#would it be nice to have a cat that would follow me everywhere outside the house in a harness?

[always-a-slut-4-ghouls]

Sometimes people don’t seem to get how having a cat that gets scared of some things can help calm down the human who is scared of things (me). But my cat and I usually get scared of different things. I can help him when he’s scared and he can help me when I am. It’s mutually beneficial.

[notjustjavierpena]

Panties

A/N: Well look who are back. I didn’t think dbf!joel still existed in my brain but it seems that he is actually thriving. A little treat for you all while I polish some hubby stuff. This one absolutely goes out to @sugadolly 💖💅🫶

Summary: You show off your cute little underwear. Joel wants to fuck you but you want to try something else.

Pairing: Joel Miller x Reader/You (No y/n)

Tags: +18 smut, dbf!joel, age gap, daddy kink, dirty talk, praise kink, pet names, reader is a good little girl, outside sex (idk what is to call it), clit stim, overstim, reader is cockdrunk af, they’re actually very much in love for real, cum!!!!

Word count: 2.2k

Link to this work on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/52857010

Panties

“Lemme see them,” Joel says with a gentle tone as he admires you only in your jeans. He is hovering above you, kisses your lips a few times, and cups your tits as he slips his tongue into your mouth for a brief moment. 

You wrap your arms around his neck, feeling his chest against your breasts as you embrace each other. You giggle softly, “They’re silly, Daddy.”

“Never thought in a million years that my baby would be silly,” he says with obvious sarcasm, nudging your nose with his own, “Show Daddy your pretty little panties. I’m gonna see ‘em eventually.”

You remove yourself from him to step back. You roll your eyes, and he raises a brow but then you follow through. 

“Fine,” you tut as you lie down on his bed. His eyes lock on your buttoned jeans, his mouth slightly agape as he breathes deeply with anticipation hanging in the air. 

You undo your jeans and pull down the zipper, wiggling your hips as you pull the denim down over them, and into view comes your pink cotton briefs. They’re cute, not silly, but you already know this, sporting a little bow on the front and a pattern of chibi-style cats.

“Well?” You kick off your jeans, throwing them onto the floor.

Joel kneels on the bed, admiring them thoroughly, “Pussy panties?”

You snort, covering your mouth and nose as you do, “Shut up.”

“Am I wrong, baby?” He crawls closer to you, lifts your legs up to bend them, and spreads them until his thighs hit the back of yours. He reaches up to peel his shirt off and throws it into your arms so you can hug it close and get drunk on his scent. 

“No,” you say as you contemplate crawling into the piece of clothing that he has given you. God, you want him everywhere on you. That masculine smell has you wet in moments.

“Makes ya look real pretty, lovebug,” he compliments, just about to peel the underwear off of you. He stops himself as you scrunch your nose up at the new pet name.

Joel laughs heartily, “Don’t like it?”

“Say it again,” you grin up at him.

“Love. Bug,” he repeats, yanks one of your legs at a time over his hips. 

“Hmm,” you tap your chin, “Maybe you should call me it as I come, just to make me associate it with something nice.”

“Cheeky,” he says as he pulls down his own underwear. They are in no way as thrilling as yours; black briefs that can barely contain his hard cock and with a little logo on the waistband. He settles them around his thighs, and whilst he does, you reach down to pull your colorful panties to the side.

“Joel?” You say his name. He makes a movement as if his ears have perked up at hearing his actual name.

“What is it?” He asks, rubbing your legs soothingly. His eyes are locked on your cunt.

“When— when you’re,” you trail off, suddenly shy, “Uh, when you…”

“Yes?” He drags the word out, looks up. 

“I want you to come on them,” your heart beats in your chest and ears but out of the corner of your eyes, you spot Joel’s cock twitching in the air upon hearing those words.

“Was that so hard to ask for?” He digs his thumbs into your thighs, causing you to squirm underneath him, “You just lie back and let Daddy treat ya right.”

You wait in anticipation. And then, oh.

Ohh.

“Ah,” you mewl, looking down between you to see what he is doing. The thick head of his cock lays heavily against your clit, and when you tell him how good it feels, he holds the base of his shaft and slaps the tip against the small nub a few times. 

You shudder, clenching around nothing and flexing your thighs as you shift a little. Joel’s cock hangs between his legs again, and his hands slide down to rest on your hips, thumbs reaching inwards to spread you open and watch your pulsing cunt. 

“You want me to make you feel good, baby? Make you come so hard that your little clit won’t stop twitchin’ until you get all teary-eyed?” He reaches for your clit to circle it with the pad of his thumb, and you can feel slick drip down between your ass cheeks. You moan helplessly and nod repeatedly, already heaving for breath, and Joel beams with pride, “Already cockdrunk? My my. I haven’t even fucked ya yet.”

“I don’t want you to f— I don’t want that,” you say suddenly, surprising even yourself. You reach down for Joel’s cock, pulling it against your cunt but not dipping the head into you. Instead, you rub him against your clit, “This, Daddy, I want to come like this.”

“I can make that happen,” he reassures, batting your hand away to replace it and grabbing at the base of his cock himself. He resumes what you were doing, dipping the head down to catch some of your wetness before adding pressure to your clit. He slides back and forth a few times, “Like that?”

“Mhm,” you hum softly, furrowing your brow in concentration. You hold still to let him rub his whole length through your folds until he is sticky with your arousal. His left hand is still grabbing your hip, and he uses it for leverage as he leans a little weight into you. 

When he grows impatient after a few minutes of you crying quietly for him, he tries to enter you. You catch his wrist and shake your head, “No! No… you promised.”

“I did no such thing,” he clicks his tongue at you. 

You pout up at him, “But…”

“Oh, don’t make that face,” he groans,  “You know I can’t do anythin’ when you make that face.”

“Please,” you beg, “I’ll come so hard for you.”

“Yeah?” He smiles down at you.

“Yeah,” you blink your eyes prettily, “This feels so good. I’ll cream all over your cock, Daddy.”

“Now how can I say no to that?” He moves a little before guiding his cockhead back to where you want it. He rubs the blunt head in circles over your clit for a moment, slaps it against the sensitive spot too, until you can hear the squelching sound of your wetness coating you. It makes him glide over your cunt easier. 

You curl your toes and bite your lip as you look down at what he is doing, “Ahh… Keep going.”

He does, building up a rhythm that has you whining pathetically. This shouldn’t be that intense but it is, making your pussy flutter and seek out more. 

“Let me try something,” you say, and he stops as you reach down, “One second.”

With both hands, you take hold of the seam of the leg of your underwear, holding tightly at the very top of it and the very bottom. You yank it down to sit tightly over the girth of Joel’s cock, essentially trapping it underneath your panties so it drags along the shaft with each of his thrusts. He sits so tightly against you now. 

“Try now,” you don’t even have to say please for Joel to know you are begging. 

“Jesus Christ,” he growls at the new sensation, spurred on to make himself feel it even more. He fucks himself against you with a sudden quickened breath. 

The bed starts shaking. You start trembling. 

You’re not able to take your eyes off of your sinful act, chewing on your bottom lip as he works his cock back and forth over and over again underneath the seam of your panties. 

“Please,” your sound is weak, “Fuck!”

“Careful with that,” he scolds, “Eyes on me.”

You quickly look up at his face, barely able to focus with how much he shakes your whole frame with every push of his lower body. 

“Say sorry,” he commands, referring to your use of a swear word. He doesn’t relent one bit, rolling his hips again and again. 

“S-sorry,” you apologize, too focused on how your orgasm is already approaching, “Please.”

“Hold on,” he slows down, and you nearly sob with how close you are, but he only does it to remove his shirt and uncover your chest again. Then he goes back to his frantic thrusts, eyes fixated on the way that your tits bounce with every push of his hips. 

“‘M close, Daddy,” you hiccup, feeling your heartbeat in all parts of your body. You throw your head back and groan loudly at the head of the bed, “I’m so close.”

If you weren’t holding onto your underwear, you would be clutching the bed frame so hard that your knuckles were white. Instead, the fabric is pulled so taut by your fingers that it hurts when it digs into your skin. You probably don’t have to do it so roughly but the pleasure racking up your spine makes you need it.

“Don’t hold back, baby,” he encourages with ragged breathing. Confident that you won’t let go as you orgasm, he lets go of himself and grabs both of your hips. He hoists you up a little, leans forward a little further, and then drives his hips back and forth, cockhead sliding over your clit repeatedly. 

“I’m gonna— Oh my God, I’m gonna come, I’m gonna come, I’m gonna come,” you say it like you’re almost in a panic, almost too overwhelmed to embrace the intensity you’re about to experience. You want to push him away and pull him in at the same time but he holds you so roughly in place that you just have to take it. Your eyes find his as you let it happen, “I’m coming! Daddy, oh f— I’m coming!”

“Yeah? My love bug’s coming?” He nods as encouragement, “Come for me, darlin’ baby.”

And my God, you do. You can feel your whole pelvic floor erupt into beautiful spasms of pleasure, your clit pulsing so fast and strongly that you are sure that Joel can feel it against his dick. You thank God that he is holding onto you because you are twitching and moving involuntarily as he continues his sweet torment, and tears stream down your face. 

“That’s it, baby doll, you just cry all ya want,” Joel manages to coo between his own moans. You sob as your orgasm peaks, even more when you slip into a state of oversensitivity. Joel doesn’t relent, “Oh, baby. I know, baby, I know.”

It isn’t until your panties start to tear that he draws back, precome beading at the slit of his cock from how turned on he is. He is smeared with your arousal too, pearly white, and he seems to have put all the strength he has into holding back so you don’t pass out. 

You shiver, trying to make sense of why your body chose to make you come so hard from a simple clit orgasm. The sweat on your body suddenly feels cold, and you reach for him until he leans down and kisses your lips. You whimper into his mouth. He wipes away a few tears.

“You okay?” He asks softly, pulling back slightly to look you in the eyes as you reply.

“Yes, sorry.”

“No, no. Don’t apologize,” he tuts, “You were gorgeous. God, I am so crazy about you.”

“Now you,” you insist, looking down between the two of you to see the red tip of his weeping cock, “You promised.”

“That I did,” he draws back until he is on his knees again. He grabs the base of his dick, strokes it a few times, and then lays it against the crotch of your underwear. 

Joel rubs the head fast against the soft fabric. He holds onto your thighs, neck muscles straining as he seeks out his own pleasure. You watch him whilst delirious with post-orgasmic bliss, occasionally whimpering when he unintentionally slides over your swollen clit. 

A moment later, after one of your particularly high whines, he comes with a short breath of relief. He stains the fabric, lays his cock heavy against the front of the underwear, and pulses until he has no more to give. It’s intense to see him like this, and you find yourself grabbing his wrist to keep him in the moment with you. 

“Christ, sweetheart,” he pants. He slumps a little.

“I thought it was love bug,” you say with irresistible charm. 

“Don’t make me tell you to lick ‘em clean, young lady,” he smirks, already crawling forward to lay down on top of you. He crushes you so heavenly with his weight, pretending-biting your cheek and causing you to snicker, “Are we clear?”

You hold him close, relishing in everything that he is, “We’re clear. I’ll behave. Somewhat.”

“Somewhat?” He nuzzles into your neck and presses a kiss. 

“Well, I don’t think I’m quite satisfied,” you say dramatically. 

Joel pulls back to glare at you, “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Well, I need you inside me too,” you pout even more dramatically, “Pussy feels so lonely, Daddy. Needs something.”

“Well, we can’t starve this insatiable pussy, can we?” Joel catches on quickly, and soon, he has you screaming on three of his fingers. 

.

.

.

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[disneyprincemuke]

the pet obsession * fem!driver

instances where max verstappen influenced her to get a pet

pairings: max verstappen x fem!driver, sebastian vettel x fem!driver, oscar piastri x fem!driver

warnings: -

notes: this took me forever to write BECAUSE? and, there will be more! i imagine she's sort of a pokemon collector like alex with all his pets LMFAO

(series masterlist) | (📂 the rookie season)

-> australia, 2023

she never actually wanted a pet. never in her life did she find the responsibilities and inconvenience of owning a pet was for her. especially when she had her own — more important — things going on.

until max started gushing about his cats in the club, blabbering about how adorable jimmy and sassy were when he last saw them a couple of days ago.

the thought of coming home to barks and meows were never in your peripheral vision when becoming an adult. suddenly it is, seeing all your friends and colleagues having pets of their own. how cuddly and warm it looks to have an animal cuddle up to your side at the end of the day.

“you know, you’re convincing me to get a pet!” she screams over the music, body still moving along to the beat of the song. “you sold me on the cuddles!”

“seriously?” the drunk dutch asks, stumbling to keep his phone in his pocket. “a pet or a cat?”

“pets, in general!” she laughs, taking a step towards him. she beckons him towards her, the older driver bending down to put his ear by her mouth. “i used to be allergic when i was a kid.”

max raises his eyebrows, pulling away. “not anymore, though?”

“not anymore!”

that’s when max stands up straight, losing his balance slightly. he holds his arms up to regain it as a wide smile creeps on his face. “follow me.”

“what fo– okay,” she says, but not before max already has a firm grip on her wrist and is threading the crowd on the dancefloor with her.

she doesn’t ask questions, why would she when the two-time world champion is being so nice and friendly to her? considering this is one of the rare times he’s starting to really open up to her too.

“where are we going?” she asks softly, tiptoeing for max to be able to hear her. she tries glancing at his phone when they stop by the doors of the club, but he only shakes his head and moves the phone away from her sight. “okay.”

“trust me. you’ll love me after tonight.” max turns towards the door, grip on her wrist again.

but before she can follow suit, sebastian is now standing over the doorframe with a hand held up to stop them. “where are you going?” he glances down at their hands. “you’re not trying to eliminate competition, are you, max?”

max tilts his head, eyebrows furrowing as he follows the older man’s gaze. he gasps loudly and drops her hand, jumping a step away from her. “no, absolutely not!”

“then where are you going?”

“to find her a pet,” max points at the younger girl with an innocent grin. “she said she wants one.”

“what?” she exclaims, a soft smack landing on his arms. “i said i was convinced, not that i want one right now!”

“where were you going to find her a pet?” sebastian’s eyebrows furrow as well, the complexity of the situation not fully processing in his intoxicated brain. “it’s 2am, you guys. it’s closed everywhere.”

max presses his lips together. “i saw a stray cat outside before we came in.”

“oh, that cat is adorable!” she gushes, a hand coming up to cup her own cheeks. she remembers how the cat butted its head on her calves as they awaited for someone to let them in.

“right? if i didn’t have two territorial cats of my own, i’d totally take it home with me right now.”

“you’re right! let’s get the cat!”

sebastian holds his arm out, swiftly catching the girl stomping her way towards the door.

“hey!” she shrieks, a look of disbelief replacing her once ecstatic expression.

“you’re not taking a random stray cat back. your mother will kill me if you catch a disease,” sebastian sighs. he turns back to max with a stern finger point. “you should know better, max! come on!”

max drops his head, lips pouted. “you’re right. we’ll get you a proper, vaccinated cat, (y/n).”

“okay, let’s get back to the dance floor,” sebastian groans, pushing them gently further into the club. he shakes his head. “seriously, i turned my head for one second!”

“oscar,” she slurs, dropping her weight into her friend’s arms.

“get a grip, come on,” oscar mutters, hands wrapping around her torso to keep her from falling. “you didn’t even drink that much — why are you being like this?”

“seb wouldn’t let me get a cat,” she sighs, her hair falling to cover the sides of her face. she pushes herself off the australian and stumbles a couple of steps to the side, propping herself up on a lamp post. “so rude.”

“i can hear you,” sebastian scoffs, his hand around max’s arm to keep him upright while stepping out of the bar. “it’s just dangerous if it’s a stray cat. you’ve got to bring them to the vet for the initial check up and everything.”

“yeah, but i m- oh my gosh!” she shrieks, hands cupping her cheeks again. they all look at what’s caught her attention, the same cat that max was talking about earlier now at her feet once more. “oh, you’re still here! hello there!”

“(y/n),” oscar says, pulling her back gently. “seb literally just explained why you shouldn’t get a stray cat.”

“but he loves me, look at him!” she squeals, the cat rubbing its side on her feet. the cat makes figure 8’s around her ankles, its tail brushing past her calves while rubbing his head on her. “i have to take her home, oscar!”

“oh, he chose you!” max exclaims, eyes wide and pointing at the black cat. “that cat absolutely ignored the living shit out of me earlier!”

“max,” sebastian sighs, grabbing his shoulders. max cranes his neck, meeting sebastian’s eyes with a tired smile. “shut up.”

when he looks back at her, the girl is now bent down to the ground, reaching forward to take the cat into her arms.

“oh, baby!” she coos, juggling the willing cat in her arms as it meows at her. “seb, i have to bring him home! he loves me!”

oscar’s lips carve into a scowl, exchanging a worried glance with sebastian.

sebastian shakes his head and lets go of max, walking towards the girl. max stumbles, arms coming up to stabilise himself from the sudden loss of the man holding him up. “(y/n), the process will be long and crazy.”

oscar jogs on over to him, replacing sebastian to hold him up. “if she gets this cat, mate…”

“then that’s good. will give her more responsibilities,” max mutters somewhat soberly, pointing at the girl stepping away cautiously from sebastian. “it’s a good benchmark.”

“seb, no!” she shrieks, taking more steps back as sebastian continually approaches her with her arms held out to take the cat. “he already has a name — you can’t possibly take him from me!”

“your mother will shave my head if we go back home with some random street cat in your arms,” sebastian sighs, rubbing his forehead. “for all you know, it could be someone’s cat.”

she frowns, now carrying the cat over her shoulder like a baby. she looks around, the bouncer of the club looking straight ahead as if they hadn’t caused this much commotion.

“hey,” she calls out towards him. “excuse me, bouncer, sir!” he turns to look at her, a welcoming grin on his face. “is this anybody’s cat?”

he presses his lips together, glancing at sebastian’s impatient stare. alas, he can’t lie to the teary eyed girl hugging the cat for dear life. “no, ma’am. he’s a stray cat.”

“thank you!” she smiles, then turning to sebastian with a knowing grin. “i told you. this cat is mine now!”

“what’s his name?” max asks excitedly, stumbling forward to pet the cat on its head.

the girl stands proud and tall, adjusting the cat to face the rest of the group. “his name is kidnapper.”

“that’s gotta be some form of animal abuse,” oscar shakes his head disapprovingly. “why would you name your cat that?”

“because it’s funny,” she says, giving him a stare. “his nickname will be ‘kid’! like seb calls me!”

she grins at sebastian, the older man only folding his arms and breaking their eye contact. “i guess that’s kinda cute.”

“it is cute.”

-> monaco, 2023

“mate,” max looks up from his phone, turning to look at the younger driver sitting on his couch. “you know where we should go?”

she lifts her eyebrow, still patting the jimmy that sits on her lap comfortably. “what?”

