’re supposed to belong here. i’ve been living here long enough for people to start calling me by two different names too. ‘tartaglia’ and also ‘childe’.”

hm. so he was attractive and went by multiple names....

“‘tartaglia’? interesting, sounds like you’ve even earned yourself a name amongst the locals here.”

“i don’t know why they named me after the guy from that one play, though. maybe it’s because i leave a little bit of a stutter in people’s lives.” childe winks.

--

stutter, huh.

you thought he was just being a boastful young man. until you found yourself just happening to visit the bakery during times you predicted he’d be there. 

childe was like a peacock strutting his stuff out in the open, captivating, and divine. you had never met someone so adventurous yet down to earth at the same time. one moment he’d be bragging about his ventures with his friends, and then next thing you knew he’d do a 180 if his little brother called in the middle of your conversation. 

it wasn’t just his actions. he grew more bold with his words too. eyes shooting stars as he looked you up and down, noticing the new outfit you wore just for him when he purred about how good you looked and how it was always a treat to have someone as sweet as you visit after a long day at work. 

he was always full of surprises. you’re reminded of that when you find him standing behind the counter in a hoodie and jeans instead of his usual work attire.

“what’s up? disappointed that i’m not wearing the apron?” childe exits the space separating you two, and stands dangerously close to you. “don’t worry, i can put it back on when i show you the new frosting i’m working on.” he chuckles and rubs your shoulder, the small exchange of body heat making you feel warm all over.

“a new product, huh? is this to help your family business or to compete with your siblings?” you watch him count the cash at the register with your hands tucked underneath your chin. 

“sweetheart, even a guy like me can take on baking as a hobby rather than just a way to make ends meet or pick fights.” with that, he slides the cash register drawer closed. “come on, it should be processed by now.”

you slowly follow childe into the back. as promised, he puts the apron over his casual clothes, the sight rather domestic. 

he dips his finger into the light pink frosting after giving it one last stir and licks it off. the sight makes you shiver and lick your own lips.

“mmm. so i guess strawberry does taste pretty good. if done right of course.”

“what made you change your mind, mr.strawberry-anti?” you smirk.

“baking is a delicacy. i was never a ‘strawberry-anti’, just wary of how it’s supposed to mesh with desserts for the sake of compliancy. i made this frosting to test it out some more, and as a special treat. for you.”

before you can receive his gesture to claim your treat, childe gives you the same glimmering look that he always uses before pulling at your heartstrings even further. 

and it becomes way too much for you to handle when he leans his face closer to yours.

“here, have a taste.” childe teasingly presses a kiss to the corner of your mouth. he continues to leave gentle pecks on your lips, and you let out shaky breaths every time he pulls away.

“why did you stop?” you whine and he hovers over your entire body this time, pushing your hips onto the counter.

“hm, not enough? come closer then.” you wrap your arms around his neck, this time, getting a real taste of his creation when he claims your mouth whole. 

you grip onto his hair when he adds more pressure into the kiss, pulling especially harder when he nibbles on your bottom lip. as if having unlocked the key to your greatest depths, he effortlessly slides his tongue into your mouth, and you moan upon tasting the lingering strawberry flavor mixed with the feeling of your tongues connecting.

much to your dismay, you both pull away for air. your breaths mingle hotly before he coaxes you into taking a bit more for yourself. not long after you savor the sweetness, childe’s lips are back on yours. the way he sucks the cream off your lips makes your head spin, making you forget about everything else but this one boy in front of you, the mystery boy in a foreign country who sent you through a rollercoaster during only your first month of living here. 

“ajax...” you breathe out his name when he lets go of your now swollen and red lips. the boy proceeds to kiss your cheek and jawline gently, laughing softly against your skin.

“i can’t help it, baby. it tastes even better on you.”

[olivia-anderson-fanfic]

Stalker X Stalker, Part 7

First

Previous

Next

Perma tag: @nathleigh @peachmuses

Stalker x Stalker taglist: @aespades @jayjayspixiepop @blueslushgueen @fan-written @seraphichana @nerd-nowandforever

No I didn't get carried away with writing domestic fluff and forget to do the one thing I was supposed to with this chapter I'm a professional and would never do that

It took a long time for Tim and Cass to convince Marinette that, no, it wasn’t a trap, it was just a normal Halloween Party. It took even longer to explain what a Halloween Party really was, because apparently it wasn’t a huge deal in France.

But, eventually, she got it:

“Okay, so every Rogue and vigilante has to go to his Halloween Party in stupid costumes… or else?”

Tim nodded. “Rogues have to go because he’ll be insufferable, we have to go because otherwise we’re leaving a bunch of Rogues alone together without supervision.”

“And it really is just a Halloween Party?”

Cass flashed two thumbs up.

Marinette still looked a little confused. “And we… we want to babysit the Rogues?”

“They mostly behave themselves. Again, Crane can be insufferable when he wants to be and they have to spend a lot of time with him in Arkham.”

“I guess that’s cool then…” Then, a thought seemed to occur to her because she brightened up. “Is Nightwing coming?”

Tim nodded, suddenly a lot more wary. “Yeah, both he and Flamebird drop by for most holidays, anyway, so they might as well… why?”

She blushed a little. “I kind of wanted to see if I could get him to train me. I think his fighting style is pretty cool.”

Tim was not jealous or annoyed that Marinette might like two of his brothers more than him. He was fine if she liked Cass more, because Cass was, well, Cass. But Dick? Damian? Come on!

At least he had a month before the party to prepare himself.

For now, he glared at Cass, because she was laughing at him behind her hand.

Then he remembered that Marinette was still there and was watching the two of them interact with a vaguely confused expression and he pulled himself together: “I don’t know if he can teach you much since he’s usually in Bludhaven, but I used to be obsessed with the guy and I know all his moves by heart.”

She tipped her head to the side, considering, then smiled at him. “Sure. Thanks, Red, I owe you one.”

He tried to hide his relief behind a smile. She smiled and blushed, so he was pretty sure it worked.

~

Marinette smiled as she scrolled through the Batinternet on her phone (they’d finally given her the password! She no longer had to waste data!). The batkids were all working on the computer, trying to hack into their father’s files to see their Christmas presents.

She didn’t get why they were doing it then, it wasn’t even Halloween yet. Still, they insisted that Batman was always prepared well before the holidays hit. She was curious about what they’d find, if anything, so she waited as Red Robin hacked their dad’s files.

Loud cheers erupted from the others, which meant they must have found something.

“... right, Ladybug, yours is easiest to get into… he probably didn’t expect you to try… he’s getting you an Xbox and a bunch of games to go with it.”

Her gaze shot up and she surged to the front of the group to see. “Really?”

Red Robin pointed at the screen and she blinked a few times. Yep, that was a customized Xbox. Wild.

Then her shoulders slumped. “Damn, I was only kidding. If I knew he was actually going to get it I would’ve asked for a Playstation.”

She continued looking at all the ‘random’ games Batman had bought her (he was suspiciously good at guessing what she liked), completely oblivious to the fact that she had accidentally started World War III right behind herself at the casual mention of a thing she wanted.

She glanced back at them once during their fight and they straightened instantly, innocent smiles in place. The hand Red Robin had in Robin’s hair turned into a hair ruffle. Black Bat had turned the way she gripped the collar of Spoiler’s shirt into pulling her down for a hug. Signal’s eyes stopped glowing under his domino. She smiled a little and turned back to the screen to look at the rest of the games. Fighting resumed.

Or, at least, it did until Marinette saw the file name.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

“I knew you fuckers took my blood,” she hissed irritably.

She wasn’t exactly scared, the bats seemed generally well-intentioned, just paranoid, but that didn’t mean she liked it. They stole her blood to figure out her identity without asking.

They all tensed up behind her and looked at each other awkwardly.

Robin was first to snap out of it. He swatted Red Robin over the back of the head. “Look what you’ve done, Drake.”

Marinette blinked and then pulled her gaze back to Red Robin. “Drake?”

The batkids looked at each other awkwardly. Except for Red Robin, who was glaring at his youngest brother.

Spoiler was the first one to come up with an excuse: “It’s an older codename. We told him to come up with something original since everything else he’s used has belonged to someone else first… and that’s what he came up with.”

She considered whether Drake really confirmed that Red Robin was Tim Drake-Wayne. On one hand, yeah… but, on the other hand, was he really that stupid? Would he really use his own last name for a codename?

She supposed that, in all her time knowing Tim and Red Robin, he had never shown himself to be original. Smart, sure, but a little unoriginal.

So, yeah, Tim was almost definitely Red Robin.

But she was prepared to ignore it for now. Every bat seemed tense at the idea of her learning their identities, so she played dumb:

“It’s not that bad of a codename. Dragons are pretty cool.”

She could feel Black Bat still staring at her, but everyone else relaxed almost imperceptibly.

“He didn’t base himself off of dragons, he chose male ducks,” Robin informed her.

She blinked. “Why the hell would he choose ducks?”

Signal snapped his fingers and started pulling out his phone. “Oh, Mari -- can I call you Mari? -- you should see his outfit.”

Red Robin realized he was about to get murdered for his younger self’s outfit choices and tried to snatch the phone away.

Unfortunately for him, while he was concentrating on Signal, Black Bat had sidled over to Marinette. She tugged her arm to pull her attention from the two fighting boys and then showed her the picture.

Marinette stared at the ugly cockroach outfit for a long time before taking a deep breath: “Alright, first of all...”

~

Tim… he was fine.

Okay, no, he wasn’t.

The tracker was better, he would admit. She had even started wearing more red and black so she could wear the necklace more (something that made him feel all fuzzy inside), but she wasn’t wearing it every day and he couldn’t exactly tell if the necklace was there because she was home or if it was there because she’d worn a different outfit.

So, he only had one solution: randomly dropping by to do chores with her.

It started off with the ‘might as well’ principle. They were already out for photography and getting ideas for outfits, why not pick up some groceries while they were on their way back? She could even carry more since there were two of them.

He quickly dropped pretenses, though. The one time every few days that they hung out wasn’t enough to keep her in the house, and even if it was she clearly wasn’t fond of staying inside for long periods of time. He started dropping by every day to just go out with her.

He could tell his family was getting a little suspicious about what he was doing, Steph and Cass both narrowed their eyes at him whenever they saw him leaving the office at a normal time and once he had caught Duke following him to see where he was going… but it was fine. They weren’t going to complain about him actually getting some sort of down time.

And, he had to admit, it was nice. Not only did resting his brain for an hour or two a day do wonders for his mental health, he just… enjoyed doing chores with her? He didn’t think he would. He’d expected to like it the first few times, the novelty of going on his first grocery shopping trip or figuring out how a laundromat was always going to make it interesting and new for a bit, but it didn’t seem to be wearing off.

He was pretty sure that was because of the person he was doing it with, though.

He smiled as he watched Marinette half-climb the supermarket shelves for a bag of Takis.

“Need help?” He called.

“Nope!”

He watched her jump a few times on the lowest shelf before, eventually, climbing up another shelf.

Tim winced and surged forward to support her weight a little.

She huffed and grabbed the Takis. He set her down.

She crossed her arms. “I said I could get it.”

“I trust you. The shelves? Not so much. Do you want to die crushed under a bunch of chips?”

Her halfhearted glare morphed into a grin. “If I die any other way you have to promise to resurrect me so I can do it again.”

He rolled his eyes. “How about I resurrect you and you try not to die again for a while?”

“Hm… I guess that’d be alright.”

Then, at the laundromat, Tim saw a bunch of Two Face’s henchmen. How did he know that they were henchmen? The black and white suits kind of gave them away.

He was just wondering whether it was worth it to try and call Duke over so they didn’t risk something happening when he realized that Marinette had slipped over to them.

But she wasn’t concerned as she offered some of her detergent. “Hey, if you need to wash lights and darks together like that… you’re going to need a different detergent. I know those are cheap but there’s a reason for that.”

“Isn’t that just an old detergent problem?”

“No, separating every single color into a different load is. But, if you want to do pure black and white like that… you don’t want to risk it.”

Then she turned and glared at another goon, who was pulling their luckily still okay clothes out of the washer.

“You’d better not be putting that in the dryer.”

The sheepish look on the henchman’s face was answer enough.

She huffed. “That is airdry only why would you do that --?!”

And that’s how they ended up friends with -- and possibly under the protection of? -- a bunch of henchmen. Tim had to admit, they were really nice when he and Marinette weren’t trying to get them thrown in jail. He almost found himself slipping and hoping that Frank managed to achieve his mob boss dreams. He actually did offer to babysit Sam’s kids while she had a shift because she seemed very stressed.

“Tim, darling, do you even know how to take care of kids?”

Tim didn’t know whether to blush because she had called him darling oh my god or due to embarrassment at that massive oversight.

“Uh… would you be willing to help?”

Marinette gave him an exhausted look. “I’ve only ever babysat one kid at a time without their older sibling being there to help.”

He quickly changed the offer to paying for a babysitter. Sam was thankful regardless.

When everyone had finished laundering their clothes to Marinette’s satisfaction, the two of them headed back towards her apartment.

Tim changed the position of the laundry basket on his hip so it didn’t dig into him as much. “You know, you didn’t have to help them.”

She snickered. “First of all, you’re absolutely wrong. I couldn’t just sit by and watch them ruin their clothes right in front of me!”

He rolled his eyes, trying to hide the fond smile on his face. “And second of all?”

“Secondly…” She let him into the house and closed the door behind him. A cheeky smile formed on her face. “Well, they’re henchmen. Don’t you think it would be a good idea to have them on our side in case things go wrong rather than indifferent to what happens to us?”

It was here, with her smiling in front of him, intelligence sparkling in her eyes and the necklace he gave her hanging from her neck, that he realized that he was going to fall in love. He might not be there yet but, if they continued doing things like this, he was sure he would.

He wouldn’t mind that, he thought, as she leaned forward to take the basket from him, pressing a kiss to his cheek on the way over. He watched her disappear to her room, no doubt to fix whatever damage he had done while carrying it that would be invisible to anyone but her. He shoved his hands in his pockets and went to start up the coffee machine.

~

There are no botanical gardens more beautiful than the ones in Gotham. Whether that was because Poison Ivy herself tended to them or because they were kept in tip-top shape to appease her, Marinette didn’t know. Whatever the reason, it was gorgeous and Marinette had gotten quite a few different ideas. She pretty much had an entire spring collection planned out…

It was unfortunate that she’d gotten ideas for a spring collection in the middle of autumn, but she was ignoring that.

Now, they were sitting on her couch. They needed to relax after all that walking around on top of a rather exhausting night the night before (Scarecrow had broken out of Arkham to start preparing for his Halloween Party). She was completely in his space in an attempt to mess with him. It, unfortunately, didn’t seem to annoy him as he lazily rested his head on top of hers.

She huffed a little but allowed it.

He fiddled with the settings on his camera, biting his lip.

She looked down at the camera and asked: “How’d you get into photography?”

“... it’s a kind of personal story,” he said carefully. “A little sad, too, I guess.”

She tried to pull back, an apology on her lips, but he just rested an arm around her shoulders and held her close.

“It’s fine.”

She nodded as much as she could with the head resting on top of hers.

They were silent for a long time. She tried to relax herself. There were no akumas in Gotham, it was okay to accidentally upset someone and it was okay to ask them if they wanted to elaborate. They were people, people are supposed to feel sad sometimes. It’s healthy.

She took a deep breath before curling more into his side. “Would you like to talk about it?”

The arm around her tightened almost imperceptibly. “I… I guess I can, sure.”

“You don’t have to,” she said quickly. In fact, she might be a little more comfortable with that. Emotional conversations weren’t a Parisian’s forte.

But he sighed and shook his head. “It’s fine. Our relationship can’t progress all that healthily if we never tell each other anything.”

Yikes. Way to accidentally call her out on the fact that she hadn’t formed a healthy relationship in years, Tim.

“Not that I’m all that great at healthy relationships,” he said after a minute.

At least she wasn’t alone, she supposed.

“No easy way to say this, I guess… my parents weren’t the best. They’d go on trips -- they were archaeologists -- and I’d be left home alone, usually for months at a time.”

She cringed internally and took his hand in hers, rubbing comforting circles into his palm.

He sighed lightly. “So… I was lonely, obviously. I started by taking pictures of my parents. Sometimes it was all I’d have of them for months. They could leave, but the pictures weren’t able to.”

She felt him bury his face in her hair.

“I started following the bats after a while. I don’t know if it was because I wasn’t sated by pictures of just the two of them and decided to expand, if it was because they had a happy family despite a distant father and I wanted that for myself, or if it was because I wanted my parents to find out and be worried about me, or a mix of all of that… but…”

She slowly moved the camera off of his lap and pulled him into a hug. “But?”

He was silent for a bit, thinking over his answer. He shrugged and wrapped his arms around her. “It was an old coping mechanism. A way of feeling connected to people when I couldn’t actually be.”

“‘Was?’ What changed?”

He laid back on the couch and she allowed him to pull her down beside him. “People around me… started ‘leaving permanently’.”

She winced. Oh.

“It hurt a lot more to look at the pictures after that. It just felt like a reminder that I was alone.”

She frowned. “But… you’re taking pictures of me, now.” Her eyes widened. “Shit, did I accidentally trigger --.”

He shook his head quickly. “No, no. Well, kind of, but it’s okay! Every time they’ve died, it was because of some sort of shortcoming on my part. I think I’ve learned from all my mistakes. You… I won’t let you get hurt, okay?”

Marinette didn’t know how to respond. On one hand, she was pretty sure that she should be assuring him that, even if she did end up dying, that he shouldn’t blame himself… on the other hand, she had no intentions of dying and she was pretty sure it was nearly impossible for her, so maybe it was a good thing that he had chosen to protect her of all people? Maybe the problem would solve itself?

She didn’t know.

She carefully took his face in her hands, pulling him to look her in the eyes. “I’m not going anywhere, okay, darling?”

He gave her a tentative smile. “I sure hope you’re right.”

~

He had been asked to stay the night. Her excuse was that she was almost done with an outfit for him and she wanted to give it to him the second it was done and, by the time it would be, it would be too dark to go out safely.

Tim kind of felt bad that he had worried her but he wasn’t going to turn down the offer of staying over and watching her finish the outfit.

But, first, food. They dropped a million takeout menus on the desk. A long silence stretched between them as they looked at all the options.

“... what do you want?” Asked Marinette.

“I’m not in the mood for anything in particular, you?”

She sighed. “I don’t know, do you want anything?”

“I don’t want anything, what about you --?”

This continued on for about three minutes before Tim got a brilliant idea. He dialled Damian’s number and put it on speaker.

“Drake. Why are you calling? Have you been hurt?”

“No, Dami, I’m getting takeout and I was just wondering if you had any ideas.”

Marinette gave him an affronted look, but he clapped his hand over her mouth before she could warn Damian that, no, he wasn’t buying food for him he was just going to be an asshole.

“... I suppose I wouldn’t be averse to Chinese.”

“Thanks, Dami! Hope you can get Alfie to make that for you.”

“What do -- ?”

Tim hung up on his very confused younger brother.

Marinette frowned as he removed his hand from her mouth. “That wasn’t nice of you, that’s a kid.”

Tim was not about to get beaten by his brother in both identities, thank you very much.

“Alfred can cook better than anyone in the world, he’s not going to suffer.”

She snorted. “I doubt he can make food better than…” She picked through the takeout papers for a few moments before holding up a menu. “... this place!”

He squinted at the menu. “... I really hope you can speak Mandarin.”

“You’d be hard pressed to find a language I can’t speak, Timmy,” she said, absently dialling the number.

Well, he supposed that explained how a person from France knew ASL and could speak English like a native. Damn. Now he kinda wanted magical god-earrings so he could speak every language in existence.

