#( sometimes when you annoy your friends into sending anons they deliver )

[vanbredevoort]

Anonymous (?) asked: ❝ little dove! ❞ clap clap clap & a smile from master mirror ❝ it is marvellous to see you again!! that colour suits you perfectly ❞

"Maybe the third time is the charm."

She was slowly growing accustomed to her own voice. Five years of telepathy, then death, and then self imposed silence for two years ( she saw no reason to speak out loud back then ) make you forget the sound of your own, real voice. Soothing, so low one could think she was whispering-- that was the original her.

Right at that moment, it held notes of trying to sound confident yet cracking out of sheer fear. After all, she had almost screamed when he appeared out of nowhere. Her hands quickly pulled the sheets of their bed, as if covering herself would protect her, hiding the bordeaux nightgown he had just praised.

"Three times you have appeared for me, Master Mirror. Three times. The first one--- I do not remember much. I was Philippa's prisoner, and I remember asking you for death without knowing who you were. You did not grant me that wish"

Her fingers, usually steady, tugged at the sheets in a fit of nervousness.

"Second time, that one I remember clearly. It was the first time I was alone in the manor. You timed it perfectly because you knew he'd be away. You spoke, and did not make your intentions clear."

Only then, she looked at him.

"And now we have the third. I hope, Master, that this time you'll enlighten me about what you NEED from me, because I know enough about you to fear you, and ignorant enough to not understand the depths of your power. Ignorant enough-- but smart enough to guess I'm to become a puppet for something bigger than myself"

[millenialfanfictionaddiction]

🏅Being Team Japan's Manager 🏅

💔Relationship Troubles with Bokuto 💗

Bokuto Kōtarō featuring Team Japan x Female Manager

Warnings: Swearing, Bokuto being a complete jerk, petname, angst to fluff, suggestive at the end 🙃

AN: Its a very Bokuto centered day 🥰This is an Anon request! I may have gotten a tiny bit carried away with this one. I also cried alot 🥲 I'm emotional when it comes to our boys 🥺 I'm really proud of this one ❤

🌠 Please Like, Reblog and/or Share to help support my writing 🌠

Oof this one is going to make me cry 😢

I already know it

And the fact that it's with our resident himbo 🥺

But it must be done and who else to deliver but yours truly 🤗

Your relationship with Bokuto has been going on for about 6 months now

You started out of friends when you joined Team Japan as their resident hotty 🔥 and manager 💅🏼

Honestly, Team Japan adores you YN

You lucky bitch 😒

But there was always something special about Bokuto

Pls he's such a bubbly Boi I just can't even 😫

Bokuto took an instant liking to you and you to him

Did he annoy you? Absolutely 💯

Did you find him attractive as all hell? Abso-FREAKING-lutely 🙌🏻

Bokuto is like what? 6'3" timeskip 👀

Lawd girl of you don't I will

N E WAYS, you two grew extremely close

Daily practices and nightly walks home

Consistent "HEY HEY HEY YN WATCH THIS!"

Giant Bear hugs and headpats

You would grab coffee or ever dinner sometimes

Of course, the other three idiots guys would accompany you occasionally as well

When Bokuto finally asked you out, it was very Bokuto-style

Super spontaneous and loud

Lile he literally walked you to your apartment door, was about to leave, turned around and shouted

"YN WILL YOU GO OUT WITH ME?"- Bokuto, zero chill

"Ko- we just went out..."- You, extremely confused

"No I mean, like a date"- Bokuto 🥺👉🏻👈🏻

YN of you take longer than a single second to answer this imma come there and smack you 🤚🏻

Someone summon Iwaizumi for me- 🏐

"Of course I will Kotaro"- You 🥺🤗

Good girl Yn ☺️

Please Bokuto is so excited he will pick you up and spin you around 🥰

God I love that for you 😐

Me, a jealous bish

Thus begins the ship know as BokuYN

The next few months go by quickly

Your relationship is tugging along and everything is going well

Unfortunately, the storm clouds are moving in YN 😔⛈️

And all good things can't last

It starts out small, everyone is so stressed with the Olympics coming up

Bokuto especially

Imagine all the pressure to be perfect and score points 😪 that has got to be so rough

Bokuto starts staying late for practice and heading home with you less frequently

You start eating dinner alone and he starts coming home later and later ☹️

One morning, you wake up and Bokuto isn't next to you

You try calling him but nothing

You show up to the gym and find him there with Kageyama, Atsumu and Hinata

You are confused as to what is going on 🤨

Like rightfully so

I mean what did they just sleep on the bleachers the night before?

I wouldn't put it past them honestly 😒

You approach them and ask what's going on

Atsumu is setting for Bokuto and he narrowly misses a line shot

"God dammit! Send up another one"- Bokuto, furious and sweating 😓

"Hey guys- have you been practicing all night?"- you, curious

"Nah we quit at 9 last night"- Kageyama getting a drink of water

Ok now your really confused 🤚🏻

You look at Bokuto who is setting up for another spike

"Ko you didn't come home last night"- you

He ignores you, spiking the ball

Ok then- 😐

Let's try this again shall we 🙃

"Kotaro did you hear me?"- you, now standing with your hands on your hips

Ope- someone's in trouble 😶

Atsumu, Hinata and Kags are now looking from you to Bokuto 👀

"I stayed with Hinata last night"- Bokuto, walking away from you, going to his phone and scrolling

Clearly his phone is working 😑

That's suspicious 🤨 that's weird

"And why would you do that?"- you, obviously upset

"Because I felt like it"- Bokuto

Not to be toxic here but that's not an answer dude 😒

"Ok but why- I texted you and you never got back to me. And it's clear your phone is fine since your looking at it right now"- YN, hands now in the air, just ready to go

"Maybe I just needed some fucking space YN"- Bokuto

Please now Aran, Yaku, Komori, Sakusa, Habuka,Ushijima,Hyakuzawa, amd Iwaizumi are all on the gym 🤚🏻

Silently observing 👀

"Are you serious right now? What did I do Ko?"- you, walking towards him

"YN I just need some fucking space! You're around me constantly and I can't fucking concentrate on these damn Olympics with you breathing down my neck all the time! Like all you ever do is talk talk talk and I'm so fucking sick of it! Just fucking leave me alone! If you did anything for this team besides stand around, maybe you'd understand my stress! But you always have to come first YN and Im fucking DONE!"- Bokuto, finally snapping

Oh he's pissed

Like fuming at you 😡😤

It's honestly so embarrassing he would say such things in front of everyone

You face heats and your fists tighten-

You don't even know what to do, so-

You just look up at him, tears filling your eyes

Ok everyone just breath ok

I mean, I'm crying 🥺

You know that feeling when your stomach just drops and you feel almost sick

That's what's happening now

The tears are welling up and it's about to happen

There is no stopping that crying YN and you shouldn't!

Bokuto essentially took your heart, threw it on the ground and stomped all over it

Nah he rolled over it with a steam roller and fed it through a wood chipper 😬

He broke you 😔

No matter how you try, a brave face isn't coming

So you do what you must

"Fine Bokuto. You don't want me bothering you anymore. Than consider me gone"- You, turning to walk out of the gym, tears flowing, past the other members of the team

Everyone is stunned 😲 and honestly same

Nobody expected this of Bokuto, like he's literally the last one I'd expect to do this

But the pressure was mounting and unfortunately YN, you were the catalyst

The gym is silent as Bokuto sets his water down, turning to face Atsumu

"Toss another one"- Bokuto, getting into place

Please these guys are PISSED and so confused 😕

"What the fuck was that-" Atsumu, the first to speak

As much as I bully this man, istg he's loyal as fuck

And while he loves Bokuto like a brother, he also loves you

"Bokuto that was so harsh man"- Habuka

"It needed to be said. She's been so clingy and needy. The Olympics are coming up and I need to practice"- Bokuto, starting to realize that he's the total ass in this situation but still holding face

He's a man 🙄😒

"You're an dumbass Bokuto"- Iwaizumi, turning to go and find you

"Bokuto sit down. You're done for today"- Aran

"The fuck I am-"

"The fuck you are because I said so"- Aran

Please Aran can be so fucking scary 😨

Bokuto will get right in his face

"Hey cool it you two!"- Hyakuzawa

"Bokuto- chill man"- Kageyama pulling him back

Hoshiumi finally comes in the gym

"Hey what's wrong with YN. I saw her leaving and she was crying"- Hoshiumi

It's all starting to sink in now-

"FUCK-" Bokuto, throwing his waterbottle against the wall and storming out

Everyone is just exhausted and it's showing

"Should we go after him?"- Hyakuzawa, the mediator of the group

"I think we should call Akaashi- this is over our heads"- Aran, leaving to get his phone and make the call

Meanwhile, you are now sitting on a bench, full on ugly crying

Snot down the face, tears everywhere, can't catch your breath BAWLING

🤚🏻 say less YN your heartbroken and its ok to cry 💔

Please I'm crying writing this and it's fiction 😭

"Hey YN- are you ok?"- Iwaizumi, coming to sit next to you

"No- no Hajime I'm not ok"- you, sucking in breath and trying to calm down

Spoiler alert: it's not working

"I think I need to go home Haji"- you

"You do that YN. And hey, it will be ok... I promise. I'll talk to him"- Iwaizumi

"Hajime, you heard him. He doesn't want me so give me one good reason why I should stay?"- you, hugging yourself and crying

"YN he's under a lot of stress. He shouldn't have said those things. You know he cares about you"- Iwaizumi, trying to save this

"YN please just listen-" I was our freaking savior

"Hajime, if he cared he wouldn't have said those things. If he cared, he would have avoided my texts and calls. He embarrassed me in there. You don't do that to someone you care about"- you, making an excellent point

"I'll see you later Haji. Thanks for being here"

You try and force a smile as tears stream down your face

Upon arriving at your apartment, you do nothing but mope

You say nothing more as you turn and walk away

You cry the entire way home, trying to hide your face from those around you

Honestly YN as you should 💅🏼

I'm like so mad at Bokuto right now you have no idea 🤬 you crawl into bed, covering yourself up and cry like there's no tomorrow

Back at the gym, Bokuto is sitting in the locker room with a towel hanging over his head

That bitchy voice inside your head telling you that everything was a lie and you were never good enough for Bokuto

You eventually manage to cry yourself to sleep 😔

He knows he fucked up... like MAJORLY fucked up

The stress of the Olympics had been weighing on our poor owl bby and the fact that he just can't hit his line shots

Iwaizumi comes in and sits next to him

"I fucked up bad"- Bokuto

"Yeah you fucking did asshole"- Iwaizumi not even beating around the bush

"Shit"- Bokuto, throwing his towel against the locker

"You need to chill out Bokuto. Your stress isn't helping anything right now. You said some pretty mean stuff to YN and she's really hurt"- Iwaizumi

"Did she leave?"- Bokuto

"Yeah- she went home"- Iwaizumi

"Fuck I have to talk to her-" Bokuto standing, fists clenched

"Hold up there cowboy. Give her some space man. You broke her heart dude. It's not going to be an easy fix. Wait a day, let it rest"- Iwaizumi

As much as he hated to do it, Bokuto let it rest

He went to his apartment, one he spent very little time in nowadays and tried to relax 😔

The next day, he arrived early to try and catch you

Only, you weren't there 😞

"Where's YN?"- Bokuto to Hoshiumi

"She didn't come in today. She called and told Aran she's taking personal time"

"God dammit!"- Bokuto, just about to punch the wall

Thankfully Sakusa is there to stop him

"Bo a broken hand isn't going to help man. You need to chill"- Sakusa

"Come on man, let's practice and then we can talk"- Hinata

"How can I practice without YN? Knowing I fucked up the best thing I ever had"- Bokuto, now a deflated Owl

"Well it's good to finally see you admit how much you care for YN"- Akaashi, with Kuroo at his side

"What are you doing here?"- Bokuto, genuinely confused 🤨

"Aran called me and well Kuroo heard through the grapevine"- Akaashi

Please Kuroo knows all the gossip

These boys talk more than old ladies in church

"Dude what is wrong with you? This isn't like you"- Kuroo

"I've been so stressed and I can't hit my line shots. I've been practicing day and night and nothing feels right"- Bokuto, now hunched over on the bleachers, surrounded by the peanut gallery

"Have you thought thay maybe your practicing too much Bo?"- Kageyama

Seriously he's one to talk 🙄

"I mean, what has YN said about you staying late for practice?"- Akaashi

"I haven't been around much- I've just been so stressed. And I just dont know"- Bokuto

"Well Bokuto, you have to decide what you want to do. If you want to break up with YN, I think you owe her an explanation. She at least deserves that. But if you want to make up with her-" Akaashi

"I DO! I really do! I thought alot last night and YN's been the one consistent good thing in my life. I- I think I love her"- Bokuto

Pls bby you were a jerk but you are breaking my heart 💔😫

"Well then you need to talk to her"- Kuroo

Bokuto knew this and he was so ready

Unfortunately you weren't 🙁

A knock sounded as you drag yourself to the door

The peep hole reveals Bokuto, standing there, hair deflated

You open the door and cross your arms

That's right YN! We are a powerful women and we will show it ✊🏻

"Hey YN, can we talk?"- Bokuto

"That's what we are doing-"

"YN please I'm so sorry- I was a complete asshole and jerk! I know I royally fucked up and god, YN I'm so sorry"- Bokuto

Tears are forming in this man's eyes

But also in yours 😟

"Bokuto-" you

"Ko, you call me Ko"- Bokuto

"Listen, I need time. What you said really hurt me and I'm not ready talk to you let alone see you. I just don't know if I can do this-" please the tears are rolling down your face but you're voice remains strong

"YN- please, just please"- Bokuto, full on crying

"Good night Bokuto"- You, shutting the door and breaking down

Please Bokuto hears you and it KILLS him 😭

He did that to you and he hates himself

The next few days drag

You return to your manager job but you try and steer clear of Bokuto

Unfortunately the team doesn't get that memo 😒

Please they are trying everything possible to get you to back together

You are miserable, Bokuto is EXTRA miserable

"YN can you wrap Bokuto's fingers? I have to do Komori's and Yaku's"- Iwaizumi

"I can do it Iwa" - Kageyama

Please that went right over his head

Iwaizumi is just staring at him like 👁➖️👁

You don't even say anything, just grab the tape and walk to Bokuto

The man towers over you so he is looking down at you while you wrap his fingers

"How are you?"- Bokuto, genuinely concerned

"Fine"- you, trying to just hold it together long enough to wrap those long fingers 👀

"You've lost some weight-" Bokuto

"Yeah I haven't been hungry"- You, unfortunately your voice cracks and you have to bite your lip to keep it from quivering

"YN, baby-" Bokuto, lifting your face up by your chin and looking into your watering eyes

He hates seeing you like this and knowing he caused it 🤧

"Done"- you, looking up and smiling a little, tears filling your eyes before you turn and walk out of the gym

Bokuto watches you go

And so do the others 👀

Nosey bitches 🙄💅🏼

Also side note: screw Iwa for throwing you under the bus like that 🖕🏻 imma Iwa cannon a volleyball at Iwa 😤

It's safe to say practice has been a little... well tense to say the least

Bokuto is getting blocked, missing cross court shots and liners left and right

It hurts you even more to see the man you love hurting

Wait 🤚🏻 love?

