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shiningwonderland · 1 year

Text

Ranmaru Kurosaki (All Star)

Translator: Raine (twitter: amagiyas) Proofreader: Shu (twitter: coldcagelord)

Editors: Lacey (twitter: fairyharp) & Aoi (twitter: AoiTsukihime)

Chapter One — Keep Out My Territory

Inside the live house, there were a lot of people busy at work.

There were people setting up instruments and other people getting the venue ready, as well as musicians.

Following the press conference, I requested for Kurosaki-senpai to be my partner. Afterwards, when I recounted the events back to Tomo-chan, she was surprised to hear I had decided on Kurosaki-senpai as my partner.

The reason I picked him was based on a hunch… or rather, it was because I felt some sense of intuition at the time.

In any case, in order to learn more about him, I borrowed copies of Kurosaki-senpai's songs from the agency and listened to each of them intently. While listening to them, I believed I made the right choice of trusting my instincts.

A straight-forward sound, and a straight-forward voice. Songs don't lie. This person is very serious when it comes to music.

To be honest, I was a little bit scared after the press conference. But I don't think that he's a bad person.

I submitted my partnership request to the president, but it's been difficult to meet Kurosaki-senpai in person so I could only listen to his songs in the office.

When other members within the agency saw this, I followed their suggestion and am visiting the venue where he will be playing today.

Haruka Nanami: He… doesn't seem to be here either.

Just earlier, I tried to visit him in his dressing room but he wasn't there.

Staff A: Out of the way! It's dangerous to stand in the pathway like that!

Haruka Nanami: I-I'm sorry…

It feels like I'm just getting in the way ever since I arrived.

It would probably be best to wait in his dressing room.

Haruka Nanami: Huh? The dressing room… which way was it?

Staff B: Trolley coming through! Please make way!

Haruka Nanami: I'm sorry!!

In my panic, I quickly jump out of the way.

Staff B: Whoaaa there, be careful! Watch your step, watch out!

Haruka Nanami: Huh? What? Ahh, AHHHHHH!!

I managed to avoid the incoming trolley, but the momentum caused me to lose my footing on the stairs.

???: Careful!

Suddenly, someone catches me by my outstretched hand and pulls me towards them.

???: Are you okay, lady? It's dangerous here; you should be more careful.

Huh? I feel like I've heard this voice before…

???: It's dangerous during setup time, especially with how busy everyone is. I think it is best if you waited in one of the dressing rooms.

Ah… this voice too…

I quickly turned around.

Haruka Nanami: Jinguji-san! Hijirikawa-san! Good morning!

Ren Jinguji: Good morning, lady.

Masato Hijirikawa: It's been a while, Nanami. Have you been well?

Haruka Nanami: Yes! It's good to see that both of you are well too.

I heaved a deep sigh of relief upon meeting people who I knew.

Jinguji-san and Hijirikawa-san are both new idols who graduated from Saotome Academy.

They are friends of mine from our student days. Since I am shy and reserved, they were the ones who cared for me and helped me.

After graduation, they both managed to debut and became affiliated with Shining Agency.

Now, the two of them are busy with their respective projects.

Furthermore, they are members of the Jinguji family and Hijirikawa family, two leading business conglomerates who represent Japan.

Ren Jinguji: So, what brings you to a place like this?

Haruka Nanami: Um… the truth is, I asked to be partnered with Kurosaki-senpai for the Christmas Live and Song Festival. He's always so busy I haven't been able to greet him properly, so I thought I would be able to meet him if I came here.

Ren Jinguji: Ah, come to think of it, Ryuya-san mentioned something like that.

Masato Hijirikawa: If that's the case, surely it would be better if you waited for him in his dressing room? As you have seen from earlier, it can be quite dangerous here.

Haruka Nanami: Actually, I didn’t know how to get back to the dressing rooms…

As I explained my situation, the two of them looked at each other and started laughing.

Ren Jinguji: Hahahaa! So the lady has lost her way. It’s a good thing we found you.

Haruka Nanami: Getting lost at this age…

It feels kind of embarrassing.

Masato Hijirikawa: Well, I would understand. Whether it’s a live house or a theatre, the entrance that leads backstage can often be quite confusing.

Hijirikawa-san also added that there’s the matter of security.

Ren Jinguji: Then let’s escort the lady to the dressing rooms. Come on, let’s go.

Haruka Nanami: I’m sorry to trouble you.

Following closely behind them, we made our way to the dressing rooms.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Huh…? Oh, it’s just you lot…

Ren Jinguji: Yo, good morning Ran-chan.

Masato Hijirikawa: Good morning, Kurosaki-san.

When we got to the dressing rooms, it seemed Kurosaki-senpai had just arrived as well.

He starts to put down his things while scowling at Hijirikawa-san and Jinguji-san.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: What’s your deal, loiterin’ around a place like this? Are you even working properly? You better not be doin’ a careless job.

Masato Hijirikawa: We had the day off today, so we came to observe you.

Ren Jinguji: We’re putting into practice the things that you taught us. Today, we thought that we would come see you on stage and learn from you first-hand. She decided to come as well.

Jinguji-san patted me on the shoulder.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: …Hah?

He looked down at me.

Haruka Nanami: Um… I’m Haruka Nanami from the Shining Agency. Today, I….

Ranmaru Kurosaki: And why're you ‘ere as well? What’d ya come out all this way for?

He narrows his eyes and asks me directly, cutting off my words.

H-How should I answer…?

Select the phrase!

To greet you… (+20 Love)

Haruka Nanami: I thought I would come and greet you.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Greeting… when we’re this busy before a live show?

As Kurosaki-senpai said that, he glanced at me and scowled.

Haruka Nanami: I-I’m sorry. At a busy time like this… I guess I am in the way…

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Looks like you get it. Outta the way.

When he says it like that, I don’t have anything to respond with…

To help you… (+15 Love)

Haruka Nanami: Um, I wanted to greet you and… if there’s something I can do, I would like to help as well!

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Hah? You, help? What’s a novice amateur like you gonna do t’help?

Haruka Nanami: That is, um… I can’t think of anything straight away, but…

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Don’t try an’ offer help when ya don’t even know what you can do.

He clicked his tongue at me as he said that.

To observe you… (+0 Love)

Haruka Nanami: As Jinguji-san said, I came to observe your live show…

Ranmaru Kurosaki: If ya gonna observe then do what you like, I don’t care. But I don’t get why you gotta barge in ‘ere as well.

Haruka Nanami: Ah, but what I really wanted to do was greet you…

Ranmaru Kurosaki: …The heck’s this greeting ‘bout?

Haruka Nanami: It’s about our partnership…

After a brief pause, he opens his mouth.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Oh, that. I did hear something ‘bout it, but I haven’t accepted anythin’ yet. Even if it’s a mistake, I told ya not to choose me, didn’t I? I don’t need a partner.

Haruka Nanami: N-No way…

The door to the dressing room opened.

Staff: Kurosaki-san, we’re almost ready to begin sound checks. Please be on standby.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Got it. Looks like it’s time. Watch and learn.

Masato Hijirikawa: Yes. Please allow us to learn from you.

Ren Jinguji: I’m looking forward to it, Ran-chan.

Kurosaki-senpai slung his bass over his shoulder and exited the dressing room.

After seeing Kurosaki-senpai off, we took our seats in the audience so that we could observe the rehearsal. As I was walking, I recalled the exchange that I just had.

Haruka Nanami: Ahh… what should I do?

Masato Hijirikawa: You haven’t done anything wrong. Kurosaki-san is just that sort of person. You could say it’s one of his characteristics… when we first started in the Master Course, I was also quite taken aback.

Hijirikawa-san smiled wryly.

It seemed that it took a long time for the two of them to have a proper conversation with Kurosaki-senpai like they do now.

I listened to a lot of his songs but… I still don’t know much about him…

I should take this opportunity to ask the two of them about him.

Select the phrase!

Ask about his music (+15 Love)

Haruka Nanami: When you mention Kurosaki-senpai, my first impression would be rock but… aside from that, is he interested in any other genres?

Ren Jinguji: Ah, of course there’s rock, but he enjoys all genres and is well-versed in all of them. He’s done a lot of study on them as well.

Masato Hijirikawa: Yes, but rather than judging based on genre, his approach is that of looking at each song individually to form his assessment. It’s not something that anyone can do.

Ren Jinguji: I guess you’re right… if he’s with you, someone who also loves music, I think you’ll get along well.

Haruka Nanami: I see…

I think I’ve seen a small spark of hope.

Ask about his personality (+10 Love)

Masato Hijirikawa: His personality, huh. It’s difficult to explain it in a single word, but you might say he’s ‘focused’’ or ‘stubborn’. Of course, I don’t mean it in a bad way! But he may appear hard to please at some times.

Haruka Nanami: Hard to please…

Now that I think about it, he did seem unapproachable earlier.

Ask about his personal history (+0 Love)

From what I know about him…

Haruka Nanami: In the past, Kurosaki-senpai used to be part of an indie band, right?

I heard from someone at the agency that the president scouted him when his band disbanded…

Haruka Nanami: What about before then?

Ren Jinguji: Before that time… huh…

Huh? I wonder what’s the matter. Both of them suddenly averted their gaze.

Masato Hijirikawa: That… It’s a long story, so we should save it for when we have time to explain properly.

Haruka Nanami: Eh…? A-Ah, yes please.

I wonder what happened.

Ren Jinguji: Well, he is a shy person after all. I don’t think he’s very good at meeting new people. He says he isn’t good with women, but I think the real reason is he’s just shy. That’s why even if he seems a little cold, don’t give up on him.

Haruka Nanami: He isn’t good with women?

Masato Hijirikawa: Yes, he’s completely different from Jinguji… It seems that his band disbanded due to trouble with women in the past.

Ah. So he is a self-disciplined person after all.

As we talked, we eventually reached our seats.

Ren Jinguji: Now that I think about it, lady. Just what made you choose Ran-chan as your partner?

Select the phrase!

It’s because I like his songs (+15 Love)

Haruka Nanami: I was starstruck when I first heard his songs. They were so honest and powerful… I felt such a strong impact, like the kind that directly moves your heart. That’s when I thought I would definitely like to work with him.

Masato Hijirikawa: It’s true that Kurosaki-san’s music moves people’s hearts and lights a fire in them. You felt that too, didn’t you?

Ren Jinguji: I get it now, so the lady was knocked out by Ran-chan.

I wanted to challenge myself (+10 Love)

“What do you mean by that?” Jinguji-san asked me with a smile.

Haruka Nanami: I could say that something struck me while I was listening to his music, but I heard from many others that he’s also quite strict. So I thought it would be a good chance to discipline myself!

Masato Hijirikawa: I see, it will be good if you can face Kurosaki-san with that same level of resolve. He makes a worthy opponent.

Ren Jinguji: Using the word ‘resolve’ like that… this isn’t training, you know.

Jinguji-san looked at the both of us, amused.

I had an interest in him (+0 Love)

Haruka Nanami: Well… Of course, the first reason was his music. But I also had an interest in him too.

Ren Jinguji: Interest, huh. It’s true that Ran-chan is a very interesting person, so you won’t be bored with him around.

Jinguji-san grins broadly.

Masato Hijirikawa: Kurosaki-san may be strict, but what he’s saying isn’t irrational. He is overly disciplined especially when it comes to music. So if you approach him sincerely, I’m sure he will come to acknowledge you.

Judging from the situation earlier though, it seems receiving the recognition of Kurosaki-senpai will be far in the future.

Haruka Nanami: You’re right, I have to keep working hard until he acknowledges me!

The two of them nodded cheerfully.

The sound check has been happening on stage since it started a while ago.

Each song is played one at a time, and the balance between the instruments and the song as a whole should be checked but...

Masato Hijirikawa: Hmm…? Has something happened?

Hijirikawa-san looked towards the stage, his brows knitted together.

On stage, Kurosaki-senpai and the guitarist are engaged in an argument about something.

Ren Jinguji: Come on, let’s go see what’s happening.

I hurriedly chased after the two of them.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Just what’re you sayin’?! A real pro should be prepared t’play any song in their repertoire!

Guitarist: Even so, I didn’t prepare my nylon strings today. I didn’t hear about it, so how was I supposed to know? If you needed them, you should have told me beforehand.

Ren Jinguji: He doesn’t have nylon strings?

Jinguji-san murmured in a small voice, tilting his head to the side.

Haruka Nanami: Normally, rock songs are played using steel strings, so nylon strings are only used in special cases but…

Masato Hijirikawa: Hmm. That is correct, nylon strings are usually associated with classical or jazz music.

Haruka Nanami: So an extra song was added that uses nylon strings?

But it will be difficult to prepare now, what will they do?

Ranmaru Kurosaki: The interlude of this song has a classical style. The recording is also played usin’ nylon strings. Of course you should’ve brought ‘em with you.

Guitarist: The song wasn’t in the original set list, yet you expected me to bring them regardless. How can you say that when you’re the one who changed the song at the last minute?

The staff began to gather around the two to see what the fuss was about.

That’s when the conversation became heated once again.

While listening in, I learned about the live setlist and the reason for the change. The song that was put in, I had heard it in the agency’s collection so I was familiar with it.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Changes are t’be expected in a live show. You’re no amateur, so what’s your deal?

At Kurosaki-senpai’s words, the guitarist’s facial expression suddenly became stern.

Guitarist: What was that? Until now, you’ve been saying whatever you like. But if you’re going to keep this up, then I’m leaving.

One of the staff members panics and steps in, asking him not to leave.

Staff: J-Just hold on a moment! We don’t have time for this, how about changing to a different song or making use of a synthesizer?

Ranmaru Kurosaki: You gotta be kiddin’ me. A synthesizer is a synthesizer. There’s no way you can compare the sound to that of an acoustic guitar.

Staff: Come on, please. Everyone’s already waiting.

Kurosaki-senpai bit down on his lip.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Tch. I don’t wanna do this half-baked, but… we ain’t swappin’ the song, so let’s go with the synth…

Haruka Nanami: But if you do that, the image of the song will… it’ll change too much.

The words came out of my mouth before I realized, and everyone turned to look at me.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Hah? What’d you say?

Haruka Nanami: That is, um… it’s nothing.

As I hung my head to avoid his gaze, Jinguji-san clapped his hand on my shoulder.

Ren Jinguji: It will change… and then? It looks like the lady has a suggestion.

Haruka Nanami: That is…

I lifted my head boldly but was met with Kurosaki-senpai’s sharp gaze.

What should I do? For someone like me, giving my opinion here would be far too forward..

He might get angry at me, but…

Steeling myself, I opened my mouth to continue.

Haruka Nanami: If all you do is replace the instrument with the synthesizer, the tone color will change too much. That’s why…

With shaking hands, I pulled a notepad and pen out of my bag.

Haruka Nanami: Rather than that, the best thing would be to change this guitar part to a chord, add Kurosaki-senpai’s bass solo, and then the synthesizer will play a different melody’s arpeggio during this section…

I write some notes on a piece of paper and hand it to Kurosaki-senpai.

Haruka Nanami: With this, the arrangement will be different but I think it will still contain the same image.

Kurosaki-senpai took my notes without saying anything, looking over it in silence.

The staff up on stage looked at us nervously, awaiting a response.

Haruka Nanami: What… do you think?

Kurosaki-senpai looked up from the paper, and for a brief moment I thought that our eyes met.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: …’Kay, let’s give it a try.

That was all he said before turning on his heel and moving to his position.

The sound checks resumed. The song from earlier began to play.

Thank goodness… the sound came out just how I imagined it.

Masato Hijirikawa: That’s amazing. Just when did your skills improve this much?

Haruka Nanami: While assisting various teachers, I saw how they dealt with these kinds of situations so…

Ren Jinguji: Well, it’s not an easy thing to do. Besides, the result isn’t bad at all.

Haruka Nanami: Thank you very much. I’m honored to be praised by both of you.

But I do wonder what Kurosaki-senpai thinks about it.

My heart pounded as I looked towards the stage.

Once the song ended, he closed his eyes without saying a word.

Then, he cast a glimpse at me.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: …’Kay. We’ll run with this.

He muttered that quietly and put down his bass.

As the start of the live show drew near, once again, we returned to our seats in the audience.

From here, we had a good view of everything. Already, there were a great number of fans gathering.

There weren’t just female fans; there were a good number of male fans as well.

I could feel that this sort of concert draws in a wide range of people from all ages.

It looks like fun… everyone who came today has been looking forward to this live show.

Finally, the show began.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: It’s good t’see all of you! We’re gonna start off strong and heat things up right from the top!! Come, follow me!

Enthusiasm and cheers filled the live house.

Fan A: Waaaaaahhh! Ranmaru!!

Male Fan: We’ve been waiting for thisssss!

I could hear the low tones of his bass as he played and the heated, beautiful voice that seemed to envelop it. Loud cheers resounded in the audience, and the drums and guitar continued to stir up that excitement.

From one song to the next, the crowd were kept on their feet as they sang along, with the excitement in the venue continuing to rise even more.

Haruka Nanami: What amazing intensity…

I knew of it from his CDs and watching footage, but it’s completely different hearing it live.

Masato Hijirikawa: Yes, as expected from him. This intensity is not something that can be readily replicated.

His song resounded all throughout my body, shaking me straight to the soul.

Deep and powerful… it was the kind of song where I wanted to remain in its sound for as long as I could…

I closed my eyes and gave myself over to that intense sound.

Ren Jinguji: Heh, feels good doesn’t it? Are you hooked on Ran-chan’s sound?

Haruka Nanami: Eh? Ah… no, it’s not that…

But it really did feel amazing. I want to stay in this sound forever.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: The next song is a first for us in a live. Listen well.

Ah, it’s the song from back then. I was able to tell right away by listening.

It’s different from the songs with vigorous melodies that had been played up until then.

In contrast, this song was a little more mellow.

Senpai’s bass solo. It resounded well with its tone color.

My heart sped up as I thought of how he took on my opinion and played with that in mind.

Even after that, Kurosaki-senpai continued to draw the audience in with high energy. The playing and vocals never wavered, and before I realised it, the live show had ended.

I wanted to listen to even more of it…

While thinking that, even after everyone had left, I gazed at the empty stage.

Haruka Nanami: Where is this…

After the live show, Hijirikawa-san and Jinguji-san went to say goodbye to Kurosaki-senpai before returning home. I had been following them, but…

Somewhere along the way, we got separated. Have I always had such a bad sense of direction?

Haruka Nanami: This is worrying…

Suddenly, I heard part of a conversation going on in the middle of the hallway.

Guitarist: I guess it didn’t turn out too badly. You made the right call putting that song in.

If I recall… that’s the guitarist who was involved in the argument before the live show.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: That’s what I was sayin’, wasn’t it? It’s not a song you normally see bein’ played live. So ‘course it’ll get the audience excited.

Guitarist: But Kurosaki, that wasn’t the right way to phrase things. I was fully prepared to leave.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Can it.

Saying to call on him next time, the guitarist turned the corner and left. Only Kurosaki-senpai was left behind and…

Just when I was looking for a way out, our eyes met.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: ...You again. Just what’re you doin’ here?

Haruka Nanami: I-I’m sorry! I was on my way out when I got lost…

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Lost? The exit’s the other way!

He pointed me in the opposite direction to which I had been going.

Haruka Nanami: Ehh!? So it was that way the whole time…

As soon as I said that, a pressing silence fills the air.

Haruka Nanami: I’m sorry! Thank you for your hard work!

Flustered, I quickly bow and prepare to leave.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Oi, hold up!

Haruka Nanami: Y-Yes!?

My shoulders shake in surprise.

Kurosaki-senpai fixed his gaze on me intently.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Before, why didn’t you say anything about the arrangement on your own?

Haruka Nanami: Eh...?

Ranmaru Kurosaki: You knew from the start, right? If Ren hadn’t said anything, were you planning on keepin’ quiet?

Haruka Nanami: That’s…

At that time, if Jinguji-san hadn’t said anything, I probably wouldn’t have had enough courage to say something myself.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: So if nothing had been said, you really were planning on lettin’ things go as they did. Guess it would've been easier if you didn't know any better.

Haruka Nanami: Um…

Ranmaru Kurosaki: You can’t even express your own opinions without relyin’ on other people. See, that’s the reason you ‘aven’t been able to debut for a year and a half, ain’t that right?

Haruka Nanami: ……

I hung my head without saying anything in response to Kurosaki-senpai’s words.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: I dunno how much musical talent you have, but if you don’t have anyone listenin’ to it, it’s pointless. I‘m not wastin’ my time with someone who’s not puttin’ in that effort. Got it? Then go home. And don’t follow me around anymore.

After he had said that, Kurosaki-senpai walked past me and left.

When I stepped outside the live house, it was already very dark.

Haruka Nanami: What should I… do from now…?

Everyone had already gone home so I was left to walk the abandoned streets by myself, a sigh escaping from me.

It’s true, even if my luck was bad, I’m mostly to blame as well for not being able to debut up until now.

Ever since my time as a student, I’ve been watched over and taken care of by the people around me. It’s thanks to them that I’ve been able to come this far.

But to advance from here, it’s just as Kurosaki-senpai said; I have to move forward on my own now.

Haruka Nanami: Am I capable of doing something like that?

Just when today’s nerves, exhaustion, and my own helplessness were about to overwhelm me, I saw a warm yellow light.

Haruka Nanami: Ah, a restaurant.

In front of me was a small and cosy restaurant.

On a signboard in green lettering, the words “Kitchen Parsley” were written on it.

Haruka Nanami: I haven’t really been out this way before…

Now that I think about it, I haven’t had anything to eat since this morning.

As if being drawn in, I opened the door to the restaurant.

Old Woman: Welcome.

When I entered the restaurant, an old woman wearing a white apron greeted me from inside. From what I saw, there were no other customers around.

Haruka Nanami: Um, are you still open?

Old Woman: Yes, of course. Come, have a seat.

She led me to a table and sat me down, handing me a green, handwritten menu. When I opened it, there were things like hamburg steak and spaghetti, like what you would find on the menu of a Western-style restaurant.

Old Woman: Have you decided on your order yet?

After a moment, the old woman came to take my order.

Haruka Nanami: Ah um, how about… could I please have the consommé and a demi-glace omurice?

The old woman took the menu from me and went to the kitchen out back. Inside, I could see an elderly aged man. I wonder if he’s the chef?

I looked around slowly at the interior of the restaurant. It’s old and small, but it looks like it’s been properly looked after.

Inside, on a small blackboard the words “Very Popular!! Extra Large Demi-Glace Omurice (extra hamburg steak topping add 100 yen)” were written.

Haruka Nanami: Huh…

The inside of the restaurant is warm, and there’s a nice scent wafting around. I felt like I had been brought back to life, and let out a large sigh.

Old Woman: Here you are, consommé and salad. It’s hot, so please be careful.

The old woman placed down a simple white soup cup and a bowl of salad in front of me.

Haruka Nanami: Wah, thank you for the food.

I took one sip of the consommé. Hmm……!?

Haruka Nanami: Delicious… this is really delicious!!

Old Woman: Oh my, that makes me happy to hear. Honey, she said the consommé is delicious!

The old woman turned towards the kitchen and called out.

Old Woman: Even though it’s only a small shop, our consommé is properly made using bouillon. I’m glad that you like it.

Old Man: Hey, the demi-glace omurice is ready.

A voice sounded from the kitchen.

The old woman hurried away and came back with a tray.

Old Woman: Thank you for waiting. Please, take your time and eat up.

The old woman placed a plate of omurice in front of me, white puffs of steam rising from it.

A hearty amount of demi-glace sauce was coated on top of the simmering egg.

Haruka Nanami: Thank you for the food!

When I stuck my spoon in, moist chicken rice could be seen inside.

Old Woman: The chicken rice is made by combining our homemade ketchup with tomato purée. That’s why it’s so fresh, wouldn’t you say so?

The old woman explains to me happily while topping up the condiments on one of the tables.

Haruka Nanami: Yes!

The sweet and juicy chicken rice, the fluffy egg, and the thick and deep flavour of the demi-glace sauce. Before I knew it, not even a single grain of rice was left on the plate.

Haruka Nanami: Thank you for the food, that was delicious!

With a smile on her face, the old woman returned to the kitchen. After a moment, she came back carrying a small silver plate on a tray.

Old Woman: Here you are. This is on us.

Haruka Nanami: Eh, but…

The old woman placed a small pudding à la mode in front of me.

Old Woman: I’m afraid it’s our leftovers, but… you look tired, so please eat this and I hope it cheers you up.

Haruka Nanami: Wah, thank you so much.

The pudding had a strong eggy flavour, and the caramel was slightly burnt…

The exhaustion from today slowly began to seep away.

While I was eating the pudding, an old man appeared from the kitchen.

Old Man: What do you think, our cooking’s pretty good eh? It’s only a small restaurant, but we don’t cut corners.

Haruka Nanami: Yes! It’s like a first-class restaurant.

The old couple’s eyes met and they let out a laugh.

Old Man: Hahaha! That’s good. But the prices are average, so you can eat with peace of mind.

Haruka Nanami: Ah… yes.

Old Man: Say, darling. How about you serve the young lady a coffee?

Old Woman: Oh yes, right away.

Thanks to the sweetness of the pudding and the kindness of the restaurant owners, I could feel my weary heart slowly being warmed up.

I couldn’t keep being all depressed. The next chance I had was surely the creation of the unit song for the Christmas Live.

Somehow, I had in mind the melody that I wanted to create. I had to gather my courage and face the senpai with my own opinion. I had to tell them this was the song I wanted them to sing.

While drinking the coffee that was brought to me, this was what I decided on my own.

Haruka Nanami: Thank you again for everything. It was delicious.

Old Woman: You’re very welcome. Please come again.

Just when I was about to pay…

Thug A: Oi, Hariya’s men here. We’re comin’ in.

The door violently burst open, and a pair of men entered.

They seem a little scary…

One of them was wearing a striped suit, and the other was wearing sunglasses.

Old Man: L-Leave!!

Thug B: Once you’ve paid up, we’ll leave you alone. Hehehe.

Old Woman: We’ll make it up somehow by the end of the month... we have a customer at the moment, so please leave for today.

Thug A: Tch. After we came out all this way, we’re tellin’ ya to cough somethin’ up!

The man in sunglasses began to violently kick over some of the chairs near the entrance.

The old man lost his balance trying to avoid the falling chairs and landed on his backside.

Old Man: Please stop! Ack… Oww-ow-ow…

Old Woman: Ah…

The old woman panicked, wanting to rush over to the old man. However, she could only cover her head and crouch down, shaking.

Haruka Nanami: Are you okay!?

In a panic, I rushed over to the old couple.

Haruka Nanami: U-Umm... please stop!!

Thug A: Hah? Who are you?

One of the two vulgar men glanced at me and scowled.

W-What should I do…?

I may be scared, but the old couple are in trouble. In any case, I have to drive away these people.

I stood in front of the men, blocking their way.

Haruka Nanami: I-I’m a composer!

Ugh… my voice cracked.

Thug B: Well, well. So what if you are?

It seems the conversation was about money. If so, then…

Haruka Nanami: Um, I was looking to rent out this place next time and host a live show. I was here to discuss the plans for that!

I pulled out a business card from my bag.

Haruka Nanami: They told me that they were planning to use the income from that to pay off the outstanding amount.

The two men looked at the business card that I had handed them.

Thug A: Shining Agency. That’s a pretty big name…

The man in sunglasses looked at the old man.

Old Man: Ah… Ahh… T-That’s right! It’s just as the young lady said!!

Upon hearing the old man’s words, the two men looked at each other.

Thug A: There’s nuthin’ else we can do ‘bout it. Fine, we’ll leave it at that for t’day. But you know what’s gonna happen if you don’t pay up next time.

At their words, the old couple nodded in quick succession.

Clicking their tongues, the two men left the restaurant.

Old Man: I’m sorry for the trouble... thank you so much…

When I turned, the old man and old woman were both crouched down on the floor, their faces pale white.

Haruka Nanami: M-Mister!! Ma’am!!

In a panic, I quickly called an ambulance.

On our way to the hospital, the two of them began to tell me about their situation little by little. The restaurant was opened 25 years ago, focusing on university students who attended local universities in the neighbourhood. Thanks to them, business was able to thrive.

However, since a new shopping mall opened in front of the station, almost everyone has been going there now. Right before it opened, the restaurant underwent a small reconstruction but… because of the sudden drop in revenue, it became difficult for them to pay off the loan borrowed for the reconstruction costs.

Before they knew it, the manager of the loan company was succeeded by someone else who was very rough in character. It was due to that change in management that they’ve been dealing with this harrassment for the past few months.

Haruka Nanami: It seems like they’re dealing with a lot, in more ways than one…

I sighed in front of the hospital.

Old Woman: Oh, it’s you… were you waiting for us?

When I lifted my head, the old man and old woman had their eyes fixed on me.

Haruka Nanami: Ah! Are you both okay?

Old Woman: Yes, my husband strained his back in the past and it seems that old injury had relapsed. For me, it was just my anemia acting up.

Haruka Nanami: Is that so? Thank goodness…

With a sigh of relief, my shoulders relaxed.

Old Man: It wasn’t anything serious. But it seems we made you worry, didn’t we?

Haruka Nanami: I’ll accompany you back to the restaurant. There’s some cleaning up to do as well, isn’t there?

Old Man: Oh no, we wouldn’t want to trouble you further. We’re thankful to you just for getting rid of those guys.

Old Woman: Yes, at the very least, please accept tonight’s meal on us.

Haruka Nanami: No, please! I would feel bad if I did. Um, my purse…

Hurriedly, I was about to pay for the bill when I heard a familiar voice resounding behind me.

???: Hey, are you two alright?!

Huh… this voice is…

???: Hah… what’s this…? You guys look okay...

Nervously, I turned to look behind me.

Haruka Nanami: Kurosaki… senpai…!? Why are you here…?

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Hah!? You… what’re you doin’ here?!!

Kurosaki-senpai and I both asked the same question at almost the exact same time.

Old Man: What’s this? Young lady, you were a friend of Ranmaru-chan’s this whole time?

Haruka Nanami: Ranmaru-chan…?

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Wha—! Hey, don’t repeat what he just said! And Gramps, don’t call me that in front of other people, y’hear me?!

This time, the old man and myself drew back at almost the same time.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Hah? Helped you? By drivin’ off a bunch of thugs? Just how’d y’pull that off…

After Kurosaki-senpai received an explanation from the old woman, he looked at me suspiciously.

Haruka Nanami: About that, I’m not too sure how I should explain it myself…

Old Man: She talked to them. That’s all it was, talking.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: T-Talk!? This woman did that?

Startled, he pointed a finger at me.

Haruka Nanami: Eh, well… That isn’t wrong....I guess..

Old Woman: That’s why we owe this young lady a favor.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Are you f’real?

After a while, Kurosaki-senpai turned to the three of us.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: O-Okay... I don’t really get what’s happenin’, but in any case if you did help ‘em out you have my thanks. We took up your time, didn’t we.

Haruka Nanami: Oh no, not at all. I couldn’t do much else…

Ranmaru Kurosaki: But you helped ‘em, didn’t you? You don’t have to be overly modest. Just accept it.

Kurosaki-senpai narrowed his eyes at me with a glare, before going over to the old couple.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Well then, can you walk? It’s not that far to the restaurant, but I’ve called a taxi over there just in case.

“Sorry for the trouble,'' the old man said.

As the two of them walked over, Kurosaki-senpai turned around to look at me.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: I’ll take the two of ‘em home. You better be goin’ too.

Haruka Nanami: A-Ah… if so, I’ll also follow you to the restaurant…

As I said that, Kurosaki-senpai sighed.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Just what time d’you think it is?! If I tell ya to go home, then go home!!

Kurosaki-senpai yelled and pointed his finger at me sternly.

Haruka Nanami: Y-Yes, right away! Thanks for your hard work today!!

I quickly bowed my head and ran off.

Leaving the hospital behind me, I walked for a short while.

Haruka Nanami: He’s right, it is quite late now.

As I walked, I looked down at my watch. What time does the last train come, I wonder?

Even then, today was… a lot has happened and I’m quite tired.

Haruka Nanami: Oh no, I didn’t end up paying them in the end!

Ahh, what should I do. I should really go back and pay. But everyone might have already left. I sighed out loud.

It’s no good. I didn’t even have the energy to go back.

Haruka Nanami: I’ll go back there another day. Right now, I have to get on the train or…

But, huh? Which way was the station?

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Found ya! Hey, wait up!

Kurosaki-senpai came riding on a bicycle, passing by me quickly before slamming on the brakes.

Haruka Nanami: K-Kurosaki-senpai!? Wha!? I thought you had already left… is something the matter?

Ranmaru Kurosaki: What are you, an idiot or somethin’! The station’s the other way!

Kurosaki-senpai shouted, pointing to the other side of the road.

Haruka Nanami: Eh? I-I’m sorry. Come to think of it, I came by ambulance so I don’t really know where we are.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: If ya didn’t know, then don’t go walkin’ off carelessly like that! Got it? Come ‘ere.

With the bike rattling beside him, he began to guide me.

