#I really went ‘oh I don’t know that much about appearance’ and then proceeded to write multiple paragraphs

[lemoncrushh]

Tattooed Heart - Part VI

SUMMARY: You are a cocktail waitress at a swanky lounge. Harry comes in one night, and you instantly dislike him. But another encounter eventually changes your opinion.

PAIRING: Waitress Y/N x Artist/Tattoo Artist Harry

TROPES: Enemies to Lovers

MUST BE 18+ TO READ

WORD COUNT: 8.9k

STORY PAGE

“Hey, gorgeous! How are you? I’ve been so worried about you!” John exclaimed enthusiastically into the phone.

“I’m pretty good, actually. How are things at Zelda’s?” While you didn’t necessarily want to know the answer, you’d always considered John a friend and knew he had your back. Which was why you decided to give him a call.

“Oh girl, things have changed dramatically since you left!”

“Really?”

“Yes! We got a new manager. His name is Rafael, but we’re allowed to call him Rafi. He’s a dish and a half, let me tell you! Not like that last asshole.”

You chuckled. “Good, I’m glad for you.”

“Yeah, sucks for you though! If only you could have stayed. Hey, want me to put a good in for you with Rafi?”

“Um…no, that’s okay, John. I’m kind of happy where I am.”

“Seriously? Where’s that?”

You told your friend about working at the cafe. Then proceeded to tell him how Harry got you the job.

“To make a long story short,” you said, trying to do just that, “he’s not the jerk he appeared to be. And…well…now we’re dating.”

“Hold up! Stop right there. Rewind! I need to hear everything, Y/N! EVERYTHING!”

You laughed at the way John enunciated every syllable. And you’d expected as much. For the next hour, you went into every detail with him like he requested (at least as much as you were willing to divulge), and by the time you finished, it was time to get ready for your date with Harry.

“Oh my God, girl, that’s so crazy!” squealed John. “But I’m happy for you. If you’re happy.”

“I am.”

“Good. Just don’t forget about me, okay? Pop in some time, maybe with Handsome.”

“I will,” you promised.

After pulling on a pair of jeans and a stylish top, you brushed your hair and touched up your makeup. You were meeting Harry at his place, where he was making you dinner again, and then you were going to a movie. It seemed to be the first Saturday you were both off since you’d met. And you were looking forward to having a normal, mundane date night.

The last couple weeks had been both hectic and amazing. Since that evening at the gallery, Harry had been extremely busy finishing up his moon series paintings. Donovan McNulty had still been showing interest in Harry’s art, and specifically voiced that he wanted to know the minute his newest pieces would be available. And you’d been picking up extra shifts at the diner to make a little extra money. But any moment you were both free had been spent together. You took turns, rotating your visits at each others’ apartments. You enjoyed leaning against his kitchen counter while you watched him cook, and Harry enjoyed teasing Shae when she was around, and nibbling on the soft spot behind your ear as you watched TV when she wasn’t there - and sometimes when she was.

Your feelings for him were growing daily, and while you told yourself it was still too soon to have such feelings, you used your free time away from him to write them down. You expressed every emotion from the way your heart skipped when you’d see him sitting in his usual chair at the cafe, to the way your body ached for him as you laid in your bed staring at the ceiling. You even included the way it had felt when you’d seen Nicolette at the cafe and at the gallery, even though Harry assured you tenfold that he had broken off all contact with her. You didn’t want to be jealous of his ex. You knew deep down that it would not bode well if you were going to take this relationship to the next level. And you definitely wanted to.

Harry greeted you with a smile as he opened the door, a glass of wine already in his hand waiting for you. When you stepped inside, you gave him a quick kiss before accepting the glass and taking a sip.

“Mmm, something smells yummy!,” you commented, turning for the kitchen.

“Chicken Piccata with roasted radicchio and sweet potatoes,” Harry announced proudly as he followed you. “It’s almost ready.”

“Chef Styles, when are you opening your own restaurant? This is way too impressive for just me.”

“You’re the only one I care to impress,” he said, pushing your hair from your neck to softly brush his lips across your tender flesh.

You reached behind you for his hands, bringing his arms around your waist. He hummed against your skin as he gave you a squeeze. The timer on the oven sounded then with a friendly chime, and Harry hesitantly released you in order to remove its contents. Watching him serve up the meal, you joined him at the table with your wine.

“I have some news,” he announced after you’d taken your first bite and raved about its deliciousness.

“Oh? What is it?” you asked enthusiastically.

“I’m having another gallery showing. For the moon series.” Harry stabbed his fork into his chicken before lifting his eyes to you.

“Are you kidding? That was quick!”

“Well, yeah,” he grinned. “I brought them yesterday for Sherrod to see. Apparently he phoned McNulty, gave him some rubbish about how brilliant they are, and he’s flying down Thursday to see for himself.”

Quickly dismissing the fact that he’d degraded his own art, because you knew he didn’t really think it was rubbish, you focused on the positive.

“Oh my God, Harry! That’s wonderful! I’m really proud of you.”

“I know, babe. And I appreciate all the support you’ve given me. You'll never know how much.”

“I have an idea,” you jested. “You spoil me with this delicious food.”

“That’s just because I can,” he winked. “And because I want to. It’s not a payment.”

“Good to know,” you said before popping a bite of sweet potato in your mouth.

“I would like your help with something, though.”

“Sure, anything.”

“Could you help spread the word about the exhibit?” Harry requested. “Maybe invite some friends? The more the better. The cocktail party was nice, but I’d like it to be a massive event.”

“Ooh, yes! I’d love to!”

Rising from your chair, you reached over the table to plant a kiss on Harry’s lips, to which he happily accepted.

“When would you like to get your tattoo?” Harry asked as you laid twisted in the sheets, his bare thigh crossed over yours, his fingertips tracing nonexistent lines down your arm.

You turned your head to the side to look at him. If it was possible, he appeared even more beautiful than ever, his eyelids heavy, his pillowy lips swollen, his scruffy jaw threatening to produce more facial hair now that the morning was nigh. The evening of lovemaking had been blissful, Harry having brought you to orgasm not once, not twice…but three times. And while you worried you’d never walk again, the man beside you looked completely fucked.

You couldn’t help but be elated by the knowledge that you’d made that happen.

“I’m not sure yet,” you whispered, reaching for his stubbly chin. “Soon, I guess.”

You felt Harry breathe out of his nose, and while he tried to hide it, you could detect the frown on his lips.

“Do you not want it?” he inquired after a beat.

“I…no, I do,” you nodded.

“‘Cause you don’t have to get it,” Harry added. “The one I designed, or any other one. If you don’t want a tattoo, it’s fine. I’ll understand.”

“No, I want one.”

Harry continued to draw his finger down your arm. You could tell the conversation wasn’t over, but you were unsure what else to say. So you let Harry gather his thoughts instead. Finally he sighed, his gaze returning to your face.

“I’m sorry, baby.”

“What for?” you asked.

“If I made you uncomfortable. It just dawned on me that I might have been a bit presumptuous with the tattoo. I know they can be very personal, and I…I should have just let you pick what you want.”

Blinking, you rolled over onto your side to face him. “Harry, no. That’s not it at all. I love the one you designed. I told you I loved that painting.”

“Then what is it?” Harry lifted a hand to brush your hair from your face, twisting the end of the strands between his fingers. “Any time I bring it up, you kind of hesitate or change the subject.”

“I…I didn’t realize,” you looked down at his chest. “I apologize.”

“Baby, look at me,” he insisted, urging your chin up. “Talk to me. Are you af-”

You stopped him mid-sentence with your finger on his lips. As you shook your head, Harry chuckled. Then tugging on your wrist, he released your hand from his mouth.

“You don’t even know what I was gonna say,” he remarked.

“Just don’t use that word.”

“Alright,” he softened his expression, returning his fingers to your hair. “Am I moving too fast for you? Is that it?”

You gulped and sucked in your lips. Then you let out a nervous chuckle of your own. “It seems ridiculous to admit that after what we just did.”

“Not really,” Harry shook his head. “Sex can be separate from feelings. Although…I’m going to confess right now…for me…it’s not. Not with you.”

“Harry…” you breathed.

“Babe…” he murmured, pulling you closer. “I reckon I’ve conveyed my feelings for you already…at least a little bit. But if you need me to back off…I will.”

You stared at him, this gorgeous man. You couldn’t believe in just a few weeks you’d gone from hating him to…whatever this was.

“No,” you argued. “I don’t want you to.”

“No?”

“No, because…I’m feeling…things too.”

Harry’s voluptuous mouth curved into a sexy grin. You felt his hand on your back, his fingers dancing up your flesh.

“I’m just…a little hesitant, I guess,” you added, “about getting the tattoo…because it’s such an intimate thing to do, you know? To get ink on my skin of something you gave me, art you designed for me. And it’s…forever.”

Harry blinked slowly with a nod. “I completely understand, love. I didn’t mean to pressure you.”

“You didn’t. It’s just me. Like you said, it’s personal. And I would feel horrible if something happened between us, and-”

“Shh, baby…” Harry interrupted you this time. “It’s okay. I get it. Take all the time you need.”

You gave him a gentle smile before he pulled you into a deep kiss. Your eyelids heavy, and sleep threatening to take over, you tugged on the sheets. Getting the hint, Harry grinned, situating the covers over you before reaching for the lamp.

“Goodnight, baby,” he whispered. “Sweet dreams.”

You hummed in agreement as he held you against his warm body, and before you could even think any more about tattoos, you were sound asleep in his arms.

The rest of Sunday and most of Monday was spent making phone calls. You promised Harry a grand party, and you were determined to deliver. After telling Shae your plan, she was more than happy to come through by offering to tell her coworkers as well as some of your mutual friends. You called John to let him know as well, and he said he was already going to ask for the night off, and maybe even bring Rafi with him…if he was available, as he put it. You also called the gallery Monday morning, unbeknownst to Harry, to speak with Sherrod yourself. He told you how excited he was for Harry’s new exhibit, which put your mind at ease a bit.

“I really want this to be special for him,” you explained. “Is there anything I can do to help? To get the word out? More advertising? Do I need to hire a caterer or something?”

“Don’t you worry about a thing, darling,” assured Sherrod. “I’m already having my secretary making contacts as we speak. And I personally phoned my caterer on Friday.”

“Oh, fantastic,” you said. “The more people we can get to come, the better. There’s just one thing…”

“Don’t worry about that either, my pet. You have my word Miss Waters will not get an invite.”

“Ohh. For some reason I thought…” you chuckled nervously. “I don’t know how art galleries work, forgive me.”

Sherrod laughed heartily through the phone, catching you off guard. “Nothing to forgive, darling. Harry and I have already spoken about this as well.”

You breathed through your nose. Of course they had.

“Thank you, Sherrod. I appreciate everything.”

“It’s going to be a splendid night, you can be sure!”

Hanging up, you felt a heavy weight lift off your chest. It was quickly replaced with a glittery excitement. You couldn’t wait.

When you arrived for your mid-day shift at the cafe, you made a beeline for Jill who was making a cold brew for a customer. The look on her face when you told her the news about Harry’s exhibit was priceless.

“Of course I’ll be there!” she squealed. “Are you kidding me?”

“Bring some friends too, okay? I want to show him all the support we can give.”

That night, you sat in front of the TV writing in your journal. You soon found yourself mindlessly doodling in the corners of the page. Harry was at work, and you didn’t want to bother him. Yet you couldn’t stop thinking about him. He truly had been the only thing on your mind all day.

“Pppfff, more like for the last month,” you admitted out loud.

Tossing your notebook to the side, you leaned back on the couch and ran your fingers through your hair, letting out an exasperated sigh.

“Jesus Christ, what am I doing?”

Getting up from the sofa, you slipped on your shoes, not bothering to change out of your lounge-at-home outfit - a dark green tunic and black leggings. The only effort you made was to brush your teeth and touch up your lip gloss before heading out the door.

The neon sign in the window seemed to glow brighter than you remembered, an enticing greeting to lure you in. Not that you hadn’t already planned to go inside.

Swinging the door open, you noticed an empty waiting area and counter. Smooth, instrumental jazz played through the speakers as you peeked your head through the doorway to scan the tattoo stations, but still saw no one. You were just about to walk through the shop to Harry’s office when you saw Kyle emerge.

“Oh, hey,” he grinned. “You’re Y/N, right?”

“Yes,” you nodded, happy that he knew. Surely he didn’t remember you from the last time he’d seen you in the shop, but perhaps Harry had told him about you and he put two and two together. The idea made you blush a little.

“Harry’s in the back. I’ll go get him for you.”

Before you could retort, Kyle disappeared through the doorway from which he’d just appeared. And within seconds, your handsome, cheery boyfriend replaced him.

“Hi, babe!” he beamed. “What are you doing here?”

You shrugged, shyly. “Came to get my tattoo.”

His eyes widening, Harry stepped closer to you. “Really? Are you sure?”

Licking your lips, you nodded. “Positive.”

His dimples on full display, Harry pulled you into an embrace. You could feel his heart beating in his chest as he whispered in your ear. “I’m so happy.”

Then stepping back, Harry gestured toward his station. “Go ahead and have a seat. I’ll get everything ready and tell Kyle he can go home.”

“Oh!” you mouthed, surprised. Harry disappeared into the back room again before you could argue.

Situating yourself in Harry’s chair, you gazed at the art on display around his station as well as photos of various clients’ tats. While a few pieces looked to be fairly common, most of them were exquisite, no doubt one-of-a-kind works of art. You were staring at a large dragon piece on someone’s back when you heard a voice behind you.

“Bye, Y/N,” Kyle called. “Have a nice night.”

“Oh, thanks. Same to you,” you waved just as Harry walked up.

“You didn’t have to make him leave,” you said under your breath. “You’re not closed yet, are you?”

“I am now,” Harry wiggled his brows before walking to the front door and locking it, turning the OPEN sign to the CLOSED side.

With pursed lips, you tried to hold back a smirk as Harry returned, his own smirk tugging on his mouth.

“Slow night?” you inquired when he sat down on his stool.

“You would not believe. That’s why we were in my office. Kyle helps me with my website.”

You hummed in acknowledgement as you watched Harry get his tray ready just like he had the day you’d brought Shae. That already felt like a lifetime ago.

“You always surprise me with your music choices,” you commented as you listened to the soft jazz.

Harry chuckled with a nod. “This is my focus, slash wind-down music. Since it was slow, I switched it from grunge whilst we worked on the website.”

“I like it,” you grinned.

Harry gazed up at you from under his lashes before his eyes roamed down your body. You felt a tingle as his gaze made its way back up to your face.

“What?” you couldn’t help but ask.

“Was just recalling the last time you were sat in this chair.”

“Oh my God, Harry,” you blushed. “Please tell me you sanitized it!”

His eyes squinting as he giggled, Harry scooted closer to you. “You’re too much, babe.”

“Why, because I like cleanliness?”

“No, because that’s your first thought. It certainly wasn’t mine.”

You stared into his jade eyes that were now inches from your face, the irises appearing to have a dark line around them.

“That was…um, some kind of night,” you murmured softly.

“Indeed, it was.” Harry’s hand landed just above your knee then before he slid it slowly up your thigh.

“Hmm,” you nodded. “Are you trying to seduce me again?”

Harry puffed out a chuckle. “No. Don’t reckon I had to try then either.”

Dragging your tongue across your teeth, you focused on his mouth and the way his hand felt on your leg. “Fair enough. What do you remember most about that night?”

“How sweet your pussy tasted on my tongue,” he quickly replied, as if he’d had his answer ready before you’d even asked the question. “And how you tugged on my hair and your thighs trembled as you called my name.”

“Harry…”

“Oh, it was much louder than that.”

You blushed again, but this time you didn’t bother hiding it. Leaning towards you, Harry placed a soft kiss on your lips. Followed by a second, and a third. By the fourth, your fingers were in his hair, his tongue in your mouth. You reveled in the sensation, urging him with your own. When a gentle moan escaped your chest, Harry’s hand that had been on your thigh made its way between your legs. You began to grind against him in your seat, knowing your leggings and panties were already soaked through. His other hand traveled underneath your t-shirt, and when his fingers met your bare skin, you gasped.

“Are you…,” you gulped, “planning to eat me out again on this chair?”

“No,” Harry shook his head, a devilish smirk on his face.

“Oh.”

“I have other things in mind,” he added, echoing the exact words he’d said to you that night before taking you home.

“Oh…”

Harry sat back on his stool and raised a brow. “I thought you wanted a tattoo, love.”

“Harry Styles! Are you teasing me?” you exclaimed.

Giggling with glee, you noticed his eyes dancing. “Maybe.”

“Rude!” you frowned, tugging your shirt down. Your pussy still throbbing from his hand, you pouted.

“I’m sorry, baby. It’s my fault. Seeing you in this chair…it turned me on, and I got carried away. I do want to play. But I think we should get started on this tattoo, don’t you? It’s gonna take a bit.”

You nodded with a sigh. “Okay.”

Harry gave you a peck on the nose and one on the lips. “Now, did you decide where you want it? The ink, I mean,” he smirked.

“So, I had considered getting it on my side, like down my hip. There’s plenty of room to make it big. But then I changed my mind.”

“Too much?” Harry asked.

“Nope. Not enough.”

“What do you mean?”

“Nobody’s gonna see it there. Except you. And while the idea is sexy, I’d rather have the art my boyfriend designed to be in a spot everyone could see.”

“Baby…” Harry breathed, his hand over his heart.

“I know, I’ve been hesitant about this,” you explained. “About us. But I have no clue why. We’ve spent all this time together. You’ve shown me time again that you’re interested in more than just…a fling. Every time I’m with you, I feel butterflies and moonbeams and…all the cheesy things.” You let out a nervous sigh as you looked down at your hands, then back up to his gorgeous face. “The truth is…I’m crazy about you, Harry.”

“Sweetheart,” he cried, pulling you into another kiss. Then leaning his forehead against yours he murmured, “You make me so happy.”

“Good,” you grinned, your right hand on his cheek as you held out your left. “That’s why I think we should put it right here, below my elbow, down the inside of my arm.”

“I think that would be lovely,” he agreed, misty-eyed. Then he kissed the inside of your wrist before rising from his stool. “Let me go get the stencil, and I’ll be right back.”

When he stepped away, you suddenly felt butterflies in your tummy, and not just from the notion of getting a tattoo. You’d almost told him more than you’d planned. The truth was, you weren’t just crazy about him. You were falling for him. Hard. Perhaps you had been falling bit by bit every day. And you were finally willing to admit it to yourself. But you weren’t quite sure yet if you were ready to say it to him. It still felt too soon. But you loved the look on his face when you’d revealed what you had. His delight gave you hope that perhaps he felt the same.

Harry returned with a big smile on his face. Placing the stencil next to him, he pulled on his gloves. Then reaching for the rubbing alcohol and a cotton pad, he eyed you.

“Still wanna do this?” he asked.

“Definitely,” you beamed.

Taking your arm, he gently rubbed the soaked cotton pad down your arm, from the elbow to your wrist. Then he took a new disposable razor and gently shaved the area, just like you’d seen him do on Shae, back when you still hated him. The idea brought a sour taste to your mouth.

“You okay?” he asked again.

“Yeah, sorry. Was just…thinking.”

“About?” Harry raised a brow.

“How far we’ve come in just a short time.”

Harry’s face softened. “I think about that a lot.”

“You do?”

“I thank my lucky stars every fucking day that you forgave me. That you were able to see the real me and change your mind. I only wish…”

“What?” you asked.

His gaze seemed to burn into you as he looked deep into your eyes. “I wish we had met some other way. Like some random day at the cafe, or maybe here when you’d come with Shae. Or maybe even at Zelda’s on a night I was alone. Some other way that you could have met the real me instead of that prick I pretended to be.”

You sat in silence as you absorbed Harry’s words and watched him place the thermal paper on your arm with the stencil. When he peeled it off was when you spoke.

“What would you have said?”

“When?”

“If we had met in a different situation. What would you have said to me?”

“In which scenario?” he smirked.

“Let’s go with the first one. Obviously I wouldn’t be working at the cafe. But let’s say I came in one day that you were sitting there working on your iPad.”

Harry chuckled loudly, catching you off guard. “Well, I can’t really say for sure, can I? There are other factors involved.”

“Alright,” you agreed. “But you said you’ve thought about it. What happens in your…wish?”

You swore you caught a tiny bit of color in his cheeks as Harry pulled his tray closer to him. “We have to get serious now, babe. I’m about to stick a needle in your arm.”

You puffed out a breath in humor, then sat up straight in your chair. “Fine. Mark me.”

Harry’s nostrils flared as he chuckled at your joke. Then he made a few adjustments to his tattoo gun before getting to work. Surprisingly, it didn’t hurt as bad as you thought it would. You watched as Harry traced the stencil, starting with the dripping moon at the top. After every stroke, he would wipe your skin. He seemed so focused, so gentle. You stared at his face for a little while, and every time he’d bite his lower lip, it sent your heart all aflutter. When he finished the outline, he looked up at you.

“Still doing okay?”

“Mmhmm,” you nodded.

He gave you a smile before returning his focus to your arm. You were both quiet for a moment until he spoke again.

“I probably would have stared at you for a bit.”

“Huh?”

“At the cafe. If you had been sat near me at a table by yourself. I would have kept sneaking glances at you, but making sure you didn’t notice.”

“Well then, how am I supposed-”

“At first,” he interrupted. “Then I would have wanted you to notice. When we finally made eye contact, I’d have smiled at you.”

Lifting his head, Harry gave you just the smile he was referring to. And your insides ignited.

“I would say that’s very cheesy and cliche, but it’s not. I like it.”

“So what would you have done if I’d come over to your table and asked you your name?”

“I would have told you, and hoped to God you’d ask me for my number too.”

“Alright then,” Harry snickered. “That’s one scenario. But it didn’t happen.”

“It’s fine, Harry,” you said. “Something else happened instead. And we’re here anyway.”

“Yes, we are.”

You watched Harry continue on the tattoo, the moon starting to look realistic with the shading. As always you were in awe of him and his talent. Just like when you would watch him work at the cafe, you found yourself completely mesmerized. It was utterly sexy to you, from the way he focused on his project at hand, to the curls that framed his face and neck, and even down to the way his own tattooed arms flexed as he worked. As you studied him you let out a deep breath, feeling the wetness pooling in your panties again.

“Still okay?” Harry suddenly asked with a tiny smirk, as if he’d noticed.

“I’m wonderful,” you answered dreamily.

“You need to move your elbow a little?”

“Oh. Yeah, sure,” you nodded as Harry sat back to let you. Your arm had been in one position for a while, and you were starting to feel the effects.

“Okay, I’m good,” you commented as you reached your arm out again. “Tell me about your next project. What are you working on?”

“Just a second,” Harry muttered. As he scooted closer again, you wondered what he was doing until he beckoned you with his gloved hand. “Kiss me.”

You grinned widely before you happily obliged, giving him a few more kisses than he’d asked for just for good measure.

“Mmm, thanks babe. It’s hard to be around you for this long without touching your lips.”

“You’re welcome. And you’re the sweetest.”

With a wink, Harry returned to his task, this time moving onto the shading of the heart. “I actually haven’t started anything new yet,” he replied to your previous inquiry. “With the moon series now at the gallery, I’ve kind of been trying to finish up some older pieces.”

“Oh? I didn’t know you had anything that was incomplete.”

“Yeah. You saw the citiscape one, right?”

“Yes, that was gorgeous! That wasn’t finished?”

“Not yet. I keep feeling like there’s something missing, but…I dunno. I’m also not sure if I want it to be a series or a stand alone piece.”

“Well, whatever you decide, I know it’ll be amazing. As always,” you offered emphatically.

“Thanks, babe. This is why…” he left his thought unfinished as his tattoo gun rounded the edges of the heart.

“Why what?”

Harry lifted his head, giving you an easy grin. “Why you’re a wonderful lady.”

You watched Harry finish the heart on the tat while you thought your own heart could burst. You thought he was going to say it for a second, but you understood why he hadn’t. It seemed like such a mundane moment to express those three words.

Changing the subject, Harry chatted with you lightly about the upcoming exhibit, about the cafe, about food. You told him about your pal John, and how he was planning to come as well as Jill and Shae.

“Thanks again for doing this for me, babe,” he grinned. “I truly appreciate you.”

“Of course, Harry. I honestly think I’d do just about anything for you.”

Raising his eyebrows, Harry gave you a sexy look before quickly looking back down at your arm. “I think we’re done, babe.”

“Oh. Oh!” You tore your eyes from his to gaze down at your new tattoo. It was extraordinary to say the least.

“It’s…so beautiful, Harry,” you choked. “I love it!”

“It’s yours,” he commented. “And only yours.”

Your eyes began to well up with tears, making your vision too blurry to even see it. But you knew he was right. You had a one-of-a-kind Harry Styles work of art on your arm. And you couldn’t be more proud.

“C’mere, you can look in the mirror,” Harry beckoned, gesturing to the mirror behind him on the wall.

Standing in front of it, you wiped your eyes with your fingers until Harry handed you a tissue.

“Don’t cry, love,” he cooed. “You’ll make me think you made a mistake.”

“Of course not, silly man.” You stretched your arm down to look at the full length of the ink on your skin. “No mistakes here.”

“I’m glad,” he sighed, wrapping his arms around you and resting his chest on your shoulder as you took in the image of you both in the mirror. Grabbing his phone, Harry then took a couple of quick photos of your arm. “Let’s go ahead and put a covering on that so it won’t get infected.”

“Oh, how long do I have to do that? I wanna be able to show it off this weekend.”

Harry smirked at your pout. “Just a few days. You should be okay by then.”

Once again, you sat in his chair while he applied the dressing and bandage. Then he explained to you the aftercare, which made you giddy. You knew it was his job, but you enjoyed seeing him being professional.

“I’ll give you some information to take home with you as well,” he added as he removed his gloves, “but right now, I really need to touch you.”

You opened your mouth, but before you could make a syllable, Harry slid his hands under your jaw and pulled you into a warm kiss. He soon deepened it, his tongue invading your mouth as his hands traveled around your neck to your hair. When he finally released you enough to take a breath, you gasped.

“Wow.”

“Uh huh,” he voiced so low that you barely heard it. Then he licked his lips before sliding his hand up your thigh like before. “Exactly.”

You stared at Harry, his eyes darkening as he fingers began to tease you between your legs.

“So, what…mmm,” you swallowed at the sensation, “what other things did you have in mind?”

“Oh, you really wanna know?” he quirked a brow.

“Mmhmm. Yes, please.”

“Hmm, you ask so politely. But I might wanna keep teasing you like this. Make your legs tremble until you can’t stand it anymore. Until you’re begging for me to make you come.”

“Mmm,” you moaned again as he applied more pressure with his thumb, his hand cupping you, still over your clothes. “I don’t think I would be opposed to that.”

“No? You like being teased?”

“I like the way you tease,” you replied, breathy.

A low chuckle rose from his throat, and you felt the vibration as his face was just inches from yours. Then he surprised you by rising from his chair, his hand leaving your throbbing core to tug on the bottom of your t-shirt.

“Off, sweetheart,” he demanded.

You lifted your arms for him to remove your top, careful of your freshly tattooed area. You nearly came unglued at the sight of him biting his bottom lip.

“Sorry I don’t have on fancy undies,” you said, looking down at your cotton bralette.

“Are you kidding?” he snorted before he helped you remove that garment as well, his hands quickly palming your bare breasts.

You closed your eyes, reveling in the pleasure of his calloused thumbs skimming across your perky buds. He was so light and gentle with his touch, that you almost pouted, but you knew this was his intention. To drive you crazy.

He kissed you again, his hands still on you until he backed away suddenly. You opened your eyes to see him removing his own shirt, his tattooed torso on display. Your mouth watered instantly, an automatic reaction now.

You and Harry had good sex. There was no denying it. Not that you liked to compare, but Harry was the best in bed. He already knew what you liked, what buttons to press and which ones not to (not that there were many). But the best thing about the sexual part of your relationship was that it was never boring. Even when it was just quick fucking, it was amazing. Even when it was sweet, sleepy sex, you were left satisfied.

So Harry implying - albeit obviously - that he wanted to fuck you on that tattoo chair was no surprise. But the thrill was still as strong as ever. Everything he did excited you. Jesus, just looking at him sent a bolt of electricity down to your cunt, making you squeeze your muscles together.

Letting out a breath, you reached for his belt, pulling it from the loop and releasing it. He gave you another smirk as you tugged on his jeans with your non-tattooed arm, frustrated when the button wouldn’t come loose.

“Let me help, baby,” he growled, keeping your hand in position as he covered it with his own hand and helped you pull. The button popped open, the zipper separating along with it as your tug was determined. Then Harry assisted you further, his hand guiding yours down the front of his pants.

“As if you had to help me with that,” you scoffed with a grin.

“Maybe I wanted some help,” Harry eyed you.

“I don’t think that’s necessary either, big boy.”

His sexy low chuckle vibrated through your hand while you found you were a hundred percent correct. Standing from the chair, you pulled him from the confines of his jeans, the pink, bulbous head of his hard cock greeting you.

“Mmm,” you sounded. “Maybe I could help a little.”

You released his erection for just a moment to run your hands down his chest, your fingernails raking over his pecs and the light dusting of chest hair around his nipples. But it didn’t take long for Harry to reach for your tits again, squeezing them in his hands.

“Wait…I thought I was supposed to be teasing you,” he groaned.

“So you don’t want your cock in my mouth?” you teased back.

Harry chuckled, shaking his head. “Fuck, babe, I don’t know anymore. You’re so hot. I’m so turned on.”

“I can see that,” you grinned, wrapping your palm around his cock again. Before he could protest, you fell to your knees.

“Babe…” you heard as you barely licked the tip.

“Just let me, Harry. Please? I’m begging,” you looked up at him with puppy dog eyes, batting your lashes.

Letting out a breathy chuckle, Harry gave you permission with a nod and heavy eyelids. You took your time, wetting the head first, then slowly dragging your tongue underneath his length, from the base to the tip. Then licking your lips, you wrapped them around his hard cock, giving a generous amount of suction.

You heard his heavy breathing get louder and faster as you steadied yourself with your other hand on his hip. His own hands were everywhere at first, starting in your hair, then trying to paw at your breasts, then finally settling back on your head, gently urging and guiding you.

“Fuck, baby, you’re so good at this.”

You’d never considered yourself a pro at giving head. You couldn’t even take all of him, for fear of choking. But he didn’t seem to mind. Your mouth and tongue along with your hand seemed to do the trick. After a few more swirls of your tongue, you allowed your other hand to reach underneath, grabbing his balls. He moaned loudly, another expletive rising from his chest.

