#u do have to meet certain requirements to consider yourself one

[privatetrainingforsissy]

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[spacelazarwolf]

i had a question about the religion vs tribal post u reblogged earlier. does this mean converts dont have to be particularly religious? or can converts only convert if they want like. the full religious experience (i am wording this very poorly my apologies) like. can someone convert if they want to simply be a jew, and not just because of the religious aspects? idk

the tldr is no, jews by choice don't have to meet any certain level of religious observance to maintain their jewish status post-mikveh. once they've been approved by a beit din and immersed in a mikveh, they are unquestionably jewish.

that being said, i got a little over excited and wrote up a whole thing about the process and legality of jewish conversion so buckle up buttercups.

the process of conversion is long, usually at least one full year, and supervised by a rabbi. the conversion student meets with their sponsoring rabbi throughout the year so the rabbi can monitor their progress and education, assess their motivations and character, offer them guidance and support, and finally to determine when/if they are ready to go before a beit din and complete their conversion. this isn't something the conversion student requests, it's something that can only be approved by their sponsoring rabbi.

the process and expectations, along with what's considered a valid or halachic conversion, differ depending on which community the conversion student is petitioning to join. for example, most orthodox and conservative communities still require circumcision or hatafat dam brit in order for a conversion to be valid while reform and reconstructionist do not. the standards for what it means to commit to living a jewish life will also be different depending on the community. someone who converts with a sephardic rabbi may follow different rabbinic rulings than someone who converted with an ashkenazi rabbi.

once the sponsoring rabbi has determined that the conversion student is genuine and is ready to complete conversion, the conversion student will appear before a beit din which consists of three jews who are educated in jewish law, at least one of whom must be a rabbi. (usually all three are rabbis, but i've been on two beit dins and am definitely not a rabbi.) the beit din then determines if the conversion student is sincere, knowledgeable, and making this decision of their own free will. they may ask the convert some questions to determine their basic knowledge of jewish law, ask the convert to tell them about their journey to judaism and why they want to become jewish, and will very often ask if the convert is fully prepared to join a historically oppressed people. i have been on two beit dins and one question i've asked both times is if they have a support system to help them navigate their new identity and the discrimination they're very likely to face. the crux of the beit din is "do you know what you're getting yourself into?"

if the beit din determines that the convert is not ready, they will turn them away. usually, this means they'll try again in the future, but sometimes the person decides that conversion is not for them. that being said, since the sponsoring rabbi has to determine first if you're ready for the beit din, it's very rare for someone to be turned away at that point. (though my rabbi has some very....odd stories about people who have put on an act for years to convert, only to go on and on about jesus to the beit din. needless to say those people are expeditiously sent away.)

if the answer is yes, the convert will then immerse in a ritual bath called a mikveh. most often people will go to an indoor mikveh, but sometimes converts will opt for a lake, river, ocean, etc. that's deemed acceptable. after they leave the mikveh, they are jewish. they've received their "jewish citizenship" and their status as a member of the jewish people cannot be questioned. (with the caveat that different communities don't always accept conversions from other communities, and there are some that don't accept conversion at all. and of course, just because something is a violation of jewish law doesn't mean people don't still do it. there is still a lot of anti-convert rhetoric within the jewish community that we have to reckon with.)

once someone becomes jewish, it's up to them the kind of life they want to live. if someone underwent an orthodox conversion, it's probably because they wanted to live an orthodox jewish life so it's unlikely they will leave the mikveh and never set foot in a synagogue again, especially considering for orthodox conversion it's generally expected that by the time you go before a beit din you have been living an orthodox jewish life and live in an orthodox jewish community for at least a year. that being said, if they did decide to adjust their observance or find they prefer a different community, or even if they decided they no longer wanted to be observant at all, they would still be jewish according to jewish law. the only time the semantics would change is if they converted to a different religion, in which case most communities would consider them a jewish apostate. if someone converted through a non orthodox community and wanted to join an orthodox jewish community, they would have to undergo an orthodox conversion.

conversion to judaism is compared to naturalization a lot because it's very similar. you go through a process, prove you are ready to be a citizen and are knowledgeable about the country you're petitioning to be a citizen of, then once you gain your citizenship it cannot be revoked, including if you break the law. if you gain your american citizenship under the expectations that you will respect the laws of the land, then run 10 red lights, you're still an american citizen you're just a citizen with 10 traffic tickets. similarly, in my opinion, if you gain your "jewish citizenship" under the expectation that you will follow the laws of the community, then eat a plate of bacon, you're still a jew you're just a jew who has violated halacha. if we wouldn't revoke the jewish status of someone who was born to a jewish family for eating a plate of bacon, i would argue it's similarly inappropriate to try to revoke the jewish status of someone who converted for eating a plate of bacon.

however, there have been instances where a conversion has been retroactively deemed invalid. however, there was, in true jewish fashion, much debate about what could invalidate a conversion. in this essay submitted to and accepted by the rabbinic counsel, the determination was made that if the conversion in question was obtained by deceit and the rabbi and beit din did their due diligence in determining the motives of the conversion student, the conversion can be deemed invalid. if the conversion was obtained by deceit and the rabbi and beit din did not do their due diligence, the conversion remains valid, regardless of the motivations and deceit.

something i see mentioned a lot when it comes to conversion and observance after conversion is the argument that if someone takes on the commandments during their conversion then doesn't follow them, or they are pursuing conversion only to gain and/or weaponize jewish identity, they are deceiving the beit din and therefore their conversion should be invalid. i get the logic, but i also agree with what the above essay has to say. the responsibility lies with the rabbi and beit din to determine the motivations of the convert. the moral failure of deceit can be attributed to the convert, but the legal responsibility still lies with the rabbi and beit din. we can question all day long why someone would want to convert if they aren't going to do x, y, and z, but at the end of the day if a rabbi and beit din have supervised and approved their conversion, it's a done deal. their conversion cannot be revoked by a court of public opinion.

it's something that i think is very difficult to grapple with because i don't think any of us want someone to lie their way into our community. given our history of persecution, i think it's understandable how scary that could be. that being said, conversion is not an issue of morals but of jewish law, so in conclusion of this essay no one asked for, i think that it's not the responsibility of the community at large to determine if someone's conversion is valid or to question they way they live their life. that opens the door to a sort of mob justice that jews by choice already have to deal with constantly. it's the responsibility of the sponsoring rabbi and beit din to determine if the person seeking conversion is a good candidate.

[autisticlancemcclain]

What are your thoughts on autistic Lance and adhd Keith? I’m neurotypical so I don’t have a lot of knowledge on these things, but I think I understand some reasons why u have those headcanons. I’d love to hear a more in depth explanation though!

Alrighty, so disclaimer: I am an English major. Not a doctor. I’m not diagnosing anybody, and I'm basing my thoughts on my own experiences, opinions, and this one dope venn diagram I found from a bio-psychology student (@tfw-adhd ). So take that as you will.

When you think of ADHD, most people think of two traits: impulsivity and hyperactivity. That’s of course not all there is to ADHD, but they’re pretty major parts! And most people in the fandom consider Lance to be the poster boy of ADHD. But when I asked you guys who the most impulsive character of VLD was, only one person said Lance. Every other person said Pidge or Keith.

And I have to agree.

In a lot of our fics, we associate the ‘fiery red paladin’ with Keith, in his split-second decisions and crazy things he pulls off mid-battle that always work out for him and terrify everyone else. When I asked you guys for your input, many of you said that while Keith and Lance are both impulsive, Lance is only really impulsive when he’s competing, or trying to prove a point — like when he and Keith drove their lions into the ground trying to race blindfolded. Keith, though, is impulsive a lot, and either doesn’t assess the risks when making a decision or has a tendency to take very big risks without question (like Naxzela, or when he left the team to chase after Lotor).

As for hyperactivity, each an every single one of you told me the same thing: Keith has allotted a certain amount of activity for himself for stress release, and if he fails to meet this quota he struggles to regulate his emotions. He trains regularly because he needs it to feel healthy and happy. Lance, on the other hand, is prone to more stim-like activity (like the GIF that goes around every couple of months where he’s lying on the ground and doing that bicycle thing with his legs).

So impulse and hyperactivity, the most well-known pillars of ADHD — so far we have Keith as the poster boy for both, and Lance for one.

The other most popular sign of ADHD, I would say, is disorganization. That’s definitely a mixed bag — organization is really subjective. But when I asked you guys which of the two had the most disorganised fighting style — something you do with very little preparation, when you have to make split-second decisions with the information that you have and the habits you’ve already formed — most of you said Keith. A fair argument was that Keith has such a disorganized or chaotic fighting style because he has a sword, and that’s inherently kind of messy, whereas Lance’s sniping/shooting requires a specific sort of particularity that requires him to be organized and steady.

I would like to argue that that’s the whole point. The bayards are a reflection of the paladins. They summoned these weapons because that is what they use best, that is what suits their fighting style best. Keith gets the sword because although he has some training, his thoughts are all over the place — he’s picking up on a hundred little details at once, thinking not only about the fight he’s currently having but about the fight that’s going to be next. The sword suits him best because it allowed for his natural disorder to be a huge advantage, rather than a hindrance. Whereas Lance consistently summons a long-distance weapon, and even a sniper rifle — a weapon that requires you to focus on one thing at a time, intensely, until the threat is eliminated and you can move on to the next thing. I have no doubts that Lance is constantly hitting targets and noticing new ones as fast as he can, but the whole point of a sniper is that you are lying in wait and hidden because you’re so focused on your one target that you can’t be in the open because you can’t defend yourself.

This level to detail translates outside of battle as well, for both of them. When I asked you guys who was more analytical, 33% (ish) more people said Lance than Keith. The general consensus was that they both have analytical skills, but Lance is better with small and fleeting details (especially when looking at common behaviour — think of the Rover incident, where he was the only one to recognise the dupe for what it was, or even how he was the first to see that Shiro wasn’t quite right). Keith is better at choosing certain goals and trying everything he can to get those goals — like with his quest to find out about his past; he had several different plans that lead to different outcomes (finding the energy in the desert to matching the symbols on his knife to pushing the Blades for answers), and used the information he got to think and overthink about what he was going to do next. While Lance tends to wait for as long as possible with his information until he can come up with the best possible solution (hence why he didn’t act immediately on his suspicions for Shiro and instead made separate note of all the different oddities), Keith tends to use his information immediately and then use the reactions he gets to piece together more answers (the knife incident at the space mall is a pretty good indicator of this specific process).

Okay. So far we’ve outlined a few specific behaviours for the paladins: Keith tends to be really impulsive, with chaotic decision-making skills and an ability to read the room very quickly and notice small, fleeting details. This is reflected in his bayard choice and the way he seeks out and analyses information. He doesn’t plan things out for the long term, and instead acts immediately on the information he has and forms conclusions that way. He has difficult assessing risk (or doesn’t take risk very seriously), is very focused on things he cares about, and when he’s understimulated or doesn’t make time for vigorous physical activity he becomes unregulated and emotional.

I would call that pretty textbook ADHD, although he certainly also has traits for ASD, and I wouldn’t write that off. But when I think of the more autistic of the two of them, I think of Lance, and I don’t think I’m alone in that.

Like ADHD, autism has some traits that are common in reputation: logic and routine. I went over analysis already with you guys, with the conclusion that Lance is better with small details. Not only is that a common finding among people with ASD, but I also think that Lance’s ability to read people and identify when their behaviour is off is a very autistic thing to do. I know that people think that people with ASD can’t read social cues or human behaviour, and in my experience, I find that it just doesn’t come naturally. I do often miss social cues that some people find inherent — like knowing when someone is bored/annoyed with me and when to stop talking — that lead to ostracization (something Lance also faces frequently and has anxiety about, as I’m sure you’re all familiar with in regards to the ‘7th wheel’ debacle). But it was because of this frequent problem that I learnt to categorize micro-expressions and really small changes in behaviour. I had to learn them, because I didn’t recognise them intrinsically. Like you guys pointed out, and like canon has made clear, Lance is very good at identifying these behaviours. He knows when people are acting differently, based on details that may be unnoticed to someone who doesn’t struggle to read social cues and as such doesn’t frequently analyse behaviour. Also, I think Lance may also use obnoxiousness as a defense mechanism — unlike Keith, who gets defensive about his struggles to appear ‘normal’, Lance tends to butt in and annoy people on purpose (like when he interrupted Allura when she was about to list the common traits of a blue paladin) so that he has more control of people’s perception of him. If he grew up struggling to understand why people found him weird or annoying, it would make sense that he would be annoying on purpose so at least he understands why people think of him the way they do.

Going off that — Lance frequently needs justification for things. He needs there to be a reason, he needs to explain things that may not be explainable. I didn’t pose this question to you guys, because I forgot, but I think Keith is more emotional and Lance is more logical, in only that Keith seems to allow himself to feel his emotions (he is the one to tell the other paladins that he is honoured to have served with them, he is the one to frequently and plainly express his anger or frustration, he is the one to outline to Shiro in no uncertain terms that he does not want to be leader because he doesn’t feel ready, etc. Keith is very in tune with his emotions and feelings, he just is also very uncomfortable with people and isn’t sure if he can trust them enough to express himself). Lance, on the other hand, frequently has to explain away his emotions. He feels strongly towards Keith and has a common urge to be near him or talking to him? It must be a rivalry, and he must do everything he can to keep this rivalry going so he can continue to justify his desires. He feels left out and abandoned? He must count himself as a seventh wheel and assign each paladin to a lion and a value in Voltron so that he has a reason to feel left out. He’s jealous of Lotor? He has to convince himself that Lotor is all, 100% evil, so that jealousy doesn’t come from nowhere. Lance does not allow himself to do anything without explanation. He has to have a reason for everything. Everything has to make sense. Everything has to be logical.

His struggle with his own emotional response to things mixed with his intense need to be loved and be social also leads to a lot of misunderstanding and mistakes within his relationships. When I asked you guys whether Keith or Lance is more likely to make a social blunder, most of you said that both of them are socially awkward but Lance puts himself in more social situations and so he makes more mistakes by volume. I’m of the same opinion. Lance wants to be social and understand people and fit in with people, he’s just not very…good at it.

One thing Lance is good at, though, is routine, and about half of you agreed with me on that. Both Keith and Lance have several rituals/routines that are important to them (as previously mentioned, Keith’s training schedule is important for him to help regulate his emotions and keep himself stimulated), but Lance has more routines, and seems more particular about them. The best example would be his skincare routine, which he mentions more than once and expressed agitation when the routine was disrupted. Also, in the few canon shots we have of him sleeping, he has a very specific set of mannerisms (music, eye mask, sleep mask, pajamas, slippers, robe, must sleep for a certain amount of time for said 'beauty sleep') and complains both in the show and in other canon materials (like the Voltron handbook or the comics) when this doesn’t go as planned. Whereas Keith literally sleeps in his boots and seems to be fine dropping wherever.

ASD and ADHD are very similar. They share more symptoms/behaviours than they oppose, so you can certainly choose whatever feels right for you. But I do find it strange that Lance is almost always the one with ADHD and Keith is almost always the one with ASD, when in both fanon and canon (Keith is the impulsive one with poor planning skills, reliant on physical activity for regulation, low sense of danger and high tendency towards risk, low motivation for tasks he doesn’t care about; Lance is the one with all the wacky plans, who reads behaviour exceptionally well but makes frequent social blunders, specific about several rituals and routines, takes people at their word), their characters show the exact opposite. I just think that somehow in the start of the fandom, we switched them around and just rolled with it. But I love subverting fanon expectations, and I am happy to die on the ASD Lance and ADHD Keith hill!

[explorethingscalifornia]

Why Are Residential Moving Services Worth Every Penny?

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What Are Residential Moving Services?

Residential moving services encompass a range of tasks designed to help people move from one home to another. This includes everything from packing your belongings and loading them onto the truck to transporting them to your new home and unpacking. These services can be tailored to meet your specific needs, whether you need help with the entire process or just certain parts of it.

Why Choose Professional Residential Moving Services?

You might be thinking, “Why should I hire professional home movers when I can do it myself?” Well, the expertise and experience they bring to the table are invaluable. Professional home movers know all the tricks of the trade, from how to pack fragile items securely to the best way to load a truck to prevent shifting and damage. Plus, having experts handle your move means you can focus on other important things, like setting up your new home. Below you will find top 10 reasons to choose a professional residential moving services:

1. Time-Saving Benefits

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You might be interested in: Top 10 Office Moving Hacks for a Smooth Transition

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[surftechinc]

Exploring The Difference Between Industrial And Decorative Plating

Manufacturers and metal finishing companies use electroplating for various purposes such as improving the shape of the part, increasing longevity, improving corrosion resistance or improving adhesion. Perhaps the most common use for jewelry is to add gold or platinum to the jewelry to give a shiny finish that makes the product more attractive to consumers. However, this method is not classified as "industrial" plating because it does not provide additional protection to the product. In fact, dealers and consumers can purchase a do-it-yourself plating kit to apply a surface coating to a ring, watch, or pendant for decorative purposes. At SurfTech, we strive to provide an PVD plating and PVD coating service, thin film coating, and ceramic coating facility service that only promotes and/or protects the foundation. Although the end product may be attractive, our end goal is not about looking at everything, but more about how the part works and how to work with other things.

What is Industrial Plating?

The industrial electroplating process is more complex than what is usually used for coating products to give only a good look. The process involves immersing parts (seeds) in an electrolyte solution containing dissolved ions of the coated metal, along with other chemical additives and you can read more about PVD plating from SurfTech. Electroplating introduces an electric current directly into a solution that deposits metal ions on the substrate, a process known as electroplating. Electroplating creates a stronger bond between the substrate and the metal coating than is possible with less sophisticated plating methods.

What is Decorative Plating?

Electroplating is an electronic process where a thin layer of metal, nickel, chrome or copper is deposited on a wire mesh in a water-repellent manner. A vintage decorative finish can produce a woven wire mesh look in a way that other coatings can't. Thin metal does not hide the details of the wire mesh but rather highlights it. This decorative plating or decorative PVD coating enhances the appearance of the fruit and gives a beautiful finish. Then provides a protective coating and prevents corrosion of the metal.

Also read about Factors To Consider When Choosing a Ceramic Coating Service

Combining Decorative And Functional Benefits In One Process

One of the main advantages of the electroplating process is that it can give the manufacturer the best of both worlds. It can provide protection that will increase the life and improve the performance of the product, while it meets the aesthetics of the manufacturer and the end user. For example, manufacturers have traditionally used chrome plating to improve the appearance of various car parts - although chrome has been replaced with nickel and other metals due to the toxic nature of hexavalent chromium. The coating will improve the corrosion and chemical resistance of the part. Electroless plating, which affects the coating by electroless reaction instead of electricity, can also meet the manufacturer's performance and appearance requirements. The military and defense industry often use electroless nickel coatings for lighting, as they provide the dark finish required for certain types of equipment. Of course, manufacturers also use electroplating for its functional benefits without worrying about aesthetics. For example, copper plating works well as a coating that will help the combination when applying the second coating or finish, especially when working with a base material such as plastic. Since this cover underneath will remain invisible to the end user, its appearance will mean nothing to the customer.

At SurfTech, we offer a variety of electroplating, PVD coating service, thin film coating, and ceramic coating facility and other high-end metal finishing services that can meet your work requirements and enhance product appearance where necessary. Contact us for more information and to receive an unemployment quote today. Feel free to call us on 440-275-3356 and email us on ncotton@ercsurftech.com. 

Original Source: https://bit.ly/3GAi4Ni

[banhchao]

BTS are real activists, you just don't consider them real activists because they're very attractive. being ugly isn't a requirement to be an activist, you know :) anyway reduce reuse recycle

They are real performative activists yes, but not real activists. To be a real activist, you do not only engage in activism whether it be campaigning, protesting, participating in initiatives, spreading knowledge and education, fighting for policy, legal reforms, volunteering with communities, donating etc. but you also must have an in-depth knowledge of the historical, political, social and economic background and implications of the cause you are fighting for. BTS clearly lacks this (along with some of the other ones I mentioned). They donate money and say a few flowery words to seem like they support certain causes but have zero comprehension or in-depth knowledge of what they are saying and donating to. Notable example is their donation to BLM and then promoting the NYPD’s police robot dog right after (the robot dog meant to increase police brutality against Black and Brown people in New York). Surface-level activism and zero critical thinking of how their choices contradict what they promoted in the past.

When we speak of real activists, we speak of people that genuinely care deeply and are passionate and educated about the causes they fight for, even have their livelihoods on the line and have their lives dependent on! An example is Mohammed and Muna El-Kurd, who live in Eastern Jerusalem and use their platforms to share and spread knowledge of the illegal occupation of Palestine by Israel. Both twins have been illegally detained by the IOF, their lives in danger due to their outspoken activism. Another example is Mahbouba Seraj, a journalist and women’s rights activist from Afghanistan. She runs a women’s shelter in Kabul where Afghan women can take refuge as well as several nonprofit organizations. When given the choice to leave Afghanistan as the Taliban took over, Mahbouba chose to stay in Kabul to continue helping women fight for their rights. She has stated that she knows she is on the Taliban’s radar and yet still has chosen to continue helping women despite the danger she’s in. Another example is that of the three Black Lives Matter founders, Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi. BLM was officially founded in 2013 by Patrisse, Alicia and Opal in the aftermath of the murder of Trayvon Martin, addressing systemic and institutional antiblack racism and police brutality, bringing attention to the unlawful murders of Black people (by the police and others) as well as advocating for prison abolition, housing, community initiatives etc. BLM activists have been arrested, detained, injured and even killed for their work, targeted by authorities for fighting for their rights in a white supremacist society.

