#(and just ended up coloring some and called it a day)

[mythicmanuscripts]

..reader changing their signature clothing/accessory/whatever color to blue after marrying Aemond

Oh my god anon you are an absolute genius, I love this so much.

Nothing NSFW in this, just soft fluffy Aemond. Enjoy lads!

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Firstly, I've always found it interesting how Aemond has a sapphire in his eye and not an emerald? Even if the sapphire was a random choice, he absolutely could have gotten an emerald to replace it once it became clear that the war would end up being blacks v greens.

Yet for some reason he never did. He says he wishes to serve his house yet he does not wear the color of his house? He didnt just not choose a colour, he actively chose a color other than the color of his house and would have had plenty of opportunities to swop it but always chose not to.

I've always thought that the choice of sapphire was a way of him distancing himself from his family, of showing how he isnt quite like them, isnt quite a green in the same way they are.

It's this that makes me think you choosing to wear blue would be so meaningful for him. When you first agree to the match and the wedding planning gets underway, you wear green. Of course you do, you're joining that family, you have to be seen as loyal to them. In particular you have to make sure you're seen as loyal to Allicent, that you're wear their green, their symbols, showing your integration into their house.

After the wedding, you slowly become closer with Aemond and begin to learn about him. You start to hear stories of how it was growing up for him, how he lost the eye, how he hates being the second son. He has so much more to him than you first expected.

You don't pressure Aemond to take off the eyepatch. You want him to be comfortable with you and that means you can't break his trust, ever.

But once he does take it off and you see the sapphire, you know immediately what you must do. You're able to make that choice now because you're part of the family. You no longer need to be on your best behaviour to ensure the match isnt called off. You're married to Aemond now. You don't need Allicent's approval to secure your place here anymore.

So you start to look for blue clothing items, in particular you look for that deep sapphire blue. You get necklaces and bracelets with sapphires, you get new dresses that are deep blue, coats and scarves too. Aemond doesn't notice the new clothes arriving, until one day you join him for lunch and you're wearing all blue.

He stares for a moment, awestruck, and then just says you look beautiful and things go back to normal. He thought this was just a new outfit you had gotten somehow, which is perfectly fine with him you can buy whatever you want. But then a few days later you're dressing for an event you must attend with him and again he sees you put on blue? This time he even sees you put on a necklace with a sapphire inside.

He forces himself to look away and refuses to even look at you for the entire event. You think you've done something horribly wrong, especially when he seats himself at the very end of the row of seats and you are forced to sit two rows down from him all on you own.

He leaves before you do, and so you when you watch back to your chambers alone you're surprised to see he is already there. You ask him what was wrong, and he just takes off his eyepatch and pulls you into a hug, crying softly into your shoulder because you've chosen him. You and him have your own side in this war, and that is the side that will prevail.

[livingformintyoongi]

Cross The Line | Jeon Jungkook

a/n: This is a little idea I had since I published Echoes of love and as the rest of my pending projects are too long to publish them soon, I brought this as a way to cover my absence :) You can request some scenery for this drabble series through my inbox! Summary: After years of working with Jungkook, your insecurity about your feelings for him begins to grow and become more complex, bringing you to the point where you wonder if you can really keep fooling yourself or if it's time to face those feelings. Pairing: Boss!Reader x Secretary!Jungkook WC: 3.8k Taglist: @thunderg @minjianhyung @queenv1997 @yoongtism @lizzymizzy-blogg @superbbananananana @drpepperobsessed @themwordsblog @taekritimin123 @bluecloudss @yooglefics Dividers by @cafekitsune

“Is this the last thing on today's agenda?” you murmured, continuing your way to your office. Each step you took was followed by the soft, firm sound of your heels tapping against the floor. Today, you were wearing wine-colored ones, which matched perfectly with your lipstick and shirt in the same shade.

Red was the color you wore when you were about to fire someone or, in worse circumstances, when you were about to end up in an argument with one of your siblings. This time, the correct answer was the second one. You were the second oldest of four siblings, and, well, when your family was as chaotic as yours, you had to take charge of the problems, even if that meant putting your own image at risk.

You hated your life in this sense.

“Yes, boss,” Jungkook replied cheerfully.

Ah, your little—not so little—secretary, Jungkook. To be honest, you hired him because you were desperate to find a secretary as quickly as possible, something that, although it sounded easy, was actually really complicated.

You were a pretty cruel, strict, and direct person. You scared away your workers in less than a month (in fact, the same year you hired Jungkook, you'd already had three other secretaries—three!). Jungkook was your lifesaver. He had just come out of his last job, had a resume that sounded too flattering to be true, and had graduated with honors. You thought he would last only a few months, just like all the others, and you thought you could take full advantage of that time. The surprise came when five months passed and he was still working for you without a single complaint.

Now, it had been a total of four and a half years working together as boss and employee. He had lasted even longer than any relationship you’d ever had—it was officially your longest relationship! Though it wasn’t like you were proud of that.

“After the meeting with your brother, you had a dinner with your family, but it got canceled at the last minute,” Jungkook’s steps quickened as yours grew more impatient and longer. “Oh, and, um, tonight I was planning to have a small party at my apartment for my 27th birthday… in case you’d like, you know, to attend,” he murmured, his tone softer and less playful.

Yes, you might’ve forgotten that little detail. He was hopelessly in love with you, strange, right?

The first time you realized, you almost made him cry because of the horrified look you gave him. Not that the idea grossed you out, but, to be completely honest, you had been torturing him since he started working. You’d call him to work on his days off, ask him to run errands on weekends, force him to stay late to finish your extra work, and you even had to spend three consecutive Christmases together due to the lack of staff that year.

He was an extremely sweet guy, a guy who loved banana milk, Hello Kitty plushies, and fantasy and romance books—you discovered this when you saw him reading The Lunar Chronicles during his lunch break—and then there was you… someone who loved her coffee extremely strong, hated plushies and how ridiculously large they could be, and preferred to read more informational books than fantasy ones.

“Are you celebrating your birthday today?” you said with a disinterested tone, slowing your steps as you approached Soomin’s office, your star employee and—unfortunately—the girlfriend of Taehyung. Your office was under renovation and you couldn’t use it until next week, so you had been using Soomin’s office during this time.

“Yes! I wanted to do it last week, but you were too busy, and I really wanted you to come, but that doesn’t mean you have to if you don’t want to! I understand it’s been a busy week, and even if it hasn’t, you don’t have to come because we’re just coworkers and—”

“I think I got it, Jungkook,” you chuckled quietly, feeling a warmth in your chest at how easy it was to make the young man nervous beside you. You hadn’t even opened your mouth, and he was already rambling like crazy, wasn’t it adorable?

“Oh, yeah, sure…” he muttered as his cheeks heated up and turned red. It was incredibly easy to make him nervous, and you loved making him nervous. Not that you liked it, just... it was cute to see.

You stopped in front of Soomin’s office door, opening it to be greeted by the very unpleasant sight of your older brother sitting in the chair in front of the desk. You rolled your eyes and entered reluctantly, waiting for Jungkook to follow you and close the door behind him.

“Finally, you’re here. I thought I was going to die waiting for you,” Junmyeon got up from the chair, slipping both hands into his designer pants pockets. Your wild side screamed for you to grab the ink from Soomin’s desk and spill it on him, but you weren’t in the mood for family fights. “Good afternoon, Jungkook.”

“Good afternoon,” Jungkook responded in a much deeper and more serious tone than the one he used to speak to you.

One thing you loved about your secretary was how incredibly loyal he was to you. Your brother had tried to offer him a job hundreds of times, putting ridiculously high salaries for a secretary on the table; he turned them all down without thinking.

You’d be lying if you said that didn’t make your heart race a little. Just a little.

“Alright, you have five minutes to tell me what mess you’ve gotten into now. If you’re back in trouble with your girlfriend, then start forgetting about my help. I don’t want any more love problems.”

You still remembered the poor girl who had the terrible luck of dating your brother. You had found him with another girl at a bar near his work, and you were furious enough to go to him and pull a good chunk of hair from the not-so-poor girl.

It was a pity, she was actually someone you liked, made you laugh at every family dinner, and could cook delicious dishes. Plus, she was ridiculously beautiful, and you weren’t even sure what she was doing with your brother.

“It’s not a big deal, I just came here to ask you for a favor,” he approached you, but stopped instantly when he saw Jungkook stepping in between both of them to grab Junmyeon’s arm with enough force to give him a little scare.

“He said no, now, please, stop insisting and get lost,” Jungkook said in a calm but firm tone. Both you and your brother shuddered slightly at the tone of his voice, but for completely different reasons.

“Let it go, Jungkook, it’s not worth it,” you placed your hand on his arm, smiling inwardly as you saw how his whole body relaxed at your touch. Why did he have to be so sweet? “I won’t do it, no matter how much you insist. Make sure you leave the door closed when you leave.”

And with that, you left the office, feeling Jungkook’s soft footsteps following you behind. Hearing them calmed you a little more. Maybe, it even made you feel a little safer than before.

It had been hours since the incident with your brother, hours in which you spent wondering if you should really attend Jungkook’s party or simply ignore it and move on. Would there be any problem if you went? It was just a party, they’d probably eat something, drink a little, talk about trivial things, and then you’d go back home in a taxi. What’s the worst that could happen?

“I really don’t understand what you’re doing here,” Taehyung said, letting out a heavy sigh as he watched you finish off his last reserve of coffee. He hated how bitter it was, but his girlfriend loved to drink coffee in the mornings, so he had gone out of his way to buy one of the stupidly expensive brands he found at the store, with the excuse that “his girlfriend deserved the best of the best.” Both you and Soomin nearly fainted when you heard the price. “Wasn’t Jungkook’s birthday today? Minnie told me she was going to his apartment tonight for that reason.”

“He is, but I don’t know if I should go,” you murmured, stirring your third spoonful of coffee into your cup before filling it to the brim with boiling water. You didn’t miss the grimace of disgust from your friend as he watched how you prepared your drink. He had no right to blame you when he ate far worse things.

“Why not? I thought you liked him, I mean, you even have him as Jungkookie in your phone,” he raised an eyebrow, his tone playful, resting his forearms on the kitchen counter. All his attention was on you and how you tried to drink your coffee in one gulp.

The burn in your throat was enough to distract you from whatever you’d been feeling in your chest all afternoon. Just like your father used to say, there was nothing better than pain to heal another pain.

“He’s my secretary.”

“He’s a guy.”

“He’s my worker, Taehyung.”

“He’s a pretty handsome guy, Y/N.”

You both exchanged looks for a few seconds, neither of you commenting on it.

“I’m ready!” Soomin entered the kitchen, looking just as charming as always. She wore a beige dress with a plaid coat in autumn tones. Her hair was gracefully tied in a high ponytail, giving her a cheerful and youthful look.

It didn’t go unnoticed by you that both of them were matching, nor could you ignore the loving and admiring look Taehyung gave her as soon as her small figure appeared at the kitchen door.

“You look as dazzling as ever, darling,” Taehyung said in a soft, honeyed tone. His hand took hers and made her spin once before pulling her close to kiss her temple.

And there you were. In front of them. Watching them exchange sweet words and romantic gestures.

You felt incredibly out of place.

“Please tell me you’re staying here, because I don’t think I can handle a ride in the same car as you two,” you muttered with a grimace of disgust, looking at Taehyung with the most pleading look you could muster.

“Of course I’ll go, he’s my friend too,” he responded with a teasing smile as he wrapped his arms around Soomin’s waist.

You wanted to hit him. You wanted to grab his perfectly styled hair and pull it until he was bald. He deserved it.

“I hate you.”

“I adore you too.”

And you responded by flipping him off.

“Wait, what did you say?” you frowned, watching as both Taehyung and Soomin stayed in the car, looking at you through the open window.

“I’m so sorry, I really don’t know how I forgot the gift at home,” yeah, maybe it was because Taehyung had been too busy kissing her poor face to think about anything else, “We won’t take long, I promise, it’ll be a quick trip there and back.”