“Baby. Baby, baby, stop. I don’t wanna come yet.”

Popping off of him, you smiled up at him, saliva dripping from your chin. You enjoyed pleasuring him, but you were excited to move on to phase two. With another low groan, Harry ran his thumb across your chin, guiding you back up to your feet.

“Y/N. I need to be inside you. Now.”

“Aw, you mean I don’t have to beg?”

Harry didn’t bother replying with words. Instead, he pulled down your leggings with fervor, your panties clinging to them so they slipped down together, pooling around your ankles just like Harry’s jeans.

“Turn around, sweetheart,” he patted your hip while wiggling his brows.

More electricity surging through you, you happily did as you were told, bending over the tattoo chair. You felt Harry run his hands down your ass before grabbing your hip and situating himself at your entrance. He slid in slowly at first, like he always did in order to get adjusted. But as soon as he let out a gasp that echoed your own, you knew it wouldn’t be long before he started to move faster.

Harder. His fingers dug into your flesh as he pounded into you. You bit your lip at first, then thought it silly since you were alone. As you began to moan, so did Harry. The sounds intertwined with the sexy, slow jazz were intoxicating. And when Harry bent over to grab your hair and talk in your ear, you thought you might come.

“Pussy’s so good, baby. Been thinking about it all day. Always so wet for me.”

“Mmmm,” was all you could manage.

“You like me fucking you like this?”

“Yes!”

“You like my hard cock pounding into you, my balls slamming against your wet pussy?”

“God, yes!”

“Yeah. It’s mine, innit? Your gorgeous cunt is all mine.”

“Mmhm.”

“Tell me.”

“It’s all yours, Harry. I’m all yours.”

Moaning in your ear, Harry slowed down. You wondered for a moment what was happening as you knew he hadn’t come yet. Then you felt a chill on your back as he stood up, his hands at your hips.

“Let’s get these off the rest of the way,” he said with heavy breaths, indicating your pants.

Blinking, you wiped your eyes and toed off your shoes, stepping out of the leggings as you watched Harry do the same with his jeans.

“Sorry, babe, for the interlude,” his voice cracked. “I wanna try something else.”

“Okay.”

You watched as he readjusted the chair to lay flat. Then he laid down on it.

“C’mere, babe,” he beckoned. “Climb on top of me.”

You shifted your eyes nervously. “Are you sure we won’t break it?”

“Only one way to find out,” he smirked.

Sucking in your lips, you climbed on with Harry’s assistance. You giggled at the awkwardness of it all as you straddled him.

“Just a second, honey,” he said when you were about to aim his cock. “Let me look at you.”

You glared at him, once again wondering what was going through his head. He acted as if he’d never looked at you before. But as you smiled down at him, his own lips grew into his dimpled grin, making you warm all over. He brushed your hair from your face, his thumb grazing across your cheek.

“You’re like an angel,” he murmured. “You take my breath away.”

“Harry…” you exhaled.

“I’m all yours too, honey.”

You beamed at him, knowing it was a reply to your previous admission. Then lifting yourself onto your knees, you looked into his eyes as you sank down onto his cock. You hissed as he closed his eyes, both of you already sensitive.

You rode him with determination, needing to chase the release. After bouncing on him a few times, Harry took your left hand and held it to his chest, making sure you didn’t put too much pressure on that arm. You giggled awkwardly as you tried to keep your balance, but your boyfriend was good at helping.

As you started to reach your high, the burn imminent both in your thighs and your core, you began to cry out.

“Harry….it’s so good, baby…oh, God…Harryyyyy.”

Bucking his hips against you, his hands both now on your own hips, he stared you in the eyes.

“I know, honey. Tell me.”

“Mmmmm…I’m all yours, Harry,” you bit your lip, throwing your head back.

“Y/N. Look at me.”

Blinking, you gazed down at him, his gorgeous face flushed. He groaned in pleasure before wrapping his arms around you.

“Tell me, baby. I wanna hear you say it.”

“What?”

“Tell me you love me.”

Your eyes widening, you stared at him in…no, not disbelief. Because you absolutely believed it.

“I know you feel it, baby. Just like I do. Tell me. Please.”

You’d slowed down your hips, Harry having paused his thrusts. But as you began to resume, moving faster, his gorgeous mouth hanging open, you nodded.

“I love you, Harry.”

His lips twitched before he licked them, then pulled you to him for a kiss.

“I love you, too, Y/N.”

A tiny giggle escaped your throat as realization kicked in. You were in love. And all his.

You rode Harry to the finish, reaching orgasm just before he cried out those three words again. He kissed you deeply, his tongue letting you know how pleased he was. His head falling back, his eyes closed in complete bliss, the biggest, dopiest grin on his face.

“Say it again, babe.”

You kissed his salty chest and neck, then gnawed on his stubbly chin.

“I love you,” you sang softly before kissing his lips.

“And I love you,” he echoed while your face hovered over his, your hair surrounding you both like a secret garden. “So much.”

Chatter filled the room and your ears as you suddenly heard the clink of a fork against glass.

"Ladies and gentlemen! A toast! To our man of the evening!" announced Sherrod. Harry turned to him with a bashful grin. "It has been my utmost pleasure to host this soiree for such an incredible artist. He is a viable part of this community, and I know you all join me in congratulating him at completing another remarkable series. To Harry Styles!"

As everyone clapped and cheered, raising their glasses, you heard Stan shout, "Hear, hear!"

Smiling at your boss, whom you had been thrilled to see arrive with his wife, you watched him make a taste of his own.

"Harry, my son, I've watched you sit at that same table in my cafe for over a year, doodling on your notepads and…thingamajig…" he gestured, making the guests chuckle. "To be honest, I didn't understand why my coffee shop, or why that table…or why only flat white lattes…" more laughs erupted as he patted Harry on the shoulder. "But I knew you had talent. And ambition. I'm proud of you, son. And I'm proud to say I knew you when."

"Hear, hear!" Sherrod and others cheered, raising their glasses again.

"Thank you, Stan. Thank you Sherrod," Harry choked. "This whole night means more to me than you'll ever know. All of you. I'm so humbled that each of you came tonight. This truly was special. I'll never forget it."

Harry's eyes met yours during his final words. Then as the chatter resumed, he stepped forward and pulled you into a long kiss.

"Alright you two," said Jill behind you. "Don't go find a room just yet. I need to take pictures."

You giggled as your friend held her phone up and you posed for several photos with Harry, including one where you were kissing him on the cheek. Satisfied with her shots, Jill squealed with joy and announced she had to take some more with her other friends next to Harry’s art.

A waiter came by then with more champagne, and you gladly took another glass, handing him your empty one.

“I’m so happy to see you having a good time,” beamed Harry, his arm still around you.

“I may have had a few too many of these,” you snickered, covering your mouth with your hand.

“No matter. We have that limo, thanks to you.”

“You can actually thank Shae. It was her idea.”

“Where is Shae, by the way?” Harry turned his head to search for your roommate. He spotted her next to the shrimp, talking to Kyle. His chest shook with laughter as he turned back to you.

“What?” you asked. “Kyle’s a nice guy, right?”

“Yeah. Too nice. She’s probably giving him an earful, and I’ll have to hear about it later.”

You playfully slapped his arm in your friend’s defense, though you knew he was right.

“Good idea, by the way, showing off your tattoo right away. I already have some clients lined up.”

“That’s awesome!” you cheered. You figured one of them was the nice lady you were talking to last time, since you saw her again soon after you’d arrived.

“Harry, my good man, congratulations!” another voice sounded. You both swiveled to see Carlo, his arm already stretched to give Harry a hug.

“Thank you so much for coming, Carlo.”

“Anything for you, my friend! Y/N, I don’t believe you’ve met my beautiful wife, Jossalyn.” Carlo gestured to the stunning tattooed brunette to his right.

You both gave each other salutations before Harry pulled her into a hug as well. Then they announced their exit and said their goodbyes.

“You have a lot of friends and admirers, Harry,” you commented.

He nodded. “Seems that way. I need to remember to count my blessings.”

You lifted your hand to his handsome face, and he covered it with his own, gently shutting his eyes.

“Y/N! We have to be going, guys!” John shouted, breaking your reverie.

“John, thank you so much for coming!” you told him as you squeezed him. “And for bringing Rafi.”

“Told you he’s a dish,” he whispered in your ear.

You nodded as you watched his partner shake hands with Harry, then you did the same. As soon as they left, Harry leaned into you.

“Rafael is interested in my art.”

“Your art, or something else?” you quirked a brow. “I saw how he looked at you earlier.”

Harry cackled. “I promise it was strictly a professional conversation. But if it makes you feel any better, I’ll remind him I’m taken.”

As he slid his arm back around your waist, you shook your head as you smiled up at him. “I was teasing you. I wouldn’t blame anyone in this room for wanting a piece of you…professionally or otherwise. But I appreciate the sentiment. Also, I trust you.”

“Yeah? I’m glad, baby.”

Harry brought his hand up to slide under your jaw, and he was just about to kiss you when the other man of the hour interrupted.

“Harry, lad, I have an early flight in the morning, so I must bid farewell,” said Donovan McNulty. This evening he wore a black suit with a red bowtie. You smiled at him, holding out your hand.

“Mr. Nulty, thank you so much for coming. You’ve made Harry so happy.”

Donovan leaned in and kissed your cheek, then the other. “My dear, I reckon it’s the other way around. Besides, it looks like he’s found his happiness right here, with his muse.”

He gave you a wink as he squeezed your tattooed arm before shaking Harry’s hand and waving goodbye.

The party continued for another hour or so. You and Harry both gave a lot more thank yous and farewells. Then when no other guests remained (Harry insisted on seeing everyone out to show his appreciation), Sherrod finally shooed you out to the limo.

“Thanks for helping with everything, sweetheart,” cooed Harry as he necked you in the back of the car.

“I didn’t do much,” you conveyed. “Sherrod set up most of it.”

“No, you did more than you know. I love and appreciate you.”

“Same here, handsome,” you grinned before caressing his soft lips. “By the way, I have something to show you when we get to your place.”

“Yeah? Is it under your dress?”

You giggled as his hand wandered under the flimsy fabric of the new dress you’d purchased just for this occasion.

“No,” you playfully tugged at his wrist. “It’s something I left there while we were getting ready. It’s in your nightstand.”

“Handcuffs?”

“No! Harry Styles, I’m trying to be romantic and open, and you’re being naughty.”

“Oh. I’m sorry, babe. I can’t help it. It’s just where my mind went.”

“It’s okay,” you tutted.

“What is it?”

“You’ll see.”

Harry held your hand as he walked you to his apartment. The glow of the moon shone through the balcony doors, punctuating the end of the moon-themed evening like a full stop. Although you weren’t ready for it to end just yet.

You laid your clutch bag on the counter next to his keys and wallet before he pulled you in for yet another kiss. Throwing your arms around his neck, you let his tongue tangle with yours, tasting the champagne you’d both consumed. Then he lifted you up, wrapping your legs around his waist as he carried you into the bedroom.

“Are you gonna show me now?” he asked between kisses after he laid you down.

You simply nodded, then reached for the bedside table, opening the top drawer. You retrieved a small notebook, the one you’d been writing in. Opening it, you flipped to the page you wanted to show him. When you handed it to him, he looked at you inquisitively.

“What’s this?” he asked.

“Remember when you asked me if I had a hobby, something that I was passionate about? And I mentioned I used to write?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“You inspired me.”

With an easy grin, Harry sat back on the pillows, crossing his ankles. You sat next to him, your legs tucked underneath you as you bit your bottom lip nervously.

Brilliant, blazing, glistening, glittering

The celestial satellite shines by the light reflected from the sun

Its beautiful mystery soothingly captivates us

All aglow, seemingly from within

Feminine energy that affects the rise and fall of the tides

A big balloon, luminous and serene

These are words used to describe the moon

But they are also words to describe my heart

For my heart is now a big balloon

All aglow and alight from within

From the light of your heart, the sun

Brilliant, blazing, beautiful

Wondrous and astral, my heart is now home

Lowering the notebook after reading your poem, Harry looked at you.

“It’s kinda short,” you offered with a hesitant chuckle. “But it took me forever.”

“Baby,” he said, scooting closer to you and reaching for you. “This is beautiful.”

“Really?” you crinkled your nose, still not completely confident.

“Yes, baby, really. I love it. I love you.”

Your expression softened, easing into a smile. Harry pulled you to his chest, brushing your hair back from your face.

“Thank you for writing it, but even more, for sharing it with me.”

“I figured I should, since you share so much with me.”

“That’s what I mean, love. Not only did you share your heart with me, but you put it into words on paper. It’s stunning. I’m…”

His hands still in your hair, he paused his words.

“What?” you asked as you saw a tiny tear escape from the corner of his eye and down his cheek. “Harry…”

“Can’t help it, baby,” he choked as you wiped the tear. “I’ve fallen so hard for you.”

“Me too,” you whispered.

“Tell me again, Y/N.”

“I love you…” you said, his lips capturing yours once again before you could say his name.

You didn’t mind that he asked you to say those words. In fact, you liked it. You would tattoo it on your heart if you could.

THE END

And there we have it :). Please like, comment and consider following me if you enjoyed it! Feedback is love x.

[woneuntonzz]

greatest comedian ≈ s.es, o.str

popularguy!eunseok x afab!reader x bestfriend!shotaro

“god must be the greatest comedian I know.”

contains: angst, fluff, comfort, cursing, pining (ig), mentions of alcohol, slightly suggestive jokes, humor (lmao)

wordcount: 10.8k

a/n: i'm back :0 (kinda) i'm gonna try and get to my asks soon pls wait for me :<

songfic inspired by:

“You’re funny!”

He’s heard it countless times. And he truly was. Truly, he was a delight to be around. He reveled in the laughter and amusement of others. Your image of him was no different from everyone else’s. You’ve always thought he was funny. But somehow he’s never made you laugh. Well, all he’s ever done is bring your self-doubts to afloat, and served a great part in creating this big barricade in your academic life that you’ve been trying to get through for over a year now. 

“You still like that guy? For real?” you breathe out a chuckle to your friend’s query, in harmony with the sounds of the keyboard’s clicks as you make yourself busy.

“Yes, Natty.” your voice was soft as you replied and as you did you felt Natty’s hand landing calmly on your shoulder. 

“Ever thought of confessing?” —I have, I do all the time— you say to yourself. “I mean, who knows, he might like you too.”

You almost guffawed, but Natty would only lay her head on your shoulder and she’d snap her head up at you when you answered, “On another universe, maybe. I don’t exist in his little theater show.”

“What a way to refer to someone’s blooming social life.” you darted your eyes at Natty’s poking, turning the both of you into a bundle of laughter. 

If only he could hear the melody that sounded from your lips. “Why’d you say it like I don’t have a social life?”  

“Miss Y/n, I did not say that at all. You’re delusional!” your friend gave you a light push, your arms crossing on top of one another on your chest. 

“I am not delusional!” you kept the kid in your tone whilst appearing offended. 

In fact, you truly weren’t. While as a youngin you’d hope every coincidence bore meanings, you grew up to face reality, though not accepting it entirely. A part of you hoped there was a small spark that went off every time you met his gaze, that he was just as withdrawn with you as you were with him because he was shy, that he only pretended to not care about you because he liked you too. But a view of him from afar —how his life was a movie in itself— told you you’d be nothing more but a mere extra in the extravagance of his daily proceedings. 

So when prom came around, while everyone else scurried around to find their dates, you just stood still —more accurately, sat and waited for anything interesting to happen in your life— and watched the pretty girls being picked out by men of all kinds like flowers on a nice green field. You just hated that by the end of prom night, this nice field of tamed green grass will turn into a rowdy, muddy mess stepped on by those men —if you could even call them that. The view wasn’t as sweet to you like how everyone else saw it, but perhaps it was because you were bitter. 

“Aren’t you excited for prom night? I heard Jacob will DJ this year, I bet it’s gonna be awesome.” you shrugged at your friend, unsure if you were even gonna go to prom. 

“I bet you’ll have loads of fun.” your friend was quick to pick up on your masked expression, much to your surprise.

“Hmm, is this about…” he looks you right in the eyes,“Bingo! code Eun—”

“Shh!” you bit your lip after shushing him, containing the laugh that threatened to escape from you. “Keep it down!”

“Oh, sorry.” a jesting evil chuckle was evoked from him making your face scrunch up. He laughs at you and motions like he’s about to pinch your face. “But, hear me out. Why don’t you ask him out?”

You sighed as an array of reasons popped up in your head. “Even if I had the courage to do that did you really think he’d say yes? To me?” your friend snorted at your tone, and again, looks you right in the eyes. 

“Why not?” you raised your brows as a way of asking him if he was being serious, “Look, just being for real here, you’re pretty enough to overthrow those ‘popular girls’, your cute, your talented, your actually interesting —I mean what’s there not to like?”

You gave yourself a second to think and your eyes followed the lines separating each tile on the floor, and from the distance you saw him. You were in the cafeteria, and for some reason not with Natty. Some guy named Eric had asked her to meet him in some classroom, you’ve heard from some of his friends that he was asking Natty out to prom and planned a surprise. Meanwhile your dream date was sat five tables away from where you were. Laughter filled the table he and his friends occupied. He must be so funny then.

“Y/n?” Your friend’s voice was all it took for you to avert your eyes from Eunseok. “It’s kinda rude to just stare at your crush and daydream mid conversation, just so you know.”

You can’t help but laugh, at your friend’s jovial banter and at yourself for being so pathetic. “Sorry, Sho.”

“I was kidding, it’s totally fine Miss scared-of-confrontations.” you playfully rolled your eyes at him. 

“I’m not scared of confrontations.” but his words took you a step back and you thought maybe you truly were scared of confrontations. 

“Yeah? prove it! prove it! prove it!” and he kept repeating it like a kid and you had to shush him again. “Ask him out!”

“Shotaro, I've never wanted to punch someone this bad in my life before, just stop.” and he just laughs at you again. You look to your side, and coincidentally right into his eyes. It would’ve been the highlight for your day, the best day of your week —your life even— if not for the flowers he held in his hand. And no, they weren’t for you. You thought they could never be for you. He held them in his hands whilst he wore that grin that drew everybody in his presence. You looked away, not wanting to see the events waiting to unfold before you. 

“Let’s go, Sho.” you took hold of Shotaro’s wrist, dragging him out of the cafeteria with you. Once you were out of the bustling atmosphere, you started sprinting, still not letting go of your friend.

“Where are we going?” and then suddenly you stopped. 

You could see Natty holding hands with Eric from the other end of the hallway, and some of Eric’s friends tagging along from behind. 

“Oh, so that’s where Natty’s been. No wonder.” you hear Shotaro utter quietly from behind you. 

“Yeah. No wonder.” your lips spread to a small smile, seeing how happy Natty actually is. You just hope Eric isn’t just another guy.

“Hey, Y/n, why’d you pull me out of the cafeteria? I was trying to skin the fried tofu with my tee—”

“Sorry, I just didn’t want to see it —them, I mean.” your friend just stared at you, confused, and it showed on his face. A soft, but bitter laugh came out of your mouth. You figured Shotaro might’ve not seen what you saw, or maybe he didn’t care. “‘You-know-who’ was gonna ask some lucky girl to prom.”

“Really? Lucky?” he promptly shakes his head, and now you’re confused. “I don’t even know why I asked —anyways, I saw Mr.’Funny-Guy’ holding a bouquet. You know, for a second I thought you became Flash and just gave him those and asked him out to prom at ten times speed.” you laugh, and in all honesty just wanting to look past everything you saw, and everything that might’ve or did happen after the two of you ran off.

“Yeah. Very lucky.” Shotaro shook his head again, keeping his eyes on the smile that he could recognize from all the times you have found yourself on a disappointing stand. 

“I’m sorry to say this, but, Eunseok isn’t all that. You can have fun without him. You have Natty —or maybe not her because she’s probably gonna spend time with that guy— me! you have me! and Minji, though I’ve heard someone had asked her out, that's probably why she’s not around right now…”

With pursed lips and crossed arms, you searched for the sense in his words, and when you had found it he was already looking back at you. Tilting your head to the side, you hum, a nod following shortly after. Shotaro was once again confused. 

“Shotaro, how do you feel about going to prom with me?” you almost guffawed when he shrugged.

“Well, my plan was to just stick by you the whole night so we could have fun, so, technically…” he was suddenly stuck. “We’re best friends and all…”

“Yeah, but like, I’m actually asking you to be my date. Since we’re best friends and all.” you mimicked the tone that displaced his playful one when he spoke earlier. He scrunches his nose at you as some sort of counter-attack. 

“Okay. That’s great.” he mirrors your pose and crosses his arms as well, and you both tilt your head at the same time —and it was soon followed by laughter.

Osaki Shotaro is probably the third funniest person I know, or, should he be second? —you jot down on your notes app. You now lay on your bed, just a few nights away from prom. Your notes app became a little get away for you as it was easier to type than to write things down. You swear that the world will burn once someone has seen the things you’ve very diligently typed in the app. It was your safe space, locked away from everyone. Even from Natty. Even from Shotaro. I wonder what I should wear. I wonder what he’s gonna wear, what his date would wear. She for sure said yes. Who wouldn’t? I would, a hundred percent. I’m gonna have to make sure we don’t wear the same dress, not even the same color. What’s a rare color? —your thoughts were a river with no end. It just flowed, especially when you lay alone in your room paying mind to nothing with being in such a secluded and quiet place. You were there, the cold air against your exposed skin, but you would feel nothing of it. You were deep within the depths of your perception. You itched to know. Who was the girl? —and if you were being honest, you missed any signs of him being infatuated with someone else. Who am I kidding? It couldn’t be me.

For the days that followed, you kept your mind on what to wear. Of course, not without crossing paths with Song Eunseok. He seemed his usual self —if not happier. You refuse to see it that way, to accept that whoever she might be, she’s making him twice the smiley guy he is. You’d reunite with Natty and Minji eventually. They asked if you were attending prom night because they’ve heard of the news. It had seemed as if everyone saw it coming. Maybe they are a match. Maybe they just look that good together. Maybe they’re made for each other. 

“Maybe he just asked out a friend, you know, for a friendly date of sorts. Like you and Taro!” as sweet as Natty could be, you just truly wanted to avoid conversations regarding you-know-who. You’d just smile, not sparing her a look.

It was your way of telling people to stop talking about something that upset you, and Shotaro noticed right away even though you were late to catch up on your sides pressed against each other when he scoots closer. “Natty’s right.” he was regretful of that reply, so he’d quickly avert from the topic of you-know-who. “By the way Y/n, what are you gonna wear? the color and stuff, we can match.” your head snaps up, being reminded you should’ve been getting ideas for your outfit instead of being dazed over a boy that has never even bothered to acknowledge your presence. 

“I don’t know yet. I don’t have ideas right now. Do you?” you finally look over to Shotaro, and for a second you’d jolt seeing the tip of your nose and his only a little over an inch from touching. 

He backed away almost instantly with a swift reply of, “I don’t have any either. I mean, it’d be fine by me to take charge if we didn’t have to follow an attire.”

Smack. Timely, you both gasped hearing such a loud sound coming from one of your friend —Minji, who was looking a little more enthusiastic than usual. “I have an idea. Let’s all shop together. Natty and I can work on both of you.”

Natty’s beam infected you when you looked over at her because you knew they got your backs. And that was one thing off your checklist of worries. Only a few hundred more to tick. 

“My mom said she wanted to help you get ready for prom night.” —and with a few flips of a textbook you were already off and walking back home with Shotaro, like usual.

“Really? I mean, I suppose it’d be easier if I was there, then you wouldn’t have to pick me up.” you reply with a slight pout, giving his offer —or rather his mother’s— serious consideration.

“I mean, it could be that or you join us for dinner tonight. I kind of figured Auntie would prefer it if she was the one who helped you, you’re her daughter after all, aren’t you?” your hand came to catch the laughter from your lips as he spoke. A laugh, and a sneeze, to which Shotaro responds with, “Ew.”

“Don’t ‘ew’ me!” his giggles slid through your ears, filling it up with his sweet melody. “Ew.” and of course you had to bite back. 

“What? 'ew' what?” and he kept giggling.

You could only chuckle to yourself, biting down on your bottom lip. “Nothing” you breathe out. 

It couldn’t be just nothing. Or at least he hoped. And so like every rational and mature man, he snatched the hairpin that held your poorly cut bangs from your face and ran. He was lucky it sled off easily. You chased him whilst calling out for his name, threatening him with actions you would never do. You could never. All while he giggled to himself like a little boy. 

♪ ♪ ♪

[A week ago…]

Everyone tends to only consider what’s on the surface of the water, unknowing of the storm that lies underneath the seas.

“What about Shotaro?” “Forget him.”

No apparent aggression, but betrayal could be sensed with the constant fall of his intonation as he continued to speak, “He chose her over us.” and his breath falls along with his hands that got done with smoothing out the wrinkles on his uniform.

“I mean, you would too. Isn’t that why you two got into a fight?” he shrugged at his friend.

And then laughed.

“What’s so funny?” The friend had furrowed eyebrows as he inspected the demeanor of the man before him.

“He’s talking to her everyday now. Me on the other hand?” he looks to his left, the body-length mirror of his room. “I’m so close, yet so far. I don’t even think I amuse her.”

“Why not? you’re Song Eunseok, the funny —and insanely hot guy, come on now.” 

“Yeah. That’s the problem. Funny, insanely… hot?” 

The two laughed in chorus. 

“What’s the point of being so admired by so many people if the one I’ve been admiring doesn’t even give a flying fuck?” Eunseok shook his head as he spoke, facing his mirror and checking his reflection. “If anything she probably hates —no, not hate, but she doesn’t like me. For sure.” he straightens the collar of his shirt. 

“The popular guy stigma.” he laughs at his friend’s sigh, and he replies,

“It’s true for some people. I could see why she might think I’m like them.” he smiled but his movements would be a complete contrast to it as he kept fixing nothing and dusting off nothing on his uniform. “Say we weren’t friends, and you’re a transferee, how would you see me?” he turns around to face his friend who was flummoxed with his sudden question. 

“Well, I’m an extrovert myself, so I’d probably ask you to hang out first and foremost. You’re fine as hell, you’re quite the character.” Eunseok’s eyes traveled to the ground after hearing his friend’s response. He couldn’t quite tell if it was genuine or was just a guise to amuse him. This friend was not like the ones he once had in his life. Not like Shotaro. Not like you. 

“Character?” Eunseok chuckled to himself. “I wonder if this… character was why we grew apart.” 

“You and Shotaro?”

“Yes, and no.” Eunseok’s heavy sigh almost startled the other boy. “I’m talking about the girl.” a silent ‘oh’ was exuded from the boy’s mouth as he watched the other who moved to take a seat next to him. “I don’t get how moving schools cut our ties. Shotaro and I were still friends after I moved. I mean, we were neighbors. But still. Did she really not care about me?” 

“Probably. Girls do that, don’t they?” Eunseok laughed again, with knitted brows this time.

“No. We’ll never know.” he says, running his tongue over his top lip before he continued, “We’re a bunch of dicks. How would we know?”

And they guffawed. 

“Just ask her out to prom. Before Shotaro does.” Eunseok nods at his friend. “I bet you fifty bucks you can get her to say yes empty handed.”

“Dude, it’s not in me to not give her anything.” 

[Present Day]

If I can make you laugh, you’re going to prom with me.

It would’ve been raining diamonds if he was able to carry out his plan. He would make her laugh then she’s all his for prom night, and hopefully for the days that follow. 

But now he stood —oddly quiet— with his friends in a corner shop near school buying whatever shit they had to buy. “Hey nice guy! What's up? Is your mouth glued shut? stapled?” 

One of his friends had laid their arm over his shoulders, tightening his hold when Eunseok didn’t answer immediately. “I’m fine. I think the store ran out of condoms.” the other snorts at his answer, a poor attempt at a joke.

“Do virgins eat condoms?” a loud ‘tsk’ would follow after, “If you’re getting fucked it’s by something up there in your cranium. Tell me.”

Eunseok sighed as he mustered up the guts to tell. “I didn’t get the girl.”  

Surprised, and quite perplexed, his friend removed his arm from him to look him in the eyes saying, “What do you mean? I thought Gaeul said yes?”

“It was never Gaeul.”

“Then who?”

“You.” Eunseok grabs his friend's face, pretending to pull him in for a kiss. His friend —like every straight man— would counteract his actions. 

“Ew dude, I’m not fucking gay, for the last time!”

“It’s always been you.”

Eunseok would let go of his friend hearing another one of their friends approaching as she laughed. “Hi nice guy!”

“And hi to you too, Miss Korea.” the girl giggles at Eunseok’s reply. 

“Is it true? You and Heeseung have been sleeping together?” Eunseok smirked, hearing the girl’s jesting.

“What?” Before Heeseung could speak again, Eunseok butts in with a quip. 

“Oh, yes! But he hides it, he must be ashamed of me —ashamed of loving me!” dramatic, and exaggerated, still it was one for the titters.

“I hate you, Yuna. Have a nice fucking day.” and Heeseung walks out whilst the two continue laughing amongst themselves. 

The cackles died down once the two were left alone as their friends continued to roam the shop.

“Hey, not to be nosy or anything, but did you seriously not mean to ask Gaeul? sorry I just heard —I promise I wasn’t actively listening in.” Yuna even waved her hands in front of her face to dismiss any misinterpretations. 

And with a small smile, Eunseok breathes in to reply to her. “It’s okay. We weren’t exactly being discreet about it at all.” his eyes shifted along the shelves that sandwiched the two of them. “But yeah. I asked Gaeul because, I don’t know, why not?” 

Yuna nods at a broken pace for a couple of seconds as she tries to understand, getting caught up in some holes as she went through what he told her one more time before asking, “So, then, who were you meant to ask?”

“Doesn’t matter. She’s got a date already anyways. I got a date, she got a date, you got a date, everyone gets a date. It’s gonna be fun.” he displays a wide smile, but it was almost robotic in a way that made Yuna huff trying to get over how ridiculous he looked at the moment. “Do you mind me asking about your date Miss Korea?” 

“Well, I was hoping this guy would ask me. But I don’t think he had me in mind at all. But yeah, I’m going with Sungchan, you're going with Gaeul, we all have dates. Let’s be happy.” Eunseok chuckled at the way her voice imitated his in some way. 

“Yeah. Let’s be happy.”

♪ ♪ ♪

It’s been an hour or two of Natty and Minji flitting around the boutique to find you and Shotaro some nice outfits for prom night. The theme? “Retro romance.”