Activists deserve our utmost support and respect for the work they do, especially when in the face of danger from higher authorities with a lot of power. BTS doesn’t come close to the people I have just listed (nor do they need to as they aren’t activists and shouldn’t be crusaded as such) who put their everything on the line to fight for their causes and future generations ahead. To say they are activists is a true insult to those that actually are. They are performative at best and lack an actual backbone and the required knowledge to enact true change. They are non-threatening in all matters political and never defy power structures (which is the whole point of being an activist). Going to the White House to speak about racism against Asian diaspora... whilst not being of asian diaspora, not having lived our experiences and not having that in-depth knowledge Asian American activists do is... questionable. What exactly can they discuss or really bring to the table regarding hate crimes against Asian ppl in a country they don’t live in??

I’m aware that ARMYs love to flex BTS as activists to add to their “bragging rights” of how “legendary” and “iconic” their fave group is but if you actually genuinely care for and respect activists and the causes they fight for, you would not consider BTS as activists. It’s very disrespectful and insulting to compare a few singing, dancing dudes that fling money sometimes and barely do anything significant for the causes they claim they support to people risking their lives for justice and human rights. All because they are ur faves doesn’t mean you have to worship everything they do. You can acknowledge when they make mistakes or do something hurtful or, in this case, when their activism is performative.

Also your implication that all activists are ugly is very... strange to say the least. To you, maybe. But not me, I never said that 🙅🏽‍♀️. Activism has nothing to do with fitting into conventional physical beauty standards but uh... you do you I guess!

[sakuimpact]

what is art? like a declaration of love

character: albedo 

genre: fluff !!

notes: this is based on my prev. released hcs/scenarios for ‘how they express love’. i had lots of fun writing this! lol i kinda pressured myself to write as descriptively as my *other* published wks for other fandoms, but i paused and realized that this is being written for personal fulfillment and as a hobby! i hope this wk makes u smile :) thank u for supporting me,,

© sakuimpact 2022 

. . .

“You don’t have inspiration this time around?”

“It’s not that actually. . .” Albedo responds, eyeing the empty vial in his hand.

“This is 5 milliliters. . .hm.”

“Should I leave?” You half-smile. When Albedo got in ‘the zone’, it was usually best to leave and let him focus. Alchemy was a field that required the utmost thoroughness and dedication, which you believed suited him just fine. Not that he needed anyone to tell him otherwise.

“No, no. I apologize for being quite out of it today. I’m just conflicted. My behavior must reflect that.”

You nudge his shoulder. “There’s no need to be sorry.”

He sighs. “Still, I should be more aware of my surroundings.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, Albedo. You’re always finding something new, right? You notice so many different things.”

“But they feel inadequate when it counts.” Albedo confesses.

You perked up suddenly. “You know, I read something recently that might help.”

“Oh?”

“In the olden days, famous poets like Homer and would invoke the Muses in their work. Before the prologue or any other stanzas, a prayer or plea of some sort would be said. Inspiration was always seen as divine recognition and a blessing from above, so those who boasted or didn’t give credit would often be cursed or end up suffering. Maybe what you need is. . .a random object to draw inspiration from?”

He seems to consider it for a moment. “That does sound intriguing. But what could possibly be something I haven’t already studied?”

“I think that’s for you to figure out.” You gently place both of your hands in his. He looks up hopefully at your face, letting the smallest hint of a smile break his default expression.

“You have a point, Y/N. Still, I can’t help but feel like the answers I seek are right in front of me. . .” He crosses his arms.

You laugh lightly. It’s becoming crystal-clear that the whole advice column isn’t your forte.  “Maybe. Listen, I have to get going–finishing up commissions and all. . .but I’ll see you later? If you still want to eat together, that is.”

“Of course I do. Please take care, Y/N. I’ll meet you at Good Hunter later tonight.”

“Sounds like a plan!” You tip your head in his direction before exiting the lab, making sure to shut the door all the way.

Albedo waves his hand at you, his lips pressed in a tight line. No sooner was the door shut, did he collapse into his chair. The sudden, knotted feeling in his chest was something he couldn’t quite understand.

. . .

During your meal, he finally breaks the silence.

“I’d like you to model for me.” His monotone voice almost makes it seem like he’s reporting the weather or results of an alchemy experiment.

You were working through the remains of your Sweet Madame, picking at the sides you didn’t like–and completely caught off guard.

“Model for you? Oh of cour–wait. . .what?!”

“I’d like you to be the model for my next painting, Y/N.”

It was an odd request, you admit. You clear your throat, chugging down your drink and washing down the food that had somehow lodged itself in your throat. Honestly, you should know how to react better. It’s a simple request! One that you might have been the catalyst for, seeing as you decided to give advice on a field you’re not very well-versed in. Heck, you can’t even draw a stick figure!

But, witnessing Albedo’s earnest expression (as earnest as you can get when it comes to him) and simple query was endearing in some of the best ways. Maybe you could help him after all. Even though you’re certain that you are the farthest thing from runway-ready, Albedo probably doesn’t care. He’s asking for help, not demanding you solve his problems. Still, why would you want to say no to an opportunity like this?

“I’ll do my best to model for your next painting, Albedo!”

“Great.”

. . .

“What do you even wear to a modeling. . .er painting session?” You wonder aloud, sifting through your closet. There was always your favorite outfit, but even that seemed too ‘meh’ for today. Wasn’t there anything that wasn’t rumpled or neon-colored in Teyvat’s clothing industry? You debated asking one of your friends for a spare jacket or hat, but it was already 10 minutes before your appointment. Everyone was probably already at work.

You slip on a black shirt and pinafore combo, tugging the hem downwards and doing a quick spin in front of the mirror.

“Time to go!”

. . .

The art room smells like a mix of paint, wooden pencils, charcoal and clay. Basically, it’s heaven (as long as you don’t sniff the brush cleaner or eat the art paste used for paper mache).

“Sooo. . .I just have to sit down and smile?” You take a seat on a lone wooden tripod, probably forgotten from last night’s art class.

“Or wait, maybe I should frown? Or just stare blankly ahead? What vibe are we going for today? Do artists even try to capture ‘vibes’?”

Albedo runs a hand through his hair, looking anywhere but at his blank canvas that is staring him down. “I appreciate your ‘vibes’ and enthusiasm, Y/N. Though I’m not sure if I can capture this–”

“Nuh-uh. I’m not going to model for you if you keep going on this Albedo-bashing train of self-doubt. I don’t know how many times you need to hear this, but you’ve created and discovered so many beautiful things. I just know that whatever you paint today is going to be spectacular. Even if you decide to draw my nose backwards or. . .something. Just try. Isn’t that all we can do? No one’s perfect.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“Let’s get on with this then!”

“Alright.”

. . .

“Can I blink now?”

“Naturally.”

. . .

“How long has it been? The sun is going down.” You point out. Your legs are numb from being stuck in one position for the past hours.

“I’m almost finished, Y/N.”

“You’ve said that 5 times already!”

. . .

“You’re art.”

Albedo stops mid-stroke, setting his paintbrush down to dry. The purple line he swept across the canvas appears more jagged than he would like. Still, he picks your voice out of the soft whispers and ideas that cloud his mind. He can’t help but listen.

“What did you say?” His voice rings out in the quiet of the room.

“You’re art.”

Albedo is taken aback by those two words. He tentatively peeks out from behind his current project to glance at your face.

“What about my art?”

You half-smile, folding one hand over the other. You’re not entirely sure if this is the best thing to share right now. He might not understand. No, it’s not that he won’t understand--it’s that you’re afraid to come to terms with something you’ve known all along. Confessing your feelings--to Albedo’s face (you might add) might change everything.  

“Y/N, if there’s anything you want to know about my art–you can just ask.”

It was bound to be said anyway. Once you start speaking, you can’t stop. The words you’ve saved up in your heart just overflow and spill themselves at the artist’s feet. Maybe he’ll accept them.  

“Your art is an extension of yourself, Albedo. And I. . .think that what you create is beautiful. But not just that. What I really think, is that you’re beautiful. You’re art. And I hope that I can be a muse and reach you.”

His breath catches in his throat. He never expected something like that. All the planning and carefully executed experiments he’s laid out have never quite reached this type of outcome. The room is charged in an almost electrifying tension and the seconds turn to minutes. The flecks of dust in the lab stand out in the almost pristine lab, catching the sunbeams that filter through the windows.

Albedo kneels at your feet, keeping his head facing downward. He gently clutches your hand and lifts it to his lips.  

“You know, in some ways the subject of the art is more important than the actual artist.” He says softly.

“That’s where you’re wrong, Albedo.” You chide him.

“It takes two.”

You nudge his shoulder, prompting him to stand up. He falls into your embrace, holding you with unimaginable tenderness. 

[its-deputy-caleb]

Hiii, could i have a request for how the gang members would react to meeting a historian or explorer in the wild?? thank you! I love your blogs sm!!

anon ily <3333 i went wayy overboard with these but i regret nothing bc this was soo cute and fun to write. I hope u enjoy and i made it gn for everyone. I only did the VDL boys for this but if enough ppl like it i might do the girls with something similar idk yet?

Dutch Van Der Linde

Dutch first laid eyes on you when you were hanging off the edge of a cliff after slipping when you got too close to the edge. He immediately ran over to you, helping you off the cliff and getting you settled back on your feet.

He seemed genuinely concerned and agreed to help you safely record the rock carving that was on the side of the cliff face, keeping you from falling.

You were a historian and had been studying these mysterious rock carvings after meeting an equally mysterious man, Francis Sinclair.

You didn’t see much of Dutch Van Der Linde after that until you ran into him again in Saint Denis in the saloon. He remembered who you were instantly and started up a conversation about your work where you chatted away for hours.

You became very close after that and he often accompanied you to Museums and fancy fundraisers that you were invited to.

He’d always get dressed up and complimented your finer outfits which was such a difference to the field gear you’d have on. You’d spend all night chatting away over nice champagne and dancing together before actually engaging with other guests but you didn’t have a care in the world with Dutch in your life.

Arthur Morgan

Arthur finds you standing in the middle of a field, flipping over rocks and staring numbly at what appeared to be a map in your hands.

When he approached you he soon learnt you were a young amateur explorer about to get your big break with a treasure hunt but you couldn’t find the gold bars for the life of you.

Arthur gave you a heart warming smile and held up a gold bar after retrieving it from his satchel having felt a little bad that he’d discovered it not a week before you.

The two of you laughed about it, calling yourself a fool for trying to find it for so long when it was clearly missing— the thought that someone took it clearly never crossed your mind.

Arthur was always a gentleman however and promised to make it up to you. After taking you to dinner and getting to know him better, you spent the next few days camping out and finding a new treasure together.

You travelled through caves and through valleys of flowers to find this treasure. Sometimes it was so beautiful that the two of you just stopped by a stream to let your horses rest and enjoy the scenery.

When you finally found the treasure you gave Arthur a big hug in excitement which caught him by surprised but he happily returned. He let you keep the treasure and wished you luck with more exploring but of course that wasn’t the last time you saw Arthur again.

Charles Smith

Charles meets you one day while you’re out surveying wildlife. You specialised in conservation, wanting to study and protect animal species.

Fresh out of the university from Saint Denis you’d been dying to get out of the confining city and explore the heartlands. That’s where a kind gentleman named Charles Smith had offered to protect you and show you around the herds of bison you’d taken to studying.

You spent days together riding the over the hills and following the herd as they travelled. While you were Charles told you all about his family and the respect and love they have for the beautiful creatures.

It was amazing the array of knowledge Charles knew about bison and you couldn’t stop the smile on your face as he told you about the characteristics of the bison. You rushed to take notes in your journal, knowing that all that he told you would help you study and protect these animals.

“Do you think it’ll actually do any good? The work you’re doing?”

“One can only hope Mr.Smith but I will do everything in my ability to protect such beautiful creatures.”

Even when you had to return to the city for study you constantly wrote to Charles, staying in touch and keeping him updated with all your work. It was hard to say goodbye to someone you’d grown close to but you made regular visits to each other long after that.

John Marston

You first found John in the saloon after a long day at work, in desperate need of a drink. Being a zoologist you instantly noticed the scars on his face and would’ve guessed a wolf was the animal that caused the damage.

The two of you instantly started up a conversation and shared all kinds of stories. He told you about being up on the mountain while you showed him the scar on your arm from your run in with a cougar.

You were collecting a compendium of all the animals across the heartlands and during the months you worked on it, you ran into John more than once.

He was always curious about your work and you often spent time together in the afternoon sun, showing him the animals you’d found so far.

“What about the stray dogs in town or do you only deal with cougars and wolves?”

“Well they’re animals too aren’t they not?”

Even though you couldn’t see John all the time, he often came along with you to see the wildlife and covered you when you were around particularly dangerous animals and you enjoyed every second you had with him.

Micah Bell

When Micah met you he had absolutely no idea what you were on about. In his mind the whole idea of a palaeontologist is ridiculous and made up, much less the fact that you chose to read books and study in your spare time.

At first he doesn’t do anything but mock your work but after running into you time and time again he finally started to come around.

He grew more and more curious when he saw the drawings in your sketch books of dinosaurs and even more so when he laid eyes on the fossils. But knowing Micah, he’s still incredibly stubborn.

“Ain’t no way that thing is real.”

“One needs an open mind to comprehend what’s prehistoric Mr.Bell. It requires a certain practice.”

Every so often on your work you’d run into Micah who’d be riding around on his horse, just passing by. By now you’d consider him a friend and your face lit up as he pulled a small ammonite fossil from his bag.

It wasn’t really your area of expertise but you could tell he wanted to impress you and seemed almost nervous as you examined the fossil. Nonetheless you could tell it was real and you let him keep the small fossil as a reminder of you until the next time you saw him.

Javier Escuella

Javier meets you when you’re down my the docks, trying to capture the sunlight and noticed him fishing.

Not wanting to disturb him you kept out of his hair until you heard him cheer loudly at a catch he managed to pull in. In your particular interest in animals, you couldn’t help but ask if you could take a photo of the fish he’d caught.

From then on the two of you became friends, often running into each other as you tried to capture landscapes and wildlife.

You’d always spend the day together and you’d show him how to use a camera while he showed you how to fish and play the guitar.

When you spent time apart you’d often write to each other to fill the gap. You’d always send pictures with little writing on the back of them while he sent you poems and songs that he wrote for you, promising to play them for you next time you’d meet.

In your personal journal you have the first picture you ever took of Javier, kept safe between the pages. He’s standing along the docks, facing the away from the water as he holds up a large sturgeon and a large smile.

You and Javier always stay in touch and after he told you of his chaotic and dangerous time in guarma he made light of it by telling you about all the different wildlife he saw while he was there.

Bill Williamson

Bill stumbles upon you in the wild by accident. He’s out scouting a lead when he ended up getting lost through the shrubbery and found you examining flowers closely.

When you told him you were a botanist he looked as if you’d just spoken a different language to him because he didn’t have a clue as to what that meant. Bill always made you laugh fondly at the confused look when you told him all the scientific names of flowers.

In Bill’s mind, a flower was a flower. There was purple flowers and blue flowers and even red ones but they didn’t have their own names.

The next time Bill ran into you he brought you what he thought was a bouquet of white flowers. Instead they were actually a species of weed that was poisonous when eaten but it didn’t stop you from smiling and hugging him which was the intended purpose.

In light of that incident Bill was actually curious about some plants, trying to learn about them more. When Bill went exploring with you he pointed out some of his favourites and you picked a few to put them in the brim of his hat for him to take him back to camp.

When you run into him again Bill tries to give you another flower, this time actually understanding the plant he’d picked was a Vanilla Flower Orchid or the Vanilla planifolia but he never learnt how to pronounce it unlike you.

With a high blush Bill placed the flower behind your ear and you pulled him into a hug, being careful not to crush the beautiful flower.

[sleepysnk]

welcome to team player! this is the prologue for my Eren fic! i hope you all enjoy. i worked really hard on this and i hope you all will tune in for this fic :).

Team Player: Prologue

Pairings: Eren Jaeger x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Eren being an ass

Word Count: 4.1k

Next Chapter | Masterlist

(Y/N) plopped down in a chair in her biology class. It was her first day of college, attending Trost University was one of her biggest accomplishments. She never thought she'd get accepted into such a big school, her parents were very proud of her. 

(Y/N) was a very smart student. In high school she managed to maintain a very high GPA, and a perfect report card. Her parents like to say the girl was a genius. Her passion to become a doctor motivated her to excel, causing her studies to be a number one priority. . 

Her eyes wandered up as she noticed other students arrive into the classroom. Many just sat down and put their heads down, or just went onto their phones. 

(Y/N) looked around the classroom at the Professor who was waiting for students to enter. 

The door opened and a brunette boy with short hair and green eyes, wearing the football jersey with the school’s logo, entered the classroom. He was with another guy who had lighter brown hair, he was a bit taller than the brunette, and his face was a bit long. The two seemed to be chatting with each other about something, as they were laughing as soon as they entered. 

The two boys sat down next to each other and kept talking. Realizing class hadn’t started, (Y/N) looked at her phone in boredom, the room still silent. 

"Good morning. I hope you all are having a great morning so far. I'd like to welcome you all to Biology, I hope we have a great semester together, my name is Professor Klein," he said and smiled at everyone. 

Many students stayed quiet and just stared at the Professor. The two boys in the class kept talking, which somewhat distracted (Y/N) from listening to the Professor. 

"May I ask for you both to be quiet? You're interrupting," Professor Klein said and crossed his arms at the two boys. 

The brunette looked over and nodded. "Sure.. my bad" he said and chuckled a bit. 

(Y/N) rolled her eyes, she always disliked kids like that. Constant interruption, acting like they owned the class, etc. It bothered her a lot. 

"I'm going to start off with introducing something I do every year. You all are going to be doing a project, I know it's just the beginning, but this project will show me what you know. I'm going to pair you with someone in the class, I'd rather have you all get to know each other, and this is a great opportunity for that," he explained, picking up a piece of paper. 

Many groans came from the students, even (Y/N) let out one. She always resented working with people she didn't know, she didn't know anyone in this class either, which made her situation more difficult. 

As the professor began to call names for the project, (Y/N) zoned out as she waited for her name, heart racing in anticipation, wondering who her partner would be. 

"(Y/N) (L/N) and Eren Jaeger, raise your hands please," Professor Klein said and looked up. 

(Y/N) raised her hand and looked over at the brunette boy who sat with his friend. The one who was distracting the whole class. Great, just what she needed. 

She noticed his friend snicker a bit when he saw her, she rolled her eyes and looked back up front listening to the other students whose names were being called. 

"That should be it… anyone who has any questions about the project should ask me. This won't be a grade, but you should do your best. I expect you all to work together, please work equally on this. Presentations will be on Thursday," Professor Klein explained and leaned against his desk. "You may now move and sit with your partners," he added. 

(Y/N) stood up and grabbed her bag. She secretly knew that he wasn't going to move, so she just did it herself. 

She noticed his friend left and left a spot for her to sit next to him. (Y/N) looked at Eren who was on his phone laughing about something. He looked over and noticed her standing there

"You're my partner huh?" he asked.

She sat down next to him. "Yeah.. I am," she replied and avoided his gaze. 

Eren placed his phone down on the table. "So what are we doing? I wasn't paying attention," he asked and looked at her. 

She sighed and looked towards him. "It's just a project on basic Biology. It's on the packet" she said and looked at the pieces of paper. 

He looked down at the paper and rolled his eyes. "Oh.. ew, so uh.. is this done on Google Slides or something?" he asked. 

(Y/N) looked over at him again. "Yeah it is… I'll make it and share it with you," she replied and grabbed her laptop in her bag. 

Eren looked over at Jean who was on the other side of the room talking with his partner. He laughed a bit trying to get his attention. She bit down on her tongue from saying something, annoyed by his childish behavior to grab Jean’s attention. 

"What's your email?" she asked and looked over at Eren. 

He looked back at her. "Oh.. uh, here let me put it in" he replied and grabbed her laptop. 

She sighed and watched as he typed his email into her computer. She noticed how he kept looking over at Jean across the room, she just wanted this class to be over already. 

"Here," Eren said and pushed her laptop back to her. 

(Y/N) shared the slides with Eren and sort of sat there, he wasn't even talking with her, or even making an effort to discuss the project. She knew this was going to be a problem, as much as she wanted to stay back and tell the Professor to switch her partner, she didn't want to come off as 'that' student. 

She looked over at Eren. "Can you give me your number? We should do this outside of class too," she asked and nodded. 

Eren chuckled a bit. "Oh, you want my number? Alright… here," he said and smirked as he motioned for her phone. 

She handed her phone to him and watched as he entered his number into her phone. Within seconds Eren handed it back to her with a cocky smirk on his face. 

"I don't give many girls my number, so consider yourself lucky," he said and shrugged. 

(Y/N) rolled her eyes and felt gross. Who would want to give a guy like that their number? She felt so grossed out by the situation. It made her cringe inside. 

"Where do you wanna meet up?" she asked. 

Eren looked on his phone. "Uh… I don't know. Your dorm or something? I have practice after classes, so we'll have to meet later," he replied. 

She nodded. "Okay.. just text me. I'll send you my dorm number," she said and looked at her laptop. 

He leaned back in his chair. "Alright, bet," he said and looked at Jean. 

"You're all dismissed! Have an amazing rest of your day," Professor Klein said and looked around at the students. 

(Y/N) put her stuff away and stood up. She watched Eren join with his friend, already out of the classroom. A wave of relief washed over her body when class ended, but she dreaded seeing him. She already disliked the brunette, and being his partner made things worse. 

-

Hours went by and (Y/N) was sitting on her bed in her dorm. She was expecting Eren to arrive soon, she silently prayed he didn't forget to meet with her. Considering how he didn't even pay attention to her, it could be a possibility. 

She sat on her laptop just staring at the project in front of her, Biology wasn't something she wanted to take since she already took it her freshman year of high school, but it was recommended. She wasn't sure why someone like Eren would be in a science class, he seemed more interested in sports rather than science crap. 

(Y/N) felt her phone vibrate, she grabbed her phone off the small table next to her bed. Her roommate was gone doing whatever, so she just kind of put her stuff there. She noticed the text from Eren. 

Eren: hey, uhhhh are we still linking? 

(Y/N): yeah? my dorm number is 403.

