#2/3 of the way there!!!! it is starting to leave a noticeable toll on me!!!! i need 24 more hours in a day goddamn | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

love-ethell · 2 months ago

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This one took way longer than expected cause I really had no idea what to center the first parts on and I was way busier than expected these past few days, but here's part 2 to Blooming Hearts! (I think after this chapter I'm gonna go back to taking requests so feel free to leave more if you have any! >[]<)

𝓑𝓵𝓸𝓸𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓗𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓽𝓼

Part 1

probably ooc :3

Telemachus x reader , arranged marriage au

Word count: 2.1k

summary: When you were 17 you found out you were to be betrothed to the prince of Ithaca, you thought he would be another entitled snotty nosed prick such as the princes you met countless times on visits. a few years pass with you staying in your kingdom and your parents decide its was time for you to meet the prince, so you're sent to the kingdom of Ithaca to meet your soon to be husband, with skepticism in your mind you think this will be a loveless marriage as you've heard most arranged marriages turn to be, but a part of you wants to make things work, soon after you learn this marriage might not be the worst thing ever.

(reader is depicted as female)

𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝒯𝓌𝑜

(Back in Ithaca)

Telemachus shut the door to his room, the hinges whining from the movement. Argos jumping onto his bed, tail wagging, waiting for Telemachus to join him. Walking over to the bed Argos hopping onto his lap, "can you really believe it Argos? I'm supposed to wed to a princess! Y/n of *insert kingdom name cause I'm lazy* I heard she's very pretty, I wonder if she would like me though.. I'm not much" he whispers.

He can't help but feel excited, the thought of potentially having a connection with someone as deep as his parents, someone to devote all of himself to, someone to give all of his love and for them to do the same.

Suddenly he realized something. A problem standing in the way of happiness, the nuisances living in his home. The suitors still being in the palace, the thought of them being in the same walls as his betrothed. His brows furrowed thinking about their booming laughs and obnoxious teasing. He didn't want you to be around them, or even meet them if it was possible.

He sighed, laying flat on his back staring up at the ceiling. "That's a problem for another day I guess.. I doubt I'll meet her anytime soon, I wonder what she's doing now anyway" he thought aloud.

You were taking a stroll in the palace garden when you saw your younger brother Elias walking towards you, fiddling with his hands with a nervous look on his face.

"Hey, can I talk to you.?" he mumbles, looking at the floor. "Of course Eli come sit, over here." you replied

You both walk over to a bench set under a large tree providing shade from the bright sun. He takes a seat next to you. Picking up a small daisy from the grass, he starts to pluck away at it's petals.

"Is something bothering you?" You ask, noticing how off he seems today. Usually, he's very talkative, "uhm, so like, how do you know when you really like someone.?" he mutters, his face flushing

You start giggling, "Huh!? Why are you laughing!?" he stammers, his face visibly hot.

"Is that why you've been so quiet lately?" you manage to get out, clutching your stomach to try and calm the toll laughing took on it.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry." You apologize after he glares at you once more. "Would you say you can see yourself with this person in the future?" You turn your head to look at him.

"We'll she's really funny, nice to be around, she's also pretty... like really pretty." He smiles, eyes lighting up at the sudden mention of this mystery maiden.

"I'll take that as a yes.." You chuckle. "So, did you bring this to me cause you wanna ask her out?" Nudging his shoulder while asking.

"I mean, yeah.. I just don't know how to go about it." He sulks. "I really want her to say yes.."

You smile at him, happy that he finally registered his feelings for her. "If this lucky girl is who I think it is, then I think she would say yes regardless of how you ask." The girl you're 1000% he's in love with is none other than his best friend Alicia, and to everyone else, it's clear that they both like each other, and yet they deny any feelings towards each other when someone points it out.

"Really? Do you think so?" He asked. "Of course I do. Everyone has seen the way you guys look at each other, " you hinted. "What I'd say you should do, get her somewhere sentimental, sayy the place you first met or somewhere you both have good memories together, as cliché as that is. Then, slowly get near her or maybe take her hands in yours and ask her said question." You advised, taking his hand in yours and giving it a light squeeze." You got this."

"Thank you." He says, giving you a light smile. "Anyway, I'll get out of your hair." He then gets up, walking away slowly, yet he looks much more energetic now.

you giggle at the sudden pep in his step after talking about Alicia. You wish him the best of luck in his little love story.

( I thought it would be cute to add at least a bit of sibling interaction)

(ginormous time skip cause why the hell not, and I'm tired of trying to brainstorm things so yeah, this is now like 2 and a half to 3 years later so like a few months before Odysseus returns :] )

You were walking through the halls when a servant came up to you, informing you your parents were requesting you in the throne room.

You begin to walk to the throne room wondering what they want, something told you it had to do with the marriage they had arranged with the Ithacan prince, and you were completely correct.

Over time, you had come to accept your fate. Whether you wanted to marry or not, you were engaged to him.

Your parents ended up informing you that by the end of the week, you were to have all your things packed up since you were going to continue the betrothal with the prince back in Ithaca.

Even though they did give you a heads up that this would happen at some point, it still stung. Having to leave your family. The home you grew up in, as you pack your things not even the crashing waves on the shore could muffle your sobs, tears falling into your luggage.

Saying goodbye to everyone was hard, but you reminded yourself that you would still see them at least a few times a year, which made it a bit more tolerable.

As you walk onto the dock, servants making sure everything is in check before you leave. On the far end, your father and mother stand before you.

"My darling," your mother starts, her long hair blowing in the slight breeze. "you look beautiful my love." she compliments, she had commissioned a new chiton for you to arrive in, a beautiful deep blue, white trims fastened with a belt. Not even you could lie, it was stunning.

"We are going to miss you," your father continued "We hope you find happiness in your new home." Even if you doubt that, you nod, smiling at them.

They pull you into a hug, and goodness it was like they were trying to flatten you out! "Okay, okay! that's enough hugs, i think if you squeeze me anymore I'm gonna pop!" actually that sounds much better than your current situation.

You dad chuckles, "Just wanna make sure you don't forget how much we love you dearest." That made you smile, even without the hug, how could you forget? They raised you, held you when nightmares kept you up, they made you laugh, smile, and even cry. You loved these people with not just your heart bit also your soul, in and out.

A servant calls out, everything is ready. You look over seeing Elias and Alicia waving over to you.

She had said yes to be his, even if the whole thing ended with Elias tripping over a rock and faceplanting right in front of her (it took him a few days to come out of his room from the sheer embarrassment) but they were together now and that's all you really cared about. Out of all your siblings you and Elias were the closest by far, if he wasn't with Alicia he was with you, and when you weren't playing the harp (or lyre), weaving or sketching, you were with him.

You wave back at them, focusing on Elias, he was crying, holding onto Alicia's hand to ground himself. Now that made you call out to him "If you cry I'm gonna cry! So stop it!" trying to at least make him laugh (it worked) He shot you a thumbs up, wiping his eyes and smiling at you.

You had already said bye to all your siblings, guess he just wanted an extra one.

Getting onto the ship you look back at the palace in the distance, not knowing when the next time you were going to visit would come, you soaked the serene scene up before nothing but water was left surrounding you.

A servant informed Telemachus that his mother requested his presence in her chambers.

Deciding to take the long way to avoid the suitors, he wondered what she needed this time, was it important or did she just want company? Well whatever it was he'd be happy to listen, its not like he was doing much that day anyway.

He reached his mothers chamber doors, knocking softly in the way he always did. He steps in seeing his mother sitting by her window, weaving as usual, he wondered if she ever got bored of doing that.

"Mother? is everything alright?" He asks just to make sure. She stands up grinning like a child, "oh everything is more than okay my love, your betrothed is coming to Ithaca to continue the engagement here!" she announced.

That made his heart skip a beat (multiple beats actually) "Really? oh wow. that's uhm amazing." his face flushing at the thought of finally meeting you. (AWHHH) "Do you know when she's arriving..?" he asks bashfully.

Penelope chuckles at her son's sudden shyness "she should arrive early tomorrow my dear."

He smiles, 2 and a half years he's wondered when he would meet you and the day has finally come. Can't say the same about his father. 'I wonder what she's like, is she as excited as me?' he questioned himself (you definitely were not at the moment)

He headed towards his room, wanting to make sure he would be presentable for the next day. He laid out some fresh clothes and his hair products (yes, I believe he uses hair products cause he's a pretty boy and rich). He knew it would take some time to know you, so he started coming up with questions to ask you while he was lying in bed so he could understand you better, eventually falling asleep after a while.

(Back on the ship)

It's been two days of being on this god forsaken ship, Passing the time by sketching flowers or things around the place, yet you’re still bored as ever, so you head to your last resort, your harp, you had avoided playing it in order to not nuisance anyone or risk messing a string up.

You tasked a few men with bringing it up to the deck from below, they successfully move it to a space where you could play freely. Thanks for the rather still tide, your performance went pretty smoothly, with the occasional bump or two that messed you up a note.

You had never tried before cause you felt like you would fail. but you wanted to try and compose a tune of your own, with this idea you spent the next hour or two brainstorming until you finally found the first few notes you really liked, you decided to go on from there, but as you started playing again the ship started rocking, you tried to pull you hand back but as the ship rocked your finger got stuck, causing one of the strings to snap, “Oh gods! What on earth!” you groan, finger hurting a bit from the previous attack.

“Are you okay dear princess?” one of the servants ask you, clearly concerned

“I am, but my harp is not, one of the strings broke.” you sigh, a defeated look on your face.

“Well I can have it taken to a shop to get fixed as soon as we reach the shores of Ithaca, if you would like that” they offer.

“That would be nice of you, thank you” you smile "well I am quite tired so ill be going to bed now, if you don't mind would you have those men who brought it up, take it back down please?” they nod scurrying away. “thank you!”

You walk into your room plopping down on the bed, even though it was comfortable the rocking from the waves didn't help.

Staring up at the ceiling, you start to wonder how life in Ithaca would be, how it would be with your new husband. 'What if he's different..? Maybe I can form something with him?' You catch yourself mid thought

'No, you're supposed to hate him, he's the reason you had to move, you were forced into this, no one can make you love him.' You sigh, you lay there for a bit sleep finally coming peacefully.

(you can comment or ask to be added onto the taglist!) >{}< hope you enjoyed!

(after that last part I just realized how stubborn y/n is when it comes to trying to love lmao :p )

💗Taglist!- @plushiesssforcrying @dorkyfangirl24 @lunalov3smoony @yuvany

#epic the musical #epic the musical fanfic #epic the musical x reader #telemachus #telemachus epic the musical #telemachus x reader

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lushrue · 9 months ago

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frozen hearts pt. 7

it's johnny's turn for a date! i'm genuinely kinda proud of this chapter, i really love it and i hope y'all do too! comment to be added to the taglist!

cw: smut, lil bit of anal, john price is a dom

when john woke up, the first thing he noticed was how sore he was.

he knew he wasn’t a spring chicken anymore, but christ almighty, this made him feel at least 10 years older than he was. he groaned, arms tightening around the man he held as daylight pricked at his eyelids. kyle. lovely, beautiful, energetic kyle. john had known how hard this one-person-at-a-time approach would be for his boys, but he hadn’t anticipated just how much of an effect you would have on them. when kyle had gotten home after your date, he was practically vibrating with energy. he babbled on and on about how kind you were, how attentive, how nice your lips had felt against his. the only thing that shut him up were john’s lips replacing the ghost of yours that still lingered.

john hadn’t expected how pent up kyle would be, either. a night spent ogling you without touching you, holding himself back from crossing that line until given the green light, had really taken a toll on the younger man. the moment john touched him, he was painfully hard, begging for a chance to let the fire in his belly burn freely. he’d never begrudge his pretty kyle anything, but he was starting to regret giving in. his hips and back regretted it, at least. they creaked as he turned over in bed, pressing a kiss to kyle’s temple before swinging his legs over the edge of the bed.

ever the light sleeper, garrick stirred, reaching out and grabbing john’s wrist. he groaned, fighting the sleepy haze to crack his eyes open and sit up. “gonna just leave me like that?” he muttered, feigning offense. john chuckled and turned to face kyle more squarely. he loved how he looked fresh from sleep. a bit of dried drool on the corner of his mouth, eyes all heavy and droopy. “never, sweet boy. jus’ wanna get my day started, tha’s all.” kyle groaned, tugging at john’s arm and resting his head heavily against his shoulder. “‘s too early,” he said, voice raspy and deep as his vocal cords kicked back into gear. “come back to bed for a bit.”

john looked towards the door, mulling it over in his mind. his morning workout was calling him, a chance to stretch out his sore muscles and build them up stronger. simon and him always went together. it was their chance to bond, their own little ritual that they’d developed. he could already hear simon puttering around in the kitchen, likely putting together his protein shake. but the warmth of his lover and his bed was calling him. kyle’s hand snaked up his arm and over his chest, and that was when he knew he was done for. he grabbed his phone and sent a text to simon, apologizing for missing their workout and promising to make up for it later, then crawled back into bed.

“alright, you win,” he grumbled, settling back into the john price-shaped indent in his mattress. kyle grinned, wrapping himself around john and pressing his body impossibly close. “knew you’d see sense,” kyle whispered, his lips close to john’s ear. he kissed the place where his jaw and ear met, then started working his way down. over the neck, across the collarbones, down the sternum. john groaned, his body melting under kyle’s gentle kisses. his lips were soft and warm, stoking the desire that john thought had been tapped dry the night before. “c’mon, sweets,” he said gruffly, folding his hands behind his head. “give an old man a break, yeah? thought you got your fill last night.” kyle hummed, the sound vibrating against price’s chest. the feeling went straight between his legs, blood rushing south as his lover pressed his lips against his pec. “can never get enough of you,” he said in response, his hand tracing over john’s stomach to his steadily hardening cock.

“is tha’ right?” john asked, grabbing ahold of kyle’s chin and tilting his head up. his blues caught kyle’s browns, captivated by the lust in them. pupils like saucers, pools of brown alight with the bright spark of desire. “your little date last night still on your mind?” kyle nodded obediently, lips parted and still slightly swollen from the abuse they’d endured last night. john chuckled, reaching down to run his hand through kyle’s short curls. “yeah, princess, i can tell. you’re pawin’ at me like a puppy.” kyle looked away, flustered, but john clicked his tongue and pulled his chin back to face him. “uh-uh. none of that, now. you started this,” he said, a growl in the undertone of his words.

kyle let out a whimper and john’s cock twitched in response. in an instant, john had them flipped, hovering over kyle and grinding his length down against him. kyle’s head fell back and he moaned, letting the sound fly unbidden. he couldn’t bring himself to care if the others heard. they’d gotten the worst of it last night anyway. john hummed, pulling down his boxers and letting his erection spring free. his knees screamed at him to take it easy, but he ignored them. he could worry about that later.

never before had he been so grateful that kyle slept in the nude. he reached a hand down and thumbed at his lover’s tip, chuckling at the bead of precum that smeared on the pad of his finger. “needy this mornin’, aren’t we?” he teased, lowering his body onto kyle’s and kissing him hard. teeth clicked together, tongues swirled around each other, and needy moans spilled into the air. his hand tightened around kyle’s cock, earning him a whine. john pulled away to catch his breath, grabbing kyle’s chin again and tilting his head forward. “open.”

kyle obeyed, jaw going slack. price’s fingers passed his lips, his middle and pointer finger pressing down on his tongue and making him gag. his eyes rolled back as he closed his lips around the digits, swirling his tongue across john’s skin. he could almost still taste the salt of himself leftover from last night. once his fingers were sufficiently slick, john pulled them away and shifted to sit between kyle’s legs. he grabbed one thigh with his dry hand, pushing it up and back as he probed at kyle’s asshole.