“It’s fun but I feel like there could be better themes. There’d be dozens of polkadot skirts, I can already see it.” Natty mumbles in between picking out a few dresses for you to try on. She holds out a shirt dress, yellow with hints of white in a gingham pattern. “This is pretty retro, right? we could pair it with a belt and a skimmer hat with a purple ribbon.” Natty scans the piece of clothing, moving closer to you and holding it out next to your figure. 

Your head snaps instantly when you hear an utterance next to you, “It looks cute.” Shotaro was a bit taken aback with how all three of you stopped just to look at him just because of his short little comment.

Minji approached, coming from a section of the boutique just a little farther from where the three of you were. She came walking with a few items at hand. It was a plain long sleeve shirt, white, a plaid suit vest —in the same color as the dress Natty held—, and some flared trousers in a darker shade of yellow, just a little muted. 

“Oh my god, oh my god, you guys need to get into the fitting rooms right now!” you giggled at the way Natty gushed and rushed to get you and Shotaro on your feet. 

Her giggles were all it took for you and Shotaro to speed to the fitting rooms. Once the dress went over your head and the skirt settled against your bare legs, your hands traced the shape of your waist seeing how perfectly the dress fits and hugs your body. You loved how the color complemented your skin. Like a perfect painting, freshly polished. You walked out of the fitting room, eyes glued to the flow of the skirt. Once your feet have crossed the line that separated the fitting room from the rest of the boutique, your eyes land on the floor. Your lone feet were now joined by another pair dressed in white Nike air force 1s.

Looking up to your right, smiling eyes greet your own. “Sho, you look dapper!” your exclaim lifted the corners of his mouth to their highest point. 

“Wait till I get my hair done.” he says with his chest up and then playfully biting his lower lip. 

You laugh at his face, slightly shoving him from where he stood with a light push. He —very gently— bumps his shoulder onto yours, causing you to tilt a tad. With a little chortle, you tell him, “You don’t really need to get it done. It looks good the way it is.” as you ruffle his hair.

He lets out a giggle, so soft and gleeful. “Whatever you say, pretty.”

Walking back to your friends, from a distance, their eyes welcomed the two of you. Their compliments almost fell from the end of their tongues. A gasp leaped over Natty’s words, her hand rushing to catch her breath. “You look cute together!” and you almost gagged from all the cooing. As opposed to you, Shotaro just smiled, his eyes were smiling too. Smiling at you. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary —you’d convince yourself. But your cognition went offbeat when you met his eyes, and yours would hastily look around for something, anything to subside the feeling that was simmering from within you. 

You were thankful that Minji made her comment before anyone noticed. “You look like twin bananas.” your face would scrunch up, and she’d slightly repel, speaking again, “I was trying to say the colors looked cute!” you hear Shotaro’s giggle again. Instinctively, you peered at him. Your best friend.

He used to be your best friend too. 

“Y/n?” 

You shook your head, your lips forming the best smile you could pull out of your blues. You raised your brows at your best friend who had called you out of your thoughts. “I like these outfits. Let’s get them, yeah?”

“Yeah. I like them too.” he nods along with his words. “Told you you’d look great in anything!” he gently nudges at you when he spews the acclaim.

Just days before he assured you that finding a decent outfit would be no problem, emphasizing that “you already look good with just our school uniform on.” —you’d dispense a hearty cackle, though, you knew he must’ve been sincere with it all, you only intended to humor the situation. All for the sake of not having to foster thoughts about everything he’s said to and done for you for the past two weeks after the ‘you-know-who incident’. 

All the while ‘you-know-who’ feigned folly. It was the only way he could ever allow himself to overlook the facts that unfolded from across the street in front of him. The fact that her happiness radiated in high magnitudes. The fact that she laughed with someone else, wore stupid banana-colored matching outfits with someone else —that she laughed with that guy as if he was the greatest comedian she knew. It was the fact that she was happier without him, and that he could never make her laugh like whilst she held on her tummy as her face formed creases of joy. She was only on her way out when he saw her. It’s the happiest he’s ever seen her. No matter how much he loathed the cause of your glee, seeing her smile, grin and giggle made him float to the skies. He daydreamed about what it could sound like, her laughter. Must be delightful with how tightly the other guy had clutched onto her hand. Eunseok looked away before he could fall any deeper. He crossed the road, and her too. He caught a whiff of her almond saffron perfume, and he fished for her gaze only to be met with the eyes he despised the most. “Osaki Shotaro pisses me off.”

Eunseok was now in a cafe to meet up with Gaeul for the first time ever since asking her out to prom —impulsively. She was yet to arrive, so he got on the phone with his dear friend Yeonjun. “We know, we know. But if you’re that competitive why don’t you make moves huh?” Eunseok breathes out a scoff after hearing Yeonjun’s taunting.

“If you knew me at all, you know i’m all but competitive.” Eunseok kept his gaze on the bell above the door, any moment from then it could sound Gaeul’s arrival, not that it was enough for him to pay mind to. 

“Yeah, you’re all that, aren’t you?” Yeonjun tittered from the other line. He calmed himself down at an instant when he realized that Eunseok was shut quiet. “You know, Sungchan told me something about his sister, Y/n.” Eunseok had parted his lips, but was unable to utter his next words —those which he had trouble finding— so Yeonjun spoke again, “He said she liked one of her best friends back then. It could be you or Shotaro, but what if it’s been you all along?”

Foot tapping at a pained tempo, Eunseok almost choked holding back a guffaw. “Me? Was I the one she’s been hanging out with? was I the one by her side when her dog died? or when she received such a shitty exchange gift when she had spent loads of time and money for her gift?” Eunseok swore he could see Yeonjun with pursed lips. 

The bell sounded just as Yeonjun replied, “It’s not entirely impossible—” *phone beeps* Eunseok ends the phone when Gaeul greets him with heart eyes. Like every girl would. 

It didn’t make sense to Eunseok. Every other girl liked him, stared at him for too long sometimes. You were —in his world— every girl. You were the girl that laughed at him when he skinned his knee while he raced against the wind with his bicycle. You were the girl that gave him your frosted animal crackers when he left his lunch box at home. You were the girl that hid her face when she cried after he had told her that he was moving away with his family. You were the girl that pretended not to recognize him at the themepark when he came around to visit again. You were the girl who continued to shun him everyday now that you were in the same highschool. You were all that —and more— to him. You were every girl in his life, in his story, in the little sit-com he lived in.

“So, what do you plan on taking for college?” he stared at the girl who queried him, though it was not clear to her —nor to himself what exactly he was staring for, or at rather. 

Eunseok clears his throat, digging around in his mind for the answer, “I plan to take a b-a —uh, public relations.” he chuckled seeing how she fought the grimace from spreading throughout her face. “Sorry if i’m not the computer science or architecture typa guy.”

Gaeul quickly wards off any misunderstandings by hastily shaking her head as she utters, “Sorry, I just haven’t heard that from anyone before. In fact, I'm quite unfamiliar with it.” he leisurely nods, his teeth subtly digging into his bottom lip at the last rise of his head. “Would you mind explaining it to me? your career path and all.”

He raised his brows, a low chuckle, barely audible, was trapped behind his pressed lips. “No, not at all.” maybe, just maybe, he could get his head out of the past, the memories of you. You. Maybe after he’s gotten to know this girl that actually acknowledged his presence and seemed to be genuinely curious to seek for what’s beyond his social persona. The talk was definitely long enough for their lava-hot coffee cups to run cold. And surprisingly for him, there was more gained than said.

♪ ♪ ♪ 

Prom night came around, but before it did you made sure to avoid crossing paths with him, or taking turns at the wrong corners and run into him and Gaeul —again. You were never able to be verbal with how grateful you were that Shotaro had been sticking to you ever since you’ve gone to the boutique. His puns and your exchanged banters drew your attention away from Eunseok. 

At prom night, Shotaro picked you up with his dad’s car. You scrambled around looking for your purse when you saw him from outside your living room window. He leaned his back against the driver’s seat door, waiting and anxiously fiddling with his fingers. You released a deep exhale once you were faced with your front door. Shotaro stared at the door mat, and when he saw that bright yellow skirt flowing with the cold wind of the night, he gazed up. His eyes lit up as if they had sparklers in them. He had seen you in this dress before —at the boutique, but somehow the atmosphere and the anticipation of taking your hand in his and dancing with you on the dance floor all night made him feel like it was his first time ever trying to catch your eyes behind that beige skimmer hat you wore. 

With only a few five steps distancing the two of you, you greet him. “Hi.”

“Hello.” after a minute of —unnecessary— loud silence, you both burst out laughing. “I’m Shotaro, and this pretty girl’s name would be?...”

Your hands settled on your waist, tilting your head —and finally locking your eyes with his. Your lips would curve into a small smile, giving into his little roleplay. “The name's Y/n.” you hold your hand out for a handshake, and you receive it in no time.

“Well, good eve Miss Y/n. It’s my first time seeing you around here, perhaps you’re from out of town?” you suppress your giggle, lips pursed as you composed yourself.

“I could say the same about you.” he chuckles at you, eyes all smiley, like always.

“It doesn’t have to matter pretty, would you dance with me tonight?” he asks with raised brows, and a voice silk like whiskey. 

Though his voice caused a short stagnation with your breathing, you cleared your throat, hoping that would ease the one-sided tension. Then suddenly, you gasped, “And for you to expect me to go out with a stranger? how bold!” and very dramatically too.

His eyes dilated, again, laughing against his lips. He gradually pulled his occupied hands from behind his back at the same pace at which he spoke. “Maybe, a little gift would change your mind?” and by then, a bouquet of chocolates —your favorite kind— was being waved, just slightly, right in front of you. 

“What? I thought you were saving up? those are expensive!” a hefty load of air went through your nose, taking in the sweet scents of cocoa and sugar.

“Not really expensive, just pricey—”

“Same thing!” Shotaro’s chest was struck by your gentle hand, and he’d hold it there. Your palm was pressed against his heartbeat. You kept your eyes on your hand as you felt for the thumps on his chest. It was paced and certainly not calm. “Sho… you okay?”

With your gaze up at him and a flick of your lashes, his hand found its way on top of yours. And for a while, he’d clasp onto your hand, his grip growing tighter with every count of a second. He gently guides your hand off his chest, lowering it on level with your waist. “I’m taking that as a yes, pretty.” he utters softly as he guides you to the passenger seat of the car. 

Once you were seated, you stared straight ahead, not minding Shotaro who went around again to get into the driver’s seat. You anxiously fiddled with the fabric of your skirt, and once you heard the driver’s seat door close, you patted down the cloth and smoothened it with your hands. 

“Are you okay Y/n?” the boy beside you asks, and you —obviously— had thoughts running in your head by the looks of your eyes alone. 

“Yeah, it’s just…” you were quite embarrassed to admit, “I don’t get why I’m like this either, but…” but it’s nothing Shotaro hadn’t heard from you, right? “I don’t know if I’ll enjoy it if I saw him there with another girl. I’m sorry, Sho.”

You watched as Shotaro’s hands took grasp of the wheel, his thumb grazing against the leather ever so slightly. “Prom is not about Song Eunseok. We can very much enjoy it without seeing him at all. How about we just pretend he doesn’t exist for the night? how’s that sound?” He was calm, and so sweet sounding. He held out his hand with his palm facing the sky, offering to ease your worries. 

You took this offer, just for the sake of feeling better and getting your mind off of who wasn’t there for you, and who hasn’t been for eight years. “Thank you, Sho.”

Now his thumb grazed over the skin of your hand. “Anytime. You know I love you, right?” 

“I know, you’ve been telling me that since we were kids.” you giggled at each other, before the engine started and you were both off to prom night.

♪ ♪ ♪

For most of the night, you stuck by Shotaro —as promised— and you two danced, even though you were quite the dancer yourself, he urged you to join him. It was fun, even more so for him. He was so kind to you tonight, so gentle. Well, he’s Shotaro, and he’s made you smile, giggle, titter with his little jokes, his compliments, his smile. 

“Thank you for tonight.” you were sitting at an empty table. You had laid your head on your date’s shoulder as your eyes wandered around the scattered bunch of attendees dancing the night away.

Prom king and queen were to be announced after the current song, you heard from one of the other attendees. “Thanks to you too. I had loads of fun.” the back of his hand gently bumps against yours. You caught the signal, placing your hand on top of his palm. He closes in on your hand, and opens it again, then closes, and opens again, “Look, it’s an alligator.” he giggles right into your ear, continuing the closing and opening motion as he brings your entwined hands to your face. 

“Sho!” you breathe out as a laugh follows shortly. “Hate to break it to you, but that’s not what an alligator looks like.”

“Oh, okay then.” he removed his hand from underneath yours, and soon your palms touched each other. You very carefully lift your head from his shoulder, and your eyes land on his face, observing the way his nose scrunched up when he started playing with your hands. “How about this?” he lifts your hands to your face again, showing the little alligator he had created with your joint hands. 

And then your eyes meet. Your smile was so soft, as well as your eyes. He thought he was going to melt into a puddle. He just hoped nothing would ruin this serene view. You’re so delicate and beautiful. The night went exactly like how he planned —for the most part. You two were all smiles and laughs when your sides were pressed against each other or when your hands were connected. But one instance of you separating to get drinks for both you and him, he wasn’t expecting you to come back with tears brimming at the corners of your eyes. It was his instinct to always be there for you, and so he rushed to take you in his arms. It hurt him that you weakly tried to fight off his embrace, but then you broke into a sob and meekly laid your weight onto him. His hand encloses yours as he takes you back to the car. He thought about driving you home, so you can rest and feel better. But he took a turn away from where you lived.

“Where are we going, Sho?” your dainty voice pricked his heart.

“Just, somewhere.” 

He didn't let go of your hand till he took you home, but until then, you both sat by the riverside with juice boxes and convenience store sandwiches. 

“What’s wrong with me? he doesn’t even care about me, or you —at least not anymore.” you munched on the cold sandwich salted with your own tears as you spoke. 

“Well, at least he doesn’t hate us, right? and look, I’m pretty sure if you asked him for help, or a favor or something, he won’t refuse.” Shotaro had his eyes on you only, even if he had asked you to take a breather and watch the river flow. He sighs softly, seeing your gloomy eyes blinked continuously to fight off the tears. “Friends grow apart, it really isn’t his fault he found friends he enjoyed being around with more than—”

“More than us. Yeah, I get it.” a bitter laugh escaped your lips, and you gulped as a single tear trickled down to the side of your face. 

Shotaro was quick to not let it run down to your neck, wiping it off with a gentle touch to your face. You took a hold of his wrist, calmy removing his hand from your face and moving it to let it settle on his lap, but before you could let go of him, he brought your hand back in his with one swift motion. Your eyes grew wider than before, blinking a few more times as you held eye contact. 

“Can I ask for a favor?” you blinked one more time at his question. 

“Yes Sho.”

“I know you like Eunseok —still, and I know you don’t have it in you to just forget him, especially when we used to be the best of friends.” 

You took a stuttered breath, eyeing Shotaro’s fingers as he drew shapes on your hand. 

“But please, forget him.” and another stuttered breath. “It doesn’t have to be now —what I’m trying to say is, if he managed to stop looking out for you, I won’t. No matter what happens.” your eyes soften, keeping it locked with his. “Even if you say no to my favor.”

You raised your brows, visibly confused. “Isn’t the favor to forget about him?”

You felt his grip on your hand tighten, and you could see the movement in his throat as he gulped. 

“Y/n, can I court you?”

♪ ♪ ♪

[Earlier that night…]

“And now, for prom king…”

It was undoubtedly,

“Song Eunseok!”

Great. Just great. Eunseok badly wanted to just drown in the crowds of people, but instead he allowed himself to be pushed onstage by his friends. And there he stood, next to the prom queen —thankfully, it was Yuna, and not just some other girl. The girl seemed to be ecstatic, giving Eunseok a high-five. Still, after being crowned and a brief photoshoot session, he hurried back to his date who wore rosey cheeks and a shy smile. 

“Hi prom king.” She greets him as he gets closer.

Once he was right in front of her, she wrapped her arms around her neck. He wasn’t surprised, not until she got on her tiptoes to place her lips on his. Just for a short while. 

“I like you, Eunseok.” he blinked once, biting onto his bottom lip.

He couldn’t quite figure out what it was, but suddenly his head was brought up —just above Gaeul’s head— where from a distance, he spotted you. Looking so sweet, so flawless in that yellow shirt dress. He loved how you just walked around with that smile he’d always daydream about. In those five seconds of him marveling in the sight of you, he never realized you were looking right at him, then at the shorter girl in front of him. And with a blink of an eye, you were gone. 

“Eunseok?” he cleared his throat, finally looking back at Gaeul. 

He ponders for a while, and he looks up again. Then he meets another pair of eyes. It belonged to the arms that held you that night as you sobbed. 

“I like you too.”

It was all too late, wasn’t it? There was no way Shotaro hadn’t already planned to ask you out after tonight. Right?

[Two weeks later…]

“How’s it with Gaeul?” Eunseok shook his head at his friend’s query, almost laughing at the tone of his question. 

“We’re fine, Chenle.” he replies with a slight sigh, which only drove his friend to question him more. 

“Yeah, yeah. But, are you really over… you know.” Chenle brought his eyes to the side.

Eunseok knew better than to look at where his friend’s eyes laid on, instead he’d just answer him, “I’m not. But it wouldn’t hurt to try. Besides, doesn’t she look happier?” 

“She does.” he almost broke into a pit of laughter with how fast Chenle responded to his words. 

“She really does.” Eunseok would repeat to himself, only very subtly looking over at your direction.

So close, yet so far. And now, completely out of reach. He watched from the other end of the hallway as you unload your locker, and right next to you was Shotaro who held everything you took out of it, filling his hands. After closing your locker, you’d take half of what he held. Then you laughed. To this day Eunseok was still curious. Did your laugh sound any different after eight years?

“Bro, don’t you think you’ve been looking for too long?” 

Eunseok finally parts his eyes from your sight, looking back at his friend with the smile he always wore around school, the one that no one could ever really tell whether it’s superficial or genuine.  

“What do you mean? It’s only been eight minutes.”

And eight years. 

♪ ♪ ♪

Highschool went by like a fly, so irritating that it lingered for a while. But you were happy that even though you’ve taken a dozen bites, you were still able to be the luckiest of the lucky. Especially with him by your side. Maybe it was too early to speak on things, but you are in your second year of college now, and he’s never stopped looking out for you. So you did the same for him. 

“Hey Sho?” you spoke into your phone after the ringing stopped. 

“Hi Y/n! sorry I can’t join you for lunch, but for dinner we’ll definitely—” he was cut off by your soft chuckle, finding himself freezing up for a second.

“I know Sho, you told me last night. So that’s why—” you took the steps up to his department’s building, stopping by the glass doors. “I’m here to drop off your lunch.”

“Lunch? Wait, I’m running down right now!”

“Entrance two.”

“Entrance two, got it —what did you get?”

“I cooked!”

“You cooked? holy shit, okay.”

You purse your lips as you suppress your laughter, and within under a minute, you see him running from the inside towards the transparent doors. He rushed out of the doors, greeting you with a hug. You were both giggling against each other. 

“Sho!” you almost dropped the lunch bag when he spun you once. 

His eyes smiled at you —like always— once he’s let go of you. You wore a wide smile, biting your lip as you extended your arm to give him the lunch bag. “This is way better than take out.”

You chortle and shake your head. “How would you know? you haven’t even tasted it yet!”

“I’ve tasted your ramen!”

“Instant ramen doesn’t count!” 

You wished you could just bask in each other’s little banters and laughs, but eventually he had to go back to finish what he was working on. 

“Natty will join us for dinner, she and Eric had another fight.” you tell him as you fixed his collar a bit. 

“Again? What's going on with Eric?” you shrugged at him, finally smoothing out his shirt. 

“Nobody knows.”

You understood why people fought, that sometimes, even the smallest things on the surface could indeed be plunged deeper than the depths of the oceans. Now all you could hope is for the couple to reconcile. You knew them both well enough by now to tell that both of them mean well at the end of the day and in some way are just trying to protect each other. 

That’s why at dinner, you were all eyes and ears for Natty as she went on with the details of how everything went down, and you held her hand seeing that it was difficult for her to let it all out. By the end of the day, she’d thank you and Shotaro, and the two of you would be left in the confines of your apartment complex. The talk lasted for longer than what you’d expect —not that you mind— and when you looked out the window, the sky was black and blank. The street lamps were all lit, coloring the streets amidst the darkness. You breathe in once, turning around, only to be met with Shotaro who was getting ready to go home. From what you can recall, he wasn’t gonna be busy for a while. 

“Sho?” his head snaps up from his shoelaces that he was only getting started to tie back up. He hummed you a reply, smiling so dearly and letting his eyebrows rise a tad. “Can I ask you a favor?”

He was a bit taken aback at your question, but he could never say no. “Yeah, of course! "What is it, pretty?”

That feeling you felt back at that old boutique was coming back to you, and in its fullest form. No longer something you would ward off and ignore, but something you wanted to accept and embrace. You thought maybe you were somewhat a bit standoffish, not being able to see through your best friend’s compliments and cute little nicknames —not to mention everything he’s done for you. You thought it was kind of funny. Then, it only took you eight seconds to spot Eunseok within a crowd, but it took you eight years to realize that your bestest friend of all saw you more than a best friend. Funny how you’ve kept Eunseok name at the top of your ‘funniest people I know’ list when no one had ever made you laugh as much as Shotaro did. You made a mental note to yourself to edit that later on, but for now,

“Stay for tonight. It’s quite late.” you glanced over to your wall clock. “A quarter till twelve.”

His eyes shifted around for a while, like he was looking for his answer around the space of your home. “If it’s fine with you, I would —but really, I can go home just fine. I can call you while I walk home.”

You chuckled, taking in his wide open eyes and slightly parted lips. You subtly chew on your bottom lip for a second before telling him, “I want you to stay, Sho.” 

He was a frozen stick of butter by the time those words left your mouth. And he’d let himself melt when you came close to remove his scarf off of him. He removes his shoes, then his coat. And for a while you both stood in front of your door, just staring at each other before laughing at each other's faces —with no particular reason. He takes both of your hands, keeping them warm with his own. 

“Now, about the favor…” your eyes shy away from him as he tilts his head.

He fishes for your eyes, asking, “Wasn’t this the favor?” a soft giggle escapes his mouth just as he finishes speaking. 

You can’t help but giggle too. This time you look him right in the eyes. “Sho, we’ve been best friends for fourteen years.” he gulped at your words, feeling a little nervous with the way you spoke. “And you’ve been courting me for two years.”

“And a half.” he sheepishly adds. 

You breathe out a laugh, “And a half.” you mumble as you intertwine your fingers with his. “I think we should stop being best friends.”

You can’t help but laugh at the way his face contorts at what you said. “Wait, what?” “Wait, what I’m trying to say is…” you both utter at the same time, still being mindful of your volume —you had neighbors after all. 

“Can I be your girlfriend already?” 

You were smothered with a hug, tiny pecks and his sweet giggles. The next thing you know, you were laying on your bed, all cuddled up against each other. He caresses your hair, something he’s always wanted to do. 

“You know we can be together and be best friends at the same time, right?” he whispered to your ear, holding you closer to him. 

You only hummed a reply to him, feeling too tired to open your eyes or speak up. You’d hear one last giggle and feel strands of your hair being moved out from your face before you drifted to sleep. 

♪ ♪ ♪

[Eight months later…]

It was a busy day. You were lined up to seize an opportunity of a lifetime, and you haven’t even graduated college. You were hopeful that they might consider your talents. A wise man by the name of Shotaro once said, “Fashion design is your thing, you can do it! I bet twenty.” you really hope you’d lose that twenty bucks. 

“Y/n?” you were spooked for a second, it’s a familiar voice. “Hi!” and a very familiar face.

“Gaeul?” your eyes dilated at the sight of her. 

She’s just as pretty as the last time you saw her. “Long time no see!” she opened her arms, inviting you in for a small hug, which you accepted gleefully. “How have you been?”

That single question brought you to lunch with her, and of course you had to bring Shotaro along. 

“I’ve always thought you two looked cute together, I’m glad to see the both of you happy.” she gives both of you a soft smile. 

“Thanks, well, how about you? still with Eunseok?” you quietly gasp, stilling yourself in your seat but still knitting your brows at your boyfriend. 

You felt that neither of you were really in the place to ask about her love life. “No, it’s okay!” Gaeul’s assurance helped calm your nerves. “I’m single.”

The two of you just nod, and you found that it was best to not pay much mind to it anymore. You engaged in constant conversation throughout your whole time eating, it was all very wholesome, and you were happy that Gaeul was making steps to achieving her dreams just like you were. The talk about relationships seemed to have sinked, well, not until Shotaro had to excuse himself in the bathroom.

“We were never together —at least it didn’t feel like it.” Gaeul’s utterance caught you off guard. You fell silent all of a sudden, and she noticed. “It never felt real. I cut ties with him after three weeks. And then he told me that—” she flicked her tongue over her top lip for a short while, “He liked you.” 

You took a second to take a sip of water, gulping like you were drinking thick sand.  

Despite parting with smiley farewells, her words dropped a heavy load on you. You carried it till you got back to your apartment and got settled on your bed. It was so heavy that you dropped it all on him, at a seemingly random moment. 

“She said he had a picture of me from our 8th grade yearbook in his pocket.” 

What you had shared with Shotaro struck him like livid thunder. He didn’t expect that Eunseok’s feelings for you would persist. He just wondered if it’s still there. But he could only hope for the best. Even after the whole conflict of two best friends liking the same girl —who also happened to be their best friend too— Shotaro still cared for Eunseok, even if he seemed entirely indifferent to him.

But it didn’t have to matter anymore. You chose him. He’s the one in your home, on your bed, always by your side, never to leave you.

♪ ♪ ♪

[Eight years later…]

What was once a small, dull colored room with faulty curtains and ugly flooring became a shared bedroom, in your shared house with the love of your life. Where the sunshine seeps at dawn, and the moon peeks at your dreaming bodies at night. It felt wonderful. Love felt so wonderful. Shortly after moving in together, you adopted a dog. You didn’t get that opportunity with that one clothing line back then, but now, you owned a line of your own. Your life couldn’t be anymore complete. 

Even if it wasn’t perfect. The flaws only proved your happiness to be real. After a night of too much alcohol at your highschool reunion, Shotaro would tell you exactly why he stopped talking to Eunseok. He cried about it all, saying that he knew all along that you two liked each other. But you were all over it now, and it was Shotaro who’s been by your side. Not everyone was able to attend that reunion —because apparently they were too successful to be there.

Yuna, you knew she was a friend of Eunseok. She approached the two of you at your table, greeting the both of you with a warm smile. “My boyfriend’s having a stand-up show this saturday, I was hoping the two of you could come. In fact, he wanted me to invite you guys.” then you were given two tickets for the venue. 

There weren’t any other details, the ticket was white, with not much but the title of the show. 

The next morning, you’d discuss it with Shotaro on the dinner table. You were sitting next to each other, his arm wrapped around your waist and his head resting on top of yours. “The time is pretty tricky, I have work scheduled at that time.” he plants a kiss on your temple before continuing to speak, “You should definitely go though! I’ll pick you up after, then —remember that dog cafe I told you about? we have to visit it after.” 

You giggled, looking up at him. He couldn’t resist by then, and would lower himself a bit to kiss you. And it wasn't a short one, more like a twenty-minute film. Nonetheless, it was beautiful, and you’ve never felt so loved. 

That Saturday, you went to the venue alone, but not without having the sweetest breakfast of your life with your lover. Pancakes with chocolate syrup, whipped cream and a few berries, and of course, a cup of coffee before proceeding to your own schedules for the day. 

You took the bus on the way there since Shotaro had to leave earlier. The show was a little later in the afternoon. 

When you got there, you looked for any familiar faces, but it was only when you got seated that Yuna came and sat down next to you. You two greet each other with inviting smiles, and a few minutes before the show starts, you’d converse and catch up a bit, after all, it’s been eight years.

“Gentlemen.” a voice echoed throughout the room. 

When you looked up at the stadium, “Gentlemen, may I have your attention —and ladies, I know I already got you.” 

What a surprise. And it was a pleasant one at that. He fits this line of profession. He seemed to enjoy being up there, talking and joking about whatever. It was just like meeting him all over again. He’s just being himself up there. Your best friend from childhood, that sadly didn’t even make it till middle school. Now, you were finally able to laugh at his jests, sometimes stopping for a while to process what he was saying. Still, the atmosphere was light and fun. The audience was truly alive, and so were you. 

At one point, he started talking about his girlfriend. Not quite hard for you to figure out since you remember Yuna mentioning at your reunion party that you were being invited to this show by her boyfriend, Song Eunseok.

“So, I finally decided to do something about it. I bought one of those electric blankets. Problem solved, right? Wrong. Now, our bed is divided like the Korean Demilitarized Zone. She’s over there toasty warm, and I’m on my side sweating like a marathon runner in a sauna. But you know what? I wouldn't trade her for anything. Because at the end of the day, it just gives me another reason to hold her close and keep her warm. And that, my friends, is how you win brownie points with your girlfriend.”

You can’t help but share a laugh with Yuna, letting her hold on to your shoulder as she titters. 

Eunseok saw you, how could he not when you were sitting next to his girlfriend. He was only a bit curious about Shotaro’s absence.

You’d explain it to him at the end of the show, “Sho’s got work, but he’s coming to pick me up.” you both stood just outside the venue, at the side of the building with a little less people going around.

“Sho? What happened to Taro?” Eunseok raised a single brow, and you’d chuckle. 

“Because you used to call him Taro.” you reply with a slight smile.

“Right.” he nods, his pace decreasing gradually as he tries to reach for something at the back of his tongue, “I’m just curious, did you actually hate me back then? like, when I moved and stuff.”

You chuckle a little louder, leaving him puzzled. “I liked you. I just avoided you. I just thought you didn’t care anymore.” you answer so simply, shrugging towards the end of your sentence.

“I thought you hated me, that’s why I wasn’t talking to you.” you took a sharp breath through your nose when he finished speaking. 

Then suddenly you both snort at the whole thing.

“It’s funny.”

“It really is.”

As your laughter died down, he’d clear his throat to ask you, “So, are you and Taro married?” you could see his eyes locked on the ring on your finger. 

“Engaged.” you nod, and he imitates your action. 

“Wow. I should propose to Yuna right now.” your eyes widened an inch, he could be joking, but you wouldn’t be surprised if he actually did. Besides, you could tell how much he loved his girlfriend just by that one ment he did earlier at the show.