Eren: betttt, i'm omw rn. see u there ;)

(Y/N) rolled her eyes at the message. She felt a bit of relief that he still remembered to show up, she just wasn't sure how this was going to go. She hadn't hung out with a guy by herself in awhile. 

A knock came from the other side of the door, she sat up and walked over, Eren stood behind the door with his backpack. He was visibly sweating, he just came from practice. 

"Hey," Eren said. 

(Y/N) gave a small smile. "Hey.. come in" she replied and moved so he could enter. 

He looked around her dorm and placed his bag down. "Nice dorm.." he said and walked around. 

She shut the door and went to her side of the room. "Thanks.. um, you can sit here," she said and moved her things off the table near her bed. 

Eren looked on his phone and grabbed his bag, he sat down at her table and looked at her as she leaned back against the wall. 

"So uh.. I was thinking we could do the project a certain way" he said and took out his laptop. 

(Y/N) nodded. He had ideas? "How? What do you wanna do?" she asked and furrowed her brows. 

He leaned back in the chair. "Uh.. just do bullet points, it's much easier. It gets the information out," he replied and looked at her. 

She was displeased by his suggestion. Bullet points seemed too half assed, and she would rather not make a fool of herself in front of the teacher. 

"I don't know if we should do that, but let's just start with research," she said and looked down at her laptop. 

Eren furrowed his brows and just went back on his phone. (Y/N) looked at the packet for what was required for the project, it wasn't too hard. They could probably get it done within a day or two. 

(Y/N) looked up to see Eren just staring at her. Awkwardness rushed through her as she caught his eyes. 

"You're really pretty you know? I never knew pretty girls took Biology," he said and winked at her. 

She rolled her eyes and just looked down at her laptop. "Can we move on? Did you get the project?" she asked. 

Eren leaned back. "Yeah I did… but we have two days to do it. Don't rush princess," he replied and chuckled a bit. 

(Y/N) cringed as she heard that nickname come from his mouth. "Please don't call me that," she said in a serious tone. 

Eren looked at her and looked on his laptop. "Jeez.. I was just messing with you. Anyway, which slides are mine?" he asked and scrolled through the slideshow. 

She looked at him. "The one's with your initials are yours," she replied and ran a hand through her (h/c) hair. 

He nodded. "Oh… okay, shit I'm fucking stupid," he said and started laughing. 

Within the next hour, barely any progress was made. Eren’s antics began to annoy the girl, whether it be him sitting on his phone or calling her nicknames that she hated. His laziness with not working on his slides, began to light an anger in her. 

"That's funny as hell.. did you see this?" Eren asked and showed her a random video she had no care to see. 

(Y/N) looked at him. "Are you gonna do any work? That's why you're here, I don't know why you're just sitting here on your phone doing nothing," she said and crossed her arms. 

He seemed a bit surprised at her words. "Yeah I'll do something.. just relax," he said and grabbed his laptop.

She rolled her eyes. "You said that an hour ago, you realize if you don't do shit you aren't gonna get credit? That's on you, not me" she said.

Eren furrowed his brows. "Are you on your period or something? All you're doing is complaining. It's just a damn project, it isn't even worth a grade either. Judging off your slides too you're adding way too much information, just do it this way and that's it," he said. 

She scoffed. "My period? You sound so stupid right now. I rather work hard on this project to not fuck up my first year, and I'm adding information so it doesn't look half-assed like your idea" she replied. 

He rolled his eyes. "My idea is half-assed? My idea was better than yours! You're making it all extra," he said and started to raise his voice a little. 

(Y/N) had enough and stood up. "Get the fuck out." she said and pointed at the door. 

Eren looked up at her. "What? No, you asked me to help with the project so I'm here doing it," he replied. 

"I said.. get. the. fuck. out." she said. "I'm not gonna ask again! Leave." she added and pointed at the door again. 

He slammed his laptop and grabbed it, shoving it into his bag. "Fine, bye then" he said and walked out giving her the middle finger. 

(Y/N) slammed the door to her dorm, and sat back down on her bed. She rubbed her temples in frustration at what just happened, he really was an asshole. She absolutely hated guys like Eren, they act all cool and better than everyone else, but they're really just idiots who are actually stupid. 

She lied down on her bed and shut her laptop, she was too frustrated to even look at it. She silently prayed that Eren would just do his part, and get it over with. 

-

The next day Eren was in a horrible mood. Everything that happened the night before left him mad at (Y/N). He even ranted to his roommate Armin about it, claiming she was being a total "bitch" for no reason. Of course, his roommate just sat there and listened. Secretly knowing that it was kind of his fault. 

Eren came into Biology the next morning and saw (Y/N) sitting in her seat. She was on her phone, not seeming to be paying attention to anything. 

Jean sat in their usual spot. "Hey! You finally made it" he said and looked at him. 

Eren placed his stuff down and sighed. "I'm fucking tired… I should have just skipped, but Armin makes so much damn noise" he replied and looked on his phone. 

Jean nodded and leaned back in his chair. "How did it go with your partner yesterday? She gave you some of that?" he asked and winked. 

Eren looked over and scoffed. "No.. she was a total bitch though. She got pissed at me for not working.. then she got all mad and told me to leave her dorm," he replied. 

Jean furrowed his brows and looked over at (Y/N), she was still on her phone. "Damn.. you know.. you should get back at her for that," he said and smirked. 

He seemed genuinely confused on what he meant. Eren was always in for messing with people, like the time during summer camp he stole the towels, and Reiner had to walk out butt-naked in the hallway. 

"How?" Eren asked intrigued by what Jean had to say. 

He chuckled. "Fuck up the project, embarrass the fuck out of her. She seems to be a really smart student, plus it wouldn't even fuck up your grade. Just do it, it would be so funny" Jean explained. 

Eren felt a devilish smirk grow onto his face. "Say less… don't say anything though. I'm gonna act like I'm doing shit, then change it later tonight," he said and laughed a bit. 

Jean laughed and tapped his arm. "I'll keep quiet," he said and looked towards the front as the Professor began to speak. 

"I hope you all had an amazing day yesterday. I know being in University is scary, but I believe you all will get comfortable soon. Your projects are due tomorrow, and presentations will begin tomorrow as well, make use of your time! I can't wait to see them, you may move with your partners," Professor Klein said and smiled. 

Jean stood up and winked at Eren as he went to sit with his own partner. His eyes wandered to (Y/N) who was still sitting in her spot. He figured she was still mad about yesterday, so he decided to just go sit next to her. 

He came in her spot and plopped his stuff on the ground. "Hey," he said and looked at her. 

(Y/N) didn't respond and just stared at her laptop, she was typing in the slideshow. "Hello?" Eren asked and snapped his fingers in her face.

She tapped her Airpod and removed it. "Huh? What do you want?" she asked and furrowed her brows. 

He sighed. "I'm here to work with you..? At least let me do my part, my bad about yesterday," he said and looked at her. 

(Y/N) shrugged and looked back at her laptop. "Just finish your part and get it over with… I just want this project to be done," she replied and put her Airpod back in. 

Eren looked at the slideshow and tried his best to make his work similar to (Y/N)'s, it would at least put her at ease. He'd wait until midnight to mess it up, he figured he'd put some kind of meme to play, and that would do it. 

The class time seemed to fly by and Professor Klein dismissed everyone for the day. 

"You actually did some good work today," (Y/N) said and looked at Eren as she packed up her things. 

He chuckled. "Thank you… you should have believed in me," he said and slung his backpack over his shoulder. "See you later" he added and exited the classroom. 

(Y/N) felt at ease knowing that the project was going smoothly, maybe something clicked in his brain. She walked out of the class not knowing what was about to go down tomorrow. 

-

Time seemed to fly by all day, Eren had just gotten back from practice all day. His muscles felt tired from the workouts and running he had to do, that's mainly why Eren was at Trost. 

As a wide receiver, he was offered a scholarship in his senior year of highschool. The coaches at his school believed that he was at a level of greatness, and was well liked by his teammates. As a great athlete, he was able to lead his team to playoff victories and a championship title. No one has their doubts, as his number one goal was to play at the professional level. 

"How was practice?" Armin asked as Eren entered the room almost sweaty. 

He sighed. "It was fine… our first game is in a few weeks and I'm excited." he replied and smiled a bit. 

The blonde nodded and looked down at his laptop. "Did things ever work out with that girl from yesterday?" he asked. 

Eren felt a smirk grow onto his face. "Yeah! Yeah it did… things are fine," he replied and laughed a bit. 

Armin shrugged and went back to his own work, not worrying about whatever Eren was going to do. 

Within a few hours, it was midnight. Armin was fast asleep in his own bed, while Eren was up looking at the project. (Y/N) was last active in it about 2 hours ago, so it was perfect timing for him to change things up his way. Eren cracked his knuckles and began working on everything, he changed the long paragraphs to shorter sentences and bullet points. Adding his own pictures and finally the video. 

It was a random meme video he found and pasted the link onto the document. He snickered and laughed as he saved it all, this was going to be quite the surprise for the class and (Y/N) tomorrow. 

-

Morning soon came upon both Eren and (Y/N). Eren dreaded getting out of bed, and so did (Y/N). 

She walked into the Biology classroom yawning, she noticed Eren was actually in class earlier than usual. He usually came in about one or two minutes before class started, she just shrugged it off and went to her spot. 

Eren noticed her enter and felt a smile come to his face thinking about what was about to go down. He planned to volunteer first, and that's when things would go down his way. 

Jean entered the class and came over next to Eren. "Yo," he said and shook up with him. 

Eren nodded. "What's up? Did you finish your project?" he asked. 

Jean leaned back in his chair. "Yup… she got it done. What about you? Did you actually fuck with it?" he asked and looked towards Eren. 

He chuckled. "You bet I did.. she has no idea either," he replied and looked at his phone. 

Jean raised his brows in surprise. "You actually fucking did? Holy shit… you're petty as fuck" he said with a laugh. 

"Yes dude I fucking did," Eren replied and laughed along with him. 

Professor Klein stood up and looked at the two. "Alright quiet down… I hope you all spent time working on your projects, now who would like to go first?" he asked and scanned the room. 

Eren's hand shot up. "Me and (Y/N) will go first" he said and smirked. 

(Y/N)'s head snapped to look back at him. "Uh… sure" she said and stood up. 

The two went to the front of the class while Professor Klein sat down in the back, he was shuffling papers. (Y/N) had her laptop and plugged it in to project the slideshow onto the screen. 

Eren was trying to hold in his laughter as Jean had his phone out recording. 

"Alright.. you both may begin" Professor Klein said and leaned back in his chair. 

(Y/N) clicked the next slide and confusion ran through her. Why was everything suddenly changed? Her sentences seemed shorter and less informational. 

She began speaking and stuttered a bit reading it all. She hadn't memorized any of this, and she didn't even remember putting any of this down. Maybe her computer messed up and didn't save everything right away? She wasn't sure. 

Eren read his slides and crossed his arms. Why were his slides different now too? 

(Y/N) could see Professor Klein in the back narrowing his eyes and writing down different things on the paper, she felt embarrassment rushing through her. 

"We have a video to include if that's fine" Eren said and looked in the back. 

Her brows furrowed. "A video? What? I never put a video in there," she said and tapped Eren's arm. 

"Yes you did… you asked me last night," Eren replied and clicked on the link. 

The video began playing and it showed a random meme playing, the audio blasted in the classroom. Jean bursted out laughing and covered his mouth, Eren started chuckling as (Y/N) stood there totally embarrassed and upset over everything. 

"Shut that off now!" Professor Klein yelled and stood up. 

(Y/N) slammed her laptop closed and stood there absolutely horrified with what just happened. 

"Mr.Jaeger and Ms.(L/N), I expected better from the both of you. This project isn't meant to be funny, or a joke. You both are receiving a zero for this assignment, you're both adults not children! That was absolutely inappropriate and unacceptable," he said and crossed his arms. 

Eren composed himself and looked at (Y/N) who wasn't laughing. She seemed genuinely pissed off. 

"That's funny to you?" she asked and looked up at him. "Fuck you Eren… you're a fucking piece of shit," she said and grabbed her laptop. 

"Sit down Eren," Professor Klein said in a serious tone. 

Immediately when she sat, she lowered her head, feeling the gazes of many students. Embarrassment rushed through her veins when deep down she knew it was Eren who messed with the project. 

She felt a piece of paper slam down onto her table. She looked up and saw the rubric circled with zero on it, she looked at Eren and Jean who were laughing. She put her head back down as her eyes brimmed with tears. 

(Y/N) absolutely hated Eren Jaeger from that day forward.

[obeiii-mee]

Heyo, this is my first time asking (im kinda new to tumblr, so please dont judge) if you would'nt mind, could you do some headcannons (or oneshots, it dosen't matter) with all the demon bros and a MC who is crippled/paralized in their legs, and has to use a wheelchair to get around? Thank you!!

——————————-

This is the first time I’ve written about a crippled MC, so I hope I didn’t fuck this up or anything. I found out that being paralysed in both legs is a disability called Paraplegia so that’s how I titled this post. And y’all are too sweet, you are more than welcome anon! I hope I can portray this properly because I am not crippled myself so I’ve opted to do some research before writing this! I hope you like it! Also, I feel inclined to add that none of the brothers would treat you too differently if you happen to have a disability because you’re their human nonetheless :)

——————————-

The Brothers with an MC that has Paraplegia and needs a wheelchair to get around:

Lucifer:

-Lucifer was in charge of choosing the final human, exchange student for the program so it’s guaranteed he already knew about your predicament before you even arrived

-Him and Diavolo probably had many meetings concerning your disability before the program could commence, considering that being unable to walk would double the chances of you getting killed since you are obviously more vulnerable

-Not to mention all the treatment you would require

-Lucifer is not well versed in human illnesses and disorders, but he makes sure that he is educated enough on the matter before you get brought down there

-It would not be easy, but he is determined to help you survive your year in DevilDom for the prince’s sake

-First problem of the day was, of course, your wheelchair

-Due to lack of time, Lucifer was unable to instal ramps around the House of Lamentation which meant that for the first couple of weeks, someone would’ve had to help you move around certain parts of the house

-He gave that highly prestigious job to himself because he didn’t trust his brothers and thought they would accidentally drop you and your wheelchair down the stairs

-He talks a lot to you, even at the beginning, because he needs to establish your needs and what he should do to make sure you don’t die for the following year

-You would have to tell him about physical therapy and how most commonly it uses heat, massage and exercise to stimulate your nerves and muscles, making it a great treatment for people with leg paralysis

-Once you two enter a more intimate and personal relationship, it’s more than likely he’ll help you perform those things himself (instead of kidnapping a human doctor from somewhere)

-Lucifer knows you have no problem getting around with your wheelchair by yourself but there are times where he’ll insist to push you along in order to give you a quick break

-I can totally imagine you two strolling around DevilDom and having cosy chats about RAD and your adjustments to DevilDom

-He has a softer side to him that he’s afraid to show most of the time, but he feels so at ease when you’re around, it’s hard for him to hold that part of him hidden from you

-Of course, your safety still remains his primary concern and he acts more like your guardian than Mammon does, even if he was originally supposed to look out for you

-He will accompany you almost anywhere. And if he can’t, he’ll have one or more of his brothers do it. And even then he’s probably lurking nearby, just in case

-He would always be willing to listen about your condition, if you wished to tell him whether you were born with the defect or why you ended up crippled later in life. Either way, he’s all ears

-If you would rather not speak about it, he wouldn’t pry and respect your decision because he knows it’s not his place to pressure you

-Because of your paralysis, it’s quite obvious to demons that you are even weaker (physically speaking) than most humans and that usually puts a target on your back

-Howver, never fear, because Lucifer is pretty quick to put lower rank demons in their place with just a mere stare

-Oop one of them passed out from the fear, haha

-In conclusion, he’s the most responsible when it comes your comfort and safety during your stay

-He makes sure you are always left in good hands and and provides most of the requirements you need

-Y’all should see how his wings puff up when he senses a threat approaching you, he looks like a peacock ready to go on attack lol

Mammon:

-The second born is unsurprisingly a bit of a jerk at first

-He stays really grumpy the whole day of your arrival because he’s stuck babysitting you stupid human

-“Lucifer c’mon, what’s all this workload for? The human can’t even walk by themselves, why do I have to help them out?”

-Wtf Mammon you can’t say shit like that

-Anyways, the following very few days, the only thing he’s thinking about is how much money he could sell your wheelchair for

-He’s the literal incarnation of greed, what else did you expect from him?

-After a while, he starts feeling a bit guilty every time he thinks about it though

-Mammon is gonna take this secret to the grave (laughs in immortal) but he actually really likes pushing you around

-Maybe it’s because it’s a clear indication to everyone around him that you are HIS human, under HIS protection and therefore you trust HIM the most since he was your FIRST MAN

-He will insist on helping you get out of that thing when you need to go to bed and stuff every night and he will get pouty real fast if you let any of his other brothers do it

-You wake up to him trying to roll around in your wheelchair one night at like 3am

-At some point, he stole a wheelchair from the human realm to match with his human. You can guess the consequences of his actions

-I can imagine you having to face a staircase or something at school and Mammon being like:

-“Fuck it, imma carry this fragile human instead; wheelchair and all!”

-Like you were a sack of potatoes or something smh

-Cue his brothers watching him from a distance as he heaves you and basically weight-lifts you up the stairs

-Ok but every now and again, he gets so sad thinking about you not being able to walk, like he starts crying kinda sad

-While you stand there like 😐 “Why are you crying?”

-He’s so quick to help if he senses you’re in danger too

-It’s canon that Mammon is crazy fast if he wants to be so if he has even the slightest impression that your life is threatened, his feet are already moving

-He will charge at your immediate threat at around 120 miles per hour-do not try him when he’s mad

-“The Great Mammon saved the day! C’mon MC, let’s go buy some ice cream. My treat! Ya better be grateful!”

-He says while the demon that tried to eat you lies on the floor with about a dozen broken bones

-Mammon is the second most powerful demon out of all of his brothers, even if he doesn’t resort to violence often

Levi:

-He didn’t really know how to react when you first teleported to DevilDom

-I mean, from the very beginning he considered you to be a human normie but at the same time, he felt bad you were stuck with his brothers for the rest of the year

-I think he would understand you would have an even harder time integrating yourself in their house because of your disability and he knows his siblings are really fucking annoying, always pushing you around and whatnot

-So, he kinda lets you hide in his room quite often

-You guys chill out in there all the time, much to the dismay of the other brothers who also want to spend time with you

-At some point, Levi definitely begged asked Lucifer to let you start online classes with him

-“But wouldn’t it be easier for MC to do online school from home rather than go to R.A.D since there aren’t any ramps or anything around there???”

-“The answer is no Leviathan.”

-“Ugh fine! What a fucking boomer-“

-For some reason, he gets so flustered whenever you ask him to push you around

-He blushes right to the tips of his ears and then he starts sputtering some nonsense that you can’t make out at all

-But he’s more than happy to do it, especially if you guys are going to a convention or if he’s dragging you out to buy new merch

-You two would get along in the sense that Levi realises the struggles you faced all your life were tough to overcome and he believes you are just like him

-Usually left out by other people, ignored even

-He knows you always listen to him ramble on about whatever he is currently obsessed with and how much you check up on him to make sure he never isolated himself

-He wants to do that for you too! Talk to him about your hobbies, please I’m begging you-he feels so bad whenever he’s doing all the talking

-If you ask him to help you with anything (getting something, helping you into bed—that sort of thing), he legally and physically can’t say ‘no’

-And he would get envious enough to stop talking to you for a day or two if you let his brothers do it instead (the second and third born are indeed similar lmao)

-S T A Y I N H I S R O O M, W H E R E Y O U C A N B E P R O T E C T E D !

-He will feel so much more at ease if you’re in his room because to him, that’s his haven

-If you’re in there with him, that means you’re not getting involved in his siblings’ endless and dangerous shenanigans

-Whenever you’re at school, he can’t help but worry about your well-being

-Because you’re human! You’re gonna get killed!! Do you know how much your organs sell on the black market in DevilDom??? 100x more than in the human realm, that’s for sure

-Would they have a black market or would it be a regular market lol

-For some reason, he also likes staying in your wheelchair when you’re not using it

-I think he just takes comfort in knowing it’s something that belongs to you and smells like you and-

-OK Levi, sit back down

-He wouldn’t treat you any differently if you had a disability tbh, but he’d be more concerned because you can’t even run away or anything

-So he’s so fuckin’ relieved when you guys are just vibing in his room

-He could die happy knowing he kept his best friend/ partner safe

Satan:

-Satan would be even more prepared for your arrival than Lucifer would, in a sense

-Out of all of his brothers, he’s most likely to understand and recognise paraplegia (either from studying human illnesses/birth defects/disabilities or from encountering humans with said disability)

-He’s a smart boy, alright?

-Always seems to be the first to notice if you need help or if someone’s bothering you

-Though in the very beginning, he was pretty tempted to just let you get killed to see how angry Lucifer could get

-Seeing dear Luci’s misery brings him great joy 🥰🥰🥰

-Once you two manage to build a very honest and strong relationship, he feels more and more inclined to keep you out of harm’s way

-Pls, he would feel so honoured if you let him push you around (it’s like you asked him to h*ld h*nds or something)

-If you require treatment of any kind, he would be so happy to help

-But in a subtle way...?

-Satan makes it seem so smooth too like he doesn’t mind lending a helping hand when in reality he’s all giddy inside

-*Kinda wants to rub it in his brothers’ faces but at the same no, because he’s definitely the bigger person here

-He wants to know how your wheelchair works

-It’s got all of these neat mechanisms and he wants to learn how they’re constructed because he never had the chance to inspect one before

-He’s such a sweetheart about asking you as well and never pries about your disability unless you start elaborating yourself

-Most of the time, he acts all charming and very gentleman-like

-So people have a hard time spotting and acknowledging the building rage inside of him every time he sees you are threatened by some moronic low rank demon

-Satan’s usually chill when it comes to injuries, unless he can see you’re in horrible pain

-There’s nothing a few spells can’t accomplish

-But when others purposefully try harming you?