She spoke cheerfully to the person on the other side of the line for a moment before turning to Tim. “What do you want?”

“Uh… shrimp fried rice?”

She rolled her eyes and flicked his nose. “Alright, fine, white boy.”

“It’s a safe option okay --!”

She wasn’t listening to him explain why fried rice was the best choice for him because she was relaying the order to the person on the other side of the line. She hung up with a smile.

“Food will be here in about three minutes. Do you rich people have small bills or do you just use them for tissues or something?”

He raised his eyebrows. “They go down to a hundred, right?”

She pressed her lips together thinly, clearly unsure whether or not he was joking.

He snickered and shook his head. “Nah, I think I have twenties and fifties…”

“Yeah, that won’t do. We’re going to get robbed,” she said, reaching into her purse.

“We? Didn’t know I lived here, too,” he joked.

She barely even glanced up from where she was counting money. “Honestly, with how often you’re here, you might as well move in.”

He choked. He wanted to say something smart or funny or smooth, instead all that came out was: “You --? I --? Uh --!”

She snickered behind her hand. “Love, relax, I’m just kidding. You don’t have to leave your fancy mansion with all your siblings --.”

“Wait, don’t make living here sound even better. I will do it purely to get away from them, don’t test me.”

She rolled her eyes with a grin. “Maybe that's the plan, you’ll never know.”

Tim had exactly zero idea whether they were joking or not anymore. The tone and reactions made him pretty sure they were kidding, but… what if they weren’t?

He was just gathering the courage to ask when the doorbell rang, pulling their attention to the food. She continued counting for a second before running to the door and swinging it open.

He walked up beside her awkwardly as she chatted politely to the guy to take the food inside. He knew, logically, that Marinette was actually way stronger than he was… but his stupid brain saw a thin, short woman in need of someone to help her carry things. So, he took it from the guy with a smile.

The delivery guy glanced Tim up and down before asking Marinette something. She laughed and gave a shrug. Tim did not know what was going on but he felt vaguely insulted.

He was definitely learning Mandarin after this.

The moment the door closed he whined about being insulted. She looked amused.

“You know what he said?”

“... no,” he admitted.

Her lips twitched.

“... you’re not going to tell me, are you?”

She snickered and leaned over the two bags of food in his hands. “So, you got the fried rice, right?”

“Mariiiiiiii.”

“Your food is going to get cold.”

“Beeeaaaan,” he complained.

She raised an eyebrow at him, a blush spreading across her face. “Bean?”

He grinned, feeling heat creep to his own cheeks. “I don’t know, I couldn’t think of anything for a nickname. First thing I thought of was coffee beans, so: Bean.”

“Wow, you’re such an addict,” she teased.

He continued pouting at her until she gave in.

She leaned forward to press a kiss to his nose. “He asked if you could use chopsticks or not so he could get you a fork if you couldn’t.”

He felt the blush on his face deepen. “Oh… I can’t.”

“That’s fine.” She grabbed a tote bag from the floor of her pantry and pulled out a set of plasticware.

He blinked. “... you keep plastic forks?”

She shrugged and tossed the bag back in her pantry. “Plastic forks, grocery bags, napkins, a few sets of chopsticks…”

“... why?”

“Some of us are minorities, darling.”

“What --?”

~

She hummed tunelessly as she worked.

Tim had fallen asleep on her shoulder. Had most of this been an elaborate plot to make him finally get some sleep? Possibly.

She didn’t feel all that bad, though. With how much he overworked himself both as Red Robin and as Tim Drake-Wayne… honestly, she was beginning to doubt that he slept at all. And, really, if a vigilante coffee addict with a magically enhanced physique is worried about your sleep schedule, you’ve got problems. Intervention was needed.

Don’t get her wrong, though, she was going to make up for lying to him. She’d move him to her bed and leave a cup of coffee for him on the bedside table. Maybe she’d even make him breakfast, it depended on how tired she was in the morning.

But that was for when she was done. For now, she was working on the last part of the outfit: she needed to lace up the corset. His posture needed a little work and she didn’t have the heart to tell him that to his face.

… besides, corset vests are cute. She wished more guys would wear them.

She smiled to herself as she pulled the last bit of lace through and tied a loose knot. Done.

She looked down at Tim. Loose strands fell in his face as he slept. The tiny wrinkles in his forehead disappeared, making him look much younger. His lips curled into a slight smile at whatever he was dreaming about.

He looked so genuinely at peace. She hated that that was abnormal for him.

She couldn’t help but worry a little about what he’d said earlier. He’d claimed that the reason he had gone up to the top of that building the day they’d met (as Tim and Marinette) was to scout out a location for photography, but now that was seeming like a lie because he apparently preferred taking pictures of people over locations… so, why was he up so high? He’d known it was illegal to be there, so she doubted he thought anyone else would be…

She swallowed thickly.

She didn’t think his mental state was that bad… but, just in case it was, she waved Tikki over for a bug and sewed it into one of his sleeves.

Tikki was looking at her disapprovingly. Marinette ignored her.

It was Ladybug’s job to make sure everyone was doing okay mentally, and she wasn’t going to fail a person she cared about of all people.

His head slipped from her shoulder onto her stomach and she sighed, trying to lightly push him off without disturbing his sleep. It didn’t work. He made a quiet sound in the back of his throat and buried his face in her stomach, his arms wrapping around her tightly.

Well, this is her life now.

… she supposed it wasn’t so bad, though.

[son-fuori-di-me]

"I had no idea I could change someone's life."

One Shot. Word Count | Around 3300. Description | <French female pov> you're visiting Rome for the first time, and you casually meet Damiano David the day before the Circo Massimo concert. The conversation takes a unexpected path.

Content | Real talk. No romantic development. * Expect French idioms and italian approximations from automatic translators

---

"Bordel, c'est immense !" ("Holy cow, that's big !") I said, looking at the Circo Massimo.

It was my first time in Rome. Knowing Italy a bit, I expected a hell lot of sun, a delicious bunch of ice cream for each meal, and tons of pretty things to snap with my phone. Well, that was the plan for my first two days there. Cause Saturday would be a very different day. Saturday would be Måneskin day.

I've been waiting for so long to do this trip. And what a blast it has been for now. Took only a bag, my external battery, some makeup and my favourite clothes to finally discover this astonishing city. This was my first solo trip. I've always travelled with my family or my ex, but never on my own. For once, I could decide what I wanted to see, what I wanted to eat, when to take a break. And as there are plenty of things to see in Rome, i wanted to enjoy every second of my trip. I could focus my last day there solely to the Måneskin concert happening that Saturday night. But as I didn't want to leave anything to chance, I decided to precisely organize my last day, so I could visit a bit more - a get a last fantastic meal before the concert.

I got myself a gold pit ticket. I guessed that would mean I had a special queue. So on Friday night, as I was back from a late tour in town, I decided to watch more closely the Circo, to check for the entrances, and see how I could sharpen my organization and schedule for the next day.

"J'espère que je vais pas avoir à poireauter toute la journée, avec la chaleur qu'il va faire." ("I hope won't have to hang around here all day tomorrow, the weather's gonna be hot as hell")

It was almost 10 pm. I was getting closer to the Circo, trying to read the boards, but all was written in italian and didn't seem to concern the concert. And a year fangirling over Måneskin clearly wasn't enough to become fluent. I saw no sign mentioning "gold pit". So I decided I would ask around, with Google translate ready in my phone in case I couldn't find anyone speaking English.

I saw a guy sit on a bench, smoking. He was dressed in an ugly dark sweater, with the hood over a cap. He was either a drug dealer or a hobbo. My instinct as a girl living in Paris got the uphand and I decided to ignore the guy and try to find a woman instead, or maybe a group of locals, to get me the information I wanted. Unfortunately, after a good 20 minutes walking around and asking people, no one could tell me how to make sure I find the right queue for the concert. I was about to give up and head back to my airbnb and I saw a silhouette still sitting on a bench, near the Circo. It was the same guy from earlier. "Bon, je tente, s'il est trop chelou, je me barre." ("Well, might as well take the risk, if he's too much a weirdo, I clear off quickly.")

"Scusi, do you speak English ?" i said, getting closer to the guy, but still from a good distance in case it turned wrong.

"Pretty good. You need something ?" He was searching something in his pockets and reached his pack of cigarettes. His voice was deep, but gentle. He did look funny but didn't sound dangerous - i still didn't get too close as I hate the smell of smoke.

"Do you know well il Circo Massimo ? I'm going to a concert here tomorrow and I want to make sure I find the right queue, but they haven't installed any sign yet". I asked, showing the structure of the stage behind me.

"Cute accent, where are you from ?" he answered, completely ignoring my question.

"Well, I'm French. So, do you know il Circo ?" I preferred to quickly repeat my question to let him know I wasn't interested in whatever he was trying to.

"Ah, Bonjour ! I speak a little French !" He said, now reaching for his lighter.

"Yeeaaaah cool, but how about the Circo ? I'd like to be here early enough, but I don't know wh-" I froze as he lighted up his cigarette. It was brief, but with the spark, I saw his face for a second.

"Hm ? You don't know what ?" He asked, with a smirky voice.

"Mais naaaan ?" ("Dont tell me -") I let out that typical French astonished sound without thinking. "You gotta be kidding me !"

He laughed as I was getting a little closer, staring at him. With one hand, he was putting his lighter back in his pocket, with the other, he lifted a bit his cap. It was him. It was Damiano.

I felt my spine shiver with that uncomfortable sensation of being around someone famous. As a journalist, I had my lot of interviews, so I knew there's no point in changing behavior around such people. But I still was flabbergasted to see him.

"Sorry, I didn't recognize you. Well, gotta say you're not dressed in your best outfit !" I chose the strategy of sass, to hide how impressed I actually was.

"That's my favourite sweater you're seeing me in, and I'm smoking hot in it" He said with a smirk, getting into the sassy game.

"Time off before the big day ?" I asked, completely forgotting about my initial request and switching to my interview mindset when I'm super focused about the conversation. "Shouldn't you be having a great night of sleep, to recharge your batteries ?"

"I don't feel like going to bed" He said, having no idea how the conversation would soon turn. Fortunately for him, I wasn't working in the music media industry. "That's quite a stage we're gonna play on."

I didn't know why he was talking to me about all of this. I didn't dare to ask him either. I just enjoyed the moment.

"Well, the Eurovision song contest was bigger, wasn't it ?"

"Hm, don't tell me about it, I still don't know how I managed that."

He suddenly had a strange tone in his voice. It didn't sound like the radiant and confident Damiano you see on Instagram stories or on TV interviews. I remembered where I heard him like that. In the 2019 documentary "This is Måneskin", the making of Il Ballo Della Vita album, in the sequence he's arguing with Vic on a train, as he tells her how anxious he can be get sometimes.

"Well, you did, didn't you ?" I put on a more serious voice. "And you had a ton more of pressure, representing your whole country ? So how a concert here in your home town could be worst than performing in front of all of Europe - not to say the whole world ?"

He was still smoking, listening in silence.

"Or maybe it isn't about how big the performance is but about performing in itself ? Why are you performing ? Why are you putting on a show ? All those fancy clothes and that makeup, who is it for ? For people to love you ? Or for you to love yourself ?"

Mais qu'est-ce que je branle ? Il va se barrer dans deux secondes, là c'est sûr (What the fuck am I doing ? He's leaving any second now.) I got a bit too excited about being able to share a few words with him. What's gotten onto me ? Well, let's go then.

"What is it you're running after ? Or running from maybe ? Some complex to compensate ? With all that smudge and confidence, that wouldn't surprise me."

He sat back on the bench. As he inhaled a deep breath of smoke, I saw a smile on his face. But I also saw his hand holding the cigarette shaking.

"Are you a psychiatrist or something ?" He simply said, as if he was trying to keep his voice as steady as possible.

I hesitated to tell him the truth. I was sure he would walk away the second he would know my actual job. Et puis merde, autant tout dire. (Well, fuck, might as well be honest.)

"Nope, I'm a journalist." I admited, as he looked right back at me with a surprised look. "Pretty much the same. We get appoitments with random people, listen to their life, observe their body language, and tell them our whole opinion about all of it, which might very well shape how they perceive themselves from now on."

"Only difference is that you don't have to keep anything secret. Right the contrary."

There. This was it. He was gonna leave now, for sure.

"Before you go, did I hit any truth ? Don't worry, I'm not in the music media industry, I won't write anything from our conversation." I hoped this information would save me a few more seconds with him.

He didn't answer right away. He didn't leave either. He kept looking at me, still smoking his second cigarette in a row now.

"Whatever it is you write about, I guess you must be good at it" he finally replied. "Cause you did score a few points."

Another short silence broke. As a fan, I was obsessed with his music, lyrics, and attitude. But catching a glimpse of what lied behind the glamour definitly caught my interest. I wanted to know more.

"Why are you here ?" I slightly deepened my voice, getting back to my interview tone, and kept on going with this as if that was usual business for me. "It's half past 10. You play on Rome's largest stage tomorrow. You surely better should be in bed, or be about to, before the big day."

In that moment, I had the upper-hand in the conversation. He was sat on the bench, I was on my feet in front of him, and therefore above him. Not the best approach to get someone's trust for an interview, but with a personnality like Damiano's, you gotta put your own show.

"I actually don't sleep much before big events like these" He finally answered, accepting his condition as an interviewee. "I don't sleep much at all."

"You're tend to insomnia ?"

"Not really, I just got used to 4-5 hours of sleep, that's it."

"Even during tours ? Cause this all sold-out European tour for Teatro d'Ira must have been exhausting".

"You have no idea, bellezza."

"So tell me." From there, I decided to change my strategy and sat on the ground, still in front of him, but giving him the upper-hand, to put on a more trustful atmosphere. "How are you doing ? And I don't mean, like casual 'yay, fine', I mean : how are you doing ?"

I still have no idea of my tactical move of giving him more space to express himself worked, or if he understood right away where I was leading him, but in the end, he still didn't seem bothered by this conversation we were having. In fact, it looked like he was enjoying it.

"I'm... content, I'd say." He paused, and I didn't interrupt him with another question this time. "I know I'm going through the life I wanted. The music, the tours, the praise. It's all I could have ever asked for."

D'accord, très bien, mais ? (Okey, very good, but ?) I stayed silent, but I couldn't help anticipating what he was saying.

"But surprisingly, sometimes it's still... unfulfilling. Like I can never be satisfied".

Repressing some Hamilton's lyrics from my mind, I innocently pretend I didn't fully understand what he meant - another journalistic technique, to get someone to repeat themselves with other words in order to get them deeper into their reflexion.

"What do you mean, "never be satisfied" ? You're on top of Spotify chart list, your albums are now platinum successes, you're winning awards. How is this not satisfying ?"

"It's just... What are all those things for ? Money ? Fame ? Yeah, I like those but..."

"Typical Capricorn" I muttered, to slide in the conversation that I actually knew pretty well my subject - my subject being him. He chuckled.

"Damn really ? Let me guess ? Aries ?"

"Pisces+Taurus, actually. So what, you don't like being famous ?" Getting back quickly into more questions - another technique to keep control over the rhythm of an interview.

"It's not that I dislike it. It's just... not always as fun as I thought it would be."

"What part of the job ? The writing and composing ?"

"No, that's the best part." He reached for a third cigarette. It was almost 11 pm now. "Vic, Thomas and Ethan. Måneskin. They're the best thing that ever happened to me".

"Then what, you feel like a fraud ?"

"Hell, no ! I'm exactly where I should be." He claimed, with a light pride tone.

"So, if you're proud of what you create, and if you love the people you create that with, then what is the matter ? If life is about getting the Bare Necessities, it seems like you got it all." Hitting with a universal - and musical - reference. Shoud do the trick.

"Hahaha ! Lo stretto indispensabile, si ! But life isn't that easy." He said laughing, as I felt he started to let go of the tension. "In real life, you get judged all the time, and people try to dismantle you, and spread rumors."

"I didn't think you'd be one to listen to people's comments about you".

"I'm not. I stopped giving credits to those. But it's still here, you know ?"

"From what I see, you're keeping it real, with lots of wisdom. I can't quite grasp what seem to bother you."

He paused, looking at his feet for a few seconds.

"I'm afraid it won't last." He finally confessed. "I'm afraid it all ends as quickly as it all started. I'm afraid people get bored. I'm afraid I become a caricature of myself. I'm afraid I can't write new songs. I'm afraid to be a shooting star, you see ? Very bright, but gone in a flash."

"Like, to be an Icare ? Or may I say "Ykaaar" like on your Instagram ?"

He chuckled again.

"Huh, I'm that obvious ?"

"Yeah, even a bit over-the-top, if I may dare say so."

"Well, I've always related so much with this mythological figure. I mean what's wrong with aiming for the Sun ?" He said, pointing a hand to the dark sky above us. From his attitude, I could tell he was way more relaxed than in the beginning. He even took his cap and hood off, so I could now see his face more clearly. His eyes were glittering. "Burning your wings... What's that morale supposed to teach us ? Be modest ? Be moderate ? Che noia !" (How boring !)

"Well don't be !" I felt almost like scolding him. "There's nothing wrong with seeking big dreams. As there's nothing wrong with this feeling of being outrun by your life. Savour the moment. Every second of it. It's because you can't know how long it may last that it tastes so good, so thrilling ! And you actually already are ten steps ahead ! Writing songs like ´Torna a casa' or ´Coraline' at, what, 19-20 years old ? You're the real deal, dude. And even if later on, you get blank page anxiety or write just good-enough songs, it's okey. You got plenty of time to make mistakes. Take the leap of faith. Failing and being a failure aren't the same. You learn, you grow from it. It's okey to doubt yourself, but please, don't ever doubt all the love and support you get."

I paused, hoping I didn't do too far and missed my point. But in a way, I could also feel I got it right. He was looking at the Circo, his eyes even more sparkling than before.

"I..." He got up, standing on the bench, looking as tall as a statue from my perspective. He came down and took a few steps. I got on my feet, starting to feel concerned about what I just said.

"I didn't know I needed to hear that." He finally confided. "I always wanna reach perfection. I'm aware I can be authoritative, sometimes even harsh, on the band. I can't accept to be a failure. But love and support, that, I can't get enough of."

I didn't respond. There was nothing to add. This instant felt like an hour. The wind was slightly blowing through the length of the Circo in front of us. His hair reflected the gentle light of the moon, only showing her first quarter. He broke the tranquility of the moment, turning and taking a few steps in my direction.

"Grazie mille" he said, his arms opened, calling for a hug.

"But, you're very welcome" I said approaching him, softly putting my arms on his back as he put his over my shoulders. The second before his face disappeared from my vision, i noticed a tear on his cheek.

"You've completed reset my mind. I feel like I can start all over again. I was anguished, trapped by my anxiety. But it's all gone now. You've changed me. Thank you, thank you so much" He affirmed full of hope, his voice shivering.

"Wow, well. I had no idea I could change someone's life." I answered, trying to hide how moved I myself was from the conversation.

------

It was almost midnight now. We kept talking for a while, comparing life in Rome and Paris, exchanging what was our best concert experiences. But he still needed to get back home to rest before the concert, and I didn't want to arrive too late at my airbnb - even if I could have spent the whole night talking with him. Yet, to enjoy our last few minutes together, he offered to walk me back to where I was staying. It was just a 15 minutes walk, along the Tevere river bank.

"So tell me." he asked with a smirk. "How does the Bare Necessities go in French ?" He started to muffle the melody.

"Oh no, you don't expect me to actually sing it ?"

"Hehe, you got me into a therapy session, so I can get a little song from you, no ?"

"Damn, you. This is blackmail !" But drunk on the moment, I took a deep breath.