“this what you wan’?” he asked, pressing a finger in slowly to let kyle feel the stretch. a moan was his only response. john huffed out a laugh, nodding his head as he slid his finger in and out. “tha’s it, princess. relax for me, c’mon.” the resistance faded away, letting john slip another finger in. he crooked his fingers, brushing kyle’s prostate and making him shiver. “think about doin’ this with our sweet little skater?” he teased, smiling when kyle nodded. “yeah, bet they’d like tha’. bet they’d look so pretty with their eyes rolled back in their ‘ead, just like you do.” he continued that way, relishing in every moan and whimper he got for his efforts. horny as kyle was, it only took a few minutes of that for him to come all over his stomach.

john hummed with satisfaction at the sight, giving his aching knees a conciliatory rub. it was going to be a long morning for them.

your week had passed by agonizingly slow. work was monotonous, even training at the ice rink was just something you had to get through to get to friday. you’d taken the time to let kyle’s words sink in after he’d left. three more coming your way. a date with each of them, a chance to get to know them independent of each other before seeing them in their dynamic. it was such a thoughtful plan, it had to be john’s. the rest of them looked at him like he commanded them to breathe, hung on his every word like it was the difference between life and death. even dark, brooding simon seemed to yield to him.

you hopped out of the shower and picked up your phone, glancing at the digital clock. 6:30 PM, half an hour before johnny would pick you up. just like before, you weren’t sure where the two of you were going. he’d given you more than kyle had, though. he told you to wear something comfortable, something you could move around in. that detail had set your mind racing with ideas. maybe it was a workout class? johnny had struck you as the gym rat type when you’d first met him. or maybe you were going for a walk in the local park. a classic first date choice, maybe with some ice cream included.

you grabbed your nicest sweatpants and a graphic tee, determined to make your outfit look nicer than typical athleisure wear. you opted for a flannel tied around your waist and tennis shoes that pulled the whole outfit together. it was a different look than what you’d put on for kyle by leaps and bounds. still, it felt fitting. the nice restaurant and wine and flowers felt like kyle. it was genuinely his style. this felt like johnny. a bit rough around the edges, laid-back and carefree. you slipped your phone into your pocket, silently thanking whoever created sweatpants for the utility of them. you were debating jewelry when you heard the knock at your door.

smiling brightly, you opened the door to greet johnny, who looked just as excited as you. “good evenin’, hen,” he greeted, tipping a fake hat to you. you smile and feign a curtsy in response. “and to you, good sir,” you joke back in an exaggerated british accent, which sets both of you laughing. warmth bloomed in your chest. this was going to be a good night. “ready to go?” he asked after he’d caught his breath. you nod, grabbing your keys and wallet before following him out the door and down your front steps.

“so, where are we headed?” you ask, letting johnny open the passenger door for you. you’d certainly have to get used to that. he smiled, waving his arm to guide you into the car. “it’s a surprise,” he said mischeviously, a glint in his eye as you settled into your seat. you tried not to be nervous as he walked around to get in the driver’s seat. johnny wouldn’t take you anywhere you wouldn’t enjoy. even if you didn’t like the activity, he’d make sure you had a good time.

the car ride was filled with singing along loudly (and off-key) to the radio and games of i spy. any nerves you had were gone, assuaged by the casual and playful personality that was johnny. you found yourself getting more and more excited the longer he drove, anticipating whatever it was he had in store for you. when he pulled up outside the mall of all places, you couldn’t contain a look of confusion.

“the…mall?” you ask, turning to johnny. he just smiled and nodded his head, cutting the engine. “you’ll see.” he patted your thigh before getting out of the car and coming around to open your door. you stepped out, letting him wind his hand around yours as you walked towards the doors. you’d only taken a few steps when johnny looked down like he noticed something, then ushered you to the other side of him. it wasn’t until a car drove by that you realized he’d moved you to the inside, his body a barrier between you and potential danger. your heart beat just a little bit faster at that.

going to the mall was always a sensory experience for you. the moment you stepped in the doors, you were hit with the smell of soft pretzels and pizza from the food court. children rushed around their tired parents, pulling them towards this store or that one. whatever the latest pop sensation was, it was playing on the speakers, a quiet undertone to the buzz of conversations happening all around you. johnny watched you as you took in your surroundings, heart thundering in his chest. he couldn’t deny that he was nervous. you were special to him, to all of them. the last thing he wanted was to fuck this up.

in your efforts to orient yourself to your surroundings, you hadn’t noticed where johnny was taking you until the bright flashing lights hit your eyes. the arcade. your eyes lit up as you realized, looking around at all the games and machines. you hadn’t been since you were a kid, never had anyone to go with that would share in your excitement and joy. you looked up at johnny with a wide smile. “good choice,” you said, squeezing his hand. he squeezed back and smirked down at you. “just you wait, bonnie. haven’ even seen the best part yet.”

he went up to the counter with you in tow, but you didn’t really pay attention to the conversation. you were too busy basking in the childlike wonder that the arcade brought you. you recalled countless games of air hockey with your dad after a competition, birthday parties where everyone took turns at skeeball. so many good memories were made in arcades, and you were sure that this date would be no exception. it wasn’t until johnny squeezed your hand that you tuned back in to what was happening. the clerk stood there, two vests and toy guns held out to you.

“oh my god, laser tag?” you giggled happily and took them from the clerk, thanking him as you walked towards the back of the arcade. you’d wanted to come and play ever since they put in the arena. johnny chuckled, pride welling in his chest at having picked so well. he knew this would bring out the parts of you that he loved most: the competitive spirit, the carefree nature, the absolutely adorable way you looked when you were concentrated. “cannae take all the credit. google said it was a good first date idea.”

you laughed again as you fastened the vest around your torso, making sure it sat squarely on your chest. “you have no idea what you’re in for, mactavish. i dominate at laser tag.” he cocked an eyebrow, shifting the toy gun in his hands. he’d played enough first person shooters to know what he was doing. “is tha’ so? i won’ take it easy on ya,” he said, nudging your shoulder playfully. you smile, preparing yourself to run as soon as the buzzer rang. “bring it on.”

the game started and you dashed away, ducking behind obstacles and darting your gaze around to keep track of johnny’s movements. he was fast, but he was bigger than you. you had size to your advantage, able to squeeze around tight corners and hide behind things that he couldn’t. your heart thundered in your chest, both from exertion and the thrill of being chased. it felt like playing tag on the elementary school playground. you heard footsteps to your right and sprinted off to your left, catching johnny’s eyes as you did. you took a shot at the sensor on his chest, but missed. groaning in frustration, you stepped behind a wall, taking a moment to catch your breath.

his chuckle echoed over the music and sci-fi laser sounds, his steps slower and more methodical now. he was stalking, waiting for you to poke your head out with bated breath. the butt of the gun rested on his shoulder, anticipating a surprise attack from you. you were sneakier than he gave you credit for, though he supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised. all the ice skaters he’d ever known moved with a fluid grace he hadn’t been able to achieve. hockey players didn’t necessarily need grace, he thought. just speed, brute strength, and a good eye.

“cannae run forever, bonnie,” he called, listening for any sounds that might have been you moving. his ears pricked at the rustle of fabric coming from behind one of the foam boxes. he turned, half expecting you to jump out and ambush him, but no surprise attack came. “i’ll find ya eventually. migh’ as well give yerself up now.” footsteps rushed behind him and he spun on his heel, aiming his gun at where your chest would be, but you were nowhere to be seen. in a moment of surprise, he lowered his gun and his guard, straightening his posture. that was all the opening you needed. creeping up behind him, you smiled mischeivously, unable to hold back a laugh. you raised your gun, fired, and delighted in the 8-bit tune that played as his vest flashed red.

johnny’s eyes widened, whirling around to face you. he’d been outsmarted, outmaneuvered. he’d half expected to have to take it easy on you, but you were a better tactician than he’d bargained for. his hands flew to his chest dramatically, staggering back as you stood there with your gun still raised. “i…i think i see the light,” he said in an imitation of a dying man, staring up at the sky. “tell my ma i love ‘er!” you collapsed in a fit of giggles, sides aching with how hard he made you laugh. he dropped the act, joining in your laughter. god, he’d never get over how lovely the sound of your happiness was.

“congrats, love,” he said, a genuine smile on his face. “y’won fair and square. good move, that was.” you smile, proud of yourself that you’d bested him. “ya put up a good fight. round 2?” you caught a glint in his eye, something that told you he wanted revenge. “you bet.”

the two of you took full advantage of the 30 minutes you’d paid for. you were even in wins and losses by the end of it, matched in skill and speed. it was rare that johnny felt like he found an equal, someone who could rise up to his energy or even surpass it. of course you’d be one of those people, he thought. he should’ve known with how quickly he was drawn to you. after you’d turned in your equipment and thanked the clerk, the two of you made your way over to the ice cream shop in the mall. it was cold, a welcome contrast to how humid the laser tag arena had been. with the way you’d been playing, both of you had broken a sweat.

you stared at the flavors behind the glass window, pretending to mull over your decision. you never needed to. butter pecan was your pick every time, and this place had one of the best you’d ever tasted. johnny ordered you a cone (two scoops, like a gentleman) and got himself one to match. he’d gotten dark chocolate raspberry, your second favorite, and promised to let you have a bite or two.

you walked around the mall, hand in hand, window shopping and people watching. it felt comfortable, easy. you noticed a sweet old couple walk past and smile at the two of you, sharing in the glow of first love. it made your steps lighter, like you were just floating alongside johnny. “so…what else do you do outside of hockey? besides lose at laser tag, of course,” you asked with a laugh, squeezing his hand and bumping his hip. he chuckled in response, amused at your good-natured teasing. “i’m a borin’ man, lass,” he said, taking a bite of his ice cream cone. “no’ many hobbies to speak of. i like to draw though. simon says i’m pretty good, but i think he’s jus’ blowin’ smoke.”

you smile, enamoured with the idea of johnny as an artist. he looked like the type to sit on a park bench, sketching the scenery around him. at the same time, it was almost hard to imagine that the fists he used to lay people out on the ice were the same hands that could hold a delicate pencil and create a beautiful work of art. “you’ll have to show me sometime,” you said, looking up at him. he almost looked uncomfortable with baring that part of his soul to someone new, so you decide to change the subject.

“what’s your earliest memory from childhood?” you ask, circling around the planters at the end of the hallway to travel up the other side of the mall. johnny hesitates, eyes widening for a moment before narrowing in thought. he’d never been asked that question before, but it was a good one. he’d have to steal it for date nights with the boys. “my fourth birthday party,” he said after several moments. “my ma invited the whole neighborhood, all the kids in my class. it was a grand affair as far as kids’ birthday parties go.” you giggle and let him continue. “i remember everyone singin’ me happy birthday and blowin’ out my candles. i got a remote controlled garbage truck for a gift. i was obsessed with ‘em.”

you smiled, feeling the warmth that seemed to seep out of his skin as he recalled the memory. this was precisely why you liked asking the question. it was always nice to see someone you admire light up like a christmas tree. you leaned to the side, your head resting on his shoulder as you continued your walk. your voices echoed in the expansive hallway, chatting away about childhoods and hobbies and favorite books. goosebumps had risen on your skin from the chill of the ice cream, but you’d never felt so warm.

johnny’s car pulled up outside of your house, the stars and your porch light illuminating the walkway to your front door. you found yourself taking smaller steps, not quite wanting the night to end yet. you’d had more fun tonight than you could remember having in the last few years. it was refreshing to let loose with someone and take a break from being an adult. you laid your hand on the doorknob, turning to johnny with a soft smile. “i had an amazing evening,” you said, and you meant it. “we should really do that again sometime. maybe bring the others along with us.”

johnny chuckled, shoving his hands in his pockets. “not sure if i could convince simon that it’d be fun, but i’ll try to warm ‘im up to the idea.” you laughed, lungs aching from how much you’d done that in the past few hours. an easy silence fell over you, hesitation and longing hanging in the air. you were the one to break it, your thumb stroking over the cool metal of the doorknob as a way to soothe yourself. “could i have a kiss before you go?”

he let out a breath, almost as if he’d been waiting for you to ask. “‘course ya can, hen.” it wasn’t slow like it had been with kyle. johnny kissed quickly, all passion and fervor. his lips brushed against yours for only a moment before pressing more insistently, his tongue darting out to meet yours. the two of you stayed like that for a few seconds before johnny pulled away, just like kyle had done. you began to wonder if there wasn’t some unspoken agreement between the four of them, a pact to wait until they’d all had you before tucking into you full force.

“good night, love. see you soon.” he squeezed your hand one last time before leaving you to step back inside. you shut the door behind you, the silence of your house almost uncomfortable after the full evening you’d had. johnny’s laughter echoed in your ears, the warmth and ease of it carrying you up the stairs and straight to bed. when you woke up in the morning, you had a new text, this time from simon.

“tuesday night, 7:00. meet me at the rink, bring your skates.”

taglist: @cadotoast@jupiternighties@hxnneydew@kaoyamamegami@lolly145 @linaangel @bestbookfriends @callsignang3l @livingoutsidethetardis @msecho19

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akariamai · 21 days ago

Text

Romeo & Juliet [Part 4]

Pairing: Jacob Black x OC!Swan

Word Count: 2473

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 5, Part 6

Her father and Harry Clearwater made their way back into the Swan household to load the rest of their fishing equipment. It was a trip Charlie desperately needed. The rise in hiker deaths was slowly taking a toll on her father. There was something killing hikers and he was desperate to stop it. His work continued to the early morning, often sleeping in his office at the police station, and Sloan noticed the weight he carried on his shoulders. It was the reason why she called Harry. Asked if he could help her father forget for a moment.

Sloan noticed her father observing her sister. Bella wore a somber expression, an expression that has became a permanent fixture on her face, as she obsessively stared at their kitchen landline. She waited for the phone to ring, to present a chance for her to hear his voice on the other end, but it never did and his voice continued to fade from her memory.

She watched as her father continued to study Bella. He had heard of the argument she had with Jacob and noticed how she was slowly spiraling again.

“You know,” He started, “I don’t have to go today.”

“Yes, you do.” Harry chimed in.

Sloan sighed. Her father would give up anything for his daughters. “Dad, you need this. Harry’s already here—go have fun. I’ll hold down the fort and make sure Bella doesn’t do anything reckless.”

Charlie hesitated, “If you’re sure. But stay here or go to a friend’s place. No hiking. We’re issuing a warning about those bears.”

Sloan nodded.

As Charlie was grabbing the last of their equipment, Harry flashed the girls a playful grin, “Don’t worry, those bears won’t get the drop on me. My Kung Fu is strong.”

Charlie was already out the door as Harry followed. “Be careful.” Sloan yelled out.

Sloan could hear the inaudible banner between the two men. The start of the engine disrupted the quietness of the kitchen. After a minute or two, the silence returned.

Sloan watched as her sister reached for the keys to her truck. “And where are you going?”

Bella flinched, freezing mid-motion. She reminded Sloan of a deer caught in headlights. Sloan could see her sister grimance.

“On a hike,” Bella said, slightly cursing herself for sounding unassertive.

Sloan laughed at the ridiculousness of it all. “No you’re not. Did Dad’s warnings just go in one ear and out the other? There are man-eating bears roaming around and you want to go prancing around in the forest alone?”

Bella was the clumiest person she knew. She’d trip and most likely sprain, or worse break, her ankle with no way for calling for help. Or get lost in the forest again.

“Then come with me.” Bella looked hurt at her own suggestion. She extended an olive branch, not meant to be taken, but to pose as a compromise of sorts.

It was evident Bella didn’t want Sloan to go. For the past several months, Sloan has felt like her presence was more of an inconvenience to her twin sister. Like she was an obstacle halting Bella from executing her most impulsive thoughts. Sloan could feel the strain it’s cause to their relationship.

“Are you insane?” Sloan snapped, her frustration to the situation rising, “Are you fucking insane? It’s dangerous out there right now! Why are you so determined to get yourself killed?”

Ever since Edward and his family moved away from Forks, Bella had a constant need to throw herself and others into danger. She’d already heard about Bella riding off with a complete stranger, leaving Jessica alone with a bunch of guys, fearful for her own and Bella’s life. Jessica had been rightfully distraught.

Bella huffed, “I’m not asking for you permission. I’m going whether you like it or not.”

Sloan scowled the entire car ride. She was not happy—not in the slightest. Bella was willfully putting them both in danger without a thought in the world. Sloan didn’t understand her.

Bella slammed down on the brakes, causing Sloan to jolt forward for a moment before her seat belt yanked her back. “What the hell, Bella!” Sloan rubbed her chest briefly, a lousy way to soothe the ache, as she glared at her sister.

Bella didn’t answer. She didn’t even look to see if her sister was okay. She wordlessly grabbed her backpack and slammed the door behind her, not bothering to lock the truck before leaving.

Sloan grumbled under her breath, reluctant and afraid, before swallowing her fears and locking the truck manually. She carried her backpack filled with water bottles, snacks, pepper spray, and a med kit, and followed behind her sister.

“Where are we going?”

Bella didn’t answer once again. She was stuck in the monologue of her mind. Unaware of the danger she was leading them towards. Her mind dead set to reach the destination of the only reminder of him—of his existence. The only thing he could not take from her. If it existed, then he existed.

Sloan had half a mind to tell their father about the motorcycle incident. Bella was erratic—completely unhinged. Her recent behavior was worrisome and unacceptable. Sloan feared if things escalated she and her father would lose her for good. Something needed to change. Bella needs help. Preferably, a therapist.