Haruka Nanami: O-Okay!

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Go straight along this road and turn right at the end. Once you see the pharmacy, go left! Follow the windin’ road and you should get to the station! Ya got all of that?!

When I looked in the direction that Kurosaki-senpai pointed out, I could see the faint lights of the town.

Haruka Nanami: Y-Yes… I think I’ll be okay. I’ve got it!

Ranmaru Kurosaki: If y’got it, then don’t you dare mess up! Find your way on your own. ‘Cause really, I can’t deal with all of ya at the same time.

After he had said that, he turned the handle sharply and left.

But, where did that bike…?

I continued to stay there, watching the back of Kurosaki-senpai’s retreating figure as he rode off.

That night in the bath, I recalled all of the things that had happened today.

Was it by chance that Kurosaki-senpai saw me walking off in the opposite direction and chased after me?

Haruka Nanami: His tone may be harsh, but he did tell me the way home…

...What a strange person.

After finishing up in the bath, I made my way to the piano.

The live show. The taste of the omurice. Kurosaki-senpai’s strict words to me.

With all the different thoughts running around in my head, I stayed up late into the night composing.

A few days passed after that. In order to discuss the Christmas Live unit song, I arrived at the office’s meeting room.

Haruka Nanami: Excuse me…

There was no response. Does that mean there’s no one around?

Ranmaru Kurosaki: …...zzzzz.

Haruka Nanami: Wah!!?

When I looked down at the source of the noise, I noticed the chairs in the meeting room had been neatly pushed together, and I saw Kurosaki-senpai’s sleeping form laying across them.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Hnn…? Ah… oh, you…

Haruka Nanami: G-G-Good morning!?

My greeting came out as an unintended question.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Fuaaaarrhh… what in the world. Your voice is so freakin’ loud this early in the morning. Aghhh… ouch. My head’s still poundin’.

Kurosaki-senpai began to wake slowly, yawning while scratching his head.

His hair was ruffled and messy.

Ai Mikaze: Morning.

The door opened, and in came Kotobuki-senpai and Mikaze-senpai.

Reiji Kotobuki: Alright, Rei-chan is here! And ohh? Ooohhhh?

Ranran, are you hungover?

Kotobuki-senpai addressed his question to the still half-asleep Kurosaki-senpai with a smile.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: ...Shut up. An’ how the heck are you still so put together after drinkin’ that much…

Reiji Kotobuki: Ahahaha, and even then I was nowhere near my limit~!

Ai Mikaze: The both of you are idols, you should be more careful.

Kotobuki-senpai laughs hollowly.

At that moment, Camus-senpai arrived as well, getting dragged into the conversation by Kotobuki-senpai.

My impression of everyone now is a little bit different from when I first met them last month.

Surprisingly, they seem to get along quite well.

Finally, Hyuga-sensei joined in on the meeting because he was worried about me.

Because this is the first meeting, we will be discussing things like the overall image of the song. Although, I got a bit carried away and already composed a demo track…

If there’s a chance for them to hear the demo, I’m going to try and ask them myself.

Ryuya Hyuga: Okay, let’s start this meeting. Well, it’s only the first one so how about we start with a rough image of the song?

Ai Mikaze: Image, huh. So you’re referring to the direction for the musical style or genre?

Ryuya Hyuga: Yeah, that’s right. With the intention of creating an idol song, it might be interesting to mix different elements. As the composer, what do you think?

Haruka Nanami: The genre....

Select the phrase!

Rock (+30 Love)

Haruka Nanami: After all, rock is quite cool isn’t it? The four of you have tough and adult-like impressions, so I think the best way to express that is through rock.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: ...Woman, d’you think that by sayin’ rock it would make me happy?

Kurosaki-senpai glanced at me and glared.

Haruka Nanami: No, of course not…

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Well, I would be happy with rock in any case…

Reiji Kotobuki: Even though you say it like that, of course you’re happy with rock aren’t you? Right, right~?

Could this mean… Kurosaki-senpai approves of my suggestion?

Jazz (+15 Love)

Haruka Nanami: What do you think about adding a jazz element in? All of you are very distinctive, and it brings to mind the image of a jazz session. Don’t you think it could be interesting?

Reiji Kotobuki: Jazz, hey? Yup, yup. Presenting a more adult-like feeling might not be so bad. What do you think, Ranran?

Ranmaru Kurosaki: We ain’t just talkin’ about the mood. ‘s not something you do half-heartedly either. It’s deep… like a form of art.

Haruka Nanami: Art… Kurosaki-senpai, other than rock, are you knowledgeable about jazz as well?

“A little,” he murmured.

Classical (+0 Love)

Haruka Nanami: If we adopt a classical style into the song, it might be interesting.

All of the senpai are well-grounded in music, so a classical song would also bring out their magnificence.

Camus: Hmph, how silly. Classical music is only for the ears of nobles. It is not for the likes of fools like you.

Come to think of it, Camus-senpai plays the cello. Well, he is from a noble family of counts, so he might have some special attachment to the genre.

Reiji Kotobuki: It might be interesting, but for a live concert maybe something upbeat like rock or pop would be better?

He’s right, energy would also be an important factor.

Ryuya Hyuga: Alright, for the style of the song, how about we try out different things when we get to the arrangement phase? Also, since this is a special unit, we’ll also be putting effort into publicity and advertising. Is there anything that you guys want to do?

Hyuga-sensei asked them, wanting to hear everyone’s opinions.

Reiji Kotobuki: Publicity? How about we do something like parade around the streets of town while singing?

Camus: You, how is that even idol-like? If there’s a disturbance, what will you do?

Ai Mikaze: What if we sent a copy of our song to every computer in the country? We could do it via the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications’ server…

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Quit sayin’ such absurd things. The basis is mass communications and media. Where should we promote ourselves first?

Haruka Nanami: Hmm, the media? Maybe…

Select the phrase!

Fashion Magazine (+20 Love)

Haruka Nanami: How about publishing a special feature in a fashion magazine? I think the four of you are very stylish, and if it’s a fashion magazine then female fans are sure to take notice…

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Huh… not a bad idea.

Reiji Kotobuki: At the same time, we might be able to buy the clothes we wear for cheap.

Camus: Hmph, ever the frugal person, aren’t you.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Shaddap! Bein’ able to manage your funds well is rock!

Kurosaki-senpai snapped his fingers as he said so.

Flyer Distribution (+10 Love)

Haruka Nanami: Um, what if everyone went around town handing out flyers? Wouldn’t that be pretty effective?

Ai Mikaze: That would make us feel new, but is it really okay for idols to be wandering the town giving out flyers?

Camus: That reminds me, when Her Majesty – the queen of my country – was crowned, we all walked around handing out notices. That was… splendid…

Camus-senpai is absent-mindedly lost in thought.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Not a bad idea, meetin’ our audience personally. Except no one does it these days.

Haruka Nanami: I-I’m sorry.

Video Website (+0 Love)

Haruka Nanami: What if we made use of a video sharing website? Now, online video websites have a stronger influence over television.

Reiji Kotobuki: Oh, that could be interesting! We can do live broadcasts too. Presenting my very own live broadcast, “Reicast”!

Ai Mikaze: Then, the name of mine would be “Aicast”? But where’s the lure?

Haruka Nanami: I think that’s the wrong use of casting...

Camus: “Camuscast”... it’s unusually difficult to pronounce. “Camuscast”, maybe “Camcast” for short...

Ryuya Hyuga: What in the world, you guys… you realise that isn’t the point, right!

Ryuya Hyuga: Well, let’s also take those opinions into account and think about how to develop our advertisement.

We talked about the plans leading up to the date and everyone’s schedules. After briefly going over everything required, we are finally able to take a break.

Ai Mikaze: Then, is that all for today? How about we decide on the date for the next meeting?

Mikaze-senpai, who had been taking minutes for the meeting looked up from his laptop.

This could be my chance.

Haruka Nanami: U-Um...! Excuse me, if it’s okay, could I please ask for a moment of your time?

At my words, everyone turned to look towards me.

Haruka Nanami: Aahh…

The next words won’t come out.

“Ah”, Hyuga-sensei chimed in as if he had remembered something.

Ryuya Hyuga: You made a demo track, didn’t you? Will you let us hear it?

Haruka Nanami: Y-Yes! The truth is… before this meeting, I went ahead on my own and composed a demo track.

At my sudden remark, everyone’s eyes went wide. Only Kurosaki-senpai’s eyes remained sharp.

Haruka Nanami: Um… would you please listen to it?

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Hmph… let’s hear it then.

Kurosaki-senpai lightly crossed his arms.

Haruka Nanami: O-Okay!

Nervously, I began to play the demo track.

SONG: "QUARTET NIGHT" (S RANK)

Ranmaru Kurosaki: ……

After listening to the song, Kurosaki-senpai remained perfectly still and quiet, hardly moving an inch.

Haruka Nanami: Ah… how was it?

Ranmaru Kurosaki: …’sn’t bad.

Haruka Nanami: Eh?

I couldn’t hear what he said very well and without thinking, I asked him again.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: I said it wasn’t bad. Don’t make me repeat myself.

Could it be… he liked it?

Haruka Nanami: Y-Yes! Thank you very much!

SONG: "BRIGHT ROAD" (A-B RANK)

Kurosaki-senpai dropped the sheet music he was looking at onto the table with a thud.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: We’re not about to do a careless job ‘ere. The bass ain’t bad, but it’s ruined by the arrangement. You need to think more about the song.

Haruka Nanami: That means…?

Ranmaru Kurosaki: I‘m sayin’ the song itself ain’t bad. Redo the demo again and come back!

Haruka Nanami: Okay!

SONG: "BRIGHT ROAD" (C-D RANK)

Ranmaru Kurosaki: ...Just what is this mess? Is this all a joke t’you?

Haruka Nanami: I… I’m sorry! Now that I listen again, there isn’t a lot of coherence and it feels inconsistent...

Kurosaki-senpai flips through the sheet music on the table before glaring at me.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: If you understand, then you better do somethin’ about it. You have the basics, don’t slack off when implementing the finishing touches.

It seems he approves of the composition for now.

I’m going to try again.

______________________________

I wonder how everyone else felt about it. Nervously, I looked at each of them.

Ai Mikaze: I don’t think it was as bad as what I had been expecting. You’ve managed to capture each of our traits, so if you work yourself to death from here on out, I think we’ll be able to manage.

Haruka Nanami: To death…

But it seems like he approves.

Next to Mikaze-senpai, Camus-senpai smoothly adds sugar to his coffee.

Haruka Nanami: Camus-senpai, what did you think of it...?

I asked him this question and waited for him to finish adding sugar to his cup. It was an unbelievable amount.

Taking a small taste of his coffee, Camus-senpai sighed deeply.

Camus: At the very least, it seems like it will not require any extra effort. I will sing with my all during the performance, so you just need to do something about Kurosaki, child.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Don’t just go off sayin’ what you like. ‘Sides, I don’t remember acceptin’ any partnership.

Kurosaki-senpai glared at Camus-senpai.

Reiji Kotobuki: I see, Kouhai-chan it looks like you’ve got some talent in the musical aspect of things. Where the problem lies is with your ability to communicate.

Kotobuki-senpai gently pointed out my weakness, and without thinking I looked down at the floor.

Reiji Kotobuki: Well, in saying so, what I mean is that you and Ranran are kind of similar. I think you would make a good partner~.

Haruka Nanami: Me and Kurosaki-senpai?

Is that… so…?

Kurosaki-senpai suddenly kicked over a chair and stood up.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Don’t gimme that crap. Just where do ya think this woman and I are similar?!

He went and grabbed Kotobuki-senpai by the collar of his shirt.

Reiji Kotobuki: Ack! Hey there, no violence! Sorry, I’m sorry! Please forgive me! Ai-Ai, Myu-chan, c’mon help a guy out!

Ai Mikaze: Hmm? But it doesn’t involve me.

Camus: I have no interest in the disputes of fools. Do what you want…

Ryuya Hyuga: Hey Ranmaru, knock it off.

At Hyuga-sensei’s words, Kurosaki-senpai reluctantly let go of Kotobuki-senpai.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Tch, partner… it’s tiresome enough that she’s a woman. But on top o’that, I refuse to deal with someone who always looks so spaced out. You can do whatever ya like ‘bout the rest.

Upon saying that, Kurosaki-senpai grabs his jacket and heads towards the door. He closed the door roughly and left the meeting room.

Reiji Kotobuki: Ah, man. He’s just trying to act all tough.

But he listened to my song properly… or so I thought. I let out a small sigh.

Ryuya Hyuga: Geez, that guy’s a real piece of work, huh.

With the meeting over, everyone went about their separate jobs.

While cleaning up the meeting room, I spoke a little bit with Hyuga-sensei. I told him about what Kurosaki-senpai said to me the other day.

I told him about how he didn’t acknowledge me as his partner, how I couldn’t voice my own opinions and him getting angry about it, and things like that.

Ryuya Hyuga: Although, it’s not like there isn’t any truth in what Ranmaru is saying. I think you have talent for composing, but even now you still remain reserved in some areas. If you don’t do something about it, it might be difficult for you to become independent as a composer.

Haruka Nanami: ...Yes.

I knew that Kurosaki-senpai was making a fair point when he said those things. I couldn’t do anything but nod my head in agreement.

Ryuya Hyuga: Even though I say that, he’s taking things way too far. As much as he doesn’t like doing things with other people, and saying he doesn’t like women, this is work. If he’s running away just because he doesn’t like something, doesn’t that mean he’s no different than a kid?

“He’s usually not this stubborn when it comes to work though,” Hyuga-sensei said to me with a sigh.

Ryuya Hyuga: But in contrast to his extreme way of doing things, you have to admit he has a great talent for music. On top of that, just like you, he isn’t great with words but he’s got loads of talent for writing songs. Maybe there, you’ll be able to figure something out.

Haruka Nanami: Talent for writing songs…

Ryuya Hyuga: It’s not like he said your song was bad or anything before, right? Doesn’t that mean he acknowledges the song as a whole? That’s rare for Ranmaru.

Haruka Nanami: Is that so?

Ryuya Hyuga: Yeah, if he really thought it was bad, he would tell you so until the very end… if he didn’t say anything, then you did well.

I could only nod while recalling his menacing look during the live show.

Ryuya Hyuga: The rest is up to you and your persistence… if you’re going to give up here, that’s it. But if you’re not willing to give up, then how about you try keeping at it a little more? Students do everything they’re told. Newcomers get help from those around them. But if you want to be more than that, you have to think for yourself and make your own decisions. This will be good training for you.

Haruka Nanami: Training...

Ryuya Hyuga: That’s right. How are you going to win over the other person? Think of a strategy. If you don't show others your enthusiasm, you can’t expect to establish human relations.

Strategy, appeal. They’re requiring such advanced concepts from me, and it makes me feel overwhelmed. Seeing this, the corner of Sensei’s mouth twitches upwards.

Ryuya Hyuga: If he still continues to make trouble for you after that, I’ll go over there and drag him out myself. Don’t worry about it.

Haruka Nanami: I understand! I’ll do my best.

Ryuya Hyuga: That’s the spirit. I’m expecting good things from you.

As he was leaving, Sensei patted me on the back with a smack.

After leaving the office, I visited a café in the neighborhood. Strategy, huh…

While drinking my cafe latté, I let myself lean against the back of the chair. Beyond the pillar, I could hear the conversation of the table next to me.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Sorry for bein’ late. My last appointment ran overtime.

Huh…? Kurosaki-senpai is sitting across from a man in a black suit.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: For this month.

He lays a white envelope on the table.

The suited man takes the envelope and examines the contents.

Man in Suit: Alright, I’ve received it… I must say, you’ve worked hard. At this rate, someday you might actually finish the repayments.

As he said that, the suited man put away the envelope into his briefcase.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: This ain’t a question of me working hard or not. There’s no one aside from me who can make these payments. I don’t have a choice. Tch, that old man. He was fooled in the end, then he goes and dies leaving nothing but trouble… what a thoughtless man. As the son of the Kurosaki family, I have to set things straight as one of the people left behind. Any problems within my family become my problems.

After that, Kurosaki-senpai continued to speak with the suited man for a bit.

The Kurosaki household, a large debt, family lawyer… those kinds of words started jumping out at me.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: The only thing I have that can make money is music. Now, and in the past, I won’t forgive failure ‘cause I’m always standing on the edge. I’ll still be causing trouble for you for awhile, but… I‘m counting on you.

The man nodded, bowing slightly before leaving the café.

Kurosaki-senpai finished the last of his iced coffee, setting down his glass on the table with a clink.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: That’s why… I can only survive on my own.

Kurosaki-senpai murmured those words as he stared at his empty glass.

(Chapter End)

#utapri #ranmaru kurosaki #all star ranmaru

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hillbillyhippiemusicreview · 1 month

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WHERE IN THE HECK IS NORTH SPRINGS MUSIC FESTIVAL?

That’s a REALLY good question—and if you’re an avid music fan, it’s an even better question. From some of the biggest names in music to the up and comers you must know, North Springs Music Festival has it all. Trust us, you’ll want to know the answer by this October!

Situated in picturesque Whitleyville, Tennessee, the farm of Dustin Kennedy changes from pastures galore to a music haven for music fans far and wide when autumn rolls around. Amid cooling temps and falling leaves, the stage is set on (proverbial) fire as those who flock to “the little music festival that could” deep in the mountains fall deeply in love with the music and mission of NSMF. Held October 11th and 12th of this year, NSMF is THE destination for a family friendly festival that is focused on two things: quality tunes and FUN! Come along as we chat with the festival organizer about this upcoming event that is quickly becoming a coveted favorite among music festivals in the South—both by bands and fans alike. Interview begins below:

L: Hey there Dustin! Thanks for joining us today to discuss what you've got cookin’ down in Tennessee. We're beyond stoked to join you to take in the stellar lineup you've curated this October in Whitleyville—for newcomers like us, can you give us a little background on how NSMF began?

D: Thank you for having me--and I sure can! NSMF got kicked off in 2020 right during all the madness of the pandemic, but we were outside and tired of the madness. It [attendees] consisted of almost all local folks outside of our original out of state ticket buyer, Kristen Heflin. The county donated a wooden stage used at various county functions. It was the only time that one was used. The initial show was headlined by Rye Davis and Branden Martin. It rained like hell, but like Deana Carter would say, "we danced anyway." *laughs*

L: Love it! Looking back, I recall a lot of new festivals popping up in 2020 because it seemed like people were so ready to live again...I know we were! We kept the roads hot between Indiana and Alabama going to as many shows as we could. I'm a little sad to know we missed the inagural festival and the ones the past few years, but so excited to get to witness the magic this fall. What was your inspiration for the festival, aside from giving the proverbial finger to the craziness of 2020? Has running a successful music festival always been a dream of yours?

D: I went to a small living room show in Lexington in 2017 hosted by Jeff Cox. Fifty people sitting in one small room listening to Justin Wells & Jason Eady. That kinda got my wheels spinning. So in 2019, I rented our county fairgrounds event building and hosted four acoustic songwriter shows, one of which being Jason Eady & Courtney Patton. After the show, I just sorta blurted out to Jason that I wanted to one day host a music festival on my family's farm and if I ever did, I'd love for him to be a part of it. That was in March of 2019, and by October 2020, as small as that first NSMF was, it had become a reality.

L: Ol’ Jeff Cox—he's one of the good ones! Isn't it crazy how small this music world really is and how quickly an idea can grow? I love a good grassroots story...and it's amazing to see what you've accomplished in the seven years since speaking that dream into the universe and bringing it to life. Tell us, what is your mission/motto for NSMF; what do you hope to achieve with this festival in the present and future derivatives of it?

D: One of my best friends, Clint Fraley, recently said it best. He said " You've caused old friends to come together to have a good time. What better achievement in life than causing others to have fun and forget about their troubles?" I've said in other interviews that we don't all agree on religion, politics or sports, but music brings people together, and it's a beautiful thing. But also, country music has lost its way from where it was when we all grew up. Some people only see country music as the pop stuff they hear on their radio that we all spend way too much time hating on, myself included. Or they still listen to only the legends, which is fine, but I want to do my part to help people discover all these awesome independent acts who may be under their radar. Music is easier to find now more than ever. You just have to dig to find the stuff you won't ever see on CMT or your local country radio station. Listen to the cats over on WSKY, and you'll discover all the independent acts you want!

L: Preach, my friend! That is one of the reasons HHMR's founder Nathan began this review back in 2019, to bring focus to all the amazing indie artists in the Kentucky region. When I came aboard in 2020, I made it my mission to expand that coverage beyond Appalachia, because there is just so much good music out there and insanely talented artists that may never get the recognition they deserve without the efforts of independent journalism and venues/festivals! Speaking of all those good tunes, I’m curious—when you go to a show or a festival, are you more pumped to see the bands you're familiar with or catch the "no one knows who they are" up-and-comers?

D: If he lives to be 100 years old, I will never get tired of seeing Hank Williams Jr. live. He's the greatest of all time to me. I never got to see Waylon live which really disappoints me, so I always make it a point to cross the legends off the bucket list. But as far as new music, I work a pretty demanding full time job. I'm married with 3 kids and have some other hobbies, so it is hard to find time to discover new music. I depend heavily on others to suggest new stuff to me. They're out here doing God's work for us music lovers! I'm definitely not a "skip the opener" guy because those guys have been known to steal the show once or twice. The coolest act I ever got to see early on was in June 2012 when Shooter Jennings, who has done so much for independent music over the years, hosted a Waylon tribute show, and he introduced a cat named Sturgill Simpson to the crowd, one full year before High Top Mountain came out. I know others knew him already, but I certainly did not. Even better, that was my first time seeing Whitey Morgan and Justin Wells (one of my favorite people both professionally and personally now) that night as well. Also seeing Tyler Childers at Grimey's record store for under 100 people probably and later that night at The Basement East for $12. Little cheaper than his current arena tour! Always go to the show.

L: Yes! Always go to the show! Some of the acts on NSMF's lineup this year I have known for quite sometime whether personally or professionally, and I have thoroughly enjoyed both watching and experiencing their trajectories first hand over the past several years. I will never forget driving to Montgomery one night to see Taylor Hunnicutt open for Rod Gator at a little trailer bar/driving range in the middle of nowhere. It was a rainy evening which likely killed attendance, but man…it was magical. I was one of the only ones there for the show and when it was Rod's time to perform Taylor and I just danced to his whole set in the rain. Now look at her go! Playing NSMF and tons of festivals across the country this year. It's so fun to see these bands we love succeed! So, I purposely haven't mentioned the lineup yet because I want people to take in the whole poster at the end of this interview and be as amazed at the level of talent as we are, but I'd like to hear your music recommendations before we get into festival info. Who are you listening to these days, whether they're on the lineup or not, that you think people need to hear? And why?

D: The legends like Hank Jr, Waylon, Keith Whitley, George Jones…they'll always be in rotation. Same for Shooter, Ragweed, Jamey Johnson, Justin Wells and Chris Knight. My 3 favorite independent acts are Cody Jinks, Jason Eady and Cole Chaney, who is a badass that everybody needs to learning if they're sleeping [on him]. Them Dirty Roses have one of the best live shows going! Huge fan of Charles Wesley Godwin and 49 Winchester. Should not even have to mention Stapleton, Childers and Sturgill. I'm digging that new Zach Top album! As far as the festival goes, I'm excited to see Low Water Bridge Band, Ritch Henderson, Hunter Flynn, Sam Lowe, Waylon Hanel, The Comancheros, Parker Barrow and Bill Taylor and the Appalachian Heatherns all for the first time live. Then, I never do an interview where I won't mention the names of Addison Johnson, Rye Davis, Tony Logue, Tim Goodin and Wes Shipp. If you're not listening to any of those guys, stop reading this right now and change that! I'm really liking that new Taylor Hunnicutt album. Beyond fired up to have her and the boys at the festival this year. Being a long time fan of the Jennings Family, I’m very excited to have Whey headlining Friday night! Lastly, I think Ward Davis is a genius. He's one I've been wanting for the festival for quite some time so to have him as the 2024 headliner is very cool for me.

L: Well there you have it readers, a little sneak peak to the absolutely mindblowing lineup Dustin and his team have put together this year—but don't worry, there's even MORE fantastic artists to see down at the farm. I have a feeling it's going to be hard to top 2024's lineup, but at the same time I have a feeling you have more tricks up your sleeve, Dustin! Who do you hope to book for future NSMFs?

D: I'm a huge Courtney Patton fan. For whatever reason, we can never make NSMF work out. Same for Taylor Austin Dye and Mae Estes. They're in Nashville so I should've already done that. Some others will be retreads that maybe have only played once that I'd love to bring back. There are young acts like Jake Kohn and Blaine Bailey. I want to do some acoustic shows with songwriting geniuses like Billy Don Burns, Kendell Marvel and Josh Morningstar. I don't have huge corporate sponsors. I don't have tourism dollars. I'm funded strictly by local businesses who band together for me to ensure this show goes on and ticket buyers who keep coming back so I don't have the luxury to go get some of the names people ask for because musicians aren't cheap nor should they be! So I have to go into each year being very strategic. My eyes can get a little big, but you have to be realistic. I have to say that I have a great working relationship with Josh Green, who works for WME. I've had the pleasure of hosting some really cool acts that probably don't get done if Josh did not trust the passion and vision I laid on him each time we talk. He's one of the coolest dudes out there, and I'm very appreciative of him being willing to work with me each year!

L: Man, those would all be fantastic shows. I have no doubt you'll accomplish your end goal with NSMF because from the looks of it people are steadily flocking to your little slice of paradise each year! I imagine it will only get bigger as time goes by, but will still retain that small festival, everyone is family kind of feel. Now—onto the attendees, you mentioned your first out-of-town ticket buyer back in 2020 a bit ago. So far, what is the furthest state/location you've had someone travel from for the show? What is your guess for this year as far as ticket sales to this point?

D: We had a couple from Norway last year, which was very cool! This year we have folks coming from Canada and Germany. As far as inside the United States, I think the record is being set by Mary Suminski, coming all the way from Alaska! I'd be remised, however, if I did not mention the large groups of folks coming from Alabama, Indiana and the LARGE group known simply as "The Florida Tribe!" Then there is my man, Bruce Twyman, who I have been told needs to calm the F down! But everyone knows Bruce, so yeah...it's going to be one big family reunion out in the hayfield.

L: *Laughs* I've been there a time or two. It sounds like you've certainly created a safe haven for music lovers both near and far—and what a testament to the work you've done, as well as the passion for this underground, indie music scene! Before we dive into important festival deets, can you share with me your favorite festival memory from years past?

D: I'm a huge Cross Canadian Ragweed fan so Cody Canada & The Departed headlining last year was huge for me. Jason Eady headlining in 2022 was pretty special since he was the first person I ever mentioned the idea of this thing to. Cole Chaney has played twice, acoustic and full band so it was cool to see that progression. Lastly, Julie Roberts stole the show in 2021 when all the ladies in the crowd got to take their turns singing the classic "Break Down Here." Those all definitely stand out! But for me with each year, it's shaking the hands of the people who travel so far to come be a part of this festival. Taking a chance on it. But, like I always tell the musicians, if you ever come here, you're going to be playing to some of the most loyal fans you will ever have. They're gonna come to more shows, buy the merch. You won't regret it and some come back every year! Same to be said for ticket buyers. They had never heard of North Springs, but man, there is something special about this place. Us locals, it's "God's Country" to us. People who have been will agree. And on a selfish note, this farm has been in my family since the late 1800's so to bring something so cool to a farm and be fortunate enough to still have my dad, aunt and grandpa still living and being present at the festival on the farm they've grown up on, worked and hunted on, is pretty damn cool to me. Also having my wife and children being here making those memories, it's a great feeling!

L: We love our music family and a festival that supports that kinship is our kind of place. I know that's got to be mighty special to be adding to the NSMF family with each ticket sold while also honoring your ancestors on sacred ground. From listening to you describe it, it certainly sounds like the festival prides itself on having a good time while building true connections. So, what is the overall vibe of the festival? Party crowd, listening room, a mix of both—that sort of thing…basically what can newcomers expect to see and how should they plan to behave?

D: So every year, early in the day it tends to be a little more laid back, people lounging in their chairs. Usually, as the sun goes down and people get a little more liquid courage, they make their way to the front of the stage. But no, this is no listening room. I host acoustic shows throughout the year for that. I want this to be a party in the hay field. If anything, I wish everyone would get to the front of the stage earlier to show the same love to the acts all day long. People dancing and singing at that stage is what we are all about.

L: Funny you should say that, we at HHMR are definitely a front of the stage bunch! Our friends over at Raised Rowdy live and preach the phrase "front row or don't go" and it's one we try to honor every show—we feel it's the best way to experience the high of the music. Any pertinent details interested attendees should know prior to making their way North Springs to claim their front row spot?

D: Ticket prices are $50 each day or $90 for both days. Non-electric camping is $10 per person daily or $25 for the whole weekend if you come in Thursday night to set up. Generators are allowed. I do not sell alcohol, BUT you can bring your own coolers in for $5 or $10 depending on the cooler size. Just act like you've been in public before! There will be food and shopping vendors on site. Internet is spotty at best so bring as much cash as you can to help move all lines quicker. If you're driving in keep the GPS on the whole time until you pull in (Just ask Them Dirty Roses last year laughs. Dogs are allowed as long as they're on leashes. No showers on site, but Porta Potties will be on site. No fires directly on the grounds, but fire pits allowed if needed. People can begin setting up to camp on Thursday morning to be ready for the kick-off party in Gainesboro that night. Friday show will kick off tentatively at 3PM but subject to change. Saturday will likely will be a 1PM start time!

L: Oh, Them Dirty Roses. That seems to be a habit of theirs *laughs*. I'm giggling because one night when they played a show at Laurel Cove they were coming in late and if you've ever been to Pineville or Pine Mountain Resort State Park, you know just how mountainous it is and how easy it is to get lost in the curves. Service is spotty, I got there for the weekend first and my pal Andrew (TDR's guitarist) was frantically texting me trying to figure out where they were supposed to be—they took that big red van and trailer all over that big curvy road in a circle because they missed the turn! So readers, trust that GPS with your life going to Pineville AND North Springs! Okay, switching gears from funny stories and we could be here all day because I've got a ton of them—tell me a little about the kick-off show you mentioned. Sounds like a helluva good time!

D: Last year was only one day on the farm, and the kickoff party was At Roaring River Distillery in Gainesboro, 15 minutes away. Being such a small rural county, a lot of the local businesses did well with so many from out of state coming into the county. This year with us extending to 2 days on the farm, I was afraid a lot of the businesses might not get as much traffic so it was important to me to have a kickoff party so the square in Gainesboro is full once again. Chris Edwards from Mountain View Talent reached out and wanted to partner up. We discussed the options and quickly agreed on a lineup, headlined by Dallas Moore and Clint Park. Next was getting The Bull & Thistle Pub on board to host. The bar side sold out in one weekend while very few $10 dining side seats remain. This will be a little bit more of the listening room experience. Hopefully all the other businesses in town will see a spike like last year from the kickoff party!

L: Good grief, what a lineup! If potential attendees think the kickoff party is to die for, I wonder what they'll think when they see the full spectrum of talent for the festival. Minds will certainly be boggled! It's a work of heart and art between the hard work you put in to curate it and the fantastic poster Jimbo Valentine created to promote it. Well, that's all the time we have today, Dustin, thank you so much for joining us to give us an inside look at North Springs Music Festival! We can't wait to meet ya at the farm!

D: I appreciate your time and asking these questions to promote NSMF. Sorry for the long winded answers. *Laughs* I could talk music all day!

L: As could we! See you soon!

For more information on North Springs Music Festival, visit their website. Follow along for updates on their Facebook!

*All photos used with permission from NSMF website and Facebook.

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canirove · 2 years

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Little Poppy | Chapter 9

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“Are you wearing that?” Elena asks.

“I am, yes. Why?” I say, looking down at my dress. We are in my room, getting ready to attend the festivities that are going on in town.

“Because we are going out to a party, to meet people, dance, have fun. And you look like my abuela. What if the man of your dreams is out there today and he ignores you because you look like that?” she says.

I just sigh, letting her pick my clothes for me. Arguing with her is pointless.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

When we arrive in town and meet with our friends, it is packed with people, stands selling food, clothes, jewels and everything you can think of everywhere, a band playing on a little stage.

“Look who is coming” Elena says, elbowing me on the ribs. Declan and some of his friends are walking towards where we are sitting, and I can’t help but feel my face blushing.

“Ladies” he says. “Would you mind if we seat next to you?”

“Of course not!” Elena says, moving from next to me so Declan can sit on her place.

“You look beautiful today” he says to my ear.

“Thank you” I reply, my face feeling warmer. “Though it’s all thanks to Elena. I apparently had chosen to wear something from my grandmother’s wardrobe.”

“I’ll remember to thank her, then” he says with a smile. We stay sitting together and talking almost in whispers for a while, and it feels so different to what our conversations usually are. There is no bickering, no insults or sarcasms.

“Oh, I love this song so much! Let’s go dance” Elena says as she grabs the hand of one of Declan’s friends. Everyone else from both our groups of friends follow them, and only Declan and I remain sitting.