“there’s a pet shop nearby. kelly and i walked past it the other day — there’s a really adorable puppy that i think you might like,” max grins, raising an eyebrow at her. “it’s a corgi.”

she pushes herself off the back of the couch, sitting up straight. “a corgi?”

“yeah, a corgi.”

jimmy steps off her lap, allowing her to stand up. “what are you waiting for? let’s go.”

max grabs her back, shaking his head before they make it to the door. “won’t sebastian get mad at us though? another pet from another foreign country. really?”

she lets her stare at him linger. on one hand, she already has a cat she managed to bring home from one race. what’s another?

she shrugs. “i’ll just name it after him or something.”

max raises his eyebrow. “you sure?”

“yeah, maybe i just won’t tell him until it’s too late.”

"seriously? another pet?" sebastian shouts, staring at the corgi sleeping at the edge of her bed. "you gotta stop adopting pets from other countries, you know. it's not cheap!"

"but how can say no to this face?" she coos, moving over to the dog, pouting while leaning her head on it. "you're a dog person, seb. i know you'd never say no to this face."

sebastian shakes his head. "you can barely keep up with kidnapper in your apartment. what are you going to do with a whole ass dog?"

she presses her lips together, before forming a grin on her face. "blythe will look after them while i'm gone. no big deal."

"not the point."

"totally the point. max helped me get this one!" she cheers, patting the corgi's head. "his name is stubby; we got him from the pet store near his apartment."

sebastian just sighs, shaking his head. he turns around and heads towards the door of her hotel room. "as long as you can get him back without any problems. this is no longer any of my business."

taglist: @wcnorris @treehouse-mouse @laura-naruto-fan1998 @mindless-rock @inejismywife @vellicora @leilanixx @meadhbhcavanagh @2bormaybenot @ironmaiden1313 @angsthology @cherry-piee @christianpulisic10 @elliegrey2803 @love4lando

[julsvu]

hiiii :3 can i request blue lock bachira x f!reader hcs where his s/o is really sweet and all lovey-dovey towards him or maybe just bachira boyfriend headcanons in general? he’s so cute i’d conquer the world if he asked…‎ ( ˶˘ ³˘(⋆❛ ہ ❛⋆)!♡ love your account btw~ thank you and have a good day/night!!

fem! reader

💬: hi!! tysm for requesting, i love bachira so much :3 i hope you have a nice week anon (⁠ ⁠◜⁠‿⁠◝⁠ ⁠)⁠♡ you are so real I'd conquer the world if bachira asked me to, too

📒: fluff

meguru bachira boyfriend hcs

no shame at all. he WILL be all over you even in public, giving you cheek kisses and hugs especially

he always does it with a big goofy grin on his face too

if you return his energy, his grin would somehow be bigger?? he's the human embodiment of ":D"

LOVES LOVES rambling to you, or telling you random stuff in general

probably spams your texts a lot

he's the type to try loads of random filters while on video call

u could be telling a story and he'd be having a tiger filter on (he also makes random facial expressions to test how much the filter can go)

VERY VERY TOUCHY, if u dont want him giving u kisses in public, he can stick to holding your hand and literally glueing himself to you, when you guys sit beside each other, he makes sure your thighs or legs are touching

mans is the type to wait for you outside the bathroom

HE FOLLOWS U EVERYWHERE

loves giving you his sweaters, and vice versa!!

sometimes he steals your hoodies

HE WALKS AROUND SO CASUALLY WITH IT TOO

he'd be all "I don't know, love! i hope you find them soon, though :D" when you ask him where your hoodies are

his friends, esp isagi, knows absolutely everything about you

he rambles about you a lot 😭😭

"did you know (name) is really pretty? and!-" cue him infodumping for at least 45 minutes, take a huge deep breath and proceed his infodump once again

he's vv supportive in whatever u do

if u like soccer like him, he always teaches u how to do tricks and stuff

he gets so excited whenever he plays with u too

mans is having the time of his life

wants to own a small apartment with you and your future 50 cats (half of them are named meguru jr...)

© 2024 JULSVU. all rights reserved. please don't plagiarize, translate, put in other websites or copy my work without permission. ty!

[skzhua]

Caroling to my Heart

MASTERLIST

Pairing: Lee Minho x Female!Reader

Genre: Inspired by A Christmas Carol, Christmas love story, angst, fluff.

Word Count: 14,653

Warnings: Swearing, talks of regrets, mentions of alcohol, heartbreaks.

Summary: Christmas is meant to be spent with your loved ones. Minho stopped loving a long time ago.

A/N: Credits to my boyfriend for the general idea of the plot (story is all me, though)

November nearing its end, Chrismas was approaching quickly. Children playing in the snow, shops filled with decorations to sell for the holidays, sales everywhere for presents shopping, music playing everywhere you go; truly the most wonderful time of the year.

At least, that's what most people think.

Chan has always loved Christmas. He always took it as an opportunity to gather up with his college friends with whom life was always enjoyable. Jeongin had recently gotten a promotion at work which he took very seriously, Hyunjin finally opened his dog rescue center a few years back, Felix was happily getting married in the following spring, Seungmin had finally started to get recognition for his stand up comedy shows, Changbin had entered a production company with Chan, and Jisung was finally seeing someone after not daring to date for years.

And then, there is Minho.

Him and Chan used to be the closest friends ever, and Minho was always the life of the party. He messed around in college, got good grades, made his way up to become a successful lawyer. Overall, things had turned out pretty well for him.

What Minho considered as his biggest accomplishment was his lover. The apple of his eyes, the prettiest woman he had ever laid eyes upon, the sunshine of his life. Y/N was in the same major as him, one of the top students. It started out as a very typical college love story. He was annoying her, she found him funny, they were paired for a project, they got closer, and they got together in a matter of weeks. From that point, life was perfect. They moved out together after college, adopted a ton of cats, went on so many trips outside of the country... they even got engaged.

That was until Minho messed it all up, losing everything he loved the most in one go.

Ding dong.

Jumping at the sound, Minho takes a second to recover and puts the movie he was watching on pause. He checks the clock; it is 7 o'clock in the evening. He wasn't expecting anybody to visit him. Nonetheless, he goes over his front door and looks into the peephole. He isn't surprised to see Chan waiting patiently with a plastic bag in hands. He rolls his eyes in annoyance before letting his friend in, greeting him boringly.

"Hey, Chan," he says before yawning loudly.

The older man looks him up and down, analyzing every bit of his friend's appearance. "Wow, you look like shit."

Minho doesn't answer, giving Chan the death stare instead. "What do you want?"

"Well," he starts while allowing himself to get comfortable on the couch. "Jisung is presenting his new girlfriend to us and because you didn't answer in the group chat, I thought I would check on you."

"Tonight? No, I have to get up early tomorrow."

Chan's shoulders drop as Minho, once again, declines an invitation. "You haven't come to see us in months."

Minho shrugs, visibly not seeing a problem. "I'm just very busy. I have cases coming in all the time and I can't trust my associate to work on them."

"You're overworking yourself, a break would do you some good. Besides, we miss you."

It's not that he doesn't want to see his friends, of course he does. He just knows very well he'll only end up ruining the night by not being the funny guy he used to be.

"I don't know."

Chan takes a nicely ironed shirt out of his plastic bag and puts it on the coffee table in front of him, and stands up to walk to the door. "You're welcomed to drop by if you change your mind. It's at the restaurant we used to go in college."

"Why the shirt?" Minho's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Consider it as an early Christmas gift from me."

After throwing a small smile his way, Chan opens the door and leaves. Minho finds himself alone again, perplexed. He approaches the shirt and scrutinizes it. It's a designer piece which does not surprise him, Chan has always been the kind to go an extra mile for his loved ones. Looking at the clock again, it indicates 7:20 P.M. Does he still have time to go? It would mean he has to shower, get dressed, drive all the way to the restaurant... Right, that specific restaurant.

He will visit his friends, just not tonight.

2 years ago.

Christmas was the most important holiday to Y/N. It brought so much nostalgia to her and she absolutely adored every aspect of it. Baking cookies and go ice skating were part of the many activities she loved doing in December.

This was also the first year she had to spend it away from her family. She didn't regret choosing to study so far away from home but it hurt nonetheless. It would be difficult and Minho knew that.

Y/N had to work an extra shift that night if she wanted the day of Christmas Eve off. It was ridiculous, she thought. As if the restaurant really needed her to stay so late. Coming home, Y/N was so glad to finally be able to relax as she climbed up the stairs.

Meanwhile, Minho was waiting excitedly at the front door of their shared apartment. He made sure the gingerbread cookies were all ready to be assembled to construct a house, checked if the Christmas lights were working fine, and put a playlist of Y/N's favourite holiday songs on his speaker.

"Soonie!" he yelled frantically at his cat as he saw him get on the counter. "You don't want to ruin your mama's night, do you?"

He picked him up and brought it close to his body, petting his head lovingly. Needless to say, this couldn't be a cuter sight to have when Y/N walked in.

"Hey, my two favourite boys," she chuckled at them before taking in how well-decorated the home was. "Min, did you set up all this?"

Her boyfriend put his pet down before bringing her into his arms. "I did. You've been feeling off recently, I thought it'd be a good idea to cheer you up. And since Christmas is next week, why not decorate cookies for the occasion?"

"You made gingerbread cookies?!"

Y/N's eyes lit up from seeing the baked goods and she rushed to go sit at the counter. Minho smiled at himself, proud he had managed to lit up her inner light just a little.

"Thank Felix for these."

"Well, thank you Felix."

Present.

Minho remembers every night she came home from that workplace. He always tried to make her feel better each time, Y/N despised working so late but she somehow always stayed positive.

How much he misses her.

Minho gasps for air, sweat all over his body. He had another nightmare, nothing unusual. What is odd is the phone ringing nonstop at this hour of the day; 4 o'clock. Who in their right mind would call someone so early?

"What?"

The person on the other side of line doesn't respond, Minho can only hear them breathe unsteadily.

"Hello?"

"Minho," Jisung finally speaks. "Sorry to bother you this early."

"It's 4:00 A.M."

"I know, I know. Just, I'm getting worried about you and I can't call you tomorrow –well, today–  or you'll say you're busy with work as always. You're not okay and I think you could use a friend."

Although not wrong, his statement fueled Minho with annoyance and frustration. He doesn't need help, or anyone for that matter.

"Minho?" Jisung speaks up again as he doesn't get a response.

"Good night, Jisung," he simply says with the intention of hanging up.

"Wait!" he hurries to stop him. "If you don't want to talk for your own sake, at least do it for mine. Not just mine, the other guys' too."

Sure, Minho hates talking about his feelings. Still, he's not a monster and cares a lot about his friends nonetheless. Feeling a bit obligated, he agrees.

"So, uhm, who's your new girlfriend?" he asks, getting uncomfortable already.

"She's a friend of Jeongin. Remember that girl he worked with in college? Well, that's her. She's so nice, I wonder why Jeongin hadn't introduced me to her sooner. She kind of reminds me of..." he trails off but stops himself before stepping out of line.

"I'm happy for you two. I'm sorry I couldn't come."

Jisung lets out a huff. "Thank you but I know you could have, you just didn't want to."

"That's not-"

"Don't lie, Minho," he cuts him off. "You didn't come because of her, am I right? Because of Y/N again?"

Minho can feel his heart tighten while his friends keeps going at it, insisting on speaking about her. He doesn't want to, is it so hard to understand?

"Let's not talk about her."

"That's the problem, Minho. You never want to open up about it."

"She left. What is there more to say?"

"How you're coping with all, how we can help-"

"The only thing you can do to help is leave me alone. I'm doing just fine. Talking was a bad idea, I should go back to bed."

"Min..." Jisung says in a desperate voice.

"Good night."

As he hangs up, he can sense it might have gone too far. Regardless, he discards his phone on his nightstand and buries his body in his bedsheets. He hears meowing coming from the entrance of his room. A second later, his cat Dori jumps on the mattress to come and lay next to him. Minho reluctantly cuddles the cat back, his last one he got with Y/N. Dori is technically her baby but she left so suddenly that Minho had no other choice but to keep him.

"Where are your brothers?" he whispers affectionately to the ball of fur who replies with some more purring. "Are Soonie and Doongie sleeping too?"

Chan is probably the only one able to get Minho out of his house, especially during Christmas time. Maybe it is guilt or shame that he feels, but Minho hasn't been so great ever since he had his early chitchat with Jisung. Shopping for presents wasn't what he had in mind when he thought of making up for it but Chan insisted it would be a good idea.

"Look," he says while pointing at the pig plush on the top of the pile. "It looks like Changbin."

Minho shrugs. "I guess it does."

"What about this?"

He looks boringly at the shirt Chan is showing. Yeah, maybe he should have done something else to make the most of his day off. A good meal at home seems so much more appealing to him.

"Come on," Chan encourages him. "Enjoy a bit."

"I am enjoying, look," Minho tries to convince him with a forced smile.

"Hmm, maybe it's time to go to the food court and take a break."

Dragging his friend behind, Chan moves from restaurant to restaurant in search of a meal for his lunch. After a while of debating internally, he settles for a hamburger. As for Minho, rice with pork seems to be tasty enough. They sit at a table and start to eat in silence. Minho looks around the place, watching people chat and laugh. He sees one couple in particular and they remind him too much of Y/N. Adverting his gaze from this spot, he focuses back on his food before speaking.

"I was thinking of buying a new hoodie for Jisung."

Chan is surprised his friend is even conversing with him but smiles. "A hoodie? Doesn't he have plenty of them already?"

"He does but he sent me a picture of one specifically the other day."

"Then you should buy it for him. Have you heard from him, by the way?"

Minho gulps. "No."

Although suspicious, Chan doesn't push it. They quickly finish their lunch and decide to head towards a clothing store to find Jisung's present. At a certain point, they unconsciously part ways as they look at different pieces of clothing. Minho would look for Chan but he has the hoodie to find. Chan is fine on his own anyway, he tells himself. He goes to the right section and begins to browse through each item. He frowns as he inspects them, not convinced these would be appropriate for his friend.

"Minho?"

He freezes in place. Has he gone crazy or has he just heard Y/N's voice?

"Minho," she says again.

Finally turning around, he is somewhat relieved that it isn't his former girlfriend, but her sister. "Deena," he greets her politely.

"It's been a while, wow. How have you been?" she asks cheerfully, too much in his opinion.

"Nothing much."

She seems taken aback by the short length of his answer. Minho used to be the nicest man she knows. Of course, she doesn't know the full story about what happened. Nonetheless, she still considers Minho as family. So seeing him so lifeless in front of her is quite a shocker.

"I'm in a bit of a rush but we should go grab coffee soon and catch up," she suggests but from the look on Minho's face, she knows she shouldn't have.

"I'm pretty busy."

"Alright," she answers, uneasy. "I'll see you around then."

"Yeah."

Without adding anything, he resumes to looking through the hoodies. Deena eventually leaves and Minho feels like he can breathe again.

He has nothing against his former "sister-in-law" but seeing her so unexpectedly is not something he has prepared himself for. He will go grab a coffee with her when he feels ready to.

Chan comes back a few minutes after with a couple of black shirts and an oversized pair of jeans he picked for Jeongin. As they wait to pay for their things, Minho can feel that Chan has something to say. It wasn't an abnormal occurrence but this time feels like it's eating him inside.

"What is it?"

Chan hesitates for a second. "It was Deena, right?"

He hums. "Yes."

"I'm running out of ways to tell you appropriately but you need to get your shit together. The girl did nothing to you and she seemed to be on the verge of crying when she left the store."

Minho rolls his eyes, like always. "What do you want me to do? Run after her and apologize? I didn't do anything."

"Exactly. Dude, everyone around you is getting sick of your way of dealing with what happened. Sure, your feelings are valid. This doesn't mean you have to inflict your pain onto us. We only want to help," Chan responds, not realizing his tone is increasing more and more.

"Always wanting to play the good savior, uh?" Minho scoffs. "In front of strangers too? Look, I don't need you to tell me how to be. You're not my dad or anything."

"I took you under my wing in college, of course I'm still looking out for you."

"That was back then. I don't need your pity anymore."

Chan's jaw clenches as the two men stare right into the eye. The cashier awkwardly calls for them to proceed to payment which breaks their staring contest. They hurry to pay before storming out of the mall, both of them fuming with anger. The moment they get into Chan's car, the latter explodes.

"This has lasted long enough. How long has it been now? A year?"

"Eleven months," Minho corrects.

"Whatever, same difference. My point is that it might be time for you to move on or at least stop being such a pain in the ass."

Minho's eyebrows raise as he lets out a chuckle. "I didn't know such strong words could come out of your mouth."

"Minho," Chan says in a warning tone.

"So what if I'm not as easygoing as before? You don't understand how it feels anyway."

"Help me understand, then!"

"You just wouldn't!"

He surprised himself by yelling so harshly. The hint of regret creeps up but he tries to hide it by looking away. They both know this is the end of this conversation, neither want to continue anyway. Chan starts the car and the ride home can't be any worse. The tension is so heavy, he swears he feels his body crushing.

Still in silence, he drops Minho off in front of his apartment complex and drives away. Face blank, Minho goes in his building and lazily enters the elevator. It's like he's in a daze, not fully aware of himself. Before he knows it, he's back home sitting at his counter with three cats waiting patiently in front of him as they expect him to fill their bowls with food. But he remains still and stares at nothing in particular. Has he gone too far this time?

In all of the people he knows, Chan is the last one he would have thought to snap at him so harshly. Most importantly, he never thought he'd yell at him for no reason. For the first time in a while, Minho allows one single tear drop from his eye.

Christmas has come. Well, almost. Work has been the same and no contact have been made with anyone for the last week or so. The lack of human interaction felt both good and bad, but mostly aching.

Every day is the same, Minho realizes. Waking up, eating a very mediocre peanut butter toast with coffee, scrolling through his feed on social medias, getting dressed, going to work, bossing his ass off in return of a less than decent pay, coming back home, eating, washing up, going to bed, sleeping, only to do the same all over again the next day.

In a way, he loves not having to think about planning things out. On the other hand, his life is becoming more and more dull with less of a purpose. Why is he alive for if it's only to do the same task over and over again?

For a change, Minho decides to start a Christmas film instead of rotating watches of the same five movies. A mistake he does is not reading the synopsis before pushing play on the remote. He settles comfortably on his couch while Soonie and Doongie cuddle next to him. Dori is somewhere nearby, playing with a piece of paper Minho had dropped on the floor earlier that week.

At first, the show is boring he thinks. The more the story develops, however, the more he sees the resemblance between himself and the protagonist. The movie is A Christmas Carol, one Y/N once had begged him to watch with her. Scrooge is very unlikable, there is no denying in that. But Minho tries to ignore the similarities he shares with him and keeps on watching the screen in silence. At some point, it simply became impossible to ignore the tightness in his chest. In an abrupt move, he turns the TV off, picks up his two cats, and heads to bed.