“So suddenly?”

“Yeah, so then we’d be even!” 

It reminded you of a time in your childhood where you’d share your food with him because he forgot his lunchbox. You usually gave him more food, just cause you could, but then he’d give some back to you and he’d say, “Now we’re even.” it pulled on your heartstrings, but now you kinda wish you gave him just a piece or two of your animal crackers —and maybe two sips of your apple juice when the weather’s nice. 

“I’m afraid I'd scare her off and she’d say no.” 

“Really?” —you truly were a bit shocked that he was worried about being rejected. “Well, I believe she’ll say yes.”

“Really?” he imitates you again —the tone of your voice, “What makes you think that?”

You gave yourself a few seconds to think about what you were gonna answer to him. Suddenly you remember what you’ve written in your notes app. The funniest people I know. 1. Osaki Shotaro, 2. My dad, 3. Natty… he was off the list, but now, maybe it was for good reason. He was always known for being funny, now he has built a career out of it. Maybe, he was the greatest comedian of all. 

“You might just be the greatest comedian I know.” 

He laughs at your declaration of his greatness with his hands in his pocket, “I’m probably the only comedian you know.” —and more laughter.

He appreciated that you thought he was the greatest comedian. But as he looked back on the past, a past that was once painful, full of regret and missed opportunities, where you missed each other and realized only later in life. That period of your life would still prove to be pivotal. Right person, wrong time? maybe, but what else could it be other than silly memories when you find yourselves laughing about it. You’ve already settled for a love that you both deserve, a love that mended your hearts. It was all for the better, no matter how downcast all of it may seem. Worth a laugh, and a good story. 

The story started with oblivion, and a bouquet of flowers you never received, but it ends with two pairs of engagement rings, and two pairs of smiling hearts. That’s four people —in case you missed it. 

God did a great job writing their fate. And to Eunseok, God is the greatest comedian of all.

End.

cheers to a hundred peeps!! :3

[bri-cheeses]

Letters and Pens - Part 2

| Rosekiller microfic | Word count: 549 | A follow up to this microfic |

-

The next morning, Evan awoke to an empty dorm. Reg, he assumed, hadn’t even slept in his bed, most likely having stayed with James somewhere.

Barty had no such excuse.

Memories from last night plagued Evan as he reluctantly got ready and went to breakfast, praying that no letters from Barty Crouch Sr. would be waiting for him or Barty at the table.

He realized he needn’t have worried about it, though, as soon as he walked into the Great Hall. Barty wasn’t here, and it was too early for the post to have arrived. Which meant Barty hadn’t received anything yet, and that Evan could probably intercept a letter if one did end up arriving. Things would be fine.

Probably.

Evan really hoped that Barty didn’t remember last night. He needed him to not have remembered last night—Barty having practically thrown himself at Evan, Evan having extracted himself from the situation in order to salvage their relationship, Barty having proceeded to flirt with everyone else there…

Evan really shouldn’t have been thinking about that. It was way too early for these kinds of self-deprecating thoughts. His toast was still warm, for goodness sake.

It was best if he just pretended like it didn’t happen.

A sudden clatter opposite him caused Evan to look up, toast halfway to his mouth. Dorcas now sat across from him, looking harried as if she had run to breakfast.

Evan put his toast down.

“You okay?” he asked.

She looked up.

“Huh? Oh,” she said, looking down like she had just now realized her rushed appearance. “Yeah. I—overslept. And I was worried about being really late. Although, it doesn’t appear as if I’m the only one who’s tardy today.”

She looked around the table as if the rest of their friends would suddenly materialize. Evan just shrugged.

“I’m assuming Reg is with James somewhere. Barty…” he trailed off, clearing his throat. “Uh, I don’t know where he is. You got any idea?”

Dorcas suddenly looked way too uncomfortable for Evan’s peace of mind.

She shifted, looking anywhere but Evan’s eyes and she responded, “I saw him with some Hufflepuff girl last night?”

It came out as a question, and she also winced as the words came out, but Evan could tell she meant what she said.

He looked down as his toast, lying lonely on his plate. He blinked.

Well. Had he really been expecting any different?

Yes, a small voice whispered. Evan immediately shut it down. He didn’t need that right now.

He cleared his throat again. “Okay. I guess I should’ve guessed that.”

He laughed somewhat bitterly, avoiding Dorcas’s gaze.

“Evan,” Dorcas said softly.

And nope. Still too early for this.

“Hey, do you know what we’re doing in potions today?” Evan asked, cutting her off.

Dorcas looked taken aback at the abrupt change in topic, but mercifully, she went along with it, rambling on about the complexities of some new potion Slughorn wanted them to try.

From there, breakfast progressed as usual as it could without Barty, Regulus having arrived halfway through. But despite the absence of Barty, they managed just fine, talking and smiling and laughing with each other like it was any other random Wednesday morning. Even if Evan wasn’t doing much of any of those things, really.

-

(Part 3)

[heartbreakprincehbk]

Lucky (Kerry Von Erich x Reader)

Words: 2401

Summary: Requested by anon! Reader isn't into Valentine's Day, but Kerry insists on giving her a surprise Valentine's Day date at home. Thanks for the request, hope y'all enjoy!

*images from pinterest

“Any plans for Valentine’s Day tomorrow?” You looked up briefly in mild annoyance and had to remind yourself it wasn’t the grocery store clerk’s fault that they happened to be the third person to ask you that this week.

“No.” You said, giving a stiff smile as you gave them the cash for your items. 

“Yeah, I understand. This time of year is no fun single.” They said, continuing the conversation as they counted out your cash. You debated whether it was worth it to correct them before deciding to keep your mouth shut. “Well, have a great day anyways.” You mumbled something of the same and grabbed your groceries, purposefully looking away from the big Valentine’s display of candies and flowers on your way out of the store.

It wasn’t that you hated love, or even that you were single, it all just seemed kind of pointless. A big over-commercialized competition to make everyone feel bad as though they had to quantify their love with big expensive displays of affection. You simply believed that showing your love in other ways every other day of the year meant more than a big show one day of the year.

Besides, with Valentine’s Day falling on a Saturday, you were more than certain your boyfriend, Kerry Von Erich, was going to be slamming other men into the wrestling mat. You were used to that sort of thing, and it was much worse not having him around on Christmas or Thanksgiving. It was nearly impossible to complain; you knew it bothered him more than you from the pained look in his puppy dog eyes every time he had to leave. You did your best not to make him feel any worse about it. You could handle one Valentine’s Day alone compared to those.

Kerry knew you weren’t a big fan of Valentine’s Day. The very first one you spent together, Kerry had given you a dozen roses, a giant teddy bear, and chocolates, and while you thanked him, you very quickly let him know your preferences. 

“You don’t have to spend all that money on me, it’s not a big deal.” To say he was confused was an understatement.

“Is this a test to make sure I actually still buy you gifts next Valentine’s Day?” Kerry checked. 

“No!” You giggled. “I just don’t think it’s necessary to make a big deal out of one day and waste money.” You hoped he got the message. Really, just being with Kerry was a gift of its own. 

Now, another Valentine’s Day was upon you. So far so good as you woke up with no fanfare. Kerry had already gotten up and was working out in the garage as per usual. When you finally made it downstairs to make some breakfast, Kerry made his appearance. He froze when he saw you.

“Good morning,” you greeted him. He hesitated, looking you over like you were a word puzzle he was trying to figure out. Eventually, he was able to speak. 

“Hey–oh, good morning. So hey, baby, uh…so, my mom and Mike wanted to take you to lunch today.” He explained somewhat awkwardly. You frowned a little.

“But I just saw her for lunch yesterday. She didn’t mention it.” You said. Kerry scratched his head, avoiding your gaze and giving a half-shrug.

“Yeah, uh…well, I think it was last minute. Maybe, uh…Mike’s idea.” You frowned a little. “I gotta shower and go meet Kev. My mom said she would pick you up around 1 pm.” Your frown deepened.

“Okay.” You said, smiling slightly when he pressed a kiss to the side of your head on his way out of the kitchen. 

Doris was right on time with Mike in tow. The three of you went into town to the local deli, where Mike proceeded to take much longer than normal to eat his sandwich. 

“Are you feeling okay?” You asked him. Normally, Mike inhaled his food in three seconds. He looked panicked at your question and took a big bite of his food, prolonging his response.

“I’m fine. Why?” He asked, eyes shifting. You laughed a little. “I’m not acting weird.” From the corner of your eye, you saw Doris shaking her head.

“I didn’t say you were acting weird, but I’m wondering if I need to go complain about your sandwich because normally it would have been gone by now.” You said casually, smiling as Mike’s eyes grew even more panicked.

“No, no! It’s uh, good. Really. I’m just…trying to eat slower. You know, um…avoid choking.” You were biting back a laugh. “Um. Do you have any plans tonight?”

“Mike.” Doris reprimanded. 

“It’s okay.” You said, smiling. “No, I’m just planning on catching up on cleaning and maybe I’ll treat myself to a hot bath and tea or ice cream or something. I know Kerry has his show; if it were closer I would be there.”

“You know, it’s been nice weather the last few days for February. I haven’t had to worry about the plants freezing.” Doris said suddenly with a smile. You nodded, listening pleasantly to her latest tale of trying to keep her vegetable garden alive. 

After lunch you assumed you would all go separate ways, until Mike blurted out. “Uh, Y/N, I was gonna meet Kev at the record store down the street. Do you want to come?” You frowned a little.

“I thought Kerry was meeting Kevin somewhere today?” Mike swallowed.

“Oh, uh…maybe, maybe earlier for a second, but Kev said he was free this afternoon.” 

Your mind was turning. Had Kerry lied to you? You did your best to hide your thoughts as you said goodbye to Doris and walked with Mike to the record store. 

You were positive Mike sifted through every record in that store, but you knew how much music meant to him, so you said nothing and waited patiently, flipping through a stack on your own here and there. You noticed after a while he was hanging on to an Eagles record. 

“Is that a good one?” You asked. Mike shrugged shyly.

“I’ve had my eye on it for a while.” You smiled and took it from his hands.

“My treat. Come on,” his eyes stretched wide. 

“What? Really? But Y/N, you don’t…”

“Tell me if it’s any good.” You insisted as he followed you to the checkout line. “You know, you’ve shown me some great stuff already. I always go to you if I want something new.” You smiled at the way the youngest brother averted his gaze with a bashful chuckle, his cheeks already turning red. Right as you were paying, Kevin walked in the door. 

“Hey you two. Mike, what did you find this time?” Mike excitedly showed his record to Kevin who nodded in approval, before he looked at you. “C’mon, you two. Let’s get you home, Y/N.” He seemed to be in a hurry; that made sense due to the brothers having a wrestling show a town over that night. 

You wanted to ask Kevin about Kerry, but you knew it wasn’t really Kevin’s place or fault if Kerry was lying to you. Was it possible that he had met someone else, was he using the holiday to woo some new girl, maybe a fan he had met? Suddenly, the idea of Kerry waking you up with a dozen roses sent a longing pang through your heart, but you pushed the thought away. You would simply ask Kerry later. 

For now, you focused on the moment you had with Kevin and Mike, laughing in the car together about the last time Ric Flair was in town and the less than welcoming reception he had received, and how Kevin had nearly taken the win and trying not to give into the disappointed feeling creeping up on you.

“See you boys,” you said as Kevin’s truck pulled up in front of your house. “Good luck tonight, Kev. Enjoy that record, Mike!” They both waved and you sighed a little, walking up towards the sure-to-be empty house. The sun was beginning to set ever so slightly, the sky growing more orange and casting shadows over the lawn. Now alone, you allowed yourself to feel crest-fallen. 

You pushed your key reluctantly into the lock, resigning yourself to the evening you had described earlier, only to stop once the door swayed open. In the distance, you could hear faint music playing. You listened for a moment, frowning in confusion. It was a cheesy ballad—Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time.” The lights were off, and you made your way towards the kitchen, where the music was loudest and a hint of warm light was spilling into the hallway.

“Kerry?” You called, gasping at what you saw. Kerry was standing waiting next to the dining table, fighting a big smile, his chin raised and hands behind his back. He was wearing jeans and an apron designed to look like a tuxedo with nothing underneath. The table was covered in a white table cloth and at the center was a big vase of cascading roses, along with more scattered rose petals and two dinner plates. Candles were everywhere, from the table to the kitchen counters, and even a few tea lights on the ground.

“Kerry! What is all of this?” You demanded, frozen on the spot, laughing at his apron. An overwhelming sense of happiness, love, and surprise filled you as you looked from him to the area surrounding you.

“I cooked dinner.” He explained, as if he were discussing the weather, laughing finally as you laughed.

“But why? Kerry, you should be halfway to Tyler right now for the show!” His grin widened.

“Yeah, I know. But Kev’s covering for me; he’s gonna wrestle the tag match and take my spot in the main event too.” 

“What! Why?” You repeated. Kerry laughed again as if you were missing the point and walked closer, wrapping his large arm over the top of your shoulders to pull you closer and kiss the top of your head. 

“You sure do ask a lot of questions.” He noted into your hair, making you chuckle. “Because you’re important and I love you.” He grabbed your hand and led you to the table, pulling out your chair for you to sit before sitting across from you.

“Kerry…” you breathed, looking down at the plate. It was a very impressive looking chicken Parmesan on a bed of pasta. “This looks amazing.” He smiled.

“Thank you. Just don’t look at the sink.” You giggled, imagining a mountain of dishes and utensils. “I’ve been practicing with mom the last two weeks. I think it turned out perfect this time—the first time the chicken was too tough. Anyway, I think I’ve nailed it now.” You were blown away by the effort; Kerry could cook simple and remedial dishes, but an entire entree was surprising. “Try it and tell me what you think.”

He seemed to be waiting to take a bite of his own food until you took yours. You stared at his anxious face as you took the first bite.

“Kerry, this is so good. Wow. You’re definitely gonna have to make this again.” He was back to glowing from your praise. “But, I mean, I still don’t understand why.” His smile softened.

“I know you always said you don’t want a big deal made out of Valentine’s Day and not to fuss over you, but…I can’t help it. I love you, Y/N. I want to do these things. You always said you don’t want me to buy anything, or go out anywhere, so I decided the best way to show you how much I love you is to treat you at home.” 

“And your mother and Mike? Were they in on it too?” Kerry laughed.

“I asked them to hold you up for as long as they could to give me time to decorate and cook.” Suddenly, everything made sense–Mike taking his time eating, dragging you through every corner of the record store, Doris trying to keep your mind off of Valentine’s Day, even Kevin. Suddenly you wondered how you missed all the signs. 

“And you didn’t actually go to meet Kevin.” He looked almost sheepish.

“No…I went to buy the flowers and everything else I needed. But I couldn’t tell you that.” You laughed, shaking your head at how silly your prior worries suddenly seemed. 

“I’m a little embarrassed, but…I was afraid you lied about meeting Kevin because you were meeting someone else and spending the day with them.” You admitted. Rather than getting angry or defensive or even offended, Kerry only looked confused. 

“What? I’d never do that to you, baby. I just wanted to surprise you. I’ve been trying to plan this out for weeks now, I think since Christmas.” A feeling of utter peace and contentment filled you. How lucky were you?

“Oh, Kerry…this is perfect. This is everything I could have wanted. Thank you.” You smiled, and he reached across the table to grab your hand with his much larger one. 

“No, thank you. I just wanted to make sure you were treated right on Valentine’s Day. Because I’m here, and as long as I’m here, you will be.” 

“And every other day?” You teased, laughing. Kerry grinned broadly, his thumb rubbing across your knuckles. 

“Especially every other day.” He promised. “Boy, cooking really gets you hungry.” He said as he picked up his fork again, making you laugh. “I rented a movie too for after, and maybe we can make some ice cream floats. Oh! I’ve been meaning to tell you, the funniest thing happened the other day. The last time Ric Flair came to town, he had a rough time. There was a kid chewing gum in the front row, and he didn’t like Flair, so he took the gum…” 

You listened enthusiastically to Kerry telling the story, despite the fact you had already heard the tale from Kevin. Instead, you settled into your chair and picked up your fork, focusing on the sparkle in Kerry’s eyes, the way the glow of the candles warmed his handsome features as the flames danced, the way his perfectly tousled curls framed his face. Your cozy little kitchen felt warmer than ever and so full of love that it radiated from every nook and cranny. Really, how lucky could you be?

[daisyblog]

I'm Late

Our Story Masterlist Summary: YN realises her period is late. Warning: swearing, missed period, possible pregnancy

YN's POV:

We were in New York for a couple of days as the boys were playing at the MetLife Stadium. As it was our sister Lottie’s birthday, Louis and I decided to fly her out for a few days to join us. She had arrived yesterday afternoon with Eleanor, so we had been catching up in between the busy tour schedule. Us girls, including Sophia Liam’s girlfriend, had planned to go and do a bit of shopping whilst the boys were in rehearsals ahead of the show this evening. I was in mine and Harry’s hotel room, sitting on the floor in front of the large silver mirror finishing putting mascara on and Harry was still in the shower when there was a desperate knock, and the door flew open and Lottie appeared. “Lotts..you can’t just walk in here babe..Harry could have been getting dressed or somethin’” “Well..it’s an emergency..I’ve forgotten to bring pads with me and..and..I don’t know where to get any from” she ranted in panic. “Alright..calm down..I’ve got some in me bag” I calmed her and got up from my position and went over to my suitcase where I kept my toiletries. I picked up the product and passed them to her “There you go babe”. “Thaaaanks…you’re a life saver..I’ll see ya later” “See ya later Lotts..oh and remember to wait after you knock next time” I reminded her as she walked out of the hotel room and muttered a ‘yeah whatever’. As I sat back down to continue getting ready, a thought came to me. How did I have a full packet of pads still? When did I last have a period? I brought my Clue app on my phone to check…’late for 4 days’…”Shit…shit..fook..shit” I kept repeating to myself. For a moment, I didn’t move, I sat and thought. How could I be late? I’ve never been late, ever! I’m on the pill…I couldn’t be..could I? I was lost in my own thoughts and didn’t hear the bathroom door open and Harry steps out until his voice startled me. “What’s going on in that pretty head of yours?” he spoke as he proceeded to pull a pair of black shorts up over his legs and up to his hips, hiding some of his tattoos.

“Umm..I-I..I’m late” “Late?” he looked confused as he grabbed a white T-shirt from the suitcase and placed it over his head, covering his body “Late for what? Shopping?”

“Nooo..late as in..you know late” “Am I suppose to read your mind…’cause I don’t have a clue what you're talking about” A sarcastic chuckle escaped his lips.

“My period’s late” I didn’t know how he was going to react. Was he going to leave, tell me to leave..was he going to be angry at me?

“Okaaay..and?”

“Wha’ do you mean..and?...I could be pregnant”

“Yeah I know” he said calmly and continued to tie a black bandana around his head. If I wasn’t so stressed I probably would have made a comment about how much I loved this look on him and how hot he looked.

“You know..so..so..w-why are you so calm?” “’cause believe it or not…I’ve thought about having a family with you” Any other time this would have made my heart melt, but right now all I could think about was being on a world tour and possibly carrying a baby inside of me.

“Well yeah…It’s obviously crossed my mind..but not during a world tour and at nineteen”

He walked over to me and grasped my hands in his and lifted them so they were around his neck and placed his hands on my hips “Okay..what’s going to happen is…I’m going to go to rehearsals and you’re going to go shopping..” “But” I interrupted. “Uh..let me finish…you’re going to go shopping and have a lovely time…if you can do it without being seen then buy some tests and we’ll take them together later” “I-if they..you know..say I’m pregnant…will you be angry?” “Of course fucking not…can I tell you something?” “Yeah” “I’m hoping that you are” he admitted. “Really?” “Yeah…I love you so much…and…and imagine a mini you and me”. He leaned down and captured my lips with his own. I began to worry about how he would react if the tests were in fact negative. “I love you too…wh-what if it’s negative?” He chuckled “Does that head of yours ever stop worrying?” I shook my head no “If it’s negative then…It’s just not the right time and we carry on just us two..until we think the time is right..yeah?” “I don’t know what I did to ever deserve you” I placed a big peck on his lips making his lips turn up into a smile. “Right..I’ve got to go before I’m late” he patted my bum lightly “I’ll see you later at the stadium…go and enjoy your day baby” Leaving the hotel room, but not before leaving a peck on my forehead.

---

We spent the whole afternoon exploring New York, eating lunch outside and chatting about all thing’s girls, we looked in every shop we passed, and Lottie took full advantage of me saying she could have anything she wanted in the MAC shop and I would buy it for her birthday. What are big sisters for, ey? What took me by surprise was that I didn’t even think about my missed period or the conversation Harry and I had all afternoon until we passed a small pharmacy. I looked around to make sure no fans were following us and explained to the girls that I needed to pick up some more toiletries as you had run out, and they said they would wait for you by the coffee shop next door, so we could travel to the stadium together. I picked up the box with ‘ClearBlue’ written boldly on the front and took it to the counter to pay for it, swiping my card and then leaving before anyone noticed me.

Once we got to the stadium, I made it my mission to find Harry. After looking in the obvious places, the kitchen, backstage, bathroom, and even the little cleaning room at the end of the corridor, still my eyes couldn’t find him. I made my way back to the boys' dressing room and as I turn the corner, my eyes find him. “I’ve been lookin’ for you” we both say together, making each other laugh.

“You okay?...Did you get them?” Harry asked as he looked around making sure nobody was listening. “Yeah…shall we go and take them now…you know..to get it over with” Harry took my hand in his and intertwined our fingers as we walked down the long hallway towards the bathroom. As Harry opened the door for us, we both turned when we heard an Irish accent “Wheeey! Don’t let Louis catch you both going in there” he teased us with a chuckle.

“Piss off Niall” Harry jokingly shouted back at him, whilst I rolled my eyes at their childishness. Once Harry locked the door behind us, I got the box out of the bag and began to open the box as I went to pull the test out, I felt a pair of arms sneak around my waist and a voice in my ear “You okay?” “Yeah..just a bit nervous”. Harry placed his lips behind my ear and let his linger there for a moment before he spoke.

“Heey..it’s all going to be okay..remember what we said this morning”

I left his embrace and removed the lid from the test as I walked towards the toilet. I followed the instructions and pee’d on the part at the end of the stick and then placed the lid back on before laying it down on the counter in front of us. Those 5 minutes of waiting felt like years, we were silent for the whole time just waiting to see if our life was about to change. Harry’s timer he set on his phone startled us. “Do you want us to..look together?” I heard Harry’s voice for the first time in minutes. “C-can you look…I’m too scared” “Okay” Harry tried to hide the shakiness of his hand as he reached for the plastic sitting on the counter that held our answers but I could see the slight shake of his fingers as they held the test. I saw some sadness in his eyes and I already knew. “It’s negative”. I didn’t know what to say but Harry broke the silence as he pulled me into his arms and held me to his chest “But that’s okay isn’t it…means we can try again when we feel ready”. “Yeah..I guess..” “No..c’mon..we’re not going to be sad..let’s make this into a positive..means we can do lots of baby-making practice before the time is right” Harry joked, making you laugh against his chest. “I suppose some practice wouldn’t hurt” “C’mon let's get back, before Niall stirs some shit with Louis about us sneaking off to the toilet for a quickie”

As we walked back to the dressing room with our hands intertwined,  where everyone was spread out sitting and chatting. Again, the Irish accent was heard “That was quick”, confusing everyone else with his words to which Harry playfully pushed him off the arm of the chair he was sitting on and muttered ‘Don’t be jealous Horan’. And as I watched on, I was reminded that a baby was not ready for this type of chaos.

Tag List: (let me know if you would like to be added) @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy @harrys-flower @platinumbarbie143 @frickin-bats

[elisysd]

6. How can I move on when I'm still in love wih you?

Masterlist - Previous - Next

Chapter soundtrack: The Man Who Can’t Be Moved - The Script

Landing in New York brought a sense of joy, excitement and thrill. It had been so long since you had been there. You missed the city, you missed the people, and missed the busy atmosphere. However, you had not missed the airport and the labyrinth it was. Deactivating your airplane mode you immediately noticed the strange notification that popped up on your screen. Charles had started to follow you on Instagram. He had even sent you a DM. You had to admit, the guy was persistent. 

Hey. I forgot to ask for your number, I hope that’s okay. I’m in New York and it’s my first time there. I was wondering if you had any recommendations of if you were willing to organize a group tour with my friends and my brothers? You told me you were willing to help me learn a thing or two about baseball but I was wondering if it could apply for New York itself? If you don't, that's fine.

You bit your lips. There were a few things that were making you overjoyed in this world and showing New York around to people was one of them. You didn’t think twice and quickly replied that you would love to. You would just have to ask your friend first to make sure he wouldn’t mind. Once your suitcase was retrieved, you rushed to the arrivals terminal, searching for your friend. You were quick to notice him, his Yankees baseball cap on his head, letting his blonde curls appear and falling on his blue eyes. You didn’t hesitate to run to him, throwing your arms over his shoulders as his hands found your waist to hold you closer. 

“Oh gosh, Stan, how I missed you.” you mumbled.

“I missed you too, butterfly. A whole lot. Life here is not the same without you.”

“I’m sure you managed.”

Stan took your suitcases and you made your way towards the exit to his car. You started to tell him all about your work and your daily life and he did the same. You had so many things to catch up on that the ride home went smoothly and fast. Once at his place, you went to the bathroom for a quick shower and when you came back he had put a few snacks on plates. 

“So… I was thinking. Do you remember that karaoke bar we were always going to when we were students?”

“How could I forget?” you replied, drinking your orange juice in one gulp. 

“Wanna go there? For old times sake?”

You happily nodded before your mind drifted off to Charles. Maybe he would like to come? It was in a trendy area of Manhattan and it was your favorite spot in the city, you would love for him to discover it. 

“I have a… colleague who is also in New York. With friends. Would you mind if they were joining us?” you asked. 

“No, of course not. I would love to meet them!” Stan smiled.  

You took your phone quickly to send Charles a text with the name and address of the bar as well as the hour you would be there. You reassured him, saying it’s lowkey and no one would bother him there. 

I’m in a meeting right now and I don’t know if I’ll be able to make it on time. I’ll try my best though. 

You wondered why you felt a pinch in your heart while reading his text. It was not as if you absolutely wanted him to be there, it was just a meaningless proposition. You shook your head, hoping to make the strange thoughts go away. Charles was nothing to you. And yet, if it was really the case you wouldn’t have to remind yourself of it. So, to distract yourself you proceeded to dress up for the evening and have fun with Stan. Maybe then, you wouldn’t think of Charles too much. 

The neons were as bright as what you remembered and the sushis were still to die for. The karaoke singers were a mix of mindblowing talent and whales dying, but you didn’t care. Stan was making you laugh, telling you anecdotes about your classmates and keeping you updated on his whereabouts. But you couldn’t help yourself but to watch the front door, secretly hoping a certain someone would show up. It was starting to get late, you were there for two hours already but had no intentions of seeing the night end that soon. 

“You know, I really missed you, Y/N.” Stan said over the noise.

“I know, you’ve already told me at least three times since I arrived.” you laughed.

“No, I mean. I really missed you. I missed us.” he repeated, putting a hand on yours to squeeze it. And suddenly, it was all so clear to you.

“Stan…”

“No, listen to me. We had something going on, you know it, I do too. It was good. We were good. I was good to you. We were a perfect match, everyone could see it. And then I made the mistake of letting you take that fucking plane back home… there is not a day that I don’t regret it.”

You sighed. You didn't want to have the same conversation as last year.

“You know why it had to end. I had just gotten my dream job and with the constant traveling required, long distance wouldn’t have worked out. It was nice, I’m not denying it, but it’s over.” you tried to explain. 

“I know that. I know what it implies but I swear, we can work it out. I’m ready to make it work out, just give me a chance.”

“I don’t want a relationship.” you stated and as he was about to reply, the door opened revealing Charles followed by Andrea, Joris, Arthur, Antoine and Lorenzo. You let out a sigh of relief that Stan caught. Following your gaze, his jaw clenched when he noticed the group coming in your directions. 

“I’m sorry, I’ve been caught in my meeting and then Andrea and Joris managed to get lost in New York and came back late but we’re here.” he smiled, taking a seat naturally next to you. 

He introduced you to everyone before trying to get to know Stan. He noticed easily how cold he is towards him and didn’t fail to see how he was acting towards you, making sure to make Charles understand that he knew you very well. He saw how his eyes were glued to you as you were talking to Joris and Andrea, even laughing with them. 

Stan suddenly got up to go to the bar and came back a few minutes later, two drinks in his hand. A beer for him and a cosmo for you. 

“Your favorite, butterfly.” he commented, letting his hand linger on your shoulder. Charles heard you thanking him with a smile and he couldn’t help but feel a rise of competitiveness in him. It was a warm feeling, something he had not felt in a long time. Was he jealous? Why would he? You were nothing to him. 

He didn’t really have time to focus on it as he felt you standing up to go to the stage. He stared at you maybe a little bit too long as he felt Stan getting closer to him. 

“She is gorgeous, I know. And I know exactly what you are thinking about but just to make it clear, she is mine and I’m hers. She doesn’t realize it yet but she will eventually. We have history, we belong together. You will never compete.” he told him with a smug look on his face. 

Charles was about to answer when the first notes of Abba’s Dancing Queen started and soon he felt captivated by your presence on stage and forgot about Stan. He wasn't worth his breath. Especially when he was not sure about what he was feeling for you. It would be stupid to start something he was not sure he would finish and to ruin your night. You were kind to invite him, he didn’t want you to regret it. 

Though, Stan was right, you were gorgeous. Absolutely breathtaking. For the first time he was seeing you so carefree, so far from the image you had built of yourself in the paddock. You looked younger. And it didn’t matter how off key you sometimes were, he was enthralled by you, like a sailor attracted to a siren’s call. 

When you came back, you were smiling so much that your cheeks were hurting. You went to Charles who was still speechless and flustered. 

“When are you showcasing your singing talent?” you asked him.

“Never. I’m down to show you my piano skills whenever you want but singing is not something I’m good at.”

“Come on, not even for fun?” you tried to persuade him.  

“Well, if singing is not your thing, it’s mine.” Stan interrupted you both and went to the stage. 

You didn't understand why Stan was so harsh towards Charles but you hated the look he gave him and the wink he sent you made you feel ill-at-ease. And when the first notes of The Man Who Can’t Be Moved by The Script started to play, you gulped. This song bore a lot of meaning for both of you. It was the first song you had sung together here, a song that reminded you of your relationship with Stan. You started to fidget on your seat and when the first chorus began you couldn’t hold it anymore. You got up, took your bag and left under the wide eyes of Charles and his friends. The Monegasque didn’t wait for his friends as he did the same as you, following you outside. 