Oh hell yeah you love him YN

Just admit it 🙃

But no matter how much you love him, it doesn't take away how he treated you the past few weeks

And how much his words that day hurt

You're at a crossroads Yn and it's not an easy choice

Luckily for you, you have supportive friends

Wait, did I say supportive? I mean Atsumu and Hinata 🤣

But also Aran, Ushijima and Iwaizumi

Ok ok ill stop 😅

They stop by your place unexpectedly with food

"You need to eat"- Atsumu, pushing past you

"Don't think we haven't noticed YN"- Iwaizumi, coming in behind Atsumu

"Wow it's nice to see you too"- you 😐

"Hi YN, how are you doing?"- Aran, giving you a big hug

Please he gives amazing hugs 🥺

"Could be better"- you, now hugging Ushijima and Hinata

"YN how long are you going to do this?"- Atsumu

Aran and Iwaizumi 👉🏻🤦‍♂️🤦

"I hate to admit it YN but Atsumu is right. It's obvious you two love each other"- Ushijima

"Yeah"- you, sinking into the couch

"YN we know what he said hurt and we aren't telling you to just forget about it"- Aran

"But Bokuto is miserable YN. He's not eating, he's spending all his days at the gym and I know he's not sleeping"- Iwaizumi

"YN we know you're just as miserable so why don't you stop this"- Ushijima

"Just talk to him YN"- Hinata

Maybe, just maybe they have a point

You sigh and resign yourself to the fact that as much as Bokuto's words hurt you

You know that the stress of the Olympics and his hard training have worn on him

The next morning, you arrive at 6 am to start work

You hear the sound of balls being spiked against the floor of the gym

You know that sound, the exact sound of a Bokuto serve

You approach the door and peer in, seeing Bokuto tossing up another serve

The ball slams over, hitting right on the end line

"That was a nice shot"- you, walking into the gym

Bokuto stops and looks straight at you, mouth agape

You're talking to him- like actually conversing with him

And you PRAISED HIM 😭😭😭

"Thanks, what are you doing here?"- Bokuto

You giggle a little

Bokuto's heart swells

"Did you forget I come in early to set up?"- you

"Haha yeah I guess- I've just been doing it since- well-" - Bokuto rubbing the back of his neck

"Want me to set for you?"- You, taking a chance

Bokuto's head shots up 😳

"Really?" Please YN he's so happy he's smiling 🙂

"Yeah"- you taking position as Bokuto tosses to you and you set

Perfect cross court shot 😚🤌🏻

"Nice kill Ko!!"- you smiling and looking back at him

Please he's melting YN 😭

"First one I've gotten in all week"- Bokuto, his head down, rubbing his arms

What 😳

"Ko..."

"I'm miserable YN. I'm so fucking miserable. I can't sleep, I can't eat. Every single practice, I miss tosses, get blocked or the ball is out. I- I can't do this"- Bokuto, looking at you as tears roll down his face

"Ko come here"- you, reaching out for him as he comes to your arms for a hug 🫂

Please that man will hug you and never want to let you go

You pull back as he rests his forehead against yours

🥺 please I'm such a sap God WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME

"YN I know I don't deserve you but I need you to know that you are the best thing to ever happen to me. I know I fucked up and God I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry baby. I love you so much and I can't do this without you"- Bokuto, tears flowing

"I love you too Ko"- You, smiling with tears in your eyes

"You- you do?"- Bokuto, now smiling like a freaking idiot 😃

"Yeah I really do"- You

Please 🤚🏻 say less

This man is picking you up and swinging you in the air

"Ko, Jesus Ko calm down"- you, laughing and smiling

"I can't! The most amazing, beautiful women in the world loves me"- Bokuto, finally setting you down

"Yeah I do my ace"- You

Please his lips are on yours before you can finish that sentence 🤚🏻 💋

"Jesus christ get a room will ya"- Atsumu, walking in as you and Bokuto turn around to see the entire team watching you 😳

"Oh my god that was so sweet 🥺"- Yaku about to cry

"Well I'm finally glad to see you guys have worked it out"- Iwaizumi

"Jesus YN way to bring it down to the wire, the Olympics is a month way"- Kageyama, ever the inspiration 🙄

"Aran are you crying?"- Hinata

"No- I just got some dust in my eyes from these volleyballs"- Aran, wiping his eyes and walking away

Sure 😏 "dust from the volleyballs"

"Ok enough of this, let's get to practice"- Aran

"Ummm actually- I uh, I need YN to help me with something"- Bokuto being suspicious 🤔 and dragging you to the door

"Ko, can't it wait until after practice!"- you, being dragged

"Absolutely not"- Bokuto

Please he's on a mission 😏

Iwaizumi just rolls his eyes 🙄

"Jesus christ just be safe ok? We don't need any little Bokuto babies running around"- Iwaizumi

"I make no promises"- Bokuto, pulling you out as you laugh and wave to the team

"Jesus that's got to be some record Emo mode"- Komori

"It lasted 8 days and Bokuto missed 436 spikes"- Atsumu, nonchalantly rattling of statistics

Komori, Yaku and Aran 👉🏻👁👄👁

"You kept track of that?"- Hakuba, honestly impressed

"I'm the setter, it's my job to make sure the players are ok"- Atsumu, shrugging

"Hey now- you aren't the official setter just yet 😑"- Kageyama

"It's only a matter of time"- Atsumu 😏

"😐 the fuck it is- " Kageyama following Atsumu and yelling

"God I wish YN was here"- Aran

"She's probably getting her back blown out as we speak"- Habuka

"Jesus christ 🤦‍♂️ alright get to work"- Iwaizumi, smiling

Side note: you were in fact, getting your back completely blown to pieces 😏

[pink02]

Under the Same Moon

Carlos Madrigal x f!reader

Genre: Angst Modern au. fluff ending

Summary: Season of love and falling in love. Much to Carlos' disagreement with the mushy gushy feeling everyone else has, he couldn't help but miss someone that is supposedly celebrating the day with him.

Trigger warning: Longing, Carlos missing you, vulgar words, Carlos pissed out.

A/n: Thank you for the anon who requested this!! You are so brilliant and I had so much fun writing this.

Late valentines special for you Carlos simps <3

♡♡ Masterlist ♡♡

No miss calls, no text messages, not even a single notification in twitter or snap. He got a little anticipated in this celebration you guys have since it would be the first time you two ever celebrated Valentines but for some reason he can't get a hold of you. He tried to call you all morning but your phone was unattended, he tried chatting and texting you to multiple social media he had with you but somehow it only said sent and not delivered, not even a single seen but it made sense since almost all of your socials are either offline or muted. Carlos sighed and rubbed his face out of frustration and worry.

"Might as well head to the kitchen." He muttered and left his room.

The two of you had been dating for a couple of months, a distance relationship of sort. You met him in a multiplayer shooting game, he was sent into a random team play and coincidentally it was you and your friends' team since you were missing one member. He was intrigued at your mad skills in clear-cut aims and full on brawls with the enemy team as the game went through. At first he appreciates your expertise but then he went deeper into the rabbit hole after almost all of your teammates decided to go for more rounds and games. He had fun with them of course but when you said you were gonna log off, Carlos immediately jumped into action to ask for your discord or at least snap.

You were amused by his act since he was more of the quiet and serious type of person while playing, sometimes curses under his breath. Obviously there were open mics since it opt to make the rounds more exciting. You were used to hearing other guys asking for your info and sometimes more personal ones, it did matter to you at first since they just want to get a hold of you since you were a gamer girl but when it came to Carlos, there was something inside you that made you say yes when he asked if he could add you.

Of course there was an outrage from your friends since it was the first time you actually accept someone's request but didn't matter to you. You were too fixated to just want someone to play with you other than your friends to which Carlos celebrated in silence.

You two actually became close friends since then and just became a couple nearly a year after years of knowing each other. Face times and calls here and there, you two would even send cringe and cursed videos with captions saying 'When I saw this it reminded me of you'.

Carlos knows his family knows about you even if he wouldn't tell them. It was actually evident when they noticed he kept on looking at his phone, sometimes even hearing his occasional laughs in the middle of the night when you two decide to voice call. From all of his family members, Camilo and Mirabel clearly knows all his secrets and would likely tease him endlessly about you. It was annoying for him but he would just shrug it off and ignore them, it was a waste of time hearing their annoying mouths anyways.

"Hola mi hermano! What brings you here?" Camilo greets his twin with a smirk as he enters the kitchen.

Carlos just scowled and grumbles as he sat down on the bar stool by the countertop then tossing his phone making it slide across the counter. Camilo visibly made the kitchen his hang out place since it is where his primordial needs are, food. He looked at his scowling brother with a raised brow completely confused at his sour mood.

"Did you guys fought or something? Or did you just woke up on the wrong side of the bed?" Camilo snort with a twitching smile.

"I can't get a hold of her-"

"So you did fought?" Camilo leaned forward towards his brother while resting his elbows on the counter. "No!" Carlos glared.

"Then what?" The boy with the yellow hoodie asked as he tilts his head on the side. "I can't call her all morning nor doesn't answer my texts." Carlos groaned and laid back on his chair with a slumped posture.

"Maybe she's busy, come on! It's not like her world would just revolve around you, y'know." Camilo smirked as he pulled his twin by the wrist towards the front door.

"Where are you taking me?" the boy with the red jacket questioned raising a suspicious brow.

"It's Valentines day, idiot. I wanna get those chocolate covered caramel bites they had in that Cafe." Carlos' twin declared enthusiastically as they went out of their house. "Can't you go alone?!" He complained. "Nope." Camilo grinned popping the p.

Carlos sighed and gave into his twin's hold as they walked through the streets of Encanto. The once town became and evolved into the modern city that is now and every street and corner was decorated with beautiful ornated flowers and decorative hearts with different styles and shades.

Seeing this, Carlos involuntarily cringed but stayed silent. He never liked any holidays, well except April fools and Halloween since thats where he would go prank kids and make them cry. With all the pinks and reds, he just wanted to cave in his room rather than go out and look at all of these.

Every person passed by had either flowers or letters in their hands sometimes even has stacks of gifts with heart shaped boxes and balloons, sometimes seeing couples hold hands while walking pass by. Damn does he had the urge to cross between them and break the hold. "So, had girls that fawned over you gave you any presents?" Carlos spoke raising a brow at his twin.

The boy with the yellow clothes just smirked and placed his arm over Carlos' shoulder. "It's good to be single, I get the chocolate all I want. And for the gifts? I already lost count." He boasts as they went into the Cafe making the door bell cling softly.

"You got to be fucking kidding me, as if they would give you sh-"

"Well you asked dumbass, I'm just answering politely- Damn long line." Camilo groaned seeing the lined up people infront of the cashier. "You could have just bought delivery." Carlos rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Hi! Uhm..." A voice spoke from behind made them turn. "U-uhm... Hi Carlos, I just want to give this to you." A girl muttered shyly while bowing her head.

She had a letter and a heart shaped box in hand clearly full of chocolates presenting it in front of the Madrigal nervously. Carlos just stared at the girl with a blank face, unfazed he walked passed by the girl and exiting the Cafe making her stilled on her spot brokenhearted. "Hermano?!" Camilo called shocked. He apologized quickly to the poor girl then ran to catch up his twin.

"Carlos!" Camilo called once more as he caught up. "What?" Carlos spat as he walked straight forward back to their house without giving him a single glance. "Why didn't you accept it?! At least you got free stuff??" The yellow boy exaggerates.

The heterogeneous eyed boy scoffed. "If you want them badly you could have just took them instead of me." Camilo stood dumbfounded in front of their door as Carlos proceeds inside.

Upon entering the kitchen once more, Carlos saw his cousins and older sister bustling around with bowls and cupcake trays on the table. "What's all this?" He rose a brow then sat on the stool.

"Oh, Carlos! Happy Valentine's." Mirabel greeted happily while placing parchment paper on the trays. "We're making cupcakes. Dolores, Isabela and I are planning to give them out since today is a special occasion." She explained.

"So how's your valentines, primo?" Isabela quipped as she turns to her cousin while stirring up a batter.

"Horrible." Carlos groaned loudly as he face plants on the table making the girls blink in surprise. "You okay, Carlos?" Dolores hummed in worry.

"I'm fine... it's just... I haven't talked to her all day." The boy muttered as his face is still planted on the table.

"What? She's angry at you?" Mirabel snorts then smirked. Carlos then slammed his fist on the table making them jump then look at each other in weary. He's pissed. They all thought.

Dolores piped in and cleared her throat. "Hermano, if you want, you could help us with the baking. At least that will help you get distracted." She suggested while placing her hand on his shoulder raising her brows in concern. Hearing a groan, her brother sat up still bowing his head. "Just give me the bowl." Carlos muttered.

Isabela gave him the mixing bowl to which he accepted and started mixing the ingredients. The girls proceeds with their cooking laughing and gossiping about the latest rumors going around the city while Carlos just sat in silence listening to their chat.

"He looks like dead." Isabela whispered. "He looks more like that guy in that show we saw." Mirabel whispered back. "No, he doesn't looks like that." Isabela argued rolling her eyes. "Definitely more like his soul was sucked out." Dolores squeaked a hum while taking out the fresh cooked cupcakes out of the oven.

"I can hear you guys, you know?" Carlos groaned. His face is rested on his palm as he looked at the girls with a bored look. They smiled at him awkwardly apologizing making him rolled his eyes.

"We're back!" Someone called as voices shuffled through the livingroom. The adults went out for their own valentines dates, having the time of their own away from their parental responsibilities (lol). Pepa with her husband, Felix and Julieta with Augustine. Of course since Bruno was left with no spouse, he went with their mother, Abuela to which they had lunch in a fancy restaurant fit for the six of them.

"How are you kids?" Pepa greeted them with a bright smile seeing a rainbow above her head.

"Good!" The girls said in unison. "Bad." Carlos grunts. "You okay, cariño?" Pepa approached her son and holds his cheeks with a worried gaze.

"I'm fine mami." Carlos sighed. "No he's not." Camilo quipped out of nowhere holding a cupcake then biting into it to which his twin turned to him with a glare.

"What's wrong, ijoh?" His mother asked again as a cloud loomed over them slowly getting darker. "I just-"

"His amor, hasn't called him all day. Probably ghosting him." Mirabel chimed in. "Are you guys Carlos?!" The red boy yelled pissed off making the others silent.

Carlos sighed in annoyance and rubbed his face with his hand then stood up from his chair. The room became quiet as the air went thick in tension. "Delivery is here." Dolores peeped quietly breaking the silence.

"I'll get it." Carlos grumbled then dismissed himself out of the kitchen.

He wanted the excuse just so that he could get away from his prying family members. Today is supposed to be special for you guys and he just couldn't contact you even if he tried. It's not the first time you guys haven't talked to for a whole day, its just...

He sighed and opened the front door after hearing a knock. As he opened, the delivery guy greeted him with a smile and a package on hand. "Delivery for Carlos Madrigal." He spoke which made Carlos raise a brow at him.

"That's me." He said confusingly. "Here you go, my boy! Enjoy your evening." The man handed him the package then waved goodbye.

Carlos stood by the door still bemused, he didn't thought a package would be delivered to him. "Aren't you gonna open it?" Dolores popped out behind him seeing that she was curious to what he had gotten. "Yeah, what's in it primo?" Mirabel called out. "Probably from an admirer." Camilo snorts.

"Will you guys stop being nosey?!" The red boy shrieked in anger. He pushed himself passed his siblings and cousin and sat on the livingroom couch with the package on his lap. He pulled out his pocket knife out then opened the sealed box.

Slowly, his family gathered up in the room as he proceeds to look into the box. He found a letter then pulled it out to read it.

Dear Carlos,

I hope you get to receive this in time since it would be a hassle if you won't.

Remember the first time I talked to you ingame, you begged me for my info just for you to talk to me more? It was kind of funny at first but then I felt my heart flutter hearing that you wanted to know me and that made me feel different. You made me feel different, and that I knew it was love. You made me feel love to the point that I knew you were the one.

I can't help but think that you're a hundred miles away from me and we just only met online for christ sake. To think that I keep overthinking that... what if... you had other girls before me... that are more beautiful, more talented, more better than me.

I would bet that they would give you elaborate gifts and whatnot if you'd ask them to. But if I were to give you something, it would be the moon. Even if we're miles apart, my love for you is long as going to the moon and back. And if you ever miss me, just look up to at the moon and smile, with that we'll be looking at it at the same time.

Heck I'm not even good in words but when I was writing this, it made me feel like I want to open up to you more. To let you know that these are my thoughts, to remind you that I love you more than you think even if we gaze down to our screens just to talk. I love you and happy valentine's day my love <3.

At this point, Carlos was already brimming in tears as he read your letter. Tightening the hold as he stopped his sobs to come out. He looked into the box once more and saw a moon lamp, tucked neatly on its podium with all the shredded paper confetti. Taking it out, he gazed onto the lamp and examined it.

Pepa looked at her son lovingly as he held onto her husband's hand completely in awe seeing that her son had the love he finally had. It was precious to think that someone loved his son and cherished him like any other.