Christmas is so near, he thinks as he is watching his alarm clock getting closer to midnight. He really does his best to not make a big deal out of it but his mind can't stop having these images of Y/N, his friends, Christmas... everything. He can't escape pain, no matter what.

Thankfully, Dori comes in his room to join the other felines which distracts him for a second, just long enough so he can finally fall asleep.

The clock indicates 11:55 P.M. when Minho is in a deep sleep and the only sounds that can be heard throughout the whole flat are the appliances running and the cats snoring. Maybe some snores are coming from the man himself but they are faint. Slowly, Doongie wakes up. He wiggles around to find a new comfortable position but fails and falls off the bed. Luckily, cats always land on their feet. He was going to hop back on the bed but a weird sound catches his attention. It sounds like a bell. Curious, he comes out of the room in attempt to find where it comes from. But nothing. Or maybe there is something.

A faint light can be perceived from the bottom of the front door. The cat carefully gets closer, lowering his body. In a single snap, something flies right from under the door and moving straight into Minho's room which scares Doongie well enough to go hide in his cat tree and let out a cry.

This immediately wakes Minho up as his instinctive cat dad senses take over but it is soon replaced with an unsettling feeling as he sees the bright light in front of him. He squints as it almost blinds him but he wants to know what it is. He can feel his heartbeat increase by the second as the source of light gets closer and closer. Holding his breath, he shut his eyes closed and moves his head away from whatever that is. Until he hears a sigh too familiar to his liking.

He dares to open his eyes and his shoulders drop at the sight. "Chan?"

It's not exactly Chan, it is more of a ghost-like version of him. He wears a very formal suit with his hair styled with gel and his body is translucent, making Minho very skeptical. This is a dream, he thinks. Chan is very much alive and very much not in his apartment. Certainly not after the events of the other day.

"I see you didn't even reach out to me."

Minho frowns and looks around the room as if to make sure he really is speaking to him. "What do you mean?"

Chan chuckles, his voice sounding more like an echo. "After our fight, dumbass! Come on, you weren't going to leave things as it is until Christmas."

He checks his alarm clock quickly. "Well, it is Christmas."

"In five minutes," Chan smirks at him. "I know the past few months have been hard on you."

"Great, even my subconscious is trying to fix me," he whispers to himself, loud enough that the ghost-like figure hears it.

"As in a dream?" Minho nods to the question only for Chan to laugh some more. "You're funny. Anyway, I'm not here for fun. I'm here to help you."

"You tried that already," Minho grumbles in an annoyed voice but receives a shook of the head as an answer.

"My human self tried, I haven't tried yet. You see, I only appear if I'm really needed and your case is a pretty severe one."

Minho tries to protest but is quickly shushed.

"Look, this is a night shift on Christmas Eve, I don't want this any more than you do so let's do it quickly. I'll send you three spirits tonight before it hits midnight. They'll guide you through your entire life and help you make the right choice. Got it?"

"Midnight is in five minutes."

"I know."

"But-"

"You'll understand," Chan cuts him off. "As for now, bon voyage."

Not even conscious that he had been awake —or dreaming— Minho hears a snap of fingers before opening his eyes widely and gasping for air as he wakes up. He is still somewhat confused, but rather glad this was simply a dream. He can feel that the sweat has gone through his pyjamas and makes a face out of disgust.

Quickly, he eats breakfast and freshens up before leaving for work. Yes, he is working on Christmas day. This might be the only way he can get distracted from everything going wrong in his life.

As he approches his work building, he notices a young man. He looks awfully similar to Jeongin but not quite. Curiosity gets the best of him, however, and Minho instinctively walks up to the man. He takes a moment to scan his appearance: he's shorter than Jeongin, has light golden hair and wears loose white streetwear clothing. He also takes notes on the grey of his eyes.

"Lee Minho!" he says cheerfully before Minho could let out a single word.

The man jumps in surprise. "Jeongin?"

He shakes his head as a no and smiles brightly. "No, my name is P."

"P..." Minho repeats slowly, slightly confused.

"Shall we go in?"

He doesn't wait for an answer as he begins to walk and Minho automatically follows him into his building, assuming this boy might be a new worker in his firm. They hop onto the elevator together and P pushes the button to level 7. As Minho is about to look for his own floor, he notices something odd. The building has 26 levels. So why the hell are the numbers going up to 30? He slowly turns to come face to face with the younger man who keeps a wide smile on his face, fear creeping in.

"Who are you?" he dares to ask.

"I told you, I'm P!" the boy repeats with an even bigger grin, almost creepy. "Short for Past."

Oh. Oh no. It all suddenly clicks in Minho's head. Either this is a dream occuring because of the movie he had watched before going to bed or this is his own story of A Christmas Carol. He pinches the side of his arm, hoping he would be back in his room but it only results to him hissing in pain.

"Do you remember your Christmas when you were seven years old?" Minho can only glare at him but P doesn't seem to care. "This might refresh your memories."

The doors of the elevator open right after and not only are they not in his workplace anymore but the setting is exactly as he remembers it from his childhood. They are right on the street of his parents' home. The street is empty, understandably so because of the light snow falling down and the cold weather. It is early in the morning and his childhood home looks much smaller than he remembers, and in a much poorer state.

P walks out first before turning around, encouraging Minho to follow. "Can they see me?"

"No."

The answer satifies Minho and he finally steps out of the elevator, letting himself get led by this Jeongin look-alike. He wonders why this specific time was chosen in all of his years of life. He ponders the idea of asking P but it soon vanishes when he spots his younger self coming out of the house with his parents observing him in a loving way. A knot forms in his belly. He hasn't talked to his parents since Y/N left. Are they doing okay? Maybe he should have called a few times at least.

"Can we bring one home?" younger Minho asks his mom, eyes full of hope.

"Do you want a kitten as your Christmas gift?" his mother asks and the child happily nods. "We'll go see the cats and I'll think about it, okay?"

Satisfied enough, he skips down the street while humming a Christmas song. Oddly enough, it is Y/N's favourite: Winter Wonderland.

Minho watches his former self with nostalgia. He remembers the moment perfectly. This was the first time he ever owned a cat after begging his mother to get one years after years. He had named her Nala, which he thought was very clever at the time.

"Can we follow them?"

P takes his hand, much to Minho's surprise, and they begin to float just slightly above ground and fly right to where his past self is. He doesn't question the spirit about how this works and resumes to watching himself coo at the cats. For a brief moment, his eyes advert from the scene and land on his parents. But there is something catching his attention. He sees his father emptying his wallet as well as his mom before they give it to the worker. His breath gets heavier as he looks back and forth from them to himself.

"Is this why my mother stopped going out for tea with her friends? And why my father couldn't take my mother out for dates? They used to argue so much about it..." Minho almost whispers.

"Parents make great sacrifices for their children," P says longingly.

"Why didn't they tell me?"

P shrugs. "Probably because you were a literal child but also because they didn't want you to feel bad."

"My grandmother would have helped us in an instant if she knew."

P shrugs again. "They didn't want help."

He easily catches on why the ghost brought him at this exact moment. Just in time, Minho gets a hold of himself and says in incoherent words that he won't fall for P's tricks. The latter isn't nearly fazed by this statement and he takes the man's hand to bring him back to the elevator in a quick flying trip.

After the door closes, Minho is relieved that he can finally go back home. That is until P pushes the button for level 18 which earns a frown from Minho.

"Aren't we done?"

"No, you have other things left to see before I send you back. Well, a few more years to see."

"And me at 18 years old was an important year?"

P sends him a knowing look but he acts clueless, as if he doesn't know what happened back then although it's painfully obvious he does. Denial is the best way to cope, isn't it?

The doors open to the hallway of his college dorm he used to share with Chan. He can instantly recognize the said-man and Changbin joking around before they walk in his dorm. Without waiting for P, Minho follows and freezes when he stumbles upon Y/N. This moment was merely over two months into their relationship but he could tell he already knew she was his everything at that time.

Y/N greets the two boys and encourages them to put their wrapped presents under the mini Christmas tree she had insisted on making to display in his small living room. Meanwhile, a nearly adult Minho is unwrapping takeout as he watches the scene with a huge smile.

"What took you two so long?" he asks, walking towards the group with the food in hands.

"Chan's fault," Changbin immediately accuses, earning a stare from the older man.

"Not true."

"I'm not the one who lost Hyunjin's present."

Hyunjin's eyes lit up. "You got me a present?"

A small smirk appears on Chan's face. "I got all of you a present."

"Even me?"

Minho's heart tightens. He still struggles to listen to your voice and because you were there physically in front of him, it pains him so much more.

"Even you."

"Can we open them?" Felix asks, eyes lighting up.

"After eating," younger Minho says in a stern voice. "Otherwise, you'll get your dirty ass hands on the gifts, or on anything for that matter."

Y/N glances at Jisung with a knowing smirk that his friend returns, something he hadn't caught onto back then. She still hastens to give Minho a hand with all of the food dishes, not forgetting to give a napkin to each person. He knows he can be a bit peculiar with keeping his place tidy and he never wanted Y/N to feel pressured with that. Still, it visibly seemed to have been a common issue she and Jisung had with him.

"Y/N, I thought you were supposed to go back home for the holidays," Seungmin tells with food already being chewed in his mouth.

"I was," she confirms. "Minho and I determined we wanted to spend our first Christmas together and, sorry, but I rather be here than with my aunts. They were going to be all over me about not knowing what I want to do with life, I can spare myself from it."

The whole group lets out a laugh as they go on with their feast before discussing all sorts of things. Hyunjin and Chan are in the corner laughing their asses off, much to Minho's dismay who is keeping a close look at his white carpet. Hyunjin has always been clumsy and this wouldn't be the first time he spills something.

Present Minho watches it all, fully aware of what is about to happen. He never regretted getting mad at his friend for a small spoil but this kind of behaviour is one of the many that contributed to his separation. He sees what P is trying to do by showing him this.

"I get the point, can we go?"

P chuckles. "After you know what."

In shame, he observes from the corner of the eye himself exploding at Hyunjin for staining the carpet, Chan nagging at him for doing so, the boys uncomfortably watching the scene as they back away from him... and he catches a glimpse of Y/N getting the necessities to get rid of the sauce stain, not even complaining.

"I think we're good here," he tries again to convince P.

He receives a playful smirk from the spirit. "Are you sure?"

Minho groans but, nonetheless, nods. "Please."

P is quick to grab his hand and fly right back into the elevator, doors shutting behind them. He does give Minho a minute or two to recuperate from the sight before pushing the button 24. Minho's eyes are stuck on the lit up number and gulps, feeling suddenly hotter. That was last year.

"Don't you have another Christmas to show me before..." he trails off.

He is met with no answer and has to settle for the tranquility of the metal box going up. Anxiety keeps letting itself known through his body the more the number rises. Finally, after what felt like eternity to him, the ding sound signals that they have reached the level.

"You might want to prepare yourself for this one."

Minho huffs and glares at the ghost as to tell him "no shit". The doors slide open and they are already in his apartment. At least, P was kind enough to spare him from reliving what triggered the actual argument.

His cats are all doing their thing as normally. All seems out of the ordinary until he feels footsteps through the ground. He takes a deep breath in and watches Y/N barge into the place, hair messy and tears streaming down her face. The guilt pit down in his stomach when he sees himself step inside after you, throwing his scarf carelessly on a chair.

"Are you going to talk at least?" he asks, looking down at Y/N who scoffs at her boyfriend's question.

How dare he is the one demanding explanations from her?

"Are you going to talk about it?" she questions back, crossing her arms on her chest.

"Oh, come on, I didn't do anything."

"Telling everyone you want to call off the engagement is something."

P hisses in a disapproving way. "Man, you outdid yourself with this one."

"Shut up."

Y/N still waits for Minho to speak up but nothing comes out of his mouth other than his unsteady breathing. In a swift manner, she walks behind the counter and fills their cats' bowls in the meantime of waiting still for her lover to say something. But the man stays where he is, observing his surroundings in awkwardness.

"Minho," she finally calls out.

"I didn't call off the engagement."

"Really? Saying getting married is bullshit isn't telling everyone you don't want to marry me?"

"It's not like that. I meant it's not a necessity for us to know we love each other."

"You don't get that marriages can mean something other than that, it's so much more."

"It's an excuse to spend thousands of dollars on things that will last a day or two at most."

Y/N buried her face in her hands as she let out a groan. "You've always been like this."

"Realistic?"

"No, a grumpy old man. You can't see the beauty in anything."

Minho smirks for a second. "I see beauty in you."

"Don't try with your sweet words, Lee Minho," she says, raising a finger up at him. "You know exactly what I mean. I can give you so many examples. Firstly, you never buy me anything on Valentine's day because it's a marketing holiday. Then, you want every single aspect to be perfect and at their exact place although life isn't like this. And finally, you just see the negative everywhere, always pointing out what is wrong. What happened to my sweet Minho who would smile at the slightest thing?"

He remains quiet as he sits on one of the dining table's chairs. Not knowing what to do next, Y/N copies his actions and gets seated in front of him. They don't dare to look at each other just yet but Minho most definitely wants to. His ego too big, he doesn't budge.

"Minho, please," she begged.

"Alright, it's enough."

P lets out a huff. "The action barely started."

Clenching his jaw, he doesn't insist more and settles on looking at the ground while the scene he had been trying to forget about for almost a year was happening right in front of him. Minho hates it, his heart is bleeding in pain.

"I've grown, maybe that's something you should consider doing as well," he hears himself say.

Curiosity gets the best of him and he can't contain himself from looking at her, he never knew how she had reacted to his words. The view he has in front of his eyes makes his heart shatter in an instant. He swears he can see her soul leave her body just now. Had he really done this to her?

"What- Min, I-" she tries to speak, but struggles.

"Y/N, we want different things now."

She chokes out on her tears, the ones that she finally lets stream down her face since she had been containing them. She hated crying, especially with Minho.

"No, we want the same things," she affirms, her voice breaking. "You've just become too obnoxious and focused on your career that you don't see it anymore."

"You think I'm the obnoxious one? Y/N, have you seen yourself?" Minho asks in a loud voice as he gets up from his chair. "You're so full of bullshit with your positivity and ignorance towards actual problems, it makes me sick. Take the cat, for example. We don't have space for a third one but yet, here is Dori who can't even behave properly. And your Christmas decoration is taking too much space too."

"This is about space now?"

"Yes, I need space! And I'm sorry I cancelled our last date but I just can't deal with you right now. You're in the way and I can't work and- Fuck, I don't know how to tell you but we can't keep on going like this."

Her breathing is becoming more unsteady while the tears are still flooding out of her eyes. Present Minho approches her and tries to put a hand on her shoulder, but it goes through. Right, he forgot. He is not really there.

"I didn't want to call off our engagement. But maybe I do now."

Slowly, she gets up and walks towards their shared bedroom which leaves a perplexed and helpless Minho standing alone in the middle of his dining room. He hears unknown noises and hesitates on whether he should go to you or wait. But again, his ego takes over and he stays right where he is.

Soon later, only a couple of minutes, he sees Y/N walk out of the bedroom with one bag and two suitcases full of her belongings. His face dropped immediately.

"You're leaving?" he asks, desperate. No answer. "For how long?" Still silent. "Y/N, please, I know we can figure it out."

Her lower lip quivers as she sobs some more, trying her best to ignore the man in front of her. She dares to walk towards their front door, not acknowledging her lover for one second.

"My love, please," Minho tries once more.

And just like that, she walks out, door shutting quietly behind her.

"We've seen enough."

P is about to say no when he catches Minho's watery eyes. He taps himself on the back mentally, he didn't think he would break down so fast. Taking him by the forearm, he leads him towards the elevator. The doors slide shut rather fast, which Minho is thankful for. In a careful move, P presses the ground floor button and the elevator goes down.

Once arrived, the doors reveal Minho's bedroom. It looks the same as it did the night before. Minho takes notes on that, it means his night is far from being over.

"I don't think I'll be able to sleep."

"You will," P reassures. "I'll leave you alone, now. It was my pleasure being your guide for tonight."

As the two men exchange a small smile, more as a form of respect, P begins to glow, brighter and brighter. So much that Minho can't even look at him anymore and is blinded. He tried to look away but even then with his eyes closed, the light goes through.

Suddenly, there's nothing.

The morning is brighter than he thought it would be. He swears he saw on the news the day prior that Christmas day was going to be gloomy. The blue sky with the sun shining is definitely a pleasant surprise.

Enough with admiring the weather, Minho finishes rapidly his coffee, grabs his briefcase, and heads out to work. As he walks towards his building, he can't help but think of his dream from last night. He did expect dreaming of Y/N but not having to relive the day she left so vividly.

As he is about to cross the road, he feels his body collide with someone which is soon followed with the feeling of burnt. He curses out loud and is considering telling the other person off. Only, it is someone he hasn't seen in a while and who has a face he definitely recognizes.

"Hyunjin?"

The man cocks his head to the side and frowns. "Are you Mr. Lee?"

Minho, as equally confused, nods. "You don't recognize me?"

The Hyunjin look-alike seems to take notice of his whereabouts and clears his throat. "I apologize, sir. This is my first year working as a guiding spirit. Shall we start over? Hi, my name is P."

Suddenly, Minho has flashbacks of his encounter with the boy of the same name. Was he still in the dream? Or was the Chan spirit saying the truth? He feels a lump growing inside of his throat as the P man in question goes on about himself.

"I'm sincerely sorry about the coffee I spilled, let me fix this," he says before splashing Minho's figure with gold dust. The stain instantly disappears. "Now, where was I..? Oh, right! I'm P, short for Present. I was assigned to you to review your Christmas of this year."

At this point, Minho doesn't have it in him to protest. Without saying a word, he walks in the building as P follows him behind. This one spirit is much giddier than the previous one. The moment he steps in the elevator, he does nothing but look around nervously. It is with a heavy sigh that Minho empresses himself to push the button next to 25.

"I thought I forgot something, thanks," P laughs nervously, receiving a glare in return.

The ride up is quiet and awkward but when the doors open, they both step out in sync and walk along the trail of snow. The Christmas market is an event that the real Hyunjin takes part in each year. He always contributed with an animal rescue center to help them give puppies up for adoption.

This year is especially important to him, it is the first time he does it with his own dog rescue shelter. For the occasion, a few of the boys promised him they would come by to encourage him. Including Minho.

Far from the distance, Minho sees Felix and Seungmin arguing about whatever while Chan greets warmly their friend who has just finished setting his booth up.

"Guys, come look at the doggies," he calls the younger men who rush to pet the furry creatures.

"I'd call this one Seungmin," Felix jokes as he picks up a baby labrador.

Hyunjin laughs at the comment. "Her name is Daisy."