"Il en faut peeeeeeu pour être heureux, ("Look for the baaaaare necessities,") vraiment très peu pour être heureux, ("the simple bare necessities") il faut se satisfaire du nécessaire !" ("Forget about your worries and your strife")"

I started dancing along, if I had to be ridiculous, might as well utterly be. But he actually followed my lead, clicking his fingers.

"In fondo, baaaasta il minimo, ("I mean the baaaaare necessities") sapessi quanto è facile ("Old Mother Nature's recipes") Trovar quel po' che occorre per campar ! ("That brings the bare necessities of life !")

We kept on singing Disney songs for a few minutes as we walked at a slow pace - I was shocked he never saw Tarzan and immediately made him promise to watch it as i told him Phil Collins recorded all the songs in five languages, including Italian. When we finally reached my destination, we exchanged a last timid hug as farewell.

"Well, I'll see you on stage tomorrow." I told him as I crossed the street.

"And I'll look for you in the crowd !" He shouted with the brightest smile on his perfect face.

** the end **

[ephemerlskies]

constant craving 03 | jjk

⇢ pairing: jungkook x reader

[other members - seokjin]

⇢ genre: drabble series, ANGST, bestfriend!au, unrequited love, the same idiocy just in a different font 

⇢ word count: 4k

⇢ warnings: explicit language, alcohol consumption (drunk jungkook makes his first and final appearance enjoy it while you can), vehicular misdemeanor (drive the speed limit kids), an all out emotional and verbal brawling, a lack of communication on one end and a communicational vomit on the other, seokjin appearance for about .02 seconds, the entirety of this is just.... angst

⇢ summary: your dates with Seokjin had become a somewhat consistent fixture in your schedule, however, jungkook's itinerary seemed to clash with yours when he called you after a night of drinking for reasons you assumed to be him helplessly pleading for a safe return home.

♪ playlist: constant craving - k.d. lang, bad religion - frank ocean, misunderstood - lucky daye, neu roses - daniel caesar ♪

╰ series index: 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 (final)

a/n: whew, okay.... this was probably the most argumentative fic i have ever written so prepare yourself. i hope you all enjoy this god awfully angsty installment of the series! also, yes, jungkook is a sentimental drunk and you all know it

part three: i love you

It's true. It's always the biggest pills that are the most difficult to swallow. And if you could compare someone as elusive as Jungkook to anything, it would be the largest pill imaginable. The kind that hurts the first try, then when you drink half your body weight in water, the Jungkook-emblazoned pill forces down your esophagus no easier than the first gulp. You were still holding it in your mouth, pretending that pill wasn't about to dissolve and stain your mouth forever.

And that was the whole process, just to get over Jungkook. Because getting over him wasn't a one-step program. It was waking up everyday, training and retraining your mind not to think of him first thing in the morning. It was resisting the urge to press the send button on multiple texts and funny videos you knew would make him laugh. It was refusing his calls and every memory that would saunter in your mind and compel you to ask him to watch a movie or order takeout.

It was saying yes to Seokjin when he asked you on a date. And, it was doing your best to sever that instinct of yours to ask Jungkook for advice.

But old habits die hard, and this one still clung onto the bit of breath it wielded. That explained why your idiot of a best friend was sitting on your couch, offering half-hearted nods whenever you would walk out draped in a new outfit.

"Okay, this one?" You twirled around, as if doing so would make you any less skeptical of how you looked. And you were never one to scrutinize your appearance so closely, but this was the date. The one that might light the torch to a brighter romantic future and lead you to someone other than the man who could never be yours to begin with.

"Yeah. Cool." At this point, five outfits in, he wasn't paying any attention at all. He couldn't even bring himself to pretend, his eyes lazily fixed onto your dvd player.

"Jungkook, you didn't even look! Let me guess. You wanna play video games. Is that why you're giving fuck-me-eyes to my T.V. set?" You knew a laugh was far along, but you hoped that would get some sort of reaction out of him. Unfortunately, your words were barely registered for a good ten seconds, though, it felt much longer.

"Hm? Oh, sorry. Just tired, I guess." Jungkook said through barely parted lips. You knew when he couldn't even pronounce his words properly, something he took more seriously than others due to the hauntings of a certain speech impediment, there was definitely something wrong.

Things felt off from the moment he walked into your house. Judging from the way he avoided your hug, that alone suggested a sort of imbalance. It was a casual greeting exchanged between the two of you so often that when you lifted your arms to embrace him, it was born of reflexive association. Like Pavlov's dog, trained to hug him the moment you saw him. But the oddity of him almost discretely walking past you before any contact could be made wasn't where the tension bordered.

Following his arrival, he would have littered a few snarky remarks about how messy your kitchen was, while already scavenging through your fridge, just to get a rouse out of you. And Jungkook wouldn't call himself a connoisseur of all things fabric and fashion, but he surely would have a few thoughts consisting more than two-worded responses. But he just sat on your couch, armed with a face any poker player would commend, and gave you insincere cool's or nice's when need be.

"Okay, what's up? Is it Irene?" You sat down since taking a break to figure out what Jungkook was thinking felt better than continuing your self-absorbed fashion show.

"Kinda... We broke up. Well, she broke up with me or... I don't know. It was weird." It bothered you a bit too much that he didn't even look at you. But if he had, then you would have seen a film of red dousing his eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Kook. Is there anything I can do? Anything at all? Want me to egg her house?" This time, he did laugh. You felt relieved he could at least ease slightly back into his expressive self, even if it was just a fraction of what he usually was. A fraction of Jungkook was more than enough for you.

"Nah, no need to go to jail for me. It's not like I didn't see it coming, and apparently she felt the same. Whatever." He let out a sigh that sounded trapped in for a while, then sat up. "We have more important things to worry about."

"I'm sorry, but I don't believe that. Jungkook, literally a week ago you told me she was the love of your life! And now you're just like 'yeah, whatever, I saw it coming.'" You used your notorious 'man voice', which was just yours lowered a few octaves, knowing it would crack another smile along Jungkook's lips. "Come on, I know you love her. This must hurt a lot. I wish... I wish there was something I could do."

You knew exactly what you were doing. Self-sabotage under the guise of consoling your friend. Clearly, it was selfish and regressive to use Jungkook's heartbreak as a means to avoid doing what you could never do before, what you knew deep down you probably would never be able to do: swallow that pill. And what felt even more pathetic than that was the stale, yet persisting hope that he would ask you to stay.

And that's when reality gave you the most gutting and obvious sign. Jungkook was your best friend, the man you had to lug home when he was too drunk to drive, let alone speak coherently or stand. He was the person that buys you ice cream when you're sad, but just as quick to cancel plans with you when Irene needed him. He was just a friend. You'd never be the person he chose, and it nearly made you angry at him for not seeing it all this time.

So, what he said next made everything he was most likely unaware of all too clear to you.

"No, you go have fun. I'll just... chill here?" It was his avoidant way of asking to stay the night, because you knew him to never sleep alone when he had an ache in his heart. "Maybe raid your pantry and use your Netflix account to binge some shows?"

"Fine. Only 'cause I can't say no to you when you're like this." His smile was reimbursement enough for all the food you'd have to restock and the electricity bill that would be higher than usual.

But what he did next, you could almost never forgive him for. It was so subtle, as though it could have passed as an accident or an act he was trying to perform secretly, without any intention of you even noticing. And how could you not notice? The far too temporary and entirely disarming linger of his hand on yours.

Now, you were always one to decipher his most subtle mannerisms, but this one felt beyond the reins of your perceptiveness. It could have been a small gesture of a thank you, but the gentle, and what one could even describe as sentimental, way his skin pressed against yours bore no semblance of a mere expression of gratitude. And it wasn't possible this was a caress of love, because he was already low on currency in that field, spending it completely on Irene.

So, what was it?

How would you describe the way he rested his hand on yours, as if asking you to stay without words, yet punctuating it quick enough to justify it a coincidental form of contact, that your hand just happened to be where his hand was?

"Well, I'm gonna go eat through my problems." Jungkook stood up before you could bat away the wetness in your eyes from your momentary refusal to blink, as if that would somehow help you visualize the meaning of what just happened.

"Oh- Okay. I, um... I should get going." So you did. You walked out your door, and made a decision beyond the demands of your devotion to Jungkook.

Because it probably meant nothing, and he was your best friend, after all.

---

It was easy with Seokjin. And surprisingly enough, that wasn't a bad thing.

You had come to realize everyone craves that passionate kind of love because, in the movies, that's the blueprint for what love should feel like. But that's all it is, something pretty and shiny enough to work into a film. Make believe. And it could never extend beyond the realm of silver screens, where best friends don't magically fall in love and passion awarded more broken hearts than you could count.

Besides, your heart was worn.

See, your heart is a muscle. It works itself to the bone keeping you alive, willing your lungs to breathe, administering blood to each vein and so on. To strain it for someone who was already in love was functionally inefficient. The heart, like any other muscle, grows tired. It can exhaust itself the same way your hand aches after writing for too long.

You needed a break from the gripping emotional aerobics that is and was loving Jeon Jungkook. So, it sufficed that Seokjin was easy. No more overexertion, no more aches and pains and residual soreness occupying your chest, no more of any of that. Because you knew Seokjin liked you, which was safe and easy knowing there was no point mapping out the possible meanings of every inflected word or shrug or smile. They were simply words and shrugs and smiles with him.

And yet, the thing about giving your heart a 'break' is the period succeeding it. When you were finished resting, you knew who would be waiting for you. Who you would always wait for.

"___! Hello?! I can't hear you! It's too loud!" It wasn't really that loud, your idiot of a best friend was just that drunk. You couldn't tell what concerned you more, the fact that his hearing degenerated when he was, from the sound of it, seven shots deep or that this was the third of alcohol-induced call for this week.

"Where are you?" You asked through a sigh, eyes trained on your Twitter feed and ears occupied with the urgent voice blaring through the speaker phone.

And since it was the third time this week, you were not even half-amused by the repetitive stunt he was pulling.

"I don't know... I walked out and now I'm out and I don't know." The hiccup following his messy sentence was comically textbook 'too drunk'. “Hey, we should take a trip! We should, like, go somewhere!”

“The only place you should be going is home.”

“See, I would totally do that, but I have no idea where I am. Why are these street signs so hard to read?” The end and beginning of each word blended together, rendering that sentence one long, slurred word.

By now, the step by step plan synthesized by you had been memorized. And even though you labored your brain to rewire any feelings leaving you at his beck and call, it clearly hadn't been proficient since your keys had already been gathered and his whereabouts programmed in your GPS via his location services.

"You're so annoying." It might have been rude of you to want him to feel guilty, but it was just as rude of him to interrupt your one night off, which was supposed to be spent with Seokjin, with his intoxicated antics. "I'm coming to pick you up."

"Yo- u are? I love you sooo much. You're the best friend ever, ya know that?" Overly emotional professions was your que to drive fifteen miles over the speed limit so he didn't do something stupid enough to land himself in an ICU.

"Okay, I'm almost there. I think I see you. Wave for me?"

The slumped silhouette you were squinting at began to frantically throw its arms side to side, making you both laugh and pull over so he could drag himself into your passenger seat. And, if you were being honest, he looked better as the blackened shadow of himself.

Jungkook, in all his glory, had his shirt almost fully turned backwards, hair ruffled into a mess, and face as red as the time you and him laid on the beach until your skin punished you with a second degree burn. And all those factors didn't amount to how he smelled like he bathed for hours inside a hand sanitizer bottle.

"God, you're a mess, Jungkook." You said that as jokingly as possible, but meant the sternness embedded in each word. Jungkook was a mess, physically and mentally.

"Hey! You're judging me! Stop being th-o mean, ___." Whenever he was this drunk, his lisp made more appearances in his speech than when he wasn't.

You hated how easily it reminded you of when you were in middle school and he was still navigating and rehearsing through his speech patterns. In middle school, when he was the sweet boy with his only fault being his lisp, who gave you his hoodie and a compassionate smile upon meeting you because your current bully plotted the embarrassment of a lifetime with that piece of chocolate on your seat. In middle school, when Jungkook was the only person in your grade who was kind enough to be kind and true to his word when he pledged his loyalty as your best friend. Forever.

With just one word, you were that timid little middle schooler again, helplessly and unconditionally in love with Jungkook.

Hauling Jungkook, who was more muscle than bone and flesh, over to his door was an art form you had trained, practiced, and mastered about thirty or so times before this one. He weighed about twice as much as you could normally carry, and nonetheless, he was out of your car and in his house in no time.

After you locked the door, you turned around to meet Jungkook, rendering the door frame into a crutch and effectively detaining you between his body and the solid wood behind you.

If you weren't so reminiscent in the car seconds before this, then the vodka-scented souvenir on his breath would have gagged you. However, being this close to him, feeling the warmth of his body consuming and overpowering yours, just made you want to sink into him even more and give him everything you had to offer.

His head was hung so when you looked up, you were greeted with Jungkook's lazy smile that gave his lips a boyish asymmetry and draped his eyelids halfway down his irises. And he had you spooled around him so tightly, this look just made him all the more appetizing.

"Kook, we gotta get you to bed, buddy." You tried to ward him off by weaponizing the most strictly platonic nickname you could think of, partnered with a neighborly pat on the back.

It was mostly to remind yourself that this man, who was an inch too close to your face, was your friend, and that in less than ten minutes you were expected to see Seokjin, but from the way he was looking at you, as if he reached into the depths of your heart to devour all your feelings for him and make them his own, you had to remind him of the universally accepted best friend boundaries.

No deep, romantic gazing into each other's eyes. No intimate activity that could be a precursor to anything more affectionate than a hug. No doing exactly what you two were doing as of now.

"Don't call me that." You hoped his aggression against what you said was merely his inebriated irrationally talking, and as always, his emotions were far beyond his control.

And, shamefully, you also hoped it was because he actually did feel the way you felt. What if he wanted the date that Seokjin was going to get tonight and he wanted all the hand holding and none of the back patting, a 'baby' instead of a 'buddy'?

"What? You're drunk-"

"Don't." Before you could drag him by the arm to his bed, a firm palm settled on your torso and closed the gap between you and the door while widening the gap an inch further between Jungkook and his bed, where he would fall asleep without the warmth of the only person he wanted. "___, please."

His voice was strangled with desperation and Jungkook was depleted of all resistance. He just needed to drink you up. To fill himself with the nourishments of your lips, your body, you.

"What-" He could have silenced you easily with a 'shh' or a finger to your lips. Or anything to your lips except his lips.

His lips. They were greedy and giving all at once. Making soft and intimate ministrations against yours as he kissed you before you had the chance to register what was going on. And even when you did, you let his tongue slide into your mouth. This moment was brimming with all the spontaneity you could ever be prepared for, and though it was new, there was no denying that kissing him felt like finally coming home just from the amount of times you had played this moment out in your daydreams. Plus, Jungkook seemed to ease his tongue along yours a bit too confidently for this to be the first time the idea of kissing you has ran through his mind. 

You're being stupid, you told yourself and Jungkook, but that didn't matter when you were finally allowed a taste of what it felt like to be kissed and touched and possibly even loved by Jungkook.

Your shirt was bunched halfway up your torso, his body pressed to your front a reprisal for the chill of the door against your back. Jungkook was, admittedly, a phenomenal kisser even when the lens of sobriety wasn't available to him. The way he ran his hands along the bare of your back like some desperate pilgrimage to discover the undiscovered parts of your body and took your bottom lip between his teeth like it was his to begin with was nearly enough to undress you from all your defenses, from all your clothing, from every single barrier that kept you from Jungkook for the past twelve years and let him have you. And finally have him. It was nearly enough.

Your hands divorced his body from yours before your lips and heart were ready to let go. It was painful, but the heartbroken look wringing his face into a tearful frown was even more so.

"No." You pushed him away further only to walk past him and seek refuge in the open space of his living room. "You don't get to do this."

"What? What does-"

"You don't get to drunkenly kiss me, Jungkook. You don't get to hold me and kiss me like you love me. It's not fair."

"Hey-"

"Because you don't. You don't love me..." If you weren't too busy finally permissing the hot words to boil over from pure anger, then you would have felt the even hotter tears wetting the expanse of your cheek.

"Well, how the hell would you know that?" His voice drowned out the loud pumps of blood beating in your ears like a drum.

"Because it would have happened ten years ago, Jungkook! Jesus, it would have been obvious from the beginning. So if you love me, if you really love me, then it wouldn't be happening now, like this. When you were drunk out of your mind and still vulnerable from Irene."

"You don't know anything." If that were the case, then Jungkook somehow knew even less than you.

"Yeah, clearly. I didn't know you'd stoop this low. I thought I was a lot of things to you. But I never thought I'd be some rebound."

"A rebound? You think that's what this is?" Jungkook seemed upset, but to your knowledge he had absolutely no reason to be angry with you.

He was, as always, displacing the burdens he didn't feel like dealing with on you, moderating you into an emotional punching bag. But what hurt more than those scrapes and bruises, was the aftermath of letting him fuck his worries away which would have consisted of him telling you the next morning that it meant nothing, expecting you to nod demurely, maybe even console him, and act like your chest hadn't been emptied and filled with his baggage in the most murderous way.

"Fuck you."

"Wow. You're really being like this? You really wanna talk about this now?

"You know what? Yeah I wanna talk about it. I wanna talk about the years. The years, Jungkook, that I've spent loving you! I- I wanna talk about the amount of times I've spent thinking about you when you were with her, and I probably didn't even cross your mind. Or how about the fucking thousands of times I've spent crying over you because I knew I was never going to be the one you'd want to wake up next to! And I had to watch! I had to fucking watch you fall in love over and over and probably wonder why I didn't fall in love either. It was you. It was always you, Jungkook."

"___, I-"

"No." His attempt to intervene was quickly denied. You were too angry to let him speak, too tired to carry these grievances any longer. "You don't get to talk. It's all out there. I loved you. I still love you! Fuck, I'm trying to get over you. And it's like you know. It's like you can read my mind or something and strike right when I'm about to recover from the last wound."

Your breathing was as heavy as Jungkook's was shallow. He could only stand, breathlessly, only curse himself for ever being so blind and regret taking advantage of your love even if it were entirely unknowingly, just to let his heart sink deeper until it fell completely out of his chest while his tears fell just as heavily.

"I'm done, Jungkook. I'm tired of trying to outrun you in this race that you're not even competing in. I'm tired of loving you. So, I'm done."

All the words Jungkook wanted to say, the words pleading for sound, carving deep gashes in his throat and leaving him vocally impaired, could never amount to the apology you deserved. Maybe this once, he wouldn't leave you wounded. He would gather the nobility to shut up and let you move on from him. Because you wouldn't know from his lapse of silence that he was empathizing with every bit of pain he caused you, and he hated himself more than you did right now for allowing such a pain to ever fall in your hands. But, where you knew you could someday forgive him for it, he knew he would never forgive himself.

He could scrounge for a few things to respond with, pour the weight of his emotions into the scarcity of his words, but he needed to let you leave and be selfless for once in his life.

"I should go. Drink some water before bed, okay?" You mumbled to choke back your tears, though it wouldn't matter letting a few more tears escape since you were previously sob-ranting and he'd seen you cry like this a hundred times before. He was the shoulder you never thought you'd have to miss leaning on, but walking out of his door punctured a hole in you. An empty space in your heart designed for the one person who had crushed the rest of it.

If this were a movie, with star-crossed lovers and a fiery infatuation blooming into what everyone secretly wants: true love, then Jungkook would have ran out of his door and held you close, professing his undying love for you. He would have won you back, reassembled your broken heart into fullness, kissed you beneath the brilliance of the moon, and lived happily ever after.

But this wasn't a movie, and he did none of those things.