You were hailing a taxi that didn’t bother to stop, making you swear, and when he got closer he heard you crying. 

“Are you okay?” he asked. 

You glared at him. 

“I’m peachy, just crying for fun. Have you ever tried?”

He ignored your sarcastic tone and got closer. 

“I just want to leave this place. Why is it so hard to find a taxi?” you were starting to get angrier by the second.

“Hey, Y/N… calm down, okay. We are going to find a taxi and I’m taking you back to where you stay. I’m not letting you alone when you look like a mess.”

“I don’t want to go back there…” you started to admit, a lump in your throat. “I’m staying at Stan’s and I don’t want to go back to him. I don’t expect you to understand…”

“I won’t ask you to explain. Let’s go back to my hotel room. You can stay there if you want. I will give you the bed.”

“It’s not a good idea…”

“I insist. Don’t worry about a single thing. You need somewhere to stay, away from your friend, let me help you. Let me be a good friend.”

You ended up accepting. 

“I don’t have anything… everything is at Stan’s. Would you mind going with me so I can retrieve my things and leave his keys?”

“You don’t even need to ask.”

There, you quickly packed up, giving your suitcases to Charles before writing a note quickly to tell Stan that it was not a good idea to be there and that you preferred to leave. As you walked out, you left the spare key under the rug and followed Charles outside. 

The ride to his hotel was made in silence. But for once, it’s a nice one, it’s peaceful, it’s comfortable. You didn’t want to jump out of the car and you felt the emotions of the day washing off. You yawned and snuggled further into the backseat. When you arrived, you followed Charles closely until he revealed the room he was staying in. You shouldn’t be surprised to see how big and luxurious it was, but here you were. It was so foreign for you. He let you take your time to change in the bathroom while he put a few pillows and blankets on the huge sofa. When you got out, seeing him struggling to find a good position to sleep made you feel bad.

“I should be the one sleeping there. It’s your room, I’m just an intruder… and you need to sleep well. It’s important for athletes.”

“Shut up, will you? I’m good, don’t worry about me.”

Still, you felt guilty. You looked at the bed. It's big enough for four people at least. And you didn’t know what went through your mind, but when you heard your voice speaking, you knew there was no coming back and that you were about to play a dangerous game. 

“It’s a big bed, both of us will fit easily in it. I don’t mind… as long as this stays between us. No one can know.” you said.

Author's note: A little jealous Charles just for you heheheh

Don't hesitate to leave a comment or an ask, as well as reblogging and leaving a like. Besides the fact that I absolutely love to read you, it helps a lot for the story to find its audience. I also have a taglist for this story, so if you want to be added so you never miss a chapter, let me know.

If you wanna be part of the taglist, let me know.

Taglist: @itsjustkhaos @thirstylion @cmleitora @charizznorizz @sltwins @boherahpsody @herondalism @roseamongthorns13 @aundercover

If you are tagged and do not receive the notifications, please take a look at your parameters!

[sandwicz]

Mermay!!!

My contributions to mermay

Mermaid!kazuha x gn!reader

Cw: mentions of death, drowning, thriller-ish?, not proof-read, fluff

You've always been so curious about mermaids, yet will this one trip to the sea late at night satisfy your curiosity? Or will it make you regret ever coming at all and make you meet your doom?

Cw: mentions of death, drowning, thriller-ish?, not proof-read, fluff

I found no pics of mermaid kazuha so have this fanart of him i made instead

✧-------------------------------✧

You’re neither a fisherman nor a sailor, you're just someone whose home is near the ocean. Your house stood on a dock. It was relatively large for you and your family to live together. Your house is not far from civilization. Only a few distances apart, a distance that’s just a walk away.

As someone who grew up near the sea, you had a fascination with the ocean and its creatures. Especially about mermaids, who are said to live in the ocean. You had heard locals’ stories of the mermaid’s malicious intentions—how they would seduce sailors or fishermen and drag them down into the bottom of the sea to devour them in the end. This led to your curiosity growing even more. How do they look? What made them so seductive in a way that would lead people to their demise? How do their songs sound? Was it so beautiful that people could get hypnotized by it? The more people warn you about the ill-will of the mermaids, the more you long to see them, or at least catch a glimpse of them.

“Have you heard?” one of the older people said while you were spending time helping them with tasks, “Poor Hanaki’s dad went out to sea a few days ago for fishing and never returned.”

“Oh really?” Another elder said, “It must be because of those mermaids. Aiya, you should not fish at night these days. It’s too dangerous.” The elder proceeded to face you. 

“(Name), please remember, do not go out to the sea at night, mermaids are wicked. Don’t fall for their charms… The next thing you know…you’ll…you’ll”

“Don’t worry, grannie,” you interrupted, eyes full of fondness, smiling at how much they care about you. 

“I won’t.” You swallowed a bitter lie. You knew they cared a lot about you, and would be very sorrowful if you were to be gone, yet the feeling of curiosity ate you up inside. You’d rather meet your end than not know anything or see a mermaid at all.

You planned on sneaking out at night quietly and going to the sea to hopefully see the mermaid. You’ve rented a boat, which you’ll use to go to sea during nightfall. You waited a few days after that conversation, a little bitterness still remaining in your mouth. 

You thought of tying yourself to the boat you’ve rented during your quest, in such a case that the mermaid will drag you down to the sea, the buoyancy of the boat might be able to help you stay afloat unconsciously, while you’re in a daze. Hopefully.

The night you’ve waited for finally arrived, and you quickly snuck out through your bedroom window while all your family members were still deep in their slumber. You brought your notebook with you, so you could at least take note of what happened or try to draw what the mermaids looked like. All the mermaids in the books you’ve read have no definite appearance—one looked like a half-human half-fish, the other looked like a sea cow, and many other various illustrations in the book left you even more confused. For once, if you can actually see them, you’re lucky, there might be a huge possibility that you won’t see a mermaid at all.

Out of excitement and a tint of fear, you warily got on the boat, tied your wrist tightly to it using a rope, and paddled your way out into the sea with two oars. A little lamp illuminated your boat and the ocean blue surrounding you. 

You kept on rowing and rowing until you were far from the shore.   

---------------------------

This is it. You've arrived, your plan to sneak out finally worked. You are now floating on the boat in the middle of the sea. The waves are calm. You are finally here! Congratulations!

...

...

Now what.

You pondered on the boat, you've only planned this far. Will you just sit idly? Will you just wait for a few minutes and then return? Should you go back after a few hours? Or should you go back when the sun has risen?

While in your pondering state, you suddenly caught a glimpse of something moving in the waves. White scales reflecting the moonlight—only a little part of it is shown over the surface, however, before quickly disappearing back into the water. 

You swore you saw something in the water; it couldn't be your eyes playing tricks on you, right? That might be the mermaid you were seeking. 

You look out of your boat to see a quick shadow underneath it; it's as if something had swum under it. Your heart beat out of your chest, and you couldn't contain your excitement. Finally, after all that anticipation, you might be able to see it.

You stuck your hand out of the boat into the water, hoping that the creature you saw just now would appear again. You let your hand rest idly until your hand suddenly touched something smooth in a glimpse. It must be it; you're so sure of it. This must be a mermaid.

You then got up from sitting down and perched yourself on the edge of the boat, ducking down near the water so you could see the mermaid. You looked down under the water, letting your head get closer to the surface of the water. When you did so, you suddenly saw eyes looking back at you.

You got so taken aback that you suddenly sat back on the boat out of instinct. After calming yourself down for a few seconds, you perch half your body on the edge of the boat again. There you see it—those eyes that spooked you. You stare at those eyes for a long time; how can you not? 

Those eyes—those beautiful scarlet eyes—those radiant and stunning eyes. Those eyes reminded you of the sunset—a view from the mountains. The red sun that affected the clouds in such a way made the skies behind it beautiful gradients of red, orange, and yellow, with pink too. Eyes that you can simply drown in.

“H-Hello,” you whispered. You finally understood how some sailors could get hypnotized easily. They were so ethereal, after all.

The mermaid rose from its position to reveal its head above the surface of the water. You rose back and ended up with your knees on the boat and your hands on the edge of the ship instead of bowing down. 

You finally got to see it—a mermaid’s feature. You noticed the mermaid’s platinum blonde hair with a red streak on it. 

“H-hi,” you spoke again, still unable to process the fact that you just saw a mermaid,”c-can you understand me?”

The mermaid nodded. It held out its hand, expecting you to take it. 

“U-uh, I can’t…” 

The mermaid perked up and tilted its head sideways.

“I.. I can’t just go with you,” you continued, “I… I can’t. I’m sorry, I should return now.”

The mermaid stared at you.  

“Thank you for this, but I should return now,” you said to the mermaid, hoping it would understand and let you go.

Unexpectedly, the mermaid closed its eyes and nodded. It returned to the waters and swam away, disappearing into the darkness.

You watched as the mermaid swam away…

What. was. that.

You saw it. You actually saw a mermaid and interacted with it. Now what. Do you just return home? Just like that? Tell everyone? Keep it a secret? You don’t know.

Oh, how you wish you could see it again. 

You paddled your way back to the shore. It seemed like the skies were still dark. All of a sudden, something tilted your boat; luckily, you held on to it out of instinct. However, whatever tilted your boat knew how resilient you are, and tilted it again with full force, flipping the boat upside down.

Crap. The light in the boat was gone. You didn’t manage to see whatever tilted your boat. You are now alone in the darkness, with whatever is lurking in the water preying on your defenseless self. It is only a matter of a few seconds before it might strike you and end your life. 

You quickly tried to tilt the boat again, pushing as hard as you could while anxiety was in your spine, urging you to be faster in whatever you were doing. Fear strikes you like lightning. You panicked. You tried to calm down, but it's hard to do so in your state. At this point, you just hoped that whatever was in the water would end you in a quick, painless way. 

In your attempt to get above the surface of the water to be able to breathe while also trying to tilt your boat, something held a firm grasp on your ankle and tried to pull you down all of a sudden. You panicked even more. You tried to shake your ankle to be able to get yourself free, but whatever pulled your leg was strong and pulled you further. The only thing saving you was the rope you tied yourself to your boat with, which kept you from being pulled down easily. However, that wasn’t enough. The rope tied to the boat did keep you from being pulled down, but it couldn’t keep your body, or at least your head, above the water, which made you unable to breathe at all. 

You thought of how this would not have happened if it weren’t for your dumb curiosity. You would be sleeping comfortably in your bed right now. You would’ve still been surrounded by the warmth of not only your family but also your community. You gave up and let your life end this way—drowned in the cold, dark sea. With no one witnessing your death and no one knowing where you went off, there was no one to hold you in your last moments. 

You were about to close your eyes, accepting your tragic fate, when something suddenly carried you in a bridal-style manner. You were shocked; you were suddenly being carried by something, while water seemed to flow past your face in a quick manner. You also realized that the rope you attached to the boat was cut. Probably by this savior of yours. You tried to look at whoever saved you, but the water that flowed past your face blinded your vision; you could only see glimpses of shining white before closing your eyes to protect your eyes from the sea water. 

Before you knew it, you were placed on a rock in the middle of the sea. You gasped, internally very relieved that you got to breathe air again. You coughed out the water from your lungs. You took quick breaths in and out until you finally calmed down.

After a few minutes, you finally looked at the thing that saved you, a little relieved that it still stayed after a few minutes. It may be dark, but luckily the sky was clear enough to be able to at least illuminate your savior, even if it was just a little.

You managed to make out its features as it sat on the same rock as you. Platinum blonde hair with a red streak. Scarlet-red eyes. And a white tail with red fins that reflected off the moonlight in a very ethereal way.

“You were that mermaid!” you gasped. You were shocked that your savior was the mermaid you met moments ago. You couldn’t believe it. Mermaids, who were known as evil, were known to kill fishermen, vicious predators. A mermaid… just saved you?

The mermaid looked at you curiously.

“T-thank you,” you said, “thank you so much for saving me back then. I would've—you know—died if you weren’t there to save me.”

The mermaid smiled back. It offered you something that seemed like something wrapped in kelp, urging you to eat it.

You looked at it, then you looked at the mermaid. 

“You want me to eat… this?”

The mermaid nodded. 

You were hesitant, obviously, but you’ve gained a little trust after this mermaid just saved your life. You took the pebble-sized thing wrapped in kelp and proceeded to eat it. It tasted salty and bitter, but you could endure it.

You looked at the mermaid again, giving it a questioning look about why it wanted you to eat the kelp-covered thing. It opened its mouth and spoke in a calming voice. You were shocked. It can talk? And you could understand it??

“That thing you just ate. It allows you to be able to understand me,” the mermaid said. “Are you okay? Are you feeling better now?” The mermaid questioned, raising his webbed hands and rested it upon your shoulder.

You’re a bit flustered by its gesture but covered it by nodding. 

“Good,” he smiled, his eyes filled with softness and relief. He moved his hand up and rested his hand on your face, caressing your cheeks softly. After a few seconds, he finally retracted his hands slowly and spoke, a smile still etched on his face.

“We need to return you back home; the sea is not a safe place.”

“A-ah, right…”

“Is there something wrong?”

“Nope. Nothing at all.” (But there IS something wrong, you thought, ‘I don’t want to part from you…” You internally frowned. Being the mature person  you are, you internally sighed and emotionally prepared yourself for departing with him.)

“However,” you continued, “do you happen to know what those things that dragged me down were?”

“Oh? Those things were actually… Mermaids too…” The mermaid sighed, “You cannot just think of mermaids as having one personality, as there are many different types of them. There are some who think of humans as prey too, or some who are hostile to other creatures, especially humans. Or some who are just fine with them, who wanted to help them, who are… curious about them, and who wanted to know them better.

“Ah… So, it’s the same as humans too, then,” you smiled.

“Same like… humans?”

“Yea! You can’t just assume all humans are evil, or all humans are kind, as there are many humans with different personalities and attitudes and different points of view on different things. I understand your kind’s hostility toward humans, though. We can be… terrible jerks.”

The mermaid chuckled (and how adorable the sound was), “I am sorry on behalf of my kind too. Who knew humans and mermaids could be so similar?”

“Haha yeah...” you replied, “Oh! I forgot! I never caught your name!”

“Kazuha. I go by many names yet, Kazuha... is what you can call me,” Kazuha smiled, “Pray tell, what name do they bestow upon this beautiful soul right in front of me?”

“(N-name).”

“Hmm. A beautiful name for a beautiful person, indeed.”

 “You have a beautiful name yourself too, fitting for a charming person like you.”

Kazuha chuckled, if the night wasn’t so dark you would’ve seen the pink tint on his cheeks. 

“We- You should go back. Like I said, the sea is not safe after all, especially at this time of the day.”

“Right…How am I supposed to go home? I think we lost my boat.”

Kazuha sighed, “True… We couldn’t return, however, as the tides were too strong for me to handle…”

There was a moment of silence between you two as you both pondered what to do.

“I can carry you again… We can wait until the tides have calmed down a bit and quickly swim to the shore.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to trouble you even further.”

Kazuha chuckled, “Of course not. You didn’t inconvenience me at all, darling.”

(AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA THIS MAN WILL BE THE END OF MEEEEE)

“O-oh, then I’m fine with that idea,” you replied, feeling flustered, “What if I held on to you from behind instead?”

“Hm.. Alright. But please hang on tight. I would never want you to fall, my dear.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Both of you waited until the tides had calmed down. While waiting, both of you conversed in conversations about several topics to pass the time. It started from questions regarding humans and mermaids, to personal topics about both of you. 

You learned that he longed to become a human, to be able to see the wonders of the world he heard from other mermaids or humans he’s eavesdropped on. He wanted to wander the world, see its beautiful sights and views, and experience the thrills of the world. You could only smile at his dreams.

After a while, the tides had finally started to reduce their temper, and you started to get ready to go to the shore. Kazuha swam back towards the surface with you behind him, arms wrapped around his neck, careful not to choke or harm him. You could only try so hard to hide the rapid beating of your heart at being this close to him.

After a long while, you finally managed to return to the shore. Kazuha placed you on a dock. It was already dawn at that time, so you could already see Kazuha nicely in the dim lighting. 

You laid on the edge of the dock, looking down, as Kazuha was looking up at you from the water.

You both smiled at each other. After a few seconds, you finally decided to leave, something inside you urged to quickly return to your home, not wanting your parents to notice you were gone.

A thought popped up in your head. You moved forward, reached your head down closer to Kazuha, and quickly pecked his forehead. You quickly stood up, very flustered and shouted,

“Thank you, Kazuha… Till we meet again! Love you!”

You ran back to your home and sneaked back into your room.

Meanwhile, Kazuha just froze on that spot, feeling very flustered as well.

His cheeks heated up at your actions. There was a warm spot on his forehead where your lips were, he touched his forehead and rested his hand there, smiling softly like an idiot.

“Till we meet again… (name)...”

A/n: Thank you so much for reading until the end! Hope you enjoyed it :) I'm working on my writing skills so if you have any criticisms, feel free to comment it.

again, thank you so much have a nice day/night :DDD

[enchantingjacarandas]

Clumsy

Pairing: Lee Know | Minho / Han | Han Jisung

Tags: High School AU, Mutual Pining, Love Confessions, Getting Together, Accident Prone Jisung

Other Sites to Read on: Ao3 or Wattpad

Words: 3,759

A/N: I hope you enjoy the photos. I was losing my mind on finding pictures that fit the story while also making an aesthetically appealing collage.

Scissors made the only noise in the room, as the students continued working hard. Jeongin and Jisung were staying after class to help their math teacher decorate and prepare materials for her room. She had just gotten halfway through the multitude of stacked tests on her desk.

“Okay guys, I’m gonna run to the restroom real quick, I’ll be back in a little bit.” She proceeded to swiftly exit the room. 

Jisung turned to Jeongin. “Do you really think she’ll give us extra credit for helping her?”

“I sure hope so,” Jeongin sighed, “I haven’t gotten a one hundred on any math tests this year, so I kinda need it.” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly at his failure.

“True you definitely do need it,” Jisung joked.

Jeongin clicked his tongue and went back to cutting out the laminated papers. Jisung placed down his finished cutouts. Having nothing else to do, Jisung’s mind started to wander. He recently had his eyes on someone he saw Seungmin talking to in the hallway. Jisung was pretty sure his name was Minho, and Minho appeared to be close to Seungmin. The sight of Minho laughing at something Seungmin said replayed in his head. 

Jeongin rolled his eyes. “Hey! Don’t just stare off into space!”

Jisung blinked away his thoughts. “Oh sorry Innie, I didn’t even realize.”

Jeongin slightly shook his head at the nickname. “Staple this border she wanted on the wall.” Jeongin pointed towards the wall the teacher spoke about earlier.

Jisung grabbed the border saying, “This thing?” He then glanced up at the wall. “But you’re taller. Why don’t you do it?” 

“It's your punishment for zoning out,” Jeongin narrowed his eyes.

Jisung knew he was mad so decided not to argue more. “Fine.” Looking around for a way to reach the top part of the wall Jisung said, “Hmmmm I guess I can use this chair.”

Jeongin looked at the chair in question. “It looks a little unstable, are you sure? You know how accident prone you are.”

Jisung stared at the chair once again. “It will be fine.” He got up on the chair, slowly standing up. “Look, I’m already on it.” He pulled a superhero pose on the chair in question, in order to further prove his point.

Jeongin sighed, “I guess”.

Minho was pissed, how could the teacher sign him up for something so stupid? He stormed through the school hallways heading for the underclassmen wing. Finally finding her classroom, he abruptly opened the door getting ready to yell at the teacher. Instead, he only saw two underclassmen. 

A startled Jisung screamed as he fell from the chair to the floor, landing on his butt. He angrily thought, “who the hell barges in here like-'' but his thoughts were cut off when he looked in the doorway seeing Minho. He just stood there in the doorway, and Jisung couldn’t figure out how to look away. He studied him making sure not to forget a single detail of Minho. The guy he had been desperately trying to get a better view of through his memories.

Minho was alarmed at the scene in front of him. He moved forward to help the fallen boy, stopping when the boy’s head tilted up to look at him. All of his thoughts vanished as his eyes locked onto Jisung’s. His anger dissipated. Minho was pulled back to reality when Jeongin cleared his throat.

He moved to help Jisung up while apologizing. “I shouldn’t have been so aggressive-” He dragged out the last word at the sight before him. Jisung had quickly scrambled to get up off the floor as Minho got closer. Minho was confused by the strong reaction. Had he really scared this boy that much? Fearing that that might be the case, Minho decided it was maybe time for him to leave.

“I just came here to talk to the teacher, but I’ll go wait outside for her.” Minho gave a slight nod to the underclassmen as he left the room.

Jisung thought to himself, “His even more handsome close up”.

Jeongin rolled his eyes. “I know what that look means.”

Jisung tried to rebut saying, “Well, it’s just nice to have someone who seems warm. Instead of you always being annoyed and cold with me.” He stuck his tongue out at Jeongin.

Jeongin smirked, “If you think I can be cold you should see Minho”.

“I’m telling you, he definitely was looking at you.” Chan said, smiling at Jisung. Jisung was walking in between Changbin and Chan as they headed to their next classes.

“As much as I would like to believe that, in times like this we must be realistic.” Jisung had stated with a sad frown. He truly did want to believe it, he just simply couldn’t.

Every time Jisung spotted Minho it’s not like he’d give Minho much of a chance to convince him otherwise. He mainly spent his time running away from Minho. He was way too nervous of doing the wrong thing. So, rather than doing something wrong, his solution was to just run away from the situation entirely. It wasn’t the best way to go about things, but it seemed like the best way to avoid getting hurt for Jisung.

“You know he is in mine and Chan’s grade level.” Changbin turned to Jisung. “I could always put in a good word for you.” Changbin raised his eyebrows up and down suggestively while getting closer to Jisung.

Jisung’s eyes widened. “Don’t you dare do anything!” 

Chan being the mediator he was, he decided to try to make a compromise for both sides. “I have several classes with him, if you ever want to know anything just ask.” Chan leaned closer to Jisung. Being in between the two boys Jisung started getting squished. 

Jisung smiled. “Okay I’ll let you know.” It felt nice to know his friends only wanted the best for him.

Jisung had been walking his whole life, and yet he somehow failed to succeed in walking just then. He was attempting to put his back foot forward when, because of his friends almost crushing him, his back foot hooked on his other foot. Making him fall forward when his legs had become one.

Changbin laughed at his friend toppling over. For it was quite amusing how sudden and fast Jisung had made contact with the floor. Suddenly, Chan cut him off seeing that the fall had been in front of the very man they were discussing earlier. 

Jisung looked up at the man. As he registered Minho was in front of him his eyes soon grew wide. Jisung fumed inside his head. “Why does this happen every time?”

Minho attempted to start a conversation. “Umm hey,” Minho awkwardly gave a smile trying to appear less scary.

“Hey,” Jisung softly spoke, before quickly sprinting down the hall. 

The group left behind could faintly hear a teacher yell. “No running in the halls!”

Minho stood still in place. He tried not to let himself get too down, acknowledging the progress made. “Well at least he said a word to you.” A small smile spread across his face at that thought. Even if it was just microscopic progress, they were still moving forward.

The group stood there a few more seconds processing the situation, before Chan cleared his throat. “Well Minho, you wanna walk to our next class together?”

Minho, still looking in the direction where Jisung disappeared, slowly replied, “yes”.

After they had walked to class and sat in their normal seats Minho decided to ask the question that was burning on his mind. “So who was that guy?”

Chan was puzzled for a moment, then it hit him. “You mean the guy that fell for you?” Chan mentally kicked himself at his slip up. “I mean, the guy that fell in front of you.”

Minho tilted his head. “Yeah, him…”

Chan gave a nervous chuckle, “That’s just Jisung”.

Inquisitiveness quickly infected Minho. “Are you guys close?”

“Yeah, me and Changbin hang out with him quite often. He helps us with producing music.” Chan paused. “You normally aren’t too interested in people, unless…” He trailed off making the last word seem more like a question.

“I mean he does seem quite interesting,” Minho then glanced away as he finished his statement. “and cute.” Chan gave a suggestive look. This was too good.

Minho decided to tell Chan what he was really worried about. “He always seems to run away when I’m around though. I think he might think I’m scary.”

Chan could’ve said the real reason why Jisung always runs, but he decided to just tip toe around the truth.“I think he might be a little intimidated, but you tend to have that effect on people.” Chan hoped to lighten the mood by saying the last part in a joking manner.

Minho let out his frustrations with a sigh. “I know.”

Chan put on a teasing smile. “Oooh you know?”

“Don’t start that.” Minho hoped that he had the wrong idea and Chan was just talking about something else. Still Chan continued. 

Leaning closer to Minho at said, “We know”.

Minho rolled his eyes.

“Lee Know,” Chan said, while his arm went outwards towards Minho, and his hands shaking like jazz hands.

“Do you really have to bring that old rap up? This is why I don’t hang out with you and Changbin anymore.”

Chan put his hand over his heart and pretended to be hurt. “Cold, but fare. In all seriousness, if you’re worried about coming across as scary, maybe you should stop using words like that.” Minho thought about Chan’s advice, maybe he did need to choose better language.

“You came!” Felix hugged Minho. “I’m so excited!”

Minho accepted the hug and chucked at Felix’s enthusiasm. “Hey, I would never miss your birthday party, come on!” 

Felix pulled away from the hug and looked at Minho giving a slight frown. “Still I heard that you’ve been under the weather.” 

“huh?” 

Felix explained himself, while being a little confused as to why Minho didn’t know what he was talking about. “Changbin said you caught some sort of disease, and something about not taking his advice for a cure.”

Minho closed his eyes out of frustration. “It’s just a weird joke we have.” Minho tried to give a convincing smile. Thinking about how to get revenge, he asked Felix a seemingly innocent question. “Speaking of your boyfriend, where is he exactly?” 

“Oh he's already here along with a few others, we are just waiting for Hyunjin.” Felix motioned towards the living room.

Minho smiled, handing him the bag in his hand. “Here is your gift as well.”

Felix accepted the gift and held it close. “Hyung! You didn’t have to get me anything.”

“I couldn’t not get you anything for your birthday.” 

Felix smiled big as he spoke. “Still I really appreciate this gift. I'll go put it with the others, see you later.” He waved as left the room. Minho was happy his gift was being appreciated, but didn’t think it was that big of a deal.

“Bye” Minho waved back. Then when Felix turned around he cracked his knuckles. He was ready to greet Changbin with an evil grin plastered on his face. Entering the living room Minho glared at Changbin while he spoke through his teeth. “Why did you tell Felix I have a disease?”

Changbin’s face lit up as he laughed saying, “You do! You are love sick”.

“And why is that Felix’s concern?”

Changbin decided to clear up Minho’s worries. “Listen, it accidentally slipped out. I had to try to cover it up.” He then leaned closer to Minho hoping to prevent anyone from overhearing. “Also you normally don’t take long, letting people know how you feel. I thought you would already have it all figured out by now.”

Minho clicked his tongue. “Well, I haven’t gotten alone time with him yet.” In fact he hadn’t gotten any time with Jisung. Just the occasional bump in the hall or a quick wave. Jisung normally sprinted in the other direction before, much progress could be made. Minho instead got to know Jisung through little observations, times when Jisung wasn’t aware of his presence. Most of it made Minho more lonely. He seemed to talk so freely to others, while with Minho they were moving at a snail's pace, if that.

Changbin consulted him, patting his shoulder. “Are you gonna do anything today then?”

“Today?”

“Don’t you know Jisung is here, at this party?” He greeted Felix with a smile as he entered the room with Hyunjin. “Him and Felix are good friends.”

Minho blinked at the new information. Seeing his boyfriend was now free, Changbin headed towards him. Hyunjin acknowledged Chan with a nod and started to quietly talk about some sort of surprise for Felix.

Jisung was talking with Jeongin when he noticed Minho. 

Panic spread through him as he whispered yelled at Jeongin. “Shit! Why didn’t you tell me Minho would be here! I’ve got to figure out how to avoid him.”

Jeongin raised his eyebrows. “Why is that?”

“Because, I always do something embarrassing in front of him. Remember when I fell off the chair.” Jisung was bouncing his leg out of nervousness. 

Jeongin smiled at the memory of his friend getting startled. “Yeah, but it was kinda funny seeing you all panicked and flustered.” He poked Jisung’s side trying to get the man to loosen up. Jisung narrowed his eyes at Jeongin’s lame attempts to ease his pain. “Listen Huyng, it’s probably not as bad as you think.”

Jisung glanced up once again at the boy they were talking about. He froze upon seeing Minho’s eyes lock directly onto his. Jisung decided to try to hide behind Jeongin. Knowing it was pointless to resist, Jeongin let him hide.

Minho, seeing that Jisung was still avoiding him, decided maybe he should just give him space. After all, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Seungmin pulled him away from his thoughts.

“I heard that someone's got a crush.” Minho sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. If Seungmin knew that meant he had been super obvious. 

“Oh. That means I’m right.” Seungmin looked around the room. “Alright, where is he? Let’s have a conversation with him.” Minho giggled, he knew Seungmin would never actually cross the line.

Jisung saw how close Minho and Seungmin were. His mind wondered if the two of them had something going on. Had he been delusional this whole time? He had known that the two boys were always close, but Minho was smiling while also acting somewhat embarrassed. It looked like the same way Jisung felt when he saw Minho, yet Minho wasn’t looking at him, he was looking at Seungmin.

Jisung’s attention was soon grabbed by Hyunjin as he gripped his shoulder. “Alright, I set everything up. Changbin is currently distracting him. When Seungmin hits the lights, you come in with the cake.”

At the mention of Seungmin, Jisung decided to glance up where Minho used to be. Not seeing either guy he looked around a bit more. Spotting Minho talking to Chan, he felt relief wash over himself.

Hyunjin nudged him, “Hey Seungmin is by the light switch, so hurry up and go.” 

Jisung quickly disappeared from the room heading for the kitchen. When the lights went out and the living room was dark, he entered. Jisung beamed as he carried the candle lit cake towards Felix. The light flickered all around the group as everyone huddled close.

Minho scanned everyone wondering if anyone else saw a problem with this. The fact that all his interactions with Jisung resulted in the boy toppling over, he started to worry. Seeing no one around him was on alert he decided to just brush it off. He shook off the thoughts, as he put himself back in the moment. 