"Not very original," Felix allows himself to point out to which Hyunjin chuckles again.

His laughs trails off while he looks around, brows furrowed. "Didn't Minho say he'd come too?"

Chan sighs heavily, giving one of the poodles some scratches. "I called him but he didn't answer. Plus, we had an argument last time I saw him so I don't think he'll come."

"About Y/N again?" Seungmin asks and Chan nods. "The number of times I told her to talk it out with him, she really should call him. The guy is getting on my nerves."

Minho's heart stops for a moment. Not only because he finally knows what his friend thinks of him but also because he apparently has been in contact with Y/N, without his knowledge. He thought all of his friends haven't heard from you since.

"I told her too but what can I say? They're both stubborn," Felix shrugs. "I thought of stopping by her place today to see how she's doing but Minho would kill me if he discovers."

"Oh, please. He'd kill you if you even mention her name."

The four men share a sad laugh before changing topics. Hyunjin is careful with each dog as he introduces them one by one. All of it becomes a blur for Minho, he doesn't know if he wants to leave now or listen more to it. As much as it hurts him, he can't help but be curious.

"Did you know this?" he finally says, turning his body towards P.

"I did read it on the report paper before meeting you but, hey, I don't know you all," he responds with his hands up in defense. "We can go see her if you want."

Minho ponders for a moment. Was he ready to face her once again?

"No. Not yet."

"As you wish. Your friends are having a party tonight if you didn't know. We have to see that."

"I know, yeah."

P takes his hand as they float away all the way to Changbin's house. Before setting foot on the ground, he can already see all of his friends with Felix's fiancé, Chan's wife and Jisung's new girlfriend. Everyone is there. Except him.

He carefully approaches the group inside the living room where the girls are busy putting the presents under the Christmas tree. What takes him aback the most is seeing a tall and beautiful woman coming down the stairs before placing a kiss on Changbin's cheek. Since when is he seeing someone? It takes everyone a few minutes to settle down and serve themselves drinks. Once everyone is sat, they hold their glasses up for a toast.

"Who wants to do the honours?" Jeongin asks and Jisung immediately gets up.

"Merry Christmas, guys! Thank you for this year and thank you to Changbin for hosting the dinner tonight," he says, bopping his head towards him. "And let's have a moment for our Minho. He might not be here but he's in our heart. Let's hope he can get back on the right track next year."

There is a pause in the room, everybody suddenly feeling a wave of guilt and sadness. They know they've done everything for their friend, but they still feel like they should have tried harder.

Minho, this time, doesn't try to contain his cries. He walks up Jisung and smiles, just a little.

"Thanks, Hannie," he whispers.

"To Minho," he cheers, holding his drink higher.

"To Minho."

P lets out a cough, grabbing Minho's attention. "Not to be a mood breaker but I think you should see Y/N."

"What do you mean?"

"See what she is doing at this exact moment."

He surprisingly agrees with no hesitation and they both float away to another neighbourhood of the city. One Minho isn't too familiar with. This must be why she chose to move there, somewhere she knew she wouldn't encounter Minho. They float down at the apartment's balcony and Minho can see her right away through the window.

"You can go through walls," P informs and he does as told.

He's surprised to see her alone with her sister. She used to be a social butterfly, he wonders what happened. Deena sets the table while humming to Christmas music and Y/N finishes up with cutting the ham. It's not as Christmas-y as it should be, it's rather sad. The atmosphere is sad.

"Need help with that?" Deena offers.

"I'm good, thanks," Y/N answers as she brings the dishes on the table.

She looks paler than he remembers, maybe because of the lighting. Her hair is longer and she seems to have dyed it brown. She's also much skinnier.

"Thank you for cooking," Deena smiles warmly at her.

"It's nothing," she smiled back and begins to serve herself a plate. "I would have definitely given a piece of ham to the cats if they were here."

Deena shakes her head. "How many times did I tell you that I can go get them back?"

Y/N shakes her head too and sighs. "He loves them as much as I do, maybe even more. Who knows how he would survive without them."

"He's not really surviving, if you want my opinion. You should have seen him at the mall the other day."

Y/N shrugs while playing with her potatoes. "He's coping in his own way."

Her sister lets out a groan, desperate. "Jeez, you two are so sad to see, it's depressing."

Well, if Minho wanted to be sure Y/N is still struggling with getting over their separation, he has his answer right there.

"I'll be fine and so will he. Besides, it's not like we lost everything. I still have you and he has the boys."

Deena deadpans at her and then points at her ring finger. Minho looks at it more attentively and allows himself to gasp quietly. Y/N still has the ring, the one he proposed to her with. After what he said to her, she still wears it?

She is quick to pull her hand off the table and cover it with her sleeve. "It's a pretty ring."

"It means more to you than that and you know it."

"He didn't want to get married and it's alright. We grew apart and it is what it is. Can we talk about something else now?" she says in annoyance.

"Y/N, Felix, when he called-"

"Stop," she cuts her off. "Felix doesn't know what happened. He doesn't understand."

"Okay, I'll stop. But just so you know, this is doing no good to anybody, especially the two of you."

Minho can't hear any more of it. In a second, he turns around and goes back to the balcony which indicates to P that the visit is over. The ghost throws some of his golden dust in the air and the elevator magically appears next to them. They step inside and press the button to the ground floor.

As it goes down, Minho is looking away from the spirit, he has a certain pride to maintain. P hesitates but decides to put his hand on the man's shoulder.

"Can I just say? In my whole year of working, this might be the only case where I really empathized with my client."

Minho moves his hand away from him and grumbles something under his breath. P doesn't hear it properly but it goes along the lines of "I don't need empathy, don't act like you care".

When they get to his room, the spirit is quick to take a leave, leaving Minho alone in his cold room. At least he has his cats. He has them because of Y/N's kind heart knew he needs them.

At least, maybe she still cares a little.

The formula is the same this morning. So much that Minho knows he isn't going to work and is still trapped in this weird loop of exploring his life. He doesn't bother dressing properly nor bringing what he needs for his job. He doesn't even change his cats' water.

The moment he walks in his workplace, it doesn't even take him a second to spot the ghost of his future. It's Jisung this time. Well, not him exactly.

"Hello, my name is-"

"F, I suppose? For future?"

The spirit, stunned, slowly nods. "Usually, people are happy to see me."

"I had a long night, buddy. Just show me what you have to show me and I can move on with my life."

F doesn't argue with him and he leads him to the elevator when he presses the button 30 right away. "We'll do the quick version since you're in such a rush. I would have gone through 26 beforehand but-"

"What happens next year?" Minho interrupts him.

"No, you want this to be quick. I respect that. It's Christmas anyway, I can make an exception."

"What happens next year?" he repeats.

F smiles knowingly before glancing at the button 26. Minho, hesitantly, goes ahead to press it himself to which the ghost responds with a satisfied smirk. Before he knows it, they already reached the level.

As the doors open, Minho soon recognizes Jeongin's penthouse. Looks like that year's Christmas is settled to be at his place. Jeongin is alone with Changbin as they seem to be preparing food and drinks for the guests they are expecting. It is soon confirmed when Jisung walks in without knocking, alongside with his girlfriend. In the following minutes, each of his friends, sometimes with a significant lover, come inside and the party gets louder and merrier. However, after Hyunjin arrived, it dawns on him that his future version himself won't take part on that year's dinner.

Just like the previous year.

After chatting some more about what they are up to in their lives (nothing much other than Felix getting married but everyone knows as they attended the ceremony), Changbin calls everyone for dinner and they sit around Jeongin's dinner table.

"Can I make the toast this year?" Jisung asks, earning looks from his friends.

"You did last year, I say our host of the night does it," Seungmin suggests and they all seem to agree.

So, a bit uncomfortable still, Jeongin gets up with his glass of wine in hands. "Thank you for another year of our usual Christmas party. I'm really glad all of you were able to come. Of course, we still have a thought for our Minho who won't be joining us, yet again, tonight." The guests exchange glances in agreement and let the youngest continue. "Merry Christmas and let's enjoy our meal!"

They cling their glasses together, wishing a merry Christmas to one another, and don't lose another second to attack their plates. Although it pains him to not see himself enjoy the feast with them, Minho is somewhat happy. At least, they still have each other.

"Why couldn't he make it, anyway?" Chan asks around the table, looking at anybody who might have the answer.

The only person to answer is, unsurprisingly, Jisung. "The last time I saw him was in September and he said he had some issues with the cats. I don't know if he was making up excuses but he seemed to be alright."

"It was a miracle he even showed up for my wedding," Felix scoffs, making Minho huff. "An even bigger miracle was that he didn't make a scene when he saw Y/N there."

"They left together, no?"

What Seungmin just said gives him some kind of hope. Wanting to be sure he would hear every detail, he gets closer to his friend who continues to speak on the matter.

"I know they drank a lot but has someone seen what they were doing?"

"He was cuddly," Jisung answers. "No, clingy as hell. Poor Y/N who had to drive him home."

"They could have made up then?" Chan questions and Jisung nods.

"But we all know him, he missed his chance to fix things again."

"I really thought inviting both of them would have put an end to their mishaps," Felix sighs, discouraged. "I'll send Minho a message later."

"We could call him all together?" Chan suggests but by the reactions of everybody, this is not an option.

Just like that, they change subject and continue to discuss cheerfully about everything and anything. F gives a sad smile to the man, who watches the scene feeling beaten. There must have something really wrong with him that his closest friends wouldn't even wish him a merry Christmas.

"Where am I while all of this is happening?" he asks the ghost.

Carefully, he is transported away from the penthouse and directly to his apartment. The moment he takes in the sight of his place, he sees how nothing much changed in a year. Everything is still where it was during the present year.

His hair is longer, he notices. Not only that but he grew a bit of a beard, a choice he questions a little. His cats are still doing their thing, none of them appear to be sick. What particularly catches his attention is the glass filled with a bright yellow liquor that is set next to him as he scrolls down through his feed on his tablet.

Is he drinking? He does have a few occasions where he'll consume alcohol but a glass full of whiskey is new.

Soonie jumps on the counter and, unlike what Minho would automatically do as of right now, his future self pushes the cat off. He gasps in horror and runs to catch his pet. Only, he did forget he isn't actually there and that things pass through his body. Fortunately, Soonie is fine.

"I should text her, at least," he hears himself say.

The man he sees is far from being remotely close to what he is. Hair messy, tie loosened and a beer belly growing; he wonders what caused him to let himself reach this point.

Future Minho opens his e-mail app and clicks on New Message. He is quick to find Y/N's e-mail address, which real Minho takes as a sign he must have done the same more than once in the last year. He tries to read what he is typing but the amount of typos is quite overwhelming. Despite that, he manages to make out a somewhat coherent note.

___

Hey,

I know I should probably not be writing this but it is Christmas today so, merry Christmas. Remember how we used to go out with the others and play stupid games until late? Then, we'd come home and I'd make you a hot chocolate before going to be? You remember all of that, don't you?

I miss it, and I miss you. I know I said I'll stop writing but you broke my heart, Y/N. How can I forget and ignore what happened? You left so suddenly for no reason. I should be furious, maybe I am. No, I know I am. I still can't help myself but longing for you.

Have a jolly holiday, even if it's without me,

Min xox

___

"Wow, that's pathetic," Minho breathes out after reading. He turns to face F and frowns. "That's a year from now?"

"Precisely."

"No, it can't be. I'm alright, I moved on."

F visibly tries to contain himself from speaking on that, but he can't. "You're one oblivious man."

"I am okay!"

F scoffs. "Sure. Now, shall we visit you at 30 years old? It's Christmas and I have others plans after this."

Minho keeps finding it ridiculous how these ghosts continue to act as if they are actual people. He's still dreaming, why would he bother imagining spirits with personalities?

He is soon led to the actual elevator of his apartment building where F presses the button quickly. Once the level reached, the doors open to a beautiful wedding reception, leaving Minho confused. He does not know anybody other than Felix, who is supposedly already married by then, who is engaged.

The two men walk around the room, recognizing a few faces, and Minho finally spots himself sitting with his friends. At least he isn't alone, he tells himself. He goes straight ahead to observe the scene where he is obviously bored and sick of being there. He does notice how his appearance seem much better than before with gel in his hair and a tuxedo well ironed on.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Chan asks him in a concerned voice.

"Stop with that, I'd leave if I wasn't fine," Minho rolls his eyes.

"You haven't spoken to her, though."

"You really are good at observing, Chan," Minho responds in a mocking way and the older man simply sighs.

Suddenly, the entirety of the room begins to cheer loudly and clap. Minho tries to follow their gaze to find out who they were waiting for. After moving around to see through the dozens of head, he finally spots her. And him.

Y/N. It's her wedding. And she invited him of all people?

His brain short-circuits and he feels his heart pounding faster and faster. He can't think properly anymore, the only thing he can vividly see is her. How she smiles at every single person who congratulates her. How she clings onto this man as if her life depended on it. But most importantly, he sees how her smile just gets sadder when her eyes stop on him.

He knows time stops for the two of them before they walk towards each other. He knows so many things are still left unsaid. Gaining back his consciousness, he follows himself to watch what is about to happen.

She hugs him, a bit awkwardly. "I didn't think you'd come. Thank you."

"Congratulations," Minho says, retracting from the hug as fast as he can. "You two make a fine couple."

"Thanks," she chuckles. "Look, Min-" she starts but Minho shakes his head.

"Don't, it's okay. Enjoy your day."

Grateful, she sends him one last smile and moves to thank other guests. Chan, at this point, can do nothing else but pat his friend's shoulder. Surprisingly, Minho doesn't budge. He does, however, let one single drop fall from his eye.

"That's it?" he exclaims, now looking at F. "I'm not even trying? I just gave up? What even happened between then and that moment?"

"I've shown you plenty, you can figure it out by yourself," F says calmly and then begins to walk back to the metal box.

Minho, refusing this as an answer, runs to join him hastily. "Who's this guy, anyway?"

"Does it really matter? You two are not together anymore."

"Yes, if it can help me to prevent this."

"So you don't want her to be happy?" F perks an eyebrow making Minho groan in frustration.

"I'm asking you what I need to do to change this. It can't be like this. I'm the one who's supposed to marry her."

F smirks as they walk in the elevator, presses the button to the ground floor and finally looks at the man. "You know what has to be done, you're just afraid."

"Of what?"

"Oh, please. Stop with the act. How has the last year really been like for you?"

Minho gulps, already feeling himself choke up. "I-" he starts. "It's been hell."

F nods. "What else?"

"Y/N was right, as she always is... I'm the one who lost myself with time. I did want to marry her and I did not think she was obnoxious. Certainly not..."

He starts to cry, heavily this time. There is no more hiding or denying, he just said it all out loud. Regrets and pain, that's what's been eating him. He sobs as everything finally hits him so brutally. He lost Y/N for good. Or he will lose her for good if he keeps acting the way he does.

And his friends, the only people who stick with him through everything. The ones he keeps pushing away in fear of himself.

"You're home," the spirit says, interrupting the moment.

Minho doesn't hesitate to crash into his bed and sob some more. Even if F wanted to leave so badly, he doesn't think he should just yet. Cursing at himself, he comes to sit on the bed and pats the back of the broken man.

"It's alright, let it all out. You've had a rough night."

Minho hiccups and sniffles before glaring at the ghost. "No shit."

"You know, I think you can fix this."

Minho shrugs. "I've been horrible to everyone."

"You acknowledge it, that's a start. From there, only you can decide how things will be." F looks at his watch for a second and gasps. "I'm late for my next human! Good luck with everything."

Minho doesn't watch him leave. He is still crying but he has no more energy. He desperately wants to wake up, but mostly, he wants to see Y/N.

Minho doesn't wake up until the later morning. With the dream he just had, the sleep deprived guy seriously needed more than eight hours of resting. He does miss out work but, honestly, is not bothered the slightest. In fact, he is grateful he won't be working today.

After feeding Soonie, Doongie and Dori, he determines he should catch up on the gifts he planned on offering to his friends. Walking to his home office, he pulls out the wrapping paper he hadn't touched in a while and begins to wrap each and every single one of the presents he bought. He is definitely happy to have made some purchases the day he went shopping with Chan.

The task does grow tiring and boring after a while. To keep himself motivated, he plugs in his speaker to play some music and hums alongside the lyrics. He hasn't done that for a long time. As he is about to skip the current song playing on his playlist, his solo karaoke session is interrupted by a call coming in.

Not bothering to look at the contact, he answers happily. "Merry Christmas, you joined Lee Minho. How can I help you?"

The other side of the line is silent but he can hear that there is someone. Frowning, he repeats himself to encourage the person to talk.

"Minho, it's Changbin."

"Oh, hey! How are you doing? I was about to call you to ask what you wanted me to bring for tonight."

He senses that his friend is quite taken aback and he smiles proudly to himself.

"You're coming?"

"Unless I wasn't invited-"

"No, no," Changbin cuts him. "You're always welcomed, you know that. I'd just expected you to say you have work or something."

"I was supposed to clock in but I didn't feel like going to the office. Oh, by the way, can I ask a favor from you?"

"Uh, yeah, go ahead..." Changbin replies, skeptical.

"I know you're still in contact with Y/N."

Changbin, on his side, freezes. "How did you- Min, I swear we all wanted to tell you-"

"I'm not mad. I just wanted to know if you could possibly invite her and Deena for dinner, please? Don't tell them I'll be there, though."

"Are you certain?"

"Yes, I want it to be a surprise."

He doesn't say anything for a minute, processing what is happening. "Then, I'll invite them and say you aren't coming."

"Good! See you tonight! And tell your girlfriend I'm excited to meet her!"

He doesn't let Changbin question him on how he learned about his girlfriend and hangs up. Resuming to his activity, he stops when he sees Soonie playing with wrapping paper. Filming him, he coos at him before giving him loving scratches.

"I won't ever hurt you, I promise," he tell his cat, recalling what happened in his dream.

When he has finished with wrapping his gifts, he goes to his closet to find an appropriate attire for the night. For the last year, he hadn't wore anything other than work clothes and sweats. The nice shirt Y/N once bought him catches his attention. The dark green buttoned blouse seem to be a perfect match for his black clean pants. He changes fast and does not forget to add a few pieces of jewelry to finish his look.

He is all set to go. But one look at himself in the mirror at his entrance stops him for a moment. It suddenly clicks that he is a couple hours away from seeing Y/N again, for real this time. Although terrified, he has found some peace with it from the events of the previous night. He wants to make things right.

And one thing he can do just now is call his parents, the ones he has been ignoring for a year. He did expect his mother to cry but certainly not his father. Both incite him to come to his hometown in the following days and he can't refuse the invite. Not when they are begging with their puppy eyes.

"I'll come for New Year's, does it sounds okay?"

His mother nods vigorously through the screen of his phone. "Will Y/N be coming with you?"