You sighed when you heard Soomin. You didn’t want to arrive alone, especially not when you didn’t know how many people would be at Jungkook’s birthday party, but you also understood that they didn’t want to show up without the gift they had bought for him. After all, it was his party.

“Fine, go ahead, I’ll go first,” you said quietly, shaking your hair in frustration. Was it Taehyung’s fault? Half of it, would you hate him for it? Totally. He was your friend, and you had every right to want to choke him for putting you in this situation. You could see it in that smug smile he was giving you; Soomin could say it was an accident, but Taehyung’s face screamed that it was a carefully planned trap.

He would pay for this.

“We’ll be back in a bit,” Soomin murmured with an apologetic smile just before the car drove off, leaving you completely alone in the apartment complex where Jungkook lived.

“Okay, I guess it’ll just be you and me,” you looked at the gift bag in your hand, letting your feet take you to the door marked 309, where the party was supposed to be.

The walk there was silent, the only noise in the place was the sound of your boots clicking against the slick floors of the building’s hallways and the occasional little voice screaming at you to go back home, that this was a bad idea, that you weren’t made for these kinds of things.

You were supposed to be that rich, single aunt that all the nieces and nephews loved because she took them on amazing vacations and all that stuff you always saw in movies. You weren’t the protagonist, you were the supporting character that everyone remembered, whether they loved you or hated you.

Yet, here you were, in front of Jungkook’s apartment, holding a small gift bag, impatiently waiting for him to open the door and greet you so you could stop hearing that voice in your head telling you to run away from this place.

“Ho-” Jungkook stopped halfway through the word when he realized it was you on the other side of his door. Although he had expected you to come, he never thought you would actually show up.

You had been ignoring his birthday invitations since, well, since he started inviting you.

“Miss Y/N, you came!” A big smile spread across his face, and his eyes seemed to light up even more than usual. You forced yourself to ignore the pressure in your chest at seeing him so excited about your appearance.

“Just call me Y/N, we’re not at work,” you murmured, swaying awkwardly in your spot. “Can I, uh, you know, come in?”

“Oh, yes, sorry! Please, come in!” He stepped aside, giving you space to enter his small but cozy home.

You carefully stepped in, taking off your shoes and placing them to the side, quietly thanking Jungkook for the slippers he offered so you could come in.

“I’m sorry for coming alone, Taehyung and Soomin forgot something and went back,” you said as you walked further into the space. You noticed how all the walls were painted black, with several monochrome paintings hanging on them.

You were quite surprised to see that everything in his home was dark-toned. It was very similar to yours in that sense, something that made you feel a little more at ease. At least your tastes in home decor were similar.

Your house was much larger, always dark, and the atmosphere always felt cold and lonely. It was hard to feel that here. You convinced yourself it was due to the warm lighting and the coziness of the place, not Jungkook’s presence.

"Should I offer you something to drink? I have wine, champagne… I also have beer and soju," Jungkook's voice sounded a little muffled as his head was deep inside the refrigerator. You chuckled softly at this, gently pressing your fingers against your mouth to prevent him from noticing.

"Soju is fine, thanks," you watched as he pulled out two bottles and placed them on the counter, quickly heading to one of the kitchen cabinets to grab two small glasses. "Didn't you invite more people?" you asked after seeing him stop in front of you, performing some completely unnecessary bottle tricks. At least he had made you laugh a little.

"I celebrated my birthday last week with my university friends, today I just wanted to invite the people from work," he served the alcohol until both glasses were filled to the brim, his gaze occasionally drifting to your face. He could act charismatic, but you could notice the slight tremble in his hands and how he licked his lips from time to time. "I didn't mention it earlier because I thought it wouldn't be important."

You nodded silently, drinking the shot he just handed you in one go. You needed to ease some of the tension in your body, and alcohol was definitely the best option for now. "So I guess it will just be the four of us."

"Oh, yeah, I thought you'd feel more comfortable this way," he murmured softly, tapping his fingers on the glass of his cup. "I know you don't like to hang out with too many people, especially if it's people you don't know."

You took the soju bottle and poured yourself another full glass. You'd need more than two bottles to get through this night without doing something you'd regret tomorrow. Jungkook wasn't helping at all.

"Thanks for that," you gave him a tight-lipped smile, watching the clear liquid in your glass. How much longer until Soomin and Taehyung arrived? "Oh, yes, almost forgot," you left the small gift bag you were carrying on the counter, noticing how Jungkook's eyes lit up again at what seemed like a new discovery to him. Hadn't he seen you bring it when you entered?

"Is this for me?" He looked at you with wide eyes and a big smile on his face.

You pinched your wrist tightly as your stomach twisted. "Uh, yeah, obviously, you're the only birthday person."

"Right, of course, I forgot," he clumsily took the bag in his hands, swallowing hard as he looked inside. "Can I open it now?"

You nodded silently, feeling your hands start to sweat at the thought of him opening your gift right then. You had planned on asking him to open it when you weren't around, when you wouldn’t have to see his face as he looked at it. There was something about having to give him something alone that made you feel too nervous for your own good.

You watched carefully as he pulled out the black velvet box, your eyes fixed on his expression as he lifted the lid and saw the contents.

It was only when you saw his cheeks turn a soft pink that you realized maybe buying him a ring hadn’t been the best idea...

"Is... is this... really for me?" He looked up, watching you with such hopeful, soft eyes and... so him that you couldn't help but blush as well.

This was not going as it was supposed to.

"Ah, yes, it's not necessary for you to wear it if you don't want to, I just thought you might like it and I bought it, but—" you stopped when you noticed him clumsily taking the ring out of the velvet and putting it on his index finger.

"I love it! Thank you so much, Y/N, I promise I’ll never take it off!" He stretched his arms toward you, and before you could do anything to stop him, he wrapped his arms around you over the counter, pulling you against him tightly.

You felt your breath catch in your throat as the scent of his shampoo and perfume hit you from so close, and the body heat from his arms didn't help with the accelerated pounding of your heart. What were you supposed to do now? Pulling away from the hug would be rude, but accepting it might be too unethical. He was your secretary. There was a line that couldn’t be crossed.

The thing was… you didn’t want to separate from the hug.

You relaxed a little at his touch, letting your own arms wrap around his body carefully. Not pressing too hard, as if doing it more gently would prevent your relationship from breaking down even further.

You stayed like that for what felt like an eternity. Both of you too absorbed in each other to really pay attention to the time or the situation you were in. You couldn’t remember the last time you let a man hug you like this.

“Y/N, I…” Jungkook pulled back a bit, just enough for your faces to be dangerously close. His arms were still tightly wrapped around you, refusing to let go at any moment.

You watched as his Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed and licked his lips. You weren’t supposed to notice these things, you reminded yourself, but it was too hard when it was all you had in your line of vision, and closing your eyes was even worse than keeping them open.

“I know you already know this, but I…” his voice was too soft, too low. Oh, shit, you knew what was coming, you had experienced it a few years ago. It was the same tone he used the first time he confessed his feelings to you. Your heart started pounding against your ribs, and you forced yourself to think that it was due to the anxiety and panic the situation caused you, that it was due to all the problems you’d have if he said it again. It wasn’t at all because you actually wanted to hear those words again.

Of course not.

Then everything happened too fast. You watched his eyes wander until they stopped on your lips, how his tongue ran over them, over that ring on the corner, and god, he was making your task of acting like a responsible adult so difficult. Soon his face began to move closer to yours, his gaze wandering from your mouth to your eyes, making sure you wanted this, kind of asking if you were okay with him getting dangerously close.

And for a moment, you thought maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, maybe, just maybe, a moment like this could be accepted, even if just once, so you closed your eyes and waited. You could feel his breath mixing with yours, how his nose barely brushed against yours, and just as his lips were about to touch yours... the door knocked.

“Shit,” Jungkook muttered quietly, lowering his head as he took a deep breath. His arms quickly released their grip around your shoulders, leaving you with a cold feeling where they had been holding you, “It must be Taehyung and Soomin… I’ll go open,” he whispered, stumbling out of the kitchen to open the door, leaving you completely alone.

You covered your mouth with your hand, staring at a blank spot on the counter, replaying everything that had just happened in your head. You were screwed, you were really screwed, even though nothing happened, you were inches away from kissing him, and god knows what else you could have done…

You thought you heard Soomin’s cheerful voice getting closer, but you couldn’t understand what she was saying, you were too busy thinking about what the hell you were going to do with… well, whatever had just happened.

When you looked up, you found yourself facing Jungkook again, both exchanging a silent glance, both communicating something completely different. Yours reflected panic and terror, his, hope and joy.

You had crossed the damn line you promised not to touch, and it was all your fault.

Yes, you were screwed, and you needed to find a way to fix things as soon as possible.

Masterlist.

[elizaleclerc]

it was all by design 🌟

"what if i told you none of it was accidental?"

summary: hunter!reader starts to realize their feelings for xavier, but he's felt this way the whole time...

song: mastermind by taylor swift

word count: 2.1k

author's note: my first l&ds fic everyone cheer! / mostly fluff / workplace romance (i mean this is canon) / im new to this game don't judge / cheeky makeout sesh / he falls first and hard / sarcastic smug xavier (he's a freak) / sweet talk - nothing too spicy / barely proof read oops

It was simple day at the arcade. You and Xavier decided to take the day off from missions and relax with some fun at the colorful arcade machines. You had won more stuffed plushies than you could feasibly carry in your arms, so Xavier held one in his hand delicately, as if he knew how much those little stuffed creatures meant to you.

“Well I better call it a day, I don’t think I can carry any more of these little guys.” You chuckled as your arms began to grow sore, even with the stuffed creatures’ light weight.

“Yeah, you’re supposed to be resting your muscles and instead here you are.” He gestured towards your arms filled with plushes. You laughed to yourself, refusing to admit he was right.

The two of you walked back to your car and you dumped all of the plushes in the backseat. As you looked at all of the adorable creatures, a realization hit you. You had no more room at your desk in the office for all of these plushes to fit.

“What are you thinking about? Or are you just admiring your growing collection?” Xavier spoke from beside me. I turned to look at him for a few moments. The Xavier during missions was so different yet the same as the Xavier outside of work. You had come to know him as a close friend, and even shared some flirtatious moments. Most of the time, you pushed those moments aside and decided to see him only as a coworker. But flirtatious fantasies sometimes danced through your mind.

You envisioned his desk at the office. Completely barren; no pictures, no decorations. A piece of furniture completely devoid of any color or personality. You grabbed one of your plushes. This one was a particularly round tomato plush. “Here,” you started, “this won’t fit on my desk, so you can have it.”

Xavier took the plush in his hand and examined it for a moment, “What am I supposed to do with it?”

You shrugged your shoulders, “I dunno, it’s up to you.”

~

For some unknown reason, after the day at the arcade you spent the entire next day thinking about Xavier. During random moments of the day, memories between the two of you kept flashing back into your mind. You would be folding laundry and suddenly think back to his arms brushing against yours like they did during a mission in the forest. You both had heard and felt fluctuations and were on guard. He held your wrist in a swift movement to keep you close. You snapped out of it and finished folding your clothes.

Another memory flashed while you were cleaning dishes. It was a particularly risky mission, and Xavier’s Evol was dwindling. His life was at risk, but he was still willing to put himself in the face of danger in order to keep you safe. When you tried to resonate with him, at first he hesitated. He wouldn’t dare you spend any of your energy or power on him. But in the end, your decision to resonate saved his life. You both thought you’d end up losing the other that day, and the silent air of the aftermath sat heavy. You held each other close, your heavy breathing mixing together.

After your days off were over, and you thought you had finally gotten over yourself, you walked into the office prepared for whatever mission Jenna was going to send you on. But then, you saw Xavier across the room. He was standing talking to another hunter, and you just about lost your mind. He was standing with his arms crossed, clad in his hunter uniform, his head cocked slightly as he listened to whatever his coworker was jabbering about. God, he looked amazing, you thought. Why were you thinking of him in this way all of the sudden?

You had gone over every small interaction, every side conversation, every slight touch that the two of you had ever shared. Was there really something between the two of you, or had you actually gone mad this time. You walked over to your desk, placing one of your newest plushes on the shelf to complete your set.