Bella buried her emotions deep, let them fester in the depths of her mind until they boil over and left her hollow. It was something Bella had picked up from their mother: afraid of conflict, confrontation, and connection.

They’ve been hiking for what seemed like a few hours. Sloan could feel the muscles on her legs tightening, her shoulders fatigued by the straps of her backpack, and her feet ached. She tried to sway Bella into taking a break, but she refused. Bella was determined.

Bella slipped a couple of times as they hiked. Sloan was grateful Bella hadn’t incapacitated herself during the multiple falls. She didn’t know if she had the strength to carry Bella back to the truck through the foliage and uneven landscape.

They made their way to a clearing—a meadow— before Bella’s legs finally gave out. She fell to the ground.

Sloan ignored the soreness of her body and rushed towards her. “Bella! Are you okay? Are you thirsty?” She began rummaging through her backpack and pulled out an untouched water bottle.

“It’s gone.” Bella croaked.

“What?”

Bella took a sullen breath, “It’s gone.”

“The meadow?” Sloan questioned. “It’s dull right now because of the season, Bella. It’ll be beautiful in the spring.”

Her sister was prone to be dramatic at times. Her reaction to the wilted flowers and dead grass was abnormal. Flowers wilted during the blowsy transformation from summer to autumn. It was the circle of life. Nothing stays the same forever. Change was inevitable, but it brought a beauty to life.

The meadow would be beautiful once more. The flowers would grow, bloom, and scream their colors to any visitors who passes through the area. The grass would regain its vibrant green. Sloan could only imagine how idyllic the meadow truly was in the right circumstances, but today was not the day.

Bella abruptly rose from the ground, letting out a hushed fearful gasp, then unsuccessfully twisted her face into a fearless front.

Sloan observed her sister nervously before gazing towards the direction her sister was anxiously looking at. There, in the clearing, stood an unfamiliar dark-skinned man. He had somehow gotten close without them noticing.

It was alarming, but his stealthiness wasn’t the most unsettling feature of his person, it was his blood-red colored contacts. He looked like a predator ready to pounce.

Sloan reached for Bella’s hand, tightening her grip, and maneuvering her body to hide Bella from his prying eyes. Her mind conjured scenario after scenario of how this could end. Each scenario ending worse than the last. She cursed at Bella’s senseless need to hike.

“Laurent,” Bella acknowledged.

Sloan kept her focus on the man, confusion echoed in her voice, “You know him?” The person before them was someone she didn’t recognize. Forks was a small town. Everyone knew everyone. It was the small town charm. But this man, was not a Forks native. He could be passing through, but still it leaves the question as to how Bella knows his name.

Laurent observed Sloan for a moment. Bella and Sloan shared some of the same features: the shape of their eyes, lips, and nose. It was obvious they were related.

“I didn’t expect to see you here.” He walked closer to them. Sloan didn’t hesitate to move backwards, forcing her sister to follow, she appreciated keeping a healthy distance between them. “I went to visit the Cullens, but the house was empty. I’m surprised they left you behind. Weren’t you sort of, um, a pet of theirs?”

Sloan could feel her body trembling. Her heart pounding in her chest. Every instinct was telling her to run, but her sister wasn’t the fastest runner. The terrain would only ensure Bella would slip and get caught and she would not leave behind her sister. If by some miracle Bella didn’t slip there was no guarantee they would navigate back to the road. They barely made it to the meadow with Bella’s navigation skills and that’s without panic overtaking their senses.

Bella forcefully removed Sloan’s hand from her own, pushing past her sister towards the man, a faux attempt to be composed. “Yeah, you can say that.”

“Do they visit often?” He questioned.

Bella hesitated for a moment. “Absolutely. All the time.” She lied shakingly, “I’ll tell them you stopped by. Will they be able to reach you in Alaska?”

Sloan, who didn’t know this man, could tell he wasn’t buying Bella’s bullshit and that terrified her.

He played along, “I don’t think so. Tanya’s vegetarian family was pleasant enough. But the dietary restrictions were difficult—living on nothing but animals.”

In an instant, the man was standing inches away from them. Sloan’s head was spinning. It should be impossible to move that fast. She blinked and there he was. He didn’t even make a sound.

“Tell me, Bella.” He said, “Do you ever feel compelled to…cheat?”

She noticed her sister take a step back. Uncomfortable with the lack of space. Sloan needed to think of something to give them a head start.

“But that’s not why I left. I came back here as a favor to Victoria.” He explained.

‘Who the fuck is Victoria?’ Sloan thought.

“You’re still friends.”

“More or less.” Laurent shrugged nonchalantly, “She asked me to get a lay of the land with the Cullens. Because, well…I’m afraid Victoria is quite put out with you.”

“That’s too bad.”

“Yes. She feels it’s only fair to kill Edward’s mate, given he killed hers.” His eyes pierced through Bella’s facade. “An eye for an eye, mate for a mate.”

“Edward will know who did it.” Bella threatened, “He’ll come after both of you.”

“I don’t think he will. After all, how much could you mean to him if he left you here unprotected?”

Sloan slowly reached into her backpack, blindly searching for her father’s gift, praying the man was too busy with reciting his monologue.

“Victoria sent me here for information. She won’t be happy about my killing you.”

“No, Laurent…” Bella whimpered.

Sloan knew she had to strike now. She clutched the pepper spray in her hand before spraying it in his face. “Run, Bella!”

Sloan kept spraying, she could feel a slight burn in her eyes, but remain vigilant. Her sister, on the other hand, stayed rooted in her spot. It was like she had given up and was waiting for death to greet her.

The man stayed rooted and upright. He wasn’t hunched over in pain, his eyes weren’t bloodshot from irritation, nor were his breathing constricted. It hadn’t worked. He was unaffected.

He laughed at her pitiful attempt and aggressively pulled her arm. All she could feel was a sharp, stabbing pain, after hearing a sort of pop sound. She wailed as her eyes met his. He pulled her closer, inhaling her scent, his nose lightly caressing her neck.

“I’ll deal with you later.” He threw her to the ground and made his way to Bella.

“Don’t be upset. I’m doing you a kindness. Victoria’s plans on killing you slowly, painfully—whereas I’ll make it very quick.” He assured. He inhaled intensely, “And you smell so mouth watering.”

“Edward, I love you.” Bella whispered.

“Bella!” Sloan screamed helplessly as she gripped her dislocated arm. She couldn’t tear her eyes off the man that was about to bite her sister. She pleaded silently for something to save them.

Abruptly, the man stopped. Sloan thought he was initially watching her, but it was something behind her that frighten him.

“I don’t believe it.” He mumbled, taking a few steps away from them, as if preparing to make a run for it.

She turned to find what had terrified him. It was an enormous black wolf skulking out of the darkness of the trees. It stalked towards them, producing a low growl, its sharp teeth gleaming.

It crept closer to Sloan, who tried to muffle her whimpers, as four more wolves emerged from the trees. They flanked the black wolf with their lips curling, bodies crouched, ready to spring.

The closest one, a russet brown wolf, looked directly at her. She held her breath as they both maintained eye contact.

The man must’ve bolted because the wolves sprung into action. The wolves leaped over Bella as if she was an obstacle. Their snarls were thunderous.

He swung at the dark silver wolf, launching him half-way across the meadow. Another wolf lunged at him. The man kicked it into a tree and the tree splintered.

If it wasn’t for her dislodged arm, she might’ve thought she was dreaming. Wolves the size of small horses existed. Men with impossible strength and speed existed.

Bella ran. Sloan tried and failed to get up quickly. Her sister’s back shrinking from her view. When Sloan finally managed to get up her sister was already disappearing into the treeline.

Sloan ran to keep up. Her left arm keeping her right arm from dangling awkwardly. She wanted to yell out at her sister to wait for her, but all she could muster were sobs.

She could see her sister’s red truck. Her sister already started the car, waited for her, she was almost there. Until she noticed the truck move and all relief vanished.

She begged her feet to speed up, to make it to the truck before it left, but she was so tired. She watched as her sister speed away leaving her alone on the road with tears threatening to fall again.

Masterlist

Taglist: @scuzmunkie

#twilight #the twilight saga #twilight fanfiction #charlie swan #bella swan #original character #original female character #oc!swan #jacob black x oc #twilight jacob #jacob black x reader #twilight oneshot

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waechan · 1 year ago

Text

nct dream hyung line; small moments

just little moments with each member.

fluff, slight angst (mostly cute)

⋆.˚

lee mark:

you two have been best friends since birth

he knows everything about you, and you know everything about him

he has a soft spot for you, confessed when you found him pacing at your doorstep one day with flowers

pretty quiet at school, sorta nerdy, but cute nerdy!

likes computers, plays basketball for fun

always sends you game pigeon as an excuse to develop conversation (even though you two are already dating)

plays guitar for you to help you fall asleep

you sing along with him sometimes and he always stares at you, smiling softly

works at his friends moms daycare and helps check the kids in and out

its late, 1 in the morning, and he calls you

you pickup, his voice is groggy

"can you come over?"

"of course."

you're there in an instant, you open the door, and you see him standing there in his pjs, looking lost

immediately you walk over, hug him tight, and he holds you, refusing to let go

"what's wrong?"

"i don't know what i'd do without you."

it's all he says, and it's all he needs to say.

"i love you too, mark."

2. huang renjun:

he was your tutor, and hated you, actually.

well, before you two started dating. and he fell for you without realizing. and you made him confess because you were tired of him being stubborn.

you were social, he wasn't

that's really all there was to it

you two basically competed for teachers pet privileges

it didn't start out that way, but you two got competitive for no reason

obviously he was smarter than you

"can you just shut up and listen to me for once?"

"can you just man up and admit you have feelings for me?"

yep, that's how it went.

he blushed

stumbled over his words.

you kissed him

he fell even harder.

little bickering moments like this always reoccurred in your lives, and sometimes people were convinced you actually hated each other

one day the two of you hang out with some of your mutual friends

you leave the cafe after having an intense debate about whether or not mint chocolate chip ice cream is overrated or not, leaving your friends behind after you had to go

"honestly, it tastes like toothpaste."

"can you just agree with your girlfriend? that's all there is to it."

he holds your hand and kisses the back of it as the two of you walk back, and nods

"yes maam."

3. lee jeno:

he was every girls dream

how did you manage to end up with someone like him?

by far the most popular guy at your school

everyone he looked at managed to become flustered

you were the sweet, yet quiet girl in the back

he still noticed you, every day he would look back at you without you noticing

one day, you were having a hard day

you just wanted to go home, wanted to sleep, wanted to forget about all the events that had happened prior which took a negative toll on your health

you see a piece of paper fall on your desk and the silhouette of jeno's shadow passes by

you look up and see him staring at you across the room

he nods

"open it." he mouths, his eye smile appears

you do so, and you immediately smile as you see what's inside

"turn that smile upside down!"

god, of course he had one chance and messed it up. it was so cliche, yet so jeno

and you didn't care that it was a bit on the cheesy side

you walk by him at the end of class

"i think you meant frown?" he gives you a look of confusion.

"wha- oh. oh shit."

popular jock, quiet girl. observer, and recipient.

sometimes though he needs help from you too

one night he stops by without even telling you

he walks through the door, hugs you, and pulls you into the living room

"nap time. please." he sounded so tired, so done.

you chuckle.

angel sent from above. that's what he was.

4. lee haechan:

best friends older brother

shouldnt even be an option tbh

but haechan was haechan, his teasing made you blush, his small acts of care for you never went unnoticed

the three of you went to a cafe

your best friend ordered, then went to the restroom

you ordered your drink

he pushed you to the side

ordered his drink as well

paid for you like nothing happened

"haechan you really didn't have to-"

he puts a finger to his lips as his eyes twinkle, and he smiles gently at you

"i wanted to"

fast forward

you're official and he will not leave your side

always attached to you, in public he glares at any guy who stares at you for a millisecond too long

you walk into a clothing store and the worker smiles at you

"hi, do you need help finding anything?"

haechan pops out of nowhere and grabs your hand

"uh, no, i think we're good, thanks."

he pulls you away immediately

"what was that for??? he was just asking for help..." you whine

"nuh uh, no he wasn't. i know how guys work."

you chuckle. just go with it.

whatever makes him happy.

⋆.˚

let me know if you want the maknae line version! it's my first post on tumblr:) i am taking suggestions as well

#nct dream angst #nct dream x reader #nct dream fluff #nct dream imagines #lee haechan #lee mark #nct dream #lee jeno #huang renjun #nct fluff #nct imagines #nct dream scenarios

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fanfictionismyaddiction · 8 months ago

Text

Falling Into Place

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 / Part 10

Word count: 1k

Pairning: Aaron Hotchner x Agent!reader

Summary: After a difficult case leads Y/n and Hotch to share a hotel room, an unexpected moment of intimacy unfolds when they wake up with Y/n nestled in Hotch's arms

______________________________________________________________

A few weeks had passed since the soccer game, and the dynamic between you and Hotch remained mostly the same—professional, with those brief moments of warmth that neither of you ever dared to fully acknowledge. You told yourself that was for the best. There was no way you could risk letting your feelings grow, no matter how much you caught yourself thinking about him, especially when you were both working so closely on cases.

And then, this case came.

It was a hard one. The kind that weighed heavy on everyone’s shoulders. A series of brutal murders in a small town that had been tearing apart families, and the emotional toll had already left the team weary. By the time you all arrived at the hotel, exhausted from the day, you just wanted to collapse and sleep off the weight of it all.

But there was a hitch—the hotel was short on rooms. A large convention was in town, and when you all arrived to check-in, it became painfully obvious that there weren’t enough rooms for everyone to have their own.

Rossi, in his usual charming manner, secured his own room before anyone else could even blink, leaving the rest of you to share. JJ and Emily paired off immediately, as did Reid and Morgan, leaving you and Hotch to share the last room.

The tension was palpable as the two of you made your way down the hall to the room. It wasn’t that you didn’t trust each other��you were professionals, after all—but there was something undeniably awkward about the situation. You could feel Hotch’s presence next to you, the unspoken tension growing as you both remained silent.

When you opened the door and stepped inside, your heart dropped. One bed. Of course, there was only one bed.

Hotch stood next to you, his eyes scanning the room with the same calm, controlled expression he always wore, but you noticed the subtle shift in his posture. He was tense. As were you.

“Well,” you started, trying to lighten the mood, “this could be worse, right?”

He glanced at you, his lips pressing into a thin line before he nodded. “We’ll manage.”

You both called your kids, as usual. Hotch checked in with Jack, and you had your nightly conversation with Ava. It helped ease some of the awkwardness, grounding you both in the reality that you were parents, just trying to make it through the night like any other.

But when bedtime came, Hotch didn’t even hesitate. Grabbing one of the blankets and a pillow, he moved toward the floor, spreading it out at the foot of the bed.

You stared at him, frowning. “Hotch, what are you doing?”

He looked up at you, his face still perfectly composed, though there was a hint of discomfort in his eyes. “I’ll sleep here. I don’t want to make this… uncomfortable for you.”

You let out an exasperated sigh, crossing your arms as you stared down at him. “You can’t be serious.”

“I am,” he said simply, starting to settle down as if this were perfectly normal.

You took a step closer, shaking your head. “We’re both adults, Aaron. We can share the bed. You don’t have to sleep on the floor.”

His eyes flicked up to yours, and for the first time that evening, you saw the hesitation in them. There was something else there too—something he wasn’t saying. But whatever it was, he nodded slowly, standing up again.

“If you’re sure…”

“I’m sure,” you replied, moving toward the bed and pulling back the covers. “Trust me, it’s fine.”

He hesitated for another moment before finally relenting, slipping under the covers on his side of the bed. You settled in on the other side, keeping a respectful distance between you. The tension in the air was thick, but you forced yourself to relax, closing your eyes and focusing on the soft sounds of the night outside.

The silence stretched between you both, the only sound the occasional shuffle as you adjusted on your respective sides of the bed. Eventually, exhaustion overtook you, and you drifted off, lulled by the warmth of the blankets and the steady rhythm of Hotch’s breathing beside you.

When you woke up, it took you a moment to realize what had happened.

You were no longer on your side of the bed. Instead, you were nestled against Hotch’s chest, his arm draped protectively around you, your body curled up in his embrace. His warmth enveloped you, and for a moment, you didn’t want to move. It was… comforting. Safe.

But then the reality of the situation hit you, and you froze.

You were the little spoon. In Aaron Hotchner’s arms.

Before you could react, you felt him stir behind you. His body shifted, and his arm tensed around you as he woke up, clearly realizing the same thing at the same time.

“Y/n,” his voice was rough from sleep, low and gravelly in your ear. “I—”

You quickly pulled away, rolling onto your back and putting some distance between the two of you. Your heart raced, but you forced a nervous laugh, trying to brush off the awkwardness of the moment.