He might have left out that he isn't with her anymore. Seeing the look on his parents' faces, he does not have the heart to tell them yet. Instead, he goes with a safe answer.

"I'll see with her if she can clear her schedule, but no promise."

"Tell her she's always welcomed here whenever. Merry Christmas, son!" his father wishes him adoringly.

He smiles, feeling suddenly nostalgic. "Merry Christmas to you two!"

And he hangs up.

Before going to Changbin's place, he doesn't forget to stop at the Christmas market to pay his friend, Hyunjin, a visit. Mentally preparing himself to face a pissed off Chan, he strolls between the booths and stops at a few of them. Some are selling soaps, a lot of them in fact. Others sell clothes they crocheted themselves and a few offer samples of their baked goods.

A few minutes later, Hyunjin's golden locks are easily found from afar. Minho also spots Chan, Seungmin and Felix. He has a heavy case of déjà-vu when he sees the four of them discuss with frowns on their faces.

Discreetly, he walks towards his friends who don't take knowledge of his presence yet. That is until he arrives right behind Felix.

"-stopping by her place today to see how she's doing but Minho would kill me if he discovers," the man is telling the others, oblivious that Minho is hearing everything.

Seungmin gulps and nods his head towards him but Felix cluelessly frowns. Hyunjin does the same which finally makes him turn around and come face to face with Minho. His eyes grow twice their sizes and his mouth opens slightly in shock.

"Hi, Yongbok," Minho says, unbothered. "Cute puppies you got, Hwang."

Hyunjin smiles, thankful. "Do you want to pet one? I've got this chihuahua that looks like Kkami."

He doesn't have the time to answer when a small dog is suddenly placed in his arms. With no complaint, he pets the puppy affectionately. The four men look at him, rather confused, and say nothing. They simply have no idea on how to react to this.

"Minho, what I said about Y/N- She- Uh... We-" Felix stammers out his words but Minho interrupts him.

"I know and it's all good. She is your friend too, I can't be mad at her for wanting to keep you all around."

"I see you've made some thinking," Chan finally speaks up, eyes stern.

"You can say that... I'm sorry about the other day, you were right. I shouldn't have shut you out of my life," he admits, much to his own surprise.

"Apology accepted," Chan grins. "A little birdie told me you asked Changbin to invite Y/N and Deena for dinner."

Seungmin's eyes lit up. "So you changed your mind? You'll come?"

Minho huffs. "I never said I wouldn't come."

Hyunjin sneers. "I know someone who'll be ecstatic about that."

The girl paces the floor nervously, biting her nails as she waits for her sister to arrive. Even if Changbin assured to her that her ex-fiancé wouldn't be attending the party, she can't help but feel like he will find out. She already feels guilty for keeping contact with his friends, who knows how he would react if he learns she went to celebrate Christmas with them.

As Deena finally walks in the apartment, she lets out a heavy sigh of relief. "Finally!"

Her sister rolls her eyes. "It took me barely five minutes to get here."

"Still," she chuckles sheepishly. "Thank you for coming with me."

"What would you do without me?" she exclaims dramatically. "For real, it's very nice for them to invite you. Especially after last year. Plus, it's better than our sappy sister date night."

Y/N lets out a small laugh but resumes automatically to biting down her lower lip in nervousness. Deena notices it but doesn't comment on it. Instead, she rushes her to leave, saying they will be late otherwise.

In the car, Y/N can't wait any longer. She has worries and needs to let them out or she'll go mad.

"What if Minho ends up showing up?"

Deena gives her a look but answers nonetheless. "He won't. And if he does, he'll have to suck it up and be an adult about you being there."

"Do you think he'll get mad when he discoverd that I still talked with the guys?"

"Y/N, for fuck's sake, it's not your problem to deal with! He's the one being a little bitch. Besides, you're not with him anymore."

"It doesn't mean I want to hurt him... and..."

She doesn't complete her sentence since she knows Deena must have understood right away. Y/N is still hopelessly in love with Minho. As much as she believes that leaving was the right thing to do, there were so many instances where she tried to convince herself that he'd change if she goes back to him.

She knows, deep down, she might be right on that.

"I can't believe you're actually here with actual presents!" Jisung almost yells as he brings his friend into a warm hug.

Hyunjin scoffs. "Let the man breathe! See, Min? I told you."

Minho taps Jisung's back a few times as to tell him to let go but he refuses, tightening the embrace. Jeongin is the one to break them apart to be the next in line to hug Minho. Everyone is baffled by his change of heart but they look past it and are simply grateful to have gotten their friend back.

"So? Is she coming?" Minho asks Changbin once he greeted everybody one by one.

"She confirmed she is."

Chan frowns and takes him by the shoulders. "Are you sure you want to talk to her?"

"Things were left unsaid, I need to clear this out once and for all."

Ding dong.

Oh. Now things are getting a bit too real, and panic begins to settle throughout his entire body. With once glance exchanged with Chan, it somehow reassures him. Still with his heart beating fast, he retreats himself behind the group as Changbin goes ahead to open the door.

She looks just like he remembers, stunning. There is, however, a hint of something he can't quite understand. She is paler and shyer. Past that, she is the same. While hugging everyone with her bright smile on her face, she shines. Minho is not too sure if he wants to ruin her brightness by letting his presence known. Looking around nervously, we wonders if this was a bad idea after all.

Before he can escape, he hears his name being called from afar; Jisung. Cursing at him mentally, Minho steps aside from behind Hyunjin and waves, embarrassed.

To no one's surprise, there is a moment of awkwardness settled in the room. While Minho is too ashamed to look back at her, Y/N can't rip her gaze away from him. She can't believe he is actually there. She has to make a mental note for later to smack Changbin for lying to her.

The moment is interrupted by Deena, thankfully. "Hey, Minho! I didn't think you'd be here."

"Hi Deena," he replies in a small voice.

This seems to be enough for the others to resume to their thing: Changbin taking his guests' coats to the other room while his girlfriend offers drinks, Deena putting the presents under the Christmas tree, Chan's wife and Felix's girlfriend sitting in a corner to discuss... Y/N, however, does not budge. Not until everyone leaves the entrance, revealing Minho standing in front of her.

"You dyed your hair?" he finally says, more or less to break the weird tension between the two.

She chuckles and runs her fingers through her longs brown locks. "I did, I thought a change might be good."

He nods as he puts his hands in his pockets, rocking his body back and forth. Now what? He knows he wants to talk about the obvious, but how?

"You're wearing that shirt," she points out with a smile. "It fits you well."

"Thank you. Your dress is cute."

"Thanks. I haven't wore this in a while."

"In a dress or not, you're cute either way."

She blushes. It's not as bad as she thought, they can at least do small talk. Still, this is far from being what she was used to with him. It suddenly snaps in her mind how much she missed him.

"I'll go get a drink, you're welcomed to come along," she offers which makes Minho smile.

Changbin's girlfriend makes no complaint when Minho asks her to make a specific drink, one Y/N would always get when they were together. It does not get unnoticed by the latter and she is amazed he remembers such details even after not speaking to each other for a whole entire year.

"You seem to be doing good," he comments once they get a hold of their alcoholic drinks.

"I'm not too bad. I joined a new law firm and, hopefully, they'll let me work on a case on my own."

It pains him to know she is still struggling with work, this was never an issue for him. "One day, someone will recognize your competence."

"Easy for you to say. I've heard you climbed status and have your own office?"

"Which one of the boys told you that?"

By the look on her face, he has managed to surprise her. "So you know."

He takes a sip of his glass and shrugs. "It did hurt a little that nobody told me but it's alright. You needed them as much as I did."

Her eyes soften. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I'm the jerk here. I pushed you away to the point you left and after you did, I was so close to losing all of my friends. You did nothing wrong."

She moves her head to the side, unsure on how to react. "We both made mistakes."

He scoffs. "Maybe, but you have to admit I did things way worse than you."

"It's alright, we're okay now. It wasn't meant to be."

His heart tightens and he scoffs once more. "What if it was?"

"Minho-"

"No, Y/N, listen to me for this one. Please." The gleam in his eyes convinces her and she nods for him to continue. "I don't know exactly what happened, it might be work, but I lost myself at some point. I never thought weddings were bullshit, not once in my life. My dream the moment I met you was to put a ring on your finger."

Minho stops himself and gives a scan around to make sure nobody is watching. He is thankful when he realizes his friends are busy with watching a funny video on Felix's phone. With no hesitation, he takes Y/N's hand and moves her sleeve up to reveal her engagement ring, still beautifully worn on her finger. Embarrassed, she is quick to retract her hand back in hiding. How did he know if she has been hiding it as soon as she saw him?

"And I think you might still want that."

Her eyes get watery when she forces herself to stare back at him. "This year has been... a lot. I was not ready to remove it just yet and, I guess I just got used to wearing it."

Although tempted to correct her as he know the truth, Minho does not insist any more. Instead, he sends her a look that says he understands. Almost as if it was planned, Chan calls everyone in the living room to open the presents and to, as they do every year, make a toast.

It takes a few minutes until everyone is sat and silent but once they seem good to go, Chan nods his head at Minho. "Why don't you do the honours this year, Min?"

"Oh, um..."

"I think it won't be appropriate if it is anybody else other than you," Seungmin adds to which the others seem to agree on.

Reluctantly, he gets up from his seat and clears his throat. "First of all, I'd like to apologize for the way I've been acting. I was going through a lot and I shouldn't have imposed it on you, I'm sorry. Second of all, thank you all for sticking by my side although I was a total asshole."

"Heck yeah, you are," he hears Changbin jokingly respond.

"Something else I want to mention," he continues, ignoring his friend, "is how much regret I've felt this year. Y/N?"

All eyes move to her figure by the mention of her name. She looks at Minho, feeling a bit intimidated, but smiles to let him know she wants him to go on.

"I've never loved anyone else more than I have with you. I am aware things were not ideal but you brought the best out of me. I'm sorry I had to be the one ruining this for us. I love you still and I can only wish you the best from now on." He gives the others a last glance before raising his glass. "Thank you Changbin for hosting this year's party, and merry Christmas!"

Even though the entire room cheers and applauds in response to Minho's sweet speech, Y/N is not mentally there anymore. Her mind going wild, she can't think straight other than what Minho has said. She undeniably still loves him, more than she'd like to admit. But is she ready to let him in again?

"Hey," Deena calls her out, shaking her away from her thoughts. "You might want to figure some things out with lover boy."

Her face grows red. "You think so?"

"He just left outside to go for a walk but I'm sure he isn't too far yet. Go join him."

"I don't know..."

"Y/N, stop being in denial. You still love him, he still loves you, he obviously wants you back... Just go get him already."

Slightly intimidated by her sister, she doesn't need to be told twice to go grab her coat and boots, and walk out the door. She expected for him to be at least further away on the street but it is definitely a surprise to see him sitting down on the porch. His back facing her, she quietly approaches him and sits beside him.

There is a moment of quietness before he finally looks at her. "It's snowing."

She chuckles. "Thank you for the info, Mr. Obvious."

They share a laugh and both go back to watching the snowflakes fall. It's calm and peaceful, Minho loves it. It painfully reminds him of many occurrences where they'd watch outside the window for no reason on snow days.

"That was a good speech you just made."

He smirks. "I know."

His playful demeanor is something she doesn't remember seeing in the last moments of their relationship. It feels nice to see him back, as himself.

"What you said earlier, did you mean it?"

He frowns. "The part about regrets? Yeah, I mean, I was an ass and it didn't help me getting better so... I just know I want to fix it."

She shakes her head. "Not just that. The part about still loving me."

He moves his eyes from the snow to her own and she looks at him expectedly. She is so pure, he hates himself from even thinking he had hurt her. Carefully, he takes her hands in his and sets himself just a bit closer to her while still giving her space. He feels the sweat on his forehead, waiting for either getting rejected or getting the love of his life back. Either way, he has to say it. He's been putting it off for too long.

"I meant every word I said, I still and will always love you. How can I not? You're sensitive, smart, beautiful, and so caring. You always put me before yourself. So far, you were ready to give up your cats so I could have them because you knew I needed them."

"Minho-"

"No, you don't get to interrupt me until I'm finally done saying what I have to say. Y/N, never once did I think you were obnoxious. You see beauty in everything, something I'm incapable of doing and that's what bugged me. It bothered me how you are so perfect while I am not even close to be as loving as you are."

She scoffs with a knowing smile pending on her lips. "Now, I'll have to cut you here. You don't see yourself how I see you, Minho. Why do you think I fell in love with you in the first place? You have your own little ways of showing affection, each cuter than the other. I don't mind the rest because I know you do love me."

"I hurt you," he argues sadly.

"And I forgive you, just as long as you don't do it again," she grins, tightening her grasp on his hands.

Minho raises an eyebrow in confusion. "You forgive me... As in-"

"Don't make me say it, I have my own pride too."

Minho wipes away his tears he hadn't realized were starting to fall on his face and doesn't lose another second to bring her close to him and crash his lips onto hers. They're just like he remembered and maybe better, sweet and soft. At that point, both of them are crying. Only this time, it's not because they are hurting. So many feelings are said through the kiss and not a single one is coming from pain. It's sereine and warm, Minho can feel his whole body get lighter.

"Fuck, I missed you so much," he says when they break away, holding her close to his chest. "I'm never letting you go again."

"You better," she chuckles through a sniff.

The door behind them opens wide with more than seven pairs of eyes on them. Minho blushes while Y/N hides herself in the crook of his neck.

"So we good? Everything is sorted out? Please, the food is ready and I'm starving," Jisung complains, receiving a smack from Changbin.

"You're not starving and let them have their moment!"

Jeongin sighs. "I think the moment was already ruined.

The couple, who are still sitting, explode in laughter before getting up and joining their friends in the warmth of their home where Changbin's girlfriend has selected a nice Christmas playlist to complete the ambiance. Music Minho recognizes to be Y/N's favourites. A coincidence? Probably but he likes to believe it isn't.

While the boys congratulate him for being back together with his love, Minho looks outside through the window one last time. He isn't too sure if what he sees is right but four figures seem to look at him proudly.

While nobody is watching, he mouthes a "thank you" before the silhouettes fade away in the wind.

Minho still doesn't know to this day if what happened that night was real or not. One thing for sure is he can't be any more thankful for these spirits. Most importantly, he is finally in a happy place.

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Copyright © 2023 skzhua. All rights reserved.

[sashaisready]

Chapter Seventeen - We’re going on a little ride

Bucky Barnes Mob AU x Femme Reader

You're hard at work in Pepper's Bakery when notorious mob boss James 'Bucky' Barnes darkens your doorway one typical afternoon, and life is never the same again

18+ - see Masterlist for full list of warnings

Chapter 18

Series Masterlist

You saw the engine start up to leave and you broke into a sprint as you shot across the street before they could pull away (but made sure to check for traffic this time).

You whipped yourself in front of it, banging on the hood and yelling at the tinted windshield.

“Hey!! Hey! Come out right NOW” you practically screamed. “Get your chicken shit asses out here and talk to me”.

You knew you shouldn’t speak to the terrifying mob goons like that but any worries you had were drowned by your anger, and fear for Peter’s safety. Besides, you knew most of them by now.

The door zipped open and you were surprised to see Bucky of all people step out, flanked by Steve.

He watched you carefully as he emerged. He was in one of his suits but the jacket was gone, his white shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His vibranium arm glinted under the light of the street lamp.

“Don’t hit the car like that, Doll. The paintwork is very delicate”.

“Doing your own dirty work for a change, huh?” you spat.

Bucky chuckled as he stepped towards you. “You have a good night, Doll?” he asked, condescension dripping from him.

“Don’t fucking touch him” you spat as you pointed a warning finger at him and then to Steve. “He’s a good man. Don’t drag him into this”.

Bucky shrugged casually, shaking his head as if he had no idea what you were talking about.

“We wouldn’t hurt Mr. Quill, would we Steve?” Bucky said dubiously.

“Of course. Not our good friend, Peter” Steve replied in a monotone.

Your stomach lurched. Of course they had his full name. They probably already had his driving license and tax records on file.

“Bucky, please…” you pleaded.

He watched you attentively as you took a step towards him.

“We both just agreed to be just friends as neither of us felt a connection. Don’t hurt him. There’s nothing there” you explained calmly, trying to sound tougher than you felt.

Bucky smiled thinly. “I’m not a monster, Doll. I don’t just go around hurting people, despite what you may think. But I have to say, this is quite an impassioned defence of someone you’re ‘just friends’ with” he said sardonically, using finger quotes for your words.

Your panic gives way to anger again, his smug smirk a catalyst for your rage. The wine in your bloodstream certainly not helping your rational brain or negotiation skills in the moment.

“Well he is just my friend, alright? Not that I need to justify myself to you of all people...I don’t want him to get hurt because of me. I don’t know what sort of fucked up show you’re running here. I certainly can’t seem to get away from it, but I’ll be damned if I stand by and let innocent people get caught up in it too” you shout, practically spitting with rage.

Bucky sighs. “Doll…”

You raise a hand to silence him.

“No. You wanted to talk? Let’s talk. Steve, you can listen too if you want as James can’t seem to go ten feet without his guard dog. The fact is, I have no idea what your game is. I liked you a lot. Alright? I used to enjoy our little back and forth. Whatever it was. It was fun. And then we fucked and you treated me like a leper, cancelling our date and parading ANOTHER WOMAN in front of me days later at my own fucking workplace. Laughing at me. Watching me get upset and revelling in it. And then you send me eight million balloons and have your goons follow me. And I nearly get hit by a car trying to chase them off. And I meet a new guy. A nice guy who actually liked me who doesn’t treat me like a toy, or a cat playing with a mouse. And I can’t even enjoy that because I’m followed everywhere I go. And I tell you to leave me alone but you ignore me, just dig up information on my date and wait for me outside my house and have the gall to smirk at me like I’m crazy…”

You find yourself short of breath, the venom of your monologue catching you off guard. Your blood turns to ice as the reality of what you’ve said hits you, nervous he’ll lose it at you.

Bucky just stares back at you, unreadable as always. You briefly wonder if you’ve finally pushed him too far and you’re going to end up buried in the cement under a new apartment complex. Your stare snaps to Steve who also just returns your gaze, equally impenetrable. Bucky’s eyes briefly betray a slither of hurt too, and even though everything you’ve said is justified you can’t help but almost feel a pang of longing for him.

Bucky looks you up and down, your words ringing in his ears as guilt begins to overwhelm him.

“I’m sorry” he says forlornly.

You and Steve exchange a look of surprise. Neither of you saw that coming.

“I know I treated you badly after our night together, Doll. It was stupid. I lost my head a bit, thinking you weren’t into me. So I played a game, I thought it was going to be an extension of our banter and I misjudged it. And then I was too stubborn to apologise”.

He sounds quiet and subdued, a far cry from his usual self.