-It’s like he loses all the self control he’s been trying to perfect over the centuries and he can’t help himself from at least breaking someone’s rib cage

-Satan’s a weird one because he’s protective of you even though he’s more on the relaxed side when compared to his siblings

-He very much acknowledges that you made it this far in life with your predicament so he doesn’t feel the need to baby you or anything

-You’re strong and he knows this

-It’s one of the many things he clearly loves about you

-That one time you rolled over Mammon’s foot with your wheelchair on purpose, he was wheezing

Asmo:

-Even now, he can’t help but wonder what it would be like to be stuck inside a wheelchair for the rest of his eternal life

-I mean, he’d obviously still be absolutely fabulous, have you seen him? He’s gonna be gorgeous either way

-But after the two of you meet, he definitely starts thinking about how he takes his feet for granted all the time

-It would be so difficult to complete his daily tasks without the ability to walk or run around

-That’s why he gets sad every time he remembers that’s your reality and on days like that, you’ve noticed he gives you a helluva lot more attention than usual

-He knows you don’t need pity or anything so he’s just making sure his human has all the support they can get

-Paraplegia or not, shopping trips are still a go-go

-He loves buying you clothes! And he loves helping you try them on! Asmo takes it very seriously

-Might have a go at the employees if they’re being rude to you

-You don’t even ask him to, but he subconsciously starts pushing you around himself whenever the two of you are out together

-“MC! Look at that new shop that’s just opened! Isn’t it adorable? We have to check it out!”

-He can’t help it! There’s so many places he wants to visit, he sort of just drags you with him wherever he goes

-Even at home, he always pops out of nowhere to coax you into coming to his room

-Y’all have so many skin routines to do each day

-Like he’s in your room most nights to greet you goodnight and tuck you in, with the rest of his brothers it gets so awkward at times

-Asmo just wants to see you smile, ok? He thinks you have a beautiful smile and laugh and he wants to remind you that you’re marvellous, disability or not

-And if anyone does anything to put an end to your self confidence, he will swiftly put an end to their life

-Please, he’s a pro at ruining lives, he’s been doing it for centuries

-Asmo has such a huge influence over the people in DevilDom, he just needs to make this one post on Devilgram to end said demon’s whole career

-I mean, who is he compared to him, Hmm? So don’t worry MC, scum like that don’t even deserve to breathe the same air as you :)

-That one time Mammon tried lifting you up the stairs and Asmo started shrieking, like put them down! Don’t manhandle them like that, poor human :(

Beel:

-I know I sound repetitive, but he would be an overall sweetheart to you no matter the circumstances

-If Mammon is not by your side, then Beel definitely is

-His big, scary aura and figure usually scares off any threat in a 10 mile radius

-Most demons don���t fancy being eaten by the Avatar of Gluttony, ya know?

-Idk why but I feel like he’d be the type to ask for oral consent every time he wanted to push you around

-He doesn’t want to make you uncomfortable :(

-Surprisingly also the type to lift you and your wheelchair whenever an obstacle gets in your way

-You basically weigh the same amount as a paper plate compared to him, so he has no problem doing so

-He doesn’t really understand your condition as well as Satan may do, but he’s trying his best

-You mean so much to him and he feels it’s only fair he learns more about your disability as a thank you for what you’ve done for him

-He has a rough time keeping up with you when it comes to stuff like physical therapy because he’s very unfamiliar with it but that doesn’t mean he’s not gonna help

-Of course, Beel believes that this is the second best way to show you how much he cares for you besides the obvious ‘I love you’

-Giving you a hand whenever you need his support the most

-That’s his way of saying “I’m not going to let you down. I want you to trust me, the same way I trust you.”

-And knowing him, he will try to do everything in his power to keep you safe and sound

-After a while, you’re bound to notice he’s the first one to pull you out of his brothers’ pranks before you have a chance to get hurt

-Beel is always the one handing you stuff from high places you can’t reach, without teasing you for it like Mammon might do

-Always the first one to remind you to get plenty of rest and to eat enough

-He wants to protect you and his brothers because he knows he failed to do so with Lilith so yeah, he’s a bit overprotective at times

-He doesn’t mean to be overbearing, but he gets so anxious knowing you’re by yourself

-After a few months of getting accommodated with him, your disability is no longer brought up in the conversation

-Because he doesn’t care that you are crippled and forced to use a wheelchair

-You are part of his family and he loves you no matter what

Belphie:

-He didn’t really care, even when you first met and his hatred for humans was at its very peak

-It didn’t matter that you had a disability

-All that mattered to him at the time was killing you to satisfy that deeply rooted need of vengeance inside of him

-Though he was sort of surprised his brothers didn’t get to you first

-In general, he’s pretty chill about you being crippled in both legs

-It takes too much effort to worry about your well-being 24/7 after all

-Surprisingly, he does keep an eye out for you if his siblings aren’t nearby

-It’s his redemption arc people, he’s trying to be nicer

-But he has such an irritating way of showing his affection for you

-Do not let him push you around

-He’s either going to a) fall asleep after 30 seconds and slump over you in the middle of RAD’s halls

-Or b) be annoying and fling your wheelchair in every direction possible just to piss you off

-He likes messing with you because you give him the best reactions and he thrives on that

-You’ve almost fallen off your wheelchair multiple times because of this asshole

-Not that he’d actually let you fall, he just wants to see how easily he can get you to yell at him

-Speaking of said wheelchair, like Mammon and Levi, he also loves using it when you’re not

-You’ve woken up to him curled up and asleep in that thing quiet often and he’s gotten in trouble over it every time with Lucifer

-But he doesn’t care

-And at this point, I don’t think even he knows whether he’s doing it to get a reaction out of you or because he somehow found a way to make himself comfortable there

-He would low key use you as a mode of transportation every time you go to RAD

-Just clings the damn wheelchair and almost topples both of you over

-“Belphie, there’s nothing stopping you from walking 😐”

-“Shh, just bring me to class and let me nap until then.”

-He doesn’t mention your legs but he still lays his head on your lap often

-Might make you hold him like a bride every time you stroll around the house

-It’s done out of love, I promise 😌😌

———————————

Al~

[siriusmydeer]

Hi hi hi, First thing, I legit love your theme sm-

Second thing, I was wondering if I could maybe request a fic where Fred is best friends with a gryffindor fem!reader who try’s to stay in the shadows but he and George are basically her best friends who she loves with all her heart bc they treat her kindly and don’t try to over push her limits and Fred always try’s to check up on her every other night because he wants to make sure she doesn’t get too lonely (they have a really fluffy relationship) and time skip to him asking her to the Yule ball and then dancing with her in private where they can still hear the music but where ppl can’t see because he knows she doesn’t like crowds and idrk just fluffy and they end up kissing or smth

Anyway, have a good day and don’t feel pressured to do this okay! Drink some water and eat some food.

hi, darling!!! thank u so much for the request, also if anyone else has sent me a request i’ll be working on them this weekend. i hope this is what you wanted :))

not a yule ball

fred weasley x fem!gryffindor!reader

summary: fred and you have your own yule ball.

warnings: food, mentions of loneliness, mentions of claustrophobia, mentions of underage drinking, mentions of alcohol, fred being a sweet heart, TOOTH ROTTING FLUFF, mutual pining but freddie being a simp, a KISS, a light slap (like on the chest?), mentions of spiking drinks with alcohol and mentions of a panic attack

word count: 2.2k

“when are you gonna tell her, mate?” george said looking at his ginger twin. “tell who, what?” he said defensively, afraid that he had made his feelings to obvious. “are you forgetting we’re magical twins? i know everything.” george said smugly, smirking and looking back at his newest invention while fred went to lay on his four poster bed.

fred was about to defend himself, lying at the fact his twin caught him dreaming about his crush who also happened to be his bestfriend, besides george of course. “you can barely stomach the thought of her getting pranked, i know you better than yourself it’s not that hard to tell” his twin looked back to his him as fred grumbled something under his breath.

he was about to continue his plea to his fiery headed twin as you, you’re gorgeous locks framing your face, your perfect coloured irises looked for him first, the way your skin looked good in every shade of lighting and the way your figure made its way over to his sitting beside his laying figure.

“you alright, freddie? you look like you’ve seen a ghost.” you said looking at the red head confused. his eyes widened before sitting up next to you. “yeah, you alright love? look a bit fidgety.” he said as you were wringing your fingers together and george smirked over to fred before getting up going to the common room.

“alright, i guess. for transfiguration mcgonagall partnered me with people i don’t really know so i have to meet them in the library soon. i dunno, it’s stupid m’just nervous” you mumbled, embarrassed before looking at him. he scooted closer to you and placing a hand on your arm.

“darling, if you want i can talk to her, i mean she favours us gryffindors and i can tell her i’ll lay off the pranks and stuff?” he said quickly before adding, “i just don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.” he said in a sorrowful tone, rubbing his hand up and down your arm before pulling you into a hug. his hands rested on your waist as your arms winded their way around his neck and your head on his shoulder.

“no..no... m’fine i’ll just get over it, i have to go but i’ll see you and georgie later?” you said standing up, smoothing down your skirt and walking towards the door. “yeah?” “of course darling, i couldn’t leave you alone even if i wanted too.” and with that you were off to the library. a few seconds later the other mischievous twin apparated into the dorm and pouncing on fred’s bed.

“damn, didn’t know you were that whipped.” george added, with a laugh. “oh, bugger off!” the long haired ginger, yelled hitting george with a pillow.

later that evening fred couldn’t keep his mind off you, and your well being. he always knew that you tended to distance yourself, normally not on purpose but it was a habit that he always wanted to help you break. he knew like it was written on the back of his hand that large crowds made you nervous, he also knew that that when you were nervous you would pull on your favourite ring he made you for your birthday. you tended to like things homemade things rather than store bought, when you were nervous you would bounce your leg to the point where he would have to grab your leg to stop it.

he memorized every quirk, every indication of a mood change and he knew when things were good or bad. he didn’t think he was whipped, he thought this was what friends normally for other friends. that was until he saw you flip your hair a certain way, or loosen that gryffindor tie of yours and he absolutely wanted to kiss you senseless. he hadn’t told you, or george for that matter because he didn’t want to ruin the strong friendship you had built since second year when he helped you through a panic attack after snape had embarrassed you infront of the whole class.

‘maybe i should check on her... i don’t want to be to clingy?’ he thought to himself.

he opted to go to your dormitory, biding past the charm on the staircase and knocking on your door twice, an indication it was him before seeing you on your lay on your twin bed chipping away at your nail polish. “anything you wanna talk about?” he said before hopping on your bed sitting back on your headboard.

“it wasn’t bad, just frustrating.” you said looking into his brown irises through your dark eyelashes. “cormac kept speaking over me, he just kept interrupting and it was frustrating.” you mumbled before looking back at your fingernails.

“you had mclaggen in your group? absolutely not, i’m talking to mcgonagall.” he said, trying to stand up but not before you grabbed his hand pulling it back down. he got flustered at the completely innocent gesture, face flaring up, stomach getting tingly and his heart feeling like it could burst from his chest.

“you freddie, aren’t doing anything.” you sigh, “i’ll just work through it, it’s only a few days.” you giggled before adding, “plus if you’re coming to check on me, then i really don’t mind.” you say scrunching your nose in his direction before padding over to your desk to grab something.

if fred was flustered before, everything that had just occurred inside of his body exhilarated one hundred times harder. you WANTED him to come see you, and check on you. fred was of course, quite the flirt and he mostly new what to say to girls. but with a girl as gorgeous, and caring as you, you had him completely speechless.

“hey- you ate today right? drank water, took care of yourself? i know you forget sometimes, angel...” he said sheepishly fumbling with his ring-clad fingers looking at his lap. you smiled at his ability for care for someone, you of all people, “yeah... yeah, hermione brought me stuff.” you looked at him before grabbing a makeup wipe and looking in the mirror.

“i should- i should go me and george.... are working on a new prank, so i’m gonna go.” he said before walking to the door,

“see you tomorrow, freddie?”

“see you tomorrow, darling.”

the first bit of the semester quickly approached, the sooner you were to christmas, the sooner was... the yule ball. a ball with teenagers, dancing, fancy clothes and people trying to subtly drink alcohol... i mean who wouldn’t love it? you. you definitely did not love it. big sweaty crowds, with music you probably wouldn’t like, and drink spiking with god knows what liquor.

i mean as long as the clothes were ugly you definitely didn’t mind, and seeing fred in a suit was something you also definitely did not mind either but the claustrophobia of it all really made you want to lay in your bed and have a nice and long nap.

george’s reminders of fred’s pining definitely didn’t help either, fred wanted to go with you of course but he also knew that you definitely weren’t fond of big groups. so he had a brewing idea bubbling in that gorgeous mind of his, and the room of requirement. he had went to george with the idea hoping that it was a way to have a fun time in your own way, the more sensitive twin of the bunch agreed it was great idea.

after working on a 4ft scroll for potions, you were about to go find your 2 prankster bestfriends when you heard a double knock at the door and then the creak of it opening. you’re favourite fiery redhead walked in without his normal strut, and padded in nervously with his gaze strictly at the floor before sheepishly looking at you. “are you busy..?” he said before walking closer.

you set your quill down and look back at him and cock an eyebrow, “no...why?” you said nervously, hoping he wasn’t about to prank you considering he hadn’t since the beginning of term.

“i wanted to take you somewhere.., that’s if your not busy” he said interlocking his fingers together looking back at you. “no i’ve just done all my homework..” you stuck your hand out, “take me to the secret man cave where you test all your pranks on the innocent.” you said giggling while he interlocks your fingers together.

you guys roam around the castle till he guides you up the astronomy tower, the sky painted hues of red and orange.

“i’ve never looked at the view from up here...” you say flashing your irises towards him then back at the sunset. “yeah, it’s stunning.” he says, staring directly at your (BEAUTIFULLY CARVED) side profile, “oh yeah, the sunsets alright too” he said with a chuckle, untangling your fingers and brining his arm around your waist.

you look back at the lanky red head before lightly slapping your hand against his chest and looking up at him. “such a flirt, weasley.” you say looking back at the fading sky.

“go to the ball with me.”

“well that’s demanding.”

“well, get a pretty dress, do your hair all nice or don’t you look gorgeous at every moment of the day” fred wasn’t sure where this surge of gryffindor confidence came from, but he wasn’t exactly going to back down now.

“and don’t worry we’re not gonna be around sweaty, horny teenagers... i’ve got a surprise.” he says looking at you with smirk, oh he new you all too well.

“yeah freddie, i’ll go to a not yule ball with you”

then night was tonight, a pretty dress that excentuated every dip, curve and line of your body. you chose gryffindor red for house pride, even thought nobody would see it besides fred. you had done your makeup to perfectly match your completion, and done a hair style that exactly matched the hair type that laid on your head. your tresses, makeup and dress all compliment each-other. you look in the mirror a little more, wringing your fingers together before looking up at the door.

fred opened the door, leaning on its frame. his hair was long, not styled but you had always liked it better messy anyways. he was dressed in brown and black dress robes and if you thought fred was attractive before? you really thought we was beautiful now.

“you’re-... wow. everything is wow, you’re just so beautiful” fred said, looking you up and down analyzing your hair, face, and dress. “freddie, you look... really good” you nervously laughed before walking up to his lanky figure.

he grabbed your hand and brought you through the hallways, he also had made you cover your eyes and guided you once you reached a certain hallway. your movements were put to a halt when he whispered to you that were were almost there, you stood before a few seconds before you heard his footsteps again. ‘was he.... pacing?’ you thought to yourself. he grabbed your hand again before bringing you in a room.

“okay... open your eyes”

you quickly opened your eyes, a giant ballroom, with a instruments charmed to play your favourite music and fred to your left grinning like an idiot.

“oh my merlin.... did you do all this for me?” you say looking at him in the eyes, eyebrows scrunched and tearing welling in your eyes. “sweaty teenagers, bad music and spiked drinks with fire whisky aren’t really your favourite but i still wanted you to have a good evening. so i opted for this.” he said before looking at the floor then back at you.

“fred, i cannot fathom how amazing you are.” you said with a squeal before kissing his cheek and running to the middle of the floor. “c’mon now! don’t waste the music, dance with me!”

and with that, he was off. some songs were fast, some songs were slow. but then your favourite slow song came and he knew no matter how much protesting his brain was saying, george’s little voice was much to over powering. “i can see those gears in your head moving, care to tell me what your thinking about?”

“you.”

“i’m going to need you to elaborate, please.” she always has a smooth way with words, he thought.

“everything, you’re everything. you mean everything to me.” fred definitely wasn’t a nervous, butterfly in the stomach and flustered guy but for for you we was tripping over his feet and becoming beet red at the slightest touch from you.

“kiss me.” for being such a closed off girl, you sure were bold. you said it more of a statement rather than a question but fred didn’t care, in that moment he only wanted to kiss the girl that also wanted to kiss him.

he moved his hand to your cheek, stroking it with his thumb. he moved forward engaging you in a kiss, it was slow, passionate and it was something you had been both waiting for. you pulled away for a second to let your lungs breath but not before he captured your lips again moving faster, his grip on your waist tighted.

“merlin, i’ve been waiting to do that”

[chocosvt]

⚬ pairing: prince!seokmin x fem!reader ⚬ word count: 12,690 ⚬ warnings: none. ⚬ genre: enemies to lovers, arranged marriage, angst, teasing, some slowburn romance, superfluff toward the end.

✧✎ synopsis: the time has come for prince seokmin to meet his arranged marriage, which forces you to confront a strange predicament: if you truly hate the prince, then why does the thought of him being with someone else hurt this badly?

✧✎ a/n: yeah... i’ve wanted to write some prince!lsm since his excalibur pictures. evidently, i am very late! i hope u enjoy nonetheless :-)

Hiking up the long, heavy layers of your dress, pale and coloured like lilacs, you retrieved a small carving knife that had been clandestinely strapped against your outer thigh. Buried a few feet away from you in the grass was a smooth, palm-sized piece of beech wood, which you quickly picked up before walking back to the bench. You sat down horizontally, stretching out your legs and taking up as much space as possible whilst you started carving down the edges of the beech wood, flicking away the occasional shavings.

It was only to kill time as you waited for the royal gates to open. That night, the King and Queen were hosting an annual, celebratory dinner to commemorate the newest anointment of pages, otherwise known as the fresh grouping of students who would serve the knights and learn about their duties, specifically how they protected and served the kingdom. It was a true honour: you had been requested to cook in the royal kitchen, and the younger apprentice your mother hired at the bakery, Chan, was going with you.

He was notably excited and couldn’t sit down, instead pacing in front of the tall, wooden gateway into the castle grounds. This would be his first time seeing the royal family’s abode from the inside, and if he was particularly lucky, he might get to meet the Prince. To him it was a big deal, but you couldn’t care less. At even just thinking about the Prince, you started pressing your knife harder against the beech wood, gritting your teeth as a larger piece curled off and fell into your lap. Lee Seokmin, he was the Prince. 

You absolutely hated him.

“What on earth do you think you’re doing, child?”

The sunlight that glinted against your face was interrupted by your mother, who had her hands sternly placed on her hips, glaring down at you in sheer disapproval.

“Give me that.” She quipped whilst scowling at the blade. “This instant.”

Rolling your eyes, you sat up properly on the bench and dusted the cream-coloured shavings off your lap. She never let you do anything, and when you were in close proximity to the castle, she became even more rigid and hawk-eyed. You gave her the knife which she hastily folded up, watching her pocket it inside a pouch on the front of her white dress. 

You still held onto the beech wood.

“There is no reason to bring a weapon into the King and Queen’s home. I should not have to reprimand you like this once more. Behave in the way I have taught you.”

Suddenly, there was a loud command you heard echo from the turret, and the tall, wooden gateway into the castle grounds began pulling apart. You heard the clink belonging to the iron chains and the cracks in the elderly oak. Chan stumbled backward, leaving sufficient room for the gate to open. Unlike the apprentice whose eyes were glimmering in awe, you had to swallow the bitter taste in your mouth and put on your fakest, most convincing expression of content. It was going to be the longest night of your life – even longer if you had to eat supper with the Prince.

Just before you were guided into the royal family’s abode by the caterers, you swiftly pulled up the side of your dress and tucked the piece of beech wood between the garter belt at your thigh. Then, you rushed to stand beside Chan.

“Excited, are you?” You asked him.

He tucked a strand of dark brown hair behind his ear, practically bouncing in his place. “It is my biggest wish to sit down with the Prince! To cook for him is already a sure pleasure.”

You couldn’t help but huff at the apprentice’s enthusiasm. He should consider himself lucky he didn’t know Seokmin the way you did.

Time passed quickly, and it was almost two hours into preparing the onslaught of fruit, meat, vegetables, and grain required to make the celebratory supper. The royal kitchen was much larger than the small, quaint space you operated back at the bakery, where everything was tightly shoved together and you knew each crevice like the back of your hand. You were working up a sweat as you kneaded a large, thickening dough. Once you were satisfied, you floured a wooden roller and began flattening it out, using a tin can to cut perfect circles.

You told Chan to put the tray in the clay furnace and keep an eye on the rising bread.

“Where are you going?” He immediately inquired upon watching you untie your apron, hanging the splattered fabric on a hook jutting from the stone wall.

“It’s quite hot. I’m stepping outside for a few minutes. No more than that.”

The young boy nodded and proceeded to follow your orders, keeping a watchful eye on the dough that would soon become crispy, warm pieces of bread. You slipped into the long corridor that led outside. There was still a noticeable heat in the evening air, though it was much less overwhelming compared to the kitchen, packed with fires and bodies and steam. A soft, glowing pink tinted the sky, and you were surprised at how little clouds there were.

Just to be certain, you felt underneath your dress for the piece of beech wood, relieved to brush it against your skin.

A distant sound captured your attention, somewhat like the noise of steel slashing against steel. Walking along the side of pillaring cobblestone, the noise grew louder, accompanied by indiscernible, muffled shouting. You stepped around the small wildflowers sprouting from the grass, keeping as silent as possible upon approaching the corner that ended at an iron gate.