“I, uh… guess we got a little too comfortable,” you said, your voice lighter than you felt.

Hotch sat up slightly, rubbing a hand over his face, clearly trying to compose himself. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”

“It’s fine,” you cut him off, waving a hand. “Really. We were both asleep. These things happen.”

But the truth was, your heart was still pounding. The feel of his arms around you had been… nice. Too nice. And from the look on his face, it seemed like he wasn’t entirely unaffected either.

For a moment, you both sat there in silence, the weight of what had just happened hanging between you. Then, Hotch cleared his throat, standing up and running a hand through his hair, as if he was trying to shake off the tension.

“I’ll, uh… go grab some coffee,” he said, clearly needing an excuse to leave the room for a minute.

You nodded, watching him as he made a hasty exit. Once the door closed behind him, you let out a breath you hadn’t realized you were holding, leaning back against the pillows as your mind raced.

What just happened?

And why, despite the awkwardness, did part of you wish it hadn’t ended so quickly?

#reader insert #fanfiction #fanfic #aaron hotchner x reader #aaron hotchner #criminal minds #aaron hotch hotchner #ssa aaron hotchner #david rossi #spencer reid #emily prentiss #derek morgan #penelope garcia #jenifer jareau #jack hotchner #bau team

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yuri-is-online · 1 year ago

Note

I was scrolling through older Yuu angst posts and remembered the “Yuu isn’t Yuu’s name” and “Yuu snapping” posts. I started bouncing some ideas around in a couple of different scenarios and now I have random (and somewhat disconnected) thoughts to dump. Do what you will with these haha.

1. What about tossing those in with the whole time loop mess? I believe that the extra attention paid to Yuu in a time loop scenario would bring the isolation and loneliness Yuu feels a little more into the spotlight. This could provide some fun reactions to how much Yuu actually suffered before meeting an unfortunate end.

2. Would any of the boys be able to have some semblance of a normal relationship with Yuu again after the time loop? Assuming they can break it, the mental toll of watching Yuu repeatedly die would have to screw with them somehow. Especially in the cases that resorted to more unhinged ways to keep Yuu safe.

3. It’s a little sad to think how Grim and his personality serves as a liability of sorts for Yuu. It can’t be easy to try to spend time with your classmates when you have to corral what’s essentially a child 24/7. Especially when you are still learning the ropes of a new world yourself. I wonder if there moments where Yuu almost resents him.

-🦐

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. I think that depends on who is aware of the timeloop and if they ever found out Yuu's real name. If it was Yuu I could see them making a sort of persona out of "Yuu" to help them survive the turmoil of never getting a break, whereas if it was one of the boys... Ace immediately comes to mind... I could see that really messing with them as they are forced to realize just how messed up Yuu's situation is. Would they go and get Yuu's real name? Would they break and admit why they know and beg Yuu to work with them, to trust them, because all they want is to keep you safe? Could you even accept that?

I'd like to think so? I'm thinking about Uyoko Amnesia and his happy ending and he manages it just fine (eventually) but I do think there would be an adjustment period. The nightmares, the tragedy of all of it, the weight of your dead body in his arms... he would need a moment to pull himself together and know that's not real anymore, which would be easier for some of them than others. I don't think the nightmares would ever fully go away though.

You can pick certain dialogue options to be snippy with him, but if I'm honest I feel really bad for Grim. Yuu is seen as a person, even if their vulnerabilities aren't noticed, but Grim is only really seen as a person through his connection with Yuu. We don't know if he will get to stay at school if they leave, and no one else really has the option to be supportive of him and his goals to be a great mage. There certainly is room for that older sibling resentment, for Yuu to hate that they need to be there for Grim when an adult should really be parenting both of them, but there isn't one. It's just Yuu and Grim against a world that really seems to hate you.

As a side note, there is a lot of dialogue that suggests Grim does stuff on his own without Yuu, so I don't think that it's too much of a jump to think Yuu does get some time to themselves to explore. You can say you've been to Craneport before in the Portfest event and it will imply you have been there without Grim, so while it might be hard it isn't unrealistic, and honestly that relieves me. Yuu deserves a break.

#<3 asks #twisted wonderland x reader #twst x reader #shrimp annon #that older sibling resentment for grim hits too close to home for meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee #i get it #but i do wonder if it would be different for someone if they didn't have fundie parents like mine framing their mindset on it

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sol-consort · 5 months ago

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Cyberpunk progress so far

I met the most drop-dead gorgeous npc in the history of npcs and did a photoshoot

I've only attended like 2 or 3 ceromones so far but

I've decided that this man will be my sugar baby from now on and the donation money is just his daily allowance, I'll keep giving him as much as the game allows me too, he's MY babygirl <3

Talking about money, I've collected a shitton from doing everything but the main quest progression, like 51k so far. Went back to pay my ripper and...

when I first started I thought it'd be cool not to have any cybernetics at all, like just a fully organic human and do badass shit. But when offered the choices of any amount of chromes I could afford when paying the doc, I couldn't resist the temptation

apparently, I'm the type of person who'd fully stuff themselves with cybernetics at the first given chance. I plan to go even higher.

I'm sure there is a correlation somewhere between living with chronic pain, a weak immune system, an uncooperative body, and general fatigue & fainting to becoming "synthetics ROCK fuck my fleshy mortal prison" type of person pipeline.

So now we know what my fate would be in cyberpunk, neat.

No game breaking glitches, but there have been funny moments every now and then. Like this npc who died in the "praise the sun" position. Or that one time I summoned my car and it fell out of the sky, upside down, onto the nearby parking spot. I tried to flip it over but I couldn't so I just gave up and walked the distance.

Walking in this game is genuinely super fun? You always find something new. Not necessarily a mission, but just general interesting things to see. Like that one time I saw a guy abusing his gf near my apartment and I beat him up, or that other time I was driving home and came across a police/gang shootout. The ads never disappoint, so global warming is in effect and still taking a massive toll on the planet, whole countries are flooded, and the media's reaction is to celebrate opening the first android sex club in Antarctica.

When the TV segment is something I've seen before, I just look at the ads!

Like this one ad about a whole mechanical unicorn oh my god fuck me that is the most cyberpunk thing ever. I was so excited and imagined riding it on the street instead of a motorcycle, does it also gollap like a horse? Is there a knight outfit I can wear? this is so fucking cool please let it be a real mount I can buy. I want my robot pony and I want it NOW!

And then.

I noticed the horn moving a little too... much.

They weren't selling a robot horsie motorbike.

I was doing a mission and came across this view

I was genuinely shocked. What kind of sick individuals would tie a guy to the window and leave he starve to death? What a poor fella, what a horrible way to die. These goddamn gangs are so disgusting. Were they torturing him??

But then, when I went outside a second time, I recalled a very familiar window.

Oh.

This is the window where I killed some rando punk before going in.

They didn't do this to him.

I did.

I've also met the hottest woman alive, I want her, I NEED HER. When she yelled at me and called me bitch after her goon bonked my head, I swear my heart fluttered.

I took her money, of course I did! I would've taken a strand of her hair if only she'd allow it. Hell a used tissue would be welcomed as well.

But I didn't use the money, I just killed the guy instead :)

Because

It's HER money, It's a priceless souvenir. I'm keeping it with me at all times.

He called me princess, what a fucking creep.

I'm not paying for something I can steal I'm not an idiot

I want the extra xp

Jackie looked at me like a kicked puppy when I told him to sit down, that scum was as good as dead the second he started harrasing MY BROTHER.

And if you're wondering how my sniper build is going. HORRIBLY, that's how it's going. I'm like a captain with no ship, a spider with no prey, a tiger with no claws. I haven't found a single fucking sniper since I started and I'm lvl11 now. I've visited different shops multiple times and not one of them sells a sniper? I've been rocking with a pistol and it's super embarrassing. I feel like an action movie barely clothed woman side kick who's only given a pistol to carry in that dumb hands raised next to her head stance while the main coolguy protag has TWO rocket launchers on his shoulders with a big obnoxious grin.

Lastly, I figured out you can swim! That was a pleasant surprise. And it's not just empty water. There are kelp and algea growing in there. Haven't stumbled upon any fish yet, but the thrown trash and electronics in the water might be the answer to why.

I'm currently at the heist part of the main mission, I went back home and changed V's hairstyle, haircolour, and eyes for full immersion since it's undercover and all.

#☆other fandoms #☆cyberpunk

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oskidontle · 10 months ago

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Heya just discovered your AU recently and I'm really enjoying it I have some questions though 1. how did this start off? Like how did the hunger start manifesting and what were the very first signs? 2. is Mr boss evil? 3. what do the others think of the fact that pim starves himself of flesh? Do they encourage him to eat Orr? 4. Can they still eat normal food? And if so do they have like a strong adversion to it orr? 5. Who did the hunger take the biggest toll on mentally 6. Are you planning on making some sorta comic or some other to tell your story I'm pretty sure there's a story here but mabye I'm wrong idk 7. How'd you come up with the designs for their hunger forms and the AU in general?

OG AU Post for the confused

1. The very first signs are subtle enough no one notices, not even themselves. The only evidence something is off is animals start to steer clear. Maybe they sense something more instinctual, feral, about their aura? Scent maybe? However it is, animals with their superior senses know something is wrong.

They didn't start noticing anything themselves until they started to see things in the mirror for just slight glimpses. Glimpses of something but they could never make out what.

It's only days from there when the cravings start. But many times someone can crave something and not know what it is they crave until they find it. As you can imagine, because of this, each of their first hunts were unexpected. As such, people can get caught in the crossfire. Important people.

It was unlucky that Pim had to learn what he was craving when he did.

2. Mr. Boss is not evil. But he has a job to do, one that he has been tending to for many years. 18 years to be precise. He hopes to complete his job soon enough.

3. Allan and Glep care but they don't try to stop him. Instead they just check up on him often, bring some drinks, normal food. They don't really know how to approach him in a way they perceive as meaningful.

Charlie despite his desperation for a way to fix all of it still encourages Pim to eat. He reasons with him that there is no point in Pim or any of them starving themselves. After all it always ends the same way, a loss of control and an inevitable rampage. Why loose control and possibly hurt someone you don't want to hurt, when at the very least the hunt let's you know the victim ahead of time.

It's not much of a compensation. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. Unfortunately it's his own choice at the end of the day.

4. They can eat normal food, in fact they still have to. The Hunger has just added another part to their diet that their body perceives as crucial for survival.

5. That's hard to answer, depends on what you put value on in this toll. In my opinion I'd say it's either Glep or Pim.

6. Maybe, maybe not. If I'm honest I don't know yet. I might make occasional snippets of moments I imagine happening. They wouldn't be in chronological order, just whenever I feel like making them. If I don't make a master post later on then I would leave the chronological order left for any interested to piece together using context clues I leave throughout different posts.

Like I said, this is a big maybe. Ideally I would make a fic but I have never been able to finish a single chapter of a fic in my life. I loose focus too easy.

I have a story to tell but I suppose I haven't decided how I want to tell it

7. If you want me to be truly honest, I didn't think that much. I built lore after designs. I wanted them each to have a sort of gimmick going on while being kinda cohesive simultaneously. I also knew I didn't want to go with a hyper detailed or overly realistic look.

In-universe they probably look terrifying but to you or I, they look just kinda uncanny. A little gross.

After making the initial designs I started to come up with lore and adjusted details accordingly.

As for why I came up with it?

Two words: For fun! :)

#smiling friends #oskireplies #hungrysmilersau

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tadpoleponders · 6 months ago

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AFTG Annotated Playlist: Song #1

Song: Head in the Wall by Ethel Cain

Author's Notes: I picture this song being Andrew at his lowest points, and this song in general is a really intense one so reader discretion advised!

TW for SH, gun violence, drug usage, SA

THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING I WANNA HEAR YOUR (polite!!!) THOUGHTS!! Please keep in mind this is just my interpretation of Andrew and this song, not everyone's or even the artist's at all. This is gonna be a series, and I promise the rest aren't going to be such a sucker punch in the heart!

Lyric analysis under the cut. Any lines not applicable to the scenario/character are strikethrough.

"Sometimes you make me wanna put my fucking head through the wall Sometimes I wonder if I even know you at all Fall asleep to the sound of your old rotating fan I cut the fuck out of myself and soaked the bed sheets with blood again"

A lot of this song I think is Andrew either talking to either Drake or Cass herself. We know Andrew used to sh as a way to cope with Drake's abuse, hence the last line. I think he also wondered if Cass really loved him if she didn't notice he was being abused, hence the second line. Obviously, he didn't know what normal family dynamics are supposed to be like as we know he was seven when something bad happened for the first time, but he was so desperate to be loved even just a normal amount from a parental figure that he was willing to put up with VIOLENT assault to just have a shred of safety under Cass's wing.

[Verse 2] I hold my head underwater just to drown out the noise It's always my fault, girls will be bitches and boys will be boys I know I don’t need you, but I'm terrified of letting you go Even after all the times you fucked the shit out of me while I was crying, "No"

Line one I think can be metaphorical in that Andrew tried to cope with things like alcohol, sh and nicotine that aren't beneficially in the end, hence holding ones head underwater, something that can very quickly kill you. The second line doesn't quite apply as the singer is a woman so she says girls will be bitches, but the boys will be boys thing echoes to what Luther probably said to him when Andrew tried to tell him about his abuse. Line three is in reference to Cass, Andrew thinking he doesn't really need her and knowing that it's probably safest to be entirely alone, but still inside being that scared child who just needs his mom. Line four is pretty explanatory again, talking to Drake, saying how he would put up with it if it mean he could stay with Cass.

[Verse 3] And how am I supposed to feel good about myself when everything I do is wrong? When I'm just an ugly bitch, a fucking freak, and I don't wanna go on? And I don't wanna leave my house, 'cause I know everybody’s staring at me now "Why the hell am I alive?" is what they think, they wanna take me down

Line one and two can be read as things Andrew feels because of the abuse in all of the houses he's been in. He's the only common denominator, so there must be something wrong with him, not the families. Obviously, it took enough of a toll on him he needed substances and sh to cope especially after Drake. The last two lines are in reference to the paranoia that comes with being abused, especially with mental illness thrown in. Whether Andrew was given his medicine for psychosis or if that was just the plea deal doesn't matter, being that abused for so incredibly long makes you so much more likely to develop mental illness and he def has something going on outside of PTSD. Either way, him believing others are out to get him in his roughest moments is why he's so vigilant anyway even if it is warranted sometimes.

[Chorus] And I can't get out, can’t run away, there's no escaping you now (There's no escaping you now) I'm gonna die all alone next to you in this piece of shit town And we've been cursed since the start, Jesus didn’t want us, no And you take all of your sins out on my body like everyone else does Shooting up our old school when we get bored of shooting up And fuck the cops, and fuck God, and fuck this town for ruining us And they'll put holes in all we own and in our heads, pumped full of lead You always told me I could only leave you once we're both dead

There's a lot to unpack here. One, no matter how far away he gets from any of his abusers, he can't escape what happened and the memories of it. Second line, I think at some point in the abuse Andrew must've thought Drake was going to kill him, and that night in Columbia he probably thought it was the end. And in a way, a really fucked up one, he did die right next to Drake, the last of his soul shattering into pieces like Drake's skull, in the piece of shit town of Columbia, in the place he wasn't ever believed.

The next lines I think are towards Renee, whose faith got her through rough times but that Andrew never benefitted from. You could also argue that even though it seems like Andrew initiated their sparring sessions and that it's consensual, I wonder if Andrew ever found the irony of her hurting him (and to be fair him her) as a way to cope, hence taking out ones sins on anothers' body.

I'd argue that the fuck this town part of the next line can be changed to fuck the system for ruining us, in reference to Renee and Andrew again.

The last line is Andrew's reflection on something Drake would've said to him (conjecture, but like it seems like something an abusive piece of shit would say) in a fucked up echo to maybe Cass saying the same thing when Andrew asked about the adoption potentially being permanent and him not having to leave, and she replies "You only have leave us when you die."

[Outro]

Sometimes you make me wanna put my fucking head through the wall Sometimes I wonder if I even knew you at all

*cries* okay thanks guys that's my cue to go sob until I'm a snotty mess about these characters I love Andrew and Renee so much they're so special to me.