Your mouth falls open in surprise. “Oh…well. Thank-you. I appreciate that” you reply softly.

He approaches you and his hand glides into your hair, his fingers stroking the side of your head as he gazes at you. You find yourself letting him touch you, moving closer to him, entranced by his sea blue eyes as he continues.

“I’m sorry I’ve upset you. I genuinely didn’t mean to. I feel crazy around you, if I’m honest. Like I can’t keep my shit together. And it just feels like every time I try and fix it I just make it worse”.

You soften as you stroke his metal hand, intertwining your fingers with his. Your faces are so close together that you can make out every mole and freckle on his cheek.

“All you had to do was say that” you tell him softly.

Steve takes that cue to disappear back into the car, giving you both some privacy.

Bucky smiles, his flesh hand moving to your chin and caressing it softly.

“I think about our night all the time” he admits.

“Me too...” you admit, your eyes glazed with lust.

“I know I’ve got a lot of making up to do” he tells you, and you smile back at him.

“You really do” you smirk.

His lips crash into yours and you’re momentarily breathless as you allow yourself to be lost in the kiss. Every sensation from the last time comes flooding back as his tongue slips into your mouth and your fingers find their way into his hair. It’s so good. It’s perfect. It’s everything you want.

He pulls away briefly and rests his forehead against yours.

“Quill will be fine” he whispers. “He’s just going to get roughed up a tiny bit. Just to send a message. But he’ll be alright” he says soothingly.

You gasp, unable to comprehend his casual tone with the horror of what he's saying as you place your hands on his chest and shove him firmly away from you.

“What? Why?? He didn’t do anything!” You splutter furiously.

“I just need to be sure he understands that you’re just ‘friends’” he replies calmly. “And that my men see that he’s been dealt with. They know who you are to me. They can’t work for me with respect knowing I let another man take you out”.

You scoff, almost laughing at the ridiculousness of what he’s telling you.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” you practically scream at him. “I’m not like your fucking car that he scratched. We aren’t even together” you sneer, waving your fingers between the two of you.

Bucky shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. Messages need to be sent” he said coolly as his hands moved down to your hips. “Like I said, we’ll go easy on him, you don’t have to worry”.

You gasp in horror as you shake yourself away from his grip. Suddenly all of your rage and upset comes flooding back, the kiss long forgotten.

Every instinct tells you to flee. To get the hell out of there, away from this monster - away from the man who talks about beating people so casually that you’d think he was reciting a lunch order.

But you think of Peter. And he’s the most important person to think about right now so you can’t run. You couldn’t live with yourself if he got hurt. You need to make sure he’s safe. And to do that you need to speak Bucky’s language.

“Listen” you tell him firmly, your eyes blazing. “If anything happens to Peter. Anything at all. I will never speak to or acknowledge you again. And I mean that. I will quit the bakery and move my ass to a different state just to get away from you. You understand me?” you warn him. "Maybe even leave the east coast altogether".

He blinks at you, surprised by your outburst. You take his silence as your cue to continue.

“And I will spend the rest of my days trying to bringing your down. Police. Feds. Anyone. I mean it. I’ll just keep going until I find someone not in your pocket. You hear me?”

Your mouth is dry and you’re trembling but you’ve said it now. You just hope it’s enough, that it sticks.

After a beat of silence which seems to stretch on forever, he replies.

“You done?” Bucky questions, deadpan.

“Almost. Keep the fuck away from me, you fuckin’ sociopath” you snarl.

Bucky laughs. “Always the fiery one, aren’t you Doll? Alright. I won’t touch Quill. I promise. Scout’s honour. And I’ll leave you alone like you want. That’s no problem”.

You nod, surprised he acquiesced and expecting more of a fight.

He takes a step towards you and suddenly his eyes seem darker. You step away from him instinctively.

“But Doll, trust me when I say this…” he says with a quiet intensity which chills you. “If I ever hear that you’re going to the police about me...or the feds...I won’t be half as agreeable as I am right now”.

He cups your chin and squeezes your cheeks together in his metal hand as you feel your legs nearly give way from under you. His grip isn’t hard, but you feel the impact of his threat. He places a small kiss on your lips before releasing you and heading back to the car.

“I’m sorry we couldn’t make it work, Doll” he grins darkly.

The door slams and the car pulls away a second later. You’re left standing alone in the road, distant noises of the city gradually filling your ears as you catch your breath. You briefly fall to your knees, rubbing your fingers across the tarmac of the road in an attempt to ground yourself.

You finally stand again, exhaling. Peter is safe. You are safe. It will all be alright. You can make a new start. He won’t be bothering you now. You’ll be okay.

As you stumble towards your apartment you’re so worked up that you don’t even notice the scurrying footsteps emerging from behind you. Seconds later it all goes dark and you realise to your horror that someone has put a bag or a sack or something made of material over your head. The fibres scratch uncomfortably against your skin.

You try to scream but a firm hand clamps over your mouth and you find yourself pushed along by strong arms. You hear a car door opening as hushed voices chatter. You’re thrown inside a vehicle, crashing against the floor of either a van or a truck as you hear the echo of the engine rumbling beneath you. You try to scramble up onto your knees but someone grabs your hands, a zip tie is sealed around your wrists and suddenly you’re helpless. You desperately try to vault yourself up onto your knees again but a gruff voice you don’t recognise speaks and you stop in your tracks.

“Just stay right there, princess” the stranger tells you. “We’re going on a little ride. And you’re gonna wanna sit tight for it”.

You go to protest but feel something hard and metal pushes into the small of your back. Despite never feeling one before, you know immediately that it’s the barrel of a gun.

Finally you stay still as you feel your fear build, laying on the floor of the vehicle, waiting patiently for your next instruction.

*

Bucky’s head is in his hands as Steve drives them back to the house.

“Just had to double down on Quill, huh?” Steve asks, keeping his eyes on the road.

“Steve..” Bucky warns.

“Had her in the palm of your hand...after all this time and all that scheming…and you threw it away because you couldn’t resist a beating…”

“Steve…I swear to God…”

“Jussayin’. How can you literally be kissing her one moment and have her threatening to rat you out to the feds on you the next? That’s impressive”.

Bucky ignores Steve and sighs. He’s angry at you, fuming even – especially at your threat to rat him out. Not that you know a lot anyway, he has purposefully kept his world separate from you – but still, you’d been inside his home, you know nearly all of his men by name or at least by face. He was sure you still had at least some of the cash he’d given you, and it was possible a couple of the serial numbers could be linked to a job or two…

You didn’t have enough to take him down, not with his ironclad business fronts and hotshot lawyers – but you potentially had enough to make his life more difficult than he’d like.

But he knew Steve was right. He was so close to winning you round, and he blew it. He saw red when he’d seen you kissing Quill, lost his head for a second. This was how he dealt with things, it’s what he knew. Even if you and Quill had agreed to just be friends like you said, it had sent a barrel of rage through him that someone else had touched you. Had felt your lips against theirs.

Even though he knew it was all his own fault.

[y-rhywbeth2]

Tripping over a possible BG3 epilogue; how do you think the ascension of a new god of Ambition would impact Bane? Is Bane even still a god after Jergal shoos him away? Is there a court battle involved, or are Tyranny and Ambition hashing out jurisdiction and territory through mortal minions? Who tops this relationship? (is power dependent on the nature of the portfolio or the number of followers? because Gale has like 7 friends and a cat)

Bane definitely would try to take the portfolio, if he saw an opportunity (as would a few other gods. Lolth springs to mind). It's not guaranteed that he would succeed - he tried and failed to take war from Tempus - but ambition suits him very well and he'd want it.

Or he'd try to subjugate the new god of ambition and add him to the roster of 'servants.' With both of them having terrifically bad relationships with Mystra, whose power I imagine both covet, alliances wouldn't necessarily be out of the picture, but, oh, the ego clash. ... and in this moment I feel it in my waters: somebody somewhere ships god-Gale and Bane. Or possibly just Gale/Bane.

Or if Bane and Gale end up fighting, it's possible that Gale and Mystra would have to grit their teeth and play nice for a bit.

A god of ambition could theoretically take a chunk out of Bane's pool of worshippers, as many of them are the ruthlessly ambitious looking to climb the ranks. But mostly they're going to end up sharing worshippers, because these people are going to be making offerings to both.

As an out-of-universe thing, ultimately, Gale would lose ground to Bane just like Cyric did. Simply because of the status-quo of the setting. Bane is apparently one of those annoying inescapable, fundamental cornerstones of the settings existence. He's slightly everywhere and it drives me insane.

He's the BBEG. When 3.5e rolled around Bane was the one of the Dead Three they brought back. He's in paragraphs in books that should have nothing to do with him. Bane is fucking inescapable.

And not to diminish Gale's delightful levels hubris but I'm... actually not sure that Gale is more ambitious than Bane, though I'd certainly be interested to see that theory tested. Perhaps Gale simply hasn't had enough decades, world shaking plots and insane god-killing challenges to power through to show that he's the most ambitious.

As for the rest of it... oh, the nonsense that is 5e and divine rank on Toril, with BG3 making it even more confusing. Because we can't go an edition without fucking with the gods, nooo, that'd make life too easy...

A god's power is still determined by the amount of worship they receive, as far as I know. Worship given out of love and devotion is worth more than that given out of fear (hence why the dead three have more 'pleasant' aspects as a bringer of law/stability, a custodian of the dead and the dying, and a bringer of retributive violence to the desperate... and why Bhaal is the weakest out of the three, because even 'good' murder is not in high demand, so he's not seeing much devotion outside of his loving and loyal homicidal maniacs).

Bane is still a god; we're never truly getting rid of him any more than we're getting rid of Mystra.

How much power he's supposed to have escapes me. The Dead Three have been described as walking Faerûn in to bypass restrictions placed on the gods at the end of the Sundering (meant to keep gods from messing directly with the mortal world). And that's all the information I have on that. Presumably it's a Time of Troubles type deal: they can hang around in a non-corporeal state or possess mortals as avatars (and change to a new host when one dies). They can still do some miracles, draw power from their worshippers and grant divine magic, so long as their worshippers are in range. Their divine domains remain intact, even if they can't visit.

Here Gale technically has a minor advantage, standing at the rank just above quasi-deity, so he should have more power. But he also has less experience, a less established/influential church, less followers, less allies, more restrictions...

Gale has maybe 7 friends he can maybe call on. He doesn't have a cat, as Tara can't bear to look at him. He can make an army of not-Taras though, I guess. At six months old, I'm not sure Gale's done much divine networking yet. His best bets if he wants to fight Bane are Bane's old enemies: Torm, Cyric (nope), Mystra (HA!), Tempus, Helm, Lathander (probably your best bet), Oghma (allied with Mystra), and Ilmater (who is a bit humble to be getting along with Ambition)

I'd say Tempus and Lathander will have the most overlap.

Assuming the Dead Three and their alliances still stand, Bane can call on both Bhaal and Myrkul for aid, as well as Loviatar, Talona and Mask. If Bhaal and Myrkul still have their old alliances then Hoar and Shar might be convinced to get involved under the right circumstances.

There's also an obstacle keeping any friction between them low because Gale can't do anything much on Toril, actively, and the Dead Three are currently barred from the planes, so they can't reach each other to do anything unless they act through their priesthoods (although I guess the Three could personally murder his followers and burn his temples; Gale would have to direct his followers to counter this or attack them, he can't do it directly).

If Bane wasn't hanging out on Toril then they'd still be fighting mostly through their mortal worshippers. Although I imagine they'd have interesting interactions on Cynosure (a neutral meeting ground for the gods, connecting all their domains).

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA, (or, was I) for only taking one cat with me?

will explain the title as i go. also, this is about something that happened like a year ago but it still weights on my mind. backstory-ish first, so sorry for the length of the text.

I (20+) moved out a little more than a year ago to my first own apartment. My siblings moved out before i did, so now my moms living with only her boyfriend and the remaining cats. We had four cats before i moved out, all of which are allowed to go outside (i know, outdoor cats, they have been all my life and i didnt realize the danger they were in & being for the local environment when i was a kid). My new apartment is on the second floor. When i moved out, i decided to take one cat with me, because he really kind of imprinted on me since he was a baby and would constantly follow me around. And while i didnt like the thought of forcing an in&outdoor cat to suddenly only be indoors in a smaller space than our house was, i figured it would be fine if its him.

one of our other cats, which we got a few years after we got the cat i took with me, also really liked to spend time in my room and with cat 1. We got cat 2 from the animal shelter after his previous owner, an old lady, got dementia and had to give him away.

my mom and her boyfriend suggested i take both cats with me and not just one. i didnt want to for a few reasons:

(1. i wasnt sure how much cat 2 would like suddenly being an indoor cat in a smaller space bc he spent like 50% of his time outside and the other 50 in my room, 2. i wasnt sure if the apartment would be big enough for two cats 3. i wasnt sure how hed adjust to yet another new living place, because he took some time adjusting when we got him from the shelter and would meow/yell a lot when no one was with him until he got used to his new home. when i moved out i was about to start a new job training-ish thing which required me to not be home for some hours 5 days a week so the cats would be on their own a lot. and reason 4., which is were i felt kinda selfish: cat 1 is a shorthair cat and cat 2 a maine coon so all my clothes and stuff would be full of hair all the time, even when we tried to prevent it. i didnt really care as a child growing up bc we had a lot of long hair cats but i was kinda thinking that a new space with less cat hairs on everything would also be kinda nice)

i only told my mom and her bf reason 1, 2 & 3 bc i felt like a dick for reason 4. i love all of our cats a lot and leaving any of them at my moms place was really difficult because i was just so used of them always being there all my life. my mom told me after i moved out that cat 2 was still around my old room a lot and started spending even more time outside bc me and cat 1 weren't there anymore. and while hed start purring and cuddling when they pet him outside, he wouldnt spend time with them on their laps or on the couch a lot bc hed just get up and go somewhere else a lot of times.

thats kind of the backstory for this.

now for the (additional) reason i feel like i could be the asshole: my mom and her bf started going on trips a lot like 2-3 years ago, and he only moved in once i had moved out. so whenever they were on trips or she was visiting him, id take care of the cats and cuddle and play with them. once i moved out, they redid parts of the house (kitchen & bath) and got a lot of furniture from her bfs home. her bf likes the cats too, but he doesnt want them to be inside the house that much when they arent there bc he thinks they shed hair everywhere and could damage his furniture or something? so when they went on their next few trips, the 3 remaining cats would mostly be outside with access to a kind of sunroom? attached to the house. and either my grandparents or a friend of my mom would come and feed the cats every day.

me and my siblings didnt really like them suddenly having to be outside so much when it was normal for them to be inside the house even when we weren't home for all of our lives before that and told our mom too (by now she has seen our point and convinced her bf to let them be inside more so its getting better over time. but i wish we would have gotten our point across sooner.)

during one of their trips near christmas last year, when one of her friends was taking care of the cats, cat 2, the maine coon, disappeared. we dont know if he ran away or someone took him because his fur is so pretty or if he got into an accident. my whole family was really sad about him being gone and kept hoping hed come back and asked around irl and online if anyone had seen him. to this day, he hasnt been found. and i know that thats a (unnecessary) risk you take with outdoor cats. and that it was my moms and her bfs decision to keep the cats mostly outside and go on 1-3 week-long trips. but i still blame myself for not just taking him with me to my new apartment. looking back on it, all the reasons i had dont seem to have any weight at all and if i had taken him with me, hed still be around and id know hes healthy and doing good. and he wouldnt have been separated from me and his cat buddy.

so, was i the asshole for not just taking him with me to my new place when i moved out?

pet tax (in order):

What are these acronyms?

[lillylvjy]

memento mori

Chapter 1

A/n- well hello! So. This fic is my baby, so please treat it with care. I wrote it after my friends wedding I went to and never finished it, but guess what? It’s becoming a series! And I really hope you enjoy it as much as I do:-) also this is my story au!

warnings// none in this chapter but there will be in later chapters :-)

Edited

Words: 800 (short but it’s the intro)

Let me tell you a story.

I’ll try to make it short and sweet but, it’s not that at all.

Once upon a time,

There was a person who was in love with this guy. He was charming, kind, sweet… literally the definition of perfect to them.

Now let me switch it up, this person is you.

You were in love with someone you couldn’t have. You were in love with your best friend.

Since you were 5 and in kindergarten, Wilbur has always been by your side.

Wilbur. The short, scrawny and shy kid. You always called him the three S’s. He’d obviously get upset by that, but he couldn’t deny he liked the nickname.

And you. The curious, loud, adventurous, and weird person. Now Wilbur always called you ‘CLAW’ when any of those characteristics were very prominent.

Like, ‘oh no! The ‘CLAW’s out!”

You didn’t admit it, but it was nice having little nicknames for each other.

Enough with my blabbering.

You and Wilbur met in kindergarten.

It was a cold and rainy day when the teacher announced that you would all stay inside and watch a movie, or you could color after lunch since it was wet and muddy outside.

Wilbur, being the shy kid he is, sat in the corner looking out the window watching the rain pour down the window. He placed his finger on the glass and ran his finger down it, following a single drop until he couldn’t any longer.

You, being a social and creative butterfly you were, was drawing a picture, the best you could, of the scene outside. The whole top of the paper colored grey, as you drew vertical blue lines for rain and made sloppy brown circles for mud.

You then looked up and saw him. He had curly, brown hair that seemed super tangled and needed to be taken care of. He had glasses that were way too big for his small face. His clothes were baggy and messed up. His sweater had bleach stains everywhere, his sweatpants dragged on the floor, and his shoes were barely seen but you could see him in socks and what looked like sandals. You tilted your head as you looked at him. Observing and analyzing him.

But soon enough, he caught you at the corner of his eye and looked back at you, a questioning look on his face. You quickly smiled and grabbed your drawing as you walked over to him.

As you walked over, Wilbur was also analyzing you. Your hair was straight, but very frizzy and messy from god knows what. As you smiled, your two front teeth were clearly missing from haven falling out a couple days previous. You were wearing a long sleeved shirt that said, “girls rock!” You had jeans that came up around mid calf, and we’re definitely too short for you. Your socks were pulled up, most likely, to your knees considering he never saw where they cut off, and they were mix matched. One with cats with glasses, and the other with pock-a dots. And you were wearing run down low top converse.

“Hi! I’m Y/n! What’s your name?” You asked the strange boy. You never had a good memory, so you always forgot everything a day or a week later.

“Um… I’m William. But you can call me Will.”Wilbur said, mumbling as he looked down at his hands and played with them.

“Well! Hi Will! You look lonely over here by yourself, so I’m your new friend now ok?” You asked him, handing him the picture and sitting down next to him, looking out the window.

Wilbur looked down at the drawing and then at you with wide eyes. A friend? He has a friend? Someone wants to be his friend?! Finally.

He smiled. “Yeah. Ok.” He said while looking out the window as well.