“Should we join them?” he asks.

“And have the whole town seeing us dancing together?”

“Right now they are seeing us talking, alone, and very close” he points out. “I don’t know which option is better.”

He’s right. Whatever we do, someone could see us together, which means they could tell my father, putting our heads in danger.

“Let’s go somewhere else.”

“Where?” I ask.

“Just follow me” he says with that cheeky smile he always gives me.

We leave the party and move towards the woods, hiding behind some trees, close enough to still hear the music. “My lady” Declan says with a bow, offering me his hand.

“My lord” I reply, mimicquin his bow. We smile at each other and start dancing, only stopping to laugh or share a kiss.

We are lost in one of those kisses when we hear a very loud thunder somewhere.

“Looks like a storm is coming” I say. “Do you think it’ll rain?” Before Declan can say anything, I feel a drop on my nose.

“There is your answer” he says, kissing me where the drop had fallen. “Come, I know where we can go until it passes. It probably is just a summer storm.”

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"What is this place?" I ask as we walk into the little cottage. We were half way here when it started pouring with rain, the thunders so loud that we couldn’t hear ourselves talking.

"It used to belong to the gardener who took care of our house. After we left, he abandoned it, but when I came back I decided to fix it" he says while starting a fire. I find myself getting a bit chilly, my wet clothes sticking to my skin.

"And what was the idea behind this renovation?" I ask. "Bringing here your inexistent conquests?" After all the cute moments we’ve had today, it feels good to tease him for a bit.

"I've managed to bring one, haven't I?" he says with a smirk. The fire is already going, and he is standing in front of me.

"I am not your conquest, Deccy" I say, crossing my arms over my chest.

"You are right" he says, a hand going through his wet hair. By now he must know how much I like seeing him do it, the effect it has on me. Because lets be honest. It is not normal for someone to touch his hair that often. "You are more than that" he says as he gets closer. "You are the most annoying and most stubborn woman I've ever met. The one that drives me completely crazy. The one I can’t stop thinking about.”

He starts kissing me before I can say anything, and I let myself go, my hands around his neck, the fire cracking next to us.

"We should probably get out of these wet clothes" he says as he pulls away from me to take of his jacket and his shirt. I can't stop staring as his bare chest, at his arms. And he knows it. When I look back at his face, he's smiling. "Do you need any help with yours?" he asks.

"I think I might" I say in a whisper. He comes closer again, one hand on my waist, the other on my shoulder. He stars pulling my dress down from there, leaving kisses where the fabric was. Then he moves to the other shoulder, doing the same, my skin burning. As he starts kissing me again, one of his hands moves to my back, slowly undoing the laces the dress has there. When he's done, he starts to pull it down, making it fall to the floor. And there I am, in a cottage in the woods, in my undergarments, and in front of the man who has made me go from wanting to punch him every time that he opens his mouth, to want to kiss him and be on his arms every time he is around.

He pulls me closer again, kissing my neck, my collarbones, my lips. My hands go to his shoulders, his arms, his chest... And his butt. I've been dying to give it a little squeeze, but the trousers he is wearing aren't helping.

"You still are wearing wet clothes" I say as my fingers follow the hem of his trousers all the way to the front, his body tensing as I undo the laces. I stop there and look at him. His eyes are fixed on me, and they are same eyes he had in my dog dreams, those that make my whole body shudder in a way I've never felt before. Without thinking, I slid my hand into his trousers, touching him. He lets out a little grunt and closes his eyes, his mouth just a little bit open, enough to make me want to bite his lower lip like that day in the woods. But I choose to touch him again, making something that should be name leave his mouth. He pulls me closer, his forehead resting on mine. "I want you" he says in a whisper. "I want you so bad.”

"So do I" I find myself saying. His hands are on my face, lifting it to make me look him in the eyes.

"Are you sure?" he asks.

"Yes.”

Next thing I know, we are lying on the little cot, our remaining clothes on the floor. He's kissing and touching me everywhere, just like on my dreams. But this is better. This is real.

"We can stop whenever you want" he says while leaving small kisses on my chest.

"I don't want you to stop" I say. "I want it all."

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

A crack of the fire wakes me up. Kind of. Even though I don't open my eyes, I can feel It's dark outside. The rain is still going, but the worst part of the storm has passed. Declan is lying next to me, his chest on my back, his arm around me, his breathing on my neck. I feel myself going back to sleep, thinking that I wouldn't mind sleeping like this every night.

#declan rice #declan rice x reader #declan rice imagine #declan rice fanfic #football fanfic #football imagine

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woniepop · 3 years

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TYPES OF DATES ENHYPEN WOULD TAKE YOU ON!

Pairings: Enhypen x Gender Neutral! Reader

Warnings: cursing and mentions of alcohol if you squint

Word Count: about 300 - 400 per member

a/n: this is my first enhypen work if it sucks pls tell me LOL I ALSO LEFT HEESUNGS ON A SAD NOTE OOPS. Also I wrote some of this at 2 am and it is raining so hard. I live in SoCal and I feel like I can’t function when it rains so I had to blast music in my headphones but it’s okay Iz*one’s Fiesta is top tier. I did not mean for it to turn out this long lol.

༑ ࿐ྂ。Lee Heesung

- Karaoke

Sitting on the couch of the private karaoke room, exhausted having just sung and danced all of I Can’t Stop Me, Heesung reaches out to take some of the kimbap you had made together before karaoke happened, kind of like two dates in one day. Since he was always busy, he wanted to spend the most amount of time he could with you this weekend, in case he couldn’t meet you the next. Heesung always did a great job of making you feel loved and appreciated, and today he especially wanted to give all his love and attention to you.

“We should rap all of Canceled in one breathe” Heesung suggests, knowing it was a whole three minute song. Although you know you’d die, you nod excitedly, ready to shout at the top of your lungs “THIS YOU?” because Tana definitely gets canceled every 5-7 business days. He starts off the song, both screaming at the top of your lungs, starting off with Bryce Hall 😼. The song goes very swimmingly actually, definitely taking more than one or two breathes.

Taking a call from your phone, you step outside so as to not disturb the caller with Shake it Off. Your mother wanted you home soon, but you desperately wanted to spend more time with Heesung. Stepping back into the room, you decide one more song is short enough to catch the last train home, you grab the remote and pick your last song, Perfect. It was definitely slower paced than the songs you had sang before but you wanted to have at least one moment of romance before it’s completely dead. Taking your hands, he wraps them around his neck and places his hands on your hips and sways side to side as he sings every word beautifully. Even if you could sing as good as him, he was always so hypnotizing when he sang to you. Ending the song with a kiss, you guys both pull away, very sad at the fact that the night has come to an end.

THE REST ARE UNDER THE CUT!!

༑ ࿐ྂ。Jay Park

- Aquarium

Walking through the hallways hand in hand, you enjoy each other’s presence while admiring all the children excited about the stingray that just swam by. Watching Jay’s face light up when he had finally found the sea otters, you giggle at how cute it was. “Look at all the baby sea otters, Y/n, they’re so cute ahhhh'' He says eagerly. Pulling out your phone to take a picture of him, he grabs your hand and takes your phone. “No, Y/n, we have to take this picture togetherrrr.” he whines. Sighing, you agree and wait for him to find someone to help take the picture for him, obviously right next to the sea otters.

Continuing down the aquarium building, you find the automatic sliding door leading to the outside. Knowing exactly what lies beyond those doors, you pull Jay’s hand and rush out. As a kid, you loved coming to the aquarium to spend time at the petting tank, and now you got to experience it with Jay. Finding a spot at the tank, you dip your hand in and touch the bamboo sharks. You sigh in relief at the nostalgia of it, and turn your head to Jay. “Don’t you want to touch them too?” You ask innocently. Faced flushed, he frantically shakes his head, giving you a blatant no.

Laying your head on his shoulder, you bask in his presence, exhausted by the exciting day you had. Turning on his phone to check the time, you notice he’d set his lockscreen to you. “Did you take that while I was petting the sharks?” Embarrassed, he turns away and avoids the question. “HEY, I could take a picture of you alone for my wallpaper but you could??? Why is this so unfair???” you ask.

“Because…” He says with a sheepish smile on his face. You quickly take out your phone and snap a picture. After a moment of playful fighting and begging to delete the photo on Jay’s end, he ultimately gave up and let you save it as your lock screen as well.

༑ ࿐ྂ。Jake Sim

- Laser tag

Having Jake as a partner, he’d always taken you on more high energy, adrenaline rushing dates, and today was no different. This date, however, he decided to take you to play laser tag, something you had never done before. Entering the lobby, you both decide to be on the same team for the first round, which helped you feel a bit of relief. Choosing a vest to put on, you get very very tangled in it, which causes Jake to laugh a bit but he eventually helps you out.

During your first round, Jake helps you out, staying by your side the entire time and even holding your hand to lead you through the room. It felt really nice, seeing him so protective of you in the moment, but you knew better than to like the thought of it too much, because the next round was going to be a lot different. Unexpectedly, your team lost, which made Jake feel even more competitive and pumped up for the next round.

The next round starts, and surprise!!!!! You and Jake are on opposing teams. It starts off very well actually :D. As soon as you enter the room, your heart starts beating out of your chest and you’re so nervous to be alone. Cautiously maneuvering through the hallways, you scan the premises thoroughly, knowing if Jake ever sees you throughout the game you’d be screwed. Surprisingly enough, you go a bit of time before you hear your vest’s alarm go off, signalling to you that someone has gotten you. You look all around you taking some time before finding Jake crouching on the other side of the wall. You run to the other side of the same wall, and decide to scare him before he could shoot you again. It works out very well, because the next time you see him, he screams and drops to the floor in shock. Taking this chance, you shoot his vest and run away, leaving him no time to get you back.

༑ ࿐ྂ。Park Sunghoon

- Birthday Party

Laying on the floor of your living room with Sunghoon, you lie on your back, trying to cool your body down as much as possible. The hot and humid Korean summers were definitely always fun, but not when you were craving cuddles. Thinking of activities the both of you could do without overheating, you think back to how refreshing all the ice cream was at your friend’s recent birthday party. Although it wasn’t even close to your guys’ birthdays, it gave you a great idea. You shoot up and rush to get dressed, leaving Sunghoon very confused.

Finished, you come back to the living room. “Sunghoon, get dressed. We’re going to the market.” Without question, he does as you ask and you both head to the market in no time.

Walking hand in hand down the ice cream aisle, you grab all the flavors you enjoy, filling your whole basket with different ice creams, toppings, fruit, drinks, and even a cake. “You’re quite hungry, aren’t you?” Sunghoon teases, earning him a slap to the arm.

As soon as you get home, you send Sunghoon alone to the bedroom, telling him you need time to prepare everything. You had pulled all the stops, whipping out the cheap snoopy shaved ice maker, birthday party hats, streamers, balloons, and banners. It was no one’s birthday in particular, but the fake birthday party put you in a festive and refreshing mood. You had set up a giant ice cream sundae bar, and had even made lemonade.

Calling Sunghoon to come out of the bedroom, he was not surprised but very appreciative. He knew you’d pull sh!t like this Wanting to make it even more fun, he suggests to make sundaes for one another, which you happily agree to. The day was so fun, you had forgotten all about the time you had a few hours earlier, suffering in the heat of your apartment.

Sunghoon on the other hand, was so happy that you planned something like this. He was never one to do anything cute for you unless you asked, begged so this time he wanted to show you how grateful he was to you by giving you one FREE boop on the nose. Scooping some ice cream with his fingertip, he lightly taps your nose, leaving the melted strawberry ice cream to drip off your nose.

༑ ࿐ྂ。Kim Sunoo

- Brunch

Being a foodie yourself, you and Sunoo would always go cafe hopping to try out different desserts and drinks. This Saturday morning in particular, you both decided it was time for a change. This change for the greater good would include brunching for hours like stuck up rich moms and judging everyone in the facility, as you do when you are a brunching mother. Dressing in your finest brunching attire and of course, sunglasses, your waiter leads you to the table and you strut down that walkway like you know the difference between regular and Belgian waffles.

Crossing your legs at the same time and sipping your orange juice, wishing you could have added some champagne. Your orders finally arrive, having ordered the classic avocado toast and eggs benedict. Starting with the avocado toast, as per tradition, you and Sunoo construct the perfect first bite, shove it into your mouths, make eye contact and a disgusted face, even though it was very obvious that you guys thought it was delicious.

“I feel they nailed the seasoning because avocado, egg, and bread are known to be very bland flavors. The poached egg was perfectly runny in the middle, which was so satisfying to me, especially knowing that the chef can actually cook an egg right.” You start off, pretending you were some high status food critic, above Gordon Ramsey almost.

Sunoo takes his spoon and splits apart the poached egg on the eggs benedict. The egg just so happened to be a tad bit overcooked and the yolk didn’t rush out as smoothly as the other one did. You make eye contact with Sunoo, the most disgusted look plastered on your faces. A couple seconds pass by and you burst out laughing, forgetting about the egg yolk and shoving a huge bite straight into your face.

༑ ࿐ྂ。Yang Jungwon

- Zoo

When you first suggested going to the zoo with Jungwon he looked at you with a confused face. He loved spending time with you, but why the zoo? It’s stinky and there are too many children everywhere. Nevertheless, after much convincing, he gave in and went with you. The screams of all the tiny children were giving him a headache, but he kept reminding himself he was here for you. Seeing the alligators first, it was definitely acting up and snapping its mouth very angrily and hissing. Just because he wanted to be nice by coming to the zoo with you, didn’t mean he was going to hold back on his snide remarks.

“That’s you that one time I accidentally ate your pastry.” He comments. Rolling your eyes and smacking him in the arm, you continue on the path looking at all the animals in awe. The whole time you walked around you bickered back and forth, many “That’s you when/cause”s being thrown around mercilessly.

The comment that took the cake and left both of you speechless was one made by you. Walking towards the flamingos, everyone knows them for being notoriously stinky. Pinching your nose to go with the comment you were about to say, you chuckle. “It smells like that one time you accidentally farted in your VLive.” you manage to get out with a straight face. I made that up lol

Jungwon stops in his tracks, looking at you like you had just betrayed him. .He stomps his feet on the floor and whines in the middle of the walkway. “Y/nnnnnn you know I’m sensitive about thatttt.” The time you spend with him after you get home consists of him clinging to you, demanding your undivided attention, cuddles and kissies, and for you to blow dry his hair after he showers.

༑ ࿐ྂ。Nishimura Riki

- eating competition

Watching mukbangs all day and cuddling with Niki definitely got both of you hungry pretty quickly. With Niki being a bit homesick and you wanting to improve your cooking, a great idea pops into your heads. You wanted to cook Japanese food for Niki, hoping to aid his homesickness, and Niki wanted to see how much food he could shove down his face until he explodes. And with that, your whole date had become a food eating competition.

Setting all the food down on the table, you had done a very good job. Working your ass off to make not only omurice with curry, but also yakisoba and fried chicken, you were very ready to start your whole competition. Portioning it out evenly with a scale beforehand, you and Niki countdown together and start scarfing down food like you’ve never eaten before. With a mouth full of rice, Niki manages to get out a “It’s really good.” Knowing he liked your food made you feel so proud even though you had just shoved a whole piece of fried chicken in your mouth.

Several minutes, three enhypen members walking past you judgmentally, and 10 napkins later, you and Niki were too stuffed you even have food this close to you. Queue the rest of the enhypen members, they oh so generously gave you their service and finished the food for you guys. Concluding that you and Niki could not in fact eat two family sized meals in one sitting, you lie on the couch about to pass out.

“That was so fun. We should do that again.” Niki says while groaning from stomach pain. “And thank you for thinking about my homesickness and making me Japanese food. I love you so much.” He adds. Ending the day with complaining about being too full, planning the next competition, and even inviting the other members, you both pass out an hour after you had eaten and were punished with the dishes in the morning for being cringely in love out in the open like that.

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ginazmemeoir · 2 years

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here you go with chapter 7 of shakuntala :D

tagging @rudolphsboyfriend @redirection04 @itsfookingloosah @laylahkhan @dil-na-jaaneya @lilisouless @gopikanyari @weird-u @aadyeah @carmen-riddle @holding-infinity-and-a-book @totallyforgotyouwerehere @allegoriesinmediasres @avani008 @wtfrroch @meherjaaan @dragonfairy1231 @taareginn

The king was unreasonably late today. Murmurs and gossips flitted about in the sabha hall, questioning about the king’s well-being. Soon, dancers and musicians were called in to provide some entertainment and distract the audience. The dancers chose to re-enact the story of how Menaka, queen of the apsaras, seduced the fearsome Vishwamitra. Hell bent on acquiring the status of a Brahmarishi and defeating his archnemesis Saptarishi Vashishtha, a king called Kaushik had renounced his empire and instead withdrawn to the forest to undergo a severe tapasya, and was renamed as Vishwamitra, friend of the world. The intensity of his austerities even shook the throne of Indra, the king of the gods, who asked Menaka, queen of the apsaras, to go down there and seduce him, thus breaking his penance. Menaka, who had gone down there to seduce Vishwamitra, fell in love with him instead and the two got married. However, soon enough, Vishwamitra returned back to his mission and Menaka to the heavens while the child they had together, a baby girl, was abandoned in the forest; to Vishwamitra she was a symbol of his weakness, and to Menaka a symbol of her unfulfilled marriage.

The performance was equal parts thrilling and erotic, taking the viewers along on a ride through the building up music and intricate movements. The performance was interrupted once, when the king and queen entered the court and ascended their thrones, although allowing the act to continue. Bowing before the king upon completion, the dancers and musicians exited. Shakuntala craned her neck to get a better glimpse of the rulers but this far, with her vision broken by a herd of heads, she couldn’t exactly see much of the king except his gargantuan crown and blue attire.

She watched as people went one by one to speak directly to their ruler. Some complained about broken roads and sewers, some represented the concerns of their entire village or district, while some expressed fear about man-eating leopards and failing rains. The king and queen patiently listened to all the complaints and gave their verdict, directing the respective officials to address their concerns. This was a departure from the general functioning of courts in Jambudvipa, where kings and queens held separate courts despite being co-sovereigns while public interaction remained largely limited, save for the Great Baths, special occasions and festivals. From what she gathered, these sessions were held once a month, so that the people could directly address their lords. Once a person was done speaking, they were escorted out of the sabha, with the cost of their transportation and accommodation compensated by the state. Shakuntala stared at all of this with amazement. She had known Dushyant the boy, but had never envisioned him as a king. He truly had worked a lot for his people, and wanted them to know he cared for them. Perhaps, he also wanted to win their adoration and respect, something that Shakuntala knew he couldn’t get enough of – he had a pathological need to be liked by everyone.

Soon enough, the steward announced her name and Shakuntala stepped on the central platform along with Bharat.

“Hastinapuradhipati, Maharajadhiraj Dushyant, I am Shakuntala, leader of the ashram that provides education to the people of this great city which is the crown jewel of your empire, and daughter of the esteemed Sage Kanva of the Angiras clan. You have wronged me rajan, and I am here to demand justice.” She said, without fear or hesitation, just anticipation at what was to follow. And as she spoke, the grandiose titles rolling off her tongue, ambition filled her voice. She thought about her Bharat, prince of a mighty kingdom, forced to live his life in oblivion in an ashram, one whose head should be adorned with a crown and shaded by a parasol, instead burned under the harsh sun. Considering it even as she spoke, Shakuntala set forth a demand in front of the king.

“Thirteen years ago, when you were still the crown prince, you entered my father’s ashram when you were separated from your party while hunting. You lived there with me for one half of the moon cycle, wed me according to the gandharva rites and impregnated me with your child. You had given your word that you would take me back as your bride, however you have all but forgotten about me. I demand justice, king of kings. I demand that you name our son Bharat, as the rightful heir to your throne.” She said, clutching Bharat’s hand tightly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the suspicious nobles straighten their spine and pierce her with their gaze as the guards posted suddenly went alert, perhaps to imprison or worse, execute her, at a single gesture.

Dushyant sat there, shocked, Shakuntala’s words cutting into him. Nobody could’ve anticipated today. Him regaining all of his memories of Shakuntala, and then lo and behold, here she was, directly in front of him, just a few feet away. She was even more enchanting than when he had first met her, her face effused with a radiance stronger than the ones the braziers and the overhead sun cast on her. He had envisioned her in a red sari, but he had to admit that green was a colour far more suited on her. The cotton sari accentuated her curves, and her hair were tied in a bun. Her only accessories were a small gold necklace, earrings and a single bangle on each hand. Bharat, apparently his son, stood beside her. He was a spitting image of his mother, although he suspected there must be something of him too. He wanted to run towards them and embrace them so tightly that they might never leave him again. He wanted to tell her how none of this wasn’t even his fault, how he had just woken up one day in a world where Shakuntala didn’t exist for him. All this while, he was incomplete and finally he had found a piece of him that he had feared was lost to oblivion. And all the while, he kept mum.

He couldn’t just accept her as his wife here. The circumstances were far too precarious. Even so, he couldn’t lie and deny her, or the truth spell would burst his head open. Instead, he just sat there, mum. A beat passed, as everybody in the sabha were at the edge of their seats, looking at their king and the woman who had accused him so. Yavanika giving him an incredulous look, whispered furiously in his ear,

“What are you waiting for, go to her!”

Dushyant still chose to remain mum. Frustrated, Yavanika continued.

“ Forget king, you’re a coward, that’s what you are. The love of your life is standing there and here you are debating about royal etiquettes.”

Shakuntala meanwhile stared at the king. Now that she had said it out loud, she felt vulnerable. She was all too aware of the rumours and glances directed at her and her son, of how hot it seemed suddenly, and how far Dushyant seemed. He had gained more mass, his boyhood days behind him. His hair reached till his shoulders as was customary for kings, and he wore a silver embroidered blue dhoti and angavastra, the colour reserved for the royals only due to the sheer cost of its procurement, the world’s only source being locked in the hands of the queen’s maternal home. He wore gold gauntlets and earrings, and a heavy-set silver necklace adorned his chest. A small beard framed his face, and a scar ran around his right eye, perhaps a remnant of a battle. All of that seemed to just make him more and more attractive, and Shakuntala was once again transported to that passionate night, blood pouring into her cheeks. Breaking contact with him, she concentrated on the queen.

Tall and lithe, the queen looked like an angel carved out of marble. She had a high slim nose and cheekbones, deep set blue eyes, her lips decorated with red paint. Her hair was a light brown, and arranged in an elaborate hairstyle, cascading down her shoulder in a shower of copper strands. She wore a deep purple sari and jewels hung from her head, from her ears to the pin holding her hair, all held down by the crown, a disc shaped like the moon. Her Greco-Indian ancestry shone clearly in her features, singling her out from the crowd. The queen’s ancestry also had a marked effect on the kingdom’s aesthetic and administration, be it newly constructed temples, attractions or the bureaucracy. She and Dushyant looked almost divine sitting together, a match made in heaven, if not for the furious whispering between them. Tension lay thick in the air, fizzling with excitement, threatening to devour her. Soon enough, guards started closing in on her and Bharat, and Shakuntala tried to command herself to look threatening. Bharat, trying to protect themselves, glared at the guards and showed his slingshot threateningly. Dushyant might not have accepted her, or might have forgotten about her, but he would still not allow his guards to imprison and execute a renowned scholar and her child, right?

As if in a trance, Dushyant got up from his throne. His legs felt wobbly, as if he might fall down at any given point of time. A sea of emotions and conflicts roiled within him as king and man battled each other.

The king refused to accept Shakuntala as his wife. The man never wanted to stay away from her again.

The king thought of reason after reason to get her thrown out of the palace. Our marriage would never be accepted. Who’s to say she even is the same Shakuntala? And who will vouch for her child? Yavanika would still be his chief queen, and any children that they might ever have together, biologically or otherwise, would rot away as secondary princes while Bharat would inherit the throne through his virtue of being the firstborn, getting him and his naïve mother caught in a deadly web of royal politics and conspiracies. Certainly, not accepting her and turning her away would be kindness.

The man needed only one. Had he not spent eight months debating the same which he did right now, trying to convince others, he would never have had to endure which he did. And he wasn’t ready for another life spent in regret, this time the memory and hurt left intact.

He descended the steps slowly, his crown, sword and queen left at the throne, and walked towards Shakuntala as the court stared in bewilderment - and hugged her.

Shakuntala’s eyes widened in surprise as she felt Dushyant’s touch once again. Her heart had steeled itself against the worst of outcomes, and yet now that she was reunited with the man she had passionately loved, she was unsure. Her hands hovered by his shoulders, confused. She tried to pull them away, but she found herself melting in his embrace. She tried to touch them on his bare skin and hug him back, but suddenly found herself facing a stranger. She could feel the stares of everybody in the court digging into her back, making her feel both uncomfortable at the thought of a public display of affection, and daring her to announce her love to the world.

Her hands shook tremendously, the same way the Yamuna did when the wind caressed her and when leaves shook in the summer breeze. And finally, her body came in nude contact with Dushyant’s, no barrier between them. They weren’t king and scholar, man and woman – they were once again just lovers, separated and united. An audible gasp was given from the audience, followed by both cheers of jubilation and shouts of dismay.

Yavanika kept sitting on the throne, watching her companion reunited with his lover. Watching them, a small bud of jealousy bloomed in her heart, how she too longed to hug her wife in the same way. She envied the comfort with which they announced their romance. Even though there were plenty of couples of the same gender in Jambudvip, royalty wasn’t afforded the same freedom to love, as luminous lineages and false genealogies and political alliances rendered matters of the heart asunder. For now, she just smiled and cheered on her friend. Her time would come as well.

#shakuntala #dushyant #my fic

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favoniuscodex · 3 years

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voice lines!!!

ok !!! here are nell’s voice lines (a lot are utc bc this got long)

▶ Hello - Pleasure to meet you! I’m Nell and I’m a reporter for the Teyvat Times. I heard you have a story for me? Are you willing to share? C’mon, please?

▶ Chat: Sidekick - Want to join me? I’ve always wanted a little sidekick on my adventures! All the cool heroes and stuff always have one! Granted, I don’t really have a secret identity that requires one...

▶ Chat: Truth - The world will reveal its secrets to those who are willing to find them. As for everyone else, well… they’ll just read the newest expose I post in the Teyvat Times!

▶ Chat: Leads - We can’t sniff out a new lead and answers if we’re just standing around. Just… give me a second to fix my Kamera.

▶ When It Rains - Rain or shine, the news must carry on! Just… Can you hold the umbrella while I take pictures? If the lens gets wet, it blurs the photographs.

▶ When Thunder Strikes - Haha, spooky! Hopefully we don’t get electrocuted… that would be rather inconvenient.

▶ When It Snows - It doesn’t often snow back in Fontaine, but I always enjoyed when the rivers would freeze over as a kid. I just wonder what happens to the fish. Do they freeze too?

▶ When the Sun Is Out - Beautiful weather makes the job easier! I’m usually stuck inside interviewing people all day, so I’ll gladly take this moment to soak up some sun… maybe even close my eyes for a few minutes… sit under a tree… sleep… *yawn* Oh? Was I dozing off? I can’t doze off now! There’s a festival today downtown. I should report on that instead!

▶ Good Morning - Rise and shine, darling! Evil lurks in the night and while you and I might not vanquish it, we can at least report on the aftermath! Oh..? I’m a bit too eager to find out what atrocities happened in the night..? Hm. Maybe...

▶ Good Night - Night time already? If you really insist, I suppose I can wind down. But, uh, wake me up if you hear any weird noises! If it’s any bugs though, you’re on your own.

▶ About Nell: Persistence - Growing up, my mother always told me that persistence is key to achieving your dreams! Therefore, if someone says “no” to an interview, you can ask them approximately 11.852 more times on average before they start threatening you with a restraining order! Never give up… except when the law requires it!

▶ About Nell: Reporting - Some say reporters are opportunistic fiends who only seek to further their own careers and line their pockets with Mora. Me? Do I lie? Well… my name isn’t actually Nell, it’s Eleonora… so I guess I lie sometimes, but I promise to only tell the truth and help others in my reporting! I swear!

▶ About Us: Interview - Wow, you can fight really well! Wait… you’re the Outlander? The one who defeated Tartaglia? The one who stopped Stormterror? The one who helped the Qixing fight against Osial? Oh my archons, Nell, contain your excitement! Sorry, sorry, I was getting carried away… could I interview you? Pretty please?

▶ About Us: Compatibility - Ah, you’re so cool, Traveler! With you, drama always seems to follow. I think that makes us a great pair! So, what do you want me to report on next..? Your missing sibling..? Oh. Of course! Who doesn’t love a good reunion story? I’ll gladly help!

▶ About the Vision - I bet you probably weren’t expecting me to have a Vision! Well… neither was I. A lot of people tend to have powerful reasons as to why they have their Visions and why they use them but I kinda just found mine in the way I find any other new story… by accident. Nonetheless, a great reporter uses every tool at their disposal and if a Vision was granted to me, then I’ll be sure to wield it with pride!

▶ Something to Share: Lineage - My family name is not one of great prestige, nor are my family members anything worth writing home about. I believe that the life of someone should not be dictated by who they are related to, but rather how they choose to make a name for themselves. People who hide behind the prestige of their names are often cowards and yet they often have the best sources for my news. You win some, you lose some, I guess.

▶ Something to Share: Fontaine - Want to know a secret? Don’t tell anyone this, okay? I’m not a very strong swimmer. I’m kind of scared of water, despite my Vision!

▶ Interesting Things - I break my Kamera a lot, but mechanics are expensive. If you ever break yours, I can probably fix it for you! You won’t have to pay me for anything. Just... please don’t charge me if I accidentally break it even further, haha.

▶ About Albedo - Albedo? Haha… He’s rather cute. Plus, he always listens when I talk to him! ... I think. I can never tell if I’m actually holding his attention or not… But, he thinks reporters are dumb, therefore he is dumb. I don’t care how many alchemic achievements he finds. Someone who cannot understand how important news is is someone that I cannot respect.

▶ About Amber - Outrider Amber is lovely! She’s one of the few people in the town who actually listens to all I have to say. It’s amazing, really. Everyone loves her, even standoffish Eula! If you ever need help from the Knights, Amber is probably your best bet!

▶ About Rosaria - Y’know, at first, I wasn’t quite sure if Sister Rosaria liked me. Now? … Well, I’m still not very certain. I’m nervous to talk about her. She seems like the type to have a weird sixth sense for this type of thing. She does save me when I get into trouble, though! For a while I thought she was the Darknight Hero, but I realized that Rosaria is… Ah, forget it! Let’s just say I owe her one.

▶ About Diluc: Darknight Hero - The Darknight Hero is one of the most interesting stories I’ve covered in a long time! It’s taken me down a long path of getting to know people, especially Master Diluc of Dawn Winery. Kaeya was helpful enough to point him out as a potential source on the topic. No, Diluc isn’t the Darknight Hero, silly. He just knows a guy who knows a guy, that’s all.

▶ About Diluc: Comradery -At first, I could have sworn Diluc hated me! But apparently, he’s just like that with everyone. Now, I’d say we’re pretty good friends… I think? I’m never quite sure where I stand with him. He’s both open yet awkward around me at the same time… But, he ultimately has been helpful with some of my reporting. If it was up to me, I’d say we’re the best of friends! Please don’t tell him I said that though, he’d probably say I’ve had too much to drink and cut me off for the night.

▶ About Diluc: Love - Love? Why are you asking me about Diluc and love? Gods, both you and Kaeya are insufferable about this. Wait, what? You think Diluc has a crush on me? There’s no possible way a guy like him would give me a second glance! You and Kaeya are awful about this… stop teasing me. Diluc is the type to have whole newspapers dedicated to him and me..? Well, I’m just a reporter, that’s all. Oh? You’re asking if I like him? Well, um… that’s classified information!

▶ About Lisa - Lisa makes me wish I ran a gossip column instead! Conversation with her is never dull and somehow she knows everything about everyone. Afternoon tea consists of tea in more ways than one!

▶ About Jean - The Acting Grand Master of Mondstadt is far more gracious to me than most political figures are. However, I can’t help but feel as if I’m intruding whenever I speak to her. She’s sweet, but she just seems like she has a lot on her plate and even I don’t want to add any more to that.

▶ About Keqing - The Yuheng is a very respectable figure, but if she’s at any Qixing press conference, you’re almost guaranteed to get no exciting news. She brushes off any pressing questions by saying they’re “off topic” and “irrelevant”. It’s frustrating, especially when she uses it to evade the things that really matter!

▶ About Xiao - Hey! That’s that dude that lives in Wangshu Inn! Well, I suppose he’s not a dude but rather an immortal adeptus. He’s hellbent on avoiding me. He hates my guts. I just want to interview him about his thousands of years of life! It’ll only take a few days! Why does he keep teleporting away from me? Ugh. Immortals are so haughty.