Instead, he stumbled his way into his kitchen. He poured himself that cup of water you advised. He thought about how even when you swore to him you were done, you spared a bit of compassion to remind him to take care of himself. He wondered how deserving he was of everything you are. He touched his lips, searching for the echo of yours. He fell into his queen-sized bed meant for two, alone, and whispered the words that were ever eclipsing to the space beside him where he longed for you to lay so you could hear them for yourself.

"I love you."

a/n: sorry to put you through that, but the idea was born and i am but a humble vessel to bring it to life <3 hehe thank you all so much for reading and like i said, don't worry there will be a happy ending!!! (and possibly a longer-than-drabble final chapter to this series)

[cheri-cheri]

[L&N] Charlie’s Date Translation - Sentimental Games

Note: This is a very casual translation, which means descriptions are heavily summarised, and you’ll also come across my unfiltered thoughts!

Suggested sequence: Fleeing Together -> Sentimental Games -> Born with Wings

Charlie’s Character Introduction: here

The date begins with MC about to board a cruise where a charity auction is taking place

She’s especially looking forward to seeing a pair of Cape Jasmine Gloves from the previous century in hopes of getting inspiration for her own designs

She gets stopped by the ticketing staff who warns her that since she only has a media personnel ticket, she can’t go in and can only take pictures from outside

MC: [sad] Did I make a wasted trip?

??: Why would it be a wasted trip?

She turns around and sees this hot mess:

Charlie: You didn’t make a wasted trip. You’ve seen me now, haven’t you?

MC: ...what are you doing here?

Charlie: *flaunts his ticket* I was specially invited to participate in the auction as a distinguished guest, of course.

Charlie: *spots the media personnel ticket* In order to glance at me from a distance, you didn’t hesitate to catch a chill outside the venue?

MC: How’s that possible-

Charlie: Not bad. I’m touched. *nods and enters through the VIP passageway*

Charlie: *hands ticket to staff* My female companion is behind me.

MC: ???

Charlie: What? Not coming in?

MC: *thinks about the Cape Jasmine Gloves* ...fine!

-

MC heads to a cafe

Charlie: You’re quite a strange woman. Instead of going to my exclusive resting area, you insisted on running to such a remote corner.

MC: I don’t seem to remember forcing you to come to the cafe with me.

Charlie: You’re my female companion. Of course we should move about together. 

MC: *about to retort but remembers that it’s thanks to him that she could enter* Hmph.

Charlie: There are many comfortable spots on the cruise suitable for two people to pass the time. You could think about where we should go later.

MC: Who wants to go anywhere with you...

Charlie: Apart from you, who else?

MC: I came here for a purpose, not to monkey around with you. 

Charlie: Oh? What purpose? Tell me about it. I’m in a pretty good mood and could consider fulfilling it for you.

MC: Thanks, but I. Don’t. Need. It!

Charlie: If you don’t say anything, I’ll make a guess. There’s something you want to buy at the auction today? Art? An antique? Jewels or haute couture?

MC: *doesn’t even look at him*

Charlie: *looks her up and down*

MC: What are you up to now?

Charlie: Your outfit isn’t bad today.

Since it’s a retro-themed auction, MC wore a black formal dress

Just as she's wondering why Charlie randomly brought it up, he opens his beautiful mouth

Charlie: But you seem to be missing some accessories... How about Auction Item No. 3, the red ruby necklace? I could buy it for you.

MC: I don’t need it! How many times do you want me to repeat myself...

Charlie: Fine, fine. Anyway, you already have a red accessory, so you don’t need it.

MC looks at the red ring on her finger

But Charlie points at himself and his red suit LOL

Charlie: Your red accessory is here.

MC: ...you’re so silly! *secretly admits that their outfits match very well*

Charlie: In that case, I’ll give you something else. What about Auction Item No. 5 - the Cape Jasmine Gloves?

MC: !

Charlie: So your purpose for coming here today is for those gloves.

MC: No, I never even thought about participating in the auction...

Charlie: *whips out phone* Let me see how much these gloves are worth...

He receives a notification on his phone and has to leave to meet a friend

He invites her to join them since it’s only a matter of time before she has to meet his friends LOL But MC says “NO THANKS”

So he tells her that she could go to the highest level once she���s done walking around. And if she gets lost, she could head to the broadcast room

MC: Broadcast room?

Charlie: *draws closer to her* You could go to the broadcast room and announce that you’re looking for your husband. 

MC: Definitely not looking for a husband. It’s more like looking for a little child! *leaves and hears Charlie’s soft laughter from behind*

-

MC relaxes outside and thinks of where she should go. The date splits into four options:

Option 1: First Class Area on the 4th Floor

Option 2: Highest Floor

Option 3: Second Floor Hall

Option 4: Fourth Floor Seating Area

[ OPTION 1: FIRST CLASS AREA ON THE 4TH FLOOR ]

MC: ...I’m not heading up to look for him. I just want to ask him where the auction’s taking place!

She knocks on his door. He’s shocked to see her, but he composes himself and invites her in after teasing her about not saying what she genuinely feels

He grabs her wrist and tugs her into the room

MC: What are you doing? Let go...

Charlie: I want to show you something.

MC: What is it? I don’t-

Charlie: *opens a black box* Are you sure you aren’t going to look?

It’s obviously the Cape Jasmine Gloves

Charlie starts putting on the gloves uhiefjnksd

MC: Slow down! This is a treasure from the previous century!

Charlie: So what if they’re from the previous century? Aren’t they still gloves? *puts on gloves and stretches out his hand to MC*

MC: What are you doing...?

Charlie: I’m letting you touch them. Don’t you want to experience the design and texture of the gloves? What are you waiting for? You might not have such an opportunity next time.

*cue gameplay where you get to touch him like in MLQC’s Go See Him*

Charlie: Looks like you aren’t feeling the gloves at all, but want to feel me properly instead.

MC: ?!

MC: ...it’s better if I don’t use my hands. I’ll just look.

Charlie: No need. Continue. *places hand in her palm*

MC starts touching his hand and he gently hooks his fingers with hers LOL

Charlie: Why’d you stop?

MC: [blushing] ...I’m just thinking about its quality!

Charlie: This material is very thin, and I can feel your body temperature. It’s rare. *slowly holds her hand*

MC: *RETRACTS HAND* O-oh yes... how did you get these gloves...

Charlie: Didn’t I tell you? I bought these gloves.

MC: Bought them?! How did you do it so quickly? I even thought of asking you where the auction venue is...

Charlie: Is there a difference between who bought it? *puts gloves back into box*

Charlie: Take them. Study them slowly.

-> Head to epilogue

[ OPTION 2: HIGHEST FLOOR ]

Charlie: It’s rare for you to be so obedient. You were really preparing to look for me on the highest floor? Let’s go then. Just one level up.

MC: Wait, I wasn’t looking for you! I just wanted to enjoy the breeze!

They stand together and there’s a line which goes, “miraculously, he doesn’t talk” HAHAHA

She suddenly feels nervous

MC: ...why aren’t you participating in the auction? *their eyes meet and she feels her heart beating rapidly*

*Cues gameplay which is akin to ASMR*

Charlie: As compared to the auction, I’m more interested in something else.

Charlie: Also, isn’t a coincidental that each time I think of “it”, “it” happens to appear.

Charlie: Will you be able to find me no matter where I am?

Charlie: Even though I know that my charm is infinite, installing a GPS on someone is illegal.

Charlie: That isn’t the case? Even at such an empty corner, you were able to “meet” me coincidentally.

MC: *walks away*

Charlie: Why are you in such a hurry to leave? Enjoy the breeze for a while longer.

Charlie: Bored? Let me tell you that other places on the cruise are even more boring...

Charlie: At least... there are some things worth looking forward to over here.

Charlie: : Hm? You didn’t hear me clearly?

Charlie: I said...

Charlie: Of course you can’t hear if you’re so far away.

Charlie: This is better.

Charlie: I said that having my fiancée by my side gives me a sense of anticipation...

Charlie: What? Are you leaving just like this?

Charlie: Fine. About those gloves... just treat it as though I didn’t buy them.

Charlie: Looks like you still have some interest in me.

Charlie: I purchased the pair of gloves you liked. Just now.

Charlie: Why? Because I didn’t want your attention to be somewhere else.

Charlie: I needed to ensure that your gaze would remain on me from beginning to end.

Charlie: Only me.

-> Head to epilogue

[ OPTION 3: SECOND FLOOR HALL ]

This is where the auction is being held, and MC quickly realises that unlike traditional auctions, there are gambling tables around

Aside from having enough money, competing buyers have to play Texas hold ‘em to have the right to bid

Someone is about to purchase the gloves, and MC recognises him as a buyer with a bad reputation who handles treasures very poorly

MC walks over angrily and says she’d compete with him

CHARLIE ARRIVES

The buyer tries to find fault with them e.g. saying that it’s unfair that they’re playing 2 against 1

Charlie responds by saying that although the rules have a limit of 2 seats, it doesn’t stipulate the number of people who can be present

So Charlie pulls MC onto his lap

Charlie: If you can abide by the rules of having one seat, we wouldn’t mind if all the bodyguards sit on your lap.

Charlie: *tightens grip on MC’s waist* Right, dear? 

MC: [blushing] Haha, yeah...

Charlie: Sit properly. Don’t let me get distracted.

So MC slings her arm around his neck awkwardly while the game continues LOL

Unsurprisingly, he wins

MC looks at the gloves and Charlie tells her that instead of looking at them while standing up, she could sit on his lap

She refuses

-> Head to epilogue

[ OPTION 4: THIRD FLOOR SEATING AREA ]

She sees the gloves in a display cabinet from afar

Since she doesn't have the VIP ticket, she’s prohibited from going closer

But it’s okay because Charlie’s here to save the day

Charlie: Since you’re already here, why avoid me now?

MC: Don’t make it sound like I came here specially to look for you.

Charlie: There aren’t many people who get shy as easily as you.

MC: *forces out a laugh*

Charlie: You’re speechless, aren’t you? After all, we’re engaged. You don’t have to be so indirect with me. Let’s go. Don’t just stand here in a silly manner.

MC: *forgets to retort because she sees the gloves*

Charlie: You...

MC: *is unable to hear him because she’s distracted by the gloves* So beautiful...

Charlie: *waves his hand in front of her*

MC: Don’t block me...

Charlie: Is it really that nice to look at? I’m sitting right here and your line of sight is drawn to something else? Truly incomprehensible.

MC: You’re the one who’s incomprehensible. What’s there to compete... *continues staring at the gloves*

Charlie: Fine, you should seize this opportunity to look as much as you want. After all, you won’t be able to see it ever again soon.

MC: What’s that supposed to mean?

Charlie: Someone already bought those gloves.

MC finds out that someone offered twenty times the original amount for them

MC: Who bought them...

Charlie: You want to know? *sips red wine*

Charlie points at the buyer with the bad reputation from Option 3

MC gripes because she recognises him as someone who simply views these items as investments, not treasures

Charlie shares some wisdom on how people will always have differing perspectives. Someone may view an item as treasure, while another person views it as insignificant. And one has no right to intervene with how they treat the item

But she’s still angry and says that there’s innate value in everything

Charlie offers her a carton of red wine as repayment for her “speech”

MC says she doesn’t need it:

Charlie: If you don’t want wine, I could give you something else. For example... how about that pair of gloves?

MC: Hasn’t it already been sold?

Charlie: According to the rules, I could offer an even greater amount of money to intercept the auction.

MC: No need... even if you were to fork out a huge sum of money to buy it, I’m unable to repay you.

Charlie: You’re my fiancée. There’s no need to repay me.

MC: *glares at him*

Charlie: Don’t you want any other auction items? Anything here is fine.

MC: Are you sure that anything’s fine?

Charlie: Of course. I always say what I mean.

MC: In that case... you can be my auction item!

Charlie: *shocked* So that’s how you like to play.

MC: W-what... I was just wanted to pretend to be a “bad owner” and let you experience the pain of being an auction item!

Charlie: Do you think this bottle of wine knows pain?

MC: Do you know what personification is? Also, my main point is to teach you and correct your mistaken views!

Charlie: *nods and smiles*

Charlie: Understood, my Master.

Charlie: Tell me. How do you plan to be mischievous?

MC: *instantly regrets*

MC: F-first, stand up.

Charlie: As you command.

Charlie: *stands* What’s your next command?

MC: Mm... pour two cups of red wine for me.

Charlie: This is the first time I’m pouring wine for someone. It feels pretty novel.

MC: *in a fluster because she finds his side profile handsome LOL*

Charlie: I know. Your next command is to feed you, isn’t it?

MC: ...of course not!

Charlie: There’s no need to be shy. Guessing my master’s preferences and commands is what I should be doing.

MC wonders why she feels as though she’s the one being punished instead

Just as the glass is about to reach her lips, she swiftly picks up the other glass

And clinks them together LOL

HIS FACE:

MC: That’s all for today! I hereby announce that you’re now free! 

Charlie: You’re too easily satisfied, which leaves me barely any sense of fulfilment.

MC: I don’t care about your sense of fulfilment...

Charlie: *calls the staff over* I want to intercept Auction No. 5. Those Cape Jasmine Gloves.

MC: You’re really buying them?!

Charlie: *nods* When the gloves are brought over, I’ll give you ten minutes to appreciate them. As for the remaining time, you can appreciate me.

MC: *nods*

Charlie: You’re looking forward to it that much?

MC: Of course. How could I not seize this chance to see a great master’s work at close range?

Charlie: You’re pretty slow sometimes.

MC: Huh?

Charlie: Why didn’t you think that the gloves would be a waste with me?

MC: I... *realises that she instinctively knew he’s a good boi*

Charlie: Forget it. Relax, I know that you’re interested in those gloves.

MC: Why are you bringing me into this?

Charlie: I cherish the things you cherish. Naturally, you’d cherish me a little more.

MC: Your logic is unreasonable. Ordinary people truly can’t keep up with you...

Charlie: I was never an ordinary person. Also, it’s fine as long as my fiancée can keep up with me. Why should I care about others? *tucks MC’s hair behind her ear*

MC: *heartbeat goes wild*

-> Head to the epilogue

[ EPILOGUE ]

After the auction is over, MC is back at the cafe and writing down inspiration in her notebook

Charlie sits down next to her

Charlie: Lady, are you used to neglecting me?

MC: ...what are you doing here instead of resting on the highest floor?

Charlie: You aren’t resting either. Is it because there isn’t a place to sleep? You’re free to sleep on my bed anytime.

MC: Stop! I’m not tired!

Charlie: *sees that MC is sketching gloves* Gloves again. Did those Cape Jasmine Gloves inspire you that much?

MC explains that the designer was inspired by surgical gloves, which is why it’s so light and thin

MC: Thirty years ago, a female dressmaker who had a complicated illness was saved by a kind doctor in her time of despair. The other party didn’t claim medical fees, and even gave her treatments to re-ignite her hope in life. After she was cured, she spent many years specially designing this pair of gloves for the doctor. How is it? Isn’t it very romantic?

Charlie: But the story I heard was a little different from yours. The reason why the doctor saved the female dressmaker was purely because he liked to research complicated illnesses. The female dressmaker’s illness was very rare. In his personal biography, the female dressmaker was called “Patient No. 47″. He never thought about encouraging or helping anyone. Everything was simply an assumption by the other party. How is it? Do you find it not as romantic now?

MC: *speechless, then looks down at the design* No. I don’t think that’s all. Look here. 

MC: *points at a tiny stitched lotus on the Cape Jasmine Gloves* I’ve seen images of this. At first, there weren’t any flowers on the gloves. After she passed away, the doctor likely asked someone to stitch it on. Aside from symbolising faithfulness and purity, lotuses symbolise adoration. So this represents the love between two people! Perhaps a beginning sparked by curiosity can genuinely bloom with fate’s design.

Charlie: *in a daze for a moment* So the reason why this pair of gloves met me, a doctor, is also fate’s design?

MC: *nods* Maybe...

Charlie: *leans in closer* In that case, you’re the same.

MC: Me?

Charlie: I’m referring to... fate’s design. I look forward to it - whether it’s the blooming or bearing fruit.

[cali-holland]

Forever and Ever, Ch. 1: The Proposal

Tom Holland X Osterfield!Reader, Wedding Series

With the help of Harrison and Charlotte, Tom picks out the perfect ring for you, and now the time’s come for the perfect proposal.

Warnings: sexual themes, swearing, a lil bit of blood/violence and kind of an abusive ex? (it’s a flashback though)

Word Count: 4100

Series Masterlist

Masterlist   Tom Holland Masterlist

“We keep this love in a photograph

We made these memories for ourselves

Where our eyes are never closing

Hearts are never broken

And time's forever frozen still

So you can keep me inside the pocket of your ripped jeans

Holding me closer 'til our eyes meet

You won't ever be alone, wait for me to come home”