Sparing a cautious glance between the bars, you looked into a large courtyard covered with sand. There were two young men sparring against each other, competitive but lighthearted in their expressions and the nature of how they operated their swords.

It was none other than the Prince himself, Seokmin, against his lifelong accomplice, Jeonghan.

You plucked your head back and inhaled delicately. The unique airiness of Jeonghan’s laughter reverberated into the evening, summer air, joining hymn with the sharp steel. You peaked through the iron bars again. Seokmin was still buried in his hefty silver armor, a layer of chainmail hanging from his shoulders. Expertly, he caught the underside of Jeonghan’s sword with his own and twisted the weapon from his friend’s hands, which dropped against the sand with a soft thud. Jeonghan stumbled backward, panting heavily.

“For God’s sake, I surrender!” He laughed, dusting off his shiny armor.

Seokmin slid his sword back into the sheath at his waist, smiling triumphantly. 

“You squander each attempt at defeating me. Have you just lost another bet with my blacksmith?”

Jeonghan bent down to pick up his sword and huffed, “it could be so.”

“You are inclined to become a beggar,” the Prince teased, “thankfully, tonight’s feast shall leave you with plentiful portions to take to the streets.”

There was a small, stone fountain bubbling beneath an overhang in the courtyard. Seokmin allowed a generous cup of water to form in his hands before splashing it along his face, the droplets streaming down his amber skin that had been caked with dust. Once he cleared away the grit, he ran a hand through his hair, pushing back the long, black curls. 

He smirked at Jeonghan and uttered something to him you couldn’t decipher as they removed their chainmail. You studied him intently, feeling the warmth in your chest welt into disdain and anger.

“What are you doing all the way down there?!”

You jumped, sensing your flesh bristle. Turning around, you saw Chan standing at the doorway with his brow furrowed, probably wondering why you never returned to the kitchen. Not wanting to draw attention to yourself, you hurried toward him and away from the courtyard, praying that neither the Prince nor his friend heard Chan’s shouting.

“Was there somebody out there? Who was it?” Chan immediately pestered you with questions.

“There was no one.” You told him whilst entering the kitchen, heaving a great sigh of relief upon seeing your bread removed from the clay furnace, the bread perfectly golden and risen in small domes.

Chan seemed skeptical, but he knew you were infamously defensive, so he didn’t investigate.

“Have you started the pastry for the cherry pie?” You asked him after setting the grain aside.

“No,” Chan replied, “I heard it is a favourite of the Prince. We must prepare it attentively.”

“Of course. Now, ask that lady over there if we can use her pie pan. We will start immediately.”

In complete honestly, you’d rather prepare any other dessert – even the chocolate soufflés, which were arguably difficult to perfect. However, you yet again bit your tongue and helped the eager apprentice remove the pits from the ruby red cherries, which landed in a wicker basket just at your feet. Every moment or so, you were tempted to leave behind a pit, entertaining the tiny thought that it could be inside the slice served to the Prince. You knew if that happened, neither you or Chan would be allowed to return to the castle.

It wasn’t so much skin off your nose, but Chan would definitely be disheartened.

You made sure to thoroughly clean all the cherries.

The dining hall was absolutely packed. There were rows of young pages standing at the table, hardly able to contain themselves as they stared glossy-eyed into the fresh cooked meals and desserts. No one had sat down yet, not until the King and Queen took their seats.

The Queen, swathed in the long, shimmering silk of her violet robe, observed the hungry crowd gathered before her. She was an alluring beacon, just like a porcelain doll, and the sapphire gems embossed in her crown glinted against the central chandelier. As you were specifically requested by the royal family to cook, you were granted a seat at the table, in between your mother and an anxious Chan who kept stealing glances at the Prince, standing next to his father. You refused to look at Seokmin, even when you felt his gaze trace the side of your face.

Suddenly, the Queen grabbed onto a sumptuous chalice and lifted it high in the air. She began making a toast to the newly appointed pages, congratulating the start of their journey. You copied your mother and reached for a silver goblet next to your plate, which had been prefilled with cold, dark purple wine. Everyone applauded her speech. Then, the King took over.

It was hard to pay attention, until you heard a particular name leave his mouth.

“As we continue the great customs of our ancestors who built this impenetrable kingdom, a new fate has arrived for Prince Seokmin.”

You flicked your gaze toward Seokmin, your heart hammering in your chest. His father set a hand on his shoulder, covered by a velvet, royal blue robe.

“Our son is at the rightful age to marry. After ample negotiation with the neighbouring and prosperous village of Markarth, their Lord has granted permission to his daughter, Lady Adelaide, as a possible contender. She will visit us on the summer solstice. I am prideful, and honoured, to announce this marvellous news alongside the blessed anointment of our pages.”

Instantly, you felt lightheaded, and you had to place the goblet back down on the table in order to avoid spilling the expensive wine. You knew this day would come eventually, but to hear that an arranged marriage was already brewing left a horrible taste in your mouth. The King shook his son’s shoulder with an honest pride, though Seokmin simply pressed his lips together and dipped his head slightly, acknowledging the announcement. You felt sick to your stomach. The thought of eating your beef wellington rendered you unable to even look at its outer pastry.

“Let us not dismiss the efforts of our valuable cooks, who prepared this rustic meal.” The King continued, staring in your direction.

He then praised the name of your mother, you, and Chan in specific. Everyone’s goblet remained in the air. Their gazes smeared across your flesh like wet ash.

“Is there anything you would like to say before we commence our feast?”

Your mother was ready to speak, though you managed to cut in before her.

“P-Pardon me, your Majesty, I am unbelievably humbled to cook for you tonight, but at this time I wish to be excused from the dining hall. May I part?”

Chan turned to look at you as though your hair were entangled in flames, and your mother grew notably tense. The atmosphere in the room was awfully palpable, like a thick balm that made it difficult to breathe. You could feel the pulse in your fingertips. The King then lowered his head to the Queen, and they briefly exchanged a whisper, seemingly coming to a verdict they both agreed on. Asking to be excused from a royal supper seldom occurred, if ever.

“If that is your wish,” the King said, his voice stern, “then you may part.”

You stepped away from your chair, making sure to bow toward the royal family. Seokmin was staring directly at you, his face looking hardened, cold.

“Thank you,” came your tiny response, “I hope you are delighted by the food.”

In the centre of the royal garden was a magnificent water fountain that came alive at nighttime, small, paper lanterns floating in its pool and glowing a solacing orange. You lay on your back, atop the fountain’s wide stone ledge, listening to the gushing water and staring up at the crescent moon. Everyone was still eating inside the dining hall. When you listened very intently, you could hear the faint notes of the live music. You didn’t regret leaving the supper, but you did regret not stealing a tiny bread loaf or even some fresh blackberries from the fruit baskets.  

Your stomach was aching, hungry.

Reaching down to tug up the side of your dress, you pulled out the beech wood you spotted in the grass that afternoon. You had wanted to carve something into its surface with your knife, though you weren’t sure what, and it definitely wouldn’t be possible until your mother returned the blade to you. As you held the smooth nature above your face and pressed your thumbs into its cream face, you were overcome by a new, frothing wave of anger. Seokmin was preparing to get married. The beech wood nearly split in two from your iron grip.

You hated thinking that at one point in your childhood, you genuinely liked the Prince, and harboured this flat-out embarrassing crush on him. So did everyone else, but Seokmin certainly didn’t help your malleable heart in pretending that he liked you back. You remembered it clear as day: Jeonghan, who was much smaller at the time, came bounding up to you, teeming with excitement and using his squeaky voice to tell you that Seokmin wanted to kiss you, and that you needed to meet the Prince by Peace River in the forest.

Of course, you obliged without even having to think, and your friends spent the whole morning twisting small bluebells and buttercups in your hair. When you arrived at Peace River, Seokmin was waiting for you, standing in a patch of sunlight that cut through the trees, wearing a long, silk red robe in addition to his silver crown. It was the most nervous you had ever felt in your entire life, and you remembered feeling dizzy as Seokmin gazed down at you with a sweet look in his honey eyes. The two of you leaned in closer, closer, closer…

And right when you felt his lips ghost yours, Seokmin took a step back and you heard a huge fit of laughter erupt from the thick brush in the background.

Seokmin’s friends came stumbling from their hiding spots, some holding their stomachs with how hard they were cackling, others wiping a tear from their eye, all whilst you experienced a shock bottom out in your gut. The realization that everything had been a ruse gave you a tough, metaphorical slap across the face. Jeonghan had to lean against a tree trunk as he gripped his stomach, and a familiar burn stung your cheeks upon remembering the words he coughed out, something along the lines of, “you truly thought the Prince liked you?!”

The worst part was that Seokmin didn’t say anything, he just looked at you sadly. Since then, your contempt for Seokmin blossomed, and he didn’t hesitate to bite back.

Not wanting to break the beech wood, you lowered it from your face and slid it back between the lace garter hidden beneath your dress. When you glanced at the moon, you noticed that a small, orange ball was floating above you. Sitting up, your eyes widened at the sight of numerous orange dots, glimmering all throughout the garden. You recognized them as fireflies, which had always been one of your favourite things about the night. Occasionally, you and Chan would catch the small bugs in mason jars and release them by Peace River.

One fluttered close to your face, so you stuck out your finger hoping it would land. But, out of nowhere, you heard someone walking in the grass and immediately plucked your finger away, instead peering through the moonlight where you spotted a silhouette. Once the figure came into the aurora of the water fountain, you felt your stomach drop. It was none other than the Prince himself. He was no longer wearing his royal robe, just a white poet shirt with the deep, v-shaped collar left unbuttoned, and some black capris. He wasn’t even sporting any jewelry apart from a silver bulb through his right earlobe.

“Why must you act with such blatant disrespect?” He was quick to scold you for leaving the dinner. “Could you have not sat down? Stayed out of honour and given your untouched portions to the beggars?”

You scoffed. “Do not ridicule me like one of your pages. I was asked to cook, and so I did. No more, no less.”

Seokmin huffed, blowing the black curls away from his eyes. “You were invited to eat as well.”

“I fulfilled my principal duty. There was no reason to stay.”

“You could have at least eaten something. A wedge of pie, a peach clove. For heaven’s sake, there was bread at the entryway.”

Unwilling to stay seated and argue, you stood up from the fountain and brushed off your dress, no longer paying attention to the fireflies that illuminated the garden. Of course you wished you took some food; your stomach was collapsing in on itself, though you would not admit it.

“Why are you so concerned with my meals?” You snapped. “Should you not return to your private quarters and get well rested for the summer solstice?”

After mocking his arranged marriage, you couldn’t bear to look Seokmin in the eye. For some reason, a lump got caught in your throat and you felt a hot surge push against your tear ducts.

“Judging by your poor temper, it is you who needs more rest than I.” The Prince shot back.

You couldn’t stand there any longer. Biting harshly into your bottom lip, you attempted to brush by Seokmin and exit the garden. Instead you would find the  gateway and wait until your mother and Chan arrived before leaving the castle grounds. There was food back at the house anyway, you assumed maybe some milk pudding, or sunflower seeds. It wouldn’t satiate you, but at least quell the hunger pangs until morning. However, when Seokmin grabbed your elbow you immediately flared, releasing a sharp yelp as he held you in place.

“And where do you think you’re off to?” Seokmin growled, lessening his grip on your arm and leaning in close to your face. “Come with me. I must give you something.” 

Peering into the Prince’s dark brown eyes, you snarled, “what?”

He was close enough that you could see the tiny scar on the bridge of his nose from when he and Jeonghan had chased each other with fireplace pokers. You thought about looking at his lips, pretty and pink, but refused to break eye contact. The Prince didn’t say anything, just tugged you through the garden, between the thorny rosebushes, the intricate strings of bleeding hearts, and huge pots of pastel, cotton hydrangeas. To your surprise, Seokmin guided you back into the kitchen you had occupied just a few hours ago.

Then, he opened a wood cupboard and pulled out a polished, bright silver tin, which he thrusted into your arms. You peeled the lid open and saw that the tin was filled with raspberry glazed Danishes, to which the fragrant smell of flaky pastry and berries caused your mouth to water.

“S-Seokmin, I—,” you were going to reject him.

“I am not doing charity work for you. It is the custom of our celebratory suppers to not let any guest leave unfed, or pained by hunger.”

He looked at you with a cold expression, and his tone deepened. “Now, you may wait at the front gate for your companion and mother. It is not your place to wander around my castle. I could have you arrested.”

You welcomed his threat. “I anticipate such a drastic measure if it ensures I’ll never have to see your face again.”

Seokmin didn’t look half as amused. He moved in close to your ear, his breath hitting your skin as he uttered inimically, “leave.”

During the walk home to your village quarters, Chan had already shoved an entire pastry into his mouth, licking the raspberry jam off his fingers. Your mother was eager to know who gifted you such an expensive tin alongside the Danishes. Not wanting to admit your confrontation with Seokmin, you churned up a white lie about how they were a present from another cook.

“Certainly?” She seemed quite surprised. “That is a rare gift. To my knowledge, tins with that level of embroidery are only seen inside the castle. Perhaps that cook quite liked you.”

At the early stretch of dawn, you felt someone grasp your shoulder and shake it roughly, until your eyes pulled open, groggy and blurred. You were sitting up in bed, looking bitter. Chan was next to you, and whilst he wore an apologetic expression, you could sense there was a degree of urgency to his actions.

“What’s the matter?” You hummed, digging the heel of your palm into your eye.

Just outside the windowpane, you could see the calm sunrise and feel the morning, serene warmth through the glass.

“Your mother told me to wake you, that we should head to the bakery immediately.” 

As you stumbled around your bedroom, fitting on a pair of degrading, sandalwood slippers before patting your face down with cold water from the well, you were wondering why it was so important that you attend the bakery, that your mother would need to send Chan to fetch you. Still dressed in your nightgown, you left the house alongside the young apprentice and hurried down the quiet road, passing all the tiny markets and apparel shops. As soon as the bakery came into view, you gasped, for a pearl blue carriage was stationed outside, paired to a stallion with silk, white hair. It grazed at a patch of grass and honeysuckle.

There seemed to be a crowd gathered inside the bakery, which only further piqued your curiosity. Chan couldn’t help but stroke the horse’s brilliant fur, which glowed like an amber pool due to the sunlight. You had only taken a measly step or two inside the bakery until jamming to a halt. Right before your eyes, speaking to your mother across the counter was perhaps one of the most pristinely-dressed, elegant girls to ever grace your kingdom. Her dress was long and flowing, a dark green forest jade, accented with gold lacing and a slim pair of gloves that stretched high up her arms.

Chan appeared equally stunned, for he thudded into your backside and stood staring at the girl like she was a rare type of crystal. Almost immediately, you noted the petit, twinkling tiara sitting on her head. Before she could even introduce herself, you knew exactly who she was.

“Lady Adelaide.” You heard Chan whisper to himself.

It immediately dawned on you that the summer solstice had finally arrived. The second she noted your presence at the door, her congregation of guards stepped back, allowing her to approach you. Without a second thought you bowed your head politely. She smelled like fresh clusters of jasmine and her voice was harmonious.

“I apologize, it wasn’t my intention to startle you or your apprentice,” (Chan’s face flushed a shy pink) “I heard from a guardsman of mine that your mother’s bakery is nothing short of wondrous, and I knew I had to stop here before I meet with your kingdom’s Prince.”

You stuttered straight through your teeth, “t-that’s wonderful. P-Pleased, we’re absolutely pleased to serve you, Lady Adelaide. We will prepare anything you desire.”

“Certainly.” Chan agreed.

“I’ll have to spend some time looking over the pastries,” she said jovially, “right now, I am truly awed by how delicious everything appears. My decision will come shortly.”

“Of course.” You responded, rubbing your clammy palms against your dress.

Whilst Lady Adelaide carefully inspected each pastry through the glass, your mother had pulled you and Chan into the kitchen, where she made sure it was clear you show your utmost respect toward the kingdom’s potential princess. Chan still wore a sticky blush on his cheeks, and you could tell he would be about as useful in the kitchen that day as a rock.

“No matter what she requests, we shall honour her needs and prepare it.” Your mother said. “Remember, this could be Prince Seokmin’s wife.”

You felt a streak of envy and wanted to slap yourself. 

Once Lady Adelaide made up her mind, your mother re-entered the front shop with a wide smile. Chan started washing his hands in the pail of fresh water.

“Why was I not born the Prince?” He huffed petulantly. “She is truly the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Does everyone in Markarth have such a face?”

“Oh, cool it, would you?” Came your sharp response. “Our duty is to operate a bakery, not fall in love.”

You didn’t mean to sound so harsh, and you tried desperately to bite your tongue as you fastened on your apron and pulled up the sleeves of your nightgown. The young apprentice wasn’t lying, she was a true and glorious spectacle, one that would surely appease the King and Queen once they saw her next to their son. However, you weren’t keen on entertaining such a sight, and you dismissed it from your head whilst Chan went to the house front and helped your mother collect Adelaide’s dessert.

A week after Lady Adelaide’s arrival at the kingdom, you happened to find your pocket-sized carving knife inside a bakery drawer. You were absolutely relieved to discover it, and took advantage of your mother’s recent departure to slide it back against the garter belt wrapped around your thigh. For the time being, she was occupied at a different village, visiting her sister.

Chan worked on kneading a mound of sourdough, his sleeves rolled high up to his elbows and a cloth tied around his head, pushing back his growing brown hair. You decided to take a break from the kitchen heat, patting him on his shoulder just before you disappeared.

“Huh?” He mumbled, not bothering to look up from the dough, “where will you be?”

“Peace River.” You told him. “I will be taking a short swim.”

The piece of beech wood was already slipped inside your sleeve. Ever since Seokmin gave you that silver, embroidered tin, you placed it on your bedside table and stored the wood inside. 

“Shall I fetch some extra help in the mean time?” Chan asked, lobbing the dough onto a wooden serving board.

“Sure. Why not ask your companion from the academy? Seungkwan is it?”

“Yes.” Chan nodded.

You picked your way through town until you arrived at the pathway that lead into the forest. The dirt was padded down by a century of footsteps, animal paws and wagon wheels, though the soft grass that grew next to it tickled up past your ankles and bloomed with small, purple flowers. You loved walking through the forest, hearing the noises of the village become increasingly muted, replaced by tree branches that gently rocked against each other in the breeze as well as the sweet songbirds.

Upon reaching the river, you sat down on a rock just in front of the grassy bank and pulled out your carving knife. The river created a bubbling waterfall, and whilst you took hold of the beech wood, deciding what to carve, you listened to the trickling sounds. Still unsure of what to scratch in the wood, you continued shaving down its edges until the piece lost its rectangular shape and became more oval. Once you were satisfied with its rounder appearance, you brushed the wispy flakes from your lap, deciding it was time to test the river.

You removed the layers of your dress until you were in nothing but your undergarments, the sunshine that rained between the leaves warm against your skin. After wrapping the beech wood into your clothing, you set the fabric behind a strawberry bush, though left your carving knife folded and sitting on the rock. The river water was cold, but not freezing, and for a few moments you stood knee deep with your eyes closed, allowing the quiet breeze and sunrays to mellow your heartbeat. Then you proceeded to wade in further, until the water lapped up against your chin.

As much as you longed to enjoy the cool river, there was one problem that arose after a few minutes of swimming. 

You heard distant galloping becoming closer and closer, accompanied by the rattling of metallic armour and conversation. Not wanting to make your presence known, you paddled beneath the overhanging rock that created the waterfall, the downpour completely soaking your hair whilst the heavy scent of moss stuck to the stone. You were curious as to who could be arriving at the river. Carefully, you peeked around corner of the overhang.

You felt your blood turn to ice.

It was Seokmin and Adelaide. Her arms were wrapped around the Prince’s waist as he held onto the reins of his beautiful, caramel horse named Apple. You remembered the mare’s name because you were the one who suggested it as kids. Seokmin shook the reins once more, and Apple walked closer to the river, already beginning to graze at the sweet grass lining the bank. Seokmin seemed to be educating Adelaide about the river, though you really had to strain to hear what he was saying. He hopped down cleanly from the horse before assisting the Lord’s lady.

She was no longer wearing her jade dress, but a white gown with many ruffles at the skirt. Her eyes were wide and sparkling whilst she examined the forest. Seokmin set a hand on her waist, gesturing to something in the trees you couldn’t see. The Prince was standing in a patch of sunlight just like he did on that summer day when you were children, waiting to kiss you—well, more like humiliate you, but his amber skin still shone the same, and the way the light reflected off his broad, silver armour depicted just how much he’d grown since then.

Closing your eyes, you listened intently for his words.

“Everyone who visits this river is known to experience a beautiful sense of peace, and calm, hence, why it is known as Peace River.”

Adelaide pressed a kiss to Seokmin’s jaw. “I have never seen such a tranquil sight. Oh, Prince Seokmin, it’s beautiful!”

Whilst Apple continued nipping at the grass, Adelaide squatted down next to the river and let the water gush between her fingers, covered in opal and amethyst rings. She was crooning about how pretty the gems looked beneath the current to Seokmin, though you noted the young Prince wasn’t exactly listening. Something caught his attention – your carving knife, which you left sitting on the goddamn rock. Gulping heavily, you watched as Seokmin picked up the blade and inspected it closely. Immediately, you swam away from the corner when he began squinting around the clearing, as though he were attempting to spot the knife’s owner.

The worst part: Seokmin knew who that carving knife belonged to. He knew it was yours, for he offered it to you, a gift from his blacksmith, a few days before the horrible kissing incident.

When you gathered the courage to peer around the corner again, you saw Seokmin help Lady Adelaide back onto Apple’s saddle. He still had your blade in his hand, to which you watched in complete shock as the Prince ordered his horse onward, deeper into the forest. You cursed him relentlessly under your breath. That bastard, he just took your carving knife! When you only discovered its whereabouts no less than half an hour ago! Boiling with fury, you left the river, threw on the clothes over your wet skin, and marched back into town with your beech wood.