▶ About Kaeya: Trust - Oh? Captain Kaeya? He’s rather funny and is my closest drinking buddy in Mondstadt. However, don’t try to get any info out of him. He’s full of shi- haha, pardon me, I mean… Um… Kaeya likes to lie. He won’t even tell me the truth in truth or dare! You picked truth, buddy, now fess up! Sorry… I like him, I swear I do! But I guess I shouldn’t expect the truth when I ask him why he has an eyepatch. After all, even I don’t have a wild enough imagination to truly believe he was raised by pirates… although I could cross-reference this with Beidou and see if she has any information...

▶ About Venti - The bard that’s always in Dil- Master Diluc’s tavern? He’s a bit strange and, while his songs are informative, music of that style is a bit noisy and overwhelming to me. However, I do find it incredibly interesting that he looks exactly like the Barbatos statue in front of the cathedral, yet nobody discusses it. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?

▶ About Nell: I - I’m a reporter first and human second! Or… am I a human first and reporter second? I can’t remember what the boss said sounded less creepy… Well, at least I know I’m a reporter and a human!

▶ About Nell: II - Freedom of the press ensures that people always have a voice. Being a reporter can be dangerous, especially if you’re assigned to tempestuous regions like Inazuma, but it’s a job I take pride in. Information must be spread to all so the public can make informed decisions.

▶ About Nell: III - Home? Home is wherever my job takes me! Sometimes its Mondstadt, sometimes its Liyue, sometimes its Snezhnaya… oh. Fontaine? Even though that’s where the Teyvat Times headquarters are and it’s where I grew up, I wouldn’t necessarily call it home. At one point, I would have, but… things change. If I have to settle down anywhere, I would choose the wintry tundra of Snezhnaya before I even think about living in Fontaine again.

▶ About Nell: IV - Growing up, everyone always said I was a free spirit. I’m kind of like the seelies you see around Mondstadt… Yes, I wander, but ultimately I always return to the same path. Am I guarding a treasure? Haha, maybe… if you consider knowledge to be a treasure, that is. Ah, this doesn’t make very much sense, does it? I’ve never been the type to be good at poetry. I’m better off sticking to just facts.

▶ About Nell: V - My end goal..? I’m not quite sure what it is yet. I prefer to live in the moment and inspire others to achieve their dreams. News stories might not always be happy, but interconnectedness with the world allows people to discover what their true calling is. The feeling of the Kamera and notepad in my hands are comfortable enough. If I can help others understand this hectic world, then that’s good enough for me! I’m having a blast doing it, too.

▶ Nell’s Hobbies - Oh, would you like to look at my favorite articles? I have a book filled with articles and photographs of my own creation, including my very first headline article! Isn’t that exciting? It wasn’t too long ago, yet somehow it feels like it's been decades since then.

▶ Nell’s Troubles - I ran out of film again. You wouldn’t happen to have any on you, would you? Otherwise, I’ll have to go see if the gift shop has any in stock...

▶ Favorite Food - I really like spinach salads! It makes me feel like I’m a wild animal foraging for a nice summery meal. What? That’s weird? Sometimes it’s fun to imagine things, no matter how absurd they are.

▶ Least Favorite Food - Soup! I want to eat my food, not drink my food. If I wanted to drink my calories, I would just chug beer all the time like those drunkards who live in the taverns!

#//mail #axia.ocs

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leejeongz · 4 years

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first kiss with CIX

requested: yes, by anon

🔅thanks for requesting! i hope you like it 🥺 i’m so sorry it took so long, i wanted to take my time with it hehe🔅

a/n- from now on, i am not going to add gifs to reactions. i am aware that some gifs creators aren’t happy when people use them and so i don’t want to fuel their anger anymore as i can completely understand their point.

💙bx:

even though he was your boyfriend, you’d still never been to byounggon’s apartment. you’d always pictured what it would look like. probably lots of clothes, lots of colour, maybe some abstract art on the wall. he was always eager for you to come over but you didn’t want to intrude or overstay your welcome. plus you hadn’t been dating for that long and it just didn’t feel right yet.

“i’m going into town to pick up some stuff for lunch” you replied to byounggon’s whiney message asking what you were doing today.

“can’t you come over instead? i miss you” he replied in an instant. he must be bored, you thought, wrapping your favourite scarf around your neck and heading out.

you were closer to the shops than to your house when you felt a few droplets of rain splash onto your head, followed by many more. “a bit of rain never hurt anyone” you thought, continuing to walk. some time passed, your walking pace had gotten slower, your nose has gotten redder, and byounggon had gotten more anxious thinking you could be out there, catching a cold. a single clash of thunder and you were straight on the phone to your boyfriend. “okay i’ll come over now” you blurted out, half joking half not. he asked many times again and again just to confirm that you were indeed, coming over and until every sense of a joke had disappeared.

you arrived at his apartment looking like a drowned rat.

“cute” he patted your dripping wet hair as you entered. “there’s some clothes on the sofa” he shouted to you while shutting the door “you can change in the bathroom if you like. there’s a towel on the radiator too.”

you cautiously picked up the clothes and walked gingerly to his bathroom. while in there, you realised you didn’t even take in your surroundings, did it look like you’d imagined? you’d never imagined the toilet before so you couldn’t really say at this point but-. your thoughts were cut off by the sound of speakers crackling.

you went to see what the awful noise was, luckily you’d gotten dressed by this point but that didn’t even cross your mind.

“even cuter” he said, turning from his “music corner” to face you looking all cozy and warm in his oversized hoodie and sweats. you walked closer to him to see what song he was playing, it sounded familiar and less crackly than before.as you got closer his arms stretched out. the sleeves of his black hoodie covered his hands, which he soon pulled out to rest on your waist.

“can i kiss you?” he asked politely in a soft voice. you shyly nodded at him in response.

you leaned in and your lips met. his lips were a little chapped and yours weren’t in the best state either because of the weather, but it was definitely something you never wanted to forget. he didn’t rush it, but it wasn’t too slow either, it was filled with love and care. usually you’d curse the rain for ruining your plans, but today was an exception.

💛seunghun:

you weren’t even dating yet, but jfc everyone knew you would be soon. somehow you’d become friends with the popular guy, the one who sat with the IT girls for lunch, the one who could always be seen at festivals and concerts at the weekend, the one who everyone wanted to be with. it all started when you exchanged disgusted looks across the classroom when some delinquent said they ate banana on pizza, and from then, many snaps were sent, many seating plans were changed because he was “getting distracted” and he’d even started sitting with you and your friends some days for lunch, which the popular clique weren’t too impressed about.

you’d never been to his house before but that was about to change. you arrived at his front door and were greeted by two rather large dogs barking and a panicked seunghun. he hurried you upstairs since he gathered they could be pretty scary when you meet them for the first time. you sat on the edge of his bed after being told to make yourself comfortable.

here” he handed you his gaming controller “pick something to watch” you were quite relieved that he wasn’t going to make you play some weird game that you knew you’d lose at. instead you put on white chicks, which you had both seen numerous times before.

it wasn’t long before you both had gotten bored of the film and your phone battery was just a tiny red slither. footsie had been played countless times but you were enjoying each other’s company so you didn’t wanna announce that you were bored. before you knew it, seunghun had snatched your phone from your hands “i’ll charge it for you” he said, plugging it in.

there was nothing left to do other than mess with your nails. seunghun rolled onto his side and looked at you for a second before asking you “have you kissed many guys?” it was abrupt and you probably thought his intentions weren’t in the right place, but he couldn’t help what just came out of his mouth.

“a few” you responded. you picked at your nailed some more, staring at them like they were the most interesting thing in the world. “have you kissed many people?” you retaliated.

“some” he responded, rolling back onto his back. “do you maybe-“ this time he stopped to think before continuing “want one? from me i mean.”

you smiled to yourself before turning to face him. “sure”.

it didn’t last very long, his right hand was on your cheek while your left hand naturally found its way to the back of his neck. your cheeks were definitely bright red, but his temperature indicated that he was probably the same.

“you have no idea how long i’ve wanted to do that for” he smiled, pulling away. “so is this our first date?” he asked outright

“do you want it to be?” you avoided the question, making him answer it. you definitely wanted it to be, but whatever you said you knew he’d tease you.

“no i thought i’d just kiss you as a friend” he rolled his eyes, going in for another.

🤍yonghee:

three dates in and you were pretty sure that you liked him, and that he liked you back. he’d taken you to his favourite cafe without even realising it was your favourite too, he’d taken you to a art gallery which was a pretty big deal, you thought, and you’d just finished your date at the park. you packed away all the empty boxes into your picnic basket to throw away when you got home and he helped, brushing hands occasionally which made your heart go crazy every time.

“this was really nice, i’m glad the weather didn’t change” he chucked, bringing his legs to his chest and wrapping his arms around them. he looked at you for a reaction but you just smiled, not even looking in his direction. “you do feel the same way, right?” he asked, bewildered by your silence.

you finally glanced up at him “yes i do” it was quite formal looking back but at least you told him.

“then why the shyness?” he asked, almost saddened by your sudden change in character.

“because i didn’t wanna come off as too… much” you said. “i didn’t want you to see me go beetroot red either like now but here we are” you laughed, getting back to your normal self to get rid of the awkwardness.

“you’re so cute” he cooed whilechuckling, moving his arms to balance himself while he leaned over to give you a gentle kiss.

you didn’t fight it. it’s what you wanted since day one. but you were nervous and it was unexpected, you didn’t want him to think you weren’t enjoying it but you barely moved.

“was that too much?” he pulled back slowly, slightly embarrassed.

“no” you replied softly with an unmovable smile on your face. you looked back over to him, he had one eye shut and the other was squinting. you moved your head to block the sun and smiled widely at him. “can we do that again?” you asked innocently.

“please” he laughed a little, leaning in once again. this time you lead the kiss, proving to him that you felt the same way as him. his hand slowly made its way to your waist. you jumped slightly which made him smile into the kiss. your stomach flipped every time you realised what was going on and you were getting more flustered by the second, but of course yonghee found it adorable and it made him smile even more.

🖤jinyoung:

it was very rare that you and jinyoung got free time together, alone. you’re not even sure if you’d had any since getting together. you always had work to do or exams to prepare for or family matters to deal with. he was always dancing or studying or with his family too. you made do with the little time you had together but it always left you both wanting to share more intimate moments. you could only do so much on facetime.

“why aren’t you at school?” he asked in response to you showing up on screen in your bed. “are you sick? do you want me to come over? oh god are you skipping school?! i mean that’s cool but we all know… you lack… ya know… brain cells. you need to be there babe,” he joked while waiting for an answer.

“first of all, my lack of brain cells has nothing on my lack of taste when it comes to men. second of all, my school is closed because the heating is broken and it’s like -200°C. do you want us all to freeze to death?” you retaliated sarcastically.

“ideally” he replied, setting his phone down on the desk while he put a hoodie over his tshirt.

“well i was going to say you could come over since i’m home alone all day but i don’t think I want you to anymore” you fake sulked even though he couldn’t see you.

“no i’m getting ready now you don’t have a choice” he announced, picking his phone back up and heading outside of his shared accommodation.

he arrived at your door in no time.

“did you run?” you asked, watching him stagger his way up your driveway panting like a dog.

“no” he obviously lied. “well yes” he confessed “but only so i could do this”. he put his ice cold hands on your cheeks and started to lean in.

“the neighbours” you pushed him away slightly, pointing to all the houses on your street.

“fuck your neighbours, have they had to wait 600 years to kiss their girl/boyfriend?” with that, your lips finally collided. you soon forgot about the idea that people were watching and became fully immersed in the kiss. you’d wanted to make the move for so long, if you knew he was okay with an audience you would have done it in front of your friends.

it was the longest kiss either of you had ever had, undeniably the best too. it was innocent, yet hungry. passionate and sincere but hasty. everything you expected it to be and more.

💜hyunsuk:

not a single day passed where you didn’t think about kissing hyunsuk, but every time you tried, you always chickened out. it was the same whenever he tried to either. the mood was never right, you wanted to remember the kiss yet he’d always spring it on you at the most random times, that’s why you always pulled back or pushed him away.

today you were cleaning out some of your old make up, most of it had passed its use by date, some just wasn’t your style anymore and the rest you were gonna keep. hyunsuk being hyunsuk just wanted to be around you, so he came over and watched while messing in every little item on your desk.

“what about this?” you asked, holding up a sealed lip tint, knowing he wasn’t really paying attention to you.

“yeah that’s nice” he replied dismissively. you shook your head and threw the lip tint into the space you’d made on the floor for stuff to give to your friends.

“hey, why throw it there? i said it was nice,” he questioned. you were a little taken back, was he actually listening?

“when have you ever seen me wear that shade?” you retorted. you stared at his face intently before coming up with a fun plan. “i think it will look nice on you though, actually, can i put some on for you?” by this point, you’d embodied the pleading face emoji, he wasn’t gonna say no to that.

“only if i can put some on you after” you nodded, he’d forget about that anyway, you thought. he picked up the lip tint and passed it to you. you stood in front of him and puckered to show him what to do. he followed and you applied it gently. you hated to admit it but it did look really good on him, even though you’d only said it as a mindless joke.

“all done” you said, turning him on your chair to face the mirror.

“hmm pretty!” he spun back around to face you who was still crouched at his height so you could admire it even more. to your surprise, he grabbed your face and pulled it towards his. he planted one sticky peck on your lips before looking to see the mess he’d created. “not enough” he whispered to himself before returning his lips back to yours for longer this time. it was more intense. he seemed to throw himself into this one a bit more, and so did you. your lips moved together instinctively and your hands found their way over his shoulders while his steadied you are your hips.

“that was our first kiss, you know?” you asked once he’d pulled away and giggled a bit.

“wait really?” his eyes went wide and his hands were quickly removed from your sides. “i’m sorry, i got caught up in the moment, i hope it was okay” he rambled.

“it was perfect” you smiled “now here” you handed him a make up wipe “we can do it again after you’ve got that sticky mess from around your lips, okay?”

#cix #cix reactions #cix imagines #bx #byounggon #seunghun #yonghee #jinyoung #bae jinyoung #hyunsuk #yoon hyunsuk

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feanorianethicsdepartment · 3 years

Video

youtube

‘today’s silm vocaloid song: clear sky engine (クリヤスカイ機関) by nyanyannya and hara ft. rin kagamine and zunko tohoku

this one’s about elrond, maglor, and the sudden non-ending of the world. you know that thing where you build an elaborate fandom video in your head for a completely unrelated song, but you don’t have the most basic art skills you’d need to make it a reality? yeah, i square that circle by writing them out. here, have an extremely long songfic/filk/commentary/thing

It was just another day, beneath a black sky

The bustle of camp churned on around me

I wasn’t paying attention to what my hands were doing

Dreaming of a shining star-lit sky

we open on elrond, living in a world about to die. the fëanorians were forced to abandon amon ereb years ago, and now the last of the host ekes out a precarious nomadic existence, raiding deserted villages for food and losing more people they can’t replace with each battle. they’re still doing better than everyone else on the mainland, though. their blades, at least, remain sharp

(the smoke from the fires of angband has risen to cover the whole continent in dark clouds. some of the sun’s warmth still gets through, and on good nights the star of high hope is still faintly visible, but the light-filled skies of old are little more than memory. all the survivors know that the end is near. it’s only a matter of time)

He’d broken a promise he’d made to us

So I was a little more annoyed at him than usual

He chatted with me while I worked to make up for it

And I made all my usual complaints

elrond and elros are at this point... i’d say very early teens? not that they had much of a childhood; the fëanorians are so short-staffed the twins have been doing odd jobs around camp pretty much since it became clear they weren’t going to run away. today elrond is taking stock of the medical supplies, less because he has any interest in the healing arts than because it’s a job that needs doing and everyone else is busy

maglor is hovering within talking distance, doing elrond-doesn’t-care-what. the twins’ relationship with maglor is extremely complicated to say the least, their mercurial hellbeast protector who scares the shit out of everyone else they’ve ever met and who has stood between them and the darkness for as long as they can remember. recently, he promised to stay with the twins while they did something difficult, but he failed to do so for a whole host of reasons, including getting into a two-hour shrieking match with maedhros at the last possible moment. elros shrugged it off, like elros shrugs everything off, but elrond is a simmering cauldron of adolescent rage at the best of times

which is why maglor’s checking on him, giving him an outlet for his anger before it can turn into despair. because what would be the point, in the end? they’re all going to die anyway. one of the reasons maglor’s resisted sending the kids to balar so hard is that no matter where they are, eventually morgoth will sweep down and destroy them all. there’s nowhere safe left, nothing they can do to protect them. none of this is even new, it’s a shadow that’s hung over them all since the twins grew old enough to understand this

so maglor and elrond chat, or rather elrond grumbles incessantly and maglor snarks as upliftingly as he can remember to. it’s a day like any other, nothing about it to distinguish it from the hundreds that came before or however many will come after. that is, until one of the lesser minions comes over, yelling, ‘boss! boss! you have to see this!’

elrond turns around. for the first time ever, he sees true hope on her face

“Have you finally grown tired of us?” I hissed

But in that moment excitement ran round the campsite

And someone cried out with joy

“The hour we thought would never be, the return of the light, has finally come to pass!”

far, far away, the hosts of the valar are landing on the shores of beleriand. disembarking from their luminous ships, clad in radiant armour and carrying blessed weapons, their brilliance pierces the dark fog that has settled over beleriand for so long. shining like the stars come to earth, the hallowed army of valinor begins its long march towards the gates of angband. far above, ships riding jets of light slice open the smog

this news - this unexpected, unbelievable, impossible miracle bestowed unto doomed beleriand, this chance that their enemy might actually fall - is the greatest thing anyone in camp’s heard all century. maybe in more prosperous times the host would have groused about the valar finally seeing fit to get off their asses, but in this world turned to ash any chance at victory is to be celebrated. the minions throw a massive impromptu party, of the kind they haven’t since before sirion. elros is right there with them, singing off-key and laughing as loud as anyone else. even maedhros cracks a tiny relieved smile

maglor watches the festivities from the outside, more genuinely optimistic than he thought he was still capable of. elrond joins him, brow furrowed as he tries to comprehend it all. they talk

“It feels like a dream I’ll never wake up from”

“What are you blabbering about now?”

elrond is voiced by zunko, maglor by rin. the song’s more of a dialogue than a duet, so i’ll be bolding maglor’s lines

The sheet of paper I held in my hands read

“The hosts of the West have come! Our world is saved!”

the letter’s from gil-galad, or at least his administrative apparatus. it’s not even that hostile; apparently the armies of the gods showing up out of nowhere to save them all from certain doom has him in a magnanimous mood. there’s some drivel about surrendering and eärendil and all wrongs being forgiven, but neither maglor nor elrond is paying attention to it

“Hey, do you remember?”

“Remember what?”

“Love and justice and valour and hope”

“I remember the sea of blood you drowned everything in for them”

elrond didn’t really have any formal schooling - nobody had the time - but he has managed to pick up a lot of stuff from the stories the people around them tell. that the fëanorians came to middle-earth for high noble ideals, and that it was trying to fulfil those ideals that led them into darkness, is something maglor told him once, when he was in a darkly honest mood

“Haha, that’s just details, everybody makes that kind of mistake when they’re young”

“Why are you like this?”

a mood maglor’s obviously not in at the moment, if he’s laughing off the kinslayings like this; elrond knows this isn’t how he actually feels about them. normally elrond would just roll his eyes and move on with his life, but things are different today

The camp was full of laughter, as if everyone had lost their minds

elrond’s not used to happiness. not full, unironic happiness, untainted by the shadow of their inevitable death, not from the fëanorians. the sheer jubliation suffusing camp is fundamentally alien to him, a child of a world about to end. he doesn’t know what to do with the knowledge that maybe they won’t all get eaten by dragons. he doesn’t know what to do with the hope in everyone’s eyes

so instead, when maglor wanders away from the party, elrond catches him with a song

“What if for one more year, ten more years, a hundred more years, the shadow still reigns?”

“Then ten thousand years, a hundred thousand years, a million years later, we’ll see it fall! For certain”

“What if I lay out all one billion eight hundred million three thousand and sixty-eight of the fears I carry?”

“Then there’s one billion eight hundred million three thousand and sixty-nine songs I can give to you”

maglor’s been teaching elrond how to do this, how to snatch someone into a world of music and throw your voice at them until one of you can’t take it any more. maglor wins this one, as usual; even if his song is incapable of anything but violence he’s got centuries of experience on elrond, enough to turn the sharp edges of his voice into blades in elrond’s hands. and that is what he’s doing, clumsy and harsh as he is; he’s trying to give elrond a reason to hope

elrond is the one who breaks the spell, dropping the melody, letting the music dissolve into the air. maglor flashes him a grin and walks off, humming merrily. elrond just stands there, still unable to understand

I’ve heard it before, it’s all anyone can talk about, even if I try to avoid it it stabs into my ears

cut past a decade or so, to well into the war of wrath. elrond and elros are in their mid-teens now. they’re still with the fëanorians, but these days the fëanorian warband is effectively an auxiliary unit to the amanyar army, skirting around the edges of that much larger force. for the first time in a long while, elrond and elros have regular-ish contact with people outside the fëanorian sphere of influence, mostly peripheral edain and the sindar who run messages between the camps. it’s different, talking to new people

(the sky is still covered with smog, but it’s gloomy grey, not oppressive black. the sun is faintly visible through it, most of the time. the rain is much less poisonous than it used to be, and on good nights you can almost see the moon. the closer they get to angband, the darker the clouds grow)

“It is as the gods have decreed, soon the darkness will be swept away and the Enemy will be cast down

And after the war in the purified world, we will all live happily together

Building new homes in a land unmarred by evil”

the people outside the host are much more optimistic about the future, for one. the fëanorian minions are happy morgoth is getting trounced but they don’t really talk about what comes after that, like they can’t imagine a world without war. the sindar, and especially the edain, on the other hand, have all these plans about the cities they’ll build, the arts they’ll perfect, the children they’ll raise in a world without danger. elros is super into this; he barely spends time with the fëanorians any more, he’s so busy going between different edain camps, making friends, planning for the future. elrond, though...

Even my twin knows what future to reach out for...

elrond doesn’t know what to do with any of this. the very concept that someday the war will end and the sky will clear and he’ll have a bright future is still something he doesn’t fully understand. even more, he’s defined himself for so long as not-a-fëanorian, now he’s regularly interacting with people who doubtlessly aren’t he’s having trouble figuring out what else he is. he’s stuck between people who are lowkey hoping they’ll die gloriously in battle and people who have been dreaming about what they’d do in a world without darkness all their lives, and he doesn’t know what he even wants, not really, not yet

so he keeps on living, just like he always has. he’s been promoted to sick tent dogsbody and is learning how to heal with song from the last minion who can kind of still do it. he acts as a proxy between the fëanorians and the more timid outsiders they keep running into. when he goes (or elros drags him) exploring in other camps, he keeps track of every new detail he comes across, in case it’s somehow useful later

and he keeps talking to maglor, with anger and spite and sarcasm and whatever other emotion he’s covering his uncertainties with today. maglor always listens, usually offers to help, and sometimes elrond even lets him. the fëanorian camp settles into a rhythm of buildup-fight-recovery-buildup-fight-recovery, so regular it lulls elrond into complacency. he takes the future he still doesn’t quite believe in one day at a time, until suddenly the ground crumbles beneath his feet

You say it’s to ‘fulfill our ideals’ but what you mean by that is ‘to sate our bloodlust’, I know

With their blades and teeth sharpened for battle, the kinslayers broke away from the light and disappeared into the shadows

there’s a whole mountain of reasons why, as they draw near to angband, the dregs of the fëanorian host abruptly peel off from the valinorean army and vanish into the night. they know they're more effective as a stealthy shock ambush unit, they’re somewhat concerned the amanyar will turn on them the second morgoth is no longer a problem, they're making one last desperate rush for the silmarils, all that and more. it’s not the first time they’ve suddenly packed up and left before their enemies can react, probably not even the first time they’ve done it to the hosts of valinor. there’s just one little difference

Leaving us behind? Leaving you behind

they’re not taking the twins. said twins only find out about this, like, the day before they decamp. maedhros’ justification is something about them not being able to support noncombatants on the march, but the twins believe that about as much as they believe that the fëanorians are doing this for any kind of hope. elros, of course, was half-planning on leaving anyway, going off to chase his own ambitions with his new edain posse. he copes with it pretty well, relatively

but elrond’s mind goes blank. once he thought the day they let them go would be the best day of his life, but now it’s come it feels so wrong, and this horrible coldness is seeping into him. in a flash of what feels like foresight, he suddenly knows the people who raised him will never come back. how dare - why - he can’t -

with a sharp desperate burst of sound that’s a surprise to even himself, elrond lashes out a song to catch maglor

“For ten more minutes, one more week, half a year, please, let me stay with you!”

“In a year’s time, ten years’ time, a hundred years’ time, we’ll see the starlit sky together”

“What if one billion eight hundred million three thousand and sixty-eight times I begged you not to go?”

“Then there’s one billion eight hundred million three thousand and sixty-nine of your other wishes I’ll hear”

and elrond just stops. he lets the song trail off, staring at maglor. he’s in an incredibly weird mood, with something that could almost be compassion in his eyes

there’s only one way he can find out what’s happening, elrond realises

“In that case - !”

maglor was never really demonstratively affectionate with the twins. it would never have come off as real on his part, and they wouldn’t have believed it in any case. still, he supported them. he let them trail behind them, all but cling to the backs of his legs, in those first horrible weeks when they were terrified of absolutely everything. he taught them to ride and he taught them to read, how to reinforce a blade with nothing but song and close a wound with needle and thread. on the darkest nights, when all the world was filled by the howling beasts of morgoth and the wailing of the unhallowed dead, he held them tight and flared his own fires high, a warm smoky bonfire between them and the void. he answered their questions, and told them stories

and sometimes, he tried to be kind

“Sing me a lullaby like the flat of a blade”

“Which one would you like?”

“I want to see a flower that will still bloom”

“I know just the one”

“I don’t care what kind of monster you are! Just please stay with me, for even one more tomorrow...”

“...I’m sorry”

“What do you mean?”

“You were given your name because your parents wanted you to see the stars someday”

it was easy for maglor to justify keeping the twins when they didn’t have a future. the shadow of death blotted out the sky, so why not hold them close for whatever little time they had left? no matter where they were, the void would soon claim them all

except it didn’t. in the end they were not forsaken. the sacred light came out of the west to burn away the darkness and finish the war he once thought they could never win. the hosts of the valar have gotten farther in decades than the noldor did in centuries, and soon enough they’ll cast the enemy down and release the world from his terrible maw. and then the future the free peoples dreamed of will stretch out before them, full of possibilities beyond measure

and that’s why maglor has to let them go. the magnificent people that elrond and elros are already becoming will only wither among hopeless kinslayers who have nothing left but the sword. to flourish into their full glorious selves, they need to be with people who dream, who can travel towards the future alongside the twins with light hearts and songs on their lips. maglor refuses to let his own darkness drown the last people in the world he does not hate. elrond deserves so, so much better than maglor is capable of giving him. he deserves to see the stars

hearing all that, there’s only one thing elrond can say

“You can’t even keep one miserable promise! Don’t pretend like you’re my father, kinslayer!”

and that’s the last elrond sees of maglor. the fëanorians vanish in the middle of the night, leaving elrond and elros (and about half a dozen minions who are taking their last possible chance to get out) behind. elros takes up with his edain buddies and starts making contacts and forging alliances. elrond winds up in gil-galad’s orbit, surrounded by people who are very understanding about how awful his childhood was, which just pisses him off more. he doesn’t throw tantrums or refuse to work, those aren’t luxuries he was raised with, but he spends a fair bit of time spurning every bit of sympathy and aid he’s offered and trying not to cry himself to sleep

with time, though, he finds a place. it starts with círdan, the first person who believes elrond about what his time with the fëanorians was like. then he befriends erestor, and then gil-galad starts actually respecting the way elrond feels, and then he gets officially taken on as an apprentice healer. he starts learning about his own ancestors and their peoples, and reaching out for stories he never knew could be his. as the final battle of the iron hells begins, elrond is doing... better

and soon, the hope that no one in beleriand once dreamed would be fulfilled becomes a reality

And then, as if it had never held power, the darkness was cast down...

they win the war. the armies of angband are crushed. the peaks of thangorodrim are torn down. the prisoners of the deepest pits of the iron hells are freed. the forces of evil are scattered to the four winds. morgoth, the fallen vala himself, is defeated and captured and bound with great chains, unable to ever hurt anyone again. the precious remnants of the light of the trees, the remaining two silmarils, are recovered. the dark clouds evaporate, and for the first time elrond can remember, the sky is perfectly clear. the war of the jewels is finally over

elrond has grown so much since the day he first heard that the hosts of the west had come. he still can’t quite believe it

They held a great celebration beneath a star-speckled sky I’d never seen before

“The world is saved and we are freed! Evil has been vanquished forevermore”

The triumphant voices of the generals poured out over the victory feast while the stars shone true above the happy ending

the soldiers of valinor and the people of beleriand (what’s left of them) throw a truly massive party. it’s still tinged with their grief over everything they’ve lost, but the atmosphere is primarily one of ecstatic relief. they’re alive, and they’ve come out the other side. dwarvish tailors dance with high maiar, humans who don’t remember the moon get drunk with elves who remember cuiviénen. even after the official festivities die down and people start hashing out what they want to do next, the general mood remains buoyant and cheerful. at long last, they live in a world without danger

none of it feels real to elrond. gil-galad’s talking about building a kingdom on the other side of the blue mountains, elros and his grand edain alliance are trying to bully the maiar into letting them set up on tol eressëa, and elrond feels so disconnected from it all, like he’s watching someone else’s life. he’s happy the enemy has been overcome, of course he is, but he’s not feeling the overwhelming joy everyone else is. he can’t let his guard down yet, something is still wrong -

Except he hasn’t come back, they haven’t come back, where did they go, what have they done?

The word raced around as fast as the wind, giving me an answer I never wanted to hear -

where is maglor? the fëanorians broke off to fight the war their own way, but the war is over now, where are they? they were so happy to hear that the amanyar had arrived, he can’t imagine them not thrilled to see the enemy they hated more than anything else fall. in the warm afterglow of victory, it feels like even their sins might be forgiven, and they could finally go home. they have nothing else left; why wouldn’t they take that outstretched hand?

but nobody’s so much as glimpsed their flag since some time before the final battle. elrond quietly assumes, perhaps even hopes, that they all died fighting, and yet he can’t shake the cold dread crawling up his spine

elrond has mixed feelings about the silmarils, and doesn’t particularly care to be near them. by the time the news of their theft reaches him, maedhros and maglor have already fled into the night

Still driven on by their oath, they turned their blades on their kin one last time

“And stole away the hallowed light”

Yes, that light which sank all of our lands beneath a deep dark layer of corpses and ash

all elrond sees is the aftermath, the blood sinking into the ground. it’s far from the first time he’s seen people killed, but somehow now it’s all hitting him, all at once. he sees the bodies and it knocks the breath out of him. all he can see is the dead, from finwë on down, the rotting carcasses of every last person who was slaughtered for these gems, a whole continent bleached with death. they call the silmarils the most beautiful things in the world, jewels shining with the very light of creation, but elrond can’t see it for the blood they’re dripping with

that’s the immediate thing that has his hands shaking and his breath running cold. by morning it’s had a chance to sink in a little, and -

He lied he lied he lied he lied

maglor regretted the kinslayings! elrond knows he did! it was never even something he actually said, it was obvious from the way he talked about them. every single one was a complete disaster, nothing the fëanorians ever got out of them was worth what they lost in the process, and afterwards things always got worse in ways they never expected. and maglor hated the person the kinslayings had turned him into, elrond spent enough time around him to pick up on that much! surely he’d do anything to not have to commit another one?

apparently not! apparently all that regret, all that loss, the arguments and the nightmares and the coldly determined efforts to stop them following his path, it all meant nothing! he still gave in to despair or maedhros or whatever, killed yet more people, stole from the army whose return he said was like a dream come to life, spat in the face of his last chance to go home, and vanished! gil-galad’s people were right! he really is nothing more than a monster!

the shock of it all makes something snap in elrond, whatever fragile optimism he absorbed from the people around him draining away until he feels completely hollow. hundreds of years of suffering and death, and for what?

Smeared with the blood of untold hundreds, untold thousands, untold millions of people

Did they buy us peace for even half a year, even a week, even ten minutes?

Noooooooo!

Even the very land we lived on crumbled and drowned

What was the point?! What was the point?! What was the point?!