#aftg annotated playlist #aftg #all for the game #andrew minyard #renee walker #nora sakavic #the foxhole court #im not liable for any emotional damage this causes im SORRYYYYY

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cookiescraems · 6 months ago

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tsukikage fairytale/royalty au

where prince tobio is trapped in a tower by dragon shapeshifter and warlock kei except it's actually tobio demanding kei to keep out all of the intruders while he tries to find a way to get those corrupt lords out of his kingdom

kei's less bothered about being branded a villain because he's already used to it being a shapeshifting warlock. he's more miffed about being ordered around by this high and mighty prince he likes to piss off by calling king

kei: and that is the eighth knight in shining armor they're sending to rescue you tobio: mmhm. now breathe some fire on their path so they don't come any closer kei:

one time kei nearly burned down noblemen hinata and oikawa because they wanted to help their friend tobio and the 2 of them were so shocked to see their friend slapping the dragon with the magic staff kei used because the warlock couldn't hear tobio telling him no

in kei's defense, the trespassers were really annoying and hinata's voice was grating on kei's ears

tkkg's first meeting was tobio barging in the manor kei was staying in and immediately going to business by saying "i want you to kidnap me" and kei's either stunned or had his first laugh of the week or both of them. he told tobio to leave him and go back to his fancy palace

high society really thought their poor and precious prince was held captive by the big bad dragon/warlock while the commoners are welcoming kei and tobio in their weekly dinner in their villages

the commoners are actually convinced that their prince tobio left the palace to elope with his one true love aka kei which is funny because everytime they see the "couple" they're always one step away from biting each other's heads off

speaking of, i imagine that kei didn't have a good reputation because 1) his serpentine eyes are hella scary 2) he has magic 3) he literally lives in an abandoned manor with a high tower surrounded by a huge moat

tobio was the one who helped improve his reputation (which also helped improve his reputation among the common people)

and now the people understand that their local shapeshifting warlock is actually just a hermit

tobio doesn't like that kei's purposely shutting himself out because it was a waste of his potential and talents in magic

what if their actual first meeting was during when they were kids and tobio's just a little prince who wanted to see more of the kingdom so he snuck out with nobody noticing but he ended up getting lost and he got help from warlock in training kei

and after that, kei couldn't shake off the years long curiosity of the princ who badly wanted to see the world outside of the palace and noble society. he thought it's stupid he kept on thinking about tobio when they were worlds apart and would never see each other again

at least that's what he believed until that same prince he had helped barged in on his living space and demanded to be helped once more

ANYWAY the ending is that after a grueling battle and tkkg nearly dying (gotta keep up with the death toll i have for them),they managed to stabilize the kingdom. tobio lets miwa ascends the throne while he "elopes" with kei.

tobio decides to move closer to commoners because he realizes that he prefers helping his people directly like all the times he has done during his times of "captivity". so kei's manor now has 1 more permanent resident yipeee

this au came to me bc it was during misterms szn when i started typing this, an image of half dragon kei hugging tobio from behind with his arms and his big dragon wings, and because i remembered the popular dragon trope of them being possessive with their belongings so....

i also have this wild and incredibly self-indulgent image of kei going feral when the corrupt nobles kidnapped tobio from kei's estate and hid him to 'execute' him for his crimes

and by feral i meant that kei barged into the imprisonment where they locked tobio in and slayed everybody with just his strength and rage alone no magic

#anyway that's all i love this au so much but sadly i don't think i'll be able to write this huhu #tsukikage #tsukishima x kageyama #tsukishima kei #kageyama tobio #haikyuu #jenn writes #originally from my twitter of course

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kpopimagi · 2 years ago

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A Flower Under The Rain [Part 6]

Characters: Baekhyun, Kyungsoo and Kang Gyuri (OC) Genre: Angst, Romance Au: Hanahaki!Au Type: Series Word count: 8,518

It all began with a cough and then, a subtle sting in her chest. Kang Gyuri cried, knowing that in a matter of months, she would be another figure in the death toll of the most dangerous and cruelest outbreak in human history.

He tucked his hair behind his ear, and it was such an innate characteristic of his beauty that no one else could have a more fitting trait. He smiled, looking straight into her eyes while beautiful memories plagued her dreams. Her body was suddenly flooded with emotions, the heat burned her cheeks, and the hopes of love deprived her of air to the point of waking her up. Terrified that someone was literally sitting on her chest to suffocate her, the more and more she tried to breathe, the tighter the chokehold in her throat was. Gyuri opened her eyes, confused to discover that she was blind. She tried opening them, again and again, only to realize her eyes were already open, but everything around her was pitch dark. In an attempt to move, she was suddenly aware that her body felt heavy and sticky, and as if tied down to the bed, it didn't matter how hard she racked to free herself; she just couldn’t.

Gyuri screamed and cried for help, but all her efforts got stuck in her throat. Light stormed on around her so suddenly that she had to blink the tears off and find herself surrounded by the familiarity of the pastel-colored walls of her room. Her father was first to come running inside to pull her out of bed and hold her, facing the floor to pat her back. The gagging was instant, she coughed and gurgled as her father kept patting her back in an attempt to help her breathe, but it wasn’t working. Her lungs felt frozen, they hurt, unable to get more air, and her line of vision blurred with even more tears. Amid the scorch in the center of her chest, she heard an apology, followed by a hard struck between her shoulder blades, and then it burned her. Whatever was stuck on her lungs burned its way out of her body, and she suddenly had a red blob of flower petals fall from her mouth to her hands. She dropped it, disgusted at the pulsing heat emanating from it and the way it fell apart, trickling down through her fingers. With the knot in her throat suddenly gone, she gasped for air. However, as soon as she did, the coughing started again. No matter how much she wanted to stop, Gyuri ended up throwing up more bright red flower petals until the floor around her was soon covered with them.

Never, in her entire life, had Gyuri yelled at her parents. There was no scenario in her head in which she could be angry enough to violate them in such a way, but she wasn't herself then. The surge of unexplainable urgency and desperation that took over her body was stronger than anything she had ever felt before. Just by listening to her father's gags and seeing her mother covering her face was like a fuse that sent her in an almost rage-like frenzy. Gyuri squirmed her way out of her father’s hold, kicking and choking as flower petals made her gurgle and tremble in pain. With a burst of strength she knew was not natural, she practically yelled and pushed her parents out of the room.

“Go away!” Gyuri cried, shutting her bedroom door on their faces and locking it before collapsing to the floor, “Leave me alone.”

That only made her parents cry harder. Her mother fell into full-blown hysterics, desperately banging the door and her father, as calm as he could, tried to stop her. Gyuri could listen to them on the other side, and consciously ignoring their pleas, managed to make her bawl her eyes out in misery. Eventually, they stopped, and so did the coughing. Her breathing leveled out, but Gyuri had no strength left to move, so she stayed there, spent and defeated. The moment she noticed her pajamas stuck to her skin with a substance that left a red tint smearing everything it touched, caused her to cry even more. The first episode and its symptoms felt mild and like nothing compared to the brutal rush of sweetness that she just went through. Suddenly, the disease felt as grave and as threatening as it came. From the thirst and the disgust palpable on her tongue and skin; to the guilt of her horrible screams against her parents and the terrifying trail of stomach juices and flower petals she left from her bed to the door and the most haunting one, to the echo of her mother, begging her to let her in.

Exhausted, Gyuri couldn’t find the strength to move but realizing that the noises on the other side of the door were practically nonexistent, she stood up even if her legs almost gave out under her weight. Utterly disgusted by the scene in front of her, she was driven by an unknown urge and grabbed the first thing that came to her mind to clean the revolting mess on her bedroom’s floor. Pulling a bedsheet, she cleaned the surface, getting as many flower petals as she could under the fabric. Her stomach churned at the sensation of the soft petals getting stuck to her skin and leaving that sickening red tint behind as if the curse wanted her to see just how powerful and dominant it was. She noticed one petal stuck to her wrist, and as she tried to get rid of it, she’d found a couple more over her arms. Tears fell down her cheeks again as she tried desperately to get every single petal off her skin but when she realized she even had them stuck to her neck, to her chest, and even on her stomach, she couldn't bear it any longer. Staggering her way to the bathroom and stumbling into the shower, Gyuri practically ripped her clothes off and scrubbed every inch of her body, desperate to get rid of the red stains that seemed to be engraved into her flesh. After what felt like forever and until she felt clean again, she came into her room to find what looked like a murder scene. By the time she finished mopping and scrubbing the floor, the sky outside her window wasn't pitch black anymore, and her body screamed at her for rest. She eyed her bed for a moment but falling asleep felt like a trap. She wasn't safe in her dreams anymore, and she focused on something different.

As tired as she was, Gyuri's mind was suddenly reeling. She had an idea and knew people did that particular thing and the simple thought of actually doing it felt like an overly romantic idea. Now that she was considering it, it seemed too dark all of a sudden but she felt compelled to do it. Decided, she sat down by her desk, pulled a memo pad, and ripped off a page. She had made up her mind to do it but by the time she had a pen in her hand, she simply stared at the empty page with her mind suddenly blank. For a moment, and it was so fast but the blank page looked beyond scary. It wasn’t exactly the emptiness of that sheet of paper that mirrored what was inside her, that scared her. She hadn’t realized before but as she looked around her desk, most of the stationary placed around her were all flowered-themed. Chuckling at the irony, she could only agree that the cute flowers printed everywhere were only fitting for her situation but regretted it quite instantly.

After the coughing fit, her body ached. Her chest hurt, and her throat throbbed even by doing something as simple as swallowing. Gyuri could picture her lungs being all bruised up on the inside and had to repeat to herself that focusing on writing down that list might be helpful even if it scared her to death. Letting out a deep breath that made her wince, Gyuri put the pain aside and held the pen tighter between her fingers to force it out of herself. She wrote her bucket list. A shortlist of her biggest dreams, and she couldn't stop her tears because most of those wishes involved Baekhyun in some way. Or at least, she would’ve loved to have him there with her, even if it was to mock. If she ever wanted to do something special, she'd always picture him around. Writing that list down was just the beginning. Gyuri stared at the 10 things she wanted to do before dying and couldn’t wrap her head around the idea of doing them without Baekhyun. It was a soft knock on her door that broke her out of the dreary stupor she had been in and Gyuri felt out of place when she noticed the sunlight drifting brightly into her room, welcoming a new day.

"Pumpkin?" Gyuri heard her father ask behind the door.

"I'm fine." She replied, rubbing the tiredness of her eyes, "Just leave me alone, please."

It broke her heart that with a very disappointed voice, her father complied and left her be. She recognized, however, that it wasn't a good idea for her to be alone at that particular moment. She didn’t even want to think about talking. Sleeping was out of the question and any interaction with her parents felt way too dangerous so Gyuri did the next closest thing to functionality, and that was working; she invested all of her energy into it. With the bucket list figured out, and still feeling numb; Gyuri locked herself in her small office. She had her eyes glued to the screen, busy on countless tasks, typing and clicking almost obsessively and nonstop. She might not have had any plans for the future, but she decided it was enough of all the brooding and started to tie all the loose ends she had left. From that moment on, she worked and worked until the days started to blend together. Except for the occasional trip to the bathroom, she rarely left the room while her mother insisted on knocking every now and then to check on her and leave a tray of food. Too busy and too tired to even reject her mother’s attention and her possible nagging, Gyuri tried to eat everything. It was the day she fell asleep on her chair, and the images of Baekhyun smiling at her snapped her awake, that she decided it was best to leave the house for a while and clear her head. She tried to stand up from the chair, but her body felt stiff. She sat there for a moment, feeling her eyes aching from the lack of sleep, and her hands couldn’t stop trembling; however, she had a mission for that day. She could try to rest after that.

Gyuri got ready to go out, searched for the papers she needed, and printed all the documents she had been working on the last few days. She tried her best to leave the house without her mother noticing but before she could open the door, her mother asked where she was heading. That simple and harmless question got on Gyuri’s nerves. It bothered her to treat her parents so badly, but she needed to be alone. She was too tired to give explanations and to have an answer for everything. Gyuri just wanted to be alone.

"I need to run some errands," She explained shortly and left the house in silence.

However, the fresh air didn’t sit quite well with her. Irritated even by the humidity in the air, she hesitantly checked her phone. After almost a week of ghosting pretty much everyone she knew, Gyuri got overwhelmed with the number of texts, missed calls, and various notifications that blared at her from the small screen of her phone. Putting the device away, she took a deep breath and started walking, but the prospect alone of moving her legs and going down the street to the bus stop made her muscles ache. The ride was just as torturous as she thought it would be, that even her favorite music annoyed her. Gyuri had to keep reminding herself that there were issues to solve and get sorted out before it was too late. Blinking repeatedly to ease the brief burning behind her eyes, Gyuri braced herself and headed to the main building of the company she worked at to deliver her resignation letter. After that, she stopped by the bank to fix her savings account and leave all of the funds to her mother. Then, she went to the car dealership to leave her car to her father.

Gyuri chuckled to herself. Years ago, she’d bought a car thinking she could handle the nerves to sit behind the wheel, but she failed. She wasn’t even a bad driver; everyone else was, and that made driving too anxiety-inducing, so she let her parents use it. They didn’t complain about it. After all, that car was basically theirs, so leaving it to them was only logical. Getting all the paperwork ready was fairly simple and the easiest part. Bringing the subject to her parents, Gyuri predicted not so much. She let out a sigh as she stepped out of the car dealership and for a split second, felt like dropping to her knees to cry her eyes out. Running those particular errands happened to be a lot more depressing than she first anticipated. She barely had anything to her name. She didn’t have a legacy to leave behind but a laughable amount of savings and a car that had some annoying technical issues, and that was it.

That was all she had.

Gyuri had to shake the dark thoughts aside if she didn't want to break down in the middle of the street. Maybe she didn’t have anything important to leave to her parents but what she could do was to leave everything ready for them.

“Leave no loose ends.” She said to herself out loud.

Feeling a tiny bit better, she braced herself to go to the last stop and practically, the hardest one of her errands. She felt uncomfortable from the moment she wrote the email to make the appointment days before and even more than dreary when she finally arrived at the entrance of what would be her future funeral home. Gyuri had a couple of options to check, but by the time she came in, it was impossible to not feel lightheaded. The employee was kind, maybe too kind for her liking and all she could do was smile whenever a new feature was shown. When they reached the model bedroom, as if driven by her tiredness, Gyuri propped herself up the bed and laid down. It was comfy. It was nice, firm, and comfy, and Gyuri caught herself almost smiling when she realized she was on the bed where her parents could rest during their mourning if they needed it. Jumping out of the bed as if it was burning, Gyuri thanked the employee and left the place with a handful of pamphlets in her hands, and decided that she wasn’t strong enough to handle the rest of the appointments for the day.

Exhaustion was catching up to her, making her feet heavy and her back so stiff and contracted that Gyuri had a hard time walking to her next destination. She refused to sit down and rest because she knew she wouldn't keep going if she did, so taking a deep breath, she headed to the closest coffee shop to get a double americano with five spoonfuls of sugar, and that left the barista dumbfounded. As she sipped her drink, she texted the only person that would never dare to mock, pity, or wouldn't even burst into tears at the sight of her list. She begged to the heavens for him to not be angry at her for going all M.I.A for almost a week and thankfully, that didn’t seem to be the case because Kyungsoo replied to her text as if he had been waiting to hear from her. Gyuri stared at the screen of her phone and realized his fast reply actually managed to make her smile. He sent his location without even asking why and gulping down the almost blunt coffee, even if it burned her throat, she jumped into the next bus, excited to get to meet him.

Maybe it was the fresh caffeine running through her system, maybe it was the excitement mixed with the exhaustion; she couldn't tell what it was but Gyuri felt generous. She spent all the bus ride searching for the nicest bakery shop around and once she found it, she spent a good deal of time picking the best assortment of french pastries and cookies. Gyuri almost skipped her way to the meeting point with Kyungsoo when she finally got her bearings, and all the rush and giddiness started to fade away, quite rapidly. She had been too absentminded with the immediate task in hand but now that she knew who he was, the obvious sophistication of the place made sense. Aware of her clothes, her sickly looks, and overall presence in such a fashionable place, Gyuri came to a full stop. She texted Kyungsoo, hoping he wouldn't make her wait that long because the people around her were staring at her. She could feel their eyes on her and her shabby self. Closing her eyes to remind herself that most likely, it was all in her mind and the crowds walking past her weren't even aware of her existence; Gyuri pushed the thought aside to focus on something she could control and that was the reason why she was there in the first place.

Kyungsoo had done so much already that her small gift couldn’t be compared. She centered all of her thoughts on the words she would say to properly convey what she had stuck on her chest since the beginning. However, as polite as he could be, he was taking too long and feeling more out of place than a fish out of the water; she looked around, desperate to find him. Growing more anxious by the second, she finally saw him coming out of a building, and he was smiling. It was such a small and pleasant smile that fit his face. However, that smile seemed to disappear with every step he gave closer to her until his entire expression was grave and concerned. He asked something, but Gyuri was so transfixed by the rosiness of his cheeks and the healthy glow of his skin that she didn’t catch on to him moving closer to touch her.