After everyone sang happy birthday to Felix. He closed his eyes and he blew out the candles making a wish. Seungmin went towards the lights, turning them back on. Changbin cupped Felix’s face in his hands and leaned in to kiss him. 

“Yuck!” Hyunjin pulled out his classic disturbed face at the PDA in front of him. He tried to back away from the romantic situation. When he ended up accidentally bumping into Jeongin. Who was not expecting to get hit with anything, completely fell over heading straight for Jisung. Causing Jisung to think of a quick action in order to save the cake. He was too fast with his movements and the cake quickly left his hands and went to the air as he toppled over.

The cake, flying up in the air and had everyone entranced wondering where it would land. It started heading straight for Minho. Possibly out of shock or just pure lack of care he stayed completely still. He just simply closed his eyes as the cake landed straight on his face. The cake then crumbled the rest of it sliding to his shoulders and the floor around him. Minho’s face was covered in frosting and chunks of cake. 

His hands went to his eyes, as he wiped off the gunk so he could open them. Gazing around towards the rest of the group it seemed like most of them were waiting for him to react. Minho was not the type to make a big deal out of an accident.

He tried to quelch their concerns. “No need to panic, it's just a cake.”

A small pout appeared on Felix’s lips as he stared at the cake. It’s unlikely that anyone walking into the room would call it a cake though, they would likely just call it a mess. Seeing the pout on his boyfriend’s face, Changbin quickly pulled him into a hug. 

Changbin patted Felix’s head as he tried to comfort him. “It will be fine, it's only a cake I will get you a better one.” 

As they continued to hug, Hyunjin suggested an alternative. “Let’s go all out for ice cream!” Jeongin lit up, enthusiastically nodding at the idea.

Seungmin gestured towards the mess. “But first Minho should get cleaned up.”

Chan took the lead of clean up duty. “Let’s also clean up the floor, I’ll go get towels from the kitchen.”

Jisung’s face slowly turned more and more red, staring in shock at Minho covered in the mess he made. “Minho, I'm so sorry!” Minho took a few seconds to process the situation. He just stood there frozen. When Jisung touched his face with a napkin Minho unfroze.

He calmly spoke. “Don’t worry, I’ll go get cleaned up in the bathroom.” Then abruptly disappeared towards the restroom.

Changbin saw the perfect set up. “Jisung, you should help him clean up.”

Jisung crunched the napkin in his hand. Would it really be okay to follow Minho? Would it just be weird if he helped? Although, he did make the mess in the first place. Jisung’s eyes panned around the room hoping to find an answer. Chan entered the room and filling in the blanks he nodded at Jisung. He was assured that the right thing was to follow Minho.

He stood outside of the bathroom, took a deep breath and then opened the door. At the sight before him his breath spilled back out into the open. Minho was without a shirt on. The cake was still covering his face, but that only drew more attention to his exposed upper body. Compared to his face in the mirror his back was so spotless. It looked so clean, smooth, and inviting.

Minho, seeing Jisung through the mirror, questioned his intentions. “Are you here to help?” Minho put his attention back to the mirror pulling cake out of his hair.

Jisung lightly shook his head to get rid of the nasty thoughts. “Yeah,” he grabbed the hand towel sitting on the edge of the sink counter. “Here, lean over the sink and I’ll help you.”

Minho softly smiled as Jisung wet the rag and pieces of cake fell into the sink. Maybe Jisung wasn’t scared of him. Minho looked at Jisung’s eye as they forced on getting the cake off his face. Even if this moment was temporary, Minho felt lucky for just being a part of it. Jisung was also in bliss, but tried to focus on the task in front of him. He wondered if he should go slow with cleaning Minho’s face, that way this moment would last just a little bit longer.

Minho decided to speak up in hopes a conversation would make Jisung take longer. He scanned around the room and saw his shirt on the counter. “Do you think you could ask Seungmin to get me an extra shirt when you're done here?”

Jisung sank a little, “Yeah.” he paused then asked the burning question on his mind. “Are you two together?”

“Ew no,” Minho made a face like he had just eaten the sourest lemon on planet earth. 

“Ah that’s good.” Jisung couldn’t hide his smile at the news. He looked up, seeing Minho’s blank face he attempted to remedy the situation. “I mean…” In the end Jisung couldn’t figure out how to save himself. The words only served to grow Minho’s confidence. They were alone together so, now was as good of a time as any.

“Listen Jisung, I have something important to tell you.” Minho bit his lip. No matter how many times someone asks out someone they really like, it never gets easier. “I was wondering if after tonight’s party you’d wanna hang out. Just the two of us. Like a date or something?”

Jisung’s lit up, smiling at Minho. “I’d love that!” He then looked down as he confessed what had been bothering him. “If I’m being honest, I thought I was utterly embarrassing myself in front of you, cause I’m such a clutz.”

Minho laughed at the honesty, just another thing to love. “I thought it was really cute.” Minho smiled, remembering how adorable and flustered Jisung would be when he fell. Thinking more Minho tilted his head. “Although, is that why you ran away every time? I thought you were scared of me or something.”

Jisung sheepishly smiled. “Well, I was kind of scared.” Jisung couldn’t look at Minho anymore as he said the next words. “But it’s because I really like you.”

Minho smiled, he hoped that this dork would stay in his life forever. “I really like you too.”

➤ Masterlist ❀ Ao3 ❀ Wattpad ❀ Ko-fi

A/N: It seems like minsung has won once again. Thank you for everyone who voted in the poll I really appreciate the help. Going to end up posting them in order from most votes to least votes. Thank you so much for reading and supporting me!

[the-peddito-and-doise-show]

HURRY UP I DONT KNOW IF DOISE CAN FIGHT FAKE PEDDITO BY HIMSELF (even tho i love him lots)

Also, i hope gusto and peddito are able to make up 💔💔

“Look, Gusto… I’m-a sorry for-a leaving you and the others behind, I really am. If-a we could, we would’ve done it already, but it’s-a just that… uhh…” Gusto: “Okay, I’ve heard enough. This is what you come up for an apology? I may-a be a dumb sack of potatoes (as Meister Stiff said), but at-a least I know that I’m-a DONE with this-a nonsense! I’m-a DONE! You and Doise abandoned us here when we were at our-a worst point yet! Even your… your… came back here, and-a he couldn’t come up with anything as well! One thing STAYED consistent—and THAT was your awful APOLOGIES!”

Gusto: “I hoped. I hoped, even though it-a seemed impossible, that-a you would come back someday when you first left. I really did. With each day passing, I started losing more and more faith… until it-a just… was gone. Do you know what-a that-a feels like, Peddito?” “…” Gusto: “I didn’t think so.” Both sat in silence for a moment, as a deep look of regret formed on Peddito’s face. He truly regretted what he did, all those several decades ago. He really did. For a moment, he couldn’t find the words to fix their long broken relationship… until something clicked in his head. “Gusto?” Gusto: “…What?” Peddito took a deep breath, as he made eye contact with Gusto, letting him know that he did have to say something in particular. “We—I couldn’t get to you, Gusto. When we found-a the portal that-a just-a appeared out of nowhere one day, the first thing I planned to do after going in to check the strange surroundings inside there was to get-a you and the others. But-a the portal was-a closing in fast when we looked back. We desperately ran as fast as we could towards the portal… we just kept running, and running, and running—yet, we never made it. We never did. You’re-a not the only one who spent eternity stranded in an otherworldly dimension, trying to keep ourselves alive. Each time I slept, I thought of you and the others. Lost. Frightened. Confused. Each time, I woke up, with heavy amounts of-a regrets chained to me. With each day passing, I started losing faith, until it-a just… was gone. Do you know what-a that-a feels like, Gusto?” Once again, both were in silence. Gusto: “…” “…” “…I’m-a sorry, Gusto. I hope that you can forgive me.” Gusto: “…” Gusto: “…I’m-a sorry too.”

For a moment, they looked at each other for the third time in a row—as they weirdly started to laugh about the whole thing, laughing on and on… before hugging each other, crying out waterfalls. Both of them had never been this both happy and sad at the same time.

This time, they finally understood each other, even after everything they’ve gone through.

—————————————————————

Meanwhile, the gang was busily traveling through the depths of the white void—wanting to both save Doise and an entire dimension at hand.

“WAIT! STOP EVERYTHING!”

Then, everyone stopped in their tracks, as they all looked towards Pizzamancer in annoyance, hesitance, confusion… you get the idea.

“Do we even know where we’re going? And plus, GET THIS RAT OFF MY BACK!”

He shook furiously, as Cement (who thought he was getting a casual free ride) desperately hanged on for his life.

“I don’t know, maybe you should’ve thought of that BEFORE we wasted several minutes of our time running into pretty much towards nowhere, jackass!”

Several agreements came and went after Doisette’s sentiment.

Meister Stiff: “Maybe that portal up there should solve our dilemma!”

Meister Stiff then proceeded to point upwards, due to the propeller hat allowing him to be way up in the air and to be able to notice things that most people wouldn’t notice.

There was, indeed, a portal up above them.

“How did we miss that?” Both Doise Chan and Peeperman exclaimed.

Eigilante: “They don’t pay me enough for this…”

Meister Stiff: “Nobody pays you—you just like to beat up people.”

Eigilante: “Oh, right.”

“WHATEVER! Let’s go in there immediately; we’re wasting time!”

[memes-in-a-half-shell]

I have some drafts that have been sitting in my to-do list for years. I'll just dump here the snippets I have and if you guys want me to work more on one or some, let me know!

They're mostly Donnie centered (no surprises there heehhehehe)

In A Sentimental Mood (Donatello x F!Reader)

Inspiration: In A Sentimental Mood by Ella Fitzgerald

Dammit. When you had told Donnie that you went shopping for some new clothes, he did not expect for you to wear something as cute as that.

A soft summer dress, light and stopping right above your knees. The fabric was caressing your skin in a tantalizing fashion, gently swaying whenever you would move around the kitchen, preparing dinner. No lights were on in your apartment, the final setting sun rays glowing across the place in warm orange and gold hues. The mutant was seated next to the table, his eyes never missing any of your movements. He wasn’t much of a believer in miracles and such, but whenever his gaze and mind would stop on you - he knew that nothing and no one in life could ever be better than you. The fact that you were both an item was almost unbelievable at times. And yet, he knew your love was undeniably true.

As you were chopping vegetables, your hips slowly swaying from one side to another to an imaginary tune, that’s when Donnie knew he couldn’t stay put anymore. In an instant he was standing up, a few steps good enough to lead him to you, his arms instantly hooking to your form as his hips were glued to your back. You could feel his smile as he was nuzzling the top of your head, bringing one smirk to your face as well.

“Why are you perfect?” he softly said.

“Perfect? Me? Says who?”

“Says me. Forever and ever...”

His thumbs softly brushed at the dress’ fabric.

“And may I add beautiful, stunning, gorgeous, the prettiest woman on earth...”

You hummed, appreciating his words.

“I cannot compare nor surpass to the handsome man standing close to me right now.”

(....)

-X-X-X-X-

Do you wanna...? (Donatello x F!Reader)(18+)

Inspiration: Coast Is Clear - Skrillex

He couldn’t work. He couldn’t focus. All his eyes did were to drift over you, patiently studying your form seated near the kitchen table, ever polite as you listened to the other turtles going about some random subjects. Oh he knew you were not really attentive to the whole situation, especially by the way your leg would shake a little, restless and eager for some action. How you would sometime bite your bottom lip, thinking something the purple clad mutant most probably knew what it was about. Half of a smile appearing on his lips, Donnie took out his phone, already sending a text to you.

‘Coast is clear. Leo is starting to talk about fighting techniques and that’ll get Raph all riled up.’

He saw your body shake a little, trying to hush a chuckle as you were reading and now answering:

‘So what now? Want me to run away? Aren’t you supposed to work?’

‘I don’t give a fuck right now. I can’t concentrate...’ He answered.

He grinned, adding: ‘And speaking about fuck .... do you wanna?’

‘Wanna what? Wanna fuck?’

‘You said it now.’

Your head moved to look towards his workstation, your gazes meeting. That smug look on his face... Dammit! You couldn’t stop your smile from invading your traits, suddenly feeling hotter.  You took one last glance at the other mutants, seeing that they were now deep in their conversations, and you simply slid down your chair. You knew Donnie was laughing in his corner, seeing you sneaking away, trying to get past everyone’s attention.

(...)

-X-X-X-X-

Wine Time (Donatello x Reader)

You did not miss Leo, Raph and Mikey’s eyes going straight to you as you arrived to the Lair with a bag from which clinking sounds could be heard. Now at the kitchen table, you proceeded to neatly place several bottles on top, you steps light as you next went to grab wine glasses. You were soon welcoming the purple clad mutant, Donatello, handing him a corkscrew.

“Mister Donatello, if you may please open the first bottles,” you started in a pompous tone. “Some of those blends need to breathe!”

“I will do so with great pleasure, dear!” answered the other, playing the same game.

(...)

-X-X-X-X-

Confidence (Donatello x F!Reader)(18+)

(Took some inspiration from a prompt list that I'll share if I work more on this.)

You had been dating Donatello for a couple of months now, and you could already see this slight shift in his persona. A laid-back, relaxed attitude that just proved how much goodness you were now bringing into his life. Sure he’d get his shy bouts here and then, but you knew that once you two had started to get intimate, that’s when he gained more confidence in general.

You’d catch him sometimes eyeing you, showing a small smirk whenever you’d notice. He loved ghosting his fingertips on your skin whenever he was near you, sensing those delighted goosebumps. He’d make sure to give you a nice view of his lap when sitting down, just for you to see and enjoy. Boy, he knew all the feelings he was giving you. He was a gifted lover and there was no denying that you were always a bit eager to receive more from him each and every times...

That evening he was at your apartment, as you had requested his help regarding some issues you were experiencing with your laptop. That device was no match for the terrapin, of course, explaining his process to you as a future reference for yourself - sitting on the sofa in your living room.   Sure he was adding some kisses here and there to you during loading times, how could he resist doing so anyway? His tone while explaning was calm and low, unbothered by any problems he could face during the process. He was spending time with you, and that alone was making his day better past any issues.

As the laptop issue was nearing its end, you noticed the time and invited the genius to stay - at least to get a bite. As you got on your feet and straight to the kitchen nearby, you tried to find anything in your fridge worthy enough to cook in order to properly thank Donnie. But as you glanced away from the cold and back to the mutant, you saw him looking at you, that damned cute smirk on his lips. A shy smile was now on your face, hoping you weren’t blushing too much.

“I- I think I have some pastas I can cook. Maybe I can do something with that,” you mumbled, fidgeting as you got back in motion.

“What's the matter, love? You get nervous when I look at you like this?”

His voice brought your attention back to him, now noticing him sitting comfortably and slightly manspreading. He was obviously showing an ease and satisfaction in knowing that you were now enjoying the view. You tried to play his game a bit, hands on your hips as you tried to look unimpressed by his act.

“I’m not nervous! I just get surprised sometimes.”

“Uh-huh, yeah, surprised.”

“Yeah. Ever since we’ve started dating and fucking you have this-” you gesticulated broadly in his direction, “this sex appeal. Shit, I don’t know how to describe it!”

Donnie was amused, taking it as a compliment mostly. He gently tapped on one of his thighs.

“Come. Sit.” he nodded you over.

You sighed comically, giving in to his demand as you moved towards him.

“I’m not a dog,” you commented, straddling his lap.

You felt his fingers gently brushing your back, getting lower and lower.

“My apologies. You’re more like a cat, indeed. I love making you purr.”

He ended with his large hands holding your hips, his fingers caressing your ass. A gasp left you, followed by a smile, as the mutant had brought you into a slow grind against him. Your arms found solace around his neck, happiness filling you both as you closed the gap between your bodies in a joined kiss. His assertiveness was felt in his touch, feeding the fire deep in your core with every pieces of clothing he removed from your frame.

(...)

-X-X-X-X-

annnnnd that's it!

If you made it to the bottom of this post, congrats! You deserve a digital cookie after going all through my brainrot heheheh

I just felt poopy for keeping all that stuff hidden in my drafts. Whenever I try to work more on them, I just block. And I hate that.

So if there's anything that catches anyone's fancy, let me know and I'll kick my butt to focus on the task.

Wahaohwhwoahaoahwawahoooooo

[circusgoth-dotcom]

Arturo Diamond

Ship: Jack Torrance x Keaton Diamond (Childhood Friends AU)

Word Count: 668

Summary: An introduction to Keaton's older brother in this AU, Arturo. Keaton needs a ride to his first date and Arturo is happy to oblige, even if he doesn't know that's what he's doing... or does he? Arturo is in his second year of college, Jack and Keaton are in their middle-to-late years of high school. CWs for brief mentions of food, smoking, and suggestions of violence- Jack feels threatened by Arturo's appearence.

Tag List: @canongf @futurewife

Keaton Diamond was going to have his first date. Trouble was, he needed a ride, and his father would be working late that night. Still, luck could possibly be in his favour, for his older brother, Arturo, was visiting for a few days during his college break.

“So, do you think you’ll be able to make it?” Jack asked from the other end of the call. Keaton twisted the cord of their landline phone absently.

“God, I hope so… I-I haven’t talked to Arty in such a long time, and you know he’s really only visiting to see his friends…”

“Well, Keats, if he’s as cool as you said he is, he should be more than happy to drive you over to the Horseshoes Shack tonight.”

“What about picking me up afterwards? How late do you intend for this date to go?”

“We’ll figure it out! C’mon, my paycheck at the hardware store has been treating me real nicely, I want to pay it forward to my… best pal.”

Keaton could hear the smirk and the wink in Jack’s voice and blushed. “It’s not like I don’t want to go--”

At that moment, Arturo entered the kitchen, passing by his little brother to open the fridge.

“I’ll call you back, he just walked in, bye-bye,” Keaton spoke quickly and hung up the phone, turning toward Arturo with a nervous smile. “Hey, Arty. How’s the skateboard coming along?”

“S’alright, cub. Who’sat on the phone?” Arty shot back as he took a pitcher of lemonade from the fridge and sat it on the counter. Keaton retrieved a glass for him, stalling for time.

“My friend, Jack, he lives just down the street. He’s getting paid pretty well, working at the hardware store, and he wants to celebrate with dinner.”

“That’s cool.”

“Yeah, it is! I’m proud of him… but er… Arty, could I ask you a teensy-weensy favour?”

Arturo arched his brow but said nothing, prompting Keaton to take a breath, squeezing his eyes shut in fear of rejection. “You don’t think you could drive me over to the Horseshoes Shack in an hour, could you?”

Finally, Keaton handed Arturo the glass so he could pour his lemonade, which he proceeded to do in silence. Keaton opened his eyes, watching his impassive expression and tapping anxiously on his leg. He sucked in a breath as Arturo sipped the lemonade.

“You make this yourself, cub?”

And immediately exhaled, bewildered. “Ye-yeah… what does that have to do with…?”

“You better be ready in an hour.”

Keaton blinked. “Huh-wha-OH! Yes, of course! I will! Be ready!” He bounced on his heels, grinning before clapping Arturo on the shoulder. “Thank you, Arty, you’re the best.”