"Mi vida, don't cry." Felix hushed gently as he stroke his wife's back affectionately. He gently smiled and hugged her after hearing a small sob from her. "He looks so precious, I can't help it." Pepa said woefully. Her husband hummed in agreement and kissed her temple gently.

Mirabel pried into the box more and saw there was something more inside. "Carlos." She called making him turn at her. She handed him the box again to see that there was another note.

You thought that was all I got? Hah! Then think again >:P

Carlos lets out a snort after he saw the childish note you left. He dug into the shreds of paper and felt something soft and fluffy that grazed on the tips of his fingers. Pulling the thing out, his eyes went wide after seeing what it is.

It was a build-a-bear teddy where it is wearing his signature red jacket. "You got to be to kidding me." He laughed breathlessly while smiling slightly. He pressed the center of the stuffed toy gently then heard the sound of a heart beat making his breath hitch. "Was that her heart?" Dolores peeped.

Carlos nods slowly in reply, a little unsure. He pressed the right paw of the bear then heard a voice. "I love you." Upon hearing it, his family erupted in awes. The boy flushed out of embarrassment. "Damn bro, I bet she's a keeper." Camilo smirked seeing the red on his twin's face. Carlos scoffed and stood up from his seat as he gathered up the items. "I'm heading to my room." He spoke then left the livingroom quickly without hearing a goodbye.

He slumped into his bed while hugging the box and staring at the ceiling. He was completely out of words, too overwhelmed to think. You made him fall for you all over again just by recieving this gift. He loved you so much that his heart swelled just by thinking of you.

But then, he stopped smiling when he realized that he always longed to hold you within his arms. To hold you tight so that you wouldn't leave. He longed for the day you two would finally meet so that he would never ever gonna let you go, he misses you. You never got to celebrate the day you both anticipated on to.

A ringtone suddenly rang off of the room making Carlos shot up in surprise. Quickly, he rummaged around his bed to find his phone cursing at himself as it rang twice now. As he finally found it, he pressed the accept call button without a doubt that it could be you calling him.

"Carlos!" Your soft voice rang into his ear silently sighing in relief that it was you.

"[Name]." He muttered quietly.

"Sorry I haven't been online all day. We had a black out and I had to save up my phone battery so I had to turn it off, it sucks I know I'm sorry." You apologized feeling guilty when you didn't get to celebrate the day with him.

"It's fine, I understand. I got the package by the way." He said feeling a smile on his lips when he heard you gasped and clapped in joy. "Did you liked it?" You asked a little nervous.

"I love it, thank you." He smiled feeling blissed that he finally could talk to you. "I miss you."

"I miss you too." He could feel you smile while blushing as you said those words. "Happy valentines."

"Happy valentines, mi vida." He spoke.

Taglist: @eventides-child-in-the-tardis @sunnth @dai-tsukki-desu

A/n: I had manage to make the story more dramatic that I thought, also changed some of the words in the letter to make it more angsty. Again, thank you for the anon who sent this to me.

Idk the concept of build-a-bear tbh... I'm not american...

This was also somewhat based on my own experience since I too had a long distance relationship and this also happened to me when me and my bf celebrated our valentines. News flash we just broke up a month ago so we never had our valentines this year. Its fine completely fine... it was a 3 year joyride and I had fun at least so yeah... cheers!

[smallblip]

You asked, I deliver! Part II of Accidental baby acquisition💖 I lost one of the asks 😩 but anon who asked about baby Udo, I named the baby in your honour! Saddle up cowboys! I’m not good with sequels but here we are-

Babygate:

the scandal that implies that a certain boy band member cheated on his partner (another band member) and had a kid even when the mom was never pregnant.

- urban dictionary

—

Reiner thinks things are alright. Life is definitely picking up. Pieck still sends him excerpts of her dirty fanfiction to proofread, Bertholdt is still doing all he can to “retire at 30”, Annie might have eloped with said boyfriend. But he’s seeing Porco on the regular now, he’s really cute, he’s got a nice ass. Reiner can’t complain.

He’s also recently donated his Levi Ackerman standee. Only because it’s getting increasingly hard to reconcile the fact that he has a life sized cutout of his colleague’s boyfriend in his room.

What he can complain about is said colleague (and friend) dropping bombs on him. He’s one of the moderators of one of the bigger No Name servers. Sometimes he wonders if that’s a conflict of interest because, well, he knows the guy on a first name basis. But today he has other concerns. He sees his notifications blowing up and decides to go on the No Name server. And lo and behold. There’s a paparazzi shot of Levi and Hanji with a stroller taking a walk in a new channel called “MYSTERY FAMILY?”.

He cancels his plans with Porco. “Don’t text me for the next few hours, got a fire to fight.” He clicks send, and feels kinda bad, so he sends Porco really dank meme to appease him. (That doesn’t stop Porco from doing exactly what Reiner told him not to do and demanding an explanation every five minutes).

He forces himself to take a deep breath before texting Hanji-

“Hanji… I don’t mean to be rude but…

WHAT THE FUCK?”

—

So here begins babygate. A conspiracy theory that took the Internet by storm.

“Levi Ackerman had a secret marriage! He was keeping this from us from the start!”

“It’s a publicity stunt to keep No Name relevant during their hiatus!”

“It’s an elaborate scheme by the company to punish Levi for announcing the hiatus without their knowledge!”

“Levi’s mystery partner was sent by the lizard people to take control of his mind and produce half-lizard, half-human hybrid babies to take over the world! What a bitch!” (This is Hanji’s favourite).

And the internet’s favourite- this is all an elaborate scheme to cover up the scandalous love affair between Levi and Eren- the band’s guitarist.

“What the fuck?” Levi had said during dinner once, to which Reiner had to swallow his food and pretend he never read or actively looked up ereri content. Yes. Reiner knows the name of their ship.

Levi hadn’t been too worried before, but when pictures of them shopping for baby stuff leaked online, something snaps. Something snaps and Erwin tells him he needs more time to figure out the biggest PR crisis in No Name history.

It’s Levi. Levi is the PR crisis.

So in the meantime, no shock reveals, no more social media, (if possible) no more leaving the house with pregnant girlfriend in tow. “Don’t do ANYTHING.” Erwin had said, “especially not you!” Erwin had directed that at Eren, who suggested he makes an announcement. Erwin shudders. He remembers all the past scandals they got themselves into just because Eren, bless him, didn’t know when to shut up.

“I’m sorry…” Levi says to Hanji when they’re cuddled up on the couch watching a documentary on whale migration.

“Huh?” Hanji says, voice muffled through her incessant sniffling because “whales are delivered tail first, Levi! They wear their mothers like hats!”

He apologises for putting her through the mess that is him and his job. And Hanji smiles at him. He wonders if their kid will look like her. He’s hoping they would.

“Levi…” Hanji sighs, taking his face in her hands, “that night at the bar I thought to myself ‘this man has a face I would risk it all for’… I think this counts within the realms of ‘all’”

Levi scoffs, but a smile is threatening the corners of his lips. Erwin’s nagging over the phone fades a little and he sinks a little lower into the couch. He sighs one more time for good measure before saying-

“So… you wanna know which my favourite babygate theory is?”

—

“And you’re really not bothered by all this?” Reiner asks, in an emergency meeting that he had scheduled into her calendar. He hates that he’s packing things into her already busy schedule when she’s about to pop but, he figures it’s better now than when the baby’s actually out. He had booked a meeting room and everything, figuring if he projected some of the crazy shit they’re saying on the fan boards up on screen, Hanji would start taking this seriously. Because if Reiner knows anything, it’s that the fans will do anything to keep their ship afloat.

He scrolls past another post on the lizard people and Hanji gets him to pause.

“I mean… A little?” Hanji pinches her fingers together.

“Hanji…” Reiner sighs, “you and Levi discuss and rate babygate conspiracy theories you find online I don’t think you’re taking this seriously at all…”

Hanji looks at Reiner- an absolute state of panic. And she considers panicking for a moment. She’s read articles dissecting babygate and although they’re absolutely batshit, Hanji appreciates how well-researched they are. Which is a little scary. To be fair to Levi, he’s been trying to get her to worry. “I can’t keep you safe all the time, you have to be careful” like he’s going off to war somewhere. But it’s not in Hanji nature to worry about things like this. She’s a researcher at a lab who lived an ordinary life up until the point the universe hit her with a-

Sike! Levi Ackerman is your baby daddy! What are you gonna do about it?

And now she knows what headcanons and lemons are, and she really doesn’t know what to do with that knowledge. So Hanji decides, she’ll do nothing. She’ll go on indulgently long walks Levi in tow, she’ll talk his ear off about work. And like a good girlfriend, she’ll listen to his demos (and enjoy them) and tell him “are you sure anger rhymes with danger?”.

“I don’t really know how to worry about anything beyond our samples getting contaminated…” Hanji says, sheepish. Reiner sighs. He doesn’t want to be a wet blanket on Hanji’s life. He wants to be fun Reiner. Cool as a cucumber. Reiner who manages to make it through dinner at Hanji’s without having to excuse himself to hyperventilate in her bathroom because Levi is right there. And he’s so afraid that he might just be able to read his mind and find out he had looked up Levi Ackerman x y/n fanfiction once in his foolish youth (youth being approximately four months back)

Reiner shudders.

“Yeah okay… That’s um… That’s cool… Right?” He says.

Hanji shrugs.

—

So Levi Ackerman is your baby daddy. Now what?

You go into labour of course, with a matter of fact- “oh. Look Levi. The water broke.” All while refusing to leave the house until you demolish that amazing sandwich he made for you. You go into labour and you yell and grunt like a beast as you squeeze the life out of your baby daddy because he kinda deserves it. You both kinda deserve this pain. Take it as heavenly punishment for being horny and stupid if you will.

And in the middle of it Hanji thinks huh, this feels like a mix of a reality TV show from MTV and a badly written fanfiction. Except Hanji isn’t a teen mom and she’s too old for self-insert fiction that involves a lead singer of a popular band.

But Levi is here, and he doesn’t complain one bit even though he looks like he’s about to pass out. So as far as drunken one night stands go- this is pretty damn aspirational.

The baby enters the world with a huge cry.

“Kid’s got a huge set of lungs…” Levi says, but his own voice is quivering.

“Just like her dad…” Hanji smiles.

As he watches Hanji fall asleep with their baby on her chest, Levi thinks fuck it. Fuck keeping this under wraps. Fuck the fans and them enjoying how Eren gets on his nerves. Fuck Erwin and his “Levi. You’re giving me a headache. You are the cause of this headache.” Because the baby has Hanji’s nose and his eyes and he loves them more than anything in the world.

He snaps a picture of them and tags bigdaddyzoë-

“Welcome to the world, my love.”

—

Reiner can’t help the tears that well in his eyes after seeing the picture Hanji had sent him of the baby-

“He says hi to his favourite uncle!” Was the caption, and Reiner could only reply with a crying cat meme and an incoherent text that Hanji favourites.

He’s on the bus on the way to the hospital when his phone buzzes incessantly. It’s Porco.

“REINER WHAT THE FUCK.”

“LEVI ACKERMAN IS HANJI ZOË’S BABY DADDY?”

“HANJI ZOË MY PHD SUPERVISOR?”

“LEVI ACKERMAN OF NO NAME?”

“REINER WHAT THE FUCK?”

He sends a reply at the entrance of the hospital-

“Welcome to my world”

—

Reiner thinks things are alright. He’s one of the moderator of one of the bigger No Name servers, so he can block and remove people at his discretion. Some days he lets it get to his head. It makes him feel like a king. But today, he’s putting out fires.

Erwin decided their PR strategy was absolutely no strategy, because “they’re zooming in on the pixels Levi. Once they doubt the pixels, they won’t believe anything we’re saying”. With that. Babygate has officially taken on a life of its own. Eren still sends Levi babygate articles to annoy him, and to Hanji because she asked very nicely. Hanji thinks Erwin’s strategy makes sense, Levi thinks it’s just lazy. But Erwin framed a certificate that says “survived a PR crisis (sort of)” that Hanji had insisted be hung up on their wall, so that closes one chapter. Besides, Eren has been spotted going out on dates with a mystery girl. Which has the double effect of diverting attention away from Levi and exacerbating babygate because “see? Told you the company’s doing all they can to prove they’re not together!”

“Can’t you keep it in your pants?” Levi had thrown at Eren, to which he had responded cleverly with a-

“Could’ve said the same for you!”

Touché…

“See? That can’t be Levi! Look at how he’s smiling!”

“That can’t be a baby! Looks like an animatronic to me!”

“Do they even make animatronics that realistic?”

Reiner pins his “no slander” rule- one day they’ll get it. Or at least he would’ve gotten rid of all the people that don’t.

“Who’s this bigdaddyzoë anyway?”

“Maybe she isn’t real? Company probably invented her…”

“Heard she’s a crazy groupie who got knocked up…”

“Heard she’s hot…”

… several people are typing

—

“So… I heard from Reiner you were defending my honour in the server?” Hanji quirks an eyebrow.

Levi shrugs. Whatever goes down in the server stays between Leviackerman173810 (leviackerman and all 173809 permutations of said username had already been taken) and the hundreds of people who haven’t quite figured out he’s the real deal. Besides, Erwin has issued him three warnings so it’s best to lay low for now.

“My hero…” Hanji chuckles, pressing a kiss on Levi’s head. Below them, baby Udo wriggles and yawns against the fabric of Levi’s shirt. Cute.

So Levi Ackerman is your baby daddy. Now what? You look at your son and know he’s going to break hearts like his father of course. And if you’re Levi, you pray to god he never asks about babygate because Hanji has read up enough about it to be considered a connoisseur.

One day the internet will break when they find out the identity of bigdaddyzöe. But for now baby Udo has his parents wrapped around his tiny fingers and he doesn’t quite understand the concept of him being the spawn of every typical band member x y/n fanfiction. Or the centre of a very popular, very absurd, yet strangely believable internet conspiracy theory. Or the canon plot that has sunk one of the biggest No Name ships. And that’s okay.

[thefanficmonster]

You Never Notice

Sykkuno x Reader (Female)

Warnings: None

Genre: Fluff

Summary: The center of someone’s world is never aware of their importance even when everyone else is in the know. People are hard to understand, no denying, but if we all spilled our truth like how Y/N admitted her feelings to Sykkuno, mutual understanding would be achieved a lot more easily. JK, she needed an eternity and maybe a thousand pushes. What’s important is the result though, right?

Requested by Anon. You are my first Sykkuno request and I wish I could thank you with a tag. Instead, I’m gonna thank you with a fic in which I put my all. Thank you for the request, hope the final product doesn’t let you down. ����

Here we go again. Sykkuno’s love life is brought up. This time it’s more frustrating cause I can’t shout how wrong he is about himself and the effect he has on the people around him. He has no room to speak, he hasn’t experienced what I have - one of your best friends living in your head rent-free because you’re just that whipped by them. That’s right kids, some of us never grow past the middle school crushes - they are a constant for some. That can be a good or a bad thing, it completely depends on how you view it.

Currently, him and Rae are addressing some dating rumors that started spreading about them earlier this week while Felix, Sean and I are kicking each other’s butts in Party Animals. We’re not all playing together, actually, we were all playing different games when we hopped into the call and just grouped together after playing solo got boring. Rae and Sykkuno are playing Among Us on a random server, her being the only person who’s streaming right now. She said she just wanted to clear up the dating rumors cause they were annoying to see popping up on her feed on every social media platform she’s active on.

“It’s ridiculous, really. People just look for online personalities to put in imaginary relationships. Are they that bored? I know quarantine is getting to everyone, but damn“ Rae says, laughing a bit to take the edge off her words but I know she’s bothered by this ordeal more than she’s letting on. I know how much it bothers her when people ship random youtubers and streamers together, even when she’s not involved. 

And I agree. Ever since I started streaming I’ve been shipped with my friends left and right. First Corpse, then Dave, Joel...you name them. It gets kinda gross cause these people are legit like siblings to me. Unlike Rae, though, I don’t waste my breath trying to clear those ‘talks of the net’ up. I don’t know if it’s for better of for worse that I remain silent on the issue when I’m involved but am willing to stand up for my friends when they find themselves in a similar situation. Some people think the reason I don’t share my thoughts is because the rumors are true, but the hint is most often taken, resulting in the ship ending. Well, that ship ending, there’s always a new one popping up. As Rae said, it’s ridiculous.