Your eyes glanced over at Xavier’s desk, not expecting anything to have changed. You did a double take when you noticed something new. A small tomato plush sat next to his computer. That wasn’t the only thing either. A square photo was stuck to the hang wall that every worker had.

Trying to be inconspicuous, you squinted at the photo. It was one the two of you had taken before one of your most recent missions. You were both dressed in your uniforms, and he had his arm around your shoulder as you held bunny ears behind his head. He was smiling, and you were sticking your tongue out. It was the only photo the two of you had ever taken together.

Your head was reeling. This couldn’t be real. You were convinced you were trapped in some Protocore induced dream. “Do you like the new decorations?” Your body jolted as Xavier spoke next to you. You turned to see a smug smile on his face, his arms still crossed.

You were too shocked to speak, but finally decided to say something as Xavier waited for an answer. “Yeah, yeah…it’s nice.” Your voice sounded more exasperated than you’d like. Xavier seemed to read you like a book. Did he know the realizations that you were having?

“Are you alright?” He asked with a slight smile. He didn’t actually seem too concerned.

“Yeah- no, yeah, I’m fine.” You stumbled over your words, refusing to make eye contact with him. You saw a slight twitch in his bicep as he adjusted his stance by his desk. Your entire face went hot. “I think Jenna wanted me to look at something in the Archive room, I’ll um…be right back.” You hurried through your excuse to leave the main office.

Your breath had quickened, but you found solace in the empty archive room. Only tech workers were really needed back here to retrieve old files on specific Protocores or important history of Linkon. Thankfully the room was empty, the only sound being your heavy breathing. You sat yourself on one of the empty counters, the space usually used for examining documents. You put your head in your hands, get it together.

You heard the handle of the door slide open, and your heart sank. In walked Xavier, still appearing smug and moving like he rehearsed all of this. “Are you following me now?” You huffed, just needing some time alone to sort through your thoughts.

“Are you done lying to me?” He retorted, moving closer to you, now standing only a few feet away.

“What are you talking about?” You scoffed in a hushed laugh.

“You’re clearly not fine. What’s going on?” He still held that dumb smile on his face, and your brows furrowed.

“Are you actually concerned for me? Because you’re smiling. Do you know you’re smiling right now?” You asked in a rushed tone; you’ve never seen him behave this way.

He let out a deep sigh, his eyes rolling in exasperation. "Do I have to explain everything to you?" He took a step closer, his body now towering over you as you sat perched on the counter. He leaned down, his hands planted firmly on either side of your legs. Your faces were mere inches apart, and the intensity of his gaze sent shivers down your spine. “Do I have to explain why your face flushes when I get close like this?”

Gently, he reaches out and places his warm hand on your knee, caressing it with gentle strokes. With a slow and deliberate movement, he begins to trace a path up your thigh, his fingertips leaving a tingling sensation in their wake. Gradually, his touch becomes more confident and sure, sending waves of desire rippling through your body. “Do I have to explain how your breath quickens when I do this?”

He leans in, his breath warm on your neck as he speaks in a soft whisper only meant for you. You can feel the heat radiating from his lips, and the gentle brush of his words sends shivers down your spine. His breath carries the scent of mint and musk, enveloping you in a cloud of desire. The closeness between you is palpable, and every nerve in your body is electrified by his presence. “Or can you put the pieces together yourself?”

“Xavier…” Is all you can think to say. Your breathing was quickening, and your face was flushed.

He sighed, his lips just barely grazing the start of your jaw, “I’ve waited and waited for you to finally feel what I’ve felt for so long.” You take your hands and slightly push his chest away.

You analyze his face and his brows furrow ever so slightly. “You mean- you’ve felt this way about me all this time and never told me?” You brought one of your hands up to the side of his face, your thumb lightly tracing around his cheek.

“Of course, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I knew you didn’t feel the same way- if you would never feel this way…” He starts, and before he can continue, you speak up.

“But now you know…”

A smile tugs at the corner of his lips, “Exactly.” He brings a hand up to your jaw and slowly moves it to the back of your neck. “Can I kiss you now?” Your eyes felt dazed as you gazed down at his lips. He brushed a thumb over the bottom of your lip, waiting. “Please, your eyes are saying yes but I need to hear it from your mouth.”

You nodded, snapping out of the haze you were in. “Yes, yes, please.” As soon as the last word was uttered Xavier brought his lips onto yours. He started slow, his soft lips moving in rhythm with yours. He was still leaning on his hands, but he moved them to wrap around your lower back. You never thought he would feel this good on your lips. You let out a slight whimper, and that sent Xavier spiraling. Like a man starved, he quickened his pace and kissed you as if he’d never get the chance again.

“Wait- we can’t do this here.” You took a moment in between kisses to center yourself and remember you were at work.

“Ugh, I don’t care,” Xavier breathed out and went back to kissing you again. Once his lips found yours for the second time you didn’t care anymore either. You wanted this feeling, this burning desire for him to last forever.

You smiled into the next kiss, “Okay,” You moved your hands into his hair, your fingers tugging on the strands slightly. He moaned lightly into your kiss, causing your back to arch.

You almost missed the door handle opening again, and you immediately pushed Xavier off of you. He stumbled back, partially in shock until he realized why. Andrew walked in, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment from walking in on the two of you. “Um- Jenna is looking for you. The mission assignments are about to be handed out.” He cleared his throat and walked out of the room.

Your own face was flush pink, and once Andrew left the room you put your head in your hands. “Oh my god.”

“Okay, you were right. Maybe we shouldn’t have done that here.” Xavier laughed to himself. You had no choice but to laugh, really.

You hopped off of the counter, your legs feeling weak. You couldn’t even think about going on a mission right now, nonetheless with Xavier. “Well,” You straightened out your uniform, “I guess we should head back.”

“Yeah,” Xavier chuckled to himself, “until next time.”

Your face flushed at his words, because you knew there would be a next time.

[neiptune]

santa, boy, you're the worst

cw: 3k wc, female reader, suggestive if you squint, oliver aiku is the most infuriating idiot you know and this holiday season you unfortunately discover he just so happens to also be maddeningly soft and generous at the community centre where he volunteers as santa for children in low-income families

“Here, this is where you can get changed”, Chiyo smiles kindly as she guides you into a small room filled with dusty boxes and christmas decorations, “thank you so much for doing this, we really needed some help this year”.

“Don’t mention it, I was really hoping you’d find a spot for me”, you take off your backpack and place it on an old table, “are you absolutely sure I’m going to be fine? Eiko said I just needed a costume but I’ve never-”

“Absolutely”, she vaguely gestures with one hand, “just follow Santa’s lead. He’s the one who’s good with kids”.

“I’ll just put this on, then”, you jut your bottom lip out, still not entirely convinced. She smiles again.

“I’ll leave you to it. We’ll be in the main hall!”.

They made a new elf costume just for you. Despite Eiko having a dreadful cold being a big bummer, you’re happy a few coincidences aligned to finally allow you to make something meaningful of the time you’d usually spend home, moping underneath a billion blankets.

There are no mirrors in the room, therefore you can only hope the costume looks good enough. You feel a bit ridiculous but, apparently, the hat is mandatory.

You leave your phone in your backpack and take out all the plastic bags filled with food instead: when you called her to inquire about what you could bring, Chiyo explained that they were all set with gifts but could’ve used some additions to the buffet. You brought all the alternatives for the kids whose gluten intolerance makes it hard to enjoy yummy snacks: carrot cake, peanut butter cookies, brownies, pizza, so many quiches. The previous day was spent cooking and baking but you wouldn’t have had it any other way.

The main hall is filled with colorful christmas decorations and a table so long, filled with so much food. Chiyo spots you right away and rushes to help you carry all the bags.

“I got this, you can go help Oliver”, she efficiently starts pulling out the containers and you’re flabbergasted for a second.

“Who?”

“Santa! They already started, go, go!”, she indicates the other end of the hall, where a guy in a Santa costume sits on a chair and all around him there’s a numerous group of children on the floor, fawning over him. A giant bag filled with what you can only guess are gifts, is placed at safe distance from pouty lips and grabby hands.

You make your way to them with a big smile, only slightly tense at the corners because you only know one guy with that name but what are the chances? He’s the most insufferable person you’ve ever met. A constant flirt with anything that moves, way too confident for his own good, so unfairly attractive and quick witted. What would he even be doing here, so close to the holidays? No, it must be another Oliver.

The way Santa spots you and instantly opens his arms, warm and welcoming, tells you otherwise. Fuck. You’re now close enough to recognize eyes no one in their right mind would be able to ever forget.

“If it isn’t my favorite helper!”, his tone is jovial and deep, a perfect representation of a jolly Santa. Suddenly, so many little heads whip around to look at you.

“Hello!”, you excitedly wave, “nice to meet you, everyone!”.

“She’s not the elf from last year”, as you position yourself right behind Oliver’s chair and next to the gifts you’ll later help him distribute, a little boy furrows his brows with a slight pout. Before you can come up with something to say, Santa ho-ho-hos his way into the conversation.

“That’s exactly right, Kenji. She’s my side piece”.

You choke on your own spit. A little girl politely raises her hand and Oliver grants her permission to ask her question.

“What’s a side piece, Oli?”.

Oh, god. This is so much worse than what you could’ve anticipated.

Once more, he doesn’t allow you to reply and the grin underneath his fake beard is nothing short of infuriating.

“It’s an elf who helps when my other helpers are too busy”.

“So she’s your side elf? Is she as nice as the other?”.

He shifts in his seat and you quietly sigh, still smiling awkwardly to the children curiously checking you out, prepared for another jab.

“She’s the best”, Oliver turns to look at you with a small wink, drinking in the surprise written all over your features, “why don’t you introduce yourself, side elf? My kids are great, they’re gonna love you”.

There’s really no time to ponder over the words, how sweet they sounded. He’s only been with them for what, a few hours, and is already so protective of them? If he’s faking it, he really is one hell of an actor.

You attention soon shifts to the little, curious faces staring back at you and the thought of Oliver is pushed to the back of your mind. You’re there to make the afternoon special for those kids and you’ll give it your all, whatever it takes.

He ends up being right, they are great. So intelligent, affectionate and welcoming. You introduce yourself and it only takes a few minutes for them to accept your presence completely. There’s an odd sense of familiarity in the way they climb onto Oliver’s lap one by one, sometimes wrap their arms around his neck. They play with his silver beard as they answer questions about what they asked for christmas and he leans down to whisper secrets to their ear from time to time, to either make them laugh or put them at ease.

Some of the younger children grow restless after a while and you patiently placate small quarrels, pick up kid after kid while they wait for their turn and jokingly twirl until they��re giggling against your shoulder, the fabric of your costume squeezed by little fingers.

“Does Oli really work for Santa?”, Riko asks. She’s been in your arms for a while now and you balance her better against your chest with one arm, your other hand wrapped around Kenji’s.

“He does. We’re both in direct contact with him”, you smile.

“Do you ever go to his workshop?”.

“Sometimes we have to, yeah. Santa always gives us so many cookies and big glasses filled with milk”.

Riko hums, enraptured.

“Will I smell as good as you if I eat so many cookies and drink big glasses of milk?”.

Surprised, you fail to come up with an answer for a moment. Then you melt into a chuckle.

“But you already smell sooo good, Riko! I could eat you!”, she squeals with a laugh when you take a fake bite out of her cheek and Oliver turns to look at you both as he helps another little girl down from his knees.

“Trying to eat my kids, are you?”, he grins.

“Just this one for now”, you jokingly wink and Riko giggles once more. Kenji reclaims your attention by pulling at your hand.

“You have to do the thing”.

Lips still curled into a smile, you tilt your head to the side.

“The thing?”.

He nods, solemn.

“Oh, right”, Oliver snaps his fingers, “the thing. Let my elf go, Riko, we have to perform”.

“We have to do what now?”, as you carefully let the little girl down, Kenji slips his hand from yours.

“Santa baby”, Oliver pats his knees and, horrified, you realize it’s an invitation for you, “it’s their favorite song. We did it last year too”.