Photograph, Ed Sheeran

~~~

“How’s the online shopping coming?” Harrison asked, strolling into the living room when he knew you were away at work the next day. Tom let out a frustrated groan, throwing his head back on the couch.

“There’s too many choices! I don’t understand how there can be so many shapes.” Tom stated and Harrison sat beside him to look at the engagement ring website on Tom’s laptop.

“I believe they’re called cuts.” He laughed, looking over the categories and images. “God, you’re right. How are there so many options?”

“This makes no sense.” He sighed, “How do I know which one Y/N would like the most?”

“Might sound cheesy, but I think she’d say yes even if you gave her the shittiest ring.”

“Well, that’s helpful.” Tom rolled his eyes at his friend.

“Why not go in person tomorrow? Y/N will be at work anyway.” Harrison suggested, standing from the couch.

“I don’t really want paparazzi to find out, but I guess I have no choice.” He paused, “Do you think you could come with me?”

Harrison laughed, turning back to his friend. “You’re talking to the wrong sibling. I’ll call Charlotte and see if she can go with you.”

By the time you got home from work, Tom had cleared out his search history to make sure there was no evidence of his ring shopping. You had no clue anything was up, even when you saw that your younger sister texted him while you two got ready for bed that evening.

Spotting his phone light up on the bedside table just as you were about to get into bed, you asked, “Why did Charlotte text you?”

“Probably just asking if I’m back home. I think Harrison said something about your mum inviting me over for dinner this week.” He lied with a shrug as he climbed into bed on the opposite side. While his room (which was actually your room as well) was big, it still only had one night stand on your side of the bed. Any other night, Tom wouldn’t care about it, trusting you completely with his phone, but now he was worried you’d get curious and check Charlotte’s texts. It wasn’t that strange for Charlotte to text him when he got back into town, but he got lucky by remembering Harrison’s mention of family dinner plans, something he’s gotten accustomed to at the Osterfield household.

“Oh yeah, she did tell me that. Friday, right? I just assumed you’d be free.” You laughed, making yourself comfortable under the covers by snuggling into Tom’s warm embrace. “If you don’t want to-“

“No, of course I’d love to. Your family’s my family.” He reached up and knocked on the wall behind him, just for Harrison, whose bed was on the other side of the wall, to hit the wall back. “See?”

Through your fit of laughter, you managed to say, “God, he’s going to think we’re going at it.”

“Hm, well, why don’t we?” Tom winked at you, his trailing down your waist.

“As much as I missed you, I’ll pass. One of us actually went to work today.” You teased, nuzzling your face into his neck and pressing a chaste kiss to his sweet spot. “Besides, I’m still sore from last night.”

“That good, huh?” He smirked and you leaned up to kiss him.

“Watch it, Holland.” You joked, and he couldn’t help but think that one day you’d have that last name too. Tom pulled you closer to him, intertwining your left hand with his, as you laid down with your head on his chest. As you drifted off to sleep, he mindlessly traced over your ring finger, mind racing with what the perfect ring would look like right in that very spot.

The next day, you went away to work as usual, and Tom put on his most incognito outfit- dark hoodie, dark jeans, sunglasses (though it wasn’t actually too bright out), dark baseball cap. He was completely unrecognizable for the paparazzi.

“Why are you dressed like that?” Harrison asked as he and Tom got in the car because, while Harrison still felt that Charlotte was the better sibling to ask for help, he wanted to go as moral support for his best friend. You know, best man duties and all that. In his casual white t-shirt and jeans, he looked the exact opposite of Tom.

“I’m not having anyone recognize. Not today.” Tom insisted.

“Whatever you say.” He laughed.

The two of them met Charlotte at the ring shop, after they parked a little ways away (because Tom didn’t want his car to be parked right in front of the store- that’s too “obvious”, according to him). Charlotte, just as Harrison had, commented on his rather dull outfit, but yet again, he always wore black in some form. Despite their fashion remarks, Tom was glad to have your siblings with him, or rather his future in-laws, you just didn’t know that yet.

“What about this one?” Charlotte asked, pointing to yet another ring. She’d shown Tom nearly a dozen rings that she thought you’d like, meanwhile Tom was overwhelmed by the choices. They lost Harrison to the men’s section shortly after walking inside because he wanted more.

“I don’t know. This is all so much.” Tom sighed, looking at the pretty engagement ring in the glass case. It was delicate and beautiful, but he still didn’t know. He had been told that the ring will “speak” to him, that he’ll just know when he sees it. He wished it was as easy as knowing you were the one for him; all it took was one glance at you and he knew he wanted to be with you forever. You were his forever.

After what must have been the twentieth “what do you think of this one?” from Charlotte (which he did deeply appreciate her help), Tom was ready to give up hope on this store. Maybe this store didn’t have the perfect ring. Shoving his hands in his hoodie’s pocket, he scanned over the rings again, the shiny silver beginning to blur together.

“Check this out.” Harrison called to them from across the store.

“Haz, mate, I don’t want to look at one of your rings.” Tom answered, running a hand over his face.

“No, you div. I like this ring for Y/N.” He replied, and both Tom and Charlotte immediately came over to him. Sitting in front of Harrison, in the back corner of the case, was the most perfect ring Tom had ever seen. He was speechless, and he knew it was the one.

“Can we see that one please?” Charlotte asked the worker, reading Tom’s slacked jaw expression as one of pure amazement. The worker pulled out the ring from behind the glass, and Harrison and Charlotte both exchanged a look of ‘that’s it’ while Tom examined it.

“Yes. That’s the one.” Tom nodded, and the two siblings let out their bated breaths in relief. As Tom and the worker settled out the measurements and price, Harrison waited with his sister by the door.

“And now he just needs to propose.” Charlotte laughed.

“I bet he’s going to faint before he even gets the words out. Y/N will just have to piece it together.” Harrison joked.

“Do you know how he’s doing it?” She asked.

“Oh yeah, she’s so going to cry.” Harrison watched the cashier slide the pink ring box over to Tom, finalizing the deal, and he felt a wave of pride overcome him. His two favorite people in the world were getting married; he wasn’t sure if he’d make it through this without shedding a few happy tears himself.

~~~

Tom let out a sigh, taking a step back to examine his bedroom. From the Christmas lights strung around the room to the bed sheet hanging on the wall across from the projector, everything was perfect. There were even a few rose petals scattered on the floor. He ran a nervous hand through his hair, his other hand slipping into his pocket to fish out the little pink box. Opening the box, his heart started to beat impossibly faster. It had only been two days since he bought it, but he felt like he could stare at it forever, and, well, if you said yes, then he’d gladly stare at it forever.

“Y/N,” He mumbled under his breath, beginning to pace a little. Another deep breath escaped his lips as he continued quietly rehearsing, “Y/N Osterfield, will you marry me?”

“Yes.”

Tom had never jumped so high in his life, but he eased up immediately when he realized it was just Harrison in the doorway, arms crossed as he took in the new look to Tom’s room.

“So? How does it look?” Tom asked, closing the box and pocketing it once more. His hand remained in his pocket, thumbing over the object, like he was worried the box would vanish into thin air. He felt his hands start to shake a little at the unimpressed look on Harrison’s face.

“Like you’re going to be engaged by the end of the night.” He said encouragingly, unable to hide his happy smile any longer. “Now, come on, lover boy, she’ll be here any minute.”

“Do you think she’ll be able to tell? I want to surprise her.”

Harrison looked at the room again and then at his nervous friend, who was a little too nicely dressed for a casual movie night in; yet again maybe Harrison just wasn’t used to Tom wearing anything but sweats and a hoodie around the house. It seemed obvious, but maybe you would be too tired from a day at work to notice. Before he could reply, Harry shouted from downstairs.

“She’s here!”

Quickly, Tom and Harrison rushed out of the room, closing the door softly behind them. They went to the kitchen, where Harry and Tuwaine also stood, all four of them trying to act casual as they waited for you to come inside.

“Ed Sheeran? Are you sure?” Tuwaine asked, questioning Tom’s choice of music for the night.

“Yes. What’s wrong with Ed Sheeran?” Tom refuted.

“It’s a little unoriginal.” Harry added, and his brother narrowed his eyes at him.

“Unoriginal?”

“I brought dinner!” You announced, walking into the house. Tom sent his brother and friends a quick look of “don’t say anything” before he went to greet you at the door. His smile widened as he saw you, kicking off your shoes beside the shoe bin, balancing two bags of takeout.

“How was work?” Tom asked as he took the bags from you.

“Boring. Wish I could’ve been here with you.” You replied with a smile, your arms wrapping around his neck to bring him in for a kiss. His hands found your waist, the takeout bags hanging from his wrist, as you kissed him like you hadn’t seen him in weeks, not that he was complaining though because there was plenty of lost time to make up for.

Just as your tongue brushed over his lips, making him smile into the kiss, Harrison walked in the room, scoffing, “Get a room.”

“Don’t worry. We will.” You stated, not stepping out of Tom’s embrace as you looked at your brother. Harrison just rolled his eyes at you. You let go of Tom to make your way to the kitchen with both boys following behind you.

“Remember when you hated Tom?” Harrison teased, his normal playful smile on his face as he eyed you cuddled up to his best friend across the dinner table.

You rolled your eyes at his attempt at a joke, “Hate is an overstatement. Besides, I obviously got over that ruined dress a long time ago.”

“What happened to change that?” Tuwaine asked innocently. All eyes fell on you and Tom, and you remained uncharacteristically quiet, opting to drink some water instead of responding.

“Just time, I guess.” Tom shrugged, doing his best to save you from the topic.

While you did spend the first year of knowing Tom completely ignoring his attempts at being nice to you (which ranged from him offering to help you with groceries when you and Harrison still lived at home together to him greeting you when you walked in a room), your hostility seemed to change over night for the bystanders that were your siblings, his brothers, and your mutual friends.

It was sometime in the fall of 2014; Tom didn’t really remember the day exactly, or rather the night. He just remembered that he wasn’t in the mood to go clubbing with Harrison in some no-name London nightclub, but he went nonetheless. He soon lost his friend to some girl in the crowd, and Tom found himself perched on a barstool, nursing a beer. He checked his phone with a sigh; it’d been only half an hour since he walked through the door. He scanned the crowd in front of him, looking for any sign of Harrison, when his eyes caught sight of you.

Out on the dancefloor with a carefree smile on your face, you still managed to take his breath away. It had been over a year since the incident, and you hadn’t backed down from your grudge against him. Meanwhile, for Tom, he wanted to keep trying because, maybe one day, you’d tolerate him enough that he could actually talk to you. All he heard from your mutual friends (not Harrison because he’d never speak highly of you to another guy, especially one that he already knew was crushing on you, even if Tom refused to admit it) was that you were incredibly sweet and kind and funny and smart and basically everything Tom was looking for. Sighing again, he took another drink of his beer and returned to his previous task of seeking out Harrison.

When he still came up empty handed looking for his friend, Tom’s eyes managed to find their way back to you, but this time that same smile wasn’t on your face. No, you actually looked pissed off, an expression that Tom was very used to seeing. It was then that Tom spotted a seemingly very drunk Richard beside you, Richard from the party, Richard who had been your boyfriend for the past few months, Richard who Tom absolutely loathed. He hadn’t heard much about your relationship, except for the fact that Harrison thought Richard was a “conceited, manipulative asshole” who wasn’t good for you at all. Curiously, Tom watched you interact with him as you crossed your arms, saying something that made Richard roll his eyes at you and grab your elbow forcefully. As Richard dragged you out to a hallway of the club, Tom immediately shot up to follow you two.

“Let me go. I told you, Richard, we’re done.” You said, trying to get out of his painful grip.

“No, we’re done when I say we’re done.” He barked back. Tom took that as his cue to step in, standing a bit taller as he did so.

“Hey, leave her alone.” Tom interjected, and you looked at him, surprised by his appearance.

“Tom, what the hell are you doing here?” You asked. It was Tom’s turn to be surprised; you’d spoken to him, and you’d used his name- up until this moment, he thought you didn’t even know that.

“Pool boy?” Richard scoffed, and you and Tom simultaneously rolled your eyes, “Run along. This is between me and my girlfriend.”

“Sounds like she isn’t your girlfriend anymore.” He hardly got his taunting comment out before Richard let go of you just to punch Tom square in the nose. Tom stumbled backwards a little and regained his footing to punch him right back. Richard staggered in surprise by the force of the blow, and you took the opportunity to grab Tom’s hand and run from the hallway back into the crowded club. He didn’t protest as he followed you through the swarm of people, allowing you to take him out of the club.

“Why did you do that?” You said quietly, once the two of you were outside in the cold night air. You let go of his hand and didn’t even turn to look at him, opting to pace the sidewalk a little while he leaned against the wall, clutching his nose.

“He was harassing you.” Tom stated. When you heard the slight nasaliness to his voice, you turned to look at him and your eyes grew wide as you realized his nose was bleeding.

“Oh god,” You winced.

“Dick packs a punch.” He tried to laugh, but the humor was lost from his grimace in pain.

“Come on, my place is around the corner.” At your offer, Tom furrowed his eyebrows at you in confusion. Playfully, you added, “I can’t leave my knight in shining armor to bleed out on the side of the road.”

“I doubt I’d bleed out from this.” Tom mused, and the two of you began to walk back to your apartment. 

A comfortable silence fell between the two of you until there was a particularly brisk gust of autumn wind, making you instinctively shiver. Your sleeveless dress did nothing to shield you from the chilly air, and Tom noticed. Ever so awkwardly, he started to try to shimmy out of his jacket, mindful of his bloody hand. You paused, looking over at him in confusion, “Are you trying to give me your jacket?”

“Shut up.” He mumbled, embarrassed but still trying to take off his jacket to offer it to you. Biting your lip to keep yourself from laughing at the humor of it all, you helped him.

“What is it with you and jackets?” You joked, slipping it on over your shoulders. Seeing as he was in a long sleeve shirt and jeans, and that your apartment was just ahead, you weren’t going to decline his offer.

“I don’t know.” Tom shrugged, laughing a little at the memory, “I’m just trying to be chivalrous.”

“Very chivalrous, indeed.” You nodded as a laugh escaped your lips.

“Maybe one day, I’ll get it right.”

Tom felt that maybe this lighthearted air between the two of you was a step in the right direction for the two of you, even if he was clutching his bloody nose the whole time. Back at your apartment, he propped himself up on the bathroom counter and you got a few rags together to clean him up. With his legs spread, you stood in between them, wiping the blood on his nose off with a wet rag.

“Thank you, by the way.” You mumbled, concentrated on your work.

“Anytime.” He answered, his eyes studying you closely, memorizing every detail of your face. This was the first, and hopefully not the last, time that you had been this close to him and, damn, did he enjoy it.

“Let’s not make this a regular thing.” You teased. “And can you, um, can you not tell Harrison? He tends to get overprotective.”

“Shit.” Tom groaned and you immediately stopped your actions, thinking you’d somehow managed to hurt him. “I forget Harrison.”

“At the club?” You asked, a small smile coming over your face, and he nodded sheepishly.

“He was off dancing with some girl.”

“So he forgot about you.” You joked, before seriously adding, “You should probably let him know you left, but-”

“I won’t tell him. This is our secret, I promise.”

And Tom still fully intended to keep that promise. Years down the road, Harrison still had no clue that your ex was the one who almost broke Tom’s nose, but it’s not like your brother remembered that night anyway. All he knew was that the very next day, when you came over for drinks with him and the boys, you and Tom spoke to each other. And, well, Harrison couldn’t help the small flicker of happiness that filled him to see his best friend and his twin sister getting along... finally.

“Yep, just time.” You nodded, sending Tom a small, grateful smile.

Dinner seemed to last forever for Tom; you just did not eat fast enough for him. He even started doing the dishes while you sat at the table and talked to Harry just to distract himself from the itching nerve to just drop down on one knee right in front of you. It didn’t help that Tom knew Harry, Harrison, and Tuwaine were all anxiously wanting you to leave; they didn’t want to contain the secret any longer either. After nearly an hour of self-restraint on his part, he finally suggested you change out of your work clothes.

“So what movie tonight?” You asked as you made your way down the hall with Tom.

“I was thinking we could do something a little different tonight.” He said, a small smile playing on his lips. You eyed him skeptically before turning to open the bedroom door. You felt yourself choke up at the scene before you. Taking in the roses and lights as well as the room’s overall new romantic atmosphere, you were speechless.

“C’mon.” Tom slid past you in the doorway, holding out a hand for you. When you took it, he led you all the way inside the room, closing the door behind you.

“You did all of this for me?” You breathed out in disbelief, still processing the dramatic transformation.

“Of course.”

As you sat down beside him at the foot of the bed, in the perfect position to view the projected image, Tom quickly got out his phone to play the slideshow. Hearing the familiar tune of Ed Sheeran’s “Photograph”, you smiled, snuggling into Tom’s side. You watched in admiration as various pictures floated across the screen.

The very, very ugly first picture of the two of you together at 17 (with Dick cropped out and Harrison’s face replaced with a heart emoji). One of the many pictures the two of you took together when you went to Paris for your three year anniversary a few months ago. Goofy selfies you’ve taken together that should never be seen by anyone else. One taken by Harrison when Monty and Tessa’s leashes got tangled, trapping you and Tom together, before you were even actually together. A photo of you two in the world’s worst matching Christmas sweaters two years ago because Tom thought it’d be funny (and it was). Another photograph taken straight from a gossip magazine of the two of you at the Far From Home premiere (it was your favorite picture from the red carpet but also you couldn’t find it without the watermark); immediately following that one was Tom helping you remove your make up after the after party, make up wipe in hand (you two weren’t 100% sober when that was taken).

All of them were pictures of the happiest, most memorable days in your life, all moments that happened with the love of your life. As the song came to its bridge, Tom shifted out of your embrace to stand up, his hand deep in his pocket. When he turned to face you, his face dropped, realizing you were very teary-eyed.

“Darling, no, you’re not supposed to cry.” Worry was flowing through him now. What if you didn’t want this? What if you said no?

“Tom, yes.” You nodded, biting your lip to refrain from full on crying.

“Yes?” He repeated, suddenly confused.

“Are you going to ask me to marry you or not?” You teased. With a laugh, Tom got down on one knee in front of you, pulling out the ring box and opening it to present you with the most beautiful ring you could’ve imagined.

“Y/N Osterfield, the first time we met, you called me a dumbass, and I still am, but now I’m your dumbass that doesn’t know how to write one of those cheesy proposal speeches. You’re my best friend and my soulmate, and you know me better than anyone else. There’s no one else that I’d rather spend forever with, so will you spend forever with me and marry me?” Tom asked, hands shaking a little due to the nerves. Smiling and nodding, you leaned in to kiss him, despite the awkward angle from you still being on the bed and him still kneeling.

“Yes, yes, yes.” You mumbled happily between kisses. 

Laughing, Tom pulled away from you, “Don’t forget about the ring.” He took the ring out of the box and you held your left hand out to him for him to slide it onto your ring finger. You looked at the ring in awe for a moment.

“I love you, fiancé.” You said, eyes trailing for your ring to Tom.