“Why does everyone think I am ever dating anyone? I’ve already commented on this: no one would date me.“ Sykkuno says through a sigh-like laugh.

“Why are you so sure?“ I blurt out without as much as a second thought

My eyes widen just a bit, just a bit. I’m not too surprised with myself. I am slowly losing control of my raging emotions and I’m afraid of what I’ll turn into when all my restraints snap. A mess, that’s the most likely answer.

“Well....“ Sykkuno trails off, clearly more than a little nervous, “I don’t have a girlfriend right now, and I haven’t had one in a while...Nor has a girl shown any interest to be more than friends with me in what feels like forever.“

“I’m sure you just don’t notice the hints girls drop. We can be pretty subtle.“ I try to sound as nonchalant as possible while I’m still in my panicked animal mode. And by animal I mean a cub. A scared cub that is now showing confidence but will run and hide right afterwards. I silently thank the universe that I’m not streaming right now. I can feel the heat on my neck and cheeks which is pure embarrassment and would have been more than evident on-camera.

“Yeah Y/N’s right, Sykkuno. Girls can be very subtle, but they will always let you know if they like you, even through the smallest of gestures. You gotta keep your eyes open.“ Rae backs me up reassuringly.

“Guys never notice anything.“ I say, rolling my eyes. I feel the pressure lessen thanks to Rae’s involvement in the conversation.

“That’s not true.“ Sean protests, “We pay close attention, especially to girls we are attracted to.“

“Yeah!“ Sykkuno pipes in again, “I’m pretty sure I would notice if a girl was dropping signals that she likes me.“

Now that stings. That legit makes me wince and cringe as though his voice delivered an actual physical hit to my chest and stomach. It’s really unpleasant, painful even.

“You never notice.“ There’s something about this triple opportunity - proving him wrong that he’d catch onto a girl’s signals; proving him wrong that girls aren’t attracted to him; coming clean about the biggest emotional struggle I’ve experienced in recent years; - that snaps my last emotional restraints. I will totally regret this later, but after the regret comes the relief which is 100% worth it. 

“What?“ He sounds very puzzled. I can just about imagine him frowning as he tries to wrap his brain around something even I can’t wrap mine around.

“You say you’d notice a girl’s hints of attraction. OK.“ I nonchalantly throw Felix off the submarine in Party Animals while I keep talking, “Would you notice if a girl purposely doesn’t kill you in Among Us when she’s impostor? Or would you notice that a girl always sends you links to videos she finds funny? Or that she always shares music and movie recommendations with you and you only?“ 

Dead silence ensues. I feel like they have all glitched, considering Sean didn’t even try to put up a fight when I lifted him and threw him in the ocean as I previously did with Felix’s avatar.

Maybe I was a tad too specific and made the whole situation hit a little too close to home for me. 

Sykkuno and I have become really close friends and we chat and play games regularly. As I mentioned, I give him movie and music recommendations and I only recently started acknowledging the fact that I’ve never killed him in Among Us. Natural instinct I guess. In fact, I feel the need for vengeance when he’s killed. I refuse to even vote for him unless it’s absolutely necessary.

Now that I think about it, it’s not his fault he has no clue. I just don’t know how to properly drop hints.  

“Um...I mean, I guess I would notice but I’d never think they are that type of hints.“ He finally replies.

On point there, dear. On damn point.

“What does it take for you to be convinced that a girl is into you?“ Who cares that a bunch of people are about to witness this outpour? It’ll make it more real, yes, but it will also help me believe that it happened so I don’t try to crawl back to the point where return is an option. No return now. You’ve already passed two thirds of the way. The last one will set you and your mind free. 

“The only way I can be sure is if she tells me, really.“ He sounds so nervous and shy, like he’s trying to draw as little attention as possible.

He doesn’t have to worry. I’m about to pull all the attention on me.

“Well in that case....you leave me no other choice.“ My screen displays me as the winner of this round of Party Animals - an easy one considering my friends are glitched in real life. “I like you, Sykkuno. I like you a lot. And I know you will see it from every context except the one its meant to be in so I’ll be even more head-on - I’ve liked you, as more than a friend for quite some time now, but buddy, you can be sooo oblivious sometimes. Anyway...“ Here’s that regret I was talking about, it’s already creeping in. “Don’t feel the need to say it back. I don’t wanna hear it if you don’t mean it. And Rae,“ I can’t help but laugh at the thought, “Sorry for making your chat go crazy. Peace!“

And I disconnect from the Discord call.

“See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?“ I say out loud, staring at my desktop. “The cat’s out of the bag and you can move on now.“

I push myself to get some work done in order to get my mind off the mess I’ve created. I’m afraid of thinking about it, I know I’ll get too upset to do anything with the rest of my day if I do.

Suddenly, just as I’m about to open my email, my phone chimes. My brain doesn’t bother to stop my arm from automatically reaching out and checking the notification. A message.

From Sykkuno.

~ I knew you didn’t suggest me ‘My Best Friend’s Wedding’ for no reason

Me ~ So...?

~ So, I’m not the only oblivious one here, Y/N

Me ~ Wait WHAT?

~ ‘Nick And Norah’s Infinite Playlist’?

Me ~ Oooohhhh...I see

It takes him a few seconds to reply, the bubble with the three bouncing dots popping up and disappearing a few times now. I just now feel my heart banging against the inside of my ribcage, my pulse echoing in my ears.

He did seem a little too eager for me to watch that movie...

~ So, movie date?

I laugh, wholeheartedly and honestly. Genuine joy running through my veins.

Me ~ So it is.

The grin that is now decorating my features promises to stay there for the rest of the day. I bite my bottom lip at the thought that pops into my head.

Me ~ Phew, I can stop sparing you in Among Us from now on

He sends me three cry-laughing emojis in return, but I don’t need those. I can just imagine him laughing as he usually does with one hand covering his mouth. And here I thought my grin couldn’t grow wider.

 Imagining him happy makes me smile. His happiness makes me happy. He makes me happy.

Even better...

I think the feeling’s mutual.

[melzula]

Beach Day

~ part of the fire lilies series ~

pairing: Zuko x Princess!reader

notes: an anon asked for zuko and the princess being cute at the beach and I delivered

Sokka’s giddy laughter drifts through the air from the shore to the front steps of the beach house where Zuko sits waiting patiently for you to emerge, a small frown etched across his features as he watches his friends playing in the distance. The last beach day he’d had on Ember Island hadn’t exactly been a pleasant one, he had been a different person then and had surrounded himself with different people, but he hoped that being here with you and your friends— his friends now, too, though he sometimes forgets— would erase the bad memories and replace them with happier ones. You’re together again and after your talk last night you’re finally in the right place to begin your healing, so what better way to do that than a day at the beach?

Zuko is just about to get up and see what’s taking you so long, but the sound of your footsteps has him halting his movements and remaining on the steps as her turns to look at you. You stand there meek and a tad embarrassed, your shyness seeming to multiply as Zuko’s mouth drops open in surprise at the sight of you.

“Don’t laugh,” you immediately say, heat crawling up your neck as you fidget with the skirt of your swimsuit. You feel out of sorts in your Fire Nation outfit, still not used to wearing the color nor the style after spending nearly all of your life in water tribe clothing, and you’re sure your top knot is tied completely wrong and absolutely laughable to your Fire Nation born boyfriend.

“You look...”

“Ridiculous?”

“So beautiful,” Zuko murmurs in awe, rising from his seat on the steps and meeting you halfway. Heat blooms on your cheeks as you look away only for Zuko to carefully return your gaze to him. “You’re beautiful. I-I mean, you already were before but... red suits you.”

“Thank you,” you smile shyly, happily accepting the sweet kiss Zuko presses upon your lips in a show of his appreciation for you in his nation’s clothing. When he pulls away there’s a sense of bliss written across your features as you take one of his hands in your own and intertwine your fingers together. “I think we should head out before we keep them waiting any longer.”

The walk to the shore is peaceful, the breeze blowing cooly against your face and Zuko’s warm hand encompassing your own as you admire the plants and the scenery that surround you, and if you try hard enough you can almost forget that in just a few days you’ll be fighting the final battle of the war. Suki is the first to spot you, waving you over from her seat underneath the beach umbrella to join her.

“There you guys are! It’s about time you showed up,” she teases. “We were starting to think you’d bailed on us for some alone time.”

“Wish I would have thought of that,” Zuko mumbles only for you to lightly elbow his side. “Ow! What did I say??”

“It took me twenty minutes to get the top knot right,” you explain with a laugh. “How’s the war?”

“Perfect. I really suggest going for a swim.”

“You wanna come swimming with me?” You ask excitedly to a reluctant Zuko. He doesn’t usually swim that often, but how can he say no to your pretty face? With a sigh he removes his robe before allowing you to take his hand and drag him off to the water.

You seem to be right at home as you crash clumsily through the waves, sometimes using your bending to help you ride the tide or clear a path for you to pick up a pretty shell before it can be washed away by the tide. And there Zuko stands in the shallow end with the water lapping at his ankles and his arms crossed over his chest but also with a faint smile on his features as he watches the pure joy radiating off of you. He hasn’t seen you this happy since you were children, when the pressures of the crown and the threat of a war between your people hadn’t yet began to loom over your heads, and he was grateful to be able to see it firsthand.

When you return to shore with the biggest smile on your face and your whole body soaked down to the bone from your swim, Zuko is happy to wrap you up in his robe and pull you into his chest to keep you warm and dry as you babble on about how nice the water is.

“Are you happy?”

“The happiest,” you answer with a grateful smile, a satisfied hum leaving you as Zuko pushes back your wet hair to press a soft kiss to your forehead. “Maybe when this is all over we can come back one day?”

“I promise I’ll bring you back,” Zuko vows. “I’ll even have the beach house fixed and remodeled if you’d like.“

“I’d like that very much.”

After your swim you find yourself seated beside Suki and Katara as Toph and the boys scramble to create the perfect sandcastle— no bending allowed, much to the earth bender’s dismay. Though you are now dry, Zuko’s robe still remains wrapped around your figure as you stare out wistfully at the water.

“Zuko’s actually a pretty sweet boyfriend,” Suki says.

“Yeah, after all the times he’s tried to kill us I never expected him to be such a softie,” Katara giggles. “It’s so cute.”

“Hey, you came back to bed pretty late last night. Did you guys talk?”

“He told me about his ex-girlfriend,” you explain. “He wanted to make sure everything was out in the open so that we’d be able to move on without any more surprises.”

“And you weren’t mad?” Katara asks in surprise. You’re silent for a moment, mulling over your thoughts and your feelings before finally shaking your head.

“I’ve been angry with him for so long, and I don’t want to be anymore. Everything that happened is behind us now, and all that matters is the future.”

The three of you look over then to see your boyfriends doing their best to put together their castle, anxiously working under Toph’s command and doing their best not to upset the younger girl. Your eyes catch Zuko’s and he sends you an embarrassed smile in passing, one that has you giggling in return. You love being able to see him this way, happy and awkward and finally enjoying himself for once, and you’d give anything to be able to see him smile every single day.