I feel like I’m going insaaaaaaane

morgoth may have fallen, but beleriand is dead! nothing remains, not the lush green lands of the stories, or even the dessicated forests of his childhood, just desolate earth and the devouring sea. almost everywhere he’s ever known, almost everyone who lived and fought and dreamed there, are lost forever. nothing was saved, everything was destroyed, what good is a clear blue sky when there’s nothing beneath it?! how can they call this a happy ending?!

elrond can’t see any light here, all the great battles and heroic deeds seem absolutely pointless in the face of everyone and everything immolated in the endless grasping for these gems. the hosts of valinor leave the continent they shattered, the remnants of gil-galad’s people escape the raging forces of nature, and the survivors bicker and fight over resources just like the fëanorian minions elrond grew up around. the world is never going to get better, he realises. the dream of a paradise will never come true

and then one night, running a message down the craggy still-turbulent coastline, he hears a snatch of a distant, familiar voice

I can hear a voice whittled away to a weapon singing what could almost be a lullaby -

elrond leaps off the ridge and onto the rocky beach, scrambling over the uneven ground. he’s heard the rumours about where maedhros and/or maglor went - all of them, there’s dozens of them, he didn’t pay any particular heed to the ones where maglor wandered the coast, but if they were right, if he’s here -

his own voice has grown strong over the years, solid and forceful and mature. elrond screams his song into the emptiness, hoping against hope it will be heard

“What if for one more year, ten more years, a hundred more years, the shadow still reigns?”

“Then ten thousand years, a hundred thousand years, a million years later, we’ll see it fall! Isn’t that so?!”

“What if I lay out all one billion eight hundred million three thousand and sixty-eight of the griefs I carry?”

“Then there’s one billion eight hundred million three thousand and sixty-nine days for you to live!”

“That must be it...”

the impression of a hand touching his cheek, the ghost of a smile. for a moment someone else’s voice slips into the ebb and flow of his song, a shadow reaches out to wipe the tears off his face. live, it whispers. you who i held dearest last, live

elrond’s breath catches in his throat, and the song, and the shadow, vanish. it’s just him on a forsaken beach, the only sounds the waves crashing and the gulls calling. the sky is completely overcast, the clouds dull and grey. he watches them drift along for a while, as his pulse slows down and his airways clear up. live, the word echoes in his mind

he waits until his breathing is back to normal and the churning emotions inside him have settled into a form he can handle. then he wipes his face and clambers back onto the ridge

(life. it’s not much, but it’s enough. it has to be. his home is destroyed, but he is alive; his family is broken, but he is alive. he is alive, and they want him to live, as much as he can while he still has a chance. the world he lives in will never be perfect, but he knows how to work with that)

(and besides - elros, círdan, gil-galad, erestor, the other healers, the small knot of elves of all stripes who seem determined to follow his banner. he hasn’t lost everything, not yet, and he won’t let the world take away what he has left. he’ll never abandon those he loves)

the clouds are lightening. soon the stars will be out. elrond takes a deep breath, and starts running towards his future and the person he’s going to be -

thousands of years later, a memory resurfaces

“Two million, two hundred and forty-one thousand, five hundred and thirty-nine days... Ah, yes. I know I forgot to say it earlier, but you did a very good job”

a smattering of notes are lifted by the ocean breeze. they travel inland, across the worn-down mountains, around the weathered hills, above the tangled forests, up the untamed rivers, and finally into the hidden valley

in the gardens of imladris, lord elrond hears a voice he hasn’t for millennia. a watering can slips out of his hands, and suddenly he can’t breathe

It was just another day, beneath a dark sky

The ocean and the wind roared on all around me

I wasn’t paying attention to how my tears were falling

Trying to remember a clear star-lit sky

that youthful dream of a world free from evil never came true. the shadow came back, and it kept coming back, taking his people, his friends, his family, his wife. everything they built after the defeat of morgoth has been reduced to dust by the weight of time, and every year more of it slips through his fingers. elrond doesn’t know how much more of it he can endure. he doesn’t know how much more he can lose

he chases that scrap of music all the way to the seashore

I ran down the path between the rocks and the spray following that voice I never knew why I loved

But in the end I could only stand weeping

elrond searches up and down the coast, scouring the shoreline for clues, asking the locals, listening. sometimes he hears whispers of song, long wailing lamentations that make his heart ache all the more now that he understands how that despair feels. occasionally it’s loud or consistent enough he can track it, trying to pinpoint the singer’s location in the intense storms of bitterness and grief

but he never finds anything

“You fool, he’s already gone. Like he was never there at all...”

all that’s left is a voice on the wind

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painless-innit-colourful · 3 years

Text

‘Come Home’

A TommyInnit & Clingyduo Fic ahead of the final showdown tomorrow - spoilers for today’s (19th) Tommy stream.

tw for events of Exile Arc (skippable if you miss out the entire middle section of the fic, marked by three dashes on their own separate line)

The rush, the high. He’s been chasing this feeling since forever. It’s not a perfect replacement for the real thing, which he hasn’t felt in such a long time. It’s not a fluttering but an explosion, not the strumming of the guitar but the crash of the drums, not the rain but the thunder and lightning, though even that’s become fraught for him recently. He remembers the last time, a wonderful five minutes sandwiched by pain and chaos and destruction. His best friend standing on a stage, new leader of L’Manberg. A fresh start, the promise of peace and prosperity for all around them. But then it was all over, all brought down so quickly. The Tommy that cheered at his best friend’s inauguration is unrecognisable now.

But Tubbo is not, and between the scars and the new outfit and all the words, both spoken and unsaid, it’s still them. Tommy tastes the potion they’ve just made and hears his best friend’s laughter, and if he closes his eyes, he can pretend for a few fleeting seconds that nothing has changed at all. If he opens his eyes, he’ll be back in the camarvan, and Wilbur will walk in through the door with more blaze rods and laugh at the two of them and ruffle his hair. The discs will be in his ender chest if he wants to listen to one with Tubbo. There’s a lake outside the door and a forest and a whole wide world to explore, and Tommy’s only worry is that Punz will yell at him if he sees him for having a ‘Fortnite build battle on his front lawn’ a little while ago. He opens his eyes and then takes another swig of potion to dampen his disappointment.

“Aye careful,” Tommy’s vaguely aware of Tubbo pulling the bottle away from his face before he accidentally upends it on himself. “Don’t want you looking like Sapnap earlier.” Tubbo’s grin is brighter than the sun on snow. “I have no idea what was happening with Cracknap other than he still needs help.” Tubbo’s laughter is soft, “He’s not the only one anymore.”

“Too shay.”

They drift upstairs, and then eventually out the door. It’s around 3 o’clock in the afternoon, and there are clouds drifting on the edge of the horizon. They’re dark and heavy-looking, but for now too far away to block the pale winter sunlight keeping the outside temperature a stubborn 10 degrees C. “I should go back to Snowchester.” Tubbo looks restless as they step onto the Prime Path. Tommy knows the feeling. Suddenly tomorrow can’t come soon enough.

“You’ll come back though, right? Tonight, one last ride?” They embrace, squeezing tightly as Tubbo hums an agreement. “Of course. One last ride.” And then they withdraw, and Tubbo gives a small wave as he disappears down the hill towards his highway, and Tommy watches him go. And when he finally looks up, alone with his thoughts once more, he realises he is leaning on the back of his bench; here again, always retreading the same ground. He briefly entertains the idea of putting on a disc and staying a little while, but he doesn’t have any music to live up to the occasion. Not Far, nor Pigstep or Wait, and he still hasn’t sorted out his complicated feelings over his version of Blocks. Besides, he still has things to sort out before the showdown. He walks away to prepare, humming Mellohi lightly as he goes.

---

‘Home’ is a fraught word for Tommy now. Every home the boy has had in this land is either steeped in blood and bad memories, or blown to bits beyond repair. Somedays Tommy wakes up alone and forgets that L’Manberg was wiped off the map, and it comes as a nasty shock when he rounds the corner by his home to see a crater that stretches all the way down to bedrock. Pogtopia never really felt like home, but it was bad enough when it was only soulless stone walls and bashing your head on the lanterns hanging from the ceiling that its inhabitants and visitors had to contend with. After the Manberg Festival, there was an entire room in there that’s sole purpose was to remind Tommy that he didn’t save his friend and couldn’t have if he’d tried, dried blood on the walls and all. Then there's the fact that it’s practically server tradition at this point: if you want to send TommyInnit a message, leave it on signs in his house. Don’t forget to blow up the house first though! Tommy forgets how many times he’s had to put his abode back together; probably about as many times as he’s had to reconstruct himself.

That leaves Logstedshire. Sometimes he agrees with himself that that place doesn’t deserve to be considered a home of his. He sure as hell didn’t want to live there, barely survived his stay, and the place is mostly blown up, the awful icing on the dreadful cake that was his second exile from L’Manberg. He supposes it could be considered weird that he finds himself stepping down a path he never wanted to walk again, but today… Today is about closure. And if he can look Technoblade in the eyes with a belt-full of potions stolen from his chests, he’s brave enough to face his fears in Logsted. As he arrives at the portal, he hesitates, his gaze drifting away from the swirling purple and to the bubbling orange, much further below. So many times has he been here, only then his mind was a much worse thing to own, a clouded mass of hateful thoughts, most of them not his own. Where the bridge meets thin air there are patches of a shimmering wind where the heat takes the place of the nothingness, and if he squints Tommy can imagine himself standing on the edge, wondering what would happen if he'd just let go. He’s glad now that he was in the Overworld when he made the pillar, even if it seemed like he had nowhere to go.

Logstedshire is haunted, even more so than the Nether path. It’s exactly how Tommy remembers it: the broken Nether portal missing a single piece of obsidian, the craters untouched, the pillar still stretching skyward. He can see himself again; on the beach, repairing the chests, standing at the top of the tower. It’s like being in a haunted house where all the ghosts are yourself. But Tommy isn’t afraid. The ‘Drista’ sign makes him laugh, the ocean where he’d wake up drowning (trying to make it home to where? A country that no longer exists) gets a small wave, even the pillar gets a smile, because he’s here to look at it from the ground. It was a bad time in his life - possibly the worst - but he made it out the other side. And that’s what matters.

There are some craters though, some specific memories that Tommy can’t face yet. The smiling mask of the green man, snatching items out of Tommy’s hands to then force him to watch as he blew them to bits. How he specifically said “I want you to watch.” when he blew up everything Tommy and Ghostbur had managed to scrape together for themselves out there alone. The two-by-two hole in the centre of the largest crater, and how just glancing at it summons Dream’s voice to his mind, taunting him as he grabbed him by the front of his already ripped shirt and hoisted him over the short drop, “Why don’t you get in the hole, Tommy?”

Those still sting. There’s a reason, he supposes, why Wilbur went mad after losing L’Manberg. Why he asked Philza to kill him instead of facing the wreckage all around. But Tommy refuses to be just another repeat of history. Tommy looks into the pit made by Dream’s TNT where scraps of happiness were burned, and he spits at it.

No more.

TommyInnit heads home.

---

Hours pass. Tubbo returns from Snowchester soaked through to the skin but smiling. Tommy helps him peel off several layers of frozen clothing (he decides not to ask in regards to the hazmat suit), finding out that the nukes project is going well but they are presented with the usual issues of living in a frozen tundra: cold.

After Tubbo’s showered and changed, they share a dinner giggling about really dumb topics like Tommy pulling a fast one on Technoblade, Jack Manifold being weird and unhelpful again, and good old GeorgeNotFound. The hours fly by, and it's much later that they’re getting ready for bed when the heavens finally open, and the sound of a heavy downpour seeps in through the cracks of Tommy’s dirt house. Tommy can feel the smile crossing his face until he remembers his house is a dirt shack at present, and mud houses aren’t generally known for being the most watertight. Tubbo gets a good laugh out of his expression when he comes bustling down the stairs dragging his bed behind him, crying out, “Our clothes! Beds! Tubbo-” Their plans changed and they put their beds in the storage room, the room voted Least Likely To Have a Leak by a grand majority of two. The sound of the rain is somehow less muffled down there, and it clatters against the ceiling almost melodically.

Tommy picks up the crossbow from the pile of clothes and other bits and bobs he grabbed from upstairs when the downpour started. ‘Chekhov's Gun’. Wilbur’s gun. As in, actual Alivebur’s weapon, from before he blew up L’Manberg. It feels heavy in his hands. Too heavy. Wilbur’s voice echoes through his head, not the usual line he hears in his nightmares, but similar.

“You’re never going to be president, Tommy.”

It doesn’t hurt anymore. Wilbur gave him that choice, and he declined. He wonders, with a certain detachment, how it all would’ve turned out if he’d chosen to take the presidency. He certainly wouldn’t have exiled Tubbo.

Tubbo, who’s looking at him with a lopsided grin, standing by his bed and holding his covers aloft, one leg already in bed. It seems like an invitation. “You alright?” Tommy nods and sets down the crossbow and clothes on top of one of the chests, “Yeah… Goodnight Tubs.”

“Goodnight Tommy.”

In the split second before either of them can commit to getting into bed, Tommy hears Wilbur again. This time though, he doesn’t mock him, nor does he sound too far gone to be saved. This iteration of Wilbur Soot wears a captain’s hat instead of a beanie, and speaks with soft conviction, and puts his hands on Tommy’s shoulders like he can shield the teen from the choice that he’s made.

“I want you to do whatever your heart says you should do.”

“Tubbo wait,” Tommy catches his best friend by the arm. Two pairs of blue eyes meet briefly as Tommy pulls him into a hug, putting one hand on the back of Tubbo’s head and messing with the hairs at the nape of his neck. Tubbo’s surprise doesn’t last long, and he hugs back, burying his face in Tommy’s shoulder and balling Tommy’s shirt into his fists. Tommy breathes a deep sigh, trying to make the moment last, but knowing no one lives forever. Eventually they split, and Tommy ruffles Tubbo’s hair as they grin at each other with tired eyes and heavy limbs. “Okay, goodnight Tubbo.”

The older boy in question takes two steps back and sits down on his bed, shuffling back quickly and holding the covers open, smiling invitingly. “Tommy,” His voice sounds like honey, so sickly-sweet it shouldn’t be nice, but is. There’s also a heavy undertone of teasing going on to start with, but it becomes more genuine suddenly. “Come home.” And Tommy understands and climbs in beside him, and they tease each other for being clingy and sappy as they try to get comfortable, and then they quiet to the odd remark as they find the right place, Tubbo’s head resting on Tommy’s collarbone, their arms wrapped around each other and Tommy’s head leaning on Tubbo’s. Tubbo drops off first, and Tommy is waiting in the noisy quiet for sleep to claim him too, listening to the rain pattering on the roof and his friend’s breathing beside him. And in the quiet, he realises a couple things.

He realises he rather likes the rain without the thunder, and that maybe the guitar is better than the drums, and that the fluttering in his chest is more uplifting than the explosion of a vibrant heart. It’s not the triumphant high he’s been chasing. It’s quieter, it’s comforting, it’s a warm feeling in his whole being. It’s just as good as the victorious moment. It’s perfect.

The second thing he realises is that he’s been wrong since the beginning. Home was never Logstedshire or Pogtopia, but neither was it L’Manberg or even the building they’re currently in. Home was the togetherness L’Manberg brought, sitting around a campfire singing the national anthem and putting more effort into the ‘fuck Eret’ part every time it came around. Home was listening to Wilbur’s guitar echoing through the caverns at Pogtopia and complaining about eating Technoblade’s potato stew for the third day running while your comrades laughed. Home is right here, wrapped in the arms of your favourite person, belly full of good food, listening to the rain as sleep slowly takes you. He sees that now.

TommyInnit is home.

#WHOO OKAY SO #do not. heckin. read/tag this as ship #you can pry platonically intimate clingyduo out of my cold dead hands #however if you ship them i will personally manifest into your house and start throwing things #dream smp #mcyt #crim writes #tommyinnit #tubbo #dreamwastaken #wilbur soot #ghostbur #pogtopia #manberg #l'manberg #logstedshire #clingyduo #mmmm this was cathartic to write

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hermannsthumb · 4 years

Note

Please do holiday prompt 85 (unexpected apology)!

85. we haven’t been friends for years but we both end up at a mutual friend’s holiday party and you apologize for how things went down between us (which I wasn’t expecting in a million years)

from winter writing prompts here

it’s that time of year again everyone.....ive been so busy with school and zine stuff that im taking a little break to write this today ☺️ set very late 2019, before the Events of 2020

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

It occurs to Hermann as he stands amongst a handful of society’s most monied and high-ranking—mulled wine in hand, stiff suit buttoned too-tight around his neck—that he is not only completely out of his element, but residing at a level of desperation that he cringes to even consider. Hermann does not schmooze; Hermann has never had the capacity to schmooze; in all of his previous attempts at schmoozing (typically at the bequest of his father, who would tote Hermann around as a conversation piece at fundraising events), Hermann would come across invariably as disingenuous, uptight, and arrogant, and certainly not someone with whom one would entrust large cheques made out to the PPDC for.

Yes; desperation. To borrow the cliché, desperate times call for desperate measures. To borrow another, war changes man. Robots wage war on monsters from another world, the UN wages war on the jaeger program’s budget, and Hermann must wage war on prospective PPDC donors if he wishes to still be employed by the New Year. He can’t decide which sounds more horrendous, really.

“Would you like more wine, Dr. Gottlieb?” a passing waiter asks Hermann, and Hermann shakes his head.

“No, thank you,” he says. Hermann has always been a maudlin drunk; he doesn’t fancy risking over-drinking tonight, and making an embarrassment of himself by confessing to perfect strangers that his parents never loved him or that he fears he’ll never make a true human connection.

“Dr. Gottlieb?” someone says, incredulously.

Oh, bugger. He’s been found out. Hermann sighs, flattens down his cowlick, and plasters on a fake smile: the time has come for him to, er, lie back and think of the PPDC, so to speak. Hopefully it’ll go fast.

But when Hermann turns, it’s not to find some acquaintance of his father, or a perfect stranger familiar with his work, or even a distant colleague; it’s to find one Newton Geiszler (who Hermann may have considered a colleague, once, but certainly not anymore), dressed in a horrendous eyesore of a gold (gold) suit, nursing a large red cocktail in each hand, and staring at Hermann like he can’t decide if he wants to say something or turn and run. Hermann mirrors his stare. A pin could drop between them, and Hermann reckons, despite the undercurrent of music and chatter, they would be able to hear it.

Hermann is the one to break it. “Newton,” he says. Then he amends, quickly, “Dr. Geiszler. I wasn’t aware…” He coughs. He suddenly wishes he took another mulled wine, and wonders if it’s too late to summon back the waiter. “You are…here.”

“Uh,” Newton says. “Yeah.”

The last time Hermann saw Newton Geiszler, they were standing under an awning outside a Starbucks while a torrential downpour of rain pounded against the sidewalk and soaked their shoes. Hermann was shouting. Newton was shouting, too, and he may have also been crying. They had been asked to leave the building on account of it. That was nearly three years ago. “Er,” Hermann says. “Business? Or pleasure?”

Newton has hardly changed in the almost-three years; his hair remains thick and unruly, his jaw in bad need of a shave, his glasses smudged and slightly crooked. The suit is a bloody eyesore, though. Hermann imagines Newton thought it was festive. “Business.” Newton snorts. “God, you think I’d come here for fun? I haven’t had the money for a new sample in months, it was either this or, I don’t know, sticking mutated fish under microscopes. Kaiju blue poisoning. Been there done that, and not what I need to be doing now, you know? And you can thank your dad for that too, not having any fucking samples to work with, I mean, and his stupid wall—but I guess that’s why you’re here too. I heard they’re talking about pulling the plug on the jaeger program.”

Newton speaks quickly, and with a bewildering tendency to leap between topics like a game of hopscotch, something Hermann had quite forgotten. (They’d only met the once, after all, and Newton disguises it better in writing.) He follows it nonetheless. “Yes, well, they’re still only just rumors,” Hermann says, though he knows (with a certainty) that one more major failing of a jaeger might spell the end of it, “and I certainly hope they stay as such. I take it you’re with the PPDC now, then?”

Newton jerks a thumb towards the waistband of his gold suit, spilling a bit of his cocktail on the floor; Hermann at last notices the PPDC badge clipped to it. Newton’s grin is identical to the one in his photograph. “Hell yeah, dude,” he says. “They finally hired me about a month after we—” The corners of his mouth twitch down, ever so slightly. “—uh, got coffee.”

It had been a long-standing complaint of Newton’s, back when they wrote each other, that the PPDC was perfectly happy to use his research but turned a blind eye whenever he submitted yet another application for their k-science research team. Personality conflicts, Hermann always presumed. He and Newton certainly had plenty. Perhaps Hermann’s not the only one who’s grown desperate—a thought he scolds himself for the unkindness of a moment later. Newton is a brilliant scientist despite his difficulties and their past. “Of course,” Hermann says. “Well, congratulations. I hadn’t heard.”

“Wine?” a passing waiter asks them.

Newton shakes his head. Hermann takes one this time, gratefully.

“It’s been alright,” Newton says. He downs the entirety of the red cocktail in his right hand. “Like I said. Not many samples to work with. They had me stationed over in Vladivostok, but I got leave for the holidays. And for this I guess.”

“I’ve been in Seattle,” Hermann says. “I reckon they’ll be transferring me soon, though I haven’t an idea where.” More rumors, of course.

For a moment he allows himself the brief fantasy of being transferred somewhere with Newton, or perhaps it’s more of a fear than a fantasy—year after year of this sort of insufferable awkwardness? Being forced to work together? It’s something Hermann had longed for in the past, spending every day with his marvelous penpal at his side. It instills a sort of nausea in him now. Newton touches his arm before Hermann has the chance to excuse himself hide in the loo. “Hey, dude, listen,” Newton says. “About us getting coffee. I feel like I owe you an apology.”

Hermann can’t help it; he snorts, though he immediately regrets it. Newton, at least, does not look offended. “Do you?” Hermann says. Two and a half bloody years too late.

“I mean it,” Newton says. He blinks earnestly at Hermann, and squeezes Hermann’s arm. “I screwed it all up that day, and I could’ve—I don’t know, written, or texted, or anything to apologize, but I didn’t. And that was shitty of me. So I’m sorry, I really am. And…yeah. That’s it, I guess.”

It’s the last thing Hermann expected to hear today. It’s the last thing he expected to hear from Newton. The radio silence following that disastrous day at the coffee shop had been awful—and it’d been infuriating, too. Where had they even gone wrong that day? Hermann can’t remember anymore. Probably a fight over something inconsequential. “I see,” Hermann says. “Well. Er. Thank you, Newton. Your apology is...appreciated.”

“Cool,” Newton says.

He stares at Hermann expectantly.

“Oh,” Hermann says. “And I’m sorry, too, I suppose.”

“Cool,” Newton repeats.

He smiles at Hermann, and Hermann is momentarily suffocated by it, and the sudden reemergence of feelings he thought he’d quashed years ago. Newton is still very attractive. Very, very attractive. Hermann’s arm is warm and tingly from where Newton touched him, and he realizes the warmth is spreading up to his neck and cheeks—he’s blushing. “Hey, wanna check out the snack table with me?” Newton says. “I love the rich people food at shit like this. The last one I went to had oysters, which is totally weird. Like, it’s a gala.”

Hermann decides to accept it as the strange peace offering it obviously is meant to be. “Alright,” he says. “Though, I insist you explain your monstrosity of a suit first.”

“It’s classy,” Newton says. “Anyway, you’re one to talk, buddy.”

#newmann #maria's fanfiction tag #Anonymous

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lastxviolet · 3 years

Text

The Assistant - CH. 2

Description: Summary - Her sixth year at Hogwarts was supposed to be relatively peaceful but after an incident on the Hogwarts express, Violet Wilkes finds herself the newest target of the Weasley twins. This, combined with a dark family secret, and the Triwizard tournament, makes her first few months back more exciting and stressful than every year before.

pairing: George Weasley x Original Female Character

warnings: pg-13. slow burn, eventual smut hehe

https://archiveofourown.org/works/28218804/chapters/69148695

Cool air stung her face as she followed Sadie off the train. They'd left London completely under the thumb of summer so the autumnal chill was entirely welcome. She sucked in the familiar earthy, forest air, relishing in the arrival at their destination, and shook the image of her family having dinner tonight without her while pushing through the crowd of students chatting loudly. The small Hogsmeade platform was hardly big enough to house them all so she quickened her pace, desperate to emerge from the pack before the crowd was shoulder to shoulder.

As she walked, she eyed the students around her hopefully. There was still one dear friend that she owned a greeting to but she hadn't seen her on the train. She searched the crowd making its way to the enchanted carriages at the beginning of the forest and spotted sporadic curls walking quickly behind a group of Gryffindors, a few feet in front of her.

She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen Hermione Granger outside of their evenings in the library. Her almost two-year-long friendship with the witch wasn't necessarily a secret but it was certainly unexpected and not very well known.

It had been annoying at first, sharing her late-night library refuge with the young bushy-haired witch, until one night they talked so long that Madam Pince had found them asleep at the desks around sunrise. They'd crossed paths almost every night in the library since, spewing factoids, and quizzing each other but also sitting in comfortable silence. She would never admit it to her fellow Slytherin's but studying with Hermione always made her miss her younger sister a little less.

"Alright, Granger?" She called loudly enough to cut through the bleating crowd, accidentally making her friend jump a little. Harry Potter and Ron Weasley's necks snapped back towards her, ready to defend their friend, but relaxed and kept walking at the sight of her.

She scowled. If she had to see any more red hair today, she would vomit. She didn't mind Harry or Ron too much, not that she'd ever spoken more than a few sentences with them. But, by the way, they spoke to Hermione when they came to occasionally tear her away from the library, they didn't appreciate the brilliant witch nearly enough, which rubbed her the wrong way.

Hermione abandoned her red and gold crowd briefly to awkwardly hug her shoulders. "Violet!"

She had grown a bit taller over the summer and Violet no longer had to look down on her, now they stood face to face. Her tawny eyes were bright against her freckled skin. A summer of unwinding had done her some good.

"How was your summer," Hermione continued, smiling broadly.

"Excellent, and you," she asked into Hermione's signature curls, as the witch held her tight.

"Quite busy really, I have loads to tell you," she exclaimed. "I'll find you in the library, I've made some astounding discoveries in Arithmancy that I think you'll find interesting."

Hermione let go of her shoulder as Harry and Ron pulled her onto the enchanted carriage, landing next to Neville Longbottom, a particularly tragic Gryffindor.

"I can't wait to hear about advanced potions this year," she half shouted from her seat, waving as they rolled away towards the castle.

That's right, it was her sixth year so she finally got to be in the N.E.W.T level potions class, the most advanced potions course that Hogwarts offered. How had she forgotten? She silently thanked Hermione for the much needed happy thought.

"You'll be sick of hearing about it before Christmas!"

She smiled. Leave it to the Gryffindor to make her look on the bright side of things.

Sadie pulled her up to their carriage and nuzzled into her as they glided through the trees, cold air whipping any exposed skin.

If it weren't so cold, it would've been a nice walk. The Hogsmeade train station was close to the spot she occasionally wandered to in her free time. There were a few feet, closer to the lake where the various protection spells and other charms were weakest and her cassette tape player worked. She stared at it longingly as they passed by. It, and a few books, would be the closest she'd be to the muggle world for another year.

The Great Hall was already hustling and bustling with students scurrying to say hello to friends from other houses before the feast commenced, by the time they got there. The ceiling glowed ominous blue and black, mirroring the storm that was brewing outside. Below it, thousands of candles hovered, glittering the ornate gold accents and casting bright reflections around the room.

One more important hello left, she thought, as Sadie dragged them to their table.

She passed the Bloody Baron, shooting their house ghost a nod, and craned her neck to inspect the head table at the front of the room before sitting down.

Professor Snape was already glowering at the Slytherin table, inspecting them for appropriate behavior no doubt, so all she needed to do was raise her arm in a small wave to get his attention. It took only a second for his eyes to find her. She greeted him with a curt smile, to which he responded with a polite nod. His somber eyes lit up for just a moment at their interaction but it ultimately made no dent in his stoic expression, not that she expected much more than that. He was incredibly guarded, strict, and stoic but she respected him immensely.

"Did you see him?"

Sadie pulled her down to their seats.

She furrowed her brow in confusion. "See who?"

Sadie huffed slightly, aware that she hadn't been listening to her since they walked into the room.

"Graham Montague!"

She'd heard that name too many times come from Sadies mouth to be curious about what was on about. Their tumultuous fling for the past few years had been exhausting to hear about.

"Oh yes, sorry I see him, but I wish I couldn't," she rested her head in her hands and tried to look interested.

"He wrote me over the summer you know," Sadie continued, ignoring the dig. "I told him that he owed me five galleons for making me read his stupid ramblings."

The sound of thunder made the room jump as the clouds on the ceiling broke, signaling a night of rain. Impatience had never been a flaw of hers but silly, elongated ordeals like the first feast of the year brought out the feeling in full force. It was a huge fiasco that took forever. She tried to calm her anxiously bouncing knee but it was torture to be away from the library when it was raining. No one would be there to witness the water droplets ricocheting off the stained glass that contorted the sprawling green grounds outside, transforming the world into a Monet painting.

The front doors opened with a bang and she turned to watch the soaking wet first years scurry down the center aisle. Enchanted music swelled to greet them, much to the surprise of the muggle-born students. They looked like they'd stumbled into a dream as they registered the amount of magic swirling around them.

Her first year, she'd pinched herself the entire boat ride across the lake, waiting for the majestic castle to disappear and be replaced by her bedroom ceiling. Her father's descriptions of the castle and campus hadn't done it justice and she still found new things to marvel at from time to time. She wished there was a way to sneak a camera in next year so that she could capture her sisters reaction.

The festivities crawled at a snail's pace. She politely clapped along for every sorting, ignoring the pang of nerves in her gut when a few of the newly sorted Slytherins scampered over to greet Malfoy with a handshake, clearly aware of the pure-blood supremacy they were joining, and it's leader.

The others nervously stared at their plates, occasionally looking up to search for a friendly face, which she and Sadie were always happy to provide. It was tough, especially for those who were aware of Slytherin's reputation but had expected to be sorted into a different house. Tougher though, for those who had to learn the hard way. She pitied them, as she'd pitied herself. Her father didn't talk about the wizarding world much so she was left to piece together the dos and don'ts through old photos and whispers between her parents. It was a learning curve, especially coming from a muggle school but it took almost no time to realize that a simple green tie could be interpreted in terrible ways.

She glared at the sorting hat as a professor whisked it away.

The shrill noise of echoing metal against glass signaled the room to be quiet. Professor Dumbledore rose from his seat, effectively hushing the students. He extended his arms, the silver of his robes shimmered in the candlelight, as his soft eyes took in the room.

"I have only two words to say to you," he said, pausing pervasively. "Tuck in."

Dinner flooded onto the tables, appearing out of thin air. She craned her neck to watch the first years again, the shock on their faces was hilarious and would probably take a few more meals to disappear. The rest of the room was completely distracted by the lavish meal.

Finally.

"That's my cue," she whispered low enough for only Sadie to hear, turning to swing a leg over the bench.

"I don't think you can escape so easily."

She shot her friend a puzzled look before following her gaze towards the closed main doors, being guarded diligently by the caretaker, Filch.

"Bloody hell," she huffed, glancing around the buzzing room for an explanation. Sadie spotted the Bloody Baron again, making his way down the table and beckoned him to join them.

"Tell me, Baron," she mewed, smiling sweetly. "Why does Filch look like he'd tackle anyone who tried to leave?"

Even in his wispy white form, the Baron's eyes twinkled at the opportunity for gossip. You wouldn't expect it from his name but he had two soft spots; Slytherins and the chance to spread rumors.

"You didn't hear it from me Miss Baldock but the Headmaster wants everyone here for a special announcement at the end of dinner," he answered in nothing more than a whisper. "However, I would be willing to assist you, should you need to make a quick escape." He bared his teeth and shot a devilish glare at the caretaker.

So, she was stuck.

"Thank you Baron but that's alright, I'd hate to miss anything important," Violet insisted, resettling herself back on the bench.

"Suit yourself, Miss Wilkes, I might just go and do it anyway. Excuse me," the ghost floated back through the hall, giving them a mischievous wink.

She glanced back up to the head table. Other than a few more empty seats than normal, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Maybe he had some new professors to introduce? Or perhaps some new school rules to brief them on? Either way, the thought of being trapped was making her restless.

She pursed her lips in thought and begrudgingly returned to the one-sided conversation Sadie was having with her.

"As I was saying, if we don't have Care of Magical Creatures together I will have a fit."

She held her fork and picked at the food in front of her; trying and failing to enjoy herself.

"Oh Sadie, please tell me you're not still on about your obsession with Hagrid," she regarded her friend with a knowing glance.

"I am not ashamed of my lust for a big, daft man," Sadie said, pointing her chin towards the rest of the Slytherin table. "Lord knows none of these twigs could do the job — daft yes —but twigs none the less."

She laughed, easing the nerves in her torso. Sadie's pessimistic view of their house wasn't entirely wrong, the only exceptions were Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, two particularly porky fourth years who followed Malfoy around like puppies. Definitely not the big and dumb that Sadie was looking for.

She'd never really looked at anyone from her house as a romantic possibility. Very few gave her the time of day and the ones that did usually regretted it. Her short fuse and hot temper didn't mesh well with the haughty nature and overconfidence of most Slytherin boys.

She participated in bits of conversation here and there during dinner but was at her wit's end by the time dessert finished. The air shifted from excitement to agitation as the rest of the room finally noticed their inability to leave. Dumbledore must have sensed the unrest because not a moment later, he was situated at his podium in front of the head table.