You let out a nervous laugh.

“I’m not a great performer-”

“C’mon, side elf! You gotta do it!”, Riko’s palms press to the small of your back and, as she pushes you towards an awaiting lap, you don’t have the heart to ask her to stop calling you that.

Oliver welcomes you onto his knees like you belong there, one arm instantly wrapping around your waist and the other on your thighs. He’s warm, solid underneath you. It’s the closest you’ve ever been to him and you hate that you’re suddenly tempted to pull him even closer.

“No one told me about this”, you murmur between gritted teeth, tense smile causing a low chuckle to vibrate in his chest.   

“You’ll be fine”, the hand resting on your hip gives it a light, playful squeeze, “it’s acapella, by the way. Give it your all”.

You’re still smiling but fail to entirely conceal the glare as you try to position yourself better against him. Whether he does it istinctively or not, Oliver tightens his hold around your waist.

All chatter stops and, between hushed but still excited whispers coming from the group sitting at your feet, you start humming the familiar tune.

“Santa baby, just slip a sable under the tree for me. Been an awful good girl”, you briefly turn to the kids and give them an exaggerated wink that makes them laugh, “Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight!”, you twirl part of Oliver’s fake beard around your pointer finger and when you meet his gaze, it’s surprising how serious it is. Time to get up, for your own sanity.

While he is supposed to keep up the act and match both your goofy tone and exaggerated motions to make the song playful and appropriate for children, he just keeps looking back at you with something unreadable in those dangerous eyes of his.

“Think of all the fun I missed!”, you dramatically drop to your knees and grab his arm, “think of all the fellas that I haven’t kissed!”, he finally seems to be shaken from his weird stupor and gasps loudly, looking back and forth between you and the giggling audience.

“Next year I could be just as good, if you check off my christmas list?”, you pout as Oliver shakes his head no, feigning disappointment. A few kids whine in fake sadness.

“I want a yacht and really that’s not a lot… right?”, you beg for their approval and it makes you chuckle that they erupt in agreeing cheers right away, “been an angel all year!”.

“Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight”, with a deep sigh, you desperately squeeze his hand for a moment before getting up once more and continuing your performance around the audience with a skip in your step, hands behind your back as you sway and twirl around them.

“Please help me ask him, everyone!”, you implore, “so hurry down the chimney tonight”. They do join you in your plea, to which Oliver audibly slaps a hand to his forehead.

“Hurry down the chimney tonight”, you slowly approach his chair once more and the playfulness in his stare seems to vanish once more, fingers twitching on knees you don’t sit on, “hurry, tonight”, with a small smile, you twirl one last time and then bow deeply as the audience immediately starts clapping at the end of your performance.

“Oli, I want a yacht”, Riko pouts and her sister next to her giggles.

“I’ll see what I can do, sweetheart”, he smiles, then looks at you once more, “wanna help me give out this year’s gifts? Maybe we’ll find a yacht somewhere”.

He doesn’t even get to finish the question: in a matter of seconds, you’re both surrounded by exuberant little kids who are way too excited to find out what Santa’s helpers have in store for them this holiday season. The youngest of the group, six year old Tsumugi, raises her little arms and Oliver bends down to pick her up, balancing her on his leg.

You didn’t think the community centre would be able to put together enough funds to get… all those presents. There are so much. Enough for each child to get three or four. Clothes, audio book players, lego sets, tablets, dolls, water marbling kits, headphones, books. An entire, separate bag is filled with signed soccer uniforms. You discreetly glance at Oliver, busy helping Hiro unwrap his third present.

You remember very few details about the blue lock project, from which some of the current top players of the globe suddenly came out years ago. You know he was part of it at some point and of course you remember his past as captain of the former U-20 team. Oliver is still one of the best known soccer players in Japan and clearly he is friends with those guys. But the fact that he went out of his way to make sure he had all those uniforms for these kids, stirs something in your chest.

As you hand out the shirts, little squeals make you smile.

“Riko, this one’s from Nagi”, the little girl practically snatches it from your hand, “wait, don’t push, there’s one for each of you! Who asked for the Kaiser one?”.

“Oli, will you keep your promise next year?”, Tsumugi, still in his lap, rests her head on his shoulder as she hugs a new teddy bear to her chest. He hums, one hand rising to boop her nose.

“You have my word, sweet girl. I told Yoichi you wanted to meet him and he was so sad he couldn’t make it today. He promised he’ll come next time”.

“Look what he sent you”, with a grin, you hand her the shirt Isagi signed for her. The way her eyes light up makes you wish for Eiko to be sick once more, the following year.

It’s the evening when parents slowly start arriving to collect their kids and thank everyone for the organization. You and Chiyo welcome them by the door and offer warm cups of tea. Those who are not in a rush are more than welcome to eat something despite the buffet having been more or less devoured by now.

As soon as you’re alone with Chiyo once more, the last remaining parents shaking hands with Oliver as they say goodbye, you deflate in a chair. Your legs hurt, you didn’t eat anything and you feel so tired but also immensely rewarded.

“It was fun, wasn’t it?”, with a smile, Chiyo pushes a water bottle towards you.

“So fun. You were right, he’s good with kids. Remembered all their names and everything”.

She chuckles.

“Well, I’d hope so. He comes every year”.

You stare back.

“Every year?”.

“Yeah, since forever. And he always gets so many extra presents for them, never accepted a single yen back”.

You sip on your water, unable to come up with something to say. Oliver Aiku, the same unbearably smug idiot who’d pissed you off endlessly each time you had the unfortunate chance of meeting him thanks to your cousin Shuto, seemed so different today. Patient, caring, attentive, fun. So generous.

You watch as parents bow to him and he bows back, ruffles their kid’s hair, laughs when Tsugumi hugs his legs. This is not good, not good at all, judging by the way your heart fumbles in your chest as he meets your gaze from across the room.

The elf costume is shoved into your backpack but the drawings and notes some of the kids made for you are placed on the table right next to it as you put on your coat. You’ll keep them in your hand, against your chest and underneath the warm fabric if you must, in case it’s still snowing outside. You’d hate for anything to happen to such precious cargo.

“You know, Riko has a point”, the gravelly voice so close to your ear makes you jump, “you really do smell good”.

“Try taking a shower”, your intention is to turn around with a scowl but the second you do, your back is pressed to the table as he leans forward and rests his palms on the rough surface. The sharp inhale you take makes him smile.

“Nah, I think it’s really just you”.

You stare back for a moment, then clear your throat, trying your best to not appear intimidated.

“Who knew you were so good with kids. They love you”.

Oliver pulls back, leaving you enough space to put a safe distance between your bodies.

“Well, who knew you were such a great cook. How long did it take to make all that food?”.

Much to your irritation, a smile threatens to appear on your lips. He deflects when complimented? Fuck. Off.

Your mind traces back to how protective he was of them. My kids. It’s sickening, really.

“You didn’t eat anything all day”, the softer tone catches him off guard for just a second, “take some leftovers”.

Oliver hums, something flashing across his features so quickly you may have imagined it. Then, he starts unbuttoning the red velvet jacket he’s still in.

“Don’t be so thoughtful, it’ll make me hard”.

Astonished, you look at him.

“What are you doing?”

He discards the jacket with a grin, hat and fake beard already discarded before entering the changing room.

“You didn’t think I’d leave in this, right?”.

“You could’ve waited until I left the room”.

Oliver rubs his chin in exasperating, fake pensiveness.

“Yeah, I could’ve”, his signature smirk makes you want to punch him in his handsome face, “but there’s this girl I like. Maybe if I impress her, she’ll finally give me a chance”.

You chalk the heat rising to your cheeks up to the thermostat temperature being too high. When you murmur a confused, hasty goodbye and attempt to make your leave, drawings safely tucked underneath one arm, Oliver gently wraps a hand around your wrist.

“It’s snowing. Let me give you a ride”, the way his thumb tentatively grazes the sliver of skin underneath your sleeve makes you shudder. He does it again, intentional, serious eyes boring into yours to make sure he's not crossing a boundary. Your mouth feels dry.

“Wait for me?”, Oliver offers, gentle. There’s no trace of his previous teasing and you’re painfully aware of how long the silence is stretching for, a weird vibration to the moment laced in your aching hesitation.

Another beat passes before you relax under his touch.

“I’ll be outside”.

[aishangotome]

Azel Radwan: Chapter 15

Chapter 14 Premium Story

Thank you @passthechloroform for providing the video for this chapter!

♡———♡

The riot that happened the other day has faded into a phantom with the passage of time.

People are coming and going in the city as if nothing had happened, and today is peaceful and bustling.

I, too, blend into the city, my bag lighter than when I arrived, the scars gone.

(I guess that's the end of my errands for today.)

(Even so, from the biggest landowner in Tanzanite to the theater manager, to the owner of the best restaurant in the country...)

(The people who ask the owner for books are all important people who support Tanzanite's economy.)

(I'm glad I learned proper manners from my time as Belle.)

???: --I've done it.

(Huh...?)

I hear a voice carried on the hot desert wind and stop.

Looking down an alley, I see a woman with her face hidden by a veil, gathering scattered flowers from the ground.

(Did she drop them?)

Emma: Do you need any help?

When I call out to her, the woman's eyes widen under her thin veil, and then she smiles.

Woman: Thank you, kind young lady. May I take you up on your offer?

Emma: Of course.

The flowers scattered on the ground are the "Al flowers" I saw at the theater before.

The flowers, the color of water that moistens the dry desert, seem to cool the hot air just by looking at them.

Emma: Are you a flower seller, miss?

Woman: No, I'm a humble diviner.

Woman: These flowers are the flowers of the Living God, so I thought they might contain blessings and I'm giving them to people I know.

Woman: Please take some if you like.

After putting all the flowers back in the basket, the woman bundles a few of them and offers them to me.

Emma: Wow, thank you very much.

Woman: I'm the one who should be thanking you. I'm glad I met such a kind person like you.

Woman: There have been a series of terrible incidents lately, haven't there? I've become afraid of people...

(...I thought they had disappeared like a phantom...)

(But maybe there are many people who are actually anxious like her.)

What had become invisible due to the illusion of everyday life is now highlighted under the sunlight.

The woman's face was haggard.

Just hearing that she's a diviner, it's easy to imagine what's happening to her.

Woman: Please be careful, young lady. We will eventually lose the moon.

Woman: As prophesied, the end is near. This country will soon be over.

Emma: That's...

The woman smiles and disappears into the depths of the alley, carrying her flower basket.

As if to say she doesn't want to talk about the end at all.

(The talk of the end... Clavis didn't seem to know the details either, did he?)

(It's become vague, but maybe I can find out by looking it up in a book?)

-

That night - as usual, I was working hard in the back of the elegant temple to repay my debt.

I finely grind chickpeas and onions, then add parsley, pepper, salt, and spices, and mix them together.

After letting it sit for a while, I shape it with my hands and roll it into a pot of oil, and it's almost complete.

(Now all I have to do is fry it until the color changes, make the sauce...)

Azel: You're making something unusual today.

Emma: Whoa!?

Azel suddenly appeared and peered into the pot from behind me.

The close distance and his breath on my ear made my heart feel like it was going to burst out of my chest.

Azel: Why are you acting like I'm a ghost...?

Emma: Please don't talk right next to my ear.

Azel: Oh, I didn't know you were sensitive to sounds.

Emma: --ah

He purposely blows air on my ear, and a faint voice escapes me.

(He might have heard what I just said...)

I turn around and glare at him with shame, and Azel seems to be reflecting on his actions as he quickly raises both hands.

Azel: I'm sorry, so don't glare at me like that. It was just a spur-of-the-moment thing.

(Why am I so nervous just because he got close to me?)

(...Is it because my body was surprised?)

Azel steps away from me and picks up the memo that was on the counter.

Azel: Did Kasim teach you this?

Emma: How did you know?

Azel: He's an acquaintance. I can tell by this messy handwriting.

Mr. Kasim is the manager and chef of the restaurant where I delivered the owner's book.