The next time you saw the Prince, you weren’t going to let him off easy.

It was the night of the Super Moon Festival.

Raised high amongst the depths of the vast, black sky was the crater itself, bright, shining, and larger than ever. A chilly wind had turned the air quite nippy, and whilst Chan sat next to you, tentatively sipping a warm jar of gold, apple cider, you were simmering in complete bitterness. You had always embraced each festival, especially the Super Moon Festivals, which promised ample fortune unto the kingdom in addition to a prosperous summer; however, that night you couldn’t force even the slightest elation. 

Prince Seokmin still had your carving knife.

A great deal of folk had concentrated to the village square, where the celebration was most vibrant. Certain people had linked arms, dancing to the live music, whilst others were releasing paper lanterns of different colours and shapes into the night sky. There were plenty of drinking games, festive food, and buzzing conversations entangled throughout the square. You were shaking your leg, watching intensely as the Prince and his friends were gathered by an old wagon in the far corner, drinking tall tins of frothy ale, laughing loudly into the crisp, cool air.

Suddenly, Chan nudged your shoulder.

“Is everything alright?” He asked. “Why do you continue staring at the Prince?”

You peeled your gaze from Seokmin, though the contort of your features remained. Lady Adelaide was nowhere to be spotted. There were rumours that she would be arriving later, that the band would play a special slow song, just so she could share a dance with the Prince.

“I must speak with him.” You replied.

Chan wrapped his cold hands tighter around the apple cider, casting you a peculiar glance.

“Why is that? Has he done something?”

You knew you couldn’t wait forever. Seokmin’s tightknit ensemble didn’t look like it was going to thin anytime soon, and if you allowed the night to end, you would have missed your chance.

“Be right back.” You uttered sharply to the young apprentice as you rose from your chair, leaving Chan to sit alone with his drink.

He could only gaze after you in a thick confusion. It was definitely nerve-wracking to approach the Prince so boldly, especially when he was swathed by his closest friends, all whom lived inside the castle or carried high profiles in the upper scale village. You almost walked straight through a dancing couple on your march across the large square, though you tried not to let any crumb of doubt or intimidation thwart you from retrieving your carving blade. Without a word, you shoved your way between the muscular bodies, ignoring their surprised scoffs.

Seokmin’s eyes were almost as wide as the moon when you stood before him. He stopped leaning against the wagon’s tall wheel and left his half-finished ale on the ledge.

“Return it to me.” You stated simply, holding out your palm.

“Who the hell is that?” One of his friends chided, clearly not amused that you just pushed through their private celebration only to speak rudely at the Prince.

Seokmin’s brow furrowed. “Return what?” He responded. 

His acting utterly irritated you.

“Do not behave so obliviously,” you barked, “come with me, now.”

Wrapping your fingers through the collar of his shirt, you attempted to pull Seokmin away from his companions. Understandably, they were not willing to lose their royal member so easily, which prompted Jeonghan to grab your arm. It came as a slight surprise to you when Seokmin snapped, “do not touch her,” causing him to withdraw his grip, his expression paling. The Prince ensured his companions that he would return soon, only to follow you down a quiet alley, away from the colourful celebration and boasting music.

Folding your arms over your chest, you glared at the boy.

“I want my knife returned.”

Straightening out his collar that you had noticeably crumbled, the Prince scoffed, a smirk trudging across mouth.

“You should not leave any personal property out where it could be discovered.” 

“You knew it was mine and yet you still took it.”

“So you were watching me, is that it?” He had the audacity to smile.

In order to contain your fulgurant anger, you clenched your fists tightly at your sides.

“Indeed I watched you take it! Now give it back!”

“Do not get so ahead of yourself.” Seokmin flashed a devious smile, one you wanted to wipe clean from his snide expression.

He reached into his pocket, and beneath the frosted moonlight, you saw him reveal your precious carving knife. You traced his fingers as he unfolded the silver blade and admired the mahogany handle, etched with the smallest, intricate embellishment. If you were swift enough, you could snatch the knife from his hand, but you weren’t sure if the risk was calculated. The Prince gently pressed the pad of his finger to the point, hardly issuing any pressure.

“This did not always belong to you.” He stated simply.

“I know that,” you quipped, “but you decided to gift it to me. So it no longer falls under your property.”

Seokmin blatantly ignored your rebuttal. Instead, he folded up the blade and dared pocket it right before your eyes. You gaped at him.

“Why were you at Peace River?”

“What?!” Feeling completely bewildered, you couldn’t help the loud air of your gasp.

He asked again, “why were you at Peace River? Were you hiding somewhere?”

“That is not your business!” You barked.

Seokmin seemed to adapt your hue of disproportionate awe. 

“It is not my business?” He took a step forward, though you didn’t shy from his advance. “I am your Prince. You shall answer what I ask of you.”

“Why do you care why I was there? Should you not focus on the wonderful time you had showing around your dear lady?”

The young Prince’s face didn’t exactly soften upon your reference to Adelaide, rather there was a subtle shift in the nuance of his gaze, where something murky tinted the surface. It was difficult to pinpoint, but you almost swore that mentioning Adelaide had made Seokmin unhappy. To make the matter more confusing, he was clearly examining your features, from the curve of your lips to the arch above each cheek, you were like a memory he could never lose.

Your heart started beating faster, and you felt dearly flustered.

“I-I was only swimming,” you answered him, “that’s all you must know.”

You hated your body for betraying you, for submitting, for twirling itself in a moonstruck loop at the mere thought of Seokmin needing to commit your face to memory. Wanting to feel angry again, you tightened your voice.

“Now, I answered your question. I have pulled you away for one thing and one thing only: my knife. I do not care that your blacksmith crafted it for you, that it was once yours before it was mine. You gave it to me. I want it back.”

“Mind your manners,” the Prince scolded, his eyes turning icy, less forgiving, “I cannot oblige when you create such a fuss.”

Digging your nails in deep to the fabric of your dress, you exhaled shakily.

”I am going to lose my temper, Prince Seokmin. I want my blade, now.”

He took a step toward you, so close you could smell the rich ale on his clothing. His voice had lowered an octave, to which you swallowed coarsely and had trouble locking eyes with him.

“First, you rudely interrupt my friends and I. Second, you speak to me informally, with no respect, not even bothered to fake it. Third, you drag me to this alley and refuse the command of your Prince to summon an ounce of manner. Clean your mouth, or forget the knife.”

Your jaw clenched, and you started to grit your teeth. Seokmin was not exactly fond of the fact that you wouldn’t make eye contact, therefore he placed a light hold on your chin with his index finger and thumb, tilting your head toward him.

“Look at me when I speak to you.” He growled.

A concerning heat infiltrated your body; however, gulping back the rage that burned against your throat, you pulled down his hand, looked straight into his eyes and hissed, “you do not deserve my manners, but for the sake of the situation, may I please have my knife returned, Prince Seokmin?”

He reached into his pocket.

“I am shocked someone so ill-mannered is permitted to live in this kingdom.”

Cocking your head to the side, you watched the boy reveal your carving knife.

“I could effortlessly say the same for you.”

Seokmin handed you the blade, studying you intently whilst you picked up the side of your dress in order to return your prized possession between the thigh garter. Even in the darkness, his cheeks had noticeably pinkened. 

“Enjoy the remainder of your night.” You gave him an exaggerated, distasteful bow before walking down the alley, away from the village square. “Do not keep Lady Adelaide waiting.”

The young Prince didn’t bother responding, only chewed into his bottom lip as you disappeared from his sight, his heart beating uncharacteristically fast.

Somehow, you and Chan had ended up back in the royal kitchen.

It was in light of a specific request pitted by the King and Queen, in which they desired you to cook a delicious dinner for Prince Seokmin and Lady Adelaide as they enjoyed their umpteenth date together. You attempted to avoid the situation last minute by faking a dry cough and sore throat, though your mother was far too intelligent to let any elementary performances fool her, resulting in yet another attendance award at the castle. Chan was excited as usual, evident in the small curl to his lips whilst he cleaned his hands in a bucket of well water.

“I never understand you,” Chan said, “why are you never content to visit the castle?”

Tying an apron at your lower back, you simply huffed in response to the young apprentice, not willing to reiterate the whole spiel about your childhood mishap as well as the years of hatred that nurtured it. You knew you seemed ungrateful, stuck-up, but it wasn’t anyone’s business.

“It is not something to concern yourself with,” you told Chan, taking his place at the bucket of cold water, “I am going to cook their meal, and that is all. No more, no less.”

“When do you think we will receive their menu?” Chan asked.

“Whenever it is given to us.”

The royal kitchen was indubitably stocked with produce that could cater to any dish, it was just a matter of awaiting the particular meals Lady Adelaide and Seokmin were keen on eating. Still, you had to agree with Chan, there was an anxious density to the room whilst you prepared your stations, hoping that at least some form of authority would enter the kitchen to update you.

Chan opened a cupboard and found a burlap sack of cherries. He grinned, “do you think Prince Seokmin will want to eat cherry pie again?”

“Beats me,” you shrugged, “maybe he’ll desire a pineapple upside down cake.”

“That sounds complicated.” Chan admitted with a frown.

You chuckled, “he’s complicated.”

“Who’s complicated?”

Suddenly, the Prince appeared in the entryway to the kitchen, dressed in a long, garnet cape that draped around his shoulders, embroidered with a dazzling gold thread. His hair, usually left in its black ringlets, had been groomed neatly from his forehead. His crown looked heavy, precious and incomprehensibly expensive. Both you and Chan were stunned by his abrupt appearance, to which the apprentice dropped a pile of tins he’d been removing from a cupboard. They clattered across the stone floor, and his cheeks turned red.

Whilst the young boy quickly picked up each tin, you cleared your throat.

“N-No one. We were speaking about no one.”

Chan hurried to stand beside you, and he bowed immediately.

“Greetings, Prince Seokmin. Must I say it is a complete honour to cook for you and Lady Adelaide tonight. I shall put forth my best effort.”

“I am pleased to hear that,” Seokmin said, commending the boy’s display of respect, “I have arrived to deliver the menu Lady Adelaide and I would like to eat.”

The Prince then handed Chan a scroll, which had been tied shut with a tasseled, red string. As Chan busied himself in opening the paper to glean its request, Seokmin glanced you over from top to bottom. You shot him a transient glare.

Folding your arms over your chest and titling your head to the side, you announced, “we will bring your food as soon as possible.”

“Is everything well with you?” Seokmin inquired, raising an eyebrow.

Chan looked up from the unwound scroll nervously, clearly noting the palpable tension.

“Yes, Prince Seokmin. I feel brilliant.” Your tone was drier than chalk.

Some twisted part of you hoped that the Prince would pull you into the corridor, scold you for behaving so blatantly disrespectful, lean in close to your face with a fire that turned to glistering copper in his eyes. You wanted him to grip your chin like he did in the alleyway and demand you meet his gaze. In a bizarre sense, you craved to argue with him. However, Seokmin didn’t engage in anything of the sort, and a vacant feeling encompassed you whole.

“I must return to Lady Adelaide. We will be seated on the outdoor terrace, second level.”

“Yes, of course,” Chan chirped, “I will bring your appetizer shortly.”

“May it also be known that the furnace next to you Chan has not been properly cleaned from a previous service. Do not try to light any fire, or the residue could burn you.”

Chan glanced at the stove warily whilst you released an impatient sigh.

“You should really get going, sire. It’s never polite to make your lady wait.”

The Prince chuckled, and a bold smirk illuminated his face.

“Have you ever been left to wait, darling?” He asked, biting his bottom lip.

After blowing a tuft of hair from your eyes, you folded your arms over your chest and caught the young Prince in a piercing stare.

“Why must you know? I don’t kiss and tell.”

Chan had not a clue as to what sort of exchange was unpacking before him, he only knew that his presence seemed unbelievably trivial, like a dust mite. You couldn’t deny how satisfactory it felt to wind Seokmin tighter than a wire spool, attempting to snap him somehow, hoping he’d bite back brazenly.

His professional composure was teetering, you could see it. And yet, the Prince was able to sweep away his desires to bicker with you. 

“Aren’t you such a well-behaved little girl?” He dug slyly, the backhanded compliment imbuing a strange rush in your blood. “I have no further business here. As I said, we are seated on the second level terrace.”

The second Seokmin parted, his beautiful cloak fluttering behind him, Chan nudged your shoulder with a big pout on his lips.

“Are you trying to get us banned from the castle? If so, you might just succeed.”

Stealing the scroll from his hands, you urged him to relax.

“Trust me,” you sighed, “I would get banned before any other soul here. Even before the cook who caused a fire hazard.”

You had great trouble focusing in the kitchen, and it seemed like your brain contained no interest in cooperating with the rest of your body. Chan noted your lack of composure and intervened on multiple occasions, a concerned expression covering his face.

It was stupid, shameful, but for an unbeknownst reason you could not stop envisioning Seokmin and Adelaide enjoying their supper together on the pretty terrace. You imagined his soft, attentive eyes tracing her lips whilst she spoke, his hand reaching across the table to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear’s cusp, the evening sun dappling the sky golden and peach-rose. It lit a terrible feeling within your lower gut, a feeling that upset you beyond belief, made you want to run from the kitchen and bury yourself beneath mounds of bedsheets.

The thought of Seokmin marrying Adelaide, sliding that white diamond ring upon her finger, having to watch them parade around the kingdom completely and utterly in love; you hated it, and you kept losing your concentration as that bitterness consumed you.

“They seem to be enjoying everything.” Chan confirmed with a satisfied smile toward the end of service. He just returned after collecting their dishes. “At last, we can begin dessert!”

However, the boy quickly picked up on your temperate, distracted face.

“What’s the matter?” Chan grabbed your shoulder gently. “You look so upset.”

“I’m fine,” you dismissed him with an apathetic air, brushing his touch away, “will they be eating the cherry pie as you assumed? I have already prepared the crust.”

“Yes…” Chan leaned in rather close to examine your face whilst he hummed in response.

“For heaven’s sake, child—what are you doing?”

“S-Sorry,” he immediately backed away, “I-I thought—your eyes just looked so glassy.”

“I have already stated my wellbeing. Now, please get to making the filling so we may get this pie in the furnace.”

Chan grabbed the burlap sack of cherries from the cupboard and dumped them into an apple basket. He then submerged the basket in a water pail, making sure to clean the fruit until they were glistening and shiny. Together, you removed the cherry pits in order to create the sweet, sticky filling which smelled exactly like summer. Chan let you tend to setting the furnace flame whilst he leveled out the pies; however, you’d forgotten about the unusable furnace.

As you got down on your knee and reached into the underbelly of the oven with the starter flint, it was too late for Chan to make a reminder. Once the bright spark touched that mysterious residue, a gigantic flame bloomed forth and licked up the furnace walls. The second your hand felt such an incredible singe of heat, you released a loud cry and crawled away from the glowing oven, your chest heaving at the intense, searing pain that sizzled deep into your flesh. Chan was gobsmacked. He dropped the small butter knife in the pie filling and bent down whilst you tossed your head back, cursing at the pain.

“Oh God!” Chan looked paler than a snowflake. “Y-You have been burned! O-Oh no… this- this is awful! What should we do? H-Here—”

The boy helped you to your feet and brought you close to the water pail.

“Submerge your hand in this,” he offered anxiously, wiping away a bead of sweat from his forehead, “I need to alert someone of this. Are you okay? Do you believe you might faint?”

“N-No…” you gritted between your teeth whilst heavy tears streamed down your cheeks, “just get somebody – anybody. I-It hurts terribly…”

The boy rubbed your back as a sweet gesture before he left the kitchen. 

“I shall return as quickly as possible! I promise!”

Unfortunately, Chan had sparse luck encountering anyone from the castle. The sole person he could think of alerting was Prince Seokmin. Whilst he was not eager to interrupt his dinner with the kingdom’s potential princess, Chan was far too concerned with your agonizing pain as well as the poor condition of your hand. He knew you needed medical assistance immediately, therefore he burst through the doors in a panic and stumbled onto the terrace, where Prince Seokmin and Lady Adelaide gave him a puzzled, somewhat undesirable look.

The young apprentice steadied his breath. Once he began informing them of the situation, he couldn’t help but note the overwhelming concern that engulfed the Prince’s face.

“I must know where the nearest nurse is located. She needs assistance and I promised I would return quickly!”

Lady Adelaide wiped the corners of her mouth with a cloth, and looked to Seokmin. Her eyes, brushed with a shimmering, metallic gold, widened beneath the evening light as the Prince stood from his chair and threw down his cutlery.

“You have left her alone? Where is she?” He questioned the apprentice.

Chan licked his dry lips. “P-Please, stay with Lady Adelaide. I-I just need to know wh—”

“Does she remain in the kitchen?” Seokmin interrupted him.

He stepped fairly close to Chan, the young boy tilting his head back in order to meet the serious gaze of the Prince. Admittedly, he felt rather intimidated.

“Yes, she is. But you mustn’t abandon Lady Adelaide. I can—”

“I will take care of her,” Seokmin replied sternly, “stay with the Lady if you wish.”

Without another word, the Prince pushed Chan aside and disappeared quickly through the terrace doors, leaving him alone on the beautiful terrace with Adelaide. She didn’t appear entirely thrilled to be abandoned in the midst of a romantic dinner, indicated by the uncomfortable expression that coloured her face. Instead, she tucked the hair behind her ears and pressed her smooth lips together tightly, staring out into the flossy, pink clouds, a calm breeze blowing through the air. Chan swallowed the rock in his throat, squeezing his hands nervously.

“I-I’m sure the Prince will return in due time.” He stuttered.

Lady Adelaide nodded, stiffened, unamused.

“I guess I will just have to wait.”

Standing at the pail whilst your marred flesh scorched beneath the water was a sensation unlike any other. Your bottom lip kept quivering, and your whole body trembled in an attempt to digest such an intense pain. Footsteps reverberated outside the kitchen, to which a hope flourished that a medical professional would be arriving alongside Chan – yet, the person who entered the room was completely disproportionate to what you’d been expecting. It wasn’t that you didn’t want his help, it was just going to be difficult to accept it.

Seokmin left his crown behind on a countertop and stood next to you.

“Let me see it.” He urged as your hand twitched in the water.

Rubbing your tears off on your shoulder, you rasped, “w-why are you here?”

“Because you’re hurt,” Seokmin replied firmly, “and whether you like it or not, I am going to look after this. You should have your hand beneath running water.”

“W-Where is Chan? I w-want him here t-too.”

“He remained with Adelaide.” The Prince sounded impatient.

“W-Why did you not stay with her? Why did you even come when you cannot stand me?”

Choosing to ignore your questions, Seokmin grabbed your wrist, pulling you to the back of the kitchen where he knew there was a well. Suckling back the thick tears and runniness in your nose, you let Seokmin guide your injured hand beneath the cold water he started pumping from the ground. It splashed onto the stone floor, trickling in all directions.

“S-Seokmin—,”

“Just keep quiet for one minute,” the Prince snapped, “I know that is strenuous for someone as verbose as you, but right now, allow me to take care of you, alright?”

For an unprecedented time in your life, you legitimately heeded Seokmin’s words and kept your mouth shut, deciding it was not worth the energy to act so bitter. Whilst the running water succeeded in cleaning any sediment from the wound, the sensitive flesh stung and flared to a degree that was impossible to ignore, leaving you unable to suppress any small sobs and whimpers. If not for Seokmin holding your hand beneath the water, you would have withdrawn it immediately. 

You pushed your face into his chest, your tears wetting his clothing. Seokmin shushed you softly, attempting to keep you calm.

“I know it hurts, but you’re doing so well, okay? A minute longer darling, I promise.”

You felt Seokmin’s chin sit on top of your head, and you only pushed your cheek in further against his strong chest, smelling the faint concoction of a luxurious perfume on his amber skin. Somehow, the pain became more bearable when his honeyed voice touched your ears.

“H-Has it been a minute now?” You sniffled.

The cold stream of water that once gushed from the spout diminished. Whilst the floor was rippling with a wide, wet circle, your hand felt less seared, less like a piece of charred meat.

“Mmhm, it’s been a minute,” Seokmin said, “how badly does it still hurt?”

Glancing at the wound imbued an intense cloud of nausea.

“I-It’s throbbing, a-and stings. Should we not wrap it?” You blubbered.

Seokmin brushed his fingers along your warm cheek, removing the new tears.

“Not immediately, angel. If the flesh is too fragile, the cloth might pull up more layers of tissue when it is removed. There should be an ointment station, over here—,” the Prince placed his hand against the small of your back, and you followed him toward a counter, “if the correct gel is in here, my hope is that it soothes your skin. Afterward, we will wrap it cautiously.”

Your injured hand was shaking too much, so you had to grasp your wrist tightly in order to centre it to one place. Seokmin opened a drawer filled with small, glass ampules. He picked between them carefully until coming across the correct ointment, a clear gel that had a strong, plant-like scent when he pulled out the tiny cork. Smearing the glistening gel onto his fingertips, the Prince then asked to see your hand. Knowing it would sting, you clenched your teeth.

“I’m not being too rough, am I?” Seokmin asked, concentrating on softly massaging in the vital ointment.

Exhaling stiltedly, you shook your head. “It’s getting better, I believe.”

“This is quite deep,” he remarked, scooping up more of the gel, “why on earth did you use the furnace upon my instruction not to?”

“I was not thinking about the furnace.” You admitted, biting down into your cheek.

Seokmin couldn’t help but chuckle. 

He had just finished applying the cool gel, which gleamed on your skin and sunk into the damaged tissue. Additionally, stuffed somewhere in the drawer was a compact spool of bandage that the Prince started unraveling, until he tore a perfect strip to delicately wrap around your hand. Your heart began racing and heat stippled your face as the boy finally looked up from the injury. His eyes were so unbelievably gentle, his lips the colour of roses. It reflected a painstakingly familiar memory, in which you could almost hear the river running in the background and feel the pleasant sunlight warm your arms.