"Now that we are all settled in a sorted, I'd like to make an announcement," his voice echoed through the hall and drowned out the inquisitive chatter. "This castle will not only be your home this year but home to some very special guests as well. See, Hogwarts has been chosen to host a legendary event, the Triwizard Tournament."

The conversation was instantaneous and ricocheted off of every surface. Students, mostly from wizarding families, picked their jaws up off the floor and tried to explain the exhilarating news to their less-informed peers, like herself.

The noise was enough to make her miss the train.

Over the twittering, Fred Weasley yelled, "You're JOKING," from the Gryffindor table and the room burst into a fit of laughter. Even Dumbledore struggled to stifle his giggle of delight.

"No, Mr. Weasley, I am not joking. Now for those of you who don't know, the Triwizard Tournament brings together three schools for a magical contest."

Their headmaster paused dramatically, and then continued, seemingly satisfied with the awe-struck look on nearly everyone's faces.

"From each school, a single student is selected, and let me be clear, if chosen, you stand alone. Trust me when I say, these contests are not for the faint-hearted." His voice turned eerily serious and a shudder rattled down her back.

So not a fun, light-hearted tournament then, she thought. It had been a shock to learn that most things in the wizarding world came with a good amount of danger, even some of the most common forms of travel were riddled with risk. She was an idiot to think that a school event would be any different. Just look at Quidditch.

"More of that later," he said, snapping out of the somber trance. "Now please join me in welcoming the lovely ladies from the Bauxbatons Academy of Magic and their Head Mistress, Madame Maxine."

The doors finally opened and a group of girls clad in light blue silk strutted through, nearly appearing out of midair. She rose out of her seat slightly to watch them flit down the aisle between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, releasing blue butterflies with every step. Male voices erupted into cheers. Not surprisingly, the lewdest and loudest comments came from the Slytherin table.

Disgusting pricks had no respect. Not even for themselves.

"Blimey, I'd crack skulls if I were that big," Sadie gasped.

The giant Headmistress waltzed in behind her students, lead by Dumbledore.

"What a woman," she echoed, trying to tune out the embarrassing howls from her male peers as the French witches finished their show. She'd heard of other wizarding schools around the world but never expected to see their students in person.

She clapped along and admired the flattering Bauxbaton's school uniform. Who on earth had designed the grey and black Hogwarts uniform when other schools got that?

Maybe an all-girls school wouldn't have been such a bad idea.

"And now, our friends from the north," Dumbledore bellowed from the podium once more. "Please greet the proud sons of Durmstrang and their headmaster, Igor Karkaroff."

With a bang, a group of large, tall, men strode into the hall sporting dark turtlenecks and fur coats. This time it was Sadie shouting lewd comments over the crowd.

"Bloody hell I think I'm going to slide off my seat," Sadie said breathlessly, pretending to grip her arm for support. "Guess I won't have to settle for Hagrid this year!"

She couldn't help but smile and laugh at the unconventional, scandalous humor of her friend.

The Durmstrang boy's faces were stoic and brooding, clearly, the cold northern winters were less kind to soft adolescent features. She wondered how they could be the same age as anyone at Hogwarts.

Sparks poured from the ends of their walking sticks, each strike leaving scorch marks on the stone floor. Gasps echoed through the hall as their quick pace eventually turned into a run, with some bounding forward to show off incredible acrobatics before joining the Bauxbaton girls at the front of the hall. Cheers turned into low murmurs as a man, who she guessed was their headmaster, walked into the room with a very stoic and large boy at his side.

"Fuck me," Sadie muttered. "That's Victor Krum. I can't believe my eyes. He's even better looking in person."

Violet tore her eyes from the pair strutting down the main aisle. "In person? What do you mean?"

"Quidditch of course," she snapped. "He almost won Bulgaria the Quidditch World Cup just last week. It's a wonder how he even has time for school."

Figured. Her father didn't even follow muggle sports, let alone wizarding ones. She'd successfully avoided the Quidditch pitch for a majority of games and could barely name a single ball.

The three headmasters met at Dumbledores podium, but the room was still abuzz, eyeing the celebrity excitedly.

This was her chance.

"Fill me in later," she said, swinging her legs over the bench, once more, to hop up from the table. She crouched and ran, hoping to go unnoticed.

"You're a real bore you know that," was all she heard before a rogue lighting bolt from the enchanted ceiling above helped her slip out the door without interruption.

Filch didn't notice her disappearance and she heard the doors slam closed when she was a few feet away. The noise was canceled immediately. The silence was a relief after nearly an entire day of chaos.

She marched towards the library, trying to stick to the shadows as much as possible, as she didn't normally go out of her way to break the rules like this. The halls were empty except for a few raging fireplaces, lighting her way and the occasional preoccupied ghost.

The isolation was heavenly.

She pressed a hand to the library door and pushed. Locked. Of course. Madam Pince was still at the feast, she thought, pressing her wand to the door.

Alohomora

The unlocked doors opened with a loud groan signaling that no one had been there all summer. The long room with mazes of books, desks, couches, and chairs was stale and less inviting in its dark state, than it normally was, fully lit and busy.

Incendio

She smiled. The familiar flickering orange glow illuminated the room and extinguished the final bit of nerves left from the train ride and annoyingly long feast.

One,

Two,

Three…

She counted the bookcases diligently. It took 40 to get to the hidden alcove at the end of the hall but even if she lost count, she'd know her plush, velvet chair anywhere.

No one except for Hermione ever wandered that deep into the library so the long walk was well worth the refuge and privacy that it allowed.

The sound of rain echoed through the shelves and high ceilings, creating a loud repetitive sound, only interrupted by her thudding footsteps on the rug. She dodged a few self-sorting books, enchanted to move on their own, but other than that, there was no movement.

Thirty-eight,

Thirty-nine,

Forty.

Relief.

The large wingback velvet chair in the corner welcomed her back with a familiar creak and groan as she nestled into her favorite spot. Nothing about the sanctuary had changed. Her chair, the oversized couch, and Hermione's long wooden desk with a few matching chairs sat exactly where they had been when she'd left in June. Satisfied with the familiar surroundings, she turned her attention to the large window. The colors outside were much less vibrant as darkness cascaded over the campus but at least she could still make out the last of a purple and pink sunset reflecting off of the lake.

Accio

A copy of Advanced Potions came barreling out of a bookcase too far away for her to see and landed in her outstretched hand. The familiar purple cover reminded her of all the ways that the castle felt like home.

The first time Snape had given her a copy of this textbook was during her fourth year. She'd worked through it late into the night for almost the entire term, only being befuddled by a few of the more time-consuming recipes. The look on Snape's face as she'd presented him with a box of vials containing the completed potions just before Christmas break, was the closest she'd ever seen him smile.

The pages were crisp as she flipped idly through the instructions, much different than her worn copy, and decided on the chapter about love potions.

After a few hours of leisurely reading, she battled the heaviness of her eyelids in vain. She nodded awake, surrendering to her need for sleep, and muttered a spell to return the book to its place. The library was still entirely undisturbed as she made her way to the door sleepily.

The sound of heels clicking over the whirling wind and rain against the windows signaled Madam Pince's return at the entrance of the library.

"I just cannot keep you away," the librarian said, letting her pass. "Is Granger back there as well or can I lock up for the night?"

Violet grinned. "Nope, just me, and I'll be out of your hair until tomorrow."

The generally stern woman shot her a wink and closed the door behind her. Madam Pince had probably seen enough of her to last an entire lifetime but she always made it seem like she was pleased to see her every time. Violet wondered if it was genuine.

Her exhaustion escaped her as she stepped out into the hallway, finding it in a state of disarray with her peers abuzz, running from one group to another, all gossiping about the Triwizard tournament.

Darting back down the main hall, she dodged running Prefects, and giggling underclassmen, sticking to the wall to avoid any familiar faces. Even on a normal day, it was quite easy to disappear in the vast castle and busy hallways. Steering clear of wandering eyes only took a step into a shadow here, or a quiet shuffle behind a babbling group, there. Which is just what she did as she made her way through the corridor. Only a few more paces of being invisible and she'd be back in the dungeon.

The energy in the hall practically rattled the stone walls. She couldn't fight the feeling that she'd missed something else important. She wondered if she was correct, and if leaving early had been worth it. The answer came as soon as the thought passed her mind, as a familiar voice boomed through the hall.

"They can't do that!" George Weasley yelled. "We're seventeen in April, why can't we have a shot?"

Her heart race quickened as the redhead and nearly half of Gryffindor house came into view only a few feet away.

"They're not stopping me from entering," Fred waved his arms wildly next to his brother. "The champions'll get to do all sorts of stuff you'd never be allowed to do normally. And a thousand Galleons prize money!"

Of course, they wanted to enter. There was no doubt in her mind that a Gryffindor would be chosen as the school's champion. They had a tendency for danger, and for proving bravery. She stayed in the shadows but watched the pack's trajectory closely, fearing that it might intersect with hers.

Hermione trailed behind the group, ushering them towards the moving staircase, and pestering them about being the last ones to make it to the common room. The young witch always looked at her whits end around her friends. How she had the energy to herd cats, was a mystery.

Violet accidentally caught her eye and picked up her pace, hoping to escape the group of extroverts with a smile and a nod.

"Violet," Hermione called as they crossed paths. "Can you believe the news about the tournament? Are you thinking about entering? You're seventeen aren't you?"

It would have been easy to lose them in the crowd but she couldn't be rude to her friend. Even if she was accompanied by a pack of lions. Begrudgingly, she peeled herself out of the shadows and met them in the middle of the hall.

"Not until October," she admitted to the group, all of which had their eyes on her. They were significantly less intimidating than her own house, but annoying all the same. The Weasley twins appeared to her left but she refused to meet their eyes.

How was it possible to avoid their hi-jinx for nearly five years, and now, she'd seen them three times on their very first day back, twice before they'd even made it to the castle. Well, she thought, bad things always come in threes so this would surely be the last time having to speak with them.

"The tournament doesn't start until after Halloween so you'll be just in time," Hermione said in an awkward tone, clearly sensing her apprehension. The encounter was uncomfortable but she appreciated the interesting revelation about an age limit. It certainly explained the prominent maturity of the students from the other schools.

The twins pushed between her and Hermione before she could answer.

Her heart rate spiked slightly. The devilish look in their eyes from when they'd entered her train car had returned. Were they going to confront her about the incident? Make her do something worse and in front of everyone?

"An older woman then," George sneered, still looking rather burnt about their previous encounter.

"Whaddya say, Wilkes? Do us a favor and put our names in the Goblet?" Fred echoed.

He loomed over her, his eyebrows arched in question and mouth stretched from ear to ear. She doubted he'd ever held his tongue in a conversation this long, and appreciated the show of restraint.

Regardless, she rolled her eyes. "And watch you get yourself killed?" She took a step around the boisterous twin and squeezed Hermione's hand in a silent goodbye. "I'd be happy to."

The Gryffindors laughed at Fred's protests but she ignored them, pushing through the group, regretting leaving the announcement too early.

She practically flew down the dungeon stairs, happy to have escaped from the interaction with minimal worlds. Freezing air and the smell of stone and musk welcomed her underground. It was good to be back.

The Slytherin common room door came into view and her excitement fizzled. A long summer away had made the putrid password, slip from her mind.

This was, perhaps, when she envied other houses the most. They all changed their common room passwords with the seasons, or just for fun; ad-libbing silly meaningless phrases to make homesick first years laugh as they entered their home away from home.

Not theirs though.

It stayed the same, year after year. She kept it hidden in her subconscious, only acknowledging it for the split second it took to open the common room door. Even then, she tried to regard it as meaningless, simply an old-fashioned tradition that refused to die, but deep down she knew what it was.

Submission.

A forced admission of blood superiority so that everyone knew, regardless of house, who was meant to submit to who. The sour taste lessened the more times she said it throughout the years but the first time back was always the worst.

Her lips curled and teeth bared in order to force her tongue to spit it out.

Pureblood

The stone slab slid away, revealing the elegant stone, leather, and green velvet common room within. She shook off the cloud of disgust and wove through a sea of familiar faces chatting and hanging off of couches and chairs. A group of seventh-year boys boasted loudly to the room about how they would bring Slytherin glory by winning the tournament.

She sucked her lips to her teeth and swallowed a smile. These purebred, pampered, prats wouldn't last a day in the muggle world, let alone with actual beasts, she thought.

Sadie practically pounced on her as soon as she pushed open the door marked Wilkes & Baldock. Despite her roommate's animated pestering, their new two-person suite, a perk for upperclassmen, was quite peaceful. Emerald sheets, curtains, and pillows, accented by dark wood furniture and adorned with silver knick-knacks, memorabilia from alumni past, made the room quite cozy.

She looked around the room once more before submitting to Sadie's chatter.

"Alright, what did I miss?"

"Could you have taken any longer? I've been back for ages," she scolded, pacing back and forth while trying to hold a straight face. "Sometimes I wonder what you would do if I wasn't always waiting around to fill you in on stuff."

She smiled at Sadies attempt to be withholding, especially with such clearly juicy information. Keeping secrets was not her specialty, not that Violet minded. Her lack of scandalous behavior ensured that she only ever got to reap the rewards of her friend's knack for gossip and weakness for babbling.

"But you are," she reminded her.

Sadies half-hearted scowl cracked. "Good point Vi," she said with a bemused grin. "Okay, where do I even begin to begin?"

Violet made herself comfortable in a pile of throws and cushions on the floor and listened attentively in order to correctly adorn Sadies dramatic retelling with appropriate gasps of shock, and bursts of laughter.

It wasn't that Violet didn't like to talk, because she did, but Sadies ramblings were somewhat comforting to her. It relieved her of the pressure to be entertaining, or the center of attention. She liked how relaxed she could be, as her friend had no expectations for her to fill the silence.

She'd missed the arrival of the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, who had quelled the stray lighting that had covered her escape. Sadie hadn't caught his name but he was apparently very strange looking, not an unusual trait for the rather cursed position in recent years.

Sadie's face lit up as she recounted the looks of shock from everyone in the room when the Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation from the Ministry of Magic had stepped forward to warn them about the real dangers of the tournament, and deliver the bad news of the age limit.

Real dangers, she thought. What had they been dealing with beforehand?

Their school definitely seemed more pampered than the Durmstrang's. Surely no one at Hogwarts stood a chance against these men somehow passing for teenagers, who looked like they'd seen worse things on their walk to class than they had in Defense Against the Dark Arts. She didn't even want to fathom the skill hidden behind the pleasant French faces from Beauxbatons.

She couldn't think of a single person at Hogwarts who might fare favorably against the dangerous tasks that had been alluded to. She wouldn't stand a chance unless she could bring a potions kit and be allotted weeks on end to brew. Maybe Hermione, but she was much too busy. If the twins did indeed find a way to enter, they wouldn't stand a chance at surviving, unless the monsters they faced liked pranks and bad jokes.

"Obviously I am going to enter," Sadie said. "I mean I've basically fought half the school already. And I'll take any chance I can get for those Drum — whatever, boys to fawn over me."

Strangely enough, it wasn't Sadie's worst idea.

"I'll happily and safely cheer you on from the stands," she assured her friend. "And help you cheat of course."

Sadie squealed in delight and continued her lecture, only stopping when she noticed how difficult it was for Violet to keep her eyes open.

They changed for bed, and Violet whispered an incantation to turn off the lights, ignoring Sadies not so silent departure from the room shortly after. Probably sneaking off somewhere to argue and then subsequently make out with Graham Montague for the millionth time.

Sleep came for her quickly, and she gladly joined it, despite the ominous impending images of Death Eaters and Dark Marks.

#george weasley x original female character #george weasley #george weasley fanfic #george weasley fanfiction #george weasley smut #dating george weasley #george weasley fic

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thekidultlife · 4 years

Text

Through the Seasons | Seungcheol (COMPLETED)

Author’s Note:

Please read this before continuing on to the fic! 😊 If you’ve read the first part of this story which I posted in a rush during my birthday, please. scrap. all. your. thoughts. about. it. Having completed it now, I truly regretted rushing to post it just to meet a deadline; that won’t happen again lol. 😂 I plan to write more slowly and carefully from now on because I want to be able to look back and read my stories without too much regret over how I could have written them better. I hope that you enjoy this one, and please look forward to this series! My plan is to alternate writing “The Return Of Superman”, “The And” and “Through The Seasons” during the coming weeks/months.

Birthday Greetings: This fic is one that I wrote as a gift, not only to our amazing SVT leader and my ultimate bias who deserves THE ENTIRE WORLD, Seungcheol (🥺❤), but also to my good friend, @peekabooseoksoon! Belated Happy Birthday! 🙆‍♀️ I hope you get to love this fic!!! 😄

Tags: I’d like to mention @coupsiekkuma, @minkwans, @eclvpe, @haven-cove, @nrhfzh, @iwalktheline97, @woozisnoots, @shoshishua, @toxicsocial, @elcie-chxn, @yslmingyux, @gostickywombat, @uglyratlmao, and @starlightshua!

Plot: Two people form memories, navigate through hardships and—most of all—learn to love each other more through the seasons of their relationship.

Warnings: Marked 18+ for suggestive content

Word Count: 10,386

1 | summer, as the night wind whispered

Bright lights flooded the town square through the colorful lanterns that hung in lines and swayed idly. The air was filled with the smell of mingling perfumes, food and beer. The cobbled streets were packed with people, of different ages, walking through the stalls that sold native handicrafts and trinkets. Tables that were laid out in the center of the square kept getting occupied as the twilight dissipated into a dark sky full of stars. Music from guitars, bagpipes and dulcimers wafted around, competing with the blare of jukeboxes playing songs from eras long past, classics that everyone still loved to sing and dance to.

One month ago, no one would have thought that this town would be celebrating like this.

A violent storm had hit and destroyed almost everything in its path, and a sense of despair had engulfed the people living there. The winds and the heavy rain had been bad, but the landslides really made things worse. Even at present, as the town held its celebration, helicopters could be seen hovering above the mountains that surrounded the town proper, their searchlights flashing here and there, aiding rescuers who made their way around the dark, slippery terrain, looking for missing people or houses that had vanished underneath mounds of trees, dark rock and soil.

Despite the tragedy and the uncertainty that hung in the air, however, the townspeople had been resilient. Pooling their resources, and seeking help from neighboring towns and cities, they managed to recover most of their losses and found cause to celebrate as houses, businesses and landmarks began to be restored.

Sitting on one of the tables, watching the merriment all around them, were three men, sipping on their beers, wearing jackets that identified them as university students hailing from a city five hours away. They, along with a group of other volunteer workers from their uni, had come to help and were now celebrating the last day of volunteer work. Just across the street, by the small parking lot of the town’s only hotel, vehicles were lined up, readied for the departure in the early morning. These three men expected to be on the first bus going home tomorrow.

The first two sitting across each other kept commenting idly about how hectic the day had been, but the third guy, nursing his drink close to his lips, was scanning the flow of people, his huge, sparkling eyes flitting to and fro. He could not process what his friends were talking about. He was too busy watching who came and went as the festivities rolled on.

“Choi Seungcheol, have you found her yet?” Yoon Jeonghan asked, lazily grinning. His dark brown hair fell down his eyes and he raked them back with his fingers. He glanced at his friend before turning back to the buoyant scenery. A crowd seated on the table next to them roared with laughter.

“I haven’t,” Seungcheol replied lightly, taking another swig. “But I will.”

Seungcheol’s seemingly dogged determination made the guy sitting across Jeonghan chuckle. “This will be a very interesting night,” Hong Jisoo said softly, smirking at Jeonghan’s direction. “Cheol won’t let up finding this mystery woman.”

“I, for one, think that we’ve had an interesting day already,” Jeonghan answered dryly, leaning back on his metal chair, “and an uncomfortable one at that. I didn’t like the fact that we had to follow someone for a whole day, all because some guy couldn’t just walk up to her and ask her out.”

At that, Seungcheol turned to Jeonghan and glared at him playfully. “Shut up.”

“Cheol is acting funny,” Jeonghan teased. “Isn’t he, Jisoo-ya?” Jisoo laughed and clinked bottles with Jeonghan in agreement.

“I have my reasons,” Seungcheol said defensively, turning back to the crowd. “I couldn’t find the right timing.”

“Oooh,” Jeonghan cooed. “The right timing.”

“I said shut your trap, Jeonghan. I think you’re drunk.”

“I will be if you still don’t find her.”

“You could dance with some of our other friends out there while we wait.”

“You know I’m too tired for that.”

Jisoo laughed again. “You could not find the right timing? After all the days you’ve spent here?”

“Complete bull.” Jeonghan grinned.

Suddenly Seungcheol stood, setting his beer bottle down so hard on the wooden table that Jisoo and Jeonghan could not help but complain in unison about the abrupt movement. However, they quieted down when they saw Seungcheol’s expression.

“That’s her.” Seungcheol pointed somewhere in the throng of people, his eyes wide, his countenance suddenly alight and stone-cold sober. The night breeze blew on his close-cropped hair as he looked on.

His words were almost drowned out by the cacophony of voices and music all around them, but Jisoo and Jeonghan looked at each other knowingly, hearing his words perfectly.

`“Well?” Jisoo brought his drink to his lips, eyeing Seungcheol with a devious glint in his eyes.

A few moments passed, with Seungcheol simply standing there.

The right timing.

He broke off into a run.

He ran past tables and stalls and dancing couples, startling people along the way. His feet took him flying across the cobbled streets lined with lanterns, towards a spot by the exit of the square where stalls sold summer flowers. His heart pounded within his chest as he sprinted, his eyes never leaving what they had been watching for throughout the young night.

As he ran, he forgot how silly he had felt when, exactly five nights ago, he had hopped onto one of the buses leaving campus for the volunteer program. His only reason for joining had been his need for an adventure away from the city. He would have no other time for anything extracurricular in the months to come. The bar exam was looming over his mind, and before he poured himself solely to the task of preparing for it, he wanted to get away.

He remembered how you had stretched out a hand to greet him even before sitting down beside him.

Hi. You had smiled and he had felt like he was staring at the sun as you told him your name. Classical composition. You?

Non-music major, he had replied with a quick, albeit apologetic smile to return yours. I got on this bus by mistake.

Oh, that’s okay, you had said good-naturedly, winking at him, you don’t have to worry. We’re very good company.

And you were.

As he ran, he forgot how tired he was. He had followed you and the other volunteers around all day, up and down the mountains, giving out boxes of food and clothing to the families that had been affected by the calamity. The first four days hadn’t been as grueling as this last one. But it had been worth it.

He forgot, too, how sorry he felt for his friends, who didn’t know what they had signed up for when they followed him to this town to check up on him.

All he could remember was the flush on his cheeks when he had watched as your fingers strummed at a guitar, and how he could not help but hang on to the sweet lilt of your voice when you opened your mouth to sing.

"Deep breath and wipe those tears // Take heart and face those fears // We'll find a reason, // something to cling to; // We won't abandon // you. // There's hope in this season, // too."

All he could remember was the comfort that washed over the faces of the people who were listening, back at the orphanage in the mountains, where evacuees had taken up temporary residence.

He forgot about everything else and just ran, ran, and ran towards the only thing that mattered in his mind.

He had found you.

There you were—your hair rustling in the wind, wearing a billowing white dress that came down just beneath your knees and a knapsack that hung loosely on one shoulder, laughing with little children who were selling what looked like different sorts of flowers. You bent down to reach for a bouquet, and then lifted it to your nose, closing your eyes as you inhaled the scent.

Seungcheol drew to a stop as he neared you. His breaths slowed into pants, but his restless heart still fluttered faster than it would normally do.

Before he could lose his courage, he walked slowly to you.

He didn’t know what to say to you yet. After the bus ride, he only saw you every now and then, among the hundred volunteers that had joined. And all day long today, when he knew that he could not put off speaking to you anymore, he had been thinking about how he could approach you without scaring you off. There was one point this evening, after a little bit of beer, when he had felt like he could be brave enough to speak to you the moment he finds you.

But now, standing before you, he was tongue-tied, unable to say anything at all.

Sensing his presence, you turned, looking directly at him, still laughing, your hands holding a bouquet close to your face.

For precious brief seconds, the both of you just stood there, the night breeze beckoning as it made its sweeping touch upon both your clothes, trying to unchain you from where you both stood—whispering, it seemed, as it touched skin, Closer.

It was you who broke the ice.

“That was quite a run,” you commented humorously, your eyes filling with a gentle light. “Did I drop my wallet or something?”

Seungcheol laughed, blushing at the same time before scratching his head. He didn’t know that you had noticed him running. “Uh, no. Sorry. I must have startled you.”

“You told me during our bus ride that you came just to have some fun,” you said softly, your eyes taking in this handsome man before you and the jacket he wore. “But I saw how you worked hard, especially today. Thank you for coming with us.”

“And thank you for your songs,” Seungcheol replied, smiling. There was no flattery in his voice when he said this to you, only interest and admiration and another emotion that he himself could not clearly define at that moment.

Your eyes widened. “You listened?”

Seungcheol cocked his head to the side, hands in his pockets, still smiling. “All three songs, the whole afternoon.”

You grinned. “Ah. I didn’t know that I was in the presence of a fan. So…” one corner of your mouth turned up playfully, “…you ran all that way—” you motioned at the brilliant lights of the festival that was behind you both, “—not because I dropped my wallet somewhere around the bazaars and you picked it up by chance…but because—you loved my songs,” you grinned as you said this, “and you wanted my autograph. Was that it?”

He stifled a laugh, but it still bubbled out of his lips. “No. To be honest, I was going to ask you something else.” Seungcheol’s kind, hooded eyes smiled along with his lips. Courage surged inside him, just when he needed it. “Would you like to dance with me?”

Your slow smile answered his question before you even spoke.

“Yes.”

Closer, the wind whispered as you ran, laughing, with Seungcheol, back into the bright lights where the lanterns swayed, his hand not letting go of yours. And as Seungcheol pulled you close to him by the waist, your body arched up against him, and you threw your arms around his neck. You danced to the slow music, with Seungcheol’s eyes lighting up like the lanterns and his delighted laughter as melodious as the strings that strummed soulful tunes through the night.

Not far from where you danced, watching and making funny but adoring commentaries about how Seungcheol sucked at dancing, Jeonghan and Jisoo clinked bottles.

“It did become an interesting night.”

The town, in the morning, was greeted by blue skies and the young heat of summer. Business went back to normal, with the townsfolk reverting to their quiet, slow-paced lives in the fields and the mountains where their houses and livelihoods were nestled. The square held its usual number of regulars, some laying on the soft grass and others spreading colorful cloths around for picnics. Bicycles and occasional cars passed by.

There were no more buses that lined outside the tall, eighty-year-old hotel that was the pride of the town. No more guys wearing university jackets, no more stalls that lined the cobbled sidewalks.

Everything had gone back to how they were.

But traces of the festival night still popped up here and there in that sleepy old town.

High up the mountains, in the orphanage, children sang your songs and your words lingered on their lips. Some of them still had chocolates and candy from yesterday, leftovers from what their volunteer friends had given them as treats before heading back to the city. A plaque commemorating those who donated and came to help could be seen inside the town hall. And the gratitude people felt in their hearts as they watched their town being rebuilt made them remember their friends who had left in the early morning.

Some traces, too, weren’t just found in town. Some you brought home with you.

In that morning, you and Seungcheol were already five hours away, on a bus terminal, getting woken by the driver, who told you that you were now back in the city.

You had both missed the bus rides back to campus, but that was okay.

With your bags slung on your backs, you talked about Seungcheol’s upcoming bar exam, your major and getting breakfast somewhere. The impress of his touch on the small of your back as he gently guided you through the crowded streets reminded you of how you had felt when you danced with him all night. You blushed as he playfully protested about how his arms had gone numb when he woke up with you in his arms. Laughing with him as you both strolled along the hectic streets of the city, you found that you liked how Seungcheol’s voice sounded and how he would look you in the eyes intently whenever you would start to tell him something, no matter how interesting or uninteresting it would be. There was something intuitive and perceptive about him, something that you don’t normally see with guys that you had tried to get to know before. You liked that uniqueness in Seungcheol.

Sitting across him, eating your burger as you watched him type his number on your phone, you felt something new begin. And when he unconsciously reached out to take your hand while inside a cab that morning, you just knew, that you had both found in each other a memento from that summer night up in the mountains, in a town slowly recovering from a calamity, a town of cobbled streets and music and the wind that had teased and whispered, Closer.

2 | autumn, beneath the glowing streetlamps

Almost every sunset since the leaves started falling and the sky started to become painted in reddish-golden splendor, as people hurried along sidewalks or streets or in their bicycles and cars before rush hour set in, you would find yourself racing, racing and racing into Cheol’s waiting arms, warm and safe from the dropping temperatures and the cruel life of being an assistant producer for a crueler entertainment company.

There would be times when you would immediately look up from burying yourself in the warmth of Seungcheol’s embrace, smile sweetly up at his face and say in cute tones, “Hi, baby!”

There would be times when you would wrap your arms around his neck and stand on tiptoes to treat him with kisses as he laughed and whispered, “I missed you” in your ear.

And there would also be times when you would linger beneath his coat, shutting out all the bustling noises around you, eyes closed, and your words an almost unintelligible murmur on his chest. “Let’s stay like this for a while, please?”

You would then feel him kiss your hair, nuzzle your face, replying softly, “Bad day?” before hugging you tighter and tilting your head up so he could give you one of his infamous pep talks. He would then be kissing you with a laugh when you would start to complain that he sounded like a lecturer you had back in your uni days.

It had been three years since you danced with the wind during that summer night, and your sunsets during this third autumn season with Seungcheol by your side usually consisted of these sweet embraces and small but meaningful whispers of affection.

But today, the sunset was different.

You are still racing through the streets, running, running and running, your coat and hair flying in the wind. But Choi Seungcheol—always standing out anywhere he went with his height and broad shoulders, huge coats and quick smiles—was nowhere among the crowd. And you now halted to a stop, catching your breath, eyes frantically searching for taxis as the dark blue and violet shades of the nighttime sky started to replace the golden sheen of the sunset.

Once you could get on one, you immediately gave out the address, telling the driver as nicely as possible to step on it. Then you leaned back on the plush leather seat, sighing loudly, looking through the car window as you sped past the city’s grey skyscrapers and its lights and the rush of commute. You listened to the noise of cars honking, of motorcycles zipping past your cab, and chatter from commuters as you sometimes halted at crosswalks. You observed these people rushing to and fro, eager to be where they needed to be. You engaged in pleasant talk with the driver, complimenting his choice of music, even confiding in him that you had helped make the second song that played.

Soon, you came to a place where the pulsing, white and yellow lights of the city softened into golden hue as the skyscrapers were replaced by townhouses and apartments, homey restaurants, little shops and an occasional clinic here and there. Passersby were not rushing in this part of the city. Rather, families were walking hand in hand, dads sometimes carrying their kids on their backs, laughing as they entered diners and restaurants. Old women in flowery dresses shuffled up the steps of their apartment, with their husbands or cats following closely. Lovers and students with their friends laughed softly as they quietly strolled down the sidewalks, amazed at the beauty of the coming night and the sighing of trees as their leaves fell. You smiled at a woman you knew as the cab slowed. And when it stopped, you got out, blinking as your eyes adjusted beneath the glowing light of the streetlamps, looking around.

This was your neighborhood. This was your world when five o'clock came and you were released from the pressure of work. This was your safety net when you felt like drowning. This was your home turf.

And there he was, just as you knew he would be. He probably went straight home after court. He probably thought he could mask everything that had happened when he had rested enough. He probably didn’t want you to worry.

Yes, there he was. Walking slowly to his car, shoulders slumped, his phone in his hand, probably going to shoot you a message that he was on his way to pick you up, he just ran a little late today. His head was bent down as he scrolled through his phone. His other hand was holding his briefcase, his most prized possession as a criminal lawyer. He didn’t see you coming towards him yet. But as he looked up from his phone to open the car door, his eye caught sight of you and he stopped, his hand on the door handle.

Immediately, Seungcheol’s despondent expression changed. His face lit up into a smile that almost didn’t look tired, his shoulders straightened up and he cocked his head to the side like he always does when he sees you looking at him, his now ash-blond hair touching his forehead. “Baby!” he called out endearingly, his free arm wide open.

There, beneath the glowing streetlamps, you ran up to him and wrapped him in a tight embrace, your feet on tiptoes, one of your hands raking through his hair, the other caressing his back, whispering his name over and over in relief. He’s here with me. Everything’s going to be alright.

“What’s the matter?” he asked, worried about you even at this time when you knew that he needed you more than you needed him now. “Did something happen at work?”

“No,” you whispered in his ear, still smoothing his hair, holding him close. “And let’s not talk about my work tonight.” You leaned back so you could look into his face. Your hands ran through the soft, ash-blond locks on his forehead. Now that you looked at him closely, you saw that he looked pale and drawn, utterly exhausted with his day. “Oh, baby.” You touched his face and he held your hand close to him like that, closing his eyes as he let out a huge breath.

Standing on tiptoes as the streetlamps glowed brighter and brighter in the night, as the trees shed red, gold and brown leaves and as people passed you by, each off to their respective evenings, you gave Choi Seungcheol a tender kiss.