"What?" She mumbled under her breath as his fingertips brushed her cheek and the warmth they spread across her skin was so nice and pleasant, she instinctively leaned further into his touch.

“I asked," He asked again, tilting her head up, "When was the last time you slept?”

As if he slapped her back to reality, Gyuri realized she probably looked like death. Utterly embarrassed, she stepped back, rejecting his gentle hands even if her body craved for his touch. The severity of the situation rushed over her, making her think that what she was thinking in doing, was an absolute mistake.

“I can’t,” she muttered, mortified to show herself so weak, “I can’t sleep without choking on flower petals.”

“You should’ve called me.”

Nothing in his voice or his expression felt insincere. If anything, his tone was genuinely worried. However, not shameless enough to hold onto his words, Gyuri distanced herself further from the comfort of his company. By doing so, she saw a figure that felt ominously on guard, and focusing her sight, she recognized the face in an instant. If not everyone, a vast majority of the population in the country could make out those features from a distance. Suddenly, she felt exposed to the big, cat-like eyes, the perfect brows, and sharp expression that could only belong to someone as devastatingly handsome as him. She had seen that face on the covers of many magazines and she had to look twice to confirm that Kim Minseok, the infamous editor, was outside the same building Kyungsoo came out of and looking not at all subtly at her, and with what it looked like genuine interest.

“You’re busy.” She mumbled, blushing under the gaze of that man.

“I’m in a meeting,” Kyungsoo nodded, looking over his shoulder.

Gyuri felt herself burning in mortification, and the sudden realization of her self assortment made her almost sick to her stomach. Kyungsoo was a busy person. Not just that, he was an important person that must be busy all the time and she kept on showing up and interrupting his life as if she had any sort of right to his company when she was still the poor stranger he helped in a restaurant.

“I’m sorry.” She said, bowing the whole 90 degrees.

“Why?” He mumbled.

His eyebrows furrowed deeper into his expression, and Gyuri couldn’t even think. Where to begin? She had to close her eyes to calm down, take a deep breath and remind herself to stick to her original plan which was to make amends for the things she could control.

“I was a bit of a jerk to you the other night, and I didn’t even apologize.” She explained, feeling her determination not as strong as before, “You made it bearable, even enjoyable, so thank you.”

Without giving him any chance to react and make things even more awkward, Gyuri practically shoved the gift unceremoniously into his hands. That wasn't how she envisioned her good deed in her mind, but it had to be enough if she didn’t want to bail altogether.

“Thank you.” Kyungsoo stumbled at his words, looking positively flustered and staring at the fancy cookie box in his hands.

Once again, his gentle smile was back on his face, and it was impossible not to mirror it or not to reciprocate the kindness and smile back at him. As if he had some sort of power and everything in her wanted to avoid and ignore her condition, Gyuri pushed every dark thought aside, at least for a second.

“Do you have any plans this weekend?” She asked.

“I will be visiting my grandma.” He explained, his smile fading quite fast, “but I'll be back by the end of the week.”

“I should be going then.” She said, forcing a smile, “Thank you again.”

Gyuri was out of her mind. She knew it the moment she bowed her head and was aware of how rude that came out of her but the disappointment filling her heart was too much to bear. She even forced her legs to take her away from him, but not giving her a chance, Kyungsoo grabbed her arm, preventing her from leaving.

“Gyuri, why are you here?” He asked without a hint of irritation in his voice.

“Call me when you're back.”

Most likely ignoring her lack of manners, Kyungsoo didn’t look fazed by her words. She tried to sound calm and easy with a smile on her face but he didn’t drop his arm nor say a thing. He didn’t even look away and that made the little control she had, evaporate into thin air. Her eyes watered again, and giving up on her efforts to look strong, she rummaged through her purse to find her list and handed it to him. Finally letting her arm go, he grabbed the folded piece of paper and read it in silence. Nervous to even look at him and his judgment, Gyuri stared at her shoes, waiting for what he had to say.

“What's the meaning of this?” He asked.

“I thought that maybe you could help me with it.” She explained, sniffling and rubbing the moisture off her eyes, “I understand that you're busy so don't worry.”

Just as silently as he managed himself, Kyungsoo folded the piece of paper. It didn’t matter what she tried to tell herself, Gyuri grabbed the list as tears started rolling down her cheeks. Gyuri could’ve never imagined that his rejection would hurt her that much. She just felt so utterly dumb for thinking that someone like him would agree to something as silly as helping her to fulfill her bucket list.

“Why are you crying?” She heard him ask gently, although she might have imagined there was a hint of tease in his tone, “I didn’t say I wouldn’t.”

“Call me.” That was all she blurted out as soon as he tried to brush off her tears.

Mortified, to say the least, she pulled away, bowed again, and left the place as fast as she could, without looking back. Determined to ignore everything around and within herself, Gyuri put her earphones on with her favorite music blaring at her as she just walked all the way back home. However, the walk started to feel nothing as therapeutic as she first thought. Her every step felt heavy, her back was stiffer than before and the longer she walked, the more torturous the walk felt. It was hard enough to keep her head from thinking too much about what happened with Kyungsoo, but from time to time, when the ache wasn’t that overpowering, she caught herself walking with her head low and staring at her feet. Gyuri kept reminding herself to look up, to push the tiredness aside and make it home.

After what felt like hours and hours of walking, her legs started to tingle uncomfortably, and that wasn’t anywhere near to the gentleness and warmth of Kyungsoo’s touch. Too tired to fight against her mind, she openly recalled the feeling. The memory alone of his hand on her cheek made her cheeks warm all over again with a pleasant fuzziness that only his mere fingertips could wake in her. Gyuri was so immersed in her memories about the writer that she suddenly recognized her bearings. She was walking the remaining couple of blocks to her house and she came to a full stop when she recognized the car parked outside by the entrance. That red car was so familiar to her that she could recognize it even miles away, and that same thought made her knees feel as weak as ever because it only meant that Baekhyun was home and waiting for her. However, Gyuri wasn’t ready to face him yet. She was too exhausted and drained to even properly formulate a coherent sentence. She thought about turning around and going somewhere else, but he was already coming out of the car, and smiling brightly at her, just like in her dreams.

He was back to his usual fashion; oversized clothes and ugly sneakers and his hair, quite unkempt and simply over his forehead. For a split second, it annoyed her. It bothered her that he wouldn’t even try to look a bit better for her just like he did with Mina when she had to remind herself that Mina was the actual girlfriend and not her. Gyuri had to shake her head to get rid of the ridiculousness of that thought.

“What are you doing here?” She asked, trying her best to not look at him as she reached the gate.

“Skipping work I see.” He pointed out.

Gyuri hated the amusement in his tone and almost snickered at the comment. She didn’t have a job anymore but she couldn’t mention that piece of information without having him interrogating her about it. She simply rummaged through her purse, looking for her keys as an excuse to ignore him.

“Gyuri, I know you like the back of my hand.” He said as he came closer, “Your boss is getting too indulgent if he’s letting you be offline at this time.”

“I had a meeting.” She mumbled, and she wasn’t exactly lying.

“Were you crying?” He asked out of nowhere, only for her to realize how close he actually was.

Baekhyun was right by her side and Gyuri froze on the spot, taken aback, and she could only curse at him in her mind. She hated that he knew her so well, that he could see through every mask and facade she tried to pull. Her eyes watered again in frustration, and her anger shifted from him to herself, and her incapability to stay unfazed under his gaze. Her body and her instincts noticed his reaction. Just like he knew her, Gyuri knew Baekhyun like the back of her hand, and the way his body shifted and his entire essence softened at the vulnerability of her state. Surprisingly, he did the most Baekhyun thing to do.

“I’ve been feeling like getting something good to eat.” Baekhyun changed the subject, diverting his attention from her and leaning against his car. “It’s been a while since we went to a new place.”

Unable to believe he wasn’t fussing over her, and her emotional slip, she stared at the beautiful man in front of her as he held his chin in a pensive manner that was adorable in a certain way. She was frozen there, admiring his consideration, and a huge chunk of her heart, adoring his attention.

“What about something warm and nice, something like a beef stew?” He kept on, and the moment his eyes found hers, she realized something big. “It’s on me, what do you think?”

Baekhyun smiled but said smile never reached his eyes. He stared at her, intently and thoroughly, and Gyuri had to give up. He knew. His searching eyes saw it all and just like her, he looked like a man on a mission.

“You either get in the car,” Baekhyun started, his eyes fixed on her and his tone not as gentle as before, “or we’ll stay here in the middle of the street until you tell me everything about the asshole that is making you cry.”

Writing her bucket list, arranging everything for her funeral, and even asking for Kyungsoo’s help felt like a trivial task compared to what Baekhyun just suggested. Feeling a thrill going down her spine at the possibility, and as if controlled by another invisible force, Gyuri went straight to the car and got in. The weariness grew when she thought she heard him chuckle which wouldn’t be new to her. He always managed to have his way but never in her life, she felt as wary and exposed as she felt there, waiting for him to walk around the car. Gyuri couldn’t keep avoiding him forever, she was aware of that. Eventually, she would have to confront him, to talk to him and not to succumb to his voice; to touch him and not melt in an instant, and to look him in the eye and not die trying. Unable to utter a single word, Gyuri ignored the commotion happening inside her heart and lost any focus on anything. She felt her body succumbing to the shivers of the possibilities of what could happen next.

“You are hiding something from me,” He said out of the blue as he turned the engine on and drove away.

“No, I’m not.” She lied bluntly, although it burned another bit of her heart.

Baekhyun made a face, unsatisfied with the answer but didn’t go any further when his cell phone buzzed with a text. Right in front of her, Gyuri saw his attention and entire expression shift at whatever was on his screen, taking her chance, she also grabbed her phone. As swiftly as she could, she frantically wrote the texts that felt like her last words.

Kyungsoo? He wants to talk. He knows. I know he does. This might be it. I can feel it

Are you ready?

Where are you?

“Start talking.” Baekhyun snapped her out of her agonizing texting.

In a moment of panic, Gyuri shoved her phone under her leg, afraid that Baekhyun might snatch it from her as he usually did. He eyed her suspiciously but remained quiet, waiting for her to talk. But what could she say exactly? She couldn’t tell him the truth without breaking his heart, and lying was by far worse. Gyuri stayed quiet for so long, Baekhyun kept stealing glances at her until he had to call her name out loud.

“What do you want me to say?” She argued, genuinely lost and without a clue of what to do.

“About this new guy.” He started. “What's up with him?”

“Nothing.”

“What do you mean with nothing?” He retorted, clearly annoyed, “Who the hell is he? Where did he come from? What does he want?”

Gyuri fell quiet again, thinking about Kyungsoo with every question her best friend asked and a part of her wanted him so badly to be more than just a charitable soul that took pity on her one day. She wanted to say he was a friend. Damn, she wanted to have the freedom to say that maybe, he could be more than a friend one day.

“Are you two dating?” Baekhyun asked and Gyuri shook her head. “Is he telling you to keep it a secret?”

Her head snapped around to look at her friend in disbelief at the suggestion and she felt an unnatural urge to defend the man, and that made Baekhyun's expression change.

“Why would he ask that?”

“Kang Gyuri! You have to be kidding me! You got yourself in an abusive relationship, didn’t you?” He gasped dramatically and effusively even if what he was saying sounded beyond ridiculous, “You just can’t see it yet.”

“And yet, you are the one that forced me into his car to scold me over nothing,” Gyuri gave him a disgruntled look, just overall weirded out by his attitude, “He’s a good friend of mine that has been there for me when I need it.”

Cursing under his breath, Baekhyun parked the car and it took a couple of seconds for Gyuri to realize why. As soon as she realized how that came out, she knew she was done for. Her chances of coming out alive off that car were suddenly reduced to none.

“When you needed it?” He asked with a tone that sounded so foreign to her, “Are you listening to yourself?”

For a split second, Gyuri tried to ponder on her words but just as fast as the thought was planted on her head, she had to remind herself of her situation. She was aware of what she said, the way she said it, and what it meant to her. As much as she loved Baekhyun, as in right then and there, if he knew the truth, he could easily kill her with just a couple of sweet words or a heartfelt compliment.

“But I am your best friend.” He mumbled as if he had to convince himself about that particular affirmation.

As if she wasn't even there, Baekhyun started babbling to himself about the strength in the bond of their friendship, and by that point of the conversation, Gyuri decided it wasn’t worth it to keep going. Especially when she wanted Baekhyun to stay oblivious of her condition so she would only leave him to stew in his assumptions. Struggling to break the seemingly flattering spell Baekhyun had on her, Gyuri searched for a grounding point outside the car. Whatever it was, it had to be strong enough for her to ignore the softness in which he kept reminding her of all the great moments they had spent together. When she found the object, some random and perfectly rounded bush, she stared at it and only it, and ignored everything else.

“I mean, you’ve been going out a lot with him, right?” He changed the subject to her suspicious relationship with Kyungsoo, “It’s obvious by the way he touches you.”

Her grounding bush wasn’t working because no matter how much she tried to ignore him, she listened to Baekhyun. She had to hold back the tears as he kept ranting about how sketchy and boring the writer seemed to be.

“Fine,” he paused for a moment, softening his tone, “let’s say he isn’t a manipulative jerk. Do you like him?”

The question distracted her from her emotions for a moment and let her indulge herself on actually, considering the prospect of feeling a certain way about Kyungsoo. Everything in her instantly wanted that possibility. She wanted to have the chance of liking him. Kyungsoo wasn’t just polite. He was nice, caring, and gentle. He was handsome as well and on a very surface level, she did like him, so she nodded. Baekhyun instantly groaned in annoyance.

“Well, don’t. It’s too dangerous.” He ordered, anxiously tapping his delicate fingers on the steering wheel. “If you're too nice with him, you’ll mislead him and he might catch that nasty curse.”

As if he had dropped a bucket of ice-cold water over her, Gyuri looked at him, horrified. Her breathing stuck in her throat and the deadly hold on her heart tightened, making her wince. Gyuri couldn’t hold back anymore and tears fell down her cheeks. So she caught that curse simply because Baekhyun was nice to her.

“You can’t be that nice in times like this.” He added, pressing his lips together in an awkward smile filled with resignation, “Do you want to have that weight on your conscience?”

Gyuri got out of the car, pain coursing through her chest as the sweetness took slowly over the atmosphere. Almost dropping the tin box, she managed to open it and get a couple of candies into her mouth. Still walking, she pulled her cellphone out and sent her location to Kyungsoo. She never stopped walking as she tried to breathe deeply and massaged her chest to stop the knot from getting in the middle of her throat. Of course, Baekhyun went after her, although she wished he wouldn't. He called her, his voice felt so desperately sorry and worried that she had to stop her escape. She had no power over her heart whenever he said her name in that way but another part of her, the part that wanted to live a little longer took over.

"Yah, where are you going!?" Baekhyun nagged her with his beautiful face scrunched in annoyance, "the beef stew place is that way."

Those exact words and the flimsy and brief relief the candies gave her body, were what she needed to fight pain and for a moment, it seemed like Baekhyun noticed the change in her attitude.

“Baekhyun, I’m bound to get friends of my own,” Gyuri said and had to scrape every bit of courage she could to say the next thing. “One day, I’ll find someone I like enough to date and fall in love with and hopefully…” she choked on her tears, “hopefully, that someone will love me back just as much.”

Very few times, she’d see him as still as she did at that moment. He was just looking at her, his arms fell to the sides of his body and nothing in his expression gave her any clue of what was going through his mind. His silence only encouraged her and wondered if she was petty enough to bring the subject up.

“I don’t need your permission to go out with my friends,” She decided to keep on, holding on to the strap of her purse as if she could die if she didn’t, “just like you don’t need my permission to date.”

“That’s different.” He finally said under his breath as his brows furrowed.

“How’s so?”

As if the question slapped him in the face, Baekhyun looked at her, stunned. He opened his mouth to answer the question but it looked like he couldn't work his words out.

“How is it different?” She insisted, her voice breaking.

That set Baekhyun in motion and Gyuri recognized right away that maybe she shouldn't have pressured him to answer. She couldn't help the mess of feelings bottling up inside her anymore and apparently, neither did Baekhyun because his face changed. He walked up to her, and his glaring eyes were scary and the menacing stance of his entire posture made her step back instinctively. The action didn't go unnoticed by Baekhyun and it felt like it only managed to fuel his anger.

“It's so annoying when you get all emotional.” He spat, making a face, filled with disgust, and walked away, leaving her behind.