“Don’t mention it.” Arturo smiled back.

~~~

An hour and a half later, Arturo pulled his pick-up truck into the lot of Horseshoes Shack, a local burger place themed to a horse ranch. Keaton spotted Jack, standing on the curb, from the passenger seat.

“Thank you again, Arty, really, you don’t know how much this means to me.” He wished he could be more honest with his brother…

“You kids have fun…” Arturo nodded as he lit a cigarette and Keaton got out of the truck. He rushed over to Jack and awkwardly shook his hand before Jack waved shortly to Arturo. The two shared a lengthy gaze that made Jack falter slightly before Arturo waved back and pulled out of the parking lot. As soon as he was out of sight, Keaton giggled in a relieved manner and pulled a tin of lip balm from his pocket.

“Alright, Jack, I’m starving,” he hummed as he applied his berries-and-cream-flavoured balm. Jack shook himself and went to hold open the door for his boyfriend.

“Right, yes, just through here my fine gentleman… y’know, Keaton, when you said your brother was cool, I was expecting a nice ‘rod and a suave attitude, not a cat who looks like he’ll curb-stomp my ass if I so much as breathe funny in his presence.”

[goatsandgangsters]

sab episode 6 liveblog attempt #2: it went better this time!

previous liveblogs for those interested

I’m still upset about this whole “Baghra is fine with him dying” thing. that opening scene just hit me so hard. I legit had a whole cry about it on Tuesday. I think the unexpectedness of it is what made it so bad. bc I went into this like “yeah I know he’s gonna die, but that’s fine, as long as it’s done well. I love a good tragedy.” and then Baghra was like “I’m also fine with him dying” and it was so cruel and I cried!

I’m adding this bullet point retroactively with the context of the full episode: I think it........ isn’t as bad with the full context? but based on that one scene, I was like they’re doing WHAT??? 

because the thing is, even though she doesn’t always do a good JOB of it, I do fundamentally believe there is love there between them. and “saving him” is her Primary Motivation in the books, Alina is much more... tangential to her. and so based on that opening, if they made a choice to change she loves him, what does that say to the audience? what does that say about what they WANT the audience to think? “look at this guy. he’s so horrible, his own mother doesn’t even love him”??

you know really got me about that conversation? not the “his mother doesn’t even love him.” it’s that “his mother loved him in the books, and what if we took it away.” she loved him. she’s supposed to love him. and they took that away. they took it away, because they can’t allow ANYONE to love him. not even his mother. and that’s why I had a sob about it on Tuesday. 

anyway, proceeding with the episode instead of my reflections: 

“MY HEART CAN BEAT ONCE AGAIN”?????????????? I’M SORRY. I’M SORRY WHAT. DOMINIKOLAI CANON???????????????? is it?? the same?? dominik??? is this Childhood Friend dominik??????? did I just get fucking canonical dominikolai content????? OH GOD IT IS THAT DOMINIK. IT IS CHILDHOOD FRIEND DOMINIK. OH GOD. OH GOD. BRACE FOR FUCKING TRAGEDY AND HEARTBREAK!!!!!!!!!!!!

me at the 2 minute mark: I hate this show and this franchise I’m breaking up with you. me at the 3 minute mark: I love you I forgive you I’m taking you back.

how, in three minutes, have we run the full gamut from “something so cruel I had to turn my TV off and cry” to “something so unexpectedly delightful that I’m sitting here in a totally different state of shock”

I. cannot. fucking believe. that DOMINIK is in this season?????? a minor character who appears solely in a flashback for like 5 pages in king of scars???? HE’S HERE? IN FRONT OF ME? ABOUT TO BREAK MY FUCKING HEART????? and with Just As Much Homoeroticism as in the book??? thank youuuuuuu!!!!

Wylan is so fucking cute. just PASSIVE AGGRESSIVELY saying butterfly facts.

Jesper and his mom I’m gonna cry ;_;

I still prefer the way Baghra’s character is framed in the books, but Zoe Wanamaker is SO captivating to watch. I could watch her monologue all day. She’s REALLY good, she’s just so magnetic. she’s also really hot

I realize this is a level of intentionality/nuance that I don’t think any writer for this franchise’s canon has ever achieved, but “surely it was an accident” “what does it matter” about Baghra’s sister explains……. actually quite a lot about Baghra’s view of the Fold. because all this time, she’s been blaming him for the Fold and we’ve all been going “but you were THERE, you KNOW it wasn’t intentional, you KNOW the circumstances!” and I think Baghra… transferring that feeling of “well I got blamed for my accidents, so YOU don’t get to have accidents either” makes. a lot of sense from a character point of view? and I don’t agree with canon on “Baghra’s blameless, Aleksander deserves no sympathy” and I don’t agree with fandom on “Baghra deserves no sympathy, Aleksander’s blameless,” because my Interpretation Of Choice has always been that they’re just two of the Most Traumatized people in Ravka (and traumatized By Ravka Itself) and fundamentally neither of them can really function because of it

I realize my view here is fundamentally a little skewed but my reaction to him just flattening an entire settlement was “oooooh, VERY cool use of the Cut!” look, I’m sorry, bite and chomp and kill, my man. you’ve got a lot of lived experience telling you that you’ll be hated even if you dON’T do anything wrong, so might as well Fuck Shit Up if you’re doomed to be vilified anyway

“You gain clarity” I love that this man continues to act like he’s So Very Rational Right Now, and not that he is actually being absolutely decimated by a broken dam of 800-years of ignored trauma smacking him in the face. sir I know a very nice man named Ben Barnes who has recently expressed interest in being your therapist, I think you should take him up on the offer. that might offer some clarity, actually

characters having drug-induced visions of their deepest fears or most personal memories is a trope that I love EVERY single time. will also accept injury- or illness/fever-induced. this trope has NEVER missed. hell yes external circumstances allowing a level of vulnerability we wouldn’t otherwise get

oh I see, these are Relevant Poison-Eating Butterflies

LETTING JESPER HAVE SERIOUS MOMENTS AND DEPTH, MY BELOVED !!!

“She was wrong” “She was right. Have you not been paying attention?” ALRIGHT. FINE. WIN ME BACK OVER WITH BAGHRA’S DEEP CYNICISM. I just think. that a fundamental part of her character. is that she’s even more jaded than Aleksander. this has always been true.

see, I like Mal so much more as The Sacrificial Lamb. I like him much more as Alina’s Lionheart. rather than the two books he spent being Alina’s obstacle and stumbling block, then abruptly pivoting too little too late into the sacrifice guy. but NOW I care, because I didn’t have to suffer through His Dickhead Phase. because it IS actually consistent with how he’s always been and it actually hits emotionally the way it was meant to

I’m very happy for you Kanej fandom, they’re giving you guys real good content this season

oh I thought the butterflies were gonna purify the air, I didn’t think they’d be snacktime butterflies

“IF YOU SAY SO” okay well, Tolsper mommy kink was not on my bingo card

oh PAPA ILYA, THAT’S FUCKED UP OF YOU. you made her watch you build a coffin for someone you knew wasn’t dead????? Morozova family remains the MOST FUCKED UP people in Ravka. none of them had a CHANCE.

the reason Aleksander is currently wreaking havoc on the Ravkan countryside is because he never had a child he could perpetuate the cycle of violence onto like the rest of his family. Aleksander, in his therapy session with Dr. Ben Barnes, MD, MPH, “actually, in many ways, I see Ravka as my child.” Ben, scribbling furiously: uh huh, uh huh, that explains a lot, I think we might want to examine some of the parenting styles you’ve learned.

Mal being the firebird seemed like a really stupid plot twist in the book, but it doesn’t feel like a stupid plot twist here? it feels really organic actually, whereas in the books it just felt insane. I don’t know if it’s just that I knew it was coming, but it definitely feels like a foregone conclusion we were building towards—instead of a very abrupt left-hand turn. they did a good job laying that groundwork all along 

OKAY, THIS IS THE MOST DEEPLY COOL USE OF BATTLE DURAST-ING THAT I’VE EVER SEEN. FANDOM HAS BEEN SAYING IT FOR AGES HAVEN’T WE? DURASTS SHOULD BE FUCKING TERRIFYING IN BATTLE, WHY ARE THEY JUST INVENTING SHIT, THEY’D BE A NIGHTMARE WHEN UNLEASHED ANYWHERE NEAR METAL WEAPONS!!!

can we show demon in the wood instead of just referencing it vaguely. can we show it. (because, here is the thing, the short story is excellent, the graphic novel is excellent, but it’s all extracanon material that only the most die-hard interested fans look at. it’s so integral and it really needs to be IN the mainline canon instead of just hovering outside it. I KNOW YOU COULDN’T FILM IT LAST SEASON LIKE YOU PLANNED BECAUSE YOU DIDN’T WANT TO TRAUMATIZE A CHILD BY DROWNING HIM, I RESPECT YOUR COMMITMENT TO WORKPLACE SAFETY ESPECIALLY FOR YOUNG ACTORS, but now that we’ve managed Kaz’s drowning backstory effectively, I think we can find a way to drown Aleksander too. to the dunk tank with ye, emo boys!)

SEE! THANK YOU!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!! THIS IS HOW YOU BUILD THAT GRISHA CAN DO THINGS SIMILAR TO OTHER ORDERS. NOT WHATEVER KING OF SCARS THOUGHT IT WAS DOING. of cOURSE someone proficient with metal can do things that look like heartrending, because she’s focusing on metal IN the body. I don’t know what the fuck king of scars was doing when it tried to executed that concept by going “btw did you know you can do all other grisha orders?” “oh shit, no kidding? wow would you look at that, I can.” LIKE, YES OF COURSE ZOYA SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO FIRE AND WATER, BECAUSE THERE’S OXYGEN INVOLVED IN BOTH. but why did king of scars NEVER present it from that angle?? yes I am still mad about that very shitty execution of a very cool concept!! thank you, show, thank you.

Morozovas remain the Most Fucked Up Family In Ravka. I don’t know what my feelings are about how that played out, I’m sure I’ll dissect it later, but on the upfront I’m just walloped by how fucking GOOD Ben and Zoe are as actors. I don’t know if it recontextualizes my beef with Those Accursed First Two Minutes or not. maybe not entirely, but maybe more than I expected based on the warning Kara gave me about there being More In That Vein? I DON’T KNOW, MOSTLY JUST WALLOPED BY THEM BEING TWO TALENTED ACTORS, WILL PARSE MY EMOTIONS AT A LATER DATE

KAZ GOING AFTER THE BELOVED RELATIVE WHILE EVERYONE ELSE FIGHTS IT OUT, brilliant, A+, such a Kaz move

ohhhhhhhhhh we have MORE living Saints, okay! it’s not just the weirdos in the sandcastle netherworld that I still don’t understand!

I do appreciate the way we’re framing the whole “living too long does really fuck you up though.” also why am I suddenly so fucking invested in this love story of Immortal Woman and Her Very Geriatric Mortal Lover She Still Loves So Deeply. why is this fucking decimating me emotionally.

when she said “that sounds like Ravka’s problem,” I REALLY expected her to say “that sounds like Aleksander.” just based on how all the other immortal Grisha know each other and have beef with each other.

i’M WEH ABOUT THAT SCENE WITH HER AND JESPER TOO

“all I wanted in the world was just to tell you about it” oh noooooooooooooo <3 <3 <3

alright fINE. look, I’m not a zoyalai because I’m bitter about rule of wolves prioritizing a ship over a character arc, and about how I don’t actually think leigh did a good job writing a pair that SHOULD have worked bc she forgot to include bi-directional emotional intimacy. but zoya being like “love is fake, fight for ravka,” I’m like ALRIGHT FUCKIGN FINE. if you’re conceptualizing love through the lens of ravka, you’re a well matched pair. put it on the list as another thing that show can pull off better than the book did

“there are those who drown us, and those who pull us out” I would like to take a moment to get back to my earlier point about Aleksander’s early adolescent trauma that involved drowning. I would like us to take a moment to return to that. and I would like to take this opportunity to say that no one ever pulled him out. thank you, that is all.

oh wait no I just realized this means I’ll never get my Baghra Nikolai brotp. pour one out for “brotp: wretched boy.” POUR ONE OUT FOR “go someplace you’re wanted” “that’s hardly limiting.”

I will say. one thing I appreciate. alina’s the only character still calling him “kirigan” instead of “the darkling.” (cause, the thing is, here’s the thing. it was a TITLE in the book, it was about CLAIMING POWER AND STATUS, it was his own deliberate choice to call himself the darkling and claim that title. in the show? it’s just….. kind of a slur???? it doesn’t convey power, it conveys—frankly—prejudice)

kudos to the acting, kudos to the writing, here’s me having feelings about malina. not like, a TON, but SOME and that’s A FEAT. also mal’s speech about “wish we could have waited for marriage” is a lot better now that he hasn’t canonically been whoring around the first army. also a lot better now that I didn’t have to read the phrase “dry as an onion” in a sex scene, leigh. I can’t forgive that, leigh. they did a very good job making this work 

OKAY, ON THE WHOLE. EVEN THOUGH I DID HAVE A BIG CRY ON TUESDAY, I feel better about the overall context? it was just a REALLY rough opening, especially because it was coming on the heels of an episode I was already feeling iffy about? (ep 5 was written by That One Writer Who’s Talked Shit About Hating The Darkling tho, so that. explains why it seemed like it was written by no-nuance teens on twitter tbh) and I sort of feared this episode was going to continue on a similar trajectory, but I think it. worked a lot better than I was initially fearing. THE FEARS WERE JUSTIFIED BASED ON PAST PRECEDENT, I THINK, but on the whole I’m feeling a lot better about this episode than I expected to when I sat down to try again 

[lowlylux]

I am a Sinner (You are a Saint)

Chapter Ten | For The Hope Of It All

Ship: HeiKazuScara

Rating: E

Status: In Progress

Word Count: 3.1k

Description:

“You shall be cast out of the heavenly realm indefinitely.”

Kunikuzushi feels arms grab his own as he is forced to his feet. He struggles, keeping his eyes on his mother only. “Mother! Don’t let them do this!” The guards continue to drag him away, even if it is a struggle. “Mother!” He knows the gate to the human realm is growing closer to him. The more time passes, the less chance he has to escape. But the divine never back out of their decisions…never. He looks to his mother one last time, hoping that she at least looks at him. But her gaze refuses to meet his own.

When he is finally cast out, the air rushing past his entire body, he could only visualize his mother’s pained expression.

He has never felt so alone…

ao3 link

Scaramouche hasn’t really interacted with Heizou in a few days.  Yes, he has talked to him, but any moment he is potentially alone with him for more than a few minutes.  Perhaps it is due to him being terrified of the possibilities of a conversation, but he really doesn’t want to think about it.  If Scaramouche could, he would forget certain aspects of the day he saved Heizou.  But, that does prove to be difficult.

Heizou seems to make it his personal mission to catch Scaramouche alone, much to the angel’s dismay.  And considering the fact that Heizou has been given a month off due to the whole situation (to Kazuha’s protests, as he thought it should have been longer), Heizou has far too many chances to get Scaramouche alone.

But, since Kazuha wanted Heizou to be as comfortable as possible, at least he has decided to take some time off as well.  So at least Scaramouche doesn’t have to deal with avoiding Heizou for hours at a time.

The angel curls up on an armchair, scrolling through random articles on Kazuha’s laptop, glancing at the couple every once in a while.  Heizou is in Kazuha’s arms as they watch some bad horror movie, the two laughing every once in a while to make fun of the ridiculousness of the movie.  He looks away when Kazuha meets his eye.

“What are you looking at now?” Kazuha asks.

“It’s some article about an anime…it looks cool but I’m already spoiled so I doubt I’ll watch it.”

“That sucks.” Kazuha mutters, resting his chin on Heizou’s shoulder.  “Heizou?”

“Hmm?”

“I was thinking about something…”

Heizou shifts slightly, obviously trying to make sure Kazuha is still comfortable, but also just wanting to look at him.  “Oh?”

“Well,” Kazuha starts as his grip tightens a bit as he holds Heizou close to him.  He moves his head, proceeding to kiss Heizou’s neck sweetly in a manner that makes Scaramouche blush at the sight.  “We haven’t gone on a date in so long….”

“We went on a date….uh…”

“The week before Scara appeared,” Kazuha mutters, once again resting his chin on Heizou’s shoulder once more.  The blond looks toward Scaramouche, smiling a bit, “and that’s not a terrible thing.  We just haven’t thought about it.”

Scaramouche almost jumps at the fact that Kazuha is talking to him, squirming at the fact that he is being stared down.  “Well that’s…good.” He still feels terrible, even if Kazuha is insisting he shouldn’t be.  He really doesn’t want those two to have issues, especially if he potentially does something that could hurt their relationship.

“So, I was thinking…do you want to go to Kiminami tonight?”

Heizou beams, unable to face Kazuha but still seemingly attempting to anyway.  He’s practically bouncing at this point, evidently extremely excited over the idea.  “That actually sounds like a good idea.”

“That’s why I suggested it,” Kazuha hums, going back to the movie he’s watching.  “We can get going after the movie.”

“But the movie isn’t even very good…”

Scaramouche barely even notices it at first, but when he does it almost makes him blush at the thought.  Kazuha is softly tapping Heizou’s thigh, which happens to be bare since he is wearing shorts.  The action in itself isn’t anything important.  But, the fact that Heizou straightens his back, immediately stopping his protests, is definitely indicative of hidden meanings within the actions.

“We’ll get ready after the movie,” Kazuha mutters, eyes trained on the television.

“Okay…”

●•·•●

Kazuha likes going on dates, mostly because he can spoil the other person.  It’s honestly a good thing he’s pretty well off, because if he was broke he would rather go without eating for a week then let his date go home without something.  He’s always been a gift giver, mostly due to the fact that it makes the person receiving the gift happy.  That’s partly why he loved taking Scaramouche shopping, seeing the angel’s face light up made his day.

But it’s…difficult with Heizou.  He can’t shower the man with gifts, because Heizou is well off as well.  So, he has to get creative.  While Heizou can afford to go to fancy restaurants, he likes the cheaper options.  So, Kazuha makes sure to take his boyfriend to places he knows Heizou likes.  That, paired with anything that Kazuha can think of, and he successfully makes sure Heizou has a good time.  And, if Heizou is having a good time, Kazuha is enjoying himself too.

It really didn’t take that long to get ready, not that Kazuha thought it would.  Yes, both Heizou and him dressed nice, but neither of them are entirely dressed as if they were going somewhere fancy.  Heizou is quite literally wearing a leather jacket, so no one would really classify it as fancy anyways.

But the two still find themselves in Kazuha’s car, some music softly playing through the speakers.  The road to the city is smooth, an easy drive for anyone who decides to take the time to do it.  Kazuha has always liked the road late at night, the tranquility around him far too divine to logistically ignore. 

Kazuha’s grip tightens a tad on the steering wheel as he drives, his gaze looking to the road.  “Hey Heizou?”

“Hmm?” Heizou hums, seemingly excited about the date as he is looking out the window as if he has never seen this road before, even though this is the same road he drives to work.  Now that Kazuha thinks about it, perhaps Heizou is excited to finally be out of the house.  He hasn’t really left for a while after all.

“What is going on between you and Scara?”

Kazuha doesn’t have to see Heizou to know that he has paused, most likely looking at Kazuha in shock.  “What do you mean?”

“Well…” Kazuha trails off, still not dropping his gaze on the road.  “Ever since you two came back from…the incident,” Kazuha starts, still refusing to vocalize what happened, “Scara has quite literally refused to be alone with you.  So what happened?”

“…”

The silence is deafening, and Kazuha doesn’t like that.  Mostly, he dislikes Heizou hiding things from him, but he also dislikes the multiple possibilities running through his mind.  “Heizou, tell me.”

“…”

“Heizou-“

“I kissed Scaramouche.”

The car swerves before Kazuha even realizes that he did so.  For the first time in the car ride, Kazuha tears his eyes from the road, instead deciding to park the car and stare at Heizou.  “Tell me everything.”

Heizou shifts uncomfortably, refusing to meet Kazuha’s gaze.  “When he was telling me that I needed to run back when Dottore got me…I didn’t know if he’d live.  I didn’t even know if I’d live…” Heizou trails off, seemingly attempting to figure out how he is going to phrase things.  “So I kind of just…kissed him?”

Kazuha can’t help it, he starts to burst out laughing.  “Were you cheesy too?  What exactly did you say when you did it?”

“…I told him that he needed to live.”

Kazuha laughs harder, resting his forehead on the steering wheel.  His shoulders shake due to his laughter, and while he is well aware of the fact that Heizou is not laughing at all, he can’t help but still find the scenario funny.  Not the details that led to the scene, obviously, but just the idea of such an action reminds Kazuha of those cheesy romance movies.

“I thought you’d be mad.”

“Why the hell would I be mad?” Kazuha questions, his brows furrowed at the idea.  “We both said that as long as we communicate, going out with other people is fine.  You communicated, albeit reluctantly, so I have no reason to be mad.” Kazuha sends a look to Heizou that isn’t particularly meant to be taken seriously at all.  “If you would’ve lied about it, then I would’ve been pissed.”

“So you’re not jealous?”

“Dude, we’re both poly…non-monogamy is kind of our thing.  Would you be jealous if I kissed Scaramouche?”

Kazuha doesn’t want to think about the fact that Heizou’s pupils visibly dilate at the idea.  But, since Heizou clears his throat, clearly wishing to distract from the idea, Kazuha doesn’t dwell.  “I wouldn’t be jealous, no.”

“I’m just pissed because you did it first.”

“…what?”

Kazuha runs a hand through his hair, chuckling at Heizou’s reaction.  “Did you not realize that I’ve liked him?  Thought I was pretty obvious.”

“Ah…” Heizou mutters, unbuckling his seatbelt so that he can rest his head on Kazuha’s shoulder.  “So we like the same guy?”

“I think so.”

“And does he even like either of us?”

“I’m not sure.”

“We are screwed aren’t we?”

“Kinda.”

Both Heizou and Kazuha burst out laughing together, resting on the other.  They don’t laugh for a long time, their chuckles dying down within a minute, morphing into a comfortable silence between the two.  Kazuha looks toward Heizou, staring at him for a moment before saying, “what are we going to do?”

“Confess to him?”

Kazuha lifts his head, going back to sitting up so that Heizou and him can look at eachother.  “But would that be okay?  I don’t want to make him uncomfortable.”

But Heizou just shrugs, clearly not knowing the best course of action either.  “Pretty sure I already did.” His smile drops at the idea, an expression that represents a grimace showing up on his face.  “If he doesn’t even like me like that I’m fucked.”

“Why wouldn’t he?” Kazuha asks, even though the thought has crossed his mind.  If Scaramouche doesn’t actually like him in that way, it could genuinely ruin the dynamic all three of them have.  “Heizou, you’re perfect.”

“…you’re a really bad liar.”

“It’s not a lie,” Kazuha casually says, not really moving.  But, an idea comes to mind, one that he cannot ignore.  “Wait, do we even know if he’s gay?”

Both of them sit up, staring at each other in shock, mostly due to the fact that neither of them thought of that before.  “He…wait do you think he might be homophobic?” Heizou asks.

“Excuse me?”

“Well think about it, he’s from heaven!  What if they talk about how being gay is wrong?” Heizou questions, shaking Kazuha’s shoulders a little as he talks.

And Kazuha can only stare at him in shock.  For someone who is supposed to be possibly one of the smartest people in the country…Kazuha’s boyfriend is an idiot sometimes.  “Heizou…if he was homophobic he would’ve said something months ago.”

“…I didn’t think about that.”

Kazuha rolls his eyes, pushing Heizou away playfully.  “I think we should get going, don’t want Kiminami to be overcrowded.”

“We’re still going to Kiminami?”

Kazuha raises a brow, staring at Heizou for a moment.  “Obviously we’re going to Kiminami.”

“But what about Scara?”

Kazuha glances at Heizou, offering him an unsure smile.  “We’ll figure it out once we get home.”

●•·•●

When Scaramouche notices the two humans return home, he can’t help but feel happy for them.  Both of them look happy, holding hands as they enter the house.  Clearly, they had a good time, which is great.  He likes the smiles on their faces.  He likes the small touches shared between the two that are obviously an attempt to be covert. 

Both of them collapse onto the couch, leaning on each other immediately in a way that is far too sickly sweet for Scaramouche to even be able to stand.  But, Scaramouche pushes those thoughts away, instead forcing himself to talk to them.  “How was the date?”

“It was actually pretty nice,” Kazuha says, eyes scanning Scaramouche’s expression as if he is searching for something.  “Did you eat tonight?”  Scaramouche attempts to avoid eye contact, mostly due to the fact that he still really doesn’t know how to cook.  He shouldn’t be embarrassed, mostly due to the fact that he was never taught, but it’s still embarrassing in his mind.  “Scara…”

“…no.”

Kazuha doesn’t frown, he doesn’t grumble, and he doesn’t even look annoyed with Scaramouche.  In fact, he seems more concerned than anything.  Kazuha and Heizou share a look before Kazuha stands, grabbing Scaramouche’s wrist lightly so he can tug him toward the kitchen.  

“Do you not know how to cook?” Kazuha asks, already grabbing a few items that can make a quick meal.  He doesn’t sound like he is judging Scaramouche when he asks, sounding more curious than anything.  “It’s okay if you don’t, I can teach you.  Beidou and Ningguang taught me so I’m actually pretty good.”

“Angels never really needed to know how to cook…”

“Well, you’re leaning now so put on an apron,” Kazuha says with a smile, already slipping on his own apron.  Scaramouche hesitantly grabs for the extra one, which he assumes to be Heizou’s, and slips it on.  That action easily brings a smile to Kazuha’s face, causing a small bit of blush to settle on Scaramouche’s face as he thinks about the fact that he made Kazuha smile.

Scaramouche cannot help but stare as Kazuha starts cutting vegetables.  His shirt sleeves are pulled up, so Scaramouche has a full view of Kazuha’s arms.  Honestly, just a small bit of visible skin and veins becoming visible for a few seconds at a time should not distract Scaramouche, but it unfortunately does.  And Kazuha looks like he’s in his element completely, knowing exactly what to do in every moment.

Kazuha is humming as he scoops up vegetables and puts them in a pot.  Scaramouche almost jumps in shock when the flame on the stove erupts, quickly starting to heat up the food.  “Let this simmer for a few minutes, and you’ll be all set,” Kazuha says, placing a lid on the pot and taking off his apron.  He looks at Scaramouche, seemingly thinking about something before intently staring at him.  “Scara, Heizou told me something that I want to talk to you about.”

Scaramouche freezes at those words, nervously staring at Kazuha.  “Kazuha, I-“

“Are you okay?” Kazuha immediately asks, stepping closer to Scaramouche as he talks.  The human looks sincere, looking directly into Scaramouche’s eyes.  “Heizou meant well, but he should’ve asked.”

“I…” Scaramouche tails off, quite distracted if he’s being honest with himself.  “It wasn’t terrible.  I mean…I didn’t mind it…particularly.”

Kazuha grins at such a statement, which surprises Scaramouche.  He assumed the human would be mad…not happy.  “So you like Heizou?”

“No!” Scaramouche exclaims, raising his hands in protest on instinct but immediately regretting it due to the action accentuating just how close he is to Kazuha.

“Scara…” Kazuha mutters, grabbing Scaramouche’s hand.  The action makes him look away, a bit too embarrassed to really face him.  “Not all humans are monogamous.  Heizou and I have already discussed that if either of us were to become attracted to someone else, it wouldn’t change anything.” Scaramouche feels a hand on his chin before he is urged to look up, greeted with Kazuha being extremely close.  “So if you like Heizou, that’s okay.”

Scaramouche’s eyes widen at the idea, his mind wandering for a second before he banished those thoughts.  No, it probably wouldn’t be a good idea.  Although, he really can’t help it when he stares at Kazuha, the reality of Kazuha being so close that he can touch the other without even extending his hand out.

And Kazuha, being observant, seems to notice this as well.  “Can I try something?”

“What would that be?”

“I want to kiss you,” Kazuha says in a straightforward way, his face a few inches from Scaramouche’s.  “But if you don’t want to, I understand.”

Scaramouche really can’t think at this moment.  It’s like multiple thoughts fight to take over, leaving his entire mind a mess.  And he doesn’t feel pressured into answering any sort of way, which makes it easier.  “Why?”

And Kazuha genuinely smiles at this question, his eyes crinkling a bit.  “I like you.  That’s actually pretty much it.” His nose scrunches up immediately after saying those words.  “Why the hell are these types of things so cheesy?  I don’t even know how I could phrase that differently.”

“Yeah…that was pretty cheesy,” Scaramouche says while chuckling, not ignoring the fact that Kazuha’s expression turns hopeful for a moment.  His eyes involuntarily glance at Kazuha’s lips for a moment before he can even think, causing him to blush a bit.  “But it’s okay.”

“Yeah?” Kazuha asks, getting a bit closer.

Scaramouche just pauses for a moment, his thoughts short circuiting.  “Yeah, it’s okay.” Kazuha leans a bit closer, obviously searching Scaramouche’s eyes for anything that will say he’s uncomfortable with the situation.  And, while Scaramouche still isn’t quite convinced that he deserves anything like this, he also isn’t against it.  So he can only nod at Kazuha.

Kazuha takes this as the confirmation he needs, pressing his lips onto Scaramouche’s.  At first, Scaramouche doesn’t really know what to think…at first he really can’t think.  But when he is able to think, he cannot help but feel awkward over the fact that he doesn’t know what to do with himself.  Kazuha is holding his hand still, but the way he is doing so makes it where Scaramouche can pull away at any time.  He finds his heart rate increasing, especially as he starts enjoying it.

But that is not to last.

Kazuha pulls away, making sure to look at Scaramouche in a kind manner.  “Are you okay?” Scaramouche just kind of nods, words stuck in his throat.  It’s not common for him to be speechless, but here he is.  So Kazuha just presses a soft kiss onto Scaramouche’s forehead, almost humming in content. “Good.”

“That was so sweet…”  Both of them look startled as they turn toward the new voice, who just so happens to be Heizou.  Heizou just waves, knowing fully well that he ruined any sort of moment they were having.  “Absolutely nauseating too.”

“You’re just mad because I talked to him about it before you could,” Kazuha retorts, stepping away from Scaramouche so that he can check the soup.  “Well, the soup is done, so that’s something.”

But Scaramouche just kind of stands there, kind of confused.  “Don’t we need to talk?”

“Hmm?” Kazuha looks at Scaramouche, a soft smile on his face.  “If you want to, we can.  Or we can eat and talk later.”

“But this is…”

“Are you attracted to Heizou?” Kazuha questions, still holding the pot of soup.  Scaramouche nods, making Heizou practically beam in happiness.  “And are you attracted to me?” Once again, Scaramouche nods in response.  “Then we can talk later, but you need to eat.”

And, even if their conversation took a while to actually happen, Scaramouche does have to admit that the soup was really good.

masterlist

09<< >>11

[larkawolfgirl]

I Would Like Frosting with That (Cursed KKM Crack!)

Rating: Mature Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: F/M, M/M Fandom: Kyou Kara Maou! Relationships: Wolfram von Bielefeld/Shibuya Yuuri, Anissina von Karbelnikoff/Gwendal von Voltaire Characters: Shibuya Yuuri, Wolfram von Bielefeld, Anissina von Karbelnikoff, Cecilie von Spitzweg, Gunter von Christ, Dakoskos Additional Tags: Crack, cursed concept, Sexual Content, Blow Jobs, Food Porn, Food Sex, Sexual Humor

Summary:  Now you can have an extra SWEET time without gaining a pound. Eat this SWEET candy and your even SWEETER partner till you're fully SATISFIED.

Read on ao3

Yuuri cried the way a baby scared of the boogeyman appearing under their bed would.

Wolfram gave him a disapproving look. “Seriously? It’s not like it’s going to bite you or anything.”

“So?” Yuuri cried. “Dicks are gross. No way am I putting that thing in my mouth. It probably tastes disgusting, too.”

Wolfram smirked at that. “If that’s what you’re worried about, don’t be. It will taste like cupcake frosting.”

Now Yuuri was the one giving a disapproving look. “I may not know what cum tastes like, but I know it doesn’t taste like frosting.”

Wolfram just gave a gloating look in response. “Well, mine does. Try it and tell me I’m lying.”

The blonde then proceeded to practically shove his fiance’s face into his crotch. Not that Yuuri put up too much of a fight. With Wolfram, it was always a losing battle, and really he wanted to taste just for the sake of proving him wrong.

But he wasn’t! His dick, honest to god, tasted exactly like vanilla cupcake frosting. He wanted to be mad that Wolfram was right all along, but he couldn’t stop sucking him off because of how sweet and addictive it was. Would this be considered a sugar rush or a sex high?

When Wolfram came, Yuuri was so content from the taste of frosting he didn’t even realize he was hard. Wolfram didn’t miss that fact though. His hand crept down to grasp his junk.

“My turn!” the blonde exclaimed excitedly before popping a small candy into Yuuri’s unsuspecting mouth.

Wolfram set to quick work blowing him this time. Yuuri’s mind was hazy, but he didn’t think his cum used to look like frosting. Wolfram was moaning like it was the best meal on the planet. Supposedly, his cum now tasted like frosting, too.

That didn’t make any sense, but hey, Yuuri wasn’t going to complain about it.

A new, brightly colored, eye-catching flyer was posted all throughout the capital of Shin Makoku. "Yes-I-Would-Like-Frosting-with-That-Kun: Now you can have an extra SWEET time without gaining a pound. Eat this SWEET candy and your even SWEETER partner till you're fully SATISFIED. Each candy lasts for 24 hours. 16 years of age required," was written across it in bold text. Smaller text read: One of a kind, revolutionary invention by Anissina von Karbelnikoff. Contact manufacturer for further details.

It did not take long for Cecilie von Spitzweg to spot the flyer while out on one of her love rendezvouses. She was instantly intrigued and went to see her friend.

The redhead was busy mixing viles of solutions when the former Maoh entered her workshop. She looked up, though, at the sound of the door closing. “Oh, Lady Celi, you saw the flyer, I take it? I assume a smart woman such as yourself figured out the meaning of the flyer, but in case not, the candy turns cum into sugar-free, calorie-free frosting.”

Celi’s eyes bulged. “Both sugar-free and calorie-free? You really are a genius!”

Anissina smirked. “Did you ever doubt me? I thought you would be my first customer, but guess who beat you to it?” She hid a laugh behind her hand. “You’re son, Wolfram.”

Celi joined her friend in laughter. “Oh my! What an animal.” After getting her laughter out, she asked, “But do you lose any sweetness without the sugar or calories?”

Anissina shook her head. “No! I figured out how to sweeten it with a special elixir. Although, I have made a full-sugar, double calorie one as well for a select group of clientele.”

Celi giggled at the raunchy suggestion. “Marvelous. I will certainly keep that in mind. What spurred this wonderful invention, if you don’t mind me asking?” She gasped. “This has to do with Gwen, doesn’t it?”

Anissina sat down in her chair. “You caught me.”

Celi laughed. She always knew it would just be a matter of time. “Finally. I’m so happy for you both. Now, how do I get my hands on these candies?”

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but you have got to stop giving me constant blowjobs!" Yuuri complained.

Unperturbed by his words, Wolfram slurped over him until he orgasmed. The fire mazoku opened his mouth but whined when his treat never came.

"Aw, no frosting came out."

"Yeah!" Yuuri panted out the complaint. "Because you've been sucking me dry! You've gotta lay off. Look, I'm chafing!" He was practically shouting, but his voice dropped, hoping the change in tone would get through to his fiance. "Maybe we could take a break and then actually go all the way for once?"

The blonde would not be persuaded, however. He shook his head. "And let that frosting go to waste? No way!"

Yuuri groaned knowing he couldn't reason with his petulant fiance. Wolfram never gave up when sweets were involved. Whoever thought of mixing sweets and sex must be crazy!

Yuuri would have to put an end to this. Otherwise, his dick would probably fall off.

Yuuri stormed into Anissina's laboratory trying to appear as intimidating as possible, which is to say, not all that intimidating. The Maoh could make the most seasoned warrior's skin stand on end, but normal Yuuri Shibuya was as intimidating as a defensive kitten. That isn't to say kittens can't bite–because they can–but people still want to pet them even when their teeth are out.

All this is to say that Anissina only batted an eye at the monarch's rude entrance into her laboratory. "Hello, Your Majesty," she greeted calmly.

Skipping over the pleasantries, he asked in his king voice, "Are you the one making these awful candies?"

Anissina raised her sculpted eyebrow at this. "It says so right on the flyer. And, respectfully, I insist that you take that back. They are not awful, as I'm sure you are aware by now."

Yuuri flustered immediately. Damn it, of course, she knew. She probably handed the candies over to Wolfram personally. "Y-yeah, we'll," stammered, "that's what makes them awful."

The inventor hummed inquisitively.

"Well, Wolfram loves sweets, you know, so…" He trailed off, face surely ablaze. Why was he having to discuss his sex life with this woman? How did he end up in this situation, again?

"I want you to make another candy. I want one that makes it disgusting," he demanded.

Anissina held back a smile and tilted her head with fake innocence. "Makes what disgusting, Your Majesty?"

"You know, my c–cum."

Now the fiery-haired woman smiled openly. "I can certainly do that, but whatever for? Penises already taste like pond scum."

Yuuri made a face imagining what Wolfram's dick would taste like without the candy's interference. Still, he pushed on for his own poor dick's sake. "Because Wolf won't leave me alone."

Anissina giggled. "Why are you complaining about that? Live a little."

"We're living too much! It hurts! At this rate, my dick will probably fall right off, or he'll forget one of these times that it's attached to me and just try to eat the whole thing."

The woman's eyes widened at that. "Oh, my."

"Why did you even think this was a good idea in the first place?" the king asked. Then it dawned on him. "Oh my god! You made it for Gwendal, didn't you?" he asked in a shaky tone.

Anissina tossed her long hair to the side, tone almost unemotional. "I had to do something to make sex with him tolerable. He wouldn’t leave me alone about returning the favors he’s been giving me."