“One thing. We have to promise each other that, no matter what happens! We stick together. We are a pair. Or as my dad likes to say, we’re stuck like glue. So if someone we talk to doesn’t like the other, we have to leave that person. Pinky promise?” You said as you held out your finger towards him.

He looked at your finger and then back up at you. He smiled and nodded, slipping his pinky into yours. “Pinky promise.”

“Oh, another thing! We cannot break pinky promises!” You told him as he nodded and you both turned back to the window.

And I know! You must be thinking. This isn’t going to be a bad story. It’s going to end up with them two falling in love and blah blah blah.

Well. We aren’t even at the best, yet worst parts of this story yet.

Just you wait.

Taglist: @deadphantomsociety @jadeissues @aimi-chann @art3m1s-adelia (if you want to be added, just ask lovelies)

[artiiistyxoo]

hiii~

sorry can i request members’ reaction to their s/o speaking in their native? (or just any other language that members don’t know)

thank you in advance, have a nice day💓💓💓

• enhypen reacting to their s/o speaking another language •

a/n~ sorry it took me so long to get to it!!

warnings~ none, lmk if you find any :)

genre~ fluff :D

pairing~ enha x gn!reader ( fem lean )

=====================================

heeseung~

heeseung would be in awe. like literally jaw dropped at your voice when you spoke your national language. heeseung was so used to hearing the same sounds everywhere around him so hearing your language would be like a getaway for him.

“please y/n, just this once?” heeseung whined, begging you to read him a story in your language even though we most likely wouldn’t be able to understand a single word of it. “ just this once okay?” you gave in. i mean, who wouldn’t? heeseung was the most precious thing in the world so who would you be to not give him what he wanted?

jay~

jay was multilingual so he already had a tiny bit of familiarity in hearing different languages but he was definitely in love with you whenever you spoke another language than korean. bonus points if you couldn’t talk korean in the first place. jay would make a huge effort to try his best to learn your language and would often surprise you with small sentences in it.

“y/n, can you help me with this word? what does it mean?” he asked you, sitting on the opposite end of the couch before flipping his phone over to show you a word written in your language. “ it means cat.” you say, a large smile covering your face. you must’ve done something great in your past life to have jay.

jake~

jake loves listening to you talking in your language so often when you’re on a phone call with one of your friends and you’re talking your national language, you would always have his ear pressed up against the door to listen to your voice. he found it oddly comforting when you spoke in that language and would take every opportunity to listen to you. maybe even ask you to talk sometimes.

“ yes mum, we’ll be coming over to dinner tonight. mhm” you spoke over the phone to your mum, completely unaware of jake who was sitting outside of your bedroom door with literal heart eyes.

sunghoon~

sunghoon never really payed attention to it whenever you spoke in your language and it just came normally to him whenever you said something in it. he loved it though, but of course he wouldn’t admit it.

“ sunghoon can you pass the.. the ( insert ketchup in your language) please?” you asked, pointing to the end of the table where it was, hoping he would get the hint of what you wanted and give it to you. his eyes followed what your arm was reaching to and soon slid the ketchup across the table to you with a huge smile

sunoo~

sunoo ADORED you. like i’d you asked him to get on his knees and pray to you, he would do it just to hear you even whisper in your language. neither you or him had any idea what was so good about hearing you speak in your own language but you both knew that he loved it.

“ say it again y/n!! please, i love how that word sounds!!” he exclaimed so loudly that you were sure he could’ve woken the undead. “ one last time sunoo, it’s the fifth time you’ve asked..”

jungwon~

this precious babie will definitely try and comply what you say. that’s literally it.

( frustrated yelling in your language)

jungwon:

( says the same thing but mistakes a few words.

niki~

niki loves when you talk in another language because it gives him another thing to tease you for. not because he thought it was weird but because he was secretly jealous

“ why do you say it like that?” he asked, copying a word you had previously said in your language, giggling when you pouted. “ i’m only kidding, you sound so cute”

a/n: sorry it took me a while to get to it hum, i’ve been super busy and tired recently so i’m sorry that it’s so shor. love you babies :) i hope this was okay

[corbietalons]

Hey I’m back and a lot has happened! Anyway, I have a new blog but please DM/ask me for the url. I’m sorry to say right now it’s mostly Warhammer 40k in general/Necrons specifically.

Quick rundown of major life events that happened in the last 5 years for everyone who only knows me on here:

1. I finally stopped running from the trans thoughts I’ve expended a ridiculous amount of effort fighting since ~2009. I use they/he and I’m out everywhere but work. I want to apologize for every shitty trans/enbyphobic thing I’ve ever said; it came from a place of deep denial and self-loathing.

2. Related to why I’m finally out: I had a preventive hysterectomy last year. One of the actually valid reasons I had for not medically transitioning was my major genetic susceptibility to uterine cancer. T doesn’t increase the risk much in normal people, but taking it before would have been asking for turbocancer.

3. Through an absurdly unlikely series of events, I went from what looked like a hopeless rock bottom to landing a steady job and two subsequent promotions. I now make about my parents’ combined income when I was a kid, adjusted for inflation. (However, I’m looking elsewhere due to offshoring concerns. If your place is hiring a technical/content writer/manager with low-level management experience, hit me up!)

4. Said job allowed me to buy a nice little house just outside Austin. I’ll hopefully never have to deal with the bullshit of renting again, something I never imagined could happen as of even two years ago.

5. My cat, William, died a few months after my last post here and Mr. Butts followed him two years later. I have since acquired a Chihuahua/Dachshund mix for convoluted reasons, but the short explanation is she adopted me as an emotional support human a couple years ago. I now no longer hate little dogs. I also just got a 4-month-old kitten. They’re both excellent creatures.

6. Between life finally giving me some major wins and continued therapy, I am in an excellent place mentally. Not spending a majority of my waking hours consumed by rage is a welcome new experience.

7. The D&D stuff I was working on in 2018 came out and was pretty well-received (here and here). WotC also contracted me to write a mediocre Adventurers League module that I’m less proud of (but made some nice dosh).

I think that catches everything up. See you around!

[mama-qwerty]

Callie worries about Eclipse finding out about the town junkyard, he'll want to bring everything from there home.

Maybe not everything . . .

~~~~~

Eclipse opened the door a crack, slowly sticking his head inside to scan the kitchen, and as far into the living room as he could see.

"Mom?" he called, his voice soft. "You home?"

When no answer came back, he slipped inside, holding his treasure to his chest. It squished against his scales, a faint smell wafting past his nostril slits. He smiled as he hurried upstairs to his room.

~X~X~X~

An hour later, Callie arrived home, Silver following close behind. The boy fidgeted with his new shoes.

"They feel funny," he said, his nose wrinkled in discomfort.

"They're just new, you'll break them in soon enough. Just don't use your telekinesis to fly everywhere for a while."

"Hmmph."

The two walked toward the kitchen when a smell caught their attention as they passed the stairs. Slowing to a stop, they exchanged a glance.

Callie furrowed her brow. "Do you smell that?"

Silver covered his nose with both hands. His sense of smell was much more sensitive, and he looked like he was almost in pain. "Gah, it's impossible not to."

"Stay here, I'll see what's going on."

Climbing the stairs, Callie sent up a prayer that whatever stink was permeating her house was something simple. The cats threw up something rank, they pooped outside their litter box, something crawled into the wall and died.

Her prayer was dashed as she stepped in front of Eclipse's bedroom, and the smell got stronger.

Of course.

"Monkey?" she called as she knocked. "Are you in there?"

"DON'T COME IN!"

Callie blew out a silent sigh through her nose. It's gonna be one of those days.

"I'm counting to three and coming in," she called, hand on the doorknob.

"HANG ON!"

"One, two, three!"

Callie pushed the door open and found Eclipse slamming his closet door closed. He turned and pushed his back against it, his eyes wide and tail flicking with nervous energy.

"What are you doing?" It came out as more a sigh than annoyance.

"Nothing."

She reached up and massaged her temples. Oh, this child was going to drive her insane.

"Eclipse," she said, keeping her voice nice and calm. "I am begging you to please, please, just tell me what's going on. I am in no mood to play 20 questions with you tonight."

The darkling didn't respond, instead pulling his lips tight.

She uttered a sigh. "Okay, so we're doing this. What's that smell?"

His eyes went wide. "What smell?"

"Eclipse."

"Maybe it's coming from Silver's closet. Not mine."

"Eclipse."

The boy flinched slightly, before sighing and pulling his closet door open. "Okay, fine." He reached in and pulled out . . . something. The smell actually got worse in the little bedroom. "I found her at the junkyard."

"Her?" Callie reached forward and took the thing, pinched between her thumb and finger. "What is it?"

"Dorothy."

The redhead cocked an eyebrow. "What's a Dorothy?"

"That's her name. Dorothy. She was all alone at the junkyard. I saved her."

Callie took a closer look at 'Dorothy'. It seemed to be an old dog toy, one that resembled an ostrich. A goofy looking ostrich, with stuffed feet, body and head, and nylon rope for legs. A tear ran along its side, bleeding stuffing, and Callie could see movement inside. Bugs. She wrinkled her nose.

The rest of the body was covered in some kind of filth, and she shuddered to think what it was, based on the smell. She felt like she was getting about a dozen different diseases just holding the thing.

"What . . . why . . ." Callie was having a hard time forming a coherent thought. "Why would you bring this thing home?"

Eclipse looked almost offended. "She was all alone! Abandoned! She needed me!"

Callie couldn't really say much to that. His own abandonment made him sensitive to this kind of thing. She couldn't very well tell him that maybe 'Dorothy' had simply worn out her usefulness. Even to her mind that seemed insensitive and cruel.

"You want to keep this thi--her, don't you?"

The boy nodded. "She needs me. She needs a home."

A soft sigh left Callie's lips. "Yeah, I suppose she does. But she needs a serious bath first. I think your brother's about to pass out downstairs."

Eclipse's face lit up with a smile. "Really? I can keep her?"

"Yeah, you can keep her. C'mon. Let's get her disinfected before we become ground zero for the zombie apocalypse or something."

The darkling nodded, and hurried after his mom to clean his new friend.

They spent the rest of the night cleaning and mending Dorothy. She got a good long soak in hot water, and a few turns in the washer. Then Callie mended the tear in her seam, carefully restuffing her with some cotton batting from an old pillow.

By bedtime Dorothy was fresh and clean, and Eclipse hugged her happily while Callie tucked him into his hammock.

"No more 'rescues' for a while, okay? I think Dorothy would get jealous."

Eclipse nodded with a smile. "Okay. Thanks, Mom."

"You're welcome, Monkey."

Callie kissed his forehead, and turned out the light as the little darkling snuggled in with his new little friend.

~~~

Like this? Check out my other shorties. Reblogs are appreciated!

[k00286723]

Sketches of my primary research!!

had loads to work with thanks to my little vlogs! I want to show some things that I saw often and talk about them cos its cool!

firstly I saw so many birds! lots lot murmuration (groups moving in unison) they were more or less everywhere, regardless of where i was. its been one of those things that won't you see them you can't unsee them. birds everywhere now. I had a video of a crow flying on and off of a spar sign so I drew that frame by frame. really beautiful to see how every little piece moves when they take off, I had to rewatch all of these videos over and over while editing so they're slightly engrained in my brain but also it means I've been able to really look at them and the details of everyday things. birds were so interesting with this frame of mind. the way a robin bops around vs a crow is like a little stalker.

secondly I saw so much human movement. this example is from my friend getting stuck in an alleyway because of her umbrella. it was a really windy day when I took this so I got the nice detail of the flow scarf. I got a lot of videos like this one, my friends bodies being weird, like jumping or falling (had loads of them not all postable though unfortunately). Just made me look at things like walking, dancing and bouncing around, more than usual. its strange paying attention to the way people just move unconsciously because then I stated thinking about the way I move! that was not fun let me tell you.

thirdly so much transport. used a bus eireann bus for this example, a picture I took while also on a bus! bus-ception! I had loads of examples to choose from of cars, bikes, buses, trains etc. even when the area was quiet, when I was in limerick there would be cars everywhere , constantly going. its interesting since they move as w whole form but when you really look at them , its just the wheels. I've Never been mad into cars before (outside of fast and furious movies) so this is when I started noticing the aesthetic details. also accidentally made eye contact with lots of drivers and got some insight into the people in the cars. the moving people. where were they going? what kind of journey are they having? what are they listening to on the radio, if they even are !? I have lots of questions no answers.

fourth was animals. So lots and lots and lots of dogs during this collecting. so many dogs it was brilliant. I love dogs. loads of other animals too though ! it was easier to get videos of my animals though and those are cats and dogs. thinking about how all us animals are made of muscle and bone and ligaments but are all moving in such different ways ? the dog in this example is a dog who walks around near my friends house, we don't know his name but he follows her everywhere. he walks in little strides, kind of like a gentle old man. has a harness on but we've never seen him with a leash. wonder what his movements are like when my friends not there , where does he go when there's no one to follow around ?

fifth is hands, I loved looking at hands honestly. they're so funky and have so many small minute movements. peoples hands are constantly moving I've noticed, for everything. mental reasons like anxiety, glee, fear, anger , nerves all make people move their hands. but physical reasons do too like an itch, heat, cold, greeting, grabbing a door last minute, catching a friend drink as it falls. so many movements and im so delighted to have caught some on camera. there's something very wholesome about watching humans be humans and that has spring forward. seeing holding hands, dancing together , head pats and high fives etc. I remember from biology that the hand has so many bones it it , and so many points of connection even when just looking at the fingers. when using hands as a language , there's so much you can say

6th (ill combine them) man made moments of movement. like the flag and the tire swing. both were only so active because of the windy day it was when I filmed. the tire swing called out to me because it was such a cool little frozen moment in time , like a time capsule! got me thinking about the motion of swinging, of kids waiting for turns, of plaits and pigtails swishing in the wind while u swing around to unfathomable (to little you) heights. the flag being there , means it was erected, many hands moved it from place to place, all the materials came from somewhere. how many hands touched the pole ? how many since it's been put up? the fabric in the wind is gorgeous, the light material got picked up so easily by the wind . other examples of this

fifth plants. they were boogying around all the time, when movement happened near them, when weather conditions changed, in response to animals interacting with. grass in the wind was my example here , grass is so cool and lightweight and moveable I loved watching it bend directions. lots of trees got recorded as well, sometimes the whole thing billowing around , sometimes just a few twigs

[zorkaya-moved]

He quite hates that he can't keep his hands off her.

She's attractive, he acknowledges—alluring by nature is the danger beneath her porcelain skin, the scars along it the only warning to her forebonding furtiveness. Even the fact that they are not supposed to be doing any of this made him all the more enthusiastic on seeking it, for one reason or another, and how she didn't even attempt to stop their guilty escapades made this all the more disastrous. All the more exciting.

His hands are on her again, though he pins her figure against a wall with only his weight. His hands rest gently on each side of her waist, pulling her body against him and pressing her voluptuous breasts against his toned chest. He sighs in delight against her lips.

"We will have to be quick and quiet here, now. We don't want to get caught, now do we?"

They're hidden from public view, in a corner of town that nearly nobody goes in. But it was still a fairly public area, risky with a passerby coming and finding them tangled in such a risqué position. It only makes him grin devilishly though. Perhaps he did this on purpose.

He cuts the space between them then, dipping her into a kiss. Yet despite his mischief, his pace is rather gentle and his licks are soft, his usual passion was rather controlled as his focus was completely put into savoring her this time—on leaving her breathless without rising their heat or their desire to take it to a bed.

It wasn't a loving kiss for sure, but it wasn't filled with their usual loads of lust, either. He allowed himself to deepen it, stationing a hand on the back of her neck and tasting her mouth with a quiet hum, while his tongue seeked hers and dragged her into its rhythm. Their secret, forbidden dance.

He wouldn't admit there was a tinge of yearning there. He hoped it would remain unnoticeable.

When he broke the kiss and opened his eyes, he made sure to lick his lips sensually—his gaze narrowed, watching her like a prey. Yet instead of doing any further move, he released her from his hold and moved away lightly, looking down at a small watch hidden in his uniform's pocket.

"Ahh... my breaktime is over, unfortunately. I'll see you around, Miss Zarina. Thank you for indulging me." He waves a hand then, and walks away from their temporary hideout.

@narvvhal

How long will they go on like this? This forbidden taste, this borderline betraying indulgence from both sides. It’s something that not many would be able to bask in, this warmth and this chill. The combination that wouldn’t be allowed for anyone unworthy, for those who are weak before pleasure and weak before beauty. They both are enjoying themselves too much despite being on the opposite sides. He knows she’s bad business, the worst he could ever meet in his life. It makes this whole ordeal far more intriguing, but also more dangerous. This closeness will bound to hurt, to scar, to kill. 

He may care if someone sees him with her, but not the other way around. Her reputation will remain a more pristine shade everywhere outside of Snezhnaya. It could easily be turned for her own benefit, this forbidden taste. This is why she follows him with a curiosity of a cat finding a new toy, it makes her feel wonder regarding what he wants to do now, here, in the alley where they stand and where they remain. The way his eyes gleam, he’s changed so much since the first time they’ve met. The change is a welcome one, but she did notice there are different emotions stirring within him when he would say her name or hold her or kiss. 

“ Can you be quiet? That’s the only problem we’ll have to avoid in this case, ” she, too, indulges in wrapping her hands around his neck. It feels nice to be in such close proximity to him, to be wanted, to be desired. It fuels her pride, knowing that he cannot keep his hands to himself even in such a public area. It might be different for him, but she thrives off this possibility of being found and seen. All because it would affect his career more than hers, a Harbinger who is found in suck a delicate position with someone who is known as the enemy of state, of their shared homeland. 

His devilish smirk doesn’t escape her, but she finds it rather adorable instead of threatening or anything down those lines of a predator looking at his prey. She doesn’t feel like one, her mind doesn’t see him in this moment as anything but a man who wants to feel her close and she always uses it to her advantage. The sin of lust has always been one to fear the most, but people keep tossing it aside like something that they shouldn’t worry about. This sinister attraction will hurt, but right now?  

Well, none of it matters when his lips already cover her own. He is as warm as ever, the weight he puts on her to push her against the wall is welcoming in its own way. The pace is much slower than she expected and there is something else in this kiss. Something that doesn’t fit his mischievous nature and his impish grin from before. It feels too soft, too slow, it lacks the lust and the passion they usually shared. He kisses her tenderly without love, but it could fool just any other woman if Sokolova wasn’t who she was. Her hands would no longer be wrapped around his neck but now resting on his shoulders. The way he would bring her closer with the palm against the back of her neck was strangely careful. 