Blinking the tears away, Gyuri took a deep breath and turned around, walking away as well. By no chance, she wanted to risk the possibility of dropping dead in the middle of the sidewalk and become another number in the long list of poor souls that died out in the open. She refused to be part of the sick show and found a place to sit. She breathed in and out, with her hand over her watch, she worked herself to calm down while she waited for Kyungsoo. She texted him her new location, even though it wasn't that far from where Baekhyun parked and waited patiently for the writer to arrive. She closed her eyes, struggling to hold back the mess of emotions the recent conversation brought up. Thankfully, in a couple of minutes, a brand new car pulled over, and she bolted to the door, bawling her eyes out as soon as she got into the car.

What she didn’t know was that Baekhyun came back for her. Just as fast as her words made him snap, he realized how mean and hurtful, and how much of an idiot he was for talking to Gyuri in that way. He was angry at himself. At first, he was angry at her for putting him on the spot, and then, he was just scared to death of hurting her and ruining everything. He was just a couple of blocks away when he realized he had to go back. Baekhyun cursed under his breath when he turned around and found himself stuck up in the traffic. He wasn’t even that far and it would’ve taken him less than a minute to go back but he could barely move forward. He could even see the spot he parked at first, and rubbing his face in annoyance, he gripped onto the steering wheel, begging for Gyuri to wait for him but he wasn’t as lucky. She wasn’t going to wait for him and he understood it when he saw her from his car. He could see her from a distance, waiting and looking around as if expecting something or someone to arrive. Suddenly taken over by an emotion he couldn’t pinpoint, Baekhyun saw in disbelief, a car parking near his best friend and her getting into it without a single trace of hesitation.

***

Gyuri had been too out of herself, sobbing as quietly as she could, that she hadn't paid any attention to where Kyungsoo was taking her. She wondered when he would start to get annoyed by her helplessness and the constant need for someone to come to her rescue.

“Where are we?” She asked, not really that interested in the answer but forwarding the appropriate question in that type of social setting.

As if suddenly awake of a deep slumber, Gyuri sat straight when Kyungsoo parked the car in an almost empty gravel lot. When she leaned forward the dashboard, she finally saw the traditional building rising behind the stone walls.

“Tea.” That was all Kyungsoo said with a smile, before getting out of the car.

By all means, Gyuri didn’t mind. A cup of tea felt like an excellent idea, and jumping out of the car, she followed him to the gate where he pulled a rope tied to a bell. Soon after, a woman in uniform opened the gate and let them in. Gyuri almost gasped in awe as the woman led them further into the hallways of the traditional house. Kyungsoo exchanged a few pleasantries with the employee until they arrived at the door of what seemed like a private booth. The woman slid the door open and Gyuri finally gasped out loud. Kyungsoo let her step in first to the booth, which was more like a small pavilion built just above a pond. The rest of the house was set up with small booths flanking the rims of the pond and in which she could see people chatting their time away. Gyuri simply looked around, astonished and taking in the beauty of such a peaceful place.

“How on earth did you find this place?” She asked as she leaned over the wooden railings to find koi fishes swimming around.

“I took on the tea ceremony as a hobby last year.” He explained as they settled themselves at the small table in the middle of the pavilion.

As soon as they were in front of each other, the atmosphere was awkward. It wasn’t as if Gyuri didn't feel comfortable around him. She felt incredibly safe in his company that she didn’t mind the silence between them, but what made her squirm on her spot was the way she looked. Self-conscious of her bloated eyes, messy hair, and overall unkempt look, Gyuri nagged herself. Even though she knew Kyungsoo wouldn’t dare to point it out, she felt just as ugly as ever. Thankfully, as if nature knew of her struggle, the sky darkened and in a blink of an eye, started raining. Much to Gyuri's delight, and Kyungsoo's amusement, she couldn't help herself but to crawl to the edge of the canopy and put her hand out to the rain.

“Why do you like the rain so much?” Kyungsoo asked as he started to prepare the tea.

“Why wouldn’t I?” She asked instead and Kyungsoo simply shrugged at the question. “It’s like music.”

If Gyuri thought the writer would question her reasoning, he didn't. Kyungsoo simply nodded and he slouched his back just a bit to wait for the infusion to be ready. She found herself mirroring his posture and accommodated herself more comfortably by the railing to watch the rain pouring over the pond.

“The world seems to quiet down when it's raining.” She said, closing her eyes to let the sounds surround her, “Soft enough to be comforting but also loud enough to wash away my fears.”

“It’s usually associated with solitude.”

“Yeah, you can say it is.” She agreed and looked over at him to see if there was any trace of judgment in his eyes.

Not that Gyuri could check because Kyungsoo was already pouring the tea in the cups. Gyuri observed every of his slow and methodical movements with attention and was awed by his patience to follow the procedure. Once the two small porcelain cups were filled, Kyungsoo pushed one closer to her.

“Why would you like that if you don’t want to be alone?” He asked as if he was just still talking about the weather, “It's on your list.”

Disarming every single one of her arguments, Gyuri felt small. Kyungsoo was right. Every single one of her wishes involved other people. Her bucket list was about connecting with people and getting close to them.

“It isn't an option for me,” She replied, grabbing the cup with both hands and bringing it close to her face.

Gyuri hoped that such a small and delicate porcelain cup could work as a shield big enough to hide her insecurity from the writer but by the way he just stared at her, she knew she couldn't.

“Who made you believe that?” He whispered.

By the worry in his voice, Gyuri felt her eyes filling with tears and looked away, trying to find an answer. No matter how much she tried to come up with something clever and confident to say, she didn't have anything. She simply stayed quiet, lost on the rain splatters on the pond and hoping that Kyungsoo wouldn't try to pry further into it

“Maybe that's why I like it so much.” Gyuri added after a while, trying to divert the conversation to a more pleasant subject, “I can enjoy it all by myself.”

“For someone who claims they can't talk to strangers,” Kyungsoo added, also staring out to the pond with a renewed interest, “you express yourself very well.”

“You’re a good listener.” Gyuri added with a chuckle, “Give yourself some credit.”

She had the best of intentions with her observation and never meant to embarrass Kyungsoo in any way, but the blush that flared his cheeks was surprising. He didn’t smile widely and brightly as he usually did when she said something funny. As if her words resonated deeper than she intended, he seemed to take them at heart and lowered his head to bring the cup of tea up to hide the smile on his lips. Suddenly, as she observed the writer, Gyuri remembered what Baekhyun asked and she wished her attention wasn’t so consumed by him. She wouldn’t be that tired. She wouldn’t feel so done with everything, and as if in some way sadness could actually crush her in real life, she felt her body give up. She felt too heavy and aching to even try to fight the sensation that she had to leave the cup aside and lay down on the floor. It wasn’t appropriate for the place, but Gyuri was too exhausted to care. When her spine felt like it could snap at any moment, the hardness and evenness of the wooden floor were like the most comfortable surface on earth and Gyuri felt her body appreciate the rest.

“Kyungsoo,” Gyuri started, slowly and carefully of her following words, “You asked me if he’s worth it.”

There was no other sound around them other than the rain. Gyuri could see him staring at her from the corner of her eye, and she had it easy to put everything inside her in order. She had it clear. Yes, Baekhyun could be annoying, headstrong, and short-tempered. But it was that same stubbornness that made him the most loyal, loving, and trustworthy person she’d ever met, sometimes he just happened to be too dumb to put two and two together.

“He is.” She whispered as tears fell by the sides of her face.

As if saying those words could activate something in her, Gyuri felt herself crumbling into pieces and she let it take over. The roots that were wrapped around her heart switched and she felt them advancing. It wasn’t a new feeling, she’d felt the sting of the roots piercing through her flesh before but this time, as she lowered every barrier like Kyungsoo had been telling her all along, it didn’t hurt. She felt it, yes but there was no pain and she realized he was right. She had to stop fighting it back, however, as much as she didn’t want to feel pain anymore, she was more afraid about everything coming to an end so soon.

“He is worth it.” She repeated to herself in a small effort to overcome the fear, “I just don’t want to die...yet.”

#AFUTR #EXO #EXO Fanfic #EXO Fanfiction #Baekhyun #Kyungsoo #Angst #Hanahaki Disease #Hanahaki #Romance #Fanfic #Fanfiction

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us3rn4m3n0tf0und1170 · 5 days ago

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The Amazing Arachnid

Chapter 2

go to #the amazing arachnid for the whole fanfic + details!!

first chapter here :D

Notes: this chapter is kinda filler lol <3 James’s friends are starting to notice him acting weird. Sorry this took so long, stuff has been coming up 😭💔 OH YEAH BTW THE FIRST CHAPTER TOOK PLACE IN MID/LATE OCTOBER :3

TW: Guns mentioned, James gets stabbed in the arm, some cussing I think :)

The Strange Distance Between Me And The World

3:16 PM, THURSDAY 11/23. James, as of now, was sitting in the study hall, helping a group of friends with work. Someone snapped in his face, “Yo James, you good? You keep zoning out.” James blinked and noticed all his friends were staring at him. “Yeah, I’m fine, let’s just continue-“ he replied. His friend, Jason, sighed. “It’s fine, let’s just end it here, same time next week?” Jason said, looking at everyone who agreed. “Cool,” James said, standing up and grabbing his stuff, “same time next week.”

5:30 PM. James was out swinging around the city, daily patrol, you know the drill. He decided he needed a better suit than the spray painted shirt layered on top of random clothes, but he didn’t know how to get (or make) a better one. He landed on the roof of a tall building and looked over at the city, the echoing voice of a reporter on a billboard talking about crime rates. “Since Spider-Man’s death…crime rates gone up…strange sudden decrease…” James could barely hear it so he just stopped listening. He swung down from a building, webbing another robber to an alley wall, leaving a note and leaving. He’d been careful not to let many know of his existence, not even signing the notes he left for the police. As far as they were concerned, he was just another vigilante. James decided he wanted to go home and left.

7:18 PM. James plopped down on his couch with a sigh. All this swinging around was starting to take a toll on his body, especially considering he wasn’t the most athletic guy. He massaged his shoulder when his phone screen lit up with a text message. “Hey guys we’re planning on having a get together this weekend! Let me know if you guys can come so I can reserve seats at the restaurant” It was from Toby. James sent back a text saying he’d be there, and then got to work on some homework, the news playing in the background.

5:30 AM FRIDAY 11/24. Beep Beep Beep. James shut off his alarm and got up, he stretched, wincing at the aches in his muscles. He got ready and grabbed his bag, heading to his college campus. Math, English, Science, History, lecture after lecture he waited for the day to be over. He was debating on switching to the online course classes, mainly so he could have more free time, but that would mean he had to move out of his college dorm and into an apartment complex, which was more pricey. He headed to the cafeteria and picked up some food, sitting down at a table with Jason, Toby, and some of his other friends. They were talking about the meetup they’re doing this weekend. “So what restaurant are we going to?” Toby asked. “I’m thinking the new burger joint down the street,” Jason replied. A few people said “sounds good with me” or “text me the address.” “James are you gonna make it?” Andrew, another person at the table, said. James snapped up from what he was writing (new designs for a spidersuit) “huh? Oh yeah, yeah, I’ll be there.” He replied. “Awesome! So I’ll reserve eight seats then?” Jason said, everyone nodded in agreement. “I’ll catch y’all later.” James replied, standing up and leaving. Jason and Andrew glanced at eachother.

12:50 PM. James walked through the busy halls, he asked Tobey to record the next lecture and send it to him. James exited the campus and his in an alleyway. He turned on the live news on his phone as he changed in a secluded area. According to the newscaster, a bank robbing had taken place a few streets down from him. What better way to get known than stopping a bank robbery? James webbed up onto a building, scouting the area around him, he caught sight of the smoking bank and the newscasters around it, as well as the three police cars, lights and sirens blaring. He swung down. From what he could see, part of the bank had been blown up (hence the smoke) Money floated in the wind by the bank. The police surrounded it but weren’t making any movies to go in yet. James watched for a few moments and assumed there weren’t any hostages, so it was safe to go in. He swung down onto the roof of the bank, then snuck in through a broken window, crawling upside down on the ceiling. He dropped down on top of one of the robbers, tackling them and webbing them to a wall, quickly glancing around the room, checking for any hostages or too-close bystanders as well as weapons. One had a gun, one had a knife, one had a bag, and the other was webbed to the wall. The robbers just stood there a moment, giving eachother a “who’s this kid??” look, before they all seemed to lunge forward. James webbed the gun out of one of their hands, smashing it on the one with the bag’s head. The one with the knife got him in the arm, in retaliation James shot a spout of webbing at his face, watching as he struggled. The one who’d previously had the bag (and now a concussion) managed to land a few hits on James. He webbed the one with the knife to the wall and then got the last one in a chokehold. He then webbed all of them together on the wall and left a note for the police outside.

7:49 PM. It would be too suspicious to go to a hospital, after all, he had a gaping knife wound in his arm. James dug in his bathroom cabinets for a while before pulling out some old gauze and disinfectant. He sat down on his couch, pouring some disinfectant on the wound and wincing at the sting. The wound would probably need stitches later on, but at the moment, James was too tired to sew his arm, he also really didn’t want to. Carefully applying the gauze, he then decided to check his phone. A text from his mom, “Your sister’s in town for the next month for Thanksgiving and Christmas! Get lunch together on Sunday?” James stared at the message for a moment, texting back a “Yeah! That sounds great with me, can't wait to see you!” He set his phone face down on the table beside him, leaning back onto the couch and staring at the ceiling. He had a busy weekend, he’d probably have to cancel the get-together with his friend group. Knowing his friends, they’d most likely wanna get wasted or find some girls to flirt with, so it’s not like he’d be missing much. He didn’t feel like drinking anyway. James stared at the ceiling for about an hour before falling asleep on the couch.

7:30 AM, SATURDAY, 11/25. James woke up to the blaring light of the sun through his window. He groaned and glanced at the time, it was too early to be awake on a weekend. His joints creaked as he sat up, ow. The soreness was more prominent today, and he stared at the purple and yellow bruises that had formed on his arms and torso. His neck hurt from sleeping at an awkward angle. Note to self, sleeping on the couch is terrible. He got up and got dressed, before heading to work a bit early. After a grueling shift, he headed home. Realizing he still had a few hours to kill, he headed to the store, grabbing some spandex fabric and sewing supplies. He set the stuff down on the dining room table and turned on a sewing tutorial on his TV. Some mesh for the eyes, a lot of fabric paint, and too many YouTube tutorials later, he had a spidersuit. For his first time sewing, it wasn’t half bad. He put it on, it was a bit uncomfortable, and was a bit too tight in a few places, but it would do for now. Deciding to take it for a test spin, he climbed out his window and shot webs at a nearby building, swinging around the city. For the first time in years, he felt weirdly alive. His life was pretty mundane up to this point, but having an alter ego, getting to save people, had opened some new thrilling and exciting doors. He stopped a few petty thieves, eventually losing track of time. Shit. He quickly got his phone out (from a pocket he thankfully installed) and said he was gonna be late, quickly running home and changing, his spidersuit under his clothes. Running down to the burger joint they were meeting at.

6:42 PM. James opened the door, heading inside, everyone was already at the table. “Hey guys, sorry I’m late,” James said sheepishly, sitting down at the table. The night went by quickly, unfortunately for James his social battery was running out quickly, so when everyone decided to head to a nearby bar, James politely declined and headed home. After getting home, James turned on the news and flumped face down onto his bed, he was exhausted, utterly drained. He glanced at the clock, then at the TV playing in the background, thinking about how a police scanner would be more reliable than television, he’d have to ask his mom about that tomorrow. Until then, sleep sounded pretty good.

Extra notes!!: this took way longer than expected 😅 sorry if this chapter drags, it’ll be up on Ao3 in a bit!! Overall this one took about 2 hours and 30 minutes maybe more :D

this will be the last full chapter posted on here :) everything else will be on Ao3 for y’all to read <3

Thanks!!

#The amazing arachnid #Marvel au #marvel fanfiction #marvel fic #j a m e s #Writing #fanfiction #fanfic #marvel au fic #marvel au fanfiction

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bishiglomper · 4 months ago

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I went and played at my friends house today. It was nice.

She picked me up and when we pulled in said something about her cat trying to get hit. I didn't see it. But when I stepped out of the car there was meowing. I looked down and this siamese colored Tortie was rubbing all over me 🤣

The lady has 3 cats and 2 dogs.

I'm allergic to both. I live with 5 cats. It's been a while since I've been around so much dog though. I think I was there for about 4 hours. I should have taken an antihistamine oof. LOVED the doggy attention though.