When I casually mentioned that I wanted to try making Tanzanite cuisine, he kindly wrote down a recipe for a fried dish that is commonly made in homes.

Azel: Why do you go this far?

Emma: Why...?

Azel: Honestly, with food, anything is fine as long as it's edible, right?

Emma: ...You're always so picky with your orders.

Azel: That's different. This is different.

Azel: You don't particularly enjoy cooking as a hobby, do you?

Azel: You could just make something simple... Isn't it a bother?

The recipe that Azel is holding up is indeed labor-intensive.

Cooking something I'm not used to takes time and effort, and I get more tired than usual.

(I've never really thought about it deeply, but...)

Emma: I thought you might miss the taste of your hometown if you only had Rhodolite cuisine.

Emma: I'm cooking to repay my debt and pay the rent, but...

Emma: If I'm going to cook anyway, I want you to enjoy it, right?

When I confess my true feelings, the recipe slips from Azel's hand.

(...)

(Huh... Do I actually like Azel quite a bit?)

At any rate, these are not things you should say to a God who has enslaved you with debt, and I become aware of my unconscious feelings only after putting them into words.

(No, I'm just attached to him, there's nothing shameful about it...)

*remembering Azel's previous remark*

Azel: Insulting me again... You're really good at creating debt, aren't you?

(...There's nothing...)

Remembering his soft, moon-like smile, I become strangely awkward for some reason.

(Why doesn't Azel say anything? What is this silence?)

His mysterious eyes, holding the starry sky, quietly look down at me.

His eyes are unusually serious, and yet somewhat displeased.

Azel: Is this some new kind of harassment?

Emma: How did you even come to that twisted interpretation!?

Azel: The sight of a good person makes me sick.

(Ugh... That actually hurts.)

Emma: ...Was I bothering you?

I don't understand what Azel is thinking, so I try looking down for now.

Suddenly, the God who had a scary face shows signs of agitation.

Azel: Ah, no, that's not it. It's a good mindset. Keep it up and offer me your cooking.

Azel: I can praise your thoughtfulness. In fact, I'll praise it highly.

Azel: But don't say anything that makes it difficult for me to take advantage of you from now on.

(So that's what it is...)

Azel: By the way, it's burning.

Emma: Ah!

I hurriedly look up and scoop the croquette out of the oil.

It's my first time seeing a Tanzanite-style croquette, but it's turned out cute with its round shape.

Emma: Look, it's pretty good for my first attempt--

Azel: So you were faking crying again?

Azel raises his eyebrows and pulls my cheek.

Emma: I'm sowwy.

(...I let it slip. I know Azel is surprisingly weak to tears, so I couldn't help it...)

(But I should avoid doing this often because it really worries him.)

Even with my cheek being lightly pulled, I arrange the croquettes on a plate.

As I move my body, my heart gradually calms down.

(Now, to make it look more vibrant...)

Azel: ...Why is that flower there?

He complains about the small vase I placed next to the plate.

The fresh Al flower should be a small oasis in the desert that soothes anyone who sees it, but only Azel, who has let go of my cheek, doesn't even try to hide his expression of disgust.

Emma: A diviner gave it to me today.

Emma: Looking at it like this, it has a Prince Azel-like quality and it's kind of endearing--

Emma: Why are you glaring at me again!?

Azel: I sensed a disrespectful presence.

(That's so unreasonable!)

Azel: I hate that flower.

Azel: It doesn't bring me any profit, yet it uses my name without permission.

Emma: I feel like you would thoroughly collect even if it was a deferred payment, Prince Azel.

Azel: There's no way I could do such a terrible thing to the common people, right?

(...Am I not one of the common people?)

While complaining, he doesn't seem to intend to deny what I'm doing, and the vase is not removed.

Azel: However, if diviners start handing out blessed flowers, it really is the end.

Azel: I don't know who that woman is, but she must be sensing the end is near.

Emma: ...You're right. The woman who gave me the flower was afraid of the "prophecy of the end."

Emma: Prince Azel... what exactly is the prophecy of the end left by the first Living God?

Azel: Find out yourself.

Emma: I wanted to look for books, but I couldn't find any bookstores at all.

In Rhodolite, I could find bookstores just by casually walking around the city.

However, there were no shops in the Tanzanite market that handled books at all.

I couldn't get any information even when I asked people, and in the end, I gave up on bookstores, but--

Azel: Why do you think that is?

Azel sits down on a chair, rests his cheek on his hand on the table, and places his hand on the book he'll probably read during his meal.

Azel: Why are there no bookstores in Tanzanite?

(So it wasn't just that I couldn't find them.)

I felt the air around Azel change.

Emma: Is it because... there aren't many people who can read?

Azel: That's one reason, but there's a more important reason.

Azel: What are people's thoughts made of?

(I wonder what it is.)

Emma: Experiences?

Azel: No. Think more directly.

(...The foundation of thought...)

Emma: Words...?

Azel: That's right. So, where do we get the words that form the basis of our thoughts?

Emma: From everyday conversations, the letters overflowing in the city, and books, I suppose?

Azel: Indeed. The more words people have, the more deeply they can think.

Azel: The reason you're more intelligent than other women is probably because you love books and know a lot of words.

(He casually complimented me.)

Azel: Conversely, if you don't know words, you can't even think.

Azel: Even if you have something in mind, if you can't verbalize it well, you can't be called human.

Emma: In that case, it would be better to have many bookstores, wouldn't it?

Azel: There are people who don't think so, which is why there are no bookstores in Tanzanite.

Emma: ...Why...?

Azel: Come on, think about it.

Azel raises the corners of his mouth as if enjoying the conversation itself.

(Without books, people can't think. But there are people who hate thinking.)

What suddenly crossed my mind was the riot the other day.

The hellish scene of believers and those with distrust towards God punching and cursing each other was hard to believe was the work of people with intellect.

(Clavis said it started with some fanatics.)

(Fanatics surely don't know the words to doubt God.)

(They blindly believe because they don't know the words, and they lash out before thinking.)

(And the one who led them was...)

Emma: ...It's inconvenient, isn't it?

Emma: The more you know words, the more you can think about faith in God from various perspectives.

Emma: If you want to maintain absolute control, the thinking that shows all paths might get in the way.

When I somehow managed to gather the scattered words and put them together, Azel clapped his hands as if to say "well done."

Azel: Of course, there are books in Tanzanite too. But most of them are related to mythology.

Azel: People's thoughts naturally become centered around God.

Azel: The people of Tanzanite haven't been allowed to do so for many years.

Azel: To become independent from God by gaining knowledge.

Emma: ...That's not what you want, is it, Prince Azel?

Azel: No, I'm actually inviting book merchants. Akatsuki and you are the leading examples.

Azel: There are bookstores too, though small. People have also become more knowledgeable than before.

Azel: But there are still those who don't like the idea of the people having knowledge.

Emma: ...The apostle, right?

(Because he's the kind of person who would ignore even your will, Azel, to protect the divine authority of God.)

Azel: To be precise, it's the "royal family."

Azel: The clan that descends from the first Living God believes without a doubt that protecting this mystery is their mission.

Azel: The control of thought might be a sin that the royal family of Tanzanite has held onto for a long time.

*flashback*

Silvio: The people of Tanzanite today can't live without God.

Silvio: They are kept alive by God, and have built their prosperity by God.

Silvio: If God doesn't want it...

Silvio: I wonder who created this current situation?

*back to present*

(I understand the answer to that question now... but...)

(It's strange that God and the royal family, who are supposed to be praising God, are so out of sync.)

(In Tanzanite, God is not an idol.)

(He's a living mystery right here, and he's showing a clear will.)

Azel: But sin is something that must eventually be atoned for.

Azel: They will pay the price eventually.

Emma: Is that... the "prophecy of the end"?

Azel: Who knows?

Azel shrugs his shoulders and casually reaches for the croquettes lined up on the table.

Azel: ...........Delicious.

He seems to have accidentally let it slip, and noticing my gaze, Azel looks away awkwardly.

Azel: ...If you want to know about the first Living God's prophecy, why don't you ask Enis?

Azel: He'll surely answer with a pale face. Unlike me, he's obedient.

Emma: Won't you tell me, Prince Azel?

Azel: It'll cost you.

Emma: Not that again...

Azel: This time it will be an exorbitant amount. Give up and go ask the king.

(If it were the usual Azel, I feel like he would tell me even if I was reluctant, since it's a chance to get money.)

(Is there some reason why it's hard to say?)

Azel reaches for the second croquette--

Emma: Stop snacking!

I grab his greedy hand from me, and I'm surprised by the thickness of his wrist, more than I imagined.

(...It's a man's hand.)

(No, I've held it before...)

(Was it this strong?)

Azel: To give orders to a God...

Emma: It's not an order, it's a request. The sauce isn't ready yet.

Azel: I don't need it.

Emma: I need it.

Azel: ..............

Emma: I won't give in even if you make a sulky face.

Azel: Stingy.

Emma: I'm fine with being stingy.

Emma: But if you like it that much, it was worth the effort I put into making it.

Azel: ..............Please stop saying things like that.

Azel grabs my hand back and pulls it away.

I feel my heart skip a beat again-- I look down, and the sound of knocking ton ton shakes the air.

Emma: Kamal?

Kamal is leaning against the door, which had been left open at some point.

She has a gentle expression, as if she has just seen something heartwarming.

Azel: ...Oh, that's right.

Azel: Kamal, let's talk outside.

Azel: I'll be right back.

Azel stands up and quickly leaves with Kamal.

When the two of them stand side by side, they look like a picture-perfect combination of a handsome man and a beautiful woman--

For some reason, I feel a twinge of pain in my chest.

-

Kamal: Oh my, you've become quite close to that child.

Kamal: At first, you were acting all indifferent, like "it has nothing to do with me."

Azel: Shut up. Just hand over the goods.

Kamal: Oh my, evil God. You shouldn't show that child such a scary face.

Laughing lightly, the bewitching beauty takes out a jet-black lump of iron from the large bag she's carrying.

The eyes of the God who received it were frozen.

Kamal: As you predicted, I confiscated it at the port this time.

Kamal: The world's calamity, the beast of ruin... It's really troublesome.

Azel: Yes. But what's truly troublesome is the hidden soldier that man sent.

Azel: I hope the guests from Rhodolite will take this bait.

.

.

.

Chapter 16

If you’d like to support my translations, feel free to buy me a coffee here! :)

[l1v1ngd3dgrrl]

For the Mouthwashing requests, how about Anya with an intern!Reader who slowly falls in love with her (and of course, she returns the sentiment)? Aboard the Tulpar if you're feeling angsty...headcanons or fic, your choice! Thank you ^^

AN: Thank you for the requestttt, and YESS ANGSTY I love sprinkling in angst. I'm gonna do some HC's, but in the future I may turn it into a oneshot. I hope you enjoy<3 I hope you don't mind me assigning the reader as Anya's intern! I left out what happens post crash because I didn't wanna be too angsty.

[also i was listening to Just like Heaven by the Cure..I think Anya would love them :)]

Anya x Intern! Reader Headcanons+ mini drabbles [sfw-ish]

mdni banner: cafekitsune

CW(S): Implications of sex, slight angst towards the end, mouthwashing spoilers, GN! reader/reader's gender is not mentioned, Possible age gap? I view Anya as a woman in her late 20's early 30's so depending on how old you are there's that.

So how does this happen?

Listen, you took this internship so you could get some credit for your University. The internship had nothing to do with your major what so ever but hey. Beggars can't be choosers?

You would be the Medical Intern, doing menial tasks and being educated on different first aide techniques by your mentor, Anya.

At first it was a pretty standard relationship, she was your mentor and you were her student. It wasn't all strictly business as the two of you got along fairly well outside of work stuff.

Around the 3 month mark of the haul you start to notice things about her that you hadn't before. Like how her hair was somehow always perfect as it fell over her shoulders, how her eye color was the most unique thing in the world, and how her lips were such a beautiful peachy brown color and how...soft they looked.

...uh oh.

Well....What are you gonna do about it?

At first you hold off on telling her, afraid of making things weird. What's another 8-ish months keeping your feelings a secret? easy peasy.