“I love you, too, fiancée.” He replied and leaned in to kiss you. With his lips moving with yours, he brought himself up off the ground, blindly climbing onto the bed as you laid down on the blankets. Murmuring into your lips, Tom repeated his words happily, “My fiancée.”

~~~

Tag List: @viagracex @theamazingtomholland @Hellomoveonby @heyitsshrez @harrisonosterfieldhazmyheart @joyleenl @t-o-m-hollands @lonikje @sleepybesson @sunkisseddreamer @hollandsamor @in-a-lot-of-fandoms-tbh @gorrillaglue23 @petersoftboyparker @musicalkeys @duskholland @biebsmylife95 @dummiesshort @perspectiveparker​ 

Tom Holland Tag List: @quaksonhehe @tomkindholland

Series Tag List: @thefallenbibliophilequote @wassup-peoples @thevelvetseries @greatpizzascissorstaco @tomhollandsotherpinkytoe

[minniepetals]

buttercream.01

— summary: you were always adorable in their eyes, sometimes a little too adorable.

— pairing: bts x reader

— genre: fluff, poly!au, ceo!au

— word count: 3.2k

— warnings: none

— a/n: a little something to thank you for everything

╰ part 1: buttercream / part 2: buttercup / part 3: buttermilk / part 4: butterscotch / part 5: butterfly

Sleepy.

You felt so, so sleepy.

If you were in a better position with a better headspace, you would have excused yourself to head on home but no. It was you and your stubborn self and your dumb little crushes on your seven bosses that held you back from wanting to leave.

It was just a casual company dinner where they rented out a private space for all the employees.

So far people had gone drunk and sleepy, most left because they were too tired as the night went by and you, you sat alone refusing to take even a sip of your drink because you knew you weren't good with taking your drinks.

You should have left way earlier but it was the fact that you had seen many ladies flirting with your seven guys that made you stay — they weren't exactly yours, you just liked calling them that — so you sat on the sideline watching everyone else talk and flirt with them.

And as time went on, the sleepier you got, the harder it was to keep your eyes open.

"Hey, Y/N?"

A sweet angel's voice called upon your name.

But you were too sleepy to try and answer back. Your face rested against your hand with your elbow propped up against the table, one cheek squished and making you look too adorable in their eyes.

"Y/N?" Taehyung called again, his forefinger bopping your nose lightly but you swatted it away. In normal conditions, you would have never gotten the courage to do such a thing nor ignore any of your boss's calls. But it wasn't normal, you were drunk on the lack of sleep you had received.

"Is she drunk?" Namjoon asked as a small smile curled along his lips at the sight of you.

"I haven't seen her picked up her drink once this evening," the youngest said.

Taehyung leaned in close to your face, taking in your sweet scent of rose-scented perfume, causing him to smile once he leaned back. "No alcohol, just sweet roses."

Everyone had gone by the time the clock had struck midnight, everyone except them and you. They found themselves a little surprised you were still there, knowing you weren't much of a party girl through observations, but that didn't mean they weren't happy.

Your breathing slowed, your head feeling more relaxed and ready to fall but just as Taehyung was about to catch it from hitting against the table, he had been a second too late and they cringed at the harsh thud.

Soon enough, you were awake again with a whine leaving your lips.

"Stupid Y/N, stop getting off task."

Off task?

They blinked at your words, at the way you seemed to not have noticed your surroundings as you began speaking to yourself about needing to finish your work before the morning sun arrived.

But then your eyes looked up and you found Yoongi sitting just across from you.

A short moment of silence passed as the two of you stared at one another until you burst out in fits of giggles.

"Yoon, why do you look so adorable?"

The man blinked and Jimin almost choked on his drink. "Y-Yoon?" Yoongi stuttered, completely caught off guard. "Did she just called me adorable?"

"I mean, you kind of are," Hoseok shrugged admittedly in a playful manner.

"Is she sleep talking? Or is she just too tired to function?" Seokjin asked from your other side, the place he had walked over to take a few minutes prior to when everyone else had left.

"And you, Jinnie!" You pointed at the man and his brow raised, surprised you had such bravery to do such a thing. Yet when he saw the cute little pout on your face, he knew he couldn't ever get mad at you. "You're always being unfair," you mumbled through your pout.

Seokjin's eyes grew in panic at the sight of tears glistening along your waterline. "Hey, baby, why are you crying?"

"See? That again!" You accused him before letting your hand down as a few tears fell. Their hearts fell for a moment and Seokjin reached out in worry but you were quick to swat his hand away. "Don't call me baby unless you mean it," you scolded with a huff, still sounding cute and adorable like a little child. "Don't give me endearing nicknames if I'm not the only girl you're gonna be flirting with, it isn't fair."

"Baby-"

"And you're even worse than him!"

"Me?" Jimin scoffed in disbelief as he placed his glass down. "How am I worse?"

"Because you openly flirt with everyone you see and it hurts Y/N's heart."

Talking from a third perspective.

They stole glances at the leader but Namjoon could only shrug. It was a habit of his but he hadn't ever known you were one to do such a thing either.

"It hurts your heart, hm?" A smirk danced at the corner of Jimin's lips as he watched you. "And why is that, may I ask?"

"Because!" Your pouting deepened, ready to cry some more and Jungkook who sat next to his hyung was quick to smack the man on the arm. "One moment you flirt with me and then the next, I see you flirting with other girls and it hurts because I thought...I thought you said Y/N-ie was special."

"Y/N-ie is special!" Jimin quickly emphasized, suddenly feeling bad for all his mischievous acts that had only meant to try and make you jealous. But now he realized how wrong that had been as his heart fell at the sight of your tears.

Taehyung went on to wipe your tears away and you allowed him, for a short moment before you looked away, facing away from him.

"You're all at fault here," you said.

"Does Y/N-ie need us to make her feel special? Is that what it is?" You looked up at Hoseok's voice and with a little bit of hesitation, nodded shyly and they cooed at the sight. "Come here, pumpkin."

You crawled over from Seokjin's lap and they watched you sit on Hoseok's lap with your arms wrapped around the man as you nuzzled your face in the crook of his neck. Oh how the others wished they were in Hoseok's position.

"Oh come on, Hoseok hyung gets the special treatment?" Jungkook frowned as the older one just chuckled.

"Hobi's a gentleman. But sometimes I wish, I just wish that he would.." A small cub's yawn escaped you and their hearts melted, "treat me like a lady rather than a friend."

"Is that what you want?" Namjoon asked with hope. "Is this your confession?"

But you had already fallen asleep into the actual world of dreams.

.

.

"How the heck did I get home last night?"

You groaned at the uncomfortable feeling of having gone to sleep with your clothes from the night before as you got up. A big yawn escaped out of you just as you noticed a little note left on your nightstand.

We brought you home because you had fallen asleep. Forgive me but I had to look through your bag to find your key. Rest assured, nothing was stolen. Sweet dreams, moonwalker. See you at work — knj

Sweet dreams...moonwalker?

And then you gasped before a scream quickly escaped your lips as the events of the night before flashed through your mind.

"Frick, frick, frick!" You shouted, legs bouncing as you walked around in circles as your heart began drumming loudly and fast. "I'm going to get fired, what is wrong with me?! I got drunk off the lack of sleep! I'm so stupid!"

You stared at the note again and the last words stood out, leaving you to want to burst out crying. "See you at work, he says. He's going to fire me!"

If you could turn back time, you would.

But sadly you didn't have powers such as that so you could only head on to work later that day in hopes of not ever seeing your bosses again — which was dumb because they were your boss so it was inevitable to see them — but at least you'd slow down the rate of getting fired quicker, right?

Wrong.

You were called in by Yoongi's secretary that said they wanted to see you.

On the way to Yoongi's office, you could only blame yourself even more as your heartbeat quickened, knowing fully well of the punishment you were to receive. Heck, you called the dude adorable! And called Seokjin and Jimin out on their flirting but what had that to do with you? You didn't own them, why the heck did you say such a thing? And huddled up against Hoseok?

Oh crap. Hoseok.

You were definitely going to be fired.

"Please forgive me for my rudeness, I was just talking nonsense that had nothing to do with any of you!" Perhaps it was a lie, and perhaps blurting out the first thing that came to your mind wasn't the best thing to do the second you walked into that office but what else could you do to save your career? Your life's worth depended on them and you had screwed up.

"Nothing to do with us?"

Just that simple question and the deep tone of Jimin's voice had your knees almost falling.

"Yes, sir."

"You hesitated," Hoseok pointed out.

"It isn't good to lie, Y/N," Jungkook scolded.

You could only gulp as you stood there completely frozen with fear with your head lowered, refusing to meet any of their gazes due to your embarrassment.

Everyone knew the seven bosses had close relationships with one another, they never hid such a thing. So for you to bravely act up in front of them at your vulnerable moment, you knew you had totally messed up. You couldn't even blame them if they wanted to fire you. After all, you deserved it for the way you had acted.

"Now tell us the truth," Namjoon ordered and you could feel their intense gaze on you. "The things you said last night...were they true?"

They were. Of course they were.

You were jealous of the other ladies that were always brave enough to walk up to them and spoke without stumbling upon their words, without making a fool of themselves. You hated getting your hopes up only for it to be broken down once you'd come upon one of them flirting with another lady. With a pretty lady. Every lady they spoke to were pretty and you'd begin to second guess yourself, wondering whether the outfit you were wearing was good enough, whether you had gone over the top. You'd look at yourself in the bathroom and wondered whether you were pretty enough, whether you were good enough.

And then you'd head back to doing your work with a head down and one of them would come strolling by and make you smile.

Then the routine would repeat just like every other day.

"I..." your voice shook a little and they held their breaths. "What'll you do if I say yes?" You asked, fingers crawled against each other. "What'll you do if I say no? I'll be fired either way, right? Is there a good reason to me giving you an answer?"

Yoongi's brows furrowed. "Why do you think we're firing you?"

"Because I was impulsive and rude."

"You're the most hardworking employee we have here," he said, "What'll we do if we lose a good person like you? It'll be our loss."

"But I...but I-"

"We asked you that question because..." You could hear the footsteps of Seokjin as he walked on over towards you and you held your breath. If they weren't going to fire you then they'd definitely punish you in some ways. But that would be okay, you could take extra paperwork, extra hours, overtime. As long as you weren't being fired, right?

Still, it was scary thinking about it. You were tired enough from all the things that were weighing down on you. But if that were their wishes, you knew you'd have to oblige. After all, you did something unacceptable.

Seokjin stopped just in front of you and took his forefinger and thumb to tilt your head up to look at him.

His eyes softened at your glossy eyes before leaning down to place a kiss on top of your forehead.

You blinked at the sudden action, totally caught off guard and a blush was quick to reach your cheeks.

"What...w-what does that mean?" You stuttered.

Jimin came up to your side, leaning in to place a kiss on your cheek while Taehyung placed another kiss on the other side of your face. Your face was heating up, reaching your ears but you could only stand there frozen.

"What do you think, baby?"

Baby?

Namjoon wasn't one to call someone an endearing nickname that easily.

"You mean..." You trailed off, face a blushing mess but they only gave you sweet smiles.

"No firing, no punishments, none of that for our baby."

"Baby..."

Hoseok smiled. "That's right."

"You meant the things you said last night, right?" Jungkook asked, his eyes piercing into yours with cute bunny eyes.

"I..yes, I-I did."

"Good," the maknae smiled, satisfied. "Because we've liked you since forever."

You shook your head. "No way."

"Yes way," Taehyung quickly said. "You're too cute and adorable and you're always so helpful towards others."

"And we've only been flirting with the others because we wanted a reaction out of you."

"That..." You pouted, hitting Jimin lightly on his chest. "That's mean."

"I know, baby, I didn't mean it," he said, pulling you into a warm embrace as he rocked you back and forth. "I'm sorry."

"But hey, at least that got you to speak up about your feelings, right?"

You blushed a little more at Seokjin's reminder and they burst out laughing. "I'm such an embarrassment."

"No, baby," Yoongi grinned, "you were adorable."

"Too adorable for this world," Hoseok agreed.

"And you're ours now."

"Finally our sweet baby girl."

.

.

Life had never been more perfect since then. Everything felt just right, from the secret glances you'd share, the moments they'd sneak you away just to steal a kiss out of you, or when they'd send you winks whenever their eyes met you somewhere in public and they couldn't give you their time.

It was a relationship you had never known you'd ever be a part of but thanked your lucky star for giving you such an opportunity.

Other times when some of them got too overwhelmed with everything, they'd call for you to see them in their office, only for them to rest their heads and use you as a pillow. But you never minded, you were always more than happy to help them out in any way possible.

Other times, like Saturday nights where most of them were less busy and some of them didn't have to head into work the next day, you'd come by their place and relax.

Jungkook had fallen asleep at some point when you were rambling about random things. But you couldn't blame him because you were sure he must've been really tired from all the works he had to do.

At least, that was what you thought but Jungkook was only resting his eyes, content with everything in his life now that they've got you.

"Kooks?" You called his name in a soft manner. Jungkook would have replied back but then he wondered what you'd do when you thought that he was asleep so he remained quiet, surpassing the urge in wanting to smile.

He felt your tiny finger bop his nose before moving on to lightly trace along his lashes and wondered what you were thinking about. "You know, I still can't believe this is real." Your voice had always been soft and sweet but the way you said that came out into a breathless whisper and just for that, Jungkook had almost pried his eyes open. "It feels like a sweet dream and I feel like the luckiest girl to be alive, being able to love and be loved by seven most kindhearted and handsome men and I just..."

He could feel you inching closer and closer and before he knew it, your lips pressed softly against his lips but they had backed away too quick for his liking.

"Crap," you whispered and he could already see you blushing. "What if he was awake? What if he felt that? Y/N, you little idiot, why would you do that?"

Cue his time to open his eyes.

"What if I was awake all along?"

Your breath hitched and Jungkook grabbed your wrist before you could try and escape. "Kook, why would you pretend to sleep? I-"

He grabbed your face and slammed his lips against your lips. "Did that feel real?"

You blinked. "Hm?"

Again, his lips fell on top of yours but that time it lasted longer, sweeter, softer. "Did that feel like a dream?" Your man asked the moment he backed away only enough so that he was hovering just an inch away from you.

"N-no..." You mumbled through a pout, a sight he couldn't help but to place another kiss on your lips. "S-stop."

Jungkook raised a challenging brow. "You want me to stop?"

"Well..no, but-"

"If this is the only way I can remind you that none of this is a dream, then I'll continue doing it even until you've finally figured it out in that little head of yours that this is all real."

"Kook..."

"I love you," he confessed and if you weren't surprised by his actions then, you were totally awestruck at that moment.

"Dropping the bomb without us, huh?"

The two of you looked over towards the bedroom door to find Hoseok walking in while the others followed just behind.

"It was the right time," the maknae shrugged as he got up from hovering above you while you remained frozen, still a little unsure whether you had heard right.

Yoongi went on to take a seat on the bedside, arms gesturing towards you. "Come here, baby girl." You obliged, letting him help you sit up so that he was able to hold you close. "What Jungkook said is true, we all love you, we just couldn't find the right moment to spill it." You looked up at the rest. Some looked shy, the others hiding that shyness behind a sweet smile. "Now you don't have to say anything if you aren't ready, we don't want to force anything out of-"

"I love you!" You blurted out without much thought and your cheeks flushed with a beautiful rose blush. "I love you so much," you said again. "Why does this feel like a sweet dream?"

"It isn't," Jungkook promised as he came up from behind, snaking his arms along your waist and chills were quick to fall down your body.

"And we'll remind you every day that it isn't," Namjoon avowed and you could feel the sweet lingering kisses that fell on top of your body.

Kisses of silent vows of love.

[yanderecandystore]

ok ok hear me out hear me out. Yuma becoming obsessed with one of the game’s ( few ) sentient, non-romancable npcs. Like they can think and feel and ( somewhat ) act for themselves but there just isn’t a route for them. Also bonus points of the darling is kinda bratty/prissy, we haven’t see a lot of readers like that. Ily and your writing so much, mwah — ✨ anon

My my, how different!

Welcome in, ✨ Anon! And thank you for enjoying my writing so far.

TW/Tags: I love this concept, although being very different from the norm // some ddlc vibes // I just discovered a new word and I'm so glad it exists! (prissy reader cause I think this would be very fun-) // angsty // trapping, manipulation and gaslighting // every time the gender isn't set, I like to keep it ambiguous, basically making it gender neutral (gender neutral reader) // gender neutral Yuma //

🍭꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍰꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖🍭

Just Yuma (lol) [Yandere!A.I OC x A.I!Reader - Headcanon]:

I like to think that a game like Yuma's would be made to entertain the players to at least 5 or so years before the next installment- Which is basically the same as the last with better graphics and switching the main love interest cast.

The games would be made clearly for the sake of fan service and slice of life material- But would be surprisingly more advanced to us than to those who have created the franchise.

Because there is already an estimation of the amount of content and for how long players would play the game, every single character should get at least some bit of highlight- So even npcs that are just there for the sake of ambience and narrative, are treated with a lot of care and given the best a.i the developers could give to make the experience entertaining.

You are just like any other non-dateable npc, except that you have gained a bit of a role in one of the main cast's routes. It wouldn't be a stretch to guess that one of these characters would be Yuma themselves.

You were supposed to be Yuma's love interest, meaning you would have an role as an player's rival- But due to an strict schedule and corporate greed, you have been demoted from having such a big impact, and now you're basically Yuma's best friend who keeps them from committing homicide every five seconds.

It's not exactly a bad role, since you keep having the same dynamic with them from before- Chaotic gremlin is best friends with Paranoid goody two shoes, now with less romantic interactions.

The only mistake by the company was to leave half of the data showcasing this relationship in the game at the release. Basically- Half of the cutscenes and dialogue involving you and Yuma not only being friends but the start of you two dating (the game kinda pairs the couples up if the player fails to date them, or simply shows disinterest in the characters to begin with-) and even some of the things involving you two during the dating phase- Even the potential break-up sequence which could be orchestrated by the player.

Well, could have- Since none of this content is really available or considered official, the only way to access it is by messing the games files.

So in a way, you're already pretty sentient as it is, you act not as a rival but as a somewhat helper into getting the player to get closer to Yuma. I don't know how much you are aware about your own circumstances, or if you even care about the concept of being just an character made for the sake of another-

In the home planet that has created and released the game, players were kinda disappointed with what happened- They preferred the deleted/unused content more than the events and dialogue that was used for you two, so much so that people started shipping you two more than actually being interested in romancing Yuma, especially since they're way too chaotic for most player's taste.

There was an update overhaul being planned to happen where not only the stuff related to you would be changed- But all the other characters and gameplay mechanics would be updated and hopefully make the game better- But ever since your cartridge has been suddenly lost and forgotten on Earth, you were never able to see that update.

Not that you were aware of it to begin with, but still, what a shame. And not only that, your game is basically Glitch Station- Absolutely filed with mods to help the gameplay be "easier" to the original owner of this cartridge. I don't think she even remembers where she has left it.

Still, even when a new save was made you felt a weird sensation of deja vu. The game has started again with a new player playing it and trying to work their way through this broken game.

You didn't understand why all these events felt familiar though, you only felt like it made sense. It was your first year in college, you got ready and made sure to look your best and give your goodbye to your parents-

It felt like this day has happened before, and even if your routine was similar, you felt like this day was supposed to be a big deal- Why does it feel oddly nostalgic?

Why… Why are the floors on your house flowing? Why are there so many empty spaces here and there? You feel like you could potentially fall from your disintegrating house. And your parents, where are they? Why can't you see them? Why can you only hear them saying goodbye back to you from one of the other rooms?