You have no idea what the future holds or what will happen the day of Sozin’s Comet. You have no way of knowing if you’ll survive, if you’ll come out victorious, if things will finally be set right after the Fire Nation’s hundred years of torment over its surrounding people, but you do know one thing for sure. You’re going to do whatever it takes to win this fight so that when all is said and done, you can return to Ember Island with Zuko at your side and the future shining brightly ahead.

~~~

bonus:

With the sun beginning to set and the temperature beginning to drop, you find yourself shivering underneath Zuko’s robe. You hadn’t completely dried just yet and with the absence of the sun’s warmth you were beginning to feel the effects of the cold.

“Aren’t you used to the cold? You’re water tribe,” Toph points out, annoyed at the constant vibrations your shivering body sends her way.

“I’ve been away from home for too long,” you admit through chattering teeth. A pair of warm arms wrap themselves around your middle and pull you in close, prompting a content sigh to leave you as you immediately melt into Zuko. “Good thing I have a fire bender boyfriend.”

“I told you you’d be cold,” Zuko chides gently, situating you in between his legs and resting his chin on the top of your head. He wasn’t really all that used to being so close to you in front of others after having avoided public affection at all costs back during your time on his ship, but he wanted your attention more than he cared about what anyone else thought.

“Anyone else find it kind of weird how... soft Zuko is being,” Sokka questions only to earn a glare from Zuko and a nudge in the ribs from Katara.

“I think it’s nice,” Aang says with a smile. “Everyone’s happy and we had a nice day.”

“Okay, but really, cuddly Zuko? I’m impressed.”

“Shut it, Sokka,” the prince glowers, but his features immediately soften as he looks down to see you’ve dozed off. Carefully does he tie his robe closed around your figure to keep your exposed skin shielded form the cold, making sure to keep completely still so as to not wake you. Katara and Suki are swooning at the sight, but Sokka finds himself slowly leaning towards Toph and nudging her arm gently.

“Total oogies.”

“The oogiest,” she agrees.

And you continue to sleep even when Zuko carries you back to the house and tucks you into bed for the night.

| tags: @rainteslerrrr @oddment-niwit-blubber-tweak @thebluelcdy @royahllty @the-firebender-girl @coldlilheart @ilovespideyyy @yiyibetch @eridanuswave @lammello @a-monsters-love @knaite-solo @zukh03s @titaniafire @dekahg @emberislandplayers @kikaninchen-2 @lozzybowe @izzieserra @melacholy @music-geek19 @thia-aep @thyunnamed @haylaansmi @nataliahaslosthershit @idkdude776 @aangsupremacy @thirstyforsometea @ihaveaproblem98 @brown-eyed-thang @djskfkdkkf @xapham @yeetletzgetitjae @misnmatchedsox @chewymoustachio |

[nemuitoka]

What are your favorte jshk fanfics? also where do you like reading them the most?

Hi Anon!!! today is the day I can finally answer this question😈 ahaha you know how much I enjoy making fic recs so 👀 Let’s go!!!

To answer your second question first, I like reading them on AO3 the most! Mostly because I get almost unlimited number of characters to rant in the comment section........... 😆but also the tagging system is very helpful.

Okay, now to the fun part of this ask😏

You said JSHK, but I mostly read Hananene ones so all of my favs include that pairing... as  I already did a fic rec here of my favs, this list will continue that one, so please check that one first hehe ((I apologize in advance..., I would love for people to recommend me some mitsukou ones tbh... I’m really lost when it comes to other pairings orz)) 

If I’m completely honest with you anon-san, my favorite JSHK fic right now is the one Roxanne ( @istoleyourboat )  wrote based of my art and her snippet:

Star-Crossed and Falling- Where Stars Go to Die by lilaflo

Hanako is Princess Nene’s personal knight 👀. A tale of forbidden love. They slowly fall in love as they exchange a series of gifts, one that includes a pair of matching earrings that remind them of their love when they’re apart. Also, jelly Hanako of Nene’s suitors😏... Oh, but nothing lasts forever and those sweet moments will come to an end when they have to face their cruel reality, in this world, they don’t get to choose neither their battles or the ones they love.

Now more of Roxanne, because I seriously enjoy her work so much (I’m sure everyone knows by now lmao sdkj) 

Night of the Phantom King by lilaflo 

This one is a spooky one. Nene’s regret for never realizing who she truly loves takes her to mourn her deceased friend Amane and cry on his grave in a Halloween night, then suddenly the Phantom King comes to take her away👀 & he looks suspiciously familiar... Beautiful world building btw, also the ending is just, excellent. 

12 Year Romance by lilaflo

Amane meets Nene at the Tanabata festival, she’s older than him, but he falls for her instantly, fast forward, Amane is now in middle school, he’s a troublemaker, & gets constantly into fights, but he swears the new school nurse looks familiar... he then realizes it’s her and thinks it must be fate!!!... This one hits close to home bc I’ve been in this situation irl, so I can confirm all of Nene’s struggles are real (and ofc how a love with an age gap should be handled the correct way, this fic really teaches you many life lessons hahaha) 

took a sip then another sip, then you turned and said to me by chivalrousamour 

This autor has a bunch of good JSHK fics!! I recommend you check their AO3 out, bec you may find something you like for sure! But, this is my absolute fav from them. Nene is a mangaka, celebrating the finishing of her long serialized manga, while Amane is a delivery boy who happens to find her in a very questionable state in her house👀 (it’s all family friendly ofc, anon, I’m not a slimy pervert like some ghost boy)

Maid for Each Other by corologs ( @corologs )

Courtney has this amazing College AU collection series that I encourage you to check out!!! But Maid for each other is my fav!!! So it’s the Yugi twins birthday, and it’s Tsukasa’s turn to choose where they go to celebrate it... you can already tell where this is going... (let the chaos begin) & as the title said, it involves maids!!! (it has Kaicho wa maid sama vibes if you liked that anime~~)

If I Could Tell Her by corologs

What if the picture perfect arc plan was successful??? Well, this fic explores this idea, and it’s very interesting to read. I like how Amane and Hanako are two separate people here.

the horizon tries but it’s just not as kind on the eyes by sincerelyand ( @sunlightinourheadlights ) 

(Oh my sweet Karen, she writes such good fics, so go check her AO3 out as well!!) Amane and Yashiro are friends that share an apartment (& they were roommates-- OMG they were roommates), even if Amane has its complains, because Nene can be a handful sometimes (and in denial of her true feelings as always, are we even surprised at this point?) he loves her dearly anyways😭.

for real, this time by sourlemoncandy  ( @sour-lemon-candy )

Did somebody say fake dating AU?????? Because hell yeah I did asajj I loved reading this so much!! Nene and Amane are childhood friends, and Nene overhears some girls talking about Amane and how one of them plans to ask him out... but she senses these girls are up to no good so she... well, you gotta read it to find out more~~ it’s no fun If I tell ya everything hehe... so go go go!!

lemon cream by sourlemoncandy

Amane and Nene, just two good friends having a road trip and sharing donuts... what could go wrong??  😏 seriously, I loved this fic so much!! Instant fav! Also makes me wanna try some good sweet donuts...

Trip Down Memory Lane by insipidenvy ( @insipidenvy )

This fic is so sweet. I have such a huge attachment to it, because I read it when I really needed some fluff in my life hahaha. It’s sort of a collection of memories between Amane and Yashiro’s relationship over the years. So heartwarming... if you need the fluffs you’ll enjoy this very much!!

The Radish Princess and the Toilet Prince by insipidenvy

This is my favorite fic from insipidenvy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You know how I am a slut for Royalty AUs so that’s why!!!!! Also Toilet Prince!! hahahaha such a good nickname lmao. I love how they bond over their insecurities, it’s very relatable tbh. 

Between Wind and Water by WingSongHalo  ( @wingsonghalo )

My beautiful Wing always delivering the good Hananene content, as she should!! This fic is so fun to read!! I laughed so hard at Nene and Hanako being awkward with each other!!! So you know how Hanako is super clingy with Nene, he’s always touching & hugging her, but this time something weird happens and he’s so distant~~ Nene doesn’t want to admit it at first, but she misses his clingy ghost boy~~ you’ll have a good time reading this for sure!  

The Monster's Bride by Hammsters ( @uglierdaikon )

Have you heard about the myth of Cupid and Psyche? Well this fic rewrites it in a very Hananene way <3 hehe I loved it so much (as I’m a huge fan of mythology~) To sum it up, Nene is fated to marry a monster that lives in the mountains so she’s devastated... to her surprise, her husband is far from what she expected... she only had one rule to obey and well... we all know how reckless Nene is so... you go find out what happens next now!! hehehe

Morning Reflections by FalalalaLa  ( @miss-sternennacht )

So you’ve heard of Hanako watching Nene sleep, but what about Nene watching Amane sleep???!! this fic offers you this and so much more fluff <3 Also Nene remembering how they met and how their relationship evolved during the years, aww <3 

Cursed Coin by DaikonSenpai  ( @daikonsenpai )

There’s a school dance, Yashiro’s supposed to be dancing with Kou (since she can’t go with Hanako, which causes him to be jelly~~ and bitter), but she loses a coin Aoi gave her for good luck so she goes out and searches for it on the last place she saw it, the school fountain. Suddenly Hanako spots her, what’s she doing outside??? is she drunk or something?? what happens next you may find out when you read it~~~

Between Love and Hope by Baronesscmd (SweeterThanYourDarkestSin) ( @baronesscmd )

Oh to be Nene and get to sleep between the Yugi twins... God really has favorites uh... ISTG, this collection of fics is so cute. I love how Nene loves the twins so much in this AU, they have their little cute family. She ofc is in love with Amane, but their relationship with Tsukasa is so tender... it’s mostly this trio having fluffy moments together to heal your soul... if you need some, you’ll get it here for sure hahaha. 

Ghost of You (And All the Futures We've Forgotten) by Indigo_Floof  milkteamoon  ( @indigosienna , @spades-queen )

So anon you may have been wondering, well this bitch likes fluff only???? how about some angst for a change, uh? DAMN, OKAY THEN, here you have some angst to rip your soul out and wish you never sent me this ask in the 1st place, bec of the emotional damage this fic will leave you sdajjsa, also if you liked “Erased”, you’ll love this fic too! 

Hanako of the Opera by zxrstan

Finally, but not less important, me being annoying about Hanako of the Opera & POTO AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!! This fic is based of the AU Aidairo created mostly, it’s really fun to read if you didn’t get much of what was happening during the Hanako of the Opera event, it has a nice ending also! very satisfying I must say. 

AAAAND THIS IS THE END OF MY ALL TIME FAV LIST OMG;;;; Kudos for me for searching through all my damn AO3 and Google Chrome history (from both my PC and phone, since I am a FOOL and forgot my AO3 password so I read a lot of these in the past as a guest before recovering my password LMAO, please be patient with me omg, and also if you see me bookmarking them now, you know why 😭) 

Kudos to all of my writer homies as well, I love and appreciate all of you so much!! you have no idea! 💖

I hope you find this list useful, anon!! Thank you for sending me this ask and have a wonderful day! 

Ps. Please everyone feel free to add more fics to this list if you want! this is all my personal picks, but I’m aware there are a lot more fics that I haven’t read and deserve as much recognition as the ones I listed!

[a-libra-writes]

A Dragon’s Fire - Daenerys x Red Priestess!Reader

heyo! this was requested by an anon who originally wanted an assassin w fire magic, and i compromised w a red priestess who was an assassin but decided not to hurt dany (bc that seems neat!) but ive been in the shit this week so ... i wrote something fluffy instead. I know, im a big fail, lol. I hope yall enjoy it anyway

Summary: Dany has a big gay crush. That’s it, that’s the fic

“Is she everything you hoped for?”

Y/N did not answer the man behind her. She focused on the flames in front of her, dancing in the brazier into familiar shapes. She had seen them for many years. It’s why she was chosen by the priests, and since the red comet fell from the sky, they whispered if she listened close. Here, in the dragon queen’s palace, she could hear the fire inside the dragons. 

The bear knight’s metal armor and annoyed tone was not enough to distract her. Y/N reached her hand into the fire, it shaped into a dragon that sat in her palm. She didn’t feel the fire, but her red silk sleeve was burning. 

Jorah disliked her silence, but he disliked many things about Y/N. When he first saw her fire tricks, he thought they were illusions, but the heat of them said otherwise. Then there was the first time she set upon Drogon…

He suppressed his shiver and set that memory aside. “The khaleesi wants to see you.”

Y/N closed her palm, and the dragon slivered out, flying back into the brazier. The flames glowed blue for just a fraction of a second. She waved her hand over them, and the fire smothered itself. Smoke rose out of the hot coals, but those too began to rapidly cool. 

She wondered if the knight was still unsettled by her magic. Even the khaleesi had moments of awe and uneasiness, although she was fond of watching. Y/N stood, her silk robes gently scraping the marble floor. Jorah was already walking away, and she made no effort to run to catch up to him. She knew where Daenerys was.

The chambers Daenerys set aside for her council was well-lit and had an impressive, engraved table at the center of it. Its legs used to be harpies made of carved marble and ivory, but she had them removed for dragons made of onyx and rubies. Y/N liked the change, and how they glittered in the light. Perhaps she was biased - her own ruby hung around her neck, although it was far larger and smoother than any gemstone Daenerys had seen before.

The girl’s purple eyes lit up as Y/N entered the room. Y/N couldn’t help but return the sentiment, giving her khaleesi a smile. She was pleased there was no one else in the council room. “You wished to see me, khaleesi?”

“Yes. Jorah, you may leave us.”

Jorah didn’t protest, but he did shoot Y/N a look before he left the room and closed the doors. Y/N noticed there were no Unsullied in the chambers, either.

“I talked to him about what he said the other day,” Daenerys said after a moment of silence. “Ser Barristan, as well. They don’t … In the Seven Kingdoms, your sort of magic is seen as a dream. Unreal.”

“As unreal as dragons?” Y/N tilted her head, and Daenerys tried not to focus on how her hair slid across her bare shoulders. When Y/N first entered her service, she wore modest robes that covered nearly every inch of her. Since then she had adopted a more elegant, free style, at Daenerys’ subtle suggestion. She was pleased with the result. 

Daenerys set her thoughts straight. “True. The reason I called you here was to locate Rhaegal. I haven’t seen him flying overhead in some time.”

“Nor have I.” Y/N touched the ruby that dangled by her collarbone. It was held with a simple gold chain, and anyone could have missed the way it seemed to flicker. It could have been a trick of the light, but Dany knew otherwise. “Would you like me to find him?”

Of course Y/N knew how to do that. She knew how to start and stop fire, how to dream about it, how to see into it. It was only logic that she could find it. She once told Daenerys that the dragons were beings of fire, swirling and living heat. She looked at them like …

… Well, not how others looked at them. It was hard to puzzle out Y/N’s expressions and thoughts. You could ask her something directly, and she’d have some sort of strange answer, or she’d just stay quiet. Daenerys could tell when Y/N was thinking something over, at least. Her pretty eyes would lower, and she’d touch that ruby - was it hot to the touch? It seemed like it - and she would be gone. Sometimes she stayed very still for hours, staring into fire, or staring into nothing.

But she’d always have an answer eventually.

Daenerys’ knights warned against Y/N’s counsel, telling her not to listen too closely to the words of a strange woman of a strange religion. Even Missandei had commented on the followers of Rhllor’s intent to convert King Robert and other places, and the strange magics they could possess. They warned her as if she did not know how to think for herself.

It upset her, but Y/N took such words in stride. She often seemed to know what others thought and said about her, and she did little to stop it. Missandei had warmed to her, Ser Barristan did not think she was any real threat, but Ser Jorah remained unconvinced and wary. Grey Worm did not like talk of magic or priests, but he had no real ill thought of Y/N, and Daario liked to ask her all sorts of ridiculous questions for his own amusement. 

“I have found him, khaleesi.”

Daenerys couldn’t believe her thoughts had drifted again. Y/N often had that effect on her. “Where? Can we ride to him?”

“We could. He is in no danger, he is simply occupied with…” A soft smile came to Y/N’s red lips. “Something he has not seen before. That’s why he’s been away.”

“What could possibly interest him for that long? He’s been gone for days.”

“Shall we find out, your grace?”

Ser Barristan and Ser Jorah would warm her against this, ask her to take one of them or the Unsullied on the trip. Grey Worm would ask to escort them, Missandei would worry and send guards after them anyway. Daario would want to come along. Daenerys looked to the open, blue sky. There was still plenty of sun left.

“Let’s be quick,” She said, already giddy even if they hadn’t stepped a foot outside of the palace yet. “Missandei will keep them busy. Do you want to share my horse?”

Y/N was not an adept rider, but she still said, “That is alright, khaleesi. I can ride my own.”

Daenerys tried not to feel disappointed.

The danger outside the protective walls of Meereen was real, but Daenerys comforted herself with the fact that Drogon and Viserion often flew about these hills, and no one had seen them leave. Y/N said it would not take long, that they’d return toward the end of sunset.

Why do I keep believing her? Daenerys asked herself. She glanced aside, watching the woman reposition her reins. Her normally serene facade was broken everytime she rode a horse. She was not afraid of the creatures, but she had only recently learned to ride, and the beasts weren’t always fond of her.

“If you keep moving like that, you’ll make him nervous,” Daenerys said. “There’s no need to clutch the reins so tightly, either.”

Y/N nodded, and tried to relax her posture. Luckily, she picked an agreeable horse. Daenerys recalled the saddle sores and aches she received when she learned to ride. Her handmaidens gave her a balm to ease the pain. Maybe she could find that for Y/N.

I’ll ask someone to deliver it to her. I couldn’t give it to her myself - no, who says I can’t? But what would she think…

It was hard to tell exactly what Y/N was thinking, but sometimes she slipped, like now. Her brows were slightly furrowed as she righted her posture, and once she was satisfied with it, she kept glancing down at the ground, or at the horse’s ears. Y/N pet his soft neck, then slowly reached up to scratch between his ears. She jerked her hand back as her horse shook his head and made an annoyed sound.