....at least you THINK it's gonna be easy. Your poker face isn't exactly the best.

Around month 5 is when she starts to really notice some big changes.

At first she gets worried thinking that you're going mental, nurses don't get their own evals. She questions you about it one day as the two of you are sitting in Medical, organizing some paperwork.

You try to deny that anything is wrong and that its simply nothing...which she essentially calls you out for because obviously lying and prods you again.

"So...Y/n, are you feeling alright?" You nod your head and try and hide your nervousness. "Y-yeah I'm great! uhm..why do you ask?" She stops filing papers and turns to you, eyes searching your form intently. "You've been a little off these last few months, Even if we don't get our own evaluations you know you can always talk to me." You bite the inside of your cheek and nod. Man you really needed to work on your poker face skills. "I'll keep that in mind th-thanks." you clear your throat and resume working. "But i'm fine though-just a bit uh, overwhelmed is all." "Y/n," she says sternly and you look up, deer in headlights. "Something is clearly bothering you, what is it?" her gaze is tender and full of concern. Those same gorgeous eyes flittering over your face. You gulp and open your mouth to speak but nothing comes out. Instead you just feel and overwhelming sense of dread. "I-I'm sorry I have to go."

Oh,what's this??

You panic and duck of medical and hide in your 'bedroom' for a bit.

After that you can't look her in the eye properly, maybe it'll affect your credit but at this point you don't care.

Unfortunately you can't avoid her for very long.

she finds you after dinner and holds you by the shoulder. Curly, or Jimmy hadn't pulled you aside to discuss your little stunt from earlier so she must not have reported it.

You couldn't tell if that was a good or bad thing...

"Y/n I really need to talk with you, okay?" She says. It was phrased as a question but you knew you couldn't just back out. "Alright." She leads you back to medical and both of you sit at her desk. She's in her usual chair, and you're in the chair that the 'patient' usually sits at. "I'm a little disappointed in what happened earlier," she begins "I'm not mad but I am a little bit hurt. Something is clearly troubling you and it's part of my job as your mentor and the nurse to make sure in good shape." You suck in a breath and nod. "I'm sorry." Your eyes are focused on your shoes, too ashamed to look her in the eyes. "Please tell me what's bothering you?" She asks and pulls your attention to her by cupping your chin. The action makes your heart skip a few beats, and your cheeks feel warmer. You meet her gaze and the feelings you had for months are threatening to spill out. "I," You swallow thickly and try and gather your wits. "I think I'm in love with you..I didn't want to say anything because we're co-workers." She pulls her hand away from your face, eyes fixated on you as you speak. "I was so nervous because I didn't want to make you uncomfortable. And I didn't want to get fired." Her lips curve into a smile after you finish talking, an action that makes you even more nervous. "Oh hun, that's what that was about?" You splutter and do a double take, the pet name was not helping you feel less anxious. "I've taken quite a liking to you too. All you had to to was be honest with me."

LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOOO

After that night you two begun a secret relationship, keeping things professional during the day and indulging each other at night.

It's been... so good so far! Obviously date nights are hard to do when you're stuck on a spaceship but you made it work. Even if that meant asking Curly for a special dinner under the guise that it was for the crew.

...That happiness was short lived though because the ship fucking crashed. What the hell man?

Even if things were looking bleak you were determined to remain positive for Anya.

"Do you think we're gonna make it?" You has asked her one night, Her undereyes had begun growing darker from all the stress, a sight that made your heart ache. "I hope so." was all she said. You didn't take her lack of words to heart. As the two of you sat in silence you inched your hand over hers and gave it a firm squeeze. "That's the most important thing," you said "to have hope." She hummed and leaned her head against your shoulder. "No matter what happens..I love you." You whisper, glancing over at her. She looks up at you with a weak smile. "I love you too y/n."

[woozisguitar]

scoups and slut! by taylor swift please…

requests for 200 celebration post: open (but slow updates!)

warning: mentions of panic attacks, use of words like slut and whore, some shitty people, one very vague reference to sleeping together

Flamingo pink Sunrise Boulevard Clink, clink Being this young is art the pink evening sky glimmered over the high-end street of your apartment complex. when you first moved here, sunrise boulevard was a dream. now, the same streets feel fake with no real passion or life in them. being a young actress, with success kissing your feet from the very beginning, people often gave you unsolicited advice. be it about your acting roles or the stardom in general, they always treated your youth like a piece of art they wanted to have their name engraved on. ‘it’s a vicious town. they’ll eat you alive unless you learn to feast first,’ your old co-actress once told you, lighting her cigarette as you waited for the set to be ready. and now, standing in a crowd of people with flesh-colored glitter masks and coy smiles, clinking their champagne glasses with foes and friends alike, you understand what she meant.

Aquamarine Moonlit swimming pool What if all I need is you? when you saw him, the world seemed to stand still for a moment. there was something about him, something you knew you’d spend your whole life trying to decipher. maybe it was his eyes that sparkled under the moonlight, or the easygoing smile that made his beautiful dimples pop. you were never one to believe in love at first sight, not one to give into the fantasies you often starred in, but god, he made you want to believe in it. he was wearing black slacks, a white shirt with an apron, serving the people around you. you didn’t even see what he was serving, just taking one when he approached you and gave you the same damn smile. call it delusion, who cares, but you knew you had to know him. his name, what he liked, disliked, all of it. a thought popped in your mind, ‘what if all that was missing in this life was him?’

Got lovestruck, went straight to my head Got lovesick, all over my bed Love to think you'll never forget Handprints in wet cement

now, you weren’t exactly known for making good decisions. often listening to your heart more than your brain, your reputation preceded you. what you thought was love in the past had disguised itself as a snake in butterfly wings to bring you down. still, the heart wants what it wants. your brain, riding on the oxytocin high, or as the locals would call it, was ‘lovestruck,’ decided that it was a great idea to ask the host about the contact information of the catering service she used. making up a sad excuse of the staff’s lovely personality and great food, you flattered her enough to get the email and phone number from her. now with the name of the company, it was quite easy to track them down and find where they were located. luck seemed to be on your side because they had their employees listed on their webpage along with their photos. scrolling through the list of names, you found the picture of the same man you saw last night. next to his picture was his name, choi seungcheol, in bold. a small, reasonable part of your brain tried to convince you that this was a stupid idea, but you were too lovesick to care.

a quick email about seungcheol’s lovely service, followed by a subtle name-dropping and sweet-talking, ended with the company agreeing to meet you, bringing him along. sure, you had to drop the sudden house party notice on your team and the fact that you reached out to catering yourself, but you were far too deep in this to back out now. tomorrow you were going to meet seungcheol, and that’s all you cared about.

Adorned with smoke on my clothes Lovelorn and nobody knows Love thorns all over this rose I'll pay the price, you won't the next day, you found yourself sitting in a cafe reserved by your team, looking outside the window waiting for seungcheol and his manager to arrive. you tried to get seungcheol’s contact information from them but couldn’t—company policy or something. either way, the devil on your shoulder convinced you to hatch a plan to try and get seungcheol closer. you looked over at the faces of your team members and for a second felt bad because they had no idea that this was all a caprice to fulfill the desires of your lovelorn heart. the bell above the door rang, snapping you out of your thoughts. you saw him enter along with a man who looked like he was in his mid-forties. the manager introduced himself to you and your team, but you were too distracted by seungcheol to pay proper attention. clad in a simple white sweatshirt and blue jeans, this man looked more beautiful than any other celebrity or model you had met. your team went over the plans with his manager while you stole glances at the gorgeous man who stuck to the sidelines.

while your team was discussing the various options, you announced that you would order everyone something, asking seungcheol to accompany you to the counter, which made you earn a few confused glances from your team. ignoring them, you made your way to the counter, finally getting a moment of privacy with seungcheol. “hi, i’m yn,” you exchanged a smile. seungcheol’s lips quirked up in a teasing smile, “i think everyone here knows who you are, miss y/n.” “you don’t have to call me miss, just y/n is fine,” you mumbled, feeling your cheeks warm up in embarrassment. way to go y/n... “alright, just y/n. i’m seungcheol, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” he smiled, giving his order at the counter. you quickly followed his cue, giving the order for your team and made your way to the pickup counter with him by your side. the shy smile wouldn’t leave your face no matter how much you tried to fight it off. “so i’m guessing you will be in charge of catering at my house,” you said, looking up to see him already staring at you. “well, you specifically asked for me, so yes i will,” seungcheol replied, the stupid teasing smile not leaving his face. “right, so i was thinking wouldn’t it be easier for me to contact you if i had your number…?” you trailed off, looking at him with hopeful eyes. “shouldn’t your team contact me, y/n?” you flushed yet again at his teasing, trying to come up with a reply. seungcheol laughed and reached out, pointing at the device in your hand. you unlocked and gave it to him, watching as he opened a new contact page and filled in his details. “here you go,” he said, giving you your phone back. “by the way, you really suck at flirting,” he leaned back, taking his order and walking back to the team.

But if I'm all dressed up They might as well be looking at us And if they call me a slut You know it might be worth it for once And if I'm gonna be drunk Might as well be drunk in love the past two weeks or so had been eventful. you saw seungcheol every day at your residence, from tasting the various items off the set menu to deciding on the outfits for the staff, he was present for it all. the night when you first met, you spent hours debating whether to text him first or not. then around 11pm you decided to bite the bullet and sent him a small ‘hi, this is y/n’ text. his reply came quicker than you had anticipated, which read ‘hi, just y/n.’ you never knew a simple text would have you feeling so many butterflies. while your conversations were strictly professional, you couldn’t help but look forward to every notification from him. having seungcheol so close and around only resulted in your feelings increasing for him. when the day of your party arrived, you wore your prettiest dress, partially hoping for seungcheol to take notice. and boy, did he take notice, with his jaw slightly dropping as his eyes raked over your form. you took this moment to have a proper look at him too. dressed in dark gray dress pants, a white button-up, and maroon tie, seungcheol ditched his apron as the current stand-in manager. “done staring?” he asked, the same teasing smile gracing his face. “are you?” you flirted, terribly so, and pushed past him.

while the party was a success, you realised pretty late that the attendees took notice of you, in the wrong way. sure, you did have a reputation with dating, labels and names like ‘slut’ and ‘whore’ commonly gracing the headlines with your picture on the front page. you always decided to look past that, telling yourself it's just the media and this is the curse of success. but now, it felt a little ridiculous because it involved seungcheol. plus, it wasn’t like you kissed him in front of everyone. all you did was make conversation about the various foods and laughed at his joke or two. when your publicist told you about the article, your hands were itching to text seungcheol, asking him if he was alright. even after a warning of not contacting anyone, you decided to fuck it and text him, perhaps it might be worth being called names for once. nursing yourself to a bottle of wine, you were long passed out when your phone pinged with an ‘i’m fine but how are you? :(’ text.

Send the code, he's waiting there The sticks and stones they throw froze mid-air

you saw the text from seungcheol. texting back an ‘i’m alright, don’t worry,’ you decided that you might as well shoot your shot. it was now or never. you texted him a quick ‘hey, i have to confess something, do you think you can meet me today? my place?’ seungcheol’s reply came a second later, just a ‘yes, i’ll see you there,’ to which you replied with ‘dinner’s on me :)’

seungcheol arrived right on time and you let him in. “i ordered chinese. i didn’t know what your preference was, so i hope you like it,” you said, giving him a nervous smile. he smiled back reassuringly and said he loved chinese. you showed him your living room just as your food arrived. there, now sitting next to each other with chinese takeout in between the two of you, you decided it was the right time to confess to him. “so, i want to tell you something,” you started, and seungcheol put down his food, giving you his undivided attention. you took a deep breath and started, “i really like you, really, really like you, and i know it’s silly and stupid because we’ve barely known each other for two weeks, but i do. and i completely understand if you don’t like me, i get it, truly. this life and dating me comes with a lot of drawbacks and secrecy, so i understand if it’s too much. i just really had to let you know this,” you finished, feeling breathless from your rant. you looked up to see seungcheol smiling at you. he tucked a stray strand of hair behind your ear. “i know. plus, if i didn’t want this, i wouldn’t be sitting here with you.” he simply leaned in to kiss the corner of your mouth.