He sighed shakily as your lips touched his. He trembled underneath your touch; it was as if all his carefully put-up defenses might fall apart in that moment.

And they did, right when you whispered against his lips, as gently as you could, “It’s not your fault.”

Tears fell from his closed eyes like the trees lining the sidewalk, weeping away their precious foliage. You felt his body heave into choking, unmanly sobs as he buried his face down your shoulder, his hold on you so tight that you felt just how much pain he was trying to release. The briefcase lay forgotten at your feet as his arms pulled you as close as he could to him.

Seungcheol couldn’t say anything, but you knew about everything already; the city may be vast and diverse, but news travels fast. There was no need for him to explain. You knew enough, and that was all you needed.

“Shhh,” you whispered, tears falling from your face as well, your chest aching at the sight of your man—this man who liked to look okay in front of you all the time—bent, broken, and crying. “You’ll be alright.” Your arms tightened around Seungcheol, and you closed your eyes. “You’ll be alright.”

There was a comforting lull as you both stayed that way for a while, not minding who saw you, not minding the time. Tonight, he needed you, and you wanted him to know that he could hold you for as long as he wanted. For as long as he needed. When you had felt like he had calmed a bit, you asked him, “Bad day?” Even though you already knew the answer, he wouldn’t be able to talk about it freely if you didn’t ask.

You felt him smile sheepishly on your neck. “Yeah.” He sighed and buried his face onto your shoulder. “Bad day.”

“Oh, baby.” You hugged him tighter.

“I’m sorry. I know that I’m not usually like this—”

“—I like it better when you lean on me, too.” You patted his back comfortingly, over and over. “I know that you don’t want to talk about it yet, at least, not right now, but I’ll always be ready to listen, okay?”

“Okay.”

“No rush. But you can tell me everything when you feel ready.” You pulled away to stare into his puffy eyes. “I must say, though,” you commented with a bit of humor, “that red does not suit your eyes when it’s like that.” You smirked at him as his expression softened and his laughter came. You took out a handkerchief from your coat pocket and dabbed it underneath his eyes and his cheeks. “Doesn’t matter anyway,” you muttered lightly, knowing how much your nonsensical words would make him smile, “you still look good even when you cry.”

Seungcheol groaned. “Stop.” Then he kissed your forehead. “Thank you.” For making me feel better. You saw the words in his eyes, which began to sparkle again with a gentle light. He grinned at you, and a little bit of the sadness painted on his face seemed to dissipate.

You grinned back at him, and you held out a hand.

“Can we go home now?”

Seungcheol grasped your hand tightly and smiled. “Yes.”

The streetlamps glowed brighter as the dark ink of the night swallowed the brilliant colors of the dusk, and you both blended in with the people who were around you, walking towards whatever lay ahead for them in the coming night.

Seungcheol didn’t tell you about what happened that day in court. He didn’t tell you about what had made him cry like that when you found him. He didn’t offer any explanation.

And you let it stay that way. You watched him from your perch on the duvet in your living room. He sat on the couch, poring over binders that held one-inch-thick documents and every now and then scribbling something on a legal pad. You watched him whisper to himself as he typed incessantly on his laptop. Paraphernalia from whatever he was working on was scattered on the floor in an order that only he could understand. You watched him for a time as he kept on working. This was how he was whenever something from his work would haunt him: he would meticulously go over where he went wrong (or where he thought he went wrong), and he would passionately redo that area until he was satisfied. He would anxiously (and sometimes even a bit obsessively) review each argument, each line, over and over again.

Judging from his expression and from how he couldn't seem to stop doing this cycle of reading/writing/whispering, you knew that whatever piece of courtroom action he had brought home with him had truly gotten to him.

You watched and watched, and then you gave up watching him. You hated seeing him become so immersed into a case because you've seen him like this before, and you hadn't liked how it affected him physically and mentally.

You wondered about what you could do for him. Nothing came to mind.

Sighing, you rose up from your seat, a bottle of beer in your hand. You padded softly towards the other side of the room, where an unvarnished upright piano was.

You lifted the cover and you let your fingers run across the ivory keys. You sat down. As you stared down at the keys, a melody you’ve never sung before formed on your lips. You found the right key, and you began to play the melody that you hummed.

Slowly, scenery came to life in your mind, along with the words that painted its description beautifully.

“Autumn days of glory // autumn days of peace // red and golden splendor // in the sky and trees…”

You didn’t know where the words would lead, but you let your hands and your heart take flight. You let them come straight home where they needed to be. You let them express what you couldn't do in any other way.

“Fall is often like // a season of pure bliss // But fall is also when // change happens to things.”

You remembered the moment you shared with Seungcheol a few hours ago, outside. You let your hands play on as more lines went out of your lips, giving voice to the emotions you had felt and painted the picture in your mind with.

“Let me touch your face // let me dry those tears // let me help you brace // for the colder winds…”

You heard footsteps behind you, but the song still flowed out of your lips as your heart poured out what it wanted to say through the music's timeless language.

“Autumn days of glory // autumn days of peace // let me stand on tiptoes // let me give you a kiss…”

You felt his arms around you, and you felt the touch of his lips on your neck.

You found the last chord, and you leaned against him.

You stayed like that for a long time.

Your hand caressed one of his arms as you sang softly, “I will hold you close // I will dry your tears // I will help you brace // for the colder winds…”

You felt him breathe deeply, and you felt his arms tighten around you. And when he turned your face to him to give you his most tender kiss, you knew that he had chosen to leave his books and legal pads and that case that haunted him. You knew that he had chosen, no matter how hard it was, to put the bad day behind him.

As he carried you up from that hard, unvarnished piano bench where you sat and onto the soft satin comfort of your bedroom sheets, you just knew. You just knew that no matter how bad days in the future might get, as long as you had each other, there would always be peace at the end. That both of you would always choose peace at the end.

That night, as the last of the leaves on the trees fell, and as Seungcheol's bare skin cleaved to yours, he bared his thoughts to you. You both stared at the naked truth of his anxiety, his worries. Hesitantly, at first, he let you in on his deepest fears.

That night was the beginning of honesty at its purest between you two. That night, you treated each other like the Bible where you had seen Seungcheol swear the truth and nothing but the truth countless times. That night, you both found safety in each other as you unmasked the pretenses that you both still put up for the sake of looking brave.

That night, too, you both decided that there was no other way to overcome bad days, except to overcome it together.

When the streetlamps stopped burning brightly and another day came around, you both stepped out of the apartment, hand in hand, the warm glow on your faces obviously not coming from the sun, which had risen in a useless effort to bring warmth against the cold.

You both went your separate ways, disappearing amongst the thousands of people who rushed about as the sleepless city burst with renewed life.

Well, bad days, fire away, you thought to yourself as you tightened your scarf around your neck. After that night, the impending doom of a long day failed to break your spirit.

You had Seungcheol, and Seungcheol had you. Everything would be okay. You both just knew: everything would be okay.

Later that day, another golden dusk settled across the skyline. You raced down the busy sidewalks of the city again, looking out for a cab. The holiday season was almost upon you, and the air already had a festive spirit to it. As you glanced up and down the lanes of vehicles halting at the red light, your eye caught a figure to your left, among the crowds.

Waving his hand, his eyes alight, his smile as bright as it was during those first few days that leaves fell from trees, there was Seungcheol, wearing his huge coat, holding his briefcase and waiting, as he had always done, for you.

Smiling jubilantly, you ran to him, pushing against crowds of people, eager to become enveloped into his safe, warm embrace.

You were tired. It had been a very busy day: meetings, songwriting sessions, planning music video sets with other staff, and doing final checks on a concert stage took up most of your energy. But in Seungcheol’s arms, the fatigue you felt slowly washed away.

"Baby," you whispered, closing your eyes as you leaned against his chest. You felt his kisses on your hair and you smiled. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but does that smile mean that you helped save the world today?"

At your words, you felt Seungcheol drew in a sharp breath. You felt his teeth sink into your shoulder playfully as his body reverberated with giggles.

"Please stop making me blush in public, babe!"

The forecast had said that temperatures would be at its lowest yet, but as you kept making jokes while basking in the music of Seungcheol’s laughter, you never felt the cold during that last sunset of autumn.

3 | winter, by the hearth

“And everything in time and under heaven finally falls asleep // Wrapped in blankets white, all creation shivers underneath.”

Like magic, the words you sang out perfectly described the hushed, dreamy landscape that unfurled before Seungcheol's eyes. Snowflakes in their different designs fell softly on the ground and on your nose as you walked, hand in hand, wrapped in your warmest, heaviest winter clothing. You were walking towards the huge family house that belonged to your maternal grandparents, and you were both enchanted by the frozen beauty of the vast garden you were walking through. And as if the sight of imposing life-sized statues and the creaking, barren trees lining the footpath wasn't enough, the series of mountains to the left of the property also peeked out from the stone walls, revealing their snow-covered peaks and adding a magical feeling to the scenery.

It was the first time that you would bring Seungcheol to a dinner with all of your extended family, and Seungcheol knew from the way that you smiled at him a lot that you were excited.

Excited, and something else.

Despite the mixed expressions on your face that he could not quickly decipher to get a clear understanding of, Seungcheol returned your smiles. “How long has it been since you came here?” he asked, stepping over a mound of ice and snow that had formed along the pavement.

“Years." You looked up at him again, and you smiled wider. "It shows on my face that much, huh? How thrilled I am at having my whole family meet you?"

Seungcheol smirked. "I don't know how to get my family together like this. Do your grandparents hold gatherings like this often?"

"Not really. But they've been missing their children and us grandchildren, so…" you cleared your throat and paused. "Baby, do I look like Christmas lights are strung up on my face? Because my cousins tease me about my smile whenever I get excited.”

The brightness in your voice had dropped a notch, and Seungcheol examined your face again. “Well you do look excited, but I wouldn't worry about your face. You always look beautiful…"

You probably did not hear him, because you had let go of his hand to run ahead, towards the widespread arms of a very handsome old man who seemed to have the same light like yours in his eyes and the same humor on his smile like yours.

Seungcheol hurried towards you and your grandfather, and he bowed respectfully.

"So this is the lucky man," your grandfather commented humorously, shaking Seungcheol's hand heartily. "Come in, come in! Best to get out of the cold." Your grandfather shivered animatedly, and you laughed, leaning against him as you walked in.

You seemed fine. Seungcheol smiled and entered the double doors after you.

The house was spacious and welcoming, designed with warm wood tones and bursting to life with patches of greenery here and there. The wooden beams and pillars that supported doorways were intricately carved with floral swirls and patterns, and the furniture style accentuated the vibrant yet homey tones. The smell of food and wine and the sound of logs being thrown into a fireplace filled Seungcheol's senses. Holiday music played in the background, and soft laughter from one of the rooms to the far right of the hall made Seungcheol guess that some family members have already arrived before you did.

As he walked on, straightening his clothes, he ran smack-dab into a woman who looked a lot like you but was very much unlike you either. Seungcheol would never see you wearing a power suit in bold colors like this woman. The man behind her smiled at Seungcheol and offered a hand.

"Oooh, so this is my cousin Y/N's boyfriend!" The woman grinned. She held out a well-manicured hand. "I'm Sana, and this is my husband, Minhyuk. You’re Seungcheol, right?"

"Yes. Very nice to meet you," Seungcheol answered, his face lighting up when he saw you with a smile on your face, walking towards Sana. Sana is one of my favorite cousins, you had told him earlier. She's the loudest among all of us, but she's a really good person who took care of me a lot when I was younger.

Sana leaned close to Seungcheol, and he was once again struck by how her brown eyes looked a lot like yours. But hers, he observed, had a mischievous glint, while yours always had a gentle light in them.

"You'd better be prepared for this family dinner," Sana whispered conspiratorially, "and don't let your guard down. Watch your manners--"

"--oh, come on, Sana," you groaned, pulling Seungcheol away, laughter in your voice. "It won't be that bad!"

"Don't say I didn't warn you! And sit beside me during dinner!" Sana's red-lipped smile made Seungcheol suddenly wonder what you both were talking about. You were both inside the parlor now, where drinks were being served and the people inside were more formal: quieter and older members of the family were either seated or standing around, wine glasses in their hands, conversing as they studied the portraits that hung around the room. A young man sat by one of the massive floor-to-ceiling windows of the parlor, his fingers flying across the ivory keys of the grand piano. The fire crackled as a man added more logs. Your grandfather was nowhere in sight.

Seungcheol wondered why your smile did not reach your eyes once these people started to come and greet you with their hugs and kisses. He wanted to ask if you were okay because you had grown quieter. Occasionally glancing at you as he introduced himself to members of the family, he noticed that your whole countenance had changed.

The smiles and the laughter coming from you still rang true in his ears, but as your hands clasped before you as you engaged in conversation with an aunt of yours, you showed him a side of you that he had never seen before: very composed, very somber, very careful. The only relief that seemed to show on your face was when your parents finally came in, and Seungcheol was glad for the respite from your strained expressions and gestures. Your smile at them as they embraced you warmly was the only smile that reached your eyes throughout the whole introductory phase of the gathering.

"I'm so glad you're here, Seungcheol!" your mother said cheerfully, adding a warmth that Seungcheol hadn't felt in the room since you had both walked in. In fact, of all the people he had greeted today, nobody he'd met in this side of your family eased the tension he had been feeling since your voice changed on the way in. "My family has been waiting to see you for ages!"

Seungcheol kissed your mother's cheek and shook your father's hand, engaging in pleasant small talk with them. He had spent a lot of holidays and vacations with your parents, and they had been very enjoyable ones. In this fifth year of your relationship, though, you had quietly asked him if he wanted to go see your grandparents with you. He had known from the expression on your face that seeing your grandparents was an important family affair; and he knew now, too, why you had looked so anxious.

Everyone walked into the dining room once the clock in the parlor struck six o'clock. A long table heaped with food and beverages on glassware greeted all of you. Seating yourselves, Seungcheol held your hand underneath the table, squeezing it reassuringly. You squeezed his back.

Seungcheol's eyes caught Sana's on the far side of the room. She was sitting on the opposite end of the table with Minhyuk, and she cocked her head to the side, mouthing words that looked like, "Sit here, you two!", gesturing at a couple of seats beside them that soon got taken by another cousin and his parents. Sana made a face, and Seungcheol grinned. You were busy talking with another cousin, Samuel, who had also brought his partner with him. Seated at the far end of the table, near the empty seat of your grandfather, Seungcheol waited for dinner to begin.

Clinks of glasses and forks and knives slicing through meat and spoons ladling soup were the background music to the words that this huge family exchanged. Laughter rippled through the room, and slowly, the tension and formality that shaped conversations a while ago stopped.

"Is that Counselor Choi from the City Prosecutor’s Office?"

The matronly voice made everyone's heads turn, and all laughter died down.

Seungcheol saw your grandmother for the first time.

Dinner had long since started, but the way she gracefully sat down and the way her shoulders were set back made everyone excuse her for being late. Your grandfather silently took his place beside you, and you exchanged sweet smiles with him. Seungcheol watched as your grandfather leaned towards you, and he heard words like, “…talk to her…” come from his lips. Nervous energy engulfed the dinner table, and Seungcheol's ears must have been fooling him, because every clink and scrape of knives, and even the music, seemed to stop.

Your grandmother, beautiful despite her age, laid her eyes upon Seungcheol. Her eyes were neither kind nor cruel. The aloofness there could have thrown any stranger off, but the spark of interest that lit up her eyes compelled Seungcheol to return her gaze and to answer.

"Yes, ma'am." He could have called her something else, but this aura she exuded seemed to ask for something that formal. "Thank you for inviting me."

When she smiled, her expression was guarded as well. "My granddaughter is very fortunate to have met you. And you're welcome. Please, eat."

After greeting the other girlfriends, boyfriends, husbands and wives seated around, the rest of the conversation was directed at other members of the family. Seungcheol learned that this side of your family was involved in medical and tourism careers. You were the only one he knew that had a different path from the rest of them. This hadn’t been obvious when he spent time with your parents, but on this table, careers and what you are doing to succeed in that career seemed to be very important. Careers steered the conversation.

"Ahyoung is planning on setting up a pediatric practice, Mother,” one aunt said as she set down her spoon. “She wasn't able to come because she had to tie up some loose ends with the clinic renovation."

"Working through the holidays? Ahyoung must be wanting to surpass my record as a workaholic." Chuckles around the table could be heard at this amusing remark from Grandmother. "The president of the hospital in that town is a friend of mine who could help her establish her practice. Tell her to give me a call so I can help her get in touch with him. How about you, Jaemin? I saw you on TV a week ago. You announced the opening of a...what was that...a museum?"

"A shrine recreation, Grandmother. We're currently in the process of recreating an entire temple from the Silla era. My archaeology team hit a huge find down south when they found the remains of what we initially thought was a hidden metropolis in the mountains. Turns out that was this temple where priestesses tried to read the stars—”

“—if you need a priestess to make your shrine look more realistic, you can hire me." Sana broke in as she winked at Jaemin, who immediately looked flustered. Younger cousins of yours immediately began doing their best to hold back their laughter and Seungcheol felt you giggle quietly beside him, too, as you drank your glass of wine.

"Sana, instead of ridiculing your older brother, why don't you tell us about the latest findings of your research? And congratulations, darling. My former colleagues in Gynecology have been telling me that your research will be of a huge benefit to their practice.”

"Well, we are still working on developing this fertility treatment, as you know already, and we have the goal of obtaining a much higher success rate than in vitro fertilization. So, for example, if the success rate of a thirty-five-year-old woman is only at thirty-nine-point-five per cent, we would try to raise that bar by giving her a fifty per cent threshold of success. It’s still at a very experimental stage at this point, Grandmother, but the labs have been working on it incessantly...”

Seungcheol stopped listening at that point. He focused on his food and on not letting go of your hand. Their topics were interesting and he would occasionally get roped into the conversation, but Seungcheol couldn't help but despair about the fact that there wasn’t talk about anything else except work and their different professions and future plans for their businesses or companies. It was the holidays, for goodness’ sake. There weren't many other stories shared aside from work life. Everyone seemed to be comfortable with that kind of setting, but it cut through Seungcheol deeply. Especially when he noticed that the questions didn’t get to you.

The dinner passed like that.

Grandmother rose from her seat, her height, willowy frame and white dress making her look even more imposing. Silence once again reigned, and she spoke.

“Y/N, may I speak to you in private for a moment?” It wasn’t a question. She spun on her heel and left.

Seungcheol knew that she expected you to follow. And you did, whispering, “I’ll be back” before rushing out of the dining room. When his eyes roamed around the table, he saw that everyone was looking at him, and he put his fork down. He didn’t know what to think of what just happened. Your mother followed you out soon after.

"Don't worry," Samuel said reassuringly. "Grandmother may look like a very hard woman, but she's actually soft on the inside--"

"--and she has the softest spot for Y/N." Sana smiled. "She would never admit to playing favorites, but we all know in this table that she loves Y/N the most."

At a later time, while relishing dessert, your history with your grandmother began to unfold from the table, where only your closest cousins remained, and Seungcheol listened to them intently.

They told him the story about a grandmother who wanted nothing but the best of life for her family. A grandmother who had done her best to live a life that she knew would become a good example to everyone who followed her. Despite her stern appearance, she wasn’t the rich and evil grandmother who forced everyone to do things her way. Surprisingly, she was one who encouraged her family members to pursue what they loved to do.

“You see, even though most of us work in the medical field, we didn’t get these jobs because someone told us to, or because the woman we look up to in this family. We became doctors and businessmen because we wanted these jobs. Our paths turned out this way, and we’re enjoying ourselves.” Sana paused, letting her words sink first. “All our parents and our grandparents asked of us was that we pursue our dreams intending to succeed. And that was where she and Y/N took a bad turn.”

“Everyone in this family had turned out to be exactly who they wanted to be.” The unspoken words after that sentence held weight. All except one: you.

“Grandmother just couldn’t understand why Y/N did not choose to become the singer that she wanted to be. And what made her more furious was the fact that she doesn’t see how good she could be.”

Music from the piano drifted into the dining hall. Someone was singing carols, and Seungcheol was jolted from his reverie when he heard soft laughter coming from the parlor as well. It was then that he realized that most of the family had gone back to the parlor, where it was evident that they all loved to spend time together.

“Only one person plays beautifully like that,” Jaemin remarked. Seungcheol noted the ring of envy and admiration on his voice as you all listened to the strains of a piano. “You’re a very lucky man. My cousin isn’t just someone you meet out there.”

“Which is why she’s the favorite,” Hyorin, another cousin of yours, commented. “In a family of doctors and business magnates, she stands out.” Hyorin stood up, bringing her glass of wine with her. “I’m going there to listen.”

Sitting on the piano, fingers making music in a way that spoke to the soul, was you. It was one thing to just play music. It was another thing when that music communicates with its listeners, making them feel something. People were humming the carols that you played, but you didn’t pay heed to them. Seungcheol knew that once you were seated on that bench, you were in another world entirely. You smiled at your relatives as they all sang out songs and gave her requests. Music tied you all together and brought out the beauty of the human inside. Work was forgotten as you sang together. From the corner of his eye, as he joined the men in belting out “Smile Flower” by a classic boy group from more than fifty years ago, Seungcheol saw your grandmother smiling—genuinely—and nodding with your parents, who were also looking at you.

A change of key quieted the room, and everyone tried to figure out what the song you were playing. But nobody could tell what it was, only that it was in A minor. They waited for you to sing.

And when you did, a song they’ve never heard before, a song Seungcheol had never heard before from you, rose from your lips.

“Tossing out the lines that were never truly mine // Throwing to the fire what was never truly fine // I am in a place where no doubt and fears can get me // I am safe tonight with lover and family // by the firelight // by the firelight // I could be me.”

Later, when you and Seungcheol had gone home and you were both staring into the hearth which served as the only light in the living room and warmed you both from the cold of the night, Seungcheol mustered the courage to ask you what your grandmother had told you when she pulled you aside right after dinner.

You smiled and said simply, “She doesn’t want me to become an assistant producer anymore.” Your hand laced with Seungcheol’s underneath the pale blue quilt wrapped around you both. “She wants me to get my music out there to the world. She said she wanted me to stop hesitating about my future.”

“And what do you think about her advice?”

You turned to him, and your eyes were moist, your lips trembling with emotion as you smiled. “Baby,” you said gently, leaning on his shoulder, “it’s not that simple.” You sighed. “And I know I might sound like such a coward to you, but I have a reason for not pursuing a singing career. Besides, I think I’m already too old for that kind of life.”

“Yeah,” Seungcheol playfully acknowledged, “twenty-seven is too old for that kind of life.”

You laughed, but your eyes remained sad. “Consider that a sub-reason as to why I don’t want to be a singer. I know that I’m breaking my family’s heart by choosing not to become one because they want to see me actually doing something that I love. But you see, I’m not really in that bad a position. I’m doing something close to what I truly love. And for me, that is enough.”

Seungcheol held you closer with his one arm. “But what is the reason why you don’t want to be a singer? I’ve always wondered why, too. I didn’t ask you before about this because I didn’t want you—”

“—I don’t want a life where my most beautiful escape—my music—will most likely end up being my darkest prison.” You weren’t looking at him, but Seungcheol knew from your voice that you meant your words, and you wanted him to understand. “I’ve seen it happen. Every day, I work with talented people who were brave enough to let the world see their lives and listen to their music. I help them shine like the stars they are, but I always witness them burn too brightly and die out too fast in the end. And I don’t want that kind of life for myself. I want my music to be mine alone and to whoever I want to give it to. I don’t want my art to be pressured by people’s expectations and desires. I don’t want that kind of life.”

“Tossing out the lines that were never truly mine,” he sang. “Throwing to the fire what was never truly fine. I am in a place where no doubt and fears can get me. I am safe tonight with lover and family. By the firelight, I could be me.” Seungcheol looked at you. “Is that why you sang this to your family? So that they won’t worry about you being miserable because you haven’t fulfilled your ultimate dream?”

You looked at him humorously. “My ultimate dream is to be your wife and the mother of your children, dummy.”

“Oh.” Seungcheol blushed. “I forgot about that part.”

You let out a huge breath. “But you’re right. I just wanted them to know that I’m okay with my life. At the same time, though, I can’t stop wondering if I am missing out on something that I know I want to try deep in my heart.”

“So try doing it.”

It was when you hesitated when he said those words that Seungcheol knew.

He kissed your temple gently. “Baby, I think you should at least try.” Seungcheol stared at you as you pondered what he said in your mind. He knew that a million thoughts, pros and cons and other factors were probably racing around in your head at this point, and he didn’t want you to do that. “Come on. On the count of three, answer my question: do you want to sing your songs out there in the world or not? One.” You didn’t budge. “Two.” You gripped his hand tighter. “Thr—”

“—yes.” You wrapped your arms around his neck and you looked at him, staring deeply into his eyes. “But I’m afraid of the cost it would ask of me.”

“The greater the risk, the greater the joy,” Seungcheol commented casually as he laid you down on the couch, smiling as he kissed you. “Try it.”

“Don’t you think I’m too old? Or that I look too—”

“—This is not about what I want. This is about what you want. Your life. Your future. Your dreams.” He gazed at you again, and he felt the same flush that had crept on his face when he first heard you sing, up in the mountains, in an orphanage. So many things had happened since then. And he pictured you in his head, living your dream, casting the same spell that you had enchanted him with on thousands of people.

A performer, not a producer. That’s who my granddaughter is. Your grandmother’s last words before you both went home lingered on his head as he kissed you. Making music and performing that music is what she does best, and what she has always wanted. Help her get to her dreams. Don’t let her give in to her fears.

By the hearth, as he made love to you—his hands planted on your hips, his painfully delicious rhythm bringing tears to your eyes—he could not get over the truth that, with or without the spotlight on you, you were an amazing woman already. And he knew that he would continue seeing you grow into someone he will always be proud to love and to be with. But in his mind, he could not shake off the image he saw of you, of who you could be if you just became brave enough to.

“What does your heart say?” he asked you, his hand running up and down your bare skin, your limbs tangled together. The fire in the hearth had gone down into sizzling embers and the quilt barely covered you both, but your skin pressed against each other was warm with the afterglow of your lovemaking. “What do you truly want to do?”

You looked up at him with no hesitation, his heart stopped to beat for a moment that felt like forever: because there, in the sparks of light that burst to life in your eyes, he could see the woman you are, and the woman you could be, evolving into one.

“Baby, I want to try.”

4 | spring, and through the seasons after

The train of your dress fanned around you in its lacy magnificence, and the sun could not help itself but touch the beautiful, delicate material with its glorious beams. The soft grass underneath your feet sighed as you passed, and bursts of color from the petals strewn by your nieces gave a beautiful contrast to the peaceful green of the grass and the muted white tones of your dress. You hear people’s voices as you pass them by, their whispers of congratulations and the flashes of cameras. You looked to the horizon, on the sleeping waters of the early morning ocean, which reflected the rosy blush of the first dawn of spring.

You heard the piano start its music, and you hear the viola and the cello in their sweet duet. You smiled at your friends and your family as you passed them by. The crown of flowers in your hair rustled as the wind blew, and your veil flowed along with your hair as that touch of breeze passed.

One more step until you reach him.

When your eyes locked with the man that you will vow to love and to cherish and to be with forevermore, flashes of seasons past appeared in your mind: summers where drops of sun would scorch your skin, and where the smell of petrichor would linger after brief showers of rain; the crunch of leaves beneath your boots, and the colder winds that you would brace against during autumn; the calming hush when everything falls asleep and shivers under blankets of ice and snow; and the first days of spring, like this one, wherein what was frozen through would turn back to healthy shades of green, awakening with a new purpose.

As more memories came to your mind, a song formed in your heart and became written on your mind as you took in Seungcheol’s smiling eyes, brimming with tears as your hand touched his.

“Hold me close, darling // never let go // make this feeling last forever and a day // let’s stay.” These words, for that one summer night, in an old town, where you slow-danced to guitar and dulcimer strings as lanterns swayed with the wind. “Run your fingers through my hair // say you won’t care // if this feeling lasts forever and a day // let’s stay...”

“I love you so much // that I couldn’t keep it in anymore. // I need you so // like the air I breathe to live one more day, so stay…” These words, for that time when you remembered yourself frantically running across sidewalks as the golden glow of streetlights blended with the colors of an autumn dusk, and crashing into the safe, strong arms that will continue to hold you for as long as this life lasts and after.

“You keep setting my soul on fire // you make everything worthwhile…” These words, for that winter night when you felt the blazing sparks of the fire by the hearth of your house, where you decided to take the risk of burning brightly like the stars with your music. “You’re the sun that made me shine like this, // you’re the love that I just can’t resist, so please stay…” These words, for all the moments that you had doubted and he had believed in you as you made your dreams come true. These words, because from the privacy of the firelight by the hearth to the adulation of thousands as you stood beneath spotlights, he had been there.

“Love, let’s stay…Stay this way.”

Each memory and each turn of the seasons that passed through your mind evoked a variety of emotions within you. And you know in your heart that the reason why you could recall them so vividly and feel them so profoundly is that you did not create them alone.

Your eyes take in the man whose companionship had completed the scenes in your head. Through the seasons, he had been with you. He had laughed with you. He had cried with you. He had grown with you. And unlike the seasons which come and go, he stayed.

And he never left.

As you said your vows and exchanged rings and as you sealed the promises made with a kiss, you knew: through the seasons, he had truly, and sincerely, loved you.

- Super-Late Leanne. ⏰

#seventeen #svtcreations #caratwritersclub #seventeen scenarios #seventeen imagines #seventeen fluff #seventeen angst #svt fluff #svt angst #seventeen choi seungcheol #svt choi seungcheol #svt scoups #seventeen scoups #cheol #seventeen hong jisoo #seventeen yoon jeonghan #HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY!!!

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wakaoujisenhime · 4 years

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May I ask headcanons for Kiseki no Sedai, Kuroko and Kagami? Their reaction to their girl being cool and sexually dancing (something like k-pop girl group cover dance, if you know it) with her dance team at a school festival (or something like that).

A/N: I knew and loved k-pop back in 2013/14 when it wasn’t as popular as it is right now so I apologize if the songs I chose aren’t the latest ones, I went ahead and consulted my best friend on some so that the songs at least matched the boys’ characters even a little bit! Additionally, I tried to vary between the groups so I hope you don’t mind that it’s not just girl groups!

Also a quick note concerning the setting: in all of these scenarios you - the reader - are going to be a little selfish and use that festival to your own advantage to either show your boyfriend something (aka. a hidden message) or simply surprise him with the dance, so I hope you won’t feel bad for the other ‘members’ of your group! Either way, I hope you’ll enjoy it! (*´ｰ`)

Tags: GoM/KnS and Kagami x reader ✅ SFW ✅ fluff ✅ k-pop ✅

━━━━☆ ━━━━☆ ━━━━☆

Kagami:

the song your group and you made a dance cover for was none other than Fire by BTS

not only did you guys put a lot of work into recreating the steps perfectly but you even went all out for the stage as well

I mean what’s that song without real fire?

it was quite a challenge for you to persuade the teachers to actually allow that, but you guys were quite convincing so the talk didn’t take long

of course, you wanted to keep that planned dance a surprise from your boyfriend Kagami

so when he asked you what your class was planning on doing for the festival you tried to answer as indifferently as possible

“I think the majority wanted to do something with acting or dance, but I’m not sure“

the way his eyes sparkled as he heard the word ‘dance’ was so adorable and it made no effort to hide his excitement

back when he was in America he had witnessed a lot of street artists that had dancing as their main program

he was so impressed, that there were times when he imagined just how it would look like if you danced like that

and you knew that, so in order for the surprise to be bigger you lied about being assigned to the backstage team

so imagine just what kind of surprised face he made when he saw you standing on stage, dancing with the biggest smile on your face

he was entranced by the way you managed to move your body so effortless and it made him fall in love with you all over again

but the moment those flames erupted from both corners of the stage his inner fireman almost got a heart attack

“(Y/N)! Are you ok?! You didn’t burn yourself, right??”

after your performance, you had to reassure your tall and bulky boyfriend that you were completely unharmed and well

and when he had finally calmed down, the amount of praise you got from not only boosted your confidence to the max, but it also made you consider dancing for him more often

Kuroko:

this song was a special request coming from you and it contained a secret message, hidden for your wholesome yet insecure boyfriend: 100 Ways by Jackson Wang

there was no way Kuroko was ever going to miss out on your school festival, it was the least he could do, considering just how many times you had actually visited his school to watch his games, join their festivities or simply visit him

out of respect to you, he didn’t question what your class had planned so it was child’s play to hide it from him

you had actually planned to deliver him a secret message through the song you guys planned to dance for

now this song wasn’t your typical k-pop song performed by a group nor was it sung by a Korean man, BUT he belonged to one of those famous groups and had many songs that dealt with the topic of love and heartbreak

Kuroko might not have seemed like the insecure type, but he most certainly was and it always broke your heart when he talked down on himself

typical lines he always said in such moments were ‘why are you with someone as ordinary as me’, ‘you deserve someone better’, ‘maybe you should leave me’

it always made you mad to hear him say that and he apologized after you lectured him, but somewhere deep down he never accepted that fact

so this song was a perfect opportunity to convey those exact feelings you had for him

the moment he heard the song mixed with the powerful and warrior-like moves it literally hit him like a truck

and as he saw you as the lead-dancer, permanently looking at him he actually shed some tears (you did as well, but luckily other spectators believed that it was a part of the performance)

after the roaring applause, you ran straight to where he was and engulfed him in a tight hug that knocked the air out of his lungs

“(Y/N), I-I’m sorr-”

“Shh Kuroko...it’s ok, I know. Just make sure to refrain from saying such things ever again, ok?”