“He didn’t like that,” Daenerys laughed, and it was adorable how Y/N gently laughed, too. She was usually so subdued, so quiet, so … what Daenerys used to be. 

“But his ears are so cute,” Y/N went back to petting his neck, which he much preferred. “Doesn’t it make you think of a cat.”

“No, not at all.” 

“Not even a little? There were some strays I’d feed at the temple. Their ears would twitch when I came by. They could smell the food in my pockets.”

Sometimes Y/N would speak of the temple she grew up in, or the other Free Cities she had travelled to, the friends she had known. Perhaps if she showed this side to the others, they would trust her more, but Daenerys was happy to have it to herself. 

The grass thinned and made way for rocky hills and in the distance, orange and yellow canyons. The sun was beginning its descent, and soon the sky would match those oranges and yellows. Y/N stopped her horse. 

“We can walk from here. Do you hear him?”

Daenerys stopped her own horse and listened. There was the slightest breeze, some distant bird calling, the sound of her horse’s nicker and … 

She shook her head. “If he’s close, we would have heard him by now.”

Y/N dismounted with some inelegance, but she fixed her clothes and just smiled. “Maybe you will when we get closer.”

They tied the horses to one of the few trees in the dry area, and Daenerys followed Y/N’s lead. 

It could be a trap. She could have men waiting there, or there could have been someone following us …

The thought was fleeting, and Daenerys fell in beside her. They both changed to more practical clothing, but Y/N still had a shimmering red cloak tied around her shoulders. As they walked, Daenerys began to hear something strange. It was faint, but as they came closer…

“Water?” She looked at Y/N.

Y/N’s sweet lips curled upward. She often smelled of smoke and spice, and Daenerys wondered if she tasted that way, too. 

They came to the edge of a small canyon, which could be better described as a deep ravine. Water glistened at the bottom of it, and more importantly, the deep green scales of her dear Rhaegal. He lifted his wings high and water spilled on his back.

“What is he doing?” Daenerys asked, but she was answered just a moment later. Water spewed up from the ground in a huge geyser, all at once, and Rhaegal happily opened his mouth and snapped at it. The water fell in thick droplets all around the dragon, the ravine and the two of them.

Y/N pulled her red hood over her head. Daenerys wiped her brow. “You didn’t tell me to pack a hood.”

“Apologies, khaleesi.” Y/N giggled. She peered downward. “If we’re steady, we can walk down to him.”

Rhaegal’s long tail lazily swung back and forth in the water. He was resting, and it only submerged his arms and legs, but he was content. Daenerys noticed all the charred bones scattered around the ravine. She wondered how much was in the water. Her feet found stability, and she carefully followed a natural, steadying path downward. Y/N was just ahead, although she wasn’t as confident in her descent.

They came to a small landing and had to stop there. The rest of the way was simply too steep. Rhaegal seemed to just notice them then, and Daenerys’ heart swelled as her child lifted his head and gazed at her with his sharp eyes. They weren’t merely brown, but bronze, with all the steadiness and strength that metal held. She touched his nose and muzzle, marvelling at how much he had grown. 

His eyes quickly flashed toward Y/N, and Daenerys felt his growl vibrate underneath her hand. She frowned and quickly said, “No.”

She remembered Y/N’s first encounter with Drogon. That was also the day she had taken the strange, beautiful priestess into her court.

Just like with Drogon, Y/N showed no fear. She stepped forward, but she didn’t make an attempt to touch the dragon. She lowered her hood, and Rhaegal’s long, black pupil tightened.

Daenerys felt the heat of his breath as he snorted through his nose. She tensed, forcing herself to stay calm as she repeated her order. “No.”

The geyser blew again, and Daenerys didn’t flinch. Rhaegal watched it rise in the air, then pulled away from his mother to open his jaws at the water again. His black teeth glittered in the setting sun.

Daenerys looked to Y/N. The priestess was so calm and steady, so unaffected … except Dany caught how her shoulders sagged in relief.

“He isn’t like Drogon,” Daenerys said, remembering that day. “He wouldn’t have hurt you.”

Y/N replied simply. “Drogon did not hurt me.” 

Had you been any other woman, he would have killed you. Except ... 

It took days for the servants to remove the char marks on the marble, and some of the melted pillars were still being repaired. Daenerys was half tempted to leave them like that, as a warning to any potential enemies, but it was unsettling to think it may have been Y/N that was burned away.

Except, she didn’t. Her red robes and long hair did, but her necklace and body remained unharmed. Daenerys and her court watched as the fire arced around her, singing away everything but skin and metal, and that ruby she never removed. Y/N looked Drogon straight in the eyes, even as they were obscured by his fire. 

His temper always was the worst. She had done nothing but approach Daenerys too quickly. Jorah was the one who pulled her back behind one of the pillars, and Daenerys remembered how the heat licked her arms as it tried to reach around the marble. Daario had pulled Missandei to cover behind the other pillar. 

Drogon almost never came to the palace, he always wanted to be in the sky, yet he came down on that day. And when the fire cleared and the floor was charred black except for a small circle … He stood back, and Y/N still looked at him. She only trembled slightly. 

She isn’t any other woman.

The geyser blew again, and rained down upon them. The water’s heat didn’t bother her, but all the dust from the ride was stuck to her skin, and the water didn’t clean it off. She had dust in her hair, too, and probably some stray pieces of grass. 

She smiled. It had been some time since she was properly dirty after a ride, and she looked forward to a perfumed bath and brushing her hair when she got back. Daenerys glanced to Y/N, who was occupied with watching Rhaegal. She also had dirt on her cheeks and neck, and some in her hair, and maybe if she wanted a bath afterward, too…

Daenerys reached forward and tried to rub some of the dirt off her cheeks. It didn’t work, but Y/N’s pretty eyes went wide. She didn’t pull away. “Khaleesi?”

Daenerys stepped forward, gently moving her palm so she had Y/N’s whole cheek. Just as she thought - as she dreamed? - the priestess’ skin was flushed and warmer than anyone she’d touched before. 

“You can say my name,” Daenerys said. She tried to tease, but her beating heart and their closeness made her breath catch. She thought Y/N was wearing color on her lips, but perhaps they just always looked like that? 

“Daenerys.” Y/N tried it out, and the dragon queen felt like a girl again, feeling her heart soar at hearing her name on those lips. She leaned in, bringing Y/N closer to her. Their foreheads brushed, and the warmth between them turned to heat.

A piercing roar broke through the sky, and cut straight between them. Daenerys recognized the sound at once, and it distracted her as Y/N jumped away. The woman’s cheeks were as red as her cloak.

Above them, Viserion broke through the clouds and bellowed down at his brother. The first cry was for Daenerys, and the second was probably a command for Rhaegal to move aside. The green dragon made room for his brother, and the water reached the top of the ravine as Viserion splashed straight into it. Y/N pulled Daenerys back before the muddy water could splash all over them.

Daenerys was far too overheated and flustered, and the sight of her children amusing themselves only gave her a little relief. At least Rhaegal was alright. 

Y/N had pulled her hood back down, and it was a shame. At least her lips were still visible through the shadow, although looking wasn’t as good as tasting.

“We’ve been gone for a long time. Let’s ride back.” Daenerys led the way out of the ravine. Y/N said nothing until they were back to the horses, who were understandably spooked from the dragon that flew overhead not fifteen minutes ago. Y/N held her horse’s reins and tried to soothe it, and Daenerys helped, touching the priestess’ hands perhaps more than was needed. 

Y/N didn’t pull away, and that gave Daenerys the courage to kiss her cheek. The soft dyed linen brushed her own cheek, and she caught a whiff of perfume.

The priestess giggled, and it was a better relief than the breeze that was slowly blowing across the hills. “Please, Daenerys. I’m covered in dust.”

“I am, too. Let’s wash up when we ride back - together?”

She caught Y/N’s bright eyes under the hood, and they sparkled as she blushed and tugged the hood further down. “Yes, that would be lovely.”

So it was decided. By the time they reached the gates of Meereen and entered the Great Pyramid, Y/N had dropped her hood and her easy, serene face had returned. She disregarded the suspicious looks, she gave an easy nod to Missandei, who returned a tentative smile. As far as anyone knew, Y/N’s mind was wrapped in her usual visions and prayers.

Until Daenerys brushed her dirty hair aside and smiled at her, then Y/N’s cheeks blushed and her eyes widened in that adorable way. She let the khaleesi take her hand, entwine their fingers, and guide her to the great baths. Y/N’s red cloak fluttered behind her, drawing attention to them. Some Unsullied guards probably saw, and surely others, but Daenerys didn’t care. 

She’s like fire, and I am a dragon - how could she bring any harm to me?

[inmyarmswrappedin]

irene and hajar really did just have the most chemistry out of every other duo huh. when i first watched the bridge scene s4, even tho i was so annoyed with cris for much of the season, it was the most romantic thing that had happened all season?? dani could never come up with something original and sweet all in one.

anyway im on board with ur sana/vilde corner of the fandom, and will gladly join you on that beautiful enemies-to-lovers train (assuming that all of the vildes have repented their blatant islamophobia)

Hi anon 🥰🥰 I love your ask! I also love the bridge scene you’re talking about. Lol I too was like, “how tf are they going to resolve Cris being such a dick towards Amira???” And then they delivered the highkey most romantic scene all season. 

I love eskam lmao, they really took to heart that quote about female friendships being the most crucial and important (I tried to search for it to quote it exactly, but I couldn’t find it 🥺 someone reply to me or send it to me if they know which quote I’m talking about, it’s on a lot of eskam gifsets), but they also just went, “and also female friendships are extremely romantic experiences for all involved!” Whew!!

It’s no wonder Irene thought the scene needed to end with Cris just going for it and kissing Amira gvhvhsh. Irene can be a headass sometimes, but she was right on the money there. 

Yass, another convert to the Sana/Vilde train! I just want to make clear that I know the ship has... its issues, to say the least lol. When I first got into it, it was before Skam s4 started dropping. In s3, Sana and Vilde seem to get along well (likely because Isak doesn’t know them that well, and also Isak isn’t exactly the wokest character on the show uhh), so I kind of figured that, in s4, Julie would either write a sl where Vilde understands she fucked up, or maybe that Julie would say they got to an understanding off-screen. Instead, Julie really just gave me Vilde stabbing Sana in the back one last time! 😬🙂 When she told Pepsi Max about how Elias called Sana his slave.

So yeah, in my mind these Sana/Vilde ships never happen without the Vilde thoroughly making up for her racism and islamophobia. And I get why people wouldn’t be into the ship even with Vilde repenting, just to be clear!

Edit: @maxbernini to the rescue with the actual quote!  “Here’s the truth: friendships between women are often the deepest and most profound love stories, but they are often discussed as if they are ancillary, “bonus” relationships to the truly important ones. Women’s friendships outlast jobs, parents, husbands, boyfriends, lovers, and sometimes children…it’s possible to transcend the limits of your skin in a friendship…This kind of friendship is not a frivolous connection, a supplementary relationship to the ones we’re taught and told are primary – spouses, children, parents. It is love…Support, salvation, transformation, life: this is what women give to one another when they are true friends, soul friends” It’s by Emily Rapp. 🥰

[starblazerm31]

Azalea/Imalia Apprentice April Asks #2

Man, I did myself in on this one!  It only took me the whole week!  So many "Whoa...I haven't come up with that yet..."  But that's the point of these asks!  To develop characters!  Thanks so so much to @samjmorgan​​, @mechaspirit​​, and the several anons for sending me asks!  I hope you like my answers!  Once again, novel below the cut. XP

1. What does your character feel when they see their LI for the first time each day?

Julian:  He's always awake before her, but won't move until she does.  As soon as her bleary eyes see him, she smiles; that warm blossoming feeling filling her chest.  Her beautiful disaster is alive, well, and right where she left him.  She wraps her arms and legs around him and pulls him in tight for a full-body hug.  "Good morning, angel," he whispers to her.

Lucio:  Their connection usually has them waking up at the same time.  Even with a messy bedhead, Lucio makes Azalea's heart flutter the moment she lays eyes on him.  His skin is warm and soft, and it gets cute little goosebumps as soon as she touches him.  Lucio.  Her Lucio.  *Que make-out session.*  Morning breath?  Meh, who cares.

Her sleep is sporadic due to her nightmares, and she wakes up multiple times during the night.  Every time her eyes land on Asra next to her, her heart rate slows down and she drifts back off to sleep.  When it's finally time to get up, however, she will whimper and pull him close, letting her deep emotions and love spill over to him.  He's been the longest constant in her hellish life, and she's just so happy to have him next to her.  To be able to call him hers.

2. What things does your character love about their LI?

Julian:  She LOVES how smart he is.  She feels like she can have an actual intelligent conversation with him about absolutely (well...almost) anything.  He askes intellectual questions about magic and she is more than happy to go on a spiel about the little intricacies and science behind magic.  And she loves to ask him about medicine and how the human body works.  It ends up benefitting both of them in their respective professions.  She also loves how he towers over her but will fall to his knees in an instant.

Julian loves Azalea’s stubbornness.  Once she gets her mind set on something, it’s gonna go her way. (she snagged him, didn’t she?) He absolutely loves it when she throws off all of her inhibitions and goes on a night run across the rooftops.  He can’t keep up with her when she’s elevated.  The sky is her playground, and it makes her look even more angelic to him.  He adores the way she speaks to him and holds him when he’s feeling stressed.  She’s so soothing and comforting, and she won’t let him go until he asks.

Lucio:  She loves his energy and excitement.  He's not the smartest pickle in the jar, but he can match her when it comes to being active.  Running races, playing sexy hide-and-seek, sparring...he's the only person in the world who can wear her out.  And he has been the most encouraging person to her.  His wonder and awe when he watches her do magic makes her feel as awesome as he says she is.  And he loves it when she reads one of her new stories to him.  He sits there, riveted by the images she's weaving with her words.

Lucio loves how completely and utterly kind she is to him.  She actually listens to him and encourages him, believes in him.  No one has ever done that before.

Imalia loves everything about Asra.  She loves how beautiful his magic is.  Watching him cast leaves her utterly spellbound.  The glowing swirls, the glittering lights, the musical trills his magic makes.  It is unlike anything Imalia has ever experienced.  She loves how she can talk about anything and Asra immediately seems to understand.  Magical theories, sacred geometry and leylines, blessed and cursed artifacts, enchantments, ancient incantations...he is just as invested and curious as she.  She can teach him a new spell and he can get it right almost immediately as well as understand it.  And he is the most calming presence she could be around.  If her anxiety is flaring up or if she had a particularly nasty nightmare, Asra can calm her down within minutes.

Asra loves how giving and encouraging Imalia is.  She spends so much time learning new things only to turn around and share her knowledge with even more enthusiasm.  She simply can't keep knowledge to herself.  And she would gladly give her life to save someone she loves.

3. What things about their LI annoy them?

Julian:  He can still be a spastic dumbass.  And sometimes he will go on these long tirades about how he just doesn't deserve to be with her.  She will let him get his grievances out, and then calmly explain WHY he is wrong.  And he has this really annoying habit of leaving his dirty socks right beside the laundry hamper.  And Julian tends to leave cups of cold, unfinished coffee just lying around the place.  As for Azalea herself, she tends to think that he doesn't always understand what she is talking about, so she will spend too much time re-explaining a concept he already knows.  And sometimes she can be a little to micro-managey when it comes to stuff around the shop.

Lucio:  As above, spastic dumbass.  He also has absolutely NO idea or sense of money management.  And he can be lazy.  And if she's spending too long on her shop's expenses/cleaning, or if she's reading and not paying enough attention to him, Lucio will start to whine and flop around like a little kid.  Azalea herself still has a few trust issues with Lucio on certain things like money.  He’s so used to lavish things and sometimes needs reminding that Azalea’s shop doesn’t bring in THAT kind of revenue.  Azalea KNOWS Lucio doesn’t understand what she’s talking about sometimes, so the re-explaining isn’t so bad.  But it does bore Lucio.  He can’t help but feel put-out with Azalea’s micro-managing.  He wishes she would just sell the shop and move them back into the Palace since she is Court Magician.

Asra still likes to run off on his own without giving any specifics about where/what he's doing.  The running off is fine, but Imalia would at least like an idea of what he's planning.  Just in case he might need some help.  Her worst fear is for him to get in trouble and need her, but she isn't there.

4. Who does what chores?

Julian:  Azalea handles the cooking, laundry, and cleaning the floors.  Julian handles the dusting (putting that height to good use!) and the dishes.  They both do random little fix-its around the shop, but Azalea is better at it since she had spent three years randomly alone.  Azalea loves Julian's expressions when she climbs on the roof and hangs upside down to fix a shingle or the shop’s sign.  He’s trying to catch a glimpse of his favorite boob.

Lucio:  (assuming he is no longer Count and lives with her at the shop) OMG this lazy bum.  It took Azalea a while to get him used to the idea of washing his own clothes, and even longer to teach him how to do it right.  She still takes care of cooking (he is NOT allowed!) and the floors, but they share dusting duty.  And she taught him how to fix things.  The first time he got a chair to stop wobbling, she had to stop him from throwing open the windows and yelling "I AM THE FIX-IT KING!!!" to the entire neighborhood.  She also gave him a job as shop courier.  He needed to learn how to earn his living.  Also took him a while to figure out how to deliver orders without breaking anything.  😒