Everyone wants him That was my crime The wrong place at the right time And I break down, then he's pullin' me in In a world of boys, he's a gentleman

the next few months were absolute bliss. seungcheol was everything and somehow more than you could’ve asked for. you found out that this catering business was actually his part-time job to help put himself through grad school. yet never once did he care about your status, money, or fame. whenever you were worried things might get too much for him, like when a new hate article was released, you were shipped with a co-actor, or whenever people recalled your past relationships having no idea about what went on behind closed doors, all seungcheol would do was hold you close and tell you that he didn’t care. all he wanted was you, just y/n, no one else, he would say, recalling your first conversation. then the news broke. someone spotted the two of you holding hands and walking in the dead of night. with no one in sight, you made the stupid mistake of not hiding yours or seungcheol’s face in public. when your pr team asked if you wanted to go public to simply make the public scrutiny easier, rather than them trying to pry into your life, you could confirm and ask them to back off. seungcheol’s opinion, when asked, was simply ‘whatever works best for y/n, i’ll be happy with it.’

the confirmation announcement had alright responses. not good, but not bad either. but the worst always happens behind closed doors. with seungcheol in the spotlight, every other actress in your vicinity wanted their hands on him. whether it be sliding into his dms or straight-up trespassing at his job, demanding him to be present with other staff members, trying to sink their claws into him somehow. one of your so-called friends invited you to a party and unbeknownst to you, hired seungcheol and his catering for the same. when you saw seungcheol along with the other staff members, she tried to make a spectacle of your boyfriend, trying to insult both you and seungcheol. she thought he would cave in and was doing you a favor by revealing his ‘true form,’ but when seungcheol saw your trembling hands, unshed tears, and shaking form—all signs of the impending panic attack he had become so well-versed in handling—he didn’t give a fuck about anyone or anything. he just held you close, in the middle of the now-quiet party, and whispered if you wanted to leave. when you nodded yes, he held your hand and walked you out of the door, leaving his apron by the patio. he held you close as you tried to even your breathing, humming softly under his breath to distract you from your thoughts. slowly drifting off in your car, you sent a small thank you to the fates for finally sending you a true gentleman.

Got lovestruck, went straight to my head Got lovesick, all over my bed Love to think you'll never forget We'll pay the price, I guess

the next day, the headlines went crazy. pictures of seungcheol embracing you in the middle of the party went viral everywhere, and that’s when you realized, he also made sure to shield you completely from all sides so none of the pictures showed your tearful, panic-stricken face. seungcheol had just sent a resignation to his job when you walked into your living room, eyes welling up with tears. seungcheol saw your phone in your hand, fearing another horrible headline. you, however, hastened over and buried your face in his chest, murmuring a small thank you. seungcheol buried his face in your hair, basking in the moment of quiet. when your pr team called to discuss how you wanted to handle this, you told them to announce your short hiatus, wanting a break from everyone and everything. both of you knew relationships, in this life, came with prices to pay and yet decided to jump in headfirst.

But if I'm all dressed up They might as well be looking at us If they call me a slut You know it might be worth it for once And if I'm gonna be drunk I might as well be drunk in love

seungcheol told you about his job the same evening you told him about your hiatus. “why don’t you move in with me?” you suggested, which surprised seungcheol. “what?” “yeah, i mean it makes sense. you’ll save up on rent, which means you don’t have to take another job, and i get to have you around so i don’t spiral whenever a new article pops up. it’s a win for both of us.” seungcheol hesitated for a second, as much as he loved being with you, he felt like he was taking advantage. when he voiced his concerns, you absolved them by reminding him how much you wanted this and how having him around would be more of a favor you’re doing for yourself than him. slowly, seungcheol moved in and notified his landlord, officially taking his place in your home.

Half asleep Taking your time In the tangerine, neon light This is luxury You're not saying you're in love with me But you're going to

with seungcheol moving in, mornings definitely had its perks. the soft tangerine orange glow of sunrise slowly gracing his sleepy features while he cuddled himself closer to you was a view you would not be able to forget even in death. on his off days, you would spend late mornings in bed, slowly waking each other up with kisses, and you realised no comfort in the world would compare to this luxury. the same bed seungcheol unravels and puts you together every night was witness to the first time he murmured that he loved you. a kiss on your forehead every morning, and you knew you were irrevocably in love with him too.

Half awake Taking your chance It's a big mistake I said it might blow up in your pretty face I'm not saying do it anyway But you're going to

but your days weren’t all in blissful warmth. sometimes, your insecurities would get the best of you, and you’d ask him if all this was a big mistake and if you were really worth taking such a big chance. “this could blow up in your face, seungcheol!” you yelled after a long and difficult night of overthinking and doubting. “so be it,” was all he said, and the sheer determination in his eyes made you realize he would never leave you, no matter how hard it got.

And if they call me a slut You know it might be worth it for once And if I'm gonna be drunk Might as well be drunk in love

five months later, you decided to go back to the industry. by now, time had played its part and the general public was on your side. you steered clear of places and gatherings you knew would only cause you harm, opting to spend the nights cuddled with beloved boyfriend. every time he gives you the same damn smile, you know it was all worth it again and again.

a/n: happy new year <3

[puppy-phum]

edits i made in 2024 ✨

thanks for tagging me krish @i-got-the-feels [x] ♥ am also trying to incorporate the tumblr top ten posts into this bc i don't want to do that as it is, so thank you for tagging me into that antania @riggerbison [x] and zey @fadelsburger [x] ♥

Post your most popular and/or favorite edit/gifset for each month (it’s okay to skip months!)

tagging: @forcebook @thamepo @chezlalune @ruanbaijie @luna-lina @srnileforme @wanderlust-in-my-soul no pressure and if you've done this or something like this already, please send it my way or tag me into the post's replies! i'd love to look at everybody's creations and give them some love :')

JANUARY: morkday + holding hands [x]

the most popular and tbh my personal favorite was this morkday edit i made based on a quote that is from the damn city of bones (2007) by cassandra clare. i didn't know that back when this quote punched me in the face and made me think about it for a couple of days but i honestly laughed when i finally googled it... worked out very well tho! i love hand symbolism, especially in last twilight, and the golden colors are lovely for them ♥ i also ended up loving the last image in this set even if i first struggled with the composition.

this was my number 1 post on my tumblr top ten.

(also gotta add that it still feels insane that last twilight was still going on in 2024... it feels like it was ages ago. i barely remember most of it anymore, probably bc of the heartbreak and trauma. i'm a changed person in january 2025)

rest of the months under the cut bc i ramble!

FEBRUARY: valentine's day vice versa rewatch [x]

my best decision for last year was to rewatch both my school president and vice versa during the time before valentine's day. it healed me, held me gently, filled me with love and warmth. am happy that the set i made after that to show love, once again, for the romance show and soulmates couple of all time was both my most popular and personal fave ♥ i love how the set turned out and how the colors work in this. i will forever be thankful to vice versa for its colors and overall brilliance.

this was my number 8 post on my tumblr top ten.

MARCH: 23.5 episode 3 [x]

it's a close call between several of my 23.5 episode edits but this happens to be the most popular one during this month. i never finished 23.5 which somehow saddens me, but towards the end, i just lost interest, and so this edit series was also left unfinished. i liked the concept tho and loved playing with the colors each week!

tribute to mork methas [x]

personal favorite cannot be any other edit than this bc i put all my heart into creating it. i am still so angry about what last twilight did to mork as a character; how all his trauma and pain was pushed aside, how the story never gave him the space and time he needed, how on top of all else they managed to butcher this amazing man. i don't even want to look at him in episode 12 bc i cannot recognize mork there. he is no that person, at least not to me. mork my beloved, i wish the writers didn't hate you so much </3

(btw i have this whole explanation/essay written under this post in my drafts. it's mostly me sharing in detail the thought process behind me making this edit and going through the several elements in it. if anyone is curious, i can post it, just holler haha)

APRIL: us / thamepo pilot crossover [x] [x]

the most popular edit for this month deserves to be the edit i made for the us pilot that was revealed during gmmtv 2024 part 2. i am still very excited to see the show itself and follow their filming journey occasionally on twt. i am just soooo ready to break my heart over the tragic lesbians woven together with strings of comfort, self-discovery, and heart ache.

this was my number 2 post on my tumblr top ten.

i picked the thamepo sister set as my personal fave bc i cannot separate these two. it was fun to connect them together and switch around the dialogues we hear in these pilots bc they just worked. they had very similar vibes and both talked about somewhat forbidden love. no wonder am currently so into thamepo (i hope it stays that way, am done with all the disappointment i've experienced with shows lately).

this was my number 4 post on my tumblr top ten.

MAY: 23.5 episode 9 [x]

the most popular set of the month. not much else to comment. i love the shot of ciize in this one, she's so cute :(

puentalay k-i-s-s-i-n-g [x]

my favorite for this month! a very impulsive edit that happened solely bc this ear worm of a song (that puen would def listen to) wouldn't leave me alone. it's silly, it's fun, it's cute, it's sexy, it's passionate. it's everything i could ask for! i honestly had a ton of fun with this edit despite having to edit a bazillion (26) separate images for this. the fact that those images are mostly of puentalay kisses makes it worth it.

JUNE: we are episode 12 [x] / 11 [x]

during summer, i was deep in my we are era. i honestly loved each set i made for the series bc for the longest time, i've wanted to make sets like this. i had my struggles with some of them but they all worked out in the end! episode 12 was the most popular one and episode 11 is just my personal favorite bc i love the purple + hints of yellow/golden -combo.

JULY: we are final episode [x]

to honor this show and all its relationships, from romantic to platonic, i decided on a rainbow set. it worked super well and i am happy it was so popular ^^ i miss this whole bunch and the amazing summer we had together. (sorry about the quality of this screenshot, the set is too long to fit it on my screen hhh)

this was my number 10 post on my tumblr top ten.

morkday + pvris songs [x]

probably my favorite set i've made this year overall. my whole year was defined by pvris's music (my spotify top artist) and it felt appropriate to link it together with morkday (and puentalay). i love the layout of this set, the colors, the noise. getting into the lyrics and choosing fitting parts for each image was the best part. my favorite image in the set is the last one that i started from while creating this set. i love the background image for that so much. another one i like is the green one for anywhere but here, bc of the image itself but also bc of the song and its message.

AUGUST: we are couples [x]

due to traveling around a lot in august and being exhausted from that, i didn't create much. but i am extremely happy with this set that is both the most popular and my personal favorite! everything about this one just worked out. i feel like it really summarizes all of these couples and shows their different sides.

as a fun fact, i have to say that i never put too much thought into choosing the animals for each couple, other than picking the bird for chainpun (for obvious reasons). cat for phumpeem came through peem more than phum who is very dog coded to me. instead, dog (or wolf?) ended up with tanfang bc of tan's puppy-like nature. qtoey getting the bunny feels like a stroke of genius given to me during the making of this set bc looking at it now, it's perfect. they have that sweetness and energy in them i connect with rabbits.

SEPTEMBER: sanvee + moon phases [x]

ok i might have lied in the july part bc this might be my overall favorite edit i made in 2024. creating it was a battle tho, and i felt like screaming for the best part of the process bc nothing felt like it was working out and i had a ton of problems while figuring out the aesthetic and the typo and the texts. but it all came together better than i ever expected and i just love this set now. i was happy to see ppl liked this too, so this is the most popular edit of this month.

(oab)plawan + hurt by sleeping at last [x]

it's hard to pick a favorite for this month – despite the sanvee edit already being my obvious FavoriteTM – bc i also love my set for miss mhon (day's mother) [x] that let me went my frustration towards her and my puen x phum parallels set [x] that makes me feel wrong in the head. but i loved this love doesn't have long beans a crazy amount compared to how short and silly that show was. there's just something about oab and plawan - about sailub and pon. they dragged me deep into places with this show and this edit is my ode to that. it was fun to make in its simplicity, i love the colors in it, and pon as plawan is just too pretty (especially when he cries).