Yuuri nodded. That only made sense. Then the realization fully hit him that this was about his two friends and an image of these "favors" popped into his head without his approval. "Ahh!" he shrieked, shielding his face with his hands as if that would save him from the mental image. It didn't. "I don’t want to know the details, thanks! Anyway, that’s dumb. Normal sex is fine! It’s normal." He said all that with fear still swimming in the back of his mind. Would Wolf's dick really taste like pond scum? "You have to make this counter candy," he insisted. "What are we going to do if everyone turns out like Wolf? No work will ever get done around here. Not to mention that poor Gisela will run out of ointment in no time at all."

Anissina remained unfazed. "Haven’t you heard that you shouldn’t have all work and no play?"

"Yeah, well, you shouldn’t have all play and no work either."

The redhead smirked. "Oh, lighten up. What’s the big deal?"

"We’ll starve if no one tends to the fields, and we’ll be naked if no one makes new clothes."

"With my invention, we won’t need clothes anyway."

"Ewee," Yuuri whined imagining an orgy taking place outside the castle walls. He should probably get his brain checked out when he ever had the time. "Just make the disgusting version, okay?"

Anissina bowed. "As you wish, Your Majesty."

Neither Dacascos nor Gunter appreciated having to test more candies. While Gunter had been pretty compliant during the first trial run, he did not appreciate taste testing this new vomit-inducing concoction. It was hard to refuse, though, when he was already strapped down to a chair and having the vile-looking liquid poured down his throat. Luckily, since they were going for “bad,” they only had to go through a single trial round. This meant that Dacascos (who could barely stand after providing so much fluid before), could actually walk out of the laboratory unaided. This time around, he actually gave Gunter the look of concern since the man was struggling hard to keep the contents of his stomach down.

Anissina just smiled and shooed them both away, pleased with her quick success.

Yuuri received the disgusting candies as requested. He ended up with some nasty burns as a result of "taking Wolf's favorite treat away," but it was worth it to give his dick a much-needed break. Finally, finally, he talked Wolf into letting them go all the way. Blackmailed really, since he refused to eat the frosting candies again until they did, but who could blame him?

Turned out Wolf loved getting dicked down almost as much as he liked sweets, so it worked out in both of their favors. Besides, Wolf still managed to find a way to get his serving of frosting regardless of the position.

Yuuri would shudder in revulsion under normal circumstances, but by all standards, it was just sugar-free, calorie-free frosting, so he couldn't find it in him not to find it cute (because Wolfram's love for sweets was always cute). And hot. That realization was one Yuuri didn't want to dwell too much on, however.

But both of them were now happy and satisfied, so Yuuri could no longer complain. About them at least.

As expected, his fears became a reality. It was sexual chaos. Chaos that only made Anissina, the mad woman, cackle in triumph because she was wracking in endless dough from her sales.

It fell on Yuuri to save his kingdom. Even signing his law into action was difficult with Wolf's mouth firmly covering him. His signature might be messy, but it was still the law.

From this day forward, no person shall be permitted to commit any activities of a sexual nature during working hours. Work must be completed as normal, following a normal time frame. Under absolutely no circumstances are any persons allowed to refrain from work due to sexual desire or sugar cravings. If any person is caught breaking this law, said person (as well as any partners with them at said time), will be immediately subjected to consuming Anissina von Karbelnikoff's candy, Get-that-Disgusting-Stuff-Away-from-Me-kun.

There was almost immediate anarchy, but after a few hundred candies had been dropped, the majority of citizens realized the horny error of their ways.

With time, Anissina invented even more fun bedroom solutions, such as Strawberry-Milk-kun and Honey-Mouth-kun. Each time, short-term chaos ensued before simmering down again.

Since everyone–literally everyone of age–was getting off consistently, no one seemed interested in arguments or fighting any more.  Long-term peace returned to the kingdom, and eventually the world. Everyone lived happy, healthy, and with brilliantly glowing skin for the rest of their days.

[scytalesucksatwriting]

"Think of it like a, ah, transponder," Myiir said. Even in a conversation between two people in a secure, remote location, the lanky creature kept his eyes and hands moving like a nervous tweaker. Kiire was soundly unimpressed by her brother's sudden appearance, much less the pushiness he brought with him. She supposed it was his norm, albeit a sickly and pathetic one.

"Myiir, every single fucking time you ask me to 'take' something of yours, it ends up being a goddamn catastrophe that I have to tidy up afterward. How much is it going to cost me to get you out of my life forever?"

He clicked his tongue in a self-satisfied, mocking way. "Depends, my darling sweet sister. We don't do normal lifetimes, remember? We're so much more than that, so I'll tell you: you can get a mortal's lifetime away from me if you just take this box and put it somewhere no shifty, clever little fiend will find it."

Kiire considered her options, and foolishly she tried her luck with a challenge of her own; "And if I refuse?"

She expected his immediate, instantaneous response: "Oh, I'll just kill you."

"You're not even wearing your own body, dipshit. What are you going to kill me with? I'll erase this entire block before you put your disgusting hands on me."

He could just about see the light in her eyes flare when he proceeded to wag his finger in her face. "Kiire, Kiire, Kiire! What good would that do? I mean, sure, yeah, you'll destroy this little suit I'm wearing. But I'll always find you, because you're family and I love you. And the next time I find you, I might not come in a fancy suit. I might bring something uglier, something you will very much dislike."

Frustration licked at her internally, a dying flame, but Kiire instead cocked her head back in a show of defiance. While usually eager to engage in petty verbal jousts with hated adversaries, Kiire did not have an immediate counter ready for her brother's threat, owed mostly to the fact that she knew he absolutely could--and would--make good on it.

Myiir rapidly tapped his fingers together, over and over again for no other reason than to fill the space between them with sound. His sister had so finely tuned her body that she was almost entirely silent, even in motion. Her vanity, to him, was a pitiful learned behavior, yet it was hardly the point of their exchange. He knew he could leverage it. "I can turn you into a grotesque wolf-man, too."

She made a sound of utter revulsion and swiped a hand through the air as though he were an illusion she could dispel. "You are unbearably disgusting and so are your idiotic pet projects. What are you going to give me in exchange for keeping your stupid box?"

"Um, well," Myiir smiled so broadly his lips seemed pulled just thin enough to crack apart, prompting another sound of disgust from his sibling. "I'll kill Neyon for you."

"Really."

"Mhm."

"You're going to waltz on into Drenquell's territory, and kill him? You realize you're already a hot topic over there, Myiir."

"Well," he laughed lightheartedly. "You make it seem so simple. I mean I'm going to abduct him first, obviously. I feel like a point-blank execution won't give me the closure I so, so deserve. Don't you think, Kiire? That I deserve closure?"

She took a step back without consciously realizing it. It was in the way that he had asked; how his voice went from a playful dismissal of the impossible to a strained, simmering desperation--it tripped an alarm in the back of her mind. Before she could think to play negotiator, Myiir elected to elaborate.

"Oh, you know me, Kiire. I really need that closure. I have so very much I need answered--like why you were the favorite child, and why he obsessively stalks you while spurning me. He's always done that, you know, to me. Specifically. It's like I don't exist to our father, but Kiire, this plan of mine is going to force him to finally acknowledge me. I will be seen. I will be heard. He will acknowledge me."

"Okay," Kiire exhaled, not even realizing she was a second away from choking on her own words. "Right, sure. But I'm not getting involved in this. I am not about to pick a fight with the most powerful territory in the system."

"About the response I'd expect from a small-time dictator, but sure, whatever. I just need you to take the fucking box. Put it somewhere no one's going to find it, and keep it hidden forever. Do you understand?"

His crimson eyes bored straight into her soul. A small, well-buried part of Kiire felt a shameful--yet indisputable--sense of dread. She resented the urgency forcing her compliance. She resented her own unpreparedness. She resented Myiir. And the worst part of the entire situation, she knew, was that whatever designs he had on their father would not simply end with their father. Kiire knew he would pursue her next.

"I got it. Drop your shit off and get out, Myiir."

Content, then, with their exchange, Myiir closed the distance Kiire had created between them and brushed her cheek with his thumb before she had the mind to smack his arm away. "Such a sourpuss. Don't worry though, I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot more of each other very soon."

Impulsively, she lunged forward with every intention of throttling him. Before she could even attempt to register it, the man before her had dematerialized and vanished without a trace.

[hoshi-island]

jess, my love, this is the first ever svt fic i’ve ever read; and that makes you the inaugural post on this new side-blog of mine. here’s a crown because you deserve some sort of prize: 👑

coincidentally, this is also the first fic of yours i’ve ever read. i’m not giving myself a crown because this is my prize. either kim mingyu was made for friends-to-lovers AUs or friends-to-lovers AUs were made for kim mingyu — i’m not qualified to determine which of these is true, but i know one of them has to be!!

you pulled me in immediately with the self-depreciation. i’m always a sucker for mc’s who call themselves out, and for a parenthetical narrator popping in to tell us what’s what. for example:

Ever since that awful (read: not that bad, you were just a dramatic teenager) break-up you went through in your second year of high school just before Valentine’s Day.

gold, already! and we’re, what, two sentences in?

i’m also seeing another one of my favorite things, which is the “i don’t really care much about xyz thing but you do, so sign me up” aspect of friendship. this very specific dynamic means so, so much to me:

It wasn’t as much for him as you and you knew that.

the fact that he buys into this and swoops in with mc’s favorite snacks because he knows that this holiday matters to her is so 🫠

i’d like to place an order for this mingyu and i will pay extra for expedited international shipping. okay, great, thanks!

okay, i’m getting on my soap box to scream about this:

That’s when you always chime in to remind everyone that Valentine’s Day is about love, not just romantic relationships. You and Mingyu do love each other, always have. Why not celebrate that?

THIS IS THEEEEEE TAKE™️! normalizing being a lil in love with your friends! that’s the purest form of love, in my unprofessional opinion, and i’m so geeked that mc is about 👏🏻 that 👏🏻 life. 👏🏻

the cute lil banter! the fact that he calls mc “the attention monster”! i feel seen.

i love this mingyu being so food-motivated that the butter snatching makes him pout, and the appearance of their order immediately derails his train of thought. gaaaaah, must protect!!! at all costs!!

this exchange made me snort because omg, this is peak friendship:

“Can I ask you something?” he asks, grabbing a bite of cake with his fork. “Not sure when we started asking if we could ask questions, but go on,” you say.  “What’s the real reason you didn’t give Jeonghan a chance?” Mingyu asks and that makes you look up suddenly. “I already told you,” you answer. “Not sure when we started avoiding answering things, but go on,” he says, throwing your line back at you.

i’m such a sucker for one character parroting what the other said in order to roast them. 10/10 choice for this dialogue.

aaaah! i love that mingyu clarifies that he hasn’t been in love with mc for the past ten years. it’s so important to me that he wasn’t simply over there pining, but that he ventured out on his lil romantic walkabout. he saw what was out there and chose not to pursue any of it further 😭

and then! you proceeded to hit me with another one of my favorite things:

And then he’s sliding over on the couch, gently tucking a piece of your hair behind your ear, so careful like he can’t tell if it’s all really happening. So cautious.

big, clumsy doofus (affectionate) being so uncharacteristically careful with something/someone they don’t want to break. please come peel me off the floor — i am weak.

scratch that last. i am dead:

“You know I’d never drop you,” he assures you, voice low.

[user hoshi-island has left the server]

the juxtaposition! of such an excitable goof! moving so slowly! oh my god. mc is right; he is a menace to society. criminal!

Mingyu has always had a thing about praise.

straight to jail for this. mingyu with a praise kink has ruined me and i will simply never recover. 🚨 good 🚨 boy 🚨 alert 🚨

so, when i read him calling mc “baby,” my stupid little heart fluttered. apparently, i wasn’t the only one, because:

Why did him calling you baby make your brain short circuit?

mc 🫱🏻‍🫲🏼 going a bit stupid when this word slips out 🫱🏻‍🫲🏼 me.

the bit about him knowing mc has an IUD made me squeal. i would be 0% surprised if he drove her for the appointment, or was there afterwards with pain relievers and snacks when she was done — and he likely listened without complaint when she inevitably bitched about how sore she was. regardless, i am down supreme for this mingyu.

actually, i am down in the sub-basement, babbling incoherently at this ending:

“So, I guess we’re doing this,” you say, watching his face closely. “Yeah, we are,” he agrees, no room for argument. “I’m not letting go of you now.” You lay back down and bury your face in his side. You’re not sure what else to say. “Hey, Mingyu?” “Hmm?” he says. You feel it more than hear it. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

this was the perfect way to wrap up this fic. seriously, the level of comfort you have to have with sometime to be this matter-of-fact and nonchalant…. ugh. UGH!

in summary:

fool for you | kmg (18+)

where you and mingyu have a pact to always spend valentine's day together when you're single pairing: kim mingyu x f.reader genre: friends to lovers; fluff, smut rating: explicit; minors DNI warning: mentions of drinking (they're not drunk), some swearing, mingyu is described as a puppy, kissing, light marking, mentions of some biting, fingering, oral sex (f and m receiving), vaginal sex, unprotected sex (be safe), one use of a pet name (baby), i think that's it but if you see something else, lemme know! word count: ~4.8k a/n: this is for a valentine's day collab by the lovely @playmetheclassics @here4btsfics and @missgeniality. thank you for planning this. and to one of my favorite people, @ugh-yoongi this is for you, happy love day! banner credit: @classicscreations, thank you bby

It’s always been like this with you and your best friend since you were teenagers. Ever since that awful (read: not that bad, you were just a dramatic teenager) break-up you went through in your second year of high school just before Valentine’s Day. All because your boyfriend didn’t want to have to buy you anything. Which was dumb, you think, because you were teenagers and you weren’t exactly expecting some grand gesture. Not when you’d been dating for less than a year. 

But you were upset in that angsty teenager kind of way and Mingyu swooped in to try and fix it, in true best friend fashion. He showed up at your house that night with all your favorite snacks and some movie that you couldn’t remember. What you did remember, though, was your promise to always be each other’s Valentine’s date if you were both single. It wasn’t as much for him as you and you knew that. You couldn’t help it, you just loved love and the idea of spending the day with someone special. Which he was to you. 

Now it’s been 10 years since you made the promise to each other. Those 10 years have seen you both through finishing high school, going to college, countless dates, and so much change. The only thing that hasn’t changed is always making time for each other, no matter what else was going on. Mingyu is your best friend and you know you’re his. You’re sure nothing can change that.

And since you’re both actually adults now (kind of), you can go out to dinner for Valentine’s Day at a nice place with good food. Some of your other friends think it’s weird, that you go out on what’s essentially a date on the “most romantic” day of the year. That’s when you always chime in to remind everyone that Valentine’s Day is about love, not just romantic relationships. You and Mingyu do love each other, always have. Why not celebrate that?

“Cheers to another year spent with my favorite person,” you say and raise the glass of champagne, a complimentary one for all reservations that night. 

“Yeah I guess you’re okay,” Mingyu agrees when he clinks his glass against yours. 

“Wow, I see how it is,” you retort and he smiles. 

“I’m always happy when we get to do this, you know that,” Mingyu says.

“Maybe,” you shrug, “doesn’t hurt to hear it again.”

“Ah yes, the attention monster reappears,” Mingyu says and you roll your eyes without any real annoyance behind it.

“Hey, I was really good when you were dating Nayeon,” you protest. “I just like getting to hang out with my best friend.”

“You’re right,” he concedes. 

You’re expecting him to say more because you haven’t really talked about the breakup even though it’s been about a month. “That’s it?”

“What?” he asks, reaching for a roll in the center of the table. 

“I just, I don’t know, we haven’t really talked about what happened with her,” you say. 

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Mingyu says. It’s more of a shrug than anything as he grabs a roll. “You knew we were having problems.”

This kind of sparks your interest, so you pull the butter away before he can reach it. At first, a look of betrayal flashes across his face. Playful, of course. And then he’s pouting. God, he’s such a puppy sometimes. Just a giant goofball who has no idea how big he is.

“I know you were having problems,” you finally say to correct him. “Last time I saw you and her together, she seemed happy.”

Mingyu just looks at you for a second. “She didn’t like my friends and it just got old. I was sick of having to justify hanging out with them.”

“Well your friends are idiots,” you say and hand over the butter. 

“And to think they always talk about how much they love you,” he says and you laugh. 

“I love them too, but they’re still idiots. Both can be true,” you say. 

“Yeah, well, Nayeon didn’t see it that way, so,” Mingyu trails off with a shrug. 

You reach a hand across the table and his hand meets yours instinctively. “I know I joke around with you, but I am sorry. I just want you to be happy.”

“I am,” he insists and you frown. “Come on, I’ve still got you and some amazing friends. I’m good.”

“Okay,” you agree and reluctantly pull your hand back.

“Besides, I think it’s you we need to talk about,” he says and your brow furrows. 

“What about me?” you ask, a little nervous to hear the answer because it is Mingyu, after all.

“Did you forget that it was Seokmin who introduced you to Jeonghan?” Mingyu asks and he’s got that little smirk that you really fucking hate sometimes. Shithead.

“I didn’t forget,” you say and pretend to find the drink menu interesting even though you’ve already ordered.

“Nope, sorry,” Mingyu says and plucks the menu from your hand. “I told you about Nayeon.”

“You two dated for like 9 months? It wasn’t the same?” you point out incredulously.

“And you ghosted him,” Mingyu barks out with a laugh. “The poor guy, he was heartbroken.”

“Oh, he was not,” you scoff. “There wasn’t any spark.”

“That damn spark,” Mingyu says with a shake of his head. 

And because sometimes life is actually fair, the appetizer shows up and distracts Mingyu from any further line of questioning. He’s been wanting to try this restaurant since it opened. You’re not really sure why he never went with Nayeon. It’s a win for you though. And Mingyu loves food. He’s an incredible cook, but who would ever mind someone else cooking for them? 

It’s also kind of cute. Mingyu is this giant ball of energy, exactly like the puppy you compared him to earlier. More like a golden retriever actually, because he can be smart and also very dumb. He’s always moving until he passes out. He’s fiercely loyal. But when he’s happy and eating something like this, he just kind of slows down, gets focused. There’s something endearing about it.

Dessert is always the same for the two of you too. You pretend that you only want a bite or two of whatever Mingyu orders and end up eating most of it while he pouts until you order something else. Part of you thinks that you should just order two to start, the other part kind of likes your little tradition. There are a lot of things that you like doing with Mingyu. This is your favorite though, this stupid little Valentine’s Day tradition. Maybe it’s the comfort or the safety. Maybe it’s knowing that even if you’re dating someone shitty, Mingyu will always be there.

“Can I ask you something?” he asks, grabbing a bite of cake with his fork.

“Not sure when we started asking if we could ask questions, but go on,” you say. 

“What’s the real reason you didn’t give Jeonghan a chance?” Mingyu asks and that makes you look up suddenly.

“I already told you,” you answer.

“Not sure when we started avoiding answering things, but go on,” he says, throwing your line back at you.

“I mean, it’s true, I didn’t feel a spark and I don’t know,” you say as you search for the words. “I guess I just don’t wanna be wasting my time dating someone when it’s not going to go anywhere.”

“You never know though,” he says and you can’t really pinpoint the emotion.

“I don’t know,” you say and think for a second. “Have you ever just gone on a date and been sitting across from someone that’s nice and smart and funny and attractive, literally everything you should want but…it’s just, not there?”

Mingyu chuckles even though it’s not really funny. “Yeah, I guess I have.”

“And, okay, like part of me was also thinking that this holiday was coming up. So I either had to just shut it down or agree to do something with him,” you say and look down, embarrassed about what you’re going to admit. “I just kind of thought I’d rather spend tonight with you, someone I know I like being around, rather than in some sort of new, probably undefined, relationship with him. Like what if he picked a shitty restaurant or made shitty plans? What if we run out of things to talk about?”

“Wait, you turned him down so you could spend Valentine’s Day with me?” Mingyu asks, eyes wide.

“Come on, not like that,” you say and ignore the fluttering in your stomach. “Just, I don’t know, we always have fun.”

“You like doing this with me,” Mingyu says and you roll your eyes.

“Course I do, Gyu,” you answer easily.

“What if it was like that, though?” he asks and you cock your head to the side. “Like what if we were on a date and it wasn’t just another Valentine’s Day with friends?”

“Mingyu, we’re not…” you start and falter at the look on his face. “Are you serious?” 

“You do realize that I’ve actually never been in a relationship on Valentine’s Day, right?” he asks and that stupid smirk is back. 

“You must’ve been, we haven’t done this every year,” you say and you’re trying to wrack your brain to see if it’s true. 

“No, you’re right, we haven’t. We’ve missed 3 since we made the deal when we were fifteen, all when you were in a relationship,” Mingyu says and you’re at a loss for words. 

“Does that mean…?” you try to ask but your mouth just can’t see to catch up with your brain and your heart. 

“Do you wanna get out of here and go back to my apartment? It might be easier to talk there,” he says and you just nod. 

It’s a lot of information to process and for once, Mingyu is quiet by your side. His hand is firm around yours, which doesn’t feel like a big deal because you’ve held hands for years. Except that it’s entirely different now. And when he needs it back so he can actually drive with both his hands, a part of you misses the comfort of it. Misses the security. 

You’re quiet in the elevator and on the walk to his front door, quiet as you walk through the doorway. Even the apartment is quiet, which is surprising given how loud one of Mingyu’s roommates tends to be. But the place is empty, apparently, as Mingyu tells you when he breaks the silence to ask if he can take your coat to hang it up. It’s a strange feeling for a lot of reasons. Right now it’s strange to have Mingyu taking care of you when it’s usually the other way around.

It’s quiet again as you walk the familiar path to the living room to sit down while Mingyu makes you a cup of tea. When he hands it to you, you know that it’ll be perfect because Mingyu’s been your best friend for over a decade and he knows everything about you. And that’s when you realize. Maybe he knew this too. Maybe he’s a step ahead of you in realizing there are real feelings here. Maybe he’s the one you can depend on. 

“How long?” you ask, figuring you need to speak eventually.

“Have I liked you?” he asks, needing clarification. You only nod. When he doesn’t answer immediately, you look over at him. Study his face in profile before he answers. “It’s kind of a long answer, I guess. I had a crush on you that first Valentine’s Day, but I figured you also just needed a friend. And I realized how much I did love our friendship. Plus we were kids.”

He takes a breath to collect his thoughts. “I haven’t been in love with you for 10 years, just to be clear,” he says and chuckles. “Not that I haven’t thought about it either. Mostly it’s just been that you were my best friend and we went on these little friend dates and I didn’t think too deeply about it.”

“Did something change?” you ask, still not ready to address your own feelings. 

“I’m not sure how to explain it. Nayeon and I were just kind of throwing out things for Valentine’s Day even though it was still over a month away. And she made a comment about how she hoped you’d have someone so you wouldn’t be missing me,” Mingyu says and frowns. 

“She isn’t exactly the first to not like it,” you say quietly. 

“It wasn’t even that, it was all me,” Mingyu says honestly. “I started to think about how I wouldn’t get to spend it with you and that was…a wake-up call. Nayeon and I broke it off not much after that. And honestly, what I said about my friends was true. She hated Seokmin.”

“How does anyone hate him? He’s a sunshine baby,” you say and Mingyu laughs. “Minghao I get, maybe, because he can be mean if he doesn’t like you. But not Seokmin.”

“Right?” he agrees. “So I was thinking about you and us and trying to sort things out when Seokmin said he was going to introduce you to Jeonghan and my heart broke. I couldn’t imagine having just broken it off with Nayeon only to still not get to see you for our tradition. That’s when I knew for sure. And we aren’t kids anymore.”

“So, like, what do we do now?” you ask, and Mingyu studies you for a moment.

“What do you want to do?” he asks. “I mean, are you…oh my god, why is this so hard? I just told you how I felt but I don’t know…”

He’s rambling and it’s incredibly endearing because he doesn’t usually get flustered like this. It also makes you realize that he’s laid everything out while you’ve said almost nothing. You rest a hand on his leg to stop him from stuttering through things. “Hey, I realize I didn’t say this. But I do have feelings for you too.”

“You do?” Mingyu asks, his whole face lighting up.

“Yeah, dummy, that’s what I really meant when I was talking about sitting across from Jeonghan not feeling the spark. He’s a great guy but he’s not you,” you say easily. 

“What do we do now?” Mingyu asks, making you laugh. 

“I mean like I really wanna kiss you, so,” you say, watching as his eyes go wide, just for a moment. 

And then he’s sliding over on the couch, gently tucking a piece of your hair behind your ear, so careful like he can’t tell if it’s all really happening. So cautious. It’s at odds with your best friend who’s always tripping over his own feet and never seems to know just how big he is. Your whole body is hyper-aware of his and even though he admitted his feelings first, you’re still a little worried that this isn’t real either. When his lips finally meet yours, it occurs to you just how many times you’ve imagined this. How many times you’ve looked at his lips and wondered if they were soft or what they would feel like against yours. How many times you’ve wondered about his hands running over your body.

His lips feel better than you expected, the perfect mix of soft and firm against your own. One of his large hands cups the side of your face, fingers curling around behind your ear. You’re not even sure which one of you deepens the kiss, you’re only aware that your tongues are moving together and that it’s making you feel a little light-headed. The angle is awkward but you’re not sure you really care. You’re kissing your best friend and it’s everything you’ve ever needed and nothing like you thought. 

He pulls away and you’re a little embarrassed by the way your lips chase after his, a little unused to being the one that pouts in this relationship. Yet that’s exactly what you do when you see him just looking at you.

“Is this actually happening?” he asks. You let out of huff of air.

“Well not now, since you stopped kissing me,” you say. You expect him to laugh or roll his eyes. Instead, he only looks fond. So incredibly fond. 

“Never would’ve pegged you as the pouty, whiny type,” Mingyu says. Now you’re the one that rolls your eyes.

“I’m leaving,” you announce and get up. 

You’re actually a little surprised when he lets you stand up and take a few steps toward the door. There’s a chance for your stomach to drop, just a little bit. And then he’s grabbing your arm to spin you around to him. 

Fuck, he’s tall. Which you’ve always known, but it’s different when he’s crowding your space and caging you between his arms. Your back is against the wall when you finally tilt your head up to look at him. Whatever playful glint that had been in his eyes earlier is gone. There’s no question that he wants you as much as you want him, maybe more. 

You pull his face down to yours to kiss him again, harder this time, let your hands tangle in his hair that he’s finally grown out after literal years of asking him. His hands grip your hips, just on the right side of too hard. 

And, okay, you don’t want to complain, but Mingyu genuinely is a giant and it’s kind of hard on your neck to crane it so you can continue kissing him. Just as you start to rise up on your tiptoes, Mingyu’s hands move from your hips down to the backs of your thighs. You gasp into his mouth when he picks you up, balancing you against the wall. It’s nothing but heat between the two of you when you wrap your legs around his waist, trying to help him keep you held up.

“Fuck this,” he says quietly as he pulls you away from the wall. 

You squeak at losing your backrest and wrap your arms around his neck tighter like you’re afraid to fall. He just chuckles.

“You know I’d never drop you,” he assures you, voice low. 

Even though he said it, you’re expecting him to deposit you on the bed. He doesn’t. He’s so gentle when he places you on the edge of his bed and you’re wondering where all the restraint is coming from. You sure as hell don’t have this kind of control.

Almost on their own, your hands reach for his shirt and he watches as you unbutton it carefully, sliding it down his arms. It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve seen him shirtless (and you’ve seen him shirtless a lot), he’s still beautiful. So beautiful that you don’t realize he’s reaching for the hem of your dress, that’s already almost at your hips from him picking you up, removing it quickly before unclasping your bra just as quickly. It leaves you almost completely exposed, only your underwear left. The urge to be shy is brief when you see the way he’s looking at you. You spare a moment to consider if anyone’s ever looked at you like that (they haven’t, you’re sure). 

This time the kiss you get is actually quick before his mouth moves down over your body. He sucks one of your nipples between his teeth and your back arches in response. And there’s something a little weird about it all. There’s nobody in the world you know better than Mingyu, with his endless energy and restlessness. But you didn’t know this side of him. The side where he takes his time, slows down so every moment feels more important, focuses on you and you alone. 

You don’t stop him as he continues to move down your body and nips along the way. It doesn’t matter that he’s marking you up, doesn’t make you pause like it has before with anyone else. Not that anyone is going to be seeing these marks anyway, since he’s currently focusing on your inner thigh. And fuck, it feels good, but you’re also a little impatient, a little needy when your hand knots in his long hair again. Without even seeing his face, you know he’s smiling. Smirking, probably. He doesn’t have to tell you that he loves to see you whiny for him. 

(He does anyway, though, because he’s still a menace to society and to you specifically. He doesn’t have to tease you either, but he does that too, making you beg before he removes your underwear.)

“Mingyu please,” you beg, already reduced to this. 

His legs on yours from between your legs and you let out a heavy breath. His eyes are still on you when he asks, “what is it you’re asking for?”

“Something, anything,” you say because you’re no longer too proud to beg. You can yell at him for it later. Right now you just need. 

A second later, he gives you what you asked for. He runs his tongue up your folds lazily, too slow. It’s deliberate, you know. And you know that you should appreciate that he’s not in a rush. It’s just that you’re so on edge and this isn’t helping. Maybe he can tell by the way your hand tightens in his hair or the way you moan or even the way you squirm with his tongue inside you. Whatever it is, something makes him speed up and praises fall easily from your lips. The praises only seem to push him on, which isn’t surprising. Mingyu has always had a thing about praise. 

Mingyu slides a finger inside your cunt without much warning and it’s all too much. You never really paid that much attention to his hands (which was good for your sanity, probably). But his long finger moves quickly inside your cunt and you clench around him without meaning too. He hums against your clit, makes it feel like a praise. When he slides a second finger in, you’re not sure how much longer you’ll last. The rhythm of his fingers sliding inside you along with his mouth on your clit is driving you wild. 

He curls his fingers inside of you and thrusts faster, not teasing now, certainly not dragging it out. It’s silent permission for you to let go. The orgasm rips through you and you fall back onto the bed, dully aware of him guiding you through it. You’re breathing heavily when you feel his fingers slide out and prop yourself up in time to see him put his fingers in his own mouth. And fuck, okay that’s also really hot. 

You lean forward to undo his pants. Those fall to the floor with his boxer briefs and your eyes go a little wide. He’s bigger than you’re expecting, not that you’ve spent much time thinking about him. Now he’s the one that looks a little shy, even though it was you that was just coming on his tongue. 

He goes to grip his cock and you snap out of it, gently moving his hand away. Instead, you lean forward to spit on the tip, spreading it along his length, thinking you might tease him. Just a little bit. Your strokes are slow, at least at first, and he just watches, seems to be caught up in the moment. Until he gets impatient and jerks a little into your hand, even though you can tell he’s trying not to. 

You just look up at him, watch his eyes on you as you take his cock into your mouth. Mingyu gathers your hair in his hands, but lets you go at your own pace. Slowly, you find your rhythm, taking as much into your mouth as you can. Mingyu seems to like to give praise as much as he likes to receive it, though, because it falls out of his mouth between his groans.

“Baby, hang on,” Mingyu says and gently pulls himself back. Your eyes go wide for a second before registering that his look is just want. “Can I…I mean, I really want to fuck you. Fuck, I really want to feel you.”

That, almost more than anything else, goes straight to your core. You know you’re already getting wet again but why does he have to look like that when he says it? Why does he have to look like this is more than he’s ever experience? Why did him calling you baby make your brain short circuit? 

“God, yes Mingyu, yes, I want to feel you inside me,” you manage to say as you’re moving back into the center of the bed. 

Mingyu is reaching for his bedside table the next second and you watch him. There’s a part of you that knows it’s best to be safe, knows that you never know. But the other part, the much louder part, just wants to feel him. It’s the part that knows even though he could be a fuckboy, he’s not. Knows he doesn’t sleep around. So you tell him you’ve got an IUD, even though he already knows, and not to worry. He checks, because he cares about you more than he knows how to express, but there’s a part of him that’s excited too.

He’s hovering over you the next second, pressing kisses against every bit of your skin his lips come into contact with. He only stops for a second to line himself up at your entrance, slides the tip between your folds and comments on how wet you are again. As soon as he presses the tip into your cunt, his lips are on yours again, catching the moans. Or maybe distracting you from how big he is inside of you. 

You’re thankful for this side of him, the side that’s so careful with you, the side that’s much more in control of his body than you’ve seen anywhere else. Thankful because he’s moving slowly, letting you adjust. And because you know neither of you are going to last that long once he actually does start moving. 

“Please,” you nearly whisper, fingers digging into Mingyu’s arms. 

It’s all he needs, though. He starts moving, slowly snapping his hips as he thrusts into you. It’s all so much. You’re not sure you’ve ever felt this much while fucking someone. You love to love and love feelings, but sex has always been somehow separate for you. Not that you don’t feel during sex. It’s just that you’ve always been able to separate the feelings. You can’t imagine doing that now and maybe that’s because none of them were Mingyu.

You know he wants to make it last, you do too, but it’s all just really overwhelming. So you focus on this moment, on how he speeds up, how his breath sounds so close to you, the way his muscles contract with each movement, on the way he stretches you. You dig your nails into his arms to keep yourself grounded and he groans. He picks up his pace a little more, pulling almost all the way out before thrusting all the way in, making you scream out. 

It feels like it all happens too fast. You’re still sensitive from your first orgasm. And you know Mingyu is close too, can feel the way his thrusts falter. You clench around him, let him know you’re close, say whatever comes out. Most of it is probably incoherent, you think. But he understands anyway, is right there with you. Your second orgasm rips through you even harder than the first. Mingyu thrusts through it, releasing into you in the process. 

It’s a few minutes later, after you’ve both somewhat caught your breath and he’s pulled out of you, that you fully realize what’s happening. Mingyu has one hand behind his head and the other arm around you, eyes closed. You prop yourself up on your elbow to look at him, appreciate all his features up close for what feels like the first time in all your years of friendship. He opens his eyes and meets yours. It’s the best smile you can ever remember seeing. 

“So, I guess we’re doing this,” you say, watching his face closely.

“Yeah, we are,” he agrees, no room for argument. “I’m not letting go of you now.”

You lay back down and bury your face in his side. You’re not sure what else to say. “Hey, Mingyu?”

“Hmm?” he says. You feel it more than hear it.

“Happy Valentine’s Day.” 

this ended up being a little longer than i meant, but let me know your thoughts <3