Well, Imalia has servants at her estate, so she doesn't really NEED to do any chores.  But she's not the lazy type, and will at the very least cook for herself and the entire household.  She likes seeing their faces when they taste her latest atroci-uh dish.  In seriousness, she's a pretty decent cook.  Asra will usually gather reagents and ingredients they will need in their magical research.  As far as household chores, he keeps the windows clean.  He loves how the sunlight filters in through the stained glass.

5. Do they prefer to stay at home, or do they like to go out?

Julian:  Being the working stiffs they are, they will usually stay at home.  But a few times a week they will head down to the Rowdy Raven for a good time, or visit with their friends.  Azalea does eventually become Imalia's apprentice again and gets tutored three times a week; they will usually go out somewhere as a group afterward.

Lucio:  Lucio, being the exhausting booger he is, has to go out and mingle with people.  So they will typically go out when the workday is done.  When Azalea becomes Imalia's apprentice again, Lucio is encouraged to do ANYTHING else but come along.  (Imalia and Lucio dated for three years, and that ended badly; so she tries to steer clear of him)  It doesn't always work, however, because Lucio is nosy and he remembers how well Imalia's head-of-household Ben made desserts.

Since she and Asra both like to travel, they typically go out somewhere.  Even if they stay at home they will be traveling the Magical Realms.

6. What are some little things they do for each other throughout the day?

Julian:  She will make him coffee and prepare him lunch to take to the clinic with him.  She will leave him little notes in the lunch telling him how amazing he is and how much she loves him.  If he is working late, she brings him dinner.  He will tie little notes to Malak's leg for her to receive, or bring her flowers when he gets off work.  He has also become the new bearer-of-pumpkin bread.  When he gets home, she will sit him down in a chair and give him a shoulder and back rub or draw him a nice hot bath.

Lucio:  She keeps a full cookie jar for him.  She keeps the pantry stocked with food he likes and will cook it just perfect for him.  She also whispers dirty little nothings in his ear and will give him sneaky butt pinches.  He needs to know he's wanted, after all!  If his prosthetic is bothering him, she will help soothe the irritation.  He will give her random shoulder rubs and neck nibbles and will make sure Corva's food and water are always full.  He also likes to blow most of his money on random gifts for her.

She will paint Asra's nails while telling him lots of "no shit, there I was" stories.  Smoking green with him while reading, going on long walks with him, and constantly praising him.  Asra will wash Imalia's hair when they bathe together and give her amazing scalp massages to ease away tension.  He also loves to brush her hair and come up with new braid configurations for the top of her head.

7. What are some private jokes they share?

Julian:  There was this one time when they were adventuring overseas and they wanted to grab something to eat before they set out to investigate this temple that Imalia had told them about.  It was supposed to have this magical jar that could hold a human soul.  The only vendor in the town they were in sold this strange grilled fruit on a stick that smelled absolutely awful.  They still ate them and it didn't taste too terrible.  But it strangely filled them with energy and they made it through the temple just fine.  Now when they see kebabs, they look at each other and snicker.  Also, when they pass a haberdasher and see a nice pirate-style hat, Julian will pass Azalea a quirked eyebrow and grin.

Lucio:  Whenever Azalea hears a goat bleat, she will glance to Lucio and snicker because his laugh sounds exactly the same.  Lucio will laugh like a madman when Corva will imitate Azalea's frustrated "Fucking hell!"  He also taught her how to say "Mama's ass" in his accent.   Lucio:  "Ey, Corva, what's the solution to this problem?" Corva:  "Mama's ass!" Azalea:  "OMG!!!" *blush* Corva:  "Fucking hell!"

She and Asra have run afoul of a few bandit gangs with the most ridiculous names.  So now when they hear of bandits causing trouble, Asra will say "Is it The Fighting Dragon's Blood Macho Men again?"   Imalia:  *snarfs her drink* "It might be the Serpent's Hand." Asra:  *laughs out loud*   Faust:  ?

8. What are some embarrassing couple stories?

Julian:  One time Azalea was bringing him lunch at work, and the thank-you kiss became rather intense.  A patient came in, and Julian realized that he had gotten...ahem...excited.  He had to come up with a lame excuse to give himself time to calm down.

Lucio:  One time he and Azalea were toking up in the loft of the shop when Nadia came in.  It was a new strain that was really potent, and Lucio couldn't hide the fact that he was high as hell.  When he tried to follow Azalea down the stairs, he lost his balance and tumbled the rest of the way down, ending up in a pile at Nadia's feet.  He instantly blurted out in a loud exaggerated whisper:  "Azzie, don't tell Noddy that I'm high!!" Nadia:  "Don't worry Lucio, I will never find out." Lucio:  "Good.  Hey, Azzie, are we gonna screw when she leaves?" Azalea:  "....Omg...I am so sorry, Nadia." Nadia:  "It's alright, you took him off of my hands after all." (I'd draw this if I could XD)

One time she and Asra started "getting down" in her study.  They were so focused on each other that they didn't notice Ben come in and set down a tray of refreshments for them.  When they were done, Imalia noticed the tray and said "How long has that been there?" Asra:  "I don't know...I swear it wasn't there before...we..." Imalia:  "...Shit, Ben, why do you have to be such a ninja?" They couldn't look him in the eye at dinner that night.

9. Is their relationship open or exclusive?

Julian/Lucio:  Exclusive.  Azalea gives her heart to one person only.  Her love envelopes her lover and all she longs for is them.  More than one person would feel mediocre and cheap because she would have to divide her love.  She loves with everything she is.  And it turns out that both Julian and Lucio get really jealous at the thought of sharing her.

Imalia and Asra are exclusive and deeply committed to each other; but they would have a threesome if they met someone who struck both of their fancies.  That hasn't happened yet, however.

10. How often do they need to be intimate?

Julian:  They need to be intimate at least twice a week.  Jobs can be stressful, and they need to relieve that stress.  Azalea is all too happy to indulge Julian's desires, and he is happy to service her needs in return.  He's amazing at following direction.  ^_~

Lucio:  Sex is a daily occurrence with them.  Rarely, they will have had such an exhausting and busy day that sex just wasn't in the schedule...but rarely.  More often than not, it's vanilla sex.  But they make an effort to have several spicy sessions a week.  There have been weeks where they went at it a little rough at the beginning, and they were too sore to keep up their normal routine.  Those were sad weeks.

At the very least they have sex once a week; however sex can happen at the drop of a hat with these two.  Anywhere, anytime.  The longest sessions happen in the Magical Realms where they can explore and experiment for as long as they want.

11. Have they ever fought?

Julian:  Over little things, more than most.  Things get tense with two people trying to be in a committed relationship.  Something as stupid as “geez, dirty socks on the floor AGAIN?!  The laundry basket is right here!” can, unfortunately, escalate into a rather heated argument about something entirely different.  But dammit, we are COMMITTED!!! (I’m NOT leaving this bitch/bastard because I LOVE them, and we have been through WAY too much SHIT for something as amorphous as emotions to drive a wedge between us!)  Cue some time apart to get their thoughts and emotions together and a very teary-eyed snotty apology.

Lucio:  Yeah, mainly over money management.  Lucio always thought the word "budget" meant "cheap."  He didn't understand that you can't use the money for shop repairs to buy that gaudy cloak he saw in a store window.  He also didn't know that shops had to buy the things they sell.  He thought store wares just...appeared.

Asra gets irate at the risks Imalia is all too ready to take at a moment's notice.  He wants her to stay safe and it's quite hard when she suddenly decides that she has to drain a quarter of her blood as a reagent for a spell that will lift the curse on a village.  She thinks that she will be alright since she merged with the Lord of Nightmares.  But Asra reminds her that Lon is a chaos goddess and might not save her.

12. Describe their perfect date

Julian:  It's been busy at the shop and the clinic, and Azalea and Julian have been wanting a date night for a while now.  Azalea closes the shop early and prepares a picnic for the two of them.  Meanwhile, Julian closes his clinic and hauls ass down to the Rowdy Raven to pick up a special bottle that he ordered from Barth.  He gets back to the shop just as Azalea is tucking everything away in a basket.  Arm in arm, the walk to the hidden garden.  They spread out a blanket and set everything up.  Under the glow of the Deadly Starstrand, they feed each other and enjoy that entire bottle.  They giggle and snuggle together, talking about the "remember whens" of their first meeting.  Azalea then pins Julian against that crumbling wall and enacts her secret desires of that night long ago.

Lucio:  Lucio got permission from Nadia to set up a special rendezvous in the palace garden.  (She adores Azalea and helped him come up with the idea)  A table with a magnificent spread was set out for them with a chilled Golden Goose.  They spent the evening laughing and talking, Lucio telling Azalea stories of his past glories.  Azalea confesses that she didn't think much of herself or her talent until he came into her life.  Lucio spends a while kissing up and down the length of Azalea's arms, showering her with praise.  He then takes her up to his old wing via the portal in the garden and gives her the full Count experience. ^_~

There is a meteor shower tonight.  Imalia sets up a tent (looks small, but is huge inside) in a clearing in the Dark Forest that has all the trappings.  A magician's feast, different types of drinks and wine, and big fluffy bed covered in tons of vibrantly colored pillows.  Outside, they lay in the grass and stargaze.  Imalia tells Asra the history and mythology behind the constellations overhead and what significance they have to different kinds of magicians and mages.  Asra already knows all this, but he loves to hear Imalia talk.  They watch the shooting stars flit by overhead, and both exclaim when a particularly bright one passes by or makes a loud popping sound.  They then retreat into the tent where they eat and weave light magic in the air to entertain each other.  Then Asra pulls out a stick of that special incense and the rest of the night is spent rolling in those pillows.

13. Do they have an evening routine?

Julian:  When they are home for the night, Azalea will make some tea for them and Julian will pick out a good book.  They will sit and read together for a while before drawing a hot lavender bath.  They will wash each other and cuddle until the water gets cold.  Then a cup of chamomile before going to bed.  Fun times may occur at this point.

Lucio:  Azalea will spend some time teaching Lucio how to read for as long as she can keep his attention.  She will then reward him with some intimate time followed by the lavender bath.  She will pour him a glass of wine and tea for herself, and they will talk and tell each other jokes and stories until they fall asleep.

They don't really have a routine; the only routine thing about their evenings is the fact that they go to sleep.  They are usually working on experiments together, exploring, reading, drinking, or playing games.

14. Describe a "paid scene" with your character and their LI

Julian:  Julian and Azalea are getting ready to attend a soiree at the palace.  Azalea helps Julian button his cuffs and slips in some sweet kisses to his wrists.  She then tells him to hold his arms up and don't move.  She slowly buttons up his shirt, leaving smoldering kisses up his chest as she fastens each button.  Julian is a blushing mess, each kiss making him hotter and hotter.  When she closes the final button at his neck, she gives him a mischievous love bite right below his collar.  She then tells him to help her fasten the back of her dress.  He gets a wicked glint in his eye and does as she says, but throwing in a little bit of the temperature magic she had been teaching him.  Icy touches make her shudder while hot touches make her groan.  He finishes off with a blazing kiss to her shoulder which he drags up her neck and ends with a playful nip to her earlobe.

Lucio:  An aerial dancing troupe had performed in the palace earlier that evening.  Azalea talked to Nadia and got the troupe to leave their rigs up.  The room seems to be littered with draping curtains and ropes.  Azalea easily coaxes Lucio into the room and ties a blindfold around his eyes.  She tells him to count to ten and then come find her.  He does as she asks, but pouts when all he can see are the curtains and ropes swaying.  He creeps around each one, listening for her.  He hears her giggle and sees some of the curtains move.  He dashes forward to find her, but she isn't there.  She leads him around the room like this for a good while until finally she spins down from one of the curtains and hangs upside-down in front of him.  She gives him that classic Raimi Spider-Man upside-down kiss.  He asks her what else she can do from that angle.  She replies by sensuously touching him while swaying from the fabric.  Eventually, all riled up, he plucks her down from there and hurries off with her to her room.

Imalia tells Asra that she respects the Arcana, but doesn't really hold much reverence towards them since they seem rather useless to her.  Asra pulls out his deck and offers to give her a reading.  Imalia sighs, but agrees.  He lays out three cards and flips one.  Just as he suspected, it's The Empress upright.  He listens to the card and tells her what it says.  "Of all the opportunities you've had, there is one you have wanted more than any other.  It scares you, but it's embedded so far down inside you that it's part of who you are.  You want more than anything to be a mother."  Imalia starts, her face turning a deep red.  "It's expected of you," Asra continues, "so a large part of you wants to reject the idea.  The idea pins you down to your royal bloodline.  But that isn't why you want it.  You want it because you want to share the bond that you had with your father with a child of your own.  You want to teach them, encourage them, and watch them grow into something amazing."  He puts the cards away and looks at her mischievously.  "What do you think of the Arcana now?"  Imalia grimaces and says "I think they talk too much."

15. Would they go on a double date?

Definitely!  Azalea/Julian and Azalea/Lucio have gone on double dates with Imalia/Asra many times!  (However, with Azalea/Lucio, Imalia and Lucio typically end up trying to outdo each other with stories of their badassery)

16. Who pops the question?

Julian:  They propose to each other!!  They both wanted it, knew they did, but weren’t exactly sure how to go about it.  They snuck around each other (the only time in their relationship that this happens) and bought rings.  Then, on the night each had planned, Julian goes to the kitchen to make them tea and get the ring he’d bought.  When he turns around, Azalea is already kneeling in front of him with the ring she’d bought.  He’s flabbergasted, and kinda numbly holds out his ring.  The next day was full of them guffawing and telling the story to everyone else.

Lucio:  He did.  It was not at all what Azalea was expecting.  She always thought he would propose at a party, in front of everyone in Vesuvia.  But no...he waited until they were alone and comfortable, lounging in the grass of the palace garden.  He just...asked her.  No flourishes, no showy display.  As for the ring...he did really well.  It wasn't some huge gaudy thing that wouldn't look right on her at all.  It was a simple silver band with three gorgeous moonstones set on it.  He really thought about what she would like.

She does.  They are on holiday together in Nopal during the Painted Daisy Festival.  While sitting next to each other at a bonfire, Imalia stands up.  She proclaims that she has had the vast fortune of traveling the world, having many adventures, performing great deeds, and teaching some of the brightest minds the world has ever seen.  But it all pales in comparison to the person she has fallen in love with.  She simply can't see herself doing anything greater than spending her life with him.  She kneels down in front of him and produces a golden ring etched in magical runes.  She says that he has been there longer than anyone else in her life.  Would he mind keeping that bad habit up for a while longer?  Say, forever?

17. Describe the wedding

Julian:  It takes place at the Palace (at Nadia's insistence).  Julian is a nervous wreck, thinking that surely Azalea will change her mind and leave him standing at the altar.  Portia smacks sense into him, reminding him that she was part of Azalea's bridal party and had JUST seen her.  Imalia is Azalea's maid-of-honor, and is bossing people around like a drill sergeant, accompanied by Mazelinka; they wanted to make sure Azalea could just enjoy this day and not be bothered by the minutiae.  When Azalea walks down the aisle, she is a glittering spectacle of white pearls, moonstones, crystals, and feathers from Corva. (she had been saving Corva's shed feathers for this occasion).  When they exchange vows, Corva perches on Julian's shoulder, and Malak on Azalea's.  They present them with the rings.  Que smooches and a hell of a reception with lots of table dancing!

Lucio:  Same as above, at the Palace.  Nadia and Azalea arranged everything, but kept Lucio's tastes very close in mind.  Azalea wanted a nice wedding, but not anything as huge as the Masquerade.  The palace was littered with white roses and moonflowers.  Imalia actually tended to Lucio in this one.  His mother was invited and actually showed up, which made Lucio nervous as hell.  Imalia assured him that everything was going to go smoothly, and if Morga did anything, Imalia would do something worse.  Despite her choice of groom, Azalea was still her best friend and this day was going to go PERFECTLY.  Down the aisle, Azalea was escorted by Mercedes and Melchior.  They looked amazing, all clad in white.  Azalea’s dress was the same as above, but she actually wore diamonds (even though she hates them).  The rings were tied to M&M's collars...which could have been a horrible decision if the dogs got riled up, but Imalia had Balthazaar at the ready to pursue and snatch, should that happen.  With the final kiss, sealing the deal, M&M tore out of the sanctuary to chase birds.  The reception was a big party, just like Lucio wanted.  He never left Azalea's side for a moment, showing her off to everyone in the kingdom.

She and Asra elope.  Something to spring on Azalea randomly.  XD  Plus, Imalia is exhausted with royal and court life; arranging a royal wedding would cause so much headache, and she just knew she would be sending a few nobles to the infirmary with their murmurs about Asra's social standing.  Better to just say "Oh, by the way, this is the person I married.  Suck it."