“...and if I don’t?”

“Then I’ll just dance it for you once again...as many times as you need.”

Kise:

your song of choice here was Lipstick by Orange Caramel

Kise is a secret k-pop fan no one can tell me otherwise

he had told you multiple times that he’s had the pleasure of working with some inspiring Korean models that also happened to belong in a band

so the moment the teachers suggested your group to perform a dance for this year’s school festival you immediately suggested a dance cover of a k-pop song

there was a tiny bit of resistance amongst the members, but since they rarely saw you that fired up so they just had to agree

now that one problem was out the way the next one was coming up

how were you going to keep that a secret from Kise?

he was quite clingy and thanks to his popularity he had a LOT of contacts, so lying or keeping it from him was almost impossible

almost

“Your school wants me to come over for a photo shooting?“

“Yes, the photography club asked me to help them out. They wanted to make an entire photobook featuring you at our school festival!“

luckily Kise wasn’t that perceptive, so he believed that pretty obvious lie

when he arrived at your school, one of the backstage members lied that you a) were called by a teacher and that b) he’d have to wait close to the stage since that would mark the ‘beginning of the photo shooting’

as obedient as he was he did exactly that but for some reason, you weren't arriving and when the music started he figured he’d just watch the performance

“(Y/N)-cchi?!”

with big sparkly eyes and a constant grin on his face, he watched as you danced a song he had once danced to as well

after the performance ended he wouldn’t stop cuddling you no matter how many times you told him that it was hard to walk

from that day on every time he listened to a song from a Korean group he’d always come up to you and ask you to dance with him

Midorima:

you guys intended to go for a more cheerful song, but since the weather forecast said that it’s going to rain on the day of the school festival you guys danced to NOT BY THE MOON by GOT7

now...Midorima was quite the problematic boyfriend since he listened to Oha Asa more than to anyone else

he needed quite some time to actually start and listen to you, but luckily you managed to show him just how important it was to not only rely on stars, but also on his own thoughts and judgment

you were lucky that Oha Asa predicted a great surprise for Cancer on the day the school festival was dated, so he agreed to your invitation reluctantly

and boy he did not regret it

the way you and your group performed such a melancholic song under the rain made him hold his breath for quite some time

he even panicked a little when you looked at him and smiled

after the performance, he had to drag you away from your friends so that he could start drying your wet hair off

“You’re going to catch a cold like that dummy.”

you remained silent and smiled to yourself at just how cute this green-haired tsundere boy can actually be

“Is the towel today’s lucky item?”

“That’s right...”, he pouted, “You’re lucky I still listen to Oha Asa or you could’ve ended up sick”

without answering, you just nodded and looked at his other belongings as another wide smile adorned your face

“Was the second umbrella also a lucky item for today?”

the blush that appeared on your boyfriend’s face was something you had never expected seeing, but you did

Aomine:

after debating which song fitted the ‘sexy’ category the most, you guys ended up choosing Poison by Secret

having someone as simple-minded and purely guided by his desires as a boyfriend proved to be quite the advantage at times

your friends and you were planning to dance at the school festival for quite some time, the only problem had been the song you guys had to choose

but the moment you remembered how Aomine had once commented on how sexy and alluring most Korean girl groups looked like when dancing, you knew in which direction you guys should go

one problem was that there were tons of sexy songs and dances out there, so you needed some expert help

“Momoi, I need you to ask Aomine what his preferences are!“

after thoroughly explaining what you actually meant, she happily obliged

Momoi was his childhood friend and even if you hated admitting it, there were still some situations you couldn’t overcome without her knowledge and help

so the plan the two of you came up with was to lie to Aomine and claim that your school had invited one of his favorite gravure models

it pained you to see just how eager he was to come for another girl, but it made you the more determined to show him a breathtaking performance

and trust me when I say this, but this man was not only taken aback, but he almost swallowed a fly - that’s how long his mouth was agape

not only the dance moves impressed him, but the way you guys - you especially - had trained to have that alluring look is what almost had him drooling

he had never seen you that sexy and for him, it was as if new possibilities had just been revealed to him (a lot of those go into the NSFW section ( ͡◉ ͜ʖ ͡◉))

Murasakibara:

what other song fitted this man best but Candy Pop by TWICE

there were some difficulties in motivating him to come and visit and even if you said that there will be sweets there he was still reluctant (much to your surprise)

so you decided to leave that topic be for now

you and your dance group practiced, perfected the dance, designed the clothes and before you knew it the day of the performance had arrived

“(Y/N), are you alright?“

“You don’t look so well...“

you hated admitting it, but the fact that Murasakibara wouldn’t come was slowly getting to you

normally you weren’t that nervous, but now that you knew that there wouldn’t be a giant purple-haired man amongst the spectators, your heart was about to explode

BUT being the lead dancer you couldn’t back out now, so you took a few deep breaths and went to the stage, waiting for the spotlights to fall on you and for the music to start

the moment you lifted your head and saw one certain person above everyone else, your nervousness was instantly blown away

“(Y/N)-chin that was amazing! I loved everything!“

“Your clothes, as well as the candy requisites, look so yummy, I’d straight out eat them if I could.“

between all the laughter, you managed to ask him what his thoughts on the overall dancing were, since you planned that song for him especially

“You’re seriously asking me such obvious questions?“

he hugged and lifted you up, kissing your cheek

“It was all amazing. I was so captivated by your sweet smile that I didn’t really pay that much attention to the song.“

Akashi:

for him, you decided on a happy sounding song with a hidden and deep message aka. Wannabe by ITZY

so first and foremost: hiding a secret from this man was impossible like literally IMPOSSIBLE

but as stubborn as you were, you still attempted it

the way you tried to hide the fact that you would participate in the dance performance made him realize, that you were actually planning on surprising him with it

so as the gentleman he was, he pretended not noticing your obvious lie and agreed to come and watch

he himself almost became the main attraction so he sadly had to look for a place in the back row

luckily one of your classmates saw him and immediately realized what the situation was

“Excuse me are you Akashi, (Y/N)’s boyfriend?”

he nodded with a surprised face

“Well then please follow me, she managed to reserve you a seat at the front row!”

and there he was, directly looking at you and only you

he might have seen past your lie, but he was genuinely surprised at how perfect you had mastered this dance

after you guys finished, he thanked everyone for the wonderful performance and when you guys were finally alone he praised you nonstop

“It was wonderful to watch you dance like that. I hope you don��t mind me teaching you some of the basic dances.”

“Which ones did you have in mind?”

“Walz, or maybe some Tango, what do you say?”

#knb headcanons #knb imagines #knb x reader #generation of miracles x reader #kagami x reader #knb fluff #━𝙺𝙽𝙱 #━𝙰𝙽𝙾𝙽'𝚂 𝙴𝙲𝙷𝙾

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every1studio · 4 years

Text

REQUESTED: “ateez x greek gods” [ateez]

genre: misc. + GREEK GOD ! AU (reincarnation version) + fem reader

ficstyle: bulletpoints + reactions

requested by @svteencarat : “ Hi! I was wondering if you still take request? If you are still doing requests, then could I ask for a greek god! ateez and a human! fem reader angst (Of course i'd like it if you can make me cry, UwU) nd that if the oneshot could have a fluff ending? Thanks! This isi my first request ever so i don't really know how to since I'm kinda new to tumblr?? (I'm literary requested this from alot of kpop au writers out there because I never see any Greek god aus, and I JUST. NEED. MORE. GREEK GOD AUS!!) “

note: I’m kinda depressed about my WayV fic so I’m shifting my attention back to ATEEZ before I get any motivation to continue that series ): + I didn’t have a lot of ideas for angst because I didn’t want them to be too long but I hope this is good?? + information from: Meet the Greek Gods & Greek Gods and Goddesses

HONGJOONG X APOLLO

reincarnation of: APOLLO (god of music, poetry, prophecy, and medicine; later known as the god of sun)

in every lifetime, there is a reincarnation of APOLLO in the Kim family

Hongjoong was the present-day god of sun; there was a lot of pressure that was placed on his shoulders because of it

but even through all the stress, he still couldn’t ignore the passion he had for music or for poetry

or the unquenchable desire for more knowledge

or the love he has for the sun rays peeping through the day clouds

he’s known to be the “doctor” of his friend group because no matter what problem they have medically, emotionally or physically, he’s able to help them and succeed

Hongjoong still has the lyre that was passed down to him from his ancestors

it’s an unusual instrument to play nowadays but that’s probably what made him stand out at the arts and music festival that held place at the college square

the guy’s performance was a self-composed piece and he somehow altered the lyre to make it an electric instrument; a stryre

you were working as the sounds person; so you had the honors of listening to his whole performance with no disturbance

and it didn’t help that he was so handsome

if you didn’t know any better, you thought he was a Greek god

little did you know

you didn’t think anything of it after his performance until you felt a tap on your shoulders

“hey can you tell me what kind of amps you use for the show today? they were really compatible with my stryre!”

your eyes were met with his

“oh yeah.. um.. I used my own amps for the show today, which is why everyone who had to perform had to sign a waiver.. but they’re Goldmund Telos 5000.. my uncle offered them to me for a lower price...”

the boy grabbed both your hands in excitement, “oh you know about music? are you a music major too? what’s your major?

the way he radiated, it was like you were in the presence of the sun

how could someone emit such energy?

“nothing fancy.. I’m in music technology-”

“you’re the T.A. for Dr. Trumbridge!”

“you know me?” you were surprised that he knew you, then again you are the only T.A. for the most strict professor in the university

“yeah.. you graded my paper for composition of electric instruments... you gave me a lot of feedback and I really appreciate it..”

Hongjoong had to take that class because it was a requirement for his major in music composition

but he began to like it

why?

because you were there

at first he thought you were quiet yet snobby T.A. for a strict teacher

then he received the first paper you graded for him

there was so much care and incredible feedback; it was like he could see the true you through your grading

after that paper, he couldn’t help but notice every little thing about you

he slowly began to fall for you; his own version of Aphrodite

his voice was so soothing, you forgot where you were and what you were doing for a moment

“of course.. hey, um.. I have to get back to work, the next performance is in 5 minutes...”

you let your hands slip away from his grasp when you realized how long you two were there, just holding hands

“oh yeah sorry...I’ll let you get to that then...”

you nodded before turning away

“Y/N!”

you turned to hear him call your name, “are you free after the performances? I know the food courts are gonna be open until 1AM...so you wanna.. grab a bite?”

how could you say no to that sunny smile, “yeah sure.. uh here’s my phone number.. send me a text or something.. I’ll see you later..umm..”

“I’m Hongjoong.. go on, I’ll see you later!” he repeats

when you had time, you checked your phone for any messages

there was only a voicemail; you held it up to your ear

“hey Y/N, it’s Hongjoong.. I don’t know what you like to eat.. but I hope you like Greek food?”

SEONGHWA X EROS

reincarnation of: EROS (god of love)

Seonghwa always help this friends with their love life

but it had it’s drawbacks

being as good looking as him; the girls would be more interested in him than his friends

which caused riffs in his friendships

in the end, he didn’t have any friends

as the reincarnation of the epitome of love himself, he couldn’t help but excrete pheromones and he used that to his advantage

he began to have an addiction with fake love; one night stands, hookups, leading girls on,

any sorts of a short-term romance

anything for to not feel lonely anymore

but that wasn’t enough

the void in his heart grew larger and larger, to the point where anything he tried to fill it with just fell through into an abyss

Seonghwa was just leaving the cafe; dripping wet because he didn’t want to meet up with one of his hookups anymore and she tossed water in his face

which made him even more hot BUT ANYWAYS

you were in an irritated mood

you just quit your job because your stupid boss won’t advocate for fair pay for the hardworking females in your workplace

so you stormed into the cafe and tried to calm yourself down

there was a commotion in the cafe but you were too busy getting your order of iced latte

something about no one will ever be good enough to satisfy someone, followed by the sound of splashing water; then something about being rich and handsome will only get him so far

on your way out, you bump your whole order onto a man that already seemed like he was soaked with water

at first glance, he seemed like a puppy someone left in the rain

but the more you looked at him, the more entranced you were by his visuals

you didn’t let your thoughts diverge you from dumping your whole cup of latte on him

“sir? are you okay? excuse me, can I get some napkins?” you took some napkins from the worker and dabbed where ever you could and where ever wouldn’t get you arrested

the guy looked at you with his empty eyes

why are you helping him?

a hopeless guy like him?

a sick-minded disappointment of the god of love?

“it’s okay.. I deserve it..” he gently pushed your helping hands away

you furrowed your brows at him and sternly told him, “look, mister.. I don’t know what you did for you to “deserve” this but I’m just apologizing for the coffee okay?”

he was kind of taken back by the sudden sassiness and let you continue to wipe it off

“what’d you do to get in this mess anyways, handsome?” you murmured as you offered him napkins to dry his hair

“a girl I was fwb with wanted to take it further but I told her that’s not for me... plus I have some other fwbs I don’t want to let go off...”

he seemed kind of embarrassed afterwards, it sounded better in his head

“oookay.. maybe you did deserve it..” you rolled your eyes in a joking manner and wiped your hands clean

you seemed different than all the other girls; sassy and quirky, independent and was probably not the type to fall in love at first sight

“now that my business is over, I’m gonna order another latte-”

“let me!” Seonghwa said kind of loud, which caused you and some of the other people in the cafe to whip their heads towards him, “let me.. get it for you.. I mean it’s my fault you have to get another cup anyways..”

“so I can be another fwb? no thanks.. that’s not my type of relationship..”

you took his silence for feeling shameful and felt bad, “that offer was really sweet but I’m sure I can get a free cup since everyone saw what happen..”

you grabbed the readied cup of latte and smiled at him, “I’m sure you’re not a bad person... but maybe you should think twice about being in a relationship.. any relationship. it takes two to tango.. remember that, ciao~”

and with that you left the cafe

leaving Seonghwa collecting puddles and thoughts about the new side of love he’s never seen or experienced before

the next day, you got a job interview with one of the most well-known companies in the whole world

you couldn’t afford to mess it up

you entered the elevator and hit the button of the highest level of the building

people came and left the elevator but someone REALLY caught your eyes

it was the sad “puppy left in the rain” fuckboy; in a suit

“what a coincidence, boy wonder. you work here?”

he was fixing his tie, he gave you a small smile, “you could say that..”

you nudged him in the side; which caught him off-guard because he was ticklish

“you’re working for one of the best companies with some of the best working condition, you should be more proud of your position!”

your floor dings and you adjust your lanyard, “how do I look?”

your question flustered Seonghwa, “g-great.. go-good.. beautiful..”

that last part was mumbled but you heard it

“oh.. thank you.. well gonna go to ace my interview, maybe we’ll be cube buddies or something.. wish me luck~”

you trotted down the hall towards the room the interview was held in; you sat for your turn, you couldn’t stop fidgeting from adrenaline

“Ms. Y/N? we’re ready for you~” an older lady shot you a reassuring smile

you took one last deep breath before walking in the room

you thought you were prepared for this interview..

UNTIL YOU SAW BOY WONDER, MR. HANDSOME FACE AKA THE SAD “PUPPY LEFT OUT IN THE RAIN” FUCKBOY

SITTING IN FRONT OF THE PLAQUE THAT SAYS CEO

oh what a time to be alive

“so, Ms. Y/N, shall we beginning?” Seonghwa smirked as he opened your portfolio

YUNHO X TYCHE

reincarnation of: TYCHE (goddess of chance, fate and fortune)

Yunho was bored with his life; he was bored with his riches

this was the consequence of his luck

sure; he always won all the games at the casino, got the winning ticket to the lottery, anything that had zero to no chance of winning? he won them

he won them all

it was always like this; ever since he was little

it made him kind of depressed

he would get himself in every life-threatening situations but by a stroke of miracle, he would be saved by the bell

people only wanted to be around him because he would bring luck to everyone around him

so he holed himself up in his house; his very big and very empty house

because he was sick of being used, sick of winning, sick of being lucky

the doorbell rung; he checked his door security camera

it was probably his food he ordered

surprised to see someone still waiting there with his food

he scurried downstairs and swung the door open

there you were, frowning at him, “Mr. Yunho? I don’t mean to be rude or out of line, but you’ve been ordering nothing but the unhealthiest options from our place.. I’m worried about your health, SO I included some healthy options.. it’s not included in your payment... HAVE A GOOD DAY!”

you hoped that he wouldn’t think too much about your kind offer

but Yunho places his big, firm hand on your shoulder, slightly tugging you back

“why are you worried about my health? what do you want from me??”

you turned to him meekly, “I’m NOT stalking you! it’s just that... you’re always ordering from us, at least 4 days out of 7.. and you always order the MOST unhealthiest options.. I’m assigned to this area of town and there’s not a day or time where I don’t deliver food to your house..so I suspected that you don’t leave your house often..”

you looked to him for any social cue that he was uncomfortable by you

but he just looked sad, “no one’s... ever cared for me like that before.. people are always asking things of me, they never do things for me..”

in that moment, he caught your eyes

they were glassy and filled with worry

“thank you..” he says softly with a smile

you smiled back, “I gotta get back to work.. have a nice day, Mr. Yunho..”

“Yunho!” he calls out

“call me Yunho..”

“you can call me Y/N!”

now that Yunho knew that you were assigned to this area, maybe it wouldn’t be weird to order more often than he already does

to you know.. make a friend? or did you do that because you like him? but you never even seen his face until now....

you know? maybe this was just an act of kindness, right? is what he thought

which was true, at first

but when you saw heard what he said about how no one has ever done anything for him, you wanted to change that

you went to his place the next day on your day off

you could hear the thumping sounds of his footsteps, “Y/N? I didn’t order anything.. yet... you’re not wearing your uniform..”

Yunho ears turned pink at the sight of you so dolled up; periwinkle form-fitting dress with a light denim cropped jacket and white platformed sneakers; your hair was thrown up in a messy ponytail

“wh-what’s the occasion?”

you smiled at him, “I’m kidnapping you for a day.. you’re cooped in your big house 24/7, you’re too pale! let’s go get some sunshine and some food!”

you dragged him out of the house, “my wallet-”

“I’m paying! I don’t care what you say about “guys always paying for girls,” I’m different!”

Yunho didn’t know that his heart could feel so full, “that you are..”

maybe his luck wasn’t just catered towards riches and fortune

maybe you were his lucky charm

YEOSANG X HERMES

reincarnation of: HERMES (god of travelers and trade, the trickster, the messenger of the gods)

everyone would think that Yeosang is such an angel; how could he ever do anything wrong?

that’s where everyone is wrong

he is the king of tricksters; the devil on your left shoulder

but he would never face the consequences for his actions because before anyone realizes what he’s done, he’s gone in a snap

that was the life he was used to

that was until he came across you

you had just moved into a new townhouse complex; a nice area

you thought it was nice until you met the troublemaker of a neighbor

you caught him spray painting the side of your house

there was a walkway in between your house and his house, so the side of your house was completely bare

sure it was beautiful BUT you weren’t going to live there long so you didn’t want to go through the trouble of cleaning it yourself when you knew who the culprit was

little did he know, you were outside watering your plants

you sprayed him with water

“young lady! what are you doing to that poor young man!” the elderly lady who lived a couple of houses down was scolding you

“ma’am he was vandalizing my house!”

“well all I see is that he’s helping you clean it, isn’t that right Yeosang?”

you turned to see his mischievous smirk turn into an angelic one

“of course ma’am, I saw some kids spraying up the place and I wanted to help out our new neighbor~”

“she probably thought you were those kids, though I know you would NEVER do something so terrible.. what a sweet, sweet boy.. you two have a good day now~”

and with that she left

you caught the guy before he had the chance to run away and grabbed him by the collar

“I don’t know who you think you are, sweetheart.. but I hope you keep your promise and clean YOUR mess..you’re not fooling me..”

Yeosang sulks as he’s scrubbing your walls

you sprayed him with water, “whoops, I was trying to spray the wall.. must’ve slipped..”

“I’m gonna get you back...”

you sneaked right behind him

“probably wasn’t a good idea to say what your planning.. I’ll be ready.. you better count on it. now get to cleaning, sweetheart~” you said in the same tone as the elderly lady

since then, you and Yeosang have been in childish fights to get back at one another

everything on the lines of ding-dong ditching to stealing things from your property small things

this went on for days, weeks, almost over 3 months!

you don’t HATE him but you definitely don’t like his alter personality or his real one whatever it is

it was golden hour when you saw him lurking in your front lawn, you swung the door open

“WHAT do are YOU stealing this time, Yeosang?”

he grabs your wrist

“I’m stealing your time”

you rolled your eyes at him, “and what’s that gonna do?”

“hopefully succeed in stealing your heart”

SAN X HADES

reincarnation of: HADES (god of the underworld)

San lives and has lived a sad life; with each reincarnation, his life goes through the cycle of the whole story of Hades and Persephone

only to be in a “forced” relationship that runs in clockwork

he’s done everything to try to get away from this cursed life

he’s chained, shackled to lifestyle of his predecessor

but he wants to switch Hade’s selfishness into his own selflessness

he lives in black

he lives in chaos

he lives like how Hades would

like his life, you are also stuck in a loop; the only thing is, you are unaware of it

you are the reincarnation of Persephone; youthful even if you age, beautiful without any effort and brighter than any star in the sky

if he was the darkest twilight, you were the sun at it’s highest peak

San could always find you, even if he didn’t tried

it was destiny, no matter how he to evade it

he locked himself inside his dark home; having 3 black shibas as his companions

played chess by himself

cook meals to eat at his large and empty table

roasted his own coffee beans and drank black coffee to past time

didn’t even watch TV

only leaving at night when the stars are brighter than the streetlights and shadows are enveloping everything in sight

he wanted you to live every life with purpose and however you wanted

you deserve that at the very least

he didn’t want you to be apart of his terrible life

but there’s no way to dodge destiny, you were like a magnet

San was walking his dogs, his usual routine; same thing and everything

until you ran into him at the corner

there was no time for an exchange of words before his dogs all trampled on you with kisses

“Cy! Bear! Russ! get off of her!!” he tugs them off and he knew he was in trouble

even through reincarnations, you still looked the same; the same beautiful you

“I’m so sorry.. here..” he offers a hand to help you up but were you still playing with the dogs

“it’s all good, it’s my fault for going not paying attention on a jog! look at your little fluffy, woofy faces~” that’s when you finally look up at him and the reflection of the streetlights flickered in your eyes

“do I.. do I know you? you look familiar?”

you took his hand, bewitched by his striking features, as he helped you up, “you’re probably mistaking me for someone else...”

he looks around, it’s a sketchy area for you to be jogging so late in the night

“why are you jogging so late in such a dangerous area.. there no cameras, streetlights are dim and there’s little to no one awake right now?”

you truly didn’t know who he was, but you felt same with him

you felt like you probably knew him in another life; it made you feel sentimental

“I just got a new job and my new work schedule doesn’t allow me to have the time for my daily jog-”

“so you jog at night where it’s most dangerous?!” San slightly raised his voice at you

which startled you, “I-I’m sorry...”

San took out his phone, “what area to do you live in? I’m gonna call a cab to take you home..”

“you don’t have to! I live close by...”

you waited for him to offer walking you home but the silence just prolonged longer than you expected

“you could walk me home?” you asked

how could San ever say no to you; it was like he was programmed not to

“sure...” you led the way and he followed you as closely as he could without letting your hands brush against each other

“I’m Y/N”

“San..”

“do you live around here too?”

“yeah”

you tried to make small talk with him but he kept his answers short

“this is me..” you showed him the gate to your place

“stay safe, Y/N..don’t run out so late..” he said before leaving

but you held him back, “you know.. maybe I could walk your dogs or something... so that I can feel safer.. or maybe we can go on nightly walks?”

San turns to walk back to where you were; Cy, Bear and Russ followed him after

“if fate allows us, we’ll meet again... please take care and be safe, Y/N.. goodnight..”

maybe destiny is inevitable

maybe he’s miserable because he doesn’t want to force this destiny onto you and make you miserable

but maybe you aren’t actually miserable when you’re with him

but he can’t take those chances

and he won’t

MINGI X POSEIDON

reincarnation of: POSEIDON (god of the sea)

Mingi was your childhood friend; a complete moody, edgy son of a gun

his personality wavered like water itself

he can be calm as a pond on a silent night or he can be as violent as a roaring hurricane

you learned how to deal with all of his mood swings

you thought you knew all about him

you basically knew all about him

except for the fact that he’s actually the reincarnation of the god of moody waves himself, Poseidon

because of his mood swings, he always had a hard time with dating

if the girls thought their mood swings were bad, they had no idea what they signed up for when they were dating him

they all ended badly

you felt bad for Mingi

you knew him the most

you knew how he was

you knew the kinks in his gears

today was another day, another break up for Mingi

so the real question is, why didn’t you and Mingi ever dated each other?

you pushed feelings and thoughts to the side because, you knew that dating would be different

he’s seen you through all your hard times and much as you have been there for him

what if you lose him and any relationship you have with him?

so you locked those feelings away and pretended like everything was fine

except everything wasn’t fine

you began to cough petals of blue hydrangeas; the more you suppressed your feelings the worst it got

and every time Mingi was involved in another relationship, you could feel the branches curling around your lungs

you didn’t want to go through with the surgery to get the flowers out because if you did, you would forget about the feelings you ever had for Mingi

your whole relationship with Mingi relied on those feelings; you couldn’t toss those away

so you hid all of this from him

well, you thought you did

“what happened this time?” you asked as you tossed him a hoodie you borrowed from him

“she didn’t like you.. so I broke up with her..”

that reeled in some of those locked away feelings but you kept them in the back of your head and out of your heart

“it seemed like she was good for you.. I could just back away-”

“NO!”

Mingi tossed the hoodie and slammed you up into the wall

you were so startled; he never resulted into hurting you before so it made you scared

he was never the physically violent type; especially towards people

but this was different, he was acting different

scared to the point where tears welted up in your eyes

it made everything blurry but the sight of Mingi in front of you was still clear

in that moment, Mingi realized what he did and remorse washed over

“I-I’m sorry don’t cry..” he wiped your tears away; you were so overwhelmed you didn’t realized that he turned your tears into aerosolized mist

he held your head as he caged into a hug

your favorite hugs

“I can’t live without you.. I don’t know what I’d do without you... even when I’m with other girls, I can stop thinking about you..”

those locked feelings that you had for him were trickling into your heart

it got a little bit easier to breathe

you cupped his face, “Mingi..what are you trying to say?”

you needed to hear him say it with his own mouth

“I love you, Y/N... I can’t be with you..”

your eyes wavered and your hands trembled

“why? is it something that I did or something that I said? am I... am I not good enough for you?”

Mingi shook his head furiously, “no. no.. Y/N, you are perfect. you are everything I want.. everything that I need... but I can’t let you be apart of the life that I live.. deal with the family that I have...”

you didn’t know about Mingi’s family but Mingi never seemed to want to talk about

“this is why I have to do this.. I hope.. I hope you understand..”

he kissed your forehead and then everything became black

when you woke up, you were in the hospital and you had no recollection of where you were and how you lived you life up until now

Mingi was moving out of his house next to your; he had been crying because he knew about your condition

he distracted himself with other girls because he couldn’t get you involved with his family

those girls were short-term relationships to distract him from his long-term crush on you

which worked then but it probably won’t work now

because you will never remember him

you will never love him again

and now he’s coughing up blue hydrangeas; but in your memory, he’ll keep it until the day he dies

WOOYOUNG X DIONYSUS

reincarnation of: DIONYSUS (god of wine)

the sun was peeking through the window; stirring you awake

when you opened your eyes, it hit you

you weren’t in your bed

or your room

or even your clothes

you looked to your right and put 2 and 2 together

you were in the same bed as the “sweetheart” of a frat boy, Wooyoung

you couldn’t help but scream

which caused Wooyoung to scream and fall out of bed

“WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?!”

“WHAT? NOTHING! NOTHING!”

Wooyoung was sleeping with a black tank top and grey sweatpants

you were in his shirt and boxers for shorts

Wooyoung stares at you as you stare back at him

“can I sit on the bed and tell you what happened?”

“only if you don’t touch me-”

“I’m not going to touch you, not without consent anyw-”

“OKAY WHAT HAPPENED?”

Wooyoung pointed to the living room which was visible from where you and Wooyoung were

“we were studying because we’re in the same literature class..” he dragged out his sentence

“uh-huh~” you motioned your hands to move along

“you wanted a break and I brought out some wine...”

“uh-huh”

“and then you talked about your love life and you started getting out of hand..”

“WHAT?! I DON’T REMEMBER THAT PART!”

Wooyoung rolled his eyes, “you CHUG 2 glasses without even talking to me and then you started to talk about Lucas-”

“OK OK OK!” you could feel your face getting red and your head started to feel tight

he noticed your discomfort and got up from the bed

“where’re you going” you slurred

“getting your dumdum head some water and advil”

when he came back, you were still laying in bed but you had tossed your hair up in a messy bun

“you started to get hysterical; saying that you’re a great gal and why don’t you have a boyfriend and spilled wine on yourself. I told you to go take a shower and gave you some of my clothes to borrow..” he handed you the water and bottle of advil

you nodded and took them from him; still embarrassed

“you called for me in the bathroom. you showered and changed but you didn’t want to walk. complained that you were sleepy.. so I carried you to the bed..”

“you carried my fat-ass?!” you were conscious about your weight

“like a princess..” he smiled at you

“I was going to sleep on the couch but you BEGGED me not to leave you, so I slept NEXT to you and there was a nice amount of space between us..okay? NOTHING happened..”

“okay..” you murmured

you weren’t confident in your looks and always worried about your appearance but Wooyoung didn’t care about any of that

“Y/N.. are you okay? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable..”

“you don’t make me uncomfortable..” you pulled the blanket up to cover your body, “I don’t want to you to be uncomfortable..by me..”

Wooyoung held your hand, “you don’t.. I hope you know that..”

you were about to slide your hand away but Wooyoung held on

“I know what the others say about me, but that’s not me... I’m not some frat guy who goes around sleeping with other girls..or a guy who’s known for going to the bars and clubs every other night... I’m just a guy who’s too wimp to actually tell the girl he actually likes that he wants to be with her and make her feel loved and make her love herself..so...”

you felt him lift your chin up to meet him eye to eye

“will you let me get the chance to do that?”

JONGHO X HERACLES

reincarnation of: HERACLES (son of Zeus)

Jongho was just minding his business

he JUST had to go to the store to get some more protein shake powder before going to the gym

he was JUST taking off his helmet that went with his motorcycle when he heard you yelling someone to back off

he turns to you across the street in an alley cornered by a moderately fit guys

sure he was always saving the damsel in distress but this time was different

“ma’am are you in any trouble?” he shouts out to you and it catches the attention of the other guy

“a girl can take care of her own and take care of this fool myself..” you tried to wave him off but the guy grabbed your arm quite forcefully

“take care of this fool? Y/N.. aren’t you such a doll?”

no words were able to leave your lips when Jongho rips the guy’s hand from you and slams his fist into his face

it takes more than a couple seconds for the guy to get up from the ground

he glares at Jongho with terrified eyes

“this isn’t the last you’ll see from me!” the moment the guy is up on his feet he’s running

“wow.. if he was a dog, he’d be running with his tail between his legs..”

you looked at the guy who just saved you, he had on a leather jacket and his black hair was slicked back like he was in Grease

“what are you some type of modern-day Hercules, biker boy?” you joked

Jongho gave an awkward cough, “you could say.. but.. are you okay?”

you nodded as you rubbed your arm

“a little shaken up but I’ll live..” you started to look around; you were slightly paranoid at this point

“you wanna go for a ride? we can go anywhere you wanna go” he asked as he pointed to his bike

“in that?!” you’ve never rode anything of that sort

he took your hand and handed you his extra helmet, “it’s a little scary at first but she drives like a dream”

weary but you trusted him, “what’s your name?”

“I’m Jongho”

“well, Jongho..” you started to adjust the helmet on your head, “I’m gonna take your word for it..” you held your hand out for him to take

he takes it, you didn’t expect him to kiss it but he does

“what a gentleman..” you tried to hide the trembling of your voice

you hated rollercoaster or any rides of that kind

anything that involved a rush of adrenaline scared you

but when Jongho wrapped your arms around his waist, you felt safe and you weren’t as scared

“where to, princess?” he asks as he turns to shoot you the most adorable smile

“know any good food carts?”

“buckle up, because I know just the place”

[ masterlist + guidelines ]

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