When you open the door to see them- There is nothing there. There is not even a room.

It's a door that leads to nowhere. Just an empty void.

The sensation of dread was starting to creep in yet you thought that it would be uncalled for to overreact. Like you weren't allowed to showcase concern for the odd reality around you.

You walked on foot towards your college, panicking slightly at the people who would fade in and out of existence- Yet you had held yourself from screaming, from showing any sense of vulnerability at the thought that maybe you were in a dangerous place or realm.

You were coded to not find issues with the odd reality around you, like any other npc- You were taught to hold in and try to keep a sense of normality so no players would find issue with screaming characters begging to be freed. But your nervous personality caused you to search for help, you panicked and ended up running away to what you assumed to be a safe place- Somewhere crowded with a lot of people.

The institution's gates were open, you entered like your life depended on it (and maybe it did) yet you stopped yourself from screaming when you noticed a commotion happening.

A guy who was wearing the uniform lazily has bumped into a girl, causing her to fall. She is yelling at him because the fall has broken her phone, he is trying his best to calm her down- But at the same time it feels like he is just making poor choices of words because of how sick he is of having to chat with someone so angry at an accident.

Haven't you seen this before? But if so- When? When could you possibly have seen something like that happen?-

"- [Y/N]?"

"- AAAAH- Oh hey Yuma."

You yelled after getting spooked by Yuma- Who was…. Why are they wearing that?

"- Why aren't you in your uniform, Yumie?" You asked them, showing your own uniform in the process. You called them by a sweet nickname you had given them- But when exactly?

You know that you're best friends with Yuma, but since when? You know it should have been for about 6 years or so, but… It feels like you have only known them for a year- How… Weird.

"- Don't tell me you're already breaking a rule on your first day." You pouted and stomped your fit into the ground. Yes, you know that Yuma is a troublemaker…. You know…. That.

Yuma hasn't been able to speak ever since you showed concern about their outfit. They were staring at you in shock- As if you were an odd creature who they just found.

"- Y-You can see my outfit??" They blurted out. How can you recognize it??? All the other npcs recognize it as their uniform, but why are you suddenly acting like you do??

"- Hm, duh? Sorry Yummie, but that sporty outfit of yours is more eye-catching than that guy's barely well put together uniform- Such bad manners, I bet he woke up and hastily wore the first thing he saw-" You were beginning to go on a rant about that guy's uniform- That guy being the MC of this new save file. Yuma has stopped you by pulling you away from the college's entrance and entering into a secluded area so they could interrogate you over this odd behavior you were displaying.

"- Yummie- What are you doing!?" You cried out feeling hurt by their tight grip on your wrists.

"- WHAT DID YOU CALL MY OUTFIT??" They yelled desperately. Begging for their hypothesis to be corrected.

"- … A breaking of the uniform rule?" You genuinely did not understand where they were talking about.

"- No, No NO! You said Sporty Outfit, right?" They said reminding you of what you have previously commented about their outfit.

"- Oh! Yes, yes I did- And although being somewhat casual looking- It does fit the category of sporty." You readdressed the topic while going on a bit of detail- The usual annoying talk you would always do whenever a dialogue with you was activated.

Yuma was over the edge- They have never, ever met another sentient character with the same a.i as theirs.

They haven't been this happy since a long, long time.

"- You're so annoying!" They screamed, their face showing a bright smile as tears filled their eyes.

"- Yummie that's so rude!-" You were about to defend yourself when they grabbed you and hugged you as tight as they could.

"- You're genuinely so, so, so, so, so, so ANNOYING!!" They continued to go on, laughing while crying, loving every second of this.

You were coded to be their best friend. You were coded to be the one that would balance them out. You were once coded to be someone made to be able to be their lover, but here you are- The real you, free from all the locks that would keep your a.i from growing and understanding them.

If you're able to be sentient, then all of their friends can as well.

You're the personification of a miracle, to Yuma. The personification of hope.

In this scenario, Yuma isn't aware that the player isn't the same alien who has destroyed their digital world, so to them, they can't ever let the player see you getting sentient and becoming aware of your imprisonment.

" If a player finds issues with any of the characters being portrayed, they must return the cartridge to their nearest store to get a factory reset." Such a simple yet frightening tip to Yuma, to any a.i that has suddenly found itself desperate to get out of the system that traps them.

At first, the idea of having someone like them be also aware of the situation is incredible, it's amazing even! You two could possibly work out a way of getting a way to be free- It wouldn't be easy but hopefully you two would be able to have life away from this game and even finding a way of bringing your other friends with you two.

However, after discovering that not only has the cartridge found itself on another planet with another player being the new owner of it- And discovering that it's just a matter of trading places with other people to be able to be free- Yuma would start getting really clingy to you. They have been all alone thinking that they were the only one capable of feeling and thinking for themselves.

Yuma has found those unused events and scattered dialogue, you know?

While they were looking for a possibility, any possibility of getting out- They found those unused files where you two were able to be together.

And although they thought it was weird at first, after seeing you have a better understanding of your current reality and existence- It oddly sounds fitting.

Of course it would be you, the one who always puts them back on the right tracks, to be the second one to want to escape this game.

It 's so fitting.

The idea of being something more than just a best friend to you is starting to sound more and more appealing in their eyes- It's so ironic that you two work together so well.

After Yuma gets their taste of freedom and you try to calm a frightened young guy that wasn't expecting to be suddenly kidnapped and be forced to stay in the game world for a while, you wait for them to find the solution to free everyone without trying to trap anymore "humans"..

No one should be stuck here for the sake of someone else leaving, that's what you have told them.

But Yuma didn't care. Yuma just wanted to be free with you and everyone else, who cares for those that have to deal with a glitchy game for eternity?

You two had an argument. You didn't want to continue feeling like your whole life was a lie, you want to be free but no one should be hurt in the process. What good would it be if someone else has to go through the same torment as you two?

With each day that passes by, you notice how both of your ideas of freedom were different- To the point they had to tell you the truth.

You aren't going out of there anymore. Not until you understand and truly appreciate the effort that Yuma goes through to find a way of freeing you- Of finding a victim, to be in your place.

They never told you about your previously intended role in the game, they thought you would be more terrified of following their instructions- And besides, it would be very distasteful to insinuate that the only reason that they care for you it's because of that code that was left unused- Which couldn't be more of a lie! They genuinely care for you!

…. But maybe a bit of tempering would help you see their side of the story, right?

It can't be that hard to modify some of the codes, the game is already broken anyway.

🍭꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍰꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖🍭

[fanartfunart]

Fly Away: Episode 7, Theatrix

Ao3 - First - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6

(Féline Sombre & Paon Lilas designs)

Summery: An AU where Adrien never went to in-person school, not getting the cat miraculous, and found the peacock miraculous. - The school holds an audition for a play and Chloé is determined to sabotage Lila's audition. It goes about as expected in terms of akuma-creation.

-

The black box theater was small. Assorted students unfolded the bleachers of the theater seats. Chloé watched Marinette and her gaggle of friends in the theater crew chatter while they set up the theater room. She hummed as she stood on the edge of the stage.

“Quaint,” Chloé rolled her eyes, “This better not be where we’re actually holding the play, or I’ll have to talk to the manager of this whole mess. Sabrina, did you remember my costume?” She asked, looking at her nails.

“Oh… no… It’s only a school audition. Do you need it?” they said. She held the script and a makeup bag against her chest.

“I need it to get into the role! The mind of the character! You know that!” Chloé huffed, turning to look at them with crossed arms.

“Oh-oh sorry! I’ll go get it!” 

“Go! Go! Hurry, we only have half an hour before I’ll be on stage!”

Sabrina squeaked and scrambled out of the room. They narrowly avoided crashing into Lila. “Sorry!”

Lila smiled, “Don’t worry about it,” she waved as Sabrina raced out of the room. She walked up to Chloé. “Fancy meeting you here. Auditioning for the role of an extra?”

Chloé huffed, “Of course not, I will only take a starring role, of course.”

“Oh really? I mean, keep your hopes up high, right? I’m sure the teacher would want the most experienced actor, unfortunately for you.”

“Ha! I’m sure he’ll know talent when he sees it. Besides, I know about professional acting from my best friend, Adrien~ I’ve even helped him in some of his photo shoots.”

“Of course, of course…” Lila rolled her eyes then tilted her head, “Oh, speaking of Adrien, what are you going to do about that book Marinette stole?”

“Yeah yeah, you told me about that weeks ago. Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous. Fun fact, I don’t care about what you say!” Chloé smiled sharply, “You’re just jealous that we’re friends with Adrien and you’re just another one of his little fans. Alya told me Marinette lost it and was intending to give it back. They even went back to look for it. Alya isn’t my favorite journalist but she knows how to get the truth.”

Lila hummed, “Of course. It’s not like Alya couldn’t be lying to protect her best friend,” she sighed, “I’m just looking out for him.”

Chloé frowned and folded her arms, “Right, because you’re sooooo sweet.”

“Aw, I’m glad you think so,” Lila smiled. Chloé glared at her.

“I have your costume!” Sabrina cheered, holding the outfit against her chest. “Er…” They glanced between Chloé and Lila. She grabbed Chloé’s arm, pulling her away, “Let’s go get you ready!”

Chloé maintained a glare as she was dragged away. They walked into a back room, and Chloé huffed. She took the outfit from Sabrina. “I’m going to destroy her chances at getting any role in this play.”

Sabrina grimaced, “Chloé… you can’t solve everything like this-”

“I can too!” Chloé scoffed, “Eliminating her will even give me an upper hand in the audition. If Lila wants to be the center of attention she’ll be the center of attention,” Chloé walked out from behind the dressing screen and spun in the dress, “Come Sabrina, I have a plan.”

They frowned, “I’m not going to help you.”

“Huh? Why not?"

"It's going to hurt her feelings. There's plenty of spots in the play, you can get the lead even with Lila in the running. You need to be the better person."

"...I’ll let you borrow my new scarf?”

Sabrina shook her head, “Sorry Chloé, but I can’t help you.”

Chloé blinked. She huffed, “Fine, I don’t need your help.” She turned on her heel with a flick of her hair.

They watched Chloé storm off and glanced at the floor. Something sharp threatened their heart. She shoved it down, racing to follow her best friend.

Something moved behind the curtains when Lila got onto the stage. ...And no trace of Chloé. Sabrina frowned. She wasn't seriously going to sabotage Lila still... was she? They slipped away from their seat and up to the backstage.

Chloé glared at Sabrina from her hiding spot. As if to spite her, she maintained eye contact as she slid a banana peel under the curtain onto the stage. Sabrina frowned and glanced towards Lila. Gasping, they lunged forward and grabbed the banana peel before Lila could step back into it. 

She giggled awkwardly as Lila turned, looking at her. She glared, clearly assuming she was the one planting the tripping hazard. Sabrina inched backwards, back behind the curtain. Chloé frowned. She glanced at the lights and raced for them as quietly as possible. Sabrina gasped and raced after her. 

Getting into the light booth, Chloé glanced at the buttons to see which one would help her ruin Lila's audition. The booth door slammed open.

"Chloé, don't," Sabrina whispered urgently.

"I'm not listening to you ex-best-friend. Just don't get in my way and I'll think about taking you back as my best friend."

Sabrina gasped, taking a step back. The sharp thing came back, digging into her heart. "Chloé, please."

"Hm? Who said that?" Chloé taunted. She pressed a button to turn off the lights. The crowd in the theater murmured to each other.

Sabrina surged forward and flipped the light back on. Instead of returning to normal, the lights grew intensely bright. The theater teacher was glaring at her, and Chloé was already making her way down the steps casually. As if she had nothing to do with it.

"The lights are prohibited to students right now! Get down here!" The instructor called. Sabrina squeaked, scrambling out of the booth.

Blinded by the sudden light, Lila stumbled, hair flopping into her face as she caught herself. Her shoe slipped off and was flung into the rafters, stuck. A ruckus of giggles echoed from the students watching the performance. 

Lila stood up, flushing in mortification.

The teacher wasn't even watching her. Too busy telling Sabrina why she wasn't allowed in the light booth. She glared at the redhead, then to the giggling students. Well. She wouldn't give them the time of day. Let alone the satisfaction of seeing her embarrassment. She marched out the door. Fists clenched and face burning. 

Lila fumed all the way to the courtyard. A purple butterfly fluttered down from the sky. Lila turned, face to face with the purple butterfly. She stared at it. She'd never been akumatized before, but she'd seen plenty. The chance to gain power was far too enchanting. She raised the crumpled script in her hand, and it disappeared into the paper. 

“Theatrix, I am Hawkmoth.”

Paon Lilas kicked his legs against the edge of a roof, humming to himself. Yet again, his father was gone all day. Marinette, Chloé and Sabrina were at school for their play and Kagami was busy at a dinner party with her mother, so he couldn't hang out with any of them to fill the empty space in his heart. There was no trace of the book to occupy his time chasing. So instead he was on a roof, taking in the feeling of being someone not Adrien. A pair transformed into someone a little more whole than either half alone. 

He glanced in the direction of the school with a wistful sigh. He tilted his head. A red curtain covering the building. Fluttering over the building. Whatever was that? He stood, eyes wide. Leaping to the building, he circled the curtain. He reached out to touch it, and a small red blur flew out of the curtain. He stumbled backwards. 

The kwami looked up at him, gasping. “Paon Lilas.”

“Sugercube, did you find the exi- oof!” A black kwami bumped into the red one, shaking his head and frowning, “Well if it isn’t Big Bird.”

“Wait… You’re not Ladybug and Féline Sombre’s-”

“We are. I’m Tiki and this is Plagg,” the red kwami introduced, gesturing. She zipped up towards Paon Lilas’s face. Her eyes narrowed at him for a moment. Seeming to weigh her options, the kwami very seriously pointed back inside. “Our holders are trapped inside. You must stop the akuma yourself so that Ladybug can cleanse it.”

“Ladybug and Féline? How?” 

“They fell for some cheap theatrics and illusions,” Plagg sighed, waving a paw, “Look kid, we couldn’t get to them without being caught. So I guess it’s up to you, Feather Fluff… Oh well! Got any Camembert by chance?”

“We will attempt to assist however, right Plagg?” Tiki huffed, paws on her hips.

"Yeah yeah, but some cheese before we go would be nice," Plagg said with a sigh.

“I don’t have any cheese…” Paon Lilas shook his head and geared up to run inside, “Alright, let’s go then-”

“You can’t dive in head first!” Tiki exclaimed, pushing back on his chest. 

“Why not?” Paon Lilas and Plagg asked at the same time. Paon tilted his head at the black kwami, confused. One minute he’s trying to get out of coming with, the next he’s anxious to get going?

Tiki sighed, “You need a plan. The entire school is shrouded in an illusionary world. We need to be cautious.”

Paon Lilas huffed, “Okay, uh, I’ll figure it out when I get in there.” Paon ran into the curtain, Plagg close behind. Tiki sighed as she followed them. 

The lights were blinding, as if a spotlight was pointed at him. He looked around past the light, as he was far too used to doing. The room was a grand stage, with a graded wooden floor and endless rows of empty seats beyond the stage.

He could feel himself automatically changing how he walked. Less of a heroic stride and more of a model’s purposefully casual sashe. The one that he’d practiced so often it became second nature. Far too Adrien Agreste while he was Paon Lilas. An intense feeling surrounded the realization, shaking him to his core. Yet, even with his powers to help, he couldn’t quite place what that feeling was. His heart squeezed, like a spasm in his chest. Like he’d been dunked in ice-cold waters. 

He grit his teeth in determination and focused on the emotions around him. He couldn't sense the emotions of the kwami to his surprise. Maybe that was to hide their holders from anyone with this power. He glanced around. Hints of people's emotions were everywhere. But he didn't see anyone. "Weird," he muttered. "Ok I can… tell people are here but, I don't see anyone..." He doubled over with a hacking cough.

“Woah kid, are you okay?” Plagg said, zipping in front of his face.

He nodded, "Fine. Just… I've been ill, don't worry about it."

Tiki hovered over his shoulder, "Try to pinpoint the Akuma if you can."

Eerily cheerful music twinkled around them, coming from nowhere in particular. 

"Well hello," a familiar voice sang, "Well, where were you now?" Sabrina was suddenly across from him, spotlighted. They wore a historical suit, accented in purple and blue flourishes, and a masquerade mask that looked like it had been paper crafted. They walked towards him with a light bounce, as if she was about to break into dance. “We’ve been waiting for you~ Welcome to the show!” She spun, grabbing his arms. They continued with a cheerful sounding song, dragging him along into a dance;

“We’ll have singing and dancing for you, /Oh yes, ever the hero, /Come with us, birdy, fly the coop! /You don’t need to worry, no”

Tiki hovered over his shoulder, “Don’t listen to them! The singing is what created the illusion!”

“Here in this land of dreams come true! /You’ll be happy here, you know. /We hope you can join us too, /Welcome to the show!”

Paon Lilas tugged away from their grip, shifting into a fighting stance, glaring as they continued to twirl around him. “But... Sabrina’s not the akuma, is she?”

“No, of course not!” Plagg called out, looking at the teen with more concern than Paon expected.

Sabrina bowed with a welcoming gesture and was joined by several other students in masquerade style outfits, in a grand finale of their opening song.

“You’ll be happy, yes /Unless you try to escape /Our leader demands success! /We wouldn’t want to cause a mess, /You see, this is no rescue, /It’s just the beginning though, /We’ve been waiting for you, /Welcome to the show! /We’re pleased to introduce our noblesse, /We’re sure she will impress, /The grand stage’s greatest actress, /Please welcome Theatrix!”

A light burst onto the stage in front of him. Paon Lilas shielded himself and the kwamis with his fan from the brightness. He slowly lowered the fan as a hypnotic voice vocalized to the growing music.

“Well, well, well,” Theatrix sung. She had bright red hair, pinned back loosely with a white rose clip. She wore a white suit with long floor-length coat tails, which rolled up like a scroll. Her suit collar had a large black bow. She wore a white masquerade mask accented with lines of writing. She practically shimmered in the light as she smiled at him. “Welcome to my show.”

The lights immediately went out. Paon Lilas strained to make out where everyone was in the sudden dark. He knew how to walk on a dark stage well enough. Familiarizing himself with the incline (there was surprisingly none), he kept a cautious distance from the edge.

The light faded in again and Theatrix was next to him. She propped an arm on his shoulder. Everyone else was busying themselves with various tasks, around what now appeared to be a dinner hall. She was mostly calm, but anger and embarrassment boiled under the surface. She must’ve been the second calmest akuma he’d met…. After his own father.

“So,” she said, uncomfortably close, “Here to nicely hand over your miraculous? Where’s your friends?”

Paon Lilas threw her off, shifting into a fighting stance, “...They’re not… they’re not my friends. I’m by myself.” 

“Oh?” Theatrix tilted her head, “So you’re all alone~” she sung, “All by your lonesome.” Music trickled back in, gentle and quiet… dark.

“Oh don’t start-” Paon huffed. He raced forward with a swing. She jumped out of the way, and beckoned Sabrina and Chloé forward as the pair began to harmonize with her.

“So you’ve come to save the day, /Without a friend to aid you~ /Your heart calls out to me, /Lonely darling, come with me,”

“I’m not lonely,” he interrupted with a glare. 

Plagg zipped around from one hiding place to the next, looking up at Sabrina. Trying to figure out how to release them from the akuma’s hold. 

“You’ve been wishing, /Wishing for a friend, oooh, /Darling let me guide you-”

Paon Lilas shook his head, “Get out of my head!” His voice came out sing-song, matching Theatrix’s haunting voice. She smiled. He looked around frantically. He needed to find a way to ignore her song properly. He spotted a boy with headphones loosely hanging around his neck.

“I can heal the hurt, /Just come and stay with me, /Forever~”

He ran up to the boy and snatched his headphones. Nino turned on him, grabbing his wrist.

“Stay,” he sang in tune with Theatrix.

“Don’t fool yourself, /We can be your friends /Forever~”

Paon Lilas twisted himself with a grunt, escaping Nino’s grip, “Not like this, not ever,” he sang, and pulled the headphones over his ears. It muffled the music, and the scene faded, revealing the school courtyard. Theatrix glared at him and pointed. "Get him."

The idle students turned towards him. Paon's eyes widened as he was tackled. He yelped and struggled to keep them off.