18. Any babies?

Julian:  Two kids:  Nora and Rylen.  They both inherit Azalea's premature greying so they enchant their hair like their mother.  Auburn at the roots, but Nora's fades into gold.  Rylen's fades into deep green.  Nora is tall and has the same proclivity for acrobatics that her mother does.  She also has a tendency to get into fights.  Rylen is shorter and is a bookworm who wants to be a doctor like his father.

Lucio:  Two kids:  Darien and Etoile.  As with the previous two, they inherit Azalea's greying.  But they don't enchant their hair.  They both like how the blonde roots fade into silver at the ends.  Darien is a sweet kid who is just really unlucky.  He gets into jams, his magic goes wild, and he tends to lose important things.  This is due to whatever deal Morga made when Lucio was a baby.  Etoile is an overachiever who is headstrong and bulletproof like her father.  She inherits Azalea's smarts which makes her even worse as far as being headstrong because she is, unfortunately, always correct.  She does deeply care for her older brother, however, and will knock someone out if they mess with him.  She ends up helping him with his crappy luck by making him MANY good luck charms to counteract.  The two of them become an adventuring duo, furthering magical research and discovery.

She and Asra have one child (at first; I want to create two more), a daughter named Celestia (Lessie).  She is slightly darker of skin tone, with Asra's beautiful white hair and Imalia's crimson eyes.  She is coy and mischievous, but can also turn on a dime into a yelling ball-buster.  She is best friends with Azalea's kids (both versions) and they get into all sorts of trouble together.  She is very good at inventing new magic spells.  Mainly good for pranks.  She eventually follows in her mother's footsteps and becomes a Magister as well as a potential heir to the throne of Seiruun.

19. Do they stay in Vesuvia, or eventually move somewhere else?

Julian/Lucio:  Vesuvia is home.  It's where her heart is and it's where she learned all of her greatest lessons in life.  She could never leave.

Imalia and Asra set up a portal to Imalia's home country of Seiruun.  They have dual citizenship there, and Asra is given the title of Prince since he married Sairuun's only Princess.  As such, they have to make appearances at court functions.  But Vesuvia is home.  Until (or if ever) Queen Dreen Suval has children of her own, Celestia is named the heir to the throne of Seiruun.

20. Talk about that family life.  What's it like?

Julian:  Azalea continues to run the shop and Julian his clinic.  But since the family got so large, they had to move out of the loft and buy a house (they found a nice one close by).  Azalea teaches Nora and Rylen how to make potions and tinctures, as well as nurture their magical talents.  Rylen wants to be like his father, so Julian takes him on as his apprentice at his clinic and teaches him everything he knows.  Azalea has to come to get Nora from the guards after she gets into fights on a somewhat regular basis.  She decides that Nora should get a proper "schooling" from Imalia.  So Imalia keeps Nora nice and busy and helps her channel her energy to more productive means than fighting.  Meals are always spent together as a family.

Lucio:  Azalea continues to run the shop, and Lucio actually steps up to help in raising Darien and Etoile.  They move into a fancy house.  Morga steps in every so often and insists on taking the children out on hunts.  When she sees how horrible Darien's luck is, she spends more attention on Etoile.  Azalea isn't pleased with this.  So she makes Darien her helper and apprentice at the shop and teaches him ways to counter his awful luck.  Etoile is the one who figures out exactly what he needs and makes him a LOT of luck charms.  They need to be re-energized every so often, but they seem to do the trick and Darien's true potential starts to shine.  Morga is forced to eat her words on one hunt when he slays a bear larger than any Morga has ever seen.  She begins to piece together Darien's condition and realizes who is actually at fault.  Her.  So she sets about to rid Darien of the curse of bad luck.  Lucio and Azalea love spending time with their kids, reading, telling stories, and playing with magic.  Meals are a family event with everyone taking part.

Imalia tries her best not to dote on Celestia, but she just can't help it sometimes.  The child is so amazing, and she loves how much like Asra she is.  She and Asra take her on family trips the the Magical Realms and help her construct her own Magical Gateway.  Asra introduces her to several of the Arcana, and the Magician absolutely adores her.  At one point, Celestia manages to slip into the Devil's realm and paints a penis on the frozen Arcana's face.  Imalia is immensely proud when Celestia agrees to take on the massive responsibility of becoming heir to Sairuun, but she doesn't put off her education either.  Through her own effort and hard work, she becomes a Magister.

BONUS.  Petnames.

Azalea calls Julian "Beautiful Beanpole" and "my darling doctor" and Julian calls Azalea "Angel," "darling," and "dearest"

Azalea calls Lucio "Hot Stuff" and "babe" and Lucio calls her "Azzie" (sounds like Ozzy) and "baby"

Imalia calls Asra "Starlight."  Asra calls Imalia "Professor."  Imalia also calls Lucio "Shitiot" (Shit/Idiot)

[bottaslicious]

I guess my main problem with “anon love” is that it’s so... forced? Like, it’s starts with “since you got anon hate i will send you some love!!! :)” and like. Ok. Sure. Since I got hate you have to put it to balance. And then it continues with a generic list “i love your blog and you’re rly nice yadda yadda yadda don’t listen to the haters”. And the intention is nice and good and the right direction, but it also is hollow and really, really fake.

Like when I was depressed - 10 years of my life, and I’m turning 21 in a few days, two years free of depression - I got plenty of that sort of reassurance, in real life and online. Since I was depressed for ten years, you can sort of figure out it did jackshit. I knew what I was and am - creative as fuck, sassy as fuck, funny as fuck, cool as fuck - so hearing those facts over and over again didn’t do shit. I was a burnout, overstressed teen who carried the weight of the world on her shoulders - what would’ve helped me there was if someone had said that I can’t do everything, that I don’t have to, and that what I do is enough, or even too much.

Listing nice things about a person is really just that. You see someone getting hate, your brain goes “quick! i have to make this person feel better!” and without any actual thought you just say all kinds of nice things about them so you feel you’ve accomplished something. You know it’s kind of bullshit, but you do it anyway because hey, it’s something? And I guess it is. Showing you care is important and can make someone’s day. Showing you understand is a whole different thing - and I don’t mean like “I understand your life is shitty” kinda way, but just like. Don’t make it into such a show. Sometimes “lol anon is shit, you’re cool brah” is much better than “since you got hate i will give you some love! you’re a really nice person and i love your blog, i hope you have a nice day! :)”. Sometimes you don’t have to go and prove yourself. Sometimes it’s just a fact that anons are shit and brahs are cool.

I come from a culture where pity is a grave insult so I react to this shit pretty strongly - basically everything that I don’t consider a genuine opinion is condescending for me. Because telling someone they’re not annoying and are nice and have a great blog isn’t as much support as it is “i can’t think of anything more personal to say (without being too involved)”. It’s better to jump in and create a joke about the hate with the receiver, it’s better to mock the hater, it’s better to go “YAAAASSS SLAY BITCH” when someone delivers a sweet burn against the haters. Shallow compliments are for strangers, in-jokes and bitching together is for friends and allies.

[mangon3cta]

After Forever

SIMON DOMINIC

GENRE: IDEK

WORD COUNT: 2,239

for this anon

i always go too deep into these requests. there was actually more i wanted to add but it would’ve gotten too long

a/n: i should’ve used his real name but i liked typing simon better srry

I turned left through the hallways, reciting the directions Jay had told me in my head like a mantra. He had asked me to deliver a message to the second CEO of AOMG; Simon Dominic. Jay lost his phone and now I was his texting app.

I finally found the studio Simon worked at and knocked on the door before slowly opening it. Simon, who was seated in front of the computer, turned around to look at me and I smiled. “Jay told me to tell you that he wanted to see you,” I informed him.

“Is it urgent?” Simon asked.

“It must be since he sent me all the way down here.”

Simon nodded and stood up. “Alright then.” He brushed past me out the door and I watched disappear down the hallway. I looked back at the room which was wide open. Without another thought, I walked inside, shutting the door behind me.

The room was wide but slightly cramped and there was soft music occupying the still air. I moved over to the computer and clicked the chrome icon. YouTube popped up. The song that was playing was “Hyung” by Dumbfoundead featuring Dok2, Tiger JK and of course, Simon Dominic himself.

I smiled. Ever since Simon filmed Show Me The Money 5, he had started becoming more busy. Usually, he’d keep to himself. But nowadays, he was doing features, working more on his music and basically trying to get out there again. It was cool.

“I really shouldn’t be doing this,” I whispered to myself as I started snooping around in his things to maybe find a teaser to what he was working on at the moment. I wasn’t going to look too deeply or I might find something I’d regret seeing.

I clicked here and there trying to find something. “Having fun?” A voice said behind me. That voice only belonged to one person. I froze in the seat, cursing myself for my stupidity. I slowly rolled back and stood up, facing Simon who had a quite irritated expression on his face.

“I…I was just…you see,” I tried forming words in my mouth but everything just sounded lame.

“Yeah, get out,” Simon replied and I quickly ran out the door, heated with embarrassment. I’m sensitive so I almost teared up as I walked back to Jay’s office.

“Hey, where were you? I thought you’d come back,” said Jay as I entered the room.

“Nowhere,” I mumbled, sighing deeply.

“Well anyway, I’m taking work off early and I don’t really need anything else so you can go home.”

I bit my lip in frustration and picked up my bag. “Thank you sir, if you need something else you can call me,” I said sarcastically.

Jay laughed. “There’s no need to call me sir, we’re friends.” I could’ve cursed at him but I held my tongue because I would’ve cried at the same time.

“You know, I really, really hate you.” I slammed the door and stormed out of the building towards my car. Those hateful feelings I sometimes felt towards my older brother were coming back. He was only a year older but he acted like he was the boss of me.

Technically, Jay was my boss. Ever since AOMG became popular, I was dying to work with him. I used to do a normal job at an office, but Jay Park being the CEO of AOMG and my brother came with some advantages (and disadvantages but that’s not for now).

I also loved music. But when I asked to work with him, Jay had gotten the wrong idea. I wanted to produce, make music, but Jay thought I wanted to work for him, not with him. Now I was his office assistant. I couldn’t speak up to him about him because 1) he didn’t know I’m good at music and 2) he’d probably just say no. My insecurity towards myself and my admiration towards my brother really gets in the way.

Now I didn’t want to lose this job because this is the closest I’ve ever been to real life musicians. I was friends with everyone, but I’d seen them work and it really inspired me to do my own things; not in the company, but at home.

When I returned to work the next day I contemplated apologizing to Simon. I was in the wrong and Simon’s scary when he’s mad but I knew it was the right thing to do. I knocked on the door to his studio.

“Come in.” I pushed the door open and walked inside with a forced smile on my face. Simon didn’t look angry but rather annoyed that I was here again.

“Listen,” I started, licking my lips. “I just wanted to apologize for yesterday.”

“Go ahead.”

I sighed. “I’m sorry I was looking in your things…I really didn’t mean to.” I looked around for a chair and sat down. Simon watched me with a look on his face that seemed to say “are you for real right now?”.

I continued. “I’m really sorry. The thing is, ever since this company grew big, Jay’s been acting like he’s better than me. I wanna do music too…but he just doesn’t understand. I try to be around here – around you guys, that is because you’re so cool and it really inspires me and I want to be like you…to do what you guys do because I love it so much.” Before I knew it I was just spilling my heart out to him.

“Why are you telling me this?” Simon asked. He was leaning back on his chair. I flushed and stood up.

“Sorry, I got carried away. The point is, I hope you forgive me.” I walked over to the door and opened it.

“Wait,” said Simon and I turned to face him. “Close the door and sit back down.” I hesitantly closed the door and took my seat again.

“You do music?”

I smiled excitedly. “Yeah I do. It’s a hobby but I’ve been trying to turn into a job.” I shrugged.

“How come no one knows – I mean, how come Jay doesn’t know?”

“I just never told him….I’m too scared I guess.”

Simon looked up in thought. “So have you worked on anything?” I enthusiasm returned as I reached for my phone.

“Lots actually. I made something that was inspired by you and GRAY on Show Me The Money,” I began to play the track. “It’s like an epilogue to Forever.” I handed Simon the phone so he could listen clearly. The entire song was about 3 minutes, while the part I had produced was a mere 1 minute, but I was so proud of it.

Simon sported a poker face for those entire 3 minutes and I suddenly felt sick. Maybe he didn’t like it. When the song had ended, he returned my phone and nodded.

“First of all, where did you get the beat?”

I lowered my head in shame. “I found it on Jay’s computer. I know its stealing but I wasn’t going to show it to anyone.” I chuckled guiltily. “You probably think I’m the saddest person on earth, but I’m just really desperate.”

Simon laughed and I relaxed a little. “It’s actually much better than I had expected.”

“Really?!”

“You should really get someone to rap on it – like an epilogue,” he suggested. I flushed and shook my head.

“Nah, I don’t really know anyone anyway.”

“Well, you know me.” I looked up in disbelief. Whenever I listened to the track I always imagined Giriboy or San E’s voice. I’d never imagined Simon Dominic to be on it. “If you want, that is.”

I nodded eagerly. “That would be a dream come true.”

“Okay, I’ll talk to Jay and I’m sure GRAY will let us use the original song since this is just the demo. I think this will be good.”

+

In the afternoon, Jay called me to his office and I went there reluctantly. He looked disappointed and I knew what this talk was going to be about. “Simon talked to me yesterday –“

“I know,” I said, plopping down on one of the chairs. “I know what he talked to you about and I already apologized to him. He’s okay.”

“Why would you do that? Mom and dad raised you better than this, I’m embarrassed.”

I groaned. “Well you don’t have to be. Oh, and I don’t want to be your assistant anymore.” Jay looked taken back by my serious tone.

“What? You said you wanted to work with me.”

“With you, Jay, I wanted to work with you, not for you. I don’t wanna be your dumb office assistant. All I do is sit around in your office and get you coffee whenever you want. And send your stupid messages. I’m sick of it.”

Jay blinked and sat down, confused. “Well…I didn’t know you felt that way.”

“I like music too. Stop acting as if you’re better than me just because you have this huge popular company and lots of cool rappers. I wanted to do music with you, Jay.” I sniffed.

“Oh.” Jay nodded. “Why did you tell me before?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know…I thought you wouldn’t like it. I mean, you’re Jay Park and I’m just me.” Jay chuckled.

“You’re my sister,” he walked over to me and sighed. “Are you mad at me?”

“Yes, I am.” Jay put his arms around my shoulders in an awkward attempt to hug me. “Well, I guess I’m not that mad. I just wanted to get that off my chest.”

“Then I hope you feel better. Tell you what, how about you show me your stuff and we can work on it together?”

“Actually, Jay, Simon was helping me. We were discussing it before you called me here. He said he was gonna talk to you about it too.”

“You went to him first?” asked Jay.

“He asked me,” I told him. “Or else no one would’ve known.”

+

So we worked on the track for days after that. GRAY GROUND was where all the magic happened so I occupied myself in there; me, Simon, Jay and Gray. But some days it was just me and Simon. There wasn’t much to write considering the remix was just a minute longer but, according to Simon, lyrics were hard to write. You needed inspiration and a clear mind.

“You give me inspiration,” he told me. I was sitting on the floor with my laptop on my lap. I looked up, laughing.

“That’s going a little too far, don’t you think?”

Simon chuckled and shook his head. “Really? I was being completely serious.” He left what he was doing to face me. “Someone like you, diligent, young and fresh, that gives me inspiration. You’re like a burst of cold air on a hot day. Seeing you work hard makes me want to work hard too, to write witty lyrics as fast as I can.”

I smiled and looked down at the keyboard. The thought that someone like him could get inspiration from someone like me was a little overwhelming. It triggered me to work even harder so that he could take from me and we could help each other.

With everything going on, I was finally formally introduced to the rest of the AOMG family as a “rookie producer”. They liked me and Gray told them he was proud that I had chosen his beat for this track.

Jay really liked the finished product and said he would release it as soon as he had contacted some people. I told him the title of the remix was called After Forever and he complemented my sense.

When the song was released it achieved an all-kill on the charts. I knew it was because BeWhy was so popular and the fact that Simon Dominic made a somewhat comeback. I was proud of my work and Simon said I should work with more people.

And sure enough after that I was getting phone calls from media outlets and other companies asking me to produce for them too. I needed a little break because the sudden attention was making me emotional.  

“Here’s to Y/N!” Jay announced. There were cheers for me and Simon patted me on the back. I smiled and bumped champagne glasses with everyone near me. I was at an AOMG party – strictly for AOMG label mates only. This was my first time being invited despite having worked at the company for a year now.

“Also,” Jay continued. “I got a call this morning from guess who?” I looked at Jay, listening intently. “From Lee Byung-Yoon. He said we wants a collaborative album with you, Y/N.” More cheering and I flushed, goosebumps rising on my skin. “I just couldn’t deny such a heavenly offer. What do you say, Y/N?”

“DO IT, DO IT, DO IT!”

“A whole album is a little –“

“Wouldn’t that mean we’d get to spend more time with each other?” Simon whispered in my ear as I considered the suggestion.

“I’ll do it.” I would be lying if I said there wasn’t an ulterior motif in my answer. Although working with the one and only BeWhy would be a glorious experience; the fact that Simon probably would be helping me the entire time was something else to look forward to.