Is this how it could’ve felt to be kissed tenderly by someone she cares about? Such question causes her ice cold heart to beat just for a moment quicker. This softness and this slowness had something else mixed in it, something so small others wouldn’t notice, but Zarina wasn’t ‘others’. This yearning, this tiny and small seed of yearning that Tartaglia was not allowing to grow and blossom. This kiss on its own was intoxicating to her, not in a way their passion and lust was, but something entirely different. It caused her distress, a great source of distress. Unlike before, she doesn’t take control and doesn’t kiss him back as feverishly as she usually does to dominate him. Instead, she lets him do as he pleases to see how far he wishes to go and how much would he expose by kissing her like this.

When they distance, her golden gaze studies him carefully and observantly. She licks her lips to not let the cold take over her lips too soon. Thankfully, she hadn’t yet put on her usual lipstick. No need to go get a mirror and redo it. However, she cannot explain what this newfound feeling was that suddenly echoed upon his soft temp. How glad she was that he would step away and look at his watch, her own distress carefully covered by her rather silent and unimpressed (seemingly) attitude. 

“ Yeah, yeah. Get back to work, Harbinger, ” Zarina has to say it out loud as she turns her back to him and waves him off. ‘Harbinger’. She rarely uses that title for him, but it was needed to remind them both where they stood. A moment of softness mustn’t make her waver. It must’ve been a lie, a moment of weakness from the unexpected gentleness in his approach. The title came out sharper than usual even if it was said with the same laidback attitude, but there was a tone shift at the very end. 

Sokolova would wait for him to fully disappear from her sight before she would lean back against the wall herself, arms crossed over her chest and a deep sigh leaving her lips. “ God damn it, ” she would utter more profanities while bringing her palm up, massaging the bridge of her nose in a moment of simple struggle. “ I should be happy he’s starting to waver just a bit, but... No, he is an enemy. Even if I wanted more, I don’t have time. ”

Yes, she doesn’t have time to think about ‘what if’s. There was one only one path towards the future with her goal in mind. She cannot stop. Even if yearning of her own was still present there, but she’ll let it fester before she will be able to cut it and burn it. 

[sillysickly]

Scarlet Sky

Chapter One: Jazz and Cats (Part One)

The vinyl spins lazily in the corner of the bedroom, playing some jazz song from Mom’s past. Her collection sits next to the turntable, gathering dust until I decide the silence is too loud again. It’s an expansive collection, one she put arguably too much time into. At one point, there were enough records to fill up two bookshelves, which she kept in her listening room.

Mom was like me. The world got too loud too fast, leaving us gasping for air and holding our hands over our ears in a desperate attempt to block some of it out. To take control of the noise and with it, ourselves. But whereas the cacophony of too much made me shake and panic, like a scared rabbit trapped in a box, it made Mom mean. Words would fly like lightning from her mouth, acid and liquid anger, directed at whoever had the misfortune of being in the same room as her. When she got mean, I got quiet. I learned to nod and do my best not to process her words. I’m rubber, you’re glue, and all that. I learned not to protest, to defend my own honor. It would only make her slam the door harder. We would retreat into our rooms until enough time had passed that we could convince ourselves that it was fine, and that the other person isn’t mad anymore. Until then, I would stay in my room, the lights turned off and blinds drawn, and she would stay in her listening room, blaring music so that she would have control of the noise. When the doors opened, and the half hearted apologies were exchanged, we would fall back into the uneasy peace that surrounded us like a fog. The fog clouded everything. I couldn’t see what would happen next, how she might react to information. It was like living in a minefield, with no idea which step would set one off. 

Now, though, I’ve taken over our entire apartment. My space is every space, something that I’ve dreamt of for years. Though, I do wish it didn’t come with the end of humanity. The big window in Mom’s listening room is no longer constantly covered, but rather the light is cherished. The only other living being I have to share this space with, to share my life with, is Fish. Fish, contrary to what her name would have you believe, is a ragdoll cat that has decided to follow me almost everywhere. She perches on the windowsill like she’s lived here forever, and not just for the last few months. It’s a nice thing to see, to remind me that even though there may not be another human left in the world, that doesn’t mean I’m alone. I’ve put up posters of my favorite media, lining the walls wherever I feel they’d go best. Maneskin in the front hall, Mitski in the living room, Young Royals in the kitchen, Baldur’s Gate III in the pantry. Before all of this, Mom would have had a conniption if any of my stuff was outside my allotted spaces. 

“I have my space, Rian, and you have yours!” She’d say every time. I still remember the way her voice strained by the end of it, holding back her anger like how Dad taught her. I’d always concede and give her what she wanted. I’d move my things back past that imaginary line, praying that we’d avoid another argument. Now, there are no lines in the house, or anywhere for that matter. It’s just me and Fish. Nobody could tell us where to go, what to do, who to be. Nobody complained that my name was too new, and that they’ll just keep calling me a name I hated. I didn’t have to worry about whether I looked masculine enough to convince the people around me that I was like them. 

I shake my head, trying to come back to reality, as bleak as it was. The sunset was just starting to make her appearance, and I knew that if I wanted to get my water for tomorrow I would need to head out now. I began to pack up my things into my bag, which quickly got Fish’s attention. She raised her head, tilting it like I needed to be studied. I simply raised an eyebrow at her, a silent question. Are you gonna come with me, or are you gonna stay home, you lazy little thing? She answered me by jumping down and trotting quickly to sit by my open bag. Her big blue eyes stared up at me, the way she did when she wanted me to hurry up. I put the flashlight with its extra battery pack into the bag, ignoring her. I took extra time tying my boots, making sure every knot was perfect, which earned me a very annoyed meow. I snickered, righting myself and lifting up my bag to sling it over my shoulder. 

“Alright, you goof. Let’s go.” I say to her, and she darts to the door. As soon as I cross the hallway and open it, she’s out like a shot, padding quickly to the stairwell, waiting for me. 

“You need to work on patience.” I admonish, which we both know she will not listen to. She simply meows at me, and we walk down the stairs to the building’s exit. 

The sky is orange by the time we get out of the apartment district, and both of us are getting a bit worried that we might not make it to the supermarket before dark. In the early days, I got worried that the people who I woke up to find gone would come back when it got dark. Maybe more… undead. But in the end, the night was just as it had been before. Except, of course, with fewer people. The first day was the worst. I don’t think I’ve ever cried that hard. But when I woke up the next morning, with nobody yelling that I’d miss the bus if I didn’t get up right away, I knew that this wasn’t a dream. Of course, I tried searching for answers. But it seemed like everyone just disappeared, with no rhyme or reason. Slowly, I learned to accept what had happened. I was alone, and there was nothing I could do about that. I learned my way around a radio in hopes of getting a message out and finding out if maybe it was just my city, or even just all of America. But all my messages proved fruitless, and I was left to fend for myself. I raided the library, the hardware store, anywhere that might have something to return to normalcy. Once the generator was hooked up, things got significantly easier. Sunset didn’t mean early bedtime, only that I needed to turn on the lamps. I tried not to touch my neighbor’s apartments, just in case they did come back. I didn’t want them to come home to a ransacked house. Then, around 6 months into the whole ordeal, Fish showed up at my door, meowing loudly to be let in. After eating all of my month’s supply of tuna, she plopped down on the couch and went to sleep, like I wasn’t even there. It made me laugh, for the first time in… Lord, I didn’t even know how long. I kissed her head softly, making her purr and lean into the touch. For a moment, I felt like things would be alright. 

[nananananaratking]

Here's a story

The Jewelry store

"do you want diamonds, or cubic zirconia." The guy in the suit and fresh clean hair looks down on me. I try to fix my hair and I take off my gloves. I'm hoping he cannot see the lose threads and the layer of grease on my brow. I need to visit the thrift shop after this incounter. "I was wondering if you are hiring. "My name is Alison. I got a resume here" (it has wrinkled in the rain.) "I can work weekends and all hours" I know he isn't interested. It's not like I purposely dressed poor to go job searching. My clothes are only a week old from the second hand store. But like my entire personality, Everywhere I show up I am embarrassing. I should of put makeup on. I should of got a haircut. I didn't think. I thought I looked nice enough to walk into the jewelry shop. I just hope im standing right and speaking with respect to the man behind the counter. "my manager is not in right now but I'll take your resume." The situation has ended.

I walk across towards the end of the mall. The mixture of people contain children and old folks, some homeless and security guards. I smile at the security guards so they know I'm not a thief. I walk outside. Its not raining anymore, there is a double rainbow. I want to follow it. I want to find enough gold for my family. But nothing is that simple. There would be no gold. Just ruined sneakers from climbing mountains. I cannot afford to ruin my sneakers. Time to catch the bus. I barely make it in time but I cannot hitchhike today. Not enough energy.

I have arrived at home. Taken a shower and placed myself in a satin nighty. I have washed my face and brushed my hair. I feel happy. My husband is walking the dog. My cat (Diana) is curled in my lap. I have fed the fish and refilled the bird feeders. I begin to read a book my mother recommended last week. I don't necessarily care for the book but I intend to make her happy. Shes been in the hospital for 6 months (dialysis). I start to dose off.

"Woof woof" Hank licks my face. I can almost feel a border collie hair ball fall on me. So fluffy and warm he curls into my lap scaring Diana away. "I love and missed you so much" warm words trail off from Silvester. Its hard to focus when I'm fast asleep. I feel blankets being toppled onto me with little snuggles in between. I have been absolutely useless today and here I am being coddled by my family.

I move over the coffee cups on the messy bedside table too look at the clock. Its 3:37 am and I have heard a knock. I wonder if my mother has been released unexpectedly or if a neighbor is upset with me. I open the door, to my surprise it's the man from the jewelry store. My first thought is he thinks I stole something. I begin to get my story straight and align my sentences when he tells me with the biggest smile on his face that he has a surprise. "Okay what is it" I am extremely excited. My first thought is 'wow I've actually been hired' he must need me for this mornings shift. "I found a hole behind the jewelry shop, it's sparkly. And i think you might want to go look at it with me. Wouldn't that be fun." The out of his mind man waves jazz hands at me but he doesn't seem intoxicated. "Um okay" glowing portal, sparkles I'm not one to be skeptical of the situation. But it is a bizzare house visit at 3:37 am.

I get dressed and I kiss my husband. Give him a big squeeze. "I'm off on an adventure I will be home soon I love you." I hardly ask permission as he barely moves grumbles and goes back to sleep. I sit in the man's car, questions begin flowing in my brain. "What is your name?" "Darrel, I remember your name being Alison. Okay I know this is strange but I find you trustworthy. So please entertain this whole sparkly gate thing just for the car ride." Darrel does the jazz hands when he mentions the sparkles again. And I begin to wonder if he was also watching a jazz performance tonight when he imagined a sparkly portal. But I have never been to skeptical of magic and very few and far between have called me trustworthy. The car ride is about 12 minutes long and does not give much time for more questions. Other than quick discussion of current events and, a tiny bit of road rage at the two red lights along the way. We have arrived at the mall. It is 3:58 am.

Luckily instead of the security guards wondering the next morning why Darrel took a strange woman through the mall at 4 am, we go through the back door that leads right into the jewelry shop. "Come with me and then you'll believe me" Darrel is ecstatic and I follow him. He moves a few boxes. I can only imagine have thousands of dollars worth of jewelry inside. Low and behold there is indeed a sparkly hole in the wall. I can see why he said sparkly and not glowing because its not glowing. It is like diamonds gleaming out of the wall like a mine. It's not neon at all or producing any light other then when Darrel shines his flashlight on it. "Is it a mine?" I am completely in shock. The shop could be very rich. And I'm trusted with the information. "No it isn't, it's magic" Darrel seems to use Jazz hands a lot. "Here touch it" he grabs me and drags me over rather forcefully but with excitement and not aggression. "Okay, okay ill touch it" I laugh I need to be a tad skeptical to protect my integrity at this point. I touch the sparkles and my hand goes straight through them. "Just like the movies" I am astonished. "Lets climb through" Darrel jumps up with joy. "Are you sure." Now I'm worried. "It could be dangerous" I step back from Darrel, a tad bit rude. "We should throw something through it attached to a string" Darrel grabs a diamond (with no band) from the back. I'm not sure how much money he's going to risk on it but I do not ask. He attaches the diamond to a box cord with a splotch of ring glue and throws it through the sparkles.

Darrel pulls the diamond back. "I was right" I am extremely disappointed to see the diamond is now crushed into what someone can only call a marble. "So it's not safe" Darrel begins to cry. "Hold on the Cord was fine and our hands are fine something is up." I try to put the puzzle pieces together. "Do you have anything back here that is not a mineral or rock." "There's minerals in our hands and this cord" Darrel points out. "anything cheap to test." I just now realize how expensive that diamond was. "We should test the cubic zirconia. He is way ahead of me in clues and i begin to yawn.

Darrel pulls out a cubic zirconia in a silver band and splotches glue onto the cord. He tosses the ring through the gateway. He pulls back a perfect ring. I feel relieved no more money is damaged. "Lets go through" jazz hands return, I am not so convinced. I gester him to go first. "Wait remove your diamonds" I begin to chuckle and take off my blue agate wedding ring in a brass band just incase. Its lovely but what we could afford. He removes about 3 rings 2 bracelets and a necklace. I try not to envy but damn.

He walks through then I follow and what we see is astounding. Its the most beautiful site you could ever see. Its so bright in front of our eyes, is a diamond lake. Darrel walks onto it. Hes fine but oh my god why would he attempt. Its solid and he gestures me to join him. I follow him I am a Poor woman Id be stupid not to try my luck. I put my hands on the diamonds to try to remove some but it is frozen solid.

"Lets keep going" Darrel is more determined than I am. It is early and I wish I was home with Silvester. I do not think Darrel fancies me or my gender. So I do not worry about the journey as a betrayal. We have walked for 10 whole minutes. It must be almost 5 now. From the discussions in the shop. The experiments and journey. We must have killed 35-45 minutes time. At the end of the lake, there is a grass hill. Grass is odd in a diamond world. "We gotta test it Darrel" I pull him back with all my might so he doesn't get hurt. "Test with what. Diamonds crush diamonds in our world what would grass do." Darrel is upset.

"Throw your keys or something" I try to regain control of the situation for the safety of the both of us. "My keys have a diamond in each of them, I left them at the shop. You throw something." My new friend is thoroughly annoyed at me at this point. I should be able to trust grass but I just cant risk it.

I throw my keys onto the grass. Nothing happens. "Do you have anything else" Darrel has come around to see my point of view of the situation. "I have my wallet." I wasnt super excited to throw away my money and my family photos and and my grandpas wallet. But I needed to know. I throw my wallet and the grass is still safe. Up ahead a bird flies.

"Look at that bird" I point up at a weird dove. He has four wings. I do not think we are on earth anymore.

We step onto the grass. We are okay we see a lot more birds. All very beautiful. None with more or less than four wings. Suddenly something crawls across my feet. I look down its an opossum. At this point I'm weirded out and amazed i reach down and grab the possum. "What are you doing?" Darrel is confused at my actions. "Look 6 paws, why?" Darrel looks around for any hints or clues "is there a sun here" he rubs his chin. "I dont see one but its sunny" just as perplexed I mirror his hand-to-chin action. "Lets keep going" he needs answers. By this point I want to return home.

The grass was long. We saw lots of creatures with unusual number of limbs. But we had finally reached the end of the grass. At the end of the grass their was a mountain. "No more test we are climbing it" Darrel is tired and sweating, yet still determined. "Okay I trust you" remember Darrel finding myself trustworthy I decide to put some faith forward.

We begin the journey up a seemingly normal rocky mountain. It isn't extremely high more like a big hill. "We should of brought water" Darrel isn't jazzing no more but still eager. We couldn't possibly complain about the once in a life time journey. Other than it's early in the morning. We weren't going to be rich off the diamonds, and we haven't got any answers.

We climb for about 40 minutes. I begin to wonder if Silvester has woken up to take hank outside. I wonder if he is prepared for his carpenter test. I wonder if he is still in bed to get ten more minutes. We reach a cave.

This must be it. Darrel gasp for air. "Well let's do this" I need answers at this point. We begin walking through the cave. It has fire torches along the walls already lit. You'd expect cave paintings, but there isn't any. You'd expect wildlife. But just a few 4 winged birds and 6 legged chipmunks. I did see a two tailed lizard at the entrance, but other than a few creatures the cave seems pretty empty.

"Maybe this ends in the best hotsprings ever" Darrel laughs. But it ends at a door. "This is man made" I feel along the creaky wood. "A possum could not make this" I giggle and Darrel gives me a hug. I don't understand why he hugged me but It could be one of two things. The journey we've been on has made us close friends, or we might be running into answers at this very moment. "Should we knock". I feel a ton of hope at this moment. We knock. An average clean shaven man, with dark blue eyes, and wavy red hair. Answers the door. "Hello come in, come in" He seems unfazed.

"Where are we" Darrel asks first. "In Trasirda, my home, I'm the only one who lives in this land. And it ends at my house. I don't know how my paradise bled into your world, or how anyone would of found me. You see I won a lottery on my home planet Daxel in Galaxy 497s. My prize was a land I wanted. I chose all the creatures from Daxel, but none of the people. A garden as long as the eye can see. If you had walked the width, you would of never found me. A cave to live in, and read as many tall tales from every single planet. A lake of solid diamond and a mountain to pirch on. Look at this" the man had given us a few answers and pulled out a book. "I can turn this book into anything ive ever wanted to read from any world." The man showed us a few different books, Narnia from our land, Blobstock from his. A few others. Quite fascinating the hermit was. "Well you've traveled this long and I have won the lottery. Please take a couple diamonds on your way out but do not tell anyone about this. Or I'll be flooded with visitors. "The diamond's are frozen" Darrel raised his hand as if he had just been schooled. "Not on the way back" the gingered man began to laugh hysterically as we waved goodbye running down the hill.

Eagerly chasing the diamonds.

We got back to the lake in an hour and a halfs time. And the man was right the diamonds were free for the taking. We shuffled a few handfuls into our pockets as we walked toward the exit. "We're rich, we're rich" Darrel and I sang boasting until we got to the hole to our land. We walked through the portal. Our diamonds still intact. But the gateway had closed behind us. Darrel pushed and pushed trying to make the gate reopen. I put my hand on his shoulder. "All is done, the mans at peace and so are we. Nothing could be worse then if we turn this into greed." I tried reassuring that we had taken enough and had an amazing journey on its own.

It was time to go home. It was 8:12 am and i needed to fill Silvester in on what had happened. Tell him we'd be rich. When I had arrived home he was still asleep in our bed. Hank had definitely gone for a walk tho because there was no puddles and Diana had been fed. The fish were my job. Silvester had about 45 minutes to get to his carpenter exam. My mum had left me 3 voicemails. She had informed me she was doing very well and wanted to hear how i was enjoying the book. I see the morning bird's at the feeders each with two wings (which is a relief) I sat in silence for about ten minutes. Knowing I was about to inform the whole family, that the poverty was over.