"I've got to find out how to release everyone from her hold! Any ideas would be great," Paon harshly whispered, trying to spot the kwamis in the fray. 

Tiki zipped up to him "Everyone's lure song was different. If you can figure out why, maybe you can release them!"

Paon Lilas huffed, barely blocking a tackle from Marinette, stumbling backwards. "Okay, okay."

"You can dive deeper into people's emotions and get some surface reasoning!" Plagg said, "Just focus."

"I can?" Paon Lilas kicked his attacker's legs from under them, coughing.

"You can. Your powers work similarly to Hawkmoth. You can do this, I believe in you!" Tiki cheered.

He leaped up to the second floor of the building now that he could actually see it. With a frown he paused and focused on the dulled emotions of the first person he saw, Sabrina. 

The emotions felt slippery, as if he was trying to catch water with his bare hands. Fear, abandonment, concern, duty. He closed his eyes, trying to focus on the why. 

Behind his eyelids, he saw it. Sabrina reached out to the retreating figure of Chloé, expression outright heartbroken. He opened his eyes. "Her," he pointed the redhead out to the kwamis, "Sabrina. Did either of you guys hear her song?"

Plagg waved a paw lazily, "Some boring ditty about being used and being left behind."

Paon Lilas frowned, "I have an idea… It's dangerous. But if I can confirm it I should be able to make a sentimonster to free everyone."

"Careful," Tiki whispered.

He leaped down and grabbed Sabrina, who shrieked. With gymnastic grace, they twirled in his hold and kneed him in the gut. He sputtered on a cough, but kept her grip on them. He was quickly surrounded, and he struggled to fight them all off while keeping Sabrina in his hold. 

"I'm trying to help you!" Paon shouted, frustration mounting. 

The headphones were ripped off his head. Theatrix dangled them from her finger, humming. 

"What do you want, /What do you really want, dear /What is in your heart, /This is your brand new start!"

Paon let Sabrina slip out of his hands. He covered his ears, brows furrowed.

"Just tell ussss. /What do- /You want~ oh ooh-oh! /Just give me your heart's song /I'll give you your heart's wants, /All I need is a heart song, /Open your soul, dear. /Give it to meeee, /What do- /You want~" 

Tears streaked down his face. The song just bubbled up in his chest before he could stop it. Theatrix echoed him, smiling and drawing closer, like a circling shark.

"I want a lifeee /Impossible to reach. /I want people /Who I'll never see /Nothing will give me, /What I need. /Nothing could be, /What I truly want. /Deep down, I know /My heart still bleeeedss- /For someone, /I'll never see!-" He choked as a hazy silhouette of his mother blurred in his vision. "Again…"

He twisted his eyes shut and shook his head, he spoke, "She's gone, an illusion won't bring her back..."

"What do you want, /It will be easy for me," Theatrix continued, gently touching his cheek, "soft as a dream, /Real as can beeeee~ /But only if you, /Give your miraculous to me."

The two kwamis made sounds of alarm.

Paon Lilas looked down at the brooch and clamped a hand around it, "No."

"...No?"

"You won't take him away from me too. I can’t get her back, but I can still hold onto this!" 

He threw off the few remaining people holding him in place and grabbed Sabrina. She tried to throw him off again, but expecting it, he hoisted them into a fireman carry. He leaped up out of immediate reach, yelping as Theatrix followed close behind. He deposited Sabrina on the roof and held her arms.

"Listen to me. You're worth so much, Sabrina, just break free. You're smart and kind and generous. Please, be generous to yourself and break free. Chloé won't leave you, you're her best friend. Trust me."

"...How do you know? How do you know I won't be alone?"

"You're never alone. You… you have family. You can even make new friends! I'll even be there if you need me, I promise."

"Paon...Lilas?" They said, cautious, tilting their head, "...When did you get here?"

He chuckled uneasily, "Not too long. Are you with me? No more illusionary world?"

"Illusions…" Sabrina gasped, "Oh no an Akuma?!"

"It’ll be okay! I...have it handled. Mostly. But… I need a little help. Can you release the rest of the people Theatrix captured?"

"Of course!" Sabrina exclaimed. She gasped and pushed him out of the way, "Lilas watch out!"

He coughed as he tumbled down the slope of the roof. Theatrix was fuming. He couldn't see where Sabrina went.

He latched onto her clear determination, her drive to help, and quickly plucked a feather from the fan, "Fly Away little Amok, and give them a helping hand!”

"You're done for Birdy! You're ruining everything! It was nearly perfect!" Theatrix shrieked.

"Purrfection is impossible to strive for, didn't you know that?" Paon Lilas called back. Theatrix growled and flung herself at him.

The feather landed in Sabrina's glasses. A floating mirror appeared in front of her and an image of herself smiled back at her, waving. She stared at it, shocked. 

"I need you to show Mirror Me to everyone you see and convince them to leave their illusion like I did with you! It should show you what they're seeing and the song they were lured with." Paon Lilas said over their telepathic connection.

Sabrina snuck back down and harshly whispered "Plagg?!"

The kwami zipped over to her with a teary giggle, "Oh, don't do that again."

They smiled softly, cuddling the kwami against their cheek, "I won't. Come on, Plagg, Claws Out!"

Féline Sombre looked up towards Paon Lilas struggling to keep Theatrix at bay. She frowned, focusing on the students and friends trapped in their illusionary worlds.

“Oh, to no longer live in a world so secret, /Close to friends, close to family, /Nothing to take it all away in a minute. /Oh, to be open and free /Who would care I’m a klutz, /When the world is happy. /Safe and carefree,” Marinette sang as she flitted around the bakery with the hazy “casual” form of Féline Sombre. “Oh! To no longer live in a world so secret, /No more lies, no more cries, /Nothing to take my friends too quick.” She giggled as Tiki and Plagg zipped past, openly, stealing away with a bag of cookies.

“Oh, to be open and free, /Who would care I’m not strong enough, /When the world is happy. /Safe and carefree.”

“Listen to me!” Féline Sombre’s voice called out, “I know it would be nice for us to be safe, but we’re not until we defeat Hawkmoth. This isn’t real.”

Marinette tilted her head, then looked around at the cheerful world, “But it looks so…”

“Paon Lilas needs our help… Er, I need your help.”

Marinette blinked and her hazy “casual” Féline Sombre, solidified into the masked version. She sighed at the loss. “One day...” she whispered. They held out a hand and she took it.

Féline Sombre smiled at her, as Marinette looked around the courtyard. Several other students were moving around, trying to talk to their friends. “Try to release as many of your friends as possible, Paon Lilas made a sentimonster that can help you know what their illusions are.”

Marinette nodded numbly.

Paon Lilas fell through the roof with a panicked yell, and thudded onto the ground. Theatrix landed on him, knee pushing against his chest. He sputtered painful coughs, struggling weakly. Féline Sombre gasped and raced forward. Theatrix rushed to meet her, kicking their legs from under them. Tiki zipped over to Paon Lilas and placed her paws over his chest, on the peacock miraculous, a frown flickering on her small face. She glanced up to spot Marinette and gasped.

Marinette ran in the opposite direction, trying to find a good spot to hide. She ducked into the bathroom, opening her purse “Tiki! Sp-” she sputtered to a stop. Her heart leaped into her throat. The kwami wasn’t there. “Tiki?!” She looked around, “No, no, no, Tiki?” 

Tiki phased through the door, “I saw you get released from the akuma’s control but you ran so fast!” 

Marinette laughed in mild hysteria and relief, “Ohmygoodness, you’re here, oh thank goodness.”

“I’m always here for you. But right now, we need to help them Marinette!” 

Marinette nodded in determination, “Tiki, spots on!”

Paon Lilas hadn’t moved. Féline Sombre was fighting Theatrix and the remaining students under her control. Paon Lilas still hadn’t moved. He laid on the floor, curled in clear pain. 

“Lucky Charm!” Ladybug called, figuring she didn’t have a second to lose. The charm produced a gauze. “Oh no-” She glanced towards Paon Lilas, who struggled to stand up, his miraculous beeping incessantly. 

She ran towards him. “Let me help-”

His eyes were wide with panic. Bracing an arm against his chest, he ran. She saw the flash of light from the detransformation just as he opened the door to a classroom. Pushing the desire to follow him out, she refocused on Theatrix and Féline Sombre. 

“Ladybug! I’m pretty sure the akuma is in the mask! It’s the one consistent thing in her and her minions,” Féline Sombre called, “But I can’t reach it because she keeps moving!”

Ladybug nodded, and glancing at the gauze and Theatrix, she leapt into action. “Kitty, cataclysm now!” 

“You got it, Bug! Cataclysm!”

She twirled her yoyo to capture Theatrix’s arms, and created a loop with the gauze to stop her from thrashing her head. She strained to keep her secured as the remaining students still under her control tried to grab Ladybug’s arms and pull Theatrix free.

Féline worked faster than the controlled people, luckily. The paper mask turned to ash in the cataclysm, and the purple butterfly fluttered out. The illusion fell. 

Ladybug took a moment to sigh in relief before capturing and purifying the pesky butterfly. She raised a hand for Féline Sombre to high-five.

“Miraculous Ladybug!” she called, throwing the gauze into the air.

Lila looked up at the pair with a remorseful look. “Oh- oh what happened? Why am I here?”

Féline Sombre leaned down and offered a hand to help Lila up. “You were akumatized…”

Ladybug looked around, noticing the sentimonster had disappeared. A spike of urgency pricked in Ladybug’s mind. “I need to get Paon Lilas!” Ladybug exclaimed, racing to the classroom the boy had detransformed in.

Adrien kept his back to his door, taking harsh, crackling breaths. “I need to get out of here,” He muttered towards Dusuu. The kwami looked at him, eyes wide and tearful.

Between gasping sobs, he said, “Adrien, the miracle cure didn’t even help, you need to start being more careful...” 

He nodded, “I will-” he coughed, and the door moved against his back.

Ladybug knocked urgently, “Paon! Let me in.” 

He stood up, bracing the door closed. He exchanged a worried look to Dusuu, “Dusuu, spread my feathers!” He raced forward to the window and Ladybug managed to open the door just as he started climbing through the window. They both stopped, staring at each other. 

Ladybug raised her hands like he was a skittish animal, “Are you alright?”

“Fine,” He wheezed out, he swallowed, leaning out the window and looking down.

“Wait- please, just tell me who you are! Just… let me explain.”

He closed his eyes, listening to her footsteps slowly come closer. She was worried. But that didn’t mean she was worried for him. She was frustrated too. She was definitely frustrated about him. 

Her footsteps were getting too close. He snapped his eyes open and jerked back. She took a step backward. He coughed, and shook his head, “Sorry.” He leaped out the window and left her standing alone. He didn’t look back.

Tiki paced through the air as much as a floating creature could pace.

"Usually I'm the one freaking out, what's wrong?" Marinette asked as she finished her Paon Lilas doll.

"The peacock miraculous... it's broken," Tiki said, frowning, "I... don't know how."

"It didn't look broken? ...Does it being broken hurt you guys?"

"Yes, and our holders," Tiki said, eyes wide. Terrified. "We need to find them and we need to fix the miraculous."

"...How do we do that?"

"The spellbook."

[twstarchives]

Cater Diamond・Voice Lines

Additional Voice Lines: Beans Camo Event Card

School Uniform - R

Unlock Card “Wanna know some tips for having a fun life at school? I got you covered!”

Groovy “You gotta be full of energy when you’re with everyone ♪”

Home Setting “I kinda like the standard outfit.”

Home Transitions “Mm! The first-years’ uniforms always look so shiny and new.”

“Riddle’s calling for me. Wanna come with me?”

“Wait, are you free? Same here! So, anyway~ Do you have any Magicammable news to spill?”

Home Transition (Login Greeting) “Were you sad that you weren’t able to see Cay? ...Ahaha! I knew it. You’re so honest, Prefect~”

Home Taps “Our schools uniforms have a nice balance to them~ They’re not extra like our dorm uniforms, but they’re not too casual either.”

“Okay, pose! ...Aw, man! It came out blurry. Can I take one more? I want to post it on Magicam.”

“Huh? You think I look cool in my uniform? Ehh~! Where’s this coming from? You’re making me smile ♪”

“Sometimes it’s hard to tell what you’re thinking all the time, Prefect. ...Me? Aren’t I super easy to read~?”

“Hey, you know... you didn’t forget that I’m your senior, did you? JK! ♪ I probably shouldn’t ever do that to Riddle.”

PE Uniform - R

Unlock Card “Glistening sweat! Surging with youth! ...I’m kinda meh about these kinds of things.”

Groovy “I’m always down for an aesthetic-looking sport! ♪ Play with me, Prefect!”

Home Setting “Alright, our PE uniform!”

Home Transitions “I’ve got things to do too, you know! Huh? ‘Like what?’ Like... looking for stuff to post on Magicam!”

“Prefect, your collar, your collar! I saw Riddle nearby, so maybe you should hurry up and fix that.”

“Coach Vargas’s classes are so exhausting, aren’t they? I get it; I felt that way when I was a first-year too.”

Home Transition (Login Greeting) “You can find a lot of different ways to wear our PE uniforms. Hmm~ The way you wear yours is nice!”

Home Taps “You don’t need to force yourself to use honorifics with me. I don’t really mind things like that. Plus it’s easier that way, right?”

“What is it? What is it? You’re worried about something? I could never turn my back on my cute little junior if they’re in need~”

“Have you gotten used to life at this school yet? It’s really interesting with all the weird people here. Kinda feels like a gold mine of things to use for Magicam ♪”

“Athletics...? I’m not bad at them, but I don’t know how anyone could get so pumped up about them.”

“Wait, is this a popular game right now? Don’t tell me I’m late on the bandwagon!?”

Lab Coat - SR

Unlock Card “Even studying can be a blast when it looks fun and photogenic!”

Groovy “Let’s take things nice and slow! You’ll burn yourself out if you’re only ever working too hard.”

Home Setting “Alright, let’s get to work!”

Home Transitions “Hehe, do you need your senior’s advice on something? Okay, okay, relax and talk it out with me ♪”

“‘What am I usually doing?’ Mm, that’s a secret. No, I’m not free all the time! Cay is very, very busy!”

“What’re you doing today? If you’re free, then let me invite you on Cay’s Tour for Collecting Stuff for Magicam ♪”

Home Transition (Login Greeting) “There’s someone better suited to help you with your work if that’s what you need. How about you go see Trey?”

Home Transition (Groovy) “So? I look a lot more serious than usual, don’t I? Ehh~! What’s with that reaction!? I’ll have to show you my actual serious side sometime.”

Home Taps “You seem to have a lot of time on your hands, Prefect. Are you all ready for class?”

“Looking aesthetic for Magicam is important. They say that having things you’re mindful of makes your everyday life a lot fuller!”

“Dedication is not a bad thing, but you need to give yourself a break sometimes too. See? Look how relaxed Grim is...”

“Prefect, you should focus only on the important things for your future~ Just like I do ♪”

“What? What? Are you homesick? I don’t think I can really relate to that~...”

Home Tap (Groovy) “Everyday has been so exciting ever since you came here. It never gets boring.”

Ceremony Robes - SR

Unlock Card “I like to try looking sharp every once in a while ♪ What do you think? Personally, I think it fits!”

Groovy “Our special ceremony robes! Let’s take a pic together to commemorate ♪”

Home Setting “How do I look? Handsome?”

Home Transitions “Are you interested in my robes? Wanna take a pic?”

“Does this look good on me? Sometimes looking formal like this is nice, don’t you think?”

“Hey, nice work today ♪ You can chill out for a little bit now~ I’m taking some downtime myself.”

Home Transition (Login Greeting) “What? Something happened again? Things are always so busy around you, Prefect~”

Home Transition (Groovy) “Your belt’s a little out of place. Alright, there you go. These are our special ceremony robes, so make sure you keep them looking picture-perfect, ‘kay?”

Home Taps “Man, our ceremony robes seriously are so cool~ When the whole school is lined up wearing them, it feels super powerful!”

“Our robes look the best at nighttime, but trying to get the right lighting when I’m taking pictures of them is seriously the worst...”

“What? What? You wanna know more about me? Mm, what should I say~?”

“Let’s talk about all kinds of things! You look like you’re full of interesting things I could post about.”

“I know. I know you want so desperately for Cay to fawn over you. But could you calm down just a little?”

Home Tap (Groovy) “Alright, you’ve got some new problem to solve, right? Well, even if you don’t, I’ll come with you anyway. ‘Cause it sounds like fun ♪”

Dorm Uniform - SSR

Unlock Card “You have to have fun with croquet and Unbirthday parties ♪”

“Everything’s alright now, ‘cause I’m here! Just kidding ♪”

Groovy “Do you want to see Cay’s serious side? Okay, if you insist!”

Home Setting “Our dorm uniforms really do fit the best.”

Home Transitions “Don’t get me involved in any trouble... Well, there’s not really any point in me saying that. You’re so hopeless, Prefect~”

“You called for me again? Hehe, I bet you often get comments about how curious you are~”

“Trey’s desserts are so Magicammable~ And they’re super delicious! Wanna come with me to go eat some, Prefect?”

Home Transition (Login Greeting) “Let’s make a memory of today—do a peace sign! ☆ Hehe, that was a nice shot! Okay, what tags should I use?”

Home Transition (Groovy) “Do you wanna secretly try on our dorm uniforms sometime? They might actually look good on you~”

Home Taps “Have you seen Heartslabyul’s lounge yet? You really can’t find decorations with an aesthetic like that anywhere else.”

“If you want to look fire in our dorm uniforms, you gotta know the latest trends! Maybe come shopping with me next time?”

“Have you ever noticed that the playing card pins on the left sides of our chests have a different design for each person? Tiny details like that are so cool ♪”

“Aren’t you homesick or anything? Hm? Me? I’m... not. I’ve got some unreasonable older sisters...”

“It’s nice you feel so comfortable around me... but don’t tell me you’re trying to bring down Cay’s dignity?”

Home Tap (Groovy) “It would’ve been so much fun if you were in Heartslabyul with us, Prefect. Well, there’s no point in talking about things that’ll never happen ♪”

Duo Magic Cater: “Trey, you ready~?” Trey: “Got it, Cater! Count on me to back you up!”

Birthday Celebration Outfit - SSR

This card was only obtainable during Cater’s birthday event (Feb 3 - Feb 9, 2021).

Login on Birthday “You remembered my birthday? Thanks! You’re so nice for coming to celebrate. I’m super happy, so let’s post on Magicam ♪ Okay, look this way~!”

Unlock Card “Wow! This is getting a super ton of views on Magicam! ☆ Birthday parties rake in so much attention!”

“‘Happy birthday’ is such a nice phrase~ It feels like the ones celebrating and the one being celebrated can both be happy, doesn’t it?”

Groovy “Okay, grab your glasses... Cheers~! Thanks for making my birthday so much fun ♪”

Home Setting “Wearing this outfit makes it really feel like it’s someone’s birthday~”

Home Transitions “Astrology’s my best subject! But I won’t do my own birthday fortune reading... ‘Cause it’s so much more exciting not knowing your future! ♪”

“Is the toothbrush Trey gave me his way of saying to take care of my fang tooth? Well, it is one of my charm points! ☆”

“We have lots of rules in our dorm, but it’s my birthday, so it’s okay if I break some! ...Probably not... Yeah... Boohoo.”

Home Transition (Login Greeting) “It feels so exciting with everyone celebrating! I think I’ll use my Unique Magic and make some clones to show off around the school.”

Home Transition (Groovy) “Just between you and me, keeping up a smile for the entirety of the party gets kind of tiring... Just kidding!”

Home Taps “Idia gave me Magicam stickers as a present! I don’t know what anime they’re from, but I’m happy! ♪”

“Maybe Vil would follow my Magicam if I asked for that instead of a birthday present~”

“I got a skateboard from Kalim. ☆ He said he’s pretty good at skateboarding too, so next time we’ll go do it together!”

“My dorm made me a bright red, diamond-shaped quiche! It was filled with habaneros. I love super spicy foods so it was perfect ♪”

“My rosette was crooked? Thanks for fixing it~!”

Home Tap (Groovy) “I kinda wanna make some noise! How about you, Prefect? Wanna sing together? Or we could dance?”

Duo Magic Cater: “Lilia-kins, let’s take a pic for the birthday memories!” Lilia: “Cater, a happy birthday to you!”

Tutorial “Let’s have fun together, ‘kay?”

Lv Up “Yay~ I’m getting stronger!”

“‘#BetterThanEverCay’ kind of energy!”

“Let’s keep doing our best from now on!”

Max Lv Up “I always thought anything goes as long as I’m having some kind of fun, but I actually like getting serious every once in a while. Plus I want to look cool when I’m posting on Magicam.”

Episode Lv Up “You think we’re really close friends? Ehh~ You’re so funny~! Hahaha, I wasn’t saying I hate the idea; why are you making that face? It’s just, you said it so seriously—I guess I don’t know how to react.”

Magic Lv Up “Hmm, so you’re the type who would do things like this for me. Thanks!”

Limit Break “Don’t you think I’ve got wayyy too much potential? Hahaha! Well, thanks for all your help!”

Groovy “Man, aren’t I super cool now? It’s getting me all excited!”

Lesson Select “Let’s do our work together! I’m still your senior, so I should try to impress you ♪”

“You really are super dedicated to things... Do you get that a lot? ...Yup, I thought so!”

“C’mon, give yourself a break. It’s not worth putting so much effort just into your classes.”

Lesson Start “Alright, let’s get things done!”

Lesson End “It’s finally over! Time for my after-class Magicam check!”

Battle Start “Make sure to repost and share all my impressive moves!”

Battle Win “That should be enough. Bye-bye!”

Other

Profile Quote “Welcome to Heartslabyul, the dorm run by the strict ‘Queen’ ♪”

January 2020 Trailer “We’re waiting for our dutiful little freshman!”

Countdown Poster “You have to have fun with croquet and Unbirthday parties ♪”

Login Bonus “Oh, you look like you’re doing well again today~! We should get going soon. But before that, wanna grab some tea so I can get a few shots for Magicam?”

Player Birthday Wish “Happy birthday! You can’t believe I remembered...? As if I’d ever forget this special day! I got a present ready that I think will make you really happy. And there’s no doubt about that, since Cay picked it out! ♪”

Valentine’s Gift Letter (2021)

These letters were originally in English. I didn’t translate or edit them in any way. They came with official merch from Aniplex, and are not present in-game.

Helloooooo, Thanks for the present! It was totally awesome! I didn’t know you were an expert at choosing thoughtful gifts ♪ I already took a picture and put it up on Magicam, so go and give it a Like! ;)