“Then what was on your mind?” Seokmin questioned.

His voice was low, and he stared unabashedly at your mouth.

You didn’t think – you didn’t want to. 

Instead, you pushed to the very back of your skull every malevolent thought you once harboured toward the Prince and shut your eyes, envisioning yourself within a dream. You pressed a short, soft kiss against his mouth.

There was a moment’s pause where Seokmin realized the situation.

Suddenly, he cupped the sides of your face in his tender hands, urging you forward again, his lips brushing yours in such a gentle manner that a shiver tingled down your spine. It was far from a single, fleeting kiss. Each time your lips pressed together, you would linger for a moment longer and fall deeper into the other, losing all sense of the world around you. A molten warmth expanded in your chest as you felt Seokmin’s tongue make a soft prod at your bottom lip, encouraging you to sigh blissfully into the kiss. He smiled at your quiet noises.

What was happening to you? You struggled to control your own functions. Seokmin was eliciting a powerful feeling that yearned for you to continue kissing. His slender fingers drifted from your face to your hips, and he pulled you tighter against his body, each kiss revealing the other’s burning want and secret desires. As you suckled slowly on Seokmin’s tongue, listening to him purr, there was a rich, unique taste of cider. It prompted you to think about dinner, about Chan who’d gone looking for a nurse, about Lady Adelaide. 

As soon as her face entered your mind, something switched off inside you and your blood transformed into cold liquid.

“S-Seokmin,” you murmured, disconnecting the sweet pressure of your mouth to his, “I-I... I don’t think we’re in our right minds.” 

Your eyes began filling with water whilst you gazed at his pink cheeks and the pretty swell to his lips. The boy grabbed both your hands with a concerned expression, holding them against his chest where you felt his heart beat.

“What do you mean, angel?” Seokmin whispered. He then planted a kiss much too affectionate against your forehead, in which your eyes only grew more watery. “I haven’t anything to drink if that’s what you’re implying.”

“N-No.” You shook your head and looked into his eyes, swallowing back the dreadful taste of pain, of a relationship you could never have, of a boy you could never have. “We cannot do this... t-this is not just...”

“Wait—” Seokmin stuttered when you pulled away from him, “where are you going? We can talk about this.” His voice trembled slightly, heavy with sorrow.

“Stay with me, please.” 

But there was nothing he could say or do that would cement you to your spot.

An overwhelming wave of emotion surged through your body, and you knew you had to leave the castle grounds unless you wanted the royal family to see you explode into a mess of hot tears and incoherency. Whilst you slipped through the kitchen door, you bumped into Chan who just returned from the second level terrace, his eyes growing wide when he noted the dreadful shadow that hollowed your countenance. The boy swallowed thickly, for the next person to enter the hallway was Lady Adelaide herself, who did not look pleased at the wait.

“A-Are you o—”

“I cannot stay here,” you told Chan in a quick jumble, “I am going to the house. Please, take care of the dessert if you can manage.”

Lady Adelaide stepped aside, allowing you to escape the corridor.

Everything felt like it was collapsing around you.

It was nighttime as you sat in your bed, a candle flickering on the windowsill whilst you examined the neat bandages that enveloped your hand. You couldn’t sleep. Chan was sent home early from the castle by Prince Seokmin, and he attempted to check on you with plentiful knocks to the front door; however, you didn’t possess the right spirit to answer him and instead covered your teary face with the bedsheets until he left. You were infuriated at yourself for kissing the Prince. Inside, your heart felt mercilessly torn up and shredded.

Continuing to look out the window, you were intrigued by a fluttering, orange orb that eventually paused on the leaves of a tall sunflower. It was a firefly.

Quickly, you reached for the silver Danish tin on your bedside table and pulled out the carving knife in addition to the small, smooth disc of beech wood. It was difficult to make incisions in the wood with an injured hand, though you simply bit your lip and didn’t allow the pain to phase you. Making tiny scratches with the fine, sharp tip of the blade, you spent the next hour, maybe more, carving a tiny firefly into the beech wood. When you looked back into your drawer, you spotted a silver-beaded chain, and an idea instantly shaped in your head.

You decided to make the wooden emblem into a necklace.

From the kitchen, you could hear Chan speaking with a new ensemble of customers who entered the bakery, the sound of their abundant coins rattling across the countertop and the apprentice’s cheerful tone as he wrapped their food in wax parchment. You hadn’t spent much time behind the counter that day, for your mood was no better than a cat who’d just been stuck in a thunderstorm. Chan advised you to stay in the kitchen instead. Since that morning, you’d either been making loaves of banana bread or staring into space.

There seemed to be an unsettled atmosphere about the kingdom. Most if not always, it indicated there was a problem at the castle, some sort of dispute amongst the royal family.

Whilst you waited for the loaves in the furnace to rise, you put your head down on the work bench and gazed at the stone floor. You had never felt so off-kilter. The fact you couldn’t do much more than mush bananas and whisk together a batter only added to your melancholy. After burning your hand, you were rather useless in the kitchen, though Chan had a much politer way of wording it whenever you attempted to help him with anything the least bit complex. You wouldn’t be surprised if he replaced you with Seungkwan in the near future.

Once the aromatic, sweet scent of the banana bread thoroughly encompassed the kitchen, you checked on the tin and decided it was time to remove it. Letting the bread sit next to an open window, you heard more muffled conversation through the door.

Suddenly, Chan had slipped into the kitchen. His expression was awfully nervous, to which an unpleasant feeling began brewing your lower gut.

“Your presence is needed at the counter.” Chan said flatly.

“Why is that?” You smiled. “I thought you preferred me locked up back here until closing.”

When the apprentice didn’t return your warmth, you knew there was something wrong.

“You are really needed at the counter.” He urged. “I will cut the bread, okay?”

“O-Okay…” You responded in a puzzled manner, allowing Chan to slip around you and grab a butter knife from the drawer.

Walking out from the kitchen was equivalent to getting a slap in the face, a splinter between your toes, a hard poke in the eye – basically anything undesirable constituted the situation you just introduced yourself to. Prince Seokmin stood on the opposite side of the counter. It appeared as though he recently returned from a valley trip with a congregation of other knights, for he was dressed in his heavyset armour and Apple was tied to a post outside shop.

Seokmin brushed his hair back and smiled at you.

“I know you are surprised to see me, but—,”

“No no no,” you shook your head and gripped the counter tightly, your legs feeling like thin jelly, “you cannot be here, y-you cannot—”

“I have to speak with you.” Seokmin said.

Your eyes flitted toward a metal bucket sitting in the corner.

“Not right now,” you spluttered quickly, “I have to refill the water, for our kitchen.”

The Prince frowned. You were surprised he wasn’t swathed in his usual entourage, that his closest companion, Jeonghan, was nowhere to be seen. Whilst you scooped the bucket from the floor and rushed toward the bakery doorway, Seokmin knew you were only using it as an excuse to avoid him. What else could you do? Your heart was far too fragile.

“This is just as much an inconvenience to myself as well as you,” the Prince announced very staidly, “you know this conversation must happen. Why bother avoiding it?”

Seokmin followed you through the doorway, where Apple was grazing at a patch of honeysuckle in the grass. You refused to look back at him.

“Exactly! It is an inconvenience that can easily be avoided if you return to the castle.”

Marching behind the bakery, you threw the metal bucket on the ground and kicked it under the well, pumping it full of cold water. .

“I refuse to return. Not until we talk about what happened!”

“Maybe I do not want to entertain that idea!” You let go of the handle, instead whipping around, facing the persistent Prince. “It was a mistake! That’s it!”

Seokmin shook his head. “Why are you so hostile? Why can you never discuss anything without starting an argument?”

You didn’t bother suppressing your scoff. “Have you ever noticed the only person I treat with such hostility, is you? Has that ever crossed your mind, Prince Seokmin?”

“Of course I know!” He quipped whilst frustratedly dragging a hand through his curls. “It has always been that way! That is why I always have to scorn you, since you behave so bitterly!”

“There is no one but yourself to blame.” You hissed, sensing the water prickle at your eyes.

The Prince looked stunned, for his mouth dropped open. “You still hold onto that memory so vehemently?”

At even the slightest reference to that humiliating, summer day forever engrained in your past, the heat flooded your eyes and you were completely helpless to stop the first tear from rolling down your cheek. There was no doubt, since that incident your hatred for Seokmin had completely blossomed, and in response to your poorly controlled anger, the Prince was left no choice but to respond with just as much belligerence. The ground between you grew terribly thick brambles and spikes, until it was impossible to even be in the same space without getting hurt.

Yet, if your hatred was exactly what you claimed it was, then your kiss with Seokmin should have never happened. Hatred was merely a dark, sinister form of passion, and no matter what circumstance, passion always lived inside your heart.

Wiping the tears away with the sleeve of your dress, you shook your head. “You humiliated me in front of half the royal’s children! How could I ever dismiss that?”

The Prince furrowed his brow. “That was ages ago. We were exactly that: children. Children can be stupid and say stupid and do stupid things!”

“I just don’t understand why you pretended for so long,” you whimpered to Seokmin, tightly clenching your fists, “if you never even liked me from the start…”

“I-I wasn’t pretending… I just couldn’t… I-I…” The Prince struggled to elaborate.

Suddenly, he could no longer look you in the eye, and a raspberry tint flooded his cheeks. You gulped, a dizzying sensation infiltrating your head as you willed your heart to stop beating so vivaciously. 

Seokmin took a step closer toward you, an anxious colour to his face.

“If you just let me explain what I came here to tell you,” he murmured, “then perhaps we wouldn’t be at each other’s throats so adamantly.”

You folded your arms over your chest and pressed your lips shut. The silence was daunting, but at the same time you realized the bickering would lead to endless circles.

The Prince summoned a breath of courage and met your wet stare.

“I refused the marriage to Lady Adelaide. She will return to Markarth before the sunset. I only told my mother and father this morning.”

Slowly uncrossing your arms, you blinked at Seokmin in complete shock.

“S-Seriously?” You stammered, sweat tainting your palms.

“I had to,” Seokmin sighed, his eyes trailing the grass, “because of what happened with u—”

“I did not ask you to refuse her as a bride!” You hiccupped, salt glimmering at your tear ducts. To be the reason the kingdom’s next marriage crumpled apart, you couldn’t bear it.

“I know you didn’t!” The Prince retaliated, his voice booming. “Do you not think I am already aware of the great misfortune and trouble my decision brings to our kingdom? I did not refuse Lady Adelaide because we kissed – I refused the marriage because I do not love her, and it would be an utter disservice to both of us if we cannot reciprocate our own hearts.”

You bit down strictly on your bottom lip. It absolutely boggled your mind that Seokmin felt no love toward Lady Adelaide, when everyone who saw her fell head over heels. Whether it was her beauty, wealth, or the perfect sweetness of her character, everyone in the kingdom had something positive to say in regards to their potential princess. Maybe you had not gelled with her in the same manner as everyone else, but you knew this marriage had been anticipated since the day Seokmin was born, and the fact such a monumental celebration would have to be pushed back created a recipe for tension.

The Prince set his hand on your shoulder, squeezing softly.

“That is what I had to tell you,” he spoke in a much gentler tone, “it was not my intention to anger you, or make you this upset. But I have to remain honest with myself…”

“W-What are you saying?” Sounded your trembling, unsteady breath.

The sunlight splashed into Seokmin’s eyes, igniting them in a blazing copper. You felt swelteringly hot as the boy brushed against your cheek with his fingers before he leaned in close to your face, still damp with tears. You couldn’t concentrate on anything apart from the low velvet of his voice and how sincerely he admired you.

“I’m saying that I’m in love with you.”

Just before you entered the cool balm of the river, you spent a few moments stroking Apple’s caramel mane and picking berries from the nearest thicket to feed her. For such a strong, firmly-built horse, she was delicate in nature, just as you remembered her from your childhood. You ran your palm along the coarse side of Apple’s fur, scratching lightly so her ears would twitch, before hearing Prince Seokmin lilt your name. When you looked to the river, you saw him grinning at you, his black hair soaking wet and pushed back from his forehead.

He raised an eyebrow. “Are you going to stand there for an eternity?”

“No,” you replied, “I was just looking after your horse.”

“Trust me, Apple gets pampered more than I do.”

Rolling your eyes, you finally grabbed the pale lilac hem of your dress, peeling the material over your head and letting it fall into a ball on the grass. In nothing but your undergarments, Seokmin gazed at you fondly, watching how you carefully waded deeper and deeper into the river until your toes could hardly scrape the smooth pebbles. Afternoon sunlight spun between the canopy of leaves overhead, which dappled the calm peaks in the water, making them sparkle. Seokmin swam closer to you. He was truly breathtaking as the rays caressed his amber skin and danced in his eyes like a honey fire.

The boy’s fingers brushed your thighs, urging you to wrap your legs around his waist and drape your arms over his wide shoulders. He held you tightly, his lips forming a lovestruck smile.

“Will your anxious mother not worry as to why her son has been out for so long?” You couldn’t help but tease him.

“I told her I would not be back for supper. At worst, she’ll send Jeonghan as my scout.”

“Do you think he could keep his mouth shut if he saw us together?”

Seokmin titled his head back with laughter, and you could see his perfect rows of teeth. “I have little certainty,” he admitted, “but Jeonghan would keep a secret if I forced him to.”

“That is reassuring to hear.” You replied with a smirk.

It was best to give the kingdom ample time to recover after the displeasing news of Seokmin’s cancelled marriage with Adelaide rapidly spread. She was supposed to be his first choice, his destiny as the King and Queen preached with every ounce of their souls. Furthermore, the royal family would definitely not be mirthful to discover that Seokmin had rejected Adelaide because his heart beat for a childhood crush from the lower village. That was unheard of, unfathomable, and rather unorthodox, which caused you and Seokmin to keep your relationship a secret.

At times there was pressure, there was great difficulty and frustration, but neither you or him could keep away from each other. You didn’t have to be married, or live in his sumptuous castle where everything was either expensive silk or encrusted with some sort of precious gem. It was quite simple: you just wanted to be with him – the environment wasn’t important. When you began seeing each other, you realized that on the summer day of your childhood where the Prince had humiliated you was a shtick orchestrated by his friends.

In actuality, Seokmin always had a crush on you, though at the time, the tender strings of his heart were easily pulled by them, and what could have been the start of a relationship ended up in years of bickering, unnecessary hatred, and repressed emotion. Cupping a hand against Seokmin’s damp cheek, you leaned in to kiss him softly. You smiled against his mouth upon feeling his hands squeeze your thighs.

“Can I give you something?” You then asked in a quiet voice.

The Prince nodded, allowing your feet to touch the pebbles again. 

“Of course, angel.” He complied.

Together, you left the river. Whilst Seokmin started petting Apple’s shimmering coat, you picked up the dress on the forest floor and reached into one of its pockets, brushing the beaded chain with your fingers. When Seokmin turned around and saw you holding a necklace, his eyes lit up in a marvelous fashion and an endearing smile beamed from one corner of his mouth to the other. It was the beech wood necklace, in which you had carved a small firefly in order to complete the pendant.

“I carved this from a piece of wood I discovered outside your castle, on the day Chan and I had to cook for the pages. At first, I had no idea what to make of it, but then I decided on a firefly.”

Seokmin admired the pendant up close. It felt wonderful to see him examining it with such an appreciative light in his gaze. The Prince connected the chain around his neck, to which the wooden oval sat between his prominent collarbone.

“I-I thought I should gift it to you. And, whenever we must be apart, you can just think of this necklace, and the comfort that comes from a firefly’s glow.”

Suddenly, the boy’s hands were atop your hips. He pulled you in close against his body, still gleaming with water droplets, and pressed a deep kiss to your lips. You could sense just how much ardour and warmth was laced into the contact, and a dense heat scattered beneath your cheeks. He tasted like the sugar powder and strawberries you ate before visiting the river.

“It’s beautiful.” Seokmin whispered.

He pecked your mouth again sweetly whilst you felt a gentle breeze blow throughout the forest, causing the tiny hairs on your damp skin to stand sharp. You cozied yourself closer into Seokmin’s chest, smiling like a foolish romantic at his words.

“Thank you, my love. I will hold onto it forever.”

✧✎ a/n: okay when i started writing this i THOUGHT it was going to be so short, like at most 4-6k, but then i was at the 6k mark, only halfway done, and i realized it was going to be another ‘wish’ situation lol. i’ve never written a royalty!au before so i felt like i was reaching into the dark a little bit jsefhwef but i hope it was still pleasant! as always i treasure all ur guys feedback so pls don’t hesitate to leave ur th0ts!! i haven’t written for seok in ages and it felt super nice to give him a lengthy fic! contrary to nobody’s belief - this was not inspired by owl city lol.

[idvlovblog]

could u do relationship hcs with Demi, Emily, Michiko, and Tracy (separate) preferably with a fem s/o ^_^ but g/n is good too

of course! sorry for the wait (i'm sick right now, so i couldn't really complete the request as fast as i wanted to) and i hope you like it!

Demi:

ahh, i love her so much!

a relationship with her would definitely be exciting and fun

flirts constantly but in a really playful way and it may be hard to tell if she's actually interested in you romantically or just joking around

plus, she flirts with almost any nice, approachable person she meets

(though she definitely starts doing that a lot less once she realizes she's in love with you)

protects you with her life

whether it's in the manor or in a normal setting, she wouldn't let anything bad happen to you

gives you so many compliments!

and she means every single one of them

calls you "lady" a lot at first

probably starts distancing herself for a bit once you two get together

she never saw herself as someone who has anything to offer in a relationship, and she's scared of being bad influence on you

she thinks she might "ruin" you. which is obviously untrue!

with time, she'll begin to slowly realize that she's not someone hopeless or undeserving of your love

please support her then

whenever you two plan dates, she makes special drinks to fit the occasion. they're somehow even better than her usual work! the special ingredient is love. ♡

but she always keeps an eye on you when you're drinking. she's seen alcohol addiction before and doesn't want you to meet that fate.

loves giving you hugs! and squeezing your organs out in the process. seriously, her hugs are way too tight.

Michiko:

show your affection with beautiful flowers and thought-out compliments! she responds really well to that

loves being treated like a lady. opening the door for her, noticing her beauty, speaking to her somewhat formally, it makes her really happy

would be willing to teach you how to dance, if you wanted to!

i feel like she'd take you to classical concerts on your dates

or maybe to opera? either way, she loves fine art and would be happy to share said love with you

not really into pda

but likes hand-holding and giving you short, sweet kisses occasionally

you guys would have matching necklaces! she'd treasure hers and would rarely ever go out without it

she's usually melancholic and distant but she acts more comfortable and positive around you. you make her happy. ♡

she often feels like she's "not enough" or like you're wasting your time on her. please help her realize she's wrong.

she really likes japanese poetry (me too) and i'm certain she'd be over the moon if you ever tried writing something for her in that style

has a really cute laugh! please try to make her laugh often

Emily:

definitely protective of you! she's a doctor, after all

she doesn't fret over you though, at least not excessively. she'll always make sure you're not putting yourself in potential danger and that you have healthy food and sleep routines, but outside of that she just lets you do what you think is best

she's always longed for peace, and she hopes she can find it with you by her side

her dream is to be able to provide a comfortable, safe future for the both of you

though she's usually composed, sweet words make her easily flustered

likes cooking with you! always gives nutrition advice when you two are preparing a meal

if you're injured, she'll always treat the wound gently and carefully, no matter how small it is. gives you forehead kisses afterwards. ♡

loves calm dates, like reading books together or making a semi-fancy dinner and setting a few candles on the table. things that are romantic and sweet, but don't require leaving the house or making big plans.

although she has lots of personal issues, they don't change your relationship or the way she treats you too much. sometimes she wonders if she deserves your love after everything she's done, but those thoughts go away eventually

she really likes tea! maybe you could take her tea-tasting sometime

Tracy:

tracy's literally so funny, i love her (go read her twitter replies, they're top tier)

calls you "dude" or "man" (but in a non-gendered way. you know what i mean) so often, you could consider it her pet name for you

takes you on the most interesting, fun dates you could imagine! you literally can't be bored with her by your side

she has those days where she works for hours without a break and doesn't leave her room until the project she's working on is finished. you're probably the only person who can tear her from work in those situations

loves you a lot, but she's not really big on heartfelt speeches and stuff like that

plus, she sometimes gets embarrassed even when trying to say a simple "i love you"

shows her affections mostly with actions, like making things for you, listening when you talk (even if it's not about something she's usually interested in) and hugging you all the time

doesn't even get mad even when you interrupt her work

quite the opposite actually! she gets more energetic after seeing your face

you're her biggest motivator. ♡

builds you miscellaneous trinkets and sometimes even robots! loves seeing your reactions to them and will get super happy if you say you like them.

[frogtanii]

this is literally just a random scenario that popped into my head and i thought i should share. i even took it upon myself to write it out? but imagine this: atsumu coming to check up on you after the interviews knowing that you were upset, and it ends up with him forcing you to dance with him to the song "Love My Way" by the Psychedelic Furs.

warning: this might be complete garbage. also!!!!! i tried to make this as gender neutral as possible and if there are any mistakes please correct me!!!

________

it was safe to say that ever since the start of the interviews that each member of the house was required to attend, your mood had drastically declined. you usually considered yourself a strong person, but with the resurfacing of old and unwanted memories, at this very point in time, you were at your most vulnerable. the walls that you had built around your heart began to crumble under the immense pressure you were being put under.

its not that you didn't trust the boys, although that isn't to say that you fully trusted them yet, but you couldn't trust your own ability to fully contain your emotions at the moment. mainly because there had been one thought that would constantly plague your mind at all hours:

they're only being kind because they feel guilty.

no part of you truly wanted to believe that, but if there was any chance it was true and you happened to run into one of the boys, you would never be able to meet their eyes again.

so, you sought out refuge in between the sheets of your bed. both the pillows that swallowed up your tears and held your head up when you couldn't do it on your own and the warm sheets that held you in its arms, provided the comfort that you couldn't receive from another.

you could express yourself freely when you were here. all the insecurities and fears that you were forced to bottle up when you were with the others, could spill into this little sanctuary of yours, and no one would be there to judge you. but peace doesn't last, not forever.

knock, knock.

deep down you hoped that it was Yachi who had decided to disrupt your peace, because truth be told, you weren't ready to interact with the boys yet. holding grudges wasn't your cup of tea, but the damage had already been done and if there truly was a possibility that the boys were only being nice out of guilt, you wanted to be strong enough to handle that. but right now, you weren't.

your suspicions stood true as you opened the door to be met with floppy yellow hair with big, warm eyes staring right into your own.