The chronic check engine lights were just starting to blink on when I went over. I wanted to go as soon as possible before I degraded too much..

I was fine until we put things on hold to pick up her grandkid. I had one of those sneaky Migraines. The one that either doesn't start or I just don't notice until i try to transition to something else 🙄

I felt bad leaving when it was just supposed to be a pause.. sigh. Especially when we did last minute "oh by the way, do you have these things; I wanna craft with them" this woman has given me so much yarn lol

She was telling me all these plans. Like at the end of March she's gonna gather up her girlfriends and do another craft/thrift store day.

She wants to get out and do stuff this summer. Like go hiking, spelunking, kayaking, etc. I mean. I'm interested but I definitely can't do anything requiring that much hotel/food/gas money haaaa.

I did wanna do the hike and spelunking though... if they're day trips... and its cool out 👀

She keeps reassuring me i can say no to anything. That I can also invite myself to anything. She just reserves the right to politely decline ☺️

As far as the things I'm considering my only reservations are of the spoonie variety..

It's probably a 75% chance I'd be okay to do it but the rebound will definitely take a toll. Another reason I can't do more than a 1 day thing. I need the next day to recover.

I haven't explained the whole of my chronic issues... 👉👈 This woman worked 6 out of 7 days a week during cancer and chemo and shit. She's real fortitudinal. I am not lol. I'm a weak whiny baby.

I've touched a little bit on it. And when I said I was getting a migraine and a little queasy she nearly threw a barf bag at me. Apparently her daughter used to get them bad enough she needed those. So I'm not too concerned about not being understood..

I dunno man, I just don't want her to think I'm lazy and just don't wanna do anything "uncomfortable" because on one hand that's how I feel, but also... I reserve energy when I can because I'm always on low.. 👉👈 I can do the things sometimes but.... consequences. 🫠

In other news, as soon as I got home I made myself coffee; tachycardia be damned. Tylenol didn't do jack shit for my migraine.

What's crazy though is I sat and worked on more crochet for a bit and then I got up... and worked for an hour. (ty coffee dopamine <3)

I did some laundry, a sink full of dishes, washed the tea jug and made tea. (The whole task is a Spoon) I made rice because people were coming home with Chinese food. I sorted through my dirty clothes which have been gathering since before Christmas. We have so much laundry it's a bit of a (necessities only) deal since there's 7 people and we have no dryer so we use the laudromat.

Then we had a Clue game night with niece and boyfriend. It was nice. I did more crochet. 2 more loads of laundry. Fed and watered cats.

I'm so gonna regret it tomorrow lol

Friend wants me over AGAIN tomorrow but also tarot friend is gonna be down at the shop and they like company

Maybe I can invite craft friend to come hang out there 👀 y'know, two birds, one stone

I gotta figure out if my two besties will mesh though. They've met at craft but tarot friend is a little more... autistic. 😅 don't wanna overwhelm her when it's supposed to be our bestie time ♥

#just rambling #long post

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rebecca2407 · 4 months ago

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My Three-Year Journey with Kratom: A Game-Changer for Pain Relief

When you’re living with chronic pain conditions like endometriosis and interstitial cystitis (IC), life can feel like an uphill battle. Every day is a challenge, especially when traditional pain management options are taken off the table. For me, this became a reality three years ago when my doctors decided to stop prescribing pain medication. It was a moment of frustration, anger, and hopelessness—but it also led me to a solution I never expected: kratom.

Let me start by saying that I had my doubts. I’d read the debates about kratom: the warnings from medical professionals, the skepticism in the media, and the accounts of misuse. But I also found personal stories online from people like me—those living in constant pain who had finally found relief. At that point, I figured, “What do I have to lose?” Three years later, I can confidently say kratom has been a game-changer for me.

What Is Kratom?

For those unfamiliar, kratom is a plant native to Southeast Asia, known for its pain-relieving and mood-enhancing properties. It has been used for centuries in countries like Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia to combat fatigue, manage pain, and improve focus. The leaves contain compounds called alkaloids—most notably mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine—that interact with the same receptors in the brain as opioids but in a different way.

Unlike prescription opioids, kratom doesn’t suppress breathing at typical doses, which reduces the risk of overdose. However, it’s important to approach it responsibly and with caution, as it’s not entirely without risks or side effects.

How Kratom Changed My Life

When I first tried kratom, I was at my wit’s end. I’d been battling endometriosis and IC for years, and the pain was relentless. Surgery had helped to a degree, but it wasn’t a cure. Over-the-counter medications barely took the edge off, and the withdrawal of prescription pain medicine left me feeling abandoned by the medical system.

Within days of taking kratom, I noticed a significant difference. The sharp, stabbing pain in my pelvis and bladder began to dull. It wasn’t a complete cure—let me be clear about that—but it reduced my pain by at least 50%. When you’re in chronic pain, cutting that in half feels monumental.

Not only did the physical pain decrease, but I also noticed a boost in my mood. Chronic pain can take a toll on your mental health, leaving you feeling isolated and defeated. Kratom gave me a sense of calm and focus that I hadn’t felt in years.

Why I Chose Kratom Over Prescription Medications

For years, I relied on traditional pain medications to manage my symptoms. I followed my doctors’ advice, stuck to my prescriptions, and did everything “by the book.” But when the medical community began to crack down on opioid prescriptions, I found myself stuck. It didn’t matter that I wasn’t misusing my medication—it was taken away anyway.

Kratom became my alternative, and here’s why I’ve stuck with it:

1. Pain Relief: The most obvious reason. Kratom works. It doesn’t completely eliminate the pain, but it makes it manageable.

2. Improved Functionality: Before kratom, pain often left me bedridden. Now, I can get up, move around, and take care of daily tasks without feeling like my body is betraying me.

3. Fewer Side Effects: Unlike prescription painkillers, kratom doesn’t make me feel foggy or disconnected. I can think clearly, stay productive, and enjoy life again.

4. Empowerment: There’s something empowering about taking control of your own pain management. I’m no longer at the mercy of doctors who don’t fully understand my condition or the medications I need.

The Stigma Surrounding Kratom

Despite my success with kratom, I’ve faced plenty of criticism—both from medical professionals and from people who simply don’t understand. There’s a stigma surrounding kratom, largely because of its association with opioid addiction and the ongoing debates about its legality.

I’ll be honest: kratom isn’t perfect. It has its risks, especially if used irresponsibly. But so does every medication. The difference is that kratom gave me my life back when the medical system turned its back on me.

What I’ve Learned in Three Years

After three years of using kratom, here are a few things I’ve learned that might help others considering it:

1. Start Low and Go Slow: When I first started, I experimented with low doses to see how my body reacted. Everyone is different, so it’s important to find the right dose for you.

2. Research Is Key: Don’t just buy kratom from any source. Look for reputable vendors who test their products for purity and quality.

3. Listen to Your Body: Over time, I’ve learned to recognize when I need kratom and when I don’t. It’s important to avoid building a dependence by using it only when necessary.

4. Stay Educated: The legal status of kratom can vary depending on where you live, so it’s important to stay informed about local regulations.

Looking Ahead

As I write this, I’m three years into my journey with kratom, and I have no plans to stop. It’s not a cure-all, but it has made living with endometriosis and IC bearable.

I know kratom isn’t for everyone, and I’m not here to say it’s the perfect solution. But for those of us who feel abandoned by the medical system, it can be a lifeline. If you’re considering kratom, do your research, talk to others who’ve tried it, and approach it with an open mind.

Pain management is personal, and what works for one person might not work for another. For me, kratom has been a game-changer, and I’ll always be grateful for the relief it’s brought into my life.

Have you tried kratom or considered it as an alternative for chronic pain? Share your experiences in the comments—I’d love to hear your story.

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qualitytriumphdinosaur · 4 months ago

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Final part…

“I can’t believe this is our last night at home” you said as you sat, blanket covering your legs looking into the flames from the fire pit in front of you!

“I think we might be crazy” your blonde haired friend said, you look over to him, the biggest smile on his face!

“Sam, all the best people are crazy” your other friend spoke up! He too was smiling! The joy on your two friends faces made your heart swell!

You and Colby had been friends forever, living close by to one another and your mums being best friends you didn’t really have much of a choice. When you were little you would have play dates almost everyday, as you got older your friendship grew, now making the choice to keep each other around! Colby met Sam before you and introduced him, from that moment it was the 3 of you! The 3 amigos, facing the world together!

Now the 3 of you were sat in your garden, blankets wrapped around you with the warmth from the fire pit keeping you from freezing! The next day you would be embarking on the biggest adventure of your life! Leaving home was terrifying but you knew as long as you had these 2 boys around,you would be just fine!

“Y/n, put your hand in” Colby had said, the boys had their hands in front of you, waiting for the missing piece. You placed your hand on top of Sam’s.

“ Tommorow we take a step into the big wide world” Colby started saying “like little ants,leaving their colony” you shot a look over to Sam who was trying to hold back his laughter. Colby looked over at you both sternly, somewhat like a teacher who was telling the naughty kids off.

He continued “this life is going to throw obstacles in our way” he was struggling on what to say next… words were not his greatest quality!

Seeing him struggling Sam spoke up “ no matter what this life throws at us, good or bad we stick together and we face it all together!” One hand in the pact and one hand covering his heart. He was taking this very seriously causing you to smile.

“It’s the 3 of us against the world” you added. Lifting your arms into the air, cheering.

The deal was set!!

You sat up quickly in your bed, sweat droplets laced your forehead. You had relived that moment what felt like every night in your dreams for months!

Why did he break the deal?

It had been months since he left you sat alone on the edge of his bed, basically telling you, you had to do this life without him!

Sam had been great for a while but you could tell it was taking a toll! It wasn’t fair on him, living two different lives with his two friends that were no longer friends! You stopped answering his messages and calls, he slowly stopped coming around to see you! You were now truly alone without your boys!

You climbed out of bed and headed to the shower, not that you had any plans. You weren’t even sure why you had stuck around, it would have been so much easier to just go home but you realised you didn’t even know where home was anymore!

Getting out of the shower you wrapped a towel around you, heading into your closet to find the sweats you would wear for another day of nothingness. You headed back into your room and noticed a message on your phone!

Picking up your phone you opened the message..

Luke: Hey y/n , how are you doing? I’ve not seen you in ages, not since I became Chief earring protector 😃 you should pop in soon, first drink on me.

You read over the message a couple of times, you were just about to reply when another message came through.

Luke: I know what happened, if it makes it easier the boys haven’t been in since that night either. It’s pretty quiet in here during weeknights, we can catch up.

The message made you smile, at least you still had one of your friends out here. “Things couldnt get much worse” you thought, you deserved an evening out. Maybe it was time to pull yourself together and get on with your life!

You replied back to Luke.

Y/n: I never thanked you for looking after my earrings, oh great protector 😂 make it two drinks on you and I’ll be in tonight. See you later ✌️

The day went by pretty quickly, you were actually getting excited to go out for a bit, have a couple of drinks and see one of your friends. You got changed, nothing spectacular, you weren’t going out out. Applying a small amount of make up and putting your hair up. Your Uber had arrived. leaving the apartment you felt better than you had done for a long time.

You pulled open the all too familiar door, the same door you dragged your old friends ex girlfriend out by her hair! Your thoughts started to whirl in your head. “What would have happened that night if I didn’t react that way? You thought. “Would we still be friends? The deal never broken?” You shook your head, you couldn’t keep doing this to yourself.

It was time to start fresh, maybe make some new friends. Tonight was the beginning of a new book.

You made your way through the almost deserted club, to your left there was a group of lads, looking like they were enjoying themselves.You reached the bar where Luke was stood smiling!

“Wow, they look like they’re having a good time” you say glancing over to the group of lads who were now trying to make a human pyramid, failing miserably not being able to create the second layer. Laughing at an over the top volume.

“Yeah, they’ve been in here for hours! I don’t mind,they aren’t harming anyone. Like I said it’s dead in here weekday nights” he said chuckling at the lads “so what will it be? Two drinks on me right?” Looking back to you!

You sat down and that is where you stayed most of the evening, chatting with Luke. People came, had a drink and left. You liked how calm it was, well as calm as it could be with the group of lads now having made their way to the dance floor busting moves that would put Sam to shame.

You watched the lads for a little while, clapping and cheering while they each took it turns to try breakdancing! You felt light, happy, you hadn’t felt this way in a long time.

Suddenly memories of your friends came rushing to your head..

“What are you two doing?” You asked walking into the kitchen.

“No, put your arm like that” Sam jokingly shouted at Colby

“Okay, okay” Colby whinged back, moving his arm into the same position Sam had his.

You put the shopping down on the counter and took a step back, giggling at the two of them, you still had no idea what they were doing!

“Y/n, tell him he’s still not doing it right” Sam said grumpily.

You raised your eyebrows at the boys, an amused look on your face!

This was an everyday occurrence, walking in on them doing weird shit, you had gotten used to it, loved it in fact!

You turned back round to Luke, snapping out of thoughts that made their way back into your head! You looked down at your drink that you had barely touched, rubbing away the condensation on the side with your finger!

“Hey Luke” you started, feeling a lump in your through “have you spoken to them?” Glancing up from your glass.

Luke knew you would bring them up, it was just a matter of time.

“Not really” he replied “Sam rang the other day, asking about hiring the club for some party, other than that no” for some reason, he couldn’t look at you properly. You didn’t really notice.

Luke had lied to you, The truth was both boys had been there a lot. Every weekend as it used to be and occasionally during the week after a long days work. He knew if he had told you the truth you never would have come, he wasn’t even sure they would even be there, the night was getting late and they hadn’t turned up. Maybe that was for the best, did he really want to deal with the chaos that would resume should you all bump into one another!?!

You turned back around to face the dancefloor, the lads no longer occupying the space, you looked over to where they were when you first came in. Most of them certainly looked worse for wear, heads on the table or slumped back in their chairs. One of them however was looking over at you, you gave him a small smile, you weren’t one to be rude and turned yourself back to face Luke who was wiping down the bar.

“Think you’ve got a fan over then” he grinned , pointing a rag in the direction of the lad.

You looked back over, he was still staring at you! To be honest it gave you the creeps! Although Luke was with you, the lad was making you feel pretty uneasy! You hadn’t ever been out without Sam and Colby close by.

Your fight or flight was kicking in, not sure on what to do you stood up.

“Where are you off too?” Luke asked

“Bathroom” you quickly replied, heading across the empty room.

You stood in front of the mirror, why were you panicking so much? “I’m sure he’s only being friendly” you thought! Something didn’t feel right though! “I’ll go back grab my bag and leave” your plan in place you stepped out of the bathroom. Looking down at your feet while you walked, you lifted your head to walk straight into the lad who had been staring at you.

“Oh sorry, excuse me” you said moving to the side to get past, he followed your move and was still stood in front of you, not allowing you to pass. You looked past his shoulder towards the bar, hoping Luke would notice the predicament you were in. Luke was nowhere to be seen, no doubt having gone to the back room. You started to worry as he stood just inches from your face, the smell of alcohol pouring from his mouth, churning your stomach! You wanted to shout for help but no sound was able to leave your mouth.

“Come on pretty girl. I saw you looking at me” he slurred as he reached his arm to your waist! You froze, no one in sight to help. Luke where the fuck are you?

The lad inched closer and closer to you, his body weight having pushed you against the wall. You were pretty sure you had stopped breathing at this point, going numb, what was he going to do? You closed your eyes in terror, not wanting to see what he was going to do to you!

Suddenly the weight of his body lifted from yours, you were free! Thank fuck, Luke had finally seen what was going on you had thought! Opening your eyes and taking a big breathe you saw the lad on the floor, someone towering over him, you looked the person up and down, the person who had saved you from something you never would want to remember.

Realization kicked in. This person wasn’t Luke.

He wasn’t facing you but you knew exactly who had saved you, the tattoos, the hair.

You stood silently, shaking watching Colby deal with the lad who had dared put his hands on you! You let out a shaky breath, loud enough that he heard!

Turning from the lad who now clearly had a broken nose he was face to face with you. The look of pure anger washed away and the sheer look of worry over took him! Scanning your face and body for any harm caused to you! All you could do was stare at him. A tear rolling down your cheek!

Eventually you spoke, quietly and a wobble in your voice “Colby” was all you could muster!

You all of a sudden came too as his arms wrapped around you, engulfing you in a warm embrace! You couldn’t hold it in anymore, tears streamed down your face!

You both separated from one another.

“Thank you” you said looking up to him! A goofy smile plastered on his face.

“ it’s us against the world right?” he asked

You knew from this moment, things were going to fall right back into place.

#sam and colby #sam golbach #colby brock #xplr club #xplr

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