OCTOBER: pluto episode 1 [x]

considering how popular pluto has been and how desperate we all are for gls, am not surprised this set is the most popular one for this month. tbh all my pluto edits have been doing quite well in my standards. i love making these so am just happy you guys like looking at them ♥

pit babe pairs + cartomancy [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

never thought 2024 had a sudden pit babe obsession in its sleeve for me but i decided to embrace it. they've talked that the second season would start airing in april, after boys' journey s2 has ended most likely, and i am so very normal about all thi. i've fallen in love with all these boys, both the characters (more than i already was) and the actors, and this edit series only made everything worse. i haven't spent this much time researching things for an edit in a while and i just loved all the analysis i got to do. the process had its ups and downs but overall, i have to say i had a blast.

(picture chosen purely bc i vibed with this kim picture today, tho the kentakim edit might also be my favorite in the set bc the yellow is so good)

NOVEMBER: pluto episode 4 [x]

absolutely deserves to be the most popular set of this month! it's also my personal favorite out of all the edits i've made for pluto. the colors for this one just worked super well and the scenes are perfect, too. let's see how the series ends in two days, i hope i manage to find some fitting colors for the last episode, too :'D

this was my number 6 post on my tumblr top ten.

DECEMBER: yuanyi + you can love him, but you can't keep him [x]

the most popular set and also my favorite of this month, all bc i've gone down the rabbit hole with fangs of fortune. i spent an embarrassing amount of time making this set with all its details; starting from screenshotting the whole damn show and then picking the pictures for this edit from the over 400 images i got, to drawing the golden lines by myself on my drawing tablet so i got them just like i wanted. i shall be making so many more edits for this show, be warned.

this was my number 7 post on my tumblr top ten.

top 10 posts of 2024 then are:

morkday + hands (381 notes)

us pilot (295 notes)

last twilight episode 11 (285 notes)

thamepo pilot (283 notes)

jimmysea for starry magazine (271 notes)

pluto episode 4 (252 notes)

yuanyi + you can love him (231 notes)

vice versa rewatch 2024 (222 notes)

last twilight episode 10 (211 notes)

we are final episode (207 notes)

(you can check your top ten posts here)

it was fun to look back into my year in edits like this and see how i've gone through so many phases in 12 months. i cannot even recognize the person i was in around, let's say, last february. or during summer. it's insane how the night changes or however that thing goes.

thank you if you read this far, and if you've liked my creations or left nice tags under them, i thank you even more! it's an honor to be creating to everybody here and i am grateful that others keep enabling me even when i usually create for myself and maybe two other ppl. it is very important to me tho that i get to be part of this amazing community and don't need to just yell into the void by myself ♥

[kizzer55555]

Core Gems

So when a ghost becomes injured, they have a last ditch defense where they retreat into their core. And I mean, injured badly where their body is rip apart to the point they can’t hold a solid form anymore. And they basically go into a hibernation state until they are strong enough to form again.

Ellie, Danny, and Dan are all injured in a final battle against the GIW. The organization was destroyed and the ghosts were safe but the halfas ended up being so injured that they reverted to core form and then went to sleep for a bit. When they woke up, they were still weak but at least recovered enough to gain consciousness. And realize…they are in some kind of auction…in the middle of a heist. It appeared that two furries (one in a bat costume and one in a cat costume) were ducking it out. And they…they were a necklace. All three of them had been turned into a necklace with their cores as gems accompanied by sapphires, pearls, and opals. And frankly gorgeous craftsmanship as the metal was crafted around their cores as if to cradle them and the other gems.

Unfortunately, they were too weak to take a form properly, they could still feel the strain on their bodies. But at least they could still communicate through their auras. Then the cat lady punched a hole in the glass container surrounding them and grabbed their necklace.

However, the bat grabbed the other end and it resulted in a sort of tug-a-war. Meanwhile, Danny, Ellie, and Dan were having a back and form commentary on the situation and what they should do. Completely unheard by the other party.

In the corner of their eye, the three halfas finally noticed a third contender. Some kind of clown who was…hold on…holding a gun?! And it was pointed straight at the two fighting furies who had yet to notice him. The ghosts’ protective instincts went into overdrive and they frantically tried to shout, yell, move. Just do something to warn the two but their cries fell on deaf ears. All they succeeded in doing was faintly glow which immediatly caught the attention of the fighting duo. The two turned to look at the strange necklace but right at that moment, the clown fired and a gunshot rang throughout the auction room. Having no other options, Danny and the others poured every ounce of ectoplasm they had to try and phaseshift, making the two furries intangible as the bullets passed right through them, but in their shock, the two jumped away in opposite directions and accidentally ripped the necklace apart. Gems and pearls went flying and the three cores bounced along the ground.

Luckily, the two finally noticed the clown and went to deal with him and his minions who had appeared. Seemingly putting their fight on hold and forming a temporary truce. The three halfas could only watch as the battle finally wound down, ending with the cops barging into the place and arresting the clown and his grunts, the cat managing to escape with half the scattered gems and pearls from the broken necklace along with a few other jewelry pieces (none of their cores though) and the bat leaving through a skylight.

The auction continued and in the end, despite being broken, their necklace seemed to have caught someone’s interest. A man named Bruce Wayne bought up every piece of the shattered jewelry wear. The auctioneers appeared relived that the item managed to sell in the end and gratefully gave it to him.

Bruce had no idea what happened at the auction, but he could have sworn that some of the gems faintly glowed right before he and Selina were shot. If the necklace was some sort of magical item, then he needed to understand exactly what has been brought to Gotham. It was unfortunate that Selena had taken some parts of the necklace but he utilized his vast wealth to make sure all the other parts ended in his possession. Now he would take them back to the mansion for examination.

[wandixx]

Halloween dress-up, let's go!!!

Assignment: "Dress up as ghosts".

Status: Yes. They're ghosts. Just really different types of ghosts

[prairiemule]

Yeehawgust 2023, Day 6 - Wide Open Spaces

[tblsomedoodles]

Donnie's Visions (apocalypse Seer Twins comic) Part 5 (complete!)

Start - Previous

I should wait until tomorrow to post this so i can make sure i didn't miss anything. But i don't particularly want to wait. It's the last part and i just really want this to be fully complete (post and all.)

anyways, i hope you enjoyed this comic! I am very glad to get to check one thing off my to-do list.

[metrixnos]

Doodle dump but its almost all techno (shocker)

[mementoasts]

nii-san style...

[foldingfittedsheets]

There was this park near where I grew up. I remember we’d just moved to the area so I was around six and we drove past and saw this waterfront area. My parents decided to check it out so we went for a walk. It was a lovely park, there’s a lazy slough, lots of trees, extremely picturesque. My parents ambled along the trail enjoying the nature while my siblings and I ranged around in their orbit like excitable moons.

Then I saw something odd. Something vibrantly alive down by the water that was entirely the wrong color. I called back my vital scouting info and my family gathered around me. We looked down the steep verge toward the slough, screened by underbrush. We couldn’t quite make out what it was. The only thing we could agree was that it certainly wasn’t a duck. However it was about duck sized and roughly duck shaped. It just wasn’t a duck.

This led to some heated debate amongst my siblings and I but we were forbidden to scramble down the muddy hill to harass the mystery animal. Reluctantly we continued down the trail, speculating wildly when a chicken popped out of a bush in front of us with a train of several chicks.

We froze. The chicken did not. She placidly herded her little puffs across the trail, pecking happily for seeds, unbothered by our proximity. My family had not yet delved into farming and this was the first time any of us kids had seen a chicken up close. It was like a fairytale thing, a creature we had seen over and over in books was suddenly here in the wilderness of the park. We all realized the mystery creature had likewise been a chicken.

Another couple came up the trail and saw us staring.

“Is this your first time at the park?” They asked?

We nodded.

They informed us that this park had become a dumping ground for unwanted chickens. Once the chickens were dumped they were park property and the locals didn’t mind the eccentric additions at all. No one looked after the chickens, but they got on surprisingly well.

As the years went by we visited the park regularly. Signs were added to warn people not to dump off chickens or they’d be fined. They were also excluded from snatching the existing chickens. The hope was that the chickens would eventually run their course and the park would go back to normal.

It did not.

Instead the menagerie grew. Peacocks cropped up occasionally, turkeys; and one visit we saw guinea fowl. But there were always chickens. Eventually feed dispenser were installed so park goers could pay a quarter to enjoy the motley flocks.

Because we’d moved into a house with land my mom started up a chicken coop and we got our very own chickens at the feed store like proper folks. The first rooster we had was a gentleman, politely clucking at us when came into the coop, but the second proved troublesome a year later. He either adored or hated me. Every time I entered the coop he’d dance and flounce and brandish his spurs.

My mom didn’t want to off him frankly she didn’t know how at that point but his fascination ended with him flying at me and the rooster was sentenced to banishment.

We drove to the park.

We saw him there for years afterward, clucking dutifully around a small flock of hens. He did pretty well in exile.

Anyone who’s kept chickens knows that eventually there’s always a tragedy. Ours happened when a neighbors dog broke into our coop and slaughtered the flock. I was absolutely distraught, my lovingly hand reared chicks all decimated in a flurry of senseless bloodlust. I have not loved a chicken since. They are too fragile to bear it.

After a few days of mourning my mom offered that she knew where to find some more chickens. To make up for the massacre she planned a night raid with us. We stayed up past our bedtime and drove to the park with tarp covered kennels in the back of the truck.

We crept down along the gravel parking lot, looking up into the trees, spotting the telltale lumps of shadows that meant chickens. We quickly developed a strategy. We picked a chicken branch, creeping close underneath. Then we reached the end of the branch and gave it a good shake until the roosting chicken glided down to the ground in confusion. It was easy to scoop them up and we went home the proud new owner of a handsome flock of chickens.

The Take a Chicken Leave a Chicken park is still a beloved feature of its neighborhood to this day.

[supreme-leader-stoat]

You're fresh out of college and looking for a job. Everyone is hiring. Nobody who's "hiring" is actually hiring. You finally get a call back from somewhere you barely remember applying to (though the voice on the other end sounds synthesized). You pull up the job listing again real quick. The company name and the fact that the listing is for "Minion" are kind of concerning, but you know what, you've interviewed with enough evil corporations by now, you can handle one wearing its true colors on its sleeve. At this point it's a matter of making rent or moving back in with your parents, and as much as you love your family, you can't imagine spending another summer dealing with your brothers' antics. You agree to the interview.

The man who greets you is an enthusiastic older German(?) man who's either way too into cosplay or just that committed to the bit, judging by the lab coat. He made cookies. The tray of cookies is proffered to you by a ten-foot-tall robotic caricature of a 50s businessman. You take a deep breath to calm yourself. You bite into one of the cookies. It's delicious.

You ask the boss about his business model. "Oh you know, a little of this, a little of that, I bounce from project to project a lot." He mentions that his end goal is becoming the undisputed ruler of the surrounding counties. "Really? Not the whole world?" you ask. "I like to set realistic goals," he replies.

As he gives you the tour of his "evil lair," ingrained instincts are screaming at you to report this guy to some kind of authority figure. You remember the salary. You decide that you can always bust him after getting your first paycheck.

The boss asks when you can start. Caught off guard, you say "tomorrow?". Your boss(?) says he'll see you then.

On the way out, you bump into your stepbrother's girlfriend. Your boss introduces her as his daughter. You both silently agree to sidestep the subject for now and act like this is your first time meeting.

You show up to your first day of work. Your boss is putting the finishing touches on a giant machine that was definitely not there yesterday. You are nonplussed. You ask him what it's for and he launches into a convoluted explanation involving his parents always forcing him to put his shirts on backwards so the tag was in front. You think he should probably talk to a therapist.

Your brothers' exotic pet breaks down the wall. You stare at him. He stares at you. Incredulously, you say his name. "Oh, good, you two already know each other!" your boss says. You mention that you used to live with him. "What? Perry the Platypus, you never mentioned having a roommate."

This is what I like to imagine Candace Flynn's life is like, post P&F.