"Hiya, angel." His voice came out breathy as if he were making sure not to scare you off or rattle you.

Miya Atsumu. the one boy who, despite the rest, never demanded too much from you or had ever been harsh to you. it was ironic, the fact that he called you angel, when in reality, he was the true angel here.

you greeted him back with a small smile, feeling too tired to use your voice. but atsumu being atsumu, he didn't let the fact that your smile never quite reached your eyes go unnoticed. stepping aside, you let him fully enter your room before closing the door. not completely, letting a sliver of light peek through the cracks, as you always did when atsumu came by.

after closing the door, you decided to make you way back to your bed, but not before a larger hand wrapped itself around your wrist. halting in your tracks, you turned back to look at atsumu who wore something that faintly resembled a frown.

"c'mon angel, did ya really think that I would let you keep moping around and sleeping all day?"

unfortunately for him, that was actually what you were thinking. the bed looked too good and your feet were starting to get cold, so going back to sleep sounded a lot better at the moment.

when you hadn't answered, atsumu decided to speak up once more, "you did, didn't you? you really are something, ya know that angel?"

completely turning his back to you, atsumu rummaged around your desk for a few seconds before turning around to face you again. you stood there confused for a few seconds until you heard a familiar beat of "Love My Way" fill up the walls of your room and two large hands grasped your soft ones.

(i would suggest playing it now!!!!!)

There's an army on the dance floor,

It's a fashion with a gun, my love.

In a room without a door,

A kiss is not enough in...

a small smile washed over your lips before you were being pulled into the middle of your floor. atsumu's feet had started to shuffle ever so slightly in order to match the beat of the beginning of the song. pulling your arms side to side, bank and forth, atsumu attempted to make you dance. you were simply giggling at his antics and bouncing your head ever so slightly, but this only gave atsumu more motivation to keep pushing you.

Love my way, it's a new road

I follow where my mind goes

slowly but surely, you were warming up and even starting to move you feet. giggle kept slipping out here and there as you watched atsumu jump around you in circles in a poor attempt to actually dance. but as you were laughing at him, with a small spark present in your eyes, something warm spread through atsumu's entire body.

...There's dust in all their hearts,

They just want to steal us all and take us all apart...

staring down at your face, atsumu took a mental image of the way your eyes crinkled when you laughed and just how wide your smile was able to go. his eyes scanned over your cheeks that were now colored a light pink as the angelic sounds of your laughter bounced on the walls. atsumu was never one to miss any small detail, no matter how clueless he could act at certain times, and when it came to you, nothing could ever be missed by him. in literal terms, you were truly all he ever saw.

But in,

Love my way, it's a new road

I follow where my mind goes. (x3)

Unbeknownst to atsumu, you were watching him just as closely. despite not being able to fully believe that the others were as kind as they were because they actually cared, but because they were guilty, you could never have any doubts about atsumu. his heart was true and he was one of the few that you were truly able to confide in. so, then and there, you made a decision. in this moment, you were going to choose a different path. the sheets that once wrapped you in their warmth were no longer necessary, and the pillows that once held your head up when you couldn't, were no longer needed.

So swallow all your tears, my love

And put on your new face.

You can never win or lose,

If you don't run the race.

you decided to walk a different path, to let go, even if it was just for a second. just for this second. even if the others weren't true to their word, it would no longer mattered. because as the song slowed and astumu's arms crept around your waist, with yours around his neck, things felt secure. you felt free and you felt safe.

you could walk this new road as long as you had him. as long as he had you.

- abel

--------

This extremely long I am SOSOSOSO sorry, please feel free to ignore this LOL

I might write more in the future if thats ok with you? so I decided to give myself a fake name because chai anon really inspired me!

Anyways, I absolutely loved today's chapter! Make sure to take proper breaks and drink water! <33333

how,,, could u say,,, this was bad?????? BESTIE M SCREECHINF THIS IS SO GOOD i am so down bad for tsumu esp after this i can’t :sobs:

[thatshithurted8]

Trauma

Summary: After a sudden revelation you and JJ look at each other in a different light.

Request: Hi! Can you do a request where jj and y/n ‘hate’ eachother, constantly fight and bicker. So John B and the gang truck them into getting stuck on Hayward’s boat and leave them for the night. When jj gets high he notices she gets anxious. He persuades her to reveal a sensitive side that she doesn’t like being around drugs because of her abusive dad. Jj doesn’t tell her he can relate just that he understands. He tells her that she’s beautiful and she deserves better, in his own jj way;)💗I love u @maybebanks 

Trigger Warnings: Mention and depiction of overdoses, drug use, death and abuse!!

Word Count: 2.3k

When John B and the rest of the gang drove away from Heywards boat leaving you and the boy you despised the most, JJ Maybank alone you weren’t that mad. They weren’t going to leave you guys there over night. Surely they were going to come back and get you guys from the middle of the marsh so you two wouldn’t kill each other. Or so you thought.

A few hours went by, your friends have yet to return and the sun just finished setting. This is when the situation at hand finally hit you. You were stuck out in the middle of the marsh with JJ and no one else. Yea you could’ve continued what you were doing all evening which was ignore the blue eyed boy and do your own thing. 

However, as the stars and moon shone down on you both and the smell of weed filled your nostrils you couldn’t help, but feel anxious. Your heart was hammering in your chest and your breathing started to become labored. You despised the smell of weed and feeling abandoned was the cherry on top. Knowing the signs of a panic attack you decide to sit down against the edge on the other side of the boat than JJ. As you do this the blond looks over at you and watches you wrap a blanket around your body before resting your head on your knees. 

Despite your distaste for the Maybank boy his feelings towards you weren’t reciprocated. Yes he wasn’t fond of you especially after the first time he met you, he made a joke about you not smoking or drinking when Kie invited you to hang out, but he didn’t know why you weren’t interested in that stuff. He simply thought and still believes that you can’t take a joke. JJ hated people that couldn’t take a joke considering most of those people were Kooks. And after all you used to be a Kook when your mom was alive. As if your old social status actually mattered to anyone else though. 

Finally speaking up after basically a whole evening of silence JJ opens his mouth. “You know they obviously left us here to become friends so you should make an attempt at least.” 

You roll your eyes looking down at the floor between your open legs, your head still resting on your knees. He was right you should make an attempt to befriend him, but right now wasn’t a good time to try or for JJ to make a snarky remark about it. 

Ignoring him, you try your best to focus on your breathing to prevent a panic attack. You hated having panic attacks in the first place, but there was no way you were going to let JJ see that side of you. You had to stay strong like you always were. 

Rolling his blue eyes JJ stands up and sits back down beside you. Since you were so focused on your breathing you didn’t realize he was now by your side. 

“Ignoring me isn’t helping Y/N.” He says, annoyance dripping from his voice.

JJ’s remark and the smell of weed being closer to you now was your last straw. You couldn’t hold in the panic attack anymore. Suddenly a gasp for air leaves your mouth as tears begin to fall down your face. 

Confused, JJ looks over at you and notices your body shaking. Even though you weren’t his most favourite person in the world you were still apart of his friend group and the blonde would do anything for them. 

“What’s wrong Y/N?” He asks genuinely concerned, placing the roach of his joint down beside him. 

He places a hand on your back as you begin to sob into your hands and knees, but you move away, not wanting him to touch you. He retracts his hand, but grows even more confused and concerned. During the span of knowing you JJ has never seen you cry so he was genuinely confused as to why you were. What triggered it? 

As the sound of your sobs filled JJ’s ears he felt inclined to make you feel better despite your distaste for each other. 

“Talk to me Y/N.” He simply says. 

You finally look over at the boy beside you, your eyes red and cheeks stained with tears. Seeing you like this flipped a switch in JJ that he wasn’t even aware of. All of a sudden he wanted to take care of you or just simply hold you. You looked so broken and JJ understood the feeling. 

Without saying anything JJ scoots over to you and wraps his arms around you. Surprisingly you don’t pull away from his grasp. Instead you simply move closer into to his chest, desperately craving any type of loving touch. The blonde boy rubs his hand up and down your back in a soothing motion which you appreciate. 

A few minutes go by, both you and JJ allow you to ride out your panic attack, but he made sure to show that he was there for you by holding onto you. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” He asks softly, looking down at you in his arms. 

“Not right now.” You stutter out, still reeling from the physical and mental attack you just went through. 

“Well do you want to light up? It should make you feel better.” The blonde suggests even though he knows you don’t like participating in that type of stuff. 

You simply shake your head no and close your eyes while resting against his chest. “Suit yourself, but I’m going to.” He says digging through his cargo shorts pocket with his free hand for another joint. 

JJ notices you sharply inhale as he does this which makes him hesitate for a second, before deciding to leave it in his pocket. “Why don’t you smoke or drink?” 

The Maybank boy would always make fun of you for not participating in the same activities as the rest of the Pogues, but he just realized he doesn’t know why you don’t do that stuff. 

A minute or two go by and JJ was about to ask you again, thinking you didn’t hear him, but in reality you were just trying to figure out what to say. You sigh, but not realizing you start to play with JJ’s fingers to calm yourself down. 

“Do you know how my mom died?” You simply ask. 

“No.” He says allowing you to continue to play with his fingers. 

You were quite surprised by his answer in all honesty. Basically everyone on the island knows what happened to your family and their downward spiral to misfortune.  

“She died from an opioid overdose.” 

JJ’s dilated eyes widen at your answer, not expecting that to be the cause of your moms death. “Shit sorry Y/N I didn’t know.” 

You simply shrug your shoulders. “It’s not a requirement for you to know that.” You say in a monotone voice as you start to think about your deceased mother. 

A silence falls over the two, but for the first time ever it wasn’t awkward. JJ realized he knew hardly anything about you and he was genuinely curious to find out more, but he didn’t want to push you. So he simply started to graze his fingers up and down your wrist, moving your bracelets up an down as he does so. 

Although it was dark out and the only light was coming from the moon and a small light outside of the cabin JJ noticed something on your skin. Along your wrist and up your forearm were round scars that looked like they resembled cigarette burns. 

He looks down at the round marks on your arm then gazes at his legs that had similar marks along them. Someone was using you as their personal ash tray like how JJ’s father used to do. 

“What are these from?” He asks, tracing his finger around one scar. 

Once you realize what JJ is talking about you start to readjust yourself in his arms, starting to feel slightly uncomfortable. “It’s nothing.” 

JJ bites his lip, deciding whether he should continue talking or not and he eventually decides to continue. “You don’t have to talk about it, but I have them too.” He says moving away from you to show you the scattered scars along his legs before turning slightly and lifting up his shirt to show the healed marks on his back. At a loss for words you simply ogle at the boy beside you in shock. Even though he didn’t straight up say what happens when he goes home he showed you that he understands which oddly made you feel not so alone. Who knew you guys had something so terrible in common? 

He lets his shirt fall back down and wraps his arm around your shoulders once again. You suck in a breath of fresh air as thoughts swarmed your mind. You didn’t know why, but in that moment JJ made you feel so comfortable around him that you felt inclined to tell him the deep dark truth about why you don’t do certain things. 

“When people ask why I don’t drink or smoke I say it’s because of my mom.” You say grabbing a hold of JJ’s fingers once again. “Her death is a big reason as to why, but once she died my whole life went downhill. My dad didn’t cope with her death well and I can’t get mad at him for that, but he started to abuse drugs like she did.” JJ glances over at you resting on his shoulder as he listened intently to you speaking. 

“My dad started to spend money on anything and everything. Then one day he went to a meeting for an important business deal, high out of his mind on coke and of course he got fired. After that we lost the house, the boat, and his car. We lost everything. And you would think that would’ve been a wake up call for him.” You say removing your head from the blondes shoulder and meeting JJ’s gaze.

JJ simply nods his head in understanding, but you take that as a hint to go on. “He only got more angry and agitated since then. He started to take his anger out on me and my brother, but mostly me because I look more like my mom.” You say glancing at the moon then back to JJ’s blue orbs. 

He couldn’t believe how similar your guys’ home life was. For starters JJ’s dad started abusing alcohol and drugs once his mom passed away as well. She died of cancer and JJ’s dad felt like it was his fault since he couldn’t afford chemotherapy. JJ’s fathers built up guilt and anger against the world for taking his wife away from him ultimately festered into him beating JJ every chance he got. It also didn’t help that JJ was a constant reminder of her just by his looks. 

You suck in another deep breath just before you tell JJ, the guy you despised just hours ago the most personal and sensitive thing about yourself. “It was yelling matches at first then one day he just started physically attacking me. First he slapped me a few times or pulled my hair or even pushed me down the stairs. Occasionally he would put out his cigarettes on me. Then he eventually pinned me up against a wall and held a broken beer bottle against my throat.” You say, the look on your face expressionless and your eyes dull because you were used to it. When you shouldn’t be. No one should. 

As you reveal this to JJ he feels his heart clench and wince at your sentences. He understands the pain that you have and are going through more than you know. But as you tell him this he starts to connect the dots. Suddenly waking up at John B’s in the morning to see you sleeping out in the hammock or on the living room floor made sense. Or seeing you wear heavy amounts of make up on parts of your face when you hardly ever wore make up, or how you spent more time at Kiara’s and John B’s than he himself did. 

You open your mouth to tell him some other things such as how you haven’t been home since that day he pinned you against the wall or how your brother is fine and misses you, but he stops you. Although he wanted you to be comfortable enough with him to tell him those things it was starting to get too much for him. JJ’s own dark memories and demons were starting to cloud his mind and he didn’t want that. He wanted to be there for you the way John B and Pope are there for him. 

“Y/N, I’m really sorry you have gone through that. No one deserves to go through that.” He says turning towards you while moving a stray hair out of your face. You shrug your shoulders and give him a sad smile. After all of these years your father has made you believe that you deserve everything he does to you. 

Another moment of silence falls upon you two, but JJ breaks it to speak his mind, he could tell you didn’t believe what he previously said. “You know you’re beautiful right? And although we started on the wrong foot I’m willing to be arrested again if your dad lays even a finger on you.” The blue eyed boy says, revealing his protective side which was very on brand JJ. You chuckle and nudge the boy away from you lightly. Even though you were originally anxious and upset that your friends left you two out in the middle of the marsh you are actually quite grateful they did.

“You can have the pull out couch at John B’s for now on.” JJ says scooting back over to you. 

You appreciate JJ’s offer, but you can’t help, but turn it down. “No because you wouldn’t have a place to sleep then.” 

“Then we’ll have to figure something out together.” JJ suggests wrapping his arm back around you. 

And what JJ said was true. From that moment on you two made an effort to be there for each other while navigating each others trauma. 

- 

I have linked some websites and resources for people going through similar situations as JJ and reader in this fic. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me if need be I will try to help you to the best of my ability! 

P.S: You all are strong, beautiful and loved. Don’t forget that.

https://togetherweare-strong.tumblr.com/helpline 

http://www.vachss.com/help_text/hotlines_intl.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_domestic_violence_hotlines

https://pathwaystosafety.org/

[stayarmytinyzenmoa-l]

Midnight Coffee [Character Profiles]

Non-Idol AU / Coffee Shop AU

TW: None

Pairing: Platonic!NCT 127 x Reader

Genre: Slice of Life, Angst in Some Parts, Comedy in Some Parts

Word Count: 1.0K

Summary: You run a coffee shop that only opens past midnight and closes just before the sun rises, and the people you meet are never more interesting than the stories they bring with them.

Notes: Trying out a new layout for character profiles! I hope you guys all like it! I know I probably shouldn’t be putting out any other series but honestly I got the sudden inspiration for this one and I just had to draft it before I lost it! Not sure when this is coming out, if ever, but I hope you all enjoy these character profiles at the very least! With that in mind, I intend for each chapter to be rather hashed out, I’m thinking around 10-15K minimum, which I admit is ambitious, but hey! It sounds fun so why not (also hence why they’ll take a while to write). That and I figured I’d try out the new character profiles somehow haha, I meant to switch Locked and Reloaded’s profiles to be like this too but I forgot haha, either way I hope you like these!

Inspired by the Indie Game ‘Coffee Talk’

[Main Masterlist] | [Midnight Coffee Masterlist]

Lee Taeyong

Usual Order: Chocobee Miruku (Chocolate, Honey, and Milk)

Usual Time of Arrival: 1 am to 2 am, Mondays and Tuesdays

Profession: Video Game Producer - NCT U Productions

Description: A freelance video game producer doing his best to make a living in a world dominated by mainstream game makers. He focuses on the artistry of telling stories without words and emphasizes compelling artwork over contemporary graphics. He holds an undefined relationship with Kim Doyoung, but one that is apparently very close.

Moon Taeil

Usual Order: Milky Way (Milk, Honey, Mint)

Usual Time of Arrival: Midnight, Wednesdays

Profession: Indie Singer - YouTube

Description: Often seen singing a set in front of the Midnight Coffee café during the day time, he is what one would consider “YouTube Famous;” however, remarkably, he is as rich as a university graduate- meaning he has about $20 to his name. Regardless, the young singer has found a unique joy in life to follow what his heart desires.

Suh Johnny

Usual Order: Espresso (Coffee, Coffee, Coffee)

Usual Time of Arrival: 2 am to 4 am, Regular

Profession: Model - 127 Modeling Agency

Description: Although he is typically seen with his friend Yuta, it comes as no surprise when Johnny is seen alone, either in the café or in magazines. The A-List model is one people would pay anything just to catch a glimpse of, it’s a miracle that café hasn’t been run down yet. But despite his persistent insisting, you can’t bring yourself to allow him to promote your small shop, even though he has been a long time regular. 

Nakamoto Yuta

Usual Order: Black Magic (Coffee, Mint, Honey)

Usual Time of Arrival: 2 am to 4 am, Regular

Profession: Instagram/Twitter Influencer

Description: Long time friend of Johnny, Yuta can trace his influencer roots to when he met the then beginner model. It was thanks to this newbie model that he found Midnight Coffee, the small café he often posts about, but has kept the name out of his captions at your insistence. He has developed a sort of love for the café itself and is often found there with or without Johnny.

Kim Doyoung

Usual Order: Ginger Mint Tea (Tea, Ginger, Mint)

Usual Time of Arrival: Midnight to 2 am, Mondays and Fridays

Profession: Photographer - 127 Modeling Agency; but is also available upon commission.

Description: Behind every picture is its photographer and Doyoung, often working under the Monogram ‘Daniel’ when not working, is one of the best out there. He exhibits a very special talent when taking his photos, being able to draw out the most intricate of emotions from his subjects by doing something as simple as changing his angle or dimming the lights, but none compares to his usual subject Lee Taeyong.

Jung Jaehyun

Usual Order: Honey Coffee (Coffee, Coffee, Honey)

Usual Time of Arrival: Midnight to 3 am, Weekends

Profession: Travel Vlogger - YouTube

Description: Though this vlogger is rarely in one place for more than a month, he always finds a way to make time for a certain café that he has come to appreciate. The night-owl edits best past midnight and with a cup of coffee, and only one place meets that requirement. He can visit without saying a word, and on others days he can go on and on about his latest vlog, it really depends on his mood that night.

Dong Sicheng

Usual Order: Black Lemon (Coffee, Coffee, Lemon)

Usual Time of Arrival: Midnight to 2 am, Thursdays and Fridays

Profession: Actor - Label V

Description: Although he doesn’t have as much time as he used to before his blockbuster movie, the ex-regular still finds time to drink some coffee in his favorite café, and often finds that he can find at least a few minute’s peace despite his fast-paced life in his favorite corner of the quiet café.

Kim Jungwoo

Usual Order: Midsummer Night’s Dream (Tea, Lemon, Honey)

Usual Time of Arrival: Midnight to 4 am, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays

Profession: Engineering Student - SM University

Description: This sleep deprived college student has a special place in the Midnight Coffee café, the only thing stopping him from being a regular is the 8 am MWF classes, which he takes Tuesday and Thursday to catch up on what little sleep he has, but he is always a welcome and bright addition to the usual slow tempo of the café.

Lee Mark

Usual Order: Tea Latte (Tea, Milk, Milk)

Usual Time of Arrival: Midnight to 2 am, Regular

Profession: Novelist and Student - SMU

Description: This Uni student works part time at the short story company The Neo City Whispers and has found his best inspiration at the Midnight Coffee Café, and he is about to take on his most ambitious proposal yet, a novel, one that will make or break his future, but luckily he has a very supportive barista to encourage him along the way.

Lee Haechan

Usual Order: Ginger Latte (Coffee, Ginger, Milk)

Usual Time of Arrival: Midnight to 2 am, Tuesdays and Wednesdays

Profession: Uni Student, Undeclared - SMU

Description: Although he hasn’t exactly found his path in life yet, do not mistake him for a slacker. He is always looking for a new opportunity and is always willing to try something new, in hopes that one day it will stick to him and he’ll finally find a purpose. But one must wonder why, perhaps one late night in the Midnight Coffee Café will be enough of a push for him, or maybe not.

(L/N) (Y/N)

Usual Order: Whatever they’re feeling

Usual Time of Arrival: 11:45, right before the café opens

Profession: Owner and Barista of the Midnight Coffee café

Description: This mysterious owner somehow makes a living off of a small café that is only open from midnight to sunrise, not much is known about what they do afterward though, all that matters is that they have quite the following of customers who have grown to love the charming, but strange, café.

Midnight Coffee Taglist: DM, Ask, Reply, or Reblog below if you’re interested in getting notified once I get around to this series (which I admit may be a while)!